Gavin groaned as he curled up beneath the covers. He was vaguely aware of a body pressing up behind him. He'd figure out that problem later, after his stomach stopped turning and his head stopped throbbing. I phcking hate Tina…I hate Tina and I hate drinking. He clenched his teeth as a wave of nausea crashed through him and stayed as still as possible, thinking that maybe he wouldn't feel sick if he didn't move. That usually proved true. He groaned in objection as he felt a hand trailing up his thigh and over his clothed hip.
"You're dehydrated." Nines' voice rumbled like a purr as he pulled the covers down. Gavin moaned again, burying his face into the mattress to get away from the morning light. Phcking android! "I'll bring you some water." The bed rose slightly as Nines left. Gavin made no move to acknowledge him. He just continued clenching his teeth and screwed his eyes shut. How did I even get home? And why is Nines here? Oh phck! Did we-His eyes snapped open as he shot upright. He instantly regretted it as his stomach lurched.
He was off the bed and stumbling into the bathroom in seconds, choking and retching as he leaned over the sink. Despite the retching, he wasn't actually sick. I haven't eaten since breakfast yesterday, so maybe there's not enough in there…Thank Christ for small mercies! He whined pathetically as he spat out the excess drool and acid that was pooling in his mouth. Noticing the pale sheen of his skin with distaste, he straightened up and washed his face. He hadn't felt like this in months.
"Gavin?" Nines called from the doorway, holding up a tall glass of what looked like water, but it was fizzing slightly. He'd put a pill in the water. An Alka-Seltzer, by the looks of it. How did he know to do that? Gavin staggered over tiredly and accepted the glass. Nines watched as he downed the water and winced in discomfort as his head throbbed. "Get dressed…I'll make you some breakfast." Nines spoke softly, knowing loud noises would likely worsen his headache.
Gavin did as he was told, brushing his teeth in a daze before changing out of his old clothes. He vaguely decided he more than likely hadn't done anything with Nines the night before. He was still fully dressed, and he trusted Nines' programming enough to believe he wouldn't do anything while he was drunk. Drunk is an understatement. I was totally fucked last night! The night before was a jumble of blurry, fractured pieces. He remembered talking about his brother, and he'd said something about Nines, but it was all hazy. He felt a little less stressed, so he'd done something right.
He arrived downstairs wearing a fresh set of faded blue jeans and a chocolate V-neck that clung to his body in a way that made Nines' processors hum. Gavin was pleasing to the eye, particularly with his dishevelled hair. Usually he would have fixed it upstairs, but it wasn't surprising he'd forgotten. He was barely awake as he sat down. Nines pushed a bowl of porridge and jam into his hands, noting he looked truly sorry for himself. He was distracted, focused completely on the thick oaty substance that would line his stomach. Nines took the opportunity to brush his fingers through his hair. Neither of them mentioned the way Gavin's eyes closed in long blinks or how he leaned into the firm touch.
"Thought you stayed at Connor's place last night." He was halfway through his porridge and managing to keep it down. He even seemed to feel a little better as the pink returned to his cheeks. Nines set the coffee machine cycle and waited for it to brew, leaning on the island as he did so. Gavin would be no good without his coffee that morning. That much was clear.
"I did spend some hours with Connor and the lieutenant, but I wanted to return here. I was not…at ease without you," he replied thoughtfully, with no sense of shame or hesitation. Gavin paused, keeping the spoon in his mouth to avoid answering. He'd never expected to have such a profound effect on him. He sounded almost dependent, despite his deviancy. Looking back, Gavin had to wonder if he'd encouraged this dependency. He's been living with me since leaving Cyberlife, but I never limited his contact with other people…We've just been really busy with work and shit…I think…
"Maybe you should get used to it…being with other people, I mean. We're not joined at the hip, and when you move out, you won't be around me so much." The way Nines' blue eyes dropped at the mention of him moving out was glaringly obvious. Little progress had been made on the moving out front, and it hadn't escaped Gavin's notice that they'd been getting closer instead of further apart. Hell, Nines has slept in my bed for the past two nights! He tried not to think about how that was the best sleep he'd ever had.
"Here, your coffee," Nines murmured, hoping to change the subject as he handed the large mug across. Gavin took it quietly and sipped, lowering his hand as it burned his lips. "Connor has set up a meeting this morning to discuss the case." That instantly put Gavin on edge. It couldn't mean anything good, and by Nines' expression he was right. Silence fell between them. Gavin opted to save any arguments for later. Nines could almost sense the way he was building energy, working himself up to a fight with Connor or Hank.
Nines drove, surprised as Gavin joined him without his sling that morning. He was quite firm in his insistence that he felt fine, and the pain was manageable without it. He was no stranger to gunshot wounds, so Nines took his word for it as he pulled out. They didn't talk as they drove. Their argument from the day before still lingered like a cloud. At the station, Connor and Hank had already arrived. Hank was cradling a coffee while Connor was looking over some papers. They started the meeting once Gavin had tugged off his coat and made his own coffee.
Knowing things would probably get tense, they'd borrowed a meeting room upstairs. They spread out the notes and pictures, along with a map of the city and reviewed what they had so far, mainly for Hank and Gavin's benefit since they didn't have photographic recall. Hank nodded along to the details, sifting through various papers to get up to date. Gavin had been torturing himself with this case non-stop, so he remembered all the details without a refresh.
"So, what's the plan?" Hank asked finally, looking between Gavin and Nines as they glared at each other. He half expected it of Gavin, but not Nines. He hadn't pried the details from Connor the night before, thinking it prudent to give the brothers their space, but whatever it was had clearly caused a rift. It would be a lie to say he hadn't noticed it the day before, but he hadn't thought it was this bad. He'd thought they'd patch things up overnight and be back to normal the next day.
"My idea-"
"There is no plan!" Gavin cut in firmly, sharp green eyes fucking daring Nines to contradict him.
"There is…a suggestion," Connor compromised in a gentle tone. Gavin's glare shifted to him instead. Hank watched curiously as Gavin stormed over to Connor and prodded his chest the way he would have back before the revolution. Connor accepted the rough treatment without comment or reproach, allowing him to force him back. Where Nines was an immovable statue, Connor was soft and yielding to his touch. For one thing, he was made of lighter material. For another, he knew Gavin needed that dominant expression to feel like he was in control.
"It's not a phcking suggestion! You got that Tin Can? No phcking way!" He only stepped away as Nines touched his shoulder and firmly pulled him back. Gavin clicked his tongue and prowled to the other side of the room after shrugging away from Nines in defiance. Hank looked at the three of them with his arms out expectantly. He felt like he was the only one who didn't know what was going on.
"Am I the only one out of the fucking loop here?" All three looked at each other before it was quietly agreed that the explanation would be best coming from Connor. Connor straightened his powder blue tie as he looked at Hank across the table. Hank was currently the only one sitting, still looking through the papers. Gavin had stalked off to lean on the wall furthest away from Nines, looking at the far wall instead of anyone else. Nines looked a little wounded as he remained quietly hovering at Connor's shoulder.
"Nines came up with the idea that he could be used as bait to find the murder site. The RK900 range has advanced software and hardware that makes them more durable than any other model. That gives him a higher probability of withstanding the physical altercation with minimal damage. His advanced software includes a highly sensitive tracker, which could be activated to allow us to trace his movements…Obviously, Detective Reed has some…reservations." Connor explained it as gently and impartially as possible, watching Hank turn it over slowly. He didn't understand all this android stuff, but he knew well that Nines was pretty advanced. He got shot in the head for Christ's sake! That made his chances of survival pretty damn good.
"You can't seriously be considering this!" Gavin objected incredulously as he leaned on the table and began a staredown with Hank. He knew the only way to stop this was to get him onside. Hank sighed thoughtfully as he leaned back. It wasn't like they had a better idea, and this one had a good chance of success. Nines was the one on the line, and he was more than willing to go through with it. "Would you be this phcking eager if it was Connor's life on the line?" Gavin demanded almost venomously, hitting where it hurt.
"Hold up! That's not what this is about!" Hank insisted, though it was true. There's no way he'd let Connor go on a suicide mission. But Connor isn't an RK900 model. He isn't nearly indestructible. Hank watched Gavin almost scoff as he pushed himself up, almost like he could hear his inner reasoning. The look he gave him could have frozen blood. "Both Nines and Connor clearly think this plan has some merit. They wouldn't suggest it if they didn't think they had a good chance of pulling it off safely."
"I don't give a phck how safe they think it is! Shit can go south fast, and I'm not sending my partner on a suicide mission! He'd be alone with a bunch of phcking maniacs!" Both androids flinched at the heat in his tone. Hank got to his feet and Gavin backed off defensively. He didn't like people towering over him, and all three people in the room were taller by at least half a head. He felt small. Outnumbered. Hank held his hands up peacefully. He could understand Gavin's feelings. He'd feel the same if it were Connor.
"It's risky! I get it, but we don't have another workable idea. If we can plan it out and work in a few contingencies, then it could be viable." Gavin instantly slammed both hands down on the table. The whole surface shook, and the papers were almost scattered as he pushed off.
"No phcking way! Nines isn't expendable or replaceable! This isn't a phcking option!" His green eyes dared any of them to challenge him on it. Connor eventually sighed in defeat.
"I could go in Nines' place. I have more field experience, and our software is similar enough that I have the same tracker installed." A flurry of objections sounded on all sides. Gavin flat out refused, insisting that he was no more expendable than Nines, much to Connor's gratification. Hank may not have understood much, but he knew Connor was more fragile than Nines, and Nines agreed with him. An RK800 wouldn't stand up to the potential physical danger. Their casing was just too fragile.
"It has to be me, Gavin. It has to be me," Nines insisted in a softer, more appealing tone.
"Would you let me do it? Go on a suicide mission?" Gavin watched various thoughts cross Nines' face. He could tell from his physical reaction that it was a firm no, but he didn't see this as a suicide mission.
"This isn't a suicide mission. It has a high probability of success." Gavin officially reached the end of his tether and grab his coffee. All three were surprised. It was rare for him to back out of an argument. It could have been the stress of the past few days, but the fight had just drained out of him in those final few seconds.
"Fine! phck it! Do what you want, but I'm not being part of it!" The words somehow hit worse when he didn't slam the door as he left. Nines' expression went blank as the door clicked shut. It was a look Connor recognised. He'd turned off his facial muscles to conceal his inner turmoil, but he could see it in his sad blue eyes. Gavin's backing out had hit him hard. He'd expected pushback and arguments, but he hadn't anticipated being outright abandoned.
"Give him a few minutes to cool off," Hank suggested wisely, picking up on Nines' distress almost as quickly as Connor. Connor wasn't sure if it was his experience working with him or just his lieutenant instincts tipping him off. He laid an assuring hand on Nines' large shoulder, but Nines seemed unconvinced.
"Hank's right…I recommend talking to Detective Reed, but give him some time to calm down first." Connor wasn't sure Nines would be able to go through with the mission without Gavin's support. He trusted him and Hank. Of course he did, but it was different when you had a partner. There was no one Connor would rather have watching his back than Hank. He wouldn't feel safe putting himself at risk without knowing he had his back. Nines and Gavin may not have been partnered as long, but their previous interactions had formed a unique bond of trust and dependence. Nines needed Gavin. He needed that sturdy, relentless presence to reassure him, the knowledge that Gavin would stop at nothing to ensure his safety.