Chapter Text
“Bring out the umbrellas because Detroit is going to be hit with yet another thunderstorm tonight. It will continue to pour in the upcoming days and it doesn’t seem like we’ll be warming up anytime soon. We might have to keep our winter jackets all through spring at this rate! I’m Johnny Rivers with the weather. Back to Ellie in the studio.”
“Thank you, Johnny… Last night, Detroit experienced its first blackout in twenty years. Despite this, Lights Out took to the streets to protest against Cyberlife. The company owned by Elijah Kamski faced backlash due to their controversial invention of Androids back in 2022. In a surprising turn of events, Androids took to the streets with Lights Out. The protest quickly turned hostile with six people and eight androids sent to the hospital with minor injuries. But above the altercations were several humans and Androids who succeeded in marching to the northern Cyberlife Tower together. They were eventually evacuated by law enforcement, leaving twelve people and sixteen androids injured.”
“On the same night, twenty-six Android bodies were found buried in a field south of Detroit. This is in connection with the sudden disappearance of Androids occurring this past year. Ellisa Naoki and Alex Patel are linked to the murders as well as the Lindsey Manning incident. Shots were fired, leaving one officer injured. They were sent to the hospital in critical condition...”
CLICK.
The television went blank and Connor’s LED glowed. That seemed to be a common occurrence around Gavin. Being the only source of light around. He was sat by Gavin’s bedside on a cushioned wooden chair, watching his partner’s chest steadily rise and fall. He looked so much more at ease with his eyes closed and brows no longer subconsciously pointed downwards. The lines on his forehead were softened. Perhaps too optimistic to think, but at least he got a break from being mad about something.
Connor noted as he glanced at the wall clock that visitation hours ended in five minutes. He busied himself with propping up the ‘get well’ teddy bear on the bedside table before heading for the door. He was turning the doorknob when he heard a low murmur from behind. Over his shoulder, Gavin was awake, eyes lazily opened and looking at him.
Connor faced his body towards him, hands politely behind his back. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you. How are you feeling?”
Gavin blinked slowly in response. He murmured something again though Connor could barely pick it up. He took back to the chair.
“Like shit,” he repeated. Gavin’s voice sounded quiet and hoarse, unlike what Connor was so used to. It was oddly intimate. “How long was I gone for?”
Connor told him it’s been five hours and Gavin’s eyebrows rose. “You stayed with me for that long?”
“Chris was here too. He stopped by to drop off a gift for you,” Connor quickly supplied. He gestured to the bedside table and Gavin’s eyes landed on the bear and he scoffed.
“Luna is gonna tear that thing a new one.” When Connor tilted his head Gavin elaborated, “Luna’s my cat. She’s the jealous type.”
Helplessly, a fond smile spread across Connor’s face. It was just funny to picture Gavin with a cat that was probably equally as stubborn and difficult to deal with as himself. Gavin would probably come home from work and complain out loud to Luna about Fowler. And when Gavin’s working a case over time, Luna would curl up in Gavin’s lap despite the laptop clearly occupying that space already. Then, when the duo succumbed to sleep, Luna took her place at the foot of Gavin’s bed no matter how many times he tried to kick her out.
A domestic side of Gavin. One could only imagine.
“Your thing is purple.”
Connor snapped out of his daydream. “Pardon?”
“Your LED. It’s purple.”
Connor looked at his dim reflection on one of the black monitors beside him. It was as Gavin claimed: the circle on his temple was a vibrant purple before it gradually faded back to its usual blue. “I… didn’t know I could do that.” Worst of all, he didn’t know what triggered it.
Gavin’s attention remained on the circle with an expression Connor couldn’t read. “Have you decided whether or not you’re gonna keep it?” Gavin asked.
“Why is that so important to you?”
“Just a question.”
Connor's answer was the same as it was last time, “I haven’t.”
Gavin hummed thoughtfully. What usually followed was some sort of insult veiled in creative criticism. Connor crossed his arms as if shielding himself from what was to come.
“It suits you.”
The confession froze Connor. “What?”
“I said it suits you. I think you should keep it.”
Gavin’s words settled. He sounded genuine.
“...And what if people hate me for it,” challenged Connor. “You hated me for it.”
“Because I didn’t understand who you were. But now…”
Connor tensed up as Gavin’s hand come up to his temple. His thumb gently swiped against the LED in a soothing pattern. The touch was warm and gentle and caring and unlike the person that Connor had known. The way Gavin was looking at the blue circle was just as foreign. There was a shiny glint in his eyes that wasn’t there before. It felt private and it flickered like a flame just ignited. It provided warmth that Connor had no idea he so desperately yearned for as the ice layering that made him ridged was melting off now.
With just a simple touch and look Gavin told a tale. Wordlessly, he let the Android know, ‘I see you.’
Connor leaned into his touch. The blue glowed brighter. He didn’t like hiding in the dark anyway.
The following week, an oddly familiar scene played out in the precinct. Chris was handing Connor a shiny and silver gift bag that held yet another expertly crafted kitchen utensil made by his wife. This time it was a decorative plate that he could display on the wall. A detailed painting of the city skyline decorated the surface of the place; the hue of the sky transitioned from orange to purple to a rich blue. ‘A goodbye present,’ Chris claimed it to be despite it being his last few weeks as an officer of the law as well. It was a decision they both made coincidentally around the same time, no doubt leaving Fowler contemplating his own job title. Along with Chris’ gift, Connor received a firm handshake from Tina who then pulled him into a hug. It felt like a second apology.
Chris took Connor out to a coffee shop for lunch that day. They were seated on high chairs by the window, watching pedestrians stroll along the sidewalk each with their own lives. Their own worries. Their own goals. Their own philosophies. The path was theirs to choose from. What was Connors?
Chris knew his own. He revealed that he had been studying law for quite some time now. His ultimate goal was to join his auntie’s law firm and help underprivileged youth who found themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time. He’d have to take a few odd jobs here and there to afford continuing his education and support his family. Though a strenuous path, Chris’ determination knew no bounds.
Now it was time for Connor to answer the question, what’s next? Such a simple question asked so much from a person. Perhaps he should have thought about this before he quit his job?
“The future is scary, man, I get it,” said Chris when Connor went quiet. “You have a good support system, though. You’ll find your way.” And that’s what made it so terrifying yet so exhilarating. It was his way. No code could force him into some predetermined path that Cyberlife built him for. He had to pave his own.
“Sorry to interrupt...” Connor tensed up. A familiar voice intruded on their conversation. They looked over their shoulder to see Lana Manning standing behind them with her hands clasped behind her back.
“Hello, Ms. Manning. How have you been?” She looked different, still pale and had tired eyes but her clothes had a pop of colour to them. Her long flowy spring dress was a light shade of green that went well with her braided brown hair. The familiar Lights Out symbol stuck to her chest, close to her heart.
“I’m well, thank you.” A rare smile grew across her pink lips. It faded thereafter and her eyes shifted downward. “I saw you across the shop and I…. I guess I just wanted to properly thank you for what you’ve done for Lindsey. For finding answers. I really thought Alex and Ellisa were friends of mine.”
First, shock waves hit Connor. Then a pang of sympathy. He turned his body to the side to face her better. “It was all a part of the job. I’m truly sorry you have to go through all this.”
“I’m…” Lana lingered, thinking to herself. Her lips parted as if to say something but decided against it with thinned lips. “I should get going now but I’m sure our paths will cross again soon. Please send my regards to Detective Reed.” With this, made her way to the exit. Something felt unfinished. Connor was fishing for a possibly forgotten task in the back of his mind. An itch on his back he couldn’t quite reach. He was left to watch as Lana joined the pedestrians walking across the window front.
He did remember one thing at the mention of his fellow colleague. Gavin was released from the hospital today.
The cigarette that Gavin held was snatched out from between his fingers with no warning. It dropped to the ground and was crushed rather aggressively with the sole of a chunky boot. Gavin might’ve gotten whiplash with how quickly he turned his head to face his sister. “What the hell?!”
“We’re right in front of a hospital, idiot,” she spat back.
“We’re outside.” He looked up at the clear sky, the bluest it's been in forever. The scorching sun was melting snow into slush, making for slippery sidewalks and roads. “Jesus Christ, someone really needs to fire that Johnny Rivers guy...”
Gavin had not realized he was subconsciously taking out another cigarette from his jacket pocket until Lucy grabbed his wrist and plucked it out of his grip.
“You were literally shot in the lung! How is this not registering in that detective brain of yours?!”
“It was near my lung, okay? I’m still breathing, aren't I?” He spread his arms out, demonstrating that he was indeed still breathing. Though he couldn’t hide the pain that single action caused him as he winced like he’d just been stung by a wasp. Lucy watched unimpressed. She led him into the passenger seat of her (visually and audibly) loud car and placed Chris’ teddy bear on the dashboard. Scattered on the windows were stickers of random cartoons from the early 2000s and the exhaust sputtered harshly when she started the car up.
“You didn’t have to come out here again,” said Gavin over the timid radio playing rock and roll. “I have friends who could take care of me.”
“I doubt that,” Lucy mumbled and Gavin shot her an offended look. Before he could testify against her claims, Lucy continued, “You’re family, Gavin. I’m not going to pretend you don’t exist, as much as you want me to.”
Gavin caught her pointed tone and looked out the window to ignore it. Lord knows how many grudges the Reed family carried with each other and outsiders. It’s what fueled them most days, but that was the problem, wasn't it? He huffed and rubbed his forehead before typing something in the car’s GPS system. The navigator's voice directed Lucy to take a U-turn where possible.
“Where are we going?” she asked skeptical. She did what the GPS said anyway.
Gavin shifted in his seat before answering. “A flower shop. Mom likes orchids, right?”
When Gavin looked over it appeared she was hiding something in her wild curtain of hair. Probably a proud smile. “Yes. She’ll be happy to see you,” assured Lucy.
Was he happy to see her, though? Results were pending as they stood in front of her home with a bouquet of flowers in hand. It was eerily quiet with the occasional draft of wind shifting the grass and their hair from side to side. There was an unspoken competition going on between the siblings: who was brave enough to talk first? They were thrown back to childhood, small with heads bowed in shame as the adult figures in their life hovered over, a large shadow casting over them.
“...Sorry I missed your birthday, mom,” Gavin finally told her. He doesn’t hear her say anything back. He had to fill in the blanks. “And the other birthdays before that, I guess. I’ve missed so many that it kind of felt weird to suddenly show up to one. I’ve been busy with work but that’s a shitty excuse. I’m sure Lucy kept you company. I’m here now, though. So…”
Yet again, no response.
“She’s listening,” Lucy assured him.
“I–” Something got stuck in Gavin’s throat. Like the air had put him in a chokehold. “I shouldn't have stopped visiting."
Lucy held a comforting hand on his shoulder as words continued spilling,
“God. I-I shouldn’t have left you alone. It’s so fucking awful being your own company for so long. I’m supposed to be your son. I should have never let that happen to you, mom. I’m so fucking sorry for that.” His gaze lifted from the ground for the first time since they arrived. Something shifted. He huffed, fist clenched so tightly to the bouquet the stems might snap. “I just wish you didn’t do the same to us.”
Lucy’s grip tightened on Gavin’s shoulder. It felt desperate.
“We were just kids,” Gavin gritted through his teeth. “We needed you but it was like you were distracted by anything and everything that wasn’t us. You were physically there, like, we could see you but that didn’t even matter. You were just– just checked out, in another realm entirely. Why couldn’t you just look at us? You couldn’t even give that to us on our birthday. Like, just a simple ‘happy birthday’ would’ve been fine but you couldn’t do that. Yet here we are. Guilt eating us alive every fucking year for some reason. That’s– that’s fucking insane, you know that?”
Leaves rustled in the wind.
“Nana died and you still didn’t do your job. Why couldn’t you be our mom?”
She doesn’t respond.
“Why did we deserve that?”
Of course, she doesn’t respond. She never did. She never will.
“Why did you have to make our lives so lonely?”
And even if she did respond, it would never be enough.
Once, Gavin asked how Lucy managed to forgive their mom. Lucy confessed she never really did. It was pity that brought her back to the cemetery.
Gavin lowered himself to his knee and placed the bouquet of orchids where their mother’s grave lay. He reached out to the tombstone, his palms grazing the rough texture as he wiped off the melting snow. They missed the opportunity to understand, just as she did with her children. Maybe what she offered was all she could give.
When they returned to the car a new layer of tension surrounded them. Unfittingly, the bleak silence was filled with the high energy of Billie Joe Armstrong’s vocals low on the radio:
“Looking for a cause…”
“But all I got was Santa Claus…”
“I’m hanging on a dream that’s too dumb to die…”
Connor turned the volume knob on Hank’s car radio, making the music louder.
“I feel like a cello…”
“Lost somewhere over the rainbow…”
“Way up high, too scared to dream…”
“But too dumb to die…:
Hank glared at him once he parked. In response, Connor made a show of throwing out rock signs and nodding his up and down to the beat. Hank now looked amused, a brow cocking upwards.
“The hell is happening to you?” He asked with a smirk.
Connor yelled over the song, “It’s Gavin's favourite song!”
Just like that, Hank’s face dropped into something sour. “Fuckin’ kidding me right now? Where was this enthusiasm when I put on Sweet Child O’ Mine!?”
Connor shrugged and ignored the suspicious look Hank was giving him. They let Sumo out of the back seat and led him towards their usual evening path and Cole’s favourite spot to look for the stars. The walk went as it usually did: Connor asked how Hank’s day was, Hank gave a one-worded reply then reluctantly elaborated about his AA meeting. Turned out, he made a friend or two. They were about his age and liked the same music. He was invited to a backyard cookout on the weekend and to his dismay, he actually wanted to go.
When it got to Connor’s turn to tell Hank about his day, Connor talked about his lunch with Chris and how he felt like they were actually friends, not just colleagues. As Connor was about to talk about his gift, he spotted Gavin approaching from the opposite side of the path. Connor looked at Hank as if searching for approval, and Hank rolled his eyes with his palm out for Sumo’s leash.
Connor and Gavin met in the middle. Their hands awkwardly stayed by their side. They stood there long enough for Hank to pass by with Sumo. He cleared his throat. Underneath the cough he muttered, “Hug each other, you idiots.”
The two idiots did just that. Connor brought both his arms over Gavin’s shoulder and slinked them around Gavin’s neck. Gavin wrapped his own arms around the small of Connor’s back. They melted into the closeness of each other– feeling each other’s hearts beat against one another, chest to chest. Connor took in the subtle hints of woodsy cologne that Gavin wore mixed with the minty shampoo he used. Gavin took in the slight curve of Connor’s back and how well he fitted in the crook of his neck. Everything about the hug felt so odd yet so tender.
“Thanks for meeting me here. I’m glad you’re okay,” Connor whispered in Gavin’s ear. Connor felt Gavin suddenly tense up just for a second.
They slowly separated, neither seemingly wanting to lose contact but both were too stubborn to admit that out loud and to themselves.
“Let’s sit?” Connor gestured to the bench nearby and they took a seat, viewing the skyline in front of them. The sun was descending, making for an almost exact copy of the painting on Connor’s plate.
“How’s work? Any updates?”
Connor gave him a rundown: they interrogated Ellisa and Alex, both confessing to Lindsey’s murders along with the disappearance of Androids. Miles Hundley was a bit more stubborn to confess his involvement given the charges from the Android fighting ring were still intact. A few days after they were arrested, the city held a memorial for the Androids scattered in the field where they were found. Connor and Hank attended and gave their condolences to the family Becky used to babysit.
“So it’s all over now,” Gavin mused. “Well, not really but, ya know what I mean. We’re done with that part... And we didn’t kill each other in the process. That’s the shocker of this whole thing, really.”
Connor chuckled. It was a joke but there was truth to it.
“Hey,” Gavin nudged Connor lightly with his elbow. Their eyes met. “Even after all the bullshit, I’d say we make a pretty okay team, wouldn’t you say?”
Pride swelled up in Connor’s chest knowing he’d won yet another human over. It wouldn’t last too long as something loomed over him like a grey cloud threatening to pour any minute. Connor’s lips were thinned into a smile.
“I’m leaving the DPD,” he confessed abruptly.
Gavin looked stunned for a moment. But just as quickly, he focused back on the view in front of them.
“I figured,” said Gavin. His leg was bouncing. “The precinct is gonna be a lot less entertained without us bickering.”
“We can still bicker. I’ll drop coffee off for you at the precinct since you need me to do that for you, apparently.”
Gavin scoffed, a helpless grin spreading across his face. “Yeah, and then maybe I can get you coffee outside of work?”
The silence that followed was deafening if not for Sumo barking at squirrels in the distance.
Connor’s head tilted. “...Are you asking me out on a date?”
“Date? I— no, I mean,” Gavin sputtered, “like… like as friends, or whatever the hell you call it… Your thing is turning purple again.”
Connor’s hand shot up to his LED, covering it. “Oh.”
“Listen,” Gavin started slowly. A rare sight to behold, him thinking before he spoke. “I know I can be a piece of shit sometimes. It just comes naturally at this point and I’ve pushed people away because of it. I’ve already done more than thirty years of damage. I don’t want to miss any more chances of connecting anymore. So whatever this is between us— this weird friendship where we just annoy each other constantly— I’d like for it to continue.”
Endearing was not a word that came to mind when describing Gavin Reed yet here Connor was, thinking just that. Though, something nagged at his brain as he looked at Gavin carefully. “Do you like me, Gavin?”
“What?”
“Are we actually friends?”
Gavin squinted. “I- I mean, I thought we were? We can be friends if you’d like. I’d like that.”
“How about any other Android? Would you be friends with them?” Gavin didn’t answer fast enough. “Liking me isn’t enough for me to look past all the bullying you’ve done to me. We might’ve developed a friendship but that doesn’t change how you look at Androids. I need to know that you not only see me as valid but any other Android as well.”
Gavin, yet again, took too long to answer. It was hope that kept Connor from just getting up and walking away. It was hope that made him keep trying even when a case felt unsolvable. It was hope for a better future that charged him with ambition. He waited for Gavin’s answer. It would come. He knew it would.
“....As long as the Android isn’t a prick,” said Gavin then shrugged. “Why not?”
There were many reasons why not. Gavin campaigned against Androids ever since they were announced by Cyberlife. He detested their creators and everything they stood for. Who could blame him when the evidence was there? Detroit was a messier city because someone wanted to play God which wasn’t exactly original. It happened time and time again, no matter the decade. It was a cycle that repeated itself in a dizzying fashion and each generation had no choice but to buckle up and get dragged with it whilst trying to spin the wheel out of its place and forward. It starts to feel hopeless for a while. Like, no matter how hard they pushed, the wheel would stay in its place. Sometimes, it felt like it was going backwards. Everyone had a solution. No one agreed on one.
Stepping back, the bigger picture was difficult to view. But look closely and see that within the detailed painting of the city there were small yet significant moments of change. Right there, on the bench by the sidelines, an unlikely friendship was born. It may start out small but slowly it could branch into something spectacular.
So why not? Why not take that chance?
“I’ll take you up on that coffee date then,” said Connor.
“It’s— it’s not a date,” Gavin murmured.
“Whatever you say, Detective.”
Their eyes lingered on each other. Something uncertain forming between them. Something peculiar and mischievous and new attracted them together like a magnet to metal.
Gavin was the first to break the spell. He focused up front and noticed that night had fallen. Tonight’s view was no different than what it would be tomorrow and the next day, and the next. The stars weren’t out tonight. Instead, the insistent glow of the hundreds of other Androids scattered around Detroit lit up the city below. That blue hue made everything a little less lonely.
Goodnight Detroit. See you in the morning.
END