#He becomes trigger shy and unwilling to pull the trigger until he has a full visual

[kingsofchaos]

If you wanted to i'd love to see Gav using his charm and wiles to get the others lads out of trouble somehow, maybe flirting them out of some kind of mess or something?

Michael and Jeremy have been dealingwith a particularly unpleasant crew, forced into a fake civility every coupleof weeks when they go together to collect shipments or demand payments. It’sthe sort of thing Gavin would normally be involved with, at least in the earlydays of establishing a relationship, but no one really wants him near this oneat all; the crew in question is incredibly unstable, more mercenaries in anever-shifting arrangement than anything like the close-knit loyalty of theFAHC, and their leader is absolutely the worst of them. Some smarmy bastardwith a stupid name neither Jeremy nor Michael deign to remember – Taylor orTristen or Troy – he’s always intentionally rude, stopping just shy of openlymocking the Fake’s with an arrogance that even his own people seem to despise.Itwould be so much easier to just kill him and move on but no matter how muchMichael and Jeremy argue Geoff won’t have it. Something about relations, how forall Toby(?) is an asshole he’s got enough power, a nasty enough crew, that it’ssmarter to just wait them out for now, get whatever they can out of them beforeit all goes south. Which is easy enough to say when Geoff’s got very little todo with them, but nonetheless Michael and Jeremy suck it up, go to everydealing with clenched teeth and itchy trigger fingers, and life goes on.After one such meeting, maybe threemonths after this unwilling relationship began, Michael and Jeremy drive out tomeet Gavin for drinks, Jeremy tuning out as Michael rants the whole way to thebar because all he wants is a beer or twelve, wanted to just go to their normaldive but Gavin had insisted on coming out to this fancy yuppie shithole. It’s stillfull of crooks but mostly the rich, stuck-up variety instead of honest thugs, thekind of place that likely only stocks pretentious brews, but Gavin offered topay so here they were.Gavin’s already there when they arrive,leaning carelessly against the bar, all fake flirty smiles and inviting anglesas he holds court, surrounded by half a dozen admirers - though two inparticular seem to be jockeying for his attention. Thing One had just turned togrowl something at Thing Two when Gavin notices his Lads coming through thedoor, lazy showman grin brightening into something more genuine as he shakesoff his fans and flounces over. The group is less than pleased, more than onethrowing absolutely filthy looks that have Michael sneering nastily back whileJeremy not-so-innocently flexes beside him, neither making any effort to hidetheir weapons and quickly sending the one idiot who tried to follow into a hastyretreat. Gavin just laughs, grabs a tray of beers before towing his boys backtowards a booth.That should really be that, except apparentlyGavin’s not quite finished with whatever game he’s playing. It’s clear his focusis still on Thing’s One and Two rather than the conversation happening aroundhim; he asks all the right questions, hums sympathetically in all the rightplaces, but nothing gives away Gavin’s drifting interests quite as much as thepalpable feeling of having his undivided attention.  Michael asks, Gavin ignores him in favour of throwingan all too familiar smile towards the bar, and Jeremy groans, thunking his headagainst the table and wishing he’d just gone home.It’s not genuine interest, there’snothing honest in the way Gavin’s eyes narrow, nothing sweet in the sharpnessof his grin, which is just as well really because Gavin certainly knows how topick them. Thing One is gorgeous in a poisonous kind of way, tight blackclothes and blood red lips only accentuated by the wicked looking scar curvingacross her cheek. Thing Two isn’t quite so put together but is no lessimposing, big and blonde and definitely armed.They both tracked Gavin’s movementacross the room like starving dogs, sneering and snapping at one another asthey turn back to their place at the bar where they’d obviously been sittingtogether before Gavin stuck his big nose between them. Jeremy and Michael tosseach other a glance, long suffering but confident; it wouldn’t be pretty butpresuming it was two on two they could take them. That’s the grim reality ofdrinking with Gavin when he’s in one of these moods; there’s no saying there willbe a fight, but you’ve always got to be ready for the moment he tires ofcivilised society and pushes someone into violence just because he can.And Gavin is definitely in a mood, openlyplaying the two against each other every time he passes on his way to the bar;brushing against one, flashing her a secret little smile, only to make eyes atthe other on his way back, the man half rising from his stool as Gavin laughsand trots back to the booth. When Thing One ducks into the bathroom Gavinsteals her seat, leans right into Two’s space and orders them each three shotsbefore slinking off again. When Thing Two walks off to answer his phone Gavin’sback to buy One a drink, something straight and dark and far more impressivethan his own neon cocktail.So goes the rest of the hour; it’s blindinglyobvious by now, at least to anyone on the outside, that Gavin is drivingheadfirst into one hell of a fight with no sign of hitting the breaks. Hisadmirers are getting steadily drunker, louder and nastier with one another asthey try to compete, and Gavin just keeps throwing fuel on the fire.It finally comes to a head when, on yetanother bar run, Gavin brushes past them both and zeroes in on a third man who’d just arrived, abandoningcoy touches and heated looks for his thickest accent and most charming smile. Thethree at the bar clearly knew one another, the Things had been friendly enough whengreeting the third, but the longer Gavin stands there chattering away thecooler their interactions become, shoulders growing stiff and tight as fistsclench and voices rise.Seemingly oblivious Gavin keeps stirringthe pot, whispering something to one, winking at another, brushing off someone’sreaching hand only to skate fingers down the other’s arm, until eventually hetosses his head and stalks off in a huff, triumphant little smirk sneakingacross his face as an all-out fight breaks out behind him.Michael, who’d been growing snippier andsnippier all night, is fed up with pandering to Gavin’s nonsense when he andJeremy actually had to work today. He gets himself going on tirade about justwanting to drink and forget the assholes Geoff has them dealing with, not watchGavin flutter his eyes at idiots and destroy their friendships for his own sickamusement. Jeremy tries to agree wholeheartedly but Gavin interrupts him withan exaggerated pout that quickly bubbles into laughter as he croons back, asinfuriating as ever, aw Bois, don’t I alwaysdo right by you?Timing as spot on as always Michael doesn’teven get to snap a reply before an almighty crash has the three of themspinning around just in time to see Mystery Man #3 tripping over the flooredbar stool, turning just far enough in their direction to reveal himself as noneother than Todd (Tommy? Theo?). He’s reaching into his jacket in a way that hashalf the bar twitching towards their own holsters but its already over, Thing Twograbbing at his arms while Thing One ducks in from behind, rapid jerky motionof her arm unmistakable as she makes good use of a knife.There’s shouting now, people moving inevery direction as even the bartenders pull out weapons but Michael and Jeremyjust turn back to Gavin, eerily synchronized in their surprise, and Gavinsmiles. Climbs to his feet and buttons his jacket as casual as you please, all C’mon lads it’s getting a bit too loud inhere innit? Like the bane of their last few months isn’t bleeding out onthe floor, like Jeremy isn’t still open mouthed in shock, like Michael isn’t chokingback laughter all vicious and brilliant, adoring affection so familiar on his grinningface.Tomorrow Geoff will get a phone call.Will hear that Travis was taken out in some kind of scuffle, died slow andbloody in a bar just outside the city. He’ll hear that it was an inside job,some escalation of a drunken argument between Travis’ people, that their wholecrew is in uproar and already splintering apart, not much of a threat to anyonebesides each other. Geoff will know that despite their desire Michael andJeremy couldn’t have had anything to do with it, death witnessed by far toomany to be a frame-up, will know that even Gavin, who’d been sniffing aroundthe deal ever since his precious Lads started complaining, can’t possibly haveforced Travis’ crewmates to kill him. And yet, tomorrowGeoff will glare at the three flopped all over his couch, faux surprise at thenews doing nothing to hide the way they’re as unapologetically self-satisfiedas overgrown cats, and will know with the absolute surety of any harried parentthat somehow, in some way, this mess was absolutely their fault.For now, though, three friends spill laughingout of the bar, hopped up on petty vengeance and unmatched camaraderie, on thesweet victory of their chosen reality; the night is young, the city is theirs,and the Lad’s remain untouchable.