Fannish Fifty 2023: Rec #32

Title: If Only
Author: lamardeuse
Fandom: The A-Team (TV series)
Category: M/M
Pairing: Face/Murdock


REC

I used to watch The A-Team in my teens (and in reruns in my twenties), but I never thought to go looking for fic for it. I was fine just watching the show. Then I read lamardeuse's fic for Due South and Stargate Atlantis and decided to see what else she wrote.

One of those things was an A-Team AU fic where Face went to medical school instead of joining the army when he aged out of the orphanage, so when the team goes to Central America for the events in the pilot episode, they end up bringing Dr. Peck instead of reporter Amy Allen.

The thing I love the most about this fic is that lamardeuse manages to capture the ridiculousness of the show while also treating Murdock's mental illness seriously. I loved it so much that I hit up the internet looking for more fics like it, but only ever found one other author that wrote Murdock as something other than a cartoon character, and I would also be reccing some of those fics, except they're only available in print zine form (they were so good, though).

I also never slashed anybody on this show, but lamardeuse made it work for me.


TEASER

"You always been able to do that? Have people do anything you want, tell you everything you want?"

There was a moment while Peck absorbed the change of subject. "Since I knew I could. Yeah." He paused again. "It came in handy over the years."

Murdock remembered his mention of an orphanage. "Did it get you adopted?"

"Nope," Peck answered crisply, and Murdock knew he'd hit a nerve. As for him, he was nothing but nerve endings at this moment.

"Well. Parents ain't all they're cracked up to be. I never met my daddy, either." He chuckled. "And look how good I turned out!"

"I think," Peck murmured, voice barely audible over the low roar of the truck engine, "you turned out great."