#back to gavin's pov shortly!

[raddishwrites]

First Sentences - Fic Author Tag Game

Rules: post the first sentence of your last ten fics. If you haven’t written ten fics, share as many first sentences as you have.

I’m tagging myself idgaf, nothing but the first is posted so no other links.

1. Moonlight and Roses: Even past the constant, painful din of the hospital, Connor recognizes the metronome of clacking down the hall.

I don’t mind it. I can’t remember why I wrote the first scene in present tense though.

2. I Like Dogs part two, TBD: When his new ‘partner’ came out of his house mercifully shortly, Gavin was staring, incredulous.

Lil sneak peek that may or may not change. ;3

3. Next time we’ll dance slow (working title): “Connor—” came a low hiss from behind, though it went ignored.

Eh it’s fine ig. Another teaser.

4. More Than One Emergency Exit: One minute Connor was scanning over the crowd, more comfortable feeling like a bodyguard than the fifth representative cast over a sea of his people.

This is worded a little awkwardly and it’ll likely change before I publish this oneshot.

5. Detroit’s Shitty Weather has Upsides, Too (working title): “I think he’s sort of like a cat,” Tina said as she and Gavin stood at a table in the break room, casually leaning on its surface and staring at the back of Nines’ head across the bullpen like teenagers in the food court at the mall.

I took this prompt and another one from someplace and smashed them together to do another oneshot I should do a final edit for and post :P

6. Why do Chihuahuas bite? : Nines was not one to waste words.

Hahaha amazing! This is for another oneshot that’s basically done I have posted nothing but I have a BACKLOG.

7. Revenge: [MISSION PARAMETERS: ISOLATE AND ELIMINATE DT. GAVIN REED] loading... loading... [MISSION PARAMETERS: ISOLATE AND ELIMINATE DT. GAVIN REED] accepted.

This is the longfic I was working on before ILD, I restarted this thing three times with different first chapters, I lost my mind. I have like 300k words of this story though in three structured parts. Almost entirely out of order. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

8. Replace: Strolling into CyberLife Tower like he owned the place (which hadn’t been even tangentially true for more than a decade now), Gavin Reed quickly caught sight of the small gathering of people across the vast lobby that was the open space of the ground floor.

This is the start of part two of that longfic, a scene I actually like. Yes this includes the halfbrothers headcanon.

9. Revenge (Connor POV, TBD): Connor was not one to be known as ‘unapologetic’ generally, but in this case it suited him fine.

So I did have a shorter parallel fic planned to run alongside Revenge. Same story but Revenge follows Nines and Gavin. This follows Connor, Hank, and Markus. I realise Connor as ‘apologetic’ could raise questions, especially since this is a post game fic. I maintain this opening line is actually totally based considering what comes after. (Heads up the third part ‘Reclaim’ doesn’t have an official first scene/chapter. Just rough drafted scenes and an outline. That’s why it’s not on here)

10. Hm well I could do an old fic I haven’t touched in years for a fandom I’m not in anymore and don’t want to be… or an NSFW fic drabble…

I’m doing neither you get nine that’s it.

Not tagging anyone else either, but please do if you write and you see this.

[staranon95]

a little more action

a red hood au drabble

Trevor tries to get things back on track for the crew after Red’s disappearance. He starts up the plans for a job they intended to pull when Red first came into their lives.

Jeremy doesn’t blame him. He wants to get things rolling again. He wants the city to remember that the Fakes are still here and, yes, they will cause problems for the upper crust. Red or no Red, the crew needs to get back out there.

It’s an elaborate plan. Jeremy, Fiona, and Gav are dropping in from above on one of the tallest office towers in the city. Jack will be flying them in where they’ll parachute down in. They’ll infiltrate from the top where security is weakest and head down to the floor that has the information they need—bank account numbers, hidden offshore accounts, expenses. Which means they are going to make a living hell out of some very influential people’s lives.

They’re dropping in at around one in the morning. They’ve prepped this run for weeks now. With the clear skies, they’ll drop in at a high altitude. Jeremy can feel the fluttering beat of his heart. It’s all adrenaline, but he’s done this before. He gets a kick out of the high-altitude situation. He knows Fiona is ready to gun for it. She’s as adrenaline seeking as the rest of them and is always looking for a new rush to enjoy. She’s still pretty new at the larger jobs like this. This is the first time she’s going to take direct point and not be relegated to surveillance, getaway driving, or cleanup. And then there’s Gavin. His knees always shake badly when they’re attempting something like this, but when he gets into it, he gets into it. Usually screaming all the way down, but who doesn’t every now and then?

“All right,” Matt says from their earpieces, safely hidden back at his apartment and watching from his scores of equipment. “The jump zone is coming in quick. You’re jumping in at 10,000 feet. There are no approaching headwinds at this time, so it should be a fairly smooth decent. Keep your googles on because they’ll tell you where the building is so you won’t get lost and land on the wrong one.”

“Good thing that happened during the dry run, eh?” Gavin says, breaking the tension.

“Yeah, congrats. That took us some serious explaining as to why you landed in the penthouse pool owned by the mayor ten blocks away.”

“Cut the chit chat,” Jack says. “We’re heading into the jump zone. Good luck, guys.”

“Thank you, Jack!” Fiona is the first one out as soon as the green light is on. Then Gavin. Then Jeremy.

It’s always that first feeling of vertigo that Jeremy has to weather first when they make the jump. The feeling of his stomach dropping to his feet before his body gets used to falling. The display on his googles initiates at Matt’s command and Jeremy is given a digital layout of his target. The hard part will be the landing. They don’t have that much space and if they miss the rooftop, they’ll be sent drifting down the street.

“All right, you’ve entered the parachute zone. Pull now.”

Jeremy yanks on his cord and is prepared for the jerk back once the parachute fills. Now it’s just a matter of being gentle and patient in correcting his fall to the roof. Fiona lands first, carefully guiding herself to the edge of the building so she has the space to dig her heels in and drag her parachute down and clear the space for when Gavin makes a slightly less graceful landing. Jeremy watches him as he comes in at an angle and undoubtedly skins at least his arm along the ground before Fiona rushes in to help stop him.

“Okay,” Jeremy says. “You’re going to have to catch me.”

“We—what?” Gavin asks, sounding out of breath.

“I’m too high and I can’t take another lap or I’ll be too low. You guys will have to grab me.”

“You never make this easy, Jeremy.”

Jeremy kicks his legs in the air and prepares for his approach. Gavin and Fiona, free of their parachutes, come together and watch for Jeremy’s approach.

“Catch me, catch me, catch me!”

Gavin gets one of his legs first and pulls in on him. Fiona gets one of his arms and the three of them come crashing down onto the roof together, Jeremy laughing all the while.

“Oh man. Haven’t done that in a while,” he says, shrugging off his parachute and pulling in the lines to bundle up the fabric. They’ll be leaving everything here and take a basement exit if they can. The building isn’t tall enough to base jump safely, and Jeremy hates base jumping from within the city.

Gavin is quick to get his lockpicks out to open the roof access door for the three of them, while Jeremy and Fiona get themselves untangled from Jeremy’s lines.

“You do not make this any easier,” she says, letting a little of her frustration show, but she’s smiling.

“Where’s the fun in things going smoothly?”

“Door’s open!” Gavin stands and waves them over.

They descend with Matt’s instruction to the exact floor. They’re working into an office claimed by the CEO. From there they’ll have access to a personal computer and extract some encrypted emails. Then they go to the server room and wreak some havoc. Should be easy. They’ve been preparing for this run for months now. It’ll be a big pull in terms of information, intel, and so, so much blackmail material.

They get to the office. Jeremy is on point looking down the hall while Gavin gets Fiona inside so she can take direction from Matt on what to grab and what to do with the computer. They know all the security guards’ routines. There should be at least two of them on this floor. Maybe they’ve caught them at a break because Jeremy hasn’t seen a sign of them. All the better for them, but still. It strikes him as odd.

“Okay,” he hears Fiona say softly over their shared comms. “Downloading the emails. Should be done in thirty seconds.”

“Good, then you can get down to the server rooms,” Matt instructs. “Two floors down from your current location. The room is key card access only, so you’ll have to use that fun toy I gave you.”

“Oh, is that the one you have to pop the case off and plug into ports and shit?” Gavin asks.

“Oh, yeah. That’s my favourite.”

Gavin sighs, and Jeremy can’t help but smirk.

Once Fiona has everything, they leave, locking the door behind them to mask their presence. They move in a single file line, keeping low to the ground so they can get to the stairwell and head down two floors. The only thing about the stairwells is that they’re usually faintly lit. Nothing they can do about that, but there aren’t any cameras.

Jeremy, while still on point, takes the stairs first. He gets to the landing below and motions for the others to follow him. They repeat this until they’re on the right floor. The door to the floor requires key card access. Gavin makes a crouched approach to connect to the port and grant them automatic access. Jeremy is first out, peering around corners and keeping an ear out for the heavy footfalls of any security guard. He hears nothing so he heads in, following Matt’s instructions to where the server room is.

But the door is already open.

Uh oh.

Then the light from a flashlight pins him in his crouch. He rises up so he’s flat on his feet, keeping his center of gravity lower so he can’t easily be knocked onto his feet. From the corner of his eye he saws Gavin and Fiona move into similar positions. Gearing up for a fight.

“Well, would you look at that.” The familiar and cheeky voice cuts through the silent dark of the office. Jeremy has to squint against the flashlight to see who it is, but he already knows.

It’s Red. He’s wearing that familiar red hoodie with the hood pulled up. Over top is a heavy Kevlar vest. He’s wearing a slick mask with a set of goggles over top. It’s a neat looking piece that’s probably teched out. But surrounding him are five others. Dressed in black and wearing a form of tactical gear.

“You guys are a bit late,” Red says. “Decided to help ourselves to what was there. Don’t worry. You’ll get your turn. But, uh, oops! What do we have here?” He lifts what’s clearly a walkie talkie, the kind security guards usually carry. And it’s then that Jeremy finally notices the crumpled and bound form of one of the security personal on the premises. That’s why it’s been so quiet. Red and his team have already cleared the place. “You guys should know what the response time is for the police right? Ten minutes? Fifteen tops? That might be cutting it a bit close if you want to dip and run.”

He motions at his goons and they make a hasty retreat to the windows. They start stringing themselves on long run lines scaling the outside of the building. They clip themselves in and wait for Red to join them before ascending the building. Jeremy leans out to watch them go. He hears Red’s laughter as he goes—and it’s so much like Alfredo it hurts to think of him like that.

He turns back to the server room where Gavin and Fiona have gathered. They won’t have enough time to make this a clean job, and Fiona is already ripping out the drives she thinks are most important.

“Okay, we need to move,” Gavin says.

“No elevator, no stairs,” Jeremy says. “We won’t have enough time.”

“Then how do we get out?” Fiona asks. “We won’t have time to call in a plan ride out of here.”

Gavin snaps his fingers. “The roof,” he says. “I saw one of those window cleaning dealies. It can drop us faster.”

“This better fucking work,” Jeremy says.

Once Fiona has the drives in her back, they make their escape to the roof. In the distance they hear a helicopter cutting its way through the air. Likely Red’s ride out of here.

Gavin points to the lift that’s been left up at the top of the building. He vaults over the railing and waits for Fiona and Jeremy to join him. “We’ll have to do it manually,” he says. “It’ll be quicker than letting the machine handle it.” He breaks into the switch box and disables the safety features which would’ve slowed their descent. Jeremy stands next to one cable break while Gavin is at the other side. Fiona steadies herself in the middle.

“Okay,” Gavin says. “We need to be in sync with this. Hold it in place ‘round the middle. Don’t let it flip all the way otherwise the ropes go and we go as well.”

Jeremy nods. “Got it.”

“On three, yeah? One, two, three!”

Jeremy flips the gear and holds on while the lift begins a controlled fall. It’s a bit unsettling because this is dangerous. This could go so wrong. It’s dizzying, falling past the windows, down to the ground below. He looks to Gavin who looks back at him. He waits for the signal to halt their descent, and at Gavin’s sharp nod, he flips the gear back in place and they come to a jolted halt.

“All right,” Gavin says. “Go, go, go!”

The police sirens are coming from all over it seems. Fiona is already telling Lindsay where she should pick them up. Not at the agreed upon location, and their get away will be tight. Lindsay comes peeling around the corner in a snappy little hatchback. A stick shift so she can manage some tight hand-break turns if need be.

“Get in!” she says.

Jeremy dives for the back seat and barely manages to close his door in time before it’s taken off by a streetlamp.

“What happened?” Lindsay asks. “I only got bits and pieces.”

“Red was there,” Fiona says. “Either he got the drop on what we were doing or someone else wants what we were after.”

“He’s working with someone,” Jeremy adds. “He looked kitted out. Was working with some serious muscle, too.” He leans in with the sharp turn Lindsay makes as she guns for the Vinewood hills. The curved roads will work well for her car and leave the police cars far behind them.

“This is really starting to get on my nerves,” Lindsay says. “Did he look any good? He was pretty hurt when I picked him up.”

“Seemed pretty chipper to me,” Fiona says. “I have like ten hard drives in my bag right now. And we don’t even know which one has the information we need.”

“If he wanted us caught, he could’ve left the guards to grab us,” Jeremy says. “But he didn’t. He’s just making things difficult.”

“Yeah, apparently,” Lindsay says. “This is cutting it pretty close.”

Once they manage to lose the cops, it’s smooth sailing to the Vinewood house. Jeremy is too hopped up on adrenaline to feel like crashing. He is really hungry though, and usually when Michael stays behind, he cooks up a feast for when they return.

He takes a few steps towards the house with the others before he realizes Gavin is standing back.

“You coming?” he asks.

Gavin looks up with his phone in his hands. “There’s some stuff I need to deal with.”

“Listen, Gav, if this is about Red—”

“I need to do this. On my own.”

“You don’t have to. Not about this.”

“I know. But I’ve got some ghosts to bury.”

“Okay.” Jeremy knows he won’t be able to convince Gavin otherwise, so for now he’ll have to let him go. “You let us know if you need a bail out, okay?”

Gavin nods. “I know. I’ll be back. Promise.” And then he’s walking towards his motorcycle and heading back onto the streets.

[mythiica]

Reader x Gavin - Officer’s Punishment

Title: Officer’s Punishment

Fandom: Mr. Love Queen’s Choice

Character: Gavin

Genre: smoot

Warnings: ;)

Kinks: handcuffs, nipple play, name play, face fucking, fingering, also good ol’ missionary idk

Intended Gender Audience: Female Audience

Word Count: 1905 words

POV: second person w/ (Y/n)

Other comments: okay so i wrote this on the plane but then i got another request for a gavin smoot so i was like lemme really go ham on this and make it ultra steamy and knock out 2 requests in 1 - hope that both of yall like it ;) 

You can feel Gavin’s gaze burning on the back of your neck as you conversate with Victor. Despite insisting there is nothing between you and Victor, Gavin always found himself suspicious of the young business man. He’s wearing too much cologne. He’s flaunting his money too much. He’s trying to bed you. You heard it all from him, so it is no surprise that he interrupts the conversation.

          Victor swallows his words as his eyes rake over Gavin. “Ah, I didn’t realize you needed security, (Y/n). I would have been more than happy to provide.”

         Gavin snarls, but you catch his arm and hold him back. With a wry laugh, you try to keep things friendly. “Gavin is here to celebrate the success of our show and company. And he is also here as my plus one.”

         Victor’s eyes widen, betraying his emotions, but he quickly recomposes himself and takes a sip of champagne. “I see.”

         To add to your statement, Gavin tucks his arm around your waist and brings you closer to him. “Do you know anyone she might need protecting from, Victor?”

         You tug on Gavin’s shirt. “Let’s go talk with Lucien, shall we? I think I just saw him over at the desert table.” You give Victor a small smile before leaving quickly.

         As you had mentioned, you find Lucien prowling the buffet – his plate was loaded with enough to feed a few people, but that did not stop him from getting more.

         “Lucien!” you exclaim, letting go of Gavin. The doctor turns to smile at you, but his mouth is full with food, so when he responds, it just sounds like muffled words. He swallows and smiles at you.

         “Hello. Congratulations on the party, and your company of course.”

         “Thank you.”

         “You are growing ever popular with the introduction of interesting people. Do you think you would have time for me to slip in for an episode again?”

         “Of course!”

         Gavin hands you a plate with some food and stands directly behind you. His aura extends forward in an attempt to scare off Lucien – you can feel it sweeping around you like his jealousy had earlier. It only makes you giggle though, knowing that it would be a very long night if Gavin continued to act like this.

The moment you enter your room after the party has ended, Gavin pushes you against the wall and begins to kiss you deeply. His hands explore every part of your clothed body before throwing you onto the bed. You squeal when you land, but you don’t have a chance to as him what is wrong.

         “Gavin… what’s gotten into you?” You tuck your leg around his waist in an attempt to get him to stop. “Baby?” you ask softly, looking deep into his eyes, searching for his normal self.

         He leans down and kisses your forehead. “I’ve just…” He bows his head. “I think the alcohol has made me more adventurous than usual. Are you okay with that?” His caramel colored eyes go wide, waiting for your response.

         You nod your head and spread your legs apart slightly. “Should I call you Officer~?”

         He straddles you, his knees keeping you down to the bed and reaches from his back pocket. Gavin pulls out a set of handcuffs and lets them dangle from his finger. A smirk dances across his lips and he nods. “That would work…”

         You’re not used to this side of Gavin – after cuffing you to the bed, he kisses you ferociously and drags his hands down your body. If you could move, you would, but the cuffs keep you from squirming away. The metal clanks around against the headboard of the bed as you tense your muscles. He smells like strong alcohol and his lips are hot as they graze your skin. Gavin kisses every bit of exposed skin he can find before leaning back to look at you.

         Your hair is fanned out underneath your head and your makeup is smeared down your face from the passionate kisses. Your clothes are disheveled, but the scene only makes Gavin’s heart beat faster.

         “Officer, have I been bad?”

         Gavin groans and presses his forehead to yours. He is too shy to admit that he likes the name calling, but you understand that he does. Tipping your head upwards, you give him a quick kiss, but then he grips your jaw with one hand as the other one crawls down your torso. His fingers lift the edge of your skirt and he begins to rub the inside of your thigh. “Damn right you have. You act too friendly with the others. I don’t like it.”

         You laugh at this truth; you had not expected Gavin to be the jealous type despite all the obvious signs.

         This makes him scowl, so he leans back on his knees and unbuttons the top of your dress and simultaneously lifts your skirt to your waist. Now, nearly completely exposed, Gavin unclasps your bra from the front and immediately attaches his lips to your nipple. His tongue circles around your bud mercilessly, making you extend your neck.

         Making sure not to leave your other breast unattended, Gavin cups his hand over your mound and kneads your skin. Just like his lips, his hands are warm and send electric pulses throughout your body, making you charge with bliss.

         “G-Gavin!”          “Sh… this is your punishment…” he retorts, leaning up to give you a hickey on your neck. Moans escape your lips, fueling his actions more. “Just a bit more,” he promises before dragging his tongue down the center of your chest. Goosebumps raise in his wake, making you shiver.

         He trails his fingers over your clothed nethers and watches your expression contort. Gavin’s eyes shine with desire, so he gives in to the lust and pulls his shirt off. It flies into a corner of the room, quickly followed by his pants as well. Pressing his body to yours, Gavin tucks an arm around your body to pull you against him.

         You wrap your leg around him once more, inviting him to do more. Nipping your earlobe, Gavin pushes the elastic band of his boxer briefs down, exposing his hardened member.

         It does not take him long to rub himself against your entrance, and you really wish that you were not handcuffed to the bed. You want to drag your nails across his back while he pounds into you, but you know that Gavin won’t humor you.

         “P-Please,” you mewl.

         He positions himself so that his knees are on either side of your shoulders, and he holds his cock with one hand.

         “Open up then,” he barks, licking his lips.

         You do as you are told without delay – saliva drips from your tongue as he pushes the tip of his cock past your lips. You wrap your tongue around his shaft, but choke when he bucks into you. His member hits the back of your throat, causing tears to prickle in the corners of your eyes, but you would be lying if you said that you were not aroused by this position.

         Gavin holds your head with one hand, but keeps the other on the wall to balance himself. He grunts when you rub your tongue against his frenulum, and his fingers rake through your hair. “Nghh… yes…”

         Precum dribbles down your chin, and you know that he won’t last much longer. With your restricted range of movement, you bob your head back and forth until you feel his cock tense up. Another strangled grunt escapes his lips, and then he pulls out suddenly, leaving you a breathless mess.

         He pumps his shaft and curls over, his forehead brushing across the crown of your head. Gavin cums shortly after, his seed landing on your face and chest. Panting heavily, he leans back and runs his hand through his hair. “Fuck.. sorry…”

         Keeping eye contact with him, you flick your tongue out and catch some of his semen.

         His eyes seem to glaze over and Gavin pulls your leg up, exposing your cunt to him. “You really are asking for it…” he snarls.

         With that, he enters you, his member stretching your walls apart. He gives you a moment to adjust to the sensation, but then begins to thrust in and out of you at a rapid speed. You’d call it nearly desperate, but you do not blame him.

         “K-Kiss me.”

         “Oh?”

         You whine as a blush spreads across your cheeks. It is rather humiliating to ask him for something so simple, but with your hands out of commission and the desire blazing strong in your body, you had to taste his lips again.

         “Since you asked nicely.” Gavin’s mouth collides with yours and his tongue invades your mouth. His kiss burns your lips, making them numb from the pressure and faded taste of alcohol. When the tip of his cock hits your most intimate spot, Gavin bites your tongue slightly, making you cry out in surprise. “Be less friendly to them… you might give them wrong ideas. Especially the stuck up and the doctor.”

         “Don’t worry, I prefer police enforcement over businessmen or physicians,” you tease, arching your back against him so that your wet nipples rub against his own.

         The muscles in his arms tense, allowing you to witness the full beauty of his toned body. Gavin reaches for the small key to the handcuffs and releases you. Before you have the chance to hug him, Gavin pulls your arms forward and forces them around his neck. Moaning happily, you drag your nails across his skin as you wanted to.

         Gavin’s thrusts become sloppier, but you are beyond satisfied with the pleasure he delivers you. The knot in your abdomen releases, drowning you in his love. As you ride the climax, Gavin laps at your nipple, overwhelming you with euphoria. When you arch your back, it allows him to hit even deeper into you.

         He cums again, and you feel his warmth spreading into you. Tucking your face into the crook of his neck, you curl your fingers in his hair, tugging slightly. “G-Gavin…” you mumble meekly. “You feel so good…”

         “Ahh, don’t say that,” he replies suddenly bashful about it. He pulls out and sits in the middle of the bed to catch his breath.

         After rubbing the spot where the handcuffs had dug into your skin, you push the covers back and reach out for Gavin. “Come here,” you whisper.

         Gavin looks away for a moment, but then stands up and pulls the blanket upwards. He slips in next to you and grips your thigh, guiding you to keep your leg over his hip. Nuzzling against him, you wrap your arm around his torso and plant a kiss to his collarbone.

         Silence passes between the two of you, and for a moment, you think that Gavin might have fallen asleep, but when you open your eyes, you are surprised to see him looking – admiring you. He brushes his thumb over your lips, and his gaze does not waver.

         “I was going to pick them up and hold them over the edge of a skyscraper to get the message across… but this was better.”

         You burst into laughter and hug him tightly. “There is no need, Gavin. My heart is yours.”

         He blushes again. “Good. Now go to sleep.”

         “Alright, officer~”

[nazariolahela]

Something Domestic: Chapter 3

A/N: Hey y'all! This is a new TRR AU I’ve been working on. This story is told in first-person narrative, from Riley’s (MC) POV. There will likely be smidges of canon in this, but not too much. Thanks for reading, and please leave feedback, and/or if you would like to be tagged.

Catch up here

Series Tags: @burnsoslow​ @aworldoffandoms​ @dcbbw​ @ladyangel70​ @texaskitten30​ @sunandlemons​ @jlynn12273​ @indiacater​ @jared2612​ @rainbowsinthestorm​ @drakesensworld​ @badchoicesposts​

Synopsis: When Riley Brooks takes a new job as a nanny for the affluent Rhys family in New York’s Upper East Side, she assumes she’s just going to care for the children of the couple who hired her. But instead of just school pick-ups and afternoon snacks, she also finds herself spending time with Liam, the handsome divorced dad. Can Riley control her feelings for Liam while still performing the job she was hired for?

All characters are the property of Pixelberry Studios. Thanks for allowing me to borrow them.

Chapter Summary: Riley and Hana discuss the new changes in their lives.

As the cab pulls up outside of Nomade, I spot Hana leaning up against the side of the building. She’s dressed in black leggings and a denim jacket over a purple A-Line tunic. Her brown hair is twisted in a side braid that rests on her left shoulder. Tendrils fall across her face as she taps on her phone screen. Looking at the door to the restaurant, I notice there’s no line. That’s good for a Friday afternoon, considering people line up around the block to eat here.

Hana and I prefer the lunch menu because it’s cheaper and less crowded. The one time we came here for dinner, we had to wait two and a half hours for a table, and our tab was almost $300. I tip the driver and exit the cab, bounding across the sidewalk to my roommate and best friend. She giggles as she sees me and scoops me into a bone-crushing hug. 

“Hey, girl! You’ll never guess who just emailed me!”

“Who?” I ask. Her parents Xinghai and Lorelai are well-known in the New York social scene, so it could literally be anyone.

“I’ll tell you when we get inside,” she says and links her arm through mine as we make our way into the restaurant. Typical Hana. Always keeping people in suspense. When we reach the host station, her phone buzzes. She quickly pulls it out of her purse and glances at it, rolls her eyes, then shoves it back in her purse.

“What was that all about?” I eye her.

She sighs. “Oh, just some weirdo my parents are trying to set me up with. Neville Vancoeur or something,” she waves her hand dismissively. “My mother gave me her famous ‘When are you going to settle down, Hana? You’re not getting any younger and I want grandchildren,’ spiel last week, so now they’re aggressively playing matchmaker.”

Hana and I met freshman year at NYU Steinhardt. With both of us being education majors, we ended up having a lot of classes together and spent way too many late nights cramming during our study sessions in the library. After graduation, we both realized rent in this city is impossible to afford if you’re not a Rockefeller, so we rented an apartment together and have been roomies ever since. Hana got a job student-teaching music at Stormholt Middle School, and she also gives piano lessons one Saturday a month to a rich family in the city.

Her parents are something else. I’ve only met them once, but they make me glad I don’t have much of a relationship with mine. They feel she’s better suited to be a wife and a mother than an educator. It makes me angry for her because she’s so much more than that. She doesn’t need to marry some stuffy guy who probably skated his way through business school on daddy’s money and pop out his crotch goblins to do something meaningful with her life. She’s also mentioned to me many times that she’s into girls, so all this effort to set her up with some preppy trust-fund douche from East Hampton is a waste. Jokes on you Mom and Dad Lee.

I giggle as the hostess arrives from seating another customer. “Good afternoon, ladies. Table for two?”

We answer and she grabs two menus before motioning for us to follow her. When we arrive at our table, she informs us our server will be with us shortly and walks away. 

“Okay, so tell me who emailed you,” I say to her as I unroll my napkin and place it in my lap. She looks up at me, her eyes beaming. 

“Do you remember that benefit dinner we went to a few months ago? You know, the one for New York educators, where we drank our weight in Lemon Drop martinis?”

I smirk recalling that evening. The bits and pieces I remember, Hana lost one of her shoes and spent the better part of the evening showing everyone on the dancefloor the “proper way” to perform a pirouette.

“Well, I do remember you taking over the dance floor and me going home with that cute bartender. What was his name again? Daniel?”

“Oh my god!” she replies, laughing and slapping my forearm. “I can’t believe you don’t remember his name!”

We giggle as our server approaches our table to take our drink orders. I order a glass of white wine and Hana orders a Sangria. When the server leaves, we resume our conversation.

“So anyway,” she continues, “that night, I was talking to one of the ladies who works in the music department at Valtoria High School, and apparently there were rumors their music teacher was planning to retire. So, after we exchanged information, she passed it along to the school board, and they just emailed me asking me if I was interested in a job!”

My eyebrows shoot up to my forehead. “And?”

“And...I think I’m going to take it!”

I jump up from my seat and move around the table to wrap her in a hug. “Oh my God, Hana! That’s amazing!”  She laughs as I give her a congratulatory squeeze. Hana has been trying to get a position with Valtoria High since we graduated. It has one of the top music programs in the city, and the waitlist is insanely long. Most of the teachers there have tenure, so not many positions open up unless someone quits, retires, or dies. Hana securing a position on the teaching staff will not only get her parents off her back but also open up so many doors for her. Her dream is to eventually start her own music school where she can teach music to kids of all social and economic statuses. 

We return to our seats as our drinks arrive and the waitress takes our lunch order. After she leaves, Hana turns to me. “So, enough about me. Tell me about the new nanny job.”

I smile. “The interview went really well. I met the family I’ll be working for. They seem really nice and I’m excited to get the opportunity to work with them. My first day with them is Monday. The pay is pretty great, plus, the children seem very well-behaved. Nothing like the last family I worked for. The mother comes off a bit cold, but she seems pretty easy to work for. At least I don’t have to worry about her micromanaging everything I do.”

“Uh-huh. And what about the father?” 

I whip out my phone and google “Liam Rhys” to show her a picture of him. After scrolling past links to his company and click-baity articles from the local tabloids, I pull up a photo of him and his older brother from a few years ago. I hand the phone to her. She glances at it, her eyes wide.

“Oh wow...Riley… That’s Liam Rhys,” she says, warily.

“Yeah. What about it?”

She shakes her head and hands the phone back to me. “Nothing, it’s just his family is very well known throughout the city, as well as in the tabloids. Not to mention, he’s extremely attractive, so you need to be careful.”

I cross my arms over my chest. “What are you trying to say, Hana?”

Her face turns serious. “You’re a wonderful person, Riley. I read those tabloids, and I see what they say about the nannies of public figures like him. I don’t want your name dragged through the mud because you were photographed staring too hard at Liam.”

“It will be fine, Hana. Don’t worry about it.”

“I’m sorry. I can’t help it. I remember what happened with Ben Affleck’s nanny. And Gavin Rossdale’s nanny. And Jude Law’s nanny”

“Those men were also sleeping with their nannies while they were still married. Even if it gets that far, he’s getting divorced. We wouldn’t be doing anything wrong.”

“The public won’t see it that way. They’ll blame you for the split. Just be careful.”

I nod, taking her words seriously. Our waitress returns with our meals and we dig in. We spend the rest of the meal gossiping about our friends from college; who’s working where, who’s getting married, who got arrested, and so forth. After the check arrives, we pay our tabs and gather our things to head out. As we exited the restaurant, Hana turns to me and grabs my arm turning my body toward hers.

“Hey. I just wanted to let you know that I’m here if you need anything. Please don’t forget that.” 

I smiled and wrap her in a hug. “I know. Don’t think that I won’t take your words to heart. I know what I’m getting myself into with the Rhys family, and I appreciate you looking out for me.”

“Of course, that’s what besties do.” Her phone chimes inside her purse. She releases me and reaches into her purse to retrieve it. She frowns then slides it back into her purse. “I’d ask you if you wanted to head over to The Double Tappe for a drink, but my mom wants me to come over. I’ll see you back at the apartment?”

“You bet. I think I’m going to head over to the Northbridge Mall and buy some new outfits for my new job.”

She laughs and wraps me up in another hug. “‘Kay. Call me later,” she says before turning and walking down the sidewalk. I wave goodbye and take off in the opposite direction. As I stroll down the street, I walk past a magazine stand. There on the rack is the latest issue of Trend the receptionist was reading earlier. I pull a $5 from my purse, and set it on the counter, before picking up a copy of the magazine. After thanking the cashier, I slip the magazine in my bag and continue walking until I reach the bus stop on the corner. When the bus arrives, I step on, flash my Transit Pass, and take a seat near the front. I settle in and pull the magazine out to read up on my new employers.  

The article shows pictures of Liam, Madeleine, and the kids at the park. The kids look adorable playing with their father and each other. Madeleine is sitting on a bench, her nose in her phone, wearing her usual resting bitch face. I swear, that woman never smiles. Then, there’s Liam. The butterflies in my stomach start fluttering at the sight of him playing with his children. The cutlines on the photos mention how happy he looks to be spending the day away from work with his kids, but I don’t need to read it. I can see it in his face. 

Despite his notoriety here in New York, he’s still a man that is devoted to his family. It’s a shame his soon-to-be ex-wife, couldn’t see that. Stop it, Riley. Their relationship is none of your business. But it is, though. Now that I’m working for their family, their business is my business. Which means I have to keep my mouth shut about what happens behind closed doors. I’d hate to lose my job because I told someone something, who told someone else, who leaked it to the press.

I read on and catch myself staring at the pictures of him. It’s unfair how good looking he is. The fact that he is a doting dad makes him that much sexier. My cheeks flush as I imagine sitting at the park with him and the children. In my fantasy, I’m sitting on a picnic blanket, a wicker basket full of snacks and drinks, while he chases Philip and Charlotte around the grass. After they tire themselves out, they wander over and I pass out juice boxes and crackers. Liam comes up behind them, smiling. When he reaches me, he kneels on the blanket, takes me in his arms, and presses the most sensual kiss to my lips. 

The squealing of the bus’s breaks rips me from my little daydream and I shove the magazine in my purse. Nope. Not going there. I exhale loudly and stare out the window as the bus continues down the street. Oh man, I’m in big trouble.

[blooming-blooming]

All the multiples of 4 ^^

4. What’s your current NOTP? I’m actually really chill with most Zexal ships!! If I had to choose, though, probably Vector and Yuma. Kaiba and Jonouchi is also a constant NOTP of mine.8. Have you ever shipped yourself with a character? I did as a kid, and, embarrassingly, I still do. I have a DMGX era self insert I ship with Mai that I never talk about. It’s like Carol, but with more card games.12. Have you ever been disappointed when your ship finally got together? ….I honestly don’t think I have any ships that have gotten together. Minus, like, Judai and Yubel.16. Talk about a ship you initially disliked. Phoenix Wright and Miles Edgeworth was something I wasn’t big on at all for a really, really long time; I always felt Phoenix would have been better with Mia in an AU where she lived. Then I met my (now) girlfriend and saw how much the pairing helped her. I kept an open mind to it when replaying the games a few years ago, and ended up falling for the ship. Since we’ve entered our relationship, I’ve ended up becoming majorly into it, which is something I never imagined would happen.20. Talk about a ship you feel alone in shipping. Kaede Ichinose and Ichigo Hoshimiya from Aikatsu! is a big one; they have a lot of development together towards the end of the first season, only for minimal expansion from season 2 onwards. It’s a rarepair in the Japanese fandom, which makes it beyond obscure in the miniscule western fandom. I feel lucky to know one other person who ships it.24. Do you mostly ship canon pairings? Ha ha, no. The only canon pairing I ship is Judai and Yubel from GX. That, and while I don’t “ship” for Utena, I have a very deep appreciation for the canon relationship between Utena and Anthy. But I consider that different than shipping.28. Does shipping come easily to you? Yep! I’m very drawn and prone to shipping, though there are some exceptions.32. Share five must-read fics.

 Floriography by Lirillith: HeartCatch PreCure, Cure Blossom x Cure Sunshine. Post-canon oneshot; Itsuki putting together a bouquet of flowers to confess to Tsubomi. Anyone who knows me well knows that HeartCatch majorly shaped my identity and made me who I am today. My identity as a lesbian is no exception; when I was 15 I had a major crush on Itsuki, and Tsubomi’s canon crush on her helped me feel more comfortable in liking girls. This fic does a really good job on showing things from Itsuki’s PoV: While she looks cool on the surface, she’s majorly out of touch with her feminine identity and doesn’t know how to express her emotions, making her an awkward wreck. It’s absolutely adorable.

Hot For Justice by indirectkissesiniceland: Ace Attorney, Klavier Gavin X Apollo Justice. Post Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney/Gyakuten Saiban 4, Klavier goes through a slump in his career until he starts getting to know Apollo better. A fic I’m sure is on most Klapollo fic rec lists; Hot For Justice hit me because of how eerily similar it played out to my own headcanons on how Klavier and Apollo get together. It’s wonderfully written as well – the scene of Klavier bluntly telling Apollo his feelings in Chapter 25 makes me cry every time I read it, and I strive to write a scene that can impact a reader in my works the way that one impacts me. My only complaint overall with HfJ is the few scenes where Kristoph is portrayed as a loving older brother to Klavier, which thankfully are few and far between.

Grasping Sunshine by Rosage: Ace Attorney, Sasha Buckler X Athena Cykes. Post Ace Attorney: Dual Destinies/Gyakuten Saiban 5 oneshot; Athena starts volunteering for the whale show at Ship Shape Aquarium and realizes her feelings for Sasha along the way. This ship is one of my favorites from Ace Attorney, and, sadly, probably my most obscure. This fic handles their relationship really well, and shows off a lot of little nuances in both characters that are big reasons as to why I think they’d make a wonderful couple.

Operation: Find Kaito Tenjo by Brushfire: YuGiOh Zexal, Kaito Tenjo x Mizael X V, with focus on Mizael X V and Kaito X Mizael, along with Shun X Haruto. Set in an Arc V AU before Kaito was confirmed to cameo; Kaito is kidnapped by Academia shortly after the events of Zexal and used to work on carding technology. Several years later, Heartland is a wasteland and Mizael and V have retreated to Kaito’s villa in the mountains to help raise Haruto. In their struggles to keep Haruto safe and fend themselves from Academia, their only goal is to get Kaito back. Sadly on indefinite hiatus, this fic has a lot of really, really strong things going for it: the relationships between all of the characters are really well handled, the premise is strong, and it is overall executed very, very well. While it is an Arc V AU, the author has confirmed the fic is more of a love letter to Zexal than anything else. It has at least some inspiration for my own fic, Ad Astra, and I have accepted the headcanon of Kaito being Alcor with open arms (albeit in different ways than she has, and I don’t know if it will come up in any of my fics). 

Heartland City By Night by Fenikkusu_Ai: YuGiOh Zexal, Kaito Tenjo X Mizael. Post-canon oneshot, Mizael stays with Kaito after being revived. This fic shows that quality is better than quantity. Not even reaching 200 words, the language the author uses is absolutely gorgeous, and creates a very serene and emotional atmosphere. I can’t believe I forgot to kudo/bookmark this fic before writing this list, because I have read it so many times and consistently been blown away.

36. Do you create fanmixes/gif sets/fanart/fic/fanvids and so on for you ships? I’m an artist and fic author for sure!40. If you could change one thing about your OTP, what would that be? I’m pretty satisfied with MizaKai in canon minus their lack of onscreen closure (which I can fill in the blanks for anyways), so I’ll go with a different OTP.Hey Capcom: What the fuck have you done to Klavier Gavin and Apollo Justice in the newer games.