Work Text:
Nines stirs out of stasis to a disgruntled human groan, followed by a wet sneeze that has the android's scanners blare out alarm after alarm; he dismisses them all thanks to his /Eye-Roll_Protocol#4, and trundles out of bed in one efficient move.
"Niiines, don't abandon meee," Gavin whines pitifully around the glob of phlegm in his throat. Nines didn't know he could experience such strong disgust until right then. But with his sensitive audio receptors, he can hear each gurgle bubble up and down Gavin's throat, and urgh. Why are humans so gross?
"I'm not," he answers, because he actually cares about that particular human, lucky for him. "I'm..." Strategically retreating, he doesn't say. "Going to fetch--" Nines runs a quick search on the best remedies against the common cold. "Hot water and honey. I'll make broth--"
"Noo, no no, I don' need any of those," Gavin grumbles, making grabby hand motions toward Nines, and turning red-rimmed pleading eyes at him. "Jus' stay here with me? Keep me warm?" Nines purses his lips and frowns, but can't help the fond smile creeping up on him.
"My favorite Meatslab," he shakes his head to hide the mirth in his eyes, "I can't warm you up, I run colder than you." Though because he is gracious like that, Nines leans down and rakes a hand through Gavin's unkempt mop of hair, earning a relieved sigh. "I'll be quick, I promise. In the meantime, I'll entrust you with this," he concludes and plops a kiss on the other's burning forehead, before retreating to the kitchen under the defeated whine of his dejected mate.
Nines knows exactly what they have and where everything is in the kitchen, so he doesn't lose time taking everything he needs out, and sets water to boil and tea to brew. Next, he fetches a hand towel that he wets with cold water and gets some aspirin from the bathroom, then gathers everything on a tray. From the bedroom, he can hear Gavin try to breathe through his stuffed nose, but thankfully none of the human wet noises reach him all the way over here.
When the basin of boiling water is ready, the tea honeyed and Nines' nerves steeled, he makes his way back. 'I love him, I love him, I love him,' he repeats to himself as he reaches the bedroom.
"You look like utter shit," he observes after Gavin tries his best to cough out his lungs. His human turns his puffy eyes and running nose at him, attempts a sneer but it seems to hurt him; instead, he closes his eyes and gives him the finger. "I'm fond of you as well," Nines chuckles, and puts his tray on the bedside table. "Now, if you could sit up, I have medicine and honeyed tea for you to take."
"I ain't movin'," Gavin rasps, hiking his covers over his head for added effect. That's alright; Nines is patient. He sets the hot water basin on the floor closest to Gavin's ungrateful form, allowing the steam to whirl up to him.
>Add moisture to the air to loosen congestion: Complete
Now to extricate him out of his hiding place. Nines isn't sure how else to do that but to steal the covers, ignoring the weak laments the theft warrants. "Come now, let's get you upright," Nines says, already placing a hand on Gavin's back and another on his forehead. "You're not even that hot."
"Shut up, I'm perf," Gavin retorts, but lets himself be levered up, leaning hard against Nines' cool touch. "Why am I not horizontal anymore?" he grumbles wetly, then sneezes. "Urghh."
Nines reaches for the aspirin and the glass of lemon water, and hands each of them in turn, slow enough for Gavin's muddled brain to follow along. "What's this shit," he complains after a sip but it doesn't matter; the medicine is swallowed already.
>Relieve pain with acetaminophen, ibuprofen, or aspirin: Complete
"Alright, ungrateful," Nines takes the glass away, and swaps it for tea. "Here, this'll taste better." Gavin takes it with a suspicious expression, but takes a sip anyway.
>Stay hydrated, Sip warm liquids, try honey: Complete
"Y'know I ain't dyin' right?" He says eventually, voice a bit clearer than a minute ago. "Jus' a cold, I'll get ready in a minute."
"I've already informed the Captain you won't be in today," Nines informs him, lowering his voice mid-sentence when he catches Gavin's pained wince. "Please don't argue?" he adds, using Connor's secret puppy eyes technique. It seems to work well enough, because Gavin settles against the headboard, and sniffles.
"I guess I... Won't argue this time."
Damn. He must be really sick. Nines frowns, and allows his scanners to run. 100.4°F. Within acceptable range.
"Good," he answers. "Then I will get to work while you oh-so-graciously accept to rest." Before Gavin can process what he said, Nines helps him shuffle back down and under his covers -- that he accepts without a word. Gavin's already asleep, breathing slowly, face a bit flushed but relaxed. Nines commits this to memory, for later consideration, and lends another kiss to his forehead before he leaves.
>Rest: In progess...
He excuses himself as soon as his shift ends, makes his way back quickly, stopping by the pharmacy to get a nasal spray and cough drops. When he gets home, it doesn't look like Gavin has moved at all during the day, but he does stir and opens a bleary eye when Nines comes in.
"Took you long enough..." He mumbles with a grating voice around accumulated mucus. Nines fights off a /disgusted_expression very hard, managing to smile instead.
"Honey, I'm home," he croons, before fussing around the room; first he goes to put the basin of water back on the burner and prepares another kettle of tea, then goes back to the bedroom with the medicine he bought and runs a new scan; 101.2°F. Not serious enough to be considered dangerous thankfully, but... Nines sits next to Gavin on the bed, puts a hand on his fevered forehead, and marvels at the way his favorite human immediately leans into the touch with a sort of desperate need he rarely shows.
"You must feel terribly," he can't help but whisper, all his research pointing out the fact that a fever rarely feels anything but shitty. Gavin hums tiredly. "Here, I got you some things," he says as he gives him the nasal spray and some tissues. He might be willing to do a lot of things, but Gavin will have to blow his own nose. And while he does so, Nines goes back to the kitchen and gathers the new round of hot water and honeyed tea. If he waits until he hears Gavin finishing to get rid of the mucus bubbling in the back of his throat, then no one would know anyway.
Nines doesn't say anything about the tissues balled and thrown haphazardly on the floor, but pushes them away with the tip of his shoe to put down the steaming water.
"Did you have anything to eat today?" he says when he's sat next to Gavin again.
"Yeah..." Gavin answers dutifully if a bit tiredly. Nines hands him the honeyed tea, and cards his hand through his hair while he sips it slowly.
>Soothe a sore throat: Complete
"Did you... Take care of your human functions?" This doesn't fail to make Gavin snort, as usual, even though it makes him look like he swallowed a whole lemon.
"Yeah, I took care of my human functions," he whispers to avoid hurting his throat.
"Perfect." Nines gets up and pre-constructs the best way to pick up the discarded tissues so he won't touch anything he'd regret.
He's aware his model is supposed to be made to touch and lick gross human matter. But he finds that he doesn't exactly feel comfortable doing so. He knows some colleagues make fun of the fact that he refuses to use his analytic functions, but he knows those whose opinions matter to him understand and respect it.
After he's thrown away the organic waste, he makes his final trek to the bedroom, carefully closing the door behind him, and slipping under the covers in light pajamas; surely Gavin will benefit from his cool frame.
And sure enough, he wiggles closer, snakes around Nines as close as he can, squishes his face against his chest, and sighs in appreciation.
"Thank..." His strained voice rumbles through Nines pleasantly. "Why didn't you do that earlier..."
"What, skip work and let myself be used as a cooling device all day?" There's an affirmative groan, a tighter hold around Nines' waist. His scanner registers Gavin's temperature again; 101.1°F. Going down. Good. "Greedy and unrealistic," he soothes, a hand running through his hair again. They're damp with sweat, but it's fine. "Humans are so gross," he remarks lowly, lovingly.
"You're gross..." Gavin retorts distractedly, already falling back asleep. Nines hums at the nonsensical reply, and focuses on Gavin's breathing and heart rate slowing down, ignoring the rattle of his irritated throat. Yes, humans are so very gross.
Though, Nines finds that he doesn't mind making an effort for his favorite one.
