Title: Falling - Ch. 1 (Face/Murdock, A-Team)
Title: Falling - Ch. 1
Fandom: A-Team (reboot)
Pairing/characters: Face/Murdock
Rating: Teen+
Genre: angst
Word Count: 1,056
Summary: The only thought in Face's mind was that he had to get to Murdock.
A/N: Post-movie, with elements from the series. Written as a fill for this prompt and for the angst bingo square "Falling".
Face rolled across the dirt, taking cover behind an overturned refrigerator. It was up to him and Murdock to create a diversion while Hannibal and B.A. snuck up on the enemy from behind. Face managed to shoot off a few rounds before the returning fire forced him down again. He glanced to his left. A few yards away, there was a rusted old Cadillac being riddled with bullet holes. Murdock was pinned down behind its hood. He tossed out a grenade, howling like the mad man he was. Face grinned. Murdock turned his head just then. His smile grew wider as he caught Face watching him. He winked as he pulled out another grenade.
It was so quick, it took a moment for Face to process what had happened. One second Murdock was about to pull the pin on the grenade, the next second his head whipped back, his body following, falling to the ground. Face held his breath, but the pilot didn't get back up. From his angle, Face couldn’t see if he was still alive.
Face slumped down, his back against the cold metal door. He forced himself to breath, but it only came in short gasps. His hand gripped the handle of his gun so tightly it began to cramp. Face flexed his fingers, took a deep breath, and then he was on his feet. He screamed as he ran towards the car, firing his gun in rapid succession, like some desperate action hero in a movie. He wasn't thinking about that though, the only thought in his mind was that he needed to get to Murdock. He jumped behind the car, his body hitting the ground hard. He'd feel that later, but at that moment there was too much adrenaline pumping through his body. He was on his knees and hands, scrambling towards Murdock, who was flat on his back, one leg tucked under at an angle. He wasn't moving.
The grenade had rolled a few feet away. Face grabbed it, pulled the pin, and launched it towards the scrap pile where most of the enemy fire was coming from. The responding boom hardly registered as Face knelt over Murdock. Open eyes stared at the sky above. Blood matted brown hair. Face shook his head. "Oh no. No.” He clutched at the other man, one hand on his chest, the other moving up to his neck. “Murdock?" Drops of tears dripped onto Murdock's t-shirt as Face leaned over him.
"Am I dead?"
Face nearly jumped back in surprise.
Murdock's eyes moved, meeting Face's. "Tell me honestly, Faceman. Am I dead?"
"I- I'm not sure." Face moved a trembling hand to Murdock's head. It was just a scratch. The bullet had only grazed Murdock. Face let out a shaky laugh, letting his head collapse against Murdock's chest.
A hand touched the back of his head and began caressing his hair. "You okay, Face," Murdock's voice was soft and gentle. Face realized then that the firing had stopped. He never would have heard the question otherwise.
Face wiped his eyes, knowing that it was too late, but trying to salvage some pride anyway. He lifted his head. "Yeah, I'm okay, Murdock."
"Then would you mind helping me up," asked Murdock. Face nodded and helped Murdock up into a sitting position. Murdock touched his head gingerly. "I'm really tired of getting shot in the head, Face."
"Me too, I'm not sure my heart could take it again."
Murdock scrutinized Face. "You sure you're okay?" His hand touched Face's cheek, trailing one of the tracks left by a tear through his dust covered face.
Face jerked his head away. "I'm fine."
"I thought you weren't going to lie to me anymore," Murdock sounded hurt.
"Damn it, Murdock. I thought you were dead!"
"I did too, for a second there." Murdock turned his head, suddenly looking for something. He grabbed his hat which had been knocked off his head when he fell back. He dusted it off and inspected it. His finger went through a small hole. "Aw, that was my favorite hat."
Face took the hat from Murdock's hands, setting it aside. "I'll buy you a new one."
"But that one was all broken in. We'd been through a lot together." Murdock sighed unhappily. "Hate to lose it now."
Face smiled. "I know how you feel."
"Face-?"
Face shook his head. "Later." Face nudged his head in the direction of Hannibal and BA, who were approaching them.
"What the hell was that, Lieutenant?" Hannibal shouted.
Face winced. "Boss?"
Hannibal pointed to what was left of the scrap pile and the unconscious gunmen tied up next to it. "I told you to create a distraction, not get yourself killed and us too." Hannibal shook his head. "I thought I had trained you better than that."
"It's my fault, Colonel," said Murdock. "I got hit and the shock of it stunned me. Face was just covering for me."
Hannibal's eyes softened as they looked over Murdock. "Are you okay, Captain?"
"Yeah," said Murdock, "It was just a graze."
Hannibal nodded. "Better get it looked at, just the same. Let's get back to the van. We'll call the police and let them clean up."
B.A. and Face helped Murdock up to his feet. Face slipped his arm around Murdock's waist. Murdock leaned against him as they walked.
Hannibal held the van door open for them as Face gave Murdock a hand getting inside. Hannibal grabbed Face's arm, holding him back. "You're not off the hook just yet. We will be discussing what happened out there," said Hannibal in a lowered voice. Face nodded, reluctantly. Hannibal's stern expression relented slightly. "Tomorrow. Now we get back, patch up Murdock, and get some rest." Hannibal patted Face on the shoulder.
Face was barely in the van, when Murdock grabbed him, pulling him close. "You're rooming with me tonight," he whispered, "We have to talk."
Face hung his head. The last thing Face had on his mind at that moment was talking. All he really wanted to do was take a hot shower, collapse into bed, watch some reruns on TV Land with Murdock, maybe laugh a little, and let his mind and body drift. He was physically, emotionally, and mentally drained. It was going to be a long and awkward two days.
* * *
Fandom: A-Team (reboot)
Pairing/characters: Face/Murdock
Rating: Teen+
Genre: angst
Word Count: 1,056
Summary: The only thought in Face's mind was that he had to get to Murdock.
A/N: Post-movie, with elements from the series. Written as a fill for this prompt and for the angst bingo square "Falling".
Face rolled across the dirt, taking cover behind an overturned refrigerator. It was up to him and Murdock to create a diversion while Hannibal and B.A. snuck up on the enemy from behind. Face managed to shoot off a few rounds before the returning fire forced him down again. He glanced to his left. A few yards away, there was a rusted old Cadillac being riddled with bullet holes. Murdock was pinned down behind its hood. He tossed out a grenade, howling like the mad man he was. Face grinned. Murdock turned his head just then. His smile grew wider as he caught Face watching him. He winked as he pulled out another grenade.
It was so quick, it took a moment for Face to process what had happened. One second Murdock was about to pull the pin on the grenade, the next second his head whipped back, his body following, falling to the ground. Face held his breath, but the pilot didn't get back up. From his angle, Face couldn’t see if he was still alive.
Face slumped down, his back against the cold metal door. He forced himself to breath, but it only came in short gasps. His hand gripped the handle of his gun so tightly it began to cramp. Face flexed his fingers, took a deep breath, and then he was on his feet. He screamed as he ran towards the car, firing his gun in rapid succession, like some desperate action hero in a movie. He wasn't thinking about that though, the only thought in his mind was that he needed to get to Murdock. He jumped behind the car, his body hitting the ground hard. He'd feel that later, but at that moment there was too much adrenaline pumping through his body. He was on his knees and hands, scrambling towards Murdock, who was flat on his back, one leg tucked under at an angle. He wasn't moving.
The grenade had rolled a few feet away. Face grabbed it, pulled the pin, and launched it towards the scrap pile where most of the enemy fire was coming from. The responding boom hardly registered as Face knelt over Murdock. Open eyes stared at the sky above. Blood matted brown hair. Face shook his head. "Oh no. No.” He clutched at the other man, one hand on his chest, the other moving up to his neck. “Murdock?" Drops of tears dripped onto Murdock's t-shirt as Face leaned over him.
"Am I dead?"
Face nearly jumped back in surprise.
Murdock's eyes moved, meeting Face's. "Tell me honestly, Faceman. Am I dead?"
"I- I'm not sure." Face moved a trembling hand to Murdock's head. It was just a scratch. The bullet had only grazed Murdock. Face let out a shaky laugh, letting his head collapse against Murdock's chest.
A hand touched the back of his head and began caressing his hair. "You okay, Face," Murdock's voice was soft and gentle. Face realized then that the firing had stopped. He never would have heard the question otherwise.
Face wiped his eyes, knowing that it was too late, but trying to salvage some pride anyway. He lifted his head. "Yeah, I'm okay, Murdock."
"Then would you mind helping me up," asked Murdock. Face nodded and helped Murdock up into a sitting position. Murdock touched his head gingerly. "I'm really tired of getting shot in the head, Face."
"Me too, I'm not sure my heart could take it again."
Murdock scrutinized Face. "You sure you're okay?" His hand touched Face's cheek, trailing one of the tracks left by a tear through his dust covered face.
Face jerked his head away. "I'm fine."
"I thought you weren't going to lie to me anymore," Murdock sounded hurt.
"Damn it, Murdock. I thought you were dead!"
"I did too, for a second there." Murdock turned his head, suddenly looking for something. He grabbed his hat which had been knocked off his head when he fell back. He dusted it off and inspected it. His finger went through a small hole. "Aw, that was my favorite hat."
Face took the hat from Murdock's hands, setting it aside. "I'll buy you a new one."
"But that one was all broken in. We'd been through a lot together." Murdock sighed unhappily. "Hate to lose it now."
Face smiled. "I know how you feel."
"Face-?"
Face shook his head. "Later." Face nudged his head in the direction of Hannibal and BA, who were approaching them.
"What the hell was that, Lieutenant?" Hannibal shouted.
Face winced. "Boss?"
Hannibal pointed to what was left of the scrap pile and the unconscious gunmen tied up next to it. "I told you to create a distraction, not get yourself killed and us too." Hannibal shook his head. "I thought I had trained you better than that."
"It's my fault, Colonel," said Murdock. "I got hit and the shock of it stunned me. Face was just covering for me."
Hannibal's eyes softened as they looked over Murdock. "Are you okay, Captain?"
"Yeah," said Murdock, "It was just a graze."
Hannibal nodded. "Better get it looked at, just the same. Let's get back to the van. We'll call the police and let them clean up."
B.A. and Face helped Murdock up to his feet. Face slipped his arm around Murdock's waist. Murdock leaned against him as they walked.
Hannibal held the van door open for them as Face gave Murdock a hand getting inside. Hannibal grabbed Face's arm, holding him back. "You're not off the hook just yet. We will be discussing what happened out there," said Hannibal in a lowered voice. Face nodded, reluctantly. Hannibal's stern expression relented slightly. "Tomorrow. Now we get back, patch up Murdock, and get some rest." Hannibal patted Face on the shoulder.
Face was barely in the van, when Murdock grabbed him, pulling him close. "You're rooming with me tonight," he whispered, "We have to talk."
Face hung his head. The last thing Face had on his mind at that moment was talking. All he really wanted to do was take a hot shower, collapse into bed, watch some reruns on TV Land with Murdock, maybe laugh a little, and let his mind and body drift. He was physically, emotionally, and mentally drained. It was going to be a long and awkward two days.
* * *