Title: Curtain Call

Characters: Face and Murdock.

Note: written for a prompt at a_team_kink over on LJ. The requester was kind about the lack of smexing. (Everyone is awesome over there, if anyone is nervous about checking it out.)

Summary: They don't make Murdock go undercover often for a lot of reasons, but mostly because of this.

Warning: Language? Written for a prompt at a href="http:/a_team_.com"The A-Team Kink Meme/a.

I told Hannibal, Face thought, careful to keep his face blank as he listened to "Martin" and the other mercenaries trade stories about the fucked up things they'd facilitated in pursuit of money. I told him Murdock couldn't do this without getting lost. Damn it.

Does he even remember us? Face wondered, flicking his cigarette to the ground and stomping it out. "Harrison," he barked. Murdock glanced up coolly, and Face flinched internally at the sight of those brown eyes so hard. He jerked his head at the door. "Rounds."

The other guards laughed lowly and shrugged Murdock out of the group, and Face let him lead the way out of the room, thankful they'd managed to rig up the drawing for pairs in rounds before Murdock went balls to the wall crazy and method-acted his way to a small-minded criminal who didn't give a shit the boss was killing Chinese immigrants in his sweat-shop on purpose.

He had to do something: Hannibal and BA were set to sneak in over the back wall as he and Murdock walked by to disguise any movements. Face had already sabotaged the monitoring equipment.

He needed Murdock back, though. Maybe... "You ever had a dog?"

Murdock glanced over, still hard-eyed Martin Harrison, who had never been anything so cute as a kid in his life. "What?"

Face shrugged. "A dog." He nodded to the yard. "Reminds me of a place I visited one summer." Actually, a place they'd recently been to on a mission. "Friend of mine had a dog, Billy." He glanced over but there was no recognition.

"Actually, he had two, but Billy is the normal one-other one's one of those small dogs. The yappy kind, you know? Calls it Socky."

Nothing. Face swallowed a curse and realized they had five minutes before they hit the rendezvous point, and Murdock blew the whistle on his own team.

He tried again. "You ever been in a plane?"

"You're pretty chatty tonight," Murdock said flatly.

Face shrugged casually. Shit, shit, shit. Damn it, Hannibal, what's the plan for this? "Just asking. That friend of mine, he's a pilot. Guess I got to thinking about him." He swallowed and forced a laugh. "He's a crazy motherfucker, though."

"And he flies?" Murdock asked absently. Face looked over and realized Murdock was frowning faintly. Not the same as he had been though. More confused than anything.

Yes, he thought fiercely. "Best damn pilot I've ever seen," he said, looking around. Come on Murdock, you can beat this. "My best friend, too."

"Why you even telling me about this?" Murdock asked angrily, grabbing his arm and glaring, focusing on Face because his head wasn't making sense.

Face stopped and looked at Murdock seriously. "Because he is my best friend, and I'm afraid I'm losing him."

"Fucking sappy," Murdock said, trying to force the snarl back into his tone.

Face heard right through it to the uncertainty and confusion. "Murdock, please," he said softly. "I need you."

Murdock opened his mouth like he was going to shout, then closed it with a grimace and finally buried his face in his hands.

Face waited carefully, ready to run to the wall if Murdock lost to Martin.

Finally, Murdock looked up. "M'I really your best friend, Face?"

Face relaxed with a large sigh. "You're damn right you are," he said, clapping Murdock's shoulder fiercely. They stood like that, and Murdock slowly smiled at Face. Wider and wider. They both started laughing and then Face had his arms around him, hugging him fiercely. "I missed you," he said into Murdock's temple, getting a mouthful of hair and not caring.

Murdock held him just as tightly. "I missed me too," he said, burying his face briefly in Face's shoulder. Then he pulled back to look at Face earnestly. "Let's tell Hannibal not to plan with me in mind as the conman again, oay

Face was nodding before he'd finished the sentence, then both of their eyes widened. "Hannibal!"

They both took off to meet them at the rendezvous point before Hannibal and BA charged in, guns blazing.