Built A Better Bear (For Love!)

[notjustaface]

He's been trying, and he knows Murdock has been trying too, but the longer the rift between them continues the more Face feels like it'll never end.

The idea had come to him watching Murdock fret over a small pile of stuffed animals at a thrift store - again - coming back empty handed when none of them "fit" with his current plush posse. Something special, something they could do together where there was no pressure to be romantic, but Murdock would know that he meant it as a genuine gesture.

Which is exactly what had led him to The Build-A-Bear workshop on a Saturday morning when it was overrun with children and exasperated parents with Murdock staring out the windshield as they pulled in.

"Surprise?" He smiles softly, looking at him from the driver's seat as he nervously taps his rings against the steering wheel - still getting used to the weight of wearing them again, if nothing as a reminder to himself.

Comments

[notjustaface]

He can't hide his grin, but his laugh is tapered to a soft snort into his wrist as he picks out a big pink heart.

"Putting yours in uniform too?" He asks, pressing a kiss to the plastic heart before holding it out to Murdock between his index and middle finger.

[notthatcrazy]

Okay... that's just ridiculously cute.

"Nah, can't have the patterns clashing."

He picked out a plane t-shirt and shorts combo for the brightly colored bear, complete with tiny baseball cap and sneakers. He did manage to get a set of the tiny dog tags, though.

[notjustaface]

"He can be on a weekend pass." Face lets himself laugh, jamming a smaller red heart into his bear before heading to sew him up.

"I'm sure I can get my hands on a set of stripes to make sure the others know he's an officer."

[notthatcrazy]

"You're really gettin' into this," he chuckles, toting his own stuffed and fluffed teddy. "Never thought I'd see the day."

[notjustaface]

Leaning in close, he half-shrugs.

"It means a lot to you, and you mean a lot to me." He presses a kiss to the bear's head before finding his uniform to make him a little less naked.

[notthatcrazy]

"I know."

He chuckles as they get the bears ready, talking under his breath to them about exactly what they've gotten themselves into.

Don't mind the grown man talking to his toys, folks.

[notjustaface]

"Save the pep-talk, Captain." Face shakes his head, half-heartedly looking over a selection of bear-sized furniture.

"I'm sure Wiggles will fill them in on the gory details when they take command of their post."

[notthatcrazy]

"Probably," he agrees.

"You sure he's up to the challenge?"

[notjustaface]

"Corporal Wiggles is a fine and noble pink thing." Face chuckles under his breath. "He'll do just fine."

Despite the looks of the more concerned parents, he loops his arm around Murdock's waist and holds him close.

"This is kinda fun."

[notthatcrazy]

He nods. It's amazing how much he's changed over the years... how much they both have.

"Not in front of the bears, hon," he teases, ignoring his own words to give him a peck on the cheek.

[notjustaface]

It's a good kind of change, though - despite the incident that's brought them where they are.

The small kiss draws up his smile and he leans a little closer, cupping his palm over his side. "I'm sure they'll hear about that stuff too..." he murmurs somewhat suggestively - making the leap that that'll ever be an issue again.

[notthatcrazy]

"Are you suggesting we're the subject of tawdry stuffed animal gossip?"

He considers this for a moment.

"I think I'm okay with that."

[notjustaface]

Suggesting? If there was such a thing, they'd have their own devoted tribes - he's pretty sure at least one is still Team Face.

"I should hope so... your sock puppets started it."

[notthatcrazy]

He makes a mock-scandalized face and shakes his head.

"I miss those guys."

[notjustaface]

Snorting back a laugh, he gives Murdock an easy squeeze.

"I do too, babe. I'm sure they're in a better place now."

They're part of another life, everything that happened before they went on the run. He can't let himself really miss it. If he missed everything they left behind there'd be no room left to make new.

"We should do something," he murmurs, sliding his fingers down the inside of his forearm - the warm metal rings catching slightly.

[notthatcrazy]

He leans into him, remembering nights spent curled up on the couch watching cheesy movies with popcorn and sock puppet running commentary.

"Like what?"

The touch of metal catches him slightly off-guard, a welcome reminder of just how seriously Face is taking things.

[notjustaface]

Shrugging with one shoulder, guiding him toward the exit with their dressed bears before any furniture or siblings can make their way into the fold, Face considers his chances.

"Mmm, we could maybe get some dinner? Go see a movie? Just get out for a little bit. Just us, you know? We haven't done that in a long time."

[notthatcrazy]

He's pretty okay with things as they are. They don't have room to be toting a lot of stuff around, and frankly it's a wonder Hannibal tolerates the stuffed animal brigade as well as he does.

"What, like a date?"

He's going to make you say it, Face.

[notjustaface]

"I mean... I don't know if I'd say date..." He smirks, guiding him slowly toward the cargo van.

"Unless you think it's okay for us to have a date."

[notthatcrazy]

"I think it's okay for you to say date, if you want to."

They get to the van, and he bundles the bears into a seat.

"Y'know, we never got to have a normal date."

Like they've ever done anything normally.

[notjustaface]

"Yeah?" He quirks an eyebrow, the whole trajectory of their not-a-relationship to relationship not exactly normal. They're not really normal people. But, it's all right.

"Well... I think it might be a good idea, you know with starting over again and all. Maybe give us a chance to do it right."

[notthatcrazy]

"Sounds good."

The whole "being on the run" thing doesn't exactly make normal relationships easy. The fact that neither of them are freaked out by the very idea of actual dating is a sign of how far they've come.

"What'd you have in mind?"

[notjustaface]

He's deep enough in that he's wearing rings from a fake - maybe shouldn't have been fake - wedding. Dating is a cakewalk.

Face is quiet a long moment before he answers; "Maybe catch a matinee and then dinner?"

[notthatcrazy]

"Yep, that sounds like a date alright."

He's giving him a bit of a hard time about it, but he teases because he loves him.

[notjustaface]

"I'll have you know..." He reaches across the seat, gently patting Murdock's knee before turning toward theater they passed on the way up.

"Before a certain someone... I happened to be an expert at the fine art of the date."