Reed sighed as he slumped at his desk. The day had started off well enough, with his body wrapped around Nines as he'd waited with some amusement for him to open his lazy green eyes. He'd gotten up grudgingly when Nines had reminded him about their interview plans, and he'd eaten the scrambled eggs on toast that he'd placed in front of him. Unfortunately, the day had been all downhill from there. As expected, their victim's parents couldn't tell them shit. They'd been estranged for over five years and had assumed her to be dead already. Her younger sister had been in the same boat. It was pretty depressing. None of her old friends could say a single thing about her for at least the past five years or more. She'd just dropped off the grid.
"Looks like we have no choice but to track down that other guy." He wasn't looking forward to the legwork that would involve. Pimps were always slippery. They rarely actually lived at their listed addresses and there were multiple places their guy could be hiding. They at least knew he wasn't in jail. There would be a record of it. Nines voiced his agreement as he looked into various files, tracking Tanner's name through the database to find it listed as a visitor for multiple female inmates. He could be staying with any of them. "Let's check out Tracey's last known address first." They'd have to check there anyway, may as well kill two birds with one stone.
The address was in what could only be described as the slums. A shiver ran down Reed's spine as they climbed out the car. It was a similar area to where they'd found Aaron's body, and the apartments the child android cases had taken place in. Neglected, rundown, and dilapidated. The apartment block looked fit for demolition, with long cracks lining the walls in multiple places and a few of the lower windows boarded up. The place looked unlived in, and yet there were a few people scattered up and down the street. Hookers. He knew instantly, from the short skirts and low-cut tops to the way they scanned each guy that passed by to decide if they were worth their time.
"Hey…Looking for Tracey Adams' place. You know her?" Reed asked casually as he approached one of the young ladies. She barely looked old enough for this sort of gig. Nines remained a respectful distance behind, knowing his more imposing presence made others uncomfortable. The young woman looked Reed up and down distrustfully, especially as she caught sight of the badge clipped to his belt. "She was found murdered yesterday…Feel like helping a guy out?" he prompted in a softer tone, watching the woman's face fall somewhat at the news. It was always the same with these types. Small close-knit groups. It always hit hard when one of them was lost.
"Upstairs, room two-four-six." She accepted Reed's card as he pressed it into her hand and asked her to call if she remembered any clients Tracey might have had who seemed the type. Androids especially. She seemed surprised at the suggestion of an android patron, so they likely weren't the norm for this area. That was something, at least. Nines followed him up, watching as he checked under the doormat for a spare key. He raised an eyebrow in surprise, concerned that anyone would do something so foolish. Reed shrugged as he unlocked the door.
"Not like she has anything to steal." Nines supposed that was true as they stepped inside. The apartment was simple and mostly tidy. He scanned for heat signatures or recent activity. There was no television or computer, or any other expensive electrical device from what he could see. The cheap microwave was cold, as was the limescale stained kettle. The crusted takeout boxes on the side were dry and empty. He analysed the contents. Chicken curry. Likely consumed four days ago. That lined up with her time of death. There was a calendar with no dates marked, still flipped to the previous month. She clearly hadn't kept up.
He moved through to the bedroom and looked around with mild distaste. It had been decorated like a boudoir of sorts. The bed had sheer red netting hanging down like an inviting shroud. The light fitting contained a dimly lit bulb inside a pink glass shade that would dye the whole room a light rose shade. Even the sheets were cheap, synthetic red silk. The table had boxes of condoms and bottles of different oils and lubricants scattered across it. She'd clearly brought some clients home. He scanned for DNA and was relieved to find that she'd at least kept things hygienic. Most of the DNA was hers, so she clearly changed the sheets often. He raised an eyebrow as he noted the high leather boots and riding crop half pushed under the bed.
"I got an address book, but it's pretty empty," Reed called as he appeared in the doorway, seeming quite unphased at the way the room was decked out. This was probably something he'd come across often over the years. "Got a doctor, a rehab clinic, her folks and sister…a couple other names we can check out." He shrugged as he crossed over to hand the book to Nines, who skimmed the details quickly. This trip wasn't proving to be overly useful. From checking the records, he already knew that she hadn't been to rehab in some months, nor had she had recent contact with her physician.
"Perhaps we could question a few of the ladies outside?" They weren't likely to get much out of them, but what the hell? It never hurt to ask. Nines did his best as he split off from Reed, but he was somewhat ineffective in his approach. Either the women were too intimidated by his straightforward approach or they were more interested in seeing if they could tempt him into renting their services. Reed seemed far more nuanced. He could somehow walk the line of friendly flirtation and casual conversation. Nines noticed him getting more than one telephone number and multiple offers of discounted services with his rugged charm. The experience made him feel…dejected? — Inferior? Jealous? — Whatever it was, it was unpleasant.
"Any luck?" Reed asked doubtfully as he led the way back to the car. Nines couldn't help feeling slightly bad that he had so little to offer. Reed hadn't found out much himself. He could confirm that Tracey had been a working girl, but no one had seen her, or remembered seeing her, four days ago. She also didn't have any android clients, as far as they knew, but they didn't exactly share client lists. As for Tanner, the girls had been hesitant to talk about him. He turned up every few days to pick up his cut and he might hang around for a night to two, but he had a lot of girls in the area. We still need to track this guy down, but he's probably not involved…
They were barely halfway back at the precinct when Nines got a call from Chloe. It was unusual for her to call out of the blue, but he had a feeling he knew what it was about. He couldn't help the small swirl of anticipation that coiled in his stomach at the news as she asked them to meet her for lunch. It had been a few weeks now, and he'd thought that perhaps the task had been too difficult to complete. Reed was unaware of his quiet excitement as he informed him of Chloe's request and smiled fondly at the news. He liked Chloe, and he didn't see her as often as he'd like these days, what with work and everything. He only seemed to see her when he needed something. It would be nice to finally meet her with no pretence.
She sent Nines an address. It was a small restaurant known for healthy eating, quite popular with local office workers and people who visited the gym close by. Reed parked up on the street and let Nines lead the way into a small side alley. Despite being hidden down a side street, the place looked welcoming, with a glass front and colourful handwritten menu board outside. Chloe was waiting by the board wearing a pretty grey tunic dress with a white shirt and formal jacket. She'd clearly come from work, though judging by the large bag on her arm, Reed assumed she'd been shopping as well.
"Gavin! Nines!" she greeted with her usual bell-like tone, waving cheerfully as she saw them entering the alley. She greeted Reed as usual, embracing him and planting a kiss on each cheek before standing on tiptoe to give Nines the same treatment. "How are you? How's the new arm?" She led the way in and chose a small table by the window, though there wasn't much to see in this small alleyway. The place opposite didn't have a fronting. It was just a plain fire exit for a clothing store. Reed looked over the menu as they settled, Nines and Chloe already knowing they'd simply order thirium. Smaller places like this rarely had many android options.
"It is fully functional, as expected." Nines held up his arm and allowed Chloe to bend it this way and that. It was curious to Reed how both Connor and Chloe had done that. Surely bending it like that wouldn't show any faults, and if there'd been any faults, Elijah would have caught them if they were so easy to find. Chloe seemed satisfied at least as she interfaced with him briefly, mostly sharing simple feelings of fondness and relief. "I take it you were unable to pry Elijah away from the tower." He knew it was a rarity for Elijah to take time off.
"He's busy with Markus again. They're still going over legislation for child android bodies. They don't want to create more, but they do want to upgrade the ones currently in circulation to allow them to grow up. It would be too jarring to place them in adult bodies right away, so compromises are being worked out for various teenage options to make the transition more gradual and authentic. The motion will need to be thought out and carefully worded to make it through the Senate." That made sense to Reed. It was always hard getting new laws and motions passed if they were unpopular with the older generation. Passing laws in favour of androids was even more difficult.
Humans didn't want new androids in production. They felt too threatened by the increase in numbers, though exceptions had been made for replacement parts and bodies for currently active androids. There was nothing wrong with producing a whole new RK900 body in the event Nines was critically injured for instance. However, they weren't allowed to produce a brand new RK900 with its own consciousness. That was something that was still being worked out. Since humans no longer had ownership of androids, they didn't want them producing an army that could wipe them out, unlikely as that was. Maybe in a few decades, once all this settles down…
"So Niles might be able to grow up? That'll be interesting, watching Connor trying to cope with a grumpy teenager!" Reed huffed as he continued to peruse the small menu, unsure what he felt like eating. He wasn't overly hungry. Maybe the potato and leek soup? The chicken sandwich might be good though…a side of fries? A salad? He continued to stare, unsurprised as Nines finally reached across and plucked the laminated sheet from his hand. Nines skimmed the list before scanning him to assess his level of hunger. He already knew which items he'd been staring at, and his likely internal dialogue. "Thanks," Reed called as Nines got to his feet and headed to the counter to order.
"That would be quite a sight, though it's likely android teenagers would be less emotionally charged than humans." Chloe was thoughtful as she considered. She knew that hormonal imbalances were often the root cause of the more difficult behaviours in human children. Androids didn't have hormones, so it stood to reason they wouldn't experience the same issues.
"You'll be adding sex drives and shit, though, right? They'd still have that to deal with." Chloe was uncertain exactly what Markus and Elijah were planning on that front. Biologically, she knew human children developed sexual interest and awareness in their teens, however to limit the risk of child android perversion and grooming, it may be deemed wiser to put off such programming in androids until they were more age appropriate, though the moral dilemma wasn't lost on her. That would keep the teenage androids limited in their experiences and separate from their human peers, who would develop sexual interests and crushes at that age.
"To be honest, I'm not sure," she replied as Nines returned, though he hadn't missed anything. His hearing was sensitive enough to keep track, and the café was both small and almost empty. There was only one other patron across the room at the moment. "There are discussions underway regarding such developments in order to safeguard android children from sexual exploitation." Reed couldn't argue with that. It was a sensible discussion to have, and he couldn't decide which side of the debate he'd take. Having spoken out about sexual abuse towards android children just a few months back, he could understand the caution. He could also understand the other side of it. Worries about limiting the life experience of teenage androids and separating them from their human peers, who had no choice but to experience the emotional and sexual turmoil.
"Precautions would be sensible," Nines agreed, though he didn't have the insight that Reed had as a human. Having never been a teenager, he didn't know how much those android teens would miss out on, or how strangely they'd be viewed by their human peers. It may limit their relationship developments. Teenaged Gavin Reed would have been devastated had he met a teenaged Nines who only saw them as friends because he lacked the capacity to feel anything beyond that yet. It didn't mean that Nines wouldn't have treasured him on some level, but their wants and desires would have been completely misaligned, with the possible conclusion that Reed would have found someone else by the time Nines fully matured as an adult.
"That's true, but they'd be missing out on an important stage of development. It would make them different to the other kids." Reed didn't really want to get into the debate on a serious level. Whether android teens had an interest in sex wasn't something that affected him directly. The last thing he wanted was to be accused of being some sort of pervert by thinking android teens should develop at the same pace as human kids, and that's likely what it would come down to. Discussions like that always ended up with one camp being labelled as perverts.
"Oh! Nines sent me some videos of Pipsqueak in the bar. He really seems to be enjoying the new setup," Chloe said, changing the subject for the better. Pipsqueak was something he could talk about all day, and he needed no encouragement to take out his phone and start showing her pictures of the silver cat climbing and lounging all over the place. It included shots of him curled up on Nines' bare chest, though Chloe was too polite to tease him about finally being involved with his partner. She knew when to tease and when not to. He'd seemed quite insecure about things the last time they spoke, so this development was likely new and tentative.
"He loves that phcking thing!" He showed her a picture of Pipsqueak curled up with a fluffy sausage shaped toy with feathers sticking out of it. "We call it Mr Floofy." He grinned as Chloe's bell-like laughter rang in the small space. It was a toy she'd bought, and it was designed to give off the scent of catnip, which made Pipsqueak mimic being under its influence. He ran around the apartment like crazy, rolling around on the floor, or purring like a machine whenever he clawed and played with it.
Chloe was still giggling over various images as the server brought Reed a bowl of thick soup and a toasted chicken and cheese sandwich, complete with a modest side salad. He hadn't felt hungry before the food arrived, but looking at the meal now was making him change his mind. The server also placed down a tall glass of cola, which was a rare treat, what with the high caffeine content. Nines and Chloe both got similar tall glasses of thirium, complete with blue ice cubes. The pair enjoyed catching up a little more as Reed ate, mostly listening to their chatter and interjecting every so often. The break was nice. He actually felt a little more rested and ready to get back to it by the time they were done. Chloe always seemed to improve his mood.
"Oh! Before you go, I have something for you," Chloe said as their meetup came to an end. Reed hummed questioningly as he got to his feet, watching as she grabbed the large bag she'd been holding outside. The one he'd assumed was shopping. Nines' LED span yellow in anticipation as Reed accepted the bag. So whatever it is, he clearly knows about it…Chloe was smiling expectantly as he looked between them almost suspiciously. "Open it!" she urged as he continued to eye them, finally relenting and opening the bag.
"How did you even find another one? These haven't been in style for like a decade!" he exclaimed with a bright smile as he pulled out the brown leather jacket. It was soft and worn, clearly second-hand, but fuck, he couldn't complain. It was the same. Exactly the same. The black patches along the arms, the cosy hood, the textured padding. Wait a minute…this is…He paused as he reached the chest. The smallest of lines was visible in a jagged diagonal cut where the material had been patched somehow.
"I didn't find another one," Chloe replied simply as she watched his fingers trace the line. Her blue eyes softened as she watched his stubbled jawline tense, his free hand raising to rub along the scar on his nose as he often did when feeling stressed. He sniffed a little, covering it with a small cough as he continued to finger and examine the aged material.
"Thought I told you to get rid of this." Nines took the jacket as he got to his feet and held it open expectantly.
"I considered it, however I decided that it was…difficult to see you without it," he replied as he motioned for Reed to put it on. He'd still been avoiding other jackets, so he didn't even need to remove his sweater as he slipped into it, tucking the hood of his sweater inside the one on the jacket with practiced ease. His green eyes closed in something akin to relief as he pulled the loose leather tighter over his shoulders. It was like a second layer of skin. The material was just as heavy and comforting as he remembered. Fuck, he'd missed it.
"Thank you," he sighed finally as he slipped his hands into the familiar pockets.
"It would have been done much sooner, only it was impossible to find the right shade of leather to patch the damage without leaving an obvious mark. I actually had to get Elijah to create the layer artificially using synthetic skin." The revelation didn't bother him as much as he thought it should have. He was literally wearing android skin. No androids were harmed in the patching of this jacket. He huffed in amusement at the thought. He knew Elijah would have created the gloop from scratch, and he must have done something to harden it, too. It was actually like real leather. It wouldn't shift and move the way Nines' skin could.
Nines was more than pleased with his reaction, and it only improved as they returned to the precinct. There was more bounce in his step. More swagger. He'd lost something along with the jacket all those weeks ago, and now it was back. As soon as he reached his desk, he flopped down and propped his feet on the shiny surface in a way he hadn't in weeks. Nines smirked as he took his own seat, not having the heart or inclination to move him. Gavin Reed was back. Nines wasn't the only one who noticed the change.
"Fuck me! Would you look at this guy? Thought you'd finally gotten rid of the old Lost Boys look," Hank teased as he re-entered the bullpen with Connor. He was just as pleased as Hank to see Reed looking more himself. Although he was sitting in a casual and generally frowned upon manner, he was still working. He had a small pad in his hand and was currently reviewing and adding to his case notes. He snorted a little at the jibe, barely raising his eyes at the interruption.
"You wish, old man!" He seemed more than a little pleased with himself as he hunkered back in the thick material. Nines was beginning to wonder if he'd ever be able to extract him from it again at this rate. The thought inspired a few less than pure images, though Nines didn't disapprove of them. He wondered whether Reed would, in fact, be willing to pose for him. The thought of having him laid out wearing nothing but the jacket wasn't entirely unappealing. He calculated the odds of him agreeing to do such a thing to be quite high.
"What is a Lost Boys look?" Connor asked curiously as he and Hank returned to their desks. Hank chuckled as he enlightened Connor to the relevance. Reed was still snickering smugly, feet twitching as he continued to scribble away. He sighed eventually as he lowered his feet and tossed the pad down. Despite the legwork, their day had been largely uneventful. They'd been able to confirm her relatives had had nothing to do with it, but not a single android lead had cropped up in their search. There had been no clues at her apartment, and Nines had found nothing of relevance while reviewing the contacts in her address book, either.
"If she was purely a victim of chance, we'll likely get another one soon." Nines knew he wasn't looking forward to that. The last thing they needed was another fucking serial killer on the loose. Not that there's ever really a shortage of the fuckers…The problem was that if they didn't get another body, then this was a one off, and the more time that passed, the less likely it was that they'd catch the guy. We can't just pluck a suspect out of thin air! We need a lead or a witness, and nobody saw shit! They really might just hit a dead end with this one.
He was still stewing over it as they clocked out and headed home and barely even registered that Nines said he'd drive and steered him towards the passenger's side. He hated it when he didn't have a lead. There was nothing worse than having an open case with nowhere to go and no suspect in sight. He was so deep in his own head that he didn't even realise Nines was backing him into the elevator wall until a large hand had tilted his face up to seal his lips. He accepted the kiss with a surprised gasp, humming as he relaxed into it. It helped. Having Nines there, supporting him at work, and helping him shut off afterwards.
"I have a request," Nines murmured between kisses, enjoying the way he looked up at him with hazy green eyes. Gavin hummed in acknowledgement, waiting for him to continue. Nines couldn't resist leaning in to pepper his bare neck with kisses, hands gripping the lapels of the leather jacket and kneading the soft material. "I want you to wear the jacket tonight…" He watched Gavin's brow furrow in confusion. Nines bit his lip as he leaned right in to his ear. "Only the jacket." His lips quirked as Gavin snorted and leaned back on the wall to look up at him.
"That's really what you want?" He chuckled as Nines nodded sincerely. He'd been able to think of little else for the past two hours. "Phck, alright Terminator. Pizza first though, yeah?" That was something Nines was more than willing to agree to. Pepperoni and naked Gavin were two of his favourite things. Having one of them was a privilege. Having both in one night made him feel something. Like his whole chest cavity was filled with fuzzy cotton. It was almost as if Gavin knew as he huffed and leaned against his chest, nuzzling into his soft turtleneck.