Title: The Letter
By: Tiffany F
pairing: Mac/Horatio
Rating: AO
Summary: ***SPOILERS CSI:NY SEASON 4 TIME'S UP*** Also, NOT for Peyton fans. Mac receives a letter and calls the one person he knows can help him cope. I don't own anyone you recognize and am only playing around.

Mac felt the letter drop to his desk but ignored it as he closed his eyes, his words to Stella echoing through his mind – mocking him. All his reasons, all the pain he had hidden came rushing to the fore and Mac ran. He left the lab for the one place he knew he would be able to find solace. In his music.
********************
 
He brushed off Stella’s concern as best he could after the show was over and made sure she knew how much he appreciated her coming after him. Mac told her all he wanted to do was go home and sleep. Deep, deep down he felt bad for lying but he didn’t think that Stella would understand.
 
When Mac got home he locked the door and sank onto his sofa with a sigh. He sat and stared at his cell phone for a moment before flipping it open and dialing a familiar number, one he knew would connect him with a man who knew more about heart ache than anyone else. A man who would be able to understand what Mac was feeling and help him come to terms with the pain faster than anyone else could. A man Mac trusted with his life.
 
“Caine.”
 
“Horatio, its Mac.”
 
“What’s wrong?”
 
“I got a dear John today,” Mac said. “From Peyton. She dressed it up in fancy terms about how she wants to stay in England with her family and she has a new job over there and there would always be that ocean between us but the truth is she dumped me because I wouldn’t do what she wanted.”
 
“Are you okay?” Horatio asked. “Other than your heart do you hurt anywhere, Mac?”
 
Mac snorted. “I just feel so stupid because I was telling Stella that there are times when you have to jump and risk the fall in a relationship,” he said. “And I pointed out that Peyton chased me and how happy I was in the relationship with her. Stella found the letter on my desk and came after me tonight to make sure I was okay. She found me on stage and stayed until I was done.”
 
“You told her the truth, Mac,” Horatio said. “Sometimes the pain is worth the risks and sometimes it isn’t. Eric thought he saw Speed on the beach today and again at another of his crime scenes.”
 
“And it made you relive his death,” Mac said. “Why do we do this, Horatio? Why do we keep putting our hearts on the line like we do?”
 
“Because it’s all we can do, Mac,” Horatio said. “Come down for the weekend. Let’s sit on the beach and talk, go out for supper and have fun. Neither of us has had a vacation in over a year and our hearts are bruised. What better time for a guys’ weekend?”
 
“Horatio Caine suggesting a wild night on the town?” Mac teased. He grinned, “it sounds like fun. I’ll talk with Stella about covering for me but I’m sure she’s half expecting it. I need a chance to forget, Horatio.”
 
“So do I, Mac, so do I.”
********************
 
It didn’t take much to convince Stella that Mac needed a weekend off which only confirmed his suspicion that she had read the letter he’d left on his desk. He thought about asking her to shred it but thought about how easily they put shredded documents back together when working cases and took it home to burn in the kitchen sink. Then he packed a small bag and caught the next flight down to Miami.
 
Walking out into the sun he realized what a good idea the mini-vacation had been. He spotted Horatio leaning against his Hummer, suit and sunglasses firmly in place, and made his way through the crowd. “Hey Lieutenant,” he said with a grin, “I thought we were relaxing this weekend.”
 
“I just came from the lab,” Horatio replied. “I promise no more suits until I drop you off on Monday to fly home. Hop in and we’ll head to my place for a late lunch.”
 
“Good idea; time and terrorism have not improved airline food any.”
 
“Were you able to identify anything on your tray?”
 
“No and I thought about taking a sample to the lab to make sure it really was food,” Mac said dryly. “Nothing in nature should be that color.”
 
Horatio snickered and looked over at his friend. “We are going to talk, Mac,” he said. “But I’m glad you’re still able to joke.”
 
“Do you know why I called you, Horatio?”
 
“No.”
 
“Because I know you’re the one man who will understand what I’m going through right now,” Mac said. “You’ll know when to push, when to back off and when to tell me I’m being a jerk. I don’t know how you do it but you do.”
 
The red head reached over and took Mac’s hand. “The offer is still open, Mac,” he said softly. “And I know what you’re going to say but I want you to know that.”
 
“I do and that may be part of the reason I called but, right now, I just want to forget and the beach sounds like a great place to do that,” Mac said. “But maybe if you get enough alcohol in me…”
 
“No,” Horatio said firmly. He pulled to the side of the road and turned to face Mac. “Listen to me; losing Speed as I did affected me deeply and I messed up with Marisol. She was looking for something I couldn’t give her. Did I love her, no. Do I care for her deeply, yes; she was a stunning woman who was full of life but I just couldn’t care for her the way she wanted because my heart still belonged to Tim. He was and still is the love of my life. But I also know he’d want me to be happy and to do that I have to take risks. I have to be willing to hurt but I refuse to seduce you with alcohol, Mac Taylor. That is akin to rape in my book and you know that.”
 
Mac smiled softly. “I do, H,” he said. He took his friend’s hand again. “I also know your offer isn’t just for one night and I’m not ready for that relationship yet. You know I don’t have the experience and the thought scares me. Do I have feelings for you, yes I do. Would they deepen to love if given time? Probably because I trust you more than anyone else I know. But I think I need to give these feelings the time to grow and then take the chance.”
 
“Then we’ll give you what you need,” Horatio said. “And I could probably find a cheap flight to London to talk with Peyton.”
 
“I’d pay to see that,” Mac laughed. “So I think you promised me lunch.”
 
“I did,” Horatio said.

Once the sun had set and the moon was shining on the ocean Mac worked up the courage to ask Horatio the one question that had been bothering him since he received the letter. “Do you think I’m stupid, Horatio?”
 
“Of course not, Mac; why, why would you even wonder about that?”
 
“Because you made me an offer after the Endicott case and I turned you down,” Mac said, his courage bolstered by the darkness around him. “I’m attracted to you, H, and I want to return your feelings but I don’t know if its fear or doubt or something I can’t even put into words but I keep pushing you away.”
 
Horatio reached over and took Mac’s hand, lacing their fingers together. “I firmly believe that we are meant to be together, Mac,” he said. “But the time has to be right for both of us. It took time for me to recover from Speed’s death. But knowing that he would want me to move on and be happy helped a lot. Eric asked me, today, if I still see Tim.”
 
“What did you tell him?”
 
“Every day,” Horatio replied. “Every day; I know he’s still with me, Mac, and he always will be. Just like Claire will always be with you.”
 
“Did I ever tell you I called Peyton ‘Claire’ one time?” Mac asked.
 
“I bet that went over well,” Horatio said.
 
“About as well as you’re thinking,” Mac said. “She tried to end it then but I pushed for us to stay together. Maybe I was just trying to be normal, Horatio. Would it have been better if I let her walk away?”
 
Horatio rubbed the back of Mac’s hand with his thumb. “Don’t second guess yourself, Mac,” he said. “Please don’t. You did what you thought was best for the two of you at that time. Would I have preferred for you to come down here to me? You know the answer to that so I won’t rehash it. But you chose to do what was right for you at that moment in time. Yes it hurt but it’s not because of you. Peyton made her decision without ever talking with you and that shows that she didn’t take the relationship seriously. If she had loved you she would have asked for your opinion.”
 
“I don’t know if I could have moved to London,” Mac said.
 
“But you would have been able to talk about it and find a common ground,” Horatio said. “She took the coward’s way out, Mac, and she hurt you in the process. And she’s made an enemy she can’t afford to have.”
 
Mac tugged on Horatio’s hand until his friend was facing him and reached out to cup his cheek. “Peyton’s gone, Horatio,” he said. “Never to return.”
 
“That doesn’t mean I can’t be angry at her for hurting you, Mac,” Horatio said. He turned his head and kissed Mac’s palm gently. “We should go inside before this gets out of hand.”
 
“What if I want it to?” Mac asked.
 
“Then we’d be on the same page,” Horatio said. “But this isn’t the right time. I could make you feel better but there’s so many emotions wrapped up for both of us that we’d fall apart and hurt worse in the end.”
 
“I know,” Mac sighed. “I don’t suppose you’d be willing to just hold me tonight? I’m worried about nightmares.”
 
“Do you trust me?” Horatio asked.
 
“I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t,” Mac replied. “I’d like to feel you against me as I sleep, Horatio. I think you’re right; there’s a future here if we build it slowly.”
 
“And it will be worth the time we commit to it.” Horatio stood and pulled Mac to his feet. “Can I taste you, Mac?”
 
“Please.”
 
Horatio’s hand went to the back of Mac’s head as he leaned in and pressed his lips against Mac’s. The other man tilted his head to deepen the kiss and Horatio moaned softly as Mac’s tongue slid along his lips. He opened to his friend and let Mac lead the kiss, never pressing for more; not even when he felt Mac’s erection rubbing against his own. They stayed there for an unknown period of time learning each other, one kiss melting into another.
 
“Mac,” Horatio whispered. “We should stop and go to bed.”
 
“Okay,” Mac replied. He kissed Horatio one last time. “Okay.”

Mac didn’t tell Horatio about his insomnia. He spent the nights watching his friend sleep and thought about what he wanted to do with his life; where he wanted to go and what he wanted to do. He couldn’t deny that there was a connection with Horatio and Mac felt happy with him but could he stand to leave New York and move south to be with the other man? Would Horatio even want him to move in?
 
They spent their days talking and exchanging kisses that Horatio stopped every time the passion grew to a level that would be dangerous to their growing relationship. The friends talked and learned new things about each other and when Horatio took Mac to the airport they both felt like they had closed chapters in their lives and were ready to move on.
********************
 
When Mac walked into the lab Monday morning he wasn’t surprised when Danny ambushed him and pulled him into his office. “What happened, Mac?” he asked.
 
“I was a fool,” Mac replied. He trusted Danny enough to tell his young friend the truth. “And I needed a chance to get away.”
 
“Do you have someone to talk with?” Danny asked.
 
“Yeah, Danny, I do,” Mac said with a soft smile.
 
“Then I ain’t gonna press but if that bitch shows up here again she’s gonna have to deal with me,” Danny said. “And if you need to talk or a shoulder you come to me.”
 
Mac had to chuckle at that. “Thank you, Danny and I mean that,” he said. “But I’m not going to retreat again. I spent the weekend talking through a lot of my emotions and I like how I’ve been too much to hide from you guys again.”
 
“I’ll head off Stella then,” Danny grinned. “Welcome back, Mac. I’m glad you didn’t run.”
 
Mac watched his CSI leave and wondered exactly what Stella had told the team to explain his absence. But as Mac had left the letter in his office it was entirely possible that any of his CSIs could have read it before Stella. He glanced at his watch and wondered if he could get away with calling Horatio so early in the day but thought better of it when he realized that his friend would be at his lab and probably buried in paperwork. It was better to leave it for the evening when they were both home.
********************
 
After a lonely dinner, had it really taken so short a time to get used to having Horatio in his life, Mac settled down on his couch and picked up his phone. He hoped that Horatio was home and able to talk.
 
“Hey Mac,” Horatio’s warm voice answered on the third ring. “I take it you made it home safely and had a good day at work.”
 
“I found out exactly how protective Stella, Danny and Don are,” Mac replied. “Danny pounced the minute I walked in and demanded to know what happened. And then he wanted to make sure I had someone to talk to about it.”
 
“He’s worried about you,” Horatio said. “What did you tell him?”
 
“The truth,” Mac said. “That I’d spent the weekend talking with a good friend and that I wasn’t going to hide. I think he was worried I was going to pull a repeat of Claire’s death on them.”
 
Horatio chuckled. “You didn’t tell him what else you did over the weekend, did you?”
 
“I doubt that Danny would want to know that I spent a great deal of my time on my back with you just kissing,” Mac said. “Although I had a passing thought during dinner that the apartment is lonely.”
 
“I miss you too,” Horatio said. “Somehow I think going slow is going to kill us both with anticipation.”
 
“We could have phone sex,” Mac said his body stirring at the thought.
 
“We could indeed,” Horatio said. “But tell me about your day first and I’ll tell you about mine. In fact I’m contemplating killing Rick Stetler and hiding his body.”
 
“What happened?”
 
“Apart from his horrible fashion sense he’s threatening one of mine and that’s unacceptable,” Horatio said. “Calleigh is happy with her new boyfriend and it shouldn’t matter if he’s a detective.”
 
Mac frowned. “How’d Stetler find out about it?” he asked. “I thought Calleigh was being careful.”
 
“I’m not sure,” Horatio replied. “But when I find out I think I’m going to try and find a loop-hole for Calleigh. Life is too short and rules shouldn’t stand in the way of happiness.”
 
“You’re right enough about that,” Mac said. “My day was dull compared to that although I have a feeling the dullness isn’t going to last much longer. This is New York after all.”
 
“I felt you thinking at night, Mac,” Horatio said. “Did you come to any conclusions about what you want to do?”
 
“Not yet,” Mac said. “But you’ll be the first to know once I do. Now I have a question for you; are you in a comfortable spot?”
 
He could almost hear the smirk in his friend’s voice. “I’m actually moving towards the bedroom as we speak,” Horatio said. “Are you sure you want to do this, Mac? Are you sure you want to take our relationship to this new level so soon?”
 
“I am,” Mac said. “Horatio, walking away from you at the airport was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I think its time for us to stop playing games and come together as a couple. I understand why we have to take it slow but there’s no reason we can’t feel some pleasure as well.”
 
“I wish I’d spied on you this weekend then,” Horatio said. “Because I’ve never seen you naked. I want that so badly, Mac.”
 
Mac glanced around for his camera. “I’m going to put you on speaker phone for a minute,” he said. “I have a rather wicked idea, Horatio. Do you have a digital camera at home?”
 
“I have my work camera with me out in the Hummer,” Horatio said.
 
“Go get it,” Mac grinned. He set his cell phone down on the bed and started undressing. “And let me know when you’re back in the house. We’re going to have fun tonight, Horatio.”
 
“When did your mind get so dirty?” Horatio asked as he started to understand exactly what was going on. “I’m glad it has an auto-shoot setting on it.”
 
“Tripod,” Mac said, snapping his fingers. He spent a couple of minutes arranging his camera and took a test picture to make sure that he had the angle right. “That’s it, I’m all set up.”
 
Horatio snorted. “I will be in a second,” he said. “I should see about getting a video camera, Mac.”
 
“Now that’s a hot idea,” Mac said. He settled on his bed. “Can you still hear me, H?”
 
“Yep. Okay, I’m all set up. Tell me what you want me to do next.”
 
“Strip and lie on your bed,” Mac said. “You know how I feel against you, the press of my body on yours. I know you have to have thought about me before this weekend when you’re jerking off.” He blinked as the flash went off. “Tell me what you’re thinking about, Horatio.”
 
“I’m thinking about you here in bed with me,” Horatio said, his voice lower than Mac could ever remember hearing it before. “Both of us naked and kissing like we did this past weekend. I run my hand slowly down your chest and take your erection in my hand, just holding it for a moment before squeezing gently and starting to stroke you.”
 
“What else?” Mac asked as he ran his hand up and down his leaking cock. “Do you want me to suck you, Horatio? Would you like to feel my lips around your? Do you want to watch as I swallow your essence when you come in my mouth? Would you like to taste yourself on my lips?”
 
Horatio moaned softly and Mac could almost hear the click of the camera in the background. “I want to bury myself in your body, Mac,” Horatio said. “I want to feel you inside me. I want it all with you.”
 
“I want that too, H,” Mac said. “I want all of that and more. What are your feelings on handcuffs?”
 
“Mac,” Horatio’s climax was sudden and unexpected and the sound set Mac off as well.
 
He grinned. “Looks like I hit a soft spot,” he panted. “Now as soon as we can move, H, we’re going to download these pictures and send them to each other. Then we’ll have a reference for next time.”
 
“Mac, I love your dirty mind,” Horatio laughed.

The new lovers went back and forth for a year but they never felt the need to bridge the last gap between them, both knowing somehow that it wasn’t the right time for them. Each told his team what was going on and Mac was awed by the support Stella, Danny, Don, and Hawkes gave him. Lindsay was a little put out but even she came around when she saw how happy and complete Mac was. And when Horatio walked into the lab and into Mac’s office everyone paused in their tasks. Horatio went down on one knee, took Mac’s hand and slid a braided white gold band onto his finger. Mac was stunned for a moment before pulling Horatio back to his feet and claiming his mouth in a soft kiss. And everyone cheered.
********************
 
“I can’t believe you did that,” Mac said as he pushed Horatio’s deep red dress shirt off and to the floor.
 
“I wanted everyone to know that you’re mine,” Horatio replied.
 
“What if I had said no?”
 
“That thought never even crossed my mind,” Horatio grinned as he leaned in to kiss Mac. “But I knew that I was ready to be with you forever.”
 
Mac pinned Horatio to the wall and kissed him as Horatio’s hands stripped off Mac’s sea-foam green shirt. The click of the lock got their attention and they turned as the door opened. “Peyton,” Mac said. “I knew I forgot something important, Horatio.”
 
“To get the locks changed,” Horatio replied. He wrapped his arms around his lover’s waist and pulled his back. “Dr. Driscoll I presume.” He ignored Mac’s snickering. “May I ask exactly what you’re doing here?”
 
“I’m in town for a meeting and came to see if there was any chance…”
 
“There isn’t,” Mac said. “Give me the key, Peyton.”
 
“Mac can’t we talk about this?” she asked.
 
“No; I’m getting ready to leave on my honeymoon in the morning and the last thing I want to do is open old wounds,” Mac replied. “You made your choice over a year ago and I’ve made mine.”
 
Peyton’s eyes went to the matching rings. “So I see.”
 
“I suggest you leave,” Horatio said softly. “Right now before I do something I’ll regret in the morning.”
 
“I could make trouble for you,” Peyton said.
 
“But you won’t,” Horatio continued in a soft, deadly voice. “You won’t because you know that if this gets out to the wrong people I will hunt you down and make your life a misery beyond anything you could possibly imagine. And there is only one reason I’m not physically removing you from this apartment.”
 
“Thank you,” Mac said softly. He turned his head and kissed Horatio’s neck softly. “Let’s leave early, Horatio.”
 
“If that’s what you want, Mac,” Horatio replied. “Excuse us, Dr. Driscoll, but we have a plane to catch. Leave the key on the table behind you.”
********************
 
“Well that kind of killed the mood,” Mac commented as he stuffed t-shirts and shorts into a duffle bag.
 
“She could still make trouble for us, Mac,” Horatio said. He snorted softly and walked over to his lover. “Sit, I’ll do this.” He dumped out the bag and started folding things so they wouldn’t wrinkle. “Talk to me, Mac. Tell me what’s going through your mind right now.”
 
“I didn’t think it would hurt to see her again,” Mac sighed. “I just wanted to run and get away from her. And I totally forgot I gave her that key.”
 
Horatio smiled. “We did talk about moving,” he said. “I’m not going to press you but if this gets out here in New York.”
 
“Then my bosses could get ugly,” Mac said. He considered for a moment. “Well, uglier; you should see them, Horatio.”
 
“I’ll pass,” Horatio smiled. He knew his lover would be okay if he was making jokes. “We’ll go to my place tonight and leave from there in the morning.”
 
“Our place,” Mac said. “We shouldn’t even risk it.”
 
“Mac, if anyone dared hurt you then they will answer to me,” Horatio said.
 
Mac wrapped his arms around Horatio. “I know,” he said softly. “But I have a bad feeling about this situation.”
 
“So do I, Mac. So do I.”
********************
 
Danny groaned a little when his phone rang and he managed to snag it without opening his eyes. “Yeah.”
 
“Danny, its Mac. Look, I’m sorry to call you when I’m sure you just went to bed but I was wondering if you could do me a favor, please?”
 
“Sure Mac, what’s wrong?”
 
“Peyton showed up at my place tonight and it wasn’t pleasant,” Mac replied. “Horatio and I are on our way out of town on the first flight we can get but I don’t want to risk her back in my apartment. Would you call the others who are off shift and start packing my things up?”
 
“So you’re really gonna do it, huh?”
 
“Yeah, Danny, I am,” Mac said. “I emailed you Horatio’s home address. We’ll pay for everything to be shipped down to Miami if you can just get it to the moving company. Don’t worry about my furniture or anything like that.”
 
“Just your personal stuff, yeah?” Danny said. “We can do that, Mac. I’ll call Stella and get her to organize everyone.”
 
“Tell her the truth, Danny,” Mac said. “No more secrets up here.”
 
“You got it, Mac. You and Horatio enjoy yourselves and leave everything to me and the others. We got it covered.”
 
“Thanks, Danny,” Mac said. “I’ll call you when I get back into the states. Hey, keep your ear to the ground too; I want to know if she makes good on her threats.”
 
“And so does Horatio,” Danny grinned. “She’s stupid if she thinks messing with him is a good idea.”
 
Danny hit the end button and called Stella. She was half asleep but came awake when Danny explained the situation to her and ordered him to call Flack while she called Adam, Lindsay and Hawkes. Danny agreed and promised to meet up with the team at Mac’s place in an hour. He put the phone down and poked his still sleeping bedmate. “Hey Donnie, wake up; we got a problem.”

Horatio unlocked his front door and swept Mac into the house before shutting and locking it behind them, grunting softly when Mac’s body pushed him into the wood. “Welcome home, Mac,” Horatio said softly. He ran his fingers over Mac’s cheek.
 
“Home is where you are,” Mac said just as softly. He leaned in and kissed Horatio gently. “And I believe we have some unfinished business to take care of.”
 
“Let me teach you,” Horatio said. He ran his hands down Mac’s back, under his t-shirt and back up taking the soft fabric up over Mac’s head. “Let me show you how to take us both flying.”
 
“Please,” Mac moaned. He let the wall hold him up as Horatio stripped off his jeans and boxers. He reached for his lover and his eyes flew open when they encountered warm, naked skin.
 
“I’m impatient,” Horatio grinned pulling Mac in against him. He leaned down and caught Mac’s mouth in a deep kiss. Hands tangled in hair as they explored, relearning the taste and feel of the other. “Bed,” Horatio managed between kisses. “Bed, Mac, and I’ll teach you everything.”
 
It took some effort on both their part but they eventually managed to work out which feet belonged to whom and the lovers started down the hall towards Horatio’s bedroom. They fell on the bed in a tangle and then Mac found himself on his back looking up into Horatio’s blue eyes. “Have I told you how much I love you?” Mac asked softly.
 
“Yeah,” Horatio smiled. He leaned down and kissed Mac again, teasing around towards his left ear and sucking on the lobe gently. “But I’ll never tire of hearing that, Mac. Now I have some questions.”
 
“You expect me to focus?” Mac asked.
 
Horatio laughed. “They’re easy questions, love,” he said. “First, how many times to you want to come tonight?”
 
“Just what do you think my recovery time is, H?”
 
“Hmmm, we’ll have to see,” Horatio smirked. He kissed down Mac’s neck to his shoulder. “Second question, do you want to claim me tonight or have me take you?”
 
“I learn better by,” Mac’s breath caught as Horatio’s tongue slid over his scar and down over a nipple as well, “example.”
 
“That doesn’t really answer the question.”
 
“How could I?” Mac blinked a few times. “Wow.”
 
“Then that’s what we’ll do,” Horatio said, having felt the twitch from Mac’s erection at the mental images that were no doubt running through his mind. “Third question, I believe you mentioned handcuffs.”
 
Mac reached down and tilted Horatio’s chin away from his body. “Not tonight,” he said. “But maybe sometime.”
 
“Okay then.” Horatio smirked again and Mac bit back a scream as his cock was suddenly taken in a wet, hot mouth. His head fell back against the pillow as Horatio worked him slowly and with skill. Warm hands held his hips on the bed preventing him from thrusting. Mac moaned and grabbed for Horatio’s head, urging him to come back up and claimed his lips.
 
“More,” Mac demanded.
 
Horatio kissed Mac again, tongue sliding slowly through his lover’s mouth as he reached for the lube and condoms he’d stashed in his bedside table for that night. He dropped the packet on the bed and held the lube in a tight fist to warm it up a little. “You ready to watch?” he whispered.
 
“Show me,” Mac said.
 
The red head sat back and then turned around so his back was to his lover. Horatio slicked a finger and reached back, sliding it into his own body. He moaned softly when Mac reached out to touch him, just keeping contact, keeping him grounded. He could feel the heat and weight of Mac’s gaze on him and it wasn’t long before one finger wasn’t enough and he slicked and added another, beginning to stretch himself. Horatio glanced down at Mac’s groin and judged. He wanted to show Mac how to fully prepare his partner but he also thought that two fingers would be enough and he could deal with the pain and burn it would cause.
 
“The condom is on the bed, Mac,” Horatio said.
 
“There’s no way you’re ready,” Mac replied.
 
“It’s different for each person,” Horatio said. He straddled Mac’s hips, steadied his lover’s cock and slowly slid down. “But for your first time we’re using four fingers,” he finished.
 
“Oh my god, Horatio,” Mac gasped as his erection was taken into the tight heat of his lover’s body. He grabbed at Horatio’s hips, braced his feet and thrust up a little.
 
“Easy, Mac,” Horatio said. He rubbed Mac’s chest and braced his hands. “Let me do the work to start with.”
 
Horatio slid up just as slowly and then sank back down. He kept to that pace as long as he could, trying to drive Mac as crazy as possible with sensation and desire, but he changed it when Mac started moving as well. They quickly fell into a rhythm that had Mac moving up as Horatio moved down and Horatio knew that it wasn’t going to last long. He slid his hands up and pinched Mac’s nipples, hoping that would be enough to send his lover flying. It was. Mac cried out as his climax hit him, the explosion sending Horatio over as well.
 
Mac wrapped his arms around Horatio as the younger man slumped down on his chest. “That. Was. Amazing,” he whispered between kisses. “Thank you.”
 
“That’s just the beginning,” Horatio said. “I have a lot more to teach you. I think it might take the rest of our lives.”
 
“I can live with that,” Mac grinned.

The New York team worked for several hours before Stella and Hawkes left to post some of the boxes and Lindsay begged off because she needed to sleep before her next shift. Danny and Don were both off the next day and said they’d keep working for a while longer.
 
“So you think he’s serious?” Don asked as he wrapped a small clock in bubble wrap.
 
“What?”
 
“Mac, ‘bout him leaving,” Don said.
 
“Yeah, I think he is. Are we gonna miss him, yeah, but there’s a lot of bad memories and shit here in the city and I think he needs to move on from it,” Danny replied. “Think how’d you feel if you lost me in a terrorist attack.”
 
Don pulled Danny in against him. “God, Messer, don’t even tease like that. It’d kill me to lose you.”
 
“Me too, you big softy,” Danny said. He relaxed into the hug. “Mac’s had two major blows here; Claire and now this with Peyton, and I think he needs a new place to call home. He needs to build some happy memories.”
 
“And Horatio to help him do it,” Don said. “I thought Mac was gonna have a heart attack when H proposed in the office like that.”
 
“I’ll admit I was a little worried Mac would say no simply outta shock,” Danny admitted. “But they work well together.”
 
“Kinda like us,” Don said. He tilted Danny’s head up and kissed him gently.
 
“Yeah,” Danny smiled. “Kinda like us.”
********************
 
Horatio looked up from his book when he heard Mac snort. “Something amuses you, love?”
 
“I just got a letter in the mail from the chiefs in New York,” Mac said. “It seems that Peyton decided to talk with them about you and me.”
 
“Really, what do they have to say?” Horatio asked.
 
“A lot of hot air seeing as I’m not their employee any more,” Mac grinned. “And they weren’t too impressed that my boyfriend proposed to me in the lab.”
 
“Where in the rules does it state that all NYPD officers and employees have to be straight?” Horatio asked.
 
“I don’t know,” Mac replied. “Remind me to check the rule book and see what it says about discrimination. I know Danny and Don are careful but they could probably use all the help they can get.”
 
He couldn’t help it, Horatio laughed. “In more ways than one,” he said. “I’ve seen the pair of them together. But I think they’d have legal ground if the department tried to do anything to them.”
 
“What about down here?” Mac asked.
 
“No one cares because you’re not under my supervision,” Horatio said. “The directors just want to see our solve rate up. They don’t care who we sleep with as long as it won’t compromise an investigation.”
 
“And the detectives and officers?”
 
“They can try, Mac,” Horatio said. “But we’d be able to spot problems fast enough to take care of them in the field. You and I both know how to read people.”
 
Mac tossed the letter on the coffee table. “You’re right,” he said. He straddled Horatio's hips and leaned in for a kiss. “Now, how do you feel about sex in public? I thought we might go out on that beach of ours and have some fun.”
 
“Only if you help me with the sun tan lotion,” Horatio said.