A-Team fic: Birthdays and Families
... I have the feeling I used this title before, somewhere. Meeh whatever.
Birthdays and Families
Summary: Face is quiet and subdued. What does his birthday have to do with his sadness? Hannibal finds out and is determined to fix it.
Written for a prompt at the A-Team kink meme: "I've just come in from a long day at work, I'm exhausted and cold a little bit ill.
It's also my birthday, and my best friend has forgotten. May I humbly request some fluff to cheer me up? I'd love a bit of H/F or H/M, just anything sweet or cheerful. *Curls up in the corner*"
Pairings: none, Hannibal/Face preslash, if you squint
Warnings: some angst - it's me! Hi! - and then some fluff. AU, takes place long before the Team is formed, lots of OCs
Rating: Teen
Word Count: ~ 2.200
betaed by indigo_angels , thank you very much, bb!!
Birthdays and Families
Hannibal doesn’t think much about it when Peck wants leave for the last week of August. The kid has just completed his first mission since he joined their group, and it was a rough one. Figures the kid wants some space, relax a little without the others around. Kid’ll come back afterwards, all smiles again. Looks tired, some rest will do him good.
Or maybe it won’t. When the kid comes back, he’s not as relaxed as Hannibal had expected. He’s... quiet, subdued. Weird, this. Kid’s usually all smiles and laughter and teasing, and right now... The other boys notice, too, even Tiny, who usually has to be hit with a brick before he notices someone’s upset or something. Damn good shot, Tiny, but not that good with people.
Hannibal goes to find the kid, try to find out what’s up. It... he doesn’t like seeing his baby officer like this. Hiding in their tent, curled up on his cot and reading, instead of being outside with the others around the fire, drinking and making fun of Kane’s new haircut, the one a girl convinced him was cool, but only looks stupid instead.
But the kid forces a smile and tells him nothing’s wrong. Hannibal stares at him for a moment, chewing on his cigar, watches how the kid fidgets and blushes. No, he doesn’t like it at all, seeing him like that. He leaves again, not missing the relieved slump of the kid’s shoulders or how he seems to swallow a lot. Wouldn’t do to make the boy cry, and he has other ways to find out what’s wrong.
Hannibal ambles over to the mess tent, on the way smacking Tiny’s head so he’ll stop teasing Kane before the other kills him. The hair does look stupid, but Kane seems ready to explode, and he doesn’t want to have to punish them for fighting again. In the mess he nods at some soldiers scrambling to attention and ignores their attempts at conversation. He’s on a mission.
The kid is a hit with the mess hall’s staff. Not only his smile and his pretty looks won them over, but he seems to evoke some kind of motherly instincts in almost all of the women working here. Hannibal’s lost count of how many times he’d found him sneaking back after hours, munching on some cookies or cake he charmed out of the mess staff. Kid always looks surprised and damn guilty when Hannibal catches him, but how can he be angry when there’s his baby officer smiling nervously at him and offering to share his booty? The cookies are delicious, after all.
Hannibal frowns and surveys the room. He needs to find someone, where... ah, there she is. Mama Bear, that’s what the soldiers call her. She’s a force of nature, that one, gentle and warm as they come, always mothering the young ones, but woe to anybody who thinks he can hurt one of her boys. Hannibal knows she’s fond of the kid, constantly harassing him to eat his vegetables and wanting to know how he’s doing with all the “rough boys out there”. If someone knows what’s up with the kid, it’s Mama Bear.
“John! What can I do for you? You want some apple pie, young man?”
And she’s the only one who’s allowed to call him that.
“No thanks, Miss Dolores, I’m still full of that delicious steak from earlier. It was a delight, Ma’am.”
“Oh shut up, you charmer. Leave that to the girls, it won’t work on me, I’m happily married. What do you want then?”
“Actually I’m here to ask you something about Peck...”
Mama Bear straightens to her full height, narrowing her eyes at him. “I noticed he was looking a bit under the weather earlier. What did you do to him?”
Hannibal laughs. Figures she’d instantly think it’s his fault. She’s been on his ass to “treat that boy right” ever since she met him.
“Yeah, about that. I was wondering...”
------
Hannibal’s so deep in thought on his way back to their unit’s tent he doesn’t even notice that Tiny is holding Kane down so Johnson can shave his head. He just sits down near the fire and ponders the new information. His boys continue their antics for a while before they realize their boss is being unusually quiet. Eventually they stop and turn to look at him, Kane not even paying mind to the fact that he’s now sporting a very fetching half-afro.
“Boss? You all right?”
Hannibal grunts and lights a cigar. He’s read the kid’s folder again and it now all makes sense. The leave, the kid’s mood, the evasiveness...
“It’s Peck, isn’t it? What’s up with him anyway?”
So Johnson’s noticed something’s off, too. Hm. They need to fix this, and quick. Question is how.
“Boss?” Kane now, sounding slightly worried. “What’s wrong with Face?”
Hannibal isn’t sure what to tell them. It’s the kid’s story, he’ll tell them when he’s ready. But he can tell them something.
“You know he grew up in an orphanage, right?”
Nods all around. The kid told them, one late night, everybody pretty drunk, alcohol loosening his tongue. He hadn’t looked at them, spoke to his feet, seemed embarrassed by the whole thing. The boys hadn’t said much afterwards, but Kane had told them about his asshole of a father, and Johnson of his time in juvie. Then they’d cracked some jokes and soon the kid had been smiling again. He’d been with their unit for only a few weeks back then, but he’d instantly fit. Hannibal had been very proud, of Peck, of his boys, of them all. Taking care of each other, like a family should do. Like they are gonna do with the kid now, to solve this.
“So... the kid... I read his file again, and it says his birthday was last week, while he was on leave...”
“Oh shit! We forgot his birthday? Why didn’t he tell us? We’d have given the kid a huge-ass party, bought him his first hooker, all that stuff! Why didn’t we know?!”
Of course Kane’d think of hookers. Hannibal rolls his eyes.
“Sure you would have. Problem is, nobody knew. I didn’t even think to read his file to find out, I figured he’d tell us. But apparently it’s a bit more complicated. See, Mama Bear told me something, and this is strictly confidential, boys, this doesn’t leave this unit, okay?”
Hannibal glares around until every one of his boys has nodded. Good.
“The kid... he doesn’t know when his birthday is,” Hannibal sighs, “seems the orphanage or hospital or whatever just gave him a day, nobody’s sure when he was born. See now why he didn’t want a party, or hookers? Kid’s reminded every year that he has no birthday, no parents, no family. No wonder he fled.”
“Aww fuck.” Kane flops on his back and looks up at the night sky. Johnson’s biting his lips and looking uncomfortable.
“But we’re his family now.” Tiny has his head cocked and looks at Hannibal. “And if our little brother needs a birthday, we’ll give him one. Right, boss?”
Kane sits up again and looks intrigued. Johnson’s nodding fiercely. Hannibal smiles. His boys.
“Damn right we are. Listen up, boys, I have a Plan...”
------
Considering they didn’t have much time to prepare, they managed quite an impressive feat, Hannibal thinks and surveys their tent. Kane and Tiny are bickering about whether or not the garlands are hanging right while Johnson rolls his eyes at them and carefully sets the table. Hannibal has sent the kid on some errands, he should be back soon. Not much time left.
And right on cue there’s voices outside, the kid and one of the other soldiers talking. Sounds normal, happy, but there’s still that hint of sadness in the kid’s voice. Hannibal has been watching him closely the last few days. Kid shows a brave facade, seems happy, like usual, but he’s been so quiet, so... unlike himself. Hannibal really doesn’t like that. Well, after tonight that should all be over, if it goes according to plan. And it will, Hannibal has thought of everything.
He shushes the boys and listens closely for the voices outside. As soon as he hears the kid and the other say their goodbyes, he opens his mouth and unleashes his best commanding officer’s voice.
“Peck! Get your ass in here right now!”
The other boys snicker, and from outside comes a soft “Oh fuck, what have I done now?” Hannibal grins to himself. Face will be in for a surprise.
“Peck! Don’t make me wait!”
Johnson’s shaking in silent laughter and Kane has to elbow him before he gives them away.
And then the tent flap opens and the kid steps inside.
“Surprise! Happy birthday!”
Face stops and stares; open-mouthed, frozen to the spot. He looks around the room, at the garlands Kane got somewhere, at the cake Mama Bear was happy to provide, at the pile of presents on the table. He swallows, eyes darting around, finally settling on Hannibal.
“What... how... what?”
Hannibal smiles at him and steps closer. Behind him the other boys are elbowing each other and grinning like crazy at the flustered kid.
“Happy birthday, Face.”
“... I don’t... it’s not...”
“We know.” Hannibal says gently and lays a hand on Face’s shoulder. The boy looks up at him, confusion obvious. “You didn’t let us give you a party when you went on leave. So we had to come up with a new occasion. This day, three months ago, you joined us. We figured we could celebrate that as your birthday. What do you think?”
Face’s throat works, but no sound comes out. Hannibal squeezes his shoulder as he starts to blush and looks down. “It’s not... I didn’t mean to... I mean, I don’t even know...”
“Shut up, kid. We’re a family now, and families celebrate birthdays. So, get your ass over to that table and cut that cake, I know at least three men who are dying to taste Mama Bear’s delicious baking.”
Face looks up at him, lower lip trembling. Hannibal subtly shifts to the side, so the other boys won’t see his wet eyes. Wouldn’t do, kid would be embarassed. But Hannibal likes that he got to see that, the kid so open and vulnerable. That Face trusts him enough to let him see. Makes him feel all warm and... fuzzy inside. Weird.
After a few seconds Face wipes a quick hand over his eyes and musters a smile. The “okay” is whispered, but there’s a light in his eyes now, like earlier, before that leave. That spark, it’s there again, the one that made Hannibal want the kid for his unit. Hannibal sees it and smiles. Finally. Face is happy again.
Hannibal gives him a little shove over to the table. He still looks a bit overwhelmed, but the other boys ignore it. They slap his back and ruffle his hair, congratulating him again. Soon it’s all laughter and fun, the kid cuts the cake and hands out the pieces with much teasing and banter. Hannibal settles on a chair near the wall and surveys his boys. Face smiles, seems almost to glow, and Hannibal is very pleased. It’s good, seeing the kid like that. Happy, like he should be.
He lights a cigar and watches. His boys. Good boys, all of them.
-----
Johnson, Kane and Tiny are bickering about who gets to try the remote control car first, never mind that it’s the kid’s present. Face doesn’t seem to mind, he sits on the table and looks on with a wide smile, half-eaten piece of cake in his lap. Hannibal smokes and watches.
The kid looks over at him and smiles. He hops off the table and comes over, carefully carrying Hannibal’s untouched plate.
“You don’t want any cake, boss? It’s really good.”
“No thanks, kid, I’m good.”
Face fidgets a little and looks at him. “Uh, I wanted to, you know... thanks for the party, boss. I really like it.”
Hannibal smiles and tilts his head. “Glad to hear. Johnson had to promise Mama Bear two weeks of kitchen duty to get your cake, you know.”
Face snickers. “That will do him good, having to take orders from a woman.”
Hannibal chuckles in agreement. “Yeah.”
They are silent for a while. Face worries his bottom lip between his teeth. He obviously wants to say something, but isn’t quite sure how to. Hannibal takes pity on him.
“Did you make a wish when you blew out your candles? No, wait, don’t tell me, or it won’t get fulfilled.”
The kid smiles and shakes his head. He’s looking at the ground as he answers, blushing slightly. “No, didn’t need to. I got everything I want.”
And then, suddenly, Face throws his arms around Hannibal, presses close and hugs him tightly. Just for a second, he’s gone again right away, back over to the boys who have now resorted to arm-wrestling to decide who gets to use the toy. But not before Hannibal hears the “Thank you” whispered in his ear, and not before he feels soft lips press a kiss to his cheek. Hannibal leans back and stares for a minute. Huh. He’s not sure what just happened. And his cigar’s gone out. He lights it again and looks over at Face, who turns around and smiles at him, still a faint blush on his cheeks.
Hmm. How about that.
The end!!!
PS: See? I can write fluff... ;P
Birthdays and Families
Summary: Face is quiet and subdued. What does his birthday have to do with his sadness? Hannibal finds out and is determined to fix it.
Written for a prompt at the A-Team kink meme: "I've just come in from a long day at work, I'm exhausted and cold a little bit ill.
It's also my birthday, and my best friend has forgotten. May I humbly request some fluff to cheer me up? I'd love a bit of H/F or H/M, just anything sweet or cheerful. *Curls up in the corner*"
Pairings: none, Hannibal/Face preslash, if you squint
Warnings: some angst - it's me! Hi! - and then some fluff. AU, takes place long before the Team is formed, lots of OCs
Rating: Teen
Word Count: ~ 2.200
betaed by indigo_angels , thank you very much, bb!!
Birthdays and Families
Hannibal doesn’t think much about it when Peck wants leave for the last week of August. The kid has just completed his first mission since he joined their group, and it was a rough one. Figures the kid wants some space, relax a little without the others around. Kid’ll come back afterwards, all smiles again. Looks tired, some rest will do him good.
Or maybe it won’t. When the kid comes back, he’s not as relaxed as Hannibal had expected. He’s... quiet, subdued. Weird, this. Kid’s usually all smiles and laughter and teasing, and right now... The other boys notice, too, even Tiny, who usually has to be hit with a brick before he notices someone’s upset or something. Damn good shot, Tiny, but not that good with people.
Hannibal goes to find the kid, try to find out what’s up. It... he doesn’t like seeing his baby officer like this. Hiding in their tent, curled up on his cot and reading, instead of being outside with the others around the fire, drinking and making fun of Kane’s new haircut, the one a girl convinced him was cool, but only looks stupid instead.
But the kid forces a smile and tells him nothing’s wrong. Hannibal stares at him for a moment, chewing on his cigar, watches how the kid fidgets and blushes. No, he doesn’t like it at all, seeing him like that. He leaves again, not missing the relieved slump of the kid’s shoulders or how he seems to swallow a lot. Wouldn’t do to make the boy cry, and he has other ways to find out what’s wrong.
Hannibal ambles over to the mess tent, on the way smacking Tiny’s head so he’ll stop teasing Kane before the other kills him. The hair does look stupid, but Kane seems ready to explode, and he doesn’t want to have to punish them for fighting again. In the mess he nods at some soldiers scrambling to attention and ignores their attempts at conversation. He’s on a mission.
The kid is a hit with the mess hall’s staff. Not only his smile and his pretty looks won them over, but he seems to evoke some kind of motherly instincts in almost all of the women working here. Hannibal’s lost count of how many times he’d found him sneaking back after hours, munching on some cookies or cake he charmed out of the mess staff. Kid always looks surprised and damn guilty when Hannibal catches him, but how can he be angry when there’s his baby officer smiling nervously at him and offering to share his booty? The cookies are delicious, after all.
Hannibal frowns and surveys the room. He needs to find someone, where... ah, there she is. Mama Bear, that’s what the soldiers call her. She’s a force of nature, that one, gentle and warm as they come, always mothering the young ones, but woe to anybody who thinks he can hurt one of her boys. Hannibal knows she’s fond of the kid, constantly harassing him to eat his vegetables and wanting to know how he’s doing with all the “rough boys out there”. If someone knows what’s up with the kid, it’s Mama Bear.
“John! What can I do for you? You want some apple pie, young man?”
And she’s the only one who’s allowed to call him that.
“No thanks, Miss Dolores, I’m still full of that delicious steak from earlier. It was a delight, Ma’am.”
“Oh shut up, you charmer. Leave that to the girls, it won’t work on me, I’m happily married. What do you want then?”
“Actually I’m here to ask you something about Peck...”
Mama Bear straightens to her full height, narrowing her eyes at him. “I noticed he was looking a bit under the weather earlier. What did you do to him?”
Hannibal laughs. Figures she’d instantly think it’s his fault. She’s been on his ass to “treat that boy right” ever since she met him.
“Yeah, about that. I was wondering...”
------
Hannibal’s so deep in thought on his way back to their unit’s tent he doesn’t even notice that Tiny is holding Kane down so Johnson can shave his head. He just sits down near the fire and ponders the new information. His boys continue their antics for a while before they realize their boss is being unusually quiet. Eventually they stop and turn to look at him, Kane not even paying mind to the fact that he’s now sporting a very fetching half-afro.
“Boss? You all right?”
Hannibal grunts and lights a cigar. He’s read the kid’s folder again and it now all makes sense. The leave, the kid’s mood, the evasiveness...
“It’s Peck, isn’t it? What’s up with him anyway?”
So Johnson’s noticed something’s off, too. Hm. They need to fix this, and quick. Question is how.
“Boss?” Kane now, sounding slightly worried. “What’s wrong with Face?”
Hannibal isn’t sure what to tell them. It’s the kid’s story, he’ll tell them when he’s ready. But he can tell them something.
“You know he grew up in an orphanage, right?”
Nods all around. The kid told them, one late night, everybody pretty drunk, alcohol loosening his tongue. He hadn’t looked at them, spoke to his feet, seemed embarrassed by the whole thing. The boys hadn’t said much afterwards, but Kane had told them about his asshole of a father, and Johnson of his time in juvie. Then they’d cracked some jokes and soon the kid had been smiling again. He’d been with their unit for only a few weeks back then, but he’d instantly fit. Hannibal had been very proud, of Peck, of his boys, of them all. Taking care of each other, like a family should do. Like they are gonna do with the kid now, to solve this.
“So... the kid... I read his file again, and it says his birthday was last week, while he was on leave...”
“Oh shit! We forgot his birthday? Why didn’t he tell us? We’d have given the kid a huge-ass party, bought him his first hooker, all that stuff! Why didn’t we know?!”
Of course Kane’d think of hookers. Hannibal rolls his eyes.
“Sure you would have. Problem is, nobody knew. I didn’t even think to read his file to find out, I figured he’d tell us. But apparently it’s a bit more complicated. See, Mama Bear told me something, and this is strictly confidential, boys, this doesn’t leave this unit, okay?”
Hannibal glares around until every one of his boys has nodded. Good.
“The kid... he doesn’t know when his birthday is,” Hannibal sighs, “seems the orphanage or hospital or whatever just gave him a day, nobody’s sure when he was born. See now why he didn’t want a party, or hookers? Kid’s reminded every year that he has no birthday, no parents, no family. No wonder he fled.”
“Aww fuck.” Kane flops on his back and looks up at the night sky. Johnson’s biting his lips and looking uncomfortable.
“But we’re his family now.” Tiny has his head cocked and looks at Hannibal. “And if our little brother needs a birthday, we’ll give him one. Right, boss?”
Kane sits up again and looks intrigued. Johnson’s nodding fiercely. Hannibal smiles. His boys.
“Damn right we are. Listen up, boys, I have a Plan...”
------
Considering they didn’t have much time to prepare, they managed quite an impressive feat, Hannibal thinks and surveys their tent. Kane and Tiny are bickering about whether or not the garlands are hanging right while Johnson rolls his eyes at them and carefully sets the table. Hannibal has sent the kid on some errands, he should be back soon. Not much time left.
And right on cue there’s voices outside, the kid and one of the other soldiers talking. Sounds normal, happy, but there’s still that hint of sadness in the kid’s voice. Hannibal has been watching him closely the last few days. Kid shows a brave facade, seems happy, like usual, but he’s been so quiet, so... unlike himself. Hannibal really doesn’t like that. Well, after tonight that should all be over, if it goes according to plan. And it will, Hannibal has thought of everything.
He shushes the boys and listens closely for the voices outside. As soon as he hears the kid and the other say their goodbyes, he opens his mouth and unleashes his best commanding officer’s voice.
“Peck! Get your ass in here right now!”
The other boys snicker, and from outside comes a soft “Oh fuck, what have I done now?” Hannibal grins to himself. Face will be in for a surprise.
“Peck! Don’t make me wait!”
Johnson’s shaking in silent laughter and Kane has to elbow him before he gives them away.
And then the tent flap opens and the kid steps inside.
“Surprise! Happy birthday!”
Face stops and stares; open-mouthed, frozen to the spot. He looks around the room, at the garlands Kane got somewhere, at the cake Mama Bear was happy to provide, at the pile of presents on the table. He swallows, eyes darting around, finally settling on Hannibal.
“What... how... what?”
Hannibal smiles at him and steps closer. Behind him the other boys are elbowing each other and grinning like crazy at the flustered kid.
“Happy birthday, Face.”
“... I don’t... it’s not...”
“We know.” Hannibal says gently and lays a hand on Face’s shoulder. The boy looks up at him, confusion obvious. “You didn’t let us give you a party when you went on leave. So we had to come up with a new occasion. This day, three months ago, you joined us. We figured we could celebrate that as your birthday. What do you think?”
Face’s throat works, but no sound comes out. Hannibal squeezes his shoulder as he starts to blush and looks down. “It’s not... I didn’t mean to... I mean, I don’t even know...”
“Shut up, kid. We’re a family now, and families celebrate birthdays. So, get your ass over to that table and cut that cake, I know at least three men who are dying to taste Mama Bear’s delicious baking.”
Face looks up at him, lower lip trembling. Hannibal subtly shifts to the side, so the other boys won’t see his wet eyes. Wouldn’t do, kid would be embarassed. But Hannibal likes that he got to see that, the kid so open and vulnerable. That Face trusts him enough to let him see. Makes him feel all warm and... fuzzy inside. Weird.
After a few seconds Face wipes a quick hand over his eyes and musters a smile. The “okay” is whispered, but there’s a light in his eyes now, like earlier, before that leave. That spark, it’s there again, the one that made Hannibal want the kid for his unit. Hannibal sees it and smiles. Finally. Face is happy again.
Hannibal gives him a little shove over to the table. He still looks a bit overwhelmed, but the other boys ignore it. They slap his back and ruffle his hair, congratulating him again. Soon it’s all laughter and fun, the kid cuts the cake and hands out the pieces with much teasing and banter. Hannibal settles on a chair near the wall and surveys his boys. Face smiles, seems almost to glow, and Hannibal is very pleased. It’s good, seeing the kid like that. Happy, like he should be.
He lights a cigar and watches. His boys. Good boys, all of them.
-----
Johnson, Kane and Tiny are bickering about who gets to try the remote control car first, never mind that it’s the kid’s present. Face doesn’t seem to mind, he sits on the table and looks on with a wide smile, half-eaten piece of cake in his lap. Hannibal smokes and watches.
The kid looks over at him and smiles. He hops off the table and comes over, carefully carrying Hannibal’s untouched plate.
“You don’t want any cake, boss? It’s really good.”
“No thanks, kid, I’m good.”
Face fidgets a little and looks at him. “Uh, I wanted to, you know... thanks for the party, boss. I really like it.”
Hannibal smiles and tilts his head. “Glad to hear. Johnson had to promise Mama Bear two weeks of kitchen duty to get your cake, you know.”
Face snickers. “That will do him good, having to take orders from a woman.”
Hannibal chuckles in agreement. “Yeah.”
They are silent for a while. Face worries his bottom lip between his teeth. He obviously wants to say something, but isn’t quite sure how to. Hannibal takes pity on him.
“Did you make a wish when you blew out your candles? No, wait, don’t tell me, or it won’t get fulfilled.”
The kid smiles and shakes his head. He’s looking at the ground as he answers, blushing slightly. “No, didn’t need to. I got everything I want.”
And then, suddenly, Face throws his arms around Hannibal, presses close and hugs him tightly. Just for a second, he’s gone again right away, back over to the boys who have now resorted to arm-wrestling to decide who gets to use the toy. But not before Hannibal hears the “Thank you” whispered in his ear, and not before he feels soft lips press a kiss to his cheek. Hannibal leans back and stares for a minute. Huh. He’s not sure what just happened. And his cigar’s gone out. He lights it again and looks over at Face, who turns around and smiles at him, still a faint blush on his cheeks.
Hmm. How about that.
The end!!!
PS: See? I can write fluff... ;P