HOLA!
it's me with an actual chapter whaaaaaat. It's not your typical chapter though, just as a heads up. this one is for Steven, so here, have his moodboard that I created ;)
You can check out my other OC's mood boards in the awfully basic book named "meet my OC's"
As always Bold = Swedish
SEVENTEEN | ROMEO AND JULIET
The bottom of the mug looked less appealing than when it was full, Steven thought to himself as stared down at the copper base. His head rested heavily on one hand, eyes glazed as his mind delved into dark places he once tried to avoid.
"Come on Steve, you can't drown your sorrows forever."
He heard Ren's voice loud and clear though everything else around him sounded fuzzy. Slowly, Steven looked up to meet Ren's gaze. "Watch me."
With trembling hands from the amount of alcohol he had already consumed, Steven picked up his glass and awkwardly shuffled off the stool he had been sat on for the past few hours. Before he had a chance to stumble his way over to the bar area where he could get his next fix, Ren stood in his path and Steven's blank facade narrowed into a glare of annoyance.
"Okay, one; you're underage so you should stop now before you get caught," Ren crossed his arms over his chest. "And two, this is stupid, alcohol isn't going to make you feel better."
"Really? It's doing a pretty damn good job." Steven quipped, trying to get around Ren who just effortlessly stepped in his way again. Annoyance quickly turned to anger and Steven slammed his cup on the table, the noise loud enough to catch the attention of a few bystanders, "Just leave me alone Ren. You've got no idea how I feel so how about you just go away." Without another word or a glance at the other man, Steven turned on his heel, wanting to be anywhere else but there.
"I do, actually," Ren called after him, making the boy halt in his steps, though he didn't turn around. "You're not the only one who's lost someone Steven, I'm pretty sure if you get your head out of your ass you'd find that most of the folks sat around you have gone through what you're going through." Ren still got no reply. "I lost my girlfriend too, not that long ago, so yeah, I think I do know what you're feeling."
His bravado began to crack, withering away as his emotions once again rolled over him. Not even the sheer amount of alcohol could numb them. With a quivering lip, his eyes layered with a thin film of tears, Steven turned around to face Ren, the bile in his throat getting tighter with every passing second. "Does... does it get easier?"
Take aback by how quiet and raw Steven's voice sounded, Ren's jaw fell slack as he fumbled over his words. He wanted to tell him yes, it gets easier— but he'd only be lying. Ren inhaled deeply and rubbed the back of his neck as he averted his eyes. "No. It doesn't, I don't think it ever will."
Steven nodded solemnly, sucking in his bottom lip to stop it from trembling. His shoulders tensed and he slowly turned back around, walking into the darkness of the night, away from Ren, away from everyone.
"You suck, Ren." The older man sighed himself as he watched his friend disappear into the shadows.
***
Excitement bubbled in his chest as he raced through the woods, his heart had taken refuge in his throat, pumping loudly in his ears. He kept looking back, which was an instant mistake as his foot hooked beneath a root, pushing him off balance and he yelped loudly as fell flat on his in the dirt.
He groaned loudly with discontent as he heaved himself up into a sitting position, rubbing his forehead as he did. It was only a few seconds later he heard the sound of laugher. It was light and bubbly, infectious almost. A smile curved onto Steven's lips as soon as he heard her.
"Oh Ryder of the Sky People, you truly are like a small, defenceless animal," Nina laughed as she appeared from the tree line, small wrinkles appeared beside her dazzling blue eyes as she stalked closer. She was even more breathtaking than the last time they had a secret rendezvous. Steven could have spontaneously combusted the first time she asked to meet him after what had happened in her village. When they did finally meet up though, she had spent most of the time crying for the loss of her brother, not that Steven minded— he wanted to be able to comfort her.
He just wanted to be there for her.
However, this was their seventh rendezvous in the woods, and Nina was a lot happier than the first time. They spent their precious hours together culturing the other on how they live and the things they did in their spare time. Steven had never felt feelings so strong as he did when he was with her, he could suddenly understand why Bellamy's eyes lightened even at the mere sight of Carter.
Steven laughed awkwardly as he stood up, dusting his hands on his shirt. "Thanks for comparing me to an animal."
"You're welcome," She grinned, finally catching up to him. When they both stood straight, Steven was a whole head taller than her, which made him feel far more masculine since he was rather short compared to the rest of camp. They both began to walk slowly through the forestry, their hands occasionally brushing against one another. "I am joking, I much prefer your company to that of a four legged beast."
Steven's cheeks blushed furiously as he casted his gaze to his feet as a massive smile tugged at his lips. "Thanks Nina, I'll take a compliment where I can get one."
"It is sad that we have to keep meeting up without our people knowing," Nina sighed, disheartened that she couldn't just enjoy Steven's company without sneaking around. "Especially since we're currently allies."
"I know," Steven agreed, rubbing the back of his neck. "I suppose we're a bit like Romeo and Juliet." The second the words left his mouth he wanted to slap himself in the face. He was sure Nina only looked at him as a friend, and there he was comparing them to one of the oldest love stories ever told.
Nina cocked her head to the side slightly, "Are they friends of yours, Ryder?"
Steven inwardly cringed upon hearing his pseudonym. He wanted to tell Nina his real name, he was just too afraid she would laugh at him or worse. "Uh, no," Steven sent her a crooked grin, "It's a very old story."
Nina suddenly sat down on the forest floor, her legs crossed beneath her long tea coloured dress. The patient, tight-lipped smile on her face told Steven he wasn't going to get away with this without intense embarrassment. She patted the ground in front of her and reluctantly, the boy sat.
"So, there was this girl called Juliet Capulet and she, uh, accidentally falls in love with this boy who's called Romeo Montague. Now the Capulet family hated the Montague family, so their love was forbidden," Steven began to feel his palms sweat as Nina watched him, wholly invested in his story telling. "So they had these secret meetings and stuff, I don't remember the story very well but they both end up dying for their love."
"Dying?" Nina repeatedly incredulously. "But why?"
"Because their families wouldn't let them be together." Steven shrugged. "It's stupid really, I probably shouldn't have compared us to them."
"Ryder?" The girl leaned forward tentatively, placing a hand on Steven's thigh.
"Yeah?"
"I would like to be your Juliet." She smiles sweetly as Steven's jaw fell slack. He opened his mouth to respond but she quickly ceased any conversation as she placed the sweetest, most softest kiss on his chapped lips, igniting a spark within him.
It was in that moment Steven knew he would never feel love like he did for her.
***
Steven sat beside the fence, looking out into the eerily dark forest with a frown as he pulled at the grass by his sides.
With so much death and destruction that had been in his life for the past few months, he really thought she was his endgame, his beacon of happiness through dark times and just like that— she was taken from him.
His frown turned into a steely glare as he began to rip the grass out in tufts. He looked up to Bellamy like an older brother, he followed his every command, he would have died for him, and how was Steven repaid? They killed the one person he actually adored. The person who made him feel on cloud nine without even trying.
"Hello, son."
Catching him off guard, Steven gasped and looked up to see Jaha smiling down at him. He knew the former Chancellor was back and even weirder than ever, but he didn't particularly care.
"Hey." Steven replied in a grunt as he returned to his grass picking. He thought that maybe Jaha would get the hint that he wanted to be alone, but no, instead the old man took it upon himself to sit beside the young boy.
"I'm sorry for what happened to your lady friend, I'm sure she was a wonderful person." Jaha spoke softly, his gaze looked into the distance, though it wasn't focused.
"She was the best." Steven corrected, feeling himself tense up. He wasn't ready to speak about her yet, especially not to someone who didn't even know what she was like. "Every day without her is going be like an eternity in Hell."
There was a brief pause between the two before Jaha replied, "What if I said there was something I could do to help?"
***
He knew something wasn't right when she never turned up to meet him. She never missed their meetings.
At first, he thought maybe she was playing a prank on him, and then he saw smoke billowing in he distance and his heart dropped to his stomach. Picking up in speed he didn't know he possessed, he ran towards the camp where Nina and other Grounders resided. His lungs burned with every push but he didn't stop, he didn't slow and he didn't once look back.
The colour drained from his face once he'd broke through the trees and into the clearing. Not even his worst nightmares could concoct nor prepare him for the horrors of what awaited him. Bodies upon bodies, men and women alike. The stench of blood curdled the air and Steven swallowed thickly as tears stung the edges of his eyes. It was then, he heard a voice cut through the deathly silence.
The voice he had grew to love.
From where he stood, he watched Nina beg on her knees to stop, her dress already soaked in blood from a wound to her shoulder. He followed the gun pointed to her forehead up to the person who held it.
Bellamy Blake.
No. It couldn't be, he wouldn't. Steven wanted to run over there and ask what the hell was happening, but he was frozen stiff. Even from the distance he could tell Bellamy didn't want to pull the trigger, but then he noticed Pike saying something to him, his face contorted with rage. Bellamy nodded his head and turned away as a piercing gunshot echoed through the clearing.
"No," Steven whispered as he fell to his knees, all his energy suddenly gone.
Pike patted the former leader on the shoulder and they both turned away into the forest, along with the rest of their group. It was only once they were gone, Steven scrambled to his feet and ran towards his girlfriend.
"Nina! Nina," He blurted as he ran to her side. Bellamy hadn't shot her in the head as he thought, but rather her chest. Her eyes lazily fell on Steven and even as choked and gagged, she still a managed to smile at him. "It's going to be okay, I'm going to find some help."
Nina merely shook her head, her chest convulsing with every ragged breath. She lifted her hand to his face, cupping his cheek with her bloodied fingers as tears slipped from her eyes. He tried not to cry, he really did, but it was as though someone had just ripped his heart out and set it alight.
"I... love you, Ryder." Her voice was broken, shaky and strained by the words held so much strength in them, he couldn't stay strong as he placed his own hand over hers, clenching his jaw to stop the sobs. He never really understood when people say that the life leaves peoples eyes, but as he watched Nina's once dazzling eyes turn dull, he finally got it.
Her had fell limp but he couldn't release her grip. He didn't want to let her go.
***
"How can you help?" Steven scoffed with disbelief. "No one can and this pain will never go away."
"Maybe it can."
Steven furrowed his brows as he looked back up at the former chancellor. Jaha had a small, clear chip-like card in his fingers, offering it to Steven. Tentatively, the boy took it and inspected it with a slight frown. It reeked of suspicion, but Steven couldn't help his curiosity.
"What will this do?"
"Take away all of your pain." Jaha smiled with confidence and Steven went back to inspecting the small chip. In any other case he wouldn't trust it. When Jaha began preaching about a City of Light, Steven pretty much declared the man a certified whack job. But in that moment? He was desperate for the pain to go away.
"What do I do with it?"
"Swallow it."
He had lost everything and with nothing to gain, Steven clenched his jaw. A world without pain was one he yearned for. Without another moment to think, he placed the chip on his tongue and tilted his head back, almost reaching as he felt the chip slide down the back of his throat.
"Good kid." Jaha smiled triumphantly.
For a brief moment, Steven wondered if it would kill him but decided that he didn't care. Maybe then he and Nina would truly be the modern version of Romeo and Juliet.
Yeah I know, not the typical chapter you were expecting, but I'm currently stuck on the one with Carter so boom, have one of Steven and how he got so low his only way out was to take ALIE.
Let me know what you think of it!
FYI your girl finally got herself an Instagram! Feel free to add me (please add me I need friends) I'll probably post fan art, general art and obviously pictures of the fam ;))) I'm called kayleighsokay
do your thing
Thank you for reading amigos.