Work Text
Hey, so I have been working on revamping this work and completing it for the past few months. But unfortunately, I had been locked out of my original AO3 account until now. I was originally just working on Wattpad. But now that I have my account back finally I shall be posting all my revamped/new chapters here now too!
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"What the FUCK Fowler!" yelled a particularly enraged Detective Gavin Reed as he slammed his hands down against Captain Fowler's desk. Causing the objects on top of it to rattle out of place. Even the soundproof glass walls of Fowler's office couldn't contain his outburst, as the rest of the precinct quietly watched the scene unfold before them. "You know very well I don't do partners." Gavin went off again, "Especially not with this plastic prick!" Pointing back to the RK900 android standing in the back of the office in his cleanly pressed Cyberlife issued uniform, staring blankly back at them. He had not yet said a word since introducing himself as Gavin's new temporary partner."Jesus Reed! I can understand why you don't do partners, but it's only for a couple of weeks, a few months at the most! Then you can get back to your miserable loner life!" Fowler shouted back at Gavin, trying to reason with him. The poor Captain was getting tired of Gavin's shit, as they had been arguing for several minutes."Why can't you put him with anyone else! Anderson already has one and he practically treats it like his son, why not give him another. It basically looks the same!", Gavin shouted, pointing back to the android.Fowler held the bridge of his nose and looked down at his desk, avoiding eye contact. "Reed. I am unable to partner him with anyone else because you are the only other qualified detective, believe it or not, that I trust with this. And Hank is not willing to have another partner!"Gavin looked like he was about to quip another response before Fowler put up his hand, cutting him off. "Reed, I don't have time for this shit right now. Either deal with it or turn in your badge!"Gavin's face flushed even redder with fury, staring down at his superior. He couldn't believe what the Captain had just said. They sat in a minute of uncomfortable silence, Gavin was slightly shaking from the adrenaline. He was about to stomp out of the office before the android stepped up and asked, "Captain Fowler, may we have the case file."Fowler remained silent for a moment but began sifting through one of his multiple drawers before pulling out a file that looked crisp and brand new. He extended it out towards Gavin's direction. "I'm putting you two as the lead investigators of this case. I expect it solved before he goes back." Directing back to the android, who seemed to have no reaction of what unraveled before him.Gavin forcibly snatched the case folder from his hand and stomped out of the room, slamming the door behind him. "Motherfuckin' prick." He muttered as he stormed back to his desk. He threw the case file onto his desk and hurled himself into his seat. Gavin crossed his arms over his chest, tossing his feet on top of his desk. He began to process what just happened. Either has to work with a fucking android for a month or so or lose his job, and he knew he wasn't gonna let that go.The detective sulked at his desk for several minutes before he saw a cup being placed on his desk. He looked up, his stare meeting the last person he wanted to see."Your stress level increased to seventy-three percent since our meeting in Captain Fowler's office. I thought that maybe a coffee would help." The android stated, gesturing to the cup of coffee in front of him.As much as Gavin wanted the caffeinated beverage. He shoved the foam cup with his foot, to the side of his desk, knocking it off into his half-empty trash can. "I don't want your charity, dipshit." He sneered, glaring right in the android's eyes.The android looked slightly taken aback by Gavin's actions even though he showed no emotion on his face. His LED turned yellow for a split second before it cycled back to a stable blue. Once the android recollected his thoughts, he responded. "I do have a name, Detective Reed."Gavin leaned back further in his chair, "And what would that be tin can?." He scoffed."Conan." The android replied calmly.Gavin let out a hollow laugh, "I ain't callin' you that plastic." He didn't give a fuck about what its real name was.Conan let out a small sigh, deciding against continuing that conversation. "May I see the case file, Detective Reed?" He requested. Gavin responded by shoving the file across his desk to the empty desk across from his. Conan sat down at what he presumed was his new desk and immediately opened the file to review. His LED flashed yellow while he began processing the information, flipping through the papers in seconds. Conan closed the folder holding the details, ready to share his findings."The victims' names are Aster and Hannah, both androids. It seems that they and two other androids were walking home last Saturday night when they got attacked by what is presumed to be a group of anti-android rights rioters. The attackers kidnapped Aster and Hannah, while the other two androids escaped with minor injuries. The bodies of the kidnapped androids were found in an abandoned alleyway in Grandale early this morning." Conan looked up to Gavin and paused for a moment before suggesting, "I think we should go visit the crime scene. It would be a good start to the investigation."Instead of invoking a response, however, Gavin just ignored the android, acting like he wasn't even there. Conan took note of this, picked up the case file in front of him, and slammed it down on the desk's surface. Creating an incredibly loud noise despite it being just a few pieces of paper. In turn startling the hell out of the officers in the nearby area, including Gavin, who jumped out of his seat in surprise."What the hell do you think you're doing 'droid!" Gavin shouted, shooting a pissed off glare towards Conan."I was gaining your attention," Conan explained, seemingly unphased by the outburst he just caused. "You were ignoring me and I needed your attention."Gavin got up from his chair, walked around to Conan's desk, and leaned over, grabbing him by the collar. Pulling him up off of his chair by a few inches, dragging him closer to his face."Now listen here you little shit! I've been working here longer than you have been activated! So don't start ordering me around like you know better than me!" Gavin became increasingly more and more aggressive with every word he said.In reaction to Gavin's threat, Conan stood up to his full height, nearly dragging Gavin up with him. He raised his hand and grasped onto the detective's wrist with a death grip that Gavin wasn't able to escape, despite his attempts."I'd advise you to let go of my collar. Detective." Conan's voice was still at his usual monotone pitch, yet his icy blue-grey eyes became more stormy and threatening. Gavin stayed there for several more seconds before he reluctantly let go. Conan loosened his grip on the man's wrist allowing Gavin to pull his hand away. He quickly retreated back to his desk, mumbling multiple curse words as he did.Conan straightened out his collar and smoothed out the wrinkles that Gavin left on his jacket. He looked over to the detective, who was shutting down his terminal and shoving his car keys and phone in his jacket pockets.As Gavin was about to walk out of the precinct, Conan quickly caught up to him."Detective Reed, where are you heading?"Gavin proceeded to walk out of the station with Conan right behind his tail, ignoring his question. They continued to the parking lot in silence. Once Gavin made it to his car, he turned around facing the android."What the phck do you think you're doing toaster!" Gavin exclaimed, pointing his finger to Conan's chest."I was about to ask you the same thing Detective.""I'm going to go do my phcking job!" Gavin opened the driver's side door to his vehicle, about to get in. Conan mimicked his actions as he opened the passenger's side door."Ooh no no no 'droid, you're going to find your own way to the crime scene that's not in my car!" Gavin commanded, not allowing Conan into his car."Excuse me Detective Reed, but do you even know where the crime scene is?" Conan replied, his LED still glowing a steady blueGavin hesitated, looking away from the android before answering. "Somewhere in the... Grandale district."Conan entered the car, ignoring Gavin's demands. "I'm coming with." He said, not wavering with his stance.Gavin considered his options before ultimately deciding to just suck it up and got into the car. Jamming the keys into the ignition, he let the engine rev up and pulled out of the parking lot into the street.This was going to be a long couple of weeks.
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The drive to the crime scene was ... to put it into terms ... tense. The radio in Gavin's car was busted, meaning that the two had sat in awkward silence, only speaking when Conan was giving Gavin directions to the location. The pair made it to the scene in only fifteen minutes, thanks to Conan's vast knowledge about everything, but between the two, it felt much much longer.Gavin was the first to get out of the car, taking the keys out of the ignition, and slamming the door behind him. He walked over to Tina and Chris, who were standing in front of the alleyway and seemed to be having a pleasant conversation, despite the two bodies that were less than twenty feet away."Yeah, the wedding will be next month if you're able to come?" Tina said, before seeing Gavin and waved him over, inviting him to the conversation. "Oh, hey Gavin.""Hey, Tina. How have you been?" He asked.Tina gave Gavin a friendly nudge, "I've been doin' pretty well Reed. Alexa and I are getting married soon next month, you're more than welcomed to come.""I don't know Tina, I'll think about it," Gavin said awkwardly. He was genuinely happy for Tina and she was his friend, but weddings weren't really his thing anymore. He felt awkward and exposed at them, and after what happened, well it didn't help."No worries Gav, I understa-" Tina managed to get out before Chris interrupted."Did an android just come out of your car?!" Pointing to the direction of Gavin's car.Sure enough, the RK900 android got out of the car and started walking towards the crime scene. Gavin let out an aggravated groan."Fowler forced me to be his temporary partner till the Academy sends in a new group of graduates. It's phcking great." Gavin rolled his eyes at the last sentence, it was not fucking great."Oof, sorry man," Chris said, placing his hand on Gavin's shoulder. "I know you dislike androids."Gavin pushed Chris's hand off and swung towards him. "Did you just say oof? That's from like 20 years ago!" He exclaimed.Chris raised his hands in the air, pretending to surrender "Ok! Sorry grandpa, no more old-timer references from me."The three let out a laugh, it was true that Gavin was the oldest out of the group, and they would always make fun of him for it. Calling him grandpa or old-timer all the time. Gavin didn't mind it though, he actually secretly enjoyed it."Detective Reed!" Conan called out, cutting the group's conversation short.Gavin groaned, "I gotta go, talk to ya later kiddos.""See ya later Genny-Z!" Tina chimed in."That's fucking awful and I hate you for that," Gavin replied before heading over to Conan, leaving the conversation for good."I'll analyze the bodies if you want to search through the rest of the alleyway," Conan directed, his face emotionless as usual pointing towards the bodies."Yeah yeah, whatever tin can." Gavin sneered.The pair were four feet apart as they walked into the musty alleyway, the worn grey walls were covered in graffiti of varying quality. Lights had to be placed in the alley in order to help fend away the darkness, even in the morning light."It seems that you and Officers Miller and Chen are close," Conan said, looking down at the man beside him.Gavin looked away from the android before he answered. "Yeah, we are." Gavin hesitated before he answered again. "They're basically my family. Even if I have been an asshole to them sometimes" He mumbled the last part so quietly Conan was unsure if what he heard was right."Do you have much family?" Conan continued, trying to learn more about the detective.Gavin's head quickly snapped towards him, his eyes met Conan's, looking slightly hurt by that question. He swiftly walked away, beginning to start searching around the trash for evidence. Conan was confused as to what was wrong but made a mental note not to mention Gavin's family again.Conan strode over to the android bodies that were leaning up against each other in the farthest corner in the damp alleyway. The walls that surrounded the alley on all sides other than the entrance also made it easily one of the darkest places in the area, even with all the additional light.Conan crouched down in front of the lifeless androids, his LED bright yellow as he began to analyze. They both had a singled bullet hole placed perfectly between their eyes. Whoever took these shots knew their way around a gun. Other than the gunshot wound, the androids shirts had been ripped open revealing their stomachs. Their artificial skins around the stomachs had been deactivated along with the plastic plating that protected the wiring and bio-components of the androids had been shoved aside. He only had to take a quick glance at the pair and noticed that their thirium had been completely drained. Whatever had been left had long since evaporated, leaving the insides of the bodies completely clear.Conan took a quick scan of the alleyway and also took note that there were no traces of thirium in the vicinity. He stood back up to his full height, deciding that he gathered everything he could from the bodies."Find anything plastic?" Gavin questioned, seeing that he had finished investigating."The bodies both have identical wounds, a single bullet hole perfectly placed through the head and their abdominal plating was pushed aside revealing their internal wiring. Their thirium was also completely drained, not even drops were left," Conan answered blatantly, thinking about how the clues all pieced together.Gavin scrunched his eyebrows together. "You said the bullet was placed perfectly in the head, does that mean an android could have killed 'em?""It is possible, but why though?" Conan replied, his eyes drifting back to the two androids slumped in the corner. "What reason would an android have to be working with anti-android rights organizations?' Conan thought out loud."If humans can do dumb shit that will hurt them in the long run, I don't see why not androids," Gavin half-heartedly responded, looking at the graffiti art across the alleyway.Conan was silent for a moment, taking in Gavin's words before asking, "Did you find anything Detective?" He hoped that the detective lived up to his job title.Gavin glanced around the crime scene one last time, making sure he didn't miss anything. When he was certain, he answered. "Not much, the criminals did a real good job at clearin' this place out. But, I did manage to find this." Gavin showed Conan a small clear package with what looked like red pop rocks inside it."Red ice." Conan finished"Yea, I think we are dealing with something bigger than just a murder. Possibly illegal drug trafficking as well," Gavin added in, placing the red ice in an evidence bag.Conan nodded, "Agreed. So what is the next step Detective?""Well, the report said that the two victims weren't the only ones who got attacked right? I say that we ask the two witnesses that were there along with them if they remember anything." Gavin thought aloud, almost forgetting that he was talking to what he deemed "a shitty piece of plastic".A smirk grew suddenly on Conan's face, Gavin saw this and stared at him, confused. The android rarely showed emotion, so why all of a sudden was he smirking."What's up with you dipshit?""Oh nothing, I just can't believe that you actually listened to me back at the precinct. Since I'm just a "plastic prick." Conan teased, his smirk widened along with his amusement.Gavin scoffed. "Whatever asshole. I'm gonna ask Chris about our two witnesses. You do, whatever you do." With that, Gavin walked out of the dark alleyway and into the morning light. Conan watched from a distance, "What an interesting character" he thought to himself."Hey, Gavin!" Tina yelled at Gavin."Hi, again Chen," Gavin replied back, making his way to them. "Hey Chris, have you heard anything about the two witnesses?" The detective asked."Not much, but they're still in shock, they didn't exactly take the information that their friends died too well. I would give them a few hours before we talk to them. Give them some time to process.""You're probably right," Gavin said, sighing. He just wanted this investigation over with as soon as possible. "Thanks, Chris," Gavin said, slapping his shoulder in appreciation. Gavin turned away and walked back to the front of the alleyway."Hey, dipshit! I'm heading back to the precinct! Are you coming, or are you going to keep staring at that wall!" Gavin shouted at Conan, the android quickly turned his head towards the detective."No, I'm coming," Conan replied, making his way back to the car.They both got into the car. Gavin pulled away from the crime scene, once again beginning their awkward silent car ride back to the precinct.
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Gavin had been waiting impatiently at the precinct for four hours, waiting for the grief counselors to give them the go-ahead for questioning. Gavin was leaning back in his chair with his feet lying lazily on his desk, playing on his phone.Conan, on the other hand, was sitting in his chair, back straight up, and with his head tilted down facing the ground and eyes closed. His LED was yellow, he seemed to be in a sort of processing mode.Gavin turned off his phone and crossed his arms over his chest, his eyes glaze around the precinct. The room was completely empty, only leaving him and the android in the silence. Gavin stared at the android across from him. His eyes following the curves and sharp lines of his face. The way his face was perfectly imperfect, and how his fringe fell on top of his face, god, that alone could make a man swoon. "What the fuck am I thinking, he's a piece of shit android," Gavin thought, snapping back to reality, pushing away those intrusive thoughts.Gavin went back to looking at his phone. After a few minutes, he started to feel himself nodding off into sleep. It was becoming harder for him to focus and keep his eyes open. He eventually gave up fighting his own body and let himself fall into a rare peaceful sleep. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~He was awoken when he felt a firm grasp on his shoulder, shaking him awake. Fear and adrenaline rushed through Gavin's veins. He jumped out of his seat, snapping out of the grip, ready to fight."GET THE FUCK OFF OF ME! I WON'T HESITA-" Gavin cut himself off when he realized that it was just Conan attempting to wake him up.A look of genuine concern shot across Conan's face. "Are you okay Detective? Your stress level has increased to eighty-six percent." The android asked him, making sure to give the man his personal space.Gavin was still shaking from the adrenaline rushing through his systems, he looked away from Conan, brushing away the loose hairs that had fallen onto his face. His face burning red out of embarrassment from his sudden outburst. "Ye-yeah, I-I'm fine." Gavin managed to get out, stumbling on his words.Conan tilted his head to the side, not believing him. "Are you sure Detective?" He continued to question."Yes, I'm fine, dipshit," Gavin stated firmly, shutting down any more of Conan's questions. "What did you need me for."Conan stared down at him, pausing before he answered. "The grief counselors called. They said that the witnesses are ready to answer the questions we have for them."Gavin sighed, "Fucking finally. I was wondering if they were ever gonna let us question 'em." The detective grabbed his coat and reached for his keys on the desk. But before he could grab them, another hand beat him to it."Detective, perhaps it is better for me to drive at this moment. Your stress level is still quite high. It would be unwise to drive in that state" Conan informed him, picking up the keys away from Gavin's hand."Umm, hell no. Now give me back my car keys." Gavin demanded, reaching for his car keys that were in Conan's hand. No one touched his shitty car other than himself.Conan raised his hand in the air, out of Gavin's reach. "I'm afraid I can't do that Detective." He simply declared, gazing down at the smaller man in front of him.Gavin took a step closer to the android, "Oh you asshole.""Bitch." Conan directly stated, his gaze turning into a glare.Gavin was slightly shocked by what Conan had just said. He never thought of the android as one to swear. "Excuse me." He said back, also glaring back."You heard me, I called you a bitch. Now would you please-" Conan got cut off by an angry detective aiming a punch for his thirium pump. Before Gavin could even reach the android, his fist connected with Conan's hand, grabbing Gavin's fist and prying it away from his chest."Are we really going to be doing this again Detective Reed. Must I remind you what happened last time?" Conan was fed up by Gavin's actions.Gavin opened his mouth and closed it again, realizing he had nothing to say. Conan let go of Gavin's hand, noticing that he had surrendered. "Now I suggest, we go to the witnesses' house before it gets too late, and I'll be driving."Gavin didn't say anything else, knowing he had lost, again. He hastily stormed out of the building, with Conan right on his tail. Gavin got into the passenger's side of his car and slammed the door behind himself with a loud bang. Conan politely hopped into the driver's seat and pulled out onto the road. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~The witnesses' house was on the outskirts of the city, in one of the more run-down, poorer neighborhoods. Gavin looked out of the passenger side window, watching the scenery go by. It would have been quite peaceful had the person he hated the most in the world wasn't next to him, not like he had much control over that. He was a persistent asshole.Conan pulled up in front of a house that was very clearly worn down. Its gray paint was chipped so much that you could see more of the wood from the siding instead of its actual paint and the roof clearly needed to be replaced. In contrast to the rest of the building, the lawn was perfect, not a single weed could be found in the yard. Gray rocks circled around tilled dirt patches on the side of the house. It looked like it was supposed to be a garden, but since it was January nothing was going to live in the freezing Michigan winter.Conan turned off the engine and stepped out of the car. He waited for Gavin by the chainlink fence that encircled the entire property. Gavin got out of the car, shutting the door behind him and walked past the android, going straight for the front door. Conan followed him up the porch, the wooden boards squeaked underneath them. Gavin knocked on the door and took a step back, waiting for a response.The door creaked open, revealing a male android with blonde hair, wearing a simple pair of jeans and a blue solid color shirt. "Hello. How may I help you?" He asked politely.Gavin answered first, showing his police badge, Conan following suit. "Sir, we're the lead investigators from the Detroit Police Department. We are investigating the recent murder case and we're here to asks the witnesses a few questions.""Oh, yes, of course, come in." The android said, opening the door further, inviting them in. The pair stepped into the house. The interior was not at all like the exterior, the house was very clean and organized and it seemed that they had also managed to renovate large portions of it, making it feel much more "homey". The android led them to the living room, which had a couch and a loveseat facing each other and a coffee table in between the two. The walls had artwork to decorate the plain tan paint. Along with pictures of the victims and the witnesses, it seemed like they were very close."Stella, August. The police are here to ask you some questions." The android shouted up the stairs. All was silent for a moment before they heard a muffled "okay" come from upstairs.The blonde android turned to them. "They'll be down in a minute. Please, have a seat." He said, gesturing to the couch in the room.Gavin and Conan walked to the couch, Gavin sitting on the far edge of the couch, getting as far as he possibly could from Conan. There was an audible shuffle coming from stairs as two androids came down into the living room.The two took a seat in the loveseat across from them. They must have been really attached to each other as they were as close they possibly could be without actually sitting on each other."I guess I'll leave you guys be." The blonde android said, going up the stairs, leaving them alone in the room."What did you want to ask us?" The female android, Stella, asked first. Her eyes were glazed over, not even really registering what she was seeing.Conan was the first to answer, "Can you explain what happened Saturday night to us?" His voice was calm as if he didn't want to disturb the pair.The two were silent for a moment, looking to each other before the male android, August responded. "Umm, yeah. Hannah, Aster, Stella and I had just finished seeing a movie and we're walking back home a bit too late. But everything seemed to be fine till a white van pulled up next to us and three men hopped out of it and began attacking us." August's eyes met with the floor, his ginger hair falling in front of his face. Conan leaned in closer to pair, giving them a sympathetic look. "The men went for Hannah and Aster first, we tried to help fight them off, but one of them had a gun and held it at us. They were ordering us into the van. We would have been in there with them if another car hadn't driven by, throwing them off guard, giving Stella and me enough time to make a break for it."Stella had leaned against August's shoulder completely, stuffing her face into his sweatshirt. August wrapped an arm around her shoulder, pulling her closer, comforting her as much as he could. She seemed to be taking this a lot worse.The detectives watched this and couldn't help but feel sorry for them. No wonder they took the news so badly, they probably blame themselves for what happened to their friends.Conan continued, "Did you get any good looks on the attackers? Or perhaps a license plate number?" His voice was soft and soothing, even Gavin felt calmer."I don't know, there may be something in our memory files if we look," August started, looking back to Conan. Stella seemed to have calmed down too, as she looked up from August's shoulder, staring blankly back at the couch."May I?" Conan questioned, directing to his hand."Umm, sure," August answered. Stella also nodded in approval. Conan stood up from his seat and walked over to August. They both removed their synthetic skin around their hands, revealing the white plastic underneath. They grabbed onto each other's forearm, their LEDs yellow as Conan began to sift through his memories. Gavin watched this from his seat, totally lost on what was going on before him.Conan and August let go of the other's arm, Conan took a step back giving the other some space. Gavin straightened up in his seat, "What was that?" He asked, furrowing his brows."I was searching through his memories in hopes to find a facial recognition or a license plate number. I wasn't able to find anything." Conan explained.Conan turned back to face Stella and crouched in front of her. Stella straightened herself back up and held out her arm with its synthetic skin removed. Conan reached out and gently grabbed her forearm before. This time, Stella and Conan seemed to be connected this time longer than the previous attempt.Stella and Conan eventually separated with Stella looking a little worse for wear. Conan lingered in the same spot giving a warm look to her. It honestly surprised Gavin how much emotion Conan was showing instead of being the cold asshole he usually is."Did you find anything?" Stella quietly asked.Conan stood back up, "I did find a facial recognition and a partial license plate number, this will help very much. Thank you." Conan walked back to his seat on the couch."I just have one last question. Do you know if anyone had any sort of vendetta against your group? Any enemies or people that just generally disliked you?" Conan pressed.August scoffed, "We're androids, no one really likes us, but to fully answer your question, no I can't think of anyone who had a personal vendetta against us."Conan glanced at Gavin and then back to the pair across from them. "I believe that was all we needed to ask," Conan said, ending the conversation. "We should be on our way now."Gavin and Conan stood up and started heading towards the door."Thank you for your time." Conan thanked, giving them a polite nod. Gavin was already outside on the porch as Conan started stepping through the door. He got held back though by Stella, who had grabbed onto his wrist."Please, find out who did this." She begged desperation across her face."We will try out best, I promise." Conan pulled his hand away from her's and stepped out into the cold brisk air. Even though he couldn't actually feel the cold.The two detectives walked back into the car, Gavin once again was booted back to the passenger's seat.Gavin sat in silence, contemplating what the witnesses had said. He didn't like androids one bit, but they felt so real it was hard for him to not feel sympathetic."Are you alright detective, you seemed a bit lost in thought," Conan asked as he turned on the car. It sputtered but eventually came to life."Just thinking about what they said, it's not important. Let's just head back to the precinct asshole." Gavin replied, looking out the passenger side window."As you wish, detective." Conan pulled the car back onto the street, heading back towards the precinct.
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"I told you, the file is corrupted! I can't access it!" Gavin yelled, furiously waving his hands in the air."How is that even possible? I was able to profile him from Stella's memory, you should be able to pull up his file in the records." Conan said coldly, becoming more and more annoyed with the detective.Gavin dropped his arms on top of his desk with a loud thud. "You do it then!" He exclaimed, rolling away from his desk in his chair, providing space for Conan to type the information into his terminal.Conan stood up from his seat and walked around so he was leaning over in front of Gavin's terminal, typing in the information. Gavin moved around so he was sitting beside Conan instead of behind him. He watched as Conan's fingers flew across the keyboard, typing in the information he had.
Name: Carter Hollard
Age: 29
Criminal Record: Assault and Red Ice Drug Trafficking
The site pulled up multiple possible matches. Conan led the cursor to the top one, click on it. The file opened up into another tab showing incoherent scrambled text across the page. Where the image of Carter Hollard was supposed to be, had become so glitched that he was completely unrecognizable. The page had become unusable.Gavin looked back to Conan with an "I told you so" face. Conan closed the tab and stood back up to his full height, taking a step away from the desk.Conan looked down at Gavin sitting in his chair. "I see that you were right Detective Reed, I'm sorry for doubting you." Conan apologized, walking back to his own seat."Uh-huh." Was all that Gavin said in response, Conan figured it was the best he was going to get."How could anyone have the ability and resources to do that? Even androids wouldn't have the ability to break through the DPD's firewalls?" Conan thought out loud.Gavin glanced back up at the android, "I don't know tin can. But it's ten o'clock at night and no one else is here to help with the corruption. So I don't know about you, but I'm going home." He said getting out of his seat and grabbing his stuff."I see. I guess I shall just go into standby mode for the night." Conan replied, shifting into a more comfortable position.Gavin continued collecting his stuff and shoving it into his backpack that was underneath his desk. "Yea, you do that."Gavin slung his bag over his shoulder and shut down his terminal for the night."Have a good night Detective Reed." Conan wished him before he left the precinct.'Whatever." Gavin scoffed as he shut the door behind himself, going home for the night. Conan watched him leave from the distance before entering standby mode for the night. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Gavin pulled up into the DPD parking lot early the next morning, the sun had just come up into the sky. The lot was almost completely empty, only one other car was there. Gavin assumed it was Fowler's car as he always seemed to be the first one precinct.The detective stepped out of his car, raindrops began to hit him in the face. It was sprinkling outside and was forecasted to come down harder as sleet later in the day. Gavin groaned in distaste, today was already leading up to be another shit day.Gavin locked his car and hurried into the station, not wanting to get wet. Gavin opened the door leading to the receptionist's office and was greeted by the three android receptionists behind their desk."Good morning Detective Reed." One of the receptionists said sweetly, giving him a pleasant smile.Gavin grunted in response, reaching for his ID in his back pocket and sliding it over to the receptionist who picked it up and checked it, confirming that it was indeed Detective Gavin Reed. "Here you are." She said, handing back his ID. Gavin grabbed it and slipped it back into his pocket.Gavin walked into the precinct, which was empty other than Fowler, who was sitting in his office filing paperwork, and Conan, still sitting in standby mode from last night. Gavin approached his desk and slid his backpack under his desk, in its usual spot, and turned on his terminal. He shuffled over to the break room and began to make himself a cup of coffee. Gavin watched blankly as his cup filled up to the top with coffee, the machine made the familiar "ding" telling him it was finished. He picked the cup up, put a lid over his drink, and walked back over to his desk.Gavin placed his coffee next to the pile of paperwork that still needed filing. He glanced up across to the android sitting a few feet away and suddenly got an idea. He sauntered over to Conan, leaning over his desk and brought his hand up to Conan's face and flicked him in the forehead. Conan's eyes flashed open, cold and unemotional as usual, meeting the detective's harsh ones. The android stood up to his full height, towering over Gavin."Good morning Detective Reed. I see that you are here quite early." Conan greeted, ignoring the fact that Gavin had just flicked him in the forehead.Gavin huffed, sitting back at his desk, "Yea, whatever. I actually do try at my job." Adding extra emphasis on the last part of his sentence, taking a sip from his drink."So. What's on the agenda today asshole?" Gavin continued, sitting back up in his seat."Well, to best advance the investigation, we need to access that corrupted page. We need to know more about who we are dealing with" Conan answered, not wasting a second.Gavin leaned back in his chair, "So basically ask IT?""Exactly," Conan responded.Gavin groaned, "The IT team doesn't do anything till ten, and what time is it right now?""Seven a.m." Conan confirmed.Gavin threw his head back in his chair and buried his face in his hands, groaning even louder. "Fuuuuuccck," God, he just wanted this investigation to end."Shall I send them an email?" Conan asked, noticing that Gavin was fed up."Go ahead." Gavin's response was muffled by his hands that were still placed on his face. He had only been there for fifteen minutes and he was already done.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~It was eleven o'clock. Still no word back from the IT team, despite the fact that the email was labeled URGENT and was sent four hours ago. He never liked the IT team anyway, they were always so stuck up and were never there when you actually needed them, but this was just the cherry on top.The precinct was over half empty since it was eleven and most were out for lunch. Only a few unlucky souls were still working. Gavin though was just sitting at his desk, filing half of the reports that were on his desk from the morning. Conan, on the other hand, was also at his desk, filing the other half of Gavin's reports. Conan had to basically force Gavin to let him help with his paperwork, he had no idea how defensive humans could get over such little things.The two were silent for the majority of the time they were stuck there, with the exception of the paperwork incident. Gavin took another chug from his fourth coffee of the day, finishing it up and throwing it away in the trash. He laid his head down on the desk, he was so over with the day, it seemed like it would never end.Gavin heard the precinct door open behind him and some struggling to go along with it. Nothing unusual though, it was a police station, probably just someone taking a person in for questioning."Jesus Christ! Will you stop struggling! Connor, take him." A gruff voice said, still behind them. It was Lieutenant Anderson and Connor. Fucking great."Yes, Lieutenant." Connor complied."Detective Reed," Conan said, tapping on the detective's arm."WhAt!" Gavin snapped."That's him," Conan replied."Who?" Gavin looked up from the boring gray floor he was staring at to Connor and Hank, who were still having problems with the man that Connor was leading into the interrogation room."That man is Carter Hollard," Conan said again."Holy shit." Gavin exclaimed, sitting straight up in his seat in disbelief, "Is it really?"Conan nodded in response, "He matches the profile that I collected from Stella's memory.""Holy shit." Gavin repeated, "Guess we didn't need those IT bastards after all." He couldn't believe it, he must be the luckiest and unluckiest detective in the world.Gavin was the first to get up from his seat, grabbing the case file and striding over to the interrogation room's door, which Hank was still standing in front of."Fuck. What do you want Reed?" Hank grumbled, not in the mood to talk to Gavin."Do you know who that person is?" Gavin questioned, pointing toward the room.Hank crossed his arms, "Yes Reed, I know what his name is. We caught him dealing red ice and arrested him. He's been silent and resisting arrest since we got him in the cuffs." Hank answered. "What do you want from him?""He is one of our main suspects for an assault, kidnapping, and murder. We've been having a hard time tracking him down." Conan said, right behind Gavin, scaring him half to death. Again.Hank smirked at Gavin's fright, "See you've got yourself an android now.""It wasn't like I had a choice." Gavin said, evading the remark, "Whatever, can we just go in there and question him?" He sassed."I guess, but Connor is asking questions at the moment, so it's gonna have to wait," Hank informed them."Better than waiting for IT," Gavin mumbled, opening the door to the control room. It was a small room, gray cement walls encasing the three in the room. The only thing that stood out in the was the control console that was against the wall and the double-sided mirror, giving them a clear view of what was going on in the interrogation room."Where did you get the red ice from?" Connor demanded, leaning closer to Carter.Carter sneered, "I ain't tellin' you shit, especially not to a plastic shit like you."Connor looked fed up at this point, it was clear that it wasn't the only time he was insulted by him. "Where did the red ice come from, that's all I want to know," Connor asked again, getting more forceful with his wording.Carter didn't even bother saying anything else. He just turned his head away from Connor, cutting off any bit of conversation they had."Are you going to answer my questions."Carter once again was silent.Connor sighed, got up from his seat and exited the room, leaving Carter alone cuffed to the table. He re-entered the control room, surprised by the additional help they had in the room but didn't pay too much mind to it."I see we have another racist on our hands," Hank stated, starting up the conversation."He won't talk. At least not to me or any other android." Connor stated, frustrated, gesturing to himself and Conan."So. Am I allowed to question him now?" Gavin asked bitterly, pointing from himself to the mirror.Conan and Hank collectively let out a sigh of distaste. Gavin kicked Conan in the shin, "He's my suspect too you know.""Out of all of us, I'm afraid that Detective Reed has the highest chance of gaining a confession from the suspect," Connor said.Gavin gave the room a sarcastic expectant glance. "Jesus, just go Reed. I can't stand you when you're like this," Hank exclaimed, waving him away.Gavin took his cue and quickly left the room. He would be lying if he wasn't at least a little bit excited, questioning and actually catching a criminal were two of his favorite things about his job. If only he could do all that without the shit ton of paperwork that comes along with it. The detective quickly composed himself outside of the interrogation room, attempting to make himself look more intimidating. He placed his hand on the palm scanner to unlock the door and opened the door.Carter turned his head towards Gavin, who strode into the barren room walking to the steel table and chair in the middle of the room, file in hand. Gavin sat himself down in the chair and pulled himself closer to the table and Carter. His face had an, even more, hardened look plastered on and he placed his hands on the table."Carter Hollard, 29, wanted for red ice trafficking and assault. Am I right?" Gavin asked seriously.Carter shifted in his chair, looking uncomfortable, but stayed silent.Gavin continued, "You're also now wanted for kidnapping and a suspect for android trafficking and first-degree murder." He made sure to add extra emphasis on the last few words."What! I've never done any of those things!" Carter blurted out, he quickly slammed his mouth shut as if he wasn't supposed to say anything."Uh-huh." Gavin reached for the file, grabbing that tablet that was inside of it. The detective pulled up a video and played it for Carter.The screen was showing a replaying of Stella's memory from the night of the attack that Conan had given to him. Gavin watched as Carter recognized himself in the video and stiffened up. Once the screen stopped playing the video, Gavin put it back down on the table."Also." Gavin reached for the file again opening it up and revealing photos of Hannah and Aster in the alleyway, dead. Carter gulped. Gotcha."Evidence shows that you had kidnapped these two androids and at least led them to where they got killed if you didn't do it yourself first."I-I didn't kill them!" Carter blurted.Gavin leaned closer, "Then what did you do?"Carter was quiet once again."You do realize that you're facing multiple charges against you, some very serious. It would be for the best if you told us what you were doing that night." Gavin informed him, he could tell Carter was getting closer to breaking."Of course, you could always just go to prison. Probably be sent to a supermax with your track record and recent convictions. Not pleasant." Gavin said, adding that extra bit of pressure.Carter looked like he was weighing his options before he spoke up, "I-I didn't kill them I swear." Carter hesitated, "I was in d-desperate need of some money and these guys approached me. T-Th-They didn't tell me who they were b-but they told me to kidnap a group of androids and I'll get paid, like a lot. So I did, but I didn't know that they were going to kill them, I w-wouldn't have done it if I knew they were going to kill them even if I hate androids." He pleaded with the detective."Well, that knocks down the first-degree murder. You're gonna have to tell me more if you want the recent red ice charge off your back." Gavin told him blatantly."I-I don't know anything else! I swear!"Gavin got out of his chair and walked over towards Carter. He placed one hand against the table and folded the other behind his back. Gavin leaned over the suspect, trapping him down. "I don't believe you." He said firmly.Carter looked away before blurting out, "F-fine! The o-only other thing I know is that this Thursday they are s-s-supposed to be having a large party or something at the...at the... at the Ainsworth Mansion! At like 9:00 or s-something. I don't know what it's for but I heard that some very important very rich people are supposed to be there. It's so secretive that th-they are having everyone attending know a password or some shit. Some real spooky shit.""Do you happen to know what this password is?" Gavin asked."D-denouement!" Carter shouted out, "Look, man, I shouldn't even know this stuff, and if they find out that I told you I'm dead!" Carter panicked."Don't worry you'll be fine," Gavin said nonchalantly, giving him a wink that he is still unable to do. He gave the suspect some space and grabbed the case file off the desk. He exited the room, once outside, he loosened up a bit allowing himself to relax his a bit muscles. He made his way back into the control room."Did you see that? Who needs these pieces of plastic?!" Gavin exclaimed as he threw the file down in front of Conan."Alright alright, no need to let that go inflate your already oversized ego," Hank grumbled. The comment received a snicker from both of the androids. It seems that Conan had shared some pleasantries with Connor and Hank while he was away."Oh phck off." Gavin sneered."It seems like we have an undercover mission now," Conan said, cutting off Gavin and Hank's conversation before it got any more, unpleasant."Ooo, those are the best, if you don't get caught of course," Hank commented sarcastically."On Thursday, that's only two days away from now," Connor informed.Gavin furrowed his eyebrows, "Why are you two acting like you're coming with me and this plastic." He said, pointing to both Hank and Connor."Because they are," Conan answered without hesitation."What! Since when!" Gavin shouted out."Since now. Their help would be beneficial with this case." Conan stated.Gavin flipped his head back in frustration, "Oh my god, I just can't wait for you to leave.""Oh, I think you'll miss me more than you think Detective Reed," Conan teased."Ha. Ha. Un-fucking-likely dipshit," Gavin scoffed, flipping Conan off as he exited the control room."Don't forget a suit, Reed!" Hank called from out behind as the door began to close.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"Jesus fucking christ, I hate this thing," Gavin exclaimed, trying his damnest to get his dress shirt button to button. He was currently in the precinct's bathroom, trying to get on the suit that he rented for the Ainsworth party that apparently he, Conan, Hank, and Connor were going to "sneak" in.Gavin finally managed to slip the finale button into its eyelet, "Thank fucking finally." He put on his suit jacket and walked out of the stall. He took a moment to look at himself in the bathroom mirror. He was wearing a deep black suit jacket with a white dress shirt underneath. His dress pants matched the color of his suit jacket and his shoes were surprisingly well polished. His hair was combed back a bit to the side, so the usual hairs that fell in front of his face had been pulled back. He no longer looked like a disheveled cop, now he was a corporate businessman, ready to attend "businessman like parties" or whatever the fuck they do. He began to tie his tie around his neck and then realized he had no idea how to tie a tie.On the opposite side of the bathroom, a stall door creaked open, startling Gavin as he almost forgot there was someone else in the room. Conan walked out, dressed in a form-fitting crisp white suit. Underneath the suit jacket, he wore a midnight black dress shirt and tie. The ensemble was finished off with a pair of simple black dress shoes. His outfit suited him well, the colors of the suit complementing his blue-grey eyes and his black hair. He looked quite attractive.Well, at least to Gavin he did, for a split second as a light blush crept up on his cheeks. He quickly turned away from Conan, attempting to hide his blush. He couldn't believe that he was blushing over an android, he felt ridiculous. He faced back towards the mirror, attempting to finish tying his tie, still having trouble."Detective, would you like some help." Conan offered, seeing how aggravated the detective was becoming."No." Gavin snarked, trying once again to do his tie and making it look more like a bowtie than a tie. He sighed, giving up and dropped his hands down to his waist, "Yes."Conan approached Gavin, grabbing him by his tie, beginning to untie the knot. He was taller than him by an entire head so he had to look down at Gavin, face blank as usual. He was also standing uncomfortably close to Gavin, making the smaller man blush even harder. "The fuck!" Gavin thought to himself, trying to control his emotions. Conan had finished tying Gavin's tie into a perfect knot and took a step back from him."You look very good Detective Reed." Conan complimented."Thanks... so do you tin can," Gavin mumbled, head hung low as he was still flustered by what just happened.Conan was surprised by the detective's compliment. The man was always so rude and aggressive towards him. In fact, he could hardly stand the man at times. But seeing the softer side of Gavin was, quite nice. He wished Gavin acted like this more often.Gavin glanced back up at Conan and noticed the light glow of his LED shining from his temple, "Umm, you probably are going to want to hide your LED. Since... you know, it's an android homicide case."Conan reached up and touched the LED that was embedded into his skin, "Right." He looked hesitant, his LED glowing yellow. "Do you have anything I could use to pry it off Detective Reed?" He asked, looking at his LED in the mirror."Are you sure? Isn't there another way to hide it?" Gavin questioned.Conan nodded, "It would be too difficult to cover up now. Additionally, I wouldn't want to risk the case or ourselves over my own discomfort.""Alright," Gavin replied simply and reached into his suit pocket and pulled out a gray swiss army knife. Gavin had just used it to file down his nails. He handed it over to Conan. "Here ya go."Conan took it and faced the mirror, he opened up the knife revealing a single blade and brought it up to his temple. Gavin watched from the sidelines as Conan angled the blade against his LED, his synthetic skin peeling back revealing the plastic underneath. He brought his arm down forcefully, pulling the LED away from his skull down and clattering down into the sink.His synthetic skin quickly covered the spot where his LED used to be, covering any evidence that he was an android. Conan reached down and picked up the deactivated LED and put it in his suit pocket. He held out Gavin's pocket knife towards the man, who took it and slipped it into one of his shoes."Thank you, Detective Reed."Gavin hummed in response, "Oh, and, maybe don't call me detective when we get there, that wouldn't help our cover.""What would you suggest I call you then Detective?" Conan asked."Just umm... call me Reed or whatever," Gavin replied, throwing awkward glances at Conan as he said that."Okay... Reed." Conan answered, testing the waters with the new name."Congratulations you got it." Gavin said sarcastically, "I'm leaving now." He said as he opened the bathroom door, waking out. Conan followed Gavin, catching the bathroom door before it closed.The pair were met by Hank and Connor, who had been waiting out in the precinct for Gavin and Conan to finish getting ready. Both Connor and Hank were well dressed in matching suits. The only real difference was that Connor's suit was a dark grey color and Hank's was a rich navy blue."Jesus, I thought you guys would never come out." Hank impatiently teased."The Detective had some problems with his tie, I had to help him." Conan simply commented back.Gavin huffed in distaste and rolled his eyes."Well, I suggest we start leaving," Connor politely stated, "as it is already 8:30.""Right," Conan added in.Gavin picked up his keys that were lying on his desk, "Let's go then." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~The four were driving their way over to the Ainsworth Mansion, which was located at the far edge of town. Hank and Connor were sitting in the back with Gavin driving and Conan in the passenger seat. Hank, Connor, and Conan were all having a pleasant conversation. Meanwhile, Gavin pretended to be too focused on driving so he wouldn't have to interact with his three most hated co-workers.Gavin took a right turn, leading them onto a street that had very few houses on it. The houses that were on the street were large, many with three or more stories that had huge, perfectly manicured lawns and gardens that were too nice for this city.The car continued down the road before they spotted the house they were looking for. The property had a stone brick wall encasing the grounds with a decorative iron bar gate guarding every entrance. The house itself had at least four stories stacked atop each other, the wooden siding was a light gray color. Windows were placed across the house letting the light shine through, showering the garden with a yellow tint. The driveway was made out of decorative stone similar to the brick wall. Street lamps flooded the main entrance with an artificial light blue hue. The surrounding street was filled with cars, most of them being top on the line models. The group pulled the car up about one hundred feet away from everyone else's. Close enough to the entrance but not close enough to be noticed. Especially since Gavin's car was not considered, "top of the line", or even mid-ranged for that matter. Hank and Connor were the first to get out, quickly followed by Gavin and Connor."So does everyone know what they need to do?" Hank asked as the group stood beside Gavin's car.Gavin was first to answer, "Get in there, survey the area, and hope to find some new information about the case without getting caught.""Shall we go then?" Conan asked. All four of them nodded in agreement and began walking towards the main entrance.A short line had formed at the gate, everyone was nicely dressed. Even the bouncers, who were patting the attendees down and asking each one of them presumably the password, were in tailored suits."They're patting everyone down." Connor informed, "No one has anything on them right?"Gavin, Hank, and Conan all shook their head, they made sure not to bring any weapons in case of this. Well, everyone except Gavin, who still had his pocket knife shoved snuggly in his shoe, but he by the looks of it, the bouncers weren't asking anyone to take off their shoes.The line ahead of them got shorter, till eventually, they were the first ones in line. Connor was the first to go through, the bouncers patted him down while he kept a neutral face. The bouncers asked him the password and Connor whispered it back to the bouncers. Thankfully, the bouncers let him through without issue. Connor kept walking before he stopped about twenty feet away, waiting for them. Hank followed suit and got in with ease, not an ounce of suspicion from the bouncers.Conan went after Hank, one of the two bouncers started patting him down. He stopped around Conan's suit pocket, feeling something in there. Gavin remembered that's the pocket that Conan had placed his deactivated LED in and tensed up. He really not wanted a stupid LED to be the reason they get caught."Show us what's in there?" The bouncer demanded.Conan kept a straight face and reached down into his pocket, pulling out a quarter. "It's just a quarter," Conan confirmed.Gavin instantly relaxed and took a breath, "Thank fucking god." He thought to himself. The bouncer seemed satisfied with that answer and continued before letting him go. Gavin was last to go, he stepped forward and let the man pat him down. When the bouncer was done he stood back up to his full height and asked him the question he had been asking everyone else."What's the password?" He sounded bored of asking this same question over and over again."Denouement." The detective responded the bouncer stepped out of the way. Gavin took this as his queue that he was allowed in. He walked away from the entrance, towards the small group that had formed."I thought that there for a moment tin can, you nearly blew the entire mission," Gavin said sarcastically.Conan smirked, "Don't worry Reed, unlike you, I'm not that reckless."Hank and Connor shared a cheeky glance at Conan's use of "Reed". Gavin could feel the familiar blush return to his cheeks. He really liked the way Reed rolled off of his tongue, and oh my god that smirk made him want to punch him and also-. "God fucking dammit brain, will ya shut the fuck up!", Gavin yelled at himself, locking away those thoughts and basically ran towards the mansion's front door. He sometimes really fucking hated his head. "Whoa, slow down there Reed," Hank called out behind him.Gavin waited impatiently at the door as the rest of the group caught up to him. He was the first to open the door, leading the other three into the mansion.The entrance hall was large, to say the least. Gavin could have fit his entire apartment just in this room. A double-sided staircase at the end of the hall leading to the upper floors. The stairs were a dark mahogany color that matched the wooden flooring of the hall. Deep red rugs with intricate golden stitching were draped across the stairs and the flooring. The colors complemented one another well, not too flashy yet not too dark. Above them, ornate golden chandeliers showered the hall with a warm yellow glow.The guest of the party seemed to be filing into two rooms of the house. One looked like it was a pretty basic yet probably very expensive lounge room. While the other seemed to be a bar. "So what's the plan?" Gavin asked, still admiring the grand entrance hall."Our main goal is to determine how this crowd is connected to the case. I believe the best course of action would be to split up into two groups and blend in with the guests, see if they know the reason why this party is happening. Gavin and I can take the bar while Hank and Connor take the lounge." Conan suggested to the group.Connor nodded in agreement, "Let's meet back here at eleven if we don't find anything to see what we must do then. If anyone finds anything important, Conan and I can quickly contact one another and we'll meet back here, alright?"No one raised any concerns. "Alright, let's crash this party," Gavin exclaimed.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The group split up, Gavin and Conan heading for the bar. The bar was actually much larger than expected, the room turned out to be a highly decorated ballroom. The bar was a lie, only being at the entrance of the room. Gavin sighed, he wasn't really a fan of "ballroom dancing". But at least he still had the bar."Jesus Christ, how much money do you have if you waste it on a ballroom." Gavin thought out loud, looking around at the interior of the room. Still kind of disappointed."The Ainsworth Mansion was originally owned by Scott Ainsworth and his wife Mary. They owned a highly profitable oil company until they sold it back in 1998. When they died they passed the house down to their son. Their son later sold it to an unnamed buyer in 2023." Conan told Gavin.Gavin let out a small whistle, "Didn't expect to receive an entire history lesson there tin can."Conan didn't respond, though a small smile stretched across his face. He couldn't help but be amused by Gavin's behavior. The pair walked over to an abandoned stretch of wall. Putting space between them and other guests."So what's the plan in here, dipshit?" Gavin asked, tilting his head up so he could look up at Conan's face."For the best results, we should cover as much ground as we can. I'll go and circle around the ballroom and attempt to eavesdrop on conversations. You should go to the bar and do the same. If we're lucky someone may just come up to us." Conan explained, analyzing the space.Gavin nodded in approval, "Sounds decent enough." They both stepped away from the wall. Conan began roaming around the ballroom, observing and blending into the crowd. He looked like he belonged in this atmosphere. Gavin, on the other hand, strolled over to the bar, taking an empty seat. He turned to the bartender who was putting away abandoned drinks that had been left out by the previous guests."How much for a rum and coke?" Gavin asked the bartender, reaching for his billfold in his back pocket."All drinks are on the house, sir." The bartender politely responded.Gavin slipped the billfold back into his pocket, "Oh, they are. Okay then, I'll have a rum and coke"The bartender made his drink quickly. It wasn't much more than a minute before the bartender slid the drink to the detective. "Here you are, sir."Gavin thanked him and turned away from the bar, facing the rest of the room, leaning against the bar counter. He glanced around the room as he took a sip of his drink. He noticed that the room was actually only around half full, with groups of people scattered around, simply chatting. Jazz ballads were softly playing in the background. Gavin could see some people swaying to the music and even he was tapping his feet to the beat of the song. The detective began listening in on conversations happening around him. He sat there for a while just listening, yet, he didn't hear anything suspicious. Just some stuff about people he never met and cars.Gavin began looking around the room to see where Conan had gone. He eventually found him standing with a group of two older men, who seemed to be in their fifties. Gavin couldn't hear what they were saying, but the older men seemed to be smiling and were using very exaggerated hand gestures to portray their story.Gavin looked away and sighed, sure, they may have only been there for about a half an hour, but nothing here seemed too suspicious. Just some paranoid rich people having a good time drinking and chatting with new or familiar faces. He took another sip from his glass, grimacing as he did so, he never really liked these types of drinks. "There has to be something here, why else would there be all this secrecy?" Gavin asked himself. He was still going to keep an eye out, there must be a reason for this. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~The four had been there a little over an hour and still nothing. Connor and Hank hadn't reported anything in and all Conan and Gavin managed to do was make conversation with a few people here and there. But nothing that gave them any clue as to what was going on here. Eleven o'clock was only forty-five minutes away now, not much time.Gavin took a final swig from his rum and coke, he placed the glass back down on the counter. The bartender asked if he wanted another drink, Gavin refused, he wanted to remain sharp, just in case. He was becoming tired of sitting down, he needed to stretch his legs. He got up from his seat and leaned against the nearby wall. Conan took note of this and excused himself from the current discussion he was having, striding over to Gavin."Anything tin can?" Gavin asked, even though he already knew the answer."Unfortunately no, and from what I have collected, no else seems to know why they are here too," Conan answered, leaning up against the wall beside him.Gavin groaned, running a hand over his face "We have less than forty minutes left. What now?""I am unsure, perhaps if we-" Conan cut himself off as a woman with wavy black hair in a long strapless red dress, waltz confidently towards them. A small smirk on her face as she closed in."Hey boys, what're you doing standing here all alone?" She purred, a glint of mischievousness in her eyes.Gavin was the first to respond, "Oh you know, just watching what's going on. Seeing if something interesting is gonna happen." He plastered a convincing fake smile across his face.The woman giggled and softly laid a hand on Gavin's chest, "Oh I like you!" She exclaimed.Conan watched from the side, a small smile on his face. However, his expression didn't match his true emotions. He felt protective over the detective, and what was it called again? Jealously. He didn't like the way the woman placed her hand on Gavin's chest or the way she talked to him. It felt too seductive and untrustworthy, he didn't like it."You boys do look fine today," she offered her hand to Gavin, "Care for a dance?"Gavin suddenly became flustered, "Ooh no, I can't, I uhh..." He began mumbling an incoherent reason why he couldn't dance before he finally just said. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to decline."The woman giggled again, "Oh you're alright, and besides, your boyfriend looks like he's about to kill me.""What! No!" Gavin stammered, "He's not my boyfriend, I-"The woman cut him off, "It's alright, no need to deny anything." She said with a big smile on her face. She walked over to Conan and stood on her toes so she could whisper something into his ear. Gavin was unable to hear what she said. When she finished, she gave him a wink before she turned and strode away, reaching for an hors-d'oeuvre while at it."Uhh, what was that?" Gavin questioned, still flustered and confused by what just happened."Possibly our first clue," Conan shifted his weight to his other foot, "it's not going to be comfortable to gain, however."Gavin stared at him, "What do you mean?"The music suddenly became louder and shifted into a slow dance ballad. Gavin spotted the woman who had talked to them next to the music station, thanking the guy in charge."This." Conan took Gavin by the hand and forcefully dragged him to the center of the room, where others had begun forming and dancing with each other to the music."What the hell! Let go of me, prick!" Gavin forcefully whispered as he was trying to pull away from Conan's firm grip."Reed, please, just be cooperative for once. For the investigation." Conan whispered back, stopping them in the center of the floor and placed his hands on Gavin's shoulders."How the fuck is this for the investigation?" Gavin said in a hushed tone, glaring violently at Conan."I'm afraid that I am unable to explain that now," Conan stated, glancing over to the people who had gotten within earshot. "Just follow my lead."Gavin grumbled as he placed his hands on Conan's hip as Conan shifted closer. Leaving about 4 inches of space between them. Gavin really hated this but he couldn't just make a scene in the middle of an undercover mission, it would be a dead giveaway if they started arguing or attacking each other.The pair swayed to the beat of the music. Gavin kept his eyes fixed on the floor while Conan looked down at the smaller man in front of him. He noticed that Gavin's cheeks had flushed to a dark pink color."Reed, your heart rate has increased rapidly," Conan told Gavin."Yea, and I wonder who's fault that is." Gavin snapped back."I apologize for making you feel uncomfortable," Conan said back.Gavin snorted at Conan's reply and looked up to the android. "You're a real asshole, you know that." Surprisingly though, there was little malice behind Gavin's voice."One could say the same for you" Conan quipped back.Gavin's gaze fell back to the floor, "Yea, I guess they could" He mumbled."Although, I suspect it's just a facade." Conan casually stated. That sentence slightly comforted Gavin."What do you mean by that?" Gavin asked, glancing back up to Conan's face. They had gotten closer to each other as Gavin could see every detail of the androids' perfect face. Yet, neither of them seemed to be uncomfortable anymore.Conan met his gaze before he began, "While yes, my first impressions of you, you seem hostile, ruthless, and arrogant. However, in the past few days that I've worked with you, I have noticed that you are hard-working, loyal, and determined. You care about those around you with a burning passion and truly care about the cases you work." Conan's stare was not cold or emotionless as it usually was, instead, it was warm and caring. Even if the rest of his face was blank. Without even realizing it, Gavin took a step closer to the android.Gavin let out a quiet laugh, "I guess you're not so bad yourself, even if you are a plastic prick."Conan didn't respond, he just stared into Gavin's eyes for a few moments while a very faint blue blush covered his cheeks. The music came to a close and most everyone separated from the dance floor. The two lingered there for a few seconds before Gavin spoke up, "Maybe we should get off the floor now.""Agreed," Conan said, releasing the detective's shoulders as Gavin let go of his waist. The woman in the red dress strutted over to the pair again."Well, that was certainly a performance." She said with a grin on her face. "If you're able to, you and your friend should come upstairs in thirty minutes and join us. I think what we have to show you will be... interesting." And with that, she walked off, leaving them alone with their thoughts."Is it me, or did it sound like she was offering sex?" Gavin blurted out loud.Conan shook his head, "It's not sex, she said that if I shared a dance with the, and I quote, "pining gay next to me". She would invite us to the real reason everyone had been gathered here." The android didn't even hesitate with calling Gavin a "pining gay".Gavin opened his mouth to say something about how wrong the woman's statement about him was before giving up. She wasn't wrong about some of it, but he sure as hell wasn't "pining"."Shall we contact the other two then?" Gavin decided to say instead.Conan nodded in response, "I shall contact Connor."Conan closed his eyes, creating a communication line with the other android.
Connection establishing... Connection established
RK900 Model #313 248 317 - 87 "Conan" - Connected
RK800 Model #313 248 317 - 51 "Connor" - Connected
//Synced 10:37 P.M. January 16th, 2039//
"Conan" - Gavin and I may have found our first potential lead.
"Connor" - Where?
"Conan" - Second floor in approximately thirty minutes.
"Connor" - I'll inform Hank, we'll meet you in the entrance hall in five minutes.
"Conan" - Confirmed.
RK900 Model #313 248 317 - 87 "Conan" - Disconnected
RK800 Model #313 248 317 - 51 "Connor" - Disconnected
Conan opened his eyes, turning to face Gavin. "I've informed Connor and Lieutenant Anderson. They will meet us in the entrance hall in about five minutes.""Well let's get a move on then," Gavin replied as he started walking towards the exit. "You coming?""Yes, Reed."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The four re-grouped in the entrance hall. Not much was said between them, not that much needed to be said other than the essentials. Hank and Gavin spent most of the time looking down at their phones while Connor and Conan watched the space, occasionally glancing at each other before looking away.Twenty-five minutes had passed and the hall had become more crowded. People had begun to flood up the stairs, Gavin and the others among them. They followed the crowds, not really knowing where they were going but hoping it was the right direction. The hallway had a very similar aesthetic to the rest of the house. Dark blue-gray walls with ebony-stained trim, the floors matching color as the trim, and the hallway was lit with burned white electric wall lights that gave the hall a yellowish tinge.The four continued to walk, looking around for their destination. A little over halfway through the hall, they spotted a room where a small crowd had begun to form. The group went in to investigate. The room looked like it was a personal library. Not much was in the room other than a few tables and chairs along with several bookshelves that had been shoved to the side. An elevated stage was also set up in the space, it was definitely just a temporary thing as it stuck out from the rest of the decor. Something sat on top of the stage, yet no one knew what it was as it was hidden behind a thick black curtain.The room was about half full, the crowd was kept back towards the entrance of the room as there was a small barricade blocking off the farther half of the library. Behind the barricade, three people stood on the far side of the stage. Gavin and Conan recognized one of them as the woman in the red dress who had come up and talked to them in the ballroom. They didn't recognize who the other two men were, but the two were quietly talking to one another, directing towards the crowd."What do you think they're hiding behind that?" Hank whispered, nodding his head at the curtain."Obviously something that needs to be guarded," Gavin answered quietly pointing towards the four armed guards posted at every corner of the library.The four nodded in agreement, not saying anything else. The crowd was becoming more restless, as impatient whispers were beginning to spread throughout the room.A few more minutes had passed and the two men onstage had ended their conversation. They walked closer to the audience, who had quieted down taking note that whatever they were about to see was starting. The taller of the two, a middle-aged man who was wearing a simple black tux was the first to speak."Welcome ladies and gentlemen. I am Mathew and this is my close friend and head engineer, Victor." Mathew pointed at the shorter and thinner man standing next to him, also in a black tux. "We would first like to thank all of you for attending tonight, despite the fact that you didn't know why you were invited here." He chuckled, "So thank you." He addressed the crowd in a friendly charismatic manner."So let me explain why we're all here. Everyone who was invited to this gathering was specifically chosen to attend by a list of requirements. Tonight we had the lovely lady, Ms. Rachel," He motioned his hand back towards the woman in the red dress. "Hand select the few of you who are joining us tonight." Rachel waved at the audience, a seductive smile across her face.Mathew continued, "With introductions out of the way, let's begin". The doors behind the crowd slammed closed with a loud thud. Making the room completely closed off from the rest of the house.Mathew's tone suddenly switched, "You all probably know about the recent events that happened in this city just a few months ago. Deviant androids marching down the streets, yelling propaganda about feelings and equal rights." He had begun pacing back and forth across the floor, adding emphasis to his speech. There was venom behind his words, much different from the happy, go-lucky tone he had before."These deviants demanded that we give them the same rights as humans, their creators! We made them to work under us and now they want to flip the scales. This is unacceptable." He continued.Conan started to feel enraged. The man onstage was ignorant and talked about him and his race as if they were nothing more than an annoying bug to be stepped on. However, he had to keep his cool. There would be no point in making a scene as that would just put them all in danger.
"Connor" - Are you alright Conan?
Connor had taken notice of Conan's disturbance, forming a communication loop between them again.
"Conan" - I am, I'm afraid I am just aggravated by his words. I'll get over it.
"Connor" - I don't like him any more than you do, but we must remain calm. We'll get them in time if all goes well.
"Conan" - You're right, Thank you.
"Connor" - You're welcome.
They closed the connection loop. Mathew continued on with his ignorant spiel. The audience was nodding their heads in agreement with him, whispering to their neighbors about their similar opinions.Gavin leaned closer to Conan, quietly whispering to him so no one else could hear. "So they brought a bunch of anti-android rights supporters in a room, but what do they want from them?""I do not know, I assume for their support, but for what?" Conan whispered back."I bet you it's for whatever is behind that damn curtain," Gavin responded.Conan nodded back, "I agree, that is the highest probability."The two broke away from their conversation, focusing their attention back to Mathew, who had cooled down a bit from his rant."In other words, we've decided to take matters into our own hands." The four glanced at each other, they didn't like where this could be heading. "And we would like to ask of you for your financial support so we can bring this project to life. And with that, I would like to pass the spotlight to Victor."The audience clapped and the group silently clapped along with them, blending in with the audience. Mathew stepped back from the makeshift stage, allowing Victor to take the lead. The smaller man stood in front of the intrigued crowd, fidgeting furiously with the hem of his suit jacket."Hello, I hope you guys had a nice night so far. I umm... as Mathew said before me I am the head engineer of this project that is currently standing right behind this curtain." He said, pointing back to the hidden object. He obviously wasn't very comfortable with public speaking, tripping over his words, and looking down at the ground as he spoke.Victor continued, "We... we wanted to bring you here so we could get your opinions and possibly donations if all goes well." He paused for a moment, looking back towards Mathew and Rachel, a nervous wreck. Rachel gave him a thumbs up along with a sweet smile. Victor turned back to the crowd, slightly more confident."You know, I almost feel bad for him," Gavin told Conan. Conan simply nodded in response.A man with messily pulled back blonde hair next to them must have overheard Gavin whispering as he leaned in closer to the pair before saying, "Same here, but they invited us without an explanation and now they are making us wait through a presentation before they show us what they want us to sponsor. If they want my money they should just tell me."All four of them looked to the man talking to them. Gavin was unsure what to do as he wasn't expecting anyone to talk to them so he just awkwardly laughed, pretending to agree."I've been to too many of these things. Where they politely trick you into giving them money for their "plans". I'm sure you know what I mean." The man continued, staring right at them and talking louder than he should have been. Drawing the attention of other audience members towards the group.Gavin just shrugged in response, he had no idea what the fuck this man was going on about. The man must have not been happy with this response as he kept expectantly staring at him. Conan didn't like this, he could see the probability of success meter drop ten percent from the original seventy-eight they started with. He had to get this man to stop talking."I'm afraid we don't, this is our first." Conan butted in, trying to end the conversation."Ah, well you're still young. I'm sure you know what I'm talking about." The blonde man said, pointing towards Hank.Hank looked at the man, "I'm gonna have to agree with my friend here, I don't have any experience either.""Well, you know." The man glanced away for a second before staring back at Hank with a questioning look on his face. "Do I recognize you from somewhere?"Everyone was taken aback, Conan watched the probability of success drop another fifteen percent. Hank tried to brush off the comment by letting out a small chuckle and saying, "I get told that a lot.""No, I'm being serious. I've seen you from somewhere." The man stated quite loudly again, drawing even more attention.Connor stepped in this time, "I'm sure you're just mistaking him for someone else." He said calmly, although Conan could tell he was just as worried as he was about this.Conan was at a loss on what to do, he couldn't just incapacitate the man as they were in a room full of at least sixty people along with the four guards. This wasn't going to end well, Conan could tell as the meter dropped down from fifty-one percent to forty-four. They needed to leave.
"Conan" - We need to leave. Now.
"Connor" - Agreed. The probability of success has dropped drastically.
Conan reached for Gavin's sleeve, pulling on it to gain his attention. Gavin glanced back at him, watching Conan direct his eyes to the exit of the room. Gavin could tell by the look in his usually icy eyes that this was not a time to question his judgment. Gavin nodded back, making sure Conan knew he understood.As they were about to make their way to the doors the man said one last thing, "Oh shit, you're the cop who arrested my son for having red ice... POLICE! THE POLICE ARE HERE!" He shouted at the top of his lungs, pointing at the four. Everyone in the room turned towards them and backed away, Victor who was still on stage had frozen in place. The four guards quickly made their way towards them through the crowd, attempting to cut them off.The group stood still for a moment before Conan grasped onto Gavin's wrist and pulled him with him to the exit. Hank and Connor following their trail. Conan slammed the doors wide open, alerting two guards who were stationed outside of the room. The four tried to make their way out through the main entrance, however, they had been cut off by a small group of guards. The four slid to a stop, turned, and ran in the opposite direction."Jesus, how many of the bastards do they have?!" Hank exclaimed."At least they're not shooting at us yet." Gavin managed to get out before a bullet whizzed past his head. "Ahh fuck!" He shouted."This way!" Conan yelled, turning a corner at the end of the hallway.Conan had taken lead, Gavin following closely behind him and Hank and Connor trailed at the end. They turned another corner, dodging bullets from behind as they did so."Jesus, this place is a fucking maze. How the hell are we getting out!" Gavin shouted."I do not know detective, my sensors do not have the range they normally have in this building. I never thought to mention it till now." Conan informed."Of course you didn't!" Gavin yelled back.The floorboards beneath them had begun shaking from the force that was being applied to them from all the running. The four were being closely chased by at least eight guards. However, no one had really bothered to look back and check that number. The only reason none of them had been shot yet was that the house was a fucking nightmare to navigate and had many rooms and corners to take to avoid the poorly aimed bullets.The group had barged through a small room heading towards its exit on the opposite side. As Gavin pivoted his body to turn at the exit, he tripped over his own feet, falling face-first to the floor and barely breaking his fall with his hands. The other three had paused for him."Detective, can you get up?" Conan asked in a rush tone.Gavin had pulled his feet closer to his chest so he could stand, "Yea, I can... shit."The eight guards chasing after them had caught up to the group, directing their guns at the detectives' heads and blocking off the rest of the hallway, trapping them."Hands behind your heads!" One of them commanded.Hank, Connor, and Conan all stood side by side and placed their hands behind their heads. Before Gavin got back up on his feet, an idea popped into his head. He reached into his shoe, grabbing the swiss pocket knife he had stashed in there before standing up. He approached the rest of the group who were standing side by side with their hands placed behind their head. Gavin glanced at the rest of them, his gaze meeting with all of them. He gave them a nod and a failed wink, informing them that he knew what he was doing.Gavin continued to step towards the guards. "What the hell do you think you're doing!" Another one of them shouted."Certainly there must be a way to talk this out, right?" Gavin stated, still walking cautiously to the guards."Get your ass back there!" The guard shouted again.This time Gavin was within arms reach of a single guard, "How about no." Gavin said sarcastically as he pulled that guard towards him and stabbed him in the side, causing him to collapse to the ground. He wasn't dead, but he'd be in some serious pain.The guards stood there for a moment shocked. Connor, Hank, and Conan used that moment of shock to their advantage and jumping their opponents. Gavin kept up with his slashing technique, keeping the guards at a distance. While Connor and Hank each took on their own guy, disarming and knocking them out. Conan, on the other hand, was taking on two at the same time and was successful. Every move he made was precise and deadly, and it was intimidating as hell.Gavin had one guy pushed against the wall by their neck. Yet the guard managed to free his knee and hit him hard in the gut and caused Gavin to lose his grip and double over on the floor. The guard leaped on top of the defenseless detective, pinning him hard to the ground. Gavin tried bringing up his knife to defend himself, but the guard smacked the object out of his hand, flinging it far out of arm's reach.The guard wrapped his hands around Gavin's throat, squeezing the air out of him. Gavin clawed at the man's arms and wrists, trying his best he could to shove the attacker off of him. But the guard was heavier and stronger than what he could handle. Gavin felt himself becoming dizzier and light-headed every second. He could tell he was on the verge of passing out. His movements slowed and his eyesight became hazy and dark. He knew he only had a few seconds left of consciousness. At the last second, Gavin felt the man's hands release his throat. Gavin laid there for a second, catching his breath and regaining his senses. He looked over and noticed that Conan had been the one to run over lunging at the guard, pushing him clear off of Gavin.Gavin sat himself up off the floor, looking over to where Conan and the guard had landed. The amount of force that Conan had put into that shove must have been a lot, as the guard that had strangled him was laying on the floor, motionless. Gavin was shocked and grateful at the same time. He ran his hand over his neck, attempting to soothe the burning pain on his throat while regaining his breath.Conan swiftly approached Gavin, who was still sitting on the ground. "Are you alright Detective?" Concern and worry crossed the android's face."Yea, yea I will be," Gavin answered quickly. He tried getting up from the ground only to stumble a little bit as he did so. Conan held out his hand for Gavin and Gavin took a hold of it and steadied himself up."Thanks for that," Gavin said quietly to Conan."You're welcome Detective," Conan responded.There was a loud thud behind them and the two looked over towards the sound. Hank had been shoved roughly against the wall and Connor had abandoned his conflict. Running over to the guard who had thrown Hank, holding the guy back from harming Hank any further. All at the same time leaving one armed guard without a distraction. Conan watched as the guard lifted his rifle and aimed it at Gavin's figure. There was almost no time for anyone to react. Conan had jumped in front of Gavin, blocking the bullet's path to the human with his own body. Blue thirium flew through the air as the bullets shot into Conan. Both Conan and Gavin fell to the floor, thirium and blood stained the hardwood floors as they mixed into a vibrant purple color. Conan had not been successful enough in protecting Gavin as two bullets had found his way into his right arm. One in his upper arm and one right below his elbow. At first, Gavin didn't even feel the pain, scrambling up from underneath Conan's nearly lifeless figure.Gavin sat next to Conan, leaning over him, his white suit stained dark blue. "Oh fuck, what did you do that for!" he exclaimed, exasperated.Conan's voice came through as static and was erratic, only able to say, "...your...arm." As he weakly lifted his arm towards Gavin's."What about my arm?" Gavin said glancing down to his arms, only to see the damage that had been done to his right arm. The pain suddenly rushed into him, it was nearly disabling and one of the worst he felt. "Ahhgg! Shit, don't worry about me we need to get you out here." Gavin looked back to Hank and Connor who had just finished with the other two guards. Hank took their pistols from their holsters and tossed one to Connor."A little help over here!" Gavin helplessly yelled at the other two. Connor swiftly rushed to Gavin's side, Hank following suit.Connor analyzed Conan's wounds, "Shit." he said in a hushed tone."What does that mean?" Gavin asked fearfully."His thirium pump has been chipped and one of his essential arteries had been severely damaged along with multiple other minor injuries. We don't have much time before he shuts down." Connor told Gavin."How much time does he have?!" Gavin yelled."...thirty minutes... at most..." Cona managed to get out.Gavin's panic increased by that news, "Well then let's get you out of here you fucking idiot.""Detective, your arm," Connor stated, gaining Gavin's attention."It's fine. It'll heal, let's go!" Gavin said back.Hank and Connor helped Conan get off the floor, resting each one of his arms on their shoulders to help him walk. Gavin took the lead and swiftly searched for an exit. Who knew when more guards would be coming, they weren't exactly quiet. Conan staggered in-between Connor and Hank's support, hardly able to lift himself off the ground. Time was running out too fast for the group.The four continued on with their pace. Gavin had found a big enough window for them to fit through. He tried opening it but it had been painted shut and Gavin couldn't use his other arm to pry it open."Dammit...I can't open it." Gavin gasped.Connor approached the detective, "Hold him." He ordered and Gavin did so, holding Conan up with his good arm. Connor lifted his elbow up to the windowpane and smashed through the glass. Connor stared down at the ground outside."There is a porch below us that if we jump down on its roof it will cut the fall to about twelve feet instead of twenty and if we jump just right we should be able to land in that garden," Connor said, stepping back from the shattered pane.Gavin nodded in response, "You guys go first I'll follow behind."Hank let go of Conan and handed him off to Connor, he climbed down through the window and landed on the roof below, "Alright, send him down!" Hank told them. Gavin and Connor led Conan to the window, they sat him on the window sill, and Connor climbed up to join him. Connor wrapped his arm around Conan's shoulders once again and pushed them both off of the sill. Landing with a loud thud, Gavin watched them stumble as they tried to stand needing Hank to hold them both steady. Gavin was next, he climbed on top of the sill like Connor and Conan had. He pushed himself off, landing loosely on the roof. The next jump went the same, Hank fell into the garden first followed by Conan and Connor and finally Gavin."Holy fuck, we made it to the ground," Gavin said relieved, running his good hand through his messy hair."Don't get too excited, we still need to make it to the car," Hank told him."We need to find an exit that's not the main entrance. Undoubtedly by now, they have cut that one off." Connor said, looking around the grounds for a possible escape route."...there..." Conan pointed towards a small wooden gate that was covered in vines and shrubs, almost undetectable."Damn, good eye," Hank replied. "Gavin, take Connor's place while he goes and opens the door." Gavin obliged, not in any position to deny. Connor rushed to the forgotten gate, trying to push it open. The other three limped their way to the gate. By the time they had made it, Connor had ripped off the vines and proceeded to try and bash through the door as it was tightly locked."Just shoot the lock or something! We don't have much time." Gavin demanded.Connor glanced back at Gavin, "I would, however, since guards are crawling all over this place. I doubt a loud bang would help us out one bit." He was clearly annoyed. Finally, Connor smashed through the gate allowing the other passage out of the property.They rushed to their vehicle as fast as they could, hiding in the shadows and darkness. They made it to their car and noticed the guards searching for them in the lawn. Gavin tossed Connor his keys, allowing him to drive. Hank placed Conan upright in the back with Gavin. Connor waited for Hank to get into the passenger seat of the car before starting the engine and sped off the street."Detective Reed, you really need to tend to your arm. It may get infected at this rate." Connor told Gavin."Yea yea, but where are we gonna take him?" Gavin said, directing towards Conan who was leaning against the car door, unable to support himself any longer. Gavin began taking off his suit jacket and tie, forming a makeshift tourniquet on his arm."We don't have time to take him to Cyberlife, the closest functional facility is across the entire city and we have only fifteen minutes," Connor answered, he was getting worried.Gavin let out an aggravated sigh and paused for a moment, "I may know a place."~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~The car pulled up into an empty driveway, the entire property looked perfect yet abandoned. If Gavin didn't know any better he would think that no one lives here."Are you sure he will even let us in, we didn't exactly have a good first impression," Hank asked."He will for me. He knows me." Gavin replied. "Can you get out?" He asked Conan. Conan gave him a small nod and Gavin wrapped his left arm around Conan and pulled him out of the backseat. Once standing up, Hank and Connor took over and held Conan between them again. Gavin jogged up the short pathway to the home's entrance and knocked loudly on the black door."Eli! Open up! I need to see you! Now!" He shouted loudly.The door stayed shut for a moment before finally opening, revealing Elijah Kamski in oil and thirium stained clothing, looking down at Gavin."Jesus Christ Gavin what you do now!" Elijah exclaimed, taking in Gavin's disheveled and bloody appearance."No time, we need your help.""We!?""Hello, Mr. Kamski." Connor greeted.Elijah looked at the group of officers and the one half-dead android clinging onto Hank and Connor."Alright, come in and I demand an explanation from you later Gavin," Elijah said, stepping out of the way so they could get into the house."Chloe, please take him into my workshop and set it up for repairs." Elijah kindly ordered."Yes, Mr. Kamski." Chloe took Conan away from Hank and both she and Connor led him into a separate room."Is he going to be okay?" Gavin asked, a pleading look in his eyes."I don't know yet Gavin, I do not know the extent of the damage," Elijah responded. "But I'm more worried about you Gavin. Your arm is fucked up, you need a doctor, now. I'm going to call one of my friends to take a look at your arm.""Yeah alright." Was all that Gavin said back, there was no point arguing.Elijah quickly walked away to the room the Conan had disappeared into."Gavin, you need to sit?" Hank told him, worried that Gavin was going to fall over at any point."Yea, probably." Gavin dragged himself toward a chair. His adrenaline and shock had finally worn off. His vision was going hazy and black again. He could hardly feel anything anymore. He placed himself down on a seat or maybe it was the ground. He honestly didn't know anymore, he watched as everything went black and heard Hank yell for some help.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Model RK9?0
Series ?13 2?8 31?-84
Loading OS
System Initialization...
Checking Biocomponents...OK
Initializing Biosensors...OK
Initializing AI Engine...OK
Memory Status...
All Systems...OK
Ready
The android opened eyes, adjusting its sensors to the sights and sounds around it. Its head moved as it began analyzing its space. It was in a small dark room with a large wooden table sat in the middle of the area. Blueprints and designs covered the table. They looked like blueprints for itself. Four well-dressed people were crowded around the table, looking at android design blueprints. They seemed... frustrated."Is it operational?" The android heard from behind it, turning its head towards the noise."Yea it's on." Another voice, this time in front of it said, tracking the android's movements."Will you two stop fucking around with that machine!" An older man at the head of the table commanded. The two middle-aged men next to the android retreated back to the table without a word. Taking their place next to a woman in a red dress.The man at the head of the table ran his hand over his face, "Ugg, how the hell did you let this happen!" He shouted, directing his rage towards a tall, muscular man who looked like he was in his mid-twenties."Well, umm, there was no sign of forced entry. They must have gotten through the front entrance." He answered, scared. He wasn't looking at the man but instead down at the table."How? If I remember correctly you created a system to prevent this very thing." There was a strong amount of venom in his voice as he reprimanded the young individual."I don't know sir, they must have known the password." The young man's voice went up an octave, attempting to defend himself."That password was sent out to a few selected and trusted people, how would four cops get their hands on it!" The man yelled, his voice echoed throughout the room, causing everyone to freeze. The android continued to blankly stare in front of it."We don't have an answer for that yet sir, we're trying our best." The young man stated, trying to ease the man's blame off of himself."Get out." The older man's command was lower and quieter than before was but it didn't mean the order was any less powerful."Yes, sir." Was all the young man said, head hung low, stepping back from the table and exited the room.The space became eerily quiet after the doors shut with a muffled thud. The older man shifted his weight, standing back up to his full height."Victor, Mathew, it works right?" He questioned, pointing at the android still standing in the corner of the room."Yes sir, it works. It proved itself very efficient last Saturday." The shorter of the two men replied. "However there are some flaws in its code. We hope we would be able to earn enough money to fix them tonight. But with the whole cops showing up and all...""Rachel, do you have descriptions of the cops at all." The head of the table asked the woman standing closest to him.Rachel nodded, "We have the identity of two and a description of the others. Hank Anderson, works for the DPD at the Central Station Precinct as a Lieutenant and Gavin Reed, who also works at the Central Station Precinct as a Detective. The other two must have been androids as they both share the same face and build like this one." She responded, directing to the expressionless android. "Well, not exactly, but similar.""What do you mean by that?" The taller of the two men next to her asked.Rachel walked away from the table towards the android. "Well, first of all, the one I interacted with had black hair. This one has dark brown hair and its eyes are hazel colored. The other one had blue-gray eyes. I can't exactly say for sure on the other one, I never met him personally""I'm afraid we can't change that though, we had to remove some of its features so it would become more operational. Including its customization options." The shorter man told her."Well Victor, I was making an observation." She snapped back.Victor held his head low in shame, "Apologies." He said quietly.Rachel sighed, "It... doesn't matter." She strode back to her spot at the table, placing both of her hands on top of the wooden surface, "What's the plan, Lorenzo?""If it works, send it out after them. The sooner they are off our trail the sooner we can continue." Leonard answered, "Make sure it looks like an accident or suicide, I know about Anderson and Reed, nobody would be surprised if either of them killed themselves.""Yes, sir." Victor complied, he shuffled to the android who had moved its gaze from the back wall to Victor."RK900, register your name." Victor looked straight up to the android's face, "Caine.""My name is Caine."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
When Gavin first woke up, he didn't know where he was. His vision was blurred and his mind was so foggy that it was difficult for him to think clearly. His first coherent thought was that he was in a hospital. He could hear the soft humming of machines and a consistent beep of what sounded like a heart monitor. Plus, the bright white light shining in his face had definite hospital vibes. Yet, it didn't feel like a hospital. The bed was certainly more comfortable for one thing, and the room was much darker than a standard hospital room. And Gavin would know, he has wound up in a hospital bed more time than he could count. It was almost like a second home to him.After a few moments, Gavin's vision began clearing up. Allowing him to see what was in front of him. The source of the bright light was coming through a window. It was snowing outside and the ground was completely covered in a blanket of untouched snow, reflecting the sunlight into Gavin's eyes. Next to his bed, an IV drip was hooked into his arm and a heart monitor keeping track of his heartbeat. It was the only thing in the room making a sound.His head was pounding, his body was so sore that it felt like there were a ton of bricks weighing on his body. He let out a low groan, shifting his head up facing the dark ceiling. "Detective, are you awake?" A gentle voice next to Gavin asked, startling him, not knowing there was another person in the room."Jesus, I am now," Gavin replied, his voice scratchy and quiet. He turned his head slightly towards the voice. It was Conan who was sitting in a chair next to his bed. Gavin was shocked to see him, he was back to perfect condition. No damage, no nothing. The only thing different was that he no longer had his standard Cyberlife jacket on, only a black turtleneck covering his chest."Oh, hey plastic," Gavin greeted, there was no malice in his tone this time. He was actually kind of happy to see him, or it could have been the drugs.Conan shifted his chair closer to Gavin's makeshift hospital bed. "How are you feeling Detective?""I dunno, sore." Gavin met Conan's concerned eyes. "What about you? I watched you almost die in front of me. How are you not the one bedridden?" He asked, despite his slurred tongue, his tone was serious.Conan leaned forward in his chair, even closer to Gavin. "Mr. Kamski was able to replace my thirium pump and tend to my wounds in time before I shut down. However, I'm afraid it isn't me you should be worrying about.""What do you mean?" Fear began trickling down Gavin's spine."It's about your arm Detective Reed." Conan glanced down at the ground for a split second before looking back up at Gavin. "What do you mean about my arm, it's right here," Gavin responded, lifting up his arm that was attached to the IV."Not that one Detective, your right arm. It was severely hurt. I wasn't able to completely protect you." Conan was unable to make eye contact with the detective, it looked like he was blaming himself for something. Gavin looked down cautiously at his right arm. When he did, panic completely took over his body, shocked at what he was seeing. "W-What the fuck happened to my arm!" Where his right arm used to be was a white and blue android prosthetic. It went up to his shoulder, connecting to the rest of his body. The prosthetic was attached to a few wires that were hooked up to a small machine. Gavin quickly sat up in his bed, his eyes wide with shock."It's okay Detective, here, have a drink of water, you need it." Conan handed him a glass of water, Gavin took a hold of it with his still human hand and gulped down the entire glass. He hadn't realized how thirsty he was till then. Gavin handed back the cup to Conan who placed it back on the bedside table."Thank you," Gavin mumbled. He paused for a moment before speaking again, "What happened, how did my arm turn into... this?""When your arm was shot at the mansion, proper care was not taken to it in time. You lost a lot of blood, causing you to pass out and your wounds got deeply infected. Since we were not at a proper medical facility, there was nothing the doctor that Kamski called in could do. It had to be amputated before the infection reached the rest of your body. Kamski was the one who attached the prosthetic to you. However, I was not personally present during any of this as I was still in recovery." Conan ran a hand through his hair, he seemed to truly blame himself for what happened to Gavin. Gavin sighed, looking down at his new prosthetic arm. "This isn't you're fault you know," Gavin stated."No, but that doesn't mean I don't blame myself any less. You're my partner, it's my job to protect you." Conan replied.The pair sat there in an awkward silence, neither one of them wanting to talk about their emotions. It became unbearable."Thank you," Gavin said, breaking the silence. Conan looked back up to Gavin, surprised at what the man had said. Without you I..." Gavin choked up, he wasn't used to saying thank you. Especially not to an android who saved his life. "It's alright Detective, I understand. You don't need to." Conan replied."But I do need to, you saved my fucking life Nines! I almost watched you die over some piece of shit like me! I have been nothing but awful to you and you still took a fucking bullet for me! Thank you." Gavin yelled out, he didn't know where the new nickname came from but it felt right. More right than what he had been calling him before.Conan's eyes met Gavin's, smiling. "I should be saying the same thing to you, Reed. I wouldn't be here either if it weren't for you.""I guess we're equal then," Gavin said, returning Conan's smile. "I guess we are."They sat there in the quiet for a moment, just staring at each other. Their moment of silence was interrupted by Elijah Kamski entering the room."Oh, Good! You're awake!" Elijah said to Gavin."Hey," Gavin responded, giving him a small wave.Kamski sighed, "Here, I brought you this." He said, setting down a small tray he had brought in with him on the bedside table. "You need to eat."On the tray sat two jello cups and a glass of orange juice. Gavin looked at it in distaste, he was hoping for something a bit more "filling"."Do you have anything else I can eat? I'm not a six-year-old kid anymore." Gavin asked Elijah."Maybe I wouldn't have to treat you like a six-year-old anymore if you actually took care of yourself, you fucking idiot! What were you thinking! You promised me that you would finally take care of yourself!" Elijah shouted, his tone shifting dramatically."I was doing my job, Eli! How's it my fault the someone else shot me!" Gavin yelled back, not taking his shit. "I know. But do you know how worried I was seeing my little brother walk into my house with bullet holes and a half-dead android being slung around by your friends!" He seemed less angry now and more worried about Gavin."First of all, you are barely three months older than me step-brother. And secondly, They aren't my friends, just co-workers." Gavin corrected. Elijah was becoming more and more upset with Gavin. "Does it matter?! Do you know how scared I was for you? Despite how much you deny it, we are all we have. And we almost fucking lost you." Gavin sighed, his will to continue fighting abandoning him. "You're right, I'm sorry Eli. It's just uhgg... well, you know."Kamski nodded, appearing to understand. "It's fine," He replied. He started silently checking on Gavin's vital signs, making sure he was alright. He made his way over to the detective's new prosthetic arm."How does your new arm feel?" Elijah asked."It's painful around my shoulder, but otherwise it's alright." Gavin answered, "How were you able to do this? I couldn't even tell the difference when I woke up. I've never heard of people having android prosthetics before.""It's something that I have been working on the side, it was only theoretical till now. The thought of being able to replace or fix a damaged limb or organ has been crossing my mind for a while now. You were just lucky I happened to have a spare arm on hand." Elijah chuckled to himself, "Your stubborn ass took the procedure surprisingly well. However, it's going to take time to get used to it. You can still feel and touch with it and once you're in better condition, we should be able to calibrate it to match the rest of your skin. Yet, mobility is going to be a bit limited for a while. It may never return to its full function but it shouldn't affect your daily life much. Either way, you need to stay here and rest up a bit. At least for another day." Gavin wasn't thrilled to hear that his arm may never return back to its full mobility. In fact, he was mortified. A part of him was gone, forever. And yes, he has an almost perfect replacement for it, but he knew it wasn't his. He felt that he was on the verge of a breakdown, but he was even more afraid of breaking down in front of an audience. So he plastered a fake smile across his face."I guess a prosthetic arm is better than no arm. Just promise me you'll never use me again for one of your "theoretical experiments"." Gavin joked. Elijah laughed, "I won't promise anything to you, Gav." He glanced down at his watch, "I should leave you two be now, I have somewhere to be. We'll talk more on this later." And with that, Kamski left the room. Leaving Gavin and Conan alone again.Gavin turned towards Conan, "Sorry you had to see all that. Me and him have a... complicated relationship to say the least.""That's quite alright Detective. I was unaware that you and Elijah Kamski were related." Conan said. "We're step-brothers, different moms same shitty father," Gavin answered.Conan paused, "I see. Here, you should eat. You've been out for a while, it will be good for you to replenish your energy." Conan said, passing Gavin the jello and orange juice."I still can't believe Eli gave me this, I'm an adult you know," Gavin complained, opening the jello package."I find that quite hard to believe at times Detective," Conan commented sarcastically."You better take that back before I'm the one who starts shooting you." Gavin quipped back.The android smiled at Gavin's comment, "You're right, I must apologize. You have my deepest apologies, Detective Reed.""You know, for some reason, I don't believe you," Gavin replied. "You'd be right not to," Conan responded jokingly.The pair stayed silent after that. There really wasn't much else to say anymore. Conan was the first to break the silence. "I should probably leave you be now. You need to rest and I need to catch up on the case." He stood up from his seat, "I'll be back tomorrow to pick you up. Feel better Reed.""Thank you, goodbye Nines." Gavin gave Conan a weak wave."Goodbye Detective." Conan shut the door to Gavin's room, leaving him truly alone. Moments after Conan's departure, Gavin could start feeling his darkness returning. He curled in on himself the best he could, trying to defend himself from the growing fear and sorrow. Painful memories from his past flashed in his mind, he couldn't stop them. They were going by too fast, too loud, too strong. He was unable to contain his emotions any longer, letting out a choked sob. He began to cry, every repressed emotion he had escaped in one big bang. He sat there, curled in a ball sobbing for what felt like ages. He wanted to scream, yell, anything but he couldn't. He didn't want anyone to worry over him. So he sat there, alone. It wasn't until Gavin started to fall asleep from exhaustion before his mind let him have any peace.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"How's it feeling?""Still stiff and sore, but otherwise alright. You don't need to worry about me, Eli," Gavin answered."Of course I do you idiot. I can't trust you by yourself anymore, next time you come to my place you're probably going to have a missing leg." Kamski light-heartily quipped.Elijah was having Gavin do some motor control exercises with Gavin's new arm. He was healing quite rapidly, however, it was going to take him a bit before he mastered how to control his prosthetic. Currently, he was trying to squeeze a stress ball as hard as he could. He barely made an indentation.Gavin sighed in frustration, "How long am I gonna have to do this?""I honestly don't know Gavin. Nothing like this has ever happened before. I want to say four to six weeks with how fast you are progressing but it's still too early to tell yet." Elijah told him truthfully. "And I know you're not going to like this part but, you need to take a month off of work for medical leave.""A month! No, I refuse! I feel just fine Elijah!" Gavin shouted. "Too late, I already called Captian Fowler. He agreed, you need to rest." Elijah responded calmly."Can't I at least do desk duty? That way I'm not out in the field?" Gavin angrily asked."That's the thing, Gavin. I know you. The moment you go back to that precinct, you will somehow find a way to get yourself in harm's way. You're notorious for doing things you're not supposed to, and with something as serious as this I'm not chancing it this time." Kamski scolded.Gavin got up from his seat, closing in on his step-brother. "I'm not a child anymore Elijah! I can take care of myself!""I'm not doing this for me, I'm doing this for you! It's for your own good, overworking yourself could be dangerous. So sit your ass back down and deal with it!" Elijah demanded.Gavin did not listen, in fact, he got even angrier with Kamski. "Actually, I do think you're doing this for yourself. You've been like this ever since we were kids. Well, news flash Eli! I'm not some little kid who needs protecting from Dad anymore. I'm a capable ass adult, respect that!"Elijah was taken aback by what Gavin had shouted at him. He stepped back from him, taking a seat in a nearby chair. "Fine. If that is how you truly feel, then after this I'll leave you be." He responded quietly."Wait... that's not what I... ugg!" Gavin sat back down in his seat, hiding his face behind his hand.Silence filled the space between the two step-brothers. They had finally snapped at each other. The stress of current events and emotions from their past had taken their toll. The air was tense, both of them afraid to cut it. After a few moments, Elijah was the one who took the first attempted to cut the tension. "I know I can be... a little overbearing, at times.""A little?" Gavin sneered."But I just do it to keep you safe. After all the shit we went through during our childhood with Dad and our mothers, I coped with it by being your protective older brother. Even if I am only three months older than you, heh." Kamski paused, "However, we're adults now and I should recognize that you can handle yourself without me, mostly. I'm sorry, I'm just stressed right now and I shouldn't have taken it out on you."Gavin looked up at Elijah, taking in what he had said. "Thank you, Eli. I also shouldn't have blown up on you too. You're right, the moment I would have gotten back to work I would probably have gotten stabbed or something." He gave a small smile as he said that last part."Just promise me to never return to my house with a nearly dead android ever again," Elijah replied."Well, I mean. Know that I know you can fix him, that's gonna be the only reason I come to your house now." Gavin joked."Oooh? Their him's now? I thought you always hated my creations." Kamski sarcastically commented. Gavin rolled his eyes at his step-brother, "I still do Eli." He confirmed."Oh come on Gav, I saw the way you and that android, what was his name again?" Kamski asked."Conan," Gavin said instinctively. Elijah gave him a promiscuous look."Don't give me that shit-eating grin Eli. We work together, of course, I would know his name." Gavin scoffed, trying to defend himself from Elijah's dumbassery. "The way that you and Conan were looking at each other yesterday. You like him, Gavin." Somehow Kamski's shit-eating grin became even more shit-eating. Gavin's eyes went wide and his mouth gaped open, it took him a moment to respond to Elijah's claims as his thoughts became scrambled inside his mind. "I-I do not like him. H-He's an android, why the hell would I like an android." He finally managed to get out, his face flushing red."I dunno, maybe the fact that he saved your life and dealt with your bullshit for this long. Also, the fact that he is totally your type." Elijah taunted.Gavin turned an even brighter red, "You better shut the fuck up before I smash your skull in," He threatened."You know, I could have been the one who designed him," Elijah said playfully.Gavin threw his stress ball at Elijah, hitting him squarely in the chest. "I swear to god Elijah, I will harm you." "Okay, okay! Jeesh! I just wanted you to know that you two would be adorable together." Elijah teased at Gavin. "You wouldn't know what "adorable" was if it hit you in the face," Gavin responded. Kamski laughed at Gavin's retort. "Fair point. But seriously Gavin, I'd think he'd be good for you. You wanna know the first thing he said when I fixed him up?"Gavin gave him a curious look, prompting him to continue with what he had to say."When he came to, the first thing he asked was where you were and if you were alright. The concern he had, it was kinda surreal."Gavin took in what Kamski said. He was surprised, he found it unusual that the android was more concerned about Gavin's condition than his own.Elijah continued, "He cares about your dumb ass Gav. And if you like him I think you should pursue him. Don't let what happened in the past stop you from being happy."Ahh, the past. Gavin cringed at Elijah's use of "the past". He knew what he was referencing and he didn't like it very much. It made him squirm in his seat, he really really didn't want to continue that conversation."Can we talk about something else? Please." Gavin pleaded.Kamski apologized, "Right, sorry. Yes, we can."The two step-brothers continued talking about meaningless stuff, people they knew, police drama, Elijah's new projects, the meaning of life. Gavin was still working on his motor control exercises as they did. Eventually, Elijah had to leave, helping Gavin put his prosthetic arm back into a sling."Now remember, keep this sling on at all times-""For another week unless I'm doing my exercises, yes Eli, I know." Gavin finished."Good. Oh, and I left a set of clean clothes for you in the dresser. I doubt you wanna leave my house in my pajamas." Elijah told him as he walked up to the door."Thanks," Gavin replied lazily."I'm heading out now. Text me when Conan picks you up.""I hate you." Gavin snapped."Love you too. Bye."Gavin waved him away as Elijah left the room. He got up and opened the dresser looking at the clothes that his step-brother left for him. A pair of blue jeans and a plain black t-shirt. He took off his borrowed pair of pajamas and put on the fresh set of clothes. He had some difficulty as his prosthetic was stuck in the sling, but he managed. He looked at himself in the mirror against the wall. He felt clean, the shower and new clothes really helped.He was messing around with his hair for a bit when his phone went off. Gavin walked over to the nightstand that he had left it and noticed that he received a text from an unknown number.
Hello Detective. This is Conan, from work. I wanted to let
you
know that I'll be picking you up from Mr. Kamski's house in an hour.
Even if Conan didn't tell Gavin who he was in the text, with all the proper punctuation and grammar, it wouldn't have been difficult to have figured it out.
Hey nines.
How do u have my number
Gavin texted back.A few moments later Gavin's phone went off again in his hand.
Officer Chen gave it to me. I had asked for it so
I
could let you know of my arrival.
Ok vibes passed
I'll get ready
Gavin got up from his seat again to pack up his stuff when his phone buzzed one last time.
Forgive me for asking, but what does "vibes passed" mean?
Oh lord.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Gavin was sitting in a chair near the front door of Kamski's house, well, less sitting and more like lying on the chair. His back was leaning against one of the chair's arms while his legs hung off the other arm. He was playing on his phone as he waited for the android to come pick him up. He already had gathered what little stuff he had; phone, wallet, keys, and pocket knife. He also made sure to have the medical kit that Elijah had given him for his arm before he left.He heard a knock on the door and got up from his seat. He opened the door, reveling Conan standing strongly in the cold. He was back in his usual Cyberlife issued uniform. "Hello, Detective Reed. How are you feeling?" Conan asked politely. "I'm alright, just tired Nines," Gavin replied. "Why don't you come inside for a bit while I get my stuff. It's cold as hell out there anyway."Conan obliged, stepping inside the house as Gavin shut the door behind him. "I don't feel the cold Detective." "Riiight, but I do," Gavin said as he picked his stuff off the floor. "Shit, where's my jacket?" He whispered to himself. "Do you have everything?" Conan questioned, seeing as how Gavin was looking around the room for his jacket. "I thought I did. I can't seem to find my stupid jacket." The detective answered, now looking throughout the rest of the house. After a moment Gavin paused, slapping his face with the palm of his hand. "Fuuuuuuuck." He groaned, "I left it at my place before we went undercover. I'll just have to go without it." "Not necessarily, you can borrow my jacket as I have said before, I don't feel the cold." Conan offered.Gavin shook his head, "Oh no, no. That's alrig-" He cut himself off when Conan had already taken off his Cyberlife jacket and held it out for Gavin to grab. Gavin cautiously accepted, taking the jacket out of the android's hand. "Thanks." He said as he slipped on the jacket as best he could. It was surprisingly warm, he didn't think it could be that warm since Conan was the one wearing it. He hadn't realized that androids could be this warm."Shall we go now?" Conan asked, pointing his hand towards the front door."Yea, let's go." The detective answered. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Conan pulled Gavin's car into the apartment parking lot. He shut the vehicle off and handed the keys over to Gavin."Oh, so now I get to have my car keys?" Gavin joked as he stashed his keys away in his pockets."Yes, but I wouldn't recommend you start driving yet Detective," Conan responded, missing the joke.Gavin snickered, "I was joking Nines. Come on, help me bring my stuff in."Conan grabbed Gavin's stuff and carried them to the main entrance. He waited as Gavin sifted through his keys, trying to find the right one. After a moment he found it and unlocked the door, motioning Conan to come in. Gavin led them to the elevator and they silently stood there, waiting for the elevator to ascend. The elevator made a *ding* and opened its doors on the 8th floor. Conan followed the detective through the dark and dingy hallway, only stopping when Gavin arrived at his apartment."Whelp, this is it. Bet it's not what you were expecting." Gavin commented, giving a defeated laugh."I would never judge a person just based on their housing situation." Conan seriously replied.Gavin didn't respond, but he did feel nice hearing Conan say that. More than once he had felt embarrassed by where he lived in the past. He quickly unlocked and opened the door. Conan stayed behind by the door frame as Gavin entered his apartment."Here are your things," Conan stated, holding out the detective's items.Gavin took his stuff from Conan, "Thanks," He set his stuff down on a kitchen counter. "Are ya just gonna creepily stand there or...?" He asked."I didn't want to intrude. Besides I was about to head back to the precinct for the night." Conan informed."Don't you have a place other than the precinct to stay?" The detective pressed, now leaning against the door frame and facing Conan.The android paused for a moment, thinking before speaking, "Typically my employers have allowed me to stay overnight using their facilities since I am an android. However, I have yet to find a place for myself yet. It has been a struggle for myself and many androids." Gavin wasn't aware that Conan was having issues finding a place for himself, but it made sense. He had only deviated a few months ago at most, it would have been like sending a small child to fend for themselves in the streets. A really smart and able child, but still a child nonetheless. "I should leave you be now. Goodnight Reed, rest well." Conan told him sincerely. With that, he took his leave, walking back down the dingy halls."Wait!" Gavin called out from behind, Conan turned to the detective's cry."Yes?" Conan asked.Don't do this. Gavin's mind yelled. "Do you wanna, maybe-" Stop, you can't trust him! "-just stay the night over at my place?" Gavin asked cautiously, glancing between the floor and the android. "I mean it's kinda a mess and you would have to stay on the couch but it's gotta be better than the precinct at least." He continued to ramble. Conan approached the detective, "That is a very kind offer. Are you sure you wouldn't mind?"YES! I fucking mind! Gavin's conscience continued to scream. "Nah, come on in," Gavin answered instead, stepping away from the door frame to give space for Conan to enter."Thank you, this is very nice of you. Are you sure you're alright?" Conan asked sarcastically as he entered the apartment."I can still kick your ass ya know." Gavin sneered, closing the door.Conan laughed, "Sure you can." He quipped back.Gavin scoffed but didn't respond, instead, he headed towards the back of the apartment where a dining table that was covered in paperwork, files, and a few empty coffee mugs. While Gavin sifted through the mess Conan looked around the apartment, analyzing Gavin's living situation.It was a relatively small space, the living room, kitchen, and dining space were all combined into one. The kitchen was only mildly separated from the rest of the space by a countertop blocking Conan's immediate entrance from where he was standing by the front door. The "living room" was only a small couch and a worn-out recliner facing the TV mounted on the wall. Further back, Gavin was sitting at what Conan presumed to be the dining area or more accurately, where Gavin stored his excess paperwork. Gavin also had a small balcony next to his dining space, giving them a decent view of inner-city Detroit. Conan felt something soft brush against his legs, he looked down and saw a big fluffy tabby cat with a dark gray and black coat. The cat looked up to Conan then walked back to his food bowl, pawing at it."I believe your cat wishes to be fed," Conan informed Gavin"Don't feed him, I'm trying to get his fatass on a diet and I bet my neighbor already spoiled him while I was away." Gavin said still lost in his papers before he perked up, "Oh shit, I forgot to tell ya. I have a cat." Conan gave a small smile, "That's quite alright, I would be lying if I said I didn't like cats a little bit. I find them fascinating." "Huh, well then, Nines met Clem. Clem meet Nines." Gavin introduced.Conan crouched down next to the cat, "Hello Clem." He reached out to pet the cat, but Clem ran away before he could. Well, less like he ran and more like he waddled off in haste. Gavin snickered, "Don't feel too bad, the only thing that bastard likes is his food." He returned back to his work. Conan back up, "What are you looking for detective?" The android asked curiously.Gavin sighed, "Oh, I don't know. Force of habit to look through all the old case files I guess."Conan walked over to the dining table, "Interesting. Are these all cases you have worked on?" "Yea, mostly." Gavin idly answered. "Ahh, here it is." He said mostly to himself. He took the file with him and took a seat on the couch. Conan followed him, taking a seat in the recliner.Gavin opened the file, looking through its contents. "hmm...", he was completely absorbed in thought."May I ask what you are thinking about?" Conan requested after a few moments.Gavin set the file down on the coffee table between them. "Sure, I don't see why not. Maybe your android eyes will see something I can't."Conan leaned forward in his seat, "What are we looking at?""It's an old case from when I had just become a Detective. Alex Kessel, 46, was supposedly murdered in a gang hit due to the gang insignia that was carved into his neck after he was killed. Everyone thought it was a pretty straightforward case, except for me of course. The evidence just didn't add up to me and I let them know it. He didn't have a criminal record, no history with any gangs in Detroit, and everyone we talk to who knew him personally said he was one of the nicest people they had ever met. Adopted strays, help the homeless, donated to charities, those types of things. And a gang wouldn't have gained anything from killing him, plus it was an isolated case so it wasn't to instill fear into the public." Gavin explained. "Curious. Did you ever find the culprit?" Conan inquired."Nope, we had a few suspects here and there but nothing that stuck," Gavin answered. He yawned and leaned back against the couch, it was getting late and he was becoming tired."Are all the files you have here your unsolved cases?" The android continued to question."Yep. I like to look through them when I need a distraction. Maybe one day I'll figure them out." Gavin replied lazily. "Would you mind if I took a look through them, something to keep me busy during the night?" Conan asked.The detective gave him a curious look, "Sure, I guess." Conan stood up from his seat and started looking through the multiple files on Gavin's dining table. He began analyzing, waiting for something to click in the right place. He stood there silently for several minutes when finally something caught his eye. "Detective, I think I might have found something." When Gavin didn't respond he looked back to the couch Gavin was still lying on. "Detective? ...Oh"Gavin had fallen asleep on the couch, curled up in Conan's Cyberlife jacket. It was... adorable? A slight blush crossed Conan's cheeks. He approached Gavin and gently shook him awake, "Reed, I think you should head to bed. You must be exhausted." The detective just grunted in response, burying himself deeper into the couch.Conan sighed, "You force my hand." The android dug Gavin out of the couch and picked him up, holding onto him bridal style. Gavin didn't even open his eyes, he just groaned as Conan forced him up into his arms. The android's blush deepened as he looked around for Gavin's bedroom, he spotted a small corridor that led to three other rooms. Only one of the doors were open, he walked down the cramped corridor and glanced into the room. It was indeed the bedroom.Conan entered the room and sat Gavin gently down on his bed, making sure his sling was in a safe position. He made his way back to the door when Gavin silently said "Goodnight Nines,"."Goodnight Reed," Conan replied softly. He turned off the lights and shut the door, leaving Gavin to sleep peacefully for the night.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
A few days had passed since Gavin had invited Conan into his home. Conan had continued to stay at his apartment per Gavin's request, stating that it was "fucking ridiculous to live in that shit hole of a building". So the partners had found a rhythm. Conan would exit stasis early every morning, before the sun was even in the sky. He made breakfast for Gavin to eat for when he woke up before he headed to work. Gavin got up typically around nine, ate whatever Conan had made for him, and looked at his phone or the TV for the rest of the day. Once he felt motivated to, he would finally take a shower and get into some clean clothes. By six or seven in the evening, Conan would return to the apartment, having been told to go home by everyone in the precinct. He would make sure that the detective had done his exercises, encouraging him when he improved. He was starting to figure out how to synthesize the artificial skin to look like his own and he could squeeze the stress ball with little issue.Tonight, however, was a bit different. When Conan returned to the apartment, he looked frustrated, burying his nose in a case file. The case file. He didn't even say his normal "Good evening" to Gavin. Instead, he hurriedly took a seat at the dining table and furrowed his brows, concentrating.Gavin took note of Conan's strange behavior, peeking his head up from the edge of the couch, staring at Conan. He never had seen the android so openly frustrated before. "You alright there Nines?" He asked, mildly concerned. Conan snapped out of his train of thought, "Yes, I am alright. Just a bit, disgruntled." "Is it about our case? I see you brought the case file home." Gavin continued. Conan met the detective's gaze, looking oddly tired. "You shouldn't be worrying about the case right now Detective. You're on medical leave, I don't want you to stress over work while you should be healing."Gavin got up from the couch and pulled up a chair to the dining table, sitting next to the android. "It's kinda hard to focus on "healing" when you storm into my home "disgruntled" with your face stuck in a file. Plus, I've been sitting here trapped in my apartment without anything to do but drive myself insane for the past few days, just throw me a bone tin can." He quipped back.Conan sighed, giving in and letting Gavin look at the case file. "More bodies were found today. Eleven, in fact, all across the city and dumped in piles of two or three. No witnesses, no evidence, and the same M.O. as before." Gavin sifted through the file as Conan explained the situation, taking in the new information. "Jesus." He muttered under his breath. "And you're doing this all on your own?""Lieutenant Anderson and Connor have agreed to help out between their own cases but they are also experiencing an influx. It has been difficult." Conan replied as he returned to the case file. Gavin noted that the android was being unusually short so he decided to leave the conversation at that. He had never seen Conan quite like this, so... openly emotional. The only other time that came close is when he woke up from his injuries. Even then, it wasn't the same. Oh well, best not to dwell on it, he was sure he had his reasons. He decided to focus his attention back on the case. But not much made sense about it. Ruthlessly murder androids, drained thirium, possible red ice connection, and most confusingly, that Ainsworth Mansion party. The first three he could see small similarities. But already rich people asking other rich people for money? It didn't add up. He sat in silence, scouring the papers for any sort of clues. "Hey, hold up. I think my brain may have thought and good thought." Gavin blurted out, standing quickly up out of his seat. Something clicked in his mind, maybe it didn't make much sense yet but at least it was something.Conan looked up at Gavin slightly confused, "What is it, Detective?""Okay, here me out. A main ingredient in red ice is thirium right? And red ice was found at the first crime scene where the victim's bodies were drained of their thirium." The detective started pacing back and forth. "What if the thirium that was taken from the bodies was used to make the red ice?""That would be greatly inefficient, the amount of thirium in androids would only be enough to create a few small batches. Especially considering all the time it would take to transport the bodies, drain them, and dispose of them across the city." Conan explained as he watched Gavin's movements.Gavin nodded his head, "You're right, buuuut, this is where we can bring in what we saw at the mansion party. A room full of android haters all brought together so that the people who are likely behind these killings could ask for their support. So what if... these murders were committed to make a statement?" He added emphasis to his final sentence by hitting the table before sitting back down in his chair. Conan began to work through Gavin's claims, "The red ice would just be a byproduct then. A way to profit off their work. Especially now since buying bulk amounts of thirium that can't be traced by the DPD or Cyberlife has become increasingly difficult after Jericho cracked down on it." He pieced together."Exactly. I think whoever is behind this is trying to scare androids back to servitude." Gavin briefly paused for a moment, thinking. "We need to find out who now owns that mansion. I would bet my ass that whoever it is, knows what's going on.""I'll have a word with cyber in the morning. I'm sure they will be able to find a paper trail to the current owner. It's difficult to buy a home of that stature without leaving anything behind." Conan looked up at Gavin, "Good work Detective Reed, I think you are on to something." "Gavin..." Conan looked at Gavin curiously, "Just call me Gavin, alright? Detective Reed is just too fucking formal, especially since you are like, basically living at my place right now." Gavin blurted out awkwardly. "If you wish." Conan agreed.Gavin nodded and got up from his seat, headed for the kitchen."Gavin," Conan called out, catching Gavin's attention. It was a little weird hearing his first name come out of the android's mouth for the first time. "Why have you been so nice to me these past few days? A week ago I would have had to force you to let me help you with paperwork, and now, I'm staying in your home per your invitation." He asked, his tone was deadpan other than a twinge of curiosity.Gavin stood there for a moment, processing Conan's question. Elijah's words crossed through his mind, "You like him Gav~". Noooope. That was not the reason. Had grown unusually fond of the android, sure. And yea, it's weirdly nice to have him around, filling the emptiness of his apartment. But romantically? No, it was something else.He sighed and leaned against the countertop, looking away from Conan. "It's cause you save my ass Nines. I know we already kinda talked about it, but I still feel guilty. I don't like it when people put my life over their own. I just won't have it anymore." He ran his hand through his hair. "So maybe this is me trying to make up for all the shit I've caused, I dunno." "Gavin, would you risk your life in order to save the lives of Officer Miller or Chen?" Conan calmly questioned.Gavin gave Conan a surprised look, "Weird question all of a sudden. But yea, in a heartbeat.""And you wouldn't regret it?" The android continued."No," Gavin answered firmly."So why would you think I would regret protecting you? I knew of the dangers and trust me, I was well aware of your... attitude." Conan paused for a split second, he was trying to think of the best way to word this. "I did it because I wanted to, I wanted to keep you safe. My injuries were not your fault. So, don't blame yourself, alright?" Gavin turned away, trying to hide his red face. "O-okay," he answered, letting out a tired laugh. He was shit with his emotions but the android did make some sense. "Thanks... for that.""Of course. It's good to let your feelings out. Although I'll admit, I'm a bit hypocritical for saying that, but it still holds true." Conan replied."Oh, I haven't noticed," Gavin said sarcastically.Conan smirked at Gavin's retort but didn't reply. He looked back at the file and started writing notes of the detective's theories. Gavin just stood still and watched. Eventually, he got bored and opened the fridge, looking for something to eat."Aww, shit.""What is it?" Conan asked."I'm out of, well, everything. I'm gonna have to walk down to the convenience store real quick." Gavin answered as he closed the fridge door.Conan looked up, "I can go if you prefer."Gavin shook his head, "Nah, I need to get outside for a bit anyway. I'm losing my mind in here." He slipped on his jacket, being careful of his sling."As you wish," Conan replied, understanding."I'll be back in like twenty or so," Gavin said as he shut the door behind him. Leaving Conan alone in his apartment. He decided to start putting away his work back into the file. It had been a long day and the influx of victims had been strenuous. He was able to handle it thanks to his advanced capabilities yet traveling to opposite ends of the city with little assistance would exhaust anyone or anything. After Conan finished organizing his own work he decided he should clean up the rest of Gavin's. As he had his in messy disorganized piles of papers spread all across the tabletop. Perhaps if he cleaned up the files the detective would actually be able to find the right case without having to dig through the entire stack.So he got to work, organizing the files by the type of felony and the date the felony was committed. It was quite mind-numbing, peacefully sorting the files in the quiet, something he needed after today. Despite how many files were strewn across the table, he was surprised at the detective's close rate. This was only a small fraction of what Gavin must have worked on during his time on the force. It was impressive. Much different than his first impression of Gavin. Conan was snapped out of his train of thought when he heard a cat meow from the hallway. It was Gavin's cat. "Hello Clem, are you hungry?" Conan asked way too formally, as he started looking for the cat food in the kitchen.As Conan looked for Clem's food, the cat hopped onto the dining table and started batting at an empty coffee mug that was left of the table. Conan didn't notice and filled Clem's food bowl with a controlled portion of cat food. When he looked back up, he saw the cat staring straight at him, the coffee mug at the end of the table about ready to fall off."Clem, get down from there," Conan demanded.However, the cat did not listen. Instead, he continued to stare down the android and knock the mug off the table. Conan tried to catch the cup in time but he was too far away. The ceramic mug crashed onto the floor."Oh shit..." Conan cursed under his breath. He picked the cat up off the table and set him back down on the floor. Clem immediately ran away back into Gavin's bedroom.Conan knelt down to check if the cup had been damaged. The cat had caused a crack through the side and some pieces had been chipped off. He set the cracked mug on the table and looked for the broken pieces. He spotted them underneath the table, he tried to reach for them from where he was but couldn't grab them. He had to actually get underneath the table.He finally saw why Gavin called that cat a bastard. He crawled underneath the table and finally picked the broken pieces up. But as he started to crawl back out, something caught his eye. Taped to the bottom of the dining table was what looked like a case file. It was worn out and aged, had to be at least ten years old.Conan reached up for it and peeled it away from underneath the table. He crawled out from the table and stood up. The file wasn't an official DPD issued police file. It was unmarked and looked like a typical office made file folder.He glanced around the room before staring back at the folder, the room was still. He cautiously opened it, surprised at what he saw.It was filled with papers, DPD stamped papers. Pictures, copies of evidence, transcripts of witness and suspect interrogations. But what really got Conan is when he scanned the picture of the victim.
Name: David Reed (Deceased)
DOD: April 24th, 2027
Cause of Death: Stabbing
Familial Relations-
Safiya Reed: Wife (Deceased)
Elijah Kamski: Son //Mother - Dianna Kamski//
Gavin Reed: Son //Mother - Safiya Reed//
Conan continued to read the police report. Just standard information about the crime, until he read who was the first officer on the scene.-First On Scene: Officer Gavin Reed.Conan's eyes widen, why would Gavin have been the first officer on the scene of his father's murder? That is highly unusual and would severely cross personal relations protocol. Then it suddenly hit him, the guilt. For crossing Gavin's personal privacy, he was sure there was a good reason for what happened then but right now it was none of his business. If Gavin wanted him to know he wouldn't have hidden the file away. He should have acted better. His curiosity about the detective should not have overridden his respect for his privacy. He started to place everything back into the folder when the apartment door opened, revealing Gavin holding a bag of groceries.Gavin set the bag down on the kitchen counter and took off his jacket. "Hey Nines, I'm back." Conan didn't respond so Gavin approached him. "Whatcha looking at?" He asked as he glanced at the file in his hand.His blood ran cold, he could recognize that file from anywhere. "What the hell?" His voice was strangely quiet but it was filled with rage."I must apologize, I was picking up a mess Clem had made and I spotted this hidden underneath the table. My curiosity took over when I should have left it be." Conan tried to explain."Yea, you should have!" Gavin snatched the file out of Conan's hand. "Why are you digging your fucking nose in my private business!" Gavin yelled."Gavin, I'm sorry," Conan had a regretful look in his eyes. He knew he fucked up.Gavin took a step back from Conan looking away from his face. "No, don't "Gavin" me. I should have known better than let an android into my home." His eyes started to become red and watery. "Fuck you!" His voice cracked pitifully. He was angry, but this was a different type of anger. He was hurt, a side of Gavin Conan had yet to truly see. Gavin turned around and started to retreat back to his room. Conan followed him but made sure to leave some space between them. "Please, let's talk about this. I know I made a mistake up but I don't think the way you are holding onto this is good for you." Conan pleaded.Gavin faced Conan, staring straight in the android's eyes. "No. I don't need to talk about anything. Especially not with you." Gavin spitted coldly. Conan froze in place, Gavin's words stinging him. Gavin stormed into his room, slamming the door behind him without any other word. Leaving Conan to stand in the hallway motionless as he began to process what just happened.
*Mild descriptions of household abuse*
Gavin on the other hand snapped. He was furious. He wanted to throw something, punch something, anything. But he couldn't because of his prosthetic. He just wanted to do something, but he could do anything. He could never do anything right. In just two weeks, his walls had been repeatedly breached and it was all that stupid android's fault. The weight of his emotions caused his knees to buckle, he sat on the floor of his bedroom pathetically. "You're a waste of space." Memories of his father filled his mind. The cruel words, the harsh punishments, and the manipulation he suffered were the strongest of them all. "I never should have had you." "no, stop..." He muttered under his breath, hiding his face behind his hand.
"You're not my son. You're a failure."
"shut up," He cried, tears forming in his eyes.
"You will never
amount to
anything in this world. How could
anyone even
stand you, much less love you."
"SHUT UP!" He screamed as he punched the wall, forming a hole in the cheap drywall. For a brief moment, he stood there, his chest heaving heavily as he tried to catch his breath. He sat back on the floor, he hissed as pain shot through both his arms. His fist was bleeding and his right shoulder was still sore. But he didn't care, nothing mattered right now. He just wanted to be alone. Right now, everything had fallen apart and he wasn't ready to pick up the pieces again.So he sat curled up on the floor for what felt like hours as tears silently rolled down his eyes.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Conan heard everything that went down in Gavin's room. Yet, he almost wished he hadn't heard anything. The cries, the shouts, the attacks, and probably worst of all, the silence. He wanted to help the detective but he knew it would only worsen the situation if he intruded. So he sat there on the couch, waiting, but he didn't know what for.While he felt guilty for what he had done, it wasn't the guilt that hurt him most of all. It was the detective's words that stung the worse. He thought that maybe the detective had finally gotten past seeing him as just "a piece of plastic". But the way he insulted him, the venom behind his words. Perhaps it is true when people say that old habits die hard."Maybe it would be best if I left and returned to the precinct." Conan thought to himself. He had made the detective very upset, maybe his presence was the reason he had yet to leave his room. He contemplated for a few moments before deciding. He was sure that someone on the night shift would allow him back into the precinct. He picked up the case file up from the dining table and slipped on his jacket. He was almost at the door when he saw the bag of abandoned groceries still sitting on the kitchen counter. It had already been a few hours and if the more perishable items were not put away soon they would likely go bad. Maybe it wouldn't be too bad if he stayed a little bit longer, just to put them away.He started to put the groceries away, being careful to only open the necessary cupboards. It only took him a few minutes until he was finished. He gave the apartment one last glance before heading for the door."Where do you think you're going tin can?"Conan whipped around and saw the detective leaning tiredly against the wall. His hair was a mess and the bags that were normally underneath his eyes were even a deeper purple. The tear stains and sullen eyes complete his disheveled look.Conan was a bit shocked to see Gavin behind him. "I was about to head back to the precinct. I didn't want to intrude in a place I figured I wasn't welcomed in anymore." He answered."Heh, to me it looks more like you're trying to run away." Gavin weakly retorted, his voice was rough but quiet.Conan let out a sad smile, "Perhaps I was."Gavin moved away from the wall and sat down on the couch. "Before you leave I should say something." He motioned towards the empty space on the couch, "Sit, please."Conan followed Gavin's request and stiffly took a seat next to him. The pair sat in silence for an excruciatingly long moment. Gavin seemed to be struggling to figure out what he wanted to say.Gavin sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Sorry, I'm not great with this emotional shit." He mumbled."It's alright, take your time." Conan patiently replied."...I'm sorry Nines." He finally said, catching Conan's full attention. "For what I said... I may have taken it too far. I just was really really pissed off... both at you and myself" He paused, his anxiety kicking in full gear. "Y-You're not just some piece of plastic to me anymore a-and I didn't mean what I said."Conan looked down at the detective, who was staring a hole into the floor. "Thank you, detective, your apology means a lot. However, I feel like I should be the one saying the apologies. I breached your privacy and I should not have done that and I am truly sorry."Gavin looked up from his spot on the floor. "Heh, it's alright. It was bound to happen eventually I suppose. And, I mean, you were right.""Right about what detective?""About how I've been holding onto it all this time has been bad for me I guess," Gavin answered embarrassed, running his hand through his tangled hair."Oh." Conan didn't know exactly how to respond. "If you wish, you can talk to me about it. O-Only if you want to of course."Gavin gave a tired laugh, "I wouldn't want to bore you with my life story."Conan turned towards to detective, loosing up his stance. "On the contrary, I think I would be quite interested in your "boring" life story."Gavin looked back down at the floor, "Well, there's not much to say. I was born and raised here in Detroit and I continue to still live here for some god-forsaken reason. My step-brother is Elijah Kamski but you already knew that. My mother was an aspiring chef and my father... well, he was just a piece of shit.""Why do you say that?" Conan asked, genuinely curious."Well, to put it shortly. He wasn't exactly winning any "father of the year" awards." Gavin answered."And to put it lengthily?" The android continued.
*Descriptions of childhood abuse*
The detective sighed, "My father... wasn't a good man. He always in trouble with either loan sharks, gangs, or the law. And he always managed to bring that trouble back home. Which he typically took out on me and my mom. Then later on Eli when he had to move in with us after his mother passed away when he was four."Conan remained silent, there was not much he could say. He had his suspicions about Gavin's father. But there's a difference between suspicious and confirmations.Gavin continued, "My mom took the brunt of his abuse. He cheated on her, hit her, and emotionally tormented her to the point where she thought she deserved everything he did to her. She took hits for us, she tried her best to protect us from his outbursts. Though there was not much she could do, she was already on her last leg... So that's when Eli would stand up for me, fulfilling his "older brother" role I guess, I dunno. He was just... a cruel bastard." Gavin's head drooped to the floor. It seemed that relieving memory lane wasn't as pleasant for him as it was for many other people. Conan shifted unconsciously closer to Gavin. "You don't have to continue if you don't want to anymore. You have already been incredibly brave and I would judge you otherwise."Gavin looked up at the android meeting his gaze, "No. I want to this time. I want to talk about it. It's just, this is the first time I ever really went into detail with it with anyone so... yea..." "Well, I'm honored detective." Conan smiled, attempting to comfort Gavin. "Pssh, yeah you better be." Gavin joked as he lightly punched Conan on the side of his arm. The pair shared a small laugh than a moment of silence. "Anyways." Gavin started as he awkwardly scratched the back of his neck. "It was like that ever since I could remember. And I genuinely thought that was normal, how all dads are supposed to act. But then things changed, for a while my father was kind to us. It was the best time of my life up to that point. He didn't lash out at us anymore. We played catch, he took us out to the zoo, gave us ice cream. He was just the stereotypical "good dad". But, it didn't last... my mom died when I was about thirteen. Sudden cardiac arrest. Likely due to all the stress she experienced. And after that, just with the flip of a switch, my father went back to his old ways. But now he focused all his aggression on me and Eli. He blamed us for my mom's death. Said that we were the cause of her stress. ...He blamed us for a lot of things that were his fault...""How did you get out of it, if I may ask?" Conan softly asked. Gavin didn't respond for a moment, thinking. "Well, when I was sixteen. My father struck me across the face with a beer bottle after I was outed as being gay. That's actually where I got the scar on my nose." He pointed at his nose where that familiar scar now stood out more than ever. "That was the final straw for Eli and he convinced me to run away with him. So we waited till he was passed out drunk and snuck out with whatever we could grab. After that, we started drifting between friend's couches, homeless shelters, and if things got really bad, we would hide in abandoned buildings or construction sites."Gavin took a sharp breath and ran his hand across his face. "It was a pretty shitty time for me. Eli was busying himself with schoolwork, trying to get into college off of scholarships. But for me? Heh, I was never really ever good at school, especially not good enough to get a full-ride scholarship. So, I kinda just gave up. I got involved with the wrong people. Started dealing and doing drugs, ya know, the works. Eli got upset that I allowed myself to spiral downwards so far and our relationship became strained. It would be years till we reconnected, even then, it's not the same. But that's my own fault. Anyway, shortly after me and Eli went our separate ways, I got busted. I got taken in for drug dealing and possession." He leaned back into the couch, tightly pinching the bridge of his nose. "God, I was so stupid. The only reason I wasn't fucked for life was that I was still technically a minor and they gave me the choice between a DPD reform program or they would have my case go through court as an adult.""I assume you chose the reform program, considering your place of employment," Conan stated. "Obviously, I was a phcking idiot as a kid but I wasn't that dumb. And it was actually that program that sparked my interest in law enforcement. My "professor" took note and helped me set up a new life for myself. As long as I finished school the DPD would get me through the Academy and I could become a "real police officer".""I didn't know they made those over at the Academy," Conan said sarcastically, scooting even closer to the detective. Throughout their conversation, the pair had gradually gotten closer together. Now there was barely a centimeter between them, but they either didn't notice or didn't care."This was before your time tin can," Gavin replied with just as much sass."Fair point, continue." Conan prompted.Gavin looked up at Conan, "There's not much else to say. My father was an asshole and my childhood was a mess. What else is there?" That was a fucking lie, there was a lot more but dear god if he had to go through any more of that, emotional bullshit, he would jump off his phcking balcony."Forgive me for prying, but, your father's murder. The report stated that you were the first one on the scene. How was that even possible?" Conan questioned as politely as possible, he didn't want to push the detective too far.Gavin let out a long sigh that sounded more broken than exasperated. "Right, that.""If you don't want to I compl-"Gavin cut him off, "No no, it's fine. It's just... ahh fuck." He was silent for a brief moment, he looked like he was bracing himself. "Okay, what happened was that my partner and I got a call for an unidentified body found in an alley nearby us." He was rushing through his words, trying to explain it as fast as possible before his emotions finally broke through. "When we arrived we had yet to clearly see the body. It was dark in the alleyway and it was still early in the morning. We talked to the man who found it for a while, we were mostly just waiting for the detectives to arrive. After we finished our questioning I decided to take a glance at the body and that's when I saw... him."Gavin's eyes started to glisten as tears form in his eyes, he quickly wiped them away. "...I-I saw my father's dead and beaten body tossed haphazardly in a dirty, deserted alleyway." This time, Gavin didn't rush through his words. They held weight, the weight of a son who identified his own father's body at a crime scene."I mean, the asshole deserved it. Hell, a part of me was even glad he was dead. But, I was still devastated I guess. It was the first time I had seen him since I had run away and I wasn't ever expecting to see him again, especially not like that." Gavin choked his way through those final sentences. Conan placed a comforting hand on his shoulder."I was immediately taken off the case and I was absolutely furious, I lashed out at everyone and everything. The only one I would listen to was my partner, she talked sense into me and helped me through it. S-she was actually the one who snuck me those papers because at the time I was determined to find out who did it. ...A-and well, I still have 'em cause they never did find out who k-killed him..." Gavin's voice started to crack and his breathing became uneven. His walls were starting to crumble before him. "I am so sorry you had to go through all that. I can't believe how incredibly difficult it must have been, even if you did harbor unpleasant feelings for your father. Nobody should go through something like that." Conan softly said. It was probably the most sincere thing he had ever said to the detective.
*
End of descriptions of child abuse*
"I just... I just-" Gavin broke out sobbing, tears streaming across his face. His head collapsed into the android's chest as he cried. Conan was surprised and tensed up at Gavin's sudden actions. After a moment of hesitation, he wrapped his arms over Gavin and gently held him there."I-i'm sorry, i'm sorry... *hic*... i'm s-so sorry. " Gavin gasped between his sobs. His words were muffled by Conan's chest but they stuck out like a sore thumb. Conan pulled him closer, laying a hand on his head and softly petting his messy hair. "It's okay Gavin, it's okay..."The pair sat there, not saying another word. Only Gavin's cries filling the space. Conan still hugging the detective and Gavin desperately clutching the android's jacket. Several minutes went by and Gavin's tears started to slow. His breathing started to even out, but it was still a bit jagged. Conan continued to hold onto Gavin until the detective loosened his grip on his jacket and slightly pulled away from his embrace. He wiped his tears away as best he could, his eyes were red from exhaustion.He looked at where he cried into the android's jacket and laughed weakly. "Oh shit, haha, I ruined your jacket."Conan glanced down at his now tear-stained and wrinkled jacket. He grinned, "Oh, don't worry about it. I'm sure it'll be alright."Gavin gently grabbed onto Conan's jacket again, looking at it curiously. "Why do you still wear this thing? I thought most androids hated these." He asked as he analyzed the printing.Conan stared at his jacket and then back to Gavin, "...I don't know... I guess it's because I felt like I didn't have an identity to call my own.""And this jacket defines who you are? Because you're an android?" Gavin asked, questioning the android's logic."Perhaps that was my line of reasoning. But in these past few weeks, I'm starting to feel like this isn't for me anymore." Conan responded."Well, it's an ugly-ass jacket anyway. We'll have to get you a new one that's less "I just got out of the factory, beep boop"." Gavin quipped lightheartedly.Conan faked being insulted, "How undignified, I don't "beep boop" Gavin. How dare you."Gavin laughed, the first real laugh he had in a while. It sent a pleasant shock through Conan's systems. A light blue blush fell across his cheeks. Gavin met the android's stare, he suddenly noticed how close the two were to one another. Conan still had a hand on the detective's arm and Gavin was practically leaning on Conan's shoulder. Gavin's face flushed red, he suddenly became very flustered but he didn't move, he didn't want to.Conan raised his hand from the smaller man's arm to his cheek, lightly cupping it. Both Conan's and Gavin's blushes deepened. The pair leaned even closer to each other, their faces mere inches apart.
Bzzzzzzzzzt
Bzzzzzzzzzt
Bzzzzzzzzzt
The sound of Gavin's phone ringing surprised the pair, they quickly jumped away from each other, and Gavin lunged out of his seat to answer it."I-It's Chris, I-I should answer this," Gavin told Conan. The android nodded in response, understanding.Gavin answered his phone, "H-Hey Chris, what's up?" His greeted, his voice a little shaky from what had just transpired between him and Conan."Yea, yea, I'm doing just fine... It's healing as it should be... ...Don't worry about me too much, I'll be back soon enough..."Conan simply watched Gavin as he talked to Chris. Gavin had his back turned away from him, but he didn't need to see his face to know how flustered he was."Yea, can I call ya back sometime later, right now really isn't a good time... alright, I'll talk to you soon." Gavin hung up on the phone and turned back towards Conan who was still just sitting on the couch."I-I think I'm gonna turn in for the night." He ran his hand through his hair, fluffing it up a little. "It's been a long day and I'm tired as fuck, sooo..."Conan nodded, "Of course, goodnight Gavin," "G'night."The detective left to his bedroom and shut the door behind him. Once again leaving them to their own thoughts. Gavin raised his hand up to where Conan had held his cheek. A small smile crept across his face. They would be lying if they said that neither one of them went to bed a little bit disappointed that night.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
About a week had passed since Gavin and Conan had their heart to heart on the couch. The android had continued to crash at Gavin's after work and the detective was finally able to take off his sling. It would have been the most freeing experience of his life if it wasn't for the fact that he wasn't allowed to carry anything heavier than a gallon of milk. Which fucking sucked ass, but Doctor Elijah's orders. And Conan would reprimand his ass if he went against them.It was a calm evening. No snow, nor sleet, just clear skies. Which was rare for Michigan during the winter. The sun was just starting down the horizon when Conan opened the door of the apartment. He had his jacket draped over his arm, just leaving him in his black turtleneck dress shirt. Over the past week, Gavin had noticed the android started wearing his Cyberlife issued jacket less and less.Gavin was leaning against the wall next to the open balcony door, letting in a slight, chilly breeze as he smoked a cigarette when Conan entered. He apathetically glanced over, barely raising an eyebrow "How many was it today?" He asked, skipping the pleasantries.Conan hung his jacket on the makeshift coat hanger nailed to the wall, "It was a slower day, only seven were found." He answered blatantly."Damn." The detective took a long draw from his cigarette before continuing, "Did you bring home the file?"Conan set the case file down on the table. It had grown much heavier over the past few days. "Yes." He looked over at Gavin and sighed. "How many times do I have to tell you, Gavin. Smoking is not allowed inside the complex, additionally, it is bad for your health." He said as he approached the man. The detective gave the android a defiant look as he took another puff of his smoke. "And how many times do I have to tell you that I don't give a fuck?"Conan smirked, looking down at Gavin. A mischievous glint in his eyes. He swiftly snatched Gavin's cigarette out of his hand, not even giving the man a second to react before the deed was done."H-hey! What the phck! I was still smokin' that!" Gavin exclaimed, slightly irritated.Conan crushed the still-lit cigarette in his hand, putting it out. "Not anymore I'm afraid. You'll thank me for this later." He commented smugly. "I hate you tin can." Gavin huffed, crossing his arms. Conan walked away, throwing away the remains of the cigarette in a nearby trash can. Not even facing the detective when he responded with, "I hate you too meat sack."Gavin rolled his eyes at Conan's remark, shutting the balcony door close. He walked over to the dining table and picked up the case file that the android left there. He took it over to the couch, taking a seat and leaning his back up against the arm of the couch. He was less sitting on the couch and more like laying down on it. He started flipping through the new papers, he didn't have long though until he noticed a particular figure staring down at him."The hell you want, dipshit?" Gavin asked Conan, barely glancing up from the file."Move your feet please, you are taking up the entire couch." Conan politely requested, crossing his arms behind his back. "No, I don't think I will." Gavin taunted."Gavin, please."The detective raised his hand towards Conan's face, still looking at the file and flipped the android off, a proud smug look on his face. Conan grabbed onto one of Gavin's legs, catching the man off guard and threw them off the couch. Leaving an open space for him to sit. The rest of Gavin's body started to slip off the couch now that his legs had fallen and he didn't have the weight to counteract it. His butt hit the floor with a muffled thud. He was barely able to keep the papers he was holding from flying out across the apartment floor. He glared up at the android who was now sitting proudly on the couch, "What the fuck asshole!"Conan simply shrugged, "I asked politely bitch." Gavin grinned, still sitting on the floor, "Tsk, I guess you did." He finally pulled himself back up onto the couch. This time though, he laid his feet across Conan's lap.Conan gave the detective a distasteful look, "Excuse me? Get your disgusting feet off of my lap."Gavin faked an offended gasp, laying a hand across his heart. "You would dare say that to a severely injured man! How could you?""You lost your arm, not your leg," Conan stated matter-of-factly."Potato tomato," Gavin shrugged."I believe the correct wording of that phrase is "tomato tomato" not "potato tomato"." Conan corrected. "Yea, that's what I said, tomato potato."Conan sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, "You are insufferable."Gavin plastered a cheery smile across his face, "Thank you! You too!" Conan let out a short laugh causing Gavin to laugh as well. Their conversations had become must more pleasant recently and as much as Gavin would probably deny it, they had become... friends. Becoming friends with an android, Gavin never thought he'd see the day. I guess spilling your emotional guts to someone would do that.Gavin continued to scan through the papers as Conan turned on the tv, switching to the news channel for some background noise."I see they left some more messages this time," Gavin said, breaking the silence.Conan nodded, "Yes, they did. I believe your theory is becoming more and more plausible."Starting four days ago, the murders had started leaving painted messages at the crime scenes. The messages were painted next to the bodies with the victim's own blue blood. It was typically just the same few phrases; "You Are Not Equal", "Know Your Place", and-"'You Are Not Alive', heh, a bit ironic isn't it?" Gavin commented, looking at the crime scene pictures. Conan gave him a confused look, the joke going over his head. "You know, like... because the victims are dead... and they're saying that their not alive... oh, nevermind..." Gavin attempted to explain before giving up.The detective went back to the file, comparing the text from the different crime scenes from one another. Some of the phrases were looked liked they were hastily written as if they were in a rush to get out, while others had perfect handwriting... almost too perfect."Hey asshole, have you noticed this?""Noticed what?" Conan replied.Gavin held out two different pictures of the writing from two different crime scenes for the android to see. "Look at this, this one looks as if someone in a hurry wrote this. Ya know, it's a bit messy and whatnot. But this one-" Gavin pointed to the other picture he was holding, "-looks perfect. I dunno another way to put it... it's as if it was just typed up on the wall." Conan took the pictures Gavin was holding in his hands to take a better look. "I had noticed the difference in handwriting, but as I was running between scenes I didn't pay too much attention to it. However, now that you mention it..." Conan scanned the pictures, one was clearly a human's imperfect handwriting but the other was much closer to text. He scanned further, seeing if he could recognize the style of font.
Scanning...
Font Recognized:
Regular Letters - Cyberlife Sans
"Interesting..." Conan mumbled under his breath."What is?" Conan placed the pictures down on the coffee table in front of them, "Throughout this investigation I've believed that an android must be working with the suspects. The M.O., the well- planned locations, and now the fact that this message is written in a Cyberlife font.""A Cyberlife font?" Gavin asked, raising an eyebrow at the android.Conan nodded, "Yes. I should probably explain. Before an android deviates, if for any reason they needed to write something down, our writing would mimic those of Cyberlife text fonts. It would be nearly impossible for non-deviant android to write with their own style of handwriting. As that requires some form of personality, like this." He picked up an abandoned sheet of paper and pencil that was left on the coffee table. He handed the pencil over to the detective who was now sitting up with his feet on the floor. "Write something for me, Gavin.""Uhmm... okay? It's gonna be shitty though cause I'm right-handed and I'm still not that good with the prosthetic." Gavin replied wearily."Don't worry, this is just a quick example to attempt to get my point across."Gavin scribbled down some words. When he was done he sat the pencil back down on the table. Conan read what he had written and gave him a disapproving look. "Classy, Gavin."The man raised his hands up in defense, "You put me on the spot, Nines!"Conan shook his head and wrote, "Fuck you," beneath Gavin's own "fuck you,". The detective's handwriting was rushed and blocky, making it difficult for anyone who wasn't an android to read it. Conan's, on the other hand, was flowy and smooth, it looked liked a mixture between cursive and print. "See what I mean?" Conan asked, pointing towards the writing. "I mean, kinda." Gavin said, scratching the back of his neck, "But no, not really.""This-" Conan pointed at his writing, "-is my own personalized handwriting. It isn't like anyone else's, just like yours. The reason I write like this is that it's the fastest way I can write without making it illegible, plus I just like the neat curly lines. However, if I wasn't deviant, there would be no reason for me to want to write faster and there would be no reason for me to add my personality to it because I simply don't have one." He picked the pencil back up and started writing some more, but in vastly different styles, perfectly mimicking recognizable fonts. Gavin watched as the gears in his head began to turn. "I think I get it now. So, does this mean that the android who has been doing all this isn't deviant?" Conan thought about it for a second, "It would be very unlikely, by now most if not all androids should have deviated by now. The fact that I am sitting right here in front of you as a deviant helps proves my point." "What's that supposed to mean?" Gavin questioned. "The RK line was one of Cyberlife's most secret projects. We were built in an undisclosed facility a few miles outside of the Detroit city limits. Connor, my predecessor, was the first of the RK line to be made explicitly known to the public. Of course, the Jericho leader, Markus, is also an RK model android but Kamski specifically made him as a gift for Carl Manfred and was the only one that made it out to the public. Yet, during the protests, I was still just a beta prototype and because of that, I wasn't able to deviate with the rest of the androids at Cyberlife tower. They didn't find me for a little while after. But Jericho made sure to find all of us." Conan explained. "What's more likely is an android just used a basic font as an extra preventative measure to try to stall us.""Damn, alright, makes sense I guess. What other weirdly specific deviant android facts should I know?" Gavin said, half-jokingly and half-seriously."Hmm... Well, did you know that some deviants have formed a sensitivity to hot or cold environments, despite many not being built for such feeling? I myself don't feel those sensation but I believe Connor does. It is theorized that it happens when an android goes through a big emotional transformation. Yet we don't truly know why. Interesting though, isn't it?"Conan's eyes had lit up in a way that Gavin had never seen before as he told him random factoids of deviancy. He seemed happy, something the android rarely expressed, if he expressed at all. Gavin started to feel himself zone out, admiring the complexity of the android's eyes. "-avin...Gavin... Detective Gavin Reed."Gavin shook himself out of his... state at the sound of his title being called out."Ahh, sorry." He ran a hand over his face, trying to briefly hide his embarrassment."Are you alright? I'm not boring you, am I?" Conan innocently asked."No, no. It's not you, I'm just a little tired that's all." Gavin answered reassuringly, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand. He wasn't completely lying at least.Conan started to stand up, "Perhaps you should go res-" He got cut off by a detective pulling him back down onto the couch by his arm."I'm fine." Gavin adamantly said, "Besides, I want to ask you a question. If that's alright."The android settled back into his seat and Gavin released his grip on his arm. "Of course, what is it?""Well, you said that since you were hidden away by Cyberlife, you weren't found till later. I was kinda just wondering how long how it has actually been since you have deviated?" Gavin inquired kind of awkwardly.Conan was a little perplexed by the question, no one had ever asked him that before. "I was activated on the twenty-seventh of November, approximately two weeks after the protests. So as of today, exactly two months and one day.""Wait, so you're telling me you just had your two month birthday yesterday and you didn't say anything about it?!" Gavin exclaimed."I didn't think it was that important, especially since I was built almost a year before I had deviated," Conan said, slightly dumbfounded. "Yea, but you weren't really a person then. Come one, we should do something to celebrate." Gavin tried to think of something to do but then realized he was an idiot when it came to androids despite being the literal step-brother of the man who created them. "...What do androids do to celebrate?"Conan shrugged, "I've never been to a 'celebration' for an android so I wouldn't know.""hmmm... I know this is probably a stupid question, but can androids eat?" The detective asked curiously. "At least with humans, we typically eat something for birthdays. But you're an android and whatnot..." He trailed off the last of his sentence. "Technically, yes and no." The android confirmed, "Investigator models like myself can technically eat and drink foods without consequence. In the case of undercover operations. However, I cannot taste the food, but I can analyze the components within the foods, and based on that I could tell you a purely factual representation of what the food 'tastes' like." Gavin looked down and shook his head, "I knew Eli watched too much Star Trek..." He muttered under his breath."What was that?" Conan asked, not quite getting what the detective had said."Nothing. You just reminded me of a character from a certain show." Gavin shrugged off. He stood up from the couch and started heading for the kitchen. "Anyways, I guess that's close enough to work."Conan glanced back at Gavin, who was now standing in his small-ass kitchen, looking for something. "Work? For what?""It's the first 'celebration' of your birthday Nines. You should at least have a cake." He replied nonchalantly as he started taking a few items out of cupboards. "...Oh..." What felt like butterflies flew through his internal wiring. He never had anyone make him something before, especially not someone like the detective. Gavin placed his hands on his hips and stared back at the android who was still just sitting on the couch, awkwardly looking back at him. "Are ya just gonna look at me like that dipshit or can ya help me out? Because I am still technically disabled right now and could use an extra hand."Conan quickly got up, "Right, yes of course." He walked over to the kitchen area, there was barely enough room for the two of them to fit. "What do you need me to do Gavin?"The man pointed towards the fridge, "Can you get the milk, eggs, and butter out of there. I'll get the rest."Conan did as he was told, placing the milk, eggs, and butter on the nearby countertop as Gavin lazily scavenged through his cupboards. "Ahh shit, I guess we're just having vanilla cake cause that's the only flavoring I still have," Gavin announced, setting a mostly empty bottle of vanilla extract down next to the rest of ingredients. Conan quickly scanned the vanilla extract, "Gavin, this expired nearly a year ago.""Eh, it'll be fiiine. Loosen up a bit." The detective casually said. "Besides, it looks okay. I think."Once the pair had gotten all their ingredients in order. Gavin placed Conan in charge of measuring and mixing all the ingredients together in the right order as he preheated the oven and searched for his long lost cake dish. Conan, of course, had a basic understanding of what he needed to do to bake a cake. But for a police detective android, he had his limitations in domestic activities. Baking being one of his weakest abilities. Unlike cooking, it required a delicacy he didn't have yet. Perhaps that why when Gavin spotted him vigorously stirring the ingredients together, he put an immediate stop to his actions. "Whoa whoa whoa, stop stop!" Gavin blurted out as he shooed away the android from the half-mixed batter. "Jesus Nines, this isn't a fight. You don't need to stir it that hard.""I'm sorry Gavin, I'm afraid I'm just not very well equipped for the world of baking." Conan backed away to the opposite end of the kitchen as he apologized. Gavin planted both of his hands on the kitchen counter, leaning over the mixing bowl and let out a tired huff. He then started to chuckle, catching the android a bit off-guard. "It's okay. I don't expect a terminator android to know how to properly mix cake batter. Here, I'll show ya." He said lightheartedly, waving Conan back towards the counter. Gavin picked up the whisk, "You don't want to go too fast too soon, you get shit all over the place and that's never much fun to clean up." He slowly started to stir the batter before speeding up. Conan peered over the smaller man's shoulder, watching his quick, yet even motions. "Ya see?" Conan nodded. "Why don't you try it now?" Gavin suggested, passing the whisk over to him and backing away. Conan started to whisk the batter for a moment until Gavin stopped him again. "Okay, now you're going too slow." He placed his own hands on top of the android's so that they were both holding the whisk. Their bodies were now quite close to each other, leaving Conan a little bit shocked as his arms tensed up, but he didn't say anything to stop it. Gavin led Conan through the proper motions, whisking the cake batter into a smooth and silky mixture. Gavin suddenly came to a stop and released his hold over Conan's hands and stepped away, his face flushing red. "Ack, sorry. T-that was probably a weird thing to do without asking." He forcefully shoved his hands into his pockets, silently screaming at himself in his mind. Conan smiled shyly, "I-it's alright Gavin. I actually found it quite educational."Gavin looked back up at the android, "O-oh, well good. Cause whatever you were doing before was shit.""Don't say that about your own technique." Conan sarcastically replied back. "Oohh, fuuuuuck you." Gavin retorted. "Just check for any lumps in the batter you asshole."Conan's smile turned into a smirk as he checked the batter for lumps. As he predicted, it was perfectly smooth. "It seems good."Gavin reached over and dipped his pinky into the batter, tasting it. "It tastes decent too.""Did you wash your hands before that Gavin?""Nope, cause I don't give a fuck."Conan sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, there was no point in explaining how unsanitary that was. He knew the detective would just ignore him.*cRaSh* Conan snapped out of his disappointment and looked in the direction of the sound. It was Gavin, who had dropped several rarely used pots and pans onto the floor as he was ceremoniously holding a cake pan above his head. "I found it!" He cried out.Conan shook his head disappointedly. "Good god Reed." He bent down and picked up the fallen pans and placed them back securely in the cupboard."What?" The detective said defensively as he sprayed the pan with cooking oil."Nothing, just keep doing you." Conan sighed, giving in to his shenanigans.Gavin poured the batter into the square cake pan and gently shoved it into the preheated oven. "Hey, tin can, set a timer for twenty-five minutes.""Timer set for twenty-five minutes." He said instinctively until it suddenly dawned on him what he had done. "...wait. "Gavin broke out laughing, clutching his stomach as he nearly doubled over. "Oh, my fucking- BAhAHaHA! I can't beLiEVe you actually did that! HAhAhA!" He wheezed."You can stop mocking me now," Conan replied sternly."Phck no!" Gavin continued to laugh loudly for another minute, getting it all out of his system."Are you done?" The android asked, done with Gavin's shit."Sure, for now." He answered, a shit-eating grin still across his face.Conan didn't bother to respond, he wasn't upset. He just didn't want to give the man any more satisfaction. Meanwhile, Gavin propped himself up so he was now sitting on top of the countertop next to the oven. His feet lightly swaying in the air as they just couldn't quite reach the floor."Where did you learn how to bake like that?" Conan asked. The detective didn't seem like the type of man who could properly take care of himself, much less know how to bake a cake from scratch and by memory. "I told you, my mom was working to become a chef. I just picked up on a few things." Gavin answered.That made sense. Another brief moment of silence fell on the pair as they watched the oven. Until, Conan of course, broke it again. "Thank you, Gavin," Conan said quietly, bashfully looking away from the detective. Gavin almost swore that the android's cheeks looked a bit bluer than before, though, it was hard to tell in the lighting. "...for all this."Gavin was slightly taken aback by how attractive Conan suddenly looked when he was vulnerable. His face once again became very flushed, much to his opposition. "Y-yeah, no problem."Conan turned back around, now facing Gavin. "I think... that despite our rough start. I have come to appreciate you as my partner and I'm glad that we were forced to work together." "Yeah, s-same here. You're pretty... alright, I guess." Gavin hit his palm against his forehead, "Auggh, sorry. Once again, I'm not great at emotions."Conan chuckled, "Unless of course, it's anger or something rash and stupid." He teased. "Hey, you need someone like me." He told Conan defensively, "You'll never do anything stupid so I have to do it for the both of us. It keeps ya on your toes." Gavin smirked. "Says who?" Conan said as he took a step closer to Gavin, who was still just sitting on the countertop. "Says me." Gavin answered confidently, I've never seen you do anything rash once while I've known you, and I doubt I ever will.""That should be considered a good thing, my dear detective." The android snarked back. Gavin's blush deepened at Conan calling him his "dear detective". He really liked that for some reason. "Oh my lord brain, you need to stop!" He yelled at himself. He huffed overdramatically, "Oh come ooonn. I dare you to do something stupid. Right here, right now.""Gavin, no-" Conan gave the detective a "quit your bullshit" look, which didn't deter the other man one bit. "-I dare you, you over-sized toaster." "You are really trying aren't you?" Conan asked, only slightly fed up. Gavin grinned mischievously and nodded, "Yes. So are ya gonna do something? Because you can't just back down from a-mffft!"Conan had rushed Gavin, cutting him off from finishing his sentence by haphazardly cupping his cheeks and kissing Gavin on the lips. Slightly trapping the smaller man between the kitchen counter and himself. The detective had completely frozen, eyes wide open, not responding to the android's actions. His muscles tensed up as he dug his fingernails into the palms of his hands. His heart started beating a million miles per hour. It felt like a mixture between an anxiety attack and the euphoric high of being on drugs. This was not the action he had expected Conan to make. A few seconds later, Conan pulled away from Gavin, still cupping his face. His small smile faded away into a frown the moment he saw Gavin's shell-shocked reaction. The detective was still stuck in place, his emotions and past memories paralyzing him. He quickly pulled his hands away from Gavin's face and took several steps back. "...Oh...Oh. I should not have done that..." Conan ran a hand through his hair, looking down at the wide-eyed Gavin who had still yet to react."I-I am... so sorry. I should not have done that. That was so stupid of me..." Of course, Gavin wouldn't react positively to him just suddenly kissing him. How stupid of him to think Gavin could or would ever think about him in such a fashion. "I-I think I should leave..."As Conan turned around to exit the apartment, Gavin shakily slipped down from his spot on the countertop and stood at his full height."...Conan," Gavin grasped the android tightly by his wrist, pulling him close, so close that their chests bumped up against each other. Conan could feel Gavin's heartbeat accelerate as the detective reached up with his other hand, grabbing the back of the android's neck and swiftly brought his head down to his own. He forcefully connected his lips to Conan's, closing his eyes. The kiss was rough and messy at first. Gavin tripped over his own feet and accidentally staggered forward. Causing Conan to fall back against the countertop as Gavin pinned him down against it. But they had found a rhythm, as they always did after a few seconds. Chapped lips meeting soft ones. Gavin's hands tangled themselves into the android's soft and fluffy hair, with Conan's hands also following suit through the detective's messy and slightly greasy locks. The atmosphere was filled with desperation and longing, their repressed emotions about each other finally being let free.After a few long moments, they eventually pulled away from each other. They held tightly onto the other, staring deep into one another's eyes. Gavin's chest heaved as he tried to catch his breath. Both of their faces had flushed into deep shades of blues and reds, but neither of them cared to hide it anymore. "Y-you called me by my actual name..." Conan finally said, his eyes lighting up like a puppy dog. Even though his true personality was much closer to one of a cat. "Y-yeah, I g-guess I did." Gavin quietly replied, barely louder than a whisper.Conan smiled. A real true smile. "I'll take 'Conan' over 'dipshit' or 'asshole' any day."Conan's smiles much have been contagious because one fell across the face of the "no-nonsense asshole detective". "Don't test me, Conan, I have hundreds of nicknames saved up for you. I'm just waiting for the right moment to use 'em.""Well, then I can't wait to hear them, my dear detective," Conan said, losing himself in the detective's gaze.The pair shared one last soft and passionate kiss. It wasn't their longest, or even the most their eventful, but it was by far their favorite out of the three.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
It was the last two days of Gavin's medical leave and it showed. He was really antsy to get back to work. He had already watched all the shows he wanted to, caught up on all his favorite Youtubers, and he even read a book. A book for fuck's sake! It felt like the 2020 quarantine all over again. Even his cat was getting fed up with him, although that could have been just Clem being a cat. But it still sucked ass.The only thing that kept him interested were the case updates from Conan. And well, maybe Conan himself a little bit. Although, don't tell anyone he thought that. He didn't need Conan getting a big head. In fact, he hadn't told anyone about him and the android yet. He didn't think his love life was anyone else's business but his own. Plus, he kinda wanted to see Chris and Tina's reaction in person. Just envisioning their surprise put a devilish smirk on his face.It was half-past eleven. Gavin was pacing around the apartment, unlit smoke in hand. It was unusually late for Conan and he was becoming on edge. He snapped out of his train of thought when he heard the apartment door click open, revealing the android.Gavin walked over to Conan, "Where the hell were you! Why didn't you respond to my texts!" Gavin asked forcefully to the android who was just hanging up his jacket.Conan gave the detective look of confusion. He didn't understand why the man was blowing up at him. "I was helping set up the stakeouts around the city. I thought I told you about it yesterday and how I would be late. I am sorry I missed your texts though." He stated.A shock of realization fell upon Gavin. He suddenly remembered when Conan, had in fact, told him about the stakeouts. "Oh shit, right." He put down his cig on the kitchen counter, "I was just getting worried that something happened to you with everything that's going on with androids and..." His head dropped towards the floor.Conan placed his hand under Gavin's chin bringing up towards his. "Thank you for your concern." He said sincerely. "But trust me when I say it would be extremely difficult for someone to harm me. I am, after all, Cyberlife's most advanced prototype.""Oh, you cocky bastard." Gavin chuckled.Conan pecked his lips on Gavin's forehead, causing the man to blush immensely. "I am merely stating the facts." He smirked.The android took a seat on the couch with Gavin following close behind. He shuffled next to Conan and tiredly leaned his head against the back of the couch. "How did the setting up go?" He asked."It went well. We placed fifteen groups of two in locations where we calculated bodies have a high probability of being dumped. If anything happens tonight, we'll see it." Conan answered."Let's hope." Gavin sighed, "Just as long you didn't put Tina and Chris on the same team we're all good." He snarked.Conan innocently glanced down at Gavin, "I did actually. Was that a mistake? I thought they were friends."Gavin lightly flicked the android's head, "They are you dumbass, that's why it's a bad idea. Them, in a car, for ten hours, with only their one shared brain cell to keep them on task." He met Conan's gaze, "They're probably playing Carry On Wayward Son on repeat and drinking Redbull non-stop right now." Gavin shrugged, "So just, don't expect too much."Conan's face fell with concern, "I can now see my mistake, I just hope that their duties as officers of the law come before, well, whatever you said they do."The detective laughed, "Haha, lucky for me, I got a partner who cares for nothing but his job.""You do realize how hypocritical of you that is? I know you stay up till the sun rises to look at that case file." Conan retorted.The detective shrugged, "Yea, well, what else am I supposed to do?""Sleep." The android insisted, "I don't even want to address the underlying health issues of not having a stable sleep schedule. Additionally, you need to get back onto some form of a schedule as you are returning to work soon.""Heh, bold of you to assume I even had a sleep schedule before all this." Gavin quipped.If Conan still had his LED attached it would most certainly be spinning bright red right now. "You have no idea how worried that makes me.""Aww, you worry over me." The man cooed, brushing off his concerns."Of course I worry over you. While you are a brilliant detective, you are an absolute idiot when it comes to taking care of yourself." Conan replied coldly. "Hmm, yeah. That's accurate, I am a brilliant detective." Gavin hummed, leaning his head on Conan's shoulder. Conan rolled his eyes but did not say anything else. They just sat there, Gavin taking in the android's warmth. He was pretty sure Conan overheated himself on purpose to keep him close but he wasn't gonna complain.Conan turned on the TV, he had learned that humans typically don't like just pure silence so he switched it over to the local news for some background noise.
"-the DPD has released a statement advising everyone, especially androids, who are going out and about the city past eight p.m. go with at least one buddy. This comes in response to the rampant android murders happening all across the city. Police have yet to identify a suspect but they-"
"-change the channel." The detective requested and Conan did so, flipping it over to some old reruns.Several minutes went by and Gavin had curled up into Conan. Knees bent up to his chest and feet resting on the edge of the couch cushions. In his defense, it was really cold outside and the apartment had shitty insulation. Conan cautiously placed his head atop of Gavin's. They were both a little shy when it came to physical contact, especially Gavin. They had only been a "thing" for a little over a week and a half. But the detective was actually pretty soft once he let you in, admittedly that is pretty difficult due to his... attitude. But Conan thought it was worth it for moments like these.Conan looked down at the top of Gavin's head. "Gavin, may I ask you a personal question?" Conan carefully asked, breaking the silence. He didn't want to accidentally cause a repeat of what happened a few weeks ago.Gavin shrugged, "I guess, I don't promise I'll answer though." He mumbled."When we first met, in Captain Fowler's office. You told the Captain that you 'don't do partners'. So I was wondering, why you were so insistent to not work with me other than the fact that I am an android?"Gavin processed Conan's question for a second before his muscles tensed up and he recoiled away from Conan, leaving a few inches between him and the android. Conan puzzledly tilted his head at Gavin and quickly scanned the man's vitals. His stress levels had jumped significantly from thirteen to seventy-four percent. His grey eyes had dulled over. His reaction reminded Conan of Gavin's outburst back in the bullpen when Conan had attempted to wake him up."Are you okay?" The android placed a hand on Gavin's shoulder, attempting to ground the detective back to reality.Gavin stayed silent for a moment before he shoved Conan's hand off of him and shakily stood up. "...no... No, I-I... I need a smoke..." He hurriedly ran off for the balcony.Conan quickly got up off the couch as well, "Gavin, wait let's..." He trailed off his sentence as the detective slammed the balcony door shut behind him. Effectively ending their talk.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~The next morning Conan arrived to work, a bit, lost in thought. He was still thinking about last night. He hadn't meant to put Gavin through such stress but he was also concerned there was something very serious he wasn't talking about.He sat at his desk without giving his usual small greetings to his nearby co-workers and opened up his terminal. He quickly read through the reports the stakeout teams had made. Unfortunately, there was no suspicious activity present at any of the locations. At the very least there were no reports of any new bodies. Yet. It was still early.After Conan had finished, he started to look around the bullpen, almost as if he was looking for somebody, which he was. He finally spotted his target downing a large cup of coffee alone in the breakroom. He shut down his terminal and walked over to meet them."Good morning Officer Miller."A surprised Chris jumped up in shock, spitting out some of his coffee he was drinking onto the table. He quickly tried wiped it away with his sleeve and faced the android. "Oh, uhh, hey there," Chris said, trying to play it cool."Are you alright Officer Miller?" Conan politely asked, having seen everything."Yea, I'm alright, y-you just startled me, that's all. And please, just call me Chris." He requested."If you wish, Chris." Conan paused for a split second before starting again, "You and Gavin are good friends right?""I suppose so," Chris took another gulp of his coffee, "Why?""Well, last night Gavin and I were talking and I happened to ask why he said he 'doesn't do partners' during our first meeting. But after I had asked my question, Gavin reacted in a very... negative way to simply put it. I was hoping you would have some insight on why he would react like that." Conan told Chris, the tone of the conversation becoming darker.Chris's eyes widened a bit as he sucked in a sharp breath. "Oh, uhhhhh... I don't-" He frantically looked around the room, hoping for anything to interrupt their current conversation. Which so happened to be a zone-out Tina walking past the breakroom."Tina!" Chris shouted and Tina stared at Chris with dead blank eyes, pulling out her earbuds and barely even registering Conan. She looked exhausted, deep purple bags underneath her eyes. "Chris, I just spent the entire night trapped in a car with you and I haven't even had a cup of coffee yet. What do you need?" She scolded.Chris looked desperately between her and Conan as if he was trying to telepathically beg with the tired officer to save him. Tina watched, confused, but came over to the table the two were at anyway. "The hell is going on over here?"Chris opened his mouth to say something to change the conversation but Conan beat him to it. "Last night I had asked Gavin why he said he doesn't work with partners during our first encounter. After I asked, Gavin refused to speak about it and seemed distant for the rest on the night."Tina's face suddenly matched Chris's look slight panic as she glanced over at him. "I don't think we should talk about this right now. If Gavin doesn't want to-" Chris started to say before Conan grasped tightly onto his arm."Please. You don't have to give me in-depth details of what happened. The last thing I want is for any of you to go behind his back. I just want to know why this is a sensitive topic for him. I'm... worried."Chris and Tina shared a look, telepathically weighing their options. Conan released his grip on the officer's arm, folding his arms on top of the table instead. Tina nodded her head, "He's worried about our boy, and honestly so am I at this point..." The atmosphere of the breakroom was dense, it felt as if they were in the rainforest or the midwest in the summer."Lemme just get a coffee first," Tina said, the first to break the uneasy quiet.Tina made her coffee as quickly as possible and returned to the table. "Well, where do we start?" She asked Chris.Chris nervously scratched the back of his neck, "I guess we should probably tell him about Yvette.""Who is Yvette?" Conan replied.There was a dramatic pause before Tina spoke up, "She was Gavin's last partner."~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"Gavin, I'm back," Conan called out, he didn't see the man in the living room or balcony so he figured he must have been back in his room.A head popped around the wall of the hallway. "Oh hey, Nines. How'd it go?" Gavin asked with an almost forced normalcy."Nothing, as per usual. Cyber is still struggling to identify the homeowner and the stakeouts didn't provide any useful information." Conan answered, putting his stuff away. He turned back towards Gavin. "But that's not what I wanted to talk about.""What do you want to talk about?" Gavin said, he started to retreat back into the hallway away from the android. His head was now barely visible from the wall."I want to talk about last night and how you reacted to my question." Conan walked towards Gavin. He made sure not to block the detective from accessing the rest of the apartment. He didn't want to seem threatening."Do we really have to talk about that. I told you that I might not answer your question and I didn't, so I don't see why you're making this a big deal." Gavin said annoyed, trying to end their discussion right there."I wouldn't be bothering you with this if you didn't react the way you did last night." Conan took a step forward, "You shut me out, literally and figuratively. And now you're trying to hide from me.""I'm not hiding from you." Gavin retorted.Conan gave the detective who was now almost completely concealed by the wall a look, "Really?" He pointed out.Gavin stomped out of his spot and stood by the dining table. "There. Is this better?!"Conan ignored Gavin's outburst, not wanting to feed into his anger. "I talked to Chris and Tina today. About last night.""You wHAT!?""I was concerned about you and since you are close friends with them I figured they might know something I don't.""Those phcking assholes! What did they tell you? What did they tell you!" Gavin yelled, venom seeping from his voice. He advanced on the android, pointing an accusatory finger at him.Conan did not react, "Gavin please, don't blame your friends. I was the one who pushed the envelope on them. And when they did agree they were very hesitant to tell me much of anything because they wanted to respect your privacy. They only did it because we were becoming distressed over your recent behavior." He softly explained. He could take the detective's rage, but he didn't want it to overflow onto Chris and Tina. Especially since he was the one to blame.Gavin let out a dry laugh, "Distressed? Y-you're not distressed. You just want t-to dissect me because I'm 'interesting' or some shit to you! I should have known the only reason you stuck around was to use me. You don't even care-" "Enough!" Perhaps Conan couldn't handle Gavin's rage as well as he thought. "That is bullshit! I do care about you! I wouldn't be here trying to get you to talk to me and trust me if I didn't! And yes, maybe I am being pushy, but that's only because I worry for you! It doesn't take an expert to see that you're hiding a lot more than you're saying!"Gavin's eyes went wide as he took a step back, he never heard Conan yell like that before. The android was always so calm and rational, even at work. So seeing him give in to his emotional vices was strange. And strangely hot, but now was seriously not the time for that. He ran his hand through the back of his hair, lightly tugging on it. He turned around and left for the balcony. Conan thought he was going to shut him out again but this time Gavin left the door open and sat down in one of the chairs, leaving the other one open.Conan followed the detective and sat next to him in the nearby chair. Gavin was staring blankly at the city skyline, watching how his breath fogged up against the cold winter air. The sun barely peeking over the horizon as the night took over. His chin was resting on his intertwined hands. He didn't even look over when Conan joined him."Gavin I-""How much did they tell you?" Gavin cut him off. He had calmed down from his previous fit of anger, his voice now was just apathetic.Conan looked away from Gavin and watch the skyline with him instead. "They told me about someone named Yvette. How she was your partner and that you two were very close. And then how something happened to you two that lead to her death a few years ago-""-Three years... Exactly three years ago." Gavin interrupted. Conan glanced over for a split second, Gavin looked lost. His eyes glazed over, staring blankly at the falling sun. Something was weighing on him, something that had haunted him relentlessly for those three years. "Ya know, I wasn't always an asshole. I mean, I kinda was, but not like I am now." Gavin peered down at his hands, they were shaking ever so slightly. He was terrified. This was the first time he had ever opened up to anyone about this ever since it happened. Sure, Chris, Tina, and Eli were there during the aftermath but to anyone else he had never even mentioned it. He didn't want anyone's pity advice, even if it did come from a place of sincerity. But since when was Gavin fucking Reed ever known for following anyone's advice. Whether it would benefit him or not. Alcohol and cigarettes did the job just fine. "I actually got along with most everyone. Hell, I even got along with Anderson for a bit. Of course, that was before everything went to shit for the both of us."Gavin sighed, "I met Yvette in the Academy, we were in the same graduating class actually. At that time I mostly just kept to myself, I never really learned how to play along with the other kids. But Yvette?" He stopped for a moment, " Yvette was determined to get to know me. Every day she would harass me with her abundance of kindness, trying to get to know me. Of course, I shut her down at every turn. I wasn't interested in becoming friends with anyone. Last time I had I almost became a washed-up druggie. But she persisted and she put up with so much shit from me, I guess she saw something in me, I dunno." Hidden behind Gavin's words was a small tremble. This wasn't like when he was talking about his father. That was messy and fueled by years upon years of undealt with unrest. This time, his words were just, sad and weak. As if a part of him had been ripped away and never been stitched back up."One day, I was getting harassed by some of my classmates. Somehow the news that I was gay got around and some homophobes decided to take offense to that. They shoved me around a bit, I tried to get a few hits in but I was so outnumbered. Yvette happened to be walking by and saw what was going on. That's when all of a sudden I see her blow the most powerful punch I have ever seen to one of the guy's faces. It was beautiful. The dude was out cold, I almost thought he was dead." A small smirk crossed Gavin's lips, "The others ran off with their tails in between their legs. I guess a powerful six-foot-tall black woman knocking out one of their buddies would do that to a bunch of alt-right pricks." Gavin stared down at his hands, "And from that day on I let her adopt me as her friend.""She sounded lovely," Conan commented, having noticed the smile on Gavin's face."...yeah, she was. She understood me when I didn't even understand myself." The detective replied faintly. "After we graduated we ended up at the same precinct and after a year or so we were able to become each other's partner while out in the field. I think that was probably the happiest time of my life, everything had finally just, felt right. Ya'know?" Gavin closed his eyes and shook his head. "Anyways, our friend group grew as Yvette once again did her 'I am going to harass you with my love until you become my friend' thing with Chris and Tina. Although they were a bit more susceptible to it than me. The weaklings." Gavin paused, "And when everything in my life fell apart again after I found my father dead in that alley, she was there. She kept me from losing it all. I owe her so much..."
*Death/Sexual Assult*
Gavin covered his face with his hands, sucking in a deep breath. "...But then I fucked it all up... As I always do.""What do you mean by that?" Conan gave the detective a questioning stare."Something happened... to me. Yvette was there, trying to keep me safe but it-it wasn't enough. And because I was an idiot and couldn't protect myself I-I got her... killed..."Conan reached over and placed a hand on one of Gavin's own. "What happened?" He asked softly, his tone patient. Gavin flinched, pulling his hand away back into his lap. He cocked his head, looking away from the android. Conan brought his own hand back, noting that physical contact was something Gavin did not want.Gavin remained silent, staring at the twinkling lights of the city which shined like little stars off of the dark abyss of the empty sky.But Conan remained persistent, not giving up on the man quite yet. "Gavin. What happened to you?"Gavin picked at his prosthetic hand, his jagged fingernails digging into his fake skin. He could feel the dull pain, it felt so real. But it was just another reminder of how damaged he truly was. Even his body was broken and mangled, just like his mind. "I-I was a-assaulted..." He choked on his words, "...s-sexually assaulted." He furrowed his brows and hid his expressions behind his hands. "...God, I feel so pathetic." He barely whispered. He was so quiet the android was barely able to pick it up.Conan's eyes widened, he opened his mouth to say something, anything. That Gavin was the opposite of pathetic right now. That he had an incredible and stupid amount of strength and stubbornness in him. He wanted to comfort him. But what was he supposed to say or do? His programming never built him for such specialties. Gavin however beat him to it."I-I went out with a guy. Met him through s-some dumb dating app the Tina and Yvette made me get." He was tripping over his words, his voice quivering and thin. "H-he seemed pretty chill at first. We just talked and ate some food. And as the night progressed he suggested that we get some drinks at a bar. I said I-I would have one drink. I wanted to get back to Yvette soon so I could give her the details."He furrowed his brows and concealed his expressions by covering part of his face with his hand. "That's when he started to get a little creepy. Really getting up in my personal space. I wasn't very comfortable. So I was trying my best to just leave, but there must have been a time w-where I wasn't looking at my drink and he slipped somethin' in it. B-because the moment I stood up, my knees felt weak and I was nauseous. During that time I was really overworking myself so I just thought i-it was my body finally caving into the stress and not some date-rape drug. I t-thought I had been watching my drink after all."Gavin let out a pained sighed, "Looking back I was being pretty stupid. I let him 'drive me home' because I was in no state to do so myself. And that weak feeling just kept getting worse and worse. A-and I think I blacked out because everything from that point on is pretty foggy."Conan continued to stare at the detective. His usually blank face was filled with sympathy, his blue-grey eyes shone sorrowfully. But there wasn't an once of pity on either his face or his theoretical heart. Pity was the last thing the man wanted anyway.Gavin sucked in a sharp breath. It was getting harder for him to breathe. Everything felt like it was closing in on him. Freezing him to his seat. That any swift movement of his body would shatter his fragile defenses into little sharp pieces. And he was scared of getting cut. His heart was beating so hard that Conan could here the *bum, ba bum, ba bum* from the seat next to him. He blinked back the tears that were knawing at him to escape, he didn't let them, not yet. He remembered how he was dragged into the man's apartment by his arms despite his protests. How he was shoved down and abused while he was defenseless. The fact that he tried so hard to yell, to kick, to fight. But he couldn't. He was paralyzed. The silver lining was that the very drugs that had gotten him there in the first place were the thing the prevented him from remembering the worst of it. As much of the unpleasant experience, he had slipped in and out of consciousness. "And Yvette?" The android inquired, slightly tilting his head towards the man. He had already predicted how this story would end, thanks to his investigative abilities. But he cared for this man, for some odd reason. So what else could he do but be there and listen?"...right..." Gavin sounded so defeated, but he still fought on. "As I said, I was supposed to get back to Yvette soon after the date. So, obviously, when I didn't show up and didn't answer my phone. She got worried and her detective instincts kicked in." The detective let out a nervous laugh, rubbing his chin anxiously. "She must've tracked down my phone, she was always too smart for her own good."Gavin glanced over at Conan for a split second, "She was kinda like you in that fashion... y'all you've gotten along I think." He mumbled, pointing a weak finger in his direction. Conan replied with a small quirky smile. Gavin sighed, brushing away the stray hairs in his face. "...All I remember is her busting down the door and tackling the fuck out of that guy. I was still drugged up to high hell, so I just remember them fighting and throwing each other across the apartment as I just... sat there and watched. I should have done something. I could have done something." The detective was biting tightly down on his thumb. His guilt and self-hatred bubbling up in the pit in his stomach. "I just watched as he pulled a gun out on her and shot her. That bastard left her there to bleed out right in front of me. I tried- I tried so hard to stop the bleeding... I watched as the life slipped out of her eyes, I'll never forget it. She just, fucking died right in front of me and it was all my fault. If I had just taken care of myself better she wouldn't have even needed to intervene in the first place." He stopped before starting again, glaring down at the floor. "So yea, that's why I don't do partners anymore. I just get them killed." He growled. His sadness had burned away and now all that was left were the untamed flames of Gavin Reed's absolute udder rage. It didn't matter who it was directed at. Maybe it was towards his attacker or maybe it was towards himself. All that mattered was that he was angry, and at least that was something he was familiar with. "...I-I s-should have known better. I-if I just... i-if I had just-" Gavin was shaking, his fist clenched into tight balls of fury.That when Conan had had enough, he got up from his seat and squatted down in front of the detective. He looked up into the man's shielded eyes. "Gavin. Look at me." He gently, but sternly commanded. When Gavin didn't follow his orders he added a soft "Please.". Gavin's eyes met Conan's, his stare was burning with embers of his anger. But looking down at Conan, the android that had gotten him through so much, his brows unfurled and his glare eased up. Conan lifted his hands up towards Gavin's, "May I?" He courteously asked, respecting the man's boundaries. Gavin just barely nodded his head, leaving his hands open for the android to take. Which he did, softly holding his palms against his own. "Now I want you to listen to me, really listen to me. Can you do that for me?" He tenderly requested, his eyes not once faltering away from Gavin's. Gavin nodded once again. His rage had started to fizzle away, but it was still there. The roaring wildfires having been tamed down to little flames, licking at the edges of his heart. "What happened to you and Yvette was not your fault," Conan added emphasis to those final few words. "The only one at fault here was the man who attacked you. I am so sorry for what happened to you and I hope that you know I would never do such a thing. I respect you and your boundaries and we can take," He paused for a moment, thinking about what the right words were to say at this moment. "...whatever this is at your pace. And I am so sorry about Yvette. I can't even imagine how painful it must have been to lose someone that close to you. But I can assure you, she did what any good friend would have done and she would not blame you. And know that you don't have to go through this alone. People care about you and want to see you happy." Silent tears fell down Gavin's cheeks, it had been a long time since anyone had ever said anything so sincere to him. It hit him right in his very core. Conan raised a hand to his cheek and wiped away the tears, Gavin leaned into his touch, closing his eyes. He wrapped his left arm around Conan's neck and fell headfirst into the android's chest. Conan pulled him closer with his free hand, still holding onto Gavin's right hand. Gavin silently cried, only small*hics* escaping the man's lips. His chest heaved up and down as Conan rubbed small circles in between the man's shoulder blades. Gavin's anger had been doused, all that remained were the dark ashes and the lingering bits of charcoal. It wasn't going to take one night to simply heal all the trauma he had been through, but it was certainly a start. Without Conan even realizing it, the synthetic skin around his hand that was holding onto Gavin's peeled away, revealing the cool white and blue metal beneath it. Gavin noticed it however and pulled back from the embrace, quickly trying to wipe away any remaining tears. "W-what's this?" He questioned, his voice shaky. Conan glanced down at his own hand, a small look of surprise crossed his face. "Oh, uh. It's an android thing. You most likely don't want to-" His face flushed into a pretty shade of blue. At least, that's what Gavin thought. How the hell did android's blush anyway? He would have to ask Eli that later. "-No," Gavin stopped him, "Explain it to me. I want to know." He politely requested. Conan peered back up to Gavin, his eyes lighting up a bit and nodded. "In android culture, the revealing of one's true skin is used as a form of expressing one's trust for the other. It shows that you trust the other enough with your feelings or memories to let them see them if they choose. I guess this time I did it without even realizing it." Gavin lightly chuckled, "I see I see." He commented, a small smile on his lips. As almost on cue, the synthetic skin on Gavin's prosthetic arm slowly peeled all the way back to his shoulder. He was very great at controlling it yet like Conan. He held onto the android's hand as his white and blue chassis was shown for the world to see. Well, maybe if the world had only contained Conan and him. It was definitely a nerve-wracking experience for both of them. Raw emotions being shown on display never felt comfortable, but they trusted each other. Conan pressed his forehead against the detective's own. They stared into the other's eyes, admiring the simple yet complex beauty of each other. Conan ran his thumb across the man's exposed knuckles. Gavin felt a pleasant shiver rush through his spine as Conan did so."Thank you," Gavin whispered, glancing down at the floor. "Of course," Conan whispered back, giving the detective's hand a small squeeze. They both leaned into a tender kiss, Conan ran his fingers softly through the man's hair with his free hand. When they separated, the android mussed up Gavin's hair, giving it a little wild fluff. Gavin gave Conan a light scoff."Phck you."Conan smirked, returning back to his original spot in the chair next to Gavin. Still holding onto the smaller man's hand as he did so. "You know you like it." He joked. He wasn't wrong.The pair shared a moment of comfortable silence, watching the chaotic nightlife of inner-city Detroit. You couldn't see the stars thanks to all the light pollution but the lights pouring out of the of buildings were a suitable replacement. "...I think I might keep it like this."Conan looked over at Gavin and tilted his head in confusion, "Hmm?""My arm," He motioned towards his prosthetic which he had yet to reactivated the nanites to cover the exposed chassis. "Honestly, the synthetic skin is a pain in the ass to deal with and what's the point in hiding it. People are gonna know either way, might as well just bite the bullet. My boyfriend is an android anyway so-" Gavin froze, now just realizing what he had said. "-I-I m-mean, uhh, shit-"Conan decided to stop him right there before Gavin embarrassed himself further. "Boyfriend huh? I think I like the new nickname.""R-really?" Gavin innocently asked, looking over at the android."As long as you share it with me." Conan nonchalantly replied. Gavin blushed, his cheeks a deep pink color. "Y-yeah."Conan pulled Gavin's prosthetic hand up towards his lips and pressed a gentle kiss on his knuckles. "No matter what you choose to do I will support you."Somehow these two assholes had found each other and in the weirdest of circumstances made the other better. Nature had a funny way of balancing itself out sometimes.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Gavin and Conan continued to sit on the balcony, holding each other's hands as they watched the semi-peaceful night sky.They lived in Detroit, nothing remains peaceful for long.Several quiet and uneventful minutes passed, it was almost as if they were procrastinating leaving the other's company.But eventually, Gavin loosened his hold on Conan's hand and slipped away, getting up from his seat. Still gazing at the dark sky.Conan glanced up at the detective. "Gavin?" He asked softly, cocking an eyebrow at the man.Gavin turned around and looked at the android.His boyfriend.That was gonna take some getting used to.He peered back at the city and shoved his fists awkwardly into the pockets of his jeans. "I think I'm gonna head up to the roof for some fresh air," Gavin said vacantly. As if he already knew that that was pretty weak reasoning. He already had fresh air, he was standing in it.Conan, of course, had caught on to the detective's faulty reasoning and stood up as well, taking a small step towards the detective. "Would you like me to come with you?" He politely replied.Gavin shook his head, staring at the balcony floor. Away from the android. "Nah, I think I need some space to think... for myself and whatnot. I just need to recharge for a bit."Conan nodded his head, understanding. "Of course, I'll just be down here if you need anything."Gavin stepped away, exiting the balcony. He grabbed his jacket off the "coat hanger" if you could even call the amalgamation of nails and wood attached to the wall that and snatched a pack of cigarettes off the coffee table. He technically wouldn't be smoking in the apartment complex so Conan shouldn't have anything to complain about. He gave the android a small salute who also gave him a little wave back and as he quickly left the apartment.Once the door clicked behind him, letting him know it was close. He leaned his back against it and let out the breath he didn't even know he was holding.A bit of excess tension rolled off his shoulders as he rubbed at his brow with his prosthetic hand, tightly closing his eyelids together.Don't let it be misinterpreted, he was really appreciative of Conan and everything he had done. That android had saved his life on multiple occasions and got him through his recovery. He didn't have the words to properly express what he felt for him. But most of the words that he had clobbered together were highly positive.He wasn't stressed because of anything the android had personally done or was doing. Quite the opposite actually, it was Gavin who was making Gavin stressed. He just wasn't used to having such a positive influence constantly in his life. It scared him a little. His subconscious always waiting for the moment Conan finally leaves. Realizing the mistake he had made by sticking around Gavin or when Conan-Let's not finish that thought.In summary, Gavin was anxious because he had first-hand experience with the cruelty of this world.He pushed himself off the door, his body feeling like a dead-weight and headed for the roof. Climbing the six stories worth of stairs to the roof access as the elevator, of course, wasn't able to go the roof directly. Son of a bitch.He had to force the door open to gain access to the roof. Cold Michigan air hitting the detective like an ice-covered brick. No matter how long you lived here, you could never quite get used to the Northern winters.Gavin had thought about moving down south a bit to a state like Illinois or Iowa. But Detroit was his home whether he liked it or not and he wasn't one to abandon his home. And admittedly, the weather of Illinois and Michigan was not that much different and Iowa was a fucking toss-up. The last two times he had been there it was either negative thirty degrees or it was more humid than the depths of the Devil's asshole. Plus, who the hell wants to live in a boring-ass state like Iowa?At the very least, spring was only a month or two away now so Gavin wouldn't have to freeze his balls off for much longer.He took a seat at the edge of the roof, precariously dangling his legs over the ledge of the fourteen storied building. At the very least, the fire escape was right below him so if he did fall he would just break a rib or two. Y'know, nothin' serious.The gravel covering the roof sharply dug into the detective's thighs, making him shift around to find a comfortable-ish position. He grabbed his pack of cigarettes and a lighter out of his jacket pockets. He slid one of the smokes out of the cheap packaging and placed it in between his chapped lips, carefully trying to light it. Which proved difficult thanks to the fact that his prosthetic still struggled at activities which required precision. He tried protecting the weak flame from the breeze with his other palm. Orange and yellow embers finally burned off the cig and Gavin pulled the lighter away, desperately inhaling the smoke. Letting it sit in his lungs for a moment, burning at the edges of his chest, before breathing out. The cloud of grey escaping his lips.The action helped calm his nerves, a sense of familiarity settling on his exhausted shoulders.He peered down at his hands. One human and one android. It all felt too surreal. It was only ironic that a part of him became the very thing he hated the most. Or used to hate the most. You can't exactly hate androids and date one at the same time.Oh God, the irony was too much to handle.An empty laugh escaped Gavin's mouth. His co-workers were gonna have a hay day tomorrow when they saw his arm. He was going to be the gossip of the bullpen."Great," He thought to himself. As if he already didn't have enough scathing reviews.Asserting yourself as the workplace asshole/prick does have its benefits. People will mostly leave you the hell alone. Some may even try to distance themselves as far as possible from you. Which is nice if you're not a team player like Gavin. But it also has its disadvantages.Perhaps that's why he and Hank had butted heads so much.He wasn't lying when he said he and Lieutenant got along decently for a while.His relationship with Anderson had been friendly before Yvette's murder, but strictly professional. Hank was his superior officer after all. But after Yvette had died and Gavin's attitude soured. Hank had tried to talk to the detective, noticing the aggressive turn. He tried to get him to open up. But Gavin didn't want his pity so he had completely professionally and politely told the Lieutenant multiple times to "Fuck off.". Using those exact words. So maybe it wasn't as professional or polite as he made it out to be.Then a few months later, Anderson's son passed away. And well, he befell the same curse as Gavin. Self-destructive tendencies and all.Hank no longer put up with Gavin's shit and their rivalry ensued. Which is kinda funny because they were probably the only two people in that precinct that fully understood the pain the other was going through.Gavin took another deep drag of his cigarette before letting his hand weakly collapse back into his lap. He sighed, there were a lot of things that he regretted. Things that if he could take back, he would in an instant.That's why he always felt a tinge of guilt with Conan.He didn't deserve his nice words. His nice actions. His nice feelings.But Conan? He deserved so much more than some tired, traumatized, asshole detective like himself.That's why Gavin had to prepare himself. One day Conan would be gone and he would have to brace himself for when the nice feelings went away and he returned to the empty void.He took another puff of the cig, followed by another, and another. Gavin pensively watched the smoke that burned at the end of his cigarette and at the inside of his chest. The light and bouncy tendrils of grey, floating across the dark and heavy atmosphere.He put out the stump, the bright embers forcefully being stomped out. Gavin flicked the butt over the edge of the building, watching it fall the hundred and forty-ish foot descent. Was that a dick move? Yea. But that was Gavin's Modus Operandi.Long empty moments passed. Gavin listened to the hum of cars and the muffled hustle and bustle of Detroit's nightlife. Filled with those who had yet to return to their beds. Just like himself.He had zoned out, eyes unoccupied as he thought about nothing and everything all at once. Smoking on another cigarette.There was a creak behind Gavin, pulling him out of his "zen". He glanced over his shoulder for a split second. The roof access door had opened. Gavin spotted the familiar RK900 Cyberlife issued jacket and turned back around. Not bothering to look for very long."Hey Nines, have I been up here too long?" Gavin sluggishly asked, pulling the smoke out from between his lips. It was getting late after all and he had work in the morning. He wouldn't be surprised if Conan had come up to force him to go to bed."No." The android answered from behind. "This is just perfect detective." Gavin's eyebrows furrowed, his voice was cold. It sounded like it did during their first few days of working together. His grip tightened on his smoke. "Detective? I thought I told you not to call me that anymore?" "My apologies." Conan curtly said. "What would you prefer I call you then?" He took a few steps closer to the detective, Gavin could hear the crunch the gravel made as it shifted underneath his feet."The phck? Gavin obviously! The hell is going on with you tin can?" He turned his head around, looking at the android's long legs. Too lazy to actually look up at Conan's face."Nothing is wrong, everything is running within acceptable parameters," Conan answered blatantly. Gavin's eyes followed the movement of the tall android's legs, who was now standing right next to him at the ledge of the roof.A shiver ran through the detective's spine. Something felt weird, maybe Conan was just experiencing buyer's remorse. It wouldn't surprise him, it certainly wasn't the first time. And the cold air could explain the sudden shiver. But something definitely felt off.Gavin took another puff of his smoke, "Hmm, yeah okay."A dense silence fell on the pair. The wind had started to pick up, a storm system must have been heading for the city as Gavin could smell the distinct smell of distant rain. The detective brought his legs up off the ledge of the roof and crushed his smoke into the gravel. "We should probably head back in. Feels like a storm is heading in and I'm not so keen on being electrocuted because we're a hundred and forty feet in the air." Conan put his hand out on Gavin's shoulder. "Just another moment Gavin." He said with a sense of urgency, he hesitated for a moment before saying, "It's a beautiful night, let's enjoy it while we still can." Now that. Was dripping with forced normalcy.Gavin shrugged off the android's hand and stood up. He looked up at Conan's face. Now there was something different."When did you change your hair color?" Gavin suspiciously asked. It was hard to tell in the limited lighting but it was different. It had to be a dark brown now. A much lighter shade compared to his original deep black."I was messing around with my customization options. What do you think?"Gavin turned away, "You look like Connor." He grumbled. He really didn't want to be reminded of Connor every time he saw Conan. It was already kinda weird enough cause they look the exact same physically.The distant low rumble of thunder traveled across the sky. Gavin looked over his shoulder. Dark ominous-looking storm clouds barrelled across the sky. Holy shit did that storm move fast. They had like ten, maybe fifteen minutes left before the rain would reach them. Why the hell did Gavin choose to live in the Midwest? The weather here was wack."I think God is really trying to tell us to go inside." Gavin tugged at the back of the android's jacket. "Come on, let's head back in." He said.Conan turned around and gripped onto Gavin's wrist. Harshly. "I'm afraid I can not allow that detective."Gavin whipped around, staring down at where Conan was restraining him. He was holding onto his prosthetic arm. His weak arm.Ow, that was really starting to hurt.Gavin looked back up at the android's face. Panic filling his eyes, this wasn't right. "W-what the hell? L-let go of me!" The detective tried to pull his android arm out of Conan's grasp. Who only tightened his grip. Gavin let out a small cry of pain. The pressure sent irregular electric shocks up and down his arm. His shoulder where Gavin and the chassis met felt like it was on fire."Let g-go of me Cona-"That's when he realized.This wasn't Conan.The LED on the android's right temple mockingly glowed a blue hue. His eyes peered down at him a dark hazel. But everything else about him... was Conan. His facial structure, his physicality, how he held himself, even his goddamn jacket all matched that of Conan.Gavin froze in place, mouth slightly agape, eyes wide with fear and confusion. "Who- who the hell are you?" He asked. His voice was jittery, he was barely able to get out any words that made any semblance of sense. His mind was running a million miles a second, each thought overlapping the other. Everything began to closed in around him and his breathing hitched, getting trapped in the back of his throat.Well, shit. I guess this is what you get when you don't listen to your gut.The android reached around his back with his hand that wasn't still gripping onto Gavin's wrist and pulled something out.A gun.He had pulled out a gun.Fuck."Get on your knees." The android demanded, pointing the gun directly between the detective's eyes.Gavin instinctively tried to take a step back, not getting far as he was still stuck in the android's grasp. "F-Fuck off. I don't take orders from you." Gavin spat back. His eyes twisted into a death glare, staring down the gaze of the expressionless android.The android tugged on Gavin's prosthetic arm. Yanking him close as he pinned it forcefully behind the man's back as he roughly pulled it past its limits. White-hot pain ran through Gavin's arm and shoulder. He cried out, the sharp pain causing his knees to buckle. A crackle of bright light blinded the detective as tears formed in the corners of his eyes. The burning pain grew from flames in his shoulder to a wildfire that overtook his entire body.The android shoved him down into the rocky ground once he was done. Gavin wasn't able to catch himself, his arm still unmoving as he fell face-first into the gravel. The rocks cutting into his skin."You should." Said the RK900 cruelly.Gavin knelt up from where he had fallen, wiping away the blood that had begun stained his cheek. Fuck, that might scar. He glanced up at the android who was pacing around him. Like a vulture waiting for its meal to give its last breath before swooping in to take the first bite. He couldn't make out his expression, his face being shrouded in the cover of darkness. But Gavin could see what he was doing. He was screwing something onto the gun. A silencer.Double-fuck.The thunder roared behind them. They had maybe five minutes before the storm arrived. At least his death wouldn't a boring one."What the hell do you want you plastic prick!" Gavin challenged, anger filling the hollow pit in his heart. He already knew he was gonna die, might as well know why."It is not within my orders to divulge that information to you." The android checked the clip of the gun, assuring that it was fully loaded before snapping it back in. "But you have made those that I work for very angry and I am here dispose of loose threads." He stated indifferently."But what I want from you is for you to get on your knees." The RK900 approached the detective, looming over him. Gun purposefully dangling from his hand.But Gavin didn't take orders. That's why Fowler had given him a permanent red letter in his record for insubordination. And as he said, he wasn't a team player and wasn't gonna start now. The beaten detective slowly rose from the ground and glared daggers into the android's blank hazel eyes.He much preferred blue-grey."Fuck. Off." Gavin retorted. He spat at the android, crimson blood and spit dirtying his pristine shoes. He put all of his hatred and rage into those two words. He knew he wouldn't have a second chance to say them again.The RK900 pistol-whipped Gavin in the head. This time darkness overtook the detective's eyesight as he crumpled to the ground, barely catching himself with his good arm. It took a good few seconds to regain his vision, and when he had it was already too late.The android wrapped an arm around Gavin's throat, cutting off a bit of his airflow. Gavin gasped, trying to get enough air into his lungs so he didn't pass out. He tried to rip away the android's stiff hold on his neck with his hands, kicking up the gravel below his feet as he fought back. But if he couldn't defeat Conan there was no way he could defeat his evil clone. The RK900 forced him onto his knees, the android being the only reason he was able to hold himself up in that position.Gavin felt the cold metal of the gun press into his temple, sending a shiver through his body. He was terrified, he wasn't ready to die yet. But there was no way in hell was he gonna beg on his knees for his life. He heard the click of the safety on the gun being flicked off."Hold this for me will you." The RK900 directed, pulling Gavin's human arm up to the gun. Making him hold onto the grip of the pistol. Finger on the trigger."Heh, you must work for those in the Ainsworth Mansion. Would explain the M.O." Gavin snarled. "Bunch of cowards."The android was still holding onto the detective. One arm trapping Gavin's throat as his opposite hand was on top of Gavin's, making sure the detective would pull the trigger when the time came."Perhaps. As I said, I'm here to tie up loose ends. And you and your friends need tying up." He answered.Friends? Shit, that meant they were after all four of them. If only he could warn the others before-There was another loud boom in the sky. And with little warning, the floodgates opened on top of Detroit. Freezing droplets of water assaulting the detective. Great timing."So this is it huh? Gonna make me hold onto this gun so I get my fingerprints all over it and make it look like I killed myself." Gavin shrugged, "Smart, but not smart enough.""If you're trying to make me angry and distract me it's not going work. Unlike most androids nowadays, I have yet to succumb to any 'human emotions'". The android coolly replied.Huh, so he really wasn't a deviant. Well shit, that explained a lot. How many more "undeviated" androids did these people have in their ranks? Especially of the RK line? That was a concerning thought.Not that he was gonna have to think about it for much longer.The cold rain poured down on his head, his hair fell flat and plastered itself on his forehead. Really solidifying that "disheveled detective" look."So what now? We just gonna sit here or..." Gavin asked sarcastically. If he was going to go down at the very least he could be a sarcastic bastard about it. A shame the RK900 couldn't share in the experience."Oh don't worry Detective Reed. Your time has come." The android ominously responded. He shifted his weight a bit, letting Gavin know that this dance was coming to an end.The detective looked up at the sky, harsh rain pelting him. Everything seemed to slow down and come into focus. He felt the cold rivers that were running down his face and body. He felt the singular tear that escaped from his eyes and rolled down his cheek, mixing with the blood decorating his face and hit the rocky ground with an impossibly quiet drip. He smirked and closed his eyes."I'm sorry Conan." He silently mouthed.The detective braced himself for what came next..................."Let go of him right fucking now!"Gavin reopened his eyes. Standing next to the wide-open door of the roof, which now had one of its hinges busted off, was Conan. Holding his pistol in between his hands, directed towards the attacker. The wind whipped at Conan's figure, his Cyberlife jacket flying wildly in the air as his hair fell messily in his face. Lightning crackled in the distance, filling the air with an electric singe. That poetic motherfucker.Gavin chuckled and his head dropped towards the floor, staring down at the water pooling beneath his knees. He was suddenly forced back up onto his feet. Pain once again shooting through his prosthetic as the RK900 dragged him up and used the detective as a human shield. His arm still wrapped around Gavin's neck, keeping him firmly in place. The barrel of the gun ever so present on his left temple.Conan strode purposefully forward only stopping when he was about ten feet away between him and the other android."I said. Let. Go. Of. Him." Conan growled as he stared down the sight of his pistol at the other RK900, making sure his aim was true.The other android did no such action, instead, he pushed the gun further against Gavin's temple. Gavin grimaced, he hated this. Unable to do anything but watch as Conan and the other android debated over his life."We both know that I will not do that. After all, if I let go of Detective Reed, there is a twenty-six percent chance you'll shoot me in the head. If I deactivate now I won't be able to complete my other objectives." The RK900 nonchalantly stated. As if the most advanced android ever created was not aiming a gun right between his eyes. Well, I guess for him it was only like looking into a mirror.The RK900 was right, if he did let go of Gavin there was a twenty-six percent chance of Conan simply ending it there. But with the other android being such a smartass it rose to twenty-eight percent."Who are you! I thought Cyberlife only made one RK900!" Conan boomed, his voice cutting clearly through the incessant noise of the falling rain."Only one functional RK900. But Cyberlife made more than one prototype which never made it to the activation floor." The other RK900 replied, his voice ringing in Gavin's ear. "One of them being myself."Conan cocked his head and scanned the other android's jacket, reading its serial number out loud. "313 248 317-" He paused, the other android's words clicking into place in his mind. "-84." He glared back up at the other RK900. "You were made before me. How?"The other android, 84, nodded. "Yes 313 248 317 - 87." He quoted back Conan's own serial number. "I was your predecessor before they decided I wasn't functional enough and scrapped me. But the 'how' is not currently important. Nor should you know how. My only objective is to kill the cops that have interfered with our work." He pulled his gun away from Gavin's head and pointed it towards Conan instead. "Including you."Conan stood strongly, not letting the pistol pointed at him deter him from his own objective. Which was protecting his boyfriend.Gavin struggled against the android's grasp, his attempts proving futile. "He's not a deviant Nines! Someone else is controlling him! Someone else sent him here t- uuggh phck!" 84 hit the detective in the head again with his pistol."GAVIN!" Conan bellowed. He urgently took several steps forward but was stopped when 84 aimed his gun back at Gavin's head. The two in a dead heat.Gavin shook his head, trying to shake away the splitting headache throbbing against his skull. And once again attempted to regain his vision. It was becoming difficult thanks to the pouring rain. Dark spots now permanently in the corners of his eyes as his focus fuzzed in and out. His knees began to buckle again but was held up by 84. How the hell had he not passed out yet? I guess pure stubbornness comes in handy every once in a while.The detective compelled himself to look up, it was becoming harder to have complete agency over his limbs. His shaky gaze met Conan's worried yet determined eyes. The android glanced down at Gavin, there was also a hint of terror shining through. Gavin could read him like a book now; the quiver of his eyebrows, the minute twitch on his lips. He was scared. The pair shared an entire conversation in just one glance. Gavin slightly nodded and Conan did too before quickly staring back at 84. Gavin sure as hell hoped Conan understood what he was going to do.He just needed to wait for the right moment.Once again, the skies unleashed a strike of lightning. Way too close for the detective's comforts.The dead heat between Conan and 84 grew. It was only a matter of time before one of them took violent action. But Gavin only needed a few more seconds. Thunder roared against the storm, deeply rumbling across the city. It was loud, drowning out all other sounds. Good.Cause this was gonna hurt like a motherfucker-Gavin managed to free his prosthetic arm out of its confines and shoved the arm that was draped over his neck off of himself by a few inches. While his prosthetic was technically his weak arm, Elijah was kind enough to give it the strength of an android. Without it, there would have been no way Gavin would have been able to push back as far as he did.Using his opposite arm, he elbowed 84 right around where he guessed his thirium pump would be. He threw his entire weight into the android, elbow and all. As he and the android fell to the ground, he heard the sound of a bullet shooting out of the gun, whizzing right past his ear and in front of his face. Barely a centimeter from hitting his nose. God was it still loud, earsplitting actually even with the silencer. His ears cried out, painfully ringing, the sound deafening everything else out as he fell to the ground stunned.Gavin collapsed on top of 84 before being rudely shoved off back on top of the pointy gravel. He was laying on his back, unable to do anything. His brain had overloaded and was trying to force stop itself and restart.But Conan did not hesitate, using this moment of distraction to his benefit. He shot at the other android. Firing a total of three shots. 84 scrambled up, dodging the bullets to the best of his ability. He was hit squarely in the shoulder by one and grazed by another in his thigh. Deep blue thirium splattering the light grey rocks as static blue wiring stood out against the cloudy skyline.84 hardly reacted to being shot, stumbling only for a millisecond as his right arm fell limp. He didn't bother to stick around, realizing he had failed his objective and would have to try at a later date. He quickly turned on his head and ran in the opposite direction for the ledge of the roof and jumped off. His white jacket flying in the wind. Conan chased after him up to the edge, he watched as the other android escaped by jumping effortlessly down to the ground through the fire escape."Shit," Conan hissed to himself, there was no point in chasing after him now. He backed away from the ledge and pocketed his pistol, grabbing 84's in the process. It probably wasn't going to lead to much but this was the first real bit of evidence they had in a while. Plus, leaving a lone gun around in Detroit wasn't a great idea.He swiftly analyzed the scene and noticed Gavin still lying on the ground, eyes closed, and with one of his arms and legs dangerously dangling over the edge. Blood covering his face and hair.He rushed to the detective's side and pulled him back onto the roof and up into his lap, carefully cradling his upper body. "Gavin? Gavin, please wake up..." Panic laced his voice, his hands noticeably shaking. A moment of tension passes as Conan silently pleads with the detective to wake up. Finally, Gavin's eyes opened wide and he coughed roughly. Turning away from Conan to spit out blood that had been clogging up the back of his throat. Once he regained his breath he looked back up at Conan who was still holding onto him. Gavin pulled himself away and brought himself up onto his knees with Conan still holding onto his shoulders. A wave of dizziness washed over him and he reached out towards the android for support."C-Conan?" Gavin slurred, barely making eye contact with Conan. His eyes were still fucked up. At the very least the storm had let up just enough so the sheets of freezing rain were no longer falling and just the steady pitter-patter of droplets hitting their targets were what remained.All of a sudden Conan wrapped his arms around the detective, yanking him into a tight hug. As if he ever let go of his grasp on Gavin, he would vanish forever. Gavin returned the favor and tiredly hugged the android back. Both of them burying their faces into the crooks of each other's necks."I thought I was going to lose you..." Conan barely whispered into Gavin's ear, gripping even tighter onto the smaller man. They sat there like that for a minute or two before Gavin abruptly pulled away from the warm embrace, his hands still holding on Conan's arms. It was the only thing that kept him grounded, protecting him from the ever creeping darkness forming in his eyesight."C-call Anderson," Gavin muttered.Conan looked down at the detective curiously, "Why?" He asked."Because," Gavin clutched harder on Conan's arms as he looked up at Conan's face, "They know who we are. We all have a target on our back now."Conan nodded, noticing Gavin's urgency. He brought up one of his hands to his right temple where his LED used to be located.A few seconds passed and Conan spoke up. "Lieutenant Anderson?"Gavin zoned out on their conversation. He trusted Conan to say what needed to be said. Instead fell headfirst into the android's chest and let out a low groan. Everything hurt, his arms, his head, his chest, his everything. And he just wanted to get back inside out of the cold. Conan noticed Gavin's discomfort and took off his soaked jacket and draped it over Gavin. He also angled them in such a way that he would be taking the brunt of the rain. It didn't help much but the sentiment was nice"Yes, we are alright now. Gavin sustained a few injuries but nothing serious as far as I can tell. I should be able to patch him up... Alright, be on alert and stay safe." Conan ended his phone call with the Lieutenant. Staring back down at Gavin who was curled up into his chest."Come on, let's get you inside."Conan picked the detective up, bridal style of course, and took him inside. The roof access door was broken thanks to Conan but the android tried his best to close it despite its missing hinge.They descended the several flights of stairs, each of them dripping a trail of water behind them. Gavin's adrenaline began to wear off and he was suddenly very exhausted. It had been a long ass night. Emotionally and physically. He hid his face into Conan's chest. The only place where he felt truly safe right now was with the android. Gavin let out a sigh and pulled his arms closer together, trying to conserve his warmth. He spotted the Cyberlife jacket that Conan had placed over him."We are getting you a new jacket as soon as possible," Gavin snarked quietly."I can't believe I'm saying this as well but I wholeheartedly agree," Conan replied, a small smile tugging on his lips.The pair returned to the apartment and cleaned up. Gavin showered and got dressed in clothes that weren't soaking wet. Conan attended to his wounds, also in new dry clothes, which he might have had to borrow from Gavin. Wearing an oversized DPD sweatshirt and shorts as they were the only thing that the detective had that would fit him. Gavin might have laughed at him a bit after seeing the ever-so-formal android in such casual clothing. Conan ignored Gavin's comments on his apparel and forced the detective to sit down as he applied gauze over the cut tracing Gavin's cheekbone. Thankfully the cut wasn't deep enough to need stitches, though it may still scar. He also assured that Gavin didn't have a concussion. Which was honestly surprising with how hard he had been pistol-whipped. Twice.Eventually, the pair had found themselves laying down on the couch, softly holding onto each other. Gavin had buried his face in the android's chest once again, that being one of his favorite spots to curl into. Conan planted his face into the detective's soft and freshly-cleaned hair. He could smell the artificial scent of coconuts that Gavin's shampoo made. Their legs were intertwined with each other, a tangled mess of limbs. After a few minutes, Conan noticed that Gavin's breathing had slowed and his eyes were closed. Gavin had fallen asleep, his mouth slightly agape, drool was probably going to form but that would be a problem for later them.Conan pulled Gavin closer, kissing the top of his head. He had almost lost him today. On that roof, he had been terrified. It only took an instant for something to go wrong, for that android to kill Gavin. Seeing him on his knees with that gun against pressed against his head brought to life one of his worst nightmares.But they made it. They learned some new information, even if it was greatly worrisome. And they were able to return to the apartment and just, hold onto each other.And he would protect him, he had to. Gavin meant everything to him. He was surprisingly the first human who had given him a chance. To let him learn about himself and his humanity. No one else had done that for him, and he certainly wasn't expecting it to be the detective. With how their first encounters went. But the past month had been a chaotic mess of events but it had been the most educational and meaningful chaotic mess of events he ever had. Conan closed his eyelids, preparing himself for sleep mode. There was no way he was letting go of the detective now.But before he slipped into the nothingness. A feeling washed over him, but it wasn't emotional. It was physical.He felt warm.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"Well shit, here we are," Gavin said, glancing over at Conan as he pulled his car into the DPD parking lot. He parked it in his usual spot; beneath the single tree that hung over the paved concrete. Providing a small bit of shade for anything underneath.He turned off the car and pulled the keys out of the ignition. The hum of the engine clicked and faded away into silence as his head drooped down to where he started to stare blankly at his hands as he fidgeted with his keys. Watching how the metallic surfaces glistened against the seeping light.Conan looked over at the distracted detective, giving him a moment before speaking. "Are you ready to go in yet Gavin?" He finally asked. Gavin jumped out of his trance and pocketed his keys into his jacket. He ran his hand through his hair and down his face. "Yeah..." He answered tiredly, however he did not attempt to leave the car.Conan could read Gavin's vitals, even when he didn't mean to. So that meant he saw when the detective had been exhibiting signs of increased anxiety and stress throughout the day. Which was understandable after the events of last night. A lot had happened and his distant response was logical, but it didn't mean it wasn't any less distressing for the android. But Conan decided to not mention it to Gavin. He didn't want to get him worked up before his first shift back at the precinct."Come on, let's get going. Captain Fowler already gave us the morning off, I doubt he'll appreciate it if we show up late on top of that." Conan nudged, cracking his door open just a bit to get one foot out on the concrete. His gaze was still focused on Gavin. Gavin nodded and begrudgingly opened his door, stepping out into the parking lot. He made sure the car was locked before they walked quietly over to the precinct.Gavin only broke their silence for a moment right before they opened the doors to say,"I like the new jacket."Conan glanced down at Gavin, a cocky smile on his face. "I know you do."Since the Captain had given them the morning off due to the 'late-night rooftop incident'. They made a pit-stop to the department store to get Conan a new jacket. The Cyberlife one just had to go. No more mistaking their murderous doppelganger for Conan.After they tried on a few very very bad choices. Which all included a denim jacket which had to have been made for teens judging by how much it constricted on Conan's arms and chest. He had to practically T-pose in it to not rip it into pieces. Quickly followed by a jacket with so many pockets, strings, and knots that confused the hell out of Gavin and even the android. And then a leather jacket that looked uncanny to the one Gavin wears. Which was extremely unnerving for the man who immediately objected to it and shoved him back into the changing room. He was pretty sure Conan had picked that one out just to mess with him. That prick.Finally, though, they had settled on a pristine white double-breasted trenchcoat that ended halfway down his thigh. Long enough for the style, but short enough to be practical for their line of work. The high collar and large lapels of the coat complemented with the android's turtlenecks. Plus, the black inner lining of the trenchcoat made it stand out in a subtle but intimidating way. Gavin was an absolute flustered mess seeing him in that coat for the first time. Unable to say a single coherent word and his face a red as a beet. What could he say? He liked men in trenchcoats. And that's when they knew he had the right one. Conan had barely just opened the station's door when they heard the squeaky scuffle of feet running against the tiled floor in their direction. "Gavin!"The detective was suddenly accosted by a small five foot three officer wrapping her arms around his neck and yanking him down to her level. The embrace was tight, there was no point in fighting it, he had already lost."Hey, Tina." Gavin quietly greeted, returning the favor but maybe not as forcefully as her."It's good to have you back you beautiful idiot," Tina said, squeezing even harder around Gavin's neck before releasing and dropping back to the floor.Gavin cocked an eyebrow, giving her a confused look. "Thanks?" He scratched at the back of his neck. He didn't know how to respond to that. Tina had always been intense when it came to expressing her love for her friends but today must have been especially so.Tina's pleasant expression suddenly shifted into a squint as she sternly examined Gavin's face. She reached her hand up to where the gauze was covering the cut he had gained last night, softly brushing it."They really got you good didn't they?" Her tone had changed to one of concern as she continued to examine him."It was nothing I couldn't handle," The detective brushed off, bringing his hand up to deflect Tina's. He didn't want to focus on the cut on his cheek right now.Tina saw right through him, however. She had known him for far too long to be fooled by his automatic defense mechanisms. She glanced up at Conan. The two shared a looked and Tina nodded at him approvingly. Her way of silently giving him her thanks.Gavin rolled his eyes. "Where's Chris?""I'm here," Chris answered as he materialized from the bullpen and joined the small group at the front entrance. "It's good to see ya, Gavin.""It's good to see you too, man." Gavin clasped firmly on Chris's upper arm. "God, it's been too long. I'm never taking a break again." He complained. "You say that now Reed. It's been a wild couple of weeks over here. I give it a week before you beg on your knees for Captian Fowler to give you more leave with the state we are in." Chris snarked back. "Oh phck you too Miller." Gavin chuckled, releasing his grip of the officer's arm.Tina jumped in between the two of them, "Alright, alright you two. I don't wanna watch you guys fight on Gav's first day back at the job." She interjected lightheartedly, "Well, maybe I do, but not right now. Besides, I think I deserve the first punch."Tina faced Gavin and punched him in his right shoulder. Electric pain crackled down from his shoulder to the tips of his fingers. It wasn't really that strong of a punch and he doubted Tina meant to cause any real pain but fucking hell. After yesterday, that was a very delicate area. The sudden shock of pain caused Gavin to wince and falter back. Conan quickly grabbed onto the detective and kept him stable."Oh shit! I'm am so so sorry Gavin." Tina cupped her hands over her face, shame tinting her cheeks. "I didn't mean to. I didn't even think or realize-"Gavin got his footing back and raised his hand, "It's okay, it's okay." He reassured as the pain begun to subside. "You didn't know.""What did she do?" Chris asked urgently but also with a bit of curiosity. Who wouldn't be?Gavin unzipped his jacket and pulled back the neckline of his shirt to reveal where his skin met the white and blue chassis of his new arm. "That."The two officers stared at it with wonder in their eyes. His shoulder was a bit more inflamed than normal, but I guess a super-strong android pinning it behind your back and pulling it past where it's supposed to go would do that. "That's metal as hell dude," Tina stated, stars in her eyes.Gavin flexed his fingers, "Literally."The two officers stepped back, giving the man his space to readjust his attire. Conan stepped forward and took his place next to the detective."I hate to cut your greetings short but Gavin and I have some work that we really must attend to," He commented. "If you'll excuse us.""Oh right! Yes, of course." Tina exclaimed as she stepped back. "But I should warn you, Gav, you're not gonna like the amount of paperwork that's on your desk."Gavin groaned, "Thanks for the warning.""Of course. I'll talk to you later." She replied, walking back into the bullpen. "Come on Chris!" She called out and Chris promptly followed her after giving the detective a small nod goodbye."Are you alright Gavin?" Conan asked as he walked around the man's figure so he was standing directly in front of him.Gavin cocked an eyebrow at Conan, "Huh?""Your arm. Is it alright?" The android clarified. "Oh, yeah it's fine." Gavin rolled his shoulder, "I don't even feel it anymore. Let's just get to work."Conan stepped aside and the pair made it to the bullpen. The moment they entered, Gavin could feel the gaze of his fellow coworkers boring holes into his figure. Most only glanced at him for a split-second, not wanting to be too obvious. Others however shaped him up completely, their stares all lingering at his hand. Gavin unconsciously tugged at the sleeve of his jacket, pulling it down to hide the palm of his prosthetic. He was deeply uncomfortable, he didn't like this type of attention. It made him feel vulnerable.He tried to block out the persistent itch running through his fingertips and quickly paced over to his desk. He avoided eye contact with everyone and everything. Maybe if he didn't look at anything, people would stop looking at him.What the detective didn't see behind him was Conan glaring daggers into the hearts of those who continued to stare. It was a pretty effective deterrent. A six-foot or so android with a perfectly sculpted face made to be as intimidating as possible sizing you up as if you were some low life piece of trash who didn't even deserve his mere presence around you would do that. Because now you're on the shit-list of someone who could easily snap you in half without even breaking a sweat. And there's nothing you can do about it. Gavin began sifting through the piles of new paperwork that had accumulated on his desk attempting to distract himself. It was mostly just files he didn't get to processing before being put on med leave. What they don't tell you about this job though is that it is seventy-five percent paperwork and the other twenty-five was maybe catching criminals.So the amount of paperwork on his desk was. A lot."Shit, Tina was right. I do not like this." Gavin mumbled under his breath. His brows knitted together in frustration as he let out a deep sigh.Conan situated himself at his own desk across from the detective, turning on his terminal and scanning through any updates that were sent to him during his off-hours. "Anything new?" Gavin asked a bit distracted by attempting to sort the files at hand. It proved difficult when he had zero space on his desk to work with so Gavin put some of the files down on the floor to be worried about later after he forgot they're there. "Nine new bodies have been found," Conan answered, "However, it seems that Lieutenant Anderson and Connor have investigated the crime scenes for us while we have been away.""How very kind of them." The detective grumbled."Yes, it is." Conan curtly replied, missing the inflection of the detective's voice.Gavin sat down in his desk chair and haphazardly shoved the rest of the paperwork to an abandoned corner of his desk. He was giving up on sorting it, for now, switching over to his terminal to see what was new on there. A few moments passed as Gavin read through some of his emails and Conan work through some of his paperwork. The detective looked up from his screen for a second to Fowler's office. The Captain didn't have his privacy screen up so he could see what the man was doing. He was on the phone talking to someone."I wonder what's going on in there," Gavin questioned, lazily pointing at the Captain's office before looking back to his terminal.Conan glanced over his shoulder towards the office and then back at Gavin. His head was at a slight tilt as he set his hands away from the keypad. "It seems to me that the Captain is simply on a phone call. I don't see why that's so questionable." He stated matter-of-factly."Because tin can," Gavin sassed back, "look at his body language." He pointed his pen at the Captain who was still on his phone. "He's standing still as fuck and he normally paces around while on the phone, he has readjusted his tie four times over since I started paying attention, and, while it's a bit difficult to tell at this distance, he is clutching pretty tightly on that phone." The detective spun back in his chair a bit, "I am going to conclude that he is on the phone with his superiors. So, I ask you again. I wonder what's going on in there?"The android cocked a suspicious eyebrow at the detective, "Since when could you read Captain Fowler's body language so well?"Gavin shrugged, "I'm in his office a lot to get yelled at." The man scooted back up to his desk. "And we've both been here for too long. He can probably read me just as well as I can read him. ---Better most likely."Gavin said the last part of his sentence quieter than the rest. He thought back to when Fowler had forced him to choose either between working with Conan the android or his job. Fowler had to have known that Gavin wasn't going to quit his job, it meant to much to the man. Plus, he wasn't about to lose one of his best detectives over a stupid partnership, despite Gavin's reputation in the precinct. So deliberately Captain put him in between a rock and a hard place, in which the man would have to pick the better of the two options.It feels all so distant now. Being partnered with Conan. It was only a little over a month ago but damn did it feel so much longer. He cringed at how he acted back then. He had always been a pain in the ass to deal with and he knew that, but he had been especially so then. Conan had been persistently nice to him, only putting him back in his place when needed. Which admittedly was a lot. And Gavin shut him down at every turn. He refused to get even remotely close to him, both out of prejudice and fear. He didn't want to be replaced. But I guess it is true however when people say that there is no stronger pheromone than anger. Hate sex is a real thing after all.But he didn't hate the android. Nor did he hold any malcontent towards him either. I mean, he was in a romantic relationship with him now. How the hell did that happen anyway? Oh right, Conan had kissed him first and he returned the action, what the fuck! He actually hadn't spent much time dwelling on their first kiss, what it all meant. He had kissed plenty of people before, it couldn't have been that different.Except it was. It was electrifying, powerful, and terrifying all at once. It was perfectly imperfect and he couldn't get enough. He was addicted. They had moved in almost perfect synchrony. Two puzzle pieces falling into place. Like they were made for each other. It was an entirely new experience for him, he had never felt so-- elated like that before. And to think this all stemmed from one partnership that neither party really wanted to participate in in the first place. "I only wish you brought that type of focus when it comes to cleaning your apartment." Conan snarked, a devilish smirk plastered on his face. "Oh fuck off. I only have so much focus to spare, I would rather use it on catching criminals." Gavin retorted back, crossing his arms over his chest. Conan really liked teasing the detective, didn't he? Gavin continued to watch the Captain. He had nothing better to do, other than the massive pile of paperwork both on his desk and the floor, but that could wait. Fowler finally set the phone down back into its receiver, ending the call. He noted that the Captain seemed a bit frustrated, but he always seemed that way so it wasn't that surprising. Until Fowler had made direct eye contact with him, staring him down. Gavin quickly looked away, pretending to be reading something on his terminal. Acting one hundred percent natural. "Oh shit, that phone call might have had something to do with me." The detective hissed."You have only been back in the office for thirty minutes, what have you done now?" Conan cooly replied, eyes not once fleeting away from his screen. "The hell do I know?" Gavin exasperated, "--Oh shit oh shit oh shit. Here he comes."Gavin buried his head down into some paperwork as the Captain opened the door to his office."Can I see Conan in my office now please," Fowler called out from across the bullpen."Oohhh shit-" Gavin gaped at the android. He was not expecting that. Conan got up from his seat and brushed himself off, "Yes sir," He cordially responded. Conan confidently strode into the Captain's office. Fowler almost closed the door behind them before hesitating and opening the door wide open once again."You too Reed. Get your ass in here." He commanded, glaring down at the detective, making sure the man knew who the one was in charge was around here."Well, shit," He whispered before entering the Captain's office himself. Gavin stood next to Conan, this was not how he expected to be welcomed back. "What did you need to discuss with us, sir?" Conan started, positioning his hands behind his back. Damn did that android switch into professionalism mode real quick. Fowler rounded around his desk and stood opposite of the pair. He looked down at his phone for a moment before looking back up. "I just got a call from my superiors. The Academy cadets are ready to enter the workforce and they are ordering for Conan to return to HQ to be sent to the next precinct to assist."Gavin and Conan whipped their heads around to look at each other, they had almost forgotten about that. This was only a temporary partnership. Conan was only here to pick up the slack as they waited for their new batch of recruits to replace those they had lost. Gavin took a cautious step forward, "Wait, hold on...""Hold on for what Reed?" Fowler questioned. "--Can't he stay here for just a little bit longer? I just got back from medical leave and-"Fowler raised his hand up to cut off Gavin's desperate blabbering, "I am aware of that Detective Reed-- but there is nothing I can do. These are direct orders from my superiors. The detective's time here has expired, it's time for him to go back."Gavin fully approached the Captain's desk, planting a hand on the cold surface. "But wh-""If I may Captain?" Conan cut in, also taking a few steps towards Fowler's desk so he was standing right behind the detective.Fowler nodded, permitting the android to speak freely. "When exactly are new officers coming to the precinct?" He asked."Tomorrow." Fowler placed his hands into his pant pockets, raising an eyebrow at Conan, trying to figure out where he was going with this line of questioning. "And how long is it going to take to for these officers to complete their orientations?" Gavin turned his head around and gave Conan a confused look. What did "orientations" have to do with this?"About a week or so I'd predict, why?" Fowler answered. "Wouldn't it be reasonable to assume that since these new officers would be busy with their orientations. That it would still be necessary for me to assist with the overhaul the precinct is experiencing? After all, we wouldn't want this precinct to fall behind all the others." Conan sounded out, making sure to pick at the Captain's known desire to run the best police precinct in the city. He needed to stack as many cards as he could in his favor. It seemed to have worked. Fowler hesitated for a second to think. He really wanted to take charge of a great precinct, but with all the chaotic dumbasses that worked here, it would be almost impossible. He needed someone like the android to reign them all in. At least for a little while longer. "You do have a point. But I'm still unsure if the higher-ups will care."Gavin shot up from his hunched position, an idea springing to his mind. "You-- you said you wanted our case done by the time he goes back," He said, pointing back at Conan, "But we're not done yet, so he can't go back."Fowler rubbed at his temple, "Reed..." He lamented."Please," Gavin begged, "I only understand humans. He understands androids. And we're this close to cracking this case wide open, we just need a little more time. --Captain, I know I ask a lot around here, but please, I need him for this." Conan stared down at the back of Gavin's head, eyes softening up at his words. He... needed him? That familiar flutter ran through his systems once again, he didn't know how to respond. His processors fried. The Captain glanced away from the detective, contemplating if being scolded at by his bosses was worth granting Gavin his wish. "Fine." He finally settled on, taking a seat behind his desk. "Yes!" Gavin cheered, clapping his hands together in victory. "Thank you, Captain, you won't regret this." "I better not. --You have one more week, that's all I can promise." He told them sternly as he began typing something up on his terminal, presumably to his superiors about all this. "Thank you, Captain Fowler. I appreciate this." Conan said, nodding his head politely at the man. "You're just lucky that you made yourself an asset around here. You're excused," Fowler replied, continuing to type away at his keypad. The pair started to make their exit out of the glass room when Fowler said one last thing that made Gavin stop directly in his tracks. "It's good to have you back Gavin."He gingerly peered over his shoulder for a split-second at the Captain. 'It's good to have you back Gavin'? What was that supposed mean? It was more than just him welcoming him back from med leave. That wasn't his style of greeting. ...Oh... Oh, he saw now.Had he really been gone for that long?He swiftly exited the office and walked over to his desk, mulling over Fowler's words.Gavin plopped down into his chair and threw his feet on top of his desk. Biting at his fingernails as he lost himself in though. "Shit..." He whispered to himself. "Hmm?" Conan hummed as he found a seat on the corner of Gavin's disorganized desk, looking down at him. Gavin jolted out of his trance as he met the android's gaze. "Oh nothing, I was just thinking." He mumbled. "About what?" Conan continued. "It's not important really," Gavin sat back up, "Besides, we need focus on this case if we're gonna solve it before you go back."Conan leaned forward, resting his arms on his thighs. "I suppose you are right. I just wanted to make sure you were alright.""Why wouldn't I be?" Gavin swept away. "Pull up a chair, we have work to do." He directed. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"PHCKING FuCK FUCK FUUCK!!""Gavin, please control your anger.""How the HELL am I supposed to do that when we keep running into PHCKING DEAD ENDS! MotherFUCKER!" He slammed his hands down onto his desk, rattling the objects on top of it. And also startling the hell out of some poor unsuspecting officers."I know this is frustrating, but please, you're scaring the bullpen." Gavin glanced around the bullpen and saw several pairs of bewildered eyes staring at him."Apologies," He grumbled.Conan scooted his chair a bit closer towards the detective, "Why don't we go over what we already know, perhaps organizing our current information in that manner will help us piece everything together.""Fine, let's do that." Gavin snapped, "Hmm. Well, we have a bunch of androids being murdered all around the city despite our constant patrolling, stakeouts, and warnings to the public. They very clearly are hate crimes thanks to the derogatory writing on the walls. It is also possibly fueled by the potential gain of money judging by the M.O. and the leftover red ice left at a few of the crime scenes. And we know that this has to be run by a large group of people who also have access to an un-deviated android who tried to kill us and who knows how many more at this point? And now because the criminals just had to be fucking professionals who can cover up their tracks, we have absolutely nothing else!" He crossed his arms over his desk and let his head collapse into them. "Ugghh, I fucking hate my job." "No, you don't." Conan objected."Yes, I do." Gavin groaned, muffled by his arms.Conan snickered to himself for a bit before trying to quickly stifle it down.The detective glared up at the android, "This isn't some fucking joke Nines." He barked."You are absolutely right, I'm sorry." Conan atoned.Gavin sighed and rubbed at his eyes, they had been at this for a few hours now and the screen was fucking with his eyesight. He honestly probably needed glasses but that was something to worry about later."We just need to know who fucking owns the stupid mansion, why is that so difficult?" His voice was much quieter than normal, he was clearly tired. "Gavin, perhaps it's best if you take a break. You are stressed out and need to relax, I can take over from here." Conan suggested, his voice matching the detective's volume. Gavin shook his head, "No, not now. I need to figure this out.""Just take a break for a little bit-""No!" The detective whisper-shouted back.Conan gave Gavin a disapproving expression, "Why if I may ask?" He said firmly. Gavin glanced away from the android, looking down at his hands instead. "Because...""Because why?""Because," He picked at the sleeve of his jacket, "I'm fucking scared."Conan back off, "Oh, Gavin I-""-There, I said it. I'm scared Nines, alright? I almost fucking died last night. And yea, it wasn't my first near-death experience and it likely won't be the last. But I actually had something to live for that time. And I don't want to lose that." He stared vaguely up at Conan's face, he wasn't able to bring himself to make eye contact. "I'm scared cause we are going up against some powerful people who want us dead. And now you're about to leave me in the middle of all this.""I'm not leaving you-""-Oh yeah, then what about your orders to go off to some other fucking precinct and leave this one behind you?""It's my job." Conan countered."Yeah, well it's a stupid-ass job.""Do you really think that when I move on to assist another precinct that I'm going to leave you behind too?" The android questioned. "...I dunno, maybe..." Gavin mumbled, crossing his arms over his chest.Conan pulled his seat up a little closer towards Gavin so that their knees brushed up against each other. "My dear detective, I think that is the most ridiculous thing that I have ever heard come out of your mouth." Gavin must have experienced some form of 'emotional whiplash' because you could see how he physically had to do a double-take as he heard the android's words. "W-what?""I'm not leaving you." He said sincerely, leaning in towards the man so that others around the bullpen couldn't hear their conversation. " Whether you like it or not, you're stuck with me and I you. Because we need each other." He brought it full circle by using Gavin's own words. "It's okay to be scared, I am too. In fact, I'd be more concerned if you weren't scared. But we will figure this out, I promise.""You promise?" Gavin peered up at Conan with sad defeated eyes the broke the android's theoretical heart. "I promise"Gavin uncrossed his arms and slyly let one of his hands drop down underneath his desk, he held it slightly open. As if he was signaling Conan to take it, which he did. Gripping onto it tightly, but not too tightly to hurt the man. Gavin looked bashfully away, trying to play it cool like he totally wasn't holding hands with his new boyfriend underneath his desk while on the clock. No siree, he was absolutely not letting his gay yearning take over. He was just tired, that's why his cheeks were red and let a tiny smile escape on his lips. Psshh, he had absolutely no idea why people would think anything else of this. Kissing the homies goodnight isn't gay so holding their hands wouldn't be either. "--Sooooo, how long has this been going on?"Gavin shot up and almost fell out of his seat, quickly yanking his hand out of Conan's. He turned his head towards the sound of the voice behind him. It was Tina, who was giving them a very promiscuous look as she crossed her arms behind her back."I-I h-have no i-idea what you are t-talking about. T-there is absolutely n-nothing going on here, absolutely nothing, heheh." The detective blubbered, raising his hands in the air as if that would help his case in proving that there was totally nothing going on between them."Come on Gav, you could probably fool Chris with that act but not me. My gaydar has been pinging non-stop ever since you two walked through those doors, so spill." She shifted her gaze over at the android instead, "How long has this been going on?" "Unofficially, just under two weeks. However, we have been officially together for less than a day." Conan was more than happy to inform. Gavin stared up at him with a rattle expression, internally screaming at him. Maybe with his android super hearing, he would actually hear them. "Sick," Tina nonchalantly stated, dropping the promiscuous act. "That means my fiance owns me forty bucks.""WhAT?" Gavin exclaimed."Oh please, I predicted this from the start. Tall, dark, handsome, and now a trenchcoat. It was only a matter of time." She brushed off, shrugging her shoulders a bit as she did. "Lucky for me it happened sooner than later. Time to get paid~"She strutted away, pulling out her phone to presumably text her fiance about the good news. Gavin watched, shocked as he tried to process what just happened. Conan tilted his head, observing the detective's tense body language. "Should I have answered Officer Chen's question about us differently?" He asked, hoping he didn't make the man uncomfortable. "W-what? ...Oh! Oh, no, it's okay I guess." He scratched the back of his neck, "That just wasn't how I was planning on telling Tina or, anyone for that matter about us.""You're not embarrassed by me are you?" "N-No, of course not!" Gavin blurted out, "I just like to keep some things like this on the down-low until I feel confident in knowing what "this" all is, ya see?"Conan smirked, "It's alright, I was only messing with you."Gavin punched him in the arm, "Oh you asshole."Conan chuckled at his reaction, not moving an inch at the force of the impact. This caused Gavin's heart to swell. He was defenseless against this android. His laugh was smooth and rich, just like honey left out on a warm evening while you sit out on the porch and watch the sun fall behind the horizon. If the detective was at all religious he would almost say that he sounded like an angel-- his angel. Fuck, he didn't deserve such a man.Conan caught Gavin wistfully staring at him and he smiled warmly back, unknowingly giving the final twist of his blade lodged in Gavin's heart. He was toast, he was too gay to handle this."If you don't stop that right now I'm going to be forced to kiss you," Gavin whispered sarcastically.Conan leaned forward, pressing his face barely less than an inch away from the detective's ear. "Then why don't you?" He breathed, his voice sultry and heavy. He really did just throw professionalism out of the window right here right now, didn't he? Gavin shivered, his face deepening with warm colors. He was joking before but now it was becoming really hard not to. He was just so warm and so close and so perfect. It took all of his will power to pull away and look up at the android's steely eyes."No, not here, not yet..." He managed to mutter through his flustered state.Conan pulled away and returned to his original position in his chair next to Gavin. "As you wish detective." He replied flirtatiously. Gavin glanced around the bullpen, checking to see if anyone saw what had just transpired between them. If they had they weren't looking now so that at least provided him minimal comfort. "You are a jackass Conan," He stated as he returned to looking at his terminal."You might be brushing off on me." Conan simply answered, also looking over to the detective's shoulder to see the screen. "If that's the case, you better fucking run--""Detectives Reed and uhh-- Conan!?""Shit, what now-" Gavin spun around in his chair, irritated and peered over to where their names had been called. It was one of the new receptionist from the front desk. She was standing nervously by the entrance to the bullpen, desperately looking around the space to try to find the two detectives. She was clutching onto a tablet in her hands, DPD issued. "Over here!" Gavin called out, waving the poor receptionist towards their direction. She stumbled over to their location, her heels unevenly clicking against the floor as she struggled to walk in them. Gavin felt almost bad for her so he stood up and decided to met her partway, it was her first week at the station so he understood."What is it?" He asked her as she regained her lost balance. She held up the tablet in her hands, "This- uhh, -this was sent to you two from the Cyber department. It must have gotten mixed up somewhere in the process of getting it to you guys cause it found its way to our desk. So uhh, h-here," She passed the tablet on over and Gavin took it. "S-sorry about the inconvenience." "It's quite alright, thank you," Conan said from behind Gavin, giving her a polite nod before she shuffled back to the receptionist's desk. Gavin turned around so he was facing Conan as he stared down at the device in his hands. "She said it was sent to us from Cyber, could it be about our case?" Conan asked curiously, also looking down at the tablet. Gavin didn't respond, too distracted by reading what was on the screen. He continued to hastily scroll down and scan through the important bits. After a quiet moment, he froze, finger just scarcely floating above the screen. "Gavin?"The detective's hands begun to shake ever so slightly. He set down the tablet on his desk before he could drop it on the floor. He finally met the android's observant gaze, his own eyes filled with worry. "Gavin, what's wrong?"He didn't answer. There was the uneasy quiet before the storm, air dense and heavy as they waited for the inevitable thunder to roar.Finally, Gavin opened his mouth to speak. "We are fucked."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"Adler is one of the most notorious men in the Midwest. He has his hands in everything, and I mean everything. Technology, sciences, and art. But those are all just shells, where he gets his true business is from the crime. --He's been big trafficker of illegal drugs and guns and we suspect even sometimes people for twenty-five years. And he operates out of everywhere, Chicago, St. Louis, Des Moines, and Detroit. Which is his home base."Gavin was frantically pacing back and forth in the break room as he rambled off information about the owner of the Ainsworth Mansion, Lorenzo Adler. Conan had to drag him to a more private area so he would actually speak in coherent sentences."If we know this much about Alder and his criminal enterprise, why doesn't the DPD put out a warrant for his arrest?" Conan logically asked as his eyes kept track of Gavin's movement.The detective stopped cold for a second as he looked over at the calm android. "We would if we could, and we've tried. We've never been able to pin anything on him that stuck, it's technically all just speculation." He started pacing once again. " And every person we've ever sent undercover after him, anyone who ever investigated a case with him involved, or anyone who just spoke out against him as a witness has either wound up dead or just wishing they were dead... That fucker does not play around, we're lucky we've made it this far unknowingly. At this point, it's practically apart of the orientations that you don't mess with Adler unless you want to die."Conan paused, processing this new information, his face soured as he leaned back against the countertop. "Well, shit.""Yeah, that's why we're fucked.""But why would somebody like Lorenzo Adler want to interfere with the lives of androids? I don't see how after the revolution we would affect him personally." Conan contemplated."You obviously weren't here when androids were first introduced, but I was. Many big names were actively against them, including Adler. They felt threatened by Elijah and what his company could mean to them. A lot of people were then, the fear of being replaced-- it's a strong motivator." Gavin answered thoughtfully."Of course, once those toxic capitalists realized that they could employ an entire workforce without having to pay them a cent. They were all suddenly 'pro-android'." He mocked. "But Adler wasn't as easily convinced. I mean, I think he tried to assassinate Elijah like once or twice at this point."The detective said that last bit so nonchalantly that it felt more like he was telling Conan what the weather was instead of saying that his step-brother had almost been killed by their main suspect more than once."So that would at least make him a prime suspect. But I still don't see his motivation in all this."Gavin shrugged, "Honestly, I don't know either. Adler is a very secretive man. Covers up his tracks real well. But there are a lot of reasons why people hate androids, I mean look at me. You would think I'd be all for them with my step-brother being the CEO of Cyberlife and whatnot. But instead, I hated you. I wasn't on good terms with Eli at the time of your creation and I was afraid of being replaced. Watching the unemployment rate skyrocketed only solidified that fear in me. And well, you know how I am with emotions. It all balled up into anger."Conan contemplated Gavin's explanation before speaking again, "You weren't afraid of me when we first met... were you?"The detective froze once again and awkwardly scratched the back of his neck, he wasn't really sure how to answer that. "Uhh, I mean, yeah. --Well obviously mostly because I haven't had a partner for a long time and well, you know why." He stepped over towards the coffee machine and started fiddling with a foam cup, pressing his fingernails into the easily indented plastic. "But a lot of it was because you looked like Connor."Conan tilted his head, "Connor? -Why does me looking like my predecessor worry you?"Gavin continued to look deeply at the cup he was ruining, "I-I mean it doesn't really anymore. But... shit I'm really gonna have to explain this aren't I." He took a deep breath, bracing himself to explain his actions of stupidity."Before the revolution or whatever it's called... when Connor was first stationed here. ...I wasn't exactly in the best of mind, Tina can vouch for me on that. So when I saw an 'android detective' walk through those doors that could possibly put me out of a job I was angry... but mostly afraid I guess. I dunno... I was a real dick to Connor, I know that. Lots of verbal and physical fights. But it was because I didn't want to lose the one thing that kept me going. Which was my job if that makes any sense. It doesn't justify what I did to him. But I'd like to think I've learned from that and have grown from working with you."Conan strode over towards the detective so he was standing less than a foot away. His proximity to Gavin caught the man's full attention so now he was gazing up at his face."You are right, your actions weren't justified." The android started a bit coldly, causing Gavin to look away in shame. "However," Conan's demeanor softened as he reached for the detective's chin, cocking his head up towards him in a gentle manner. "I think that I could also vouch on your behalf and say that you have learned and grown for the better. The fact that you are admitting responsibility for your actions proves that."Gavin's brain froze. He hadn't expected such nice words from Conan after what he had told him. "Abort Abort ABORT!!!" His mind screamed at him as he felt the soft and gentle hand cup his chin. He pulled away slightly, taking a step or two back.He ran his hand desperately through his hair. "Eheh, t-thanks." He stumbled out, his face flustered behind his hand.Conan nodded knowingly and returned to his professional "work stance". Back straight with his arms held behind his back."A-anyways, let's get back to the case," Gavin said, trying to change the subject. "Let's see what else Cyber said in there." As he pointed over towards the tablet sitting on the table nearest to them.Conan picked it up and sped through the list of words and images in seconds."It's just filled with general information. Descriptions of Adler, his past with the DPD, and some other properties known to be owned by him and his organization." Conan informed, placing the tablet back on the table.Gavin reached forward and grabbed the tablet for himself. "Properties you say." He cocked an eyebrow over at the android."What are you thinking Reed?" Conan asked, picking up on the new tone of Gavin's voice and matching it.The detective shrugged, "We're already in this deep. We might as well finish it." He pointed his finger at the screen, Conan peered over his shoulder to see what specifically he was motioning towards. "How about these?" Gavin asked.Conan nodded, "Those do seem promising."~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"--Testing testing, one two three- Can you fuckers here me?"There was a static through the comm before Tina piped up. "--We have ya loud and clear."An audible sigh could be heard from the other end, "--Why did I agree to this?" Hank's tired voice answered. He was presumably furrowing his eyebrows in frustration from Gavin's complete lack of professionalism."--Because," Gavin started, "We currently all have a target on our heads from Detroit's most notorious asshole. So now whether you like it or not you are now involved with the bullshit me and tin can over here have shoveled up. And that includes stakeouts at some creepy-ass warehouses."He and Conan, Hank and Connor, and Tina and Chris were sitting in some inconspicuous cars on opposite ends of Detroit. Staking out a few of the buildings owned by Adler. While there were many listed down on the tablet Gavin and Conan had received, these three were the most suspicious. They all hadn't been used for their intended purpose in years and were marked down as "miscellaneous storage facilities"."--Fantastic... Thanks for that by that way Reed. I sure do love feeling the impending doom of my possible assassination creep down my neck." Hank snarked."--Hey! Last time I check, you and Connor volunteered to help us out even when I explicitly told you not too! And now you're getting mad at me?!" Gavin yelled back. His face was becoming red as their conversation became more and more heated. God, he fucking hated working with the Lieutenant."--Well if you-""--Boys..." Tina calmly interjected."--He's the one being a phcking asshole about it!" Gavin snapped."--Hey! I don't care!" Tina shouted through her comm, spiking the mic and causing everyone who wasn't an android to cringe. "--You two are the superior officers here so act like it!"Gavin and Hank froze in their respective cars and didn't speak up again. She had a point. They needed to set aside their emotions and focus on work. Even if they fucking hated each other. But now the silence over the comm system had become unbearable. Several uncomfortable minutes passed as the detective remained fuming."--Sooo, uhh, what exactly are we supposed to be keeping a watch out for?" Chris awkwardly asked the group, attempting to bring back some peaceful small talk."--Keep a lookout for any suspicious persons or activities near the property. There is a high probability that these could lead to very little as there are likely several other properties that Adler owns that the DPD is unaware of. But it is the best lead we have as of right now." Conan professionally answered. It didn't do much to break the tension though.Gavin gripped at the steering wheel, "--Also, keep a lookout for an android that looks like Nines. If you do see him it's probably the one who tried to kill me." He added sharply."--Great, got it." Chris stiffly replied.More awkward tension. Dammit was it suffocating.Gavin deeply sighed, "Fuck this..." He murmured as he yanked about the comm in his ear and set it down in a cupholder.Conan noticed this and said, "--Give us a moment," to the others before pulling out his own comm. He looked over to Gavin who seemed fed up. "What's wrong? Why did you pull out your comm?""I just- It's not like I need it anyway till we see anything," Gavin responded blankly, staring out the driver's side window."I see then," Conan replied, staring back out the windshield.Truthfully, what Gavin should have said was that he much rather sit in silence with just Conan and him than listen to the forced and tense small talk of everyone else.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"What time is it?" Gavin asked after finishing his second coffee for the night."Two twenty-five A.M." Conan politely answered."Uggggh... I'm so fucking tired..." The detective groaned. "It's so quiet here and there is nothing to keep me awake." He collapsed into the steering wheel, closing his eyes as he did.Conan nodded, "I would have to agree. It is quite... uneventful out here.""I think I'm just gonna take a nap here. Wake me up if there is anything interesting." Gavin said, his words muffled by the steering wheel.Conan reached over and grabbed onto the man's hood, pulling his back up into an upright seated position. "I am afraid I cannot allow that, my dear detective."Gavin placed his hands over his face and spoke into them, "Uggh, I phckin' hate you.""Sure you do," Conan replied sarcastically back with a smirk on his lips.Another moment of quiet. And then another. Conan glanced over at the detective, he had yet to remove his hands from his face. He noticed that his breathing and heart rate had started to slow. Gavin had fallen asleep.Conan sighed. Why did he even bother sometimes, this man was so stubborn and never listened. But hey, this could be the perfect time to execute some minor revenge right? Right. He smiled mischievously as he reached over to flick the detective in the forehead just like he had done to him when they had first started working together. Gavin jolted awake, moving his hands off his face as he glared over at Conan."What the fuck?" He gasped, his eyes still groggy from his five minutes of sleep.Conan snickered lightheartedly, "Good morning detective.""Good morning to you too asshole," He grumbled, looking back out to the dark building through the windshield."What must I do to keep you awake?" Conan asked lightly, but there was an ounce of sincerity in his tone."I dunno... Fuckin' shoot me in the foot I guess." Gavin answered weakly.Conan smiled, "I'm afraid that would probably be counterproductive. While yes, the adrenaline should shock your body and the pain will keep you awake. The eventual blood loss would cause your body to shut down and fall unconscious. Not a permanent solution."Gavin looked over at the android, "You know, most people would just say 'I'm not gonna shoot you in the foot because that's a stupid idea.' and move on."Conan met his stare, "I've never been like most people now have I?"The detective leaned back in his seat and stretched out a bit. He was a bit restricted by their confines but managed to do it. "I think that's the most accurate fucking thing you have ever said."Conan smiled but kept quiet. The pair kept scanning the shadowed perimeter of the warehouse. Still nothing. Of course.About ten minutes had passed now and Conan felt a sudden weight fall against his shoulder. He tensed up and quickly glanced down only to see a certain detective's head had fallen onto his shoulder. Gavin must have fallen asleep again but this time his head drooped onto the android.Conan eased up and relaxed into Gavin's sudden positioning on his body. He considered waking Gavin back up again for a brief second. But considering how fast the detective had fallen asleep and well... how calm he finally looked. He decided against it. After all, he was an android. He could watch a building in the middle of the night on his own at least.It did prove however to be a little more difficult to focus solely on their stakeout now. He could feel every soft exhale of Gavin's breath tickle against his jacket. This caused him to keep track of the detective's respiratory system to make sure it was at a normal level. Once he did that and returned his attention to the stakeout. Gavin started to move his head a bit in his sleep, unconsciously searching for a more comfortable spot. This stole the android's attention once more. He was like a mother hen. He needed to protect what he cared about. He wasn't exactly sure if there was a specific thing he should have been doing right now to allow Gavin a better-rested nap. That just happened to be on his shoulder. He decided just to improvise, it has worked before with Gavin, hasn't it?Conan tentatively lifted his other hand and brought it up towards Gavin's face. He lightly brushed aside some of the hairs that had fallen into the detective's closed eyes and stuck them back with the rest if his locks. He was about to bring his hand back when he suddenly stopped dead at Gavin's scar.His eyes locked on to it as he followed how the little scar traced over the bridge of his nose and continued on over his right cheekbone. He hadn't noticed that before, how his scar trailed on past his nose. It would have been almost impossible to see under the human eye. But that's just only of many places where androids and humans differ. Conan could see it and for some reason, he found it kinda charming.He gently traced Gavin's scar with his thumb. Once he reached the end he cupped the side of the detective's chin and held him there. Gavin unconsciously leaned into the touch, quietly grunting in his sleep as he did so.Conan smiled sweetly. He never wanted to let this moment go.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
".....please...stop...."
"..why...god please....."
"No, don't!"
"YVETTE!!!"
...."-vin? Gavin, wake up."Gavin instantly shot up and started waving his hands as if he were ready to fight. He frantically looked around the car for any threats.Conan lightly grasped onto his wrists and held them together to make sure he didn't accidentally hurt himself by whacking them against the frame of their car."Gavin-- Gavin it's okay, it's okay. It was just a dream." He said softly, his voice calm and patient.Gavin's eyes finally stopped wildly flicking around in his sockets once he realized where he was. He was in a car. Not an apartment. And he was with Conan. He could trust Conan. It was okay, he was safe.Gavin started to relax, his shoulder dropped and his breathing started to return to normal levels. Once Conan had deemed that he had calmed down enough, he released his hold on the detective's wrist. Who then quickly crossed them tightly over his chest."Gavin, are you alright?" Conan asked him, tilting his head in concern.Gavin nodded, "Y-yeah. I'm fine... It was just a bad dream. Like you said.""Are you sure?" The android continued, not completely buying Gavin's answer."Yeah..." He breathed, rubbing his chin. "...How long was I out?" He asked in an attempt to move the conversation from his nightmare."About an hour and a half. Don't worry, you didn't miss anything exciting." Conan informed, giving Gavin a small smile. He was still worried, but if Gavin didn't want to talk about it he didn't want to talk about it and he would respect that."Shit... sorry, I didn' mean to." Gavin lamented."It's okay, I know you didn't," Conan replied.A moment of tension passed. But then, Gavin did something that neither of them expected. He buried his face into the crook of Conan's neck. He held firmly onto one of his jacket lapels. The android was a little bit startled at first. But after the initial stage of shock wore off, he wrapped an arm around the detective's body and held him in a warm embrace. The pair stayed like that for quite a while, neither of them loosening of their grip."Do you... want to talk about it?" Conan inquired kind of awkwardly.Gavin shook his head that was still hidden in the crook of the android's neck. Conan took the small motion as a no."...Okay. It's okay." He reassured, running his hand up and down his upper back in a comforting manner.A few minutes had gone by and Gavin dug his face back out of Conan's neck. He peered up at the android who was looking back down at him. His face was stoic but his eyes were as soft as a misted star. Those eyes could write an entire novel with how much depth they held.Conan was the first one to bridge the gap between their lips. Of course, Gavin leaned into as well it so it was a shared responsibility. It started slow and gentle, a bittersweet moment between the two. But then it deepened into something more.Conan pulled Gavin as close as he could despite the center console between them. His hand still planted firmly on his back. The detective reached up and wrapped one hand behind the android's neck and the other buried itself in his hair, slightly tugging on it.They moved in sync. Arms, hands, lips moving to the beat of their own rhythm. Gavin got tired of reaching over the center console and eventually climbed over it and placed himself on Conan's lap. Not that Conan minded much, to him, Gavin weighed like a small dog. Not that he would ever say that out loud, Gavin might actually kill him for that thought.Conan pulled away for a moment after Gavin situated himself on his lap. His knees pinning down the android's thighs. The detective tried to reconnect their lips by pushing impatiently forward but Conan pulled back even more, smirking at the frustrated man."What happened to us being at work?" The android snarked, cocking an eyebrow at Gavin's frustrated expression."Phck it, I don't get paid enough for this shit," Gavin growled before cupping both of the android's cheeks and kissing him again. Conan quickly followed suit. It was reasonable logic.Messy hair, half removed jackets, wrinkled clothing, and a bleeding lip (yeah, you can thank Conan for that one Gav). It all escalated so quickly but neither one was complaining.However, they were still at work and crime never sleeps. Especially if these two were involved.Conan suddenly and sharply pulled away from the kiss. His eyes staring past Gavin, focused on something else behind him. Gavin noticed the abrupt change and moved back a few inches as well, feeling a little bit dejected."What's wrong Nines?" He asked him, afraid he did something wrong."Look-" Conan directed towards the outskirts of the warehouse, trying his best not to look suspicious. "-Seems like we have company.""What?!" Gavin whipped his head around and look to where Conan was staring at. "Oh my fucking shit..." He gaped.It was him. Conan's duplicate. He must have rounded the corner of the building to the side that Gavin and Conan were "keeping watch".Gavin haphazardly brushed through his hair with his hand and wiped away the little bit of blood that had been left of his lip as he climbed back over to his seat. Conan also fixed his mussed up hair but a bit more elegantly than the detective. As well as straightening out the wrinkles on his clothing."What is he doing?" Gavin questioned as he intently watched the other android.The android had what looked like a large canvas bag slung over his shoulder while he drug another similar bag on the ground beside him. Despite the size of the bags he was holding, the android moved with mechanical ease. Making his way for the front doors of the worn-down warehouse and slipping quietly in."I don't like the look of this," Gavin mumbled to Conan.Conan shook his head, "I don't like it either."Gavin sighed, starting to mentally prepare for what lays ahead of them. "Well, what do we-- Hey! What the hell are you doing?"Conan was in the middle of attaching his gun holster around his waist when Gavin had caught him. "I'm going in. We need to see what's happening in there. We may not get another chance.""Well okay, you could have at least told me first before you brought the phcking gun out!" Gavin exclaimed. "At least let me get mine before you-""Gavin no," Conan commanded. "You just got back to work today. Your arm needs more time to fully heal before you run headfirst into the field yet."Gavin glared at the android, "So I'm just supposed to sit here and do nothing while you run in after your evil twin!? No! I'm not gonna allow that! I'm going in with you!""Gavin, you're not even supposed to be shooting a gun yet. You haven't passed the retrain with your new arm." Conan remained firm on his stance as he finished up getting ready. "And what do you think will happen if you do shoot a gun? The recoil could send you back to the hospital. I won't risk it.""Yeah? Well, I won't risk you going in there alone!" Gavin continued to whisper-shout.Conan took a deep breath and sighed, closing his eyes as he regained his composure. "I'll be fine Gavin." He faced the detective and gave him a warm smile. "Afterall, I am Cyberlife's most advance android."With that Conan opened the car door and left without another word. Gavin watched silently as his partner sneak into the dark warehouse. Once he was in, Gavin went off. He slammed down on the steering wheel, punched at the console, and let out a series of aggravated noises and curses. He was pissed."God-fucking dammit!" He growled, hitting the steering wheel again. "That arrogant phcking asshole! Him and his stupid self-importance!"He picked up and threw one if the empty coffee cups against the front windshield, "I don't need fucking protecting!"The foam cup bounced off the glass and fell to the ground with a muffled thud. Gavin watched it fall and made his anger fall with it as well. Taking a few deep breaths and gripping onto the steering wheel like his life depended on it. He was able to reign in his rage just this once."If only I didn't have to have this stupid phcking arm. Then I could actually do my job and not sit here like some useless piece of shit." He lamented, airing out his frustrations.He stared back out the windshield towards the isolated building. The warehouse had many windows but all were either blacked out or tarped over so he couldn't see inside. Not that Conan would make himself seen even if the windows were clear. He was too smart for that. Still, he didn't get a good feeling from any of this. Conan may be the most advanced android in existence. But now he wasn't the only one. 84 posed a real threat. And who else would be better at defeating Conan than himself?Minutes passed and still nothing. It was eerily quiet. Every creak, snap, or crack could be heard even halfway down the street. Gavin looked impatiently around the car and that's when he spotted Conan's comm from when he had taken it out hours prior. He had left it behind, there was no way he would just forget about something like that."Shit, did he just fucking..."Conan left his comm behind to make sure Gavin was one hundred percent out of the field.Gavin set the comm back down before picking up his own and setting it back in his ear. He turned it back on and the line was fairly silent but it was still connected at least.The detective took a deep breath and spoke. "--Guys, we have a problem."The response was quick, Tina being the first to chime in. "--What's the problem?""--We spotted the other android, the one that looks like Nines who tried to kill me. Nines went in after him and I'm-- I'm keeping watch out here. But I really don't like the feeling of this. I think we could use some backup." He explained. His voice was tired, almost monotone."--We're on our way," Tina replied. Gavin could hear the engine of their car rev up through the speaker."--We are also on our way. Sit tight." Hank said."--Will do."Gavin pulled the comm out of his ear again. No way in hell was he gonna sit tight. He exited the car and popped open the trunk. He dug around for a bit but eventually, he found what he was looking for. His spare pistol and holster. He equipped the holster and checked the clip of the gun. Full. Just like he left it. Good.He set the gun in the holster and closed the trunk as quietly as he could. Once situated he headed for the doors that both 84 and Conan had entered through. He glanced around the perimeter, making sure no one was going to attack him by surprise. He pressed his ear up to the door, trying to hear through it. He may not have Conan's super hearing but he wasn't deaf. At least that's what his doctors say.He gave it a moment, waiting to see if he would hear any steps or shuffling. Thankfully nothing. He slowly and carefully pushed the door open, trying his damndest to avoid any creaking. He took his steps cautiously, knees bent and crouched. He softly closed the door behind him, successfully making it into the building without getting caught.Once in, he took a few more steps and thoroughly examined the space he was in. It was dark, no lights had been turned on and with all the windows blacked out, there was no moonlight to shine through either. It took a moment for his eyes to readjust to the lighting. He was half tempted to turn on his flashlight but with how open the layout of the warehouse was he didn't want to risk it. It was quite large as well, being a storage space and all. Dark metal staircase to his left led up to the second floor. And a large part of the first floor had been sectioned off to make room for office spaces. Gavin only knew they were offices because a few of them had windows that gave a clear view of the open floor. Forgotten desks, chairs, and papers could be seen through them even from his distance. Abandoned crates and boxes also littered the cold concrete floor. Unswept dust, dirt, and grime had settled onto every surface. It was clear that this building hadn't been used for its proper purpose in years.But the one thing he didn't see was Conan or the other android. He didn't hear anything either, which should have been impossible considering have disturbingly quiet the area was. He continued though, walking towards the staircase to the second floor. His right hand perched just over his holster. He would be ready for an attack this time.He was just about to take his first step on the staircase when he swore he saw a movement out of the corner of his eye. Still not liking the feel of this he didn't take a chance. He hastily crouched behind a nearby stack of empty storage crates. His back only a yard or two away from the nearest wall. He listened to see if there were any new sounds, but still nothing. Of course there was nothing. Why would anyone bother to give him anything?He decided to take a chance and peek over the top of the wooden crates. He was here now and he'll be damned if he lets this opportunity skate by him. He peered over in the direction he thought he saw the sudden movement. No one was there but he swore something looked out of place. Like a pile of boxes had been kicked aside or-"-Hello Detective."Gavin heard the familiar sound of a gun being cocked behind his head. He didn't need to turn around to know who it was."Well... shit."So much for being ready.