Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Murphy always knew his temper would be the death of him. He just didn’t think it would be the cause for his banishment. A few weeks on the ground, and no guards to keep him in line.. Yeah he probably picked a few fights too many.

He was an asshole, he knew that. Did that warrant being beaten and strung up for dead? Fuck no. Murphy wasn’t the one to kill Wells, it was that sniveling little shit, Charlotte. He didn’t kill Wells and he didn’t make that girl swan dive off a cliff. God, he was so sick of this shit, being the one everyone blamed when life got too hard. Sure, he liked to go toe to toe with the biggest, baddest alphas, but that was just to put them in their place. Remind them that they weren't better than him because of their secondary gender. He may have been an omega, but that didn’t make him a wimp. And Murphy had no problem proving it. So a few alphas got their egos bruised, serves ‘em right. They needed to be knocked down a peg.

His omega status was.. it was whatever. He didn’t really care that he was an omega. With all the meds they were pumped with, it’s like their secondary gender didn’t even exist. What pissed him off was the discrimination omega’s faced.

On the Ark, population control was everything. Top priority. And being the most fertile of all genders, omegas steadily became mankind’s punching bag. The easy target. The ‘cause of all their issues’. The mandatory suppressants until he was mated, he could live with, happy with actually. The one and only heat he had when he was fourteen fucking sucked. He’d be happy to never have another one again, and he never imagined being mated or having kids anyways. Murphy didn’t have the patience for them, or temper. No, it was the names, the sneers, the dirty looks people would send him as soon as they learned of his designation. People took one look at omegas and acted like they knew exactly what kind of person they were. Whores, baby-machines, weak. It made his blood boil. Not to mention the entitled knot-heads who call him a slut one second and in the same breath, expect him to spread his legs for them.

To hell with them, he thought as he slowly limped through the forest. “Where the fuck am I anyways?” He grumbled, looking around. Murphy groaned as his stomach twisted in pain, he doesn’t remember who kicked him there, but when you’re being pummeled in all directions, it gets kind of fuzzy. He had to stop, bracing his hands on his knees to breathe through the pain. A cry escaped his throat as the pain increased, making his knees go weak. Placing a hand on the closest tree, he slowly lowered himself to the ground, leaning up against it. Murphy sighed, it seemed to help.

Lifting up his shirt, he could see the bruises already forming, patches of deep purple blooming all over his abdomen. He hissed as he ghosted his fingers over one. With an irritated huff, he dropped the fabric, looking around. “I guess here’s as good a place as any.” He muttered to himself. Murphy fished his knife from his pocket, holding it tight before hugging his jacket closer. He knew it didn’t do anything, just made him feel a little safer. Like a child who thinks they’re toes are safe from monsters under the bed if they tuck their feet in.

He couldn’t see much, the omega could feel his heart start to pound as he became more attuned to the sounds of the forest. The rustling of leaves, the snapping of twigs, the fluttering of wings as a bird jumped from one tree to the next. Murphy quickly wiped the beat of sweat from his temple, suddenly feeling hot. He grimaced as the pain in his stomach returned. “Fuck.” He whispered, holding his stomach. This wasn’t regular pain from being beaten up, this pain came and went. He’d felt this kind of pain before, cramping to be exact. Abdominal pain, mixed with fever. His blood went cold, this couldn’t be happening. Not now. “No, no, no-“ he said, quickly unbuckling his pants, shoving his hands in between his legs. Feeling the slick wetness between his thighs confirmed his fears. “God fucking damn it!” He screamed, ripping his hand out of his pants to punch the tree. A few birds flew away as his voice echoed through the dark forest, startling them. Letting out a deep huff, he hit the back of his head on the tree, muttering obscenities to himself.

Beaten, hanged, banished, and now in heat. This day couldn’t get fucking worse.

—

“They went this way.” Lincoln said, crouching down to read the trail signs. “Definitely injured.” He added, noting the uneven footprints, they were limping.

“Tell me what you saw again?” Bellamy asked, following closely, sniffing the air for a scent. “Yesterday, after dark, the sky people were.. rioting. Chasing a little girl through the forest. The leader, or at least the boy who was yelling the loudest, was trying to kill her.” Bellamy hummed, looking around, they were losing light fast. “I wonder what she did to deserve it.” Lincoln shrugged, eyes searching for any other signs. “I don’t know, but she ended up throwing herself off the cliff.. The ‘leader’ was cast out.. I wonder what he did.” The gruff man said. Bellamy stopped, flaring his nostrils. “Must not have been a good leader.” He mumbled, looking in all directions. “Do you smell that?” Bellamy asked, looking up at the clear sky. “It smells like rain.. and sweet grass.”

Lincoln looked back at his leader, following his gaze up into the sky. “Well it doesn’t look like it will rain.. and sweet grass doesn’t grow around here.” He breathed out, looking around, sniffing the air. “I do smell it though.”

Bellamy took deep breaths, opening his mouth slightly to try and pinpoint the direction of the scent, it made his mouth water. He walked towards the saccharine scent as he caught wind of it, his body moving before he could control it. “Bell?” Lincoln called out, watching the alpha walk into the thickness of the woods. With a huff, he followed after him, the trail had ended anyways. “Wait up!”

The alpha barely heard the warrior, his sole focus on finding the source. He felt an urgency flood his body with each step he took towards the scent. Bellamy didn’t know why, but he felt nervous, like nothing else mattered except finding what created that scent. The closer he got to it, the stronger it became, the sweet aroma slowly morphed into something rotten, like dead leaves in the late fall. It smelt like pain and anxiety. Pushing away branches, he found the crumpled form of a boy at the base of a large tree. The boy was covered in blood, dirt, and sweat, whimpering in his sleep. The alpha was speechless.

He heard Lincoln as he came to stand beside him. From the corner of his eye, he could see the man look between him and the boy. “It’s an omega.” Bellamy uttered in disbelief. “And he’s in heat.” Lincoln said quietly, taking a step towards the boy. Bellamy’s firm hand holding him back shocked both of them, he didn’t know where this sudden possessiveness came from. Rather than apologize, the alpha cautiously walked over to the tree, kneeling down in front of the omega.

He touched his arm, shaking him. The boy didn’t move, only whimpered at the touch. Taking a chance, he brushed the omega’s long hair out of his face, revealing more bruises and cuts littered all over the pale skin. Anger coursed through his blood as he pulled his hand away. “Who would do this to an omega?” He growled, turning to look at the other alpha. Lincoln shook his head in disgust. “This is the one who was banished.” The man hissed. “Look at him.. look at his neck.” The alpha said, pointing towards the boy again. Bellamy pushed the collar of his jacket out of the way to expose his red and purple neck. At first he thought he had been choked, but the bruises didn’t look like hand prints, it looked like rope burn, he was hanged. “Torturing and banishing an omega.. especially one in heat.” Rage filled his being, he had been wary of the sky people at first, thought they were just stupid children, but this was unforgivable.

“We need to get him back to the village.” He said, swallowing his anger for now. Bellamy moved closer to pick the omega up, he didn’t expect the boy to scream and thrash. He growled as a blade he didn’t see before slashed his cheek, causing him to fall back onto his rear. The boy bared his teeth, snarling as he backed himself against the trunk of the tree. “Don’t fucking touch me.” He growled, his bloodshot eyes darting between the two alphas. He spoke the warriors’ language.

Bellamy was speechless as he looked into those pale eyes, he couldn’t really tell what color they were. Blue? Green? Gray? He’d never seen eyes like that before.

He was completely enraptured by the omega, he was beautiful, even underneath all the blood and dirt. The rage in his eyes that dared them to try me, it excited the alpha.

A cry from the omega pulled him from his trance, he inched closer as the boy dropped his knife to clutch his stomach, doubling over. Cracking open his eyes, the omega quickly picked his blade back up and swung his arm at the alpha. It was easy for Bellamy to grab his wrist this time, stopping the weak assault. “We don’t want to hurt you.” He said softly, plucking the knife out of his grasp and tossing it on the ground near the other alpha’s feet. “We want to help you.” The boy whined as Bellamy slowly scooted towards him, pressing his back against the tree to get as far away from him as possible. “We have a village not far from here.. There’s a healer who can help you.” The alpha tried to keep his voice as soft and soothing as possible, not wanting to scare the omega. Bellamy gave him a small smile as the boy finally looked at him, he realized the rage in his eyes was only a facade, a mask for his fear. He stilled as the boy’s bottom lip began to quiver. “Please.. d-don’t hurt me.” The omega said in a shaky voice, even his voice was pretty. The alpha’s face furrowed as he shook his head, reaching out to swipe away the tear that rolled down his dirtied face. “I won’t- we won’t.” He corrected himself, looking over his shoulder to Lincoln. His heart clenched as a flood of tears poured out of the boy, followed by a series of wet sobs. It made his alpha uneasy seeing an omega in distress. Bellamy hesitated as his hand moved up to touch his face again, stopping when the boy flinched. Dropping his hand, he leaned back, giving him space. “Can you walk?” He asked. The boy nodded, sniffling as he wiped his tears away. “Okay.” The alpha whispered, standing up, he held his hands out to the boy. Those beautiful pale eyes darted between his hands and his face before taking the offered help, standing with a wince.

“I’m Bellamy.” The alpha said, leaning down to meet the omega’s gaze. “Murphy.” He mumbled, swaying slightly. “Murphy.” The man whispered, more to himself, his lips curling a bit. He liked the way it sounded.

Clearing his throat, he wrapped the boy’s arm around his shoulder and started walking in the direction of Tondc. “That’s Lincoln. One of my best warriors.” He called out, the alpha couldn’t fight the grin that creeped across his face as the omega didn’t even acknowledge the other man and instead leaned closer into his side. With him pressed up against him, Bellamy bit his lip as the omega’s heat scent found his nose. The rotten smell had eased up, turning sweet again. He had to fight down the growl that threatened to escape his throat, it was the most enticing thing he had ever smelled. The alpha decided it best to look forward and focus on getting him to the village.

It didn’t take long for Murphy to start dragging his feet, with each step he took, a high pitched whine would leave his lips. “Murphy?” He said, stopping them. Lincoln steadied the boy as he swayed backwards, his eyes fluttering. Feeling the other alpha’s touch, he whimpered, shrugging him off before smushing his face into Bellamy’s chest taking a deep breath of the man’s juniper-like scent. The alpha’s looked at each other, chuckling softly. Their laughter was cut short as the omega’s knees buckled, Bellamy quickly caught him. “Murphy, are you alright?” All he got in response was a whine as the boy slowly turned to dead weight. Having no free hands, the alpha touched their foreheads together, “he’s burning,” he said, growing more concerned. “Go ahead of us and inform Nyko.” He said, lifting the omega into his arms. Lincoln nodded before jogging off.

He let out a relieved breath as Murphy wrapped his arms and legs around him, weakly purring into his ear as he rubbed his face against Bellamy’s neck. At least he was conscious for now.

—

Having the boy this close, having his scent gland right next to his face was a bad idea. With every inhale of the omega’s sweet, earthy scent, Bellamy could feel his alpha start to claw at his insides, trying to take over. Telling him to take him, to claim him as his own. His breaths slowly turned to growls the closer they got to the village.

As they neared the entrance, a child waved before running off, announcing their return. Bellamy tightened his grip on the omega as he walked through town, growling as people crowded around them. He spotted the healer jogging towards him, along with Lincoln and his sister. They all stopped as Bellamy froze, snarling at them as they approached. Nyko, a beta, put his hands out in a non threatening gesture. “Bellamy, we need to get him inside.” He knew in his mind, that’s what the boy needed, but his baser instincts told him to run away, hole up in some cave and not leave until the omega was his.

The alpha eyed his sister as she took careful steps closer to them, not seeing her as a threat. She was also an omega, the only one in Tondc. “Bell, he’s hurt.. Let us take care of him.” She said softly, touching his shoulder. It was at that moment that the boy whined, nestling himself farther into his neck. Bellamy looked down at the boy in his arms, nodding.

As they walked towards the healer’s home, Octavia turned to glare at all the villagers as they gawked and whispered to each other. “Chit laik yu stari gon?” She hollered. The people diverted their gaze, looking away as they slowly dispersed.

Omegas were rare, but seeing one in this state was disturbing, Octavia couldn’t exactly blame them for staring. But if she was in a similar state, she wouldn’t want to be gawked at.

Hearing her name, she ran into Nyko’s hut. The girl was not prepared for what she saw.

The boy had been laid down on Nyko’s table, all his clothes, except his underwear had been stripped from his body. She couldn’t believe the amount of bruises and wounds that covered his body. “What happened to him?” She asked quietly. “Skaikru did this to him.” Bellamy sneered, his fingers caressing the omega’s face. Her face furrowed in anger and confusion. “But he’s skaikru isn’t he?” She said, looking around at each of them. Lincoln, her mate, stepped over to her, pressing their foreheads together. “Is this how they treat omegas?” Octavia asked, rage burning through her body.

“Octavia, grab that jar behind you.” Nyko said, pushing Bellamy away from the boy’s head, ignoring the alpha’s low growl. The girl turned around, grabbing the ceramic jar and handing it over. The beta opened it and pulled out a pinch of dried herbs, tossing it into his mortar and grinding it into a paste with the other ingredients. When they were thoroughly mixed, he scooped the paste up with two fingers and swiped it on the inside of the omega’s cheek. The boy gagged, trying to spit it out as he started thrashing around. “Hold him!” Nyko yelled, covering the boy’s mouth. They held him down by his legs and shoulders, Nyko groaned in pain as the boy clawed at his arms. Pinching his nose, he forced the omega to swallow the medicine and pulled away with a pant, he nodded at the others, signaling that it was alright to let go.

The omega cried as he turned onto his side, curling in on himself. Bellamy was right there, brushing his hair back as he kneeled down in front of him, hushing him. “It’s just medicine, it will help you.” He reassured him.

Octavia did not miss her brother’s odd behavior towards the omega, she had never seen her brother like this before. Sure he’s had relationships, she had seen him in rut, had seen him around other omegas, but this was different. She had never seen him so taken by another in such a way.

The rag that was tossed into her face pulled her from her observations, she glared at Nyko as he threw another towards Lincoln. “We must clean him before I take care of his wounds.” He explained, filling a basin with water. Setting it in between the boy’s legs, he turned to begin making a poultice. Noticing them getting to work, Bellamy sighed and hesitantly pulled away to grab a rag, eliciting a weak whimper from Murphy. Turning back to the boy, he watched his pale eyes well with tears. “Alpha..” he whispered as he reached out to him.

Bellamy caressed his cheek, a small smile on his face. “Here.” His sister said, holding out a wet rag. He thanked her, swapping his dry one for hers before gently cleaning Murphy’s face. The omega purred, taking hold of his hand to nuzzle the scent gland on his wrist. Bellamy chuckled softly as he wiped the blood and dirt from his forehead.

They took their time washing him, not wanting to hurt him any more than they needed to. With his body clean, they could see the extent of his injuries, could see how malnourished he was. It only fueled their hatred for the outsiders.

Nyko did all he could for the boy. It was now late into the night. Octavia and Lincoln had fallen asleep on the floor, leaning into each other. Nyko had retired to his bed, stating that he should be alright for a few hours. Bellamy never left the boy’s side, his eyes grew heavy as he looked over Murphy’s face, his thumb brushing over his cheekbone. Anytime he tried to move away, the omega would cry out, not that he minded.

The alpha smiled as the boy finally got some rest.

—

Bellamy jolted awake as his pillow began to shake. Blinking the sleep from his eyes, he realized he had been using Murphy as a pillow.

His chair fell back onto the floor as he shot up, shaking the convulsing omega. “Nyko!” He hollered, trying to wake him. The beta ran into the main room, his eyes wide as he watched Murphy seize. He took long strides over to the table, moving the alpha out of the way to assess the boy. A bit of blood slipped out of his mouth, Nyko tried to open his mouth but the boy’s jaw was clenched shut. His teeth were stained red, he must have bitten his tongue pretty hard. “He’s too hot, this isn’t normal.” The man said, moving to grab a pitcher of water. “What's happening to him?” Octavia asked as her and her mate rose from the ground, he could hear the fear in his sister’s voice. They watched as the healer poured the cool water over his body, trying to bring his temperature down. “Protect his head, but don’t try to hold him down.” Bellamy nodded, carefully slipping his hands under his head, cradling it so it wouldn’t bang against the wood. “Lincoln, keep pouring cold water on his body.” Nyko rushed out, shoving the pitcher into the man’s hands before turning around towards his shelf of herbs. “I’ve seen this happen to children when their fever gets too high.. I’ve never seen it happen during a heat.” He rushed out.

Octavia grabbed a rag, dunking it in water before placing it on Murphy’s forehead. About a minute went by before the omega’s body collapsed against the table, Bellamy leaned his head down, relieved when a warm puff of air blew across his ear. “He’s breathing.” The alpha called out. They all turned towards the healer, watching as he grabbed a variety of herbs, mixing them into a cup. When the beta turned back around, he shook the boy with his free hand. “Murphy, can you hear me?” He said loudly, squeezing the omega’s shoulder painfully. The boy grimaced, shying away from his grip before slowly opening his eyes.

He flinched, his eyes darting around the room, but not really looking at anything. Murphy snarled at them, sitting up as he swung his fists. Bellamy wrapped his arms around him from behind, grabbing his wrists. “It’s okay, Murphy. You’re safe.” He spoke into his ear, trying to calm him. The boy screamed as he thrashed in his arms, trying to get away.

When words didn’t work, the alpha moved one of his hands to the back of his neck and squeezed, digging his nails into his scent glands. The omega stilled, whimpering as Bellamy growled into his ear.

“Be calm, you’re safe.” He said in a softer tone, easing his grip on the boy’s nape when he finally calmed. “You’re safe.” He kept repeating to him, rubbing his face against Murphy’s soft skin, scenting him.

Looking to Bellamy for permission, Nyko slowly approached them. “You must drink this.” He said, holding the cup up to Murphy’s lips. The omega whined, turning his face away. The alpha looked towards the healer and motioned for him to hand over the cup. Taking the cup, he placed it in front of the boy’s mouth. “Drink.” Bellamy commanded him. Goosebumps raised over Murphy’s skin, a shiver went down his spine at the words. Slowly opening his mouth, he let the alpha tilt the cup up, drinking down the bitter substance. He grimaced at the taste before relaxing back into the man’s chest.

The beta wiped the sweat from his forehead, “that will help keep his fever down,” he said. Bellamy nodded, peering down at the omega. Murphy was looking up at him through his eyelashes, his big eyes half-lidded as he purred softly, stretching his neck up to rub his face against the alpha’s.

Bellamy breathed out a weak chuckle as he looked around at everyone. Nyko sighed as he collapsed into a chair, staring at the omega. “I’ve never seen a heat this bad.” He said quietly. None of them had. None of them knew if he would make it.

—

When his temperature came down, they moved him to a cot Nyko kept for his patients, tucking blankets around him to make a nest. Bellamy sat vigil over him all day, touching his forehead every so often to make sure he wasn’t burning up, rubbed his scent over him when the omega cried out for an alpha.

He looked up at his little sister as she touched his shoulder. “You should get some sleep, biga bro.” She said softly, running her fingers through his hair. Bellamy gave her a small smile, shaking his head. “I’m alright. He gets bad if I step away.. I don’t want to go too far.” He muttered, turning back to the sleeping boy. A smirk grew on Octavia’s face. “You like him,” she said. Bellamy’s face scrunched in annoyance. “Shut up.” The alpha said with no real heat behind it, pushing her away. “I don’t even know who he is.” He said under his breath, oh but he wanted to.

She chuckled as she plopped down beside the cot, brushing the other omega’s hair out of his face. “Go sleep, I’ll watch him for a while,” she said sternly, leaving no room to argue.

The man stood with a sigh, stepping out of the healer’s way as he walked over to them, a cup of medicine in hand. “There is a couch in the next room, use it.” The gruff man offered, kneeling down to feed the boy a tonic, lifting his head carefully. Murphy groaned, his eyes still shut as he drank down the medicine, the fight in him long gone. Bellamy stood there, watching for a moment before walking deeper into the beta’s hut, finding said couch and falling into it with a tired huff. He didn’t realize how exhausted he was until his head hit the pillow, and quickly fell asleep.

Chapter Text

Bellamy jumped as a weight crawled on top of him. A life as a warrior made him a light sleeper, taught him to be ready at any moment. Opening his eyes, he saw it was Murphy who climbed onto his lap, Octavia must have fallen asleep. The boy whined as the movement jostled him, almost bucking him off. Bellamy quickly relaxed, grabbing the omega’s arms to steady him. He watched as tears filled his pale eyes, the omega had not expected him to wake so abruptly. A sob escaped his lips as Bellamy hushed him, pulling him down on top of him, nestling his head under his chin. “It’s okay, you scared me is all.” He whispered, rubbing his hands up and down the boy’s back. “You’re okay.”

The alpha let a low rumble escape from deep in his chest, trying to soothe the boy of course, it had nothing to do with having him close, his sweet scent right under his nose. He grinned as fingers threaded into his hair, could hear a quiet purr as Murphy nuzzled his nose into his scent gland.

He was close to falling back asleep when the omega began grinding his hips downward, breathing needy little moans into his ear. His hands shot down to grab his hips, stilling his movements. “Murphy,” he said in a stern voice, causing the omega to whimper. “Please, alpha,” the boy breathed out, touching their foreheads together. Bellamy groaned at another roll of his hips, he could feel his hard prick pressing into his stomach, could feel the omega’s breath against his lips, it took everything in him not to lean up and kiss the boy, roll them and take him right there. “Murphy, no.” He growled, turning his face to the side right as Murphy leaned down to kiss him, his lips landing on the corner of his mouth. The omega ignored him, trailing kisses down his jaw, down his neck and licked his scent gland, causing a shutter to run up the alpha’s spine. “Please, alpha. I need you.” He begged.

God he wanted to, he really did. He wanted nothing more than to bury his knot in the omega. But it was more than that, he wanted to take care of him, make all the pain go away. They all knew that it was the best way to get him through his heat, but it was wrong. Taking advantage of an omega when they were at their most vulnerable. It was unforgivable, he would be killed for that.

It took all the strength he had to stop this, he grabbed the omega’s shoulders and pushed him back, shaking him. “Murphy, no.” He said, staring into the boy’s startled eyes. His heart ached as tears bubbled in his eyes, a sob ripped from his mouth. Bellamy pulled the boy back down, ran his nails gently down his back as Murphy wept into the crook of his neck. “We can’t, I’m sorry.” He whispered, nosing the boy’s hair.

Murphy stilled, his crying stopped as he squirmed to get off him. The alpha tightened his arms around his back, knowing he needed an alpha’s comfort, not wanting him to think he was rejecting him. Bellamy turned them onto their sides, trapping the omega in between the back of the couch and his body. He struggled against his kicking limbs, trying to calm him down. Feeling bad for having to do it again, he grabbed the boy’s nape, squeezing his scent glands and forced him to look him in the eye. “Stop fighting. Go to sleep.” He said sternly. Bellamy hated himself for the fearful look the omega sent him, but just like earlier, it worked. He let out a relieved sigh as Murphy slowly relaxed, laying his head on the alpha’s arm.

“Just sleep.” He whispered, carding his fingers through the boy’s hair.

This was gonna be a long couple of days.

—

Murphy’s heat lasted a total of eight days. The people of Trikru had never known a heat to last that long. They had no idea what made the sky people different from them, why their heats lasted longer, why they were so intense. They were able to keep him alive, but just barely, the boy from the stars fought them every step of the way. It was as if his body wanted to give out.

Murphy murmured as he stirred awake, nestling himself closer to the warmth that surrounded him, his body no longer felt like it was boiling. He felt toasty, like waking up snuggled in blankets on a cold morning, he never wanted to leave. Whatever he was laying on smelled piney, kinda woody, it was nice. It smelt like those berries Monty was nerding out about, juniper berries?

His eyes shot open as his bed suddenly breathed, he could feel a warm breath blow over his face. Murphy realized he was laying not on a bed, but on someone. He scrambled to get up, falling out of a cot and onto the floor. A woman’s voice cried out as he landed on a limb of hers. His eyes darted around the room as he backed himself away from them, looking for a threat, looking for an escape, a weapon, something. Murphy spotted a knife sitting on a nearby table and reached out for it.

He watched as the two grounders stood, holding their hands out in a non threatening way. Shakily getting to his feet, he backed himself against a wall. “Murphy, you’re okay.” The man said, stepping closer to him, he could tell he was an alpha. The omega pointed the blade towards him. “How do you know my name? Where the fuck am I?” He hissed.

“Tondc.” The girl, probably no older than he was, replied. “That means fuck all to me! What am I doing here? What did you do to me?” He yelled. Murphy stumbled back as two more men entered the room, god he was terrified. All he remembered was being banished and going into heat and feeling scared and like his insides were ripping themselves apart.

“We found you in the forest, we took you back to our village and we have been helping you through your heat.” The alpha with black hair said, his voice still gravely with sleep.

Murphy almost dropped the blade as his face went slack. He felt like he couldn’t breathe. He just now realized the lack of clothes he was wearing. “Did you-” The boy couldn’t even say it. He felt his stomach lerch with nausea as the worst possible scenarios came into his mind. Placing his hands on his knees, he coughed out a gag. “Did you fucking rape me?” He rushed out as he tried to calm his quickening breaths. The gasps and sounds of disbelief startled him, forcing him to look up at their offended faces. “No!” He growled out as the alpha stepped closer. “No.” He repeated as tears stung his eyes, raising his arms out again to protect himself.

“We didn’t rape you.” The man said slowly, putting emphasis on each word. “Put down the knife?” He asked in a softer tone, “we’ll tell you anything you want to know.” The other grounders all nodded their heads in agreement.

Murphy couldn’t stop his body from trembling, couldn’t stop the flinch as the girl grabbed a blanket and cautiously held it out to him. He took the fabric and spared a glance to the door, slowly inching his way towards it as he wrapped the blanket around his body. “If you weren’t fucking me, why was I half naked on your chest.” The alpha lowered his eyes, embarrassed. The woman stepped closer and sat down on the ground, making herself look smaller, less threatening. “You needed an alpha to comfort you. You liked him, you felt safe with him, that’s why.” She said plainly, as if it was normal to be cuddled up with a complete stranger.

Murphy’s eyes danced around the room as the grounders moved around. The bald alpha kneeled down beside the woman and started rubbing her back, okay maybe they were mated, he didn’t have to worry about them. The black haired alpha kept his distance and avoided his gaze. He watched the guy with dreads closely as he poured a cup of water and held it out to him. When he shied away, the man looked him in the eye and took a sip before holding the cup towards him again. Murphy grabbed the cup quickly and took a sip, then quickly downed the cup because he didn’t realize how fucking dry his throat was. He slowly slid down the wall, winced as he plopped down on his ass a little too quickly. Now that the adrenaline had stopped pumping, the pain that amazing hormone covered up began to creep out. His mouth felt like he ate a handful of sand, his stomach twisted painfully with hunger and his entire body felt like he just came back from the dead.

Tossing the cup aside, he looked at each of them carefully. “How long have I been here?” He asked. “Eight days.” The beta who handed him the cup replied, crossing his arms as he sank on to a chair. Murphy’s face furrowed as his mouth gaped open, “eight days? And I was in heat the entire time?” He said, raising his voice in bewilderment. His last one only lasted three, his health classes back on the Ark taught him they shouldn’t last more than 3-5. He also wasn’t supposed to black out for a week.

The beta raised an eyebrow in curiosity, looking at the other grounders before turning back to him. “That surprises you?” “Of course it surprises me, they’re not supposed to be that long!” He said, looking at them like they were crazy. Did the grounder’s heats last that long or something? God this place was hell. “Right?” He barked out when no one answered him. The beta nodded. “So yours are not usually that long?” Murphy rolled his eyes, already sick of this conversation. “No, my last one was three days.”

“And how long ago was it?” The girl piped up, leaning forward. Murphy shook his head as he thought. “I don’t know.. three, almost four years ago?” The omega jumped as their sounds of shock filled the hut.

“Four years without a heat?” The dark haired alpha said in a baffled tone. He didn’t really know what the big deal was. “Yeah I was on suppressants.. They obviously wore off.” He muttered. Their looks of confusion made him uncomfortable as they looked around at each other. “Suh-press-ants?” The girl tried. He remembered at that moment that the grounders were only about a step up from cavemen. “It's medicine.. that stops heats, prevents pregnancy.. stops ruts in alphas.” He looked at each one of them. “All of my people take it.”

“Why?” He was getting sick of their stupid, dumbfounded looks. “Why would they do that?” The girl asked, he didn’t understand why they looked at him as if they were sad for him. “It’s clear that.. suppressing.. your heat only made them worse.” The dread head said. “That can’t be good for your body.” He added. Okay, that made sense.

Murphy shrugged, “too many people. Not enough food, water, space.” He almost laughed at that last part, not enough space in space. Ironic.

“How do you have babies if no one can get pregnant?” The other omega asked. He huffed in amusement. “Mated pairs can have one child, then they have to be on suppressants for the rest of their.. child bearing years.” He mumbled.

Murphy didn’t realize the rabbit hole of questions this would spark. He did his best to answer them, but as a teenager who never really cared to pay attention, it was weird. He didn't mean to become the spokesperson for sky people, shit he hardly understood his own biology. This was the first time he actually missed having an adult around, or even Clarke. Fuck, she’d kill a man to be in his place, in a room with grounders, getting to explain in depth their history and culture, try and find a middle ground to make peace on.

“Is that why Skaikru mistreat omegas? Why they tortured you?” The dark-haired man said in a flat tone, but they all could hear the ire in his voice.

Murphy stuttered for words, unsure what to say, what to admit to. “Tor-.. Torture is a little much,” he said with an uncomfortable laugh, looking around at their faces that filled with pity. It was his turn to be confused. So he got his ass beat, what’s the big deal?

The girl stood, looking towards the beta as she asked him something in a different language. The gruff man nodded towards a desk. Rummaging through a drawer she pulled out a mirror and handed it to Murphy. He hesitated to grab it, kind of scared to see what he looked like. If it was anything like the way he felt, it surely wouldn’t be good.

It was worse. He barely recognized himself. For probably the first time in his life, he was speechless. Getting his ass beat was an understatement.

His face was swollen in some areas, covered in deep cuts, there were more bruises than skin. A shaky hand ghosted over his neck, he could still feel the sickening pain of the rope tightening around his throat. Could still hear the crunch of his windpipe. Murphy tried to control his breaths as his skin started to feel too tight, the air too thin. He forced himself to look away as he remembered the weight of his body succumbing to gravity. “They didn’t do this to me because I’m an omega, they did it cause I’m an asshole.” He said in a small, defeated tone.

The room went quiet as he dropped the mirror on the floor. Murphy didn’t dare to look at anyone.

“What did you do?” The woman asked softly. Murphy’s lips curled in a pathetic attempt at a smile, he shrugged. “A girl killed a boy with my knife.. And since I’m prone to violence, they blamed me for his murder.” He said, keeping his eyes glued to a crack in the floor.

The sudden sound of movement forced his eyes away from the stone floor and up. He swallowed as the raven haired man stalked towards him. Murphy was just starting to cower away when the alpha shoved open the door and stormed out of the hut.

His fear-filled eyes flickered back to the girl as she let out a heavy sigh. Sending him a sympathetic smile, she rose from the ground and held her hands out to him. “Come, we’ll get you a bath and some food.”

That sounded good for now.

Chapter Text

Murphy stood awkwardly in what he assumed was the girl’s home, Octavia, he finally learned her name was. He didn’t know if it was because of their age or because they shared the same designation, but he liked her. She had this fire and attitude that told people ‘don’t fuck with me’. And she seemed pretty cool.

“Sorry about my brother, he can be very protective.” Octavia called out as she grabbed a few items.

“Did.. Did I say something wrong?” Murphy asked, he wasn’t trying to be an asshole back in the healer’s hut, but sometimes it just came out that way. She stopped as she noted the scared look on the boy’s face. “Protective of omegas.” She clarified. “We all are.” Her words were soft as she put down her things and stepped closer to Murphy. “I don’t know how Skaikru view omegas, but here.. Omegas are-” Octavia paused as she tried to find the right word for it in Gonasleng. “Protected?” He tried, letting out a tired sigh. Her gaze was piercing as she looked back at him. “Sacred.” She said with a seriousness that made goosebumps raise across his arms.

“We are rare. I was the only omega in Trikru until you came.” Murphy laughed at that. “Does that mean I’m Trikru now?” He joked. The boy’s brow raised slightly as she nodded. “If you want to be.” His lips twitched as she gave him a soft smile before walking back to the table and stuffed her things in a bag.

“Come on.” She said, walking towards the door.

—

It felt good to be outside, breathing in the fresh air. His body ached as he slowly followed behind Octavia, but it was nice to stretch his limbs after barely moving for a week. He listened to the girl go on about the grounder lifestyle, for cavemen, he didn’t expect them to be so progressive.

“Like I said, omegas are not common, so when one is born or discovered, it’s a blessing. We see it as a good omen.” She said, smiling at him as she stopped to let him catch up. “How many omegas are in Skaikru?” Murphy grimaced as his pants rubbed annoyingly at his skin, they were gross and crusty from sweat and slick, he was happy they were going to the river. Maybe he could clean them with a rock or something, like they did in movies.

“Uh.. Maybe fifteen? Less than twenty.” He said, stepping over a root. Murphy nearly ran into the girl as she came to a stop. “That many?” Octavia looked at him as if he had three heads. He shrugged, stepping around her. “Yeah, most of the population are betas, about fifty percent. Omegas and alphas each make up about twenty five percent but the Ark has been trying to decrease the amount of omegas for the past few generations.” Octavia scrunched her face in confusion. “What’s a percent?” Oh geez. How the fuck was he supposed to explain a percent, he wasn’t a mathematician, he barely passed that class.

“Umm.. The sky people that came down, they sent one hundred of us down here right?” He tried, waited for the girl to nod. “About 50 of them are betas. Less than 20 are omegas, and the rest are alphas.” Octavia nodded again, “okay.”

It was at that moment he could hear the roar of the river nearing. Thank god, no more math questions. He let the omega lead him to a little pool of water near the river's edge. He started untying his boots as he waited for her to walk away.

When Murphy looked up, he felt his face go hot as she took off her shirt. “Uh.” He stuttered as he quickly glanced away. “You’re staying?” The girl laughed as she tugged off her pants. “Of course I am, you can’t defend yourself right now. And you’re not the only one who needs a bath.” She said as she took off her underwear and slowly walked into the water. Murphy waited until she was fully submerged to look at her, but whipped his head to the side as she popped back up, giving him a full view of her very ample front.

“Oh come on, we’re both omegas. No one is going to see us here.” She called out, sinking down to her shoulders.

Letting out a sigh, not seeing a way out of this, plus he really wanted to take a bath, he stood and slowly stripped. When all he had on was his boxers, he cleared his throat. “Could you.. turn around?” Octavia smirked at him but complied, facing away from him. “So shy.” She teased.

He slipped out of his underwear and quickly slid into the water, god it felt good. It was cool but not frigid, it felt good on his aching muscles. Before she could turn around he shut his eyes and dunked under the water. When he came back up, a sound of disgust escaped his lips as he saw the trails of dirt and grime rolling down his skin and into the water.

They didn’t talk much as they washed. Murphy flinched as a rag started rubbing over his shoulders. “Gotta keep your wounds clean.” Octavia explained, peeling off an old poultice and tossing it aside before gently scrubbing the dirt and blood from his skin. He nodded and let her continue, grimacing when she passed over a particularly painful cut. “Lean down.” She ordered him. As he sank lower, fingers threaded into his hair, gently massaging his scalp. “So tall.” She commented as she worked out a few knots. His eyes fluttered shut, he hated to admit how nice it felt, not just her fingers, but to be doted on, taken care of. He couldn’t remember the last time someone treated him this nicely. Maybe before his dad died.

Octavia smiled when he started to lean back into her touch. If she massaged his head a little longer than necessary, he either didn’t mind or didn’t notice.

When she was done, she carefully tilted his head back and rinsed the soap out of his hair. “All done.” She said softly, handing him the rag, “now me.” Octavia turned around and pulled her hair forward. “Thank you.” Murphy said shyly as he started washing her back. “..We take care of each other.” Was all she said as she smiled at him from over her shoulder.

When they were all finished washing, Murphy turned around as she climbed out of the water. “Here,” she said. The boy turned and saw the towel she was holding out to him, she had thrown on a pair of shorts and a band around her chest. “I won’t look, I promise.” She said with a chuckle, turning around as Murphy slowly walked out of the water. “Got any more soap so I can clean my clothes?” He asked as he wrapped the towel around his hips. Octavia shook her head, “don’t worry about those. I brought you some clean ones.” She said rummaging through her bag. The girl set his new clothes down on a dry rock and pulled on a fresh pair of pants. He quickly slipped on the shorts and held up the shirt, it was big but it would fit.

“Huh.” She chuckled. “I should have grabbed you some of my clothes, probably would have fit better.” She muttered, pulling on her shoes. Murphy furrowed his brow. “Whose clothes are these?” He asked. “Bellamy’s.” That didn’t help his confusion. “My brother. The guy with curly hair who ran off?” So that was his name. He let out a small ‘oh’ and finished dressing.

Murphy felt bad for stuffing his stinky clothes into her bag, but she didn’t seem to mind. He felt like a new man as they walked in silence back to the village, ‘felt ten pounds lighter’ as Mbege would always say. Man, he missed him.

No fuck that, he was pissed at him. That bastard was supposed to be his best friend and instead he abandoned him.

The smack on his arm pulled him from his thoughts. “Look there’s Bell.” Octavia said, pointing towards the alpha butchering an animal on a table. “Bell!” She hollered, running over to him.

“Nice deer.” She said, looking over the carcass on the table. The man grunted in reply, sparing a glance towards her. He froze as he saw Murphy walking up behind her, his eyes trailing down the boy wearing his clothes. He swallowed down the happy rumble that wanted to creep up his throat and turned back to the deer. “His clothes were dirty, so I gave him some of yours.” She said, failing to hide the devious smirk on her face. “Hope that’s okay.” The alpha glared at his little sister, knowing exactly what she was trying to do. “It’s fine.” He muttered, carefully skinning the fur back. “Sorry.” Murphy mumbled, suddenly feeling bad, even though it wasn’t even his fault. Bellamy sent him a soft smile. “It’s okay, really.” He said reassuringly. “You hungry?” The alpha asked as he went back to butchering. The boy nodded. “Good, O is gonna cook for us.” He said, smiling innocently at his sister, two could play at this game. His sister groaned before walking towards their hut, Murphy quickly following after her.

Tossing her bag on the ground, she reached up to the shelf and pulled out a few bowls. “Here bring these to Bellamy, I’ll be right out.” She said, turning around to grab some knives. The omega swallowed nervously, he waited a second to see if she would follow him, but headed for the door when she pulled out a whetstone and began sharpening her knife.

He slowly walked back outside and stood awkwardly next to the alpha. Bellamy glanced at him and nodded towards the corner of the table. “Hold that leg down.” Murphy looked at his bowls and then at the deer before setting them down and grabbed a limb, pulling it back. He sucked in a breath as the man placed his bloody hand over his and repositioned the leg where he wanted it. “Right there.” He muttered, his brown eyes flickering over his face for a second. It made his face grow warm, since when did he blush? He stared down at the blood that now stained his hand.

“I'm sorry about earlier.” Bellamy said softly, focusing on getting the pelt off. Murphy watched as his skilled hands ran along the animal's carcass, feeling for something. “It wasn’t about you.. It’s just hard to think they’d do that.” The omega’s eyes trailed up his arms, to his face, he watched as his jaw clenched in residual anger.

“Yeah well, that’s what happens when you send a hundred child-criminals to earth with no adult supervision.” He said in a matter of fact tone. Murphy stood up straighter as the man sent him a ‘what the fuck’ look. “The sky people sent one hundred prisoners to earth, to see if it was survivable,” he explained. Bellamy stopped what he was doing to face him, looking him up and down. “You’re not a child though.. And why only send the child prisoners? Why not the adults? That’s just.. wrong.” He stated, looking away. Fucked up, is what it was.

“By sky people's standards, I am a child.. At least for a few more months.” Why the fuck did he say that? “On the Ar-.. In the sky, adult criminals are executed, no matter how little the crime.” He thought of his father, remembered the look in his eyes when he was sucked into space. “Child criminals are imprisoned until they turn eighteen years old, then they have a trial and are either freed or executed.” He finished with a sigh.

The alpha’s jaw slacked open as he stared at him in awe. “I have so many questions.” He said, shaking his head before turning back to the deer.

He scoffed. “Yeah, me too.” Murphy mumbled under his breath. Looking around them, he finally noticed all the grounders milling about, stealing glances of him and whispering to themselves. “They’re staring.” He stated, scowling at a woman as she covered her mouth with her hand and hurried away. Bellamy chuckled as he straightened his back, nodding at a grounder that passed by. “Yeah well, it’s not everyday an omega is found in the woods, especially one beaten and in heat.” He said, stepping away from the table to hang the deer pelt on a drying rack. “You were quite the surprise.”

“Yeah well, to Skaikru, it’s rude to stare.” Murphy said, getting louder with each word, scaring two women that were walking by. “Hey,” the alpha said in a soft tone. “They’re just curious. It will pass.” Murphy took a deep breath as the man gave him a small smile before returning to the deer. “Grab those bowls.”

Octavia joined them a few minutes later, freshly sharpened knives in hand. “Don’t use this on me now.” She said playfully as she held one towards Murphy. He huffed out a laugh and took the blade. “You ever butcher an animal?” Bellamy asked. The omega shook his head before realizing the man wasn’t looking at him and gave him a quick ‘no’.

“Alright, well, I want you fed, so take this and cut it into smaller pieces.” He said, dropping a big hunk of meat into the bowl. Murphy tightened his grip on the bowl and stepped over to an empty spot on the table, placing it down. “So you’re a ‘give a man a fish type’ huh? I didn’t expect that from you.” The boy said as he started slicing the meat into bite size chunks, just trying to make conversation. “What?” Bellamy said with a laugh. He looked up at their confused, slightly amused faces. “You know.. give a man a fish, feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, feed him for a lifetime..” His brow furrowed as they chuckled. “Is that a Skaikru saying?” Octavia asked, leaning closer. “You guys have never heard that before?” Her mouth curled down as she shook her head. “No, but I like it.” The alpha said, a small smile on his face, he had a strange look in his eye that Murphy couldn’t really comprehend, amusement? Impressed? It made his cheeks flush, he just hoped his bruises covered it up.

“I’ll teach you.. when you have your strength back.” Bellamy promised, turning back to his work.

Just as they got into the groove of it, a woman and a little girl approached them. “Heya, seken Belomi, oma Okteivia.” The woman bowed slightly as she turned to Murphy. “Oma.” His brow furrowed as he took a step back. Glancing at the two, he noticed they had put down their knives and smiled at the women. “Heya, Kotya.” Bellamy said. Murphy watched the alpha lean down and look around the woman, sending the little girl a smirk. “Hei, Liya .” He whispered, waggling his fingers towards her, causing the girl to flush red and hide behind, what he assumed, was her mother.

Murphy bit his lip to hide the smile that creeped onto his face as they laughed at the girl’s shyness. “Ha yu?” The alpha said. As he listened to them speak, he could pick out a few words. Their language.. it sounded a lot like English, even the accent sounded English. The woman, Kotya, nudged her daughter out from behind her dress and pushed her towards Murphy, whispering something to her. He forced himself to smile at Liya as she handed him a package, and quickly ran back behind her mother.

“Osir monin yu kom Trikru, oma.” The woman said to him, bowing her head. Murphy cleared his throat and nodded his head towards her. “Thank you.” He said softly, glancing back at the siblings. “Mochof, Kotya.” Bellamy said as he smiled at the boy.

As they walked away, Murphy opened the cloth, it was a loaf of bread. “A welcome gift.” The alpha explained, he had a proud look in his eyes as he stared at him. “You’re lucky it’s from Kotya, she makes good food. It’s Mila’s cooking you shou-” “Noumou.” The man cut his sister off, glaring at her. Murphy breathed out a laugh as she threw her hands up and got back to cutting meat. He listened to them bicker as they all went back to their tasks. Murphy wondered if all siblings were like this.

“Why don’t you take that inside, rest. We’re almost done here.” Octavia said. Murphy shook his head, “I’m alright.” He was feeling pretty tired, but he didn’t want to be a mooch, which was strange to him, usually he didn’t mind letting others do all the work. “Murphy,” she said in a stern voice. “You look like death. Go lay down.”

When he met her gaze, he knew she meant business, and put down his knife with a sigh. Holding up his hands in surrender, he grabbed the loaf of bread and headed into the hut.

Murphy set the bread on the table and looked around, he spotted a wash basin and walked over, scrubbing the blood from his hands. When they were as clean as he could get them, he dried them off on his pants and walked around the little house, taking in the items and trinkets that made it a home. He smiled as he noticed a few drawings pinned to the wall above the fireplace. Murphy recognized the three grounders that had taken him in, along with a few others he didn’t know. He wondered if he would meet them soon. The teenager’s brow furrowed as he saw two braids of hair laying on the mantle, and before he could think better of it, reached his hand out to touch one.

He jumped as the door opened and Bellamy walked in. The man froze as he noticed where he was standing, what he was touching. Neither said a word as the alpha set down the bowl of meat and walked over to the basin of water. “Sorry, I was just.. I was just looking around.” He said, feeling like he was caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Even from afar, Murphy could see the alpha’s jaw clench.

Bellamy shook his head, “it’s alright. There’s a bed in both rooms, doesn’t matter which one you use.” He said in a tight lipped tone. Nodding nervously, the omega practically ran into the nearest room.

Murphy let out a relieved sigh when he was finally alone. He looked around the room, it was kept pretty tidy and there wasn’t much, a small desk with maps strewn about, a dresser covered in little wooden statues, but most importantly a bed covered in fur that was calling his name.

As soon as he fell into the bed, a familiar pine, woody scent surrounded him, he instantly knew who’s room he was in. Too tired to get up, he let out a sigh and got comfortable on the alpha’s bed. He thought of the wild day, or shit, just the past few hours, he had. This morning, he was prepared to slit their throats, and now, he could hear them talking their grounder talk as they made him dinner.

What a fucking day.

Chapter Text

Murphy flinched as a hand shook him awake, he felt bad when he saw Octavia jump back as well. “Sorry,” he muttered, sitting up. The girl nodded and stood, “food is ready.” Is all she said and walked out of the room.

The boy rubbed his hands over his face before getting up, noticing how dark it had become. As he stepped out of the room, he saw that the hearth had been lit, along with a few candles strewn about. Murphy didn’t know how long he was out, but whatever the girl cooked in that time smelt amazing. Nerves creeped into his body as he saw them all sitting at the table, the bald guy had returned, and kissed Octavia’s cheek as she set a bowl down in front of him. “Mochof, niron.” He said as he took a bite.

The woman smiled at Murphy as he hesitantly walked towards them. “Come, eat.” She said, motioning to the empty spot next to Bellamy. Taking the invite, he slowly sat down on the bench, sliding his legs under the table and leaned down to smell the amazing bowl of food. The deer meat had been fried with some greens and laid on a bed of rice. “Thank you, Octavia.” He said quietly as he picked up the wooden spoon next to him. Blowing the steam away, he took a bite, and moaned at the taste. The meat was perfectly cooked, tender and full of flavor. They laughed at him as he started wolfing down the food, but he didn’t care. The boy stilled as a hand rested on his nape. “Don’t eat so fast,” Bellamy said with a chuckle. “You didn’t eat a lot during your heat, you might get sick if you keep eating like that.” He swallowed down the mouthful and glanced at the alpha nervously. Murphy sucked in a breath as he rubbed his thumb against his skin before moving his hand away, going back to eating as if that didn’t just happen.

Clearing his throat, he looked around the table at their curious faces. “Uh, what am I.. doing here?” He asked. Murphy had no idea what was happening, what was going to happen. Was he a prisoner? Were they gonna keep him or send him on his way after they fixed him up? Did they expect him to tell them all he knew about Skaikru? The one hundred had feared an attack by the grounders, would they use him against them? He knew he wasn’t on the best terms with them, but did that mean he wanted them slaughtered? Would the grounders ever agree to a peace treaty?

Their faces turned worried as they glanced at each other. “Do you not remember?” Octavia asked delicately, her brow furrowing. “No, no I remember, I just..” He gripped the spoon in his hand as he took a shaky breath. “What’s going to happen to me? What do you.. plan on doing with me?” He watched their shoulders relax, the two across the table from him looked at Bellamy. “You’re not a prisoner, if that’s what you are asking.” The alpha said in a low voice. The boy let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. “If you do not want to be here.. you are free to leave.” He noted the disappointment in the man’s voice.

Murphy let out a sad chuckle. “I wouldn’t even know where to go,” he whispered, his gaze falling to the table.

His eyes fluttered shut as Bellamy rested his callused hand on the back of his neck again, his shoulders slumped as the man’s thumb rubbed over his scent gland soothingly. It was such an intimate gesture, one reserved for family or mates, at least it was for sky people. He didn’t know why he allowed the stranger to do it, didn’t know why it eased his nerves.

“Then stay.”

Murphy looked away as his eyes started to sting. “I can’t ask you guys to do that.” He uttered, blinking his tears away. “Why not?” Octavia whispered, reaching across the table to hold his hand. The boy shook his head, but didn’t pull away from the omega’s comforting touch. “You don’t even know who I am.. I-” He bit the inside of his cheek, god this was a pretty good deal, why the fuck was he trying to mess it all up. “I’m not a good person.” He forced out. “That’s why I’m here. I’m a criminal, I’m not nice.. My own people didn’t even want me. Tossed me out the first chance they had.. You’ll find out for yourself soon enough.” He whispered the last part, lowering his head in shame.

“You’re here because I brought you here. I want you to be here, we all do.” Bellamy said softly. Murphy’s lips twitched in a sad attempt of a smile as they all agreed. He didn’t mean ‘here’ as in Tondc, but he still appreciated the gesture. “Let us decide for ourselves whether or not you’re a good person.” Bellamy said in a playful tone, ruffling his hair. Murphy couldn’t help but smile as the atmosphere lightened. “So far, you’re doing pretty good.” The man said as he turned back to his food.

“We can always throw you out later,” Octavia joked, shrugging her shoulders. For the first time since he arrived, Murphy let out a genuine laugh.

He didn’t know why, but being banished may have been the luckiest thing to ever happen to him.

—

When he woke up the next day, he found himself alone in the house. Bellamy had insisted on him taking his bed, saying that he would sleep on the couch. Before Murphy could protest, the man plopped down and quickly fell asleep, it was kind of impressive how fast the guy started snoring.

Pulling on his boots, he milled around, touching random things around the hut before deciding to venture outside. He shielded his eyes from the sun as he looked around, spotting the siblings standing by the drying rack. Octavia was busy turning over the drying strips of meat while her brother scraped the membrane off the deer hide. “Morning.” He called out as he stopped a few feet away. Bellamy squinted as he looked up at the sky, “afternoon.” He corrected him with a smirk.

“Shit.” Murphy mumbled. “Why’d you let me sleep so long?” He asked, looking over his shoulder as he heard a distant shout. The alpha shrugged, looking off in the same direction, “you needed it.. Nyko wants you to go see him by the way.” He mentioned, nodding in the direction he could only assume was the healer’s hut.

A young boy came running over, “Wocha Indra ste hir!” He yelled out before running back towards the entrance to the village. Bellamy put the fur to the side, dropping his tool on the ground near it. “I’ll be back.” He said, walking away. The omegas nodded, Murphy watched as he started jogging. “What’s happening?” He turned towards the girl. “Our chief, Indra, is back from patrol. Bell is her second, so he’s gotta go talk to her.” She explained. The boy furrowed his brow, “second as in.. second in command?” She smiled over her shoulder, nodding her head. “He’ll be chief of Tondc one day.” Murphy’s brow raised, impressed. “I didn’t know that.” He said quietly, it explained why everyone bowed to him in passing.

“Alright.” She said as she stepped back, looking over her work. “I’ll take you to see Nyko.” Octavia said, wiping her hands on her pants.

They walked beside each other in relative silence, he smiled when the girl bumped his shoulder playfully. As they walked through the village, a sharp cry of pain could be heard towards the entrance. Octavia’s face turned serious as she stopped to listen, before running towards the gathering group of people. Murphy didn’t know whether he should follow her or not, but curiosity got the best of him and walked over to the crowd. Weaving himself through the villagers, he found Octavia at the front. Standing next to her, he froze as two tough looking grounders dragged a screaming and kicking body through town. He instantly recognized the clothing that could only have come from the one hundred, but the boy had a bag over his head.

“Chit gon daun?” Octavia called out as Bellamy strode over to them, grabbing his sister by her arm. “Teik em houm. Emo lok Skaikru skat.” The alpha said in a stern voice, ignoring the way Murphy stared at him. Octavia nodded and turned to nudge him back towards the hut.

“Hey, no he’s Skaikru.” He stated, swatting the girl’s hands away. “Who is it?” He spat, steeling himself as he stepped up to the alpha. Standing this close, Murphy finally noticed the freckles that covered the man’s skin, he swallowed as his brown eyes softened. God he was handsome. “Don’t worry, we will deal with him.” He said, touching his arm. Fuck, this was not the time to get all dopey over the alpha. Murphy shook the thoughts from his head and shoved the man away. “Who is he? What do you mean ‘deal with him’?” He said in an accusatory tone. He ignored the shocked and slightly hurt look Bellamy sent him and walked towards the bound kid.

“John?” The teen yelled, turning his head in every direction despite the hood. Murphy’s face went slack as he froze. “Mbege?” He breathed out in astonishment, before taking long strides over to him. The omega snarled as a hand grabbed his arm, pulling him back. “Murphy, no.” Bellamy said in a low voice. “Don’t tell me what to do.” He hissed, ripping his arm away.

Murphy glared at the two grounders holding Mbege as he approached them. They both looked at the ground, as if they were just scolded by their mother and let Murphy rip the hood off. The young alpha blinked as his eyes adjusted to the sunlight. “Holy fuck, John!” He cried as Murphy sank to his knees to embrace him. With his hands tied behind his back, all he could do was nestle his face into his friend's neck. “What are you doing here? Are you alright?” He rushed out, his eyes wide as he looked over the omega’s face. Murphy grabbed the sides of the boy’s face and looked over the fresh bruises and drying blood. “I’m fine, what are you doing? Why aren’t you at camp?” Mbege panted as he looked around at all the people, not sure if they were safe to talk freely.

“Step we, oma.” A woman’s voice rang out. Looking over his shoulder, he saw a dark-skinned woman step forward. “Murphy, step away from him.” Bellamy growled as the woman considered the sky people. “No.” He called out, standing up to shield his friend. The woman, an alpha, stepped right up to his face, looking him up and down. “He did this to you. And yet you still protect him?” She asked, her voice full of resentment.

His face scrunched in confusion, shaking his head. “No, he’s my friend. He was one of the only ones to try and stop it.” He exclaimed. “And then he abandoned you.” She said without missing a beat.

Murphy’s mouth snapped close, he didn’t have any way to defend that. “That’s what I thought.” She said cooly, turning away from him. “Lock him up!” She hollered at the two grounders. “Wait no! Don’t hurt him!” Murphy cried, shoving at the warriors as they dragged him away. He felt a hand grab the back of his shirt and yank him back, causing him to collide against Bellamy’s chest. “Stop it, Murphy.” The alpha growled in his ear, pushing him towards Octavia. “Go. Home.” Murphy shot daggers at the man, walking towards the dilapidated stone building they brought Mbege into, “fuck you,” he said, his voice full of venom. “Lincoln!” Bellamy barked. Murphy looked over his shoulder and watched the alpha stalk towards him, but by the time he thought to run, it was already too late. Lincoln quickly caught him and just as easily threw him over his shoulder, turning in the direction to their home.

Murphy screamed and kicked, hitting his fist against the man’s back. “Murphy, calm down.” Octavia said, following after them. “Don’t tell me to calm down!” He yelled at her. “That’s my friend in there, I’m not gonna let you torture or kill him or whatever it is you people do.” He growled out, thrashing around to try and throw Lincoln off balance. “What are they gonna do to him?” He asked, glaring at the girl. Her eyes darted to her mates, avoiding the question. “..Talk to him.” She muttered.

Chapter Text

Bellamy should have known. Of course an omega as beautiful as Murphy would already have an alpha. He may not have had a mating bite, but it was pretty clear how much they cared for each other. Bellamy felt stupid for thinking he might have a chance to court the omega. For letting the boy’s behavior during his heat give him hope.

He shot daggers at the young alpha, how good of an alpha could he be if he abandoned him? When Murphy needed him most? Fucking coward, he thought to himself as he watched them shove the young alpha into the cage, untying his hands before slamming the cell door closed.

“Who are you?” Indra said, crossing her arms as she inspected the prisoner. The boy scooted himself away from the steel bars, looking around before turning back to Indra. “John Mbege.” “What were you doing in our territory?” Bellamy saw the boy’s Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed nervously. “I was looking for John.. I was worried about him.” Bellamy’s face scrunched, why did he keep calling Murphy John? Did he not even know his name? Was his name not even Murphy? Bellamy’s face furrowed in anger, how much was he hiding? How many lies has he told them? “What do your people want?” She asked in a clear voice. Mbege’s brow furrowed in confusion. “N-.. nothing.. Peace.” He replied, unsure.

“Why would we ever want peace with the sky people? We have seen how you treat your own, how you treat your most blessed.” She spat, squatting down to be at eye level with him.

“That wasn’t me.” The boy stressed. “I tried to stop it!” Mbege crawled a bit closer. “Please, I just wanted to find John, let me talk to him and we’ll leave. I swear.” A grounder grabbed Bellamy’s shoulder as he reared forward, holding him back. “You think we will just let you take him? You couldn’t even protect him from your own people.” He growled, baring his teeth. The boy swallowed as he locked eyes with the furious grounder. “Look I.. I’m not the right guy to be speaking for the.. sky people. I’m not a leader. I just want to make sure John is alright.” He rushed out, his scared eyes darting between Indra and Bellamy.

Indra hummed as she turned to her second. “Chit yu fig raun, Belomi?” His jaw clenched as he looked over the boy. “Ai fig op Mofi ouyon klin raitnes.. Jus drein jus daun.” He growled out, crossing his arms. The warriors standing behind him all made a sound of agreement, repeating their creed. It didn’t matter if he would never get the chance to be with Murphy, the boy deserved justice for his people’s abuses.

The woman nodded in agreement. “Osir souda chich op disha odon kom otok.” He gave her a curt nod and turned to the nearest warrior. “Watch him.” He said, and walked out of the building, heading for the chief’s hut.

—

“What are we going to do with the sky people?” Indra pressed, looking around at her warriors.

“They must pay for what they have done to the omega.” A woman snarled. “Jus drein jus daun,” another said. Indra nodded, turning to her protege. “What have you learned about them?” Bellamy glanced around. “There’s about one hundred of them, they’re young, no older than eighteen years old. They were all convicted of crimes in the sky, their people sent them down here to see if the land was livable.” The alpha said.

“We can’t let criminals run around our territory, threatening our peace. The Mountain Men are already enough.” A warrior barked out. Bellamy shook his head, “Murphy told us of their laws. The sky people are.. ruthless when it comes to criminals.” His face furrowed as he remembered the conversation. “He said all adults who commit a crime are executed. Even for something as little as stealing food.. Only the children are imprisoned, until they become adults and can be judged. So some of them may not even be real criminals.” He stressed, looking around at the warriors. “It's no excuse for what they did, but it explains why they were quick to try and kill him. It’s all they know.”

“That means the omega is a criminal too?” Indra asked. Bellamy was hesitant to nod, lifting his eyes to his chief. “What did he do?” The dark-haired alpha shook his head, “I don’t know what he did in the sky, but they accused him of murdering a boy. That’s why they tried to kill him.” Indra looked at her second in shock, it was one thing to bring in an omega, it was another to bring in a killer. “How do we know he didn’t? What if he was lying to save himself?” She yelled. “The true murderer ‘fessed up. Lincoln saw it. They banished him after that.” He shot back, defending the boy.

Indra sighed, leaning her hands on the table, this complicated the entire situation. “He was an omega in need. We took him in and cared for him. That is our way.” Bellamy exclaimed, his anger growing. “Tondc has been blessed with an omega, we don’t turn our back on them. At least I won’t.” He said, standing his ground when the chief slowly turned her glare towards him. A few warriors made sounds of agreement, backing him up. “That does not mean he is not a threat. That Skaikru is not a threat,” she reminded him. “He wants to be here! He wants to be one of us!” He hollered. “You know exactly what they are capable of, what they are not ashamed to do.” Indra said, moving to get in her second’s face, the alpha straightened his shoulders. “He isn’t Skaikru anymore.. They made sure of that.” Bellamy challenged.

The two alphas stared each other down. “Leave us.” The chief commanded, her eyes never leaving her second’s as her warriors shuffled out of the tense room.

“He may not be Skaikru anymore, but that does not make him ours.” She said calmly, “our loyalty belongs to Trikru, not some outsiders. Just because they are young, does not mean they are stupid. And it does not make them our responsibility to save.” Indra released the anger that had pent up in her body, turning to lean against the table once more. “I do not want to abandon him either.. But we must put our people first.” She said sternly. Bellamy stepped closer to her, softening his face. “I’m not asking you to forgive Skaikru, they must pay for what they have done.. Indra.. He is good. The people already care for him. They brought us food and water everyday he was in heat, they collected herbs for Nyko when he used up the last of his supply. They want him here.” He said softly. Indra dropped her head, her eyes fell shut as she thought. The woman breathed out a chuckle, she wouldn’t have expected anything different from her people.

“The omega can stay.” Bellamy exhaled a relieved breath. “Thank you, Indra.” “He is your responsibility.” She stressed, pointing her finger in his face. “If he hurts this village, he will face the punishment, I won’t care if he is an oma.” Her second nodded. “I understand.”

Indra looked away with a nod. “Now what do we do with his alpha.” Bellamy winced at the reminder. His face hardened as he pulled a chair over and plopped down into it. He chewed on his bottom lip in thought. “Murphy will never forgive us if we kill him.” He said, glaring at the wood of the table. “They aren’t mated, Murphy doesn’t have a bite. So it wouldn’t be cruel to separate them.. Send him back to Skaikru.” He suggested.

The woman laughed, “that pathetic excuse of an alpha? I wouldn’t want his bite either.” Bellamy smiled as a chuckle escaped his throat. It made him feel better. What did Murphy see in him anyways? “There is still too much we don’t know about them.” Indra said quietly. Bellamy pursed his lips, “we can keep them around. Learn all we can about the sky people.” Indra nodded, thinking the same. “It is better to know your enemy than face them blind..I want the alpha locked up for now. At least until we know more about him.”

With that settled, Bellamy rose from his chair and left. He found his warriors not far from the chief’s hut, and beckoned them over. After informing them, he heading home with a tired sigh.

—

When Bellamy entered his home, he saw Nyko kneeling in front of Murphy, inspecting his healing wounds. He watched as the omega turned to look at him, and upon realizing who it was, scowled and turned away. Letting out a sigh, he stepped over to his little sister, hugged her from the side and placed a kiss on her head before walking over to the living area. He crossed his arms and watched the healer as he finished rewrapping a jagged cut on the boy’s ribs. “All done.” Nyko muttered, patting the omega’s knee before rising to his feet. The beta nodded to Bellamy before stepping around him, setting a bag of herbs down on the table.

“Come with me, Murphy.” The alpha said, grabbing his discarded shirt from the arm of the couch. “Fuck you.” He spewed, ripping his shirt out of his hands, pulling it over his head. Bellamy rolled his eyes, “I’m taking you to see him.” He explained, raising his eyebrows when the omega looked up at him. Murphy’s eyes softened, “okay,” he whispered, standing up. “What’s happening, biga bro?” Octavia asked. Bellamy gave her a small smile, his hand reached up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. “Nothing you have to worry about right now.” He said and walked out.

He stared up at the pink sky of the setting sun, wondering what it was like up there. How unforgiving it must have been. The alpha turned as he heard the sound of the door shutting, they said nothing as they walked through town. Bellamy had to pick up his pace as Murphy was nearly jogging towards the jail.

Murphy’s breath quickened as they walked into the stone building. The omega ran to the steel bars as Mbege perked up, crawling over to meet him. “John!” Bellamy turned to the guard, relieving him for now.

Murphy let his friend touch his face, inspecting the bruises that had started to heal. “Did they hurt you?” The omega said, his brow scrunching, Mbege didn’t look any worse than earlier, he was glad for that at least. The alpha shook his head. “No, they interrogated me for a bit, but otherwise left me alone.” He said, breathing out a nervous laugh. “What about you? You alright?” Murphy’s lips curled slightly as he nodded. “They found me in the woods.. Nine? Days ago. They’ve been taking care of me.” He said softly, glancing over at the Bellamy. Mbege dropped his hands and nodded. “Wish I could have gotten some of that treatment.. So you’ve been here the whole time?” He asked. The omega shrugged, “Basically.. I was in heat when they found me. I came out of it yesterday..” He trailed off, kind of embarrassed. The teen watched as his friend let out a deep sigh.

“That’s why I left.” He admitted, his eyes darting over his shoulder. “Everyone’s suppressants are wearing off, they’re all going into heat, rut. I figured you were too.. I had to get outta there.. I had to make sure you were alright.” He said, keeping his voice low. The omega raised his eyebrows in shock. “Dude, it’s bad. It’s like one big orgy over there.” Murphy failed to stifle the laugh that escaped his mouth. “You fucking idiot.” He said as he shook his head in disbelief. “So what.. you get any of that action?” Murphy snickered, sitting against the wall. The young alpha shook his head, “It felt wrong, you know.. Clarke did her best to keep everyone in check, but then she went into rut. Plus I haven’t gone into rut yet.. Probably happen any day now.” Murphy nodded, looking down at his hands. “Well, thanks for getting yourself locked up for me.” He teased, “oh yeah,” he said before grabbing the boy’s shirt and yanking him forward, smashing his face into the bars.

Bellamy tried to contain his smile as Mbege groaned in pain, his hand shooting up to hold his nose. “That’s for leaving me behind, you piece of fucking shit.” Murphy scolded, shoving his shoulder. Mbege nodded as he fell back onto his ass. “I deserve that,” he replied, wiping away the bit of blood that trickled down his nose. “Dude I’m so sorry.. I was scared.” He whispered, his eyes full of regret. Murphy’s face dropped, he could understand that. “So was I.. I needed you, man.”

Mbege’s eyes flicked upwards as the grounder stepped up behind Murphy. The boy looked over his shoulder, up at Bellamy.

“You will be kept here. Tell us what we want to know and we won’t hurt you.” The man said, his face devoid of emotion. Murphy stood, an irritated look on his face. “Come on, Bellamy. That’s not necess-” “We’ll decide that.” He cut him off, a hard look on his face. “Be good and we might let you free.” The alpha said, turning back to the prisoner. Mbege nodded, “what do you want to know?” Bellamy curled his lips down. “We’ll talk more tomorrow.” The grounder turned back to the omega, his eyes looking over his face for a moment. “Let’s go, you can see him tomorrow.” He said softly, walking away. “Come on, Bell-” “Now.” He demanded, turning to the side to wait for Murphy.

With a huff, Murphy reached his hand into the cell, “it’ll be okay,” he whispered, fist-bumping his friend. The omega glared at Bellamy as he walked past him, heading for the entrance.

It was silent again as they walked back to the hut, without the urgency of getting to his friend, it had grown awkward, felt longer.

“Why does he call you John?” Bellamy asked, breaking the silence. Murphy glanced at the man, his lips curling down for a second. “Oh yeah, I haven’t told you guys that yet.” The alpha raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to go on. “My name is John Murphy. Mbege and I both have the same first name, John, so everyone just calls us by our last name.” He explained, kicking a rock as he walked. Bellamy let out a small ‘oh’, looking back forward, but still had a confused look on his face. “Is that what you want to be called?” The man asked. Murphy’s face tilted back, no one had ever actually asked him that before. Since Mbege and him were always a pair, it just.. happened. It had always been like that, ever since they met in kindergarten. It was really only his parents and Mbege that called him by his first name. “I uh.. I don’t know. Me and Mbege have always been close, so I don’t really mind that he calls me John.” He shrugged, looking back at the alpha. The teen watched the man’s jaw clench as he nodded.

“I can tell he cares a lot about you.” Bellamy said, his eyes stern as he looked at his home in the distance. Murphy’s mouth twitched up, he followed his gaze to where the man was looking. “Yeah.” He murmured, happy to know his friend was alive and safe for now. “He’s a good guy, really.” Murphy emphasized, “if you like me, you’d like him. We’re basically the same person.” He said, shrugging. That’s what happens when you have the same friend for your entire life.

Bellamy cleared his throat as a lull passed over their conversation. “So you have two names?” He asked, wanting to steer the topic away from the young alpha.

“Well.. Actually I have three.” The alpha glanced at him, a small smile on his face. “What’s the third one?” Murphy grimaced, looking away. “It’s.. embarrassing.” Bellamy laughed, “it can’t be that bad,” he said, nudging his shoulder. With a sigh, Murphy pursed his lips. “John Wilbur Murphy.” He mumbled, looking down at his feet. Wilbur was the name of the first Murphy on the Ark, since then every Murphy man had been given that middle name.

Stealing a glance, he looked up at the man, Bellamy was smiling at him. “That doesn’t seem so bad.” He said quietly. The omega bit the inside of his cheek to suppress his own smile. “Tell anyone that and I will kill you.” Murphy said threateningly. He had a hard time looking away as Bellamy’s face stretched into a bright smile, he really was good-looking.

“We only have one name,” the man said. “Why so many? It’s confusing.” He asked, scrunching his brow.

“Well our first name is what sky people usually go by. Our last name is our family’s name.” Murphy explained, shrugging. “Family name?” The man piqued. “Yeah, so.. if you had one, you and Octavia would have the same last name. Or no- she’d have Lincoln’s cause they’re mated.” He said, correcting himself. Bellamy looked at him like he was crazy. “Confusing.” He reiterated.

“So if you and.. Mbege were mated, you would both be named John Murphy?” Bellamy asked, a pained look on his face as he faced forward, just missing the disgusted look on the omega’s face. “Um, no my name would change to John Mbege.. That would get confusing fast, huh?” He said, chuckling. “Why would you have his name?” They looked at each other confused. “Cause he’s an alpha.” He said as if it was common sense. “I would be ‘his’.” Murphy grumbled, throwing up air quotes. It was pretty archaic, but tradition tended to be that way.

Bellamy made a sound of disagreement, shaking his head. “We don’t see it that way here.” He mumbled.

That peeked Murphy’s curiosity. “What do you mean?” He asked as he looked forward, he knew they thought ‘all omegas are blessings’ or whatever, but he didn’t really know much more than that. “Alphas may be dominant and demanding, but it is the omega who gives them the right to be.” Bellamy stated, his lips curling up as Murphy frowned at him. “What?” The boy said. The man stopped walking to chuckle, licking his lips as he looked around. “Have you ever met an alpha you didn’t like?” He questioned. The omega scoffed, “it would be easier to count the ones I did like.” Bellamy couldn’t help but smile to himself. “And the ones you didn’t like.. Did you submit to them?” Murphy’s face furrowed at his brazen question. The omega puffed up his chest as he eyed the man. “No.” He said in a snippy, defensive tone.

The alpha smiled, “exactly. It is the omega that decides who is worthy of their submission.” Bellamy pushed down the memories of Murphy’s heat, all the times the omega let him command him, soothe him. “Earning an omega’s love, devotion.. is a sign of an honorable person.. I would be proud to bear an omega’s name.” He said softly, his brown eyes dancing over Murphy’s face before darting away.

The boy was at a loss of words. He never thought of it like that. His mouth opened slightly as the man continued walking. He could feel his omega preen at the alpha’s words, could feel his cheeks warm at the way he looked at him, Murphy could only describe it as longing.

He could definitely get used to this grounder lifestyle.

Chapter Text

It had been about two days since Mbege arrived in Tondc. It wasn’t as bad as he thought it would have been. After the first night, they brought him a couple of animal hides to sleep on, got food and water two times a day, and he got to spend most of the day with his best friend while they struggled through the grounders questioning. They were quite thorough in their curiosity, he wanted to know what they planned to do with all the information. The beat down they gave him when they found him wandering around in the woods had him thinking he was in for a world of hurt, but since being locked up, they hadn’t touched him. He was pretty sure he had Murphy to thank for that.

The alpha sat up as the same group of grounders and Murphy walked in. His friend smirked at him as he walked over, sticking a bowl of food through the bars. “Eat up, jailbird.” He accepted the food with a roll of his eyes before digging in.

The dark-skinned woman, Chief Indra, he had learned, sat down on the floor in front of him, crossing her legs underneath herself. “Hello, Mbege.” She said, her face stern. He swallowed down his bite of food. “Good morning, Indra.” He said, sending her a nervous smile. “Today, I want to learn more about your people, the ones still in the sky.” The teen nodded, eyeing the dark-haired alpha that squatted down beside her and Murphy, Bellamy his name was, the second in command.

Murphy sent Bellamy a small smile as the man crouched down and patted the ground next to him. The alpha’s lips curled slightly as he lowered himself the rest of the way down, grabbing his wrist as he loosely rested his arms around his legs, turning his attention back to the prisoner.

“How many are still in the sky?” Indra asked. Mbege frowned in thought, looking to his friend to concur. “2.. 2,000?” Murphy nodded. “That sounds about right.” The grounders all had an impressed look on their faces. “And will they all be coming down?” Mbege set his bowl aside, “if we are able to contact them.” Indra’s brow furrowed. “Contact?” The young alpha nodded, “yeah, if we can figure out a way to talk to them, they will most likely be coming down. Sooner rather than later.” “That seems impossible. How could you talk to them from the sky?”

Mbege’s cheeks puffed up as he let out a big breath. “I uh.. We have tools that let us communicate with people who are far away.. Don't ask me how it works, I don’t know.” He said, shrugging. “We call it a radio. When I left, we were trying to get ours to work.”

“So when you can talk to Skaikru, they will come down?” The boy nodded, picking up his bowl again. “Why are they coming? Why can’t they stay in the sky?” Bellamy piped up, scooting closer. Mbege slowed his chewing, avoiding the man’s curious gaze and turned to Murphy. The omega sighed as he realized the torch was being handed to him. “Our home, the Ark, is dying. In a few months, they’ll run out of air.. If they don’t come down, they’ll all die.” He said grimly, staring at the ground. Indra hummed in thought.

“What is the Ark?” Bellamy asked, the omega looked up into his confused eyes. “It’s a space station-” He shut his eyes, Murphy shook his head as he realized his mistake. They obviously had no idea what a space station was. “It’s like..” He looked around the room as he tried to find the words to describe what the monstrosity the Ark was. “Imagine a house, big enough to fit an entire city inside. Big enough for 2,000 people to live in.” Bellamy’s brow raised as he blinked in astonishment. “When the world ended, we took that house and shot it into the sky.” He said, gesturing up with a hand.

The two grounders looked at each other knowingly, “Praimfaya,” the man muttered. That’s what they must have called it, Murphy thought. They all turned to look towards the door as Nyko announced himself. “Murphy.” The gruff man said, pointing his head towards the door. The omega let out an exhale, but stood, he looked to his friend, “you’ll be okay?” Mbege gave him a reassuring nod. And with that, the teen followed the beta out.

“How are you? Still feeling any pain?” Nyko asked, leading the boy towards his hut. “Eh, yeah if I press on my bruises, but other than that, not really.” The man made a sound of acknowledgment, nodding as he motioned for Murphy to sit down. “Off.” He muttered, gesturing to his shirt. The boy rolled his eyes, but complied.

“They look good, don’t need a poultice anymore.” Nyko said, peeling the bandages off of his ribs. “Just keep them clean.” Murphy nodded his head. “I wanted to talk to you about your next heat.” The man said, wiping his skin with a rag. Murphy scrunched his face in confusion, “I just had it though.” “And we were unprepared for it.” The beta said, his face turning stern. “..You would have died if you were not brought here. Do you understand that?” Murphy’s mouth opened and closed like a fish. Sure it was long, they told him a little bit about how bad it was, but died? This wasn’t the Stone Age, omega’s didn’t die of heat like they used to.

But then again.. They kinda where weren’t they? And Nyko didn’t seem like the type to exaggerate. He looked down at his hands, the shock was delayed, but he didn’t know how to process the fact he almost died. Like for real.

“I will keep my stores full.. But I think you may want to find a partner to help you through your next one.” A mix of anger and disbelief raged through his body as his head shot up to stare at the beta. “What th-” “There are plenty of alpha’s who would be honored to help you through your heat.” “The fuck.” He hissed, hopping off the table. “Or betas, whoever you like.” “You’re kidding me, right?” Nyko’s brow furrowed in confusion. “I would not joke about this.” He said in a serious tone. “It is your decision. If you want to go through another heat alone, I will be prepared. But the best way to ease your heat is t-” “I got it, I know.” Murphy said, his tone was a little bitchy than he meant it to be, but he couldn’t believe he was getting this talk right now.

He frowned at the ground as he tried to reel in his anger. “So what, you want me to go around and fuck every knot-head in the forest?” Nyko was a bit perplexed by the omegas words and terms he could only describe as Skaikru’s. “If that’s what you want.” “No! It’s not what I want!” He hollered, his arms flailing about. “What if I get pregnant? I don’t want a kid, I don’t even want to be pregnant.” The healer nodded in understanding. “Or is that your plan? You guys just want to knock me up? Make me the village baby-maker, is that it?” Nyko’s brow furrowed as he shook his head earnestly, “if you do not want a child, we have medicine that can prevent or end a pregnancy.. I’m not saying this to hurt you, Murphy.” The beta’s face softened, Murphy took a deep breath, he didn’t mean to blow up on the guy. “Heats are not supposed to be painful, they aren’t supposed to kill you. I only want to get you through yours with as little pain as possible. And I want you to know that you have options in how to get through it.” The boy shook his head as he paced around the hut.

When Murphy looked up, he watched as a look of realization crossed the man’s face. “You are ashamed.” He muttered. Murphy stopped his pacing to look at the grounder. “N-.. I don’t care if I’m an omega. ” He said weakly, god, even he didn’t believe it. “And even if I did, what’s so great about turning into a knot-hungry bitch once every few months.”

Nyko stood from his stool, walking closer to the boy. “You are a bles-” “Blessing yeah I know.” The omega said, rolling his eyes. “Murphy.” Nyko said in a serious tone, taking another step closer. “Do not be ashamed of who you are, or what your body needs. You are sacred. A gift from the Flame.” He said, gesturing to the sky, or maybe the sun, did they worship the sun? “Not just because of your fertility, but because you hold a power that is greater than all of us.” Murphy swallowed, his eyes nervously looking over the beta’s face. “Wars have ended because an omega commanded it to. You have the power to make the strongest of us bow at your feet.. When the world wanted to tear itself apart, it was omegas that found a different way and put it back together. You create life, yes, but you also bring us together, you make us stronger.” Nyko’s shoulders relaxed as he finished.

Murphy’s mouth opened and closed, unsure what to say. “I.. I have to go.” He rushed out, grabbing his shirt and pushing past the man.

He pulled it over his shoulders as he stepped out, glancing at the woods and started walking towards it. Looking back at the prison, he noticed the grounder warriors shuffling out. More than wanting to be alone, he wanted to be with his friend. He wanted to be with someone who didn’t treat him like he was glass, or like he was some prized possession sent from the heavens. He just wanted to be Murphy. Ignoring the waves from villagers, he headed back to the prison.

He stepped to the side as Indra made her way out, nodding to her. “Oma Murphy.” She said, tipping her head to him. The omega didn’t look at Bellamy as he stopped in front of him. “Hey, you alright?” The man said softly, touching his arm. “I’m fine.” He mumbled. When the alpha didn’t move, he looked up at him. Bellamy had a face that said he saw through the bullshit response. “I’m okay. I’ll see you later.” He said in a more reassuring manner, giving the alpha a weak smile. Murphy was relieved when he didn’t press further, nodding before walking out.

He sighed as he walked over to the cell and collapsed onto the ground, ignoring the amused chuckle coming from Mbege. “What’s your deal?” His friend asked, nudging him through the bars. “Don’t want to talk about it.” Mbege laughed, “okay.”

The omega sat up, “actually no. I do.” He said, turning towards his friend, crossing his legs underneath him. “That guy I left with? He’s the village healer.” The alpha nodded along, listening. “He just told me I should find an alpha to fuck me through my next heat, dude.” Mbege’s head tipped forward as his jaw dropped in bafflement. “Seriously?” “Yes, dude.” Mbege’s head fell back as he let out a loud laugh. “That’s fucking crazy, are you gonna do it?” Murphy’s face scrunched in shock, leaning in to punch the boy’s shoulder. “No!” “Why not?” He chuckled out, rubbing his arm. “I’m not gonna fuck some random grounder, dude.”

“I mean.. they’re not all that unfortunate looking. That Bellamy guy is pretty hot, bet he knows how to rock the boat.” He said, wiggling his hips in a lewd gesture. Murphy grimaced as he looked at his friend. “Then you go fuck him.” He wasn’t sure why he felt relieved when the tan boy shook his head, making a face of disapproval. “Alphas aren’t my type.. Plus the guy is like in love with you- And you know me, I’m a good friend, I’m not gonna steal your man like that.” He said, his hands gesturing to himself. Murphy’s brow furrowed in annoyance. “Mbege, shut the fuck up.” “I’m serious! The guy goes full on heart-eyes for you. It’s kind of disgusting actually.”

He bit his lip as he tried to think about all his interactions with the man. “He did.. kind of, help me through my heat a little bit.. Not like that!” He yelled when the alpha threw his hands up in a ‘told you so’ kind of way. “He kind of just.. held me, made me smell like him, I guess. We didn’t have sex or anything like that. They said I ‘needed an alpha to comfort me’ or whatever that means.” He mumbled, looking away.

Mbege picked at the threads of his jacket, “yeah they told me how bad it was, “ he said quietly. Murphy nodded, looking down at his hands in embarrassment. “It only came up cause they were worried about the rest of the one hundred, the other omegas. I told em they were fucking it all out so they’re probably alright but..” Murphy looked up as his friend trailed off. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you.. I should have been, should have left with you.” He said softly, a look of shame crossing his face. The omega let out a weak chuckle. “You want a piece of this that badly, huh?” He teased, wanting to keep the mood light. A smile stretched across the alpha’s face. “Shut up, John.” He was glad they could laugh about it now. “You wouldn’t even know what to do with all this. All this alpha.” He joked, flexing his arms, causing the omega to roll his eyes.

They spent the rest of the afternoon just talking, it felt like the old times. Like all the days they spent hanging out in their rooms, then in the sky box. Murphy was glad for the bit of normalcy, even for a little while.

Murphy felt better after spending time with his best friend, Mbege had that effect on him. It was a little awkward when he went back to the house, he finally noticed all the glances Bellamy sent his way, but tried not to think about them. He was having an okay night, he wasn’t freezing in a cell in the sky box or licking the boot of Clarke Griffin, he had a belly full of food, and a warm bed to sleep in. Sure he didn’t know what to do with Bellamy, or the possibility of a war breaking out between the grounders and sky people, or the impending doom of his next heat weighing down on him, but those were issues for later.

Tonight, wrapped up in furs that smelled like juniper berries, he just wanted to sleep.

Chapter Text

Murphy yelped as he was roughly shaken awake. His eyes shot open and looked into Bellamy’s stern face. “Come with me. It’s Mbege.” He nodded his head quickly and crawled out of the man’s bed, yanking on his pants. His nose wrinkled as he caught a strong odor wafting off of the alpha.

He had to jog to keep up with Bellamy as they made their way to the prison. Every question was met with silence or a low growl. The alpha was on edge and he couldn’t understand why, what was going on?

As they got closer to the old stone building, a loud roar came from inside that stopped Murphy in his place, made him want to cower and hide. A rough hand grabbed his arm and dragged him inside. “He’s in rut.” The man finally growled out. A scared, high pitched whine escaped his throat as they entered the room. Indra and Nyko were talking to each other, standing as far away from the cell as they could. Murphy coughed uncontrollably as a strong musk permeated the room, it didn’t smell awful, but it was thick, he felt like he was choking on it. He could see Mbege pacing his cell, the teen had taken his shirt off and it looked like he had been clawing at his own skin all night.

An angry snarl echoed off the walls as the enraged alpha threw himself at the bars, reaching out towards the omega. Murphy’s eyes were wide as he gawked at his friend, he was fine last night. His head turned to look up at Bellamy as the man gently nudged him closer, “we’ll let you in, check on you a few times a day.” “What?” He asked, grabbing hold of the alpha’s arm, feeling safe next to him. Bellamy looked from him to the cell and back. “He’s in rut, don’t you want to help him?” The man asked, his brow furrowing. Murphy let go of his arm, taking a step back as his face scrunched in disgust. “I’m not going in there!” He swiveled around as he bumped into Indra. “You’re not going to help your alpha?” She asked, her own look of confusion on her face. “My?-” He stuttered, sparing a glance to his friend. “Ew, no he is not my alpha.” He said in horror, flinching when another growl ripped through the air. Where the fuck did they get that idea? Murphy couldn’t help but shrink in on himself as he met Mbege’s gaze, his eyes were bloodshot, he barely looked like himself.

Indra’s face went slack as she turned to the healer, sharing a look before turning to her second. “Bellamy.” She didn’t have to say anything more as the alpha grabbed his arm and pulled him out of the building.

“What’s gonna happen to him?” He asked, letting Bellamy pull him along. “I don’t know.” The alpha growled. He stumbled slightly as Bellamy let go of him and turned away to take a few deep breaths of fresh air. Murphy could tell Mbege’s rut was affecting him. Something inside him made him want to comfort the alpha. He tried to step closer, but swayed, suddenly feeling dizzy. Murphy let out a small groan instead, his hands coming up to hold his head.

Bellamy instantly turned back to him, the alpha’s scent was all he could smell as he crowded him, grabbing the sides of his face. “Are you okay?” He asked, his voice rough. Murphy couldn’t stop the pur that came up from his throat, he kinda liked this sudden protectiveness Bellamy was showing. Liked his stupid freckles and brown eyes. His long lashes reminded him of a baby cow’s, he’d never seen a cow before, but he saw pictures of them in school. He smelled nice too. “M’ okay, jus’ made me dizzy.” He slurred slightly, leaning into the alpha’s touch, his eyes felt heavy.

His eyebrows knitted together as the alpha had a worried look on his face. Groaned when Bellamy used his thumb to open his eyes, staring at them. “Skrish.” The man hissed to himself. “This shouldn’t be happening, it’s too soon.” He whispered, looking around.

Murphy hummed happily when the alpha turned back to him, bit his lip as Bellamy gave him a small, reassuring smile. “Okay, let’s get you to Nyko’s.” He said, directing the boy in the right direction. The omega grumbled, but locked their arms together, leaning his head on Bellamy’s shoulder. “Smell good.” The boy mumbled, Bellamy chuckled halfheartedly as he walked them towards the beta’s hut.

The man’s arm was suddenly yanked down as Murphy’s knees gave out beneath him. “Murphy!” He said, crouching down beside him. Bellamy sighed as tears welled in the omega’s eyes. “Bell..” He whimpered, clutching his stomach. The alpha took hold of his hands, helped him stand and lifted him into his arms, “I got you.” He said softly into his ear, rubbing his back as he carried on.

As he rounded the last corner, he saw two warriors standing next to the healer’s home, waiting for Nyko to return. One was pinching his nose as blood and fresh bruises covered his face. They were the two to find Mbege this morning, the one had gotten too close to the bars. A strong urge to protect the omega rushed through him as he stopped. Still feeling on edge from the rutted alpha, Bellamy knew he wasn’t thinking clearly, but switched directions and headed home nonetheless.

Octavia dropped what she was doing when she saw her brother striding over, carrying Murphy. “Bell? What’s going on?” She asked, running over to them. “I took him to Mbege, his rut must have caused him to go into heat.” He said, his jaw clenched tight. “Well shouldn’t he be with Mbege then?” Bellamy couldn’t stop the growl that escaped through his teeth. Octavia took a step back, holding her hands up. “They’re not together.” He growled out, pushing open the front door and walked to his bedroom. “Then he should be taken to Nyko.” She pressed, following him into the house, holding a hand out to stop Lincoln as he stepped out of their room.

“He’s still dealing with Mbege.” Bellamy said, laying the omega down on his bed. He tried to step away, but was held in place by Murphy’s limbs. “No,” the omega whined, a tear leaking out of the corner of his eye. “I’m here,” he whispered, prying off his legs before kneeling on the side of the bed to brush the boy’s hair back. The alpha snarled at his sister as she entered his room.

“Bell, you’re not acting right. Are you in rut?” Octavia questioned, glaring right back. The alpha shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts, he didn’t mean to lash out at her. “No I-.. I don’t know.. Mbege just got me worked up.” He said, sending an apologetic look to his little sister. With a sigh, she crouched down next to him, placing her hand on the back of his neck and rubbed her fingers over his scent glands, calming him. “He should be at Nyko’s.” Bellamy shook his head. “I couldn’t.” He said in a guilty tone, turning back to Murphy. The girl nodded, she ran her fingers through his hair to try and soothe him. “I’ll go and get him.” She said in a soft voice, only standing when her brother nodded.

As soon as she left, Murphy moaned in discomfort, tugging at the man’s sleeves. “Need you, Bell.” He whimpered, his pretty pale eyes fluttering at him. Bellamy dragged his knuckles across his cheek, his lips curling up as he looked over his face. “Okay,” he whispered, crawling over him and pulled the omega halfway onto his chest. Murphy’s purrs intensified as he nuzzled his face into the crook of his neck, rubbing their cheeks together. “Smell so much better than Mbege.” He mumbled, his hand coming up to caress the other side of Bellamy’s neck. The alpha smiled into his hair and ran a hand up and down his back, his other hand grabbed the back of Murphy’s knee and pulled it to lay across his thighs.

A quiet rumble escaped his throat as he inhaled the omega’s sweet, earthy scent. Like how the forest smelled the morning after a harsh rainfall, crisp and clean. Like the sweet grass his mother would use to smudge their home with. ‘To protect us from bad spirits’ she would tell him as they braided it together. He thought of how safe he felt after his mother would cleanse their home, how light he would feel. He remembered all the days Octavia and him would run through the meadow of it as his mother collected it. Remembered laying in it, pointing out clouds as the grass swayed with the wind.

Bellamy tightened his arms around the boy, bringing him closer. With each breath he took, memories of his childhood, his home, his family, flashed through his mind. They stopped burning sweet grass after their mother died, the pain of grief too strong. Maybe they could again.

Maybe the boy who smelled of sweet grass, the gift from the stars, would keep the bad spirits away. Bellamy smiled at the thought.

—

It took about an hour for Octavia to return with their healer. Bellamy’s eyes slowly opened as he felt a gentle hand nudge his shoulder and removed his face from Murphy’s neck. Raising his head, he took a sharp inhale as he looked from his sister to Nyko. The alpha watched them carefully as they shuffled around, the beta kneeled down on the side of the bed and silently began his inspection of Murphy.

“How is Mbege?” Bellamy asked, helping the beta to turn the boy onto his back, he could smell the residual scent of the alpha on him. “He tired himself out. I was able to give him some fever medicine and something to sedate him.” The man replied, pulling a small vial from his pocket, popping off the cork with his thumb. “Keeping him sedated will be the only way to get him through his rut without hurting himself or anyone else.” He muttered, holding the vial up to the omega’s lips and tipping it up. Murphy made a small sound of protest but drank down the liquid nonetheless. Bellamy breathed out a small chuckle, nosing at Murphy’s temple. “How is Oto?” He mumbled against Murphy’s hair. Nyko laughed, shaking his head. “A broken nose and a few ribs.. He’ll be fine. He’s more embarrassed than anything.” The alpha nodded, laying his arm across Murphy’s stomach when he murmured in his sleep. He smiled when the omega grabbed his wrist, bringing it with him as he rolled onto his side.

Nyko sighed tiredly, sitting back on his haunches as he stared at the boy. “How is he?” He asked softly, touching the back of his hand to Murphy’s forehead. “Okay, just been sleeping.” The healer nodded, “do you want to keep him here? He seems okay right now.” Bellamy looked away from the beta, he knew it was selfish, but he really liked having Murphy in his bed, covered in his scent, it’s probably what calmed him down. “I uh, yeah. I think it’ll be alright for now. I’ll bring him to you if he gets worse.” Nyko nodded, “yeah he seems more comfortable here. I’ll come by a few times a day to check on him.” The man let out a deep breath as he sat down on the ground, leaning back against the wall, his head shook as he thought. “It has to be their medicine.” He decided, staring off at nothing. “Causing these aggressive.. unpredictable mating cycles.”

The alpha looked down at the boy in his arms, watching the slow rise and fall of his chest. “Do you think it will always be like this?” He asked, his brow knitting together in worry. “I don’t know.. I don’t think so. I think their bodies are trying to make up for all the years their cycles were suppressed, that it’s trying to become normal again.”

Bellamy nodded, it made sense, it didn’t quell his concern though. Two heats, less than a week apart, it wasn’t safe, wasn’t natural. He watched the man rise from the floor, fishing out a few more vials from his pockets and setting them on the desk. “Give him one in the morning if I don’t get here when you wake up. I’ll bring more tomorrow.” Nyko said, heading for the door. Bellamy carefully detangled himself from the omega, crawling over him to stand and stop the beta. “Nyko.”

As the healer turned to face him, he clasped his hand around the man’s forearm. They pulled each other in, touching their foreheads together, a sign of great trust and respect. “Thank you.” He said as they pulled apart. “Your work does not go unnoticed.” Nyko nodded.

They turned back to the bed as Murphy whimpered, sitting up. Nyko chuckled, “you better get back to it,” he teased, exiting the room. Bellamy watched him leave, a small smile on his face. He turned around as Murphy let out an irritated huff, his shirt tangled around his shoulders. “Bellamy..” He whined, hunching over tiredly. Biting his lip to hide his smile, he walked over and helped the omega out of his shirt, kneeling down to pull his boots off next.

“I’ll be right back.” He said softly, patting his knee before walking out into the kitchen, he chuckled as he heard the boy calling his name from the room. He found Lincoln sitting at the table, his sister in the alpha’s lap as they scented each other. “He okay?” Octavia mumbled, pulling her face away from her mate’s neck. “Yeah, just getting some water.” He replied, stroking his hand down her hair before reaching up into the shelves for a cup. “I know it’s only been a few hours, but it doesn’t seem as bad as his last one.” He said, taking a drink.

“He’ll be alright, niron.” Lincoln whispered to her, kissing her cheek. As Bellamy looked over his sister, he noticed how distressed she was, how her scent had turned a bit bitter with worry. “It’s only been a couple days, he shouldn’t be in heat for another few months.” She said as her face contorted with fear. “What if it’s just as bad? What if it’s worse?” She asked, frowning. Lincoln rubbed his thumb over her cheek. “We will take care of him. It may have only been a few days, but he is stronger now. He’ll be okay.” The man whispered softly to her, touching their foreheads together.

Bellamy’s lips curled slightly at the sight of them, thankful for Lincoln. There was truly no one else worthy of his sister, no one who could calm her like him.

He suddenly felt like he was intruding on their sweet moment, as they went back to scenting each other. Refilling his cup, bidding them goodnight, he walked back to his room.

Leaning on the doorframe, he smirked, sipping his water as he watched the omega rearranging the furs and pillows, making a nest. A quiet purr carried through the air as he laid back down, his sultry eyes turning towards the alpha. Murphy let out a needy little sound, luring the man back into bed. Pushing off the doorframe, he walked over to him, holding the cup out. “Drink.” The boy sat up and took it, slowly gulping down the water, a little spilling down the sides of his mouth.

Bellamy stepped over to his dresser and pulled his shirt off, toeing off his shoes. He thought about removing his pants to get more comfortable, but figured it might be best to keep as many layers between them as possible.

“Help me?” Murphy asked in a shy voice. “M’ still dizzy.” He explained, gesturing towards his own pants, even in the dark lighting of the room, Bellamy could see his cheeks flush. He took a deep breath as he nodded, walking back over to the side of the bed. The alpha couldn’t stop his eyes from raking down the boy’s body, from his half-lidded eyes, down his long neck, down his lithe waist. Bellamy’s breath grew heavier as he kneeled down, nudging Murphy’s shaky hands out of the way, he reaching out to unbutton his pants, slowly undoing his zipper. He could feel the energy between them, the tension of being close, but not touching. Murphy’s breath stuttered as the man’s fingers accidentally ghosted along his hip bones, his fingertips curling under the fabric to gently pull them down, he mustered enough strength to lift his hips, trying to help.

Bellamy swallowed as the aid caused his hip bones to jut out more, he wanted nothing more than to lean down and kiss the milky skin. His mouth watered as he was hit with a wave of the omega’s sweet aroma, he tried to ignore the way Murphy’s cock jumped as the pants were tugged down over it, tried to ignore the whimper that escaped his lips from the much needed friction.

Bellamy steeled himself as he tossed the pants aside, reminded himself that he had to restrain himself, that he was treading in dangerous water. The man did this for eight days, he could do it again. He cleared his throat as he stood back up and nudged Murphy’s shoulder to lay back down. The omega looked up at him through his eyelashes, a hungry look in his pretty pale eyes as Bellamy crawled onto the bed. Before he could flop onto his side, Murphy snaked his legs around his waist, pulling him down on top of him. The boy let out a breathy moan as their hips collided, his hands ran down Bellamy’s sides and dragged his nails across his lower back. “Bell,” he whimpered, his eyes fluttering shut for a moment. “Please, alpha. Fuck me.” He whispered, his eyes growing glassy with needy tears.

Bellamy bit his lip as he screwed his eyes shut, he shook his head. It took everything in him not to grind his hips down. “I can feel you, I know you want to.” Murphy said, his hand moving to the back of his neck to pull him down. “I want you to.” He mewled into Bellamy’s ear as he rolled his hips up, eliciting a low growl from the alpha.

His breath caught in his throat as a callused hand wrapped around his neck. “Don’t.” A rough voice growled out. The hand at his throat didn’t tighten, it was simply a warning, but it scared him nonetheless. He let the alpha pry his legs off his waist and maneuver them onto their sides. The omega inhaled sharply as Bellamy wrapped an arm around him from behind, the other sliding under his head, pulling their bodies together. He relaxed as the alpha nosed at the back of his neck. Murphy barely registered the feather-light kiss that was pressed right under his ear.

“Go to sleep.” Bellamy said softly, tightening his arms around him. And he did

Chapter Text

A moan was forced from Murphy’s lips as a weight pressed down against him, against his groin. He hadn’t even opened his eyes yet, but could feel hands gripping his hips to the point of bruising, could feel warm lips licking and nipping at the skin of his neck. The omega whimpered at another roll of the hips grinding against him, his brow scrunched in pleasure as a deep growl filled his ears.

By scent alone, he knew who it was lying on top of him, Murphy didn’t need to open his eyes to know it was Bellamy. The alpha who hadn’t left his side, who fed him, clothed him, housed him, took care of him like a good alpha should. One who protected him. One worthy of mating. Some part of him knew it was just his heat talking, his omega taking over, but when all he could smell was him, all he could feel was his touch, it was a battle he quickly lost. Plus he wasn’t hard to look at. Bellamy would be a good mate.

Murphy moaned as he felt their cocks press together once again, and finally cracked open his eyes. A hand shot down to Bellamy’s lower back, keeping him there, the other flew up to thread through the alpha’s sweaty, but still soft curls. His legs automatically tightened around his hips as he tugged on the man’s hair to pull him away from his neck. Murphy let out a breathy moan as their eyes locked, the soft brown of Bellamy’s eyes were gone, swallowed up by the black of his pupils. There was a carnal hunger in his eyes, yes, but it was more than that. The alpha looked at him as if he needed to touch him in order to keep breathing. He couldn’t deny he felt the same. Each drag of the man’s fingers across his skin, each press of their hips eased the burning pain in his body.

His mouth fell open as Bellamy touched their foreheads together, he could feel his warm breath against his skin as they panted for air. “Bell, alpha, please.” He begged, too breathless to close the distance between their lips. “Ain.” The man growled possessively, forcing another pathetic sound out of him. He didn’t need to know their language to know what he was saying. Mine.

Murphy nodded his head quickly, his hand pulling at the fabric of the man’s pants. “All yours.” He whispered, trying to undo the button of his pants with one hand.

Noticing his struggle, the alpha sat back on his haunches, his thick fingers fiddling with his pants, he half thought about just ripping them off. Murphy whined at the loss of warmth, the loss of closeness. He didn’t even hear the nearing footsteps or Octavia’s voice as she called out to them.

Octavia was awoken by what sounded like the painful whimpers of the heated omega in the next room. Figuring it was her turn to check on them, she pulled herself out of her mate's warm embrace and shuffled out of her room. “Bell? You guys need anything?” She called out, rubbing the sleep from her eyes and knocked on the wall as she turned into her brother’s room.

Her eyes went wide as she saw her brother hunched over the boy, his low growl filling the air as he rutted against him. “Bellamy!” She barked, running over to him and grabbed his arms, yanking him back. An angry snarl ripped from his throat as he thrashed against her hold, his hands clutching Murphy’s thighs. Octavia wrapped an arm around his throat and leaned back, letting gravity pull them to the ground with a loud thud. “Bellamy, no!” She yelled, tightening her limbs around him as he tried relentlessly to break free from her hold. “Lincoln!” She screamed before the air was punched out of her as Bellamy sat up and slammed them back into the ground.

Not even a few seconds later, her mate ran into the room, quickly taking over the ensnaring of her brother. She rolled out of the way as Lincoln lifted him to his feet and shoved him towards the door, and out of the house. She gave Murphy a sparing glance, noting the streams of tears rolling down his face before running after the two alphas.

Octavia could hear them before she even reached the door. Standing guard at the front door, she watched as they rolled around in the dirt, snarling at each other as they fought. It took a few minutes, but Lincoln was able to pin him down, letting out a booming growl right in his face. It shocked Bellamy out of his rage, but didn’t cease his struggle against the arm pressing into his throat. “Reign it in, Bellamy!” Lincoln hissed, forcing him down when the alpha shoved at his shoulders. “Get off! He’s mine!” He shouted as blood spewed from his mouth, digging his nails into Lincoln’s arm. “No! He’s not!” Lincoln yelled back, his breaths heaving out of him. He noted the pained look that fell over Bellamy’s face, the confusion and underlying anger of rejection. “You’re in rut. You’re not thinking clearly.” He said sternly, easing his arm off of his friend’s neck.

Bellamy growled as he pushed him away, “get off of me.” Lincoln hesitated, waiting until he was calmer. “You’re not going back in there, you’re going to the cabin.” The alpha bared his teeth in a snarl and looked away. “I know.” Bellamy snapped, shoving the man’s chest until he fell back onto his ass. Lincoln never took his eyes off him as they stood, ready to grab him again, Bellamy still seething with rage. “I’ll take you there.” He breathed out, putting a hand on his shoulder. The rutted alpha shrugged him off, “I know where to fucking go,” he growled out, storming off towards the woods without another word.

Lincoln watched him stomp away as he tried to catch his breath, bringing a hand up to click his jaw into place. He looked around at the couple of villagers who poked their heads out of the house to watch. It was early enough that not a lot of people were up yet. He yelled at them to stop their gawking and slowly limped back to his house.

Lincoln sighed as his mate wrapped her arms around his middle, tucking her face into his chest. He took a deep breath of her calming scent, relaxing into her. “We should check on Murphy.” He whispered, rubbing her back. Feeling her nod, he released his arms around her and stepped back into the hut. They could hear Murphy’s wails getting louder with each step they took to Bellamy’s room.

They watched the hopeful look in his eyes die as he saw who it was, who it wasn’t, a loud sob escaping his lips as his head dropped. Octavia rushed over to him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. The omega struggled against her for a moment before giving up, sliding his arms around her middle, needing the comfort. Lincoln stayed by the doorway, knowing the boy wouldn’t want anything to do with him and just watched as his mate ran her hands over his hair, hushing him.

Octavia slowly lowered them onto the bed, letting out a soft pur to settle the distraught omega. It was quite normal for omegas to seek solace in each other, especially in times of need or distress. It may not have been who or what Murphy wanted, but he accepted it nonetheless. In that moment, he would have taken any help he could get.

“I’m gonna get Nyko.” Lincoln said softly. The girl nodded her head, entangling her limbs with the other omega and nestled his face into the curve of her neck.

There wasn’t much the healer could do for a broken heart. Nyko gave him the usual medicine and something to sedate him, thinking it best to just let him sleep off the heartache. When he left, Octavia gathered up all of Bellamy’s dirty clothes and tucked them around the boy, surrounding him with the scent of the alpha he yearned for desperately. His lip quivered as he clutched the alpha’s shirt in his hands, holding it against his nose as he cried himself to sleep.

—

The next morning, Murphy woke feeling like death warmed over. He groaned as he sat up, clutching his head. His eyes felt puffy, his mouth like a desert, and his body sore like he just ran a marathon. Looking down, he saw all the clothes that were tucked around him, he saw Octavia nestled right up against him, her arm thrown over his waist. He let out a sigh and gently nudged her arm.

“Hey,” he said softly. Octavia’s face scrunched as she was pulled from sleep, but quickly sat up when she came to. “Hey..” She replied, taking one of his hands and rubbed her thumb over it. “How are you feeling?” She asked in a soothing voice, still gravely from sleep.

Murphy laughed softly, “like shit.” The girl’s brow furrowed in confusion as she gave him a once over. “Are you-” She started, reaching a hand up to touch his forehead. “Your heat is over?” She said in a shocked tone, grabbing his face to look into his eyes. “I guess so.” He muttered, letting her check him out. “Can I get some water?” He asked tiredly, his lips smacking as he tried to wet his tongue. She nodded and quickly crawled out of bed to run into the kitchen. Murphy could hear her bustling around while she called for Lincoln. She returned a minute or two later, handing over a ceramic cup.

He thanked her and slowly drank down the cool water, not caring when a little bit spilled out the sides. Murphy thought he would never get tired of earth water, so fresh and clear. It was nectar compared to water on the Ark, tasting of chemicals from water-treatment and metal from the nasty old pipes. Earth water, he could practically taste the rocks it washed over, the moss it trickled through, the woodland creature that pissed in it.

Murphy set the now empty cup down in between his legs and looked up at her. “I uh.. Is Bellamy okay?” The boy asked awkwardly. He didn’t think he lost any time this round, it was a little fuzzy but he remembered most of it. As relieved as he was for that, now he was stuck with the embarrassment of what he had done, what he had said. He would never be able to look Bellamy in the eye again, fuck, was he like that during his last heat?

Octavia nodded, “he’s staying at our cabin a few miles away.” The girl sat down next to him and grabbed his hand again. “I know it doesn’t mean much, but I’m really sorry, Murphy.” His eyebrow twitched in confusion. “What do you have to be sorry about?” “I know, I shouldn’t apologize for Bell, but that never should have happened. I’ve never seen him like that during a rut.. I’ve also never had to pry him off an omega before but..” She shrugged her shoulders as she trailed off. “I knew something was wrong with him that first day.. I should have done something, should have told Nyko.” She said, lowering her head in shame.

Murphy squeezed her hand, “hey, it’s okay.” He said softly, a small reassuring smile on his face. “It takes two to tango, right? I wasn’t exactly gonna just let him go either.” He chuckled out. Octavia had a sad look in her eyes as she gazed back up at him. “You were in heat though.” “And he was in rut.” Murphy reminded her. “Neither of us were in our right mind.. and besides nothing happened.” He said, letting out a sigh.

“But what if something did? What if I hadn’t gotten there when I did?” He gave her a tired look. “Come on, Octavia. I was begging him to fuck me. If anything you should be mad at me, I did kinda push him over the edge.” Octavia opened her mouth to press more but was cut off. “We were both out of it. Nothing happened.. It’s okay. I’m okay.” He stressed. The girl let out a sigh through her nose, letting the matter go for now.

Murphy grimaced as he recalled all the embarrassing shit he did, covering his face with his hand. “God, was I like that during my last heat?” He asked, peeking through his fingers. Octavia laughed lightly, nodding her head, “worse.”

Murphy groaned as he flopped back onto the bed. “Thats fucking embarrassing.” He mumbled. Octavia giggled as she laid down beside him, throwing her leg over his waist. “Eh, don’t worry about it.”

Chapter Text

It had been three days since Murphy’s heat ended. Four since Bellamy disappeared. He was told Mbege’s rut ended just this morning, but was prohibited from seeing him in fear that the alpha would trigger another heat. “He needs rest,” Nyko told him, “it took a lot out of him. He’s very weak right now and can’t do much more than lift his head.” Murphy appreciated the update, but not being able to be with his friend made his days all the longer. Octavia and Lincoln did their best to entertain him, kept him busy. They taught him more about their way of life.

The lot of them had just gotten back from the river, having spent the morning teaching Murphy how to fish. Octavia nearly dropped her fishing pole into the water when Murphy ended up catching the biggest fish of the day. A beautiful shimmering silver fish, a salmon, they said it was. He couldn’t contain the huge smile that stretched across his face as he held it up to his body, it was as long as his arm and as thick as his thigh, fat with eggs Lincoln said, which was apparently the best part according to the man.

Octavia and him were now sitting on the soft forest floor just to the side of their hut, if he looked around a tree, he could see Lincoln cleaning and cutting the five fish they managed to catch. They sat with their legs crossed underneath themselves, facing each other as Octavia tried to teach him their language, Trigedasleng. She told him that English, or Gonasleng as they called it, was a language only spoken by warriors.

“Does that mean you’re a warrior?” Murphy asked her, his brow knitting together in curiosity. Octavia grinned as she nodded her head. “But I haven’t seen you.. working.” She nodded again, “I haven’t been out on any missions or patrol since you were brought here. When we made it clear that we wanted to take you in, Indra relieved us from duty.. At least until you are more settled.” He let out a inquisitive ‘hm’ as she finished her explanation. “We can train you, if that’s something you would want to do.” She added with a small smile.

Murphy bit his lip as he thought, it made sense that he would have to get a job eventually. He couldn’t mooch off them for the rest of his life, and he doubted they would keep him around if he tried. “I don’t know.” He said honestly, the boy had no idea what he wanted to do or what he was even good at. Murphy never thought he would live this long, so he never thought that far ahead, never let himself be interested in anything.

Octavia gave him a reassuring smile and took his hand. “That’s okay, you’ve barely been here two weeks. Most of it you spent in heat.” She said with a laugh. “You don’t have to know right now. All that’s important is getting you healthy.”

And with that she went back to their lesson on Trigedasleng. It was pretty easy to pick up. Murphy discovered a lot of their words were just English mashed together.

They had been going at it for a while when Octavia pointed at a little bird in the tree. “Chit yu tag in daunde?” He winced as he tried to remember, he knew it started with ‘skai’, all the names for birds did. “Skai.. flyer?” He tried. “Skai-flaya.” She said, prodding his forehead. “And no, that’s a skaipeka. Small bird. Skaiflaya are like.. medium sized birds.” He nodded. “Skai-flay-uh.” He corrected himself. “Skaipeka.” Murphy said, pointing to the little sparrow. “Sola!” She said, praising him. The boy shook his head as he looked away, trying to hide his little smile.

He sat up a little straighter as he caught sight of someone walking towards them through the trees. “Uh.. chon.. ste bilaik?” He said, lifting his chin in the direction of the person. Octavia grinned as he struggled through the question, turning to look over her shoulder. “Oh! It’s Bell!” She yelled excitedly, standing up to run towards her brother.

Murphy whined as dread filled his body, he really didn’t want to talk to Bellamy, just knew it was going to be awkward. The last time he saw him, the man was grinding his prick into his thigh while licking up and down his throat. It was fucking hot, but it was just his rut taking over. He had to remind himself the man would never have done that if he wasn’t in rut. Fuck did he even remember?

Murphy tried not to think about Mbege’s words as he slowly walked over to them. He could see the weak smile Bellamy had on his face as he pulled away from his sister’s hug. The smile faltered as he looked up at Murphy, a small blush forming on his freckled cheeks as he quickly looked away, oh that hurt. “I uh, I’m gonna go to the river, wash up.” He murmured, quickly turning to walk into the house. Octavia nodded as she watched him hurry away, turning back to her fellow omega. “Should.. we help Lincoln?” She offered, sensing the tension between the two.

Murphy nodded, quickly walking over the cutting table the alpha was standing at. Lincoln looked up, nodding his head in greeting before leaning over to peck Octavia’s lips. “Hei, niron.” He said sweetly. The girl smiled at him and looked down at the table, seeing how far along he had gotten. “What’s that mean? Niron.” Murphy asked. The alpha smirked as he looked over at Octavia. “Loved one.” He replied, kissing the top of her head.

“I’ve started teaching him triged. He’s a good student, fast learner.” She said, smiling as she looked at Murphy. Lincoln chuckled. “I’ll make sure not to talk shit about him in triged anymore.” Lincoln teased, “at least not in front of you,” he added, winking at the boy. Murphy rolled his eyes, “fuck off.”

—

Murphy was just helping Octavia set the table when Bellamy came back from the river, he looked and smelled clean, but Murphy could smell the underlying scent of frustration, an acrid, barely there odor that made him want to sneeze. As soon as the man entered the house he looked down at the bowls Octavia was filling with fish stew.

He took his bowl and quickly sat down, poking the floating eggs around his bowl with a spoon. Minding his manners for once in his life, he waited for the rest of them to join him at the table. The boy smiled as Lincoln gave him a slice of bread and tried not to dwell on how far away Bellamy sat from him, his ass must have been hanging halfway off the bench. He’d be lying if he said it didn’t hurt his feelings, hated to admit he kinda.. sorta missed having him closer, liked feeling the warmth that radiated off of him. Didn’t mind the man’s soft smile and playful nudge after cracking a joke. Murphy was starting to like the way he’d run his hand over the back of his neck. Instead the alpha’s shoulders were tense as he rested his arm on the table, almost blocking himself from Murphy.

Murphy looked down at his own bowl, it looked alright, smelled good. Fish wasn’t common on the Ark, meat in general wasn’t common. Most of their protein was farmed or artificially made in a lab. He had only had fish once before, during the winter solstice festival when he was little. Murphy remembered the way his father danced to their table with their rations, he was so excited. Seeing the pure delight on his father’s face made him feel like they were royalty, eating the finest of fine.

Murphy remembered hating it. The bland, mealy texture, the soggy breading. He felt bad for not liking it, it was only when his dad leaned down to whisper in his ear did he smile, ‘I’ll trade you my cake for your fish.’ He said in a hushed tone, trying to hide their deal from his mother, Murphy giggled as they quickly traded food. He had laughed so hard when his father shoved the entire filet into his mouth in a single bite. ‘What are you two doing?’ his mother said with a playful glare. ‘Nothing!’ they said in unison, the breading spewing out of his father’s mouth.

It was a memory he liked to remember, one he almost forgot. God, he missed his father. He had been on his mind a lot recently, ever since coming down to earth. Maybe it was because he knew how much he would have loved it.

“Laik yu ait?” Octavia asked, pulling him from his memories. He gave her a weak smile and nodded. “Ai laik ait.” He said softly, tightening his hold on his spoon. From the corner of his eye, he could see Bellamy’s head turn towards him in surprise.

Taking a deep breath, he quit pushing the soup around and took a scoop. His dad would have loved this. Bringing the steaming cube of meat up to his mouth, he took his first bite. Murphy hummed in delight as the fish flaked apart in his mouth, it was nothing like the farmed shit on the Ark. He let out a sound of surprise as the eggs popped in his mouth, a delicious burst of flavor. Octavia and Lincoln chuckled in amusement as they watched him. “This is so good.” He said in between bites. “Wait till you try Lincoln’s smoked fish.” The girl said, handing over another slice of bread for him to dip into the broth.

And just like that, the table filled with mindless chatter, Octavia doing the most of it. She pointed around at anything she could see, naming it off in Trigedasleng as Murphy repeated each word back to her.

“I figured oma means omega, but what’s alpha? And beta?” He asked after she pointed to herself, saying the word for girl. “Oma,” she said, gesturing between them. “Afa,” she said, pointing at her mate and brother. “En beida.” He nodded, sneaking a glance at Bellamy. “Why do people call us oma? Like Oma Murphy, Oma Octavia.” He asked, leaning his elbows on the table. Her brow scrunched a little, “it’s what we are,” she said simply, an amused grin on her face. “Just like calling Indra, Chief Indra.” Murphy’s face furrowed as he looked down at his food. “But we’re more than that. You’re not just an omega, you’re a sister, a.. lover, a warrior for Christ’s sake.. And I’m sure Indra is more than just a chief.” “Well, yeah of co-”

“It’s a sign of respect.” Bellamy cut in, speaking the first words to him since his return. The alpha had a somber look on his face as his eyes darted from Murphy’s eyes, down to his lips and away.

Murphy swallowed as he forced himself to look away, could feel his face grow warm as Octavia raised an eyebrow at him. The boy quickly refocused on his food, shoveling it into his mouth to avoid her questioning gaze.

Not much else was said after that.

Octavia shooed him out of the way as he tried to wash the dishes, pushing him towards the living area. “Go, rest.” She said, taking over. Murphy huffed, “come on, Octavia. I can’t let you guys do everything for me.” “Go.” She said sternly, pointing towards the couch. “No.” He retorted, crossing his arms. “Let me help.” The girl squinted her eyes at him before turning back to the wash basin. “Fine, go get the laundry. It should be dry.” Oh that’s right, he forgot they had done that yesterday. “Thank you.” He said in a sassy tone and walked out of the house.

Murphy took a deep breath of the cool night air, looking up at the almost full moon. This view was beautiful, but it didn't compare to moon rise. He laughed to himself as he realized what he just said, he guessed the Ark had some perks after all.

Rounding the side of the hut, he picked up the woven basket they had left outside near the clothes line, turning it right side up and began pulling the clean laundry off, folding it before dropping it in the basket.

He slowed his folding as he could just barely pick out Octavia’s voice, speaking in triged. She sounded fed up with whoever she was chewing out. Pressing himself against the house, he strained to listen.

“What — — you?”

“I’m fine.” It was Bellamy’s voice.

“Not—fine. You— — —strange.. —speak— him.”

She said more, but was speaking too fast and he could really only understood a few words, they had to have been talking about him though. About Bellamy’s strange.. distant behavior. Was it because of him?

Murphy went back to folding, he didn’t want to hear anymore. As much as he hated this awkward tension between them, he also didn’t want to talk about it. He could live with it for now. Yeah, dinners would be weird for a while, but it’s nothing he couldn’t muscle through. Another part of him wished Bellamy would just come out and talk to him, yell at him, get it over with so they could move on.

Finishing quicker than he wanted to, he picked up the basket and trudged back into the house, setting their clothes down on the bench. He saw Octavia and Lincoln getting ready for bed through their doorway, the omega was grumbling something to her mate as she took the braids out of her hair. The boy froze as he turned to hold Bellamy’s gaze for a second, both looking away just as quick. Murphy held his head high and slowly walked into his—Bellamy’s— room.

Just as he reached the doorway, he looked at the man over his shoulder. He watched as the alpha pulled his shirt over his head, Murphy’s eyes dragging down his muscled back. There was a bluish, black tattoo in the center of his shoulder blades, he had seen the symbol before on the Ark, it was some sort of hazard symbol. The firelight illuminated a jagged, circular scar on his left shoulder. His lips twitched as he realized, even in the dim light, even from afar, he could see the splattering of freckles across his shoulders.

“Goodnight.” He said quietly, biting his lip. Bellamy swiveled around to stare at him. His brown eyes fell to the floor as he nodded, “g’night.” He mumbled, laying himself down on the couch.

Murphy’s face grew hot as he rushed into the dark room, falling face first into the fur as he scolded himself. Stupid stupid stupid. It was pretty fucking clear he didn’t want to talk to him, didn’t want anything to do with him anymore. I can respect that, he thought with extreme bitterness. It wasn’t as if the man hadn’t seen him in heat before.. If Bellamy wanted to be all weird about it, that was fine by him.

Letting out a heavy sigh, he toed off his boots and curled up on the bed, pulling a blanket over his head. If he pressed it up against his face, he could still smell the fleeting trances of the man. He felt only a little pathetic, sniffing out the alpha like a touch-starved omega, but he was alone. And it made him feel better for some reason and he really didn’t care if Bellamy caught him, maybe he wanted the alpha to know.

Murphy tossed and turned as he tried not to think about the alpha only a few feet away. Tried to push down his omega that wanted nothing more than to walk out of the room and curl up on top of the man. Letting out one more huff, he turned onto his side and fell asleep.

Chapter Text

Bellamy was gone before Murphy had even woken up. “He went out on patrol.” Lincoln murmured tiredly, washing his face in the water basin.

Murphy controlled the disappointed groan that wanted to escape and sat down. He sent Octavia a small smile as she set a bowl of eggs and toast in front of him, her delicate hand brushing down his hair. “He should be back later.” She reassured him, taking a seat next to him.

—

Bellamy readjusted his stance from where he was crouched in a tree, looking down at the Skaikru camp. After Murphy’s arrival, he was relieved from duty to take care of the boy, get him acquainted with Trikru. It wasn’t as if he was specifically ordered not to leave the village, just given the freedom to do what was needed in order to make the omega feel safe and settled without the responsibility of duty weighing on him. But he was restless. He couldn’t sleep at all last night, his mind plagued with what he had done. Bellamy was supposed to protect the boy and instead he.. Fuck he couldn’t even say it. Shame burned through his entire body, he was disgusted with himself. Bellamy should have left the moment he felt a change, he knew something was wrong, could feel his instincts taking over. Even his sister sensed it. He never should have stayed.

The alpha knew he needed to talk to Murphy, apologize, but he had no idea how to face him. He thought of the fear in Murphy’s eyes the day he came out of his first heat, the visceral reaction he had from just the thought that Bellamy might have taken advantage of him, forced himself onto him. He came this close to doing just that. To becoming the monster Murphy feared the most.

He had to get out of there, needed to put some distance between them, for Murphy’s sake. Bellamy may have been welcomed with open arms, but he felt like an intruder in his own home.

Bellamy shook his head, trying to force the thoughts from his mind. Fuck, that’s why he went out on patrol, to clear his mind. Maybe think about what to say.

He turned his focus back to the camp below him. After spending the morning observing the sky people, he could tell that only a few were still stuck in their mating cycles, could hear distant moans and growls coming from the tents scattered around. The others looked like zombies as they were made busy building a wall around their camp, it also looked like they were trying to build a smokehouse. His eyes kept a close watch on a blonde woman who directed them, running all over the camp to make sure everything was in order, that everyone was alright. This must have been Clarke, the alpha who assumed leadership when they arrived. Mbege told them about her, implored them to meet with her. From what he was told, she seemed like a competent leader, level headed.

He looked down as a call fluttered through the air, to the untrained ear, it sounded just like a bird, but to Trikru, it was a call to get each other’s attention. A warrior waved up at him from the ground, beckoning him towards her. With a sigh, he took one last look towards the sky people, and began his climb down.

Landed on his feet, he turned to face the woman, nodding his head. “Indra wants you to return. A unit is coming in.” Bellamy sighed through his nose, nodding. He waited for the warrior to finish climbing up the tree before jogging back to the village. His chief and mentor stood near the entrance, her arms crossed in front of her. “I was surprised to hear you went out on patrol.” She called out as he stopped a few paces away from her. “Thought you wouldn’t want to be far from that boy.” Indra said, a smug look on her face. Bellamy looked down at the ground, not saying anything. “I heard about your unexpected rut. Everything okay?” She asked.

He nodded, still not able to meet her gaze. “I got worked up I think.. Being around both Mbege and Murphy.” Bellamy said under his breath. Indra nodded and began walking towards the jail. “Anya’s unit is coming in from the Mountain. They have some intel and want to know more about the sky people. Go and get Murphy. She will be here soon.” She said, walking into the building.

Bellamy felt his face pale as she walked away. He couldn’t disobey an order, but he didn’t want to order Murphy around. Wanted to talk to him before forcing him into meeting a war general.

He dragged his feet as he slowly walked home. Octavia smiled at him in passing as she walked into the house, carrying an armful of wood. Murphy was squatted down by the wood pile filling his arms, turned away from him. The man stopped a few feet away from him, hesitant to speak.

When the boy stood and turned around, he jumped as he saw Bellamy, a few logs falling from his grasp. “Jesus, Bellamy, you could have warned me you were there.” He huffed out, leaning over to pick up the wood he dropped. “What’s with the war paint?” He spat. “We need you to come to the jail. One of our unit leaders is coming back and wants to talk to you.” Bellamy said, ignoring his comment, but ran a hand over his cheek, smudging his camouflage paint. Murphy looked him up and down as he straightened out. “Is Mbege okay?” The man nodded, avoiding his eyes. “Okay, just gimme a second.” He mumbled, walking into the hut.

They walked in silence towards the prison, Bellamy tried to keep a good distance between them, kept his eyes forward, didn’t want to upset the omega further by crowding into his space accidentally. They were approaching the stone building as the thundering of hooves came from the entrance of Tondc. Three horses slowed to a trot as they headed straight for them. “Bellamy.” Anya called out, bringing her stead to a stop and gracefully sliding off of it. The two alphas grabbed each other’s forearms, bringing their foreheads together in greeting. The woman turned to face Murphy. “You are the Skaikru omega?” She asked, eyeing him. Bellamy watched his Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed, nodding his head.

Anya bowed her head in respect before meeting his gaze again. “I am Anya of Trikru. It is an honor to meet you.” She said earnestly. “Murphy.” He replied, averting his eyes. Bellamy could sense his growing nerves, knew he was hesitant of new people, but willed himself not to comfort the omega, keeping his distance.

“Hello, Anya.” Indra called out, walking over to them. “Indra.” The woman replied, a small smirk on her face. “Welcome back,” she said, touching their heads together. “The other one is just inside.” Indra said, nodding in the direction of the prison.

Murphy suppressed the whine that wanted to come out. Forgetting things were supposed to be awkward between them, he turned towards Bellamy and reached out for his arm. “What’s happening?” He whispered, his eyebrow furrowing worriedly as he fiddled with the fabric beneath his fingers. This woman seemed fierce, authoritative. What was she doing here? What did she want? What was she going to do?

Murphy quickly let go of the man’s arm as Bellamy pulled away, his face going slack with surprise. His deep brown eyes darted across his face before following after the two women. “I don’t know.” He said softly, taking a step away from him and walking into the building, leaving Murphy to trail after him. The omega let out a huff of disbelief, what the fuck was his problem?

“This is Mbege of Skaikru. These two have been cooperative in giving us information about their people.” Indra said, crossing the room to the steel bars, she flicked her hand up, motioning for the boy to stand, to which Mbege complied, brushing the dust off his pants. The young alpha peered around them, his eyes focused on his friend as Murphy walked right up to him. “You okay?” Mbege rushed out, he hadn’t stopped worrying about him since coming out of rut, since finding out he triggered another heat in the omega. The boy nodded, “you?” Mbege let out a small breath of relief, “yeah, all good.” He said, keeping his voice low.

As the two boys whispered to each other, Anya turned to the chief and second, switching to Trigedasleng.

“How long have they been here?” She asked, looking between them. “The omega has been here a little over two weeks. The alpha, about a week.” Bellamy answered her, glancing back at the two. He caught Murphy’s eyes, they had both gone quiet, he could tell Murphy was trying to listen in.

Anya sighed, nodding. “Skaikru set off missiles two nights ago.. Burned the village of Noma to the ground.” Her jaw clenched as she recalled the destruction. Bellamy and Indra shared a look of surprise as they glanced at each other for a moment. “They were here, they had nothing to do with it.” Bellamy urged, crossing his arms as he leaned in closer. “You seem sure of that.” Anya challenged, eyeing the man curiously. “Murphy was banished, Mbege left Skaikru of his own free will. I don’t think they would have been as cooperative as they have been if their loyalty still lied with Skaikru.” He said, his face growing hard in defense as the woman raised an eyebrow towards him. “If you knew what happened to them.. If you had seen them when they first arrived.. You would trust me on this.” He said softly, his eyes pleading with her to trust them, or at least in his judgement.

Indra could see her second’s struggle and stepped closer. “They have my trust.” The chief said honestly. And they did, something that was not freely given, might she add. In the short time the Skaikru boys had spent here, she had gotten a feel for their character, saw what was in their hearts. They had yet to give her a reason to doubt their intentions.

Anya knew this, so when she heard the chief vouch for the two, she took it in stride. The general nodded, putting the accusation to rest. “So they do not stand with Skaikru.” She clarified, quite relieved to hear it. The alpha, she did not care about, but it would have been hard to get rid of the omega. She of course would do what needed to be done, but that did not mean she wouldn’t have been disturbed by depriving the earth of a sacred being.

“We’ve been watching them. Gathering information. These two say the sky people want peace,” Indra said, shaking her head in disbelief. “Why would they do that?” Anya barked out a bitter laugh. “They want peace, but commit acts of war?” She asked, amazed with the sky people’s bold stupidity. “We are planning an attack, but Mb-” “Zog raun? Attack?” Murphy cut in, stepping up to their huddle. “You’re not going to attack them.” He said sternly. “You will not attack Skaikru.” He scolded them, putting his foot down. A corner of Anya’s lips curled upwards, impressed with the omega’s courage. He reminded her of her last student. “That is not for you to decide, Oma.” Anya said calmly, noting the boy’s spine.

“Like hell it isn’t.” Murphy spat, a new fire burning in his eyes. “You were going to attack them?” Mbege spoke up, his face contorting in concern. “You can’t! There are good people—innocent people there.” He hollered, his hands gripping the iron bars tightly. “You told me you weren’t going to attack them.” Mbege yelled, a wide range of emotions crossing over his tan face. “We told you nothing had been decided yet. Those are not the same.” Indra said firmly, turning to face the boys. Murphy squared his shoulders as a mix of anger and shock filled his being. “Look, I don’t exactly like them either, but that doesn’t mean I want them slaughtered.” Murphy stressed, his hands tightening into fists. “After everything they’ve done to you?” Bellamy growled, his brow furrowing in anger as he turned to face the boy. “I wasn’t talking to you!” Murphy yelled at him, shutting the dark-haired man up. The omega turned his glare back to Anya as he stalked right up to her. Murphy recalled the talk he had with Nyko, letting the man’s words fill him with vigor as he reminded himself of the omegan power he possessed, the power these people respected. They admired him because he was an omega, they would listen to him. He could use that to his advantage.

The woman lowered her crossed arms as she held the omega’s gaze. “Do you even know the atrocities your people have committed?” Anya said in a firm tone. “You aren’t innocent either.” He shot back, even his eyes reminded her of Lexa. The same ire, the same fearlessness. “Your people burned an entire village down. Killing innocent civilians, not warriors, not those who could fight back. Elders, mothers, children.” She clarified. “Your people speared a child through his chest and strung him up as live bait. Your people hunted us down in the woods for the crime of living too close.” Murphy hissed in her face. She stayed silent as he kept going. “I don’t know what Skaikru did to your village, but it wasn’t on purpose, that much I know.. We didn’t come down here to start a war. We came here to survive.” He said in a slightly softer tone, but there was anger still simmering underneath. “Their intent does not matter when people lost their lives because of what they did.. Blood must have blood.” She said slowly, putting emphasis on each word.

Murphy’s brow furrowed in aversion, shocked by the words. “Then all you will have is blood.” He said softly, taking a step back.

Anya’s face softened as she was taken aback by his simple retort. “Spilling more blood will not bring back those who are dead. It won’t make things right.” He pressed, looking around at each of the grounders. The woman bit the inside of her cheek as she considered the omega.

“No, but it brings justice to those who were wronged.” Indra spoke up, her eyes glued to the omega. Murphy let out a tired sigh, who would have thought he would be the one advocating for peace. “Blood will have blood will have blood until there is no more blood to give.” He stressed. Anya shook her head as she looked down at the ground in thought. “The people will never forgive Skaikru, not without justice.” “Then you tell them to, they’re your people aren’t they? They listen to you, no? Or do you not have control over your own people?” The omega challenged, the alphas’ hackles rose at the insinuation. Murphy stood firm as he watched the anger burn throughout their faces, insulted by his words.

“Forgiveness isn’t given because you deserve it.. It’s given so you can move on.” Murphy said, his voice getting quieter with each word, his eyes flickered over to Bellamy for a split second before looking away.

Bellamy stared at Murphy in absolute awe. His strength to stand up for what he believed in, to stand up to three alphas. His mercy to forgive those who had hurt him. The fire that blazed throughout his entire being, it was the most breathtaking sight he had ever seen.

“Murphy is right..” Bellamy uttered, never looking away from him. “The twelve clans did not come together because we were given justice.. We came together because we chose to move on for the better.. Put our bad blood behind us.” He said softly as he looked at his superiors.

Indra exhaled through her nose, none of them could disagree with that, deny that truth. A silence fell over the room as their words settled in.

“What do you think we should do, Oma?” Indra asked, her eyes filling with a newfound respect for the omega standing proud before her. Murphy’s face twitched with a mix of emotions, shock, confusion, fear as he tried to understand why she was asking him what to do, why they suddenly looked to him for a plan. His eyes darted around at the ground as he thought.

The grounders couldn’t just walk up to the camp, it would surely trigger an attack. He couldn’t go there, at least not by himself, they’d would probably finish him off for trying. Mbege left of his own free will, they would surely welcome him back.

“Mbege and I will go to the Skaikru camp. Set up a meeting with their leader for you to negotiate a peace treaty.” He decided.

“What if they do not want peace? What if they changed their minds? Neither of you are Skaikru anymore, how can you know what they still want?” Anya rattled off her questions, imploring Murphy to think deeper. “They want peace.” He said sternly. “Trust me. We’re a bunch of kids who have no fucking clue what we’re doing. The last thing they want is a war.. They’ll agree to a treaty.” Murphy said with complete confidence. It was their biggest fear, more than starvation, more than being mauled by some crazy, fucked up, radiation-deformed animal. The grounders were their biggest threat. At least until the Arker’s could make it down to help them.

“This will not be easy, Oma. One meeting will not end this feud, we may even have to bring the Heda into this.” Anya said, turning to meet Indra’s gaze. The chief nodded, she had also considered that fact.

Murphy’s face furrowed in confusion, “who’s Heda?” He asked, looking around at them. “Not Heda, thee Heda. The commander of the twelve clans. She leads all of us.” Anya explained, gesturing with her arms towards the other grounders. Bellamy let out a bitter huff, and switched to Trigedasleng, “Lexa will never agree to it, we might as well kill them ourselves, it would be less work.” He grumbled out, ignoring the concerned look Murphy sent him.

The alpha chewed the inside of her cheek as she thought of how she could possibly convince the girl to agree. “She was my second.. I will try to convince her. She will listen to me.” Anya muttered, even she wasn't sure she could pull it off. “If Trikru is able to find peace with the sky people, then she would be more likely to see reason.” The general said, more to herself than anyone else. “We must start there.”

The grounders nodded in agreement, Murphy turned towards his friend to make sure he was keeping up. Mbege’s face was wrinkled in worry as he stayed silent, he didn’t feel like he had a right to speak.

“It would have to be on neutral ground.” Bellamy said, looking around. “Perhaps the bridge.” The women nodded in agreement.

They spent the entire afternoon cultivating a plan. At some point, Lincoln and Octavia were brought in, their eyes nearly popping out of their head as they listened to their leaders explain what was to happen. Long after the sun had set, it was decided:

Murphy and Mbege would go to the camp at first light and ask to speak with Clarke, Bellamy would follow them to act as an emissary of Trikru, along with protecting them in the event of an attack or if either of them went into an unexpected mating cycle, that was still a concern. They would set up an initial meeting for the next day, at first light, at the bridge that divided their territory.

Murphy collapsed onto the ground, leaning against the wall near the iron bars. Fuck he was exhausted. To his side, Mbege chuckled, joining him on the floor. “You ready to get outta here?” The omega asked, a small smirk on his face. “Fuck yeah, dude. I was this close to ripping my hair out.” He said, skewing his thumb and index finger a hair apart. Murphy grinned as he shook his head, crossing his arms to conserve some warmth. “You’re welcome, by the way.”

Mbege laughed as he looked at his feet. “Thanks, Murph.” He said earnestly. They appreciated the quiet, Murphy could hear an owl hooting through the window. “So..did you fuck Bellamy yet?” The alpha snickered at the stank look his friend sent him. “No.. He won’t even talk to me.” The omega grumbled under his breath. Mbege balked, “what? He was talking to you today.” Murphy sighed, he honestly didn’t even know what was wrong. “He talked to me today because he had to, but at home he just.. I don’t know, it’s been awkward since..” The omega cut himself off, feeling embarrassed, they never really talked about this kind of stuff, relationship stuff.. Not that Bellamy and him were in a relationship.. Murphy was just never impressed with anyone on the Ark, Mbege’s escapades never lasted long and he kept them more or less to himself.

“I.. You went into rut, and it ticked Bellamy off, then I went into heat.. and I don’t know.. I guess being around us both caused him to go into rut.” He trailed off. He watched Mbege’s eyebrows raise in interest. “Is that it?” He asked. Murphy glared at his impatience. “No.. We were,” God he didn’t want to admit to cuddling with him, “laying together, Bell went into rut and.. we almost had sex.” The omega was grateful for the darkness cause his face flushed red hot at the admittance. “Octavia and Lincoln pulled us apart and kicked him out.” He finished, looking down at his nails as he picked at his cuticles.

“Fuck, dude.” Mbege breathed out, looking at a wall. “Yeah..” The boy whispered. “Are you okay?” The alpha asked, his voice full of concern for his closest friend. “Yeah, I’m fine, I just.. I wish he’d talk to me, instead of straight up avoiding me.” God he didn’t mean for that to sound so pathetic.

“I bet he feels terrible.” The alpha said softly. Murphy’s face scrunched in confusion as he looked over at his friend. “What?” “I bet he feels terrible.” He repeated, louder. “No, I heard you. But why would he feel terrible?” He couldn’t deny he.. enjoyed it, Bellamy looked like he was enjoying it, his omega definitely wanted it.

Mbege look at him like he was stupid. “Dude, think about it.. The grounders worship omegas. Just today, they were ready to go to war for you.. He probably thought he was raping you or I don’t know.. Taking advantage of you? At the very least.” He tried, not really sure how to word it.

It felt like his brain short-circuited. How had he not thought of that? This whole time he thought Bellamy was just being weird.. Felt.. forced maybe, to doing something he didn’t want to do. “Shit.” He breathed out, a hand came up to thread through his hair nervously. “I thought he was just being bashful or something.. Embarrassed for feeling me up.” Mbege’s head fell back as he laughed. “Since when do you use the word bashful?” The boy teased, laughing at his friend.

Murphy scrambled to get up from the floor, dusting off his pants. “Fuck off, I gotta go.” He grumbled, jogging towards the exit.

“Go get your man!” Mbege hollered after him.

Chapter Text

Murphy took long strides as he hurried out of the prison, towards his home, huh, his home. That was weird to think about. Stepping out of the building, he blinked his eyes to adjust to the darkness of the village. There were a few homes giving off some light from their fireplaces, but the moon did most of the work. Murphy looked up at the bright orb in the sky, it was finally full, casting its blue light down onto the world.

“Murphy.” The boy jumped so hard he nearly fell over as a hand touched his arm. He let out a deep breath of relief as he turned to see Bellamy pushing himself away from the wall of the building, what was he still doing here? Did he hear them talking? ... Was he waiting for him?

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.” The man apologized, dropping his hand back down to his side. “Jesus, you need a bell or something.” Murphy said in an irritated tone. “What are you doing here?” He questioned, glaring at the man. “I just.. I-” Bellamy straightened his shoulders, collecting his stuttering tongue and took a moment to find his words.

“I need to talk to you.” He decided on. Murphy’s face softened as he noticed how distressed the man looked. Bellamy’s hand reached out to grab his wrist, but stilled midway there, he instead took a step back and motioned for Murphy to follow him.

It was strange, Murphy never noticed how much the guy touched him until he was consciously making the effort not to. The teen followed after him skeptically, choosing to stay a few paces behind him as they walked back to their house.

Bellamy looked through the front window, saw his sister sitting on the table, her arms wrapped around her mate’s shoulders as they pecked each other’s lips sweetly. The corners of his lips curled up at the sight, but he had hoped they would have gone to bed by now, it was getting pretty late and he wanted to speak with Murphy in private. “Are we gonna stay out here all night?” The boy asked, growing impatient. The alpha looked away from the window and turned to grab Murphy’s hand, dragging him towards the woods beside the house. “Bellamy, come on, I’m tired.” The boy whined. “Shut up, Murphy.” He heard the omega huff behind him, but didn’t say anymore.

When they were a good distance from the village, away from the prying eyes of curious villagers, he let go of the boy’s hand and turned around. He didn’t have the courage to look at Murphy quite yet, so he paced around as he looked down at the ground. He didn’t want to wait any longer to do this, felt bad for talking to Murphy as much as he did today. He hated having to pretend like everything was okay and just ignore the obvious tension that was between them. Bellamy didn’t even know how to begin. He just hoped Murphy would forgive him. Well that wasn’t the reason why he was trying to apologize, he wanted to do right by him of course bu-

“Bellamy, can you please stop being so fucking weird and just talk to me?” Murphy spat, yanking him free of his rambling thoughts. Bellamy stood still as Murphy let out an annoyed sigh and sat down on a fallen tree, staring up at the man. ‘Here goes nothing’, he thought, closing the short distance between them and lowered himself to his knees in front of the omega. A look of shock and confusion flooded the boy’s face as he straightened his back, trying to put some space between them.

“What the fuck is happening..” Murphy whispered to himself as he stared at the alpha kneeled before him. He felt his face flush as Bellamy’s hands clenched at the fabric of his shirt, goosebumps rose up his sides where the man’s warm fingers touched the skin there. “I’m sorry, Murphy.” The man started. “There is no excuse for what I’ve done to you.” His breath began to shake as he stared into the alpha’s regretful eyes. “I forced myself onto you when you were at your most vulnerable, I lost control—I’ve never lost control like that.” He stressed, Murphy sat frozen, utterly stunned by the man’s apology. He couldn’t believe his eyes as the moonlight illuminated the alpha’s glassy eyes, his voice quickly growing full of emotion, guilt. He watched the man’s mouth fall open as he struggled to force more words out.

Murphy had no idea he was this upset about it, god he felt so stupid. He thought of Octavia’s apology, Bellamy’s distant behavior, fuck he was an idiot, how did Mbege figure it out before he did? And so quickly too. The boy felt awful for being so short with him the past few days, he was sure it didn’t help Bellamy’s mental anguish, probably made it worse. Definitely, made it worse.

“Bellamy,” he said softly. “I don’t expect you to forgive me,” the man cut him off, shaking his head as he looked down. “Look at me, B-” “I hurt you, I promised to look after you and then I hurt you— It’s no excuse, but I’m not like that, I don’t know what happened-”

Murphy grabbed his jaw, forcing him to look up at him. “Sen ai op!” The boy yelled, causing the man to flinch as he avoided his gaze, a shame-filled tear rolling down his cheek. “Chek ai au, Belomi.” Murphy demanded, he couldn’t stand hearing him wallow in this.. undeserved self hatred, not when it was partially his fault. Not when it was him who begged the alpha to lose control.

The man slowly lifted his eyes to Murphy’s. He watched as a mix of undistinguishable emotions washed over the boy’s face. Bellamy took his time dragging his eyes across his features, not sure if he would ever have another opportunity to be this close to him again. His brow furrowed in confusion as Murphy’s hand slid from his jaw, up to hold his cheek. He looked into the omega’s soft, pale gaze, the boy looked unsure of what he was doing, like he didn’t really know what to do from here. Murphy’s lips parted, he didn’t know what to say either, his seafoam eyes darted from Bellamy’s questioning ones, down to his lips and back.

Bellamy’s breath caught in his throat as the boy leaned in, and placed a chaste kiss to his cheek. He could have cried at how gentle it was, how undeserving he felt of it, how he wanted more. So much more. God he was a monster, here he was, begging for forgiveness for taking advantage of him and still wanting more. His hand’s released the grip they had on Murphy’s hips, pulling away as if he was burned. His face contorted in shame as Murphy tilted his chin up again, forcing him to meet his gaze.

“You have nothing to apologize for.” The omega whispered, his thumb brushing over his cheekbone before abruptly standing up, stepping around the kneeling man to walk home. The man sat there frozen, did that really just happen? Even his best case scenario didn’t end like that. Was he forgiven? Or was he just trying to make him feel better? Did he.. Did this mean Murphy wanted him too? A kiss to the cheek was innocent enough, it couldn’t have meant anything more. Did he really mean that?

He stared off into the woods in front of him, a laugh of disbelief escaped his lips. Bellamy didn’t know what any of it meant. Were they okay now? Was Murphy even mad to begin with? Fuck, did he want him to go after him?

Bellamy broke free from the invisible chains holding him in place and scrambled to get up, rearing forward to chase after him, needing answers. Murphy couldn’t just do something like that and then leave him there, questions unanswered, wanting more.

—

It was dark inside, the only light coming from the hearth, the fire having died down to simmering coals. Glancing towards Octavia and Lincoln’s room, Murphy could hear the soft noise of the girl’s snores, both fast asleep. Murphy hovered where he stood in the kitchen, hemming and hawing, unsure what to do. He must have had some kind of.. freak out, being that close to the man, his pine, woody scent still fresh in his mind. It was baffling to see the alpha so emotional, so vulnerable, so distraught over the events of that night. He had no idea what came over him, why he kissed his cheek, he really just wanted to shut him up. The man would have groveled at his feet all night if Murphy let him. He couldn’t believe Bellamy actually cried. Murphy had to admit he really didn’t know the man all that much, but the grounders seemed like a tough bunch, he doubted they cried easily.

Needing to move, he rushed to Bellamy’s room, throwing himself face first into the bed. ‘What the fuck did I just do?’ He thought to himself, rolling over to rub his hands over his face. The omega couldn’t contain the exhilarated laugh that escaped him, covering his mouth with his hand. Laughed at his unexpected boldness, laughed about the dumbstruck look on Bellamy’s face. Fuck, did he like the guy? He was hot, no doubt, but did Murphy want to pursue something more with him? Murphy had never really had feelings for someone else, is this what it felt like? Why did he suddenly care about the alpha’s feelings? That wasn’t who he was, he was a prick, bruising egos was basically his job.

On paper, Bellamy was everything a good alpha should be. Strong, kind, considerate, handsome. Did he like the guy, or was he just trying to be nice to him cause he took him in?

Murphy let out a frustrated groan as he sprawled out on the bed. He went silent as he heard the front door open.

—

Bellamy just barely stopped the door from slamming into the wall, grabbing it at the last second when he remembered how late it was. Looking around, he saw that Murphy had already gone to bed, and sighed. His shoulders fell as he realized he lost his chance. Defeated, Bellamy shuffled his way over to the basin of water and leaned over to scrub the coal from his skin.

Drying his face off with his shirt, he walked over to the living room. Noticing the dying fire, he picked up a few logs of wood and strategically placed them over the coals. He crouched there for a few minutes, nursing the flames back to life before standing to shrug off his shirt, his shoes, and flopped onto the couch with a disappointed huff. He stared into the flames as his mind raced through the events of the last hour.

He shouldn’t even be worrying about this, he had a peace summit to deal with. That was if Skaikru even agreed, if Heda agreed. “Fuck,” Bellamy mumbled to himself, rubbing his hands over his face tiredly. There were so many steps to complete, too little options. Their plan stood at the mercy of people he’d never met before, and one who was never afraid to shed blood. All it took was one person to say no, and they’d be thrown into war. Just when life felt like it was becoming normal again, he was thrusted into a whirlwind of unknown certainty. He had Tondc to take care of, his family to think of, the possibility of a war breaking out, not to mention the ever-present threat of the Mountain Men. He had more important things to worry about than some pretty omega and whether or not he liked him back.

He really was pretty though.. It was all he could think about lately, felt like a child pining over their first crush. The day he came across the boy, curled up among the forest floor, he felt like he already knew who he was. Felt like Murphy was the only thing that mattered anymore. Felt like his entire life was an accumulation of choices that brought him to that day. Bellamy had never felt like this before, he had been in relationships, thought he was in love a time or two—Not that he was in love with the boy— But he very easily could, he thought.

He stilled as he heard the floor creaking under the weight of someone walking around.

—

Murphy lay frozen, he had to remind himself to breathe as he listened to Bellamy move around the house. Listening for him to walk closer, to call out to him, something. He told himself he didn’t want the man to run after him, that would be pathetic, this wasn’t some romance novel.

It didn’t stop the jittering energy coursing through his limbs, his heart from racing. Fuck, he’d never be able to sleep like this. He could see the man’s shadow on the walls as he got ready to sleep, and eventually dropped himself onto the couch. Murphy inwardly cringed at himself, he left too soon, too abruptly. He should have said more. Was sure the peck left Bellamy with even more questions. This was going to make things even more weird between them, which is what he was trying to fix in the first place, fuck! Maybe the alpha was still awake, maybe if he went right now.

His body moved before he could command it not to, before he could think otherwise, walking out of the room and rounded the couch. Bellamy sat up from where he was laying, Murphy swallowed as his eyes darted down the man’s chest, his soft, but muscled abdomen. There were more tattoos on his skin, ones he didn’t notice the night before. “John?” Bellamy breathed out, his brow furrowed in confusion. John, he liked the way it sounded coming out of the alpha’s mouth. Shit, it took every word he ever knew right out of his mind. He stopped his ogling of the man and before he could chicken out, toed his boots off.

Bellamy’s mouth fell open to speak, but no words came as Murphy gently pushed his shoulder back. The omega watched confused desire fill the man’s eyes as he followed the direction, laying back. The boy inhaled deeply through his nose, scrounging up all the courage he had and followed him down onto the plush couch. God, what the fuck was he doing. This was definitely not what he came out here to do, but the sight of the man left him speechless, what was he supposed to do? Turn right back around without a single word?

He felt dumb, not a single thought ran through his mind other than shit, shit, shit. Bellamy’s body felt tense underneath him, probably too afraid to make the wrong move and scare the omega away. Murphy’s face was burning as their eyes met. His courage was running out quick, so he leaned down and nestled his face under Bellamy’s jaw, tucking an arm under the alpha’s head, his free hand came to rest on his chest. They had never done this while he had a clear mind, but it felt.. natural. The longer he laid there, the more comfortable he got, the less awkward he felt about it.

Bellamy kept still, letting the boy wiggle around until he was settled. His breath quickened as the omega’s sweet, grassy aroma surrounded him. When he realized this was actually happening, that Murphy wasn’t playing some cruel joke on him, that the boy had no intentions of moving, he tentatively wrapped his arms around his middle. He felt the omega’s body relax, as if he was melting onto him and buried his face into Murphy’s hair, taking a deep breath of his calming scent. A sound came from his throat as he tried to speak, but faltered. He felt like he was dreaming. “I’m so sorry,” his brain ended up with, whispering it into his hair, Murphy’s almost instantaneous forgiveness feeling too good to be true.

Murphy pressed his face closer to his scent gland, too embarrassed to look at him. “Shut up.” The boy mumbled against his skin. “I told you not to be.”

“But you sho-” The omega’s head shot up, “Bellamy. I don’t want to hear it.” He said firmly, his face beet-red with embarrassment. “We’re good, okay? Seriously.. So jus-.. just go to sleep.” He finished with, laying his head back down on the man’s chest. He stared off into the flames of the hearth as Bellamy slowly relaxed underneath him. He cautiously slid his hand up, resting it right under the man’s ear and twirled a strand of his dark, wavy hair around his finger. His eyes blinked tiredly as a low rumble vibrated through the man’s chest.

He let out a breath as a hand traced up and down his back. With his head pillowed on the man’s squishy chest, the heat of the fireplace kissing his skin perfectly, that comforting scent coming straight from the source, right under his nose, it didn’t take Murphy long to pass out. As his eyes grew heavy with sleep, he pushed the thoughts of the inevitable awkwardness this night would bring, and fell asleep.

That was a problem for later.

Chapter Text

It was still dark out when Bellamy woke up, he never could sleep for long. Always liked how quiet the morning was, how still it was. He smiled as he looked down at the omega still sleeping on his chest, a little puddle of drool collecting on his sternum. The boy looked so calm in his sleep, so peaceful. It was nothing like he was when awake, fierce and biting, could level you with a single look. Murphy’s head bounced a little as he let out a soft chuckle, causing him to groan in his sleep. It’s not that Bellamy preferred him this way over his waking state, it was just.. different. He liked knowing he was one of the few to see him this way, all soft and content.

Bellamy’s hand faltered as he raised it up to run across his face. Murphy’s wounds were nearly healed, there was a scabbed over cut right below his eye, it was healing well thanks to Nyko. His bruises were almost gone too, the only proof left a yellowish hue to certain parts of his face. He ran his fingers through the boy’s long hair, brushing it out of his face. Murphy murmured in his sleep, nestling himself closer.

Bellamy jumped as he felt hands in his hair, he looked up to see his sister, a knowing smirk on her face as she leaned down to kiss his forehead. “I take it you talked to him finally?” She whispered, ruffling his hair before walking over to the stack of wood to rekindle the fireplace. A small smile grew on his face, he watched as she broke apart some small sticks. “Looks like it went well.” She teased, poking the bottom of his foot with a twig. He couldn’t stop his leg from jumping away from the assault, a big grin splitting across his face. “I think it did.” He replied, his face furrowing with uncertainty as he threaded his fingers through Murphy’s hair. They both turned to the boy as he started to stir awake.

Letting out a tired mew, Murphy’s eyes blinked open, he smiled weakly at Octavia’s soft smirk. His face fell as he remembered where he was, why he had fallen asleep on the couch last night. He could feel heat flood his cheeks as he slowly sat up and looked down at Bellamy’s soft smile. His eyes widened as he spotted the fucking drool stain on his chest and quickly looked away from them to wipe his face, absolutely mortified. When it felt like his face was dry, he grabbed the hem of his sleeve and tried to subtly clean away his shameful puddle. He blushed even harder, if that was possible, as the man’s light-hearted laugh filled the air.

Bellamy’s bright smile made it better, made the embarrassment worth it. He liked his smile, liked how the skin around his eyes crinkled, he has nice teeth, Murphy thought to himself, I could get used to waking up like this.

Clearing his throat awkwardly, he moved to get off of him, muttering a quick ‘sorry’ as he stood. “It’s alright,” Bellamy said between laughs and grabbed the boy’s hand, rubbing his thumb over the top of it soothingly. Fuck, he shouldn’t have done this, should have stayed his ass in bed. This was becoming too much, or at least too soon. He didn’t know.

Murphy bit the inside of his cheek as he tried not to freak out about it, looking down at their hands. “I’m uh.. I’m gonna get ready.” He said softly, pulling away to disappear into Bellamy’s room.

Bellamy let out a sigh through his nose, nodding as the boy hurried away. He turned to look at his sister, rolling his eyes as she looked at him deviously.

—

Murphy let out a deep sigh as he stared down at his old clothes, what the fuck was he doing. This wasn’t the time to be falling for someone, and you know what, why now? Why not on the Ark when life was relatively normal? It had to be right now? Right when he was dropped onto a radioactive planet filled with warmongering grounders? Right when he needed to convince Clarke fucking Griffin to a peace treaty? This was fucking ridiculous, he thought as he pulled Bellamy’s clothes off, replacing them with his freshly cleaned ones. He didn’t want them to see the grounder garb and attack him on sight, figured it’d be better for the Delinquents to see him in Ark clothing. Maybe they’d recognize him and Mbege better that way. Murphy pursed his lips as he looked over the tattered shirt, at least it was clean. At least his jacket was patched up.

When he finished lacing up his boots, he stood up and let out a sigh. “Let’s go get some fucking peace.” He mumbled to himself, walking out of the room.

Bellamy was just sliding a small knife into the sheath on his hip as the boy stepped out of his room, wandering over to where Octavia had begun cooking some food for them. The three of them sat silently as they ate, at some point Lincoln joined them and took over the stove to make himself some eggs. Murphy could see a sort of facade begin to cloud over Bellamy’s face, maybe he was getting into his warrior headspace. His lighthearted jests and smiles slowly fell away from him, replaced with a stone-like expression. He looked something fierce, if Murphy didn’t know him, if he had just randomly stumbled across him in the forest, he would have been terrified.

“We should head out.” The man said in a low voice, standing as soon as his bowl was empty to place it in the wash basin. Murphy followed him with his eyes, quickly shoving the last few bites of food into his mouth as the man leaned down to kiss his sister’s head. Standing up, he grabbed his jacket and followed the alpha out of the house, throwing a quick ‘thanks’ to Octavia over his shoulder.

“Wait,” He called out as he closed the door behind him. “What about Mbege?” Bellamy’s hard face furrowed in confusion. “I know, we’re gonna go get him.. right now.” Murphy rolled his eyes, “no, like food-wise,” he explained. “He’s gonna bitch about being hungry all day.” The alpha sighed before looking over to the drying rack. Stepping up to it, he examined the drying strips of meat, turning a few over. Finding a couple that were cured enough, he pulled them off the rack and handed it over to Murphy. “Here.” He muttered, giving him an impatient look that asked him, ‘happy?’

The boy sent him a pleased smirk and walked away, shoving the dried meat in his pocket as he headed for the prison.

Anya was standing outside when they got there and tipped her head in greeting as they stopped in front of her. “Indra is bringing him out.” She said, turning back towards the entrance. “Do you remember the plan?” She asked, peering over at the omega. “Like it was yesterday.” He said snarkily, zipping his jacket up. Murphy looked down at the ground as her eyebrow quirked up curiously at his phrase. “Yes.” He reiterated, nodding to her.

The woman was terrifying, but like.. in a really hot way. Kinda like Bellamy was right now.

Murphy quickly shook that stray thought from his head, nevertheless he was happy to be on her side. But a tiny part of him wanted to see her lose it, see the extent of the power that seemed to radiate off of her. Maybe one day, hopefully not against the one hundred.

He turned towards the entrance as Mbege stepped out, looking back over his shoulder, as if he was double checking that they were serious about letting him go. Indra gave him a reassuring nod and pushed him the rest of the way out of the building.

“We shouldn’t be gone long, if we’re not back by sundown..” Bellamy trailed off, Indra nodded. “We’ll send a party to search for you.” The man nodded, “I’ll take them south, pass over the bridge so these two know where it is.” He explained, straightening his shoulders. “No wandering around. Get it done, seken.” Anya said sternly, her eyes scanning over the three to make sure they understood.

Mbege raised his hand to his forehead in a playful salute, “yes ma’am,” he said as the woman squinted her eyes at him threateningly. Murphy smacked his chest as he let out a laugh, walking towards the entrance to Tondc.

As they started their trek, the two younger boys stayed a good distance back from Bellamy, letting him lead the way, but also so they could talk without him listening in. “Man, I'm hungry.” Mbege mumbled after a quiet spell, reaching up to yank a leaf from a tree. “Oh, shit. Sorry, I meant to give these to you earlier.” Murphy said, reaching into his pocket to fish out the strips of dried meat. The young alpha let out a happy sound and snatched the food from his friend, “hell yeah,” he said as he ripped a piece off with his teeth. “Not half bad,” he said as he examined it in between bites.

Murphy had a small smile as he looked forward, his eyes focused on the alpha ahead of them. He followed his gaze in every direction Bellamy looked, making a mental note to be more observant the next time he found himself traipsing through the woods.

“I change my mind about alphas, that Anya chick is so fucking hot.” Mbege said. The boy snickered as he shook his head, looking away when Bellamy peered back at them. “Get your head outta gutter, man. She’d probably squash you like a bug if you tried anything.” He chuckled out. “Yeah, she does give off that vibe.. I’d let her too.” The alpha replied, sticking his tongue out as he laughed, bumping Murphy’s shoulder. “Jesus, your suppressants wore off and all of a sudden you’re a complete knot-head.” The omega joked, nudging his shoulder back.

“Shit, I guess so.. Have you not noticed a difference? It’s like I can feel again. Like I never noticed how.. numb I was.” Mbege muttered, his brow furrowing as he thought about the changes he felt.

A small sound of intrigue escaped Murphy’s throat at the revelation. “Clarke was telling me about the suppressants they give us. Said doctors or scientists or whoever had been changing the medication for the past decade or so, making them stronger.” Mbege went on. “That they were trying to figure out a way to make our secondary genders go dormant or something.” That.. That actually made a lot of sense.

Maybe that was why Murphy never felt attracted to anyone before. “Do you think it.. decreased our desire to mate?” Murphy asked, glancing over at him. “Oh yeah, Princess mentioned that too. Said that was like.. one of the main goals for supps. The less people wanna mate, the less babies there are.” Mbege said simply, ripping off another bite of the jerky. Murphy hummed as he thought about all the years he spent on the medication. He vaguely remembered the beginning of puberty, it wasn’t a great time in his life. With his mother dying in a puddle of her own vomit, and him getting arrested and all, teenage hormones weren’t exactly his top priority at the time. And before long, his first heat hit and he was pumped full of suppressants. “Your old flings.. What were they like?” Murphy asked out of the blue, causing his friend to scoff lightly. “Like how did you feel about them?”

Mbege pursed his lips as he thought. “Honestly? Nothing.. It was really just a way to pass the time.” He said bluntly, shrugging. “They all ended cause I got bored or.. they thought I was a heartless prick.”

Murphy turned towards him as the dots connected. “You only dated betas right?” Mbege’s eyes drifted upwards as he tried to remember. “Yeah? It wasn’t on purpose or anything, just ended up that way.” “No, that makes sense, think about it. Betas don’t have to take suppressants, so they’re hormones, feelings aren’t dulled like ours were.” Murphy explained, “maybe you weren’t a heartless prick, you were just medicated.”

Mbege let out a small tut of realization. “Maybe that’s why I was never attracted to anyone until now.” The omega murmured under his breath. “Until now, huh?” Mbege said in a sly voice, nudging him with his elbow. Murphy pushed his face away as the alpha waggled his eyebrows at him. “Shut up.” He laughed out, shaking his head.

“Hey,” Bellamy called out in a low voice, grabbing their attention. “We’re coming up on the bridge. The Skaikru camp is only about a mile after.” He said as they stopped in front of him, taking an extra moment to stare at Murphy a little longer before continuing on.

When the man’s back was turned, Mbege made a gesture as if he was cracking a whip and raised his eyebrows at his friend. Murphy rolled his eyes before following after the older alpha. “All I’m gonna say.” The tan-boy said, jogging to walk by his side again. “Yeah you didn’t actually say anything.” Murphy pressed. “But you still got the message.” Mbege pushed back.

Bellamy didn’t bother to stop as they came up on the bridge, but there wasn’t much to see anyways. “Come on,” he urged the two boys as Mbege crouched down by the side to cup some water in his hand. “Don’t drink that.” The older alpha said right as he was about to take a sip. “It’s still-water. You’ll get sick.” He explained, ushering Murphy across the bridge. Mbege groaned tiredly, but dropped the water, trudging his way across the dilapidated stone. “I’ll show you where to find some water on our way back, okay?” He said as the teen walked past him, getting a small nod in reply.

It took them about another twenty minutes until they neared the camp, stopping once they could see it in the distance.

“Alright, Bell, you’re gonna stay back here. Mbege, lead the way.” He said, nudging his friend forward. “Why do I gotta go first?” The boy asked, looking at his friend over his shoulder. “In case they decide to attack me on sight, I can use you as a shield.” Murphy said with an innocent smile, causing his friend to huff and roll his eyes.

As they got closer, they could see a kid scramble to get up, raising a gun they didn’t realize he would have. “When the fuck did they get guns? You didn’t think to mention that?” Murphy hissed. “Who’s there?” The kid yelled out. “I didn’t fucking know!” Mbege said back in a defensive tone. “They didn’t have them when I left.”

It was about mid-morning now, so it wasn’t dark anymore, the guy could clearly see them. The two lifted their hands up in the air in surrender as they approached the wall.

“Holy shit, Mbege?.. Murphy?” The boy said, lowering his weapon. “Yep, it’s uh.. it’s us.” The young alpha called out nonchalantly, as if an assault rifle wasn’t just aimed at them. The boy turned around to shout at someone as he clambered his way down the guard station, “Mbege’s back! And he brought Murphy!” His voice trailed off as he ran farther into camp.

The two looked at each other and slowly lowered their arms. “Guess we just wait.” Murphy mumbled, looking over his shoulder to make sure Bellamy was out of sight. He had not a clue where the man was, perfect. It actually made him wonder how long the grounders had been watching them before, had they always been watching them?

A few minutes passed before the gate creaked opened, and out came Clarke Griffin, flanked by a few others, Murphy easily recognized Finn. His arms shot up again as that scrawny kid, Jasper, raised a rifle up at them. “Mbege? Murphy? What’s going on? Why is he here?” The princess asked, motioning for Jasper to lower his weapon.

God, they looked like shit, Murphy realized. All of their faces sunken in from hunger, Clarke looked pale, with dark bags under her eyes. They all looked like they’d been through the ringer.

Mbege looked at Murphy for a second before taking a step closer. “We need to talk to you, Clarke.” He said. The girl’s brow scrunched in confusion, curiosity as she looked them over. “If this is about Murphy, you can forget it. He can’t come back.. Is that why you left?” She called out, crossing her arms over her chest.

Murphy rolled his eyes, already tired of her overbearing alpha ego. “Clarke, I’m not trying to come back. We need to talk to you alone, you’re gonna want to hear this.” He said, leaning his weight onto one side.

“Clarke, don’t.” A girl he knew for sure wasn’t on the dropship with them whispered. “Let's hear ‘em out.” Finn said quietly, raising his shoulders in a small shrug. Murphy could see the blonde chewing her lip in thought as she looked him up and down. He couldn’t hear what she said next, but watched as she motioned for Jasper to hand over the gun before nodding back towards camp. The omega saw her lips say ‘you too’ to the brunette girl. She looked annoyed but ultimately gave in, following after Jasper. It was just her and Finn left.

Both parties took cautious steps towards each other until there was only a few feet between them. “What is it?” The princess asked, her eyes darting back and forth.

The two Johns shared a worried look before turning towards her. “The grounders want to set up a meeting to negotiate a peace treaty.” Murphy said as clearly as he could. He would have laughed at their dumbstruck faces if his nerves weren’t shot, their jaws were nearly touching the forest floor. “W-.. What? You spoke with the grounders?” She forced out, her breaths becoming quicker. “Is that where you’ve been this whole time?” Finn asked, just as flabbergasted. Mbege nodded, “they took us in. We convinced them to try and make peace with you all.. It’s not going to be easy.. but they are willing to meet with you, Clarke.”

The girl shook her head as she stumbled back. “I.. I don’t believe you.” Murphy sighed, glancing over at his friend. “Look, they like omegas, that’s why they took me in. They only took in Mbege cause I vouched for him.” He explained quickly. “I know it’s hard to believe, but if you want to avoid an all out war, you’re gonna want to do this.”

Finn turned to the blonde, “Clarke.. this is exactly what we wanted.” The alpha shook her head. “Why should I trust him? It could be a trap for all we know.” She pressed, her face furrowing in anger.

A small growl escaped her throat as Murphy rolled his eyes again. “Mbege, you talk to her, I can’t.” He muttered, throwing up his hands as he walked away. The omega stopped where he was still in earshot of their conversation, but turned away, staring off into the woods. He squinted around, trying to find Bellamy.

“I know you don’t trust Murphy, but this is legit. They want to meet tomorrow at first light, at that bridge that’s about a mile that way.” He listened to Mbege say, sure he was pointing in the direction they came from. “It’s just an initial meeting, if all agree, hopefully there will be more to come.” There was a long pause.

“No, I need more. More proof-” “Clarke, come on.” Finn cut in. He could hear the two bicker for a moment before Mbege piped in.

“Well, there is..” Mbege trailed off. “John.” He called out. Murphy sighed as he dropped his arms and turned back around to face them. “We could.. you know.” The boy said, his eyes darting towards the woods. Murphy glared at him as if to say ‘shut the fuck up’ and looked over at the other two delinquents. “It’ll be fine.” Mbege said reassuringly.

Murphy bit the inside of his cheek, looking from them and back to the forest. He ran his eyes across the length of the wall, there weren’t any guards, but he didn’t want to risk that. “Come on.” He said, giving in, he motioned for all of them to follow as he walked towards the trees. Hopefully this wouldn’t backfire, maybe build some trust.

Looking back over his shoulder, he saw the hesitant look Clarke and Finn shared before cautiously following after him, the blonde readjusting her grip on the gun in preparation.

When they were past the tree line, Murphy sighed as his hands found his hips and looked down at the ground. “Bellamy!” He yelled, looking around. Finn took a step closer to the girl as she lifted her gun up, both of their eyes flying around to find any threat. “Cool it, will ya?” Murphy said in an irritated tone.

A few seconds later, a thud was heard, causing them to turn in the direction of the sound. Bellamy stepped out from behind a tree, his hands raised. Murphy smirked as he heard Clarke’s sharp inhale behind him. “Clarke, Finn, this is Bellamy. The second in command of his village.” He introduced. Bellamy’s face was stern and untelling as he looked from Murphy to the two sky people.

“You are Clarke?” The grounder asked in a flat tone, sizing up the young alpha as he took careful steps towards them. Murphy adjusted his stance so he could see all of them. He watched as the girl slowly nodded her head. “Do you agree to meet with us?” Bellamy asked as he stopped beside the omega. “You speak English?” She asked, breathing out a surprised laugh. “Not all of them, only the warriors do.” Murphy explained, a proud smirk on his face.

“Your people really want peace?” Clarke asked, lowering her gun as she took a step forward. Bellamy nodded his head, “peace is always an option, if we can prevent further bloodshed, then we want to try.” He said, leaving out the fact that this meeting never would have happened if it weren’t for the pretty omega at his side. That if Murphy wanted it, he would have happily torn them to shreds.

Clarke huffed out an astonished laugh, turning towards Finn to make sure this was really happening. “Okay.” She said, nodding her head.

Bellamy gave her one more curt nod. “Tomorrow, at dawn. At the bridge. No weapons.” He reiterated. The last part wiping her happy expression from her face, Clarke’s brow furrowed. Murphy knew she was reevaluating the whole situation.

“You’re about to make peace, princess.. You’re gonna have to have a little faith.” Murphy said, the corner of his lips curling up. Her face went stern as she glanced from him to Bellamy. “He’s right, Clarke.” Finn said quietly, nudging her arm.

Taking a moment to think, she nodded her head.

“Okay.”

Chapter Text

Murphy chewed nervously on his lip as they headed back to Tondc. He grimaced as he accidentally tore a piece of skin back, “shit,” he said as his tongue flicked out to lick the small amount of blood away.

He glanced at Mbege’s bored face, his dark brown eyes looking around at all the different plant life. Murphy took a quick peek over his shoulder to see how far Bellamy was behind them. “We gotta warn them about the guns.” He whispered, leaning closer to him. His friend had a blank expression on his face as he looked from Murphy, back to the other alpha. “You sure that’s a good idea? It’s definitely gonna freak ‘em out. What if they back out of the plan?” The boy said, keeping his voice low.

“It should freak them out. We need to tell them so they don’t try and mess shit up.” Mbege sighed as he looked down at his feet. “You think the grounders are gonna take that risk?”

“They didn’t even want peace to begin with,” Murphy hissed. “Yeah, so what if they use the guns as an excuse to attack? These people don’t exactly see the best in others, John. I think even mentioning it will make them want to break the treaty, the very fragile treaty that we don’t even know is gonna happen, might I add.” Mbege shot back, making Murphy stop to fully face him. “You think I don’t know that? You really think-” The alpha cut him off, “I’m just saying, it might be best to leave this out. Clarke agreed to no weapons, you really think she’s gonna risk peace?” The omega sent him an irritated look. “What do you think?” He replied in a bitchy tone, Mbege threw his hands up in resignation and kept on walking. “I don’t think it’s a good idea, you tell them.” The boy said over his shoulder. Murphy scoffed as his friend walked away.

The omega’s face scrunched in frustration as a hand softly touched his arm, he turned to face Bellamy. “Murphy? What’s wrong?” The man asked gently, glancing towards the other boy that stormed off. Murphy shook his head, now he wasn’t sure what to say. Mbege did bring up a good point, but he wasn’t sure the grounders would be that.. unreasonable. He had to believe they would understand, at least Bellamy could.

His mouth opened and closed like a fish as he tried to force out the words. Looking into the alpha’s worried gaze, he sighed and looked down at the ground. “John, talk to me.” Bellamy whispered, taking a step closer into his space, he rubbed the boy’s arms soothingly.

Steeling himself, Murphy looked back up to him, his gaze jumping from dot to dot across his tan face. “You can’t freak out.” The alpha’s lips curled up in amusement, “okay,” he breathed out. “I’m serious, this might threaten the entire treaty, you can’t-.. I need you to have a level head about this.” He stressed, his brow furrowing in worry. Bellamy nodded as a more serious look crossed his face, straightening his shoulders as he listened.

Murphy looked over the man’s shoulder, back towards the camp. “Th-.. Did you see what Clarke was holding? It's a.. a gun. It’s a weapon” He said, Bellamy gave him a small nod in response. “I figured.” He said softly. “No,” Murphy said, shaking his head. “It’s a weapon stronger than anything you guys have. It will kill you in a blink of an eye. It can hit you from.. a thousand yards away, it’s-it’s..” He stressed, his arm flailed up as if to show just how far a bullet could go. “I have no idea where they got them or-or how many they have, but this changes the circumstances. They aren’t defenseless kids anymore.” Murphy tried to control his breathing as it started to quicken, he wasn’t sure where this newfound fear came from. He didn’t want war, he didn’t want his people slaughtered, but he also didn’t want his new people hurt either. He didn’t want Octavia and Lincoln hurt, he didn’t want to lose Bellamy, not right when he was just starting to grasp how he felt about the guy, not when he started to see a future in the distance, in Tondc.

“John, it’s okay.” Bellamy said in a soft voice, his callused hands coming up to hold the sides of his neck. Murphy’s brow furrowed as he held the man’s gaze, he brought his hands up to cover Bellamy’s wrists, finally able to take a deep breath as the man ran his thumb over his scent gland. “We never thought they were defenseless.” The alpha said slow and clear. “You can’t retaliate, Bell. Y-.. You agreed to no weapons, you can’t go back on that, it’ll make it worse.. If they even think you’re going to attack… They’re still scared, they’ll shoot you.. If you give them the opportunity, they’ll kill you, all of you.” Murphy urged, his brain was all over the place, his eyes wide with fear as he worked himself up again.

“Clarke agreed, no weapons.” Bellamy reminded him, the omega shook his head. “I don’t trust her.. I don’t trust her not to bring them.” Murphy whispered.

Bellamy sighed as he looked into Murphy’s wide, fear-riddled eyes. The boy had done such a good job keeping calm during the meeting, he didn’t realize how terrified he really was about this going badly. How important it was to him. By the look on the omega’s face, Bellamy didn’t think he even realized it himself until now. The alpha felt bad for keeping him in the dark, they told him they wouldn’t have any weapons, but he knew Anya made other plans, just in case. He couldn’t deny he felt the same distrust the others did. Preparing for the worst, for bloodshed, it was how they survived.

He ran his thumb along Murphy’s jaw as he looked into those eyes that made his heart race, that could bring him to his knees. This boy scared the shit out of him, challenged everything he knew about the world, everything he thought was right.

“You don’t have to trust her.” He said, it was all he could say. Bellamy didn’t dare ask him to trust him, he didn’t know if he would be able to keep his word. “We are all risking our lives for this.. Like you told Clarke, you have to have faith.” He ended up with. The alpha tried to conjure a reassuring smile as Murphy searched his face, looking for answers, for truth.

“Promise me.” The omega said, causing his face to falter. “Promise me you will keep your word. No weapons, no secret agenda, just like we agreed.” Bellamy blinked, he swallowed down the guilt that crawled up his throat and looked away. The man squeezed his eyes shut as Murphy pulled away from him. “You can’t..” Murphy huffed out a sad laugh.

“Murphy-” “No.” The omega silenced him, turning to walk away. Bellamy exhaled a deep sigh through his nose as his hands came up to rest on his hips. He looked up into the trees as the boy stormed off. “Jok” He hissed before trailing after him.

—

By the time Bellamy wandered into town, he could see Anya and Murphy arguing in front of Indra’s hut. The chief had placed herself in between them to keep them from tearing at each other’s throats, yelling at them to calm down. Mbege had this unfazed look on his face as he stood a few feet behind his friend, like this was nothing new for him, rubbing at his temples as the villagers of Tondc stared.

Just as he was approaching them, Murphy sent him a glare that stopped him in his tracks. “Don’t even fucking try it, Bellamy.” The omega scolded, pointing his finger at him before storming off, purposely bumping Anya’s shoulder as he went.

The woman barked out a bitter laugh, turning towards the second in command. “You just have to go for the loud ones, huh?” She snarled, letting out a frustrated growl as she shoved the door to Indra’s home open. The man pursed his lips as his chief gave him a tired look and followed after the general. Was it that obvious? He wasn’t exactly trying to hide it, but he thought he was being.. composed about it.

He glared at Mbege as the teen clapped him on the shoulder. “Better get used to that,” the younger alpha said sympathetically, tilting his chin in Murphy’s direction and sauntered after the two women.

Seeing that Murphy was headed home, he sighed and entered Indra’s hut.

—

Bellamy grumbled as he finally left his mentor’s home, after hours of arguing, they had gotten nowhere, no changes in plans, no compromises. After learning about these weapons Skaikru suddenly possessed, even Indra was siding with Anya. Bellamy didn’t know where he stood, his head, his training, told him to prepare for the worst. But his heart saw through the hypocrisy, holding the sky people to a promise not even they were willing to keep.

In the end, it changed nothing. Trikru would still go to the bridge tomorrow, prepared for peace or war. ‘It’s up to them to decide what will happen,’ Anya said, ‘Trikru will survive no matter what, we always do.’

As soon as he walked into his house, he sank down onto the bench at the kitchen table, crossing his arms before resting his face on them. “That bad, huh?” He heard Octavia say as he stared at the grain of the wooden table. “Yeah,” he said, letting out a sad laugh as he sat up. His shoulders slumped as his sister wrapped her arms around his neck from behind. “There’s nothing we can do until tomorrow. And there’s no point stressing over something that you can’t do anything about.. Remember what dad always said?” Bellamy’s lips curled up at the corners, he could still hear his father’s voice, even after all these years. “Don’t steal grief from the future.” They said in unison. He laid his hand over Octavia’s arm and just let her hold him, truly appreciating the reminder.

“..I bet this time tomorrow, you’ll be laughing about how you stressed for nothing, all curled up with Murph on the couch.” She teased, trying to lighten the mood, touching her forehead to his temple as she chuckled. Bellamy shook his head as he breathed out a laugh.

“Yeah, or we’ll be neck deep in war and he’ll never talk to me again.” He said grimly. Octavia hummed as she swayed her head side to side, weighing the odds. “Or we’ll be dead.” She added nonchalantly. Bellamy tried to contain the smile that creeped at the corner of his lips. “Oh, how could I forget that?” He joked, turning to smile at his little sister. The omega kissed his cheek quick and released him, walking over to the shelves to pull some bowls down. He chuckled to himself as he looked down at his hands, she always had this way of making him feel better. Bellamy didn’t know what he would do without her sometimes.

“Where is he anyways?” He asked, turning towards his sister. “Who, Murphy? I thought you knew.” She said as she grabbed their fire starter from where it sat on the windowsill. The man’s brow furrowed in worry. “He didn’t come home?” Octavia frowned as she shook her head. She set the piece of flint down as her brother stood, moving to walk out the door. The girl stopped him with a soft hand on his arm. “He’s probably with his friend.” Bellamy shook his head, “no, I was just with Mbege.” “Well then he’s somewhere around here. He’s not stupid, Bell, he’s not just gonna disappear the night before the treaty.” She said firmly, rubbing her hand up his arm. “If today went as badly as you said it did, maybe he just needs some space.”

Bellamy sighed, she was right, she always was. He nodded as he relaxed his shoulders and walked over to the couch, falling down onto it. Octavia abandoned her plans to make dinner and followed him over, nudging him so he would make room for her.

The alpha let out a deep, content sigh as he wrapped his sister up in his arms, the girl giggling as she rested her head on his arm. It was quiet for a while, the only sound coming from the crackling wood of the fire. “Did the meeting go bad?” Octavia asked, looking up at her brother’s tired face. The man rubbed his hand over his face before resting it on his chest.

“The meeting went great..” he said plainly, shrugging slightly as he stared at the ceiling. “Then what happened?” Bellamy drummed his fingers across his chest anxiously. “Skaikru has these weapons, Murphy called them guns.. Said they were more deadly than anything we know.” He said quietly. Octavia raised her head to look at him better, a worried expression on her face. “We think they’re going to bring them tomorrow.”

“But that’s not what was agreed on.” The girl muttered. He let out a sad chuckle. “Yeah,” he whispered, chewing the inside of his cheek. “Indra and Anya want to bring weapons of our own just in case.” He felt his sister nod her head in agreement, relieved to hear it. “Murphy doesn’t want us to.” Her head shot up, a look of anger and confusion on her face. “What?”

“He thinks,” he started, pausing as he recalled just how upset the boy was. “He thinks.. they’ll kill us if they notice we’re armed too.” Octavia scoffed, “they can try.” The omega relaxed back into his embrace as a lull passed over their conversation.

“You’re not thinking of.. listening to him, right?” She asked timidly.

Octavia leaned up on her elbow when her brother didn’t respond. “Bell, you can’t go out there unarmed. You can’t trust them!” She said, almost yelling. He smiled weakly at her, it felt like that was all he argued about today, whether they could, whether they should. “Trusts gotta start somewhere,” he murmured, looking over her upset face. “Trust is earned, Bellamy-” “And what better way is there to earn their trust than taking a chance on them? Than standing by our word?” He retorted, pursing his lips as she huffed and started to get up. “It doesn’t matter anyways.. It’s already decided.” He mumbled, looking away from her. “What’s decided?” She asked in a worried tone. He let out a sigh and tucked an arm under his head.

“That we’ll be armed.”

—

As they waited for the omega to return, Bellamy’s worry quickly morphed into anger. He knew he wouldn’t be, he understood needing space, but that boy was really starting to piss him off.

It was late into the night now, Octavia and Lincoln having gone to bed a while ago. Bellamy didn’t even bother trying to sleep, knew there was no way he could until he knew that Murphy was safe.

Brooding, he faced the front door as he snapped twigs apart in his hands, tossing them into the fire to pass the time. As the door creaked open, and Murphy carefully entered, Bellamy tossed the remaining bits of wood into the hearth and stood, stalking over to him. “Where the fuck have you been?” He growled as the boy rolled his eyes, pushing past his shoulder to walk towards the bedroom. “You’re not my dad.” The alpha’s nostrils flared as he caught a whiff of the village healer and.. bread? “You were with Nyko?” He asked, grabbing him by the elbow. “Yeah, is that okay? Or do I need your fucking permission?” Murphy hissed, yanking his arm away as he glared at him. “Oh don’t be a fucking brat, Murphy. You could have at least told me where you were so I wasn’t sitting here with my thumb up my ass.” Bellamy shot back, forgetting about the sleeping inhabitants of the house. “And when was I supposed to do that, huh? When you were planning to kill my people behind my back?” Murphy said, his voice raising with each word.

”We weren’t planning to kill them! We were preparing for the worst! In case you already forgot, you were the one who was worried about us dying in the first place. You’re the one who said we couldn’t trust her!” He bellowed. “I asked you for one thing, Bellamy! To keep your fucking word and you couldn’t ev-”

“God they already fight like their mated.” Octavia’s voice mumbled out. Their heads whipped over to see her and Lincoln leaning on their doorframe, an amused look on their tired faces as they watched the fight unfold.

“Stay outta this!” “Fuck off!” The two yelled over each other.

Octavia threw her hands up in surrender and turned around, pushing her mate back into their room before closing the door.

Bellamy huffed out an irritated breath, turning away from Murphy to lean on the table. His head dropped between his shoulders as he tried to reel in his anger, fuck, he didn’t mean to blow up. He was just worried, upset, he didn’t know what to think anymore and he didn’t have the power to change anything. Bellamy felt powerless.. He fucking hated this feeling.

“I didn’t need you to trust her, Bellamy. I needed you to trust me.” Murphy said in a more reserved voice, anger giving away to exhaustion.

The alpha’s eyes closed as that familiar feeling of guilt, of knowing he messed up, washed over him. By the time he stood back up to turn around, Murphy had already disappeared to his room.

“Damn it.” He hissed under his breath.

Murphy listened for the sounds of Bellamy moving around, a few quick footsteps and then the slam of the front door. He jumped as he felt it shake the house. Letting out a tired sigh, he wrapped himself up in the furs that no longer smelt like juniper and tried to get some sleep.

—

Murphy jumped awake as a dark figure gently pushed at his chest to lay flat. He grabbed the wrist and tried to push it away. “Knock it off, it’s just me.” He heard Bellamy’s deep voice say in a tired tone, instantly turning him to putty.

His breath hitched in his throat as the bed dipped under the man‘s weight. Bellamy crawled on top of him and slowly lowered himself down to lay his head on the omega’s chest. “What are you doing?” Murphy asked quietly, keeping still. “Going to sleep,” the man grumbled as he made himself comfortable in between his legs, his warm hands coming to rest at his sides.

Murphy stared wide-eyed into the darkness of the room, he could hear the thumping of his heartbeat in his ears as he tried to relax under the alpha’s weight. Too afraid to touch him, the boy laid his arms on the pillow above his head and tried to slow his breathing in the quiet room.

“I do trust you.” The man’s gravely voice whispered, breaking the deafening silence in the air. “Indra and Anya.. They wouldn’t listen to me.” He said just loud enough to be heard.

Murphy hesitantly lowered his arms to rest on the alpha’s shoulders, could feel the taut muscles that laid underneath his shirt. Feeling brave, he dragged his fingers up the man’s spine until he could bury them into the soft curls at the base of his neck. Murphy was grateful for the darkness, it hid the small smile on his face as he felt goosebumps rise on Bellamy’s skin, exactly where he touched him.

Unable to contain the content pur from escaping his throat, he relaxed under the weight of the alpha and finally got some sleep.

Chapter Text

A slight dip in the bed brought Murphy out of his dream, it was still dark when he opened his eyes, the room lit only by the fading light of the moon. He let out a sleepy sigh as he looked upon the broad shoulders of the alpha that joined him last night. Bellamy was sitting on the edge of the bed, his head in his hands as he too tried to prepare the day.

At some point throughout the night, Bellamy apparently lost his shirt. Feeling protected by the darkness, Murphy trailed his eyes over the tattoo in between the man’s shoulder blades, the ones that trailed down his arm, his hand twitched with the want to reach out and trace his fingers over the blueish gray lines, but he contained himself.

Murphy quickly shut his eyes as Bellamy moved to look back at him, he wasn’t embarrassed to be caught staring, he just.. wasn’t ready to face him. Didn’t want to acknowledge yesterday’s events, didn’t want to talk about their argument or how easily he accepted the man into his bed, how easily he forgave him. Did he forgive him? Bellamy was upset with him too last night, so why did he crawl into bed with him? Why did Murphy let him?

He felt his heart start to race with anticipation, could feel the man’s soft gaze on him. He managed to keep still as a warm hand touched his face, as Bellamy’s knuckles brushed over his cheek. The boy heard a quiet sigh and then the warmth was gone. Peaking open his eyes, he watched as the alpha stood to pull his shirt back on, stepping over to the desk where his jacket had been abandoned. Murphy kept still until the alpha left, and let out a small breath.

Turning onto his back, he rubbed the sleep from his eyes and stared at the ceiling. He quickly ran through the plan before pulling himself out of the warm bed to get ready himself.

Stepping out of the room, he looked at each of the grounders that took him in. Watched as Octavia painted her mate’s face with a piece of coal, which he didn’t really agree with the fierce look. It was badass, sure, but maybe a little too intimidating for the Delinquents. They were trying not to scare them away.

Turning next to Bellamy, he kept a blank face as the man sheathed a long dagger onto his hip, the alpha quickly looked away from him, a guilty look plaguing his features.

“No time to eat.” Octavia said plainly. “We have about an hour to get there.” Murphy nodded and headed for the door, a tense, somber feeling in the air. “I’m gonna go find Mbege.” He lied, they could prepare for war, Murphy made other plans.

—

After quickly checking in with Nyko, Murphy easily slipped in stride with his friend, heading for the small group of warriors gathered around a few horses, stopping once they reached the back of the group, just catching the end of Anya’s speech.

“Remember, we will not cast the first stone. Be ready, but do not engage unless they shoot first.” The alpha said, sending a fierce glare to each and every one of the warriors, her eyes filled with the threat of her wrath if disobeyed. Murphy appreciated that at least, he would have preferred they listen to him, but it was better than nothing. And with that, she turned to mount her stead, the rest following suit.

“Murphy.” Bellamy called out, beckoning him over with a tilt of his head. “Come on,” he said, holding the reins of a horse as he motioned for him to climb up. Murphy gawked at the sight of the beast, having to look up at its full height. “I’m not getting on that thing.” He said in a tone that suggested Bellamy was crazy for even thinking he would, shaking his head as he took a step back. The man let out a huff, not in the mood for the boy’s antics, and looked away from him for a moment. “You will if you want to get there on time.” He said, reaching out to grab his hand to tug him closer. Looking to his friend for help, Murphy felt betrayed as Mbege had already abandoned his side, taking Anya’s arm to pull himself up onto her horse. When the teen was seated, he shot Murphy a quick thumbs up, a big smirk stretching across his tan face as Anya grabbed his hand and placed it on her waist. “Traitor,” Murphy grumbled under his breath before turning back to his standoff with the alpha. He didn’t even know how to approach this, would the horse freak out? Murphy remembered learning about how skittish they were in school, he just never thought he would ever have to deal with it in real life. How was he even supposed to get up on it? He’d need a ladder or a step stool, fuck.

Sensing the boy’s uncertainty, Bellamy pulled him even closer to the creature and placed his hand on it’s side, letting the boy pet her. “She’s a good ol’ girl, she won’t hurt you.” He said in a kind tone, the corners of his mouth perking up. Murphy drew in a sharp inhale as he felt the animal's ribcage expand with each breath under his palm. Still not sure, he ran his hand along the length of it’s side, listening to her snort. “Alright.” The man said as he knitted his fingers together, holding them down like a step for Murphy. Not seeing a way out of this, the omega swallowed down his nerves and placed a steadying hand on Bellamy’s shoulder, cautiously placing his foot in the net the grounder made for him. He yelped as the man boosted him up, not expecting the sudden movement and just barely caught himself as he plopped down unceremoniously onto the saddle.

A playful smile split across the man’s face as he sent him a glare, and followed him up, more gracefully than Murphy, but the guy obviously had more experience with this than him, so he let it slide.

His eyes went wide as a thick arm settled loosely around his waist. The omega couldn’t stop from staring at the large hand resting on his lap, he knew it was to keep him from falling off, and he appreciated it, truly, he just never noticed how big the guy’s hands were until this very moment. Something in him, in his gut, stirred awake, the hand was nearly the same length as his middle. He couldn’t tear his eyes away from his thick, knuckly fingers, the plethora of veins that ran underneath the tan skin, he wanted to reach down and touch them, feel the ridges and bumps of each bone, the tough skin earned from a lifetime of hard work.

“This okay?” Bellamy asked softly, flattening his palm against his stomach. Goosebumps rose on his nape as the alpha’s warm breath ghosted over his skin. Oh, he’s good, he thought to himself. Murphy could practically feel the man’s smirk as he nodded shyly, too flustered to look back at him, he didn’t trust his voice either. He suddenly became very aware of the heat radiating off of the body pressed up against him.

Bellamy made a clicking noise and kicked the horse's side, spurring it into motion. Quickly needing something to hold onto, Murphy grabbed the man’s wrist and steadied himself as the horse began slowly walking through town. He cast a quick glare over his shoulder as Bellamy chuckled, but held firm to the man’s arm, practically sinking his nails into the fabric of his jacket. “I got you.” The alpha said, an amused smirk pulling at his lips as he followed the boy’s direction and tightened his arm around him. Murphy’s breath stuttered as Bellamy adjusted himself, scooting ever closer to him.

A scared hum escaped his throat as he made the terrible mistake of looking down, squeezing his eyes shut as the horse started a steady trot. Of all the shit he was about to do today, why was riding a fucking horse the scariest? He literally fell from the sky in a tin can, why was being a few feet off the ground terrifying?

“Just look forward.” Bellamy said softly into his ear, he let out a shaky breath as calloused fingertips dipped under his shirt to rub soothingly over his side. Fuck, it helped. Or at least distracted him from the fact he was miles off the ground. He hated how easily the alpha could put him at ease, how easily Murphy listened to him. Damn him and his deep voice. And his comforting scent and his stupid fucking freckles. Fuck him. Murphy couldn’t believe the guy convinced him to get on a goddamn horse.

The omega looked behind them one last time, letting out a deep sigh as Nyko nodded his head from afar, and turned back to face the trail.

This was gonna work. It had to.

—

Bellamy had to concentrate to keep his breaths even, to focus on just getting them to the bridge. He had to force his eyes away each time they drifted down to the pale, unmarked skin of the omega’s neck. The alpha ran his tongue over his teeth, his gums, they ached with the desire to lean just an inch or two closer, to taste him, to claim. He could still remember the salt of the omega’s skin the morning he went into rut, the sweetness of his heated aroma.

Murphy’s scent had started to turn into that rotting leaves scent the closer they got to the bridge, the scent of his fear and worry. It was hard not to bury his face into his neck, could feel his alpha clawing at his insides, it yearned to comfort the omega, to cover up the scared odor with his own scent. It helped that John already smelled a little bit like him, having spent all night laying with him. The alpha in him preened a bit at the fact that that must mean he smelled like the boy too.

Swallowing down his desires, his instincts, he looked forward at the trail of horses, carrying them to their unavoidable fate. It would have to be enough for now.

—

Dawn had just started to peek through the trees as they finally arrived. Bringing up the rear, Bellamy pulled back on the reins to slow the horse, reaching around Murphy to pat its neck as it whinnied. “Okay, get me off this thing.” Murphy muttered, the hour-long ride having made his legs go numb. As she came to a stop, the man carefully climbed down, placing a hand on Murphy’s thigh to act as an anchor.

The omega’s mouth opened slightly as he looked at the hand that could fully encompass the width of his thigh, cleared his throat when it finally slid away. He turned his gaze to Bellamy as he held out the hand for him to take. The omega swallowed the saliva that had started to pool in his mouth and took the offered hand but didn’t make any move to get down. A quiet sound escaped his throat as he stared down at the ground, it looked a million miles away from him.

Sensing his unease, a smile threatened to grow on the alpha’s face as he placed the boy’s hand on his shoulder and reached up to grab his waist instead to lift him off the horse. Murphy’s free hand shot out to grab onto anything, it clutched at the fabric of Bellamy’s shoulder as he squeezed his eyes shut, the quick movement making his head spin.

He kept them closed until he felt his feet gently placed on the solid ground, and let out a relieved sigh. “I’m walking back.” The omega said firmly, pointing a finger in the man’s amused face before walking away, more like stumbling away. He took a moment to shake the sleep from his legs, wincing as a tingling sensation threatened to buckle his knees with each step.

A smile split across his face as he approached Anya’s horse, just catching Mbege as he stumbled back from his hop down. Murphy kept him steady under the boy could stand on his own, sending him an appreciative smirk back. “I got to hold her waist.” The young alpha whispered. Murphy’s eyes rolled into the back of his head as he shoved the teen away. “You’re ridiculous.” He said under his breath as he turned to the war general.

Anya, still perfectly sat on her stead, was now directing two warriors up into the trees, her eyes keeping watch on the other side of the bridge. She turned her keen stare back to the two sky people. “You two stay close to me. I want you to be the first thing Clarke sees when she arrives.” She commanded, pointing towards the edge of the bridge. “You three,” she said, gesturing towards Bellamy, Lincoln and Octavia, “behind me. Be ready-” “Anya.” Bellamy hissed, cutting her off. She followed his line of sight as he nodded his head towards the bridge.

They all went silent as they looked across the way, hearing the rustling of trees as two people stepped out. Clark’s bright blonde hair standing out against the dim light of the rising sun, her loyal puppy, Finn, close behind her. She froze in place as she spotted them. They all stood up a little straighter as Anya slid down from her horse.

Murphy could see a small smile creep on her face as she turned to Finn, saw her mouth ‘horses’ excitedly before turning back to face forward. Could see if falter as Anya strode out onto the bridge to meet the girl.

He couldn’t exactly hear what they were saying, only a few words here and there. Murphy's eyes kept darting from the two women and back to the trail they came from. His eyes shot up to Bellamy’s as the man came to stand beside him, shielding his view of the path. “You okay?” He asked quietly, bringing a hand up to touch his elbow. The alpha looked over his shoulder at the empty forest, wondering what the boy was looking for. Murphy nodded quickly, turning forward to watch the meeting unfold.

It was not going good. He could hear the anger rising in the women’s voices as the tension in the air began to build. His breathing started to quicken as he stared into the trees, around the sides of the bridge, looking for other delinquents, for guns, for any signs of an attack.

His hand shot out to grab Bellamy’s as he spotted Jasper and the brunette girl from yesterday, guns pointed straight for Anya, raised at the ready.

“Bellamy,” Murphy hissed. The alpha looked into his wide, fear-filled eyes, a thick wave of rotting leaves wafting out from the omega. He followed his train of sight as he looked off to the side, in the bushes he spotted what he was afraid about: two sky people, pointing their weapons at Anya, at them. The man didn’t even have to think before subtly pulling Murphy to stand behind him, shielding him from their guns, their weapons of mass destruction. He didn’t exactly know what they could do, but he knew he couldn’t let it hurt Murphy.

The warrior’s eyes darted all around, looking for other Skaikru, to his general, to his little sister, the girl he raised. He tightened his grip on Murphy’s hand as he started to step them backwards, back towards the horses, back into the safety of the trees.

“Oh thank god.” He heard the omega whisper, swiveling around as he heard the familiar pounding of horses trotting closer.

Bellamy was shocked to see Nyko, along with the majority of Tondc coming down the trail. He bore his eyes into the omega as a relieved expression melted away his fear. Murphy pulled his hand free and jogged over to the horse Kotya sat upon, helping the woman down. Bellamy turned to Mbege with a questioning look, but the young alpha was just as surprised. Neither of them knew what was going on, what the omega had planned.

The second stood frozen as Nyko and Kotya walked past him, their heads held high, each carrying a basket. He looked back at the crowd of people who followed them, toting carts of more baskets. Looking at all the familiar faces of his people, he realized it had to have been all of Tondc who was here, at least all the adults. Elders, farmers, warriors, mothers, fathers. It was everyone. Even Indra was among them. Bellamy turned back to watch as Nyko and Kotya pushed past the wall Lincoln and Octavia made. His sister and friend looked back at him with an equal amount of shock.

His head snapped to the side as Murphy stopped beside him holding a bundle of fur blankets, a proud smirk on his face. “You did this?” The alpha breathed out in astonishment. This is why he was gone all day yesterday, this is what he was doing? “I told you to trust me.” Murphy said, a playful look in his eyes. The omega’s cheeks flushed a little as he saw the look of amazement on Bellamy’s face.

The alpha was awestruck, all he could see was the beautiful creature at his side. The blessing that forged peace with his own hands, that turned the scales of a fate he thought was unavoidable. In that moment he saw the power, the influence the boy from the stars had over them, over his leaders. Murphy did what he wasn’t able to. It only made his fondness for the omega grow, how could it not? How could he not revel in this creature’s strength? His beauty, his gracefulness, his mercy.

“Anya!” Nyko’s gruff voice called out, cutting through the two alphas’ argument. Bellamy held his breath as the general stopped her yelling to turn around, her angry face furrowing with confusion.

They all stood in silence as the two slowly, calmly, walked out onto the bridge, stopping a few feet from the alphas. Anya looked from the two betas, back across the bridge and watched as Trikru slowly emerged from the woods, joining her warriors. She turned back to Clarke, confusion written on both of their faces as they looked from each other and back to the woman as she began to speak.

“Ai laik Kotya kom Trikru. Ai laik nomon, nomfi, lukot.” The woman said, clear and loud. She nodded her head at Nyko.

“I am Kotya of the tree clan. I am a mother, a daughter, a friend.” He translated, keeping his eyes on her as she continued on. They took turns speaking, the healer pausing as the woman spoke, and then translating it into English.

“When all you have seen are our warriors… it is hard to imagine there are those who choose not to be… Our people survived by doing what was difficult, what was hard.. and in doing so, it made us hard people… But maybe it is time we stop doing what we need to survive.. and start doing what we need to grow…” Nyko repeated her words. “Perhaps today we can make the hardest choice of all… making peace with our enemy.” They finished, Nyko’s stern facade cracking at the woman’s kind words, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

Kotya took a step closer and pulled back the piece of cloth that covered her basket, revealing perfectly baked loaves of bread. Clarke’s mouth gaped open as she looked from the basket and into the soft brown eyes of the grounder. The woman held the basket out, urging her to take it.

Nyko cleared his throat as the young girl hesitantly took it, forcing all eyes to fall onto him.

“I am Nyko of the tree clan. I am a brother, a warrior, and a healer. All my life I have spent fighting in wars I had no control over.. Killing people I never knew the hearts of, healing wounds that went deeper than skin. If I can, I would rather not spend the rest of my life doing that.” He paused, looking back towards the whole of his people. The ones he would protect until his dying breath. The ones he would sacrifice everything for, even justice. Peace did more for them than any amount of justice would. Perhaps peace was the justice they needed. “If I can choose peace, I will.” He said, nodding his head at the blonde. He took a step closer and held out his own box.

“This is medicine. It’s what kept Murphy and Mbege alive during their cycles, along with a few other basic ones.. I will teach you how to use it, where to find it.” He promised, hopeful that another opportunity would arise to show them.

Octavia looked to her mate, she let out an emotional laugh as her eyes grew misty with tears when he grabbed her hand, with just a look, she could already tell he was thinking the same thing she was. They nodded to each other and walked across the bridge to meet Clarke, the girl from the stars they heard so much about, their fingers intertwined.

“I am Octavia of Trikru. I am a warrior..” she trailed off, looking to her partner for strength, remembering Murphy's words just a few nights prior. “But I am so much more than that.. I am a sister, a lover, a teacher.” She said, her chin held high as she held the blonde’s gaze.

“I am Lincoln. I am a warrior, a mate, a friend.. Our beginning may have painted us in a bad light, but it does not have to end in war. Give us the chance to live peacefully with you.” He said, sending a worried look towards his general, afraid of standing against her.

Hearing many footsteps crossing the bridge, they all looked behind them and watched as the people of Tondc came, bearing gifts.

Murphy smirked at Anya’s undistinguishable face. Could tell she wasn’t sure to be angry, relieved or impressed. Maybe she was a mix of all of them.

“Put down your guns, Clarke.. It won’t be perfect, it won’t be easy.. But it will be worth it.” Murphy said. He let out a small sigh as he looked around at the grounders he had come to know. “They’re good people.. We both made mistakes. We both judged each other too quickly.”

The blonde’s mouth fell open, her words failing her as she looked at each and every person, seeing the sincerity in their eyes as they offered what they could. “I-..” She started, staring into the eyes of the boy she tossed aside too soon. Murphy didn’t know anymore, maybe it was for the best. Maybe he needed it.

He smiled as Bellamy came up behind him, a warm hand coming to rest on his back. Yeah, this was definitely for the best, he thought, looking deeply into those gentle brown eyes.

“I don’t know what to say.” She said breathlessly, turning back to Anya.

The older woman clenched her jaw as she straightened her back. She was proud of her people, but still slightly irritated that her hand was forced, still worried about whether or not the Heda would accept them. War was easy, it’s what they knew best, but this.. This was uncharted territory.

Anya locked eyes with the chief, letting out a breath as the alpha nodded towards her, urging her to just go with it. “We are stronger together.” She decided on, the grounders surrounding her nodding in agreement.

Clarke’s face hardened as she tried to compose herself, picking her jaw off the ground. “Okay.” She whispered after a moment of thought, debating, her eyes darting over to Murphy to send a look of gratitude. It was all the thanks he needed.

“Okay.” Anya agreed, turning to her people. “Let’s bring these supplies to their camp.” She announced, beckoning the horse drawn carts over to them with a wave of her arm.

It was then that Finn ran over, a million questions falling from his lips. An older man Murphy didn’t know the name of thrusted a basket into the beta’s arms, offering a smile as the boy looked around in confusion. “It’s going to be okay, Finn.” Clarke said, a small, but excited smile creeping onto her face.

—

It took about half an hour to get everyone to the drop ship. Finn ran ahead of them to let the Delinquents know about the good news, to have them put their weapons down.

The one hundred didn’t really know what to do with themselves as their enemies trickled into camp, well, enemies no more. Scared, worried, unsure looks crossed their faces as the grounders slowly unpacked their carts.

Murphy bit his lip to contain his laugh as a few mothers doted on the kids, tutting about how skinny they were, all of which was spoken in Trigedasleng, so the sky people had not a clue what was being said as they took over the fire pit and began preparing food.

He looked over to Nyko, who had gone straight to work inspecting a kid's infected cut. Clarke was kneeling next to him, listening closely as he showed her what to do, what to use from his box of herbs.

The omega stood up straight as the general and chief approached him, swallowing the lump in his throat at the constipated look Anya glared at him. The alpha looked down at the ground as she crossed her arms. “I was wrong about you..” She forced out, meeting his gaze. “We should have trusted you, Oma.” She said, bowing her head in appreciation, regret, flustered that a child could do what she couldn’t.

A sly smirk spread across Indra’s face as she looked at the woman. “You’ll have to forgive us, peace is not something that we are used to.” She said, her voice filled with amusement.

Murphy copied her grin, “don’t worry about it.” He chuckled out. “You’re doing a good job so far.” The boy said earnestly, turning to look out across the camp, watching as two people slowly tried to become one. “You two are great leaders, you look out for your people.. But I think you worry too much about what they need.. you forget what they want.” He said, trying not to sound unsure about giving advice to them. Anya let out a light huff as she turned to the boy, her eyes filled with a curious wonder. “I didn’t do this.. They did.” He felt the need to remind them, and walked away to help Mbege with whatever he was clearly struggling with.

—

Long after the sun set, as the moon began shining her blue light down onto the forest, Murphy let out an exhausted sigh as he exited the dropship and headed for the various bonfires everyone had gathered around, sharing a meal, telling stories. He was dead-tired and just wanted to curl up in his bed, but it had gotten so late, they decided to just stay the night. Which sucked for him, but there was a lot of work to be done anyways. Who knew peace would be so much work?

“John,” he looked over his shoulder at the call of his name, smiling weakly as Bellamy caught up with him. “Hey,” he said quietly, his brow furrowed as the man slid his hand down his arm, to his hand and gently pulled him along. “Bell?” He asked as the alpha intertwined their fingers, heading for a small gap in the wall.

He bit his lip to contain his smile as Bellamy squeezed himself through the hole, tilting his head back to beckon him to follow.

Murphy said nothing as the man grabbed his hand again once he was through the wall. It wasn’t necessary, Murphy would have followed him anywhere anyways, but it still felt nice. Made his whole hand tingly, made his heart jump in his chest.

Bellamy finally stopped them once they crested a small mound of earth. Looking up into the trees, an amazed little smile grew on his face as he spotted the dim glow of the forest’s bioluminescence, he tried not to think about the radiation that surely caused it. The omega turned and chuckled as he could see clear over the wall from here, could see all of their people mingling.

“You did that.” The alpha at his side said in a soft voice. His face burned from the gentle praise as he shook his head, feeling unworthy of it. None of this would have happened if it weren’t for the people of Tondc, for their bravery. “Nah it was.. It was all them.” He brushed it off, suddenly feeling squirmy under the warm eyes of Bellamy. “I wouldn’t have gotten very far without them.” He decided on and turned to consider the second in command, he must be so proud of his people.

Murphy’s breath stuttered as Bellamy had that same look in his eye as he did earlier that day. A look of wonder, of adoration. His mouth snapped shut as the man looked at him, truly looked at him.

Bellamy huffed out a laugh, he saw the omega for who he was, saw through all the bullshit, all the anger, the fiery remarks. Murphy felt like his soul was stripped bare, a part of him wanted to feel scared, but it was Bellamy. How could he be scared when it was him?

His mouth fell open as the man took a step closer to him, his strong hands taking hold of the omega’s face. Murphy’s throat bobbed as he swallowed nervously, his eyes betraying him as he quickly darted them down to his lips and back up.

He took a sharp inhale of air as Bellamy hesitated, before carefully leaning down to press a soft kiss to his cheek.

“Yu laik meizen.” The alpha whispered as he leaned back to look into his eyes, his thumb running along his cheekbone.

Murphy’s eyes went wide, he didn’t know what that last word meant, hadn’t learned it yet, but he didn’t need to in order to understand what the man was trying to say. Before anymore could be said, before Bellamy could pull away, Murphy grabbed him by the back of his neck and pulled him down into a kiss, a real kiss.

He felt the corners of Bellamy’s mouth pull into a smile as he immediately returned it. Bellamy took a deep breath through his nose, inhaling the omega’s sweet scent as he tried to deepen the kiss by running his tongue against the omega’s plush bottom lip. Murphy made a small sound of surprise and pulled away, a shy look in his eyes as he bit his lip, he could taste the man. The omega’s eyes fluttered open as he was left stunned. “I’ve wanted to do that since the moment I first saw you.” Bellamy whispered, running his thumb across the boy’s bottom lip. Murphy stared into his soft brown eyes and felt like he was on fire.

It wasn’t enough, he needed more, needed another taste. He wasn’t exactly sure about his feelings, what they meant, where they would go, but he knew he wanted this. He wanted Bellamy. ‘I’ll figure it out,’ he thought to himself as he leaned up on his toes to innocently press light kisses to his mouth. Murphy didn’t fucking know what he was doing, he had never done this before, but it felt right.

Bellamy’s eyes crinkled as a bright smile split across his face, returning each little peck. “You’ve never been kissed before, have you?” He asked softly as he licked his lips, not in any judgmental way, it made his alpha purr happily, knowing no one else had been found worthy of this, that it was his. Murphy shook his head as he gulped, a dark blush coloring his cheeks. “Was it that bad?” He murmured, taking a step back. “No,” Bellamy said quickly, shaking his head as he pulled the boy back into his arms.

He looked so beautiful in the moonlight, his pale skin illuminated in its blue hue. Bellamy couldn’t help but run his fingers across his cheek, down the line of his jaw. He smiled as Murphy hesitantly rested his arm on his shoulder, his hand coming up to poke at the freckles on his face before feeling over the indent of his chin with his thumb. The boy had a bashful look on his face as he looked away, “I uh.. I don’t know what to do from here.” He said quietly, letting out a weak, unsure laugh as he wrapped a strand of the alpha’s dark, wavy hair around his finger. Bellamy chuffed happily as he looked back towards the camp. “How about we go join the others for now?” He offered, leaning down to steal one more taste of the boy’s lips.

Murphy tried to hide his smile as Bellamy took his hand and led him back to camp.

What a perfect fucking day.

Chapter Text

Murphy shuttered as the cold woke him up. He groaned as he stretched his jaw, his teeth hurt from chattering them all night. The grounders luckily brought blankets and lean-tos for the one hundred, unsure of what they needed, but sleeping on the cold ground all night with nothing but a fur hide as a mattress was fucking awful.

Without looking, he felt around the space behind him and tugged Bellamy’s arm around him. He could hear the man chuckle before he leaned down to find the blanket that had fallen off of them in the night, covering their shoulders before relaxing again, tightening his arms around the omega. A sleepy pur escaped his throat as he finally started to feel his fingers again, siphoning all of the alpha’s heat. It was amazing how hot the guy ran.

“You’re so cold.” Bellamy murmured into his hair, rubbing his face against his nape. Murphy smirked as he noted the subtle attempt to scent him. “I know a good way to warm you up.” He whispered in a rough voice, trailing little nips and kisses down Murphy’s neck.

His eyes shot open, instantly awake. The boy scrunched his shoulders up, forcing Bellamy’s lips away and turned to look up at him. “I don’t-.. I’m not ready for that.” He said in a timid voice, his brow knitting together worriedly as he gently pushed at the man’s chest. Murphy just got his first kiss, he wasn’t about to lose his virginity. Especially not in a lean-to in the middle of camp where anyone could walk by and hear them.

Bellamy laughed as he leaned back on his elbow. “Grous skat, that’s not what I was thinking!” He said in a faux tone of offense. “I was gonna do this,” he said as his hands shot down to tickle Murphy’s sides.

The omega screamed in laughter, thrashing at the man to shove him away. “Bellamy!” He screeched. Murphy managed to knee him in the stomach, but it did nothing but spur the man on. Bellamy threw his leg over him to straddle his waist, grabbing the boy’s wrists to pin them above his head.

“Bellamy, don’t you dare!” He tried to say in a stern voice, but couldn’t contain the residual giggles from escaping his mouth as he struggled to free his hands. A devilish smile split clear across the alpha’s face, giving him a moment of reprieve before diving down, digging his chin into Murphy’s side. He screamed as he tried to get away, laughing so hard he didn’t even have time to breathe, tears forming in his eyes. “Bell, stop it! I can’t breathe!”

As he fought to get away from the man’s assault, he accidentally kicked something. That something being the post that held up their little lean-to.

Bellamy finally relented as their tent crashed down on top of them, letting out a deep-belly laugh as he rested his forehead on Murphy’s. The boy heaved as he tried to catch his breath, blinking the tears from his eyes. “You.. suck.” He said in between pants.

Bellamy giggled as he released his wrists and sat up to lift the tarp, trying to find an exit. “Warmed you up though, didn’t it?” He said in a cocky tone. Murphy wiped away the bit of sweat that had started to grow on his forehead, huffing out a laugh of disbelief as he shook his head, feeling hot all over. “I hate you.” He said, rolling his eyes, causing the alpha to pout. “Liar.” Bellamy said, leaning down to steal a quick kiss. His brown eyes darted across his face, searching for permission. “This okay?” He asked, running his thumb along his jaw. Murphy bit his bottom lip to try and hide his smile and nodded, staring right back into his soft gaze.

The alpha kissed him slower this time, savoring it. Murphy lowered his hands down to grip the thick thighs that encompassed his sides, feeling the taut muscles under his palms. He didn’t pull away this time when Bellamy brushed his tongue against his bottom lip and opened his mouth, poking his tongue out. A low growl was pushed into his mouth as they deepened the kiss, Murphy could feel his face go warm as his dick twitched in his pants, god he hoped Bellamy didn’t notice.

He did, he definitely did, Murphy could feel him smile into the kiss, licking deeper into his mouth as he flattened his body against the omega, giving him something to rub against, if he wanted it. Bellamy released his mouth to press wet, lazy kisses down his jaw, down his neck. A breathy moan escaped his mouth as the man sucked at a spot he didn’t realize could be so sensitive, tilting his head back to give him more space. This was nice, he wasn’t ready for sex, but this was good, he could handle this. The omega’s hands slid up his legs to grab at his waist, his fingers dipping under the fabric.

Bellamy flinched away as his cold fingers made contact with his skin, laughing as he sat up. “Shit, you are cold.” He panted out, Murphy couldn’t help but preen at the sight of him all hot and bothered, for once he wasn’t the only one blushing. The man sent him a small smile as he covered his hands with his own, pressing them against his stomach to warm them from both sides. He purred as Bellamy rubbed the tops of his hands, sharing his infinite warmth. As he trailed his eyes down the alpha’s torso, his eyes went wide as he finally noticed the fucking tent in his pants, his face went bright red as he looked away, the canvas of their lean-to suddenly the most interesting thing in the world.

“Sorry,” the man chuckled out, releasing his hands to crawl off him. Murphy cleared his throat, sitting up to turn away as Bellamy adjusted himself in his pants. “M’ sorry.” He mumbled, reaching over to grab his boots. “What are you sorry about?” Bellamy asked, sitting back on his haunches as the boy focused on lacing up his boots. “For you know.. leaving you high and dry..” He said shyly, really taking his time tying a knot. It had to be good, okay? If he didn’t do it right, he’d be tying them all day. “Murphy,” he said sternly, the boy hesitantly dragging his eyes up to meet his. “It’ll go down.” He said reassuringly, a small smirk on his lips.

Murphy looked back at his shoes, chewing the inside of his cheek to stop his smile, he couldn’t believe just a kiss would have that effect on the man. “I do.. want to..” He said quietly, bashfully. “Later— not now, I don’t know when but I do-” “Hey,” Bellamy cut off his spiraling, crawling over to peck his lips, shutting him up. “There’s no rush.” He said softly, shrugging his shoulders. Murphy’s shoulders sagged as he let out the breath he was holding, god he had no idea how big of a relief that simple statement was. “Can I still kiss you?” He whispered teasingly, slowly leaning in to peck the corner of his mouth. Murphy breathed out a chuckle as Bellamy kissed along his jaw, nodding his head. “Whenever I want?” The alpha added, placing a languid kiss right under his ear. His shoulders raised as Bellamy’s breath tickled his skin and pushed him away. “Only if you’re good.” He teased, biting his lip as he smiled.

“Deal.” Bellamy said, a smirk pulling at his lips. With that out of the way, the man turned to pull the tarp aside, searching for the exit.

—

The camp was just starting to come alive after they fixed their lean-to and headed over to the drop ship, where Clarke, Anya, and Indra were talking. Murphy looked around as a majority of the grounders got ready to make the trek back to Tondc, having farms, animals, and homes to tend to. There was still a good amount sticking around, mostly the warriors.

“There you are.” Indra called out, drawing the attention towards the two boys as they stopped in front of them. With a nod of her head, they all walked up into the tin can of a spaceship. They stood in a circle, Indra crossing her arms as she turned to Clarke. “Like we were saying, this alliance means nothing if the commander does not agree.” The blonde looked around at each of them. “Well if she’s like you guys, she’ll agree right?” Anya huffed as she glanced at Indra, sharing a look. “The Heda is not as.. open-minded as we are.” The alpha said plainly. Murphy glanced at Bellamy before speaking up, “you said she was the one to bring the twelve clans together, she’s gotta be a little open-minded.” Clark’s jaw dropped at that. “Tw-.. twelve clans? How many people are out there?” She asked as she looked around. Anya ignored her as she turned to face the omega.

“I think you believe this will be simpler than it is, Oma.. The Coalition took years to form. And the Heda did not form the Coalition for the sole purpose of peace either.. We were uniting against a common enemy,” Anya stressed, holding a hand out. His brow furrowed. “What enemy? And yeah, but that was for twelve clans, we are just one.. What’s one more?” He said, glancing to Clarke for backup. “Yeah, it doesn’t matter how long it takes, we want to try.. And we have so much to offer. Once the rest of us come down, we will have doctors, scientists, engineers, an entire wealth of knowledge that could help you all.” Anya’s brow furrowed as she stared at the girl in confusion. “I don’t know what any of those things are.”

Clarke blushed as she looked away, thinking of what to say to that. “There is.. so much we can teach you, what we can learn from each other.” She decided on. “The commander might agree to that.”

The war general breathed out a sigh as she looked down at the ground in thought. “Last I heard, Heda was heading north to help us deal with the Mountain Men.. I can ride out to meet with her..” Anya said, mulling it over. Clarke’s face scrunched in confusion, looking over to Murphy to share the look. “Mountain men?” She said unsure. The grounders nodded solemnly. “The Mountain Men.. they are the common enemy.” Indra said as Anya spit on the ground. “They are terrorists.. Killers of innocence, of hope.” The alpha snarled.

Murphy took note of the bitter look on Bellamy’s face as his eyes fell to the ground, could see the rage bubbling up inside him as Indra went on. The omega reached out to touch his arm, afraid the man would blow if he wasn’t careful. Bellamy let out a shallow breath as he glanced over at the boy, his lips twitching in a sad attempt of a smile.

They all turned to the door as Mbege stepped in, halting when he noticed all the eyes on him. “I uh.. Murph, you wanna help build a smokehouse?” The omega nodded, tilting his head to let him know he’d be out in a moment.

Anya sighed as they all turned back to the circle. “I’ll ride out today.” Indra nodded. “Do you know when you will be back?” The alpha frowned as she tilted her head from side to side. “A few days maybe.. Lexa may want to keep me there. I’ll send word if that happens.” She said, dropping her crossed arms. “Could you accompany the people back to Tondc?” The chief asked. Anya nodded, clasping Indra’s arm to pull her in, “nach, sis.” She said softly, touching their foreheads together before releasing her.

Clarke turned to Indra as the general exited the drop ship. “We can help you.. with the Mountain men.. We have weapons, and in two days our guards— ourwarriors will be coming down from the Ark.” Murphy’s head shot over to the girl. “Seriously?” She nodded, sending him a weak smile. “We made contact.”

Murphy followed Bellamy with his eyes as the alpha walked out. “Is there anyone you wanna talk to? We can set that up.” Clarke asked. “There’s no one up there for me.” He said in a flat tone, he didn’t even look at her as he followed after the man.

“Okay uh.. Indra, there’s some people I think you should meet.” Clarke said, walking over to where the radio was set up.

—

“Bellamy!” Murphy called out, having to jog to catch up with him. “You okay?” The alpha nodded, his jaw clenched tight as he avoided Murphy’s gaze. “Just need a second.” He forced out, finally looking up at him to offer a half-assed smile of reassurance. Murphy’s eyebrow furrowed in concern, he didn’t miss that fact that he clammed up as soon as these mountain men were mentioned. “Okay.” He said softly, letting him walk away. He watched him stalk over to Lincoln, sharing a few words before the two quickly walked out of camp.

“Johnny!” He heard his friend yell, turning around to spot him over by the fire pits. “You remember Harper right?” Mbege said as he approached them. Murphy sent the girl, another omega, a tight lipped smile. “Hi Harper.” He said in a flat tone as he picked up a piece of wood to help out. “Hi Murphy,” she said shyly, looking down at the branch she was sawing into pieces.

They worked in silence for a while, just going through the repetitive motions of sawing wood into various lengths.

“I didn’t want them to hurt you, by the way..” The girl said, getting quieter with each word. He raised an eyebrow as he looked at her, a small blush coming to her cheeks. “When you were.. you know..” She trailed off, her eyes darting down to his neck and back up to his face, looking away just as quick. “You were a dick but.. you didn’t deserve that.” She ended on, swallowing as she turned back to her branch. Murphy looked at his friend from across the table, sharing an amused look with him. “Thanks, Harper.” He chuckled out. He appreciated it, he did. Murphy didn’t mind her, she was always nice to him back in the sky box. Remembered her giving him an extra ration after his dad died, when his mother couldn’t stop trading their rations for alcohol.

It turned out, she wasn’t bad company either, asking a thousand questions about the grounders as they spent the morning building the smokehouse, listening to Mbege’s terrible jokes, Harper giggling at them while Murphy threw shit at him to shut him up. At some point, Clarke stopped by to help, complaining about the radio connection being down again.

It was around midday when Bellamy and Lincoln returned, each with a deer draped across their shoulders. Clarke let out a laugh of astonishment before jogging over to them, along with the rest of the delinquents. Bellamy set down his deer and looked around, stopping once he caught sight of his boy. Murphy began to purr quietly when the alpha winked at him from afar. “Careful now, John.” Mbege teased. The omega turned a glare at his friend. “Nothing good comes from a look like that.” “Shut up.” He groaned, looking back towards Bellamy, right as a girl embraced him, Roma, he thinks her name was. “Uh ohhh.” The tan boy said, causing a confused look to creep onto Harper’s face. “What?” The girl asked, glancing between the two. A wide grin split across Mbege’s face as he leaned over the wall they were working on to whisper to her.

Just as he began, he let out a loud ‘ow!’ His hand flying down to hold the spot where Murphy kicked his shin. “Shut up, Mbege.” “Okay, geez.” He said, raising his hands in surrender. “You’re no fun.” The alpha grumbled, turning back to the task at hand. When he knew Murphy wasn’t looking, he turned to the girl, mouthing ‘later’ before going back to securing the branches in place, emitting a little giggle from her.

Watching Roma lean up to kiss Bellamy’s cheek, Murphy’s face furrowed as an unfamiliar feeling tugged at his chest. He felt his stomach drop as Bellamy smiled sheepishly, a light blush coming up to his cheeks. He didn’t know whether to scream or cry. Didn’t know if he wanted to punch the girl right in the nose or Bellamy in his perfect fucking face. He scowled as he turned back to the twine he was braiding together.

It wasn’t fair to be mad, he knew that, it was just a peck on the cheek, it didn’t mean anything. And it was him Bellamy crawled into bed with constantly, it was him Bellamy kissed the hell out of just this morning.

He tried to focus on the rope in his hands as doubt started to fill his mind. Murphy really didn’t know the guy that much in all honesty. Sure, he had stayed with him for the past few weeks, but a majority of it he spent it delirious in heat, or Bellamy was just gone.

Looking back over to where Bellamy and Lincoln were, he scoffed as all the omegas had crowded around him, twirling their hair around their finger as they watched him begin butchering the animal, Roma acting as the queen bee as she leaned closer to him, pushing her tits out. He couldn’t deny she was pretty, sexy actually. All the omegas were pretty good looking. Would Bellamy still want him? Or did he only want him cause he was the only omega around that wasn’t his sister? The other omegas were more.. omegan than he was: nicer, sweeter, more attractive, didn’t like to pick fights, any one of them would definitely be easier to handle than him. And anyone with eyes could see how fucking hot the guy was, wouldn’t take them long to see just how great of an alpha he is.. He’d have his pick of the litter. “Fuck,” he hissed as the twine snapped in his hands. “I’m taking a break.” He growled, throwing the fiber at the table before stomping off.

Maybe he could convince Bellamy to go back to Tondc so he could hoard the alpha for himself, make him forget any other omega existed besides him.. Fuck that was worse. Pathetic really. Murphy didn’t want Bellamy to choose him because he was the only omega within his general vicinity, he wanted the alpha to want him, only him. He wanted Bellamy to have a thousand options and choose him over all of them. But he couldn’t make him do it. He wouldn’t. He wouldn’t degrade himself like that, wouldn’t beg for his affection. If he wanted to flirt with other omegas, to hell with him.

The omega grumbled to himself as he walked over to the water station, scaring off the loitering teens that were hanging around it.

“Hey Murph! Haven’t seen you all day.” Octavia called out, walking over to join him. He grunted at her in greeting, leaning down to splash some cold water on his face, he sighed as he cupped some to pour over his nape, cooling himself down. “Is your brother always a fucking idiot?” The girl snickered, leaning on the edge of the basin. “Yeah.. what’d he do this time?” She asked as he stood back up. Turning around, he raised his arm out to gesture toward him. “Look at that fucking asshole.” He said. Octavia smirked as she looked at her brother, blood up to his elbows, explaining how to properly butcher a deer to the group of girls surrounding him, completely oblivious to their disgusted faces. “He’s just eatin’ it all up, surrounded by omegas.. Got himself a nice little harem of ‘em.” Murphy grumbled, crossing his arms as he watched them bitterly.

He shot Octavia a glare as she barked out a laugh. “You’re jealous, aren’t you?” Fuck, he totally was. That’s what he was feeling. “No.” He denied, standing up a little taller. “That bitch with the brown hair, the tall one. She kissed him and he just let her.” He tried not to cringe at how pathetic he sounded, he didn’t fucking care, he was pissed. Octavia’s jaw dropped, one: because they were together now? Two: because Bellamy was being a complete idiot. She tried to find the girl he was talking about. “That one?” She asked, pointing. “Uh huh.” The girl scoffed, folding her arms. “You could take her.”

Murphy couldn’t help but crack at that, looking down at the ground as he grinned. “I’m not gonna fight her, Octavia,” he said, rolling his eyes. “I might fight your brother though, if he keeps this up.” He added, turning around to take another sip of water.

When he stood back up, the girl had this soft, amazed look in her eyes as she gazed at him. “What?” He said, wiping his face to make sure there wasn’t any more water dripping off of him. “Nothing!” She said, looking away. “You’re just..” she trailed off, chuckling to herself as she pushed off the basin. “I see what he sees in you,” Octavia said, reaching her hand out to tug on his ear. “You have nothing to worry about.” She ended with, tilting her head towards the pack of omegas, and walked away mysteriously, a proud little smirk on her face.

Murphy huffed in amusement, watching her as she headed over to her mate. Letting out an exasperated sigh, he forced himself not to look in the man’s direction and went back to the smokehouse, throwing himself head-first into the project, hoping it would clear his mind.

—

Murphy hoped he would be asleep by the time Bellamy crawled in with him, but he just wasn’t that lucky. He knew he was scowling, couldn’t stop the doubtful thoughts from plaguing his mind all day. The boy pouted silently as the alpha creeped into the tent, heard him shuffling around as he took off his boots. He was facing away from him, didn’t even want to look at him, he’d probably just start crying, or screaming.

Anger coursed through his blood as the alpha laid a hand on his hip, curling up behind him to kiss his neck. An awful, almost dusty kind of smell clung to the man as he rubbed his face against his skin. It made him want to sneeze, he wrinkled his nose to will it away but failed, his entire body jolting with the force of it. Bellamy chuckled behind him, pulling him close. “What a cute noise.” He teased, nosing at the back of his neck.

“You stink.” Murphy said in a curt tone. Bellamy pulled away to sniff his hands. “Yeah, it’s probably that deer, they get stinky this time of year.” He mumbled as he inspected his hands, making sure he got all the blood off. “I thought I got it all..” The man grabbed the collar of his shirt to sniff it, letting out a small ‘hmph’ before sitting up to remove it.

Murphy clenched his jaw and avoided the man’s eyes as he turned him onto his back and hovered over him. “That better?” He asked in a sultry voice, leaning down to let the omega smell him, peppering light kisses along his jaw. “It’s not worse.” He said in a snide tone, pushing at his chest. Bellamy had a confused look on his face as he leaned back, his eyes darting across Murphy’s face as he tried to figure out why he was annoyed. Did he really smell that bad? “I’ll wash up tomorrow,” he offered. It didn’t appease the omega, maybe it wasn’t that.. They were good this morning, what happened? “What’s wrong, John?” He whispered, leaning down on his elbow, his hand brushing back the hair that covered the omega’s face.

Murphy knew he was pouting, knew he was acting like a child right now, but he couldn’t help it. He also didn’t want to admit he was jealous, a jealous jealous little bitch. This was ridiculous, they just got together, were they even together? Were they dating now? They hadn’t discussed any of it. Did he even have a right to be jealous?

The boy exhaled through his nose, crossing his arms over his chest as he finally looked at Bellamy’s concerned face.

“Why were you so angry earlier? When Indra brought up the mountain men.” He asked after a moment, diverting the attention off of him. He wanted to stew a little longer in his bitterness. Sue him.

Bellamy’s face went slack as he was taken back, looking away from Murphy. The boy scooted over to make room for him as he carefully laid down next to him, turning onto his side to stare at Bellamy’s scared face. Scared? Why was he scared? He stopped himself from reaching out to comfort the alpha, instead folding his arms in front of him to wait patiently as a sorrowful expression came over his handsome face.

Murphy could cut through the silence with a knife, it was so palpable. He let out an almost inaudible whine, low in his throat as Bellamy’s eyes turned glassy, the light from the fire pit outside illuminating them perfectly. The man couldn’t even look at him.

“My.. parents were killed by them.” He finally forced out, a pained expression creeping over his face as he quickly wiped his eyes, sniffing his nose. “My mom was taken by the reapers.. When my dad found out.. he went after them to try and get her back but…” The man trailed off, biting his lip as he looked over at Murphy, forcing a pitiful smile onto his face. “They never came back..” Murphy whispered, regretting ever bringing it up. “Yeah.” Bellamy breathed out, clenching his jaw.

Fuck, now he felt awful. Forgetting he was supposed to be angry at him, Murphy crawled over to him, draping himself over the man’s chest as he nestled his face into his neck. He threaded his fingers through his raven-hair and kissed his jaw. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said anything.” He melted as Bellamy wrapped his arms around him tight, letting out a shaky breath as he inhaled the omega’s comforting, nostalgic scent.

“No it’s.. it’s okay.” The alpha huffed sadly. Murphy raised his head to look into Bellamy’s tear-filled eyes, a weak smile pulling at his lips. “I like talking about them.” He whispered, brushing the boy’s long hair behind his ear. “What were they like?” He asked in a shy voice, his eyes darting around the man’s face, unable to hold eye contact for more than a second. A small smile pulled at Bellamy’s lips as he looked off into space.

“They were amazing.. My mom was just like Octavia.” He chuckled out, shaking his head. “My dad was a warrior, strong, fiercely loyal, would have done anything for us, for our people.. But he was goofball-” Murphy couldn’t help but smile as Bellamy laughed in remembrance. “Loved a good prank.. He was the kind of person who.. when he talked to you, he made you feel like you were his closest friend. Even complete strangers, he would just strike up a conversation with them like it was the most natural thing in the world, like they’d known each other all their life.” Bellamy smiled as he turned back to the omega laying on top of him. “..They would have liked you.” He whispered. The corner of Murphy’s lips curled down as he felt his eyes start to sting, laying his head back on Bellamy’s chest to hide from view. He sighed as the man rubbed his warm hands over his back.

“What about your parents? Are they coming down?” He stiffened as the image of his father being floated flashed into his mind, the hatred in his mother’s eyes as she slowly choked to death. “No.” He breathed out. Murphy begrudgingly lifted his head again as Bellamy caressed his cheek. “They died too..” He admitted, unable to look at the alpha.

He waited for the apology, the pitying, empty words that never made him feel better, never made it easier. The ‘I’m sorry for your loss,’ ‘I’m sorry you had to go through that,’ ‘they’re in a better place,’ all that bullshit.

When he looked into Bellamy’s eyes though, there was none of it, there was no pity, no useless words falling from his lips. It was.. recognition. Once again, he looked into the alpha’s eyes and felt seen, felt known. In that moment he understood the difference between just feeling sorry for someone.. and understanding what they had gone through, knowing what they had gone through because they went through the same thing, felt the exact emotions, frustrations, struggles. Once again he felt his soul being striped bare by the alpha.

He swallowed as the feeling scared him, to be completely vulnerable. To take a leap of faith that he wouldn’t be hurt, and hope it wasn’t a cliff. It was terrifying.

“What’s a reaper?” He asked, wanting to change the subject, his eyebrows knitting together as he looked away from the eyes that challenged everything he knew about himself. That made him want to be better, softer, to open up like a flower. But he was still too scared someone would pluck his petals, rip him right out of the dirt. God, that was a stupid analogy, but it’s how he felt.

He bit his lip as Bellamy’s face hardened, pursing his lips. “They’re.. monsters, made by the mountain men.” His face contorted in confusion, was this a fantasy book? “Monsters?” He asked in an ‘are you shitting me?’ kind of way. The man gave him a short nod, he could see the ire in his eyes. “Some of the people they take, the strong ones, they turn them into.. demons. Cannibals.. Fucking guard dogs. They’re the ones who steal people, and bring them to the mountain.” Bellamy growled. “They look like people.. but their souls have been ripped out.”

A chill ran up his spine at the man’s words, for him to say that? For grounders to fear them? The reapers must be something else entirely. He suddenly remembered they were protected by nothing but a piece of canvas, doubted the wall would be much protection.

Bellamy, sensing his unease, offered a small smile and leaned up to give him a slow, gentle kiss. “I’ve never seen one this far south, you don’t have to worry about them here.” He said softly, brushing his hair back before tugging on his ear lightly. Weird, Octavia did the same thing to him earlier, he wondered for a moment if their parents did that to them. He smiled at the thought. He wondered what little Bellamy looked like.

“Oh, here.” Bellamy said, reaching over to grab a bundle of fur, draping it over his back. Murphy looked down at the blanket they already had, and touched the soft fur of the new one. “You got me another blanket?” He breathed out. Bellamy’s face furrowed in confusion, “you were cold last night,” he stated, shrugging his shoulders as if it was nothing.

Murphy tried to force his smile down as he pulled the fur closer, wiggling off him to rest his head right where the alpha’s chest met his arm. He felt Bellamy press a kiss to his forehead, letting out a tired sigh as he got comfortable, throwing an arm around Murphy’s back to pull him closer. He purred softly as he traced a finger over the lines of the tattoo on Bellamy’s chest, it felt like success as he thought of all the times he wanted to do this, and now he was doing it.

Murphy smiled to himself as a happy rumble came from the alpha beside him, lulling him to sleep.

Chapter Text

Murphy huffed as he took a quick break from the shirt he was washing. Since it was discovered the grounders brought them soap, it was decided that today was laundry day, much to his dismay. A big group of them headed down to the river, the delinquents grumbling as the grounders showed them how to clear their clothes, but didn’t actually help. He guessed they were keen on the ‘learn by doing’ mentality.

Murphy smirked at Bellamy as he walked by, running his fingers across his nape as he passed. He glared at Octavia as she smacked the back of his head, “fronzeda op!” She scolded, along with showing him how to wash some random person’s laundry, she was also giving him another lesson in Trigedasleng. “Hod op ste krei skadabrein en sen in.”

Bellamy couldn’t help but smile as he watched his little sister bicker with Murphy in his native tongue, they looked so natural together, so normal. Pride thrummed through his chest as he saw how quickly the boy was picking up the language, how easily he was acclimating into Trikru. He could get used to this being his normal, he thought as he grabbed a handful of dirty clothes from the overflowing baskets sitting on the shore. God, it was gonna take forever to get all of it done, he might as well lighten the load and help out.

“Hi Bellamy.” A girl from yesterday purred, walking sensually past him to join him by the river. He felt bad for not remembering her name but she was nice, appreciative of them getting the two deer yesterday, was really interested in learning about how to butcher them. It was refreshing to have so many curious minds asking him a million questions. “Hey,” he said, giving her an easy smile before going back to scrubbing the shirt in his hands.

“Wanna show me how it’s done?” She said in a flirtatious voice, Bellamy turned to look up at her, quickly looking back down as he saw she had taken her shirt off, and was working on her pants. “Um.. yeah I can do that.” He said in an embarrassed tone, quickly catching the bar of soap that slipped out of his hands.

“Mofi.”

Murphy didn’t even hear Octavia as he got a hint of that same dusty, floral scent from last night. Looking over his shoulder he discovered that it was Roma’s scent, that’s what Bellamy smelled like last night.

He felt his blood start to boil as the omega flaunted herself in front of the alpha, making sure her perfect fucking tits were on display as she got down to just her underwear.

“Daun kodchuwa.” Octavia growled, glaring at the girl too. Murphy’s lips curled up as he turned to her. “Chit dei de?” He asked, amused by Octavia’s instant dislike of the girl. “Cow.” She said, smiling back at him as she moo’d quietly. They snickered to themselves as they got back to work, Murphy eyes jumping over to Bellamy every once in a while. “What’s the word for bitch?” He said, angrily scrubbing a dirt stain from the pants he was washing. When he looked up at Octavia, she gave him a stern look. Sighing, he corrected himself, they agreed that when she was teaching him triged, they weren’t supposed to speak in English unless it was to tell him a direct translation. “Chit laik.. telon gon bitch?” He hissed, glaring at Roma for a second. Octavia giggled beside him. “Planfecha.” He mulled it over in his mouth, quietly repeating it to cement it in his mind. It didn’t have the same bite as bitch, but it would do.

After about an hour of doing the same, mind-numbing repetition of washing clothes, Murphy’s head snapped up as Bellamy hollered out of nowhere. Roma laughed uncontrollably as she had just dumped an entire basin of water over his back, drenching him. The man shot up, looking down at his soaking wet clothes before turning to the girl. She screamed as Bellamy started to chase after her. They didn’t make it far before the alpha caught her, lifting her into his arms and walked straight in the river to toss her in.

It triggered a chain reaction of delinquents, tired of doing laundry. The teens quickly abandoned their chore to begin stripping, running into the river to join in the fun, the grounders laughing as they too jumped into the water. Murphy looked away from them as Roma jumped on Bellamy’s shoulders to push him underwater, frustrated tears stinging his eyes. God, he felt like a baby, this wasn’t who he was. “Murphy..” Octavia said softly, brushing her fingers over his nape to calm him down.

“Come on!” Bellamy yelled as he walked through the water up to them, splashing them with water before peeling his shirt off to toss onto the shore, a bright smile on his face. Murphy shrugged Octavia’s hand off his shoulder and stood up, “I’m fine.” he mumbled, turning to storm off into the woods.

Octavia glared at her moron of a brother. “Yu joken branwoda!” She scolded, standing up. “Chit?” Bellamy shot back, throwing his arms out in defense, his face furrowing in confusion as he looked from her to Murphy’s disappearing form. Her jaw fell open, amazed by his stupidity and threw her arm back to point at the boy. “Gyon au pas em!” She yelled.

Bellamy kept his eye on Murphy as he exited the water, stopping next to his sister. “What? What’d I do?” Octavia’s face scrunched in anger as she smacked the back of his head. “Besides flirt with every omega in camp? Go. Talk to him.” She scolded, pushing him towards the woods.

Bellamy stared back at her, a dumbfounded look on his face as he stumbled after Murphy. He wasn’t flirting with anyone, what were they talking about? He was being nice to them, sure, but they just negotiated a peace treaty, he was supposed to be friendly, make a good impression, build some trust.

He started to jog as he spotted the omega. “Murphy!” He yelled, slowing down once he caught up with the boy, grabbing his elbow to turn him around. “I’m fine, just go back to your girlfriend.” He mumbled, yanking his arm away. “My what?” “I don’t want to talk to you.” Murphy spat, shoving his chest and kept walking. “Well I do.” He said, snatching the back of his shirt to pull him back. He wrapped his arms around Murphy, not caring that he was soaking wet and pulled him flush against his chest. “Murphy, don’t be like that.. Talk to me.” He said in a softer tone, nosing at his neck. Murphy sighed as he pried his arms away and walked away, knowing the man would just follow after him anyways. “I get it, okay? You liked me cause I was the only omega around and now there’s like twenty to choose from. Roma’s pretty, she’s nicer than me, easier to deal with, she’s the better choice, she’d be good to you.” Bellamy’s eyebrows knitted together in confusion, he was getting irritated quick. “What the hell are you talking about, Murphy? Who the fuck is Roma?”

Murphy let out a bitter laugh as he stopped, turning around to face him. “God, you don’t even know her name? The bitch you’ve been flirting with for the past two days! The one who’s been throwing herself at you any chance she gets!” The boy hollered, his hand flying out to gesture back towards the river. “And it wasn’t a deer you smelt like last night, it was her. You spent all day with her and then you came into our tent reeking of her.” “Yeah, our tent, Murphy. I went to you.. This—” he said, gesturing between them, “has nothing to do with you being an omega, and everything to do with the fact that I want you.. I don’t care about her!” The alpha yelled, his arm swinging back at the river. “You kissed her! You let her rub her disgusting scent all over you and then you crawled into bed with me!” “She kissed me.. And I obviously didn’t realize that I smelled like her, Murphy! I wouldn’t have let her do that if I had known.” He stressed, his hands coming up to rest on his hips. “God, is this what you were mad about last night?” Murphy scowled as he looked away from him, crossing his arms. “Yeah well if you don’t like her, there’s plenty of other omegas for you to choose from.” He growled out bitterly.

“John, what the fuck are you talking about?” Bellamy asked, losing all the fight in him, a bit of fear running up his spine at what the omega was insinuating. He just got him, he couldn’t fuck this up now. He just wanted the boy to not be mad at him anymore, didn’t even know what he was mad about, this was nothing.

“Monty’s cute, smart too.” The alpha pursed his lips as he rolled his eyes, tired of this attitude. “Harper’s sweet.” Murphy said, getting quieter with each word. He froze as the boy sniffled, and then it dawned on him, Murphy wasn’t angry, he was scared. Scared of losing him to someone else. His face went slack as the omega kept listing off all of this ‘Harper’s’ good qualities. “She used to sing all the time, back in the sky box.. She has a nice voice..” Bellamy sighed, and finally spoke up to put the boy out of his misery. “Yeah, well I don’t want Harper.” He said plainly. Murphy glanced at him before looking back at the ground. “I don’t want Monty or whatever her name is down by the river.” He said, stepping closer to the omega that constantly took his breath away, that made his heart pound. How could Murphy ever think he didn’t want him? That he would drop him like the past few weeks meant nothing. Like his very existence didn’t shake his entire being.

Bellamy placed both of his hands on either side of Murphy’s face, forcing him to look into his eyes. “I don’t want easy, I want. You.. I’m sorry I didn’t notice what she was doing. I was an idiot for not seeing it,” he said softly, running his thumb over the boy’s cheekbone. “But if something bothers you, you need to tell me.” He said in a firmer voice. The corners of Murphy’s lips curled down as he looked down at the ground, trying to fight back tears. “You are an idiot.” The omega mumbled, sniffling his nose. “I know,” Bellamy whispered, chuckling lightly as he pulled the boy in to kiss all over his face.

“I’m yours.” He said ardently, resting their foreheads together. “I don’t want anyone else, John Murphy… John Wilbur Murphy.” He teased, a wide grin splitting across his face as Murphy finally smiled, shaking his head as he scoffed. “I hate you.” “Liar,” he said, leaning down to capture his mouth in a deep kiss.

The boy had a light blush on his face by the time they pulled apart, looking at him sheepishly. “Come on.” Bellamy said, grabbing his hand to drag him back down to the river, making him forget all about his embarrassing, jealous outburst.

“Don’t make me do more laundry..” Murphy whined as they stopped at the riverbank. Bellamy glanced over at Roma and turned to face his boy. “She watching?” He asked. Murphy stood up a little straighter as he looked over to the girl still in the water, holding her hands out to shield herself from the kid that was splashing her and stared at the two. “Mhm.” He hummed, nodding his head as he kept his eyes on her. “Good.” The alpha said, grabbing Murphy’s face to pull him into a passionate kiss. A startled sound came from the omega’s lips as it took him by surprise, leaning into Bellamy’s body to grab his hips.

Bellamy hummed in approval as he licked the omega’s taste from his lips and dove back in for more, making a complete show of it as he kissed down his cheek, down his jaw to lick at his throat. “Bellamy!” Murphy laughed out, pushing him away. “I think she got the message.” He said, a big smile on his face as he shook his head. “Good, cause I don’t want anyone thinking they have a chance with me.. No one but you.” He said seriously, brushing the boy’s hair out of his face.

Murphy rolled his pretty eyes at him, god he loved when he did that, and leaned up on his toes to kiss his cheek. “Fine. I forgive you.” He said and tried to walk back over to the laundry.

“Oh no you don’t.” Bellamy said, easily picking him up to toss over his shoulder, trudging back into the water. “Bellamy, no!”

—

Murphy giggled as Bellamy whispered into his ear. After the heat of the day passed, it was too cold to swim any longer, forcing everyone out of the water and back to the camp’s bonfire. Bellamy sat on a log, Murphy in between his legs as his warm arms wrapped around him. The entire camp was crowded around the fire, escaping the cold, chatting, sharing a meal.

His smile fell a bit as Roma sheepishly came and sat beside them, her hands in her pockets as she tried not to be too awkward. “I’m sorry about.. you know. I didn’t know..” She trailed off, biting the inside of her cheek as she looked at Murphy.

The boy grinned as he looked away from her, into the flames. All the anger and resentment he had towards her gone in an instant, which was so unlike him. He was great at holding a grudge. But wrapped up in Bellamy’s arms, the feeling of his lips still burning his skin, he couldn’t bring himself to hate her, especially since she was being such a good sport about it. “It’s alright.. Thanks, Roma.” He said honestly, sending her a small smile.

“You could have said something, you know? Save me the effort.” She said, crackling a playful smirk as she nudged his knee, forcing a huff out of him. “Yeah okay, next time you flirt with one of my boyfriends, I’ll let you know.” He joked, he didn’t want there to ever be another boyfriend. “Hey,” Bellamy tutted, grabbing his chin to look up at him, a firm look on his face. “I don’t share.” He said, leaning down to steal a kiss.

Roma smiled at the two, patting her knees before standing. “Well, I can’t say I’m not jealous.. You got some game, Murphy.” She said, an impressed look on her face as she walked away.

—

Murphy couldn’t stop purring as they crawled into bed that night. Feeling brave, he climbed on top of Bellamy, straddling his waist. The alpha had a dark, curious look in his eye as he ran his hands up the man’s chest, leaning down to rub his face against his scent gland. Murphy massaged his fingers against his own to release a stronger scent and ran his fingers along the alpha’s neck, down his chest, properly scenting him so anyone within six feet of the man would know who he belonged to.

Bellamy left out a needy, breathy sound as Murphy kissed down his throat. The alpha twitched as he ran his teeth over a particularly sensitive spot, his hands shooting up to grab Murphy’s hips, his fingers snaking under his shirt to feel the soft skin there. As the omega moved upward to kiss along the underside of his jaw, he giggled as he felt something poking his rear.

Taking a deep breath of his juniper berry scent, he sat up, his eyes dragging up the man’s body to land on his blissed out face. Bellamy was panting as he slowly opened his eyes. The one quick look was too much for him apparently, breathing out a desperate laugh as he threw an arm over his eyes. “You’re gonna kill me.” He panted, an exasperated smile pulling at his lips.

Murphy laughed as he laid back down on his chest, crossing his arms in front of him to rest his chin on, staring up at the alpha. He bit the inside of his cheek as he sheepishly ran a finger across Bellamy’s collarbone. “So.. we’re like.. dating now, right?” He asked, feeling shy all of a sudden.

Bellamy tucked his arms underneath his head and stared at the boy, a small smile playing at his lips. “What’s that? You mean like being in a relationship?” He asked. Murphy was taken back by that, did they not use the term dating? “Yeah, are we.. in a relationship?” He felt his face go hot as he looked down at one specific freckle on the man’s neck. “We haven’t talked about it..” He added, unable to look him in the eye.

He relaxed as Bellamy lowered an arm to rub his hand down his back, soothing his nerves. “If you’ll still have an idiot like me.. I want to.” The alpha said softly. Murphy looked up at him through his eyelashes as he brushed the hair out of his face, running his thumb over his cheek before tugging his ear. The boy couldn’t help but smile, nodding his head. “I want to.” He whispered, reaching his neck up to kiss the alpha’s plush lips.

His breath stuttered as they pulled apart, Bellamy’s eyes full of this.. soft adoration as he looked over the omega’s face. “What?” He asked, feeling flustered by the loving look. A grin creeped onto Bellamy’s face as he looked away. “Nothing, it’s just.. I’m glad I didn’t die before I met you.” He said just above a whisper, turning back to smile at him.

Murphy felt weightless, his mouth fell open as he was left speechless. How could he say that? How could he say the most disgustingly romantic thing Murphy had ever heard like it was nothing? Did Bellamy even know how easily he tilted his world upside down?

“You said something earlier.. Boy-friend, girl-friend.. Is that what you call your mates?” The man asked curiously, move right past that earth shattering statement. Murphy swallowed the lump that had crawled up his throat, did Bellamy want to be his mate? “Uh kind of? A boyfriend or girlfriend is someone you’re dating— in a relationship with— but not mated yet. When you’re mated, or married.. Then you become mates. You know, husband, wife.” He prattled out, the man looking at him in wonder. “Married?” He asked. Murphy nodded, biting his lip, “yeah, marriage. We have this thing called a wedding, it’s like.. a big party to celebrate becoming mated... You guys don’t do that?” He asked, his brow furrowing in curiosity. Bellamy’s lips curled down as he shook his head. The boy hummed as he pursed his lips. “What do you guys call it?” He asked, feeling hot all over, he knew they weren’t talking about getting married, that was way too fast, but just talking about it.. made him feel some sort of way. Made his heart start to pound.

Bellamy hummed as he looked off, absentmindedly running his nails down Murphy’s back. “You’ve probably heard Lincoln calling O, niron, which means loved one or lover.. Sadrona would probably be the best word for boyfriend or girlfriend.” He said, looking back at Murphy's eyes. “Houmon means mate.” The alpha said, pulling Murphy closer as he smiled devilishly. “There’s sofon..” He whispered, nosing at the omega’s jaw before kissing it delicately. “What does that mean?” Murphy asked, his breath shaking with each word. “It’s a pet name.. Means baby.. or honey..” Bellamy replied, pausing between the kisses he pressed down his neck. “Does this mean I’m your boyfriend?” The alpha asked, pulling away with a playful smirk. Murphy let out a little huff as he tried to compose himself. “Yeah,” he said softly, unable to stop a smile from pulling at his mouth.

They stared at each other for a while, memorizing each other’s features. Murphy purred softly as he drew lines across his face, connecting all the dots that littered the man’s tan skin.

“What I feel for you.. I’ve never felt before, with anyone.” Bellamy whispered, running his knuckles over his cheek. “I didn’t know it could feel like this.” The alpha said, a loving look in his eyes, so intense it frightened the omega. “It scares the shit outta me if I’m being honest.” He admitted, huffing out a small laugh of astonishment.

Murphy swallowed as he forced his eyes away, looking down at his chest. It all felt too good to be true. This couldn’t be real, this couldn’t be his life. “Even when I yell at you for no good reason?” He challenged, his voice going quiet. “Cause it’s not gonna get better— I’m gonna pick fights with you until the day I die, it’s just how I’m wired, if you want out, now’s your chan-” He was cut off by a deep kiss, the omega whimpered against his lips as Bellamy hugged him closer, his rough hands dragging across the skin of his lower back. Murphy ran his fingers through his hair as their tongues brushed against each other, deepening the heated kiss.

Releasing him with a ‘pop,’ Bellamy bit his lip as he stared into those pretty pale eyes. “I like you feisty.. I like when you fight, it means you care.” He said as he gave him a toothy grin, a hungry look in his eyes.

Murphy huffed out a tired laugh, he had a hard time believing that. There was a reason why he only had one friend. “Yeah, we’ll see how long that lasts.” He replied, feeling over the indent of the man’s chin.

“Guess we will.” Bellamy said before rearing up to flip them over. “Guess we’ll just have to see.” He growled into his ear, diving down to attack his neck.

Chapter Text

The next morning, Murphy was put back on smokehouse duty, or whatever they were calling it. He hummed mindlessly as he placed a few twigs on the fire, making sure it wasn’t too big or too little, just like Octavia showed him. Mbege and Harper were outside the shack, chatting as the alpha chopped more wood.

“John,” he turned around at the sound of his name, smiling when Bellamy jogged over to him, Lincoln and a few other delinquents trailing behind him, each of them carrying some sort of weapon. “We’re gonna take them hunting one last time.” His brow furrowed at that. “One last time?” He asked, causing a smile to creep on the alpha’s face. “We’re going home today.. Figured it’s time,” he said, shrugging slightly. “Plus Indra wants to bring Clarke along, show her how to get to Tondc.” He said, looking after the hunting party as they kept on walking towards the gate. Murphy threw his head back in relief, “oh thank god. I can’t take another night sleeping on the ground.” A bright grin stretched across Bellamy’s face as he wrapped an arm around him to pull him in for a quick kiss. “We should be back in a few hours. When you’re done here, go get ready.” He said, stealing one more kiss before running off the catch up with the others.

“We’re going back to Tondc? Hell yeah.” Mbege said, leaning on his axe for a moment to catch his breath. “I’m going back to Tondc, you can do whatever you want.” He retorted, walking over to stand beside Harper. “Well I kinda have to.” Murphy scoffed, crossing his arms. “You’re not a prisoner anymore, you can do whatever the hell you want.” Harper looked between them, her brow furrowed slightly. “You guys are leaving?”

Mbege grinned as he looked away from his friend. “I uh.. forgot to tell you this but, Indra is kinda.. taking me under her wing.” His jaw dropped as he stared at the boy. “Yeah, she said she saw potential in me or whatever and uh..” he said, pausing to shrug his shoulders. “She wants to train me to be a warrior.. Said I could live with her too.” He said, a proud little smile on his face. “Mbege, that's great!” Harper exclaimed, happy for him.

“When did this happen?” Murphy asked, don’t get him wrong, he was happy for his friend too. Mbege tilted his head from side to side, “after we came back from camp, after you ran off.” The omega huffed out a laugh, “dude, that’s awesome.” He said earnestly, he really was proud of his friend, relieved to hear he wouldn’t be the only outsider in Trikru. “I know, right?” “How the fuck did you get her to like you? I don’t even think she likes me.” Murphy said, genuinely surprised. He knew Mbege was cool, he just didn’t expect Indra to see it. “Honestly man, I don’t k-”

“So that’s why they agreed to peace.” A voice called out from behind them. They all turned to stare at the group of three alphas that were sauntering over to them. A growl threatened to escape his teeth as he spotted Connor was one of them, the kid who put the noose around his throat. He hadn’t seen him since he was banished, and he hadn’t forgotten what he did to him.

“It was that easy, huh?” An alpha named Dax said. Murphy rolled his eyes, of course it was him. Dax was one of the alpha’s who loved to beat him down in public, but when no one was looking, secretly wanted to fuck him. He attacked him so many times in the sky box that the guards had to put them in completely different cell blocks. “All you had to do was bat those pretty eyes and spread your legs and they were like putty in your hands, weren’t they?”

“Yeah something like that.” He said with a smile, in no way was he intimidated by the guy. How could he be when he won most of their fights?

Dax laughed bitterly, taking a step closer to him. “Oh I bet you loved every second of it. Getting passed around from grounder to grounder like the dirty fucking whore I always knew you were.” He spat, getting up in his face. “Go float yourself, Dax.” Harper hissed beside him. Murphy felt Mbege step up to his side to move in front of him, but he held him back with a hand, giving him a look that said ‘I got this.’

“Oh don’t worry baby, I’m thanking him.” He said to the girl in a sweet tone, “if it wasn’t for his.. sacrifice, all you omegas would be hanging off a grounder knot by now.” He goaded, turning an ugly smile towards him. “Or is that what you sluts wanted? I’m sorry, I’m sure there’s some dirty mutt around here for ya.” Dax said, looking around the camp as he whistled, making a clicking sound with his mouth as if he was calling for a dog. Murphy’s upper lip raised in a low snarl, he knew nothing about them. The grounders would never do anything to hurt an omega. They’d probably kill the piece of shit for even suggesting they would, for speaking to them like this.

“What? Got nothing to say? Grounder pounder.” Murphy genuinely laughed at that, that was good. It sounded like something he would say.

“Careful Dax, your jealousy is showing.” Murphy said, leaning in to whisper the last part. A devilish smile split across his face as the alpha grabbed him by the collar, shaking him. “If you wanted your ass kicked again, all you had to do was ask.” He said sweetly before punching him in the face.

Dax growled as he stumbled back, blood pouring out of his nose. “Get ‘em.” He growled through his teeth before launching himself at Murphy.

The wind was knocked out of him as they landed on the ground, Murphy gasped as he reached out to grab the nearest object, a log Mbege had split, and slammed it into the side of Dax’s head, throwing him off of him.

As he regained his breath, he spotted Harper struggling to get out of Connor’s hold, stomping on his foot, Mbege was already rolling around in the dirt with the other alpha, it looked like he was winning. Pulling himself off the ground, he threw himself on top of Dax and let loose, landing hit after hit to his ugly fucking face. ‘It’s an improvement,’ he thought to himself as he felt the crunch of the alpha’s nose.

Just as he was about to hit him again, he was yanked off. Murphy growled as his hands were held behind his back, it was Connor. Fear rushed through his body as he remembered the day he was hanged, remembered Connor holding him just like this while Miles tied the noose. Thrashing around, his head reared back to hit Connor in the nose, forcing the kid to release him, but it wasn’t enough time to avoid Dax tackling him again.

Murphy clawed at anything he could as Dax pinned him down, his ears rang as the teen punched him. He laughed maniacally as the alpha growled above him, it felt good to fight again, to get punched, to feel the adrenaline coursing through his veins.

He instantly stopped laughing as the alpha grabbed his throat, lifting him off the ground by it just to slam him back down. His eyes went wide as Dax let out an echoing roar as his hands tightened. Looking right at him, he saw the alpha’s eyes dilate to almost black. Murphy started to panic as the scent of rut billowed out from him, as his oxygen was starting to cut off. Shit.

It was at that moment, Harper came running over with Clarke. Dax flinched as the sound of a gun went off, it was just enough of a shock to give two grounders the opportunity to pull him off of Murphy. “Bring him to the drop ship!” She ordered them, handing the rifle to Harper before rushing over to Murphy. The omega gasped for air, coughing uncontrollably as blood drooled out of his mouth, Clarke and Mbege were right there to help him sit up. “What the hell happened?” The blonde asked, tilting his chin up to look over his face. “Just Dax being Dax.” He croaked out, grimacing as his face started to throb with pain.

He turned to look at Mbege as he grabbed his arm with a bruising grip, growling with each breath. “Shit.” Murphy muttered as his friend fell back on his ass, his eyes scrunched close as he tried to control himself.

“They’re going into rut again.” Clarke rushed out. Their heads shot to the side as Harper dropped the gun she was holding, crumpling to her knees as she clutched her stomach. “Help.. me.” She whined, her face winced in a painful expression. “Get Nyko. I’ll get them to the dropship.” Murphy said, crawling over to Harper to comfort her. Clarke nodded before running off, Murphy hushed the omega as he tried to get them back on their feet. “Come on, Harper. We gotta get you inside.” He said softly, putting her arm around his shoulder. The girl sobbed as they started to walk. “I’m so— sorry,” she said, hiccuping in between her words. “You got Clarke, it’s all you could do.” He reassured her, looking over his shoulder at Mbege. “John.” His friend’s head shot up at the sound of his name. “Come on, big boy.” He said, tilting his head for him to follow them.

Murphy chuckled as the teen scrambled up to catch up with them, wrapping his arm around Harper’s waist, a hungry look in his eyes. He swallowed as he turned around once more, finally noticing the fight Connor was picking, and failing, to win with a grounder.

Clarke came running back with Nyko just as he was pulling back the tarp to the dropship, the healer nudging him out of the way to take over. “Murphy you need to stay back, you could go into heat again.” The beta said, walking the girl the rest of the way in. He nodded, stepping out of the way when a warrior walked up the ramp, an unconscious Connor thrown over his shoulder. “Clarke, you should stay back too.” He said, grabbing the alpha’s arm as she tried to rush in. “We just went through our cycles, this shouldn’t be happening.” She said, her eyes wide in confusion.

“Look, it happened to me too. Our suppressants fucked us up, Nyko thinks our bodies are just trying to regulate themselves.. It shouldn’t be as bad as the first one.” He said, finally having a moment to catch his breath. The blonde turned to him, her brow furrowed in concern. “We lost people during our last cycle, I can’t let that happen again.” She stressed, grabbing onto his sleeve. “Clarke, it’s okay,” he said calmly, trying to reassure the upset alpha. “My second one only lasted two days, and we have Nyko now.. He’ll take care of them.” It felt weird to be the one to put Clarke Griffin at ease, he felt like he was stealing Finn’s job.

“We need to keep everyone away from the dropship, okay? Including yo-”

A loud, thunderous roaring came from the sky. The entire camp stopped what they were doing to look up. His words died in his throat as he watched a ball of fire come down from space. “Is that-” “The Exodus ship.” Clarke finished for him.

“Looks like your mom is early,” he huffed as he watched it enter the atmosphere, hurling towards the earth. “Just in time really, we could use her expertise.” He said sardonically. “Wait.. too fast.” She breathed out, he looked at her as her hand tightened its grip on his arm. “No parachutes?” Dread filled his stomach as he turned his gaze back to the sky. “Something’s wrong,” she whispered, right before the ship crashed into a distant valley. The ground shook from its impact, a giant plume of fire rising up from the air as it exploded into the ground.

Murphy caught the girl as she started to sway, her knees giving out under her as she watched the sky fill with smoke. “Clarke!” He yelled, falling with her. The boy had no time to think, to speak, as cries filled the camp. Looking around, he saw as the camp fell into chaos, the ones who were crowding around the fight were now holding their stomachs or puffing their chests out as more fights broke out. The rest were crying, panicking as they too witnessed the crash.

“Oh- my god.” Clarke sobbed out, he looked at the girl in his arms as she started to wail. “Murphy!” Indra yelled, running over to them. “What was that?” The chief said, a look of startle and confusion on her face.

He closed his eyes as he took a deep breath, ‘okay, one crisis at a time,’ he thought to himself. Bracing himself, he stood back up. “It was our people coming down. We need to go check on them.” It was pointless, he knew it was. Nobody could have survived that crash. “But first we need to get everyone in heat or rut into the dropship. Skaikru is also going into another mating cycle. ” A shocked look came over Indra’s face as she looked around, noting all the moaning and growling teens that littered the camp. “Now, Indra.” He shouted, shrinking back as the alpha turned an angry look at him.

“Kyongedon!” She bellowed, turning to round up all the grounders. Murphy watched as she directed her people around, the grounders nodding before splitting up to gather all the teens going into heat or rut.

With that being handled, Murphy took hold of Clarke’s hands and pulled her to her feet, dragging her out of the way and away from the dropship. “Clarke.” The blonde sobbed as she dug the heels of her hands into her eyes, trying to stop the tears. “Clarke!” The boy snapped, grabbing her by the shoulders to shake her out of it. Her eyes went wide as she stared at him, speechless. “I’m sorry, but I need you to get a grip. Your people need you to be strong right now, okay?” He said firmly.

Clarke nodded after a moment, taking long, slow breaths. It was impressive how quickly the hard mask of a leader fell over her, he watched as the emotions disappeared from her face, replaced by an unsettling blank expression. “Good,” he said, hesitantly nodding his head at her. “I’ll take care of the ones here, you round up as many betas as you can for a search party, it’s too risky to bring any alphas or omegas.” The blonde nodded her head in understanding. “Use Indra and her warriors.” He waited until she nodded and walked away to the growing mass of teenagers in hysteria.

Taking a moment to ground himself, he jogged back over to the dropship, following after the grounders as they brought in more affected teens.

“What’s the plan?” He said as he shrugged off his jacket, tossing it aside as he walked over to Nyko. The man glanced at him before turning back to the bowl of medicine he was grinding together. “I told you to stay away, I don’t need you going into heat right now.” He grumbled, grabbing an entire handful of yellow herbs to throw into the mix. “If I was going into heat, it would have happened by now. And you’re gonna need all the help you can get so where do you want me?” He challenged, staring down the man. Nyko sighed through his nose as he thought, he knew he was right. “Get all the mated pairs out of here, if they have a partner, they’ll be fine. Put all the omegas on the top floor, have the warriors tie all the alphas down.”

Murphy nodded, turning around to relay that to the grounders. He went from person to person, checking their neck for a bite, flagging a warrior down to carry them out to their mate. The ones whose mates were gone in the hunting party he kept around, they’d be back soon enough. The mated pairs already ripping at each other’s clothes, he kicked to a tent as well.

He was assisting an omega out of the dropship and into the arms of her mate as the hunting party returned.. carrying a kid on a goddamn stretcher. As if they didn’t have enough to handle right now.

Spotting Bellamy at the front, he saw a look of confusion cross his face as he looked around at all the sounds of pleasure coming from various tents. The alpha broke out into a run as he spotted the boy. “Murphy, what the hell is happening?” He yelled, grabbing the sides of his face when he was close enough to see the fresh blood and bruises littering his skin. “What happened to you? Who did this?” He growled, his face furrowing in rage.

“I’m fine, Skaikru is going into a cycle. I nee-” “You’re not fucking fine! Look at you!” He yelled, tilting his chin up to examine the bruise forming around his throat. “Bellamy, listen to me!” He shouted, swatting his hands away. “I got into a fight, okay? I’m fine.” He said in a clear, firm voice. “The ship carrying our people crashed into that valley,” the boy said, pointing in the direction of the smoke trail. “I need you to go with Clarke to search for survivors, supplies, anything that could have survived the impact, okay?”

The man shook his head, staring at him like he was crazy, “no, I’m not leaving you. What if you go into heat?” It physically pained him not to roll his eyes, and instead reached up to caress the alpha’s face. “I’m not gonna go into heat.. I need you to do this for me, okay?” He asked, staring into his worried eyes. Bellamy looked from him, over to the crash site in the distance. “Is that what that was? The fire that fell from the sky?” He asked, taking a deep breath to calm himself. The omega nodded solemnly, his eyes darting to the stretcher they were carrying into the dropship.

“What the hell happened out there?” He asked, turning back to Bellamy. The alpha shook his head as he looked down. “When the fire fell.. we got distracted.. That boy got attacked by a boar.” He muttered, cursing to himself.

Letting out a sigh, Murphy pulled him in to give him a quick kiss, and looked into his eyes, hoping to convey a message that it wasn’t his fault with just a look. “We’ll take care of him.. Go find Clarke.”

Bellamy took one last look over his face before nodding slowly. “Okay.”

Chapter Text

Murphy slowed as he watched Nyko thrust a pitcher and small cup into a woman’s hands. “Give each child a cup full. Start with the ones down here.” He said gruffly, turning back to the injured kid now laid out on a table.

The healer was cursing to himself in Trigedasleng as the omega came to stand on the opposite side of the table. His eyes trailed up the bloodied body, he stilled as he finally saw who it was. Miles, the fucker who tied his noose.

“You said you wanted to help, yeah?” Nyko said in an irritated tone, taking a knife to cut open the boy’s shirt. “Take those rags and hold this for me.” He said, applying pressure to the Miles completely fucked abdomen. Bruises were already forming around his stomach from internal bleeding, and the tusk in his chest didn’t look promising either.

Just his luck, he had to help save the prick who tried to float him.

“Murphy!” The beta barked, snapping him out of his daze. He scowled as he grabbed the clean rags he was gesturing to and took over holding the deep gash on his lower stomach. Nyko pressed his hands down harder as blood started to flow out of it again. “Like this.” He muttered before turning to begin making a poultice. The man yelled at someone to put a knife in the fire, that they would need to cauterize his wounds. “If you’re not sick or helping, get out!” He bellowed, scaring off the teens that were hemming and hawing around.

“Should let him rot.” Murphy growled under his breath when they were finally left alone, glaring at the teen as he groaned annoyingly in pain, pressing down harder to make sure it hurt. The omega looked away from the healer as he eyed him curiously. “Hakom?” The man asked in a hushed tone, leaning over Miles to inspect his chest wound.

Murphy could feel his blood start to boil as the kid pathetically cried out for help, something he begged Miles for and was ignored. “Em teina chouka emo swai ai kom.” He said through his teeth, his voice dripping with venom.

The healer stilled, Murphy watched as a dark expression fell over his face. It was terrifying honestly.. seeing how quickly the man who fought for peace, switched to anger. He could see him thinking, calculating. Knew he was weighing the odds of whether or not this alliance was worth it.

Taking a moment to look away, Nyko remembered himself and went back to work examining the boy. “Taim em teik yu trein op, em nou na kik thru sheidgeda.” He said in a flat voice, but Murphy could hear the rage still simmering beneath his words. He wanted to nurture that feeling, that wrath. Wanted to stoke the flames of his resentment, knew Nyko wanted it. Knew the grounders would understand it. Coming back to camp, the anger he hadn’t felt in weeks, the indignation he snuffed out towards the ones that hurt him, that he nearly forgot about, came roaring back to life. Bright and burning and beautiful. Karma was a cruel bitch and she was on his side today, serving him justice on a silver platter. Don’t get him wrong, he didn’t want to throw away the peace treaty, didn’t want to go on a rampage, there were just.. a select few he thought the world could do without.

“It would be easy.” Murphy said in a hushed tone. “Merciful, really.” He said, looking down at the boy’s battered body. It was kind of beautiful.. seeing the mechanics of the human body splayed out, fighting to keep itself alive. “No,” Nyko growled, looking him square in the face before looking around the room behind him. Just then, a grounder yelled from outside, alerting them that she was bringing in the knife.

“Sou bosh blinka.” He whispered, standing up straight to face the warrior bringing in the red-hot blade as if nothing happened, as if they weren’t speaking of murder.

Nyko took the blade and nodded towards the woman, calling out for a few others. “Hold him down. Murphy, when I say when, pull the tusk out.” The omega’s face hardened, nodding to the healer as everyone took a limb. Too many eyes, he told him. What did he mean by that? The only people sane enough to know what was going on were grounders, Murphy could make them understand. Did he want to kill Miles too? Was he planning something? Did he have a better plan? What did he see that Murphy couldn’t?

“Now,” the beta said, before he could dwell any longer on it. Murphy held firm to the tusk, and slowly pulled it out, grimacing as he had to maneuver it around to get it at the right angle to yank out. Miles’ screams reverberated throughout the dropship, startling the already scared omegas scattered about. A warrior stuck a stick in between his teeth to dull his cries. “Please! St-” The teen’s own blood curdling scream cut him off as Nyko quickly pressed the knife into his wound. Murphy somehow managed not to gag at the smell of his burning skin, the audible sizzle and bubbling of his flesh and blood.

As Nyko pulled the cooling blade away, the omega watched Miles’ eyes roll into the back of his head as he unceremoniously passed out. The healer motioned for them to all release the boy, handing the knife back to the woman. “We’ll have to do it again, for his stomach.” He said, rushing her out.

Nyko pushed his hand out of the way and slowly peeled back the blood-soaked rags, letting out an exasperated sigh. The bleed had slowed a little, but not enough. Murphy let out a small sound of disgust as he noticed the different layers of his body, they were all there, just like the photos in their biology textbooks: skin, fat, muscle, viscera, completely torn to shreds. He never wanted to eat boar again.

He swallowed as Nyko motioned to him to hold pressure again, throwing fresh rags over the wound. The beta turned to his box of supplies and dug out a needle and thread, tearing off a long piece of it to thread the needle with. Murphy spared a hand to prod at the boy’s stomach in various places, it was as stiff as a board. The light bruising had turned into a deep reddish purple and was now covering the majority of his abdomen, darkening by the second. “He’s filling up with blood,” he replied, his brow furrowing inquisitively. Nyko grunted in response, moving back over to remove the rags. “We have to sew him, we’ll leave a small opening for the blood to escape.” He said, grabbing Murphy's hands to direct them where he wanted them. The boy had to look away as Nyko forced him to hold the flaps of skin together, taking deep breaths so he wouldn’t puke. “I thought we were going to cauterize the wound?” He asked, trying to ignore the disgusting sounds that came from Miles’ body as he began stitching him up. “No, the knife is for the infection, it’s already setting in. Look—” Nyko said, taking a quick second to point at the inflamed edges of his skin, the red streaks branching out from the wound. “We have to burn it away.”

“Jesus fucking Christ.” He whispered to himself, scrunching his eyes closed so he wouldn’t have to look. At first, seeing all this was cool, now he just wanted to vomit.

He whined as Nyko repositioned his hands and forced him to watch, because apparently he moved too much each time he looked away or shut his eyes. By the time Nyko burned away his rotting flesh with the knife, Murphy had become completely desensitized to it all. Sure, why not, he thought, why not hold down the boy who actively tried to kill you while some guy burned him with a red-hot knife, why not soak up the various bodily fluids that drained out of him. Sure he was feeling a little homicidal earlier, but this was a bit much—Not that he didn’t think the kid deserved it— but a simple bag over the head would have worked just as good. Maybe just letting him bleed out would have been better, could have saved them the effort.

Murphy sighed as he dragged a wet rag across Miles’ forehead, cleaning him up a bit. Glancing over to Nyko, he watched as the healer prepared a tonic of some sort, throwing a pinch of some kind of purple flower into his mortar. His brow knitted together in confusion as the beta stared at the jar of petals, hesitating before shaking a good helping into the mix. Nyko cleared his throat as he quickly looked at him and around the room before turning back to his mortar. That was suspicious..

“Get me some water.” The man grunted, scooping the paste of herbs out with his finger. Curious to see what he was up to, he followed the command, tossing his rag aside to walk over to the water tank they set up inside. While waiting for the pitcher to fill up, he looked around at all the sleeping alphas, unconscious actually. Nyko sedated all of them so no one would hurt each other. He chuckled to himself, the sight of them reminded him of nap time when they were in kindergarten. Except this time they all had boners and were tied down to the nearest object.

Walking back over to the healer, he watched him put the paste into a cup and then held it out for Murphy to fill, mixing it with the nearest stick-like object. “What’s that purple stuff?” He asked. “Lift his head.” Nyko said, ignoring him to slowly pour the tonic into Miles' mouth. The kid was in a half-conscious, half-delirious state brought on by pain and blood loss, but could more or less drink the medicine down, even if a good amount of it ended up pouring down his chin. “It’s a sedative. He’s not going to want to be awake for the next few days.” Nyko explain, tilting his head up a little more when Miles choked a bit on the liquid.

“Go upstairs, check on the omegas. I will check on the ones down here.” The beta said, carefully laying Miles’ head back down.

And that’s how Murphy spent his day, comforting his fellow omegas when they cried out for relief, helping them peel off their clothes when they got too hot, forcing the bitter medicine down their throat when it was necessary.

He was exhausted by the time he made his way down the ladder, heaving out a big sigh as he pulled back the tarp to sit outside on the ramp. The omega inhaled a deep breath of the cool night air, it felt amazing to sit out in it. It didn’t take long for the dropship to begin feeling like a sauna, hot humid air completely saturated with the overpowering scent of about thirty odd teenagers in heat and rut. He was actually pretty surprised he didn’t go into heat himself, being completely surrounded by it all, what he said to appease Nyko and Bellamy was really only a hunch. He wasn’t actually sure earlier, if his body would be triggered into another premature cycle or not, he just saw that shit needed to get done and someone had to get the ball rolling. Someone had to keep them from falling into hysterics.

Murphy looked up as Nyko walked up beside him, holding out a cup of water. “Thanks,” he said, taking it. The man nodded, “I ran out of a few herbs. I saw some just behind camp, I’ll be back in a little while.” He said, tilting his chin up in the direction he was heading to. “Can you hold down the fort until I get back?”

“Yeah, I got it.” He said, bringing the cup to his mouth. Murphy paused as he finally noticed the blood staining his hands. Fucking Miles, he thought before taking a sip. The teen hadn’t exactly had time to wash his hands today, probably explained why some of the omegas were scared of him when he checked on them. Battered up face and covered in blood, he was sure he looked like hell. “You did well today.” The man said. Murphy looked up to meet his eye before looking back at his hands, hiding a small smile as he bashfully picked some of the crusted up blood out from under his nails. “Thanks,” he murmured, feeling warm underneath the stoic man’s praise. “You would make a good healer.. If that’s something that interests you.” Nyko said, stepping off of the ramp to walk away. “Think about it.” He called out over his shoulder.

Murphy bit the inside of his cheek to contain his smile as he poured a little bit of water into his hands. Was he offering to mentor him? It sounded nice, fun even, he never really thought more about what he wanted to do. Becoming a healer was intriguing, as gross as it was, he liked helping him today, thought he could get used to it all.

Just as he was starting to see skin again, a frustrated growl started to grow louder from inside. Sighing, he stood, wiping his hands on his pants as he made his way back in.

He looked around the lower level, Nyko had dismissed all those who were helping for the night after the last dose of medicine was given. A few had stayed upstairs to comfort the omegas but other than that, the only thing that littered the floor were passed out alphas. Murphy finally spotted a pair of kicking legs in the back corner and walked over, carefully avoiding limbs as he went. He was sure it was just some knot-head fighting the sedatives, maybe having an omega nearby would put them at ease.

Murphy halted as he looked down at Dax’s face. The alpha growled through his teeth as he thrashed around, trying to yank free his wrists that had become bloody from his struggling.

He quickly glanced behind him once more before turning back to the fucker that started all this. Dax bared his teeth to growl lowly at him, but something switched. His eyes weren’t filled with rage or violence anymore, it was hunger, lust. Murphy held his breath as he spotted the tent quickly growing in his pants.

He could walk away. Walk right outside and wait for Nyko to deal with him, wait for the drugs to drag him back to unconsciousness. Before he could think better of it, his body moved before he could take control of it, kneeling down beside Dax. Oh but when would he ever have a better opportunity? When would he ever have Dax, the person he hated most, drugged and tied up like a gift, completely at his mercy with no one around to watch him. Murphy wasn’t feeling very merciful anymore.

The omega forced himself to purr as he crawled over to the alpha and ran a hand up his thigh, he could make it look like an accident. Like it was rut-related issues. Could say that no matter what they did, it wasn’t enough to save him.

Dax’s face instantly relaxed, his mouth fell open as he stared at Murphy, all confused and aroused. It took everything in him not to gag at the nauseating scent of Dax’s rut, but he no longer had to fake his purring. The knowledge that he would end this fucker right then and there. It was more than just revenge, the world would be a better place without him in it. It was a kindness to the world, to other omegas, that they would never have to deal with an alpha like him. He didn’t even want to think about what Dax would do to someone if he had the chance, and he wasn’t about to give it to him. Murphy didn’t think he could live with himself if he didn’t kill him. He could see it now, some poor omega, or beta if Dax was desperate enough, forced to be his mate, to take his bite, to be tied to him for the rest of their life. He couldn’t allow it, he wouldn’t. Alphas like him didn’t deserve to live.

Murphy slayed his hand out on his chest and pushed him down onto the ground, throwing his leg over his waist. He could feel the rumbling of Dax’s chest under his hand as he leaned down. The omega hid his face from Dax’s view as the alpha bucked his hips up, Murphy wanted to puke as he felt his boner pressing into his ass, as a moan escaped the teen’s mouth.

Swallowing down bile, he forced a flirty look onto his face and leaned back up to hover over Dax’s lips. “Is this what you want?” Murphy whispered in a sultry voice, his hands trailing up his chest to grab his throat. He quickly nodded his head, leaning up to kiss him but Murphy easily dodged the attempt, eliciting a low growl from the alpha. “Too bad.” Murphy said before he covered the boy’s mouth and nose, smothering him.

He pressed down with all his weight as Dax started to thrash underneath him, his screams muffled by the omegas hands. Murphy huffed out a laugh, just for a second he felt like he was back on that damn horse as the alpha tried to buck him off. The lust in his eyes were gone, all thoughts of finally getting a piece of Murphy’s ass gone as a look of terror overtook his face. The omega snarled down at him, as if he even had a chance. He didn’t know what kind of fucked up life the guy lived that would make him think abusing someone would make them want to love him. And he thought his mom was bad, he didn’t even want to know what Dax’s parents were like. Wouldn’t give him a chance to change, people like Dax never did. There was no fixing him.

As he watched the light fade from the alpha’s eyes, as his body slumped beneath him, Murphy’s chest heaved with heavy breaths. He held him down for another minute or so, to make sure the deed was done and released him, shoving his chest to push himself off. Sitting back on his knees, he wiped the sweat from his forehead and tried to catch his breath.

When he remembered himself, he looked over his shoulder and froze. He felt his face pale, his blood turned to ice as he locked eyes with Nyko. Fuck. How much had he seen? Was he there the whole time?

It was like his brain short circuited, he couldn’t even move his mouth to rush out an excuse, there was no other words in his mind but fuck, shit, fuck. He held his breath as the beta looked around, making sure no one else was awake. When Nyko turned back to him, he tilted his head towards the door and walked out without a single word, grabbing a basket on his way out. Murphy shut his eyes as he cursed to himself. Of course Nyko forgot a fucking basket, that’s why he came back so soon.

Knowing there was no way out of this, he forced himself to stand and followed after the beta.

Murphy stayed a few feet behind him as they walked through the woods behind camp. He tried to keep his breaths steady as Nyko came to a stop, kneeling down to begin plucking an herb from the dirt. “Come here.” The healer said firmly. “Now!” He snapped when he didn’t move fast enough. It jolted him into motion, taking the last few steps and fell to his knees beside him. The boy gulped as he stared at Nyko’s hands, yanking the entire plant of a purple flower up from the soil. This was it, he thought, he was caught red handed. There was no way out of this one. Nyko wouldn’t let him get away with this, of course he wouldn’t, he was the driving force for the peace treaty, he stopped him from killing Miles earlier. He wouldn’t let him get away with murder, Murphy could kiss becoming a healer goodbye. Maybe he could run away tonight, find Bell and just run off. Maybe if he left it wouldn’t fuck up the alliance. Fuck, he was such an idiot.

“What do you mean to do?” Nyko asked, shaking the dirt from the flower's roots before tossing it into his basket. “What?” Murphy breathed out, confused by his question. “If you wanted them all dead, you wouldn’t have fought so hard for peace, you would have just let us kill them, so what are you planning?” He asked, angrily tossing another flower in before turning to stare at him. Murphy’s mouth gaped open as he tried to figure out what to say. He didn’t plan on killing Dax, the opportunity was just too perfect to not take. “You wanted to kill that beta today, Miles. You just killed that alpha.. Why? Is there anyone else you want to kill? Or were they it?”

Murphy couldn’t tear his eyes away from the beta’s intense stare. “It was just.. perfect timing.” He said just above a whisper, he watched as Nyko’s brow furrowed inquisitively. “Dax is who did this to me. He made my life hell in the sky box.. He’s a murderer, an abuser, he would have hurt someone eventually.. He was a rabid dog that needed to be put down.” He said, holding his chin high. Murphy didn’t regret it, didn’t even feel bad about killing him, it needed to happen.

Nyko hummed as his eyes darted across his face, searching for deceit. “Where will it end?” He asked, Murphy blinked as he was taken back, not by the question, but how it was asked. Nyko wasn’t trying to be philosophical or trying to convince him it was wrong, he was asking him, as if he needed to know how far this killing spree would go, as if he needed to know how many murders he needed to help cover up. Murphy looked down at the ground as he thought about it. There was really only one person left he couldn’t stand to let live. Connor.

“One more.. One more and I’ll be done.” He promised, turning back to the man. Nyko nodded slowly, turning his gaze back to the thicket of flowers in front of them.

“We call this feisbona.. It has many names, monkshood, wolfsbane, aconite.” Nyko said in a flat voice, pulling another plant out to inspect it. “In small amounts we use it as a sedative.” Murphy stared at the flower in his hands, he recognized it from earlier. It’s what he dumped in Miles’ medicine. “But you have to be careful with it, feisbona is fatal in large amounts.” Murphy slowly turned his eyes to the beta, a shiver went down his spine as it all clicked into place, as he realized what Nyko had done.

“Miles..” “Died an hour ago.” Nyko said cooly, leaning down to pick a few more flowers. Murphy sat frozen as the man collected his basket and stood. Nyko paused as he turned to walk back to camp. “The last one.. what did they do?” He asked.

Murphy dragged his eyes down the beautifully deadly flower in front of him, imprinting its characteristics into his mind. “He put the noose around my neck.” He stated, reaching a hand out to run his fingers across the flower’s leaves.

Nyko grunted in acknowledgment. “Get some sleep.” Was all he got in reply and listened as his footsteps faded away from him.

Chapter Text

Murphy slept better than he thought he would, slept like a log considering the fact he ended someone’s life yesterday. He would say he never slept better, but the ache in his jaw from chattering his teeth all night prevented that.

He grumbled to himself as he sat up, pulling the fur hide closer to him as he yawned. Murphy knew Bellamy was warm, but he didn’t think he was the sole reason he didn’t freeze at night. Ugh, he already missed him. “So pathetic,” he whispered to no one as he crawled towards the tent opening, he didn’t even take his boots off last night, too cold.

The Exodus crash site looked far away, but Murphy really hoped they would be back today. He missed his grounders, hoped they were okay. The logical part of him knew they would be, but anything could happen out there. Murphy reminded himself that these were their woods, they knew them best.

Stepping out into camp, he was greeted by the distant sounds of teenagers fucking. ‘Who needed songbirds when you could wake up to this?’ He thought sarcastically. Murphy sighed as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes and stumbled towards the drop ship. Passing by the water tank, he stopped to splash some cold water on his face, taking a moment to scrub his face when the water came back ruddy with old blood. The boy winced as he ran his hands over his bruised cheek. Looking down at his scabbed knuckles, he flexed his fingers, a pained sound came from his lips when he couldn’t entirely move his middle finger on his left hand, must have broken it. He was just washing his hands as two warriors exited the drop ship, carrying a stretcher out with a body covered in a ripped up piece of parachute. Murphy flicked the water from his hands and jogged over to them.

“Who is that?” He asked as he stopped them, knowing it could only be one of two people. “The kid who was attacked by that boar.. He didn’t make it through the night.” The beta woman said solemnly, readjusting her grip to hold her end of the stretcher with one hand. He stared at the outline of Miles’ corpse as the woman caressed the side of his head briefly. “You and Nyko did everything you could.” She said reassuringly, he pursed his lips as he nodded his head, trying to look sad. With that, they continued on to the graveyard.

Murphy watched until they were out of the gates and let out a sigh of relief. He understood what Nyko meant now, about there being too many eyes watching, about needing to wait for the right moment. It would have been suspicious if they just let Miles die when he was first brought in, they had to make it look like they gave a shit about him first.

Walking into the drop ship, he saw a few grounders milling about, checking on some of the alphas, a few coming down the ladder from the omega vault. When Nyko spotted him, he beckoned over a woman, handing her a pitcher of medicine, instructing her to give it to the omegas. “I want to show Oma Murphy how to make this, so he and I will take care of the alphas.” He said, turning back to his table to grab another pitcher. The woman smiled brightly at Murphy as he walked over, nudging him with her elbow. “I see Nyko has taken you under his wing, huh?” She piqued, giggling at him when he looked down at the ground, smiling shyly as he nodded his head. “You will make a wonderful healer one day, Oma.” She said, patting his cheek before walking away, ushering a few helpers up the ladder with her.

As they disappeared upstairs, he walked over to Nyko’s table and leaned his hands on the flat surface, looking at all the ingredients laid out. “I kinda feel bad.” He said quietly, not wanting anyone to overhear him. Nyko furrowed his brow as he placed the pitcher off to the side. “Have you.. changed your mind? About the last one?” He asked in a hushed voice, crossing his arms as he stared at the boy. Murphy balked at his raised eyebrow, shaking his head quickly. “No, not about that,” he scoffed. No, that would be the sane reaction to taking someone’s life.. What did that say about him? Eh, he didn’t want to think too much about that. “I meant lying to them..” he mumbled, nodding his head towards the grounders. “They all seem to.. really care about Skaikru.” The man hummed as he reached out to grab a jar. “It is because they do not know the truth about them, they did not get to see the evil in their hearts like you have.. If they did, they wouldn’t be so friendly.” He said lowly, shaking about half a jar of leaves into his mortar. The beta stopped as he saw the guilty look taking over Murphy’s face. “It is a good thing that they don’t know.. You faced the evil so they did not have to.” Murphy let out a deep sigh as he looked up into Nyko’s blue eyes, nodding in understanding. John Murphy, grounder Jesus.

With that out of the way, Murphy nodded towards the ingredients, urging him to go on. The healer poured a handful of flower heads into his palm, showing them to the boy. “They look like daisies.” Murphy said, taking one to inspect the white petals and yellow center. “They look similar, but this is fevafo. It cools the body.” Nyko explained, tossing it into the stone mortar. He next grabbed a glass jar, holding it up to the light. “This is a tincture made from willow bark. We harvest it in the spring, the new growth, and dry it. Boil it in water until the water turns dark and this is what you get. It reduces pain, cramps. It’s also good for sickness.” He said, popping the cork off with his thumb and dumping the whole jar into the pitcher of water.

“This is chilbluma. It calms the body.” The healer said, shaking a few, tiny little purple nibs into Murphy’s hand. Bringing them up to his nose, he hummed as he took a deep inhale of the sweet, floral scent, it was nice. Staring at the granules, he crushed them between his fingers, taking one more quick sniff before tossing them into the mortar.

Murphy watched the man work as he prattled on about different plants, what worked best, which ones were more effective and which worked best for certain ailments. He crossed his arms as he tried to keep up, god he should have listened more in earth science.

Just as Nyko was dumping his herbal concoction into the pitcher, a warrior yelled from the back corner. “Fisa! Dison ste daun!” He yelled out, stopping everyone in their tracks. Nyko sent him a look that told him to ‘act normal’ and rushed over to the corner. Murphy’s stomach twisted with anxiety as he slowly made his way over, keeping a good distance away from them to give them space. He bit at his nail as everyone crowded around him, watching as Nyko pulled out a knife to cut away Dax’s restraints. Murphy cringed when his arms didn’t even move, rigor mortis, he realized. God, he looked so pale. He didn’t even look like himself anymore—well it was still clearly Dax— but he didn’t look the same.. It was different somehow.

The rigidity of his body was all Nyko needed to see, grabbing his wrist to try and move it, cursing when a sickening ‘crack’ came from Dax’s arm. Murphy couldn’t help but make a disgusted face at the sound, he felt a comforting hand touch his shoulder as the healer spoke in hushed whispers to the man beside him, shaking his head. Nyko let out a defeated sigh as he dropped his head, ‘oh, he’s good, he thought to himself. If Murphy didn’t know it was an act, he wouldn’t have thought his behavior was anything but genuine. Taking a moment of silence, Nyko turned to the closest warrior and called for a stretcher. “Get him out of here.” He said in a somber voice, standing again. “Check all the alphas now! You three, go and help check on the omas.” The beta said, pointing at the women standing behind him.

The burly man stalked back over to his table, grabbing Murphy’s arm to pull him along. “I’ll teach you another time. We need to give them their medicine now.” He said louder than he needed to, quickly throwing in the last of the ingredients and mixing it. Nyko mindlessly handed Murphy a jaw of purple petals as he grabbed a few cups, it was the monkshood. Pouring a cup, the healer handed it to Murphy before filling more.

Murphy looked at the cup of medicine in one hand and the jar of poison in the other. He tried to be as subtle as he could, quickly peeking over his shoulder to make sure no one was paying attention to him before twisting the lid off. The boy didn’t know how much to use, he tried to remember how much Nyko put in Miles’ yesterday. He didn’t want to put too little either, this was his only chance. Wasn’t sure what would happen if Connor survived it. He gulped as the dried petals collected on top of the water, not wanting to immediately disappear like he wanted them to. “That’s enough.” Nyko whispered beside him, tossing a stick into the cup to plunge the plant underwater, hiding the evidence. Murphy nodded, setting the jar down to fully mix the concoction. “Go.” The man murmured, pushing him away. Murphy immediately walked over to the opposite side of the drop ship, already knowing exactly where Connor was tied up.

As soon as Murphy crouched down beside his final victim, Nyko called everyone over, handing out the cups of medicine, directing them to start at the opposite side the omega had gone. Taking a cup for himself, he went to the girl lying next to the dark-skinned boy Murphy kneeled beside, lifting her head to pour the tonic down her throat.

Connor groaned as Murphy tried to wake him up, tilting his head up. When he finally opened his eyes, he flinched away from him, growling as he bared his teeth. “You’re okay, Connor, just drink this.” The omega said, having to chase his mouth with the cup as he moved his head from side to side. “You’re okay, you’re okay!” He said, raising his voice. “You have to drink this, alright?” Murphy sighed, setting the cup down so Connor wouldn’t end up spilling it all. “Listen to me, you and me are good, okay? We’re good.” He said, gesturing between them. The teen just stared at him, looking him up and down. “I put the rope around your neck.. Why are you helping me?” The alpha said in a much more lucid voice than Murphy expected. Fuck, were they already coming out of their cycles?

Murphy lifted his shoulders in a weak shrug. “Bygones or whatever right?” He said quietly, staring into Connor’s terrified eyes, he looked like a cornered animal. Good, the boy thought, he should be scared. “If we can make peace with the grounders.. So can we, yeah?” He tried. Murphy tried to appear.. authentic as Connor’s eyes darted across his face, searching for a hidden agenda.

Murphy turned to Nyko as he nudged his shoulder, “Hon em odon.” He grumbled, standing up to move on to another alpha. Sighing, the omega grabbed the cup of poison and held it up to Connor’s mouth once more. “Come on, this will make you feel better.” He said in a reserved tone. That was a lie, it wouldn’t make Connor feel better, it would make Murphy feel a hell of a lot better. “It’s what we gave you last night.” Murphy added, hoping that would convince him. Connor peered down at the drink and back up to him before cautiously accepting the medicine, drinking it down with a grimace. Murphy huffed out a laugh when he finished it, staring down into the now empty cup, a few loose petals still at the bottom. “Yeah I know, it tastes like piss.. But it works.” He said, standing back up. Oh and work it would, with the amount of monkshood he put in there. Murphy made sure to put a little extra after Nyko turned away, just for good luck.

He felt almost.. giddy? as he walked around the drop ship. It was only a matter of time until the poison took effect. Murphy felt lighter, felt like he didn’t need to look over his shoulder anymore. A normal, sane person would feel, he didn’t know, sad? Guilty? Regret? He felt none of those things, felt proud of himself really. Murphy felt.. stronger. He always knew he could fight, could hold his own, but this was an entirely new ballpark. This was finishing the job. And not only was he getting the revenge he was owed, he was ridding the world of three people who were nothing but a waste of oxygen. He was preventing suffering.

Well, he couldn’t take all the credit, he would have been fucked if it was anyone other than Nyko that saw him. He didn’t plan on making murder a hobby of his, but if he ever had to.. He really needed to clean it up, killing Dax was sloppy, but for his first killing spree, it seemed to be working out alright.

“Three omegas are out of heat.” A woman called out as she made her way down the ladder, guarding the bottom of it as a girl slowly climbed down on shaky legs. “So are a few alphas,” another announced. Murphy crossed the room to the ladder to help the girl over to a chair, grabbing a blanket to wrap around her shivering body. “Thanks,” she said in a weak voice, pulling it closer around her limbs as Nyko kneeled in front of her.

After Nyko examined all the kids that had come out of their cycles, they worked on getting them clothed, fed and sent back to their tents to sleep it off, which took most of the morning.

When everyone was taken care of for the time being, and they finally got a moment to take a break, Murphy climbed himself up the ladder, leaving the hatch open and grabbed a lid off a box to try and fan the stifling hot air out of the room. He chuckled to himself as he finally got some cool air moving throughout the room, eliciting happy little purs and sounds from all the sweating omegas up there.

When his arms started to burn, Murphy set the lid against the wall and made his way over to where Harper was laying. He gave her a small smile, brushing her hair out of her face as she scooted closer to him. “You’re okay, Harpy.” He whispered, letting out a sigh as he leaned his back against the wall. “Not a harpy..” The girl grumbled defensively. “M’ a sweetheart.” She slurred, wrapping her arm around his leg to hug. Murphy smiled to himself as she promptly fell back asleep and ran his fingers through her hair.

“Murphy?” He heard a voice croak not far from him, turning his head in its direction. The teen watched as Roma shakily lifted herself up to her hands and knees and slowly crawled over to him, laying her head in his lap. Guess it was omega-cuddle time now.

“You alright, Roma?” He asked in a soft voice, using his free hand to rub her shoulder. “Yeah,” she breathed out, turning her face up to look at him. “Where’s Bellamy when you need ‘em?” She teased playfully, forcing a weak smile onto her pretty face. Murphy shook his head as he laughed. “Shut up, go to sleep.” He chuckled, moving her hair off of her sweaty neck and pressed his cold fingers to her nape, absorbing some of the heat. The girl let out a sigh of relief and wiggled closer to him.

He sighed as he laid his head back on the wall, letting his eyes close for just a few minutes while the two girls purred quietly beside him.

—

Murphy jumped awake as Nyko hollered his name from downstairs. How long had he been asleep? “What’s happening?” Harper asked, scooting away from the hatch as the sound of yelling and running footsteps echoed across the metal floor below them. Murphy untangled himself from the girls and scrambled over to the ladder, half jumping to the lower level to run over to the healer.

His mouth opened as he saw Connor convulsing on the ground. “I need water! Cold water!” Nyko yelled, cutting the boy free to lay him flat. “I got it!” A grounder yelled, spilling half of it onto the floor as he ran over. Murphy grabbed a blanket and kneeled down by Connor’s head, sliding it under to cushion it. Nyko poured the water over his body, trying to cool him down. “More.” He shouted, handing it back to the man. “Keep it coming.” There was nothing else they could do until the seizure ended, nothing Murphy wanted to do besides put on a show and watch the alpha die. He touched two fingers against his neck, feeling his weak but rapid heartbeat.

When he finally stopped convulsing, Nyko put his ear to his chest, “he’s not breathing,” he said, sitting back up to move up to his face. “Wait! He is.” Murphy said, holding Nyko back with his hand. “It’s just slow.” They watched as his chest barely rose and fell, too slow to keep him alive for long. The beta slapped his cheek to try and wake him up as a warrior poured more cold water over his body.

Just as he could see Connor’s eyes start to move under his eyelids, his body jumped as he began vomiting. Murphy quickly moved out of the splash zone as he coughed up a frothy pink liquid. “Turn him on his side.” Nyko said, grabbing his clothes to yank him over, Murphy grabbed his jaw to tilt it down, letting the fluid drain out, could see little flecks of herbs in it. He felt his jaw clench before his body went stiff, all of his muscles clamping down as he went into another seizure. “Nyko, what do we do?” Murphy said, looking up to the healer. Nyko shook his head, pretending to think. “Try to wake him up, I’ll be back.” He said before getting up to run over to his work station to brew another tonic.

“Woda!” He barked at someone as he threw his herbs together and stalked back over, bringing his mortar and pestle with him. Nyko snatched the cup out of a woman’s hand and splashed a little into his mortar, grinding it into a paste as Murphy tried to shake the boy awake. As Connor’s body relaxed again, the omega leaned down to listen for his breathing, but heard nothing. He felt his carotid again for a pulse, felt nothing. It was done. He was dead. “It’s over, wake him up!” Nyko hollered, scooping the paste out with his fingers.

“He’s dead.” Murphy said quietly, sitting back on his knees as he looked to the healer. Nyko froze as their eyes met, he swiped the paste into the cup before laying his head on Connor’s chest to confirm for himself. The man scowled down at the dark-skinned boy as he sat back up, his chest heaving from all the excitement.

Murphy flinched as Nyko threw the ceramic cup into the side of the wall, his hands flew up to cover his face as it shattered into pieces, water splashing everywhere as the beta stood and walked right out of the drop ship. Not one person made a sound, not one person moved an inch as Murphy slowly closed Connor’s eyes for the last time.

He managed to keep his face blank as he looked down at the boy’s face, it looked just like he was sleeping. It looked peaceful, it was more than he deserved. He deserved a Thauz Kodon, death by a thousand cuts. But at least it was done, Murphy could live with that.

The boy jumped as a woman touched his shoulder, breaking him out of his trance. “His fight is over. There was nothing else you could have done for him.” She said softly, rubbing her hand across his back. He nodded his head as he looked back down, taking one last look at the product of his revenge, the finale to his symphony. “We will take care of him. Go, take a moment.” She whispered, taking his hands to help him stand.

That feeling of guilt washed over him again as he looked into her sorrowful eyes. He felt bad for lying to them again. For feeling joy while they mourned a monster, a wolf in sheep’s clothing. For not being able to tell them the disgusting truth about who Connor was, what he wasn’t ashamed to do.

Grounders moved out of his way as he stumbled out of the drop ship and headed for the gate, sure that that’s where Nyko headed too.

He found the man standing by the graveyard, his hands on his hips as he stared at the mounds of earth, the two bodies placed off to the side where someone had begun digging more graves.

“Why did you help me?” Murphy said in a quiet voice as he stopped at Nyko’s side. The man was silent for a moment, his eyes running along each little plaque someone made for each child. Murphy looked away from the little cross that had ‘Wells Jaha’ etched into it. It could have easily been him, rotting here alongside him. The more he thought about the guy, the more he regretted his anger, the petty fights he picked with the boy. He didn’t deserve the way Murphy treated him, the way they all treated him. Wells was a good kid..

John didn’t blame himself for his death but.. maybe if he had learned to reign in his resentment, his rage at the world, maybe he could have saved himself some grief. Maybe he wouldn’t have been hanged, maybe Connor and Miles could have avoided their untimely deaths.

“Jus drein jus daun.” Nyko said. Murphy’s brow furrowed as he finally looked at him. “I know you may not agree with our creed.. But you deserved justice.” He said as he met his gaze with such an intensity Murphy had to look away. “All the lives you saved by preventing this war.. You should not have to make peace with those who threaten that.” The beta said, looking back to the graves. “There is a strength inside you, one I don’t even think you see. One that could grow stronger if nurtured right.. You see what others do not, when one sees the impossible, you see the way through it.. There is nothing you can’t do with strength like that,” Nyko said earnestly, bringing a hand up to cup the back of his head, “with a mind like that… That’s a mind worth saving, worth protecting.”

Murphy nodded his head as his eyes began to sting, no one had ever believed in him like that. Had defended him in such a way, looked out for him. Nyko had seen clear through the nonchalant-asshole facade he wore to protect himself, had cared enough about him to take the time to peel back the layers.

“Have you thought more about what I said to you?” The healer asked, turning to face him. Murphy sniffed as he nodded his head, looking up into the beta’s blue eyes. “Yes.” Nyko nodded expectantly, waiting for more. “Will you be my second?” Murphy straightened his shoulders as he nodded once more. “Yes.” “Good.” Nyko said, pausing, “I would have forced you to anyway.”

Murphy’s jaw opened as a smirk creeped onto the man’s normally stoic face. A huff of amusement escaped his lips as he shook his head. “What did I just sign up for.” Murphy muttered under his breath, rubbing a hand over his face as he chuckled.

A commotion came from over the wall right as Nyko clapped him on the arm, forcing them to look over in its direction. “God, never a break.” He said in an irritated tone. “Get used to it.” Nyko grumbled, before heading back towards camp, Murphy close behind him.

As soon as he saw that it was the search party returning, he spotted Lincoln and Octavia at the front and jogged over to them. The girl had a weak smile on her face as she accepted Murphy’s hug, sighing into his neck. “Where’s Bell?” He asked, pulling away to look between them. “Bringing up the rear with Clarke.” Murphy nodded in understanding. “What happened? Is everyone okay?” Lincoln ruffled his hair in greeting and nodded. “No one was hurt, but we found nothing, no one. It was completely destroyed.” The alpha said in defeat, shrugging off the pack he was carrying on his back. “Well, that girl, Raven, found something.. Some pink fire.. goo.” Octavia said, her nose wrinkling as she tried to remember what she called it. Murphy pursed his lips as he tried to think of what it could be, some kind of fuel obviously, maybe rocket fuel?

“I’m gonna find Bellamy.” He said, touching Octavia’s shoulder as he walked towards the crowd of people coming in. Murphy stretched his neck up as he maneuvered around everyone, searching for that mop of curly hair. It was easier to find Clarke, her bright blonde hair standing out against everyone else, and there was Bell, walking with her, deep in discussion.

The boy side-stepped around the last of the party and jogged over to them. “Bell!” He called out, smiling when the alpha’s head quickly looked around to find him. The man abandoned his conversation to beeline right for him and wrapped his arms around his middle, letting out a relieved sigh as he nuzzled his face into Murphy’s neck. “Hey,” he whispered, a small smile pulling at his mouth as he pressed his nose into his skin, inhaling his piney scent. Bellamy pulled him away to glare playfully at him. “So you can smell like Roma, but I can’t?” A grin split across his face as he leaned up on his toes. “Shut up.” He said right before capturing his lips in a kiss.

They pulled apart as Clarke and Indra stopped beside them. The blonde had a soft, curious smile on her face when he turned to face them. “How’d it go here?” She asked, crossing her arms. Murphy looked down at the ground as he tried to figure out what to say to her. “Uh.. We-” “Clarke, we need to talk.” Nyko said, walking over to them, saving him.

Clarke’s brow knitted together in concern as she looked from him to the gruff man. “What happened?” She rushed out, looking to Indra for a brief second.

The tattooed man let out a heavy sigh before meeting the girl’s eyes. “Two alphas died from rut,” Nyko said, crossing his arms. “And Miles didn’t survive the night.” Clarke’s shoulders fell as she looked away, biting her lip in frustration, but didn’t seem surprised. “Who died? What happened to them?” She asked. Nyko glanced at Murphy, “what were their names?” “Dax and Connor.” He supplied him with, remembering to put a forlorn face on, they weren’t out of the woods yet. Nyko hummed as he nodded his head. “Dax died during the night, we don’t know for sure what happened to him. Connor had fever shakes, he died not long ago. If I had to guess, I think that’s what killed Dax too-” “Wait, fever shakes?” Clarke cut him off, her face furrowing in confusion. “When the body gets too hot and they start to shake.. or stiffen sometimes..” Nyko explained.

“Seizures. Connor had multiple seizures back to back.” Murphy reiterated, sending Bellamy a sad smile as he touched his lower back comfortingly. “Sei-.. Febrile seizures?” She asked, her eyes darting between Murphy and Nyko. “I guess so.” He whispered as Nyko nodded. The blonde sighed as she closed her eyes. “That’s what killed most of the ones who died last cycle.” She said sorrowfully, cursing under her breath. “How many died last time?” Murphy asked in a shocked voice, his brow knitting together, he didn’t know anything about this. Clarke was quiet for a moment. The girl couldn’t even look at him as she replied, “fourteen.”

He blinked in surprise, he wasn’t expecting that many. It explained all the new graves. “I guess we should be grateful we only lost two right?” The blonde said in a sad attempt to lighten the mood.

Nyko nodded at that, clearing his throat. “Clarke, I want to show you how I’ve been treating them, so you know what to do when I am not here.” He said, tilting his head in the direction of the drop ship. “Okay,” she said tiredly and started walking to the tin can. “Murphy, you should rest. I know you haven’t eaten anything since yesterday.” Nyko added, raising his eyebrows at him to let him know he was serious. It was at that moment his stomach growled, very obviously might he add.

Bellamy chuckled to the side of him, sliding an arm around his neck to start walking them towards their lean-to. “Before anything, you’re taking a bath.. Like right now.” Murphy rolled his eyes, but complied, letting him lead him anywhere.

—

The sun was just beginning to set as they made it down to the river, Murphy following close behind him as Bellamy found a shallow little pool of water. The alpha tossed his towel on a rock and shrugged off his jacket, starting a pile of clothes. Murphy couldn’t help but rake his eyes down his torso as his shirt came off, tossing it next to his shirt as he toed off his boots. “You gonna stare at me the whole time or you gonna start stripping?” Bellamy teased, taking his pants off. Murphy felt his cheeks blush as he was forced into motion, tossing his own towel aside to shyly take off his shirt. At least he kept his underwear on, that would have sent him over the edge, he probably would have swooned at the sight of.. that. He watched the alpha slowly walk in, inhaling sharply as he submerged himself in the cold water.

Taking his clothes and a bar of soap, the omega squatted down by the edge of the water and tossed the fabric in, drenching them. He quickly soaped up his shirt and began scrubbing it clean, bringing it up to his nose to sniff periodically. He smirked as Bellamy stole the bar of soap and rubbed it into his hair, over his chest and down his arms, tossing it back to work the suds over his body.

When he was done with his shirt, he wrung it out as best he could and walked over to lay it out on the rocks to dry. He was able to snag some clean clothes from the clothesline, thinking to hell with whoever’s clothes he was stealing, so he didn’t need to worry about it fully drying. Crouching back down to wash his pants, he fell back on his ass as Bellamy grabbed his ankle and pulled it out from under him, sending the omega a dark look. “Bellamy!” He scolded, throwing his arms behind him to catch himself. “Get in here.” The alpha growled, yanking him into the water. He gasped as he was dragged into the freezing water, his breath quickening as he collided with his chest. Murphy panted in his ear as Bellamy growled against his neck, his arms slithering around his middle to grab his rear. “Bell,” he squeaked out, wrapping his arms around his neck. The alpha lifted him up to wrap his legs around his waist, and backed him up into the side of the pool. “You smell like alphas in rut.” He said in a displeased tone. Murphy bit his lip to hide a smile as he realized he wasn’t the only one in this relationship with a jealous streak. “And?” He goaded him on, playing coy. Goosebumps rose up his skin as Bellamy growled into his ear. “I’m the only alpha you should smell like.” He said roughly, forcing a breathy moan from the omega’s throat as he pressed his hard cock against his groin. How Bellamy was hard in water as cold as this was beyond him, it defied all laws of biology. “You’re mine.” He whispered, biting the shell of his ear.

‘Look at that.. you can get hard in cold water,’ he thought as his dick twitched alive in his boxers. He sighed as Bellamy ran his teeth across his scent gland, making a shiver run down his spine. Murphy swallowed down the saliva that began to pool in his mouth, nodding his head into his shoulder. “Yun.” He whispered, burying his fingers in the hair at the back of Bellamy’s neck, knowing the man liked it when he spoke Trigedasleng to him. “Ai laik yun.” He said, smiling as he felt, more than heard, the pleased rumble coming from the alpha’s chest. “Daun ait. Yu laik ain.” The man said, grabbing his jaw to attack his mouth. Murphy moaned into his filthy kiss, opening his mouth to let the alpha press his tongue in. He gasped as Bellamy hitched him up higher on his waist, readjusting them so their pricks were pressed against each other.

His head fell back against the sand and rocks as Bellamy grinded their hips together, ripping an embarrassingly desperate moan from his throat. “Bell,” he mewled as the man started sucking a bruise onto his neck, biting at the sensitive spot with his canines. Murphy hissed when a jagged rock dug into his shoulder blade and arched his back to get away from it, nearly melting as Bellamy tightened his arms around him, using one hand to grab his ass. The alpha snarled angrily all of a sudden, huffing as he pulled away and looked around for the bar of soap. “You stink.” He growled, placing the omega down on the edge of the sandbar to focus solely on finding it. “Can’t even think.” He grumbled.

Watching him toss his sopping wet pants aside, looking down at the clearly obvious hard-on he himself was sporting, Murphy chuckled incredulously as he ran a hand down his face. Jesus Christ, he couldn’t believe just how quickly the alpha worked him up, how quickly he would just let him do whatever he wanted to him. Just a few days ago, he told Bellamy he wasn’t ready for this, and here he was, moaning like a whore as he let the man fondle him. Murphy didn’t think he would be able to stand by that statement for much longer.

His head fell back in laughter as Bellamy grabbed him by the back of his knees and dragged him through the sand, back into the water. Murphy let the alpha turn him around and relaxed against his chest as he reached around him to rub the soap over his chest, pressing lazy kisses down his shoulder. He purred as Bellamy massaged the suds into his skin, across his shoulders, down his arms. His breath shuttered as the alpha dragged his hand up his throat, rubbing his thumb over his skin to remove the scent of anyone but them. Murphy’s brain knew he wouldn’t choke him, but it still made his stomach churn with anxiety. It didn’t make sense, he didn’t care at all when someone touched the back or sides of his neck, but having them touch the front, memories of the noose crushing his airway, of Dax’s hands around his neck came flying back to mind. His throat bobbed as he turned his face into Bellamy’s cheek, taking a breath of his comforting scent and tried to let it calm him, reminded himself it was just Bell, he wouldn’t do that, he wouldn’t hurt him. He wouldn’t touch him like the other alphas had, Murphy was safe with him.

“That’s better.” The alpha whispered as he ran his nose along his skin. The boy’s breath grew heavier as Bellamy moved his hand down his chest, his callused fingertips ghosting over a nipple before continuing down his stomach to the waistband of his shorts. He felt his fingertips dip under the fabric, waiting for permission as Bellamy used his free hand to tilt his chin up to look him in the eye. As horny as he was, a curious part of him wanted to test the alpha, wanted to see if he would stop. Bellamy was clearly in a very possessive, jealous kind of mood. Would he stop if Murphy asked?

Slowly leaning in to kiss him, Murphy took his hand and moved it to wrap around his waist instead. “No.” He said in a small voice, staring at the freckles on his handsome face. Bellamy’s eyes softened as he nodded his head, rubbing his hands up his sides to touch him a moment longer before releasing him. The boy bit his lip as he smiled to himself, he knew he chose the right person.

They went back to finish up washing and climbed out not long after. Murphy shivered as he dried off as fast as he could, yanking his clothes back on to shield himself from the evening breeze.

The sun was dipping low into the horizon as they made their way back to camp, joining the few others around the fire pit. Murphy sat with his back to the bonfire as they ate some food, humming happily as the flames burned his back deliciously. Bellamy laughed at him, making a comment on how he acted just like a cat before ripping off a bite of steak. He didn’t know cats still existed, hadn’t seen any around. Maybe he was talking about those big ass panthers.

Crawling away from the fire, Murphy nudged at the alpha’s knees for him to spread them and plopped down in between his legs, a quiet pur coming from his throat as he rubbed his face against the man’s. “Just like a cat.” Bellamy reiterated, chuckling as he wrapped an arm about him.

—

Murphy giggled as he brushed his fingers through Bellamy’s hair, since the moment they laid down, the man had spent that time rubbing his face against his chest, scenting him. He couldn’t help but smile as the alpha took his wrist, gently kissing the scent gland there before nuzzling his face into it. Murphy’s brow furrowed in curiosity as Bellamy massaged his thumb against the omega’s neck and brought it to rub onto his own neck.

It took him a second to realize the alpha wasn’t trying to scent him, he was trying to scent himself, he was trying to smell like Murphy. A grin split across his face as Bellamy leaned up to peck his lips before flopping down on him, forcing a small ‘oof’ out of him.

With the alpha rumbling happily on top of him, Murphy removed his fingers from his scalp and dragged them across his shoulders, smiling when goosebumps raised over the skin there.

“I missed you.” The boy said quietly, not wanting to go to sleep just yet. Bellamy had a sly smile on his face as he turned his head to look up at him. “Yeah?” Murphy nodded. “I did too..” He whispered, “I think I was pissing Clarke off with how much I rushed her to get back to camp.” The man admitted, chuckling as he laid his head back down, closing his eyes. Murphy smiled at that, brushing his damp curls out of his face.

“Nyko asked me to be his second.” He said after a moment. Murphy dropped his hands down on the pillow as Bellamy sat up on his elbows to look at him, a proud smile on his face. “Yeah?” Murphy nodded as a smile of his own pulled at his lips. “That’s amazing.” The man said, stretching his neck up to kiss him sweetly. “You would make a great healer.” He said, running his knuckles down the boy’s cheek. People kept saying that. “You think so?” Murphy asked, suddenly feeling shy, he swears, only Bellamy made him feel this way. “I do.” The alpha said honestly, nodding his head. “You’re smart, you stay calm under stress.. You’re pretty, you smell good.” Bellamy said with a smirk, dipping his head low to kiss the underside of his jaw. Murphy laughed as he buried his hand into Bellamy’s hair, keeping his head there. “What does that have to do with being a good healer?” He asked, amused by his antics. The alpha hummed as he pecked his skin. “Nothing, I guess.. It’s just nice being treated by someone who’s easy to look at.” He whispered in his ear, placing a kiss right underneath it. Murphy scoffed as he shook his head. “You’re an idiot.” He said with no real heat behind it.

Murphy thought about what he and Nyko did as he stared at his handsome face, debating whether or not he should tell Bellamy. Maybe it was best to keep him in the dark, the less people knew the better. He was good at keeping secrets. But he didn’t like lying to him, keeping him in the dark. Surely Bellamy would understand, thought the man would do it himself if he knew, if he was given the same chance.

“There’s something else I have to tell you..” He whispered, staring up at the ceiling of the tent, watching the light dance across the canvas as people moved around outside. He turned his eyes down to meet Bellamy’s gaze as his thumb tilted his chin down. “Okay.” The man muttered, his brow knitting together in worry from his sudden change in tone. “You can’t freak out.” He said, shaking his head. Bellamy’s face relaxed as the corner of his lips tweaked upwards. “Okay,” he chuckled out. “I’m serious, this stays between us.. No one can know.” “Have I ever freaked out?” Murphy’s face contorted in a look of ‘are you fucking kidding me?’ “Yes! You freaked the fuck out when I told you about the guns.” He reminded him, raising his voice. Bellamy smiled as he hovered over his face, shaking his head. “No, you freaked out about it.” “Because you weren’t listening to me!” He shot back.

Bellamy bit his lip to contain his smile and caressed his face, pecking the corner of his mouth. “Alright, alright.” He said in between kisses. “I’m listening now. I won’t freak out, I promise.” “You won’t tell anyone?” “I won’t tell anyone.”

Murphy sighed as he searched Bellamy’s face for truth. “Everything is fine, it’s handled... I just.. didn’t want to keep it from you.” He said, calming down a bit. Bellamy nodded, appreciating that last bit. The omega took a deep breath, taking a moment to get his words together.

“The three boys that died.. It wasn’t an accident.” He said slowly, just above a whisper. Bellamy’s face furrowed in a mix of shock and confusion. “What do you mean?” Murphy looked away from his brown eyes, down to the space in between them. “Nyko and I.. killed them.” He admitted, keeping his voice low.

The silence around them was deafening, Murphy could hear the blood rushing in his ears, the pumping of his heart as he found the courage to meet Bellamy’s stern, emotionless face. “Why?” He asked in a calm voice. Murphy couldn’t look at him any longer, averting his eyes again. “Miles, the boy you took hunting.. He tied the noose they hung me with.” The boy said, keeping his eyes trained on a faint scar on Bellamy’s chest. “Connor put the noose around my neck.. Dax was just.. evil.. He was the one that started the fight I got into.” He said, getting quieter with each word. Fear coursed through his body as Bellamy moved to sit up. “He was insane. He attacked me all the time in the sky, h-he would have hurt someone.” Murphy rushed out to defend himself, sitting up to scoot away from the terrifyingly blank expression the alpha sent him. This is what he was afraid of, did he just fuck up everything? Would he tell Clarke? Did he still want him?

Bellamy grabbed him by the knees and dragged him closer, a fierce look in his eyes as he stared the boy down. Murphy flinched as the man brought his hand up, he didn’t mean to, he was just scared. Bellamy paused, a concerned look on his face as he gently took his face, slowly leaning in, hesitating to make sure it was okay before capturing his lips in a soft kiss. Murphy sat frozen as the man pulled away, lifting his arm up to show him the underside of his bicep. Following his eyes, he looked at the uniform rows of little scars littering the skin there. His brow knitted together inquisitively, how had he never seen them before? What did they mean?

“What are those?” Murphy whispered, still a bit shaken. “Kills in battle.” Bellamy answered, running his thumb over a few of the newer, still pink ones. The omega’s mouth opened slightly in awe as he cautiously reached out to touch them. There had to be at least thirty. He turned his gaze up to look at the alpha, an undistinguishable look on his face as he clenched his jaw, lowering his arm. “When you take someone’s life.. you take their strength. Each kill makes you stronger.” The warrior said, turning his head to look into the omega’s pale eyes. Bellamy’s mouth twitched as a small smile creeped onto his face. “I knew you were one of the strong ones.” He whispered, placing his hand across the boy’s chest. “Strong heart.” He stated, sliding his hand up to grab the omega’s nape, bringing their foreheads together.

Murphy let out the breath he was holding, raising his own hand to touch Bellamy’s neck. “You’re not mad?” The man huffed out a laugh, rubbing their cheeks together to scent him. “How could I be?” He whispered, grabbing his jaw to kiss his cheek. Murphy liked how that was becoming something they did, to tell the other they weren’t mad, to tell them they were forgiven. “Oma Mofi, Chilneslida, Wanlida, ogeda ain.” Bellamy whispered. The boy didn’t have time to ask him what that meant before the alpha captured his mouth in a passionate kiss, forcing a whimper from his throat as Bellamy licked into his mouth.

Pulling away suddenly, Bellamy reached around him to grab his sheathed knife. Murphy’s lips fell open as he pulled the blade out, the firelight reflecting off the metal. He looked up into Bellamy’s soft, proud gaze. “Will you let me?” He asked, his eyes darting down to his chest. He wanted to mark him, to leave a physical, tangible reminder of his strength on his skin forever. The omega nodded slowly.

Putting the blade down, Bellamy took the hem of his shirt and slowly raised it up, Murphy lifted his arms up to help him remove it. Goosebumps rose up his arms as his breath started to quicken. The alpha ran his hands over Murphy’s thighs before grabbing them, bringing him closer and slotted himself in between his legs before taking the blade once more. The omega leaned back on his arms as the man crouched down to kiss his chest, right above his heart. It felt so intimate, so intense, felt Bellamy’s kiss burn his skin as his breath shuttered. His pale eyes darted from the alpha’s brown ones and down to the edge of the blade as the man pressed the tip onto his skin.

He gasped as the steel cut into his skin, watching a bead of blood trickle down his skin as Bellamy moved the blade a little to the side to make another one. He winced as he saw the very moment his skin broke from the pressure of the blade. Murphy grabbed the man’s wrist as he moved to make a third. “I only killed two of them.” He explained, looking into Bellamy’s dark eyes. The alpha nodded, bringing the blade up to stare at the blood before licking it off. Oh, that did something to him, Murphy swallowed as his dick jumped in his pants. A carnal look filled Bellamy’s face as he dropped the knife and gently pushed Murphy down to lay flat. The man kept his hand there, holding him down as a low growl escaped through his teeth. Murphy whimpered as the alpha licked his nipple, biting it softly before lapping up the trail of blood that ran down his pec. “Fuck, “ the omega panted as he watched him kiss the cuts, hissing at the sting when Bellamy ran his tongue across them.

He felt a heat stir in his loins as Bellamy crawled up to his face, a hungry growl filling the air. Murphy moaned as the alpha grinded their hips together, unable to look away from the blood staining his lips.

Leaning down, the warrior smashed their lips together in a fiery kiss, their teeth clashing together. All he could taste was the iron of his own blood, all he could smell was the alpha’s intoxicating juniper scent. Murphy slid his hands around his lower back, pressing their groins together as he moaned into Bellamy’s mouth. Pulling away, the alpha stopped himself from doing anything more to ask permission, “this okay?” He asked, his eyes searching the boy’s face. Murphy nodded quickly, wrapping his legs around his waist. “Don’t you dare stop.” He rushed out, rearing up to kiss him again.

Pure pleasure coursed throughout his body as Bellamy grabbed his hips and properly started grinding against him, Murphy threw his head back onto the pillow as a breathy moan was ripped from his throat. He bit his lip to try and contain the noise coming from his mouth while Bellamy leaned down to attack his neck, licking and nipping at the sensitive skin. “Fuck,” he groaned out as he felt himself getting wet, his hole clenching around nothing as the alpha rutted his hard cock against him ass, eliciting a pathetic whimper from the boy. He could tell it was big, his mouth watered as he thought about the fact that he would have to take it soon enough, it excited him though.

A zip of pleasure went straight to his cock as the alpha let out a deep moan in his ear, causing a rush of slick to pour out of him. Fuck, why was he so hot? Why was this so hot? His blood still stained the man’s face and probably his too, why was it so intimate? Maybe it had to do with mating? Tasting each other’s blood was part of it. His teeth ached all of a sudden, it didn’t seem fair. Bellamy got to taste him, but he didn’t? Fuck that, he thought before burying his face in the man’s neck to suck and bite a bruise into his skin. Wait, shit, he couldn’t do that, he couldn’t bite him. That would be claiming him. Goddamn it, he wasn’t thinking clearly.

Remembering the knife, he opened his eyes to reach around the floor, trying to find it. As if Bellamy knew what he was thinking, he pulled away to rest his forehead on his temple, breathing heavily against his face. Finally feeling the hilt, Murphy brought the blade closer, into Bellamy’s line of vision. His brown eyes darted over to it, nodding quickly as he rutted so hard into him, it moved him up the mat, causing Murphy’s eyes to roll into his head as heat coiled in his abdomen, nearly making him drop the knife. Coming back to himself, he lightly ran the blade down the man’s skin teasingly. Bellamy slowed the roll of his hips as he panted, watching it ghost across his chest.

The alpha bared his teeth in a growl as Murphy pressed the edge into his skin, dragging it across his trapezius muscle. His mouth fell open in awe as he watched his blood bubble out. Making just a small cut, the boy tossed the knife aside and tightened his arms around Bellamy’s middle, bringing him closer to lap at the wound. He felt his impending orgasm creep up as the coppery substance flooded his mouth, all of his senses becoming overwhelmed with everything Bellamy. His scent, his taste, his touch, his voice, it was all around him. The world didn’t exist outside of this moment, it was all he could think about. He was all he could think about.

The man moaned as he rutted him into the ground, Murphy felt fingers threading through his hair to grip as his hips began to falter. “I’m gonna—” Bellamy stuttered, his own moan cutting him off. “I’m gonna come.” He forced out, burying his face into his neck to muffle a guttural moan. The omega nodded, he was close too, it was right there.

Murphy wasn’t really one to masturbate, he had a couple times before he was put on suppressants, but never really felt the need after that. Not until recently that is. It was never like this, never this intense, never felt this good.

His breath was ragged as he cried out, right into Bellamy’s ear. His legs clamped down around the man’s torso as he came, twitching as the muscles of his abdomen spasmed from the force of it. Murphy’s eyes rolled back as white hot pleasure coursed through his limbs, all the way down to his toes. He mewled as Bellamy jostled him by accident, his hand flying up to where his face was buried in the boy’s neck, a moan pulled from his lips as he rolled his hips one last time. Murphy could feel his cock twitching against his as Bellamy came with a muffled whimper.

His brow furrowed slightly as he panted, recovering from the most mind-blowing orgasm he ever had. Fuck, were they all suppose to feel like that? Turning his head to look at him, his mouth fell open, breathing out a whimper as he saw the fresh bite mark on Bellamy’s shaking hand. The alpha’s throat bobbed as his body twitched from the afterglow, an exasperated moan falling from his blood stained mouth as he faced Murphy, a shy look in his eyes.

“Shit,” The omega said, huffing out a laugh as he covered his eyes with a hand. Holy shit, Bellamy had to bite his own hand so he wouldn’t accidentally bite him. Fuck, that was so hot. His dick jumped at the realization, he could totally go for another round if he wasn’t absolutely exhausted.

The tent felt humid, the only sound coming from their heavy breathing. Bellamy placed his hands on either side of his waist and lifted himself up onto his hands and knees, his head dropping as he tried to collect himself. Sitting back on his haunches, the alpha dragged his hands across his hips, just feeling the soft skin as he raked his eyes up and down Murphy’s body, appreciating its beauty. The omega whimpered as Bellamy palmed his cock through his pants, the man hummed as he bit his lip. Murphy grabbed the hand that he bit and brought it close to inspect it. It was a pretty good bite, broke the skin in a few places and everything, it was already starting to bruise. “Sorry ‘bout that.” Bellamy chuckled softly, looking away in embarrassment. Murphy shook his head, bringing it to his lips to kiss the torn skin and licked the little bit of blood that trickled down his wrist, purring as the alpha placed his free hand beside his head.

“Don’t be.” He whispered, releasing the hand to grab him by the back of his neck, bringing him down to kiss him. It was a soft, lazy sort of kiss, one that tasted of copper and Bellamy. A content rumble came from the alpha as he settled on top of Murphy, rolling his hips to elicit another pretty little whimper from the omega.

A toothy grin split across Bellamy’s face as Murphy grabbed his hair and held his head back from kissing him again. “You are ridiculous.” The boy scolded, releasing his hair. “Can’t help it, not with you.” The man said, leaning down to lick away a bit of blood from his neck. “You make me feel like an animal.” He said, growling lightly as he licked his thumb so he could wipe away the stain on Murphy’s chin, giving up when he couldn’t get it all and leaned down to lick his face clean.

The boy laughed as he pushed at his chest, trying to get him away. “Knock it off!” He said in between giggles as the man wouldn’t relent, licking broad stripes up his throat and down his chest. “Bellamy!”

Chapter Text

It was another two days before all the delinquents went back to normal. Three days until they finally started their trek back to Tondc, Clarke in tow.

Staying true to his word, Murphy refused to get back on a horse. As unreasonable as Bellamy thought it was, there wasn’t much he could do after the omega offered the horse to an older woman. The man sent the boy a playful glare as he held his horse in place for her to climb up on it.

“You’re gonna have to get used to it eventually.” He said, adjusting the reins for a more comfortable hold. “What, you gonna make me?” Murphy said, a smug look on his face. “I’d like to see you try.” He said, turning around to begin walking down the path. His eyes trailed down the omega’s lithe body. Fuck, he couldn’t wait to get him home, run his hands down those long legs. Nodding to Sepah, the woman on the horse, to make sure she was ready, Bellamy followed after the boy.

When he was close enough, he smirked as he leaned into his ear, “you had no problem riding my horse last night,” he whispered, grabbing Murphy’s hip with his free hand. The omega quickly swiveled around to shove his chest, his face bright red. Bellamy snickered as he stumbled back, bumping into his horse. “Noumou, Belomi.” Murphy threatened, sticking a finger in his face. The alpha grabbed his hand, kissing his palm before intertwining their fingers and pushed on like nothing happened.

In his peripheral vision, he could see the boy sneaking quick glances of him. He rubbed his thumb over his hand and turned his head to smile at him. Murphy’s cheeks were still flushed as he looked away, hiding a small smile as he shook his head.

The unforgettable memories of last night still fresh in his mind, Bellamy wondered if the Skaikru’s cycles were affecting him. Since they came back from the Exodus crash, things had gotten.. more physical between them, which surprised him honestly. Murphy said he wasn’t ready for more, and Bellamy was perfectly content with that. He was just happy to call the omega his, to know he was Murphy’s, he didn’t need anything more than that, didn’t mind waiting. The night he came back, he thought it was just a heated, one off thing, thought they got a little carried away and that the boy would be shy or distant afterwards, but it seemed to spur something on in him. The alpha was pleasantly surprised when John climbed onto his lap last night. It was beautiful really, he’d never seen anything more breathtaking than the omega taking his pleasure, using him as a vessel as he grinded himself atop his hips. The way the firelight illuminated his pale skin, highlighting the light sheen of sweat covering his chest as he threw his head back in bliss. The bob of his throat, the soft expanse of skin littered with the love bites Bellamy placed there himself. The way his scent seemed to sweeten with his arousal. Bellamy liked how selfish he got, completely lost in desire. Liked how he turned into this soft, cuddly creature afterwards, how he melted onto his chest, purring happily into his ear in the afterglow of it all. It made Bellamy want to learn everything about the omega’s body, his desires, was he always that hungry? Was he always so wild?

Bellamy cleared his throat to shake those thoughts from his mind, now was not the time to dwell on them. He tucked those images into the back of his mind for now, saving them for a better, more private moment.

“Ai seken!” Indra’s voice called out from behind them. He looked over his shoulder to see his chief trotting up the trail towards him. The dark-skinned woman nodded towards Sepah, and turned to her second, looking away every once in a while to keep her eye on the trail. “I am worried about Anya.” She said, speaking freely since Sepah did not speak Gonasleng. “It has been five days since she left and we have not received word from her.” Bellamy’s brow furrowed, he had forgotten about that. He had been to the front lines where they were stationed, it did not take five days, didn’t even take half that amount of time. They should have heard back from her. “She’s okay though right?” Murphy asked, looking between them. The alpha looked down at the ground as worry clouded his mind. Anya was one of their strongest, she should have made it, and she wasn’t one to take detours or take it slow. She’d ride her horse until it collapsed if she had to. There was only one reason he could think of why they hadn’t heard from her.

“I’ll go north. See if she made it.” The second said, looking up to his mentor. “Maybe she was injured.” “Maybe she was captured.” Indra said in a stern tone, her jaw clenched tight. “Once we reach Tondc, I want you to take Lincoln and go north. Find out what you can.” Bellamy nodded. “Sha, wocha.” He replied, turning his head to look forward. His exploration of Murphy would have to wait.

“So you’re leaving?” The boy asked, squeezing his hand tight. Bellamy handed the reins up to Sepah and stopped, letting the woman continue on. Turning to his boy, he smiled weakly as he tucked a strand of hair back behind his ear. “I have to.” He said softly. A hard look glossed over Murphy’s face as he looked down at the ground, nodding his head in understanding. Using a finger to tilt his chin up, Bellamy pecked him quickly. “I gotta go talk to Lincoln.” “Okay.” Murphy mumbled, nodding his head once more.

—

As Bellamy jogged away, towards the front where Lincoln and Octavia were, Murphy let out a sigh and trudged on, hooking his thumbs into the straps of his backpack.

“Never thought I’d see the day John Murphy took an alpha.” Clarke called out, falling in step with him. Looking at the blonde, the omega scoffed as he faced forward. “You and me both.” He breathed out, watching the dark head of curly hair disappear. “Who woulda thought an alpha would be the one to chill me out.” He added, shaking his head. Clarke snorted, “says the guy got in a fight three days ago.” Murphy shrugged at that, “I didn’t start it though, that’s an improvement.” He tried, nudging her shoulder. The alpha nodded in agreement, “okay, I gotta give you that one,” she said, laughing lightly.

Murphy bit the inside of his cheek, not sure what else to say to her, the leader of the sky people, the princess of the Ark. They of course had been speaking more since the whole alliance started, but that was business. This was small talk, this was.. conversation. He’d never thought they’d ever get to this level.

“He’s a good alpha.. good man.” The blonde said after a brief silence. Murphy smiled down at the ground as he thought of Bellamy, his kindness, his unending generosity, his openness to the unknown. “Yeah,” he whispered, more to himself. “You’re lucky he likes me.. He’s a good ally to have.” He added, looking up at the trail ahead of them. “So are you,” Clarke said, nudging his shoulder. Turning his head towards the girl, he was surprised by the soft smile of admiration she sent him. “Oh don’t act so humble. As much as I hate to admit it.. None of this would have happened without you, so… thank you, Murphy.”

The omega nodded his head as he looked away, feeling warm under her praise. “And thank you for.. keeping me in check when the..” When the ship carrying her mother exploded into a million pieces, she didn’t need to finish the sentence. “Sorry for being harsh..” He mumbled, his brow furrowing in guilt. “No—I needed it. Really.” She rushed out, stopping them to touch his shoulder. It took some effort not to look away from her blue eyes, full of appreciation, regret, guilt. “And I’m sorry about how things ended.. I didn’t know it would end like that.. I didn’t know how to stop them.” She said, eyes full of sincerity. Oh, now she was talking about his banishment, that whole thing. Murphy looked around at what they created, what they formed here, the future they were sowing. It all started because he was banished. Murphy never was an optimist, but he couldn’t deny the fact only good things came from it, kind of made it hard to stay mad. “Don’t be. With how big of a dick I was, probably would have hanged me too.” He jested, trying to lighten the mood. Clarke wasn’t terrible company when she didn’t have a stick up her ass.

—

“If we leave now, we’ll make it before nightfall.” Lincoln said. Bellamy pursed his lips in thought. “Do you have everything you need?” He asked his friend. Lincoln patted the machete at his hip and nodded. “Don’t need much more than this.” He replied. Bellamy reached to feel for the hilt of his own, but came back empty handed. He forgot he tossed it in the back of a cart with the rest of their stuff. The alpha had no idea which cart it was in now. “Here, take mine.” His little sister said, removing the hilt of her blade from her back. Bellamy thanked her and slid it over his shoulders, glancing back to try and find Murphy. “Get us some horses, I’ll be back in a few minutes.” He said, nodding to the two before stepping off to the side.

Using Sepah as a pinpoint, he made his way through the crowd, maneuvering around people and carts. He found Murphy deep in conversation with Nyko and Clarke. His alpha preened at the sight of his omega, who dropped his conversation and immediately turned all his attention to him once he spotted him, walking a little faster to meet him. “Hey,” Murphy breathed out, leaning into the hand that reached up to caress the boy’s face. “Everything okay?” He asked, grabbing onto his wrist. Bellamy nodded, running his thumb over his cheek bone. “We’re going now, Lincoln and I.” He watched Murphy take a deep breath, nodding in understanding before grabbing him by the back of his neck to pull him down into a soft kiss. “Be careful.” The omega said as he pulled away, meeting his eyes. “I always am.” He said, a small smile pulling at his lips when the boy grabbed his chin. “Don’t do anything stupid.” The omega said in a stern voice that had an underlying threat attached to it if he didn’t return.

“I won’t. Promise.” He whispered, leaning forward to steal a deep kiss. Wrapping his arms around the boy, he nestled his face against his scent gland and took one last inhale of his comforting scent, rubbing his skin into his to hopefully make it last. “We should be back in a day or two.” “You better.” Murphy mumbled into his neck. Bellamy chuckled, tightening his arms around him before reluctantly pulling away.

“Be good. I don’t want to hear about you getting into any more fights.” The alpha said in a half playful, half serious tone, and walked away, back towards the front of the pack. “No promises.” Murphy muttered under his breath as he watched the man go.

—

The journey back to Tondc was uneventful. It was about midday when they arrived. Murphy couldn’t help but laugh at Clarke’s awestruck face.

“It’s so much more than I thought it would be.” She said breathlessly, turning in a circle to take it all in. “Yeah I was surprised it wasn’t just some cave.. They got a nice set up here.” He said, heading towards their hut. “Come on, you can stay with us for the night.” Murphy offered, tilting his head to beckon her to follow him and Octavia.

After a quick lunch, Indra came over to collect Clarke, showing her around the village. Nyko came by to grab him as well, needing his help. During the trek back, the healer had expressed wanting to go back with Clarke when she returned to camp, to bring some more medicinal supplies and to check in on the rest of the kids. He also wanted to bring some sort of contraceptive plant, for the omegas that wanted it.

They spent the afternoon hiking through the woods, to a meadow not too far away. Kneeling down beside the gruff beta, Murphy helped him pick a white flower he called ‘kwen anlas.’

“No, not the fresh ones, these ones.” The man said, pointing to the dead brown ones. “It’s the seeds that we use. Those ones will be ready in a few more weeks.” Nyko said, crushing the dried plant between his hands and blowing away the leafy bits. “So you can only harvest it in the fall?” Murphy asked, copying him. The beta grunted his answer, pouring the bristly little seeds in a jar, leaving a small amount in the palm of his hand. “Take about this much, make it into a tea, drink it once a week and it will prevent pregnancy. You have to drink it daily when you are in heat.” Murphy nodded, pouring his own handful into the jar.

After collecting a few jars, the boy stopped to watch his mentor take a flower, crushing it before dispersing the seeds all around. “Never take without giving,” Nyko explained as he caught the boy staring. Murphy nodded and turned around, stepping over to the tall grass that filled the meadow. He looked fondly at it as he ran his hand across it, a slight breeze making it dance, taking its sweet smell with it into the air. “Does this have a name?” He asked, squatting down to pluck a strand of it.

“All plants have a name.” Nyko said mockingly, stuffing his jars into his bag as he walked over to him. “Alright wiseass, what’s its name then?” Murphy asked in an annoyed tone. A soft, amused chuckle escaped his mouth as he looked out at the field of grass, amazed that out of all the plants in the meadow, this was the one that piqued the boy’s interest. “Sweetgrass.” He replied, crouching down to brush his hands through it. “Does it have any medicinal uses?” The boy asked, bringing the blade of grass up to his nose. “Not for the body,” he started, turning to face the boy’s inquisitive look. “Some use it to cleanse their home, their minds, souls.. They say it is Mother Earth’s hair. They burn it to ward off bad spirits, negative thoughts.. Aurora did it often.”

Murphy smiled at the thought that even the grounders believed in Mother Earth. He didn’t think he did, it was just amazing to know the idea of her survived even a nuclear apocalypse. “Who’s Aurora?” He asked, dropping the plant to sit down for a moment. Nyko let out an old man groan as he too plopped down onto the ground, taking a rest to appreciate the day. “Bellamy and Octavia’s mother.” The healer said in a more somber tone, taking out his knife to cut a bundle of it. Murphy watched as his mentor tied off one end with a piece of string and started braiding it. “They don’t talk about her much..” The omega said just above a whisper, looking carefully over the man’s face. “No, I don’t imagine they would.. She died only three winters ago, and then their father a few days later.” Murphy nodded as he ripped a blade of grass apart with his fingers. “The Mountain Men.. Bell told me that much.” He murmured.

“They were good people.. It’s a shame you never got to meet them.” Nyko said, tying off the other end of the braid. “What was she like?” The beta smiled fondly down at the bundle of grass. “She was.. a force to be reckoned with,” Nyko said, breathing out a laugh, forcing a smile to creep onto Murphy’s face. It was nice to see the stoic man’s face crack from its usual scowl. “Commanding, protective, intimidating honestly.. Strong-hearted.. She was kind to those who deserved it, loved her family with every fiber of her being.” He said, bringing the bundle of grass up to his nose to sniff. “That’s why she died.. Protecting Octavia.” Murphy’s brow furrowed in confusion. Seeing this, Nyko went on. “A small group of people went out to gather roots, winter berries and such.. but they were attacked by reapers.. She fought them off until the other’s could get to safety.” A look of pride showed on the healer’s face as he remembered his friend. “Those who were there say she killed two all by herself before she was taken.” The boy stayed quiet as he listened. “I know that may not sound like a lot, but for someone who wasn’t a warrior.. Taking down two reapers is quite the accomplishment.” Nyko said, holding the bundle of grass out to his second, urging him to keep it. “You know, you smell just like this.” He said, a small smile on his face.

Murphy took the braid, running his fingers along it. Maybe that’s why Bellamy liked him so much, he didn’t really know how to feel about that. That would be kind of weird, liking him because he reminded him of his mom. Bellamy didn’t seem like a mama’s boy. He’d have to tease him about that when he came back.

“What was their father’s name?” He asked, dismissing those thoughts for now. Nyko had a sad smile on his face as he leaned back on his arms, looking up at the clouds. “August.” The beta said softly, “he was one of my closest friends.. My brother... We were boys together.” He thought of Mbege, how fortunate he was to call him his friend, to grow up with him, to be boys together, to hopefully grow to be men someday, maybe even old men. Murphy frowned as the gruff man’s eyes grew glassy in remembrance. “It was a loss.. all of Trigedakru felt.” Nyko said, nodding his head.

“I’m sorry for.. bringing them up..” He said shyly, looking away to give Nyko some dignity, he didn’t mean to make him cry. “No.” The healer said firmly, grabbing his shoulder to make him look at him. The omega’s own eyes started to sting as a tear rolled down the beta’s face. “This is how you can be with those you have lost. This is how you honor them. Sharing their memory with the world.. No matter how painful it is.” Murphy’s vision grew blurry as his father instantly came to mind. What had he done to honor his memory? What had he done besides shove the bad feelings down and just try to forget it all. His father was better than that. Deserved better than to be forgotten by time and a cowardly son who was too afraid to show just how much he missed him. Too afraid to remember in fear the grief would paralyze him.

“Grief.. is a blessing. It is proof that you loved. It is proof that they were here, that they lived.” Nyko said with so much passion, so much confidence that Murphy couldn’t help but believe in his words.

John pressed the blunt ends of the grass into his skin, letting the dull pain ground him as he let the sadness of grief pass over him. “Aurora.. reminds me of my dad.” He whispered, slowly opening the floodgates of the sorrow that he had held back for so long.

The healer and his second spent a few hours out there in the meadow. Sharing stories of loved ones long gone, honoring them. Murphy got to learn more about Nyko’s family, his brothers and sisters that had moved on to other villages, who died good deaths in battle. The beta told him of his youth, spent in battle, which unbeknownst to him was quite a normal way to be trained up as a healer. It apparently wasn’t necessary if Murphy did not want to, but Nyko still offered to train him to fight as well as medicine. To Murphy it was honestly perfect. A good mix of what interested him and something he was already good at, though he was sure he still had a lot to learn.

As the sun began to set, Nyko patted his knees and stood from where they were still sitting in the grass, Murphy snickered at the audible pops of his back as the older man stretched. “Go on home, I’ll have more for you to do in the morning.” Nyko said, dusting the dirt off his legs.

Making their way back to Tondc, they parted ways for the night.

Murphy let out an tired sigh as he walked into his home, it felt good to remember his father, to carry on his name, but it was exhausting to let it all out. He gave Octavia a tired smile as she wrapped an arm around him, greeting him with a quick peck to his cheek. “Dinners almost done, can you get some bowls?” The girl asked, turning back to the firebrick stove. He let out a quiet ‘mhm’ and reached up onto the shelves for three bowls, three forks, three cups. “Where’s Clarke?” The boy asked, not seeing the alpha anywhere. “Taking a nap.” Octavia said simply, Murphy’s brow furrowed as he looked over his shoulder and, yep, there she was. Asleep on the couch. He didn’t know how he missed that.

It felt weird not having Bellamy and Lincoln here, felt quieter, a little bit colder, not as homely. The omega chewed his lip as the anxiety he was able to push down all day reared up again.

“I hope they’re okay.” He said quietly, fiddling with the wooden forks in his hand. “They are strong. They can handle themselves, Murph.” Octavia said, pausing her cooking to pull him into a tight hug. He exhaled as he wrapped his arms around her back, melting into her embrace.

“I just.. have this bad feeling.” Murphy whispered, afraid if the universe heard him, all his worries would come true. He couldn’t help but fear the law of nature that cursed his name.

“They are the strongest warriors in Tondc.. They’ll be okay.” She said into his ear. He could tell even she was concerned, it was like she was trying to reassure herself too, not just him.

“They’ll be okay.”

—

Bellamy bared his teeth as a woman in some sort of blue suit walked closer to him and Lincoln, evaluating them with her emotionless eyes.

“What is this one’s blood type?” She said, her voice muffled by the helmet she was wearing. Bellamy snarled as something stabbed the back of his shoulder, he couldn’t help but thrash against the shackles around his limbs.

“O-, Dr. Tsing.” A voice from behind him called out. Their words made no sense, it was as if they spoke an entirely different language. The alpha squeezed his eyes shut as his vision started to blur, the back of his head throbbing with pain from where a reaper had clubbed him. The woman hummed in disappointment, “it’s a shame we need more O-.. harvest,” she said, moving onto Lincoln. “And this one?” Lincoln restrained himself as a needle poked his shoulder, collecting a sample of his blood. “A+”

A small, wicked smile pulled at the corner of her lips. “Common enough.. Mark this one for the Cerberus Program.” She said, moving on to the next.

Chapter Text

Murphy’s eyes burned from exhaustion, he slept like shit. Murphy didn’t want to think the worst, he knew Bellamy and Lincoln were strong, capable.. but nothing seemed to shake this awful pit of anxiety that churned in his stomach. After a few hours of tossing and turning in his bed—Bellamy’s bed—that hardly smelled like him anymore, Octavia crawled in with him. Guess she couldn’t sleep either.

He exhaled as he tore his eyes away from the dark wall and down to the sleeping omega curled up in his arms. Murphy sighed as he rested his forehead against hers, trying his best to let her scent calm him, she smelled similar to Bellamy, just a little different, a little sweeter. It had worked better than he thought it would, was the only reason he got any sleep at all last night. It was a known fact that omegas tended to group together, take comfort in each other, but John never had another omega that he was close enough to in order to try it out. He was glad he had Octavia, it really was nice to lean on her, to know he wasn’t alone in his worry.

Remembering he was a second now, and that he had to meet up with Nyko soon, he crawled over the girl and sat on the edge of the bed to pull his boots on. As he tightened his laces, he spotted the basket of dirty laundry near the wall.

Stepping over to it, he grabbed the first thing he saw, one of Bellamy’s jackets. The omega shamelessly brought it up to his nose, taking a deep drag of the man’s scent that he already missed so much. Taking a look back at Octavia’s slumbering form, he slipped it on and walked out to the kitchen.

He was surprised to see Clarke was already up, nursing the fireplace back to life. “So what’s your plan, more sightseeing today?” Murphy asked, pulling out the leftover rice from last night and a few eggs. The blonde made her way over to the table and plopped down, folding her arms in front of her. “No, I was gonna head back to camp. Indra showed me all there was to show.. Besides, there’s nothing we can do until Bellamy and Lincoln return.” She said with a tired sigh. Murphy smiled to himself as he got a fire going in the stove. “Afraid camp will turn to anarchy if you’re gone?” He said, sending her a smirk as he fanned the small flames. Clarke huffed out a laugh as she leaned her head on her hand. “Can you blame me?” She joked, watching the omega move around the kitchen he had become familiar with, comfortable in. He looked so natural walking around the house, like he belonged here.

“That was the best nights sleep I’ve had since we got here.” The blonde said. Murphy stole a glance, the alpha sat there with her eyes closed, just appreciating the quiet morning. “Well I’m glad someone got some sleep.” He said cynically, tossing a few small logs into the stove before standing up to grab a pan.

“You worried about them?” She asked, opening her sleepy eyes to look at him. Murphy stayed quiet, nodding his head slightly as he fiddled with the cookware, just trying to keep his hands busy. “I don’t know.. Bellamy’s gone off before.. It just feels different this time.” He said quietly, unable to look at the blonde. “Something doesn’t feel right.”

“Is he your true mate?”

His head snapped over at her brazen question, his brow furrowing together in confusion as it came out of nowhere. Clarke sat up a little straighter as she rushed to explain herself. “They say you can sense when something is wrong with your true mate, no matter the distance..” She trailed off, looking shy. Murphy’s face relaxed, looking back to the stove. “I didn’t think you believed in that crap.” He murmured, just catching the alpha’s coy shrug. “I don’t know if I do..” She admitted, staying quiet. “It’s a nice thought though, yeah?”

It was a nice thought. A true mate, the one person you are destined to be with, the one created just for you.. Murphy never believed in fairytales, thought it was just something parents told their kids so they could dream of love, dream of a happily ever after. He wouldn’t be mad if it was real, but only if it meant Bellamy was his true mate. Murphy didn’t want to go through this again, not with anyone else. The boy wouldn’t say he was in love.. but he was getting there, he was falling quick, which scared him. He had been on earth for less than two months, had known Bellamy for less than that but he could already see a future here. In Tondc, standing at the alpha’s side. He knew nothing of love, but he knew his feelings for the man were strong, stronger than anything he had ever felt before. Maybe he was being naive, maybe he was just being a love-sick teenager, but Bellamy was the one and only person he could even think to consider mating with, binding himself to for the rest of his life. But then again, this was his first relationship, how lucky did he have to be to meet his true mate right off the bat?

“Didn’t think you were such a romantic,” he teased, deflecting the attention off him. “Finn got you feeling all lovey-dovey?” His eyebrow raised as the blonde looked down at the table, uncomfortable all of a sudden. “No I.. I don’t want to talk about him.” She muttered. A smirk grew on the boy’s face, “trouble in paradise, princess?” He goaded, having fun with making the alpha squirm. An annoyed look crossed Clarke’s face as she realized he was just trying to push her buttons. “He’s not my true mate.. That much I know.” She said, shutting it down, a certain sadness filling her voice with each word.

Taking pity on her, he left the pan to heat up and leaned down on the table across from her. “If I did believe in.. true mates.. He’d be the one to change my mind.” He said in a hushed tone, could feel his cheeks flush at the statement. A soft smile split across the alpha’s face, “yeah?” She asked. Murphy tried to hide his own smile that pulled at his lips. “Yeah I—” A nervous laugh escaped his throat as he looked away from her intrigued eyes. “I think I’m gonna fall in love with that idiot.” He said honestly, fearfully. “You sap.” Clarke teased. Murphy rolled his eyes at her and stood back up to crack a few eggs into the sizzling hot pan. “Yeah well, I’m sure your one true mate is out there. They’ll make a sap outta you yet.” He mumbled, directing his focus on the very difficult task of perfectly cooking an egg.

“I.. I can’t think of that right now. At least not until everything is settled, not until I know we are all safe..” The girl trailed off behind him. Looking out the window, Murphy nodded, he could understand that mentality. It was a little late for him to think like that, it seemed kind of lonely though, if he was being honest with himself. All this shit would suck if he didn’t have that big dumb idiot to hold at night. But ‘lonely is the head that wears the crown,’ or whatever the saying is. “I’m happy for you though.. I hope he does change your mind.”

Murphy smiled to himself as he pushed his eggs around in the pan. He hoped Bellamy did too.

—

“Bellamy?” A familiar voice called out. “Bellamy!” They hissed, nudging his shoulders. Who was it? He swore he knew that voice. Was it Octavia? Was this all a dream?

The alpha’s vision spun as he struggled to open his eyes. He groaned as he tried to move, his limbs feeling like boulders. Bellamy tried to blink away the blurriness from his eyes as he stretched his legs. “Ow,” he hissed, the sound of metal reverberating around him. “Rez op, Belomi.”

Finally managing to keep his eyes open, his breath quickened as he found himself in a cage. Bellamy threw himself at the door to try and get it open, reaching through the bars to grab at the sturdy lock sealing it shut. “Don’t bother.. you won’t break it.” A somber voice said beside him. Giving up his attempt, the man turned to the voice, his face went slack as he looked into the familiar eyes of his past partner.

“Echo?” The beta’s face was pale, sunken in, she looked.. defeated. Like all the fight had left her. “Just our luck, huh?” She said in a flat tone, resting her back against the wall, looking away from him in shame.

His eyes wide in shock, he looked around the blue-lit chamber, seeing the rows and rows of identical cages, each housing a grounder, his people. Bellamy’s stomach turned as he saw two bodies hanging upside down, their blood being drained out of them.

This was the Mountain Men’s lair, this was where all hope came to die.

This is where his mother died..

Bellamy clenched his jaw as anger, determination burned through his body. This wouldn’t be where he died, he wouldn’t allow it. He had to live, he had his sister to look after, he had to get back to Murphy. There were too many things he still had to do, so many things he hadn’t said.

His fight would not end here.

—

Murphy sighed as they neared the gates of the delinquents’ camp. “Here, take this, I’ll be right back.” Nyko said, slipping off his pack to hand over to his second. The boy took the heavy bag and slung it over his shoulder, watching the man trample off into the woods. “Where’s he going?” Clarke asked, waving up to the guards to open the gate. “To take a piss? I don’t know.” He said with a bored expression, following the alpha into camp.

A few teens greeted them as they passed through camp, heading straight for the drop ship. “I guess we should make an announcement, wrangle up all the omegas, yeah? Getchur’ plan B here?” Murphy said, setting their supplies down on the nearby table. The blonde laughed as she nodded in agreement, “yeah that’s a good start. I’ll go do that now,” she breathed out, watching the omega begin to pull out all their mystery herbs before stepping out.

Hearing her rounding up the camp, he looked down at all the jars of herbs and tinctures they had brought, testing himself on what they were called, what they did, just to keep himself busy until the healer came back. Murphy’s head shot up as Clarke’s voice was drowned out by the delinquents’ alarmed voices. His brow furrowed in confusion, what the hell was all the fuss about? Did they want to get pregnant?

As he strode over to pull the tarp back, he could hear the sounds of people coughing, could hear them gasping for air. Rushing out, Murphy looked around in confusion, all he could see was red. Fuck was this a different kind of acid fog? Were they all about to die? They didn’t sound like they were in pain.

The boy watched as one by one, they all collapsed to the ground. Fuck, where was Nyko? Where was Clarke? He coughed uncontrollably, throwing an arm up to cover his mouth as he stumbled back. Goddamnit he was dizzy. His vision started to blur, his head swimming. Murphy yelped as he tripped on the ramp of the drop ship, he scrunched his eyes closed as his head smacked against it, an audible ‘thump’ echoing off the metal.

Groaning in pain, Murphy slowly opened his eyes again and jumped as he was greeted by a person in a full hazmat suit, holding an assault rifle two feet from his face.

What the fuck was happening? Who was that? Where did they come from? Was this how he died? All this worrying about Bellamy, he never once worried about his own safety. Would he even see Bellamy again? He should have held his tighter, would have kissed him longer if he knew it was the last time.

All of his regrets flashed before his eyes as his vision was consumed by red. God damnit, he just wanted to live. He just wanted to fall in love and grow old. He wanted to be a healer, be a mate. He wanted to see Mbege become a warrior, wanted to see him grow old, wanted to laugh with Lincoln and Octavia again. Just one more time. Please, just one more time. Not yet, he pleaded with anyone that was listening as consciousness was stolen from him.

—

John whimpered in fear as his body was manhandled into a kneeling position. Each time he tried to open his eyes, the weight of them forced them closed again. His breathing quickened as he slowly became more aware. He was in a tunnel, or should he say they were in a tunnel.

Looking from side to side, he found himself in the middle of a line up of about five or six grounders, ones he didn’t know, none of them were from Tondc, that much he knew. Noticing their lack of clothing, he looked down at his own body to find he too had been stripped of everything but his underwear.

Dread filled his gut as a woman in a blue hazmat suit scanned over the lot of them, tapping her gloved finger against her clipboard.

“Harvest, all of them.”

What the fuck did that mean.

The omega flinched as arms grabbed him from behind and tried to pull him up. Murphy went dead weight as he shook his head, trying to get away from them. “No.” He begged as he was forced to stand. “Chil au, Oma.” A deep voice whispered beside him. He craned his neck over to look at the older man who spoke to him, a defeated look in his eyes. “Weron laik osir?” He breathed out as tears welled in his eyes. Murphy screamed as sharp pain shocked his entire body, all of his muscles stiffened as a cattle prod was jabbed into his ribs. “No talking! Step forward!” A muffled voice bellowed out from above him. The boy couldn’t stop his muscles from convulsing from the electricity, he couldn’t fight back as he was yanked upwards and shoved forward.

Murphy cowered as they were ushered into a big metal doorway, it looked like the airlocks on the Ark. Fear and adrenaline coursed through his blood as he followed the grounder in front of him. His rapid breaths and the sound of his own heart thudding in his chest was all he could hear as he looked around the metal chamber. Looking up, he spotted a rusty sign that read ‘Mount Weather.’

Mount Weather.. the place they were supposed to go when they first landed. Mount Weather, Mountain Men.. Fuck, these were the Mountain Men? They were the ones capturing grounders? Creating reapers? It was survivors from the nuclear fallout?

Murphy’s hearing became muffled, it sounded as if he cupped his hands over his ears. His vision darkened at the outer edges as panic overwhelmed him. If this was some sort of bunker, what did survivors need grounders for? Were they slaves? The omega’s eyes stung with tears as one by one, they were unshackled from each other, each grounder taken by two suited people. “No.” He whispered as he watched a metal collar be placed around their necks.

Before he could even try to get away, the cold touch of metal closed around his throat. Murphy panicked, his hands flying up to try and rip it off, he knew it was a useless attempt even as he felt around the circumference of it, taking note of the pole attached at the back. He cried as the pole shoved him forward, making him fall to his knees. “Get up!” A muffled voice barked at him, yanking him by the throat back up to his feet. Murphy dug his fingers underneath the metal to keep it from choking him as tears freely slipped down his cheeks.

“Look at that, it’s not every day you see one crying.” “Aw, is the savage scared?” He heard their voices taunting him. He bared his teeth in a snarl as the pole was secured to the wall, holding him in place. “And he’s an omega, you don’t see those often among the outsiders.” One mentioned as he began dusting him with a yellowish powder. Fuck, this shit burned. “Did your alpha let you out of his sight?” The other goaded, “or maybe he just got sick of you?” Murphy lunged at the suited man in front of him and choked as the metal collar cut into his throat. “That’s enough,” the woman who decided their fates called out, “get back to work.” Murphy coughed uncontrollably as they snickered to themselves, restraining the shackles around his wrists so he couldn’t grab them. His face scrunched as his stomach twisted in pain. Closing his eyes, he tried not to think about the burning powder that covered his skin.

As if the powder wasn’t painful enough, they moved on to spraying him with hot water, scrubbing him down with hard bristle brushes. Murphy gritted his teeth as long as he could, not wanting to give them the satisfaction of hearing him cry out. After they scrubbed his skin raw, he was moved from where he was chained, to stand under a row of shower nozzles. The omega felt dizzy from the humidity, from the sweltering heat that clung to his skin, his entire body beet red. He couldn’t tell if it was just water or sweat that trickled down his face. Staring up at the water faucets, stumbling to keep himself upright, he could hear the rush of water coming through them, could see the rusty pipes rattle with the force of the water. Murphy prayed for cold water, maybe it would cool his flushed body, soothe his irritated skin for just a moment.

The boy screamed, his eyes scrunched closed as boiling water poured over his skin. Murphy struggled against his restraints, doing anything he could to get away from the relentless pain and heat of the water. His mouth fell open, gasping for air and was immediately waterboarded by it, scalding the inside of his mouth. A voice hollered out to cut the water, Murphy’s entire body shook as the water pressure slowly trickled down to nothing. Hunching over he gagged from coughing so hard, his body struggling to clear the water from his lungs. He hissed as hands grabbed him by the arms, flinched as something stabbed the back of his shoulder.

His vision began to spin as he was dragged through the decontamination chamber, he didn’t even make it to the door before his entire body slumped, passing out.

Chapter Text

Bellamy growled as he tried to break the lock from his cage, grabbing the bars to shake it, causing the metal to rattle loudly.

“Shof op. Emo hon daun mou yujon.” Echo said in a tired voice. The alpha’s breaths huffed out of him as he tried to find a fault in the cage, a weak spot he could use to escape. “Ai na tich em op yuj.” He gritted through his teeth, shaking the cage once more for good measure.

A beeping sound came from the door, followed by the opening of it. “Shof op! Emo komba raun!” Echo hissed, grabbing his shoulder to pull him away from the front. “They come!” She warned the others as two men dressed in white walked through, surveying the lot of them. The beta averted her gaze as one of the mountain men stopped in front of her cage. “This one will do.” He said in a bored expression, moving to unlock the door.

Echo was a skilled warrior, she was strong and unafraid, it was what he admired about her. But the way her face paled as they came for her.. Bellamy had never seen such fear cross her face. Before he could even think twice, he pulled his legs up and kicked the cage, drawing their attention away from her. The men paused what they were doing to stare at him. Kicking the bars once more, they stepped over to him and began undoing his lock instead. Preparing to lunge at them, he didn’t even notice the metal pole they stuck through the bars. Bellamy screamed as pain coursed through his entire body as it touched him. Curling in on himself as his muscles spasmed, they opened the door, hitting him again with their pain stick. Bellamy growled in pain as they grabbed his arm, hauling him closer to stab a needle into his shoulder.

As his vision quickly faded to black, he looked over to Echo, a mix of relief and worry on her face. It’d be okay. He’d be okay. He would survive this. He had to.

—

“Fresh meat.” A suited man taunted as they dragged Murphy’s unconscious body through the row of cages. “This one’s empty.” The other said, opening the door to the cage. They ignored the wide eyed stares of the outsiders as they manipulated the boy’s body into the cage, lifting him up into it. As a hand reached out through a cage to grab one of them, a guard quickly stepped in to taze them, letting the decontamination team finish placing him in and slam the door closed. “God, they’re lively today, aren’t they?” The guard asked, looking around at the outraged grounders as they reached through the bars to touch the boy. ‘Oma’ they kept saying, whatever that meant.

The guard looked over this mystery boy they quickly became obsessed over, wondering what was so special about him. He growled as a woman spit on him, slowly wiping it off his cheek, he stared down at the saliva on his hand. Glaring up at the outsider, he stuck his cattle prod through the bars and electrocuted her, feeling satisfied as she retreated to the back of her cage, cowering in fear. “Yeah, that’s what I thought.” He huffed, following the decon team out.

Echo sat still until they were gone, as the door locked shut behind them she rushed closer to the omega, reaching through the bars to touch his face. “Ste dei de Oma?” “Chit em dula hir?” Voices of disbelief, concern rang out from all around them, pressing their bodies against the bars to get a closer look. Echo nodded, her eyes looking over his flushed body and pressed her hand to his forehead. Her brow furrowed as the omega whimpered in his sleep, pressing his face into her cold hand. “Em ste raun fayafou..” She breathed out, her stomach dropping out. The mountain men were evil.. but this was an atrocity. Stealing an omega in heat, how could they? How could they stoop so low? She’d never seen an omega here.. Thought perhaps even they had standards, boundaries.. Now she knew, it was simply because they hadn’t found one until now. There was nothing the mountain men wouldn’t do.

“Oma,” she whispered to him, rubbing her thumb across his cheek. A tear slipped from the boy’s eye, his entire body beginning to shake. “How could they do this to you?” Echo said, her own eyes welling with tears.

The beta touched his neck, looking for a mating bite. He didn’t have a mate, maybe that was a mercy in itself. An Oma would surely be mourned, but at least someone wouldn’t have to live with the suffering of losing their mate. She knew she was a beta, she wouldn’t be able to offer him much comfort, but hopefully any relief would help get him through his heat. But then again, what was the point? They’d both die here.

Curling in on herself, she scooted as close to the boy as she could and ran her hands through his hair. She hoped his death was quick.

Echo didn’t know how long she laid there with the omega, didn’t even move when the mountain men returned to disconnect Bellamy from their machines. As they folded Bellamy into the empty cage on the other side of the boy, she smiled softly at him as his big eyes slowly fluttered open from all the commotion. “Yu laik ait, Oma. Yu laik ait.” She whispered softly to him as his eyes filled with tears. “It hurts.” The boy whimpered, clutching his stomach. “Ai get em in.” Echo said, wiping his tears away. “You’re okay.”

—

Sweetgrass. Rain. John.

Bellamy could smell his omega, was he dreaming? He had to be dreaming. Was he already dead? Is this what awaited him after life?

“Yu laik ait, Oma.” He could hear Echo’s voice whisper.

The man clenched his teeth in pain as he tried to move, his entire body hurt, he felt sick. Felt like he was going to throw up. Taking a deep breath of air, he smelled the boy again, he could taste his sweet aroma in the air. “Murphy?” He croaked out, trying to open his eyes. ’Please don’t be Murphy,’ he thought, ‘please don’t let it be him.’

“Afa?” He heard that beautiful voice whisper.

Forcing his body towards that voice, Bellamy winced as his face collided with the bars. Hooking his fingers around the metal, he forced his eyes open to see the boy curled in a tight ball. No.. what was he doing here?

“Murphy?” He breathed out, shoving his arms through the bars to touch him. Bellamy’s eyes went wide as the omega raised himself up on shaky arms, slowly turning towards him. As soon as their eyes met, the boy sobbed, “Bell..” He said, digging the heel of his palms into his eyes as his body shook from the force of his cries. “Murphy, what are you doing here? What happened?” The alpha said, wrapped his hand around his nape as the omega pressed himself against the cage. “John, what happened?” He rushed out, repeating himself as Murphy cried. “They took us..” “Who? Who did they take?” The alpha stressed, forcing the boy to look at him as his stomach turned with anxiety. Did the mountain take Tondc? Did they take Octavia? Was she okay? Was his sister alive?

“All of us.. all of Skaikru..” Murphy whispered breathlessly, sticking his hand through the grate to touch his neck. Looking around the chamber, Bellamy didn’t see any other sky people. Were they somewhere else? Maybe a different area? But if this is where new captives went, shouldn’t they be here? “And Tondc? Did they attack Tondc?” He asked, grabbing the sides of his face. Murphy shook his head as his eyes fluttered closed. “I don’t know.” The boy whispered, a tear slipping from his beautifully pale eyes.

“He’s in heat, Bellamy.” Echo muttered. Turning his eyes to the beta for a second, he looked back down at Murphy, could hardly see the color of his eyes as the omega blinked slowly at him, they were completely swallowed up by the black of his pupils. He realized just how hot he was, how clammy his skin felt. God fucking damnit, Bellamy couldn’t help him like this. There was little to nothing he could do, no medicine he could give him to cool him down. He couldn’t even hold him. He was helpless.

His face contorted with worry as he pressed his forehead to Murphy’s through the cage. “Fuck.” He hissed. What was he going to do?

How was he going to get them out of this?

—

Feeling his stomach turn, Bellamy turned himself away from Murphy as saliva filled his mouth, he was gonna throw up. The man tried to swallow down the vomit that crawled up his throat, but quickly lost that battle and puked the little amount of food he had left in there. He was just glad the cage underneath him was empty.

Coughing up the last of it, he wiped his face with the back of his hand and spit out the bile in his mouth. Grimacing when he couldn’t completely clear the acrid taste from his tongue.

He panted as he moved back to where he had been resting against the cage, pressed up as close to Murphy as he could. Bellamy reached his clean hand back through the bars and rested his hand on the omega’s neck, brushing his thumb over his scent gland. The boy sniffled, scooching himself closer to the alpha, covering the man’s hand with his own. Bellamy didn’t like how hot he had gotten, and in such a short amount of time. It was hard to tell how long they had been here, it had been maybe a few hours since he woke up, he wasn’t sure. But he already knew this wasn’t a short heat like his last one, this had to be a real one.

“He is yours?” Echo asked, she had been keeping her eye on them the whole time, all the grounders had. Bellamy tried to swallow down the lump in the back of his throat, the one that was always there after he threw up, slowly nodding his head. “I don’t remember there being two omas in Tondc. What village is he from?” Bellamy clenched his jaw as he stared down at the sleeping boy. “He’s Skaikru.” He murmured, brushing his soft hair out of his face. Sparing a glance at the beta, he was not surprised to see the shocked look on her face. Before she could say anymore he went on, “we made peace with them.. So don’t look at him like that.” He growled through his teeth, turning a sharp glare towards her. Echo stayed quiet after that.

—

Echo and the other grounders cowered away from the front of their cages as the familiar beeping of the door cut through the silence. Bellamy kept his eyes trained on the two guards that sauntered into the room, two alphas.

A blonde one tilted his chin up as he sniffed the air, walking closer to them. Bellamy could feel his hackles rise as the man neared them, he tried to exude his pheromones to cover up Murphy’s scent, to let them know he was claimed. To tell them to back off.

It didn’t work. A devilish smile split across the guard's face as he found the source of the sweet smell, resting his hand on the cage to lean closer. “Well what do we have here?” He drawled out, raking his eyes down the omega’s body. “Told you we got an omega.” The other alpha chided, crossing his arms as he stood beside him. “And look at that, he’s in heat too.” The blonde man hummed, “so that’s what that sweet smell was.” Bellamy growled low in his throat as the two men stared at his omega. The older guard turned to meet Bellamy’s eyes, chuckling at the outsider’s futile attempt to protect his omega.

“Well I think it would be cruel to leave him all hot and bothered like that, don’t you think, Garza?” The blonde goaded, the other one, Garza, snickered. “Especially since his alpha ain’t doing nothing about it.” The brunette said sardonically, reaching down to palm his groin. “My thoughts exactly.” The guard said, reaching into his pockets for a key.

The grounders all sat up as the mountain man started to unlock the omega’s cage. “What do you think, sweetheart? Want us to take care of you since that pathetic alpha won’t?” The blonde asked in a mockingly sweet tone. Murphy whimpered in fear as he backed himself against the wall, drawing his legs up and away from them as the door swung open. “Don’t worry darling, we’ll knot you up good.” The omega turned to look at Bellamy as his vision blurred with tears. “Belomi.” He pleaded, his voice cracking from fear, reaching through the bars as if he could crawl through them and into the safety of Bellamy’s arms. He yelped as a hand grabbed his ankle, yanking him closer to them.

Bellamy’s eyes went wide with fury as Murphy was ripped away from him, he threw his shoulder against the door to his cage as the brunette alpha pried Murphy’s fingers off the metal grates. “Don’t touch him!” He snarled, ramming the cage with all his strength. A loud roar ripped through his throat as the blonde jammed their cattle prod into his ribs. They could try and hurt him all they want, he would take it. Bellamy felt no pain, only seething rage as he was hit again with the stick. Adrenaline coursed through his body as he pushed through the electricity and maneuvered around to kick the door with his feet.

All the cages rattled from the grounders' rage as they dragged Murphy’s thrashing body towards a table. “Belomi!” He screamed, reaching out for his alpha, for anything to grab onto, anything that could stop this from happening. The omega snarled as they slammed him against the cold metal surface, his hands held behind his back. Murphy struggled against them, kicking his legs to try and get them off him. His entire body went slack as the blonde alpha clubbed the back of his head with the butt of their cattle prod, stunning him. It didn’t even hurt, it was just the force of it he felt, but it left him dazed, his whole body slumped as his head spun. “Mofi! Ai na rip of steiks-de kom yu joken klaka!” Bellamy bellowed.

Blinking the tears from his eyes, he kept his eyes trained on Bellamy as he kicked at his cage door. He couldn’t even feel impressed as the metal started to bend from the force of Bellamy’s kicks, but the lock wasn’t breaking. It wouldn’t break. This was happening.

Murphy’s lip quivered as the blonde took his hands and pinned them down onto the table, holding him down while the brunette fumbled with his pants behind him. The deafening noise coming from all the grounders overwhelmed him, making his head feel fuzzy, their screams, growls, the rattling of metal as they all tried to stop this. “He’s not even fighting anymore.” “He must really want it, huh?” Murphy heard their voices above him. “Is that it baby? Happy to finally have a real alpha?” A sob racked through his chest as he felt the alpha grind his dick against his ass. “Fuck.” Garza breathed out, grabbing the omega’s hips to rut against him. “If you’re gonna take your time, lemme go first. I’ll loosen him up for ya.” The blonde said impatiently. Murphy could see the bulge in his pants a few inches from his face. “Fuck off, just use his mouth.” The alpha said, curling his fingers under the white underwear Murphy was clothed in. No, the boy begged, please stop, he wanted to say but couldn’t force the words out of his mouth. The omega squeezed his eyes shut as Garza grabbed him by the hair, smashing his face into the freezing table. “Smell so sweet, fuck you’re making my dick so hard.” The alpha groaned, pressing his face into Murphy’s neck. The boy held his breath so he wouldn’t have to inhale the alphas’ disgusting scent. God, he felt like he was choking on it.

All of a sudden, even through all the noise, he heard the sound of three little beeps. “Emerson, what the hell is going on in here?” A woman’s voice hollered over all the sound. Garza quickly yanked up his pants as the door was pushed open and a tan woman strutted into the chamber, stopping to glare at the two guards. The alphas stepped away from Murphy, clasping their hands behind their back, letting him slump to the floor. “Just getting you another blood bag, Dr. Tsing.” The blonde said nonchalantly, as if they were doing nothing wrong. “This one was getting rowdy, we were trying to restrain him.” Emerson explained. The woman turned her sharp eyes down to Garza’s undone pants, could see the tents in both of their trousers. She looked down at the omega that was now sobbing on the floor.

Murphy gasped for air as relief flooded his body, he clawed at the cement floor for purchase, trying to crawl away from them, his fingertips becoming bloody from scraping them against the rough texture.

“And you didn’t think to sedate him?” She asked in a calm tone, flaring her nostrils as she caught the scent of the heated omega. “No ma’am, that’s your field of expertise. Didn’t want to overdose him.” Flicking her eyes over to the enraged alpha nearly breaking his cage to get out, she hummed in thought.

“That’s why we have pre-loaded shots.” She said, stepping up to Garza, the man averted his eyes and stepped aside so the doctor could kneel down next to Murphy. “Forgot about those,” Emerson mumbled, trying to play it off as he and Garza shared a look. The omega flinched away as she touched his neck, looking for a bite. “Mofi! Nou toch op ai houmon!” The caged alpha barked, who managed to get a corner of his door bent outwards and was now working on folding the metal back to get out. “For god's sake, sedate that alpha before he gets loose!” Dr. Tsing yelled, just as Bellamy forced his shoulders through the hole, the sharp metal cutting his chest.

“Yes ma’am.” Emerson said, opening the nearest drawer to pull out a dart gun. Murphy scrambled to get up, grabbing hold of the guard’s ankle as he passed. “Nou! Belomi!” He screamed as the brunette alpha grabbed him around the waist and held him back, reaching his hands out to the grounder.

Quickly catching himself, Emerson growled, lifting the gun to shoot Bellamy, landing the dart right in his neck. The grounder snarled, his hand flying up to rip the dart out but it was already too late, the medication was immediately injected. A wicked smile pulled at the guard’s lips as the outsider quickly lost all of the fight in him, blinking his eyes as his body started to go limp. “That’s right, big boy. Just go to sleep.” Emerson taunted, stepping over to the cage.

The blonde’s eyes went wide as a bloodied hand grabbed him by the shirt and slammed him into the cage, Emerson growled as his nose collided into the bars, breaking it with an audible ‘snap.’ Holding the guard just inches from his teeth, with the last of his fleeting strength Bellamy growled, “I’ll eat you raw.”

A strike of fear ran up the mountain man’s spine as he looked into the manic fire burning in the outsider’s eyes. It didn’t feel like a threat, it felt like a promise.

Emerson took a step back, wrenching the man’s hand from his bulletproof vest.

Watching this unfold, Dr. Tsing fished out the syringe she kept in her pocket and quickly stabbed it into the omega’s shoulder and watched as his legs gave out underneath him. “Ai afa.. Ai houmon..” The boy sobbed, trailing off as the sedative kicked in.

Letting out a sigh, the doctor walked over to the wall and disposed the syringe in a sharps container. “What are you doing?” She said in an irritated voice as Garza began dragging the omega’s body towards the transfusion station. The man’s brow furrowed in confusion. “Setting him up? You needed another one, right?” Rolling her eyes, she crossed her arms over her chest. “He’s in heat. We can’t use him, it’ll kill him if we do.” Dropping his body, the guard stood up. “Who cares?” The man said nonchalantly.

“I care. According to his initial type and screen, he has the rarest blood type there is.. I want to keep him alive as long as we can.” The woman explained. “Just put him back.. and put extra restraints on that alpha, I don’t want him getting out again.” Letting out an exasperated sigh, Garza squatted down to pick Murphy up bridal style, walking him back over to the cages. “Yes ma’am.” He said, annoyed that he had to take orders from a beta, he paused when the doctor placed a hand on his shoulder. “And I’ve already warned you.. Next time I’m telling your wife.” Dr. Tsing threatened, turning a stern gaze towards the alpha as his face paled. “Yes ma’am.” He said in a more embarrassed tone, diverting his eyes from hers.

She stood watch as the guards placed the omega back in his cell. The two had to first push the alpha outsider back into the cell before they could open the door, both of them wincing from the screech of metal scraping against metal as they pried it open. “Put him on my exam table, I’ll have to stitch up those wounds.” The woman said, walking through the row of cages to consider the other grounders. “This one will do for the next treatment.” She said, pointing to a random man who looked the most lively.

Turning back to drag her eyes over the unconscious omega, she hummed in thought. It was rare that they captured omegas, even rarer to witness them in heat.

Following the guards over to her exam table, she thought about the last time she had an omega in her hands. Pulling on a pair of gloves, she got to work suturing the lacerations on the alpha’s chest. Now that she thought about it, it had been a while since she had a mated pair. Well—they weren’t mated, but they were obviously together, knew each other enough to want to protect one another.

The woman kept her hands busy as her mind raced with ideas, experiments she could run with this rare opportunity presented to her.

Oh, the possibilities..

Chapter Text

Dr. Lorelei Tsing leaned against the wall outside the Cerberus cells, rereading the thesis she stayed up all night throwing together as she waited for Cage to be done playing with his guard dogs. Hearing a roar of pain and the clicking of the cell door opening, she closed the file in her hand and pushed herself off the wall to greet the president’s son. “Dr. Tsing, to what do I owe the pleasure?” The alpha said, a giddy smile on his face as he handed the empty syringe of RED off to an orderly. “Immaculate specimen you brought me, by the way. That outsider is something else.” He praised, tossing his gloves into a trash can as he made his way out of the laboratory sector. “What can I do for you doc?”

Falling in step with him, she handed over the file. “There is an experiment I would like to conduct on two of the outsiders that were recently brought in. An omega and an alpha.” Cage stopped walking to read over her work, his brow furrowing in curiosity. “Another whack-job experiment, huh?” He said, his eyes scanning down the page. “I would like to do some tests on umbilical cord blood. Do you remember the pregnant beta that was brought in about a year ago? After she died, I did some research on cord blood, in the past it was used to cure many blood disorders, immune system disorders, even cancer. It’s chalked full of stem cells.. She was disposed of before I could run any tests on the fetal material but.. This is a rare opportunity, I’d like to take full advantage of it.”

Flipping through the pages, Cage looked up at the doctor for a moment in contemplation. “This says the omega is in heat.. So not pregnant.” He reiterated for her, looking back down at the doctor’s haphazard research. “That’s correct, however.. This alpha is his mate. I propose we put them in a cell for the duration of the omega’s heat, see if it catches, which will be the most likely case with him being in heat.”

“Why not just artificially inseminate the omega? Why bother?” Lorelei tilted her head as if to say she understood where he was coming from. “I considered that. But the boy is under extreme stress, I think that’s what triggered his heat in the first place, it’s likely he would miscarry.. I believe if we do it naturally, give them the illusion of safety, that it was in their control.. I think it would give us better odds.” She explained, surveying the man’s face for a reaction. Letting out a sigh, Cage shook his head, handing the file back to her. “Even if it worked, it would still take nine months. No blood bag has ever lasted that long. If he was already pregnant, that would be a different case, but he’s not.” Expecting that push back, the woman stepped closer, “we take them out of rotation, keep them isolated.. Science takes time, Cage.” She said, looking into his eyes. “What are the chances we get a mated pair? Think about what this could do for our people.. If this works.. it could change the way we treat our people, it may even be our ticket out of this cement tomb.” She stressed, touching his arm.

The alpha gave her a tired look. “We’re already planning to incorporate the Ark kids into the gene pool. They are our ticket out of here.” He said in an irritated voice. Even he didn’t like that plan. “You sound like yourself, but I know those are your father’s words.. Are you really okay with one plan? One single plan that may not even work out? What if they refuse? What if they decide to leave and your father lets them? What if they discover their people survived the descent from space? Even if they decide to stay.. it will be years, generations until the Ark genes are fully dispersed enough to allow our people on the ground.. Long after our lifetimes, shall I remind you. My research will only take nine months, a year tops.”

Pursing his lips, Cage placed his hands on his hips as he looked down at the ground, debating it. It was true, the Ark plan was his father’s idea, a passive, non-aggressive idea that did nothing for them, the people that were alive, the people that were right here, living and breathing. President Wallace’s plan benefited no one but the future.. And he never could say no to Lorelei.

The woman could see the cogs turning in his mind, could see his resolve dissipating. “Fine, do whatever you want. But keep it under wraps, I don’t want this disrupting the Ark plans.” Dr. Tsing nodded, “of course, sir.”

—

Murphy had no idea how long he had been here, how long it had been since.. since he was separated from Bellamy. Hours? Days? He didn’t know. He panted as his entire body ached, throbbed with pain. The omega wanted to claw his skin off he was so hot, so itchy. His face scrunched as sweat dripped into his eyes, stinging them. He couldn’t even find the strength to feel embarrassed as his own slick and sweat dripped onto the grounder beneath him, an alpha woman who swore she didn’t mind, even offered him her hand to hold through the cage to comfort him.

Laying in a tight ball, Murphy hid his face with his arm, letting out a sob of relief as the beta next to him pressed her cold hands against his nape. Any amount of relief was helpful, but nothing could quell the ache in his chest, the empty feeling inside him as he yearned for Bellamy, his alpha, his mate, he had to make him his mate. He needed to make Bellamy his mate so no one else would touch him, no one but him.

Nausea crawled up his throat as he tried not to think about what happened. How close he came to being raped. Murphy could still feel the ghosts of their hands touching his body, he felt dirty, stained by their brutality. God, he just wanted Bellamy. He wanted to wake up from this nightmare, wrapped up in his alpha’s arms and forget all about this. He wanted to walk out of their room and into the kitchen where Octavia would be cooking breakfast for them, wanted to hear Mbege’s stupid jokes. He wanted to be in that meadow with Nyko, learning about all the plants under the bright blue sky, listening to his stories. Wanted to feel the cool breeze on his skin, hear the grass rustling in the wind. He wanted this pain to stop, was sick of feeling like his blood was boiling. Life was good, why did this have to happen right when life was getting good?

He had not a clue where Bellamy was, by the time he woke up, the mountain men had already removed the alpha from their section, most likely hauling him deeper into the cavern of cages.

He froze as his ears picked up the sound of those three little beeps, the sound he quickly came to dread. Growls from the grounders filled the air as the clicks of heels made their way over to him, stopping in front of his cage. “Mofi, right?” The tan woman from before asked in a soft voice. The omega bared his teeth in a low snarl as she smiled sweetly at him, but her eyes said something else, held an unsettling darkness in them. “Do you want to be with your alpha?” Murphy glared at her, fucking bitch, he should rip her throat out. He was grateful she stopped the guards from assaulting him, but it didn’t mean she could make fun of him.

Before he could sit up and spit in her fucking face, she pulled a key from her doctor’s coat, holding it up in front of him. “What do you say?” She asked in a tempting voice, eyeing him as she beckoned over a guard, thankfully neither of the two from before. Reaching into her other pocket, she pulled out a syringe. “Be good and I won’t have to use this, okay?” She said, giving the key over to the guard.

Murphy grimaced as he pressed himself against the back wall, away from the man unlocking his cage, his eyes darting between the two mountain men, was she being serious? Was this a trap? This was definitely a trap. Looking at the beta next to him, she shook her head, her eyes begging him not to fall for it. The omega’s head snapped back to them as his door creaked open, the doctor and guard standing aside to allow him to step out himself. “Come in, Mofi. Belomi is waiting for you.” She said, giving him a soft smile that she probably only did to disarm him, make him think she wouldn’t hurt him.

After a short silent standoff, she switched her weight to one side, giving him an impatient look. “You can either walk there yourself, or we’ll drag you there. Your choice.” She said in an even tone. There it was.

Seeing now way out of this, not wanting to be drugged again, Murphy grimaced as he slowly scooted himself towards the edge of the cage, his entire body screaming in protest. Jumping down, Murphy grabbed hold of the cage to steady himself, his knees almost giving out from underneath him. He bared his teeth at the guard as he held out a hand to help him, slapping his arm away.

“Hey now, none of that.” The woman warned, nodding to the guard. The man took hold of Murphy’s elbow and pushed him forward, following after the doctor.

Murphy tried to control his rapid breaths as he was walked down a dimly lit corridor, his vision spinning, his head filled with cotton. Each step sent a jolt of pain up his legs, his head bobbed from side to side, god if felt like it was full of lead. He was almost glad to have the guard holding him up, almost. He would have preferred not being touched, preferred not being in heat.

Stopping in front of a thick metal door, the beta scanned the card that was clipped to her jacket and pushed it open, stepping aside to let Murphy in.

Grabbing the doorframe to steady himself, the omega panted as if he had just run a marathon. Fuck, was his last heat his bad? Is this what it was supposed to feel like when he moved? Maybe that’s why omegas stayed in their nest the entirety of their cycle.

His entire world swayed as he was nudged into the room, it wasn’t even a hard nudge, but he couldn’t stop his knees from buckling beneath him and collapsed onto the smooth concrete flooring. “Hm, it looks like they’re still working on getting him up here.” The woman said, looking around the empty cell. “Don’t worry though, he’ll be along shortly.” Nausea creeped up his throat as his vision doubled. “We’ve provided you with a mat and some nesting material. Food and water will be delivered later, although I did leave a water bottle over there to tide you over until then.” Murphy couldn’t even comprehend half of the shit she was saying, all of his focus on not puking, not passing out. “Lee, would you assist him to the bed?” Dr. Tsing asked. “Of course, ma’am.” A deep voice replied, Murphy whined as hands turned him around and picked him up. The quick movement did nothing to help his nausea, made it worse as he was carried the last few steps into the room and gently placed down on a thick mat. “Alright, Mofi. We’ll be back in a little bit with your alpha. Just hang tight.” She said, shortly followed by the sound of the cell door closing shut.

Alpha? She was really bringing Bellamy? Was she being truthful? This wasn’t some trick? Why would she be doing this for him? What did she gain from allowing them to be together? What was she planning? Would Bellamy finally fuck him? Would he claim him? What did his knot feel like?

Murphy whimpered as his mind was consumed with need, could feel another rush of slick spurt out of him. His heat-addled mind wanting nothing more than to be with his alpha. More than getting out of here, more than figuring out their evil plans. Murphy wanted to smell him, to touch him, taste him. He wanted Bellamy to hold him, wrap those strong arms around him and never let go, never leave him.

Murphy had no idea how long he laid there, curled up in a puddle of his own sweat and slick, it was already soaking through the mattress. He felt sticky, could feel a salt rind forming on his skin, he felt disgusting.

The omega hid his face in his arms, curled farther into himself as the door unlocked. He couldn’t stop his body from shaking as the sound of heavy boots shuffled into the room, could hear their grunts of exertion. “Where do you want him, doc?” “Right there is fine.” Sneaking a look, his heart jumped in his chest as they lowered Bellamy’s unconscious body to the floor. Glancing over to the beta woman, he watched her set down a tray of food and some more water bottles. “God he’s heavy.” One of the guards grumbled, cracking his back before turning to follow the rest out.

As the door clicked shut behind them, Murphy stayed still, listening to the sound of their footsteps fading away. When he no longer heard them, he finally looked at Bellamy, a high pitched whine escaped his throat as he reached out as far as he could to touch him, to no avail, the alpha being just out of reach.

“Afa,” he said, his bottom lip blubbering as his arms failed to support his weight. “Please wake up.” He whispered.

Dragging himself off the mat, Murphy cried out in pain as a cramp wrapped around his entire middle, his lower back burning as if a hot knife had been sunk into it. The boy gritted his teeth with each movement, inching his way over to the alpha.

A series of wet sobs shook his entire body as he laid his head on Bellamy’s chest, rubbing his face against his skin. It was amazing how instantly relieved he was by just being near him, smelling him. He reached a shaky hand up to touch his relaxed face, threading his fingers through his raven hair. “Please wake up.” He begged.

Mustering up the last of his strength, he grabbed the alpha’s arm and hugged it to his chest, nuzzling his face into Bellamy’s rough hand. Murphy’s pale eyes grew heavier with each second, his body sagging with relief that his alpha was near him again. With his head on his chest, he could hear the rhythmic thumping of his heart, found comfort in the way his head rose and fell with each breath the man took. Feeling somewhat safe for the first time in days, exhaustion overcame him. Hopefully Bell would be awake the next time he opened his eyes.

—

Bellamy grimaced as a constant pain stung his chest. He felt cold, well besides the burning heat on top of his chest. Forcing his eyes open, he looked down to find Murphy, fast asleep on his chest. All grogginess left his body as he wrapped his arms around the boy, despite the way they felt like boulders. “Murphy!” He rushed out as he shot up, clutching him to his chest. The omega made a displeased sound, like he was grumpy to have his sleep disturbed, readjusting his face to get more comfortable in their new position.

Bellamy brushed the boy’s sweaty hair out of his face to caress his cheek. “Murphy, wake up.” He whispered, leaning down to lay kisses all over his face. “Sofon, wake up. Please.” He begged the sleeping beauty in his arms. Frustrated tears stung his eyes as he hugged him closer, burying his face into the crook of his shoulder. “Please wake up.” He said, closing his eyes as he held the boy.

—

“Dr. Tsing! The alpha finally woke up.” One of her staff called out, pulling her from the chalkboard she had just finished writing her hypothesis on. Walking over to the monitor screen, she looked over the man’s shoulder to see the screen.

She hummed as she watched ‘Belomi’ struggle to wake up his mate, choosing instead to pick him up and place him down on the bed, grabbing a few blankets from the stack they left to begin making a nest for the omega. “What a sweet alpha.” She preened, pleased with her test subjects. With an alpha like him, it wouldn’t be long until they mated, she was sure of it. Strong, protective, caring, handsome, she understood what ‘Mofi’ saw in him.

“Why hasn’t the omega woke up? I thought he wasn’t sedated.” The student asked, looking at her curiously. “No, but omegas tend to sleep a lot during heat, he’s been through many stressors the past few days. I’m not surprised he’s exhausted.” She said, standing up straight to stare at the grainy video feed. “If he does not wake up in the next few hours, let me know. There is something I must take care of, but keep me updated.” She said, making her way towards the exit. “Yes, ma’am.”

—

As Bellamy finished surrounding Murphy with the white blankets that had an irritating odor, he sighed as he sat down beside his sleeping form, running his hand over his skin. The alpha couldn’t help but smile when the boy unconsciously grabbed his wrist, bringing it up to his nose to just hold it there, to keep his scent close by.

Looking around the room they were in, Bellamy took note of the food and water left for them, along with a tiny red light blinking at them from the far corner near the ceiling. He wondered what it was, maybe a bug, like some sort of firefly. As much as he didn’t want to walk away from the omega, he needed to know what they were dealing with, needed to look for any way they could escape. He reluctantly pulled his hand away from Murphy and stood up, his heart ached as the boy whimpered from the loss. “Don’t worry, I’m not going far.” He said softly, crouching down to brush his hair back once more before walking over to the metal door. Just looking at it, there was no handle, it must only open from the outside. Bellamy ran his fingers along the frame of it, but it was flush with the wall, there was no way he could get it open, he couldn’t even get his fingers under it. Looking down, he noticed a smaller door at the bottom of it that he could get his fingers under.. but it was locked from the outside as well. Relenting, he looked at the indents the metal left on his fingertips and let out a sigh, standing up again.

Circling the room, he thumped his fist lightly on the cement walls, trying to hear how thick they were and found no weakness there, made of solid stone. Glancing up at the blinking red light, he found it wasn’t a bug, he didn’t know what it was. Bellamy jumped to try and grab it, but it was just out of reach. Moving on to the tray of food and water, he inspected it, bringing it up to sniff before pulling the bread apart with his fingers, looking for any traces of poison. Opening a metal bottle of water, he sniffed it, not smelling anything.

Not wanting to take any chances, he dipped his finger in it and rubbed a drop of it across his wrist, doing the same with a bit of the food. If there was no reaction in a few hours, he would move on to testing it on his lips.

Hearing a high pitched moan behind him, Bellamy looked over his shoulder to Murphy, smiling as the omega finally opened his pretty eyes, reaching out for him weakly. “Afa.” He said breathlessly.

Abandoning the food for now, Bellamy walked over to the bed and crawled on top of Murphy, resting his elbows on either side of his head so he could lean down and kiss him. The omega whimpered against his lips, opening his mouth to let him in. Bellamy grabbed his jaw, turning it up to kiss down his throat. “Ai sofon.” The man whispered, running his canines over Murphy’s scent gland, eliciting a pretty whimper from him. “Please, afa.. touch me.”

Bellamy stilled as the sweet request reached his ears. Would Murphy be okay with that? They had gotten off with each other sure.. but they had never had sex. Hadn’t even seen each other naked yet. Murphy wasn’t ready for that then, he was sure he wouldn’t be ready now. Bellamy didn’t even know if he wanted to do that now either. Not here.. Not like this.

But he was in heat.. They didn’t have Nyko’s medicine to help him through it this time. Touching him, scenting him was the only thing they had to get him through his cycle. Would that be enough? Would he have to knot Murphy in order to keep him alive? Would Murphy ever forgive him for forcing that upon him?

Bellamy’s brow furrowed as he looked into the omega’s dilated eyes, full of desire. He had already been in heat for a day, maybe two. Maybe they could get through this without having to knot him, yeah, Bellamy thought. It didn’t seem like life or death at the moment, he didn’t even have fever-shakes yet. He’d wait until it was absolutely necessary.

His eyes rolled back as Murphy rolled his hips up against his, a low growl escaping his throat as his head dropped to the omega’s shoulder. Murphy would be okay with them doing this, right? They had already done this, maybe this was okay? Maybe he could get him through his heat by just this, and then they wouldn’t need to have sex. He wouldn’t have to rape Murphy.

Bringing a hand down to grab the omega’s waist, he bucked his hips, causing a punched moan to escape Murphy’s lips. ‘God, please don’t hate me,’ he thought as he grinded against him. Please forgive me.

Chapter Text

Throwing his head back, Murphy came for the third time as he slowed the roll of his hips. His muscles spasming with pleasure, he collapsed on top of Bellamy, purring loudly in the alpha’s ear as Bellamy’s hands grabbed his rear. The alpha panted as he tried to calm his racing heart, tried to ignore the aching need in his own shorts, the knot he could feel was trying to pop. He held himself back from coming, told himself this wasn’t about him or his pleasure, this was about Murphy. Bellamy couldn’t help him if he was wrung out himself. And based on just how soaked their shorts were, he’d say he was doing a pretty good job. “Fuck,” he breathed out, running a hand over his face and found his hand damp with slick. He didn’t remember Murphy being this wet during his last heat. Bellamy chuckled half-heartedly as he ran his thumb over Murphy’s neck, he’d need to hurry up and check that water. The omega would need it with the amount of sweat and slick he was producing.

God he was so beautiful, so perfect, Bellamy thought as the omega peered up at him through his eyelashes, running his fingers through his curly hair. So beautiful it almost made him forget where they were. At least they were alone. A pleased rumble came from his chest as the boy’s nails scratched at his scalp. “You feel okay?” He asked, running a hand down Murphy’s spine. Bellamy felt him nod into his shoulder, his purs intensifying. Turning his face into the boy’s sweaty hair, he placed a kiss there, taking a deep inhale of his scent. Murphy had smelled like rotting leaves when he woke up, but it had gradually faded away to his usual, grassy aroma.. Mixed with his scent of course.

Rolling them over, Bellamy leaned down to steal a lazy kiss, trailing them down his jaw when the omega was too tired to return them. Placing a kiss on his scent gland, Bellamy lapped at the sweet scent there. Fuck, he was addicted, even his sweat tasted good. Grinding his hips down again, he forced a pained mewl from the omega and leaned back to look at his face. His eyes were closed, his eyebrows knitted together in discomfort. “What’s wrong, sofon?” He asked worriedly. Murphy shook his head. “Too much.” He breathed out, his head lulling to the side with exhaustion. A small smile pulled at the corner of his lips as he pecked his temple and sat up.

Looking down at his wrist where he had wiped the food and water, he saw no signs of a reaction, no redness, no itching, didn’t feel any numbness or tingling. Nodding to himself, Bellamy leaned down to kiss Murphy’s shoulder before standing up to walk back over to the tray. Debating on which one was more important, the man went with the water and opened up the canteen, dipping his finger in it once more to swipe a drop across his bottom lip. Exhaling through his nose, Bellamy went back over to the mat, taking the water with him and curled himself around Murphy’s back, wrapping one arm around his middle, one underneath his head and hugged him tight against him, causing a little squeak to escape the boy.

—

Dr. Tsing stared at the monitor, completely enraptured with her test subjects. “How clever.” She huffed out as she watched the alpha hold a small amount of water in his mouth, even going as far as to turn his head away from Mofi as he tried to kiss him. When the omega started to cry, Belomi grabbed him, pulling him into his lap to rock him from side to side, which seemed to appease him for now.

“What? What is he doing?” Her tech asked, not catching whatever it was she was fascinated by. “What he’s doing, it’s an old pioneer trick. He’s testing the food and water for poison.” She explained, scooting a little bit closer to the screen. “You start by touching it to your skin, like your wrist or inner arm, then your lips, then you hold it in—See there! He’s spitting the water out now. I bet in an hour or so, he’ll try it again, wait a few more hours and if it’s fine, he’ll drink more.” The woman said, a curious smile stretching across her face. “I wasn’t sure what he was doing at first, but now I see.. I always knew the outsiders were more intelligent than everyone thought.” The man beside her scoffed. “Please, they’re savages.. a step up from cavemen.”

Ignoring the student’s comment, she picked up her pen to write down some notes. It wouldn’t be the first time someone laughed at her ideas. But Lorelei was a woman of science, she didn’t let petty prejudice cloud over fact. Their people could joke all they wanted about how stupid, how primitive the outsiders were, but she saw through it. She saw the truth, it was all that mattered to her. Admitting they were smart did not diminish her own intelligence, only a fool would think like that. She always believed that her people never gave the outsiders enough credit. Even they couldn’t deny the fact that these savages managed to survive on earth when they couldn’t. That they were the sole reason Mount Weather survived as long as it has.

She had to believe they’d be the reason they got out of there.

—

A few hours after taking his first sip of water, not feeling sick and any discomfort from it, Bellamy deemed it safe and pulled Murphy into his lap. He smiled weakly down at the flushed boy, he didn’t seem to be in too much pain anymore, but he was obviously weaker. Couldn’t hold himself up anymore, let Bellamy drag his body around like a doll. “John, drink some water.” He said softly, kissing the boy’s chapped lips before holding the canteen up to them.

Murphy murmured, turning his head away as water spilled down his face. Sighing, Bellamy took a swig and craned his head down to kiss the boy, forcing it into his mouth. His blue eyes shot open as the water trickled into his mouth, wetting his tongue. As the alpha pulled back to repeat the motion, Murphy grabbed the back of his head to pull him back down, whining in disappointment when there wasn’t any more. Bellamy chuckled into the kiss, he must not have realized how thirsty he was, and brought the bottle up to his lips once more, tilting it up slowly to not drown him. Or waste any for that matter. They had a limited supply and who knows when or if they’d get more. They’d have to ration it.

Not wanting him to drink too much too fast, he pulled the bottle away and took a couple swigs for himself, recapping it before setting it down. Murphy’s lips curled down in a frown as his eyes started to water. “I don’t want you to throw it up is all, I’ll give you some more in a little while.” Bellamy whispered, kissing away the tear that rolled down his cheek. “Promise?” He asked in such a broken voice, it made the man’s heart clench. “I promise, sofon.” Bellamy replied, tilting the boy’s chin up with his fingers to kiss him sweetly. “Say—that—again.” The omega said in between kisses. The alpha hummed in confusion as Murphy’s face turned a darker shade of red. “Call me that again.” He said shyly, sitting up to wrap his arms around the man’s neck, hiding his face. Bellamy bit his lip to contain his smile. “What, sofon?” He said in a sultry tone, biting the shell of his ear. Bellamy’s mouth opened in awe as he felt a rush of slick trickle onto his lap, the omega whimpering in need. “Yu bilaik em taim ai tag in yu sofon? Ai niron?” He whispered, nipping at the skin right below his ear. “Sha, afa. Ai houmon.” Murphy whimpered out, maneuvering his legs around to straddle the alpha’s lap.

Bellamy ran his hands down the omega’s back, feeling the soft expanse of skin. Burying his face in his shoulder, he tried not to let that comment go to his head, ignored the way his heart jumped at his words. Did Murphy really think of him as his mate or was it just his heat taking over? Bellamy wanted nothing more than to be his mate, felt it in his soul that this boy who fell from the stars was his Swegawon, his promised one. There was no other explanation for how he felt, it was indescribable. He only hoped Murphy felt the same. He hoped he didn’t fuck this up.

Wrapping an arm around his middle, Bellamy moved to lay them down. Kissing a trail up the omega’s chest, he stopped to look down at his face. Murphy purred as he reached a hand up to touch the man’s cheek, Bellamy turned his face into his palm, covering it with his own to keep it in place. “Ai hod yu in.” He whispered, looking deeply into those pale eyes he loved so much, the ones he wanted to drown in.

Murphy’s brow furrowed in confusion, he must not have learned that yet. Not wanting to admit his true feelings now, the man leaned down to capture his mouth in a passionate kiss, rolling his hips down to distract the heated omega. Murphy moaned as he ran his nails down the alpha’s back, grabbing his rear encouragingly.

Burying his face against his scent gland, Bellamy’s eyes fluttered shut as the scent of rain and sweetgrass surrounded his entire being.

—

Bellamy bristled as the creaking of metal woke him up, tightening the arm he had around Murphy as he looked behind him, seeing the little chute at the bottom of the door open to slide in another tray of food and water. Before he could even react, the door was slammed shut, startling the omega awake. Ignoring the food to look back at the boy, Bellamy turned him onto his back as a scared look creeped onto his face. “Yu laik ait, sofon.” He whispered, caressing his cheek as he leaned down to kiss him softly. Rolling out of their nest, the alpha patted over to the tray, picking through it. The water smelled the same as the others, was it safe to assume they all wouldn’t be poisoned? Bellamy grumbled as he thought better of it, that’s probably what the mountain men wanted him to think. Better safe than sorry, he thought as he swiped a drop onto his wrist. Going back over to the older food, the one he had already begun testing, he tore a small piece of bread off and placed it on his tongue, holding it there.

Making his way back to the bed, he picked up the water bottle he had already cleared and sat by the omega, tilting his head up to offer him some more. Murphy drank it down greedily, a few drops spilling out of the corners of his mouth.

When the bottle was empty, Bellamy pressed the back of his hand to the boy’s forehead, he was heating up again. Setting the bottle down, the man slotted himself between the omega’s legs and rutted against him, nipping at his jaw to fully rouse him. He froze as Murphy hissed in pain, grabbing the man’s hips to still his movements. “Hurts.” He murmured, wiggling away from him. Furrowing his brow in confusion, Bellamy looked down at the tent in his underwear, he was obviously turned on, and Murphy had slept all through the night, or what he assumed was night since their captors turned the lights out, so it was about time he needed another release.

Running his fingers over the omega’s prick, Bellamy stopped as a hand shot out to grab his wrist. “Bell.” Murphy whimpered, shaking his head. Accepting that, Bellamy laid down behind him, wrapping an arm around his chest to pull him close. “No,” Murphy whined, pressing his ass back against his own growing bulge. Looking over his shoulder, the boy looked at him with tears in his eyes. “Need you.” Bellamy’s brow furrowed, “But you don’t want me to touch you.” He stated, kissing his temple as the omega sobbed. “No.. not there.” Murphy said, grabbing his hand to show him where he wanted to be touched. The alpha’s face went slack as the boy directed his hand to his rear, grabbing the waistband of his shorts to tug them down. “Here, please.” He begged, taking his wrist once more to place his hand on the cleft of his ass. Bellamy choked on the piece of bread that was melting in his mouth, swallowing it by accident. Fuck, whatever, if they were going to kill them, they would have done it already, he thought as he squeezed the mound of flesh in his hand, tucking his arm underneath Murphy’s head.

Burying his face in the crook of his neck, Bellamy panted as he tried to control himself. “Are you sure?” He huffed out, bunching up the omega’s shorts in his hands. Murphy nodded quickly, helping him shove them down. “Don’t make me beg.” The omega said in a surprisingly stern voice.

His brown eyes darted down to Murphy’s groin, Bellamy bit his lip as his cock sprung free from its restraints, slapping lewdly against the boy’s stomach. “Fuck,” the alpha breathed out, wrapping his hand around the base of it, it was so.. cute, all flushed and pretty, just like it’s owner. Murphy whimpered in discomfort, curling away from the alpha. “Bellamy!” The boy scolded, raking his nails down his thigh. Snickering to himself, he pulled the boy back to where he was and released the light hold he had on his cock, kissing his neck in apology.

Moving his hand back to Murphy’s rear, taking a closer look, he realized the redness wasn’t because he was worked up, it was because he had been chaffed raw. Shit, that was why he was so sensitive. “Moba, sofon.” He said, licking at his scent gland. “Teik ai step yu ste beda.” He growled sensually, worrying a bruise into his pale skin.

Thinking he had teased him long enough, Bellamy carefully touched the pads of his fingers to the omega’s weeping sex, rubbing the slick skin there. Murphy moaned at the touch, pushing his ass back for more. The alpha growled into his ear, rutting his own cock against anything he could reach, anything being the omega’s lower back.

Bellamy panted against his skin, finding a rhythm that Murphy seemed to like and stuck with it. The sounds that came from the omega were music to his ears, he’d never heard anything quite as lovely, so needy, so desperate for more. Fuck he was so wet.

Getting carried away with their pleasure, the man didn’t even notice when Murphy began wiggling his hips back to meet his thrusts. Bellamy jumped out of his trance as the two fingers he was using sunk all the way to his knuckles inside the omega, a choked cry ripped from Murphy’s throat. “Shit!” He cursed, sitting up to turn the boy over. “Fuck, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” He rushed out, touching their foreheads together to comfort the surely scared boy. Feeling his body twitch, his eyebrows knitted together in confusion as he leaned back to look at the omega’s blissed out face. Murphy forced out a moan, his legs squeezing together as his muscles spasmed. Grabbing his thigh, Bellamy moved it out of the way to reveal the cum staining his stomach. The alpha looked back up to his face, wide eyed in surprise. “D-don’t.. stop.” The boy whispered, his big eyes half-lidded with desire.

Letting out a breath of relief, Bellamy sat back on his haunches and rubbed a hand over his face. He didn’t hurt him, thank god. His cock jumped in his shorts as he thought about what just happened, how sensitive Murphy was, goddamn he wanted to fuck him so bad. Wanted to know how quickly he would cum from just his cock.

Leaning down to grab the boy, Bellamy sat down on the bed and crossed his legs underneath him, dragging Murphy into his lap, ripping his shorts off in a rush. The omega’s head fell back onto his shoulder in fatigue, completely letting Bellamy maneuver his legs open. Holding one of his knees up to his chest, Bellamy’s free hand went back to playing with his dripping hole, wetting his fingers once more before slowly sliding two in. A slim hand grabbed his wrist, digging his nails into his skin. “You okay?” Bellamy whispered into his ear, Murphy quickly nodded his head. “Want me to stop?” The boy shook his head, releasing the grip on his wrist to turn his face towards his. “God no.” The omega breathed out before smashing their lips together, moaning filthily into his mouth.

Having the okay to continue, Bellamy pushed his fingers in deeper, curling them slightly, causing a shiver to climb up the boy’s spine. “Right there,” Murphy panted, planting his feet on Bellamy’s knees, using the leverage to grind his ass against his fingers, taking them deeper. With his hand being free now, the alpha ran it up the omega’s chest, rubbing his fingers over his nipple. John’s head fell forward as the pleasure overwhelmed him, another orgasm creeping up.

“Fuck.. more.. I need more, afa.” Murphy croaked out, whimpering desperately. Not having to strength to deny him, Bellamy pulled his fingers out and plunged a third into him, crooking them into the spot that made the boy shiver.

A moan roared from the omega’s chest as he came suddenly, his feet slipping from Bellamy’s legs to only force them in deeper. Tears rolled down his face as his entire body convulsed with pleasure, his head lulling to the side to rest on the alpha’s.

Bellamy watched the cum dribble out of his cock, felt the slick rush down his fingers as Murphy came again. Unable to resist any longer, Bellamy removed his fingers and tossed him down on the bed, leaning down to lap the seed from his stomach. Murphy whimpered as the man licked his quaking body, taking his spent cock into his mouth to clean him. He gasped as his knees were forced up to his chest, the alpha diving down to lick the slick from his inner thighs.

Bellamy growled as he tasted Murphy’s slick for the first time, it would not be the last time he decided. Fuck, it was so sweet, it tasted like nectar. If he could live right here, right between his legs, Bellamy would die a happy man. Laying down flat, he rutted his hard prick into the mattress, diving down to lap at his sex, drinking him straight from the source. The man moaned as fingers threaded through his hair, the omega holding on tight to grind his ass against his tongue. He wrapped his arms around the base of Murphy’s thighs and pulled him closer, working his way past the boy’s rim.

Looking up at Murphy’s flushed face, a rumble vibrated through his chest as the omega’s eyes rolled back, throwing his head back with a garbled moan. Reaching his peak once again, Bellamy laughed as Murphy’s thighs clamped down around his head, cutting off his air as he licked him through his orgasm. The rush of slick that ran down his chin was enough to tip him over the edge, Bellamy moaned as he bucked his hips into the bed, digging his nails into the meat of Murphy’s thighs as he came. As his eyes squeezed shut, he felt a warm spurt of cum splash onto his face, eliciting a pathetic whimper from his lips as his alpha filled with pride. Proud to take care of his omega, for doing such a good job. Proud to be covered in the omega’s scent, to be marked by the boy.

Both of their bodies collapsed with exhaustion as they came down from the high. Laying his head on his thigh, Bellamy purred happily as Murphy’s fingers carded through his hair. It felt like praise for a job well done. He’d do it a million more times if it meant the omega would keep touching him like this, he’d do it for the rest of his life.

Crawling his way up the omega’s body, he left a trail of slick as he kissed his skin, starting at his hipbones, up his chest. Bellamy kissed the scabbed over kill marks right below his collarbone and captured his mouth in a sated kiss, pressing his tongue into Murphy’s mouth, wanting the boy to know just how good he tasted. Mewling into the kiss, Murphy grabbed his hair and pulled his face back, taking a moment to admire the sweat, cum, and slick dripping down his face. The omega purred as he leaned up, licking the fluids that ran down his jaw.

Bellamy’s breath stuttered, burying his face in the boy’s neck, rubbing his scent into his skin. Fuck, Murphy was gonna be the death of him.

—

“Jesus Christ, what’s with all the foreplay? It’s been two days.” Dr. Tsing’s assistant grumbled, the omega squirming in his chair as he tried to adjust the hard on he was trying to hide from her, getting fed up with the torture of having to essentially watch pornography for the past two days.

Sitting back in her chair, Lorelei chewed her lip in worry as she watched the pair cuddle, the fertile window was closing. She thought for sure they’d have coupled by now. “It makes no sense..” she said under breath, it was obvious they were paired together, why were they holding back? They couldn’t have figured out her plans.. Right?

Yesterday, it did seem as though the alpha was having some sort of.. mental anguish over the whole ordeal. They were a pretty young pair.. Perhaps they never had sex before.. Perhaps their relationship was still new? What were the outsiders courting rituals? Was it wrong of her to assume they’d just.. fuck like animals? She didn’t know. All she did know was that their reluctance to mate was ruining her research. The omega should have been properly knocked up by now..

Standing up, the beta grabbed her lab coat and stormed out of the monitoring room, making her way towards the elevator. Tapping her foot on the ground, she did some calculations in her head.

As the elevator dinged, she stepped out and rounded the corner. “Lee, come with me.” She demanded, not even stopping as she continued her way to the laboratory. The young guard looked between his coworker and the doctor, unsure, but the way she said it left no room for him to deny the request, so he silently trailed after her.

Waltzing into the lab, her guard in tow, Dr. Tsing punched in the code to the safe that housed the medications deemed ‘too risky’ to keep out in the open. She smiled as she found what she was looking for, taking one vial. Opening the IV supply drawer, she pulled out one of the syringes designed specifically for their dart gun.

Referencing Belomi’s chart, he weighed in at ninety kilograms, divided by the concentration of the drug, carry the two, that came out to be about twenty milliliters he would need. Eh, she thought to herself, better make it twenty-five.

“What is that?” Lee asked, watching her fill the syringe. “Testosterafil.” She replied flatly, flicking the bubbles to the top with her finger. “What’s it for?” The man questioned, feeling uneasy. “It’s for Belomi.” She said, smiling at him as if it was a stupid question. Rolling his eyes, he clarified himself. “Okay, what does it do?”

Popping the dart into the gun, she raised it up to the light, smirking at the clear fluid. “It induces a rut.” She said, handing it over to him.

Chapter Text

After having a moment to catch their breath, Bellamy reached to the side to grab the other water canteen he had already tested, tilting Murphy’s head up to pour some into his mouth. Letting the boy drink his fill, he climbed over him to rest his back against the wall, letting out a tired sigh as he ran his fingers through his hair. They’d need to eat something soon, he was already starting to feel drained from the lack of sustenance, his stomach cramping with hunger. Now that he remembered it, he didn’t feel sick from that one bit of bread he ate, it must be alright.

Bellamy couldn’t help but smile as the omega slowly crawled his way over to him, pulling him out of his thoughts as he plopped down into his lap, wrapping his arms around his neck. The man kissed his cheek, rubbing his hands down Murphy’s back, kissing along his shoulder as he purred contently into his ear.

As the boy fell asleep on his shoulder, Bellamy looked around their cell, staring at the metal grate that was on the ceiling. He wondered if it was a gate, maybe if he could get up there, he could pry it open?

His eyes shot over to the door as the sound of yelling echoed down the hall outside, a few seconds later and an alarm of some kind rang throughout the chamber. ‘What was happening?,’ he thought as he tightened his arms around his omega. Through the little window, he saw a flash of blonde hair fly by, quickly followed by a limping brunette. That couldn’t have been..

Bellamy’s eyes went wide as his war general’s face popped back in front of the window. The omega yelped as he was dropped onto the mat, Bellamy scrambled to get up as someone tugged her away, tripping over Murphy’s legs as he climbed over him. “Anya!” He yelled, running over to the door to bang on the metal. “Anya!” He hollered, trying his best to look down the hall. The man could just barely see her struggling to go back to the door as someone tried to drag her away. “It’s Bellamy!” He could hear her bark. Anya nearly fell over as she ripped her arms away from Clarke, running back over to him to try and open the door.

Grabbing her by the arm, the blonde tried to yank her along, yelling about how they needed to go. Sparing Bellamy a glance, Clarke looked behind him to see Murphy curled up in there with him, her face contorting with confusion. Meeting the alpha’s eyes, her face hardened. “We’ll come back for you.” She promised, her eyes flicking down the hall before dragging the general away. “Anya, we need to go.” Clarke said. “Wait!” Bellamy yelled, beating his fists into the door.

—

It had been hours since he saw Anya and Clarke. There was no delivery of food or water that day, and they were running out of water, only having a small amount left.

After feeding Murphy bread soaked in water, Bellamy spent the next few hours pacing the room, worrying about the alphas, about Murphy. No one had ever escaped the Mountain before, did they make it out? Were they already dead?

Sitting on the edge of the mattress, Bellamy pulled at his hair as he tried to think of how long they would have to endure this prison until the commander could move her armies on the Mountain. He’d been here for maybe five days? If his sense of time was reliable. Murphy about four. They were moved to this cell two days prior, and as awful as it was, he knew they were better off here. At least here he could care for Murphy, at least here they weren’t draining the blood from his body, making them sick. They got food and water semi-regularly.. What were they doing in here anyways? Why were they separated from the others? If all they wanted was to drain their blood, why would they even bother helping an omega through their heat? Why did it matter to them if Murphy lived or died? What was different about him?

Dragging a hand down his face, Bellamy stared at the door, shaking his head as a million questions ran through his mind. How were they going to get out of here? The commander’s troops were maybe.. ten miles away? If Anya and Clarke escaped, it would take them less than a day to get there, a few hours if they ran. To make matters worse, the commander had not even met the sky people, would she accept the alliance? How long would their negotiations take? Days? Weeks?

Feeling a hand touch his back, Bellamy looked back at the omega that was waking up from his nap. Pushing his thoughts away for now, the alpha leaned down to rub their cheeks together, letting the boy’s soft scent calm his stressed mind and kissed his temple.

Pulling back, his brow furrowed as he realized Murphy wasn’t as hot as he was earlier, his temperature was coming down. It had been about four days since his heat started.. Maybe it was finally coming to an end. “You feel okay?” He asked, brushing the boy’s hair out of his face. If his heat was ending, at least he didn’t need to worry about another lengthy one. But that begged the question, what would happen to them after it ended? Would they be moved back to the cages?

Murphy nodded as he stretched, making a soft sound like he wanted the alpha closer. Bellamy turned around to lay next to him, pulling the omega halfway onto his chest.

Murphy purred as he rubbed his face into his chest, throwing his leg over his waist. As his arm settled around the omega’s back, Bellamy stared up at the ceiling of their cell, absentmindedly running his nails over the thigh thrown over him. “What happened earlier?” Murphy murmured, tracing his finger over the tattoo on his chest. He was kind of shocked to hear to boy so lucid. Just a few hours ago, he was damn near withering away with heat-madness. “It was..” He started, tearing his eyes away from the rusted ceiling. “Anya and Clarke.. They were here. They escaped.” He whispered.

Lifting himself up to his elbow, Murphy stared down at him, a dumbstruck look on his face. “They got out?” Bellamy shook his head, chewing the inside of his cheek in worry. “I don’t know.. I don’t know if they made it.. All I know is that they were here, right outside the door. And then they ran away.” The boy’s face fell a little, furrowing in confusion, anger. “They just.. left us here?” He asked, sitting up.

Bellamy rubbed his hand up the omega’s side, his thumb feeling over the bone of his hip. “They had no choice.. They had to run.” The man said in a gentle tone, defending them. He would have left them too, if he was in the same situation. Maybe if they had more time to open the door they all could have made it out, but they didn’t. And when it came down to it, it was a win just for them to escape. If they could make it to the commander, it could save all of them. They just had to survive until that day came.

“They‘ll come back for us. We just need to trust them.” Bellamy stressed, sitting up to touch their foreheads together. He ran his fingers through the boy’s greasy hair as their eyes fell shut, taking comfort in each other. “We just need to be strong until then, okay?” He said softly, pecking the corner of Murphy’s lips. The omega nodded, leaning in to steal a deeper, more heartfelt kiss.

Pulling away to look into his pale eyes, filled with sorrow and uncertainty, Bellamy gave him a weak smile. “We’ll be okay.” He muttered, whether he was trying to convince the boy or himself, he didn’t know.

—

Just as they were falling asleep for the night, not long after the lights had been shut off, they were blinded once more by the fluorescent beams. Murphy’s hand shot up to shield his eyes as the alpha sat up, instantly on high alert.

Bellamy’s ears piqued as he heard the thudding of boots gathering around their cell door, could see their shadows on the wall outside through the window. Looking around, he tried to think of what he could use as a weapon. Maybe he could use a blanket to strangle them.. but that wouldn’t do much if there were multiple guards. Running over to where their food was, he dumped the plates of food off their tray and examined it, feeling the edges of it. Fuck, he should have done this sooner. As he bent the tray, he felt how brittle it was and put all his strength into it, snapping it in half, smaller shards of it flying everywhere. The grounder had never seen any material like this before, it was hard and sturdy, but didn’t bend like metal did. It wasn’t clay either.

Slamming one half of it into the wall to break it into a more blade-like shape, he pushed his curiosity aside, this wasn’t the time to be wondering what it was made of. Gripping it hard in his hand, he felt the sharp, blunt edges of it dig into his palm as he readied himself for a fight.

The omega, adrenaline shaking the drowsiness from his bones, crawled to the edge of their nest and picked up a broken shard of plastic off the ground and backed himself against the wall, still too weak to stand and fight on his own. “Just stay back.” Bellamy growled as a faint beeping sound alerted them to the unlocking of the door.

—

Dr. Tsing sighed, grumbling under her breath as she finished setting up the transfusion for the two guards that were exposed during Clarke and an outsiders escape. Impeccable timing the two women had, making their escape right as she was planning to induce Belomi’s rut.

In the chaos of their break out, Lorelei had to delay her experiment even further to make sure all the outsiders were secure, needing half of the guard to control them so they wouldn’t break out of their cages, which took hours. And to make matters worse, having to treat the two guards in critical condition after having their hazmat suits compromised. Not to mention the ass-chewing she was bound to receive from Cage, the head of security.

Leaving a nurse to tend to the patients, she headed up to the monitoring room, wanting to double check that having to induce Belomi was still necessary, before going ahead with it.

As soon as she entered the room, Liam, her assistant, was on his feet, running over to her to show her the notes he had taken since the whole ordeal began. “Have they coupled yet?” She asked, trying to keep her irritation from creeping out. “No.. but when the captives escaped, they stopped by their cell.. If I didn’t know any better, it was as if they knew each other.” Leaning on her hands to look at the screen, she scoffed before she could control her emotions. “Savages knowing savages? Why are you surprised?” The omega made a sound of resignation, upset about instantly being shot down. “Well I just thought.. since the captives managed to escape.. there could be some retaliation from the outsiders. Maybe if they knew each other, they would be more likely to try and get them out.” Grabbing the clipboard from his hands, she skimmed over his notes.

“Save it for Cage. I’m sure he will want to know.” She said, turning on her heels to head back towards the lab.

—

Dr. Tsing stopped to huddle with the guards she rounded up to assist her. “I want to avoid sedation at all costs. Lee, as soon as the door opens, target the alpha and shoot him with that dart.” She said firmly, stepping up to the door to flash her card. “Wait, Dr. Tsing..” Emerson said, stopping her with his hand before touching his earpiece to listen closely to the incoming message. “They heard us coming.. Liam said they armed themselves with a broken tray..” The man said, looking down at his dart gun to make sure it was ready to go. Rolling her eyes, she rubbed a hand over her face, great, this is just what she needed, another set back. At least the sedative darts were half doses, it would only set her back about two.. maybe three hours. Eh, maybe less if they’re adrenaline levels were high enough, which would be the case if they were preparing themselves for a fight. It wasn’t ideal, but it would have to do.

“We have to sedate them now. We’ll need to sweep their cell for all and any possible weapons.” Sighing in resignation, she threw up her hands. “Fine. Do whatever you need to do.” She said, stepping to the side to give the guards space to run in.

“The alpha will be on our right, behind the door. The omega is still on the bed. Dr. Tsing, stay back until the room is secure.” Emerson said, giving her the okay to unlock the door.

Hearing the clicking of the locks, Emerson kicked the heavy door open, and having a clear shot at the omega, he wasted no time shooting him. The boy yelped as his hand shot up to the dart in his chest, ripping it out before slumping over, his eyes darting behind the door. Swiveling to the right, the man had just enough time to land a second dart into the enraged alpha barreling towards him, but didn’t have enough time to avoid being tackled by him. The wind was knocked out of him as they collided with the concrete floor, the outsider instantly grabbing him around the throat with one hand to lift him up and slam him right back down. His vision swam as the alpha’s fingers crushed his throat. Right as the outsider lifted the broken piece of plastic up to plunge into his chest, Lee grabbed him in a headlock, pulling him off his body as the alpha fought to stay awake. Emerson rolled onto his stomach, coughing uncontrollably as he lifted himself onto his hands and knees, gasping for air as his throat quivered from its abuse.

Looking over to Lee, he watched the young guard wrap his legs around the outsider’s waist, pinning him until he went unconscious. Turning back to the omega, Emerson crawled his way over and shook his shoulder, checked his eyes next to make sure the sedative had took. “It’s clear.” He croaked out, his voice cracking from the trauma it had just gone through.

Standing up on wavering legs, the man collected himself and stared down at the sedated alpha as Lee rolled his limp body off of his with a grunt. That was twice now, the alpha had nearly bested him, if it hadn’t been for the drugs. He scowled as he was once again reminded just how strong this one was, how weak he himself was. How could he call himself the captain of the guard if he could let one singular outsider overpower him. It made his baser instincts furious to be humbled so quickly, to be put in his place. The alpha in him raged with the need to dominate something, to prove he wasn’t a sniveling little runt. It made him want to do something bad.

“Emerson, do your sweep. These sedatives won’t last long. Lee, give me that syringe.” The doctor ordered them, crouching down next to the alpha to do a quick examination of him. Taking the dart gun from the young man, Lorelei slipped it into her jacket pocket for now, wanting to administer it right before they would leave. If she did it now, there could be a chance Belomi would wake up, so she didn’t want to risk that.

As the guards did their sweep, removing all the bits and shards of plastic they could find, removing all the food and water bottles, they left only the mat and the blankets. They would have to change how and what kind of provisions they gave the two outsiders. No containers that could potentially be used against them.

Dr. Tsing moved on to Mofi, taking note of the vitals she could assess without any equipment. The omega was still quite warm, but his heart rate, respiratory rate and such were coming down from what was normal to expect during a heat, his cycle was ending. Although it grated her that they lost the fertile window, she reminded herself that omegas were fertile all the time. Heats were simply the best opportunity. And with Belomi going into rut soon, it would just have to do.

As the guards concluded their search, deeming it safe for future visits, Dr. Tsing held the dart gun a few feet from the alpha’s thigh and injected the dart. Letting out a tired sigh, she turned on her heels and waltzed out, heading to her office to chart her recent discoveries.

—

Hearing a low growl, Murphy groaned as he struggled to open his eyes, his lids feeling too heavy to keep open. Feeling a familiar weight on top of him, he forced his lead-filled arms up to wrap around his alpha, burying his face into his shoulder. Remembering why he felt so groggy, Murphy was relieved to still have Bellamy with him, but that was all the energy he could muster to try and figure out why the mountain men invaded their cell. He’d have to ponder it once he was more awake. Right now, he was just happy they hadn’t been separated.

Running his hands down the alpha’s back, he found his skin to be damp with sweat, his hands gliding right over his muscled back. “Bell?” He murmured, taking a deep inhale of the man’s scent. He smelled.. like… chemicals? His scent it.. it smelled like his usual pine-like self, but it was different. Stronger. Like it was mixed with bleach or chlorine. It wasn’t right, it didn’t bring him comfort like it usually did.

Murphy grimaced as the alpha’s hands grabbed his hips in a bruising grip, rutting down into him. With his genitals still feeling raw from their.. escapades, Murphy hissed as he gently pushed the man away. “Bell, I don’t think I’m in heat anymore. You don-” His words died in his throat as the alpha growled angrily into his ear, sending a shiver of dread down his spine. Shit, was he in rut? But he just had a rut. “Bellamy?” He said in a scared voice, putting more effort into pushing the man away. But no matter how hard he pushed, the alpha didn’t move, bucking even harder into him, causing a pained cry to escape his lips. “Bellamy, knock it off. You’re freaking me out.” He said, trying to keep his voice from wavering, trying to stay calm. Murphy froze as teeth closed around his scent gland, threatening to bite down, a warning growl filling the air. “Houmon.”

The boy’s eyes stung with tears as the alpha moved his hands down to grab behind his knees, bringing them up to his sides. Suddenly, like a flash, all Murphy could think about was the way those two guards held him down, could feel the way the one had pressed his cock against his ass. Could feel the ghosts of their hands wandering his body. “No.” He said firmly, fighting against Bellamy’s hands as he began shoving his chest. Murphy’s breaths became rapid as he felt the man yanking down his shorts, grinding his hard cock against his backside. The omega winced at the friction, no longer dripping with slick, he wasn’t in heat anymore, and how could he feel aroused when his entire body was filled with panic? He was as dry as a desert.

“Bellamy! Fuck! Stop it, get off of me!” He cried, but no matter how hard he fought, he couldn’t compete with the alpha’s strength. It was terrifying to realize just how much stronger the man was compared to him. He had no chance of fighting him off. He was helpless. Tears rolled down his face as a hand grabbed his throat pinning him down onto the mattress. Murphy sobbed as the callused fingers he always loved, the ones that touched him so sweetly, so gently, tightened around his neck. He screwed his eyes shut as Bellamy roared in his face, forcing him into submission as a drop of his saliva dripped onto his cheek. Murphy couldn’t look at him. He didn’t want to see his black eyes, didn’t want to see the ravenous, enraged look taint his handsome features. He couldn’t take that. This wasn’t Bellamy, this wasn’t his Bellamy. This is what the mountain men did to them. It had to be, he had to believe this wasn’t his alpha hurting him.

Feeling the blunt head of the man’s cock pressing against his hole, he panicked, throwing his hands up to dig his nails into Bellamy’s wrist as he tried to close his legs. “Bellamy, afa, please don’t do this. Please, don’t do thi-” Murphy screamed as the man tried to force his way inside him, god it fucking hurt. Maybe if he was still in heat, this wouldn’t hurt as much, maybe if he was loose from heat, maybe if there was slick. Maybe if he wanted this.

As his vision started to tunnel, using the last of his strength, Murphy tried to punch him, but not having enough time nor the space to form a fist, he ended up scratching the rutted alpha’s face. The omega gasped for air as Bellamy snarled, falling off of him and thudding onto the cold cement floor. Scrambling to get up, Murphy scooted himself back against the wall, flattening himself against it to get as far away from Bellamy as he could.

The boy tried to blink away the tears that were clouding his vision, needing a clear shot of the alpha. Murphy clutched his throat as it constricted with panic, he was hyperventilating. Quickly wiping the tears from his eyes, he watched as Bellamy held his cheek, a mortified look on his face as he looked down at the blood staining his hand, finally being shocked out of his rut-induced frenzy. “Houmon.” Bellamy breathed out, looking down at his shaking hands as he realized what he just did. “Ai l-laksen houmon.” He whispered to himself, falling back on his ass in shock.

Murphy’s entire body shook as his sobs racked through him, fisting the blankets in his hands as he tried to pull air into his lungs. Pulling one across his naked body, the omega buried himself in his nest, trying to let their lingering scent calm him down. “Oma?” He heard the alpha say in a worried voice. Seeing that Bellamy was slowly crawling over to him, Murphy looked around and found a water bottle and reached for it, hurling it in the man’s direction. Bellamy cowered as the plastic water bottle hit the wall behind him, breaking from the force of the boy’s throw, water sloshing everywhere. “Stay away from me!” Murphy screamed at him, a terrified look in his eyes.

The boy managed to drag in a deep breath as the rutted alpha retreated to the far side of the cell, pulling at his hair as he rocked himself back and forth.

—

Covering his ears to block out the omega’s wails, Bellamy hit his head against the cement wall as regret, guilt, disgust consumed his mind.

‘Hurt mate. I hurt mate. I hurt mate.’

Was the only thing running through Bellamy’s head, repeating over and over again as tears blurred his vision.

‘Mate doesn’t want me. Mate rejected me.’

Staring down at the blood on his hands, Bellamy’s bottom lip quivered as tears stung the scratch marks on his cheek.

‘I hurt mate. Mate doesn’t want me. I thought I was good? Why doesn’t he want me? I’m a bad alpha. I’m bad. I’m bad.’

—

It didn’t take long for Bellamy’s altered, chemical scent to fill the room, along with the sour, bitter smell of his despair. It didn’t make Murphy feel any better like it normally did, it took him longer than he would like to admit to calm down.

Murphy sniffled from where he had wrapped himself in the blankets, using them as a shield against the alpha, though he knew in reality.. It wouldn’t do shit to protect him if Bellamy hadn’t come to his senses. It being his first day out of heat and having to go through the panic of.. that, he felt exhausted, he could feel just how swollen his eyes were from crying so hard. He was even more thirsty now, the teen regretted throwing the only water bottle they had.

It made his chest squeeze with pain as he watched the man’s shoulders hiccup from crying, Bellamy had drawn his knees up, wrapping his arms around his legs to hide his face in them. As shaken up as he was, the omega inside him yearned to comfort his alpha. Murphy couldn’t even feel mad at him, it wasn’t his fault. Taking into account the fact that Bellamy wasn’t supposed to go into rut for another year, the chemical odor in his scent, and the bruised puncture marks on his chest and thigh, he deduced that the mountain men must have induced a rut. Which begged the question.. why? Why did they trigger a rut in Bellamy? Why did they lock them up soon after he went into heat? Did they want them to mate? Why? Was this some sort of a sick.. perverse experiment?

Sure, Bellamy had been persistent during the short amount of time he had seen him in rut a few weeks ago, but not that aggressive, not to mention Octavia swearing he wasn’t usually like that. It made him feel bad for having to reject him. This wasn’t Bellamy, this was the mountain men. This was their fault. Just another reason to hate them all the more. Taking away the only thing that brought him comfort here. Utilizing, demonizing the one person he wanted nothing more than to be with.

God, all he wanted to do was wrap his arms around him and kiss his tears away, but he couldn’t. Murphy didn’t want to encourage him, didn’t want him to get the wrong idea, not while he was in this.. rut-addled mindset. He thought, he wouldn’t have minded helping the alpha through his rut if the situation was different. If it wasn’t forced upon him, if they were home.. But in this instance, Murphy couldn’t.. he couldn’t trust Bellamy. Not in the condition he was in.. No, they’d have to keep their distance.

Bellamy’s head shot up as he heard something Murphy couldn’t. Walking on his hands and feet.. kind of like a monkey.. the alpha crouched by the door, staring at it with murderous intent as the chute at the bottom creaked open, rolling two water bottles and some plastic wrapped food through. Before it could shut, the alpha grabbed it, bending the metal slightly as they played tug-a-war with the door, Murphy could hear the person on the other side of the door struggling to close it. The grounder ultimately lost as his fingers slipped from the surface, falling back on his ass as it slammed shut again. Growling under his breath, he crawled back over to it, getting his fingers underneath the corners of it. Murphy’s eyes shot to the water bottle rolling its way over to him, stopping a few feet away from his reach. He swallowed as he saw the condensation sweating down the bottle. He could make it, he could nab it without Bellamy seeing.

Making sure the alpha was still distracted by the door, the boy slowly, and as silently as he could, crawled to the edge of his nest, reaching out to grab it. Just as his fingertips touched the cap, the alpha’s head shot back to look behind him, his wide eyes filled with desperate want as he saw the omega crawling over to him. As Bellamy switched his focus to him, a high pitched whine escaped Murphy’s lips as he abandoned all thoughts of getting some water, scrambling back into the faux safety of his nest as the alpha advanced on him. “No, Bellamy!” He scolded, pulling his legs up to his chest as the man grabbed his ankle.

Pulling his hand away as if he was burned, Bellamy whined, looking down in shame as he stopped at the edge of the bed. Murphy had been right. He couldn’t even breath in his direction without the alpha thinking it was an invitation. Goddamnit, this was gonna be an awful couple of days. Thankful at least that he listened, Murphy tried to calm his racing heart as he fearfully watched Bellamy squeeze his thighs together, grimacing painfully as he pressed a hand to the bulge in his underwear. ‘He’s trying to restrain himself,’ the boy thought as the alpha turned around to look at what was on the floor.

Picking up the packaged food, Bellamy sniffed it, ripping it open to inspect it, doing the same with the water, rubbing the cold condensation between his fingers. When he deemed it safe, he cautiously creeped his way back over to the bed, pausing only when the omega flinched away. He hesitantly placed them on the edge of the mat before retreating to the door again, going right back to trying to pry it open.

After what felt like an hour, the alpha finally gave up his useless attempt to open the chute. Maybe he realized there was no point, it wasn’t as if they could fit through it. Murphy was just glad he didn’t have to fend off his virginity with a stick. Was he still considered a virgin? They didn’t actually have sex..

Sending the omega a guilty look, the man took the last water bottle and slowly crawled back over to their nest, careful not to touch it, and placed the bottle next to the other half empty one before slinking back to his corner, facing away from him as to not be too tempted. Maybe it was a peace offering, maybe the alpha just wanted to take care of his omega.

Murphy sighed as the alpha curled his arms around his middle, resting his shoulder against the wall. Sitting up, he took the full water bottle and rolled it over to him. Bellamy flinched as the cold bottle made contact with his back, causing him to turn around to look at him in confusion. The boy wrapped up the rest of the food, he had only eaten half of it to save some for Bellamy and placed it as far onto the cement as he could towards the alpha before returning to the warm spot he had been laying in, hopefully conveying the message that he wanted Bellamy to eat, but not so much as to encourage him to join him in the nest. That made his heart hurt too, he knew just how comforting a nest could be, he hated having to deny Bellamy from it, maybe he could give him a blanket, one with their scent on it, maybe that would help. Or would that just draw him in?

Wrapping a blanket that still smelled like juniper berries around his shoulders, Murphy sighed. It was too much to think about. Maybe he should just observe for a bit.

After Bellamy snarfed down the food, chasing it down with the entire bottle of water, and unceremoniously passing out, Murphy took the quiet moment to finally take a good look around their cell. As expected, there wasn’t much. The boy blushed as he finally noticed the camera in the top corner of the ceiling, blinking its evil red eye at them. Fuck that was embarrassing, they had seen it all? Everything? Remembering the positions Bellamy put him in yesterday.. his entire body went hot with the realization that whoever was watching received a full show. He hoped the perverts enjoyed themselves..

He thought about covering it with a blanket.. but then thought better of it. They’d probably just come and take it down, maybe even take their nest away, which he absolutely didn’t want, it being the last comfort he had. If they wanted to keep what little they had left, they’d have to prove they wouldn’t use it against themselves or the mountain men. Just like it was back in the sky box. He remembered the time a kid used a pencil as a shank and got them banned. It proved to be a shitting shank, breaking almost instantly, but it did some damage nonetheless. And seeing how they used to get metal water bottles and food on a plastic tray, it seems the mountain men didn’t appreciate the weapon Bellamy made in a haste. They wouldn’t be taking any more risks like that.

Turning to the only other thing in the room, Bellamy, he watched as the alpha twitched in his sleep, growling under his breath as he dreamed of something. He hoped it wasn’t anything too horrible.

Watching the man sleep made him drowsy himself, he hugged himself as he watched Bellamy’s chest rise and fall, wishing it was the alpha’s arms wrapped out him instead. Murphy couldn’t stop the tears from flooding his eyes again, wetting the blanket beneath as he cried himself into a restless sleep.

God this place fucking sucked.

—

A repetitive whining sound pulled Murphy from his nap, in his sleep-addled mind, he thought for a second it was an alarm clock, and stuck his hand out to snooze it. As he smacked a sweaty head of hair, he jumped awake, remembering where he was, who was with him, what state that someone was in.

The lights had been cut out for the night, Murphy could barely see Bellamy’s tense body, the only light coming from the hallway. Sometime after he fell asleep, the alpha had apparently stolen a blanket from their nest and now had it bunched up beneath him, smashing his face into it as he grinded against it.

The omega’s eyes trailed down his glistening body, stopping as they landed on the cock fisted in Bellamy’s hand. “Oma..” he breathed out, his mouth ajar as he drooled into the blanket. Jesus Christ, he was big. He knew he had to be based on what it felt like to have it pressed up against him, but it didn’t compare to actually seeing it with his own two eyes. Murphy was suddenly a hundred times more grateful that he was able to stop him earlier, fuck that would have hurt.

A pained moan tore his eyes away from the lewd scene, Murphy blushed as he realized the alpha had been staring at him the entire time. Which was honestly relieving, knowing Bellamy wouldn’t just jump him on sight. He was being good, he was restraining himself. Damn it.. this was hotter than it should be. “Oma.. beja.” The man pleaded, pumping his hand even faster when he learned the omega was watching him.

Not sure if it was a good idea, fuck who was he kidding, it was a stupid fucking idea, Murphy crawled to the edge of the mat and laid down, stretching his arm out to pet Bellamy’s head.

The second his hand touched him, a choked moan ripped from the alpha’s throat, his eyes rolling to the back of his head as his entire body tensed. Murphy’s jaw went slack as Bellamy came, his cum spurting all over the floor, onto the edge of their nest. He watched as the man tightened his hand around the knot at the base of his cock, shivering as it jumped with each surge of seed. The omega gasped as he suddenly rolled onto his side, his other hand shooting out to grab his wrist, bringing it to Bellamy’s mouth. A strike of fear ran down his spine, was he going to bite him? Fuck, he should never have touched him.

He couldn’t even yank his hand away as the alpha lapped at the scent gland on his wrist, whimpering as he sucked a bruise into the skin. Rubbing his face into it, Bellamy moaned pathetically as he looked up at the omega through his eyelashes, his body twitching in afterglow. “Oma.. Moba, houmon..” He said breathlessly. The man winced as his knot became more uncomfortable, not being buried in something.

Murphy laid there, completely still in fear, in shock of what he might do. After what felt like a lifetime, but it was probably more like twenty minutes, Bellamy’s body finally relaxed, releasing the hold on the omega and his knot as it finally deflated, passing out again as exhaustion overwhelmed him.

There was no way Murphy was gonna be able to sleep after that.

Chapter Text

Lorelei was jolted awake by the sound of pounding on her door. Rubbing her eyes, she stood from her desk and made her way to the door, yelling at whoever it was that she was coming.

Yanking open her door, she squinted at the bright lights of the hallway, scowling at Liam, her assistant, the omega looked as though he had ran the entire way here. “Dr. Tsing, I’m sorry to wa-” He panted out, trying to catch his breath. “Out with it, Liam.” She cut him off, walking back into her room to look for her shoes, if it was so urgent he couldn’t wait until morning, she was sure she would have to go right now to take care of it. “It’s the alpha, he had a seizure.” A seizure? She knew she gave him more testosterafil than the recommended dosage.. but not enough to overdose him, it was just.. an extra nudge. If his body was reacting like this, it had to be because his needs were not being met. “I assume they haven’t mated then? That’s the only explanation for this adverse reaction.” She said, pulling her hair back into a loose ponytail. Liam nodded, “that’s correct. Around zero thirty hours, the alpha used self gratification to relieve himself, to which the omega did respond but.. they still have not coupled.”

The student went on as he followed her down the hall. “The aggression shown by the alpha right after induction has been a major setback, but it does seem like the omega is coming around to him. The more he proves he can control himself, the more the omega is interested in him.” Lorelei hummed as she flashed her keycard to the elevator, stepping in. “But at the rate this.. courting ritual is going, I don’t know if the alpha will survive his rut.” Dr. Tsing smiled to herself as they watched the numbers decrease. “Then you aren’t watching close enough. Mofi may be timid.. but he isn’t going to let his alpha die.” She said, stepping out as soon as the elevator doors opened.

“I want a full set of vitals on the alpha, including an EKG. Bring my equipment to their cell. I’ll find a guard and meet you there.” She said, splitting ways with him for now.

—

Murphy’s eyes fluttered open as he heard an exasperated exhale. Moving the blanket aside, he stared at Bellamy. The man had rolled over onto his back since they fell asleep, his limbs splayed out like a starfish. If it wasn’t for the rise and fall of his chest, Murphy would have thought he was dead.

He had almost fallen back asleep when Bellamy’s back suddenly arched off of the ground, his entire body going rigid as he began to seize. Murphy was instantly awake, throwing the blankets off of himself to crawl over to the alpha. “Bellamy!” He yelled, his hands flailing as he didn’t know what to do with them, where to put them. The boy recalled what Nyko had taught him about seizures, knew he wasn’t supposed to hold them down or restrict them in any way.

He touched the back of his hand to Bellamy’s forehead, “fuck” he hissed, feeling the feverish skin. Looking around, he spotted the water bottle he saved and snatched it from his nest, instantly pouring it over the alpha’s chest, yanking the blanket away that was wrapped around his limbs. “No, no, no,” he whispered to himself, feeling the cement with his hands, it was warm where Bellamy had been laying. He should move him to a colder spot, once the seizure ended. “Yeah, t-that’ll work.” He stuttered, waiting for the exact moment his body would relax.

As soon as his body collapsed onto the floor, Murphy grabbed his arm and underwear, using them as a handle to pull him across the smooth cement. The omega yelled as he struggled to pull the dead weight just a foot to the side, falling onto his ass as his hand slipped from Bellamy’s sweaty arm. Scrambling back to the man’s head, Murphy’s face scrunched as the lights were turned on, blinding him for a second. Too afraid to even care that it meant the mountain men were coming, Murphy felt for Bellamy’s carotid pulse, dropping his head down to his chest to see if it would rise. His pulse was weak, but it was there. He still wasn’t breathing though. Grabbing his head to tilt it back, the boy parted his lips and forced the air into his lungs, repeating the action again after a few seconds. Murphy frowned as he tried to stop the tears from welling in his eyes. Come on, he thought as his eyes darted all over Bellamy’s face, waiting for him to move. Murphy brought his hand up to cover his mouth as a sob of relief escaped his lips as Bellamy took a second, but finally breathed on his own.

Throwing his arms around the man’s neck, he wailed into his ear, brushing his fingers through his hair. “Bellamy? Please wake up, please.” He sobbed, pulling back to kiss the alpha’s face. “I’m sorry, okay? I’m sorry, I’ll take care of you, okay? Just please wake up.” He begged, caressing his freckled cheek.

Kissing his lips, Murphy pulled away as he tasted blood and watched as a drop rolled down the side of his face. Using a finger to open his mouth, he could see a deep bite mark on the side of Bellamy’s tongue.

A surge of anger reared up inside him as the man wouldn’t listen to him, wouldn’t wake up no matter how loud he screamed at him to do so. Sitting back on his knees, he slapped him, shoving his chest to try and hurt him awake. “Don’t you dare fucking leave me here!” He screamed, his voice cracking with emotion. “You’re not dying here, you stubborn fucking animal!” He growled, squeezing the man’s shoulder in a tight grip, Bellamy grimaced in pain, pulling away from him. Murphy’s breath caught in his throat as the alpha slowly opened his eyes, a confused look on his face. Instantly feeling horrible, a flood of tears poured down the omega’s face as he threw himself on top of the man, sobbing uncontrollably into his ear as he stroked his raven colored curls. “Don’t ever scare me like that again!” He cried, rubbing his scent over every patch of skin he could reach. “Houmon?” Bellamy breathed out, his arms smacking back down onto the floor when he didn’t have the strength to lift them.

Resting his forehead on Bellamy’s, the boy nodded, kissing his cheek. “Sha, ai laik hir. Houmon laik hir.” He whispered, rubbing his thumb over his cheek bone as their eyes finally met.

A whirlwind of emotions ran through Murphy’s mind as he looked over the alpha, making sure he was really there, that he was really alive. Just as he began to breath easy, Bellamy’s eyes rolled back into his head as his body went stiff again, his back arching off of the ground. “No! Fuck!” The omega screamed, pulling at his hair as his breathing started to quicken. He couldn’t panic right now, not now, not now, he had to take care of Bellamy, Bellamy was dying. Bellamy’s dying. There’s not enough air. Not enough.. He clawed at his throat as it constricted, he couldn’t breath, couldn’t get enough air.

Over the rushing of blood in his ears, he heard footsteps approaching their cell. The boy forced himself to stand, throwing himself at the door to bang on the metal. His eyes wide in fear as the tan woman from before stood in front of the window, a calm expression on her face. “Help.. him..” Murphy gasped in between ragged breaths. A tear rolled down his face as the woman nodded, “Mofi, move away from the door.” She said in a flat tone.

Following the direction, Murphy sobbed as he took a few steps backwards, careful not to trip over Bellamy’s still tense body as the cell door was pushed open, the blonde guard that assaulted him stepping in first, holding a cattle prod out to his side as a warning. Backing himself into the far wall, the omega sobbed as he slid down to the floor, drawing his legs up to hug as the woman and another person got to work examining his alpha, his mate, the man who stole his heart like it was the easiest thing in the world. The person he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.

He didn’t even try to wipe the tears from his eyes, there was no point, they just kept coming. Murphy watched them hook Bellamy up to some sort of portable machine, putting a blood pressure cuff around his arm, clipping something on his finger, the guy pressing a bunch of stickers and wires onto his chest. He dropped his head to his knees, sobbing in relief as he saw Bellamy’s heart rhythm pop up onto the monitor. He was alive. He had proof.

Hearing the sound of paper tearing, his head shot up as the woman looked over a long strip of paper. “Sinus tachycardia.. That’s to be expected though..” She mumbled to the man beside her. “Did you get a BGL?” She asked, still reading over the EKG results. “It’s calculating now.” The man said, pausing for a moment before responding, “fifty-three.” The woman tilted her head from side to side, seemingly pleased with that answer. “It’s on the lower side of normal..” She said, turning to look back at Murphy. “We’ll bring you some more food to help with that, okay?” The doctor said in a sweet tone, smiling at him. “What’s his temp?” She asked, turning back to her patient. “It is..” The man trailed off, waiting for their thermometer to beep. “105..” He said in a surprised voice, looking at the woman as she shook her head. “That’s what caused them.” She said in an almost bored tone, nodding to her assistant as if she had expected it.

Murphy made no move to respond, but couldn’t deny that her calm, nonchalant appearance made him feel a little better. If she wasn’t worried, maybe it meant he didn’t have to either? Maybe she was just good at her job like that.

“Alright, that’s all I needed. You can disconnect him.” She said, ripping the velcro of the blood pressure cuff off of Bellamy’s arm. Murphy moved to stand up as they made their way out, freezing when the sound of electricity buzzed a foot from his face. “That’s it? You aren’t gonna help him?” He asked, his voice dripping with a mix of confusion and frustration, glaring up at the blonde guard who had a smug smirk on his face.

Waiting until the guard exited the cell, Dr. Tsing tilted her head to the side, sending him a knowing look. “You know what he needs.” Was all she said before shutting the door.

—

All Murphy could do was stare at the door, his jaw on the floor. Did she really just say that? That’s it? That’s all she was going to do? Run a bunch of tests and leave them to it? What the fuck was wrong with her? With the mountain men? How the fuck did they become so.. psychotic in just a hundred years? You’d think the Arkers would be the ones to lose their minds, trapped in space, what the fuck happened to Mt. Weather that led them to enslaving an entire society to use as their very own lab rats?

If it wasn’t clear before, it definitely was now. The mountain men wanted them to mate, but why? Was it for entertainment? Observation?

Hearing a groan, Murphy's eyes shot down to Bellamy as he stirred awake, bringing a hand up to rub his temples. “Bell?” He breathed out, slowly crawling over to him. The alpha murmured in discomfort as he strained to sit up and found he couldn’t, his entire body sore. The omega leaned against his side to carefully peel off the EKG stickers, tossing them aside before leaning down to rub their cheeks together. Running his thumb over the man’s cheekbone, he leaned down to kiss him sweetly, sending him a sad smile as a happy rumble came from the alpha. Bellamy didn’t look as confused as he did before, but he looked tired, like it took everything in him to keep his eyes open.

Crawling away to their nest, Murphy grabbed a blanket and returned to his alpha’s side, tucking it under his head, around his shoulders. Goosebumps rose all over his body as he laid down beside him on the cold cement, wrapping an arm around his waist as he nestled his head onto his chest, trying to absorb some of his endless warmth.

Glancing up at the man, he felt his cheeks grow hot. He’d seen that look in Bellamy’s eyes before, like he was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen, like he hung the stars in the sky. A look full of adoration, wonderment, love.

The boy squeaked at Bellamy suddenly rolled on top of him, nuzzling his face into his neck before promptly falling asleep. Murphy couldn’t help but laugh to himself, he had no doubt he was exhausted. His quiet laugh morphed into a sad sob as he wrapped his arms around Bellamy’s back, dragging his nails lightly across his skin. All he could feel was relief that the alpha was alive. He was alive.

They’d survive this, they’d make it out of here, they had to.

—

Murphy’s head lulled to the side as the chute opened a few hours later, more food and water being pushed through before slamming shut. Letting out a sigh, he scratched at Bellamy's scalp, gently trying to wake him up. “You hungry, Bell?” He said softly, watching closely as the alpha started to move. He was still warm, but laying on the ground seemed to keep his temperature stable, it probably helped to have the omega near too.

Slumping off of Murphy and onto the floor, the man let out a groan as he flattened himself against the cold cement. The boy bit his lip in worry and reached out for a bottle of water, returning to Bellamy’s side. Grabbing his shoulder to roll him onto his back, Murphy was grateful when the man followed the direction and laid his head in his lap. Folding himself in half, he pecked the alpha’s lips before cracking open the sealed water bottle, which if he had to admit, was much nicer than having to worry about the metal canteens. At least with these ones, he didn’t need to worry about them being drugged or poisoned.

Tilting Bellamy’s head up, he carefully poured some water into his mouth, pausing when he coughed a bit. He chuckled as the man grabbed his wrist, stopping him from pulling it away and chugged about half of the bottle's contents. “Alright, not too much.” He whispered, raising it up to his own lips to finish it off.

Tossing the now empty bottle into a corner, Murphy sighed down at Bellamy, running his fingers over his face. The alpha purred as he traced lines over his forehead, his eyes fluttering shut again.

Without moving the man too much, Murphy grabbed one of the packages of food, the woman had kept her word on that at least, giving them twice as much as they would normally receive for a day.

Upset that the omega had stopped petting him, Bellamy growled softly as he opened his eyes. Seeing that Murphy was about to take a bite of the unchecked food, he snatched it out of his hands, sitting up quickly to examine it. “Hey!” The boy yelled, pushing at his shoulder. The grounder pulled it apart with his fingers, sniffing it. He didn’t smell anything bad or weird. “Come on, Bell. I think if they were trying to drug us, they would have done it already. It’s fine.” Murphy grumbled, draping himself over the man’s back to reach for it. Ignoring the boy’s probably correct assumption, Bellamy continued his inspection, only handing it back when he was finished, and moved onto the other package. “Yeah, you just eat that one and leave my food alone, alright?” The boy said in a stern voice, finally taking a bite of his food.

Murphy kept a close eye on the man as they ate in silence, crumpling up the plastic wrap before tossing it towards the door. The events of the morning ran through his mind as Bellamy hounded down the food. They were gonna have to have sex. The alpha seemed alright now but.. he didn’t think he could handle watching Bellamy go through that again. That would break him. Watching the man struggle to swallow the last bite of food, he chuckled weakly as Bellamy started to hiccup, the dry bread getting stuck in his throat. Grabbing the other water bottle, he held it out to the alpha, urging him to take it.

As the man took a few deep gulps of the water, Murphy’s eyes followed the trickle of water that escaped the sides of his mouth, down his muscled chest. It couldn’t be that bad.. It was Bellamy, the hottest guy he’d ever met. And if he stayed just like this, not completely crazed with rut, he was sure Bellamy could be careful.. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt that much. It wouldn’t be the way he imagined losing his virginity—not that he put much thought into it anyways—but.. they couldn’t exactly afford not to do it. Not if he wanted Bell to live.

The boy sighed as he saw how skinny Bellamy had become in the short while they had been there, doubting he was any better. The man was never ‘ripped’ before, but you could tell he was strong, Murphy liked that about him. Liked how soft and squishy his chest was, it was more comfortable that way. The muscles that used to be covered by a small layer of fat and skin were now completely on display, he could see each indent of muscle, of bone. Running a hand over his own chest, he could feel his own ribs jutting out more than usual.

He couldn’t stop a small smile from creeping onto his face as the alpha crawled on his hands and knees over to him, nudging his chin up to kiss his jaw, a deep, content rumble coming from his chest. Grabbing the man’s jaw to meet his gaze, Bellamy plopped down onto his knees to stare lovingly into his eyes. God he looked like a puppy, if he had a tail, Murphy was sure it would be wagging like crazy right about now. Having to look away for a second, the omega snickered at his own joke, shaking his head. Murphy bit his lip as he looked at the disheveled nest, thinking for a moment. Well, if they were gonna fuck, he wasn’t about to lose his v-card on the floor, he decided, slowly standing up. It would have to happen eventually, and he’d rather do it now while Bellamy was conscious enough to cooperate with him than wait until he started seizing again.. Or went into another frenzy.

Staring up at him with lovesick eyes, Bellamy wrapped his arms around his waist and rubbed his face into his stomach, nosing at his groin. “Bellamy,” Murphy chuckled, stumbling back as it started to tickle. Amused by his antics, he grabbed the alpha’s hands and pulled him towards the bed, dropping them when the man stayed put, staring at him in utter disbelief.

Standing by the edge of the nest, Murphy ignored the camera in the corner, felt his face grow hot as he pulled his shorts off and quickly laid down, covering his nudity with a corner of a blanket. “Miya, afa.” He said in a shaky voice, his breath shuttering with uncertainty as the man quickly got up to join him, picking up the blanket that was on the floor as he walked past it.

—

Not wanting to get his hopes up, not wanting to be rejected again, Bellamy kept his eyes down as he kneeled by the edge of the bed, making himself busy by fixing their nest, still unsure if the omega would let him in, if he even had the right to be there. The alpha’s breathing grew heavier as his cock started to fill with blood, his alpha getting the best of him at the small gesture of comfort the omega offered.

No, he told himself. Oma invited him into the nest, it didn’t mean anything more than that. He hurt the Oma last time. He couldn’t—he wouldn’t— do that again. No matter how badly he wanted to claim the omega, he couldn’t hurt him.

His shoulders stiffened as he felt a soft, gentle hand touch his jaw, tilting it up. Bellamy slowly, fearfully raised his eyes up to meet the omega’s pale ones. “Miya.” The boy said again, Bellamy’s gaze fell down to watch as he spread his milky thighs open, taking hold of his hand to pull him closer. His cock jumped in his shorts as he let the omega pull him into the nest, nestling himself between those pretty, long legs. His tan hands stood out against the paleness of Murphy’s thighs as he ran them across the soft skin. Bellamy frowned as he noticed the bruises littering his hips. Tracing his fingers over them, he realized they were the same shape and size as his hands. He did that. Shame burned through his entire being as he pulled his hands away from the boy. A sound, almost like a pained whine, crawled up his throat as his shoulders fell, sitting back on his haunches to move away from him. “Hey, it’s okay.” Murphy whispered, sitting up to stop him from retreating. “En’s ku.. Ai laik ait.” The omega said in a soft voice, kissing his cheek.

Bellamy looked down at his hands, the ones that put those bruises there, the ones that hurt his mate. In that moment he wanted to cut them off. How could Oma ever forgive him? The alpha couldn’t even forgive himself. He didn’t understand why the omega let him back into his nest, why he was being so kind to him, he didn’t deserve it. He didn’t deserve this omega. He didn’t deserve anything.

Tears blurred his vision as the omega kissed his face, wrapping his lithe arms around his neck to pull him down on top of him. Bellamy sobbed as he felt the boy roll his hips up into him, urging him to go on as he whispered sweet words into his ear. “It’s okay,” “You didn’t mean to,” “I’ll take care of you,” it did nothing to quell the guilt crushing his heart. He shouldn’t have to take care of him. It was Bellamy that was supposed to take care of him, protect him.

A broken moan escaped his lips as he grinded his cock against the boy, unable to control himself any longer, completely giving in to his desires and instincts. God, he was so weak. A tear slid down his face as the boy hushed him, petting the back of his hair. “Ai afa.. krei shoga ai op.. krei sola.” Murphy whispered, kissing his neck as he pulled the alpha’s underwear down.

Sitting back on his haunches, Bellamy sobbed as he wiped his tears away, quickly shimmying out of his clothes. Taking one of Murphy’s knees, he brought it up to his chest and wrapped his free hand around his cock, stroking it a few times before rubbing it across the omega’s sex. They both winced from the friction of their skin rubbing together, the boy wasn’t the slightest bit wet, he wasn’t even hard. Looking up to the omega’s face, Murphy’s shoulders hiccuped as he threw an arm over his eyes, but not before the man saw the tears staining his face. He was doing it again. He was hurting his mate. But he needed this, couldn’t stop his body as he forced himself onto the boy. Bellamy grimaced as his cock throbbed in pain, growing impossibly harder with the anticipation that it would soon be inside his omega. He could feel an almost cramping sensation pull at the knot that was already starting to inflate.

As pathetic as it was, Bellamy knew he wouldn’t be able to stop, so he had to do the next best thing. Releasing the boy’s thigh, he rolled him over, grabbing him around the middle to raise his hips, forcing a scared whimper out of the omega. Running his hands down Murphy’s back, he could feel the boy trembling with fear, fisting the blankets in his hands as Murphy prepared himself for the pain of it. “Nou na laksen houmon.” Bellamy promised, bending down to kiss the ample mound of flesh in his hands, biting it lightly. Murphy’s body jolted, not expecting him to do that.

Letting his eyes fall to the omega’s sex, he bit his lip, failing to contain a moan as he rubbed his thumb over the pink little hole. He watched the goosebumps rise on Murphy’s skin, could see his thighs begin to quake as he leaned down, flicking his tongue over the furrowed ring of muscles. Using a hand to spread him wider, the alpha relaxed his jaw so he could lap at the omega’s sex, using his other hand to squeeze his knot, whimpering against Murphy’s skin when it quickly became too sensitive.

Bellamy growled as the omega’s hole sweetened from his slick, the boy began to pant, his hips squirming from the pleasure he was bringing him. Little by little, the alpha could feel his body relax, arching his back to push against his tongue, his legs widening to allow him better access.

When the boy could no longer keep still, Bellamy grabbed his ass, spreading him wide before diving back in, forcing his tongue past his twitching hole. He didn’t stop, he couldn't, until the omega was a trembling mess, until his slick dripped down his inner thighs, down Bellamy’s chin. “Bellamy,” he heard over and over again, each beautiful little whimper going straight to his prick, motivating him to keep going. Murphy’s voice cracked from the overwhelming pleasure, his hips rocking back, falling in tune with the man’s rhythm.

Feeling the omega’s body suddenly tense, Bellamy’s eyes fluttered open as a high pitched moan filled the air, a stream of slick pouring down his face as Murphy’s pleasure peaked.

Rising up on his knees, the man couldn’t help but slap his prick lewdly against Murphy’s hole, using his thumb to hold it down as he dragged it through the wetness. Using the pads of his fingers to collect some, he groaned as he coated his cock in his omega’s slick, thrusting into his own hand, just the thought of it driving him insane. “Fuck,” he heard the boy pant out, shyly looking over his shoulder to meet the alpha’s gaze, his cheeks ruddy, a blissed out look covering his face. Bellamy grabbed the base of his cock and directed it to the omega’s hole, pressing against it as gently as he could, growling through his teeth when he was met with resistance.

A startled cry ripped from Murphy’s throat as the head popped in, his back arching up to get away from him. Letting him go, the alpha couldn’t help but whine as the loss of warmth, gripping his knot as his cock jumped in his hand. Gritting his teeth through the ache, he screwed his eyes shut, trying to block out the omega’s gasping breaths. “Sorry.. sorry I-I.. I thought I was..” Murphy stuttered, hiding his face in his arms so Bellamy wouldn’t see the scared look on his features. “I.. I’m fine, just keep going.” He mumbled into his skin, unable to look at him anymore in fear he would just break down.

The alpha’s heart was racing, he couldn’t pull his eyes away from the boy’s trembling body, his glistening thighs. ‘Can’t hurt mate,’ he reminded himself as he gently took Murphy’s hips, pulling them back to grind against him. Using his legs, Bellamy pushed the omega’s knees together, pressing down on his lower back to make him arch it, forcing him to present. Leaning down to place a soft kiss on Murphy’s shoulder blade, the alpha ignored the dripping hole that he wanted nothing more than to bury his knot in, and slid his throbbing cock in between the boy’s thighs instead. His head dropped onto the omega’s back as he moaned, wrapping his arms around his middle.

Murphy’s entire body went rigid as the alpha began thrusting into his thighs, mouthing and nipping at his back. “W-What are you doing?” He asked, lifting his head up at the odd feeling. “Won’t.. hurt-” Bellamy’s own moan cut him off, his eyes rolling back from the pleasure of his cock being wrapped in the omega’s warmth. Swallowing the saliva that pooled in his mouth, the alpha slowly sat back up, taking hold of the boy’s hips to buck his hips harder, faster. “Won’t hurt mate.” He panted, their skin slapping together as he haphazardly thrusted into Murphy.

After a moment to take it all in, Bellamy felt the tension leave his body, the boy crossing his legs to tighten the space, he couldn’t control his growl as he bared his teeth, digging his nails into the omega’s sides as he started to pound harder. Fuck it felt so good, so warm, so wet.

The alpha nearly fell on top of him, catching himself with an outstretched arm, he covered the boy’s back with his chest, taking the opportunity to mouth at his nape, nuzzling his scent gland. ‘So warm, so sweet, so perfect,’ he thought as he lapped up the sweat shimmering on his skin. His gums ached with the need to bite, to claim.

With each powerful thrust, he could feel the omega slowly falling down onto the bed. Before that could happen, Bellamy wrapped his arm around him to grab Murphy’s cock, it was still hard, Oma was enjoying this too, he wasn’t hurting him. The boy moaned as he stroked his prick in time with his thrusts, falling into a good rhythm.

Pushing him down onto the nest, Bellamy growled as he rutted against him, grinding him into the ground as his knot started to inflate. He felt the boy rocking back into him. Feeling fingers touching his wrist, the man grabbed Murphy’s hand and intertwined their fingers as his knot finally popped, thrusting once more into his thighs before fully collapsing onto him with a tired moan. His breaths were ragged as he came down from his high, whimpering each time his cock pulsed, releasing another stream up cum onto the bed, between the omega’s thighs.

His brow furrowed as the boy kept squirming underneath him, rolling his hips into Bellamy’s palm. Realizing that he must not have come yet, the alpha rolled them onto their sides, tightening his grip around his cock again. Never letting go of his hand, Bellamy tucked his arm under the boy’s head, hugging it across his chest to embrace him. Kissing the skin right under his ear, Bellamy pumped his hand up and down, running his thumb over the head as Murphy twitched in his arms. His eyes darted all over the boy’s face as he grinded against him from behind, the pleasure crossing over his soft features too beautiful to look away. Nestling his face into his neck, the alpha growled as he came, his thighs squeezing together perfectly around his knot, milking another spurt of seed from his spent cock.

The sound of their panting breaths filled the room, Bellamy released his cock to lick the cum from his fingers before wrapping his arm back around Murphy, squeezing him so tight a cute little squeak escaped the boy. Dragging his tongue across the omega’s neck, he sucked a bruise into his scent gland in lieu of biting him, thinking he would definitely be mad at him for doing that.

Too tired to say anything, too tired to even move, they fell asleep just like that, the omega absolutely covered in his scent, the alpha rumbling contently into his ear.

He didn’t hurt his mate. His body wasn’t throbbing in pain anymore. His Oma was safe. His Oma accepted him.

—

Sighing in relief, Lorelei leaned back in her chair as she watched her test subjects cuddling in their nest. From the angle of the camera, she couldn’t seem much more than Belomi’s back while they finally mated, but from the pained expressions on the omega’s face at first and now seeing how Belomi couldn’t pull away from him, that was all the proof she needed to know the deed was done.

Checking her watch, she noted the completion of the first knot, well.. the first successful knot. Based on how deep into rut the alpha had been this morning, she was positive they would couple a few more times, only increasing the odds of pregnancy.

Smiling to herself, she felt giddy at the knowledge that in two weeks or less, the omega would be pregnant, allowing her to move onto the next phase of her experiment.

It took a little more encouragement than she expected, but everything was going according to plan.

Chapter Text

Murphy raked his nails across Bellamy’s hip as he thrusted into his thighs from behind him, the underside of his cock grazing his own just enough to bring him pleasure, but not enough to bring him to the brink, it was maddening. He raised his hand up to stroke through the man’s curly hair as he nipped and licked at his neck, growling hungrily into his ear.

They had spent the last two days just like this, fucking, if you could even call this fucking, only taking a break to eat or sleep. If it wasn’t for the mess they had created, Murphy was sure he would be chafed raw from it all, he knew he had to have bruises covering his entire backside from the force of Bellamy’s pounding. It made him wonder what it would really be like to spend a rut or heat with him, just the thought making his dick twitch, his hole drool with slick.

His head fell down onto the bed as the alpha wrapped his hand around both of their cocks, stroking them together in time with his thrusts. No matter how many times he told to man to just fuck him, Bellamy wouldn’t relent. The alpha would get all shy and nervous, grunt something about not wanting to hurt him, and take his thighs again. Murphy only gave up because what they were doing seemed to be working. Bellamy didn’t have anymore seizures, his fever was coming down, and with each passing day he was becoming more lucid. As cute as it was to see the man acting like a caveman, he just wanted him to be okay. He was pretty sure they were past the thick of it, but still, he missed when the man could say more than three word sentences. Murphy couldn’t help but giggle as his mind jumped to this morning, waking up to the alpha pacing angrily in front of the door, growling at anyone that walked by, which quickly led to what they were doing now.

Bellamy growled when he realized the omega wasn’t paying attention to him anymore, sitting up to roll Murphy onto his back. The boy bit his lip to stop himself from laughing, spreading his legs for the man as he dragged his hands down his chest, groping him here and there, leaning down to bite his nipple. A haze of hunger and desire filled his deep brown eyes, his pupils still dilated from rut, but not as bad as it was a few days ago. As he sat back up to run his fingers over Murphy’s stomach, the boy placed his feet on Bellamy’s chest, purring when the alpha took his ankles, kissing all over his calves as he trailed a hand down his legs, squeezing his fingers around the meat of his thighs, soothing his palms down the soft skin, the insides of them reddened from their activities. As the man worshipped his long legs, Murphy mewled as they cocks rubbed against each other and wrapped his hand around them, or tried to at least. He moaned at the touch, but couldn’t fully wrap his fingers around them, god, how big were Bellamy’s hands?

A sly smirk creeped onto Murphy’s face as the alpha took both of his legs, placing them on one shoulder before wrapping his arms around them, squeezing them together. Looking down at his crotch, he moaned as Bellamy began rolling his hips into him, his cock poking through his thighs as it rubbed against his own. Crossing his ankles to make it tighter, Murphy groaned as the alpha picked up in speed, the lewd sound of their skin slapping together going straight to his cock. God, this was so dirty, he loved it.

Bellamy growled as he tucked his face into his legs, mouthing at the skin as his eyes fluttered shut. It didn’t take long for his thrusts to grow sloppy, his hips stuttering as he let out a deep, guttural moan, tightening his arms around Murphy’s legs as he bit his calf. A surprised sound escaped the boy’s mouth as cum painted his entire torso, having to close an eye as some splashed all the way up onto his face. “Fuck,” he breathed out, watching the pearly substance trickle down his sides. Bellamy’s face scrunched in a pained expression, his hand flying down to grasp his overly sensitive knot. That sight alone made Murphy want to roll his eyes, but he contained himself, instead he lowered his legs to rest on either side of the man, giving him space to lean forward. Bellamy panted in discomfort, placing a hand on the bed next to Murphy’s waist to hold himself up.

Tucking his sweaty hair behind his ear, Murphy ran his knuckles over the alpha’s cheek, offering any comfort he could since he refused to bury his knot were he really wanted to put it. “Just fuck me already, Bell.” He said, leaning up on his elbows to kiss him. The alpha shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut to breath through the ache. “Won’t hurt you.” He said as he readjusted his fingers. Tilting his head up with a finger, Murphy gave him a soft smile, thumbing over the indent of his chin. “I know you won’t.” He said just above a whisper, kissing him sweetly. And it was true, he now knew Bellamy wouldn’t hurt him, no matter how much pain it caused himself. The alpha would rather die than hurt him, he almost did. Murphy’s smile grew wider as Bellamy blushed, looking down at his cum stained torso.

His brow furrowed as the alpha sat back on his haunches and rubbed his hand through the mess. Thinking at first he was trying to clean him up, his jaw dropped when he realized Bellamy was rubbing it in. “Bellamy!” He scolded, trying to swat his hand away. A bright smile stretched across the man’s face as he leaned down to smell him, flicking his tongue over his nipple before biting it. The omega moaned at the light teasing, he never knew how sensitive that part of his body could be. “You’re ridiculous.” He said in a breathless voice, his eyes fluttering shut.

Scooping up a nice puddle of seed, Bellamy used it as a lubricant to wrap around the boy’s neglected cock, which had been twitching impatiently in the air. Biting back a whimper, Murphy fell back into their nest, bucking his hips up into Bellamy’s hand as he brought him to his peak.

—

“There they go again.” Liam laughed, checking the time as he made another note. “Honestly, I don’t know how they have anything left in the tank.” Looking up from the lab results on one of the Arkers, Dr. Tsing smiled as she watched Belomi roll his omega onto his back.

Going back to her paperwork, she froze, her eyebrows furrowing as she looked back at the monitor. Uncrossing her legs to scoot her chair closer, she squinted at the screen, trying to make sense of the grainy video feed. “What is that?” She asked, irritation rising with each word. “What’s what?” Her assistant asked, looking away from his clipboard to try and see what she was seeing. “That.” She said, pointing at their groin area.

Focusing on where their bodies met, Lorelei could feel her blood start to boil with rage. She could see Belomi’s penis slotting in between the omega’s thighs, not his anus where it was supposed to be. “Shit.. Have they been doing that the whole time?” Liam asked in disbelief, his jaw dropping. “Have they even mated?” Standing up from her chair, Lorelei scowled as she tossed her packet of papers aside, storming out of the monitor room.

—

Murphy laughed as Bellamy dug his chin into the crook of his shoulder, tickling him. He tried to squirm away from where he was now laying on top of the man, but couldn’t break free from the vice grip arms wrapped around his middle. “Bellamy! Knock it off!” He screamed, grabbing at his hair to yank his head away.

It was moments like this that made their captivity bearable. Even though they were prisoners, even though they were being slowly, mentally tortured by the mountain men and their perverse experiments, they still had each other. He still had Bellamy. Murphy had come to the realization that he didn’t need much more than that. He honestly didn’t think he could make it if he didn’t have him, if it was anyone else locked up in here with him, he thinks he would be half insane or dead by now.

As the man stopped his assault, Murphy couldn’t stop giggling as he tried to catch his breath, dropping his head onto his chest. Feeling the man’s body tense, the omega stopped poking at his freckles and raised his head, furrowing his brow at the grounder’s hardened face.

Hearing the screech of the door opening, the boy’s head snapped over to it, a startled yelp escaping his throat as Bellamy quickly rolled them over, shielding him with his body as a guard fired a dart gun in their direction. The alpha bared his teeth in a snarl as it landed in his back. Murphy’s eyes went wide as he felt the man’s body quickly go limp on top of him, slumping onto his side as he passed out. “Bellamy!” He yelled, shaking his shoulders. The boy winced as a dart hit him in the neck, his hand flying up to try and rip it out.

His vision blurred as he looked up at the guards storming their cell. Unable to keep himself upright, he fell back onto the mat, the last thing he saw was the doctor’s white coat stopping in front of them.

—

“Get the alpha off of him.” Lorelei hissed, the very last of her patience being used up. Grabbing him under his arms, Emerson hauled the alpha away from the boy, dropping his limp body onto the ground with a thud.

Wrinkling her nose at the smell of the rutted alpha, the beta pulled a pair of gloves from her pocket and kneeled down beside Mofi, maneuvering his legs so she could examine his sex. She took the pen light that was clipped onto her breast pocket and flashed it onto his anus, clenching her jaw in anger as she saw no sign of mating. No loosening, no redness or swelling, no semen. The only thing she could see was bruising on his posterior and some in between his thighs where the alpha had been rubbing against them, along with his skin that was crusted with dried semen.

Taking a deep breath to not completely lose her composure, Dr. Tsing clenched her hands into fists as she stared at the wall, trying to think of what to do next. Should she just give up on this? The Ark children’s blood results had piqued her interest, there was a lot of potential she could work with there. But getting the president’s approval to do experiments on them would be a miracle in itself. And she was never known to be a quitter. No.. she could save this experiment. She could still get this done. She was not going to let two outsiders outsmart her.

“Dr. Tsing? What would you like us to do?” Emerson asked, pulling her from her thoughts. Standing up, she removed her gloves, stuffing them into her pocket before placing her hands on her hips. “Bring them both to cell seven and restrain them please.” The blonde nodded, “yes ma’am,” he said, beckoning his subordinate closer to help him with the alpha first.

Exiting the cell, she went straight to the lab to grab the necessary equipment, along with extra hands.

—

A muffled grunting sound slowly pulled him out of his unconscious state, he grimaced as he tried to rub his eyes and found that he couldn’t. Blinking against the bright overhead light, the boy pulled at the restraints on his wrists, moving to lift his head, but choked as metal dug into his throat.

As his vision slowly started to clear, he looked over into the direction the sound was coming. Scrunching his eyes closed again to make sure he wasn’t dreaming, he was shocked to see Bellamy in a similar situation, strapped down to some sort of medical examination chair. “What the fuck,” he breathed out, having a hard time accepting that what he saw was really happening. The man he now assumed was the doctor’s assistant had a blanket smothered over the alpha’s face. The doctor herself was.. she was fucking jerking Bellamy off. There was no other way to put it.

Hearing the omega fight against his restraints, Dr. Tsing gave him an easy smile as she continued working her gloved hands over Belomi’s, honestly impressive, penis. This outsider was quite the specimen. “Looks like you two are starting to build up a tolerance to those sedatives, Mofi. They didn’t last quite as long as they were supposed to.” She said as if she was commenting on the weather, as if she wasn’t molesting his mate right in front of him. As she felt the alpha’s knot begin to swell, she turned slightly in her chair to grab one of the sample cups she set aside. The man thrashed against his restraints, his roars muffled by the sheet covering his mouth. Tilting her head to the side to consider the alpha, she hummed in thought.

“You know.. he couldn’t even become erect until we brought in that blanket from your nest.. He is quite smitten with you, Mofi. You’re a lucky boy.” Lorelei said, sending him a coy smirk. “The fuck is wrong with you, you crazy bitch.” Murphy growled, pulling so hard against his restraints, he could feel them digging into his skin.

Hearing a stifled whine, his head shot up to look at Bellamy, his brown eyes brimming with tears as they rolled freely down his face. Seeing his entire chest shake from his sobs, Murphy could feel his own eyes start to sting with tears. Looking back at the woman, he shut his eyes as they went right back down to where she was touching Bellamy, a feeling of nausea crawling up his throat. “Please.. Just stop. We’ll have sex, okay? That’s what you want, right? We’ll do it, okay? Just please stop.”

Dr. Tsing gave him a disappointed look, her hands never stopping. “Mofi, you two had your chance. You had over a week to mate, so now I have to take matters into my own hands.” She said in a stern voice, looking down at her hands. “No pun intended.” She added, snickering to her assistant. Murphy shook his head. “I know. I’m sorry, I’m sorry, okay? I promise this time we will. Please just.. don’t do this. Pl-” “No, Mofi.. You refused to cooperate, I gave you endless opportunities to do it the natural way.. You left me no choice.” She said, shooting him a scolding glance. “You did this.” The beta ended with, turning back to the task at hand when the alpha’s hips started to buck uncontrollably. Murphy flinched at her words, his bottom lip quivering as guilt clouded his mind, all he could do was continue watching as she assaulted his mate. He was completely helpless, he couldn’t do anything to stop this. She was right, this was his fault. If he hadn’t been such a pussy, they wouldn’t be in this situation. He could have saved Bellamy from this fate, from this pain, this.. humiliation.

His eyes darted between Bellamy’s face and his crotch, a tear rolling down his face as the woman pointed his dick towards the cup, right as the alpha let out a choked cry, his cum spurting into the plastic sample container. “There we go,” Dr. Tsing praised, sending the outsider a quick smile before looking back down at the cup. “Good boy. Just like that.” She said, squeezing her fingers around his knot in a specific way to milk more semen out of him. “Liam, could you hand me another one please? This one is filling up quick.” She said, impressed by the sheer volume of it. “Yes ma’am.” Her assistant said, setting down the blanket to walk over to the table, quickly swapping out the filled sample with an empty one.

With his face finally uncovered, Bellamy’s entire body trembling as he cried, gasping for air as a mix of emotions burned through him. He couldn’t tell if he should be angry or sad, couldn’t tell if he wanted to kill them all or just curl into a ball and die. He had never felt so violated, so dirty, so.. ruined. Bellamy couldn’t even look at his omega anymore, too ashamed of what he had done, that he actually felt pleasure from this. He couldn’t bear to see the look in those eyes he loved so much. “I’m sorry.” He sobbed, screwing his eyes shut as he felt another pulse of seed leave his prick. “I’m so sorry.” He repeated over and over again to Murphy, saliva spitting out of his mouth as he blubbered like a baby, he didn’t even care how pathetic he must have looked. How could the omega ever want him now? Being pleasured by someone who wasn’t him, being sullied by these monsters, for allowing this to happen, for being so weak. He just wanted to die. He should have let them kill him.

“I’ll fucking kill you! You hear me? I’ll rip your fucking throat out you bitch!” Murphy screamed, blood dripping down his wrists and ankles from how hard he fought against his restraints.

Completely ignoring him, Dr. Tsing capped the final sample cup and raised it up to the light to inspect it, releasing her grip on the alpha’s knot to walk over to the table. Bellamy howled in pain, his face contorting in a torture expression as a cramp exploded across his groin.

Taking one of the cups and a syringe that had a foot long piece of tubing, the beta hummed to herself as she carefully filled the syringe. “Liam, put Mofi’s legs up into the stirrups for me please. And grab me a speculum and some lubricating jelly.” She asked politely, labeling her specimens before tucking them away into a small refrigerator. “On it.” The young man said, striding over to Murphy to prop up two metal bars on each side. The omega growled through his teeth as the assistant lifted his legs one at a time, their examination chair designed so it wasn’t even necessary to unlock his flailing limbs, giving him no chance to kick the fucker’s teeth in. “I’m gonna enjoy killing you slowly.” Murphy snarled, locking eyes with the now terrified man, a vicious smile stretching across his face. “I’m gonna kill every single person you love, every single person in this fucking mountain, and you’re gonna watch the whole thing. By the time I’m done with you, you’re gonna beg me to kill you.” He hissed, a crazed look in his pale eyes, Liam couldn’t even force himself to look away from his intense gaze, his fearsome words.

Rolling over to him on her stool, Dr. Tsing sent the boy a tired look, raising a single eyebrow at him. “Mofi, do not threaten my assistant like that.” Trying to contain his maniacal laugh, Murphy turned his gaze down to her, completely oblivious to what she was about to do. “Oh that wasn’t a threat, it’s just what’s gonna happen.” He said plainly.

Sighing at his theatrics, Lorelei held her hand out to the side. “Speculum please.” She said, taking a packet of lubricant and ripping the corner off, squirting it onto the metal contraption. “If you’re done—” she started, throwing him a dissatisfied glance, “I’m going to be inserting this speculum into your anus. You might feel some pressure, but it shouldn’t hurt.” She said, thoroughly covering the surface with the jelly.

Murphy’s blood turned to ice as she scooted closer to him, his rage dissolving just as quickly as it came. He growled, flinching away from her as she rubbed the leftover lubricant over his ass. “Don’t fucking touch me!” He hollered, the entire chair shaking as he thrashed. “Take a niiice deep breath for me.” She said calmly, pressing the metal against his sex.

Wincing in discomfort, Murphy gritted his teeth as it was slowly pushed inside of him, crying out when it felt like it was starting to burn from the stretch. “Alright, fully inserted, and now I’m going to open it..” She trailed off, mostly just talking to herself. Murphy heard the clicking noise before he felt it, with each twist of her hand, he could feel the device slowly cranking him open. Throwing his head back onto the rest, Murphy wailed, it felt like he was being ripped open, like rubbing alcohol on a cut. “Oh stop being dramatic, it’s not that bad.” The woman scoffed, adjusting her lamp to get a clearer view. “What a cute little cervix you have.” She chuckled, grabbing another tool from the little table she brought with her.

Liam jumped as the alpha started to roar in anger, “Don’t touch him! Get your fucking hands off him!” Bellamy bellowed, the metal of his restraints screeching as the screws started to wiggle loose. “Liam, sedate Belomi. He can be returned to their cell for now.” Hesitating for a second, her assistant whined before opening a drawer to grab a syringe, yelping in fear as the alpha lunged at him before quickly stabbing the needle into his arm. The lab tech took a large step away from him as the outsider fought the sedation, but eventually succumbed, his entire body slumping as the medication took over.

Letting out a content sigh, Lorelei smiled up at the sniveling boy, grabbing the straw-like syringe of semen. “It’s gonna be just you and me for a while, Mofi.” She goaded, inserting the tip of it through the window of the speculum. “Why are you doing this?” Murphy whispered, a tear sliding down his face as he watched Bellamy being carted out of the cell, flicking his eyes back to the doctor as she set her syringe down. “Well I won’t be using the speculum everytime, I just wanted to take a quick look at your cervix—which looks perfectly healthy by the way— but I will be inseminating you every..” she paused, tilting her head from side to side, “let’s go with every 4 hours for now, until you are pregnant.” She said in a chipper voice as she cranked the speculum closed, expertly removing it and sliding a small plug into place to keep the semen from dripping out.

The omega’s stomach dropped as she stood up, pulling her gloves off to toss into a nearby trash bin before cleaning up her little station. “After that, you can return to you and Belomi’s cell, where you will spend the duration of your pregnancy.. The specifics of the experiment might be a little.. too much for you to understand but.. as long as you cooperate, you will get to spend the next 9 months with your mate, food and water will be readily available for you.. You will want for nothing under my care.”

Murphy’s bottom lip quivered as she stopped beside him to touch his arm. “I want to go home.” He whispered, his vision blurry with tears.

The woman hummed, pursing her lips. “Well, I can’t do that.” She said, looking down to think. “Perhaps I should have said: all your physical needs will be met.”

Rubbing her hand over his shoulder, Dr. Tsing sent him a kind look, “I want you to know, you are very special to me,” she whispered, turning to exit the cell. As soon as he was alone, Murphy couldn’t hold back the flood gates any longer, his body hiccuping as he cried himself into a panic attack. The only thing he could feel was the metal digging into his skin, into his neck. He knew it wasn’t, but the harder he tried to slow his breathing, the tighter the collar felt. The less he tried to think about it, the more he thought of what was going to happen to him, the more he started to panic.

Being impregnated against his will, forced to carry a child to term, didn’t even want to imagine the pain of childbirth that was in his foreseeable future. He didn’t want to be a mother, didn’t even want to know something was growing inside of him. What would they do with the child afterwards? What would happen to them?

He could feel his mind slipping away from him, could feel it starting to crack like glass. Murphy didn’t want to know what would happen when that glass finally shattered. His mother suddenly popped into his head, how quickly his father’s death broke her. Would he end up just like her? Was that his fate? Was this his life now? His hopes to escape, to live, were quickly morphing into something darker. They weren’t getting out of this one unscathed, unchanged, unbroken.

Maybe he should just hope he dies with his sanity still intact, but even that seemed like too much to ask for.

Chapter Text

Murphy couldn’t tell if the clock inside his cell was a blessing or a curse. On one hand, it gave him something to do, something to keep his mind occupied during the four hour stretches of mind melting boredom in between Dr. Tsing’s ‘visits,’ her term, not his. It worked for the first few days, counting the seconds, doing the simple math in his head. On the other hand.. it was driving him crazy, the quiet, barely audible ticking of the clock hand was worse than nails on a chalkboard. Every. Single. Fucking. Second, he felt like ripping his hair out.

He couldn’t believe he actually started to.. not look forward to her visits, he wouldn’t go as far as to say that, but at least her voice would drown out the sound for a little while, gave him some sort of reprieve from that hell. He thought of that water torture technique he read about once, where they would tie you down and slowly drip a drop of water onto your forehead. At the time, he thought it ridiculous, and he knew this wasn’t the same, but he understood it now.

From his calculations, the hours going by and the amount of ‘meals’ they gave him, he had been in there for six, maybe seven days. He swallowed around the feeding tube that had been inserted through his nostril, down his throat. No matter how many days had passed, he couldn’t get used to the feeling of it. The persistent need to swallow, like food getting stuck in your throat along with the tickling need to sneeze. After two days of food striking, Dr. Tsing had given up being patient with him, grew tired of forcing spoonfuls of food down his throat just for him to cough it out, so the next day she came back with his very own feeding tube and a bag of liquid nutrition.

Murphy didn’t even react when the door squeaked open, Dr. Tsing walking in with a big smile and an armful of supplies. “Good morning, Mofi. Sleep well?” He stared at the cement wall as she set down all her things, stepping up to him to connect his meal for the morning. She already knew he wasn’t, how could he when all he heard was the blood curdling sound of the clock ticking? When his entire body ached in pain? Of course he wasn’t sleeping well. And who knew staying in the same position, not moving, could hurt so bad? “Looks like the enteral nutrition is working its magic, I can already tell you’re regaining some weight.” She said with a pleased smile, pointing out how his ribs weren’t poking out as much as they were a week ago. The omega couldn’t even hear her, too transfixed on one particular spot of the wall, where there was a perfect circle. He wondered if it was a bubble from when the cement was drying. Scanning his eyes across the back wall, he wondered how many bubbles he could find, another thing he could do to keep from losing his mind.

“Alright, I’m going to need a urine sample from you today.” She said, walking back over to her table to grab her cup. Lorelei looked at the boy inquisitively, wondering where he was, because he clearly wasn’t there with her. “Mofi?” She called out, snapping her fingers in front of his face when he didn’t react. “Mofi,” she said louder, offering him a reassuring smile when he slowly turned his eyes to her. Holding up the cup, she repeated her request. “Urine sample.. To check if you’re pregnant.”

He stared at her, a scarily blank expression on his face, taking it as permission, the woman screwed off the lid and grabbed a gentle cleaning wipe to give his penis a quick wipe before positioning it correctly. He didn’t care anymore, had stopped caring days ago, there was no point in fighting her, she was just going to touch him anyway. “Alright, all set.” She said, keeping her eyes down at his genitals. After a few moments she glanced up at him through her eyelashes, raising an eyebrow at him. “I can get a Foley catheter if that’s what you’d prefer.” She threatened, pausing when she realized he definitely had no idea what that was. Setting down the sample cup to direct all her focus of the omega, she stared tilted his head down before carefully grabbing his penis to hold it up at an angle he could see. “A Foley catheter is basically a long tube, you insert it through the urethra, right here,” she explained, touching the tip, “and I push it all the way into the bladder.” Dr. Tsing said, dragging her gloved finger up the length of his penis. Murphy gulped as nausea creeped up his throat, his stomach flipping inside of him. “It can be very painful.. I can make it painful.” She added, grabbing the sample cup again. “Your choice.”

Too afraid to look her in the eye, Murphy nodded his head just the slightest bit, telling her he’d be good, he’d pee in her goddamn cup.

Smiling to herself, she repositioned the cup under his penis, holding the head gently to avoid any accidents. “Good boy.” She praised, making a happy little noise when the stream of urine began. “And hold it for just a second,” She said, Murphy’s vision growing cloudy as he had to strain to stop peeing, letting her set down the cup and replace a bedpan beneath him. “Alright, you can finish.” A shiver ran through his body as he was allowed to finish, a tear rolling down his face. This was humiliating, he felt like he was being treated like a child. But then again, he was surprised he had any pride left after what she had done to him.

His head dropped to hide his face from her, sniffling to himself as she stepped away to dispose of his bedpan. “Alright, I shouldn’t be longer than thirty minutes or so. Cross your fingers.” She said, shrugging her shoulders in excitement before heading out. As soon as the door locked shut, Murphy let out a deep sob.

Just like she promised, Dr. Tsing returned twenty minutes later, a younger brunette guard following behind her. At least it was the one that was nice to him in the past, Lee, he thinks he remembered his name was.

“Great news, Mofi! Or should I say mama.” Murphy’s face went slack as she held up a piece of paper, he felt numb, no.. he felt like he was going to be sick. “Our efforts have been successful! You are pregnant.” She said, stepping in front of him to gently pull off the tape holding his feeding tube in place. “As promised, Lee here is going to bring you back to Belomi.” She said happily, slowly pulling the tube out. A strong shiver ran up his entire body, making him shake his head on instinct. The omega coughed as it slid out of his stomach, up his esophagus, he gagged as he felt every inch slid out of his nasal passage. His stomach flexed, his mouth watered, he was definitely gonna throw up. Turning his head to the side, he heaved, saliva dripping onto the floor. Lorelei quickly undid the strap around his neck, letting him sit up for the first time in over a week, not wanting him to choke on his own vomit. Hunching over the boy promptly threw up his breakfast, the doctor tutted, dragging her eyes down his back, noting the pressure sores beginning to bloom across his back. “I see you are already beginning to experience morning sickness..” She trailed off. “Lee, I think you’ll have to carry him. That won’t be a problem will it?” She asked sweetly. “Not at all, ma’am.” The guard said, stepping over his puddle of vomit to help the woman remove his restraints.

Murphy yelped in pain as they took him underneath the arms, lifting him out of the chair. Feeling his joints crack, he gritted his teeth as the guard wrapped his arm around his neck and lifted him off the ground, walking towards the door. Having spent the last week in one singular position, Murphy prayed to get off that damned chair, but now that it was happening, he didn’t imagine it would be even half as painful as it was to finally move again, it was almost worse. Tears rolled down his face, each step Lee took sending a jolt of pain through his entire body. The boy couldn’t even find the strength to make an escape, the pain too overwhelming to think about anything else. He couldn't do more than quietly whimper in the guards arms as he brought him down a hall.

Lee struggled to grab his keycard, having to balance Murphy while simultaneously bending his knees in order to get the next door open, luckily it was a push door, so all he had to do was swivel around when it beeped unlocked.

Setting the boy down, he kept his arms hovered around him for a second, ready to catch him if he ended up falling. Standing on shaky legs, Murphy looked around the unfamiliar room, the walls lined with shower heads. The omega began to tremble as Lee stepped over to a metal storage locker, pulling out a towel and some other shower necessities. Memories of his decontamination flashed before his eyes, Murphy hugged himself as he recalled the feeling of the boiling water being poured over his skin. “Dr. Tsing thought you’d want to take a shower, I.. I can’t leave you in here alone, but I won’t look, I promise.” The man said bashfully, looking away as he handed him the stack of stuff. Slowly taking it, Murphy stared at him blankly, what difference did it make? He was already naked. But hell, a shower did sound nice.

Wincing with every step, he took his time hanging up the towel and new clothes, propping the wash cloth and bar of soap on the little shelf. He made sure to stand clear of the faucets range as he slowly turned it, jumping back a step when a few cold droplets of water splashed onto his arm. He could control the temperature though, that was a relief.

As the water slowly grew warmer, Murphy looked over his shoulder at the guard, turned to the side, just enough to give him some privacy, but still able to see him in his peripheral if he decided to lunge at him. He was an alpha, maybe all their guards were, at least all the ones he had the displeasure of meeting were. Lee didn’t seem like a bad guy though, that was, if being complacent with his captivity wasn’t a factor. He was nice to him, spoke to him respectfully, and wasn’t actively trying to rape him so.. Six of one. Murphy would take what he could get. And if he could take the first shower he’s had in weeks in relative peace, he’d take it.

Sticking his hand under the spray to test the temperature, he stepped into it. Letting the warm water pour over his filthy skin, he closed his eyes as his head dropped, the water running down his face. Turning the temperature up a little more, his mouth curled into a frown as he tried not to cry. God it felt so good, the hot water beating down on his aching muscles, allowing them to relax for the first time in a week, he almost felt.. normal. With his eyes closed, he could pretend he was just taking a shower back on the Ark. Like all of this was a bad dream. The boy’s knees began to wobble, Murphy sobbed in relief as the build up tension eased out of his body, placing a hand onto the wall to catch himself as he stumbled. Having just enough control to slowly slide down onto his knees, the omega let himself cry as reality finally sank in.

He was pregnant. Raking his fingers over his stomach, his entire chest shook as he cried harder. A child was growing inside of him, Bellamy’s child. He was going to be forced to grow this thing inside him, this parasite. He was going to push it out of his body. He didn’t want this. He didn’t know about never, but definitely not like this. Not now. He was just a teenager, he was just starting to enjoy living.

“L-let me get you a chair.” The guard said worriedly, quickly running out of the room. Gasping for air, he laid his hands flat on the floor, scratching his nails across the rough concrete to try and ground himself, to feel something other than this overwhelming, sufficating despair.

He didn’t even hear Lee’s return over the rushing of the water, over the pounding of his own heart, flinching away from him as gentle hands touched his shoulders. “You’re okay, just sit down.” The man said soothingly, helping him onto the little stool placed right behind him. Murphy brought a hand up to touch his throat, could feel it constricting as he tried to pull air into his lungs. “Hey, just breathe, take a deep breath.” Lee hushed him, soaking his sleeves with water as he placed himself in front of Murphy.

Looking up into the man’s kind eyes, Murphy managed to swallow the painful lump in his throat, allowing him to start taking deep breaths. “That’s good, just keep doing that.” He didn’t know why this man, this mountain man was helping him, why he pretended to care when he was just going to lock him up again. Why he offered him this small amount of kindness, only to let the mountain torture him. “Get— away from me.” Murphy said in between ragged breaths, pushing him away.

Looking down at the floor, Lee nodded, realizing he overstepped, and returning to his place by the door. Of course the outsider they were holding captive, doing experiments on, putting through some of the worst psychological torture someone could do, wouldn’t want help from him. The guard cursed to himself for his bleeding heart, just thankful no one was around to witness it. He didn’t want to be reprimanded for that again.

Murphy somehow managed to regain his composure, pulling back on his numb facade and finally grabbed the washcloth to begin washing himself. He hiccuped as he stayed sitting on the stool, unable to trust his legs to keep him upright and gave himself a thorough scrub, pushing through the pain as he dragged the cloth over his scabbed wrists and ankles, washing himself twice. It didn’t remove the dirty feeling he felt staining his body like he hoped it would. Didn’t remove the ghost hands of the mountain men touching him.

The two didn’t say another word as Murphy dressed, this time with actual clothes, not just the thin pair of underwear they originally clothed them in. It looked like something you’d wear in a hospital. Dressed in a white crew neck sweater and a pair of blue striped pants, they walked in a heavy silence as they slowly made their way back to his cell.

Glancing through the window first, Lee flashed his keycard and pushed the door open for him, flattening himself against it to give the omega space to walk through. “Sofon?” He heard a breathy voice, it sounded so scared, so relieved. As Murphy slowly lifted his eyes from the ground and up to Bellamy’s wide eyes, he broke. The mask of numbness he used to protect himself crumbling to pieces.

His lip quivered as a spring of hot tears poured down his face, letting out a truly pathetic sob as Bellamy ran to wrap him in his arms. Taking a shaky breath of his juniper scent, his knees gave out from under him, but Bellamy was right there to catch him, tightening his arms around him in a warm embrace as they slid down onto the ground. Murphy raked his nails down the man’s back as he cried, scared that if he loosened his arms even a little bit, he would disappear. The boy felt like he could finally breathe as familiar, welcomed fingers brushed over his hair, a soothing voice hushing him. Murphy flinched as the door clicked shut behind him, burying his face farther into Bellamy’s shoulder.

They sat there until he had cried every last tear he could was done and dried, until his whole face felt swollen. He let the alpha lift him into his arms and carry him to the mat, gently laying him down on the rough blankets that smelled like bleach. Using the sleeve of his sweater, he wiped the remaining snot from his nose and finally took a moment to look at his alpha. He was also dressed in similar clothing, he smelled clean, his hair was still damp from a shower. Taking a quick peak around the room, it looked like it had been cleaned in here. He was glad it no longer smelled of that chemical rut odor, but it didn’t smell like them anymore, all evidence of it cleared away.

He watched the alpha’s forlorn face as he crawled in next to him, pulling the blanket up over the boy’s shoulder before pulling him closer. His eyes pulled the last bit of water from his body as they began to well up again, he didn’t know what to say, what to feel, he felt too much right now. Murphy watched Bellamy’s soft brown eyes look over his face, he didn’t even have the energy to kiss him back when the man leaned closer to peck his lips. His eyes fluttered shut as a warm hand dipped under his sweater, letting out a tired breath as Bellamy ran his nails down his spine.

“I’m pregnant.” He said, just above a whisper, too afraid to look into the man’s eyes. His lips curled down in a poor attempt to stop more tears from falling as the alpha pulled him even closer, burying his face into the crook of his neck. He felt a small nod, “I know,” Bellamy whispered. Murphy sobbed, wrapping his arm around the man’s waist to hug him. “She told me.” The boy nodded his own head, struggling to take a deep, shaky breath.

It was quiet for a moment, the pair just content that they were together once again. That they’d hopefully be left alone for a little while longer, Murphy was just happy that he didn’t have to hear that damn clock anymore.

“You smell different too.” Bellamy mumbled into his skin, rubbing his face there to transfer some of his own scent. The omega released him just enough to look into his eyes. They looked different.. sadder, duller. It made him want to cry all over again. The corner of the man’s lips twitched up in a sad attempt of a smile as he brought his hand up to brush his knuckles down his cheek. “We’ll be okay.” Bellamy said, nodding his head to make his statement more believable as he pulled him back in.

“We’re gonna be okay again.”

—

Another week had come and passed. They started a pile of the water bottle caps to keep count of how many days they had been there. By their best guess, it had been three, almost four weeks in total.

Murphy sighed as the tower of caps collapsed for the umpteenth time, rolling onto his side to look at Bellamy. He trailed his eyes down the man’s sweaty form as he continued doing push ups, said that he started working out a few days after they were separated to keep him busy, to keep him from worrying too much about him. Murphy had no interest in joining him, his backside still healing from pressure sores, but they were nearly gone, thanks to Bellamy massaging them every so often. The omega’s face pinched as he brought a hand up to press against his chest, his.. pecs, he refused to call them breasts, had been aching all day. He knew it was due to the parasite growing inside of him. Pregnancy fucking sucked, he wasn’t even two weeks in and he could already feel his body changing. The past few mornings he’s woken up nauseous, his lower back was constantly killing him, having the same cramps he’d feel during his heats. And now his tits fucking hurt. How did anyone do this? He couldn’t wait to know what the next few months would bring.

Sitting back on his knees, Bellamy took a moment to catch his breath, shaking his wrists out before stretching the burning sensation from his muscles. Seeing the discomfortable look on his omega’s face, he decided to cut his work out short and crawl back into their nest to him, nuzzling his face into the boy’s neck, kissing along his jaw sweetly. As the alpha relaxed on top of him, Murphy sighed as he carded his fingers through the man’s sweaty hair, scratching at his scalp like he loved. He felt his vision start to cross as he zoned out, staring up at the ceiling. Murphy inhaled sharply as he forced himself to refocus. That was another thing, he had started zoning out really bad. He couldn't exactly blame it on the pregnancy, but there had been a few instances where Bellamy had to yell and shake him in order to bring him back to reality. The scared, worried look on the man’s face was enough to make him careful, more thoughtful of when it was happening.

He didn’t mean to do it, it just.. happened. The boy did it a lot during the week they were separated, it helped pass the time, dull the pain, the torment of Dr. Tsing’s abuses. It wasn’t until he came back, that he learned he wasn’t there for seven days, it was actually ten, Bellamy had kept track. That scared him the most, he lost days zoning out. He knew it couldn’t have been good, you know, mentally.. but it felt safe there, like none of it mattered, like it wasn’t even real. It was like his brain shut off, all the thoughts, emotions, plans to escape, just.. stopped. It would all go silent, he wouldn’t even hear the goddamn ticking of the clock. He couldn’t feel any pain, couldn’t feel anything now that he thought of it.

“Hey,” Bellamy’s soft voice pulled him from his daze. He gave the alpha a sad smile when their eyes met, the man running his knuckles down his cheek. “Stay here, with me.” He whispered, his eyes full of concern. “I’m here.” Murphy reassured him, accepting his light kiss.

Flicking his eyes over the ceiling, Murphy thought of what he could say, at times like these, it worked best if they kept talking, kept his mind working. “How do you feel.. about becoming a dad?” He said, scoffing sadly as he rubbed a hand over his face.

Bellamy took a second to ponder, and then rolled off of him so he could instead pull the omega onto his chest. Both of them had been avoiding the topic, too nervous to bring it to light, too afraid to accept that it was actually happening, John was still in denial about it if he was being honest. It didn’t feel real.

Murphy propped his head up on the heel of his palm, his free hand tracing over the tattoo on the man’s chest, growing more nervous with each passing second. “I don’t know,” Bellamy finally said, drumming his fingers over his chest. “It’s.. well, it’s usually not my right to decide.” The boy’s brow furrowed at that, looking up at the man’s face. “What?” Bellamy shrugged, folding his arm underneath his head as a pillow. “You’re an oma.. It’s you who decides whether we have children or not.” Murphy balked at the information. Surely that couldn’t be right. “Is that.. a Trigedakru thing? It cant ge that.. simple.” He said, sitting up to get a better view of his face. Bellamy nodded. “Omas are a blessing, and the children of Omas are just as precious.. It is no one’s decision, but the Omas to decide whether that gift is created.” He said easily.

Murphy’s brow knitted together as he took that in, only having more questions. Although it was comforting to know he had control over that, it also felt like a lot of pressure. “What if their mate doesn’t want kids.. but the omega does?” He asked. “Then they weren’t meant to be mates.. They probably wouldn’t mate in the first place.” Bellamy replied. “What if.. an Oma never wants kids?” He said in a small voice, diverting his eyes down to the freckles littering the alpha’s chest.

Sensing the omega’s unnerve, understanding what Oma he was talking about, Bellamy sat up, tilting his chin up with a finger. “John.. Do you want children?” He asked. Murphy’s eyes started to sting from.. he didn’t know, fear? Did Bellamy want kids? Would he leave him if he said no? Would he stay and resent him for never having kids? For forcing him into a marriage that he could never feel happy in?

The boy barely shook his head as a single tear rolled down his face, looking down at the space below them, unable to look into those beautiful brown eyes. Now looking at his flat stomach, he wondered what this kid would look like. Would it have Bell’s eyes? His freckles? Maybe it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. Maybe it’s something he could learn to live with.

“Then we will never have kids.” Bellamy whispered, wiping the moisture from his cheek, placing a languid kiss to the skin there. “I never really imagined myself having them anyway.” Bellamy added, smiling at the surprised look Murphy sent him. “But what about..” He trailed off, his hand absentmindedly moving to rub his stomach. Following his hand with his eyes, Bellamy pursed his lips.

“There is medicine to stop pregnancy.” He reminded him. Murphy tried hard, he really did, to not roll his eyes, but failed, looking at the man like he was an idiot. Murphy didn’t have to say a single word to get his point across. “Hey,” Bellamy said in a warning tone, grabbing his jaw, “we are not going to be here that long. As soon as we’re free, we’ll end it.” He said, the certainty in his voice shocking the omega. How could he be so confident? So sure that they would escape? “And what if we don’t? What if Clarke and Anya never made it out? What if they’re dead and we’re waiting on no one?” Murphy questioned, grabbing his hand to squeeze. “What if I do have this baby?” He whispered, his vision growing cloudy with unshed tears. He was sick of crying, he was sick of being so scared all the time. Sick of not knowing what terrible thing was going to happen to him next.

Grabbing the sides of his face, Bellamy looked him deep in the eyes, Murphy could see nothing but truth and conviction. “We will be okay, John.. I swear it.” He said firmly. The man’s mouth fell open as he struggled to find his words, looking down for a second before meeting his gaze again. “I trust in my people, our people.. I trust in my commander.. She won’t let us die here. She’ll find a way to free us. We just have to survive until then, okay?” He said, waiting for Murphy to nod.

“And if we have this child, I will love it until my dying breath.” The man whispered, grabbing the back of his neck to pull him in for a gentle kiss. Murphy had a small pout on his lips as he stared into those gorgeous brown eyes, imagining how they’d look on a baby. They’d make a cute baby, that at least, he didn’t need to worry about.

“I thought you didn’t want to have kids.” He murmured. Bellamy’s lips curled up into a small smile, chuckling softly. “That’s not what I said.. But I’d be having them with you.” He replied, shrugging his shoulders. “As long as it’s with you.. I don’t care what life throws at us.” Murphy shook his head as he looked away from him, trying and failing to hide a smile as his heart did a flip. “You’re such a sap.” He teased, smiling even brighter as the alpha slithered his arms around him, pulling him down onto their nest. The boy wrapped his arms around his shoulders as Bellamy kissed along his neck, rubbing their skin together.

The omega let out a sigh, melting onto Bellamy’s chest, feeling slightly better about their situation. “You really never thought about having kids?” He asked, not wanting to stop talking yet. Murphy folded his arms, resting his chin on them to look at his alpha. The man shrugged as he thought for a second. “Chiefs don’t usually have children.. Neither do healers now that I think of it.” He explained, ghosting his nails down Murphy’s back. “Really?” The boy asked, furrowing his brow curiously. “Yeah.. I mean it’s not like we’re not allowed to, it’s just..” The man pursed his lips, thinking of how best to word it. “The people are our children.” He said.

Murphy couldn’t help but tilt his head at that. Now that he thought of it, Nyko didn’t have any children, nor did Indra as far as he was aware. It made sense actually, taking care of an entire village didn’t leave you much time to take care of your own children. God, that sounded exhausting.

“Besides, I’m sure O and Lincoln will have enough children for the both of us.” Bellamy chuckled, the omega couldn’t help but smile at the thought, they’d be good parents. Laying his head back down on his chest, Murphy sighed as he thought about them, his heart aching ever so slightly. “I miss them..” John whispered, tracing his finger over Bellamy’s tattoo. The boy chewed on his lip as the atmosphere turned sadder, the both of them falling silent.

It was at that moment, Bellamy realized he hadn’t thought about Lincoln since they were separated, he didn’t even tell Murphy about it. The ‘Cerberus Project’ that woman sent him to..

“Does.. Cer-ber-us.. mean anything to you?” The alpha asked out of the blue. Stilling his movements, Murphy frowned as he lifted his head to look at him. “Cerberus.. is the name of a monster from Greek mythology. It’s a three headed dog that guards the entrance to the underworld.. Why? Where did you hear that?” Bellamy’s brow knitted together in worry. “That’s where Lincoln is. When we got here.. that woman said he would go to the Cerberus Project.. What do you think it means?” He whispered the last part, growing more concerned. The man felt bad for completely forgetting about his friend until now, but then again, there wasn’t anything he could do to help him. And so much shit had happened over the past couple weeks, all he could think about was keeping Murphy and him alive, there was no room to worry about anything else.

“I don’t know, Bell..”

—

The next morning, Murphy was awoken by a rolling sensation in his stomach. Sitting up, the boy pressed his hand into his belly, trying to settle it as a cramp pulled at his insides. He was usually able to keep it down as long as he just concentrated really hard and breathed through it. He belched a little as air traveled up his throat, his mouth beginning to water. “Nope,” he said, his stomach clenching as he suppressed a gag. Scrambling out of bed, he ran to the middle of the cell where there was a drain in the floor. “Sofon?” He heard behind him as he started to heave up yesterday's food.

The omega’s entire body lurched as he vomited, his eyes tearing up as he coughed the last of it out. He grimaced in disgust as he swallowed down bile, needing to in order to take a breath. His face scrunched in discomfort as a sharp pain shot through his abdomen, bringing his hand down to rub it away. “John!” Bellamy yelled, his voice full of concern. He shook his head, waving his hand behind to let him know he was alright. “I’m fine.” Murphy breathed out, focusing on taking nice, deep breaths.

“You’re not fine.” Bellamy said in a scared voice. He let out a heavy sigh as he heard the man running over to him. Sitting back on his knees he tried to nudge the alpha away as he began pawing at his body. “Bellamy I’m f-“ “You’re bleeding.” The man said, raising his voice to cut him off. Murphy’s brow scrunched in confusion as he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, looking down at himself.

He felt himself pale as he finally saw the blood staining his inner thighs. Turning to Bellamy, he noticed that he too was covered in his blood, streaks of it all down his front. The omega looked over his shoulder at their nest, another wave of nausea creeping up as he saw the bloody mess he had made there. He didn’t have enough time to turn back towards the drain, vomit splattering onto the floor, down his front, not stopping until his stomach was empty. Murphy leaned on his elbows as he dry heaved, coughing uncontrollably. Catching a whiff of his own bile, a hard shiver ran through his body, making him gag again.

He was drooling onto the floor, just trying to stop his stomach from flexing when Bellamy pulled him away from the puddle. Murphy panted for air as the man pulled him into his lap, using his balled up shirt to clean his face. “This isn’t good, Bell.” He forced out, swallowing around the bit of bile stuck in his throat. “I know.” The alpha said in a quiet voice, his face devoid of any emotions. Murphy gulped down the water offered to him, panting as he relaxed into Bellamy’s arms. Still feeling nauseous, the boy took slow breaths to try and calm his angry stomach, letting his alpha’s scent soothe him. “She’ll be here soon.” He whispered, his eyes fluttering shut as Bellamy ran his hands over his back.

Bellamy shook his head in anger. He was so fucking sick of this shit. One terrible thing after the other. “How does she know? How does she know everything.” The man growled, tightening his hold on the omega. “The camera.” A tired voice said. The grounder’s face furrowed in confusion. “The what?” He asked, releasing Murphy just enough to look at him. “The blinking red light in the corner? It’s called a camera. With it, she can see everything that happens in here.. She always has..” The boy mumbled, his voice getting softer with each word. Looking up at Bellamy’s even more confused face, he sighed. “It’s.. Like an eye. Through it, she can see anything in its view.. There’s no doubt she’s seen the blood already, so she’ll be here soon.. She’ll probably separate us again.” Murphy whispered, looking away from Bellamy as his eyes welled up with tears.

Nodding his head, not seeing any way to avoid the inevitable, Bellamy hugged the boy closer, rubbed their cheeks together to scent him, to try and offer even the smallest amount of comfort. “Then let me hold you until then.” He whispered, pressing a kiss to his forehead.

—

Bellamy held back the growl creeping up his throat as the beta woman and a young alpha entered their cell, squeezing his arms tighter around Murphy, sending them a furious glare.

Taking a look around the cell, Dr. Tsing sighed, wrinkling her nose at the acrid smell of vomit. “Belomi.. we need to examine Mofi. He needs to come with us.. It shouldn’t take long.” She said calmly, flashing him a quick look at a dart gun as a warning. “I would rather not have to sedate you both.” She added, clasping her hands together in front of her patiently.

Feeling the boy start to move, Bellamy’s eyes shot down to look at Murphy, wordlessly asking him if he was okay. The boy nodded, “en’s ku, Bell. Ai na kom op bakon.” He said, the corner of his lips twitching in a pathetic attempt of a reassuring smile.

Though he was unable to believe it, Bellamy helped him stand, only backing away when the guard held his cattle prod out to the side, turning it on to deter him from coming any closer. Letting his boy go, Bellamy clenched his jaw as the young alpha sent him a sympathetic look.

Wiping the moisture from his face with the sleeve of his sweater, Murphy held his head high as he walked out of the cell, wincing as each step caused a sharp pain to stab his stomach.

—

“Alright Mofi, we’ll bring you some clean clothes after. For now, take your shirt off and sit on that chair.” Dr. Tsing said, stepping over to a closet to pull out some equipment. Inhaling a shaky breath, the boy followed the command, not having much fight left in him. Maybe if he cooperated, this would be over soon.

He undressed as fast as he could, wincing in pain as he had to crouch over to pull his blood stained pants off, making a sound of disgust when he had to peel them off his legs. Murphy shivered as the cool air touched his skin, walking over to the examination chair. Goosebumps rose on his arms as he laid down on the cold leather. “Lee,” the woman called him over, they moved in sync to grab his limbs, quickly restraining them. “Hey!” Murphy barked, pulling at the metal straps. “I’m not gonna try anything, these aren’t necessary.” He sneered, glaring at the doctor as she locked the last strap around his ankles. “I think we both know they are.” She shot back, raising an eyebrow at him.

Murphy’s face went slack as she tied a rubber tourniquet around his bicep, twisting his wrist to poke at his veins. “What are you doing?” He said in a scared voice, fighting against the restraints, instantly forgetting he just promised her he wouldn’t. “I’m getting a blood sample, I want to know what’s going on inside of you.” The beta said, wiping the inside of his elbow with an alcohol swab. “Don’t move.” She warned him, sending him a threatening glare. The boy’s breathing started to increase as she grabbed an IV, he watched just long enough for her to hover it above his skin before he had to look away. A small whimper was caught in his mouth as he felt a small pinch, letting out a deep breath when that was all the pain he felt. He thought there’d be more to be honest. Now he just felt like a baby.

Cracking open one eye, he watched the woman as she connected the needle to something else, he didn’t know, and plugged in a test tube, his dark red blood filling it quickly. She hummed as she did it to a few more, pulling the needle out just as quickly as she placed it. Collecting the sharps in one hand, she tilted the blood samples in her other hand back and forth to keep them from coagulating as she disposed of everything, pulling one end of the tourniquet to undo it from his arm. “There, not so bad, right?” She said with an easy smile, placing the samples in a plastic baggy before handing it over to Lee. “Get these to Liam, tell him I want these results as soon as possible.” She said sternly, grabbing a cart to drag over to Murphy.

“Alright, now for the ultrasound.” She said, pressing a few buttons to turn the machine on as Lee made his swift exit. Murphy gulped as she adjusted the monitor around, so they could both see it. Grabbing a bottle, she slid closer on her little stool and squirted the cold, blue gel onto his lower abdomen, using a wand to spread it out evenly. He couldn’t help but jump a little at the temperature of it, feeling even more goosebumps rise over his skin. A whirring sound made him look towards the monitor, he wasn’t exactly sure what he was looking at, but Dr. Tsing didn’t seem too happy about it.

His gaze jumped between the black and white monitor and her pinched face as she leaned closer, running the wand over his stomach in various places. “My god.” She whispered, quickly taking a picture before moving the wand again, taking another. “What? What’s wrong?” Murphy couldn’t help but ask, growing worried that something was wrong with him. The woman spared him a quick glance, pursing her lips before pointing at the screen. “Do you see this?” She asked, circling a darkened space on the screen. “That’s your uterus, where the fetus—baby—.. grows,” she corrected herself, forgetting she needed to dumb it down for the outsiders. “And these are your ovaries, where your eggs are.” She said, trailing her finger along a thin line to two tinier shapes. “They are severely underdeveloped.. It’s no wonder you miscarried..” She trailed off, capturing another image of it. “I’m amazed you got pregnant in the first place.” Lorelei whispered.

Taking another good look, the woman let out an exasperated sigh, shaking her head as she cursed under her breath. “I should have done this to begin with.. Save myself the trouble.” She grumbled.

Murphy shot her a glare, yeah, save her the trouble. He felt a seething rage bubble up inside him as she put the wand down, printing off the sonogram pictures of his reproductive organs. All of this was for nothing, all the pain, all the torment, it meant shit all. This cunt put him and Bellamy through absolute torture for the last month and it was her that was inconvenienced. He couldn’t even feel relieved that he was no longer pregnant.

The woman rolled over to her clipboard to write something down, examining the images in her hand before tucking them in between her notes.

Not even ten minutes later, Liam, her assistant came crashing into the exam room, panting for air as he thrusted a folder into her hands. “What is it Liam?” She asked, a look of concern contorting her face as she opened the packet. “Just.. Read..” The man said, leaning on his knees to catch his breath. Her eyes scanned down the pages, widening as she read each line. Lorelei’s head shot up to stare at the omega, her mouth falling open.

“You’re.. you’re one of the Arkers.” She breathed out, absolutely astonished.

Chapter Text

“You’re one of the Arkers?” Dr. Tsing asked, a dumbfounded look on her face.

Murphy’s own scrunched in irritation, of course he was. “You didn’t fucking know that?” He spat, how the fuck did she not know that? How stupid were these people? He was with the one hundred when they were captured.

“But..” The woman paused, looking back down at the lab results. There was no mistaking it, his blood results matched the Arkers, now that she thought about it, he was around their age as well, a coincidence she overlooked. “You.. you were dressed like an outsider.. You speak their language. You’re mated to one, what were we supposed to think? Why didn’t you tell us?” Lorelei yelled, her stool rolling away from her as she abruptly shot up.

Murphy rolled his eyes as she crowded him. “You never asked.” He said in a flat tone, returning her fiery gaze, it was fun seeing her this angry. Dr. Tsing has always been very.. collected. It was nice to see that facade snap for a second.

Taking a step back from the omega, Lorelei felt a pang of anxiety in her chest. What was she going to do now? Her cord blood experiment was destroyed, but that was the least of her worries. President Wallace was going to be furious when he found out they’d imprisoned one of the Ark children.

Stumbling back, the woman took one last look at the boy before storming out of the cell, pulling Liam out with her.

“You cannot tell anyone about this, Liam. Not a soul, alright?” She hissed, holding a finger close to her assistant's face as they stood in the vacant hallway. The omega nodded, a worried look on his face. “I need to speak with Cage.” She whispered, the only sound coming from the clicking of her heels against the floor as she stalked towards the alpha’s chambers.

—

As Lorelei made her way towards Cage’s quarters, she slowly came to a stop, resting her hand on the wall to hold herself up. Screwing her eyes shut, she cursed to herself. It was all going to shit. Her mind was in a million different places, she couldn’t think straight. This changed everything. Mofi.. if that was even his name. It would be an unusual name for an Arker.. Fuck, what did that matter, she had more important matters to worry about. Like figuring out how she was going to save her ass from Wallace when he finds out she experimented on one of the children for almost a month straight. She doubted ‘I didn’t know’ would be a valid explanation.

Leaning against the wall, the beta threw her head back against it, her eyes falling shut as she tried to straighten out her mind. It wasn’t like her to rush into things, to be so.. careless. How could she be so blind? She had gotten so excited about the chance to study umbilical cord blood that she just jumped head first into it, she wasn’t acting like herself.

No, she needed time to calm down, collect her thoughts. She needed to think about this, really think about it, and what she was going to do next. The only people to know were her and Liam, so.. She had some time to figure this out, telling Cage could wait a little longer.

“Dr. Tsing.” A familiar voice called out, startling out of her thoughts. Lorelei chuckled to herself as Cage leaned on the wall next beside her, smirking coyly at her. “Coming to my room during daylight? If I remember correctly, it was you who said that was too risky.. You miss me that bad?” The man purred, leaning in to kiss her neck teasingly.

Rolling her eyes, the beta pushed off the wall, waving the man away from her. “No, I just wanted to inform you that the cord blood experiment I was conducting has.. failed.” She said reluctantly, peering down at her feet for a second. God, she hated admitting defeat, but for now that was all she could do. The alpha’s face furrowed a bit, it wasn’t like her to ‘fail’ or give up when faced with a bump in the road. “Why’s that? I know you were really excited about it.” Cage murmured, brushing a strand of her dark hair behind her ear. “So excited, you haven’t shut up about it for the past month.. You couldn’t even stop thinking about it during sex.” The man reminded her, not that he minded, he was still getting laid either way.

Letting out a tired sigh, Lorelei straightened her shoulders, getting herself ready to walk away. “Yes, well, the omega is infertile as it turns out..” She grumbled, flicking her hair over her shoulder. “Onwards and upwards though, right?” Lorelei said, offering the alpha a strained smile.

Cage could feel the corner of his mouth curl up, “that’s my girl,” he said softly, watching her walk away. “Keep me updated.” He called after her, having a feeling there was more to it. An infertile omega.. It was unheard of, an oxymoron in itself. Perhaps it was due to radiation. “I’ll see you tonight?” The man hollered, only giving up when she waved her hand back at him. Chuckling to himself, Cage unlocked his front door and walked in.

—

Lorelei rubbed at her temples as she stared down at the papers covering her desk. It was all the Arker’s blood tests. She had gone back to Mofi, or Murphy she should call him, to ask him some more questions, which wasn’t as helpful as she would have liked. But from what she could piece together, Murphy’s infertility was most likely caused from the Ark’s heavy reliance on suppressants to control population growth. If that was the case, she could assume all the Ark teenagers were infertile, or in the best cases, that it would be extremely difficult for them to have children, which would also throw a wrench into the president’s plan as well. She wasn’t even sure if the adverse effects of their suppressants could be reversed. She would have to scrap that entire experiment, they would all need to start at square one.

Reading over their labs, she couldn’t help but be astounded by their blood, by their ability to filter radiation. It was better than even the outsiders. If only she could use their blood.. But President Wallace would never allow it.

But then again.. President Wallace had no idea Murphy was one of them.

Standing up abruptly, Lorelei quickly collected her papers and rushed out of her room. A wicked smile creeped onto her face as she made her way back to the laboratory.

After all, it was better to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission.

—

Bellamy couldn’t contain his nervous energy, had spent the better part of the day pacing back and forth, even after the lights had shut off for the night. He couldn’t relax, the scent of Murphy’s blood and vomit still heavy in the air, it made his hair stand on end, made him restless.

He just wanted to know he was alright. She said it wouldn’t take long, but it had been hours. How long would they be separated again? If Murphy lost the baby, which seems like the most plausible explanation, seeing where the blood came from, would she impregnate him again? Were they looking at another ten days of being apart?… Would she touch him again? “Jok,” the man hissed, stepping away from the window of their cell door, nobody had passed by all day anyways.

Bellamy had no right to be so.. scared of her, of what she did to him, he was a warrior for fucks sake. He was stronger than this.. He’d seen war, he'd seen things that would break weaker men, he’d been the cause of them. And it wasn’t like she was hurting him, not like she hurt Murphy. Sure it made him feel gross—no— that was an understatement, it made him want to rip his own skin off, but it didn’t hurt him, he just.. didn’t want it to happen. Which is everything that has happened here, he didn’t want any of this. So why did it bother him so much? Why did her touch linger? If he let his mind go idle for even a moment he could still feel her filthy hands on him, groping at him like he was nothing, like he wasn’t even a person. She took something sacred, something intimate, and made it.. mechanical. Turned it into a tool for her to get what she wanted. He’d be tortured before, had been a prisoner of war, so why was that the most horrible torture he’d ever been through? It was so.. dehumanizing. It didn’t hurt him physically, but he couldn’t get that moment out of his mind. Being tied down, being completely powerless, having his own body used against him.. It was humiliating.

Bellamy dug the heels of his hands into his eyes, trying to force his tears back into his body. God he was so weak, to let that happen to him. He was pathetic. Crying over this when Murphy had been through far worse. What happened to him was nothing compared to the torment she put Murphy through. Fuck, he was so selfish. Murphy was god knows where and here he was, worrying about himself, about what would be done to him when Murphy was the one who had to bear the brunt of all of this hell.

Finally sitting down on their nest, Bellamy tugged at his hair as worry consumed him. About what was going to happen to his omega. He survived the ten days without Murphy, but this time.. Something felt wrong, his chest felt tight. Bellamy didn’t know if he could make it ten more days, if either of them could.

It had taken him days to get Murphy to speak more than a few words after he returned. Not to mention the times he disappeared into his mind. Bellamy had seen it before in his warriors, broken from war. Their bodies were strong, but their minds.. their souls had been destroyed from the horrors they saw in battle. He was less worried about himself, and more concerned about Murphy ending up like that. It took a lot of time to heal those warriors, some of them never recovered. He couldn’t let that happen to Murphy.

Looking down at their bloodied nest, Bellamy hesitantly grabbed the nearest blanket, bringing it up to his nose to sniff. The alpha’s shoulders slumped as he breathed in his omega’s sweet scent. He thought it would comfort him, but it did the opposite, it only made him worry more, his fading scent a painful reminder that Murphy wasn’t here.

Fuck, they needed to get out of here.

—

Cage sighed as he stepped into Dr. Tsing’s private lab area, eyeing the unconscious outsider that was strapped down to an exam chair. “When I asked to see you tonight.. This is not what I was thinking.” The man whispered into her ear so her assistant couldn’t hear. Lorelei smirked as she crossed her arms over her chest. “Liam, give us the room please.” The beta said, remaining silent until he was gone.

“Is this the infertile omega? What was his name, Mofi?” The alpha asked, circling the teenager’s body to take a closer look. “It’s Murphy, actually.. John Murphy.” Lorelei said, a smug look in her eye. Cage shot her a confused glance, stilling his examination as his stomach dropped. “That’s.. an unusual name for an outsider.” He muttered, turning back to the sedated boy, he couldn’t be..

“That’s because he’s not an outsider. He’s from the Ark.” Dr. Tsing announced, stepping over to them. Holding up her hand to stop him, she went on, “before you start yelling, I only found out today.. His blood results match those of the Ark teenagers, and he confirmed it.” She explained, handing over the clipboard that had said blood results on it. “Shit.” Cage hissed, running a hand down his face as he read over the page, thinking about the shit storm this was going to stir up. “President Wallace..” He paused to let out a bitter laugh. “He’s gonna be pissed.”

“Yes he will be.. unless your father doesn’t need to know about this.. At least not yet.” She said in a prompting tone, wanting him to press further. The alpha sent her a tired look, he really needed to learn how to say no to her.

“What are you planning?”

—

Bellamy held his breath as he heard heavy bootsteps stomping down the hall. His eyes darted up to the blinking red eye in the corner, Murphy said it’s how they knew what they were doing, how they knew exactly where they were whenever they came in. Grabbing a blanket, Bellamy rushed to throw it over the camera and ran back to the mat to rip a thick strip of cloth from one of the blankets. As he wrapped the edges around his hands, he thought about the best strategy. He knew they never came alone, but it didn’t sound like there were a lot of them, two or three at most. The lights were still out, would they turn them on at the last second to blind him? ‘They’ll probably expect me to hide behind the door like last time,’ he thought as he positioned himself against the opposite side. They’d hit him with a dart as soon as they had a clear shot, so he’d need to avoid that for as long as he could. Bellamy already knew he’d be knocked out, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t take one of them with him. He was already becoming resistant to whatever medicine was in those darts, each time they shot him with one, it took a few seconds longer for him to pass out. It was a small window, but he could still do some damage.

“Damnit, he blocked the camera,” he heard a muffled voice say through the door. “Just hit the lights and go in.” A more agitated voice barked, followed by the clicking of the door unlocking. Bellamy shielded his eyes as the cell was filled by blinking light. Before his eyes had fully adjusted, he lunged himself at the first set of arms to thrust themselves through the door, knocking the dart gun out of his hands before wrapping the strip of fabric around the guard’s neck. Bellamy roared as he put all his strength into strangling the man, pulling back as hard as he could. “Lee!” The other guard yelled, shooting off a dart, only to land it in his comrade’s arm, narrowly avoiding Bellamy. The guard managed to kick Bellamy’s leg out from beneath him, slamming them both onto the floor with a thud before he quickly succumbed to the sedative. “Fuck!” The man said, fumbling to grab another dart from his bulletproof vest. “Shit, stay back!” He yelled, backing out of the cell as Bellamy rolled Lee’s limp body off of him.

Bellamy growled with each step he took closer to him, all he saw was red as the dart slipped from his grasp, the glass shattering as it fell onto the floor. The man’s fearful eyes grew wider as he looked from the floor, up to the enraged alpha’s gaze. He stumbled over his own foot as he backed himself down the hall, reaching up to touch his earpiece. “M-mayday! Mayday! We have an outbreak in sect-” The sickening crack of his neck cut off his cry for help, Bellamy bared his teeth as his body fell to the ground.

Looking up and down the hall, Bellamy didn’t think he’d get this far. Tossing aside the scrap of fabric, he crouched down to paw at the guards body, looking for any kind of weapon. He pulled a black metal stick from his belt, adjusting it in his grip as he looked all over it. It was the stick they used to hurt them, the one that sent pain all throughout his body. Pressing down on a little button, Bellamy flinched as a bright blue light flashed on, the ear piercing sound of it coming alive. Testing it one more time, he poked the guard’s dead body with it and watched in shock as it convulsed for a second.

The man froze as an alarm went off, flashing red lights filling the hall. Standing up, Bellamy checked once more that the hall was empty and ran down the direction that felt right.

Sniffing the air, the alpha followed the scent of people. He had no idea what he was doing, but maybe he could find Murphy and get them out of here, once and for all. Or maybe he could just kill a couple of mountain men. Either one worked for him.

Peeking around a corner, his breath caught in his throat as he found the original room of cages they were held in. Making sure no mountain men were around, he rounded the corner, running over to begin checking cages for his boy, shushing grounders as they began to perk up with excitement.

“Bellamy?” He heard Echo’s voice. Swiveling around, his eyes darted around until he found the woman in the same cell from before. “What are you doing?” She hissed, her knuckles white from how hard she was gripping the metal. “Where’s Murphy? Have you seen him?” Bellamy rushed out, looking through all the cages surrounding her. “You’re gonna get caught! Probably kill-” “Murphy!” He bellowed, making her flinch away. “Where is he!” He growled, shaking the door to her cage. The beta shook her head, her eyes wide with fear. “I.. I don’t know. They brought him through here a few hours ago.. That way.” She said, pointing in the opposite direction he came from.

Bellamy nodded as he took a deep breath. “We’re gonna get out of here. I promise.” He said before running off.

Sprinting down a long hall, the man skidded to a stop as he passed a cell, paling as he saw Murphy’s unconscious body strapped to a chair, tubes and wires hanging from his body as blood was drained out of him. “Sofon.” He breathed out, shaking the door handle. When it didn’t budge, he tried hitting it with his stick, yelling as it quickly broke into more pieces with each hit. Looking through the window once more, he panicked as the tan woman stared right back at him in shock, a man he’d never seen before storming over with a dart gun in his hand.

“Stop right there!” His head shot to the side as a number of guards came running down the hall. “Fuck.” He hissed, taking one last look at his omega before sprinting away, quickly losing the hoard of guards.

Bellamy had no time to think, no time to make a plan, no time except to run. It no longer mattered what direction he thought he was going in, as long as it was farther away from the mountain men. His heart was in his chest as a door opened at the end of a hall, a person in a blue suit backing out of it. “Stop him! Don’t let him escape!” The guards yelled, hot on his tail. The suited man turned around, not hearing clearly from his hazmat suit. He screamed as an outsider barreled towards him, shoving him into a wall before slipping through the door to the decontamination chamber.

The alpha’s chest heaved as he looked around, a swarm of blue suited people staring at him in equal shock. “Security breach!” One yelled, prompting them into motion. Knowing he had to keep moving, Bellamy elbowed the closest person as they grabbed an emergency dart gun, knocking them unconscious. He snarled at them as they quickly surrounded him, grabbing one of the brushes they used to scrub them and swung it around. With so much adrenaline pumping in his blood, he didn’t even feel the dart that landed in his back as he hit one of the suited men, the wooden pole snapping in half from the force of his hit. As his vision started to spin, Bellamy tightened his grip on the splintered piece of wood in his hands, using the last of his strength to lunge at the closest person, sinking it into his throat. As the man’s blood spurted out of his blue suit, Bellamy panted for air, fighting the medicine as hard as he could. Looking up, his brow furrowed as he swore he saw Lincoln, kneeling before the mountain men.. Dressed like a reaper.

Squeezing his eyes closed to clear them, he snarled as multiple people jumped on his back, pinning him to the ground. As his vision grew darker and darker, there was no mistaking it. It was Lincoln. Staring right back at him, eyes the size of saucers.

“Lin..coln..” He breathed out as his hands were shackled behind his back, his body going limp.

Chapter Text

The repetitive sound of metal banging together brought Bellamy out of his deep, dreamless sleep. He grimaced in pain as he tried to move his arms and found them secured behind his back. Slowly blinking open his eyes, he found himself back at square one, locked up in a damn cage with the others, except this time he was completely bound. Pulling at his wrists, he winced as it pulled his ankles up. Seems like the mountain men learned from last time.

His whole body was stiff, aching from the awkward position he had been crammed into. Feeling his restraints with his fingertips, they were metal, there was no way he’d be able to break free of them in this angle. Looking around, he watched as a young boy next to him struggled to break the lock on his door in the cell, rattling the entire cage.

“Yu souda tran mou badas gon bos op em.” He grumbled, leaning against the wall of his cage to take some weight off his knees. “I’m sorry I.. I don’t understand you.” The boy said, pausing what he was doing to glance at him, his brow furrowing slightly. “Wait—I know you.. You’re Bellamy.” He said, forgetting the lock to move closer to him. “I’m one of the sky people. It’s Miller, we went hunting together.” He rushed out, a hopeful glint in his eyes. Bellamy eyed the boy, racking his muddled memory, that day felt like a lifetime ago. “How’d you get here?” The grounder asked.

Miller pressed his shoulder into their shared wall, bringing his knees up to his chest. “Clarke sent me.” He whispered, looking around the room. Bellamy perked up as the blonde’s name reached his ears, shaking all the aches and drowsiness from his bones. “What? She got out? Her and Anya got out?” He asked, throwing himself closer. The boy nodded. “Yeah they made it out, long story short, we formed an alliance with your commander and have been working on how to get everyone out of here. That’s why I’m here, I’m.. I’m supposed to be the inside man.” The teen murmured, feeling embarrassed that he didn’t get farther before getting caught. “Can you help me get out of here? I have to find the others.” He added, looking to the man hopefully.

Bellamy’s brow knitted together as he looked around, there wasn’t much he could do in the state he was in. “We’ll figure it out.”

—

Cage’s head dropped as he let out an irritated sigh. “Four minutes, thirty-two seconds.” Lorelei stated, picking up her pen to note their finding. “God damnit.” Cage hissed, pushing away from the desk so he wouldn’t have to keep watching some random girl die from radiation exposure.

“The Ark blood still isn’t enough to cure us.” He grumbled under his breath, chewing the inside of his cheek as he fumed. “Don’t get discouraged, Cage. This is only the first test.” Dr. Tsing said, standing up to wrap her arms around his shoulders. “This was a success.. It may be a short resistance, but it’s a start. We just need to keep grinding.” She said softly into his ear, pressing a kiss onto his shoulder.

“We just need to figure out how to make the resistance permanent.. Perhaps if I had more blood samples..” “No.” He cut her off, knowing exactly where she was headed. “We agreed. Figure out the science, then we go to my father.. You got lucky finding this test subject, work with what you have.” Cage said in a firm voice, shrugging her off before storming out of the monitor room.

This unending cycle of hope and disappointment.. It was really starting to piss him off.

—

Bellamy’s words died in his throat as the beeping of the door sounded, all of the grounders falling silent. Watching Bellamy lean back in his cell, back into the shadows, Miller did the same, keeping an eye on the guard and lab technician as they strolled in, looking at each of the prisoners.

According to Echo, they didn’t come everyday, he wasn’t sure how long it had been since Miller had gotten here, but it felt like at least a day, maybe more. They were wasting time, but it at least gave them the opportunity to form a plan, for Miller to fill Bellamy in on everything that had happened.

“This one.” The guard growled, staring down Bellamy. “He’s the bastard who killed Smith.” Stepping over to his cell, the tech cocked his head to the side, evaluating him. “And Peter.” He added, venom dripping from each word. Bellamy snarled as a cattle prod was shoved through the grate, digging into his ribs to electrocute him. “You’re lucky to be alive, you piece of shit. If I had any say, you’d be dog meat right now.” The guard growled, hitting again with the prod.

Just as they began unlocking his cage, a loud rattle rang out, their eyes shooting over to Miller as he began throwing himself against his cage. Bellamy shook his head at the kid, this wasn’t a part of the plan. He was supposed to lay low and whoever was picked would take the guards down, they all agreed. “He’s energetic.” The tech said, his eyes darting over him, not finding any puncture marks or bruising. “He must be from the new batch.” “Fuck it, we’ll use them both.” The guard grumbled, hitting Bellamy once more with the cattle prod. The alpha gritted his teeth as his entire body went stiff. “No, we only need one. Let’s just use the fresh one.. He’ll get his in time.” The tech said, sending him a sharp glare before moving over to Miller’s cage. The caged grounders looked on in worry, quickly growing restless as the sky person who was there to save them screamed in pain, a syringe stabbed into his arm while he was temporarily stunned by the electricity.

Echo held a finger to her mouth, silently shushing the captives as the mountain men maneuvered Miller’s unconscious body out of the cell and dragged him over to the transfusion station. Bellamy let out a defeated sigh, resting his head on the door of his cell.

Goddamnit.

—

Not even half an hour after they started bleeding Miller, Bellamy’s head perked up as the door opened once more, a young girl in a pink shirt walking in. He could smell the nervous energy wafting off of her even from here, looking all around as she walked over to Miller’s hanging body. “Hey,” he breathed out, struggling against his restraints as she ignored him to dig through a drawer, plunging a syringe into the boy’s thigh. Bellamy watched as Miller gasped awake, his arms flailing around as the girl kneeled down to calm him.

“Who are you?” She asked in a hushed tone, just barely controlling the waver in her voice. “You’re from the Ark, aren’t you?” She said after the boy didn’t say anything. He could see Miller nod the slightest bit. “Do you know Jasper?” She asked, her breath starting to quicken.

“Maya.” Miller whispered, eyeing the girl as if he already knew her. She was just as shocked as Bellamy was. How did he know her? “Mind getting me down, Maya?” He said, his voice hoarse. The girl hesitated before nodding, standing up to reach for the remote that would lower the wench holding him up. She froze as the familiar sound of the door unlocking filled the room, pushed open as a guard walked in. Maya quickly ripped the wires off his chest, standing up to face the man as he entered the room. “Stay still.” She whispered.

“Lovejoy. Hey.” She said in a strained voice, her eyes jumping between Miller and the guard. “What are you doing here? You’re not cleared for this facility.” The man said, rushing over to her to remove her from the chamber. “I know, I’m sorry.” She said in a seemingly sincere voice. “I-I just.. wanted to see what was so special about him..” Maya said, getting quieter with each word as she looked down at Miller. “But he’s dead.” She announced. Bellamy’s heart was in his throat as he watched the scene unfold, Miller’s eyes falling shut to go along with the ruse.

The guard’s eyes furrowed as he looked down at the outsider, then to the monitor, his EKG wavelengths having gone flatlined, thankfully missing the obvious wires that were disconnected from his chest. “So he is.” Lovejoy mumbled, reaching around the girl to grab the remote, lowering his body to the ground.

“You’re a brave girl coming in here.” He said in a scolding manner, kneeling down to undo one of the restraints around Miller’s ankle. As soon as his limb was freed, Miller kicked the guard in the face, rearing up to undo his other ankle. “Don’t move!” Lovejoy hollered, recovering quickly from the assault, removing his gun from its holster. “On your feet. On your feet!” He barked, forcing Miller back towards the cages. In a panic, Maya grabbed the closest thing to her, the empty syringe of epinephrine and stabbed it into the guard’s neck, making him drop his gun in surprise. Taking the opening, Miller lunged at the man, landing a punch before throwing him against the cages.

The girl scrambled to grab the gun, raising it up at them. “Don’t! They’ll hear!” Miller yelled, his hands closing around Lovejoy’s neck. The guard grabbed a knife from his leg pocket and raised his arm up to stab the outsider when his wrist was grabbed. Looking up, Lovejoy’s eyes went wide as an outsider pinned his wrist to the cage, twisting it in a way that made him drop his knife, he screamed in pain as it snapped broken.

Miller growled through his teeth as he put all his strength into strangling the man, watched as the blood vessels in his eyes popped from strain. Following him down to the ground, the boy kept going until the life left the man’s eyes, his body going limp underneath him.

Standing on shaky legs, Miller’s chest heaved with each breath. He nodded to Echo, thanking her before turning to Maya. The girl stood there, trembling like a leaf, unable to tear her eyes away from Lovejoy’s body. A man she had known her whole life. ‘Was this really the right thing to do?’ she asked herself. “Maya?” Miller said softly, touching her arm. “Are you okay?” He panted, still breathless from exertion. Willing her tears away, she nodded her head, unable to look Miller in the eye. “Okay.. Help me get him undressed.” He said, turning around to kneel by the man’s body. “We have to hide the body.”

Bellamy pressed himself against the cage door, panting from adrenaline. That wasn’t exactly how they planned getting Miller out, but it worked nonetheless. “Remember the plan.” The alpha called out, causing the two teenagers to look up at him. Miller nodded, pulling the guard shirt over his shoulders. Maya’s mouth fell open as she looked between the two, confused. “W-.. What’s the plan?” She said in a scared voice.

—

All of the grounders were restless as Miller and Maya headed out after a brief rundown of the plan. Bellamy felt a hell of a lot better knowing they had Maya on their side, it gave the plan some security, rather than running on blind luck. Having someone who knew the ins and outs of the mountain would greatly improve their chances. And he would take any help they could get, he wasn’t feeling very lucky these days.

He clenched his jaw as he switched his weight onto the opposite knee, he regretted telling Maya not to take his restraints off, but if they were gonna be successful, they would need the mountain men to think everything was normal. If Bellamy was gone or even unrestrained in his cage, it would have raised suspicions. They couldn’t risk getting caught, not this early into the plan. Miller was going to need all the time he could get. A bit of pain was a small price to pay for their freedom.

Closing his eyes, Bellamy tried not to think about the throbbing ache running through his body, the feeling of the metal grate pressing into his skin for far too long. Turning his head towards Echo, he made a small noise to get her attention. “I need a distraction.. Talk to me.” He murmured. Distracting yourself was the first step in enduring torture, all warriors were taught how to do it. “Do you wanna go over the plan again?” She asked in a flat tone, finding it hard to get excited about their escape, finding it hard to believe. After months of being here, she learned it was impossible to best the mountain. They could try their best, but it would be pointless in the end. “No, just..” Bellamy exhaled through his nose, not knowing what to say. God, they used to be so good at this, passing time together. She had changed so much since they were together, he wondered how much he had changed, were they even the same people? “What are you going to do when we get out of here?” He asked, needing something to distract him from the pain.

The beta eyed him for a moment before looking away, it was hard for her to wrap her mind around that idea. If she was being honest, she had already come to terms with dying here, so Echo didn’t really know what she would do. “Go back to what I’ve always done, I guess.” She said in a weak voice. Being a warrior, it was the only life she had ever known, it was what she was good at. But even on the precipice of her freedom, she couldn’t imagine how she could go back to living normally. How she would leave all these memories behind. “Learn how to live again.” Echo whispered, her vision blurring as she zoned out on the far wall.

“What about you?” She asked, not wanting to think about the life she was not prepared to get back to, the one she never thought she would live again. Echo turned to consider the alpha, they had spent two years at each other’s sides, she knew almost everything there was to know about him. There was a time she thought he would be her mate, that they’d fight by each other’s sides for the rest of their lives. There was still a small corner of her heart she kept just for him, her first love. She was having a hard time remembering what tore them apart in the first place.

Bellamy had a fiercely determined look on his face, his jaw clenched tight as he stared off into space. “I’m gonna tell Murphy I love him.” He declared, nodding his head to solidify it. He wasn’t going to hide behind their language barrier when the time came, he wasn’t going to be a coward this time, he was going to tell him out right, plainly, fervidly. “And then.. I’m gonna spend the rest of my life at his side.”

And there it was.

Echo couldn’t contain the weak laugh that escaped her lips, looking down at her chipped fingernails. How stupid she was, to think what was already dead, could be brought back to life. Bellamy may have loved her once, but never in the way he loves that boy. The feelings he once had for her were long gone, the only thing left was familial comradery, the ache of remembrance. He was good to her, but he never loved her as hard, as fiercely as he loved Murphy. She saw that now, plain as day. “Is he your Swegawon?” She asked. The man looked her in the eye for the first time since they started talking, nodding his head earnestly. She could see it in his eyes, the love he had for the boy who fell from the stars. Echo never saw that look in his eyes when they were together.

How lucky that boy was, to be loved by such a great man. She only hoped Murphy loved him back just the same.

—

A pained murmur fell from Murphy’s lips as his eyes shot open. He felt his chest grow tight with panic, all he could see was the cement floor, his entire body strapped down onto a table. Pulling at the metal restraints, a scared sound escaped his throat as he tried to look around. “You’re awake, that’s too bad.” He heard Dr. Tsing’s voice, followed by a sympathetic ‘tsk’ of her tongue. “W-what are you doing? Where’s Bellamy? You s-said you’d bring me back to him.” He asked in a shaky voice, he felt sick. His stomach twisting with nausea, all of his muscles aching as if he just ran a marathon. What did she do to him while he was asleep?

She’d done a lot of horrible shit to him, but this time.. It felt like something really bad was about to happen. He couldn’t shake this paralyzing feeling of dread, like a heavy pit in his chest.

His eyes watched her heeled feet come into view, stopping beside his head. Murphy’s mouth curled down as he felt his eyes sting with tears, he didn’t know why he felt so scared. Why this time felt so different from the others.

A single tear dropped onto the cement floor as she squatted down to look him in the eyes, resting her cheek on her knees. The woman pouted, sending him a pitying look. “I’m sorry to tell you this.. But Bellamy escaped yesterday.” Murphy's face contorted with confusion and anger, she was lying, she had to be. Bellamy wouldn’t have left him here, he.. he wouldn’t have done that. “You’re lying.” He croaked out, his throat started to hurt as it constricted with emotion. “I’m so sorry John, I wish I was. I know he meant a lot to you.. He was a good specimen too,” she sighed, standing up to step away for a moment. “There was a lot I could have done with him, but alas.”

“You fucking bitch, he wouldn’t do that. He wouldn’t leave me.” He growled through his teeth, he wouldn’t fall for her tricks. “I understand why you’d have a difficult time believing me, I’d be more than happy to show you the camera footage?—Once we're done here of course.” She said, the whirring sound of a drill filling the air as she tested the batteries.

“What the fuck was that?” Murphy said, trashing against his restraints when she ran something wet over the back of his thigh. “This is just some iodine, cleans the area. I wouldn’t want you to get an infection no-” “No you stupid bitch, the fucking sound! What was that sound!” He raised his voice, fear and venom dripping from each word. “Oh, this?” She asked, whirring the drill a few times. “It’s a drill. I’m going to perform what’s called a bone marrow aspiration.” Murphy felt his blood run cold as he felt the blunt end of the drill touch his skin. “I was hoping your sedation would last longer. It can be extremely painful.”

Feeling a relentless pressure digging into the back of his thigh, he ground his teeth together as excruciating pain coursed him. His entire body went tense, the buzzing sound of a drill the only thing he could hear, the vibrations sending jolts of blinding pain through his entire body.

If he thought the drill going through just his skin and muscle was painful, he wasn’t even close to prepared for the pain of it going through his bone. His eyes scrunched closed as a blood-curdling scream ripped from his throat, unable to hold it back any longer.

He knew he had a bad feeling about this time.

—

Bellamy flinched awake, his chest heaving as he looked around the blue lit chamber. Something was wrong, something was very wrong. “What is it?” Echo whispered next to him, startled by his abrupt awakening. “Murphy.” He panted out, struggling against his shackles, his chest growing tight with anxiety. “Something’s wrong with him.” Bellamy rushed out, gritting his teeth as he tried to free his hands. “How do you know?” The beta asked, looking around to see what he was seeing. “I-I don’t know, I just know. He needs me.” Bellamy growled as he felt warm blood streaming down his hands from where the shackles cut into his wrists. “Bellamy, you’re just hurting yourself. Calm down—” “Don’t tell me to calm down! He needs me!” He hollered, twisting himself into an even more uncomfortable position.

It was at that moment a scream carried through the air, they all stilled to listen to the barely audible sound coming from down the hall. “That’s Murphy.” Bellamy growled, throwing his shoulder against the door to his cage. “Bellamy! Be quiet!” Echo hissed, looking back at the door before sticking her arms through the cages to try and calm him.

“Murphy!” The alpha yelled, bruises already beginning to form on his face and shoulders as he repeatedly threw himself at his cage.

Echo cowered as she heard the door unlock, retreating to the back of her cage and tucked her face into her legs, hiding from the irritated guard. “What the hell is going on in here.” He grumbled, grabbing a dart gun from a drawer before striding over to Bellamy.

The alpha didn’t even register him as he continued his futile attempt to escape, only hurting himself more. “What are you tryna kill yourself or something?” The man asked, quickly raising the gun to shoot Bellamy. “Murphy!” He screamed, fighting the sedation with all his might. “Murph.. Murphy..” Bellamy slurred, his vision blurring as he slumped against his cage, slipping into unconsciousness.

—

Murphy lost count of how many times he had passed out from pain, just to be woken up from it. A constant looping cycle of agonizing pain followed by a brief reprieve, a restless lull of unconsciousness. The metal shackles pinning him down rattled from how severely his body trembled. It wasn’t just the cold that made him shiver, it was shock. Darkness obscured the edges of his vision, his ears filled with cotton.

He flinched as Dr. Tsing ran her cold, gloved hand over his back, a scared whine falling from his lips as she tried to comfort him. “That’s all for today, John.” He could barely hear her, like she was on the other side of a wall. Murphy would have screamed at her if he had energy left, if he could feel anything besides unrelenting pain and panic. He hated how his name sounded falling from her lips, the way she said it as if she had earned the right to call him John. He regretted telling her his name, would rather she just called him Mofi like she had been doing for weeks. At least then there was some disconnect, she had no right to call him by his first name. There was only a select few who could get away with calling him that, and she was not one of them. Hearing the syllables roll off her tongue made his blood boil, made him want to rip the insulting appendage right out of her mouth.

Lorelei looked towards the door as her assistant walked in, carrying IV supplies. “Thank you Liam, get him hooked up and let him rest. He’s gonna need it.” She said with a smile, collecting the cooler of bone marrow samples and her notes before heading towards the exit. “Keep a close eye on him, I don’t want his vitals to decline.” She warned, taking one last look over her shoulder.

“I’ll see you soon, John.”

—

Cage chewed on the skin around his nails as Lorelei prepped Carl Emerson for the procedure. “Are you sure this will work?” He asked, unable to tear his eyes away from the syringes of dark red fluid. The doctor sent him a playful smile, grabbing a saline flush to clear Emerson’s dialysis port.

“You know that I can’t promise that.. Even if it doesn’t work, it won’t hurt you.” She said, turning back to give the man a reassuring look. “Worst case scenario, it will be like another treatment.” She muttered, connecting a port access IV to the syringe.

“Our ancestors have tried this in the past but.. The outsider’s bone marrow was never strong enough to take effect. However the Ark’s blood.. It’s almost three times stronger than the outsiders. I have a good feeling this will be successful.” She said with an excited smile, holding the syringe in front of Emerson. “Are you ready to change history?” She asked the man. “Ready when you are, ma’am.” Carl said, a giddy, but humble look on his face, honored to be the first test subject.

“Here’s to our future.” Lorelei said, inserting the syringe into his port, slowly administering the marrow.

Chapter Text

Lorelei rubbed at her dry eyes, both her and Liam hadn’t slept more than two or three hours over the past two days, Emerson wasn’t in much better shape, but he at least could sleep. Admitting the man into the hospital ward was easier than trying to track him down every two hours for blood samples, along with the added benefit of monitoring him for any adverse reactions to the procedure. Between that, running nonstop lab tests and monitoring Murphy, they were exhausted to say the least.

She let out a tired sigh as she extracted the latest sample, staring down at the man as he slept. All blood was drawn through his port, so it didn’t phase him. Tilting the test tubes back and forth, Dr. Tsing restarted the two hour timer on her watch, tossing the soiled IV supplies away before heading to the laboratory.

As the woman turned around, she jumped as she came face to face with a young girl standing a few feet away, staring at the sleeping guard. Clutching her chest, Lorelei chuckled to herself, stepping over to the Ark girl. “Harper, right? What are you doing in here? Only patients are allowed.” Lorelei had spent the past month closely observing each and every one of the Ark children. She had learned the girl to be quite shy and reserved, calm natured like a typical omega.

Harper tore her eyes away from the man, meeting the doctor’s gaze. “What’s wrong with him?” She asked in a small voice. Lorelei sent her a small smile, placing a hand on her back to usher her out of the ward. “He was exposed to some radiation during a ground mission. He’s alright, we’re just keeping him here for observation. Nothing you should concern yourself with.” She said easily, walking them out of the hospital wing, making sure the door locked behind her.

“You know, it’s just about lunch time. Why don’t you go get something to eat? I hear they’re serving peach cobbler today.” Lorelei said in a sing-song voice, smiling back at the girl as a tense smile twitched on her face. “Yeah that.. that sounds good.” Harper said, looking away bashfully as the woman nudged her in the direction of the mess hall.

Dr. Tsing waited until the girl rounded the corner before heading the opposite way, badging herself into the laboratory. Letting the door swing wide open, she let out a deep exhale, walking with purpose to her work station.

Perhaps it was due to the lack of sleep or maybe it was her deep concentration why she didn’t think twice about the delay of the door closing, oblivious to the girl slipping in right behind her, disappearing down the hall completely unnoticed.

—

Harper’s breaths were heavy as she creeped down the dimly lit hallway. She didn’t even know what she was doing, why her legs moved without thinking. It was stupid, she knew that. But Harper had grown restless, they all had. Even more so since Maya told them the truth of Mt. Weather. Showed her, Monty, and Jasper the cages that housed the enslaved grounders, explaining how they used their blood to filter out radiation. A dark stain on their history they were conditioned to keep quiet about.

The girl squeezed her hands into fists when they began to shake from fear. They had no idea what to do, how to escape, all of their minds going to the worst possible outcome: Mt. Weather eventually using them for their treatments. Maya had already heard rumors of them doing experiments on one of Ark teenagers, but which kid it was, still unknown. And they were, after all, rumors. Maya hadn’t been able to find any more information other than the hushed whispers among the laboratory workers, stating that crazy rumors were common here. Not much happened in Mt. Weather, so outlandish gossip was to be expected with the coming of the Arkers.

The ones who had been here since the beginning were all accounted for, so if the rumors were true, it would have had to be someone who wasn’t in camp during their abduction. There weren’t a lot gone then, a few out on a hunting trip.

Maybe that’s what drew Harper into the restricted area, the anxiety of waiting and standing still, never being able to do anything to get out of here. The truth was, she hated it here, she couldn’t stop thinking about Clarke’s disappearance, it didn’t make sense. She’d known the girl their entire lives, Clarke was their leader she wouldn’t have just left them, especially since she had, rightfully, been so paranoid about Mt. Weather. Something had to have happened to her. Clarke wouldn’t have just left without a single word, without seeing them first, without trying to get them all out too.

Prior to learning the truth, there had been mixed opinions between the delinquents about their being here, some were still skeptical. The ones who were never quite able to trust the grounders found it to be a sanctuary, a more stable, secure alternative than rolling the dice with the grounder’s alliance. It shocked her how quick they were to dismiss Clarke’s escape, how easily they tossed her aside for a warm bed and some cake. The ones who were closer to Clarke’s inner circle didn’t trust Mt. Weather, but even she could see the scales tipping towards Mt. Weather’s favor. Even Jasper had nearly fallen under their spell, promises of protection, of love from that girl, Maya. It was only Monty, Harper felt she could trust completely, his careful discernment and outright aversion towards them the only thing she could count on. It was Monty who brought Jasper back to reality, convincing him that they needed to dig deeper, that all of this was too good to be true.

With their tight-knit group back on track of getting them the hell out of here, they somehow managed to sway Maya to their side. It took some convincing and reassurance, but Maya was quick to support them, her parents raising her to know that what they did to the grounders was wrong. A crime against humanity.

Maya had told them to lay low for now, not to cause any trouble, but Harper was at her wits end. She didn’t even want to imagine what hell Mt. Weather was putting one of her people through, who it was. If they could enslave hundreds of people for a over a century and feel no guilt, she didn’t want to know what type of shit their minds could come up with.

Taking deep breaths, Harper was careful to make sure her footsteps were as quiet as possible, slinking down the endless, winding halls. She didn’t have a single clue where she was going, what she was trying to look for. Fuck, this was a mistake. She should have just listened to Maya. But she was tired of just sitting around like cattle, waiting to be harvested. She was sick of letting others do the hard work, just because she was an omega. She could do some recon. She was tough. She could do hard things, goddamnit.

Steeling herself, Harper peaked around a corner. Her jaw gaped open as she looked out on the seemingly endless floors of cages, filled with hundreds of grounders.

Hearing the distant sound of people talking, Harper’s head snapped over her shoulder. She didn’t see anyone, but she could tell they were getting closer.

Looking around her, she ran down the closest hallway, glancing over her shoulder as she started to pant from anxiety.

—

Dr. Tsing looked up from her microscope as a group of guards entered the laboratory, Garza holding a finger up to his mouth to silence her. Stepping away from her work table, she closed the distance between her and the man, letting him lean down next to her ear. “You had a tail sneak into the lab behind you. Stay here until we find her.”

Lorelei’s heart skipped a beat. Harper. It had to be her. “Was it one of the Arkers?” She whispered. The man nodded quickly, splitting his guards into groups, directing them down different halls. “Is Cage aware?” She asked, depending on how deep into the lab Harper went, there was no way she could be allowed back into the general population. “Yes ma’am. We’ve been ordered to apprehend her.” Garza said before following after his team.

Biting at her nails, Lorelei turned towards the door as the head of security walked in, a smug look on his face. “You, Dr. Tsing, are a very lucky girl.” Cage drawled out, snaking an arm around her waist to pull her in for a kiss. Her mouth opened slightly, an excited smile pulling at her lips. “Do you—.. I can use her?” The alpha grinned as he ran his hand lower down her backside. “Well she can’t go back to gen pop.. And you know I can’t say no to you, Lorie.” He said, leaning in to kiss her jaw. “How’s Carl doing?” Lorelei smiled as she wrapped her arms around his neck, accepting the displays of affection she would normally never allow in public, but who cares. They were getting out of here.

“It’s working. His levels are rising to match the Ark’s.” She whispered, threading her fingers through the hair on the back of his head.

Pulling away, Cage smiled brightly at her. “Well then, I guess it’s time we tell the president.” Looking away, Cage paused to listen to the voice coming through his earpiece.

“They got her.”

—

Harper grimaced as she tried to stretch her legs, hitting them against something that rattled. She could barely open her eyes, everytime she tried, her heavy eyelids would just close again.

When she was finally able to keep them open long enough to look around, her stomach dropped as she found herself in a cage. She remembered following Dr. Tsing into the laboratory, she remembered running around from the guards. Forcing herself to sit up, she gasped as she saw the crumpled form of a body in the cage next to her. He looked pale, bruises littering his body. He looked familiar, smelled familiar.

“M-.. Murphy?” She breathed out, reaching through the metal bars to touch his face. The bags under his eyes were so dark, they looked like bruises, they very well could be. When the boy didn’t react, she tilted his chin up to look at her. “What are you doing here? Wha-.. what’s going on?” She rushed out, her voice shaking with panic as she looked around the room.

Nausea crawled up her throat as she looked into his dead eyes, like all the life had been ripped out of them. Harper ripped her hand back as her eyes filled with tears. Was he..

She released the breath she was holding as his chest expanded. He was alive, but just barely. “Murphy?” She said softly, pressing herself against the wall of their cage to caress his cheek. “It’s me, it’s Harper.”

A frown pulled at her lips as she tried to stay strong, her heart breaking as he slowly looked at her. “Harpy.” He croaked out, a scarily blank expression on his face. A tear rolled down her face as she forced a smile onto her face, nodding her head. “Yeah, it’s Harpy.” She cooed, brushing her thumb over his cheek. The boy slowly covered her hand with his own, he seemed almost confused by the gentle touch. God, what did they do to him?

“Murphy, I need to know what’s happening.. What are they going to do to us?” She asked, trying her best to keep her voice from wavering. She needed to be strong. The boy was silent for a moment.

“They’re gonna kill us all.” He whispered, his voice devoid of all emotion.

—

Bellamy winced as a crushing weight pulled at his chest. He couldn’t take this anymore. Resting his head against his cage, he squeezed his eyes closed, willing his tears away. He didn’t know how much time had passed. As soon as he would wake, someone would come in to sedate him again. Everytime he woke, he could hear Murphy’s screams. They reverberated throughout his mind, they haunted his dreams. Not even sleep was a relief.

This pain, it felt different. It felt like.. giving up. Felt like complete and utter despair. Bellamy had heard the expression before, but never knew what a heavy heart felt like until now. Like a stone in his chest, weighing him down. Not even when he lost his mother, not even when he had to—.. when his father died.

He remembered a conversation he once had with his father, about how he could always tell when his mother was troubled, whenever she was hurt or in danger. Told him that swegawon’s could sense when something was wrong with their mate. Like a sixth sense, like their emotions were your own, like you could feel everything they felt too.

Bellamy thought about the day his mother was abducted. His father had taken them out early that morning to hunt, it was a beautiful, quiet winter day. He remembered the pride shining in his father’s eyes as he took down a boar, a big one despite it being late in the winter, a lucky find to be sure. When Bellamy closed his eyes, he could still see his father clutching his chest, the cheerful look on his face melting away to sheer panic. He remembered falling to his knees in the glittering snow after they returned to Tondc, remembered the brisk cold that kissed his ears and nose as he stared out into the frosted forest while his father scrounged up a search party, leaving Bellamy in charge of Octavia. “Your sister, your responsibility.” He said, before leading the group of warriors out of the village. The cadence of his father’s voice.. he spoke as if he was already dead. Like he knew he wasn’t coming back from this.

He remembered thinking how the day could be so pretty, how the forest could dare look so beautiful while his entire world fell apart.

Bellamy watched his tears fall from his eyes, straight down to the cement floor. He wondered how finding the love of his life could hurt this much. If this is what it meant to find your promised one, he didn’t know if he could handle the pain of it. Of losing them, not when he just found him— he just found him. They didn’t get the chance to live a long life together yet, he didn’t get the chance to tell Murphy just how much he loved him. How could the Flame give him everything he’s ever wanted, just to rip it away, like it’s taken everything else from him. Was he cursed? Was this his punishment? To not be able to do a goddamn thing as he felt his mate dying?

He didn’t know if Murphy was dead or not. He didn’t want to believe it, didn’t want to think like that, but what else could this feeling mean? This.. soul crushing agony. What else could he think it was?

A pathetic sob escaped his lips, his tears falling freely as he felt Murphy dying. Felt him losing all hope. If Murphy really was gone, what was the point of getting out of here? What was the point of breathing? What was the point of any of this?

Bellamy hiccuped as a distant scream came from down the hall, where Murphy was, but it didn’t sound like him, which could only mean one thing.

Murphy was dead.

—

Murphy slowly moved his hands to cover his ears as he rocked back and forth in his cage, trying to muffle the ear piercing sound of Harper’s screams as they drilled into her bones.

He scrunched his eyes closed, tears streaming down his face as he listened to his friend going tortured. He knew exactly what she was feeling, knew firsthand the agony she was going through. And he couldn’t do a damn thing about it. Nobody could.

They were going to die here.

—

Cage had a disgusted look on his face as he watched Dr. Tsing’s team perform the bone marrow aspiration. Noticing his discomfort, Lorelei stepped back from her assistants, they could handle this. “Cage,” she called out, beckoning him to follow her out into the hallway.

Resting her shoulder on the wall, she considered her lover for a moment, taking in his handsome features. “How did things go with your father?” She asked. Letting out a heavy sigh, Cage joined her on the wall, leaning into it. “Still not talking to me..” He murmured, shaking his head. “He left you no choice. You had to do it, for your people.” She said in a soft, reassuring tone, reaching her hand up to rub his arm.

“He’s a fucking hypocrite. We’ve been bleeding outsiders for a hundred years, but he draws the line at a bunch of kids from space? Ones that could actually free us from this place.” Lorelei tsk’ed as she pulled him into her arms, brushing her fingers through his hair. “I know, my love.. But that’s what will make you the greater leader, one to be remembered, revered. You will be the president who wasn’t afraid to do what others were too scared to do.” She said, pulling away to look him in the eye. “You will be the one to free us from our prison.” Dr. Tsing said, caressing his face. Cage nodded, leaning into her touch.

Taking a moment to compose himself, Cage straightened his shoulders, pulling on his formal facade before clearing his throat. “The guard is getting ready to round up the rest.. I’ll leave you to it.” He said, squeezing her hand as she sent him a sympathetic smile. Cage stopped himself before he could walk away, turning to look the woman in the eyes.

“Thank you, Lorie.. I couldn’t do this without you.”

—

Bellamy felt numb, is this all you felt after your mate died? Nothing? Since Murphy didn’t feel anything anymore.

He didn’t so much as twitch when the door unlocked, two frazzled looking guards rushing in, shushing the grounders as they perked up, making startled, scared sounds. It had been a few days since anyone was bled, Bellamy didn’t want to think about the reason why, had a feeling it had to do with whatever they did to Murphy.

“Let’s get you outta here, Bellamy.” He could hear Miller say, the place on the floor he had been transfixed on being obstructed by the teen’s body as he unlocked his cage. “Can you turn around? Gimme your wrists.” The boy said, pushing at his shoulders to nudge him around.

“Hurry it up, Miller.” Lee said from where he was keeping watch. “I’m trying, okay?” The boy hissed, letting out an exasperated sigh before wrapping his arms around Bellamy’s middle to reach the shackles. “Come on man, help me out a little bit.” The alpha’s arms sagged as they were freed from his restraints, smacking against the floor of his cage. He didn’t even have the strength to care, to react to the pain that throbbed up his arms and shoulders. “Bellamy? Bellamy.” Miller hissed, shaking his shoulders. “What’s wrong with you?” He breathed out, his brow furrowing with confusion. Miller thought he’d be amped to get out.

Bellamy’s eyes brimmed with tears, his vision cloudy, all the fight left in him dying with his love.

“Come on, don’t you want to get out of here? Get Murphy out?” Miller tried, they needed Bellamy in order for this plan to work. He needed him to rally up the grounders, Bellamy being the only one the grounders would listen to, the only one that could get them to trust that the sky people were on their side.

Looking into the boy’s deep brown eyes, a tear finally fell from Bellamy’s eyes. He didn’t want to say it, saying it out loud would make it true.

“He’s dead.” He said, so quietly Miller could barely hear him.

“Wha-.. What are you talking about?” Miller said, looking back at Lee. “Murphy’s not dead, right Lee?” He asked the man. The guard stepped closer, giving them a curt nod. “The omega you were with? He’s alive, I saw him.. ten, fifteen minutes ago.”

Bellamy’s head snapped towards the guard, his arms flying up to grab Miller. “He’s alive?” He rushed out, his eyes wide as his left over tears fell down his cheeks. “Murphy’s alive?” He urged, tightening his grip so hard Miller winced as he shrugged his hands away. “Yes!” The boy hissed, rubbing his hand over his shoulder. “He’s in bad shape.. but he’s alive. Tsing still needs him, so she’s being careful with him.” Lee said, plucking the keys from Miller’s hands before stepping up to Bellamy’s cage, motioning for him to give him his ankles.

“Shits going down out there. Get everyone out of the cages and get ready for a fight. I’ll come back whenever I can to keep you updated.” Miller said while Bellamy slowly stretched out his legs, wincing when painful tingles shot up them. Bellamy scooted to the edge of his cage and jumped out, regretting it immediately as his legs gave out from under him. He growled through his teeth as collapsed onto the ground, his lower legs completely numb. “Whoa there, let’s take it easy, alright?” Miller said, offering the alpha a hand up. “Wouldn’t it be better to leave him a radio?” The guard asked, reaching into his leg pocket to pull out an extra earpiece. Miller exhaled, debating whether it was worth it to risk taking the extra time to teach him what the fuck a radio was. He could simplify it, he could make it make sense.

“Yeah.. yeah, okay.” He said, waiting until Bellamy was stable on his feet before taking out his own earpiece to show the grounder. “This lets us communicate from long distances. Keep this—” Miller said, holding up the battery, “on you at all times, it won’t work without it.” The teen clipped it onto the man’s pants, taking the extra earpiece from Lee. “See this little button? Press on it whenever you need to talk to us, here.” He said, stepping closer to put in Bellamy’s ear. The grounder grimaced, shaking his head slightly at the foreign feeling.

“Alright, ready?” Miller asked, putting his own back in before clicking the intercom on. “Base, Miller.” He said, waiting for Raven to acknowledge him. Bellamy’s eyes went wide, flinching away from the voice that spoke into his mind. “Good, it's working.” Lee chuckled, adjusting the volume a little on Bellamy’s battery.

“Miller, Base.” A woman's voice came through his head again. Bellamy looked all around them to try and find her. “Base, we’ve given Bellamy a radio for extra communication. Testing now.” Miller said, nodding to the man, prompting him to try it out. Furrowing his brow, Bellamy hesitantly clicked the button in his ear, jumping a little at the sound of a beep. “H-.. Hello?” He tried, shrugging at the two men as they snickered at him.

“Loud and clear, Bellamy. Don’t talk unless necessary, got it? Keep this line clear. Base out.” The woman said in a stern tone. Bellamy had no fucking idea what that meant, or what was happening, what kind of.. magic they used to make these ‘radios.’

“Alright, we gotta go. Don’t touch any of the buttons on this thing.” Miller scolded, pointing to the battery. Bellamy nodded along, despite his confusion, he wasn’t planning to. He didn’t even really want this thing. The Ark’s and Mountain men’s technology left a nervous feeling in his stomach. He didn’t trust it, it was unnatural.

Watching the two slink out the way they came, Bellamy looked down at the keys in his hands, shaking the last of the numbness from his legs before stepping over to Echo’s cage. “Are you sure we can trust them?” She asked, all the grounders having been too scared to say a thing during that little rendezvous. Bellamy nodded as he threw the door open, assisting the woman out onto solid ground. “We have to.. Now help me open up all the cages.”

Chapter Text

It took the better part of the day, freeing all the grounders. Bellamy gritted his teeth as he wrenched back on the pipe he had been using to break locks with, having passed off the keys to someone a few hours ago. Squatting down, Bellamy leaned into the cage to help the older woman out, wrapping her arm around his shoulders as she cried from the pain of finally being able to stretch out.

“Bellamy!” He heard Echo’s voice call out to him. Passing the woman off to another, he raised his head to look over the crowd of people, whispering nervously to each other, unsure of what was going to happen, why they had been freed, what they were supposed to do now. “What’s wrong?” He asked, a firm expression on his face, the mask he used when working.

“The people on the lower levels.. They won’t fight.” She said, a pinched look on her face. “What do you mean they won’t fight? Can’t or won’t?” Bellamy asked, furrowing his brow in confusion. They may have been prisoners, but they were still Trigedakru, they were fighters till the day they died.

“Won’t.” Echo said, pursing her lips as she held Bellamy’s outraged look. “The ones on the lower levels.. Are the ones who have been here the longest.” The man’s confusion quickly morphed into anger, resentment. They were warriors. Warriors didn’t give up, they didn’t give in. They picked themselves back up and kept fighting.

“Bellamy.” Echo said in a stern voice, trying to reel his anger back down. “You know what the mountain men can do.. You’ve been here a couple weeks? They’ve been here months, maybe even years.” She hissed, her own rage bubbling up. Echo herself had been here about three months. She didn’t know what the mountain men had done to Bellamy and Murphy, but even she saw how quickly the mountain broke them. Bellamy had no right to judge them for losing hope, not when they’re entire lives they had been told the mountain was a place of death, leaving no survivors. Echo was strong, resilient, and even she lost her hope. Even she had been broken.

“They are scared.. I am scared.” She admitted, her eyes softening as she remembered the terrors she had seen here, the power the mountain had over them. “We don’t need someone to look down on us, the mountain has done enough.. We need a leader.” Bellamy’s eyes dropped down to the ground, instantly ashamed by the uncalled for behavior that reared up from nowhere. Just a few hours ago, he was the one crying in his cell, no hope left in him. But now he had something to live for, something to fight for, maybe that’s what these people were missing. “You are the second in command. You are Indra’s second. You’ve led thousands into battle.. Do not judge us for losing our faith, give it back to us.. Lead us. Bring us home.” Echo ended with, exhaling a deep breath as she turned away.

All Bellamy could do was watch the beta walk away, frozen by the overwhelming feeling of responsibility. She was right though, looking out at all the scared, worried faces, he realized they needed a leader, they needed a purpose, a mission to direct this energy towards. They needed someone to stand tall and bring them to victory. They were stronger together, but as of right now, they were divided by their fear, only looking out for themselves.

Turning around, Bellamy held his head high as he walked over to the railing, looking down at the hundreds of grounders standing around, unsure what to do. Spotting a wooden box, the alpha stepped up onto it.

“Kyongedakru!” Bellamy bellowed, the booming sound of his voice silencing his people.

Echo snapped her head over her shoulder, turning around to watch as Bellamy called out to them. Knowing not all of them were warriors, Bellamy spoke in their mother tongue, needing all of them to hear his message.

“I am Bellamy, second in command of Trigedakru.” He started, his heart thudding heavily in his chest as all eyes turned to him. “Since Praimfaya, the Mountain has cast a shadow over our people.. Taking from each and every one of us, stealing our hope, killing our innocent..” Looking into the eyes of his people filled him with fire. Seeing the fear slowly turn to interest as he spoke their shared truth, awakening a vengeful rage at the reminder of what they had all lost. “I don’t know about you, but I say enough is enough.” He hollered, seeing the hoard of people slowly nod along with his words. “Today, we take our lives back. Today.. Blood will have blood!” He yelled, the roar of his people reverberating throughout the wide open chamber. “Today we avenge the lives of those taken from us! Today we fight for the freedom of our future, for the justice of our past. Today we break free of the chains put on us by the Mountain Men.” Bellamy listened as Trigedkru chanted their creed, the energy of their fury, their hatred electrifying, filling them all with vigor. “Fight by my side, by the side of your brothers and sisters.. Or go back to your cages and await your death like a coward.” A proud smile pulled at his lips as the grounders growled, screamed, booed at even the thought of lying down and dying quietly, a burning fire reigniting in their hearts. Turning to his side, he grinned at Echo, nodding to each other, thanking the woman for setting him straight.

Turning back towards the cavern of newly enraged grounders, Bellamy raised his fist into the air. “Today.. the Mountain falls!” He shouted, a deafening roar of people quickly following after.

“Jus drein jus daun, jus drein jus daun-” He heard the chant coming from the lowest pits of the chamber, rising up into the air like the blazing sun. “Jus drein jus daun.” Bellamy said, joining his people in their declaration of war.

—

“What the hell is that?” A guard said quietly, looking behind him as an eerie chorus of sound came from the depths of the mountain.

Cage looked away from the lab assistants hunched around the table, the child they were extracting marrow from dying of the procedure a few minutes ago, finally giving their ears a break from his screams, his futile begging to be let go.

Furrowing his brow in confusion, the new President Wallace hurried out of the room, snapping his fingers at a small group of guards to flank him. Touching his earpiece, Cage growled through the intercom, “what the hell is happening?” The young thing in the monitor room stumbled to find his words, stuttering out a frightened, “the o-outsiders.. they b-broke out of their cages.” Letting out an irritated sigh, Cage rubbed his eyes, he didn’t need this shit, not right now. “How many? I’ll send a squad in to handle it.” He said, savages breaking out of their cages, it wasn’t uncommon, every once in a while getting a particularly rambunctious alpha, but easily handled nonetheless. “..All of them, sir.”

Cage felt the blood drain from his face. Grabbing the wall for support, the alpha tried to keep his breaths slow despite the frustration quickly bubbling over inside him. He tried not to feel overwhelmed by the nagging thought that he wasn’t ready for this responsibility, scared by the fact an entire army of bloodthirsty outsiders had been released a few floors beneath his feet.

God save them all.

—

“Bellamy, what the fuck is going on down there?” Miller’s voice hissed through Bellamy’s head. Standing up, the alpha stepped away from the circle they had formed, formulating a strategy for their part of this war. Bellamy cleared his throat before pressing the button, “getting them ready to fight, like you asked,” he said, confused and a little irritated by the boy’s tone. “Quietly! Get them ready quietly, Bellamy! Now the entire fucking mountain knows you guys are free! They’re gonna be coming for you.” Miller said, Bellamy could tell he was trying to keep his own voice quiet. He rolled his eyes, he was perfectly aware that their chanting drew some attention to them, knew an attack was imminent. “I figured. At least it’ll take the attention away from you, yeah? Use the time I bought you to get us the hell outta here.” He said in a calm voice.

“He’s right, Miller. With their attention on the grounders, you should be able to make it to the mechanical room and disable the fog without much trouble. Use it, get going.” The same woman's voice from before, rang through. “Don’t worry about us, we can hold our own.” Bellamy said before turning back to the group, standing in the middle of the circle, waiting until it had gone quiet before speaking.

“The mountain men heard our war cry.” He said, a small, almost excited smile on his face. “And we have them pissing their pants in fear.” Bellamy jested, holding his hands out as his warriors laughed and hollered. “Alright, alright.. But that means they’re coming for us now.” He said, the grounders nodding in understanding, becoming serious again.

“First, we’ll move those who are sick and injured to a safer place.” Just as he was about to go on, an older man stepped up from deep in the crowd, raising his arm to grab the second’s attention. He was an elder alpha, his hair silver and gray, deep wrinkles creasing his face, but his body was still thick with muscles, his skin marred with old scars, proof of a life spent as a warrior.

“Seken,” the man started, “put us on the front line.” Although it was clear the man was strong, even for his age, Bellamy knew there was no way he would survive another battle. “You’ve fought long enough.. Let the young fight for you this time.” Bellamy said, his voice full of a deep respect for the man and his bravery to want to fight again.

Bellamy could see a playful ire dancing in the man’s eyes, amused by the youthful warrior. “I can’t let you do that. I may be old, son, but I am still a warrior. And my fight is not over just yet.” He said sternly, stepping closer into the circle. “You can barely stand, let us handle thi-” Bellamy started, but was cut off by a powerful, passionate voice. “I won’t live another day!” The elder barked, the entirety of them falling silent to listen to him. “My death is near.. I can feel it within me.” The old man admitted, rapping his fist over his heart softly, Bellamy finally taking in the injuries he carried, the sunken look in his eyes as he held the young alpha’s gaze, the bruises badly hidden behind strips of gauze. “My mate is gone, my children are grown. I have lived a long life.. I have seen and felt everything it has to offer. The only thing I haven’t done yet is die.. Can you say the same?” Bellamy couldn’t help but look away from the intensity in his eyes.

He couldn’t. There were many things he still wished to do, wished to say. He wanted to hold Murphy one more time, wanted to bask in his sweet scent again. He wanted to grow old with him, wanted to see the omega’s pale eyes grow soft and wrinkled with age. Bellamy wanted to see his sister again, wanted to see her become a mother. Wanted to see her become everything she ever wished to be. He wanted a lot of things.

Nodding his head, the old man knew from just that look alone, he was right, so he went on, turning to look out at his people. “I have watched my brothers and sisters die good deaths in battle, while I remained untouched by death, as if death was afraid of me. But now it seems my time has come, I know it is. I can feel it.” He said, touching his heart again. “I can hear my love’s voice, my brothers and sisters, calling me home.” Stopping in front of Bellamy, the man placed his age-toughened hands on his shoulders. “If I can choose the way I die, let it be in battle, fighting beside my people. For my people, for my children, my grandchildren.. Let me die a good death.” He whispered, too old to feel the shame of begging.

A middle aged woman limped into the inner circle, touching Bellamy’s hand. The second’s heart swelled with a mix of sadness and pride as he looked into her eyes, her body weak and bruised. “Let our death mean something, seken.” She begged him, a few other’s murmuring in agreement as they too stepped closer.

Steeling himself, Bellamy looked out at his people, those who were too wounded to live long, to survive a battle, giving their lives for their sake. Feeling overcome with pride, Bellamy nodded his head, grabbing the man’s forearm to pull him in, touching their foreheads together in respect, honoring them. “Okay.” He said, doing the same to the woman and every other wounded warrior that had stepped up to sacrifice their lives for their people, for freedom they would never know.

He promised them, and himself, that they would not die in vain.

—

“We’re wrapping up with this one, Dr. Tsing.” Liam said, removing his gloves as he walked over to her. The woman nodded, “I’ll go get the next one, come on.” She said, beckoning the guards to follow her.

Lorelei smiled as she passed Murphy and Harper’s cages, the girl shaking like a leaf, while the boy sat leaned back against the wall, the only proof he was alive the rise and fall of his chest. “I’ll be back with one of your friends soon, okay?” She said sweetly. “Fuck you.” Harper hissed, spitting a bloody glob of spit a few inches from her feet. The girl screamed in pain as a guard tased her, but it did nothing to dull the fire in her eyes. “That’s enough.” Dr. Tsing said to the guard. “Go on ahead of me, I’ll be right behind you.” She said without looking away from the girl’s hate filled eyes.

“He was ornery too.” Lorelei said, sticking her hand through the cage to caress the boy’s cheek, gazing at him affectionately. “But look at him now.” She said, quite pleased with how well he had been behaving. “My good boy.” She whispered, running her knuckles across his cheekbone. He didn’t so much as flinch at her touch, he reminded her of a doll. His porcelain skin, his statuesque behavior, she hadn’t heard even a peep from him in days. It took some time, but she had finally molded him into the perfect subject. Maybe she was feeling a bit maternal, but she couldn’t bring herself to kill Murphy. Not unless absolutely necessary she told herself, but even if it came to that, she could think of a few excuses to keep him around. Lorelei had never had a pet before, but hell, even Cage had started to take an interest in him. Her little doll, her pet.

“We’ll break you too.”

—

“Break those, all of them!” Bellamy barked out, pointing at the blinking red eyes on the ceiling. “And anything that looks like them.” His warriors nodded, splitting up to smash the cameras, climbing onto each other’s shoulders to reach the higher ones.

“Emo komba raun!” A warrior hissed from their place by the door. Bellamy nodded, dropping the piece of metal he was using to sharpen a pipe.

“Ge yo ogud!” He called out, prompting everyone to move into their positions. Using what they could, they managed to pry off wide sheets of metal from around the chamber, fashioning them into weapons and shields. Bellamy placed himself by the edge of the shield wall, the most vulnerable part.

He peeked through the crack of the wall as the door slammed open, confused when only one man stepped in, tossing a few pieces of metal towards them. “Bliden fyum!” A warrior hollered. Bellamy followed the metal with his eyes, watching as red smoke seeped out of it. He spared the door a quick glance as it shut again. It was poison, it had to be. “Nou blou au!” He yelled, abandoning the shield wall to grab the metal leaking the red smoke, putting all his strength into his arm to throw it as far as he could, and watched as it fell over the railing, falling into the depths of the chamber. Following his actions, a few other grounders did the same, coughing as they scrambled to grab the other containers, hurling them into the pit.

Bellamy used his arm to cover his mouth and nose, fanning the air with his other one. The ones closest to the plumes started dropping like flies, saliva drooling out of their mouth as they tried to clear the smoke from their lungs.

“Nou drop daun setnes! Setnes dou-de!” Bellamy barked, spitting the remnants of the smoke out of his mouth. Feeling woozy, he slapped his face to get the adrenaline pumping, a few others doing the same. The alpha retook his place in the shield wall just as the door opened again, a rush of guards running in.

He bared his teeth in a growl as bullets started flying, indenting their shields, but not breaking through. Murphy had warned him of bullets, little pieces of metal that would fly at impossible speeds, tearing through almost anything in their path. “Mwon op!” He yelled, the entire wall moving as one, stepping closer to their enemies. “Go’m dan!”

Like a disturbed beehive, they broke apart, advancing on the threat in front of them, cries of war ripping from deep in their chests.

Bellamy slammed his body into the closest guard, throwing him into a wall before slashing his throat and moving onto the next. They quickly overtook the mountain men’s attack, the whole battle passing by in a blur.

A low growl came from deep in Bellamy’s chest as he stalked towards the last of them, the man’s eyes wide with fear as he fumbled for a clip of bullets. Kicking it out of his hands, Bellamy straddled him, pining his arms under his legs as he raised his weapon up to plunge it into his chest. Before he could do it though, the man gasped in pain. Bellamy’s brow furrowed as he watched the man’s skin turn red, blisters growing on his face before it started to melt into itself, his skin dissolving into a puddle of blood and goo.

Dropping his weapon, Bellamy grabbed him by the throat, his face contorting in disgust as the skin sluffed into his hand. Bellamy let out a startled sound, quickly climbing off the guard to wipe the blood and muck from his hand. “What the fuck.” He breathed out, looking around at the corpses that were starting to deteriorate before their eyes.

“Did that do anything?” Bellamy heard Miller’s voice in his ear, the commotion of the battle making him miss the entire conversation they were apparently having. Now that it was over, he could hear them again. “Miller, what the fuck was that?” He said, hearing the same woman from before chuckle softly. “There’s your answer.” “Thank you, President Wallace.” They said, not answering his question. “They just started.. melting, dying. What was that?” He asked again, standing up to dust off his pants.

“We can explain it in detail another time, but in short, the air is poisonous to the mountain men. The entire floor you are on should be clear.” Raven said. “Okay.” He said, still rattled by what he just witnessed. They were dead though, that’s what mattered.

“You good down there?” Milled asked. Looking around, Bellamy watched his people recouping, wrapping up new wounds. “Looks like we lost two or three, but we’re strong, we’re good.” He said, nodding his head. “Glad to hear it. We’ll check in in a few hours. Miller out.” “Base out.” Bellamy debated whether he should copy them, but thought against it, he didn’t know what it meant anyways.

Ripping off the bottom of his shirt, Bellamy kneeled down by one of the warriors to wrap her leg, stanching the bleed. He had better things to worry about than proper radio etiquette.

—

Cage clenched his jaw as he looked down at Lorelei, her once beautiful tan skin, now burned and bleeding from radiation, her face sunken in from tissue deterioration. He sat up with his back against the wall, the beta pulled into his lap as he brushed his fingers through her long black hair. The man sighed as it started to come out in clumps. He always loved her hair, loved the way it cascaded down her back, the way it tickled his face whenever they kissed.

Of course it would happen now, at the precipice of their freedom. Just a day before her marrow treatment would have kicked in. Of course their luck ran out now. Everything was going wrong, everything, of course this would happen too.

“We lost eleven guards, two lab personnel including Dr. Tsing.” Emerson said in a strained voice, uncomfortable with having to tell the president this now, of all times, but they had shit to do. They couldn’t afford to mourn the lost right now. “Someone’s helping them, we need t-” Emerson paused as the president raised a hand to silence him. “Just-” Cage started, his eyes falling shut as he shook his head. He couldn’t do this. “Just give me a minute.” He whispered, barely able to keep his voice from breaking. How could he do this without her? “Of course, sir.” Emerson said sympathetically, walking away to give them some privacy.

Dragging his eyes across her face, Cage ghosted his knuckles across the woman’s neck, where a mating bite would have gone. His mating bite. Letting his eyes water just the smallest bit, Cage swallowed the lump in his throat. “I should have married you, Lorie.” He whispered to her.

—

Bellamy wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead as he rifled through one of the guards pockets. They were looking for more weapons, they completely ignored the guns, but each guard had at least one knife on them, among other devices they didn’t understand how to work. Bellamy showed them how the cattle prods worked, that much he did know.

He looked up at the group of warriors that were trying, and failing, to ram one of the doors open, the metal thick, the locks even thicker. His eyes fell down to the little black box by the edge of the door. Looking around, each door had them. His brow knitted together as he looked back down at the guard and began searching his body for a key. Bellamy grimaced as he tried to think, he didn’t remember seeing them use keys, metal keys that is, only the cage locks used them, everything else used..

He huffed out a laugh as he found a square piece of plastic. Flipping it over, he ran his thumb over the image of the guard’s face, along with symbols he couldn’t decipher. Standing up, Bellamy walked over to the door, halting the grounders for just a moment. It was only a hunch, but he had seen them using these cards to get in and out, it had to be a key. Placing the card in between his teeth, he touched the black box on the wall, Bellamy hummed as he felt all around it, there was nothing special about it, a few green lights flashing at him, but no where a key would fit. “What are you doing, seken?” A man questioned as they set the ram down. “Just trying something.” He trailed off, holding the card close to the box like he had seen the mountain men do before. Bellamy jumped a little at the sound of three beeps, being this close to the door, he could actually hear the inner locks unlatching.

Bellamy hesitated, reaching for the handle to pull back on it, the door opening with a quiet hiss. A small smile pulled at his lips as he glanced down the hallway, noting the couple of bodies littering the floor. Turning back to his people, he held the card up into the air for all of them to see. “Check their bodies, look for a card like this. It’s a key to the doors.” He called out, the warriors nodding before getting to work.

After a quick reconvene, they decided to split up, the small taste of battle only making them hungrier for war, for revenge. They found a total of ten key cards on the guards and split up into five groups, which was the number of pathways they found. One group tasked with staying behind to tend to those too wounded or sick to fight.

Bellamy quickly walked through the crowd of people, making sure they were armed and ready before joining Ibrahim, the old man from before, at the head of their group. Taking a moment to make sure they were all ready, Bellamy unlocked their door.

It was selfish, he knew that, but he had specifically picked the path that led in the direction of Murphy, or at least the last place Bellamy knew him to be. It had been almost a week since he had last seen Murphy with his own eyes, a day or so since he had heard him screaming. Bellamy doubted they would keep him in the same room, with all the commotion, but he was desperate to find him, even a trace of him. He needed to know for sure he wasn’t there.

Carefully rounding the corner, Bellamy strode up to the door and peered inside. It was empty. As he moved to touch his keycard to the box, he cursed to himself, just now remembering that he had broken it in the attempt to get to Murphy. “Stupid.” He hissed under his breath, trying the door handle, only to find it locked in place.

“It’s empty, seken. We should keep moving.” Ibrahim said, placing his callused hand on the young alpha’s shoulder. Taking a deep breath, Bellamy nodded. Even through the door he could smell the faint scent of rotten leaves underneath the overwhelming scent of blood. His omega’s anxious scent making him feel the same.

“Let’s go.” The alpha whispered, pulling himself away from the door.

“What were you looking for?” The old man said as they continued walking. Bellamy forced his eyes forward, hardening his expression as they turned a corner. “My mate.. That’s where they were keeping him.” He said, sparing Ibrahim a quick glance as the old man chuckled softly. “You’re young to be mated already. I assume he is your promised one?” Bellamy felt his cheeks warm as he nodded his head. “He’s-.. We’re not mated yet.” He admitted shyly. “But he’s the one. He’s it for me.”

Halting them with a gentle hand, Ibrahim turned the younger man towards him, a sincere, determined look in his wrinkled eyes. “We will find him.” The old man said. “I hope so.” Bellamy whispered, a rush of anxiety forcing his eyes away. “We will.” Ibrahim stressed, squeezing his shoulder.

Bellamy clenched his hands at his sides, his brow furrowing as he opened his mouth to speak. “I..” He started, too afraid to say what he had been feeling for hours, what he feared most. “I can’t feel him anymore.” He whispered, his vision growing cloudy as he met Ibrahim’s gaze once more. Bellamy took a shaky breath as the man hummed in thought, turning his head to look down the dimly lit hallway.

“You aren’t mated yet, so the connection is weak. But even now, if he was dead.. you would know. Trust me.” Ibrahim said solemnly, the grief he carried showing clearly in his eyes. They were the eyes of someone who knew exactly what it felt like to lose one’s mate, who survived the pain of it and had learned how to live with it. Bellamy hoped he never felt that pain—no— he hoped Murphy never felt this pain. If he could save Murphy from that fate, he would bear the pain of loving and losing him.

Bowing his head, Bellamy nodded, his eyes following after the group of warriors as they went ahead of them. “How do you..” How do you live with it? He wanted to ask, to prepare himself, just in case. “What does it feel like?” Bellamy asked, his voice soft with fear. The old man took a slow breath, a distant look in his eyes as he picked up his grief, cradling it gently in his hands.

“Some things.. don’t feel like other things.” He explained, a tense expression crossing his weathered features, somehow making him look even older.

Before anything else could be said, an intense rumble shook the entire hall, the lights flickering before going out completely, casting them into darkness.

“Seken!” “Chit don kom au?” The voices of the grounders called out, the sounds of their feet against the floor running closer.

—

“They took out the dam!” A guard yelled, frantically trying to override the alarm system, diverting all remaining power to level five. “We’re losing power on the lower levels.”

You killed us.

Cage flinched as his father’s voice echoed through his mind. Crossing his arms, he chewed on his nail as he looked at the monitors, showing the hundreds of outsiders standing outside their gates, ready for war.

“Everyone’s been evacuated to level five, yes?” He asked. “Yes sir.”

The alpha nodded his head, as much as he hoped they wouldn’t, it was only a matter of time before they took out the dam. It was smart to start the evacuation early, now all they had to do was wait for Emerson to make contact with the commander. An unruly truce, a last ditch effort to save them all. As insane as his father sounded suggesting it, the more he thought about it, it was their only option left.

“Contact made with the commander. Captain discussing truce now.” Garza’s voice called out over the radio.

Cage nodded his head, “display sector seven cameras,” he said to the monitor tech. He took a deep inhale as the main screen switched over to sector seven, the area Emerson was meeting with the young girl that ruled them all. She didn’t look like much to the untrained eye, just a small, young thing, barely out of childhood, but he knew better. Even through the screen Cage could feel the strong aura coming from her, the unwavering loyalty her warriors had for her as they flanked her sides.

A small smile pulled at his lips as he caught the barely noticeable look of surprise on her face when Emerson offered her the truce, the barest twitch of her eyebrows before it returned to her emotionless, stone like mask. Taking a moment to weigh her options, the commander finally took Emerson’s outstretched hand, shaking it once before turning away, leaving her lackeys to finalize the agreement.

“Prepare to unlock the harvest chamber doors.” Cage said, a sly grin stretching across his face. This was going to work.

—

“Should we turn back?” A warrior asked as their eyes adjusted to the dim lighting. Bellamy paused as he spotted a small flash of light coming from around the corner. “No, we keep going.” He said, taking the lead as he headed towards the source of the light, a door with a small window. Peering through the glass, he flashed his keycard at the box and pushed open the heavy door, quickly looking up and down the hall.

“Which way?” One asked, their heads swiveling from side to side. Looking around for any sign of the best direction, Bellamy chewed the inside of lip, taking a quick head count. “We split up. Ibrahim, you have the other key, your group will go left, I’ll take mine right.” The grounders nodded in agreement, splitting themselves equally into groups of seven, making sure to balance those able-bodied and injured equally.

“Fight well, be strong until the end.” Bellamy said to them all, clasping Ibrahim’s arm to bring him in once more. “Make your mate proud.” He said to the elder in a hushed tone, a small smile pulling at his mouth as the old man chuckled lightly. “You too.” As he started to pull away, Ibrahim pulled him back in, looking him sternly in the eye. “Remember what you have to live for.. Do not throw your life away unnecessarily.” A sharp grin split across Bellamy’s face. “I have no intention of dying today. My fight is far from over.” He said confidently, it was exactly what the old man wanted to hear. Ibrahim nodded his head as he finally released him, gesturing for his group to follow him and disappearing down the hall.

Looking up, Bellamy placed his palm over his heart, tapping it lightly. “I’m coming for you, love.”

—

“Mr. President, there’s a problem.” A monitor tech said nervously as he listened to the radio. God, could he catch a break? Couldn’t something just go right for once? Just once? “What now?” He said in a frustrated tone, rubbing his temples.

“Garza’s team, they.. they couldn’t find all the outsiders.” Cage’s face went slack. “What?” He said in a blank tone. “They only found about thirty outsiders in the harvest chamber, which means..” They were loose in the mountain.

“Lock down level five, move everyone into the dining hall and send all available guards there immediately!” He said frantically, pushing a tech out of the way to flip through the camera channels. “What about the truce?” The tech asked. “We never told the commander how many prisoners we had, she won’t know the difference.” Cage said. “We have bigger problems to handle.” He cursed under his breath as he watched a group of outsiders stalking down a hall before one swung their weapon up, taking out the camera. Looking up at the main board, they watched as one by one, all the cameras on the laboratory level were smashed, blinding them.

Where the fuck was Emerson?

—

“Train your fire on the door!” Clarke yelled as grounders pulled on the main gate, slowly, but surely wrenching it open. A loud gust of air hissed as the door cracked open, just barely enough to squeeze through. Clarke smiled as the warriors around her roared in anticipation, the adrenaline in the air exciting them all.

“Attack! Now!” She hollered, right before Lexa’s voice carried over hers. “Chil yo daun!” Lexa yelled, freezing her army in their place. Clarke’s head shot over to the direction of the omega’s voice, her brow furrowing in confusion as she made her way down the side of the hill.

“Look! They’re coming out!” A voice yelled out, bringing her attention back to the gate. Expecting Mt. Weather guards, Clarke was shocked to see instead the captive grounders exiting the door, wrapped in emergency blankets as they limped away from their almost grave.

Turning back to the commander walking up to her, Clarke’s face paled as she saw none other than Carl Emerson beside her, a pleased smile on his face. “What is this?” She breathed out, her gaze darting between the two. “They’re surrendering?” Clarke rushed out, it was too good to be true. It couldn’t be this easy. But she didn’t want to believe the alternative.

“Not quite.” Emerson said smugly. Clarke felt her stomach bottom out, like she had just been punched. Turning her eyes to Lexa, she didn’t even recognize the woman standing before her, a scarily blank expression on her face, her head held high.

“What did you do.” Clarke whispered, hoping with all her heart that Lexa didn’t do what she feared she did.

“What you would have done. Saved my people.” Lexa—no, the commander said. This wasn’t the girl Clarke had spent the last few weeks with, the girl who looked at her as if she could see the future in her eyes. This person was cold, unfeeling. A side of Lexa Clarke thought she couldn’t wait to see in action, but now that it was right in front of her, now that it was directed at her, she couldn’t stand it. The air caught in the back of her throat, unable to take a breath. “Where are my people?” She asked, although she already knew the answer.

“I’m sorry, Clarke. They weren’t part of the deal.” Lexa said in a calculated voice. As if her betrayal was just that simple, as if it meant nothing. Clarke felt her eyes sting with tears she refused to let fall as she looked into the omega’s eyes, amazed that Lexa even had to gall to look her in the eye.

The commander was the first to look away, turning to cut the rope binding Emerson’s hands together. Rubbing at the reddened skin, the man smirked, nodding towards Lexa. “You made the right choice, commander.” He said before turning and walking towards the main gate, letting it close behind him forever.

Clarke took a step back as Lexa called for the retreat, although it wasn’t really a step, it was more like having to catch herself from falling over, the blunt shock of Lexa’s deception nearly knocking her over. Clarke felt her breath begin to quicken as she slowly turned around, watching the army that would have saved her people walking away. It was easy for them. Because the sky people weren’t their people, because they meant nothing to them, because the commander’s word was God.

“Clarke, listen t-” “Don’t touch me!” The alpha screamed, shoving Lexa away from her as she tried to grab her arm. “My people.. They’re all going to be killed.” Clarke said, unable to stop the tears from flooding her eyes as she met the omega’s gaze once more. At least this time she managed to look guilty. “But you don’t care.” She whispered, her heart breaking as the reality sunk in. They were all alone, and she had no idea what to do.

A startled sob escaped her lips as Lexa grabbed her arm, yanking her closer before she could pull away. “I do care, Clarke.. I needed him to believe me, I needed him to believe you.” Lexa said in a hushed tone, unsure if the mountain could hear them from where they stood. Clarke’s eyes were wide as she stared into the green of Lexa’s, suddenly recognizing the girl she had come to know, the girl that kissed her so fiercely it took her breath away, the girl that made Clarke change her mind about true mates. “I need you to trust me.” Lexa whispered. “After we clear out, go to the reaper tunnels.” Was all she said before releasing her, turning away to follow after her troops.

Clarke stared after her, her mouth slightly ajar as the commander made her way down the mountain, ‘retreating’ with her army.

The alpha stood there for far too long, staring a hole into the side of the mountain as she tried to wrap her mind around what just happened. She barely heard Sergeant Miller’s voice as he called out to her, resting his hand on her shoulder before walking away, following the others as they made their way back to Camp Jaha.

Clarke could feel the mountain staring right back at her, waiting for her to move, to concede this battle, to give up.

What was Lexa planning?

—

Hearing multiple footsteps running towards them around the corner, Bellamy raised his weapon with a growl, stopping himself just in time as Miller skidded to a halt, falling back on his ass to avoid the warrior’s swing. “Whoa whoa! It’s just us.” Lee said, holding a hand out in surrender, the other outstretched to the side, protecting a young girl behind him.

“Jesus,” Miller breathed out, slowly getting back up onto his feet. “What are you still doing here? I thought Wallace let you all go. Also why the fuck didn’t you check in?” The boy accused, prodding the grounder’s chest.

Bellamy’s brow furrowed in a mix of confusion and anger as he swatted Miller’s hand away. Why the hell would the mountain just let them go and why the fuck would he leave without Murphy? “What the hell are you talking about?” He asked. “We’ve been running around with our heads cut off.. And I haven’t heard from you in hours. All this is, is a hunk of metal.” Bellamy pushed back, smashing the radio into the floor.

Shaking his head, Miller put his hands out in the air to shut them all up so he could think. Glancing at the guard, Miller bit at his lip, putting everything together. “Security must have cut the radio connection.” Lee said, turning back to Bellamy as Miller rubbed his temples. “Okay, that doesn’t matter. Let’s just.. Bellamy. I need you to take Fox here back to the harvest chamber, okay?” Bellamy shook his head as the boy went on. “We’re gotta be smuggling more to you, so just protect any sky person that makes it there.” The alpha let out an irritated sigh, he really didn’t want to be tasked with guard duty. He needed to find Murphy. He couldn’t just sit there anymore. “I won’t just stand here and let you fight for me. We’re here, we’re ready. Let us back you up.”

Miller and Lee shared a look before turning to the grounder. “We can’t do that, it’s too risky. Too obvious, ju-” The boy slowly trailed off as they realized there was a faint banging sound coming from the laboratory, all of them falling silent too listen closely. “What is that?” Miller asked. “It.. sounds like it’s coming from decon.” Lee murmured, politely stepping through the group of people to walk back towards the laboratory.

—

With Lee guiding them back, it didn’t take long to return to the now empty harvest chamber, the group they left behind gone without a trace.

“Wallace made a deal with Lexa, releasing the grounders in exchange her army would retreat.” Miller explained as they cautiously walked towards the decontamination chamber. “That doesn’t make any sense, she’d never take a deal like that.” Bellamy balked. The Mountain Men had plagued them for a century, they were the reason the twelve clans united. Cooperating with their enemy would be grounds to overthrow her, even if she wanted to, Lexa could never accept a deal with them, the people wouldn’t allow it.

Bellamy caught the scornful glint in Miller’s eye. “Well she did.” He said, anger dripping from each word.

The alpha stopped in his tracks, the rest pausing only when they realized he had stopped walking. “She wouldn’t do that.. She has to be planning something.” Bellamy urged. It would be suicide for Lexa, and he knew she wasn’t that stupid. Looking towards the final door, the one he managed to slip into a week ago, that led to the outside, he swallowed as he tried to think like the commander would. The banging against metal ringing through his ears, it sounded just like earlier when his warriors were trying to ram open the chamber doors. “It’s Lexa.” He breathed out. “Past that door, it’s her. It’s her army.”

Miller turned to face Lee, both unsure, but it made sense. They didn’t know what else it could be. Taking a deep breath, Lee slowly raised his keycard to the door, pausing when Bellamy halted him. “We should go first.. They might kill you on sight.” He said with a weak chuckle, reaching around him to pull open the door. The guard nodded his head nervously, tugging Miller’s sleeve to follow him as they headed towards the back of the group, letting the grounders shield them.

Taking the front, Bellamy held his chin up as he navigated his wait to the door that separated him from his people, from the outside, the final door of their prison. Grabbing the handle, he glanced over his shoulder, gesturing with a flick of his head for them to back up before touching his key to the box.

Peaking around the door, his eyes widened as he saw a group of warriors holding a battering ram running straight for him and wrenched the door as fall open as he could, pressing himself against the wall as they flooded into the room, toppling over themselves from their momentum.

Scrambling to get up, the warriors quickly corrected themselves, assuming a fighting stance as they looked around the room. “Chil yo daun!” Bellamy heard the commander’s voice from outside. The man let out a sigh of relief, throwing his head back against the stone wall as more warriors shuffled into the space. He had been right, Lexa hadn’t abandoned them.

Stepping out from behind the door, Bellamy’s head perked up as he saw a familiar head of blond hair. “Clarke!” He yelled, pushing through bodies to get to her as she swiveled around, her eyes searching for the voice that called out to her. The young alpha’s face relaxed as she spotted Bellamy, maneuvering around people to meet him halfway. “Bellamy,” she breathed out, a sound of surprise escaping his lips as she threw her arms around him, squeezing him tight. It took him a moment to realize she was hugging him, chuckling softly as he wrapped his arms around her back, resting his cheek against her hair. He didn’t expect the blatant affection, he didn’t realize they were that close, but accepted it nonetheless. “I’m sorry Bellamy. I’m sorry I left you behind.” She murmured into his chest. Releasing her just enough to look down at her face, he smiled, shaking his head. “You did the impossible.. You escaped the mountain.. You came back for us.” He said, an amazed laugh falling from his mouth. A strained smile pulled at the girl’s face as she dived back down for one last hug. “I’m really glad you’re alive.” She whispered, sniffling her nose as she took a step back.

“Bellamy,” he tore his eyes away from the sweet girl, turning them to Lexa as she walked over to them. He couldn’t help but smile as he looked into the familiar stoic expression on her face, she hadn’t changed one bit. “Heda,” he said, bowing his head as she stopped in front of him.

Looking around at her people, Lexa pursed her lips. “They lied. They didn’t release all the prisoners.” She said flatly. “The Mountain always lies.” He said, resuming the stern expression he had pulled on, reminding himself that the war was not over yet. “That you can trust.” He added.

Nodding her head, she watched as Clarke ran to embrace a boy, the ‘Miller’ she had spoken so highly of. “Who is this?” Lexa asked, pointing her sword at the tall, scared looking alpha beside Miller. Lee paled as all eyes turned to him, Miller holding his hands out as he stepped in front of the man. “This is Lee, he’s on our side.” Miller said in a nervous voice. “Who is he?” Lexa asked again, firmer this time. “He’s a mountain man,” Bellamy said, stepping closer to the commander as her eyes widened. “He is good.. We wouldn’t have made it this far without him. We can trust him.” Bellamy stressed, trying to ease the tension in the room.

“There are others..” Miller started, “Other mountain men who are on our side, helping us, protecting us.. Commander, there are innocent people here. Children wh-” Lee cut him off with a gentle touch of his hand, “None of us are innocent.” Lee said, a solemn look in his eyes as he finally found the courage to meet Lexa’s harsh gaze.

It felt as though everyone held their breath as the two stared at each other, wordlessly conversing before Lexa nodded her head, gesturing for her warriors to lower their weapons.

“Our fight is not over yet, lives we have not saved.. We can discuss what to do with these.. good mountain men later.” The commander announced, beckoning her army closer to form a circle as they nodded in agreement. “Where are the others?” She turned to Bellamy. Crossing his arms over his chest, he sighed. “Those who were too injured, we left here, that’s who the mountain men must have offered you. The rest are split into five groups scattered throughout the halls. I don’t know exactly how far they made it.” Miller stepped forward, pulling a map from his back pocket. “The Arkers are being held here, on level five in the dormitory. The mountain men are all here, in the mess hall. Clarke, I think we should go to Dante, here in the quarantine rooms. He helped up radiate the lower levels, I think he’ll help us take down Cage.” Miller said.

Quickly devising a plan, Miller, Clarke and Lee split off to find Monty, they would all go to Dante. Lexa’s army would split up, some to recover the wounded grounders scattered around, the majority going to level five to find the rest of the mountain men, overrun them in the event the need for a hostage situation arised. All instructed to kill any Mt. Weather guard on sight.

Leading his troops down a hall, he nodded as various warriors offered him pieces of armor, weapons, real weapons, not just blunt pieces of pipe. He knew the army couldn’t all fit into the decontamination chamber, knew that the rest were still making their way in, but he couldn’t help but look over his shoulder, searching for his sister. Bellamy cursed to himself when he realized he forgot to ask Clarke about her.

Pushing the worry from his mind, he focused on crawling his way into the ‘trash chute’ Miller told him to use. If anything had happened to Octavia, he’s sure Clarke would have said something, he could worry about her later.

—

Emerson smiled, nodding his head towards the older woman who passed by him, balancing a steaming cup of tea in her hands as she made her way back to her table. Exhaling through his nose, he scanned over the room, focusing on the exits, the guards stationed there appearing calm, seeing no signs of any threat.

Turning his head, he watched as President Wallace tossed a kid his soccer ball, ruffling the boy's hair before stepping to the side, letting the rascal run away. Cage was good at that, tucking his emotions away, compartmentalizing them and slapping a smile on to put others at ease. He guessed being raised as the President’s son, being raised to be a leader made one skilled at remaining level headed.

“Carl Emerson, Mount Weather security detail, come in.”

Emerson felt his face go slack as a familiar voice called over the radio. That sentence, what he was trained to say in the event of being taken hostage. In all the years he was a guard, he never thought he would ever actually have to use that training and only had to use it once. During his captivity with the Arkers.

“Who is this?” He asked, keeping his voice level as his heart started to pound. “You know who it is. Get the radio to the president.”

Clenching his jaw, Emerson looked up at the ceiling, at the cameras more specifically. They were being watched, Clarke had somehow made it in, which they had half expected, the stupid girl didn’t know how to go down quietly, didn’t know when to admit defeat.

Slowly making his way through the mess hall, doing his best to remain calm so as not to raise any suspicion, Emerson held his hand-held radio out to Cage. The man’s smile faltered as he stepped away from his conversation, hesitantly taking the radio, following the guard as he tilted his head towards a quiet corner of the room.

“It’s Clarke.” Is all he said, switching places with the guard stationed there, letting Cage have some privacy as he stepped away.

Cage felt his hands start to tremble, from adrenaline he told himself, not fear, he wasn’t afraid of some little girl. Taking a deep breath, he raised the radio up to his mouth, pausing before pressing the intercom. “This is President Wallace.”

“I have your father. If you don’t let my people go, I’ll kill him.” The girl’s voice was calm but threatening, whether she had to brass to follow through on it though, he didn’t know. “How do I know you have him?” He asked, glancing up at the blinking red cage in the hallway. The alpha could hear the familiar crackling of radio silence, like the intercom was on, but no one was talking. After a brief shuffling sound, he heard his father’s voice.

“Stay the course, Cage.” He said before it cut out.

“You won’t do it.” He chided, calling the girls bluff. She couldn’t, she was too good, too self righteous, a part of Cage he killed a long time ago. “You don’t know me very well.. This ends now, release my people.” Clarke said in a firm, unwavering tone. “It doesn’t have to end like this.”

His mouth opened as he tried to force his words out, turning around to see his people still dining in the mess hall. They were so close, so close to being free. “I can’t do that.” Cage forced out, his hand falling to his side as he felt his throat constrict with emotion. He wouldn’t do it, not even if it meant losing his father, not even if it meant losing his soul. “It would mean the end of our people.” He heard his father’s distant voice over the radio, followed by an unnerving silence. Had she done it? Was his father dead?

Snapping his fingers, he beckoned Emerson closer. Trying to control his rapid breaths, panic grew in his chest as the guard leaned in. “They’re in the control room.. Kill them all.” He ordered, bringing the radio back up to his lips after Emerson nodded, turning to exit the mess hall.

“Dad.. I’ll take care of our people.” He forced the words out, his eyes set on the image of his people before him, smiling, laughing, they had no clue the sacrifice he was making for them. Would they ever know?

He flinched as a gun shot pierced through his ears, the thud of his father’s body hitting the floor still audible underneath the blonde’s heavy breaths. His stomach rolled with nausea as he leaned against the wall for purchase, the pain from digging his nails into the cement bricks the only thing keeping him upright.

“You’re an idiot to think I wouldn’t do it, to think the commander would actually take your deal.” Cage felt all the blood drain from his face, his eyes scanning the room for distress, for outsiders, for anything, any sign that she was speaking the truth. She was bluffing, she had to be, he saw the army marching away. He saw them retreating. Not just down the side of the mountain, but back into the forest.. Or was that just what they wanted him to see? How many of them were there? How many did he witness leave? For all the ones that left, how many stayed?

“Listen to me very carefully. I will not stop until my people are free. If you don’t let them go.. My army will kill every last person in this mountain.”

—

Bellamy groaned as he pushed open the chute door, rolling out of the narrow vent to flop unceremoniously onto the ground. Letting out a long sigh, he caught his breath and quickly moved out of the way, standing up to help the next person out.

One by one, they crawled out, wiping the sweat from their brow as they recovered from the exertion of climbing four levels worth of vents. The second pulled his map from the waistband of his pants, panting softly as he tried to zero in on their location. They ended up in some kind of storage room, not too far from the ‘mess hall’ Miller said the population of the mountain men where. “This way, I think.” He said, walking through the aisles of boxes surrounding them.

Before he could reach the door, it was opened by two teenagers stumbling in, giggling to each other as the boy pushed the girl against a wall.

The grounders froze in place as they started kissing, completely oblivious to the army behind them. Being the only one without shoes on, Bellamy forced himself into motion, creeping up behind them. Just as he raised his arms to grab the boy, the girl’s eyes fluttered open, quickly growing wide as she let out a scream. “Outsiders!” The boy yelled before Bellamy lunged for him, covering his mouth with a hand, the other holding a long knife to his throat. The girl was quickly taken as well, a warrior clubbing her in the back of the head, letting her body drop to the floor. When the boy wouldn’t stop thrashing in his arms, biting at his hand, Bellamy dropped his knife and wrapped his arm around his neck, pulling back on it until the teen went unconscious.

Tossing the boy aside, Bellamy let out a sigh as he looked around. “Tie them up, let’s go.” He panted out, retrieving his weapon before exiting the room.

—

Murphy could barely keep his eyes open, it hardly mattered anyway, his vision was all sorts of fucked up at the moment. He swayed a bit as someone walked past him, the only thing holding him up were the handcuffs chaining him to the wall, he was almost thankful for them. The person’s scent wafted towards him as they went by, Murphy could have sworn he had smelled that scent on Dr. Tsing before. He hadn’t seen or heard her voice in a while. Was she here? No, he would be in a lot more pain if she was.

“Take her off.” He heard a man’s voice say, blinking the blurriness from his eyes, Murphy swore the man looked familiar, was sure he had seen him before, he looked authoritative.

“Put her on.” He growled, pointing his finger at none other than Abigail Griffin. The mountain men didn’t put up much of a protest, more or less grumbling about how they hadn’t even finished the last one as they followed the order.

—

The girl's scream was enough to raise alarm, bullets started flying the moment Bellamy stepped out of the storage room. If it wasn’t for the warrior at his back yanking him out of the line of fire, he’d be dead already.

Forming a shield wall, they advanced on the small troop of mountain men, overwhelming them in a matter of minutes.

Bellamy stilled as he sniffed the air, catching a familiar scent in the air. As the others were busy finishing off the wounded guards, nabbing extra weapons, he headed in its direction, ripping a machete out of a corpse’s chest as he stalked down the hall, anger rising in his blood. “Seken, weron yu’s gon?” A woman asked, a few following after him.

As he came around the corner, he spotted a guard sprinting away from him, a look of fear in his eyes as he glanced over his shoulder, picking up his pace. Bellamy bared his teeth as he growled, running after the man.

The alpha ran as fast as his body would let him, slowly but surely catching up to the guard. “Outsiders! I need back up!” The man screamed, reaching for the gun on his hip. Taking the small knife from his waistband, Bellamy hurled it towards him, skillfully landing it into the back of his ankle, causing the guard to collapse onto the ground with a pitiful cry.

With his prey wounded and unable to run away, Bellamy slowed his pace, his chest heaving as he stalked over to the pathetic excuse of an alpha. He could hear his warriors jogging up behind him as more mountain men popped around the corner. “Frag emo op.” Bellamy growled, never taking his eyes off the man cowering at his feet. The roar of their war cries was deafening as they advanced on them, taking their revenge on the monsters that had haunted them for far too long.

Kicking the gun out of his hand, Bellamy fisted the bullet proof vest in his hands and raised the man up onto his feet, slamming him into the wall. The guard cried in pain as he was forced to stand on his wounded ankle, his eyes wide as he realized just who had caught him. “I remember you.” Bellamy said, his teeth an inch from his face. The man scrunched his eyes as he bared his throat in submission, pointless sobs and pleading falling from his lips. “I remember your stench on my mates skin after you tried to rape him.” He growled, his rage burning brighter than ever as the lesser alpha, Garza his name was, sputtered anything that could save his pathetic life. “Please! I didn’t know he was yours!” Garza begged, only further enraging the outsider.

“He was in my arms!” Bellamy snarled, pulling him away from the wall just to slam him right back into it. Without even looking away, Bellamy held a hand out to the closest warrior. “Swis.” He hissed, the grounder quickly slipping a small knife into his palm.

Ripping the man’s shirt collar to the side, forcing a scared whimper from the man, Bellamy pointed the tip of the blade to his skin, right into the hollow above his collarbone. A panicked cry escaped the man as the knife plunged under the skin, not deep, just enough to get under the layer. “P-Please.. I’ll take you to our leader, y-you don’t have to do thi-” Garza was cut off by his own blood-curdling scream as Bellamy tossed the knife aside and forced his finger into the wound, hooking it around his collarbone.

“Your leader can’t save you. No one’s coming for you, we killed them all.” Bellamy said in a flat tone, grabbing the man’s jaw to force him to hold his gaze, the fire of his anger burning into the man’s soul. “Where is he?” Bellamy asked, tightening his finger around the fragile bone. Garza’s face scrunched as he squirmed underneath the alpha’s hands, his cries falling freely from his mouth. “I- I don’t know!” The guard’s scream echoed up and down the halls as Bellamy pulled on his collarbone, breaking it like a twig and ripped it out from under his skin. “The dorm! They’re in the dorm!” He screamed, his hands flying up to his wound as Bellamy released him, letting him slide down the wall.

“We go to the dorms.” Bellamy panted out, picking his machete up from the ground. “The mess hall is closer.” A woman said, touching his arm. “Seken.. I understand he hurt your mate, but we should stick to the plan. Heda herself is going to the dorms, your Oma will be okay.” She said softly.

Tightening his grip on his weapon, Bellamy glared at the mountain man. He thought of what Murphy would want, what he would do. The alpha chuckled to himself, he could already hear Murphy barking at him to come save him, say to hell with everyone else and run away together. But then he thought of the Murphy that brought them peace, that chose to help the sky people rather than let them suffer despite the atrocities they had inflicted on him. The Murphy that commanded an entire camp when all hell broke loose, the one that understood that everyone had a purpose, a role, and that if a single role didn’t get done, it would all crumble.

Bellamy nodded his head, “you’re right,” he murmured. “We stick to the plan, we go to the mess hall.” He said, tipping Garza’s chin up with the edge of his machete, giving him the opening to slowly sink the blade into his throat.

The guard’s eyes went wide, his mouth gaping open and closed like a fish as blood poured out from his mouth.

Watching the light leave his eyes, Bellamy felt.. calm. The man deserved a far more painful death, but it was done. He could never hurt another, he would never touch Murphy again. Facing the warrior beside him, he nodded to her, turning away to continue their way towards the mess hall.

—

“They won’t make it time.” Clarke said as her eyes bounced from all the different monitor screens. Her mother on the table, the grounder’s dropping like flies against a firing squadron, Bellamy’s group fighting their way to the mess hall, the children crying in their parent’s arms as the grounders tried to break down their doors.

“We’re taking too many casualties..” Miller breathed out, his eyes glued to the group of warriors that was mowed down, the sound of Monty aggressively typing filling the air.

“Don’t make me do this.” Clarke whispered, her eyes stinging with tears as Cage smirked up at the camera. Did he have any idea what she was about to do? What he was forcing her to do? Her head snapped down to Monty when she realized he wasn’t typing anymore. “What are you doing? Why did you stop?” She barked, the omega’s eyes wide as he slowly turned to her.

“I did it.” He said quietly. “All we have to do.. is pull this lever.” He whispered, hovering his hand over it.

Her face softened, too anxious to feel guilty about snapping at him, now faced with the reality that.. That she now had to kill them. She threatened to do it. But now she had to follow through. Placing her shaky hand over the lever, she just.. stared at it. Could she really do this? Was this really the only option?

“It has to be now, Clarke.” Miller said beside her, placing his tan hand overtop hers. Looking into the deep brown of his eyes, she felt her bottom lip start to quiver as she followed his gaze to the monitor. A heavy tear trailing down his face as the image of a woman cradling her child to her chest appeared, gentle fingers brushing her daughter’s hair back to place a kiss to her forehead.

“Together.” Miller said. It did not lessen the guilt weighing heavy like a stone in her chest. It would not save them from their judgment day.

How could they ever be forgiven.

—

Cage’s head shot up as the alarm went off, panic rising in his chest as he looked around, those who hadn’t received treatment yet and those whose treatment hadn’t kicked in yet, groaning in pain, their skin turning a molten red as radiation burned away their flesh. Their bodies falling to the ground as they choked on the fresh air that was their birthright. It wasn’t all of them that were still untreated, at least half of those in the chamber.

Cage jumped as the doors to the dormitory slammed into the walls, along with what was left of the Mt. Weather security detail, their attention immediately diverted to the guard who stumbled into the room, blood spitting out of his mouth as he gurgled a faint, “outsiders,” his only warning before collapsing onto the ground. Behind him stood a wall of warriors, their faces painted black and splattered red, blood of the mountain dripping from their weapons.

“Don’t just stand there! Kill them!” Cage bellowed, propelling his guards into motion as the outsiders poured into the room like a swarm of insects. The alpha turned in the opposite direction, running to the closest exit, shoving the cart of medical equipment out of his way as he glanced over his shoulder, his blood running cold as he met the commander’s eyes.

“Lid ai in em!” Lexa snarled, raising her sword at him. A strike of fear ran down his spine as three burly men turned on their heels, stalking right up to him, leaving a trail of bodies in their wake. Unable to tear his eyes away from them, he took a step backwards, letting out a startled sound as he tripped over the body of one of the medical technicians.

Cage was scared silent as two outsiders hauled him to his feet, dragging him back to the commander and forcing him to his knees.

“You don’t have to kill me. W-We can fix this.” He rushed out, the girl’s cold, measured eyes staring him down. Cage couldn’t control the way his breaths shook as Lexa tilted her head to the side, evaluating him, seeing the man for who he was at his core. A coward. A spoiled, sniveling little boy who had grown used to hiding behind his father.

“You will not die here.” The commander said in a blank tone. Her expression planting a seed of fear in his blood. “The people will have their justice, only then will you die.” She promised.

Cage swallowed the anxious lump in his throat, just now realizing there were worse fates than death.

—

Pushing open the doors to the mess hall, Bellamy’s brow knitted with confusion as he looked around at the ocean of deceased.

His machete slipped from his hands, clattering to the floor as he slowly stepped deeper into the room, turning in a circle to take it all in. The mountain men were dead. The mountain had fallen, just like that. Without him even realizing.

Bellamy’s breath hitched in his chest as a strange feeling pulled at his heart. It felt like relief, it felt like hope. Like a breath of fresh air, like a second chance.

John.

—

Murphy squinted his eyes shut as the brightness of dawn blinded him, he didn’t even have the strength to raise a hand up to shield his eyes. Staring up into the blue sky, his vision blurred as he looked at the clouds floating by, the trees swaying in the cool breeze, the person who was carrying his stretcher.

“You're safe now. You’re gonna be okay.” The man said above him.

Too tired to fight it, Murphy let his eyes fall shut, feeling okay for the first time in.. he couldn’t even remember how long. Having no other choice, he trusted the voice above him, letting the rhythmic feeling of them walking lull him to sleep.

Chapter Text

All Bellamy could hear was his ragged breaths, the pounding of his heart in his ears as he ran down the winding halls. He could hardly read the map from how badly his hands were shaking, crumbling it into a ball in his frustration.

Jumping over a body, Bellamy slowed his pace as he rounded the last corner to the dormitory. He could see the people rushing to leave from where he was at the end of the hall. Slipping past someone who was clearly a sky person, Bellamy panted as he looked all around the chamber, filled with unfamiliar faces. “Murphy?” He asked, grabbing the sleeve of the closest person, letting go when she shook her head in confusion. “Murphy? John Murphy?” He stammered out, growing more frantic with each passing second.

“You’re looking for John Murphy?” An older beta stopped him, his eyes kind and attentive. Bellamy’s heart thumped as he quickly nodded his head, turning all his attention to the man. “Yes, is he here? Do you know where he is?” He rushed out.

The man’s mouth curled slightly with a tense, sympathetic smile, shaking his head. “He’s not here.” Bellamy felt his throat constrict with anxiety, finding it harder to breath as he looked around the room once more. “Last I checked, he was okay. He’s alive.” The man quickly added, not realizing how worried it would make the grounder. “He was taken to Camp Jaha for medical treatment.. I can take you there.” The man said in a gentle voice, placing his hand on Bellamy’s shoulder.

Bellamy nodded, not trusting his voice as he tried to slow his breathing. “I just need to package this person up and we can go.. Can you give me a few minutes?” He nodded again, placing his hand over his chest to calm his racing heart. “Are you okay? Do you need medical attention?” The man asked, noting the blood staining Bellamy’s face and clothes. Bellamy shook his head as the man directed him to sit down, finally looking down at his blood coated hands, he couldn’t stop them from shaking. Murphy was alive, he was okay, he’d see him soon. That’s all that mattered.

True to his word, the man returned a few minutes later, gently nudging Bellamy in the direction of the exit. Following after him mutely, the alpha came to a stop as he looked down at one of the many bodies littering the floor, people had begun moving them aside to make way for those still alive.

Kneeling down beside the old man, Bellamy frowned as he touched Ibrahim’s cold, pale face, his eyes dull but.. at peace. Sucking in a shaky breath, Bellamy closed the elder’s eyes for the final time. “Yu gonplei ste odon.” He whispered, gently taking the knife that was still clutched in his hands and cut the braid from his hair.

Sinclair looked away as Bellamy stood again, tucking the small braid into a pocket, giving him the privacy to mourn. The alpha sniffled a little as he wiped his nose, sending his last respects before turning back to the sky person who had become his unexpected guide. “I’m sorry for your loss.” The man said softly. Nodding, Bellamy tore his eyes away from Ibrahim. “He was a good man.. He died honorably.” He said, continuing on with their exit.

They didn’t say much as they made their way out of the mountain, the only words exchanged being their names. Bellamy squinted, raising his hand up to block out the sunlight as they stepped out, coming to a halt to take a deep breath of the fresh air. He didn’t even realize how much he missed it, how sweet the air was, how dark and stifling it was inside his prison. He flexed his toes as he felt the soft grass and soil beneath them.

“Ah shoot.. you don’t even have shoes. Hold on, there might be some around here.” Sinclair said, looking back towards the gate. “It’s fine, just bring me to Murphy.” Bellamy said, grabbing the beta’s arm to stop him from running away. “You sure? It won’t take me long.” “I’m sure.” He quickly said, the tone of his voice leaving no room for debate. Nodding his head, Sinclair flicked his head towards the trail, a caravan of people stretching down it as far as the eye could see.

“Camp’s about ten miles this direction.” Sinclair murmured, dreading the hike back, this being his second trip already. Falling in step with the man, Bellamy couldn’t help but feel irritated, impatient at the leisure pace he set. “So.. how do you know John Murphy?” Sinclair asked, trying to make small talk to distract him from the burning in his calves. Bellamy’s jaw clenched as he looked forward. “He’s my mate.” He said in a tense voice, he didn’t know this man, didn’t know how he knew Murphy. The omega never liked to talk about the sky people, about his life prior to falling, but it was never positive so Bellamy didn’t know whether to like the guy or not.

Sinclair’s eyebrows raised as he paused to take in the alpha’s tall stature, he was handsome, no doubt about that, clearly a bit older, but not inappropriately. He wasn’t surprised a delinquent snatched him up as quickly as they could. Letting out a small chuckle, the beta shook his head. “I guess the kids have been busy since we sent them down.”

Bellamy’s brow furrowed a bit at the comment, choosing to ignore it as he picked up the pace. “You said it’s ten miles this way?” He said after a short lull. “Yep, can’t miss it.” Nodding, Bellamy turned to the man. “Thank you, I’m gonna go ahead.”

“O..kay.” Sinclair trailed off, the grounder running off before he could get his words out.

—

Bellamy was dripping with sweat as he finally made it out from the treeline, hunching over to catch his breath as he took in the sky people’s village. Despite the workouts he did while captive, it still winded him to run so far, so hard. Sinclair wasn’t lying though, there was no way anyone could miss the sky people’s camp. It was.. huge to say the least, indescribable really, a glimmering arch of metal surrounded by a wide fence line.

Pressing his hand into his side to staunch the growing cramp there, Bellamy forced himself to move, jogging down the hill to the gates that were well-guarded, but wide open nonetheless. Following the current of people strolling in, he regretted leaving Sinclair behind, quickly realizing he had no idea where to go, who to talk to. He must have looked like an idiot turning in circles as he tried to figure out where to start his search. Spotting a group of grounders, Bellamy wiped a hand over his forehead and walked up to them.

“Fisa? Weron emo fisa kamp raun?” He panted out, nodding his thanks as they directed him towards the large metal building at the center.

Bellamy ignored the stares he got as he rushed over to the hulking structure, his mouth opened in awe as he looked up at its full height. He felt on edge by all the people bustling around. “Healer? Where’s your healer?” He asked anyone that passed him, stepping into a large room filled with injured people being tended to. “John Murphy? Do you know where John Murphy is?” He said, growing more nervous by the second. He didn’t understand why everyone seemed to ignore him.

“Hi, I’m Jackson, do you need help?” A sweet looking omega asked him, having spotted the clearly lost grounder and deciding to take pity on him so he would stop pestering the others. Bellamy felt frantic as the omega placed a hand on his shoulder, directing him over to a chair. “You’re covered in blood, are y-” “Do you know John Murphy? Do you know where he is?” The alpha cut him off as he refused to sit, clutching the fabric of Jackson’s sleeves instead. “John.. Murphy… Yeah, I know where he is.” The doctor said in a hesitant voice, unsure of who this man was. The grounder’s eyes widened with excitement, relief. “Can you take me to him? Please take me to him.” Bellamy begged, his eyes stinging as tears threatened to fill them.

“How do you know Murphy?” The omega questioned, he wasn’t about to just let a frantic, blood-stained, grounder alpha near the boy, not in his current state. They may be on the ground now, but he still believed in patient confidentiality. “H-He’s my mate, please, please take me to him.” Bellamy stuttered out, his voice shaking with nerves. The omega’s brow furrowed, “Murphy doesn’t have a mate, he didn’t have a claiming bite,” Jackson challenged, he didn’t know whether to trust the man, trust his desperate pleas.

Bellamy’s face scrunched in frustration, who was this guy? “We’re.. not mated yet! I’m his-his.. his boyfriend!” He hollered, suddenly remembering the Skaikru word. “Please! I haven’t seen him in over a week.. Sinclair! Sinclair said he was here, he said I could see him.” Bellamy tried, if the omega said one more thing, he swore he would shove him away and find Murphy himself.

Taking a moment of debate, Jackson decided to trust in Sinclair, to trust that this man’s behavior came from a place of worry, not anger. “Okay.” He said. “I’ll take you to him.” The grounder’s shoulders sagged with relief, “thank you,” he breathed out, obediently following after the omega.

Forcing the doctor to keep up with his brisk pace, Bellamy listened to him as he explained the situation his mate was in. “Murphy was.. more injured than the others, that’s why he wasn’t in that other room. We have him in the back of the infirmary where we keep the more.. critical patients.” Jackson said as they came up on the final stretch of hall. “Is he okay?” Bellamy asked, slowing to a stop as his stomach dropped.

When the doctor realized Bellamy was no longer next to him, he turned to face the man, offering him a small, tense smile. “He’s.. been asleep since he was rescued— which isn’t necessarily bad.” Jackson stressed, bringing his hands up to calm the anxious alpha. “He’s sustained a lot of injuries though.. more than anyone else.”

Training his eyes on the door that separated them from Murphy, Bellamy found that.. he couldn’t move his limbs. Paralyzed by fear of what he might see. He thought of the very first day he met Murphy, finding him curled in a ball on the forest floor. He thought of how injured he was then, he survived that. He could survive this. He had to, Bellamy would not lose him, not now, not after all of this.

“I’ve known Murphy since he was a little boy.. He’s a fighter, he’s strong.” Jackson urged, placing a hand on Bellamy’s arm. Meeting the omega’s soft eyes, Bellamy breathed out a small laugh. “I know he is.” He whispered. It’s what he loved so much about him.

A loud crash and scream forced their eyes towards the door, both of them sprinting to the door to throw them open.

Bellamy’s eyes immediately found his mate. The young omega had his back facing him, a scalpel clutched tightly in his hands as he slashed at the air, trying to fend off the medical assistants as they crowded him. “Don’t fucking touch me!” He snarled, ripping the IV out of his arm as they tried to calm him down. Medical equipment was scattered all over the floor, tables flipped onto their sides. Bellamy’s heart squeezed as he felt deja vu, it was just like the day he first woke up from his heat. “John, you’re alright, you’re safe he-” “Don’t fucking call me that!” He screamed at the nurses.

Jackson tried to stop Bellamy as he rushed forward, wrapping his arms around Murphy from behind. The omega screamed bloody murder as he fought to get out of his arms, letting his knees buckle to try and slip out. Bellamy only squeezed him tighter as he thrashed, he didn’t feel any pain as Murphy stabbed the scalpel into his arm, raking the blade across his skin to get away.

“Sofon.” Bellamy whispered into his ear, burying his face into Murphy’s neck as they slowly slid to the ground. Murphy began to tremble as the scent of juniper berries filled the air around him, the scalpel clattering to the floor as it slipped from his hand. “It’s me, John.” Bellamy breathed out, grabbing Murphy’s jaw to turn his face towards his. His eyes welled with tears as he looked into those beautiful pale eyes he didn’t know if he would ever see again. “B-..” Murphy stammered, a weak whimper getting caught in his throat, a wide range of emotions crossing his face as he came down from his hysteria. “Bellamy.” He cried, quickly turning in the man’s arms to throw his own around his neck, the two falling to the ground as they wrapped their limbs around each other in a bone crushing embrace.

Tears slid down Bellamy’s temples as he buried his face into the boy’s skin, inhaling the sweet grassy scent that he searched for everywhere, in everything. Murphy’s body shook as sobs of relief racked through him freely. Placing his hand over the omega’s nape, Bellamy threaded his fingers into his hair. “I found you.” Bellamy whispered, a relaxed smile creeping onto his face as he threw his head back onto the floor, his entire body going lax from relief.

Murphy finally pulled his face away from his neck after a minute or so, wiping his face as he sniffled. His brow furrowed as he felt something warm dripping onto his back, down his sides. The omega’s lip quivered as Bellamy opened his eyes, letting him look into the deep brown pools he missed so much.

Bellamy smiled as he brushed his thumb over Murphy’s cheek, accidentally smearing his blood across his skin. The boy’s eyes widened in worry as he grabbed Bellamy’s wrist, smacked with the realization of what he had down. “Shit! Bellamy!” He cried, sitting up to squeeze the wounds on his arm, his head whipping around at the medical staff. “Help him!” He barked, crawling off the alpha to give Jackson the room to step in. Tears rolled down Murphy’s face as he helped Bellamy sit up, an endless stream of apologies falling from lips.

All Bellamy could do was stare at his omega, a small, dopey smile on his face, his eyes reflecting the love he felt for the boy.

As Murphy’s breaths started to grow more frantic, Bellamy used his free arm to grab the back of his nape, pulling their foreheads together. A deep, comforting rumble came from the alpha’s chest as he rubbed their cheeks together, not caring a single bit about the tears and snot that dirtied Murphy’s face. “I’m okay, sofon. It’s okay.” He said softly, hushing the omega as he hiccuped. “I—hurt—you.” He forced out in between breaths, digging the heels of his hands into his eyes to stop his crying.

“He’ll need stitches, but he’s okay, Murphy.” Jackson reassured, sending the boy a soft look as he looked between them. “Hear that? I’m fine. I’m okay.” Bellamy whispered, grabbing Murphy’s chin. He grinned as the omega continued to sniffle, his shoulders jumping as he hiccuped.

“Diane, can you get him a chair?” Jackson called out, glancing over his shoulder towards one of the nurses. “Bellamy, is it?” The alpha nodded. “Can you stand?” Jackson asked, receiving another affirmative nod. “Alright, Diane, can you get me some more gauze and the suture kit? Thank you.” Jackson said, the two omega’s helping Bellamy up.

The alpha instantly noticed Murphy’s grimace of pain as he stood up, the adrenaline that had coursed through him before running out, Jackson also seeing it. “Murphy, you should sit back down as well.” The doctor said, nodding his head back towards the cot he was previously placed on.

The young omega looked hesitant to go even the few feet away, Bellamy’s shirt clutched tightly in his fingers, a high pitched whine crawling up his throat. Taking the omega’s shaking hand, Bellamy kissed his palm, trailing little pecks down to his wrist, nosing at the scent gland there. “I’m not going anywhere.” He promised, releasing his hand to push him towards the cot, giving Murphy a reassuring smile as he slowly limped over to it.

Jackson forced his attention back to the task at hand, a small smile pulling at his lips as he witnessed the touching moment. He had no idea how he could have doubted the grounder. He was happy for Murphy, Bellamy seemed good for him. “We don’t have anything to help with the pain, I’m sorry.. This is going to hurt.” Jackson’s voice pulled Bellamy’s attention away from the boy, he watched as the doctor expertly pulled a stool underneath him, prepping his tools with one hand as he continued holding pressure with the other. He couldn’t help but scoff a little at that, these people were so weak when it came to pain, being stitched up was nothing. “Don’t worry about it.” He said, glancing down at the blood soaked fabric wrapped around his arm.

“Okay,” Jackson said, tilting his head in acceptance before directing Bellamy to hold pressure, threading his needles quickly and grabbing some antiseptic.

Bellamy found it odd when the doctor talked him through each step, warning him beforehand each time he would do something that hurt, explaining what he was doing and why. He couldn’t deny it distracted him from the pain, couldn’t deny it was comforting to know what he planned to do before it happened, that he could tell him to stop if he needed to. Maybe he was just used to Nyko, grumbling under his breath or better yet, just remaining silent as he treated him, glaring at him when he moved too much or asked too many questions.

“Ow!” Bellamy’s head instantly snapped over to the boy as he let out a pained yelp, standing up so quickly his chair fell backwards onto the floor. “Hey.. hey hey!” Jackson yelled, getting increasingly louder as he had to chase after Bellamy so he wouldn’t rip his stitches out. “What did you do?” The alpha growled through his teeth as he stalked over to Murphy’s cot, the scared looking nurse taking a few steps back, her hands in the air. “I was just placing an IV, I wasn’t trying to hurt him.” Diane rushed out.

“Bell, it’s fine.” Murphy said, grabbing the hem of his shirt to stop him from walking around the table to attack her. Bellamy’s eyes softened as they turned to the omega, instead growing worried as he stepped into his space to caress his jaw. “You sure?” He asked, quickly sending the woman a sharp glare. Murphy nodded, leaning into the alpha’s hand. “It was my fault, I flinched and it made the needle go in the wrong direction.. Don’t get mad at her.” He said quietly.

“Hey,” Jackson spat in a more scolding manner than either of them expected, making Murphy shrink back. “I understand you two have been through a lot, I understand you’re on edge, but this behavior is completely unacceptable. You cannot go around attacking my staff, got it?” He said in a firm voice, glaring right back at the alpha.

“You have no idea what we’ve been through.” Bellamy said in a low voice, pulling the closest chair over to the side of the cot and plopping down, presenting his arm to the doctor so he could finish stitching him up.

Letting out a deep exhale, Jackson hooked his ankle around his stool and rolled it closer. “You’re right, I don’t know.” He started, having to redo the last few sutures due to them being torn loose. “But we are not here to hurt you. Just remember that.” Bellamy flicked his eyes away from the older omega’s, unable to look at his stern glare. It reminded him too much of how his mother used to look at him after a scolding.

Bellamy remained silent after that, the only words coming from the doctor and nurse as they explained what they were doing, the alpha trying hard to control himself whenever Murphy flinched or made a small noise.

“Alright, that should do it.” Jackson announced ten or so minutes later, tucking the end of the gauze into itself before sitting up straight. “Do you feel light headed? Dizzy, nauseous, anything?” He asked, his voice clear and reserved, Bellamy could tell he was trying to contain his residual irritation. But Jackson was a professional, he had dealt with plenty of overprotective alphas in his time as a doctor, he knew how to handle them.

The grounder shook his head to all of his questions, his eyes returning to his omega. Murphy had stayed quiet throughout the whole thing, his eyes distant, his shoulders tense as he thumbed over the bumps of Bellamy’s knuckles nervously.

Jackson nodded, sensing the quiet unease in the room, it was hard not to. “Okay, how about I find you some clothes, get you a shower.. Maybe some food?” He offered, trying to catch either of their attention.

Bellamy’s eyes bounced between the two omegas, debating whether his need for a shower outweighed leaving his mates side. That was until Jackson pointedly looked down at the grounders body, forcing Bellamy to look down at his blood soaked clothes and skin. “Okay,” he said quietly, the only reason Jackson heard him due to the short distance between them.

“Okay.. Just hang tight for a second.”

—

Being mindful of his newly wrapped arm, Bellamy scooted himself closer to Murphy’s bed when they were finally left alone. The alpha’s heart ached as he just.. stared at Murphy, watching closely as his frightened eyes darted all around them, but not really looking at anything in particular.

“John?” He said softly, grabbing the boy’s hand so he could bring it to his face, nuzzling his cheek against his palm. “Where are you?” He whispered.

“Alright,” Jackson called out, waltzing back into the room. “These should fit you, if you wanna follow me, I’ll bring you to the showers. They finally set up one in the infirmary, so you should have the whole place to yourself.” The doctor said, an easy smile on his face as he stopped near the edge of the cot. His brow furrowed as he saw the look of concern clearly written on Bellamy’s face, his eyes only for John Murphy.

“He.. He won’t talk to me.” The alpha finally spoke, turning his head to face Jackson. “He did this in the mountain too.. What’s wrong with him?” He asked in a quiet voice. He was a fierce alpha, a warrior of Tondc, but in that moment, he reminded Jackson of a child, scared and confused, unsure of what to do, how to help.

Tearing his eyes away from Bellamy, Jackson took a second to look over Murphy’s state. The young omega was clearly on edge, his eyes shifting around aimlessly. “Murphy?” The doctor called out, a nervous pit growing in his stomach when the boy didn’t respond, it didn’t even seem like he heard him. “Murphy.” He said again, a little bit louder this time. The two shared a look when all Murphy did was jump a little, his body going completely rigid as he stared a hole into the sheets.

“Bellamy, why don’t you go take that shower.. I want to examine him a little more.” The man shook his head, his face scrunching with a look of shock as he squeezed Murphy’s hand tighter as if Jackson would pull them apart. Pursing his lips, Jackson looked back at Murphy, wondering what he could say to convince the alpha to leave his side. “You’re covered in blood.. You might be scaring him.” He said gently, he knew that wasn’t the case, but he wanted to talk to Murphy without his alpha looming over them.

A guilty look suddenly crossed over Bellamy’s face, slowly pulling his hand away to stare down at the blood that was caked onto his palms. The blood he was transferring onto Murphy’s skin. “You can come back as soon as you're done.. Just go out that door, it’s the first room on the right.”

Bellamy chewed at the inside of his cheek as his eyes started to sting a little, he didn’t even think that he could have been the reason why Murphy was acting like this. Looking down at the floor in shame, Bellamy slowly stood up from his chair to turn away.

Just as he was about to take a step, a hand shot out to grab his wrist, Murphy’s nails digging into his skin. “What are you doing? Where are you going?” The boy rushed out, his eyes wide with fear. “Mur-” “Don’t leave me. You can’t leave me.” Murphy said as his breathing started to quicken. “I’m-” Bellamy paused, looking to the doctor for help. “I’m not going far, just gonna wash up.” Murphy’s eyes turned glassy with tears as he shook his head, clutching onto the man with both hands. “Don’t.. don’t leave.” He whispered.

“Murphy, he’ll be back in ten minutes, fifteen tops, okay?” Jackson said, trying to keep him calm. He had never seen someone’s psyche so.. damaged before, he of course learned about it during his schooling, he recognized the clear signs Murphy was exhibiting but.. Actually seeing it in a patient, in one so young too, left a heavy feeling in his chest.

Murphy’s chest heaved as he started to panic, looking down at himself. “I-I‘m dirty too, I want to take a shower. Bring me with you.” He stammered, tearing the blanket from his lap to get up. The boy cried out when he accidentally yanked at his IV, ripping the needle halfway out. “Okay, okay.” Jackson said, stepping up to them to stop Murphy from hurting himself anymore. “Let’s just take it nice and slow, okay?” He said in a sweet voice, retracting the needle and placing it on the table nearby. “Bellamy, you got that side?” He asked, each of them taking an arm as they slowly got him onto his feet.

Murphy stifled a quiet whimper as his knees buckled underneath him, leaning into Bellamy’s side.

Moving as one, they slowly made their way down the hall, Jackson only stepping away to prop open the doors. Leaving Murphy wrapped tightly in Bellamy’s arm, Jackson ran to retrieve a stool, placing it in the middle of the shower so Murphy could sit. As soon as he was sat down, Bellamy instantly kneeled in front of him, caressing his cheek as he made sure he was alright.

“Everything you need should be here, soap, wash clothes, towels are over there.” Jackson, pointing towards the storage cabinet placed against the far wall. “I’ll find Murphy some clothes.. I’ll leave them outside the door, okay?” The doctor said, waiting until Bellamy nodded in acknowledgment before heading out.

As soon as they were alone again, Bellamy let out a tired sigh, rubbing his hands over the omega’s thighs. “Ready, sofon?” He asked, leaning forward to peck Murphy’s cheek as he nodded. Hitching up the bottom of his shirt, he helped the boy out of the stained and ripped piece of cloth, tossing it aside.

Bellamy’s heart broke as he dragged his eyes across Murphy’s skin, he looked skinnier than before, covered in bruises, dried blood, and puncture marks. He couldn’t even imagine the pain he had gone through, the trauma he couldn’t protect him from. Bellamy stopped his hand from touching a circular wound right at the junction of his shoulder, letting his hand fall back down to his lap. Pursing his lips, Bellamy looked down at the floor as he tried not to cry, the stark reminder of his failures hitting him hard. He closed his eyes as gentle fingers brushed through his hair. Bellamy let out a sad laugh, shaking his head as he tried not to make it sound like a sob. “I am so sorry,” he breathed out, unable to bring himself to look at his omega.

As those slim fingers touched his chin, tilting it up, Bellamy braced himself as he met Murphy’s dull eyes. He missed the light that used to burn through them, the fire in them that set Bellamy’s entire body ablaze.

“You didn’t do this to me.” Murphy whispered, wiping away the tear that rolled down Bellamy’s cheek. The alpha’s bottom lip started to quiver as he stared into those eyes he fell for in an instant, dropping his head as he let out a truly pathetic sob. Bellamy wrapped his arms around Murphy’s waist, resting his head in his lap as all the emotions he had bottled up since the beginning of their captivity began to pour out. All his fears, all his anger, his resentments, his guilt and regret.

Bellamy hadn’t cried that hard since.. he didn’t even know how long. His shoulders hiccuped as Murphy gently brushed his fingers through his hair, down the nape of his neck and across his shoulders.

“I thought you were dead.” He whispered after he had calmed down enough, his cheek pillowed on Murphy’s thigh. “I-” Bellamy started, his throat tightening painfully as he remembered the soul crushing despair he felt through their bond. “I f-.. I felt you dying.” He admitted, burying his face into Murphy’s legs.

Bellamy sniffled like a child as his head was lifted, his face tilted up towards the boy who fell from the stars, the boy who made his entire world spin.

“I’m right here.” Murphy whispered, running his thumb across the man’s cheek, his own eyes filling with tears as he leaned forward to capture his lips in a kiss.

Bellamy tightened his arms around Murphy, pulling him even closer to return the fervid kiss. Pulling apart to breathe, Bellamy nestled his face into Murphy’s neck, he could feel the tension leaving the omega’s body as Murphy wrapped his arms around his shoulders, tucking his face into Bellamy’s neck to nose at his scent gland. “I’m not going anywhere.” Murphy murmured into his skin, running his fingers across his nape.

Remembering where they were and what they were supposed to be doing, Bellamy unlatched himself from the boy, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand before lifting his own shirt over his head.

“Let’s get cleaned up, yeah?”

Chapter Text

A small smile pulled at Bellamy’s lips as he glanced over at Murphy sitting over on the bench, his towel wrapped around him tightly. Bellamy chuckled as his head bobbed from being half asleep and picked up the pace, scrubbing the soapy washcloth over his chest. He was kind of amazed by how much blood ran off him, whose it was, he didn’t know, the water swirling around the drain a dark muddled red.

Peeling off the gauze Jackson just wrapped around his arm, he dropped the soggy cloth aside and gently cleaned the skin around his stitches. The doctor had told him not to get it wet for a few days, but his fate was sealed as soon as the water turned on, the best he could do now was keep it clean.

Finishing up quickly, Bellamy shut the water off and plucked his towel from where it hung on the wall, drying his arms and chest before wrapping it around his waist. Opening the door just a crack, he poked his head out and looked around, spotting Jackson leaning against the wall, a pile of clothes in hand. “Here you are.” The omega said, pushing himself off the wall to stretch his arms out towards him. “Thanks,” Bellamy mumbled, nodding his head before closing the door again, laying the clothes out along the wooden bench. Having to hold the clothes out in front of him to differentiate the sizes, he made two piles before slipping his shirt over his head, drying his legs before pulling on the underwear supplied. Bellamy couldn’t help but squirm a bit, the sky people’s garments fitting differently than the clothes he was used to. It was airier, colder. No wonder Murphy was cold all the time.

He raised an eyebrow as he pulled the zipper up, buttoning his pants. It was quite a clever mechanism, definitely easier than the laces he used to pull his pants together, sturdier too. Standing in front of Murphy, he used his towel to dry the omega’s hair, smiling softly as Murphy stared at him. “What?” He asked, breathing out a small chuckle as he dried his ears, letting his hand linger there. Murphy shook his head slightly, blinking slowly.

Draping the towel over the bench, Bellamy caressed the boy’s face, leaning down to capture a slow, soft kiss. “You look weird.. in Ark clothing.” Murphy said quietly as they pulled apart, earning himself a laugh from the alpha as he kneeled down in front of him.

“Yeah?” He said, grinning as Murphy chewed on his lip. “It almost looks.. natural on you.” Bellamy hummed as he pressed his nose into the crook of Murphy’s neck, placing a chaste kiss there before rubbing his face into his skin, covering Murphy’s freshly cleaned skin with his scent. “Maybe I was Skaikru in a past life.” Bellamy murmured against his shoulder, running his hands up and down Murphy’s back to keep him warm. He pulled his head away as Murphy chuckled, his eyes widened, his heart fluttered with hope as he saw the boy smile for the first time in a long time.

“Yeah, knowing you, you’d probably be a guard.” Murphy scoffed, looking down at his lap. “Is that a bad thing?” Bellamy asked, placing the omega’s arms around his shoulders. Raising an eyebrow, Murphy sent him a look. “I don’t like the guard.” He whispered, tugging softly on a strand of Bellamy’s hair as he twirled it in his fingers. “Then I’ll never be a guard.” He drawled out, leaning in to kiss the corner of his mouth. Kissing along his jaw, Bellamy’s eyes flicked up just in time to see the boy roll his eyes, a small smile pulling at his lips. His heart did that thing again, jumped sporadically in his chest when he realized his John was returning to him, that he was still in there, that the mountain had not broken him completely, just bruised.

Bellamy couldn’t see the fire in his eyes yet, but maybe, he thought, he could see a little spark of light. Like flint striking steel. He tilted Murphy’s chin up as that numb, blank expression slowly returned to his features. In that moment, he swore he would do anything, anything to see that fire burn bright again. Bellamy would stoke the flames until it returned to its former glory—no— until it was more than that. Until it was big and bright and beautiful and John. Until it was all he could see, until it was burned into his very soul.

Bellamy opened his mouth to speak, but stopped himself. He wanted to tell Murphy how he felt, wanted the omega to know just how loved he was, that he wanted to complete their bond, to fully and irrevocably be tied to one another. But looking into the boy’s broken eyes, it didn’t feel right, he didn’t know if it’s what Murphy needed to hear right now, if it would be too much.

Clearing his throat, Bellamy glanced at the door, remembering that Jackson was waiting for them on the other side. “Let’s get you back to bed, huh?” He said, standing only when Murphy nodded.

They stayed silent as they slowly got him dressed, the only sounds coming from Murphy as he winced or murmured in pain. Tidying up as much as he could, Bellamy wrapped Murphy’s arm around his neck and pulled him snuggly against his side, pushing the door open for them.

Jackson smiled easily at them as they shuffled out. “Feeling better?” He asked, getting only nods in response. “Alright, I already got you some food, it’s waiting for you in the other room.” The doctor said, walking beside them, hovering closely in case he needed to step in, but allowing them the space to get there on their own.

Returning to their respected places, Murphy sitting on the cot, Bellamy on the chair close beside him, Jackson set down a tray of food on the bed, walking around the side to prep another IV.

Murphy was distracted by Bellamy’s subtle attempt at testing the food, sniffing it briefly before tearing the bread apart, just like he did at Mt. Weather. He guessed the alpha had become accustomed to doing that, he could understood not being able to trust the sky people just yet. Murphy jumped as Jackson tried to turn his wrist over, exposing his inner arm. “Oh, sorry.” Jackson said in a flustered tone. “I was just going to replace your IV.”

The boy aggressively shook his head, bringing his arm closer to his chest. “No I-.. I don’t want it.” He whispered, shrinking closer to Bellamy in fear. He knew it was only a small poke, it wouldn’t hurt much and whatever they were giving him, he probably needed, but he.. he didn’t know, he just knew he didn’t want it.

“Okay,” Jackson said in a gentle tone, putting the IV supplies back in the drawer he grabbed them from, holding his now empty hands up to show Murphy he was listening. “All we gave you were some fluids for dehydration but.. you can just drink water if that’s what you’d prefer.” Jackson said, sensing his nervous energy, the slight bitter change in his scent. Jackson sat on the edge of the bed to be more eye level with the boy rather than looming over him. “Murphy,” he said, waiting until the boy’s anxious eyes looked up at him. “You are in control of this situation.. We aren’t going to do anything to you that you do not want, okay?” The doctor said sincerely. He pursed his lips as Murphy nodded, ducking his head down to try and hide his red-brimmed eyes. “But you will finish that cup of water, can you do that for me?” Jackson said in a more maternal voice, standing up from the cot.

Happy with the nod he got in response, he checked his watch. “Alright, I have a few other patients I have to check on. I’ll be back in an hour or so.” He said, readying himself to go.

He paused as a barely audible, “sorry,” reached his ears. Looking over the boy’s hunched over form, Jackson stepped back over to him and gently took one of his hands. “You have nothing to apologize for, Murphy.” He said, staring into the boy’s nervous, unsure eyes.

Stepping back, he turned to Bellamy. “You got him?” He asked. “Yes, sir.” The grounder said, sitting up a little straight as the doctor nodded and walked out, leaving them to it.

Bellamy watched as the door closed behind Jackson, finally turning back to his omega. He saw Murphy’s bottom lip start to quiver as his eyes filled with tears, threatening to slip over. Bellamy was on his feet in an instant, picking the tray of food up to place on the table beside them. Lifting up the blanket, he slid into bed with him, pulling the boy into his arms as he started to cry. Tucking Murphy’s head under his chin, he dragged his nails up and down his back, letting the omega cry into his chest.

“We’re okay. We’re gonna be okay.” Bellamy whispered, kissing the top of his head.

—

Their food was forgotten as they held each other in their arms, Murphy tuckering himself out from his panic attack. Bellamy sighed as he brushed the hair out of his face, gently tracing over the dark bruises under his eyes.

No matter how hard he tried, it seemed Murphy was destined to always have a bruise or two, Bellamy thought, chuckling to himself as he shook his head. It had been well over an hour since the doctor left, but he didn’t mind since it meant Murphy could finally get some rest. Although he was tired too, Bellamy couldn’t for the life of him sleep. He felt anxious, like this was all a dream, like he’d wake up any second now and still be in that damned cage, rotting away beneath the mountain. The bustling noise coming from outside the door wasn’t helping either, each time he’d close his eyes, he’d hear footsteps running by that would make his heart race with adrenaline or the distant murmuring of voices he didn’t recognize. It was foreign, nerve-racking.. scary. He didn’t like how sound echoed off the metal walls, how voices seemed to come from all around him. Bellamy couldn’t help but pick up on the similarities between the sky people and mountain men. They wouldn’t hurt them like the mountain men did, he knew that, these were Murphy’s people after all, but it did nothing to settle his nerves when they spoke the same way, behaved the same way.

Hearing more footsteps, Bellamy pressed his nose into Murphy’s hair and tried to ignore them, just hoping they’d pass by soon enough.

He froze as he realized they were not passing by, but getting louder, someone was running right towards them. Bellamy pulled his arm out from under Murphy as gently as he could without disturbing the sleeping boy and sat up, preparing himself to jump out of bed to face whoever was coming for them. Looking at the tray of food they had abandoned, Bellamy picked up a fork as he stood up, bracing himself for the worst.

He slowly stepped closer and froze as the doors were pushed open, a frantic looking Octavia rushing in. “Bellamy!” She cried, running straight for him, practically jumping into his arms. The fork slipped from his fingers as he closed his arms around his little sister, almost falling backwards from the combination of her momentum and his own shock. “You’re okay,” Octavia said, her voice choked with emotion as she tucked her face into his shoulder. “I’m okay,” Bellamy chuckled as he found his balance, reassuring her with a tight squeeze. He felt his eyes start to tear as the girl failed to stifle a relieved sob, her shoulders hiccuping as they clung to each other. “I’m okay, O.” He whispered, cradling the back of her head, he had nearly forgotten how soft her hair was. “I thought we lost you.” She said, her voice going up a few octaves from emotions. “We?” He said, confused by the wording.

“Murphy!” Octavia cried, releasing her brother to run over to the cot where the omega had woken up, rubbing his eyes as he sat up. Following her with his eyes, Bellamy’s brow furrowed in confusion. She said ‘we,’ but who was she talking about? Who else could there have been? Had she gotten closer to Indra during their imprisonment? Anya maybe? Now that he could see her, Octavia seemed surprisingly.. happy for one who had lost her mate. Lincoln was gone, he.. he had to be. Bellamy saw it himself, he was.. he was a —

“Bellamy,” a familiar, relieved voice called out from behind him. Slowly turning to face the doorway, Bellamy felt his throat begin to constrict as he looked upon his friend’s face. He was there, clear as day, Lincoln was there, dressed in red, his face painted white. Bellamy hadn’t dreamt him that day in the mountain, Lincoln was a reaper.

Bellamy stumbled back, bumping into Octavia as his chest heaved for air he couldn’t seem to draw in. Grabbing hold of the blade strapped to Octavia’s back, Bellamy ripped it out of the sheath and charged at the reaper, a loud growl tearing from his mouth. “Bellamy!” “What are you doing!” “Bellamy, stop!”

He ignored all of their cries as an angry snarl ripped from his throat, his vision turning red as he swung the machete at the monster who wore his friend’s face. All logic left his mind as his fight or flight instinct took over, he didn’t think twice about the fact that he came at Octavia’s side, didn’t think about how there was no possible way a reaper could get past all the guards, all the warriors surrounding camp. But he wasn’t thinking, he could hardly see as his vision tunneled, his focus solely on the reaper in front of him. “Bak op, ripa!” Bellamy barked. “Ai nou na teik laksen emo.” He growled, baring his teeth at the man he had known his entire life, his closest friend, his brother.

Lincoln quickly dodged his swing, grabbing Bellamy’s wrist to knock the blade out of his hands. Using his free hand, Bellamy grabbed Lincoln’s shirt, smashing their heads together before throwing him into the wall. “Bellamy, get off of him!” Octavia screamed, the alpha barely registered her arm wrapping around his neck as he closed his hands around Lincoln’s. “Be-.. my” The man forced out, his eyes wide as he repeatedly hit his arms, his face turning red from the lack of oxygen.

—

Jackson let out a tired sigh as he made his way back towards the intensive care area, cursing to himself as he checked his watch. It had been over two hours since he last checked on Murphy, but he was sure he was okay, being with his partner.

As soon as he came around the last corner, Jackson froze as he heard a loud crash, followed by the sounds of struggling.

Sprinting the last stretch, Jackson’s eyes went wide as he threw open the doors, his eyes instantly falling to the ground where Bellamy was straddling another grounder, his hands around his throat, Lincoln, he remembered his name was. Bellamy’s sister, Octavia was pounding on his back before she was sent sliding across the floor.

“Guards!” Jackson screamed down the hall as he rushed in. “Murphy, no!”

—

Bellamy growled as Lincoln tried to push his face away, spearing blood all over his face, getting it in his eyes. Squeezing them shut, Bellamy released his grip around the reaper’s neck to wipe them clean, the blood discoloring his view, making it blurry.

Blinking his eyes down at Lincoln, he felt two hands fist the material of his shirt, bringing him closer so all he could see was the brown of Lincoln’s eyes. “Bellamy, it’s me! It’s Lincoln!” The man pleaded.

In an instant, Lincoln was no longer dressed in red, but black, an outfit Bellamy had seen him wear a thousand times before. His face wasn’t painted white, but stained with blood. Another blink and it was his father’s face staring up at him, the eyes they shared filled with unfettered rage as he tried to kill him.

Bellamy struggled to get away as he came back to himself, confusion and panic written all over his face as he wiped his eyes again to make sure he was seeing correctly. What was happening? Was he hallucinating? Had he really dreamt seeing Lincoln? Was he not a reaper? Why was he seeing his father? After all these years? Why was the guilt hitting him now?

Before he even knew what hit him, Bellamy slumped onto the floor, falling off of Lincoln. The silence in the air was deafening as all eyes turned to Murphy, the metal pipe he used to club the back of Bellamy’s head slipping from his fingers. Jackson flinched at the sound of metal hitting the ground cut through the silence. The omega’s entire body began to tremble as he stared down at Bellamy’s unconscious form, his eyes bubbling with tears as he turned to Jackson, ignoring the rush of guards entering the room.

“What did I do?” Murphy whispered, his voice shaking as he started hyperventilating.

Taking a deep breath, Jackson directed the guards to restrain the alpha and walked up to Murphy, placing his hands on his shoulders as gently as he could, though it didn’t stop the boy from tensing up, it didn’t stop the scared whine that escaped his throat.

“It’s okay, Murphy. You had to-” “What did I do?” “You had to get him off of Lincoln. He was going to kill him.” Jackson said, trying to speak louder than Murphy’s panicked rambling. “Did I kill him? Did I kill Bellamy?” He asked, his eyes wide with fear, keeping them fixed on the alpha. Turning his head, Jackson watched as they placed Bellamy onto Murphy’s cot, handcuffing him to the metal bars. Even from where he stood, he could see the man’s chest rise and fall.

“No, he’s alive. Murphy?” He said, grabbing the boy’s chin to force him to meet his gaze. “Listen to me. He’s just asleep. You did not kill him.” Jackson said slow and clearly. When it became clear his words weren’t enough, the doctor pushed Murphy towards the cot, taking his wrist and placing it over Bellamy’s heart. “Feel that? Feel his breath? His heartbeat? He’s alive, Murphy. You knocked him unconscious, that’s all.”

He watched the boy flatten his palm against the alpha’s chest, his lip quivering before letting out a quiet sob. Sitting on the edge of the bed, Murphy cried out an endless string of apologies as he rested his head on Bellamy’s chest, needing to hear his heart beating with his own ears.

Taking a step back, Jackson rubbed at his temples as he looked around the room, at the alert, but confused guards, at Octavia as she fretted over her mate.

“Jesus Christ.” He breathed out, grabbing the first aid kit before walking over to Lincoln.

—

Bellamy found himself back in the forest, near the opening to the reaper tunnels. He had only ever been there once before. The day he went out searching for his parents. The day he regretted most in his life.

He remembered everything about that day, everything. The cold, crisp air of morning, the purplish blue light of dawn creeping through the trees, the sun that was still hidden behind the cursed mountain. He even remembered the exact footsteps he took as he crouched behind a bush, the sound of the twigs cracking as he tried to push the frost covered brush away.

He remembered his father’s hulking form kneeling in the snow, his mother’s body pulled into his lap. He remembered how her skin seemed to blend in with the snow, it was so pale.

Why was he brought back here? Why now?

“Bellamy.” The man’s brow furrowed as he looked behind him, seeing nothing but the quiet, still forest.

“Bellamy? Please wake up.” Standing up, Bellamy took one last look at the worst day of his life and turned away, leaving behind the past he couldn’t change to follow the soft, familiar voice calling out to him. It was such a beautiful voice.

“Bell, wake up.”

Bellamy grimaced as he was woken by the pounding in his head. “Bell?” He heard Murphy’s voice as he tried to open his eyes, tried to lift his arms and found them to be tied down. “Please step away.” He heard an unfamiliar voice as he squinted against the bright overhead light. Bellamy groaned as the warmth beside him pulled away, as he heard a low whimper carry through the air.

“Bellamy, can you hear me? Can you open your eyes?” He heard Jackson ask. The alpha flinched as his eyes were forced open, an even brighter light blinding him. “Eyes are equal and reactive to light.. I don’t think he has a concussion.” The doctor murmured.

As his eyes adjusted to the room, he felt his chest squeeze with anxiety as he looked around at all the tense, worried faces. Bellamy frowned as he looked at his omega, Murphy looked like he had been crying. Was he the cause of his tears? Did he scare him?

“Let me go.” He muttered, pulling at his restraints, only stopping when the sound made Murphy jump.

“I’d like to.. But I need to know you won’t hurt anyone.” Jackson said firmly, sending Bellamy a look that said he wasn’t playing around. Bellamy’s eyes darted over to where Lincoln was standing, he didn’t know how long he was out, but his face was already starting to bruise. “I won’t.” He said, making a show of relaxing into the bed, letting his limbs go pliant.

Sucking in a deep breath, Jackson nodded to the guard, crossing his arms over his chest as they unlocked his cuffs.

Letting the guard step away first, Bellamy slowly sat up, resting his feet on the floor as he rubbed at his now tender wrists. He didn’t feel angry anymore, or like their safety was threatened. He didn’t even know why he freaked out to begin with. Why it reared up so suddenly, so.. aggressively. Why his rage blinded him to all thoughts or reason. All he felt now was embarrassed. Ashamed by what he had done, confused that his eyes saw something that wasn’t there, that wasn’t real.

With his head slightly lowered, Bellamy looked at all the eyes staring at him, some afraid, some angry, all unsure of what he would do next. All wondering what would set him off again. It wasn’t a feeling he liked. Made him feel like a wild animal.

He froze as he met Murphy’s eyes. Was Murphy scared of him? He didn’t mean to scare him, he really didn’t.

Before Bellamy could even open his mouth to utter his pathetic attempt of an apology, Murphy crossed the short distance between them, shrugging off the guards hands as they tried to hold him back and threw his arms around Bellamy’s neck. “I’m sorry, Bell.” Murphy whispered into his skin, tightening his arms as he buried his face in the crook of his shoulder. “I didn’t know what else to do.”

It took a second for his arms to connect to his brain before Bellamy slowly snaked his arms around the boy’s lithe waist, pulling their bodies flush together. He didn’t know what Murphy was apologizing for. “I’m sorry too.” He whispered, letting the omega go when he pulled away to stare at him, his brow furrowed a bit. Shaking his head, Bellamy looked down at his lap. “I don’t know what came over me.” He said before looking around the room, stopping when his eyes fell on his sister and her mate. “I’m sorry.” He breathed out, diverting his gaze back down to the floor.

“Well, I think we all need some clarification.. Bellamy, can you tell us why you attacked Lincoln?” Jackson asked, shifting his weight from one side to the other.

Keeping one hand on Murphy’s hip, the alpha used his other to cover his eyes, taking a deep breath as he recalled what he had done. “I-..” He started, letting out a shaky breath as he sat up straighter. “I thought he was a reaper.. When he first came into the room.. I saw him dressed in red, he had the reaper’s warpaint on as well.” Jackson’s brow furrowed in confusion as he glanced at the grounder, clearly dressed in black, his face clean except for the bruises littering his skin. “In the mountain, I.. I broke out of our cell, I was trying to find Murphy and I-I..” Bellamy huffed as he remembered that day, it felt so real. It didn’t feel like a dream or hallucination. “I thought I saw Lincoln there.. I thought I saw him as a reaper. I watched them inject some sort of.. red liquid into his neck.” He struggled to get out, his face pinched with a discomfort that could only come from being unable to trust your eyes, your memories.

“That was real.” Lincoln said, a quiet shame crossing his features as Bellamy and Murphy’s eyes snapped over to him. “When we were captured.. You were taken to harvest, I was sent to Cerberus.. Where they create reapers.”

The two were speechless as the gentle alpha went on. “The day you saw me, I was helping Miller sneak into the mountain.. It was the only way in.” Lincoln said, the corner of his mouth twitching upwards in a weak attempt of a smile as Octavia reached for his hand.

“H-.. How?” Bellamy breathed out, he could feel his heart beginning to race. “How are you here? How-” His voice broke as his chest tightened, his hand flying up to fist his shirt as he looked Lincoln up and down, searching for any lingering trace of becoming a reaper.

“How was I cured?” Lincoln finished for him. Bellamy nodded quickly, inhaling a shaky breath as Murphy sat in his lap, kissing his cheek before nuzzling his face into his neck.

“I think that’s where I should step in.” Jackson cut in, dismissing the guard with a flick of his hand before sitting down in the chair across from him. Bellamy tightened his arms around Murphy as they turned their attention to the doctor, needing the omega’s soft scent to calm him.

“From what we gathered and from Lincoln’s experience, we figured out that reapers were created using a highly addictive drug..”

Bellamy stayed silent as Jackson explained it all in depth, Lincoln chiming in occasionally when needed, but otherwise letting the doctor talk. He listened to them explain why others died in the past, why they were able to cure them this time around. He didn’t say a single word throughout the entire explanation, he just let them talk. All he could think about was his father, how he couldn’t save him in the end. It was possible, it was always possible, but Bellamy couldn’t do it. He couldn’t save the man who did nothing but love him, his sister, his mother. The man who raised him, taught him everything he knew. The man who was nothing but love and light and laughter.

He could have done it. But he didn’t. Skaikru knew how to save him, but they were still among the stars when it mattered. When Bellamy needed that knowledge the most.

Bellamy gently slid Murphy off of his lap as Jackson kept talking, but Bellamy had long stopped listening, he couldn’t, he could barely breathe. He ignored the worried furrow of the omega’s brow as he was set down on the cot beside him.

“Bell?” Octavia said softly, concern written clear across her face, ceasing Jackson’s rambling.

He shook his head as he stood up, keeping his eyes downcast, he couldn’t bring himself to look any of them in the eye. He couldn’t look at Octavia, the girl he had to raise after their parents died, the girl he kept all of this hidden from in fear it would break her. He couldn’t look at Lincoln, couldn’t burden him with the guilt of surviving what his father didn’t. He couldn’t look at Murphy, couldn’t look into the eyes of his love and still be able to hold it all together. If he did, he knew he’d break down right then and there. He already felt pathetic, he already felt like he hadn’t done enough.

“Bellamy!” Octavia called out to him as he rushed out of the room.

—

Murphy tore his eyes away from the open doors as Octavia yelled for her brother, Lincoln stopping her by catching her around the waist. “Let him go.” The alpha said softly. “Why would he just run off? What’s wrong with him?” She asked in a frantic voice, hellbent of mending the rift that the mountain created within her family.

“He’s in a very fragile state right now and.. that was a lot of information for him to take in, let’s just give him a moment.” Jackson tried, standing to help calm the stressed omega. “Wh-.. Is he still mad?”

Murphy stood as they went back and forth with each other. They didn’t even notice him slip out of the room.

Murphy followed the quiet bustling of people as he made his way down the dimly lit hall, dragging his fingers across the cool metal when he rounded the corner. Ending up in a large open room full of other patients and medical staff, Murphy looked around and headed for what he could only assume was the exit, going with the flow of Arkers coming and going, stealing a blanket from the stack by the entry.

Stepping outside, he paused to take it all in. The wide open field the Ark either landed in or created in the fall, the sky painted pink as the sun faded into the west, the cold bite in the air that promised autumn’s coming. Curling his toes, Murphy looked down at his bare feet, feeling the cold soil underneath his soles.

Stumbling through the unfamiliar camp, Murphy didn’t feel lost, he knew exactly where he was supposed to go. It felt as if a string was wrapped around his heart, tugging him towards Bellamy. He ignored the two guards stationed at the front gates, letting him know it was getting late, that he shouldn’t go out.

When he had made it a good distance from Camp Jaha, he froze as he heard a heart-wrenching scream coming from the woods. It was Bellamy. Murphy hobbled as fast as he could, following the beaten trail until he reached the tree line. Feeling a cold, but gentle breeze, he rubbed at the goosebumps that rose all up his arms, the faintest scent of juniper carrying on the wind. He shivered as he unfolded the blanket, wrapping it around himself and turned in the direction Bellamy’s scent came from, the closer he got, the stronger the scent became, morphing into something bitter. The closer he got, the better he could hear Bellamy’s weeping.

He found the man at the base of a tree, on his knees, his hands clutching at its roots for dear life, as if the world would swallow him whole if he didn’t. Bellamy’s entire body shook from his sobs as he gasped for air. Sitting back on his knees, the alpha turned his head up to the sky, his voice strained with sorrow. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” He blubbered over and over again, speaking to who, Murphy didn’t know.

Swallowing down the ache in his throat, Murphy slowly came up behind him, purposefully stepping on twigs to alert the man of his presence. “Bellamy?” He asked, stopping a few feet away from him, not sure how he would react.

“Don’t.. please.” The man wept, shaking his head, his shoulders deflating. “I can’t-” Bellamy started, his shoulders jumping as his breaths became quicker, shorter. “I can’t— breath, I—can’t—breath.” He gasped out, a hand coming up to clutch his chest.

Closing the last few feet, Murphy fell to his knees behind him and draped himself over Bellamy’s back, wrapping his arms around him, the thin fabric of the blanket cascading over them. “Just breathe.” “I—can’t-” “Breathe with me, slowly.” Murphy said in a soft voice that seemed foreign to him, flattening his palm over Bellamy’s heart, he could feel it pounding in his chest. “Inhale slowly.” Murphy said, resting his chin on his shoulder. His eyes fell down to Bellamy’s hands as they shot up to grab his wrist, finally letting him see the bloody state of his knuckles. The skin was torn to shreds, his hands dripping with warm, sticky blood, he could even see bits of bark embedded in between his knuckles.

“Just breathe,” Murphy whispered, rubbing his cheek against Bellamy’s scent gland.

Murphy didn’t say a word, he just held Bellamy, breathing deeply into his ear, slowly getting him to copy them. The alpha gradually calmed down, his chest still hiccuping as they kneeled there in the dirt. Murphy didn’t want to say anything, didn’t know where to start, what to say, but he knew he couldn’t let Bellamy return like this, his heart still heavy with whatever guilt was burdening him.

“What happened in there?” He whispered after minutes of not saying anything. Bellamy shook his head, releasing the bruising grip he had on Murphy’s wrist to dig the heels of his hands into his eyes. “Nothing.” The alpha mumbled, sniffing away the snot in his nose.

Pulling away from the man, Murphy shoved his back, knocking him forward onto his hands. “Don’t give me that shit. What’s wrong?” He snapped, irritated by Bellamy’s closed off behavior. He’d never acted like this before, so why now? “You’re not fooling anyone so just tell me what it is so I can help you.”

Bellamy sniffed as he turned around, plopping down on his rear. He turned to look back towards the camp, staring at all the lights scattered around. He couldn’t bring himself to look Murphy in the eyes just yet. “I-..” He opened his mouth, the painful tightening of his throat making it difficult to speak. “I swore I wouldn’t tell anyone.” Bellamy murmured, barely above a whisper, his head dropping down to look at his torn up hands.

“Well, I don’t care.” Murphy said, wrapping the blanket around himself, keeping a stern look on his face to make it clear he wouldn’t give up until Bellamy told him what was wrong.

Tucking his emotions away enough so he could talk, Bellamy sucked in a shaky breath, fixing his gaze on the firelight in the distance.

“The Mountain Men didn’t kill my father.” He said, chewing the inside of his cheek, letting the pain distract him from crying. “I did.” Bellamy admitted, nodding his head as his eyes filled with tears, despite all the effort it took not to. Finally finding the courage to look at his mate, Bellamy’s vision grew blurry as he looked into those pale eyes. Murphy’s mouth opened slightly in surprise, a look of shock and sorrow crossing his sharp features.

Bellamy couldn’t take it, having to force his eyes away again, choosing to stare down at his fingers as he tried to flex them. He broke a couple of them, it would heal fast though.

“After my mother was taken.. My dad went out looking for her.” He started, brushing the bits of bark off his skin. “When they didn’t return, I-.. About a week later, I went out on my own.. Early in the morning before Octavia woke up, before anyone could stop me.” Bellamy whispered, if he had known what he would find that day, he would have gone right back to bed. He would have never gone to those damned tunnels. “When I got to the reaper tunnels,” Bellamy paused as he remembered his parents lying in the snow together, the image still clear in his mind. “My father had been turned into a reaper..I found him.. cradling my mother’s body in his arms.” He forced out, a rogue tear slipping from his eye. “I uh.. I took a wrong step.” He said, nodding his head. “Stepped on a twig and he.. he attacked me.” Bellamy frowned as the memory of his father’s eyes, once kind and warm, were turned crazed, filled with nothing but rage as his hands closed around his only son’s neck.

“So I killed him.” Bellamy whispered, his voice wavering with each word.

“Bellamy..” The man shook his head as Murphy crawled closer to him. “I killed him, John. My own father.” He said, his tears falling freely as he looked into Murphy’s sympathetic eyes. “You can’t blame yourself for that.” The omega said softly, brushing Bellamy’s tears away with his thumb. “What were you supposed to do?” Murphy asked.

“I could have saved him, it was possible, it was always possi-” “No, it wasn’t.” Murphy interjected, shaking his head as he moved closer. “It was. Lincoln’s proof of that-” “No.” Murphy cut him off, grabbing the sides of his face. “It wasn’t. Not then. Now? Sure, but not then. Not that day.” Murphy said in a stern voice, his eyes darting between Bellamy’s glassy ones. “There was nothing you could have done to save him.”

“I-I could have run away, why didn’t I run away? Why did I do it? Why did I have to be the one to do it?” Bellamy stammered. “Why didn’t I just walk away?”

“All that would have happened is you dying and Octavia being left alone. Does that really sound like the better option? Do you really think that’s what your father would have wanted?” Murphy asked, silencing the alpha in an instant. “Do you really think he would have wanted to live like that? Killing his son? Being a reaper? Kidnapping innocent people? Killing them, eating them? The same people he swore to protect?.. Do you?” He said, raising his voice at the end as he shook Bellamy. The alpha sobbed as he finally shook his head, mumbling out a quiet ‘no.’

Letting out a deep exhale, Murphy pulled the man into a tight hug. He melted into Bellamy as his warm arms closed around his waist, holding onto him like it was the only thing keeping him tethered to the earth. “From what I know about your dad.. He wouldn’t have wanted that.. So stop blaming yourself.” He said in a softer voice, having gotten all his frustrations out.

“He didn’t even recognize me.” Bellamy whispered, the only reason Murphy heard him was because of how close they were. Pulling away, Murphy’s eyes softened as he looked over the alpha’s ruddy face, his cheeks stained with tracks of tears. “He recognized her though.. My mom.” Bellamy said, nodding his head as he stared off at something behind Murphy. “After I..” He trailed off, unable to say it again. “After.. I found my mom’s braid in his hand.” Bellamy said, letting out a sad laugh as he shook his head, as if he still couldn’t believe it. “He held onto it like it was the only thing that mattered.. He recognized her, even though he was a reaper.. Even though he had lost his mind.. He recognized his mate, even in madness.” Bellamy said in breathless disbelief, amazed their bond was that strong, even at the end of it all.

Caressing the alpha’s cheek, Murphy made him look him in the eye. “I’m sorry it had to be you.” He whispered, leaning in to kiss his cheek. Murphy let out a soft sigh as Bellamy nodded his head numbly and removed the blanket from his shoulders, throwing it around Bellamy’s back so he could wrap it around the both of them and sat down between the man’s legs. He exhaled as Bellamy quickly snaked his arms around his middle, nestling his face into the omega’s neck and taking a slow, deep breath.

Sitting in the comfortable quiet of evening, they turned their eyes to the setting sun, the sky a painting of pink and orange.

“Does Octavia know?” Murphy asked after a while, feeling Bellamy shake his head, his arms tightening around his stomach nervously. “It would have killed her.. I just told them I found their bodies near the tunnels.” Turning his head to look into his swollen eyes, Murphy sent him a stern look. “You have to tell them, Bell.” He whispered. “I know.” Bellamy murmured. “Can we.. Can we just sit here for a while?”

“Yeah,” Murphy breathed out, turning forward again to watch the sunset. “We can do that.”

—

Long after the sun had set, when Bellamy’s warmth and the blanket were no longer enough to keep Murphy from shivering, they made their way back to Camp Jaha, their fingers intertwined.

They found the others exactly where they had left them, Octavia nervously chewing on her fingernails, Lincoln beside her, trying his best to comfort her, Jackson sitting in his stool, his arms crossed as he anxiously tapped his foot.

Octavia shot up as soon as she saw them, running over to throw her arms around them both. “Where have you been? We looked all over camp for you.” Bellamy was surprised by her concern, by how easy it was for her to wrap her arms around him. He returned the hug by tightening his arms around her, savoring it as he rested his head on her shoulder. “We were outside camp.” Murphy answered her, letting the doctor usher him back to bed.

“There’s.. something I have to tell you.” Bellamy said as they pulled apart, his brow knitted in worry, his mind going to the worst possible places as he wondered how she would react.

“Okay..” She said softly, her face pinched with concern as she registered her brother’s saddened disposition.

Joining Murphy on the bed, Bellamy took hold of his hand again, needing his strength, tracing over his bones nervously as the others crowded around him.

Bellamy told them the truth about that day. Having already cried himself to the point of exhaustion made it a little bit easier, but nothing could have prepared him when he finally looked into his little sister’s eyes. The way her face contorted painfully, their mother’s eyes staring back at him as they filled with tears.

By the end, Bellamy was squeezing Murphy’s hand so tightly, the boy had to gently place his other one on top of Bellamy’s, quietly signaling him to ease up.

“All this time.. You kept this hidden.. all this time?” Octavia asked after Bellamy had fallen silent, having said everything he needed to. Bellamy thought he had cried every drop of moisture left in his body, but apparently not. He nodded, his eyes watering as his sister held his gaze. “I never wanted you to know.” He whispered.

Standing up from her chair, Octavia rushed over to him, throwing her arms around Bellamy’s neck as a broken sob escaped his lips. “I’m sorry, big brother.. I’m sorry you had to carry it alone.” She whispered, squeezing him a bone-crushing hug.

After pulling apart, Bellamy wiped the moisture from his eyes, sniffling softly. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.. I-.. I thought it was better that way.. I didn’t want you to remember him like that.” He admitted, looking down at the ground.

“Dad was more than how he died. He was more than what was done to him.” Octavia said. From where she stood, she couldn’t see the small, proud smile on Lincoln’s face as he looked up at her, but Bellamy could. He could see how much it meant to him. Nodding his head, he turned his gaze to his friend, his brother.

“Lincoln,” He said, catching the man’s attention. “I’m sorry.” Bellamy said. “I’m glad you were saved.. I’m happy you’re still here.” Lincoln nodded his head as he looked away, flustered by the words, but needing to hear them.

They talked for a little while longer, until Jackson called it to an end, kicking the grounders out, reminding them of the long, emotional day they had and how they all needed to get some rest. Bellamy let the doctor clean and dress his hands, rewrapping the soiled gauze around his stitches, before bidding them a goodnight.

Holding his head in his hands, Bellamy let out a tired sigh as Murphy draped himself across his back, wrapping his arms around his neck again, trailing kisses from his cheek down to his shoulders. Held lovingly in his mate’s arms, Bellamy realized how much lighter he felt, he didn’t even know how much that guilt had been weighing on him, how much he simply ignored it until it just became his normal.

Tucking themselves into bed, Bellamy’s arm wrapped around Murphy’s back, he stared up at the ceiling, his body unable to relax as one last question plagued his mind. Feeling Murphy’s fingers drawing designs onto his chest, his heart started to race nervously under his touch.

“Do I-..” He paused, clearing his throat. Murphy stopped what he was doing to look up at him, sensing the man’s unease, his jaw clenched tight. “Do I scare you?” He asked, his voice quiet and unsure like a child’s.

Sitting up on his elbow, Murphy’s brow furrowed as he looked down at him. “What the hell are you talking about?” He asked, searching Bellamy’s face for any sort of answer to where the hell that question came from.

“After today.. After everything I did to you in the mountain.. Don’t I scare you?” He asked one more time, needing a serious answer to settle his nerves. Bellamy didn’t want to, but he would force himself to leave if he did, if Murphy didn’t trust him. He would do whatever Murphy needed him to do, even if it meant not being at his side.

Pursing his lips in annoyance, Murphy grabbed the man’s chin, tilting it so they were eye to eye. “If I was afraid of you, you wouldn’t be here. I wouldn’t have let you near me.” He said plain and clear, laying back down to cuddle closer to him. “What a stupid question.” Murphy grumbled, throwing his leg across Bellamy’s thigh, draping an arm over his stomach.

Breathing out a small laugh, Bellamy finally felt his body relax under the familiar weight of Murphy beside him. His eyes fluttered tiredly as they held each other close, his body finally allowing him to sleep.

“The only reason I’m alive is because of you.” Murphy murmured just before sleep could take him. “And it’s not because you protected me, or because you got us out, it’s because..” Bellamy’s eyes opened as the omega trailed off. “You kept me going.. You gave me hope when I had lost mine.” Murphy whispered, his eyes growing tearful as he looked up at the alpha. “Towards the end.. All I felt was pain.. All I wanted was to die, for it to be over.” He admitted, looking away from the sad look in Bellamy’s eyes to fiddle with a loose string on his shirt. “Then, out of nowhere, all I felt was relief.. You weren’t there, but.. I could feel you beside me. Like you were telling me to keep going, to keep fighting.”

A smile pulled at the corners of Bellamy’s lips as his heart jumped in his chest, a feeling of pure relief as Murphy unknowingly confirmed that he felt him too, that they were destined to be together, that he was his promised one.

Running his thumb across Murphy’s cheek, Bellamy leaned down to capture his lips in a deep kiss. As they pulled apart, Murphy sent him a tired look. “Does that answer your question?” He said sardonically, raising an eyebrow at him. Bellamy couldn’t help but smile as he looked away, pulling the boy closer to him.

“Yeah,” he whispered into the air.

“Then go to sleep.”

Chapter Text

Jackson made them stay two days in the infirmary before finally giving in and letting them go. Octavia smiled as she helped Murphy to his feet, unable to help herself as she pulled him in for a hug. Murphy chuckled as a quiet purr came from the girl, rubbing her face against his cheek to lightly scent him.

It still hurt to walk around, but the constant pain was no longer there. He only felt it when he moved or when his wounds were touched. According to Jackson, Murphy was healing quickly.

“Alright,” Jackson announced as he finished redressing Bellamy’s hands and arm. “I want you both to check in once a day, and come to me anytime if anything gets worse, okay?” The doctor stressed, fretting over Murphy one last time. “Yes sir.” Bellamy murmured, nodding his head to the omega before stepping over to his boy.

He stole his sister’s place by Murphy’s side, protectively wrapping his arm around his waist to pull him closer, pressing a chaste kiss to his temple. “Yeah okay, get me outta here.” Murphy grumbled, wincing as a sharp pain shot through his hip. More than anything, it was his bones that hurt, but the doctor said that was to be expected and that it would fade with time, so he wasn’t too worried about it.

“Don’t push yourselves! Remember to take it easy!” Jackson yelled after them.

Slowly making their way out, Octavia walked over to where Lincoln had been waiting for them outside, intertwining their fingers before taking the lead. Bellamy looked all around them as they stepped out of the gates, searching for a horse, cart, anything for Murphy to sit down on, he would never make the trip back to Tondc in his condition. “Maybe the horse is somewhere else?” Bellamy tried, turning to check on Murphy. “Yeah this is the one and only time I’m okay with riding a horse.” The boy panted, leaning all his weight into the alpha’s side.

“What’s wrong?” Octavia asked, drawing their attention to her as she backtracked from the tented area outside the fence line. Lowering Murphy onto a rock, Bellamy squinted against the sunlight as he watched his sister approaching them. “Am I carrying Murphy home or what? Don’t we have a horse?”

A look of surprised confusion crossed Octavia’s face as she took a step back, Lincoln rejoining her side. She pursed her lips as she sent her mate a reluctant look. “What? What’s going on?” Bellamy asked, his brow furrowing as a smidgen of dread filled his stomach. “Nobody told you..” Octavia said quietly, a forlorn look in her eyes. Looking between the two, Bellamy hardened his composure as they shared a begrudging look, as if trying to figure out who would tell him whatever bad news they had yet to learn was.

Letting out a sigh, Lincoln finally broke the tense silence and tilted his head towards the rows of tents, beckoning them to follow. “Come on, this isn’t the place to tell you.” He said in a somber tone, squeezing Octavia’s hand before pulling her along.

“Bell, what’s going on?” Murphy asked as he stood, taking the arm Bellamy offered to him. “I don’t know.” The man said softly, directing them forwards.

As they walked through the rows of tents, Bellamy had a tight-lipped smile on his face, nodding to the people as they bowed their heads, their eyes bright with happiness and relief to see their second in command, to know both him and Oma Murphy survived. A sobering realization slowed his pace, at first he assumed those camped outsider were just Lexa’s army, but the more he looked around, he realized a good portion of them were the people of Tondc. Bellamy’s stomach dropped as he feared what that meant, what they were doing here.

“Why aren’t they at home?” Murphy asked, hugging his arm tighter as they neared the tent Octavia stood in front of, Lincoln holding the flaps open for them. He didn’t answer the boy, not trusting his voice as they stepped inside, quickly finding a place for Murphy to sit down. Seeing Lincoln sit down on a stool, Bellamy turned to stare at his sister as she made herself busy fussing over Murphy, fluffing the pillows around him to get him more comfortable, avoiding his eyes. When she ran out of things to do for the omega, she turned her nervous, shifting eyes up to her brother, her scent growing bitter as she sat beside Murphy on the mat, her fingers brushing down the fur of their blanket.

“Just say it.” Bellamy said, crossing his arms as he looked between the two. His firm expression softened as he finally noticed the glassy sheen growing in his little sister’s eyes. He turned his attention to Lincoln as the man cleared his throat, the sadness in his eyes betraying the stern look he was trying to keep on his face.

“T-..” The alpha started, exhaling a defeated sigh before meeting Bellamy’s gaze. “Tondc is gone.” He said.

“What?” Bellamy heard Murphy’s voice ask. The alpha’s face went slack as his heart dropped into his stomach, the blunt shock of it nearly knocking him over.

“A few days before the battle.. The mountain men dropped a bomb on Tondc.” Lincoln explained, looking away from their prying eyes. “It’s gone.” He whispered, nodding his head sadly.

“Wha- Why? What happened? Who survived?-” Murphy rushed out, but Bellamy suddenly couldn’t hear any of it, his ears filling with cotton as he stumbled back, falling into the chair that was luckily right behind him. Looking at everyone, Bellamy could see their mouths moving, but couldn’t understand a single thing they said, the air in the room suddenly feeling too thin.

“Heda brought the Coalition to Tondc for a war council, so it was mostly the leaders of each clan.. It hit at the center of town, where the meeting was to be held but..” Lincoln exhaled as he looked away, shaking his head as he remembered the destruction of the aftermath, the wails of civilians still echoing in his mind. “Less than half of Tondc survived.” He murmured.

“Is Nyko okay?” Murphy breathed out, his throat tense with fear. Lincoln sent him a small, sad smile as he nodded his head, the boy letting out a shaky breath of relief as his head dropped into his hands. Murphy leaned into Octavia as she wrapped her arm around his shoulder, pulling him closer.

Bellamy and him weren’t the only ones fighting for their lives, he had no clue what chaos was happening around them while they rotted away in Mt. Weather. The agony their people had gone through, were still suffering from. The scar of the Mountain growing even greater.

“Indra is okay, so is Anya and Mbege.” He added, glancing at Bellamy. Lincoln couldn’t tell if he was listening or not, the shock still clear on his face. “Skaikru has allowed us to spend the winter here at Camp Jaha.” Lincoln said, nodding his head appreciatively. “A group of carpenters have been going there daily to try and clear the land.. We won’t be able to accomplish much before the frost comes but.. it’s a start. There are already plans to rebuild in the spring.” Lincoln stated, standing up to walk over to his friend, his brother. Kneeling down in front of Bellamy, Lincoln placed his hand on his brother’s shoulder, squeezing it when the man finally looked him in the eye, Bellamy’s eyes shiny with unshed tears. “T-.. The house? It’s gone?” Bellamy asked, a single tear rolling down his face. The house his parents built together. The home he was raised in, filled with memories of the life they lived, the love they shared. Gone in an instant. Like it was never there. Like they were never there.

“We will rebuild.” Lincoln urged, his own eyes growing moist. “It was just a house. Wood and stones.” The alpha stressed. Wiping his eyes, Bellamy nodded, trying to let that mentality quell the crushing ache in his heart.

“We lost everything.” Bellamy whispered, leaning down on his elbows as he hid his face in his hands. His shoulders hiccuping as he swallowed down a sob.

“No.” Lincoln said, pushing his shoulders back, forcing him to look up. “Look around you. You have your strisis, your houmon, your bro..” Lincoln said, shuffling to the side so Bellamy could see his family still standing beside him. “We have everything.”

Bellamy felt his bottom lip begin to quiver as his sister stood up from the mat, slowly walking over to them. Placing herself behind him, Octavia draped herself across her brother’s back, wrapping her arms around him as she rested her cheek on his shoulder. Bellamy rested a hand over his sister’s arm as he closed his eyes, siphoning his family’s strength until he could hold his head up high.

“We didn’t lose everything..” Octavia mumbled into his skin. Bellamy’s brow knitted together as he turned to look at her, a hopeful confusion on his face. “We didn’t lose the cabin.” She said, smiling weakly at him. Letting out a sad chuckle, Bellamy leaned into her embrace, sparing a quick glance at Murphy, still seated on the bed, his arms wrapped around his legs. The boy’s lips twitched upwards, sending Bellamy a heartfelt look that said.. they’d make it through this too. They survived and conquered hell together, they could get through anything.

Wordlessly thanking the pair, Bellamy gently pulled away from them, standing to walk over to his love. Before the alpha could crouch down next to him, Murphy held his hands out, Bellamy taking them without a second thought as Murphy pulled himself off the ground.

Slithering his arms around the omega, Bellamy let out a deep sigh as he nestled his face into the crook of Murphy’s neck, needing his soft grassy scent to soothe him. “I want to find Nyko.” Murphy murmured into his skin, ghosting his fingers down Bellamy’s nape. “Okay.” The alpha whispered, rubbing his hands up and down the boy’s back.

“He’s around here somewhere. Start here, around the tents.” Octavia said, falling into Lincoln’s lap as he stole Bellamy’s chair, pulling his mate into his arms.

“Thanks,” Murphy said, smiling weakly at them before taking Bellamy’s hand. “Let’s go, before I get too tired.” He half-joked, half-serious. He didn’t have much energy the past few days, Murphy wanted to get this over with so he could return and pass out for the rest of the day.

Letting the alpha lead the way, they stepped out of the tent, their fingers tightly intertwined as they made their way through the rows of tents. “You sure you’re okay to walk around? I can go find him and bring him back.” Bellamy offered as he kept an easy pace with his omega, noting the pinched expression on his face with each step. “I’m not made of glass, Bell.” Murphy said, rolling his eyes, but leaning into his side nonetheless, letting the alpha carry most of his weight. “I’m fine.. I want to.” Murphy said in a softer voice.

“Seken? Oma Mofi!” They turned to the villager ahead of them, jogging over to talk to them.

Bellamy smiled as the young woman welcomed them back, asking if they needed anything. “Osir kei. Weron Nyko?” He asked. The beta hummed as she looked around, before pointing towards their left. “Ouder, las ai sin in.” She said, stepping out of their way.

“Mochof.” Bellamy said, touching her shoulder before bidding her goodbye. “What was her name again?” Murphy asked, recognizing her face, but not the name. “Ida, her and her family are farmers.” Bellamy responded, pressing his palm on the omega’s lower back. “They’re good people.. I’m happy they survived.” The man said, his brow furrowing slightly in his melancholy. Biting his lip, Murphy nodded, looking forward, his eyes scanning across the field as they searched for the healer.

“Murphy?”

The boy stopped as he heard his name, looking over his shoulder. Murphy's mouth curled down as he met Nyko’s wide eyes, his heart jumping with happiness as the beta dropped the supplies he was carrying to run over to him. Stepping out of Bellamy’s arms, Murphy limped closer to his mentor, meeting him halfway before being crushed in his arms, his face buried in the burly man’s chest. “Murphy.” Nyko said, squeezing all the air out of him. “Ai seken. Ai nomfa.” He whispered, running his hand down the back of the boy’s hair. Son, he called him. My son.

Murphy’s eyes began to sting as he inhaled the healer’s familiar scent, an indistinguishable mix of herbs, whether it was his natural scent or because of his profession, Murphy never could figure out, but it was Nyko. It was his mentor.

“I thought I lost you, nomfa.” Nyko said, his voice trembling with emotion. Pulling away just enough to look up at him, Murphy’s lip trembled as he looked into Nyko’s blue eyes, tears of relief bubbling out of them freely. Tightening his arms around him again, Murphy hid his tearful face in Nyko’s chest as he let out a quiet sob. He didn’t think if he would ever get to see him again, hear his gruff voice. God, he missed him.

A small smile creeped onto Bellamy’s face as he watched them embrace each other, Nyko’s hand gently holding his face as he stared at Murphy in disbelief. Disbelief that he was really there in his arms, alive, breathing. Bellamy could hardly believe it himself.

“Seken Belomi?” The man turned to his side, his breath catching in his throat as he saw someone he never realized he would be so relieved to see. “Kotya.” He breathed out, his eyes wide as he took in the sight of the older woman, a happy smile on her face.

The woman laughed as the second in command collided into her, rubbing her hands across his back as they hugged. It seemed like he really needed it. “Ha shanen ai laik gon op yu seintaim.” She chuckled out, only releasing the man when he started to pull away, suddenly embarrassed. “We-.. Weron Liya?” He hesitated to ask, fearing the worst, but needing to know. Kotya hummed as she looked around, calling her daughter’s name, allowing Bellamy to release the breath he was holding in. “Em laik raun hir opleis.”

Hearing the little girl’s laughter grow closer, Bellamy’s shoulders sagged with relief as she came running from behind their tent, a few other children from the Ark scurrying off to play. Seeing the handsome man she always had a crush on, Liya’s face turned bright red as she quickly hid behind her mother’s skirt, her laughter falling quiet. Bellamy grinned as she peeked her head out, squatting down to hold his arms out towards her. “Hei Liya.” He whispered, the only reason she came out due to Kotya’s gentle encouragement.

His smile faltered as the little girl came out from her hiding spot, her hand shyly covering up her other arm to try and hide the missing appendage. Bellamy tried his best not to stare, but couldn’t stop his eyes from glancing down at the short nub, bandaged tightly. Quickly correcting himself, he lunged forward and grabbed her in a tight hug, standing up to spin her around, her squealing laughter filling the air. “Ai meme we yu, shoga gada. Yu laik bos kos yu nomon?” He asked her, forcing a bright smile on his face. Liya nodded bashfully in his arms, her little fingers playing with the collar of his shirt. “Sola.” Bellamy said happily, pecking her cheek before putting her down, letting her run off.

A bittersweet sadness weighed heavy on Bellamy’s heart as he let out a deep exhale, happiness to know the girl was alive, but not entirely protected from the Mountain’s wide ranging desolation. Scarred forever by a war she had no part in, knew nothing about. Bellamy felt his eyes start to sting as he thought about how confused she must have been when it all happened, how scared she was.

“Em don drop em gonz raun fayakraka..” Kotya explained, her eyes following after her daughter as she rejoined her new found friends in the field. When Bellamy looked at Kotya, all he saw was the pride of a mother, shining brightly in her eyes, an air of strength, hard earned from life’s hardships. “Ba em laik yuj.” She said, her head nodding slightly as she turned back to the second in command.

The alpha didn’t know what to say to her. What could he say? That she would be okay? That this wouldn’t hinder her? That she wouldn’t struggle? There was nothing he could possibly say to make it better, make it easier. “Teik ai get in taim gaf in enti.” Bellamy said sincerely, placing his hand on her shoulder.

Placing her own hand over his, she sent him a gentle smile. “Osir kei, seken.” Seeing the strength in her eyes, the brave, unafraid expression, Bellamy let it fill him with a little courage of his own. Nodding numbly, he let the woman walk away, back to the laundry she was hanging up on a line.

She was strong, his people were strong. They had lost everything, but not the fighting spirit inside them, the unshakable power engraved into their core. A fire that could never be extinguished.

“Bellamy.” The alpha turned to face Nyko at the call of his name, a small smile pulling at his lips as the healer grabbed his arm, pulling him in until their foreheads touched. “It’s good to see you, Nyko.” Bellamy whispered. “It’s good to be seen.” Nyko teased, an easy grin creeping onto his face. Bellamy shook his head as they released each other, a soft chuckle falling from his lips. “Thank you.” Nyko said, placing a hand on his shoulder. “For bringing my second back to me.”

“Wouldn’t have left without him.” Bellamy said, wrapping an arm around Murphy’s back as the omega pressed himself into his side.

—

After accompanying them back to their tent, Nyko hung around for a little while longer to fuss over Murphy, the healer in him unable to contain his concern over his injuries, how he was healing.

They spent the afternoon in bed, wrapped in each other’s arms.

Flexing his fingers, Bellamy looked away from his bandaged hands and chuckled at the little bit of drool collecting on his chest as Murphy slept. Leaning down, he pressed a chaste kiss to the omega’s forehead and let out a sigh, running his fingertips down Murphy’s spine, feeling over each little bump.

Bellamy groaned as he rolled onto his side, tightening his arms around Murphy as the camp grew louder and louder outside, forcing a little mewl out of the omega. With the sun setting for the night, one would think the people would start settling down, but the closer evening came the more wild their cries got. Closing his eyes, he tried to ignore the hollering the canvas of their tent failed to keep out.

“Tell them to shut the fuck up.” Murphy mumbled into his skin, his brow furrowing with drowsy irritation. Bellamy huffed out a laugh as he placed kisses all over the boy’s face, grabbing a pillow to cover Murphy’s ears with.

His head shot over to the entrance as Octavia stepped in, quickly stepping over to where her blade was resting on the table. “O, what’s going on out there?” He grumbled, relaxing his arms a little as Murphy slowly sat up, rubbing a hand over his eyes as he yawned.

“A mountain man was found in the woods. Lexa is holding a wamplei kom thauz kodon.” She rushed out, fixing her sheath to her back.

Bellamy was up before she could even finish her sentence.

Chapter Text

In an instant, Murphy was all alone. Octavia and Bellamy rushing out of the tent to join the mob. Murphy was left all alone and.. scared if he was being honest.

Looking around their empty, temporary home, Murphy tried to stop his hands from shaking as he debated whether he should follow after them or not. A part of him wanted to know who it was, who could possibly have survived the battle and managed their way out. Another part wanted to hide, run away and never stop. If one mountain man was found already, were there others? Who else survived? What evils still lurked in the forest he thought had been rid of? He thought he was safe. He thought the monsters were gone.

Murphy jumped as the horde outside screamed, quickly covering his ears to muffle the sound.

—

Bellamy couldn’t hold back the growl crawling up his throat as they tied the mountain man to a post, their leader’s body still propped up on the post next to him. He flared his nostrils as the familiar scent of rotting flesh assaulted his nose, a scent that had long been burned into the depths of his memory. It was an smell one didn’t forget.

The alpha circled the post as they tore the hood off his head, revealing the very man Bellamy hoped it was. The man he didn’t get the chance to kill. Emerson. The man that touched what wasn’t his, who tried to take what was not freely given.

Joining the commander at her side, Bellamy bared his teeth in a low snarl as the man looked around, the calm expression on his face faltering as he spotted his president’s corpse next to him. Emerson’s face paled as he met Bellamy’s gaze.

Taking a moment to let the crowd settle down, Lexa turned to the second of Tondc, tilting her head slightly as she noticed the anger rolling off of him in waves, his scent growing stronger, more acrid, billowing out of the alpha like smoke. His anger was different from the other’s, more intense.

“Bellamy.” Lexa called out, causing the tense alpha’s head to snap over to her. “You know this man too.” She observed, gesturing for him to come closer.

“I do.” The man grunted out, his scornful eyes never leaving the mountain man. Looking from Bellamy to the prisoner, Lexa breathed through her nose, recalling the man’s deception, his pride, the sins of his people he carried unapologetically. “He molested an oma, would have raped them too if he had the chance.. It was clear that it was not his first time.” Bellamy growled out, the fire of the torches reflecting off his eyes. Nodding her head, Lexa looked beyond his words, seeing his rage for what it was. This was not the resentment one reserved for a stranger, this anger.. it was personal. Lexa remembered Octavia’s mention of her brother recently taking a mate, an omega from Skaikru. It must have been his oma the mountain man touched. Another sin to add to the endless list. Lifting her chin, she stepped forward, holding her hand up to silence her people.

“The flame has given us our enemy.” The commander started when they had all fallen quiet to listen to her. “It has given us justice.. Today, this man will bear the sins of the mountain. Today he will pay the price for the lives he has taken from us. Today the pain he has inflicted will be returned to him.” Lexa called out, her eyes scanning over the crowd as they hollered in restless agreement.

—

When it seemed the screams would not cease anytime soon, only increasing in their intensity, Murphy managed to build up the strength to go out, his curiosity getting the best of him. Steeling himself, he exited the tent and crested the hill illuminated by torches, covered in its entirety by grounders, all trying to get closer, all trying to get their slice of justice.

Grounders stepped out of his way, bowing to the oma as they cleared a path for him. Murphy tensed as he walked through them, his hackles rising as rough, unknown hands touched him, offering him gentle words as he forced himself through the crowd, breaking through to the front. He knew what Death by a Thousand Cuts meant, he was taught what would happen, he thought he was prepared for it. He wasn’t.

Murphy smelled it before he saw anything, the eye-watering stench of rotting flesh, another one, scarily similar to that of fried meat, but he knew better. The first thing he saw was the wooden posts they had buried into the earth, the arms bound tightly to it. Even in the darkness, he could see the bruises forming, the rope burn caused from their struggle. Following the line down, Murphy felt sick as he saw the burnt skin creeping up the mountain man’s arms, blistered and blackened from fire, his severed hands laying unclaimed in the grass beneath him. Murphy felt all the blood drain from his face as he looked up, finding Bellamy standing in front of the man, his jaw clenched tightly as the mountain man garbled out a scream, his body weakly thrashing away from him.

Forcing his legs to take slow, cautious steps, Murphy’s stomach lurched as Bellamy’s eyes flicked over to him, the anger in them softening into a firm gaze, nodding his head before continuing, his knife finally cutting through the man’s flesh. The alpha raised his hand up, inspecting the clump of skin in his hands before tossing it aside, the crowd’s roar almost deafening as he plunged his knife into the man’s shoulder. Murphy flinched, his hands instinctively flying up to cover his ears, his body beginning to tremble in fear.

Murphy’s brow furrowed as he looked down at the discarded flesh, trying to discern what exactly it was, the dim light of the torches not helping, the shadows of everyone around them distorting his vision. Taking a hesitant step closer, the omega slapped his hand over mouth, barely choking down the bile rising in his throat as he realized it was a penis and testicles. His head snapped up to the poor soul, somehow still standing. Murphy felt his heart stop, his throat constricting as his eyes raked down Emerson’s body, his clothes a shredded mess around his ankles, drenched in blood. He couldn’t even look him in the eye because.. they weren’t there, having been gouged out.

Even as the man stood there, wheezing for each breath, blood spewing out of his mouth as he choked on it, his knees buckling underneath him, death only moments away.. All Murphy could feel was fear.

He flinched as a warm hand touched the side of his neck, a terrified whimper falling from his lips as he cowered away from it. “Murphy?” Bellamy said in a soft tone, his brow furrowing with concern. “Sofon, what’s wrong?” The alpha asked as he brushed his thumb across Murphy’s cheek, smearing it red with blood.

“Oma.” A girl maybe his age called out to him, another omega. Murphy was visibly shaking as she approached him, holding a long machete out to him. “The kill is yours.” She said, the green of her eyes a stark contrast to the coal painting her face. His eyes darted between the blade, back to Emerson, back to the blade, confusion clouding his mind. The final cut was the commander’s, why was she offering it to him? Why was she doing this to him? How could she possibly know who this man was to him?

“What in god’s name is happening here?” A woman’s voice called out, Murphy could barely hear it, couldn’t hear much more than his own heart pounding in his ears. Couldn’t focus on anything other than not puking. He couldn’t tear his eyes away from Emerson, shaking his head as he stumbled back, struggling to pull in air as his throat quickly started to close. “Murphy?” He heard Octavia’s voice beside him, her soft hand touching his arm. The omega recoiled from her touch, smacking Bellamy's hands away as the alpha stepped closer. Their worried voices surrounded him, overwhelming him from all angles. It was too much, it was too much.

“Hod emo klin.” The commander called out, her lip snarled as Abigail Griffin and her guards pushed their way through the crowd. Lexa’s warriors quickly encompassed them, shoving the guards back when they tried to step around them. “Belomi!” Lexa barked as Abby slipped through, rushing the commander, stealing the alpha’s attention away from his mate. Bellamy easily stopped the beta woman, holding her in place, his bloody hands staining her clothes. “Stay back.” He growled through his teeth.

“Get your hands off me. Commander Lexa, what the hell is the meaning of this?” Abby snapped, failing to shove the alpha away.

“This does not concern you, Abby of the sky people.” Lexa said in a steady voice, resheathing her blade before resting her hands on the hilt, as if the entire interaction bored her. “Doesn’t concern me? My people are terrified. Children are in hysterics because of what they’re hearing, what they’re seeing.” Abby yelled, pushing Bellamy out of the way so she could face the commander face to face. “This ends now.”

“This man is a Trigedakru prisoner, not yours. Do not assume you have a say in how he is punished.” Lexa spouted, eliciting a bitter laugh from the chancellor. “Punish? This is far past that-” “It is what he deserves.” Lexa cut her off. “What could someone possibly have down to deserve this?” Abby screamed, her arm flying to the side towards Emerson. “Besides the enslavement of my people? Torturing them? Murdering them? Tearing families apart for a hundred years? Raping our most sacred beings? Shall I go on?” Lexa hollered, the anger passed down through generations boiling over with each word. “Look—I am trying to understand that this is your way, but this has gone too far-” Abby went on.

Murphy balked as the two women continued yelling at each other, his head slowly turning to stare at Bellamy. Feeling his gaze, the man turned to his omega, reaching out to touch him, his hand smacked away before he could. “John?” His voice a mix of hurt and confusion. “You told them?” Murphy breathed out, completely dumbfounded. The omega felt his heart drop as he gauked at the alpha, suddenly not recognizing him. How could Bellamy do that to him?

Bellamy’s brow furrowed in confusion, he didn’t see what the problem was. It was the only way he could guarantee Emerson was punished correctly, the only way Murphy could be rightfully avenged. “John-” “Don’t fucking call me that!” Murphy snapped, shoving Bellamy away as he stepped closer, his voice silencing the leader’s fight. He tried not to think about the hurt expression clouding Bellamy’s eyes, he was hurt too, goddamnit. “You had no right—You had no fucking right to tell them!” The omega hissed through clenched teeth, his eyes stinging with humiliated tears.

This was the last thing Murphy wanted to be, the poor, weak, wounded omega that needed his alpha to save him. The one everyone looked at with pity in their eyes. Sure he wanted Emerson dead, but he didn’t want anyone to know. He didn’t want Emerson’s brutality branded on his face for everyone to see, for everyone to know. He might as well wear a fucking sign.

Backing away from Bellamy, Murphy flinched as he bumped into someone behind him, his arms flailing to brush them off. “Murphy-” “No!” He barked. “Don’t fucking touch me, Bellamy.” “He deserves this after what he did to you.” Bellamy retorted, moving to follow him, but was held back by Skaikru guards. “Get the hell off of me.” The alpha growled out, shoving the guard’s chest hard enough to knock him on his ass. An enraged snarl ripped from his throat as another guard yanked him back by his shoulder, Bellamy swiveled around to hit them, landing a punch to their jaw.

All hell broke loose after that, grounders stepping in to pull guards off of Bellamy, Skaikru guards joining in to aid their own. In the chaos of it all, Murphy slipped away, swiping the angry tears out of his eyes as he stumbled back to camp.

Murphy sobbed as he made his way through the dark, stumbling as he tripped over a rock. Unable to correct himself, Murphy fell to his knees, letting out a frustrated scream that had been slowly building up inside of him. He clawed at the earth as he tried to get his breathing under control, the more he tried, the harder his lungs fought to pull in air, the tighter his throat felt. He should have never gone to the hill. He should have stayed in the tent. He should have stayed right where he was and forced himself to sleep.

Digging the heel of his palms into his eye sockets, he tried to stop his pathetic tears from falling any longer, to stop the images of Emerson’s eyeless face staring back at him. Pressing his forehead into the cool, damp grass, Murphy’s mouth started to salivate as his stomach lurched. “No, no, no-” He cried, praying this nauseating feeling of embarrassment would just go away.

Unable to suppress it any longer, he finally let his body do what it had been trying to do all night and puked up the small amount of food Jackson forced him to eat this morning. Even after he had expelled the last of it, his stomach wouldn’t relent, forcing bile up his throat as he drooled into the grass, trying to catch his breath, trying to stop his abdomen from flexing.

Goosebumps rose all over his body as he felt hands touching all over him. “Get off me!” He screamed, thrashing around in the grass, kicking and swinging all around him. His eyes darted frantically in the darkness, searching for the other hands that touched him, but found none. Swiping his hands over his limbs, he tried to rid the hands of his ghosts from his skin. “Leave me alone.” He sobbed, scrambling to stand up when they wouldn’t stop. “Just leave me alone..” He whispered, bringing his hands up to protect his neck, his breaths too quick, too shallow to be enough.

Moving as fast as his bones would let him, Murphy hugged himself as he spit the remnants of vomit from his mouth, heading towards the gates of Camp Jaha, completely bypassing the grounder tents. He couldn’t go back there, couldn’t bear to see the pity in Octavia and Lincoln’s eyes, Bellamy having told them everything apparently. He couldn’t be around Bellamy right now, his frustration still too fresh, too much. He’d say something he would regret, he knew he would.

Sniffling the snot from his nose, Murphy kept his head down as he made his way through camp, heading for the infirmary. He could handle Jackson right now, he would let Murphy stay there tonight.

“Whoa, s’cuse me.” A familiar voice chuckled as he bumped into their shoulder. Intent on ignoring any and everyone, Murphy mumbled an apology and kept going, picking up his pace. “Wait, Murphy? Murphy!” The man’s voice called out, the boy could hear his footsteps following after him. He flinched hard as a hand slapped down onto his shoulder, his body withdrawing into itself as he backed away. “Whoa, sorry, I.. I forgot you don’t..” The man’s voice trailed off apologetically, clearing his throat as he forced his hands down to his sides. Keeping his head down, Murphy slowly raised his eyes up to the man that couldn’t fucking take a hint and leave him alone.

His mouth fell open as he looked up at the mountain man, surprised to see him here in Camp Jaha, surprised to see him alive, outside, surprised to see him not strung up like the rest of his people. “You might not remember me.. I was a security guard for Mt-” “Lee.” Murphy blurted out, his shock clear on his face.

“Yeah,” the man huffed out, a small smile pulling at his lips. The alpha’s eyes darted down his form, noticing his red-brimmed eyes, sensing his tense body language. “Are-.. Are you alright? Did something happen?” Lee asked, his head glancing towards the hill still littered with grounders. It was all anyone was talking about, the horrors they were all too scared to do anything about, the screams that seemed to carry on the wind.

“I’m fine.” Murphy muttered, picking his jaw off the ground as he remembered himself, rewrapping his arms around his middle. He looked down at the ground as a tense silence came over them, getting himself ready to turn around and continue his way to Jackson.

“Hey, you.. You look like you need a drink.” Lee said, in a lighter tone. Murphy scoffed, nodding his head at the comment. He needed a lot more than just one. “How bout it?” The man asked, the corner of his mouth lifting. Murphy’s brow furrowing as Lee slowly started heading towards the canteen area, a playful glint in his eyes that urged Murphy to follow him. “First rounds on me.”

Sparing the hill a glance, Murphy chewed his lip as he hesitantly nodded, following after the man. “All the rounds are on you.” He chided, falling instep with him.

After handing the canteen staff a small sack of what Murphy could only assume was whatever currency the Ark had come up with for earth, Lee slid the bottle of moonshine into his jacket, snagging two cups from the counter and tilted his head to the side, gesturing for the boy to follow him.

Finding a bench that was away from the last few Arkadian’s still lingering around, Lee plopped down with a sigh, placing the cups down on the bench between them before fishing out his bottle, pouring them each a hefty glass. “You must be thirsty tonight.” Murphy murmured, taking his cup as he sat down beside the alpha, raising it to his lips. His entire face scrunched as he choke down the burning liquid, a familiar warmth settling into his stomach.

“So.. how’ve you been?” Lee asked, staring down at the cup in his hands, breaking the silence they had fallen into. Murphy huffed, steeling himself before finishing off his glass, holding it out to Lee to refill. “Just peachy.” The omega said in a cynical voice.

Lee chuckled sadly as he poured the boy another glass, a smaller one this time. “Yeah.. I’m right there with ya.” He sighed out, topping his own glass off before sliding the bottle back into his jacket. “It.. doesn’t feel real.” Lee said softly, staring off at the quiet camp. “Being here..” He trailed off, his thumbs tracing over the rim of his glass. Murphy glanced at the alpha, Lee’s eyes fixed on something ahead of them.

“How are you.. here.” Murphy asked, in more ways than one. Why was he here in Camp Jaha? Why was he cured? Bellamy mentioned that Lee helped them escape the mountain, that he was against using outsider blood. So why did he accept the treatment?

Growing tense, Lee straightened his shoulders a little, his brow scrunching together as he thought about how to explain it all. “When.. Dr. Tsing began distributing the treatments, it was decided that the security detail would be the first to receive them.. It made sense.” Lee said, nodding his head as he set his glass down, nervously intertwining his fingers. “I uh.. I did my best to avoid it.. Hiding with Miller, getting him where he needed to be but.. I got caught eventually.” He said, his voice growing quieter with each word. “It would have been suspicious if I refused.. They would have figured out I was helping you guys and.. Miller said we couldn’t afford that.” Lee said solemnly, like that excuse was the only thing that kept his guilt from crushing him, from killing him. “I don’t-.. I don’t even know who’s blood courses through my veins.. Who’s life was stolen so I can be here.” Lee whispered, his voice choked with emotion. “I see it in their eyes.. The parents of the kids who died. I-..” Lee’s voice broke, cutting him off as he shook his head, his eyes filling with tears as the clear images of their resentment, their hatred burned him right to his core. “I don’t know.. how to atone for that.. I don't know what to do anymore.” He said with a sad huff, rubbing his hand down his face.

“Then what are you still doing here?” Murphy asked, if it was him, he would be long gone. Lee huffed as he shook his head, turning to the boy. “Where else could I go?” Murphy forced his eyes away from him, staring down at his cup. It was a stupid thing to ask, now that he thought about it for a second. Of course Lee thought about leaving, but where could a mountain man go? Into the unknown? Into the woods ruled by the very people who hated him most? Murphy now knew firsthand what they did to mountain men, what horrors awaited Lee if he were to step outside of the safety of Camp Jaha, outside of Lexa’s radius, where people didn’t know of the sacrifices he made to bring them freedom, peace, where all they saw were the sins of his people. How long could he have survived out there on his own? How long until he ran into the wrong grounder and got himself killed?

“I know I’m fortunate. I know it was.. a lot for Lexa to pardon me. For the sky people to pardon me, I know.” Lee said, his brow knitting together. “I just-..” He started, taking a deep breath to collect himself. “It’s more than I deserve.” Lee said, nodding his head, it was the only truth he believed in. “I should have died there—I was ready.. to die there.” He said plainly.

Murphy could see the guilt and shame weighing heavy on his shoulders. He could see the torment he put himself through, surviving when others hadn’t. The struggle to fix the wrongdoings of his predecessors. All of a sudden, Murphy’s problems didn’t seem so grand. At least here, he had his family, his people. At least he was welcomed back with open arms, from both sides of who he was, Skaikru and Trigedakru.

“Well,” Murphy started, feeling bad that Lee’s situation actually made him feel a lot better. “Bellamy told me what you did.. Said the war would have been lost without you so.. I’m happy you’re still here.” The omega said shyly. “And I’m sure if those parents knew what you did.. How many lives you saved.. They wouldn’t look at you the way they do now.” He ended with, sending the man a sympathetic smile.

Lee chuckled sadly as he shook his head, sitting up a little straighter. “Geez.. I was supposed to be the one to make you feel better.” Grinning, Murphy handed the man his cup, holding his out for a toast.

“To those.. who never made it out. May we meet again.” Murphy said, clinking their cups together. A small smile pulled at Lee’s mouth as he repeated the small prayer, taking a sip from his cup.

—

All Bellamy felt was rage as they made their way back to camp, the fight ending in only more turmoil, their alliance now hanging by a thread. The night ending with Emerson’s death, and the dreadful promise that the leaders would convene to reestablish the terms of their peace treaty.

Walking right up to their washbasin, Bellamy splashed the cold water over his face, cupping his hand to pour some over his heated nape, the water dripping off of him stained red with blood. He heaved out a heavy sigh as it cooled his burning temper, all he wanted to do was sleep, hold Murphy close and sleep, but even that probably wasn’t going to happen. He wanted to avenge his mate, give him the justice he never got. Bellamy had no intention of hurting him, had no idea Murphy would react like he did. Christ, this was the same person who killed three boys because they hurt him. Bellamy thought his mate would be happy to know Emerson died a slow and painful death.

You told them? Murphy’s voice kept replaying in his head, the look of betrayal in his eyes making Bellamy want to cry. Made him want to crawl into a hole and die. Made him want to get down on his hands and knees and beg for forgiveness, beg Murphy to never look at him like that again, that he’d do anything to make sure he’d never be on the receiving end of that glare again. Murphy had never looked at him like that before. It.. It stung. Never in his life had he ever been ashamed of who he was, who his people were. But just one look from the boy, that one despicable look was all it took for Bellamy to question himself. Question everything he had ever known, the people around him, the ways in which they lived their lives.

And he didn’t tell them. He didn’t say Murphy was assaulted by that man. All he did was say what Emerson was, who he was.

“Bell.” Octavia said, her voice nervous as she looked around their empty tent, pulling him out of his ragged mind. “Murphy’s not here.” She said, dropping the blanket she had pulled back, revealing their empty bed.

A strike of panic ran up his spine as he looked around, confirming her observation. “God damnit, Murphy.” He growled under his breath, storming out of the tent.

—

“You got him drunk?” Lee winced as the pretty omega doctor scolded him, forcing his eyes down to the ground as he readjusted Murphy’s slipping arm around his shoulders.

“Y-yeah. I-.. Yeah.” Lee stuttered out, feeling defeated by Jackson’s scornful eyes. “Don’t wanna see Bell.” Murphy grumbled, his head flopping down onto Lee’s shoulder, his nose wrinkling as he smelled the alpha’s odd scent. It wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t the best he had ever smelled. Bellamy was definitely the best smelling alpha around. That fucking prick.. “Fuckin’ Bellamy.” Murphy slurred.

“He’s been saying that for a while now.” Lee explained, squirming uncomfortably.

—

Bellamy was fuming as he made his way through camp. Pissed that Murphy had a habit of running off whenever shit bothered him, pissed at himself for making his omega feel this way, pissed at the sucker punch he got right at the end of the fight that left a perpetual ache in his jaw.

The first place that came to mind was the infirmary, it was the only other place in camp they had been to. Bellamy really hoped he was there. He was sick of today, just needing it to end already.

Looking towards the building, Bellamy froze in his tracks as he spotted Murphy, held against some.. guy. Letting his eyes drift downwards, Bellamy saw red as he saw his arm wrapped tightly around his omega’s waist, their bodies pressed together, Murphy’s head resting on his shoulder.

“What the hell is going on here?” Bellamy growled, forcing all of their heads to turn as he approached them. “Speak of the devil..” Murphy said under his breath, a yelp of surprise escaping his lips as Bellamy grabbed his elbow, yanking him out of the man’s, an alpha’s hold. Bellamy instantly recognized the alpha, it was Lee, the guard from the mountain. Who would have thought he would be a snake, just like the rest of his people. He should have known better, should have never trusted him.

“Fuck off, Bellamy!” Murphy yelled as he was smushed into Bellamy’s chest, futilely pushing at his chest as the alpha locked an arm around his back. “We’re going home.” Bellamy said in a tight-lipped tone, trying to reign in the rage he felt as he dragged Murphy away. “Let go of me!” Murphy shouted, digging his heels into the ground. “Hey!” Lee barked, reaching out to grab Bellamy. “He doesn’t want to see you, let him go.” Lee said in a stern voice, walking right up to the alpha to help the boy. Bellamy grabbed hold of Lee’s wrist before he could touch his omega, twisting it away. “Ow, fuck!”

“Get your fucking hands away from my mate.” Bellamy growled through his teeth, his pheromones pouring out of him uncontrollably as he pushed the alpha back, away from his omega. “I was helping him out! It wasn’t like that!” Lee yelled, his nose wrinkling as the air grew heavy with Bellamy’s overpowering scent, grabbing his wrist to keep it from breaking. “Knock it off, Bellamy!” Murphy snapped, pounding his fists against the grounder’s chest enough to distract him from Lee, releasing his wrist. “He didn’t do anything!” The boy shouted, shoving his chest. Bellamy’s head snapped down to Murphy, his face clouded with rage as he took in Murphy’s appearance, dripping with Lee’s scent, his face flushed, an odd odor coming from his mouth.

“Then what were you doing?” Bellamy pressed, grabbing his shoulders. “Didn’t do anything? Is that why you’re covered in his scent? What did you do then? Huh?” Bellamy barked as Murphy’s eyes grew glassy with tears. “You’re mad at me so you thought you could just go and find yourself a new alpha? Is that it-” Bellamy’s head snapped to the side from the force of Murphy’s slap, the crack of it echoing off the metal building they stood under, silencing all of them.

As badly as his cheek stung, it was nothing compared to the hurt in Murphy’s eyes, brimmed with tears. The burning shame he felt as he realized what he just said. He felt his face pale as he shook his head, stepping closer, but froze as the omega’s expression hardened, the pain in his eyes turning to resentment. “I didn’t—I didn’t mean tha-” “I am mad at you.“ Murphy cut him off, an angry tear slipping down his cheek. “And rather than leaving me alone like I fucking asked, rather that apologizing, you go and pick a fight with whoever breaths in your direction? Tell me to stay away from the first person I’ve confided in since getting out? The first person to make all this shit seem a little less daunting? You tell them to stay away from me because,” Murphy huffed out a bitter laugh. “What? Your alpha pride was hurt? Well, my pride was hurt too.” Murphy yelled, bringing his hands up to his chest. “You hurt me tonight, Bellamy.” The alpha flinched, the boy’s words stinging more than any slap, any hit. “You told them something I didn’t want anyone to know about, something I wasn’t ready to talk about—And don’t you dare say you did that for me, because it wasn’t. That was for you.. You took that from me.” Murphy spat, taking a shaky breath to collect himself. “And the last time I checked, you’re not my fucking mate. So don’t you dare act like you own me. Like you have any right to tell me what to do or who to hang out with.” Murphy hissed, his voice wavering with emotion.

The omega felt it, the moment those words left his lips, a feeling in his chest, like a crack crawling its way through glass. His eyes fell down to the ground, away from Bellamy’s pain filled eyes. He didn’t mean that last part, he went too far like he always does. Regretted it the moment he opened his mouth, but words didn’t work that way. He already said it, the damage already done.

Bellamy felt like all the air had been sucked out of him, like his heart was ripped from his chest, leaving a hollow feeling inside him.

Shaking his head, Bellamy stepped closer. He didn’t want to believe what Murphy was saying, this couldn’t be the end. They weren’t supposed to end like this. They weren’t supposed to end. “John, don’t say that, ple-” “I think you’ve said enough.” Jackson said softly, cutting the alpha off, stepping in between them before placing a protective arm around Murphy’s shoulders. “Go home.” The older omega whispered, a firm expression on his face that gave no indicators of emotion.

Bellamy’s vision blurred as he stared at his-.. At Murphy. He felt like the scum of the earth when the boy wouldn’t even look at him. He wasn’t even worthy of that much. He wanted the earth to swallow him whole. Bellamy thought Murphy’s angry glare was the worst thing to see, but this was worse, this was so much worse.

“Murphy, let’s go.” Jackson whispered to him, turning them around to slowly walk into the infirmary, leaving Bellamy standing there in the dirt, his world crumbling down around him.

Letting out the breath he was holding, Lee grabbed the bottle of moonshine from his jacket and slowly approached the outsider he thought he was on better terms with. “He didn’t mean that.. He’s just drunk and upset.” He offered the man, having spent the last hour listening to Murphy blabbered on about the alpha. Murphy was mad, sure, but from what Lee could tell, he had no intention of leaving Bellamy, just needed someone to vent to.

Bellamy didn’t so much as flinch as Lee took his hand, wrapping his fingers around the bottle’s neck before turning and heading home, leaving him all alone.

Bellamy was all alone.

—

“You can stay here as long as you need to.” Jackson said in a gentle voice, pulling the blanket up over Murphy’s shoulders as he tucked himself into the hospital cot, sniffling his nose as he wiped the mist from his eyes.

“I didn’t-” Murphy started, his mouth curling down to keep his lip from trembling. “I didn’t mean to say that.. I was just..” The boy trailed off, Jackson suddenly remembered just how young he really was.

“I know, Murphy.” Jackson cooed, sitting down on the chair beside him, his hand coming up to brush the boy’s hair out of his face. “H-he’s gonna hate me now.. He’ll never forgive me—you can’t just say that to someone and expect them to forgive you.. H-he— Bellamy is my mate, my true mate, I-I know he is, I-..” Murphy said, his voice growing higher, more strained as a dull ache grew in his throat. “Why did I say that?”

Jackson frowned as his own eyes started to sting with tears, shaking his head as Murphy frantically stuttered out all his fears. “Murphy, he doesn’t hate you, okay? I see it in his eyes, in the way he touches you, in the way he speaks to you.” Jackson said, wiping a tear that rolled across the boy’s cheek. Well, maybe not tonight, but they both said shit they probably shouldn’t have, they both did things they were now regretting. “Look, today’s been hard, for both of you.” He said, nodding his head. “How about we get some sleep and.. you can tell him how you really feel in the morning?” The doctor offered, giving the boy a small smile as he sniffed the snot from his nose.

“I don’t.. think I can sleep right now.” Murphy whispered, his eyes bubbling with tears. “No?” Jackson asked, pursing his lips as Murphy shook his head, a small hiccup making his shoulders jump. “Do you want to be alone?” Another hesitant little shake. “Do you.. wanna talk about what happened?” The older omega asked, tucking a strand of the boy’s hair behind his ear.

Murphy’s lip began to quiver, his tears spilling over as he slowly nodded his head. Jackson gave him a sad smile, “we can do that,” he whispered, nodding his head.

Jackson watched as the boy nervously pulled at a thread hanging off the blanket, his swollen eyes fixed on it. “Can you.. lay with me?” Murphy asked in a voice so small, Jackson felt his heart ache with sadness. Standing up, Jackson toed off his shoes, shrugging off his jacket before lifting up the thin hospital blanket, letting Murphy scoot over before crawling in next to him.

Jackson let out a slow breath as they laid next to each other, taking hold of Murphy’s nervous hand. Flipping over Murphy’s hand, he traced along the lines of his palm, giving the boy time to settle, to find his words. When it became clear Murphy wouldn’t start the conversation, Jackson hummed quietly, setting his hand back down. “You two seemed okay this morning. What happened?” He asked, waiting patiently as Murphy rubbed a hand over his eyes, taking a deep breath. “Does it have anything to do with the mountain man they found?”

Turning onto his back, Murphy let out a shaky breath as he stared up at the ceiling, nodding his head. “Yeah,” he whispered, chewing on his bottom lip.

“You said Bellamy.. told them something. Something you didn’t want them to know.” Jackson stated, sensing he was going to need to prompt this conversation to get anything out of Murphy.

The boy nodded, his brow furrowing, “yeah the.. man they found, he, uh..” Murphy scoffed as he shook his head. “I don’t even know where to start.”

“Just take your time.” Jackson said softly, he had all the time in the world for Murphy. This was the first time the boy was finally opening up about what happened to him, Jackson would make the time to listen, to help in any way he could.

“He—I-..” Murphy cleared his throat, pursing his lips as he tried to figure out what to say. “I.. went into heat, when I got to Mt Weather.. They thought I was a grounder, so they sent me to the harvest chamber, that’s where I found Bellamy.” He said, forcing his eyes to stay on the ceiling, he’d need to in order to get this out, to not break down. “The man they found, Emerson.. Him and another alpha.. they-..” Murphy’s throat cramped with emotion, cutting him off.

Jackson frowned as he watched the boy’s eyes fill with tears again. He knew what was coming. Knew all too well what Murphy was failing to say, what every omega feared, what every omega lived their entire lives protecting themselves from.

“They.. tried to rape me.” Murphy forced out, hiccuping as he swallowed down the sob that tried to escape.

“Murphy..” Jackson said softly, the boy shook his head before Jackson could say anything more. “Bellamy, uh.. He told the grounders what Emerson did. So he could be ‘punished properly.’” Murphy said numbly, throwing up weak air quotes.

All Jackson could do was shake his head, a quiet anger rearing up inside him. “He had no right to tell them that.” He muttered, biting his tongue to contain the words he really wanted to say, but Murphy didn’t need to hear that, not now. “That’s what I said!” The boy shouted, turning his head towards the doctor. “He didn’t even.. I wasn’t ready to talk about that.. with anyone. But he forced it out of me.” Murphy spat, crossing his arms over his chest. “All so he could cut his dick off..” He grumbled under his breath.

“Wait—what?” Jackson blinked as he looked at the boy. “It’s what they do to rapists, I guess..” Murphy murmured, glaring off into the room. “The death by a thousand cuts was already brutal. I would have been happy with that, he didn’t need to go airing out my dirty laundry.”

Jackson gawked at the boy, at how unphased he was by this Emerson’s death, at how easily he spoke of things that would traumatize even the strongest of people. Whether it showed just how strong Murphy was, or how traumatized he was, Jackson couldn’t tell.

Picking his jaw up off the floor, Jackson took a second to bring himself back to the present, back to the matter at hand: getting Murphy better. “Tried.. You said tried.” Jackson said, testing how open Murphy was to discussing his time in the mountain.

“Yeah,” He breathed out, turning onto his side to face the other omega. “Dr. Tsing stopped them before they could go any farther than.. you know, just.. touching me.” Murphy mumbled, growing visibly uncomfortable at the mere mention of the woman, at the memory of that day.

“Dr. Tsing.. who was that?” Jackson asked.

Jackson listened to the boy speak for hours, his heart cracking a little bit more with every word Murphy spoke. It was the most Murphy had said in months. He spoke about them being locked up together, Dr. Tsing’s experiments, the pregnancy, his miscarriage, Murphy’s apparent infertility.

Being an omega himself, Jackson had always been against the strengthening of their suppressants, knew that it wasn’t right, wasn’t fair. Thought it was snuffing out a major part of who they are, what it meant to be human. The plan was to decrease alphas and omegas desire to mate, letting the betas do the majority of procreation, leading them into an all beta population within a few generations. Ultimately eradicating alphas and omegas from the Ark. It was eugenics, plain and simple.

Jackson knew no good could come from it, the science that only came with time, simply not being there at the time. But he had no idea the damage they ended up inflicting, none of them did. Did they sterilize an entire generation? Could the damage be undone? Or would their children forever bear the scar of their desperate attempt at holding on?

Jackson somehow kept it together, at least long enough for Murphy to finally fall asleep, sometime around dawn.

Stepping outside of the infirmary, Jackson took slow, shaky breaths as he stared out across the horizon, his vision blurring the pink and purple sky. How someone could do that to a person, how Dr. Tsing could force that onto a teenager, a child. Murphy was just a child. They all were. How they could condemn their children to this fate, dropping them onto a radioactive planet, not knowing the horrors that awaited them. How could they have done that.

Closing his eyes, Jackson shook his head, wiping the moisture from his face before taking a deep breath and headed towards the front gates. It was almost time for the recovery groups to head out for the day, begin making their daily trips to and from Mt Weather to gather supplies.

As much as Murphy told him, it was clear there was a lot he still kept hidden inside him. He noticed the way the boy would grow quiet the more specific his question got about Dr. Tsing’s experiments, mostly when it came to Bellamy, the things he said not making sense, not adding up, the way he’d stop himself before he could say too much, the way he would frantically correct himself.

“Sinclair,” the doctor called out, making his way over to the beta as he directed his workers around. “Morning doc, what can I do for you?” Sinclair said, his eyes scanning over his employees. “Do you know what’s been recovered from the medical ward in Mt Weather?” Jackson asked.

The man hummed as he shrugged his shoulders, “just basic medical supplies, all the higher tech equipment will stay there until we figure out what to do with it. The council is still deciding whether to keep it there permanently or just for the winter, until we can build a more stable hospital here at camp.” Jackson nodded, finding it hard to make eye contact with the man. It’s not like he was breaking the law or planning anything bad.

“So, things like medical records, laboratory records.. They’re all still there?” He tried to say as nonchalantly as he could. “Yeah,” Sinclair replied, his eyebrow raising a bit at the doctor’s unusual behavior. “Figured they wouldn’t be of much use to us.”

Jackson’s head piqued up at that. “You’re heading out to Mt Weather soon, right?” He asked. “Yes, sir.” Jackson nodded, looking around the camp as it slowly came to life. “I’d like to tag along today. I wanna take a look around the medical wing.”

Sinclair had a small, curious smile on his face, but nodded his head anyways, he had no reason to deny the doctor. “Sure, we leave in twenty minutes. You’re probably gonna want a day pack.. Meet us here then.”

Jackson nodded, a hopeful smile on his face. “Thanks, I’ll be back in just a minute.” He said, running off towards his room.

“Hey! Dr. Jackson.” The omega slowed to stop as the alpha from last night, Lee, jogged over to him. “Hey, I’m.. I’m sorry about last night. I thought it would help Murphy out.. He just looked like he needed someone to talk to-” Jackson scoffed, rolling his eyes before continuing his way home. “Yeah, someone to talk to. Not someone to teach him how to drown his sorrows in liquor.” He snapped, memories of the boy’s mother coming to his mind. An alcohol addiction was the last thing Murphy needed.

“I know.” Lee said, touching his arm to stop him. “I’m sorry, I.. went about it the wrong way.. I shouldn’t have done that.” He said earnestly, his eyes falling to the ground in shame.

Jackson sighed as he took in the alpha’s sincere apology, genuinely seeming like he felt bad. More than just getting Murphy drunk, but also making the whole situation worse for the boy.

“You were a Mt Weather guard, right?” He asked, crossing his arms over his chest. Lee’s brow furrowed in confusion, his feet shuffling anxiously as he looked into the pretty omega’s eyes. “Y-.. Yeah.” He said, not really understanding where that came from. “So you know your way around, right?”

Lee nodded his head, “yes, sir,” he muttered, feeling a little relieved as a coy smile creeped its way onto the omega’s face.

“Good. Then I know how you’re gonna make it up to me. You’re coming with me today.”

Chapter Text

Murphy inhaled sharply as he woke up, it was dark in the room, but still, he could tell it was him and Bellamy’s room, back home in Tondc. He sighed as he relaxed into the bed, the soft furs surrounding him, keeping him toasty. Murphy mewled sleepily as a warm hand rubbed up his side, wrapping around his waist from behind.

He was close to falling back asleep when he remembered that.. he fell asleep in Camp Jaha. Tondc was gone. The house was gone. His brow furrowed in confusion as the hand kept roaming his body, it’s soft touch turning rougher, the texture of its skin turning cold and scratchy, like sandpaper.

“Bellamy?” He called out, looking over his shoulder. A startled cry fell from his lips as the hand shoved his face into the bed, preventing him from seeing who was behind him. Panic set in as a plethora of hands groped at his skin, pinning his wrists and ankles down. “Get off me! Let me go!” Murphy screamed, fighting as hard as he could to free himself from his phantom’s restraints.

The boy felt his throat tightening as his breaths grew rapid, struggling to pull in air with his face smothered into the pillows as he pulled his wrists free, swinging his fists behind him to hit his attacker. “Get off me!” He yelled, the person above him turning him over, pinning his arms above his head.

Murphy’s eyes went wide as he saw Bellamy above him, his eyes gouged out. Murphy flinched as Bellamy coughed out blood, the hot liquid spraying down onto his face.

Murphy gasped as he shot up, finding himself back in the infirmary. His panicked eyes darted across the room as he tried to steady his ragged breaths, finding himself alone. It was.. It was just a dream.

Wiping a hand down his face, Murphy stared down at his palm when it came back wet with sweat and tears. Letting out an exasperated sigh, Murphy squirmed in the bed, struggling to untangle himself from the scratchy hospital blanket that had wrapped itself around his limbs throughout the night. Finally freeing himself from its constraints, he angrily tossed it towards the end of the cot, burying his head in his hands as he took a couple deep breaths, slowing his racing heart.

Looking around, he spotted a slip of paper sitting on the bedside table and picked it up.

Gone for the day, will be back before sunset, stay as long as you need. We don’t have any painkillers for the hangover you’ll surely have, so make sure to drink some water.
-Jackson

Murphy rolled his eyes as he crumpled the piece of paper into a ball, tossing it towards the trash can, missing it completely.

As he stood up, he spotted his boots on the floor beside him and grabbed them, walking over to the chair that had his jacket draped over the back of it. Plopping down with a grumble, Murphy pulled his boots on, swallowing down the nauseous feeling creeping up his throat as he bent over.

Murphy sat back in the chair as he finished lacing up his shoes, letting out a sigh as he looked around the empty hospital room. What the fuck was he supposed to do now?

—

“We don’t know what’s wrong with him. He hasn’t said a word to us.” Lincoln said as he held the tent flaps open for the healer, following in after him.

Nyko kept a calm expression on his face as he made his way over to where Bellamy was laying down, Octavia laying beside him, petting his hair back. Her eyes shot up as she spotted their healer, quickly standing up to greet him. “Something’s wrong with him.” She spouted out frantically, stepping out of Nyko’s way as he kneeled down beside Bellamy. Lincoln rubbed his hands down her arms as she chewed on her nail nervously, directing her away to give the beta some space.

“Bellamy?” Nyko said, resting his hand on the alpha’s shoulder. He exhaled when the man made no attempt to answer him, he was awake, his eyes were open, but they were distant, staring off into nothing. “He’s been like this all night. He won’t tell us anything.” Octavia said. Nyko nodded as he looked the alpha over, his nose wrinkling at the stale smell of vomit on him, the little splatters of it on his shirt, his skin paler than normal.

“Since you came back from the Thauz Kodon?” Nyko asked, looking around the space, finding a nearly empty bottle of what he assumed was water. Octavia nodded, “yeah—no,” she shook her head, correcting herself. Nyko’s head flinched back as he sniffed the bottle, the liquid inside burning his nostrils. “Murphy wasn’t here after the fight, so Bellamy went out looking for him. He was like this when he came back a few hours later. He was.. stumbling, falling over, he could barely walk. Nearly collapsed the tent.” Octavia said worriedly.

Nyko scrunched his nose as he set the bottle back down, turning his head up to the pair. “Where’s Murphy? Does he know what happened?” The beta asked, feeling Bellamy’s forehead for a temperature.

Octavia turned a nervous look to her mate, urging him to say it. Lincoln pursed his lips as he turned back to Nyko. “Murphy didn’t come home last night.” He announced, anxiously shuffling his feet. “What?” Nyko balked, his thick brow furrowing. “Where is he? Where’d he go?” Lincoln shrugged as he shook his head. “We tried looking for him around the tent city but.. no one’s seen him.”

“They were fighting.. Murphy was upset about the Thauz Kodon and ran off.” Octavia added. Nyko exhaled an upset sigh, patting Bellamy’s shoulder. “We should find him, see what he knows-” “No.” Bellamy croaked, drawing all of their eyes down to him. “He doesn’t want to see us. He-” Bellamy stopped himself, forcing himself to sit up. “He doesn’t want to see me.” He corrected himself, clumsily standing up. “Whoa!” Nyko said as he caught the man from falling back over. “Just lay down, you’re in no state to be walking arou-” “I’m fine.” Bellamy snapped, pushing Nyko away.

“Bellamy!” Octavia scolded him, causing the alpha’s eyes to drop down to the ground. “I just.. I wanna go wash up. I’ll be fine.” He mumbled under his breath, clearing his throat before carefully stepping over to the table to grab a bag, rifling through their stuff to find a bar of soap and a clean set of clothes. Bellamy felt his skin crawl, he could feel their eyes on him as he got his things together, no one saying a single word as he headed for the opening.

“What is this stuff?” Nyko asked before he could make his exit, holding the bottle of clear liquid up. Sparing the healer a glance, Bellamy weakly shook his head. “Just toss it.” He murmured, walking out of the tent, heading towards the river.

Bellamy shielded his eyes as he stumbled over the uneven ground, his head was killing him. He didn’t know why he drank that awful fire water, it only hurting him more with each sip he took. He didn’t know why he kept drinking it even after it burned the insides of his body like poison. He just didn’t know, maybe he needed the pain. Needed to feel something other than the constant pang of guilt in his chest, the sorrow that made his entire body feel numb.

Bellamy quickly learned.. he didn’t like the way it made him feel. He thought choking it down was the hardest part, but throwing it up was somehow worse, burning his throat raw. It left him disoriented, no balance, no awareness of his surroundings, the entire world spinning even when he stood completely still. It was similar to how he felt after being drugged in the mountain. He felt vulnerable, knew if he was attacked right now, he’d have no chance of winning and he hated that feeling. It put him even more on edge than he already was.

Bellamy knew it was stupid to go out into the woods alone in his current state, but he honestly couldn’t care less. He just needed to get out of there, away from their prying eyes, away from them talking about him like he wasn’t right there. It pissed him off.

Fortunately, the Skaikru camp wasn’t far from the nearest river bank, so it didn’t take him long to get there. Longer than it normally would, if he hadn’t poisoned himself with that fire water, if he didn’t need to stop every few steps to stop himself from throwing up, but still making it there in no time.

Dropping his pack onto the ground and himself onto a moss covered boulder, Bellamy buried his head in his hands, massaging his thumbs into his temples. God, he was winded. He felt like shit. It was almost enough to distract him from the unrelenting stream of thoughts running through his head, the memory of Murphy’s eyes, filled with hurt, filled with tears that he caused. It was almost enough to make him forget, almost.

He kept his eyes closed as he took a steadying breath, working up the energy to wash the sickness from his body. Shedding his clothes, Bellamy walked to the edge of the riverbank, hissing at the feeling of the frigid water. He had to amp himself up as he squatted down, cupping the water in his hand to splash over his face first, then down his arms, over his shoulders. Taking the bar of soap, he numbly worked the suds over his skin.

Bellamy paused as he caught his reflection in the water, the face staring back at him.. he didn’t recognize them. It was him, his eyes, his nose, his chin, but he didn’t look the same. Bellamy recalled how his parents looked after their death, it was them.. but it didn’t look like them, not really. That’s what this man staring back at him looked like. His brow furrowed as he felt over his cheeks, his sunken eyes. There was a bitterness in the man’s eyes, a simmering anger that wouldn’t fizzle out. Is this what Murphy saw that made him unbearable to look at? He could understand why Murphy didn’t want him anymore, he guessed. Maybe Murphy didn’t sign up for this. Maybe it was too much, maybe he was too much.

Bellamy knew he wasn’t the same person he was when he entered the Mountain, he wasn’t the strong alpha he thought he was, he wasn’t the man he thought he was. He couldn’t protect Murphy from the torment of the mountain men. He couldn’t even protect the omega from himself. But Murphy wasn’t the same either. He just thought..

Bellamy forced his eyes away from the water, feeling them sting with tears.

He thought Murphy and him could be different together, he thought they could survive this.

—

“Alright people, let’s get to work!” Sinclair called out jovially, a bright smile on his face while his workers all groaned, their short break after hiking ten miles coming to an end.

Jackson sighed as he recapped his water bottle, sliding it back into his pack. “If you just wanted to explore the medical ward, why do you need me?” Lee asked as he brushed the dirt off his rear, unconsciously offering his hands out for the omega. “I’m sure anyone here could have helped you get there.” Jackson couldn’t help but smile as he took the alpha’s hands, letting the man pull him up. “What I’m looking for-” Jackson paused as he found himself face to face with Lee, his scent stronger from their hike out. He smelled.. nice. Really nice. The doctor stepped back, fiddling with the straps of his backpack as he went on. “I’m sure it’s a little more hidden. I need an inside man to show me where to go.” He said, hiding a small blush on his face, causing the alpha to raise an eyebrow.

Jackson cleared his throat as he brushed off the alpha’s chivalrous gesture, remembering what he was here to do. “Murphy told me about.. Dr. Tsing’s experiments. I’d like you to take me to her office, study, lab, whatever.” He said, nodding his head.

Lee’s eyes nervously fell to the ground, a subtle shame crossing his features. “Murphy told you?” He asked. Jackson could sense the anxiety coming off him, the regret of what he did to survive.

“He did.” Jackson said softly, craning his neck down so he could look Lee in the eyes. “He also told me what you did for him.. Not just during the battle, but before too.” Jackson smiled as the alpha hesitantly looked at him, his eyes filled with guilt. “You were kind to him when he needed it most.. Lee, I’m not here to judge you, or get you in any trouble, I just.. need to find some missing pieces to a puzzle.” He said, giving the man an easy smile.

Lee chewed on the inside of his lip before slowly nodding his head. “Okay.” He whispered, turning to lead them towards the entrance.

They didn’t say much as Lee guided them into the depths of Mt Weather. Jackson chuckled as he watched Lee grab for the badge on his chest that wasn’t there, his brow furrowing as his brain short-circuited. The alpha shook his head as he breathed out a laugh. “Force of habit.” He muttered, hesitantly reaching for the door handle, and found that it was unlocked.

“The techs were able to unlock all the doors a few days ago—Thank you.” Jackson said, creeping past Lee as he held the door open for him. The doctor let out a heavy sigh as he looked around the room, his eyes darting around, taking mental notes of all the equipment that could come in handy. “This was her private work space. Dr. Tsing was our chief of medicine so.. she got the best office. It’s right in the center of it all, through there is the laboratory, down the hall is the.. harvest chamber.” Lee said, getting quieter with each word.

Jackson nodded as he walked over to her desk, covered neatly with folders, each one labeled clearly, methodically. “Thanks,” The omega murmured as he picked up the folder at the top of the stack, labeled ‘UCB rough draft,’ opening it to the first page. “Umbilical cord blood?” Jackson said out loud, more to himself, his face scrunching in bewilderment. He’d heard of such studies being done in the past, but what was she thinking? “Hey Lee?” He called out, looking up, “everything on the Arkers, is it all here?”

Lee slowly nodded his head. “I think so, there might be some in her private quarters but I doubt it. She liked to keep her work here.” Jackson huffed. “Didn’t like to bring her work home, I see?” He teased, his eyes skimming over the page. He watched Lee tilt his head back and forth, like he was close, but that wasn’t the real reason. “It was.. safer here.. Less prying eyes.” Lee said grimly, picking through one of the boxes near the computer.

Jackson didn’t like that answer, it begged the question, what horrors did a monster have to hide from other monsters? What atrocities did this Dr. Tsing feel the need to keep secret? Even from her own people.

Taking it as a warning for what was to be uncovered, Jackson steeled himself as he went back to reading, tossing the first aside before reaching for the next, thankfully all neatly in order. He had to give the woman that at least, she was orderly.

Lee made himself busy by bringing the doctor anything he asked for, gathering up Dr. Tsing’s notebooks, breaking into her filing cabinets to find even more. After surrounding Jackson in a wall of paper, he left the man to it, it was all he could do really. Jackson had not said a single word since he started reading, a constant pinched expression marring his features the more he read.

Plopping himself back down near the computer, Lee moved the mouse and was genuinely surprised when the screen turned on, the familiar blue of the Mt Weather login screen popping up. Pursing his lips, he looked back down at the box on the floor, filled with CD cases, each labeled ‘UCB Day 1, Day 2, Day 3,’ and so forth. He never did know the extent of Dr. Tsing’s experiment. She didn’t feel the need to explain and it wasn’t his place to ask. Lee was a security guard, and a grunt one at that. He was there to follow orders, not ask questions. He could kind of piece it together, from what he saw the days he was stationed to work with her, but he still had no clue what she was doing, what the end goal was.

Picking one at random, Lee tossed ‘UCB Day 7’ onto the tabletop before scooting closer to the computer, typing in the security team login. Hitting ‘enter,’ Lee huffed out a laugh when he was brought to their homepage, amazed that after everything, it still worked. Opening up the CD case, he pushed it into the computer and waited for the application to automatically open up. At least that’s how it worked in the past, he really only used the computer systems for training and timekeeping, things like that. Lee could hear the computer fan whirring, a little pop up in the corner indicating that the DVD player was loading.

Just as he hovered the mouse over the pop up, reading ‘27%,’ his head snapped back over his shoulder as he heard a muffled sob. Having to peer around the towers of files, Lee spotted Jackson, his hand firmly covering his mouth as he silently cried to himself. Lee was on his feet in an instant, quickly walking over to kneel in front of the omega.

“Jackson?” He said, turning the chair so they could face each other. The omega shook his head as the notebook slipped from his fingers, both of his hands coming up to shield his ruddy face. Lee’s mouth gaped open and close like a fish, he didn’t know what to say. He couldn’t say that it was okay, because it wasn’t. None of it was. He couldn’t say that it was over, because it would never be, the repercussions of what Dr. Tsing did would last a lifetime, it was something that would always stick to them.

“I.. I know.” He finally decided on, resting his hands on the omega’s knees. “I know.” He whispered as Jackson threw his arms around his neck, letting out a series of wet sobs into his shoulder.

“How could sh—How could she do that to someone?” Jackson sobbed out, his hands fisting the back of Lee’s shirt. “I don’t know.” Lee murmured, running his hands up and down the man’s back.

He didn’t move until the omega started to pull away, wiping the tears from his eyes as he sniffled the snot from his nose. “She-” Jackson hiccuped, his eyes fixed on the notebook. “The way she talks about them.. Like they’re lab rats.. Like they’re nothing.” Jackson whispered, dumbfounded by her lack of morals, her lack of.. empathy.

Lee felt a deep seeded shame settle into his chest. He knew all too well how Dr. Tsing treated them, how she spoke about them. Like they weren’t humans, just.. variables in her unending research. And he just.. let her. He stood by and let her do it. Helped her too. That was a guilt he would carry for the rest of his life, a weight on his shoulders he could never put down. A sin he could never atone for.

Murphy’s voice caused both of them to jump, their eyes snapping over in the direction it came from. It was coming from the computer.

Lee took a step back as they both stood, making their way closer to the screen. The alpha felt sick as he watched the grainy video footage of Bellamy and Murphy, both strapped down to medical examination chairs. “Is she.. studding him?” Jackson breathed out in absolute horror, his eyes bouncing between Bellamy’s shattered face, Murphy’s desperate pleading that quickly morphed into rage.

“Im sorry… I’m so sorry.” Bellamy’s broken voice sobbed out.

Jackson covered his mouth as Bellamy wailed. Lee surged forward to stop the video when Murphy’s legs were placed in the stirrups, Dr. Tsing freezing in place just before she could start the insemination process. He quickly ejected the CD as Jackson fell into the chair behind him, the grounder’s anguished face burned into the depths of his mind. He felt shell shocked as Lee removed the CD from the computer, staring down at it in his shaking hands.

Jackson flinched as he heard Lee snap the CD in pieces, tossing the broken shards onto the ground like it sickened him just to touch, like it would infect him.

Suddenly.. the Death by a Thousand Cuts didn’t seem all that bad. Suddenly Bellamy’s hair-trigger temper and resentment didn’t seem so surprising. If this was just one of the crimes that were punished. Just one of the days they had to endure under Dr. Tsing’s torture. He didn’t even want to know what the other tapes held, the thought of watching another second making him sick.

But Jackson found the missing piece to his puzzle, Murphy’s hesitation to answer his questions making sense now.

‘She forced you two to have sex?’ He remembered asking the boy last night.

‘Well she tried, she-’ Jackson remembered as Murphy cut himself off, looking away from him. ‘Yeah,’ he corrected himself. ‘That’s how she got me pregnant.’

He recalled the way Murphy scrambled to defend the alpha, realizing how bad that sounded. ‘He didn’t hurt me though, he didn’t force me into anything.. I wanted to help him through his rut.. Bellamy never hurt me.’ Murphy stressed.

Murphy told Jackson that she induced a rut in Bellamy after his heat ended, that her goal was to get him pregnant, but that was all Murphy knew about the experiment, all he told Jackson. Murphy didn’t say anything about Bellamy’s molestation, about the artificial insemination. He wasn’t trying to hide what had happened to him, he was trying to protect Bellamy. Even though he was angry, even though he resented the man for what he said, Murphy wanted to protect him from the very thing Bellamy did to him, confessing what wasn’t his to say.

Perhaps Murphy was right about one thing, Bellamy didn’t do what he did for Murphy, but for himself. Desperately grasping for any sense of control, for any ounce of justice for what was done to him too, not just the boy.

Although what Bellamy did was inexcusable, he realized he judged the man too harshly. He forgot that Bellamy was just as traumatized as Murphy, that what they experienced, they experienced together, in more ways than one. Their traumas just.. presented themselves differently.

“Should we.. We should destroy the rest.” Lee said in a firm voice, pulling Jackson from his solemn thoughts.

“No I-.. I want to leave.” Jackson whispered, pressing his hand into his stomach to push down the nausea creeping up his throat. He shouldn’t have come here today. What was he supposed to tell Murphy? How could he look the boy in the eye and tell him he saw it all? The worst moments of his short life, the days he never wanted to come to light. Should he tell him? Should he just lie and pretend like he never saw the videos? Like he never knew what Dr. Tsing intended to do with him? With their unborn child? God, he felt disgusting. He didn’t even ask Murphy, or Bellamy for that matter.

“I want to leave.” Jackson reiterated, standing up and walking right out of the room, Lee quickly grabbing their packs before trailing behind him.

—

The hike back to Camp Jaha was quiet. Jackson couldn’t even speak with the painful knot in his throat, could barely see the trail from the tears in his eyes, needing Lee’s steadying hand every once in a while when he tripped over a root or uneven ground.

“Let me know if you need anything.” Lee said softly, just as they were about to part ways. “Anything.” Lee stressed. Jackson smiled weakly at the alpha, nodding his head as Lee rubbed his thumb over the top of his hand. Jackson’s hand tingled as the man pulled away, heading off towards the housing area of camp.

Taking a deep breath, Jackson just stared at the infirmary, he couldn’t bring himself to go inside. Couldn’t force himself to look Murphy in the eye. He needed some time, to process what he’d just learned, what he saw.

Turning on his heel, Jackson sighed as he trudged his way home. He’d face Murphy in the morning.

—

Jackson had troubles sleeping last night, tossing and turning in his bed, his mind plagued with the knowledge of transgressions he never thought anyone could be so evil to commit, his heart painfully heavy. It was one thing to hypothesize, it another to actually act on.

Nonetheless, he pulled himself out of bed, and got ready for the day. Life was a bitch that just kept going, and he needed to also.

Jackson smiled tiredly at his coworkers as he made his way into the infirmary, heading over to Diane. Checking in with the lead nurse, she informed him that she hadn’t seen Murphy since yesterday morning, after he left. “And Bellamy? Has he come in for a dressing change yet?” He asked, looking around the room, not finding the grounder. Diane shook her head, pursing her lips in a tight smile. “Haven’t seen him either.” She said, turning back to her patient.

Jackson nodded, he’d have been shocked if Bellamy did show his face around the infirmary, not after that night. Jackson would have to go to him. Waltzing over to the supply cabinet, he grabbed the usual supplies he used for Bellamy and stuffed them into a medical pack. The man had to be around camp somewhere.

Jackson wandered around the tent city for a while, trying his best to follow the various grounder’s directions.

“Bellamy? Do you know where he would be?” He asked a woman chopping wood. “Or Octavia, Lincoln? Their tent?” The grounder nodded as she set her axe down, pointing down the aisle of tents. “Just down there. Last tent on the left.” Jackson let out an appreciative breath of relief, thanking the woman before walking away.

The doctor cleared his throat as he found their tent, putting his hand back down, chuckling to himself when muscle memory moved it to knock. “Bellamy? Are you in there? It’s Dr. Jackson.” He announced himself. He could hear a bit of shuffling, footsteps coming closer before the tent flap opened. “Octavia.” Jackson said, smiling at the girl. “What’s wrong?” She asked, her face pinched with worry as she looked around him.

“Oh nothing’s wrong, I’m just here to change Bellamy’s bandages. He didn’t come in yesterday, so I wanted to check on him.. Don’t want his wounds to get infected.” He said, calming the girl. It wasn’t the complete truth, more than anything he wanted to check on the alpha, see how he was doing, mentally that was. “Did Nyko talk to you?” Octavia asked, causing his brow to furrow in confusion. “Um—no, Nyko didn’t tell me anything. What’s wrong?”

The girl sighed before stepping aside, gesturing for him to come in. When Jackson stepped inside, he was hit by the bitter scent of sadness and anxiety. He noted the open window flaps, a futile attempt to air out the tent. He spotted Bellamy sitting on one of the beds, his back resting against one of the thick posts holding up the tent. The alpha’s shoulders hiccuped as he drew in a shaky breath, quickly wiping a hand down his face to hide his tears, crossing his arms over his chest. It was a pointless attempt, Jackson could see how swollen and red his eyes were, even from the doorway.

Jackson smiled sympathetically at him as he slowly made his way over to him. “Hey Bellamy. I was wondering if I could redress your arm?” He asked softly, standing beside the mat on the floor, waiting for the alpha’s permission before making any move to get closer.

Jackson slowly took his backpack off as Bellamy nodded his head, sitting himself down on the edge beside the man. He took the arm the alpha offered him, humming quietly to himself as he looked over the stitches. “You keep taking your bandages off.” He tsked, feeling the temperature of the skin around the stitches, it wasn’t red, no fever, no signs of infection which was good. “Sorry,” Bellamy mumbled, his voice low and quiet. “It’s alright, they’re healing well. You’re doing a good job of keeping them clean.” He said sweetly.

“It’s shameful for a warrior to die of infection, something easily preventable.” Bellamy said quietly, watching the doctor clean his skin.

That was something he had noticed about the man, the shame Bellamy carried on his shoulders like it was all he knew. It was kind of impressive how much the man could blame himself for things, finding his own faults in everything he did. Jackson was glad the alpha wasn’t rampaging again, but he didn’t like what he was seeing now either, this broken husk of a man. He could see the tension in his body, could feel the nervous energy coming off of him in waves. It made him wonder if Murphy came and talked to him yet, but he doubted it.

“Octavia?” Jackson said, turning to the omega. “I don’t mean to kick you out of your own home, but could you give us a moment?” He asked nicely, sending the girl an appreciative smile when she nodded her head, looking to her brother before hesitantly making her way out.

Turning back to the task at hand, Jackson pulled in a deep breath, carefully swiping antiseptic ointment around the wound sight. “How’d you get these?” Jackson chuckled as his eyes crawled up the man’s arm, spotting scabbed over knicks, all neatly in a roll. His brow furrowed as he turned Bellamy’s arm more, exposing the rows of tiny, bubbled scars leading up his bicep, disappearing under the sleeve of his shirt. “Kill marks. Ones earned in battle.” Bellamy said, he didn’t even need to look down to know what the doctor was asking about.

“That’s quite a lot.” Jackson whispered in a shocked awe. Here this man was, admitting to murder countless times over. It wasn’t something to be ashamed of, but something proudly shown, etched into his skin for everyone to see. Death was easy for Bellamy, taking a person’s life, it was natural for him. It’s what happened to those still living that seemed to trouble him.

Jackson remembered seeing two similar marks on Murphy’s chest.

“How are you feeling?” He said softly, changing the subject, wiping the ointment residue from his fingertips before reaching for the gauze. “I’m.. fine.” Bellamy murmured, keeping his eyes fixed on what Jackson was doing.

Jackson hummed as he cut a length of gauze, wrapping it around Bellamy’s arm. “I don’t know about that.” He said, gently pressing back against the man’s closed off response. “You seemed really upset the other night, Murphy too. Have you spoken to him yet-” “What are you getting at?” Bellamy cut him off, the angry furrowing of his brow not completely hiding the sadness in his eyes. “You’re my patient, I want to make sure you’re alright.” Jackson stated, the guilt of realizing that he had forgotten that eating at his conscience. He had been neglecting Bellamy, his patient too, not just Murphy. He had known Murphy since he was little, and he let that familial relationship cloud his judgement, his treatment. Bellamy was just as deserving of healing, body and mind, and Jackson forgot that.

“Well nobody asked you to worry about me. I told you I’m fine.” Bellamy said, his voice getting louder, more irritated. “Nobody asked me, Bellamy. I just want to help yo-”

“Then what do you want to know, huh?” Bellamy barked. This was it, Jackson thought as he prepared himself. Bellamy was opening up, he was loud and he was angry, but he was opening up. He was letting Jackson in. “What could either of us say that would possibly make it all better?.. You want to know that I can’t stand myself because of what I did to Murphy? Shit I can never take back?” Jackson bit his lip as one journal entry came to mind: the day Bellamy’s rut was induced, causing him to attack Murphy, and yet the alpha still somehow found the strength to control himself. “You wanna know that I can’t eat, I-I can’t sleep, I can’t-” Bellamy’s voice cut off, his eyes filling with frustrated tears. “I feel like I can’t breathe. I can’t breathe without him. Knowing he hates me, knowing I fucked it all up—I did.” Bellamy said, hot tears spilling down his cheeks, his hand flying up to hit his chest.

Jackson took a deep breath to steel himself, the alpha’s bitter scent pouring out of him like a storm. He laid his hands in his lap as Bellamy ripped his arm back, threading his fingers through his hair. “I’m.. angry. All the time.” Bellamy growled. “At myself, at the mountain men, at what they did to us.. At what I let them do, at everything.” He yelled, pulling his hair.

“Bellamy.. Bellamy.” Jackson said, pulling the alpha’s hands away from his hair, grabbing the sides of his face to look him in the eye. “You didn’t let them do anything.” He stressed as gently as he could, letting the man pull away as he shook his head.

“I did though. I-I.. I wasn’t strong enough. I couldn’t protect him. They-..” Bellamy’s face scrunched in pain, his voice wavering with emotion. “They used me.” The man admitted. “They used me to hurt him.” Bellamy said, his voice cracking at the end, his chest heaving as his breaths grew faster, more frantic. “I didn’t—I didn’t want to hurt him—I didn’t mean to.” Bellamy sobbed, his eyes begging Jackson to understand.

“I know, Bellamy, I know.. They used you, yes. But you didn’t hurt Murphy. That wasn’t you, it was them, that is all on them.” Jackson urged, fighting back even harder as Bellamy shook his head.

“Not the other night. They didn’t make me do that. I did that. And n-.. now he h-hates me.” Bellamy struggled to say, his voice getting quieter, smaller, like a child’s. God he was so young, they both were. “H-he couldn’t even look at me.. He was.. he is my mate. My promised one. I don’t—I can’t— How do I..” Bellamy said in between panicked breaths, working himself up even more. “Bellamy, take a deep breath-” “How do I live without him? I can’t-” He forced out, his breath catching with each word.

Jackson’s eyes darted down to watch as Bellamy started to hyperventilate, frantically feeling across the bed, searching for something. His brow furrowed in confusion and concern as the alpha brought a little green bundle of herbs to his nose, scrunching his eyes closed as he took deep inhales of it. Jackson had no idea what kind of plant it was, Nyko didn’t say anything about using one to calm someone down. Was it some sort of opiate or other drug? It didn’t look like anything he had seen before in textbooks. It looked like.. grass, or sage maybe? Did it have some sort of sedative property? Whatever it was seemed to calm the alpha down, helped him even out his breaths.

“Bellamy.. What is this?” He cautiously asked, gently taking the man’s wrist to pull it away from his face. Bellamy’s cheeks flushed slightly as he shook his head, his eyes glued to the little bundle. “It’s-” He hiccuped, letting the doctor pluck it from his hands. “It’s stupid.” He mumbled, his voice plagued with embarrassment.

“Is it.. a drug?” Jackson asked, making sure he didn’t sound judgmental or anything like that, he wasn’t judging the man, but he needed to know what it was, what it did. Bellamy’s head shot up, his eyes wide with panic. “What?—no.” He rushed out, hastily shaking his head. “It’s.. It’s just.. sweet grass.” Bellamy explained sheepishly, looking down at the bundle of grass before looking away. Jackson nodded as he inspected it, he’d never heard of it before.

Bringing it to his own nose for a tentative sniff, Jackson felt his heart ache as realization hit him. It smelled exactly like Murphy. The omega smiled sadly as he ran his fingers over the braided plant, slowly handing it back to Bellamy. Jackson watched quietly as the alpha picked at the ends of the grass nervously, quickly growing more embarrassed, more withdrawn. Jackson knew he wasn’t going to get anything else out of Bellamy.

“Let me finish wrapping you up and I’ll get out of your hair.” Jackson said after a moment of heavy silence, his voice just barely louder than a whisper. He didn’t even attempt to move until the alpha nodded his head.

Jackson didn’t say anything as he got back to rewrapping Bellamy’s stitches, didn’t comment on the tears that fell into his lap or the way he had to breath through his mouth because of how clogged his nose was from snot.

Stepping out of the tent, Jackson jumped back to prevent himself from running into Octavia. His mouth fell open as he took in the state of her, her face pinched with pain, her eyes distant and brimmed with tears, her hand placed protectively over her heart. It was clear she had heard it all. “O.. Octavia?” He tried, but the girl made no attempt to reply to him, he couldn’t even tell if she heard him.

His brow knitted together as he looked back over his shoulder towards the tent, letting out a soft exhale as he touched her shoulder gently, and walked away.

He knew this wasn’t going to be easy, but god, did it have to be this hard?

Chapter Text

Lincoln could hear quiet little purrs coming from Octavia as he cracked open his eyes, their temporary home dimly lit by the soft bluish-purple of dawn. The alpha smiled down at his mate as he ran his hand down her back, placing a light kiss to her forehead. Lincoln chuckled as her mouth fell open, letting out a quiet snore as she rolled onto her back away from him.

He rubbed a hand over his face, swiping away the crust from his eyes as he yawned. Rolling over, Lincoln lifted the bottom of the tarp to peer outside and sighed as he heard the distant sounds of the camp coming to life. Not a whole lot of people, just the early birds. And although Lincoln didn’t have any work detail lined up today, he didn’t feel like going back to sleep. Figured he might as well get up with the rest of them, maybe get breakfast going.

The alpha was careful to not wake his mate as he crawled over her, stealing back the shirt she had grabbed in her sleep and pulled it over his head, reaching across the floor for his pants next. Standing up, Lincoln made his way over to their food storage, tightening the laces of his pants as he went and crouched down next to the wicker chest. He pursed his lips as he pulled out the last of their eggs and last night’s rice.. It wasn’t a whole lot, they’d need to go get some more, it wouldn’t hurt to go hunting either.

Looking back over his shoulder, Lincoln glanced at Bellamy. He exhaled through his nose as he looked over the tired husk of a man, a numb expression on his face as he stared off at the tent wall.

“You get any sleep?” Lincoln asked, just loud enough for Bellamy to hear, but still soft enough not to wake Octavia. He sighed as Bellamy slowly shook his head, the bags under his eyes even darker than the day before. It had been three days since the Thauz Kodon of the last mountain man, since Murphy left, since they fought, and as far as Lincoln was aware, Bellamy hadn’t slept a wink since then.

Bellamy had always had trouble sleeping, but never quite this bad, not even during the first few months after their parent’s death. Lincoln hated not being able to help his brother, he hated how much it upset Octavia, her breakdown yesterday still weighing heavy on his heart. He could calm his mate, no problem, but there wasn’t much he could do for Bellamy when he didn’t speak to them. He couldn’t help someone who wasn’t ready to be helped. But it didn’t mean he wouldn’t try.

“Alright,” Lincoln sighed out, looking back towards his mate to find her still peacefully asleep. “Let’s go kill something.” He murmured, standing up to grab his bow.

—

Bellamy could barely focus as they crept through the forest, Lincoln already scolding him once to be careful of his footsteps, Bellamy couldn’t really bring himself to care.

It was strange, hunting always made him feel better, always helped him clear his mind. Something about the simplicity of it, the quietude. In order to hunt, one had to abandon all thoughts, and instead rely on instinct, having to obey the simple laws of nature. There was no room to think about the troubles of life when hunting, only focus. Animals he knew, he knew how they thought, how they behaved, it was dependable. Bellamy knew what prey thought, and he knew what he needed to think in order to prey on them.

But today, he couldn’t. Bellamy didn’t feel like a predator today, not when he was taught the harsh reality of just how easily he was made prey. He couldn’t focus, he couldn’t make his thoughts fall silent like he normally could. He had spent all night thinking about what Octavia said to him, yelled at him actually. Her face, bright red with frustration as she screamed at him to get up, to talk, to do something. He could still feel her fingers digging into his shoulders as she shook him.

‘I can’t lose you too.’ She sobbed out as she released her grip, brushing Bellamy’s hair out of his face, begging him to say something, to let them in. ‘Please, I can’t lose you too.’ Bellamy’s vision blurred as he opened his mouth to speak, but found he couldn’t, dropping his head in shame instead. Bellamy couldn’t do it, he couldn’t look her eyes, their mother’s eyes, and tell her about what he allowed the mountain men to do. He didn’t want her to think less of him. He didn’t want her to see him as the weakling he truly was. He couldn’t keep breaking her heart.

All Bellamy could do was stare as Lincoln gently pulled her away, taking her out of the tent to calm her down. He could still hear the disappointment in her voice as she cried to her mate.

‘I feel like he died in that mountain.. That isn’t my brother in there, it’s just his ghost.’

Bellamy blinked the bleariness from his eyes when Lincoln signaled for them to get down, the two of them crouching behind a bush. ‘A deer,’ Lincoln signed with his hands, pointing in its direction. Sniffing his nose, Bellamy took an arrow from the quiver on his back, his hands shaking as he positioned it in place. He blinked repeatedly, so exhausted his vision started to cross, it was hard to see anything clearly.

They kept their eyes on the woods, waiting for the deer to present itself. When it slowly came out of the brush, bowing its head to munch on some foliage, Bellamy stood, drawing the bow as he raised his arms. Taking in a shaky breath, Bellamy lined the arrow up with the deer's eye. Hearing a twig snap, Bellamy’s eyes flicked away from the deer, his heart stopping as he released the bow by accident, the arrow flying right past the animal. The deer quickly ran off as Bellamy’s blood ran cold, losing his balance as he stumbled back.

Just behind the deer, creeping around a tree, was a mountain man, their face obscured behind a mask, clad in their strange blue suits. “Bellamy, what the hell, you had a cl-” Bellamy shushed him, clasping his hand over Lincoln’s mouth before scooting them backwards, craning his head over the top of the bush to get another look. “Maunon.” He hissed, his breaths growing more rapid. Bellamy dropped back down as a few more came out of nowhere, raising the guns as they looked all around. He panicked as he felt over his pockets, taking a quick note of all the weapons he had on himself before grabbing for another arrow.

“Bellamy-” The alpha recoiled as Lincoln grabbed his shoulders, a panicked sound falling from his lips. “Shut up! They’ll hear you!” Bellamy hissed under his breath, peering through the bush as he pulled Lincoln down with him, he could see their legs walking right past them, how did so many survive? How did they not see them hiding behind the bush? There was no way they didn’t see him or the arrow flying through the air. They were right there, just a few feet away.

“Bellamy!” Lincoln shouted as the man flattened himself against the bush, his eyes scrunched closed so he wouldn’t see when they finally shot him. “Open your eyes, Bellamy.” He shook his head frantically as he clutched his chest, his heart pounding hard enough that he could feel it through his skin, it was all he could hear. “Bellamy,” Lincoln’s voice was drowned out by the blood rushing in his ears, sounding far away even though he was right beside him.

He growled as hands grabbed his shoulders, shaking him violently. “Nobody’s there!” Lincoln screamed loud enough for him to hear, loud enough to scare off the birds in the nearby trees. “Bellamy, look at me.” Lincoln said in a softer voice, but still stern enough to get the man to listen.

Bellamy opened his eyes fearfully, looking right into Lincoln’s before darting all around them. The edges of his vision started to turn black as he searched the woods, his chest still heaving with the struggle to pull in air. “Look, Bellamy. Nobody is there.” Lincoln said, grabbing the back of the alpha’s neck to force him up onto his knees, making him look at the open area of trees. Bellamy’s brow furrowed in confusion.

“But they wer—they were right there.” Bellamy panted out, falling back on his rear in utter disbelief. He stared down at his trembling hands, he could feel the numbness starting at his fingertips, crawling its way up his arms and legs. “They were there. I saw-.. I saw them.” He whispered, bringing his hands up to rub his eyes. He saw them clear as day, could see the texture of their clothes, the detail on their guns. They were there.

Lincoln’s face pinched sorrowfully as he stared at his friend. “Just take a deep breath.” He said softly, squeezing his fingers into Bellamy’s scent glands to ground him. “There’s nothing there. You’re safe, okay? The Maunon are dead. We killed them. You killed them, Bellamy.” Lincoln reminded him, pressing their foreheads together as Bellamy drew in a haggered breath.

“W-we don’t know that. What if some survived? What if they're still out there? Waiting for the perfect moment? We’re not safe—we’re not—we’ll never be safe from them.” Bellamy rushed out, pushing Lincoln back to look back into the forest, up into the trees.

Lincoln’s lips pursed as he exhaled, standing up. “Come on.” He said holding a hand out to his brother, snatching Bellamy’s arm when he refused, yanking him up off the ground. “Come on.” He repeated himself, dragging Bellamy through the woods, leaving behind the bows they dropped.

They walked through the woods for what felt like hours, Bellamy yanking his arm away as he finally took in their surroundings, realizing where Lincoln was taking him.

“No-” Bellamy stuttered, “I can’t—I can’t go back there, don’t make me go back there.” He pleaded with the man, shaking his head as Lincoln grabbed him again, pulling him towards Mt Weather, his fear quickly turning into anger. “You can’t make me.” He growled, trying to appear tough, Lincoln somehow stopping himself from rolling his eyes. “No, Bellamy. You need to see this.” Lincoln said firmly, digging his nails into his nape so he couldn’t escape.

As the looming mountain came into view, the forest turned colder as they were cast into its shadow. Bellamy swallowed down the growing pit in his throat, letting Lincoln drag him, not towards the entrance like he dreaded, but around the side. He calmed just a little at the realization, at least they weren’t going inside, he could compromise with just being near it.

Bellamy’s nose wrinkled as the smell of rotting human flesh assaulted his nose, the closer they got, the scent morphed into something that of fire. It smelt like a funeral. Cresting the side of the hill, they came to a flattened area, a meadow that had been plowed clear.

Bellamy’s jaw slacked as he looked across the desolate meadow, all the plants burned away to make it easier for the people working there to move around, so they wouldn’t end up burning the entire forest down from what they were doing. There were endless rows of funeral pyres, ready to bring lost souls home. He watched as people, both Trigedakru and Skaikru, milled about, dragging bodies onto the pyres, raking the coals of ones already burned so they would die out completely. Turning towards the mountain, Bellamy saw the mount of bodies awaiting to be put to rest.

Lincoln squeezed his hand affectionately over Bellamy’s nape before making his way to the closest pyre where two men were saying a quiet prayer, the rags they tied around their faces to keep out the smell pulled down respectfully. Bellamy watched as the Skaikru man touched four spots on his body, his forehead, his heart, and then each shoulder before bowing his head, clasping his hands together. Bellamy’s eyes were drawn down to the metal necklace wrapped around his fingers, a silver cross hanging from its chain. The Trigedakru man held a torch in one hand, the other held out, palm up towards the Great Flame, typical for prayers.

“May the flame cleanse you of pain and burn away the past. Though the crops must die in winter, they will be reborn in spring.. May the flame keep you warm through this winter and carry you to spring. May it bring you to your next life.” The man said softly, gently laying the torch among the tinder.

Bellamy’s eyes scanned across the meadow, seeing this same image over and over again.

He turned to Lincoln as the man gently touched his shoulder, a respectful solemness on his face as he too looked out at all the pyres. “Skaikru had the same fear as you, we all did.” He whispered. “They were able to find a list of all the mountain men.. 382.. That’s how many there were.” Lincoln said, turning to Bellamy. “They found them all.. Every single one accounted for, Bellamy. Besides the two living in camp, Emerson was the last of them. The rest are all.. here.” He said, gesturing towards the field. “All of them.” He promised, placing his hand on Bellamy’s shoulder.

The breath Bellamy took, it.. came so easily. As he let it out, he felt the looming dread he had felt all his life fall from his shoulders. He felt the generational fear of the mountain being snuffed out in an instant. Lincoln was right, he needed this. He needed to see it with his own eyes, the burial of the monster that kept them living in fear, gone for good.

“Two? Two live in Camp Jaha?” Bellamy asked breathlessly, turning to his brother. “I thought it was just Lee.” Lincoln nodded. “A girl. She was like Lee, she helped us win.. They managed to smuggle her out of the mountain before it was too late. Not sure how much of a life she will live, she can’t survive outside but.. the Skaikru healers say they can fix her.” The alpha said softly, patting Bellamy’s back.

“Come on.” Lincoln breathed out, walking towards a group of workers. “Let’s help them today.” He said, smiling back at Bellamy.

Bellamy huffed out a lighthearted laugh, trailing after his friend. Maybe it wasn’t so bad to let them in.

—

The sun was beginning to set by the time Lincoln and Bellamy returned to camp, smelling like a smokestack, covered in dirt and soot.

“Don’t even think about coming inside like that.” Octavia scolded them before they could track it in. The omega’s heart stopped as a small smile cracked onto her brother’s face, just as her mate took the wash bag from her hands. She was too stunned to react as Lincoln kissed her quick before heading out. It had been some time since she had seen him smile, since he seemed.. alive.

When they came back an hour or so later, they brought Nyko with them. Octavia’s brow furrowed in confusion but quickly relaxed as she saw the healer begin preparing an elixir.

“This should help you sleep.” Nyko said softly as he handed Bellamy the cup. Bellamy mumbled his thanks as he stared down at the medicine, taking a hesitant drink. “All of it.” Nyko grunted, tilting the cup up to force the alpha to drink it down. “You should have come to me sooner.” He said gently, ruffling Bellamy’s hair as he took the cup back. “..Murphy’s alright, he’s staying with me.” Nyko said, taking a quick peek at the stitches on Bellamy’s arm, the alpha’s head shooting up at the mention of his mate’s name.

“Is-.. Is he okay?” Bellamy breathed out, it felt.. wrong somehow, to ask about the omega. He didn’t feel like he deserved to know, like he wasn’t allowed.

“He’s..” Nyko trailed off as he tried to find the right word. “Frustrated—not just with you.. with everything, with everyone..” The healer specified, but it didn’t ease Bellamy as much as Nyko thought it would. Bellamy understood the feeling, but it still hurt to hear Murphy was still upset with him, it still pained him to know his promised one was hurting and he wasn’t allowed to help. “He just needs some space.. But don’t go too far.” Nyko whispered the last part, winking at Bellamy before standing, collecting his things to head out.

Octavia felt anxious as she watched her brother lay down, letting out a tired sigh as he rubbed his hands over his face. Not liking the awkward silence, Octavia put down the spoon she was using to cook and stepped closer to Bellamy, digging her nails into the palms of her hands nervously. “Bell?” She said, quiet as a mouse.

Folding an arm under his head, her big brother’s lips twitched up in a tired smile. Octavia frowned as she tried to keep her tears at bay, looking down at the ground. “Come here, O.” Bellamy whispered, folding his blanket back for her. The girl nearly ran to his side, crawling into the bed with him. They both let out a sigh as they wrapped their arms around each other, Octavia laying her head on his shoulder. It had been too long since they had laid like this, taking comfort in each other. They were long overdue.

“I’m sorry.” She whispered, hiding her face in his chest. “For.. lashing out at you. For pushing you.” Octavia felt him shake his head as he leaned down to kiss her hair. “No I.. I needed it. I’m sorry, O.” He said softly, brushing his hand over the back of her head. Octavia looked up at him, his eyes fixed on the ceiling of their tent. “I don’t-.. I don’t.. know how to do this.. How to get over this.” Bellamy whispered, his adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed. “I do want to let you in.. I do.” He admitted, looking back down at her as he nodded his head. “I just don’t know how.” He whispered, his breath hitching as his eyes filled with tears. Octavia looked up to him their entire lives, and in turn he spent his entire life being strong for her. It wasn’t easy for him to show her just how small he felt, how scared he was, how.. broken he was.

Octavia frowned, bringing her hand up to caress his cheek, her heart aching as Bellamy leaned into it, absorbing her love through the gentle touch, showing just how much he needed it. This is what he needed, love. He didn’t need to be yelled at, screamed at, put down. He needed their love. “Ge smak daun, gyon op nodotaim.” Octavia whispered, staring deeply into their father’s eyes as her own brimmed with tears. “Let us help you get back up.”

Bellamy’s bottom lip quivered, quickly nodding his head before tightening his arms around her, pulling her close.

“Okay.”

—

Murphy looked up from the Earth Science book he was given when Nyko entered the tent, letting out a tired sigh as he set his bag down by the entrance. “Where’d you run off to?” He asked, looking back down at the text.

The medical side of the council wanted him and Nyko to identify all the medicinal plants they would soon be adopting from the grounders. Murphy had spent the past two evenings going through the book with his mentor, taking note of all the pages Nyko could identify the plants in the picture, reading the descriptions to the man.

“Someone was having trouble sleeping, nothing major. I just had to give them some feisbona and chilbluma tea.” The beta grumbled as he dished himself some food. Murphy’s nostrils flared as Nyko passed him, the scent on him smelling like.. like Bellamy. It was faint, so Murphy couldn’t tell if he was just imagining it or not.. Maybe he was going crazy.

“How was your day?” Nyko asked as he milled around behind Murphy, cutting himself a few slices of bread. “It was fine.” Murphy mumbled as he tried to focus on the words beneath him, his fingertips playing with the worn edges of the paper. “Just fine, huh?” The beta hummed, not fully accepting the answer. “Did you collect all the plants I asked you to?” Murphy rolled his eyes, tapping his pencil against the table irritably. “Yes, mom, I did. You walked right past them on your way in.” Murphy murmured, gesturing to the plants laid out across the table to dry.

“Hey-” Murphy made a sound of surprise when Nyko whacked the back of his head. “Don’t get feisty with me.” Murphy grumbled to himself as he rubbed the back of his head, turning his eyes down to the pages as Nyko plopped himself down next to him, taking a bite of his food.

‘I like you feisty.’ He remembered the night Bellamy told him that. He remembered the playful glint in the alpha’s eyes.

He guessed Bellamy didn’t like it as much as he said he did.. It didn’t take him long to get sick of him.. Was Bellamy okay?—Fuck, no, he was mad at Bellamy. He should be glad he was keeping his distance, he hoped he felt like shit, he should be upset after what he did to him.. Was he really having trouble sleeping?

“Where were we?” Nyko asked, saving Murphy from thinking of Bellamy any longer. Clearing his throat, Murphy refocused his eyes on the page. “Uh.. milk thistle?” He read off the page, pushing the book closer to the healer so he could take a look. He watched Nyko scan his eyes down the image, humming as he chewed his food. “Looks like nomonmok.. It helps mother’s make more milk.” Murphy nodded as he grabbed his notebook, writing down the page and a brief description of its use.

While Nyko was preoccupied with his food, Murphy pressed a hand to his chest, remembering how they ached during his brief pregnancy. He grimaced at the thought of them filling with milk, thankful that they weren’t. Would he have had to use this plant? With his fertility issues? Were these underdeveloped too? He didn’t even know that could be a problem. All the more proof that he wasn’t ready to be a mother.

Murphy felt bad about.. being happy for the miscarriage, well happy wasn’t quite the right word. Relieved, maybe. But still, it wasn’t the baby’s fault, it never asked to be created, it wasn’t even Murphy’s fault. He thought maybe.. he would have been a better mother than his own, but the truth was he didn’t know. He would have at least tried to be. But Murphy was an angry person with an extremely short fuse, he wasn’t patient enough to have a child. He couldn’t subject a child to that, knowing exactly what kind of damage came from a parent that didn’t want their child. That kind of resentment was hard to hide, even from someone as clueless as a child. Maybe he would have been worse than his mother, at least she was good in the beginning, before his father died. His mom wasn’t a bad person, she was just.. broken by grief, broken by the loss of her mate. Thats what made it hurt so much in the end, the switch up. How easy it was for her to turn on him. It was as if.. she never really loved him to begin with.

Murphy didn’t know why he suddenly felt so sad for the kid. He didn’t want it.. but it was still his. Just another thing he had lost. He didn’t love it, but he cared about it enough to know it was better off never meeting him. Maybe it was a kindness, maybe the best thing he could do for it.. was never letting it become. So why did he feel so bad? About something he had no control over? Over losing something he never wanted in the first place?

He wondered what they would have looked like though.. Who it would have taken after, who they could have been.

“Nomfa?” Nyko said softly, noting the hand Murphy had pressed gently over his stomach. “Are you okay?” The beta asked, touching his shoulder. Murphy’s eyes had turned downcast, distant, his eyes were pointed down at the book, but he wasn’t looking at it. “Does something hurt?” Nyko pressed, trying to draw him out of his mind, something he noticed the boy did frequently now.

Murphy drew in a shallow breath, frowning as he caught another whiff of Bellamy’s pheromones. They smelled.. sad.

“Did you-.. Was that last patient Bellamy?” He finally spoke, turning to look into his mentor's eyes. Nyko sighed as he pursed his lips, nodding softly. He stopped bringing Bellamy up, since all it did was upset Murphy. Looking down at his hand, Nyko didn’t even realize he was carrying the alpha’s scent. A beta’s nose wasn’t quite as sensitive as an alpha’s or omega’s.

Murphy nodded as he looked back down at the book. He didn’t know why he even asked, he didn’t want to talk about him, didn’t want to think about how much he missed his scent, how just the fleeting traces of it made his heart ache with loneliness.

Nyko stared at the boy as he became more withdrawn, his eyes growing sadder, more tired. “You can’t avoid him forever, nomfa.” The beta said calmly, closing the book for the night. Murphy’s shoulders deflated as he let out a haggered sigh, folding his arms on the table to rest on them, reaching out for the book to fiddle with the pages again. Murphy groaned as he rested his forehead on the table, frustrated by his unavoidable fate. “I know, I just.. Not yet.” Murphy whispered the last part, hoping Nyko didn’t notice as he took deeper breaths, trying pathetically to get another hint of that damned alpha. God Bellamy pissed him off.

“Did something else happen today?” Nyko asked, sensing the boy still had something bothering him, just not wanting to speak anymore on the obvious one. “No.. Not really..” Murphy murmured.

“Okay.” Nyko accepted that, turning back to his food. “I’m just-..” Nyko raised an eyebrow at the boy, watched the sadness turn to annoyance as the boy huffed out a breath. “I’m sick of everyone treating me like I’m glass.. Like I’m weak. Like I’ll—I’ll swoon if I have to do anything.” He stammered out, the simmering irritation from the day rearing up again. “Who treats you like that?” Nyko asked, taking a bite, amused by his antics.

“Everyone. ‘Let me get that for you, Oma.’ ‘You should take another fucking break, Oma Murphy.’ ‘Don’t lift that, it's too heavy for you!’—I’m sick of it.” Murphy gritted out, letting out a frustrated groan as he pulled at his hair.

Nyko couldn’t help but chuckle, shaking his head. He could picture the people of Tondc doing exactly that, obsessively fretting over the boy. But he couldn’t exactly blame them either. They had come way too close to losing him. The entire village was inconsolable when they heard the news that Oma Murphy was abducted by the mountain men. The people of Tondc were ultimately the ones to sway Lexa’s decision to help Skaikru, it was either join hands or be dethroned. The choice was simple when Lexa saw just how dedicated they were to the boy, how much they praised him.

“No, you are not made of glass,” Nyko chuckled, teasing the boy by grabbing at his shoulders, tugging his ear just to make sure. “But in case you forgot,” “Ow!” Murphy barked as Nyko pressed on one of the many bruises still lingering on his body. “You are weak.” He said sternly. “What the fuck, Nyko!” Murphy yelled, shoving his chest. “You barely made it out of that mountain!” Nyko reminded him, raising his voice to get his point across. “You are healing.. You push yourself too much.” He scolded him, pressing on another bruise to further his argument.

Murphy grimaced before punching Nyko in the chest, folding his arms over his chest as he pouted. “I’m fine.” The boy snipped, looking away from his mentor.

“No, you’re not.. and that’s okay.” Nyko said, his voice growing softer. “It’s okay.. to not be okay. It’s okay to need our help.” He sighed as Murphy’s lips curled downwards, something Murphy did when he was trying not to cry.

Nyko threw an arm around Murphy’s shoulders, pulling him into his side. “You’re okay.” He whispered, turning back to his bowl of food. Falling into a comfortable silence, Nyko smiled as he felt Murphy slowly start to relax, resting his head on his shoulder. Swallowing down his bite, Nyko leaned down and pressed a kiss onto his hair, rubbing his hand up and down his arm.

“You’re okay.”

Chapter Text

“I’ll be back before dinner.” Lincoln announced, turning Octavia’s head to the side to kiss her cheek. “Leida, niron.” He whispered against her lips, stealing a proper kiss. “Leida, bro.” He called out as he headed for the exit.

Bellamy forced a small smile onto his face as Lincoln waved them goodbye, looking back down at his bowl of food. It tasted good, Octavia’s cooking always did, but it was making him nauseous. He hadn’t been able to eat the past few days, but his sister had finally put her foot down this morning, forcing him to eat breakfast with them.

Nyko’s medicine helped him get a few hours of sleep, but he still woke up halfway through the night. And the sleep he did get, just left him feeling groggy. None of this he told Lincoln or Octavia about obviously, Bellamy didn’t want to keep stressing them out. He just pretended to be asleep when they started getting up.

Pushing around his eggs, Bellamy let out a heavy breath as he looked away from it. He didn’t think he could stomach anymore, the smell alone making his stomach churn. “Where does Lincoln go everyday?” He asked, thinking maybe he could distract his sister enough with conversation to let his uneaten food slide.

The omega had a soft smile on her face as she continued to scrape the remnants of cooked egg from their pan. “To the infirmary. He’s been helping the Skaikru healers with the recovering reapers.” She said, beaming with pride for her mate. “They say it helps them a lot.. Seeing one of their own cured.. That it’s possible to recover.” Octavia said, smiling as she saw Bellamy’s eyebrows raise in surprise. “Lincoln is too humble about it. Says they help him more than he helps them.. I’m so proud of him.” She said, pausing as she thought of her mate.

Bellamy didn’t really know what to say. He wasn’t a man of many words as of late. He too was proud of how far Lincoln had come, found his dedication admirable, that although it was uncomfortable to confront his problems, he did it anyways, he wanted to.

“You should be.” Bellamy said softly, running his thumb over the wooden spoon in his hand. He could tell they were carved recently, the wood still new, but they weren’t the best made, they felt brittle. Bellamy looked up as he heard a snap, quickly followed by Octavia cursing under her breath. “Damnit.” She hissed, sighing down at the broken utensil in her hand. “They just keep breaking, I don’t get it.” She said, tossing the wooden spoon into the fire before grabbing another. “Pissing me off.” She grumbled.

A small smile creeped onto his face as he looked back down at his spoon and bowl, noting the rough chips taken out of them, the weak spots that would cause them to break in no time. They were clearly made in a rush.

“Did you soak the wood beforehand?” Bellamy asked, looking up at his sister. “Was I.. supposed to?” She asked shyly, realizing where she might have gone wrong in making them. Bellamy bit his lip to contain his little chuckle, shrugging his shoulders. “If the wood is dry, yeah, but if it’s fresh, green wood, you shouldn’t have any issues.” He explained.

“We just used firewood. We didn’t know it was supposed to be wet.” Octavia said, abandoning the dishes to sit down at the table with him. Bellamy hummed as he inspected them a little closer. “Wood is more flexible when it's wet, easier to work with.” He muttered, testing the resistance on his spoon. “Then could you make me a goddamn spoon that won’t break? That’s like the tenth one.” She heaved out a dramatic sigh, resting her head in her hand. Bellamy breathed out a chuckle as he nodded his head, snapping his utensil easily. “I’d appreciate it, save some of my sanity too.. You and dad were always good at whittling.” Octavia said as she tapped her hand on the table, standing back up.

Bellamy felt his heart ache at the mention of their father. It was something he taught Bellamy at a young age, he remembered them spending entire afternoons just carving wood. Sometimes all they’d end up doing was talk, hardly paying attention to the piece of wood in their hands. Other days they would just sit there in a comfortable silence, the only sound being the satisfying noise of a knife slicing through wood, the calm sounds of the forest around them. “I’ll get right on it.” He said softly, looking down at the faint scars still littering his fingers from where he had cut himself, when he was still young and learning. Bellamy remembered his father showing him the matching scars on his own hands when Bellamy was embarrassed about messing up.

His father was good at that. Making someone feel not so alone. Bellamy hoped he could be even half the man his father was, he hoped he was making him proud. He hoped he could be that person someday, to make someone not feel so alone.

After helping Octavia clean up, Bellamy grabbed an axe and made his way towards the woods. It didn’t take him long to find a good tree, chopping it down quickly. Bellamy felt calmer as he whacked the limbs and branches from the trunk. It felt good to move his body, to get his pent up frustration out. It was nice to have something to do, having a task to work on so he couldn’t just lay in bed and overthink.

Lifting the tree onto his shoulder, Bellamy felt.. not numb, he felt.. settled. It was an odd feeling, not bad or good, but it was there. It was a feeling he found he was okay just.. sitting with for now.

—

“Let me carry that for you, Oma.” A woman said as she reached for Murphy’s basket. “I got it.” He snipped, pulling it closer to his chest. The omega sighed as Nyko gave him a sharp look. “Thank you, though. I can carry it.” Murphy said in a nicer tone, sending the woman an apologetic smile.

“I thought we talked about this, Murphy.” Nyko said as they began walking towards the woods, the healer was taking him and a few others to a nearby meadow to collect herbs, needing to stock up for winter.

“It’s an empty basket. I can carry an empty fucking basket.” Murphy retaliated, rolling his eyes as Nyko hummed, shaking his head in disappointment. “Just remember to take it easy today, okay?” The beta asked him, a cool, but still concerned look on his face. Murphy sighed, nodding his head.

Looking out across the field, he spotted someone hauling a tree back to camp. It was too far to see who it was, but Murphy couldn’t stop his eyes from glancing back at them.

—

Murphy looked up from the hole he was digging, wiping the sweat from his brow as he looked out across the meadow, the few grounders that accompanied them today spread out, all busy collecting their share of medicine. Nyko was a good distance away from him too, focused on foraging the plants beneath him. They’d been out there for most of the day, Murphy didn’t want to admit it, but he was tired. He was just thankful that the sun was starting to go down, the day becoming cooler.

Scooping soil out of the way, Murphy tapped the edge of his little shovel into the dirt, feeling for more of the roots he was tasked with harvesting. Hearing a ‘clink,’ he reached down to grab the stray rock, tossing it aside before continuing on.

Murphy could hear footsteps coming up behind him. Thinking it was another grounder making sure he was okay for the umpteenth time, he sighed as he sat back on his knees, bracing himself for the nagging questions, for the unwelcomed touches trying unnecessarily to comfort him. He was trying to be nice, he really was, but he was going to snap if one more person touched him.

“Hey Murph.” His head whipped back over his shoulder at the sound of Lincoln’s voice. The boy was surprised to see the alpha sauntering over to him, tipping his head in a greeting towards Nyko when the healer looked over to them.

“Hey,” Murphy said softly, questioningly. There was only reason he could think as to why Lincoln would be coming to talk to him, and Murphy really didn’t want to go there.

He stopped what he was doing to watch the alpha sit down beside him, resting his arms on his knees as he looked out across the meadow. “I love when the sun does this.” Lincoln said after a moment of tense silence, pointing towards it. Murphy’s brow furrowed in irritation as he went back to digging, ripping a root out of the ground. “Does what?” He grumbled, wishing the man would just say what he wanted to say so Murphy could tell him to fuck off.

“Turn the world golden.” Lincoln said in a soft, adoring tone, his eyes filled with wonderment as he took it all in. Letting out a tired huff, Murphy looked out across the meadow, not really seeing what he was talking about. It all just looked yellow to him. The dying plants, the sun glaring right into his eyes, all it did was give him a headache. “What do you want, Lincoln.” Murphy said, brushing the dirt off his root before tossing it into the basket with the others.

The corners of Lincoln’s mouth twitched up as he shrugged, turning his eyes to the omega. “Just saw you out here.. Wanted to see how you were doing.” He said, eyeing the boy curiously.

“Look, if you’re here to tell me I need to talk to Bellamy, you can shove it, okay?” Murphy snapped, dropping his shovel so he could put all his energy into glaring at the man. Lincoln threw his hands up in defense. “You’re the one who brought him up. I just..” Lincoln sighed as he looked down, shaking his head. “Look, I don’t know what happened between you two. Bellamy won’t tell us anything and you won’t come home, so yeah, I’m worried about you.” He said, the sincerity in his eyes making Murphy uncomfortable. He somehow kept himself from squirming as he forced himself to look into Lincoln’s eyes, too proud to look away.

“Just because you guys are done, doesn’t mean we can’t still be friends.. It doesn’t mean we’ll stop caring about you.” Murphy’s entire face scrunched in shocked confusion as he processed Lincoln’s wording. “What the fuck are you talking about?” He asked, growing even more confused the more Lincoln went on. “If you don’t want us in your life, we’ll respect that-” “No, what—” Murphy cut him off, shaking his head. “What do you mean done? Who—who said we were done?” The omega said, the anger in his voice covering up the little strike of fear shooting up his spine.

It was Lincoln’s turn to be confused, his brow knitting together as he just stared at the boy. “.. What else are we supposed to think?” He said quietly, but it might as well have knocked Murphy over. Is that what Bellamy thought? That he had broken up with him that night?

“I didn’t— We’re not-..” Murphy stuttered, shaking his head. “I didn’t break up with him, I’m just—I just—I..” He floundered, there were too many emotions and thoughts in his head to form a coherent sentence.

“Does Bellamy know that?” Lincoln asked, his voice calm. Murphy’s mouth fell open, a sound coming up from his throat as he tried to speak. “Jesus, I didn’t break up with him, I’m-..” Murphy closed his eyes as he took a breath. “I’m angry with him. Rightfully so after what he did.” He said defensively, finally finding his tongue.

“And what is that?” Lincoln asked. “What?” “Why are you so angry at him? That you won’t even talk to him? That you’ll let him suffer for days.. When are you going to put him out of his misery?” Murphy felt an anger surge inside, bubbling up inside him like boiling water. He had every right to feel this way, had every right to ignore Bellamy, it was his anger, he could process it however he wanted. “You know damn well what he did to me.” He hissed. “Well I want to hear it from you.” Lincoln shot right back without missing a beat, staring a hole into Murphy’s soul. “Was it the Thauz Kodon? Cause you knew what it was, you knew who we were, what we do. If that was the reason, then why the fuck are you Nyko’s second? Why are you still trying to be one of us if you can’t handle our ways?” Lincoln questioned, more confused than anything. He knew he was riling Murphy up, good, he thought. He wanted him to get angry, he wanted him to yell, scream, cry, whatever. He needed Murphy to end this silent torture he was inflicting of them, on his brother.

“Jesus, it wasn’t the Thauz Kodon!” Murphy barked, causing a few grounder’s heads to pique up. “It was what Bellamy told them!” He yelled, his arm flying out to the side, in the direction of that damned hill, where the mountain men’s blood still stained the earth. “He told them what Emerson did to me. He had no fucking right to tell them, it wasn’t his place.”

Hearing the sounds of people walking behind him, Murphy huffed out an angry breath, rubbing his hand over his forehead as he waited for Nyko to silently corral everyone back to camp, giving them some privacy.

When they were finally alone, Murphy shot him a glare as Lincoln let out a bitter laugh, shaking his head as he looked away from the omega. “You only see what you want to see.” He said quietly.

“What the fuck-” “Bellamy didn’t tell us shit.” Lincoln said, cutting him off. All Lincoln could think was.. How could they have been so confused? How could this blow up so catastrophically. How could this be the reason his brother was suffering so. “Bellamy never told us that Emerson assaulted you.. He said Emerson tried to rape an oma. He never said it was you. That’s it.” Murphy bit his tongue as Lincoln stared at him in disbelief. “The only reason we found out that it was you.. was because you shouted it for everyone to hear.” Lincoln spat.

Murphy gritted his teeth, he could feel his face burn with anger and embarrassment, but he was still too proud to admit that, to accept that it was maybe his fault too.

“How many omegas do you think were in that fucking mountain?” Murphy said, his voice quiet with rage. “It wouldn’t have taken you long to figure out.” He said, getting even more pissed off as Lincoln shook his head. “Now all anyone sees when they look at me, is a poor omega who got molested.” Murphy hissed, his mouth curling down as he finally tore his eyes away from the grounder. He didn’t know why he was even wasting his breathing trying to explain himself, Lincoln was an alpha, he didn’t get it, he couldn’t. “A fragile, weak, little omega who needs an alpha to protect him—well I don’t need your fucking pity-” Murphy paused as Lincoln leaned closer to brush something off his shoulder, interrupting his train of thought. “What are you doing—What?” He snapped, smacking Lincoln’s hand away, looking down at his shoulder to check for a bug. Murphy’s face furrowed with annoyance as Lincoln just stared at him.

“Just brushing that chip off your shoulder.” Lincoln said.

Did he really just say that? Murphy’s mouth fell open, blinking his eyes in shock, too stunned to speak.

“Nobody sees you that way.” Murphy shot him a nasty glare as he grabbed his things, tossing his tools into his basket. “Fuck you, Lincoln.” He hissed, standing up to walk away.

As he stormed away, he could hear Lincoln following after him. “The only person who sees you like that is you.” The alpha yelled after him. Murphy froze, huffing out a bitter laugh as he turned to face him again. “You got a lot of fucking nerve, Lincoln.” He growled, dropping his basket so he could push his sleeves up his arms, getting himself ready to deck the man. Murphy had enough of this shit, he didn’t need this.

“I don’t see you that way, Octavia doesn’t, Nyko doesn’t, Bellamy sure as hell doesn’t see you like that.” Lincoln barked, meeting the boy halfway, prepared to take whatever the omega sent his way. “You weren’t the only prisoner in that mountain. You’re not the only one who bears their scars. Bellamy was hurt too—I was hurt..” Murphy flinched at the brutal reminder. He was ashamed to even forget it. “Bellamy was just doing what he thought would make things right, he did what anyone would have done for their mate. I would have done the same thing.” Lincoln yelled at him.

“I never fucking asked for him to do that!-” “You didn’t need to!” Lincoln bellowed out, causing Murphy to flinch back again. Noting his reaction, Lincoln took a deep breath to calm himself, to reign it back in. He didn’t mean to scare him, that was never his intention. He just wanted to shake some sense into the boy.

“What-..” Lincoln huffed out a breath. “What that man did to you.. It’s not who you are. It’s just-” Lincoln paused as he met Murphy’s glassy eyes. God, he hated seeing his family hurting. He hated seeing the pain in their eyes, the torment that was turning them on each other, that was eating them alive, leaving nothing but the shells of who they once were. “It’s just something that happened to you.” The alpha said in a softer voice, pursing his lips as a tear rolled down the omega’s face.

“This pain..” Lincoln started, bringing a hand up to his heart. “You don’t have to carry it around for the rest of your life.. If you keep holding onto it, you’re gonna get dragged behind it.” Lincoln ended with, he could tell he had struck a nerve. If Murphy wanted to hate him, so be it. If he was the bad guy for telling Murphy what he needed to hear, he could live with that. Murphy didn’t want to be treated like he was fragile and that’s exactly what he did. If it made Murphy question his own actions, good. Lincoln refused to let this fight tear their family apart any longer.

With that he stormed off, leaving the omega to stand there in the open meadow.

—

Murphy stood there for the longest time, so stunned by what Lincoln had told him.. he couldn’t move, his thoughts and emotions running so quickly through his mind that he didn’t even have time to process them.

Staggering back to his basket, Murphy’s knees gave out beneath him, collapsing into the yellowing grass. His brow furrowed as he tried to make sense of it all, of the uncomfortable feeling settling into his chest, he couldn’t recognize it. This contradicting feeling of guilt and anger, of whether he wanted to cry or scream.

Clawing at his heart, Murphy’s face pinched as frustrated tears filled his eyes. He was so sure. He was so sure that his anger was justified. He thought he was happy to know Bellamy was suffering over this distance. He thought he was glad to have some space, but as he looked out across the golden meadow.. he finally saw the beauty Lincoln was talking about. And he realized.. he was just alone. Angry and sad and alone. With no one beside him to share it with.

All this suffering was his fault. All this pain and confusion, he made it that way. It was all him. Murphy was surrounded by people trying to help him, who had nothing but good intentions towards him, and he pushed every last one of them away. This pain he felt all the time, he didn’t even know when he began giving it to others. Why did he think it would make his own pain disappear? Why was he realizing just now that it wasn’t a thing one could just give and take, but a sickness he was infecting everyone around him with. He wasn’t saving himself, he was just hurting others.

Here he was, sitting in a prison of his own creation, and suddenly knew what he was feeling: regret.

“I‘m such a fucking idiot.” Murphy cursed himself, burying his fingers into his hair.

—

Bellamy grimaced as a heaviness tugged at his heart, making him set down his knife to rub a hand over his chest. He wondered for a second if it was Murphy.. He wondered if the omega was okay.

His head shot up as Lincoln entered the tent, letting out a tired sigh as he smiled weakly at Octavia. “Heya, niron.” He breathed out, welcoming the woman’s warm embrace. Bellamy watched as Lincoln’s shoulders sagged with relief from just the simple comfort of having his mate near. She didn’t need to say anything, just having her close was enough.

Bellamy forced his eyes away from the scene, looking back down at the figurine he was carving. It was hard seeing them so happy, so.. content. He knew it wasn’t fair, that he was just bitter, but it was hard to see them having what Bellamy too once had, what he wanted more than anything in this world, more than air.

But he had his chance, he had many chances in all actuality, and he fucked up every last one.

—

Murphy sniffed his nose, his head pointed down at the ground as he made his way through the tent city. Ignoring all the people that called out to him, asking him if he was okay, if he needed anything, Murphy shrugged them off, biting his tongue just long enough to make it back to Nyko’s tent, dropping his basket near the entrance.

Hesitantly looking up, he locked eyes with his mentor. He already knew how pathetic he must have looked, his face swollen and red from crying, snot clogging his nose.

Murphy forced his eyes away before Nyko could say anything, beelining towards his bed and falling into it. Rolling over to face the tent wall, Murphy pulled his blanket up over his shoulders, hiding himself away as he heard the man sigh.

His eyes stung with unshed tears as he listened to Nyko getting a few things together. “Goodnight, nomfa. I’ll be back in a little bit.” Nyko said in a gentle voice, stepping out to go god knows where.

Sucking in a shaky breath, Murphy finally let his tears fall.

Feeling lonelier than he had ever felt in his life, Murphy closed his eyes and cried himself into a fitful sleep.

Chapter Text

Blinking open his bleary eyes, Bellamy let out a tired sigh. Just like the night before, Nyko’s medicine didn’t offer more than a few restless hours of sleep, if he could even call it that. Being knocked out wasn’t the same as sleeping, it stopped him from going insane, but it wasn’t the same. He couldn’t just sleep, he couldn’t rest.

It was still dark out, he could hear Octavia’s soft snoring coming from the other side of the tent. If he had to guess, it would still be a couple of hours until dawn. Grabbing the edge of his blanket that had fallen off in his sleep, Bellamy pulled it over his shoulders and rolled onto his stomach.

Feeling wide awake, Bellamy just stared at the tent wall, brushing his fingers through the fur beneath him. Worming his hand under his pillow, he stilled as he touched the pokey ends of the sweet grass he kept hidden underneath it. The solemness that had become familiar, settled over him, cloaking his body just like the blanket thrown over his back, weighing down heavily on him.

Bellamy frowned as he pulled the bundle of grass out from it’s shameful hiding place and brought it to his nose. Murphy hadn’t stayed here long enough for his scent to imbed itself into their bed, it was gone within a day. This sweet grass was the only thing he had to remind himself of the omega, but it wasn’t enough, it wasn’t real, it wasn’t Murphy.

Memories of his childhood were no longer the first thing he thought of when he smelled this scent. He didn’t think of the afternoons he spent laying in meadows with his family, he couldn’t hear his mother’s gentle voice singing to herself as she braided it together, he couldn’t picture the singular stream of smoke that would rise from its embers when she burned it, always leaving a calm feeling in his heart the longer he stared into its red eye.

Now, when he breathed this scent into his lungs, all he saw were pale blue eyes, all he felt was the chill of goosebumps rising over his skin as soft fingertips trailed across his body, memorizing every scar, every freckle, every landmark that made Bellamy who he was.

Laying there in the darkness of night, Bellamy came to the realization that.. he had been ruined. Murphy had ruined him in the most beautiful way possible. The boy who fell from the stars had come crashing into his life and set Bellamy's entire soul on fire in the process, making it so that every breathe Bellamy took without him felt wrong, making it so he couldn’t exist without seeing the place where Murphy fit into it, the space Bellamy made just for him. There wasn’t a single part of him that Murphy hadn’t touched, hadn’t altered. Every bone, every drop of blood, every strand of hair, every cell of his body lived for the omega, yearned for him. Leaving his body aching in his absence. Bellamy didn’t know how he could ever feel whole again without him, without seeing the empty, Murphy-shaped space beside him.

And the worst part was, Murphy did it so easily, he didn’t even have to try. Where others had tried and failed, Murphy knocked down every single wall Bellamy built to hide his true self behind, and Bellamy let him, stripping him bare, exposing the ugliness shamefully hidden away and loved him anyway.

At least that’s what Bellamy thought. Now all Bellamy had was broken walls, his heart bleeding and exposed. And he didn’t know if he had the strength to put them back up.

—

Murphy didn’t feel any better when he woke up. Both Nyko and him remained silent as he took their group farther into the woods today.

He appreciated that about him, Nyko could always read the room perfectly, always knew when to push and when to just leave it alone. Murphy didn’t even know what he thought himself, didn’t know how to put it into words, didn’t know how to say it without crying. There was no way he could have explained it to someone else.

“Do you see these red berries here?” Nyko asked as they made it to their destination, the others fanning out around them. Murphy nodded, barely listening as Nyko showed him the leaves, explaining how to differentiate them from other berries. “I need at least a basket full of these.. They usually grow where it’s more shaded, so I’d look around here, under these bushes.” Nyko said in a gentle voice. Nodding again, Murphy kneeled down and got himself settled.

Leaving him to it, Nyko walked around to the others, explaining what plants he needed, directing them to the areas they were known to grow, just like the day before.

Throwing himself into his work, Murphy drowned out everything around him. He didn’t want to think right now, he didn’t want to feel.

A few hours in, Murphy had managed to fill his basket a little over half way full. He sighed down at the area he had cleared and stood up, moving a few feet to the side.

He looked up as a voice called out from the direction of camp and spotted a kid running towards them, waving his arm to get their attention. “Fisa! Komfoni Sara em haken.” The young boy said, jogging over to where Nyko was getting up. “Hanch taim?” Nyko asked, brushing the dirt off his knees as he followed the boy back to camp. Murphy watched the kid shrug, mumbling how his mother sent him out here to grab the healer. Nyko nodded, ruffling the boy’s hair as they passed Murphy.

“I’ll be back as soon as I am finished. You’ll be okay?” The beta asked, placing his hand on the boy’s back to direct him back to camp. Murphy nodded, watching them as they walked away, until they were just tiny little blips in the distance, until his vision started to cross from how disconnected he was.

He jumped as an older woman came up behind him, softly touching his shoulder. “Yu laik ait, Oma?” She asked, Murphy cleared his throat as he quickly nodded his head, turning back to what he was doing. Stealing a glance of the horizon, he realized Nyko and the kid were completely gone, he didn’t even know how long he had been staring off.

Shaking the fog from his mind, Murphy refocused on the task he was given. If he could get lost in it again, he could numb himself for a little while longer, yeah, he could make it through the day, he just had to get back into his groove.

He felt his hackles raise as the woman rubbed his back briefly before walking back to her spot, leaving him be. Letting out the breath he had been holding, Murphy inched himself forward and pushed the brush back, exposing the berries hidden underneath.

Slowly picking a handful, Murphy stilled as his eyes fell down to a cluster of purplish-blue berries growing beside the red ones, almost hidden completely by the overgrowth of leaves and moss. The boy felt his heart come to a stop, instantly recognizing what kind of plant it was. The berries rolled out of his hand, plopping down into the spongy forest floor as he slowly reached for the blue ones. Murphy felt his eyes start to sting as he struggled to rip a sprig of it free, could feel his breaths begin to shake as he worried the twig back and forth, fighting the still green fibers. Remembering the shears Nyko had given him early, he dug his free hand into his pocket, nicking himself in his rush to pull them out.

As soon as he snipped it free, he dropped the shears and softly cradled the plant in his hand, carefully plucking a single berry free.

They were juniper berries.

Rolling it between his fingers, he felt how hard they were, like little pebbles rather than actually berries. Crushing it between his fingers, Murphy’s bottom lip started to quiver as its sweet, piney scent found his nose. The scent he missed so much, the one he was too embarrassed to admit, but had been consciously searching for everywhere, hoping desperately to catch just a fleeting trace of it. Just like the morning after this whole shit storm happened, the pheromones that had clung to Murphy’s clothes smelled angry, domineering, only making him anxious, forcing him to change his clothes. Or even just the other night, after Nyko came back smelling like Bellamy. Murphy’s face burned with shame as he remembered that night, waiting until the healer had fallen asleep so he could sniff the faint remnants that clung to the cuffs of Nyko’s discarded shirt. But Bellamy smelled sad that night, so it wasn’t much help either.

Feeling like an addict finally getting their fix, his shaking hands brought the sprig up to his nose, inhaling the comforting scent deep into his lungs. A tear slid down his face as his eyes fluttered shut, he could almost feel Bellamy’s strong arms wrapping around him, could feel his blunt nails, gently scratching over his back. It was almost Bellamy, but not enough, it wasn’t really him, it wasn’t real. It was just a stupid fucking plant.

The thoughts, the emotions he had been trying to numb, to snuff out came roaring back to life, and all it took was one whiff of this stupid plant. All it took was the reminder of what Murphy didn’t have, of what he selfishly tossed aside in a fit of misguided anger.

Murphy so fucking stupid. He was so selfish. God, he missed Bellamy. He missed his alpha. He didn’t want to be alone anymore.

He slapped a hand over his mouth, failing to keep in the sob that rose up from deep in his chest. “Oma?” Murphy shook his head as their footsteps hurried over to him, he could feel their worried eyes burrowing into him, their cautious hands caressing his back, his shoulders. Murphy scrunched up his shoulders when someone placed their hand on his nape, another pitiful sound escaping him. “Yu laik ait, Oma?” “Osir hon in beda Nyko.” Their worried voices came from all around him, setting every single one of his nerves of fire. They spoke softly, but they might as well have been screaming, each word like nails on a chalkboard. “Jos blou, Oma.”

Murphy tightened his hand around the plant in his palm, holding it protectively over his heart when they tried to grab his hands. “Get away from me.” Murphy sobbed out, shaking his head when it only brought them in closer. God, he felt like he couldn’t breathe, like the people around him were eating up all his air. Looking past all of them, Murphy’s eyes darted all around the forest, back towards camp, his chest heaving as he panted for air. He had to get away from them, he had to get back home.

Crawling forward, Murphy cried as they followed him, trying to get him to just stay still. “Let go of me.. Please.” He whispered, pushing away their hands as they tried to brush the hair from his face. A series of wet sobs racked through his chest as he covered his ears, trying desperately to muffle their voices, their touches, so he could focus on just calming down. He couldn’t calm down, he couldn’t breath, he didn’t want to be here, he wanted to be with Bellamy, he needed Bellamy.

“In.. au.. in-” They said in unison, trying to get him to breathe with them. A long drawn out wail cut the woman off, drowning out the sounds of their voices. “Get away from me.” Murphy screamed, shoving their hands away from him, forcing himself onto his feet so he could make his escape.

All he could hear was the pathetic sounds of his own sorrow, his ragged breaths as he stumbled back towards camp, the women’s concerned voices that clung to him like ghosts. The omega could barely see from how blurred his vision was, as soon as he’d wipe them, they would immediately fill again.

Making his way across the field, he could see the tent city a million miles away from him. “Leave—me—alone.” His voice cracked as he shrugged off their hands, moving as fast as he could.

“Oma! Yu laik ait? Chit’s gon daun?” “Leave me alone!” He finally snapped, turning to shove the closer one away. “Jesus, get the fuck away from me!” Murphy screamed, squeezing his fingers around the juniper plant, the needles digging into his palm.

Finally taking the hint, the grounders stayed put, letting him walk away. Murphy was just starting to catch his breath as he heard them call out again.

“Fisa! Som in gon daun Oma Mofi!” Murphy came to a halt, rubbing a hand over his face as the flock of women caught up to him again, he didn’t even have to look up to know Nyko was coming. Keeping his head down, Murphy put himself back into motion, shirking Nyko’s hands as he walked right past the man. “Murphy, what happened? Are you okay?” The beta asked, confused by the women crowding around him, all talking over each other to explain what was going on.

“No!” Murphy barked, smacking Nyko’s hand away. “I’m not fucking okay!” he shouted, startling the man by the sheer velocity of his voice. Murphy was fine when he left, it didn't take long for him to check on his patient, what could possibly have happened in the short amount of time he was gone?

“Just—Just leave me alone!” Murphy said, the frustration in his voice turning sadder with each word.

Nyko gawked at the boy as he kept walking, too shocked to hear the women’s frantic voices.

Bellamy, was all Murphy could think.

I need to get to Bellamy.

—

Bellamy hissed as he sliced his finger on his knife, panic flooding his body as the figurine he was carving fell from his hand. Looking up from the tree he had been sitting under, his eyes scanned over the empty field beside camp, the quiet forest behind him, finding nothing that raised any alarm or suspicion.

The alpha swallowed as a sense of urgency came over him, forcing him up onto his feet. Abandoning the pile of various carvings he had accumulated, Bellamy started walking back to camp. He didn’t know what this feeling was, where it was taking him, he just knew he had to go. That something was wrong.

Feeling his heart thudding sporadically in his chest, the alpha started to jog the more intense this feeling became. He didn’t know where he was supposed to go, he couldn’t really explain it, but he felt a tugging at his heart, pulling him back to camp.

—

Wiping all over his face to clear away the tears and snot, Murphy tried to keep his head high as he walked through the aisles of tents, towards Bellamy’s tent, towards home. He ignored all the looks he received as he stormed by, all the people that paused what they were doing to stare at him. Murphy covered his ears as they called out to him, asking if he was okay. Jesus, did it look like he was okay? Why did they keep fucking asking him that? Why did they care so much?

He didn’t care how he looked, he didn’t care what they thought. Murphy didn’t even know what he was going to say, god, what the fuck was he going to say to Bellamy. What was he going to do if Bellamy didn’t want to see him? Didn’t want to talk to him?—No— What was he thinking, this was Bellamy, this was his alpha, his true mate, he’d hear him out at least.

All his reassuring thoughts went out the window as Murphy stopped at the entrance of their tent, frozen by fear, by regret and anxiety. Bellamy thought they had broken up that night.. Murphy had been avoiding him for days.

Tears welled in his eyes as he remembered what he said to Bellamy that night. God, he was so fucking cruel. Bellamy had no reason to take him back, to forgive him for the awful things he said.

All he could think about was how selfish he had been, even now. He ignored Bellamy for days, let him suffer alone.. and then ran straight to him the moment Murphy broke down, the moment it all became too much. Did he really expect Bellamy to just accept him back with open arms?

Taking hold of the tent door, Murphy held his breath as he slowly pulled it open. He didn’t care if Bellamy hated him, he didn’t care how pathetic he looked begging for forgiveness, he needed him. He couldn’t live with himself if he didn’t at least try.

The tent was empty, Murphy could smell the subtle mix of all of their scents blended together. It smelled like the house did, but this time, it didn’t smell happy and inviting. It didn’t smell like home. It smelled miserable and stressed, leaving a bitter taste in the back of his throat.

Leaving the juniper berries at the door, his feet moved without his control, pulling his body towards Bellamy’s bed. Murphy collapsed to his knees in the pile of fur and blankets. The omega’s lip began to quiver as a plume of Bellamy’s scent wafted up around him, the acrid odor only making him sadder, but it was better than nothing. It was real. It was his alpha.

Finally alone, Murphy blubbered out a wet sob, grabbing the closest blanket to smother his face in.

—

Bellamy was panting as he made his way through camp, carefully stepping around the crowds of people just going about their day, completely oblivious to the sense of dread quickly taking over his mind. The alpha tried to keep his composure as he spotted Nyko rushing across the road, ripping open the door to his tent. “Murphy? Are you here?” He heard Nyko’s frazzled voice call out.

The alpha broke into a sprint to catch up with the healer, barreling his way into his tent. “Bellamy—What are you doing here?” Nyko asked as he stood up from Murphy’s bed. Looking all around the tent, Bellamy’s knees felt weak as the scent of his omega filled his nose, rain and rotting leaves. It smelled like autumn.

“Is Murphy here? Is he okay?” He forced out, swallowing the saliva that began to pool in his mouth. Bellamy sucked in a shaky breath when Nyko shook his head, his thick brow furrowing in worry. “He.. he wasn’t okay. I don’t know what happened to him, they said he just started crying out of nowhere and ran away.” Bellamy cursed under his breath, pulling at his hair as he futilely looked around the tent again, like the boy would magically appear out of thin air, like he was hiding in one of Nyko’s many baskets. “He went back to camp but I haven’t found him.. I checked the infirmary already. I don’t—I don’t know where he is.” Nyko said, his shoulders tense with stress.

Scrunching his eyes closed, Bellamy tried to take in deep breaths, focusing on this feeling in his chest. He could still feel it tugging at his heart, like a rope had been tied around him. He didn’t hear any voices, but he could feel Murphy calling out to him, needing him to come find him.

Without saying another word, Bellamy rushed out of the healer’s tent, letting this rope that connected them pull him along. “Bellamy—Bellamy,” he barely heard Nyko calling out to him, following him out. “Do you know where he is?” His muffled voice asked from behind him, catching up to his quick pace.

“I think so.” Was all he could say.

Heading towards.. his own tent, Bellamy steeled himself as he approached his home. There were two village women lingering outside, biting their nails in worry, leaving behind baskets of food and other supplies at the door. Spotting the second in command, they rushed over to him, spouting nonsense about Oma Mofi.

Bellamy nodded as they confirmed that Murphy was inside, half listening as he gently pushed them aside to get to the door. He could smell the odor of rotting leaves even from outside. “Murphy, are you in there?” Nyko shouted from behind him, directing the women out of Bellamy’s way.

“Go away.” An anguished voice wailed from inside, Murphy’s voice cracking with emotion.

The alpha frowned as he just.. stared at the door. Murphy had come home. He came back to him.. but at what cost? This pain Bellamy felt through their connection, it was only a fraction of Murphy was feeling, had he been the cause of it? He thought Murphy didn’t want anything to do with him anymore. Had he taken it too far? Should he have gone after him? Fuck, he was so pathetic, why did he ignore it? His mate was suffering and he just ignored it? What was wrong with him?

Looking down at the ground, he spotted a crushed sprig of.. juniper. Crouching down, he picked it up, his brow furrowing at the small amount of blood smeared on it.

Bellamy’s head shot up as a broken sob reached his ears, forcing his body into motion. Ripping aside the tent flap, he stormed into their home, his eyes immediately falling down to the squirming pile of clothes and blankets on his bed.

“I said go away!” Murphy's muffled voice screamed, emerging from underneath the nest of clothes to hurl a pillow at his feet. Murphy froze as he met Bellamy’s eyes. “B-” He started, his mouth curling down in a frown as his eyes filled with tears. Bellamy’s heart clenched as the omega broke, his shoulders deflating as an endless stream of sobs left his lips. “Bell—Bellamy.” He cried out, digging the heels of his palms into his eyes.

Unable to stay away even a second longer, Bellamy closed the distance between them, falling to his knees in front of Murphy. The omega scrambled to wrap his arms around his neck, wailing into his skin. Pulling the boy into his lap, Bellamy hushed him as he wrapped an arm around his waist, his free hand cradling the back of his head. “I’m here, sofon.” He whispered, kissing all the bits of skin he could reach, the pet name eliciting another cry.

“I’m sorry—I’m so sorry.” Murphy blubbered out, tightening his limbs around Bellamy like he was scared he would run away, like this wasn’t exactly where Bellamy wanted to be.

Loosening his hold, Bellamy had to force Murphy away from his shoulder to see his face. The alpha’s brow knitted together as he brushed his thumb over Murphy’s cheek, wiping the tears from his red and splotchy face. “John.. Tell me what’s wrong.” He said softly, his heart swelling as the boy finally opened his swollen eyes for him, hiccuping with each breath.

“I didn’t—I didn’t mean it—I’m sorry—I didn’t mean what I said.” The omega struggled to say, shaking his head as more tears spilled from his eyes, wetting Bellamy’s thumb.

Bellamy frowned as his own eyes stung with tears, seeing just how much this anguish upset his mate. Pulling him back in, Bellamy tightened his arms around Murphy. He hushed the boy as he continued to sob out his apology. “I was so stupid.” He hiccuped, burying his face into Bellamy’s neck.

“Just breathe, sofon.” Bellamy whispered, pressing his fingers into Murphy’s scent glands to try and ground him, kissing the boy’s cheek as he whimpered, his shoulders relaxing under the alpha’s touch.

Bellamy didn’t know if he could accept his apology, he had spent so much time thinking he was in the wrong.. he never expected this apology. He was so distraught about losing his mate, he didn’t even have time to process that.. Murphy abandoned him. Bellamy felt like he was just.. tossed aside. Was he ready to just accept Murphy back? Just like that? Just because he came back to him? Just because it hurt him too?

Yes, he knew that his actions hurt Murphy, he understands that now. He felt the pain Murphy was going through the entire time.. But he was hurt too. He didn’t care if Murphy yelled at him, fought with him, it meant he wanted to try, it meant he wanted to get through it together.

But Murphy walked away from him. He left without even trying to resolve it. That’s what bothered him the most.

“Take me away from here.” Murphy hiccuped into his skin. “Please.. I can’t take it anymore.” He whispered.

Steeling himself, Bellamy ran his fingertips down the omega’s back soothingly, a firm expression crossing over his features.

“Okay.” He said, nodding his head. “We’ll leave in the morning.”

—

Bellamy eventually moved them to lay down, kissing the omega’s ruddy face as he quickly fell asleep, his breakdown utterly exhausting him.

Staring down at his sleeping face, Bellamy ran his knuckles across Murphy’s skin, feeling how warm his skin was from crying. BrushIng his thumb over the omega’s lips, he looked towards the door as someone entered the tent. It was Octavia.

Her mouth fell open as she stared down at the boy, the sight of him actually being here shocking her into silence.

Bellamy carefully stood up from their bed, pulling the blanket over Murphy before grabbing a pack. “I’m taking him to the cabin in the morning. Not sure how long we’ll be there.” Was all he said, finally dragging her attention away from the sleeping boy. “Bell-” “I’m gonna go get everything ready. If he wakes up, could you just let him know I’ll be back?” He asked, stopping in front of her. Octavia’s face went slack with.. he didn’t know, pity? Sympathy maybe, whatever it was, it didn’t feel good. “Please? O, I-” He paused, looking down at the ground, he didn’t know what to say to her. He didn’t want to hear what she had to say right now. He didn’t know what he was feeling right now. He felt pathetic, knew he looked pathetic. Taking the omega back the moment he came running back.

But who wouldn’t? When your promised one looked at you the way Murphy looked at him. When you know they were hurting just as much as you were.

“I’ll watch him.. Go.” She said quietly, looking back towards the bed. Bellamy could tell she had more to say, but held her tongue, for his sake.

“Thank you.” He whispered, heading for the door.

—

It was dark by the time Murphy woke up from his nap, all he could see was the nesting material surrounding him. Sitting up, his heart sunk when he didn’t find Bellamy beside him, his side of the bed cold. Hearing the fire crackle as a log was placed into it, his breath caught in his throat as he saw Octavia crouched beside the hearth, a hardened expression on her face.

“Where’s Bellamy?” He asked, his voice just loud enough for her to hear. Murphy swallowed as she turned a scornful gaze towards him, before looking back into the fire, like it sicked her to look at him. He felt like he had been shot. Octavia had never looked at him like that before, but he knew he deserved it. He was ashamed to say he didn’t know the extent of what he put Bellamy through, Octavia’s look though.. That alone told him just how much the alpha suffered in his absence. Enough to make even Octavia hate him.

“He went out to get everything ready.. He should be back soon.” Octavia said curtly, throwing another log onto the fire. Murphy nodded as he looked back down, nervously running his fingers through the fur blanket on his lap, the tension in the air so thick, he could have cut it with a knife. He didn’t feel welcomed here, he didn’t feel like he was home.

Murphy’s head shot up as the girl began to speak again. “If you ever put my brother through that again..” Octavia said quietly, her voice scarily calm. Looking into her eyes, Murphy felt like he was being hunted. “I’ll kill you.” She said.

Knowing her, he knew she meant it.

Feeling the submissive need to divert his gaze, Murphy’s eyes fell back down to the bed, nodding his head in understanding. With that out of the way, she went back to prepping for dinner.

Drawing his knees up, Murphy remained silent, his eyes glued to the door as he waited for his alpha to return, somehow feeling even worse than he did before. Somehow feeling like an even bigger piece of shit that he already was.

Chapter Text

Staring up at the ceiling, Bellamy ran his fingers up and down Murphy’s side absentmindedly as he ran through the list of things he had to do before they left. He thought it would distracted him from the uncomfortable feelings clouding his mind, but it wasn’t working very well.

Here he laid, his mate in his arms, the very place he could only pray to be back in. He should be the happiest person in the world. He thought it would all be better if Murphy just came back to him. But his joy was now poisoned with doubt, fear that the next time they fought Murphy would run away again. Leaving him to suffer alone, to sulk in his own misery.

Murphy was a fighter, Bellamy was a fighter. It was only a matter of time before they clashed on something.

Shaking the thoughts from his head, Bellamy looked down at the boy beside him, his sleeping face twitching as he dreamed. Murphy was so beautiful..

Letting out a sigh, the alpha carefully untangled himself from the boy to start getting ready. It would be dawn soon and Bellamy wanted to leave at first light, knowing they both couldn’t stand another second in Camp Jaha.

This past night was the most awkward night of his life. Nobody said a word, the looks shared among them saying enough. Avoiding the obvious tension in the air, the issues that have yet to be resolved. Octavia never was good at hiding her emotions, but even Bellamy’s skin crawled under the predatory glare she kept on Murphy the entire evening. Lincoln was a little nicer, joining his mate in her silent treatment, but he at least had a look of understanding in his eyes when he looked at them.

Tying the laces of his boots, Bellamy hesitated before pressing a chaste kiss to Murphy’s temple before heading out to the stables to get his horse.

—

Pulling the old girl through the tent city, Bellamy chuckled softly when she kept trying to eat his hair, chuffing happily in his ear. “Yeah, I missed you too.” He said softly, scratching the star on her forehead like she loved.

Everything was packed, he just needed to load it all up. Bellamy had already gone around last night and told everyone who needed to know that Murphy and him were leaving for a while. If he forgot anything, he figured they could live without it for now.

Tying the reins on a nearby post, Bellamy felt a sense of quiet peace wash over him as he scratched her cheeks, the horse’s calm behavior making him feel the same. “At least you still like me.” He mumbled jokingly, kissing her star.

Leaving her there, Bellamy walked into the tent and was met with his sister, crouched beside the hearth, stoking the dying coals back to life. Giving her a tight lipped smile, he turned to the satchels he had left by the door last night and brought them out.

It didn’t take him long to get everything ready, now all he had to do was wait for Murphy to wake up.

Lowering himself into the chair closest to the fire, Bellamy let out a sigh, rubbing a hand down his face. He couldn’t sleep again last night, there was no way he could have even without the sleeping issues he had been having. But Bellamy was slowly getting used to the long nights, as much as he hated how lost in his mind it made him, he did appreciate the time it gave him to think, to try and understand the emotions he was overwhelmed by. He had a little bit of a better grasp on them, he just didn’t know where to start, what to say and what to just.. keep to himself. What grievances could he just live with? What fights could he live with remaining unresolved?

“How long do you think you’ll be gone?” Octavia asked, breaking the long stretching silence. Bellamy could understand the resentment she held for Murphy right now, knew he would feel the same way if it was her going through this instead of him. But at the same time, he loved Murphy, he couldn’t say no to him, he couldn’t turn him away. Bellamy wanted to fight, he wanted to get past this so they could move on.

The alpha shrugged as he looked into the fire. “Couple days at least.” He murmured, his voice quiet. Nodding her head, Octavia went back to snapping twigs in half, tossing them into the flames. He thought that was the end of it, he knew she had more to say, but he thought she’d just keep it to herself a little while longer.

“Don’t-” She sighed, looking down at her hands. “I know you love him, I do too.” Octavia whispered. “But don’t just.. forgive him because you’re afraid of losing him.” She said, meeting his eyes. Bellamy could see the fire in them, the one she inherited from their mother. “Finding your swegawon.. It’s not perfect all the time. It’s not all sunshine and rainbows like the stories dad used to tell us at night.. But it’s not supposed to hurt like this either.” She stressed, shaking her head as she looked back into the flames. “The mountain changed both of you. Neither of you are the same and you’re a fool if you can’t see that.. But you can’t let it break you. You can’t let it tear you two apart.” Octavia stressed.

She paused to stare at her brother, letting out a tired sigh. “Sometimes we take our emotions out on the people we love the most. Because we know they’re safe with them, because we know it won’t scare them off.” She uttered, looking down at her hands. Bellamy wondered where she got this wisdom from, what she had to go through to learn it. He wondered when she stopped being the little girl he raised and turned into the woman before him.

Looking over to where Lincoln was still sleeping, he wondered if they ever had a fight that nearly broke them. He knew they had their disagreements, knew they fought like any other couple, but they always worked it out. They chose each other, they chose to love each other more than their problems. That's what he wanted with Murphy. “It’s not fair, but it happens. And it hurts because we were the ones to let them in, because.. we love them so much we forget they make mistakes..” She said softly, following Bellamy’s trail of sight to her own mate. “You have to decide if this was just a mistake. If this mistake is forgivable.. If he deserves to be forgiven.” She said, her voice firm.

“I know..” Octavia trailed off. Turning back to her sincere eyes, Bellamy felt like he wasn’t speaking to his little sister, felt like it was their mother speaking through her. “I know it feels like you couldn’t live without him, like you can’t breathe.” She said, the firelight exposing the glossy tears growing in her eyes. “But being alone is a hell of a lot better than standing next to someone who doesn’t deserve to be there.”

Biting the inside of his cheek, Bellamy nodded as he looked down at his hands. She was right, he was scared of losing Murphy. Of walking this earth alone, his promised one just out of reach.

“I’m not saying you should just.. walk away from your swegawon. People like Murphy don’t fall from the sky everyday.” Octavia said, breathing out a tense laugh. “But don’t let the fact that he is your mate.. allow him to walk all over you. Don’t let your love for him destroy you.”

Bellamy felt his eyes sting, it was like she could read his mind, like she see all the fears and insecurities he had building up inside. Octavia could see right through him, she always could.

Their heads whipped over to the bed as a frightened whimper filled the air. Instantly on his feet, Bellamy crossed the tent to Murphy and sat down beside him, pushing the sweaty strands of hair off his face. “John?” He whispered gently, brushing his knuckles down the boy’s tear-stained cheek, his face scrunched in fear as it lulled from side to side. “Sofon, you’re okay, just wake up.” He cooed, shaking his shoulder a little.

A startled sound escaped Murphy’s mouth as he flinched awake, his chest heaving as his scared eyes looked all around him. “Hey, you’re okay. It was just a bad dream.” Bellamy said, his brow furrowing in worry and confusion when Murphy quickly grabbed his face after realizing it was just him, brushing his thumbs around Bellamy’s eye sockets. The omega took a shaky breath, calming a little as he looked over Bellamy’s unharmed face, the eyes that were still there. “Hey, you’re okay, I’m okay.” Bellamy whispered, nodding his head as he pulled the boy closer, letting him bury his face into his neck.

Bellamy wondered what horrors his dreams showed him throughout the night, wondered how many nights Murphy woke up in a panic, all alone. He thought his inability to sleep was bad, but maybe the opposite was just as bad.

From across the tent, Octavia frowned as she watched the entire interaction. Looking past all their problems, are their wrongdoings, she could see the love they shared for each other. The way just having each other near was enough to bring them peace, like how she felt when Lincoln was near. All she could do was hope they worked it out, so they could start loving each other without holding anything back, without the cloud of doubt and resentment hanging over them.

She hoped they freed themselves.

—

When it came time to go, Murphy swallowed down his nerves and let Bellamy hoist him up onto the horse without any fight. He had done enough already, he was still embarrassed about how he reacted when he woke up, the least he could do was go along with it and give the guy a break.

With his arms loosely wrapping around Bellamy’s waist, Murphy rested his head on the man’s back, his eyes looking out into the forest still covered in the morning fog. Murphy felt like he could finally breathe freely out here, away from everyone, from all the hovering hands and worried eyes. Out here, all he heard was the twittering of birds, the sound of twigs and leaves being crumpled under the horse’s hooves. He wouldn’t say it was a particularly comfortable silence, but it wasn’t so bad that he felt the need to speak. He knew what was coming though, another fight to fix the last one, he could almost laugh at the irony of it. It felt like the calm before a storm, the anticipation of something worse just on the horizon.

Nuzzling his face into the alpha’s shirt, Murphy let out a shaky breath. Bellamy’s scent definitely helped, but a part of him felt bad for even needing him. In some weird way, it felt like he was using Bellamy.

“We’ll be there soon.” Bellamy muttered softly, directing the horse down the familiar path to Tondc.

The closer they got, the quieter the forest became, it was almost deafening how quiet it was. Lifting his head, Murphy’s brow furrowed as green slowly faded away to gray, trees and plants charred to ashes. An eerie feeling settled into Murphy’s stomach, heavy like a stone as the horse walked through the ruined remains of their past life. This was the first time Murphy had been back to Tondc, the first time he had seen its desolation.

He could see where crews had begun filling in the craters caused by the bomb, their tools and equipment all scattered around, the piles of scrap that could be salvaged for the rebuild come springtime.

Turning to Bellamy, Murphy frowned as the alpha slowly gazed across his hometown, what was left of it, which really wasn’t anything. There wasn’t anything left.

Murphy couldn’t even imagine the sorrow Bellamy was feeling. It was one thing to hear about it, it was another to see it with your own eyes. He himself may not have spent much time there, but nowhere in the world, nowhere in the universe had ever felt so much like home. Looking to the side, Murphy could see the plots where homes used to be, where people lived their entire lives. This was where Bellamy grew up, this was the town that raised him. He wondered how many memories this ground held, were they all gone? Or did this earth remember them? The solemn energy in the air made him think it was the latter, as if the soil beneath them mourned the loss of Tondc too.

Murphy felt the deep, shaking breath Bellamy pulled in as he pushed on, his jaw clenched as he carefully directed his horse around the uneven ground. Bringing a hand up to touch Bellamy’s heart, Murphy was startled by how quickly the man reached for the appendage, squeezing his hand so tightly it began to hurt as Bellamy threaded their fingers together. Seeing the glossy sheen in the man’s eyes, Murphy tucked his face into his back, letting Bellamy draw strength from him.

Realizing which direction Bellamy was taking them, Murphy shook his head. “Bellamy we don’t have to do this, don’t-“ The omega urged, concern written all over his face as the horse took them towards their hut. “Don’t do this to yourself, Bell.” He whispered, his brow furrowing as he stared up at the alpha. Bellamy’s face had hardened, all emotions gone as they grew closer to the pile of rubble that was once their home. “I need to do this.” Bellamy muttered, tightening his grip on the reins until his knuckles turned white.

Bellamy needed to see the extent of what the mountain had done to them. Since the day Lincoln told them about the explosion, his mind kept coming back to it, wondering how bad it really was, if they were just exaggerating. But now he knew, they weren’t lying.

Pulling back on the reins, Bellamy stopped them a few feet from where their front door used to be. All that was left were a few charred beams, the stone foundation. The rest of the structure laid in heaps of collapsed burnt material, he couldn’t even walk through it if he tried.

Sliding off the horse, Bellamy slowly stepped closer, squatting down to pick up one of the many pieces of rubble scattered around, feeling over the rough surface. This stone was once a part of his home, helped to hold up the many walls, helped keep them warm in the winter.

This was the home his parents built for them. Bellamy could still picture the room Octavia was born in, he could still see the outline of where the hearth used to be, the table they would share meals at. Looking towards the back corner, Bellamy let out a sad chuckle as he remembered the very place he punched Lincoln for the first time, after discovering him and Octavia kissing behind the house when they were teenagers. He could see all of them, all the memories they created over a lifetime, destroyed in an instant.

Bellamy bit his lip as he heard Murphy jump down off the horse, shaking his head as his footsteps came up beside him. Dropping his head into his hand, Bellamy let a single sob escape from his lips. As Murphy kneeled down, hugging him from his side, Bellamy’s legs gave out from where he was crouched down, falling into Murphy’s arms as he let his tears finally fall.

“It was just a building, Bellamy, nothing more.” Murphy whispered, turning them so he could embrace the man properly, letting Bellamy bury his face into the curve of his neck. Cupping the alpha’s nape, Murphy stroked his thumb over Bellamy’s scent gland as he hushed him. “The memories you made here, they didn’t die here, they’re not gone.” Murphy reassured him, pushing Bellamy away just enough to place his hand over his heart. “They’re here, and they will always be here.”

Looking into Bellamy’s desperate, tear filled eyes, Murphy frowned, brushing his raven-colored curls out of his face. “I am sorry though.” The boy whispered, bringing their foreheads together.

Bellamy’s shoulders hiccuped as he started to calm down. “We—We’ll rebuild.” Bellamy said, his voice cracking with sorrow. “That’s right.” Murphy said softly, nodding his head. “We’re gonna rebuild, and it’s gonna be even bigger and better than the last one.. Where we’ll make even more memories.” He said, tilting Bellamy’s chin up to stare into his beautiful deep brown eyes. “One with thick walls we can’t hear Octavia snoring through.” Murphy teased, trying to lighten the mood. A weak smile pulled at his mouth when Bellamy let out a wet laugh, wiping the moisture from his face.

He watched as Bellamy took a deep, shaky breath, collecting himself. “Okay.” Bellamy murmured, taking Murphy’s hands to stand back up.

Taking one last look at what they lost, they turned away and kept going. After all, they couldn't rewrite the past, it was the only thing they could do.

—

“There it is.” Bellamy announced, tilting his chin up. Peeking around his shoulder, Murphy could see a small log cabin in the distance, tucked away in the trees.

“So that’s the cabin.” The boy breathed out, it was quaint. It was always mentioned in passing, but they never did have the chance to show him or tell him much about it. He always wondered what it looked like, what it meant to them.

Murphy could see Bellamy nod in his peripheral, turning to look at the alpha, he could see the bittersweet relief on Bellamy’s face as he stared out at the cabin, the relief that this at least hadn’t been stolen from them.

Leaning into him, Murphy felt as the alpha rubbed his thumb over the top of his hand nervously, clearing his throat. “My uh.. My mom was an omega.” Bellamy started, keeping his eyes forward as his voice grew tense. “She was a very private person.. She didn’t like spending her heats in Tondc so.. my father built this cabin for her, as a courting gift.” A small smile pulled at Murphy’s lips as the alpha let out a sad huff. It was never easy for Bellamy to talk about his parents, but it never stopped him from doing so, from telling Murphy all about them, no matter how much it hurt.

Murphy suddenly realized.. he loved that about him. How tender-hearted Bellamy was. He knew Bellamy wasn’t like this for many people, it made Murphy’s heart swell to know he was one of the lucky few to see this side of him, made him want to show his own heart too. “A love shack, huh?” Murphy said softly, earning himself a breathy chuckle from the alpha.

Bellamy nodded as he looked back up at the cabin, a weak smile pulling at the corners of his lips. “Yeah,” He whispered. “We use it for our own cycles now, or whenever we.. feel like disappearing.” The man said, shrugging.

Cresting the final hill up to the cabin, Bellamy brought them to a halt and carefully dismounted. Murphy took the hand that was held out for him, letting Bellamy lift him by the waist.

He was glad Bellamy wasn’t looking earlier, because he nearly fell off the horse back in Tondc, just barely managing to catch himself. Jumping down on his own had sent shockwaves of pain up his legs and feet, so he appreciated the alpha’s help this time.

Taking the bags Bellamy handed to him, Murphy looked up in awe at the famed cabin, climbing the stairs up to the porch where two rocking chairs sat. Fumbling with the door handle, Murphy mumbled out a thanks as Bellamy reached around him to skillfully unlatch the lock, having spent his entire life opening it. “Doesn’t seem like that great of a lock.” Murphy murmured, picking up the bags again before pushing open the door. The alpha chuckled as he followed in after him, dropping their supplies by the door.

“It’s meant to keep animals out, not people.” Bellamy explained. “Besides, nobody bothers this place.” He breathed out, peeking into the box of wood meant for the fireplace.

“Why’s that?” Murphy asked, taking a look around. The inside of the cabin wasn’t huge, pushed up against the back wall was a bed, a fireplace just to the side of the doorway and a few windows. On the ground in front of the fireplace laid a big bear rug, slightly hidden underneath the couch and a few other chairs. Murphy could kind of smell the remnants of them, but it was faint. Noticing the open windows, he chuckled softly as he remembered the nature of this cabin, of course they kept it aired out.

“There’s not really anything to steal here.. If someone needs shelter, they’re welcome to use it as long as they clean up after themselves.” Bellamy mumbled, taking an axe off the wall from where it was hung. The alpha looked away as soon as their eyes met, clearing his throat. “We uh.. need some more wood. ” The alpha said awkwardly, raising the axe up before quickly walking back out.

Letting out a sigh, Murphy felt out of place as he looked around, like he was just one of the stranger’s that used this place for shelter. Nudging the wood box with his foot, he pushed it closer to the fireplace and squatted down, there was enough to get a fire going at least. The boy listened to the sound of an axe hitting wood as he placed the last of the firewood into the cold hearth, positioning it methodically, just like his grounders taught him.

—

Bellamy was outside for a while, long enough for Murphy to get some good coals going. Sitting down on the fur rug, Murphy was surprised at how comfortable it was, soft to the touch and provided more padding than he thought there would be. The longer he sat there, the more tired he grew, the heat of the fire kissing his skin perfectly.

Murphy knew Bellamy was avoiding him, knew he had to have chopped more than enough wood by now. He couldn’t exactly blame him either, the inevitable conversation that had been looming over both of them, the shame and regret of what he had done made him want to crawl into a hole and hide forever. The selfish part of him wished they could just act like it never happened, go back to how they used to be. It was good like that, they were good. But life didn’t work like that. That’s not what you do to someone you care about, to something that matters to you. Bellamy mattered to Murphy, and as uncomfortable as this strife made him, he wanted to make it right.

That fact alone, this nagging feeling of needing to do right by the alpha was foreign to Murphy. The old him didn’t care who he hurt, didn’t care about something as fickle as someone’s feelings. To hell with them, was what he told himself whenever someone got tired of dealing with him. If his actions hurt them, it wasn’t his responsibility to fix. Whether they left or stuck around was up to them, he didn’t give a shit.

But now he gave shit, at least when it came to Bellamy. He didn’t want Bellamy to get tired of him, cast him aside like all the other people that didn’t fucking matter in his life. Murphy could feel the repercussions of his actions weighing heavy on his shoulders, the heaviness in his heart when he thought too much about the miserable state he left Bellamy in.

Having long tuned out the sound of wood being chopped, his ears perked up as it all suddenly fell silent outside. Crawling over to the window, Murphy peeked his head up, just enough to see over the window frame.

The boy frowned as he watched Bellamy toss the axe to the ground in frustration, rubbing a hand over his face as he cursed to himself, pacing the wood chip covered ground anxiously.

Sliding down the wall, Murphy brought his knees up and wrapped his arms around them, feeling even worse. He didn’t understand why this was so hard, why he couldn’t just go out there and talk to him, why it scared him so much.

Murphy flinched as the sound resumed.

—

Bellamy let out a heavy breath as the split log he was trying to place in a neat stack along the side of the cabin slipped from his hands again, every muscle from his shoulders all the way down to his fingertips aching from overuse. He definitely overdid it, he could barely lift his arms.

The alpha closed his eyes as he took a calming breath. It was becoming clear to him that he couldn’t avoid Murphy any longer. He was running out of chores and his body simply wouldn’t let him.

Mustering just enough strength to fill his arms with wood, Bellamy slowly made his way up the stairs and pushed open the door. He paused in the doorway to look around, the fire was going, their stuff had been unpacked, the bed made. Bellamy pursed his lips as his eyes fell over Murphy, sitting on the edge of the bed, his head lowered as he stared at the wooden figurine in his hands, it was one Bellamy carved years ago, his fingers feeling over the aged wood.

Bellamy tried to figure out what he wanted to say, how to put his feelings into words, he tried for hours. But it was all for nothing, his mind going blank as he came face to face with the elephant in the room.

Walking over to the fireplace, Bellamy dropped the wood into the empty box and sat down on the floor, buying himself some more time by tending to the fire.

“We’re gonna have to talk about this.. aren’t we.” Murphy’s quiet voice reached his ears, forcing his eyes away from the flames. Bellamy looked away as those pale eyes looked up at him. He nodded, choosing to stare down at the log in his hand, feeling over the splinters.

“Where do we even start?” The omega said, huffing out a sad laugh as his head dropped into his hands.

Seeing the boy’s shoulder’s hitch was enough to lift Bellamy onto his feet, crossing the cabin over to the bed. Caressing the sides of his face, Bellamy tilted his head up, staring into the eyes of the boy he loved with his entire being.

Murphy hiccuped as the alpha slowly kneeled in front of him, their eyes never leaving each other’s as Bellamy rubbed his cheek into Murphy’s palm.

He frowned as Bellamy’s mouth opened, but no words came out, getting caught in his throat. “That.. night I-” The man started, his brow furrowing as he looked away. “I was so angry.. All I could see was red,” Bellamy whispered, shaking his head in disgust as he remembered the unfettered rage that overtook him. The ugly side of him he didn’t want Murphy to ever know, one he tried to bury deep inside him. “All I could think of was.. that day, when he hurt you and I couldn’t do anything about it. And it reminded me of all the times you got hurt, and I couldn’t— I couldn’t do anything.. That was just one day I failed you, it was just the first of many.” Bellamy said, his lips curling down as he looked back up at his mate. “I had no control in the mountain, over any of it.. I’ve-..” Bellamy’s breath quickened as his eyes filled with tears, his lip quivering as he relived the worst moments of his life. “I’ve never—felt so helpless.. I’ve never felt so weak.” He forced out before breaking entirely, hot tears rolling down his face as a sob escaped him.

Murphy frowned as a pang of sorrow struck his chest, but it didn’t feel like his own, it felt like Bellamy’s pain. Like the shame of knowing you let down the person most important to you. Pulling the alpha closer, Murphy kissed his cheek, nuzzling his face against the moist skin.

Taking a few shaky breaths, Bellamy swallowed down the painful lump in his throat, looking back into Murphy’s pale eyes. “So the moment I saw control I.. I took it. And it hurt you—I hurt you.” Murphy shook his head the more Bellamy went on, the more guilt he stacked onto his shoulders. “Seeing the look in your eyes that night.. How hurt you were—how scared you were of me—I just.. I lost it all over again, I lost control. I’m sorry—I’m so sorry.” Bellamy whimpered out. “I know it’s no excuse, I know it doesn’t take back what I did or what I said—I’m sorry.” The alpha whispered, holding onto Murphy’s wrists like a lifeline, like a tether to earth.

“I wasn’t scared of you, Bellamy.” Murphy said, shaking his head. “I was just scared.” He whispered, his bottom lip started to quiver as the alpha’s eyes softened with sadness, his own filling with tears. “Bellamy, I’m so scared.” His voice wobbled, covering his mouth as his shoulders hiccuped.

Murphy sobbed as the alpha surged forward, encompassing his waist in his arms. Locking his arms around Bellamy’s neck, Murphy desperately breathed in his piney scent, needing its comfort, needing its familiarity.

“I’m scared all the time. We’re free, but I don’t feel free.. I’m scared I’m going to wake up and be back in that fucking mountain, that none of this is real.” Murphy croaked out, the knot in the back of his throat making it hard to speak. “I’m scared you’ll grow sick of putting up with me—the days I woke up and you weren’t there-” Murphy paused as Bellamy pulled them apart, shaking his head in confusion. “It fucking sucked.” Murphy stressed, it was an understatement. He didn’t really know how to put into words how lonely he felt, waking up in a cold bed with nothing else beside him but his own scent. “And I know I told you to stay away, but I kept hoping you would just.. not listen to me. I wanted you to ignore what I said and just come back—and I know that’s stupid and selfish, but I just wanted you there.” Murphy cried, pulling at his hair. How prideful did he have to be to hope Bellamy would just come running back to him? Why was he so mad when the man was just doing what he asked? “I just—I don’t wake up like that anymore, I don’t—I don’t wanna wake up without you. I don’t want to live without—I don’t-” Murphy stuttered, his words fumbling out of him without thinking. “And it’s not because I’m lonely, it’s cause you weren’t there. My mate wasn’t there—and I know I was the one to push you away, I don’t know why I did that, I don’t..” Murphy rushed out, he knew he wasn’t making sense, but he had to say it, he had to get these feelings out, he couldn’t hold them in any longer. “You.. are my true mate, I know you are.” He whispered, caressing the alpha’s cheek as he frowned.

Taking a deep breath, Bellamy grabbed his chin, forcing their eyes to meet. “I’m not putting up with you..I will never be tired of you, John Murphy.” He said with so much conviction, Murphy couldn't help but believe him this time. “But you can’t-..” Bellamy’s voice cut out. Murphy watched as tears welled in his eyes once more, just waiting to spill over. “I need to know you’re not gonna run away.. I need to know that when it gets hard, when we fight, we’re going to fix it, together.” Bellamy’s voice was scared, but Murphy knew just how much strength it took for him to say it. “Whatever you got, I want. I want all of it, every side of you. You’re not gonna scare me away. I want you when we fight, I want you when you’re mad at me.. But you can’t do that—you can’t..” Bellamy trailed off, having to look away to find the courage to keep going.

Murphy’s vision blurred as he watched Bellamy steel himself, raising his head high despite the tears in his eyes. “If you leave again, you need to leave for good. Because I can’t-..” Bellamy breathed out, his voice choking up. He didn’t want to say it, but he had to in order to protect his heart, he needed Murphy to know just how close to breaking he came. The boy’s tears escaped his eyes, seeing in his mate’s eyes just how much leaving destroyed him. “I won’t survive it again.”

Murphy barely contained the sob that crawled up his throat, dropping his head in shame. The distance he created caused this, what he did made Bellamy doubt them, when he thought they were unbreakable. What he thought was just a fight, Bellamy thought was the end. “I’m so sorry.” Murphy sobbed out, burying his face in his hands.

“John,” Bellamy whispered, gently pulling his hands away. “I promise.” Murphy said before the alpha could say another word. Bellamy’s mouth fell open in surprise as Murphy grabbed the sides of his face, looking deeply into his eyes.

“I promise you, I’m not gonna leave. I’m gonna do better—I’m gonna be better.” Murphy pledged, nodding his head in earnest. “I don’t want to be anywhere but by your side, I-” Murphy paused as the realization hit him like a ton of bricks. Why Bellamy’s pain hurt him just as much, why he was so scared to lose him, why he would do anything to stand beside him.

Looking into Bellamy’s eyes, deep and rich as the soil that made the world go round, his heart swelled as he finally found the word to attach to how he felt. The feeling of being home, of being seen, truly seen. The feeling of being known. The relief of showing the ugliest parts of him without fear, knowing Bellamy will still hold him close, despite the mess that he was.

“I love you.” Murphy whispered, his voice soft but steady. He wasn’t scared to say it, there was no reason to be. This he could trust, Bellamy he could trust.

Murphy saw it, the relief in Bellamy’s eyes, the weight that fell from his shoulders like it was nothing. Bellamy’s entire body went slack as tears streamed down his face, leaning into Murphy’s palms. “I love you, Bellamy.” He repeated, liking the way the words fell from his lips, the sound of that phrase paired with his mate’s name.

Bellamy let out a sob of relief as he nodded, leaning forward to rest his forehead on Murphy’s. “I love you too.” The alpha whispered, for his ears only, his hands fisting the fabric of his clothes.

Brushing his thumb over the man’s tear stained cheek, all he could see was Bellamy, the freckles he loved oh so much, the tenderness he only saw in Bellamy’s eyes when he was looking at him. Staring into Bellamy’s soft brown eyes, Murphy could see his future.

“I don’t want anyone else, I don’t-..” Murphy’s breath caught in the back of his throat. “You make me feel things.. I didn’t think I could ever feel again, things I didn’t think I was capable of feeling.. Which makes them yours, this heart-” Murphy said, bringing Bellamy’s hand to his chest. “It's yours, it will always be yours—maybe it always has been.” Murphy couldn’t help but laugh at how sappy that sounded, he didn’t care, quickly wiping the tear that escaped Bellamy’s eye. “I don’t want to know the feeling of another person’s touch, I don’t want to learn another’s scent—you’re it.“ He said, rubbing his thumb over Bellamy’s scent gland. “You’ve ruined everyone else for me, no one else is good enough. You’re the only one for me.. You’re the only one.” Murphy said breathlessly, staring into those earth-colored eyes, deep enough for him to be buried in.

He whimpered as Bellamy surged forward, mashing their lips together in a desperate kiss. Murphy clung to Bellamy as the alpha lifted him into his arms, just to toss him higher up on the bed. Before Murphy could even reach out for him, Bellamy was back to kissing him, his arms slithering under him to hold him tight, Murphy hoped he never let go.

Throwing his head back into the pillows, Murphy moaned as his alpha kissed down his neck, whispering just how much he loved him into his skin. “I love you.” Murphy breathed out when Bellamy made his way back up, opening his mouth so he could taste Bellamy. “I love you.” Bellamy whispered into his mouth. “I’m never letting you go.” The alpha grunted, rubbing his face against any bit of skin that was exposed as he slotted himself in between Murphy’s legs. The omega nodded, breathing out a moan as he licked a stripe up Bellamy’s neck, savoring the salt of his skin. Running his hands down the alpha’s sides, Murphy slid them underneath Bellamy’s shirt so he could feel his warmth.

Bellamy faltered as he felt Murphy grabbing at the waist of his pants, trying to push them down. The alpha felt his face burn as he leaned back to look at the boy, brushing his thumb over Murphy’s own rosy cheeks. “Wh-.. Do you-” He stuttered as Murphy nodded quickly, grabbing him by his nape to pull him down into another heated kiss. The thought of having sex or doing anything even remotely sexual hadn’t crossed his mind since.. since the end of his rut. But now, smelling Murphy’s desire in the air, it was all he could think of. It was all he wanted.

“Please, Bell.. M-make love to me.” The omega said in a flustered tone, his face turning bright red with embarrassment. Bellamy dropped his head down to Murphy’s shoulder as his dick jumped in his pants, it was already half alive from just kissing the boy, but now it was as hard as wood. “Fuck.” Bellamy whimpered into his skin, his hips rutting down against Murphy all on their own.

Hearing his omega’s pretty moan in the air, Bellamy sat back on his haunches to rip his shirt off over his shoulders, tossing it to who knows where and who fucking cared, Murphy was all that mattered right now.

Leaning back down to lick into Murphy’s mouth, Bellamy’s skin prickled with goosebumps as he felt the boy’s fingertips trailing down his chest, nimble fingers undoing the laces of his pants. The alpha ran his hands down Murphy’s chest and grabbed the hem of his shirt, rucking it up much more gently than he did his own.

Tossing the article of clothing aside, he raked his eyes and hands down his mate’s body, Bellamy paused as Murphy threw an arm over his face, trying to hide from his embarrassment. “Don’t do that.” Bellamy said, his voice deep and rough. Grabbing Murphy’s hands, he threaded their fingers together before raising them above the boy’s head, leaning down to kiss his flushed skin. “Don’t hide.” He nearly growled into the omega’s ear, earning himself a pretty whimper.

Pecking the corner of his mouth, Bellamy sat back on his knees, dragging his callused hands down Murphy’s torso, his eyes grew hungrier as they followed his hands down the soft pale skin, still littered with nearly healed scabs and bruises, but beautiful nonetheless. The alpha wanted to cover them up with marks of his own, wanted to paint Murphy’s skin with love bites until all that was left was a mural of his affection. Bellamy swallowed down the saliva beginning to pool in his mouth, he felt like his heart would burst if it beat any faster. Running his thumbs over the omega’s nipples, Bellamy bit his lip to contain a grin as Murphy let out a soft moan, his smaller hands scrambling to cling to Bellamy’s wrists. “Bell-” He whimpered, his pale eyes fluttering shut. “Ai sofon, krei sola gon ai.” The alpha whispered, lavishing his tongue over one of the pebbled nubs. He could feel Murphy’s heart pounding under his palms, his chest heaving as he panted.

Feeling fingers thread into his hair, Bellamy moved on to undoing Murphy’s pants, curling his fingers under the waistband to carefully pull them down, stripping the cloth from his legs. Bellamy let his breath out slowly as ran his hands up Murphy’s legs, squeezing his thighs in his strong hands. He liked the way the meat of them squished between his fingers, Murphy was so soft, so beautiful and all his. Every part of the omega, given to him freely to have and to hold, to worship, every inch of skin, every jut of bone.

Bellamy chuckled softly as Murphy whined, squirming to close his legs. “What’s wrong, sofon?” He rumbled, taking one of his ankles to kiss, trailing his lips down his calf.

“Why am I the only one naked?” Murphy huffed, stealing his ankles back and placed them on Bellamy’s chest, pushing him back. The alpha quickly stood before he lost his balance entirely, his laughter falling quiet as he watched Murphy turn onto his hands and knees, crawling seductively to the edge of the bed. His pale blue eyes were mesmerizing, half-lidded with love and desire as he looked up at him. Bellamy didn’t understand how one person could be so beautiful, so sexy, so utterly perfect for him. Maybe he wasn't as unlucky as he once thought, how could he think that way when the Flame made him a mate as beautiful as the omega before him?

Nuzzling his face into Bellamy’s chest, Murphy couldn’t stop the pur that buzzed through his entire body. The boy plopped down onto his knees as he felt callused fingers brush through his hair, tilting his head up to his alpha. “I love you.” Bellamy whispered as he ran his knuckles down his cheek, sliding them over to tug at his ear. Every touch left his skin buzzing with electricity, the ache of wanting more.

“I love you.” Murphy said right back to him, reaching up to kiss him. The words rolled off his tongue like he had said them a million times, like they had always been true. Purring into his alpha’s touch, Murphy thought back to the idea of true mates being made of the same star, back when they were nothing but celestial rocks, burning through space. He always thought it was corny, just something romantics said, a story his dad used to tell him so he’d go to sleep dreaming of the very moment he was living right now.

Now, Murphy couldn’t help but smile at the idea, wondering how long ago they burned together throughout the universe, how long their carbon had waited to find each other again. Feeling Bellamy’s lips kissing his eyelids, Murphy felt complete. Like he had finally found what he had been missing for eons.

Bellamy held his face as Murphy loosened his pant laces and pushed them down, only pulling apart when Bellamy’s underwear got caught on his cock. They laughed as they struggled together to free it, a warm blush creeping onto both of their cheeks.

Murphy’s mouth watered as the alpha’s cock sprung free, bouncing lewdly in the air. Swallowing nervously, Murphy tried not to think about how the fuck this was supposed to fit inside him. As eager as he felt, he couldn’t help but remember the pain he briefly felt during Bellamy’s rut, before the alpha got a hold of himself. “Is it um.. It’s gonna hurt, isn’t it?” He murmured, lowering his hands to his lap as Bellamy stepped out of his pants.

When Bellamy didn’t automatically reply, Murphy looked up at him. The alpha’s lips were pursed as he looked down at his cock, wrapping a hand around it to give it a hesitant stroke, thinking how to word it without scaring the boy.

“It.. might. Just a little bit at first.” Bellamy said softly, kneeling down in front of him, hiding himself from the waist down from the omega. “It won’t hurt if we go slow.” Unlike last time, Murphy thought, that’s what went wrong—well, a lot of things had gone wrong then. But today was different. They had all the time in the world.

“We don’t have to do this, John.” Bellamy offered him an out, rubbing his hands up and down his thighs. Murphy noted how he purposefully didn’t bring them too far up his legs, avoiding his own hard on sticking straight up into the air. It didn’t stop the small bead of precum from dribbling out of his head, despite the fact Bellamy was barely touching him above the knees. It didn’t stop the drop of slick from running down his inner thighs. If anything, Bellamy’s gentle reassurance somehow made him even more horny, made him want it even more.

Bellamy was so patient, so tender with him. Murphy remembered his heat, how good it felt to have Bellamy’s fingers inside him, how at the time, it didn’t feel like enough. As much as it scared him, he wanted to do this, he wanted Bellamy closer than he had ever been before, closer than anyone had been. Murphy wanted Bellamy to have this, to be the only person to have him in this way. He knew in his heart that Bellamy would make sure it wouldn’t hurt too bad, knew his alpha would take care of him.

“N-no, I want to.” Murphy nodded his head, draping his arms over Bellamy’s shoulders, grabbing a dark curl to twirl nervously around his finger. “I trust you.”

“You sure, sofon?” Bellamy asked sweetly, his hands already betraying him, eagerly making their way up to Murphy’s hips. An amused grin pulled at the omega’s lips as he nodded, leaning down to kiss the man. “I’m sure.” He whispered, his eyes darting between Bellamy’s eyes and lips, he couldn’t decide which were prettier.

Following the man’s lead, Murphy sighed into Bellamy’s soft kiss, letting him push them back down onto the bed. “We’ll go as slow as we need to.” Bellamy said, taking Murphy by the back of his knee to wrap his leg around his waist, the other one following suit all on its own. Murphy bit his lip, but couldn’t stop the snarky little laugh that escaped him. “Okay.” He whispered, his mouth falling open as Bellamy grazed his teeth over his neck, the low growl coming from him making his skin prickle with goosebumps. “You making fun of me?” The alpha teased, nipping his skin just enough to make him twitch. A part of him wanted Bellamy to bite him for real, claim him and officially make him his mate. There was no doubt in his mind that Bellamy was his true mate, what was the point in waiting any longer? Then he really couldn’t run away, not that he was planning to.

Murphy giggled as the alpha licked over his skin, his shoulders scrunching up as his tongue tickled him. Shaking his head, Murphy didn’t know whether to laugh or moan as Bellamy grinding their hips together. He didn’t know why he even laughed to begin with, he really did appreciate the reassurance, the patience. This was why Murphy fell so deeply in love with him. Maybe it was from the relief of it all. He was sure this wasn’t the end of it, one conversation wouldn’t fix everything that was wrong with them, but it was a start. A really good start.

Refocusing on the handsome man on top of him, Murphy breathed out a moan as Bellamy’s hand wrapped around their cocks, slowly stroking up and down their lengths. Accepting the kisses the man pecked all over his skin, Murphy gasped as the rough pads of Bellamy’s fingers moved south and touched his hole, massaging the tight ring of muscle. “Odi krei souken gon ai.” Bellamy whispered, a pleased rumble coming from his chest. “Ai gaf choj yu op. Ai gaf teis yu.” The alpha growled, pressing against his sex. Murphy whimpered as he felt more slick trickle out of him. “Yumi na taik ai teis yu? Teik ai fiyon bos?”

“Fuck, Bellamy.” Murphy breathed out, if the man kept dirty-talking him in Trigedasleng, he’d cum in no time. “Enough with the teasi-” Murphy’s startled moan cut him off as Bellamy slowly pushed two thick fingers inside him, all the way to his knuckles. The omega whined at the dull stretch of it, glaring up at Bellamy. “What happened to taking it slow?” He spat, whimpering as the man started to thrust them in and out at a torturously slow pace, his eyes scrunching closed.

Bellamy huffed out a laugh as he kissed Murphy’s forehead, curling his fingers experimentally inside him, like he was searching for something. “You want it fast, you want it slow.” Bellamy teased him, his voice gruff with lust. “How about you just lay there and look pretty for me, okay?” He said, placing a chaste kiss right beneath his jaw.

Murphy’s entire body jolted as the man touched a certain spot inside him, sending electric shocks of pleasure through his body. Hearing Bellamy chuckle, he didn’t even have the time to glare at him before the man pressed into that spot again, the words he planned to scold the alpha with falling out of his mouth in a garbled mess.

Instantly forgetting what he was even mad about, Murphy’s eyes fluttered shut as Bellamy carefully worked his fingers inside him, pulses of pleasure shooting down to the tips of his toes. “I’m gonna put another one in, okay?” Bellamy said, waiting until the omega nodded before gently pushing three fingers inside him.

Now that he could anticipate the feeling, Murphy kind of.. liked the ache of the stretch, the slightest bit of pain quickly overclouded by pleasure as Bellamy pumped his fingers in and out. The alpha captured his lips in a filthy kiss, their tongues licking into each other’s mouths. Hearing a lewd squelching sound, Murphy’s startled moan was swallowed up by the man, the boy’s surprise at the sounds coming from his own body making him blush. It only made Bellamy speed up.

“Fuck, Bell-” Murphy gasped, looking straight into Bellamy’s eyes, darkened by desire. Throwing his head back, Murphy let out a high pitched moan from a particularly hard thrust directly into his prostate, it was a sound he had never made before. Biting his knuckles, he could feel a tightness coiling in his loins with each passing second. “I-I’m gonna—cum.” He choked out. “Yeah?” Bellamy said, biting his lip to contain the devilish grin creeping onto his face. Murphy nodded frantically, wrapping his arms around the man’s neck. Bellamy was too far away for his liking, he needed him close, he needed to feel their skin melding together, needed to smell him, taste him. Burying his nose into the crook of Bellamy’s neck, Murphy whimpered into his ear as his mate spread his fingers inside him, making stars cloud his vision as Bellamy stretched him even more. Chills ran down Murphy’s spine as the alpha licked up his throat before latching himself to his skin, sucking and nibbling at his scent gland.

Feeling the alpha’s sharp canines drag across his neck was all it took to send him over that final edge, the last hill before bliss crashed over him. Murphy’s eyes rolled back into his head as white hot pleasure burned through his body, setting his skin on fire. The omega raked his nails across Bellamy’s back, needing something to hold onto while the man carried him through his peak. A wrecked moan ripped from Murphy’s throat as his entire body twitched with energy, his legs clamping down around Bellamy’s waist. He felt Bellamy’s chest begin to vibrate as the alpha rumbled happily against his skin, sucking hickeys all over his neck before soothing them with his tongue.

When Murphy’s vision returned to him, his whole body went lax underneath the man, panting as he felt his entire body start to sweat. Murphy mewled as Bellamy carefully removed his fingers, kissing his cheek before sitting back up on his knees. The omega let out a breathy chuckle as Bellamy brought his fingers to his mouth with a cheeky smile, licking the wetness from them. Murphy couldn’t even move, still too dazed to do anything other than try to catch his breath, but the sight of his alpha licking his slick from his hands made something inside his stir, something dark and hungry.

Bellamy cleaned the slick from his skin like a dying man in the desert, and Murphy was the oasis he had be chasing, ravenous and desperate.

Murphy whimpered as that mop of curly hair dropped down and tickled his stomach, Bellamy’s hot tongue trailing all over his stomach, his still rock-hard cock, lapping up the mess of cum painting his abdomen. Murphy didn’t even protest as his knees were forced up against his chest, the alpha folding him in half. A pathetic sound bubbled out of his mouth as he felt Bellamy kiss his inner thighs, his thumb massaging his weeping hole before quickly being replaced with his tongue. “Bell-,” Murphy moaned, taking a handful of his raven-curls.

“Miya, Bell.” Murphy breathed out, the relentless pleasure, it was too much, it wasn’t enough. He wanted to force Bellamy’s head away, he wanted him inside him again. The whiplash of his needs left him delirious.

Taking one last taste of the omega’s hole, Bellamy was growling as he slowly crawled his way back up to Murphy, it was quiet, coming from deep within his chest but no less predatory. Brushing the alpha’s hair back, Murphy bit his lip as he saw the slick dripping from his chin, his face shiny with his omega’s lust. Murphy was already sweating but it left his face blushing an even darker shade of red.

The alpha grabbed his wrist as Murphy tried to quickly wipe his face clean, licking the remnants from the boy’s palm before diving down and kissing him, forcing his slick-sweetened tongue into his mouth. The omega whimpered into the filthy kiss, his hands flying down to Bellamy’s lower back as he grinded against him. Grabbing his rear, Murphy ripped their mouths apart, moaning into Bellamy’s ear. Bellamy was just as hard as him, he could feel the heat of his cock seeping into his skin with each thrust of his hips. “Taste so good—wanna eat you everyday—will you let me?” Bellamy grunted, bucking against him. “Please, sofon? Let me live right here, between your thighs.” The alpha moaned, his head dropped to Murphy’s shoulder. “Please, honey?”

Biting his lip hard enough to taste blood, Murphy couldn’t silence the moan that traveled up his throat and threw his head back. “Shut up-” He groaned, burying his fingers in Bellamy’s hair. “And fuck me already, afa.” Murphy panted out.

He whimpered as Bellamy growled lowly in his ear, he knew exactly what he was doing, egging the man on like that, speaking Trigedasleng to him, it always made him go wild. But he had to, Murphy would burst if Bellamy kept talking to him like this, whispering the filthiest things he’d ever heard into his ear, putting lewd thoughts into his mind that would haunt his fantasies forever. It was his turn to make the alpha lose his mind with pleasure.

Pulling away from his neck, Bellamy licked the smudge of blood from Murphy’s bottom lip, the boy could feel his growl vibrating into his chest, rattling his bones. “I thought you wanted me to.. what did you say? Make love to you?” Bellamy teased, nipping his earlobe. Murphy knew he wasn’t, but felt like he was in heat with how hot his body flushed under the alpha’s harassment.

Murphy whined, whined like a child as he weakly hit Bellamy’s arm, eliciting a light-hearted laugh from the man.

With a wide grin stretched across his handsome face, Bellamy caged the sides of Murphy’s head with his elbows, pressing an apologetic kiss to his pouting lips. The boy reluctantly returned the kisses that turned sweet, innocent—Murphy was only human, he could only stay mad for so long. The frantic hunger of their earlier.. escapades settling down.

“Do you still want to? We can stop here.” Bellamy said softly, brushing his hair back. Staring into his mates eyes, Murphy couldn’t stop his gentle purring as Bellamy scratched at his scalp. The omega shook his head.

This was his Bellamy. Knew when to push and pull, when it was okay to tease him and when he needed to be serious. Murphy couldn’t even begin to fathom how lucky he was to have a man like him as his true mate.

“I want to.” Murphy whispered, nodding his head, a small smile pulling at his lips the longer Bellamy searched his face, looking for any bit of doubt or hesitance. Lifting his head off the pillow, Murphy caressed the alpha’s cheek as he kissed him, sighing contently into it.

When Murphy opened his eyes again, he felt his ears burn as he looked into the gaze he could only describe as pure unadulterated love. It wasn’t the first time Bellamy stared at him like this, but it never failed to make him blush and squirm. It was such a soft look, one he never thought he’d ever be the subject of. Bellamy stared at him like he was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen, ever held in his arms. He stared at him like he hung the stars in the sky.

“I love you, John Murphy.” Bellamy whispered, so close, Murphy could feel his breath on his lips. “I love you, Bellamy kom Trigedakru.” He said just as softly, capturing the man’s lips again.

Getting lost in the tender kiss, Murphy let the man maneuver them into a more comfortable position, wrapping his legs around Bellamy’s hips once he was settled.

Murphy whimpered as Bellamy reached down between them and rubbed his cock against his sex, wetting the length with the lucrative amount of slick pouring out of him. The boy’s breath hitched as he felt the head press against his hole, before slipping away. The nervousness from earlier came back, making his heart race.

“Ready?” Bellamy asked, grinding against him. Of course he wasn’t going to just shove it in, he was just.. testing it, the resistance, if Murphy was wet enough—which he was. Murphy felt like he could slide off the bed at any moment.

Taking a deep breath to settle his nerves, Murphy nodded quickly before he became too scared and changed his mind. Feeling the head press against his entrance, Murphy scrunched his eyes closed and waited for the pain, hoping it wouldn’t be too bad.

But it never came, Bellamy’s cock slipping away again, but this time it was deliberate. “John, look at me.” Bellamy whispered, brushing a thumb over his cheek. Opening his eyes, Murphy let out a shaky breath as Bellamy leaned down to rub their cheeks together, pecking his jaw. “Tell me if I need to stop.” Murphy let out a relieved breath as he nodded, gripping at Bellamy’s back anxiously.

Feeling pressure at his hole, Murphy bit his lip as the head of the alpha’s cock popped in past the tight ring. Gritting his teeth, Murphy failed to stifle a pained whimper, his body tensing as Bellamy slowly pushed his way inside. Resting their foreheads together, Bellamy rubbed his thumb across the omega’s scent gland, trying to relax him. “Breathe, John.” The alpha gently commanded him, gazing deeply into his nervous eyes.

Feeling every inch, Murphy struggled to force out the breath he had been holding in, his lungs burning, his ass burned, everything burned. “Fuck-” He hiccuped, digging his nails into Bellamy’s back. God, he was so much bigger than his fucking fingers. Murphy had three of them in there, how could that not have been enough?

The omega let out a drawn out groan as Bellamy pulled out, going a little bit deeper with each shallow thrust. This wasn’t just a manageable ache anymore, this hurt. Fuck, why did his true mate have to have such a big dick? It couldn’t have been just a little smaller?

Breathing through the pain, Murphy closed his eyes as Bellamy kissed his neck, trying to put all his focus into the soft lips tickling his skin. Feeling Bellamy pause, Murphy took the opportunity to catch his breath, heaving out every breath. “Sofon?” Bellamy said softly, Murphy’s hand flew to grab the one Bellamy had on his neck, threading their fingers together. “I can pull it out-” Murphy shook his head quickly, his brow furrowing in concentration, his eyes still squeezed shut. “No—just.. God, fuck you and your big dick.” Murphy struggled to spit out.

The omega felt Bellamy’s choked laughter vibrate all throughout his body, even inside him which was a strange feeling. As the alpha laid down on top of him, nuzzling his face into his neck, Murphy finally felt his body manage to relax, accepting and giving way to the thick intrusion.

“O-.. Okay.” Murphy huffed out, nodding his head. “You can keep going.” He said, not entirely sure if he was ready though.

His eyes opened when Bellamy didn’t make any attempt to move. “Bell?” Murphy asked, trying to look down at the face hidden in his neck. Hearing the alpha’s heavy breathing in his ear, the boy clenched experimentally around his cock, the pain had ebbed away now, it just felt like pressure.

Murphy froze as Bellamy growled in his ear, the alpha’s body becoming tense as he crushed Murphy’s hand in an iron-grip, his other hand squeezing his side so hard he was sure he’d have bruises later. “Don’t-” Bellamy grunted in a strained voice, his entire body becoming rigid.

Okay, now he was worried.

Pulling the alpha’s head away from him, he looked at Bellamy’s face, scrunched in what looked like pain. “Bellamy? Are you okay?” He asked, trying to sit up. Was Bellamy in pain too? Was he.. too tight? Was that a thing?

The hand gripping his hip held him in place, keeping him still. Bellamy shook his head, his eyes scrunched in concentration. “Don’t—Don’t move.. I’ll.. I’ll cum if you do.” Bellamy admitted, his cheeks flushing with embarrassment.

Murphy’s brain short-circuited as he watched the alpha take deep breaths. Bellamy.. was about to cum. Just from being inside him.

Murphy couldn’t stop the bark of laughter that erupted out of him, his head falling back into the pillows. His laughter filled the cabin, his entire body jumping as Bellamy whimpered out a gutted moan. Murphy’s laugh fell silent as he felt Bellamy’s cock twitching inside of him, his breath hitching as he felt the warmth of his cum painting his walls. That.. turned him on. Murphy blushed as he realized he liked the way it felt.

“Fuck” Bellamy drawled out, the hand on Murphy’s hip coming up to shield his eyes.

Seeing the flush creeping all the way down to Bellamy’s chest, Murphy’s mouth puffed out as another wave of laughter escaped him. Bellamy, the warrior alpha of Trigedakru, who led them to victory in Mt Weather, who had been whispering nothing but filth into his ear for the last half hour, coming in two seconds like a teenage boy. Murphy couldn’t feel more proud of himself.

“Fuck, I’m sorry.” Bellamy huffed out an embarrassed chuckle, shaking his head. “I can’t believe I did that.” The man grumbled as he collapsed on top of him.

“That good, huh?” Murphy said, a light giggle still on his breath. Murphy buried his fingers into Bellamy’s sweaty hair, scratching at the area just above his nape. Bellamy’s entire body deflated as he let out a heavy breath, nodding against Murphy’s chest. “I got.. a little excited.” Bellamy murmured. “Just a little?” Murphy teased him, a bright smile stretching across his face as his alpha looked up at him. All the anxiety he felt just a little bit ago melted away.

“I can—.. We can go again.. If you want.” Bellamy said, eager to make up for his mistake, raising himself up on his arms. Murphy hummed as the alpha stared down at him bashfully, just now remembering the cock still in his ass, still just as hard, if not harder, twitching excitedly inside him.

Feeling his own dick jump in between their stomachs, Murphy bit his lip, nodding his head. He was impossibly turned on and quite thankful for Bellamy’s quick recovery, Murphy felt like he was gonna pop if they waited any longer. “Please.” Was all he said, wrapping his arms around Bellamy’s neck and pulled him back down, moaning into Bellamy’s mouth as he grinded against him.

Taking hold of Murphy’s hips, Bellamy huffed out a laugh as he shook his head, rolling his hips. “God, I fucking love you.” He whispered, pecking his lips before slowly pulling out. Murphy couldn’t help but whimper at the drag of it. With all the slick he had produced and now Bellamy’s cum, it felt a whole lot more slippery down there, sliding right out of him without any resistance or friction, it felt.. it felt fucking incredible.

Leaning down on an elbow, Bellamy’s eyes darted down to Murphy’s open mouth, his kiss swollen lips, and slowly thrusted back in. The omega moaned as he threw his head back into the pillows, his hands scrambling to anchor themselves to Bellamy’s back. “Fuck,” Murphy breathed out. With how big Bellamy was, he didn’t need to feel around for his prostate, with every movement, his cock dragged across it, melting Murphy’s mind with pleasure.

Murphy didn’t really know what to expect from sex, never thought about it much, but it was so much better than he could ever expect. The pain of getting to this point was all worth it.

Bellamy quickly fell into a good rhythm, slow and languid. Murphy could feel his love with each thrust, the tender touch of his hands gliding over his skin, the soft rolling of his hips. Threading his fingers into Bellamy’s hair, he stared deeply into those soft brown eyes, the freckles on his skin more beautiful than any piece of art. Too breathless to kiss, their mouths hovered just a hair apart, breathing in each other’s air as their bodies came together. Bellamy rested his forehead against Murphy’s temple, his long eyelashes fluttered against his skin as the alpha moaned. “I love you so much, John.” Murphy’s head turned to the side instinctively, exposing the long stretch of pale skin to the alpha. “Ai swegawon. Ai houman.” Bellamy whispered into his ear, licking the spot right underneath it before worrying a bruise there. Murphy whined as the alpha plunged deep inside him.

“I love you, Bellamy.” Murphy moaned out, biting his lip at a particular hard thrust. Fuck, that felt good too.

All Murphy could feel was Bellamy’s warmth, his love. All he could smell was the mixing of their scent as they became one. “H-.. Harder.” Murphy said shyly, his whole body flushing with heat as Bellamy leaned back to stare at him. “Yeah?” Murphy nodded. “Yeah—please afa, I’m—I’m so close.” The omega whispered, a pleasure he had never felt before thrumming through his body.

He got it now, why everyone was so obsessed with sex, why they complained about not getting any like it would kill them to go without. Murphy felt like he would die if he didn’t cum right now, if Bellamy never touched him like this again. God, he never wanted Bellamy to stop. He was hooked.

Grabbing the back of his knees for leverage, Murphy’s mouth fell open as Bellamy slammed into him, a wrecked moan ripping from his throat. “Shit,” Bellamy growled, his hips faltering as he pounded into the omega beneath him.

Murphy moaned through clenched teeth as he felt Bellamy’s cock swell inside him, it.. it felt like he was getting bigger. The dull ache from before came back, the blend of pleasure and just the right amount of pain, Murphy could feel his orgasm building quickly inside him.

“Shit—fuck-” Bellamy sputtered, his thrusts becoming sloppy and random as his attention dropped down to where their bodies met. Murphy whimpered as Bellamy’s cock started to pull at his rim, his hips getting slower as his cock caught with each thrust.

Murphy knew what was happening, what was about to happen. Fuck he wanted it. He wanted it more than anything in his life. As Bellamy tried to sit up and pull out of him, Murphy locked his ankles around his waist, caging the alpha to him, inside of him. “Wait—John, I gotta stop, I’m gonna knot-” “Don’t stop.” Murphy cut him off, raking his nails down Bellamy’s back as felt his knot start to inflate. “What?” The alpha said breathlessly, his eyes wide. “Don’t stop.” Murphy whimpered out, pulling Bellamy back down on top of him and tucked the alpha’s head against his scent gland, kind of hoping the alpha would get the message, kind of hoping he would take the offering.

Bellamy moaned as he gripped the omega’s hips, trying to get ahold of himself. “B-but it might hurt—Are you sure?” Murphy nodded as he kissed Bellamy’s scent gland, lavishing his tongue over the salty skin with a moan, his teeth aching with the need to claim the alpha.

“I want all of you.” Murphy purred, fisting his fingers in Bellamy’s hair.

“Fuck.” Was all Bellamy could say before rising up on his hands and hammered his cock into the omega. Murphy screamed with pleasure, his voice cracking from how raw it had become. The boy felt tears well in his eyes as his orgasm was forced out of him, seed shooting out of his cock, making a mess between their stomachs as his alpha snapped his hips down against him, the cabin filling with the lewd sound of their skin slapping together. Murphy’s vision went spotty as his body trembled with pleasure, he could feel slick rushing out of him, a disgustingly sexy squelching sound reaching his ears.

Bellamy hissed through clenched teeth as the omega’s body clamped down around his cock, baring his sharp canines when his knot became harder and harder to pull out. Plunging one last time, deep inside Murphy, Bellamy collapsed on top of the twitching body beneath him, reaching for Murphy’s hands as he began grinding into him desperately, no longer able to pull out but he was so close, he was so close.

Threading their fingers together, Murphy cried as the alpha’s knot engorged to its full size inside him, stretching him wider than he had even been. “Ow!” The omega screamed as he was torn from the afterglow of his peak, gritting his teeth through the sting. Feeling a strike of panic run down his spine, Murphy tensed as he subconsciously tried to move up the bed, his body trying to run away from the painful stretch of Bellamy’s knot. He whimpered as Bellamy growled quietly in his ear, pinning him down with his body. A comforting rumble came from the alpha as he licked away the salty tears that had spilled from his eyes, when did he started crying? “Just breathe.” His alpha commanded him, his voice deep and soothing, rocking his hips into him as he kissed all over his skin.

Feeling safe in Bellamy’s embrace, he trapped a quiet moan in his mouth as Bellamy panted into his skin. With each gentle roll of Bellamy’s hips, with each warm surge of cum filling his body, the pain slowly faded away. Murphy whimpered as he nestled his face into Bellamy’s shoulder, squeezing his hands so hard his knuckles turned white. A pulse of pleasure shot through his body each time Bellamy’s knot throbbed inside him, pressing right up against his prostate.

“Fuck,” Bellamy moaned as the omega’s velvety warmth fluttered around him, instinctively milking every drop of seed from his body.

When his bones stopped feeling like jelly, Bellamy’s head shot up, his eyes worried as he looked over the boy’s face. “Shit—John, are you alright?”

The omega’s eyes were hazy, fluttering sleepily as he nodded his head weakly. As his cock twitched again inside him, Murphy mewled quietly, exposing his neck as his head lulled to the side, his brain feeling like a puddle of goo. “Fuck, I’m sorry, sofon.. I should have pulled out, I knew it would be too much.” Bellamy said, turning his head away from the pleasure drunk omega to curse himself under his breath. Murphy purred weakly as his mate caressed his cheek, Bellamy’s words taking a second to reach his brain.

“No,” Murphy whispered, his voice hoarse. “It was perfect.” He blinked his eyes to wake himself back up, pulling Bellamy in for a lazy kiss.

Murphy didn’t mean to freak out, he asked for it too. The only explanation he could think of was that he just.. didn’t expect Bellamy’s knot to get that big. It hurt, but he was also a virgin before this, he’d never taken anything that big, let alone an alpha’s knot, of course it would hurt at first.

Now that he had acclimated to it, it felt incredible. Murphy whimpered into Bellamy’s mouth as he felt the man’s cock twitch inside him again. He felt so full—no that wasn’t quite the right word— well, he did feel full, but he felt whole. He felt safe, he felt beautiful, he felt loved, more loved than he had ever felt before. Wrapped in his mate’s embrace, in his comforting scent, having him as close as two people could possibly be, Murphy felt like he was floating.

“John?” Bellamy said softly, turning his face towards him. “You with me?” Bellamy asked, a small smile creeping onto his handsome face as he looked down at the dopey omega. Murphy purred as he nodded, wrapping his arms around Bellamy’s neck.

Bellamy chuckled as he relaxed on top of him, running his hands over his sides soothingly, smoothing out the goosebumps as they rose. “That good, huh?” Bellamy teased him, saying the exact thing Murphy said to him earlier. The boy giggled as Bellamy kissed his down his shoulders before melting on top of him like a 200 pound blanket, letting out a sated sigh.

Falling into a comfortable silence, Murphy ran his nails down the alpha’s back, tracing lines over his freckled skin. He fought to stay awake, he was sleepy, but he didn’t want to fall asleep. He just wanted to stay right here, in the moment forever.

Bellamy’s head popped up as he remembered something. “Are you comfortable? Cause we’re gonna be stuck like this for a little while.” He said, his brow furrowed just a bit. Murphy smiled as he nodded, gazing up at the alpha, his alpha. “Okay.” Bellamy said, his own mouth curling up as he leaned down to steal another languid kiss. “I love you.” Bellamy whispered as they pulled apart. “I love you.” Murphy whispered back to him, pecking his lips.

Resting his head on his hand, they just stared at each other, the affection in their hearts shining brightly in their eyes.

Smiling shyly, Bellamy looked away as a blush creeped onto his cheeks. “I’ve uh.. never knotted outside of a cycle.. So that was new for me.” He admitted, glancing at the omega bashfully. Murphy’s brow furrowed at that, he’d never really thought or cared about alpha’s biology before.

“So you’ve knotted someone before?” Murphy said, suddenly feeling shy at the reminder that Bellamy was older than him, that this wasn’t his first relationship or first time like him. It made him feel jealous that others had done this with Bellamy, were they better than him? More skilled? Murphy could get there, he could learn.

“Well.. yeah.” Bellamy huffed out a laugh. “Aw don’t pout.” The alpha cooed, leaning closer to kiss away the little scowl curling his lips, his brow that was furrowed in irritation. Murphy could still feel his knot pulsing inside of him, why did he feel so.. inadequate? So green? It wasn’t fair to be mad at the man for living his life before meeting him, so he had previous relationships, it wasn’t that big of a deal.

“No one’s ever made me cum just by putting my dick in them before.. No one’s ever felt as good as you.” Bellamy said softly, a playful glint in his eyes as he tugged on his ear. “Now you’re just telling me what I want to hear.” Murphy grumbled, rolling his pretty eyes at him.

Bellamy bit his lip as he looked between the boy’s eyes and lips, shaking his head. “Nah, you’ve ruined any other hole for me.” The alpha said as he nuzzled his face back into the boy’s neck, pulling a giggle from Murphy as he tickled him. “One taste of your ini and I knew nothing else would do.” Bellamy rumbled out, licking his scent gland. Murphy didn’t know that word in Trigedasleng, but he could imagine, blushing at the perverted implication.

“What’s that?” He asked, breathing out a moan as Bellamy licked and nipped at a sensitive spot on his neck. The man hummed as he made his way up to his ear, biting the shell of it before whispering the translation to him.

“Bellamy!” Murphy barked, hitting his arm as the alpha erupted into laughter.

The boy rolled his eyes as Bellamy got his giggles out, going back to petting the alpha’s hair. “Knot me from the back next time so I don’t have to look at your face, you pervert.” Murphy said with no real heat behind it, shaking his head as he chuckled too, Bellamy’s laughter was contagious.

The alpha purred as he rolled his hips against him, forcing a startled moan from the boy’s lips. “Is that supposed to be a punishment?” Bellamy said in a sultry voice, running his hands up Murphy’s thighs before grabbing his rear, fondling it in his rough palms. “Do you even know how pretty you are down there?” The alpha rumbled, Murphy gasped as he felt the knot tug at his rim, sending a shiver up his spine.

“Fuck,” Murphy’s breath hitched in the back of his throat, wrapping his arms back around Bellamy’s neck as his dick twitched eagerly between their stomachs.

Bellamy huffed out a laugh as he looked down at where their bodies were locked together, grinding down experimentally. “It doesn’t usually last this long.” He said breathlessly, his muscles twitching as Murphy clenched around him.

Snaking his arms around the boy’s lithe waist, Bellamy carefully rolled them over. Murphy hissed as the movement caused the knot to tug harshly at his hole. “Ow—Don’t do that!” He scolded the alpha, punching his chest. Bellamy grinned as he looked up at Murphy, running his warm palms over his thighs. “Sorry,” the alpha said unapologetically before bucking Murphy off balance, making the omega fall down onto his chest. Murphy bit down a moan as Bellamy pressed against his prostate, causing a small trickle of slick to slide down his inner thighs, dripping down onto the alpha’s groin.

Letting out a happy sigh, Bellamy ran his hands down Murphy’s spine, over his hips and grabbed his ass, massaging the soft mounds in his hands. “You’ve created a monster.” The alpha whispered into his ear, the warmth of his breath making goosebumps rise over his nape. “A dirty, perverted monster who’s gonna fuck you every chance he gets.”

Murphy whimpered, clenching around Bellamy’s knot as callused fingers touched his quivering sex, feeling just how stretched open he was for him.

“God, I love you, sofon.” Bellamy whispered, his fingertips gliding right over the slick rim. Murphy nodded as he hid his face in the crook of his shoulder, his arms tightening around the man’s neck, whining in pleasure. The omega grinded his ass down on Bellamy’s cock. He couldn’t speak, all he had the capacity to do was breath and chase after the pleasure coursing through his blood, the orgasm creeping up on him again.

“H-how..” Murphy swallowed the saliva pooling in his mouth, raising himself up on shaky arms. “How do you-” He whimpered, a rush of slick dripping out of him. “S-say.. I love you in-.. in Triged.” Murphy barely managed to push out, using the last of his brain power to ask his question before rocking his hips back, rutting his cock against Bellamy’s stomach.

Bellamy grinned, his mouth falling open as he stared up at the beautiful creature on top of him. Wrapping his arms around Murphy’s back, Bellamy brought his knees up to help the boy out, matching the roll of his hips. Bellamy growled as the omega’s moans grew louder, more needy.

“Ai.. hod.. yu.. in.” He whispered in between each thrust.

Panting against Bellamy’s skin, Murphy’s brow furrowed as a foggy memory came back to him, from his last heat, when they were still in Mt Weather.

He remembered Bellamy’s face hovering over him, caressing his face gently as his fever consumed him.

Ai hod yu in.

He remembered the alpha whispering softly to him, but he didn’t know what it meant at the time.

Murphy’s eyes stung with tears as he came for a third time, his cock sputtering out almost nothing as his entire body convulsed with pleasure, his thighs squeezing Bellamy’s waist as he choked out a pathetic moan.

Bellamy loved him, long before Murphy ever realized it. This day, this moment, it wasn’t the first time Bellamy knew he loved him. He’d been in love with him.

Murphy had just made that realization, but how long ago did Bellamy realize it? How long had he been loving him in silence? When did Murphy start loving Bellamy? When did their hearts start beating for one another?

Murphy’s arms gave out from under him and collasped on top of his alpha. Panting for air, mustered just enough strength to raise his head, he sent Bellamy a weak glare.

“You asshole.. I thought-” He gulped, catching his breath. “I thought—I was the first to say I love you.” Murphy panted out.

Bellamy brow furrowed before his face when slack, his eyes widening as he realized what Murphy was saying, that he remembered that day in the mountain too.

Laughter bubbled out of Bellamy’s chest as Murphy fell right back down onto his chest. Wrapping his arms around Murphy’s back, Bellamy giggled softly as he ran his fingers through the omega’s sweaty hair.

God, he loved him so much.

Chapter Text

Murphy was blinded by the sunlight pouring into the cabin when he finally woke up, the only thing he could see was the red of his eyelids as the sun basked over him.

Not some black void that suffocated him, or the nightmares that had plagued his mind the past weeks. Just the warm sunlight.. It was refreshing to say the least. He hadn’t slept so well since before the mountain.

Blinking his eyes open, the omega couldn’t help but pur from the warmth surrounding him, not just from the toasty morning sun, but Bellamy too, his solid arm wrapped around his back as Murphy’s head was pillowed on his chest, their nude bodies still pressed up against each other. He missed this. Waking up in these arms.

The boy bit his lip to contain his smile as memories of yesterday flooded back into his mind. It started out tense, but he couldn’t deny that it had been one of his better days here on earth. It was tough to try and untangle the mess of emotions and unspoken words, but it all worked itself out in the end. The words they needed to say all said, their hearts put to ease, for now at least.

The two had spent the rest of the evening in bed, tangled in each other’s limbs. From an outsider’s perspective, one might have thought they were in a cycle from their inability to keep their hands off each other. Even now, Murphy mewled softly as looked up at Bellamy’s sleeping face, trailing them down his tan, freckled chest. Heat pooled in his loins as he felt his sex throb with want, his body too greedy to be satisfied with just one day, just one taste. Stretching softly, his body ached with a pleasant soreness, a reminder of what they had done last night.

Dragging his fingertips up Bellamy’s sternum, Murphy carefully sat up to hover over the alpha, peppering kisses over his skin as he made his way up to his jaw, purring loudly as he nestled his face into Bellamy’s shoulder, marking the alpha with his scent, despite how pointless it was. They were already completely saturated with each other's scent, but still, the gesture made his inner omega preen, tickled pink by how indulgent Bellamy was with him, letting him scent the alpha as much as he wanted.

The omega ran his fingers back down his chest, briefly feeling over his abs on his way down to the patch of coarse hair right below his navel. He still felt a little awkward about doing this—sex, that was—this was all new to him. Murphy didn’t know if it was okay to touch Bellamy like this, so he figured.. he probably shouldn’t.

“Afa..” He drawled out, his voice still rough from sleep and yesterday’s activities. Murphy pulled away when Bellamy didn’t so much as twitch, pouting as he looked down at the man’s handsome face, sleeping so deeply, he didn’t think a bomb could even wake him. Letting out a slightly disappointed sigh, Murphy laid himself across the alpha’s chest, choosing to instead poke and prod at the constellation of freckles on his cheeks, the dimple of his chin, the curve of his nose Murphy could only define as cute. He trailed his finger down the scar on Bellamy’s upper lip, making a mental note to ask the man about it later.

Murphy paused when he realized that.. he had never seen Bellamy sleep before, truly sleeping. Bellamy was always the first to wake up—and being drugged wasn’t the same, it didn’t count in his mind. Now seeing Bellamy in both states, this was definitely different.

Murphy sat up on his elbows to get a better view of the man’s face, his lips curling up slightly as he saw just how relaxed his alpha was. He could see his eyes moving underneath his eyelids, Murphy giggled to himself as he rose with Bellamy’s chest each time he took a deep breath. Running his thumbs over the fading circles under the man’s eyes, Murphy remembered that, according to Nyko, Bellamy hadn’t been sleeping well and stilled his wandering hands that just wanted to keep touching him, groping him, annoying him until he woke up and made love to him again. The boy’s lips pursed as he controlled himself from pestering Bellamy any longer and laid back down beside him, carefully draping an arm and leg across the alpha’s body.

Rubbing his cheek against Bellamy’s pec, Murphy tried to quiet his purs and let the man sleep. However all attempts to stop his purring were immediately thrown out the window, only getting louder as Bellamy rolled onto his side, his arms unconsciously tightened around him, pulling him even closer than before.

Smushed against his chest, Murphy looked up at his face and smiled when he found Bellamy still fast asleep, a low, sated rumble coming from the alpha’s chest with each exhale. Taking a deep breath, Murphy relaxed into the warm embrace. Bellamy didn’t smell sad anymore, neither did Murphy, he didn’t think. The aroma surrounding them was no longer sour or rotten, but sweet, warm.. content.

Feeling drowsy on Bellamy’s pheromones, Murphy’s eyes grew heavy, fluttering shut once more. As sleep quickly overtook him again, he promised himself, he’d do whatever it took to wake up like this every day.

—

Waking an hour or two later, Murphy keened as he stretched his limbs and turned to look back over to Bellamy, still fast asleep, his body splayed out across the bed like a starfish.

Huffing out a quiet laugh, the omega sat up to admire the man again, the only thing running through his mind the question ‘how the fuck did I get so lucky?’ Bellamy’s tan skin looked golden in the sunlight, the bright light exposing the chocolatey brown highlights in his normally pitch black hair. God, he was so beautiful. Ridiculously beautiful. Too handsome for his own good. Murphy was glad he snatched him up as quickly as he did.

“Gotta finalize that soon.” The omega mumbled to himself.

When it became apparent that Bellamy wasn’t going to wake any time soon, Murphy climbed out of bed, but not before pressing a chaste kiss to the man’s chest.

A startled sound escaped his throat as he stood up, it wasn’t just the pain in his hips and lower spine that surprised him, but the rush of liquid dripping down his inner thighs. His brow furrowed as he cautiously pressed his fingers between his legs, hissing at how sensitive his hole felt. They were apparently rougher than he thought..

When he brought his hand back, Murphy cursed as he looked down at the semen dripping down his fingers, suddenly remembering that towards the end of the night, they were both too tired to clean up, deeming it the next day’s problem.

“Shit.” He breathed out, quickly looking around for a towel. In retrospect, he regretted passing out early, the accumulation of their.. fluids becoming a sticky mess, not to mention the crust of semen that had dried into his skin.

Murphy hissed as he tried to scrape a patch from the trail of hair right above his groin, effectively yanking a few strands out. God, nobody warned him how disgusting sex could be.

“Worth it,” Murphy snickered to himself as he picked up his discarded underwear and wiped up the trail of cum and slick from his legs.

Tossing the dirtied cloth aside with a grimace, Murphy shivered as he looked around the cabin. The hearth was completely forgotten in their activities. The sun had helped to warm the cabin a little, but it could only do so much now that it was autumn, leaving a light chill still in the air.

Grabbing Bellamy’s shirt off the floor, Murphy purred as he smushed it against his face, taking a deep breath of his scent before pulling it on, covering his nakedness. The boy plopped himself down beside the fireplace, dragging the wood box closer as quietly as he could and began making a fire. The task was not as easy as he thought when he realized even the coals had gone cold, they must have slept for quite awhile. Looking back towards the bed, Murphy’s lips curled up as he saw Bellamy still lying there, still completely dead to the world.

“Did I fuck him into a coma?” Murphy snickered to nobody but himself, turning back to focus on his fire.

“Am I that good?”

—

Bellamy inhaled sharply when he finally woke up, a loud ‘pop’ of a fire forcing his eyes open. Feeling beside him, Bellamy frowned in drowsy confusion when all he found was the cold mattress.

“You finally awake?” Sitting up on his elbows, Bellamy’s eyes darted to where Murphy was, the omega sauntering towards him, wearing nothing but his shirt—and what a sight that was. The alpha couldn’t stop the hungry rumble that bubbled up from his chest.

“I thought you were gonna sleep forever.” The omega purred as he slowly, sensuallyclimbed back into bed.

It didn’t make sense, Murphy was a virgin until last night, so how was he so good at this? At turning Bellamy on? How could one person be so beautiful, so alluring, so.. perfect for him.

Bellamy’s eyes darkened as Murphy crawled his way up to him, all he could do was stare at the omega, raking his eyes down his lithe body. The alpha’s mouth watered, his teeth ached when Murphy threw a creamy thigh across his waist to straddle him, Bellamy couldn’t stop his hands from tracing over the love bites painting the pale stretch of flesh. Murphy looked breathtaking like this, each mark reminding the man of flowers, he wanted to see them bloom all over his body, he wanted to plant each and every one.

Bellamy’s hands moved on their own to grab the soft flesh, kneading it in his hands. Fuck, all it took was one taste, one morsel of the omega and he was hooked.

He felt like an animal, something wild and untamed by nature, that had been drawn in by the boy’s allure, becoming just curious enough that he couldn’t help but wonder, couldn’t help but bring himself into his orbit. Eating out of the palm of its hand, keening under its gentle touch after deciding to stick around a little longer.

Domesticated.

Bellamy had been domesticated. An animal that had gotten a taste of the good life, forgoing its feral ways to reap the luxuries offered by the beautiful creature in front of him. And now he couldn’t live without him, having forgotten how to fend for himself. A part of him wondered how he ever did it to begin with.

Bellamy bit back a grin as his omega purred, Murphy’s warm breath tickling his skin as he trailed wet, little kisses up his chest, the boy’s hot tongue flicking over his nipple, kissing it sweetly before continuing his path up.

The man groaned, his head falling back onto the pillow as Murphy found the spot on his neck that never failed to send a shiver up his spine, nipping it teasingly. Bellamy’s hands slid down Murphy’s sides to grab his ass, squeezing the soft mounds roughly.

“I was so lonely.” The boy whispered coyly against his lips, batting his long dark eyelashes.

“Did I sleep that long, sofon?” Bellamy said, craning his chin up to brush their lips together. Murphy nodded his head before letting out a soft whimper—and fuck, if that didn’t make his cock stir. The big, doe-like look in Murphy’s eyes was driving him insane, the faux innocence he was playing at perfectly. Bellamy knew it was an act, because they desecrated the last of his innocence last night, the proof of it still tacky on their skin.

“How will I ever be forgiven?” Bellamy whispered, a wide grin splitting across his face as he denied Murphy a kiss, getting a needy whine from the boy.

“I can think of a few ways.” Murphy said in a breathless voice, letting out a soft, airy moan as Bellamy’s hands groped at his chest, running his thumbs over his nipples, still swollen and rosy from Bellamy’s abuse last night. The omega sat up, pushing his chest into the man’s palms as he tipped his head back, his smaller hands covering Bellamy’s, encouraging his exploration.

The man bit his lip as he chuckled to himself, surprised Murphy still wanted more. But then again, he was a freshly blossomed omega, it was only natural for him to be so heady.

“Was last night not enough? Do you need more, sofon?” Bellamy purred, sitting up to wrap his arms around the omega’s lithe waist, latching his lips to Murphy’s exposed neck.

“Yes.” Murphy moaned, rolling his hips, his cock already hard and leaking onto their stomachs. Bellamy groaned as his own nestled itself between the boy’s cheeks, the plump flesh already slick with anticipation.

Making himself busy by kissing down Murphy’s jaw, Bellamy purred as the boy threaded his fingers in his hair, gently pulling his lips away from his scent gland with a quiet ‘pop.’

Craning his neck up to kiss the omega, a predatory growl escaped his teeth when Murphy held their lips just a breath away, a sly grin stretching across his pretty face. It didn’t take Murphy long to learn just how whipped Bellamy was for him.

The little giggle Murphy let out was innocent in nature, but did nothing to quell the beast growing hungrier and hungrier inside him that wanted nothing more than to ravage the omega. Bellamy wanted to eat him whole.

Murphy draped his arms around his shoulders as he nuzzled his face into his neck, pressing chaste little pecks up his throat. Bellamy inhaled sharply as he felt the omega’s little fangs ghosting over his scent gland, sending shivers down his spine when Murphy suckled at it.

Bellamy’s eyes fluttered shut, his breaths becoming heavier as his omega kissed the shell of his ear, nipping it gently.

“You weren’t the only monster created last night.” Murphy whispered into his ear, his words and the fingernails scratching at Bellamy’s nape making his eyes roll back.

A predatory growl slipped through Bellamy’s clenched teeth as his arms constricted around the omega’s middle, those words snapping the last of the alpha’s sanity. Attacking the boy’s mouth, their teeth clashed together as they fell back onto the bed.

Bellamy greedily swallowed down each and every moan that was pressed against his tongue, Murphy’s sweet taste lingering in the back of his throat as he took his bottom lip between his teeth.

Feeling the omega’s hips start to grind, his hard little cock rutting against his stomach, Bellamy’s hands slid down his back, in between the clefts of his ass to touch his already wet rim. A wicked grin stretched across his face as he felt the chill crawl up Murphy’s spine, the subtle trembling of the thighs that encompassed him. The alpha purred up at Murphy as he cracked his pretty eyes open, half-lidded with desire.

Just as he was gearing up to flip them over, they both hissed in unison as a sharp pain yanked at the skin of their abdomens.

Pulled from their lust, Murphy chuckled as he took a steadying breath, already having an idea of what happened because it’s what he did earlier this morning. “What the hell?” Bellamy groaned as he looked down in confusion, irritated that the moment was ruined.

Running his palm over his stomach, Bellamy made a sound of discomfort when he discovered the evidence of last night caked into his skin and hair. When they started to move against each other, the dried mess had tangled together, pulling at their hair and skin.

“Fuckin’ gross.” Murphy chuckled under his breath as he ran a hand over his face.

Bellamy snickered, picked off a bit with his nail. “Yeah, I think this is yours.” He said, wiping his hand off on Murphy, abashed that it was their own reluctance to clean up that cock-blocked them. Bellamy made a mental note to never again let them fall asleep before cleaning up.

“Whatever! That’s all you.” The boy snapped back, smacking his hand away.

“Uh uh,” Bellamy teased, shaking his head as he reached around Murphy to grab his ass. “I put all of mine here.” He said, smacking it playfully.

“Get outta there, perv!” Murphy barked, the reprimanding tone of his voice breaking as he erupted into giggles, grabbing a pillow to smother Bellamy’s face. Surging forward, the alpha rolled them over, tossing the pillow across the room before diving down to dig his chin into the boy’s neck to tickle him.

Murphy barked with laughter, trying desperately to push him away. His laughs quickly morphed into cries for mercy as the man tickled his sides. As Bellamy paused to pin his hands above his head, Murphy panted as he tried to catch his breath, tears leaking out of the corners of his eyes. “Bell-amy!” He screeched as the alpha dug his chin into his sides. “Why do—you always—do this!” He screamed, thrashing aimlessly under the man’s faultless grip.

When he finally released his wrists a few long moments later, Murphy was blinded by the bright smile on Bellamy’s face. It was the type of smile that made the skin around his eyes and mouth crinkle, the one that took Murphy’s breath away.

“Cause it’s fun.” Bellamy said, settling on top of him. “I like the way you laugh, it’s cute.” Murphy rolled his eyes at that, letting out an exhausted sigh as he just stared up at the alpha, tucking an arm under his head. “I’ll make you laugh for the rest of your life.” The man whispered, leaning down to steal a quick kiss.

“Oh, I’m sure you will.” Murphy said sarcastically. Staring up at Bellamy’s handsome face, Murphy brought his free hand up to caress it, feeling over the creased skin, a soft smile of his own tugging at his lips when the man leaned into his palm.

‘I love you,’ he mouthed up at him, unable to hold back his widening grin when Bellamy purred bashfully. Murphy huffed out a laugh as the alpha fully laid down on him, nuzzling his face against the omega’s chest. “I love you too.” Bellamy murmured into his skin, Murphy could feel the vibrations of his happiness reverberating through his chest.

Falling into a content silence, Murphy brushed his fingers through Bellamy’s hair as he turned his head to look out the window, listening to the faint twittering of birds outside. What a peaceful day they were having..

“Should we wash up?” The man said, raising his head up again.

It was disgusting how ridiculously happy Murphy felt.

“Just so we can get all dirty again?” Bellamy added, a sly smile pulling at the corners of his lips as he leaned closer, trailing kisses across his jaw. Murphy breathed out a laugh as he tilted his head up, exposing his neck for the alpha.

“Sure.” The boy said softly, running his fingertips across the man’s nape.

Letting out a quick ‘alright,’ Bellamy pecked his cheek quickly and got up, rummaging along the floor for his clothes. Emitting a quiet pur, Murphy’s lips curled up as he watched the man who would soon be his mate get dressed, muttering a list of things to do as he got ready.

It wasn’t difficult or uncomfortable for Murphy to think of Bellamy as his mate, it just.. felt right. It felt like the only truth in his life, the only thing he was sure about.

Watching the man saunter back over to the bed, Murphy giggled as the alpha grabbed his ankles, literally dragging him out of bed.

—

Wiping the sweat from his brow, Murphy blew out a tired breath before pouring the bucket of water he was hauling into one of the buckets inside the sauna. He was happy to learn they wouldn’t be bathing in the frigid river, but damn this was a workout.

Murphy quickly stepped aside as Bellamy brought an armful of wood inside and loaded up the wood stove inside the tiny little room.

“That should be enough water for us.” The man said, grabbing the firestriker to get it going.

“So.. how does this work?” Murphy said, looking around. From the outside it looked like a little shed. The first room was just an entryway with two chairs, the floor lined with furs. The inner door led into the ‘sauna’ itself, a small room with a wood stove and benches that were raised up, high off the ground, but not so high you would hit your head on the ceiling. ‘Enough to feel the heat,’ Bellamy said as he explained it the first time. The idea was kind of incredible to Murphy and completely foreign. It must have been one of the many pieces of knowledge lost when humanity went into space.

Under the benches were various bars of soap, bowls for washing, wash clothes and the buckets of water they filled, which Bellamy said would warm up as soon as the fire got going. Holes had been drilled into the floor to drain excess water, so they didn’t need to worry about flooding the place.

“So the fire heats up the room and these rocks,” the man said, gesturing to the layer of stones covering the top of the stove. “We sit there and splash the rocks with water, which creates more heat and steam and we just.. sit here and sweat.” Bellamy explained, sending the boy a quick smile. “When we’ve had enough, we’ll use the bowls and water to wash up and that’s it.”

Shrugging, Murphy nodded his head and let the man lead him out, closing the door behind them to seal in the heat. “We gotta let it warm up for about half an hour, so let’s go get our clothes and towels.”

“Sounds good.”

—

When enough time had passed, they made their way back to the little shack behind the cabin. The first thing Bellamy did was press his palm to the door leading into the sauna, nodding in approval. “Oh yeah, it’s ready.” He said, hanging his towel and set of clean clothes up on one of the many hooks before filling his arms with wood.

Murphy copied the man, pressing his hand to the door and quickly pulled away, startled by how hot the wood was.

“When I come back out,” the alpha started, pushing open the door, “I want you naked.” He said with a wink before disappearing into the sauna room, a plume of dry heat hitting Murphy like a wall.

Murphy smiled as he rolled his eyes, but it didn’t stop the blush from creeping onto cheeks. “Cheeky bastard.” He said under his breath as he too hung his things up and started undressing.

After refilling the fire, Bellamy rejoined him, both of them stripping down to their underwear.

“I made the fire small since it’s your first time, so it shouldn’t be too hot.” Bellamy said, opening the door for him once they were ready.

Nodding his head, Murphy took a deep breath of cool air and stepped inside, already feeling a sweat starting to break out. Placing his hand on the bench so he could climb up, Murphy hissed as the wood burned him, yanking his hand back.

“Oh sorry, let me splash it first.” The man said, grabbing the dipper that was in one of the buckets. Wrapping an arm around Murphy from behind, Bellamy kissed his nape before pouring the cold water over the bench and up onto the walls. The entire room hissed as steam filled it, wet heat surrounding them.

Putting the dipper back, Bellamy dunked a hand full of towels into the water and placed them over the bench before ushering Murphy up.

Testing the wood first, Murphy hesitantly climbed up, taking the sopping wet towel Bellamy held out for him before stepping up himself. “If you get too hot, you can move to that lower bench. It should stay cooler down there.” He said, reaching for a comically long stick with a cup attached at the very end, made so they could reach the stones without having to get up each time.

“Ready?” Bellamy asked, hovering the dipper full of water over the hot rocks. Murphy felt kind of anxious now that they were in here, he didn’t know why, he loved being warm, but he also didn’t want to be burned.

Taking a slow, deep breath of the moist air, Murphy nodded his head. “When I pour this, hold your breath.” Bellamy said before tipping it over, the loud sizzling of the rocks filling his ears.

Murphy sucked in a quick breath and braced for the heat, watching the steam rising from the stove. He instantly felt the change in temperature, he couldn’t see it, but all of a sudden felt the wall of hot air crashing over them. Flinching away from it, Murphy panicked as his skin burned with pain, each movement making it worse, unable to escape it.

He let out a whine as he felt Bellamy’s hand on his knee, still squirming on the bench as he gasped for air, only to cough on the too hot air. “Hey, it’s okay,” Bellamy said softly. “Just stay still—don’t move.” The alpha said, taking the rag on his lap and draping it over his head.

Clenching his hands, Murphy groaned as he held his breath and kept still, just like his alpha told him to. Having his face covered by the cold towel made it a lot easier, lessened the panicked feeling in his chest when he could take a cool breath of air. Murphy felt his entire body pulse as it started to sweat and just as it became too much.. The heat started to dissipate, it was still hot, but it wasn’t unbearable anymore. The boy blew out a sigh and was amazed when.. his entire body relaxed. Murphy felt the moment his muscles went lax, his shoulders sagging as if they were melting—maybe they were, he didn’t know.

Murphy peeked his eye out from under his towel as he heard Bellamy chuckle beside him. “There you go, sofon.” He praised, closing his eyes and leaning back.

Bellamy hissed as his back touched the wall behind them, arching it away quickly. “Ow,” the man chuckled out, earning himself a laugh from the omega.

“This is the ‘not too hot’ sauna?” Murphy chided, letting his eyes close as he shook his head. Slowing his breaths, Murphy focused on the rivulets of sweat beginning to roll down his skin. Little by little, he could feel the tension in his sore muscles melt away, the stiffness in his bones dissipating.

“Sorry,” Bellamy giggled, filling the dipper again and pouring it over the rocks before Murphy could stop him.

“Bellamy!”

They stayed in there for a few more minutes before it became too much for the omega. Feeling dizzy, Murphy ran out before Bellamy could grab him.

Murphy collapsed into one of the chairs in the entryway, letting out a ragged sigh of relief when Bellamy opened the front door, letting in the cool evening air. He giggled to himself as he watched the steam coming off their bodies being sucked out into the forest.

“Here,” the alpha chuckled, holding a pot of water out to him. There was a bucket of water in the entryway just for drinking. He remembered Bellamy mentioning how they needed to replace the water they just sweat out. Murphy eagerly took it, greedily gulping down the ice cold water, streams of it pouring down his bare chest, and handed it over to the alpha only once he had his fill.

Bellamy took a few deep gulps before refilling the pot and stepped outside. Murphy grinned as he watched the man dump the entire pot over his head, jumping around aimlessly as he whooped in shock before quickly running back in, taking his own chair.

A soft smile grew on the boy’s face as he stared at the man, just.. watching him, the way he relaxed into the chair, the way his body glistened with sweat and water. Turning his head towards the doorway to watch the sunset, Murphy had to admit.. he felt really good, more relaxed than he had ever felt in his life.

“It’s nice, right?” Bellamy asked, a dopey smile on his flushed face. Looking back at him, Murphy scoffed as he shook his head. “Yeah, it’s nice.. Takes some getting used to.” The omega said, looking down at his hands.

Murphy made a sound of both shock and fear as he looked down at his thighs, quickly trying to wipe away the now mottled skin. Did he get burned? “Bell!” He panicked, his head flying up to look at the man.

Bellamy was up and over to him in an instant, kneeling in front of him to examine his legs. The alpha quickly shook his head, looking up to caress Murphy’s cheek. “Hey it’s okay, it’s just dogfish skin.” He cooed, rubbing his hand over Murphy’s thighs soothingly.

“What the fuck does that mean?” The boy asked, his voice still tight with fear. Murphy could feel his heart racing in his chest as his breaths started to quicken.

“It’s okay—it happens sometimes when you go from being really hot to really cold.” Bellamy explained, brushing his thumb over the boy’s frightened face. “You’re okay, sofon. Nothing’s wrong.” Bellamy said, nodding as he leaned in again.

“It’s fine?” Murphy asked, his brow furrowed in fear. “It’s fine.” Bellamy reassured him, pecking his lips over and over again to bring him out of his panic.

Taking a steadying breath, Murphy let the man kiss all over his face and looked down at his legs, running his fingers experimentally over the red and white splotches of skin. It didn’t hurt, it just.. looked weird. Made him freak out.

“D-.. Dogfish skin?” Murphy asked once he had calmed a little, reaching up to grab Bellamy’s wrist, keeping it right where it was, he wanted the alpha near him, it.. It made him feel better, safer.

“Yeah, we call it that ‘cause it looks like the fish we feed to our dogs.” Bellamy said in a gentle voice, sensing his omega’s need to be comforted. The man massaged his fingers into Murphy’s scent glands as he went on explaining.

“After fish spawn, they start to die.. Their skin starts to break down, starts to look like this.” Bellamy said, breathing out a quiet chuckle as he rubbed his palm over Murphy’s thigh, leaning down to kiss them. “They don’t taste good after that, so we feed it to our dogs.”

“..Oh,” Murphy said quietly, calmed down enough to start feeling embarrassed by his freak out. He hoped Bellamy would assume the blush growing on his cheeks was due to the sauna.

“You okay?” The alpha asked, tilting Murphy’s chin up with his fingers to look into his pretty eyes. Murphy swallowed before quickly nodding. “You.. ready to go back in?” Bellamy asked.

Murphy huffed out a laugh, having to look away.

“Sure.”

—

After saunaing for another hour or so, they washed up and headed back to the cabin. Murphy had never felt so relaxed and refreshed in his life, felt like he scrubbed about ten layers of skin off.

‘Felt ten pounds lighter,’ he thought to himself, chuckling as he thought of Mbege. Murphy’s brow furrowed as he was smacked in the face by the realization that he hadn’t seen him yet. He knew it was alive, but that was it.

Throwing his bag on the floor, Murphy let out a dramatic sigh and flopped onto the bed, Bellamy’s chuckle behind him just barely audible.

Sitting up on his elbows, Murphy watched his alpha kneel in front of the fireplace, saving the dying coals with a few more logs.

“Have you heard from Mbege? Is he in Camp Jaha?” He asked, though he doubted Mbege was there. If Murphy found out Mbege was in camp and didn’t come to see him, he was gonna tear that boy a new one.

Bellamy hummed as he stood back up, dropping himself down on the couch. “Indra sent him to Polis with the commander. Some.. political envoy. Clarke and her mom went too, so the Coalition can discuss adding Skaikru as the thirteenth clan.” Bellamy said, smiling as Murphy made his way over to him and plopped down in his lap.

“Polis?” Murphy said, draping his arms around the alpha’s neck as Bellamy’s arms snaked around his waist.

Bellamy grinned as he stared up at the beautiful creature straddling his thighs. “The capital. It’s where the commander lives, where major political meetings and stuff happen.” Murphy pursed his lips as he hummed. “I’ll take you there one of these days.” The man said, leaning forward to kiss the omega’s lips.

“Shouldn’t you be there too? Sounds important.” Murphy murmured, playing with a strand of the man’s damp curls.

The smile on Bellamy’s face faltered, diverting his eyes as an embarrassed expression took its place. Murphy chewed on the inside of his cheek as the man cleared his throat nervously. The light atmosphere they had created turning uncomfortable.

“Normally, that’s something I would have gone too, but I um.. I wasn’t in.. any state to go.” Bellamy said sheepishly. “I’m still not.” He admitted to his mate, a shy look in his eyes when he finally looked back up at Murphy.

Murphy’s mouth curled up in a sympathetic smile before pulling the man in for a quick kiss.

“It’s getting better though.” Bellamy whispered, sending him a weak smile. “Yeah?” Murphy said, leaning down to rub their noses together before kissing him. “Yeah,” Bellamy confirmed, returning each little peck.

Deepening the kiss, Murphy brushed his tongue over the man’s bottom lip, a quiet mewl creeping up his throat as Bellamy’s hands slid down to his hips.

“Cause—of you.” Bellamy said in between kisses, trailing them down the omega’s jaw. Murphy’s breath stuttered as the man kissed the sensitive spot on his neck, his hands wandering towards his rear. “Life’s easier with you—” Bellamy whispered against his skin, nipping at his scent gland. “—when I get to hold you in my arms at the end of the night.”

Murphy’s cheeks grew warm as his heart fluttered in his chest. “Ai hod yu in, sofon.” Bellamy breathed out, nuzzling his face into the boy’s skin.

“Ai hod yu in, Belomi.” Murphy’s breath hitched as he felt warm lips kissing his throat, the tiniest bit of stubble on Bellamy’s chin scratching his skin.

“Should we pick up where we left off?” The man purred into his ear, his breath sending goosebumps all over his neck. Murphy swallowed the saliva building up in his mouth as he quickly nodded, tightening the hold he had on Bellamy’s neck.

Grinning to himself, Bellamy’s light touch turned rougher, now that he had permission to keep going. He dipped his hands under the omega’s shirt, he could cry at how soft Murphy’s skin was, how good—how right he felt in his hands.

Pushing the boy’s hips down onto his crotch, Bellamy groaned as he threw his head back, leaving his neck completely exposed to Murphy. A deep moan escaped his lips as the omega took the offering of his flesh, of devotion, of trust. Bellamy trusted Murphy with all his being, with the most vulnerable parts of him, it was all his, every bit of him.

Dragging his hand in between them, Bellamy huffed out a slow breath as he palmed the growing tent in Murphy’s pants, eliciting pretty sounds from his pretty boy.

“W-wait,” Murphy gasped, grabbing onto the man’s wrist. Bellamy stopped immediately, all of his attention turned to the beautiful creature atop him.

“What’s wrong?” Bellamy asked, his brow knitted together in worry. Even in the dim evening light, Bellamy could see the blush creeping onto his cheeks, accompanied by a bashful look in his pale blue eyes. Murphy shook his head as he collected himself, his hands fidgeting with the cloth of Bellamy’s shirt.

“I.. I want to try something.” Murphy said shyly. Bellamy’s eyebrows raised as he grinned playfully.

“What do you wanna try?” He whispered, sitting up to kiss the corner of Murphy’s mouth, his mind racing with all the dirty things he wanted to do to the omega. He had a mental list, one that would take them a lifetime to get through.

“I want.. to make you feel good.” Murphy said, his confidence coming back with each word. Simultaneously rolling his hips up and pressing the boy down onto his hard on, a low rumble came from his chest as he watched Murphy bite back a moan.

“You’re already making me feel good.” Bellamy said, his voice deep and sultry. The alpha grinned devilishly as Murphy glared at him, but it wasn’t anger he saw in the boy’s eyes, it was determination.

Flattening his palm against Bellamy’s chest, Murphy forced him back onto the couch. Their eyes stayed locked together as the omega slowly slid off his lap and onto the floor in front of Bellamy.

The man’s jaw went slack, his mouth watering as his omega ran his hands over his thick thighs, up to the laces of his pants and pulled them undone. Bellamy didn’t know what the boy had in mind, but for some reason he never expected this, and he wasn’t about to stop him now.

Raising his hips just enough to help Murphy pull his pants down, Bellamy was already panting, his heart thudding heavily in his chest as he watched his omega run his fingers along his length, his pale eyes staring a hole into his soul as he leaned down and mouthed at his bulge, still clothed by his underwear—he knew he shouldn’t have even bothered with them, cursing his past self of fifteen minutes ago.

A pathetically desperate moan slipped from his mouth as Murphy carefully pulled his underwear down, his cock springing free to slap against his stomach.

Murphy couldn’t fully bite back the proud smile tugging at his lips, and slid his hand up the man’s thigh slowly, wrapping his fingers around the base of his twitching prick. “You look about two seconds away from cumming.” The boy teased, leaning closer, but not close enough. Bellamy whimpered as he felt his warm breath against his groin.

Throwing his head back, Bellamy squeezed his eyes closed, he needed to focus—no he needed a distraction. Murphy was right, he was about to cum already. This was a dream come true. Feeling a chaste kiss at the base of his cock, his eyes shot back open. As close as he was, there was no way in hell he’d miss seeing this.

He looked down just in time to see the omega’s tongue slip out, licking at his head like a kitten. Bellamy whimpered in his mouth as his dick jumped against Murphy’s lips, a dribble of precum bubbling out.

“Fuck.” Bellamy drawled out, throwing an arm over his face as the boy caught the bead with his tongue.

An impish grin spread across Murphy’s face as he watched the alpha quickly start to lose his mind. He doubted his technique was any good, but just the fact that it was him doing this to Bellamy had him at his wits end. That’s what turned him on, what kept him going, the fact that he had this alpha completely wrapped around his finger, coming apart at the slightest touch. It was flattering, but it was addicting, Murphy wanted to see just how quickly he could make the man come.

Taking the head into his mouth, Murphy hollowed his cheeks as he suckled at it, getting just a taste of his essence. It didn’t taste like much, a little salty, but paired with the alpha’s heady scent, Murphy was fucking gagging for it, saliva pooling in his mouth. Letting it dribble past his lips, the omega hesitantly started moving his hands up and down Bellamy’s impressive length—half hoping the man would have enough energy to go again after this.

“Fuck, baby.” Bellamy hissed as Murphy took more of him into his mouth, flattening his tongue against the underside of it. Looking up at Bellamy through his eyelashes, Murphy moaned as he stared right into the man’s eyes, dark and hazy with pleasure. “So good,” Bellamy panted, his mouth open as he brought a hand to Murphy’s nape, caressing his skin encouragingly.

Murphy whimpered around his cock at the praise, palming himself through his pants as he felt himself start to get wet. Forcing himself even farther down, Murphy’s throat flexed as he tried to suppress his gag reflex. Determined, he went back down, his eyes watering as he gagged again.

Hands grabbed the sides of his face and pulled him off, Murphy panted for air as he glared up at Bellamy. “Hey, don’t hurt yourself.” Bellamy gently scolded him, swiping away the spit that was making a mess of his chin.

Grabbing Bellamy’s wrists, Murphy pinned them down onto the couch and dove back down, lavishing his tongue up the alpha’s length before sucking it back into his mouth. “Shit, John!” Bellamy groaned, his hips bucking up into the boy’s mouth involuntarily. Murphy controlled the gag he felt, taking a breath through his nose and kept going.

Training his ears on the sounds coming from his alpha, Murphy smiled around his cock, letting the tears in his eyes spill over as he relaxed his throat, feeling pretty confident in himself as the man writhed underneath his grip.

Bellamy’s hands clenched into tight fists, Murphy could hear his breaths quickening, could feel his thighs trembling. He had to be close.

It was only when Bellamy made a sound, a moan that could almost be a sob reached his ears. Murphy’s eyes instantly looked up, and instantly, he felt like a monster.

Murphy didn’t know what happened, what changed or what went wrong, but this was not the man just a few minutes ago, urging him, begging him to keep going.

There were.. tears in Bellamy’s eyes, his mouth curled down in a quivering frown as he tried to keep it all in. He wasn’t trembling in pleasure, but shaking in fear. His knuckles white from how hard he was clenching his fists. Murphy instantly pulled his hands away as if he was burned.

“J-John..” Bellamy said, his voice tight with emotion. Murphy felt his own eyes sting, he was confused, he was scared, he was disgusted with himself. When did Bellamy’s scent turn so bitter?

“I-I’m sorry—I’m okay, I’m sorry.” The man rushed to say, quickly wiping away the tracks of tears that were staining his face. “We uh.. we can keep going.” Bellamy said, clearing the emotion from his throat as he nodded frantically. “Let’s just keep going.”

Murphy was pulled out of his shocked state as the alpha leaned forward to grab him, hauling him up into his lap. “Bellamy, wait-” The omega said, squirming in his lap. “I’m okay, I promise.” Bellamy said, but anyone could hear the trepidation in his wavering voice. Murphy felt sick as the alpha kissed his neck, feeling something wet drip onto his collarbone.

“Bellamy, stop!” Murphy barked, shoving the man into the back of the couch.

The silence in the cabin was deafening. Murphy was still dumbfounded as he just.. stared at the man. Bellamy couldn’t even look at him, nervously chewing the inside of his cheek as his eyes welled with tears.

Taking a moment to collect himself, Murphy slowly reached down to pull Bellamy’s underwear back up. He didn’t miss how Bellamy’s entire body tensed.

Sitting back on the man’s thighs, putting an arm's length of distance between them, Murphy watched him wrap his arms around himself protectively, his face filled with shame and embarrassment. “I’m sorry.” Bellamy said, his voice so quiet, Murphy barely heard him. “No, don’t apologize-” Murphy started, but was cut off by the floundering man. “I know you wanted to—I wanted to—I.. I do. Can we just forget that happened-” “Bellamy.” Murphy said, raising his voice, causing the alpha to somehow bow his head even further. “That’s off the table right now—what’s wrong?”

When the man stayed quiet, Murphy took a steadying breath and cleared his mind of any and all sexual thoughts, cleared the residual anger he felt towards himself that he knew he was inherently showing Bellamy and raised his head.

“Bellamy, look at me.” He said, his voice calm and soft. Murphy’s heart ached as the alpha looked anywhere but at him, his brown eyes glossy with unshed tears. “Houmon,.” Murphy pleaded, afraid if he reached out to touch him, he’d only shrink away. “Houmon, please look at me.” The omega whispered, fighting every instinct that told him to touch him, comfort him until those beautiful brown eyes dried up.

It felt like his heart shattered as Bellamy finally, hesitantly, looked up at him, a single tear rolling down his embarrassed face. Steeling himself, Murphy took another deep breath.

“It’ll go down, Bellamy.” He said, hoping that phrase, the one that put his own nerves at ease just a few short months ago, would calm his mate. It seemed to do the trick.

Murphy let them sit in a somber silence as Bellamy nodded, digging the heels of his palms into his eyes to wipe away his tears, taking multiple deep, shaky breaths. He let the man take a moment to calm himself.

“Do you want to tell me what happened?” Murphy said, only after Bellamy stopped hiding his face. The omega felt a little better when Bellamy’s hands dropped into his lap, it was just his arms touching his legs but.. it was contact, it was something.

“I uh..” Bellamy cleared his throat as he picked at his nails. “I’m sorry.” He said again, his mouth curling downward as he tried not to cry. Murphy carefully took the man’s hands and slowly leaned in to peck his cheek—their signal that they had nothing to be sorry about.

Bellamy smiled weakly, appreciating the notion and stared down at their hands, their fingers intertwining.

“Was it.. what I did?” Murphy asked, although he already knew the answer, of course it was him. He was the one to initiate it all, this only happening because Murphy just had to go down on him.

Bellamy’s head shot up as he quickly shook his head. “No, that was—I.. I really.. liked that.” He stressed, but Murphy could tell there was something else.

“Yeah, but.. something went wrong when I..” Murphy trailed off, the feeling of shame and disgust coming back, making him unable to finish his sentence.

Feeling his hands being squeezed, Murphy looked back up at his alpha. “I liked it.” Bellamy urged, a light blush coloring his cheeks. “I really liked it.” He said, his cheeks burning red. “It was just—It was-” Bellamy blew out a tense breath as he covered his eyes with a hand. “Um,” the man struggled to get his words out. Bellamy dropped his hand back down, but kept his eyes squeezed shut.

“When you held my hands down?.. It uh-” Murphy frowned as his eyes stung with tears, it was killing him, seeing how much his mate struggled to open up to him. “It just.. reminded me of that day.. When that woman t-tou-” Bellamy exhaled through his nose, his breathing getting heavier as he tried not to relive it again.

But Murphy understood.

The day Dr. Tsing molested him.

Murphy’s bottom lip started to quiver as he nodded his head in understanding. He wouldn’t make Bellamy explain anymore. His vision clouded with tears as he gently pulled their hands apart.

Murphy made him remember the day he was assaulted. Fuck—he hadn’t forgotten it, but how could he let it slip his mind? How could he put Bellamy in the same fucking position? How could he bring this bad memory back? Make his mate relive it? It didn’t matter if he didn’t mean to. God, all he wanted to do was crawl into a hole and die.

Tears fell from his eyes as he moved to get off Bellamy, it was only right giving the man some space.

“Hey—Hey, don’t-” Bellamy panicked, grabbing onto the boy’s waist to keep him in place. “I-.. it’s okay, I’m okay, I just..” God, now Bellamy was trying to comfort him?

“I’m so sorry.” Murphy cried, letting out a sob as Bellamy pulled him flush against his chest. “I’m so sorry.” It was all he could say.

“I know.” Bellamy said, his voice small.

Murphy thought of all the things Bellamy did to comfort him, what put him at ease, what kept Murphy’s bad memories at bay. He made it seem so fucking easy, like it was as natural as breathing. Murphy would do anything to be that person for his mate, to be able to return the gesture.

Sitting up, Murphy sniffed the snot from his nose as he dried his eyes. Now wasn’t about him, it wasn't the time to coddle his own feelings and guilt, it was about Bellamy. And fixing this moment.

“I’m sorry I.. brought those memories up.. I’m sorry I didn’t notice sooner.” Murphy said, a dull ache growing in the back of his throat.

“John, I know that.” Bellamy stopped him before he could ramble out another string of apologies. “Please don’t blame yourself for this. It was just a bad memory—that’s all it was.” Bellamy urged, leaning forward to kiss the boy’s cheek. Murphy frowned, biting back his tears as his alpha tilted his chin up to look at him.

“You stopped.. She didn’t.”

Murphy’s vision blurred as he quickly nodded, letting out another sob as he buried his face into Bellamy’s neck, hugging him even tighter when the tension left the alpha’s body.

“I love you, sofon.” Bellamy whispered, his lips pressed against Murphy’s scent gland.

“I love you too.” Murphy replied, his voice just as quiet. Taking one last breath of his juniper berry scent, Murphy sniffled as he sat back up, a sad little pout on his lips. The alpha forced himself to give the boy a weak smile, leaning forward to press a chaste kiss to his lips. “I promise I won’t do that again.” Murphy said shyly, brushing the man’s still damp curls behind his ear.

Bellamy’s mouth gaped open and closed like a fish, moving faster than his brain as he tried to come up with a response to that. “Well you can—I mean if you want—I’m not gonna force you, but you can still-” Murphy raised a single eyebrow as he watched the man fumble over his words. Bellamy cleared his throat as he saw the look his omega was giving him. “I like what you did to me..” He admitted, though he thought it was pretty clear. God, he hoped this incident didn't scare Murphy into never giving him head again.

“But..?” The boy egged him on, huffing out an amused laugh.

“But.. maybe just.. don’t hold me down?” Bellamy tried, his eyebrow knitted in worry.

“And you’ll tell me when you’re uncomfortable.” Murphy added in his on clause, holding his finger a few inches from his face like a scolding mother. Letting out a nervous breath, Bellamy nodded his head, that definitely worked for him.

“You have to tell me too.” Bellamy stressed, running his hands up and down the boy’s sides as he too nodded in agreement.

“Deal.” Murphy said, switching out his pointer finger for his pinky. Bellamy’s face scrunched in confusion, staring inquisitively at the finger the boy held it out to him.

“Come on. Pinky promise me.” Murphy chided, gesturing for him to do the same. Pursing his lips, Bellamy hesitantly mirrored the boy and stuck his pinky finger out to him. Skaikru sure had weird customs.

The man looked down at their hands as Murphy hooked their outstretched fingers together. “What’s a.. pinky promise?” The man asked, a light chuckle on his breath.

“An unbreakable oath. Now.. I promise to tell you when I’m not okay.” Murphy said, looking intently at Bellamy with those beautiful eyes of his. Bellamy couldn’t help but smile at the boy, he liked learning new things about his culture, their quirks. He never knew the power held in one’s little finger.

“I promise.” Bellamy whispered softly, staring adoringly at the person he planned to grow old with.

Murphy grew quiet as he pulled their fingers apart, his eyes glanced around anxiously before diving into Bellamy’s chest, nestling his face under his chin. The man chuckled softly as he wrapped his arms around the omega’s back, running his nails up and down his back.

Getting a good grip on Murphy, Bellamy carefully laid them down on the couch, selfishly taking the top, but hey, he needed this. Pressing his ear to Murphy’s chest, Bellamy let out a tired sigh, closing his eyes as he attuned his ears to the beating of Murphy’s heart.

“Thanks for telling me.” Murphy murmured after a moment, threading his fingers through Bellamy’s curly hair.

Turning his face inward, Bellamy placed a kiss to the boy’s heart. “Of course.” He said against the omega’s skin.

Bellamy felt a low rumble come from his chest as the omega’s fingers lightly scratched as his nape. “I know how.. uncomfortable it is to talk about that stuff, so.. Thank you for trusting me.” Murphy said. Bellamy’s hands tightened around the boy’s sides nervously as he nodded.

If he was being honest, he didn’t really understand what happened himself either. He was fine, truly. He enjoyed everything they were doing, everything Murphy did to him.. up until the moment he didn’t. Bellamy hated how he could even think of her in that moment. How he could allow her to have that power over him.

And he felt fine the day before too, so he thought he was.. over it. He should be over it. That woman was dead. They all were, forever unable to hurt them again. So why wasn’t he able to move on?

“Hey, what are you thinking about so loudly?” Murphy interrupted his train of confused thoughts, pulling at his ear gently.

Bellamy let out a puff of air as he turned his eyes to the fireplace, shaking his head. “I don’t know.” He whispered, unable to put his emotions into words.

“Hey—what did we just promise each other?” Murphy chided, grabbing a fistful of the man’s hair and pulled his head back, forcing him to meet his concerned glare.

A wide grin split across Bellamy’s face, there was no deceiving this boy.

Letting out a sigh, Bellamy looked around as he put his words together. “I just.. didn’t think it would take me this long.. To get over this, you know?” He said, turning to look at his omega, only to be met with a look that said, ‘are you kidding me?’

“Bellamy.. We’ve only been out—what.. ten days? Less than that?” Murphy said, to which the man nodded numbly. “Yeah.. Yeah, you’re right.” He whispered, chewing the inside of his cheek.

Nimble fingers turned his face back to the omega, Bellamy felt like he could melt at the soft look in Murphy’s eyes.

“This shit that happened to us, to you.. It’s gonna take some time to get past.. It’s okay to not be okay. I’ll love you through it all.” Murphy said, borrowing his mentor’s words. Bellamy sent him a small smile, nodding his head once more.

“Come here,” the alpha murmured, stretching his neck up to meet Murphy’s soft, reassuring kiss. “Thank you, sofon.” He whispered, stealing another peck.

“I love you, Bell. That’s not gonna change.” Bellamy’s eyes crinkled as he smiled, staring into his omega’s earnest eyes.

“I love you too, John.”

Chapter Text

Alright y’all.

As you may know, I’ve started school full time and as of right now, it needs my undivided attention. I really don’t want to do this, but I’m putting this on hiatus for the time being.

I’m not sure how long of a hiatus I will take, my school program is 1 year long, so AT MOST 1 year. I doubt it will take me that long to update, but idk. If anything it may take me a month or two to get used to everything.

I am not done with this story! There is so much I still want and plan to write. I will be back (threateningly).

I love you all so much and I appreciate your patience and support ❤️❤️

I also made a discord server if anyone wants to chat/get to know each other more/discuss the story/etc :)
18+ only
https://discord.gg/z6DYKPrD