Work Text:
A cold wind strolls through the small opening of the bedroom door. With a groan, Gavin pushes himself up, wincing as the streak of light perfectly aims at his eyes with a sting. Chirping softly, a curious grey tabby cat lightly taps across the floorboards to Gavin’s feet as he sits on the side.
“Come ‘ere, Minnie”
He picks her up and darkness blankets them both as the door closes. ‘Wait… the phck?!’ A shadow— Gavin snatches the gun at his bedside table, standing defensively with instinct before a clear, low voice replies,
“I apologise, Detective Reed. I knocked a couple times but you didn’t answer”
“JESUS-!!”
It certainly woke him up now.
“Actually it’s Nines” The Android very slyly and smugly remarks.
“Actually it’s dumbass— “, but before he gets distracted he lifts his hold.
“Now. Get out.” Gavin grunts with a huff, his grip on the gun tightening.
“Detective, you are aware your absence today was not mentioned to the station, no? You’ve been absent for 12 hours since your supposed arrival at work..”, he states bluntly.
Beside the closed door, Nines flicks on a lamp sitting on the drawers, a warm soft glow casts the darkness to mere shadows and he fully takes in Gavin’s disheveled state.
Nines notes Gavin’s status:
Scanning…
Body temperature: ~ 98°F
Calculating forehead temperature… : 100.2°F
BPM: >100..^ = Avg 110 bpm
Stress levels: 65%
Diagnosis in process…
Possible symptoms of fever: Severe
Gavin scowls, the gun pointing at the android is wavering unnoticed from his fatigue. Nines steps forward, his hand gently pushing the gun aside and swiftly pulls it away before the detective forms a thought of fighting back.
“You need to rest Reed”
Gavin bitterly scoffs with a weak sarcastic chuckle, “Fck you think I’m tryin’ to do? Who’s fault is that?”
“Yours. You didn’t let anyone know that you were il—“
“And what? Do you care?”
“As your partner, I have to check in your absence”
“Fuckn’ hell…”, he exhales.
Minnie meows at Nines welcomingly; it’s not her first time seeing him after he has shown up to Gavin’s apartment one time, which lacked the Gavin but did remain with a gentle grey feline.
Gavin glances at Minnie and rolls his eyes, “Don’t listen to him, Minnie”
He pushes past Nines in the doorway, his shoulder shoving into the still-standing rock solid android and leans by the front door, expecting Nines to follow which he did eventually.
Forcefully, Gavin gestures to the door, clearly dismissing Nines, who just stands like a stubborn dog refusing its commands.
“Well go! Let me sleep”
“I’m staying here. Do you have any idea what time it is?”
“You are NOT staying h—“
Midway opening the door, Nines slams it shut, leaving Gavin with a ‘WTF are you doing’ look.
Impatiently throwing his hands up, Gavin exasperates, “FINE. Sit around! Make yourself at HOME!”
Nines merely stands back in silence that screamed amusement at his tiredness, and Gavin, who can’t care at the moment storms to his room muttering a,
“Fkn’ stupid can..”, he huffs and scoffs before the door flies shut.
Groaning, Gavin throws himself on his bed, tugging the duvet over him. ‘Fuckn’dumbass magneticmetal bitch..’
Outside the room on Gavin’s worn out couch, Nines can feel the mental curses seeping through the door like fire. He neatly sits with Minnie, comfortably curled up on his lap as he sends a report on Gavin’s status to the station. The purrs of affection warming his hand as he gently brushes his fingers along her soft grey back.
Slowly rising, a tide of flames engulfs his limbs and boils his blood. The air lights afire, thickening the waves of nausea throbbing his head, melting everything in sight and reach. Every breath quickens as the drowning tide draws his last breath—
Gasping, Gavin jolts lying on his left, dripping with sweat.
‘What the fuck?’ His arms shakily pushes himself up, weakly leaning up against the headboard; his head feels like it was being split in two. Trying to catch his breath, Gavin feels a cold firm press against his forehead. Wincing, he slightly opens his eyes to spot a flickering yellow led, glowing amongst the deep silence of the dark, like a northstar reaching out.
“N..Nines?”, Gavin murmurs.
“I’m here. It’s okay”, Nines soothes, allowing Gavin to hesitantly relax, letting his eyes close.
A small rattle is heard.
“These are painkillers”, Nines reassures whilst popping two pills on his palm.
Shifting uncomfortably, Gavin shakily holds out his hand before Nines’ dismisses it. A cold yet soft light touch gently rests beneath Gavin’s chin, tilting his head back slightly as the small stale pills roll onto his tongue. A glass rests against his lips, chilling water rinses the heat that prickled in his throat. As much as Gavin opposed the idea of Nines treating him like some patient, a finger brushes a stray drop of water from his lip— delaying his instinct of pushing it away as warmth spreads across his face. Hastily, Gavin’s hand flicks Nines’ finger off with a weak scowl, his heart stuttering at the loss of touch.
“Augh, get out my face.. damn LED’s blindin’ me too” He tilts his head away with a huff, ignoring what he might’ve felt a second ago.
“It isn’t that bright” Nines sighs, holding back a “like you” before he does pull away and Gavin audibly lets out a breath.
“Why are you still here?” Gavin leans his head against the cooling headboard.
Nines pauses. “Detective, do you know what time it is?”
The headache stops Gavin from rolling his eyes and he lets out a scoff instead, causing pain in his throat.
“Uh, does it look like it??”
Nines exhales, somehow even when Gavin is almost crossing the line towards a flu, he still acts like a stubborn idiot with his usual childish attitude.
“It’s currently 05:12am” Nines states, which catches Gavin’s attention, who is slightly stunned.
“5 in the morning?? What..” Gavin questions himself.
As if he needed more proof, Nines adds, “You’ve been asleep for around 10 hours, Detective”
Gavin sighs. He sits in silence, thinking about what he should do, which is made difficult from the still-aching pain in his head.
“I’ve already sent a message to the station about your status. He suggested that you stay off until you’re fully recovered to return.” Nines attentive as always, eyes Gavin in the dark, who still remains the same.
‘Suggested’ wasn’t a choice, Gavin will have to stick around with this tin can until the fever goes down. He forces himself to drink the glass of water, setting it down on the bedside table, empty.
“ ‘m fine, just leave me here. You’re probably needed-“
“It isn’t necessary. In fact, he advised me of my presence here”, Nines added with his usual stoic yet smug undertone, confirming that the android is indeed not going anywhere anytime soon, Gavin lets out a low groan before he throws his head back, meeting a pillow and pain.
“I’ll feed Minnie. You should restrain sudden movements, Detective”, Nines stands back from the bed, lingering just for a second in case Gavin has anything else to say before he heads out the room.
As Gavin rests, a warm, savoury scent leaks through the gap of his lips, almost waking him up in an instant. It was a sort of warmth that didn’t feel as harsh as his fever did.
Stretching slightly, he hesitantly stands up from the bed, wincing at the fresh air finding his exposed skin. Assuming Nines isn’t done cooking, he heads to the bathroom door outside his room.
Inside the bathroom with a piercing light bulb, his eyes squint at the mirror, taking in his feverish state: glassy slightly red eyes, bed-tussled hair and a yawn. He runs the shower. A blanket of steam wraps around him as he strips off his vest and pants before immediately stepping into the hot shower, washing off the sweat from last night.
08:20am
Leisurely ticking off and following the objectives in his sight, Nines slowly stirs the pot on the stove with Minnie peacefully purring at his feet as her tail curls around his calf. He had heard the bathroom door shut and the shower now running, silently thanking that Gavin is still able to do something for himself. Placing a packet of thin noodles into the pot, he closes the lid as the contents bubble within. Rain drops patter along the rhythm of the shower and the steam from the stove escapes from an open window that Nines now shuts close, not wanting Gavin’s fever to get worse.
From the last hours he’s spent in Gavin’s living room, he wanted to note some things that gave an insight into his partner, though the space was slightly cleaner than he thought. There were some food boxes lying around yet nothing personal or anything at all. The closest things were the colour of the walls and decisions of the decor; consisting of dark blues and brown furniture with a couple plants scattered around. But what Nines didn’t expect was to find a childhood photo of Gavin hidden in his wallet — which he might have found in the drawer of the coffee table.
Small hands holding a bronze medal, a cheerful grin revealing a tiny tooth gap and a thrilled green gaze met Nines’. It was… extremely endearing, he might have scanned and stared at it for quite a while, it was so strange to see him so youthful. It felt… surreal, which it probably shouldn’t and Nines thinking about it now, notices.
When has Gavin ever smiled? Other than an insolent sarcastic sour smirk after insulting Nines the nth time.
This photo is affecting Nines more than it should. The lack of camaraderie, the many moments of conflict and silent battles between them: behind all that was… this innocent little child.
What would Gavin look like.. happy?
Nines’ recognition towards the detective makes him think that perhaps he accepted Gavin’s personal grudge towards androids too soon; was that an excuse to avoid any bond as partners? Nines’ thoughts spiral as he stands in the kitchen, busying his hands as he makes tea for the latter.
Comforting, the soft fur of the towel sticks to Gavin’s clean warm waist as he grabs a couple of loose clothing from the drawers. Pulling on a dark green v-neck and grey sweatpants, Gavin opens his door, meeting a stronger fragrance of what smells like soup. Light footsteps pad across the floor, muted by the fluffy cat socks Gavin was gifted at some point and he sinks into the couch, the deflated cushions engulfing his relaxed limbs. Gingerly, Minnie perches onto his chest, greeting him with a morning chirp as he groggily replies with tired thoughts on his sick state which the cat purrs and happily listens to.
Nines had already switched off the stove, patiently waiting by the counter as he watched Gavin flop onto the couch.
“Good morning, Detective” Nines stands behind the couch, revealing Gavin splayed across in with Minnie resting on top.
No response; just Gavin sighing under his breath as he avoids Nines’ gaze, not wanting to look up at the android.
“Mornin..” Gavin grumbles with no meaning, his throat still rough from this morning.
Coffee tufts shadow the dull green eyes that hide in the blinds of the constant rain clawing at the city, before Gavin hesitantly turns his head towards Nines. Like a leaf landing on a puddle, their eyes meet– Gavin’s gaze catching his isn’t the only thing it caught. Hoping it doesn’t, a flow of Thirium warningly directs to his face which he attempts to avoid through programming, but it's too late. The android had been so focused on the prevention of Thirium flow that the thought had only made it occur quicker. As wary as he thought he was, Nines had mistakenly fallen face first into a spellbound awe.
“You got somethin’ to say? Or do you like what you see?”, a smirk tugs at Gavin’s lips and amusement sparks in those tired olive eyes.
“Both?” Gavin adds before Nines can reply after finally breaking out of a daze.
“I made breakfast. You need food in your system to fight the fever” Nines lightly rolls his eyes at Gavin’s remarks.
“Yea yea I know how fevers work, tin can” He groans as he gets up from the couch.
At the stove, Nines slowly adds a serving to a bowl, before placing it on the high kitchen island. Grabbing a spoon, Gavin hops onto a seat, glancing down at the soup; thin noodles settled beneath cut boiled vegetables, white, green, whatever— Gavin takes a scoop and a warm smooth velvet blend of herbs soothes the prick in his throat like an open fire in the midst of a blizzard.
“Damn.. this is pretty good” Gavin sighs, too immersed to let the compliment slip.
“There’s tea for you as well, coffee won’t do good for your throat”, Nines says.
Resting the spoon in the bowl, Gavin glances at the steaming tea on his right before giving Nines a look.
“Why are you doing this?” Gavin asks with sincere confusion and opposition.
“My job requires a partner and I can’t do that if he’s ill”, Nines gestures to the tea,
“Now drink, it’s gonna get cold”.
“Hey, I didn’t ask for it.” Gavin retorts, continuing to drink the soup contentedly.
“Exactly. And.. what do you say?”, a small smile teasingly tugging at his lips.
Gavin scoffs and rolls his eyes, almost smiling which subconsciously made Nines even more attentive.
“Fck off”, Gavin shakes his head with a slight grin that can’t escape Nines’ sight; watching the corner of his lip curve so slightly, revealing the point of a canine which sends a spark down his neck— before Gavin finishes the bowl before bringing the tea to the coffee table.
His grey stare chases Gavin who walks away; a loss of satisfaction sinks in his chest as the quiet moment ends too soon before something flicks into sight.
Updated Objectives:
- Aid Detective Reed’s fever [ ]
- Make Detective Reed smile [ ]