Standard Disclaimer: No recognizable characters are mine. I promise not to make money from this, and to put everything back where I found it. Can't guarentee their condition, though, everything was pretty jacked up when I got here.
Notes: Written in response to a(n imaginary) prompt on the LJ A-Team Kink Meme which (may have) said, "Murdock in a straightjacket." Rated for one fleeting mention of slash but nothing explicit.
Enjoy!
There was the sound of someone at the door, and Murdock sat up.
He struggled straight up, just a bend at the waist to his upper body being vertical. After a fall from a horse in his youth he'd been told by a physical therapist that was the worst way to sit up—it put too much strain on the lower back, a better, kinder way to go from prone to upright was to turn on your side and push off with your arm for extra support—but being confined in a fancy white coat with sleeves that tied in the back made it mighty difficult to get up from a laying position properly.
Murdock wondered what that physical therapist would think about his technique now. She'd probably tell him to get back on the horse, that horse was named Gambler, a big old stock grade beast that moseyed with his ears at half-mast until he noticed one of the cattle getting behind—or if he saw a coyote, man, that horse hated coyotes and turned into some sort of whirling dervish in an attempt to go after the predators, Uncle Paul shouldn't have ever put him up on that horse, he didn't have the strength to hold him in—but Uncle Paul was a jerk, grandpa would have known, grandpa would have had him ride something that would behave—but he'd show Uncle Paul, he'd make the most aerodynamic, slickest vehicles known to man obey his every whim, he'd show Uncle Paul who had strength, he'd do it all, and do it youngest ever—
He attempted to kick the blanket off his legs as a nurse—Nurse Cole, this morning—unlocked his room and opened the door.
"Good morning, Mr. Murdock!" she said in a cheery voice, and hurried over to help him free of the blanket.
She was always cheery, unlike Big Carl the orderly who'd filed in behind her.
"Mornin', beautiful," Murdock replied with a grin. "Mornin', Big Carl."
"Were you warm enough last night?"
"Mm-hmm! Like I was givin' myself a big ol' hug. 'Course, I'd rather have somethin' else warmin' me up at night—you think two people could be wrapped up tight in one of these? You an' me, baby?" he flirted. His wink was exaggerated.
"Oh, Mr. Murdock—" the nurse twittered.
"Hey."
Big Carl interrupted. He always interrupted.
"None of that," the orderly said. "You know we got rules here, Murdock. You don't wanna be stamped a pervert on top of everything else, do ya?"
Murdock batted his eyes at the bigger man. "I didn't ask you for a tumble in the hay, Big Carl. I bet heterosexual behavior is more approved than homosexual behavior. 'O course, you're so manly, I may be persuaded to swing both ways . . ."
Big Carl growled, and Nurse Cole shushed Murdock with a squeeze to his straight-jacketed shoulder.
Murdock simply grinned. Big Carl was so much like B.A., he could help but tease.
"Carl is right, Mr. Murdock," Nurse Cole agreed. She sounded disappointed. He hoped she sounded disappointed. "You know there's to be no fraternizing of that nature between staff and patients. It would erode the trust we establish with them, and—"
She thought he was an idiot.
"But betwixt patients it's okay?" Murdock interrupted. "Because there's this sweet catatonic I was hopin' to ask out, you think if I made some papier-mâché flowers in art therapy—"
Big Carl growled again and took a menacing step forward.
Murdock let it go. He'd never be as smooth as Face anyway; no matter how hard he tried he'd probably still get turned down.
"Are you feeling better this morning?" Nurse Cole asked, changing the subject with no finesse.
"Fine and dandy, like sour candy!"
She appraised him, and Murdock tried to look as sincere as he knew how.
"All right, Mr. Murdock. I've been told it's okay for you to be unrestrained—so long as you don't become violent again."
He nodded eagerly.
"You hear her?" Big Carl asked redundantly. "You ain't gonna do anything violent, right? You trashed Dr. Carroll's office up pretty bad last night, and you ain't gonna do something like that again. Right?"
Murdock slumped a little bit, and mumbled, "Right."
"I wanna hear you say it. Say: I'm not gonna be violent."
"I'm not going to be violent," Murdock repeated quietly.
Murdock kept his eyes down as he scooted forward to allow Nurse Cole to work the straps on the sleeves free. The doctors and nurses were in charge here, but orderlies had power and it was best to do as they said.
"Good," Big Carl approved. "I'm assigned to you today. It's gonna be a nice, friendly day."
Finally permitted to uncross his arms, Murdock cracked his elbows and wrists. He didn't do a thing with his hair, because even if he was grounded, it was allowed to defy gravity if it wanted.
"Let's go get some breakfast, Mr. Murdock!" Big Carl said, then emphasized again, "A nice, friendly day."
At least Big Carl didn't call him fool. Murdock nodded, carefully tested his newly unbound arms to support his weight on the edge of the bed and got up. Nurse Cole helped steady him as he stepped out of the crotch strap. He made to say something, but interrupted himself with a huge grin as he caught sight of something passing in the hallway outside the open door.
"Billy!" he cried.
His voice was more pleased and excited than the other two had heard yet this morning. Murdock darted out the door, and the orderly followed him. Nurse Cole took a second to fold the still-warm straightjacket before exiting and tossing it in the bin to be washed.
