Chapter Text
The moment Julia Dalton saw Angus Macgyver, she knew what was going to happen.
It was a day when she was in the kitchen, making dinner with whatever she had in the fridge, waiting for Jack’s call from the laptop on the table. It was going to be their first video call in nearly eight months and she wasn’t going to miss it. The last time they spoke face to face was when Jack called, telling her he wasn’t going home.
“I’m sorry, mama. I know you’ve been lookin forward to it, I have too, but— there’s this kid… he’s so smart, but doesn’t have a lick of self-preservation in his body. He doesn’t use his weapons and runs headfirst into danger at every given moment. He’s been reassigned a handful of times cuz of how he does things and his watches didn’t take an interest. And he does do things different, but I’ve never seen anythin fail, and he’s got the highest disarmin percentage on base, might even be all together… and he’s got a record for most IEDs disarmed in a day. But he’s— alone. Ain’t ever really had someone in his corner. I can’t just up and leave him, especially after he saved my life. Not five days ago I found the IED he was lookin for, had less than two minutes to disarm it. I told him to just leave because there ain’t no way he could do it, but, he did, and I intend to pay him back. So.. I signed up for one more tour, makin sure I stick with him until he’s on a plane and headed home. His name’s Mac. I think you’d really like him.”
It was upsetting at first. Julia hadn’t seen him in person since he last joined up after her husband’s funeral, and that had been a few years running. The first time he joined back up, the only consolation was he wasn’t going to be doing the missions he wasn’t allowed to talk about. Back to the basics as he put it, just a simple sniper job, and the reason he didn’t go home in those years was because their schedules never lined up, no matter how they tried to plan things out. As to why he actually did join back up, he said he wasn’t ready yet. When he first got discharged and got a civilian job, he said it wasn’t exactly a fit but he’d work with it. When his father died was most likely the tipping point of not being able to stay and conform back into society.
But hearing her son speak of someone who needed help and had no one else to turn to, it made her feel so proud. Jack taking on a role of protection was something he was meant to do, and not just in the Overwatch position.
It was a few weeks after that there was another call, just a basic catching him up with everything that had been going on, informing him if he had any new family members or lost any. She was far past used to the sounds of a lively military base, and knew the sounds that would take her son’s attention away because of the importance they held. That day there had been a voice that stolen his attention and plastered a worried look on his face instantly.
“Jack, I need you’re help.”
He sounded young, maybe a new private in Jack’s company, but being on a first name basis wasn’t something that could be explained.
She watched through the screen as Jack’s attention was pulled somewhere to the side, focused on whoever was speaking to him. She watched the emotions on his face go from worry, to confusion, then a smile forcing its way through and a laugh following just after.
Ah. That would be the reason Jack chose to stay.
Jack turned back to her, laughing through an apology as he held up something to the camera, asking if she knew what it was, and then the other’s voice filtered through once again.
“Oh, my god I’m so sorry. I didn’t— I forgot you were having a call today. Sorry, I’ll just— this can wait. I can get someone else to help me.”
The apology only made Jack laugh harder, and it took all of a second for Jack to pull another person into frame. The first thing Julia noticed was how long his hair was, definitely longer than regulation she was sure. The second was how young he actually looked, and how much of a deer in the headlights possibly made him look even younger.
“Ain’t no issue, but since yer here— Mac, this is my mama.”
“Oh, uh, nice to meet you, Mrs. Dalton.”
She absolutely understood why Jack chose to stay longer.
There had been two more calls after that, one that was the usual update, and the other that sort of caught her a bit off guard purely for the subject matter that had been brought up.
“He doesn’t have anywhere to go when he’s out. Without violatin his trust and privacy, I’m just gonna say his family dynamic is messed up to hell and back and he’s rather not go back home. Told him I’d go with to make sure everythin’s alright and he feels safe, but he doesn’t wanna take the risk. So I told him he could head to the ranch, hunker down there for a while… or however long. It’s just— he needs some help, mama.”
She recognized that tone from when Jack was younger, when he strung along stories while hiding an injured animal behind his back to nurse it back to health in the house, or hiding baby birds instead of keeping them outside. It was the one that said he knew he was doing a good thing, but was still on the fence about the method he was using. But behind the uncertainty was determination telling her that if she declined then Jack was going to help him out anyways.
As if she would ever say no to him helping anything or anyone in need.
She nearly ended the call after confirming she had no problem with Mac staying with them for as long as he needed, saying she needed to clean out another room and do some shopping in preparation.
The call after that was the last one that would happen while they were both deployed.
“Last official day is Friday and he should be shippin out Saturday if everythin goes right; here to Germany, then to LAX, and finally to Texas. Still can’t believe I’m stuck here for another two months. They twisted my words on me, like I was gonna do to them. Anyways, I’m tellin ya mama, he’s real nervous bout the whole thing. Keeps second guessin and askin if it’s alright and sayin you could always change yer mind and it would be okay, even told me he should cancel his connectin flight to Texas cuz he doesn’t wanna cause problems. It’s just— he hadn’t been shown any type of familiar love for a long time. I think bein there’s gonna help out a lot. And, I think once we’re all settled then we can have a big ol get together with everyone; see what’s changed since I’ve been gone and give Mac the opportunity to experience what it’s like to have a family that loves ya.”
She’s thought about that and was actually going to wait a little while before trying to organize a giant family get together. What Jack had told her about Mac, she didn’t want him to get overwhelmed with anything, especially if it was her own family.
When the day had finally arrived, she got a bag and packed it with a few snacks and headed off to the airport. She would’ve been lying if she said she also wasn’t a bit nervous. She’d only talked with Mac a handful of times, but thought she had a pretty decent understanding of what kind of person he was. From what Jack had told her and what she observed herself, Mac needed some— help, and she intended on being the one to do it.
Mac looked dead on his feet when he finally cleared the terminal, but it didn’t stop the short smile on his face. Julia couldn’t help but wrap him in a hug. Seeing him in the flesh was so much different than through a screen. She thought it was just the camera that made Mac look as young as he did, but apparently it was actually making him look older. Even through the most likely fatigue and overall tiredness that had made it claim on his face, he still looked like an incredibly young man, and that just solidified her wanting to help and show him a peaceful life.
She laughed to herself as they got on the road; how Mac had passed out instantly upon getting in and settling himself in the car. It was a near full twenty-four hour trip from Afghanistan just to LAX, not even accounting for layovers or any connecting flights. She wondered how much sleep Mac had actually gotten on the trip over, but according to the very deep sleep he was in, she assumed it wasn’t much.
The change from smooth asphalt to a bumpy dirt road did nothing to Mac’s sleep state, neither did arriving at the house and actually getting him out of the car. He wasn’t completely out for the translation, but he definitely wasn’t completely awake for it either. Julia had gone slow, leading him by the arm to the porch and then inside and up the stairs to the room she made up for him. Apparently Mac was conscious enough to understand the clothes she put in his lap were meant to be changed into, but not enough to wait u til she had left the room before trying to unbutton his shirt.
She had left, stifling a laugh as she shut the door, allowing Mac the privacy he didn’t know he wanted.
She went back out and got Mac’s bags, bringing them up a few minutes later. There was no response when she knocked on the door, and huffed out a well meaning sigh as she saw Mac in the pajamas she gave him, but laying mainly on the floor instead of the bed. She got him up and tucked in, leaving a few bottles of water on the nightstand, and let him finally rest.
***
She hadn’t expected anything the next morning. If going off what Jack was like the first time he came home, Mac was going to be out longer than the regular eight hours. She had gone up to check, knocking lightly on his door, waiting for a few seconds before entering. Mac was still sound asleep, face halfway covered by a pillow and curled in on himself just a bit. The water on the side table had gone untouched, and it wasn’t all that surprising.
She did it throughout the day every few hours, checking to see if he was awake and wanted to eat something, but Mac had barely moved each time she checked, but was pleasantly surprised the final time when Mac was sitting up in bed, looking a bit confused with very disheveled hair. She was happy he was finally awake, there were some things they needed to chat about that would hopefully give Mac an idea about what being there would be like.
The look on Mac’s face when she told him they needed to talk was heartbreaking. She’d seen expressions like that, the one that said they were expecting bad news, and it was something she didn’t like seeing on Mac’s face. So she set out to reassure him, telling him that she didn’t expect anything— no rent or any sort of payment, no need to worry about fitting in to society immediately or getting a job. She wanted her house to feel like a home, and putting unnecessary stress on him wouldn’t do either of them any good.
“I can’t just stay here for free. I mean, I’m— I can pay you for room and board, and buy my own food. It’s no big deal for me. Uh, I would need a car though, so if I could borrow one. I could pay you for gas or just always keep the tank filled. It’s really no issues for me. I don’t want you to think of me as a freeloader or anything.”
It really broke her heart to hear him say that. Mac was so young, and from what she understood from what Jack told her, Mac hadn’t had the best life up until the army, and hearing him say those things just solidified the idea of how bad his life actu was. Only when she said there was always an abundance of chores to get done at the house and ranch is when Mac conceded on trying to give her rent money.
The following day they did actually go into town. Julia pointed out shops and stores that she visited regularly before stopping at a major warehouse so he could get a few things, mainly clothing and shoes that were his size. She had the feeling he felt just a bit awkward about the whole experience, each sentence coming out with a slight stammer, but she understood and didn’t hold any ill will toward him. Mac was fully red in the face when they were checking out, first because his card was apparently still locked and had no way to pay for his items, so Julia had to more or less muscle him aside so she could pay, and second most likely because of a comment the cashier made.
“I love seeing parents shopping with their kids. Makes me remember when my mom used to take me shopping all the time when I was younger and tried to pay with my own money, which, you know, was normally monopoly or hand drawn dollars. You’re so lucky to have a mom like her.”
Mac didn’t correct them, and steadily kept his eyes on the floor. Julia didn’t either and just laughed along with them, agreeing. Mac finally spoke again when they reached the car.
“I’m so sorry. I thought— my card was supposed to have been unlocked and I promise I have the funds and can pay you back. If we could just go to the ATM I can pull out cash for you.”
But Julia wasn’t having any of it.
“Sweetheart if you think about tryin to give me any sort of money I’m gonna slap you silly. It’s no problem, honestly. I’m happy to do it. Lord knows I don’t have any real use of it. Separate accounts for business, housing, and pleasure. It’s all okay.”
“That was two hundred dollars.”
“Barely.”
Julia asked if there was anywhere he wanted to go, but Mac denied it— most likely because he didn’t have access to money— and just said they could go back to the house. She didn’t mind at all and made the journey back.
The course of time after that was nearly identical every day, and Julia didn’t really know what to make of it. She got up earlier than Mac, which was completely fine, and had breakfast waiting for him. Mac would eat and make polite conversation, but it was completely reserved and somewhat awkward small talk. She tried to get him to open up, to try and be more comfortable by asking what she thought was harmless questions, but in the end, she was always the one telling him something from the farm, usually pertaining to Jack when he was in school.
Those were the times when she saw something; a slight, meaningful, genuine smile. Those were the times when he spoke earnestly, telling of his own experiences with Jack in the time they were together, and how he was excited to see him again. But she saw something akin to shame in his eyes when he mentioned missing him, like he wasn’t allowed to because he’d only known Jack a short time in comparison. That was usually when he broke off and headed back towards his room, staying there for the remainder of the day, only coming out when Julia called for a meal— and sometimes not even then.
It was saddening. She didn’t know how to reinforce the idea that he was welcome in the whole of the house and not just confined to the one room. There wasn’t even much to do in there, if anything at all.
She remembered an old laptop she had, not the best working, but it got the job done, and she figured it would prove to be more entertaining than just sitting in there and watching whatever was on at the time.
Mac’s door was open when she went to give it to him, and she noticed the box of paperclips she initially left for him was emptied on his desk, several still in their original form but all the others had been bent and folded into something that she really couldn’t see. It was then that she remembered a rather crucial detail Jack had told her.
“He’s a tinkerer mama. You give him anythin and he’ll make somethin else outta it, or if you give him somethin that’s broke, he’ll fix it. Might be unconventional but it’ll hold. Can’t tell ya how many radios and CD players he’s fixed for everyone. We even got stuck a few hours out and woulda had to wait hours for someone to come get us, but soon as I told him what the problem was, he was able to get it fixed long enough so we could make it back; given he didn’t have the right materials and tools so it kinda broke down right after we got back, but point is— he can do whatever ya ask. Even if somethin’s completely broke and used for scraps, he’ll try to piece it together again just for the hell of it. If you still have granddad’s old tractor, I think you should let him have a hand at it. Betcha he’ll get it up and runnin in no time.”
There was actually a number of old equipment she kept, mainly for parts that just kind of were forgotten about, and figured if what Jack said was true, then Mac would have a field day with them.
She’d actually gone to see what was there, making notes and a list both for herself, so she actually knew what was there, and for Mac for a reference of what he was working with.
It had been evening when she returned, and was going to give him the list and tell him he had free range on basically everything, but halted herself at his door when she heard he was speaking to someone, and figured it was through the laptop seeing as she heard the replies.
“I mean, it’s honestly great here Boze, but… I feel like an outsider. Don’t get me wrong, Mrs. Dalton is amazing and really helpful with whatever I need, but I feel like I need to earn it.”
“Kinda contradicting yourself man.”
“It’s not— she’s not making me feel like I need to earn it, but I am. I’ve really just been sitting in my room and watching TV for the past week or two, not really contributing to anything.”
“She said anything about it? Like has she complained about you not helping?”
“Well, no. She basically pushing me out of the kitchen when I try to do dishes after we eat.”
“Then don’t worry. I’m sure if she wants or needs help with anything then she’ll ask. You’re still fresh from the army. Take some time to relax for a while.”
“I did.”
“A single day of sleep isn’t relaxing. Listen, I know it’s engraved into that big brain of yours, but you don’t need to prove your worth to anyone. You’re allowed to exist without having to be useful.”
Julia felt awful. The fact that Mac didn’t feel comfortable in her house was horrible. She wanted to believe Mac’s words, that it wasn’t her fault, but she didn’t want to think about what that meant for Mac’s earlier life. That had to be something engraved into his very being and not just from his years of service.
A not so sudden surge of anger filled her. Mac shouldn’t have been treated however he was, and the person that made him that way was now at the top of her shitlist.
She went back down the stairs, not wanting to interrupt a conversation she knew needed to happen between two friends. She would get started on dinner, and give Mac the list in the morning.
***
“Are you sure?”
“Yep. This is your playground if you want it. Most of everything doesn’t work, and the ones that do are a swipe away from fallin apart. If you wanna fix them up, cannibalize them, or make them into somethin completely different, you go for it. The tractor’s the only thing that really holds any sentimental value, and they don’t even make parts for it anymore. So it just sits as as home for the barn cats when they’re not hunting. You can try your hand at it if you want, but don’t feel bad if you can’t get it. Dozens of mechanics and handymen over the years haven’t been able to get it to start, so I don’t have any high hopes. Half a dozen toolboxes are around with a gaggle of nearly every tool you could think of. And from what Jack’s told me, you tend to overwork yourself, so I better not come by at some point and learn you haven’t been taking rests when you outta.”
Somehow, she felt like she made a mistake. A non-serious one, a laughable one, but a mistake nonetheless. The moment she told Mac the barn full of old equipment was his for the taking, his face went red with excitement, and when she gave him the final go ahead, his head started scanning everything, honing in on what he wanted to work on or see. When she told him she was going to head back to the house to work on some things of her own, Mac barely offered a response, mumbling to himself about what could be wrong and how he could fix it.
She laughed to herself as she left, content with the excitement and happiness that was radiating off Mac.
They were still both learning, Julia about how to work with Mac in a way that didn’t add more trouble to his already great burden, and Mac about how to live life the way he wanted, not needing to worry about his usefulness to others. She still didn’t know him that well, but it already looked like an improvement from what Jack had told her.
When they day came, two months finally over, she could see something change in him. She could see him trying to not show how— excited he was. She caught him smiling out of the corner of her eye more than once while getting ready to leave, and the small smile seemed to plaster itself on his face as they drove to the airport. Mac had seemed a bit confused when she first asked if he wanted to go pick Jack up with her.
“Oh, I mean, if you want me to. I just thought since you two haven’t seen each other in a long time— no, yeah, I’ll come with.”
Jack had told her how they’d grown relatively close in their time together, how Mac had grown on him like a weed and he more or less thought of him as his kid brother. Judging by Mac’s reaction to the situation as a whole, he probably viewed Jack in a similar light, and Julia wasn’t about to make Mac stay at the house while Jack was at the airport.
They didn’t wait too long in the terminal for him to arrive, and Julia noted Mac hanging back all together when they actually saw Jack. She wanted to pull him along, to greet Jack with her, but had a feeling he would back away even more if she didn’t do it herself first.
“Hi mama. It’s real good to see you.”
“You too honey. I’ve been waiting for this day for so long, but I’m pretty sure there’s someone here who’s more excited for you than I am, even if he doesn’t look it.”
She watched a smile cement itself on Jack’s face as he caught sight of Mac, eagerly walking over and pulling him into a hug. She knew from that single action, that one hug, how great of a bond they had. She thought that now since Jack was home, she’d be able to see Mac’s full, real personality, and hopefully help him with whatever he’d been dealing with internally for so long.
After given them a moment to themselves, she went over and wrapped her arms around both of them.
“What do you boys say we head on home?”
They would be okay with time. All they needed was each other in that moment.