Title: Restaurant Conversations
Fandom: CSI NY
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: None
Summary: Reed has something to tell Mac, and he expects the worst.
Notes: Inspired by peja's challenge on WWOMB about Reed coming out.
Warning: Talk of homosexuality.

"You wanted to talk, so let's talk," Mac drank from the glass of beer he had sitting in front of him trying to ignore the fact that it had been bought for him by his "son" and for some reason it felt wrong for him to have done so. He only hoped they had ID'd Reed because the young man definitely didn't look like he was 22 years of age no matter what anyone said.

Reed fidgeted, tearing up the napkin sitting in front of him nervously. "Well there's something I have to tell you," he murmured, barely able to look up.

"Do your parents know what you're about to tell me?" Mac asked, his brows furrowing in confusion as he tried to figure out what his "adoptive" son would have to tell him that would make him so nervous.

Shaking his head Reed laughed, "My parents aren't as good about this stuff as you are Mac."

Mac leaned back, sighing softly he felt he would about to hate whatever it was that Reed had to tell him. "Are you in some kind of trouble Reed? Is that what this is about? Did you get in trouble with your blog or something?" He questioned, tilting his head to the side.

"No," Reed was quick to dismiss that idea, shaking his head rapidly. In fact he had been "reporting" less since the taxi killer incident, and didn't even want to think about what could have happened to him and how much he should have listened to Mac. "This is something a little more personal than that," he managed to say, running his sweaty hands up and down his thighs in an effort to dry them and keep them from shaking.

"Okay," Mac said levelly, expecting the worst from Reed's demeanour. "Did you get someone pregnant Reed?" He asked, keeping his voice calm or at the very least fighting to do so.

Reed laughed, hating that it came out sounding somewhat hysterical and tried to stamp out the nervousness he was feeling right then. "No that definitely won't be a problem," he dragged a hand through his hair and huffed out a sigh.

"So what you are trying to tell me is that you are, in fact, gay," Mac responded in a calm voice, feeling almost relieved to hear the news. He really hadn't liked the thought of explaining to Reed's biological parents the boy's situation. "Why is this a problem?" He asked, cocking his head to the side.

Shrugging Reed sipped his water, calming himself down visibly he rubbed his palms into his eyes and sighed once again.

"My parents Mac, they aren't the most accepting of people, and well I can't really afford anything other than my dorm room during my year and at best a roach infested apartment when I'm not at school so it's really not something I'm looking forward to them finding out about at any point. Unfortunately they've started asking questions that I'm not willing to answer until my life is a little more stable." His hands were shaking as he took a long drink from his water once again.

Mac suddenly came to a realization but he wasn't sure if Reed even knew what he was asking about, "You can stay with me after you tell them, I have no problem with that at all," he shrugged his shoulders. "Provided you keep your room clean, your wet towels off the bathroom floor and the apartment from getting too messy."

Reed smiled a relieved smile, nodding along happily.

"Of course Mac," he told him. "Thank you."

Mac shrugged his shoulders, lifting his beer and taking another drink. "No problem kid."