As you were already deviant, there was no message about instability from the little kiss. So your body had to present the instability with other means, namely a sudden rush of warmth rising in your face. You quickly turned away, wanting to busy yourself with the printer so the heat could return to normal. The opening of the door caught your attention.

"Can I still hit him?" Hank looked sour, probably disappointed as well, but it wasn't nearly as intense. "You can't tell me he doesn't deserve it."

You shared another look with Connor; the pair of you parted to give the good lieutenant an easy path to the idiotic detective. The color drained from Reed's face again, but to his credit, he didn't try to avoid Hank as the older human came storming over.

Yet only Gavin's collar was grabbed, not even as roughly as last time. "You're on thin fucking ice, asshole," the older male spat. "I don't know why my kids are so goddamn lenient on your ass, but I trust 'em. So don't fuck this up," he added, teeth gritted hard.

A hand lay on Hank's wrist; unsurprisingly, it belonged to you. "Please don't stress yourself, Hank. I will be analyzing his every move and plan to act accordingly. If he does something I do not like, it will be returned tenfold."

It still took a long few seconds to get him to release the defeated male. "....... all right, sweetheart. All right." Hank slowly stepped away, catching your eye intentionally. When you nodded, he whipped back around, backhanding Reed so hard the contact echoed the room and sent him collapsing to the floor. Kneeling beside the groaning, whiny asshole, the lieutenant smirked. "Well, that was therapeutic. And deserved. Wasn't it?"

"Rrrrrgh.... yes....." Gavin moaned in pain, a large and angry mark on his face. "...... thought you were gonna bust my nose."

"Still tempted, asshole. But I think Connor might take that option," he added, getting to his feet and backing off for real this time. "Well, son? You gonna do anything?"

The RK800 didn't look keen on getting physical, his eyebrows knit close. "Violence does not stop violence, Hank."

"Maybe not. But he was abusive, wasn't he? He bullied the both of you. She'll have plenty of chances to get revenge, and you might not." Hands in his pockets, Hank rocked back and forth on his feet. "It's a free shot, Connor. Just a nice reminder that he's in deep shit."

As if to drive the point home, Reed got to his feet again and approached the male prototype. "C-Come on. It's fine. Just... n-not the mouth, please."

"Do you think you get any kind of say in this, Detective?" The android's hands went behind his back. "It's my decision in the end. If I decide to throw a metal fist, I'll aim where the problem is." Dark eyes narrowed. "Which would be your mouth."

His fight-or-flight instinct kicked in hard, but Reed stood his ground. "..... fine. Dealer's choice." Damn his shaking voice.

And still nothing happened. "... you're eager to be hit?"

"N-not particularly. But... if it means you believe me, that I fuckin' hate myself for this whole shitshow... I'll take the blow."

With an expression neither human present could decipher, the RK800 stepped close, raising his fist... and gently poking the detective's mouth with it. "There. I've attacked the problem." Disbelief flooded the reddened eyes that stared, but Gavin couldn't deny the relief, either.

.... except Connor brought the same fist back and landed an impossibly swift punch to his balls instead. With a strained outcry that was less sound and more air, the shorter male collapsed again, curled into the fetal position, both hands covering his screaming parts.

Adjusting his tie, the prototype watched the scene with clinical detachment. He'd already lost interest. "It means nothing when you expect it. Your mouth is the problem, yes... but it would have caused less pain."

All Gavin could do was groan.

◇___#$&!___◇

Fowler was visibly hesitant, sitting behind his desk again and eyeing you standing beside Reed. He'd sunk into the same chair as earlier, but there seemed to be more life in his eyes this time. "Miss Nove, I... actually, I apologize. I misjudged your character, it seems. Your insistence on a polygraph had unexpected results. And while I really don't like what I've learned, and still don't know if I trust Reed, I do trust you. And you're right, of course; Connor was treated badly as you had been, and he forgave this moron on his own. This time he's fighting and asking for forgiveness." Jeff sat back in his chair, noting your directive and his attitude... or lack thereof. "Do you have his badge?"

Gavin tensed, heart dropping again as you nodded and pulled it from your jacket inner pocket. "I do, sir."

"Give it back to him." Watching how the detective damn near dropped the thing, the Captain shifted in his seat, thoughtful. "... you are damn lucky this girl has a good head on her shoulders. Cause otherwise I'd have tossed you into the back alley. I'm putting you on report duty for three days, starting Monday. The other two days of that week will be used for field training." The other male was clearly confused. "Training your partner, you dumbass. Supervised, mind you. You'll be given a cut-and-dry case so you can help her with the routine. Knowing it and doing it are two different things, and you need to learn to work with her properly." He nodded once. "If you pass well enough, you'll go back on regular duty."

All of the hope that had faded came back in one huge wave, and Reed managed a small smile. "Y-yeah. I mean... yes, Captain. Thank you."

"For now, I'm suspending you for the rest of the day. Since it's Friday, you can spend the weekend thinking about what's gonna happen if you fuck this up." Fowler turned to you, his stern expression softening. "I'm not sure if I have any say in this, but I'm gonna request that you spend the weekend anywhere else but in his house. At least for now."

You smiled gently. "May I make a suggestion, Captain Fowler?" When he nodded, you continued. "As it is the weekend, and everyone present has learned Detective Reed's motives, I still feel that there is one person who was not present, and who still needs to approve of this arrangement."

...... oh no. Oh no I'm fucked.

"I will spend the weekend with Elijah Kamski, and Detective Reed will do the same so that he can make good on his word. Using his actions to prove his remorse, as opposed to his mouth, will either sway his brother or ruin his chances."

I

Am

FUCKED.