Trampoline

Murdock loved the trampoline.

Face questioned both the safety and the expense, but the pilot had insisted. It was secondhand, the springs were still good, their yard was more than big enough, and if he went too high and overshot, he'd aim for the pool.

The conman had given in, largely because he knew that argument with Murdock was fruitless when the pilot was in the grips of one of his manias. The trampoline was purchased and placed in the back yard next to the pool, and Murdock had yet to misjudge a jump.

Jumping on the trampoline helped him think. Pushing off with his feet, shooting up into the night sky and feeling the cool air on his skin was the closest he could come to chopperless flight unless he went all out and bought a hang-glider, and that really WOULD be pointless; their one permanent dwelling was nowhere near the mountains.

"You could at least put some clothes on" Face had grumbled over morning coffee. "And how am I supposed to sleep with all that boing, boing boing outside the window?"

"I wear my shortie-shorts and that's decent enough. You should join me, Faceman-it's great! Nobody on this earth can be unhappy when they're on a trampoline."

"Sure, Murdock."

"Seriously, muchacho. When you're bouncing around up there, you can't do a thing but laugh. It clears your head."

"My head doesn't need clearing."

"Sure, Face." Face stuck out his tongue.

It was true, though. As Murdock soared into the air and came back down again, the voices in his mind stopped, the memories stopped and the ghosts were silent. There was just joy; the joy of flying and being free on a beautiful starry night.

"Hey!"

Murdock looked down. Face was standing next to the trampoline in his bathrobe and slippers. The pilot kicked his long legs out in front of him and took the bounce on his butt, keeping his legs extended until he came to rest. "What's up, Facey? Am I boinging too loud?"

"No..." Face looked a little embarrassed. "I thought I'd try it. Just to see why you like it so much, you know?"

Murdock laughed. Face was such a little kid sometimes. Oh, he tried to be all cool and sophisticated, but somewhere under the con-artist was a guy who'd never really had a childhood. Murdock understood that about him. He always had. "Okay, muchacho. You're gonna have to lose the robe and slippers though. It's easier to jump barefoot and you don't want to get all tangled up in that thing."

It truly was endearing the way Face looked around, as if he expected their neighbors to come pouring out of the bushes with cameras at the ready. He took off the bathrobe and hung it neatly over the edge of the trampoline frame before kicking off his leather slippers and accepting the pilot's outstretched hand. Once he was up on the trampoline, Murdock rolled off. Face looked confused. "You're not gonna do it with me?"

"First time is better solo. Less chance of collision. Go ahead."

Face gave a small, tentative hop.

"Oh come on, Faceman! You can do better than that! Put something into it, son!"

Slowly, the blond conman began to jump. In a few moments, he was smiling; in a few more, he was laughing out loud and pretty soon, he was jumping just as high and fast as Murdock himself.

"See? What'd I tell you?!" the pilot shouted up to Face, who seemed to be trying to reach the roof of the house.

"I...hate...it...when...you're...right!" Face shouted back between bounces, his voice breathless with laughter. Murdock whooped with glee and swung back up onto the trampoline. Face jumped sideways to avoid him and would have gone over the edge of the pilot hadn't grabbed him by the hand. They ended up falling down together in a heap, laughing. "Ow, Murdock! I thought you said collisions were to be avoided."

Murdock laughed and rumpled the conman's blond hair. "Sometimes they can be fun."

"God. It's a good thing Hannibal and B.A. aren't here. They'd think we were crazy."

"No, they'd just think I was crazy. And that you looked like one of the kids from Peter Pan, flying around in your cute, striped pajamas."

"These are two hundred bucks worth of cute, thank you very much! They're solid silk."

"They're adorable. And so are you."

"Jerk!" Face smacked the pilot lightly in the chest before snuggling against his side. After a moment of silence that Murdock didn't break (Why should he? Nothing made him happier than a contented Faceman in his arms.) the conman admitted, "That was fun".

"I told you it would be."

"I know. That's why I love you; nobody else in this world can make me laugh as hard as you can."

"Love you too, Faceman."

"Want to go in?"

"No."

They lay together, looking up at the stars while the night wind rustled the trees at the edge of the yard and the pool mechanism gurgled softly.

"Murdock?"

"Yeah?"

"If I asked B.A., do you think he'd make us a tire swing?"

~fin~