Trin welcomed Murdock with open arms, though she didn't like Murdock when he was drunk. Most men were easier to handle when they were drunk, but not him. And no matter how much he'd had, he couldn't be betrayed. Other men paid and then dozed off. Trin would open their pants and then wake them, throw them out. That didn't work with Murdock. She'd tried it once and he'd become real angry.

And that other man he had brought along... He was a handsome guy, sure, but looked around suspiciously as if he expected a trap or something. Well, no traps here. Hopefully he came to that conclusion, and soon. She didn't need no trouble.

Face had reluctantly given in. So they had ended up in this small hotel. Trin appeared to be a nice girl, true enough, but Face still had no desire to touch or be touched. He looked over to Murdock. What the hell was he thinking? What had he planned? If he had planned anything, that was. Had he wanted to "invite" him on a girl? Certainly not the three of them together, Murdock wasn't that sort of a guy. So what was on Murdock's mind? Obviously Trin was not sure about that either. She gave Murdock an inquiring, suspicious look.

"I do not you two," she said. "Understand? I do not same time, understand?" Murdock nodded. So did Face, before he answered: "Don't bother me. I'll wait down here." Trin was fine with that, and lead Murdock up the stairs.

Face sat down on the steps, propped his head up on his knees and waited. He just hoped Murdock would have forgotten this by tomorrow morning. It was so unlike him not to have a girl. But the thought of touching and being touched – intimately, above all – was simply too much.

"You sure you can fly?" Face gloated. Of course he knew Murdock could. Murdock always could.

"Face, shut up," Murdock warned leniently before he turned his attention back to the plane and the take-off. He had a headache and felt sick. Oh my god, how much had he had last night? He didn't quite remember. Quite a few, then. And Trin. Face hadn't wanted her. Why hadn't Face wanted her? Was it true then?

"Face, why didn't you... last night, why..."

"Why what?"

"Why didn't you..." Murdock let it drop. Maybe he just had not wanted to be second after him. Which was kind of off-putting, even with a professional. But ... "Face, when was the last time you had a girl?" he asked bluntly.

"Sorry, must have missed the part where you explain to me how that is any of your business." Face retorted defensively.

"As a friend..."

"Well, I know when you had your last girl and I really think that's enough information."

"So is it true?" Murdock asked sympathetically.

"Is what true?"

Murdock reached out and touched Face. Only briefly on the upper arm, but it made Face jump. Murdock only nodded. Any prove he would have needed came in that response. Back home in Texas he had known a girl, a neighbour. She'd gone to Waco, where some goddamn son-of-a-bitch had raped her. She had come back home, and, every time somebody touched her, she jumped, Just like Face was now. But whereas she had got better in time, Face seemed to be get worse.

A contact-holder took over from there. The real Murdock inside broke down. He could have avoided that. Had he only insisted... Had he only... His shivers found their way to the real world.

"Murdock, you ok?" Face turned in the copilot's seat. They had just taken off and were rising. It was not really the best time for the pilot to have a breakdown.

"Yeah, yeah, why wouldn't I?"

"You don't look ok. – You're not gonna crash this plane, are you? – I don't wanna die so soon, you know..."

"I don't crash! I never crash!" Murdock complained, getting himself back under control.

Face nodded with anxiousness in his eyes.

The rest of the flight from Da Nang to their home base passed in uneasy silence. Neither spoke for fear of being sorted out by the other one. They both felt like they had something to hide, and once they landed, they each went their own way.

TBC