Work Text:
The truth comes out after his third shot and seventh beer, in a seedy karaoke bar in a corner of the city so run down Tina gets turned around three times before she finds the entrance. Gavin is there, fourth drink drained already, and motions for her to pull up a barstool. Tina orders a cocktail, because she has a strict rule against wasting money on shitty beer when she could get something with a little more punch instead. The two drink in silence for a while, listening to a pair of sloppy drunk patrons wail out throwback Lady Gaga and struggle to keep upright on the stage in the distance.
“A fucking robot,” Gavin not quite slurs, sloshing his drink slightly onto the bar. “A fucking robot with the same face as Anderson’s march leading Ken doll, Christ!!”
Tina gives him a pitying look. “Not exactly the same,” she teases, “His eyes are different and I think he’s got an inch or to on Connor.”
Gavin groans, “Which means he’s got a full four inches over me,” he says in response, head thunking onto the dirty bar.
Tina refrains from telling him that the RK900 probably has closer to five inches over Gavin. She does however tell him to pick his head up, literally, as there’s no telling when the bar tender last wiped the surface down, and comments on how his forehead does sort of stick as he eventually looks up to glare at her. “If it helps, it doesn’t look like he has any of Connor’s memories preloaded into his head, so he probably doesn’t know how much of a dick you were to his twin before he joined the force.” The coffee room incident immediately springs to mind. Tina loves Gavin, but that was a little much. “Though he probably picked up on your burning hatred for android kind from the noise you made when he tried to introduce himself to you.” That and the the whole storming immediately out of building thing that came afterwards.
“No, really?” Gavin snapped, “and I thought I was being subtle!” He knocked back the rest of his drink. “Fowler made him my partner! Can you fucking believe that? Could have given him to Miller, but no! He wants me to suffer.”
Tina frowned. “You’re overreacting, Gavin. Besides roboboy seems sweet.”
“Tina, don’t tell me you’re betraying me for plastic!”
She laughs, reaching over and punching his shoulder, “You can’t tell me you didn’t see this coming, Gavvy. I would sell your soul for a single corn chip. Besides, I’m sure you can handle a single android. After all, didn’t you used to have a household model?”
Gavin suddenly stills and Tina feels like she’s accidentally crossed an invisible line. A tense, awkward moment passes.
“He was my ex’s,” Gavin grunts, motioning towards the bar tender for another drink, vodka this time. Tina winces. She didn’t know much about Gavin’s mysterious ex, they had broken up soon after Gavin had joined the force, but what she does know isn’t good.
They’d been high school sweethearts, dated all through college, the kind of relationship goals gold star couple that you’d be jealous of if it weren’t for the fact that they were so good together. And then suddenly, they were nothing. Tina remembers that week in acute detail. Gavin had come into work that week with dark bags under red rimmed eyes and a temper previously foreign to his personality. He’d thrown himself into his work, ignored any attempts at small talk and snapped at everyone and anyone to approach him.
She also remembered seeing him, head resting on the steering wheel of his car and shaking, one Thursday after shift, looking small and fragile, like the tiniest push would break him.
“And my ex wanted him more than she wanted me,” Gavin muttered staring miserably down into his glass.
And that’s how Tina found herself listening to the plot line of a dollar store romance tragedy. Apparently Gavin is a chatty drunk and more than a little bit dramatic.
The story is simple. Gavin and Ex move to Detroit. Gavin gets a job with the force, and Ex starts working at the ER. Long hours on both side, but they love each other so they manage. Ex mentions needing a little help running errands, keeping their apartment clean and suddenly an android is added to the mix.
The Ex worked days and Gavin, being the new guy, worked nights. A few too many lonely nights and late night chats with the bot and feelings had developed. Feelings like frustration because Gavin wasn’t around. Feelings like doubt because she wasn’t sure if Gavin and her were as good together as she thought. Feelings like confusion, because there was this handsome, kind android in her space that made her feel things that a human probably shouldn’t feel towards plastic.
And then she was gone, leaving Gavin nothing but a note for explanation.
Tina sipped at the ice in her now empty cup. Given what he’s been through, Gavin’s animosity towards androids was understandable, but not especially rational. She told him as much.
Gavin slumped in his seat, muttering a quiet, miserable “I know.”
“You’re gonna have to do better,” Tina says gently, after a bit, “Not just because of your new partner, but because this is keeping you from moving on with your life. I mean for fucksake Gavin, your break up was ages ago.”
Gavin impossibly shrinks further down onto his barstool, but he knows she’s right. This doesn’t make the following workday any easier when he sees the RK900 standing by his desk, looking uncertain and out of place. A sudden guilt overtakes him. God, he really had been an asshole.
Do better, Tina had said. Well, he’d try, but no promises. Taking a fortifying breath, Gavin walks up to the android.
“Morning, partner!” he says, not quite faking cheer, but not quite pulling off nonchalance, “Let’s get this over with.”