Knocking on heaven’s door
Heeey! Next chapter of KOHD is up with Murphy in the lead! You can read the whole thing over in AO3.
Here’s a small sneak peek:
Violence-Control-Therapy is boring. Not as dull as mopping floors all day, or sitting in a holding cell, though.
Murphy is pretty sure the whole thing was created on the fly when the last survivors of Earth came down to the tidy and controlled reservoir. More to the point: when he - Murphy - proved not to be as obedient and trusting as people expected him to be. After spending his first three days refusing to get processed by the disturbingly cheery admissions personnel, he was told he had to go to violence-control-class. Until Bellamy punched Alice, he was the only pupil in Tip's classroom, and he had to sit on the first row and listen to the middle-aged man drone on and on about wars, bar-fights and mistreatment while a slideshow played behind him, illustrating his points with graphic images and videos from newsreels and old movies.
Murphy enjoyed getting under Tip's skin. Everything is scandalous to this man, but that was only a small entertainment, and when everything is enough to launch a tirade, it grows repetitive rather quickly.
With Bellamy, the classes are less fastidious, mainly because now Tip, their middle-aged teacher, can sit them one in front of the other and do "opening up exercises."
Which mainly consist of staring at one another and repeating the weird lovey-dovey mantras Tip had them memorize, trying hard not to laugh at the ridiculousness of their situation.
Murphy is convinced this is a giant waste of time, but he has no say in the matter. Although hearing Bellamy repeatedly state "I reach out to you with my heart open," with his dead-serious face might become a problem. (Damn this man and his stupidly earnest brown eyes).
The problem is not that the sessions are pointless, or that they’re boring.
The problem is the 5.5 feet of ex-dictator standing awkwardly at the door. The problem is Bellamy, sitting beside him, carefully unclenching his fists. The problem is that Bellamy is stressed, tired and worried like he hasn't been since the first two years on the Ring. With his defenses low and Octavia right there, looking small and uncertain, he'll break, he'll start catering to her, letting her back in to do as much damage as she wishes.
Murphy feels his hackles rise.
He has lost Monty and Harper already, he is not about to let Octavia destroy anyone else he cares about.
Not in a million years is he going to let her ruin Bellamy.
“Ah! Octavia!” says Tip, a wide yellowing smile on his face. “Welcome. Come on sit. Boys, why don’t we open up the circle for Octavia?” The young woman pads closer, taking a seat between Tip and Murphy. The teacher beams. “Alright. I assume you guys know each other.”
Bellamy remains quiet. Ever since his talk with Alice, Clarke, and Hawel this morning he's been lost in thought, shaking himself every now and then to pay attention to his surroundings.
No matter, that's what Spacekru is for: to keep an eye on him, make sure everything's ok.
“Bellamy is my brother,” says Octavia, her eyes defiant in spite of her attempt at looking meek and awkward.
Murphy huffs a humorless laugh and Octavia growls. “Do you have to say anything about it, cockroach?”
“Now, now, we don’t do any name-calling here. This is a safe space.”
“Cockroach is not an insult. It’s my title. Speaking of which have you told them about yours, Blodreina?”
"Why? You'll make me fight for my life?"
“I did what had to be done to keep my people alive.”
“And what a great job you did.”
“Why don’t we dial it back a little?” tries Tip, but Octavia doesn’t listen.
You’ll find the rest here
