1. Belongs: The universe and characters of Detroit Become Human belong to Quantic Dreams and David Cage.

2. Rating: "T" in general, but might be "M" for cursed words, graphics contents such as violence, injuries, or sexual scenes.

3. Summary: Gavin starts to investigate a series of deviants androids murders, all of them with a headshot. With no murders witnesses and no traces left behind other than the deactivated bodies, Gavin considers himself lucky if he ever manages to find out who the killer is. In the meantime, Gavin heads to the Black Spot again with his friends that evening. And decides to try his luck with Jack.

Note: Hello everyone! Sorry for the little delay, I was catching up on SPN yesterday afternoon, but when I looked at the time after turning off my PC (10:30 p.m.), I thought ... fuck. And I was too tired to turn it back on and post, sooooo..! Tada!

WARNING:
- Dead bodies (androids), description of a murder scene (wounds, headshots), blood (thirium)
- One night-stand (Between Gavin and Jack). Nothing serious, it's a necessary step to allow Gavin to consider someday to have a serious relationship with androids (you know whom I'm talking about haha but you'll read that later, otherwise, you won't be there!) But there's no description, don't worry, it's skipped! Gavin still has his crush on Midnight of course!


CHAPTER 6
"Thanks"

- April 27, 2039, 10:24 am, Ferris Street -

Gavin stood silent for long minutes in the middle of the living room, the index and middle fingers of his right hand - still bandaged - resting against his lips. He had never seen so much thirium as he had now.

Three androids lived in this tiny house since the revolution, deviants according to the neighbors, and the three of them had been shot during the night. Each had been shot in the head. Gavin was shocked at the accuracy of the shots. All, without exaggeration, had been shot in the same place, almost to the millimeter.

A male android with Asian features lay on the floor in the hallway, as if the murderer had come knocking on the door, the android had gone to open it, and killed him right then. Another caucasian blond male android was lying in the living room, not far from Gavin's feet. Seeing the expression of terror frozen on his face, the detective concluded that he had heard or seen what had happened but hadn't had time to react before being shot in the head by the murderer, now inside the house.

Gavin pursed his lips behind his fingers and looked up at the latest android, female this time, lying on the couch. She was caucasian too, short, brown-haired, with green eyes staring at the blond android on the floor.

Unlike the other two, she had one more bullet lodged in her left shoulder, as if the murderer had tried to immobilize her on the couch while he proceeded to do his job. Gavin couldn't say in what order the events had happened, but one thing was sure: the first to be shot had been the Asian android.

The shooter was extremely precise and trained enough to leave no clue behind, and it was extremely frustrating. This person was like a poltergeist. He was invisible but had hit hard.

It was the next-door neighbor who called the police this morning. She hadn't heard any gunshots that night, but she was worried that the androids hadn't go doing their daily tasks. And she was right.

Gavin then thought that the murderer might have used a silencer, but he wasn't sure what kind of gun he had used. He would have to wait for the ballistic results for that.

Gavin was dragged out of thought by a small clearing of his throat near the entrance. He looked up and saw the coroner with an android. They were there for the bodies. And since deviant androids were considered living beings, they too had the right to checks or to autopsy them, in a way, for their own justice.

Gavin was done anyway. He'd written everything down on his tablet, walked around the house seven times, inside and outside, and inspected each android as best as he could. He sighed and motioned to the coroner, letting him know they could now work.

Gavin stepped out of the small suburban house and breathed in the fresh morning air. If he could tell there was one advantage with the androids' death, it was the lack of decay's smell. Despite his years of practice, Gavin had never come to terms with the foul smell of rotting human bodies, and he had been able to smell smells ranging from the most recent to… two months old. He didn't dare dwell on the memory, not wanting his brain to simulate the smell in his nostrils.

He took off his latex gloves and threw them in the bin provided for this purpose near the scientist's van. If they could find traces of this murderer, well they were doing sorcery.

Gavin pulled out his pack of cigarettes and lit one as he walked to his car. He leaned against the door, smoking silently, still lost in the case.

It wasn't the first time he investigated violent android deaths since the revolution. But for the past four days, things had gotten worse. That night it was those three, but two days ago it was an android kid, and the day he'd been off duty had been an android working in a convenience store. And all of them shot in the head.

Gavin knew it was the same person who killed them, but he didn't make any connections between the five victims other than being deviant androids. But why more them than the others?

Gavin sighed in frustration, exhaling the smoke through his nose, his eyes riveted on the floor, deep in thought. Anyway, he had to get back to the police station to write his report, he'll try to connect the dots later.

He finished his cigarette before getting in his car and driving towards the DPD. He drove quietly, enjoying that the traffic was rather smooth at this time of day, and enjoying the spring air rushing through his open window. Something else worried him besides these deviant android killings, and that was Midnight's absence.

Since the night the vigilante saved him, brought him home, and healed him, he hadn't heard from him. He obviously didn't expect the vigilante to come to see him more regularly, or know how he was doing following the assault, no. He didn't feel privileged on this point, because Midnight didn't return to see his rescued victims. He continued on his way to help others and it was over. But it wasn't on a personal level that he thought so, it was public policy. Indeed, even the media spoke of the sudden vigilante inactivity since the night of April 22. And Gavin had to admit, the delinquency had been particularly complicated for the police patrolling across town to deal with, and there had already been five murders. They may be androids, but it was as important now as if they were humans.

So the situation was very worrying, and Midnight was nowhere to be found. Gavin sensed something was wrong. It was purely instinctive, and he had no way of knowing how the vigilante was going or where he could find him.

Gavin just hoped he won't be called into an alley to discovered his body somewhere in Detroit.

- April 28, 2039, 9:47 pm, Black Out. -

Tonight they had decided to meet again as it was Tina's day off. Gavin was happy to take a break from all the deviant murder stories, and luckily for him, nothing had happened since the murder of the three androids on Ferris Street.

Despite the previous assault in the adjacent alley, Gavin gladly returned to this pub he loved very much. It wasn't going to stop him coming here, and on the contrary, he oddly felt the need to come and check on Jack to see if he was okay.

He entered the pub alone and took a seat at a back table, as always. Jack noticed him from the counter and gave him a small smile that was both gleeful and embarrassed. The android crouched behind the counter a few seconds, then got up and circled to approach Gavin's table, hands behind his back.

"Good evening Detective Reed." He smiled.

"How are you, Jack?" Gavin asked, scanning the android's face, looking for any after-effects he couldn't find. "Everything's okay since last time?"

"Yes," Jack nodded, his LED flashing yellow briefly. "Thank you for coming to help me ..."

"You don't have to thank me," Gavin said, shaking his head and frowning. "I wasn't going to let you get mugged, Jack."

"I had some minor repairs but I'm doing a lot better. It probably would have been worse if you hadn't intervened, so ... Thank you. "

"And you, if you hadn't contacted Midnight, I probably would have ...I dunno… died..?"

"I'm relieved to know he came for you ... I would never have forgiven myself if ..."

The android lowered his head with a pout, but Gavin rose from the seat to put his hands gently on Jack's shoulders, who lifted his head.

Jack had never been touched by Gavin, they had never been so close, physically, than now. The android's LED swirled yellow, watching the human's face which was a little less than a meter from his.

"I ... um ..." said the android, putting his arms back in front of him, between them, his hands holding a small box. "This is to thank you ..."

Gavin raised his eyebrows at the small, flat black box. He looked at Jack in surprise. The android didn't need to give him a gift to thank him. And besides, with what mon- Oh.

"Jack ..." he said at a loss for words. "I… you hadn't to do that, okay? I did it because that was the right thing to do… But… it's… it's very kind of you. "

He took the small box that the android handed him. He hesitated to open it right away in front of him, for he was never very comfortable with gifts and surprises from others, not knowing how to react.

But he owed it to Jack, so he opened it. He found a small craft paper inside which he pushed aside with his fingers to reveal a metal pick-shaped keychain. He could read a laser engraving on it: Don't need to have superpowers to be a superhero.

Gavin lifted his head to the android and pursed his lips, both embarrassed and moved by the gift. He tried to articulate a thank you, but he couldn't. Instead, he shook his head and gently took the android in a small hug. Jack felt his pump accelerate and replied shyly by resting his hands flat against the detective's shoulder blades. They only stayed a few seconds, then parted.

"Thanks, Jack," he finally managed to articulate. "I'm going to hang it on my car keys." He smiled as he pulled out his keychain and began to slide the ring inside. "Every time I would look at that keychain, I would know that, deep down, I'm not such a bad person ..."

"You are far from being a bad person, Detective Reed ..."

"Oh, believe me, I am far from being a saint or blameless."

"No one is, not even me." Jack sighed before sitting up a bit. "Besides, thanks to the tip you gave me last time, I was able to gift myself something too. "

" Oh true? What? "

The android raised his index finger to eye level in apology before leaving briefly behind the counter, crouching down again, and returning with a loose black cotton beanie with little white particles dotted over it like a starry sky. The android put it on his head and looked at Gavin, who couldn't help but smile.

"This way people can't see my LED when it's cold, and it avoids anti-android people attacking me again..." Jack said showing that his LED was hidden. He was glad he had an item of his own. "I also have a black cap for when the weather gets warmer, and it says I Woke Up Like This on it. "

Gavin chuckled as he pictured the android with this accessory. He had to admit, Jack had a bit of a sense of humor. The detective looked at him, a smiled before placing his hand flat on his head, flattening the beanie.

He had made up his mind.

"What time are you finishing tonight?"

"At 11, why?" He asked, frowning slightly, feigning innocence.

"Do you… live here or do you have a home?" Gavin asked slightly embarrassed.

"My boss let me use the small apartment above the pub," Jack said, raising his nose briefly to the ceiling before looking at Gavin again, his eyelids closed slightly. "I have a room and a bed. "

They looked at each other for a long time, trying to communicate just that way, trying to understand each other and come to an agreement. Gavin pursed his lips and nodded. Jack smiled with… a glint of mischief in his eyes. He ran his tongue over his lips mechanically as he looked at Gavin, who felt stared at and watched like prey.

"So we meet at 11," Gavin said before looking away at his two colleagues who had just entered the pub. "Tina and Chris are here. "

" Perfect. See you later then. "

And Jack walked back behind the counter and took off his beanie before getting back to work. Gavin felt his heart rate quicken at the thought of how the evening was going to end.

He didn't know if the android knew it won't be something serious, but it was a chance he wasn't going to let go. Even though he was an android, Jack was good looking, and he wasn't going to deprive himself of a little fun.

" Hello !" Tina said as she arrived, humming. "What's that box?" She said, looking at the packaging on the corner of the table.

"Ah um ..." Gavin said suddenly embarrassed. "Jack gave me a keychain as a thank you, after saving him in the alley last time ..."

"Oh, that's so cute!" Chris commented as he settled himself down at the table. "And what is it? "

" Here." Gavin threw his bunch of keys at him, which the officer barely caught before they landed on the table with a crash. "Oh no waaaaaay ! Oh my god! "

" Let me see, let me seeeee !" Tina said, hurrying to grab the keys. Gavin rolled his eyes at the childish behavior of his two friends. "Ooooooh ..!" She looked up at Gavin with a big smile.

"I forbid you to comment," Gavin said, sitting down again. "None of you. "

He reached out to claim his keychain and Tina gave them back, laughing. They didn't add anything more about it and ordered something to drink to liven up their evening a bit.

Gavin tried to focus on his colleagues, but sometimes his gaze fell on the android behind the counter, which also glanced at him at times. Gavin unconsciously checked the time on Chris's watch regularly. Time was passing both too slowly and too quickly. He was impatient but he was apprehensive.

Suddenly, the android caught his attention in his field of vision, discreetly patting his wrist before undoing his apron. Gavin then glanced at Chris' watch and it was 11:04. His heart sank to the bottom of his stomach. He had to find an excuse.

"Fuck what time is it ?" Gavin asked, pretending to look for a clock in the pub.

"It's 11:05," Chris said looking at his watch.

" Why? "

"Fuck already ?" He said falsely surprised. "I told my mom I would call her when it was 9 in Denver. I didn't really tell her what happened the last time in the alley ... "

"Ouch ..." Tina winced a little. "Mommy Reed is gonna be mad that her son got his butt kicked again!"

"Hey! You know that's not funny." Gavin said as he stood up and grabbed his things. "But I'll have to go home. "

"You'll tell your mother that I miss her," Chris smirked.

"You've never seen my mother. "

"We call each other sometimes!" Chris said jokingly.

" Oh yeah? I'd love to see Mary's face when she'll hear of that! "

"Okay no, please don't do that, it was for fun ..!" Chris said almost begging but with a goofy smile on his face.

"Yeah, it's okay for tonight." Gavin put on his jacket. "Well, see you tomorrow Chris! And rest well Ti! "

His two colleagues smiled at him as they said goodbye, and Gavin left the pub. He sighed long and loudly once the door closed behind him. What a show to not get caught.

He almost jumped when he saw Jack leaning against the building a few meters to his left, near a front door, his beanie on his head.

"You scared the shit out of me!" Gavin said, placing a hand on his chest as he walked over to him.

" I didn't do or say anything at all," Jack smirked, baring his teeth slightly in his mischievous smile. "Do you still want to go upstairs?"

Gavin moved in front of him, crossing his arms.

"First, let's agree on a few things." The android looked at him then, waiting for what to do next. "Well, you can call me Gavin." Jack nodded. "Then ... I'm gonna be blunt when I say ... I don't expect anything serious to happen between us. If that's what you want from me, then no, I won't go upstairs. "

Jack looked at him up and down silently and Gavin wondered if the waiter androids could scan him as Connor could.

"I know I'm not your type," Jack said, moving closer to him. "But I've been in few relationships before, I know what it feels like. And if I can feel that again with someone I like and have my respect, I think it can be very interesting." He ran his tongue again mechanically over his lips. "And I know that, despite my nature, I don't leave you cold. Why beating around the bush? "

"I accept your reasoning. "

Gavin gave him a puzzled, impatient look. The android let out a chuckle before pulling out his keys and turning to unlock the door.

"Let me thank you, a little more ..." Jack said, giving him a languid look before stepping into the corridor, offering him his hand.

"I'll let you show me how then."