MacGyver's Guide to One-Shots

Leaving, Trust, and a Father That Stays

The others watched as Mac walked out of the building and Jack sighed.

"I'll go. He's my responsibility, my kid, I got this." Jack started to go, but was stopped as James MacGyver stood in his way.

"He ain't your kid." James protested.

Jack was tempted to let some of the pent up, deep seated, fiery rage out and slam his fists into the man's face, but he needed to get out of here quickly and punching Mac's Dad wouldn't help.

"Not arguing with you on this, sir. That boy you just hurt needs me and you're standing in my way. So we can do this the easy way, where you let me go and I try to get Mac to stay. Or we could do this the hard way where I punch you in the face, hand in my own resignation earlier than I planned, and still walk out that door. Your choice." Jack waited all of twenty seconds, then tapped his foot impatiently.

James MacGyver, as smart as he claimed he was, didn't move.

(See, James MacGyver may have been Mac's father, but any fool could have a kid. It took a real man, a real Dad to raise a child.

Jack was more than a brother to Mac, Jack was Mac's Dad too.

And Jack wouldn't tell that to James, or anyone else, but it meant the world to him that this smart-mouthed, bullheaded kid looked to Jack, a Texas boy with so many flaws as his Daddy.)

Jack shrugged. "Alright," he let his fist fly, it stopped three inches from Mac Senior's face, but the man still flinched.

Jack pulled his fist back. "Now, I don't want a law suit, but I'm not afraid of one. Do I need to actually hit you, or are you gonna move?"

Mac's Father did the first smart thing Jack had seen him do and moved out of the former Delta man's way.

"Thank you. Now, if I don't get Mac to stay, I'll be handing in my own resignation too, sir. Be it with good or bad news, I'll be seeing you later." Jack then left as fast as he could to catch up with Mac.

He knew Mac had taken his Jeep today and Jack didn't know if Mac was okay enough to drive, but he hoped Mac was thinking smart enough to realize he probably wasn't.

MacGyver~MacGyver~MacGyver

Mac let the door of Pheonix slide shut behind him for what may be the final time.

As he made his way to his Jeep, his thoughts spun. Mac had walked out of Phoenix and walked away from his father.

Mac had every intention of not coming back because he was completely serious when he said he couldn't work for someone he didn't trust.

(He'd told Bozer, Riley, and Jack about his decision. After a bit of thinking, he also clued in Matty because none of this had technically been her fault, she had been trying subtly, but she couldn't break her oath.

He wasn't staying.

Mac was sure Jack would follow him out like Jack had always promised he would.)

It took Mac a while to realize he wasn't standing any longer and his cheeks where wet.

He was kneeling against his Jeep's tires and doubled at the waist, crying harder than he'd ever cried before.

Harder than when Murdoc captured him, harder than the night Jack almost died, harder than when Zoe died, harder than when Thorton betrayed them, harder than when Nikki did the same.

Harder than when Pena died.

Harder than that night when he and his biological family where separated and he couldn't find them anywhere.

Mac sobbed, harsh cutting spasms that tore from his throat and spilled past his lips with him powerless to stop them.

He cried, tears slipping from his eyes and falling down his face despite his attempts to stop them.

Mac simply say there and cried like it was his mother dying all over again, then his father leaving, then his grandfather passing on.

All the guilt, all the pain, all the cuts and wounds where ripped open again, fresh and raw and bleeding and hurting and please God, make it stop.

Mac cried until he couldn't anymore, but he didn't know how long that was.

Slowly, he registered the arms wrapped around his body, the broad chest he was pressed against instead of his cold Jeep, and the warmth seeping into his icy veins.

"J'ck?" he slurred, exhaustion taking over his mind.

"Shh, I'm here. Don't worry, alright? I won't leave you."

Mac's world began to go dark as sleep claimed him, but he did register one last thing before he fell into it's sweet, blissful clutched.

"Don't worry, 'bout a thing. 'Cause every little thing, is gonna be alright."

MacGyver~MacGyver~MacGyver

Jack pulled Mac's Jeep into the drive way of his kid's secondary home and shut off the engine.

Mac had fallen asleep after his... Whatever is was, Mac would tell him later and Jack ultimately decided that his kid was too emotionally exhausted to stay at his own house by himself.

(Mac would never admit it, but Jack knew that Mac loved Jack's shitty apartment because it was Jack's and that meant he was safe there. Nothing was going to happen to him when he was with Jack.

Jack didn't like to admit it, but he'd been slacking in his duties lately.

He promised himself to pick up the slack because this couldn't be healthy and Mac wasn't benefitting at all.)

"Hey, Mac." Jack gently shook Mac's shoulder and the blond man groaned, batting at Jack's hand like it would do him any good.

"Come on, man. I wouldn't mind it, but I think my neighbors would be pretty curious if I carried a half-conscious 22 year old up three flights of stairs to get to my place." Jack protested.

"Don't care," Mac mumbled, curling further into a ball.

Jack chuckled. "You really want me to carry you, Mac?"

"Too tired to walk." Mac grumbled in reply.

Jack chuckled and nodded, "Alright." He got out and headed around to the passenger side of Mac's Jeep. Opening the door, Jack very gently pulled his too-young partner onto his back to give him a piggy-back ride up to Jack's apartment.

Once in the apartment, Jack carefully strips Mac to his boxers and dresses him in the pajamas the blond man had left over the course of his years staying there.

"W'll you st'y?" Mac asked, catching Jack's sleeve before Jack could leave the room.

"Yeah, of course I will. Let me just go get dressed in better suited clothes to sleep in." Jack ruffled Mac's hair and chuckled as Mac halfheartedly batted at his hand again. "I'll be right back, kiddo, alright?"

"Kay, Dad." Mac murmured and Jack smiled briefly, allowing the warm, fuzzy feeling to engulf his heart.

Then he quickly left to get changed and grab his pillow so he could stay with his boy that night.

When he got back into the guest room, Jack found Mac fast asleep, curled up on his side and looking so young and small and Jesus Jack never wanted to let the kid go.

Jack set down his pillow and left again to quickly check his locks, then came back and laid down in his guest bedroom's bed with the too-young boy who'd become his little boy.

James MacGyver may have been Mac's father.

But Jack was Mac's Dad.

And Jack was the Dad that stayed.