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A moment of quiet.
Well, relative quiet. Bellamy could still hear the muffled sounds of chatter even from all the way upstairs inside the Dropship. He was sitting on the metallic floor with his legs crossed, distractedly rearranging some of the rags they'd cut out from the parachute's fabric, laying them out to resemble something like a bed. He didn't intend to actually sleep, there were still hints of adernaline pumping throughout his veins, leftover from the day's events. However, he did intend to lie down for only a few minutes. They had brought food back, everyone was eating, and they were all gathered around or near the Dropship, which means for now they were more or less safe. Bellamy figured that just a few minutes of being silent and still would be enough for him to recharge and process, to be prepared for whatever the day ahead will bring.
Earth is unpredictable.
On one hand, it's a blessing, a welcome change from the structured and precisely scheduled life they had had on the Ark - If one would even dare to call that a life after witnessing what the ground has to offer.
On the other hand, it's a curse. They're not alone on here, and they have no knowledge of this planet to fall back on. Yeah, they had all attended Earth Skills and Biology, but Biology never mentioned anything about two-headed animals and slithering objects of unidentified origins in the water. They had no proper maps, and no way out. He wasn't going to let any more of the kids die, and he knew he had to come up with a good plan to protect them.
Bellamy was already lying on his back with his forearm slung over his eyes when he heard the sound of faint footsteps, a steady bang of boots against metal interrupting his line of thought (Which arguably wasn't too tragic, his thoughts were going to turn morbid and fast.)
The sound was eerily reminiscent of the Ark, and for a moment he wondered what the hell he was doing spending time in this ruined hunk of metal when he could be lying outside on soft soil and breathing fresh, crispy air.
The trapdoor was flung open in an obnoxiously careless manner and he remembered why: People.
"Bellamy?" A familiar voice filled the room as a figure climbed up the stairs and heaved themselves onto the second floor with ease, turning around to face him.
As far as people who can interrupt his only moment alone go, Bellamy could think of worse than John Murphy. Probably.
Nonetheless, that didn't prevent the hint of irritation settling within him at the fact that he desperately needed some time for himself and wasn't getting it.
Still, something could be wrong.
"Everything okay, Murphy?" He asked, dropping his arm back to his side so he could prop himself on his elbows to look up at the long-haired bruenette.
Murphy lowered the trapdoor back shut before standing up straighter, tucking his hands into the pockets of his jacket. As far as Bellamy could tell, he appeared relaxed enough, the set of his shoulders laid back in a casual manner. There was nothing across his features or in his eyes that could have indicated that there was something disastrous going on.
However, he was already beginning to pick up on Murphy's personality, and what counts as disastrous for others might not seem too dire for the boy standing infront of him.
"Yeah, everyone's still eating," Murphy finally spoke, taking a couple of steps closer over to where Bellamy was lying on the floor, which prompted the latter to sit up so he wouldn't strain his neck looking up.
"Most of the bracelets are in the fire," Murphy continued, a light smirk tugging at one corner of his lips.
"That's good," Bellamy supplied in return.
"Princess and Spacewalker still have theirs," Murphy added, casually bouncing on the heel of one foot. Bellamy noticed that Murphy had all these little fidgets, even though he appears to be chill most of the time, he had a few nervous habits that seemed to surface from time to time. Bellamy found it charming in a weird way. There was a whole lot of energy inside Murphy, he could see it, even if Muprhy himself seemed to want everyone to believe he was utterly dead inside.
"I say we drag Spacewalker, hold him over the fire then yank the fucking bracelet off him, it'd show the rest of them."
And there goes the charm, dissipating like a rainless cloud.
"We're not holding anyone over the fire, Murphy. This is not the Ark," he saw the other boy meet his gaze when he said his name, and the look in his eyes held traces of something that Bellamy couldn't quite comprehend, but it sent a minisicule chill down his spine.
Murphy opened his mouth to say something, then closed it again, pressing his lips together and chewing thoughtfully on his lower lip, which involuntarily directed Bellamy's gaze to his mouth. He then opened his mouth again.
"Yeah, I know it's not. But if you don't do this, you could start losing your footing. You're being disobeyed and you're not doing shit about it."
Bellamy sighed through his nose. "Taking off the bracelets is not an order, it's a proposal," he paused, "And I'm not gonna run things like that. The ground is different. We don't force anyone's hand down here. It's a new start, for everyone. A clean slate."
Murphy stared at him again in silence, seemingly listening with an intent focus. Bellamy got used to crowds listening to him, going quiet whenever he talked. But here, when it's just the two of them and with Murphy standing this close, he could feel the intensity of his concentration. Again, Bellamy found himself confused, but he didn't show any changes in his expression beyond his eyes, which in their turn were searching for any change in Murphy's.
"Yeah, okay." Murphy made to turn around and head back for the trapdoor, and Bellamy arched an eyebrow.
"You came all the way up here just to tell me you wanna break Finn's bracelet?"
Murphy paused in his tracks then, glancing at Bellamy over his shoulder.
"No, I was just wondering where you are," Murphy replied after a short pause, shifting so he'd be facing Bellamy once more.
"Is someone looking for me?"
"No."
Bellamy hesitated, brows coming together. Maybe Murphy was having some kind of problem, he didn't appear to have any glaring injuries. "Are you okay?"
Murphy shrugged one shoulder, tearing his gaze away from Bellamy at those words, "Yeah." He removed his hand from his pocket and brushed his fingers back through the brown strands of his hair.
".. So what? You missed me already?" Bellamy's tone had grown lighter now that he'd confirmed that nothing was out of order, and his usually set eyes softened, if only a little bit.
Murphy seemed to be struck for a moment by Bellamy's words, as if it was taking a moment for the realization that Bellamy was actually joking with him to sink in.
He recovered quickly enough, a scowl forming across his features. "Don't get ahead of yourself, Bellamy. I'm just bored."
Bellamy held Murphy's gaze for a little longer, thoughts about the latter popping into his mind - and not anything he hasn't thought about before, either.
Bellamy moved to get up off of his heap of rags, standing up and straightening the hem of his shirt. "And what did you think I could do about that?"
He could feel Murphy's eyes on him; the strain of his gaze as it trailed lower over his own face, then back up to meet his. Murphy shifted his weight on the other leg just as Bellamy approached him, minimizing the distance between them to a mere foot.
"I don't know, what can you do?" It was clear that Murphy was just attempting to give off an air of nonchalance, because Bellamy was close enough to notice that the other boy was taking in measured breaths.
His gaze didn't falter as he took another step closer to him, stepping right into his personal space. He rested his hand beneath Murphy's collarbone, touch tentative at first. There was a little voice in his head that nagged him, a remainder of that logical train of thought that existed before Murphy walked into the Dropship. The voice told him he should reconsider, that there was something off about what he was doing now, that maybe this isn't his brightest of ideas. Murphy is his second-in-command, and he's young, and this could potentially cause complications later on.
Murphy took in a shaky inhale when he touched him, lips parted just half an inch as his gaze flickered down to Bellamy's hand and then back up again, lingering on Bellamy's lips longer than they should on their ascent.
And that look was enough to silence the voice in Bellamy's head.
Murphy was about to make a comment when Bellamy spoke first, cutting him off. "Technically, I can do whatever the hell I want."
With that, Bellamy's fingers curled around the leather fabric of Murphy's jacket, and he leaned in closer to him, pressing his lips against Murphy's. There was a slight jump in his heartbeat when their lips met, and Bellamy found himself taken aback by the way his own body was reacting to the touch he himself had initiated.
Murphy's lips were chapped yet soft, and they seemed to mould right against Bellamy's as the other boy leaned into the kiss himself, returning it with even more pressure.
The moment of tenderness was gone as fast as it came, and Bellamy inhaled sharply as he let his eyes close, his other hand moving over to cup the right side of Murphy's neck, tilting his head a fraction to the side so he can deepen the kiss.
He could feel Murphy's hands settle over his hips, his fingers roaming slowly up his sides. Bellamy nipped at Murphy's lower lip, then caught it between his own, the tip of his tongue brushing against it.
And that's when Murphy made a little sound that made Bellamy's head spin -- A low impatient moan that had his head reeling, and made certain that that little voice of reason was definitely not going to make another appearance for the duration of their time together.
Bellamy used his grip on Murphy's jacket to push him back till the latter's back was flush against the wall, and he wasted no time in swooping in to close the distance between them again, this time pressing his lips to Murphy's firmly, their teeth clashing for the briefest of moments before the tip of Bellamy's tongue was already tracing the outline of Murphy's lower lip.
And Murphy didn't hesitate to part his lips for him, granting Bellamy the opportunity to lick into his mouth, and it was Bellamy's turn to groan quietly.
There was a saltiness to the taste of Murphy's mouth; his breath was warm and already uneven, and it was unnerving to Bellamy just how responsive Murphy was.
Something had told him that he wouldn't be rejected if he made an advance on Murphy, but he didn't quite expect the other to be so eager, and he sure as hell didn't mind it either. His hand rested against the wall right next to Murphy's head for support, and his other one slid under Murphy's jacket, fingers spreading above the thin material of his t-shirt.
He broke the kiss, pressing his lips once to the corner of Murphy's lips, then over his jaw-line, and then beneath it. Murphy titled his head back and closed his eyes, craning his neck to the side as Bellamy moved to kiss down the expanse of exposed skin, leaving small open-mouthed kisses, and then choosing to nip on a spot. He grazed the skin with his upper teeth, then pressed his lips to Murphy's neck and sucked at a spot right near the base, eliciting a louder, raspy moan from Murphy, resembling an 'Oh' sound.
Bellamy's hand moved to settle on Murphy's shoulder as he pulled back just a little, glancing over at the bright red mark he'd left on Murphy's skin.
"Dial it down, our people are right outside," he whispered, gaze flickering over to Murphy's slightly swollen lips then up to look him in the eyes.
He was met by a pair of dazed eyes with dilated pupils, their owner staring ahead at Bellamy and raising an eyebrow. "I don't care," he bit back, the snappy nature of his reply dulled by the fact that his voice cracked near the end, caught on a ragged breath.
"I do, my sister's one of them." Bellamy replied, and Murphy rolled his eyes at him, letting out a groan in annoyance.
He didn't really bother with a reply, just reached to slip his hands underneath Bellamy's shirt and tugged at it with a little bit too much force. Bellamy obliged, helping him in the process by pulling the shirt off his head the rest of the way.
Bellamy then leaned in for another kiss, sliding Murphy's jacket off his shoulders and down his arms as he shifted so that he was standing with one leg in between Murphy's, nudging the latter's knees apart with his own. Murphy hastily shook the jacket off the rest of the way, letting it drop to the floor as he cupped Bellamy's cheeks, this time he was the one licking at Bellamy's lips. The kiss was nowhere near what could be considered nice - it was sloppy and rough and they were a little out of sync but it didn't matter. Bellamy just wanted Murphy's lips on his and he didn't care how.
And he most definitely didn't care why. Atleast not in that moment.
He tugged the hem of Murphy's shirt upwards, his knuckles brushing briefly over the surprisingly warm skin of Murphy's stomach, causing the other to shiver underneath his touch.
Murphy lifted his arms up just in time for Bellamy to slip the shirt off of him and toss it aside, and now he was the one to reel Bellamy in, fingers slithering into the tangled strands of his hair and curling into a loose fist.
He was off the wall now, his lips locked with Bellamy's as he tugged him back, shifting in uncoordinated movements so that Bellamy was the one with his back to the wall. Yet instead of shoving him against it, he pulled him closer, taking steps backwards.
Bellamy let Murphy guide him along, the coherent part of his mind marveling at the fact that Murphy could manage to walk without seeing where he's going and still not trip on their discarded clothes or the various protruding bolts in the floor.
Not that he was protesting; he gave the younger boy leisure to guide them wherever he wanted, choosing to focus instead on the way Murphy's lips fit against his, and the small sounds he was making with every flicker of tongue against tongue.
Then Murphy paused when they reached the bed of rags Bellamy had constructed earlier, and Bellamy didn't have to be in a fully functioning state of mind to put two and two together. His hands slid down so that his palms ran over Murphy's ass, which made the latter smirk absentmindedly against his lips. His hands moved lower then, sliding over the back of his thighs and squeezing once, and Murphy tightened his grip on Bellamy's shoulder and jumped up, wrapping his legs underneath Bellamy's torso so that his crotch pressed once against Bellamy's.
The curly-haired brunette then settled one hand underneath Murphy's left thigh and the other over the small of his back, and Murphy locked his ankles together, feet hovering a couple of inches above Bellamy's knees, his arms wrapping around Bellamy's neck, practically clinging on to him as the latter carried him up.
Whilst Murphy wasn't as scrawny as Monty for example, his demeanor definitely didn't suggest that he would be this heavy, Bellamy's hold almost faltered for a second but he regained his balance in no time, successfully keeping his hold steady around Murphy.
The other boy was now kissing at his neck, right below his ear lobe, and it sent tiny little shivers scurrying across Bellamy's skin. He shifted so he could lower him down against the rags, and Murphy lowered his leg to rest his foot against the floor so as to ease their descend. He leaned back when Bellamy placed him against the rags, legs spread out to accommodate Bellamy crouching down on his knees between them as he hovered above Murphy.
There was a pause in which Bellamy stole a glance over at Murphy, seeing his face flushed and his eyes half-lidded, his lips a bright pink color, their shade a little more prominent than the blush across his cheeks. His hair fell back, only a couple of strands straying, falling over the side of his face.
Bellamy didn't realize he was holding his breath. Fuck, he hadn't really spared a second's thought to Murphy's features before, only his body if he was being honest, and now he'd realized how much he had missed out.
-
Only a mere ten minutes had passed since they'd hit the floor, but Murphy's pants were already off, his underwear down around his ankles. Bellamy's own pants were lowered just enough to give himself breathing room. He had one hand on Murphy's exposed thigh, the other knotted within the rags right by Murphy's side.
Murphy's lips were on his and he felt as though he were drowning in the kiss - he had no idea how long it had gone on. All he knew was that Murphy's breath was almost feverishly hot and his own breath was catching every few seconds and yet somehow they managed to keep kissing. Murphy's hand was still tangled within his hair, the other clasping his shoulder, nails digging into it, leaving red little crescents on Bellamy's skin.
Then Murphy had rolled his hips up, creating a slow rhythm - a deliberately thorough one that drew out a loud, stuttered groan, and it took Bellamy a moment to recognize that he was the one that made that sound.
Now Murphy was smirking again, his eyes dancing with a newfound brightness as he opened them to look at Murphy. "Dial it down," he mocked, and Bellamy wondered how the hell he could sound so snarky despite the fact that his voice was croaked and uneven, breathlessness clear in the barely audible volume.
He pressed his lips against Murphy's again to shut him up, because he couldn't find it in himself to think up a response now, and decided to simply pull out almost halfway through, then thrust in once more, rougher and deeper this time, hitting against a spot that would have caused Murphy's extremely audible gasp to sound throughout the Dropship if Bellamy's mouth wasn't clamped firmly against his, swallowing down the noise. Murphy was way more vocal than he had anticipated, and it was driving him off the wall, as if each sound sent a vibration through his skin.
-
And then it was over. Maybe it was twenty minutes later, maybe it was longer. Again, Bellamy couldn't for the life of him assess the time passed and he didn't give a shit. He was lying on top of Murphy, his forehead pressed against Murphy's collarbone as he breathed in loud, labored pants, trying to breathe in deep lungfuls to calm down his rapid heartbeat as he his mind came off the high from finishing.
Murphy had one hand by his side, and the other wrapped loosely around Bellamy's neck, and he was staring straight up at the ceiling as he breathed in and out rapidly, blinking a couple of times. His hair was matted with sweat, clinging to his temples, and his already crystal green eyes appeared to be a little clearer than usual in the harsh light inside the Dropship.
"Bellamy! Hey, man, where are you?"
"You've gotta be fucking kidding me," Murphy groaned in response to the voice that rang throughout the lower portion of the ship, and Bellamy huffed a breath against his skin before propping himself up on the heels of his hands, glancing in the direction of the trapdoor. He could vaguely recognize Mbege's voice, and he was grateful that he couldn't hear any indication that Mbege was advancing up the ladder.
That gave him just enough time to get up off of Murphy and tug his underwear up with one hand as he stood up, bending down to pull the waistband of his pants up as well.
"What is it?" He called back, grateful for the fact that his voice sounded steady, if not more hoarse than usual.
"You're on first watch, you said to come get you when your turn's up."
From his place on the floor, Murphy glanced up at Bellamy, giving him a questioning look. He was making no attempts to move or even reach out for his clothes, only having yanked his underwear up to cover himself.
Bellamy responded to his look with a shrug, crossing the floor in quick strides to get his shirt and pull it on over his head, rolling the hem down hastily.
"Can't Mbege cover your watch?" Murphy asked, given that his silent look hadn't gotten him the reply he'd desired. The guy didn't know the first thing about patience.
"Why, you're still bored?" Bellamy looked at him, running both hands back through his own tangled curls in an attempt to rally in the mess.
Murphy scoffed, "There's nothing wrong with going for round two," he replied with a slight tilt of his head, eyes shamelessly roaming over Bellamy's body.
"Go to sleep, Murphy, you'll get the watch after Mbege," Bellamy's tone was soft, a smile plastered across his lips that earned him a momentarily entranced stare from Murphy, not that he'd noticed. His back was turned and he was slipping on his shoes, leg bent over the other as he tied the laces.
"You're a spoil-sport."
"You didn't think I was a spoil-sport five minutes ago."
"Yes, I did. I was just too busy to say it."
"Liar. You just had the time of your life."
"So did you."
"Sleep," And then Bellamy was opening the trapdoor and lowering himself down the stairs, pulling it shut behind him without looking back.
Because he had a feeling that if he did, and he saw those eyes drilling into his own again, he just might consider letting Mbege take first watch.
It would have inspired more questions than he would've liked to answer, not that he cared much what the others thought one way or the other. It was just going to be a hassle to have to deal with people saying stuff. And they might think he's favoring Murphy or something like it, and he really didn't want to deal with that.
Yeah, a hassle. That's all.
He shook his head, then nodded over at Mbege in greeting as he lifted up the flap of the tent and hopped down the ramp and out of the Dropship.
-
By the time Bellamy's watch was over, everyone had already been asleep for a good hour. He could still hear hushed whispers emanating from one or two directions in the camp, sleep talk between those who were friends on the Ark or those who just got to know eachother recently. It was low enough for him to not be able to pick up on the words, but he could hear bits of the conversations here and there.
He wasn't precisely trying to listen, and he didn't really care enough to know what people talked about, but watch wasn't entirely entertaining either.
That, and he needed something to focus on to keep his mind of mulling over his time with Murphy, replaying it over and over again in his head like it was on one of those screens in the Ark that always displayed some annoying video no one could turn off.
After handing the watch over to Mbege, Bellamy made his way inside the Dropship only to find that almost all the spots on the lower floor were taken up by those who didn't set up tent outside. He sighed and treaded over towards the ladder and made his way up again, atleast it was going to be quiet up there, if a little stuffy.
As Bellamy climbed up, he was thinking he could just leave the trapdoor open for the night for the sake of ventilation when he caught sight of Murphy out of the corners of his eyes. The other boy had put his clothes back on save for the boots, and the jacket that was bundled up in a heap beneath his head. His chest was falling and rising steadily, and his eyes were closed, and Bellamy realized Murphy actually listened to him and went to sleep.
He cracked a small smile as he took a couple of steps in the other direction to find a place for himself to settle, and discovered that Murphy had hogged every single rag on this floor to build a more comfortable, wider bed, and to use one of them as a cover.
Jackass.
As if on cue, Murphy stirred, rolling over so that he was lying on his back. He cracked one eye open, glancing up. "Bellamy?" His voice was heavy with traces of exhaustion-induced sleep.
"Yeah."
"S' it my watch yet?"
"Not for a couple of hours."
"Mhmm, cool," he shifted again, this time scooting over to make room on the cot he'd built, and turned so that he was lying on his other side, facing away from Bellamy. His arm was tucked underneath the jacket, and he closed his eyes again. "Night."
Bellamy stood there in silence for a good moment after, not entirely sure how to react. Murphy had moved over enough to make room for another person, but Bellamy couldn't be certain if it was intentional or not. He watched the other's sleeping form. Murphy looked harmless when he slept. And Bellamy thought that maybe the others had the wrong idea about him, no one that could look so vulnerable is possibly capable of being that horrifying. Aggressive, maybe. Impulsive, definitely. But bad? No.
He breathed in through his nose, then leaned down to unlace his shoes, stepping out of them and casting them aside neatly. He hesitated, then went on to lower the trapdoor, deciding it'd be better left closed. He'll still hear if something was up, and it's not like the Dropship is that huge, they'll find him if they needed him.
He walked over to the makeshift bed, and lowered himself down on the side Murphy had cleared out. With one palm against the floor, he shifted his body so he could lie on his back. There was still a couple of inches distance between them, yet Bellamy frowned. He felt as if he was intruding, which was ridiculous, this was no different from sharing a tent.
Murphy shifted again and Bellamy's gaze darted over to him, mentally preparing himself for Murphy to ask him what the hell he was doing. Instead, the other boy merely tugged a little on the cover so that a portion of it would be covering Bellamy's body, then settled his head against the jacket again in silence, slipping right back into sleep.
The feeling that was nagging at his chest dissipated at that, replaced by a sense of warmth that Bellamy really didn't want to dwell on. He closed his eyes, pulling the cover over his body properly, and let his mind drift off.
And he was asleep soon after, Murphy's dazed eyes being the last thing he saw in his mind's eye before sleep got a hold of him.