The lights were too bright. Mac had to stop himself from lifting a hand to shield his eyes, instead choosing to squint. Danny had stopped just outside the elevators and allowed Mac to walk into the lab first. It was busy; a low hum of activity permeated Mac's mind, and he felt himself relaxing. Following his feet, Mac walked through the lab and straight to his office. He could feel Danny trailing behind, giving him space like he had been this entire time. A wave of affection for the younger man washed over him, and Mac stopped before entering his office to let Danny catch up. The feel of Danny's presence at his back gave Mac the final bit of strength he needed to open the door and step inside.
The office looked tidy. Mac supposed it would have to be, considering he was in charge of this whole building. That idea made him uneasy; not even knowing what kind of man he was, let alone what kind of boss. Mac turned to see Danny standing in the doorway, a soft look on his face. Unable to form words, Mac waved Danny in. The younger man did as he was bid, shutting the door behind him. They stood in silence for a few moments; Danny once again giving Mac the space required to process the new environment. The quiet was interrupted by a knock on the door. Mac looked to Danny, sudden fear on his features. Danny's responding look was sympathetic, and he turned to open the door. Adam was waiting on the other side, and Danny stepped aside to let him in.
"Sorry to interrupt," Adam spoke softly. "I need someone so sign-off on this, and Stella is still in the field." Adam handed over a manila folder as he spoke. Mac's relieved exhalation that Adam had only wanted to see Danny did not go unnoticed, but nobody in the room mentioned it. Danny signed the papers where required and gave Adam an encouraging smile when it was obvious he wanted to speak to Mac. "I, uh…" Adam turned towards Mac as he began to speak. "I'm on lunch in ten minutes. Do you want me to pick anything up for you? Either of you?"
Mac's answering smile was somewhat wan, but it still made Adam feel better. His response was hushed, and Adam couldn't stop himself stepping closer to hear. "Yes, please. That would be nice."
"What do you…" Adam stopped himself, remembering the situation, and just smiled. "I know what you like; I'll get something from the deli around the corner." He looked towards Danny, who was still standing by the door. "Pastrami on rye?" Danny smiled widely at this, and patted Adam on the shoulder as the young man moved past him towards the door.
"Don't forget the mustard," Danny called after Adam, who just waved a hand in a 'you got it' gesture. Danny was still smiling when he turned back to Mac.
"Adam is very sweet," Mac spoke softly. "I… I don't feel like I deserve it."
"You've done a lot for him," Danny replied, moving to the sofa in Mac's office and sitting down. "He loves you… we all do."
Mac seemed shocked at this admission. The surprise was quickly replaced with a warm feeling, and Mac moved to sit next to Danny. "I get the feeling we don't talk about this much."
"Regular you doesn't feel like you deserve it either," Danny conceded. "Stella probably tells you more than you're comfortable with and, well… guys don't really talk about it – much less cops."
Mac laughed and gave a nod. That much he did know. A thought niggled in the back of his mind; one of reading a scientific paper on the concept of Toxic Masculinity. Instinctively, Mac turned his head towards his desk. It was neat and tidy, but something felt off about it. Mac stood up and stepped towards the desk. Danny stayed where he was. When he got to the desk, Mac looked down at it. Something wasn't right. It took a moment before he realised the problem. With a soft smile, Mac reached out and moved the pen holder from one side of the desk to the other. It was a little thing, but now Mac felt something click into place. He turned back to look at Danny, who wasn't even trying to hide the pleased expression at Mac's action. He was gaining ground at every turn, and Danny was becoming hopeful that the old Mac would be back in no time.
"Don't you have work to do?" Mac asked Danny, only to wince a second later when he realised the tone he had used. "Sorry."
Danny's responding laugh was joyful, and he stood up. "Now that sounds like the Mac I know… apart from the apology." Danny threw in a wink for good measure before heading towards the door. "I do have a few things to take care of. I'll bring lunch up when Adam gets back. You just relax and see if being here helps any more. Feels like it already is."
When Danny turned back to Mac for confirmation, he got a tight smile and a nod. It appeared he wasn't expecting anything further, as Danny returned the smile and left the room with no further comment. Mac gripped the edge of the desk as he watched Danny leave, unsure of why he wanted to call the younger man back and keep him close. Mac supposed it was natural; Danny was his anchor in this mess, and it was normal to want someone with him in his current state. Taking a deep breath, Mac made himself move around his desk and sit down. This too felt familiar, and Mac sat in silence for a moment longer.
Mac couldn't tell how much time had passed before there was a knock at the door. It must have taken him too long to respond, as Danny opened the door without prompting and stepped back into the room with a paper bag in his hand. Mac could only assume this was lunch. Danny looked up from closing the door and stopped in his tracks at the sight of Mac sat behind his desk. It looked so natural, and Danny couldn't have stopped the grin that took over his face if he'd wanted to.
"Lunch?" Danny asked as he walked towards Mac's desk. He perched himself on the edge and watched Mac wince as he put the food down in front of him. Mac met his eyes and Danny chuckled at the expression there. It was unmistakable, and Danny moved himself off the desk and onto one of the chairs opposite Mac. The responding smile Mac offered was small and soft. Danny didn't draw attention to it; truth be told he was a little thrown by being exposed to the softer side of Mac that was so rarely seen with such frequency. Instead he opened the bag and handed Mac his sandwich, took his own, and began eating. Mac did the same and the silence was comfortable. Danny couldn't stop himself checking on Mac every few moments, but if Mac noticed he didn't mention it. Once the food was finished, Danny cleared up and sat himself once again in front of Mac.
"Are you good to stay here a little longer, or would you rather go home?"
Mac gave this question some thought, looking out the window as he did. It was a nice day. Mac found himself saying "I'd like to go for a walk," and the shocked expression Danny wore when Mac turned back to him told Mac this was an odd occurrence.
"Sure," Danny eventually replied. "Central Park?" Mac's responding smile was enough to push Danny to his feet and towards the door. Mac followed along behind, that smile still in place.