A/N: Wow, look who's back from the dead. Me writing Riliel fic in the year 2024? It's more likely than you think. I never marked this one as complete because I never knew if I would ever come back to it. Well, I just rewatched Intelligence again and I'm back on my bullshit if anyone's still out there reading this.

"Aw dammit!" Gabriel cursed as the glass of wine spilled all over the floor and his partner's lap.

"Shit," Riley stood up, grabbing a handful of napkins off the table to dab at her clothes. "This was a brand-new shirt too."

Gabriel found a towel and sopped up the mess from the floor. "We gotta get those clothes get in the wash or that'll stain and never come out. Come on, lemme grab a shirt you can wear." The pair went to his bedroom where Gabriel searched grabbed an old button-down out of his closet. He went to give it to her and his heart nearly stopped when he turned around. Riley had already undressed down to her bra and underwear and was using a napkin still to dry off the wine that had seeped through to her bare stomach.

She looked up at him and held out her hand, expecting him to hand over the shirt. When he didn't immediately do so, she rolled her eyes and said, "Gabriel…can I please have something to cover up with?"

Shaking himself out of his stupor, he wordlessly gave her the shirt and had the good grace to avert his eyes. Not that this would be an image he would ever be able to get out of his head. She might have been best friend, but he was still only a man. The sight of Riley half-naked before him would never fail to get his blood flowing south.

"Do you have a pair of shorts I can borrow?"

Clearing his throat, he said, "Uh, yeah, they're right in—"

A loud knock sounded at his door, cutting him off mid-sentence. Riley frowned at it.

"Were you expecting someone?"

He shook his head. "Don't think so. Here, my shorts are in there," he gestured at the bottom drawer of his dresser. "You can take any pair, it doesn't matter." He gathered up her soiled clothes and left the bedroom, shutting the door behind him. The persistent knocking sounded again just as he threw them into the washer. "Hang on, hang on, I'm coming!" He opened the door to reveal Nelson standing in the hallway, a handful of video games clutched to his chest. Then it hit him.

It was Thursday: the night he and Nelson usually geeked out and spent hours playing video games together. And it was Gabriel's turn to host.

"Ah shit, Nelson, I almost forgot you were coming over," he exclaimed.

"I, for one, am offended that you would forget about our weekly bro night," Nelson replied pushing his way into the apartment. "No matter, I brought everything we talked about last week. We can start with the classics, of course, Mario Kart, Smash Bros, and then move onto—Gabriel you know I don't drink wine."

Gabriel glanced at his kitchen table, still laden with the meal he and Riley had been enjoying before he clumsily spilled a glass all over the place.

"And did you make dinner?" Nelson squinted at the table, examining every inch of the scene. His eyes darted from the kitchen to Gabriel—back and forth and back and forth until finally he gasped in realization. "You were on a date!"

"No, it wasn't—"

"Oh come on, Gabriel. Dinner and wine? You might as well have a set of candles on the table to help set the mood." Nelson gasped again, his hand coming up to mouth. "Oh my god, did I interrupt? Dude, you should've texted me not to come over. I totally would've respected that."

"It wasn't a date. We were just—"

"Gabriel?"

His eyes closed in exasperation. God, she just had to have the worst timing, didn't she?

Riley walked into the living room, running a hand through her hair. "Who was at the-Nelson?"

As a man living with a literal computer chip in his head, Gabriel's one of two people on earth who can say he knows what it's like when your brain short circuits. However, judging by the expression on Nelson's face as Riley came into view, he's pretty sure Nelson might know what it feels like too.

He stared at her for half a minute before he began blinking rapidly, his mouth moving up and down as if not knowing what to say. Finally, he looked at Gabriel, a wide grin splitting his face. "Dude."

"I already told you, it's not like that," Gabriel sighed.

"Dude."

"It's not—"

"She's wearing your clothes."

"Nelson—"

"Hey," Nelson threw his hands in the air, "you don't gotta tell me twice. I'm gone." He gathered up his games and made his way to the door. "You two crazy kids have fun tonight! Sorry for interrupting!" His laughter could be heard echoing in the hallway as he left.

Looking extremely confused, Riley turned towards her partner. "Um…what was that?"

Gabriel shook his head. "Nelson now thinks we're dating. He saw the food and wine on the table and guess that I had company. Before I could set him straight, you walked out looking like, well, like that and here we are."

Riley nodded in understanding. "Ah." She was silent for a moment before saying, "Think he'll keep it to himself."

"Not a chance in hell."

"Yeah, that's what I thought."