Nines hummed softly as the bacon sizzled in the freshly cleaned pan, only pausing as he heard a thud from the bedroom. He blinked, LED spinning yellow as he assessed the unexpected noise. His head turned to the door as stumbling feet approach and an odd swelling sensation filled his chest as Gavin appeared in the doorway. He's still wearing the clothes from the day before, but his usually well-groomed hair was tousled, soft locks brushing his eyebrows and sticking up at odd angles. His green eyes were bleary and unfocused as he yawned and stumbled almost blindly towards the breakfast bar. He almost missed the stool the first time he tried to sit, swaying dangerously at the high counter until his ass found the seat. The dark circles beneath his eyes seemed a little lighter as he finally raised his head and rubbed his eyes.

"Bacon?"

"Bacon," Nines confirmed as he returned his silvery gaze to the pan. He'd bought thin strips, and was currently frying five of them. A little research had told him that this was the kind that tasted best and crisped nicely. Gavin was clearly still half asleep as he leaned on the bar and frowned at Nines' back. He'd removed his stiff jacket and rolled his sleeves to his elbows. Even without the jacket, his shoulders looked so wide and strong. He couldn't take his tired eyes off them.

"I don't have bacon…My fridge is empty." He knew that for a fact. He hadn't had time to shop in a week, and even when he went shopping, he was more likely to buy cheap, pre-cooked meals than fresh ingredients. The rich, salty smell went straight to his nose, making his mouth water. Looking around, he could see other things that hadn't been there the night before. A full butter dish, a loaf of fresh bread, a sliced tomato, some lettuce, and a small bottle of mayonnaise. The phck? As he woke up properly, he realised the kitchen wasn't the only thing to have changed. An almost numb sensation settled over his chest as he looked around to find everything clean and tidy. He swallowed hard as his throat ached. He hadn't seen his apartment like this in…he didn't even remember how long.

"It was…I went shopping last night." Gavin watched numbly as Nines set the bacon aside on some newly opened kitchen towel and turned his attention to the bread. He pulled out a bread knife Gavin didn't even remember owning and sliced two perfect slices. He buttered each piece before layering on some lettuce and tomato, with a squeeze of mayonnaise. It wasn't long before both a sandwich and coffee were pushed across the small bar. Gavin swallowed the emotion in his throat as he looked down at the offering. "Gavin…we need to discuss your living arrangements."

"I live just fine!" Gavin grumbled, trying to ignore the way his mouth watered. He hadn't had a bacon sandwich in…he didn't even remember the last time. His nose and stomach were certainly interested. He sipped the coffee first, sighing softly as the knot in his chest released. Warmth filled his chest as he rested his lip against the cup and breathed the nutty scent. Nines' coffee…No one else made his coffee like this. It was always steaming hot, black, and strong. He had no idea what sorcery he used to get the balance exactly right, but he always did. He couldn't help cradling it close as he closed his eyes, enjoying the warmth on his nose.

"You had a month's worth of dirty dishes in the sink, complete with festering mould. Your furnishings had not been touched for over two months. You are currently down to a single set of undergarments and two sets of socks due to a lack of laundry, and you have been eating cold, tinned spaghetti and ravioli each night for the past three days." Gavin let out a shameless moan as he took his first bite of the sandwich. His teeth sank into a juicy slice of tomato, the lettuce crunched, the bacon was salty and perfectly crisp, and the whole thing was smothered in mayonnaise. He hurriedly took a second mouthful as his stomach growled. "Are you listening?" Gavin waved a dismissive hand, hoping Nines didn't pay too much attention to the shameless sounds he was making.

"So, the apartment's a little dirty? Big deal! I would have gotten to it!" Exactly when he would have gotten to it, he couldn't say. He hadn't had a single day off in almost a month, and a lot of things were still piled up from the month before. Or…maybe…a few months…

"Gavin! There was mould! On your dishes! That you eat off!" It wasn't like he would have eaten off the mouldy ones. He was pretty sure Nines was making a mountain out of a molehill. His LED was spinning yellow, though whether it was from annoyance or shock, he couldn't say. Maybe he was annoyed. He was probably annoyed. He was the one who'd cleaned all those dishes. Gavin tried not to think about it too much. If he thought about it, he'd start to feel bad. Hell, he might even find himself saying thank you

"You know I wasn't going to eat off those!" That didn't placate him. Gavin shrugged and returned his attention to the sandwich. He was almost sad he had less than half left to go. It was a fucking good sandwich! No wonder Hank let Connor stick around after the revolution…He'd never really understood people who had housekeeping androids, but now he'd tasted Nines' cooking, he totally got it.

"You need to work out a proper self-care regime. I have little desire to work alone while you recover from food poisoning." Gavin turned his stool, hoping that by avoiding Nines eye he could avoid the conversation. Unfortunately, that simply led to Nines circling the bar to cage him against it. Gavin leaned back, feeling a foreign thud in his chest as Nines leaned over him with an arm on either side. The thin edge dug into his shoulder blades, but if he leaned forward, he'd be touching Nines' chest. "You continue to claim you don't need a sitter. I am thus far unconvinced." His LED was spinning yellow, putting Gavin on edge.

"You're blowing things way out of proportion!" All he could really think about at that particular moment was how Nines was way too fucking close. He'd had to open his thighs to accommodate him. Their chests were less than a foot apart, and his gaze kept flicking between his silvery eyes and his lips like this was some sort of teen romance. He was so close that he could feel his synthetic breath and smell the spiced cologne he'd taken to wearing. It almost masked his usual light, thirium scent.

"There was grime in your shower, dirt on your floors, and mould in your kitchen! Gavin, you have a problem." Gavin swallowed as he felt his lower body stir. He definitely had a problem now.

"Back the phck up!" He put a hand on Nines' chest and pushed, clicking his tongue as the behemoth remained immovable. He didn't dare move an inch lest Nines notice the increasingly hard cock in his pants. "Please?" Nines backed off a step, but seemed less than pleased. "Look, things just get on top of me sometimes, alright? Jobs tend to pile up when you're working twelve hours a day! I don't have unlimited energy, Nines! Sometimes things have to wait!" He knew he was being defensive. He also knew he was talking shit. He could have kept on top of it, or he could have done better. It was just so easy to look the other way after a while and avoid the mess. Pretend it didn't exist.

"For two months?" He winced a little at that. He didn't realise he'd left the cleaning that long, but it was just so easy to do other things on his day off, like going out with Tina or sleeping in or watching TV. Things he didn't get to do during the week. It wasn't like anyone else lived with him, and he didn't have visitors, so what did it matter if the floor was a little dirty? He sort of kept on top of the dishes and laundry, at least. That had mainly slipped because of the case.

"Alright, I'll admit two months is a little…excision…"

"Excessive."

"Yeah, that. But I would have gotten to it!" Nines remained unconvinced. The evidence so far suggested that Gavin would return to his neglectful ways without supervision. He was clearly struggling to keep his home life in order. Nines didn't even put it down to laziness. He'd known him long enough to know he was not lazy. Gavin got to work on time for every shift and often stayed late. He excelled in his cases and took his work extremely seriously. Perhaps that's what led to a lapse in his home life. As the saying goes, something has to give.

"I propose regular welfare checks." Gavin scowled at the thought. The last thing he wanted, or needed, was a nanny-bot checking up on him twenty-four-seven. It was demeaning. It reminded him of his mother. She's always been on his fucking case, telling him to pick up after himself, put his laundry away, and clean his room. Never mind that he was going to school and working two jobs trying to save for college!

"What? You're going to check in on me like a phcking kid?" Nines was unapologetic as he folded his arms. He'd read the spike in Gavin's vitals. The indignation was palpable. His jaw had tightened, and his clavicles were more obvious. His green eyes almost seared as he glared, clearly ready to fly into a tirade.

"Precisely…You have already proven you are not to be trusted with your own wellbeing. I will return home with you on a regular basis to ensure you have kept on top of your daily duties." Gavin almost dropped his coffee at the notion. He felt blindsided. Who the phck does he think he is? No one told Gavin Reed how to clean house, especially not a fucking android! He put the mug on the bar, just in case.

"Ex-phcking-scuse me? What do you mean daily duties?" Nines was well prepared for any pushback. He also had a schedule already planned out. Gavin ground his teeth at the neat little schedule Nines had prepared. It was even fucking colour coded! It was like a weekly school schedule. The time he woke up was there, along with small jobs to complete before work. Washing dishes was a daily morning chore. Laundry was scheduled twice a week, on Wednesday and Saturday. His bedding was to be washed at least bi-weekly. His towels were to be cleaned weekly. Vacuuming was Monday, when he returned from work in the early evening so as not to disturb the neighbours. Cleaning the bathroom was Tuesday. Wednesday, another early day, was the kitchen. Thursday was dusting and tidying the living room, and Friday was dusting and tidying the bedroom. His day off was to be grocery shopping day, and cooking meals for the coming week to be stored in the fridge and freezer. Ready meals and tinned food didn't count.

"Daily chores to keep your home in liveable condition. Weekly laundry, washing dishes, bathing, grooming, preparing healthy meals with acceptable ingredients, weekly cleaning of all rooms and surfaces-" He stopped as Gavin slammed the paper on the breakfast bar, almost knocking his half full mug in the process. He was angry now. Stressed and over stimulated. Nines' LED blinked red at the sudden outburst. He'd thought laying it out and colour coding it would help.

"I don't phcking think so!" Gavin left his mug on the bar as he stomped through to the bedroom to search for clothes. Any clothes. He found his last pair of pants and glared at Nines over his shoulder. The rest of his clothing was conspicuously absent. Considering the cleanliness of the living room and kitchen, he assumed a lot of it was in the washing machine. Phcking great! He wanted to go to the bathroom and hide. He would have if Nines hadn't blocked the way.

"If you agree to my terms, I will keep your poor living conditions from Connor and Lieutenant Anderson." Gavin's stomach fell like lead at the threat. Telling Hank was a bit of a non-issue. He knew for a fact he'd lived way worse before the revolution. There were no stones to throw in that glass house. Connor, on the other hand, was a fucking menace. He had no doubt that if Nines told him, that annoying prick would be on his case about it twenty-four-seven. He'd probably turn up at his door daily to make sure he was doing as he was told.

"Are you phcking blackmailing me?" He stepped up to Nines, stomping into his personal space and glaring up at him as their chests almost brushed. Nines could have rolled his eyes at how predictable it was. He really should know better than to think he could be intimidated in this manner, especially by someone almost a head shorter.

"I am." Nines pushed back, reminding him which of them was taller and stronger as he continued walking him back until he was against the wall. Gavin felt heat flare in his chest, jaw tightening as his skin prickled. His heart started slamming as Nines stood over him, and a shiver ran down his spine. It was easy to forget just how tall and broad Nines was when he wasn't standing so close. "Well?" Gavin swallowed, leaning back against the wall and staring up into Nines' sharp silvery eyes.

"You're such a phcking asshole!" Firm fingers gripped his chin as he looked away, returning his attention to his face. Gavin's eyes automatically darted to his lips in response. He quivered as a gentle thumb caressed his stubbled cheek. He almost leaned into it. The touch was so alluring.

"That wasn't an agreement, Gavin." Nines was smug, enjoying the mixture of anger and lust that flickered in his deep green eyes. His lips pouted slightly as he huffed, sulking and defeated. It was a side of him that Nines found somewhat endearing.

"Alright, phck! Fine! Happy now?" Nines smirked, noting the twitch of Gavin's lower body as he pressed in closer. There was the barest rush of air as Gavin gasped, pressing himself as far back as possible. He couldn't help noting the way his gaze periodically moved between his eyes and his lips. Curious…His own gaze fell to Gavin's lips in response, taking in the faded bite marks along the inner edge and small imperfections from the cold weather.

"Immensely…" Gavin clicked his tongue, landing a harmless fist on his shoulder as he slipped by and stomped to the bathroom. Nines followed him with his eyes, smirking in satisfaction.