Hey guys, another fluffy little fic. I own nothing, I just love playing with the characters. Also, if I owned Flack, I'd have married him by now :P This is a slightly melodramatic fic and I'm afraid it's a little OOC, but I enjoyed writing it so I hope you enjoy reading it :) Technically it's complete, but if anyone's interested I could try to give it an ending. Or whatever, let me know :) Dray xx
Flack watched as his friend and co-worker turned to look at him. Bill lay dead by the SUV, and Mac's eyes were dim. Flack was shocked but he held Mac's gaze defiantly. 'I'll be strong enough for both of us, Mac. I'm here for you.' flack hoped Mac knew what he meant. Mac looked as if he understood, but his face fell as if to ask 'what's the point?'
The blood and cuts and bruises meant nothing to the older detective when there were two bodies on the floor beside him. Mac sighed, and the investigation began.
-
A couple hours later Flack was finished with his work. He threw everything in his locker and locked it, bolting past his colleagues and heading for CSI. He hurried out of the elevator and straight towards Mac's office. The glass had been repaired with the opaque film left on them and his door was closed, but Flack could see the figure sitting motionless at his desk. Flack gathered up his Brooklyn courage and knocked on the door.
"Go 'way. I'm fine."
"You know what happens when people lie to me Mac."
"I'm not lying to you, Don. Just leave me alone."
"No." Flack tried the door, which was unlocked. He went in and shut the door behind him, turning to find a bombsite. Mac's office was the way it was when the shooting happened. Glass all over the floor and desk, and the awards and photo frames in pieces on the ground.
"Mac."
He was sitting on his chair with his back to the room, staring out of the window. He turned to Flack with the same shadow in his eyes as Flack had seen before.
"Is this what you wanted to see, Don?"
"I wanted to see whether you were alright."
"Well, I'm alright. Happy now?"
"No, you're not alright..."
"Stop telling me how I feel, Flack, I'm fine because I say I'm fine! You wanna question my word?" he had risen out of his seat and stood before Don.
The defensive anger only made Flack harden his resolve. "Yeah, I do."
"What makes you think you have the right? You're just an officer, you don't own me..."
"No, I don't, but I'm your friend Mac..."
"What gave you that idea? I'm your boss, and I give the orders."
The words pierced Don's heart and left a hollow ache.
"That hurt, Mac. That hurt deep, you don't know what you're sayin'."
"You wanna bet?" Mac snarled.
"Get a hold of yourself, Mac!"
"Make me!"
Don grabbed Mac by the collar and shoved him up against the wall. "Quit bein' so immature. You need some time to grieve but instead you're sitting here, grumpy as fuck, not bein' useful to anyone and bitin' the head off whoever crosses your path! How do you think that's gonna help, huh?"
Mac shoved him away and Flack lost his footing. When Mac punched him, his surprise and positioning meant that he crashed to the floor. The floor that hadn't been swept since the shooting. Flack bit back his yell and hissed in pain, closing his eyes.
The red haze cleared and Mac saw Don flat on his back on the floor not moving, a hand covering his jaw where Mac's fist had made contact.
"Don? Don!" he knelt beside his friend. Pulling out his mobile, he dialled 911.
"911, what's your emergency?"
"I need an ambulance at CSI right now. Officer down with blunt force injury. He fell onto glass, I..."
"It's alright, sir, paramedics have been dispatched. They'll be there in a few minutes."
Mac ended the call and returned to Flack.
"Come on Donny, stay with me here."
Blood was slowly creeping its way across the carpet and Flack opened his eyes a little.
"Mac..." he winced at the pain in his jaw.
"Shh, it's alright. Paramedics are on their way. I'm sorry, Donny, I'm so sorry."
Flack reached for Mac's arm and squeezed it weakly. He saw a tear, almost invisible, escape Mac's eye before his vision faded to black.
-
Flack's eyes fluttered open slowly. He could hear beeps and feel the needle in his left arm, telling him he was lying in a hospital bed. Great, managed to avoid this place for years and your own boss ends up putting you in here. He chuckled. Could be worse, could have been prison. He looked around to find Mac sitting by his bedside, head resting on his hand, eyes closed. Flack smiled, at least he's getting a bit of rest. He watched the older detective for a while until Mac awoke with a yawn and a stretch.
"Morning sunshine." Flack joked.
Mac was instantly on his feet and at Flack's side. "Don, how are you feeling?"
"Never better. Bit of an ache in my jaw, though." he tried to shift to a sitting position, but cried out in pain. "Jeez, what did I get run over by?"
Mac sat tentatively on the edge of the bed. "I'm so sorry Don. I... I hit you. I should never have hit you, but then you fell and there was glass all over the floor, and..."
"Hey hey cool it, Mac. I came and pushed my luck, I knew what I was asking for the moment I decided to come see you. I just didn't count on your office bein' a tip." he smiled a genuine smile thru the pain. "I'm here for you Mac, no matter how many times you hit me, how bad it gets. I'll always be here. You should be at home resting, by the way."
"There's no way I'm leaving you. Besides, sitting here worrying about you is the most relaxing thing I've done all day. And it takes my mind off what happened."
"Alright, if you're sure."
"I'm sure Donny. There's something I wanna tell you..." Mac looked saddened. "I'm so sorry for what I said earlier. About not being your friend. It's not true, you're the best friend a guy could ask for." Mac put a hand on Don's shoulder and smiled sadly at him.
"Thanks Mac. It's good to see the light back in your eyes. I was afraid I'd never see it again."
Mac frowned in confusion, so Don explained.
"This morning after the shootout, you looked at me and your eyes were sorta... Dark. Like the life had been drained outta them. I thought if I could get you to react, you'd come back to us enough to realise that what you were doing wasn't coping."
Mac nodded, surprised that Don had noticed. "I'm just sorry it cost you that much to get me to see it."
"Oh, this?" he looked nonchalantly around the hospital room. "Nah, this is cheap. You're the most valuable thing in here, and that's a fact." he said, eyeing up the plastic vases on the table.
"Apart from you, of course."
"I ain't worth that much." Flack waved it off.
"You are to me." Mac said without thinking. He looked surprised at himself for a second before adopting a defiant expression.
Flack searched his friend's face. "You really mean that." he said finally.
"Have I ever said anything I didn't mean?"
"Point."
Mac looked at Flack for a moment. "I value your work a lot, Flack. I know I'm not good at showing it, but you're as important to me as my team at CSI."
"Thanks, Mac. That means... More to me than you realise. I... When I got to you this morning I wanted nothing more in the world than to help you. To keep you with us." he looked away, "I don't know what I'd do without you."
"I mean that much to you?"
"Enough to land me in hospital."
Mac winced, and Flack put his hand over the older detective's.
"Mac, I wouldn't change a thing."
Mac looked at him, considering something. After a while, he sat on the edge of the bed and leaned forwards. Flack hesitated.
"Mac, I..."
"Flack, if you tell me to back off I will..."
Flack leaned forwards and kissed Mac gently.
"I would never tell you to back off." he kissed Mac again and this time the older detective put a hand around Flack's head and deepened the kiss possessively.
"You alright, Mac?"
"Yeah, it's just... Every time I close my eyes I see you lying in a pool of blood. I'm never gonna forget that..."
"Hey, it's alright. I'm here, you got me out."
"But... What if I'd killed you Flack? I could have..."
"Mac! Stop. You didn't, you snapped out of it and saved me."
"I don't think that's who got saved today Flack." Mac said quietly. He looked around and then lay down with his head on Flack's chest. Flack was shocked at this gesture but lay his hand gently on Mac's hair and stroked it.
"Your heart's beating so fast."
"That's cos I'm terrified, Mac."
"Of me?"
"No. Of what you're doing to me. I don't really understand it. I don't swing that way, but I... I think I love you, Mac."
The pounding of Flack's heart was deafening in Mac's ear.
"I used to be married to a woman that I love very much..." Flack's hand froze, "But I don't think love can be restricted to one person any more. I love you too, Don, it just took me a long time to see it." Flack's hand relaxed and resumed its caresses.