tell me when it kicks in

@scntbycyberlife || gavin talks to katie || accepting.

[🔫]━━ in the past few months, connor had seen a stranger side of gavin. instead of unbridled anger and dark moods, there was more pensive thought. eyes that had once looked dark brown were revealed to be hazel in the light. what once might have looked to be an ugly, worn-out jacket was proven to be a favorite piece of clothing that the detective wasn’t ready to get rid of.

[🔫]━━ it was cole’s birthday, and hank had encouraged connor to come along to the cemetery for a visit. something about humanizing the android further. but as they trailed along the path, they passed a shady portion of the elmwood cemetery. hank paused. “... actually, connor, i think i’ll make the rest of the walk alone... if you don’t mind.”

[🔫]━━ as hank finished the trek to his son’s grave, motion at the far end of the little shady alcove proved that there was someone there. a familiar voice broke the hush of the cemetery. was that... detective reed? “... should have seen it, katie. i haven’t seen that band since before the accident. and i didn’t think it’d be a good show, but it was great. but i do, i wish you could have been there...” if connor edged closer,  he’d find him, sitting at the foot of a slightly raised concrete vault, the pink granite headstone reading “katherine barber” if he scanned it, he’d see her, a doe-eyed, thin african-american woman. that last picture was her license photo, with the bright-patterned headband keeping her natural hair from her face, one that gavin had always loved. always smiling. it was the smile that had drawn gavin to her in the academy. “it’s almost been eight years, katie,” gavin’s voice didn’t have to carry so far now. it carried over the near-silent cemetery now. there was a constricted sound in his throat. “and i blame myself every day... i know you gotta get tired of me sayin’ that. but there’s just no other way to feel. i think you’d be ashamed of me, kate. i really, really do. but i just... i can’t get over it. i can’t forget it.”

[🔫]━━ gavin stiffened suddenly, as if he sensed the android behind him, and whipped his head around. “... christ... hi connor...” from this close, the dates on the headstone were clear:Katherine BarberMay 19, 2003 - December 27, 2031“nothing’s going to grow in this mean cold, but we can still have flowers”                                                    -- colson whiteheadgavin sniffed, beckoning connor over to sit with him for a while. he said nothing at first, not for a long time. then:“she was the first person in the academy that used my chosen name.” he admitted. “kate was always full of sunshine, you know? she was amazing. she loved me and i loved her. and then... then i killed her. that’s what you get for thinking you can make a short stop at a busy intersection in december... it’s not fair. you know? i should have died. not katie. she was going to make a difference. she dropped out of the police academy to go to school for her EMT. but i’m sure you could scan all that in a second... i would kill to have katie back. but... what good would it do? i’m sure she’d hate me now. hate what i’ve become. hate that i’m not the punk she knew...”

At the mention of the other android, Connor glances over and it doesn’t take him long to spot them. He has no reason not to trust their choice, and honestly the android had no idea what he would choose otherwise. He was completely new at drinking, after all. He accepts the drink with a small thanks before peering down at it. Bringing the glass to his lips he takes a sip. It’s sweet, and he finds he enjoys it far more than the regular thirium he was used to drinking.

When Gavin speaks to him again he turns his head to look at them. The question hadn’t been expected, and Connor considered how he should respond. Before he had the change Tina had jumped in and changed the subject, though Connor didn’t mind. Though once he reads his phone and frowns, Connor finds himself frowning as well in concern. 

The abrupt exit was a surprise, and Connor looked between his retreating figure and then Tina. After a few moments he got up himself, pulling a few notes from his pocket he put them beside his drink. “Thank you.” He doesn’t really think about it, following Gavin out of the bar and jogging a little to catch up. “Gavin?”

[🔫]━━ “... aw christ, did tina send you after me?” despite looking ready to spit venom, gavin blew a sigh between his lips. “well, it’ll be nice to have a partner in this one i guess. sorry this kinda ruined the night... maybe next time, right?” that was the problem with being a detective in an overloaded and overworked precinct--you barely got time to sleep. let alone have a social life. “i don’t know much about the case yet, but there’s suspected android involvement, lack of prints on anything, though that could also mean the killer wore gloves, but until we get there, i won’t know anything.”

[🔫]━━ strangely, gavin seemed to be in his element when he talked about the cases. he grabbed the keys to his car and motioned for connor to hop in while he started it. “don’t mean to steal you from anderson.” he said suddenly. “but i do need a hand in this. i won’t make it be you though. i’m sure jasper won’t mind working with me.” was he... nervous? yes. if connor were to scan him then and there, the elevated heart rate and dilated pupils would tell all that connor needed to know--he was scared. but why?

Connor didn’t say anything else, though he was surprised when he said that Tina could give him some clothes to borrow. The RK800 knew he was not particularly well knowledgeable on fashion. Frankly the android did not see why it was all that important. He accepted the lent clothes, however, and changed in the locker room before rejoining them all upstairs.

The question from Tina had only been a small surprise to Connor, though once Gavin spoke the android decided there was no need for him to add anything else.  It wasn’t until the detective had left the two alone that Connor spoke again. “I don’t doubt that Tina.” He hadn’t known that Gavin owned cats. He’ll make a point of asking about them later.

Following them inside, the android was surprised by the friendly reception he received. It certainly wasn’t unwelcome to him but he still appreciated it all the same. When asked what he wanted, the RK800 initially planed to decline, however the revelation that there were now thirium based drinks quietened him down again. Looking between Tina, Gavin, and Jimmy he offered a small nod. “I’ll have whatever you would recommend.” He responds.

Whilst he waited for his drink, he turned to look back at Gavin. The question about his deviancy had him frowning, initially unsure how to respond. “I… Don’t think so.” He thinks back to Amanda, and shifts uncomfortably in his seat. “I was designed to deviate, it was a slow process starting from when I was built.” He glances away for a moment, before back to Gavin. “I… I don’t even know if I’m truly deviant. Perhaps I’m still following my coding.”

[🔫]━━ “i mean, i can’trecommendd nothin’. i can’t drink that stuff without dying. but Fritsch likes the martini, and I trust Fritsch’s opinion.” the android in question looked up at the mention of his name and gavin chuckled.  “so you’re keeping him around?” “he’s good company. hank ain’t been back since the revolution. hell. most of the regulars haven’t.” jimmy set the drink in front of connor. the blue drink seemed to glow from within, and gavin blinked at it for a few minutes before going back to his beer. for a long moment, the trio was silent, until tina elbowed gavin in the ribs.

[🔫]━━ “ow! what the--... oh right.” he turned to look at connor and swallowed hard. “so uh... are you sticking around in detroit?” “oh fuck’s sake, gavin. no wonder i’m your only friend.” tina sighed gently, sipping her drink. gavin winced visibly at her statement but tried to ignore her. the detective turned to smile a little at connor, to say something else, but in true precinct 11 luck, his phone chirped. he glanced at it, the frown setting further lines into his face. “... aw hell... when it rains, it pours...”

As Gavin rested against his own locker, Connor took the time to put away his own things once again. He’s sure if he needed anything he could grab them later. His eyebrows knit together as he listens to Gavin, he’s never been part of an ‘inner circle’ before. It was all new and unfamiliar to the android, but he simply remained silent as Gavin explained it to him. He ran a quick search on the term as well, and determined it was simply another word to describe a group of friends. 

The sudden invite was certainly a surprise, and the RK800 wasn’t entirely sure how he should respond. Frankly it had been the last thing he had expected. Instead he thought the detective would want him to keep away. This was certainly nicer. The android had never been out for a drink before, mostly due to the android ban on bars only recently been lifted. Connor wasn’t sure if there were any thirium based drinks available seeing as that was the only thing he could drink. He reasoned if needed he could bring in his own.

His attention was drawn back to Gavin’s phone when the new song came on, and like the last one he ran a quick search. Rose-Colored Boy - Paramore. Released 2017. He listened to the lyrics until the detective stopped the song. He had only heard the first verse, and out of curiosity searched up the rest of the song lyrics. “I like your music taste.” He didn’t say anything else on the subject, but he made a note to listen to the song in its entirety later. 

Watching as Gavin began to head out of the locker room, Connor followed him with his gaze. “I wouldn’t mind going.” He days after a few moments, shuffling a little on the spot. “But only if that’s alright with you. The last thing I want to do is ruin your nights out.” His lips curl down into a small frown, cautiously waiting for the detective’s response. 

[🔫]━━ “dude. connor. i asked. i wouldn’t ask if i didn’t mean it. even when we hated each other, i wasn’t that much of a dick. but uh... i wouldn’t go to jimmy’s wearin’ that. i think tina’s boyfriend wears about that size. she’ll grab you some clothes when she gets off and swing back by to pick us up.” gavin lived a block from the precinct, and usually walked to work to save money on gas, anyway. as he headed up to the bullpen, gavin seemed... springier than usual.

[🔫]━━ “so gavin told you?” tina asked as she parked the car. gavin rolled his eyes.  “no, i just invited him for shits and giggles, tina. jesus.” he yawned as he slid out of her car. tina shrugged, but hesitated.  “hey, connor? good to have you along. gav’s a bit rough around the edges, but he’s kinda lonely. all he has are those cats...” she smiled gently and helped connor out of the car and into the bar. it was an auto-driver, but with the option of manual steerage. a fancy car, one her boyfriend had clearly bought her, because she wasn’t going to afford it by herself on a police officer’s salary. gavin led the way inside. “jeff’s busy tonight so he’s not gonna make it.” gavin said, when jimmy rounded on them. “we brought a replacement tonight.”

[🔫]━━ “hey... i know this guy.” jimmy grinned, “usuals for gavin and the lady? and will our esteemed guest be interested in a drink?” like most everyone, seeing the marches and the protests on TV, jimmy’s opinion of androids seemed to have changed drastically. he piled his dreads atop his head with the scrunchie around his wrist and moved to make tina’s cosmo. “we have some new drinks with thirium in them. wanna give one a try?”

Connor had recently been given his own locker, but until recently he had had no idea what to store in there. He was still waiting on uniform so he remained in his standard issue Cyberlife outfit. There was no need for him to store any lunch, he didn’t eat. He had put in a little research in order to find out what people usually put in their lockers and had decided on some things. A mirror, some spare stationary for his desk, and some thirium pouches so he could top himself up if there were any issues. The android preferred to go down to his locker after everyone else had already finished. He wasn’t keen on crowded spaces.

Initially he paid no mind to the shower, though as he heard the music he ran quick search. Passionfruit - Drake. Released 2017. He listened in silence, his focus instead on his locker. Opening the rusted door he grabbed what he needed and put away what he no longer needed. He jumped when Gavin all but crashed into him, dropping his things but before he could respond there was a damp towel covering his vision. Slowly pulling it off of his head, Connor looked to the detective. “My apologies, Gavin. I did not mean to scare you.” He replied sincerely. His hair had been ruffled by the towel but he ignored it for now.

When he suddenly hissed at him, Connor frowned in confusion. Tell anyone what? Looking at Gavin once more he suddenly realised what he had referred to. “Why would I tell anyone?” The RK800 asked, crouching down to pick up his things before standing back up. “I understand you may still not trust or like me, Detective, but I would never give out any information like that. It’s not my place to say anything.” If it didn’t hurt anyone nobody needed to know. 

[🔫]━━ gavin scoffed, but disguised it as a cough. “well that’s not stopped anyone before.” he muttered, shutting his locker but not moving toward the bullpen again. he slumped against it, running a fingertip over the scar across his nose. “so by default, that makes you in the inner circle. hooray. we don’t do t-shirts, we don’t do parties. we meet at jimmy’s every friday night.” that last part wasn’t a joke. friday nights were when fowler’s man was staying late finishing whatever stock brokers did and tina’s boyfriend typically did his shifts at the ER. and gavin had cats, so he was free to spend whatever amount of time drinking that he wanted to. 

[🔫]━━ “... you should come.” he said suddenly. what was wrong with him? six months ago he’d hated the android, and now he was inviting him to sit awkwardly at a bar while tina chugged cosmos and gavin had a single beer. but it felt right to invite him. he knew gavin’s secret now, so what was the harm in inviting him to have a drink or two? could androids drink? probably not. stupid question. the fuck was he thinking? connor wouldn’t agree to that.

[🔫]━━ he never used the showers at work unless he was desperate. and this, unfortunately, was desperate. he’d ended up face-first into a filthy snowbank, covered in road grime and shivering. and he’d still waited, coat full of snow, until the lockers and showers were completly cleared out before jumping in to hose down. the hot water warmed him slowly, but his main concern was getting road salt and grime and crusty, dried motor oil off of his skin and out of his hair before heading back up stairs to finish the rest of his shift pushing papers and reading case files.

[🔫]━━ he didn’t hear the footsteps into the lockers, not with the water running and his somewhat-shitty taste in music playing from his phone in the locker across the room. he didn’t hear the rusty locker door swing open as he toweled his hair dry, or see connor until he literally ran right into him. panic came first, but not the instinct to cover himself. instead, the instinct was to throw his towel at connor and realize his stupidity afterwards. “... shit. you scared the shit out of me! the fuck, connor?” it was a communal locker room. everyone in the department could use it but most didn’t bother. not this one, anyway, the one next to the holding cells. no one liked having to walk in the field of vision of creeper criminals and then try to shower afterward.