Chapter Two
Allowing Murphy and Clark to stay in his home was stupid idea. Clark was basically mute but at least he picked up after himself and when ever he was around Bellamy saw a different side to John. He was unlike the boy who had left this place years ago. Protective and overbearing were the only words that came to mind when Bellamy tried to explain the situation to his sister.
Not that Octavia cared much about John. She was still bitter over something neither one of them would tell Bellamy about. He just hoped it didn't come to bite him in the ass. They could keep their secrets as long as it did not mess with business. Bellamy did not want to get in the middle of that drama, not when half of it was currently living in his house.
Clark though intrigued him. The boy made himself at home in Bellamy's apartment quite quickly. Going through his DVD collection and was working his way through all the documentaries Bellamy had horded over the years. He remained quite still, much like a mouse, except Clark cleaned up after himself and ran from the room basically any time Bellamy walked in.
He was like a broken little bird.
Which was why Bellamy was surprised when one night when He and Murphy came back to the apartment to see the boy not make a move to hurry away. He stayed sitting on Bellamy's couch, his eyes locked on the screen.
Murphy said nothing to his cousin as he ran to the guest room, probably needing to blow off steam as much as Bellamy had. Normally he would be deep inside some nameless, faceless girl from the club but with guests he had been limiting himself and it was killing him.
Bellamy was headed towards his own bedroom when Clark spoke.
"You have a strange collection for someone who does what you do." Bellamy wouldn't have been certain the boy was talking to him if Clark had not turned around on the couch to look at him. His crystalline blue eyes expecting an answer. It was the first time the boy had said anything to him. Bellamy was beginning to think the boy was actually mute.
Bellamy walked over to the couch, glancing at the large screen which was playing his favorite 2 part documentary about World War 2. A smirk on his face as he approached the boy.
"What did you expect I'd have? Horror movies and thrillers?" He questioned. To be fair, most people never got the opportunity to see his collection of DVD's so Clark was the first person, other then his sister, to remark on how strange it was.
"I don't know, maybe." He answered, his fingers picking at the edge of his worn shirt that was obviously way too big for his slim frame. "I did not expect you to be a history buff though."
Bellamy barked out laughing unable to help himself. He half expect Clark to go running at the sound.
"Just wait till you get to the Greek mythology section. That'll explain some things about me." He teased. The boy cracked a smile for what was probably the first time since he and John had arrived. It was clear the motion pained the boy from the slight wince that come through in his eyes.
The boys face was looking better. Though the black eye and cut lip were being notoriously stubborn and seemed to refuse to heal. Bellamy had gotten his ass kicked enough when he was young to know how that could pain.
"I can't wait. Hopefully it pretty interesting as I've been pretty bored lately." Bellamy hadn't even thought about that. The boy hadn't seemed to leave the apartment since they've arrived. God no wonder he was making his way through Bellamy's collection in record time. There wasn't exactly a lot to do here. Bellamy kept things pretty basic. He didn't even have cable, just a collection of DVD's.
3 days here and Bellamy still hasn't made any attempt to make sure John's cousin knew how to defend himself. He'd need to know if he were going to survive in Arkadia. Well that would change now. As much as Bellamy wanted to do nothing but sit in his room, he couldn't leave Clark defenseless.
"Come on, Turn off the T.V and get up." He motioned, tapping the back of the couch. The boy nearly jumped out of his skin. This might be more then what Bellamy could handle. The skittish behavior had to stop, if anyone in town saw him react like that. Well let's just saw Clark would not last more then a few minutes outside.
The carefree expression that had been on his face was quickly replaced by fear and uncertainly but he followed directions. Quickly turning the Telavision off and pealing himself up off the couch. Clark joined Bellamy on the other side of the couch.
"What do you need me to do Sir?" He asked, his polite and over the top sign of respect made Bellamy want to laugh again but he couldn't not when he was about to take this boy down to the cage.
"Don't call me Sir Clark. I am not a good man." There was fear in the boys eyes. Good. Being scared was the only sure fire way to keep a child like him alive in this city. "I am going to teach you how to fight."
"Here?" Clark questioned, his eyes darting around the room, no doubt wondering if there was going to be room.
"No. We are going to the cage." The name would do little too ease the boy, which was kind of the point. The Cage sounded dreadfully terrifying and it kind of was. Most People went into the cage and came out different men, or woman in his sisters case. Though the warehouse the housed the cage was likely empty this time of day and would be for the next few hours. "Come on let's go."
The had been it for hours. The cage was going to open soon. Already people were starting to wonder in trying to get it open and ready for the fights that night.
Bellamy could tell Clark was getting frustrated. Murphy hadn't been lying, the boy was a quick learner but he obviously didn't have a malicious bone in his body and trying to get him to instigate something was wearing on both of them.
He stood, awkwardly on the far side, eyeing Bellamy as if he were trying to logic and straegise his next move. Bellamy swung out, missing the boys face on purpose but spurring the boy into action, even if that action was just to jump back.
"You are thinking too much." Bellamy chastised Clarke with a grunt. Easing himself out of his fighting stance to stare at him. Still, after almost getting hit again Clark didn't seem any more eager to come at him. This boy was going to be useless to all of them if he didn't learn that sometimes you couldn't wait for the fight to come to you. "Stop being a girl and come at me."
That seemed to get a reaction out of the boy. He gritted his teeth and stomped back over to Bellamy. His stance was shit but at least he seemed to be taking some incentive.
"Fighting is pointless." The boy groaned pushing past Bellamy. Well that wasn't exactly what he had been expecting and he wasn't going to let Clark leave without trying to take a swing at him at least. He gripped Clark's arm, snarling.
"We aren't done yet Princess." He mocked the boy, hoping to get a different type of reaction out of the boy. And it worked. Bellamy almost didn't see the elbow coming until it was too late. It clocked him on the side of the face with enough force that Bellamy could taste blood. It wasn't enough to cause any real damage but it was still enough to break the hold Bellamy had on his arm.
He smiled though Clark looked like he was about to piss himself. Shame crossed his face until Bellamy started chuckling. The shame turned to anger which was exactly what Bellamy wanted.
"You are a dick and a half." He sighed, slamming his hands into the door to the cage. Not that he needed to Bellamy hadn't closed it all the way when they first walked it.
"That's why the ladies love me." He shouted after the boy, realizing he was enjoying himself far more then he thought he would have. The whole back and forth thing with Clark was far more amusing then his normal routine. Scare, punch, repeat. To be quite honesty, Bellamy was getting kind of bored of it all.
"The ladies around here maybe. A quality girl will never fall for your bullshit." Bellamy took it back, maybe Clark did have a bit of malice hidden beneath that hipster haircut and baggy clothes. His comment actually stung.
"We aren't done yet!" Bellamy shouted after him, stopping the boy in his tracks. He could see Clark's sigh but he was a good little boy who followed directions well. He was back in front of Bellamy unhappy as the anger contorted his face. It was about time. "Seriously Clark? Get in your fighting stance." He demanded. The boy rolled his eyes, yet he moved the way Bellamy had showed him. Changing his center of gravity to make it more difficult for someone to just bowl him over.
His hands went up as Bellamy had shown him, to protect his face, but he was still holding his fists wrong, his thumbs tucked in and Bellamy sighed. He reached out moving Clarks hands in a way that if he actuall threw a punch would not result in him breaking his thumbs. Seriously how was this boy this clueless about fighting while being related to John?
By the time the Cage actually opened Clark could throw a decent punch. He was still putting too much energy into it and getting tired far too quickly, but if he was cornered in an ally he could defend himself well enough till someone could get to him. Not that Bellamy thought John would ever let Clark leave without either him or Bellamy with, but that would be a subject for another day.
He seemed to have grown more comfortable the more time they spent out of Bellamy's apartment. He was still tense and uptight, like his worse nightmare was going to walk in the room at any moment but he smiled more, even joked with a few of the girls serving drinks while the fights happened. Clark had been almost too eager to leave when the Cage opened but Bellamy insisted they stayed to watch.
"I don't understand, why would people want to watch something like this?" Clark questioned as one of the Contenders from Canada put a beat down on a Mountain man. Bellamy couldn't say he wasn't pleased to see the act. God knows the Mountain Men were getting too cocky as of late and could use a beat down to let everyone including them know they were fallible.
"Where did you grow up Clark?" He demanded, wondering not for the first time where this soft skittish boy had come from. The question seemed to have hit a nerve. Clark clammed right up, not for the first time. Whatever his back story was it was clearly not something he wanted to talk about. Again the voice in his head screamed ALARM. Bellamy quickly changed the subject. "They say a man can live his whole life without finding out he is a coward." He quoted an old American poet, not expecting the boy to have a clue as to what he was saying.
"Quoting John Berryman does not answer the question." Clark countered, surprising Bellamy. It was no secret between the 2 of them that he was the dork. He hadn't expected Clark to know the quote, let alone who had said it. Who was this person?
"Why do men watch sports, or women do what ever woman do. It's human nature to see a fight and feel the need to watch it. At least here the fighters are being paid to be watched." He answered with a simple shrugged, pushing his attention back on the fight. Not that it was much of one, the Mountain man was already tapping out. Pussy.
"So it's like theater. Something to distract the masses from the patheticness of their own dreary lives?" The words were so proper, Bellamy couldn't help but eye Clark. Not for the first time did he think there was no way this boy was a Murphy. Too refined, too polite even when saying things like that.
"That's one way to put it definitely." There was only one fight left tonight. Somehow they had been out of the apartment for hours and Bellamy should be dead tired after the day he had but he wasn't, though Clark looked about ready to drop. "Come on, Let's get you home before your Cousin wakes up and notices you aren't there. One day you are going to have to tell me what's going on there. I've never seen Murphy this protective over a person."
"It's a long story." Clark said simply not meeting Bellamy's eyes. Bellamy didn't doubt that. With the Murphy's everything seemed to be a long story.