Isaac was in the drop ship when Octavia hurried inside. He was up against the wall, out of sight and hidden in the shadows. He watched as she lugged a pile of clothes up the ladder with her, not even noticing him in the back. Frowning, Isaac pushed himself up and shuffled over to the ladder, looking up. He saw her disappear onto the third landing, the one with Lincoln on it.
He backed up a few paces before turning and crouching to the ground, rummaging through a bag of supplies. There were nut packets -he'd have to get rid of those- a pouch of water, a few bandages, and some anti-septic wipes. He found a few berries, too. Taking out those and the wipes, Isaac scooted over and used the ladder to hoist himself up, and then he took a couple steps back, waiting.
About two minutes of waiting later, he heard someone begin down the ladder. The footsteps were heavier and he knew it couldn't be Octavia. So she'd been doing what he thought she had been doing up there. His instincts were still sharp. The large man descended the ladder into the room, jumping down to land on the floor. He still hadn't noticed Isaac, and he didn't even know he was there until the tall boy hurried to step in front of him, eyes wide. Lincoln took an immediate step back, knowing he was in no condition to fight at the moment. He looked cautious, glaring at Isaac.
Isaac's breathing was surprisingly steady as he faced Lincoln. "Here," he said, shoving the wipes and food into Lincoln's arms. The grounder took them, staring at the package for a few moments. "They'll help prevent infection," Isaac mumbled, trying not to be heard in case anyone was outside.
Lincoln nodded hesitantly. "Thank you," he whispered.
Isaac nodded. Lincoln began to walk off again, but the curly haired boy stopped him a second time, placing a hand on his chest gently. He didn't put much pressure on his skin in fear of hurting him, but he used just enough to make him stop walking. "Why did you stab me?" he asked quietly. He wasn't angry; just curious. He might as well get an answer.
Lincoln shook his head. "You got in the way," he explained, his voice barely audible. "You weren't my target."
Isaac frowned. "Who was?"
"Finn."
The blue eyes boy furrowed his eyebrows "Why?"
The grounder pressed his lips together in a thin line, debating. "He found something, that I didn't want him to see."
Isaac was about to tell him that maybe trying to kill Finn for looking at something was a bit extreme, but suddenly he heard someone talking loudly and was reminded of what was going on. "You have to go," he breathed.
Lincoln gave him a quizzical look under his beaten face. "You're not going to stop me?"
Isaac shook his head, taking a tiny step closer. "Why would I?" he asked softly. Lincoln simply looked at him. Isaac bit his lips, frowning at the man. They both looked at each other for a bit before Lincoln broke the gaze, stepping away with a shake of his head. Isaac watched as he began to leave, sighing. "Get as far away as you can, got it?" Lincoln nodded before darting out of the drop ship.
* * * * *
"He's gone!" Miller burst through the door of the drop ship, panic smeared across his face. "The grounder's gone!"
The words sent a clamor throughout the camp, people standing and turning to their friends, chattering worriedly about what could happen. Isaac glanced towards Octavia, who he could tell was trying her best to looked scared and innocent.
One boy decided to voice his opinions. "What if he decides to bring other grounders back?" he worried. "They'll kill us all!"
"Or worse!" A girl piped up.
This started a panic. A good number of the teenagers were talking, panicked, among themselves. Isaac frowned at the scene. He hurried to stand up next to Miller. "We can't cause a panic," he worried, glancing at the boy. "It'll make things worse."
Miller glared at the blonde boy. "I would agree with you but it seems this is something we should be worrying about."
Isaac sent the boy an exasperated look before turning to the crowd. "We can't panic!" he tried to say, but they were too bust freaking the hell out to pay his soft voice any attention.
"Let the grounders come!" a voice boomed, and suddenly everything was silent. Isaac turned to see Bellamy Blake in the center of the camp, Clarke by his side. Despite the tension and fear in the air, a small grin made it's way to Isaac's face. Clarke was okay. Bellamy tossed a white bag to the ground. "We've been afraid of them for far too long, and why? Because of their knives and spears. I don't know about you, but I'm tired of being afraid." He turned to look at Clarke. There was a solemn but accomplished look on her face as she nodded, and both of them swung what they had around their shoulders to the front, resting them on the ground with a thud.
Guns.
Isaac's eyes widened as the rest of the camp began to laugh joyously. Sending a look to Finn, he noticed the grimace on his lips.
Clarke started speaking and Isaac perked up. "These are weapons, okay, not toys... and we have to be prepared to give them up to the guard when the drop ships come, but until then, they're gonna help keep up safe."
"And there are plenty more where these came from," Bellamy promised, gesturing to the guns. "Tomorrow we start training, and if the grounders come, we're gonna be ready to fight."
* * * * *
Isaac fingered the blanket in his hands before quietly walking over to where Octavia was standing, leaning against the wall at the edge of the camp, looking out into the forest. Shaking the blanket out, he leaned forwards and gently put it around her shoulders. Octavia jumped a bit in surprise, turning her head to look at him. "Hey," he greeted her, walking to stand next to her. He was taller than her by nine inches and towered above her short frame. Looking down at her, he noticed the expression on her face. "You did the right thing," he whispered, nodding towards the dark trees ahead of them. Octavia looked up at him, confused. "Letting Lincoln go. We all know what would have happened if you hadn't."
Octavia looked at him, blinking at him, wide eyed, for a moment, before attempting to compose herself. "It wasn't me," she told him steadily
Isaac grinned and rolled his eyes at her. "I saw you do it," he told her, and her brave front fell.
"Fine," she muttered, before turning to him. "Fine, yes, I helped him escape. Please don't tell Bellamy?" she pleaded.
Isaac raised an eyebrow at her. "I wouldn't," he told her.
Octavia sighed, relieved. "Thank you," she said, turning back to look at the forest. "I'm just worried. I mean, what if he doesn't make it far?"
Isaac shrugged. Then he leaned down, looking at Octavia."I know it doesn't count for much..." he murmured, "But I gave him some medical supplies and a bit of food, on his way out. I don't know how long it'll last him, but..."
Octavia looked up at Isaac, surprised. "You helped him?" she asked, bewildered.
Isaac bit his lip, nodding. "Should I not have?"
Octavia let out a breathy laugh, shaking her head. "No, you did good," she told him. Shuffling closer, she tiredly leaned her head against his chest as she wrapped an arm around his back. "You did really good."
Isaac smiled, leaning against the wall. "You know if we get caught, not everyone will be understanding about it, right?"
Octavia shook her head. "I don't care at this point," she told him, sighing.
Isaac let out a quiet chuckle at his friend's attitude. "Same," he agreed simply, nodding along with her words. But suddenly the laughter died off, and his amused expression turned serious and worried. "I wish everything was just... so much simpler. You know?"
Octavia nodded into his chest. "Yeah, I do," she mumble.
"Everything down here is so... life or death, this or that. One wrong choice can lead to the worst consequences," Isaac sighed, jutting out his lower lip as he let his head fall against the wall. "I just one problem where no matter what I choose, no one gets hurt."
Octavia shifted next to him, tilting her head up, resting her chin on his chest to look up at him. "I don't think this is about Lincoln anymore, is it?"
Isaac opened his mouth to deny it, having not realized what he'd been doing. But suddenly his mind caught up with his words and he groaned, nodding pathetically. "I guess not."
Octavia tried to send him an encouraging smile. "Isaac, if Clarke doesn't fall madly in love with you then I think there might be something wrong with her, mentally."
The tall boy let out a weak chuckle. "Why is it always the sweet ones this happens to?"
"Hm?" Octavia blinked at him.
"We have no love luck," he went on, biting his lip, a bit frustrated. "Me and Clarke... you and Lincoln."
Octavia scoffed and blushed, looking down. "What do you mean? Me and -and Lincoln?" When Isaac looked at her expectantly, she simply leaned back into him, looking like a strawberry. "How did you know?"
"I have eyes," he told her, earning a smile.
"Well whoever you do end up with in the end, they're going to be lucky as hell to have you caring about them," Octavia assured him, rubbing his back with her small hand. A small smile appeared on Isaac's face as he looked down at her.
"Maybe it should be you," he blurted suddenly.
Octavia frowned. "What? Isaac, are you asking me out?"
Isaac spluttered, shaking his head. "No. I mean, not really. Sort of. For in the future."
The brunette tilted her head to the side. "Okay, now I'm officially confused. Explain."
Isaac rubbed a palm against his cheek. "Well, I just... we could make a pact."
Octavia smirked, already liking the idea. "What kind of pact?"
"Well... if we're both still single by... thirty f-"
"Forty."
Isaac nodded. "Forty," he restarted, correcting himself. "If we're both still single by forty, we get together instead."
Octavia raised an eyebrow. "Like, a last resort couple?"
Isaac shrugged, thinking. "I think it's more of a 'look, we're both not single and now we're married but we don't mind because we were already best friends' type of thing."
Octavia thought about it for a minute, before finally nodding her head in approval. "Sounds like a plan," she said. "But I guarantee you that Clarke will have fallen for you by then."
"Is that a bet?"
"You bet," Octavia smirked, and Isaac threw his head back in a laugh. "Come on, winner gets bragging rights."
Isaac smiled down at his best friend. "Yeah, deal. Prepare to lose, because I am destined to be forever alone."
"Isaac?" Isaac turned around when his name was called, noticing Clarke standing a few meters away. His eyes widened, and he silently prayed that she hadn't heard any of that conversation.
"Yeah?" he asked, as nonchalantly as possible.
"It's probably time we should change your bandages, it's been a while," she said, nodding to his injury. Isaac nodded, rubbing his thumb against Octavia's shoulder, bending down to place a short kiss on her forehead. Octavia laughed quietly as he pulled away, glancing at Clarke who suddenly looked like she was choking on a lemon.
"Someone's jealous," Octavia giggled under her breath. Isaac whipped his head around to see Clarke looking unhappy as she stared at Octavia. When she saw Isaac turning, however, she quickly pulled her eyes away, trying to look casual as she looked anywhere but the pair of friends.
"Yeah, right," Isaac said. "I'll see you later, wifey."
"Oh!" Octavia laughed, lightly punching him the arm. "Not yet," she told him. "Later, husband."
Isaac chuckled to himself as he left her, heading over to Clarke. There was a forced smile on her face as she led him to her tent, holding the flap back for him. He crouched down, crawling in and laying on the blankets gingerly, being careful not to strain his stitches. "I need to check this," Clarke told him, kneeling down next to him. She carefully lifted up his shirt, the cold air nipping at his skin. Clarke pulled the bandage off, and Isaac watched carefully as her eyebrows creased together as she concentrated.
Isaac shivered as her fingers brushed lightly against his delicate skin. If Clarke noticed, she showed no reaction. Instead, she bit the inside of her cheek, seeming bothered. "So... you and Octavia, huh?" she said.
Isaac raised an eyebrow at her, propping himself up on his elbows. "What about us?"
Clarke scoffed, rolling her eyes at him. "You're so oblivious," she muttered. "You two, as a couple."
If Isaac had been drinking water, he would have choked. Instead he just spluttered for a few seconds, red in the face. "What? No. We -we're just friends."
Clarke sent him a look as she got out a new bandage. "Really?" she asked, skeptical. "Nothing... romantic is going on between you two?"
Isaac almost laughed. "No, no. It's literally the opposite of that," he assured her. Then he realized how that had sounded. "I mean, it's not like I wouldn't date her, you know, because she's very nice, and -and quite pretty, but I mean... you -you know, I don't want to date her. In that way. I would friendship date her. As a friend."
Clarke pressed her lips together to hide the grin forming on her face. "Okay, okay, I get it. Nothing's happening."
Isaac nodded, feeling incredibly awkward. "Um... sorry, why -uh, why do you ask?"
Clarke felt her cheeks go red and turned down, hiding her face behind her hair as she busied herself with reapplying his bandage. "No reason," she clipped, trying not to sound as embarrassed as she felt. "You both just seemed really close earlier. I was curious."
"We're best friends," Isaac explained innocently. He had no idea how close Octavia already was to winning the bet.
Clarke nodded. "I see."
Isaac frowned up at her when her fingers stiffened on his skin. "Are you okay?" he asked her.
Clarke glanced at him, suddenly seeming a bit distracted. "Nothing." Isaac gave her a look and she cracked, letting out a sigh. "Okay. It's Finn."
Isaac felt something settle in the pit of his stomach at the heartbroken expression on Clarke's face. "What happened?" he asked softly.
Clarke bit her lip, looking sad but trying to hide it. "I just... he's upset because I didn't ask him before going to the guns depot. And now he thinks I'm crazy because I told him I trust Bellamy. I mean, I'm not crazy, right?"
Isaac frowned. He wanted to tell her that maybe trusting Bellamy wasn't a good idea, but then he thought about it. No matter how harsh the oldest Blake had been, everything he'd done was to protect the 100, and, more importantly, he was Octavia's brother. That had to count for something. Finally, Isaac shook his head. "I don't know how I feel about using guns, but... you could never be crazy. You care, you want to protect us. There's a difference."
Isaac glanced down as he talked, but when he looked back up he was met with a light smile. Clarke was looking at him with her beautiful blueish gray eyes. "Do you really believe that?" she breathed.
Isaac furrowed his eyebrows, nodding "Of course," he said. "You could never do anything wrong. If your trust Bellamy... well, I guess that means I should start trusting him too." Isaac wasn't aware of what he was doing until his fingers actually connected with Clarke's skin, softly brushing against her cheek as they traced down her jaw. The blonde girl froze in her spot, unknowingly leaning into his touch. Isaac propped himself up a bit closer to her, still looking into her eyes. His hand trailed down and the pads of his fingers rested against the bottom of her chin. Clarke's hand, which was still on his stomach, moved up and flattened against his chest, her fingers splaying out against his bare skin. The smiles wore off of their faces and they just stared at each other, unsure of what to do. Clarke unconsciously moved her hand up to Isaac's shoulder, squeezing it lightly as she blinked slowly, trying to think.
The simple action suddenly pulled Isaac out of whatever trance he had been in, and he pulled back with a slight gasp. His eyes were wide as he scooted away from Clarke, falling back against the blankets. His face was beet red, and even Clarke was blushing. "I -oh my god, I'm sorry," he stuttered, feeling completely out of place. "That was -I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that. You -"
"Isaac," Clarke interrupted him with a stern voice. The curly haired boy looked at her with wide eyes, waiting for her to scold him or slap him or turn and run out of the tent. "It's fine... just -just don't let it happen again."
Isaac felt like he was being stabbed all over again. "What?" he asked. His voice was surprisingly weak.
Clarke shook her head, reaching for the bandage she had set down. "That's not going to happen again, nor is anything else. That -whatever that was, it was a mistake. It didn't mean anything, and it wasn't going to lead anywhere. Got it?"
The tall boy could feel his heart being compressed in his chest, and suddenly it was harder to breathe. "I -I'm sorry," he whimpered quietly, turning away from Clarke and refusing to meet her eyes. "It won't happen again."
A/N: CLARKE wtf you doing bro. like wow okay break his poor little heart why don't you. ugh why do i do this to myself. also omg octavia and isaac are actually my brotp. like much yes. many bro. very wow. okay sorry but literally this chapter makes me laugh because i try to do two chapters per episode but i had only six minutes left of episode eight so i had to draw it out but im actually really happy with it even if i just sort of caused my smol child some emotional issues. gah. also WOW i literally just updated like yesterday (or was it two days ago, i can't remember?) and now again!! i feel so productive like literally yes please. okay well i need to stop writing omg by