Kings // c. griffin

Nineteen

Finn approached Isaac with a purpose, which confused the taller boy. Finn had been avoiding him steadily, and vice versa, for a good week. Except that was no longer going on, apparently, because Finn Collins was clearly headed in Isaac's direction, his hair swishing in front of his eyes.

His eyes were strange. They looked different than normal. Not as if their color had changed, that was the same as ever; no, it was something else. Instead of that reckless glint there was the dull weight of responsibility, a seriousness that, until now, Isaac had not seen on the boy. "Isaac," Finn breathed out his name as soon as he got close enough.

Isaac raised an eyebrow. He hadn't been angry with the boy for days, and now the only thing that hung in the air between them was awkwardness, and undeniable discomfort. They didn't know what to say when they were around each other. "Finn," the taller boy mumbled, giving a curt nod from his seat on the drop ship ramp.

Finn reached up to tug at his hair anxiously. "I need your help," he whispered. He stepped a bit closer and Isaac cleared his throat, unsure of what was happening.

"With what?"

"I... might have set up a meeting with the grounders," Finn told him. He leaned back, almost as if he were expecting a violent reaction for a second. Isaac raised his eyebrows again, waiting for him to continue. "Uh -they want you to come."

Isaac bit his lip. "You mean you want me to come," he sighed.

Finn's eyes widened and he shook his head. "No, seriously. They asked for you specifically," he said. Then he paused. "Well, you and Clarke."

"Me and -and Clarke?" Isaac blurted, leaning forwards. "Both of us, like... at the same time?"

Finn rolled his eyes despite the seriousness of the conversation. "Yeah," he said. "He said: Your leader, and her tall friend with the curly hair'. I don't know anyone taller than you, and your hair is definitely curly."

"They could mean Bellamy," Isaac shrugged his shoulders lamely, but Finn shook his head, grabbing him by the shoulder and hauling him up so he would stand.

"Uh, you're coming," Finn told him. "I'm not giving you a choice."

Isaac mumbled something weakly about kidnapping before Finn dragged him across camp to where Clarke was waiting, a sour expression on her face. "You ready?" she asked, sounding impatient. She glanced behind her for a moment, and Isaac turned his head to see Bellamy nodding at her. Frowning, he looked back to Clarke. He gave her a look and almost opened his mouth to say something, but the look in her eyes was enough to convince him to keep quiet. It didn't mean he liked it, but she was asking him to trust her. And he did. He trusted her with his life.

"I'm confused," Finn stated, only a few minutes after they'd started walking. "Isaac, you barely asked any questions, you just... followed me. Blindly."

Isaac pursed his lips, a red tint working its way onto his cheeks as he shook his head. "It's not you I followed," he admitted, his eyes finding Clarke. She was already looking at him, an unreadable sort of gleam in her eye. He had no idea if it was meant for him or if it had something to do with Bellamy, and if he was being honest he wasn't sure who he wanted it to be for.

"Really, no questions?" Finn raised his eyebrows at the boy. "None at all?"

Isaac thought about it for a minute. "Yeah, actually. Just one. Why would the grounders want me? I'm nothing special. I'm just..." he shrugged. "I'm Isaac. People don't listen to me, they don't like me, so why am I being treated as if I'm important?"

Clarke looked at him, and suddenly her fingertips were dancing across the exposed skin of his upper arm. "You are incredibly important," she told him. "You just don't know it." She tried to send him a smile, but it came out as more of a grimace. "You're smarter than just about everyone, and you have common sense. We need that. Maybe, the grounders know that too."