Chapter Text
The alarm shrieks it is ass o'clock in the morning and it's time for Gavin fucking miserable Reed to get up and ready to start another day in his new reality, bright and early. With a loud groan in his tiny and empty apartment, he doesn't hit the snooze button just yet, letting the noise develop his growing headache in the off chance he will somehow blackout and find himself back to where he was about a month ago.
Back in his own world, where he was a lazy nobody in his mid-thirties, instead of a responsible adult working a real full time job as a detective at a police department. He rubs his hands over his face, still not ready to accept his new life just yet.
Beep, Beep, Beep,
He's in a futuristic, sci-fi sort-of universe where Detroit is still the same beautiful dumpster fire. It is 2038. The president of the United States is a woman this time.
Beep, Beep, Beep,
Crazy stupid advanced androids are a thing here now, and it's not Elon Musk's doing, but rather his insane now billionaire half-brother. It took him a while to process that.
Beep, Beep, Beep,
There was a whole revolution or something for said androids, a big historic moment where they acquired independence, freedom, the whole kit and caboodle.
Beep, Beep, Beep,
He has a badge and uniform and all that, a serious professional job that he can't just quit or else he'll be homeless and broke.
Beep, Beep, Beep,
He's stuck in some kind of shitty fictional story and the universe seems hellbent on setting him up as the protagonist, the heroine, the chosen one who will eventually do... something. Gavin doesn't know what, but the world chose to literally shove a prophecy onto him and run.
He noticed he found himself surprisingly competent at his detective job, noticing small details in crime scenes, like his eyes would focus on key things and blur out the rest. Knowing how to press suspect's buttons when interrogated to get information out of them. Actually being able to keep up with escaping suspects through the city's street all while keeping a steady hand on his gun when it counts.
Then all of a sudden the wind would knock his ass on the floor, or a conveniently placed object would have him trip and eat pavement, only to have someone help him up with a random breeze blowing their hair like it's a Pantene commercial. Sometimes he would spill his cup of coffee on a kind stranger while the sun literally blinds him and reflects a golden glow on them. It has happened 3 times by now. He knows he's not a clumsy bitch, his previous apartment was a mess and he rarely stumbled on any of his things!
Sometimes he would find himself in danger out of nowhere, and the universe would find some way to rescue him like he's some damsel in distress. Cornered late at night in some back alley by thugs only to have one of the police androids show up like a knight in shining armor and help him as glitter sparkles from the streetlamps. Pushed out of the way of a speeding car by a rich looking pedestrian who could have been on his way to an important gala while his surroundings slow down like a dramatic scene.
Heck, just a few days ago, he got caught up in a hostage situation during his break at a small coffee shop. Some asshole thought the humble family owned shop to be their perfect target to rob instead of the Starbucks next door. The man was clearly unstable, high on some crack they call 'Red Ice', and turned a simple robbery into a storewide panic when he decided to shoot two innocent bystanders. When he was about to aim towards Gavin, the ceiling literally fucking dropped on his head and knocked him out.
Not to mention, most of the time he finds himself surrounded by conveniently good looking people. Rarely anyone he's interacted with looks terrible, the worst offenders are the androids built to look like models. The majority of Detroit appear average, ordinary, or even faceless if they aren't important. The creepiest sign according to him. Downright comical hideous is reserved for the few and rare cliché one dimensional criminals they have arrested, like Tuesday's mr. coffee shop.
Beep, Beep, Be-
He finally turns off his alarm and begrudgingly drags himself to the bathroom to get ready for his shift at the DPD. The mirror reflects his worse for wear ragged look, he doesn't understand why he's been dragged here to play the main character, he looks like a rabbit racoon with those sunken eyes, heavy eyebags and prickly gruff. Surely a more youthful and less disastrous looking person would have been a better choice.
Gavin takes his sweet time getting ready, making sure to have a full stomach and the best cup of joe possible before heading out, knowing damn well he won't get fired for being a few minutes late since the captain favors him and the lieutenant apparently. He's tried before, it didn't work on the stubborn bastard. Instead his disciplinary folder only increased, something he wasn't exactly surprised to see. Reckless behavior, foul language, inappropriate comments, yadda yadda. Indulging in a bit of doom scrolling on his phone, he notices Elijah left him a few more messages today.
He hasn't opened any of them since he got here, still unsure how to exactly respond towards a stranger who is suddenly a half-family member.
His phone rings as he takes his last sip from the cheap mug, speaking of the devil.
"Reed! Just because you got a few days off from the last incident doesn't mean you can be late for your job. Pick up your ass and get to my office now." Fowler yells from the other side of the line, before hanging up without letting him get a single word in.
"Love ya too capt'n."
With new orders, Gavin grabs his jacket and leaves his apartment.
Once he arrives there, he immediately sees one of this world's favored characters, a golden astro-bot is sitting at the lieutenant's desk as the room seems to sparkle around him like he's the center of the room. The android, Connor, notices him and flashes him a white pearly smile so clean, the reflection has him squint his eyes from the sheer brightness. He's got to start wearing shades he keeps promising.
"That's an ugly looking face Gav, keep it for when Captain Fowler wants to talk to ya." A hand on his shoulder greets him, as Tina Chen whistles at his expression.
Whatever plans this world had for him, it decided to take some form of pity on him in the form of his best friend, officer Tina Chen. Someone who Gavin learned to genuinely enjoy hanging out with, as she was there to help him orient himself when he first arrived here, and oh boy was he a mess when he first got here. She was a sarcastic and mischievous bitch who wore her title proudly, but she was patient and sympathetic with him. She quickly became his ride or die. There was never a sudden random spot light to announce her presence, or some radiance around her to differentiate her from crowds. She was funny, rude, and petty sometimes, she was normal. Whatever narrative there was, they didn't plan to have Tina in it, and Gavin found himself relaxed in her presence.
"What'd you think Captain Fucker's got to yap about?" He grins at her, ignoring Connor's greeting.
"Probably your shitty decades old slang, if not I'll add it to your disciplinary folder myself." She rolls her eyes. "Seriously got no clue tho, did you fuck up at the coffee shop incident?"
"I promise I did nothing but pray during my captivity T, like a good little hostage, and god answered." Gavin raises his hands in the air in mock surrender under her faux scrutinizing gaze. He feels a light punch to his side.
"I'll pray you won't get fired then, break a leg and get your sick pay day." She leaves him be, knowing damn well unemployment or not won't stop her from hanging out.
Walking up to his boss's large glass office, he sees Lieutenant Anderson finish up his own little meeting with a fresh folder of new cases; he stops Gavin before he could enter.
"I know you've been comfy for the past few years working as you have, but try to keep a cool head for this." Is the only cryptic message he is left with. The fuck?
"Gavin Reed!"
He can't ask the lieutenant to elaborate as Jeffrey yells at him to hurry inside. He sits on the uncomfortable chair and waits in silence, arms crossed, as the other man displays some papers in front of him.
"Should I return my badge?" He jumps straight to the point. The captain ignores his question, wordlessly pulling out another folder. The awkward silence stretches on as Fowler keeps looking between the entrance and at Gavin for any chance he may escape, keeping him in place. Well at least he gets to keep his job another day.
"Uhh, we waiting for someone?" His boss only gives a brief hum of confirmation as he keeps looking at his files, blocking the info from Gavin's view.
Before Gavin can see the door behind him open, he feels a strange itch start in his nose, and his eyes start to feel irritated. He lets out a violent sneeze and coughs out in the air, forgetting to cover his mouth. A box of tissue is handed towards him and he blindly grabs for it, feeling the need to blow his now stuffy nose, and finally looks to his side.
Not Connor is standing beside him with the box, giving him a leveled eye at what must be an amusing sigh. Gavin sees the subtle lighting of the room has dimmed around them, the holy looking glow on the android. The gentle random gust of air from the inside of the building parted through his neatly coiffed hair, letting a few strands fall on his face. Fucking flowers starting to blossom from behind him like Aphrodite herself decided to bless him with his own signature entrance. Gavin's allergic to pollen. Nobody else is acknowledging Connor's doppelganger's literally sprouting roses and shit.
There's a reason angel's can't be seen by the naked human eyes, and Gavin's eyeballs feel like they are being set on fire by the other's blinding presence and it burns like hell. Jeffrey goes to greet him, ignorant to Gavin's suffering.
"Think I'm permanently blind." He grits out after the universe decided not Connor's introduction scene ran its course.
"That's a shame detective, I was promised a capable partner." A smooth and rich voice leaves the android's mouth. Gavin turns towards him, still recovering from both blindness and allergies making him look like he's glaring.
"Pleasure to have you on board RK900. Reed, you have a few seconds to compose yourself to properly make acquaintance with your new partner."
Everything finally hits him. The whole picture finally reveals itself for him to see its horrors. The uncharacteristic clumsiness, the sudden occasional rescues, the entourage of good looking strangers, the faceless background characters, the hues and glows accommodated to some, the slow-motion sequences that briefly happens, the absence of his parents, the gay best friend. The flowers that can grow from someone's mere presence.
Gavin Reed finds himself stuck in some kind of shitty fictional romance novel, and the universe seems hellbent on finding him love.