Title: The Dark Things We Fear (Face/Murdock, A-Team)
Title: The Dark Things We Fear
Fandom: A-Team
Pairing/characters: Face/Murdock
Rating: Teen+
Genre: angst
Word Count: 1,485
Summary: Face and Murdock wait in the darkness.
A/N: Written for the 2x5 obsessions prompt: the dark things you fear. And the angst bingo prompt: nightmares.
Face watched as Murdock paced the locked room anxiously. He was talking, more to himself than Face, still in character from their failed attempt at scamming supplies right out from under the noses of the bad guys. It had almost worked, but their boss had shown up unexpectedly and recognized Face from an earlier encounter. So now they were locked in a windowless basement, with only a single flickering light bulb to keep them from being enveloped into complete darkness.
It was nearing winter and the air was colder here where the heat from the building above didn't reach. There were cobwebs, dust and cracked cement, but little else. A broken broom lay in the corner, a weapon if it came to that. But nothing they could use to pick the lock or break it down. They just had to hope that B.A. and Hannibal would notice they were late getting back, before the boss figured out what to do with them.
Face stepped in front of Murdock, forcing him to stop his pacing. Murdock bumped into him and the surprise of it stopped his rant. Face grabbed Murdock's wrists. "Stop. Just stop."
Murdock looked ready to protest, but he must have seen the plea in Face's eyes, because there was an abrupt shift and then Murdock was just Murdock again. "Face, I'm sorry. It's my fault." He lowered his lashes, looking away.
"Murdock, what are you talking about?"
"If I'd been a little better, a little quicker, a little smoother, we could have gotten out of there sooner."
Face eased his grip on Murdock's wrists, gently stroking his thumbs over the soft skin. "No, that was just bad luck. You were brilliant. I hate to admit it, but sometimes when I watch you work, I feel a little in awe."
Murdock lifted his gaze back up to meet Face's. "You really mean that, Face?"
Face nodded. He did. Face could pretend, dress the part, put on a fake accent when necessary, but Murdock- Murdock became another person all together. It was both amazing and terrifying. Face had a pretty good idea why Murdock found it so easy to lose himself into fantasy. It was the same reason Face drove a Corvette and lived in expensive (scammed) penthouses. Pretending to be someone else meant that the nightmares that always hovered in the backs of their minds were someone else's. Nightmares birthed from memories; Memories of darkness, hunger, and pain, haunting them from the past.
So like a child huddling under a blanket hoping the monsters wouldn't find him, they hid; Hid behind personas, invisible dogs, and expensive tailored suits.
The light began to buzz, signaling its imminent death. Face took a deep breath. "Murdock, you know that Hannibal and B.A. will find us?"
Murdock nodded. "Of course, they haven't let us down yet."
"Right. But just in case those men upstairs come back for us before then... we'll need to be ready."
Murdock smiled. "You have a plan."
Face grinned hesitantly. "Sort of."
"Just tell me what to do." Murdock said confidently.
"Grab me that broom," said Face. Murdock did and handed it off to Face. "When they come in, we'll use this to trip them up on the stairs, and then grab their guns."
Murdock looked unconvinced. Face frowned. "Well, I never said it was a good plan."
"No, no," Murdock said reassuringly. "Hannibal would be proud.”
Face wedged the broom handle between the rails on the staircase, propping it about ankle height, and prayed that they wouldn’t skip that step as they came down. Face sat down on the last step. "Now we just wait.”
Murdock sat down beside him. "Do you think it's raining outside? Looked like rain clouds to me."
Face shrugged.
"Should have brought an umbrella."
Murdock was babbling again. He did that when he was nervous. He was also shivering, arms folded close over his chest. Face scooted closer, wrapping his arm around Murdock. "We'll make a fire when we get home."
Murdock leaned into him. "That sounds nice. Could we have hot chocolate too?"
"Sure. Whipped cream or marshmallows?"
Murdock's eyes widened. "Oh, hm. Marshmallows is more traditional, don't you think? But I do love whipped cream..."
Face grinned. "How about both?"
Murdock considered the proposal seriously, and then nodded. "Both. It's a plan."
"Good, well I'm glad we have that settled." Face felt himself relaxing already. In his mind they were already on that comfy couch, sipping cocoa, warming their cold feet by the fire.
And that's when the light finally gave out. Face felt Murdock immediately tense up beside him. He rubbed Murdock's arm. "It's okay. The light just burned out. We might not be able to see too well, but that just means they won't either. We can use that." Murdock still felt tense. Face really wished he could see his face. "Murdock?"
"I can't see my fingers," Murdock replied quietly. "Face, are my fingers still there?"
Face used his other arm to reach out. He found Murdock’s hand hovering somewhere in front of his face. He took a hold of it and squeezed tight. "Yeah, they're all there."
Murdock breathed a sigh of relief. "Good." Murdock's finger's gripped tightly around Face's hand. Realizing he wouldn’t be letting go anytime soon, Face lowered their entwined hands to rest on his knee.
It seemed so much quieter with the light out, even though Face knew nothing else had changed. Face could survive the dark, as long as there was noise to accompany it; Traffic, TV, Murdock mumbling nonsensical foreign words in his sleep. But when the dark was accompanied by silence, that's when his mind began to fill in the blanks. A drip of water, the muffled crying of a soldier, screams in the distance, shells and gunfire.
"Hey, Murdock. How about a song?" It took a moment for Murdock to respond. Face was beginning to worry that maybe he'd lost Murdock to the dark, but soon enough, he was quietly singing one of the songs Stevie Faith had taught him. They had serenaded Face, complete with a badly choreographed dance routine. It was a good memory, them playing house together for a little while. Face wished it could have lasted longer.
Murdock reached the end of the song, but he continued, humming. Face rested his head against Murdock's shoulder. "I always liked that song."
Murdock tilted his head to lean against Face's. "Me too."
Face felt Murdock shivering against him. "You still cold?" Murdock didn't answer. Face embraced him tighter, drawing Murdock in as close as was possible. Murdock wrapped his arms around Face, his fingers clutching the back of his shirt. Face stroked his neck. "Shh," Face hushed not any spoken words, but at the thoughts he knew were troubling his friend. He kissed the spot just below Murdock's ear. "Don't think about now, or then, think about later. Warm fire, hot cocoa... remember?"
"With whipped cream and marshmallows."
Face laughed. "Yeah. With whipped cream and marshmallows. Maybe even a cherry on top."
"You'll- you'll stay the night with me?"
"All night. We won't even go to bed. We'll stay by the fire, keep it going all night. Let the flickering light lull us to sleep."
Murdock was relaxing again, his shivering deceasing. "I love the way the flames dance and that crackling noise the wood makes as it burns."
Face sighed. "Soon." He really hoped it would be soon.
It was a few more minutes, felt like hours, before they heard the door creak open. Face and Murdock jumped into position. A dark silhouette appeared against the dim light coming through the doorway. Footsteps fell on the stairs... a curse sounded and then a crash. Face and Murdock were on top of the man, before he could get back up.
"Get off me you fools!"
Face and Murdock jumped back. "B.A.?" They exclaimed, squinting through the darkness at the large heap on the floor.
At the top of the stairs a flame sparked to life, lighting a cigar. The little flame illuminated Hannibal's face. "Hi, boys," he smiled around his cigar, "Need a rescue? Or were you two playing seven minutes in heaven down here in the dark?"
"Hannibal," said Face, "Thank god."
Murdock bent down to help B.A. up, but the big guy slapped his hand away. "Last time I try to help you two fools. You could'a broke my leg. Again."
"Sorry, B.A.," said Murdock. "We thought you were one of them."
"Speaking of which," said Face, peering up at Hannibal.
"All taken care of, but we should get out of here before the authorities show up."
"We’re ready to go." Face took Murdock's arm as they followed Hannibal and B.A. out, leaving the darkness behind, but not the monsters that lurked there. Those followed them wherever they went. But at least together they had a chance of fighting them off.
* * *
Fandom: A-Team
Pairing/characters: Face/Murdock
Rating: Teen+
Genre: angst
Word Count: 1,485
Summary: Face and Murdock wait in the darkness.
A/N: Written for the 2x5 obsessions prompt: the dark things you fear. And the angst bingo prompt: nightmares.
Face watched as Murdock paced the locked room anxiously. He was talking, more to himself than Face, still in character from their failed attempt at scamming supplies right out from under the noses of the bad guys. It had almost worked, but their boss had shown up unexpectedly and recognized Face from an earlier encounter. So now they were locked in a windowless basement, with only a single flickering light bulb to keep them from being enveloped into complete darkness.
It was nearing winter and the air was colder here where the heat from the building above didn't reach. There were cobwebs, dust and cracked cement, but little else. A broken broom lay in the corner, a weapon if it came to that. But nothing they could use to pick the lock or break it down. They just had to hope that B.A. and Hannibal would notice they were late getting back, before the boss figured out what to do with them.
Face stepped in front of Murdock, forcing him to stop his pacing. Murdock bumped into him and the surprise of it stopped his rant. Face grabbed Murdock's wrists. "Stop. Just stop."
Murdock looked ready to protest, but he must have seen the plea in Face's eyes, because there was an abrupt shift and then Murdock was just Murdock again. "Face, I'm sorry. It's my fault." He lowered his lashes, looking away.
"Murdock, what are you talking about?"
"If I'd been a little better, a little quicker, a little smoother, we could have gotten out of there sooner."
Face eased his grip on Murdock's wrists, gently stroking his thumbs over the soft skin. "No, that was just bad luck. You were brilliant. I hate to admit it, but sometimes when I watch you work, I feel a little in awe."
Murdock lifted his gaze back up to meet Face's. "You really mean that, Face?"
Face nodded. He did. Face could pretend, dress the part, put on a fake accent when necessary, but Murdock- Murdock became another person all together. It was both amazing and terrifying. Face had a pretty good idea why Murdock found it so easy to lose himself into fantasy. It was the same reason Face drove a Corvette and lived in expensive (scammed) penthouses. Pretending to be someone else meant that the nightmares that always hovered in the backs of their minds were someone else's. Nightmares birthed from memories; Memories of darkness, hunger, and pain, haunting them from the past.
So like a child huddling under a blanket hoping the monsters wouldn't find him, they hid; Hid behind personas, invisible dogs, and expensive tailored suits.
The light began to buzz, signaling its imminent death. Face took a deep breath. "Murdock, you know that Hannibal and B.A. will find us?"
Murdock nodded. "Of course, they haven't let us down yet."
"Right. But just in case those men upstairs come back for us before then... we'll need to be ready."
Murdock smiled. "You have a plan."
Face grinned hesitantly. "Sort of."
"Just tell me what to do." Murdock said confidently.
"Grab me that broom," said Face. Murdock did and handed it off to Face. "When they come in, we'll use this to trip them up on the stairs, and then grab their guns."
Murdock looked unconvinced. Face frowned. "Well, I never said it was a good plan."
"No, no," Murdock said reassuringly. "Hannibal would be proud.”
Face wedged the broom handle between the rails on the staircase, propping it about ankle height, and prayed that they wouldn’t skip that step as they came down. Face sat down on the last step. "Now we just wait.”
Murdock sat down beside him. "Do you think it's raining outside? Looked like rain clouds to me."
Face shrugged.
"Should have brought an umbrella."
Murdock was babbling again. He did that when he was nervous. He was also shivering, arms folded close over his chest. Face scooted closer, wrapping his arm around Murdock. "We'll make a fire when we get home."
Murdock leaned into him. "That sounds nice. Could we have hot chocolate too?"
"Sure. Whipped cream or marshmallows?"
Murdock's eyes widened. "Oh, hm. Marshmallows is more traditional, don't you think? But I do love whipped cream..."
Face grinned. "How about both?"
Murdock considered the proposal seriously, and then nodded. "Both. It's a plan."
"Good, well I'm glad we have that settled." Face felt himself relaxing already. In his mind they were already on that comfy couch, sipping cocoa, warming their cold feet by the fire.
And that's when the light finally gave out. Face felt Murdock immediately tense up beside him. He rubbed Murdock's arm. "It's okay. The light just burned out. We might not be able to see too well, but that just means they won't either. We can use that." Murdock still felt tense. Face really wished he could see his face. "Murdock?"
"I can't see my fingers," Murdock replied quietly. "Face, are my fingers still there?"
Face used his other arm to reach out. He found Murdock’s hand hovering somewhere in front of his face. He took a hold of it and squeezed tight. "Yeah, they're all there."
Murdock breathed a sigh of relief. "Good." Murdock's finger's gripped tightly around Face's hand. Realizing he wouldn’t be letting go anytime soon, Face lowered their entwined hands to rest on his knee.
It seemed so much quieter with the light out, even though Face knew nothing else had changed. Face could survive the dark, as long as there was noise to accompany it; Traffic, TV, Murdock mumbling nonsensical foreign words in his sleep. But when the dark was accompanied by silence, that's when his mind began to fill in the blanks. A drip of water, the muffled crying of a soldier, screams in the distance, shells and gunfire.
"Hey, Murdock. How about a song?" It took a moment for Murdock to respond. Face was beginning to worry that maybe he'd lost Murdock to the dark, but soon enough, he was quietly singing one of the songs Stevie Faith had taught him. They had serenaded Face, complete with a badly choreographed dance routine. It was a good memory, them playing house together for a little while. Face wished it could have lasted longer.
Murdock reached the end of the song, but he continued, humming. Face rested his head against Murdock's shoulder. "I always liked that song."
Murdock tilted his head to lean against Face's. "Me too."
Face felt Murdock shivering against him. "You still cold?" Murdock didn't answer. Face embraced him tighter, drawing Murdock in as close as was possible. Murdock wrapped his arms around Face, his fingers clutching the back of his shirt. Face stroked his neck. "Shh," Face hushed not any spoken words, but at the thoughts he knew were troubling his friend. He kissed the spot just below Murdock's ear. "Don't think about now, or then, think about later. Warm fire, hot cocoa... remember?"
"With whipped cream and marshmallows."
Face laughed. "Yeah. With whipped cream and marshmallows. Maybe even a cherry on top."
"You'll- you'll stay the night with me?"
"All night. We won't even go to bed. We'll stay by the fire, keep it going all night. Let the flickering light lull us to sleep."
Murdock was relaxing again, his shivering deceasing. "I love the way the flames dance and that crackling noise the wood makes as it burns."
Face sighed. "Soon." He really hoped it would be soon.
It was a few more minutes, felt like hours, before they heard the door creak open. Face and Murdock jumped into position. A dark silhouette appeared against the dim light coming through the doorway. Footsteps fell on the stairs... a curse sounded and then a crash. Face and Murdock were on top of the man, before he could get back up.
"Get off me you fools!"
Face and Murdock jumped back. "B.A.?" They exclaimed, squinting through the darkness at the large heap on the floor.
At the top of the stairs a flame sparked to life, lighting a cigar. The little flame illuminated Hannibal's face. "Hi, boys," he smiled around his cigar, "Need a rescue? Or were you two playing seven minutes in heaven down here in the dark?"
"Hannibal," said Face, "Thank god."
Murdock bent down to help B.A. up, but the big guy slapped his hand away. "Last time I try to help you two fools. You could'a broke my leg. Again."
"Sorry, B.A.," said Murdock. "We thought you were one of them."
"Speaking of which," said Face, peering up at Hannibal.
"All taken care of, but we should get out of here before the authorities show up."
"We’re ready to go." Face took Murdock's arm as they followed Hannibal and B.A. out, leaving the darkness behind, but not the monsters that lurked there. Those followed them wherever they went. But at least together they had a chance of fighting them off.
* * *