Archive of Our Own ^beta

A simple surveillance operation had taken a turn for the worse. Their undercover van had been made and with a shower of bullets and an intense car chase later, they had destroyed a portion of Lisbon and severely pissed off Matty. It was a pretty unsuccessful mission all in all, and the entire team was just glad to be going home in one piece.

Their van had taken quite a beating during the chase with Desi's erratic driving. With every swerve and turn, Riley's body had been thrown around, and just barely avoided smashing into Bozer, who was also trying to keep upright. There's a dull ache in her shoulder from knocking against the van so many times, and she's sure there will be a nice purple bruise by tomorrow.

Upon entering the jet, Riley beelines straight for the couch, sprawling out in exhaustion. She hits her shoulder against the couch in the wrong way and lets out a low groan of pain.

Riley doesn't see where Desi and Bozer disappear to, but assumes they take their seats near the front of the jet. Everyone was extremely exhausted and hadn't been very talkative since their virtual lecture from Matty.

Her eyes are already fluttering closed, but she spots Mac as he saunters towards her. He has a few red cuts on his cheek, but otherwise he's okay. He lowers himself to a crouch in front of her so he can examine her face closely.

"Are you okay?" Mac asks quietly. His eyes are searching her face, looking for any hint of pain or discomfort. He was pretty distracted when she and Bozer were getting thrown around in the back of the van, trying to find a way to get rid of their assailants on the fly. But he still heard their yelps throughout, and even more so their groans when they were finally able to stop.

Mac has always been a watcher. He likes to pay attention to the little details; he can always learn so much just by the little details. He always pays attention to Riley, no matter what it is. He can't help himself whenever his eyes trace her across the room. She has his entire focus at all times without even realizing it, and so it doesn't take him long to realize the shift of her weight in her walk. The limp is minimal, but he spots her wince every time her shoulder moves.

He knew something changed when Riley's feelings were outed. It wasn't how it should have happened, and it wasn't fair to Riley, but deep down, he's glad it happened the way it did. It doesn't take him long after that to realize Riley never would have told him how she felt. He was in a "happy" relationship, and she wouldn't have wanted to disrupt their team dynamic or the friendship they both cherish so much. But as soon as he knew, as soon as it dawned on him later that night after getting home, he couldn't stop thinking about it. And even worse, he couldn't stop thinking about Riley.

When he finds himself outside her apartment, he honestly isn't the least bit surprised. He needs to know more, and he needs to hear it from Riley.

Mac doesn't even realize what he wants to hear until Riley basically tells him she's over him. All he knows is that he doesn't want to hear that.

And then it's only a matter of time before his feelings start surfacing.

Every time she glances at him, even minimally, his heartbeat starts to pick up and he isn't sure why. Whenever she is put in a precarious position during a mission, his worries skyrocket; he knows she can hold her own, but his fear that she'll get injured suddenly feels debilitating.

It doesn't take long before Mac realizes what needs to be done, and it isn't just because of his feelings for Riley. Desi and he have had communication issues stemming since the beginning of their relationship. Their differences cause bickering in the field, and it isn't something they can afford. At this point, it feels like they're only still together because that's what's expected of them, but Mac quickly realizes that isn't what he wants anymore, and it isn't fair to Desi. And when he finally shares these worries with her, she feels the same way. Their break-up is amicable, which is a tad bit surprising given all their past blowouts, but they were teammates first and that's what mattered overall.

He also has a sneaking suspicion Desi is slightly aware of his growing feelings for a certain curly-haired brunette, but he ignores that.

Now, Mac is stuck with unrequited feelings for his teammate and best friend, with zero idea how to maneuver through them.

"I'm alright," Riley replies with a low moan. Her shoulder is in pain and she's so tired, she feels like her bones are about to dissolve, but Mac looks worried, so she'll say anything to make him feel better. "Excited to get into my bed."

Mac's lips dip into a frown. He was most upset when Riley abruptly moved out, without even so much as a warning. He enjoyed having her around; after all, they were friends first. He'd been there for her through it all, and after her break-up with Aubrey where she showed up at his front door, he truly couldn't picture her not being that close to him. It would make him feel so much better to know Riley would be coming home with him tonight, back into her old room, where she belongs.

But he can't ask her to do that.

"Right," he murmurs quietly. Riley's eyes are fluttering closed again and he fights the itch to caress her cheek softly. He figures he should probably let her sleep. He reaches for a blanket stashed on the side of the couch and lays it over her as he stands. "I'll let you get some sleep."

Mac wants her to call out, ask him to stay with her. But she doesn't.

He takes a seat in the chair opposite her.

It's unfair of him to expect these things from her, but it's the only thing that stops his heart from aching every time he looks at her.

Riley drags herself to her apartment door; she honestly isn't sure if she can make it. Her entire body aches and she is just so tired. When her front door finally comes into view, she nearly cries out in joy. She almost doesn't notice the fact that it's cracked open.

Almost.

Her gut immediately twists and her fingers itch for her phone in her back pocket.

As much as she knows it's probably a terrible idea, she still inches towards the door. She tries to be as silent as she can, but there are no other sounds coming from inside and the lights seem to be off; she really hopes this is a good sign, meaning that she's in the clear. Riley quietly clears the room as best as she can in the dark. She doesn't see anyone, and she still doesn't hear anything, so she figures it's okay to turn on the lights.

She does and no assailants jump out at her (she's kind of expecting that to happen). What she isn't expecting is to see that her living room has been absolutely tossed.

Everything breakable is broken. Everything non-breakable has been effectively flipped over or strewn on the ground somewhere.

Riley quickly rushes through the other rooms, finding them all in the same fashion. Even, and especially, her bedroom.

She can't immediately spot anything that has been potentially taken, but she doesn't keep valuable items here anyway. She especially doesn't keep important intel from her job here either, so if this was a robbery, she isn't sure what for.

Riley sighs and starts to fix her living room items. It takes her a solid five minutes to realize that nothing has been taken from her apartment, and if nothing has been taken, they probably weren't here to rob her.

They were here for her.

Riley's blood immediately turns cold, and she swallows harshly to keep herself calm. Her trembling fingers reach for her phone again and dial her most recent call.

She knows it's late and he's probably sleeping, but she can't think of anyone else she wants right now. Only Mac.

"Hello?" His voice is deep and raspy and it's clear he was definitely sleeping. She isn't surprised; she spotted the exhaustion on his face a mile away when they boarded the jet, even when he was checking on her. When they finally touched down back home and he woke her up with a gentle shake on her shoulder, her eyes immediately found his and he looked even more exhausted than before she went to sleep. He didn't sleep and it gets her curious as to why.

"Mac."

Her tone is shaky and she's having a bit of difficulty getting the words out. The fact that whoever did this could come back at literally any moment is quite the fear debilitating factor. She's decently confident in her abilities, but she doesn't know what to expect if they come back.

"Riles?" She hears some rusting from the other end, and she can picture him scrambling to sit up in his bed and press the phone harder against his ear. "Hey, what's wrong? You don't sound right."

Riley moves back to her front door to lock it. She isn't sure how effective it will be since it clearly didn't help the first time, but the gesture makes her feel a tad bit safer. "I need you to come over," Riley manages to choke out some words. "My apartment was broken into and — I'm not really sure what — I'm scared. Can you come over?"

The commotion Riley hears over the line gives her the answer she's so desperately hoping for. There are a few loud noises, almost as if he's banging into furniture in his haste. He probably is and Riley loves him all the more for it.

"I'm on my way," Mac replies in a fiercely serious tone. "Do not hang up the phone, okay? I'll be there in a few minutes."

"Okay," Riley mumbles, sighing as she runs her hands through her tangly hair. God, she really needs a shower.

She sets her phone on the couch, placing it on speaker so she can listen to the late L.A. traffic. It somehow calms her. She busies herself by continuing to tidy up her living room. Half of her things are broken and of course, she's surrounded by broken glass. In a cloud of frustration, she grabs her broom from the closet and starts sweeping up the broken glass. She doesn't know what else to do; it feels like nothing she does will help subside the panic she's currently feeling.

When she hears the lock on her door turn, she grips the broom tighter, the panic easily clawing its way up her throat. But then the door swings open, and it's just Mac, bleary eyed and messy haired. Riley momentarily forgets he has a key for emergencies. He's wearing a pair of grey joggers and a black long sleeve; he looks so comfortable, so inviting, that Riley barely wastes a second in tossing her broom to the floor and throwing herself into his arms.

He catches her with ease and presses her even tighter against his chest. Riley feels his hand on the back of her head, and she can hear him whisper something, but she's so focused on how good he feels and how nice he smells that she can't focus on anything else.

Mac eventually pulls away enough to step inside and promptly lock the door behind him.

Once there's a considerable amount of distance between them, Riley snaps back into focus. She once again grabs the broom and tries to distract herself. As much as she wishes she could, she can't spend all her time in Mac's arms. While yes, it's a traumatizing experience, she's a strong woman and she can handle this with some sort of independence. That knowledge does nothing to calm the urge inside of her that's yelling for her to jump him again.

"How are you doing?" Mac asks as he snaps into full detective mode. He circles the room, looking for anything that could help figure out who did this.

Riley doesn't really have an answer for that. On one side, she's safe and nothing has actually happened to her, so a part of her questions if she's being overly dramatic. But on the other side, her apartment was broken into. A part of her life was completely violated, and she isn't okay with it. She isn't really sure how she feels.

"I honestly don't know," Riley sighs, running her hands through her hair in distress. "Why would anyone break into my apartment? Nothing was even taken. What the hell does that mean?"

Mac catches onto the desperation in her tone and focuses his attention on her once again. "Hey," he starts softly, ducking his head to catch her eyes. "We'll figure it out. Together. I'm here for you, Riles."

Riley shoots him a small, grateful smile. She'll forever wonder what she did in her life that caused her to be graced with someone like Mac.

She's broken out of her thoughts when she hears a knock on the door. She flinches way harder than she ever means to, but Mac's hands on her forearms put her at ease.

"It's just Matty," he reassures quickly, "I texted her before I left the house."

It isn't long before her apartment is crawling with Phoenix agents. It doesn't occur to her that her apartment is now a crime scene until she spots all the crime techs processing it. A little part of her is disappointed; even if this place is cleared for her to return, which there is a large chance it won't be, she doesn't believe she can ever return. Knowing it happened once and could easily happen again is too much; her sense of security in this home is completely destroyed.

Riley doesn't notice Matty and Mac chatting in the corner. Visually seeing her apartment getting processed like a crime scene causes her thoughts to go into overdrive and even though she's there, she isn't there. She only snaps out of her thoughts when she spots Mac clenching his fists in anger. His jaw tightens for a single moment, for when he glances back at her, he clears his expression to a forced smile.

He knows something. Something he clearly doesn't want her to know.

It isn't long before Matty makes her way over, an apprehensive expression on her face.

"Why do you look like that?" Riley blurts, shooting the question at Matty. If there's one thing she can always expect from Matty, it's that she'll always be straight with her.

Matty purses her lips before responding, albeit hesitantly. "Not too long before Mac texted me, some of our Phoenix agents received a heavily encrypted threat made directly to our headquarters." Riley's gaze flickers between Matty and Mac, who has now forgotten to hide his clenched jaw. "The threat was aimed at you, Riley."

"Me?" Riley echoes, shock evident in her tone. "Why? I mean, who?"

"We don't know yet," Matty frowns. "Like I said, the threat was heavily encrypted, and we haven't been able to trace it back yet. But we will, don't worry, Riley."

Riley immediately starts looking around for her rig. "Send me the details, I can start —"

"No," Matty states definitively, her frown only deepening. "I don't want you anywhere near this, Riley. We don't know what this person is capable of yet and I can't risk your safety."

"But I can find them, Matty! Just let me do this. This is my problem anyway, they're after me."

Matty's frown shifts into a deep scowl and Riley notices the way Mac's eyes look at her in disappointment. "This is not just your problem, Riley. An attack on one of us is an attack on all of us, you know this. We have your back until the end, and I will do my utmost best to protect you, but you have to cooperate with me. Please, Riley."

Riley hears the sincerity in Matty's words clear as day, and as much as she wants to say fuck it and start her own search party, she knows Matty only has her best interest at heart. After everything she's done for her, for the entire team, Riley owes it to her to trust her implicitly.

"Okay," Riley concedes. "Can I ask what the threat said?"

Mac's breath hitches, even though he tries to play it off as a cough. Riley's heart drops in her chest.

"That's strictly need to know," Matty bristles, "And you don't need to know."

Riley wants to roll her eyes and sneer that it's a threat about her, of fucking course she has a right to know, but she holds her tongue instead.

"Let's talk next steps," Matty easily switches into business mode. "We'll need to set you up in protective custody. I've arranged for a safe house, and I'll have one of our agents escort you and stay with you."

Now it's Riley's turn to frown. "Stay? For how long?"

"Until necessary. I will not risk you out in the open until we've settled this."

Mac, on the other hand, is more bothered by the fact that her protection depends on the competency of their agents. Nothing against Phoenix agents, he would trust them with his life, but this is Riley. He doesn't trust anyone, except maybe himself.

Luckily, Riley feels the same way.

"You're sending a Phoenix agent?" She asks in distaste. "Haven't you seen any movies? They always end up dead when the bad guy shows up and then they kidnap the target!"

Matty looks about ready to respond, eyes narrowed in annoyance, when Mac interrupts. "Matty, she's kind of right."

"What do you suggest then?"

"Send me in with her," Mac replies, a second before she even finishes speaking. The suggestion has been on the tip of his tongue since she mentioned a safe house. He's never usually the one to toot his own horn, but he knew what he was capable of, and he knew he was the best option to protect Riley (and keep her sane). "You know I have a special affinity for surviving unsurvivable situations. And I love — we love Riley. If anything ever happened, you know just as well as I do, we'd never forgive ourselves."

Matty scrutinizes him with her eyes; she can look so intimidating when she wants to, but Mac holds his ground. "Alright, Blondie. You're up. Until you get a new mission."

Mac pointedly avoids Riley's gaze after his almost slip-up. Of course he loves her, he's loved her for years. But now that he knows, with 100% certainty, that he's in love with her, casually saying I love you isn't the same. Not when she doesn't know the truth.

"I have some conditions, though," Matty interjects before they can get too comfortable with the decision. "No outside contact, no visitors, no heroics — I swear to God, if you guys break out of that house and hunt this threat yourselves, that will be the last of your worries when I come after you." Riley opens her mouth to ask a question, but Matty is already ahead of the game. "And yes, you will have internet access, but Mac, you'll be monitoring all of Riley's online activities."

Riley's eyes narrow. "Why?"

"Because I know you and I know you'll want to find this person yourself and I've already said no." Her gaze flickers between the two agents. "Is that agreed? Are we clear?"

"Yes, ma'am," Mac replies with a hint of a smirk.

Riley concedes with a nod as well, and Matty smiles in satisfaction. "Alright, Riley pack a bag. I'll get an agent to drive you both over, and he can stop by your place Mac so you can pack a bag too. I'll be putting an undercover out on the street just in case."

Just in case this psycho who is after me comes to brutally murder us, Riley thinks, letting out a dry chuckle at her own thoughts. It might sound morbid, but it happens in every movie and let's be honest, their team has the worst fucking luck on the entire planet. How many times has Mac been personally targeted?

Riley excuses herself to her room to pack up a bag, asking for a bit of privacy from the techs processing her bedroom as well. She just needs a little peace and quiet. She grabs one of her go-bags and starts stuffing it with clothing, mostly sweaters, t-shirts, sweatpants and leggings. The key is comfort clothes since she's going to be trapped in a house for God knows how long.

That gets her thinking: how long will that be?

She can't be trapped in a house for an insurmountable period of time. Even with Mac, she'll go absolutely crazy.

She won't be able to visit her mom; she’ll barely even be able to speak to her. She won't be able to complete her usual routine: no more runs in the late morning, not even gathering around Mac's stupid fireplace with the team. The realization that Riley won't be able to visit Jack's grave hits her harder than any thought she's had in the last hour.

Her fingers are trembling as she gathers her products from the bathroom.

She can feel herself starting to panic and she isn't sure how to stop it. Her entire world has just been turned upside down in a matter of minutes; she hasn't even processed it yet, and she's definitely not okay with it.

When Mac suddenly barges into her bathroom, she flinches and shoves her trembling hands down to her sides but he's perceptive as hell. He notices.

"Riles, it's okay to not be okay," he says, leaning on the doorframe. Every bone in his body is telling him to wrap her up in a comforting hug, but his years of Riley experience know she needs space. "Everything is happening really fast, and it's a lot."

Riley doesn't want to speak, for fear that her voice will break, and she'll cry. She doesn't want to cry; she doesn't want them to have that power over her. Instead, she grabs the rest of her essentials in a haste, shoves them in her bag and squeezes past Mac without so much as a glance in his direction. He frowns, but she ignores it.

When she goes to leave the room, Mac beats her to the door and blocks her exit. "Don't push me away," is all he says.

"I'm not."

He raises an eyebrow. "Riley, it's me. I'm here for you. Through anything, you know that."

Riley knows she isn't the best at expressing herself vocally, and he's right, sometimes she does push people away. It's a defence mechanism that she'll probably have for life. She appreciates him and his unconditional support more than he'll ever know, so she latches onto his wrist and squeezes gently.

Mac gazes at her softly. "Come on," he murmurs quietly, reaching for her go-bag like the gentleman he is.

The drive over to Mac's house is decently quiet. Riley sits in the backseat with Mac at her side; she knows he's staring at her, but she continues to look out the window. She understands he's just being cautious, and he's worried about her, but she's fine (at least, that's what she keeps telling herself). Mac is in and out of his house within ten minutes, complete with his own go-bag, and then they're off to their new place of residence.

Riley wonders about Bozer and what he'd think. She thinks she'll miss him most of all. Hanging out in his lab, grabbing brunch, she'll miss it. Riley's mind automatically wanders to Desi and what she would think of Mac volunteering himself and his time indefinitely. She's perfectly aware they broke up because of their trust and communication issues, and it didn't have anything to do with the fact that her feelings for Mac were exposed when she least expected them to be, but it still makes Riley feel on edge.

When they arrive at the safe house, Riley's surprise is minimal. It looks like the perfect family house in the suburbs, as classic as they come. It honestly looks like a house Riley can see herself owning one day.

The agent who accompanied them clears the house before they enter because in this line of work, you can never be too cautious. The inside of the house looks relatively basic, like something you would see in a real estate catalogue. There’s a simple living room, kitchen and a few more doors down the hall.

Riley checks her watch. 4:37 a.m.

"Go on," Mac tells her, nodding towards the hallway. "Choose a bedroom and get some sleep. I'm going to make some coffee."

Riley almost doesn't question his statement because she's so desperate for sleep, but she quickly cocks her head in his direction with a questioning expression. "Coffee? For what? It's four-thirty in the morning."

The way he looks away with a quirk of his lips answers her question for her.

"You are not staying up all night."

"You can never be too cautious," he replies, marching off to the kitchen. He leaves her standing in the living room, spluttering for a proper answer.

Mac should know her better by now.

"No," Riley demands, following him into the kitchen. "No. You've already given up part of your life just to be here with me. I'm not letting you sacrifice your sleep too. Mac, you're exhausted!"

He wants to shout at her that she is his life, but he holds his tongue.

Mac simply ignores her, rummaging through the cabinets for some coffee grinds.

Riley lets out a frustrated growl and he smiles, back still facing her.

"What about a compromise?"

Mac peeks over his shoulder. "I'm listening."

"Just stay with me. In my room." Mac barely catches the container of coffee grinds as it slips out of his fingers. "You can get some sleep and if anything does happen, you'll be right there. Does that sound okay?"

Mac finally concedes, turning to face her with tired eyes. "Yeah, it does."

"Good," Riley snaps, turning on her heels, "Because I'm fucking exhausted and that bed is calling for me."

Mac trails behind, chuckling. He follows her into what he assumes to be the master bedroom. It's complete with a queen-sized bed, his and her closets and a large ensuite bathroom. There's a thought that assaults his mind, hoping that one day, he can share this with Riley for real. He shakes it out of his head, and instead heads for the closets to look for extra pillows and blankets.

When he lays the first blanket on the hardwood floors, Riley lets out a frustrated groan. "Mac, why are you being such a pain today?" He stares at her blankly. "Get your ass in this bed. What are we — twelve?"

Smirking, he makes his way to the opposite side she isn't occupying. He watches as she crawls in, still in her mission outfit. "You don't want to change into something more comfortable?" He is at least in sweats, and it can’t get much more comfortable than that.

"Dude," Riley mumbles in between her contact with the soft pillow. "I cannot be bothered right now."

Mac chuckles, slipping back out to turn off the lights. Truthfully, he has no intention of falling asleep, and that would have been much easier if he had his coffee and wasn't laying in a really comfortable bed. As if Riley can hear his thoughts clear as day, she flips over to face him with a huff. There's a decent amount of space between them, but she pulls herself closer.

"I know what you're doing," she mumbles, already half asleep, "And I love you for it. But I swear to god Mac, get some sleep. Please. You won't be any good to me when you're sleep-deprived as hell."

His heart jumps in chest at her words, but he pointedly ignores it. Instead, he slides further down in the bed, turning to face her. "I can't."

He can't because if anything were to happen to her because he fell asleep, he'd never forgive himself.

"Yes, you can," she sighs quietly. She slides across the bed so she can swing an arm across his waist and tangle their legs together. The force of the movement knocks him on his back and her head immediately finds a place on his chest. Mac's breathing completely stops and for a moment, he has absolutely no idea what to do with his hands. "Just follow me. Listen to my breathing."

Mac's arm that is awkwardly trapped underneath her weight slips through and he gingerly wraps it across her back. His other hand meets hers that's resting on his chest, and he wills his breathing to relax. He has no doubt in his mind that she can hear his accelerated heart rate, so he follows her instruction and focuses on her breathing. It doesn't take long before they're in sync and he immediately hears when she falls asleep. He fights it as much as he can, but the mission took a lot out of him, and then worrying about Riley all night just absolutely wrecked him.

Mac is out before he even realizes.

Mac and Riley have many things in common.

Their media content intake is relatively similar; it's never hard to pick a show to binge or movies to include in a marathon. They both attend pizza and skeeball (no matter how terrible Mac is at it), and though that started to honour Jack's memory, it quickly became their thing. They'd developed an unspoken connection when out in the field; sometimes Mac just needed to look at Riley and she knew exactly what he needed. Their level of trust is unmatched; they trust each other implicitly, so much so that Riley turned her back on the Phoenix, just because Mac did.

However, their similarities had to end at some point.

Mac has always been a morning person. With such a complex job, sometimes the mornings are all he has to get his stuff done. Plus, he enjoys getting out for a run and he likes to do it early, when the streets are relatively empty.

Riley is the complete opposite. Morning? She doesn't know her.

Riley loves to sleep in and relax and after living with Mac for months, she'd gotten used to his annoying morning attitude, but never to his ability to wake her up with loud machinery. She's thought of murder more than once, and she's positive it'll happen many more times in the future.

Today is not one of those days.

Both had been so exhausted last night, and Mac's body fought it off for so long that once he fell asleep, he didn't wake up until he felt Riley stir next to him. And if she's waking up, he knows it has to be much later than his usual.

Riley rolls over, shoving her face into the pillow. Her arm stretches out automatically and when it connects to something soft, she hears a groan. Peaking an eye open, she spots her hand against Mac's cheek, his face scrunched in pain. She can't help but let out a hoarse giggle.

"S'not funny," he grumbles and Lord, Riley cannot explain the tingles that shoot straight through her at his morning voice.

Desperate for a distraction since she's now somehow burning up, she cracks smirk and says, "One night down. We're still alive, and I'd call that a success."

Mac's glare burns holes into her amused expression, and he grabs her wrist to move her hand off his face. He shifts so he's face to face. "That's definitely not funny."

His voice, coupled with his messy hair and sleepy eyes is a little too much for Riley to handle. She fears if she stays in that position any longer, she'll do something stupid, like kiss him and she really can't handle that right now. Instead, she rolls over, easily sliding out of the bed. “I’m going to hop in the shower,” she says as she grabs her go-bag from the corner of the room.

Mac sits up in the bed, rubbing at the back of his head and messing up his hair even more. He looks so adorable. “Yeah, okay. I’ll go make some coffee. Maybe see what’s in the cupboards for breakfast?”

“Sure, sounds good!”

Riley closes the door behind her and lets out a huff. If sleepy, messy-haired Mac is going to be a regular thing, she isn’t sure she’ll survive the week. Her situation with Mac is complicated. She has told herself time and time again that her feelings don't matter and given the opportunity, they'll just complicate everything even further. Generally, she's pretty good at handling herself. In missions, they often split up and there's always buffers to keep her sane; usually, their minds are preoccupied with another pressing matter that keeps them quite busy.

But now, in such proximity with him, she's definitely going to have her work cut out for her.

A shower is exactly what she needs. She's finally able to wash away the remnants of the mission and momentarily forget about the horror that is her life right now. She tries not to dwell on it too much, or it'll only make her sad. And she can't handle anymore sadness.

Riley changes into far more comfortable clothes; a pair of leggings and an old university sweater she stole off someone (because let's be honest, post-secondary wasn't really her thing). She doesn't bother with her usual eye make-up and mascara because it's only Mac, and she has a sneaking suspicion she won't be going anywhere public anytime soon.

Her body starts to crave the coffee Mac made as soon as she sniffs it out. It isn't exactly an unfamiliar setting to see Mac huddled over the stove as he makes pancakes; she's seen it many times when they lived together. But it is weird to see it in this house; a house Riley can totally picture herself in the future with a family.

Thinking about Mac as her future makes her heart skip a beat.

Riley ignores it of course, because there's no room for feelings when she's possibly being hunted down by a psychopath. She instead goes right for the mug of coffee with cream and sugar, just how she likes it. Mac personally teases her every time, stating that she's ruining the authenticity of true coffee; Riley merely flips him off every time and continues on drinking.

"Shower's free," she mentions between sips.

Riley peeks around Mac's shoulders. In any other situation, she would be gently edging him out of the kitchen because the boy genius is truly a gourmet disaster in the kitchen. But the one thing he can actually cook is breakfast. She reaches around him and steals one of the finished pancakes; he turns back with an affronted expression.

Mac's expression quickly drops when he catches sight of her sweatshirt. It's replaced with a smirk.

"Didn't know you went to MIT," he teases, turning back to flip his last pancake.

Riley looks down, spotting the bright MIT letters splayed proudly across her chest. Sure, she sometimes got a hold of his clothes when they lived together, but she never thought she actually took something with her.

"Didn't you know?" Riley shoots back, hopping up onto the counter beside him. "I think we graduated in the same year — oh wait, didn't you drop out?"

Mac rolls his eyes, turning off the stove before motioning at her with the spatula. "Ha ha, when did you become so funny?"

"I'm hilarious and I'm offended you're only just noticing."

Maybe he senses that he needs a leg up if he's going to keep up with Riley's snarky mouth or maybe he's just trying to fluster her because he knows he can. Either way, Riley can't exactly explain why she starts choking on her pancake when Mac reaches towards the back of his neck and pulls off his shirt.

She waves him off when he steps forward to see if she's okay; any closer and she might just combust. He retreats back to their room to take a shower and Riley shoves a few more pancakes into her mouth to distract her overactive mind. It doesn't help, but it's something. It's barely even noon and she's already bored.

Mac comes back after a few minutes, wet-haired and fully clothed. When Riley lightly suggests that maybe they can go for a run, he shuts her down immediately.

"Not a chance," Mac scoffs. "You're under protective custody. You know what that entails."

Riley groans, flopping down on one of the couches. "You can protect me just the same. Only outside."

"Right, because I can totally protect you from a sniper." Riley frowns at his reply. "It only takes a second and you know this. Don't make this even harder."

"But I'm bored!" Riley huffs, instantly recoiling at how whiny she sounds. She knows Mac isn't happy about this either and he would much rather be outside, but here he is, making a sacrifice for her. Maybe she should make this easier on him. "Sorry," she mumbles, curling up on her side of the couch.

Mac drops down next to her, his hand immediately finding her calf so he can rub a soothing pattern against it. "Why don't we binge something new? You love doing that."

It doesn't bring her the same kind of pleasure knowing that she really has no other choice, but it's a choice none the same.

"Something light," Riley agrees and Mac sets off to work finding a show suitable for them to binge. Normally, she would be all for any type of action, but she thinks it might hit too close to home this time.

"What about this?" Mac asks, motioning with his head. "Bozer keeps telling me to watch it, says it's really good."

Riley sits up properly and reads the screen. New Girl. She'd heard a bit about before, mostly from Bozer. Seems light and comedic enough. Mac starts the show, and they watch in silence. Right off the bat, Riley enjoys Jess's personality, and in some weird way, she kind of reminds her of Bozer. The guys are intriguing enough, and Riley soon finds herself decently invested.

By the time they get to the end of the first episode, she turns to Mac, who's wearing a smirk. "What are you smirking about?" Riley asks in confusion, nudging him on the arm.

"Wasn't that super obvious to you?" He asks, to which Riley only stares at him blankly. "Nick and Jess. They're obviously going to get together."

Riley furrows her brows. She'd spotted a connection, but definitely thought it was far too early to tell anything definitive. "What? It's way too early to tell."

"Riles, it's so obvious! He literally just dropped everything to make sure she was okay," Mac explains, incredulous eyes not believing Riley didn't see it. "He even embarrassed himself at the restaurant in front of a bunch of strangers. Any guy who does all that for a girl, he's definitely got a thing for her."

Riley considers it for a moment. She can't say she's ever had a similar experience. Maybe in the beginning with Billy, but she hardly even counts that; Riley has no idea how long he'd been cheating on her, she doesn't know how much of their relationship was a lie. Maybe she had that with Aubrey. They were really good together, but it was impossible with her lifestyle. She regrets ever getting involved with him in the first place; if she could go back and never complicate his life the way she did, she definitely would.

"I guess I wouldn't know," Riley remarks without even thinking.

Mac frowns so deeply, Riley's brows furrow in confusion. "That's not entirely true."

At his vague comment, Riley scoffs. "What? You know something I don't?"

"No, I —" Mac sighs in frustration. God, he's so in love with her and he doesn't even know how to tell her. If it wasn't for the stupid door they decided to close, he would've pulled her into an unsuspecting kiss ages ago. "Next episode."

Riley doesn't push him any further, especially when the frown becomes permanently etched on his face as the episodes go by. As much as she doesn't want to admit that Mac is right, he definitely is. Nick and Jess clearly have something happening between them and it's still early, but she can only imagine the journey they have ahead of each other.

She doesn't want to think about it, but she thinks about her own relationship with Mac. For the longest time, it was completely platonic, but she has always felt a connection with him. Maybe it's how trusting he is, or how caring, but she's never not trusted him. Ever. She's never had this connection with anyone else, and it scares her. Her inability to tell him how she feels doesn't help matters either.

Riley isn't blind. She knows he has to feel something. He wouldn't be here if he didn't. But maybe he's just as scared at she is, because neither have made a move up to date.

She felt the change after he broke up with Desi. Riley never once suspected that it was because of her; they had issues long before her feelings were made public. But afterwards, there was something about the way Mac moved around her. He seemed extra cautious, as if the idea of losing Riley was completely unbearable, even more than it was before. She caught the way he looked at her sometimes, especially when he thought no one else was looking; it was the way she looked at him. He made more efforts to spend time together. Riley liked to have her space and alone time, and since moving out of Mac's house, her apartment had been her sanctuary to do that. He tried to get them out more, even if it was just for skeeball and pizza.

Now more than ever it feels like they are in a constant state of will they/won't they.

It infuriates Riley to no end, but she doesn't have much of a leg to stand on when she refuses to make the first move.

She's so lost in her thoughts that she barely notices when she falls asleep.

Riley is surprised to see the darkness seeping in from outside when she finally wakes up.

There's a blanket covering her body, and she's fully lying on the couch with Mac nowhere to be seen. The TV is off and it's quiet, far too quiet.

Riley immediately reaches for her phone, but there's nothing from Mac. There are a few messages from Bozer and Desi, checking in with them, but Riley mentally promises to reply later. She checks in the kitchen, and he isn't there; she even checks their room and the bathroom, but there's no sign of him.

The familiar panic she's felt so much within the past twenty-four hours starts clawing its way back up her throat.

When the front door opens, Riley immediately goes into flight mode, only to pause in relief when she notices it's Mac.

The smile on his face quickly falls and he rushes over to her. "Shit, I'm sorry. I was hoping you would still be sleeping. I'm sorry if I scared you."

Riley scowls, because that's the easiest way to play off the genuine fear she was feeling. "Don't do that again."

"Sorry," he offers her a half-smile. "I was just asking them to bring us some food. I'm not cooking, and you don't want me to."

It takes a moment, but Riley slowly relaxes. She relaxes enough that her mind automatically goes back to her train of thought from earlier. It's hard not to, when she can hardly take her eyes off Mac. They're back on the couch, Mac switching through the channels to see if something interesting is on while they wait for their food.

But Riley can't stop looking at him.

Mac eventually notices, shooting her a nervous smile. "What?"

Her mind keeps flipping back to his words from earlier.

That's not entirely true.

There has to be more to it.

"What did you mean earlier?"

Mac hums in confusion, glancing at her quickly. "What?"

"When you said, 'that's not entirely true.' What did you mean?" Riley asks. She watches as Mac's hold on the remote tightens and his jaw clenches.

"Nothing, Riles," he replies without looking at her. "Just that you've been in relationships before. I'm sure you've experienced it."

Riley bites her lip, pulling her sweater to cover her hands in a weird sense of shyness. "No. Not like that."

There's an odd sense of anger flooding Mac's chest. Not so much at the fact that she doesn't think she's ever experienced it, but that she doesn't realize he was referring to himself all along.

Mac would do anything for Riley, and it's not just because they're teammates and best friends.

He's irresistibly and irrevocably in love with Riley Davis and it kills him every day that she has no idea.

"But I don't think that's what you meant."

Or so he thought.

At Riley's words, he nearly drops the remote in his hand. Maybe she saw through him more than she let on.

He turns to her, on the verge of breaking and confessing everything. "Riles, please."

"What do you see when you look at me?" Riley asks instead. She knows she's treading on dangerous waters; she knows that. But she's way past the point of caring.

Mac runs a hand over his face, clenching his jaw at her words. He's not sure if she knows exactly what she's doing to him, but she's absolutely wrecking him with only a few words. "I see the smartest woman I've ever met. One of the most important people in my life. My best friend. But also, so much more than that."

"Why did you volunteer yourself to stay with me?" Riley questions softly. She isn't sure where this surge of confidence is coming from, but she's taking full advantage while she still has it.

He wants to reply with: you know why, but it’s time he uses his words to make his intentions abundantly clear.

Mac's eyes immediately soften, and he hesitantly reaches over for her hand. "Because I can't lose you. I've lost a lot of people in my life, but if I lost you, I — I don't know what I'd do, Riley."

Riley's pulse is out of control at this point.

"Do you think we made the right decision? Keeping that door closed?"

Mac's breath hitches and Riley audibly hears it. Her eyes are wide and pleading, desperate for his answer; desperate for it to be the same as hers. His blue eyes search her face, landing on her lips for a second too long.

"No. If I could go back and change that conversation, I would in a heartbeat."

Riley's heart stops. It's exactly what she wants to hear, yet she can't make her limbs move.

But Mac knows her best; he knows what she wants.

His hand makes it way to her jaw in the softest motion, and her eyes narrow on his lips as they keep moving closer, and closer and closer...

A loud noise pulls them apart, heads whipping around to the front door. Immediately, Riley's blood turns ice cold, and Mac jumps to his feet on full alert.

"Mac, was that a gunshot?"

He doesn't reply but she already knows the answer. He creeps up to the front door to take a peek and curses when he spots their undercover agent slumped against the door of his car.

Riley gasps next to his ear and he immediately pulls her away from the door with an arm looped around her waist. "Riley! You have to stay back!"

"He's dead!" Riley bellows, eyes quickly welling up with tears. "He's dead because of me!"

Mac doesn't have time to argue or correct her. Something is wrong and they aren't safe anymore. He takes another look out the front door but doesn't spot anyone else. He does, however, notice their bag of food has been deposited on the front step. It takes him a moment longer than it should to hear the suspicious beeping and another moment to spot the blinking red light.

"It's a bomb," he mumbles, dumbfounded. He immediately grabs Riley and sprints towards the bedrooms in the far back.

They only get so far.

The explosion is loud. No matter how many explosions Riley's experienced, it never fails to amaze her every single time (maybe amaze isn't the best word). Her body goes flying with the impact and collides with the far wall. She hits her bad shoulder, and a scream erupts from her lungs. Riley barely even hears it; her ears are ringing, eyes squeezed tightly in pain, but she still reaches out for Mac with her good arm. She thinks she's calling out for him, but she honestly can't hear anything for a few seconds.

"Riley," Mac mutters from somewhere to her right. He'd been thrown a tad bit further and missed the wall entirely, but the scream Riley let out was loud enough to tear through the ringing in his ears. "Riley!" Mac immediately crawls to her, noting her bleeding scalp.

He knows they can't stay. The bomb is a smart method to get in the door and cause as much damage as possible, but the worst is still to come. Riley is still conscious, so he quickly wraps an arm around her waist to haul her up with him.

They make it to the kitchen, where Mac makes a quick pit stop to create something strong enough that can hold back their attacker. Long enough that they can hot wire a car and get the hell out of there. He rummages beneath the kitchen sink, fingers moving faster than they ever have before.

Riley is heaving. Her shoulder is radiating in pain and her head feels like a building has been dropped on it. Maybe that's a little too on the nose. She knows her head is bleeding but she can barely care.

When they hear the first shot ring out, Mac throws his concoction into the living room and pulls Riley out the backdoor to avoid the eruption.

The next few minutes happen in a blur, almost like slow motion. Riley is sure it's just shock; she's used to working under pressure, especially with people shooting at her. But this feels different. It's personal, and it's affected her instincts in such a way that Mac pulls her along the majority of the way until they reach a car. He shoves her into it, pulling out his pocketknife to cut the wires. The car roars to life and Mac floors it, just as their back window is shattered with another bullet.

Mac waits until they're a few streets away to say anything. "Are you okay?" When she doesn't respond, he turns to her with panic-filled eyes. "Riley, listen to me. Are you okay?"

"No, I'm not fucking okay! What the hell was that?"

Mac lets out a shaky breath. That's a question he can't really answer.

He pulls out his phone and dials Matty's number. He spots Riley's breathing increase and suspects she's on the verge of a full-blown panic attack. He puts the phone on speaker, throws it into the cup holder and grasps Riley's hand tightly. She lets out a small whimper but squeezes back as if her life depends on it.

"Mac, is everything okay?"

"Define okay," he lets out a short chuckle, but it's really not the time. "Send agents to the safe house right now. He might still be there."

They listen as she barks a few orders at someone before returning to the call. "Mac, are you and Riley okay?"

"Yeah, mostly," Mac replies. "Riley needs medical attention, and I'm sorry but the undercover — he's dead."

Matty sighs over the line. "Get to the Phoenix immediately. I'll have medical on standby."

"Why does this person want me dead?" Riley asks as soon as Matty's off the line. "What the was threat? I know you know."

Mac glances at her quickly. "It's not important Riley, trust me." His eyes focus on her head wound and he frowns. He reaches over and roots through the glove compartment until he pulls out a relatively clean-looking rag. "Here, press this to your wound. You need to stop the bleeding."

Riley doesn't have the energy to argue with him now, so she follows his instructions with minimal difficulty. Clearly this threat is a bigger deal than everyone was expecting because locating a safe house is no easy feat, and this person somehow managed to do that.

When they get to the Phoenix, she's immediately taken down to the medical bay. Mac makes a move to go with her, but Matty demands to speak to him immediately. He lets her go unwillingly but promises to meet down there as soon as he can.

Riley's head wound ends up looking worse than it actually is. Once the blood is cleaned up, a bandage is placed over it to stop the rest of the blood flow. Riley's shoulder is a lost cause. It was already bruised from their mission; now it's just a horrifying sight.

Their medical team tries to help her pull off her sweater but moving her shoulder at all only causes excruciating pain, to the point where unwilling tears are streaming down her cheeks. They end up cutting it off. She feels an odd sense of hurt at the sight of the cut-up sweater, even though it isn't even hers, but mostly she feels overwhelming guilt. She hates that she dragged Mac into this, that an undercover agent was killed because of her.

Riley tries to keep the tears at bay, but she isn't crying because of the pain anymore.

Mac rushes in through the door a mere ten minutes later, a thin layer of sweat on his forehead. Riley momentarily wonders if he took the stairs instead of waiting for the elevator. His eyes drop to her shoulder and his breath catches in his throat. She feels like she should feel a bit self-conscious at Mac seeing her in only her bra, but she isn’t. Her trust for Mac exceeds limitations; his gaze actually makes her feel safer. He tries to be subtle about it, but Riley can easily read his eyes. Her shoulder is bruised beyond belief and any movement of her arm is absolutely impossible at the moment.

"Riles, I'm so sorry," he rasps, reaching for her hand. "I should've moved faster — should've been more alert. I'm sorry."

Riley uses her good arm to reach his cheek comfortingly. "Mac, you're the reason we got out. You saved us."

"It doesn't feel like it."

His eyes drop to his sweater at her side. "I'm sorry," Riley apologizes, a new wave of tears welling in her eyes. "Your sweater is ruined because of me."

"It's okay," he murmurs, squeezing her hand tighter as he tries to wipe away her tears. They keep falling.

"It's not okay," she blubbers, as the medical team places a large ice pad over her shoulder. Riley hisses in pain. "None of this is okay! Someone is dead because of me! Nothing is okay."

Mac's frown is permanently etched on his face at this point. "Can you guys give us a second, please?" He directs his question to the medical team, and they easily file out of the room. "Riles, that wasn't you. I know it's hard to understand, and it's a bit hypocritical of me, to be honest, but that agent's death is not on you. You didn't pull the trigger. It's not your fault, Riles."

Riley doesn't believe him, and she's not sure she ever will, but she nods her head anyway. The ice on her shoulder does nothing to ease the pain, but later, the medical team gives her a dose of pain killers and Riley feels like she can breathe again.

Eventually, Mac leaves again to find a t-shirt from his locker. With the pain meds kicking in, he's able to slip the shirt over Riley's frame. He knows the team will be arriving shortly, and they don't all need to see Riley's bruised and battered body. He helps her get all the way up to the war room, to where the couches are calling her name.

Mac has to stop Bozer from attacking Riley with a hug, and he quickly realizes why. He helps Mac settle her into a couch. Her eyes are already lidded, the pain meds kicking in at full effect.

"What the hell happened?" Desi asks, gaze locked on Riley. The bandage at the top of her head is slightly tinged red, and there's a large bulge on her shoulder, where the ice pack is located.

Mac sighs, dropping down beside her in exhaustion. He wants to go to sleep and not wake up for five days.

"We were ambushed. He put a bomb at the door; we're lucky we even made it out at all."

Matty chooses that moment to saunter in, her facial features unreadable as usual. "Your guy wasn't at the safe house by the time our agents got there." Mac frowned in response. "But they picked him up only a few streets away. We were able to follow him using street cams."

"It's over?" Mac asks, instantly perking up.

"It's over," Matty echoes, her gaze falling to Riley. "How is she?"

Mac follows her eyes too. "A hell of a fighter," he murmurs softly. "She'll be glad to hear the news when she wakes up. Can we — can I stay here with her until she wakes up? I don't want to move her."

"And you shouldn't," Matty concedes, tapping the windows so they frosted over. "It's getting late anyway. Stay as long as you need to. The rest of you, out. They need their rest."

Bozer saluted Matty, patting Mac on the shoulder and placing a soft kiss on Riley's forehead before leaving the room. "Let me know if you two need anything," Desi whispers, her eyes drilling knowing holes into Mac's. "By the way, if you don't tell her how you feel after this, you're an actual idiot."

Mac snorts out a laugh as she closes the door behind her. His eyes fall to the brunette next to him. She's leaning on her good shoulder, head positioned against the back of the couch. She looks comfortable, and she's sleeping soundly. Mac is finally able to relax.

He's suddenly reminded of the events before this entire ordeal started.

He nearly kissed her. He almost kissed Riley.

There was no true acknowledgement of feelings, but Riley had to be asking those questions for a reason. Mac was through waiting though. He nearly lost her today, and he refuses to be put in another similar situation unless she knows exactly how he feels about her.

They've waited long enough.

With relaxation comes exhaustion, and while daydreaming of all the perfect ways to tell Riley he's in love with her, he slowly dozes off.

When Mac wakes up a few hours later, he startles himself awake, suddenly remembering the horrors of only a few hours ago. His thoughts immediately drift to Riley and his head snaps around in her direction. He's surprised to see her wide awake, watching him with soft eyes.

"Oh, you're awake," Mac comments, stretching his limbs. "You should've woken me."

Riley shakes her head. "No. You deserved some rest."

Her bare tone causes his lips to dip in a frown. "How are you feeling?"

Riley's expression twists into a surprising smile, but it doesn’t reach her eyes. "Don't ask me that; you don't want to know."

"I do have some good news though," Mac grins, "They caught him using some street cams. He won't be a problem anymore."

It feels as if a large weight has lifted itself off Riley's chest. She can finally breathe again. The trauma is still fresh, and it'll take some time, but she can start to heal now.

Riley also knows she wants more information. Someone just tried to kill her and everyone refused to tell her why; that isn't okay with Riley, and it definitely won't help with healing from the trauma. She knows she'll find out eventually; not now, but Riley knows she can wear Mac down and he'll eventually tell her everything she wants to know.

"I don't want to go home though," Riley frowns, picturing her tossed living room. It isn't home anymore.

"You can move back in with me!" Mac replies instantaneously. His happiness at the idea is much too obvious, and if Riley didn't know any better, she would guess he's been waiting for her to move back in since the moment she moved out in the first place.

Riley takes a moment and looks him directly in the eye. He's eager, but Riley cuts his excitement short with a tilt of her head. "No."

"No?" He echoes in confusion.

"Well, maybe," Riley explains, lips growing into a grin. "Listen, I'll move back in with you, but there's something you have to know before I do."

The panic that sets in Mac's chest lets him know exactly what she plans on telling him. For some reason, he can't let her do so before he has his opportunity.

"Wait," Mac interrupts, cutting her off with a hand on her knee. "Let me go first. Listen, I nearly lost you today and that sucked. I’ve already known what I felt for a really long time, I just never knew how to tell you, or if I even should.”

Riley’s hazel eyes are wide, jaw popped open in surprise. She seems to snap out of it fast enough to interrupt him.

“No — wait!” She cuts him off, stopping him with a hand on his arm. “This is all my fault. I’m the one who decided to keep the door closed, even though I knew my feeling for you weren’t going away anytime soon.”

Mac’s eye twitches at her interruption. Here he is, trying to make a romantic gesture, yet Riley is unwilling to relent. It makes him laugh. “Riley, please shut up, I’m trying to be romantic and confess my feelings here.”

“I’m trying to be romantic and confess my feelings!” Riley shoots back, narrowing her eyes before her lips break and she joins him in a laugh.

Well, Riley might be competitive, but she’s got nothing on Mac. He easily beats her to it.

“Riles, I love you.”

Riley’s grip on his arm tightens as she fails to hold back a smile. She nearly forgets the pain pulsating through her shoulder in the bliss of the moment.

“Ever since I found out you had feelings for me, it never left my mind. I never realized you were an option, that you even thought of me in that way, until that moment. And after that, I couldn’t look at you the same.” Mac’s voice is soft as he spills his guts, very much overdue. “I knew I loved you, you’re my best friend, I would do anything for you. But then I realized, I didn’t just love you, I was in love with you.”

Riley’s eyes are shining with tears again. She doesn’t identify herself as a very emotional personal, but she’s already cried so much lately, why not add this to it too? She starts to lean forward, wincing at the pain radiating from her shoulder. “You love me?” She asks quietly. Even though she knows the answer, she wants to hear it again.

She wants to hear it for as long as she lives.

“Yeah,” Mac chuckles, “I really do.”

“You’re the best man I’ve ever known, have I told you that?” Riley asks, fingers moving to intertwine with his. “I love you, Mac. I knew, from the moment I met you, you’d be important in my life. But I never guessed like this.”

Mac's eyes are soft, staring at her with such adoration and she's so eternally grateful for his existence.

"I know we almost died today, but at least there was a silver lining," Mac admits, allowing the corner of his lip to pull up into a small smirk. "And I say that fully knowing it's far too soon."

"What's a day where we don't almost die?"

Mac laughs, hand moving to cradle her cheek. “That’s true, it’s an incredibly exciting life.”

He’s growing desperate to kiss her; he’s waited far too long, and he doesn’t want to wait anymore. Riley’s eyes drop to his lips, almost as if reading his mind. She meets him halfway, angling her head before he gently presses his lips against hers.

It’s only for a quick, nearly non-existent second because the door to the war room opens and they automatically spring apart.

Riley hisses as a sharp pain shoots through her shoulder, but really, it’s nothing compared to the world of pain whoever interrupted them is about to be in.

It’s Matty, and Riley can’t exactly murder her boss, so she slumps back in her seat, frowning instead. Mac meets her eyes with a knowing smirk. It won’t be long before they’ll be back at Mac’s house, completely alone with no interruptions.

Riley matches Mac’s smirk.

“How are you two doing this morning?” Matty asks, absolutely taking notice of their body language towards each other but choosing not to address it.

Mac glances at Riley, waiting for her answer. “Like my body is rejecting an organ,” she replies, “But happy this is all behind us now.”

“Me too,” Matty agrees, shooting them a soft smile. “I’m ordering you two to take some time off, starting now. Riley, you can’t go home yet, but I don’t think that’ll be a problem.”

At Matty's blatant snide, Mac offers a sheepish grin and Riley visibly avoids eye contact.

Mac pulls himself off the couch and offers a hand to Riley. He wraps an arm around her waist to help alleviate some pain. “Thanks, Matty, we appreciate everything.”

“Yeah, thank you, Matty. Sorry for being such a pain,” Riley grimaces.

“Nothing I can’t handle,” Matty smirks, watching them hobble out the door. “Get some rest! And congratulations, I guess? It's about time.”

When Mac turns back with a questioning expression, Matty can only smile fondly.

“She knows, right?” Riley asks quietly as they wait for the elevator.

“Oh, she definitely knows,” Mac agrees, pressing a kiss to her temple.

Riley pulls back to look up at him. “And are we okay with that?”

“You kidding?” Mac snorts, but his blue eyes are soft. “Of course. We’ve waited so long; I don’t care who knows it.”

The elevator finally arrives, and they hobble in, pressing the ground floor button.

Riley sets her head on Mac’s shoulder.

“I love you, Mac.”

“I love you too, Riles.”