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"Loving someone is like getting addicted to alcohol; you don't start consuming it because you want to, but because you need to

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"Loving someone is like getting addicted to alcohol; you don't start consuming it because you want to, but because you need to. Once you begin, it's tough to stop, and by the time you stop, you aren't the same as before."

—Misbah Khan


When Astoria was moving through the Ark, she didn't notice the excessive amount of harsh stares she received from the sky people she passed; in her ten days at Camp Jaha, she had grown used to the distrust the adults met her with. It wasn't until she stepped outside that she learned something was wrong, or, more accurately, when Bellamy grabbed her arm to stop her from going outside.

She had huffed and rolled her eyes, "I'm not in the mood, Bellam—"

"You can't be out here," he cut her off, taking a short look around at the eyes that turned to the grounder. She furrowed her brow and let him drag her back inside the Ark, only shrugging herself free when he continued to guide her through the halls.

"Are you going to tell me what's wrong?" she asked as she followed him, and he remained silent until they got to his room. Much to Astoria's annoyance, he shared his with no one, but it made it easier for them to speak freely. He looked anxious as he shut the door behind them, and almost hesitated before turning to face her. Astoria grew more rigid, "What's wrong?"

"Clarke's back," he explained, but it didn't help Astoria understand his stress any more. "She has the Commander's terms for peace."

Then Astoria's heart sank, because she knew what was coming next. A moment of silence passed before she found the words, "They want me, don't they?'

Bellamy released a breath of air and shook his head, but she knew she was right. What else could they want? He put his tongue through his lips before he spoke, and Astoria took two steps back when he did. "You... or Finn."

When she twisted quickly and tried to grab ahold of the door handle, Bellamy leaped forward to stop her. She wrested in his grip but he won, and eventually he let her free when he was blocking the exit. She eyed him in warning, allowing a deep breath of annoyance to leave her nose. "I won't let Finn die for me," she whispered, but Bellamy only shook his head.

"Neither of you are dying," he countered, and Astoria let out a laugh of disbelief. "We'll figure something out."

"There's nothing to figure out, Bellamy!" she raised her voice without meaning to, but she couldn't help it. Having people who wanted to protect her was more annoying than she had thought it would be, because now it seemed she wasn't allowed to make decisions on her own. "I've known this was coming since I was nine years old. All this extra time I've gotten since then, it's been a gift. But I won't let any of you get hurt for me, and I won't let you start a war against my people that you can't win."

He watched in silence, trying to find any indication on her face that she wasn't ready to give herself up. But he couldn't, so instead he shook his head roughly. "I know you're new to having people that care about you, but you can't expect me to listen to you talking about sacrificing yourself and be okay with it."

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