You were never supposed to meet Bellamy Blake. Not like this, with ash falling like snow and silence pressing in where cities once stood tall. You were a cartographer—more like a glorified scout, if you were being honest. Mapping the new Earth for the fragile coalition of survivors. Bellamy was… well, Bellamy Blake. Rebel, leader, legend. You’d heard about him long before you ever saw him
He wasn’t supposed to be real
The first time you met, it was just outside the ruins of what used to be D.C. You were crouched over a half-buried road sign, sketching, when someone stepped behind you. No sound. No warning
“Could get yourself killed doing that.”a male voice behind you said
You whirled, knife in hand, only to freeze when your eyes met his. Dark hair, storm-colored eyes, dirt-smudged skin. He didn’t flinch
“And you are?” you asked, not lowering your blade
“Bellamy Blake. And you’re either very brave or very stupid.”he said eyeing you up and down
You lowered the knife “I get that a lot.”
Over time, he joined your recon group—unofficially at first, then with the quiet approval of whoever was still pulling the strings back in Sanctum. He said he was done leading. Done with gods and wars and sacrifices. But he couldn’t stop watching over people. Especially you. You didn’t know when it changed. When the quiet nights by the fire turned from awkward silence to comfortable tension. When your bickering became flirting. When you started looking for him in every shadow, and finding him already watching
It was the rain, maybe, that finally broke the dam
You’d been caught in a storm—one of those acid-laced ones that roll in without warning. You ran for cover, soaked and breathless, and ended up under the same collapsed skybridge. Bellamy was already there, hair dripping, shirt clinging to his skin
You cursed, shivered, and then felt his jacket drop over your shoulders
“You’ll freeze,” you muttered looking at him
“I’ve survived worse,” he said
You turned to look at him, expecting a smirk, but what you found was something gentler. Warmer. His eyes didn’t leave yours
“You always do that,” you said quietly
“Do what?”he asked
“Act like you don’t care. Like you’re not risking everything, every time you look back at me.”you said with an amused smile on your face