Work Text:
“Angus MacGyver, you sure are someone. I get that most people find you endearing, but I am not most people. But, still, I don’t want you to go six feet under just yet. You still have more people to annoy.” Mac’s overwatch (soon to be former) said.
Even though that sounded harsh to some people, that was actually nice - for Coleman. He was the type of the person to wake up on the wrong side of the bed, but still keep you relatively safe - that says a lot for being in the military.
Mac smiled, “Yeah, Cole. I’ll try my best to keep from going under. Stay safe.”
Coleman raised his eyebrows, “Now, what kind of life is that? I’d rather stay dangerous and die early than stay safe and die on time!”
Mac pursed his lips, “Yeah, you’re right. Just, don’t do anything stupid.”
Cole once again raised raised his eyebrows, but walked away this time. He was officially leaving for the states.
And then, right then, it hit Mac: I am actually completely alone…
Sleep for MacGyver was mostly nonexistent that night. He just could not fall asleep. But then, someone just had to run into where he was trying to sleep - and sing!
He scoffed, “Dude. You do know that people are trying to sleep so no one will die tomorrow, right?”
The man, instead of responding, just turned on the flashlight and looked at Mac, “I’m sorry, I didn’t think staring up counted as sleeping. But, hey, who’s to judge? I’m singing to relieve the stress of being in this hellhole.
Mac started to pick his nails. “What’s your name?”
The dark haired man plopped his bag down, “Jack Wyatt Dalton. You?”
“MacGyver, EOD. You are apparently my overwatch. And, can you get that flashlight out of my eyes? You’re blinding me.”
“Sorry, Mr. Grumpy Pants. I’ll try to be more polite while I am living my non-existent death wish.”
Mac rolled his eyes, “Just, get some sleep. It’ll get rid of the jet lag a little.”
“I’m not dumb. I have been flying in planes my whole life; from going to horse races in Texas all the way to this war zone.”
Mac just ignored him. Compared to Coleman, this Dalton guy was pretty different. He didn’t tell him how horrible he was or even swear him and this place out. MacGyver would never tell Dalton this, but that man made him smile inside; he was just the right amount of a smart-aleck and also (he would regret this later) likable. He made him actually feel like a person, as weird as that sounds. However, Mac would make the ‘test’ hard for this guy - even if meant he had to sabotage his stuff just to fix it in the future. If he was bad, he would sure get him in a noose. If he was decent, it would maybe be just a little fight. This would be fun…
Mac was never going to drink again. Sure, it made him feel woozy - heh, that’s a funny word! Woozy. Woozy, woozy, woozy. According to the Oxford Dictionary, it means a random sentence that I cannot think of right now. Ha! Being drunk is fun! - but it helped him forget about life. Like all the people who didn’t like me enough to stay.
After thinking about this, Mac decided to talk to Jack, who was, at the very moment, sober, “Hey, dude. When ya gonna leave?”
“Whoa, Mac. Are you drunk?” Jack said, stabilizing his partner.
“Maybe. Answer the question. When. Are. You. Going. To. Leave?” Mac said, punctuating each word by poking Jack’s chest.
Jack cocked his head, “I don’t know what you mean, hoss.”
Mac huffed, “Me! When are ya gonna leave me? Everyone leaves at some point. I just want to be ready this time because I actually sorta trust and like ya and this will hurt way more than the others. So, when?”
Jack raised his eyebrows, “Hold up, man. What on this Earth are you talking about?”
The EOD tech just slumped his shoulders, “Nevermind. It doesn’t matter. Life is stupid anyway. Uh-oh. I feel like I’m gonna-”
Jack quickly ran with Mac to the latrine and held his medium length hair while he puked his guts out. He’s gonna hurt in the morning!
After he was completely finished, Mac smiled at Jack then hugged him, “This is for later when I’m too sad to say goodbye.”
Jack’s heart was officially crushed. Aw, this kid really needs me. What kind of parents did he have?
Mac quietly whispered in his partner’s ear, as if telling a secret, “Can I sleep with you tonight? I’ll make sure you don’t get sick.”
The older soldier smiled warmly, “Sorry, bud. I snore as loud as the neighing of horses in the Lone Star State. And you need sleep.”
“Okay, Jack. That’s fine. At least someone cares about my well-being. Sorry, forget that. That was insensitive of me. I’ll go to my cot.”
“I can walk you there, bud. We both sleep there, anyway, and I won’t be partying anymore.”
Mac nodded and they walked to the tent together. At that moment, Jack knew that he would stand by this kid forever. God, he would even grow old with him. Even through hell and high waters, he would be there for him. Mac might never know the extent of the brotherly bond he knew they shared, but he did - and that was enough.
Jack knew the kid had low self-esteem. However, he would be willing to do everything it takes to help him and raise his self-confidence, but he has to stay with him. If he leaves, well, Jack wouldn’t know what to do.
Just Say You Won’t Let Go, Mac.
The next morning, Jack got his partner the absolute best food on Earth (well, more like a near 2nd. Or 3rd, or 1,000,000th) to wake up to. He carded through his brother’s hair to wake him up slowly, after all, hangovers were nasty. The shifts were more jovial and shorter, so today wouldn’t be so bad for Mac.
He finally opened his eyes into tiny slits to see Jack’s face, but then immediately shut them. “Ouch.”
Jack smiled wryly, “I hope you feel better?”
Mac smiled, “I appreciate the sentiment, but that was way too loud.”
Jack tried a new voice. This voice, not minuscule at all, would be used for decades to come, but just for Mac. It was gentle, soft, quiet, and everything that an ill person would want. “Do you want to eat? Drink?”
“I’ll eat in a bit. Thanks, Jack.”
“You’re welcome, brother.”
Jack stood next to Mac. They were sending Riley and Bozer on an extremely intricate, time-sensitive, and possibly deadly case. It was especially hard for the two men; they were basically the ‘adults’. Although Mac was one of the kids, he was very old inside as a measure of knowledge. Mac was the brains, Jack was the brawn. And Jack will never forget those old military days. He thanked the stars a million times for bringing him the one and only Angus MacGyver.
Jack Dalton helped Angus MacGyver. Since that one night of when Mac was drunk, every day got better and better. Mac finally understood that he was worth all of the gold in the world and Jack would never leave. It will continue to get better and better, until they both are as dead as doornails. After all, he was the only person who never left him.
And the most important part? Mac
never
even got close or
did
let go.