The A-Team - "Disney Boys" Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Seventeen of the Disney Boys Saga.
Chapter Summary: It's a new day, and our boys are off to Disney's Animal Kingdom, but not before a delicious breakfast at Shonnie's! It's pancakes and flirting all round in Chapter Seventeen, with a touch of angst that'll change EVERYTHING.
It's Hannibal who's the first to wake the next morning. Or rather, it's his stomach that wakes him. Startled, he opens his eyes, bleary and drowsily wondering why he's been roused. Then there comes a gurgling growl from his stomach and he groans, turning over in his bed, hand on his abs.
He's ravenous.
A glance at the clock shows why. It's nearly 8am. He's slept in by a considerable hour and quickly untangled his legs from the sheets. Padding out of his room, he knocks on each of his boy's doors on his way to the fridge.
"Rise and shine boys!" he yells, hauling their fridge open and grabbing the OJ.
Two doors open, and two messy-haired heads stare sleepily out at him.
"Boss…?"
"It's 8am. We've slept in." Hannibal says, slugging the juice straight out the carton - something that Face hates him doing - and wiping his hand across his mouth. "BA!"
Theres a crashing and a grumbling, and a thud which indicates Bosco has finally removed himself from the bed, and sure enough the big guy is out of his room moments later.
"The hell you yellin' for Hannibal? There a drill or somethin'?" he yawns, cracking his neck and taking a seat on the sofa.
"I thought we'd go out for breakfast this morning." Hannibal says eagerly, ushering Murdock back into his room and towards the ensuite. "Maybe Shonnies?"
That makes the pilot perk up.
"The place with the cherry syrup?!"
"Mmhm. If you hurry.."
Murdock hauls his clothes off, and the last thing Hannibal sees is his bare ass before the ensuite door slams shut and a shower is flicked on.
Grinning, he turns to Face and BA.
"Move it you two. I'm starving."
Face and BA groan. Theres really no arguing with Hannibal when he's hungry, and they'd rather sate his hunger before his mood turns sour.
~~~~~~
Shonnies was a personal favourite of theirs, and a rare treat that Hannibal allowed them from time to time. International Drive had a branch of it - they'd passed it on the drive from the airport to their villa - and Murdock inhales deeply as soon as they're through the door.
"…Ohhh man. Cherry. Sticky sticky sweet…" he moans, savouring the warm, rich, sweet smell in the air.
They take a seat, and order some coffee.
"You fellas having the buffet breakfast?" their waitress asks, and they all nod. "Alrighty, I'll take your main orders now."
Bacon and eggs, one over-easy, one egg-white only, one well-done. It's only BA who gets the triple. Hannibal allows it. His mechanic is a titan of a man, and one who needs to be kept well fed. The protein from the extra meat and eggs will only help Bosco in the long run.
His stomach rumbles again, and the three boys laugh.
"Go on up to the buffet Boss." Face grins. "I'll watch our stuff."
Hannibal smiles gratefully, and leads BA and Murdock to the buffet. Theres just about every kind of fruit, oatmeal, biscuits in gravy and best of all…
"Pancakes!" Murdock whoops, grabbing the tongs and taking one. "Gotta love den pancakes!"
Hannibal holds out his plate for one aswell. They look delicious. A soft golden brown, and he can tell they're piping hot.
"What'cha gonna put on yours John?"
Hannibal smiles at the use of his name.
"Fruit." he says, and laughs at Murdock's outraged face.
"Fruit?! Boss you're on holiday! They got syrup and awesome sauces an' real fresh cream and you're gonna put fruit on it?!"
"Well…when you put it like that I guess a little bit of sauce won't hurt."
"That's the spirit sir." Murdock grins, ladling out dark, gloomy cherry sauce out of the tureens. It too, is piping hot, and filled with real cherry pieces. "Oh my god, I could stick my face in this here pan and die a happy man."
Hannibal, eying the sauce, decides to try it. It doesn't look so bad, and takes a half-ladle for himself. Beside him, he can see Bosco pouring maple syrup over a stack of pancakes and grins on his way back to the table.
Bumping fists with Face, he takes his seat and watches his boy sachet up to the buffet. He looks so beautiful in white. White combat shorts, white trainers, white vest top. Like an angel who has the innocence of the devil.
Face will only take the fruit. Hannibal knows that. His boy is always concerned with his waistline, and true enough when Face returns theres not a pancake to be found on his plate.
"You know kid, one pancake won't make you fat." he says gently, eying the measly scoops of fruit on his boy's plate. "Why don't you go get a half at least?"
Face shakes his head, and Hannibal frowns.
"Face that's not enough for--"
"Boss I've got the bacon and eggs coming. What more do you want?" Face sighs, stabbing at a bit of melon. "I don't have a massive stomach. If I eat a pancake, that's me till lunch, and I really do want some eggs."
That, Hannibal supposed, was a fair point.
"Alright, alright. Don't rip my head off Face, I'm just looking out for you sweetheart."
Face's head snaps around and Hannibal quickly rewinds that last sentence in his head. Oh shit, he said…he called Face--
"Sweetheart?" Face says with a sly grin, watching Hannibal flush. "Really?"
"Sorry." Boss mumbles, focusing on chasing a cherry around his plate, covering it in sauce. "Too much?"
"S'kinda nice." Murdock says, lips stained with red sauce. "It's cute 'cause you clearly didn't think 'bout sayin' it, which means it came from the heart."
BA lifts his hand, and presses it to his chest.
"True love." he says with a nod at Hannibal and ducks to the side as Boss flings a napkin in his direction.
But they're all laughing, and Face switches his fork to his other hand. This lets him cover his right hand over Hannibal's where it's fisted on the table, and he smiles at his Colonel.
"Don't ever stop saying it, okay?"
Hannibal's smile becomes a grin, but before he can reply they're being served their main breakfasts. Hot, steaming plates of grilled bacon and fried eggs, with slices of thick toasted bread and little pats of butter and jam.
"You know Hannibal, I been thinking' man." BA says, as his hands rip bread apart, dunking them in runny yellow yolk. "…'bout what you said last night."
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah. I was thinking'…if you guys are really serious, then maybe. I dunno. Maybe I'd be cool with it." BA shrugs, and Murdock nearly spills his drink down his shirt.
Hannibal doesn't miss a beat.
"Well I'm not surprised. You were the one kissing me, remember?" he chuckles, but he doesn't laugh for long. "We are serious BA. Really serious."
"It's just, cause I know I'm not an easy guy to live with yeah? I never thought…"
"We've put up with you for the last ten years. Might aswell go the whole hog now." Face teases, poking what he hopes is Bosco's shin under the table with the tip of his trainer. "Besides. It's weird when you're not here Bosco. Like, when you're off visiting your mom or whatever. I never feel as safe when you're gone."
Murdock nods, and to Bosco's great surprise, Hannibal does too.
"Really?" he asks, eyes darting between Colonel and Captain.
"Facey's right. Theres nights you've been away and I just had to go sleep in your bed instead of my own." Murdock says, having finished cutting his bread into soldiers and given them names. "Now First Lieutenant Jones I'm afraid your crust isn't as shiny as the others, and you are the first for execution."
He picks up the doomed soldier, dunks it in his egg, and eats it with glee.
Bosco's eyes go to Hannibal.
"I agree with them." Hannibal says simply. "It's nice for me too, knowing theres someone there. Someone like you."
"Someone like me?"
"You know what you said in the car big guy? All those reasons why you thought nobody would ever wanna be with you?" Hannibal says around a mouthful of crispy bacon. "S'exactly what I love about you BA. Built, as you said, like a damn tank."
He mimics Bosco's voice, and that makes the other three laugh.
BA shovels a fried egg into his mouth, chews twice, and swallows.
"You like that I look like this?"
"Absolutely. Nice to know theres a man as physically strong as myself around the house." Hannibal says, leaning in a bit closer. "Someone who can dish it out as well as I can."
That makes Face squeak, and Murdock has eaten nearly all of his toasted platoon in an attempt to distract himself from the obvious flirting going on beside him.
"Dish it out? What…Hannibal you mean you…?" BA says. Surely Hannibal isn't implying that.
But Boss throws him a sly wink and goes back to his breakfast, and Bosco grins into his plate.
Shit just got real, and life just got interesting.
~~~~~
It's with sated stomaches and contented smiles that they leave Shonnies and bundle back into the car. Hannibal stretches his arms contentedly, and pats his hand on his now quiet stomach.
"Have we calmed the beast?" Face grins from the backseat, and Hannibal smirks.
"One of them."
That makes Murdock snort, and BA quickly gets them back onto International Drive.
"Right, so…where we goin' Hannibal?"
"If I remember the itinerary…" Hannibal says slowly. "…then it's Animal Kingdom."
He says it just in time, and Bosco has to make a sharp lane-dodge to get the right exit.
"I wonder whats in the Animal Kingdom." Face says, leaning over to brush Murdock's hair away from his eyes. "Wasn't the site for the park broken last time we checked?"
Murdock nods, and his fringe falls right back down again. His hair is simply untameable, but Face loves a challenge.
"Yeah it kept sayin' that they were still buildin' the site."
They pass under the Animal Kingdom archway, and up to the booths. Hannibal pays for their parking - like he's done with every other theme park so far- and again, Bosco's directed into a space.
So far so good. They're able to walk right up to the park doors (not a tram in sight to Murdock's sorrow) and BA laughs at what meets them.
Rafiki, from the Lion King. He's dancing about near the entrance with his stick, waving at children, chasing the adults, and the boys end up in fits when the old monkey tries to whack BA on the head with his stick.
"Crazy monkey man. I'ma wrap that stick around his head." BA growls, but is tugged into the park quickly.
"That's what he does in the film big guy, take it easy." Hannibal grins, taking a park map from the box on the wall. But he doesn't open it. He can't do anything but stare, and the boys - confused by their Colonel's silence - follow his gaze.
There, in the middle of the park, is the largest tree they've ever seen in their lives. It's like a skyscraper, with carvings of every animal imaginable engraved in it's trunk. All of them focused around the head of a proud male lion, his pupilless eyes watching over the park.
"That is damn beautiful." BA says quietly.
"Agreed." Hannibal says, opening the map and unwillingly dragging his eyes from the great tree. "Alright, let's see…"
His boys gather around him, throwing the map into shadow, and Murdock points to the middle.
"That's the tree. Whole park is built around it." he says, finger following the paths. "Ooh look! They have real animals here! They have an orangutan! Oh Hannibal can we go see those? I bet they're funny."
Then Face taps a large building on the right.
"They do shows too. Theres a Lion King one, and one for Finding Nemo."
"Finding Nemo? What's that then?" Boss asks.
"Hannibal you've never heard of Finding Nemo? Jeez, you been livin' under a rock or somethin'?" Murdock asks. "Nemo! The lil' fish who gets lost in the sea and his daddy swims a million billion miles just to find him an' bring him home again?"
No. Hannibal hasn't seen the film. But just by Murdock's description, he knows why he can't go see it.
"Sounds good." Face grins, and BA nods.
Hannibal internally curses. He's going to have to be clever now. He memorises the showtimes, and makes a mental note to ensure they're nowhere near that auditorium when they come around.
"Looks like they have their own thrill rides here too." he says, changing the subject. "Theres one called Everest, and one called Dinosaur."
"Maybe we should walk around the park a bit first? I'm still really full." Face says, and the others nod in agreement. A walk is fine with Hannibal - he loves to stroll - and the four of them blend in with the crowd, walking through shady trees, across old wooden bridges, looking at the resident exotic birds flying free around their heads. Theres tiny lizards running around near their feet - one startling Face so much that he nearly jumps clean into Hannibal's arms - and the first thing they encounter is an enclosure filled with orangutans.
Murdock runs to the barrier, and stares at the large male sat on the other side.
"Oh Ooh-bee-doo! I wanna be like you-hoo-hoo…" he sings, and throws the others a grin. "S'King Louie. From the Jungle Book! Have a banana. Have *two* bananas!"
He holds up three fingers, and Boss chuckles.
~~~~~
Hannibal's loving this park. The trees keep them in the shade, away from the sun's glare, and it's nowhere near as busy as MGM Studios was. Infact, by the time they complete an entire circuit around the Great Tree he's feeling wonderfully relaxed and takes a mighty slug of water from his sports bottle.
"Can we ride Dinosaur? We're pretty close to it." Face says, pointing at a leafy alleyway and walking into it.
Murdock hesitates.
"Maybe I should stay outside and hold the bags." he says, but BA pushes him into the walkway, and the pilot meekly falls into line, trying not to look at the sculptures of raptor heads that are between the bushes.
They end up at a sandstone building, covered in fake vines and rubble, with the words DINOSAUR - THE ADVENTURE nailed to a large wooden board atop it. Theres a model of a friendly looking herbivore outside it, and Murdock relaxes. Maybe this dinosaur ride won't be as bad as Jurassic Park. After all, this is a Disney park. Disney don't do scary.
But still, he walks a little closer to Hannibal as they make their way into the queue. It's all wooden platforms, leafy rope walkways and Hannibal stares around him quietly. He's never seen this film, but Face looks happy to be here.
"This film was awesome." he's saying, as they enter the boarding zone. "It's about a bunch of dinosaurs who survive a meteor shower and have to journey to their new home."
"They're nice dinosaurs?" Murdock asks quietly, as the lights flash on and off and the carriages (shaped like open-top jeeps and reminding him a lot of Indiana Jones) vanish off into a smoke-filled tunnel.
"Yeah! Theres like, a stegosaurus, and a triceratops and these cute possum type things. I dunno what they're called. Can't remember." Face says, going on tip-toes to look over the man infront of him. "Rows of four. Sweet, we can sit together."
Murdock quickly arranges himself between Hannibal and BA.
Both pretend they haven't noticed, and when they climb into the carriage it's Hannibal who's at one side, Murdock beside him, then BA, and finally an eager looking Face. They strap their belts in, and a lap bar drops to their waists.
They vanish into the steamy tunnel, and emerge in a laboratory. Theres a large screen infront of them, which shows scientists running around, and one of them pauses to speak to the camera.
Good! My new assistants! I'm glad you're here. We've got the mission all set up. We need you to go back in time and capture one very special iguanodon…"
"Aladar." Face says to Murdock. "He's the leader of the herd."
"Is he a nice dinosaur Facey?"
"Yeah. He protects them."
"Protects them from what?"
…but don't worry about those. Our jeeps can definitely outrun them. I think." the scientist finishes, and Murdock realises he's missed something important. Face looks confused too, but he lets it slide.
"Good luck guys, see you on the other side!"
The car turns, facing another tunnel, and it moves into it. Steam billows around them, electricity zapping and bumping the car. They spin wildly - making Hannibal grab the edge of the car and jam his feet to the floor - before being shot into darkness and appearing in the midst of a leafy jungle. Their car brushes leaves aside, and on their screen, the scientist reappears.
"Wow. It actually worked…I mean…of course it worked. Haha! You didn't think we'd let you try this thing untested did you?
His hand adjusts his collar.
"Anyways. You're now back in the pre-historic era. Man oh man what I wouldn't give to be in your shoes. Activating tracking sensor…now.
The red light at the front of their jeep starts to blink on and off, and the scientist smiles.
"Okay we're reading some triceratops here. They're herbivores folks, so don't worry, they're more interested in eating leaves than people."
The jeep turns into a clearing, and Murdock peers around Hannibal's shoulder at the armoured dinosaurs. They're grazing on the bushes and grass, and the pilot relaxes. This ride seems okay. They're just touring around.
"We'll leave them alone. Gotta find our iguanodon. Now what's this. Oh, it's a--huh. Well whatever it was, it just vanished. " the scientist says, tapping the screen."Must've just been a spike in the sensor…"
The jeep moves on, and Face jumps as a couple of smaller dinosaurs leap of the bushes beside him. They cackle and shake their heads, vanishing again and BA laughs at the expression on the conman's face. He's just really damn happy to be here.
"Uh guys. I don't want to alarm you or anything, but we're picking up a pretty unusual signal here. It's kinda close too. Hey, maybe it's our missing iguanodon! Lets go take a look…"
The jeep turns and passes by another clearing. Only this one doesn't look friendly. Theres carcasses on the ground, giant brownish-red boulders around them, jagged and vicious looking.
Unknown to Hannibal, the rock beside him moves, and an eye opens.
It's only when he catches the look of pure terror on his pilot's face that Boss turns around, and finds himself staring into a massive mouth, rows of sharp teeth, and feels the rush of air hit him as the carnivore bellows in rage.
A camera flashes.
"ALLOSAURUS! UNFRIENDLY! GET OUTTA THERE!" the scientist screams into the screen, and their jeep dashes away down the tracks, passing other running animals. Their jeep tosses them left and right, each time they're narrowly escaping jaws, or claws. Then the ride slows, and in the jeeps headlights, an iguanodon stands.
"That's him! That's our guy! Quick, grab him and get outta there. My sensors indicate the meteor shower's gonna hit any--"
The screen crackles out, and to Face's side, comes a massive thud and the trees explode into flame. Smoke gushes at them as the earth cracks open, and the jeep swivels around, breaking through the smoke.
Right into the path of the Allosaurus, and it lunges for their heads. But theres an explosion of heat and smoke and electricity, and they're skidding into the laboratory. On their screen - in what's clearly a docking bay - a boxed crate marked "IGUANODON" wriggles, and scientists throw them the thumbs up as they 'unload' it.
"Well done guys! You did it!" the leader says, as the others applaud. "You've unlocked a whole new world of scientific research. You look a little singed though, maybe you should go cool off. Till next time!"
The jeep passes through metal hangar doors, and into the unloading bay. They climb out (Murdock's knees shaking visibly) and wander into the gift shop.
"Here's our photos." Face says, pointing up at the screen. "Oh Hannibal you don't look too sure about that allosaurus!"
"Shut up man. Your face is chalk-white." BA says.
"H.M did you pass out?" Face asks, noting Murdock's slumped position in the photo. The pilot's slumped against Hannibal, eyes shut.
The pilot says nothing. He just scuffs his foot against the floor and side-steps away from a rack of cuddly dinosaur toys.
"I don' like scary things." he says simply, and Hannibal clasps his hand to his young lover's shoulder reassuringly.
"It's alright to be afraid of something." he says, as they wander through the gift shop and out into the bright sunshine. "Hell, I didn't like that dinosaur either."
That makes Murdock smile a little, and feeling much better back in the warmth of the sun, he stretches his arms skyward and ruffles his hair.
"What's next?"
"Well it's pretty warm, and almost lunchtime." Face says, looking at his watch. "So hows about we do the Kali River Rapids to cool down, then find a nice warm spot for some lunch? We passed some eateries on the way here."
Hannibal can't find anything wrong with that plan, but rummages in his bag for a cigar.
"Sorry boys." he says.
"It's alright. Theres a nice spot over here. We'll wait for you Boss."
Five minutes later they're off looking for the Kali Rapids. It takes them a while to find it - Hannibal's never giving Murdock the map again - but eventually they're on a large bridge that spans a clear river. Circular rafts are floating under it, filled with soaked riders, and the tourists on the bridge have armed the elephant-shaped waterguns.
"Ohh it's like Popeye. But more…natural." Hannibal says, peering up the river at the ride. He can't see all of it, but this place lacks the figurines and cartoons of Islands of Adventure. The water that soaks them is from man-made waterfalls and streams, not electric cannons and button-operated geysers.
If he's gonna get soaked, he's gonna do it like this.
But when they get to the gate, theres an issue. Theres a woman letting people in, and she stops Hannibal with a hand across his path.
"Sir, you are too tall for this ride." she says curtly. "Please step aside."
"What?" Hannibal asks. "That guy who just went in was taller than I am!"
"Sir, you are too tall for this ride." the woman says again, and now people are staring at them.
Face, Bosco and Murdock appear at the entrance. They'd not gone far before realising their Colonel wasn't with them, and had backtracked.
"John?"
"She's saying I'm too tall to ride." Hannibal says in confusion. "I don't get it. I don't see any height restriction signs."
"Sir I'm really not going to argue with you." the woman snaps, and Face sighs.
"Hey." he says, stepping around his lanky Colonel and turning the female away from the queue. "Look, is there nothing I can do to maybe change your mind? Theres a guy taller than my friend here who just went through, so what's going on…"
The woman folds her arms, and Face prepares to lay on the charm.
"Listen. You're a pretty lady, and no doubt really smart too." he says with a bright smile and a tilt of his head. "You'd be doing me a big favour if you let him in. A really big favour. He's…"
He hangs his head, and the woman softens.
"He's what?"
"He's got terminal cancer." Face whispers. "Doctors gave him six months. We brought him here because…because we wanted him to enjoy the time he has left."
He lets his eyes fill up with fake tears. Turning them on, he looks back up at the woman, internally crowing at her distraught expression.
"Please…Katrina." he says, eyes darting to the badge. "Let him have this. Don't let his memory of this place be a bad one. I'm begging you."
The woman nods in a daze, throwing an absolutely gob-smacked Hannibal a sympathetic look, and Face quickly ushers them into the ride's queue system.
"Face…" Hannibal says. "I can't believe you said…she thinks I have…"
"She wasn't gonna budge any other way Boss." Face says, as they wander through rocky tunnels and watch the fish swimming in the ponds beside them. "Trust me. I have a sense for when a chick's gonna buy a story."
"You called me a fucking cancer patient." Hannibal growls, and Face pauses.
Hannibal sounds really pissed.
"I…okay it wasn't the nicest thing to say, but it was just a scam." he says, laying a hand to Hannibal's arm. "I mean, I'm sorry but I wanted you on this ride with us, and she was being a total bitch."
Murdock nods his agreement.
"Yup. That blonde fella infront'a us was near on seven feet tall and she let him through jus' fine." he says sniffily. "Facey's right Hannibal, she was jus' bein' a big ol' meany-boots."
The phrase 'big ol' meany-boots' lessens his anger somewhat, and Hannibal concedes the point.
"Alright. Fine. But kid, don't ever go down that road again. Theres some lines that even you, as a pro scammer, shouldn't cross sweetheart." he says, lowering his voice as they near the queuing tourists. "There are some things in life that shouldn't ever be said el-tee, no matter what the circumstance."
Face nods.
"I still have a lot to learn." he sighs, but smiles when Boss' fingers play with a lock of his hair, tucking it behind his ear
"I have the rest of my life to teach you." Hannibal grins. "…and besides. I kinda like it when you make mistakes, you naughty boy."
Face's cheeks go a handsome shade of scarlet, and he ducks his head to hide his blush.
"Hannibal, what you saying' to him?" BA asks, grinning at how awkward Face looks. "Aw man wait, do I even wanna know what you--? Nah. I don't…"
"Do so." Murdock says smugly, walking ahead to get a better look at the rafts they'll be sitting in. The empty ones are chugging along past them, ready to be filled with eager riders. "An' don't pretend you're not interested, 'cause a blind man could see you are."
BA grunts, and swats at Murdock's head. His traditional 'Okay, you got me on that one fool' move. Murdock ducks it - like he always has, BA's never caught him yet - and smiles at the ride attendant.
"How many?"
"Four please. But we got two big men with us. Might need to balance the raft out with somethin'…" the pilot says, ignoring the splutters from Hannibal and Bosco. "Does the park have an elephant?"
He avoids Bosco's swat, but then another hand cuffs the back of his head and he dutifully moves forward, laughing and rubbing where Boss' hand caught him.
"Was jus' saying'…" he says, as he scrambles down into the raft. No obese people on this one, he notes with a smile as Hannibal sits on his left and Face sits on his right. This is much more comfortable, and he smiles at the sight of his bicep muscle presses to Hannibal's before peering around at their companion riders.
A family of four, and two couples have joined them, and are eagerly strapping themselves into the seats.
"Welcome to the Kali River Rapids!" a voice over the tannoy announces. "Prepare to get WET!".
Their raft chugs into a tunnel, bumping off the edges a little and slowly revolving. Boss doesn't mind this kind of spinning. It's not wild, like those damn teacups, and ahead of them--
"Oh my GOD!" he says, yelling along with everyone else as their raft sails right through one of the man-made waterfalls and out into the sunshine. They're drenched from head to toe in one go, and Murdock coughs, giggling madly at the expression on everyones face.
"Wow, the fella on the tannoy wasn't kiddin' about gettin' wet." he says, making the boys (and a couple of the others) laugh.
Hannibal blinks water from his eyes. The heat from the sun is already evaporating the droplets on his cheeks and forehead and he peels his sodden t-shirt off his chest.
Well, he's certainly cooled down now.
But the ride disagrees. It starts to pick up pace, sending them down gentle inclines first, and then down steep hills, around sharp corners and under more waterfalls. Murdock can't breathe for laughing, Face is yelling nonsense as he's drenched, and BA is smiling as the kid beside him grabs his arm.
He doesn't move it off.
They hurtle down into the main drop, their raft tilting and plummeting them down the slope, and with a crash of water and spray they land in the calmer waters, sailing towards the bridge they'd crossed earlier.
"Oh Jesus…" Hannibal says, leaning back in his chair, dripping wet. "…that was insane."
"Boss I'm half-drowned here." Face says, wringing out his vest. He needn't have bothered, because seconds later their boat was being fired upon by the bridge guns, squirting them with water and one gets Face right in the chest.
"Thanks!" he yells up at the laughing tourists, before re-wringing the water out. "Oh man I'm not gonna be dry ever again."
"Nonsense." Murdock says happily. "We'll go find a nice warm bench and let Mr Sun work his magic."
Sodden, feet squelching in trailers, the boys make for the lunch benches. Only it's not too easy to ignore each other when they all sit down. The four of them had opted for the vest-tops today, and now the cloth is clinging tight to pectorals and abs.
What's torture for Face, is that Hannibal usually NEVER wears vest-tops. Today it would seem, is one of those rare occasions where the Colonel doesn't feel self-conscious about the massive scar on his shoulder. But he's dripping wet, and judging by the fire in his eyes, he's not thinking about lunch.
"So…we gonna get some food?" BA says eventually, trying to ignore Murdock's staring.
"Mmmhm. Food. Yeah." Boss says, eyes on the way Face's pectorals twitch slightly, perfectly willing to lick every single drop of water from them if he has to. "Though I gotta admit, I can see quite a few edible things right here…"
"Jesus Christ…" BA mutters. "You as bad as Faceman for flirtin' Hannibal."
Hannibal grins and throws Bosco a sly wink.
"I was including you y'know."
"Yeah that's what I'm worried about." BA shoots back, but internally he's delighted.
"Fellas…" Murdock says quietly. "I feel real dizzy."
Hannibal casts an expert eye over his pilot.
"Too much adrenaline." he says, eying how pale Murdock's cheeks are. "Added to all that sugar you ate this morning it's no wonder you're dizzy. Lie your head down for a bit James, try and calm your heart-rate."
The Captain nods, slowly lowering his head onto his hands, eyes shut, and Face brushes his lover's wet hair back gently.
"I'll stay here." he says as Hannibal and Bosco get up. "Just get me a salad Boss."
Hannibal nods, and with a final look at his pilot, leaves the bench with Bosco at his side.
Chapter Summary: It's a new day, and our boys are off to Disney's Animal Kingdom, but not before a delicious breakfast at Shonnie's! It's pancakes and flirting all round in Chapter Seventeen, with a touch of angst that'll change EVERYTHING.
It's Hannibal who's the first to wake the next morning. Or rather, it's his stomach that wakes him. Startled, he opens his eyes, bleary and drowsily wondering why he's been roused. Then there comes a gurgling growl from his stomach and he groans, turning over in his bed, hand on his abs.
He's ravenous.
A glance at the clock shows why. It's nearly 8am. He's slept in by a considerable hour and quickly untangled his legs from the sheets. Padding out of his room, he knocks on each of his boy's doors on his way to the fridge.
"Rise and shine boys!" he yells, hauling their fridge open and grabbing the OJ.
Two doors open, and two messy-haired heads stare sleepily out at him.
"Boss…?"
"It's 8am. We've slept in." Hannibal says, slugging the juice straight out the carton - something that Face hates him doing - and wiping his hand across his mouth. "BA!"
Theres a crashing and a grumbling, and a thud which indicates Bosco has finally removed himself from the bed, and sure enough the big guy is out of his room moments later.
"The hell you yellin' for Hannibal? There a drill or somethin'?" he yawns, cracking his neck and taking a seat on the sofa.
"I thought we'd go out for breakfast this morning." Hannibal says eagerly, ushering Murdock back into his room and towards the ensuite. "Maybe Shonnies?"
That makes the pilot perk up.
"The place with the cherry syrup?!"
"Mmhm. If you hurry.."
Murdock hauls his clothes off, and the last thing Hannibal sees is his bare ass before the ensuite door slams shut and a shower is flicked on.
Grinning, he turns to Face and BA.
"Move it you two. I'm starving."
Face and BA groan. Theres really no arguing with Hannibal when he's hungry, and they'd rather sate his hunger before his mood turns sour.
~~~~~~
Shonnies was a personal favourite of theirs, and a rare treat that Hannibal allowed them from time to time. International Drive had a branch of it - they'd passed it on the drive from the airport to their villa - and Murdock inhales deeply as soon as they're through the door.
"…Ohhh man. Cherry. Sticky sticky sweet…" he moans, savouring the warm, rich, sweet smell in the air.
They take a seat, and order some coffee.
"You fellas having the buffet breakfast?" their waitress asks, and they all nod. "Alrighty, I'll take your main orders now."
Bacon and eggs, one over-easy, one egg-white only, one well-done. It's only BA who gets the triple. Hannibal allows it. His mechanic is a titan of a man, and one who needs to be kept well fed. The protein from the extra meat and eggs will only help Bosco in the long run.
His stomach rumbles again, and the three boys laugh.
"Go on up to the buffet Boss." Face grins. "I'll watch our stuff."
Hannibal smiles gratefully, and leads BA and Murdock to the buffet. Theres just about every kind of fruit, oatmeal, biscuits in gravy and best of all…
"Pancakes!" Murdock whoops, grabbing the tongs and taking one. "Gotta love den pancakes!"
Hannibal holds out his plate for one aswell. They look delicious. A soft golden brown, and he can tell they're piping hot.
"What'cha gonna put on yours John?"
Hannibal smiles at the use of his name.
"Fruit." he says, and laughs at Murdock's outraged face.
"Fruit?! Boss you're on holiday! They got syrup and awesome sauces an' real fresh cream and you're gonna put fruit on it?!"
"Well…when you put it like that I guess a little bit of sauce won't hurt."
"That's the spirit sir." Murdock grins, ladling out dark, gloomy cherry sauce out of the tureens. It too, is piping hot, and filled with real cherry pieces. "Oh my god, I could stick my face in this here pan and die a happy man."
Hannibal, eying the sauce, decides to try it. It doesn't look so bad, and takes a half-ladle for himself. Beside him, he can see Bosco pouring maple syrup over a stack of pancakes and grins on his way back to the table.
Bumping fists with Face, he takes his seat and watches his boy sachet up to the buffet. He looks so beautiful in white. White combat shorts, white trainers, white vest top. Like an angel who has the innocence of the devil.
Face will only take the fruit. Hannibal knows that. His boy is always concerned with his waistline, and true enough when Face returns theres not a pancake to be found on his plate.
"You know kid, one pancake won't make you fat." he says gently, eying the measly scoops of fruit on his boy's plate. "Why don't you go get a half at least?"
Face shakes his head, and Hannibal frowns.
"Face that's not enough for--"
"Boss I've got the bacon and eggs coming. What more do you want?" Face sighs, stabbing at a bit of melon. "I don't have a massive stomach. If I eat a pancake, that's me till lunch, and I really do want some eggs."
That, Hannibal supposed, was a fair point.
"Alright, alright. Don't rip my head off Face, I'm just looking out for you sweetheart."
Face's head snaps around and Hannibal quickly rewinds that last sentence in his head. Oh shit, he said…he called Face--
"Sweetheart?" Face says with a sly grin, watching Hannibal flush. "Really?"
"Sorry." Boss mumbles, focusing on chasing a cherry around his plate, covering it in sauce. "Too much?"
"S'kinda nice." Murdock says, lips stained with red sauce. "It's cute 'cause you clearly didn't think 'bout sayin' it, which means it came from the heart."
BA lifts his hand, and presses it to his chest.
"True love." he says with a nod at Hannibal and ducks to the side as Boss flings a napkin in his direction.
But they're all laughing, and Face switches his fork to his other hand. This lets him cover his right hand over Hannibal's where it's fisted on the table, and he smiles at his Colonel.
"Don't ever stop saying it, okay?"
Hannibal's smile becomes a grin, but before he can reply they're being served their main breakfasts. Hot, steaming plates of grilled bacon and fried eggs, with slices of thick toasted bread and little pats of butter and jam.
"You know Hannibal, I been thinking' man." BA says, as his hands rip bread apart, dunking them in runny yellow yolk. "…'bout what you said last night."
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah. I was thinking'…if you guys are really serious, then maybe. I dunno. Maybe I'd be cool with it." BA shrugs, and Murdock nearly spills his drink down his shirt.
Hannibal doesn't miss a beat.
"Well I'm not surprised. You were the one kissing me, remember?" he chuckles, but he doesn't laugh for long. "We are serious BA. Really serious."
"It's just, cause I know I'm not an easy guy to live with yeah? I never thought…"
"We've put up with you for the last ten years. Might aswell go the whole hog now." Face teases, poking what he hopes is Bosco's shin under the table with the tip of his trainer. "Besides. It's weird when you're not here Bosco. Like, when you're off visiting your mom or whatever. I never feel as safe when you're gone."
Murdock nods, and to Bosco's great surprise, Hannibal does too.
"Really?" he asks, eyes darting between Colonel and Captain.
"Facey's right. Theres nights you've been away and I just had to go sleep in your bed instead of my own." Murdock says, having finished cutting his bread into soldiers and given them names. "Now First Lieutenant Jones I'm afraid your crust isn't as shiny as the others, and you are the first for execution."
He picks up the doomed soldier, dunks it in his egg, and eats it with glee.
Bosco's eyes go to Hannibal.
"I agree with them." Hannibal says simply. "It's nice for me too, knowing theres someone there. Someone like you."
"Someone like me?"
"You know what you said in the car big guy? All those reasons why you thought nobody would ever wanna be with you?" Hannibal says around a mouthful of crispy bacon. "S'exactly what I love about you BA. Built, as you said, like a damn tank."
He mimics Bosco's voice, and that makes the other three laugh.
BA shovels a fried egg into his mouth, chews twice, and swallows.
"You like that I look like this?"
"Absolutely. Nice to know theres a man as physically strong as myself around the house." Hannibal says, leaning in a bit closer. "Someone who can dish it out as well as I can."
That makes Face squeak, and Murdock has eaten nearly all of his toasted platoon in an attempt to distract himself from the obvious flirting going on beside him.
"Dish it out? What…Hannibal you mean you…?" BA says. Surely Hannibal isn't implying that.
But Boss throws him a sly wink and goes back to his breakfast, and Bosco grins into his plate.
Shit just got real, and life just got interesting.
~~~~~
It's with sated stomaches and contented smiles that they leave Shonnies and bundle back into the car. Hannibal stretches his arms contentedly, and pats his hand on his now quiet stomach.
"Have we calmed the beast?" Face grins from the backseat, and Hannibal smirks.
"One of them."
That makes Murdock snort, and BA quickly gets them back onto International Drive.
"Right, so…where we goin' Hannibal?"
"If I remember the itinerary…" Hannibal says slowly. "…then it's Animal Kingdom."
He says it just in time, and Bosco has to make a sharp lane-dodge to get the right exit.
"I wonder whats in the Animal Kingdom." Face says, leaning over to brush Murdock's hair away from his eyes. "Wasn't the site for the park broken last time we checked?"
Murdock nods, and his fringe falls right back down again. His hair is simply untameable, but Face loves a challenge.
"Yeah it kept sayin' that they were still buildin' the site."
They pass under the Animal Kingdom archway, and up to the booths. Hannibal pays for their parking - like he's done with every other theme park so far- and again, Bosco's directed into a space.
So far so good. They're able to walk right up to the park doors (not a tram in sight to Murdock's sorrow) and BA laughs at what meets them.
Rafiki, from the Lion King. He's dancing about near the entrance with his stick, waving at children, chasing the adults, and the boys end up in fits when the old monkey tries to whack BA on the head with his stick.
"Crazy monkey man. I'ma wrap that stick around his head." BA growls, but is tugged into the park quickly.
"That's what he does in the film big guy, take it easy." Hannibal grins, taking a park map from the box on the wall. But he doesn't open it. He can't do anything but stare, and the boys - confused by their Colonel's silence - follow his gaze.
There, in the middle of the park, is the largest tree they've ever seen in their lives. It's like a skyscraper, with carvings of every animal imaginable engraved in it's trunk. All of them focused around the head of a proud male lion, his pupilless eyes watching over the park.
"That is damn beautiful." BA says quietly.
"Agreed." Hannibal says, opening the map and unwillingly dragging his eyes from the great tree. "Alright, let's see…"
His boys gather around him, throwing the map into shadow, and Murdock points to the middle.
"That's the tree. Whole park is built around it." he says, finger following the paths. "Ooh look! They have real animals here! They have an orangutan! Oh Hannibal can we go see those? I bet they're funny."
Then Face taps a large building on the right.
"They do shows too. Theres a Lion King one, and one for Finding Nemo."
"Finding Nemo? What's that then?" Boss asks.
"Hannibal you've never heard of Finding Nemo? Jeez, you been livin' under a rock or somethin'?" Murdock asks. "Nemo! The lil' fish who gets lost in the sea and his daddy swims a million billion miles just to find him an' bring him home again?"
No. Hannibal hasn't seen the film. But just by Murdock's description, he knows why he can't go see it.
"Sounds good." Face grins, and BA nods.
Hannibal internally curses. He's going to have to be clever now. He memorises the showtimes, and makes a mental note to ensure they're nowhere near that auditorium when they come around.
"Looks like they have their own thrill rides here too." he says, changing the subject. "Theres one called Everest, and one called Dinosaur."
"Maybe we should walk around the park a bit first? I'm still really full." Face says, and the others nod in agreement. A walk is fine with Hannibal - he loves to stroll - and the four of them blend in with the crowd, walking through shady trees, across old wooden bridges, looking at the resident exotic birds flying free around their heads. Theres tiny lizards running around near their feet - one startling Face so much that he nearly jumps clean into Hannibal's arms - and the first thing they encounter is an enclosure filled with orangutans.
Murdock runs to the barrier, and stares at the large male sat on the other side.
"Oh Ooh-bee-doo! I wanna be like you-hoo-hoo…" he sings, and throws the others a grin. "S'King Louie. From the Jungle Book! Have a banana. Have *two* bananas!"
He holds up three fingers, and Boss chuckles.
~~~~~
Hannibal's loving this park. The trees keep them in the shade, away from the sun's glare, and it's nowhere near as busy as MGM Studios was. Infact, by the time they complete an entire circuit around the Great Tree he's feeling wonderfully relaxed and takes a mighty slug of water from his sports bottle.
"Can we ride Dinosaur? We're pretty close to it." Face says, pointing at a leafy alleyway and walking into it.
Murdock hesitates.
"Maybe I should stay outside and hold the bags." he says, but BA pushes him into the walkway, and the pilot meekly falls into line, trying not to look at the sculptures of raptor heads that are between the bushes.
They end up at a sandstone building, covered in fake vines and rubble, with the words DINOSAUR - THE ADVENTURE nailed to a large wooden board atop it. Theres a model of a friendly looking herbivore outside it, and Murdock relaxes. Maybe this dinosaur ride won't be as bad as Jurassic Park. After all, this is a Disney park. Disney don't do scary.
But still, he walks a little closer to Hannibal as they make their way into the queue. It's all wooden platforms, leafy rope walkways and Hannibal stares around him quietly. He's never seen this film, but Face looks happy to be here.
"This film was awesome." he's saying, as they enter the boarding zone. "It's about a bunch of dinosaurs who survive a meteor shower and have to journey to their new home."
"They're nice dinosaurs?" Murdock asks quietly, as the lights flash on and off and the carriages (shaped like open-top jeeps and reminding him a lot of Indiana Jones) vanish off into a smoke-filled tunnel.
"Yeah! Theres like, a stegosaurus, and a triceratops and these cute possum type things. I dunno what they're called. Can't remember." Face says, going on tip-toes to look over the man infront of him. "Rows of four. Sweet, we can sit together."
Murdock quickly arranges himself between Hannibal and BA.
Both pretend they haven't noticed, and when they climb into the carriage it's Hannibal who's at one side, Murdock beside him, then BA, and finally an eager looking Face. They strap their belts in, and a lap bar drops to their waists.
They vanish into the steamy tunnel, and emerge in a laboratory. Theres a large screen infront of them, which shows scientists running around, and one of them pauses to speak to the camera.
Good! My new assistants! I'm glad you're here. We've got the mission all set up. We need you to go back in time and capture one very special iguanodon…"
"Aladar." Face says to Murdock. "He's the leader of the herd."
"Is he a nice dinosaur Facey?"
"Yeah. He protects them."
"Protects them from what?"
…but don't worry about those. Our jeeps can definitely outrun them. I think." the scientist finishes, and Murdock realises he's missed something important. Face looks confused too, but he lets it slide.
"Good luck guys, see you on the other side!"
The car turns, facing another tunnel, and it moves into it. Steam billows around them, electricity zapping and bumping the car. They spin wildly - making Hannibal grab the edge of the car and jam his feet to the floor - before being shot into darkness and appearing in the midst of a leafy jungle. Their car brushes leaves aside, and on their screen, the scientist reappears.
"Wow. It actually worked…I mean…of course it worked. Haha! You didn't think we'd let you try this thing untested did you?
His hand adjusts his collar.
"Anyways. You're now back in the pre-historic era. Man oh man what I wouldn't give to be in your shoes. Activating tracking sensor…now.
The red light at the front of their jeep starts to blink on and off, and the scientist smiles.
"Okay we're reading some triceratops here. They're herbivores folks, so don't worry, they're more interested in eating leaves than people."
The jeep turns into a clearing, and Murdock peers around Hannibal's shoulder at the armoured dinosaurs. They're grazing on the bushes and grass, and the pilot relaxes. This ride seems okay. They're just touring around.
"We'll leave them alone. Gotta find our iguanodon. Now what's this. Oh, it's a--huh. Well whatever it was, it just vanished. " the scientist says, tapping the screen."Must've just been a spike in the sensor…"
The jeep moves on, and Face jumps as a couple of smaller dinosaurs leap of the bushes beside him. They cackle and shake their heads, vanishing again and BA laughs at the expression on the conman's face. He's just really damn happy to be here.
"Uh guys. I don't want to alarm you or anything, but we're picking up a pretty unusual signal here. It's kinda close too. Hey, maybe it's our missing iguanodon! Lets go take a look…"
The jeep turns and passes by another clearing. Only this one doesn't look friendly. Theres carcasses on the ground, giant brownish-red boulders around them, jagged and vicious looking.
Unknown to Hannibal, the rock beside him moves, and an eye opens.
It's only when he catches the look of pure terror on his pilot's face that Boss turns around, and finds himself staring into a massive mouth, rows of sharp teeth, and feels the rush of air hit him as the carnivore bellows in rage.
A camera flashes.
"ALLOSAURUS! UNFRIENDLY! GET OUTTA THERE!" the scientist screams into the screen, and their jeep dashes away down the tracks, passing other running animals. Their jeep tosses them left and right, each time they're narrowly escaping jaws, or claws. Then the ride slows, and in the jeeps headlights, an iguanodon stands.
"That's him! That's our guy! Quick, grab him and get outta there. My sensors indicate the meteor shower's gonna hit any--"
The screen crackles out, and to Face's side, comes a massive thud and the trees explode into flame. Smoke gushes at them as the earth cracks open, and the jeep swivels around, breaking through the smoke.
Right into the path of the Allosaurus, and it lunges for their heads. But theres an explosion of heat and smoke and electricity, and they're skidding into the laboratory. On their screen - in what's clearly a docking bay - a boxed crate marked "IGUANODON" wriggles, and scientists throw them the thumbs up as they 'unload' it.
"Well done guys! You did it!" the leader says, as the others applaud. "You've unlocked a whole new world of scientific research. You look a little singed though, maybe you should go cool off. Till next time!"
The jeep passes through metal hangar doors, and into the unloading bay. They climb out (Murdock's knees shaking visibly) and wander into the gift shop.
"Here's our photos." Face says, pointing up at the screen. "Oh Hannibal you don't look too sure about that allosaurus!"
"Shut up man. Your face is chalk-white." BA says.
"H.M did you pass out?" Face asks, noting Murdock's slumped position in the photo. The pilot's slumped against Hannibal, eyes shut.
The pilot says nothing. He just scuffs his foot against the floor and side-steps away from a rack of cuddly dinosaur toys.
"I don' like scary things." he says simply, and Hannibal clasps his hand to his young lover's shoulder reassuringly.
"It's alright to be afraid of something." he says, as they wander through the gift shop and out into the bright sunshine. "Hell, I didn't like that dinosaur either."
That makes Murdock smile a little, and feeling much better back in the warmth of the sun, he stretches his arms skyward and ruffles his hair.
"What's next?"
"Well it's pretty warm, and almost lunchtime." Face says, looking at his watch. "So hows about we do the Kali River Rapids to cool down, then find a nice warm spot for some lunch? We passed some eateries on the way here."
Hannibal can't find anything wrong with that plan, but rummages in his bag for a cigar.
"Sorry boys." he says.
"It's alright. Theres a nice spot over here. We'll wait for you Boss."
Five minutes later they're off looking for the Kali Rapids. It takes them a while to find it - Hannibal's never giving Murdock the map again - but eventually they're on a large bridge that spans a clear river. Circular rafts are floating under it, filled with soaked riders, and the tourists on the bridge have armed the elephant-shaped waterguns.
"Ohh it's like Popeye. But more…natural." Hannibal says, peering up the river at the ride. He can't see all of it, but this place lacks the figurines and cartoons of Islands of Adventure. The water that soaks them is from man-made waterfalls and streams, not electric cannons and button-operated geysers.
If he's gonna get soaked, he's gonna do it like this.
But when they get to the gate, theres an issue. Theres a woman letting people in, and she stops Hannibal with a hand across his path.
"Sir, you are too tall for this ride." she says curtly. "Please step aside."
"What?" Hannibal asks. "That guy who just went in was taller than I am!"
"Sir, you are too tall for this ride." the woman says again, and now people are staring at them.
Face, Bosco and Murdock appear at the entrance. They'd not gone far before realising their Colonel wasn't with them, and had backtracked.
"John?"
"She's saying I'm too tall to ride." Hannibal says in confusion. "I don't get it. I don't see any height restriction signs."
"Sir I'm really not going to argue with you." the woman snaps, and Face sighs.
"Hey." he says, stepping around his lanky Colonel and turning the female away from the queue. "Look, is there nothing I can do to maybe change your mind? Theres a guy taller than my friend here who just went through, so what's going on…"
The woman folds her arms, and Face prepares to lay on the charm.
"Listen. You're a pretty lady, and no doubt really smart too." he says with a bright smile and a tilt of his head. "You'd be doing me a big favour if you let him in. A really big favour. He's…"
He hangs his head, and the woman softens.
"He's what?"
"He's got terminal cancer." Face whispers. "Doctors gave him six months. We brought him here because…because we wanted him to enjoy the time he has left."
He lets his eyes fill up with fake tears. Turning them on, he looks back up at the woman, internally crowing at her distraught expression.
"Please…Katrina." he says, eyes darting to the badge. "Let him have this. Don't let his memory of this place be a bad one. I'm begging you."
The woman nods in a daze, throwing an absolutely gob-smacked Hannibal a sympathetic look, and Face quickly ushers them into the ride's queue system.
"Face…" Hannibal says. "I can't believe you said…she thinks I have…"
"She wasn't gonna budge any other way Boss." Face says, as they wander through rocky tunnels and watch the fish swimming in the ponds beside them. "Trust me. I have a sense for when a chick's gonna buy a story."
"You called me a fucking cancer patient." Hannibal growls, and Face pauses.
Hannibal sounds really pissed.
"I…okay it wasn't the nicest thing to say, but it was just a scam." he says, laying a hand to Hannibal's arm. "I mean, I'm sorry but I wanted you on this ride with us, and she was being a total bitch."
Murdock nods his agreement.
"Yup. That blonde fella infront'a us was near on seven feet tall and she let him through jus' fine." he says sniffily. "Facey's right Hannibal, she was jus' bein' a big ol' meany-boots."
The phrase 'big ol' meany-boots' lessens his anger somewhat, and Hannibal concedes the point.
"Alright. Fine. But kid, don't ever go down that road again. Theres some lines that even you, as a pro scammer, shouldn't cross sweetheart." he says, lowering his voice as they near the queuing tourists. "There are some things in life that shouldn't ever be said el-tee, no matter what the circumstance."
Face nods.
"I still have a lot to learn." he sighs, but smiles when Boss' fingers play with a lock of his hair, tucking it behind his ear
"I have the rest of my life to teach you." Hannibal grins. "…and besides. I kinda like it when you make mistakes, you naughty boy."
Face's cheeks go a handsome shade of scarlet, and he ducks his head to hide his blush.
"Hannibal, what you saying' to him?" BA asks, grinning at how awkward Face looks. "Aw man wait, do I even wanna know what you--? Nah. I don't…"
"Do so." Murdock says smugly, walking ahead to get a better look at the rafts they'll be sitting in. The empty ones are chugging along past them, ready to be filled with eager riders. "An' don't pretend you're not interested, 'cause a blind man could see you are."
BA grunts, and swats at Murdock's head. His traditional 'Okay, you got me on that one fool' move. Murdock ducks it - like he always has, BA's never caught him yet - and smiles at the ride attendant.
"How many?"
"Four please. But we got two big men with us. Might need to balance the raft out with somethin'…" the pilot says, ignoring the splutters from Hannibal and Bosco. "Does the park have an elephant?"
He avoids Bosco's swat, but then another hand cuffs the back of his head and he dutifully moves forward, laughing and rubbing where Boss' hand caught him.
"Was jus' saying'…" he says, as he scrambles down into the raft. No obese people on this one, he notes with a smile as Hannibal sits on his left and Face sits on his right. This is much more comfortable, and he smiles at the sight of his bicep muscle presses to Hannibal's before peering around at their companion riders.
A family of four, and two couples have joined them, and are eagerly strapping themselves into the seats.
"Welcome to the Kali River Rapids!" a voice over the tannoy announces. "Prepare to get WET!".
Their raft chugs into a tunnel, bumping off the edges a little and slowly revolving. Boss doesn't mind this kind of spinning. It's not wild, like those damn teacups, and ahead of them--
"Oh my GOD!" he says, yelling along with everyone else as their raft sails right through one of the man-made waterfalls and out into the sunshine. They're drenched from head to toe in one go, and Murdock coughs, giggling madly at the expression on everyones face.
"Wow, the fella on the tannoy wasn't kiddin' about gettin' wet." he says, making the boys (and a couple of the others) laugh.
Hannibal blinks water from his eyes. The heat from the sun is already evaporating the droplets on his cheeks and forehead and he peels his sodden t-shirt off his chest.
Well, he's certainly cooled down now.
But the ride disagrees. It starts to pick up pace, sending them down gentle inclines first, and then down steep hills, around sharp corners and under more waterfalls. Murdock can't breathe for laughing, Face is yelling nonsense as he's drenched, and BA is smiling as the kid beside him grabs his arm.
He doesn't move it off.
They hurtle down into the main drop, their raft tilting and plummeting them down the slope, and with a crash of water and spray they land in the calmer waters, sailing towards the bridge they'd crossed earlier.
"Oh Jesus…" Hannibal says, leaning back in his chair, dripping wet. "…that was insane."
"Boss I'm half-drowned here." Face says, wringing out his vest. He needn't have bothered, because seconds later their boat was being fired upon by the bridge guns, squirting them with water and one gets Face right in the chest.
"Thanks!" he yells up at the laughing tourists, before re-wringing the water out. "Oh man I'm not gonna be dry ever again."
"Nonsense." Murdock says happily. "We'll go find a nice warm bench and let Mr Sun work his magic."
Sodden, feet squelching in trailers, the boys make for the lunch benches. Only it's not too easy to ignore each other when they all sit down. The four of them had opted for the vest-tops today, and now the cloth is clinging tight to pectorals and abs.
What's torture for Face, is that Hannibal usually NEVER wears vest-tops. Today it would seem, is one of those rare occasions where the Colonel doesn't feel self-conscious about the massive scar on his shoulder. But he's dripping wet, and judging by the fire in his eyes, he's not thinking about lunch.
"So…we gonna get some food?" BA says eventually, trying to ignore Murdock's staring.
"Mmmhm. Food. Yeah." Boss says, eyes on the way Face's pectorals twitch slightly, perfectly willing to lick every single drop of water from them if he has to. "Though I gotta admit, I can see quite a few edible things right here…"
"Jesus Christ…" BA mutters. "You as bad as Faceman for flirtin' Hannibal."
Hannibal grins and throws Bosco a sly wink.
"I was including you y'know."
"Yeah that's what I'm worried about." BA shoots back, but internally he's delighted.
"Fellas…" Murdock says quietly. "I feel real dizzy."
Hannibal casts an expert eye over his pilot.
"Too much adrenaline." he says, eying how pale Murdock's cheeks are. "Added to all that sugar you ate this morning it's no wonder you're dizzy. Lie your head down for a bit James, try and calm your heart-rate."
The Captain nods, slowly lowering his head onto his hands, eyes shut, and Face brushes his lover's wet hair back gently.
"I'll stay here." he says as Hannibal and Bosco get up. "Just get me a salad Boss."
Hannibal nods, and with a final look at his pilot, leaves the bench with Bosco at his side.