Disclaimer: Just playing with them ~shifty~

Notes: So I was talking with a fellow Mac/Stella fan (thanks luffy!) and I got this idea. Like always, enjoy.

Pythagorean Theorem

It's a simple equation. Pythagoras, a Greek philosopher of the Pre-Socratic era, looked at a triangle and found this equation. The proof is entwined in the essence of a square. Just like them. Anyone who looked at them saw it. Saw their compatibility, their probability, their computability. Just like a math problem. If a + b = c, then Mac and Stella were the epitome of friendship and respect for each other. But they never did seem to see what they could be. Only what they were at that particular moment in time.

At that moment, they were getting along. Natural flirting. They didn't need to think of lines because they worked off each other. Quick thinking. Smiling. Laughing. Mac and Stella had no trouble bantering, but anything above that was a lost concept on them. No chance of going on an actual date. They were called 'friends' dinners'. Nothing extraordinary about them. Well, nothing 'date' worthy because apparently a nice restaurant with just the two of them did not count as a date. Not even if the dinner was planned a week or two in advance were they under any circumstance considered a date. Well, not by them.

Parties did nothing to show them this. At the NYPD events, they would either have no dates or come together as friends. Christmas was the worst. If by some miracle they were caught under the mistletoe, Mac would give her a kiss on the cheek or the corner of her mouth. It irked the team. But they had to consider that it was them, and Mac was just that reserved.

But if they could see them now, their jaws might just be dropped in surprise. Mac had asked Stella to dance. So there they were, out on the middle of the floor swaying to the rhythm of the band playing. A rendition of Sinatra. But that was not important. Not as important as the fact that they were dancing. Together. No pestering on anyone's part, but they got up and danced because they wanted to. It was the 'a' in the problem. Well, the letter squared just as it was in the formula.

But the sun rose and set, and weeks passed after the first variable was set in stone. A new case had presented it, and any thoughts of 'b' to the second power were long forgotten under the stress of a horrendous murder. But the case was wilting, almost solved. The bud of hope was starting to root itself into their minds. So he asked her to dinner. It was the nervous stalling that gave him away. More than friends. She could deal with that. And she did.

This time she felt spontaneity grip her as she took his hand under the interrogation table. One, he made her feel safe. That and she needed someone to keep her calm because rage was rearing its ugly head in her. So with letter b in place, he gave her hand a squeeze, reminding her where she was. Who she was with. There was no need to force the suspect to talk. He was singing more than a Broadway musical.

Another month passed by without the sum of the equation. A couple more 'dates' and drinks together. Now, two months had flown by since the interrogation incident. A few more drinks. A walk in the park with fingers interlaced. Three months passed by and the seasons changed. A pleasant summer turned into a bustling autumn where the wind never let up from its havoc-causing quest.

Spontaneity gripped him this time, finally placing the 'c' in stone. It seemed it was switching back and forth between them. On one of their walks through the park, he stopped her as the wind swirled around them. And he leaned in. And kissed her. Now, there were rumors of five kisses that went down in history, and they may have surpassed this by a long shot. But for right here and now, it was enough.

A/N: Short, but it was all that needed to be there. Also this is kind of late. Hope you liked it. Please review anyway. Hope you have a great day! XD