Love Rivals

Reports, Crushes, and Another Crime?

Third
Gavin looked up everything he could to find out what was causing the strange fluttering in his stomach but only found that it was a strong fondness for someone. A crush. He watched the tall brunette's back as they entered the break room, then turned his gaze to watch him make his coffee. He scanned everything to learn more about the man, which was that instead of black coffee he liked it to be sweeter than expected.

An unhealthy brand of sweets. Gavin cringed on the inside, biting his tongue to keep from scolding the taller male in fear of angering him again. His hands were held behind his back as he watched quietly, trying to understand the term of having a 'crush'.

Finally, after it became too silent, Nines spoke up. "Okay, I can't stand this fucking quiet. What's going on in that tin head of yours that's got you so occupied?" His tone is snappy, though it holds a hint of both worry and curiosity.

Gavin simply turned his gaze elsewhere in the precinct, not sparing Nines a look. "I'm trying to understand something that's been bothering me since earlier..." With such he took a seat and looked at the terminal. "We should get started with that report."

"Now wait..." Nines begins, just to see Gavin push himself closer to the computer. He grits his teeth and grabs the back of Gavin's chair, shoving it back to the point Nines was the only force keeping it from falling.

Gavin's LED spun red in fear, the light casting glances their way. People began to whisper amongst themselves about it, "What happened yesterday?"

"Weren't they getting along earlier? What happened?"

"Is he a deviant?"

"Why is there a deviant working with us?"

"What about Lieutenant Stern's android? He's a deviant and we've kept him! Why can't we keep this one?"

The voices wouldn't stop and it only made the smaller brunette shrink in his chair and avert his eyes. Nines noticed the effects of the people and lifted his head, looking over everyone as they gasped and turned away quickly. He sighs and looks back down at Gavin, whose LED remains a dark red. He lowers the chair and leans on the desk as his partner looks up at him cautiously.

"Look... I want to know what's on your mind. Maybe I can help you with it?" His tone was softer now, less aggressive than it had been and it soothed Gavin slightly. His LED spun yellow, eyes still staring away from Nines and towards the floor.

"It's... I..." He bites his bottom lip and lifts his head. "It's just something stupid... We should work..." He tried to act tough, though, through the little guise, he knew Nines was waiting patiently for him to open up. He finally acquiesced and looked into those blue eyes of his. "It's... well..." He glances around at the people not paying attention to them. "It's a crush... I don't know what it is..."

Nines chuckles from his nose, "What do you mean by that? It's such a simple thing, can't your android brain figure it out?" He tapped the LED only to be smacked harshly by Gavin, which when looked at seemed to be by impulse. He recoiled and shifted away from the male in fear.

"I'm sorry... I don't know what came over me..." He refused to look over at Nines, completely missing the hurt look in his eye as he watched the android. "And to answer that question, I know what it is... but not what it means. What's a crush supposed to be anyway?"

"It's where you get strange tingles in your stomach and your heart flutters wildly out of your chest over something small and unimportant. Where every little thing they do, from taking a breath to moving about makes you happy. Makes you feel partially complete." Nines explains, leaning off of the desk and placing a hand on his cheek. He went to add on but bit his cheek and sat down instead. "Now get to work."

Gavin was left in silence, people glancing over at them from time to time and making him more stressed than he'd like to be. LED stayed a solid yellow for the next few hours of typing and revising the report over and over and over again until it was perfect in his eyes. Nines made a few changes and sent it in to be looked over.

They didn't speak after that outburst and Gavin found himself missing their small talk, even when they weren't getting along. His LED flickered and he stood up impulsively. "Detective. I was just informed of a case located five minutes from here. Shall we get going?"

Nines lifted his head and waved him off. "Go ahead, you don't need me there anyway." Gavin went to argue, but the harsh gaze from the tall brunette changed his course. He spun on his heel and growled under his breath. "Phcking pieces of shit..." He ground his teeth and continued off, leaving the building and not once looking back.

He set a goal on the inside of his head, a mission marker in a sense. He'd sacrifice anything to succeed in his mission, even if that meant forgetting any feelings or thoughts he'd have. Success is all he desires. His LED spun blue again, eyes burning with a desire to get this done quickly and efficiently. Nines was right, Gavin didn't need him. He felt a frown tug on his lips, he didn't need him. But he wanted him.

Nines on the other hand felt upset, when Gavin had stormed out he expected him to turn and at the very least threaten him. Instead, he stormed away and never once spared him a final glance, which broke something inside of himself. A female officer approached his desk, forcing him to place the mask he had back on. "Can I help you?"

She smiles sweetly, twirling a strand of ginger-colored hair around her index finger. "I was wondering if you had a date to the upcoming get-together...?" Her vibrant green eyes lured him closer, but he simply shook his head and won over it. His heart already felt oddly out of place with Gavin gone.

"I do not, nor do I need one. My brother will be hosting it and since he's currently unable to move around very much, I'll unfortunately be needed to help prepare for the event." He spoke up, crushing the woman's hopes. He could see the disappointment in her eyes that she wouldn't reveal to him, biting at her bottom lip. He lied to her, in a way. He would need to help, but that didn't mean he'd necessarily need to be alone for it.

He just didn't want to bring her as his plus one. "Oh... That's okay..." Her bottom lip puffed out slightly in an attempt to look cute in his eyes, but instead, it annoyed him. He put on a fake smile and winked at her, getting a giggle out of her as she went to walk away. "We should meet up sometime... Maybe a bar?"

"Maybe..." Nines grumbled out, instead focusing on his reports that needed to be finished. His mind wandered over to Gavin and what he might be doing currently.

Meanwhile, a black-haired male sat dissatisfied with a certain brunette android's choice in life. How could he simply walk away like that? He clicks his tongue and shakes his head. "No no, this won't do..." His piercing blue and green hues burned holes in his laptop screen as he watched through Gavin's eyes. "Connor hosting a get-together... hm? I could use this to my advantage."