birthday boy
A/N: a little something in honor of Mac’s bday yesterday!! I imagine we would’ve gone to Disneyland the day before (we are APs, after all) and celebrated at home after work/school ✨
pairing: Angus MacGyver x Emily Santos (oc)
wc: 612
“You ready?”
“Yes,” Mac chuckled. “The suspense is killing me.”
It was Mac’s 33rd birthday. He and Emily sat next to one another at their dining table, the space dimly lit by candles and salt lamps. The balloons Emily had surprised him with over the weekend hovered above his chair. Reflections of the lighting’s warm glow shone from their foil, making the space seem even more inviting.
Mac’s birthday cake—lovingly homemade by Emily, of course—sat before him in all its sprinkled glory. Emily had frosted the small chocolate heart with store-bought vanilla, then dipped in nonpareils. She’d placed a sanitized paper clip in the center for a Mac-themed garnish.
Now she lit the added candle, beaming at Mac over its flame. “Should I sing?” she teased; neither were much for being serenaded before wishmaking.
Mac laughed dryly. “Later.” He loved her voice, but preferred when he could relax while listening.
“Oh, good. I have a performance planned.” Emily’s matter-of-fact tone could mean one of two things, but knowing her, she likely did. It was part of how she’d proposed, after all.
She reached for Mac’s hand. He accepted and nodded toward the cake.
“You gonna make a spell out of this? I half-expected a salt circle.”
“Oh!” Emily squeezed his fingers, removing her own to clap twice. “That’s– ugh! I love you.”
Standing, she gripped Mac’s chin and placed a firm kiss to his cheek before scurrying off. Mac chuckled to himself, not bothering to turn around while she rummaged through the spice cabinet.
Em returned with salt, thyme, and cinnamon sugar. Mac knew salt and thyme were classics for protection; he also remembered cinnamon could represent abundance.
“What’s the sugar for?”
“To make this year sweet,” Emily replied with a wink.
Mac didn’t bother to point out how much sugar was in the cake. Maybe having it in the circle did something extra.
“Okay, okay,” Emily muttered to herself as she pinched the herbs into shape. “Beautiful!”
“Yes, you are,” Mac couldn’t resist saying.
She just rolled her eyes and signaled for his hands.
“May thirty-three be full of luck and love,” Emily began. “May you always know how much you are adored. Keep us safe and healthy. . . anything else?”
Mac smirked. “May we continue getting hotter with age.”
Scoffing in laughter, Em released her grip to pick up her wine glass. “I’ll drink to that!”
The pair toasted, and Mac made his wish.
“Oh, I should’ve gotten a picture with the candle lit,” Emily complained afterward.
“You can still take a picture,” he offered. “Wouldn’t that have ruined the spell?”
She tossed her head from side to side in debate. It was a decent point.
Emily found her phone and snapped a few photos of Mac smiling, surrounded by his treats and gifts. Red wine and rocky road ice cream, his favorites, sat amongst their plates of cake. Flowers graced the center of the table.
“Alright, dig in!” Em exclaimed when she was done.
Mac fingered the paperclip garnish, careful to remove as little frosting from the cake as possible. “Probably shouldn’t eat this.”
Emily motioned for him to hand it over. She licked the buttercream off the metal (it was sanitized!) while Mac did the same from his fingers.
The pair locked eyes, mouths open. A beat passed before they burst out laughing in unison.
“I hate you,” Emily murmured at her husband’s teasing glance.
He simply chuckled. “I love you, too.”
Smiling, Mac extended his forkful of cake to clink against Emily’s.
“I do love you, Mr. Santos,” Emily clarified with her chin in her free hand.
“I know.” Mac grinned. “Otherwise, you wouldn’t have made this cake!”