#worried Riley and Bozer

[authorangelita]

"What's going on in here?" Riley asked as she walked into the mess that had become of Mac's living room. There were books strewn across every surface, loose printed pages all over the floor, three laptops all open to webpages about plants, and about twenty coffee mugs among the detritus. The TV was also playing a black-and-white monster movie.

Bozer, leaning against the partition that separated the kitchen from the foyer, nodded in greeting. Then, he turned his attention back to the whirlwind that was MacGyver. "Our boy is doing a crash course on lycanthropy. Including all the movie versions."

"He looks like he's about to crash," Riley said with a fair amount of concern.

Mac's clothes were coffee-stained and disheveled. His hair was sticking up in all directions, and his eyes had enough baggage for extra fees at the airport.

"He's been like this since they got back from Italy."

"That was three days ago!"

Read more at AO3

@macgyvercairo

[ash5monster01]

Hi how are you? I don't know if you are accepting requests... but if so, I would like to ask Macgyver for something

I imagine something, where the reader is jealous of Mac with Desi or Riley, and to make matters worse for the reader, one of them ends up getting hurt, and then Mac gives her his full attention? (Riley, Desi) and the reader starts to feel super insecure and super bad...

Thankss!!

first of all the fact I have a MacGyver request right now is nothing short of amazing. with the show being over for a while now the fandom has died down quite a lot and I am happy to write for him whenever. I will also be choosing Desi for this considering I’m very anti-Desi, apologies to anyone who likes her. anyways I hope you enjoy xx

Wish It Was Me

Pairing: Angus MacGyver x Fem!Reader

Warnings: jealousy, language, angst, heartache, unreciprocated feelings, fluff, happy ending (don’t worry)

Summary: After months of pretending that his behavior doesn’t bother you, you finally find yourself getting fed up and showing your heartbreak towards the boy. He uses this as an excuse to finally confront his feelings for you.

word count: 2.4k

Masterlist

Harboring a crush on the man your job required you to protect was a great work ethic tactic. In fact it was the best one you had yet. Obviously you’d protect anyone of the team but if something ever actually happened to Mac, you’d be more than upset. Quite possibly crushed. It was also a great tactic considering you were very well trained at keeping your emotions intact which meant not once had you given up the fact you had any feelings for the blonde boy at all. It was simple actually, pine for him when you were alone and protect him when you were together. Always at his 6, gun pointed and loaded. A team always and forever.

That is until Desi Nguyen came along.

Not only is she just as good as you at combat but she was also getting closer to the team and you despised that. Feelings of replacement and jealousy filling you which made you angry for experiencing such emotions at all. It started to get worse when you noticed how close Mac was getting to her. Hell when she first showed up she had caught him leaving the shower and she hadn’t been shameless about it at all. You were the only one to successfully pass her test and she acted like because of that, the two of you were friends. That made it even worse.

It started with him laughing at her jokes, then it was grabbing a coffee after work, and pretty soon it was slight touches in passing, barely noticeable, but there. It was driving you up a wall, yet you’d never show it. Not only was Mac completely clueless but Riley and Bozer as well. So when you find yourself particularly angry for being sent in the field with Mac and Desi, no one seems to pay no mind because you are a shell of stoic. Untouched by silly and childish feelings of crushes and love. You wonder if there is possibly anything that could break your cool and calm structure.

“Y/N, I need you for a minute” your heart stutters, wishing he meant it in a different way, some other way. Yet you obey, not even a glimmer of hope shining as you look in his eyes. “Hold this wire for me please”

“Better hurry guys, we’re gonna have guests soon” Desi speaks, still on guard for any unwanted visitors. You slide your gun in the holster, allowing her to cover you both as you hold the wire like Mac asked.

“Please tell me this will only blow up the bad guys and not us” you tell Mac, a sly smile on your face and he chuckles, his hand twisting with his Swiss army knife as he works on something you can’t possibly comprehend.

“I’m not making any promises” he tells you and you fight the grin that wants to crawl across your face. You want to smile at him like he hung the stars but your job was to protect, not love. Even if you wanted to you’d be afraid of doing it for competition now, even if you didn’t know how Mac felt about Desi you knew she liked him.

That point is proven when you’re interrupted by the heavy footsteps of three men. A shot is let off in the air before you have time to register that the shot was heading for Mac. Desi does her job which is the same as yours, stepping in front of the bullet, and letting it knock her to the ground. You don’t have time to think about it, you move on command, years of skill practically motorized into your being. Your gun is out your holster in seconds and you’ve shot all three men to the ground before anyone can think about it. It’s what you were built for.

“Shit Desi, are you okay?” it’s Mac’s voice that pulls you from combat mode. You turn to find he has taken position over her fallen form, both her hands and his own holding her wound tightly as she bleeds from her torso.

“Been better Mac” she tells him, voice straining like she’s clearly in pain. You see it in his eyes though. It’s what keeps you from rushing to her side as well. It was there all along and maybe he was just as good at hiding it as you or you were denial. He’s looking at her the way you would’ve looked at him if he was the one laying on that ground.

“Matty, we’re gonna need an exfil location stat. Desi has been shot” you call over on your comm’s and the worried voices from the other team members seem to make you sadder. Feeling abandoned by your team and guilty for allowing such personal feelings to make you seem so cold towards a girl who had never done anything wrong to you.

“Alright, hang in there Des. We’ll get you out of here” it’s the nickname that comes from his mouth that makes bile rise to your throat but when he cradled the girl in his arms it’s something else entirely. Pain worse than you’ve faced in the field sears through you and when Mac looks up at you, you decide it’s time to accept that this is your life now. Him and her. The real team.

What you don’t know is that Mac see’s it. The pain, it’s written clear as day across your face. It startled him for a moment because you never give anything up. A statue of a person and to see you seem so dejected is heartbreaking in a way he can’t comprehend. He knows it’s not worry for Desi, he’s sure that is inside of you somewhere, but the pain written across your face is one of longing. After months of wishing you’d reciprocate any feelings for him at all he realizes they were always there, just under the surface.

Matty pulled off an emergency extract quickly, and thankfully the debrief was quick due to worry of Desi’s condition. Everyone can tell you’re defeated, more than likely thinking it was from an unsuccessful mission. You let them, and go to your rented room in Mac’s home. For the first time in months wishing you didn’t live there. Thankful Bozer and Mac stayed back you pour yourself a heavy glass of wine, find yourself in a warm shower, and then curled on your bed in some pajamas with a book. You’re four glasses of wine deep and halfway through the book when you hear the front door open and close.

“I’m home” is called out. Mac who had been with Desi all this time. Bozer had come home hours ago, and was more than likely asleep. For the first time in a while you wished you had shut your bedroom door to avoid him, have a good night sleep in before you had to deal.

“Hey, you’re up” he’s in your doorway in seconds. You feel yourself sitting up and removing the reading glasses from your face. Mac always finds it odd seeing you like this. Curled up in a mound of blankets and pillows, the smell of fresh wine and a vanilla candle, silk sleep sets laid across your skin, hair piled high on your head. You were so soft compared to the girl in the field. The same girl he watched take down three men in lightning speed today. Now somehow you were in bed with a book. Weird how the world worked.

“Not really tired, is um. Is Desi okay?” you feel bad for not showing much interest in her well being. You just needed some time to think, some time to regain your composure.

“Last I checked yeah, I haven’t seen her for a couple of hours” he admits as he walks in. As he sits at the end of your bed you realize this isn’t uncommon. You two are still friends. No matter what you realized today.

“I thought you were with her?” you give him a puzzled look and he shrugs.

“I was, yeah. Then once I knew she was stable I went back to the Phoenix to fill out a mission report. Then Matty took advantage and got me to catch up on paperwork I’d been avoiding for a while” you can’t help the soft giggle that escapes your lips. Mac was a professional at avoiding the paperwork part of his job but every once in a while Matty could get her way.

“That’s on you for going back” you tell him and he chuckles along with you, head nodding.

“Could I ask you something?” he says once the laughter has quieted down and you find yourself getting exceptionally nervous. He can’t tell.

“Always Mac, it’s kinda my job” you tease which is true. When you were hired at the Phoenix Foundation it was literally to protect Mac in the field. You were pretty sure his name is in your exact job description.

“You’re not on the clock” he says which in a way was true but not really. It wasn’t uncommon for threats to breach your shared home, the minute that happens you’ll be protecting him then too.

“MacGyver, get to the question” you tell him even though you’d rather he walk out and never ask you any questions ever.

“Today you looked, well you never usually look like anything. But today you looked hurt, dare I say heartbroken” and you feel all the air sucked out of the room because you had shown emotions past your exterior and Mac had seen them.

“I don’t know what you mean” but you couldn’t look him in the eyes and he knew. He knew it deep in his bones.

“Look Y/N, maybe I could be wrong. That it was all just concern but if you feel anything for me the way I feel for you than that look was so much more than that” his words almost didn’t register. Your heart caught them before your head did. It was ramming against your rib cage and your head was snapping towards him because MacGyver of all people just admitted to having feelings for you.

“Feel for me?” you questioned quietly, your eyes locking on his own blue ones. You had seen Mac serious about many things before but somehow this seemed like more.

“Are you kidding me Y/N? Of course I have feelings for you. I spend all of my time with you considering we work and live together. On top of that you are always taking care of me and are the most interesting person I’ve ever met in my life. I was in love with you within a month of knowing you. Jack would always tease me about it” a small squeak left your throat at his confession. Wondering how you had never seen it before.

“Jack knew?” maybe it wasn’t the best question at the moment, but since Jack had passed it was hard to bring him up. Knowing he had passed away and there were things none of you guys got to tell him.

“Yeah, I always promised him I’d tell you how I felt one day and every day since he passed I’ve been breaking that promise more and more. So here I am not breaking it” he told you, a hand running wildly through his hair.

“What about Desi?” you wanted to make sure, needed to make sure.

“She’s just a friend. Most of the time I just flirted with her to get a reaction out of you” this was the most shocking of all. You’d expected him to say he had gained feelings for her too, but now as he sat at the end of your bed staring back at you with hopeful eyes you realized this was never the case.

“So it’s me?” you asked and a smile cracked across his face, a deep chuckle coming out as he dropped his head. His soft blonde locks dangling in front of his eyes.

“Yes Y/N. It’s always been you” he told you once he looked back up, and finally you allowed a real smile to cross your face.

“Well this is a first” you chuckled, hand reaching to grab your glass of wine. You gulped back the last sip and abandoned the empty glass, him watching you closely.

“What is?” he asked once you seemed to have your head straight.

“Having someone return the same feelings I have for them. I mean it usually never happens because I save face when it comes to emotions but here we are. You and me. In my room. Being adult and admitting things like attraction” you blabbered lightly and Mac laughed, a wide grin on his face. You suddenly had the urge to grab hold of the deep red shirt he had on, it matching the color of wine on your lips.

“So you’re admitting you like me too?” he asked and you just rolled your eyes before shoving your book out of your lap.

“Shut up and kiss me MacGyver” and he wasted no time, a devious grin crawling across his face as he moved to climb over to you. The anticipation of him getting closer seemed to take forever but finally he was face to face, arms locked on either side of you, and you took a moment to inspect every inch of him. “I have good taste”

“I do too” and then he was closing the gap between you both. Lips slotting gently against your own. His mouth was warm and soft, much different from his calloused hands. Your fingers tangled in his hair, mussing it around. Kissing him was like taking in a breath of fresh hair and pretty soon his tongue was dipping your mouth, tasting the wine left behind from your leisure afternoon. Tangling your tongue with his own you realize you could stay like this forever, just the two of you, in this room.

“It’s so not fair” you said once you broke apart, foreheads pressed together and heavy breaths panting out of both of you.

“What’s that doll?” he asked and you sighed.

“You’re good at everything else, you can’t be good at that too” and he was laughing, arms wrapping around you as he rolled over and pulled you on top of him.

“Don’t worry, I’ll show you what else I’m good at too”

[lilituism]

Did I mention that I'm re-watching season 1 of Macgyver (2016)? Yes? Well, here's another episode opinion. Chances are there'll be more of these in the coming weeks.

Today I went through three episodes and the one bugging me the most is ep. 13 Large Blade. (I skipped 12 Chrysalis for... reasons)

There is so much to say about Large Blade, but the overarching thing that really crinkles my nose is that the episode is all over the place. It veers wildly from serious and tense to trying to be funny. The characters interactions change vibes from one scene to the next, often even inside one conversation. It feels like multiple people wrote the script without checking what the others had written.

But what annoys me most about the episode is that the idea, the set-up is gold! There's such potential for an amazing episode. Jack and Mac crashing in the wilderness, having to fend for themselves while a dangerous criminal is on the lose with Jack's gun? Bozer and Riley worrying back in LA, desperate to find proof of life and send help? That sounds brilliant! How could they take this beautiful h/c set-up and make it into That?

Both Jack and Mac's competence fluctuates wildly and completely nonsensical. One moment Mac is the wilderness survival expert we know he is, the next he doesn't know how to track their bad guy through the forest.

It's even worse with Jack. And I know this issue has been discussed many times before, but seriously! That man was Delta, a trained sniper, worked for the CIA, but he doesn't notice immediately that his gun's been taken? Are you kidding me?

The other thing I've seen mentioned before, Jack applying for director, I don't actually mind that much. Because from Jack's POV Patty, their former director, has just been revealed as the master mind who'd been gunning for his boy (which makes no sense, but we've already been over that). It stands to reason that he'd be reeling and scrambling for a way to make sure that doesn't happen again. And how best to ensure the new director won't betray them, too? Take the role himself. Is it a reasonable or thought through plan? No. Would Jack be completely reasonable in this situation? I don't think so.

Which means that part I can live with. I can even accept that their conversations might be a bit stilted because of it. I can also accept the boys splitting up and later Mac going after their bad guy (who's such a non-entity that I've already forgotten his name. I don't think he has a single line of dialogue in the entire episode). What I can absolutely not accept is that shots are fired, we have Jack rushing into the scene and there's no concern for Mac. No 'are you okay? Were you hit?'. No checking for injuries. They're building up expectations for a great Papa bear Jack moment and then all he does is be worried about pilot lady. That's just cruel to us fan people.

Well. At least we got the "I'm not gonna tell you I love you or anything " " yeah, I don't love you either either" scene.

[purrgilpawkins]

Cold + Outside

Summary: A vacation in the middle of nowhere during Winter turns out to not be as great as the team thought it’d be and now they’re stuck outside trying to stay warm. (Also available on AO3)

Pairings: Wilt Bozer & Jack Dalton & Riley Davis & Angus MacGyver

Part of the Whump Advent Calender 2020 series Prompt: Locked Outside Overnight / Cuddling For Warmth

Warnings: n/a

Notable tags: fluff, huddling for warmth, platonic cuddling

It was one of those few times everyone was given some time off at the same time. Probably because they’d all nearly died during that last op and Matty was feeling guilty about it. So she suggested one of the few not-used-and-will-probably-never-get-used Phoenix safehouses to spend that time off and the team agreed to the change in scenery.

That specific safehouse was a cabin in the middle of an area of wilderness that seemed to be constantly plagued by snowstorms. Three bed, two bath, a kitchen that was connected to the den, a shed out back used mostly to store wood and a little fire pit off to the side. It sounded quite charming. The drive over was spent with the boys arguing about who’d be sharing a bed while Riley played on her phone, knowing that she’d get a room all to herself.

Though none of that mattered, seeing as the cabin was burnt to a crisp.

Of course, the plan then would’ve been to hop back in Mac’s Jeep and head back to civilization. But it was almost out of gas and would likely leave them stranded on the side of the road.

“We don’t need to stop for gas, hoss. Matty said there’d be extra canisters of gasoline at the cabin. We'll be fine,” Mac started in a mocking imitation of Jack’s drawl.

“How the hell was I supposed to know that it’d all be used to burn the damn place to the ground?”

“I’m not saying you knew this would happen. I’m saying you should’ve listened to me when I said we should stop for gas!”

“Hey, guys. How about we shut up and actually figure out what we’re gonna do, huh?” Riley interrupted.

Mac and Jack gave each other the stare down and Mac seemed to lose their staring contest as he sighed, “Sorry. I’m cold and I’m pissed but that’s no reason to take it out on you.”

Jack pulled Mac in for a side hug and ruffled the blond’s hair as best he could with the beanie on the Mac’s head, “S’alright, bud. I know you didn’t mean nothin’ by it. Why don’t you get a fire goin’ while I go and call Matty?”

Jack turned back to the Jeep and Mac walked toward the firepit, “Sounds like a plan.”

Riley turned to Bozer, “Do they ever, like, really fight?”

Bozer shrugged, “Once in a blue moon.”

They made their way over to Mac, helping out when he asked them to get some wood from the shed. Jack came over eventually too, just as Mac had started to get a spark.

“So, good news, bad news,” Jack started.

“What’s the good news?” Bozer asked, rubbing his arms in a poor attempt to get warm.

“Well, good news is Mac’s got a fire goin’ for us,” Jack gestured to the small fire, “Bad news is that we got a couple hours before Matty can send someone out here.”

Everyone groaned.

—

Mac had managed to turn their small campfire into a bonfire. Very easy to do when there’s no need to worry about the cabin catching fire (plus they were using part of the cabin itself to light it).

The team thought it best to dig out all their extra clothing and put it on as well as wrap themselves in the individual blankets that they brought. After settling around the fire, the young people of the group thought it best to crowd around Jack. He provided almost as much warmth as the fire in front of them. Though all of that wasn’t enough for Bozer since he’d made his way, uninvited, to sit between Jack’s legs, back to chest. Jack didn’t seem to mind and just wrapped his arms around him.

They spend their time having casual conversation through their chattering teeth and scarves that cover half their face. At some point Riley decided enough was enough, “Alright, Bozer, you’ve had your turn, I want mine.”

“But it’s so cozy,” Bozer said stubbornly.

“Hey, come on now, Boze. We gotta share,” Jack admonished, unwrapping his arms from the oldest kid.

“Fine,” Bozer removed himself from Jack’s bubble and Riley took his place almost immediately.

“I don’t know why you guys were arguing about sharing beds. If I were you I’d’ve been arguing to have my own personal heater like Jack with me,” Riley said as she snuggled into Jack’s embrace.

“He snores,” Mac and Bozer said simultaneously. Riley nodded in understanding.

“Hey!” Jack sputtered, “I’m not that bad!”

“You are,” everyone said in response.

The conversation continued with Jack complaining here and there at how disrespectful his kids were. At some point, Riley turned to Mac and asked if he wanted a turn. Mac, never one to ask or openly want any kind of physical touch, said no. At that, Jack nudged Riley out of his arms and grabbed Mac by the clothing on his shoulders and forced the youngest closer to him. Mac protested but didn’t put up much of a fight.

Once Mac had gotten comfortable and Jack had wrapped him in arms, Jack said something that caught the young man off guard.

“I’m really proud of you, Mac.”

Mac leaned his head back on Jack’s shoulder to look him in the eye, “You…are? Why? What’d I do?”

Jack looked into Mac’s eyes, a soft look in his own to match the smile on his face. He brought up a hand and gently rested it on the back of Mac’s head.

“For wearing a beanie like a normal person would.”

Riley snorted as Mac placed his open palm on Jack’s face and roughly pushed it away as he stood up to get away from his partner, Bozer cackling all the while. Mac made his way to the other side of the bonfire, back to the driveway of the safehouse, and crossed his arms in a way that could only be described as a pout.

The team continued their laughter before it came to a stop, everyone getting to their feet and Jack pulling his gun from where he tucked in the back of his pants. Mac, confused at the sudden change in atmosphere, turned around to see a car that had driven up behind his Jeep. Jack moved in front of him, gun at the ready for whoever had decided to intrude.

The man who came out of the car did so with his hands up, seemingly unfazed by the gun being pointed at him. “Director Webber sent me. I brought gas for your car,” he’d said and Jack looked to his kids before turning back to the man and lowering his gun (he wasn’t going to put it away, of course).

The man made his way to the back of his car, Jack following with Mac right behind him. The man opened the trunk of his car, Jack watching him the whole time and handed the gas cans to the two agents. “This should be enough to fill your tank. The Director said to head into the nearest town. She booked you all hotel rooms.”

The man got back into his car and left almost as quick as he arrived. The team watched him leave and, after filling the tank, hopped into the Jeep and left the sorry excuse for a cabin in the wind.

On the way to civilized society, Jack’s phone rang and he answered unsurprised to hear their boss. “Hey, Matty. Thanks for getting us outta that jam.” The rest of the team followed up that statement with thanks of their own.

“No problem, guys,” The smile was evident in Matty’s tone, “Just wanted to apologize for sending you off in the middle of nowhere without any kind of shelter. Sorry.”

“Hey, it’s no sweat, Matty. We had fun! Kinda,” Bozer said from the back seat.

“Oh, so I should send you out for wilderness survival more often?” Matty laughed at the chorus of “no”’s that followed. “Well, you all get yourselves warmed up and well-rested. Oh and before I go, the hotel rooms I got for you only had two rooms, one with two queens and one with a king. Bye!” Matty hung up as the boys groaned. Riley smiled from her spot in the back.

[finnarcher7]

Snippet #3

How did everything get so messed up! Not for the first time Jack wondered how he ended up here, far away from his kids, eight months into hunting for the psycho terrorist Tiberius Kovacs, for the second time. He thought he had already stomped this cockroach, years ago, but apparently he hadn’t stomped him good enough because here he was again, hunting down this asshat yet again. Every victim that had died at the hands of Tiberius Kovacs since his failed assassination, was on him. If he had just done his job the first time, two hundred and seventy three innocent people would still be alive. Their blood was on his hands. Jack had led the elite task force the first time as well, and was the sniper that took the shot that had failed to kill the evil bastard. Jack had turned the Kovacs mission down at first, but after a couple conversations with Oversight, Jack decided it was solely his own responsibility to remedy his failure of putting Kovacs in the ground the first time. When Oversight told Jack the details of all the innocent civilians that had perished because Jack had failed to take Kovacs down, Jack's stomach dropped to his feet. Eighty one of them had been children. His self hatred grew by the second, even now. Still, Jack had argued that he couldn’t just up and leave Mac. Jack's anxiety shot through the roof, just with the thought of leaving Mac. Jack told the older MacGyver that it was his job to watch out for Mac, that he was the kids' partner, Mac needed him. Oversight suggested that maybe it wasn't Mac who needed Jack, but Jack who needed Mac. The elder Macgyver then brought up how Angus seemed to do just fine without him during his several month long, self imposed exile. A flash of anger shot through Jack with that statement followed quickly by deepening doubt. Jack had opened his mouth to argue with James but closed it just as quickly. Caught off guard as James’s comments, so closely resembled some of his own innermost thoughts and fears. Jack flashed back to the miserable months that his young friend was gone. Jack had not done very well in Mac's absence. To keep his mind occupied, he volunteered for every Op that needed an agent with his skills. Even with that tactic he had still spent most of his time worrying about the kid, which had distracted him enough to be severely injured on two of those missions, durings Mac’s absence. He had asked his remaining team not to inform Mac about his stays in the Phoenix infirmary. Riley and Bozer had respected Jack's wishes. He had utilized Riley’s tech skills, almost daily, to hijack satellites in order to check in on the blonde genius. He had practically begged Mac to let him join him there, in one of the many video messages he had sent his friend, that went ignored, which had cut him to the quick and if he was completely honest with himself, Jack really wasn’t sure where he stood with Mac anymore, so he couldn’t deny the truth in Oversight's words. Mac didn’t need Jack, not like Jack needed him. That fact was apparently obvious even to Oversight. Maybe Mac was sick of him and his overprotectiveness and didn’t want him around anymore, or maybe Mac had simply outgrown Jack. Maybe that’s what Mac had been trying to tell him when he had ignored all his calls and messages. Jack was typically not the insecure type, but Oversight had just voiced what Jack had secretly been worried about since Nigeria, that Mac didn’t need him anymore. Jack had thought it all over for two days until Oversight sent him a message telling him to turn on the news. Discovering that Kovacs had orchestrated another attack and seeing the death toll cemented his decision to accept the mission. Oversight was right, Jack was solely responsible for Kovacs not being in the ground so he needed to fix that before any more innocent lives were lost. He only trusted one person to take over his job and protect his team, so he set everything up with Matty before he even started packing for this open ended mission.

[rai-knightshade-art]

Isn't She Lovely? Life and Love are the same; and life is Aisha, the meaning of her name...

Isn't She Lovely?, By Stevie Wonder

Happy Valentine's Day! Let's celebrate more than just romantic love with some Father-Daughter Bonding!

Close ups and thoughts below the cut, Image ID in the alt text.

Listen. LISTEN. Sometimes you just gotta work out your daddy-daughter dance feels via OCs and that is VALID, ok? So have some dads singing to their little girls. It's what we deserve.

Featuring:

Jack Dalton, singing to Riley and the girls of the Bradyverse AU, Arista and Eliza May (and playing the guitar because that's definitely something he'd be able to do), with Mac (and Brady), Bozer, and Desi in the background, basking in the music. (This is probably on Mac's back deck but it could just as easily be a similar deck at their house in Texas.) (And not to worry, Brady isn't left out; he's got his own song from Papa in the form of Hey Jude.)

Jesse Swanson, happily singing to his daughter Molly (an OC) (this is sort of Their Song™, starting from before she was even born when he actually sang it to Beca as part of a birthday serenade/baby announcement, then sang it again just a few hours after Molly was born). (Beca's definitely in the background somewhere, rolling her eyes at Jesse's cheesiness, as if she doesn't sing Molly to sleep every night with Flashlight.... And as if she didn't cry the first time Jesse sang it to their newborn there in the hospital. She blames that on the hormones though.)

Zekk and little Jasa, from the Test Tube Babies AU; Jasa loves to dance to whatever music she can find (and she'll make something up if she needs to) and her Daddy is her favorite dance partner!

Close ups:

[impossiblepluto]

Sometimes I wonder if the "plan" for season 3 was to do something something mirroring James and Walsh. The actor who played Walsh said he was originally supposed to come back for more episodes. It's kind of reaching on my part because in 3x01, Mac had zero doubts about Jack even though there was footage of him working with Mereks(?) and turning around and having Mac doubt him in a later episode would be a dumb character choice but wouldn't be out of the realm of possibilities of what the writers would try to get us to swallow.

It's weird that Jack would stay with Phoenix is Mac was done. My two explanations are that 1. maybe he was worried about Riley and Bozer either on a 'who is going to watch their back' level or who is going to make sure that Riley's deal/pardon still stands and they don't screw around with her. 2. If Mac decided to come back, Jack wouldn't have to worry about also getting rehired.

The character choices and storylines for Mac and Jack are... not great.

Season 3, while it has a few good episodes is definitely the beginning of the end, like you said.

3x02 is an interesting episode and I appreciate seeing Jack's old Delta team but it makes his timeline make even less sense. I'm surprised Mac never met any of them before. Like really? Not even one was still down range and they crossed paths? (I get that maybe they all want to just go home and forget but not even one?)

And while 3x11 might not always get my vote against some other episodes, it definitely gets my vote for this one. The implication that there are other manniversary celebrations that we just didn't see. I want to know about all of them. How did Jack sell it the first time? And the second? And at what point did Mac start to look forward to it?

Days without sleep, drugs, a t-boned vehicle, no food, making them piece together why they're in the fallout shelter and what's going on. I loved the glimpses of their first mission. I love the line "file it under Jack don't care" when Weller is crossing the line and Mac is clearly questioning what he's gotten himself into by joining up with DXS if this is what it going to happen.

I love the suits and the paperclip tie clip.

And you know, you know, that Mac who doesn't carry a gun can feel the weight in his hand, and see Jack sighted down the barrel. It's not real, it's not real, it wasn't real, he keeps telling himself. But it felt real. Maybe it was the drugs. The head injury. The torture and lack of food. But it felt real. And Jack was just acting by the way he begged for Mac to help him the only way he could. The way he has jokingly asked Mac so many times to "don't let me die this way" hearing those words filled with pain (he was acting) the tears in Jack's eyes (he was acting) the way Jack reached out for him (he was acting) implored him, begged him (he was acting). It doesn't easily leave Mac's thoughts.

ALSO. There's this behind the scenes photo

Why didn't we get to see Mac in the car with the bloody forehead and cheek?

Season 3, Episode 2: Bravo Lead + Loyalty + Friendship

Jack receives an emergency distress signal from one of his old Delta buddies who has been accused of terrorism in a foreign country; he and Mac quickly recruit the rest of Jack's old Delta team and stage an unsanctioned rescue operation.

Season 3, Episode 11: Mac + Fallout + Jack

Mac and Jack head for Vegas fun but are knocked out and put in a cell like "Saw." The rest of the team fly to Milan and try to "borrow" a diamond, hanging around a princess's neck, to get the terrorism data in it.

[appalachianapologies]

Dialogue from the prompts: “what do you need? another blanket, some tea? wait, i'll just go get both."

“What do you need? Another blanket? Maybe some tea?” Before Mac can even think of an answer, let alone open his mouth, Bozer shakes his head and continues, “You know what- I’m just gonna grab both.” He then shoots out of the room, shoulder clipping the edge of the frame.

After a few seconds pass, Mac blinks, “I’m fine, thanks.”

Sitting beside him, Riley looks between Mac and the now empty door jamb. “Okay… So, that was not normal. Even for Boze.”

“He’s just worried,” Mac replies with a sigh, sinking into his bed.

“Yeah, but he’s never been like that.”

“Not that you can remember.”

“What are you talking about?”

The answer isn’t exactly something that can easily be explained, especially not when Mac’s still feeling a little loopy, but he’s already volunteered enough information that Riley’s going to pester him until he spits it out. “Boze’s motherhenning tendencies kind of have a scale to them.”

“What does that even mean?”

“It means,” Mac starts, “That after James left, Bozer got super protective. And the same thing happened when my grandpa got sick.”

Riley’s face betrays the exact moment that the pieces fall into place. “And this is the first time that you’ve gotten sick since Jack left.”

It’s not a question, but Mac answers it anyway. “Yeah.”

“Oh.”

“It’s fine, though,” Mac quickly amends. “It’s nice, and it’ll stop in a few weeks.”

“He cares a lot about you.”

With a small smile, Mac nods. “Yeah, he does. We both do.”

“I’m glad you guys had each other when you were growing up.”

“Me too.”

A small crash from the kitchen cuts off any future words, ending with a muffled curse and a shout of, “It’s all good!”

Mac’s grin grows a little. “Once a big brother, always a big brother.”

these prompts

[firebirdsdaughter]

The sheer Dad energy…

… Of Jack asking Mac if he wants a soda while he diffuses the giant bomb under the house.

[authorangelita]

Matty was worried, and she hated worrying. She'd always been able to maintain a separation, a distance from her team. People called her a hardass and a bitch and Matty the Hun to her face, so she knew what they said behind closed doors was worse.

But this team had wormed their way through her defenses, and they were hurting. She could see it in the dark circles under Mac's eyes, the shaking of Riley's hands when she typed, and the way Bozer's enthusiasm had decreased tenfold. They came to every briefing with large cups of coffee, sat quietly, spoke softly, and followed her orders almost without complaint.

She blamed one Angus MacGyver for getting under her skin. He was a man who exuded confidence and vulnerability, often simultaneously, and she had no damn idea how that worked. He was a genius with enough childhood issues to fill the Mariana Trench, and he was the most capable operative she'd ever met.

And she blamed one Jack Dalton for making her care. He cared so much that it rubbed off on her, and now he was gone. Dead. As much as she teased him about retiring or a foolish mistake costing him his life, she didn't actually want him dead. Well, there were certainly times when he'd shredded her last nerve, and she kind of did. But those times were few and far between.

About three weeks after Jack's death, she gave the team an easy mission that turned into a nightmare. Everything that could go wrong did, and as she stood in the doorway of Mac's room in Phoenix Medical, watching him sleep the drugged, yet uncomfortable sleep of someone in a lot of pain, she vowed to do something.

Read more at AO3

@macgyvercairo

[authorangelita]

From Reunited - A Job Offer, in which Matty offers Jack a job. This is the series where Jack lived but was held captive for 5 years before he was found by Mac and the Phoenix team.

~~

Bozer wasn't home when Jack got back to the apartment, so he took a shower and got into bed. Worried that he would spend all night staring at the ceiling if he left things completely up in the air, Jack texted Matty asking if he could meet with her in the morning. She texted back within a few minutes to agree to the meeting and give him a time. He set an alarm and tried to get comfortable.

Jack slept fitfully, but he always did these days. He was up and dressed before his alarm, and he couldn't hear Bozer in the kitchen, which was odd. When he left his room, he found a 'have a good day!' note beside a plate of waffles with instructions about reheating them. Jack smiled as he bit off a piece of cold waffle and headed for the door.

Mac and Riley had insisted that Jack take the GTO back, and he agreed on a temporary basis. As soon as he got a new car, he'd give it back to them. For now, he drove the GTO to Phoenix like he'd done hundreds of times before. The big difference was that he parked in the visitor lot at the front of the building and walked through the main entrance because he didn't have an employee code to enter from the parking garage.

This week’s word/theme is WAFFLE in honor of National Waffle Day today.

How to Participate: All fandoms and fanworks are welcome.  Please use the tag #fanworkrewind and reblog with a link to your published fanwork.  If it’s fic, include a snippet with the word or phrase of the week or your favorite part of the story.

Fanworks can be posted at any time during the week.  You can also post fanworks for multiple fandoms.

[3mrysn]

Riley: “in fact its kinda in the job description you know with the whole ‘til death do us part’ bit

Mac: “I love you too, Riles”

[purrgilpawkins]

Merry + Christmas

Summary: The team spends their Christmas Day in Phoenix med. (Also available on AO3)

Pairings: Wilt Bozer & Jack Dalton & Riley Davis & Angus MacGyver

Part of the Whump Advent Calendar 2020 series Prompt: Christmas Celebrations / With Found Family

Warnings: n/a

Notable tags: fluff, Christmas fluff, H/C

Mac waved his casted arm and Jack weakly raised a hand in greeting as Bozer wheeled Riley in through the door.

“Hey, Jack,” Riley started softly, “how’re you feeling?” Jack gave a thumbs up and pointed a finger to Riley. “I’m fine, Jack, don’t worry,” she laughed, rubbing at the bandage on her abdomen.

Bozer parked Riley’s wheelchair on the side of the delta’s hospital bed opposite of Mac as Jack reached up to remove the oxygen mask on his face. “You should know by now…it’s my job to--” he gasped, “--to worry, Riles.”

“Hey, hey, you heard the doc, Jack. That pneumonia isn’t letting you breathe and neither is taking off that mask. So please, just this once, keep it on?” Mac asked, taking Jack’s hand into his own. Jack groaned in response which led to a rough coughing fit. The younger man gave the older one a sip of water from the cup sitting next to the bed, Jack giving Mac a look that roughly translated to an apology all the while. An apology more so for scaring them all at his close call with death rather than the mask removal.

Mac put the cup back down as Riley placed the four presents she was carrying in her lap at the end of Jack’s bed. Bozer moved them around to their respective receiver, coughing into his arm every now and again. The water boarding he’d received wasn’t nearly as bad as Jack’s but it was still hell on his lungs.

“Well!” Bozer clasped his hands together, “It’s a good thing we did Secret Santa this year. Makes this a whole lot easier on everyone after being…kidnapped and tortured for a week and a half,” Bozer grew quiet and everyone let the silence wash over them. “Little disappointing we have to spend our Christmas in Phoenix med though.”

“Unfortunately, I don’t see Agent Dalton leaving for the next few days, so I’d say better here than not at all,” one of the regular nurses, Sheldon, popped his head in the room, startling everyone. “And I don’t want to ruin the festivities but try not to go on too long. Jack needs his rest.”

Jack grunted, displeased.

Sheldon chuckled, “I expect you not to strain yourself, Jack.” He turned to Riley, “You neither, though I don’t see you getting up on that leg anytime soon.” Then to Bozer, “Get yourself an ice pack for that black eye, Boze.” At Bozer’s reluctant head nod, Sheldon turned to Mac, “And you don’t put too much pressure on that wrist. I know how important those hands are to you.” Mac nodded. “Okay, any painkillers needed?” Sheldon smiled at everyone’s muttered “no”.

“Did Matty send you down here, Hawkes?” Mac asked.

Sheldon nodded, “She seemed really worried about you all. Said she’s sorry she can’t say hello and check up on you in person yet. She also said ‘Merry Christmas’.”

“Well tell her we’re sad she can’t be here and a Merry Christmas to her too,” Riley piped up.

“Will do,” Sheldon smiled and walked out of the room, leaving the bruised and battered team to go about their celebrations.

Mac sat up straight in his uncomfortable seat, “Okay, who’s first?”

“Rock, paper, scissors?” Riley suggested.

“Flip a coin maybe?” Bozer recommended. Jack groaned his disapproval at that option.

“All at the same time then?” Mac proposed.

“Oh no way man, that completely ruins the magic!”

“Magic? What--”

“Ladies first…” Jack whispered hoarsely.

“I’m alright with that,” Riley said and immediately started ripping open her present before the argument could begin. The wrapping paper hit the floor and uncovered a small rectangular box. Riley opened the box and fondly rolled her eyes.

“What? What is it?” Bozer questioned, leaning in uncomfortably close to see what she got.

Riley pulled the object from the box, “It’s a knife.” Indeed it was, a folding knife with a pastel pink handle. “Hmm…I wonder who this is from.” She looked directly at Jack.

“For when a boy tries to talk to ya,” he said, words muffled behind the oxygen mask, “Keep it in your boot or backpack with your rig or something.”

“Okay, dad. I am a grown ass woman who doubles as a highly trained government agent, y’know.”

“Just in case.”

Riley laughed and reached as far as she could from her wheelchair to gently hug Jack, “Thank you, Jack. I love it.”

“Speaking of Jack,” Mac placed a wrapped gift in Jack’s lap, “you’re next, big guy.”

Jack unwrapped the present with shaky hands that no one wanted to acknowledge. He pulled a white ceramic mug from the paper.

“I’m, uh, not the best at gift giving so I went with something practical,” Mac said, nervously rubbing at the back of his neck.

Jack turned the mug in his hand to see the phrase “MIT Dad” stamped on the other side of it. His eyes started to dampen embarrassingly quick and if anyone asked he’d blame it on the drugs in his system. He looked to Mac who stared back in search of approval and Jack opened up his arms to give that approval. Mac reached out and hugged Jack almost as gently as Riley did.

“Love it, hoss,” Jack said.

Mac gave a shaky laugh, “Cool.”

Riley cut their moment short when she picked up the biggest present and gave it to Bozer.

“Oh for me? You shouldn’t have!” Bozer said as he ripped off the wrapping as fast as possible and opened the box in childlike excitement. He gasped, “Riley, you really shouldn’t have.”

“What is it, Boze?” Mac asked, taking a page out of Bozer’s book and leaning into his personal space to see his friend’s gift.

“It’s expensive looking kitchen utensils…and an even more expensive looking video camera…Riley how much did you spend on me?”

“Don’t worry about it. Just worry about how high quality your movies are gonna look now that you have the cheaper alternative to an actual professional film camera.” Riley smirked.

“And the cooking set?”

“If it helps make your food taste even better than it’s worth the price tag.”

“Aw, Riley!” Bozer suddenly engulfed Riley in a hug, sudden enough that she wasn’t able to reciprocate because he’d wrapped his arms around her arms.

“Yeah, yeah, you’re welcome but could you let up on the vice grip, please?”

Bozer pulled back, “Right, sorry, that probably didn’t do those cuts on your stomach any favors.”

“Nah it’s all good. No damage done.”

“Sweet,” Bozer then pulled the camera out of his gift box and started turning it on.

“Bozer,” Jack uttered from his bed.

“Huh?”

Jack nodded his head to Mac.

“Oh! Of course. Almost forgot. Mac!” Bozer handed the last present laying on the bed to Mac, “Your present this year is courtesy of me. I mean, mostly me. Like, it was mostly my idea but it’s kinda from all of us.”

Mac took the gift in his good hand and placed his cast on it to take the paper off of it easier. Jack held out his hand as Mac struggled to remove the wrapping but brought it back when Mac stubbornly said, “I got it.” It took him a minute but he did eventually get some of the paper off his present. When he managed to uncover the front of it he stopped unwrapping.

“What is it, Mac? What’d you get?” Riley asked quietly.

Mac looked up at his friends and saw them all smiling at him and he smiled back. He looked back to his present, a framed picture of them all; himself, Jack, Bozer, Riley, and Matty, everyone he cared about in the picture.

“Thanks, guys. Really. It means a lot.”

Jack reached over and lightly gripped Mac’s forearm as Bozer rounded the bed to give Mac a hug. After all their hugs and continued thanks to one another for the gifts, the group spent the rest of their Christmas celebrations happily in each other’s presence.

[geeky-nightphilosopher]

Wait a minute...

How do you think Mac is dealing without Jack? Do you think when Desi's not in the room he snaps at Matty or Boze or Riley and makes them act like Jack?

And what about Jack? Does Jack just wait until his team is no longer in the room and he starts talking like Mac?

Like. How is the whole "codependency" thing working out for them?