Chapter Text
It all started in November last year. Lieutenant Prick got a new partner to help with the recent serial killings that were plaguing Detroit and the minds of many investigators, no one being able to get any substantial leads. Sent neatly wrapped straight from the FBI, looking like a lost deer. But it couldn't be just any ol' bastard, could it. It had to be a fucking perfect human being. A walking computer brain in a model's body.
He hated him the first time he had laid eyes on him. Just a new threat in his already flimsy position here at DPD. Lieutenant Prick… Hank also didn't appreciate this new addition to his life at the beginning. It had turned out our flawless boy Connor wasn't all that flawless after all. He was definitely... special. He maybe had a genius brain but it made him lack in the social side of things. Communication. He was certainly trained to deal with criminals, was an amazing negotiator and his interrogations were a sight to behold but when it came to private interactions he was completely useless.
And that made Gavin's dead rotten heart sing. He gathered a great enjoyment in bullying that poor guy. It started innocently enough, Gavin had just ordered him to get him a coffee the first day in office and Connor had actually obliged. Without a single thought he went to the coffee machine while Gavin and his only police-mate Tina (the only person who could tolerate his bullshit) were giving him a surprised stare. "Can you believe this shit? He's actually doing it," Gavin chuckled a bit. Then Connor turned to them handing him the steaming cup. Of course he hadn't take it, that would have been beyond him. He just made a mean remark and left Connor hanging.
And it escalated from there - verbal abuse, death threat messages, the occasional shove or push… Had he felt even the slightest sign of remorse he threw it far away from his conscious mind. No matter what he did, Connor always acted politely, even kindly. And that was driving him crazy. He had no clue what was going on in that dork's brain.
Tina didn't want to indulge him this behaviour, but she knew better than to try to correct his ways. She thought she had a vague idea what was going on in that head of his and didn't want to disrupt his already fragile state of mind. Hank meanwhile got really close to Connor, maybe he reminded him of his deceased son that he missed dearly. Or maybe simply because how good he was at his job.
They were able to solve the case that had perplexed many brilliant minds in just a month. And when Connor was to leave the DPD, Hank actually managed to convince the higher-ups to keep him. Claiming he would be a great addition to our team and whatnot. And that's when Gavin snapped. He had thought he would become free of this festering scab in his brain that has been Connor. But the world wasn't nice to Gavin and so he retaliated with the same attitude.
Catching Connor on his way to the evidence room, he stopped him, startling him a little. "Hey dipshit! So you decided to plague our department forever huh? You couldn't just make us all a favour and be on your marry way back to your fed friends?!" he began menacingly. "'My fed friends' as you so eloquently put it, have decided that it would benefit all parties for me to remain here." He paused a moment and gave Gavin a snide look. "And I also couldn't bear to lose our bromance." That remark took Gavin by surprise. Before he made any deeper sense of what he'd just said, he grabbed a gun and pointed it straight to Connor's face. "Don't test me asshole. Unless you want to end up with a hole in your face. It would suit you quite nicely." With that he pulled his weapon away, seeing as Connor seemed totally unfazed by his threats. He did appear nervous or unnerved on many occasions but right now, he just… smirked at him. He was lost for words so he just uttered his usual slur of swear words and stomped off.
He almost felt guilty after that. He wouldn't have pulled the trigger in a million years but that was something he wasn't willing to admit to himself right now.
Then Christmas came and with it came the obligatory work party. He only ever attended these gatherings because of Tina, she demanded he come so she wouldn't have to get wasted alone. But this year he had one more reason to go. To see his favourite brainiac co-worker in a social situation like this wasn't something he would want to miss. He tried to avoid him since the gun incident and that made him even angrier. When the time for the party came though, he couldn't really get to him because his guarding dog Hank was always near. And he definitely wouldn't let Gavin come close to Connor. His eyes frequently wandered in his direction, half the time without him even realizing it.
Connor looked quite uncomfortable, playing with his coin every time he got the chance, not really drinking anything. Occasionally he would make small talk with others but no one would engage him for more then a minute. Hank was enjoying his alcoholic companion, talking to Connor from time to time, never losing him from his sight. Connor seemed really out of his element. He almost looked sad. But before Gavin could figure out how had that made him feel, he was already too drunk to think straight. He spent the night listening to Tina's rambling and then they took a taxi home.
Tina spent the night since she has just broken up with her girlfriend and didn't really want be alone in her empty apartment. And also she was smashed. So was Gavin, so they just passed out on the couch fully clothed while Gavin's two feline companions made their presence known by miaowing loudly, wanting their human to feed them no doubt. They slept through most of the day, Gavin waking up only because Grumpy almost suffocated him sitting on his face. "Dying…" he heard a raspy voice come out of a scary image of his friend. He made them coffee and they tried to survive this hangover together.
After some time Tina looked thoughtfully at Gavin who seemed to her pretty torn and uncomfortable. "So tell me, what have you done to the only person in the world who is genuinely nice to you?" His cup now empty, his mind sore with its relentless struggles. "I mean you avoid him like a disease and I've noticed the way he looks at you…," she added. He really wanted to know what way he looked at him and he hated that. He wanted to yell at her to mind her own business, but his head would probably explode if he did. "He pissed me off… and I kinda pointed a gun at him." He was surprised at his own honesty. Apparently, he was too tired to lie or to make any excuses. "If I could move I would smack you." She sounded exasperated. "I know that deep down you're…" "Stop." Gavin interrupted her before she could say something that would make him think about things that he tried so desperately to remove from his mind. "Please. Just… let it go. I know what I'm doing." "I can see that. Just remember that it's not just your life that's being damaged." With that she curled up and dozed off. "I want to see something not sad 's all" She mumbled from her sleep. He put a blanket over her and grabbed Chummy who was sprawled next to them, pulling the struggling feline close to his chest.
Some weeks had passed and he was again able to talk to Connor directly. Not having pleasant conversations by any means, just sliding back into his familiar teasing routine. He himself didn't realize that he came from ruthless bullying to mere insults that didn't sound as ill-hearted as they had. It was a natural transition, one he didn't have to put extra effort in. Also he had a case the required a lot of paperwork and Connor was often out solving crime with lieutenant dad, so they didn't have the chance to see each other much. Things were pretty dull and taxing at the same time. He wanted to do something about the whole situation, but his pride would not allow him to do all the stuff he keeps hidden deep deep inside his brain. So deep that even he can't find it.
"Hey spazz! Wanna go for a coffee break?" A familiar voice put an end to his thoughts. Tina just returned from her patrol and was visibly exhausted. "I won't be able to make it home without one." It was getting late the bullpen was almost empty. But he noticed that somehow Connor was still sitting behind his desk, finishing his work, really focused on what he was doing. Hank was nowhere in sight, he was all alone without anyone to protect him right now. Like the vulnerable deer he was. Or was supposed to be. And then he realized that he was shamelessly staring at Connor the whole time. He shook his head to pull himself out of whatever he thought he was doing. Tina just hummed curiously and started for the break room.
"So what are you gonna do?" she asked as they were sipping their coffee, leaning on the empty table. "What are you talking about?" he replied hoping she wasn't talking about what he thought. "About Connor." Of course she was. What was he supposed to do? Nothing made sense in his brain anymore, he only new how to hurt people and he wasn't about to change his ways, no fucking chance. His mind started to think up some new nefarious scheme when he remembered how Connor acted during the Christmas party and how he didn't get the chance to make fun of him then. And so he got a brilliant idea. "I"m gonna ask him out". Tina spit out her drink, not believing her ears. "For fuck's sake, not really 'ask him out', just to get him out of his element, away from his guardian, to make our mister perfect miserable. He'll then think about being kind and polite to me." Tina didn't have the strength to do something to make him snap out of this twisted state of mind. Not now, not ever. "It's your stupid choice." she said, long ago giving up on ever changing him.
He wasn't nervous. He had no reason to be. But when he saw Connor's deep brown eyes his heart sped up without permission. Trying to keep a cool composure, he pressed his nail against his finger, took a breath and started: "Hey brain-man. I know there is a lot of bad blood between us, so I thought maybe if we tried to hang out outside work it could make me less… irritable with you. So I was wondering if maybe this Saturday we could go somewhere…?" Oh how it hurt to say these words. His pride suffered the most. He felt his cheeks get hot, it was pretty embarrassing to him after all. He was trying hard not to meet his eyes. It was painful to feel that way. He had no clue what he'd do if he says no. Should have prepared himself better. The anticipation was killing him.
He saw Connor's face light up. "I would like to". Gavin needed a second to register the answer. It really was that easy. It almost wasn't right. Almost.