✫彡
in which nova finds solace in an outcast boy who happens to be more similar to her than she first thought.
( the 100 s1 )
( extended summary inside )
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"DOES this hurt?" Nova tentatively asks Murphy, her hand hovering over a deep cut on his shoulder with a damp cloth. This seems to have become their routine — she brings him food and water, cleans his wounds and keeps him company for a little while after. Murphy's grateful for it, of course, but he's always reluctant to actually thank her, his stubbornness at the forefront of his mind.
He shakes his head to Nova's question to appear tough, although he's wincing on the inside whenever the cloth comes into contact with his skin.
"Liar," she says, raising her eyebrows, challenging him in a light-hearted way. "I'm nearly done, just bare with me."
Still, not many conversations have been had between the pair. Nova doesn't know much about him at all, only that he's apart of the sky people and he's been banished from their base camp, for some unknown reason. Likewise, Murphy doesn't know a lot about her, just that she has some unresolved resentment towards the Grounders, even though she is one of them.
As Nova finishes cleaning the blood from Murphy's shoulder, she notices a circular indent wound across his neck. Her eyes narrow at it. It's not recent because the wound itself appears to be healing, but she hasn't noticed it before.
Murphy is quick to notice the concern written in her face and her sudden lack of movement, and he grunts, promoting Nova to snap out of her trance.
"Stop staring," he deadpans, a little frustrated that she's seen it. It's a time he would rather not revisit.
"I'm not," she asserts and denies it, but it's obvious she was. Her cheeks have flushed bright red, a clear sign of embarrassment. She's never been that great at lying, so it's surprising that she's got away with sneaking out of the village for so long.
Murphy scoffs. "Oh, sure you weren't."
A rush of humiliation runs through Nova. For the first time, she's stuck for words. On one hand, she doesn't want to pry. It's not any of her business and the scar most likely carries a painful memory. But, on the other hand, she simply wants to know if he's okay. He's clearly been through trauma even before being captured by Grounders, and Nova knows from experience that keeping it bottled up doesn't make the situation better; it simply becomes a bigger problem later in life.
"Are you—Are you okay? I mean, obviously not given—" Her voice is soft as she stops herself from blabbering, her words coming out a mere whisper.
Murphy's eyes falter and dart to the ground, blinking back tears. He's visibly hurt, unable to look Nova in her eyes. "I was hung by my own people. I was tied from a noose and had the bucket kicked from underneath me."
