Tag to S02E14 – Mardi gras beads + chair

It turns out to be a good thing Jack's tv is stolen, because living with 'cute mittens' on painfully burned hands isn't easy for Mac.

Jack sulked as he stared at the empty wall in his living room. His beloved tv. He had loved the night with Dawn, perhaps even loved her more than he would like to admit, but his tv? That was just a low blow.

He tossed the useless remote away and got up with a sigh. His feet protested a little as he made his way into the kitchen. He had been lucky to be wearing clothes and shoes when they burned him alive, otherwise he would've had worse burns. He walked a bit stiffly now, but it was nothing he couldn't handle.

No more tv, that was something he couldn't handle.

He turned on his coffee machine when he got an idea, and quickly turned it off again. He knew a place that had just as nice a tv as he had.

A grin spread on his face and he walked with a spring in his step to the bathroom to shower off the scent of sweat and Dawn from last night. Then he put on some comfortable and loose-fitting clothes, nothing that would stick to his sensitive skin. When he passed the couch to the door, he picked up the remote again and with a smooth arc tossed it into the trash. He made a mental note to pick up a tv on his way back later today.

Mac's house was quiet when he approached the door. Mac and he had been given time off to rest and recover, but Bozer was probably at work. The guy worked in the lab making creepy ass robots that would sure take over the world someday, so he didn't need to wait on Matty for a mission.

Jack opened the front door and stepped inside, listening for a sound that might give away where his friend was, but he heard nothing.

'Mac?'

He stepped inside, quietly closing the door behind him. It was late in the morning, and normally Mac would've been up already, but it was possible he was sleeping in now that he was supposed to be resting. On the other hand, Mac wasn't known for his healthy sleeping schedule.

Jack tossed his shoes, glad to be rid of them so his feet ached a little less, and he made his way over to the kitchen.

'Mac, you never guess what happened last night. Also, I'm going to have to claim your tv for the day because-'

His sentence was cut off as soon as he turned towards the living room.

Mac was sitting on the couch, staring ahead through sleepy, half closed eyes. He was still wearing the same outfit as yesterday. The room smell a bit like smoke, making Jack crinkle his nose, not really ready to relive the smell. Mac's bandaged hands lay limp on his knees. He seemed to be in a trance and hadn't acknowledged Jack's presence yet, which wasn't unusual when he was working on something, but was right now. Alarm bells went off in Jack's head.

'Mac? You okay?'

Jack carefully made his way over to the couch. Just as he had reached Mac, his friend snapped out of his daydream and looked up, startled.

'Hey whoa, it's just me. What the hell are you sitting here for?'

'Can't I sit in my own house?' Mac's voice was hoarse, and he scraped his throat.

'Sure, but it's ten in the morning and you're still wearing your clothes from yesterday, which, by the way, smell, in case you hadn't noticed.'

Mac looked down, as if only just realizing he still had the same outfit on. Then he shrugged but didn't reply.

The alarm bells in Jack's head rung louder and he carefully sat down next to his friend.

'What's wrong? Do I need to call an ambulance?'

Mac frowned and looked up at him.

'Because I'm wearing the same clothes?'

Jack ran his eyes over the kid, trying to find a reason for Mac's behavior. He seemed okay, apart from his hands.

It suddenly dawned on him. Mac had gone down to his knees from just a simple fist bump yesterday, and although the medics had applied some numbing cream to his hands, he had been in a lot of pain. Compared to Jack's burns, Mac's had been way worse, as he had come in direct contact with the flames and burning wood from the coffin.

Jack gritted his teeth at his ignorance.

'How are your hands?'

'They're fine,' Mac replied way too quickly. 'What are you doing here?'

'Short version: she stole my tv,' Jack said, making Mac's eyebrows rise and a small smile creep onto his face. 'Yes, I know, I know.'

'So, you've come here to steal mine?'

Jack glanced at the tv, for a brief moment wondering if he could. Then he shook his head.

'Merely use it.' He saw Mac shift on the couch, not able to hide discomfort from something, probably a wave of pain in his hands. 'And check on you, of course.'

'I'm fine.'

'As you've said so before, but I still don't believe you.' Jack slid forwards and made himself sit on the edge of the couch, turning slightly so he could look at his friend. Mac's shoulders were slumped, and it was obvious he was trying to avoid Jack's eyes. 'Why don't you change into something cleaner first?'

There was a moment of silence, in which Jack started to wonder if he had actually heard his question. Then, Mac shifted again and mumbled quietly: 'Can't.'

Jack frowned.

'What do you mean, you can't?'

Mac looked down and Jack followed his gaze. The unbandaged thumbs moved a little, and he turned his palms upwards, as if he could see directly through the bandage at his badly burned hands.

Jack felt a twinge of guilt and winced empathetically. He should've realized that doing anything required at least one working hand, but Mac had none at the moment. The numbing cream would've stopped working by now, making his hands really painful, let alone when he had to move them or grab something.

Another realization hit him.

'Have you eaten anything since yesterday morning?'

The blonde just shrugged, which Jack knew meant no. Again, Jack felt stupid and guilty. While he had been on a wonderful date with the beautiful Dawn, had a great dinner and a night he'd never forget, Mac had possibly been sitting here for the entire day, night and morning.

'Where was Bozer?'

'He stayed over at his parent's, I think,' Mac quietly said. That meant Mac had been all alone for an entire day, without being able to do anything.

'You should've called me.'

'I figured you'd be a little… pre-occupied,' Mac said with a grimace. Another blow to add to Jack's guilt.

'Well, let's get you into something clean now, alright?' Jack said, grabbing Mac's arm and pulling him from the couch. Mac struggled against the hold, as was to be expected. Mac didn't like being fussed over.

'Jack, I'm fine.'

'That's three times now. You need to work on your acting skills, brother, because it's not really convincing.'

He started pulling Mac along, who tried to resist, wincing as he moved his hands in reflex. Jack paused and turned to him. Mac had a blush on his cheeks and stared at the ground. Mac didn't like needing help, as he saw it as being like a child again, but there was nothing to be embarrassed about. Back in the army, they had seen each other in the good and the bad days, in full glory and at their weakest. But in Mac's eyes, that had been the army, and that time was in the past.

'Mac, just let me help you. You're stinking up the place and you look like you're going to pass out. You want me to have to carry you to your bed?'

That image seemed to do the trick because Mac let himself be led without any problem. Jack paused at the bathroom.

'You need a shower.'

'I-'

'But a quick wash of your hair and face will do,' Jack quickly added, knowing Mac's limits. To his surprise, Mac let him clean his hair in the sink, probably because he too had seen the amount of powder from the airbag and ash from the coffin had gotten onto his face, hair and clothes. His face still turned red, but Jack tried to make it less uncomfortable with small talk.

'You know, I can't really seem to stay mad at Dawn, even if she stole my tv.'

'Dawn?'

'My ex-wife.' It hadn't occurred to Jack that Dawn had only told him her name. Maybe that was supposed to remain that way, but he knew he wouldn't be able to keep it from Mac even if he wanted to, which he didn't. He always told Mac everything, sometimes even too much in Mac's opinion.

'Did she really steal your tv?'

'Among other things, yes.'

'You mean like your heart?'

Jack "accidentally" got a little rough when drying off the blond hair, but he saw a grin on the kid's face and he couldn't help but smile too.

'Well, I mean, did you see her? She is smoking hot! And let me tell you, last night-'

'I get it. Boundaries, Jack. I don't really need to have that image in my head.'

Mac's towel-dry hair stuck in every direction, so Jack sort of tried to fix it, but judging by Mac's face he wasn't doing a great job, so he just left it as it was.

In Mac's bedroom, Jack found some grey sweatpants and a shirt which Mac agreed to. He unbuttoned Mac's shirt and almost winced at how skinny the kid looked.

'You really need to eat more,' he said, getting an eyeroll as reply. Mac wasn't too thin, they both knew, he was the right weight for his length, but he looked like he was, and Jack didn't let an opportunity to comment on it slide.

Careful not to touch his hands, Jack helped Mac shrug out of the blouse and into the loose shirt.

Next, Jack did his best not to make a funny remark as he helped Mac out of his pants, knowing the kid wouldn't survive more embarrassment. The underwear he left to the kid, but as he turned back, he could tell by the look in his eyes that even that subtle movement of having to use his hands had hurt like hell.

'Jeez, man, how bad did you get burned? Couldn't you have used, like, your jacket to cover your hands?'

He saw Mac blush as the kid only now realized that had probably been a better idea and would've definitely saved him this agony. Jack grinned.

'Don't tell me I just outsmarted the wonder kid?'

Mac rolled his eyes again. 'Like you said, you're starting to rub off on me. I wasn't thinking at my best. I just needed to get you out of that fire as quickly as possible.'

Jack nodded and smiled. 'And I'm forever grateful for that, brother.'

When Mac was changed into a set of clean clothes, they made their way back over to the living room. Mac made a quick bathroom break, which Jack didn't comment on either, while Jack made coffee for himself and sandwiches for them both. He also put down a glass of water with a couple of painkillers next to it.

When Mac sat down at the table, Jack realized his mistake. The kid looked at the food and drinks, hesitant to take anything. He was grateful for Jack's efforts and didn't want to let it go to waste, Jack knew, but he was also dreading the pain that would come with it.

'Wait, hang on,' Jack said, quickly snatching it away before Mac could hurt himself more. He found a straw for the water, and the sandwich he cut up into small bites. Using only his thumbs, Mac found a way to take the pills and eat the food. He looked better with every bite.

'Looks like you're hungry, I'll make some more,' Jack said, not waiting for an answer. 'By the way, why did it look like you hadn't slept either? You don't need your hands for that.'

He heard Mac slurp some water before answering.

'Didn't want to get the bed all dirty.'

'So sleep on the couch.'

'Or the couch.'

Jack turned, eyebrow raised.

'Worse things have happened to that couch than some smoke and ash,' he said with a grin. Mac made a face to which he laughed. 'No, I mean, like when you spilled ketchup all over it. You've got a dirty mind, man.'

Mac rolled his eyes and shook his head. 'Right. And by the way, it was you who did that.'

Jack refilled his plate and widened his teasing grin.

'Hell yeah I did,' he said, purposely not specifying whether it was the dirty thing or ketchup thing he was talking about.

Mac shook his head again but laughed too. Finally, Jack had Mac laughing again, which meant he was feeling better. And that, in turn, made Jack feel better.

After the food, they moved back to the couch, which Mac eyed with suspicion but decided to give the benefit of the doubt. As he sank into the pillows, resting on his side, Jack could tell the kid started to relax even more.

Jack held up the glass of water.

'Shout if you need a sip.'

Mac smiled, eyelids drooping.

'Maybe I could get used to a servant,' he mumbled. Jack snickered.

'Good, 'cause I'll be here for the next couple of days.'

Mac reopened one eye, frowning, his dislike for being fussed about returning, and he opened his mouth to probably protest. Jack beat him to it, though.

'To watch tv, of course.'

Mac grinned, nodded and closed his eyes. It didn't take long for him to doze off. Jack sank back into the couch, turned the tv on but the sound low, and glanced back at his resting friend.

'And check on you, of course.'