It was a blur of skin. Of hands and arms and legs and feet and him. His lips, his chest, his five o'clock shadow. The way he moaned her name, the way she screamed his. His feather-light touches followed by a rough tug. It was exhilarating and made her heart swell with a happiness she hadn't felt in a long time. It was hope. And familiarity. They were still them, but more. They'd grown (kind of) and experienced things since they'd last been together and it somehow made it all the more meaningful. Because this time she wasn't going to try and sabotage what they had. This time she wasn't afraid of what could be, only immensely intoxicated by it.
She looked up quickly. "You tore up the receipt." He nodded and started making his way to the bedroom. "Will?" she called, following behind. He was rummaging through his drawers, "What are you…?" then he pulled out the box. The box she knew contained the ring. "…doing?"
He stood up to his full height and placed the ring on a table near the window, making his way over to her. "Will?" she sounded hesitant.
"Yes?" he said, a small smile on his face. The kind of smile he wore when he knew the outcome before anything had even started playing out. That smiled bugged the hell out of Mac.
"Are you… You're not… proposing to me? Are you?" Mac was slightly embarrassed to ask the question, but knew that she couldn't let it go. He was standing in front of her with a ring for crying out loud.
He gave a small shrug, "Eventually," and kissed her, one of his hands finding its way into her hair while the other went to her waist.
As Mackenzie woke she remembered the night before. Wonderful; full of passion. They'd never had a problem in that area, after all.
She stretched, her hands making little fists as her arms reached above her head, the sheet falling away from her. Mac let out a contented sigh and a little giggle. God how she'd missed this.
"Hey, there." Will was leaning against the doorframe, a mug of coffee in each hand.
"Morning," she smiled, making no move to cover herself. He'd seen all there was to see.
He handed her a mug and sat down on the bed next to her. They rested there in a comfortable silence for a few minutes, something they'd always used to do on Sunday mornings. "You know what we should do?" He didn't expect an answer, so he went ahead, "Dinner." He looked over at her, waiting for a response.
Mac pretended to think about it before replying. "Alright, dinner. But only if we can do lunch as well," she said, faking a stern tone of voice. As if they were negotiating a business transaction.
Will decided to play along and nodded slowly, picking out his words carefully. "I'll agree to lunch, but you have to throw in breakfast as well."
"Of course, that'd only be fair."
"I'm glad we're on the same page with this."
"Well we are on the same page for just about everything else."
"We're on the same page for just about nothing else, Mackenzie," he said with a chuckle.
"For the things that matter."
He inclined his head, agreeing. "For the things that matter."
After a few more minutes of companionable silence, during which Mac had placed her head on Will's shoulder, her stomach grumbled loudly.
"I believe I was promised breakfast, so are you going to feed me or what, Billy?"
"So, does our deal for breakfast, lunch and dinner extend over today as well?" They were back in his bead, where both assumed they'd end up last night.
"Hmm… I'll have to talk with my people," Will replied, bringing back the banter from yesterday. They were lying facing each other, Mac's back against the headboard and Will leaning against the footboard. He was playing with her toes, which he found he rather liked to do, while she squirmed a little.
"Of course, of course – take your time. Wouldn't want to rush you on this," she giggled a little, flicking her bangs out of her eyes. Will let out a soft chuckle and leaned forward so his arms were straddling her knees, his elbows on either side as his hands intertwined themselves on top of her legs. He let his chin rest on one of her thighs, just above where his hands were placed and let out a deep sigh.
Everything seeped away from him. All the stress, the politics of the company and that stupid death threat, it all melted from his shoulders. They weren't Mackenzie McHale, executive producer and Will McAvoy, anchor, anymore. In this moment they were just Mac and Will. He was lying there, his chin pressed into her thigh while she ran her fingers through his hair, and he suddenly saw everything so clearly.
He let go of the past. What was the point in holding it all in? What was the point in letting one mistake ruin the future he wanted, the one he'd always dreamed of? She was here now, and she wasn't going anywhere, and she loved him. And he didn't want to end up some grouchy old news anchor with nothing to show for his life but old recordings of himself.
He wanted more than that – so much more. Kids and grandkids and Mac. He wanted Mac more than anything he had ever wanted in his whole life. He wanted her more than he wanted to hold onto a grudge.
He kissed the thigh his chin was resting on.
"My people say that breakfast, lunch and dinner can be extended over for today as well, but on one condition."
Mackenzie sucked her bottom lip into her mouth, as she sometimes had the habit of doing. "Hmm… and what's that?"
"You'll just have to spend the rest of your life with me." He was still smiling, and Mackenzie wasn't quite sure what he was saying, so she let out a brief, shallow laugh.
"Oh? Is that all?"
The smile fell from his face, and his look took on more meaning. "That's all I want," he mumbled, and then, even quieter, "That's all I've ever wanted."
"Will?" he looked up. "Are you asking to date me?"
He didn't move from his position but didn't say anything for a long time. Mackenzie, instantly, was afraid she'd said something wrong. Had this not been what he'd meant? Was it really a joke that she hadn't picked up on?
Will slowly shook his head almost imperceptibly. "No, Mackenzie, I'm not asking to date you."
Shit shit shit "Oh, no, of course not! I didn't mean –"
"I'm asking you to marry me."
She gulped, eyes going wide, but never breaking contact with Will's. "Oh? Is that all?"
He nodded, "Yeah, Mac, that's all."
She sighed loudly, shaking her head. "Well Billy, you know I'll have to take this up with my people now. An offer as big as this one can't be taken lightly."
"'Course. Take your time."
She leaned over, running her fingers through his hair. "Will?" she whispered. "I'd fucking love to marry you, you idiot."
Will looked up and saw the tears making tracks down her face. "Good. That's good." She had the tendency of making him the happiest man in the world most of the time.
That is all, friends. That is all.
Let me know if you want more MAC&WiLL action in the form of some lovely fanfiction. I know I do.
