The Arrangement. Chapter Twelve: Earth's Dangers.

Octavia's fist bounces off Clarke's cheek lightly and Clarke shakes her head, annoyed with herself, before rebalancing so they can start again. It's been weeks since the quarantine ended and the majority of the sickness passed. People are still getting sick here and there, but not in mass like before. And even though Bellamy warns her that another wave of illness will probably come with then end of the season, she is getting into a routine. She's resumed her fighting and Trigedasleng lessons with Octavia, who has softened towards her, and her and Nyko have a pretty good system worked out at the Clinic. People seem to be coming around on trusting her as well, seeing her lock herself in the quarantine doing a lot to sway their trust. "I don't think I'm getting any better" Clarke says, swatting Octavia's hand away.

"You are" Octavia counters, handing Clarke her water while taking a swig of her own. They're farther into the woods than Clarke has ever been, feet crunching over a new layer of snow. They chat kind of idly while Octavia teachers Clarke how to hold herself and maneuver her weight in a fight.

Octavia spends a lot of time talking to her in slow Trigedasleng now, translating when Clarke doesn't understand something, or helping Clarke with words she hasn't learned yet. It's such a turn in their relationship, and such a help in her basic understanding of Grounder culture and she hopes Octavia understands how grateful she is. They stay out there for another hour or so, until the wind starts to pick up and the sun starts to dip behind the trees. They've picked up the last of their things when Octavia sees it and grabs Clarke's elbow, both of them dropping their things as Octavia pulls her forward.

Clarke is confused and uncoordinated and chances a glance behind them to see a huge cloud of orange fog, seemingly chasing them. Octavia stops and Clarke's about to yell for her to keep running when she reaches to the ground and yanks up a door, pulling it towards her like a hatch, before grabbing Clarke's wrist and pushing her inside, jumping down after her. It's not an actual bunker, like Finn found near the Dropship, but an old car. It's smallish, but there is enough room for each of them to sit comfortably once they've settled in.

"It's real" Clarke breaths out, air still coming in short angry huffs from the unexpected run. Octavia gives her a funny look so she elaborates, "Acid fog, Reapers, people who come from the mountain to kidnap Grounders…we thought maybe they were scary stories meant to keep people in line".

Octavia shakes her head a little, "The fog is very, very real" Octavia points up to where the world outside is tinged orange. In the distance, they hear the sound of the warning horn and Octavia rolls her eyes. "I've seen Reapers too, it's…" she trails off, shuddering a little, "They have no memory of themselves, they become…viscous. It's awful." She's quiet for a moment, "I've never seen the Mountain Men, but I know they take people. We don't know why though".

It's quiet for a moment as Clarke takes it in, new dangers to be wary of. It seems like Earth is a big trap, just more things than she ever thought possible hiding behind corners, waiting for her to slip up. "It's incredible that you've survived" Clarke says and Octavia shrugs one shoulder. They talk for a while, about how this is the closest to home Octavia has ever seen the fog and how they hope it didn't go much further, and about how they hope it never get close enough to the Village that they have to consider moving. After a while they lapse into a confrontable silence, Clarke picking at the seat in front of her while Octavia plays with the ends of her own hair.

Clarke is half asleep when she feels Octavia poking at her calf with the toe of her shoe. She opens her eyes and glares at Octavia, it only makes her do it harder, flattening her foot against Clarke's leg. Clarke reaches down and swats at Octavia's ankle, her fingertips just barley making contact with Octavia's skin. "You are such a freak" Clarke laughs out and Octavia grins.

"So, what's going on with you and my brother?" Octavia asks, voice bright and loud. Clarke rolls her eyes and Octavia starts to laugh. Clarke has gotten the feeling in the last couple of weeks that Octavia has shifted from being almost wary of Clarke's relationship with Bellamy to being a sort of advocate for it. Clarke's not sure what inspired the change but thinks it's the closest thing to approval she'll ever get from Bellamy's sister so she tends to smile and roll her eyes good naturedly when it comes up.

"Well, we're married" Clarke answers dryly and Octavia kicks her foot against Clarke leg and shakes her head. "What do you want me to say, O?" Clarke askes, laughing now too.

"I just…do you like him?" Octavia asks, she's still smiling but her voice is serious. Clarke is half way through 'of course I do' when Octavia interjects, "Not like as…do you have feeling for him?" she corrects. Clarke tries not to react, doesn't want to give Octavia any ammunition, or have her run back and tell Bellamy that she might have a crush on him. But, she knows her cheeks ting a little bit pink and even though she shakes her head a little, Octavia lets out a sharp "ha" before leaning towards Clarke a little and pinching her cheek "I knew it".

Clarke rolls her eyes, ready to argue, but Octavia grows serious fast, clearing her throat a little and Clarke feels like she shouldn't interrupt. "Did you know that our mom was in an arranged marriage?" she asks quietly.

Clarke swallows and nods a little, "Yeah, he told me"

Octavia opens her mouth like she's going to say something, then closes it and tilts her head a little, considering Clarke. "I think he has feelings for you" she says matter-of-factly. "But, he'd never make the first move" Octavia adds, "he'd never want you to think…" she trails off and shrugs a little.

"It's not like that" Clarke mumbles, folding into herself a little more. Octavia doesn't answer, but she looks at Clarke like she can see all her secrets and it makes Clarke self-conscious, despite herself. A moment passes and Clarke tucks her hair behind her ears, "Octavia, even if I wanted that – and I'm not saying I do – but even if I did, we never could" Octavia tilts her head to the side, playing dumb even thought Clarke knows she isn't. "We're stuck together, forever, no matter what. So, if we try something that doesn't work…" she trails off, shrugging on shoulder.

"That's so negative" Octavia says with a sigh.

"It's practical" Clarke argues and they settle into an easy silence, even though Octavia makes a face at her. Enough time passes that Octavia is about half asleep when Clarke nudges her with the toe of her shoe and points up towards the window. The air has cleared, the orange tint passed, and Octavia nods a little, standing up and holding on to one of the seats for balance as she looks around and the wrenches the door open and pulls herself out gracefully. Clarke pulls herself out after, but it is a less graceful affair and Octavia can't stifle her laugh. "Shut up" Clarke mumbles when she's next to Octavia.

Hours have passed with them hiding in the ground and it's now dark and a little cold. Clarke is so glad not to be alone in the woods, she's not sure she could find her way back alone. But, Octavia seems sure of her steps, so Clarke follows her quietly. They don't talk much on the way back, the cold and the dark requiring all their attention. Octavia is focused and sharp in a way that Clarke has rarely seen her. Clarke doesn't realize how close they are to the Village until someone shouts Bellamy's name and the gates open in front of them.

Octavia is walking in front of her, so that's who Bellamy gets to first when he runs over, responding to his name. He wraps an arm around his sister, relief written all over his face, eyes wild. He sees her a second later and she can see the way he exhales, and she barley has time to react when his free arm reaches out and pulls her in too. She can feel his face in her hair, his lips pressed against her temple, the way he breaths out against her neck. "So dramatic" Octavia says, her voice all easy affection as she pats Bellamy's chest and steps out of the embrace. Bellamy and Clarke step back too, but he runs his hand down her arm as they do, pulling her hand into his. "Where's Lincoln?" Octavia asks, looking around.

Bellamy swallows before he answers, "Scouting. He was out when the fog hit and isn't back yet. His group is the last one we're waiting on". Octavia nods a little and starts to take a step back, but Bellamy moves forward, grabbing the sleeve of her jacket. "You have no idea where he is. And if you leave and he comes back, he'll have to go looking for you – it'd be a whole thing" He's trying to make her laugh, but it isn't working.

"Maybe wait until morning, and we'll go if he doesn't come back tonight" Clarke offers, voice small behind Bellamy, who moves so she is more a part of the conversation. Octavia chews on the edge of her fingernail, considering, before she nods a little. They convince Octavia to come eat and wait in their cabin and she leans in to Bellamy a little when they walk and Clarke thinks it the youngest she's ever seen Octavia look. Bellamy reaches back for her hand and she knows she blushes a little when she reaches out and takes it, jogging for a half step to catch up.

Octavia and Clarke sit at the table, while Bellamy makes a fire and then pulls out some bread and puts some meat on the fire to warm up. When he glances back, Octavia and Clarke are sitting next to each other, Clarke leaning towards his sister and whispering comfortingly while Octavia nods a little, worried tears gathering in her eyes that she won't let fall, fingers tapping on the wood of the table – an old nervous habit that doesn't show up that often anymore. Bellamy is taken aback by the wash of emotions that hits him all at once.

He makes sandwiches for the three of them and sits across from Octavia and Clarke. They eat quietly, chatting idly about the fighting lessons in the woods before the fog. They try to figure out where the fog came from, how it was on them so fast, but they don't come up with much. Bellamy tells them that it didn't come close to the Village, and Clarke feels a relief she's not sure she was expecting. After a little time, they hear some kind of commotion going on outside and go to see what it is.

Lincoln's group is coming through the gates, Octavia's name is being yelled by people who haven't yet realized she is outside, but there is something wrong. They can't tell what yet, but Clarke, Octavia, and Bellamy exchange worried glances as they push through the crowd. Octavia moves through people with a fierce determination and Clarke is impressed, can remember a time when she would have been intimidated. When they get to the front Clarke freezes for a moment, it causes Bellamy to bump into her back, but when he sees Jory he wraps his arm around her stomach from behind her while she takes in a deep breath.

Jory is leaning against Lincoln, half passed out but whimpering quietly. He has what looks like burns on his leg and one of his arms, at least. They follow Lincoln to the Clinic where Nyko is already preparing a bed and as soon as he lowers Jory onto it he gathers Octavia into his arms and buries his nose in her hair. Clarke has never seen Lincoln look so shaken, and it unnerves her. She's pulling bandages and salve off the shelfs while Nyko cuts he fabric of Jory's clothes away from his body. Lincoln, Octavia, and Bellamy stay while Clarke and Nyko work. Jory finally passes out a few minutes after being laid down and when they've done all they can, Nyko tells them all to go home and get some sleep, patting Lincoln's shoulder softly as he does.

Jory's boyfriend has come in at some point, and he's leaning against the wall now, biting the skin on his thumb while he watches Jory sleep. Clarke knows him, Ivar, he'd been sick when it went around, spending several days in the Clinic. He'd stayed and helped at the Clinic, all but running the temporary tent they'd had to put up to keep the exposed away from the already sick. In his last day at the Clinic, in some rare down time, he'd tried to teach Clarke a game with dice but she'd been rubbish at it and she'd taught him Flip Cup instead and he'd laughed at her balancing a washer on her nose. "He'll be okay" she whispers when she makes it to him, it's a promise she has no business making, but she has to say something, and it's what she'd want to hear. Ivar doesn't say anything, but tears gather in his eyes when he nods. He reaches out and hugs her lightly and whispers a 'thanks, Clarke' in her ear and she nods as she separates. She shows him to a chair he can sit by Jory in and squeezes his shoulder when she goes to join Bellamy, Octavia, and Lincoln who are waiting for her by the door. Bellamy rubs the space between her shoulder blades as they walk outside.

They file back out into the village, which has calmed down, everyone going home for the night, and walk towards their cabins together. Clarke notices the way Lincoln holds onto Octavia while they walk, like she's going to disappear, and wonders what exactly happened to him while he was in the woods, how Jory ended up in the fog and how he was pulled out of it. They all whispers 'goodnight' when they split up and she feels Bellamy's hand ghosting at the small of her back as they go up the steps to the cabin.

He stokes the fire while she changes clothes and when she comes out of the bathroom, she cleans up the remains of their forgotten dinner quietly. "I didn't think it was real" she mumbles quietly, staring at the empty table, when there is nothing left to clean up. Bellamy doesn't say anything, but he comes over to the table and leans against one of the chairs. "The acid fog – when he told us, before the Ark came down, Miller and I thought it sounded crazy, I didn't think…" she trails off, shaking her head a little.

"You couldn't have known" he says softly. "We don't see it often, and it's a relatively new phenomenon. We can't explain it ourselves." He's quiet when he talks.

She's not sure why this is affecting her so much, and she doesn't know how to explain it, so she just shakes her head a little. Bellamy comes around the table, so he's next to her, and rubs her back quietly. After a moment, she turns and tucks herself into him, "Everything is so much different than I thought it would be" she mumbles into his chest and she can feel him nod against the top of her head. She pulls back a little and looks up at him to find him already looking down at her with wide, dark eyes. She swallows and he cups her cheek lightly. He mumbles her name, his voice low and cracked, and for a second, she's sure he's going to kiss her. But in the end he runs his thumb along her cheekbone and smiles almost sadly before suggesting they get some sleep.


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