Hey babes! Back with a new story for you all! Put this one together pretty quickly, and I'm so happy to be sharing it with you now. Someone posted on Twitter a little back (can't remember who) about what if Mac had kissed Riley in the kitchen during the quarantine in 5x06. Naturally, my muse told me to write it. So I did. And now that we know for a fact that Mac has always felt something between him and Riley, it made it even better to write this.

Enjoy!

There aren't too many times in Mac's life where he's allowed himself to be selfish. If someone were to ask him, he wouldn't be able to think of anything right off the top of his head. Because that's not the type of guy he is. If it were between what he wants and what someone he cares about wants, he'd make sure that person is happy before worrying about himself. He always thinks about what other people want, and what they would say, instead of just going after what he wants. At least in his personal life.

Some wants and desires have come and gone from his mind over the years, none of them ever staying too long for him to dwell on. He'll think about them every so often, but he never really regrets not acting on them. Because he obviously didn't want them badly enough if he stopped thinking about them.

Being stuck in quarantine gives him a lot of time to think, though. About a lot of things. A lot of moments where he maybe regrets not being a little selfish and going after something he wants. None of them stay too long in his mind, leaving just as quickly as they came. But there's one thing he tries not to let himself dwell too much on, even though the thought never leaves his mind. It may not be at the forefront every hour of the day, but it's always there lingering somewhere in the back of his mind. Taunting him, almost.

What if he'd done something after the dust settled from that first mission they worked together? What if he'd said something as soon as he felt his feelings start to shift from friendship into something more? What if he'd been single when she moved into his place after her breakup? So many 'what-ifs' constantly running through his head when it comes to her. And it always takes him longer than he'd like to get his thoughts back in order when they start to wander to her. To the way her smile lights up an entire room when she's having a good day. To the way she's able to keep pace with him intellectually, even if she might not understand everything he's talking the way she can pull off any look she's in whether she's out and about in Los Angeles or on an op. To the way her laugh is one of his favorite sounds and he'll do anything to hear it. To the way she easily became one of his favorite people in the world and he only ever wants to make her happy. Even if that means just staying her friend and never exploring his feelings for her.

Because being friends with Riley Davis is one of the best feelings in the world, and he doesn't know if he can risk being a little selfish by trying to pursue a relationship with her. She already understands him in so many ways, and she's extremely easy to be around. They thankfully haven't gotten on each other's nerves throughout the quarantine, even though it's only been a few weeks. He knows some people in the neighborhood are on thin ice with each other already, being cooped up in their houses not able to go anywhere. But it's not like that with him and Riley. It's never been like that.

Once he knew for sure that Riley wouldn't betray the team, or betray him, he put his complete faith and trust in her. And he hasn't regretted it since. She's had his back numerous times throughout their partnership without hesitation. The one that always comes to his mind now is when she followed him straight into the belly of the beast. When everyone else believed he'd turned sides to start working for Codex and labeled him a threat, she believed him and trusted him. And that meant the world to him. She means the world to him. He never wants to lose the friendship they have. Which is why he's terrified of being even a little selfish, of broaching the subject of a relationship and having it completely backfire on him.

And it doesn't help matters any that he's been single again throughout the quarantine so far. He and Desi have been in a weird place, and there's a part of him that wants to try and fix whatever's broken between them. But there's another, sometimes louder, part of his brain that keeps screaming at him about Riley being right there in front of him.

Quarantining with Riley has been easy for the most part. Except for when his mind starts to wander a little too far and he has to reel it back in quickly before he falls down that rabbit hole of thoughts. Not a very good place to wind up when he's stuck in quarantine with the woman who's the sole subject of those kinds of thoughts.

And it's not one specific thing she does that has him thinking, it's just being around her all the time. This isn't the first time his mind has wandered to thinking of Riley as more than a friend, though, they've been happening more often the longer they've known each other. Especially right after they saw each other again after nearly a year apart. Absence really does make the heart grow fonder.

But even though there's that part of his brain that keeps telling him to go after a relationship with Riley, to just shoot his shot and see where it all ends up, he can't. This is the one time he truly can't allow himself to be selfish. Because it could ruin their friendship if she doesn't feel the same way. So he can't let himself be selfish and risk losing the one person who means more to him than he ever thought possible.

But sitting next to her on the floor of the kitchen, backs against the counter as they talk, it makes things difficult. Because he's sitting so close to her and it would be so easy to finally give in to what he's thought about for so long, to take a chance and hope she doesn't hate him after. There's already so much he has to deal with, he can't add being on the outs with Riley to that list.

"This virus sucks," he remarks after a quiet moment, a deep frown on his face.

"Yeah, it does," Riley agrees. "A lot." She lightly hits his leg with a dish towel, a small smile on her lips. "Which is why I think we have to forgive each other for not being our best selves right now. Even Angus MacGyver."

He laughs quietly. "Thanks, Riles."

"Yeah." She's quiet for a moment. "I'm just glad we got to spend this time together before I moved out. I would have been so lonely by myself," she tells him with a smile.

"Yeah, me too. And I'm also glad."

Tilting his head enough to look at her, he smiles softly. His eyes flick down to her lips and for a brief, fleeting moment, he thinks that hers look down at his as well. A second later it seems as if she's going to say something so he waits. But she stays silent. They both do.

And suddenly all he can think about is maybe she does feel the same way. Maybe he's not alone in his feelings. Maybe if he did make a move right now their friendship wouldn't be ruined. Maybe a romantic relationship between them would only make things better.

Screw being scared. He's going to be selfish. Consequences be damned.

Leaning into the space between them, Mac slowly inches closer to Riley. His heart is racing inside his chest in anticipation, and he is so close to finally doing something that puts his feelings first for once. Thoughts of what it'll be like to finally cross that invisible line swarm his mind but he tries to push them aside so he can focus on the task at hand.

There's a quiet, sharp intake of breath. "Mac…"

"I want to kiss you right now," he says quietly, close enough to her that he can feel her breath on his lips when she starts breathing again. "Is that okay?"

She hesitates and then nods slowly. He can see her swallow.

His lips barely brush against hers and then she's kissing him back with so much more passion and vigor than he'd intended this kiss to be filled with. Her hands are cradling his head, the dishtowel long forgotten, and her fingers are tangling themselves tightly in his hair. But he's definitely not complaining. So he matches her intensity.

He kisses her back with just as much desire, one of his hands finding its way to her hip and gripping tightly. The action elicits a moan from Riley that makes his entire body shudder. And it spurs him on, letting him know that she wants this just as much as he does. So he grabs her other hip and gently pulls, bringing her closer to him.

Riley's mind must be in sync with his or even a step ahead since she immediately tosses a leg up and over so she's straddling his lap. She's sitting on her knees, her body raised just enough so that he has to tilt his head back to keep kissing her.

And kiss her does. He pours everything he's been feeling for her into the kiss, needing her to know all of it. As he kisses her deeply, the tips of his fingers slip underneath the fabric of her shirt and it's like a spark ignites through his body the second he touches her skin. Sure, he's touched her skin before, but never like this. Never in such an intimate moment like this. And he almost can't believe it's happening. A tiny fear runs through the back of his mind that this is just another dream he's going to wake up from feeling disappointed for a number of reasons. He doesn't want that to happen.

Breaking away for a moment to catch his breath, he reaches up to brush some of Riley's hair out of her face, tucking it behind her ear. Once he does, his hand drops back to her waist, but he doesn't move to kiss her again. He just sits there and stares in awe.

Riley's brows furrow together as she breathes heavily. "What?"

A smile tugs at his lips as he whispers, "You're so beautiful."

"You're not so bad on the eyes either," she says back as a quiet laugh escapes past her lips. Then her smile falters and her fingers fidget in his hair as she sits down in his lap.

Mac frowns, lightly squeezing her hips. "Hey. You okay? We can stop if you don't—"

She shakes her head, one of her hands sliding out of his hair to cup his cheek. She gives him a small smile. "No, that's not it. I want this." She lets out a breathy laugh. "Believe me, I want this. But do you want this? It's not just the quarantine getting to your head because you can't be with the woman you want so you go after the only one available?" Her eyes drift down and off to the side, staring at the floor as her hand falls from his face to his shoulder.

Mac ducks his head to try and look Riley in the eyes. "You're the one I want to be with, Riley. I have always wanted to be with you. But I never thought that you'd want to be more than just friends. That's why I never said or did anything before now, even though there were so many times that I wanted to."

She finally looks back up at him. "Really?"

He nods, giving her half a smile. "Yeah. I uh, I was actually thinking about asking you out once."

Her brows furrow slightly. "You were? When?"

Mac takes a deep breath, sliding his hands around so they're resting on the small of her back. "After Russ bought the Phoenix and we got the team back together. We went for pizza and skee ball and I asked if you were seeing anyone. You told me you weren't, and then basically said you were done dating for a while. It kind of...disheartened me a little, I guess."

Riley nods slowly in understanding. "And then when we were in Germany you found out I was dating Aubrey."

He nods, his lips pulling into a thin line. "Mm-hmm. And we both know what happened after that."

"Right. Well, can I be honest with you about something?"

"Always."

"The day you found out I was dating Aubrey, that's actually when I realized I had feelings for you."

Mac's eyes go wide. "Seriously?"

"Yeah. But obviously, I didn't say anything because I was still with Aubrey and I also didn't think you'd reciprocate and I didn't want to make things weird between us."

Mac chuckles lightly. "Some pair we are, huh?"

Riley laughs with him. "Yeah. But we finally figured things out."

He smiles brightly. "Indeed we did." His smile falters and he takes a deep breath. "I know you already said so, but you do want this, right? You want a relationship? Because I'm all in, and I need to know that you are too or it's going to break my heart."

Riley smiles sweetly, leaning down so her forehead is resting against his. "Yes, I'm all in. I want this, Mac. I want you. So much."

His bright smile returns. "Good." He tilts his head to recapture her lips, laughing when she yelps in surprise and then kisses him back. He lets out a groan when his head collides with the cabinet door behind him, having momentarily forgotten where they were.

Riley pulls away and gives him half a smile as she gently rubs the back of his head where he'd hit it. "Sorry. Maybe making out on the kitchen floor isn't the smartest idea we've ever had."

Mac chuckles. "Yeah. Plus, Bozer could walk in at any minute. And I don't know about you but I don't want him catching us in any compromising positions before we've had a chance to really figure this out."

Riley nods. "I completely agree. We've still got some stuff to talk about, huh?"

Mac nods, neither of them needing to say aloud what else needs to be dealt with. But he intends to talk to Desi as soon as possible, to clear the air and make sure they're on good terms before he goes fully into this relationship with Riley. "Yeah," he says. "So in the meantime, I think I'm gonna go for a quick jog. We'll talk more when I get back?"

"Yeah. Don't take too long."

He smiles. "I won't." He leans up to kiss her once more and then stands from the floor when she moves off of him.

As he makes his way out of the house, he has a wide grin on his face, the memory of Riley kissing him lingering in his mind and on his lips. She had fit so perfectly in his lap with his arms around her and her hands in his hair like they were always meant to end up like that. And if he plays his cards right, he could experience that feeling for the rest of his life. Which is exactly what he intends to do.

So? What did you think? Let me know in a review down below. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

I'm also highly considering rewriting certain episodes of s5 using this as a jumping-off point. What do you guys think?

Until next time,
Jellybean96 out!