"Did you talk to the Ark?" Bellamy asked after a few seconds of silence. His tone was low, drained with exhaustion that made Jason raise an eyebrow at him.
"I told Digg's mom the news. John's dad too," Miller explained, his voice rough, like each word carried a weight he didn't want. "Roma's talking to her parents right now."
"Thanks for doing that," Bellamy muttered, staring blankly at the floor. "I owe you."
Miller nodded faintly but didn't look at him. "Telling all these parents their kids were murdered by grounders… I just wish I could say we were getting some justice."
Jason, leaning against the metal wall with his arms crossed, raised an eyebrow. His eyes flicked toward Bellamy, the kind of look that didn't need words. Bellamy caught it immediately and exhaled.
"We're not killing him," Bellamy said firmly.
Jason nodded once. "And those who even think about trying," he added, his voice calm but cold, "will be punished."
Miller scoffed, rolling his eyes, but the weight behind Jason's tone wasn't something anyone ignored for long. Jason's eyes narrowed, sharp and unwavering, until the younger man broke eye contact.
To cover his discomfort, Miller grabbed a handful of berries from a bowl and walked over to Lincoln, who sat quietly, chained and bruised but composed.
"You were a lot scarier when you had that face paint on," Miller muttered, smashing the berries against Lincoln's face.
The grounder's head snapped forward instantly in a brutal headbutt that sent Miller sprawling onto the floor.
For a second, the room froze. Then a grin split across Jason's face. He couldn't help it as a low chuckle escaped him, amused at the swift karma. Bellamy just shook his head with a sigh.
"Guess he's still got some fight left," Jason said under his breath.
Miller, muttering curses, pressed a hand to his forehead before heading toward the hatch. "I'll… go get this cleaned up," he grumbled and climbed down, leaving the two men alone with their silent prisoner.
Bellamy pushed himself to his feet and moved toward the ladder. "You coming?" he asked.
Jason didn't answer immediately. His gaze lingered on Lincoln. "Don't you want someone to stay here with him?" Jason asked finally.
"I've got someone coming up. They'll be here in a minute."
Jason arched a brow, smirking faintly. "I'll wait till they get here. Unless you don't trust me."
Bellamy gave him a flat look, shaking his head before starting down the ladder. Jason's smirk widened slightly as the hatch clanged shut behind him.
When the sound faded, he turned back to Lincoln. His expression shifted as the humor faded, replaced by that unnerving calm he wore when thinking too much.
"Hey," Jason began, walking closer. "I know you're hesitant to get to know anyone but Octavia for whatever reason that may be."
Lincoln's eyes flicked up, but he didn't respond.
"Oh, don't give me that look," Jason continued, circling slowly. "I know you understand me. And I mean the girl you saved, the one you've got feelings for."
He watched Lincoln closely, every flicker of his expression, every tightening of his jaw. Then, there it was. The smallest change, the faintest twitch of the eyes.
"Gotcha," Jason thought, a small, knowing smirk ghosting across his lips.
A muffled argument echoed from below. Bellamy's raised voice, Octavia's defiant one. Jason sighed and muttered, "Siblings," under his breath, shaking his head.
He turned back to Lincoln. "I'm a friend of hers," he said evenly. "She told me you could understand us. Which, to be fair, you didn't hide very well." His tone softened a little. "I'll tell you this though, I promised her I wouldn't let anyone kill you. If you don't want to trust me, fine. But I'll make sure no one hurts you not while I'm here."
Lincoln stared silently, his breathing slow but steady. Then, finally, Lincoln spoke. "Why?"
Jason blinked, slightly surprised but hiding it well. "Because," he said after a moment, "you haven't done anything to deserve this. In fact, we should be thanking you." He gestured toward the bruises, the ropes, the blood dried at the corner of Lincoln's lip. "Not torturing you like this."
Lincoln's dark eyes softened, just barely. "Thank you," he rasped after a long silence.
Jason nodded once and started toward the hatch. But then he stopped, hesitating. He looked back at Lincoln for a few seconds, an unreadable thought crossing his face. "Ah, what the hell," he muttered and turned back toward him, as if deciding to stay a little longer.
Moments later, footsteps echoed below. The hatch creaked open, and a boy poked his head in, freezing when he saw Jason standing there.
"What are you doing here?" the boy asked, eyes darting nervously.
"Apparently doing your job," Jason replied dryly as he brushed past him. "Oh, and if you hurt him, you're answering to me."
He smiled when he said it. A calm, polite, but it sent a chill through the kid's spine all the same. Everyone in camp knew the unspoken rule: Don't cross Jason. Clarke might lead with heart, Bellamy with force, but Jason? He led with real strength and that was scarier.
The boy nodded quickly and started climbing up the ladder, eager to get out of the tension. Jason chuckled, shaking his head.
Before he even hit the ground, the sounds of Bellamy and Octavia's argument reached him again. 'Again,' he thought, suppressing a groan.
As he stepped out, he spotted Bellamy and Clarke at the entrance of the ship, talking quietly but urgently. Their words carried just enough for him to catch fragments of something about "the abandoned post," "supplies," and "scouting"
Jason frowned slightly, but instead of interrupting, he turned toward Octavia, who was sitting off to the side, clearly upset.
"Hey, Octavia," he said gently. "How're you doing?"
"I'm fine," she said quickly, though her tone betrayed her.
Jason waited until Bellamy and Clarke started walking away from the dropship before leaning closer to Octavia, lowering his voice. "Your boyfriend spoke to me, you know."
Her head snapped toward him. "What?!"
Jason smirked. "Yeah. Real nice guy, once you get past the part where he doesn't trust us anymore."
Octavia lightly smacked his arm. "Be serious."
"I am," Jason said, sighing. "Don't worry too much about him."
"Thank you," she murmured, her anger fading a little.
Jason nodded and stood. "I'm gonna check on everything around camp since Bellamy and Clarke are gone. Everyone seems to think I'm some sort of leader, might as well embrace it."
Octavia smiled softly. "That's not far from the truth, you know. You, my brother, and Clarke. People look to you three. But honestly…" she paused, meeting his eyes, "I feel a lot safer knowing you're one of them."
Jason tilted his head slightly, a small smile forming. "I'll take that as a compliment."
She laughed lightly. "It is."
Jason gave her a nod before heading out into the camp.
He stopped first at the meat station, where the morning hunt was being processed. The air was thick with the scent of iron and smoke as the group skinned the rabbits from earlier. Charlotte was there again, sleeves rolled up, working diligently. Jason watched her for a moment, thoughtful before moving on.
Next was Monty and Jasper's little workstation, where the two were sorting and cracking nuts with childlike focus.
"Nice," Jason said as he approached. "How are you guys holding up?"
"Not bad," Jasper grinned, tossing a nut into Monty's mouth.
"Could be better," Jason replied dryly. "How's the rationing going?"
"Painfully slow," Monty muttered, gesturing at the pile of uncracked nuts. "Tedious, nut?"
Jason stared for a second, expression blank as it almost felt like he remembered something but it blurred away, then shook his head. "No, I'm good. Thank you."
He left before they could make another pun.
Finally, he reached the tent where Raven was working. Jason paused outside for a second, before stepping in. Jason pushed aside the flap of the tent quietly, eyes landing on Finn, still asleep. His chest rose and fell shallowly beneath the rough fabric of the blanket.
"Hey," Jason whispered. "How's he doing?"
Raven, who had been sitting cross-legged beside Finn, looked up. Her face was pale from exhaustion, but her voice was steady. "In pain… but better," she explained softly.
Jason nodded once. "That's good. Pain means you're still alive," he said with a dry half-smile before turning toward the tent flap. But before he could step out, Raven got up.
"I'm gonna get him some water," she said quickly, stepping out beside him.
They walked in silence to the storage tent, where the water barrels were lined up. Jason followed a few steps behind, watching her movements and the way her hands trembled slightly but kept busy, as if she couldn't stop fixing something even when it was a person.
Inside, Raven dipped a cloth into the water and began washing off the bloodstained fabric she'd used on Finn. Jason moved beside the barrel, rinsing his hands quietly.
"So," he said after a moment, breaking the silence. "You did good. Really good."
Raven blinked, caught off guard. "What?"
"The communication link," Jason said, glancing up at her. "You fixed the radio, got us contact with the Ark again. That's more than most people here could've managed. Hell, it's more than I could've managed."
She let out a small, almost disbelieving laugh. "You're kidding. You? Mr. Perfect Survival Guy? You could probably build one out of rocks."
Jason smirked faintly. "Rocks don't talk to orbiting metal coffins, Raven."
That earned a small smile from her. It softened her features, made her look… almost peaceful.
"There," he said quietly. "That's better."
Her eyes lifted toward his, and something in the space between them changed. He reached up without thinking, brushing a loose strand of hair away from her cheek. His fingers lingered just a little too long, grazing her skin.
Raven's breath hitched and neither of them moved away.
For a moment, the tent was silent except for the soft dripping of water. Their faces were suddenly close, too close. Jason could feel her breath against his lips, her eyes flickering between his and his mouth.
Then—
The tent flap rustled.
Jason froze as Octavia stepped in, holding a blood-streaked rag. She looked between them with Jason standing too close, Raven flushed, both stepping back like guilty kids caught mid-act.
Jason cleared his throat. "Octavia."
"Jason," she said evenly, walking right past him. She dropped the rag into a bowl of water and began squeezing it out, her movements a little too sharp.
"I'd hate to see the other guy," Raven said quickly, desperate to kill the tension.
"You did," Octavia replied flatly without looking up. "When you were torturing him."
The words hung heavy.
Jason tuned out the rest, eyes unfocused, mind still replaying that. The closeness. The look in her eyes. He rubbed the back of his neck, exhaling quietly. 'Now what the hell was that back there?'
He glanced toward Raven again just as she stood up, her jaw was tight. She didn't look at him not once as she brushed past him and out of the tent. Jason groaned softly, dragging a hand down his face. "Great," he muttered.
Octavia wrung the rag again before finally looking at him. "Sorry for ruining… whatever that was," she said, her tone casual but with a hint of bite.
Jason sighed. "It was probably nothing."
"Didn't look like nothing," she said pointedly.
Jason turned his head, brow raised. "What's your problem, Octavia?"
She swallowed hard, eyes darting away. "You're right," she murmured. "I'm sorry."
Silence fell between them. Jason started rinsing his hands again, the cold water biting at his skin now.
"He told me his name," Octavia whispered suddenly.
Jason stilled, glancing over his shoulder. "Really?"
"Lincoln, that's his name" she said, voice almost reverent. "He also told me that he's the enemy."
Jason's lips pressed into a thin line. "Well," he whispered back, "that's good to know, I guess. I promise I'll keep it to myself."
"Thank you," she said softly. Then, louder, she added, "I'm gonna sew a blanket together from the pelts we have."
Jason nodded. "Good idea."
She gathered a bundle of pelts and some rough stitching cord, heading for the corner of the tent. Jason dried his hands and turned toward the exit, ready to make his usual rounds of check rations, repairs, defenses. Routine kept him sane.
But before he could take two steps, shouting echoed through the camp.
He turned sharply just as Jasper came stumbling toward them wild-eyed, breathing hard, looking more terrified than Jason had ever seen him.
"Octavia? Octavia—Jason—I think I'm going crazy, or the grounders are here! Or I'm going crazy, or—" Jasper stammered, words tripping over each other.
Jason's brows furrowed. "Okay, slow down," Octavia said, stepping closer. "Just tell us what you saw."
Jasper froze, eyes wide, staring past them at something neither could see. His face went pale.
"Him," Jasper whispered hoarsely.
Jason and Octavia turned toward the tree line. Nothing. No movement. Just the rustling of leaves.
"Jasper," Jason said carefully, moving closer. "There's no one there."
"Yes, there is!" Jasper yelled, pointing at nothing. "He's right there! We have to run, we have to run, why isn't anyone—"
"Stop it!" Octavia snapped, grabbing his shoulders. "Jasper, are you on something?"
Jason squinted, noticing the boy's dilated pupils and twitching jaw. 'You've gotta be kidding me.'
"I love you," Jasper blurted suddenly, eyes glassy. "And I just want you to know—we're all gonna die soon, okay? I love you."
Jason blinked. "What the hell—"
Jasper popped something into his mouth. Jason caught sight of it mid-motion.
"Isn't that—" Jason began.
"Is that all you've eaten today those nuts?" Octavia interrupted, snatching the handful from his palm.
"It is but who the hell cares now?" Jasper said, nearly hyperventilating.
Jason looked at him for a long second before bursting into laughter. "Oh, shit he's fucking high."
Octavia's mouth dropped open, half in shock, half in amusement. "You're totally bombed," she said, shaking her head.
"The nuts must be some kind of hallucinogen," Jason said, still laughing. "Figures."
Octavia crouched down, trying to soothe Jasper. "Relax. Here, buddy, take this." She handed him a small stick from the ground.
Jason raised an eyebrow. "It's a stick."
"No…" Octavia said seriously. "This stick is an anti-grounder stick. So long as you hold it and stay right here, grounders won't be able to see you."
Jason bit his lip, trying not to laugh. 'God, I wish I had a camera.'
"Yeah," Jasper said, nodding slowly, staring at the stick like it held divine power. "Makes sense. I'll stay right here."
"Does make sense," Octavia agreed, patting his shoulder before quickly standing. "Stay right here."
Jason chuckled, shaking his head as Jasper sat down cross-legged, clutching his "anti-grounder" stick with religious devotion.
Octavia hurried off toward the rations tent while Jason followed after, still smiling faintly and muttering under his breath, "Only daybreak and already we've got hallucinations, hell of a start."
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