universe + riley + roadmap

@macgyverphoenix​

Sleep hadn’t come easy to Riley the last couple of nights. Usually she was so exhausted after a mission that it almost killed just to keep her eyes open. And she was exhausted. That wasn’t the problem. The emotional toll, jet lag, and physical demand lugging a bomb through the rubble and remains of that building in Germany made her almost question getting up the next morning. It was rare to have a day at The Phoenix that wasn’t filled to the brim with work, but after one mission ended, there was a small window of calm before another storm. Still, she couldn’t miss work. And if she was being honest with herself, she didn’t want to. Not because she loved her job– though there was no question that she did. But seeing her friends now after so many months apart was a relief. To know that they were still a family; even if there were some bridges that needed a little mending.

There was more to Riley’s hesitance though than just being drained, and a pang of guilt crept over her when she told Aubrey goodbye that morning. The fresh to-go cup of coffee in her hand, which Riley’s fingers were currently tapping against, had been freshly ground by him. Not only was her entire career a lie, but she was beginning to worry more about the relationship. Partly because it inevitably wouldn’t work - not if she stayed with The Phoenix. There was no denying that she cared about Aubrey, a lot. And she had been happy with him when there was no one else. But now, there was. A very important someone she had missed over those eighteen months. The one she literally leaped over a counter to work with again. The one that maybe she’d had feelings bubbling up for for a long time, and they had finally come to the surface. Riley’s fingers tightened around the cup in reflex as she remembered the way his hand felt holding hers. He had opened up to her, and saved her life. But that touch? It drew her out of denial.

Relationships in this business though– they didn’t work. Riley was terrified of losing Mac; she didn’t want things to turn out between them like it did him and Desi. So she’d have to bury everything way down deep. Which wasn’t easy when he was the next to arrive in the quiet war room, glittering blue eyes dancing across to meet her hazel. Those vivid hues that made her feel safe and vulnerable all the same. “Morning, Mac,” Riley greeted, her voice husked with weariness. Still, she offered a lazy smile as she pulled open her laptop. She had to play it cool. Normal. Then everything would be alright. Or so that’s what Riley told herself. “Find a little downtime this weekend?”

“Hey Riles, good morning.” When Mac entered the war room, he wasn’t at all surprised to find Riley as the first member of the team there waiting for the briefing. After all, he’d barely had time to get the words out before she’d leapt over the counter to rejoin the Phoenix in her eagerness. And the truth really was, without her as a part of the team there’d have been a huge gap to be filled. It’s why he’d gone to her first; before Bozer, before Desi, Riley brought a lot to the group and it went beyond her immeasurable hacking skills. Returning the smile that came with her greeting, “A little bit, nothing as special as disarming artillery from World War Two though.” Offering Riley a quick wink as he crossed the room and took a seat in the chair next to hers, then reached out to pick up a paper clip out of the bowl set on the small table between them.

“How about you? Get to enjoy some quiet time decompressing?” He’d picked up right away on the fatigue in her voice, as well as the coffee cup in Riley’s hand. It was understandable given the high stakes they had faced in Germany just a few days earlier; life and death circumstances were a lot more usual in their line of work but it took just as heavy a toll on the psyche even when it was becoming more of a status quo. “How’s Aubrey?” Mac posed the question about Riley’s secret boyfriend, only doing so while they were alone. Just because she’d revealed the truth to him it didn’t mean she’d told anybody else about him. And he still felt a little guilty for reacting so poorly at first upon learning that she had been keeping the secret of a live-in boyfriend for half a year, so Mac wanted to make sure they were still cool about things.

Besides, this latest mission could have gone sideways in so many different ways and he was grateful that they’d all made it out alive and in one piece. Before any of the others could show up, Mac turned towards Riley who was already working away on her trusty laptop and caught her gaze. “If nothing else, I guess a couple of close calls like Germany really makes you appreciate what you have, right?” After most of the Phoenix’s missions there was a flood of relief that carried him for the next few days but something about this one, something was different for him. He’d spent a quiet weekend just working around the house, tinkering with a few projects that could charitably be called in-progress, but in the really quiet moments Mac kept going back to the moments right after the two of them had just narrowly avoided disaster when the bomb had started to careen down the stairs and he’d managed to pull Riley out of harm’s way. How they’d just clung to one another and then slowly realized their lives hadn’t ended, and the bomb hadn’t gone off. That latest flood of relief hadn’t seem to go away, at least not while he was in Riley’s presence.

Riley would never complain about a day off from work. As much as she loved working for The Phoenix, she also desired a little downtime. After speaking to Jack, she was on a mission to find Mac and make sure they had a nice day out. Funny how even on her day off she found herself unable to keep away from her found family. “Who says I came by to see Boze? I was actually looking for you, Mac.” The grin she shone his way parted, a peal of laughter escaping at the crack. She and Mac both loved Jack to pieces, but he was so much fun to give hell. Although, it wasn’t quite the same when he couldn’t riff back with them. “Not kidding, actually. You know how he is– throws wisdom at you when you least expect it.” Revealing the plan, Riley felt an odd wave of excitement rip through her; she couldn’t remember the last time she saw Mac so enthusiastic about something that didn’t involve science. Or paperclips. Her heart felt all warm and fluttery, but she brushed it off right away.

Hazel eyes settled on the blonde, watching as he cleaned away at the kitchen dishes. There was always something so mesmerizing about Mac’s hands. Even when he was doing something so simple as a household chore. Or saving lives. He had been such a good friend to her - always - but especially as of late. He kept her relationship qualms quiet and comforted Riley when she needed it most. A soft smile lingered on her lips, even as he asked more about Jack. “He seems alright. I think a little homesick. He misses us a lot. Just like we miss him. I still don’t know where he is, but he said he’s gonna call you tomorrow, so you better pick up.” Another smirk took over Riley’s expression as she jiggled her car keys in hand. “I wouldn’t have asked you if I didn’t want to, Blondie,” she chuckled, using Matty’s nickname for him. “Now c’mon! Those dishes can wait until later. Or even better, save them for Boze.” Before Mac could further distract himself, Riley took hold of his hand and pulled him out the door toward her car. Once they were buckled in and out on the road, she stole a glance his way, eyebrows waggling playfully. “Should we make a bet now? Loser buys pizza?”

For a rare day off, Mac really had shockingly little to do today. Simple tasks around the house like washing the dishes was kind of it, but having Riley stop by was a great sense of relief for him. Happy that she wasn’t just looking for Bozer and had sought him out instead, he shared her grin and laugh over Jack; it definitely made it easier to have somebody else so close to him to share in the unique nuggets of wisdom. And the shared worry that never seemed to fully go away, and wouldn’t until he was finally back home with them again. “Yeah, that’s part of his charm though.” As usual Jack’s plan did sound like fun, a day at the arcade sounded like a great way to spend all this free time. And some one on one time with Riley was just as welcome, with the way they’d been getting closer as of late too. He grinned and expressed his excitement for it, furiously scrubbing at the final couple of dishes that stood in their way while asking her how Jack seemed to be on their call. Nodding as he took in her response to it, Jack being homesick wasn’t that much of a surprise but it was matched by their desire to have him back as well. “Okay good, I’ll be waiting for that call then. And no news is still good news, we gotta remember that when it comes to his mission.”

Mac grinned as he set down the last plate, “Too late. You should’ve been here five minutes ago, or I would’ve left them for him.” Pulling the plug on the sink to let it drain, Riley pounced and grabbed him by the still soapy hand and started to yank him right out the door to the car. “Whoa, when you mean business you’re not going to stop for anything are you?” Soon he was in the passenger seat as Riley drove towards the arcade, and suggested they up the stakes with a wager as her eyebrows arched at him with a smirk. It was that kind of look that Mac had come to recognize and enjoy from her, because it usually meant she was up to something. “You know me Riles, I’m not one to turn down a bet. You’re on. Skee-ball settles all!”

@macgyverphoenix

It had been some time since Riley had ended things with Billy, and mostly, she was over it. Every now and again a twinge of sadness would take her over; he was the one person she’d ever pictured a future with. The first person she had genuinely loved. Come to find out it was all a lie on his end. Though she’d played it cool by breaking things off as quickly as she could, Riley was still trying to accept that she could do better. Her usual confident, badass attitude had been buried beneath insecurity; since, apparently, she wasn’t enough for him. Riley was more than grateful for the support of the Phoenix team though. She missed Jack, so much. Mac had really stepped up his game though by filling that void some, and the more time she spent with him, the better she felt. Jack had Facetime called her that morning and suggested that Riley and Mac go to the arcade for pizza and games. That had always been her tradition with Jack, and as of late, as a team together. For some reason it hadn’t dawned on her to return now that Jack was away– maybe she thought it might just remind her of that loss.

The more she considered it though, it sounded appealing. Mac was fun to be around and always brightened her spirits. Without warning she showed at his and Bozer’s place, barely tapping on the front door before entering. They just expected the pop-in from her now. “Hey,” Riley greeted warmly as she spotted shiny blonde hair in the kitchen. Her boots clacked on the hard floor as she joined him, resting her elbows on the island in the center of the room. “So– Jack actually had a brilliant idea,” she teased, catching his ocean orbs with her hazel. One thing that always struck her about Mac was those expressive eyes. Full of light and kindness, and a blue she could swim in. Sometimes she had to break her stare just to keep that from happening. In this case though, she also didn’t want him to see the glassiness in her own eyes. It was a mix of emotions from relationship reflecting, and her catching up with Jack. “He suggested we have an arcade day. I could use one. What do you say? Up for skee-ball and some greasy pizza? I may even let you win some.”

A pretty rare thing to have an off-day from the Foundation, but Maddie made it clear that for once she was the one who didn’t want to hear from the team for a minimum of 24 hours. And with that in mind, Bozer had left to go and meet Leanna which meant Mac was on his own. Or so he’d thought. Hearing Riley’s greeting as she walked into the house, Mac turned towards her and grinned at his friend. “Hey! Welcome, you kinda missed Boze though.” His eyebrow raised at Riley’s mention of Jack, especially in reference to their MIA friend actually having a brilliant idea. “You’re kidding. Jack... Jack Dalton Jack?” Mac laughed; he could still have fun teasing Jack even though he wasn’t there with them in Los Angeles right now. Hopefully it wouldn’t be much longer before he was back home, but they had absolutely no way of knowing when it would be. At least he tended to call or skype every now and then when he could, reassuring Mac and also definitely Riley that he was still okay and handling himself well out there... wherever he was.

“Now this I’ve got to hear.” Mac put away the last of the dishes and pulled the stopper out of the sink as he turned to face Riley fully. Her gaze met his, those deeply mischevious hazel seemed to twinkle as she held back on exactly what Jack’s idea was at first. Mac knew Riley had been going through a lot lately, first having Jack leave without warning and then the end of her relationship with Billy. But he’d done whatever he could to try and help her cope, she’d confided in him and he wanted to be there for Riley. She’d done the same for him in the past too, dealing with his father and other things... they just had a connection that was different from the others. His face lit up at her suggestion, or rather Jack’s. “Yes! I’m so down for an arcade day, he really did have a great idea! How’s he doing?” Mac nodded in agreement with her. “Skee-ball and greasy pizza, how could a day get any better than that? I’m in if you are!”