Veidas (Invaders)

Conversations

We sat there for so long that Octavia eventually cried herself to exhaustion and fell asleep. Hearing the deep breathing even out, I shifted a bit and made us more comfortable, but kept her in my arms. I knew on an intuitive level that Octavia needed that contact. And knowing that I would be here a while, I leaned my head back and closed my eyes. Feeling my own exhaustion pulling me down.

I don't know how long I slept, but a knock on the camp side roused me. I blinked a few times until everything came into focus and looked to see Clarke looking back at me nervously. I motioned her inside. She came in but left the cloth open to let the last of the daylight seep in.

Noticing who I had in my arms, her eyes widened in shock, "Is that..."

I nodded, smiling down at the sleeping brunette, "Yeah. I went for a walk—"

"You went for a walk?! You just woke up from blood loss and getting stabbed, Harlee," Clarke glared down at me. "You need to rest and recover. A stab wound is way more serious than cat scratches. What if you had torn your stitches, huh? You could have bled out. And I bet you were alone, too. Do you have any sense of self-preservation?!"

"Clarke," I harshly spoke, but still mindful of Octavia asleep, "it was a walk. There's nothing strenuous about walking. If I had done what I wanted to do, you'd still be patching people up, and I'd be bleeding out. I needed to calm down without putting anyone in danger. Clarke, I'm not like other people. Besides quickly healing, I am violent when I'm upset. By taking that walk, I was acting in everyone's best interests, including my own."

Clarke seemed to deflate and crouched down, "Will you at least let me take a look and make sure that you haven't torn any of your stitches?"

"No," I replied. "I didn't tear any, and besides, I'm not moving any time soon while Octavia is sleeping against me."

"What happened to her anyway," Clarke asked, accepting my refusal, albeit reluctantly.

"Octavia's had an emotional couple of days," I answered, stroking the brunette's back soothingly. "And Bellamy's the root cause."

Running a hand through her hair in frustration, Clarke said, "I don't know what to do about him, Harlee. I know that I can't let what he did slide. He nearly killed you and hurt Raven. I know that he's been an asshole with his whole 'whatever the hell we want' mantra. And I know that he doesn't want the Ark to come down, but why? And are these all connected?"

"I can answer those questions, Clarke," I said, gazing over at her. "I wanted to talk with you, Wells, and Raven about that. And a couple of other things. I think it might be a good idea to talk about them before you speak with the Council."

"Are you better," Clarke asked, regarding me through serious blue eyes.

I nodded, "I am. The walk and speaking with Octavia helped. So, now would probably be a good time. I also think that Octavia needs to hear this too. Even after all he's done, Bellamy is still her brother."

Clarke nodded and stood up with a groan, "Then I'll go and bring them here."

"Thank you," I quietly replied. "Clarke, I'm not used to this. I'm not good at connecting with people outside sex. But I'm trying. Just try and be patient with me."

Clarke smiled, walked over, kneeled in front of me and took my chin in her hand, "I can see that, Harlee. And I think you're doing okay connecting with people. If you weren't, I doubt Octavia would've been comfortable falling asleep curled up in your arms. No matter how exhausted she was. You don't give yourself enough credit, Harlee."

I blushed and tried to duck my head, but Clarke held firm. Clarke chuckled at my attempt and then leaned in to kiss me. It was soft, quick, and chaste. There was nothing sexual about the kiss. And I felt nothing but the message she was conveying. Reassurance.