Work Text:
“Gavin?"
With a mighty twitch, he jolted back to reality, legs slipping off of the desk where he'd had them perched. With some chagrin, Gavin noticed that his report had not progressed at all from where he had left off before he'd started staring aimlessly into the half-distance, the blinking cursor seeming to mock him as it flashed in and out. He scowled uselessly at his monitor—and especially at the 2:38 am time in the corner—before the steady clearing of a throat had him turning his attention to his left.
Connor stood there, looking as sharp and put together as always, the pressed lines of his suit accentuating his natural geometry in ways that Gavin really should not be daydreaming about at work. But, having now seen Connor in more casual wear, it had become all the more difficult to reign in the comparisons.
The two of them had been dating for all of one month now and Gavin was as surprised as anyone that they'd managed to keep it going. But their dates had been fun and easy, the lack of expectation helping to ease the pressure off of both of them. He couldn't even remember the last time he'd taken a relationship this slow... Probably back in college, really. But having already seen each other at their worst, they'd both decided they really didn't have to worry about making an impression anymore.
It was after a long series of cases where they'd been forced to work together that they were first assigned as partners and then became friends and now… Well, now they were something a little more than both. And, besides getting the stink-eye from both Hank and Connor's very overprotective little brothers , Gavin had seen absolutely no downside to this arrangement thus far. He never would have thought something like this could have happened a year ago, but he genuinely enjoyed the android's company. And he liked to think that Connor was fond of him as well.
So, with all that in mind, Gavin shook his head once more, breaking out of his bleary daydreams to say, "Yo. What's up, babe?"
Connor smiled at him, that sweet little quirk of the lips that always made Gavin feel rather faint. "Well, imagine my surprise when I took a moment to look out across the bullpen, only to receive a flashing warning of your dangerously high melatonin levels?" That hyper-focused gaze quickly swept across his desk and monitor, no doubt taking in all the information he needed to piece together the problem in less than a second. Connor raised his eyebrows in surprise. "You don't have a partner for this case?"
Gavin side-eyed the blinking cursor again, seeing that Connor had obviously noted his name only there at the top of the report. He sighed. "Nope. Was supposed to be an easy B&E. Didn't expect it to end with me taking on a fucking human trafficking ring." He rubbed at his eyes again, wincing at the grit scratching across his lenses. "Only just got off a 62-hour surveillance stint like an hour ago. Need to finish this shit up before I talk to Fowler and round up SWAT."
Connor looked alarmed. "Today?! Gavin, I would not advise this. Your body needs some proper sleep before you can—"
"Hey!" He sprang up from his chair, crowding up close to where Connor was still standing, glaring up at the android. "I know full well what my fuckin body is capable of! I don't need you and your robo-magic telling me otherwise!"
He immediately regretted his tone when he saw Connor's eyes go wide, but a mixture of frustration, lack of sleep, and a lifetime of lashing out at people made him angry. And he was never very nice when he was angry.
But Connor only lifted his arms, bringing his hands up to rest on Gavin's shoulders. "I understand. You have a mission and it is at risk. People may be hurt if you fail. And you are under a deadline." He glanced away off to the side, biting his lip in a strangely human gesture. With a sigh, he leaned closer, slipping his arms up and around his torso to hold him in one of those awkward, charming hugs he hadn't yet managed to perfect. "You're worried. And you have no one to help you."
And Gavin, suddenly overcome with a crippling wave of exhaustion, could do nothing but sink into his boyfriend's arms. "Yeah," he muttered. "Guess that's it."
He more felt than saw Connor nod again before the android pulled back. "Well, not anymore." Determination hardened his eyes as he looked down at Gavin. "I'm going to help you."
Gavin stared. "But you can't just... What about your own shit?!"
"Not time-sensitive. A low-level misdemeanor and an already-documented confession. They can both wait."
He just stared some more. "You really think Fowler's gonna buy that?"
"I'll speak to the captain as soon as he arrives."
Gavin sighed. He really should know better than to underestimate how stubborn Connor could be. They may have only been dating for a month, but he's known the android for over a year. And he had never once seen him back down from something once he'd set his mind to it. "Whatever floats your boat, tincan."
Connor smiled again and Gavin felt that same burst of warmth as before. "Excellent. Now, I propose that we finish up this report as soon as possible and then you get some sleep on one of the fold-out cots downstairs. Let's see your notes and transcripts, then—"
Connor easily began sorting through the terrible mess Gavin had made of his station, organizing things into piles, sorting by timestamp and date, making a comprehensive timeline that Gavin could present to their captain that would be enough for him to sign off on a raid. But despite Connor's efficiency and Gavin's spiteful determination, the man still found himself nodding off again and again, two nights of next-to-no sleep taking their toll on him.
At one point, Connor got up from the desk, leaving Gavin content to lay his head down upon the cool, laminate surface. In what seemed like no time at all, he startled back awake as Connor placed a heavy cup down in front of him, the heavenly scent of strong espresso wafting from the confines.
"Oh fuck yeah," he called out, dragging the mug closer to him and inhaling deeply. "You sure know the way to a man's heart, Robocop."
Connor just smirked. "And to think, I'd been wasting so much time on outings when I could've just been brewing you coffee. What a waste.
"Though, I do hope this will be enough to finish this up. The quicker we're done, the more rest you can have before we head out to the raid."
The line of worry crinkling Connor's perfect forehead was honestly mesmerizing. Gavin couldn't remember the last time someone had been so concerned about his atrocious sleep cycles. Or had cared enough to drop everything to help him out. He glanced down at his half-empty mug, just one more tangible sign of Connor looking out for him, and finally took in just what it said on the side.
Turns out I like you a lot more than I’d originally planned.
This... wasn't his usual mug? Slowly looking back and forth between it and Connor, he felt a wave of confusion roll over him.
Of course, the android picked up on his scrutiny almost immediately, looking down at the mug with a rather sheepish expression on his face. "Ah. Yes. That." He was quiet for a moment, not even the clacking of the keys going off as he multi-tasked through the conversation. "I found it the other day when I was out shopping with Sixty. I... thought it might suit you?"
And Gavin, living high off of a lifetime of sleep deprivation and bad judgments, glanced up at one of the security cameras, smirked like a devil, and leaned over to kiss his boyfriend. To freakin hell with the no PDA at work rule.
As he drew back, leaving Connor looking rather more dazed than was usual, he tapped his fingernail on the porcelain cup, a clear, bright ding sounding between them. "Right back atcha, Con."
~~~
It only took another half an hour for the two of them to finish up, Gavin chipping in with some key details as Connor typed out the full timeline of events. The coffee had certainly helped him for a moment but even so much pure caffeine could not counteract the effects of multiple nights of minimal sleep. And so it was that Connor left the other man to his rest at the ripe old time of 3:51 am. That would give him a few hours at least as Connor negotiated his way onto the case and presented their report to Fowler. (And perhaps mildly scolded him for not reassigning Gavin a partner after the magnitude of the case had first come to light.)
In the meantime, he first set about handling his own cases, reassigning busy-work, getting his approvals reissued for later dates, reserving an interrogation room for next week instead of two days from now, etc. He’d meant what he said to Gavin, his cases were not time-sensitive. They could do to wait a few days more. After that, he took to cleaning up their workstations, taking special care to keep all of Gavin's handwritten notes piled together in one folder, as per his usual filing method. (He did so appreciate how meticulous Gavin was about his cases. If only Hank could be so organized...)
At last, he turned his eyes on the infamous coffee mug, the dregs of the bitter brew still left coating the bottom. With his enhanced senses, he could make out every touch of Gavin's skin upon the surface: there on the handle or the mug itself where the long stretch of his fingers had wrapped around the warmed surface or the brush of lips upon the rim…
Connor smiled, thrilled that his gift had gone over so well. Gavin had definitely seemed to appreciate the sentiment of it. As he washed it over by hand, scrubbing away the marks of the man he cared so much for, he thought he might endure any amount of Sixty's mockery for buying such a thing if it got him such a result every time. With perfect recall, he mapped the feeling of the pressure against his lips, the chemical makeup of Gavin upon his sensors, the softly muttered words of reciprocal affection. Even the slightly exhibitionistic pleasure he got from their very public display of affection. It would be a lie to say he hadn’t enjoyed it all, even if it went against their already-established rules.
By now, the time was coming up on 6 am and the precinct was slowly but surely coming back to life. The weary night shift was trading out with their more lively counterparts, the receptionists and secretaries and administrators were taking their places with a yawn and a chain store coffee cup in hand, the weapons lockers and evidence vault were in full-swing as officers and detectives prepared to tackle a new day.
Fowler shuffled in right on the dot at six o'clock and Connor followed after, determined both to take down this heinous criminal syndicate that Gavin had accidentally discovered but, more importantly, to help the man himself out with this huge case.
Connor left the mug on Gavin's desk. Time to get to work.
