chapter nine | romance & raven
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Hunter and Finn lay on the floor of the bunker, wrapped in blankets. Hunter propped herself up on her arms and smiled at Finn.

"Hey," Finn greeted her with a warm look.

"Hi," she replied softly, reaching out her hand to gently play with his hair. "It's almost dawn. We should probably get going. Can't just lie around in bed all day."

Finn ran his fingers down Hunter's back. "Or we could just lie around in bed all day," he suggested, his touch becoming more intimate.

Hunter chuckled and sighed before taking a deep breath. "Finn, you know that last night was about needing someone right then and there, but it also wasn't. I needed you. I wanted it to be you. You understand that, right?"

Finn appreciated Hunter's vulnerability and nodded in agreement. "Last night, for me, wasn't really about you," he admitted with a teasing smile. Hunter's smile faded slightly. "I just wanted to have my first Earth sex," Finn continued, adding some humor to the situation.

Hunter laughed and lowered herself onto Finn, calling him a "jackass" with affection, and she kissed him passionately.

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Hunter and Finn sat outside the bunker in the early morning darkness, surrounded by the sounds of nature and the cool breeze. Finn pulled Hunter closer, wrapping a blanket around them.

"It's so quiet," Hunter remarked, breaking the silence between them.

Finn looked at her shirt, noticing it was different from what she had been wearing the previous night. "Hey, where did you get that shirt?" he asked.

Hunter glanced down. "Oh, well, there are more than just supplies in the bunker, Finn," she replied with a mischievous smile. "We should share."

Finn contemplated for a moment. "If we bring the stuff back, they'll know we found a place, and they'll come looking for it next time someone goes ballistic like Murphy did," he reasoned.

Hunter looked at Finn, considering his point. She couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt when Murphy's name came up. "I understand what you mean," she sighed.

Finn smiled softly at Hunter, leaning in closer, his breath brushing against her skin. "I wanted it to be you too," he whispered, his voice filled with sincerity.

Hunter smiled back at him, her heart warming. She leaned in and kissed him, allowing herself to become lost in the moment. Finn began to kiss her neck, and she tilted her head back in pleasure.

Then, a bright object streaked across the sky. Hunter noticed it and nudged Finn. "Finn, look."

Finn followed her gaze and saw it too. "A shooting star. You should make a wish."

Hunter chuckled at the idea. "Why?"

"It's a tradition from a long time ago. I read about it," Finn explained.

Hunter smiled, deciding to indulge in the old tradition. She closed her eyes and made a silent wish. When she opened her eyes, she noticed that it might not have been a shooting star after all.

A dropship.

"Finn, that's not a shooting star," she exclaimed.

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Finn and Hunter returned to the bunker to gather their belongings. Hunter changed back into her tank top and jacket with a white studded shoulder pad.

"We should stop at camp and get some gear, weapons," Hunter suggested, blowing out the candles.

"They send something down?" Finn asked, reaching for his jacket. "Too small to be a dropship. I'm thinking cargo pod."

"No, they wouldn't arm a bunch of juvenile delinquents. It's probably nutrition packs, medical supplies. There'd be a radio."

"We can talk to the Ark," Finn added.

"That is if the radio wasn't fried in the landing," Hunter replied, grabbing her backpack.

"We're not alone down here anymore. That's a good thing," Finn said, attempting to find a silver lining.

"Yeah, not for Wells, or Charlotte, or Atom," Hunter said somberly.

"Nobody thought any of us would survive. But we did. You should take a minute to appreciate that," Finn suggested.

Hunter stood silently for a few seconds, reflecting on their unlikely survival. "Okay, minute's done," she said, blowing out another candle.

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Hunter and Finn arrived back at camp, finding that most of the residents were still awake. Clarke approached them, curious about the dropship.

"Did you guys see that? The dropship?" Clarke asked eagerly.

"Grab your stuff; let's find out," Hunter suggested with a smile.

"Bellamy said we're gonna wait until sunrise," a girl chimed in.

"Where is he?" Clarke inquired, her concern growing.

"He's gone. Whatever is in that thing, he wants it. We gotta get there before he does," Clarke explained, frustration and worry evident in her voice.

"Clarke, wait. You stay here. Finn and I will go," Hunter offered.

"I'm not staying here another second while he's out there, Hunter," Clarke insisted, her determination unwavering.

"Clarke. This isn't your fault," Finn added.

"I should've known he'd go for that radio," Clarke lamented.

"How are you supposed to know something like that?" Hunter asked, trying to comfort her.

"Because he's spent every single minute since we've landed making sure that no one on the Ark finds out we're alive," Clarke explained, her voice filled with frustration and regret.

"It doesn't mean you can predict what people are going to do," Finn added.

"That's exactly what I have to do," Clarke responded, her sense of responsibility heavy on her shoulders.

Hunter held Clarke's arm, pleading with her. "Now that he's out there, no one is leading this camp. Which is why you need to stay."

"Hunter -"

"Don't worry, I'll find that pod, then I'll find him," Hunter reassured Clarke. Clarke handed her a knife, but she refused and showed Clarke the spear she already had. "I got this."

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Daylight broke as Hunter and Finn jogged through the forest.

"Should we split up?" Hunter asked.

"Yeah. You go that way, I'll check the bottom," Finn suggested, pointing in opposite directions.

Hunter jogged for a few minutes before spotting something in the distance. She sprinted toward it, her heart racing.

The dropship.

Hunter reached it and took a deep breath, finding the lever to open the door. It swung open, revealing a person in an astronaut suit inside.

Raven Reyes.

"Oh my god," Hunter exclaimed with a smile. "Raven."

"Hunter?" Raven looked at her in disbelief. "I made it."

Hunter smiled and nodded before helping Raven out of the ship. Raven shed her suit and took her first steps on the Earth's surface, closing her eyes and savoring the moment.

"I dreamed it would smell like this," Raven said with a chuckle.

Hunter smiled warmly at her before hugging her tightly. "I can't believe it's you," she said, overcome with emotion.

Raven pulled away and glanced ahead, spotting someone familiar.

"Raven," Finn called out.

Raven turned toward him, her smile widening. "Finn!" She rushed over and embraced him. "I knew you couldn't be dead."

Hunter's smile wavered slightly as she watched Finn and Raven's emotional reunion. Finn looked at her and then back at Raven, his concern evident.

"You're bleeding," Finn pointed out a gash on Raven's forehead.

Raven brushed it off, her focus still on Finn. "I don't care," she said with a loving smile, leaning in to kiss him passionately.

Hunter shifted uncomfortably, feeling like an intruder on their intimate moment. She grabbed her backpack and tried to avert her gaze from the couple.

Finn pulled away from Raven. "How did you get here?" he asked, genuinely curious.

"You know that big scrap hole on the K deck?" Raven replied with a grin.

"You built that from scrap?" Finn questioned, clearly impressed.

"I kind of rebuilt it. Please, like that's hard," Raven joked. "It just needed a couple of parts and some love."

"You're insane," Finn chuckled.

"I'd do more for you and worse. Just like you would for me," Raven said softly, her affection for Finn evident.

Hunter watched the couple, feeling a mix of emotions. She couldn't help but remember that Finn had been her comfort just the night before.

Finn glanced at Hunter and then back at Raven. "Come on, sit down," he said, leading Raven over to a boulder and offering her his jacket. "Let me get something for that."

Hunter retrieved a bandage from her backpack and approached Raven. "She needs to put pressure on the wound," she told Finn, handing the bandage to Raven.

"Thanks," Raven said, applying the bandage to her forehead. She then turned to Hunter and smiled. "Do you guys know Clarke?"

Hunter nodded. "Yeah, she was supposed to come, but I asked her to stay at camp."

"Well, this was all because of her mom," Raven revealed.

"Her mom?" Hunter asked, surprised.

"Yeah. This was all her plan. We were trying to get here together. If we had waited, oh my god, we couldn't wait because the council was voting on whether to kill 300 people to save air," Raven explained.

"What? When?" Hunter asked, her worry growing.

"Today. We have to tell them that you're alive," Raven said urgently.

Hunter and Finn exchanged concerned glances. They knew they needed to return to camp and inform the others about the dropship and the situation with the Ark. The three of them quickly jogged back into the forest, determined to find Bellamy and deliver the news.

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