[A-Team: Drabble] "Family Secrets" [G]
Title: Family Secrets
Prompts Used: writerverse phase 23, challenge 01, prompt 02 ‘about face’
Word Count: 573
Fandom: The A-Team (TV)
Character(s): Faceman Peck, Hannibal Smith
Summary: The fifth time that Face entered a room and everyone fell silent, he figured he should take the hint.
Family Secrets
The fifth time that Face entered a room and everyone fell silent, he figured he should take the hint.
They were a military unit, after all (okay, technically, they were discharged commandos-for-hire) but the point was that they were not a fraternity or a family. If Hannibal or Murdock or B.A. wanted to have secrets, that was their own business. If they didn’t want to share their secrets with Face, that was also fine. And if Murdock wanted to keep lying about why he couldn’t go back to the VA, even though their last job was long over, Face wasn’t going to push it.
But that didn’t mean he had to stick around and take it, either.
Face scrounged up one of his best everything is fine smiles and left the room.
They were staying in a hotel suite, impressive enough that they each had their own bedrooms - courtesy of a film studio that hadn’t yet realized that Face wasn’t really one of their talent scouts - and he closed the door to his firmly behind him, leaning against it for a long moment.
He just needed a little space, Face thought, as he started packing. By the time Hannibal found their next job, he’d have found a couple of friendly ladies to distract him, and everything would be fine.
There was a knock at the door.
Face ignored it.
There was another knock, and the door opened. “Face?”
“Oh, hi, Hannibal,” he said, with all the cheerfulness he could muster. “Did you need something? I was just heading out.”
“Out?” the colonel repeated.
“Just for a few days. A week or two at most. Unless we find a new client, of course.”
Hannibal frowned. “Face…”
“Don’t know exactly where I’m headed,” he continued, quickly. “You see, there’s this girl-”
“Face…”
“-and her sister. They’re not actually twins, but-”
“Lieutenant…”
“-they promised to show me the best-”
“Templeton!”
Startled, Face stopped talking - he didn’t think he’d ever heard Hannibal call him that before.
“Look,” said Hannibal, “if there really are sisters and you really do want to go, then that’s fine. But if you’re upset with the way we’ve all been acting a little… squirrely, lately, then I’m sorry.”
“Sorry?” Face repeated. “What for? You’re allowed to have your secrets, all three of you.”
“Not if it hurts the person we’re keeping secrets for.”
Face blinked. “What?”
“It was supposed to be a surprise,” said Hannibal. “But now I’m thinking that was a serious tactical error. Face, we’ve been planning your birthday party.”
“You were? But, Hannibal, my birthday isn’t for another two weeks.”
“I figured we’d need that much time, to plan something really impressive.”
“I had no idea,” said Face, faintly.
“I’m getting that,” said Hannibal. “And that’s a problem.”
“I’ll say. I should have been able to pick up-”
“No, Face,” said Hannibal, resting a hand on the younger man’s shoulder. “That’s my problem, for not realizing that you’d ever think we wouldn’t want you around.”
“I-” Face began, then sighed. “Old habits are hard to break.”
“That’s what Army boot camp was for.”
“The Army can’t fix everything.”
“But the A-Team can,” said Hannibal. “So, what can we do, Face? How can we make you understand you’re ours?”
Face offered a shy smile. “Remind me?” he said.
“As often as you need,” Hannibal promised, and Face let himself be pulled into a hug.
THE END
Current Mood:
mellow
Prompts Used: writerverse phase 23, challenge 01, prompt 02 ‘about face’
Word Count: 573
Fandom: The A-Team (TV)
Character(s): Faceman Peck, Hannibal Smith
Summary: The fifth time that Face entered a room and everyone fell silent, he figured he should take the hint.
Family Secrets
The fifth time that Face entered a room and everyone fell silent, he figured he should take the hint.
They were a military unit, after all (okay, technically, they were discharged commandos-for-hire) but the point was that they were not a fraternity or a family. If Hannibal or Murdock or B.A. wanted to have secrets, that was their own business. If they didn’t want to share their secrets with Face, that was also fine. And if Murdock wanted to keep lying about why he couldn’t go back to the VA, even though their last job was long over, Face wasn’t going to push it.
But that didn’t mean he had to stick around and take it, either.
Face scrounged up one of his best everything is fine smiles and left the room.
They were staying in a hotel suite, impressive enough that they each had their own bedrooms - courtesy of a film studio that hadn’t yet realized that Face wasn’t really one of their talent scouts - and he closed the door to his firmly behind him, leaning against it for a long moment.
He just needed a little space, Face thought, as he started packing. By the time Hannibal found their next job, he’d have found a couple of friendly ladies to distract him, and everything would be fine.
There was a knock at the door.
Face ignored it.
There was another knock, and the door opened. “Face?”
“Oh, hi, Hannibal,” he said, with all the cheerfulness he could muster. “Did you need something? I was just heading out.”
“Out?” the colonel repeated.
“Just for a few days. A week or two at most. Unless we find a new client, of course.”
Hannibal frowned. “Face…”
“Don’t know exactly where I’m headed,” he continued, quickly. “You see, there’s this girl-”
“Face…”
“-and her sister. They’re not actually twins, but-”
“Lieutenant…”
“-they promised to show me the best-”
“Templeton!”
Startled, Face stopped talking - he didn’t think he’d ever heard Hannibal call him that before.
“Look,” said Hannibal, “if there really are sisters and you really do want to go, then that’s fine. But if you’re upset with the way we’ve all been acting a little… squirrely, lately, then I’m sorry.”
“Sorry?” Face repeated. “What for? You’re allowed to have your secrets, all three of you.”
“Not if it hurts the person we’re keeping secrets for.”
Face blinked. “What?”
“It was supposed to be a surprise,” said Hannibal. “But now I’m thinking that was a serious tactical error. Face, we’ve been planning your birthday party.”
“You were? But, Hannibal, my birthday isn’t for another two weeks.”
“I figured we’d need that much time, to plan something really impressive.”
“I had no idea,” said Face, faintly.
“I’m getting that,” said Hannibal. “And that’s a problem.”
“I’ll say. I should have been able to pick up-”
“No, Face,” said Hannibal, resting a hand on the younger man’s shoulder. “That’s my problem, for not realizing that you’d ever think we wouldn’t want you around.”
“I-” Face began, then sighed. “Old habits are hard to break.”
“That’s what Army boot camp was for.”
“The Army can’t fix everything.”
“But the A-Team can,” said Hannibal. “So, what can we do, Face? How can we make you understand you’re ours?”
Face offered a shy smile. “Remind me?” he said.
“As often as you need,” Hannibal promised, and Face let himself be pulled into a hug.
THE END
Current Mood:
mellow