ALPHA STRIKE |rooster x oc|

chapter 7- the porch

Clarke took a deep breath before getting out of her car, locking it as she stopped in front of the porch. In front of Bradley. "What are you doing here?" she asked as she sat next to him. There was silence for a while, but it wasn't the comfortable silence Clarke was used to. Something was going on.

"Just wanted to make sure you got home okay," he replied, looking deeply into her eyes. His gaze softened as he watched the sides of her mouth twitch up.

"I could've texted you, you know." Clarke said, matching the intensity of his gaze.

"You know I hate texting. Why would I text you when I could be sitting next to you?" he argued.

"Okay, fair point. I hate texting too," she agreed and then rested her head on his shoulder. After a few minutes she felt his head lower onto hers and she smiled to herself. Her smile soon disappeared as thoughts began swirling around her head. I hate this, but I love it. Why can't I just tell him? What if he doesn't feel the same? What if he does? What would I do if he actually told me what he was feeling? She shook the questions from her head and hummed.

"What are you thinking about?" Bradley asked softly, almost a whisper.

"Nothing...everything, I guess. The mission, my dad, the team....my mom." Clarke got quieter as she spoke.

"Your mom?" Bradley asked. Clarke could hear the concern in his voice. She let out a shaky breath, thankful that they weren't looking at each other. She knew she would already be crying if Bradley was looking at her.

"Yeah. I miss her...a lot. I don't know, I just know that she'd have a better answer than what I can come up with on my own." she thought aloud.

"Answer to what?"

"Just something that's been on my mind for a while. I think maybe I just need a different perspective," she tried to brush it off, not wanting him to pry any further. He took a deep breath and wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"Talk to me, Clarke. What is going on?"

"Nothing. I can't talk about it, at least not with you."

"What do you mean 'not with me'? You've never not been able to talk to me about anything,"

"Well, this is different. I'm confused, and I don't think you'd be able to help." she huffed, feeling herself getting agitated.

"Clarke," he whispered as he took his free hand and turned her face to his. She kept her eyes on the ground before hesitantly meeting his. As soon as their eyes met she wrapped him in a hug. It caught Bradley off guard, but he quickly engulfed her. She let out a silent sob into his chest. "It's okay, you're okay." he soothed, a hand rubbing circles on her back.

"I just miss her so much, more than I have in a long time." she confessed, her voice shaky.

"I know you do. I know exactly how you feel," he said into her ear through her hair.

"God, I'm being insensitive. I'm over here crying about missing my mom while you don't have either," she blubbered.

"Hey, stop. I have you and Blair, and your dad and Ice. You're my family. Don't ever feel bad about this, you're allowed to miss her. I know I miss my mom everyday, dad too." he consoled, his voice becoming shaky. Clarke nodded against his chest, slowing her breathing. She then thought back to when both of their moms were alive. She remembered them teasing her about liking Bradley. Them and Blair's mom all sitting together while Mav and Ice grilled in the summers and they played in the pool. Them sitting on the couch with a cup of coffee or a glass of wine while the kids played in the basement. They were always together. It had killed Clarke's mom when Bradley's mom died. Clarke's mom went soon after. Bradley was a senior, only two months before graduation when it happened, Clarke was a freshman . At least they had each other.

Clarke lifted her head and wiped her tears on the sleeve of her hoodie. Bradley smoothed over her hair and pulled her head close, touching their foreheads together. "It's me and you," he whispered.

"Me and you," Clarke repeated. She looked at Bradley through her lashes, he was looking back at her. She felt his head shift against hers, his breath against her nose as he got closer. Their lips touched softly. Clarke almost didn't know what was happening until Bradley pulled away slightly. They look at each other for a moment. Clarke wrapped a hand around his neck, pulling him to her lips as his arms snaked around her waist. The kiss was more urgent than the first one. There was no longer a hesitancy behind their movements. They both pulled each other as close as possible, closing any empty spaces. Clarke lifted her head for a second, but Bradley instantly moved his kisses to her jawline and down her neck. She soon returned her mouth to his, them molding together. They stopped after a few minutes and looked at each other. Clarke bit her lip in anticipation.

"Uh," Bradley started. "You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that," he breathed out.

"I think I have a pretty good idea," Clarke chuckled breathily.