#mace verse

You’re walking close by, sneaking glances at him whenever you can, as you check the O2 productivity of the Garden. 

Once in a while you can feel his gaze on you, and you want to turn and look, but you also don’t want to alert him to the fact that you are hyper aware of him. As you always have been. 

You’re studying a particular plant closely, noticing a difference in color that is slightly concerning to you, when you hear a loud yell. 

“Shit!” Mace hisses, followed by the sound of splashing water. You look towards him immediately, turning your head so quickly it almost makes you dizzy. 

When you spot him, he’s sitting by the large container, the one that holds freezing water inside. He’s hunched over, clutching his hand with a tight grimace on his face. 

“Mace?” You ask, putting your tablet down as you rush over, “Mace, what happened?” 

Once you’re close enough, you reach out for his hand but he recoils, gritting his teeth as he speaks, “Don’t! No, don’t touch me, it could hurt you.” 

You look at his hand, soaked in the ice cold water, and watch as he tries to flex his fingers. 

He cries out in pain and it makes your heart ache. You widen your eyes, feeling as your heartbeat picks up, a worry running through you, rattling your bones. 

“Come on,” you say, gently, to try and coax him, “We need to get you to the med bay.” 

“I’m fine,” he grumbles, his face scrunched up as he continues grimacing, hissing whenever he tries to move his fingers. 

“You’re not fine,” you say, glancing from his hand to his face, “You’re in pain. We should get Searle to look at it.” 

“I’m fine!” He exclaims, groaning a little as he closes and opens his hand, “See? It’s fine..” 

Your eyes narrow as you look at him, and you cross your arms over your chest as you sternly say, “Mace, we are going to the med bay. Right now.” 

He looks up at you, eyes wide and slightly confused at your stern tone, but when you don’t relent he eventually sighs and grumbles out a quiet, “Fine..” 

You’re sitting in the med bay on a chair, a little away from where Mace is sitting on one of the medical beds as Searle tends to his hand. 

“It should be okay,” Searle says, checking it over, “I used some of the heating liquid on it and you should have full movement back in a couple of hours.” 

“I know,” Mace says, looking at you pointedly, “It usually goes away on its own.” 

You scoff, rolling your eyes as you look from Mace to Searle, “Please tell him that it was a good idea to come see you because he clearly doesn’t believe so.” 

Searle chuckles, looking from you to Mace as he says, “It was a good idea to come see me.” 

This time, Mace is the one who scoffs, and he moves his wrist in circles a few times before standing up as he mumbles, “I told her I didn’t need medical attention..” 

“No, but you got it, so stop being such a grump and say thank you,” you say sternly, narrowing your eyes at him. 

He meets your gaze, matching your expression, and for the next few seconds all you do is just stare at each other like that. 

You stay like that until Searle chuckles again, putting back his medical supplies where they belong as he says, “Mace, if I’ve learned one thing in life, it’s that, when a woman wants to take care of you, you let her. Otherwise you’ll be in for a world of trouble.” 

Mace doesn’t look at him, he keeps his gaze on you, and you quirk a brow, challenging him to speak. 

His eyes narrow a little more, and you can tell he’s considering saying something, but then he ultimately gives up with a sigh, breaking eye contact. 

“Fine,” he mumbles, wiggling his fingers a little, “I guess it did help. So thank you.” 

“I don’t think I’m the one you should be thanking,” Searle says with a smile, “Just be glad that she cares about you enough to want to keep you alive.” 

You and Mace walk back towards the living quarters side by side and tension fills the air as both of you stay silent. 

After a moment, Mace quietly says, “So, you care about me, huh?” 

You roll your eyes, focusing on the walk back instead of looking at him as you mumble, “Guess so. But apparently it’s a waste of time..” 

That makes him stop in his tracks, his hand taking your arm to gently turn you towards him, “It’s not. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have acted like that.”

You scan his face for a moment, and when all you see is an apologetic smile, your features soften from the stern expression you’ve been wearing since he refused medical care, “It’s alright. I guess I should have seen it coming, I mean, you’re not exactly fond of people taking care of you.” 

Mace snorts, nodding at you as you both start walking again, “Yeah, guess you have a point there. I’m just not used to it, you know?” 

“No one ever took care of you?” You ask casually. 

When he doesn’t reply, you glance at him, and you can see a sadness etched across his face. You immediately regret your words, quickly realizing that you’ve over stepped. 

“I’m sorry,” you backtrack, “I didn’t mean to snoop, I just-”

“It’s okay,” he interjects, glancing at you with a strained smile, “It’s just.. a long story.” 

You nod, your eyes glancing down to focus on your feet as you walk side by side in silence. 

After a moment, he speaks again, quieter this time, “I was the oldest. So I was always the one to take care of my siblings.” 

“What about your parents?” 

Mace shrugs, his movement a little stiff which shows he’s clearly uncomfortable, “They weren’t bad parents, they just weren’t around much. We were a military family, my father was in the army and my mother was a scientist. We moved around a lot, never really settled anywhere..” 

He trails off and it makes you look at him, scanning his face. The expression on it is solemn, sad even. 

Your heart aches at the pain scribbled across his face. 

“Do you miss them?” You ask quietly, looking back ahead of you to not make him any more uncomfortable than he already is. 

“Every day,” He answers, his voice as quiet as your own, “That’s why I’m doing this. To make sure my sisters have a chance at a proper life. Have a chance at a family, to have kids without having to worry about the world ending.” 

You nod, wrapping your arms around yourself unconsciously as his words sink in. 

He’s doing this for them, not for himself. 

“That’s beautiful, Mace,” you whisper, not daring to look at him, “What you’re doing is beautiful. It shows how much you love them.” 

He looks at you but you don’t see the expression on his face, keeping your eyes downcast as you walk down the hall. 

You don’t see the gentle smile on his lips or the adoring look on his face. 

“I do love them,” he replies, his eyes darting away after he’s been looking at you for a moment too long, “They’re the most important people in my life.” 

“No girlfriend?” You ask, your tone amused as a small smile plays on your lips. 

He chuckles, shaking his head, “No, having a girlfriend doesn’t really work when you’re planning on leaving earth for four years.” 

You giggle, “You’ve got a point. I’m going to tell myself that’s the reason I don’t have a significant other waiting for me to come home, either.”

“What other reason would there be?”

You glance at him, catching him as he looks at you with a soft smile on his lips. 

You blush slightly, darting your eyes away from his as you shrug and joke, “Well, you know. Being a biologist isn’t exactly the sexiest profession.” 

Mace chuckles as he says, “No? I think it’s very sexy.” 

Your eyes widen as your cheeks immediately heat up, quickly looking at him as a surprised chirp leave your lips. 

He stops walking, and so do you, and then he laughs softly when he notices your embarrassed expression, “I’m sorry, was that inappropriate?” 

You take a breath before a giggle spills past your lips, shaking your head, “No.. Well, maybe a little, but I’ll let it slide.” 

That makes him laugh again, and as you reach the living quarters he says, “Thanks, I appreciate it. And thank you for taking care of me. I’ll see you tomorrow.” 

He smiles softly as he says goodnight, and then he walks down the hall towards his room. 

You stay put for a moment, watching as he leaves, and you feel an unfamiliar tingling in your stomach, feeling oddly like something is tumbling around inside. 

You shake your head at the thought. 

It’s probably just something you ate. 

Probably. 

“Hi,” you reply, your smile growing slowly as you look up at him. He’s towering above you, standing next to where you’re on your knees in front of the vegetable garden. 

“How are you?” he asks and his voice is gentle as he speaks. It’s a strange feeling, seeing him like this. In fact, it’s strange how much has changed between you in such a short amount of time. 

It’s been about a week since he refused to get medical help, and you had to force him to go, but you can tell he’s slowly but steadily warming up to you. 

He now comes by just to say hi, no longer under the ruse of fixing the cooling system, which tells you that perhaps he enjoys your company as much as you enjoy his. 

“I’m good,” you say with a wide smile, gesturing to the basket next to you, “Look, my adjustments worked. We have carrots for dinner tonight.” 

Mace glances towards the basket and his face splits into a big grin, “No shit!” He walks around you, towards the basket, and then he kneels down, taking one of the large carrots out to inspect it closer. 

“That’s amazing,” he says, looking the vegetable over with excitement, “It’s been a while since we had carrots.” 

“I know,” you say with a chuckle, brushing off the small layer of dirt covering your hands, “I think the others will be excited as well.” 

“Hell yeah they will,” he says, smiling at you, “This is great. Well done.” 

You cheeks heat up slightly at the compliment, a small smile painting your lips as you thank him. 

You turn your attention back to the remaining vegetables, both because you need to check over a few more before you’re done, but also to cover up your reaction to his words, before you say, “So, what brings you by?” 

He stands back up, his back straightening and forming that beautiful arch that you love so much, before he shoves his hands into his pockets again. He shrugs, “Oh, uh. I just wanted to show you something.. If you have time..” 

You look up at him in surprise and when you notice the expression on his face, you smile softly and nod, “Sure. Just give me a few minutes.” 

“I like the waves the best,” Mace says as he stands next to you in the Earth room, “They make me feel peaceful.” 

You’re standing shoulder to shoulder, watching as the waves crash over the railing. Three girls are in the simulation, and they laugh and scream in glee as the water splashes them. 

“I like the waves too,” you whisper, a huge grin on your face as you watch them. 

“Yeah?” Mace asks, turning to look at you. His eyes lock on the giddy expression on your face, how your eyes are gleaming and how you giggle slightly. 

“Mhm,” you say through your soft giggle, “I usually always pick the waves or the woods, depending on my mood.” 

“I don’t like the woods as much,” Mace replies, furrowing his brows a little before he mumbles, “It’s too quiet..” 

You nod, “I know. But the woods work wonders for me when I’m feeling anxious.” 

He turns his head to look at you at that, his brows still furrowed as he scans your face, “You get anxious?” 

You don’t look at him, choosing instead to keep your gaze on the girls as they giggle and squeal at the waves, “Yeah, sometimes. It used to be more, back home. Doesn’t happen as often here.” 

Mace hums, not diverting his gaze from your face, mainly because he likes how it looks right now. 

Content, happy perhaps. Calm. Beautiful. 

You can feel his eyes on you, and you want to look at him, meet those beautiful blue orbs that have been invading your dreams lately, but you’re too shy to. 

After a moment, Mace turns his head back towards where the waves are crashing, and he takes a deep breath. 

“I wish we could feel it,” he whispers, his smile fading slowly, “How the water feels. I know we can smell it, and that helps, but it doesn’t compare to actually feeling it.” 

That makes your resolve break. You turn your head, shyly at first as you glance at him, doing your best to not make it too obvious. 

But it must be, because Mace quickly meets your gaze and then he smiles at you, a warm, genuine one that makes your stomach flutter. 

“I know what you mean,” you reply quietly, “I wish we could feel it, too. Sometimes I wonder if I should have left at all, considering how much I miss home..” 

Your eyes dart down at your bold confession, looking at your feet as you sigh. 

You’re grateful to be here, proud that you get the possibility to save the world, but it doesn’t replace that feeling. 

The longing. 

Mace scans your face, noticing how your features change when your eyes drop to the floor, and it brings out a familiar feeling in him. 

You miss it just as much as he does. 

Maybe that’s why he’s constantly gravitating towards you, like a magnet pulling at him. Maybe it’s because he sees the same sadness in you as he feels inside. 

He cares about the mission, so much that he’ll wake up in a cold sweat from nightmares about it not working, or something going wrong. 

But he misses home, he’s doing this to save it. And he wants to go back, even if he doesn’t say it much. Even if he knows that he would give his life to save it, risk never going back to save the people on it, he wants more than anything to be able to go back home, see his family again. 

Maybe start his own some day. 

Your eyes flicker up to meet his when you feel him looking at you, and your breath hitches slightly when you notice how close he’s standing to you, the expression on his face. 

He’s so beautiful, it makes your heart beat a little faster, makes a nervous feeling run through you. 

Even with the shoddy haircut, even when he’s angry, or brooding, or yelling, he’s still so painfully beautiful. 

When he breaks eye contact, you’re about to turn away again, but then you notice where his eyes drop to, where they linger. 

They’ve drifted lower on your face, locked onto a spot just below your nose. 

Your eyes mirror his, dropping to his lips, and you watch as his tongue swiftly darts out, wetting his plump bottom lip before his eyes dart back up to yours again. 

You can feel the tension in the air, it’s thick and heavy, making your heart pound against your ribcage as you look at him. 

And then he finally breaks it. 

He takes one small step, closing the space between you, as his arm wraps around your waist. 

His lips glide over yours, a gentle and hesitant kiss, but it’s enough to start a fire inside you, the warmth filling your veins. 

Your hand reaches up, cupping his cheek to pull him closer, as you move your lips against his delicately. 

After a moment, he pulls back, just a little, his lips still lingering on yours as he whispers, “Sunshine, you have no idea how long I’ve waited to do that.”