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[reproached]

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[reproached]

[ Murphy blinks, pulling his attention off the network (for what might be the first time in over an hour) and directing it to Bellamy instead. ]

Yeah, I was just looking at it.

[ Which probably explains his drawn expression. He rubs at his eyes like he's clearing away a nightmare. ]

[jettisons]

[Ah, yep. That explains why Murphy wasn't being his usual opinionated self. Just as the empathy bond's become so automatic with Clarke, Bellamy reaches for Murphy's hand without thinking about it.]

You okay?

[reproached]

[ Murphy jerks his hand away before Bellamy can touch it, tucking it against his chest. ]

You don't wanna do that right now.

[jettisons]

[That's his answer, then. Bellamy moves over just a hair, enough so that their shoulders aren't touching and Murphy has a bit more space.]

I'm sorry.

[It's soft but unoffended.]

We don't need to talk about it if you don't want to.

[reproached]

It's fine. I just don't wanna hurt you.

[ This is one of those rare times he wishes the bond didn't exist, or it was something he could turn off, because he doesn't want Bellamy to give him space. That's the last goddamn thing he wants. ]

[jettisons]

You're not going to.

[Strangely enough, he doesn't mind that part of the empathy bond at all. He held Clarke's hand all through her telling him about Abby, and it was a relief to think that maybe it helped her feel less alone. Bellamy just keeps his hand on the cushion between them, there if Murphy changes his mind.]

We're not doing it. I don't care what Rey thinks.

[reproached]

[ It's tempting. He knows what's waiting for him there is Bellamy's usual abundance of care and concern, and how much of a comfort it would be to feel it. Even Murphy knows it's not fair, though, to make himself such a tangibly miserable black hole, eating up all that love and spitting back terror and despair. ]

We're not agreeing to do it. That doesn't mean we won't end up in there.

[jettisons]

[It's crossed his mind, too. The possibility that this could open a door they can't close.]

I'm not gonna let that happen to you, Murphy.

[reproached]

I know.

[ The way that promise twists him up inside makes him so fucking glad Bellamy can't feel it. ]

I just don't think there's anything any of us can actually do to stop it.

[jettisons]

Hey, come on. It's been what, an hour? Since when do we give up that easily?

[reproached]

[ Murphy scoffs grimly. ]

The numbers are kind of stacked against us. I'm not sure we can kill our way out of this one.

[jettisons]

No one said anything about killing our way out.

[reproached]

[ That statement is simply met with a Look. ]

[jettisons]

[God, okay, it's a fair reprimand, but Bellamy still sighs.]

We're not there yet, and I don't want to be.

[reproached]

Do I have to say it?

[ They both know exactly what Clarke will do to get her way. ]

[jettisons]

[No, he doesn't. He knows exactly where Murphy's head is going.]

Look, we just need to talk Rey and the others out of it.

[reproached]

Yeah, I saw the talks were going real great.

[ Come on. ]

What we need to do is get the hell out of here and go somewhere they can't find us.

[jettisons]

[Wow, ye of little faith. The problem is, this isn't just paranoia or pessimism. Where it stands now, Bellamy doesn't have much faith he'll get through to Rey either.]

There's nowhere to go, Murphy.

[reproached]

There's a whole lotta city we could disappear into. It doesn't have to be far. It just has to be away from the rest of them.

[jettisons]

Who's included in "we"?

[reproached]

The four of us. Our kru. Don't worry, I'm not leaving Clarke behind.

[jettisons]

[That was a slight concern, and it's good to have it alleviated. And while Clarke, Murphy and Lexa are still his number one priority, they're not his only concern.]

What if the rest of the Displaced get dragged into it and things go south? We can't leave them.

[reproached]

[ Why not? is the question on the tip of his tongue, but he knows well enough that trying to talk Bellamy out of saving people is about as effective as trying to talk Clarke out of murdering them. ]

So what's the plan, then? We all get dissected together like one big happy family?

[jettisons]

I don't know yet.

[And he knows how comforting that will be.]

If Rey's already talked to them, there's a chance they might not take "no" for an answer anyway.

[reproached]

So all of us should be running already. We're all safer if we're scattered. Harder to find any of us.