Life As We Know It
Clarke and Bellamy have nothing in common except mutual hatred for each other and a shared love of their Goddaughter Madi. When the loss of their best friends forces them to move in together and raise Madi as their own, they'll have to come to terms with their relationship and the fallout of Lincoln and Octavia's death.
It may just take a few exploded diapers, pounds of applesauce and 5000 re-watches of Little Orphan Annie for them to figure out they don't hate each other so much after all.
Based loosely off the romantic comedy of the same name
Completed!
*Ch. 1 posted below + AO3 Link*
Prologue
February 2nd, 2019
“What you want to do is capture the essence of his expression. It’s all in the eyes!” Clarke instructed, gesturing to the model in the middle of the room. She took in her favorite view, Friday afternoon charcoal sketch class. The class was aimed at high schoolers, most of whom had dreams of going to art school. They were an enthusiastic bunch, she loved affirming their talent and watching them follow their dreams.
Lost in her musings of high school talent, Clarke didn’t notice Harper standing in the doorway. She took a step into the room and held up Clarke’s phone. Clarke usually didn’t keep it on her while she taught but Harper looked panicked as she pointed to it wildly.
“You guys are doing great! I just have to check up on something real quick” Clarke assured as she took off her smock and followed Harper into the hallway.
“Sorry I normally wouldn’t interrupt you but your phone has been going off like crazy, it’s an unknown number.”
Clarke nodded and quickly took the phone from Harper, just as the phone began ringing again. Confused, Clarke answered and a tinny voice replied, “Arkadia Memorial Hospital, is this Clarke Griffin?”
A pit of dread immediately formed in Clarke’s stomach as she made her way to her office. Her hands were shaking now as her mind ran through all the possibilities of why they could be calling her. The operator paused and redirected her to another line. The dread continued to grow for Clarke until the phone reconnected and she confirmed her identity to a doctor.
“You are listed as one of the emergency contacts for Lincoln and Octavia Blake, I’m sorry to inform you that there’s been an accident. Is it possible for you to come to the hospital?” A nasal voice asked.
At the word accident, Clarke’s mind whited out and her ears began ringing. Moving on autopilot she grabbed her keys and ran out of the school, forgetting her class entirely.
She had met Lincoln on her first week of art school. As the two oldest people in their freshman lecture, they became fast friends. Neither of them had any family to speak of, so they kind of formed one together. They supported each other during their starving artist years, their first ugly pieces and celebrated their small victories in a cramped apartment that Clarke’s dad had left her in his will. Clarke had never had siblings, but Lincoln was the closest thing to a brother she had ever known.
He was gruff but kind and the best sculptor she had ever met. His sculpting is what had brought Octavia into their lives. Back when they were fresh out of school and doing shitty gallery shows in the bad part of town, a girl with long brown hair who wore funky sweaters would come to every exhibition to stare intently at Lincoln’s art. She came every week without fail, to every gallery that Lincoln’s sculptures were shown at. Lincoln used to watch her from afar and light up whenever he saw her looking at his work. Eventually, the week before Lincoln’s sculptures hit it big, Clarke convinced him to go and talk to her. The rest is history.
Clarke had never seen two people who complimented one another as well as Lincoln and Octavia, they were truly soulmates. Octavia with her bright smile and long limbs quickly became a staple in their lives. Much like Lincoln, she was a little rough around the edges but she loved fiercely with her whole heart. She never really questioned Clarke, just accepted her as Lincoln’s sister and loved her as such. It seemed logical of course when their daughter Madi was born that Clarke would be her Godmother.
She reached Arkadia Memorial in record time and ran as fast as she could to the emergency department. When she reached the waiting room she skid to a halt, in front of her was none other than Octavia’s brother Bellamy Blake folded over in a chair wearing a worn Arkadia Fire Department sweatshirt and sporting red rimmed eyes.
April 11, 2015
“Maybe I should just cancel…” Clarke held the phone between her shoulder and ear as she washed her paintbrushes in the sink.
“You’ve been single for 3 years and he just moved here, it's the perfect time for you both to start over.”
“I’m going to give you a code word…if I text you a fireball emoji he’s trying to murder me and you need to come save me,” she said seriously, drying the brushes and carefully placing them back into a chipped mug.
She readjusted the phone and grabbed a rag to wipe down the paint splattered tables.
“You won’t need a code word...you’re being ridiculous, I've met Bellamy. He's exactly the opposite of that oily soft boy who must not be named, it'll be a nice change.” laughter cutting into Lincoln’s fake exasperation.
“You can never be too careful…he might be a psycho murderer.” Clark continued, "But you're right about Finn, he was a greaseball."
“Clarke. Bellamy’s a little rough around the edges but he’s great. Plus it'll be nice for you guys to get to know each other before the wedding."
“The maid of honor and the best man, tale as old as time."
"True as it can be." Lincoln continued, the smile evident in his voice, "I think you guys are really well suited."
"I'll take your word on this but if he kills me I'll haunt you from beyond the grave.”
“I’m hanging up. Try to be positive about this.”
Logically, Clarke knew that Lincoln was right and that she needed to start putting herself back out there. Her life had been pretty boring since her best friend had met the love of his life and moved out of their apartment. Her cat shockingly doesn’t make for a sparkling conversationalist.
Since Lincoln moved out and Finn had turned out to be a dick, she had thrown herself into work.
And she was now the proud owner of a small art studio and school. Initially, it had been difficult and sad but after a small feature from a popular art blogger, it seemed that she was finally getting her footing. The small studio had grown immensely in the past year and she was able to bring in her childhood friend Harper as a co-teacher.
Clarke finished wiping the tables and examined herself in the mirror by the door. She would need a shower before she met this tall dark and handsome mystery man. She looked like she had been hit with an acrylic paint tornado.
On her drive home she listened to her favorite motivational podcast, hoping the affirmation would bring her some confidence for the rest of the night.
As time crawled closer to the date, her excitement grew. It had been a long time since she had gotten dressed up for someone else. After a lot of trial and error she finally decided on her favorite red bodycon, a nice pair of black heels and hoop earrings. She curled her hair into loose waves and perched on her couch to wait out her date.
An hour later, Clarke's optimism was quickly dying down. He was already late. Over an hour late. Fidgeting and checking the clock again, she shifted her dress down her legs and tapped her foot. She was starting to get annoyed, restless and hungry. She considered the Babybell cheeses in her fridge and wondered whether eating one would really matter in the long run. Right as she was about to head to the fridge, there was a loud revving outside and her phone pinged with a text from an unknown number,
“Hey it’s Bellamy, I’m here.”
Rolling her eyes at the fact that he didn’t even bother to come to the door. Clarke gathered her purse, took a deep breath and headed out.
She was met by two things, a very hot man and a very large motorcycle.
“I’m not really dressed for a that,” Clarke mumbled as she took in the sleek black bike and the messy haired man in ripped black jeans and frayed olive-green shirt. Dammit, Lincoln was right...he looked nothing like Finn. He was tall, dark, handsome and his arms were deliciously large.
“Hold on tight, promise I won’t read too far into it if you cop a feel” he winked at her, arms flexing as he fished a helmet out of the seat
“I said I’m not really dressed for this, I don’t know if my leg will get over it," she replied, irritably crossing her arms over her chest.
His eyes flitted down to her boobs before he snorted, “Don’t be scared babe I gotcha.”
“I can drive us," she insisted, moving her hands to her hips.
“C'mon baby, live a little," he groaned, pulling the helmet off his head fully.
“Either I drive, or I go back inside,” she tapped her foot.
“We can just go back inside and get to it, if that’s what you really want Princess…” Bellamy winked and dismounted the motorcycle, turning to gesture toward the cars lined down the street.
“I’m not a princess,” Clarke argued while fishing through her purse for her keys.
“If the shoe fits,” Bellamy was about to smirk until Clarke clicked the lock on her car and the lights went up on the smallest car he had ever seen. “There’s no way I can’t fit in it that,” he mumbled gesturing at the mini cooper.
Bellamy looked between Clarke and the car in exasperation, “Like I said…I can drive or you can leave” she said with her hands on her hips. He sighed, looked at the car and then back at her before climbing in the passenger seat and slamming the door.
“Where do you want to go?” He asked, adjusting his messy hair in the rearview mirror.
“Well where did you make a reservation?” Clarke arched an eyebrow, she could feel her temples beginning to throb.
“I figured we would just go with the flow,” he said irritably, adjusting the collar of his jacket.
“I know a place, it’s owned by a friend of mine and Lincoln’s from art sch-“ right as Clarke was about to finish, Bellamy’s phone began to blare a cheesy Pitbull song.
“Why don’t you get that, I’ll just wait,” she rolled her eyes and looked pointedly at his phone. The song paused and then began ringing again.
“No it’s okay give it a sec and it’ll go to voicemail”
“I insist go ahead”
With a pained expression on his face, Bellamy answered the phone, "Heyyyyyy what’s up?” he glanced at Clarke while making affirmative noises, “Yeah how about I stop by around 10-“ he looked at Clarke again, “actually make that 9:30”
“SERIOUSLY” she yelled as he hung up
“What?! It was a sick friend!” he answered defensively, throwing his hands in the air.
"Right, a 'sick friend'," she mocked, rolling her eyes for what felt like the thousandth time.
"Yes. They umm very ill and need assistance,"
"I would LOVE to know what illness can only be cured by your PENIS," she yelled, she could feel her face beginning to heat up.
"Oh my god chill the fuck out!" he yelled back, turning his body fully to face her.
“We don’t have to do this…I know it means a lot to Lincoln and Octavia but you don’t seem to care since you answered a booty call in front of me,”
“I can't believe Octavia said you were cool, suburbia has gotten to her. You’re literally the most uptight person I've ever met,” He smirked
“GET OUT OF MY SMART CAR” Clarke yelled, jumping out of the car and slammed the door behind her. Bellamy followed and hopped on his motorcycle without saying goodbye.
***
After a hot shower to wash away the terrible night, she put on her comfiest PJs and curled up onto the couch with a glass of wine. Sinking into the pillows, she grabbed her phone to call Lincoln. He answered on the first ring.
“I take it your date didn’t go well.” Lincoln sighed, the disappointment evident in his voice.
“Linc…we didn’t leave my street.”
“Did you even give him a chance? Behind the motorcycle he really is a good dude,”
“HE ANSWERED A BOOTY CALL IN FRONT OF ME!!"
“Ugh damn it...Octavia said he had changed. I swear I didn't know."
“I’m sorry Linc, I know you wanted it to work out but it’s not really salvageable,” Clarke sighed, knowing how much it meant to Lincoln for her to get along with Octavia’s family. Especially since the wedding was coming up soon.
“You guys didn’t click. It’s fine. Are you going to be fine for the wedding?"
“We can share breathing space for the wedding but I’d prefer to never speak to him directly ever again,”
“Sorry about your night…can’t help but feel a little responsible”.
“It’s not your fault Bellamy thinks his penis is the best thing since sliced bread. I love you bud. You meant well and that's what matters. I’ll talk to you tomorrow, there's a glass of wine with my name on it,” Clarke hung up the phone and sighed deeply. It stung to know that she had let Lincoln down even if Bellamy was a total asshat.
Clarke closed her eyes and savored her sip of wine, dating sucked and she would honestly prefer to just die alone in peace.
Her phone pinged and much to her surprise it was from Bellamy, “Look…I don’t like you (and you obviously don't like me) but I love Lincoln and my sister so I think we should just ignore each other from now on,” Unfortunately, he was right…they were basically family and she was going to have to see his stupid handsome face at all the time. “Deal” Clarke replied.
February 2nd, 2019
Clarke approached Bellamy, his head was in his hands and he looked like he had been crying. He had balled up the sleeves of his sweatshirt and used them to wipe his eyes.
"They won't tell me anything and I've been here for an hour," he murmured, his voice was ragged and cracked at the end of the sentence.
"I'm sorry, I was teaching I didn't check my phone," she answered quietly, not really sure why she was apologizing. She couldn't bring herself to meet his gaze.
"You didn't miss much, I think I scared off a few nurses," he admitted and something about his expression made Clarke want to reach out and touch his hair. She refrained, shoving her hand in her pocket instead.
"The waiting is somehow the worst part," she mumbled, not quite meeting his gaze.
Just as Bellamy was about to answer, a solemn faced doctor approached them both, “Clarke Griffin and Bellamy Blake?”
They both nodded, and Bellamy stood to stand behind Clarke, sure to maintain a healthy level of distance. She wrung her hands together and shifted from side to side. The doctor's expression was unreadable and it was making her stomach turn. Bellamy was nervously tapping his fingers against his leg and the sound of his skin hitting the denim was starting to grate on her.
“Lincoln and Octavia were rear ended on the highway by an 18 wheeler. It was a very serious accident.” The doctor grimaced, gesturing for them both to take a seat. The pit in Bellamy's stomach grew as we took a seat on the bench next to Clarke. Their legs were squished together and she reached out, carefully placing her hand on his knee. His skin tingled, this was the first time Clarke had touched him non-violently in years and it felt strange but he placed his hand over hers. Whether he liked it or not, she was the only person who understood how he felt right now.
"So when can we see them?" Clarke asked, voice shaking.
The doctor, set his clipboard down on the bench beside him and leaned forward. "Their injuries were very severe, they were both in surgery for several hours and had the best possible care. We truly did the best that we could. But unfortunately, with accidents like this, it's a lot of pain and stress on the body. In the case of Lincoln and Octavia, their bodies just couldn’t handle the damage. I’m so sorry to have to tell you this, but we lost them."
Clarke crumpled, chest heaving and ears ringing. Bellamy wrapped an arm around her uncertainly, he felt like he was frozen. It didn't feel real. It wasn't possible. Bile rose in his throat and a wave of nausea washed over him. Octavia was dead.
“Their daughter…they have a daughter, she’s one. Is she okay?” Clarke said suddenly, whipping out of Bellamy's grip. Tears filled his eyes as panic set in, he hadn't considered that Madi could have been in the car with them.
It was only then that they noticed a police officer standing to the right of the doctor. He was equally solemn faced and took a seat beside the doctor.
The police officer spoke quietly, “Madi is fine. She was in the care of a minor at the time of the accident and has been released to DCFS. We will look into you both being able to see her tomorrow.”
Bellamy let out a sigh of relief as a complex set of emotions washed over him. Grief for his young, vibrant sister and her strong, caring husband, relief that Madi was alive and overwhelming sadness for the parents that she would never know. Shocked that somehow he was the last Blake standing. He placed his hand over Clarke’s on his shoulder, he might not like her but she’s all he had in this mess.
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Dancing in the Rain
(Aged up to 17 and 18 rather than 12 and 13)
Eddie tried his very hardest to hold back tears as he stared out the window at the seemingly never-ending rain. He flinched everytime the sky illuminated with lightning. He'd begun to except that Richie probably wouldn't be there that night, he stared at his phone, and waited to get the text message or the call, explaining he couldn't make it.
Suddenly, there was a strange rythym of knocks on the window, and Eddie immediately knew who he was, he grabbed the towel off the back of his chair and rushed over, throwing the window open and helping the person there inside. Richie stumbled in, dropping wet, his normally curly hair now matted down to his head by the rain. Eddie threw the towel around his shoulders and began rubbing his shoulders to create some heat from the friction.
"You know," he started as he walked toward the closet, "you could have cancelled," he pulled out an old shoe box and handed it to Richie then turned around, "It's freezing out there." He finished as he waited for Richie to change into the clothes that had been in the box. Richie had brought them over a while ago, in case something like this happened.
"No way Eds, I wouldn't miss this for the world." He stated, and Eddie felt a pair of now completely dry arms wrap around his middle. He smiled, placing his hands on Richie's forearms, and leaning his head back to rest on his shoulder. Richie leaned over and placed a gentle kiss on Eddie's temple then pulled away, walking toward the window. He crouched down and grabbed a rather large object off the floor, that Eddie only realised then was sitting there. It was a duffel bag. He raised an eyebrow at Richie when he sat down in the middle of the room and started to open the bag. Eddie stepped forward and sat down on Richie's right, watching as he pulled an array of objects out of the bag.
"What've you got?" Eddie asks, resting his head on Richie's shoulder. He pulls out a laptop, some headphones, a double port for the headphones and a lot of food. There was nutella, strawberries, sandwiches, babybel cheese, some yogurt, and some lemonade. Eddie's eyes flashed with glee at the sight of the strawberries and Nutella, he reached forward and grabbed a strawberry, dipped in the Nutella and popped it into his mouth. He looked up slightly, and closed his eyes at the wonderful taste of fruit and chocolate. Richie chuckled beside him.
"Man, if you reacted to my-"
"Beep Beep, honey." Eddie cut him off, his mouth still full of chocolate and strawberry. Richie fake pouted for a second but then turned to smile at Eddie. Eddie finished his food and swallowed before turning to give Richie a quick peck on the cheek. Instead, he was met by Richie's slightly chapped, warm lips on his.
Instead of pulling away in shock, Eddie just moved into it, leaning forward to deepen the kiss. He shuffled closer and closer, placing his arms around Richie's neck and Richie's hands attached to his waist. By the time they were forced to break apart for air, Eddie was seated comfortably on Richie's lap.
"Well hello there~" Richie sang, sliding his hands up Eddie's sides and back down to his waist. Eddie blushed and slapped his neck, but leaned in to place his head on Richie's shoulder anyway. Richie chuckled, leaned backward, pulling Eddie with some so they were laying on the ground, Eddie on top of him.
"Mmmm, Richie, I love this." Eddie confessed, closing his eyes and relaxing in Richie's arms. Richie chuckled, but laid there, listening to Eddie's breathing even out as he went to sleep.
Eventually, Richie had to wake him, his legs had begun falling asleep under Eddie's weight, but he did slowly, in hushed whispers.
"Eddie?" He whispered, slightly shaking him.
"Eds?" He tried once more
"Babe?" He tried, Eddie slightly stirred but he stayed asleep.
"Love, it's time to get up." Richie explained, moving his hand off Eddie's side and to the floor, to help lift himself off the floor. Eddie whimpered, his brown eyes slowly fluttering open, causing Richie to swallow as not to completely attack the beautiful boy in kisses right there. Eddie looked at him lazily, his eyelashes semi covering his eyes, and his freckles seeming even more prominent. Richie swallowed again, then continued his quest.
"Baby, you've gotta wake up, we've gotta eat food and watch a movie, then I've a got a surprise at the end." Richie explained, moving his hands to either side of Richie's face, and wiping at his cheeks in an attempt to wake him, then he reached around his boyfriend and grabbed a strawberry, dipped it in Nutella and held it up to Eddie's mouth, who gladly excepted the sweet treat. He stared at Richie as he ate, then slowly slid off Richie's lap.
"Lemme grab some blankets and pillows." He mumbled then walked toward the bed, and Richie suddenly recognized the sweatshirt he was wearing with his black joggers.
"Hey Ed's?"
"Hm?" Eddie responded.
"Is that my sweatshirt?" He inquired, a smirk beginning to form on his face. Eddie froze, still slightly leaned over his bed to gather the blanket into his arms. Richie giggles at his response.
"W-well..." Eddie began, turning around and gripping at the end of the shirt, "Well, yes, but it's only cuz you left it here last time and I didn't think you would make it so I just thought I'd put it on!" Eddie rambled, trying to explain himself. Richie held up his hand and shook his head.
"No no it's fine, I was just wondering," Eddie turned back around and grabbed the blanket and pillows, and when he turned around, Richie continued, "Plus, you look cute in my clothes." Eddie's face lit up and he pulled the blankets up to cover his face, but he walked over and dropped the objects anyhow, then dropped down on top of them and buried his head in Richie's chest, completely embarrassed by how blunt his boyfriend can be.
"What? I'm not wrong." Richie says, then stands up, bringing Eddie with him. They lay out the blanket then put the pillows all down in a pile towards the back. Richie sits down in the center and holds out his arms to Eddie, who easily obliges and starts to walk over the duffel bag now carrying the food. He goes to sit down on Richie's right but instead he is pulled by the waist to sit in Richie's lap. He blushed, but doesn't object, instead opening the duffel bag and pulling out the Nutella and strawberries. He places them both to his side and grabs the edge of the blanket, pulling it to sit on he and Richie's laps, then grabbed the laptop as well, turning it on and opening Netflix.
"What do you wanna watch?" He asked as he reached for the nutella and strawberries. Richie reached his arms around him, placing a hand on Eddie's stomach and the other on the tracking pad. He scrolled through the continue watching list, eventually landing on their favorite show, Stranger Things. He clicked on it and opened this mouth when Eddie offered him a chocolate strawberry. Eddie leaned back, placing his head on Richie's shoulder and watching the laptop, occasionally offering Richie on of the strawberries that he'd been devouring.
"Alright Eddie Spaghetti, we've watched three episodes now and we've eaten all the food, I think it's time for my surprise." He suggested, turning off the show and closing the laptop. Eddie pouted for only a moment before he threw the blanket off his legs and stood, helping Richie up after. He waited for Richie to reach into his pocket or something, but instead he sauntered over to the closet and threw it open, pulling out two raincoats, one of which belonged to Eddie, and the other, himself. Eddie's brow furrowed in confusion at the confusion, and he cocked his head to the side as Richie handed him his red raincoat, and began putting his blue one on. Eddie decided not to question it too much and put his on as well, sticking his hands in the pockets. Richie smirked at him the dragged him over to the window, and threw the window open to the no longer storming, but still raining sky. Eddie's eyes widened and he began shaking his head dramatically.
"No no no no, Richie, Honey, we can't go outside in this weather, we'll get sick!" He exclaimed. Then, almost immediately, he regretted ever letting Richie hand him the coat, because Richie turned on his with those big brown doe eyes, and looked a little sad.
"But Love, I just wanted to have some fun, dance in the rain, you know? Like in the movies? Please Dearest?" He pulled out the adorable pet names, and Eddie wanted to be angry, but when he looked so sad, and sounded so sincere, how could he resist. He sighed, shaking his head, and took Richie's hand.
"Fine." Richie let go of his hand and put up his hood, then leapt out the window. Eddie hesitantly approached the space Richie had just left and peered outside, to find Richie standing right below the window, holding his arms out to catch Eddie when he jumped. Eddie whispered a prayer then put his legs out the window, closed his eyes, and jumped, landing right in Richie's arms. He was placed on the ground, and felt hands rest lightly on his waist.
Richie leaned forward, placing his forehead on Eddie's and pulling out to objects, which Eddie realised was a Bluetooth speaker and his phone. Richie connected the two devices then clicked on his Spotify, turning on their favorite collection of old songs, and of course the first to come one was "their song" the one Richie played everytime they were with eachother even before they were together.
Richie puts his hands back on Eddie's waist and begin to sway to the music.
"Eddie my love~ I love you so~" Eddie wraps his arms around Richie's neck and closes his eyes. They just sway to the music, enjoying the soft playing in the background. When the song ends, the next one to come on happens to be Richie's favorite song to sign to Eddie, and when it came on he did. Softly, so quietly, on Eddie could ahve heard, and that's just fine, because it was only for him anyhow.
"Fly me to the moon~ Let me play among the stars~" He sang, and Eddie opened his eyes just to watch Richie's lips curl into a smile. Eddie sighed in joy, the overwhelming feeling of love took over his thoughts. He stared into Richie's eyes like he was the only thing left, or maybe everything? The sun, the moon, the stars, the sky, the ground, the earth, everything. Like Richie was everything. And Richie stared right back with the same look in his eyes.
When the song ended, Eddie pushed closer to Richie, placing a gentle kiss on his lips, then pulled away and smiled at him. Richie's features softened even more, and his eyes were back to doe-mode, though this time it wasn't on purpose. Richie smiled softly at Eddie and moved him closer by entwining his own fingers behind Eddie's back. Eddie laid his head on Eddie's chest, just as the cold of the air started to soak in. He shivered against him, and Richie pulled him impossibly closer. After a few more songs and played through, Eddie began to shiver a little too violently and Richie quickly helped him back inside his house.
"Well love, I think it's time I was on my way it's already 4 am." Richie says as he strips himself of the rain coat and proceeds to change into the now dry clothes from earlier. Eddie frowns but nods and walks towards him.
"I love you Richie." Eddie explains, placing a gentle kiss on Richie's lips. Richie smiled.
"I love you too Eds."
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