Disgustingly Appetizing

Chapter 2: Case One (Part 1)

Gavin walked into the police station with fatigued eyes and heavy footsteps, barely latching on to the dark roast coffee he couldn't live without. It was the morning after the storage room incident and the detective couldn't help but replay the scene over and over again in his head, vainly attempting to conjure up reasons as to why RK900 did what he did. As Gavin reviewed the scenario in his mind, he drifted between Richard's actions and his facial features, focusing on strange things like the machine's masculine physique and cold, blue eyes. The detective took in a sharp breath as he caught himself subconsciously biting his lower lip. He looked to the ground in confusion, convincing himself that his exhaustion is to blame for such bizarre thoughts.

The detective made it to his workspace and placed his coffee on the cluttered desk, surveying the area for any signs of his metal colleague. He sat down on his dilapidated office chair with a thump and a groan, pressing further into the seat as he took a moment to collect himself. He tilted his head toward his right arm, examining the black, Velcro brace which snuggly fit around his hand and wrist. "Fuckin' psychotic android," Gavin whispered under his breath as he shook his head and pulled his chair closer to the desk, "And it just had to be my damn shooting hand," he sighed.

Gavin studied the contents on the table, eyes shifting from one case file to the next; he placed his left hand on his forehead, overwhelmed by the amount of work dropped on his lap. The detective looked to his terminal and tapped the screen with his finger. The monitor's bright blue hue illuminated Gavin's face, exaggerating shadows and highlighting features like his sharp jaw and scarred nose. The brunette's hand naturally moved from his forehead to his cheek, tapping his temple every now and then. His brows drew together as he scanned the many recent reports filed in the DPD records; text mirrored onto the detective's focused eyes.

"Good morning, detective."

Gavin jumped out of his skin, almost smacking himself with his hand as he jolted upward. He closed his eyes and exhaled as the unemotional tone of voice sounded all too familiar. He slowly peered over his shoulder to see a smiling Richard, standing tall with hands behind his back. "Aw fuck," the detective scrunched up his face, quickly turning around toward his desk, "For a brief and delightful second, I thought you'd gotten lost and fucked off somewhere else," Gavin expressed with evident irritability. "Sorry to disappoint," Richard calmly responded, inspecting his human partner, "I see you tended to your injury," the machine gestured to the brace. Gavin let out a suppressed laugh, sliding his tongue over his teeth; he stood from his chair and looked to RK900 with a hardened expression. "You know how long I gotta have this splint on?" Gavin took a step forward, his nostrils flaring, "Two-to-ten fuckin' weeks."

"I'd like to apologize but my programming suggests I act upon sincerity," Richard stated, eyes fixated on his fuming counterpart. "The fuck did you just say!?" Gavin asked, pushing RK900 with powerful force. The android only swayed for a moment before regaining his balance, his mouth set in a hard line. "My apologies, detective; perhaps I am using vocabulary you are not familiar with. Allow me to rephrase the sentence in a way you'd likely understand," Richard fixed his tie and glared at Gavin, "I don't feel like saying sorry."

The detective took a step back as he tried to process what his partner just said. Androids aren't supposed to behave this way, are they? Others at the DPD certainly don't, but then again, none of them are paired with cops that are as rude and pigheaded as Gavin. "You know," the android began, "I was quite astonished that you managed to strike me yesterday in the storage room. I found it most impressive," the machine admitted, cocking his head to observe his stunned colleague. The shorter of the two blinked a few times before coming back to his senses, dragging the corners of his mouth into a baleful frown. He pressed a finger into RK900's sternum, "Listen to me, you plastic piece of shit, don't think I won't throw you down and beat your ass senseless right here, in front of the entire department," he bared teeth, "Because I will."