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The year is 2040, it's been well over a year since the end of the Android revolution and Gavin still keeps on wondering if his life will ever stop feeling like a fucking trainwreck. It's been a slow process, slower-moving than a lot of Androids would have liked, but they'd been slowing getting more and more equal rights over time. Damag - killing one of them now carries the same sentence as a human and that kind of thing.
Gavin now has as many Android cases that end up dropped in his inbox as humans ones. He'd been furious about it right after the revolution and sometimes he still is, but it hasn't been as bad as he'd have imagined.
He can't exactly beat anyone's ass anymore - though looking back on it, it was definitely Connor who beat his ass, not the other way around, not that he'd ever say it out loud.
He's about as nice to all of his Android colleagues, as to his human ones, so hostile, but not a complete asshole, unless he hasn't had coffee yet. It's about as much as anyone seems to expect from him anyway. Connor is still annoying, but mostly so because he can't seem to grasp the fact that Gavin can't fucking stand him.
Okay, that isn't quite the truth. Connor's far from his least favorite colleague to end up forced to work with. And unlike Anderson he's never come to the office reeking of booze, so that's a plus. (Anderson doesn't reek of booze anymore, no doubt because said Android probably put him through some sort of 12-step-program. If Gavin was less of an ass he might even thank him for it.)
Still, the sound of Connor's voice is distracting, for some reason and Gavin has read the same line of the case file about three times in a row now and still hasn't managed to grasp what it actually says. He looks up from his monitor.
"Can you please stop talking? It's annoying," he grumbles, and fumbles for his mug.
It's way too early in the morning to be dealing with Connor without a healthy dose of caffeine. Connor looks at him disapprovingly and Gavin really hopes the Android won't try to put him through an Anti-Coffee-Addiction-Bootcamp next.
"Maybe I like annoying you, Detective Reed," Connor, the little shit, says.
And then he winks at him.
It takes a lot more energy than it should not to grin back at it. Fucking asshole.
"Whatever, just let me get back to work," he grumbles but well, if he smiles in his coffee cup a second later, who the fuck can tell?
Connor is actually an outstanding police officer, not that Gavin would ever tell him that, even if someone pressed a gun to his head. Still, he closes cases far faster than anyone else. Even the creepy Android thing where he puts blood in his mouth like a weird-ass vampire is kind of helpful. All in all, it could be worse.
Still, there's something strange between them. Gavin can't quite place it but he knows that he feels uncomfortable.
Connor starts bringing him coffee, which is strange, considering the fact that Gavin once drowned him in it, when he did. Even stranger, considering he knows how much the Android hates it when he costumes too much caffeine. It's weird, feels way too intimate and Gavin's not sure what it's supposed to mean. Still, part of him starts to look forward to seeing Connor stand in front of his desk each morning, a cup of coffee in hand.
There's a certain kind of familiarity to Connor. After a while, he barely even manages to insult him anymore, which freaks Gavin out more than anything else. Insulting people is literally just what he does. The only people usually exempt from it are the very few people in his life he calls friends. The thought of adding Connor to that list makes him feel really weird, so he tries not to think about it too hard. On the bright side, it also means Fowler gives him only half as many disciplinary warnings as before. It doesn't seem like the worst trade-off in the world.
Connor keeps asking him questions, about his personal life as if it's any of his fucking business. Gavin has no fucking clue why, but eventually, he always answers all of them.
Connor switches out the coffee for tea some mornings as Gavin had always expected he would. What he hadn't expected is that he isn't even mad about it. He has been sleeping a lot better these last couple weeks anyway.
Connor seems in a better mood these last few weeks as well, though Gavin is unsure what exactly has brought on the change. A small part of him hopes it's him, that Connor feels the same sort of... something about the fact that Gavin has been less of an asshole and Connor smiles more, but it feels preposterous to assume that, of someone, he doesn't even dare to call a friend yet, even for him.
Connor looks good when he's smiling. He looks good in general, as most Androids do. Honestly, he looks more like someone that belongs on a runaway, than a police officer. Gavin has absolutely no idea what the hell Cyberlife was thinking.
He can tell even his other colleagues stare at him sometimes. Connor seems completely oblivious to it, however.
It's about three or four months into the whole coffee - now mostly tea - charade, that they're on a stakeout. Gavin is sipping on a vanilla latte, that Connor brought him and has to begrudgingly admit, that he likes the taste of it.
There is literally nothing happening outside of their car and there hasn't been for the past hour or so. Gavin sighs and leans his head against the car window. Sometimes this job is literally the most boring thing in the world and he really wishes it was evening and he could be home already, curled up on the couch with his cat and a good movie. Though, being stuck here with Connor, that at least makes it seem less terrible.
Although currently, Connor looks anything but relaxed. Sits up way too straight, the way he used to back at the start and his LED keeps circling yellow from time to time.
"Something on your mind?", he asks, eventually, because it's not like they have anything better to do.
(Also because he's kind of starting to worry that Connor might have blown a fuse or something. And like, he doesn't want him to blow up the car. Better safe than sorry.)
"I'm alright, Detective."
He only calls him Detective these days, if he's pissed him off. Gavin searches the depth of his memory but he can't think of a single thing he could have done today, that pissed Connor off. Or in the last...fuck, month or something. Oh fuck, he's going soft.
Still, Gavin feels almost worried, as Connor's LED still seems to be cycling so fast, it seems like it's stuck on yellow.
"Hey, what's wrong?", he asks and leans his hand on Connor's.
He hasn't touched him often, but he still finds it almost strange how human-like his skin feels. If Gavin hadn't known, and Connor hadn't kept his LED, he doesn't think he would have been able to tell.
Connor turns to look at their hands as if it's the first time he's seen a pair of connected hands. Fucking weirdo.
Connor's LED circles red and Gavin wonders if somehow he's managed to make it worse. Fuck.
It goes back to yellow in a second and he isn't quite sure why he feels so relieved.
Connor looks away from him, outside the car window, where still the most interesting thing that is happening is a squirrel running over the street.
Gavin is starting to suspect that this stake-out is nothing but a huge waste of time.
"I enjoy spending time with you," Connor suddenly says and his voice is so silent, Gavin nearly has to strain to hear it.
Weird thing to hear from Connor, in all honesty, but it's not exactly like he disagrees?
Gavin’s not entirely sure when that happened. He feels like he should be more freaked out about it, then he is. But he feels more worried than Connor still thinks he hates him or something, otherwise, he doesn't get why Connor is so distressed.
"Hey, you're not so terrible to hang out with either," Gavin says because he's absolutely fucking amazing at emotions.
Connor turns his head and smiles at him. It's not one of his usual goofy “it’s Monday and I'm somehow in a better mood than all of you” - smiles. This one is smaller, the one usually reserved for when Connor asks way too nosey questions and Gavin eventually gives in and tells him all about how fucked up his family is. It's Gavin's favorite.
He only notices he's still holding onto Connor's hand, as Connor's thumb moves over his. He doesn't pull away.
"I -"
Gavin has never seen Connor lost for words before.
Something about it is far too endearing.
His mouth feels dry all of a sudden.
"I don't quite know how to -"
Connor doesn't finish the sentence.
Oh. Fuck.
Gavin's even more of an idiot that he previously thought.
Looking back at the last couple of months now, it's more than obvious and he wonders how he hasn't seen it before. Perhaps he simply didn't want to.
"It's okay," he says, his thumb caressing the backside of Connor's hand.
His own voice sounds strange to him somehow.
Gavin rarely sits this close to Connor. He's never noticed how beautiful his eyes are before.
Part of him wants to run away. But Connor still looks so vulnerable, as if it's exactly what he expects Gavin to do. So he won't. For once in his life at least.
"Fuck," he mumbles.
He really wants a cigarette right now.
Connor laughs.
"I feel inclined to agree."
Gavin smiles.
He's not entirely sure how they've even ended up in this situation. The Gavin from two years ago would absolutely hate him for this. But maybe, he thinks, that isn't the worst thing in the world.
"Come here," he says and gestures for Connor to come closer.
The car perhaps isn't the best place for this, but they're technically still supposed to be working.
Connor's so close, he can hear the beat of his thirium pump, going way faster than it should be. Gavin's fairly certain his own heart is beating in sync.
He looks at Connor, who is so beautiful, it almost hurts.
"Stop me if I got this wrong," he whispers in the space between them.
And then he leans his hand against Connor's cheek and moves even closer.
The moment their lips touch, Gavin realizes just how much of an idiot he's truly been.
Connor hesitates for a moment as if he can't quite believe Gavin is kissing him - and honestly, neither can Gavin - before he returns the kiss. His lips are soft, though not quite as soft as a human’s would have been. But Gavin doesn't need to pretend he's human. He's not sure how or when exactly Connor managed to help him move past any of his old hatred for Androids but it doesn't really matter now. All that matters is Connor's lips on his, Connor's hand in his hair, and the feeling of Connor's skin against his.
When they eventually separate, it's surprisingly Connor who breaks the silence.
"I wanted to do this for a really long time," he says. The smile on his face is fragile as if still can't quite believe Gavin could feel the same way.
And maybe he would have indeed run away like he always does if it weren't for Connor. He feels safer with him than he ever has with anyone else.
"I'm really glad we did," he says and Connor rewards him with another, but shorter kiss.
He's not quite sure what's going to happen from here on out. Gavin knows he's terrible at relationships but fuck it, Connor makes him want to try.