Mirror Man

Welcome Home!.

"Wow Danny, that haircut makes you look so different", Rachel walked all the way round the blonde sizing up his new short hair style, cut into the neck but not shaved as he was forced to have it before, close cropped on the sides sweeping back over his ears, longer and wavy on the top with a fringe that lay over his blue eyes.

The untidy scruff on his chin now close cropped, sculpted and neat, thinking on getting rid of it he'd decided to just have it tidied up, remembering what mirror man said, that it looked 'fine', Mark certainly hadn't complained at the hospital so he thought why not, he could always shave it off later.

"It looks really good" John nodded approvingly, "now, let's get these bags in the car".

Walking past all the big shiny shop windows Danny couldn't help but check himself out, he'd chosen to keep on one pair of new jeans and a long sleeved T, white with blue sleeves that complimented his eyes.

He was like a kid, a 28 year old kid, it was like a second childhood, only it was his first it seemed, having not really had one in the first place.

Dress shoes tucked away in their box, ready for interviews or whatever occasion demanded them, instead sporting a new pair of Nike trainers, not the most expensive but he had always been conservative with money anyway, no need to change now, his redundancy money still had to last.

It was the first time he'd thought about that since Mark woke up, pushing it to the back of his head for now, because thinking about it made it real, that he would have to get a job and go back to his flat when the door was fixed, at this moment in time he was just wrapped up in getting Mark home and getting to know the man better.

Having tasted the comfort of the Chandlers home even just for one night, the thought of his pokey musty flat was not something he savoured, thank goodness Rachel had the forethought to bring along his beautiful bunch of flowers, still fresh after almost a week, now on the kitchen table at the house.

Dumping the bag containing his old trainers in the bin, and his old clothes in the boot of the car, he took one last look down at himself, he felt different, new, somehow rejuvenated, he always wondered why Hina went on and on that a decent haircut and new clothes could make you feel so good, now he understood.

"Do you want lunch first?" Rachel chattered as they drove along towards the hospital, "we could stop at that pub we went to before".

"Mmmmmm the one with the fantastic lasagna?" John moaned, "that was so good", Danny laughed at the man eulogising about lasagna.

"Can we just go and get Mark first?, would you mind?" Danny jigged in his seat, excitement getting the better of him, he hadn't spoken to him since that morning before, well........, and he wanted to see him.

"Of course, can't have you two being apart for too long" John joked as Danny flushed fiery red, rolling his lips together to hide the big smile that threatened to grace his face.

"Don't tease him" Rachel slapped her husbands arm just as they pulled into the hospital car park, "poor Danny, sorry" Rachel cast him an apologetic look in the rearview mirror.

"It's okay, I just.......I just want to see him again" Danny looked at his hands as the motion of the car ceased and they were parked.

****

"No, no, don't come any closer, I can do this", Mark gritted his teeth and stood up on his own, dropping down off the bed, dressed in trainers, joggers and t-shirt that Danny, Rachel and John had bought along, "I can do this".

Danny stopped and waited as Mark looked up at him, holding out his hands as he'd done before the blonde watched with a small nervous smile as Mark took one, then two........ then five, then six steps and fell once again into his arms.