Part II
They woke up slowly hours later, well rested and warm all over. Murphy was still cuddled up next to Emori, but she was laying on her back by now, so laid his head next to her shoulder, his mouth just touching the soft skin of her exposed right upper arm. Emori slept with her glove still on her left hand, probably scared about Skykru seeing it and deciding she wasn't worth keeping around, not even if she might be the only grounder they‘ll ever know with a boat.
"Gud Murnin", he mumbled drowsy, voice still rough from hours of sleep.
"You say it wrong", Emori chuckled, "And it's most probably not even morning, John."
"Whatever." Murphy kissed her shoulder, before playfully nibbling at it. His arm lay across her belly, but he moved it to lightly caress her waist under the soft cloths of her shirt.
"You know", he said, just a little bit exited, "we woke in a bed for the first time. I suppose we should make the most of it, shouldn't we?" Emori chuckled once again, but then she rolled to her side, propped herself up on one elbow and started kissing him lazily, like they had all the time in the world. Murphy knew she most probably never stayed in room like this, a bed, blankets, a door but no window, all walls were grey metal and the light was artificial and bright. They must‘ve been dead tired to have slept like this for so long. The bed was comfortable but the lighting was worse than Murphy remembered. Emoris kisses got more enthusiastic and soon she was straddling his lap. They tried to stay quiet to not attract any noisy Arkers but they had a fun time.
Afterwards Emori lay particularly naked under the soft blanket with her head on his shoulder. Her bigger hand, still hidden inside the glove because she wouldn't even take it off for sex in this room, lay on his chest. Murphy put his hand above hers and lightly squeezed it.
"I like beds", she mumbled. Murphy grinned. He did to, but he kinda was a sap by now and liked it everywhere she lay in his arms like this, stony cold ground or a comfortable bed in a tiny metal can. Murphy thought about promising her, that one they, they'll have one but he didn't. It was a useless promise. Who knew if they were still alive after the world burned for a second time? No use in promising a future, they might not have. So he stayed quiet and Emori did to, for a very long time. She just cuddled into his side until suddenly out of the blue she said: "You know, about Ontari."
"Emori, please", Murphy interrupt her and closed his eyes. He was warm, satisfied and well rested. He really didn't want what Ontari did to him to destroy this fleeting moment of peace.
Emori shushed him, she never did that before, and then her voice was heavy with sadness: "I do get it. It wasn't cheating. Not if you didn't want it."
"I didn't", Murphy nodded.
"But from now on, I don't want us to do this with anyone else."
"Are you asking me to be you boyfriend, 'Mori?"
"I don't know that word", she mumbled into his shoulder.
"But you want us to be exclusive?", Murphy asked, as if there was anyone else, he would look at, when he could have a girlfriend like her. He felt Emori shrug, as if she didn't know that word to. Sometimes it seemed like there where parts of the language she didn't get, even if she spoke it fluently and without any uncommon accent like some other grounders. Maybe she just didn't know any sweet words, since he knew, life until now hadn't been sweet for her at all. He wondered how she learned their language, since she wasn't a warrior in the common sense.
"Ai Niron", she said.
"Okay." Maybe one of these days he would run into Octavia and ask her about it. As if … Murphy grinned. Not in this life.
"But there is one thing more, John", Emori said wary.
"What is it?", he asked when she didn't continue. It took a minute but then she said softly: "If we‘re are like this, exclusive, like raun hod in, we gotta be honest."
"I always are, 'Mori", he promised. He never promised anyone before.
"Yeah, but I wasn't." Murphy couldn't contain a chuckle.
"'Mori, the first time we met, you knocked me down." She was the most badass thief and con artist he ever knew, and as a kid he loved it when his mother read him The wonderful Wizard of Oz. The wizard was a noob in comparison to Emori. He would have wondered more, if she didn't lie to him in the weeks they spent together.
"I'm not sorry about that", she said, but the playfulness that would be in it wasn't there, and then she was quiet again, as if it was a moment lost. Murphy stayed silent to, but he started to stroke her hair, maybe like he remembered his parents to back when he was a small child. In the skybox and later when he went back to the ground, before meeting Emori, he tried very hard to forget about his parents. Being loved, he thought, hurt more in the end, but ever since Emori and he were more than just two lonely people sharing a cave, he tried to remember how his parents loved him. If only to do to right by Emori.
"Tell me, 'Mori", he said. "Let’s be honest from now on, ai Niron."
"You weren't my first", she told him quietly, without looking up from where her face was buried under his chin.
"It's okay", he said dumbfounded. Well he assumed, she was as inexperienced as he was, but they never talked about it.
"No, it isn't", her voice was barely audible and she stopped between words, as if she couldn't remember their meaning, "It was like with Ontari. I didn't have a choice. I did it to survive. For me and Otan. It hurt. Sometimes I think about him when we … when we. And I'm sorry, John."
Murphy sat up abruptly and he was sorry to startle her, but he didn't know any different then to wrap his arms around her body and hug her as close to his chest as he could. Murphy buried his face into the top of her hair, so the random tear that appeared would vanish in an instant.
"He doesn't count, 'Mori. Not if you don't want him to."
"Ontari doesn't", she said as if just realizing it.
"No, you are the only one", he promised. And you'll ever be, he thought, not even letting go of her a bit.
oo oo oo oo oo oo
It was already dark outside again, when they finally left the room they were allocated to by Abby. Both of them had to pee, they were thirsty and hungry once again, but that would have to wait until they had made themselves useful. Arkers weren't known for giving handouts to the useless.
They found restrooms without running into anyone, who gave a shit about them roaming the ship. They did what the needed to and drunk some water from the tab. Running water out of makeshift tubes and plumbing was a new concept to Emori and John smiled upon her wonderment.
"But how does it work?", she asked. "Where does it come from?"
He tried to explain as best as he could while they strolled lazily trough the corridors until they arrived at the mess hall, they had been eating in just hours ago. He saw Monty and Jasper - really what happened to the dude’s hair - sitting with Harper, as if they were in the same league. Harper was clearly one of the hottest girls on the ark and those two have always been weird as fuck. Funny how the strangest of friendships were formed, while trying to survive in a post-apocalypse world. Speaking of strange friendships, Miller came to their table, hands full with drinks from the makeshift bar they sat up at the other end of the hall.
"Do you know them?", Emori whispered, noticing him watching the other teenagers.
"They were in the dropship."
"Prisoners like you."
"We were pardoned. All of us." But not everyone was worth the same.
Murphy took hold of Emoris right hand and just as he wanted to turn to leave the mess hall - there wouldn't be food or drinks for them either way - Miller called after him: "Hey Murphy, come over here."
Murphy stopped and looked at Emori, unsure if they should really go and talk to them. Last he knew they didn't really liked him.
"What is it?", he asked Miller as he approached the table. Monty didn't regard him, instead taking a drink out of his glass, silently holding hands with Harper on the tabletop - huh, weird.
"Hi", Jasper said instead of Miller. "Who are you?"
Emori looked at him, startled to be addressed like this.
"I'm Emori."
"You just don't have any taste in guys, do you Emori? Come sit down, I'll tell you stories about Murph. Like remember the time Finn opened his 'Do you want to go out with me? Cross Yes, No, Maybe-Letter' to Darcy in the middle of class?"
"Don't call me Murph", Murphy grumbled embarrassed. "And leave her alone."
"Hey, no need to cause a scene, man. Here take this, it's alcoholic but filling, yeah?" Miller held out his still untouched cup to them.
"What is alcoholic?", Emori couldn't contain to ask. Murphy in turn couldn't stop himself from smiling and squeezing her hand, she was sweet like this. Curious and in awe of the world he grew up in. The other teenagers looked at her, different stages of perplexity on their faces.
„It‘s like you get drunk from it“, Miller explained.
„Wow, now she really knows what you mean“, Murphy grumbled almost inaudible, but before he could offer her a better explanation, Monty spoke up: „It‘s a chemical compound, high of calories but it relaxes your muscles and your reactions get slower if you drink to much of it.“
Emori looked unsure, but Murphy grabbed for the cup and held it up to her mouth. She needed something filling. It would be a while until they would get their hands on some food.
"Just a sip", he whispered. He wasn’t sure how strong it was and didn’t want to get her drunk.
Emori nipped at the cup.
"It’s good", she said to Miller, “Thank you."
"Yeah, no prob." Miller leaned back and took a small drink out of Harpers cup. “You can take it. Just bring back the cup or else Niylah will have my head. She takes the whole bartender thing really seriously."
"Niylah?”, Emori asked, before she took another small sip from the drink in Murphys hand.
"You know her?", Harper asked. Emori only shrugged, but looked at the bar. Murphy hoped it was comforting for her that she wasn’t the only grounder in this ship. But most probably she would be even more scared, since this Niylah girl might out her as an Frikdreina.
"Thanks, Miller”, Murphy said and took hold again of Emoris small hand. "Owe you a cup."
Murphy lead Emori out of the mess hall, still feeling the gazes of the other teenagers on his back. They made their way back to the room they were allowed to stay in and sat down on the bed. Their thighs touched while they shared the cup of moonshine.
"I sold to Niylah when her father wasn’t home", Emori told him, "One time I had been careless and he was home. He said he would kill me if I ever touched foot on his ground again."
"Stupid Fuck", Murphy grumbled.
"Niylah always ignored what I was."
"Good for her."
"For me too, John." Emori looked down to her lap, while Murphy took a drink of the moonshine. He hated that Emori had to be thankful to be ignored. Thankful to not be killed just because her hand looked differently. Back when the world hadn't been destroyed, Murphy knew, they called it disabled and there had even been sport events for people with all kinds of disabilities.
Emori took the cup out of his hands and took another sip.
"I like it", she said.
"Yeah, me too." Murphy leaned his head against the wall. "But I'm hungry. Fuck, I hate to be constantly hungry."
"I have a plan, John", Emori told him quietly. He knew she expected him to listen closely when she shared her plans with him. Murphy liked how her elaborations got longer over time and he thought her vocabulary got more diverse, her sentences not that ticked off anymore. Huh, maybe she learned by talking to him how to speak more freely and about more topics than just conning and stealing.
"You said there was a house on the island, yeah?"
"A Mansion", Murphy laughed.
"Sha", Emori nodded, "And you said in the bunker had been food. And in the house too, right? They gave you an apple." Murphy hummed approvingly and took another sip.
"So, we stock up, get ourselves some food. And by the time your people made commanders blood for everyone, we will be among the first to get some. Then we can go to your bunker, wait until the earth stops burning and then we look for food again. Maybe on the island or in the woods. Whatever is still good.”
“Sounds awesome”, Murphy said, even if there were like a hundred of ways her plan could go up in smoke. Probably will too, but Murphy liked to listen to her.
“Of course”, Emori said flatly, “My plans are always awesome.”
They shared the last couple sips of their moonshine and lay down again on the bed, cup carefully on the little table next to it. Wouldn't want to anger that Niylah girl. They probably should make themselves useful, but both were still tired and not too keen to go out of the room. Talking to the other delinquents had been enough for today. Murphy got, that they were a close-knitted group, Monty, Jasper, Harper and Miller. They had all been inside Mount Weather. Murphy heard stories about the ugly things that happened there. You don't forget torture, Murphy knew, but when he had been tortured, he had been alone. Both times, so he wouldn't know how it felt to connect in these circumstances. He never really wanted to be part of that group either way, yet it was strange to see how different he was to the other kids, that he went to the ground with. Murphy knew the ground changed him, torture changed him, three months of isolation inside the lighthouse bunker did. But Emori changed him too. He wondered what they thought when they looked at him and Emori. If they saw them as an item. They were now, weren't they? Lovers. Murphy smiled and cuddled up to Emori. She was half asleep, so Murphy kissed her cheek, just below the little scar she was wearing with pride, before he closed his eyes to fall asleep next to her.