It didn't take long before the city felt strangely calm. Not that crime had stopped, but the severity of those crimes were minimal. The precinct enjoyed the peace regardless, able to catch up on a handful of long-put-off tasks before going home early, more often than not.

The day that Gavin strut his ass in, after your date, his new tattoo was immediately noticed. But only Hank approached and actually said something about it. "It hasn't even been a day!"

The shorter male merely raised an eyebrow. "I don't care."

◇___#$&!___◇

As weeks went on, Reed had to admit that you learned incredibly fast. It had gotten to the point where relaxing came naturally, your mannerisms were fluid, and teaching you a new dance was like watching snow fall: mesmerizing.

You'd made a promise to visit Ralph, and every couple of days you made good on your promise. At first, Gavin wasn't 100% keen on it, but the blond android was always happy to see the both of you, initial nervousness notwithstanding. It was the kept promise that meant the most.

While your partner did suggest introducing Ralph to Wreck-It Ralph, you had to remind the human that it might not have positive effects if his functions were damaged.

_____

One day, the two of you were wandering the city early in the evening, enjoying the fact that you'd left the precinct early. Though, by that point, the lack of severe crime was nagging at the back of your brain. Crime, while horrible, was expected. So what was going on?

Gavin abruptly stopped in front of one particular business, staring into the window. One glance said enough: it was an animal shelter. Hazel eyes caught yours, seeing how excited you were trying not to be. "... go ahead, cara mia," he laughed, nudging you towards the entrance once; you bolted inside, making his grin spread.

Hands in his pockets, he leaned against a wall, making a little conversation with the volunteer at the front desk while he looked around. The shelter was clean, had a fabulous reputation, and did a lot of good for the community as a whole. Their bulletin board was plastered with flyers and notices for other businesses: computer- and android- mobile repair, a new recycling center, which locations took donations and what kinds, anything beneficial.

Weird, but... maybe Detroit isn't that bad.

"Gavin!!" Your voice called him back to the present; he wandered the corridor to find you in front of one door in particular. The look in your eyes could have brought him to his knees right then and there: pure hope. "I do not want to get attached to him but I may have failed," you explained as your partner came within earshot.

Chuckling, Reed shook his head. He'd stopped at the shelter on purpose. "Okay, dolcezza, let's see the little--"

OH MY GOD.

Little was not the word to describe the canine you had your mechanical heart set on. The black-furred giant wagged his tail stump, grinning up at the both of you. The information card on the side labeled the Cane Corso as being rescued from a fighting ring. The dog had been prepped, hence the tail stub and clipped ears, but the ring was infiltrated and the dogs rescued before anything else serious had happened.

His name was Biscuit.

"According to his details," you murmured, voice drifting through the corridor and into Reed's heart, who still couldn't look away from the muscular beast wagging his stumpy tail. "His disposition is mild and gentle, loves chasing tennis balls, and still thinks he is a lap dog." Your giggle, while endearing, did not help the fact that this Biscuit looked like he might chew someone's leg right off.

"Would you like to meet him?" Another volunteer had joined the two of you, smiling a little. There was a single moment when your partner wanted to just refuse and get you out of there, but...

Damn it.

As soon as you were let inside Biscuit was ecstatic; you promptly sat on the floor, ignoring the chair, and welcomed the gentle giant's slobbery affection. Gavin covered his face with both hands, running them down slowly and stretching his features for a bit. You were practically glowing with happiness, and Biscuit was genuinely trying to sit in your lap like he'd fit.

I cannot separate those two. That boy was just waiting for someone like her.

Goddamnit.

Heaving a sigh, Reed pulled his gaze away and towards the volunteer. "...... how much for the big boy?"

◇___#$&!___◇

While he did want you to pick a pet you connected with, your human wasn't prepared for you to pick something as massive as Biscuit. But the both of you were as happy as you could get, the dog's leash tightly in your hand while Gavin ended up wandering the pet supply store behind you, pushing the cart and basically being the bitch in the situation.

But goddamn did he love making you happy.

Loading the cart with some super tough chew toys, both you and your partner heard a very familiar, very rough voice: "Holy shit, look at you, big guy!"

Hank had Sumo on his own leash, with Connor beside him pushing the cart. The instant the RK800 laid eyes on your new fur baby, the cart was forgotten about as he approached cautiously. Biscuit wagged his little stump and sat down, patiently waiting for pets. "May I?" the male prototype asked.

Beaming, you nodded. "Connor, this is Biscuit. He's a rescue and as gentle as Sumo is."

Like you had done, Connor sat right on the floor to let the giant puppy maul him with kisses. Biscuit was just as happy to find another person he could sit on.

While the androids fawned over the good boys, Sumo just as happy to see you and eager for someone his size to play with, Hank sidled up to Reed quietly. "So what'd you do to let her have that one?"

Up went an eyebrow. "What'd I do? I didn't do shit except let her into the one shelter that happened to have a fucking Cane Corso. He's actually pretty chill, just... a fucking beast."

"You do realize that Connor is gonna demand you stop by with him?"

"Sounds like a solid dogsitter if I decide I need a vacation." The lieutenant chuckled, and Gavin grinned to himself, looking away before watching you again. "... you don't understand, Hank. She was so... happy. Excited. Androids don't get giddy, but that's as close as she's gonna get. I couldn't pull her away from that boy."

Shrugging, Hank shifted a little. "I do get it. I was married once, remember? They find something that makes 'em happy, and it's hard to tell 'em no. So what's a few giant piles of shit in the backyard if she's happy?"

...... I forgot about the shit.