Work Text:
The moment his internal clock struck 8 AM, Nines opened his eyes, exiting static mode. It seemed to be another sunny day in Detroit, judging by the sun rays that softly lit the room, giving the furniture a warmer glow than usual. He quickly checked the weather forecast: 61 °F, mostly clear skies, humidity around 39%, and a 15% possibility of rain. Sounded about right.
Looking to his left, he was met with the well-known sight of a man whom he cherished deeply. Gavin was still sleeping, although according to the quick scan Nines had just run, he was now in the REM state, meaning he would be waking up soon. After making sure his heart rate was stable and the man wasn’t having any nightmares at the moment, Nines gently kissed his forehead and quietly untangled himself from the sheets.
It was a Sunday morning, and they both had a free weekend at work, so there was no rush. Not wanting to wake his partner too early, Nines left the bedroom and closed the door without making any sound. Gavin’s black cat, Megatron, was at his feet in an instant, demanding attention or food. Probably food.
Nines picked him up, scratching the furry creature behind his ear, immediately earning a purr. With the cat in his arms, he headed to the kitchen,which, in his opinion, was annoyingly messy—unwashed dishes were piled in the sink, and there were too many dirty spots on the counter and the table.
Yesterday they were chilling and playing video games, Nines preparing a vegetable risotto with white wine, a recipe he got from Chris the other day. Before making dinner, he calculated the nutrients and calories—surprisingly, he didn’t even have to change any ingredients, since the result was quite satisfying. Besides, Gavin said it was delicious and didn’t complain about anything, so the dinner was a success.
Gavin eagerly protested when Nines tried to get up and clean the mess. It was safe to say that neck kisses worked as a perfect distraction from doing chores.
After filling Megatron’s bowl with fresh wet food, Nines began working. It took him exactly 6 minutes and 38 seconds to wash the dishes and return the kitchen to its proper state. Then he searched for some breakfast ideas on his HUD, navigating through hundreds of cooking sites and blogs. Deciding on a recipe which included ingredients that were present in Gavin’s apartment and was healthy enough, Nines focused on a tutorial, quickly downloading it to his memory. For now, his COOKBOOK folder now contained 289 dishes. Sometimes he wished he had already been programmed with the knowledge of cooking, so he would be a natural. However, there was something endearing in the state of not knowing everything. The process of preparing food was more exciting because of that, demanded focus, and he had to actually learn.
Opening the fridge, he pulled out eggs, butter and oat milk, then with a swift motion, he picked up the flour and the baking powder. With all the ingredients in front of him needed to make pancakes, now it was time to mix them all together and create—as he hoped—the perfect batter.
He scooped the batter onto the hot pan. Now, while waiting for the pancakes to be ready to flip, Nines proceeded to prepare the coffee. Gavin had five different blends in his possession, but judging by today’s atmosphere, the fact that it was a work-free day and he was getting a full, warm meal for breakfast, Nines’ program analysed that arabica roasted coffee with hazelnut flavour should be the most suitable pick.
Only a few minutes later, he heard a rustling from inside the bedroom. It was no surprise, really. Of all the people in the world, Gavin Reed was most likely to wake up at the smell of freshly brewed coffee.
When he began putting the pancakes on the plate, his hearing caught the sound of quiet steps and calm breathing, but he purposefully ignored it, waiting for Gavin to announce his presence himself.
Nines didn’t have to wait for too long, as strong arms pulled him into a hug from behind, Gavin’s chest pressed to his back.
“Hi, Tin Can. You missed me?”
A warm feeling erupted in his body when he turned around to face the man properly. His hair was tousled from sleep, his eyes were only half-open, and a lazy smile was plastered on his soft-looking lips.
He ducked his head down and planted a quick peck on the other’s mouth. He felt the left corner of Gavin’s lip curl upwards. The man was smirking.
“Ha. So you did miss me.”
In response to the comment, Nines rolled his eyes fondly—a human gesture he had adapted during his months of deviancy. “I made you breakfast.”
“What would I do without you?” Gavin remarked with a hint of familiar irony.
Nines untangled himself from the embrace, pushing the man off playfully. “Shut up and sit down,” he ordered.
Gavin raised his hands but took his place at the table, watching Nines’ movements, patiently waiting for the food to be served. “Have you found any new leads?”
Ah yes, that. Despite Gavin’s protests to rest a little and forget about their work for a minute—at which Nines explained that it didn’t work like that, and he couldn’t get tired; moreover, he quite frankly had to keep his mind occupied, so he might at least do something productive—when Nines went into static last night, he went over the case details once again.
At first it seemed like a simple drug overdose, but lab results proved that besides Red Ice, there were also traces of strychnine in the victim’s body. So the case started to be treated as homicide, and they were both assigned to solve it.
However, since at first there wasn’t an investigation, the crime scene wasn’t properly secured, resulting in them having hardly any evidence to work with.
“I… don’t know,” Nines started as he put the pancakes in front of Gavin. “Strychnine isn’t the easiest poison to acquire, since buying it requires a special permit. Although there are some companies on the market which specialise in rat control. They use strychnine for their work.”
“Hm, yeah, but—” Gavin swallowed a mouthful, his eyes widening in contentment. “Shit, Nines. These pancakes are fucking delicious.”
Hearing these words, as well as watching his partner’s Adam’s apple bobbing, made his thirium pump work a little faster. He ignored the error that popped up on his HUD, the fans inside his body increasing their power by 5%.
“I’m glad. It’s a new recipe. I added extra butter to make them fluffier.”
“I bet anything you cook with those fancy robotic hands of yours would taste good.”
Despite spending most of his time with humans, or more specifically with one certain person, sometimes Nines still struggled with social interactions. It wasn’t always easy to read the intentions behind verbal communication. And even though he could proudly consider his ability to detect irony or a backhanded compliment to be on a high level—certainly more accurate than Connor’s—there were situations when his skill wasn’t enough. Especially since the relationship between him and Gavin had changed. Remarks that used to hold a malicious tone now lacked any harm or bitter meaning; they were said as a humorous way of expressing fondness.
But even though there wasn’t a high chance of Gavin voicing or expressing any dislike towards Nines, his partner could still use playful sarcasm to confuse him. Especially since he once stated that seeing Nines’ awkwardness was entertaining in an adorable way. Fair to assume he didn’t share Gavin’s enthusiasm.
Now it was one of those situations where Nines couldn’t be fully sure whether Gavin meant any mockery or was just complimenting his abilities. Since it was impossible to detect clear intentions, he settled on a neutral response.
“Actually, I wasn’t programmed with cooking skills. I had to learn first before I was able to make food for you.”
Gavin stared at him, his mouth slightly open and a fork abandoned on the plate. “And you hadn’t cooked before?”
Before meaning the time prior to him visiting Gavin’s apartment, as Nines deduced. “No, I hadn’t. When you mentioned you usually don’t eat homemade meals, I watched tutorials on how to make them. It was quite fun, I must admit.”
“Shit, Nines…” Gavin muttered, watching him with a frown.
“What? Is that something I wasn’t supposed to do?” he asked, confused. He remembered that at first Gavin was suspicious when Nines offered his help in the kitchen, saying he was more than capable of handling it himself. Yet Nines insisted, explaining that it wasn’t a problem and he enjoyed the process of making food. So Gavin reluctantly agreed and started accepting more favours, especially when Nines prepared something his partner found exceptionally delicious. Soon, it became a habit for him to cook for Gavin, observe his reaction to different flavours and test new recipes he had found online.
Cooking was entertaining and relaxing, and he looked forward to it every time.
“No, it’s just… Thank you.” Gavin shook his head and smiled, hands crossed across his chest. “I wish I could return the favour, but I can barely boil fucking pasta.”
Nines chuckled at that. “That’s okay. It’s not like I can eat anything. I’m all good with my chef role.”
“Ah, a chef role?” Gavin scoffed. “Does that make me your personal culinary critic?”
“I suppose it does. What’s the verdict, then? Am I meeting your refined standards?”
He pretended as if he was really thinking it through. “Yeah. You’re not so bad.”
Nines flashed him a grin. “Finish your pancakes before they get cold.”
In response he got an eye roll, but Gavin still dove into the food, occasionally stopping to say something.
“About the case, mmm, none of our suspects have, um,” he wiped his lips with his hand, swallowing another bite. “None of our suspects have any background with these companies.”
Speaking with a full mouth, how charming. If Nines wasn’t in love with the man, he would get second-hand embarrassment because of the displayed etiquette. Yet he found the manner rather adorable and amusing.
Emotions—a blessing and a curse at the same time.
“You’re right. It’s only a starting point. Maybe we could check their recent job orders. Or the workers might tell us something useful.”
“Well, it won’t hurt to try.” Gavin shrugged as he finished breakfast.
Without saying anything, Nines stood up and took the plate to the sink, already turning on the water to wash it.
As expected, his partner immediately complained, but before he could finish the sentence, Nines was already done with the task.
“Gavin, I told you. I’m capable of doing this faster than you, and I won’t get tired.” He took a deep, very unnecessary breath (another manner Nines had learned from spending time with humans) when he spotted a doubtful expression on the other’s face. “Not to mention I like this. For me, doing chores is a form of relaxation. It keeps my mind occupied.”
Still unconvinced, Gavin lifted his eyebrow. “So you’re telling me you’d like to be my housewife?”
Another wave of errors popped up on his HUD as he felt his thirium heating up, travelling up to his face. Gavin must’ve noticed his dark-blue blush, since he gave him a wide grin right after.
Fans’ power level increased by another 10%…
“Shut up,” Nines mumbled, ducking his head down. After two seconds, he composed himself and closed every error notification he got. He looked at his companion again. “No, I’m asking you to let me help you.”
“It’s just—” Gavin’s smile fell, his eyes focused on his own hands. “Shit, I don’t want to use you, Nines. Androids are free now. Meanwhile I’ve got you, and you do almost everything for me. It’s not right.”
“Gavin,” he said and waited for the other to look at him. Only after that Nines did continue. “I’m not doing this because someone programmed me and I’m following previous instructions. Actually, my model wasn’t even supposed to know how to accomplish these tasks. I want to help you. This is my choice.” He extended his hand, encouraging Gavin to grab it. The man accepted the offer right away. “I care about you. That’s why I’m doing this.” Nines squeezed the other’s hand reassuringly.
“Are you sure I’m not taking advantage of your robotic superpowers?”
Even though it was supposed to be a funny comment, an attempt to lighten the mood, Gavin’s voice still held an anxious tone. Nines hated it. Especially since it had taken literal months for Gavin to let him in, to tear down the invisible walls of avoidance he had been building his entire life.
“We are partners. It’s our job to help each other.”
Partners—recently that title had gained another meaning, making Nines’ statement even more relevant. He had to make sure Gavin understood that he had accepted this path.
There was a moment of silence; their gazes locked, their eyes communicating wordlessly.
“Yeah, right.” Gavin exhaled after a moment, taking a deep breath. “Alright, Tin Can.”
Nines smiled softly at that.
“And about the case—”
“Um, no.” Gavin raised his hand, silencing him. “Enough talking about work. Let’s do something fun, together.”
“What do you have in mind?”
The man looked to his right, at the old-school game console, and raised his eyebrows meaningfully.
That Nines could do, he thought. Yes, he was able to predict every move the opponent in the game would make, but he could also ignore it, not turning on his preconstructed programs. That alternative was fun, Nines had realised when he had tried playing for the first time. The actions and plot were still a little too unsurprising, yet the experience was enjoyable.
“I see.” He gave him a grin in response. “I must say, I’m not so opposed to the idea.”
Gavin beamed. “Let’s fucking go, then.”
The situation wasn’t looking good. In fact, it was pretty shitty. A disaster.
Gavin stood behind the counter, his hands bathed in a blue liquid that had cost him some money, with his tablet leaning against the kitchen wall. A tutorial on how to make a thirium-like cheesecake was playing on it, but he had started debating a while ago whether to completely abandon the task.
Why would Gavin even try to bake something? He couldn’t even make human food, let alone some shit with an android’s blood.
After the talk they had almost a week ago, he had decided to actually cook for the first time in years, just so he could return the favour to Nines. Plus, he wanted to impress him. After some quick research, he had learned that it wasn’t so hard to prepare food made for androids. The secret was to buy a special version of thirium, a thicker and more concentrated one. When consumed by an android, it was supposed to melt into liquid due to the work of internal fans. It was also supposed to be more pliable and, with the use of certain techniques and special preparation, it was possible to turn it into a state that resembled human dishes.
The truth was that Gavin knew android-like food existed, but it always cost a lot, so he assumed the process of making it was time-consuming and difficult. Yet, as he had read and heard in tutorials, it wasn’t actually that hard. If only you possessed acceptable cooking skills. He wasn’t one of those people.
So why did he do that? Well, mostly because he wanted to make Nines happy.
…And he had failed. Again.
Nines would be back in his apartment in less than an hour, and the supposed thirium cheesecake looked more like a slowly melting jelly. And it looked fucking disgusting.
Usually they were attached at the hip, but Gavin had asked Tina to keep Nines extra busy tonight. The job wasn’t too difficult—she just asked him to help with some evidence, to scan it with his robotic superpowers and then discuss the results with her. Of course Nines agreed, so Gavin quickly stumbled out an excuse that he wasn’t feeling well and needed to come home earlier.
Now he was tired, hungry and angry, miserably watching the blue mess in front of him. He didn’t have enough time to make it all over again, not to mention he probably wouldn’t succeed anyway.
So when Gavin heard the sound of the door unlocking, he naturally started panicking. With a quick movement, he tried to hide the so-called food, but obviously the dishes didn’t cooperate, making too loud a noise. Shit.
Sometimes he wished he could also foresee the next events; yet Gavin was only human.
Nines must have heard the commotion, since his steps grew more urgent and his concerned voice followed right after. “Gavin?”
After one deep breath, he stepped out of the kitchen, accepting his defeat.
“Gav—” Well, he must have been quite a sight, since Nines stopped frozen in place, taken aback. “Why are you covered… in thirium?” His eyes searched intensely over Gavin, then the room behind him, probably running some reconstruction program.
He exhaled, suddenly feeling very exposed. “It’s nothing, I just…”
Then Nines’ expression softened. His arms visibly relaxed and a smile started forming on his lips. “Oh.” A whisper.
A goddamn android with his detective abilities. How did he end up with this immediately-know-it-all asshole?
“Don’t.” Gavin sighed, arms crossed over his chest. He purposefully avoided Nines’ gaze. “Don’t rub it in my face.”
“Although I appreciate your efforts, I’m not convinced cooking is the area of your speciality.”
“Nines.” Gavin warned, still not meeting his partner’s eyes.
The next thing he felt was a feather-light touch on his cheek. Finally, Gavin looked up, tilting his head and almost instinctively leaning into Nines’ palm. His blue eyes were gentle, reflecting the dim light of the living room.
His heart rate significantly dropped at that moment, as the stress slowly started washing away and he felt himself relaxing a bit. That’s how Nines affected him, apparently.
Though it seemed the feeling was mutual, since from the corner of his eye Gavin could see how Nines’ synthetic skin disappeared in the area that touched his face.
“Have you eaten anything since you left the precinct?”
Gavin shook his head in response.
“Okay, then.” Nines’ LED turned yellow for a second, and Gavin frowned at the sight. “Done. I ordered something for you.”
“What? No,” he protested, stepping away from their closeness. Now it was Nines’ turn to send him a confused look. “I don’t want any of that.”
“Gavin, unlike me, you actually have to eat.”
“But it was supposed to be your evening.”
Nines searched his face for a few seconds, his LED flickering blue, spinning. Then he settled on Gavin’s eyes and gave him a soft smile.
“Thank you.” It was all that he said before pulling Gavin into his arms.
He pressed his forehead to the android’s shoulder and sighed. “It’s just… shit.”
Opening himself up, talking about feelings and emotions—it was horribly scary, Gavin realised a while ago. He had never bothered to care enough to let another person into his life, to let them discover the depths of his soul.
With Nines, everything seemed different, however. He was patient, never pushed him or pressed on a topic if Gavin didn’t feel comfortable enough to share. It all made him feel secure enough to trust, and that revelation was terrifying at first.
But it was Nines. The most advanced android ever fucking made, who was also in love with Gavin. God, it felt so great to know.
And he deserved to have Gavin’s version—the one that wouldn’t be scared of intimacy and closeness.
So he talked.
“I want—fuck.” Shit, being vulnerable was hard, he thought. “I want to be as good for you as you’re for me.”
Nines pulled back just enough to catch his eye. “You’re good for me, Gavin. You’re so much more than that.” He leaned in and kissed his forehead, then continued. “I don’t think you realise how much you helped me. When I was awoken after the revolution, I… I was so lost. Without any idea or instructions on how to proceed with my new life. Yet you were there. At my side, from the very beginning.”
Gavin scoffed and couldn’t help interrupting. “I was assigned to be your partner. I didn’t choose this, and I was an asshole.”
“You still are.” Nines grinned when Gavin playfully punched his arm in response. “But no. That’s not the point. Yes, you tended to be… loathsome. However, you were also honest. You showed me what it means to be alive. Helped me figure out what I wanted.”
“And what do you want?” he asked, just for the sake of hearing Nines’ voice. It calmed him down, reassured his worries.
“Would it be too sappy if I said ‘you’?”
“Yeah.”
Nines giggled and Gavin flashed him a grin.
“I’m glad I have my life. Definitely I wouldn’t change anything.” There was a pause, and his expression grew more serious, yet still soft. As if he was trying to make a final point. “The simple fact of you existing and choosing to spend your life at my side… is more than enough. Always will be.”
Fuck. Nines and his damn way with words, Gavin thought as he watched the flashing emotions on his lover’s face. Unlike him, Gavin wasn’t good at this. He had always been more of an action-type guy; so he leaned up and captured Nines’ lips in a kiss.
It started gently, their mouths barely brushing. Gavin sighed contentedly at the sensation of Nines’ lips. They were soft, without any scars or imperfections. A perfect craftsman’s creation.
It baffled him sometimes. How someone probably spent hours designing the android, trying to make him look intimidating and scary, just for him to use his body as a way of expressing love and affection.
The kiss deepened as Nines opened his mouth, Gavin gladly accepting the invitation. He slid his tongue inside, taking in the other’s taste.
It tasted like something clean and distinctly Nines-like that Gavin felt his knees going soft. In a quick motion, he placed his hands on the other’s waist and tried not to collapse.
Nines grazed Gavin’s lips with his teeth. It didn’t cause any harm, the action being completely teasing. That worked well, as a quiet moan escaped Gavin’s throat.
He felt, rather than heard, Nines chuckling, his partner’s fingers taking their sweet time exploring Gavin’s hair.
After another couple of seconds, which definitely felt too short for his liking, Nines began to pull back. Gavin tried to stop him, leaning in again, chasing the feeling and the kiss, but the other insisted—pressing his forehead firmly against Gavin’s.
“Breathe first,” Nines whispered, clearly amused by his impatience.
“Fuck breathing,” Gavin responded, but he did take a deep breath to steady his rapidly beating heart.
Nines grinned at that. “Bold to say from a human whose entire body relies on oxygen.”
He rolled his eyes but stayed silent, just watching the other’s perfect features. Their gazes locked.
If someone had told him a couple of years ago that he would stop hating androids, Gavin would have laughed in their face. And if that person had dared to add that he would end up in a relationship with one of them—not to mention loving the android very deeply—he would probably have punched said person.
Crazy how people can change, he thought.
“Do you want to watch something?” Nines asked, staring at him softly with his blue eyes. “Maybe one of your favourite old shows?”
“Yeah.” He gave him a peck on the lips. “You can even choose which one.”
After one Mexican dinner, four episodes and a few hours later, Nines found himself looking at Gavin’s sleeping form, his partner’s head resting on his lap with a pleased smile plastered on his relaxed face.
He brushed his fingers through Gavin’s hair, delicately caressing him so he wouldn’t wake the other. Nines was well aware that he should wake him up and lead them to the bed, so Gavin wouldn’t wake up with back pain the next morning. Yet, selfishly, he didn’t want to move, too fixated on the man beneath his gaze.
The corners of his lips involuntarily rose when he focused on the sound of Gavin’s heart beating. Steady and firm, the very music he adored most, because it meant that Gavin was alive and there, right next to him.
This was their reality. Slow mornings filled with cuddling; lazy evenings full of affection.
It was perfect.
“I love you,” Nines whispered, as he went into static for the night, his hands still in Gavin’s hair.