Title: What Am I Gonna Tell 'Em Now?
Author: Jaxson K.
Pairing: Don/Mac
Rating: PG
Summary: Don wonders what to tell his friends.....

***

Don sat on the sofa staring at the wall. He was numb, unfeeling, and empty inside. Mac had just left the apartment for the last time, and all Don could do was sit and stare at the damn wall.

It really didn't surprise Don that Mac was gone. It had been building for a while, and Don knew he couldn't stop the inevitable. Mac had been honest and told Don that he'd never been with another man, and didn't know if it would work between them. Mac was willing to give it a try, but made no promises as to the outcome.

Based on that, Mac and Don entered into what would loosely be called an experiment. It started as a casual thing, but for Don, it became so much more. He had been in love with Mac for quite a while before he ever said anything, and when Mac agreed to be with him, it was the icing on a very sweet cake. Don was truly happier than he'd been in a very long time. So happy that he's immediately gone and told Danny and Stella. The two were very happy for him and both agree to keep things quiet until Mac and Don decided to tell everyone else.

As the weeks went by, Don began to realize that things weren't going anywhere. Each time Don brought up the state of things between them, Mac either argued with him, claimed that he wasn't ready to take it to the next level, or withdrew from Don for a while. While all this was going on, Stella and Danny began asking Don about his relationship on a fairly regular basis. Don was able to come up with excuses, but could tell that his friends weren't buying it.

Now that it was over with Mac, Don was too embarrassed to admit that he'd made a mistake. True, Mac should have just let Don down easy and declined to get involved, but Don knew he should have kept his mouth shut until things had been on better footing. Hell, he should have just loved Mac from afar! If he'd done that, he wouldn't sitting there staring at the wall wondering "what am I gonna tell 'em now?"

END