Chapter Text
It was his programming. It was his programming to take a bullet for Gavin because Gavin was his fucking mission. Nines wasn’t a deviant, he was just doing his fucking job and here Gavin was falling all over himself at the only positive attention he’d gotten in years. Fucking pathetic. He was in love and that was fucking pathetic.
Gavin curled father into himself in the armchair, wanting to disappear.
**
Nines awoke in a hospital bed, which was an odd enough circumstance. But in the chair right next to his bed was none other than Gavin Reed, curled tight into a ball, fast asleep.
The beeping from a monitor, that he’d been vaguely aware of even in unconciousness, changed in rhythm as he registered as awake.
Nines sat, and then puffed out a groan. It wasn’t pain, but more so a sense of breathlessness. Of a great weight on his chest.
Gavin stirred at the noise, blinking one eye awake blearily. He started all the way awake when he saw Nines sitting up. “No, no,” Gavin stumbled to say, “stay down, don’t pull your stitches.” Gavin stood quickly and pushed Nines back into bed. The actual force he was exerting was minimal, but Nines sunk back into the pillows to appease him.
“How did you convince the ER to give me stitches,” Nines asked, understandably confused. Gavin paused a long minute, sitting back down in the chair before mumbling: “I just convinced them it was important….” then quieter: “that you were important.”
Tears. Gavin had cried all over the front desk until they’d let him in, and Gavin was pretty sure that was how.
“How- how are you feeling?” Gavin tried to ask, but immediately switched to, “does anything hurt? I mean do you feel any different or like weird or—“ Gavin cut himself off again, before continuing: “actually, you know what? Fuck it, nevermind that. WHY? Why did you fucking do that stupid fucking thing—“
“Gav- Gavin, calm down,” Nines yelped, grabbing for his flailing hands. He succeeded in grabbing Gavin’s hands on the third try, grasping them firmly. “I said calm down, and sit down. Understood? Look at me.”
For once Gavin did as he was told immediately and without protest, looking up at Nines with wide eyes. Whether it was his vulnerable state, or the sudden clarity of Nine’s speech that shocked Gavin into submission, neither of them were quite certain.
“You— I thought you were gonna— you almost—“
“Died?” Nines filled in. Gavin glared at him, and bit out: “yes. Idiot. Died.”
“Gavin you don’t have to worry so much about me, I’m not as fragile as you, I promise.” Gavin didn’t even have it in him to be mad at being called out as humanly fragile. Nines opened his arms as an offering, dropping Gavin’s hands, and Gavin immediately slumped into his chest.
Gavin’s knees were on the unforgiving linoleum flooring of the hospital and his hip was poking against the bed frame, but as he wound his hands in the material of the shirt they’d found for Nines, and Nines began to run a hand through his hair, he couldn’t care less.
Nines gently scraped nails over his scalp, grounding him and simultaneously requesting his attention. “What is it you were trying to ask, Gavin?” Nines asked patiently, admiring his features quietly. Puffy eyes, little red nose. Unfairly beautiful.
“Do you feel…. different? I guess more alive?” Gavin finally settled on.
Nines blinked at him.
“Gavin, I just got fucking shot.” The profanity surprised both of them. “I feel tired, dead tired. And like I lost a significant amount of thirium. So no I don’t feel more alive, I feel— oh.”
Nines took Gavin’s face in both his hands carefully, before continuing. “You’re trying to ask me if I had to deviate to jump in front of you, or if I did it BECAUSE of my supposed programming.”
Gavin nodded, not meeting his eyes. Nines pulled Gavin close, back to his chest. “I have been deviating for such a long fucking time, Gavin Reed. And look, you’re wearing off on me I can’t stop cursing. In answer to your question of WHY I would jump in front of you: first of all, you would have done it for me, don’t argue with that, you ARE that dumb. But more importantly, if you got hit without your bulletproof vest on I might’ve lost you. I couldn’t deal with that. Plus, the probability of me “dying” permanently from a gunshot is lower than you—“
Gavin put a finger to his lips. “Shut up. Say that last bit again.”
“What-? …. Oh,” Nines smiled down at him, “I couldn’t deal with losing you Gavin.”
“Oh,” Gavin whispered back. Gavin let out a bubble of nervous laughter and hid his face in Nine’s collarbone. Nines pulled away from him and waited a moment on his trademark impulsivity, but when Gavin did nothing but blush and stare down at the hospital bed sheets, Nines tilted his chin up.
A nurse, in scrubs, walked in with a swish swish. She knocked as she did so, but was already halfway through the doorframe as her knuckles rapped against the opening door. Upon seeing Nines sat up in bed inches away from kissing Gavin, she seemed to only register the sitting up bit.
“You’re conscious, that’s good,” she said to Nines. Gavin didn’t flinch away as Nines expected him to, but instead sat back in his chair so he could listen to what she had to say.
“We weren’t sure how long you would remain unconscious so I’m glad to see you awake,” she continued. Nines gave her a look that was somewhere between incredulousness and contempt for interrupting whatever was about to happen with Gavin, but she merely smiled a knowing smile and stood on tiptoe to rustle around in the cabinets at the far side of the room.
“I’m just about the only EMT here who wants anything to do with an android case,” she called over her shoulder, “so just work with me to get your vitals all accorded for and I’ll discharge you and you can get right back to it. Alright?”
Nines had the sense to look embarrassed, blushing and ducking his head. “Yes,” he replied, “thank you.”
She turned around with an assortment of supplies and walked back over to the bed where Nines sat. “I think Mr. Reed said thank you last night enough times already to last me approximately one lifetime of never wanting to hear the phrase again— I didn’t go home last night either, so I haven’t had the chance to sleep it off…. but you’re welcome.”
She gave Nines a smile warmer than the others and set about checking Nines’ vitals. A few times in what seemed like her routine check she would stop and laugh and realize what she was checking only applied to humans. And a few times she would squint and then check something that Nines knew for a fact was android-specific.
Throughout the entire process she gave instructions and information to Gavin. About what had been injured or damaged and how best to take care of Nines in the days and then weeks while he healed. At first Nines thought it was because she disliked him that she was directing her conversation to Gavin, but as he found his attention slipping for the third time in a row, he realized it was because he wouldn’t remember anything important like medicine instructions and he breathed a sigh of thanks that Gavin was there to remember it for him.
“You’re good to go,” the nurse declared, back on her tiptoes to put things away, “well, obviously you’re not ‘good’ yet— you’ve still got a fair amount of healing to do. But you are officially discharged. This is my personal number, you two check in with me every night for the next few days okay? I don’t care what the hospital says, androids are completely different than humans, and I want them make sure we treated your wounds right, and that there’s no lasting problems from them, okay?”
Nines merely nodded at her, blinking a bit blankly at all the new information, but Gavin blurted out another “thank you”. She shook her head as she left, but she was smiling.
Nines looked up at Gavin as the detective stood, gathering up his things and the few things the nurse had given to him. All he wanted to do was pull Gavin back into his chest, onto the hospital bed. To press his lips to Gavin’s— just to see what the detective would do.
But then a somehow even more appealing option presented itself. “Let’s go home, yeah?”
Home.
Curling up around Gavin in the big bed upstairs and finally sleeping properly, even though he just woke up. Sleeping— Nines paused in his train of thought. Rest mode? No. Fuck it. SLEEPING. Or at the very least getting to lie down with his chin on Gavin’s head, the detective’s face pressed to his collarbone. Knowing the two of them are safe, and that Gavin is here with him—
Instead of standing, Nines held out both hands. Gavin hauled him out of bed, but kept one of their joined hands connected with tangled fingers. Gavin slung his bag over his shoulder and lead Nines out the door to the room and down the hospital hallway.
Home. Home. Home. Going home.
Nines leaned down to keep his face all but buried in Gavin’s shoulder as Gavin filled out the hospital release papers impatiently. When they’d finally made it outside and to the car— Gavin’s car, Connor and Hank had dropped it in the parking lot last night and thank fucking god for them, they were amazing— Nines was all but draped over Gavin’s back like a second backpack.
His arms were around Gavin’s neck, and he rested his head on Gavin’s shoulder to lock eyes with him in the reflection on the car window. “Are you okay to drive, Gavin?” Nines asked. He backed away from the intensity of their little staring contest before receiving his answer, burying his head in the crook of Gavin’s neck again.
Gavin let out a small noise, more a short exhalation of air than a true sigh, but a sigh nonetheless, before blushing, the heat of it tangible on Nine’s own cheek. “‘Course I’m good to drive, I didn’t get shot in the fucking abdomen,” Gavin replied. It was meant to be a retort, Nines could only assume, but came out as a breathless chastisement.
Nines hummed, “no, but you did say up all night. Or so I hear.”
“Get in the car, smartass,” Gavin finally settled on, but he waited for Nines to untangle himself first.
The drive to the hospital had seemed to take forever last night, coming all the way from downtown. But thankfully Gavin’s own apartment was closer, only a ten minute drive. With Gavin behind the wheel, they didn’t need the radio on, so they sat with the sounds of the drive. Nines listening to the engine rumbling, and Gavin listening to the sound of Nines breathing.
“Gavin,” Nines began, in a hushed whisper without meaning to be, “ask me about what made me realize I really was choosing to deviate.”
Gavin glanced over for a split second, while he could without crashing the car, only to find Nines watching him intently.
Gavin opened his mouth but only managed a: “wha—?” before his voice broke.
Gavin let out a bubble of nervous laughter and then bit his lip, training his eyes on the road. He took a deep breath. Then: “What was it? That made you deviate?” Gavin finally managed.
“You,” Nines whispered back, “it was you.” Gavin blinked over at him in shock, and he was blushed with blue across his nose and cheeks.
They were pulling into Gavin’s complex’s parking now, and Gavin reached over a hand, still steering with the other. Nines took it, but instead of holding it, brought it up to his lips and placed a gentle kiss in Gavin’s palm.
Gavin might as well been on fire with the way his cheeks flamed up, but he stared resolutely out the front window. At least to finish parking the car.
They were both at once acutely aware of the fact that Nines was going to kiss him. A million times better than that Nines was going to absolutely pin him to the wall and fucking kiss him senseless. There was some debate about whether or not that was going to happen in the car, once Gavin had finally safely parked.
A debate they shared in silence, before either had spoken a word.
Then Nines shook his head, smiling with just a hint of disbelieve, and opened his door. He walked around the car and opened Gavin’s door, and pulled the detective out. Gavin stared up at him, wide eyed, and Nines laughed, under his breath, leaning past Gavin to scoop up his car keys and phone, before slamming the door shut.
Nines walked quickly towards the building, Gavin in tow. Nines didn’t have to ask Gavin for the entrance code, he’d always been sufficient at breaking an entering when it came to this apartment. But now he wasn’t breaking in, he was coming home.
When they reached the elevator and Nines tugged Gavin inside they presently found themselves alone. The elevator doors dinged shut, and they again silently communicated for a moment — except now Gavin was not so patient.
The initial shock was finally wearing off (and thank god for that, Nines had missed his quick witted little idiot). Gavin grabbed two fistfuls of Nines’ shirt and backed himself into the corner, letting Nines obscure his view of the rest of the elevator.
Gavin didn’t have to say anything. He just looked up, meeting Nines eyes, and Nines smiled, before leaning down to join their lips in a searing kiss.
The elevator dinged open before Gavin could properly kiss back, and the two of them ran down the hall like teenagers, Nines fumbling the keys, lips already back on Gavin’s before the door could properly close.
Neither of them really registered the fact that there was no one out in the hall to witness their antics, blushing and laughing at how obvious they’d been. Gavin let out a bubble of laughter that turned into a
moan as Nines pushed him decidedly up against the sturdy door.
“Fuck…. nines…” he bit out, ghosting a hand over the short hairs at the nape of Nines’ neck and letting Nines crowd him. They kissed again, once, twice, until Gavin lost count and the motion of it blurred together with the way Nines’ hands were moving in his hair.
“Ask me about when I knew I was a deviant, Gavin,” Nines murmured. If Gavin registered what was being said, he didn’t respond. “Gavin,” Nines promoted again, kissing down his neck.
That got a response, but not the one Nines was looking for. Gavin grit out a groan, followed by a: “fuck…. NINES”, and Nines laughed into his collarbone.
“Gavin,” Nines repeated, lowering his voice even further, just to receive the same reaction again. Then he continued, beginning to kiss his way up Gavin’s neck to his jaw. “It was because of your laugh. Your face when you first wake up in the morning. The way your hands fiddle with the cuffs of your jacket—“
He’d reached Gavin’s mouth, and kissed him again, too chaste for Gavin. “— the humming noise you make when you’re thinking hard—“ kiss “—when your hair falls down in your eyes and you have to run a hand through it—“ kiss “—how fucking passionate you are about your morals, and your job, and—“
Gavin stopped kissing him to hide in his chest. “Shut up,” he mumbled weakly, “before I explode.”
Nines laughed, chest rumbling and moving Gavin’s entire body. “Can’t,” he replied, kissing the top of Gavin’s head, “I need you to know you…. you make me feel alive.”
“Well then,” Gavin leaned back a bit, enough to peer up at Nines, and enough for Nines to grab his chin and tilt his head all the way up. Gavin licked his lips somewhat absentmindedly, before finishing his thought, “then shut up anyways, before I explode, and kiss me.”