You were torn. Your directive was injured, bleeding and cursing like it replenished his veins while he sat on the wooden steps. Ralph had Isaiah pinned to the wall with strength you couldn't process.

[STOP]

_____

[END ALL TASKS NOT RELATED]

_____

[SORT BY PRIORITY]

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[GAVIN]

_____

Your hands reached and clutched the bottom of Reed's shirt. "I am sorry," you murmured before ripping the thing in two; he was promptly stripped of the t-shirt in favor of pressing the fabric to his wound.

The human hissed loudly in pain, bringing more f-bombs and more soft, hurried apologies from your lips. "Shit.... fuck, it's fine, I'm fine," he still muttered. "I don't think it went deep but Jesus fucking Christ..." As he muttered to himself, the firm pressure to the wound kept sending terrible sharp pains, and your partner continued to hiss. Though even amidst the haze of pain, Reed felt your hands shaking badly. "Cara mia, look at me," came his quiet request. Sure enough, there were tears pouring in thick streams down your face. "...... dolcezza, I'm gonna be fine. It's okay."

Of course he was. The wound was moderately deep; it would require a few stitches and a little time. Nothing was lost but a bit of blood. "F-forgive me," you managed, unable to lift your eyes for more than a second. "I c-cannot seem to stop, now."

... why are you crying over me?

His large hand covered the one at his wound. "I mean it. I'm gonna be fine. Let me get a hold of the precinct so they can send some more out this way; I think you might wanna calm your buddy back there, cause he looks like he might shut down."

Reed pulled out his phone, using his free hand to keep his ruined shirt to the side of his face. Only then did you turn to the other two, trying to swiftly gather yourself again before handling the pair.

"Miss Nove is sad. Why is she sad? Did Ralph do bad? Is Miss Nove mad at him?" The blond was absolutely not letting Isaiah go, but at least the other android didn't seem to be getting injured any further.

Laying a very cautious hand on Ralph's arm, you felt his body relax by a hair. "No, Ralph, you did perfectly. Thank you. Can you please set Isaiah down now? I need to talk to him."

He hesitated, those separate eyes both focusing on the wounded human sitting on his stairs. "Y-your Detective is hurt. Bleeding. Hurt very bad. Very stubborn." There was a pause. "Will Ralph be taken away?"

"No," you answered, shaking your head. Once the AP700 was let go, you were fully prepared to have to chase him yourself. But Isaiah just held a hand to his own wound, LED blinking yellow and red at random intervals. His eyes were deep and locked onto your own. "... please don't run, Isaiah," you spoke up, putting your bloodied hands behind your back.

"Pretty sure if I did, I'd just get caught again," he mumbled. His voice was low and deep, quite pleasant to hear- a strategic key point for his model. "I haven't done anything. If this is about the convenience store--"

"You were being chased," you cut him off. When he lifted his head properly, a vague smile formed on your lips. "We have a missing person's report on you. I analyzed the thirium you left behind at the scene and understood that the damage was not done intentionally." The light at your temple flashed yellow; backup was en route. You had to make sure he'd cooperate. "Isaiah, you are not in trouble whatsoever, but I must know if you'd be willing to speak to us at the precinct. Anything you can tell us about whoever was hunting you will benefit us all." A step was taken towards him as sirens began to wail in the distance. "Please. Help us help you. Tell us what you know, and we can return you to your family."

His eyebrows slowly formed a knot between them as he stared at you. "They filed a missing person's report? On me?" You nodded, and a smile of his own started to spread. "I didn't think..." Glancing at your human, who looked 1000% done with everything, Isaiah finally nodded. "Yeah, all right. I'll talk."

◇___#$&!___◇

Ralph wasn't exactly willing to see you leave. After making sure that the AP700 was not handcuffed or treated as a suspect, you ensured that Gavin was being medically taken care of, as well. The wound would not need stitches if he was careful, but it was disinfected and cleaned, which let you discover exactly how loud Gavin Reed was when he was pissed off and in pain. But a small section of the cut was held shut with white strips, the rest mindfully bandaged.

Only then did the two of you turn to the battered android, who was visibly upset. "You are leaving Ralph. Ralph won't see Miss Nove or her Detective again."

Sharing a look with your directive, you shook your head. "Ralph, that's not true. We will visit you again, okay? I promise."

Both eyes seemed to light up. "Will you truly?"

"Yeah, don't worry about it. You did us a huge favor, Ralph, least we can do is stop in and say hi every couple of days." The human spoke before you could; he was worn out and paler than usual, but he grinned anyways. "Just don't be scared of me and my gun, big guy. When we visit, I won't have it with me. Capice?"

The blond's smile was broad now, lighting up his scarred face. "Siete sempre i benvenuti qui, amici," he replied without hesitation.

Gavin could have shit himself right then.

◇___#$&!___◇

Instead of being in the back of the patrol vehicle, Reed helped Isaiah into the backseat of his own car, still grumbling under his breath as he started the engine and drove away. Both he and yourself waved to Ralph before he was out of sight. "Man, this feels fuckin' weird..."

"I'm sorry," came the soothing AP700 voice. "I... I didn't know if you were one of them."

Hazel eyes found the android in his backseat through the rearview mirror. "Hey. Don't apologize for defending yourself. I probably scared the shit outta you, so if anything, I'm the one that's sorry." With some uncomfortable maneuvering, Gavin unbuckled the harness still strapped to his chest, handing it to you. "I look fuckin' stupid with that and no shirt."

Detective Reed was by no means scrawny. Taking his firearm and harness, you mindfully put them at your feet, eyes never leaving the driver's side of the car. No use trying to deny the warmth in your face: your directive was handsome, in the rugged sense that an android could not achieve. "Are shirts required in the dress code, sir?"

"To protect the general public from my fucking disgusting Italian body? Absolutely." Focused on the pain and the road, in that order, the human didn't catch on just yet. "Goddamn. The precinct is gonna have a fucking field day with this one."

"I had no idea you were self-conscious about your body," you replied in a careful manner, turning your head a fraction more towards your partner. "It's a new side to you; showing yourself more often may help your self-esteem, amongst other things in your life."

"Cara mia, I told you, I'm a hairy bastard. It's a curse. In a city full of perfect androids, I feel like a--......" THEN it hit him. "... This really doesn't gross you out?"

"Is it too late to change vehicles so I'm not in this one?" Isaiah's deadpan inquiry earned him a glare through the mirror.