Murphy's water barrel idea had worked and they'd managed to spend another half week in the farmhouse without issue. 10K had really started to grow stir crazy but Zs had cleared out to the point they could leave... for about thirty-five feet. Murphy refused to leave the house though.

"What do you mean we're staying?" Demanded 10K as they stood on either sides of the bed as they prepared to go to sleep.

"Not forever, I know you'd never go for that, just until your ankle heals." Replied Murphy while he tugged off his shirt.

"It's fine, Murphy." The boy sighed.

Murphy let out a huff and locked his eyes on the younger man. "Drop the crutch and come over here." 10K raised an eyebrow. "If you can walk over here without that crutch and yelping in bloody pain, then we'll go. But I don't think you can."

10K dropped the crutch, it clattered to the floor with a dull thud. "I can do it."

The boy slowly walked towards Murphy, it stung, God did it sting but he was determined not to show that. They'd lost enough time looking for the others already. Just when he thought he could make it pain shot up through his ankle and into his calf forcing him to stumble, 10K braced for impact but it never came, Murphy caught him at the last second and sat him down on the bed.

"Told you." Muttered Murphy softly.

10K sounded frustrated. "Okay, okay, fine. We'll stay, but as soon as I can walk properly we go, alright?"

The blue man nodded. "Yeah, back to operation make Murphy a human pin cushion."

"It's not like that."

10K hated it when Murphy spoke like that, like he was nothing more than a test subject. Murphy sighed, he knew 10K didn't like it but it was the unfortunate truth. A truth that Murphy hated but had resigned himself to.

"Yeah, baby boy, it is."

"No, you'll be like a savior."

If 10K really believed that or if he was just trying to make Murphy feel better the older man didn't know; either way it brought a smile to Murphy's face. He couldn't help but rub his hand comfortingly over 10K's shoulder.

"I appreciate you optimism but no, I'll be a carrier. No more important than a lab rat." He took a breath. "But hey, there is one good thing that will come from all this."

"What's that?" 10K asked inquisitively or at least as inquisitively as the throbbing in his ankle would let him be.

A hand came up to stroke along 10K's cheek, a gentle gesture that Murphy had learnt he couldn't control.

"You'll get to live."

10K's heart actually twanged. There was a pause, almost uncomfortably long and then the boy finally spoke, his voice crashed through the silence.

"Murphy, do-" He cut himself off for a moment, he sounded so confused and somewhat scared. "Murphy, do you... love me?"

The blue man huffed out a laugh. "That obvious, huh? My boy, as twelve year old girl as it sounds I've loved you since the day I met you."

10K laughed. "You're right, that does sound like a twelve year old girl." He flashed Murphy a smile, one of those gorgeous ones that Murphy loved.

"You don't believe me, do you?"

"I don't believe a lot of things you say but that? Yes, I believe that."

He'd seen it in the way Murphy spoke to him, looked at him, held him. No one could fake all that so well, so yes, 10K believed him. He had no idea why Murphy loved him of all people but he knew the older man did. The smile on Murphy's face was infections and the two shared the elated feeling, a little moment of happiness inside the apocalypse.

"Good."

Murphy leant in and pressed his lips to the younger man's, 10K tasted sweet, something natural that was unique to him and him alone.

"Come on, it's late, we should go to sleep."

10K smiled, that naughty little smile that Murphy had started to learn only came out for him.

"We could... or-" The boy cut himself off knowingly as he moved to straddle the blue man and kissed him hard.

"Mmm, I like this plan better."

The older man snared his arms around 10K's slender body and pulled him close by a firm grip on his backside. They fell back against the bed with a satisfying thud and Murphy revelled the view of the boy over him. 10K reached for Murphy's shirt but Murphy stopped him.

"I've seen them before Murphy and you can't keep your shirt on forever. Let me take it off or you can't have me."

Murphy pouted. "You're cruel."

"Uh-huh." Was all the answer the blue man got and Murphy sighed.

"Fine, but it's really not pretty."

10K ignored everything that the blue man said and went straight for the small shirt buttons, he slowly opened them and pushed he red fabric from Murphy's shoulders where it ended up discharged on the floor somewhere. Murphy had been right, it wasn't pretty but it certainly wasn't ugly either, more like a mark of survival. 10K leant down and kissed the bite over the older man's stomach. Murphy gasped and 10K glanced up with a smirk; sometimes it surprised the blue man at how confident 10K had become. Murphy had only ever associated there bites with pain and agony but 10K hoped he'd associate them now with pleasure and the feel of the younger man's lips. The sharpshooter kept his blue eyes locked with Myrphy's distinctive ones as he continued to kiss the rest of the marks, he grinned when he felt Murphy start to harden.

"You want your baby boy?"

Where all of 10K's confidence had come from but Murphy liked it, craved it, loved it.

"God yes!"

Then Murphy was pulling on the boy's much too big shirt, Murphy yanked it over his head and tossed it to the ground to join his own shirt and his mouth was back on 10K's own. The pair had learnt that the fitted together incredibly well, like pieces of the same puzzle; almost sinful.

Murphy's hand slipped into 10K's pants to tease him while the other hand deftly opened them, he flipped them then and slammed 10K against the mattress. The boy bounced slightly and just grinned as Murphy stripped off his jeans as fast as he physically could before he did the same with his boy's.

It didn't take Murphy long to indulge in pressing their cocks together and jerking them off. His lips never left 10K's, a battle for dominance that Murphy quickly won though 10K did put up a fight. Murphy revelled in the little mews and groans the younger man let out, the pleasure, the steadily rising bliss.

"How are you so good at this?"

Murphy chuckled. "I've jerked off a lot men in my life."

"Man whore-ah!" The dark-haired teenager's head fell back against the soft pillows.

"Yeah, but I'm your man whore." He smirked.

"Oh... God... yes!"

The boy arched into Murphy's touch, his mouth hung open as little pants escaped his parted lips, his hips bucked into the older man's hand. It didn't take long to get 10K off like this and soon he spilled over Murphy's hand with a strangled moan of utter bliss; a wave of euphoria that lingered on his nerve endings. The blue man grinned at the sight of his boy, so perfect, so debauched. Murphy watched 10K with determined eyes as he licked the cum from his fingers with a grin.

"Do you have any idea how beautiful you are?" 10K didn't answer just rode out his bliss.

Then Murphy pushed his darling boy's legs apart and forced them to snake around his hips, Murphy chuckled.

"This you being my needy little boy, 10K?" He breathed huskily.

"Uh-huh." Words had started to elude the sharpshooter.

Murphy gazed upon the boy with hungry eyes for a moment before fingers finally gave in and started to trail down 10K's smooth chest towards that place that brought the younger man so much pleasure. As soon as a single finger entered him 10K gasped, his hands flew up to grip Murphy's shoulders and let his eyes flutter shut, the sight filled the blue man with an animalistic sense of pride.

"My boy." He purred as talented fingers prepared the younger man. "Think you can take another?"

"Don't fucking tease me, Murphy!"

The boy didn't open his eyes, couldn't, it felt too good. So Murphy gave his teenager what he wanted, he slipped in a second finger and then a third and just when 10K started to beg a fourth – started to push down onto him with need – the boy let out a groan.

"Murphy!" He half begged half whined and Murphy couldn't deny him any longer.

The boy was a quivering mess of need before him, when he removed his fingers 10K pouted, a beautiful expression that Murphy committed to memory almost instantly. Then he lined himself up and slammed home, forcing the headboard to bump against the wall almost rhythmically. Murphy groaned, 10K was just so tight. He only gave his boy a moment to adjust to the length inside him, need had taken over; that raw need. 10K clawed at the blue man in a desperate attempt to get him as closer, deeper , anything! Murphy went willingly and locked their lips together as he thrust deeper and harder, hands on either of 10K's hips which were already bruised with the marks of Murphy's fingertips and thrust into the younger man in perfect rhythm.

"You have no idea how good you feel, baby boy." He gasped. "Why are you so fucking perfect?"

"Murphy!" Was all 10K could manage to get out.

In a sudden display of strength Murphy lifted the younger man so as he sat on his haunches with 10K bouncing in his lap. The dark-haired sharpshooter groaned at the new angle and wrapped his arms around Murphy's blue neck while the older man continued to kiss up his darling boy's neck.

The Zs were all but gone and they were together and 10K was happy, happier than he really remembered ever being before; he'd not thought too far into all that though.

"You gonna cum for me, baby? Gonna cum untouched on my cock."

10K moaned. Murphy had very quickly caught on to the fact that 10K liked dirty talk and even more so when he called him 'baby boy' or 'my boy'. Of course Murphy didn't have a single problem with any of that.

"Come on, my boy. The Zs are basically gone, you can make as much noise as you want. Need to hear you, 10K."

"Christ Murphy! Harder!"

That was another thing he had noticed, 10K had started to swear more. Again, not really a problem. Murphy could tell 10K was close, always was when he started to claw at Murphy's hair and practically hyperventilated. Murphy was had started to seriously consider growing his hair out, now he'd gone blue it seemed like a good idea... that and it would have given 10K something to grip onto. The older man squeezed 10K's ass and purred into his ear.

"Cum for me, baby boy."

And he did. Murphy cried out as his orgasm hurtled through his slender body until he fell limp against the elder man, 10K's walls tightened around Murphy and pushed him over the edge. Orgasm was like a raging ocean, huge waves of pleasure that washed over not just the body but the soul soothing it. The two lay there collapsed against one another panting and coated in a thin sheen of sweat. Neither one said a single word because nothing needed to be said. The pair seemed to have developed an unspoken rule that neither one would bring up Cassandra or discuss their previous hatred of one another. Cassie was a sore and fresh subject. While the hatred didn't seem to be important any longer 10K nor Murphy knew quite what to call what was happening between them, was it just fucking around or was it something more? Was it a budding relationship? Murphy had already admitted he felt something for 10K. Frankly neither one of them had the mental capacity to think about that there and then.

Murphy revelled in 10K's weight on the bed with him, almost as though it were a comfort. He stroked a hand through 10K's slightly damp locks with a soft smile as 10K's fingers trailed along the bites and for the first time Murphy didn't immediately think of pain or Zs when he saw them, no, he thought of 10K.

"I love you, Tommy." The blue man kissed the top of 10K's head.

The sharpshooter didn't ask how Murphy knew his name, he could hazard a guess but he didn't want to bring it up so he didn't.

"Good." The boy said eventually. "Someone's got to."

It didn't escape Murphy's knowledge that 10K didn't say it back he didn't push the younger man, 10K would say it when he was ready, if he was ever ready. Instead Murphy decided to just hold the boy close and bask in what was left of their orgasm before slumber took the pair of the.