#sergeant carter

The fic would start out with Carter being legitimately peeved at Hogan and the rest of the Heroes (could tie in as an aftermath to "The Well" if you need a reason, since he was legitimately so mad when Hogan joked they should transfer him to the Navy.) Carter's kind of lost without his friends, but also too upset with them to really talk to them. Like he'll do all the missions and whatnot, but refuses to elaborate when Hogan ask him what his issue is. In Carter's eyes, Hogan should know - after all, he seems to know everything else - and, like...Carter is just sick of the disrespect he gets. (Maybe Newkirk and/or LeBeau have been giving him more crap than usual off-screen or something; that's up to you.) Carter is the team's demolitions expert, he's the only one who can make the explosives that the team needs - the least they could do is be nicer to him. And one day - for some reason or another - he ends up getting a chance to talk to Klink for about 10 minutes or so. (Could be out of the compound, could be in the Kommandantur...whatever works. Ideally, it should probably be out on the compound, 'cause I feel like Hogan would be present in the Kommandantur if Carter was in there...and the whole idea here is that Carter is talking to Klink alone.)

In any event, the two discover they have a few things in common. Carter begins spending more time with Klink, just having genuine conversations with him and being a friend. Klink, meanwhile, is so thrilled to have someone he can talk to that doesn't make it a point to annoy him at every turn, he doesn't really stop to think that maybe he shouldn't be doing this. Of course, it doesn't help that he's lonely and desperately wants friends who don't have to worry about being shot for being a traitors. Klink is able to relax for the first time in ages, and just be himself the man he was prior to World War II starting. I feel like the main thing they would discuss would maybe be horses? Maybe? Like, Klink is minor nobility, and he would have most definitely ridden one in the first war before Germany more or less got rid of their calvary units. I also feel like Klink would be an animal lover, since animals aren't snide or judge-y. So maybe his parents owned a horse when he was young.

Anyhow, Hogan obviously isn't happy about this. He tells Carter to stop seeing Klink, but in a rare show of backbone, Carter refuses. He still won't elaborate on why, though - only that he's genuinely enjoying the conversations he's been having. So Hogan goes to Klink and demands to know what the Kommandant wants with one of his men. (Optional: Hogan could be secretly jealous - even if he won't admit it to himself - because while Klink may be an enemy Kraut, that's his enemy Kraut, and nobody gets to talk to Klink alone but him! Can be done with or without underlying unspoken Klogan vibes.) After a bit of Hogan's usual manipulation tactics, Klink (rather haughtily) informs Hogan that he happens to enjoy speaking with Carter, that Carter isn't an annoyance like Hogan - which obviously irritates the colonel - and that he has learned much about America while telling Carter a bit about what Germany was like prior to the World Wars in turn. I feel like that'd be a fairly safe topic for the pair to discuss, especially since Klink outright says in one episode that he's never been to America, and the only version of Germany Carter knows is how it is after the Nazis took control. However, Klink gets legitimately offended when Hogan sarcastically suggests that he's only using Carter to get at him, Hogan. Klink tells him something to the effect of "The world does not revolve around you and your arrogance, Hogan!" before throwing the colonel out of his office.

As Hogan heads back to the barracks, he starts thinking: what if he could use Carter's friendship with Klink to gather information? He's had crazy ideas in the past, and they've always worked. But when he suggests it to Carter, Carter outright tells him no, and adds that he would never betray a friend like that. Hogan (who is already irritated about being thrown out of Kommandantur office) tries to remind him Klink is the enemy and not a friend, to which Carter replies something to the effect of "With all due respect, sir, he's more of a friend than any of you have been to me lately! At least he listens to what I have to say and doesn't constantly make fun of me!" Like, Carter is so legitimately upset, he doesn't even call Hogan 'boy" on accident. And so Hogan is just left standing there in a rare show of speechlessness as Carter stomps off, presumably to go have another conversation with Klink.

Afterwards, it finally dawns on Hogan that the reason Carter is acting this way is because he's upset about the level of disrespect he always gets. He says as much the other Heroes after calling them for a meeting in his office. All of them were under the impression it was just good-natured fun, and didn't realize they were taking it too far. Cue them apologizing to Carter and making things up with him. Hogan tells Carter to gently break things off with Klink, pointing out that while he does respect the friendship bond they formed, it could be considered a conflict of interest if either Burkhalter or London found out.

So Carter does. I see him giving the reason as not only being a conflict of interest, but Carter genuinely being concerned that their friendship could put Klink at risk if somebody like Major Hochstetter were to ever learn about it. However, he further softens the blow by suggesting they don't have to end it permanently; only pause it while the war is raging. Klink understands and agrees, expressing genuine gratitude to Carter for being the first real friend he's had during this war. Afterwards, cue a joyful reunion with the rest of the heroes and either something fluffy, sweet or funny to wrap it up.

Whew! I realize that's more like a plot outline than a plot bunny, but it wouldn't go away until I put my thoughts out there😂 Do all of these need to be hit? No, but it would be ideal. The entire vibe of this fic is, essentially, Carter and Klink bonding over both shared interests and as the person who everybody makes fun of/teases/puts down. Think two misfits forging a friendship with each other because nobody else wants to talk to them.