Bellamy/Clarke- Bellamy is weirdly into Christmas decorations and Clarke can't stand them
It takes a while for Bellamy to figure out that Clarke really, really hates Christmas decorations.
Part of it is, of course, that it never would have occurred to him that anyone would hate decorations. He can get hating Christmas. He’s basically an atheist, and all of the weirdness surrounding the war on Christmas is pretty off-putting, but he still likes the holiday, broadly. And he loves decorations. They could never afford a lot in terms of actual presents when he and O were kids, but they had boxes of his grandma’s ornaments and a fake tree that his mom kept in the attic, never worth selling, so he could still make the holidays special for her for a long time.
So he never expected Clarke might not like decorations. They’re just–he doesn’t really believe in Christmas magic or anything, but they make him feel warm and fuzzy. And she’s done Secret Santa in the past, exchanged gifts with him and O, so he knows she celebrates, generally.
The first clue he gets that Christmas decorations don’t do it for her comes when he brings up the tree.
“Hey, you busy?” he asks.
“Not really, why?”
“Christmas tree!”
“That doesn’t really answer the question.”
“I’m gonna go cut down a tree, you coming?”
“You cut down trees?” she asks, dubious.
“I skip and jump, et cetera,” he says. “It’ll be fun. You can be impressed by my muscles and manly antics.”
“I’m good, thanks,” she says. “But have fun.”
He figures she’s just enjoying her book or possibly doesn’t want to risk being overcome with lust at the sight of him being rugged and outdoorsy (he can dream, okay?), so it doesn’t really bother him.
Then she doesn’t want to help him and Octavia trim the tree, but she makes it out like it’s about not wanting to intrude on their family time. Even with their assurances, he gets how it could be weird, so he doesn’t push.
Then, he realizes she’s actively avoiding the living room, and that is fucking bizarre.
He tries to be subtle about asking at first, telling her to come in to look at something, bringing her books in there to see if she’ll get them, asking if she wants to watch Netflix on the big TV, and she deflects or tells him to bring stuff to her or says she’s turning in early.
He could say something, but he and Clarke tend to prefer subterfuge to direct conversations, when they’re both sober, so he just puts out some more decorations, to test his Clarke-hates-Christmas-decorations theory.
The paper Santa he puts in the kitchen gets water spilled on it. That’s how Clarke says it too, like she wasn’t involved. Some kind of randomly occurring water killed the thing. It was an act of god, the way she tells it. The holiday cards he puts in the hallway get moved to his room because they don’t fit in with the decor. She throws the mistletoe at his face and tells him if he wants to kiss her, he has to own it. Which, okay, fair enough.
Still, the only trace of Christmas she allows in the apartment is the tree, and she avoids it as much as possible, so on the first day of his holiday break, he packs it up, drives it over to Octavia’s, and puts it back up at her place. He probably should have done that in the first place, honestly. But he likes having a tree.
Not as much as he likes Clarke, though.
She notices as soon as she gets home, when there’s no soft light coming out of the living room. She sticks her head in and frowns. “Where did your tree go?” asks.
“You hated it.”
She sits down next to him on the couch. “No, I didn’t.”
“This is the first time you’ve sat on the couch since it went up.”
There’s a pause, and then she sighs. “It was that obvious, wasn’t it?”
“Yeah, avoiding an entire room isn’t really subtle. And you destroyed all my other decorations.”
“I didn’t destroy anything but that Santa, and that thing was creepy. It deserved to die. Your cards and mistletoe survived. Well, the mistletoe technically survived.” She glances at him. “Where did the tree go?”
“Octavia’s. Why do you hate Christmas?”
“I don’t hate Christmas. Christmas is fine. I like giving people presents and all of that. But I can’t–I have trouble with the decorations, yeah. My dad was really into those. He was one of those people who did the entire house and yard with lights and everything and it’s just–I know it’s irrational, but it doesn’t feel right without him.”
“So that’s why you basically hibernate through December,” he says. He figured she just hated the cold, and he wouldn’t blame her. But it’s hard to go downtown without tripping over a light show. “You could have told me,” he says, trying to keep his voice gentle. “Just–I wouldn’t have put anything up if I knew. All you had to do was ask.”
“I figured it would be okay, just–it did look like what he’d do. But Octavia told me how much you like the tree.”
“I like you more,” he says. “Seriously.” He pauses, but if he’s learned anything from Christmas movies, it’s that the holidays are a good time to fuck up your life with romance. And she’s sitting closer than usual, looks happy and grateful. He’s not going to get a better chance. He’s getting tired of not saying anything. After six months of being roommates and years of being tragically platonic soulmates, he’s finally fed up. “And if I knew I just got one decoration, I would have kept the mistletoe.”
“Really? Over the tree?”
“The tree was what I did for Octavia when we were kids. It’s cool and all, but I’d rather make out.”
Clarke laughs, shifts in, side flush against his, and he feels his heart rate pick up. “I told you, if you want to make out, you have to own that.” She bites her lip, smiles. “Thanks for getting rid of the tree.”
“Fuck the tree,” says Bellamy, and kisses her.
Clarke laughs and slides her arms around his neck. “That’s what I’ve been saying, yeah.” She smiles. “Fuck the mistletoe too. You really don’t need it.”
“Awesome,” he says, and leans back in for a much longer second kiss.
The next year, she brings home a small, kind of sad Charlie-Brown Christmas tree.
“I think I can handle this. It’s so pathetic, it doesn’t even feel like Christmas. I just feel sorry for it.”
“Yeah? We don’t have to. I don’t care.”
She smiles, nudges her nose against his neck. “Christmas traditions could be nice, you know? I think we could work on it.”
“Yeah,” he agrees, unable to keep a smile off his face. “We can work on it.”
ppyajunebug replied to your post:And now i’m going to read sickeningly sweet check...
Oh honey, that’s not even close to the worst thing I’ve ever seen. There is such a thing as Tetris pr0n.
I just have a huge squick about RPF. Like, it just really, really weirds me out and I just cannot. Things like anthropomorphic livejournal/dreamwidth I can deal with.
The Two Princesses of Bamarre is one of my favorite books ever
ppyajunebug replied to your text post
EEEEEE Two Princesses of Bamarre! That was one of my favorites as a kid! Almost as good as Ella Enchantedg
It turns out the library’s copy of that is checked out too (but I’m #1 on the wait list for it, as opposed to #32 on Station Eleven). So in the meantime I’m gonna read Fairest, since that one’s available.
Oooooh, you're reading ASOUE??? I looooove those books. It might be time for a re-read...
I am! I read the first three back when the movie came out, but then stopped because a) they were feeling a little bit repetitive and b) I was sort of upset over how the author characterizes grammar and the people who love it in book number 3.
But there were a lot of things about the series I enjoyed, so I figured it was time to give them another try.
Jake Peralta: Leaning towards Gryffindor but I could also see him in Slytherin. He seems like a slacker because he’s a goofball, but he is committed to his work and has solved a lot of cases. He just also acts up because he is starved for attention.
Amy Santiago: Absolutely a Slytherin, or at least that’s what the Hat would be pushing for. Amy might prefer to be sorted into Ravenclaw if she thinks it would make her look better. She’s exactly the kind of person who’d try to game a personality test because she’s convinced there’s a way to win it.
Terry Jeffords: Hufflepuff, the house of proud mama hens everywhere.
Rosa Diaz: Gryffindor
Charles Boyle: Hufflepuff
Gina Linetti: Slytherin
Ray Holt: I’m leaning towards Hufflepuff with Holt, because he’s a passionate advocate of putting in long, unglamorous hours of hard work, but he mentions early on in the show that he’s wanted a command for a long time, and he’s shown himself not to be above a bit of scheming, so I could see him as a low-key Slytherin.
Johnny: such a Hufflepuff. he’s my favorite customer. oh hi badger.
Lisa: Slytherin but also kind of a Ravenclaw? she’s tearing me apart
Lisa’s mom: I think she’s a Hufflepuff, but one thing’s for sure. She definitely has breast cancer.
Mark: *tosses Quaffle with Gryffindor crest on it* oh hi mark
