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Gavin Reed hated his partner.
That was a simple statement he was fully sure of.
Truth be told, he hated people in general. They were loud, annoying and always finding new and inventive ways to make his life more difficult.
Androids weren’t much better. Walking around in their perfect shells, giving off a smug aura of superiority. And after the revolution and mass deviation they started to embody all of the same annoying traits as humans on top of that. At least they minded their own damn business most of the time.
Well, most of them at least. The one very obvious exception being that damned annoyance of a partner he had to put up with.
RK900
When Connor first showed up at the station he hadn’t cared all that much. Sure, the robot could be infuriating and stubborn, but at least he followed reason and logic. He didn’t act out, or try to insert himself needlessly into Gavin’s life. That was much more than he could say about some of his human colleagues.
The android seemed more than content with only bothering Hank with all that crap. But at least Gavin didn’t have to deal with annoyances like that.
Unfortunately Connor was a sign of worse things to come…
A detective that had the mind of a supercomputer, could connect directly to any database and was always working on the case turned out to be a very profitable employee. What a shocker, right? So of course the higher ups had to go and hire another one. A shinier and even more impressive model. An upgraded version to Connor’s RK800. The RK900!
He still remembers the day he found out he would have to partner up with the thing vividly. It had been an almost pleasant morning. He’d almost cracked the case involving a series of murders happening downtown. His dreams had been almost entirely devoid of the usual nightmares. The coffee at the station had been almost drinkable. Almost, almost, almost…
And then he just had to open his email. A new message, a new partner, but nothing new. Well, besides the fact that this time around it was a tin can. Regardless, he’d drive away this one like he had all the previous ones.
Gavin didn’t mind working with other people per say. The problem was that the other party always wanted to make it personal. Insert themselves into Gavin’s life. Pry about his past. Try and “fix” him like a little project. What’s the fucking point?
Sooner or later they’d all figure out that there wasn’t anything left to fix or save. He was too broken. Just a bundle of issues that was beyond detangling. And then they’d just leave. Leave Gavin all alone again, feeling even worse than before, like it was his fault that they expected something better of him. So, he might as well save himself some time and the headache and drive them away before they could get too involved.
His uncanny ability to drive away every partner he had been assigned to work with had almost cost him his job. Fortunately for him and unfortunately for the higher ups, Gavin was truly a one of a kind talent. What he lacked in people skills, he more than made up for with his brilliantly sharp mind.
If he was assigned to a case he honed in on it, like a hawk on its prey. That case became his single waking thought and drive. Everything else got pushed to the sidelines. He was unrelenting and ready to probe it from any and all directions. His process may have seemed odd and random at times, but there was a method to the madness. And it got results, which is truly what matters at the end of the day.
Other people just complicated things. Needed him to explain his process. Slowed him down. Tried to get close. Broke Gavin even further. He couldn’t allow that.
So when his new partner's first day finally came, he was ready to go on the warpath. Sure, androids tended to keep themselves out of peoples’ personal lives, but the hunk of junk would still slow him down. There was no question about that.
What he was faced with however was quite the opposite of what he’d imagined. The RK900, calling itself Nines, was similar in appearance to Connor, but everything else was very much different.
There was an oddly sharp look to its gaze. While Conor exuded a very obviously human presence, this one was unnervingly calm and, well -robotic… Something about it pissed Gavin off.
The robot put out its hand in a greeting and introduced itself. Gavin didn’t shake its hand or even acknowledge it, choosing instead to walk out the back door to have a smoke. Some part of him expected the android to follow him. Tail him like a lost puppy, like most new recruits he had been paired up with had done. Like Connor had done with Hank. To his relief he was still very much alone by the time he was done with his cigarette.
When he’d made his way back to his desk he found a cup of coffee waiting for him and the robot already diligently working on the current case. Gavin let the coffee go cold and made a very obvious point of pouring it down the drain the next time the android was in the kitchen with him. It said nothing in retort. Showed no emotion at all. Just a smooth perfectly sculpted face, very much the opposite of gavins gruff and scarred visage. Just standing there, analysing him with its steely gaze, LED softly circling yellow.
Gavin continued to do petty spiteful things throughout the next few days. Nothing overt enough that HR’s fury could be rained down upon him, but still mean enough to get across the message that he wanted the android to piss off. Even the most dedicated of recruits had given up by day 5 at the latest. Not Nines though.
Every day he found a cup of coffee on his desk and every day he made a deliberate point of not drinking it. Every day he did his best to just ignore the presence of the android who always greeted him in the morning or wished him a good night before heading out of the station. Nines wasn’t intrusive or purposefully trying to befriend him like the people in the past. But he also wouldn’t take the hint and just fucking leave him alone already.
The android was always just there. Far enough to try and ignore, but close enough to make that impossible. Just standing there, in the middle distance of Gavin’s mind. Taking up valuable space and focus. It was infuriating. He hated that stupid walking talking computer.
The worst part was that Nines was good. Very good. Even when compared to Connor, Hank or himself. As much as he hated admitting it, he and Nines made an excellent working duo. The android didn’t need Gavin’s process explained to him. His input and observations actually helped speed up the process. Although he gave off about as much charisma and emotion as a microwave, he was still better at dealing with victims and suspects than Gavin. He could even be considered great.
Gavin hated it. Hated him. And he hated that the damn thing was more stubborn than him.
No matter how many times he blew the android off, “accidentally” spilled coffee on his files, left the food and coffee brought to him untouched or in the trash, Nines persisted. Always there. Always ready to greet him with an unreadable smile. Always far enough, yet way too close.
After a few weeks Gavin just gave up. The android probably got off on the abuse or something. Why else would he have stuck around. He started replying to the greetings and good nights with a curt nod. Stopped purposefully trying to spill stuff on the other's workstation and secretly stealing all his pens. And he finally caved and tried the coffee that magically kept reappearing on his desk like a vengeful ghost.
The drink was good. Too good. Just the right balance of milk and coffee. Not too sweet. Not burnt and undrinkable or like pure water, the two flavours of coffee the station had offered before. He liked it. And he absolutely hated that he liked it.
The android was becoming a constant. No matter how much Gavin had fought back and resisted, unfortunately Nines had won. He had become part of Gavin’s routine. Become a part of his life. And the scariest part was that he was slowly getting closer and closer. Not intentionally, seemingly, but it was still very much happening. What’s even more scary, was the fact that Gavin didn’t mind all that much. Some part of him even welcomed it.
And then it happened. His worst fears came true. The second he let anyone in, they would disappear. Nines was about to disappear.
They were a few months into working together. They were on a case, investigating some missing android parts. There were ties to the mafia and organ harvesting. They were playing with fire and should have called in reinforcements way earlier. It shouldn’t have been a shock when what had seemed like a casual lead turned out to be a part of the pack of sleeping beasts they’d been poking. And it lashed out after things started to get sour.
What had been a casual questioning of a dock worker next to some warehouses soon turned heavy and dangerous. When it became clear that there was no escape, the subject pulled a gun and before Gavin could react, they fired a shot. Nines had just enough time to push Gavin out of the way and block the bullet with his body. The dock worker managed to fire 2 more rounds into the android’s chest before Gavin took him out with a well aimed shot of his own.
Androids were sturdy, but not unkillable. The gunman had either been very skilled or very lucky. One of the shots that would have usually not been that big of a deal had made its way to Nines’ thirium pump regulator. The android collapsed with a thump, clothes and ground quickly being covered in a puddle of blue, LED rapidly blinking red.
Gavin called in help and tried to stop the bleeding. He begged Nines to stay with him. Just hang on a little longer. To not disappear. He was only met with an unfocused gaze and a frown. So unlike anything he had seen his partner’s face pull before. A white hand feebly raised to touch Gavin’s face, managing to smear a trail of blue on the gruff detective’s cheek.
The help made it just in time. The android was in critical condition, but could still make it. Could still be fixed. Nines was whisked off to some repair facility god knows where and Gavin was left with nothing but a dull emptiness and a feeble hope.
He returned to work the next day despite Fowler and Hank telling him to take a few days off. He remembered stepping in the shower the previous night and washing away Nines’ blood. The water ran blue. He’d cuddled with his cat, and felt nothing but an unexplainable ache in his soul. He fucking hated the android for hurting him like that. For tricking him into caring more deeply than he ever wanted to admit. He couldn’t stay home. Not alone with his thoughts like that. Work sounded like a good distraction.
As much as he hated Nines at that moment, he hated the people who had hurt him even more. To his dismay however, everything was horrible. His progress crawled to a halt without the android's input. The coffee tasted like absolute crap. People regarded him with sad eyes but didn’t say anything, fearing the fury that might follow. They were pitying him. Great. Fucking amazing.
No one greeted him with a soft but mysterious smile. No one wished him a good night in an uncanny yet comforting tone. No one pretended to care. Gavin liked it like that. He’d made sure that no one even dared entertain the idea. Yet some part of him truly ached and craved for someone, anyone to pretend again. Pretend like Nines had. The next few days felt like an eternity.
Then suddenly, a week after the incident and no updates on his partner’s condition he walked in on a very strange yet familiar scene. On his desk was a cup of steaming coffee, looking the exact same shade of too perfect brown it always had. Next to it was an android, who looked up from the folder it had been inspecting and greeted Gavin with a smile. Inhuman, yet so so familiar. Gavin saw nothing but red.
He was shaking with anger as he walked up to Nines and roughly grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. He basically dragged the fucker all the way through the back door after him, into the alley behind the station. He shoved the robot up against a brick wall and let that annoying piece of shit know exactly what he thought of him.
How much he hated him. How much he fucking couldn’t stand the sight of his too perfect face, his smug presence. His dumb coffee, his annoying greetings. His unrelenting presence. Just everything. How much he hated that the machine pretended to care. How much it hurt him. How much he missed him. How fucking much he just… He didn’t even know anymore. He didn’t know what he wanted. What he was saying. What he was feeling. He only knew that he definitely hated that dumb useless good for nothing android.
Gavin’s whole body was shaking, he had teared up at some point, though he didn’t remember when. The android was looking at him with a slight unreadable frown, LED flashing between yellow and red. More emotion than he had ever shown in front of Gavin, that he could recall.
The android took a hesitant step forward and after a second longer of analyzing the man with his gaze, he wrapped the detective in a warm hug. Everything hurt. Everything hurt so fucking much. But the android didn’t let go. The embrace was so so warm. So comforting. Gavin felt tears sting his eyes again, though he didn’t know why.
Ever since the hug had been initiated, Gavin had done nothing but press his head into the other man’s chest at an awkward angle. After a few minutes of that Gavin finally looked up at the android again. Gavin’s eyes were red and face still vaguely wet with tears. The android probed him with his usual steely expression, betraying the slightest hint of concern.
He raised a hand that had previously been resting somewhere on Gavin’s back and gently wiped away what was left of his tears with a thumb. He rested the palm of his hand against Gavin’s cheek, just like that nightmare of a day exactly a week ago. He couldn’t take it any more. The gaze was too intense. The hand too soft. The hug too comforting. Gavin acted on impulse and closed the gap between them.
The kiss was rougher than he had intended, but he didn’t even care at this point. Instead of hesitating Nines eagerly gave in to the kiss, pulling Gavin even closer. One hand running through dark curls, another resting on the small of the man’s back.
The kiss felt heavy and hot, but pleasant. He loved it. He hated the fact that he loved it. When Gavin finally pulled back he was out of breath and looking disheveled. Even more so than usual. The android looked at him with cold eyes, revealing a hint of confusion mixed with relief. Gavin might have been imagining it but he might have even detected the slighted suggestion of a smile. They stayed like that for a little bit longer, before Gavin pulled away and finally broke the hug.
His mind was reeling. He didn’t know what to say or do. The android stayed quiet as well.
After a while longer, Nines finally spoke and asked if Gavin still wanted to work with him. He didn’t want to hurt the detective. Or if he had hurt him, to not cause more pain than he had already. There was no lie. He did care about Gavin. Very deeply in fact! But if Gavin asked, he’d pull away. Wouldn’t bother him again. He’d find a new partner to work with and disappear for good.
Panic rose in the back of Gavin’s brain and he quickly blurted that he didn’t want that.
The android was annoying and Gavin most definitely did hate him. But he was also familiar now. He’d gotten close. Maybe too close. Yet deep down somewhere Gavin wanted him even closer. Not to stop. Not to give up on him…
A part of his mind told him that he couldn’t allow that. If Nines saw how awful and broken he truly was he’d run. Disappear like everyone always does.
But the android had survived his petty abuse. He didn’t let the awful part of Gavin win. And Gavin had indeed been awful, he had to admit to himself.
Still, Nines had returned to Gavin. Even after he was sure he’d lost him for good.
Something about this felt different. Maybe he could in fact let the android in. Maybe this time he wouldn’t run. Maybe this time he didn’t have to be alone.
When Gavin spoke again all that stumbled out was: “I’m sorry...”
He meant that. He was sorry for being the way he was. For putting the android through so much. For being horrible to him. For yelling at him. For hating him.
He wanted to change. Be better. Do better. Not just for his own sake, but also for his partner. Maybe he could try and change. Maybe with the unrelenting force that was his partner he could actually try and make things right.
He hated the idea of being someone’s project to fix, yet the android didn't seem to be after that. This was something his closeness had brought out of Gavin. If Nines had survived and returned to him, accomplished a miracle, maybe he could slowly pick up whatever pieces were left and try to glue them back together. Untangle himself from the mess that life had made him.
Before they left the alley, Nines stopped them. He bent down slightly and carefully kissed Gavin again. As if to make sure what had just happened wasn’t a dream. Or if it had been, the dream would continue a little while longer. Gavin kissed him back.
They returned to their desks. They didn’t speak about what happened in the alley for the rest of the day. They’d have to address it and work through it at some point, but there was time. Now that Nines was back they still had time. They could make this work.
He could make this work.
Gavin Reed hated his partner.
That was a simple statement he was fully sure of.
The android was endlessly stubborn and more annoying than anyone he’d ever met. He’d forced his way into Gavin’s life when he’d let his guard down. He came off as strange and inhuman at times.
But he was a brilliant detective. Maybe even better than Gavin, though he’d never admit that. He could make a damn fine coffee. And most importantly, he cared.
It didn’t seem to be a trick or a lie or deception. He wouldn’t run. He would always return. He was a force worth improving for.
Gavin Reed hated his partner, but maybe one day he could let down that final wall.
Maybe one day he could admit that if Gavin Reed claimed to hate his partner, Gavin Reed would be nothing more than a no good liar.