The Acquisitions Process
Oct. 31st, 2010 10:27 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sonora_conejaPairing: Face/Murdock
Rating: pg-13
Warnings: possibly icky things done by Face
Summary: A fill for this prompt on the original kink meme.
Set during those eight years in Iraq. Hannibal has always relied upon Face to get whatever they need for missions etc, but has never asked him how he does it. When Murdock becomes part of the team he is more inquisitive so he secretly trails Face around the camp, making a list of what Face trades for what. When he discovers that Face is on occasion trading himself, Murdock decides to hand the list over to Hannibal, who (after recovering from his shock and dismay), confronts Face with it. Can be H/F, H/M or gen, anon.
Murdock finds out that Face is cheating on him to expedite the acquisitions process, but Hannibal’s reaction to the news isn’t what he expects.
"What if somebody comes..."
"Adds to the excitement, doesn't it, baby?"
Murdock was completely willing, able, hell, eager, to walk right past that tent, ignore the little sounds. He knows how it is - some girls just can't make it through a deployment without sex. But it's not just two random people he doesn't know.
That second voice belongs to Lt Peck, Faceman, his new buddy, and Murdock can't stop himself from stopping, listening in, as Hannibal's golden boy coaxes his orgasm out of her, soft but distinct, over a few more forceless protests.
And he really tries to think nothing of it, tries not to remember Face's choked little cry of pleasure as he showers that night, showers again the next morning, flip-flops turning paths in the dust as he tries to forget and figure out what Face was doing. She didn't exactly sound like she was into it. Didn’t exactly sound like she wasn’t.
Turns out the girl's an E-4, Air Force, logistics troop, and it all makes sense when they walk out to the helo pad a few days later and a newly-overhauled Apache's waiting for Murdock.
"Air support, buddy," Face tells him proudly, and Murdock knows damn well that all of these were supposed to be headed north, forward, to support the Tenth Mountain Cav. But, despite that sick feeling in his stomach, and the light flutters as Face claps his shoulder and draws him in for a very, very manly hug, Murdock doesn't know what to do. Hannibal looks as pleased as BA looks airsick.
He flies the mission and hopes to hell that he hasn't taken an asset away from the people who need it, if not more, more often.
The next time Face leaves the tent, their area, checks his watch and takes off, Murdock gives an excuse, and takes off after him.
After a week of this, the pilot's able to conclude a couple of things. One, Face is very good at trading favors, goods, sex and thin air for what he needs. Two, he can get anything, no matter what it says on the cargo manifest or computer about final destination and purpose. Three, he's almost as good at conning the local nationals out of whatever they might be unable to procure through domestic channels - like Tuesday, when Hannibal needed a goat for still-unexplained reasons.
There's nothing exactly wrong with that, even though Murdock's never seen anybody who could lie half as well and it worries him. He knows what it's like to be lied to, like his last CO, who left him in that hospital to rot. He can't stand the thought that his new team might be more of the same, that Face might not be behind honest with him, that he hasn't really found himself a friend...
But Murdock's not being honest with himself, if he says that's all it is. The sound of that girl still haunts him, perhaps because he can't figure out what bothered him more about it, the fact that she sorta asked him to stop and he didn't, the fact that Face wasn't fucking him... He doesn't know.
It happens three more times before Murdock goes to Hannibal with the list. Colonel seems like a pretty upright guy, right?
Hannibal just stares at the neatly written sheet in front of him. "What exactly am I supposed to be looking at, captain?"
That voice bodes nothing good, and Murdock wonders if he's taken this too far. He tried color-coding it. That obviously doesn't rank high on the boss's concerns right now. His explanation comes out, babble and noise, and it takes Hannibal a moment to catch the thread.
"Oh, the blue lines are things Face has traded what for?"
"Sex, boss. The last one, ah, the last one was a guy from maintenance..."
Hannibal pinches his nose and leans back in his chair.
"When BA needed parts, three days ago, yeah..." Murdock says, trying to get Hannibal's attention, but the colonel just smiles at him, a brittle smile, and pats him on the back and practically throws him out of the tent.
And nothing changes. Hannibal doesn't do anything, Face doesn't stop, Murdock keeps following him.
Finally, one day, he sees Face kissing one of the male lieutenants who works over in the tower. Preferential take-off times, probably, which can jack up a flight rotation for days. But that's not what sends a flash of red coursing through his body, not what makes him suddenly and desperately jealous, not what finds him standing over Face, the other man staring up at him in shock as a bruise grows on his jaw and Murdock gives the younger lieutenant a surprisingly coherent lecture and runs him off.
Only when the kid's gone does the red clear. Anger fading, guilt takes over and he kneels down, puts an apologetic hand on Face's chest. But he resists the urge to apologize.
"Face, you okay?" He's still using that captain voice he just used on the kid.
But Face is laughing as he pulls himself up. "Damn, Murdock, I didn't realize you could hit that hard."
"Why? Cause I'm crazy?"
Face runs a dusty hand through his hair and gives him a big grin. "No, no, I just... are you okay, buddy?"
“That, that Air Force girl, faceman...”
And this expression creeps over the lieutenant’s features, like Murdock’s just socked him in the gut. “She...needed some encouragement and we needed a helicopter, buddy. What else was I supposed to do? I didn’t force her and now we’ve got somebody to work with over in logistics. Win-win.” He tries to smile, but it’s weak, fragile at best.
Is that what I needed, encouragement? Murdock wants to ask, thinking about their first time and how Face didn’t really give him a choice, how he didn’t really want one, howhe never wants another option, another reality, when it comes to this man.
"Hannibal didn't do nothin', did he?" Murdock mutters instead, mostly to himself, but Face hears it anyway. His face flushes, and Murdock feels another stab of guilt for causing this man pain. He didn't want to, just wanted to make sure he was okay, that nothing was wrong...
"He chewed my ass pretty hard, mostly cause you didn't need to, we, I didn't want to tell you guys," Face says at length, eyes downcast and voice soft. "But this is the way it works sometimes. He should have explained it to you..."
"Then Hannibal knew?" Murdock asks in amazement, hitting the ground. This is Hannibal's fault? Face seems sincere. Not that that necessarily means anything. "Oh, facey..."
Face just looks at him, and Murdock can't keep up this, this wholeness the anger maintained for him over the last few weeks, and he's all broken inside again, clinging to Face's shoulder, tears menacing...
"It's okay, buddy," Face says sadly.
"The way it's gotta be?"
"Sometimes, Murdock. Not always."
Murdock lets Face tug him gently to his feet, lets himself lean against him as they walk back to, hating himself for the weakness this man brings out in him.
There's a hand on his shoulder, in his hair, nothing manly about it at all right now and perfect and exactly so...
...and there's no way of knowing if it's real.
Rating: pg-13
Warnings: possibly icky things done by Face
Summary: A fill for this prompt on the original kink meme.
Set during those eight years in Iraq. Hannibal has always relied upon Face to get whatever they need for missions etc, but has never asked him how he does it. When Murdock becomes part of the team he is more inquisitive so he secretly trails Face around the camp, making a list of what Face trades for what. When he discovers that Face is on occasion trading himself, Murdock decides to hand the list over to Hannibal, who (after recovering from his shock and dismay), confronts Face with it. Can be H/F, H/M or gen, anon.
Murdock finds out that Face is cheating on him to expedite the acquisitions process, but Hannibal’s reaction to the news isn’t what he expects.
"What if somebody comes..."
"Adds to the excitement, doesn't it, baby?"
Murdock was completely willing, able, hell, eager, to walk right past that tent, ignore the little sounds. He knows how it is - some girls just can't make it through a deployment without sex. But it's not just two random people he doesn't know.
That second voice belongs to Lt Peck, Faceman, his new buddy, and Murdock can't stop himself from stopping, listening in, as Hannibal's golden boy coaxes his orgasm out of her, soft but distinct, over a few more forceless protests.
And he really tries to think nothing of it, tries not to remember Face's choked little cry of pleasure as he showers that night, showers again the next morning, flip-flops turning paths in the dust as he tries to forget and figure out what Face was doing. She didn't exactly sound like she was into it. Didn’t exactly sound like she wasn’t.
Turns out the girl's an E-4, Air Force, logistics troop, and it all makes sense when they walk out to the helo pad a few days later and a newly-overhauled Apache's waiting for Murdock.
"Air support, buddy," Face tells him proudly, and Murdock knows damn well that all of these were supposed to be headed north, forward, to support the Tenth Mountain Cav. But, despite that sick feeling in his stomach, and the light flutters as Face claps his shoulder and draws him in for a very, very manly hug, Murdock doesn't know what to do. Hannibal looks as pleased as BA looks airsick.
He flies the mission and hopes to hell that he hasn't taken an asset away from the people who need it, if not more, more often.
The next time Face leaves the tent, their area, checks his watch and takes off, Murdock gives an excuse, and takes off after him.
After a week of this, the pilot's able to conclude a couple of things. One, Face is very good at trading favors, goods, sex and thin air for what he needs. Two, he can get anything, no matter what it says on the cargo manifest or computer about final destination and purpose. Three, he's almost as good at conning the local nationals out of whatever they might be unable to procure through domestic channels - like Tuesday, when Hannibal needed a goat for still-unexplained reasons.
There's nothing exactly wrong with that, even though Murdock's never seen anybody who could lie half as well and it worries him. He knows what it's like to be lied to, like his last CO, who left him in that hospital to rot. He can't stand the thought that his new team might be more of the same, that Face might not be behind honest with him, that he hasn't really found himself a friend...
But Murdock's not being honest with himself, if he says that's all it is. The sound of that girl still haunts him, perhaps because he can't figure out what bothered him more about it, the fact that she sorta asked him to stop and he didn't, the fact that Face wasn't fucking him... He doesn't know.
It happens three more times before Murdock goes to Hannibal with the list. Colonel seems like a pretty upright guy, right?
Hannibal just stares at the neatly written sheet in front of him. "What exactly am I supposed to be looking at, captain?"
That voice bodes nothing good, and Murdock wonders if he's taken this too far. He tried color-coding it. That obviously doesn't rank high on the boss's concerns right now. His explanation comes out, babble and noise, and it takes Hannibal a moment to catch the thread.
"Oh, the blue lines are things Face has traded what for?"
"Sex, boss. The last one, ah, the last one was a guy from maintenance..."
Hannibal pinches his nose and leans back in his chair.
"When BA needed parts, three days ago, yeah..." Murdock says, trying to get Hannibal's attention, but the colonel just smiles at him, a brittle smile, and pats him on the back and practically throws him out of the tent.
And nothing changes. Hannibal doesn't do anything, Face doesn't stop, Murdock keeps following him.
Finally, one day, he sees Face kissing one of the male lieutenants who works over in the tower. Preferential take-off times, probably, which can jack up a flight rotation for days. But that's not what sends a flash of red coursing through his body, not what makes him suddenly and desperately jealous, not what finds him standing over Face, the other man staring up at him in shock as a bruise grows on his jaw and Murdock gives the younger lieutenant a surprisingly coherent lecture and runs him off.
Only when the kid's gone does the red clear. Anger fading, guilt takes over and he kneels down, puts an apologetic hand on Face's chest. But he resists the urge to apologize.
"Face, you okay?" He's still using that captain voice he just used on the kid.
But Face is laughing as he pulls himself up. "Damn, Murdock, I didn't realize you could hit that hard."
"Why? Cause I'm crazy?"
Face runs a dusty hand through his hair and gives him a big grin. "No, no, I just... are you okay, buddy?"
“That, that Air Force girl, faceman...”
And this expression creeps over the lieutenant’s features, like Murdock’s just socked him in the gut. “She...needed some encouragement and we needed a helicopter, buddy. What else was I supposed to do? I didn’t force her and now we’ve got somebody to work with over in logistics. Win-win.” He tries to smile, but it’s weak, fragile at best.
Is that what I needed, encouragement? Murdock wants to ask, thinking about their first time and how Face didn’t really give him a choice, how he didn’t really want one, howhe never wants another option, another reality, when it comes to this man.
"Hannibal didn't do nothin', did he?" Murdock mutters instead, mostly to himself, but Face hears it anyway. His face flushes, and Murdock feels another stab of guilt for causing this man pain. He didn't want to, just wanted to make sure he was okay, that nothing was wrong...
"He chewed my ass pretty hard, mostly cause you didn't need to, we, I didn't want to tell you guys," Face says at length, eyes downcast and voice soft. "But this is the way it works sometimes. He should have explained it to you..."
"Then Hannibal knew?" Murdock asks in amazement, hitting the ground. This is Hannibal's fault? Face seems sincere. Not that that necessarily means anything. "Oh, facey..."
Face just looks at him, and Murdock can't keep up this, this wholeness the anger maintained for him over the last few weeks, and he's all broken inside again, clinging to Face's shoulder, tears menacing...
"It's okay, buddy," Face says sadly.
"The way it's gotta be?"
"Sometimes, Murdock. Not always."
Murdock lets Face tug him gently to his feet, lets himself lean against him as they walk back to, hating himself for the weakness this man brings out in him.
There's a hand on his shoulder, in his hair, nothing manly about it at all right now and perfect and exactly so...
...and there's no way of knowing if it's real.
