Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Suckiness

[7- five feet apart cuz they're not gay]

----------NINES----------

"Fine, I'll join you."

The look on Gavin's face is indescribable. For a second he seems genuinely shocked like his teasing and invitations were just that. But then he covers it up with a smug grin and turns around to give me the privacy to get undressed, the same courtesy I gave him.

But I'm an android, not a fleshy human who has to worry about appearances or insecurities.

In truth, if I had looked at him that day on the lake, I would have found out his truth and the deepest, darkest parts of him that were written out in jagged lines across his skin. If I had looked that day, none of which happened would have happened at all.

But I didn't.

As I get undressed, the cold air moves delicately across my skin and surprisingly sends a light shiver through my system, something that's never occurred to me before. Regardless, I continue to strip down to my underwear, pearly white boxer briefs untainted in any way, just like the rest of my clothes, which I neatly fold and place on the back seat of the car.

Finally, I take my time wading into the water, and Gavin was right(something I'll never say again).

It is very frigid, and the water would burn if I was human, but I'm not, so the only thing that reminds me of it is my system alert telling me my environment is rapidly changing.

"Took you long enough," Gavin chuckles, and there's a slight tremor in his teeth when he says it. "How long do you think we have to stay in here for my body to properly absorb the water?"

At this, I only shrug, trying to cover up my amusement. "I would say 15 minutes."

"Fuck! F-fifteen goddamn minutes! No fucking way!" He growls, running his hands across his forearms for warmth. "God, I hate Michigan. One day, I'm going to go somewhere warm, away from all of this icy rain bullshit."

"It's called snow," I try to contain the undertone of rapidly growing amusement in my voice.

"I know what it's called! It's a damn nuisance more like it! One day I'm going to move to Clearwater and get out of this eternal blizzard!"

"Clearwater? Are they known for their technological advancements in water filtration?"

The detective growls again, but this time he's grinning. "You know what I'm talking about you damn cool-aid dispenser."

"Do I?"

"You do."

We're about 3.2 inches apart now, staring at each other like it's a competition neither of us can bare to lose.

"Hey!" A voice pulls us out of our world and I turn to see who's there.

A rotund middle-aged man in a red park ranger's cap is yelling at us about 100 meters away.

"Hey you two idiots! It's forbidden to swim here! Get out or I'll call the cops!"

Gavin's face twists like he's about to end this whole man's career. "At your service, asshole!"

But then his face falls, eyes widening.

"Oh shit. Nines, he's coming over here."

"The car," Is all I manage as I rush to get out of the water, Gavin trailing right behind me. "Keys, Gavin!"

"Over my dead body!"

And he opens the car and we get in, before it roars to life and just like that, we're driving off leaving that guy in the dust.

And when he starts cackling like a maniac, I can't help but let the smile that's been pressing against my lips this entire time break across my face.

--------------------

----------GAVIN----------

Fowler almost handed our asses to us. We almost got detention for that little stunt we pulled, but hey, I think it was worth it. Not only can we collect the data on how my body reacts to the water through my skin, but also, I think I won some brownie points with the android.

He's sitting at my desk, feet up, his head resting on his hands just like me during 2 hours of the day and drinking coffee from my cup like he could ever replace Gavin Fucking Reed. His hair's still wet from when we went not-skinny dipping in Lake St. Clair which was one of my stupidest ideas yet, to be honest. 

"Hey toaster-face. Hey," I flick his forehead even though he's not in his robo-garden or whatever it is that he does when he's thinking. 

"Detective." 

"Hey, it's time to go home. I've got shit to do and this case ain't going anywhere-" 

Tina nearly topples me over in her state of panic and it takes me a second to steady myself to see the look on her face: eyes wide, mouth slightly open. 

She opens her mouth, inhales way too deeply, closes her mouth, opens it again, and then finally finally, spits it out. "There's been another murder."