GRIM REAPER¹, bellamy blake

050 ━━ budding romance

AHH CHAPTER 50 THIS IS SO INSANE AJSDHGYSDG

ty for sticking with me on this chaotic journey thus far :') plenty more to come

━━━✦━━━

"HEY, YOU alright?" Bellamy finally asked, watching Iona from a distance. Everyone else was getting in the rover, but not her. Instead, she stood under the trees, staring up at the sky; eyes filled with various questions. "You seem a little lost."

Iona slowly looked down, eyes roaming the area until they landed on Bellamy, and she smiled the smallest bit, "Is it bad I'm relieved?"

Bellamy bit the inside of his cheek, walking towards Iona slowly. He shrugged, "Depends. Are you happy Clarke has a kill order out on her or that Wanheda isn't who you thought it was?"

Iona tried to hide her smile, clamping her lips shut, but it only made her grin more awkward, forcing her to look at the ground.

"You know me so well."

Finally, Iona leaned against the tree, staring at Bellamy as he neared closer. He stood in front of her, maintaining a comfortable distance, but still close enough to feel comforted by his presence.

Bellamy bit the inside of his lip, "Do you think she's alright?"

"She's fine, I'm sure. She's scrappy; might just be a good means of survival," Iona nodded.

Bellamy still appeared a little tense, unsure, and Iona frowned slightly. She pushed herself off the tree, looking at him questioningly, before hesitantly grabbing his forearm with her hand.

She squeezed, attempting to comfort him, and his eyes followed the movement, a small puff of air escaping his lips. From shock, she assumed; she never was the type to be affectionate, nor did she make attempts.

But for him, she would try.

"Thanks, Princess," He teased, mimicking the name he remembered the Azgedans call her before. Her face scrunched up and she instantly dropped his arm, making him chuckle.

"Why'd they call you that, anyways?"

Iona glanced over at the rover. Monty was beginning to walk over to them- to urge them to leave, she was sure- and took that as her queue to stop the chit-chat.

"Long story," She said plainly, revealing none of the long story that Bellamy wanted to hear.

Bellamy nodded, "Seems like there's a lot of those when it comes to you."

Iona nodded, sparing him a brief glance, breath momentarily lost in her throat at the intense look on his face. He was taking her very seriously, she determined, and something about it was charming.

Bellamy appeared so genuinely interested in learning more about her that it almost made her want to share- even the darkest parts of herself.

"Will I get to hear those stories some day?" Bellamy questioned, blinking at her.

But she couldn't.

She couldn't tell him- she refused to tell him. No way in hell would Iona allow her friendship, her partnership- her whatever the hell this was between the pair- to be ruined by her past.

Bellamy was something she'd never had before, and he was something she was beginning to value, to appreciate having. She couldn't lose him, not now, not ever; even if that means leaving the realm of trust unventured in hopes of keeping her darkness concealed.

"Maybe."

She knew she was lying, but maybe lying was the only prescription for her situation; he only cure for her sickness.

━━━✦━━━

Darkness had fallen as the rover traversed through the forest.

Iona sat on the floor in the back, between Kane and Indra- who sat on opposite seats- as she sharpened her katana in expectation of battle. If they did manage to find Clarke, they wouldn't be the only ones searching.

People from across the land would be hunting her, and if they found her, that meant everyone else could too.

It was dangerous to not expect a fight.

Suddenly, the brakes were aggressively pressed, making Iona groan as she went flying towards the front. A hand grabbed her by the shirt, tugging her close, and she flashed an appreciative smile at Indra.

Despite their current tribal situation, it didn't change their prior relationship. Of course, Iona was still wary, considering Indra was loyal to Lexa and Lexa alone, but Indra held a certain level of respect for Iona; one that Iona held back.

She'd watched the girl grow, blossom, and become the fierce warrior she is today. In a sense, Indra was something akin to a mother- perhaps an aunt?

Whatever it is, it just saved Iona from intense head trauma, and she sighed in relief, scurrying to raise herself off the ground, breaking free of Indra's grasp. She poked her head through the opening between the back and the front, looking at Monty with a raised brow.

"Do you have a good excuse for why you're such a shit driver?"

He rolled his eyes, frowning over at Iona in agitation, "First of all, it's pure black outside. My field of vision is completely messed up. Second," He pointed to the giant log in the road, "that exists. Any more complaints?"

Bellamy patted Iona's shoulder, making her frown, shrugging it off.

Bellamy soon climbed out, and Iona climbed through the opening, sliding into Bellamy's previous seat. She tried to ignore his kind gestures, but something about the way his hands fit her waist as he insisted he help her down felt so right.

Regardless, she swatted his hands away, sending him a suspicious look, and shook off the feeling creeping down her spine.

As they slid down, however, they heard Indra exclaim, "Wait! It's been cut down."

"You don't know that-"

Instantly, another tree to their right began to fall, and Iona grabbed hold on Bellamy, who held her against the seats, trying to hold both of them in the vehicle.

Heavy, incredibly stressed breathing filled the rover as Bellamy knelt down, fitting in the floorboard between Iona's legs, staring up at her with wide eyes.

Perhaps she would've realized their romantic position, had Iona's mind not been running at a million miles per hour, several thoughts filling her head at once. She reached a hand out towards the back, feeling Indra place her katana between her fingers.

"We do now."

━━━✦━━━

yw for the tension and clickbait title i know u love it dont lie to me :>