Hey babes! Back with a new story for ya! This one was another that was inspired by a tweet from a friend. This one's kinda ridiculous, but was also really fun to write. I honestly don't know that much about how heavy painkillers work, but I did the best research that I could, so please be kind. This is all just for fun. :)

Enjoy!

Riley can't think of a single moment in all the years she's been with the Phoenix where Mac has been injured badly enough on an op to require being loaded up on painkillers. But apparently, there's a first time for everything.

The op had been going well until it wasn't. They'd had to improvise, just like always, and they managed to finish the op successfully without anything going seriously wrong. At least that's what she thought. But then right after getting back to the Phoenix for a debrief, Mac's pain had made itself known.

Naturally, she'd been worried beyond belief. She had to watch as Mac was rushed down to the Phoenix's infirmary and nobody would let her down to see him until they knew exactly what was going on. So she did everything she could think of to keep herself occupied in the meantime, waiting impatiently for any news about whatever injury he must have sustained during the op. The others waited around too, all of them anxious for any news about their friend and coworker.

Eventually, the doctor who was taking care of Mac says that they're able to go down and see him, but Riley's not sure what to expect when they get there. She'd barely been listening when the doctor was talking to them; the only thing she's been able to focus on is seeing for herself that Mac is going to be okay.

When they reach Mac's bed in the infirmary, the blonde in question is sitting up but his head is tilted back and staring up at the ceiling, his mouth hanging open just a little. He has an IV line coming out of his arm that's attached to a pole next to his bed, a machine set up nearby to monitor his vital signs.

As they all move closer to his bedside, somebody must make some kind of noise because Mac's head is suddenly whipping toward them, his eyes going wide and a smile pulling at his lips.

"Guys!" he exclaims, his eyes darting to hers for a quick moment before looking at everyone else. "You came."

"Of course we did, man," Bozer pipes up with a smile. "We were all pretty worried about you."

Mac's eyes dart to her again before looking back at Bozer, his brows furrowing together tightly. "Bozer...uh, why...why are there three of you?"

Riley stifles a laugh behind her hand as she watches the confusion and slight panic pass over Mac's face. They must have him on some really heavy pain medication if he thinks he's seeing more than one Bozer. His eyes flick quickly to her again before looking away and this time she furrows her brows in confusion.

She shifts a little on her feet. "Hey, Mac? Is there a reason you keep looking at me and then looking away just as fast?"

His eyes go comically wide. "What? I'm not looking at you."

She fights back a smile. "Uh, you're looking at me right now."

His head falls back against the pillow, his head lolling to the side, and he smiles lazily at her. "Sorry. You're just...you're really pretty. The prettiest girl I've ever seen."

Immediately she wants to hide. She avoids tearing her gaze away from Mac, though, because she knows the others are looking at her and she can't deal with that right now.

"You're so pretty, Riley."

She can feel the blush slowly creeping its way onto her cheeks from the way Mac keeps looking at her and it has her stomach flipping. "Oh my gosh," she mutters, looking directly at him. "Seriously? You just said that."

Mac lifts his head quickly off the pillow and gestures to her. "See? You're even pretty when you're annoyed." He drops his head back on the pillow with a wistful smile. "You've always been pretty...so pretty. Even when you were wearing that orange jumpsuit in prison. Do you remember that? You were so pretty back then. Still are," he adds quickly, as if he's worried that she might think he doesn't think she's pretty anymore. "You're still so pretty. Maybe even prettier." He tilts his head a little and then nods. "Definitely prettier."

Her face heats up again and she steps closer to Mac's bedside, clamping a hand over his mouth. "Seriously, Mac. Stop talking before you embarrass yourself."

He shakes his head and then reaches up to grab her hand and pull it away from his mouth. But instead of letting go, he holds onto it. His face turns serious then, his eyes boring right into hers, as he speaks with so much conviction, "There is no one in the world prettier than you, Riles."

Because the universe must hate her, she blushes for a third time. Mac has never been so blatant like this before. Even over the past few months while they've been dancing around each other, it's been much more subtle; lingering looks, always finding a way to touch each other's arms or backs, sitting as close as they can by the firepit. She's not entirely sure what either of them is waiting for, though, they both know how they feel. But they still haven't quite managed to cross that invisible line from friendship into something more.

"You guys know how pretty Riley is, right?"

She's pulled out of her head by Mac's voice and casts a quick glance to see the rest of the team watching the scene unfold with amusement on all their faces. It makes her want to sink right into the floor. Public declarations like this have never been her cup of tea so she's pretty much dying right now.

"Look, I know we should all be concerned for Mac's health," Bozer speaks up, "but we can all admit that this is hilarious, right? He sounds drunk."

"But I am drunk, Bozer," Mac says with a gleeful smile.

Riley closes her eyes tightly, already knowing in the back of her mind where this is going.

"I'm drunk on Riley. She's more intoxicating than any alcohol in existence."

Riley opens her eyes and reaching out with her other hand to cup the side of Mac's face so he looks at her. "Seriously, Mac, I'm begging you to stop."

He leans his head into her hand, smiling wistfully again as his eyes flutter closed for just a moment. "Go out with me."

Her eyes go wide and her breath catches. "What?"

"And that would be our cue to leave," Russ announces, but Riley keeps her eyes focused on Mac, her hand trapped between his head and the pillow.

"I second that," Desi's voice agrees. "They don't need an audience for this."

Bozer groans. "Come on, seriously? Do you know how long I've been waiting for this to happen? Well, not Mac getting injured and having to be hopped up on painkillers, but this part that's happening right now. Do you know how long I've been waiting for it? I am not missing this."

"Yes, you are," Matty says sternly.

There's a quiet yelp from Bozer and then multiple pairs of feet echoing against the floor.

Riley waits for the sounds to completely disappear and then she settles herself on the edge of the bed, facing Mac as best she can, managing to extract her trapped hand. She gives his hand that's still holding hers a light squeeze when his eyes start fluttering closed again—she vaguely remembers the doctor saying he wouldn't be able to stay awake for too much longer.

Mac's eyes open a little and he smiles softly at her. "You're so pretty."

She laughs quietly. "Yeah, you said that already. A lot." She takes a deep breath. "But I want to talk about something else you said. You want me to go out with you?"

He nods slowly. "Yeah. Should have asked you before. A long time ago."

"So why didn't you?" she asks, mostly out of curiosity. They haven't spoken about their feelings since right after the mission Banja Luka, she never allowed him a chance to explain more about his side of things, so she has no idea how long Mac's felt something for her. She might have to ask him about it again later, though, when he's more coherent.

Mac swallows. "I was scared. Didn't...didn't think you liked me…same way I liked you." His eyes start to fall closed again. "Always liked you, Riles. You're so…"

"Pretty, I know," she says with a small smile.

He shakes his head slowly, taking a slow, deep breath. "You're amazing."

She's proud of herself for not blushing this time. "You're pretty amazing too, Mac." She hesitates and then leans down to press a kiss to his cheek, lingering for just a moment. When she pulls away Mac has a small smile on his face. "And yes, Mac, I'll go on a date with you."

Mac's smile grows, but he doesn't say anything. He's probably so close to sleep now that managing a smile is all he can do at the moment.

But she doesn't need him to say or do anything else. He's already said plenty. And she knows that he meant it, even if it was all said under the influence of medication.

She doesn't even know if he'll remember any of what happened when his system is no longer being flooded with painkillers. It'll be fun to tell him about it when he's fully awake, though. And if he doesn't remember any of it, she just hopes that the look he gets when she tells him about their date will be worth it.

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

Also, make sure you check out the 'savemacgyver' website to see how you can help in the efforts to save our show.

Until next time,
Jellybean96 out!