#Nines finally learned how to compliment on eyes aplause everyone

[fandom-necromancer]

162/907. Continuation

Fandom: Detroit become human | Ship: Reed900

[Part 1]   [Part 2]   [Part 3]   [Part 4]

‘~It’s Britney Bitch~’ Gavin scrunched his eyes keeping them deliberately shut at the rude interruption of his sleep. He didn’t open them, determined to get back to sleep after telling whoever called him to phck off. He slapped his hand on his nightstand with several thuds as he hoped to find his phone. ‘What is it?’, he groaned into the speaker and waited for an answer that justified waking him up in any way. ‘Okay, they didn’t lie to me! It’s me, Gavin, Tina! How do you feel?’ ‘How do I feel?’, Gavin asked as if this was some sick joke. ‘Like shit. Why?’ ‘Ah, just that Nines told Fowler you didn’t feel too well and would take a sick day. He also told me he would go check in on you later. Anything going on there I should know? Anyways, I know you would still come to work one foot in the grave, so how are you? Should I plan your funeral?’

Gavin groaned again, long and pained, as the memories of the day before punched him in the face. Phck that damn toaster. That asshole, that… Why had he arranged this whole play of him being sick? What was that about him checking in later? Why was Tina calling him this early- He pulled the phone from his ear and finally opened his eyes? Sleep wasn’t something he could get back to now, so why bother? It was ten in the morning. Phck. He would have thought it to be way earlier what the- ‘Gavin? You still there?’ ‘Yeah! Yeah!’, he hurried to get out. ‘I’m…. I’m feeling miserable, Tina. But it’s… It’s mostly stuff in my head; I’m gonna tell you later, okay? I just need some time to clear my mind.’ ‘Fine’, Tina agreed. ‘But don’t you go die on me! I need you to restock the breakroom coffee!’ ‘You are the asshole that takes my coffee all the time? I can’t believe it! You do know how to read, right?’ He could hear Tina chuckling over the line and smiled himself. ‘Get well soon, Gav, so you can kick my ass personally for it, okay?’ ‘I will! And… Thank you. See you soon!’

He ended the call and put his phone back on his nightstand with a sigh. His hand came down next to the blue gemstone. He stared at it, followed the white, web-like veins in it for a while until he felt his chest narrowing down on his heart.

Before he could really get lost in his thoughts, there was a knock on the door. ‘Oh, phck me, who the hell…’ For once in his life he was well rested, having fallen asleep far too early and being allowed to sleep in. It didn’t mean he felt good having to leave the bed, but oh well. Whoever disturbed him would get his fair share of his anger, he decided as he pushed back the sheets and grabbed some sweatpants to pull on. It was far from decent, but Gavin couldn’t find it in his will to care.

He was ready to bark some expletives towards the unfortunate soul behind the door, as he opened it, but his words got stuck in his throat as he saw the figure in front of him. ‘Good morning, Gavin. I… May I come in? I brought breakfast as was suggested for me as a means of reconciliation.’ Gavin was tense, ready to explode on the damn tin-can, then met his eyes. These damn grey to blue eyes, so damn soft… He sighed, opening the door a bit more gesturing inside. ‘Fine. Why the hell not? It’s not like this morning could get any worse.’ He closed the door behind the android and went to the kitchen on autopilot, while Nines went further into the room, ambling towards his usual place on the sofa, but not sitting down. Gavin had his hands on the water tank of the coffee machine as he caught himself. The tin-can had his breakfast. Right.

He pulled out the cat food to justify his presence in the kitchen, then walked towards the doorframe hesitantly. ‘Hey, the bullshit about me being sick… That was you, right?’ ‘…Yes.’ At least the android looked adequately guilty about it. ‘It wasn’t a lie though, as you are unwell at the moment. And I wanted to talk to you about… about what you told me yesterday.’ Gavin pushed himself from the frame he had been leaning against and walked out into the hallway. ‘Fine. But listen, toaster: I. don’t.’ He took a deep breath before he continued: ‘If you don’t feel that way, that’s fine, I understand, okay? You needed help, you got help, no strings attached. Business. I’m fine with that. You just didn’t have to be an asshole about it by leaving without a word!’

Nines physically recoiled at that and sat the cup of coffee and the bag holding his breakfast down on the coffee table. ‘That’s… That’s actually what I wanted to talk with you about. Please…’ The android avoided his eyes and laid one hand on the backrest of the sofa.  ‘Would you come over here? Sit with me? I… I am sorry. I was confused and overwhelmed. I…’ He looked up at hearing Gavin’s footsteps and found some courage in the fact that despite his hostile appearance, the man still listened to him and approached. ‘I couldn’t process my emotions to what you told me. I… I needed help figuring it out; usually you are the only one that can help me with this. But I couldn’t talk to you about it when you are the one who wanted an answer and I… I thought of Connor, because he helped me in the past before you came, and… and I left immediately, not thinking about what that might look like to you. I’m deeply sorry, should this have hurt you.’

The silence stretched and even more than before, Gavin’s heart hurt at seeing Nines this distraught. ‘I accept your apology’, he sighed, sitting down on the sofa. He waited for the android to continue; Gavin had already said everything he could bring himself to. ‘Thank you.’ Nines sat down too, keeping his distance from the human and trying to make himself smaller. ‘I feel… I feel a lot for you, but I’m not sure if it’s love. Connor told me it is one form love can take but to be honest his explanation wasn’t as clear as yours normally are. He advised me to tell you what I feel and let you decide if you accept it. And if you don’t… I hope we can stay friends then? I don’t want to lose you.’ ‘Of course, Nines’, Gavin nodded. He wanted to stay angry at this damn machine, he wanted to throw hands and shout and push him away. But that would destroy everything, just as it always did and for once he really didn’t want to ruin this. Especially when there was still hope. So, he anxiously waited for the android to tell him how he felt. Maybe… There was still a chance. But his pessimistic side told him not to believe in it. After all, he was Gavin Reed. He was lucky if he could keep the tin-can as a friend.

‘I… this is difficult for me. I… I hope this isn’t too robotic for you, with Connor I… He is the same and I don’t know how humans-‘ ‘Nines. Don’t worry.’ Gavin hadn’t wanted to be soft just yet, but seeing the android ramble, seeing him desperate for words… Well that had been what had lured him in in the first place, hadn’t it. ‘You are not human, so I don’t expect this to be “the human way”. Just tell me. If I don’t understand it, I’ll ask.’ Nines nodded, glanced at him, then quickly fixed the floor again. ‘I like you a lot. You are my friend. But I realised Connor is too, and it doesn’t even come close to what I feel for you. The same is with everyone else. You are my co-worker, but so is Tina and it isn’t the same at all. I… I thought the discrepancies came from me not understanding the terms just yet, I thought maybe there is some concept I didn’t know of yet. I think in the end, that is exactly what it is. We never talked about it after all.’ He sat up and deliberately looked Gavin in the eye.

‘I like being around you. I favour your company above everyone else’s and especially over being by myself. I… I am happy – truly happy – when I’m with you. I feel safe and… cared for. I know when there is something overwhelming or confusing you are there to explain or to take over. And off the job spending my evenings with you is something I treasure deeply. I like when we watch movies together, I like to cook with you, I like your cat. I like your determination and commitment. Connor calls you stubborn and I guess he is right with his evaluation, but it is not a bad attribute to have. I like you helping me; but not for helping me, if that makes sense? You always take the whole issue and pretend it is normal. I was… I was scared in the beginning because I am defective and no, don’t say I’m not!’ Gavin shut his mouth he didn’t even know he had opened in response. ‘I was scared because there was something missing there, and I couldn’t fill it and it was overwhelming and I couldn’t go and just tell someone. But you acted as if it was normal. You didn’t try to fix me and helped me to do that myself by doing so. I owe you so much and I want to pay you back in some way for it. But I also want to give you something nice regardless of what you did for me. Just for you. And I… And I really like your eyes and that you can’t wink. And the way you speak and still pretend you don’t care when you do. I…’

The android stopped and Gavin found time to process what he just heard. Something he would have never thought to hear with such emotion. He was lost for words and was pretty sure the ability to breathe correctly was overwritten by something that had come out of the machine’s mouth. He could just stare and hope to get back to himself quickly. Nines had trouble identifying all of this and of course interpreted it the wrong way. ‘Is everything alright?’, He asked. ‘I… I really want to love you. Is this enough?’

Is this enough. Gavin knew it was more than he ever hoped for. He hoisted himself up to sit next to the android and hug him from the side. Maybe showing it would work better than trying to search for words. He embraced the hard hull and pressed the android against himself, realising he had never touched him deliberately. It was an odd sensation and immediately Gavin hoped this was okay. He closed his eyes and stayed that way, flinching, as arms were awkwardly draped around him and the pressure rose very unnaturally to equal his own. It had to be a good sign, right? ‘I…’, Nines began, sounding utterly confused. ‘I like this, don’t stop, but… could you answer me? So I’m sure I understand this correctly?’

‘Yes!’, Gavin blurted out. ‘Yes, more than that, Nines, far more than enough for me. I… I don’t think I could make up a list this fast about every detail I like about you, but I love you. And this is more anyone had ever given me.’ ‘Then you’ll… accept this king of love?’, Nines asked still not convinced. Gavin sat up a bit and pushed against Nines’ arms to look the bot in the eyes. ‘Yes. Of course, you stupid phcking toaster, of course, I will! I accept all your terms and conditions, now where do I sign?’