Chapter Text
“Hey there pretty boy! See you at F barrack tonight?”
It was the kind of catcall that was common among soldiers, always looking for a fight or just to rile their comrades. Only Hannibal noticed the wince that momentarily passed over the Lieutenant’s face before transforming into a dazzling smile as he turned to give a quick retort.
Sometimes when he looked at Face he almost felt that his heart was stopping. It was a cliche and one Hannibal would have laughed at until recently, but now he couldn't deny it. It had begun almost the first moment they had met. A bad reputation had meant Face had been sent to join Smith. Hannibal was known to his superiors as one of their most brilliant, but more unpredictable, officers. One thing they knew they could rely on was his loyalty and his ability to instil this in his men. His work with Bosco Baracus had shown them that and since then, any ‘little problems’ the army found had been sent his way. It hadn't always been successful. Some of the men that had been sent to him were just bad soldiers and Hannibal had felt sorry for them, stuck in this war they couldn't win and didn't know how to fight. Somehow most of these men had ended up on troop planes home, even before their tour of duty had ended, but the problem had been solved and no one looked to Hannibal for answers. Other men had been evil or twisted, had joined the army out of a perverse desire to carry weapons and hurt people. These men Hannibal hadn’t been able to cure but he had assured they were kept safely away from either armaments or civilians, again ridding the army of trouble.
In Face Hannibal had seen something completely different. On introducing himself to the Colonel he had treated him to a dazzling grin, but from long practice Hannibal had found himself looking past that and feeling the shock inside as he saw the depths of loneliness and insecurity inside the young officer. He had taken Face under his wing, and found a willing pupil. It didn’t take him long to see by showing a little interest in Face and offering support the younger man began to trust him implicitly and Hannibal was able to watch his confidence build until he was able to come up with plans that could rival the Colonel’s own. Almost.
Hannibal wasn’t sure when the relationship between them had changed from mentorship to friendship to lovers. It had been a gradual progress, the casual passing touches increasing in frequency and intent until one night Hannibal had found Face waiting for him in his bed and he had suddenly realised that this was what he had been waiting for even without knowing. So things had continued, the two had become inseparable, with kindred spirits in BA and Murcock Hannibal had felt invincible, each mission more daring yet more successful than the last. Then further orders had arrived from HQ.
It had seemed like a lucky break at the time. They had been transferred between bases, moving further away from enemy lines and the constant threat of Vietcong insurgents. Away from the frontline the camps were more relaxed. They could afford to have more space between the huts. There was less barbed wire on show, less sentry duty for all the men. What they had done to deserve it Hannibal wasn’t quite sure. He corrected himself, what had made the top brass finally realise they deserved it..., but he had intended to take full advantage of a chance for some R & R. Yet since they had been here he found he had been spending less time with his team than when they were in combat.
As always Face had worked his magic and somehow managed to find them a two bedroom hut. Away from the heat of combat protocol was more strictly observed and as far as those outside the unit knew, only the officers shared these quarters. Hannibal’s rank earned him his own bedroom, a luxury even here, while Face and Murdock bunked together in the other room. Hannibal knew that BA often joined them, protective of Murdock so that he held him through the dark, keeping the nightmares at bay.
Hannibal had hoped Face would take the hint from this and join him in his room, but for once Face didn’t seem able to read his mind. Hannibal knew he could ask him to join him, but he was still uncomfortable at times with the age and rank difference and feared imposing himself on the young lieutenant. The feelings Face aroused in him scared even himself at times. The want and need he had to possess this man, barely more than a kid. He was responsible for him and felt loyalty as he did to all his men but with Face it went further. He wanted to keep him safe. Hell, he wanted to send him home, away from this madness, away from this danger, if it hadn’t been for the fact Hannibal didn’t think there was anyone there for him to go back to. It was this that gave Hannibal his insecurity, the thought that Face might be with him out of gratitude at having found someone who cared about him rather than returning Hannibal’s feelings. So he waited, hoping Face would come to him as he first had out in the jungle.
But instead Face had seemed to pull away, he was often out of their quarters until late at night, and spent much of the day absent, unwilling to tell Hannibal where he had been. He was withdrawn and didn’t meet Hannibal’s eye during conversation. The shadow that had hung over him at their first meeting seemed to have returned, a wariness was back in his demeanour and Hannibal couldn’t draw any answers from him to explain it. He had tried asking Murdock about his actions but the pilot had just given a bemused shrug and muttered something about lover’s tiff before breaking into song, or even on one memorable occasion, interpretive dance.
So Hannibal watched and waited, hoping Face would give him some way in.