Hey babes! Back again with a new piece of this universe for you! I was planning on posting a Mother's Day fic yesterday, but I didn't start it soon enough and came to a roadblock with it. So I managed to finish up this one instead so I can post it today. The (hopefully) long-awaited proposal story. :)
Enjoy!
Every single nerve ending in his body is on edge. He can hardly even think straight. His mind is racing with what-ifs, with the possibility of everything going south and not turning out how he desperately wants it to.
It's only been a year—one of the best years of his life—and they've only talked about the future a couple of times as offhand comments here and there. He thinks they had an actual discussion once, but he's fairly certain they were both a little tipsy that night and neither of them remembers much of what was said.
So he's playing things safe by doing this when they're alone at home, just in case things don't go as planned; they don't need an audience for that. Riley's also not the type of person who would respond well to big public romantic gestures. He can't say he blames her, though. He'd probably be way too nervous to ask her in public with a crowd of people watching anyways. So he's hoping that by asking her when they're alone at home, there's a higher chance of her saying yes. If he can work up the nerve to ask.
"Okay, it's officially six-thirty which means I'm allowed to come out of our room now."
Mac smiles, turning in the direction of the hallway. "Yes, you can come out now. Everything's ready."
Riley laughs quietly, her shoes echoing off the hardwood. "I still don't understand why I had to wait in the bedroom for the last hour. You know I could have helped you."
"I know," Mac says, stepping toward her and wrapping his arms around her waist, blocking her view of the kitchen for a moment longer. "But you know I like to treat you to a nice meal every once in a while. Especially tonight, a very special night."
Riley smiles, looping her arms around his neck and leaning back just a little. "Yes, it is a very special night." She leans up on her toes to kiss him slowly. "Happy Anniversary, Mac."
He grins. "Happy Anniversary, Riley." He takes a small step back, his hands lingering on her waist, and lets his eyes roam up and down her outfit. "You look incredible."
"You look pretty fantastic yourself," Riley says, running her hands down over his shoulders and tugging at the lapels of his suit jacket. "If you didn't plan out a meal that smells so delicious, you would not be in this suit for very much longer."
Mac chuckles, gently squeezing her hips. "Later, I promise. It is our anniversary, after all. But first, we're going to sit down and enjoy a nice meal together."
"Alright, I think I can get behind that."
"I'm glad. Now follow me." He grabs one of her hands and pulls her the rest of the way down the hall toward the kitchen, his heart continuing to beat quickly inside his chest. He doesn't want to screw this up, he can't screw it up. He needs this to be perfect because Riley deserves only the best.
Once they reach the edge of the kitchen, he stops and gestures, a nervous smile taking over his face as he waits for Riley's reaction.
She lets out a breath. "Oh, wow. Mac, this looks amazing."
Mac smiles brightly. "I'm glad you think so. Because Bozer made all the food. He brought it over while you were changing earlier."
Riley laughs and nods. "Of course. Because despite being a genius, you're somehow incapable of cooking." She smiles up at him as she cups his cheek. "It's okay, though. I still love you."
Mac chuckles. "Well, I'm glad my inability to cook hasn't turned you off."
She rises on her toes just enough to kiss him quickly. "Never. I love every single thing about you, Angus MacGyver."
He smiles, returning her kiss. "Well, that's good to hear. Because I love every single thing about you too, Riley Davis." He takes a small step back and holds his hand out. "Shall we eat?"
Before they even have a chance to move toward the table, the sharp trill of his cell phone interrupts the moment, making Mac groan out of frustration. He sends a harsh glare in the direction of the device. "Seriously?"
"Just ignore it," Riley tells him. "If it's important, they'll leave a message or call back later."
He stays silent for a moment, letting his phone go straight to voicemail. He doesn't want to keep speaking while his phone is going off, it'll just make things weird.
Turning back to Riley, he opens his mouth to speak when a new sound interrupts them. Riley's phone.
Mac lets out a heavy breath and sinks into one of the chairs at the table. "You should probably answer that," he remarks, gesturing in the direction of her phone. "Given how quickly yours went off after mine did, I'm going to guess it's connected."
Riley throws him an apologetic smile as she turns around and moves to where her phone is.
Mac just stares at the table while he waits. He can feel the ring burning a hole in his pocket, taunting him. Mocking him almost.
"Babe."
He looks up to see Riley standing right in front of him. "Hi. "
"Hey." She offers him a small smile. "You okay?"
He nods. "Uh, yeah. I'm fine. What's up?"
"That was Matty," she tells him, holding up her phone. "I guess there's an op in Paris that can't wait and we're the only two who can do it."
"There's really no one else?"
"Not according to Matty. She said she'll brief us on the flight because we're needed there as soon as possible."
Mac lets out a heavy breath. "Guess there's no time for dinner, then."
Riley smiles softly at him, stepping closer and cupping the back of his neck. "Hey, it's okay. We can stop and grab something quick on our way in. I know it's not all fancy like you planned, but it's gonna have to do for now."
Mac nods. "No, I know." He rests his hand over hers, turning his head just enough to place a small kiss on the inside of her wrist. "I love you."
She smiles. "I love you too." Her fingers lightly scratch against his scalp and he lets out a small content sigh as he leans into her touch. He could stay like this forever; not just this moment, but all the small moments like these. He loves every single moment he gets to spend with Riley. He wants more of this for the rest of his life.
.
.
.
Their op goes just about as well as they expected it would. Meaning nothing goes according to plan and they have to improvise multiple times. It's easy for them to do, having done it so many times over the years, especially when they're working together. His mind automatically works through every problem they come across and finds a solution, sometimes faster than he even realizes. But Riley's always ready to help him when he needs her to.
They're so in sync at this point, he barely has to open his mouth and she's right there, sometimes even starting to do what he would have asked her to do before he gets a chance to say it.
The only thing he doesn't count on is her seeing the engagement ring before he wants her to. He honestly doesn't know why he brought it with him, maybe he thought that they'd be able to find a quiet moment somewhere after the op and he could ask her. They are in Paris after all, one of the most romantic cities in the world. So he figured he'd be able to find a nice spot before they had to hit their exfil and he'd be able to ask her and then the next time they set foot in their home, they'd be engaged.
But, of course, life wants to throw him yet another curveball. The ring comes flying out of his pocket when he pulls out his knife in a hurry to get his latest contraption put together. He doesn't even realize what happens until he hears Riley's sharp intake of breath.
He follows her line of sight and his eyes go wide when he sees it sitting on the ground, the sunlight above them reflecting off of it perfectly. His eyes dart to his girlfriend, and he's not quite sure what expression she's wearing. It's one he doesn't think he's seen before.
Before he even has a chance to move toward the ring to retrieve it, it gets kicked by someone's shoe and goes flying. Right into the Seine.
His heart sinks into his stomach. He wants to dive into the water to retrieve the ring, but there are so many things working against him right now. First and foremost the time crunch of their current op.
"Mac."
His eyes dart back to Riley and he thinks he sees a small hint of a smile on her lips. He could so easily lose himself in this moment with her. But then reality quickly comes crashing back down when Matty's voice rings in his ear, asking how things are going.
He clears his throat and focuses back on his contraption. "Uh, yeah, we're good Matty. Should be done here pretty soon."
Everything goes by quickly after that. He finishes his contraption and then uses it to get the mission done, narrowly managing to avoid any serious property damage to nearby buildings. And then they're on their way to exfil, both of them ready and eager to get back home and relax after an exhausting mission.
All Mac can think about, though, is the handmade engagement ring now buried in the sand at the bottom of the Seine. There's no guarantee that it'll ever be found in the future and he doesn't exactly have the time to go back there and try to fish it out. His entire plan has gone completely up in flames. And the worst part is that Riley saw it happen.
Once they're back on the Phoenix jet, he immediately sinks into a seat and lets out a heavy breath. He leans back and closes his eyes, trying to work through all the thoughts starting to run wild in his mind.
Quiet shuffling lets him know that Riley is sitting down next to him. She doesn't say anything, though, and neither does he. They just sit silently as they wait for the jet to take off. He's grateful for the few extra moments that he has to think. He wants to marry Riley, he knows that without a doubt. He just doesn't know if she's ready for that yet, doesn't know if she wants that after only a year of dating. It's something they probably should have talked about more.
"So," Riley's voice drifts into his senses, "I feel like we should talk about what happened earlier."
He cracks an eye and tilts his head to look at her. "We don't have to if you don't want to."
She shakes her head. "No, I want to. Mac, was that an engagement ring?"
Mac sighs heavily, nodding slowly as he sits up in his seat. "Yeah, it was. I was going to propose to you at dinner."
Riley's mouth drops open just the slightest in realization. "But then we got called away on a last-minute emergency op."
His lips pull in tight. "Yeah. And I kept the ring with me because I thought that maybe I could find a chance to ask you while we were out, and then I had to go and lose it in the Seine. I had the entire night planned out," he tells her. "I was going to ask you after dessert, had a whole speech figured out and everything."
Riley smiles softly, reaching out to cover his hand with one of hers. "I'm sorry you didn't get to do any of that. I know it would have been incredible because everything you do is incredible. But if you want to, when we get home you can still give me that dinner and the speech and I'll do my best to get the tears flowing for you. I'm sure it won't be too difficult."
Mac smiles. "I appreciate the offer, Riles, but you don't have to do that. You should get some sleep, though, it's a long flight."
"Only if you get some sleep too."
"I will. I'm not quite tired yet, though, so I'll be up for a little while longer."
"Okay." She leans up to give him a quick kiss. "I love you, Mac. So much."
He smiles softly. "I love you too." He watches as she settles into the chair comfortably, her eyes closing as she lets out a quiet puff of air.
Settling down in his own seat, Mac lets out a breath and allows his eyes to drift up to the ceiling. He wasn't lying when he said he isn't tired yet. The adrenaline from the mission is still coursing through his veins, as well as all the thoughts still circulating about how everything regarding his proposal attempt went completely wrong. Not a single thing about it went how he wanted it to. And there has to be a reason for that. He just has to figure out what that reason is.
.
.
.
Blinking a few times to let her eyes readjust to the dim lights above, Riley shifts a little in her seat. She didn't think she was going to be as tired as she ended up being, but she knows she slept for a good few hours if the clock on her phone is anything to go by. She also knows they aren't back in LA yet, given that no one woke her up to say that they've landed. She figures there are probably still a few hours left of the flight, so she probably has enough time to get lost in her coding for a bit.
"Hey there, sleepyhead."
Looking up, she breathes deeply and stretches her arms above her head, smiling at her boyfriend in the seat next to her. "Hey." Her lips turn down slightly when she realizes he's still sitting in the same position he was when she fell asleep earlier. "Babe, did you get any sleep at all?"
He lets out a breath and shakes his head. "No. But I have a very good reason for that."
"Which would be?"
He smiles brightly at her. "I love you."
Riley laughs quietly, sitting up a little more and leaning forward across the armrest of the chair. "Okay. That's not exactly news to either of us, so I don't know why it was keeping you from sleeping."
He nods slowly. "Right. What I'm trying to say is that I realized that we don't need a fancy candlelit dinner to make the important moments count. All we need is the two of us and our love for each other. That's all we've ever needed."
Her eyebrows furrow slightly as she watches him carefully. "Mac...where are you going with this?"
Mac glances down at his lap with a small smile. "I was fiddling with some paper clips while I was thinking and I ended up making this." He holds up a paperclip circle that has a small spiral sitting on one side of the twisted metal band.
Riley sucks in a sharp breath when the realization of what it is clicks in her brain. She looks Mac straight in the eyes, her heart starting to race and her eyes welling up with tears. This is happening. It's actually happening. That future she's been starting to picture is starting to become a reality.
"I was hoping that you'd wear it, and agree to marry me," Mac continues, leaning closer and grabbing one of her hands to squeeze it gently, "because I am so incredibly in love with you, Riley Davis, and I cannot imagine my life without you at my side. You continuously amaze me, and every day I fall more and more in love with you. You make me happier than I've ever been and I hope that I make you just as happy."
"You do," she says, needing him to know. "You make me so happy, Mac."
He smiles, glancing down at the ring and twirling it between his fingers. "I know this one is pretty unconventional as far as engagement rings go, so I can always get you something different after we get home and—"
"Don't you dare."
He looks up. "What?"
Riley lets out a watery laugh and leans forward. "It's perfect, Mac. The ring is absolutely perfect."
He perks up like a puppy dog. "Really?"
She nods, letting go of his hand to cup his cheeks. "I love you, Mac, and I love this ring. Yes, I'll marry you."
Mac beams, closing the space between them with a kiss, one of his hands curling around the back of her neck to pull her even closer.
Riley smiles against him, reluctantly pulling away after a moment so she can breathe, resting her forehead against Mac's. A quiet giggle escapes past her lips, a sound she rarely makes. "We're engaged."
Mac grins. "Yeah. Although, there's still one thing left we have to do." He holds up the ring into her view.
"So then what are you waiting for?" she responds cheekily, leaning back and removing her left hand from his face to hold it next to the ring. She smiles as Mac slides the ring onto her finger and then she brings her hand closer to her face to admire the new piece of jewelry. She's excited to show it off to anyone who is willing to listen to the story. An edited version, of course, since no one can know what they really do. She'll make it work.
"How does it fit?" Mac asks.
She tilts her head, flexes her fingers a bit, and then smiles at her fiancé. "It fits surprisingly well. I shouldn't be surprised, though. You've probably got my ring size memorized and knew just by looking at it while you were making this that it would fit."
Mac smiles. "I mean...I did have to do a little measuring while I was making it. But uh, yeah, I do actually have your ring size memorized."
Riley just smiles and shakes her head. "Of course you do." She stands from her seat and walks around to place herself in Mac's lap, wrapping one arm around his neck to hold herself up. "But that's one of the many on a long list of reasons why I love you, Angus MacGyver."
"Oh really." He slides his arms around her waist to pull her a little closer. "Is there a chance you'll share this list with me one day?"
Riley leans down closer to Mac, her lips ghosting over his. "I might be able to be persuaded." A quiet giggle escapes as she closes the small sliver of space between them. She digs her fingers into his hair, gently scratching at his scalp and smiling when he lets out a soft moan.
She pulls away after a moment, laughing to herself when he leans forward trying to kiss her again. She just places a finger on his lips and pushes him back. "Nope. I'm pretty sure we still have a few hours left of the flight, so you're going to try and get some sleep before we get home."
He raises a brow. "Seriously? You're just going to kiss me like that and then tell me to go to sleep? I'm wide awake now, Riles."
She smiles, holding her hands up. "Hey, you're the one who decided to make me an engagement ring on the plane ride home instead of sleeping. Not that I'm complaining, because I am very happy that you asked me to marry you. But this is all on you."
He sighs. "Alright, I guess you have a point. And I am a little wiped."
"See? Now get some rest." She climbs off his lap and returns to her previous seat, settling in and then giving Mac a soft smile. "I'll wake you up when we land."
He smiles back just as softly, utters a quiet "Okay" and then sinks lower in the chair as his eyes close.
Riley sits back and watches as his breathing slowly evens out, his body relaxing further into the seat as sleep overtakes him. She resists the urge to reach out and run her fingers through his hair, knowing it might keep him from sleeping.
She always goes back and forth on whether or not she likes his hair better short or a little longer. Both styles have their appeal, of course, and it's much more fun to run her fingers through it when it has a little bit of length. But Mac also looks extremely handsome with his hair cut shorter; she doesn't really know why, but it just does something to her that she can't quite explain. She's gonna make sure he has a shorter haircut on their wedding day.
A surge of giddiness runs through her at the realization that she's actually going to get married, and she grins. She holds her left hand up in front of her face and, if it's even possible, she grins harder. It's not fancy or elegant, and some people might call it cheap or trashy, but none of that matters. Because the ring symbolizes them and all they've been through together to reach this point. And she loves it. It's perfect.
So? What did you think? Let me know in a review down below. I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Also. If you haven't yet, 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!