AN: Canon-compliant with both Seasons 1 and 2 (so far), if you consider this to be set sometime in the future beyond these two seasons. No need to have knowledge of the Every End is a Beginning AU. Again, for those who have read it – this is set the Christmas after Every End is a Beginning ends.
MACGYVER'S RESIDENCE
LA
Bozer grinned as he and Riley put up the Christmas decorations, stringing lights and tinsel over the fireplace mantel, putting a wreath around the polar bear by the door's neck, and plugging in Mac's once-again modified gumball machine.
His girlfriend was singing along to the Christmas carols they had playing in the background, smiling in that way that made her seem so much younger and far more weightless, that smile that Bozer absolutely loved and had made it a life mission to ensure appeared on Riley's face at least once a week.
Not that long ago (even if it sometimes seemed like a lifetime ago, given all that had happened since), Riley hadn't believed in the magic of Christmas.
Now, in Bozer's mind, she was a walking embodiment of the magic of Christmas.
And he would do anything, absolutely anything, even if he wasn't a badass like Jack or a genius mechanic/engineer/chemist/physicist/improviser like Mac or a brilliant computer whiz like Riley herself, to make sure that Riley kept believing in the magic of Christmas for the rest of her life.
Riley sang along to Frosty the Snowman as she twirled a popcorn garland around Mac's candy-cane-paperclip-and-duct-tape Christmas tree, smiling as she did so.
She glanced over at Bozer, who was busy threading more popcorn garlands, with fierce dedication and a bright smile and quite a lot of off-key singing-along.
As she watched, he dramatically acted out part of the song, a little lost in his own world. When he caught her watching, he just grinned wider and bowed, pretending to dramatically remove an invisible top hat from his head and twirl it like an old-school magician.
Riley gave a snort of laughter and shook her head at him fondly, then returned to her task.
That Christmas, Mac had moved the Earth. Jack had served as a human conductor.
Together, they had saved the world.
But at the end of the day, it was Bozer who'd moved Christmas for them, because they'd had to spend it in a Chinese prison.
It was Bozer who'd made Christmas Christmas (cheesy decorations and some of the best food she'd ever eaten in her life and family and home), and even if his hacking skills still needed a lot of work, even if he'd never take out five armed bad guys, even if he'd never quite grasp rocket science, that was what made Bozer special.
That was her Bozer.
AN: #BozerAppreciation, because he deserves it.
Tomorrow's ficlet: 'Beth, can I introduce you to my dad…well, uh, re-introduce, I suppose…as my girlfriend tonight?'
It is very obvious who says that, right?
