Disclaimer – I own nothing whatsoever. Sorry.
AN – And I'm back! Like everyone else who loves the Mac and Jack bromance on the show, I was totally curious to how they met and their friendship and bromance came to be. When we finally got snippets of it in the episode Mac + Jack (which was a great episode!), I couldn't help but feel it was a little rushed and that there was still so much more that we haven't seen, so I decided to expand more on how their friendship came. I know that there are a lot of fics about this, but I couldn't help myself. This story does contain spoilers and references to Mac + Jack, so if you haven't seen that episode yet, watch it before you read. Also, this story is not going to have any schedule when the next chapter will be up. It will be updated when I get time and I have a chapter to post, sorry. I hope you guys like it! Reviews and constructive criticism are always welcome.
Enjoy!
It took one week for Jack to start regretting his decision to stay for another tour in Afghanistan. It wasn't a true regret, not one where he was now trying to find a way to get out of his tour and head back home, but more of a 'why did I get myself into this?' kind of regret. And it was all thanks to MacGyver.
Mac and Jack had been informed that there could be a bomb in a small village nearby. Without hesitation, the two made their way to the village. It was extremely small, only eight buildings, so it shouldn't have taken to long and it wouldn't have, if the insurgents hadn't come out of one of the buildings and started firing at them.
Jack immediately started firing back as the two of them ducked for cover. While Jack was taking care of them, Mac apparently had the 'great' idea to go around the building and sneak inside, assuming that the bomb was probably inside given how the insurgents were protecting the doorway. To be honest, it wasn't a terrible plan.
But that didn't mean it was a good plan, especially where Jack was concerned. He had found three, major, problems with Mac's idea. One, Mac didn't let him know what he was thinking and planning to do, so Jack had no clue as to what was going on. Two, he didn't check how many people where still in the building, assuming that all of them were firing at Jack. Three, he didn't wait for the backup that his partner had called.
Once the backup team had arrived that Jack had called, which was only two other soldiers, they quickly dealt with the insurgents and it was then that Jack realized that MacGyver was missing. He tried to see if he could spot the blonde, but didn't see him anywhere. It was then that he heard gunshots coming from inside the building. Without giving it a second thought, Jack ran inside with his gun raised.
Jack quickly spotted his partner ducking behind a broken done couch got cover while another insurgent came down the narrow flight of stairs, firing at the bomb expert. A sudden surge of rage and need to protect the young man came over the sniper and he started shooting. Even though Jack had taken care of him with only shot, he put at least four into the insurgent who was trying to kill his partner.
When he fell down the remaining stairs to the ground, Jack turned to face Mac, who was slowly coming out of his hiding spot. Despite the fact that the older, more experienced soldier was glaring at him, Mac smiled and lifted his hand, revealing a crudely made bomb.
"I found it." Mac stated. Jack said nothing, though the glare said it all. Mac wisely didn't say anything else. He just got up and followed the sniper out of the building.
MACGYVER2016
The two didn't speak to each other pretty much for the rest of the day. The only time they did was basically when they were responding to orders. At one time, Mac tried to engage his older partner in a conversation, but the silence remained as Jack shot him another deathly glare. Mac didn't try again, unsure of what he did to get such a cold response from the sniper and was unsure how to proceed with fixing it.
Sure, he knew that he probably shouldn't have gone in the building without telling Jack, but he knew that the gunfire would draw the insurgents' attention which could and would give him a chance to sneak in undetected. And since there was a possibility of them detonating the bomb, or throwing it him and his partner and blowing them up, Mac felt he had to move fast, hence why he didn't tell Jack. There wasn't time.
It wasn't until late at night that Mac tried once again to break the silence between them. The blonde purposely waited until the two other soldiers that had come to help them at the village were asleep before he moved to sit near Jack. Mac had a feeling that whatever was going on with the sniper, he didn't want anyone listening in, neither did the bomb tech.
"You okay?" Mac asked carefully, not sure how Jack was going to react. After all, when they first met Mac had tried to do something nice for the man, but he beat him up for it. Mac really didn't want a repeat of that.
"I'm just peachy kid." Jack answered, though it was clear from his tone that he was feeling the exact opposite.
"Look Jack, I'm sorry. I should've told you what I was thinking of doing before I went inside the building." Mac told him, causing Jack to finally look at him. Well, glare at him, again.
"You mean you actually were thinking? Could've fooled me." Jack shot at him before looking back at the campfire they were sitting in front of.
"Oh come on Jack, you know me. I'm always thinking." Mac tried to joke, hoping that it would lighten Jack's mood. The second that he turned to look back at him though, Mac knew it had done the opposite.
"Really? Cause it really didn't seem like it. Why on earth would you do something as stupid as walking into a dangerous house blindly, without knowing what's inside, and without letting anyone, namely me, know what you were doing?" Jack demanded harshly. Mac flinched slightly at the sniper's tone and words. With the way Jack said it, yeah, it sounded like a really stupid thing to do, but they were all okay and they got the bomb. So why was he so angry?
"It all worked out though." Mac reminded him. That however, seemed to make Jack more furious.
"And what if it hadn't? I swear that was one of the most reckless, dumbest, things I have ever seen anyone do." Jack informed him.
"Next time, I promise I will be more careful, alright? Can you please just calm down?" Mac requested. He was trying to keep calm himself as he could see that Jack was extremely close to snapping, but at this point, Mac was starting to get annoyed with the older man's attitude. He understood that what he did was reckless, and maybe borderline idiotic, but it had all worked out. So why was Jack ticked off?
"You better keep that promise. Because what happens if you get yourself killed? I don't wanna have to go to your funeral and explain to your Mama that you died because you did something stupid like you did today." At that, Mac completely tensed up and clenched his jaw.
Despite the length of time he and Jack had spent together, he had never told him about his family or his past. Jack sure didn't mind talking about his though, especially when he was counting down the days until he could go home. Mac actually found he liked hearing about the sniper's family. Apparently it was a big one and they were all really close. However, he never asked about Mac's past, not that the bomb expert minded. Even if Jack did, he probably wouldn't have said anything. Why bother getting close to someone who made it clear that they were going to leave the first chance they got? Mac had had enough of people leaving him.
But Jack's latest statement was the last straw. During the entire time they were partners, he'd been forced to listen to a number of rude remarks and insult and kept his mouth shut about it, usually. He had no idea how he kept from punching Jack when he brought up Pena's death when they first met though. Now, Mac couldn't help but feel as though Jack had crossed a line when he mentioned his mother, using her to guilt him like that. If they were going to be partners for the unforeseeable future, Mac knew that he would have to show Jack where the line was drawn.
"You're not going to have to worry about anything like that." Mac said through clenched teeth. Jack scoffed slightly as he looked over at him again.
"You're that sure you're going to be able to keep your promise?" Jack questioned with anger and a bit of amusement.
"No, but my Mom is dead. She died when I was a kid." Mac revealed with an emotionless tone. If the blonde had turned his head to face his partner, he would've see Jack's expression change from one of anger to one of shock. But as Mac continued, he kept his blue eyes on the fire.
"And you don't have to worry about my Dad either, cause he took off not long after my Mom died. Haven't seen him since. No grandparents or siblings either. So you can stop freaking out about dealing with my family if I die. I don't have any."
The silence that followed Mac's revelation was deafening. This was the first time that Mac had ever made Jack speechless. Despite the nerve wracking quiet, Mac kept his focus on the burning sticks and logs, not even so much as glancing in the sniper's direction. Mac wasn't exactly sure how Jack was going to respond to what he told him, and silence was starting to freak him out a little. The only person who knew this much about his past was Bozer. Not even Pena had known so much and Mac was already regretting telling Jack all he did.
"Kid," Jack started, then stopped. It was obvious to the younger soldier that the older one still didn't know what to say, but based on Jack's tone of voice, it was most likely going to be some form of pity. Pity, was the last thing Mac wanted, so he stood up.
"Just forget it. I'm tired, you okay to keep watch by yourself until it's their turn?" Mac wondered, finally looking over at Jack with his best poker face. Jack wordlessly nodded and Mac quickly turned around and walked a little ways away from the fire before lying down on the sand, his back facing the sniper.
For the remaining hours on Jack's watch, the older soldier's attention stayed on the sleeping bomb expert. At least, Jack assumed he was sleeping. It was very possible that Mac was just faking so he wouldn't have to talk to him or answer any questions Jack might have. And Jack didn't blame the kid whatsoever for doing that.
He hadn't meant to upset Mac so much, he had just been so worried when he realized that Mac had gone in the building alone. When he had seen that enemy soldier firing at his partner, a fierce wave of anger and fear had come over him. Fear of Mac getting shot, fear of his partner dying. Jack should have expected it. He had been with other groups and partners before and knew how close you could get to your fellow soldiers, but this kid seemed to have snuck his way into Jack's heart without him noticing.
All Jack had been trying to do was get Mac to understand that he had to be careful, the being even remotely reckless could get you killed out here, but what did he actually do? He apparently pushed and prodded some very old and very deep wounds that Jack didn't even know that Mac had. He had suspected of course, but he never would have guessed that they were anything like that.
Jack tried to remember if his partner had ever said anything or given any kind of hint about his personal life, but he couldn't come up with anything. There was one time Mac mentioned a friend named, what was it, Booster? Boozer? Bozer? Well, whatever the guy's name was, it was the only personal thing that Mac had ever shared with him, until now that is. And given how Jack had acted towards the blonde for the majority of their partnership, he shouldn't be surprised by how little he knew about MacGyver. The most of what he did know, he read in his file. Not only did he invade the kid's privacy by doing that, he threw his former partner's death in his face.
The more Jack thought about it and recalled the last few weeks ever since he met the young soldier, the more he was disgusted by his behaviour. While he had been angry that Mac had touched his stuff, and was down right furious he had to spend the remaining time of his tour with the bomb expert, which was usually the most boring job ever, Jack acted like a jerk to Mac when he didn't deserve it. It was both of their faults' that they got stuck together. And while Mac had seemed to try and make the most of it, or at least, somewhat bearable, Jack kept moaning and complaining. And yet, despite everything that the sniper did and said, Mac saved his life, risking his own in the process.
Jack knew he owed the kid one giant, fat, apology, probably with some groveling. For now though, he would let Mac get his sleep. He would need it. They had a lot of ground to cover tomorrow.
MACGYVER2016
That morning, Mac was extremely quiet, more so than usual. Jack didn't like it one bit. When the blonde was talking, it let the brunette know that everything was okay, or at least, his brain was working right. The silence was beginning to drive him nuts. But Jack couldn't bring the subject up, not yet. Not with the other two soldiers with them.
While he may not know a lot about his partner, he definitely knew that Mac would not want to discuss anything about his personal life around people he didn't trust and Jack had to respect that, especially after everything that happened.
It wasn't until lunch that the four soldiers broke up into groups of two again. Even though the morning only lasted a few hours, it felt like an eternity to Jack as Mac kept his mouth shut the entire time. And if that wasn't enough, the kid barely looked at him and the few times he did, he never met Jack's eyes. The one time Jack did manage to get a glimpse of those blues eyes, he saw an extremely guarded expression mixed with what appeared to be shame, as if he was an embarrassed at what he said and how he acted last night.
"Listen, Mac, I'm sorry, about last night." Jack apologized about an hour after they split up from the other two soldiers.
"It's okay, you couldn't have known. Just forget about it." Mac replied, looking down at the ground as they walked. Jack however, reached over and grabbed Mac's arm to pull him to a stop. Once they both did, Jack dropped his hand and tried to meet the kid's eyes.
"Don't cut me any slack kid. Whether I knew or not, I shouldn't have brought up your Mom that way. I shouldn't have said a lot of things that I did over the last couple of weeks." At that, Mac visibly tensed up, keeping his head down and gaze away from his partner.
"Jack, just forget about it. I don't wanna talk about it." Mac told him.
"I know, but we need to." Jack insisted. When Mac didn't say anything, he took that as permission to continue.
"I know I've been an a** to you ever since we met, especially since you were only trying to help, even though I didn't need it." Jack said the last part pointedly, causing a very small, very subtle smirk to appear on Mac's face, though he kept his head lowered.
"And I'm sorry, I was, just angry that we got partnered together. No offense, it's just that babysitting a bomb expert wasn't how I wanted to finish my tour." Jack explained. Mac nodded, understanding where the sniper was coming from. It wasn't the first time he, and other bomb techs had gotten some rude behaviour from other soldiers and he doubted it would be the last.
"I am glad that we were partnered up though." Jack revealed. The blonde's head snapped up in less than a second when he realized what the older soldier had said.
"What?" Mac couldn't believe what he heard. He knew that Jack had stayed because he felt like he owed him after he saved his life, but Mac wasn't sure where the two actually stood, if they were really friends or not.
"Yeah. I mean, who else is willing to put up with me enough to be my friend?" Jack asked with a bright grin. Slowly, Mac grinned back at the sniper.
"I have no idea." Mac answered, causing Jack to chuckle, which in return made the blonde laugh with him. A minute later though, the happy lighthearted moment ended, and Jack started to approach the other part of the subject of what happened yesterday, though, more carefully.
"So, do you think that next time we're in the middle of a firefight, you can tell my whatever crazy plan you come up with? Or at the very least, be more careful?" Jack asked. Still grinning, Mac nodded.
"I can do that." The bomb expert replied.
"Good, cause I ain't ready to lose you yet bud." Jack told him, clapping Mac gently on the back as he started walking again. Mac quickly followed, coming step in step with the older soldier.
As they kept moving in silence, a comfortable one this time, Jack kept glancing over at the younger soldier. He still had no idea exactly when or how this kid got his way into his heart, but he did. Maybe it was the time Mac went on his own weeks ago and was almost killed, or maybe it was when he saved his life by disarming the bomb he had stepped on, but honestly, Jack was fairly sure it was both of those instances. However, the soldier found he didn't really care because it didn't matter. The kid had grown on him and Jack was okay with that. After all, there was no limit to how many friends you can have, or family members either.
AN – So, I have no real knowledge about American military or how it works, so I was just winging it. Hope it wasn't too bad. And I know that Mac and Jack might seem a little OOC, but remember, this was back when they first met, before they had become friends and brothers, so their relationship isn't going to be exactly like it is in the show. And I just feel that Mac is a pretty guarded person when it comes to anything personal and he wouldn't have shared much with Jack unless he was forced to, which he felt like he was in this instance, especially about his mother cause I can totally see him getting defensive if she was brought up. I hope you guys liked this chapter. Hopefully, next one will be up soon!