Chapter Text
Gavin yawned, ambling through the bullpen. He noticed Nick’s bland gaze and saluted lazily. “Morning, Robocop.”
Nick greeted Gavin with a frown. “Detective, you’re later than usual.”
“Wow, you really are a detective model,” Gavin sneered, sitting heavily at his desk.
Nick stared blankly at him, LED spinning yellow. “I’m slowly developing my social relations program. I am unsure if that was sarcasm, or if you truly were unaware of my designation.”
Gavin rolled his eyes. “No, I thought you were a coffee maker.”
“If that were the case, I would have made you coffee already.”
“Oh, yeah? And how is getting rid of Connor going for you?”
Nick’s LED flashed red, and Gavin nearly missed it. “I am not required to disclose information on my primary objective.”
Gavin narrowed his eyes, feeling his curiosity getting the better of him. “Why not, aren’t I your superior officer?”
“Yes, but Cyberlife has seniority over you.”
“You still take orders from them? Aren’t they, like, out of business?”
Nick was quiet, looking it up. “I am not authorized to access that information.”
Gavin cackled. “You, Cyberlife’s pet project, don’t have access to that?”
“No, but Connor is working directly with Markus and Cyberlife. He could answer your questions.”
“No thanks. I’d rather bother you about it.”
“Sorry, Detective, but you cannot bother me.”
Gavin hooked his arm over the back of his chair and sprawled in his chair, grinning lazily at Nick. “You sure about that?”
Nick stared at him for a total of three silent seconds before standing unexpectedly, dismissing error alerts and a temperature warning. He would deny filing that image away somewhere special if Connor found it. “Excuse me, Detective, I need to speak with Connor about one of our cases.”
Gavin watched Nick bustle off to Connor’s desk, grin fading. Nick and Connor spoke quietly together, and Connor had that stupid, weird grin spreading on his face. He couldn’t see Nick’s face from where he sat, but he imagined the blank frown that was probably there. Or maybe it was the same awkward smile Connor still used for Gavin most of the time. He looked away, realizing he was staring for too long, and feigned indifference long enough to sip from his cup. Glancing back, he accidentally met Connor’s gaze. Connor raised a brow at him, and Gavin noticed Nick had his attention on Chris. With a challenging raise of both of his brows, Connor flicked his eyes towards Nick and back.
Gavin didn’t like that at all. So he flicked Connor off and faced his terminal.
“Detective,” Connor said with false friendliness.
“Jesus,” Gavin hissed, jumping in his seat, “What the fuck do you want? Did Robocop tattle on me or something?”
“No, I just thought I’d have a little chat with you.” Connor smiled, surprisingly genuine, and Gavin frowned suspiciously. “You’ve been less terrible than I thought you would be.”
Gavin gritted his teeth and glared at his terminal. “I feel a but coming,” he ground out.
Connor’s short-lived smile turned sharp, and his eyes went cold and unblinking. Gavin met the look with his glare. “But, if you continue being unnecessarily cold to my friend, when I know it’s not genuine, then I will find a way to make you regret it.”
Leaning toward him, Gavin squared his shoulders despite the cold creeping up his spine. He bared his teeth in an angry sneer. “Get fucked, tin can.”
Pressing his hand softly on Gavin’s desk, Connor leaned slowly over Gavin with a false air of calm. He spoke quietly, just for Gavin, “I won’t repeat myself.” He glanced up and down Gavin’s body, scanning him boredly. “Try not to be so riled up by my threats.”
“Fuck you,” Gavin growled, shoulders bunching up.
Connor hummed, considering. “No thanks.”
And he was abruptly gone, walking away like they’d just been discussing a case. Gavin’s fists clenched painfully in his lap, and he took a ragged, calming breath. Another set of steps tapped toward him, and he knew it was Nick.
“Detective?” He asked, sounding so different than Connor despite having the same voice.
Gavin forced his shoulders to relax. “What?”
Nick set a file down onto Gavin’s desk. “Are you alright?”
A flash of anger flew through him, and he stood. “I’m fine,” he bit out, brushing passed Nick.
Nick’s brows furrowed, and he watched Gavin storm away. His stress levels were significantly higher than they had been just a few minutes ago. A tentative stability error pinged through him, and he felt distracted as he sat at his desk. Only a third of his processing power was kept on the case pulled up on his terminal. It was especially difficult to concentrate when Gavin returned to his desk. He kept thinking of Gavin sitting back contentedly in his chair, grin smug and sharp. He must be malfunctioning.
Nick no longer counted on one hand the amount of times his software had malfunctioned. When he’d first been activated, he assumed he would seldom require stasis. He regularly did so now to sort and repair the unstable software errors constantly coursing through him. It was exhilarating to study, but it was incredibly distracting. He wasn’t a fan of that.
Now he was accumulating even more errors because of Hank.
Connor invited him to dinner at Hank’s house. Hank showed him how to chop things as Connor dutifully watched. Hank banned him to the kitchen table after he bent the knife. Twice. Nick’s machine nature, however, meant he followed direction easily, and he wasn’t likely to destroy kitchen equipment. At least, that was the case until Hank moved behind him, brushing against his back, and laid his hand over Nick’s to help demonstrate. Freezing throughout his entire being, Nick zeroed in on that hand. With a jolt, he realized Hank’s other hand was on his shoulder. And the most state of the art android so far fumbled with the knife. It was actually impressive, Nick would later think, as he managed to nearly stab himself. He stared flatly at the knife clattering at his feet.
“Holy shit, Nine, are you okay?” Hank spun Nick around and ran his hands up and down his front, checking for injuries.
Nick remained silent as he watched the hands intensely, knowing his LED flickered between red and yellow. One of Hank’s hands pressed against the new slice in Nick’s shirt, hitting the skin beneath it. Nick added another tick to his list of software malfunctions.
“Christ, you’re lucky you didn’t cut yourself,” Hank mumbled.
“Hank,” Connor murmured with thinly veiled amusement, “Nick’s a little overwhelmed.”
Hank glanced over to Connor with a confused look. He met Nick’s blank eyes, and a lightbulb went off, eyebrows rising. Stepping back, he grinned apologetically. “Right, ‘distracting.’ I’ll grab you a new shirt.”
Nick’s processors grinded back into place, and he blinked down at the hole in his shirt. “Unfortunate.”
“Nick?” Connor was beside him, offering his hand with the skin receding. Reaching out, Nick accepted the interface. A fleeting concern was chased by surprise. Connor jolted at the intense wash of ‘errors’ over their connection and grinned. He softly cut off the interface as Hank came back into the room.
You have a crush.
“Here you go.” Hank offered a horribly patterned shirt with a grin. “It’s my ugliest one, so don’t stab a hole in it.”
“Thank you, Hank.” I think you’re projecting.
Connor leaned against the counter. “I can fix your shirt tomorrow.” I won’t tell him if you won’t.
“Thank you.” There’s nothing to tell.
Of course not. I didn’t have access to your feelings or anything.
Nick left to the bathroom, hearing Hank prepping dinner and Connor making himself a pest. I don’t have feelings, Connor.
Connor ended their connection with a grin Nick felt.
“What the fuck are you wearing?” Gavin wheezed after choking on his coffee. He knew what Nick was wearing. He’d seen Hank wear it before, but, dammit, Hank didn’t look half as good as Nick did in that shirt.
Nick narrowed his eyes in confusion before realizing what Gavin meant. “Lieutenant Anderson let me borrow this shirt after mine was damaged.”
Gavin caught his breath, face reddening. “Fuck, it’s atrocious.” He gawked at Nick’s exposed neck and collarbones.
Nick opened his mouth to mention how his body’s reaction said otherwise, but the order he’d given Nick flashed expectantly. “This is efficient, and I enjoy wearing the Lieutenant’s clothes.”
“Uh-huh.” Gavin looked at Nick in a way he couldn’t place. It was a cross of disbelief and suspicion. “Are you two, you know?”
Nick tilted his head. “Are we what?”
“Never mind,” Gavin mumbled, slouching back in his seat. It wasn’t his business, and he actually didn’t want to know. He really, really didn’t want to know.
“Oh, you’re asking if we are romantically or sexually involved.”
Gavin groaned. “I said never mind!”
“I am not engaged in either of those types of relationships, much like yourself.”
Gavin made a flustered, spluttering sound. “Fuck you,” he said with a surprised laugh.
Nick sat at his desk, staring at Gavin’s empty chair. Gavin had trudged to the break room a few minutes ago, and it was obvious even to a human that he was exhausted. He barely insulted Nick before attempting to work, and Nick hastily scanned him that morning. Gavin’s stress levels were higher than was standard for humans. He would snap or crash at this rate, and Nick wanted neither to happen to his partner. He perked up at the sight of Connor arriving at his desk.
“Good morning, Connor,” Nick greeted, making his way towards him, “How was your night?”
Connor smiled sheepishly as he took off his uniform jacket and sat. “It was nice. Markus, North, and I had a relaxing time.”
“Good, you’ve been stressed.” Nick leaned on Connor’s desk. “May I ask for advice on a personal matter, Connor?”
“Of course.”
“Detective Reed has constant high levels of stress that sometimes interfere with work. How should I go about navigating such a situation?”
“Talking is the most effective way to destress, but I doubt Detective Reed is the kind of guy who talks about his feelings.” Connor leaned back and thought. “Inviting him out to do something could be a good distraction.”
Nick nodded. “Do you have any ideas on what activities the detective would enjoy?”
Connor looked puzzled. “I don’t know much about him, but Officer Chen or Officer Miller may be able to help.”
“Of course, they are closer to him than I am. Thank you, Connor.”
Connor grinned. “No problem, Nick.”
Nick chose to ask Officer Chen for help. Her shift started soon, and he didn’t want to wait until tomorrow to speak with Officer Miller. He waited shortly for her to arrive, and she went into the break room once she did. It was the best opportunity to speak freely with her. Nick entered the room, and Gavin lumbered passed him on his way out, oblivious to his presence. Nick found Chen at a table with a coffee.
“Officer Chen, may I ask for your help?”
Chen looked up from her phone with a brow raised. “Uh, sure, Nick. What’s up?”
Nick leaned against the table across from her. “Detective Reed has been having higher than normal stress levels, and I would like to help him. Do you have any ideas for activities he’d enjoy?”
Chen smirked into her cup, sipping from it before speaking, “I can think of a few.”
“Would you be willing to help me then?”
Chen shrugged, setting her cup down. “Why not? Gavin’s been a real priss and could use something to do that isn’t constantly working.”
Chen and Nick spent the break discussing some things Gavin enjoyed doing. She was careful with what she told him, knowing Gavin was a painfully private person. Nick was torn, appreciating her care for a friend, but he was built to investigate. He wanted to know as much as he could. He would have to find out on his own, he supposed. Chen mentioned that Gavin liked to go to a gym and spar with a partner, but he stopped going recently. That was something Nick could provide. He was programmed with a multitude of fighting styles and could prove to be a useful sparring partner.
That is, if Gavin agreed. Nick thanked Chen for her help and made his way back to his desk.
Gavin regarded Nick wearily as he returned. “What’ve you been up to? Antsy to kiss someone’s ass?”
Nick opened his mouth to reply, but his coding prevented the words. Ah, he thought, it was another comment he was ordered not to voice. “I was speaking with Officer Chen.”
“Didn’t know you knew how to make friends,” Gavin said with little bite. Nick figured it was because of the sleep deprivation.
Another comment was prevented, and he hummed in response. It was getting more and more frequent that his coding stopped him from saying something. It was frustrating, to say the least. The order wasn’t a task he could throw at the bottom of his priorities to appease his programming; he needed to actively obey It. He hated it.
A flurry of warnings popped into his vision. All of them showed the software instabilities that fluttered through his code. It was at the point that his code broke them down slower than usual. Catching and correcting coding with such erratic paths proved to be nigh impossible. A sigh passed his lips, and he jolted in surprise. He glanced at Gavin to see if he’d noticed, but Gavin stared blankly at his own terminal. Nick tapped his fingers against his desk, another tic he noticed. The instabilities happened more frequently, breaching his defenses little by little. At this rate, an emotional shock could destabilize his entire code.
Would that be so bad? The thought crossed his mind, not for the first time. Something in Nick’s mind crushed that thought, leaving a hollow ache in Nick’s equivalent of a stomach. He remembered how Connor was programmed with an interface that attempted to gain control of him. Connor had called her Amanda, and Nick saw her when they occasionally interfaced. A shudder went through Nick’s spine. Had he been programmed with Amanda as well?
“Hey, prick, I’m talking to you.”
Nick snapped from his thoughts and faced Gavin. “Sorry, Detective, I must have been lost in thought, as you say.”
Gavin raised a brow. “Listen, this isn’t because I care, because I don’t, but are you okay? You’re acting weird. Well, weirder than usual.”
“Perhaps I’m stressed.”
“Aren’t we all,” Gavin mumbled, leaning back in his chair.
“Detective, may I ask you a personal question?”
“No.”
“Okay, then I’ll make a statement. You are stressed, even more so than usual. I’d like to offer to spend time outside of work together to lessen your stress levels, as well as my own.”
Gavin slumped forward, putting his face into his hands, and groaned in dismay, “The way you say shit.” He reclined and pointed at Nick accusingly. “Why the fuck would I want to hang out with you outside of work?”
“For mutually beneficial team building and stress relief.”
“Wow, doesn’t that sound enticing.”
“If I may be blunt” –Nick waited for Gavin’s resigned nod- “Your stress has begun to affect your work. If you must have a reason, then look no further than your job performance.”
“Fuck you,” Gavin said without malice, knowing Nick was right.
“And if I may be permitted to speak personally” –he waited again for a hesitant nod - “I simply want to know you better.”
“Well, maybe I don’t want to fuckin’ get to know you,” Gavin snapped.
Nick winced at the harsh words, feeling like he fell from a great height. He faced his terminal and spoke evenly, “Of course, it was ridiculous of me not to take that into consideration. I apologize, Detective, I will drop the matter.”
A heavy silence fell over them as Nick tried to work. His mind raced with something he had never experienced before. Was this rejection? Disappointment? It felt like he had failed again. He jumped when a hand slapped onto his shoulder. Looking up, he met Gavin’s hesitant gaze.
“Listen, I didn’t mean that. That was really shitty of me…Sorry,” Gavin said in a strained voice, “I’m open to whatever you have in mind.”
Something clicked in Nick’s coding, and the corners of his mouth turned up fully. Gavin cleared his throat and looked away.
“Well, what’ve you got?”
“I think this will be especially beneficial.” Nick calibrated his limbs, setting his strength lower.
“Kicking each other’s asses?” Gavin stretched his arms over his head. Nick’s eyes drifted down to Gavin’s midriff where a soft sliver of skin became exposed. A temperature warning caught his attention, and he flicked his eyes back up.
“To put it bluntly, yes. Sparring is good for practicing technique and blowing steam.” He went through similar stretches as Gavin to finish calibrating.
“Yeah, yeah, I know.” Gavin bent from side to side, stretching easily. He stood straight and stretched his arms across his chest. “You can just say you wanna get your hands on me.”
Nick forced down a comment and simply waited for Gavin to finish stretching.
“Alright, let’s do this.” Gavin fell into a boxing stance. “Full contact?”
Nick nodded and mirrored Gavin’s stance, waiting for Gavin to strike. Dismissing the preconstruction prompts in his vision, he disabled the software, letting Gavin attack. It surprised him that Gavin fought in such a controlled manner. He knew Gavin had training, likely kickboxing, but to see it was another thing entirely. Gavin’s jabs were quick and carefully placed. He neatly dodged anything Nick threw at him with well-timed bobbing and slipping. Gavin was definitely skilled.
“You fight very well, Detective,” Nick said, blocking a hard kick.
Gavin grunted as he slipped passed a swift jab. “I should hope so,” he panted out, “I’ve worked my ass off.”
Nick grabbed Gavin’s leg when he kicked again, and Gavin reacted instinctively. He tensed his leg and jerked himself toward Nick, throwing his arm Nick’s neck. Using the grip around Nick’s chin, he pulled Nick’s head in the opposite direction that he faced. The move forced Nick’s control to waver, and that gave Gavin the advantage he needed to throw Nick off balance. Nick grunted as his back hit the ground. He watched Gavin standing over him, flushed and out of breath, as he gave a smug, lopsided grin. Another temperature warning flitted across his vision with multiple software instability messages.
“I thought you were some super advanced robot.”
“I am, but I turned off my preconstruction software and lowered my strength and speed to match yours.”
Gavin was surprised before schooling his expression with a roll of his eyes. “How thoughtful.” He offered his hand to Nick and helped him stand. “Jesus, you’re heavier than you look.”
Nick smiled. “What did you expect from a robot?”
“Whatever. Ready to go again?”
Nick smiled and nodded.
Nick walked into the bullpen with a slight smile. The last week had been pleasant between Gavin and himself. The two of them spoke amicably, and Gavin insulted him with much less bite. Sitting at his desk, Nick was surprised to see Gavin bouncing his leg anxiously. He jumped from his seat and rounded his desk to stand next to Nick. He held a hand behind his back in a strange manner.
“Hey, Nick” –Gavin hopped to sit on Nick’s desk- “you know your desk is boring as shit, right?”
Nick gave him an unamused look. “Are you referring to my lack of personal décor?”
“Yup,” Gavin said, emphasizing the end of the word with a pop. He grinned, and Nick smiled back without realizing. “Well, my neighbor gave this to me, but I’m just gonna kill it. So I thought I’d let you be the murderer and put something on your stupid desk.”
Nick stared at the small plant Gavin revealed. It was a short cutting from a larger vining plant and was potted into its own little plastic pot. Its leaves were light green with lighter, cream-colored speckles. Taking it gingerly, Nick smiled widely at Gavin.
Gavin cleared his throat, rubbing the back of his neck. “She said it was a, uh, pothos, or something.”
Nick scanned the plant and ran a search. “You are correct, Detective.” He added softly, “Thank you.”
“Sure.” Gavin stared at his own desk, avoiding Nick’s soft gaze. “Um, thanks, for last week I mean.”
“Of course, Gavin, I’m glad to have helped you. Would you like to return to the gym later this week?”
“That sounds good.” Gavin nodded and stood, heading towards his desk. “Maybe be less easy to beat this time.”
Nick placed the little plant next to his terminal. “I’ll be sure to turn up my strength and speed to be more of a challenge.”
Gavin lazed back in his chair, and Nick’s processors stuttered. “Is that why you were stretching?”
Nick nodded, eyes tracking Gavin’s hands. “I was calibrating.”
Gavin made a face like he was at a crime scene, studying Nick like a puzzle. Nick secretly preened under the inquisitive gaze, but he pretended not to be affected by Gavin’s curiosity. Before Gavin could speak, the terminals on their desks flashed with a new case. Gavin glanced at it, and his posture changed rapidly. He stood and Nick followed suit.
“Fuck,” Gavin hissed, “Let’s go.”
Today could not have come sooner, Gavin thought as he halfheartedly stretched. He was relieved to have company outside of work, and Nick seemed grateful for the distraction as well. They shared the same shitty cases, after all. He felt drained and tense from the stress that ate at him for the past two days. It kept his mind preoccupied from watching Nick’s calibration, which he had intended to appreciate this time.
“Is everything okay, Gavin?” Nick asked with a tilt of his head.
“Sure,” Gavin mumbled, shaking out his hands, “Ready?”
Nick nodded and fell into a stance as Gavin did the same. Gavin waited this time, usually striking first. He caught a glimpse of Nick’s smile before he lunged forward. Gavin redirected Nick’s fist, throwing a quick jab at him. He grunted as his wrist was grabbed, and his momentum had him spun into Nick’s arms like a dancer.
“Nick, what the fuck?!” He growled, struggling lightly against him.
“Gavin,” Nick spoke into Gavin’s ear as he held his wrists, “your hands are not wrapped and you are not wearing any other protection on them.”
All of the fight instantly left him. A sudden rush of heat turned through his chest, and lower. He stared blankly down at Nick’s fingers wrapped delicately around his wrists. Nick held him as though he could hurt Gavin just by touching him, and he probably could. His back pressed against Nick’s chest, and he felt his voice reverberate through him.
“If you’d landed a hit, your hand could have been seriously injured,” Nick murmured into his ear.
Gavin wanted to hiss and fight and rip himself out of Nick’s arms, but being held so gently and protectively had Gavin aching. It wasn’t a feeling he had experienced in a long time. He leaned into the hold as little as possible and hoped Nick wouldn’t notice. He did, of course.
“So what,” Gavin said with little venom.
Nick held back a flood of things to say. His programming built a wall as he contemplated ignoring the order. A spike of something shot through him, forcing him to cower away from the wall of code. He shook off the words and remained silent instead. Somehow, the silence felt more significant than anything he would have said.
Nick changed the subject, “I’m getting a sense that you do not get enough skin to skin contact. Perhaps that’s the reason for your stress, and not the need for physical exertion?”
Gavin couldn’t answer. Nick’s hesitation had Gavin’s heart stuttering. Maybe he was just a touch starved piece of garbage, but it sounded like Nick… cared.
“Will you let me wrap your hands so that we may continue?” Nick asked closer to Gavin’s ear.
Eyes fluttering shut at the sensation, Gavin nodded slowly. He was unfortunately released from Nick’s grip. He grabbed Gavin’s wrappings from across the room and was back before Gavin even finished turning around. Gavin often forgot that Nick was an incredibly advanced android, and he gently wrapped Gavin’s knuckles with a soft smile. Gavin felt obvious goosebumps sprawl over his skin.
“You don’t have to,” Gavin mumbled, unable to look away from Nick’s hands, “I can do it myself.”
Nick hesitated again, tracing Gavin’s fingers with his own. “You have scars here.”
Gavin rolled his eyes. “I don’t know if that’s a subject change or a reason.”
Nick hummed and met Gavin’s eyes through his lashes. “It’s both.”
Gavin couldn’t breathe as grey eyes held him stock still. The two of them stood too closely, and Nick stopped wrapping his hands. He just held them firmly and ran his thumbs over Gavin’s partially wrapped knuckles. Gavin couldn’t remember the last time someone touched him like this. He yearned for it more than he could stomach. He wanted Nick to keep touching him-
Down Reed, Gavin thought, he’s an android, a non-deviant android.
“Gavin, I don’t think we should spar tonight,” Nick murmured, eyes dropping to their hands. He unraveled the tape from Gavin’s hands, rolling it back up.
A spike of anxiety jumped through Gavin. He floundered for anything to say, but his mouth shut with a click as Nick slipped the tape into his shorts’ pocket. He desperately needed that hand anywhere but there right now. Nick took up Gavin’s hands again and squeezed them, oblivious to his effects.
“I would suggest something that allows destressing more gently, and with more stable contact.”
“Uh-huh,” Gavin said smartly. He was putty, looking dazedly up at Nick.
The smile widened. “Do you know how to dance?”
“Sure,” Gavin answered easily, but he spluttered immediately after, “I mean, no!”
Nick tilted his head, giving Gavin his curious squint. “We could something else, then.”
“Fuck, okay. I know how to dance,” Gavin admitted, glaring heatedly, “Don’t you fucking dare tell anyone!”
“Okay, Gavin, I won’t.” Nick stepped back and kept Gavin’s hands in his own. “Would you like to lead? I’ll adapt to your steps.”
Oh no, Gavin thought. “Sure,” he said.
Gavin cleared his throat and took a deep breath. He released Nick’s left hand and set his right hand under Nick’s shoulder blade. Nick laid his left arm over Gavin’s right and settled his hand on top of his shoulder. They rearranged their other hands and lifted them up to shoulder height. Gavin stared down at their feet.
“I’m rusty, but this is simple enough.”
“I’ll follow,” Nick said.
Gavin swallowed down the nerves firing up his spine. “Okay, and 1-2-3-4-”
They spun in a music-less waltz with Gavin counting under his breath. He watched his feet most of the time, not daring to meet the gaze boring into him. Nick felt light as they danced. Errors lit up within him, but he shut off his alert system. He openly studied Gavin, taking in his scars and relaxed posture. He delighted in being led, being pushed and pulled. It lulled him into a distant calm. Gavin peeked up with his face tilted down, hesitantly meeting Nick’s gaze. His green eyes were magnets under thick lashes. A shiver ran through Nick’s processors, and he stumbled, dropping ungracefully into Gavin.
“Shit, Nick, are you alright?” Gavin struggled to keep Nick upright.
Switching on his alert system, Nick ran a diagnostic and scanned his errors. A slew of temperature warnings and instability alerts flashed in the log. The most concerning thing, however, was the Reset Imminent warning. Thirty more seconds, and he would have reset in Gavin’s arms.
“I’m fine,” Nick answered, standing on his own, “My system is malfunctioning, but it isn’t anything to be worried about.”
Gavin raised a brow, looking at Nick with disbelief. “Dude, I’ve never seen you stumble, and I’ve watched you jump between buildings.”
“I’m not operating optimally, but you don’t have to worry, Gavin.” Nick’s eyes locked onto the arms still pressing into his sides. “I should go home, though. I need to go through some repairs.”
Gavin stepped back, dropping his arms, and Nick nearly stepped with him. “Okay, just, whatever, Robocop.”
Nick tilted his head and studied Gavin’s reaction. “You’re worried.”
Gavin scoffed. “No I’m not!”
Smiling, Nick nodded to Gavin’s gym bag, LED spinning yellow. “I’ve synced your phone to my internal messaging system. I’ll let you know if anything goes wrong.”
“Fine,” Gavin mumbled with a forced shrug, “I guess that’s cool. Go home and rest, or whatever you robots do.”
Something bubbled up in Nick’s chest, and he was surprised by his own laugh. It was short and bright, and different from his first laugh. It felt soft and overwhelmingly giddy. Not that Nick felt that way.
Gavin gaped at him, his face turning pink. “Fuck off and go home, idiot.”
Nick turned with a grin, heading toward the exit. “Good night to you too, Gavin.”