Reed had expected this meeting to happen, but that didn't mean he had to like it. He hated meetings at the best of times. They had them once a month and he could never settle in his seat properly. It felt like literally everyone was there in the bullpen. Crowding into his personal space. Crammed in like sardines. They were sitting at, or leaning on, desks. Standing around in groups. Hovering in the aisles. Mingling. The air was filled with the scent of coffee, doughnuts, burgers, bacon, and a few other meaty sandwich fillings. Then there was the noise. It pressed in on all sides. Voices talking over each other. A constant hum. A hive of activity. It buzzed like white noise. Reed ground his teeth slowly, his jaw tightening. His leg was already bouncing beneath his desk as he spent the final few minutes looking over some emails before the meeting started properly. Phck, why does everyone have to be here at once?

"Cheerful as ever I see," Tina greeted quietly as she slinked into his section and leaned on the back of his chair. Reed relaxed a little as he looked up at her. If there was one person he didn't mind being in his space, it was Tina. She just got it. Got him. She'd always somehow known, he moment he'd started working with her. Any time there was a class or meeting, she helped him out. Whether it was taking notes, making recordings, giving him a kick, or giving him something else to focus on. She'd saved him on more than one occasion.

"You know I phcking hate these things," Reed grumbled as he hunched over his desk to read a witness statement he'd been sent for one of his cases. Everything seemed in order, but he'd be sure to read it again after the meeting when he wasn't so agitated. It was easy for him to miss important things when he was so distracted by everything else. He was already finding it hard to keep his eyes on the bright screen while he could see movement all around him. He closed his eyes with an almost pained sigh as he tried to block out the noise. Why do they have to be so phcking loud?

"I know, I feel you," Tina agreed sympathetically as she dropped off a coffee for him. He smiled softly in thanks. That was another thing she often did at meetings. She knew Reed would be so distracted and stressed by the meeting that he'd forget to grab a coffee first. If he didn't have a coffee, he'd have nothing to fiddle with. If he had nothing to fiddle with, he wouldn't sit still. If he didn't sit still, then people like Fowler noticed. Usually, that resulted in some form of small reprimand or sign of reproach. He ran a stressed hand through his hair. It was like he couldn't do anything right sometimes.

"Alright! Is everyone here?" Fowler's voice called out for attention near his office. Reed got to his feet, feeling the captain's eyes drift over him and acknowledge his presence. Obviously, not every officer was there, but everyone on duty was ready and waiting. "Let's get started then...As you all know, we've had specialists working for the past few weeks to put together some new training modules. The training will be based around android integration, social etiquette, sensitivity, and even a few basic maintenance and first aid procedures for any android victims and colleagues. On that note, we've also chosen an Android Relations Representative, someone familiar to both humans and androids alike. Connor." Fowler waved an arm and motioned for Connor to step forward and speak. Connor gave his usual warm smile as he stepped forward and took up a place beside Fowler, hands clasped neatly behind his back.

"Good morning. I've spent a lot of time finding the best experts to help with this training, and I really hope you get something out of these new courses. Attendance is mandatory for select staff members and encouraged for all. You will receive email verifications shortly, along with the times and dates of each class. I'm pleased to be your representative, and please, feel free to come to me with any issues or discomforts you have. Human or android, I'll make myself available to you," he added for clarification, always using that warm, approachable tone. He was a good talker, but that was hardly surprising. The RK800 series had been designed to socially integrate with humans. Not to mention their advanced interrogation and negotiation skills. Reed had seen him in action more than once. He was annoyingly efficient. Reed sipped his coffee, trying not to shuffle from foot to foot as he stood at his desk. He was getting agitated. He looked away as he felt Connor's eyes find him in the crowd. He focused on the heat of the cup in his hand instead of the clicking of pens, rustling of papers, and tapping of feet on the muffled carpet.

"Thank you, Connor. Now, onto the day's business..." Fowler continued, smoothly moving the meeting along to deal with a few of the larger cases, assigning officers to help. Reed tuned out a little at that. He knew he was unlikely to be called on. He was right. The rest of the meeting went without a hitch. They were dismissed and Reed could finally sink into his seat with a worn sigh, tilting his head back to look at the bright ceiling lights. He closed his eyes against the glare. People were finally moving away. Giving him space to breathe. His chest loosened as the noise level dropped.

"Are you well, Detective? I couldn't help but notice your heightened stress level during the meeting," Connor pressed in his usual genuine tone as he approached Reed's desk. Reed would have reminded him about their deal for him to stay the fuck away, but since he was now the official android liaison, it was unavoidable that they'd have to deal with each other. It didn't stop him from being somewhat annoyed with Connor's general prying though. Why the fuck was it any of Connor's business how stressed he felt?

"Isn't it rude to do that? I mean, I don't walk around probing you like a wireless heart monitor," Reed huffed resentfully, watching Connor's hazel eyes widen a fraction, as if he hadn't considered it before. He really hadn't either. His scans were always running in the background. He'd never thought that he may need consent to run them. It was just part of his design. His vision registered everything he saw, and he filtered what he wanted to see or focus on. It was true that he'd chosen to check in on Reed, but that was only because he'd seemed so...restless.

"I apologise! I wasn't zoning in on you specifically...My scans run continuously, and I happened to notice during the meeting that you..." Connor trailed off in response, his expression lost somewhere between guilt and concern. Jesus phcking Christ, when is Hank coming back? It's got to be just one or two days, right? Reed was quietly convinced that Connor would finally forget his existence once Hank was back. He'd always been glued to Hank's side before. Reed had originally thought Hank would be back a couple of weeks ago. Hank had certainly expected to return then. Connor had been working alone until now though. Helping with cases as well as compiling these lectures. It was odd, seeing him at work without Hank.

"Look, I don't like crowds. It's not a big deal," Reed replied with a shrug as he rolled his chair forward, not enjoying the scrutiny he was under. Can't a guy just get on with his job in peace? He returned his gaze to his emails, noting a new one from Connor. It was the schedule for the new training classes. He groaned quietly as he opened it. There was a solid two weeks of them, starting on Monday. In two days. He was in every single class. At least one a day. Sometimes two. That was on top of the pile of work he already had. Reed winced as he thought of the sleepless nights ahead. He always dreaded classes, and with all the work he already had to do, it would be tough getting all the classwork done on top.

"Is there a problem?" Connor asked cautiously as he regarded Reed. He was standing in front of his desk, so he didn't know what he was looking at. He could guess though. Reed sighed as he looked at the schedule. He'd at least been given the morning classes, two of which were on his days off, so he'd have to come in for them. That worked for him well enough. It meant he could get them out of the way and then get to work, and having them on his days off would mean they wouldn't interfere with his job as much. Silver linings...

"No, I'm just...I'm pretty snowed under right now, Tin Can. I'll work it out," Reed replied dismissively, watching Connor's LED flicker yellow for a few moments. His eyes twitched slightly as he looked up something on the database. Reed didn't know what he was searching, but he'd seen it happen enough times to know it was some android thing. It used to creep him out a little, like Connor was having some sort of small seizure. His soft hazel eyes soon refocused to take in the piles of files stacked in Reed's tray. He had a lot. More than many other officers he'd noticed.

"You have accepted a lot of new cases...Your workload is almost triple its usual level. Why?" Connor asked curiously, his head tilting the way a curious dog's might. Reed shrugged in response. He didn't really have a reason for it. It wasn't like he had a lot of choice either. They were short staffed. He was a good detective. Hank was out of commission. He had a certain level of seniority. He had a lot of experience, and he was probably a little too dedicated to the job. He also had a hard time saying no when asked to do things. If a recruit was unsure, he'd help. If an officer had to go off on an emergency, he'd step in. If Fowler asked him to look over a difficult case, he'd do it.

"Can't be helped," he replied evasively, pulling out his schedule and jotting down the classes and times. That was something else Connor hadn't expected. Curious...He knew Reed had a good record of being on time and completing work efficiently, but he'd never struck him as the type to keep a written schedule to organise his time and remember to do things. As he looked down, he saw that things had even been colour coded and highlighted. Even as he watched, Reed fished out a light blue highlighter and highlighted all of Connor's classes so that they stood out. Cyberlife blue...

Connor left him alone after that. As he damn well should. Reed slowly worked through his pile of papers. His eyes were straining after a few hours of endless typing. He ran a hand over his face and winced. A small ache was forming right behind his eyes. That was a sure sign he'd been sitting for too long. He was right. He'd worked straight through lunch, and there was almost two hours to the end of his shift. All he'd had all day was a single coffee. The cup still sat empty by his hand. He lifted it and looked at the black stain at the bottom of the cup. He felt almost sad as he stared at it. Coffee...Coffee and maybe two more reports. That seemed about right for the end of his shift.

"Reed! My office!" Fowler called from his open door. Reed was surprised. He seemed annoyed, but not overly angry. Reed figured whatever it was he'd done wrong had only made him slightly pissed. He held back a sigh as he dragged himself into the glass box, not noticing the way Connor's hazel eyes raised from his own terminal curiously. Reed shut the door and sat down, trying to keep his eyes away from the glass wall. It was so easy to get distracted by the movement outside. Uniformed officers walking back and forth, talking in the gangways, laughing and joking loudly. Phones ringing. Voices yelling. "How many times do I have to tell you? This has to stop!" Fowler's voice brought him back to Earth as he almost sighed. He turned his screen to show Reed one of the reports he'd sent over. Reed winced. It was laced with spelling and punctuation errors.

"Sorry, Sir. It won't-"

"Happen again, yeah-yeah-yeah. You say that every time. Would it kill you to use a spell checker?" Fowler huffed in frustration, knowing it annoyed Reed just as much as it annoyed him. That was one of the only problems with Reed's work. He was an excellent detective when it came to putting the pieces together, hunting down perps, interrogations, dealing with witnesses, and even taking the stand in court. He could run circles around lawyers with his blunt honesty and brash nature. His paperwork, on the other hand, was abysmal. Fowler was quietly sure that even his eleven-year-old daughter could write better.

"Sorry, Sir..." Reed mumbled in response as he looked at his lap almost shamefully. He couldn't argue. There was no way in hell he was about to admit that he had used a spell checker, and he'd still fucked up. Luckily, Fowler was in a patient and forgiving mood. He had to be, considering the amount of strain everyone was under with all the extra work, and he knew Reed had taken on more than his fair share. If he looked at everyone's workload, he knew that Reed's would be at least double anyone else's.

"You're going to have to re-do the lot...and for God's sake, have someone check them over for you!" Fowler's dismissive tone was enough to let him know they were done. Reed headed off to get that coffee. He was going to need it now. There was no way he was going to go home and leave all of his work for the day unfinished. Shit, I'll be here all night! He let out a resigned sigh as he padded along. The sound was almost painful. He ignored the tight pinch in his stomach. A cigarette would probably hold off the hunger for a while. He stepped out front and lit up, taking a deep frustrated breath as he leaned against the wall and tapped his foot in agitation. He could never do anything right. He was such a fuckup. Why couldn't he just get one report right the first fucking time?

"You don't look so good..." Connor observed as he joined him, the thick black coat telling Reed he was heading out for the day. Usually, he'd shrug him off, but the day had worn him down somewhat and he could actually do with the company. Connor seemed to recognise this momentary weakness as he outright stopped, his LED blinking yellow as he scanned him. He had his hands in his pockets, something Reed had never seen before. He hadn't actually looked at Connor properly yet. The coat was some sort of thick wool. Neat and clean-cut, with a low collar and smart lapels, buttoned up with a thin belt buckled at his slim waist. It just about reached his knees and had a small split at the back to make it easier to move in. It looked warm, comfortable, and smart. It suited him.

"I fucked up on my paperwork...again. Phck! I just can't get anything right the first time! Now I have to re-do everything and have someone else check them over..." Reed hated the shame that coiled in his chest. It was like being back in school again. His teachers had always refused to look at his work until one of the other students had gone over it first to make sure his answers had at least been legible. It had been humiliating. Asking his classmates one by one if they'd do it. He still remembered the eye rolls and glares. The scoffs. It was a wonder he'd managed to get high enough grades to get into the academy at all.

"I could do that...If you'd like? It will take less time if I do it...I could get it done within thirty minutes," Connor offered with an almost hopeful tilt of his head. Reed gave him a confused look. Why the phck would you do that? He wasn't sure whether Connor was playing with him somehow. "It would be more efficient." Connor was surprised as Reed nodded and grumbled out a small thank you. They headed back inside, Connor removing his coat while Reed grabbed his next coffee. He still couldn't quite figure it out as he waited for the machine to grind its cycle. Why was Connor doing this? What did he expect to gain from it? No one was ever this helpful...besides Tina. Tina was the exception to all the negatives in his life.

Once at his desk, Reed emailed an attachment containing all of his files to Connor. He watched curiously as the skin of his hand drew back while he interfaced with his terminal. Reed had never actually watched closely before when Connor did that. He'd always found it creepy. He could see the screen blinking rapidly as Connor flicked through various files. Everything moved faster than he could follow. While Connor worked, Reed returned to his final two reports. He'd just about finished with the first one as Connor stood and straightened his tie.

"I have corrected the errors and sent the files to Captain Fowler," Connor reported dutifully, watching Reed blink in bewilderment as he looked at the clock. It had barely been thirty minutes. Re-writing and checking would have taken him at least six or seven hours. Not to mention he'd then need someone else to check them over. "When you finish those, just send them to my inbox. I'll check them for you tomorrow morning," Connor added kindly as he pulled on his coat and looked at Fowler's office. He paused as he noticed him also preparing to leave.

"Right...Thanks, Tin Can." Reed's nickname sounded a little softer than usual, his voice thick with some unnamed emotion. Connor gave him a small smile in return and headed for the barriers. He paused for Fowler to join him as he walked down from his office, hazel eyes resting on Reed for just a moment. He'd already returned to work, eyes almost straining as he squinted at the screen. Reed didn't notice, already burying himself in his work once more. Connor and Fowler chatted quietly as they headed through the barriers, barely pausing as Fowler looked over his shoulder.

"Reed! I expect you to clock out in exactly forty-seven minutes!" his voice bellowed from the echoing glass entrance. Reed yelled an acknowledgement and set a timer on his phone for forty-five. That should be enough time to finish what he was doing, send it to Connor, and maybe start looking through a new case file.