Book 1: We are grounders - The 100 (Raven Reyes x reader)

Episode 12 - We are grounders: Part 1

The night air was biting cold, a chill that seeped into the bones of everyone working under the dim torchlight. The delinquents moved with purpose, though exhaustion hung heavily in the air as they set landmines around the perimeter of the camp. Bellamy's eyes were sharp, his jaw tight, as he strode up to Raven and Jasper, Riley flanking him like a shadow. Her presence was quieter but no less commanding, her icy blue eyes flashing as they surveyed the work.

"Better hope those landmines work," Bellamy muttered, his voice low but hard. "All the gunpowder we're wasting, we could be making more grenades."

Raven, hunched over the last mine, didn't look up right away. The attitude in her voice was unmistakable as she sighed. "You wanna come over here and test one?" Her words were laced with sarcasm, a sharp edge that cut through the tension.

Riley scoffed beside Bellamy, her tone rough, a mixture of challenge and disdain. "Cute," she drawled, crossing her arms. "We need this entire section mined by morning. Then you finish the south field." The rasp in her voice added to the weariness, but it was her way of asserting control.

Raven stood up, dusting her hands off on her pants, her face hardening as she walked right into Riley's personal space, refusing to be undermined. Her dark eyes met Riley's cold gaze with unspoken defiance. "Hey," she said, her voice lowering into a dangerous whisper. "I told you guys, we're going after Finn, Clarke, and Monty in the morning."

There was a flicker of something in Raven's eyes—hurt, maybe, but it was buried beneath layers of frustration and anger. Her control was slipping, but she held on, speaking calmly despite the storm brewing beneath her skin.

Riley didn't back down. She never did. Her arms stayed crossed, a pout forming on her lips as she stared Raven down. "And I told you nobody leaves this camp," she shot back, her tone sharp. She didn't wait for a response, turning on her heel as if the conversation was over.

But Raven wasn't finished. She reached out, grabbing Riley's shoulders, spinning her around with more force than necessary. The touch wasn't gentle—it was a desperate grab for control. "I'm talking to you," Raven snapped, her voice tight with frustration. "We can't just abandon our people."

Riley's icy eyes flickered with a dangerous glint as she glared up at Raven, her lips parting as if she might say something. But instead, she held her tongue, her jaw clenching as she fought the impulse to lash out. For a moment, it was just the two of them—too close, too heated—locked in a battle of wills neither was willing to concede.

Raven's frustration was palpable, her voice roughened by emotion. "You wanna lead them?" she spat, glancing toward Bellamy, who had started to walk off, uninterested in their toxic dance. "Then show them you give a damn."

Before anyone could respond, a gunshot cracked through the night, shattering the tense silence.

Riley's body reacted instantly, her heart racing as she spun toward the source of the sound. She bolted toward the delinquent who had fired, her expression stormy, her hand already reaching for his collar before she even reached him. "Hey!" she yelled, her voice cutting through the camp like a blade. "What the hell was that?" Her voice was hoarse, her breath labored, as she gripped the boy by his shirt and pulled him closer.

The boy stammered, his eyes wide with fear. "I'm so sorry! I've been on watch all day, I just—"

Riley cut him off, her voice a harsh rasp. "We've all been on watch all day," she growled, her fingers tightening around his collar. "That bullet? One less dead grounder." The venom in her voice was unmistakable, her exhaustion transforming into cold fury as she glared him down.

Octavia, who had been watching from a distance, took a step forward, her voice softer but no less firm. "Ry, you're scaring people," she said gently, trying to diffuse the situation.