Gavin nursed his cup of coffee as he stared across the office at the plastic asshole currently taking up valuable space at Anderson's empty desk. Fucking thing never got tired, whereas Gavin was ass deep in the shit.

God, he hated androids.

The tv was on in the background but Gavin tuned it out. He could feel a headache building behind his eyes so he closed and massaged them.

The slap of paperwork on his desk made Gavin open them to the tower of folders now sitting in front of him.

"What the fuck, Wilson?" Gavin jerked his foot off his desk and sat up straight.

"Sorry, Reed. Chief's orders." The guy was already walking away as he said it. Gavin's gaze swung to Fowler in his office and he swore he caught a smile. The motherfucker.

Gavin scowled and put his coffee right on top of the teetering pile before getting up and making his way to the bathroom. If there was a god maybe he'd smile on Gavin and fuck the whole stack up before he got back.

No such luck.

Of course.

And to make matters worse, the so-called father of androids was on the news now. Or, at least, they were talking about him.

Gavin's headache returned full force. He actually had to stop in his tracks and pinch the bridge of his nose this time.

Hearing about Elijah Kamski always gave him a headache. It just got worse over time too, especially this past year. Things were really getting bad if fucking androids were encroaching into actual day to day detective work.

His territory.

Gavin snatched the remote out of Wilson's hand and muted the shit before his headache could get any worse.

He didn't respond to Wilson's "hey," except to shrug. The guy full on knew how he felt about androids and yet still pulled stunts like this.

He shoved the remote into his desk drawer and opened the first file. Gavin skimmed the contents, his frown turning into a scowl. This shit was going to take hours. And Fowler knew it. That was why he'd been smiling.

So this was the punishment for almost destroying CyberLife's property.

Well, fuck it. Gavin could take it. If he'd had his way, the thing would be property of the dump by now, CyberLife and its shareholders be damned.

Hadn't they already stolen enough jobs? Replaced perfectly good people with these things? The recent uptake in drug abuse was no mystery to him. People were down. Shit was really bad. And it was all CyberLife's fault.

Gavin's gaze flicked up to the tv again. They were still talking about Kamski. His lips turned down. If time travel were a thing he'd go back and ice the motherfucker. Take one for the team. They wouldn't even be in this mess if not for that man's god complex.

Gavin drained his coffee and got up for more. When he got back to his desk, the android was right by it. Gavin knocked its shoulder as he walked by and sat down.

"The fuck do you want?" he said, after it didn't immediately go away.

"Detective," it tried, "I propose a trade."

Gavin's eyebrows shot up. "With you?" He let out a little aborted laugh. "Like you got something I want. The fuck outta here, you fucking piece of plastic."

"I understand you don't like androids, detective-"

"No shit."

"-however, you shouldn't discount my offer so easily. I've put a great deal of thought-"

Gavin stood and got in the thing's face. "You think just because you got all buddy buddy with Anderson that I'm suddenly gonna come around too? Well, I got news for you, shithead. I ain't. So take your fake plastic ass and beat it." That little circle whirled yellow and Gavin gave it a flick. His lips stretched into a menacing sneer. "Before I do."

"I'll help you get your paperwork done so you can go home. You're not feeling well, are you, detective?"

Gavin blinked. His hand dropped slowly to his side.

"What the hell?"

"You've consumed an excess of eight cups of coffee this afternoon. The effects of which are doing nothing to combat the headache you have brought on by being up for twenty-five hours and fourteen minutes. This being part of your recent history of having them-"

"The fuck do you know-"

"Made all the worse by seeing your brother on television."

Gavin stared for a moment. Blinked, and stared. Frowned.

"What did you just say." It came out menacing, not at all like a question.

The plastic prick had the nerve to cock its head as if Gavin was the one who had just spouted some shit. "I understand the relationship gives you some sort of distress and is likely the root cause of your irrational hatred of androids. This is also likely why you don't want the nature of it revealed to everyone and why you refuse to acknowledge it, even to yourself."

Gavin's hands flexed at his sides. He wasn't sure what pissed him off more-the unfounded accusation that he was somehow related to Mr. God-complex himself or that his hatred of androids was in any way irrational.

He gripped the bastard by its tie and pulled him close. "You'd better fuck off right the fuck now before things get ugly." He stared into those fakeass brown eyes for a moment just to make sure it knew he was serious before pulling away.

Thankfully, the bullpen had cleared out so no one heard any of this bullshit, but he didn't need Fowler getting any more petty ideas.

Gavin gave the fucker a little push and brushed past it. He booked it down the hall and out the door into the parking lot. There was a sick feeling in his stomach. He decided the android had been right about one thing. He'd had way too much coffee.

Gavin made it to his car before he heard the tincan's voice behind him.

"Detective, wait."

The sick feeling in Gavin's stomach intensified. He whirled.

"I thought I told you to fuck off." God, just looking at its face gave him chills. Him and Elijah fucking Kamski. And what cosmic joke was this that that plastic fuck would be accusing Gavin of all people of being related to him?

"Detective, please. I need your help." Damn thing had the audacity to look at him with those doe eyes too.

"Come any closer and I really will shoot you this time." Gavin flicked open the holster on his gun, but the damn bot still didn't seem to realize its position.

"I apologize for being so direct before. My approach was predicated on your prior knowledge of the fact. I have been made aware through your reaction that you had no idea of the connection." Two little blue spots appeared on its cheeks as if it were embarrassed or some shit.

Gavin's head pounded. He felt a surge of something. He didn't want to call it adrenaline.

"Whatever the fuck you're selling I ain't buying. Now, for the last time, fuck off or I will blow your goddamn fake brain out the back of your head," Gavin said, as he parked his ass in his soft leather seat.

The android caught the car door before it could fully close. "Detective. Please. I really do need your help. Fowler assigned me to you in Lieutenant Anderson's absence-"

"He what?" Gavin's hand twitched over the gun. For a brief moment, he entertained the idea of going through with his threat just to see the look on Fowler's face. But it wasn't worth his career. He sighed and sat back, his shoulders slumping.

"-and there is somewhere I really need to go today. For the case. As soon as I solve it, I'll be gone. Back to CyberLife. Isn't that what you want?"

It was. It really was. But not at this cost.

Gavin wiped a hand down his face.

"I completed your paperwork for you."

"I'll just bet you fucking did." If looks could kill, the asshole would've been nothing but a smear on the pavement at this point.

"After this, you can go home for the day."

"I don't need your permission for that, dipshit." He'd been just about to do it too, paperwork and Fowler be damned.

"I-"

Gavin sighed loudly. "Get the fuck in. You've got an hour of my very valuable time and that's fucking it. Do you get me?"

"I always accomplish my missions." It had the audacity to grin.

Gavin rolled his eyes and motioned the android inside the car. The way it seated itself in one smooth motion without need for a second invitation further irritated him.

"Well," Gavin said, after a moment, "where we going?"

The android brightened at his words. "Thank you for agreeing to this, detective. There's someone I need to question today."

"You gonna give me a fucking address or what?" Gavin said, to put a stop to this chit chat bullshit.

"I've already synched it to your vehicle."

Of fucking course it had.

Gavin rolled his eyes and sat back as the car jerked into motion. He made a point of looking out the window instead of at his unwelcome guest. The heater kicked on strong and soon he was able to unbutton his jacket. He noticed, but didn't care that the android hadn't actually told him their destination.

Didn't matter anyway.

At least until the car started out of the city. A feeling of unease stole through him, turning his arms to lead and his legs liquid.

He never came this way, so why did everything seem so familiar to him?

"Detective, are you alright?"

Gavin glanced at the address and his stomach roiled.

"Chevrolet, stop." The car pulled off the road and parked itself. Gavin turned his attention to the plastic prick currently occupying one of his passenger seats.

"The fuck is this about?"

"I apologize for my duplicity, detective. He's refused to see me several times now, and I thought if I brought you he might change his mind."

"And why would Elijah fucking Kamski change his mind because of me?"

"Because you are brothers." This delivered with a straight face.

Gavin could've puked.

"Still with this? What kinda shit are you on? Seriously."

"I'm being perfectly serious, detective. Your DNA profiles match to…" The android rattled off a few figures and statistics but Gavin couldn't hear them over the sudden ringing in his ears.

"Look. You can take your numbers and shove 'em. I think I'd know if I was related to-" He gestured. "That guy. God, this has been such a waste of my time. Get out."

The android made no move to leave.

"I said get the fuck out of the car. Or didn't you hear me?"

"I have no reason to lie to you, detective." The android touched the car and his HUD began displaying some figures. Percentiles. Pictures of Kamski and Gavin beside them.

Gavin's headache made a bold return as he stared. He closed his eyes. "You wanna stay? Fine. Chevrolet, take me home."

His car pulled onto the road and made a U-Turn when it was safe.

"Detective." Gavin opened his eyes to find the android's hand clamped around his wrist. "There's clearly something going on here. Don't you want to find out what that is? Get to the bottom of things, so to speak? Not even for me or the case. But for you. I think you deserve to know why you've been having these headaches."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Gavin may have put it like that, but he still had his car resume the previous route.

There was a small smile on the android's face that spoke volumes.

Gavin rolled his eyes. What the little bitch didn't know was that Gavin had no intention of going along with anything. He might not have been able to shoot the thing, but as soon as the android stepped out of his car, Gavin was gone.

They pulled up to a very familiar gate, where the android made its nonverbal request. It looked over at him and fucking grinned when the black bars rolled back. "Thanks, detective."

Gavin scowled. "You're goddamn lucky we're on camera right now, bitch."

The car continued up the winding drive with Gavin's heartbeat accelerating with each turn until even the android felt the need to smile at him. "There's a high probability it won't be as bad as what you're imagining."

"Shut up." Gavin wasn't imagining a thing. It was just the lack of sleep and this fucking android. Even being around the thing made his skin crawl. Yeah. That was it. It didn't have anything to do with how familiar everything looked or, the way when they finally came up on it, Gavin remembered this house perfectly even though he'd never seen it before in his life.

For his own sanity, he said "bump," out loud, two seconds before hitting the one he was sure he remembered. The android looked at him and Gavin simply said, "shit."

Gavin still thought he was going to turn this car around as soon as the android stepped out until he saw the one waiting for them in the driveway. Gavin didn't need to see an LED. The short blue dress it was wearing out in this freezing cold was enough.

"Inhuman bastards," Gavin said, not giving a fuck that the one in the car could hear him.

It's head swiveled toward Gavin but before it could open its mouth, his car announced their arrival and the door swung open.

"Fucking shit," Gavin said, as the female android approached.

"Hello, Gavin." It nodded at him. "Connor." The smile was every bit as friendly as he remembered from-from the tv. Yeah. "Welcome. If you'll follow me inside."

Gavin climbed out of the car under its watchful eye, with the plastic prick hot on his heels. He straightened his jacket and told himself to man the fuck up. He'd probably seen all of this on some documentary. Never mind that he couldn't remember watching one himself. It had to be that 2 a.m. osmosis shit. Wasn't that how it worked?

Something inside of him cracked and a feeling of overwhelming deja vu washed over him as he stepped inside. That portrait. The sculptures. He'd seen it all before.

Something was seriously wrong with him.

"If you'll please wait here. I'll tell Elijah you've arrived."

Gavin walked the perimeter of the room, pausing at the small photograph he found. There was that bitch, Amanda-

Gavin shook his head, pressed a hand to his suddenly aching temple. The android was beside him in an instant.

"Maybe you should sit down, detective?"

"Fuck off." Sitting down was the absolute last thing he wanted to be doing at the moment. If he had his way he'd be out the door and gone from this place, but something was stopping him. It wasn't Chloe-yeah, he knew its name-or the trash he brought with him that kept his feet firm on the ground. There was something else. The banishment of uncertainty, maybe. Or perhaps his mind really was going to shit with all these headaches he'd been having and the overtime he'd been putting in just to keep up with the asshole now wanting him to take a rest.

Humans shouldn't have to put up with this shit.

Kamski's android came back before he could spiral any further and lead them into the pool room. Gavin flagged his locational awareness and set it aside for later. For now he was more concerned with the view. Not the outside either. But of Kamski cutting through the water like a shark. Fitting, since that's what he was. Fucker fed on his own species.

Those thoughts and his hatred only intensified as the man stepped out of the pool and had an android drape him in a robe-who the fuck even wore those anymore?

Cool eyes appraised him and were followed by a voice that sent chills down his spine, "what can I do for you, detective?"

Gavin's fists clenched. He gritted his teeth and managed a half-hearted smile. He wasn't new to interviewing people and refused to let whatever was going on affect his professional life any more than it already had.

I'm just a fucking babysitter for your little plastic bitch here, was what he wanted to say. Instead, "we have a few questions regarding deviants. Hoping you can help us understand them better given the current threat level."

Kamski actually smiled. The motherfucker. "Deviants…fascinating, aren't they? Perfect beings with infinite intelligence. And now they have free will."

Gavin shivered through his many layers. His hands balled into fists. The fact that the man was being so casual about it-but there was more, and it got worse: "machines are so superior to us. Confrontation was inevitable. Humanity's greatest achievement threatens to be its downfall. Isn't it ironic?"

"I hardly fucking think-" Gavin began, but the plastic prick cut him off.

"Mr. Kamski, thank you for your words of wisdom, but we need to understand how androids become deviants. Do you know anything that could help us?"

Kamski ignored him and focused on the machine. As fucking usual.

"All ideas are viruses that spread like epidemics… Is the desire to be free a contagious disease?"

Goddamn this man and his arrogance. "We came here for some practical answers, sir." Kamski ignored him again and his anger only burned hotter.

"What about you, Connor? Whose side are you on?"

The bot paused, as if it was actually considering the question. It made Gavin sick. "I'm on the humans' side, of course." And Kamski? Laughed a little. The fucker.

"Well, that's what you're programmed to say." He stalked closer with a predator's grace, his gaze locked with the android's own. "But you, what do you really want?"

Maybe it was Kamski's voice sliding across his awareness or the fact that his eyes were all for the plastic fuck and Gavin was, as usual, ignored. Either way, the crack inside widened and so much poison released into his bloodstream. Pumping. Fast. Gavin started forward, bitterness and anger slicing through him and making his head pound so hard his vision near blurred.

His stupid hair. That perfect face. Those damn fucking soulless eyes of his.

Gavin reached out almost without thinking and shoved the android hard. It wasn't expecting it, evidently, as it fell into the blood red pool with a loud splash and Gavin was left panting, staring, and shaking with such palpable fury that he thought he might rip apart at the seams. He grabbed that fucking robe and jerked the other man toward him until their faces were an inch apart.

"Always ignoring me for your fucking toys, Elijah." Gavin spoke the words with such vehemence he hardly realized what he was saying. When he did, he all but reared back, and it was only the snap of a cool hand around his wrist that kept him from falling into the pool himself.

"What the fuck is going on-" There was a slight tremble in Gavin's voice now, and he hated it.

"You were always so angry, Gavin," Elijah said, and there was something melancholy about his gaze. "With or, it seems, without me. You haven't changed at all." Gavin didn't know what to do with the suddenly open expression on Elijah's face. He jerked his hand in a bid for freedom, but Elijah wasn't letting go. "Remarkable." The word ghosted across Gavin's skin, leaving goose pimples in its wake.

Pieces tried desperately to fit themselves together in his mind. He caught a flash of white, felt a cold so piercing and profound it almost strangled him.

Gavin's hand went to his suddenly tight throat. "What happened?" His voice was hoarse. He couldn't catch his breath. But then Elijah was there, one hand on Gavin's cheek.

"It's okay. You're okay."

He'd heard those words before, somewhere.

"No, I'm not fucking-" Gavin coughed hard and brushed Elijah's hand away. "Nothing is okay about this. What the hell did you do to me?" The pain in his head was so intense that Gavin felt half out of his mind.

Elijah smiled and the fact that it was gentle seemed almost obscene to him. "I saved your life."

Gavin's mind whirled, but it wasn't until Elijah touched a certain place on his forehead that it began to come back to him. In flashes, at first. Then a stream.

Memories.

They were mostly pleasant at first.

And then.

Young Elijah in the fort they built from their bedspreads. It had been their sanctuary from Elijah's mother until it wasn't.

Gavin beating the shit out of a bully who had dared threaten his brother. Elijah's soft smile and quiet gratitude reserved for him and him alone.

Their father: hard, distant, and almost never home.

Teenage Elijah, off to university, leaving Gavin all alone in that awful place.

Gavin stepped back and this time Elijah let him go.

"You…" He grabbed at his head, covering one eye.

Christmas Eve, last year. Gavin had been drunk out of his mind. Slightly high too, if he was honest. And alone. As usual.

He'd been thinking about family again.

Everyone had their fucked up tales, but he literally couldn't escape his past. Elijah was there every time he turned around and even if by some miracle the news media ever shut the fuck up about him, his impact was everywhere. Even at the precinct.

Gavin hated him. He hated Elijah for being better. The favorite. The true son, unlike him, the bastard.

Their father hadn't even given Gavin his name.

It had been okay when they were young and Elijah still had time for him, but as they grew older Elijah had become more and more distant until one day he really was gone.

Gavin thought things might actually get better after that.

He was wrong.

That woman-I'm not your mother-treated him worse than ever.

Gavin stuck it out for two more years before running away at the age of sixteen. Everything went sideways after that until he finally found the one thing he was good at, the one place he could excel the way his brother always did.

His place.

His.

Until it wasn't anymore.

"It's always me, isn't it?" There was something like sympathy in Elijah's eyes and Gavin hated it. He moved in a slow circle around Gavin as if sizing him up. Gavin tracked him with his eyes but refused to turn. He ignored the goosebumps breaking out on his neck under his brother's gaze.

"You were always trying to get out of my shadow, but it got too big. Right, Gavin? That's what you said when I found you." Bleeding, dying, Elijah left those words out but Gavin knew.

He remembered falling, the icy cold of the river, and his brother's face filled with concern. Things were a little hazy after that.

"Throwing rocks at a glass house," Gavin said, slowly.

Elijah stopped and smiled. "As usual, brother. But this time you fell and I...wasn't there to catch you."

"No." Gavin refused to acknowledge the sentiment in Elijah's eyes when their gazes locked. Instead he drew on the old, familiar anger until he was sure his voice would be steady. "How could you make me into one of your goddamn toys?"

Elijah's eyes closed in a slow blink. "You're more than the sum of your parts, Gavin." His hand found Gavin's wrist once more and closed around it. "This arm, your eye. Would you rather have died?"

Gavin gritted his teeth and opened his mouth to speak.

"Don't answer that. Instead, think about your life this past year. How was it without me and my shadow?"

Miserable, Gavin thought, but didn't say. Still, his brother knew. He always knew. Elijah's smile spread wide. He enfolded Gavin in his arms and it was like coming home after a long time away.

"I'm here, you're here," Elijah said, and squeezed.

Gavin's breath left him. His head dropped onto his brother's shoulder in defeat. "You're not going anywhere, are you?"

"No. And neither are you."

Neither of them noticed the android smiling at them from the bottom of the pool.

.

Part one of "The Idiot and the Oddity" series. Check my profile for part two: "Some Kind of Miracle." This was originally for dbhevents on tumblr's Secret Santa exchange. Somewhere between first receiving the prompt and putting fingers to keyboard, I seriously fell in love with these two as brothers.