Mac-centric / Mac's thoughts on Riley. Based on his speech to Gwen about how having one person that you count on can make all the difference. This was supposed to be two paras, max, but it took a life of its own. And since it's less than 1k words, I'm putting it up here. Hope you guys like it, even though it's not the best thing I've written, lol. Also, I'm sorry I can't do the "read more" break here because Tumblr on mobile is stupid. Believe me, I tried.
"It doesn't take the whole world! Sometimes, you just need that one person that you can count on. Who you trust. And together, any problem can be solved.”
He remembers saying that to his aunt, trying to bring her to the good side, the right side. He recalls her scoffing out a laugh at that, as if he had said something next to impossible.
But, most of all, he remembers the feelings coursing through his veins when he uttered those words. Remembers how something inside of him kept telling him he knew a person like that. That he counted on, trusted without reservations. He had this vague feeling that he already had that one person on his side. He remembers a blurry face popping up and disappearing in his mind, as if a wisp of a memory. Just there to tickle him, to set the cogs in his mind to motion and leave the rest up to him.
However, back then, in the truck, was not the time to discern whose face had just flashed on the screen of his mind. Stopping Codex's nuke took priority over everything else, even his own life. So, he compartmentalized and focused on the task at hand.
Now, as he sits outside on his deck, looking at the dark 3 am night sky, a sudden stillness takes over him, reversing the compartmentalization. His brain starts working overtime on depixelating the blurry picture, zooming in and out, and he thinks God, this is Riley's area of expertise, not mine. How the heck does she do it?
It takes him a beat, but Riley's name in his thoughts acts like the code or program or whatever needed to clear up the image, and Mac sits up, all wide-open blue eyes and abrupt movements. He's on his feet, then, pacing restlessly, dismayed by the fact that it took him this long to figure out.
Riley. It was Riley's face.
He stops pacing, looks out towards the city, and sighs deeply.
Riley has been here, since day one. He trusts Riley, and knows she trusts him back, even when she's doubtful of the situation they're in or his it should work hypothetical plans. She believes in him to find a way. He can count on her to always support him, give him a pep talk when he needs one, to always know what he needs or wants to do when on a mission. She can read him like he's the easiest-to-understand book in the world, which he knows is not true because he's as complicated as they come.
Before Riley came into the picture, it was Jack. Together they solved all and any problems that came their way. And Mac will always trust Jack, always believe in him to back him up. But Jack isn't here any more. And he doesn't know how it happened, but since Jack left, Riley has been gradually shifting closer to him. She cannot replace Jack, because no one ever can, and because he wouldn't want Riley to be anyone other than her own self. After all, there is only one Riley Davis, and Mac is uber grateful to the powers that be that he gets to have her in his life.
She has sneaked her way into his heart, way higher and deeper than anyone else. Which demands a whole other dissection and in-depth self-exploration because he has a girlfriend. He does have a girlfriend, right? (Yeah, definitely something to ponder on another day.)
So yeah, he doesn't want her out, ever. And he's going to do whatever he can to ensure it. He has to figure stuff with Desi out first; then he can move forward, and explore how deep his feelings for Riley run.
As he realises, though, that he doesn't want her out, a calming warmth spreads through his entire being, and God knows he needs it. He's been feeling a little too cold these days. Not the kind of cold that you need layers against, but the kind that just stunts you, makes you act unlike yourself.
A few days later, when his heart cracks a little too loudly in his chest because Riley tells him she is moving out, he feels unable to take a breath, like someone's sucking all the oxygen out of the room, and he thinks oh, karma, how I hate you.
But Mac also feels a hope bloom inside; Riles is talking about leaving him all alone in his too-empty home and his heart is breaking and he takes it as a sign. A blaring, screaming neon sign that makes him more certain in his feelings for Riley.
And he knows then. He knows he can't let her go.
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