Taming Chaos // J.M // The 100

Chapter 86

The door swings open to reveal Bellamy, glowering down at his seething sister.

"Now I'm done." Octavia spits the words with full conviction, jaw clamping shut. She glances at Ethan - a visible switch in her expression like a private relief between them, still in awe that the four months apart didn't separate them forever - and tosses the pile of clothes in her arms across the room, landing perfectly in expecting hands.

"I figured you'd need those." She nods at him, spins around, and leaves.

Octavia's thoughtful actions manages to unclench Ethan's jaw. He takes his time rifling through the clothes she took from his room, and cradles close a familair grey shirt, the criss-cross tie at the collarbone.

As if sensing the tension in the room, Bellamy doesn't immediately look up to figure out the presence of two bodies. His eyes drag slowly up from the ground, before locking in place, from Clarke to Ethan.

Everything in Ethan is telling him to smile, to get up and greet him officially. But all thoughts lead back to that moment in Indra's tent.

Bellamy was apart of the crew that massacred those innocent grounders. Just like Finn had, only on purpose.

"Go easy on Octavia." Clarke says, as her greeting, "I had to beg her to get us into camp."

Bellamy shuts the door. "What are you doing here, Clarke?" He's not amused.

Nothing to Ethan. Barely a glance.

Ethan clenches his jaw - all that effort of releasing the tension gone within seconds - and ducks his head to unfold his pant leg, covering his ankle.

"We need to talk."

A sarcastic smile, Bellamy gestures at her. "Oh, you've decided that? The mighty Wanheda who chose the Grounders over her own people, who turned her back on us when we came to rescue you. Now you want to talk."

Mouth falling open, Ethan glances up at her, "You're the Wanheda. . ? We heard rumours on the road."

Clarke doesn't look at him.

Ethan looks at Bellamy. Last time he checked, the two leaders were as thick as theives. "What happened in the months I was away?"

"Too much." Bellamy grunts, eyes narrowed.

Stepping past Ethan's seat, Clarke stands before the brunette, "I came here to tell you that Ice Nation has paid a price. Justice has been served for the attack on Mount Weather. I came here to tell you it's over."

The attack. . .

Ethan doesn't have asthma. But he thinks this is what it'd feel like, losing his breath so quickly just at the mention of Mount Weather.

His friends. Gone.

What if he could've helped, could've done something?

In the midst of trying to catch his breath, he's missed some key points about Lexa during the arguement he wasn't following.

"Please tell me that going to war is not what you want." Clarke balls her hands by her side, shoulders tense.

Voice suddenly soft, as though Bellamy is too tired to talk about it. "We've been at war since we landed. At least Pike understands that."

The chair grates loudly against the metal floor after Ethan abruptly pushes from it into a stand, stabbing a finger viciously against Bellamy's chest.

"Pike is the problem. You have no idea what he's done." His eyes are crazed, following Bellamy's with every movement. "He killed my friend. He was planning to kill me as soon as they were done getting what they wanted. You're barely touching the surface at seeing what Pike has done."

Bellamy stands taller, "Pike hasn't left Arkadia."

"Pike has faithful servants hanging off his every word. And I'm hoping the one standing right in front of me isn't as stupid as the rest."

Clarke separates them with a single sentence, "This isn't who you are."

"You're both wrong." Bellamy lifts his chin, holding a confident stance. "This is who I've always been, and I let you and Octavia and Kane convince me that we could trust these people when they have shown over and over who they are, and I won't let anyone else die for that mistake."

"Those people have done more for me over the past few months than Arkadia has." Ethan scoffs, a touch condescending, "All I'm seeing is the same guy that let three hundred people die on the Ark. What's your kill count now? Six hundred?"

"Bellamy. . . We need you, and we don't have much time." Clarke placates.

Teeth clacking together, Ethan reluctantly spins around towards the table and strips off his shirt. He listens instead, replacing the grounders thick clothes for his own.

"You need me?" Bellamy asks, sarcastically.

"Yes. I do. I need the guy who wouldn't let me pull that lever in Mount Weather by myself."

Ethan, confused, tosses his head around to glance over his shoulder. "What?"

Angry, cocking his head, Bellamy glares at her. "You left me. You left everyone."

"What lever?" Unanswered, Ethan is growing frustrated. But he's also pantsless and trying to pry off his socks without injuring himself more.

"Bellamy-"

"Enough, Clarke! You are not in charge here, and that's a good thing because people die when you're in charge."

Having just tugged on his pants, Ethan whips around. "Hey!"

"No, Ethan, you don't know the half of it!" Bellamy stops him in his tracks. And he's not just mad, he's on the verge of tears. "Clarke was willing to let a bomb drop on Octavia. Then she made a deal with Lexa who left us in Mount Weather to die and forced us to kill everyone who helped us! People who trusted me!"

"What?" Shaking his head, Ethan scrubs over his eyes hard enough to see black dots, "No, no, they-" He looks up, takes a step back to hold himself against the desk, "They told me Ice Nation destroyed Mount Weather. I don't-"

Bellamy shakes his head, hard, turning around slowly to take a breath. "That was after."

"After what?" Ethan looks at Clarke, brows knitted together, "Clarke?"

She's speechless, tears gathered in her eyes, lips parted but nothing coming out of them. Ethan's following her into panic, but for a different reason entirely.

"Can someone tell me what the hell happened to our people in Mount Weather!?" He snaps, slamming his hand down against the desk. It echoes in the room, making Clarke flinch.

Bellamy turns back around. Clarke sits down.

And Ethan finally listens.