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Coffee, Crushes and Complications Part 4

This was prompted by an awesome anon! Enjoy!

Fandom: Detroit become human | Ship: Reed900 [Prequel] [Part1] [Part2] [Part3]

Hey how is my favourite toaster doing?< >The interview already finished? Yeah, didn’t go as planned but it might be useful still.< >Got thrown out? Yes, asshole slipped up and when asked about it refused to answer any further questions.< But I can work with that, use it against him.< How’s work?< >Not a good day for both of us. >Tina’s in trouble. What? How?< >Her brother had connections to the Red Ice trade. She didn’t see him for years.< >I know. He tried to manipulate people into letting him go saying his sister was a cop too but in a way that raised suspicion. >I’m sure everything will be fine, but Tina can’t prove her innocence. At least suspension until everything is settled is possible. That’s real shitty. Should I come over? You didn’t have your break yet, did you?<

Gavin left it at that and entered a new address for the automated taxi. He knew the android always was on time, punctuality was something important to him. It could be annoying, but most of the time it was nice to know he was reliable. Gavin sat back and watched the city fly by. It was hard to acknowledge it had only been a few months of them dating. It definitely felt longer. It was both as if they had spent a lifetime together already and had met just yesterday. But Gavin liked it that way. It was comfortable to know the feelings were still there even when the thrill of discovering something new in his boyfriend had subsided. Once Gavin had been able to trust the android, all the difficulties of their beginning had been forgotten. As promised, he didn’t try to think ahead too much, but he wouldn’t mind this to last.

The taxi stopped in front of the fifth precinct and Gavin stepped out onto the pavement. It still felt weird seeing it like this. This building had been his second home for more than half of his life and now it was just another concrete block in Detroit. Since being thrown out he hadn’t actually set a foot into it, only driven the RK900 to and from work sometimes. >No, I haven’t yet, you can come inside. I told the reception you were coming. Well, now he had to. He opened the door and entered the lobby. It was interesting how little had changed. The walls had been repainted, otherwise it looked just like his memory of the place. ‘Hello Mr. Reed!’ ‘Hey, Steph. Long time no see.’ The ST300 smiled at him as she always had, only that now it only deepened the feeling of being out of place. ‘Richard told me you would visit. Go on, head in. I don’t think anyone would mind.’ ‘Thanks.’ He was already on his way to the security gates as she called after him: ‘Good to see you are well!’

He didn’t let his thoughts linger on that comment. He was sure it was just a sentence said to be polite. Tina and Rich were the only people knowing of his breakdown, they wouldn’t have told anyone. The precinct was busy as it had always been. Phones ringing and the low mumble of conversations created a pleasant background noise of hard work. He didn’t have to look for long until his eyes found his old desk, now Detective Richard’s as the plate announced. ‘Hey, Nines, I’m here.’ He took the freedom to sit on the edge of his desk. The android looked up and smiled, retracting his hand, still white from the interface, from a small platform. ‘It’s good to see you.’ The hand found its way over to Gavin’s knee and rested there. Gavin laid his own on top and squeezed it. ‘You look tired, darling.’ ‘I am’, he sighed.

But before the RK900 could continue, someone else interrupted them. ‘Wait. “Nines”? “Darling”? What’s going on here.’ ‘Oh, hey Connor.’ ‘What are you doing here?’, the other RK asked. ‘I thought you’d been fired.’ ‘Oh, I’ve been’, Gavin shrugged. ‘I’m just visiting Richard during his break, don’t worry. And Nines is my nickname for him.’ ‘Nickname?‘ ‘You didn’t tell him?’, Gavin wondered and the android just groaned: ‘Didn’t think it would concern him. Connor, Gavin works as an investigative journalist now. We met after we were at the café with Hank, remember?’ ‘Oh. Okay. Hope he treats you good.’

Gavin huffed. ‘That I hope, too. How’s life for you? You made it Lieutenant, right? Congrats to that.’ Connor just stared at him disbelievingly. ‘So I’m not the stupid tin-can anymore?’ ‘Oh, no you still are. But I’m not the asshole human that cares anymore.’ Connor lifted his brows but didn’t get to answer as the trio was already gathering attention: People all around where whispering. Gavin grimaced at the attention. ‘Hey, Nines, do you mind spending your break outside? I could treat you to a coffee?’ ‘Normally I’d gladly take the offer, but I think we are too late for that.’ He subtly pointed into the direction of Fowler’s office where the Captain was already heading their way. ‘Oh, hell no…’

‘Gavin!’ Fowler had stopped in front of him, arms outstretched with a grin as if seeing him had made him the happiest he had been in years. ‘Fowler’, Gavin nodded, trying to keep his voice as neutral and level as possible. ‘Hey, is that how you greet an old friend?’ ‘Friend?’, Gavin asked. ‘What happened to me being the worst humanity has to offer?’ ‘What? I never said that.’ Gavin shrugged, inspecting his nails. ‘Maybe not, but I know to read between the lines.’ ‘Well anyways, it’s good to see you! I watch your show every time it’s on TV. You really have talent!’ ‘Thanks’, Gavin commented, side-eying Nines to make it stop. ‘You are underappreciated where you work right now, so I thought you might like what I am offering you: You can come back! You could be a detective again, where your abilities are needed. How about that, hm?’

Gavin looked at him wide-eyed, Nines turned around and Connor took a step back. Fowler was oblivious to the change in atmosphere though and laughed, clapping Gavin on the shoulder. ‘I knew you would like it!’ Gavin stood up. He wasn’t the tallest man, he would never be able to tower over someone like the Captain, but his stance alone made the man reconsider. ‘Like it? Are you phcking kidding me?’ Gavin couldn’t believe what he had heard, but the fury inside him was quick to change that. ‘You dare to offer me a job? After throwing me out like a phcking dog? I poured my everything into this job until there wasn’t much left inside me and then you fired me from one day to the next! You don’t want to know what that did to me. And it doesn’t have to plaque you, in the end it was the best to ever happen to me. But I want to know: do you really mean it? Do you really think you can lure me back in? Do you really think I want to come back?’

Fowler thought about it. ‘Err… Yes?’ Gavin laughed loudly and humourlessly. It bordered on hysterical. ‘Fowler. You goddamn phcking asshole. Who are you throwing under the bus to get me back now that you realised that maybe getting rid your cheating card wasn’t your best idea? Tina?’ The Captain swallowed, Gavin’s trained eyes immediately picking up on the admission. ‘Ah, so you are really trying to boot her out next. I can’t phcking believe it.’ He shook his head. ‘So, a no?’ Gavin smiled mad. ‘Oh, this is a no, alright.’ His smile faltered, as he shouted his next words: ‘I’m never coming back! I’m living a happy life. I have a job that captures my passion, co-workers that like me, I changed my way of living, I have friends and I have the most amazing person at my side. I would never ever come back to work under your lead. Not after what you said to me and not after what I now know you are playing. Because who knows when I might be inconvenient again and land on the street. Who knows when I may have to throw my friends under the bus to keep on your good side. No. I’m out and I’m happy that way. I was just visiting to spend Richard’s break with him, nothing more.’ He took a deep breath before continuing with a more level voice: ‘One thing I can promise you though.’ He smirked, as Fowler had finally understood he lost. ‘If you indeed use the word of some minor criminal, that could make up the whole story anyways, to kick out Tina, the topic of my next show will be police brutality, corruption and harassment in the workplace. I think I have enough first-hand experience to at least fill one evening and I can think of quite a few people willing to be interviewed.’

He threw the Captain a winning smile, before asking without breaking eye contact: ‘Alright Nines, how about that coffee break right now?’ The android grinned, standing up ignoring Fowler completely. ‘Gladly, my love.’