#anyways where are my princess rover fans @

[wonderful-writer]

23 - Time Goes On

Summary: Y/n and Bellamy adjust to a normal life in Arkadia, until an Ark tracking beacon is signaled in Azgeda territory and problems occur, along with the discovery that Clarke has been up to no good and now has a bounty on her head. 

Word Count: 7.43k

Warnings: Fighting (training), one mention of sex, alcohol, angst, etc. 

Based Off: 03x01, “Wanheda”

Author’s note: I honestly feel so proud of this chapter just because I got to write some nice moments between Bellamy and the reader, plus it’s the most I’ve ever written and took me so long to come up with everything that wasn’t canon-based. I hope you guys enjoy it as much as I do! 

Feedback is always highly appreciated!

          2 weeks after Mount Weather

“You know Abby said you can’t walk without your crutches for another week, right?” Bellamy’s voice sounded from the doorway, catching you off guard as you stood up from your shared bed.

He laughed when you jumped at his voice, turning around to greet him as he leaned against the doorway. “Well, what the chancellor doesn’t know won’t hurt her, right?”

Your boyfriend rolled his eyes and sported a small smirk as he crossed his arms. “She gave me strict orders to tell you when you weren’t using your crutches, you know.”

“Oh, did she now?” You asked.

“Yes, she did.” His smirk fell when he noticed you losing your balance, quickly making his way to you, supporting you by the arms and guiding you back to bed as he got your crutches. “You won’t heal properly if you don’t use the crutches, then you won’t be able to train at all,”

“I know,” You said as you put the crutches under your arms and got back up. “But I should be out there with you, she’s basically my sister and I need to find her. I know she said she wanted space but…”

“But it’s not the same without her.” He finished, putting his hands on your upper arms. “I know, princess. But I did come to see you for a reason.”

“Not just because you love me and can’t go more than four hours without seeing me?” You joked, a playful smirk crossing your lips.

Bellamy laughed a little at your joke. “Well, there’s that, but your dad wanted me to tell you that he wants to have lunch with you again, he finally managed to get a break in his schedule and he wanted to see you.”

“Okay, I’ll go see him then.” You looked back up at your boyfriend. “But I get dinner with you. You’ve been training too much.”

“Not a problem,” Bellamy agreed to dinner. He leant down and placed a kiss on your hairline before grabbing his guard jacket. “I’ll walk with you to Abby’s office, I have a shift and it’s on my way out.”

Smiling, you used your crutches to help yourself along, out of yours and Bellamy’s room and towards Abby’s office to meet with your father. 

          3 weeks after Mount Weather

You walked out of the medbay for hopefully the last time in a while, crutch free. Practically skipping down the halls to Abby’s office, you passed many people who gave you weird looks, and Gina, who turned around to walk with you when she saw you. 

Gina worked with you in the kitchens, where your father put you for the past two and a half weeks after bugging him to let you do something for work. She and you instantly clicked, and she told you how she was doing this job as a filler until she had enough training to work the guard, which she was in training for before Arkadia came to earth.

“You seem happy to be up and walking,” She laughed when you sent her a big smile. 

“Of course I am, Jackson cleared me for work! Which means I can work shifts with you and Bell now.” You beamed.

She laughed once more and you glanced at her before speaking up. “Wanna have drinks with me and Bellamy tonight? If dad lets me on the guard, Bellamy was gonna take me for drinks to celebrate,”

“Oh, no, I wouldn’t want to intrude or anything--” She tried to decline the offer, but you grabbed her hand politely.

“Gina, my sweet, sweet Gina,” You shook your head. “Intruding is the last possible thing you would be doing, trust me. Bellamy would love to have you with us, you’re our friend.”

After insisting, she decided that going with you and your boyfriend wouldn’t be bad. You hugged her excitedly and walked with her all the way to your father’s office, where she said her goodbye’s and departed back down the hall, the way you came. 

Knocking, your father opened the door and let you into the room after a quick hug. “You already know why I’m here, don’t you?”

“Yes, I do. And before you say anything, you start tomorrow.”

“What?” “I said, you start tomorrow.” A smile started to grow on your father’s face at your shocked expression. “Bellamy stopped by while you were in medical, told me how you were perfect for the position and thought I should give you a chance.”

Still stunned, all you could do was look at your dad as he pulled out a guard jacket and walked over to you. “Congratulations, sweetheart.” 

You took the jacket from his hands and slipped it on. You looked at yourself as best as you could and smiled widely for the second time in the hour. “Thank you, dad!” 

You pulled your father into a grateful hug, feeling his arms hold you tight. Once you broke away you spoke up. “Bellamy and I will see you later for dinner, but I have to show him right now.”

He smiled at you and nodded, patting your shoulder lightly. “See you then, bug.”

The nickname was one that he hadn’t called you for almost 10 years, so your initial shock was to be expected. You sobered up before Marcus could notice, though, and sent him a final smile before opening his office door and barreling down the halls to Arkadia’s exit, where Bellamy was doing a shift at the front gate. 

When you were halfway to him you shouted out his name, catching his attention. He noticed the guard jacket you were wearing and a large smile painted his face as he momentarily let go of his gun to greet you. “I heard what you did for me, Bell.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” He denied playfully.

“Sure you don’t,” You rolled your eyes. “Anyway, we have dinner with my dad again tonight and then Gina is gonna meet with us for drinks. I gotta go help Abby with the map, though, so I might not see you until before dinner.”

“Well my shift ends in a few hours, so I might see if Kane needs me to do anything before then and if not, then I’ll probably just bother you and Abby until dinner.” 

You laughed at him and pressed a kiss to his cheek, muttering a “See you later,” and heading back into the building to meet with Abby. 

          5 weeks after Mount Weather

“Wow, you actually did that?” You laughed, catching some of the attention of the people around you, but you were too drunk to care. You, Gina, Raven, and Octavia decided to have a night to yourselves, the last few weeks had gotten to all of you. 

Raven was pissed that she wasn’t able to work on anything other than sorting scrap metal and the new rovers, Gina had a tough run to Mount Weather yesterday, Octavia was just generally pissed at Lincoln’s kill order, and Jasper’s coping mechanism was starting to get to you. You tried as much as you could to help your brother but it seemed that he didn’t want you anymore. 

He cut off all of his hair and started growing a beard of sorts, drinking any kind of alcohol he could get his hands on. It hurt to see your brother in the state he was in, and helping him was something you tried to do, until last night when he screamed at you for so long that he started losing his voice. 

“Yeah! I was surprised no one gave me shit for it, but I guess being a small kid I got away faster than they thought.” Gina smirked, taking a sip of her drink.

“Can’t beat the time that I snuck into farm station to steal moonshine for Finn’s birthday,” Raven reminisced. Though she was still in pain from his death, it seems that the drinks loosened her up enough to speak about him without tears in her eyes. 

“I’ve never even been to those stupid dances that people had, you know.” You remembered, sipping the moonshine. 

“Never?” Gina looked at you incredulously.

“Never. I was like 12 when I was sent to the skybox, G.” She made an ‘oh’ face and took another drink.

“It sucks that you’ve never been to one, they’re pretty cool,” Raven commented quickly, and Octavia scoffed.

“The only masquerade dance I’ve been to got my mother killed and me tossed into the Skybox.” She grumbled and you put your hand on her back. 

“Well, I think they suck anyway, Tavia. Teenage dances are a breeding ground for unnecessary drama and hookups that make things awkward.” 

The three of them laughed and you joined in soon after, the rest of the dining hall turned their heads to look at you, but you were too busy to tell them off and eventually they turned back to their own conversations. By the time you sobered up laughter-wise, you realized how late it was. 

“Oh shit,” You stumbled off the stool. “Gotta go, ladies, Bellamy should be done with his shift by now.”

“Whipped!” Gina shouted playfully, causing the other girls to laugh. 

“At least I’m getting some,” You smirked, walking backwards towards the exit to see their reactions. 

Once you were satisfied with their shock, you turned around and headed towards yours and Bellamy’s shared room

          6 weeks after Mount Weather

“Tell me about your mom,” You requested tiredly, tangled up in the bed with Bellamy. Your legs were as intertwined as they could be and your head was on his chest, while he kept one arm around your body and the other behind his head. 

“We just had sex and you want me to tell you about my mom?” His bare chest vibrated as he laughed, trying to get a good look at you to see if you were joking.

“I’m being serious!” You whined, smacking his chest lightly. “I never got to meet her and I just want to know what she was like.”

Sighing, Bellamy pulled you closer and looked up at the ceiling. “Her name was Aurora. She sewed up and made the clothes or fixed them, taught me and Octavia how to do the same. She always wanted me to be on the guard, though. She was probably the biggest fan of mythology ever, and always read to me and Octavia growing up. The Iliad is my favorite out of all of them, but the Three Sisters of Fate was hers. She always liked the idea that everything happens for a reason and you can’t do anything to change it, that the decisions you make are because the sisters wanted it to be that way. She always thought that she had Octavia because that’s what the sisters wanted.”

“She sounds wonderful, Bellamy.”

“She was,” You saw the tears glistening in his eyes and you sat up, putting your hand on his cheek in comfort. “I miss her so much.”

“I know.” He leaned into your palm and closed his eyes. You leaned up and kissed his forehead, pulling him into your chest instead. “Just get some rest, okay?” 

It didn’t take long for his breathing to start to even out and you scratched his scalp lightly and played with his curls until you started to fall asleep yourself. 

          7 weeks after Mount Weather

The adrenaline pumping through your veins and the atmosphere of the room drove you to push harder than you were sure you’ve ever fought. Since you lost your sword to the mountain, you had to learn hand-to-hand combat, usually with Lincoln or Octavia. The last time you were paired with Bellamy to spar, things went very wrong very fast. To say the least, you forgot that there were other people watching you for a little bit.

You kept your fists up in defense, shifting your weight from foot to foot as Lincoln stared you down. You knew what he was attempting seconds before he did it, moving your hand to block the punch to your side and using the other to punch his chest quickly. Sticking out your leg, you swiped his from under his body, watching as he fell to the floor with a thud. He looked winded, leading you to step lightly on his wrist with a smirk.

“How was that for a good fight?”

He wheezed and looked up at you. “Definitely better, but never let your guard down.”

Before you could give a reply, his hand grasped your ankle and pulled you to the ground with force, winding you just like you did him. “Asshole,” You wheezed as he stood up, giving you his hand to help you up. 

Once you stood, Lincoln turned to the crowd that watched the sparring lesson. “She was really close to winning, but she let her guard down early. Defeating the opponent is very tricky, and getting arrogant and cocky early on makes it easier for them to know your moves and take you down.”

“At least I got that far, last week I was immediately wiped out.” You told him before picking up a towel and looking at the group. “The key is practice. Keep practicing your moves, what makes you feel comfortable and is effective. Yes, you will have guns, but guns won’t always protect you.”

          8 weeks after Mount Weather

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Your father asked once more.

“Yes, dad, I’m sure. I’ll be okay, don’t worry.” 

You sat at the table in Abby’s office, her and your father opposite to you. They knew this would be dangerous for you, even if you didn’t see it like that.

“It’s just this run, right? Gina will be with me. I know some parts of the mountain and there’s no one there to hurt me.” You reassured him. “Besides, other than this one, I’ll only be going if someone can’t make it.”

“I know, I’m just making sure that you want to do this. If you don’t, it’s okay. But i just want to double check.” 

“I know, dad. But they’re leaving soon and I have to go.” standing, you said your goodbyes and sped down the hall, rushing to make it to the hangar. 

You stepped into the rover, taking your seat next to Gina as the doors to the hangar opened and you sped off with another rover trailing behind, back to the place you hated with your entire being. Gina kept you calm throughout the drive, and getting in wasn’t a problem.

Stepping inside, you were reminded of the pain you were put through, the people you lost. You tensed while the others walked past you, not knowing the horrors that went on in these walls. Subconsciously, you reached down to your thigh, where the scar you gained from being strapped to a table was, the phantom pain kicking in.

Gina noticed it, and took your hand away, keeping it locked in hers. “You’re okay. They’re not here anymore, and we’re only gonna be here for a few hours, max. I’ll be right here, I promise.”

You nodded and took a deep breath, stepping forward. You were looking for their armory while the others went to level 5 to get as much food as they could back to Arkadia. It didn’t take long to find it on level 1, walking at a little bit faster of a pace than before once the double doors were in sight.

Reaching the armory, you each pulled a door open and marveled at the firepower contained in one room. Pulling the radio from Gina’s belt, you put it to your mouth and pressed the button. “This is Y/n and Gina, we found the armory.”

“What about it?” One of the men replied. 

“It’s a goldmine, Jason, that’s what. Rover one, I want everyone down here now. Let rover two handle the food, we’re gonna need as much room as we can get.”

You handed the radio back to her and she tucked it back into her belt and walked in with you, looking at the weapons. While your back was turned to hers, looking at the rifles on the wall, she gasped and laughed. “Holy shit!” 

“What?”

“There’s a sword here!” Gina turned around with a sheathed sword in her palms. “Look at it! There’s a bunch of knives in here, too.”

“Must be where they kept all the grounder weapons,” You noted, looking into the large bin. “Hey, can I see that sword?”

You took the weapon from Gina’s hands, turning it over before unsheathing it. “This is my sword,” You realized.

“You had a sword?”

“Yeah, I found one when Jaha sent me, Bellamy, and Clarke to look for shelter through the winter.” You smiled a little before a thought crossed your mind. Putting the sword on the ground you dove into the bin, sifting through the daggers carefully. “AHA!”

You yanked the leather strap and held it high in the air, head still in the bucket. It didn’t take you long to find the other one, pulling them both up. “Yes!”

“What’s so special about those?”

“They’re my thigh knives.” You responded simply. Before Gina could say anything else, you were strapping both daggers to your thighs, making sure they were safe before picking up your sword. 

The other three of your men showed up and you began directing who should take what and bring it to the rover. Within the hour, three large bins of ammo were loaded up in the middle of the rover, and the group had many rifles strapped to them to bring back. 

Once everyone was back in the rover with you in the driver’s seat, you notified rover two’s driver that you would be heading back to Arkadia to deliver the weapons to your small armory. Gina rode shotgun and she asked you questions about how exactly you got the weapons and what it was like to use them. 

“I had them since we got to the ground. But I lost them when Mount Weather took us from the dropship, and I guess they kept the weapons that they took from the grounders.” You shrugged. “Either way, I’m lucky as hell to get them back.”

As soon as you stopped in the hangar bay you spotted Bellamy at the top of the ramp, looking worried. Sighing, you turned off the rover and stepped out, meeting his eyes. He started toward you and took you into his arms as soon as he could. “Why didn’t you tell me you were going?”

“It was really last minute, Bell, I didn’t have the time to tell you before they left.”

He just nodded and you sank into the embrace before letting him go. “Come with me, I have to tell Abby and my dad what we found.”

          9 weeks after Mount Weather 

After finding your old weapons, sparring got a whole lot easier after learning how to properly use it again. Since then, however, between guard shifts, meals, time with your friends and father, trying to get Jasper back on the right track, and sparring, you did mapping runs with Bellamy. 

You didn’t go back to Mount Weather since you were there last, but you didn’t mind not going. They always had enough people to get two rovers worth of items from the mountain and bring it all back, all while managing to keep the peace between yourselves and the grounders. 

Things were turning around again, and you finally felt somewhat at peace. Although, knowing how things turned out for you, peace wouldn’t last. You were getting less and less sleep as time went on, and when you did you often woke up in the night and went on a trek back to the dropship. 

That’s where you were headed now, your weapons with you and a pack on your back, filled with rations and moonshine. You used a flashlight to guide your way, although the path was familiar to you by now. Once the grown over dropship came into sight, you visibly relaxed, walking through the middle and looking around at the walls; walls you helped build, helped defend. This was your home once upon a time, and in a way it still was. 

This is where you built your new life, where you almost died-- twice-- and where you got your footing for your future. This place was where you gained a new hope for humanity, where you somehow fell for the biggest asshole ever. But you didn’t mind. Not one bit. 

Taking a seat at the entrance, you opened your pack and pulled out the moonshine you packed. If you could have it your way, you would be back here, before you lost so many people and before you felt unnecessarily empty. You had a family, a man that you loved, friends. Why did you feel like this? 

You poured out the alcohol and raised your cup to the sky. “So much for peace on earth, huh? Bet you didn’t think I would turn out like this, did you, ma?” 

Downing the harsh liquid, you felt a little bit better. Despite it all, you knew things wouldn’t stay this way forever. When it came to you, things went to shit quickly. You gave it a matter of weeks before you’d face another battle that would take more of your people, leave you worse than before.

          10 weeks after Mount Weather 

You snuck back into camp later than you thought you did, accidentally falling asleep under the stars at the dropship. You didn’t know how late you were, but you knew that everyone was already awake when you got back in. 

Taking back entrances and panels in the walls, you entered the residential halls, trying to get back to yours and Bellamy’s quarters without being seen. Of course, it wasn’t that easy. “There you are,”

Your father’s stern voice echoed in the empty hall, making you stop in your tracks and tense up. Turning slowly, you faced your father, Bellamy, Lincoln, Octavia, Raven, Abby, Miller, and Gina at the opposite end of the hall. Monty and Harper were there as well, but you didn’t see them at first, they were tucked behind the rest.

“Can we not do this here?” You requested quietly. You followed the group to Abby’s office, the rest of them waiting outside while she, Bellamy, and your father went inside with you.

“Where the hell did you go?” Your father demanded when you sat on the couch. “Do you have any idea how reckless you were being? The grounders barely trust us as it is, what if they found you? What if you--” He stopped himself, taking a breath. You knew what he was going to say. 

“I was fine, okay? I had my knives and my sword, and it’s not like I just wandered off for the night.” You defended.

“The night?! You were gone all night?” The anger in your father's voice made you flinch in your spot, but you knew he wasn’t actually mad, just worried.

You watched Bellamy search your bag and pull out the large canteen of moonshine, recognizing what it was from the smell of it as soon as it was uncapped. “It’s almost empty,”

“Where the hell did you go?”

“The dropship,” You mumbled, barely able to hear it yourself. Your father hummed and asked you to speak up, so you did. “I went to the dropship, okay? I went to the dropship to get drunk and I fell asleep. It’s not like this is the first time it’s happened.” 

“How long?” Bellamy asked.

“Two weeks, give or take.”

“Why?”

“It’s-” You sighed. “I can feel it. This won’t last. The dropship, that’s our home. Everything started there. I know that sooner than later we’re gonna fight a war we’ll barely win, everyone will end up worse than the last time, and I know how this ends. We’re not making it out of this next time and even if we do, it’s gonna tear us apart.”

The trio shared worried glances and Bellamy took the first initiative, sitting next to his girlfriend and wrapping her up in his arms. “I promise you, we will have peace. We have it right now, princess. You, me, everyone here has peace. And even if things fall apart, it’ll be okay.”

You looked up at him and he kissed your forehead. “It’ll be okay because we have each other. Me and you. And we have the others; Raven, Octavia, Lincoln, Gina, your dad, Abby, Miller, Harper, Monty, Jasper. We’ll stick together, okay? No matter what happens, we’ll be together.”

The reassurance calms you down considerably, and you put your head on Bellamy’s chest, near his shoulder. “But it won’t work if you don’t talk to us. Any of us. It doesn’t matter if you tell one of us or all of us, but you can’t keep going back there, not alone and definitely not with booze.” 

“Okay,” Your voice was tired and small, so it didn’t surprise anyone when you fell asleep mere seconds after your agreement with Bellamy. Abby and Kane both decided to relieve you and Bellamy of your shifts today, giving you a break and allowing Bellamy to stay with you.

Bellamy scooped you into his arms, carrying you bridal style to the door, where Kane opened the door to see the rest of the group standing there worriedly. Raven was the first to approach the door. “What happened?”

“She’s fine, just sleeping.” 

“Where the hell did she go?” Octavia queried, stepping up from the wall. 

“The dropship,” Bellamy sighed. “She’s been going there every night for a couple of weeks now. She gets drunk and then comes home before we get up.”

A collective sigh from the group was heard and wasn’t clear if it was out of sympathy for their friend or relief that she was somewhere familiar. “We’ve both been cleared for the day, I’m gonna take her back to the room and let her sleep, I gather she hasn’t been getting much lately.”

With that, the group dispersed to get back to their own jobs, while Bellamy walked back to his and yours shared room, placing you gently on the unmade bed. He pulled off your boots gently, placing them on the floor at the end of the bed, tucking you in a little further and pulling up the blankets to your shoulders.

He admired you lovingly for a little while, looking so peaceful and calm in your dreams, where none of the worries you previously presented to him could weigh on your shoulders. That was all he wanted for you, a world where you didn’t have to be burdened with your own thoughts and worries, where you and him could live happily with your friends-- who now seemed to be more like family than anything-- and a few of your own children to raise. 

With a heavy sigh, he moved from the space beside you, where he lay, to the window that looked out to the gates. You were lucky to have a window at all, but it served no purpose aside from natural light. So, Bellamy closed the shutters and blocked out the light before moving back to his side of the bed. Moving in closer than he was before, he put an arm over your waist and maneuvered the other to push some stray hairs that fell from your braid out of your face.

He looked around quietly before deciding he would tell you a story, like the ones his mother read to him and Octavia when they were younger. He decided that one of the stories of the gods would do nicely, and after some pondering, the story of Hestia, although a story he didn’t hear the story often, was one that stuck with him.

In some instances, Hestia reminded him of you. She was the goddess that represented everything domestic, everything he wanted with you. Everything you so clearly wanted. A home, a life, a routine. No more fighting or keeping guard, no constant need of weapons. And as he told the tale of Hestia in a quiet voice, he thought about his own future and what it could possibly look like.

          12 weeks after Mount Weather

Since you got caught sneaking back into the camp, you managed to catch yourself before you went down as deep of a hole as your brother did. You were helping yourself, talking to Bellamy and Raven about your fears. You stopped yourself from leaving the camp again, as much as you wanted to. But today, you were allowed. 

One of the people who usually accompanied Gina and the others on the Mount Weather runs couldn’t go due to an injured wrist, so your father let you go instead. Your leg bounced the entire way there, and your lip was red from how hard you were biting it. Gina managed to get you to relax until you got there, splitting off from the rest to go into the art room. 

“I can’t believe they didn’t put everything up, it’s all so beautiful.” Gina marveled, moving the paintings to the door for the others to bring to the rover. 

“It really is,” You muttered, spotting a bookshelf in the back and heading towards it. There were multiple authors on the spines of the books. People like Jane Austin, William Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, and Ernest Hemmingway to name a few. And then you saw it. On the bottom shelf, placed on top of a few upright books, was something you didn’t think you’d ever see. 

The very last copy of The Iliad, hardcover with a black spine and a gold title rest there, looking a little worn, but seemingly never touched. You crouched down, pulling it from the shelf slowly and taking it into your hands. The cover was yellowed, but the pages were intact. “Huh,” 

You walked back to Gina, who was moving a painting that you didn’t recognize. “I found a bookshelf back there, filled with classic books,” 

She seemed surprised but nodded, moving slowly with the weight of the painting. “Seems cool, what did you find?”

“The Iliad,”

“What’s it about?”

“The Trojan War, I’m pretty sure. It’s one of Bellamy’s favorites and I think it burned on the way back down, so I’m bringing it back for him.”

“Awe, cute.” Gina smiled and you laughed, rolling your eyes. 

“Funny, G.” You tucked the book into your waistband, helping her move the rest of the art until the rovers were full, tucking the book behind the art before grabbing Gina’s hand and helping yourself into the rover.

The ride seemed short, but you knew it wasn’t, the thoughts and excitement of giving Bellamy the book filling your mind and distracting you. Once the rover stopped, you helped hand Zeke the produce and get it to the kitchens, staying beside the rover. Bellamy approached the rover in his guard jacket, meaning he and the others were going somewhere.

“Hey,” He greeted. “Easy run?” “No,” You sighed out. “It wasn’t as hard for me to go in, but that place is terrifying.”

“I know, but at least you don’t have to go every time.” 

“True,” You agreed, turning around and grabbing the book. “I did, however, find this.” 

You placed the book in his hands and he smiled at you, silently asking how you got it with his eyes. “You read me a few of the stories off the top of your head once, and you told me how your mom read that to you and I found it in one of the rooms. I thought you’d like to have it.”

“I do. Thank you.” And with that, he gave you a quick peck and turned to rover one, putting it on the hood and slamming his bag down to put it there. 

“Hey!” Raven slid out from underneath the rover to scold Bellamy. “Take it easy.”

“Morning to you, too.” Bellamy joked as the woman stood up and made her way to you for a hug, which you gratefully returned. Miller came into the hangar bay as Bellamy tossed him a gun and they talked about the grounders as you asked Raven where they were going.

“A tracking beacon from the Ark was turned on in sector 7, Kane’s letting us check it out.”

“Cool, can I come?” 

“Ask Mr. Leader over there,” She nudged her head towards Bellamy, who was unloading the guns from his sack. “I doubt he’ll say no, considering he’s in love with you.” You laughed as Raven made fake heart eyes at you, mocking Bellamy.

It was cut short, however, when Monty tossed a bucket of cold water at Jasper to get him to sober up. “I’m sorry, was that too cold for you?” 

Jasper yelled in rage and slammed Monty against the rover before letting go, walking over to the guns. Bellamy stopped him, saying that he wasn’t allowed to carry a gun until he was sober. He walked away after hitting Bellamy lightly with his wet hand in a form of a salute. Bellamy, now annoyed, grabbed his weapon and walked over to you. 

Just by the look in your eyes, he could tell you wanted to come with him. A wordless exchange led him to sighing and grabbing your hand, pulling you to the rover. “You better be ready for this,”

“I am,” You reassured. “I’ve been learning how to use my sword and knives for a while now, Bell. Lincoln told me the other day that I’ve gotten pretty good, you know.” 

He just hummed in agreement, helping you into the rover before sitting down close to the driver's seat, where Raven was. Jasper was beside her, and Monty and Miller across from you. Octavia, no doubt, would be riding on her horse, Helios. And as you drove out of the hangar bay, you knew you were right. The girl yelled at Raven to try and keep up, leading her to drive down the path and out of the gates behind Octavia.

As you raced down the dirt road, you sat in silence, aside from the crunch of the gravel and roaring of the engine, along with Jasper’s music blaring from his earbuds. Once he started singing, Monty pulled them from his ears. “No way. If you’re gonna ride shotgun, you can’t just disappear.”

Jasper plugged his music into the speakers of the rover, letting it blast throughout the vehicle. Monty was about to turn it off but Bellamy allowed it. The music sounded good, and Miller and Raven started moving to the beat of it first while Jasper sung, before you decided to join in. The lyrics were something all of you knew, and when you started singing them and enticing Bellamy to join in, along with Miller’s antics, you saw him smile.

“Come on, Bell, it’s fun!” You started shouting the lyrics instead of actually singing them, getting your boyfriend to laugh. It was more fun that way, anyway.

You laughed at your brother when he came to the back and stood up, his upper half sticking out of the rover as he whooped. However, when the GPS started beeping, Raven shut off the music and Monty climbed into the front. Raven stopped the rover as Jasper came down, muttering about how that was the best part of the song.

“Who is it?” Asked Bellamy.

Monty typed something on his keyboard and revealed that it was Farm Station’s beacon. 

“After 4 months? How?” Miller asked. 

“We’ll find out.” Bellamy affirmed. “Where are they?”

The back door creaked open to reveal Octavia. “Don’t tell me I missed the party,”

“Sector 8.” Monty revealed. 

“That’s Ice Nation,” You recalled.

“What about it?” Octavia queried.

“Protocol says we go home,” Raven suggested. “Let the Chancellor decide what to do next.”

“Screw protocol.” Bellamy decided. “The Chancellor’s not from Farm Station. Monty is, and so is Miller’s boyfriend. It’s your call.” 

“Let’s do this,” Monty decided. Miller agreed and Bellamy looked at his sister, repeating the words she said to Raven before they left camp. She shut the rover door and got back on her horse while you sped off once again, heading directly towards Ice Nation.

The air was much colder as you pulled up to the border, jumping out just as the rover was coming to a stop. “These woods must be the border.”

“So where’s all the ice?” 

“Much further north.” Octavia answered your brother. “Azgeda stretches for a thousand miles.” 

“Good thing we only have to go 200 meters,” Monty replied, staring intently at the GPS in his hands. 

“Slow down.” Bellamy stopped your friend. “Remember, rules of engagement are nonlethal force. Tight formation on my command. Raven, you stay in the rover.” 

“Yeah, right.” She disagreed, pushing past Bellamy.

“We need every gun we’ve got,” You agree.

“They’re coming,” Monty notified the group and you slowly unsheathed your sword as he counted down. Bellamy raised his gun and everyone got into position as a horse neighed behind the trees, multiple Azgeda men coming towards you. Everyone aimed their weapons and you readied your sword, knowing it wouldn’t do much good unless they were close range.

“Ice Nation?” Bellamy asked.

“Yes,” His sister responded. “White war paint. Stay calm.” Octavia put her sword back in it’s sheath on her back and raised her hands. 

“Who are you?” One of the warriors asked and you didn’t understand what they were saying, due to the fact that you only learned the basics from Lincoln, as did everyone else on the guard. You just hoped Octavia could get you out of this mess safely. 

“Skaikru,” She responded. “Looking for our people.” 

“Looking for Wanheda.” 

 One of the warriors got off his horse as Octavia spoke. “They think we’re looking for Wanheda.” 

“Who the hell is Wanheda?” You asked.

“I don’t know.”

“The light,” Monty nodded towards the grounder that was no longer on his horse. “That’s the beacon.”

Jasper stepped up and you all told him to get back, as the grounders aimed arrows at him, but he assured the group that he had it, which you knew was a lie. Panicked, Bellamy told Octavia to tell the warriors that they observed the Commander's truce, hoping it would do some good. She did, but when Jasper pulled the glowing beacon from the grounder and held it to his face, the grounder pulled him back and held a knife to his throat.

“Where’s Wanheda?” 

“Let him go!” Bellamy shouted in Trig as Octavia spoke up.

“We don’t know who that is! Please. We can help each other.”

To your surprise, Jasper began to laugh, and the grounder told him something that you didn’t understand, pressing the knife and beginning to cut him. Bellamy shot the grounder and he released Jasper as the other two were shot down. Bellamy shouted at Miller and Octavia threw her sword into the last rounder’s gut, killing him. 

Once he was dead, your dad came in over the radio and Octavia went for her sword, Bellamy to the radio, and you to your brother, helping to carry him back to the rover as Miller shouted at him.

“We got the beacon, didn’t we?” Was his response.

“Yeah, but where did they get it?” Monty wondered. 

“He needs to get to medical,” Octavia said as she dragged him back to the rover. 

“More like how did they get it,” You pondered, now standing next to Monty. Bellamy talked to your dad over the radio before coming to the other side, shouting orders. 

“Miller, get one of their horses; Raven, since you can’t ride you’re on the back, Y/n and Monty, you’re with me, let’s go.” Monty took over as the driver while Bellamy sat in the passenger side, leaving you to crawl in the back. 

The ride was quiet after they answered your questions of where exactly you were going and why you needed to get there. As you reached your destination, you slowed to a stop at the end of a tunnel, hopping out of the rover with Bellamy and Monty. They kept their guns in their hands, you unsheathed your sword.

“You were right about Jasper. Is that what you want me to say?” 

“Quiet.” Bellamy snapped. “Keep your eyes peeled.”

You walked a little further behind them, acting as cover from behind. “I could have said no.”

“He’s getting worse, isn’t he?” You asked from behind the pair, They both looked back at you and you took the chance to speak again. “Getting drunk every night is one thing, but smiling with a knife to your throat; that’s next-level damaged.”

You slowed to a stop as your father broke through the trees on the other side as Monty asked, “Who’s he with?”

“Indra.” 

“That’s Indra?” Monty asked. 

“He must’ve told her we broke the truce,” Bellamy guessed and proceeded towards the pair, you and Monty right behind him. “Sir, before you say anything, there was a good reason--”

“We’ll deal with that later,” Your father assured him. “This is about Clarke.” 

“What about her?” You asked. 

“She’s being hunted,” Indra responded. 

“By who?” Monty worried.

“By everyone.” Indra’s response made your heart skip a beat; until you were brought back to the conversation that Octavia had with the grounders. Wanheda. Could that be her? Why would they be calling her Wanheda, and why were they hunting her?

Before you could say anything, everyone was being loaded back into the rover, heading into sector 7. You were in the back next to your father, Bellamy and Monty taking their previous seats, with Indra on the other side. 

On the way there we hit a few bumps, all of them making Indra a little frightened, but your father assured her that it was nothing, as he wasn’t completely used to it either. 

“Sir, we’re almost out of range.” Monty notified him. “Are you sure you don’t want to tell the Chancellor?” 

“I’m sure.” He affirmed. “I don’t want to worry Abby until we know something.” 

“We know there’s a kill order.” Bellamy deadpanned. “You people are big on those.” 

“It’s not a kill order; it’s a bounty.” Indra corrected him. “Clarke’s a symbol. She’s known as Wanheda-- the Commander of death.”

“Wait,” You stepped in. “The Ice Nation men we killed, they were asking about Wanheda. Why are they looking for Clarke?”

“My people believe that when you kill someone, you get their power.” She said. “Kill Wanheda, and you command death.”

“She’s just one girl,” Kane reminded Indra. 

“So was the Commander,” Indra said. “What Clarke did at Mount Weather weakened her. The Ice Nation is emboldened. Their queen wants Clarke’s power. If her people believe she has it, she’ll break the coalition and start a war. I can’t let that happen.”

The GPS beeped. “Welcome to sector 7. Where to?”

“If she’s here, she’ll need supplies. We’ll start at the trading posts.” Indra decided. 

You spent hours cramped up in the rover, getting more tired as each minute passed. The rumble of the engine and body heat coming from your father were enough to start lulling you to sleep, and when you let your head fall to his shoulder and he didn’t protest it, you fell asleep quickly. 

Of course, you didn’t expect it to last very long. You woke up when your body jolted harshly, hitting the back of your head on the metal panels on the rover. Monty seemed to hit the brakes as hard as he could, and once you were over it, you touched the back of your head but felt nothing. 

No blood, but it would likely give you a headache later. “What the hell?”

“There’s a tree, we have to move it.” Monty responded.

As the pair went to open their doors, Indra stopped them. “It’s been cut down.” 

“We don’t know that,” Bellamy told her as he stepped into the back, opening the hatch on the top of the rover to look out at the surrounding forest. There was a loud creaking noise and the ground beneath you shook, allowing Bellamy to fall back into the rover as he ducked for cover. 

“We do now,” Indra commented. Bellamy sat beside the woman and she unsheathed her sword, suggesting we stay inside the vehicle until whoever cut down the trees was gone. 

It was going to be a long night.

Taglist: @soullessbabee​​ | @hyperion-moonbabe-art3mis​​ | @dummythiccwitch​ | @sireddobrev​​ | @gxvrielle​ | @hurricane-abigail​ | @holyhumorliteraturelight​ | @lilacs-lavender​

[calpalirwin]

B.U.B

Summary: What’s better than your best girl and best mate getting along? Well, nothing really. If you knew the rumors were false, that is. 

A/N: You’ve heard of enemies to lovers. You’ve heard of fake-dating to real dating. Might I introduce a new trope called hostility turned platonic friendship turned back-up boyfriend? Idea courtesy of @here-for-the-uproars​.

Content: Swearing, general tom-foolery

Word Count: Honestly? This got hella long and I’m still not done so it’s a mini-series now.

DISCLAIMER: NOT A poly!Cashton fic!!!!

And away, and away we go!

Part 1

Sam Hudson quirked an eyebrow as she pulled into Ashton’s driveway and spotted Calum’s Range Rover. Did Ashton forget they had made plans again? He was forgetful like that, she had come to learn in their three month relationship. It wasn’t that he did it on purpose. He just had so many things going on that it was hard for him to keep it all straight. She had suggested him getting a calendar, a joke he hadn’t appreciated. 

“It was a joke, Fletch, chill.”

“Well it makes me feel like a bad boyfriend, alright? I’m not doing it on purpose,” he shot back, his normally light hazel eyes darkening.

“You’re not a bad anything,” she assured him, keeping her voice calm and light. “It was a mix up. They happen. I’m not gonna get mad if you hang out with your friends instead of me.”

“Really?” he asked, bewilderment replacing the anger at the ill-timed joke.

“Really,” she nodded. “I mean, don’t make it like a habit or anything. But shit happens. I’m a big girl. I can handle a canceled plan every now and then.”

She got out of her car and walked up the drive to the door, wondering if this was going to be a case of canceled plans. It was only lunch, so it wasn’t like it was a big deal. But, she’d be lying if she said her heart didn’t sink a little when he had to cancel on her. She would have liked to be asked to tag along with Ashton and his friends. They were important to him, and he was important to her, so she wanted to get along with them.

“Oh, here’s the princess, now!” Calum’s angry voice sneered as she walked into the house and found the two men glaring at each other.

She opened her mouth, preparing to fight back against the unwarranted attack. She wasn’t a princess. She encouraged Ashton frequently to drop his plans with her in favor of his friends. The harsh words died in her throat though as she caught a glimpse of the man’s brown eyes. They were hard, yes, but they were also glossy with unshed tears. Calum Hood wasn’t angry. He was hurt. He wouldn’t dare admit it, but Calum was sensitive about getting pushed to the sidelines every time his band mates dated someone new. It wasn’t that he was jealous necessarily. He just hated feeling alone.

Well, if Sam wasn’t going to defend herself, Ashton sure as hell was. “Don’t speak to her like that!” Ashton snapped. “I already apologized, Cal! What more do you want?!”

“For you to stop ditching me for a girl that’s not gonna matter in a few months! I’m your brother, Ashton!” Calum shouted. His lip quivered, but his voice remained steady. He wasn’t going to give Ashton the satisfaction of coming off as weak.

“I’m not ditching you!” Ashton yelled back, his hands pulling at his brown curls in his frustration, ignoring the second dig at his girlfriend’s expense.

“Whoa, how about we all just calm down for a sec,” Sam suggested, the therapist-in-training coming out.

“Shut up, princess!”

“Stay out of this, baby!”

This time, Sam fought back. Nobody told her what to do. “Fuck you! Sit down!” Her sharp tone was enough for both men to snap their heads in her direction. “Now!” she ordered, pointing to the couch.

Both men huffed, but did as they were told, looking like toddlers who just got sent to time-out. “Now, what the fuck is going on?”

“Ash and I had plans,” Calum practically spat at her.

“Okay, is it like an actual thing? Or is it something easily rescheduled?” Sam said, her voice dropping to a calm and light tone.

“Why does that matter?” Calum asked, his tone still harsh but calming down.

“Because Fletch and I were just going to get lunch. We can do that anytime. You can even come with us if you want. But if you guys had like time-sensitive plans, go do that.”

Calum blinked, not sure what to say. He wasn’t sure if he liked the idea of getting lunch with Ashton and the princess. But it was getting hard to hate her when she was willing to give up her own plans so he could have Ashton to himself. “We have tickets for the new Star Wars movie. It’s at 2,” he finally told her.

She glanced at her phone, noting the time. “Do you wanna grab lunch with us then, and then you guys can go see the movie?” she suggested. “If you’re hungry, that is.”

Calum shrugged. “I could eat, I guess. Do you like Star Wars?”

“I love Star Wars.”

“Have you seen the new movie?”

“Not yet.”

“Do you… I mean since I’m kinda crashing your lunch date…” A brown hand passed through his dark hair, too embarrassed to actually apologize, too uncertain of the college grad student one year his senior to properly finish his suggested compromise.

“Fletch?” Sam asked, quirking at eyebrow at the other man who was still pouting like a toddler in time-out.

The large tattooed arms uncrossed themselves and Ashton allowed himself a hopeful look. “Yeah? You guys don’t mind the other crashing in on our plans?”

Calum and Sam shook their heads. Then, Sam was beckoning for them both, “Well, c’mon then. Fletch you’re driving. Cal, you can have shotgun if you want.”

Calum shook his head as he and Ashton stood up, “S’alright, you take it.”

“Thank you, baby,” Ashton whispered, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “I’m sorry I keep doing this. I’ll make it up to you, okay?”

Sam shook her head. “There’s no need, Fletch. You can pick us both sometimes, you know?”

Ashton chuckled and pulled her tighter, a kiss finding its way into her hair. “We’ll see how this goes first.”

~~~

“Sorry,” Calum said so fast and low when Ashton got up from the table that Sam wasn’t sure she had heard him.

“Come again?” she asked, tilting her head to the side.

“I said I was sorry,” Calum mumbled a little louder. “I just… Ash and I are the closest. We’re the ones who are usually single. So when… I’m sorry.”

Sam smiled and reached to grab his hands in hers. “Cal, I’m never going to take him away from you or his friends.”

His hands pulled out of hers, but his brown eyes didn’t harden. Skeptical, but not hostile. “Why? All his exes did.”

“Because I’m not his exes,” Sam said with a small laugh. “Cal, I’m not the jealous type. I know I’m the outsider in this equation. But, this might go a whole lot more smoothly if we could be friends ourselves?”

“You wanna be friends with me?”

Sam nodded. “I really do.”

“Even though I said some pretty awful shit about you?”

“It’s probably nothing I haven’t heard before,” Sam shrugged. She was willing to move forward if he was.

He nodded his head slowly. “Fuck, I really am sorry.”

“No apologies necessary.”

Ashton smiled to himself, listening to their conversation, staying just out of eyesight. “Hey, you guys almost ready to go?”

“Yeah,” Sam said, “You guys can go ahead and get seats, I’m just waiting on the check.”

“Oh, baby, I was gonna pay,” Ashton told her.

“Yeah, I got mine,” Calum added, digging into his pockets for his wallet.

The check came, but Sam snatched it before the other two could do anything about it. “No way. You guys get snacks. I’ll get lunch.” Then, her card was in the tray and the tray was back in the waitress’ hands.

“You want snacks? Baby, we just ate.”

“You can’t go to the movies and not get snacks, Fletch.”

Calum chuckled. “She’s got a point, mate.”

“Ooo! Selfie!” Sam decided, pulling out her phone. “Here, Cal, get on the other side of me.”

“What?” Calum chuckled again, but moved anyway.

“Documenting a day with my boys,” she explained, holding out her phone and taking a few pictures. “We’ll look later and you can help me decide the best one to post.”

“Is she always like this?” Calum joked to Ashton.

“Pretty much,” Ashton told him with a laugh.

~~~

Calum and Sam became fast friends after that. Any time Ashton got forgetful with plans, rather than canceling, Sam would encourage Calum to join them, taking turns in doing whatever was originally planned, but more often than not doing both plans. It actually went smoother than expected because Calum acted as a buffer to the paparazzi, keeping them from getting too many shots of Ashton’s grabby hands on Sam’s ass. Soon, plans were made that included all three of them as often as possible.

“Whatcha think of this color?” Calum asked Sam one day as they lounged around Ashton’s.

Sam moved from where she was in Ashton’s lap to peer over the other man’s shoulder. “For what?”

“My hair. Getting bored of this,” he said, giving his hair a tug.

She pursed her lips in thought, running her fingers through his dark hair. “Yeah, it would look good. Be cooler in mine though.”

Calum pulled back to look at Sam’s hair. “Yeah? Wanna go with me then?”

“Ooo, can we get our nails done after?”

“It’s a date.”

“Whoa,” Ashton butted in. “You can’t just take my girlfriend out on a date.”

Sam laughed. “Do you wanna come with?”

“How did I end up being the third wheel in my own relationship?”

“Nobody’s a third wheel,” Sam laughed again. “I’m just going out with my friend.”

“Oh, so you’re friends now?” Ashton joked. He knew the two were becoming fast friends, even if they hadn’t hung out yet without him.

“Best friends. Step aside Cashton fans, it’s all about Hoodson now.”

Ashton rolled his eyes playfully, before he was pulling Sam back across the couch to him. “Better remember who’s girlfriend you really are, baby.”

“Wow, I haven’t even gone on the date yet. Hey, Cal, can we make dates more often? I like this side of your friend.”

Calum chuckled. “Luke and I used to get our nails done once a month. That sound good?”

“Oh, so I’m your backup Luke? Wow, I thought what we had was special,” she pouted with fake dramatic flair.

Calum chuckled again. “You in or not?”

“Oh, totally,” Sam agreed, her tone back to normal. “Well maybe less frequent?” Sam suggested as she began really thinking about it. “Shit’s gonna get expensive quick.” Sam didn’t make a lot of money as she was paying her way through grad school. Even a simple monthly expense needed to be budgeted appropriately. A manicure was a full tank of gas or textbook for class.

“Oh, my princess doesn’t pay on our dates.”

“Your princess?” both Ashton and Sam asked with raised eyebrows.

“Too far?” Calum asked with a small uncomfortable laugh.

Sam leaned back across the couch and placed a kiss on Calum’s cheek. “Nah, it’s really sweet, Cal. Just tell me when and I’ll be there.”

~~~

“Hey, Calum!” the paparazzi yelled and Calum instinctively pulled Sam closer to him. “Isn’t Sam Ashton’s girlfriend?”

“Just ignore them,” Calum whispered in Sam’s ear.

“You should say that to yourself,” Sam whispered back, feeling how tense Calum was as he continued them on their path to the car.

“Sam! Sam, where’s Ashton?”

Sam rolled her eyes and hid deeper into Calum. At seven months of dating Ashton, she wasn’t sure she would ever get used to the paparazzi.

“From Hudwin to Hoodson!” the web story read on Ashton’s phone as he heard the door open and Calum and Sam laughing.

“You could be a tad more careful, Cal,” Ashton said, showing the duo his phone.

Sam took the phone, gave it a glance, and frowned. “Wow, people are really stupid, huh? What? A girl can’t go get her nails done with her friend anymore?”

“Maybe I should just go with you guys from now on.”

“Aw,” both Calum and Sam pouted.

“What? I like getting my nails done too.”

“Yeah, but it’s kinda our thing, Fletch.”

“You’ve gone three times, how is it already a thing?”

Sam shrugged. “It just is, Fletch.”

Ashton fake-pouted. He actually really liked that Calum and Sam’s friendship was developing to them feeling comfortable doing things without him. It was a lot easier to balance his friendships and relationship when Sam was becoming friends with his friend group.

“Aw, Fletch,” Sam giggled, walking over to Ashton and wrapping her arms around his neck. “If you wanna come with us, we’re dying our hair blue on Saturday.”

“Blue hair, huh?” Ashton asked, pulling a strand of her hair, picturing how it’d look blue. “That’s kinda hot, baby.”

Calum cleared his throat, “Still here, mate.”

“Cal?” Sam spoke up, while her ocean eyes locked on Ashton’s honey ones. 

“Yeah, princess?”

“Thanks for the date. Run along now.”

Calum scoffed playfully. “I do all the work and he gets all the reward, huh?”

Sam turned real quick and pressed her lips against Calum’s cheek. “I know you’re joking, but yes.”

Calum laughed. “Have fun you guys. See you Saturday for our date, princess.”

“See ya,” Sam answered, already turning back to Ashton. 

Ashton waited for the door to click shut before he was hoisting Sam up in his arms, lips attacking her neck. “Did you have fun with Cal, baby?” he asked between kisses.

“Mhm,” she answered, throwing her head back. “Missed you though.”

He lifted his head up and back just enough to give her a dangerous look. “Damn straight you did.”

“Aw, is someone jealous?” Sam teased.

The dangerous expression softened. “No, baby. I’m glad you and Cal get along and can hang out without me.”

“Promise?” Sam asked, dropping the playful act herself. They both knew the tabloid rumors would only worsen the more she hung out with Calum alone. 

“Promise,” Ashton nodded. “I’m secure enough in my relationship with you for you to have guy friends. I’m not actually jealous.”

“Good,” Sam smiled. “Cuz I really like hanging out with Cal.”

“Good. I like it too.”

~~~

“Yes!” Sam cheered as the door shut behind her, waving two tickets in her hand.

“What?” he asked, patting the spot next to him on the couch for her to join him.

“I scored two tickets to Hamilton!” she squealed, bouncing on her toes. “It’s on Saturday,” she added, when she finished her happy dance and sat down next to him.

His hand rubbed at the back of his neck and she held back a disappointed sigh, her grin dropping into a frown. “Musicals aren’t really my thing, baby…” he started.

“You won’t suffer through it with me anyway? It’s Hamilton! Don’t you love me?” she pleaded.

Ashton chuckled. At nearly a year of dating of course he loved her. They both knew that. “You didn’t let me finish, baby. Cal loves musicals. Ask him to go with you.”

She narrowed her eyes at him skeptically. “This is more than just a trip to get our hair or nails done, Fletch.”

“I know. I wouldn’t suggest it if I wasn’t okay with it.”

“I know you’re fine with it. But the paps are gonna have a field day with this. You know that, yeah?”

He shrugged and his eyes danced playfully. “Go to the play with Cal. Have a good time. Let the paps have their fun. And I’ll remind you of who’s girlfriend you are when you get home.”

She wrinkled her nose as her grin returned to her face. “Wanna remind me now?”

After her reminder, Sam set to work. She carefully crafted a Valentine’s Day esque heart card reminiscent of elementary school days. “Will you be my BUB?” Ashton asked, eyeing the design with humor.

“Back-up boyfriend. Since how you don’t love me enough…”

Ashton chuckled at her playful teasing. “It’s just not my thing, baby.”

“I know. It’s fine. But, I gotta get creative. This isn’t just some pretty hair and nails. This is a night out on the town.”

Ashton chuckled again and left her to her devices.

~~~

Calum rapped his knuckles on Ashton’s front door, swallowing how awkward it felt to be knocking on a door he had never once knocked on. When Ashton opened the door and bent over in laughter, Calum could’ve socked him. “Shut up,” Calum muttered instead, pink undertones flushing in his brown cheeks.

“Aw, Cal, you look so handsome, bub,” Sam smiled at Calum, pushing the door open wider for Calum to squeeze by Ashton who had fat tears rolling down his cheeks.

“These are for you,” Calum said quickly, pushing a bouquet of sunflowers into her hand. “Asshole here said they were your favorite.”

“Thanks bub, that was really sweet of you,” Sam said, placing a kiss on Calum’s cheek while nudging Ashton’s ribs with the tip of her shoe. “Stop being a jerk and put these in water for me. And maybe take some notes, yeah? This is how you dress for a date,” she told Ashton, gesturing at Calum in his fitted black slacks, long white-sleeved button down shirt, his hair cleaned up on the sides to contain the unruly curls that he had left wild on the top.

Ashton stood upright with a scoff, “If I dressed like that it wouldn’t last very long because you wouldn’t be able to keep your hands off of me.”

Sam brought a finger to her lips in thought. It already took a surprising about of willpower to keep her hands off of Ashton as was, and she considered herself to be a woman of strong willpower, not easily fazed. But Ashton was… well… you know. “Get cocky, and I’ll go home with Cal,” she warned.

“You wouldn’t…”

Sam shrugged and looped her arm through Calum’s. “I’m a pretty girl in a pretty dress going out with a stunning man.”

“You look fuckin’ gorgeous, princess,” Calum agreed, happy to get back at Ashton for laughing at him.

“Ooo, he has compliments, too. Better step up your game, Fletch.”

Ashton rolled his eyes before giving Sam a deep kiss that made her weak in the knees. “You’ll have a lot more than that waiting for you after your date,” he whispered in her ear as he pulled away, tongue flicking at her ear for added effect.

Sam shuddered, her nails digging into Calum’s shirt. “Ready, bub?” her voice squeaked out.

“Let’s roll, princess.”

“Have fun! Don’t stay out too late, kiddos!” Ashton laughed, making kissy faces at the pair as they walked back out the door towards Calum’s car.

“Oh, thanks, bub!” Sam smiled when Calum got the door for her, closing it gently after she pulled her dress in.

“That’s the fourth time you called me that,” Calum pointed out once he got in the driver’s seat. “Is that my new nickname, now? Short for ‘back-up boyfriend’?”

“It doesn’t have to be. Like if it’s offensive, I can just call you ‘Cal’. I have a skewed sense of humor. I d-” she was rambling, biting at her lip. Shit, was she offending him? You’d think for someone who worked part-time in a therapist office with the goal to have her own practice one day she’d learn to keep her humor in check when it could come across as offensive.

Calum chuckled, gripping her hand in his. “It’s fine, princess,” he winked, kissing the knuckles on her hand before letting go and gripping the steering wheel. “It’ll be our little joke.”

Sam felt the heat rise in her cheeks. “You’re too sweet, bub. How is it that a girl hasn’t snatched you up yet? You dress up. You bring flowers. You get the door. Perfect gentleman.”

Calum shrugged. “Just picky, I guess.”

Sam gave a small shake of her head, letting out an equally small chuckle. “Seriously, like you do this for me and we’re just friends. Can’t imagine the lengths you’d go for a girl you’re actually dating.”

“Be ‘bout the same, honestly. Every girl deserves to be treated like a princess.”

Sam smiled, knowing that was all Joy and Mali’s influence over the man. And maybe a little bit of Ashton because she knew the other man shared the same mentality. “Well, I’m more than happy to play princess to your prince until we find you a queen.”

“And I’ll be your bub whenever,” he promised her back.

~~~

Much like Sam had predicted, the tabloids had a field day with her “date” with Calum, but the three that were actually affected didn’t care in the slightest. Ashton was happy his best mate and best girl got along. Calum was happy he wasn’t being pushed aside. Sam was happy she had someone to do things with when Ashton couldn’t/didn’t want to.

Although that wasn’t to say Calum and Sam’s blossoming platonic relationship didn’t come without its competition. The two men constantly tried to one-up each other, no matter what is was. Sunflowers were always on Ashton’s kitchen table, each bouquet bigger than the last. Bath bombs and candles were also spilling out of the bathroom cabinets because Sam loved a good relaxing bath after a hard week.

“No, you can’t use that one,” Calum said one evening, peering over Ashton’s shoulder as Ashton dug through the bath bombs.

“But it’s cool looking,” Ashton said, admiring the heart shaped bath bomb. It reminded him of Sam.

“No, Sam has her test on emotions and brain waves next week, so that’s for when she passes,” Calum said sternly. “Here,” he said, placing a bath bomb that looked like Earth in Ashton’s hand. “You can use this one. Sam picked it out for you herself.”

“Aw,” Ashton smiled, cradling it to his chest.

“It’s so you can watch the world melt away, Fletch,” Sam called from where she was lounged out in the bed. “Thought it was symbolic. Bub, tell Fletch not to use the glitter ones. I swear I’m still finding that shit everywhere.”

Calum laughed. Sam absolutely despised glitter. “Remind me which ones they are, and I’ll throw them out. I swear they didn’t say they had glitter when I bought them.”

“They don’t say, that’s why you have to look at them carefully, bub. Now, hurry up, I want my cuddles.”

“He’s coming, baby,” Ashton laughed, clapping Calum on the shoulder.

“And Fletch, take your time. I mean, I want your cuddles, too. But enjoy your bath and alone time.”

Ashton chuckled. He loved how receptive she was to his needs and how she didn’t mind when he needed alone time to himself. “You know I enjoy my alone time better when you’re here with me, baby,” he told her. Because even if he liked being alone, he liked knowing she was close by even more. 

“I know. That’s why I’ll be right here with bub when you’re ready. We’ll get the bed nice and toasty for ya.”

“You’re the best baby. I love you.”

“I love you, too. Now get in that bath and give me back my bubs.”

Of course Ashton frequently came out as the winner of the competition as he could “appreciate” Sam in ways Calum wouldn’t, but Ashton also won permanently when at a year and a half of dating, he asked Sam to move in with him. While the playful competition wasn’t what Sam expected, she’d be lying if she said she didn’t like that both men were so attentive to her. It was the best of both worlds: a best friendship with her boyfriend’s best friend. It wasn’t often these days that Sam was seen without one of them. What Sam never saw coming though was the competition between Calum and Luke, and by default Luke and Mike. 

“You picked Cal over me to be your bub?!” Luke pouted in outrage one night after the group of friends had all laughed their way through yet another tabloid spinning Hoodson out of proportion. “I’m a great boyfriend! Right, Si?”

Sam laughed from where she was sitting on the floor with Mike, D&D books, character sheets, and dice spread out between them as they prepped for the group’s weekly game night. “It’s not like that, Luke. Cal and I just click.”

“Okay, but like hierarchy. Ash doesn’t want to take you to whatever. Cal’s busy. Who do you call? Me or Mike?”

“Um…” Sam faltered.

“What?!” Luke’s arms flew upwards as he got up on his feet.

“It depends,” Sam laughed again. “Like obviously Ash is always gonna be my first pick. Then, Cal only because we’ve done so much together at this point. You and Mikey are tied for third.”

“What if it’s nerd related?” Mike joked.

“Oh, I’d pick you, hands down.”

“What?!” Luke repeated, hands in his blonde curls.

Sam shrugged. “We just don’t have a thing, Luke. Like if I ever get the urge to buy some sparkly boots, I’ll give you a call, yeah?”

“Name a thing,” Luke said quickly. “Anything. Name it and it’s yours.”

Sam was too caught up in trying not to laugh at Luke’s competitive nature that she blurted the first thing that came to her mind. “Piggy!”

“My dog?! You want my dog?!”

Sam nodded.

“Deal!”

“What?!” everybody else screeched as the blue-eyed duo shook hands. “No, nuh-uh,” Ashton put in. “Baby, no. Give Luke his dog back. Why’d you even say that? Why’d you say yes?!”

“I panicked!” Sam laughed.

“I want to be included! Look at her over there with Mike.”

Sam laughed harder. “Luke, I got tickets to Mean Girls for next week through school. You wanna come with me?”

“Whoa, you’re not even gonna ask me first?” both Ashton and Calum asked her.

“Yeah, like you’re gonna go see a play with her,” Calum scoffed. “I was the one who took her to Little Shop of Horrors last month, remember? You would've liked that one, too.”

“I took her twice!” Ashton defended.

“SAM!” both men whirled to look at her.

Sam gave both men a sheepish look. “What? I really like that one.”

Both men rolled their eyes. Then, Calum told Luke, “She likes sunflowers and licorice. And no, she won’t share the licorice either. Damn near broke my hand when I tried to take a piece that I fuckin’ paid for!”

Sam laughed, “I wasn’t gonna break your hand. And you know I don’t share my snacks.”

“It’s true,” Ashton nodded. Then, “What’s with the licorice addiction, anyway? You used to always get popcorn. But now every time we go to the movies you grab licorice, and then eat the entire box before the movie even starts.”

“Musical theaters don’t sell popcorn,” Calum explained. “And yeah she’ll eat half before the show and devour the rest during intermission.”

“It’s cuz-”

“You can’t eat when the show’s actually on because it’s distracting. Yeah, we know,” both men interrupted.

“Aw, my boys know me so well,” Sam smiled the brown-haired set of men.

“And you gotta dress up,” they continued, prepping Luke to take Sam to the play.

Sierra laughed, nudging Sam, “Just taking all our men, huh?”

“Oh, I’ll take you and Crys, too,” Sam laughed with her, laying back across the living room floor, stretching her arms wide. “I will take all the pampering! Fight for me, hoes!”

Later that night, Ashton seemed to hold Sam extra close to him. “You okay?” she asked, rolling in his arms so she could study his face.

“Yeah, baby,” he murmured, tilting his head forward to kiss her forehead.

“You sure? You seem… and it’s not a bad thing! You just seem more affectionate tonight.”

“What? I can’t love my girlfriend?”

She tugged gently at his hair. “I didn’t say that. I just want to check in with you. Like I know Cal and I have become really close. And I know I’m starting to get close with Luke and Mike now to-“

“Baby, stop,” Ashton interrupted. “You do this every time and I don’t know why. I love that your making your own friendships with my guys. No girl I’ve ever dated has tried to be their friend as hard as you have. Like yeah, they’ve gotten along, did the pleasant niceties and what have you. But they never treated them as their own friends like you have.”

“Fletch, the guys are important to you. And you’re important to me. Which means they’re important to me. But, please, if I ever go too far, set those boundaries. I mean, I’m not gonna go sleeping with your friends or anything crazy like that. But they’re your friends first and foremost. I’m just your girlfriend.”

Ashton chuckled. “Baby, I’m never gonna be threatened by a relationship you have with my friends. Or anybody for that matter. You’ve never give me shit for my friendships with other girls. I’m not gonna give you shit for your friendships with other dudes. I know you love me.”

“Then why are you extra affectionate tonight?” she pressed, her heart soaring at his words, but not totally convinced that he was convinced this was fine. 

“Because maybe seeing you interact with them makes me a little jealous. But, baby it’s playful, I promise. If anything it’s just a reminder of how grateful I am that at the end of the day I’m the one you come home to.”

“You’re the only one I want to come home to,” she said, nuzzling her face in his neck.

Ashton’s chest rumbled with his laughter. “You’d think for a therapist you’d be a little quicker on grasping the concept of what a healthy relationship looks like.”

“I’m not a therapist yet,” she mumbled, placing kisses on his neck and working her way up his jaw.

“You will be,” he said, catching her lips with his. “You’re the smartest woman I know, and I am damn lucky you call me your boyfriend.”

“It helps that you’re pretty,” she giggled.

[scripturiently]

i needed a break from writing papers so i wrote some one shot about princess rover. i miss them and was in a huge mood to write something insanely fluffy. prompt is from @wlwprompts “person A is drunk and decides to randomly call that cute girl from biology class to tell her she’s pretty”

enjoy :)

Amberle Elessedil is insanely pretty. Eretria hates her.

‘Hates a strong word’ she can hear Wil say when she sits next to her in the bio lecture. It’s nine in the morning and she’d much rather be sleeping in. Amberle’s soft face makes it worthwhile, she supposes. They don’t really talk throughout that first day of lecture, mainly because Amberle is really absorbed into what the professor is saying and Eretria is on her phone the entire time.

They don’t continue to talk for the first week of lectures either. It isn’t until Eretria comes in late that second week that Amberle says something to her.

“Why do you come to lecture if you never pay attention?” It’s bitchy and pious sounding and Eretria just scoffs.

“Why do you care?” She retorts back and Amberle sends her a little glare that makes her heart jump a little. They stare one another down for a good minute before someone behind them coughs and Amberle’s back to her notes. Eretria pulls out a notebook and just doodles.

She does try to listen to the lecture a little better after that.

The first test comes after about three weeks of lectures. Eretria groans at the professor’s announcement that it’ll be the next class and Amberle just rolls her eyes at her. They leave together and that’s when Eretria decides that maybe the nerdy bio girl can help her study.

She may also just want an excuse to spend time with Amberle out of class. Not that she’ll admit anything. “Hey, princess,” she grabs at Amberle’s arm before they’re separated, “wait up.”

Amberle jerks her arm away and turns around, crossing her arms. “What?”

“Tutor me?” Eretria means for it to come off flirty, raising her eyebrows a little. She notices that Amberle is slightly taller than her and almost pouts. What the hell.

Amberle’s cheeks go pink but she scowls at the other girl. “Why?”

“Because you obviously enjoy this nerd shit and I can’t afford to not pass class.” Eretria shoulders her backpack.

“Well, maybe you should pay attention in lectures more often.” Amberle walks away without another word and Eretria’s never really been rejected before so she just stands there dumbfounded for a couple minutes.

She’s trying to study with Wil when Amberle Facebook messages her. They aren’t friends, but somehow Amberle has found Eretria online and has reached out to her. It makes Eretria grin like an idiot for a moment until she remembers their previous conversation.

She opens the messages regardless. Amberle’s sent her a photo of her notes with the caption I was a bitch earlier, I shouldn’t stop you from passing the class. Here.

Eretria immediately saves the photos and scrolls through them. Later that night she messages back I owe you one, princess.

Amberle friends her on Facebook an hour later.

Miraculously Eretria passes the test and Amberle’s the first to know but only because their results are handed out in lecture and Amberle’s nosy. They talk more after that and okay Eretria maybe starts paying attention and taking notes.

She comes in hungover during the fifth week of classes. Amberle actually physically makes a noise in disgust. “You could have at least showered, gods.”

“Fuck you, Elessedil.” Eretria’s not in the mood. She puts her hood up and tries to sleep. Amberle mutters you wish and Eretria’s kind of thankful she’s got her head buried in her arms.

She arrives hungover every Friday after that and soon Amberle just starts accepting it.

They get lunch together about six weeks in, on a Wednesday. It’s accidental really, Eretria’s just stumbled upon Amberle’s little safe spot on campus.

“Are you stalking me now?” Amberle jokes, putting down her fork. Eretria laughs, smiling.

“Nah. You’re the one stalking me, princess.” she sits across from her and Amberle doesn’t complain. Just warns Eretria not to start making her regret allowing her to hang out with her outside of class.

They exchange numbers at some point, especially since Amberle only responds to Facebook messages when she’s on her computer, which is rare. It makes setting up study sessions easier. Eretria hates and loves the study time together. For one, she’s around Amberle more. For another, she’s starting to realize she’s crushing hard on the nerdy bio girl and she knows she’s setting herself up to get hurt.

But she tells herself to let it be. At least she has some time with Amberle before the semester ends, the class ends, and they’re going their separate ways.

She learns that Amberle has shit taste in music. Mostly mainstream sad songs and hipster bullshit. She learns that Amberle wears a pomegranate smelling perfume and she suddenly can’t get enough of that smell. Amberle’s her year, she’s studying marketing and communications, with a minor in science. She makes Eretria laugh at the stupidest shit, even when Eretria doesn’t get it as well as she could because it’s a science joke. She lives with her grandfather, who is a professor here, she constantly drinks coffee and watches dumb romance comedies on her free time. She’s smart, drives a rather old looking mustang, and is really pretty.

Eretria’s so fucked.

Eretria’s about five shots of fireball and some good awful sweet rum when Wil dares her to call Amberle.

And of course Eretria does. Of fucking course. She’s used to getting drunk but that doesn’t mean the no self control while drunk ever gets better. She shoves her phone into Wil’s face and he starts laughing, leaning against the counter and scrolling through her contacts till he finds Amberle’s number *’really, you put emojis next to her name?’ ‘shut up Ohmsford’* and hands it back to her when he hits the dial button.

“Get some, ‘Tria.” Wil teases and Eretria grins wickedly back at him before stumbling out of the frat house to get some fresh air.

Amberle picks up on the third ring, voice sleepy. ”Hello?”

At first, Eretria chickens out. She freezes, realizing as she’s starting to sober up in the outside air that this is a stupid idea but then Amberle says her name in the sweetest voice, asking if she’s alright, and Eretria just says it. “You’re really pretty.”

She’s drunk, but she knows she’s not imagining the little gasp Amberle takes on the other end of the phone. She smirks. “You gonna do anything about that?”

Amerble’s silent for a while, contemplating. Then there’s the rustle of sheets and the click of a light being turned on. “Yeah, I am. Where are you?”

Damn, okay. “You serious, princess?”

“Oh don’t get too excited, I’m picking your drunk ass up so you don’t hurt yourself. Wil obviously can’t take care of you,” Amberle says quickly, voice a little breathless but laced with annoyance. Eretria sighs.

“You ruin all the fun.”

“You just hit on me.”

“Touche,” Eretria hums, sitting down in the grass. She can feel the headache coming on now, her mouth getting dry. “I’m at Pykon. You know that one, right?”

There’s the clattering of keys being picked up from a ceramic bowl. “I’ll be there in fifteen, just hang tight.” Amberle promises and Eretria feels a rush of relief.

“I owe you, princess.”

“You’re always owing me.” Well, that’s true.

“Yeah, shut up.” Neither hang up immediately, even as Amberle’s car is started up and the seatbelt notification dings. It’s quiet, the only sound of them breathing. Finally, “I’m hanging up now,” Eretria concedes.

“Hang tight,” Amberle repeats.

Eretria ignores the swell in her heart, the rush of heat to her cheeks. She just hangs up, jabbing the end call button faster than humanly possible.

Amberle is thirteen minutes, not fifteen. Eretria has long since gone back inside to retrieve her leather jacket and let Wil know she’s leaving. When he asks who with, she doesn’t give him the pleasure of knowing, just shrugs and winks at him before heading out. Amberle is on her phone, scrolling through her music playlist and switching songs as Eretria clambers inside the passenger seat. “Hey,” Eretria starts, nonchalant.

“Hi.” Amberle’s voice is soft, like the music reverberating through the car. She hands Eretria a plastic water bottle. “Drink.”

Eretria scrunches her nose up. “I’m fine, princess.”

“Your voice is scratchy and I’ve seen you hungover in class one too many times to know you can’t take care of yourself when you’re drinking,” Amberle retorts, uncapping the bottle and handing it over. Eretria takes it, letting their fingers slip against one another’s for a brief moment. “Are you hungry?” Amberle asks.

Eretria shrugs. “Not right now.”

Regardless, Amberle drives to the shitty burger joint on campus and orders two burgers and a shake to share. “It’s mostly for me though, since you’ve fucked up my sleeping schedule tonight anyways.”

Eretria feels bad for a moment. It is midterms. But it’s Friday night and when Amberle takes them to a little hill near the football stadium, she starts to feel a little less bad and maybe a little bit more hopeful.

They sit on the hill munching on the greasy burgers in silence. Amberle’s still playing that hipster crap that Eretria can’t stand until now. Amberle’s leaning back on her hands, humming and looking up at the sky.

Eretria’s sort of ditched the burger, eyes glued to Amberle. She’s wearing a soft gray Arborlon U sweater and leggings, sneakers long ditched to run her toes through the grass. Her brown hair is in a braid, leaving her neck more exposed than usual. Eretria selfishly thinks about marking her neck for a moment, but it leaves quickly. She blames the buzzed state she’s now in.

“Wil texted you,” Amberle hums when Eretria’s phone buzzes between them. Eretria grabs the phone and shoves it into her back pocket.

“He’s probably just asking if I’ve gotten laid yet,” she jokes but it doesn’t stop the lump forming in her throat. Amberle laughs.

“So did he dare you to prank call me?”

“Not really,” Eretria mutters, picking at the grass. Amberle turns her head, eyebrows furrowed. Eretria quickly elaborates. “It was more my idea. Like, ‘hey, how can I make nerd princess panic a little tonight?’ kinda thing.” She shrugs.

“Well, you certainly did that.” Amberle admits. She smiles adoringly at Eretria. “Have you sobered up?”

“Yeah,” Eretria’s been mostly sober since she called Amberle, “but I kind of just want to lay here for a while.”

Amberle nods, looking down at the football field. “Okay.”

It’s quiet and not uncomfortable and Eretria starts counting the stars to get her mind off how badly she wants to kiss Amberle right now. Amberle’s out of her league, Amberle’s too prim and proper for her, too smart. Eretria gets drunk every week while Amberle’s finding her career at the age of 22.

Amberle kisses her first and Eretria’s so shocked that she doesn’t kiss her back at first. Amberle’s quickly pulling away and Eretria’s mind is short circuiting. She just wants to kiss Amberle again right now.

So she does. She hurries forward before Amberle can get up from her spot and her right hand comes to rest against Amberle’s, the other cupping her jaw. Amberle tastes like chocolate shake and American cheese, the smell of pomegranates overwhelming Eretria’s senses. Amberle hums into the kiss, pushing her forehead closer, letting their fingers intertwine. It’s not hurried and as much as Eretria wants to push it, hungrier than ever, she doesn’t. She wants to savor the moment, wants to lock it away in her mind forever. It remains soft and sure and gentle and Eretria’s never really been into that until now. Until Amberle.

Amberle’s giggling, breathless, when Eretria finally pulls away. “Why do I taste cinnamon and… is that coconut?”

“Don’t ask,” Eretria mutters, smiling goofily. Amberle doesn’t, just pulls Eretria into her lap and kisses her under the stars until dawn.

[inaheartbeat-phff]

Chapter 14

8:45am Nottingham Cottage, Kensington Palace, London

Arabella squinted her eyes as she came to that morning. Yesterday they didn't really rest much after their flight as they had dinner with Harry's immediate family. Arabella stretched her body and rolled to her side to see Harry peacefully sleeping beside her. No matter how many times she's seen this view, she couldn't help but smile to herself. He looks so peaceful while he was sleeping. There was no lines on his forehead and his body is relaxed.

Sighing she looked to a clock by her side table and checked the time. She groaned when she realised that she overslept by 45 minutes and rolled to her side to get out of bed. She sat down for a while before stretching and standing up. Walking towards the en-suite bathroom where she will do her morning routine. Once she was done, she got out of the bathroom to see that Harry was awake.

"Morning," he said in his morning voice. Harry rubbed his eyes and stretched before getting himself up to a sitting position.

"Hi. Did you have a good sleep?" Arabella asked Harry as she walked towards the bed and kiss him good morning.

"Yeah, I did. What’s your plan today?" Harry asked her as he reach towards his phone on the night stand.

"I'm heading off to St. James Palace for a meeting at ten, and then I have lunch with Bea, Genie and Zara. After lunch I think we're going shopping, but it's up to the girls really." Arabella laid back down on the bed next to Harry so she could have some morning cuddles.

"I'm so happy you get along well with my family. Really." Harry said as he put his head on top of Arabella's head. "Skippy invited us to a club opening tonight."

"What club?" Arabella looked up at Harry.

"Not sure. I think it's one of Sam's private clubs." Harry shrugged. "There's an actress coming tonight that Skip wants to introduce to you. She's a big fan of yours apparently. Maia something."

"You sure she's a fan of mine and not yours. I think you've got that mixed up babe. Besides Maia something?" Arabella giggled. "I don’t recognise an actress with the name of Maia something."

"Maia, Meghan, Molly. I don’t know. I know it begins with an M though." Harry shrugged, not really caring. "Do you want to go? I have to tell Skippy so he can call Sam and get everything sorted.

"Sure. I need a night out anyways. I think it will be nice to have a night to let loose. It has been a crazy week." Arabella nodded her head to Harry. Harry then typed something in his phone, probably replying to Skippy.

Skippy, or also known as Tom Inskip, is Harry's best friend. They've known each other since their time in Eton. Skippy is usually the reason why Harry got into so much trouble when he was younger. Though most of his partying days were over since Harry and Arabella became official publically in 2013, the pair do enjoy some odd night outs with friends. Arabella got along well Harry's friends. They have been very welcoming and friendly to her.

Arabella was introduced to Harry's friends back in 2012 when they first began dating. Since Arabella has met most, if not all of Harry's family members, she was a bit nervous during her introductions with his friends. She even met Harry's ex-girlfriend Chelsy Davy early 2013. They were friendly with each other and know their places. They're not exactly the best of friends but if they see each other in public, they wouldn’t tear each other's hairs out.

Harry has 7 close friends and some of them has gotten married so his circle consist of 12 people. Him being a prince and all made that circle very very tight. There's Skippy and his girlfriend Lara Hughes-Young, Sam Branson and his wife Isabella Calthorpe, Hugh Grosvenor, Jake Warren and his wife Zoe Stewart, Thomas van Straubenzee and his wife Melissa Percy, Arthur Landon and Guy Pelly.

Arabella went to Sam and Isabella's wedding back in 2013 as well as Jake and Zoe's wedding in 2013 as well. It was in Jake and Zoe's wedding that she met one of Harry's previous flings Cressida Bonas. They were on friendly terms and it seems that Cressida and Arabella remain a good friend to each other. Cressida happened before Arabella and Arabella is not the type of person to get jealous at all. She knows what she's worth and feels very comfortable in her own skin. Besides, she is the crown princess for god sakes. If Harry would leave her for someone else, it would be a step down, unless of course, that someone is a Queen of her own right, but then again, there is no Queen who is single and even close to their age.

Harry finally got up from the bed and head into the bathroom to get ready for the day. While Harry was in the bathroom, Arabella finished getting ready before going to the dining room for some breakfast.

The tables were set differently here. There is no place mats on the head of the table and instead they are on the seats next to the head. So Arabella and Harry would be facing each other.

Arabella sat down and started eating her breakfast. Fifteen minutes later, Harry came out of the bathroom and sat opposite to her and start loading his plate up.

"So what's your plan today babe?" Arabella asked Harry. She realised that she didn’t know what he's doing today.

"I don’t think I have anything going on today. I think I'm going to visit Will and Kate at 1A, and I think I'm meeting Granny for lunch at Buckingham." Harry thought. "I think I have the afternoon free before the club tonight. We're having dinner with everyone before the club and I think Chelsy and Cressida will be there as well."

"Is the actress friend of Skippy going to be at dinner as well?" "I think so yeah." Harry said.

As Harry has finished his breakfast, he stood up from his seat and went across the table to kiss Arabella goodbye and head off to Apartment 1A. Arabella sighed. She isn’t normally a jealous person but she feels as if something is going to happen tonight and she doesn’t know whether she likes it or not.

Sighing, she called Anna, one of her ladies in waiting to the room.

"Your Royal Highness." She curtsied as she entered the room.

"Get Markus to ready the car, I'll be heading off to St. James in fifteen minutes."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The meeting at St. James Palace went as much as a meeting would go. They discussed their schedule for Arabella in London for the next month. Not much is planned, mostly meetings with charities that Arabella is patron of as well as some wedding planning. That and an engagement with Prince Philip at the end of the month. Arabella knew that it’s going to be a stressful thing planning the wedding as they have to incorporate both Dutch and British traditions. That and under which church do they get married in. Do they get married under the Church of the Netherlands or under the Church of England. Arabella thought that maybe they can have two weddings, one under the Netherlands and another under England, but that requires even more planning.

Jane and Eva have compiled a list of designers that would love to design Arabella's wedding gown so there's a pile that needs to be sorted. There's also the matters of cake, reception, music, decorations, guest list, and many more.

Now that she's done with her meeting, Arabella is off to lunch with Bea, Genie and Zara, some of Harry's female cousins that Arabella is close with. Arabella met Zara when she was visiting her Aunt Lilibet back in 2010 just after her wedding with Mike Tindall. They hit it off right away and remained close ever since. Arabella met Eugenie and Beatrice during Will and Kate's wedding and they kept in touch. Whenever Arabella was in London, Bea and Genie has taken her under their wing and show her around places that isn't that well known.

Travelling to lunch, Arabella slumped inside the car. The car they have used is her official car in London, a black Range Rover Sport that is actually armoured. In front of the car is a flag of the Netherlands. That is to say that it is her that's traveling in the car. If it was her father, there will be two flags in front of the car as well as a flag of his house.

Accompanying her to lunch today is Max, Lucas and Liam since Finn has to take care of head of security things. Markus is  driving her car with Max in the passenger seat, while Lucas and Liam are in the car behind. At all times, there has to be two cars with me. One of them are my emergency car, or as I like to call it, the backup car.

Arriving at the restaurant Bea has chosen for lunch, Markus opened Arabella’s door and help her step out of the car. 

Entering the restaurant, Liam was walking in front of her surveying the scene with Max behind her. They walked to the reception table at the front.

"Good Afternoon ma'am. Do you have a reservation?" The woman behind the counter asked looking at the boys who are now standing behind.

"Er, I'm actually meeting someone here, I think it should be either under Beatrice or Eugenie. Or maybe Zara actually I'm not too sure." Arabella reached up a hand to tuck in a piece of stray hair behind her ears.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Ma'am. Right this way." She then started walking to the back and opened another door for her. This led into a private room which currently hold Zara, Bea and Genie.

Liam walked in first to check the room before allowing Arabella to enter. He checked every nook and cranny of the room, even under the table to check if there is any other entry door. When he's satisfied that there's none, he bowed to her before leaving the room.

In front of Arabella, stood three beautiful English women she’s going to call family soon.

They greeted each other with hugs and kisses before settling down in their seats around the round table.

"Happy belated birthday Bella." Genie started off once they’ve settled in their seats.

"Thank you. How are you girls?" Arabella asked them looking around the table.

"We've been good. Had a good New Year, it’s been pretty relaxed here this time of year." Bea shrugged.

“Tell me, how did our dearest cousin proposed? I know you guys had interviews and all that regarding this but you never tell in detail.” Zara asked leaning forwards a little.

“Well it was very romantic. We were at the Alps for my birthday and he took me outside to go for a walk underneath the stars. He got down on one knee in the snow and asked me there and then with the stars as witnesses. It was freezing as well.” Arabella told the girls before moving to a different subject.

They spent the next hour or so catching up with each other. Out of all of Harry's cousins, Arabella is closest to Zara, Eugenie and Beatrice, not only are they closer in age but they are the people that Arabella can turn to without being judged. Arabella doesn’t have many friends that is non-royal. Her best friends are members of a royal family and even then, sometimes they don’t have a title, but they understand how it feels like under pressure. Over the years, she had friends who tend to take advantage of her status and fame.

The four of them talked about their life, their other halves and what they've been up to. They called the waitress to come in and give them the cheque before moving outside and onto the next part of their outing which is a shopping spree. They went to oxford street to do some window shopping. When Arabella is given the chance to shop, she usually shops at high street shops instead of high ended ones. These are the clothes she'll wear every day. Clothes she'll wear during engagements and other things are usually picked out by Eva and she knows Arabella's type of style.

They went to Primark first, looking at pyjamas and night clothes. Arabella got some Harry Potter pyjamas as well as some really soft robes. Then they went to ZARA, which they promptly made fun of Zara for.

"Come on Zara, let's go to your shop next!" Bea exclaimed as they walk out of Primark.

"Do you think you'll get a discount for having the same name?" Genie thought out loud.

"I don’t think it works like that Genie," Zara then said shaking her head.

"Well let's go anyway. Kate likes to shop here, I haven't seen any of their winter line yet." Arabella said.

When they went inside ZARA, Liam stayed outside the doors, with Lucas and Max following behind them. Due to Zara not having a title, she did not get protection officers, however, Bea and Genie did have them before but in 2011, they were pulled away and are only used during engagements. So the only protection officers there are Arabella's and she has 3 with them at all times with an extra one, the driver Since she is the crown princess. It's a good thing that while she's out and about, she doesn’t need to bring any police escorts with her.

They walked around ZARA for a while and got some clothes. Arabella got a few dresses as well as jeans and t-shirts while Zara, Bea and Genie got a few dresses as well. As they were queuing to pay, a few girls behind them noticed them and was whispering with each other. They didn’t really recognise Arabella at first which was a relief but they noticed Bea, Genie and Zara. The girls didn’t bother them much and after they paid, they went to the next shop which is Marks & Spencer.

They walked along Oxford Street, getting noticed here and there, and at the end of their trip, Arabella's second car was filled with shopping bags and they went to Selfridges, Mulberry UK, Adidas store, Forever 21, Lush, Disney Store, Next, Urban Outfitters, Mango, Nike town, H&M, JD Sports and a lot more shops along the way.

"I'll say that was a very successful shopping trip." Arabella said to the girls before laughing and going back home.

~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Harry's day have been very relaxing so far, he spent the morning with his brother and his first born son who's 6 months old. They talked all morning about this new role that Harry is going to take.

"So how are you doing?" Will asked Harry as he play with little George. "How are you coping with everything?"

"I'm doing okay, I think. Bella is there to explain how things are going and what to expect. It's been a roller coaster ride to be honest." Harry confessed.

"I'm sure you'll be fine Harry. If you need anything I'm sure Pa will help you. I don’t know how most things run there but I'm sure its similar to how Pa is here. "

"I think it's going to be a bit different Will. Pa is what Bella is. They're the heir apparent. I'm what mum was, what Camilla is." Harry said. "Though I will get the title Prince of Orange, and I will get the title King, but I don’t do the work that Bella will do, with the parliament, the government and all that."

"You'll learn along the way Harry. Just asking, what is your title after you marry Bella?"

"I asked Alexander about it while we were still at The Hague." Harry started. "I'll be HRH The Prince of Orange, Prince Henry of Wales, Duke of whatever gran gives and so on."

"Wow. You'll be known as the Prince of Orange then."

"Yeah. You'll have to bow to me then Wills." Harry jokes.

With that, Kate went down to where they were sitting.

"Hey Kate, you didn’t go have lunch with Bella, Genie, Bea and Zara?" Harry asked his sister in law.

"No, wasn't invited." Kate shrugged her shoulders before laughing at the uncomfortable look on Harry's face. "Relax, I'm joking. No, I have a meeting in a few with Rebecca about some of my charities. I'm also limiting my appearance in public if I have to, hiding the little one you see." Kate then rubbed her small bump.

Harry nodded before standing up and excusing himself as his phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Ah, Harry my boy." His father's voice rang through the phone.

"Hi Pa, what can I help you with?"

"Do you have any current lunch plans?"

"No, not at the moment."

"Great. Come have lunch at Clarence with me. I have a few things I would like to discuss with you."

"I'll be over in a few. Bye Pa." With that, Harry hang up the phone and went back to the sitting room where Will is left with George.

"Where did Kate go?" Harry asked.

"She left for her meeting." Will answered.

"Sorry to cut this meeting short, but Pa has summoned me to Clarence." Harry gathered up his things before going over to his brother who stood up.

"Take care alright. I know this is new territory for you but take these next few months for you to learn the ropes. You are going to be a King Harry, a King. You won't bow down to Arabella once she's Queen, not like grandfather. You'll be her equal. Observe how they do things, learn their culture and language. Prepare yourself. You will still be King if Arabella dies before you. You won't be a prince or prince consort, you'll be King. I know you'll do well. Just take care alright." Will said hugging Harry tightly.

"I will." Harry hugged back. "Thank you."

With that, they pulled away from the hug and Harry said goodbye to his nephew before going to his father's place.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~

"So tell me, how are the wedding preparations? Have you started yet?" Charles asked as they eat their lunch.

"We’re having our first meeting with the wedding coordinators tomorrow. We plan to incorporate as much as we can from both countries in the wedding. It’s not going to be easy but we’ll try our best.” Harry answered his father’s question.

“That’s good to hear. It’s going to be a bit difficult since you are under the Church of England and she’s under the Protestant Church in the Netherlands. What’s your plans for this?”

“We might do the same thing as what Alexander and Maxima did for their wedding. Neither of us will be losing our place in the line of succession if we marry someone of a different religion but to appease both countries, we will have two ceremonies on that day or a separate day. It’s still uncertain.”

“My boy, going to be king some day. Never thought I’d see that day ever happening.” Charles shakes his head. “You were such a care free child. You didn’t have the pressure of being the heirs heir like your brother and you were so naughty growing up as well. Always getting into trouble.”

"Pa," Harry started.

"Let me just say this Harry." Charles interrupted Harry. "Before you met Bella, you were a mess. You've been with Chelsy for seven years, you were known as the 'party prince' to the press, hell you made a lot of mistakes and caused this family through bad press, but I feel like, if it wasn’t for that, you wouldn’t learn and grow to the man you are today. Ever since you met Bella, you've become such a good role model for the people, more responsible. I'm sure Afghanistan also contributed to this factor, but I am so proud of you Harry. I'm sure your mother would be proud to. Just remember, it's just not this country that you need to worry about now, you need to start thinking about the Netherlands and how you want to be as a King."

"Did you give Will this speech too?" Harry asked. "When he was about to marry Kate?"

"Yeah. Just not the King part, I gave him that speech when he was fifteen." Charles shook his head. "Your brother was under a very tight leash. We wanted him to have a normal childhood, but after your mother passed away, I had to talk to him and get him to understand the world we lived in. I told him, you are going to be King one day, don’t do anything that would jeopardise that."

They finished their lunch with small chats about their plans for the next few weeks, how long is Harry and Arabella going to be in London, and what about their royal engagements. Once they were done with dinner, they moved to Charles study to have a drink.

"Harry, your grandmother has spoken to me earlier," Charles began. "She asked me to give you and your future wife something."

"Yeah?"

"Yes, the reason why I've invited you over for lunch is to discuss your titles and some estates she would like to give to you. Normally, she would tell you herself, but she wish for me to tell you tonight so she can make preparations and join efforts with King Willem-Alexander." Charles then passed Harry his drink. "She has decided to give you a Dukedom. The Duke of Sussex actually, as well as the Earl of Dumbarton and Baron Kilkeel. Your official title, from England once you've married would be His Royal Highness The Duke of Sussex, Earl of Dumbarton and Baron Kilkeel. You will be primarily known as the Prince of Orange however once you've married Arabella."

"So how what's my full title? If I'm a prince and a Duke as well."

"Well your official title would be HRH Prince of Orange Prince Henry of Wales, Duke of Sussex, Earl of Dumbarton and Baron Kilkeel. Your titles from the Netherlands with come first since it’s a higher rank. Just like how I'm Prince of Wales and then comes my dukedom and so on."

Harry nodded understanding what his father was trying to say.

"Your grandmother, as an engagement present, would like to give you both York Cottage at Sandringham and as a wedding gift, she would like to give you Craigowan Lodge at Balmoral. She knows that Balmoral is Arabella's favourite place as a child and you love going to Sandringham during Christmas. You may start repairs anytime you want. The family lawyer will draw everything up and will present it to you once it's done."

"Wow. She's giving us two?" Harry asked slightly in shock. She knew his grandmother has given his brother Anmer Hall but other than that, they have been living at Apartment 1A at Kensington.

"Yes. She decided to give you a summer home as well as a winter home. Let's not forget Nottingham Cottage at Kensington. All three will be under both of your names, once everything is signed, you'll have to release a press release. Have you both talked about a pre-nup?"

"Yeah, we're meeting our lawyers and advisors tomorrow at St. James. Parliament on Arabella's side won't let her marry without one and we know that they have the power of removing her as the heir if they don’t approve of our marriage. They only agreed because I'm granny's grandson and fourth in line to the throne. There is also a probability that Will might abdicate or George but I don’t see that happening, or at least I hope not." Harry shrugged.

"Well, whatever their reason is, they allow you to marry and let her keep her place."

They talked some more before Harry have to excuse himself to go home and get ready for dinner and a night out with his friends. He did call Arabella on his way home to check in and see whether she's home or not.

"Hey." Arabella's voice called out on the other side of the phone.

"Hey, I'm on my way back from Clarence."

"Clarence?"

"Yeah. Pa wanted to talk about some things."

"What about?"

"Granny is giving us York Cottage at Sandringham and Craigowan Lodge at Balmoral. Both needs a lot of repairs but as soon as they're signed, we can start."

"Did she really?"

"Yeah. Are you home?”

“Just arrived. What time are we meeting everybody?”

“Meeting them at 8:30. I’ll see you at home, I’m 5 minutes away.”

“Love you.”

“I love you too.”

With that Harry hanged up the phone and sighed. He has a feeling that tonight will be a long night.

*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*

Arabella walked out of the bedroom wearing a sequined maroon sleeveless mini dress. Her hair was up in a ponytail with a few pieces loose in the front. She did her make up a little bit smoky with some liner and nude lips.

Arabella felt very comfortable in her skin and love dressing up to look good. She went downstairs and greeted Harry by the door, ready to go.

"Are you ready?" She asked him while putting on her shoes.

"Yeah. Barend is on shift tonight so he's driving us using my car, Samuel will be in the car with us while Arthur, Lucas, Max and Finn will be in the car behind." Harry informed her.

"Are all your friends going to be there tonight?"

"Yeah pretty much. Skippy, Lara, Sam, Isabella, Hugh, Jake, Zoe, Tom, Melissa and Guy will be the only ones for dinner. After that other friends of friends will join us."

"Great! I haven’t seen them in so long."

With that, they climbed into their car and left Kensington grounds.

The couple arrived at the restaurant at eight thirty sharp and was shown their tables as soon as they went inside. It was an Italian restaurant and they were seated in a private room. When the pair entered the room, all of Harry's friends stood up and started clapping their hands, shouting words of congratulations and praise. Once they were all seated, they began looking through the menu and ordering their food.

It was a rectangular table with six seats on each side. Arabella was seated in the middle with Harry seated across of her. On her immediate right was Lara and next to her was Isabella and Sam at the end. On her left side was Zoe and Jake. Next to Harry was Skippy, Tom and Melissa at the end while on his other side was Guy and Hugh.

"Well, let me see the ring!" Lara said to Isabella once they've finished ordering their meal. Out of all of Harry's friends, Arabella was closer to Lara and Melissa.

Arabella just smiled before showing Lara her left hand. There in her ring finger was her beautiful engagement ring.

"My goodness, what a beautiful ring. We saw your engagement interview and everything, but those don’t do these any justice." Lara said smiling before turning to Arabella. "Have you started the planning yet?"

"We've got a general idea of what we want but we're having our first meeting with the wedding planner tomorrow." Arabella started off. “We know we would like to incorporate both countries in the wedding, we just don’t know how."

"That idea will make both countries very happy I hope." Lara said.

"Do you know which designer doing your dress?" Zoe asked from Arabella's other side.

"Definitely not McQueen or David and Elizabeth Emanuel. The comparisons will be horrific. I know that I'm going to have more than one designer that's for sure." Arabella said. "I have a huge pile of resume's in my office with designers that wants to design my dress already. God knows it will only continue to grow until the actual wedding."

"Do you have a date already in mind?" Zoe asked.

"Well, we know it's going to be in October, I like the autumnal colours, like oranges and burnt red, it's absolutely beautiful. Perhaps early to mid-October, I don’t want the weather to be too cold or too hot." Arabella explained.

"Have you thought about your bachelorette party yet?" Lara asked. "Are you going to be the one planning it, or will someone else plan it."

"Madeleine will plan it I'm sure. I bet she's already started planning it." Arabella laughed.

"That's cute of her." Isabella said from next to Sam.

"So what's the plan tonight?" Arabella asked.

"Well, when we're finished here, we're off to this new club Sam is overseeing." Skippy started off, after hearing Arabella's question.

"There's this new American actress that wants to meet the both of you, said to be a huge fan." Guy said. "I thought I could introduce her to you and in return have a very fun night from a very thankful actress."

The whole table burst out laughing at what Guy said. It was typical for Guy to introduce someone to them to get lucky, so Arabella and Harry did not feel offended of being used like that. And that’s only because Harry has known Guy since he was little and Arabella knows for a fact that Harry's close circle of friends are very loyal. Sure they joked around and often use them to gain a benefit here and there, but at the end of the day, they are fiercely loyal and extremely protective of their friends.

"What's her name? I tried asking Harry this morning but all he said was someone starting with an M, which wasn’t very helpful." Arabella started pointedly at Harry across the table.

"Meghan Markle, small TV show actress. I know you have ties with the Hollywood scene Bella." Guy told Arabella.

"The one from Suits?" Arabella recalled. "Harry we watched an episode of that series. Remember? I said if you weren't with me, you would go for her."

"Babe, we weren't doing much watching at that time." Harry laughed.

At Harry's reply, the whole table burst into laughter leaving Arabella red in the face and stuttering for an answer. Shaking her head, she opened her mouth to retort a comeback but the food has arrived and they ate their meal. Once they're all done, food and drinks has been paid, courtesy of Skippy who said that it was a night of celebration, they left the restaurant and went to the club to let loose.

The club they were going to is a very high class club, which means bouncers, and high security, but that didn’t mean that Arabella's protection officers would wait outside. Nope. Barend will standby at the car, Lucas will stand guard at the back door while Max stands by the front door. Finn however will be within 5 feet away from Arabella inside the club. Arabella won't see Finn, but rest assure, if anyone touches Arabella who is not authorized, they will be on the ground. Harry's PO's however is a different story. Samuel will wait in the car (there's two cars on standby) while Arthur will be somewhere inside the club. Not as close as Finn to Arabella but he can see everything.

All of Arabella's RPO's carry a weapon, maybe even more. Even Barend and Markus is trained in martial arts and carry a weapon. They take their jobs very seriously since if anything were to happen to Arabella, they have to answer to the King and make sure that they have done everything in their power to protect Arabella. Not only do they have to answer to the King but also to the people as well. Princess Diana might have been known as the People's princess of but Arabella is known as the Kingdom's Princess.

They went inside the club towards the VIP section on the second floor which oversees the dance floor below and has its own bar and bartender. When the group arrived, Chelsy Davy was there as well as a few other acquaintances. Arabella and Harry greeted everyone they knew with a kiss on the cheeks and everyone else with a polite handshake and smiles. There was a few people who they did not know that was there and when it was Arabella who was greeting them, they y did a small curtsy when they shook hands which Arabella just ignored.

"Harry! Bella! Come here for a sec, I want to introduce you to someone." Guy called from somewhere near the bar. Harry excused himself from the person he was talking to and reached Guy before Arabella. Arabella was sitting at the couches when Guy called so she took a bit longer to get to Guy.

"Harry, I would like to introduce you to Meghan Markle. Meghan, Prince Harry." Guy introduced them.

"Nice to meet you." Meghan gave a small shy smile.

"You too." Harry replied giving her a smile before turning around to look for his fiance.

"Babe," Harry called out to Arabella as she came closer to the trio.

"Bella, this is Meghan Markle, the girl I was telling you about." Guy introduced her again. "Meghan, this is Princess Arabella."

"Hello," Arabella said politely which Meghan returned with a smile. She didn’t really want to meet the Princess, she just wanted to meet Prince Harry. When Guy invited her to go out tonight, he said that the Prince might come so she dressed to impress. She wasn’t happy that his fiance was there as well.

"Shall we go sit? I'll grab us some drinks." Guy said as he gestured them towards the sitting area as he went to grab drinks. "Your usual I assume Harry? Bella? And what would you like Meghan?"

"Yes please." Both Harry and Arabella replied Guy.

"I'll have a Margarita please Guy." Meghan replied. With that Guy left to go to the Bar and order their drinks. Making sure to have Arabella's drink checked and made under direct supervision so that nothing is added or anything.

Meanwhile, Harry, Arabella and Meghan went to the couches and sat down. Harry sat first, pulling Arabella onto his lap and pulled her even closer, and Meghan sat opposite of the pair.

"So, Meghan, what do you do for a living?" Harry started off.

"I'm an actress and an activist." She replied.

"Oh, big screen or small screen?" Arabella asked. She knew a lot of actors and actresses and none of them have heard of Meghan Markle before.

"Small screen now, I'm currently doing this TV show called Suits. Have you seen it before?" She turned to Harry when she asked this question.

"I think we watched an episode, but I don’t think we were paying that much attention, did we babe?" Harry smirked at Arabella before pressing kisses on her neck.

Laughing, Arabella kissed Harry's cheeks before asking the next question. "How long are you here for?"

"Only for a few days." Meghan replied shortly. Feeling as if she didn’t want to talk to Arabella,  Arabella just looked away and surveyed the area. It was then that Guy came back with their drinks.

"Martini for the Princess, Whiskey for the Prince and a Margarita for the actress. Enjoy." Guy handed each of them with their drinks and started a conversation with Harry and Meghan. Arabella whispered to Harry that she's going to go over to Skippy and Lara before getting up from Harry's lap and heading over there.

They stayed there for a while, many drinks between them. Arabella stayed with Lara and Zoe, often going to the railing to watch people dance before heading to the mini dance floor and dance themselves while Harry chatted with Guy and Skippy who joined them not long after Arabella left. Meghan stayed there as well with Chelsy joining them after Skippy. Chelsy and Harry remained friends after the break up and Arabella and Chelsy are friendly with each other. Chelsy has her own boyfriend and are very happy right now.

Throughout the whole night, Chelsy watched how Meghan interacted with Harry, feeling slightly suspicious of the new girl in their circle. She liked how happy Harry is with Arabella and she doesn’t want anyone jeopardising that. The whole night, Chelsy could see that this Meghan was full on flirting with Harry, touching his arms, laughing at every single thing that Harry says and even doing the tucking of the hair behind the ears move. Chelsy then glanced at Arabella to see if she noticed that Meghan was making a move on Harry and it looks like she was having a blast with Lara and Zoe. She was laughing and dancing and drinking like there was no tomorrow.

Feeling annoyed, Chelsey excused herself to go to the bathroom and went to go do her business. Once she was done, she left the cubicle to see that Meghan had went to the bathroom as well and is re-applying her lipstick. Chelsy ignored her as she went to wash her hands.

"Do you think if I pull down my top more, Harry will notice me?" Meghan spoke up beside Chelsy.

"I'm sorry, what?" Chelsy furrowed her eyebrows.

"What do you think I should do to get Harry’s attention?” Meghan asks again. “Do I need to show more skin to get him to leave his fiancé? Or do I need to play nice girl?”

Chelsy just looked at her flabbergastedly.

“Is that your plan tonight? To get Harry interested in you that he will leave his fiancé? A crown princess for some low small screen nobody? Please, have some respect for yourself.” Chelsy scoffed before leaving the bathroom.

Meanwhile at the table, when Chelsy left, not long after Meghan left to the bathroom as well and Arabella approached Harry, Guy and Skippy.

“Having fun?” Arabella asked Harry kissing his cheeks.

“Not without you baby.” Harry replied.

“Please stop guys or I’ll barf.” Guy said mockingly barfing.

“Why didn’t you stay here with us?” Harry asked Arabella.

“Yeah, you missed Meghan throwing herself at Harry while Guy just moped.” Skippy laughed.

“Well I didn’t want to see someone throwing themselves at my fiancé, so I decided to just let loose myself.” Arabella replied to Harry’s question. “Besides, absence makes your heart grow fonder, is it not?”

Shaking his head, Harry just pulled Arabella closer to him and swayed to the music.

It was then Chelsy came back from the bathroom with a slightly pissed off look in her face.

“What’s wrong Chels?” Harry asks still hugging Arabella close to him.

“I just want to rip out Meghan’s head off.” Chelsy said angrily.

“What? Why?” Guy asks.

“She literally asks me in the bathroom what to do to make Harry notice her, show off more skin or pretend to be a good girl.” Chelsy shakes her head.

“And? What did you say to her?” Curious, Arabella prodded some answers from Chelsy.

“Well, I said, word for word, if that’s her plan tonight. If she’s trying to get Harry to leave his fiancé, a crown princess, I might add, for a low small screen nobody. And that for her to have a little respect for herself.” Chelsy shrugged.

With that, the whole table burst out laughing.

“Oh Chelsy honey.” Arabella pulled away from Harry to hug Chelsy. “You didn’t have to do that.”

“I had to, Bella. I know we’re not exactly the best of friends, but you are one of my friends and I have grown to respect you a lot. I’ve been through where you were, only I was more insecure and in the end, that and how his life is like, that we didn’t end up working. I don’t want some bimbo nobody get in between Harry and his happiness. After all that he’s been through, he deserves it. And you, not only embrace this life of his, but your life is even more demanding than his. So, yeah. I have to do this. I will do this again.” Chelsy said to Arabella.

“Thank you.” Arabella smiled at her. “It means a lot to me. For you to do this.”

When they pulled away from each other, they faced the smiling group and shook their heads. At that, Meghan came back from the bathroom and the group could clearly tell that she chose to show more skin. It was indicated by the lower neckline of her shirt and even shorter skirt and ruffled hair.

Arabella just stared at Harry before laughing and shaking her head. She then kissed Harry on the lips, just to mark her territory before going to the bar to get some more Martini, maybe even some tequila, she definitely needs something stronger.

"Tequila shot please." She gestured to the bartender before turning around and lean against the bar to survey the VIP area. What she didn’t realise, is that Meghan followed her and stood next to her against the bar.

"I see I pushed you to drinking shots now? Are you that insecure that I'll steal your man?" Meghan spoke up.

Turning around, she looked Meghan up and down, before laughing again. "Honey, what makes you so sure that you can steal my man?"

"He's been into me the whole night. I bet you if I would walk past him and give him a signal, he'll come following shortly. Because let's face it, who would want a stick thin dumb blonde as a fiancé?"

"Let's get one thing straight here Meg, can I call you meg?" Arabella asked before smirking. "That guy behind you there, with the leather jacket? He's my protection officer, well one of them anyways. I don’t usually pull this card but, compared to me, you're nothing. I'm the crown princess, my godparents are kings and queens, if anyone were to threaten me, well let's just say that you won't be allowed back in many countries. You want to try and get Harry's attention go for it. I just want to see your face when he doesn’t give you the time or day." With that, Arabella gestured for Meghan to go walk past Harry and come back.

"Fine. You'll see how he'll drool over me when I come back here." With that, she flicked her hair and walked towards Harry in what Arabella assumed to be a supposed sexy walk. She walked really slowly in front of Harry, trying, and failing to show some legs. When Harry didn’t even glance her way, she just huffed and stalked back to where Arabella was standing.

"Now watch how it's done." Arabella threw back her shot of tequila before slamming it back down on the bar top and make her way to Harry. She swayed her hips a little as she got closer to Harry. It was at that moment when Harry felt the need to look up and there it was, right in front of him, his fiancé walking towards him sexily. He bit his lips before excusing himself from his friends and meet her half way.

"You want to get out of here?" Arabella looked into his eyes and bite her lips.

"Let's go." Harry just signalled Finn that they were leaving before taking her hand and dragging her towards the exit and their cars.

Arabella turned her head to look behind her, her eyes stared into those of Meghan's and Arabella gave her a wink before turning back to the front and giggled softly.

"I know what you did," Harry said as the car doors close.

"I have no idea what you’re saying." Arabella smiled coyly.

"I saw you talking to her by the bar, I saw the way you laugh and how you challenged her."

"Fine, she told me that you were into her and how if she would walk past you, you would look at her and follow her into oblivion. I obviously challenged her to actually do it and when she failed to catch your attention, I told her to watch and learn how it's done, and well, you're here now aren't you?"

Let's just say, when they returned back to the cottage, their night was spent with laughter and a lot of love making.

Next Chapter 

[my-happy-little-bean]

Uh, yes, can I get some Rosehip, Oolong, Earl Grey, Chai, Hop, Herbal, Hibiscus, Turkish, Green, Hot Chocolate, Cloud, and Gunpowder Tea? To go?

WOWZA you want a lot of tea, what are you doing mate, that could kill you :’))

rosehip tea: which book did you love when you were younger? 

oooh the earliest i can think of is the geronimo stilton books, those were my freakin jam !! i know at one point, i really enjoyed the pretty little liars books. 

oolong tea: which book series could you read again? 

hmm, i’m not sure! surprisingly enough, i’m not really really a book series person lol. i’d probably read the inkheart trilogy again, i remember really liking it. ooh! and maybe the wildwood trilogy again. that was a pleasant time :))

earl grey: which countries have you visited? 

er, the list isn’t too long: canada, mexico, america, and the phillippines. i’m not a traveller, unfortunately :’)

chai: where do you want to travel next? 

probably tokyo! or rome. or paris. or london! man i wanna travel more :pp

hop tea: do you have a favourite tea? which one? 

i am a peppermint tea drinker, but i share a special connection with a cotton candy tea that someone introduced me to once. i have also been trying peach tea, and that’s super good :)

herbal tea: which person would you chose to travel the world with?

probably the person i refer to as her💕, my sister, or my group of friends i eat lunch with. 

hibiscus tea: what is a song you can always hear

“secrets for the mad” or “intertwined”, dodie. or “dancing queen”, abba. :p

turkish tea: what is your favourite cake? 

i’m not a cake fan actually! sorry. i’m a cupcake person. though ice cream cake is really nice! if we are going by cupcakes, i’d say red velvet or vanilla :)

green tea: what was the first movie you saw in a cinema? 

holy crap, umm...the earliest thing i remember is watching the princess and the frog. that was a fun time :))

hot chocolate: do you have (a) stuffed animal(s) sitting in your room? which one(s)?

i have a stuffed bear named pinkie that i have had since 2nd grade, a stuffed dog named rover, another bear named gibbles jr i think? named after an embarrassing nickname, heh. aaaaand i have a big ol’ white, stuffed bear. like a giant one. i admittedly cuddle with snowy. he’s really soft, don’t look at me like that :pp

cloud tea: which movie do you want to watch next? 

i’m planning on watching the new spiderman movie with my friends in december, i think? the animated one, something to do with other spider-men. and john mulaney as peter porker. i don’t really see any reasons not to see it :pp

gunpowder tea: if you had the chance: would you go to space?

usually i’d say yes, but admittedly, i probably wouldn’t– that stuff is scary. it’s too big there and too many risks i wouldn’t want to take. i’ll stick to aesthetic galaxy photos and the pleasant idea of it :’)

and where might we be going with all this tea anyway? the queen?? :pp

(thank you for the ask, dear traveler :)) )

hey! why don’t you grab some tea with me? ☕️

[miseryff]

21. YOLO

Paris

Wow. I am deadass a slut.

I tried to shake off any feelings of guilt as I pulled up to Derrick’s aunt’s crib. I really fucked with Dre’s head a minute ago. Why was I throwing myself at him like that? When I had a perfectly good nigga waiting for me? “You need to slow yo ho ass down and not fuck this up.” I gave myself a pep talk while looking at my reflection in the rear-view mirror. I shook my head at myself once more before reaching over and picking up the bag filled with Mexican food. It was Tuesday and me and Derrick were feenin’ for tacos.

Tacos and dick? Oh yea, tonight was gonna be lit.

I rang the doorbell and smiled brightly once I was greeted with Sheila, Derrick’s aunt.

“Hi, Auntie Sheila.” I walked into her open arms and kissed her cheek before walking into the home. “How are you, baby? You brought anything for me?” I chuckled as I followed her into the kitchen. Best believe Derrick’s hungry hippo ass was front and center eating what looked to be chicken and rice. “Babe, why would you let me get tacos if you already had food to eat?” I rolled my eyes on the low before turning to Sheila. “I got tacos, Auntie. A whole lot. I guess its just me and you tonight--”

“Whoa whoa whoa whoa! Im still hungry and those tacos are for us. Sorry, auntie.” Derrick quickly jumped up from his seat at the table and rushed over to where Sheila and I stood. We purposely ignored him as we began to tear up the chicken and shrimp tacos. “These shits hittinnnnn!” I dragged as I took big bites from my taco. “Seriously. Gimme two more to take up to my room,” I nodded before separating two tacos for her and sending her on her way. I didn’t want to laugh but Derrick was steaming to the left of me. Serves his greedy ass right.

“That’s so fucked up.”

“What I do?” I faked innocence as I walked over to the fridge. “You like my hair babe? I made them clip the ends a little. It’s giving Selena vibes, aint it?”

“Shit look trash.” I spun around from looking inside the fridge once I heard his flat tone. This boy was not giving me an attitude because of some damn tacos. I refused to believe it.

“Exuuuuuse me? Shit look what?” I cupped my hand behind my ear. Maybe I heard him wrong.

“Shit look trash, mamas. Ima fuck it up tonight though so I don’t even know why you spent bread to get it done.” As if his comments weren’t rude as shit, this nigga then had the audacity to pick up my half eaten taco, and shove that shit in his mouth! “You ain’t fuckin’ shit up, nigga. Fuck outta here.” I grumbled as I walked over to where he stood, with a can of ginger ale in my possession. “Now open this. I don’t wanna break a nail.”

“Open it yaself, big boi.” He went to stuff his hand inside the bag again when I threw the can at his bare chest. The hissing sound he made was music to my ears. “Pick it up and open it, Derrick.”

“Fuck you, Paris.”

XX

The sex was amazing. It was always amazing. Now we were both exiting the shower because tonight was my dad’s showcase for his newly signed artists, Summer Walker and Da Baby. “Wear the black shirt, babe.” I patted his booty as I walked over to the dresser, searching for my deodorant and body lotion.

“Cause you wearing that revealing ass black dress, so you want me to match ya fly?”

“Yessirrrrr!” I dragged as I applied lotion to my arms and breasts. “Ima wear the red bottoms you got me too. Daddy keep his baby fresh.” He paid my words no mind as he watched me massage the lotion onto my tiddies. “You see the purple mark you left? I told you that shit hurt.”

“You pulled my head back when I stopped though. So just say ya freak nasty ass liked it.” I blushed before continuing to lotion my body. He was right.

The showcase was packed the fuck up, and I mean from wall to wall on some CB shit. Luckily Derrick and I were posted up in V.I.P. with my dad and some of his peoples from his label. I knew most of their faces but didn’t care for the Hollywood shit.

My dad had that Summer Walker chick sitting to the left of him, and Da Baby was posted up in the back talking to some chick he came with. They looked very blessed to be here tonight and it made me feel good knowing that my father was really about to change these people’s lives.

“Shawty tryna be ya stepmoms and shit” Derrick spoke into my ear because it was loud as fuck in here. I knew who he was referring to though. Summer kept rubbing my dad’s legs or resting her head on his chest whenever he said something that I doubt was that funny. I knew my dad, and I knew him very well. He was fuckin her on the low but shawty was not good and keeping shit lowkey.

Looking from the outside in, you would think that she and my dad were dating, boo’d up. I had to remember to ask him about that lil situation later on. I didn’t care who my dad fucked or didn’t fuck. As long as it wasn’t no bitch that sneaked dissed and shaded me, I was gucci. “My dad is a lil slut.” I joked back before taking my shot to the head. I was babysitting this lil ass Tequila shot all night.

Derrick was lit off Dusse and pretending that he was aight. His hand stayed around my waist and he kept kissing on my neck ever so often. Baby was lit and wanted to fuck. We was gonn get to that a lil later on though. I actually wanted to vibe out at this lounge and hear some of the unreleased music from both artists.

“You good, babe? You want me get you a water?” I needed to use the bathroom, and get another round of shots for myself so I didn’t mind getting him a bottle of water. He needed it anyways.

“What I need water for? I’m chillinnnnn.” I chuckled before kissing his lips. “I’ll be right back. Sit here and don’t get in no trouble.” He fanned me off before sitting back on the couch and sparking up. Oh he tryna fuck me on some cross faded shit tonight. You love to see it.

xxx

There was dead ass a line to use this bathroom. I could not believe it. I was maybe fourth in line to use the bathroom when I spotted two familiar faces by the bar. “Fuck it,” I decided to try this bathroom shit later and made my way over to my big bros. Dre looked the fuck good, as usual, and Fred looked good too. I never looked at Fred that way though so it was whatever.

Dre spotted me first and then elbowed Fred, who sent a small smile my way. “Yo, where Derrick at?” That was the first thing this nigga said to me. “Hi, Fred! How are you? I’m good!” I shouted over the music, and he thought that shit was funny for some reason. He gave me a quick hug and I directed him to the V.I.P section before turning my body to face Dre.

“Hi, baby.”

“Lemme holla at you real quick.” I allowed him to take my hand in his as he led me out of the lounge and over to this parked Range Rover. I was surprised when he took a key out of his back pocket and unlocked the truck. Oh, niggaz driving in Rovers now? Copy.

Dre

“First, are you lit?” I wanted to make sure that the Paris I was talking to was in the right state of mind. Paris sober was already dangerous. But Paris off liqs or drugs? Yeah, that was a whole different person. She ignored my question as she admired my new truck. I was working my ass off to afford this truck and I dead ass loved it.

“This shit fire, Dre. I need me one of these.” I rolled my eyes before chuckling. “Shawty all you gotta do is say the word and you know ya pops gonn get you one.” She was the one to laugh this time. “Nah, that nigga got me working working. Gotta get shit on my own now.”

I nodded. I respected that, you can’t be babied forever. Eventually her spoiled ass was gonn have to get to a bag. “On the real though... I got some shit I wanna talk to you about.”

“What happen, Dre? Cut the lifetime shit and just say it.” She finally made eye contact with me. She leaned back and rested her head against the window. I admired her body in that revealing ass lace dress for only a moment before clearing my throat. “I don’t know if I’ve always been attracted to you and just buried that shit cause I truly cared about you or what... but I’ve been thinking about you heavy these last couple of days. And its not on no lil sis type shit. I be thinking bout grabbin’ you up and fucking the shit out you.”

The car was silent for maybe ten seconds before she finally spoke. “Why you was acting like you aint wanna fuck me a couple weeks ago, though? When I was throwing myself at you?”

“That’s because you was lit, Paris and you aint know what you wanted. You was going through shit with ya family and was coked out. How I’m gonn take advantage of you when you in that state? That shit not cool.”

She rolled her eyes but chose to remain silent. “I know you got ya nigga and all but I wanted to address shit, cause I’m looking at you different now and I ain’t about to front like I only see you as my sis. You gonn be my sis for life, but I’m looking at you as a different woman now.”

“So do you want to fuck or not? Cause I been wanting you inside of me for a minute now, and my nigga inside. So we could either do it here real quick or set up--”

My hand found its way around her neck and I squeezed a lil roughly as I pulled her towards me. “Suck me off.”

xxx

The truck was dark inside and my windows were tinted so I knew no one could see this princess swallowing my dick whole. My head rested against my seat as I pushed her head deeper down my dick. “Fuck...” shawty was a head monster, and I was loving every second of it. It didn’t take long for me to bust in her mouth and I was surprised when she told me that she swallowed my kids.

“Put ya chair back so I could ride ya face.” I couldn’t see her face due to the darkness in the car but her tone was serious as shit. That turned me on even more. Doing as she said, I made the stomach of my seat lay flat and I laid back. She easily climbed over from the passenger seat and hovered over my lips for a second before lowing her body onto my face. Her moans were sexy as fuck and I felt my once soft dick getting hard again.

“Mmmm, just like that baby. Oh my god!” I wasn’t new to eating chick’s out but I also didn’t think I was the best either. The way Paris was moaning and moving her hips, you would think this was the best head she ever got. As I ate her out I used my hands to grip her plump ass. In one swift motion I parted her ass cheeks and slipped my thumb in her butt. “FUCKK! You gonn make me cum all in ya mouth.” Her hands never left the top of my head as I continued to tongue fuck her and twirl my thumb in her ass. That combination made all the shawty’s go wild.

“Nah, cum on my dick. Get in the back.” She quickly moved her body to the back of the truck and laid out against the leather. “I don’t have a condom... shit.”

“So fuck me without one. I’ll take a Plan B.”

Shit, she ain’t have to say no more.

[prosciuttoe]

Fic prompt: The 5 times Bellamy complains about how his arm always falls asleep when they are spooning, and the one time Clarke becomes the big spoon and they both love it. (Cause Bellamy as the small spoon gives me life)

A|N: Prompt slightly tweaked to be the three times instead of five!

____________

I.

The first time they sleep together is out of necessity and necessity alone.

They are in the bunker gathering ammunition when the snowstorm hits; the kind that leaves piles and piles of snow clumped over the door and brings temperatures down to Arctic levels. Bellamy’s the one who suggests the blankets, and she’s the one who reminds him that shared body heat is the most effective way of staying warm.

Sharing a bed is just the most practical option at this point, really.

He hisses when her leg brushes up against his, the sound morphing into one of protest when she presses her toes against his calves. “Jesus. Alright, I changed my mind. Get your fucking feet away from me, Clarke.”

“Seriously?” she demands, wiggling closer to him instead. “You’re going to go to sleep at night, knowing that you’re the one who caused me to lose all ten toes? Nice, Bellamy. I mean, I always knew that you—”

The words die in her throat when his arms circle around her waist, pulling her even closer than before. Up close, he smells just like how she always imagined him to be; all gunpowder and sweat and boy. It’s fitting, for him.

“Just go to fucking sleep already.” He mutters, burying his face into her shoulder, and yeah, okay.

She’ll grudgingly admit that she doesn’t hate it, or anything.

“Don’t breathe so loud.” Clarke says, just to get the last word in, before sliding her arm over his to keep his in place.

The next morning brings about clear skies and waking up tangled around Bellamy’s form; his arm banded around her waist and their fingers interlaced. They don’t talk about it, except for when Bellamy grumbles about his stiff arm or when she makes snide remarks about his snoring.

(They don’t talk about how this is the most well-rested they’ve both been either, but Clarke supposes that that’s expected.)

Still, she can’t help slipping in one last jibe as they trudge their way through the woods, cartons of ammunition in hand.

“You sure that you’re up for this considering how sore your arm is?” she coos, grinning when he turns over to glare at her how he likes. “I mean, since you—”

She trails off into a shriek when his arm shoots out to tickle at her ribs, causing her to lose her grip on the carton entirely. He catches it before it hits the ground, the corners of his lips curving upwards at her indignation.

“Don’t worry, Princess.” Bellamy smirks, rolling out his shoulders. Her gaze tracks the movement unconsciously, and she has to remind herself not to flush when he catches her doing it. “They’re still in perfect working condition.” He adds, before walking off and towards home, whistling obnoxiously.

II.

The second time it happens is because of Finn.

There’s blood under her fingernails that she can’t quite seem to get out, and her jaw is throbbing from when Raven had decked her across the face. The air is thin, up in the mountains, and each breath she takes hurts, like someone stuck a knife in between her ribs.

So when Bellamy brushes a hand over her shoulders, soothing; she grabs on, holding him in place.

She doesn’t have to tell him to stay, though he hesitates a fraction when she tugs him towards her bedroll. This time, he doesn’t swear at her when her hair gets in his face, just combs his fingers through them so it lies flat. This time, he falls asleep first, his even breaths lulling her to sleep after.

Clarke catches his grimace when he shoulders his rifle the next morning, his movements stiff and a little awkward.

“Sorry,” she tells him, rueful, falling into step next to him. “But if it makes you feel any better, there’s this crick in my neck that refuses to go away either.”

“It does, actually.” He says, with a small smile, his shoulder bumping up against hers companionably as they walk. The brush of his fingers against hers every few seconds is comforting, somehow, grounds her to the moment. Softens the edges of the hollow ache she still feels in her chest.

She swallows, forcing out a smile. “I’m still sorry, though.”

“It’s fine.” He goes, twining his fingers around hers, giving an encouraging squeeze. “See? Perfect working condition.”

She grips back with equal force, closing her eyes. Relying on him, in that moment, to keep her on her feet. “Good.”

III.

The next time it happens, it’s in Polis, and he’s the one who pulls her in his arms first.

“Sleep.” He orders, tightening his grip around her waist. They’re all scattered along various parts of the throne room, huddled under whatever meagre blankets they could rustle up under the circumstances.

His words are soft, doesn’t carry throughout the room, but she pushes closer anyway, turning over to face him instead.

There are dark shadows under his eyes, bruises lining his throat. The sight of it makes her ache- fury and sadness in equal measure- and she grazes her fingers against them, making sure to be gentle.

His eyes flutter shut at her touch, throat bobbing when she brings her hands down to rest against his chest.

“It’s hard to, considering the bomb that Allie just dropped on us.”

The sound he makes is half-snort, all disdain. “Figuratively and soon to be literally,” he manages, hands rubbing soothing circles against the small of her back. “You would think that the universe would cut us some slack after we’ve defeated a homicidal A.I.”

She buries her face deeper against his chest, breathing him in. “No rest for the wicked, right?”

“Guess not.” He says, wry, tensing a little when she traces at the symbol of his Ark jacket idly, too restless to stay still. “Hey, c’mon. At least try to fall asleep here.”

Releasing a deep, shuddering breath, she butts her face against his shoulder, has to bite at her lip to stop the tears. “I can’t stop picturing it, you know? Having to tell everyone all of this tomorrow. Looking at all their faces. They’re going to hate me.”

“None of this is your fault.” Bellamy insists, his voice rising slightly before he composes himself with a certain amount of effort. Then, so soft she almost misses it, “Us.”

She frowns, tilting her face up. “What?”

“You said they’re going to hate you,” he repeats, careful. “I’m correcting you. They’re going to hate us.”

Her breath seizes in her throat at that, eyes stinging.

“You’re not going to be by yourself.” He tells her, in a voice that leaves no room for further argument. “Because I’m going to be there the entire time, okay? I am with you. Now, try to get some rest because we sure as hell are going to need it for tomorrow.”

Clarke can feel herself relaxing at that, sinking into his touch. “Here you go again, trying to boss me around.”

“Only because I do it so well.” He goes, sarcasm dripping from every word.

She wakes up with her head pillowed against his chest, his arms tight around her waist. When he stirs, blinking down at her from a fan of lashes, it’s only to tell her in no certain terms that she’s crushing the life out of his arm for the 100th time, so help him God.

Yeah, she thinks, flicking at his forehead in retaliation. We’re going to be okay.

IV.

They never really break the habit of falling asleep with one another after that.

She likes to fall asleep with her head on his shoulder on trips out on the Rover. He always takes the long route back when this happens, likes to pretend that he took a wrong turn or that they needed something along the way anyway. Clarke humors him, mostly, and it’s nice when they have the time for it.

He likes putting his head on her lap, nudging at her wrist until she cards her fingers through his hair, soothing and affectionate. Sometimes, he falls asleep with his face pressed up against her stomach, and it’s a true test of her willpower to keep from shivering every time she feels his hot breath fanning against her skin.

Most of the time, though, she wakes up to his arm around her waist, and him hard against her ass. Those days are worse than most, really, because it would be so easy to just turn around and kiss him senseless, but she holds back anyway.

At this point, it feels like they’re just waiting for something to tip them over the edge. Clarke just has no idea what.

In the end, it happens because she crawls into bed after him, for once.

It’s disorientating, at first, waking up without Bellamy’s warmth wrapped around her. Blinking the grit out of her eyes, she’s greeted by the expanse of his back, her arms tucked under his shoulders to keep him close.

There’s no way of extricating herself without disturbing him, so she resigns herself to staying where she is for now. Plus, it’s not exactly hardship considering she has a uninterrupted view of his broad shoulders, his hair curling wildly against the nape of his neck.

Smiling a little to herself, she stares at the cluster of freckles speckled over the jut of his shoulder blade, wishing she could free her hand so she could trace it with her fingers. Feeling slightly emboldened by the steady rise and fall of his chest, she presses a kiss there instead, tasting the salt of his skin.

Swallowing, she lets her gaze stray lower, down—

He shifts at that, turning to face her so suddenly that she squeaks in surprise.

The look in his eyes is curious as he regards her. “You know,” he remarks, mild, “you don’t have to wait until I’m asleep to do that.”

“Yeah?” she asks, her pulse picking up at the slow smile spreading across his face. “You sure about that?”

He seals his mouth over hers at that, impatient and hot and yearning.

“Am I sure,” he grumbles, disbelieving, in between kisses and making her laugh with it. “Jesus, Clarke. I’ve wanted this for so long. If I had known that the key to getting you to kiss me was getting you to spoon me first—”

“Shut up!”

“— would have spared me all those cramps I got in my arm from spooning you—”

She silences him with another kiss then, revelling in the fact that this would be one of many, many more to come. “Hey, Bell.”

He gives a breathless laugh, pressing their foreheads together. “What?”

This is it, she doesn’t tell him, running her fingers through his hair. This is the rest of our lives. It’s peaceful, and it’s good.

“Just shut up and kiss me already.” She tells him instead, grinning, pulling him down onto the sheets.

[huachenyu-news]

Hua Chenyu Heads Into Hibernation, More Versace Teaser Looks Released, The Coming One Starts Airing, And More

Veteran Hua Hua fans probably have already figured out that Hua Chenyu has a hibernation cycle that can be chronicled like some fluffy animal. Annually around the start of each year, Hua Chenyu would usually disappear completely from the public eye for a few months to write songs, study abroad, travel around the world, or do whatever Martian musicians do in their off time. He'd typically re-emerge with a Weibo selfie featuring stubble and bed hair to signal his return to the limelight. This year, however, Hua's hibernation cycle was disrupted by the show Singer 2018 歌手. After being turned down for three consecutive years, show director Hong Tao must have resorted to some drastic measures to get Hua Hua to ditch his vacation plans for the show this year. After Singer 2018 wrapped up, a string of springtime music festivals were headed Hua Hua's way, quickly followed by the filming of singing competition show The Coming One 明日之子 Season Two. Luckily, the pre-recorded rounds of the show finished filming a few days ago and the rest of the show will be livestreamed starting from August, giving Hua Hua around a month of well-deserved rest. Incidentally, NASA recently discovered a dust storm on Mars that had been steadily growing over the past month and had just officially turned into a "planet-encircling" dust event, causing the Opportunity rover to shut down. Coincidence? I think not. While Hua Hua's absence might paint a pitiful picture for the next month on Mars where aimless Martians roam the dust-covered planet in dismay, this dust cloud does have a silver lining: this year we do not have to resort to playing past Hua Chenyu videos on repeat, for we have weekly new episodes of The Coming One as well as an episode of Let Go of My Baby 放开我北鼻 to keep us company throughout Hua Hua's hibernation. Normally, Martians will organize online fan events such as drawing games, Hua Chenyu quiz contests, fan-favorite Hua Chenyu outfit of the year vote, etc. to entertain themselves during Hua Hua's absence, but due to the irregular hibernation schedule this year, many of these annual events were already carried out at the start of the year. But the boundless creativity of Martians is not to be underestimated, for new topics have already sprung up on Weibo evoking heated discussions that put important questions on the Martian agenda such as the gender of each of Hua Chenyu's songs, and if they're all princes and princesses, how does one determine the line of succession (a whole new Game-of-Thrones style saga is already underway from the looks of it), or the hypothetical question of what if Hua Hua had a child... Anyway, to save you from all this boredom-induced Martian madness, here are a bunch of recently released Hua Chenyu Versace videos to feast your eyes on, Look 2, Look 3, Look 1, as well as a teaser video for Hua Hua's episode of Let Go of My Baby, a reality show involving getting celebrities to babysit other people's kids. (Turn on caption in the video settings to bring out the subtitles.) : Hua Chenyu English Subs Read the full article

[zeroviraluniverse-blog]

11 African American Inventors Who Changed the World

Visit Now - http://zeroviral.com/11-african-american-inventors-who-changed-the-world/

11 African American Inventors Who Changed the World

In February 2017, Queen Elizabeth II celebrated her Sapphire Jubilee, marking her 65-year reign as Queen of England. Her Majesty surpassed her great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria, who reigned for 63 years, as Britain’s longest-ruling monarch, and now also holds the title of the world’s longest-reigning monarch. Here are 25 more royal facts about Queen Elizabeth.

1. SHE WASN’T BORN AN HEIR APPARENT TO THE THRONE.

For the first 10 years of her life, Princess Elizabeth was a relatively minor royal—her status was akin to Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie of York today—but that all changed with the death of her grandfather, King George V, in 1936.

The next in the line of royal succession was Elizabeth’s uncle, Edward VIII, who abdicated the throne less than a year after taking it so that he could marry an American socialite named Wallis Simpson. Edward didn’t have any children at the time, so his brother Albert (Elizabeth’s father) ascended to the throne, taking the name George VI and making the then-10-year-old Elizabeth the first in line to become Queen.

2. HER YOUNGER SISTER GAVE HER A FAMILY NICKNAME.

Elizabeth and Margaret were the only children of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother and King George VI, who said of his daughters: “Lilibet is my pride, Margaret my joy.” “Lilibet,” of course, is Elizabeth, who earned her nickname because Margaret—whom the family affectionately called Margot—constantly mispronounced her big sister’s name.

3. SHE DIDN’T GO TO SCHOOL.

Fox Photos, Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Heirs apparent don’t just show up to primary school like normal kids. Instead, Elizabeth was tutored at home during sessions by different teachers like Henry Marten, vice-provost of Eton College (which is still for boys only), and was also given private religion lessons by the Archbishop of Canterbury.

4. BUT SHE AND MARGARET TECHNICALLY DID HAVE A TEACHER.

London Express, Getty Images

Just because she didn’t attend school doesn’t mean that Elizabeth didn’t receive an education. She received the bulk of it through her nanny, Marion Crawford, who the royal family referred to as “Crawfie.” Crawford would eventually be ostracized by the royal family for writing a tell-all book in 1953 called The Little Princesses without their permission; the book recounted Crawford’s experiences with Elizabeth during her younger days.

5. SHE WANTED TO GO TO WAR, BUT WAS TOO YOUNG.

Central Press, Hulton Archive/Getty Images

When World War II broke out in 1939, Elizabeth—then just a teenager—begged her father to join the effort somehow. She started out by making radio broadcasts geared toward raising the morale of British children. During one of the broadcasts, the 14-year-old princess reassured listeners, “I can truthfully say to you all that we children at home are full of cheerfulness and courage. We are trying to do all we can to help our gallant sailors, soldiers, and airmen and we are trying too to bear our own share of the danger and sadness of war.”

6. SHE EVENTUALLY SERVED IN WORLD WAR II.

Central Press, Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Despite the risks, Elizabeth eventually joined the women’s Auxiliary Territorial Service and trained as a truck driver and mechanic in 1945, when she was 18 years old.

Queen Elizabeth remains the only female royal family member to have entered the armed forces, and is currently the only living head of state who officially served in World War II.

7. SHE CELEBRATED THE END OF THE WAR BY PARTYING LIKE HER SUBJECTS.

William Vanderson, Fox Photos/Getty Images

When then-Prime Minister Winston Churchill announced that the war in Europe was over on May 8, 1945, people poured out into the streets of London to celebrate—including Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret. The sheltered duo were allowed to sneak out of Buckingham Palace to join the revelers at their father’s behest.

“It was a unique burst of personal freedom,” recalled Margaret Rhodes, their cousin who went with them, “a Cinderella moment in reverse.”

8. SHE MARRIED HER COUSIN.

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh and Queen Elizabeth are third cousins; both share the same great-great-grandparents: Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.

9. ELIZABETH AND HER HUSBAND HAVE KNOWN EACH OTHER SINCE CHILDHOOD.

Philip, son of Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark and Princess Alice of Battenberg, first met Elizabeth when she was only eight years old and he was 14. Both attended the wedding of Princess Marina of Greece (Prince Philip’s cousin) and Prince George, the Duke of Kent (Elizabeth’s uncle).

Five years later the pair met again when George VI brought Elizabeth to tour the Royal Naval College in Dartmouth, where Philip was a cadet. In a personal note, Elizabeth recalled falling for the young soldier-in-the-making: “I was 13 years of age and he was 18 and a cadet just due to leave. He joined the Navy at the outbreak of war, and I only saw him very occasionally when he was on leave—I suppose about twice in three years,” she wrote. “Then when his uncle and aunt, Lord and Lady Mountbatten, were away he spent various weekends away with us at Windsor.”

10. SHE DIDN’T TELL HER PARENTS SHE WAS GETTING HITCHED.

In 1946, Philip proposed to Elizabeth when the former planned a month-long visit to Balmoral, her royal estate in Scotland. She accepted the proposal without even contacting her parents. But when George VI finally caught wind of the pending nuptials he would only officially approve if they waited to announce the engagement until after her 21st birthday.

The official public announcement of the engagement finally came nearly a year later on July 9, 1947.

11. SHE HAS A VERY ROYAL NAME.

Reg Speller, Fox Photos/Getty Images

She’s the second British monarch named Elizabeth, but Elizabeth II wasn’t named after Henry VIII’s famous progeny. Queen Elizabeth II’s birth name is Elizabeth Alexandra Mary, after the names of her mother, Elizabeth, her paternal great-grandmother, Queen Alexandra, and her paternal grandmother, Queen Mary.

12. SHE GOT TO CHOOSE HER OWN SURNAME.

Technically, the Queen’s last name is “Windsor,” which was first chosen by George V in 1917 after the royal family wanted to distance themselves from “Saxe-Coburg-Gotha”—the dynasty to which they belonged—for sounding too Germanic during World War I.

But as a way to distinguish themselves from the rest of the royal family, in 1960 Elizabeth and Philip adopted the official surname Windsor-Mountbatten. (Fans will surely remember that the surname drama was briefly discussed in Netflix’s series The Crown.)

13. SHE HAS TWO BIRTHDAYS.

Like most British monarchs, Elizabeth gets to celebrate her birthday twice, and the reason why boils down to seasonably appropriate pomp and circumstance.

She was born on April 21, 1926, but April was deemed too cold and liable to fall during inclement weather. So instead, her official state-recognized birthday occurs on a Saturday in late May or June, so that the celebration can be held during warmer months. The specific date varies year to year in the UK, and usually coincides with Trooping the Colour, Britain’s annual military pageant.

14. HER CORONATION WAS TELEVISED AGAINST HER WISHES.

Elizabeth officially ascended to the throne at just 25 years of age when her father, George VI, died on February 6, 1952. Elizabeth was in Kenya at the time of his death and returned home as her country’s Queen. As fans of The Crown will remember, the hubbub surrounding her coronation was filled with ample amounts of drama.

The notoriously camera-shy Elizabeth—who didn’t even allow photos to be taken of her wedding—didn’t want the event televised, and others believed that broadcasting the coronation to commoners would break down upper-class traditions of only allowing members of British high society to witness the event. A Coronation Commission, chaired by Philip, was set up to weigh the options, and they initially decided to only allow cameras in a single area of Westminster Abbey “west of the organ screen,” before allowing the entire thing to be televised with one minor caveat: no close-ups on Elizabeth’s face.

15. SHE PAID FOR HER WEDDING DRESS USING WAR RATION COUPONS.

Central Press, Getty Images

Still reeling from an atmosphere of post-war austerity, Elizabeth used ration coupons and a 200-coupon supplement from the government to pay for her wedding dress. But don’t be fooled, the dress was extremely elegant; it was made of ivory duchesse silk, encrusted with 10,000 imported seed pearls, took six months to make, and sported a 13-foot train. (It cost just under $40,000 to recreate the dress for The Crown.)

16. SHE DOESN’T NEED A PASSPORT TO TRAVEL.

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Elizabeth II is the world’s most well-traveled head of state, visiting 116 countries between 265 official state visits, but she doesn’t even own a passport. Since all British passports are officially issued in the Queen’s name, she technically doesn’t need one.

17. SHE DOESN’T NEED A DRIVER’S LICENSE EITHER.

Bob Haswell, Express/Getty Images

It’s not just because she has a fleet of chauffeurs. Britain also officially issues driver’s licenses in Elizabeth’s name, so don’t expect her to show off her ID when she gets pulled over taking other heads of state for a spin in her Range Rover.

Sir Sherard Cowper-Coles, former British ambassador to Saudi Arabia, recounted to The Sunday Times the time when Elizabeth drove former Saudi crown prince Abdullah around the grounds of Balmoral: “To his surprise, the Queen climbed into the driving seat, turned the ignition and drove off,” he said. “Women are not—yet—allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia, and Abdullah was not used to being driven by a woman, let alone a queen.”

18. SHE DOESN’T HAVE TO PAY TAXES (BUT CHOOSES TO ANYWAY).

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Queen Elizabeth has voluntarily paid income and capital gains taxes since 1992, but has always been subject to Value Added Tax.

19. SHE SURVIVED AN ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT.

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During the 1981 Trooping the Colour, the Queen led a royal procession on horseback down the Mall toward Buckingham Palace when shots rang out. A 17-year-old named Marcus Sarjeant, who was obsessed with the assassinations of figures like John Lennon and John F. Kennedy, fired a series of blanks toward Elizabeth. Sarjeant—who wrote in his diary, “I am going to stun and mystify the whole world with nothing more than a gun”—was thankfully unable to purchase live ammunition in the UK. He received a prison sentence of five years under the 1848 Treason Act, but was released in October 1984.

20. SHE ALSO SURVIVED AN INTRUDER COMING INTO HER BEDROOM.

Fox Photos, Hulton Archive/Getty Images

A year after the Trooping the Colour incident, Elizabeth had another run-in. But instead of near Buckingham Palace, this time it was inside Buckingham Palace. On July 9, 1982, a man named Michael Fagen managed to climb over the Palace’s barbed wire fence, shimmy up a drain pipe, and eventually sneak into the Queen’s bedroom.

While reports at the time said Fagen and the Queen had a long conversation before he was apprehended by palace security, Fagen told The Independent the Queen didn’t stick around to chat: “She went past me and ran out of the room; her little bare feet running across the floor.”

21. SHE TECHNICALLY OWNS ALL THE DOLPHINS IN THE UK.

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In addition to owning all of the country’s dolphins, she owns all the sturgeon and whales, too. A still-valid statute from the reign of King Edward II in 1324 states, “Also the King shall have … whales and sturgeons taken in the sea or elsewhere within the realm,” meaning most aquatic creatures are technically labeled “fishes royal,” and are claimed on behalf of the Crown.

As the song goes, “Rule, Britannia! Britannia rules the waves!”

22. SHE HAS HER OWN SPECIAL MONEY TO GIVE TO THE POOR.

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Known as “maundy money,” the Queen has silver coins—currently with Elizabeth’s likeness on the front—that are given to pensioners in a ceremony called Maundy Thursday. The royal custom dates back to the 13th century, in which the royal family was expected to wash the feet of and distribute gifts to penniless subjects as a symbolic gesture to honor Jesus’s act of washing the feet of the poor in the Bible. Once the 18th century rolled around and washing people’s dirty feet wasn’t seen as befitting of a royal, the act was replaced with money allowances bequeathed by the monarch.

23. GIN IS HER DRINK OF CHOICE.

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The Queen drinks gin mixed with Dubonnet (a fortified wine) and a slice of lemon on the rocks every day before lunch. She also reportedly drinks wine at lunch and has a glass of champagne every evening.

24. SHE CREATED HER OWN BREED OF DOGS.

Elizabeth has a famous, avowed love of Corgis (she has owned more than 30 of them during her reign, but currently only owns one, named Willow), but what about Dorgis? She currently owns two Dorgis (Candy and Vulcan), a crossbreed she engineered when one of her Corgis mated with a Dachshund named Pipkin that belonged to Princess Margaret.

25. SHE’S ON SOCIAL MEDIA … KIND OF.

John Stillwell, Pool/Getty Images

It is a pleasure to open the Information Age exhibition today at the @ScienceMuseum and I hope people will enjoy visiting. Elizabeth R.

— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) October 24, 2014

The Queen joined Twitter in July 2009 under the handle @RoyalFamily, and sent the first tweet herself, but hasn’t personally maintained the page since then. In fact, a job listing went up in 2017 looking for an official royal Digital Communications Officer to help out. She’s also on Facebook (and no, you cannot poke The Royal Family).

This story originally ran in 2017.