Aliens and Flash Drive
By: AndiKaneUnderwood
Tag to the episode UFO + Area 51.
Jack had debated his decision over and over in his head.
He'd run through the pros and cons of telling Mac what Riley had found.
Jack so desperately wanted this to be something Mac didn't have to worry about. He wanted to take care of it himself, like he promised Mac he would help him do.
But this was Mac's dad and much as Jack wished he didn't have to tell his youngest, Mac wanted to know.
And Jack had promised him he'd tell him if he ever found anything else out.
So, even though he didn't want to, Jack was going to tell Mac about the file and when everything exploded, Jack was going to be there to help the kid through it because that was Jack's job.
Even if he didn't like what it meant sometimes.
MacGyver~MacGyver~MacGyver
After telling Mac about the file, Jack stayed with the kid.
He wondered if Mac would need him to stay the night.
Riley eventually got a text from Matty, who wanted to go over a few final details from their mission. She smiled, thanked Bozer for dinner, and patted Mac's shoulder. Then she was gone.
Bozer, knowing that Matty knew and was changing the rules of the school, had made plans with Leanna. They were finally going on a date, so he was going once she called him. He got the call and left with a shout of, "don't with up for me!"
This left Mac and Jack alone.
"Matty's habit of splitting us up seems to be becoming a permanent decision." Jack commented absently.
"She's not splitting us up. She just didn't think your skills were needed so she took this time to grill you about breaking into her house. Which was pretty stupid, by the way. Not sure if I mentioned that or not." Mac replied distractedly, fiddling with the flash drive Riley had given him.
"Seems to me that you've got more on the big brain of yours that my stupidity, brother." Jack leaned forward, poking Mac right between the eyes.
Mac blinked, looking up at Jack with slightly glazed blue eyes. "Now I know it doesn't have anything to do with yours truly," Jack gestured to himself, "or Matty's latest habits, so tell me what's on your mind."
Mac blinked again, paused, then his eyes got a distant look that told Jack Mac wasn't entirely present. "I don't know."
"You don't know what?" Jack asked.
"I want to find my father, but I have you. I don't need him. And at the same time, I want to know why he left, and why I wasn't enough for him to stay. Then there's Matty's involvement, which I want to know about, but that doesn't bother me as much as my father's involvement with the government and what he did for them, and I want to know if that was why he left and Ican'tfigureoutwhyheleftandIcan'tfigureitoutbutitshouldn'tbothermesomuch-"
Jack cut Mac off by pulling him into a hug before he could make himself sick.
"Shh. It's gonna be alright. Everything's gonna work out. If you don't want to look at the flash drive, it's alright. I'll support you. If you do want to look at the flash drive, that's fine too, I'll still support you. Because I love you, Mac, and if the lead goes dead, I'll shake down Matty herself to find it again. Alright?"
Mac nodded, breathing deep with his face pressed against Jack's chest.
"Good, now let's put this down for the night and come back to it tomorrow, alright?" Jack gently took the flash drive from Mac's hands and pulled the blonde up on his feet.
Jack pulled Mac down the hall and stopped in front of the blonde's bedroom door.
Mac sighed, walking in and stumbling onto the bed face first.
Jack padded in and smiled. "Need some help there, kiddo?"
Mac groaned and twitched his foot.
Jack laughed. "Alright, hold still."
Jack gently removed Mac's shoes and socks, then helped the kid pull off his shirt.
Jack left the loose sweat pants, but did pull out a shirt that Jack was sure used to be his, but that wasn't important.
"Want me to stay?" Jack questioned the younger man as he finished and let Mac lay back down undisturbed.
Mac gave a muffled grunt that Jack mentally translated to "yes, please, I want you to stay, but I don't want to seem clingy or desperate, so I won't ask you out right."
"Alright. I'll be on the couch if you need me, kiddo. You know the drill right?" Jack teased.
Mac nodded, lifting his head just enough to reply, "I scream and you'll come running."
Jack laughed. "That's the spirit. Night, Mac. Love you, man."
"Love you too, Jack. Good night." Mac grunted as he turned and pulled the blankets over him.
Jack smiled to himself as he watched, then he went and laid down in the living room on the rather comfortable couch.
As he slipped into a dreamless sleep, one last thought fluttered to mind.
"Through Aliens and flash drives, I'm here for you, Mac."
