The next time GV200 called in with a patient in transit. Nines couldn't help being excited, it had been a good few days since he was last here and now Nines had the chance to see if he liked the name, Gavin. Though he knew better than to let the excitement affect his judgment, there was a life potentially hanging in the balance.

"Nines!" GV200 called from somewhere behind him. He was here faster than normal. Nines turned around to see the android with a child cradled in his arms.

A bleeding and broken child. Nines' instincts kicked in as he quickly beckoned the android to follow him. Nines quickly got a team together as they got the child into a room. Her vitals were weak and she still needed to be stabilized. Nines briefly wondered why GV200 hadn't done that yet. Though it took his team just a few minutes. She needed blood. One of his nurses tested it and was quickly able to identify her blood type and placed an order. God, Nines loved androids.

The work on her was scary and grueling as children injured in this way normally were. Several broken bones and a severe head injury were the worst injuries she sustained. After about an hour Nines was leaving the room. She was stable and in a medically induced coma to slow the swelling in her brain. She was still in danger, but he and his team had done all they could for the moment. Nines went looking for his android, he needed to know what had happened.

Nines thought what he had seen in that room was the most shocking thing he'd see that day. Until he found GV200 at the back of the hospital, covered in blood. Sitting, head tucked between his legs, LED flashing between yellow and red. Nines didn't say anything as he crouched next to the android.

"Nines?" His voice seemed rougher than normal.

"Yeah?" Nines asked, his tone uncertain. He'd never seen the android like this before.

"Is she going to be okay?" GV200's voice was raw with what sounded like anguish. His scowl pulled down further than normal.

"I'm not sure yet, but she's still fighting. We'll know more about her condition over the course of the next 24 hours," Nines prattled off in his nurse voice. Flat, but comforting.

"Okay," the android looked Nines directly in his eyes, and they looked red. Had he been crying? Then he looked away before he spoke again, "She was trying to kill herself. I got a report of a potential jumper and they wanted me to respond first since I was the closest. I didn't get there fast enough to talk her down. I watched her jump. I wasn't fast enough to break her fall," He had to pause to take a deep breath, Nines could hear his insides whirling, "I ran up to her fearing the worst but she was still breathing and I knew I had to save her and I called you and brought her straight to you, because if anyone could save her it would by you. And I was right because she is still alive. Thank you for that."

Nines had to hold back emotions, suicide was something that hit pretty close to home. It was one thing this job could never dull the roughness. Something that every time he saw, he had to hold back tears.

"You're welcome. Let's get you cleaned up. What time do you have to be back at the precinct?" Nines asked as he stood them both up. He needed to take care of his android.

"Not for a while, I just need to finish my reports and respond as called for," GV200 rattled off, his red LED settling to a steady yellow.

"Okay, give me a minute," Nines pulled out his cell phone and dialed the receptionist, "Hey Julie, It's Richard. Do you think I could leave for a few hours? I have something important I need to deal with."

"Oh, okay. Wow," Julie really sounded at a loss, "Yeah, I don't see why not, you're always the one working the extra shifts anyway. I'll just change you to on call, okay?"

"That's fine. Be back later tonight." He hung up on her and turned his attention back to the shaking police android. "Hey, let's head out to my car. I don't live far away. We can get you cleaned up there." GV200 nodded and followed as Nines started to lead him away from the hospital and to his car.

The ride was short, and they were both sat in a comfortable silence. When they finally pulled into Nines' apartment complex, he guided his android discreetly to his flat.

Once they were inside Nines let out a breath that he hadn't known he was holding. He briefly leaned against the door and thought about what in the ever-living fuck he was doing. He sighed once more and pushed himself from the door frame, resolve coursing through his veins.

"Okay, I need you to take your clothes off and for you to take a shower, so I can get the blood out of these. I'll give you some of my clothes until they're clean, okay?" Nines said to the android who was currently bouncing nervously from foot to foot but promptly stopped at Nines' words.

The GV200's eyes widened and he glanced down towards himself and seemed to realize for the first time the amount of blood that was coving him.

"Sounds good, Nines." He responded quietly. Then he started to take his shirt off right there in the living room.

Nines went slack-jawed as he was unsure of how to respond to that. Nines noticed woefully that underneath the android's Cyberlife issued police jacket was a white undershirt. Nines felt heat rise to his cheeks because even though he couldn't see the android's chest did not mean he could see his burly arms and other previously hidden patches of synthetic skin.

The GV200 stood there scowling, with blood lightly splattered on his face and a white tank top, looked like a back-alley street fighter. His small stocky stature would make even a man of Nines' size tremble. Though most men would be trembling for a completely different reason than why Nines was trembling at that very moment.

"Are you okay? Your heart rate and breathing have accelerated considerably? You even seem to be shaking ever so slightly?" Gavin asked, pausing in his strip show.

Fuck. Nines thought quickly as he shook himself out of his wandering thoughts.

"Uh, I just…" Nines had tried to clear his throat, the roughness was surprising to even his own ears, "Can you… Uh, I need you to finish undressing in the bathroom, please?"

GV200 raised his eyebrow knowingly as Nines pulled his face into a helpless smile and pointed towards the bathroom. God, when the hell had things taking this route?

"Sure, I can do that," The android shot him backwards smile as he headed the direction Nines was pointing.

Nines followed, making sure he made it and he took a right to his bedroom and began a search for some of his smaller clothing. His search turned up successful after a few minutes of him digging in the very back of his closet. Nines frowned at the long-sleeved turtleneck he found. It was too small for him to fit in now. Hell, he probably hadn't been able to fit in this shirt for at least a good few years. Though it was still going to dwarf the smaller man. Well, this was going to the best he could find. On his way out of his closet, he grabbed a pair of adjustable sweatpants.

When Nines was standing outside the bathroom he made sure to wait a few minutes listening to the water running before he got the nerve to open the door.

"Hey, I'm coming in to grab the rest of your clothes, and I'm going to leave some clean ones on the counter," Nines hollered, as he screwed his eyes shut for a brief moment.

"Yeah, you're good," the android's voice was softened by the spray of the shower.

Nines finally opened his eyes and quickly gathered up the clothes, even though he knew the android was behind a closed curtain he kept his eyes towards the floor. Oh, boy. Nines kept forgetting how much he liked how his android looked. He managed to get in and out without incident.

Nines was clutching the bloody clothes in his hands, willing his heart to calm down. Holy shit, having the android with him outside the hospital made him really, truly aware of how much he really fucking liked him.

Nines sighed, he had known he had a small crush on the attractive android for a hot minute.

But now that he was seeing such an emotional side from the cute android it was almost too much for his heart to handle. All Nines wanted to do now was protect him and keep the android from ever feeling bad again.

What a wild concept, an android capable of feeling things. If you told Nines that was possible just a couple of months ago, he would have laughed at the absurdity of the statement. But here he was, pining after an android he was pretty sure he almost caught crying.

With one more shake of his head, Nines willed his legs to take him the laundry room. Cleaning blood from clothes was just a skill you got when you worked in the medical industry. So, getting these uniforms clean wasn't a problem. Just took a little elbow grease and a couple of chemicals.

When the Cyberlife uniforms were in the wash and most of the blood was removed, Nines decided to hang out in the living room. Unsure of what else to do with himself he just sat on the couch, his hands clasped together staring at them like they could give him all the answers he needed.

It was only a few minutes later when GV200 finally exited the bathroom. Nines was not prepared for what was awaiting him. GV200's hair was messier than usual, and him wearing Nines' too big clothes made his knees weak. Nines couldn't help but stare at the gorgeous man standing on the threshold.

"It feels weird to be out of my Cyberlife uniform," GV200 waved his arms around for emphasis. It was ridiculous watching him because the sleeves went past his hands, "But I find I like it."

Nines was going to die, this was not something his poor heart was equipped to handle. He cleared his throat before he even dared to speak, "Well, you look nice," Nines gestured for him to join him on the couch, "Your clothes are in the wash, should be around an hour and a half before they're done."

"That's good," GV00 smile was so genuine Nines forgot how to breathe, "You know you didn't have to do all this for me. I could have easily have gone back to DPD and been taken care of there." But he sat down anyway, flopping full force.

"Yeah, I'm aware, but I wanted to do this for you."

GV200 stared at him in disbelief, "I don't get you Nines. You almost treat me like I'm a human though it is quite obvious I am not. Why's that?" The android did not look upset, just curious and Nines couldn't find it in his heart to lie.

"Because I like you and honestly you act more human than most of the people I deal with," Nines replied nonchalantly.

"Oh." He seemed at a loss for words, deciding to look away from Nines and to stare at the wall covered in Nines' photo collection.

Nines took the opportunity to ask the question that had been burning in him for the last few days, "Do you have a name?"

The other turned back towards Nines' and raised his eyebrow, clearly surprised by the question, "No, I don't have one registered."

"Well, I think you deserve one," Nines stated, and he could have sworn he seen a blue tint grace the other's cheeks.

"You don't say? Have anything in mind?" The android's voice could easily be interpreted as shy.

"How do you feel about the name, 'Gavin'?" Nines knew for sure that his android's face was blue. What a lovely blush. Who knew that androids could blush like that and Nines decided he absolutely fucking adored it.

"I… I love it," He paused, "Gavin. Gavin name registered." Gavin ran his hand along his face in an attempt to hide his ever-growing blush.

Nines knew from here on out he was going to do everything in his power to keep that color on his face.

"I'm glad," Nines smiled at Gavin and wondered what in his life had led him to this. Crushing on an android of all things. He knew in his heart how this would play out, like a tragedy. There was no way this was going to end well. It was impossible, but fuck did he want to indulge it while it was here.

Nines' chest tightened a bit, that seemed to be a running theme in his life. Him trying to hold onto things longer than he was meant to. Hell, he did that so much it's what led him to want to work in an emergency room. He touched his neck, feeling a phantom pain lingering there. He was still here and that meant enough to him.

Nines decided to see what fuck could happen if he put himself out there. He wanted to see how long this could last. So, he swung his body around, laid his head on Gavin's lap, and closed his eyes. Gavin was warm, a little cooler than a human body, but oh was it perfect.

Nines noted that Gavin had a heartbeat, sort of. His thirium pump made soft pulsing noises and Nines just decided he was going to listen to that and the soft whirring sounds and the other noises that Gavin's biocomponents were making. They stayed like that for several minutes. Nines decided that he hadn't felt this content in a while.

"Nines?" Gavin finally asked breaking the comfortable silence. Nines opened his eyes and seen that Gavin had his signature scowl on, but the effect was ruined by a dark blue blush. Nines braced himself for whatever what was going to come out of the android's mouth.

"Hm?" Nines smiled softly up at the android and Gavin noticed. Gavin looked really mixed and he tried to return the smile. Gavin sighed sounding... annoyed?

"Areyoutryingtocourtme?" Gavin said all in one breath.

Nines was not expecting that. But why should he lie? That just wasn't his style. He sat up and leaned in close locking his blue eyes with Gavin's brown ones. Gavin's eyes were wide and his mouth parted slightly. Nines had to activity stop himself from closing that distance and seeing just how much of Gavin could be tinted that lovely blue.

"I guess I am," Nines whispered, his voice soft like silk. He smiled softly and waited for a reaction.

He got one, and Nines was more than pleased to note that Gavin's blush was spreading to his neck and ears.

"Why?" Gavin said in a small, breathy voice.

Nines felt so much pull towards the android, he could have sworn they were opposite ends of magnets. He shrugged and leaned even closer to Gavin, their faces only inches apart now, causing Gavin's LED to briefly flash yellow.

"I honestly don't know, but damn do I have feelings for you," Nines whispered, "How about you? What do you feel?"

"I, uh, I feel, I…" Gavin sputtered and swallowed before he continued, Gavin's LED was now flashing between red and yellow, "I'm not supposed to be able to feel anything! I'm not supposed to want anything!" He looked panicked, his eyes darting randomly across Nines' face.

Nines' smile fell from his face, he was expecting something like that. It still hurt nonetheless. Though he wasn't even sure what those words had truly meant. Not supposed to feel anything? That meant he was feeling something, but what?

"That's not what I asked," Nines needed to try to dig deeper, he knew there was more to Gavin than his programming, there had to be, "How does Gavin feel in this moment?"

"I... I feel phcking something and it's been giving me a lot of errors messages," Gavin scratched the back of his neck, such a human motion. "My software is phcked up because of you, but I think I like it."

Neither of them said anything for a few moments and the moment was shattered by the sound of the washer beeping loudly. Nines smiled apologetically as he pulled himself up from the couch. Gavin looked lost for a moment as his eyes watched Nines' walk away.

Nines quickly switched over the laundry, satisfied with the fact that a vast majority of the blood had come out. When the dryer was running, he headed back to the living room.

Ah, she had finally decided to show her face. Lilith, his little black cat, was sniffing the hand of a curious Gavin. Nines couldn't help but smile as she accepted the android and he began to pet her. Nines heart skipped a beat at pure happiness that overtook Gavin when Lilith decided he was worthy and jumped up onto the couch and cuddled with him.

"Well, good on you to come out of hiding," Nines mocked softly as he joined the pair on the couch.

"Who is this?" Gavin asked as he continued to pet the purring flirt.

"This is Lilith, she keeps me company," Nines answered.

"She's sweet, I like her," Gavin's smile became impossibly softer.

Nines smiled, leaning against Gavin and joined him in petting his cat. Her purring turned up immediately not used to having this much attention.

This was Nines' version of heaven, a nice man to cuddle with that his cat approved of. He really wanted to see what made Gavin tick. What made him so different? What made it to where he could blush that pretty shade blue? But this wasn't the time and it may never be.

"Nines?" Gavin broke the silence, again, after a while.

"Yes, Gavin?"

"Can I keep this shirt?" Gavin asked, his tone shy, while he was fidgeting with the hem.

Nines couldn't bring himself to say no, not to mention he couldn't wear that shirt if you paid him to.

"Of course, I don't see why not."

"Thank you," Gavin tried to hide his smile as he went back to petting Lilith.

They stayed like that, leaning on each other petting a purring feline until the dryer screamed signaling it had completed its cycle. Nines stood up and beckoned for Gavin to follow.

Gavin stood up slowly allowing Lilith a moment to complain before she jumped off the couch padded towards where her food was. Nines smiled at the display and when Gavin was at his side he walked towards the back of the flat.

Nines pulled out the clean clothes and handed them to the smaller man. Who smiled as he turned to walk towards the bathroom to change. When he came back, he smiled as he handed Nines his white undershirt.

"You can keep this. but only in exchange for your shirt, which you've given me already, so you can just have it I guess," Gavin rambled. Nines noted he could see that Gavin was wearing his shirt under his Cyberlife uniform, if only barely. He could see the black fabric peeking over the color of his shirt and at the ends of his sleeves. Nines came to the conclusion that he was going to die at the hands of this gorgeous, sweet android.

Nines' smile was impossibly wide as he nodded and accepted the shirt that Gavin had offered him. He clutched the surprisingly soft fabric in his hands. Looking at the shirt, he knew he had no chance of ever fitting the shirt over his wide chest so, he knew this shirt had a future as a pillowcase.

"Thank you," Nines whispered, his voice thick with an emotion he couldn't quite place.

"You know you really didn't have to do any of this for me," Gavin said, his tone hushed.

"Yeah, I know. But I did anyway, and I'm really happy I have," Nines had to pause to keep his voice from shaking before he could continue, "I'm going to protect you, Gavin, because I really want to."

Gavin's beautiful blue blush returned, and his eyes glossed over with something Nines couldn't name.

"Okay, I'll protect you too," Gavin spoke finally, his voice filled with determination. Then looked over Nines' shoulder, "And Lilith, I like her, too."

Nines knew what that meant, and it made his heart soar. Here he was falling head over heels for an android, who was starting to return his feelings. Fuck, this had to be illegal somehow. But Nines couldn't bring himself to care if he ended up in jail Connor and Conrad would get him out. The price being a handful of choice words, but they would get him out nonetheless.

Gavin's LED flickered yellowed, the blank look overtook Gavin as he blinked rapidly for a moment.

"There is a crime scene I must respond to and it is probably about time for you to go back to the ER," Gavin said, sounding more like an android than he had in a long time.

The change knocked Nines for a loop. His Gavin was replaced almost in an instant by the GV200 Police android. Though, he didn't have a chance to dwell on that too much it was time for action. There was a possibility of lives being on the line.

"Okay, I'll take you to the scene and we can go back to the hospital together," Nines was already gathering his stuff to go, he was happy he hadn't even bothered to change out of his scrubs, "You have a vehicle at the hospital, correct?"

"Yes, it's a semi-autonomous DPD vehicle, but it could be considered mine." Gavin replied, and with that they were on the road. Gavin had insisted on driving and Nines was calmly riding in the passenger seat. Gavin was an extremely efficient and effective driver. Something he could appreciate, considering the amount of times he's ridden with an overzealous Connor or Conrad for that matter. Though, Nines couldn't say too much, considering it was them who taught him how to drive in the first place.

They were at the scene in around seven minutes and it was messy, but that didn't bother Nines a bit. He's seen far, far worse. Gavin told Nines to head to the hospital because there was an ambulance on the scene that Gavin was going to take back with the patient. Nines compiled but didn't get a chance to see Gavin for a few days after that. Things like that happen, nature of the work and all that.