#v; ⋱ yes sir ⋰ ⦙ |*| ( army + sniper )

[gunmetalgrey-trashpile]

it’s us against the world 🎵

[gunmetclgrey-archived]

i want to be happy but i don’t think i deserve it. / vic

from some meme somewhere with @veresum​

    “ Fuck what you think. I’ve got proof you are the kindest, bravest, most genuine person I know. And that deserves to be rewarded. No one on this earth has earned a bit of peace and fucking quiet than you, alright? You get to be happy. It’s coming.”

    “ You hear me?”

[slytherinbarnes]

Sub Rosa [50]

v. the tinder box

Pairing: Bellamy Blake x reader

Word Count: 3.8k

Warnings: bruising, fighting, violence, explosions/fire, near death. 

Summary: tensions with the Ice Nation come to a head as Clarke desperately tries to stop a war. 

a/n: HAPPY CHAPTER 50!!!! HALFWAY, WOW!!! to those of you who have been with this series from the beginning, thank you! to those of you who just recently jumped onto this wild ride, thank you! to those of you who may be reading this in the future, thank you! thank you to all of the love, support, comments, messages, and interaction. i love you all so much and I can’t believe we’ve made it this far! the taglist for this series is open! I hope you enjoy, please let me know what you think!!! also yes I know this is a day late, this post just disappeared in my drafts??? and I wasn’t able to reupload until today. ch 51 will go up on saturday and then we’ll resume regular posting next week!

previous chapter // season masterlist // series masterlist

March 19th, 2150; somewhere near Arkadia

You don't know how long you’ve been walking for, but based on the growing pain in your legs and the soreness in your feet, it’s been a long time. You can't see anything through the sack over your face, but you are able to see the light filtering through the spaces in the fabric. Based on the fact that you started marching in early evening the night before and it’s now light outside, you can guess that you’ve put in about 18 straight hours of walking, no stops in between to camp or rest. 

You know that Kane and Bellamy are nearby, because you can hear the chains on their hands and wrists jingling as they move. Every few hours one of you tentatively whispers the other two’s names, despite the fact that every time you do, the guards around you smack all of you in punishment. You’re sure that a bruise is steadily growing on your left arm, but the pain is worth it for the reassurance that you’re not alone. 

You’re thinking about calling out to the two men again, since it’s your turn in the rotation, when Echo’s voice rings out loud and clear around you. “Hod op!”

Halt! You are pulled to a stop by your guard, and you feel tension run through your body at the thought that this is it, you’ve arrived at Arkadia. But before you can contemplate that any further, a familiar voice yells, “We need to talk.”

You smile underneath your disguise, and breathe out, “Clarke.”

You hear Bellamy mutter, “What? Clarke?”

You’re unable to answer him because you receive a harsh hit to your shoulder, deepening your already bruised arm, but Roan confirms your suspicions when he yells, “Reinja! Lok Wanheda in!”

Archers! Target Wanheda! Your breath stutters in your throat, and you can hear movement all around you as the archers take position, but the sound of death doesn't follow, and no cry of victory over Wanheda is called. You hear movement again, this time accompanied by a murmur of anxiety, and you suspect that Clarke had a trick up her sleeve that the Ice Nation wasn't expecting. Echo is next to announce their play, “Lid honon-de in!

Bring in the prisoners! You are grabbed by your guard and led forward a few steps until you are pushed down to your knees. You hear Bellamy and Kane pushed down beside you. Then the bag is yanked off your head, flooding your vision with bright sunlight. You blink against it, trying to readjust your eyes to the light, the world suddenly coming back into view. As it does, you see that you aren't at Arkadia, not yet anyways. You’re in the stone ravine on the way to camp, about 20 miles out. You feel your guard at your back, sword held out towards you, waiting for the command to rid you of your head. The thought makes you uneasy. 

“Your move, Wanheda.” Clarke stands a few hundred feet away, looking at the three of you in shock, and you can see emotion threatening to overtake her. But then she remembers where she’s at and who’s watching, and she composes herself. “Ten minutes, that’s all I ask.”

She turns and walks away without an answer, knowing that the Ice King will follow. And he does, dismounting from his horse with grace, despite Echo’s protests. “Wait, where's she going? What if it's a trap?”

“It is a trap. We're already in it.” When he turns back to answer her, you can see green dots spotted along his chest, signaling the use of rifle scopes on the precipes up above. You smile a little, happy to have the support. He turns and walks away, following Clarke into the woods, and one by one the green dots drop away from him. save for one, which lingers on the King a full minute longer than the others, before it also drops away. As soon as Roan is out of sight, Echo takes up command. “The king is clear. Archers, the first gunshot you hear, loose your arrows. Infantry, on my command, scatter and climb. Kill until there's no one left.”

Beside you, Kane scoffs. “This is insane, they knew you were coming. We have thousands of rounds, you'll be the ones with no one left.”

As soon as Kane mentions Skaikru having the element of surprise, a hopeful look passes over Bellamy’s face. You peer at him, trying to make sense of it, until you remember his words from last night. Octavia will warn them you're coming, you’ll lose. You feel hope rush through you at the thought of your best friend, your second sister, still alive, despite Echo's best efforts. Kane sees the expression on both yours and Bellamy's faces, and he looks between you in confusion. “What?”

“They thought they had the element of surprise, but we did.” Bellamy’s voice is low, but hopeful. “Someone warned them.”

“You think it was Octavia?”

“She's alive.”

A smile passes over Kane’s face at the thought, and for a while, though still captive, the three of you sit in the middle of an Azgeda army, hopeful that maybe all hope isn't lost. Of course, in typical “chaos of the Earth” fashion, it doesn't last long. The guard behind Kane suddenly yells out, “Look out, Skaikru!”

You all look up in alarm as a figure makes its way towards you, hands lifted in surrender, and only when they get closer do you realize that it's Monty. “I’m unarmed. I need to talk to whoever's in charge.”

One of the guards runs over and grabs him, tossing him to the ground near the three of you. As Monty pulls himself up, Bellamy grabs his arm, holding him in place, and whispers, “Is Octavia alive?”

Monty nods, and relief rushes through all of you. A smile breaks free on Bellamy's face, but he quickly hides it when Echo slides off her horse and walks over to your group. “Speak.”

Monty's arms are still lifted in surrender as he watches the spy, “One of our people has moved out of formation. I've reason to believe he's going to the cave to try to kill your king.”

“Why are you telling me this?”

You turn and snap, “Why do you think he's telling you this? He's trying to stop a massacre.”

Kane looks at Monty, his expression serious. “Who is it?”

“Riley.”

You and Bellamy exchange a look, remembering the condition you found Riley and the others in, the captivity and torture they had endured, at the hands of the Ice Nation, no less. Bellamy turns his focus back to Monty. “Riley? He shouldn't even be here.”

“That seems to be the consensus.”

Echo turns and motions to two soldiers nearby, “Yu en yu, ogeda kom ai. Tsa bants.”

You and you, with me. Let’s go. Kane immediately starts to protest, “Wait! If our snipers see archers on the move, they'll open fire.”

“I will not allow my king to be assassinated.”

Bellamy argues, “He doesn't have to be. I know Riley, let me come with you. I can stop him.”

You look towards him in alarm, shaking your head. “Bellamy-”

Echo cuts you off as she stands glaring at your boyfriend, “Do you think me a fool, Bellamy?”

“You'll be a dead fool if you step out of this kill box without me. Use Monty's radio and let Kane tell them we're working together to find Riley, and they'll let us pass.”

She thinks about this for a second before nodding at Monty to pass his radio to Kane. He complies, and Kane immediately switches into Chancellor mode, voice serious. “This is Chancellor Kane.”

On the other end, Miller’s father answers, “Sir, are you all right?”

“Listen to me, Bellamy's working with one of theirs to find Riley. You let them through, understood?”

“Copy that.”

Echo turns to Bellamy's guard. “Take off his chain.”

His guard complies, leaving the reatriants on his wrists, but freeing his legs. And then, she surprises everyone by turning to you. “I want this one too.”

Bellamy and Kane both start to protest. “Echo, that wasn't part of-”

“...really not necessary to-”

But she shuts them both up by lifting her sword to your neck. “Her twin is in the cave with the king, and Bellamy is in love with her. If Riley isn't stopped, she dies first.”

Panic grips your heart as you wonder if it’s even possible to stop Riley in a vendetta for revenge as large as this one. Despite Roan having no involvement in his imprisonment, Riley seems to think the king’s death is the only retribution. It’s hard to stop ideas like that. Just ask Pike. Your guard frees your feet but leaves your hands chained together, same as Bellamy, and Echo motions to Monty. “And put the chain on this one. If I'm not back before the sun goes past the trees, kill the hostages.”

Bellamy holds his bound hands out to Echo, indicating that she should free him completely, but she ignores him and shoves him forward before grabbing you and pushing you behind him. As you follow the path that Roan and Clarke took, Bellamy muses, “So much for building trust.”

He leads your trio through the woods, straight into the setting sun, towards the cave to stop Riley, and all the while, Echo keeps her sword at your back. One wrong move and she's ready to end you, without hesitation. As Bellamy leads you down the path, he motions to a nearby ridge. “That ridge gives the best sight line to the cave, that's where we'll find him.”

“Are you really willing to kill your own man to save my king?”

Bellamy stops in place, and turns to face her, rolling his eyes as he does. “Don't you get sick of it? Sides; my man, your king. Praimfaya doesn't give a damn about what clan you're from.”

Echo ignores the jab, and focuses only on the impending doom of the human race. “I'm glad you'll get a chance to say goodbye to your sister before it comes...unless we all die here today.”

A flash of surprise passes over Bellamy’s face, but you aren't surprised to hear the words from her. Despite all of your disdain for the spy, she’s smart. Smart enough to know that if Skaikru had the advantage, Octavia had to have survived, as impossible as it seems. Bellamy's jaw tightens at the mention of his sister, from her almost killer, and he turns and starts walking again before he quips, “If you had killed her, these chains would be around your neck.”

“It's like Queen Nia used to say: war makes murderers of us all.”

The words leave you and Bellamy in silence, both of you considering the truth to them. Has war made you a murderer? You get a flash of a memory, five notches carved into the handle of your knife, and that’s just from the kills you used the knife with. That doesn't include Atom, any of the people from Mount Weather, or the various Grounders, guards, and people you killed along the way, just to save yourself. It also doesn't include anyone you killed indirectly, a death caused because you had a hand in it in some way, whether you meant to or not. Gina. The Farm Station survivors in Mount Weather. Pike. Monroe. Lincoln. Your father. Stephens. You have the horrifying realization that the idea you've always tried to fight, the thing you never wanted to become, has happened. You’re a killer. A monster in some people’s eyes, maybe a savior in the eyes of others. But the fact still remains that you're a killer. It's not an idea you’ve thought extensively about, because the truth of it makes you sick to your stomach. Never did you ever imagine that the little girl who used to listen to stories about space and constellations, who longed to see the world on the other side of her door, would grow up to become someone who took a life and rarely thought of it again. 

Bellamy pulls you out of your thoughts when he turns to look at you and Echo. “We should be close, follow my lead. If he fires that gun, we'll be at war.”

“Whatever you say.”

You spot Riley first, sprawled out on a large boulder up ahead, gun resting in front of him, aimed towards the cave. You point and tell Bellamy, “There!”

Bellamy takes off running towards him, calling his name as he does, before coming to a stop at Riley’s side. “Riley, stop. You don't want to do this.”

“Get out of here, Bellamy.”

As soon as the words leave Riley’s mouth, Echo grabs your arm and pulls you closer to her, lifting your knife to your throat. You make a small sound of surprise, and it’s enough for Bellamy to turn his attention towards you, eyes widening in alarm at you so close to death again. “Echo, Echo, wait. If you kill her, Riley will shoot.”

He turns back to Riley, begging to keep the peace. “Riley, listen to me. Pulling that trigger won't end anything. The three of us will be executed, along with Kane and Monty, and our side will open fire. It'll be a bloodbath.”

Riley makes no move to end his revenge, his finger still resolutely resting on the trigger. “You're a prisoner. You're just saying what they want you to say. I know all about that.”

Echo’s hold on you had started to loosen, but Riley’s continued refusal to stand down pisses her off, and has her tugging you close again. “I’m done with this.”

Your knife bites at the skin of your throat, and dread washes over you. You look towards Bellamy, whose gaze is still on Riley and you whisper, “Bellamy, I love-”

He cuts you off, turning to face you with a teary eyed glare, his voice firm. “No, this is not how this ends.”

Bellamy is in pure distress when he drops to his knees beside Riley, nearly on the verge of tears as he makes one last plea. “Riley, I am begging you. I know how you feel about them, and I know what they did to you, but your life was saved for a reason, and this isn't it. Trust me when I tell you, if this turns into a massacre, it will never get out of your head. War made me a murderer, don't let it happen to you.”

Your heart breaks at the words, and you feel a rush of sadness at the thought that the last words you’ll hear from Bellamy are words of regret for the things that he’s done. Riley shakes with the conflict of his decision, warring between the idea of pulling the trigger or letting it go, and you feel Echo tense behind you. You aren't sure why at first, but as you look around, your eyes land on Clarke and Roan, now exiting the cave. Echo’s hand wraps tighter around the knife, and you have the distinct feeling that this is your end. A tear rolls down your cheek as you look back to Bellamy again, his gaze frantically flitting between you and Riley, before finally, miraculously, Riley drops the weapon with a sob, burying his face in his hands.

Echo drops the knife from your throat, and you scramble away from her, towards Bellamy, hugging him the best you can with the chains around your wrists. Tears of relief fall down your face as you realize that somehow, you escaped death once again. You feel a wash of anxiety when you think that eventually, one day, that won't be the case. 

At that moment, Roan and Clarke come around the corner, and as soon as she sees you, she runs towards you in alarm. “La lune, are you okay?”

You turn towards her, hastily wiping away your tears, allowing her to hug you. She pulls away to inspect you, eyes falling to the small cut on your neck from your knife, and her eyes jump back up to you in alarm. Knowing her, she catalogued you the second Roan revealed you as one of the hostages, and she’s smart enough to know this cut is fresh. She whispers, “What did they do? Are you okay?”

You smile at her the best you can, still upset from near death. “I’m fine. We all are, because no one died today.”

Roan eyes your group suspiciously, looking from a sobbing Riley, to your upset form, and then to Echo and Bellamy. “So, what did we miss?”

“Nothing, sire.”

Belamy looks over at Clarke, trying to decipher her body language. “I take it we're not at war?”

“Not today.”

“And the ship?”

Clarke looks at you, then over to Bellamy. “If we can't crack Nightblood, we'll share Arkadia. Find a way for us to survive together.”

Her answer is immediately followed up with a loud explosion. You all exchange looks of alarm before looking for the source, seeing a plume of smoke drifting into the air from somewhere nearby. Clarke’s voice is horrified when she whispers, “It came from Arkadia.”

The words send you all into action, and you take off running back towards the army. As soon as you arrive, Roan is yelling out orders to his people. “Azgeda, hold here. Free the hostages. Echo, you’re with me, we’re following them back.”

“Yes, my king.”

One of the guards quickly loosens your chains, and you shake them off, before Kane runs over to all of you. “What was that? What happened?”

“We don't know.” Clarke grabs her radio. “Arkadia, come in. Arkadia, do you copy? What’s going on there?”

The answer is met with the sound of chaos in the back, screaming and crying echoing all around. “Fire! Alpha Station is on fire!”

Every single one of you exchanges a distressed look, and Clarke switches the radio back to the channel she was using for the guards involved in this mission. “Everyone Back to the rover, now! Arkadia is on fire!”

You turn to her, wheels of your mind already spinning as you contemplate the news. “How far to the rover?”

“Not far, but we only have space for two more. We rode out here almost at full capacity.”

You turn to Kane and Bellamy, “You two shoud go.”

They both start to protest, but you shake your head. “Kane, you're the Chancellor, your people need you. Bellamy, you have to go find Octavia.”

They know they can't argue with your words, and Clarke offers, “I’ll stay behind.”

“No, you're a better doctor than I am. They’ll need you.”

Roan must have caught the tail end of your conversation, because he rides up beside your group on his horse. “She can ride with me.”

You turn to look at him, “Are you sure?”

He holds out his arm, extending it to you so he can help you up, “We’re allies.”

And though you’re still annoyed at his flip flopping attitude, his constantly changing alliances, you know there’s no time to argue. If you want to get back to Arkadia, this is the way to do that. You turn and look at Bellamy, who gives a little shake of his head, but you shrug. You turn back to Roan, and take his outstretched hand, which he uses to swing you up and over onto the back of his horse. Clarke nods at Roan, “We’ll see you there.”

Roan nods once in return before nudging his horse into movement, and you have half a second to wrap your arms around his waist before he urges the horse faster, sending you flying through the woods and the trees. It takes some time to ride back, and at some point the rover catches up with you, though they never overtake you. They stick close, allowing Roan to lead the pack towards Arkadia, and the bright flames that are dancing against the dark sky in the distance.

When you reach Arkadia, Roan pulls his horse to a stop and Clarke stops the rover nearby. Bellamy is out of the vehicle and at your side before you can even dismount, and he helps pull you off the horse before you can even thank Roan. Clarke joins you as all three of you run into the camp, and straight into chaos. All around you people are screaming and crying, looking for loved ones lost during the explosion, searching for someone to administer medical aid. You pause at the entrance, Alpha Station looming in front of you, pieces of it falling down in large flaming chunks. 

“I need to find my sister.”

Clarke points towards one of the flame free sides of the ship. “She was in medbay.”

All three of you take off running towards the entrance, searching for any sign of Octavia. Finally, exiting from one of the few safe places left, she is led out of the ship by a man you don't recognize, and Niylah. You point towards them, grabbing Bellamy's arm to get his attention. “There!”

He runs towards her, frantic, yelling, “O! O!”

When he reaches her, he scoops her off her feet and turns and carries her away from the growing flames. Clarke grabs Niylah and leads her away, and you eye the unknown man for a second before turning and following Bellamy to safety. When you reach them, he’s kneeling on the ground, Octavia still in his arms, her arms wrapped around his neck as she cries into his chest. You drop at her side, reaching out for her arm, and she flinches away from you, not realizing that it's you. You move into her line of sight, reaching for her hand. “It’s okay, it’s just me.”

She wraps her hand around yours, connecting you, before rasping out, “It was Ilian. I tried to stop him.”

She turns the best she can to look at the unknown man, Ilian, who is silhouetted against the destruction that he caused. Octavia coughs hard, trying to clear the smoke from her lungs, and you nod at her. “You’re okay now. Don't say anything, just breathe.”

She nods, burrowing closer to Bellamy just as Clarke runs over to you. You turn and tell her, “She’s okay, for now.”

Clarke opens her mouth to say something, but whatever it was dies in her throat, because a series of explosions rings out, sending flaming debris everywhere. The loud blasts staccato the air, and all of you turn your faces away as more debris rains down with each burst. Clarke reaches out for your hand, and you instantly take it, drawing comfort from your twin. You glance at Bellamy, worry etched into his features, and you know that your expression is the same. 

Your faces all lift to the burning station as it falls apart around you; Octavia in her brother’s arms, her hand wrapped tightly around yours, you in the middle, grip held tight by your own sibling. All four of you, your family, helpless as you watch the ruin of your home, and the destruction of your safe place from Praimfaya. 

-

next chapter

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MILITARY TIMELINE

20 Drops out of St. Andrews after Jasper dies, enlists in the army WITH R ANGLIAN 1st - C COMPANY - PRIVATE 21 WITH R ANGLIAN 1st - C COMPANY - PRIVATE 22 WITH R ANGLIAN 1st - C COMPANY - PRIVATE 23 WITH R ANGLIAN 1st - C COMPANY* SEB MIGHT DIE AND ALEX MIGHT LEAVE* - LANCE CORPORAL 24 ALEX LEAVES, Alex meets Will Morrisey - UKSF DRIVER - LANCE CORPORAL 25 Will Morrisey dies - UKSF SRR - LANCE CORPORAL / SERGENT IF SEB DIES 26 Alex reaches out to seb, Alex shatters her shoulder - UKSF SRR - CORPORAL  / SERGENT IF SEB DIES 27 Alex is discarged as an early service leaver - UKSF SRR - CORPORAL  / SERGENT IF SEB DIES

JUST FYI

[gunmetalgrey-trashpile]

for @alreadybrcken​

   “ Oi-oi boss.”

She set herself down opposite him, her fork shovelling food into her mouth at the speed of light. She was almost certainly too comfortable with him, too relaxed for someone who should be a figure of authority. But it seemed to get her pretty far. He was friendly, and knew how to take a joke better than some of the guys who’d signed up.

Setting down her empty container and leaning back on her bench, she smiled.

    “ You busy?”

[gunmetalgrey-trashpile]

"it wasn’t your fault." (From August)

for @diabolicaltendencies​ in reference to this painful thing

She couldn’t bring herself to nod. She couldn’t bring herself to move. The weight of her thoughts were more than she could bare. her glassy eyes stared into the numb distance, unfocused and still wet with tears that had dried salt streaks down her cheeks. She might cry still, although there was no moisture left. It wasn’t her fault, not logically. There was nothing Alex could have done to change this outcome. It was the cost of war, or their lives, or the career they loved more than they wanted to say.

But she had been so close to happiness and it had to be pulled away at the last second. Starting again with Will, building a home where she never had to feel undermined or invisible, falling in love every morning with him more and more... Logically she should be thankful to have known him at all. It was easy enough, if she closed hr eyes, to pretend this wasn’t real. That at any moment, he could walk into the room and she could punch him for the sick and twisted joke that had been played. 

As August pulled her close, Alex felt the ghost of the person she wanted to hold her.  Not that she wasn’t grateful. She had pushed everyone else in her life away in an attempt to start again. No one else even knew the hell she was going through.

Her bottom lip shook, it was still too fresh to find words to wade through the pain. The ring felt heavy on her finger, the humidity of base clouding her mind. It was her fault. It was her fault she could feel, that she had let someone close enough to break her all over again.

[gunmetalgrey-trashpile]

continued from here with @alreadybrcken​

    “ Sure you are, boss.”

She knew he was off. She knew him enough to care. That was rare these days.

He was never normally this slow to get to his feet. Tommy was as relentless in his pushing of her as Alex was in her drive to learn, her determination was all consuming right now. If she was faster, stronger, smarter, maybe she could forget the pieces of herself she hated. Alex hadn’t hit him too hard, no more than he could take.

Taking a breath, Alex knelt next to him reaching for his forehead to test his fever. She should probably have shown a little more deference to him, if he didn’t look so washed out.

    “ You’re burning up. How long have you been feeling like shit?”

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HER RANK

The highest rank Alex ever achieved in the British army was Corporal, not Colonel.

This is partly that due to the fact she is a woman serving in the early 2000-2010s but ALSO she receives a lot of specialist training that she has to move around for, like transferring into UKSF.

Alex isn’t much of a leader, so smaller command suits her. She isn’t directly calling the shots but she has a little control and freedom as well as some rank to pull. For more on her military service, see HERE.

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meme’s from the old blog

for @epiitaphs​ you should have told me sooner. (from seb)

He was right.

She had become so used to functioning alone after shutting the world out.

Alex reached out to him about nine months ago, when things were looking good. She had her life together, she was about to get engaged and live her perfect life.

Maybe she should have expected him to drop by on her birthday, or call. He knew where she lived now they spoke from time to time. It was hard, he didn’t want to talk about his work and she couldn’t.

Now all she felt was pain. Literal pain. Her painkillers for her shoulder were wearing off again.

    “ You can go.”

Her voice was defeated, and tired. Maybe showing this was the first time she had spoken in days. The space around her sofa was littered with filled ash trays, take away boxes and dirty washing. It was hard to find her amongst the mess, curled up under her blanket with her shoulder propped up to one side.

    “ Just go.”

Her voice cracked as she told him to leave, struggling to hold it together. All he had to do was make it out the door and she could dissolve into being numb again, hide and shut out the noise he made feel very real.

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for @watsonofagun bc P A I N

The static crackle on her comms was enough for her heart to drop into her stomach.

She could see him, working away beneath the wall of the compound but it would be a matter of time till they spotted them - or even heard Will. It was hard to tell from here if the guy was even conscious.

    “ Boss?! Watson?”

No answer. She fiddled with her mic for a moment, ducked behind the ridge where she had been stuck. So much for air support, it was hard to tell if they had received her call or not. She would have to rely on the team moving around the west side of the building, the exchange of fire was a decent sign.

Alex took a deep breath, trying her mic once more.

   “ Doc, can you hear me?”

The upside of no communications? No one could tell her she should stay put.

She glanced at her watch, trying to figure out how long they had left before air support would show their face. Too long for him to be there.

Weapon up, she moved over the ridge at full pelt whilst the sniper was distracted. Quick enough to move unnoticed, she hoped.

    “ What are you-”

He was doubled over one of the other guys from her unit, clearly trying to treat something. it wasn’t like she could tell what. There was blood, and he was moving at an unbelievable pace. Shouts from outside the compound caught her attention, before she could figure out what kind of state poor Will was in.

Alex turned her gun to the top of the wall, cursing at how open their position was.

    “ We need to move him.”

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'i’ll go anywhere you want.' (From August)

for @diabolicaltendencies

    “ Okay, pack your bags for hell. I hear the weather is lovely this time of year.”

She smiled, only half joking.

    “ I think I’m done.”

It had been playing over and over in her mind for a while now. It didn’t hit the same, taking orders for a living. Even his. She gave him the benefit of the doubt more than most, but that didn’t stop her disobeying him in small ways he could pretend to ignore. He had to know things were different now.

    “ If I re-up again it’ll only end badly.”

Her hands fiddled nervously with the beer bottle label waiting for his response. For the last few years, they had those common experiences to keep them close and the occasional run in to try and find a stable peace. They had both lost contact with the people they valued most in their life, both lost a brother.The poetic symmetry was almost funny, if it wasn’t so twisted. After Alex had lost Will though, she lost herself in grief that she had been storing away for too long. The army wasn’t going to give it back.

But the idea of not being near August if anything happened...

    “ Say something.”

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for @watsonofagun​ for soldiers verse fun

Being back on base was a blessing. Despite the noise, the dust, the dirt, there was time to think. Sometimes there was free time- even if it wouldn’t last.

Alex watched the boys kicking a football around from the corner of a makeshift pitch, listening in tot he ruthless teasing as she flicked through the two or three letters she had backed up. They were more precious than she really cared to admit, and the sweets from home she would be thankful for next week when they were back out on active duty.

She folded them back over as he approached, taking a seat next to her.

    “ What’s up doc? You come lookin’ for a rematch?” She nodded to the idiots still kicking a ball around, she would be holding her one shoot out victory over him for the rest of their lives. You know that saying ‘bout quitting while you’re ahead, right?”

Alex nudged him gently, shuffling forwards with a smile.

    “ You hear from home yet?”

[gunmetalgrey-trashpile]

fight [ august and alex in military verse maybe? ]

for @diabolicaltendencies fight :   my  muse  stops  your  muse  from  getting  into  a  physical  fight  with  someone  else.

She glared at him with pure venom, in a way that was very unlike her. With her grey eyes tinged green in the yellow light, she could almost be the oldest Moran child. That cold, piercing look on knowing how to reduce an opponent to nothing if he dared to justify himself. Alex pulled herself free from his grip, her anger tunring from whatever she had been fighting before to turn on the one person who had been trying to have her back. She shoved at her cousin with a surprising strength for someone so small.

    “ Did you hear me ask for your help?”

In no way had she indicated she wanted him to get between her and another pofficer, that was for damn sure. She was ready to rip that piece of shit to shred before August had stepped in, and she gave absolutely no care to his higher rank in this moment. Defernce be dammed, she was in the right and that was what mattered.

Seething, she lashed out at him through gritted teeth.

    “ Stay the fuck out of my way August.”

She would go through any man who dared to tell her she was wrong, him included. She was qulaified, experienced, well seasoned and yet she had to prove herself over nad over because of something she would never be able to control. She could fight harder, hit quicker, know more and it would make no difference.

    “ You do not touch me, understood?”

[gunmetalgrey-trashpile]

@consultingsister bc the holiday is the absolute best

It hadn’t been her first choice. Hell, it hadn’t even been her second. But somewhere near the bottom of the list was the chocolate box cottage. And as much as she loathed Christmas, escaping London might give her a little more sanity. It was better than being forced back home for the week at least, stuffed into the family house to make small talk and disapprove of each other.

Maybe, here in the back end of nowhere, she would be able to sleep knowing she couldn’t get phone signal or anything more recent than a dial up connection. No one would be looking for her.

Or so she had thought.

It felt like hours she had lain awake staring up at the horrible pebbled plaster on the ceiling, the lack of traffic noise doing absolutely nothing to cure her insomnia. Finally, after a few more glasses of Vodka than she wanted to admit, she managed to let her head hit the pillow for some kind of fitful sleep - until the crashing brought her back to the waking world.

If she had been sober, Alex would have heard it sooner. Maybe it was because the stranger had used a key that it hadn’t given her pause enough to gather her thoughts, but she pushed the covers aside and reached for the knife that lay next to her clothes.

Who the fuck would be breaking into this place? She should have just stayed home and avoided all this mess.

She moved to the bedroom door, turning the handle carefully and slipping into the hall. She hadn’t been here long enough to void all the creaking floorboards, but she tested her weight gently as she moved across the landing and to the stairs. The stairs were a different story The third one moaned beneath her, Alex screwing her face up and cursing under her breath.

No choice but to announce herself now.

Her eyes adjusted to the dark, or semi dark now there seemed to be the odd lamp on downstairs.

    “ Whoever the fuck you are, you have thirty seconds to get out or- or...”

Or what?

[gunmetalgrey-trashpile]

“absolutely not. you’ll pop your stitches.” / victor

for @lighthouscd ft. @epiitaphs

Breathing hurt. Each inhale a crushing reminder that she would have to do this alone.

It was so easy to look back to her turning out, and the impossible luck of the three Moran soldiers being home on British soil at the same time. Both her brothers towering above her, Severin ruffling her hair and Sebastian pulling her close. He was her shield and her biggest supporter. She had said things she didn’t mean before then- but after her training it had eased a little.

And now he was gone, and the emptiness felt like it would never end.

Alcohol wounds numb her, getting another body underneath her for the night just hurt more. The loneliness would be the death of her.

Trying to explain an unexplainable loss was impossible. Yes, he had survived without her in his life. There had been seven years between them, Sebastian knew what life was like without a her around. But Alex had never had to learn.

So she had become self destructive, waking up on Victors sofa. Without her wallet, without her kit bag, with the hangover of her nightmares. As she tried to sit up, he had stopped her.

Alex glared back at him, putting her hand to the dull ache on her let arm. He was right, she had fresh stitches and clean bandages on. It was deep enough to need dressing, that must have hurt. Well, hurt was relative right now.She decided not to argue with him, lying back into his sofa again, her eyes focused on him as she waited for the question she knew was coming. Maybe he already knew and was waiting for her to say it. With his connections, it wouldn’t be any real surprise.

It dawned on her. Her wallet. The only photograph she had of him, somewhere lost along her trail of explosive anger. Alex pushed herself up, crying out a little as she pushed out of the sofa and sat upright, scanning the floor of his flat for her boots. Hopefully she still had those at least.

    “ Where the fuck was I? My wallet- I need my wallet…”

[gunmetalgrey-trashpile]

“Do you think I could eat this entire thing in one sitting?” / from seb!

from @hellreleased

Really, he made this far too easy. She could be nice, but it was far more too fun to watch him regret his life choices. All she needed was two little words.

   “ Dare you.”