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Clarke will admit she's in a bad mood when she meets Bellamy Blake. And it's really not his fault. Yes, she just found out that her boyfriend had another girlfriend and he'd been dating her because he hoped a high-profile romance with Clarke Griffin, Princess of Hollywood, would help his own career (and, seriously, how fucking stupid did you have to be to not realize that relationship would get back to your actual girlfriend?), but that's not Bellamy's fault.
It also isn't Bellamy's fault that she's running late; that was just bad traffic. But when she comes into the final audition, the one where they're making sure she and Bellamy have chemistry, he greets her with, "What took so long, Princess?"
And it's not his fault that Finn called her that, because so many people call her that, it's her fucking stupid nickname in the press. But he's smirking, and there's this undertone of you think you're better than us in his voice, and she can't help a quick scowl.
"Traffic. Sorry, I let Marcus know, but I didn't have your number."
"It's no problem," says Marcus, the executive producer. "Let's get to it."
And the read-through is great. She hasn't met Bellamy before, but she checked out some of his stuff on YouTube, and he's good. He's been working pretty steadily since he was eighteen, according to his IMDB profile, and he has a lot more experience than she does, honestly, even if his roles are lower profile. He's clearly dedicated and talented, and Clarke's honestly looking forward to working with him.
The script isn't anything special, pretty standard franchise stuff, but Clarke's excited for the long-term arc, the opportunities she'll have to do some stunts and be a badass, really develop the character in ways that she doesn't usually get to in just one film. Her chemistry with Bellamy is easy and natural, and she gets into the rhythm of acting opposite him in no time. He seems to be enjoying it too, and there's actually this little thrill humming through her whole body, something she doesn't feel often, and especially not just from a table read.
The two of them? They're good.
Marcus and the rest of the directors say as much, and Clarke is beaming when she drops character.
Bellamy looks like he smells something sour.
She still asks, "Hey, do you want to get a drink or dinner or something? Celebrate?" She likes getting along with her coworkers. Just because she was in a shitty mood, it doesn't have to ruin their relationship.
But Bellamy just says, "Nope," not even bothering with an excuse, and that's definitely his fault.
So, yeah. Clarke doesn't like her costar. But he's still her costar, and she's still a professional, so she's planning to make it work.
And when they're filming, they absolutely do. Their scenes are perfect, often nailed in one or two takes, and they've got the reluctant allies to loyal companions thing down on screen. Their chemistry is awesome, their acting styles mesh flawlessly, and they work together like they've been doing it for years.
Off-screen, he still calls her Princess and they still spend no time together. They fake it pretty well for behind-the-scenes stuff, of course; they're actors, it's their job to fake shit. And for Clarke, at least, it's not even that hard to say nice things. Bellamy's a great actor, the rest of the cast seems to like him, and he always buys one round for the crew when they go out, hangs out with the tech guys as easily as he hangs out with--well, everyone who isn't her. She thinks there's a decent guy in there somewhere, but she has no intention of making the first move towards reconciliation, not when she doesn't even know what she did.
The movie is going to be good; that's all that matters.
They're in post when she starts dating Lexa, so no one on set knows about it, not that she thinks she would have mentioned it anyway. She hasn't come out yet, although she's increasingly unsure why not. She thinks if it works out with Lexa, she probably will, even if there's a stubborn part of her that hates that anyone thinks her personal life is their business. A part of her that still hates that dating Clarke Griffin is a tactical move, one that Finn tried to leverage.
And then, of course, Marcus and Cage try to leverage it.
Marcus, Clarke basically likes. He's friends with her parents, has always been an adult she feels like she can count on, even if it's a little weird to think of him that way when she's twenty-five and he's her producer. But he's a good guy.
Cage is a raging asshole, and it's a daily struggle not to punch him in the face. Maybe they realize that, because Marcus is the one who says, "We're really excited about all the buzz you two are generating."
Clarke and Bellamy exchange a look; it's weird, given that they don't get along, how easy she finds it to communicate with him. Right now, they're both thinking the same thing, but Bellamy's the one to actually say it. "What buzz?"
"The promotional materials we've released so far, everyone loves your relationship."
"Good job with the editing on that," Bellamy says. "You guys are miracle workers."
"They could like that we hate each other," Clarke points out. "Some people are into that. It makes it feel more real."
"Yeah, I'm sure that's it."
Cage clears his throat. "We really want to work with this chemistry. We think it would be for the best if the two of you were together for the press junket."
"I assumed we would be," Clarke says. "We can interact in public. You don't have to separate us."
"No," says Marcus. "Together. Dating."
"I'm seeing someone," Clarke blurts out, before she can really even process the suggestion. Because--it's not unheard of, but seriously, what the fuck. She doesn't want to think about it. It doesn't deserve any of her brain power.
"I hadn't heard anything," Marcus says, frowning.
"It's new. We're keeping it quiet."
"Perfect," says Cage. "Then there's no problem. If you're not planning to take him on the red carpet anyway--"
"Jesus fucking Christ, no," says Bellamy, before Clarke can. She assumes he's just finally caught up to the conversation after the initial brain freeze and is objecting to the prospect of pretending to date her, but then he says, "We're not making Clarke lie about her actual relationship. No way."
Marcus and Cage look about as surprised as she feels. "Excuse me?" asks Marcus.
"It's one thing if we're both single, but we're not screwing up Clarke's dating life for publicity. No way. I won't do it."
"I won't either, for the record," Clarke says, once she's over the shock of his sticking up for her. "We'll do press together, we'll be friendly and act like we like each other, but I'm not going to say I'm dating him when I'm with someone else."
"I'll pretend I'm into her if you want," Bellamy volunteers. "But that's all." Clarke frowns at him, and he shrugs. "Press is fucking boring. At least if I'm faking a crush, I'll have something to do."
"I am pretty irresistible."
"That's definitely it," he agrees, and turns his attention back to Marcus and Cage. "We good? Everyone happy?"
Cage looks like he's smelling something rotten, and Marcus is still frowning, but neither of them actually has real objections, so they talk press logistics for a while and then they're released.
"Thanks," she tells Bellamy, when they're alone.
He doesn't play dumb, just shrugs it off. "You would have done the same thing if I said I was seeing someone." He flashes her a smirk. "Besides, I'm not heartbroken to have a good excuse to not pretend to be dating you, Princess."
"You're pretending to have a crush on me."
"Yeah, but I have to do that already. I'm going method."
"Seriously. Thanks."
He looks at her for a minute, like he's waiting for her to say something else, make a joke of it, but when she doesn't, he nods. "You're welcome. See you in a couple weeks."
It falls apart about halfway through their press junket; Lexa's in Tokyo, doing press about her own upcoming projects, and casually mentions that she and Clarke have been seeing each other.
She and Lexa aren't even in the same timezone; she was completely unprepared. And now she's out.
The call is rough, Lexa not understanding the big issue, saying that it was time for Clarke to accept herself, and they've broken up by the end of the conversation, because if Lexa doesn't see how shitty it is to make up her mind about how Clarke comes out for her, then Clarke wants nothing to do with her.
She hesitates for a minute before she texts Bellamy: FYI, my girlfriend just outed me, so expect questions about that tonight. And then she remembers and corrects to, My ex-girlfriend.
It really is just meant as a quick head's up; they're in New York doing press together, and this is definitely going to dominate the conversation for at least a week. A week if she's lucky, honestly. He deserves the chance to prepare himself.
Sorry, she adds, because she has no desire to pull focus from the movie with her personal life. It's the opposite of what she wanted.
Do you need a drink? he asks, and Clarke stares at the text for a minute, unable to comprehend it.
It's ten am.
His reply is instantaneous: The question stands.
It gets a smile out of her, to her surprise. It's always nice to have confirmation that a crisis really is a crisis, and if Bellamy is being nice to her, this really must be bad.
Okay yeah I could use a drink, she tells him, and he says, Be right there.
They're staying in the same hotel, on the same floor, so of course it doesn't take him long. He has about half the contents of his minifridge in his arms, and Clarke has to smile. "You know I have access to those too, right?"
"You just went through a breakup," he says. "You shouldn't have to pay for your own booze." He pauses. "Not that either of us are paying for our rooms, but whatever. It's symbolic."
She has to laugh. "Thanks."
He deposits the pile of bottles on the desk. "No problem. What do you want?"
"Vodka."
"Classy." He locates the small bottle and passes it to her, taking gin for himself. "Cheers."
"Cheers."
They down the bottles and then he asks, "Want to talk about it?"
"Not much to talk about. Apparently she thought I was being cowardly by not coming out, and the fact that I said I was planning to someday was enough for her to decide to do it for me." She flops back on the bed, rubbing her face. "And I know it wasn't totally fair to her. But it's not like I was asking her to lie about her sexuality. She's out. She could have said she was seeing someone. I just didn't want her to say she was seeing me. Not until I was ready. I don't think that makes me an asshole. Or a coward."
"No, it doesn't."
She sits up, studies him. He's leaning against the desk, concern all over his face. It's disconcerting. "You think I'm an asshole anyway."
"Yeah, but not for this. This genuinely sucks." He tosses her another bottle, and she catches it but doesn't drink. "You should be able to trust the people you're dating, and I'm sorry you couldn't. I'm sorry she took this decision out of your hands, and I'm sorry you're going to have to deal with all this fallout. Let me know how I can help."
She wets her lips. "Really?"
"I'm an asshole too, but I'm not this kind of asshole," he says. He pauses, comes to sit next to her. "I'm bi too, okay? I get it. I'm more into girls, but I'm--" He pauses, thinks it over. "Non-trivially into guys. It's pretty likely I could get away never having to mention it, and that makes me feel like a dick. Like I'm--I dunno. Like I'm getting away with something. So I probably won't. But I'm not ready to come out yet, and if anyone else made that decision for me, I'd be fucking pissed. So--" He gives her half a smile. "We can hate each other and still agree on stuff, right?"
"Like that Cage is an asshole."
He snorts. "Just like that Cage is an asshole."
Clarke's sexuality dominates the rest of the press tour, on everyone's mind even if they don't mention it. Bellamy is honestly a lifesaver, easy and charming, distracting reporters without showing any indication of doing so, and his quiet, unassuming support goes pretty well with a narrative where he's got a secret crush on her. Which, okay, means that gossip rags are saying there's some sort of love triangle happening, but whatever. Clarke's just glad she's got someone on her side.
She's especially glad a few months when Cage says, "We think we should be using your sexuality in the movie. Your bisexuality is big news right now, some kind of onscreen acknowledgement, maybe a sex scene--"
"What," says Clarke, at the same time Bellamy says, "Holy shit, no."
"Excuse me?" Cage asks.
"Onscreen acknowledgement?" says Clarke.
"I misspoke."
"Sure you did," says Bellamy.
"If you want my character to be bisexual, that's cool," Clarke adds. "I would love to have more bi characters in the world. But we're not using my forced outing as some kind of hook to promote the movie, and especially not with a gratuitous sex scene."
"Of course not," says Cage, like he's soothing a wild animal. "We just want to show our support--"
"So make me bi," Bellamy says. "I can get a placeholder love interest before me and Clarke hook up. Supporting her sexuality without making her the focal point of even more shit. I've got a list of guys I'd love to make out with. Just ask."
"That's a great idea," says Clarke. "Casually bisexual action heroes should be way more of a thing."
"It would be unrealistic for both of you to be--" Cage starts, and Clarke's smile goes hard.
"My character isn't bisexual. I am. My character could be too, but that hasn't been established."
Cage's jaw works. "We wanted to show our support," he says again, scowling at Bellamy, like this is his fault for daring to suggest queer dudes could exist.
"Well, when you want to actually be supportive, let me know," she says. "I'll make a list of ways we could do this that don't make me feel gross. To go with Bellamy's list of potential love interests."
Of course, he never mentions it again; she wishes she was surprised.
Perhaps it's naive of her to expect that she and Bellamy will get along better when they start filming the second movie. But they are allies now, or at least it feels that way. They might not hang out or anything, but she thought they were basically--cool. Good with each other.
But on set, it turns out he still hates her, so she's going to still hate him. She refuses to give him the satisfaction he'd get if she showed any sign of wanting to be friends.
"You realize one of you has to make the first move eventually, right?" Wells asks. He's cast for this movie only, one of the scientists Clarke and Bellamy are working with, and it's awesome. She and Wells have been friends for years, but this is their first time working together. And Bellamy is definitely acting like his character is attracted to Wells, even if he's not being written as bi, which Clarke appreciates, on a purely spiteful level.
"Nope," she says. "We're just gonna hate each other forever."
"You don't hate each other now," he grumbles, and Clarke cheerfully ignores him.
She honestly forgets about the whole fake relationship thing, mostly because she assumes it's not a thing anymore. The first movie was a huge success, the buzz for the second is great, and she and Bellamy are both incredibly popular and thought to like each. It just doesn't seem necessary at this point, so she figures no one will bring it up again.
But two weeks before press, Marcus asks, "Seeing anyone?"
"Sorry?"
"Are you seeing anyone?"
"No. Are you?"
He smiles. "Not at the moment. Bellamy isn't either, so I think the two of you should upgrade your relationship."
"We don't need the publicity," Clarke says. "Everyone is already pumped for part two."
"The fans like you together. And it's a good story. He was protective of you last time, it would be good closure for everyone to think you're together now."
"It would also be good for everyone to learn that guys can be nice without being rewarded with sex," she grumbles.
"He agreed."
"I'm asking him first. I know that trick. Last time you asked us together. In a real meeting. With Cage."
"Go ahead. I thought one-on-one would be less awkward."
They're quiet for a minute and then she says, "I can't believe it took you this long to figure out you shouldn't even let Cage talk to me."
His smile is wry. "I can't believe it either."
She hasn't spoken to Bellamy since filming wrapped, has never actually called him before, and she has to work herself up to it. It feels so awkward.
But he greets her with, "I assume this is about our fake relationship," so at least he doesn't think it's weird. Or no weirder than the entire situation.
"Marcus really talked to you?" she asks.
"Yeah. I did say I'd do it if we were both single."
"And you are?"
"Yup." He pauses. "I had a girlfriend a couple months ago, but it didn't work out."
"Sorry."
"It's fine. We weren't that serious. It does suck I don't have an excuse not to date you, but I'll live."
"We don't need an excuse. We could just say no. It's weird."
"I don't mind. I still hate doing press, at least if we're dating I've got something to talk about. Or, better yet, I can just stare lovingly at you and let you do the talking."
She snorts. "Like I can ever talk for more than five minutes without you disagreeing with me."
"I can too," he says, and she hears the smile in his voice. Maybe it's an absence makes the heart grow fonder thing; she's always happy to talk to him again, when she hasn't for a while. He's kind of fun.
"So, fake dating."
"Ever done it before?"
"Not really. Just, like, you know--we're good friends, cannot confirm or deny, that kind of thing. Talking around it and playing it up, but not actually lying."
"Moral qualms?" he asks, sounding curious.
"Not really. It's just bizarre to me. That this is something that enhances the experience for people. Like, who cares if we really like each other? We're totally selling the relationship on screen. Why do we need to want to make out in real life?"
"I kind of get it," he says, after a moment's pause.
"Really?"
"I've got a little sister," he says, and Clarke vaguely remembers him bringing her up once or twice, in interviews and anecdotes. "She was really into the Disney Channel and stuff, and she always got really excited when people were friends or dating off the show. I think it's just--she felt like she knew them, and she liked them. So she wanted to know they were happy and having fun and liked each other too. It's kind of cute. In a weird way."
"People want us to be happy and they think we'd be happy together?"
"Hey, they can be weirdly cute and wrong," he teases, and Clarke laughs.
"Well, yeah. When you put it like that."
Clarke sort of figures she knows what to do with dating Bellamy. They're honestly pretty good at doing press together, their natural desire to bait each other turning easily into the kind of banter that fans eat up. And Clarke actually knows him pretty well by now, recognizes he has a lot of good qualities, including being smart and loyal and caring. He looks out for the younger actors on set and always wants everyone to be treated fairly. He's great friends with the crew, which plenty of actors aren't, and if he didn't dislike her so much, she'd honestly like him.
So she's not worried about pretending like she's into him. But she hadn't really thought about him pretending to be into her. Partially because he was already pretending to be into her last time they did press, and it was fine. She could see the way he was playing it up, watching intently when she spoke, ducking his head with mock-bashfulness when he was asked about how they worked together, but--it's a lot more when they're dating. He keeps his arm around the back of her chair, not touching, just a warm presence close by, like something itching on that part of her back she can't reach. He smiles at her all the time, warm and fond, and tells filming stories that are technically true, but somehow twisted, just a little, to make it seem like the two of them were together. He holds her hand and leans in close to whisper things to her and she's honestly on the verge of murdering him almost constantly, because--he's stupidly good at being a fake boyfriend, and as soon as they're in private, he goes back to not talking to her.
"This is just pathetic," Wells says, when Clarke complains to him.
"What is?"
"Why are you guys not friends to begin with?" he asks.
"He's a dick."
"Plenty of your friends are dicks."
"He doesn't like me," she admits, and feels so fucking childish, because she's a professional. She should be the bigger person, should have put in the effort. But there's something about Bellamy that just makes her not want to back down.
Besides, she is working with him. They're an amazing on-screen team. Everyone says so. So it's not like she's letting her personal issues get in the way of her actual job.
"He acts like he likes you," Wells says.
"He's an actor. An actor who's pretending to date me. It's his job."
"I'm just saying," says Wells. "I bet if one of you just got over yourselves--"
"I'm over myself," says Clarke, and Wells gives up.
They're at a convention in Chicago when she starts to wonder if he might actually be right about Bellamy not hating her. She and Bellamy are next to each other for autographs, as usual, periodically chatting, smiling at each other, touching casually. It's easy, and even kind of nice; Bellamy would probably be a pretty good real boyfriend.
Clarke doesn't catch the exact sequence of events, but it definitely ends with a girl in Bellamy's arms saying, "Bell!"
Bellamy's laughing, genuine and bright, delight all over his face. "Hey, O. I thought you weren't coming."
"I skipped work to surprise you, dork. Hi! Your hair looks awful."
"Thanks. I like it shaggy."
"You're wrong."
He's still grinning. "I missed you too. Get off me, I'm working." He turns the full power of his smile on the waiting fan, and she definitely swoons. Clarke doesn't blame her. "Sorry, this is my little sister. I thought I wasn't seeing her until tonight. Octavia, this is Anna," he says, nodding his head to the fan. "And, uh--Clarke, of course."
"Clarke," says Octavia, with a smile like a shark's. "I've heard so much about you. You're having dinner with us, right?"
Bellamy's ears are a little pink, and he's not looking at Clarke. He definitely didn't tell her about this, and it's weirdly fascinating, watching him try to deal with it. "You had something to do tonight?" he asks, but his tone is odd. It sounds more like giving her an out than trying to keep her away.
"What time is dinner?" she asks. "I'm not busy until later." It's a lie; all she has planned for tonight is watching Deadwood with room service, but Bellamy knows that. So the ball's in his court again.
"Six."
"I could make that, yeah."
Bellamy looks at her for a second, like he's trying to figure something out, and then he just reaches over, squeezes her hand, and shoves his sister off his lap. "Seriously, O, go sit in the back or something. You're a menace."
"I'm gonna sit with Clarke," she declares, and does just that, pulling a chair up on Clarke's left but not even saying anything, just playing with her phone while Bellamy and Clarke meet and greet. It makes her feel antsy, this strange presence at her side, but it's not like she really has that much brain power to dedicate to Bellamy's sister. She's got fans of her own to deal with.
They finish a little after five, and Bellamy pulls Clarke aside. "You don't actually have to get dinner with us," he murmurs. He's so close.
"I don't mind."
"You don't have to pretend to like me on your downtime."
"I don't pretend to like you on my downtime," she says. His smile is wry, so she adds, "I actually just like you," and enjoys the way he goes kind of slack-jawed. "I'll shower and meet you guys down here?" She knew he wasn't staying in the hotel this time, but she hadn't known why. He's probably staying with Octavia, which she can't help but find charming. He's a famous movie star, and he's crashing on his baby sister's couch.
"Yeah," he manages. "See you soon."
Her publicist has texted: Twitter blowing up w/ u meeting b's sis. ur doing dinner?? lmk where and ill send photogs
She pretends she didn't see it; her publicist is sure the dating stuff is awesome for Clarke's own personal brand, but trying to use her (non) relationship with Bellamy to promote herself when they're not doing press stuff just feels scummy.
Besides, she wants to get to know his sister. She seems like the type who will share embarrassing childhood antics with basically no provocation. Clarke is excited.
Formality level? she texts Bellamy, before she goes in the shower, and when she gets out, she sees he's replied, I'm not showering or getting changed, so non-existent and then added, Thanks for coming.
As it turns out, they aren't even going to a restaurant, and instead end up at a quiet little house in the suburbs, somewhere warm and cozy, so Clarke's doubly glad she didn't let Anya send reporters.
"My boyfriend's a chef," Octavia explains. "He's cooking, because Bell doesn't like him."
"I never said I don't like him," Bellamy grumbles. "I said I don't know him. Which I don't."
"Bell doesn't like any of my boyfriends."
"I don't like you."
"Uh huh," says Octavia. "Sure you don't." She loops her arm through Clarke's. "So, I wanna hear all about you. And, more importantly, I wanna hear how much it sucks to work with my brother. Is he a diva? I bet he's a diva. Will he only drink one specific brand of bottled water?"
Clarke glances over her shoulder, and Bellamy smiles, shrugs one shoulder, like he's giving up on the entire exchange. In a nice way.
"Oh yeah," she says. "He's a total nightmare."
Dinner is really nice. Octavia's boyfriend is a large, quiet man named Lincoln, whom Clarke instantly likes. Bellamy doesn't seem to think he's particularly bad either, honestly, and they have a pleasant, very normal meal where they chat about Octavia's graduate program (she's going to be a veterinarian), Lincoln's restaurant, the press tour and the general weirdness of Hollywood. Octavia tells Clarke that Bellamy got into acting to help support her after their mother died, how he adopted her out of foster care as soon as he got his big TV break, and Bellamy ducks his head and refuses to meet Clarke's eyes, like he's embarrassed to have done something so amazing.
"He always acts like it's not a big deal," Octavia supplies.
"It's not. I got lucky. I could have just as easily never gotten any jobs and I wouldn't have been able to do anything. It was a really fucking big risk."
"It paid off," Clarke says.
"Like I said, I got lucky." His tone is odd. "There are plenty of kids just as good as me who never made it, so--" He shrugs. "Seems stupid to brag about it."
Octavia shakes her head. "You're a dumbass, Bell."
He flashes her a smile. "Miss you too."
After dinner, Bellamy offers to give Clarke a ride back to the hotel while Octavia and Lincoln do the dishes, and it feels weirdly like how she thinks dating in high school was. Like he's taking her home to have a chance to get her alone, away from his family.
"You can drive?" she teases. "Really?"
"I have a lot of talents."
She waits until they're in the car to say, "Are you embarrassed?"
"Almost always," he says, with an easy smile.
"Seriously."
"I don't know what you mean."
"About taking care of your sister."
"No." He sighs. "I don't like getting credit I don't think I deserve," he admits. "Yeah, when people find out what I did for her, they're really impressed, but--it didn't feel like I really did anything, you know? She's my sister. I've always taken care of her. I kept doing that, and I'm really grateful I could keep doing that. But--it was dumb luck. And once I got lucky, it wasn't--there was never a choice. It's nothing to be proud of."
"That's bullshit."
He laughs, surprised. "Yeah?"
"You can just be proud of who you are, Bellamy. And you should be. You're a good guy."
"You regularly tell me I'm an asshole."
"If I ever needed something, really needed it," Clarke says, realizing it's true only as the words come out. "You're the person I'd ask."
"Have you ever needed anything in your life and not gotten it?" he asks, and it's harsh, much more so than she expected. But it feels important, too. "Sorry--" he starts, and she shakes her head.
"No. It's a good question." She looks down at her hands. "I know how lucky I am, Bellamy." She wets her lips. "Did you know I was ten? The first time I was in a movie."
He frowns. "I thought you didn't start acting until after you finished college."
"I did a Pixar movie, just voice work. And I loved it, I told my mom I was going to be an actress. I went to the premiere, I had so much fun. But then I read the reviews. And they all said I was good, but there was all this--this kind of, well, she got the part because she's Clarke Griffin, but maybe she'll grow into it stuff. The comments were even worse, like--they should have cast this person or that person, she's never acted before, it's nepotism at its finest. All that."
"Jesus. Who let you read internet comments when you were ten?"
"I didn't tell anyone I was doing it. But I felt so bad, like--yeah, my mom did get me the job, and I bet someone else could have done it better. So I told my parents I didn't want to act anymore. And it was years before I told anyone why. Not until I was applying to colleges and my mom was talking about what connections she had where, and I started feeling guilty again. So I told my dad, and he said I can't stop being Clarke Griffin. That my whole life, people are going to know me and treat me differently because of who I am. I'd never be able to stop that, even if I didn't go to college or didn't act, so I'd just be punishing myself for who he and my mom are. He told me the best thing I could do was use it to help people who don't have what I have. So--that's what I try to do. I'm an actress because I love acting, and I'm really lucky I can do it. When he put it like that, it did seem like--I wish I could get things entirely on my own merits. I wish I knew I had this job because I'm awesome, and not because I know Marcus Kane. But it's not like I can stop knowing Marcus, so--"
"Yeah," he says.
"I know there are better actresses than me in the world, and every job I get, they don't. But if I didn't get the jobs, I don't know that they would. I'm just--doing my best. To deserve what I get, and to not take it for granted or take advantage of it."
"I know." She squints at him, and he grins. "Seriously, why do you think I stopped calling you Princess? You work hard, Clarke. You're not like I thought you'd be. But I still have trouble believing you'd need me for anything," he adds. He's clearly trying to make it into a joke, but it doesn't quite land.
She pecks him on the cheek when he drops her off. "Thanks for the ride, Bellamy. And dinner."
"Sure."
She bites her lip and adds, "I meant it. I like you all the time."
He nods, and she wishes she could see his face just a little better. "Yeah. I like you all the time too."
All the conversation really changes is his affection levels, but that's more than enough. It seems like they can't be together in public without his touching her, easy and casual, a hand on her back or his fingers laced in hers. Even in private, they hang out more, watching TV in their hotel rooms, joking around, being friends, and Clarke isn't sure if she's going to jump him or murder him.
In the end, she just decides to call his bluff, and suddenly they're the most physically affectionate couple ever. Clarke is always cuddled under his arm, playing with his hair, adjusting his shirt collars. Wells keeps threatening to just stop talking to her, but he never actually does, so she figures it's fine. Wells always feels better when he can judge her. And she doesn't mind being judged, because fake dating is great. If she was just getting laid, it would be the perfect relationship.
Then Bellamy kisses her, and she discovers exactly how much she wants to kiss him, which she really did not need to know, especially not when they're on the red carpet, being photographed. But his lips are soft and his arms are solid and all she wants to do is melt into him, kiss him until neither of them can think.
Instead, it's over far too quickly, and Bellamy is back to charming reporters, flashing smiles, and rubbing his thumb against hers in a way that makes it impossible for her to follow any conversations.
She's into her fake boyfriend. She's so incredibly into him. She might be kind of in love with Bellamy Blake.
"You okay?" he asks, once they're inside and a little more private. She could totally kiss him again. It would be so easy to just lean up and do it.
She contents herself with straightening his collar, making him give her a lopsided smile.
"I can dress myself, you know."
"I know. This is a good look for you. You did a good job."
He glances down at himself, clearly pleased. "Yeah? Thanks."
His proud grin makes her stomach flip over; she's so definitely fucked.
It just gets worse a few weeks later, when their press junket ends, and suddenly she and Bellamy have no real reason to see each other anymore. They both live in LA, not that far from each other, but they've never just hung out, and she can't figure out how to make that happen. In theory, he's just a text away, but what would she say? Anything she can come up with ends up sounding like Netflix and chill, and she's not sure she can handle the ambiguity of that particular phrase.
He calls her the day they get the first script. "Did you see this?"
"Not yet, I was at the gym."
He huffs. "I'm going to strangle Cage."
"Cool, took you long enough. I'll set up an alibi."
"Seriously, it's so fucking--"
Clarke flips through the script, trying to figure out why he's pissed. It doesn't take long. "Who the fuck is Connor?"
"Your new love interest. Apparently they want to put in some conflict before the final part." He lets out a harsh breath. "Fuck. My story line is basically just running around in circles for two hours while you get swept off your feet and then he dies at the end and you cry on me."
"No, it's not."
"No, it seriously is. I read the whole thing."
"That's not what I meant."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean we're going to yell at Cage until this is better. This is so fucking stupid. They've spent two movies telling us our chemistry and relationship is the most important thing, this is bullshit."
"We can't get together until the end."
"Fuck that."
His laugh is soft. "What's your plan, exactly?"
"Be Clarke Griffin until I get my way. They have time to do rewrites now, and if they don't, I'll leave."
There's a long pause. "That's your plan? You know that's basically throwing a tantrum, right?"
"I'll try to be reasonable first." She sighs. "Look, this is what I can do. I can be a draw. You could do it, but you're already pretty marginalized in the script, if you threatened to walk, they could rewrite this stupid Connor part and replace you in the last movie. I'm their protagonist, so if they call my bluff and fire me, maybe you can take over as the romantic lead, at least."
He's quiet again. "You're serious."
"Why wouldn't I be serious?"
"Because you're saying you'll quit your job if I don't get a better part."
"Yeah, that's exactly what I'm saying. I can do this right now, you can't. Maybe next movie, my story line will suck and you can threaten to walk out for me. It'll be fun."
"They might really fire you."
"I know. If they do, you've gotta make sure the series doesn't suck, okay? I'm going to trust you." He's quiet for so long Clarke has to check that they didn't lose the call. "I don't have to," she finally says. "But it's the right call. And I'd do it even if we weren't friends. It's not fair."
"We're friends?" he finally asks.
"Do you want me to go fuck people up or not?"
"Yeah. Just pick me up on the way, okay? I want to see this."
It's not a surprise, how happy she is to see him. He's dressed more casually than she's seen in a while, just a t-shirt and worn-out jeans, his hair a mess, wearing his glasses instead of contacts. He's grinning at her.
"I didn't know you could drive either."
"Not well, be prepared to be terrified."
"We're driving in LA, I'm always terrified." He glances at her from shotgun. "Have you ever threatened to walk off a movie if they don't change the script before?"
"Nope. Which is cool, I get a new experience. Maybe I'll get a reputation as being tough to work with."
"You really don't care."
She looks at her hands on the wheel. "It's like you said, I'm Clarke Griffin. A lot of people would never work again if they did this, but I'll still be Jake and Abby Griffin's daughter, and famous, and set for life, even if I never act again. Which I will. So, yeah. Using my powers for good."
"Helping another rich and famous actor out."
"Helping you out," she says, and refuses to look at him.
After all that, the confrontation is honestly a bit of a let down. Clarke tells Marcus and Cage, firmly, that Bellamy's the co-lead of the films, the currently story line doesn't do enough for him, and the throwaway love interest is stupid and insulting.
"I mean, you don't have to get rid of him, but putting in a random roadblock before me and Bellamy hook up? Pointless and adds nothing to the plot. Unless you want him to be Bellamy's love interest instead. I'd be down for that. We were talking about upping our bisexual representation."
Marcus shifts a little. "I'm sure Bellamy doesn't want--"
"Oh, no, I like guys too," he says, casual. "Whatever you guys want. Except for, you know. This."
"We've already cast--" Cage starts, and Clarke fixes her gaze on Marcus.
"You know this is bullshit. I know you guys wanted to cash in on the whole two-part final movie craze, and I don't care if the first part is just us spinning our wheels, but Bellamy's the second-billed actor and the script is going to change, or you're going to find another first-billed actor."
Cage huffs. "You don't--"
"I wouldn't try to call her on that," says Marcus. He looks at Bellamy. "And you?"
He flashes Clarke a smile. "I'm not Clarke Griffin. I can't afford to walk out on a job. But I think she's right, for the record. About this. Still not most of the time."
"Thanks, Bellamy."
"Gotta be honest."
Marcus shifts. "I think we could rework some of the romance. And expand Bellamy's role so he's--"
"Actually doing shit?" Clarke asks, voice dripping sweetness.
"We'll have you rewrites by the end of the week," Marcus says, and apparently that's it.
"I should really try being Clarke Griffin," Bellamy observes, in the car. His voice is a little awed. "Fuck. I could never get away with that."
"I know. I'm sorry."
"Don't be. Not until you're using your powers for evil."
"Evil being the side you're not on?"
"Basically. Morality is relative."
He waits until they're back to his place to say, "But really, thanks. For having my back."
"What are friends for? And we are friends now. You don't get to deny it after that. We're going to hang out and stuff."
"Do we have to be friends?" he asks, cocking his head at her, and it feels like someone poured a bucket of cold water on her.
"No, I just thought--"
And then he kisses her.
It's just as quick as last time, if not quicker, the firm press of his lips on hers, but he doesn't really pull away this time, just moves back enough that he can say, "Friends is my second choice. I'll take it, but--"
She wraps her hand around his neck and pulls him back for a real kiss this time, and his hands come up to cradle her face as he grins into it.
"You know we're at my house, right?" he murmurs against her mouth. "We don't have to make out in your car. There are at least thirty more comfortable places inside where we could be making out."
"Thirty?"
"I have a very comfortable house."
She gives him one more lingering kiss and then pulls back with a grin. "Okay, well, this I've got to see."
The remainder of their break is honestly pretty awesome. Clarke spends a lot of time finding every good place to make out in Bellamy's house, and all the good places to get laid, and all the good places to fall asleep in his lap while he reads or works or does whatever Bellamy stuff he wants to do. She manages to get him to admit that he's a thing for her since they were doing press for the first movie, and he just sucks at dealing with crushes, which is both adorable and something they have in common, so she can't even be that upset about missing out on dating him for so long.
Absolutely no one on set is surprised by this development. Literally not a single person.
"I didn't think he'd make a move," says Miller, Bellamy's friend from effects. "Honestly, I figured he'd just pine away and die."
"Thanks, Miller," says Bellamy. "I was very smooth."
"Incredibly."
"Yeah, but she threatened to quit the movie for you first," says Monty. "I think that counts as making the first move. Clarke did all the work."
"They can both be incompetent," says Marcus. "They're also both needed for this scene, if you're done gossiping."
"Basically never," says Miller. "And don't act like you're so far above it. You were right in there with the rest of us."
"Yeah?" Clarke asks, raising her eyebrows at Marcus. "You were in on this?"
To her surprise, Marcus grins. "Who do you think decided the two of you should date for press events? On set in five."
"The whole world's against us," Bellamy says, with an exaggerated sigh.
Clarke leans up to peck his cheek. "The whole entire world," she agrees. "But we've got this."