Summary: Inspired by “The Middle” by Zedd ft Maren Morris. Listen here.
Side Note: Y/BF = Your best friend
How did we get into this mess? Got so aggressive. I know we meant all good intentions…
Oh baby, why don’t you just meet me in the middle?. I’m losing my mind just a little. So why don’t you just meet me in the middle?
You quickly scribbled a note to Mac telling him that you went out for Y/BF birthday dinner and that he had a plate of food in the fridge if he was hungry. Checking that everything was in order, you took one last glance in the bathroom mirror and went on your way.
Upon arrival the party was gearing up. You wished Y/BF a cheerful happy birthday handing her a bag full of gifts. The night zoomed by. Between the catching up with old friends and enjoying the carefree atmosphere, it wasn’t hard to get lost in the bliss of it all. Too lost, in fact, that you forgot all about sending a five second text to Mac to let him know everything was okay.
After Murdoc escaping prison, Mac insisted on setting a strict ground rule that both would have to follow. It was as simply as letting the other know if work or personal matters were going to run late. A quick check in that had the power to ease a lot of worry.
However, your mind completely blanked on that rule tonight. Too much liquor and fun to even give it a single thought. And so you carried on enjoying the evening while Mac was pacing up and down the house worried out of his mind.
Mac POV
I checked my phone again, clicking on Y/N’s contact to see if I’d perhaps missed the message – I didn’t.
My mind listed all of the things that could of happened to prevent her not being able to tell me she was okay – the biggest being Murdoc. Once he escaped, we talked about ensuring some sort of safety protocol, finding a compromise that worked for the both of us. I still felt like an over-protective control freak, but with Murdoc running around free and vengeful I wasn’t going to take any chances. Y/N’s safety was the number on priority and I have to protect her, and so a simple check in didn’t seem like an outrageous idea.
I left her another voicemail. This one a little more calmer then the others, even though I was feeling anything but. I sat on the couch, phone in front, tapping my foot on the floorboards staring at the device waiting for it to light up. Another 5 minutes I told myself. If nothing came by then I’d have to take the next step and I really didn’t want it to come to that.
The next 5 minutes were agony, even more so when Y/N didn’t respond. Calling Riley, I exhaled not sure if this was a good idea, but it was my only option at this point. Her voice filled the speakers asking if everything was okay.
“I’m not sure, that’s why I called. I was wondering if you could possibly track Y/N’s phone?”. I knew she’d be frowning at that idea. After all it was crossing the line of severely invading her privacy.
“Mac, I don’t-”.
“Please, Riles. She’s not answering her phone and with Murdoc out there I just need to know she’s safe”.
She wasn’t happy about me dragging her into it, nonetheless Riley agreed. Hearing the sound of laptop keys being pressed, it was only a matter of minutes before Riley had her location. “Okay, so Y/N’s currently driving north on the main road. It looks like she’s heading home”. I breathed a long sign of relief. Thanking her, she gave me one small piece of advice before hanging up. “I know you did this out of love, Mac. But, just a word of warning I don’t think Y/N is going to see it that way”. The line disconnected and deep down I knew Riley was right.
The sound of Y/N’s car down died as she cut off the engine, and I braced myself as the key twisted to open the door.
Normal POV
You stepped into the warm house, the goosebumps vanishing as the heat hit your bare skin. Things seemed pretty quiet so you assumed Mac was already in bed. Expect that wasn’t the case when you walked into the room to find him sitting on the edge of the bed.
“Hey, you’re still up”. Taking off the black strappy heels and jacket, placing them in their rightfully spots. Then heading off into the bathroom to scrub and
moisturize your face.
Mac leaned on the ladder and you could feel the burning stare he was emitting. “Well, it’s hard to fall asleep when your girlfriend doesn’t let you know she’s okay”.
Apart of you knew there was a 99.9% chance Mac would bring that up. You cursed at yourself on the drive home about forgetting. Although, that wasn’t enough, because now Mac was going to add more guilt to the situation.
Rubbing the natural scented
moisturize
onto your entire face making sure it dissolved into the skin before washing your hands and turning to Mac. “Time must of just gotten away from me. It’s not a big deal”. Unzipping the dress and wiggling a little to let it fall, you switched the garment for one of Mac’s comfy shirts – tonight you choose his black sweater.
“It is a big deal, Y/N. Especially when I’m pacing around the house like a mad man, worried sick about you. I left messages and got nothing. I was so afraid that something happened that I had Riley track your goddamn phone”. He blurted, catching his breath.
“You did what?”. Asking Mac, while trying very hard to not lose it. He repeated the last part of his sentence and hearing it a second time didn’t ease any rising anger. “You had no right to do that, Mac”. Pushing past him. You didn’t know where you were going, but anywhere was better then being in the bedroom with Mac.
The kitchen seemed like the next best destination, purely because it wasn’t that far from the bedroom. Filling up a glass of water, you then immediately tipped it out. You had to keep your hands busy, so you grabbed the nearest cloth and started wiping down the bench.
Mac walked in, still reeling with no sign of cooling down. “I had every right”. He stated, jabbing his finger on the counter.
“Tracking each other’s phones, that’s not what we agreed on!”. Throwing the cloth down.
“Then follow the one rule we put in place and then I won’t have too!”. He shouted.
Gripping the counter, you let emotions take over and instantly regretted the words. “Well, maybe you should of made sure to do your job correctly then we wouldn’t need a stuipd rule!”. He stumbled back, feeling the weight of the words. It was absolutely selfish, an unfair thing to say to the man you love. “Babe, I-”.
Mac leftthe kitchen retreating back into the bedroom. That final blow you fired caused the fight to dissipate which is what you wanted, but, not at the expense of hurting Mac’s feelings.
Leaving him alone for a few minutes, you slowly went in. He had his back to the door, sitting in his desk chair, staring out onto the backyard terrace.
“Mac”. He spun the chair around. “I need you to know that I don’t blame you for Murdoc being out there”. Taking a seat on his lap, back resting against the desk and Mac’s arms holding you steady. “Or, for having Riley track my phone. And “I’m sorry for not taking the rule serious enough. I
know all you want to do is protect me”.
“I may have gone a little overboard with the phone thing. And I promise to only do that again if it’s an extreme emergency”. He admitted.
Faintly smiling, “Is this us meeting in the middle?”.
Mac touched your lips with his thumb, “I love you”. Softy speaking, his way of answering yes to your question, before inching you closer to his mouth. The kiss was delicate, but with the snap of a finger it grew into an immense yearning for one another. Mac stood from his chair holding you tightly, pushing objects from his desk and dropping you on top. Running his hand across your leg, a different type of goosebumps appearing under his touch.
Resting your forehead on his after needing to catch a breath, Mac stroked your cheek. The two of you stayed in that embrace for quite some time. Letting silence and touch speak louder than words.
andtheytoldustotellyouhello 
