Chat Members (2): Mack ♥️♥️♥️, Jordan 💩

April 20, 33 AE
Mack (10:06 AM)
Guess who???

Jordan (10:10 AM)
Mack?

Mack (10:10 AM)
BINGO
How'd you know???

Jordan (10:10 AM)
You put your number in my phone?

Mack (10:11 AM)
CORRECT
Now one more question
What else did I put in your phone

Jordan (10:11 AM)
I don't know?

Mack (10:12 AM)
It's after my name

Jordan (10:12 AM)
Oh, the three hearts?

Mack (10:12 AM)
YOU HAVE TO SAY EXACTLY WHAT IT SAYS TO PASS

Jordan (10:15 AM)
Lol um ok
♥️♥️♥️

Mack (10:15 AM)
Awwww that's so sweet you too ♥️❤️💖💞💕❣️😍🥰😘

Jordan (10:15 AM)
Haha

April 21, 33 AE
Mack (7:27 PM)
Saw your story
That outfit 🔥🔥🔥

Jordan (7:40 PM)
Haha thanks

April 22, 33 AE
Mack (12:32 PM)
JORDAN
JORDAN HELP
JORDAN HELP ME

Jordan (12:33 PM)
What's wrong??

Mack (12:33 PM)
WORK IA AWFUL
IM GONNA QUIT

Jordan (12:34 PM)
Really?? Are you sure?

Mack (12:34 PM)
Hahaha no I can't it's the law

Jordan (12:35 PM)
Wait really? That sucks
I'm sorry

Mack (12:35 PM)
ITS FINE
Your concern is enough to make it alllll better 🥰🥰🥰

Jordan (12:38 PM)
Haha

April 23, 33 AE
Mack (5:05 AM)
Hey
I see what you did there

Jordan (9:26 AM)
Huh?

Mack (1:52 PM)
Don't lie
You liked my photo
From like 4 years ago
And then you took it back
☹️

Mack (6:47 PM)
Are you ignoring me now
I saw you updated your story
I know you're on your phone
Hey
Heeey
Heeeeeeeey

Jordan (6:47 PM)
Okay!
Yes I liked it
It was an accident

Mack (6:48 PM)
I believe you
You're not the first to like my shirtless pics by accident 😉

Mack (7:02 PM)
Jordan

Mack (9:14 PM)
Did you block me

April 24, 33 AE
Mack (4:57 AM)
I'm sorry for teasing you ☹️
Please don't be mad at me 🥺
I can't handle the heartbreak 😭

Jordan (9:06 AM)
Sorry!
I'm not mad at you!

Mack (11:12 AM)
🤨
Really?

Jordan (11:43 AM)
Yes!
Haha

---

April 25, 33 AE

A peppy tune awoke Mack from his slumber, and he groaned mockingly along with the notes. While he was normally a morning person, he just spent the last few days doing twelve-hour shifts, and they hadn't done his sleep schedule any favors.

He supposed that was the biggest drawback of acting as his secondary job. Without a set schedule, Mack wasn't placed on a designated squad and instead assigned to seemingly random tasks at the last minute. Sure, sometimes that meant he was sent to a squad for a shift or two if their healer called in sick. On other days he would accompany first responders for their calls. Usually, though, he would be tasked to support a local hospital, assisting the healers and doctors that normally worked there.

Those were the days he couldn't handle, physically and mentally. And it just so happened that that was where he spent the last four days.

When his alarm began to give him a headache, Mack finally dragged himself upright, just to turn off the noise and stare at his feet in a daze. He had the Friday off, but the few extra hours of sleep he was allowed didn't make him feel any better than he did the night before. If anything, his body felt even more weighted from a restless night, and the fog that shrouded his mind only thickened.

Okay, he really needed to snap out of this.

With a long sigh, he retrieved his phone from the nightstand and immediately navigated to his text messages. Below Elsie's name, who apparently sent an indiscernible picture at some ungodly hour in the morning, was Jordan's.

Their string of texts were usually short and simple, with Mack instigating all of the conversations, but Mack was fine with that. All he needed to do was glance at the little poop emoji that Jordan had entered with his name, and Mack's mood was instantly lifted. Not by much, of course, but it was enough to leave a small smile on his face and to get ready for the day ahead of him.

Fortunately, his only appointment was brunch with Elsie, assuming she'd wake up in time, and that was easy enough.

He took his time getting ready, and after he received Elsie's inevitable text that she slept through her alarm for an entire hour, Mack decided to walk to the restaurant by foot. After all, it was beautiful outside, and he could use the sunlight. Besides, if he just sat around his apartment, his mind would inevitably drift to the events of the last few days, and... nope, he was leaving.

At his regular walking pace, he could probably make it to the restaurant, a hipster place by City Hall, in about thirty minutes. But Elsie was notoriously late, so Mack planned a detour through the Fashion District that should at least extend his commute to an hour.

It wasn't long before he was surrounded by rows and rows of boutiques, and the chatter between the small crowd of customers and the various shopkeepers. It was entertaining to catch snippets of conversations, even if he didn't understand all of the languages used; it was the liveliness of the voices, the energy that was intertwined with their words, that brought a smile to Mack's face.

Plus, the few instances that someone stopped him for an autograph and selfie made him happier than he cared to admit.

He stopped at one shop when a wide array of flashy socks caught his attention. Immediately, he remembered a pair of neon blue socks decorated with cats and pizza slices, and their owner that danced wildly on the couch. Mack let out a short laugh at the memory, then, after quickly apologizing to the startled shopkeeper, began to browse.

Most of them were just gaudy and wild, some were borderline inappropriate, and only a select few were tastefully humorous. Mack mentally filtered out all of them except that last group, evaluating each of them individually until he finally found what he was looking for.

And eventually, he did: a pair of vibrant green socks covered in colorful donuts and corgi butts.

He bought them immediately.

By the time Mack arrived at the restaurant, a pair of socks stuffed in each of his front pants pockets, his mood was sufficiently lifted and he still had time to spare. Surprisingly, Elsie arrived not long after, breathless and wild-haired, and she wasn't alone.

Standing right in her shadow was Camilla Wyatt, wide-eyed and grinning.

"Sorry I'm late," Elsie apologized between gasps for air. "Let me just catch my breath before we go in."

"No worries, I expected it," Mack said, smiling wider when Elsie glared at him. "Did you run from your place or something?"

"Wha'?" Elsie said, using both of her hands to fan herself. "No, just down the block."

Evidently, she didn't find Mack's judgemental expression as funny as he did, and she lightly smacked his arm with the back of her hand.

"Arrogant muscle-head," she muttered bitterly as she marched past him to the restaurant.

Mack laughed, then glanced at Camilla.

Her expression hadn't changed much since she arrived, and her frozen smile coupled with her unblinking stare into Mack's eyes was making him more than a little uncomfortable. Maybe the rumors about her strange and impersonal attitude were true.

But maybe they weren't. And Mack wanted to make his own opinion.

"Camilla Wyatt, right?" Mack asked, extending his hand. "I'm Mackenzie Olomana. You can call me Mack."

What Mack didn't expect was for Camilla's smile to vanish, replaced with an air of formality as she jumped into a salute.

"First Officer Camilla Wyatt, sir!" she announced, loud enough to startle a few pedestrians on the other side of the street.

For once, Mack was speechless, and he could only stare at her until she finally broke down into a fit of giggles.

"Just kidding," she said, shooing away his concerns with a wave of her hand. "I know who you are, and that we're the same rank."

Mack was still a little shocked, but he at least regained some of his bearings.

"You know me?" Mack asked, probably more surprised than he should've been. After all, he did take pride in knowing that he has personally greeted at least ninety-nine percent of the employees at Los Angeles Base; the remaining one percent were typically new hires.

"Of course!" Camilla gushed. "Silly Ollie!"

She then headed into the restaurant after Elsie without another word, leaving Mack to mull over his confusion for a moment longer before following.

The restaurant gave them outdoor seating, and Mack took the opportunity to bask peacefully in the sunlight while Elsie ordered at least half of the menu. The warmth and fresh air were a stark contrast to his week spent smothered by fluorescent lights and disinfectant, and the memory threatened to cast a shadow over his mind. On more than one occasion, he even caught his expression growing dark, and he would quickly glance at one of the restaurant's many plants to snap himself out of it.

Except one time he glanced at Camilla as she sat at an adjacent table, and was met by her hard, unwavering stare. Her grin instantly transformed into something mischievous; Mack didn't let his attention drift after that.

And thankfully, it wasn't difficult. As soon as their order arrived (first, mimosas, per Elsie's request), Elsie had no trouble diving into conversation, and it didn't take long for Mack to go with the flow. After all, both of them were natural extroverts; Mack just needed a little jumpstart that day.

Okay, maybe the mimosas helped a little.

Normally, he wasn't a lightweight, all thanks to his meta-metabolism. But this time he was getting tipsy by their third round, most noticeably by how much louder his voice was getting and how much more his head was aching. It probably had something to do with his exhaustion, or maybe he was taking more sips than he realized to soothe his vocal chords. (Maybe he should've paid better attention at the Academy after all.)

"Jordan and I were talking about you the other day," Elsie suddenly blurted out, shocking Mack out of his thoughts.

Mack blinked a few times. Hearing Jordan's name was the last thing he expected that morning. Was it just him, or were both Elsie and Camilla trying to see how many times they could make him go speechless?

"Sorry, what?" he asked.

Elsie pursed her lips, as if steeling herself, as she took a deep breath.

"I just wanted to let you know because I felt guilty," she began again. "But Jordan and I were talking about you the other day and your... background."

Mack raised his eyebrows, and he didn't realize his chest had been filled with warmth until it left him in the span of a few words. That hadn't been the segue he was anticipating when they were just discussing preferred pancake toppings, but now he just had to work with what he got. And what Elsie just admitted could've been a whirlwind of things.

For starters, maybe they discussed how his mom was a prostitute that had gotten herself murdered. Or maybe they thought his mom had an affair with some rich guy and got herself killed when she gave birth to his child. Or maybe they bet that his mom couldn't live with her mistakes any longer, so she tried to off them both in the wilderness where no one could find them.

Mack had heard all the rumors and baseless theories before. He was used to them.

But this was Elsie and Jordan. And while he just met Jordan, Mack already knew he would never play along with that gossip.

"And why exactly did that come up?" Mack asked simply, hoping that his hesitancy wasn't audible.

Elsie squirmed a bit--a gesture that would've normally made Mack chuckle--before continuing.

"Jordan was just... concerned that you thought he was just some rich spoiled kid because of his family," she explained. "And you wouldn't want to be friends with someone who was so different."

When Elsie didn't continue, Mack was forced to prompt her.

"And...?" he asked, bracing himself for the big reveal.

"And that you're not sure who your birth parents are," Elsie quickly added. "But I swear, that's it."

"Oh," was all Mack could say for a moment, and he felt as if a huge weight had lifted off his chest. He took a deep breath, as if he had to test his lungs just to be sure. "I thought it was something more... rude than that."

"No!" Elsie quickly assured, waving her hands wildly with her words. "Of course not! It just came up in conversation, and I felt guilty about talking about you when you weren't there."

Mack shrugged as he took a sip of his drink, suddenly noticing how dry his throat had gotten.

"I wouldn't have known if you didn't tell me," he said, trying his best to feign nonchalance.

Elsie groaned, stomping her feet a little in frustration. "I know, but I'm terrible at keeping secrets. And I'm a bad liar."

"Really?" Mack took the opportunity to lighten his own mood with some gentle teasing, and he leaned closer to her. "Perfect. Then can you tell me exactly how I came up in conversation?"

Just as he expected, Elsie refused, clamping her lips shut and shaking her head furiously.

"I won't say anything," Mack said. "Unlike you, I can keep secrets."

Elsie paused for a moment, as if she was seriously considering his offer, before her eyes widened and she shook her head again.

"Aw, come on, Els-bells! I thought we were bros!"

More head shaking, now accompanied by a glare.

"I'm hurt, Ms. Bates. I really am."

Elsie growled at him.

Mack laughed at that, sufficiently satisfied, before returning his attention to his food.

"Alright, alright, keep your secrets," he said, then waited until Elsie went back to eating as well. "I guess I just have to ask Jordan myself."

Elsie's head snapped up, greeting Mack with a threatening glare and a fork full of pancakes. "Hey, watch it. What happens at brunch, stays at brunch."

The rest of the meal was filled with lighthearted conversation and a few more rounds of drinks. While it was the pick-me-up his spirits definitely needed, Mack knew he probably overdid it, and he actually felt a little dizzy by the time they left. For once, he was thrilled to see his "manager" pull up to the curb a moment later.

"You drove, right?" Mack asked, jabbing a thumb at the awaiting van, its federal license plate clearly out-of-place in the middle of Downtown LA. "Did you two need a ride?"

"Thanks, Ollie, but I can drive," Camilla said, still all smiles. "It's part of my job, after all. And you know how pissy the Org would get if they found out I was slacking off." She waved a finger in a circle, mimicking the formation that civilians were beginning to make around them.

Mack nodded slowly, not bothering to question her when his head twinged just from that movement alone. "Right, you are. Anyway, I'll head off then. This was fun, Elsie. Maybe we can do this again sometime? Probably after filming ends though."

Elsie, who had been grimacing slightly, suddenly lit up and nodded. "Definitely."

As terrible as he felt, Mack wasn't about to leave without his signature hugs. Elsie was first, and Mack swore his headache temporarily lifted when her arms squeezed him tight.

Next he held his arms out for Camilla. While it was customary in Hawaii to hug even the people you weren't familiar with, Mack wasn't at home, and he knew that very well.

So he was moderately surprised when Camilla accepted; he was even more surprised when he felt her tense under his arms. He let go like he had been shocked by static, but Camilla held on a moment longer. And when she stepped back, her wide smile remained firmly in place.

Mack must have been losing his mind, and he quickly waved at the two women and the growing crowd of civilians before hurrying to the awaiting vehicle.

"Thanks for the ride, Daniels," Mack sighed from the passenger's seat, waiting until they had driven off before stuffing his hands in his pockets and closing his eyes.

"Hm," Daniels grunted, just as charismatic as any other stone on the ground.

Normally, the guy's personality, or lack thereof, got on Mack's nerves. Daniels "Definitely-Not-Danny" (as Mack quickly found out) was a Class 1 meta with the Org, and made it seem like it was a living hell to have to work as Mack's "manager". "Manager", as in Mack's official liaison between the Org and Hollywood. While Mack knew that Class 1 metas were treated like second-class after guardians, he never offended Daniels in any way, nor did anything to deserve the cold shoulder Daniels gave him on a daily basis.

But for once, Mack appreciated Not-Danny's silence, and he tried his best to tune out the throbbing in his head, focusing on nothing but the gentle movements of the car and the feeling of the colorful cotton socks at his fingertips.

---

NOTES

As always, thanks for reading and voting!

I hope no one minds the texting format at the beginning because it will most definitely happen again. It's not a very professional writing style, I know, but this story is a bit casual for me so I figured it's fine.

There will likely be no update next weekend since I'll be busy, so happy holidays everyone!