For Sam, who wanted overused tropes and happy Riley. Enjoy!

Tranquilizer + Hotel + Bed

"No, it's fine. The doc said he just needs to sleep it off and we have the room for the night…"

Riley explained, walking down a hotel hallway, ice-bucket in one hand her phone in the other. The mission had been easy: Prevent a weapons deal during a tech conference in Chicago. And everything had gone according to plan, the weapon was already on it's way back to LA with Russ, while both the seller and the buyer were in police custody.

The only thing that hadn't gone according to plan, was that one of the buyer's bodyguards had taken out Mac with a sedative. Which had lead to the decision to spend the night at the hotel instead of dealing with a drugged Mac on the jet.

"Thanks Matty…" She laughed about something her boss said on the other end. "I will, good night."

Riley hung up, and entered the room. "Hey, I got you some ice for the impending headache… Mac?" She stopped in her tracks and smiled at the picture in front of her. Mac's clothes were scattered on the floor while the man himself was curled up on the bed, dressed in the fluffy white hotel robe.

She put the ice down, gathered his clothes and placed them over the bench at the foot end of the bed, whispering "sweet dreams" before pulling the covers over him.

After a quick shower, Riley – now also sporting one one the white robes – considered her options. They hadn't planed to spend the night when they had booked the room, and with Mac occupying the bed, her choices were limited to the floor and two uncomfortable looking armchairs.

"Riles?" Mac whined.

"I'm here," she replied, ready to comfort him. "Did I wake you?"

"S'okay, but head hurts…"

"Do you want anything? Water, ice?" She offered.

"No, just you…"

Riley frowned. "Come again?"

"Come to bed…"

"I can sleep on the floor."

"That's stupid."

Riley hesitated, Mac was right, it was stupid. She wasn't some blushing teenager, who'd get heart palpitations at the mere thought of sleeping next to the boy she liked. Especially not when said boy was barely conscious…

"Ok," Riley complied, climbing into the spacious bed. But Mac's idea of sharing the bed didn't seem to include taking advantage of its space, as he pulled her into him the moment she slipped under the covers.

"Better," he purred.

"Your head?"

"No, but got my fave now."

"You need to sleep," Riley blushed.

"But it's true, you're my fave."

"What about Bozer?" she tried to deflect.

"Close, but…" he furrowed his brows. "Boz doesn't smell as good as you."

Riley laughed. "That's the hotel shampoo."

"No, all you," he gently squeezed her arm and somehow drew her even closer, rendering the space between them almost non-existent.

"Mac…" Riley's head was spinning. Was this coming from Mac or the drugs? Or well, Mac on drugs, with whom she was currently heading towards something she didn't want to happen. Actually that wasn't true. She did want it to happen, but she'd want Mac to remember it in the morning…

Her train of thought was cut off by Mac's clumsy attempt at a kiss.

His lips barely touched hers, but they lingered long enough to debunk her theory about heart palpitations…

"G'night…" he drew back, and gave her a little nudge before he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep…

xoxo

"Five more minutes…" Riley groaned, rolling over to avoid the sunlight that was creeping through the blinds. She had spent the first half of the night trying to process what had happened, and the second half going back and forth between possible outcomes, which ranged from not addressing the subject at all to simply picking up where Mac had stopped (and making good use of the hotel bed).

Needless to say, she hadn't gotten a lot of sleep.

"You can make it ten, if you stop moving."

Riley opened her eyes and found Mac looking back at her.

"Sorry, how are you feeling?"

"It's not the worst hangover I ever had," he joked.

"Do you remember anything?" Riley asked, dreading his answer.

"I remember that goon taking me out, and then coming back here with you, and…" he stopped a faint blush creeping up his cheeks.

"You do?" She tried to study his expression. He was nervous, but he didn't seem upset and he hadn't made any efforts to get out of their current, rather intimate position. So maybe he did want to…

"I'm so sorry Riles."

Her face fell.

"Mac, you don't have to apologize…" she sat up, trying to brace herself for whatever would come next.

"No, I do! I have been losing my mind over how to tell you, over how you might react. And then I do and pass out before you…"

"So that wasn't just the drugs talking?" Riley interrupted his rant.

"Of course not!" He propped himself up against the headboard, bringing him back to eye level with her. "I know this is a lot. I was surprised, too. We're friends, family even, and if you prefer to never speak of this again just say the word, or don't say it. I don't know. I just…" he took a deep breath. "I needed you to know."

She looked at him blankly, processing his words.

"Riles?"

That was all Riley needed to hear.

She leaned forward and brought her lips to his. It took Mac a second (or maybe three) to react, but once Riley felt him smile against her lips all the tentativeness and awkwardness of the first attempt was forgotten.

Mac brought one hand to the back of her head, holding her in place while the other was tracing her spine through her bathrobe before he shifted his body to flip them around so she was under him. His headache fading away as they continued to explore each other with a sense of openness and exposure that was new to both of them.

"Mac…" she stopped him, trying to catch her breath. "Before this goes any further, there's something I need to say."

He nodded, blinking at her.

"Just in case it wasn't a 100 percent clear…"

"Yes?"

"You're my fave, too."

Gotta love a little drug induced awkwardness – especially if ends with a kiss, or a few.

And can you believe it's almost time for holiday fics? Oh the possibilities…

Love Laura