Murdock was silent in the car, an out of character trait in itself. Face glanced at him with worry, unsure of his friend's behavior. The pilot was always talking, even when he wasn't really saying anything. But today a thick tension was clouding the car.
"So, what've you been up to today?" Face asked to break the silence.
Murdock blinked, shaking himself mentally out of his stupor. "Huh? Oh-" He muttered, trying to think up a good lie. He hated lying, especially to Face. "I uh, you know, just…. had things to do." He frowned, shrugging noncommittally. He needed to gather his thoughts and shake off his sudden unhappiness. He didn't want to worry Face.
Face frowned, not liking the answer. "What kind of things?" He asked, his voice taking on an innocent curiosity. He was getting more and more worried about Murdock as they went on.
"I, uh, had appointments all day with the doctors," Murdock substituted, unable to think of a good story. "And, uh, Billy was keeping me company." Murdock looked up at Face suddenly with an insane grin before Face could even think of an answer. "But apparently my day was nothing compared to yours, huh?"
Face squirmed, unsure if he wanted the conversation to go back to his day. After all, he should have been with Murdock instead of Jess. He couldn't help smiling back at his friend, though, and before he knew it he was talking. "Yeah, today wasn't bad. Made cookies, you know." He paused, waiting.
Murdock took the bait, knowing there was more. "Cookies? What else did you do with these, ah, cookies, other than make them?"
Face's grin widened as he saw Murdock's curiosity. "Well, it wasn't so much the cookies as the cookie dough…."
"What?" Murdock's tone was getting more excited as Face continued to dance around the subject.
"Well…. We threw it."
"You what?"
"We… Well, I was eating it, and Jess was trying to make cookies, and then we were just kind of throwing it. Everywhere."
Murdock stared at Face, trying to figure out if he was serious. "That's your big fun day?" He asked, slightly surprised. Part of him was proud of Faceman's random craziness, but part of him was disappointed that Face had ditched him so he could have his own private cookie dough fight. After all, Murdock liked cookie dough too.
Face frowned. He had thought his friend would enjoy the story. "It was fun," Face muttered, defending his day. "And I thought you'd think it was a great idea, making a mess and such."
Murdock sighed in exasperation. "Yeah, but not for you. You're Faceman! You don't make messes- you complain about them!" Murdock paused, trying to sort his thoughts into sentences. "I mean, we have a system. Hannibal's the smart one, BA's the angry one, you're the fancy one, and I'm the crazy one! You're breaking the system!"
Face snorted, turning his eyes back to the road. "Well, maybe Jess is bringing out the crazy in me." He stated, smiling slightly at the thought. "I love her, you know? And we have fun together."
Murdock frowned, slumping back into his seat. "Yeah, alright," He muttered, his gaze going back to the window. He was hurt, but he wouldn't let Face see. Murdock had thought he brought out the crazy in Face. He had thought he had fun with Face. He made messes with Face. And he did it all without messing up the system. Murdock held back a sigh, wondering absently if he was being replaced. He didn't think Face would ever do such a thing, but if it made his friend happy Murdock wouldn't complain.