Chapter Text
The precinct was too fucking quiet, so much so that Gavin was bugging the hell out of his neighboring officers with his insistent drumming of the fingers or pens. They could go fuck themselves for all he cared, the week had been dreadfully slow since Nines was sent home for “recovery time” after the whole shindig with Ada. The detective swore Fowler was going to throw Nines out the building himself because the stubborn android wanted to go back to work right away without any time off. As much as Gavin wanted his partner back to work, he still went through a traumatic shit show that probably needed a lot of mental stuff to process.
But as much as Gavin knew that, he was a fidgety, short-tempered mess that others stood clear of in the bullpen. There weren’t even new cases to keep him busy; only a minor dispute between homeowners stealing each other's lawn decorations out of spite and a kid getting into a fight with an android. It was fucking busy work to keep the detective from imploding.
“Would you fucking quit?” Hank barked from across the room at his desk, “I’m trying to write this goddamn file and you’re making me nuts.”
Gavin didn’t even bother replying as he aimed and flicked the pen in his hands, sending it soaring before Connor snatched out of the air. Like the good little puppy he is, the fucker marched over to the detective’s desk and handed back the pen.
“I do hope you’ll refrain from such actions, we wouldn’t want anyone to lose an eye.” Even in deviancy, Connor’s smile was still a little too awkward. He was an awkward little shit anyways but Gavin guessed he should be nice to Nines’ older brother if he wanted to continue kissing his partner.
Gavin huffed before putting his shoes on the table to recline back in his chair, “Yeah no can do, tin can. Until hell freezes over or some shit happens around town, I’m stuck at the desk until further notice.”
Connor’s head tilts to the side before saying, “The week is almost over, detective. Nines will be back before you know it so patience is key.”
He couldn’t help but give the shithead the finger. It wasn’t a secret that Nines was the main reason for the detective’s change from Intolerable Asshole to Mildly Tolerable Asshole once they started working together. The android could meet him toe to toe when it came to talking smack to each other but as well as moving about crime scenes and witnesses. The two were a perfect match in every sense and Gavin wanted to throw up because of how sappy it sounded in his head. He also wanted to verbally punch Connor in the face but before he could spit anything back a hand pushed his feet off from the desk, sending Gavin scrambling to get his balance.
“I sure hope Gavin isn’t giving you any trouble,” Nines addresses Connor with all of his attention, the fucker, as he perches himself on the edge of the desk. He looks more relaxed than ever as he showed up in jeans, nicely fit jeans that make his legs look longer than ever, and Gavin is fuming because he didn’t greet me first just to annoy me the little shit-
“Nothing more than the usual,” Connor replies, sharing a knowing look with his younger brother.
“Uhh, hello?” The detective taps his partner’s thigh with a pen before throwing his hands out for an explanation, “Aren’t you supposed to be home? Why the fuck you here?”
Nines turns his head to the human ever so slowly, just to irk him even more, and produces a bag that Gavin had failed to notice, “Is it not customary to bring your boyfriend lunch when he tends to forget how to take care of himself?”
Gavin swears repeatedly over in his head because the soft, teasing look Nines has in his eyes makes him absolutely melt. He just called me his boyfriend, in front of Connor, in the precinct, where we work, oh god, oh fuck I’m such a sap, I’m done for, this piece of shit is going to be the death of me and I don’t even care.
The detective just mutters as he takes the bag, ducking his head because he feels his cheeks burning up. His partner- boyfriend smiles contentedly before going back to chat with Connor for a few minutes. The burger that Nines got him is fucking incredible but he can’t even fully enjoy it as the word boyfriend keeps repeating in his head like a broken record. The stupidly pretty android is going to be the death of him with those steely blue eyes and stiff posture that he oh so likes to softly push at when they’re together, just to see him give into the touch.
By the time Connor leaves and Nines turns his attention onto his human, the food is gone and Gavin feels entirely less fidgety. He really needs to start listening to his body instead of just loading it with coffee, but that’s Nines’s job to pester him about.
“Good?” The android nods to the empty take out container.
“Good,” Gavin huffs and looks up at him, “But you can’t be here just because of that, what gives?”
Nines’s LED flickers yellow for a second and he rolls his eyes, “Can I not do nice things for you?”
“No, but there’s always a catch with you. Especially with that ‘efficiency’ shit you’re all about.”
They hold each other’s eyes, daring the other to back down. Pot, meet kettle.
Nines’s jaw clenches and sighs, “I received several messages about how you keep disturbing the peace so I thought it would be beneficial for yours and others’ sake to visit.”
“And?”
“...and I wanted to speak with Fowler about coming back early.”
Gavin claps his hands and beams with a smug grin on his face, “There it is!”
Despite how annoyed Nines looks, his LED circles a lazy blue, and his eyes subtly grow soft at his partner’s show of triumph. The android shares Gavin’s delight and smirks before flicking a well-aimed pen cap right at his forehead. The bullpen’s relative quiet breaks into a chorus of Gavin’s swears as Nines retreats to make his way to their boss’s office to plead his case.