"You look dashing, Gavin," Richard expressed with a smirk as he eyed his counterpart from top to bottom.
The brunet fiddled with his bow-tie while making his way toward his partner who was lounging near the dinner table. "Thanks," he stated before letting out a frustrated huff, "For fuck's sake," the detective rolled his eyes, "Could you help me with this?" he pointed to the tie.
"Of course," RK900 nodded as he approached his colleague and gripped the ends of the black neckwear and began knotting. The android's gaze drifted from the bow to Gavin's worried expression, noting the officer's furrowed brows and anxious stare. "You seem nervous," Richard stated as he tended to the bowtie.
"That's because I am," Gavin sighed as he swung his arms to his sides and looked to the ceiling, "I'm beyond nervous," he clarified while bringing his hands together to stop them from trembling.
Richard glanced at his partner with a sympathetic expression, "I can understand why you feel this way," he stated as he tugged at the tie, "But I am here to put your mind at ease," the android smiled while finishing up the knot.
Gavin looked at the perfectly tied bow and raised his brows, impressed by the machine's skill. "Oh yeah?" the brunet's eyes shifted from the tie to his colleague, "And how're you gonna do that?" he asked with a hint of sarcasm.
"Well," RK900 patted down his uniform, "For starters, we have our suits, masks and tickets," he lifted his index finger before doing the same with his middle finger, "Secondly, we have a strategy—many actually— about how we'd like to detain the Sergeant. I've also memorized the layout of Kamski's mansion, so we have no issues there," he pointed to his ring finger. "Lastly, Julia was kind enough to inform us about how to smuggle our handguns into the ball in the unfortunate event we end up using them."
"Right," Gavin brought a hand to his face to pinch the skin between his brows, "She told us t—"
"To seek out a female android with long black hair and black eyes, that's correct," Richard interjected. "Remember, she's a VM700 bodyguard model so she will be at the entrance of the mansion," he gestured with hands, "Julia said that the android goes by the name of Cassiki."
"Okay," the detective mumbled faintly as he attempted to rehearse everything in his head. He then shut his eyes and sat on the dinner table, "I don't know if I can do this," Gavin brought a hand to his forehead, "I feel sick."
"Gavin," RK900 slowly walked over to his partner and firmly gripped the officer's free hand, "You have nothing to be worried about," he looked into the brunet's grey eyes, "Not while I'm by your side," the android expressed with determination.
Gavin glanced at the machine momentarily then let out a small breath, "You should go get dressed," he motioned to his bedroom, "Suit's on the desk near the bed."
Richard knit his brows, irritated by his partner's stubbornness, "Gav—"
"The ball starts in four hours," the officer glared at RK900, "And I'd like to get there early to scope out the front."
The android stared at his deadpan colleague, his LED momentarily flashing yellow before sighing and straightening himself out. Without another word, Richard started for the bedroom to change.
The detective sat cross-legged on the living room couch with his head resting on his right hand while his left hand was busy stroking Cleopatra's back. Gavin curled his mouth into a small smirk as he watched the feline purr in delight in his lap. He drew his upper lip between his teeth as his gaze drifted to the bedroom door. He then looked to his watch and grumbled in annoyance as he realized that seventeen minutes had already gone by. "Did you run out of batteries trying to put on your fucking tuxedo?" the brunet shouted with an irked cadence, "What's takin' so long, Astro Boy?"
There was silence.
"Ugh," Gavin rolled his eyes before placing Cleo on the ground and patting down his pants. Just as he was about to get up, Richard opened the bedroom door and walked into the hallway. The detective's eyes snapped open as the debonair android made his way into the living room.
"I apologize for the wait," RK900 smiled while adjusting his collar, "I had to break in the dress shoes a bit," he explained as he tapped the tips of his bluchers on the ground. "How do I look, detective?" the machine raised a brow.
Gavin felt his heart skip a beat as he analyzed the suited android from head to toe. He felt his face heat up and his palms get clammy the more he gazed at his charming counterpart.
"Gavin," Richard tilted his head to the side.
"Hm?" the detective snapped out of his trance, "Oh—uh," he quickly glanced at the floor, his cheeks blazing as he realized he was eyeing his partner like a piece of candy. "Y-you look good," he rubbed the back of his neck while his heart rate continued to climb.
RK900 licked his upper lip before making his way to the couch next to his partner. "You know," he leaned closer to Gavin, "Even though we'll be focusing on the mission later, today is still Valentine's Day," he slowly interlaced his hand with the detective's.
Gavin's eyes rounded before he turned to look at his colleague. He swallowed as he felt the android's fingers curl around his.
"I have three things for you," RK900 expressed in a hushed tone, "I'd like to give them to you now if that's alright," he stated with half-lidded eyes.
The brunet was beyond flustered; his nape and the tips of his ears were searing hot. "Richie, you didn't have to get me anyth—"
"I know I didn't have to," the android lifted his partner's hand and turned it over so the officer's palm was facing up. "But I wanted to," he reached into is pant pocket, took out a small box and gingerly placed it in his colleague's hand.
Gavin's eyes went from Richard's face to the box, then back to the android's face again.
"Go on," RK900 insisted, "Open it," he stated with an excited undertone.
The detective glanced at the elegant present for a moment before beginning to gently remove the wrapping. There was a brief intermission from dialogue where only the sound of Gavin crumpling up wrapping paper was heard. After removing the gift-wrap, the brunet lifted the lid of the box and peered inside. The officer froze in place as he observed the two items in the box. He drew his brows together as he took out a black mp3 player, "Is…is this an iPod mini?" he smirked at the android.
Richard nodded, "It is," he eyed his grinning counterpart. "I've learned a lot regarding your taste in music over the last two and a half months," he began, "I noticed you enjoy heavy metal and alternative music," the android continued as he analyzed his jubilant colleague, "But you also channel emotions through music as well. Keeping that in mind, I decided to create playlists for you on the device."
"Richard," the brunet blinked several times, "This has 1,000 songs on it," he glanced at the machine.
"I would've added more but 1,000 songs is the device's maximum capacity," Richard expressed in a defeated manner, "I hope I didn't disappoint you."
"Disappoint me?" Gavin chuckled, "This is the coolest present I've ever gotten," he stated as he eyed the device, "How the hell did you manage to get an iPod mini? This thing came out over thirty five years ago," he looked to his partner in awe.
"I'm very glad you like it, detective," Richard stated in relief, "I found a verified seller online who specializes in selling vintage tech," he explained with hands, "I then filled the iPod with songs based off of your tastes."
"Why an iPod mini?" Gavin asked with an amused look.
"Did you not grow up with one as a child? I figured I would purchase something you'd find nostalgic. Being the Generation Z baby that you are, I was stuck between gifting you an iPod or a container filled with Tide Pods," Richard jokingly stated.
Gavin let out a laugh before making a humbled expression, "Thanks, tin can," he lowered his head, "That's real sweet of you."
"It's my pleasure," RK900 grazed the detective's hand, "There's something else in the box though," he motioned to the open present with his head.
"Ah Shit," the brunet sighed before shaking his head, "I'm not used to this," he looked to the ground.
"Am I making you uncomfortable?" Richard asked in a worried manner.
"No, no," Gavin expressed with hands, "It's not you at all, it's me," he stated with reddened cheeks, "I wish I could properly express myself and not act like a dick to you all the fucking time," he crinkled his nose, "I'm—" he paused as he drew his brows together, "I'm sorry."
The android's eyes rounded as he was completely taken off guard by his partner's words. He then lowered his lids, his thirium pump beating at a quickened pace, "There's no need to apologize to me, Gavin," Richard brought a hand to the officer's cheek, "I love you just the way you are," he smiled, "Attitude and all."
The brunet hesitated momentarily before he embraced his partner's gentle touch and slowly leaned into the android's hand.
"Why don't you take a look at your second gift?" Richard suggested with a warm cadence.
Gavin looked to his colleague then moved his head away from the machine's hand to glance at the box. He slid his hand into the box only to pull out a small folded up piece of paper. He gazed at Richard in confusion but the machine gestured to flatten out the paper. The brunet obliged and proceeded to unfold the sheet but he immediately stopped upon realizing what was on it.
RK900 tilted his head to the side as he observed his colleague in anticipation.
Gavin retracted his head in bewilderment, "It's…," his eyes carefully surveyed the paper, "This is my mother," he arched his brows while continuing to scan the sketch.
"I hope I did her appearance justice," Richard stated in a gentle tone, "I used the photos on the mantle place as reference."
Gavin stared at the beautifully drawn sketch for several seconds before bringing his hand to graze the paper. "This...," he tried to keep it together as he attempted to express his thanks, "I…Richard I," he lowered the drawing and brought a hand to his face, "F-fuck," he whined before tears started welling up in his eyes.
RK900 inched closer to his counterpart and wrapped his arms around the quivering officer, "I hope you like it, Gavin," he pressed into his counterpart.
The detective brought his arms around the android and placed his head on his partner's shoulder as he tried to suppress his premature sobbing. "Shit," he cursed in between breaths, "I'm getting your tux d-dirty," he expressed apologetically.
Richard let out a small sigh, infatuated by his partner's cuteness. "That's the last thing that should be running through your mind," he chuckled softly as he stroked the back of the brunet's head.
It took roughly ten minutes for the detective to calm down and come back to his senses. He wiped his eyes, "Fuck," he took in a deep breath, "I'm sorry, I don't know why I got so emotional," he glanced at the sketch, "Richard, this is beautiful," he expressed with a small smile. "I don't know what else to say…," he shook his head before looking to the machine, "…besides thank you."
"You're very welcome," RK900 tenderly stated as he observed his grateful colleague. "Oh!" he jolted upward, "I do have another small gift," he pointed out.
"Oh God," Gavin placed the sketch and iPod on the coffee table, "Please no more, I'll die," he warned with flushed cheeks.
Richard leaned forward and brought his face close to his partner's.
"Ack!" the detective withdrew his head a bit, startled by the android's sudden movement, "What're you d—"
RK900 placed a hand behind Gavin's neck and pulled him into a passionate kiss.
The brunet's eyes snapped open as his heart rate hit the roof. "Nh," he arched his brows before inching closer to his partner to mount him. Gavin felt Richard's tongue slide into his mouth and gracefully take over the kissing session. He arched his brows and moaned into the kiss before pulling away to catch his breath.
"Happy Valentine's Day," the android stated with a suggestive expression.
Gavin took a few seconds to regain his composure as he placed his head against his partner's shoulder with a thump. "You're gonna kill me with all this lovey-dovey shit," the detective mumbled.
The android chuckled softly as he placed a hand on the brunet's back and savored the tender moment between the two.
Not long after, Gavin lifted his head and looked at Richard, "I, um…" he rubbed the back of his neck, "I actually have something for you too, tin man," the officer scratched at his nose.
Richard's eyes widened, surprised by his colleague's statement.
The detective reached into his coat pocket and took out a small case. He quickly plopped it in the android's hand before glancing at the floor in embarrassment, "Open it, I guess."
RK900 observed his partner for some moments before looking down at the red case. He carefully opened it up only to spot a key. Richard's eyes shot open as he came to realize that it was the key to Gavin's apartment; he then immediately looked at his counterpart, "This is your apartment key."
The officer hesitantly nodded.
"Gavin, I…" Richard blinked a few times as he tried to conjure up a sentence. He was at a total loss for words. He felt like his processors were melting.
"Don't make such a big deal out of it," Gavin tried to brush it off, "You clean well and plus your food's really good."
RK900 gazed up at his partner with saddened eyes.
"A-and I…don't like being alone," the detective felt his heart beat against his chest, "And I like t-to be around you," he looked to the floor, blushing ear-to-ear.
The android lowered his lids, his thirium pump fluttering as his partner's words filled him with joy. He glanced at the key before gripping it tightly in his hand, "I can't seem to find enough words to express my gratitude," he looked to the brunet, "I've never felt this happy before." Richard gingerly embraced the officer, "Thank you, Gavin," he expressed, voice cracking in the process.
The detective's eyes widened, his heart ready to explode as a result of Richard's emotional cadence. He lowered his lids and arched his brows before hugging the android back.
After a few silent moments, the brunet gently pulled away, "Well," he cleared his throat, "All this mushy stuff almost made me forget what we were originally doing," he unmounted his partner and patted down his pants before he got up to his feet. "Come on, tin can," Gavin huffed, "Let's hit it."