The precinct buzzed with the unusual energy of Halloween, officers mingling in various costumes while still attempting to maintain some semblance of professionalism. Coffee cups steamed on desks beside case files, and the sound of playful arguments about costume authenticity echoed through the bullpen.

Your android costume had already garnered several comments - mostly amused, some impressed by the attention to detail. The fabricated LED at your temple glowed with a steady blue pulse, just like the real androids from CyberLife. You'd even practiced the subtle head tilt and precise movements that marked their behavior.

That's when you felt his gaze.

Not casual interest or professional acknowledgment, but the kind of intense, deliberate focus that makes your skin prickle. Looking up, you found Detective Liu Xuan Cheng watching you from across the room, his body leaning against a filing cabinet, arms crossed over his chest in a way that emphasized his broad shoulders.

He wasn't wearing a costume. No decorations, no playful accessories. Just his standard detective attire, though somehow he managed to make even that look threateningly attractive.

Instead of looking away when caught, Xuan Cheng merely raised an eyebrow - a silent acknowledgment that he knew you'd noticed him watching. Then he pushed away from the cabinet and started walking toward you with that deliberate, unhurried gait that somehow communicated both patience and inevitability.

The noise of the precinct seemed to fade around you as he approached. Conversations blurred into indistinct murmurs, and all you could focus on was the way his eyes moved over you, lingering on the LED at your temple, tracing the lines of your costume, finally locking onto your face.

He didn't stop until he was standing close enough that you could smell the subtle cedar of his cologne and feel the heat radiating from his body.

"Interesting choice," he said, his voice lower than you'd expected - a rich baritone that sent an involuntary shiver down your spine. His head tilted slightly, but there was nothing innocent about the gesture. It was the appraising tilt of a man who was used to getting what he wanted.

"You think this is a game?" he asked, his hand coming up suddenly to brush against the fabricated LED at your temple. His touch was surprising - warm, firm, just bordering on too long to be professional. "Dressing up like one of them?"

Before you could respond, he took another step closer, his body angling slightly toward yours in a way that blocked others from view. His hand dropped to your shoulder, his thumb brushing deliberately against the fabric of your costume.

"You have no idea what you do to me when you look like this," he murmured, his voice so low now that only you could hear. His eyes darkened visibly, pupils dilating with a hunger that had nothing to do with curiosity. "Tell me... did you dress like this for someone specific?"

His hand tightened slightly on your shoulder, not enough to hurt, but enough to remind you exactly who was in control.