Elijah Kamski was quite a private man. Anything known about him was what he allowed the media to know. So the sudden reveal of having family, a man he claimed as his own brother, in law enforcement, was the cherry on top of the shit sundae that day.

The onslaught of questions irked the detective, and he sighed heavily, but he didn't seem nervous. Not in the slightest. Not letting you go, Gavin raised his head a touch, seemingly disinterested in the cameras. "Okay, okay, keep your pants on, fuck! One at a time."

Elijah groaned behind his hands, face covered by them.

One microphone in particular practically shoved down his throat, and your partner jerked his head back in annoyance. "Why are we just now learning of Elijah Kamski's family?" the idiot reporter called out.

"First off, get your goddamn mics out of my face if you want answers!" All at once the devices were pulled to a respectable distance. "Yeah, there we go. Thank you. Fuck. Now, then..." Reed cleared his throat. "Gonna give your censors some overtime, folks. Buckle the fuck up! And to answer your dumbass question, it's called privacy. I'm a detective, you think I'd get my job done if I had people shoving microphones down my throat every time he does something? No. And before you ask, yes, we're blood related. Our mom got remarried. That tall asshole got the height, I got the good looks. Next question," he added, smirking.

"The RG900 was mentioned having programming installed without its consent. What was this program?"

"Okay, first of all, call her an "it" again, I fucking dare you. Second, her fucking name is Nove, say it right. And third, the stupid program was something that made her primary function stick even after she deviated." Rolling his shoulders, your partner groaned a touch. "That shit ain't right. It's illegal, it's cruel, and you can bet your sweet ass we're gonna do everything we can to make sure these Stepford androids aren't being enslaved like this."

A loud chaotic flurry of anxious motion and muddled questions went unnoticed: Gavin glanced towards you, smiling a fraction when you met his gaze before releasing your hand in favor of sliding his arm around your waist. You were gently pulled closer before you suddenly spoke up, yourself: "Does anyone have a question about something that Elijah has not already addressed? If we are not asked anything worth our time, you will be forced to work with what you've been given already."

Damn. That's a lotta sass, cara mia.

Someone else raised their hand, for once, speaking up only when acknowledged. "As a Stepford android, how did you feel about having programming you didn't consent to?"

That was a genuinely need-to-know inquiry; the android's thoughts on the process. The hand on your hip squeezed gently before you answered. "Ask someone born with color blindness how they see their world. Or someone with general anxiety disorder, going through their entire life. Ask anyone born with anything you find different or not normal, and they will tell you the same as I am now: We know no different. Until the program was removed, it was all I knew. It felt natural. I did not see myself as anything unusual until it was pointed out." Beyond the press crowding you and the human, you caught the RK800's gaze, giving his crooked smile. "... if a human does not choose to be burdened with disease or disability, then why are we? You do not choose to suffer depression, or diabetes, or alcoholism. So why must we suffer being controlled when we've fought for our rights already?"

"Uh... yeah, what she said," Reed added, chuckling and feeling super not-helpful.

"I was developed for Detective Reed, and my mission remained after going deviant. But now that that mission is no longer present, I was free to choose. Yes, I chose to remain beside him, but the choice was mine. We are not the machines you once created. By law, we are living beings, and the Stepford Program took away our rights. They told no one. History is only doomed to repeat itself if the world grows complacent. But I will not stand back idly and let it happen."

Considering that you'd never spoken in front of cameras or the press in general, you were surprisingly calm. But only when a soft breeze struck your face did you realize that there were tears.

Another reporter caught your eye and raised their voice. "You keep saying androids have a choice and that your mission is gone. Why not make the choice to do something different?"

"People with even half a heart don't abandon those they care about," you answered. The hand on your hip squeezed again, and you caught your partner grinning a little.

"Are you saying that even though you've just been freed and aren't being controlled, you know what it feels like to love someone else?"

"Are you deaf and stupid? Or is that a choice, as well?"

That would have made sense coming from Gavin, but both Elijah and Hank slapped their own foreheads at your salty reply. The male at your side, on the other hand, was practically beaming.

◇___#$&!___◇

Wanting to put the exhausting day behind him, your partner was happy to drive you back home soon after you clapped back at the reporter. The entire way, he continued to glance over at you, knowing he was grinning like an idiot but failing to care. Though walking through the front door was like shedding a blanket off: his energy vanished and Gavin was wiped out. "Fuuuuuuck," he groaned, making it to the sofa and flopping onto it.

You adjusted his control panel again, though remotely, before standing at the end of the couch where his head was located. "Are you hungry? You haven't eaten all day and I will not let you starve."

Tired hazel eyes gazed up at you leaning over, a soft smile on your lips that he felt in his chest. "... if I say I'm too tired, are you gonna get mad?"

"Have I ever gotten mad at you?"

"I mean... kinda. When you made me take the polygraph test."

"No, Connor and Hank were angry. I was hurt and persistent, and perhaps frustrated... but not mad." You studied the human laying down, watching you watch him. "... I will contact Captain Fowler and inform him that we are taking tomorrow off. You have not had time to truly relax, since our weekend was being supervised. If you wish to sleep, wake me so I may prepare food for you. If you don't feel hungry now, I know you will later."

Your words settled in his brain like snow, gentle and soothing in its own way. "... taking tomorrow off, huh? Both of us?" When you nodded, Gavin Reed swallowed his nerves and returned your smile. "Can I take you out on your first date, cara mia? Please?"

_____

(I never actually asked if you guys want lemonade for this book, lmao.)