Calm Before the Storm

[notjustaface]

They're alive.

Some how, they're alive. They flew a fucking tank and they're alive in an abandoned cottage outside of Berlin.

The house crackles with their energy, but nobody's feeling it more than Murdock - clearly, he's about halfway off the rails.

"Boss, I'm gonna talk him down." Face offers, nodding to where Murdock was turning giddy circles around the living room, loudly describing the whole experience to BA again.

At first, the colonel doesn't respond, but then he nods slowly and says; "Keep his head on straight, we've got a big day tomorrow."

He nods quick acceptance - understanding the unspoken threat loud and clear, don't break him. "Come on, Murdock... time to get some shut eye." He claps his friend on the shoulder, the first honest to god close contact they've had in six months. "Let's get some rest."

Comments

[notjustaface]

The laugh takes him almost by surprise, bubbling over as he presses kisses into his hair and teases over the tight curls.

"Mmm, there's my crazy pilot..." he murmurs.

[notthatcrazy]

"You know it."

He catches him mid-kiss and presses their lips together, gently pressing in.

"... When did you know? I mean, I know it's been kinda a long weird trip..."

[notjustaface]

It's a question he's almost embarrassed to answer - but they both know it hasn't been long.

"There was a girl back home, a little bit after we moved into the house." He chuckles into Murdock's neck, actually feeling the flush creep up his collar.

"We were... uh... we were being intimate when you knocked on the door and I stopped - right in the middle - to answer it."

It's not sweeping musical numbers and roses... but that's saying a lot for him.

"She left and I went back to your room for cartoons and boxed wine. And it was more fun."

[notthatcrazy]

He does know, and was expecting an answer somewhere along those lines.

"That poor girl. She was not happy about that."

He chuckles softly.

"You chose me."

[notjustaface]

She wasn't the first... just the most profound.

And the one that spread some really nasty things around the base about the nature of their friendship... not that anyone really believed them too long.

"Wasn't the last time." He swallows hard and presses a kiss to his forehead.

[notthatcrazy]

"Thank you."

There's a lot they should talk about, but right now he's content with the feeling of warm skin under his hands and stubble against his cheek as they get used to being near each other again.

"What was it like where you were? I bet you had everyone charmed real quick."

[notjustaface]

The smile is easy, the sensation... not quite so much.

"I did what I do." He replies calmly. "I pulled some strings... you know; tanning salon, massages, pulling for early parole."

He shrugs with a low sigh; "Just a waiting point between Baghdad and Berlin."

[notthatcrazy]

Smooth, man. Very smooth.

"You really were tryin' to fix things."

[notjustaface]

He has his ways. He might not always like them, but it gets him what he wants.

Face nods slowly against him, lowering his eyes as he quietly admits; "Even had a job lined up at the Army hospital so I could keep an eye on you."

[notthatcrazy]

He's quiet for a while, taking in the implications of this before speaking again.

"You know what I think?"

He doesn't wait for a response.

"I think we need to go kick some ass and get those plates back so we can get started on that plan of yours."

[notjustaface]

The soft grin curling Murdock's lips almost has him believing for a minute that it just might happen... but things don't ever work out that way.

And would they even be happy like that?

"Definitely kicking ass..." he brushes his lips against Murdock's cheek, catching the rasp of new stubble. "We'll see how it goes from there."

[notthatcrazy]

He senses the doubt creeping in and quells it with a kiss. Happiness isn't an endpoint, it something to work on.

"I can live with that."

[notjustaface]

And if he keeps getting kisses like that, Face is gonna end up on a whole other track he's missed sorely.

"So, I gotta ask... how many hot crazy chicks did you sleep while I was locked up?" He grins, meaning it well... honest.

[notthatcrazy]

Murdock just gives him an exasperated look.

"Really? That's where you wanna go with this?"

[notjustaface]

"What?" He replies innocently enough, his lips stretching to a self-preservation grin.

"Come on, you can't tell me you lived like a priest out here."

[notthatcrazy]

"I lived like a mental patient," he snaps, mostly without malice. "By the time I was with it enough to care I was pretty much flyin' solo, if you get my drift."

[notjustaface]

Malice or no, it's enough to make to it pretty clear he's definitely not make things any easier.

"Sorry, man... I just..." He lets a nervous sound that may have once been a laugh slip just quick enough to say; "I don't know anything about what it was like there."

[notthatcrazy]

He shrugs.

"Not sure what you want me to say."

[notjustaface]

"Did they treat you all right?" He asks quietly, letting himself deal with the things he thought about, things he wrote about in letters that got burned well before they could be sent.

"I mean, they didn't dope you up and fry your brain or anything, right?"

[notthatcrazy]

"Hmm. No more than necessary."

He's curled up now, in an unconscious gesture of self-protection.

"I mean I was kinda out of it for the first month or so..." He makes a wavey kind of so-so gesture with his hand. "But that was more from the stress than anything."

[notjustaface]

Almost on reflex, Face shifts to follow the curl - holding him a little tighter.

Awkwardly, he holds up his right fist where new scars give away where he'd beaten the wall until he couldn't anymore.

"I think we all had it hard. Hell, BA found pacifism."

[notthatcrazy]

"Now there's a sentence I never thought I'd hear."

He takes Face's hand and kisses his knuckles.

"This's what happens when no one's there to tell you stop."

[notjustaface]

He half-shrugs, "I couldn't figure things out until I had a way to stop thinking about how much it hurt to get burned like that and lose everything."

It's more true than he'll ever admit. He couldn't figure anything out, even things he thought he had.

[notthatcrazy]

"Shouldn't do that to yourself."

Everyone has their own ways of coping.

[notjustaface]

"There's a lot of things I should do..." he sighs against Murdock's ear, "hasn't stopped me yet."

It's easy to let a quiet moment fall between them, and he's nearly lulled to sleep after the high he's been riding since Hannibal snatched him when he murmurs; "Just glad we're all together."