I totally went with the urge to title this fic this.
Okay, I loved this episode. Perhaps not quite as much action as I'd like, but still. Good ep.
Warnings: spoilers for episode 1x14,"Fish Scaler."
"We're not just partners, we're family, so any problem you have is a problem of mine." -Angus MacGyver, Fish Scaler, Season 1 Episode 14.
"We're not just partners, we're family, so any problem you have is a problem of mine."
Jack Dalton folded his arms and loomed over the younger man, who was sitting in a chair and staring at his hands, which were fidgeting with a stray paperclip. A beat of silence passed, and, when no response was forthcoming, Jack cleared his throat meaningfully. MacGyver sighed, then said, "It's nothing, Jack, I promise."
Jack rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I'll believe that when you quit coming into work looking like you haven't slept a wink. You're gonna tell me eventually, man."
An alert sounding on his phone stopped him from continuing, and he sighed as he saw that the alert was for a new mission. As the blond headed towards the War Room, having received the same alert on his own phone, Jack narrowed his eyes at his partner. Something was up with him, and he would find out what it was.
All throughout their mission, Jack couldn't help but notice that MacGyver seemed a little- off. He didn't respond to things quite as fast as normal, moved just a fraction of a second slower, and all in all, caused a totally justified amount of worry for Jack.
However, the worst came at the very end, when they were chasing the man they were supposed to bring in. The man pulled a gun and shot at Jack and Mac, and, unfortunately, his aim wasn't too bad.
Jack heard a bang and a shout, and saw his friend bring a hand to his side, and he brought his gun up immediately in retaliation. His aim was better than the convict's, and the agent hit his target with amazing precision- the man went down screaming in pain and clutching at his kneecap.
Jack turned on his heel and sprinted back towards the injured blond. His heart stuttered to a stop momentarily when he saw Mac holding a hand to his side, but it began beating again when Mac looked up at him and said softly, his voice taut with pain, "Just a scratch, Jack, I promise."
Despite the other man's reassurances, Jack wasn't able to fully relax until some paramedics- which had been called by a worried bystander that had heard the gunshots and seen Mac go down- had looked his friend over and bandaged the wound that was slightly more serious than a scratch, but not too dangerous.
Watching his friend sit on the end of the ambulance as he waited for Thornton to convince the police that her agents did not, in fact, need to be arrested, Jack made the decision to get to the bottom of the issue once and for all.
Jack approached the blond, and, once he reached him, merely crossed his arms over his chest and said, "Well?"
Mac peered up at him. "Well, what?"
Jack frowned slightly. "You know what. Something's been going on, and it's gotten too big to ignore. You could've been killed because you weren't at the top of your game, man!" Jack realized that his voice had steadily risen throughout his words, and made a conscious effort to lower it so that he wouldn't attract unwanted attention as he continued. "You could've died, Mac. You need to tell me what's going on."
MacGyver flushed angrily, standing hastily and then regretting it almost instantly, if the pale face was anything to judge by. He didn't let his pain stop him, though, as he retorted, "Maybe you should mind your own business, Jack!"
Jack didn't say anything, and the younger man looked apologetic almost before he had finished his sentence. Sinking down on the bumper once again, Mac rubbed a tired hand over his face and said, "Sorry, Jack. I'm just really, really exhausted."
Jack nodded sympathetically, rearranging his features to seem Trustworthy and Caring, which, he had found in the past, typically resulted in the outcome he wanted from MacGyver. "I can see that, man. I just want to help here."
The blond scrubbed a hand through his hair as he began to talk, tugging at the fine strands that were already completely askew. "There's this guy at work- McClaggen. He has some kind of grudge against me, but I don't know what, and he keeps- not harrassing me, exactly, just making a lot of little comments and insulting my ability to work, my age, everything along those lines. It's just wearing me down, and I can't stop thinking about the stuff he says, and I can't sleep-"
The agent cut himself off with a brief, aborted motion of his right hand. "Sorry. Like I said, it's stupid."
Jack took in the sight before him: Mac, sitting on the ambulance bumper with head down and shoulders slumped, obviously embarrassed about his situation and in pain due to the bullet wound. The kid kept glancing at Jack from the corner of his eyes, then flicking his gaze back down to the ground, as if he thought that Jack was going to laugh at him.
Jack thought, suddenly, angrily, viciously, well, screw that, and placed a hand on Mac's shoulder, ducking his head to catch his partner's eyes. "Hey, we're not just partners, we're family, so any problem you have is a problem of mine, you got that? I wasn't joking when I told you that the other day, and I'm not joking now."
Mac looked up at Jack, finally moving his gaze from the ground. "Yeah, but this is- it's ridiculous. I shouldn't have to come to you."
Jack sighed and said, "Hey, it's not ridiculous. You shouldn't have to deal with this at all."
Seeing that this argument wasn't convincing his friend, Jack ran a hand through his hair. "Let me put it this way: if someone was doing this to me, would you think it was ridiculous if I asked for your help?"
MacGyver shook his head vehemently. "Of course not. We're partners, and friends, and that's what friends do for each other."
Jack looked the kid right in the eyes without saying a thing, letting MacGyver's words hang in the air.
A moment later, Mac ducked his head, his face coloring. "Oh."
Jack shook his head fondly. "Yeah, oh. Don't worry about McClaggen, kid. It'll get taken care of."
Jack ruffled the blond's hair gently, laughing as the kid yelped and tried to move away, but was stopped by the side of the ambulance. Mac looked much less worried than he had a few minutes ago.
Good, Jack thought, and then, McClaggen's gonna be in for a surprise when I get back.
A certain bullying agent was released from the DXS the next week. He packed his things, said his goodbyes, was punched by Jack, was informed by Patricia and several other agents that were witnesses that threatening Agent Dalton to the point that Agent Dalton had to resort to physically defending himself wouldn't be tolerated, and was kicked out without ceremony.
Jack gave the news to Mac himself, deciding that the sore hand was worth the relief that lit up the kid's eyes. After all, they were family, and family looks out for each other.