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Chapter Text

Mac had never felt so bad in his whole life.

The young man's eyes were half closed with fatigue. He barely noticed the instructions on the screen.

His usually fast moving hands remained dead on his thighs. His head couldn't even come up with a simple high school chemical equation. He was sweating profusely while the air conditioning was on.

The blond man rubbed his eyes because he was having a hard time reading the screen in front of him.

Riley was right behind him, she was observing him and felt that Mac was somewhere else.

The young woman looked up at Matty and decided to interrupt her for a few seconds.
Matty wasn’t offended when she noticed his tired state. She gave a nod to Riley, who approached a hand to the young man’s shoulder to shake him awake.

Mac felt the hand on him, and jumped when he noticed that he must have fallen asleep. The fact that he was having trouble opening his eyes worried the director even more, and her anxious stare was stressing Mac.
It seems that Doctor Williams hadn't lied to her. Seeing her protégé in this state broke her heart. She still can’t believe and accept that she had only been a pawn with all this nanotracker business.

"Mac, everything’s okay?" Matty's worried voice shook Mac, and he put a hand on his face, sighing.

He didn’t think he could lie to the most important people in this room. And even so, he knows that Matty was sure to already know some details anyway.
Mac was a terrible liar and the whole team knew it.

He took a few minutes before answering the director.
Riley stared at him, she couldn’t just let him be. The young woman read him like an open book.

"I have had a hard time sleeping for some time now"

Mac was experiencing recurring nightmares. The blonde sighed and looked at the hacker for a few seconds.

Riley keeps her hand on his shoulder, squeezing it lightly in a sign of comfort.

"Mac, maybe it would be better for you to go home to rest. You really need it" suggested Matty.

"I’m okay, don’t worry about me, you can go on"

Even if Matty was not a person to be easily fooled, she decided to listen to him and went on anyway.

She returned and saw that he was getting up from his chair, interrupting the briefing.

“I'm coming back,” the young man called out to Riley and Matty.

They noticed his irregular steps as he went out, and shared a worried look. He tried to reach the toilets at the other end of the corridor as quickly as possible.

It didn't take long for him to get into one of the cabins in front of him and vomit the contents of his whole stomach into the basin.

He straightened up and leaned against the wall for a few moments to regain control of his breathing.

Mac rubbed his eyes, fatigue was lurking in the shadows and consuming him from within.

Mac approached the sink and asperg his face with cold water in an attempt to regain his senses.

He unrolled a piece of paper to wipe his face. The mirror reflected an image he didn’t recognize.
Mac had dark circles in the corners of his eyes and his complexion was a little paler than usual. His blue eyes had lost their sparkle.

“You have to think about going to sleep or else you'll never hold it up”

Mac knew he was done. Matty had to have a card in one of her sleeves to force him to go home and rest.

To be continued…

Chapter Text

Mac straightened up painfully, staring at his reflection in the mirror. His pale face, dark circles under his eyes, and the dim light in his gaze reflected an image he didn’t recognize. He turned away, refusing to dwell on it. Now was neither the time nor the place to let himself fall apart.

As he exited the restroom, he forced himself to walk with more confidence, even though his legs were trembling. The moment he stepped back into the briefing room, his eyes met Riley’s. She was waiting for him, leaning against the table with her arms crossed, an obvious concern etched on her face.

She straightened immediately when she saw him.
“Mac…” she murmured softly.

He raised a hand to stop her, attempting to brush off her concern with a simple gesture.
“I’m fine, Riley.”

She didn’t believe him for a second. She stepped closer, her eyes scanning every detail of his face. She noticed the slight trembling in his hands, the unusual paleness of his complexion, and, above all, the exhaustion in his gaze.

“No, you’re not fine,” she said, her voice trembling, a mix of anger and fear. “Do you even realize what you’re putting your body through?”

Before he could respond, Matty’s calm but firm voice cut through the tension.
“Sit down, Mac.”

He hesitated for a moment but eventually obeyed, collapsing heavily onto the chair.

“Listen to me, Mac,” Matty began. “If you keep going like this, you’re going to crash. You’re no use to anyone in this state. Riley will take you home. You need to rest. That’s an order.”

Mac opened his mouth to protest, but Riley placed a hand on his shoulder. That simple gesture, light but filled with determination, disarmed him completely.

“Matty’s right. You need rest, Mac,” she said, her tone softening. “And I won’t let you keep going like this.”

Mac’s eyes met hers, and for a fleeting moment, he saw something in her gaze that unsettled him. A tenderness he hadn’t noticed before. Startled, he nodded reluctantly, defeated.

The car ride was silent. Riley kept glancing at Mac, who stared out the window, lost in thought. His features were tense, but he seemed less defensive now.

Finally, Riley broke the silence.
“Mac, you know I’m here for you, right?”

He slowly turned his head toward her, surprised by the gentleness in her voice.
“I know.”

But she wasn’t satisfied with that response. She slowed the car, pulled over to the side of the road, and turned fully to face him.

“No, I don’t think you really know,” she said. “I’m here for you. Not just as a colleague or a friend. I…” She hesitated, searching for the right words. “I care about you. Deeply.”

Mac stared at her, his lips slightly parted, unable to respond. For a brief moment, he felt his heart race, but he didn’t know what to say.

“Riley, I…”

“You don’t have to say anything right now,” she interrupted with a soft smile. “But I need you to know. No matter what you’re going through, I’ll be here.”

A silence fell between them, but this time it was different. It was no longer heavy or tense, but a moment charged with unspoken promises.

At his apartment, Mac collapsed onto the couch, utterly drained. Riley followed him and sat in a chair across from him.

“I’m staying here,” she announced.

He raised an eyebrow, a mix of surprise and resignation on his face.
“Riley, you don’t have to—”

“Yes, I do. Because if I leave you alone, you’ll find some way to keep busy instead of resting.”

He shook his head, a tired smile tugging at his lips.
“You’re stubborn, you know that?”

“And you’re terrible at asking for help. Looks like we make a good team,” she replied, her smile widening.

A comfortable silence settled between them. Mac eventually lay back, his eyes half-closed, feeling a strange warmth for the first time in days. Riley, sitting nearby, watched him with a tender expression, her heart tightening slightly.

For the first time, Mac felt like he wasn’t alone. Maybe, with Riley by his side, he could finally let go.

Chapter Text

The room was quiet, almost too much so. Only the distant sound of nighttime traffic filtered through the windows. Mac was lying on the bed, his arms crossed over his chest, his gaze fixed on the ceiling. Riley, next to him, discreetly watched him, trying to guess what was going through his mind. She could feel the weight of his thoughts tormenting him, even though he did everything he could to hide it.

“Do you want to talk?” she asked gently, finally breaking the silence.

He let out a long sigh, shaking his head slightly. “I don’t know, Riley. I’m… exhausted. And not just physically.”

She nodded, sitting up a little straighter to see him better. “You’ve been through so much, Mac. You’re not a machine.”

He turned his head slightly toward her, his gaze meeting hers. His eyes reflected a fatigue far deeper than mere lack of sleep. It was emotional exhaustion, the result of months, maybe even years, of keeping everything bottled up.

“Sometimes I feel like I have to be,” he murmured. “A machine. Someone everyone can rely on, all the time.”

Riley shook her head softly. She placed a light hand on his arm, a simple but comforting gesture. “You’re the one putting that pressure on yourself. The people around you… me, we don’t expect you to be perfect. We just want you to be you.”

Mac stayed silent, his gaze once again drifting off into the void. Riley sensed he was on the verge of saying something but hesitated. She gave him the space he needed, aware that he needed time to find the words.

After a long pause, he finally spoke, his voice barely audible. “You know, there are things I’ve always forbidden myself to feel… or say. Because I thought it was simpler that way. Safer.”

She turned slightly toward him, intrigued by the direction of his words. “And now?”

He took a deep breath, his fists clenching briefly before relaxing. “Now I realize I can’t run anymore. Not with you.”

Her brow furrowed slightly, her heart beating a little faster. “What do you mean, Mac?”

He sat up slightly, propping himself on an elbow to look directly at her. His face was a mix of nervousness and determination. “I mean… Riley, I love you.” The words came out all at once, almost as if he feared losing his courage if he spoke them any slower. “Not as a friend or a colleague. I really love you.”

Riley froze for a moment, her eyes wide. The words she had just heard resonated in her mind, warming her heart in a way she hadn’t imagined. But what struck her most was the raw sincerity in his voice, the emotion he had always hidden, finally revealed.

“Mac…” she murmured, her voice trembling slightly. She placed a hand on his face, her fingers gently brushing his cheek with infinite softness. “I love you too.”

He blinked, surprised by the quickness of her response. “You love me?”

She nodded, a shy yet radiant smile lighting up her face. “Yes. For a long time. But I knew you needed time to figure it out.”

Mac let out a small laugh, a rare but relieved sound. “How do you do that? How do you always see through me?”

She shrugged, amused. “Because I know you, Mac. And because I love you, even when you try to hide everything.”

He leaned in slightly toward her, his lips brushing hers with a softness that was almost hesitant, as if he were afraid of breaking the fragile moment. Riley responded to his kiss, her hands resting on his shoulders, pulling him a little closer.

When they parted, their foreheads remained pressed together, a peaceful smile on their faces.

“You don’t have to face everything alone anymore,” she whispered. “I’m here. And I’ll stay, no matter what.”

He nodded, his eyes shining with an emotion he no longer tried to hide. “Thank you, Riley. For everything.”

She slid under the covers beside him, settling against him. Mac wrapped his arm around her shoulders protectively, holding her close. For the first time in months, he felt truly at peace.

The night gently enveloped the room, and together, they let the outside world fade away, savoring this shared moment of tenderness.