Work Text:
It was late, almost 1am actually. The precinct was low activity, a few of the night officers and detective Reed with his android partner, RK900. Gavin and Nines were working on paperwork. The detective was also nearing the 48 hour mark of no sleep, he was actually using the paperwork to avoid it. He had a really bad nightmare the last time he slept so he was a little paranoid. His nightmares have been getting worse lately, on top of that repressed memories were returning meaning he was even more agitated than normal. Also, his parents tried contacting him for his birthday which brought a whole other kind of Hell down on the detective. He was too anxious to talk to Nines about it even though he knew the android would help, after all one night the two shared a bed after Nines’ woke Gavin up from a nightmare. But anxiety was one son of a bitch.
Gavin sighs leaning back in his chair, rubbing his eyes. “When was the last time you slept, detective?” Nines asks.
“None of your business,” he grumbles, leaning forward again and picking up his pen.
“Detective, sleep is extremely important for your functionability,” he replies.
“Clearly not, I am working just fine.”
“Well, you are a workaholic.”
“Fuck you, Tin Can.” Nines sighs and pulls back, he was sitting on the desk. The desk is ‘L’ shaped and he was on the bottom of the L next to Reed’s computer. He pushes himself off the desk. “Where are you going?”
“To get you more coffee,” he replies. Gavin nods and returns to his work.
Nines runs a hand through his hair as he heads for the break room. Tina comes up alongside him. “Coffee run?” she asks.
“Yup, someone is a little grumpy,” he answers, glancing at her with a friendly smile.
“I mean, he always is,” she says.
“That is true, but he hasn’t slept in what I’m guessing is at least two days maybe more,” he replies. Tina sighs. The pair keep talking as they walk into the break room. They part ways on the way back.
Nines sighs softly, a small smile on his face, as he spots Gavin. He has his arms crossed on the desk with his right cheek against his arms. He was sleeping and Nines was only gone for fifteen minutes. He sets the cup down and smoothly pulls his jacket off with one motion. Now, he carefully drapes it over the detectives back. He leans down and presses a kiss to his temple. “Rest well, detective.” He rolls up his sleeves and picks up a stack of paperwork. He sets it on an empty desk as he sits down. Nines occupies himself with the paperwork for the next two hours.
Gavin sits up, groaning as he blinks the sleep from his eyes. He feels something sliding down his back and he grabs onto it. He pulls it infront of him and smiles. “Nines’ jacket,” he mumbles, pulling it on properly. He pulls it tight around himself, blushing a bit. It smelled nice, it smelled of cool mint and rain. He kicks up his feet on the desk and leans back in his chair, still holding the jacket tight around himself. His walls had fallen and he was letting himself be vulnerable, mostly because of his lack of sleep. His eyes flutter shut once more and he starts to drift again.
“Detective Reed?” Nines asks. He was peeking up over the divider. Gavin jolts up, almost falling from his seat. He swiftly pulls the jacket off him and looks up at his android.
“Yes?” he asks. Nines had a smirk on his face. “What’s that face for, Tin Can?”
“You like my jacket, don’t you?” he asks, raising an eyebrow as he rests his arms on the divider. Gavin blushes, looking away. He was embarrassed that he got caught and even more so that his feelings were being exposed. “You can keep it for now, I’m finishing up this paperwork then we can head out.”
“We?”
“Yes, we. I did some processing and I’m guessing you couldn’t sleep because of nightmares. Also, we have the day off tomorrow and I’ll admit that I’m not sure what to do when I’m away from you. I also get worried.” Gavin scoffs and adjusts himself in his chair. Other then the scoff there were no other signs of protest, so Nines sat back down. The detective sighs and pulls the jacket back on. He smiles again, burying himself in it. It wasn’t too big on him but it was still larger.
Nines smiles, staring at the divider. He couldn’t see Gavin but he knew he was snuggled in his jacket. He still didn’t have a full grasp on emotions but he was learning, most of his source of learning was from experiences with Gavin so he knew a lot about the negative stuff. Love was one of the ones he was most curious about. Love was also a thing Gavin mentioned he never got as a kid and still lacked as an adult. But what really got Nines’ attention about it was the activities, dates more specifically. They seemed nice and he would love to go on one with the detective but he wasn’t too sure about how the detective felt, or really fully what he felt himself.
He finished up the paperwork and stood up, gathering the papers. He looks up and smiles, a blue blush dusting his cheeks. Gavin had his feet on the desk with the jacket wrapped around his head and torso. He walks around the desks and sets the paper in his finished basket. “Detective Reed,” he says, leaning on the desk. The detective shifts a bit, groaning.
“Five more minutes,” he grumbles.
“Nope. Let’s get you back to your apartment and to your bed,” he says, moving part of the jacket away so he can see Gavin’s face.
“Fine,” he murmurs, pushing himself up. Nines starts to walk away so he just pulls on the jacket and follows. “Did you finish everything?”
“Everything except the two papers that were under your head at the time,” he answers, slowing down to match the detectives’ pace. “Let’s hope you didn’t drool on them.”
“Oh shut up,” he retorts, rolling his eyes. Nines smirks, looking at the detective out of the corner of his eye. He liked seeing him in his jacket, it made him feel nice, made him feel happy. They walk to the car and began the drive, Nines at the wheel.
“It looks good on you,” he comments, watching the road carefully.
Gavin blushes and sputters for a moment. “What?”
“My jacket, it looks good on you,” he repeats.
“Oh… uh, thank you,” he mumbles. Nines smiles.
“No need to be so shy, Detective.”
“Stop calling me that.”
“Well, it’s your title. You are my superi-”
“No, no, no. I’m tired of hearing you call me Detective or Detective Reed, just call me Gavin like everyone else.”
“Alright.” Silence fills the car as they drive. At some point, to Nines’ dismay, Gavin lit a cigarette. He was slowly pulling back from smoking but he wasn’t going to go cold turkey, he was taking it slow and carefully. Nines was actually the reason he was quitting, the android didn’t like him smoking so much because it could cause irreversible damage and he could tell he didn’t want that to happen. He wouldn’t admit it, to himself or anyone, but he cared about Nines. He cared about him a lot, feelings were there but he was having a hard time acknowledging them. He was scared to have feelings like that but Nines made him feel good, made him feel whole.
The detective spaced out some time during the drive, contemplating his emotions. “Gavin, we’re here.” He jolts a bit at the touch on his arm. “Sorry.” Nines pulls away.
“No, it’s fine. I just spaced out,” he says, rubbing his eyes. He pulls the cigarette from his mouth and taps it on the windowsill a few times before tossing it. He closes the window then gets out. He jumped a bit at the sound of his car locking.
“Are you okay?” Nines asks from the front of the car. This was unusual behavior and highly concerning.
“Yeah, yeah. I’m just a little jumpy, that’s all,” he sighs. As he passes Nines, he feels a hand land on the small of his back. He didn’t jump or tense, he knew who it was and it actually sent a calming wave over him. He half steps to the side to be a bit closer to his partner as they walk in. It took them a moment to reach the apartment. As Gavin fished for his keys he decided to warn Nines. “Just a little heads up, I have five cats.”
“Five?”
“Yes, five. All of them were strays at some point, so they’re rescues.”
“So you do have a heart in there somewhere.”
“Ouch.” He chuckles a bit as he unlocks his door. He hears the greeting noise of his favorite cat, creatively named Cali because she’s a calico. He mimicks it and opens his arms. She jumps up and he catches her, she then goes onto his shoulders. He tosses his keys into their place and greets the other cats that were visible. “Make yourself comfortable, I gotta feed them.” Nines nods and walks off to explore a bit.
The apartment was small, the main room, dining room, and kitchen were all basically one room with the kitchen having small dividers caused by the cabinets and counters. Then there was a single hallway with four doors. He walks down the hall and stops at the first door on the right, a bathroom with a large counter, mirror, sink, toilet, and a nice shower. He turns off the light and closes the door. Across the way is a small closet full of stuff. The door next to that is an office space with plants, a cat tree, litter boxes, a desk, chair, and books. He heads back to the other side of the hallway at the final door and finds Gavin’s bedroom. He had a simple queen sized bed along with a simple dresser. There were also black out curtains on the windows. The walls were painted a blue grey while the bed was light grey with dark grey, the dresser was dark oak wood. It was a simple room but it looked unused.
“Nines, where you at?” a voice calls from the main room. He shuts the door and walks back down the hall.
“I was just exploring,” he replies. Gavin nods, bringing a glass to his lips. “You should really try sleeping again.”
“Drink first,” he replies, sitting down. Cali was immediately on the back of the couch behind him.
“Mind introducing me?” he asks gesturing to the cats.
“Ah, right. Cali is the one behind me, black one with socks is Socks, then the ginger is Pumpkin, the white kitten is Snowball and the newest one in the family, and the maine coon is Arcane. Warning, Arcane most likely won’t like you. He’s not a fan of anyone except me and is also the papa cat, so also be careful with Snowball.” Nines knew all the cats were in the room but he didn’t know where Arcane was, his LED was yellow. “Turn around.” He spins and his LED turns red.
“Oh.” Arcane was a big cat, like he was massive. He sat on top of the cat tree, studying Nines. “He’s…”
“Big, yeah, I know. I love him but Cali owns my heart,” he says, reaching back and stroking the calico.
“You are so kind, Gavin.” The detective’s eyes went wide with surprise, that word has never been associated with him.
“How so?”
“Your apartment is small and you’re probably breaking rules with five animals yet you still take them in. Most humans don’t care for animals right or are the reason there are so many strays yet here you are, opening your home, arms, and heart to them.” He holds his hand out, letting Arcane sniff it.
“They’re my family, I love them to bits. They support me when I feel like I have no one.” He smiles at the sight of Nines petting Arcane.
“You’ll always have me.” Gavin stayed quiet as he watched. After a few minutes passed he sighs. “You should sleep, Gavin. You need the rest.”
“Fine, do whatever you want, just don’t break anything.” He pushes himself to his feet, setting the empty glass on the table and heading down the hall. Arcane pulled back and looked down the hall where his family was following their human. Well some of them, Arcane stayed on his perch and Snowball was curled on the couch sleeping. Nines draws back from the cat.
“You worry about him too, don’t you?” he asks, tilting his head curiously. His LED was yellow as he studied the cat. Arcane meows and he smiles. He strokes his head one more time before silently going down the hall. He sits outside the detective’s room and leans his back against his door. His LED spins blue as he closes his eyes. He enters stasis mode after he knows Gavin was asleep.
His eyes opened and he was in the dark hallway, a few hours had passed, not many but a few. He feels a weight in his lap so he glances down, Arcane was curled up there. He wasn’t sleeping, just resting. He smiles and combs his fingers through the cats fur. He glances around, gounding himself. He sighs and leans his head back. He also checks the time. It was almost 7am, still early but not too early. The detective is hopefully still asleep since he didn’t get to bed till 3am.
Arcane suddenly hops up. He comes up next to Nines and paws at the door. “Wha-” He goes silent as he hears rustling inside the room followed by a panicked yelp. He jumps to his feet and opens the door. Cali looks up and moves back as Arcane jumps up on the bed, but both cats stayed out of the way as Nines went to Gavin. The man jolts awake, breathing heavily. He blinks and looks around before taking a deep breath. He leans back.
“What are you doing in here?” he asks, taking deep breaths.
“You were having a nightmare,” he answers. “I wanted to wake you up.”
“Ah.”
“What were you dreaming about?”
“Nothing, I don’t remember. Probably just some bullshit.”
“Do you want me to stay?”
“No, no… I’ve got the cats, I’ll be fine.” Nines nods and pushes off the bed, heading for the door. Gavin opens his mouth but closes it and sighs. He takes a deep breath. “It was about my childhood.” Nines stops in his tracks, turning. He walks back and sits on the edge of the bed, resting a hand on Gavin’s knee. “It was the day I reached my limit. My brother did some great thing or whatever meanwhile I was still just a stupid kid who only knew how to get into trouble, so my parents were upset with me and were comparing me to him and I just snapped. It… ended really badly. The actual memory ends pretty well but the nightmare didn’t have that happy ending.” Nines nods.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to stay?” he asks again. Gavin stayed quiet as he thought about it. He started to shift to the other side of his bed, he stopped just past the middle. He pulls back the covers for Nines. He climbs into bed and leans his back against the headboard, pulling the covers back over him. He glances at the other and sees his hand. His skin starts to peel back as he makes contact with him. He laces their fingers and squeezes his hand reassuringly. Gavin stared at their hands for a moment before he leaned into the android. He felt the hand slip from his then an arm wrap around his shoulders. Nines then used his free hand to hold Gavin’s.
“I’ll send you back to my brother if you tell anyone,” he murmurs, drifting to sleep already. Nines chuckles and leans his head against the others’. He soon entered stasis mode again.
Nines opened his eyes, he was alone in the bed other then Arcane and Socks who were sprawled out on the bed. Pumpkin peeked into the room and he smiled. The cat meowed and he mimicked the noise, stirring Arcane and Socks. He got up and assessed his surroundings. The shower was running. He steps over Pumpkin and wanders down the hallway. He’s greeted with a happy brr from Cali as he passes the cat tree. He smiles and strokes her head before continuing on to the kitchen where he makes a pot of coffee. Snowball attacks his ankles playfully and he leans down, scooping her up. “You’re so small,” he muses with a chuckle. She boops their noses together and he smiles more. He sets her down and walks back to the hallway and stops outside the bathroom. He knocks.
“Yes?” Gavin asks.
“There is a fresh pot of coffee in the kitchen.”
“Thanks, Tin Can. I’ll be out in a moment.”
In the meantime Nines just went and sat on the couch, soon having Arcane near him again. He was happy the cat who was picky with people liked him. They surprisingly seemed alike too. Soon enough, Gavin walked out. He was wearing a dark red long sleeve shirt, the sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, and then jeans and a belt. “Planning on going somewhere today?”
“Maybe, I’m not too sure. It’s been a while since I’ve been out of the city and to my forest,” he answers getting his coffee. “And it’s perfect since it’s mid afternoon.”
“I’d be up for that, I can pack a bag of stuff while you enjoy your coffee,” he offers.
“Alright, pack some peanut butter and jelly sandwiches please, I love those,” he says, coming around the corner smiling. Nines really liked seeing the true Gavin, he still had some attitude but was sweet.
The pair left after Gavin had his two cups of coffee, which meant he was ready for the day. He exited his room holding Nines’ jacket along with a backpack for the stuff they were bringing. “I believe this belongs to you,” he says, holding out the jacket. He nods and takes it, but he hangs it up nearby.
“Are we ready to go?” he asks. Gavin nods, a smile on his face. He seemed well rested and excited to see the forest again. Nines made a mental note to possibly ask about his connection to the forest at some point, but right now he just wanted to enjoy this side of the detective.
“I think so, also, I’m driving,” he says, grabbing his keys. Nines chuckles and nods, opening the door for him. He was wearing the backpack since it wouldn’t strain him at all. It had a bit of heft to it due to the water bottle, camera, and some other heavier items. The two head down to the car and start on their way.
Gavin’s mood improved once they were out of the city but even more so when they were at the forest preserve. He stood at the treeline for a moment, his eyes closed and his breathing steady and deep. He was happy and that made Nines happy. The detective opened his eyes and smiled before entering the forest, Nines at his side. They only stuck to the path for a bit, around half an hour, before Gavin dipped off the path. He knew where he was going which meant he’s done this before. “Should we be going off the path?” Nines asks.
“I know where I’m going, I want to show you somewhere,” he replies, easily moving through the brush. “Can you hear it?” Nines took a moment to asses his surroundings. Lots of birds, the wind moving through the foliage, squirrels and other animals moving around, and… a river.
“A river?” he asks.
“Yup, there’s a part that was my comfort place as a teen. It’s a little clearing the opens to a section of river and there’s a fallen tree as a bridge to the other side but I like to just sit on the tree,” he replies. Nines nods, ducking under a branch. The detective easily moved and knew exactly where he was going while the android struggled a bit more. He was also taller so that didn’t help him when it came to the lower branches.
Gavin pushed away some plants and sighed as he stepped into the clearing. “Wildflowers,” Nines comments as he comes up behind Gavin.
“Yeah, they’re in full bloom right now… that was stupid of me to say, you can see them,” he chuckles. He glances around, a soft smile on his face. “I haven’t been here since I started at the DPD.” Nines rests a hand on his shoulder.
“Are you alright?” he asks, watching the detective.
“Yeah, yeah. It’s just been a while, some negative things do come with this spot since I came here after rough things happened but it still brings that familiar calm,” he answers, starting to walk forward. Nines stayed back, looking around. Massive trees surrounded the clearing other than on one end where the river rushed by. The trees curved a bit causing a good amount of shade everywhere but there were patches here and there so light still got in, especially over the river. Gavin spun in the center to face his partner. “You coming?”
“Just taking it in, Gavin. This place is beautiful, I want to remember every portion of it,” he replies, still looking around. His eyes drift to Gavin and he smiles a bit more. “Especially your joy.” The detective smiles, looking away.
“Are you flirting with me, Tin Can?” he asks, looking back up.
“I don’t know, am I?”
“Oh, fuck you!” Nines laughs and walks forward. Gavin spins on his heel and takes off for the fallen tree. He jumps up, grabbing onto one of the roots and swings himself onto the trunk. He turns and throws open his arms, a bright smile on his face. Nines captured this image, he would treasure it forever. He enjoyed seeing the detective truly smile and be happy.
“Watch out!” he calls. The detective steps back a bit and he copies his movements, landing just a foot from Gavin.
“Creative.”
“I didn’t feel like showing you up.”
“How nice.” Gavin steps back, smirking. He subtly glances Nines up and down but of course, he noticed. The detective spins and walks out to the middle and turns to look forward. He crouches down into a kneel, getting ready to sit down but he paused to enjoy the sun. He tilts his head up and closes his eyes, a soft sigh escaping his lips. A soft smile follows as he takes a deep breath in.
Nines captured this moment too, remembering everything he could. His feelings for Gavin were growing by the second, he really cares for him. He loves him. His LED went yellow when he realized that, a blue blush painted his face but he soon smiled, his LED spinning back to blue. He takes one more moment to study Gavin before walking forward and sitting down next to him. He sat quite close and the detective opened one eye and glanced to his partner. He shifts and sits hip to hip with him. They stay silent as time crawled by. Gavin seemed to be very present and calm, just enjoying the sun and the sound of the rushing water. Meanwhile, Nines was looking around, taking everything in and just enjoying being near Gavin. His movement finally stops as his eyes rest on Gavin’s hand.
“What’re you lookin’ at, Tin Can? I can feel your eyes on me,” he asks, looking over. He follows where his eyes go and a blush forms in seconds. Nines looks up.
“Your heart rate has increased significantly, should I be worried?” he asks softly. Gavin pats Nines’ hand.
“No, buddy, I’m fine,” he replies, smiling softly as they lock eyes. A blush forms on Nines’ face. His skin starts to peel back on the back of his hand where Gavins’ fingertips grazed. He reaches up and takes his hand, his own being completely white now. “What does this mean?” His eyes move to their hands.
“It’s a way to show affection basically,” he answers, tilting their hands a bit. He felt the detective tense at the word affection. He begins to pull away, not wanting the other to be uncomfortable. Gavin grips the others hand tightly, not letting him pull back.
“You’re alright… but does this mean something then?” he asks, staring at their hands as he moves his which causes Nines’ to move too.
“What do you think it means?” he asks in response. He had a soft smile on his face, his eyes were trained on his face. He was scanning him and for once Gavin didn’t snap at him. His heart rate was still elevated and there were some other things but he didn’t say anything.
“Do… you like me?” he asks, letting their hands rest on the tree as they lock eyes. He nods in response. The detective is silent, his face flushed as he looks away.
“Feelings are still something I am trying to understand but I know I feel a strong sense of love for you, Gavin… I love you,” he replies. Gavin looked shocked as he searched for a response.
“Those words are hard for me, so…” he trails off as he leans in. Nines meets him in the middle as he reaches up, cupping the detectives’ cheek. Their lips lock in a tender kiss, one that conveyed all of Gavin’s emotions in a clear message to his partner. They draw back, but not much. Their foreheads are pressed together as they relax.
“So, shall I call you boyfriend now?”
“You shall.”
“The precinct is going to flip.” Gavin pulls back to laugh.
“Funny enough, Chris and Tina may or may not have betted on how long it would take before we kill each other.” Now it was Nines’ turn to laugh.
“They really are going to flip out.” Gavin nods. They shift to face forward again, to enjoy the rest of their time in the forest, and I guess… their first date.