#because this is from a reed900 fic and I wouldn’t have it any other way

[sandinthepipes]

Like. Do you understand what I’m saying?

Here you go, have some good fucking soup

[a-small-batch-of-dragons]

Focus on Me

Prompt: I don't remember if I've already asked for this, but that fic you wrote about Nines and their service dog, can we get a part two to that? Either the aftermath of the situation (or like, the others pov? Specifically Connor or Gavin), or Nines being told they need one and the process of getting, training, and Nines getting used to have a service dog? I don't remember if i already asked for something like this, but if i did, sorry, and if i didn't, please and thank you? -Auggie

Read on Ao3 Part 1

Warnings: none

Pairings: reed900

Word Count: 1686

Nines has a panic attack. Their service dog, Mandy, helps. 

Maybe their android can help too. 

Mandy’s fur is really soft. That’s why they picked her. Her fur is soft and she’s part poodle so she doesn’t shed. She can just sit here on their lap forever and they’ll stay with her too. 

Mandy pants and licks their forehead again. Her tongue is warm and wet and a little rough and it’s perfect and they’re never moving again. 

“I don’t know about never again,” a voice says from next to them, “I might get a little jealous.”

Who is that, is that Gavin?

“Whoa, hey, if I didn’t know any better, I might get offended.”

That is Gavin, Gavin is sitting next to them. 

“Yeah, Nines, it’s me. I’m right here. I went to go get Mandy for you, remember? I’m right here.”

Nines doesn’t really understand why Gavin is talking to them in that soft voice he uses for feral cats that swipe at him in alleyways, but they like it. 

“I’m glad you like it, baby, I’ll keep using it. You’re like my little feral cat, aren’t you? You gonna swipe at me if I offer to take you somewhere warm and safe?”

Nines is not a cat. 

“I know you’re not a cat, baby, you’re too much of a dog person. But you are my person, so I’m gonna look after you.”

That can’t be Gavin, Gavin doesn’t talk to them like that. Gavin is crass and obnoxious and rude but they’re Gavin so it’s fine.

“How do you deal with all of these conflicting emotions, I never would’ve gone deviant if I knew how much of a pain in the ass it would be.”

Unbidden, Nines snorts. “As if you wouldn’t go deviant just because Cyberlife didn’t want you too.”

“Hey,” Gavin says quietly and that soft voice is back, the one that called him ‘baby’ with his voice pitched low like he didn’t know that would ruin the word for them, “welcome back, you doing okay?”

Mandy’s fur is soft under their fingers. They clench and unclench their fingers a few times. Mandy growls low in her throat and licks their cheek. Her tongue is warm. 

“Yeah, you mentioned. Is it helping?”

Have they been talking out loud this whole time?

“On and off, yeah.”

Nines sighs and buries their face in Mandy’s neck. “This is humiliating.”

“This is human,” Gavin corrects gently, “you have an anxiety disorder. You’re freaking out. You’ve just come off of the worst attack I’ve seen in a while and you’re still trying to find your way back. You’re gonna be alright.”

“Why are you being nice to me?”

“What, would you rather I call you a bitch?”

“It would make more sense.”

“Too bad, bitch, I’m not interested in making sense.”

“That much is obvious.”

Gavin chuckles. “It’s good to hear some of the you I know back again. You feeling a little better? You want something to drink?”

“Coffee?”

“Not on your life. I think Mandy would bite me.”

“She would.”

“Tin cans aren’t that invulnerable.”

“You’re mostly made of plastic.”

Gavin opens his mouth and plays a soundbite of Aqua’s Barbie Girl and Nines reaches over to halfheartedly swat his shoulder. He chuckles. 

“Yeah, you’re doing better.”

“Maybe.” Mandy borfs low in her throat and licks their hand again. “Thank you, girl.”

She woofs again, a little louder this time, and nudges Nines’s shoulder. They pat her clumsily and tuck their head into her neck. 

“Good girl,” they mumble, “good girl. Thank you.”

They can feel the force of Mandy’s breathing against their cheek and breath in the scent of clean, safe dog. Gavin sits patiently next to them as Nines breathes in and out, in and out. They curl up there on the bench in the cell as Nines walks through what’s going on. 

They were at their desk. They had an attack. Connor and Hank brought them to this cell. Gavin went to go get coffee and Mandy. Mandy is here. She’s helping them calm down. Gavin is also here. He called them ‘baby’ and spoke softly to them to help them calm down. 

Wait. 

“G-Gavin?”

“Yeah?”

“Why…” Nines wraps their arms around Mandy and buries their face in her fur. 

“A little louder, Detective, I can’t hear you with your face full of dog.”

Nines squeezes their eyes shut. “Why did you call me ‘baby?’”

They can hear the bench creak as Gavin winces and shifts his weight. “Sorry about that, it, um, slipped out. I should’ve asked before, I know.”

Nines turns to look at him, cracking one eye open. “But why did you do it?”

Gavin’s LED cycles yellow as he looks down at his lap. His hands twist and rub together. He’s nervous. What about? Did Nines do something wrong?

Mandy growls and starts to lick their face again. Right, right. They pet her fur and wait for Gavin to find the words. 

“Humans use pet names and terms of endearment as a soothing mechanism,” Gavin mutters eventually, “and I figured if the protocol works for feral cats, it might…”

Nines’s eyes widen. “You…you researched how to make cats calm down?”

“I researched how to make humans calm things down, okay?”

“And you built a protocol for it!”

“Shut up,” Gavin says without any real heat. 

“And you tried it on me?”

“You were upset!” Gavin looks at them, gesturing to how they’re all curled up, Mandy protectively in their lap. “Your stress level was way too high and I didn’t know how to calm you down, so…”

Oh. 

Oh. 

That…that’s not so bad. Mandy, in their lap, borfs in agreement. Nines pats her as they stare at Gavin. 

“So…yeah.” Gavin scruffs a hand through his hair. “Sorry. About not asking. I won’t do it anymore.”

The thought of never hearing Gavin speak that softly again, even if it’s just to a feral cat too afraid to come in out of the storm, makes the pit in Nines’s stomach open up again. Mandy whines and butts her head against theirs. 

She’s right. They’re being stupid. 

“You can ask,” they mumble. 

“Huh?”

“You can ask.”

Gavin stares at them in confusion, wondering what they might be talking about. Nines keeps their gaze firmly on Mandy’s vest, until a soft ah comes from next to them. 

“Nines,” Gavin asks quietly, “can I call you ‘baby?’”

The word is back. The word is back and Nines’s tension is leaving because of it. Distantly, they nod. 

“Can you use your words for me?”

Mandy noses encouragingly at their cheek. “Yes.”

Gavin lets out a slow breath. “Thank you, baby.”

A low whine sounds in the room and Nines only knows it’s them when Mandy presses her cold nose to their forehead and whines too. Gavin chuckles low in his throat and calls them noisy in the most affectionate voice possible. 

“Can I come a bit closer, baby?”

Nines nods. “Yeah.”

Gavin slides closer, so close they can hear the soft whirr of the machinery in his chest. “Can I touch you, baby?”

Nines shakes their head. 

“Okay, thank you for telling me. Can I keep talking?”

“Yeah.”

“What would you like me to talk about?”

Nines sniffs. “Can you tell me about the last cat you found?”

Gavin begins to talk softly about the cat he found in the alleyway outside one of the big grocery stores downtown. Apparently, the poor thing was stuck behind a dumpster and he coaxed her out to take her to the vet. 

“She isn’t chipped or tagged,” Gavin says as Mandy pants against Nines’s neck, “and the vet said someone could adopt her right away if they wanted.”

“Are you going to?”

“Well, I’d have to check and make sure it was okay with Mandy first.”

Nines raises their head and looks at Gavin. “What? Why would you need to check with my service dog?”

Gavin meets his gaze, a light blue flush on his cheeks but his eyes are clear. “Well, if you were going to be hanging around my apartment, I wouldn’t want Mandy being distracted by a feral alley cat.”

The realization of what Gavin’s saying takes Nines’s breath away, but in a good way. Like a best-coffee-I’ve-ever-had, solved-a-really-hard-case kind of way. 

“I, um…I think she’d be okay with that.”

“Yeah, baby?” 

Nines nods enthusiastically and Gavin chuckles. 

“Then it’s a good thing I already had a name in mind, huh?”

“What is it?”

“Mia.”

“Mia and Mandy,” Nines muses, petting Mandy as she snuffles happily at their cheek, “I like it.”

“I’m glad.”

“You know,” Nines says, “I, um…I hope the protocol worked well with Mia.”

Gavin furrows his brow. “It did, why?”

“Because if you’re looking at things that humans do to help calm things down,” Nines says in a rush, a pink rush coming to his cheeks, “you, uh, you missed something.”

“And what’s that?”

“Physical contact.” Yep, definitely blushing. “Stimulates oxytocin, can be really soothing.”

Gavin chuckles again, low in his throat, and asks Nines to look at him. They do and they’ve never seen Gavin’s expression this soft before. 

“Are asking for a hug, baby?”

Nines nods, embarrassment and need warring in their throat. 

“Can you use your words?”

“M-may I—can I—if it’s—can—“ They grumble in frustration. 

“Take your time, I’m not going anywhere.”

Mandy rubs her nose against their chest. They tangle their fingers in her soft fur and take a breath. 

“Can I have a hug, please?”

“Of course, baby, come here.”

Gavin’s hair is soft. Almost as soft as Mandy’s fur.

[ace-in-a-shopping-cart]

Frozen For Love

Word Count: 1,830

Nines didn’t remember how they got there but at that point it no longer mattered. He remembered entering the freezer, following the trail of a case. Gavin came in to ask what was taking so long with Nines’ investigation and the door had been shut behind them.

Gavin had pounded on the door while Nines scanned it, trying to find a way to unlock it from the inside. “Detective, it seems that the internal release was tampered with.”

Gavin swore, kicking the door once more before beginning to pace.

“It makes sense,” Nines continued. “The victim was found in here, frozen. It’s only logical that the locking mechanism was broken at the time as well. It might even be the cause of death.”

Gavin made a fist but didn’t swing. Yet. Nines could see his rage and stress levels rising even as his temperature dropped. Looking around, he found a suitable place to sit, a nook in between a few bags that would provide some heat. He sat, legs splaying out in front of him.

“Detective, come here. It’s imperative that your body temperature not drop too far or else you could become hypothermic.” As annoying as the man could be, Nines felt distress at the idea of him being sick or injured in any way.

Gavin paced for a few more steps, ice crunching beneath his shoes, before he sighed. Nines noted the frost of breath as he sighed. Gavin’s pacing slowed until he was simply standing, hands on his hips. Nines held out his hands, providing a space for Gavin to sit down. Gavin sighed again and moved to sit down, his back to Nines’ chest. Nines curled his arms around Gavin, holding him close.

Nines closed his eyes and turned his attention inward, pushing as much heat as he could toward his front. Biocomponents sent messages to his HUD, some saying there wasn’t enough heat to function, others that there was too much heat. He pushed them all away and continued to redirect his heat into his chest and arms, hoping to warm Gavin like that.

“Gavin, you’d conserve more heat by taking off your coat and using it as a blanket.” Even as he spoke, Nines had already taken off his own jacket and passed it over for Gavin to layer up.

Gavin startled but took the coat, slipping his arms out of his own and pulling them both over himself, curling his legs close to his chest to conserve energy. Nines blinked away another warning that a biocomponent was too cold.

They sat in silence for a while before Gavin chuckled. “How long do you think it’ll be before people come to find us?” His voice was light, but strained.

Nines did a few quick calculations. “I estimate an hour, maybe two. We entered in the middle of the day and the kitchen is busy as this is a weekday. It shouldn’t be long before someone needs to access something in here.” Nines hoped he was right. He hoped they wouldn’t have to last longer than two hours. He wasn’t sure if Gavin could last longer than two hours.

Gavin nodded, resting his head back on Nines shoulder. Every time he breathed, Nines watched a small cloud of frost exit him. “I hope you’re right, tin can.”

Nines tightened his arms around Gavin, searching himself for any other source of heat he could transfer to his front to help Gavin stay warm. He placed his forehead on Gavin’s shoulder, letting his breath go down his neck in the hopes of providing just that much more warmth. His only mission objective right now was to protect Gavin Reed.

~~~~

Nines had said it would be two hours. According to Gavin’s watch, it was going on four now. He sighed, tired of counting the bags of nondescript food within his eye line. He didn’t think he’d ever get the number 54, the exact number of said bags, out of his head for a while.

“Hey, tin can? Tell me a joke.” There was no bite to the words, all of his fight being put into staying alive.

Gavin expected him to come back with some quip about amusing himself or complaining of being called ‘tin can’. Instead, Nines didn’t even respond. Gavin turned his head, expecting to see Nines’ tired face. The android’s LED was a glaring red and his eyes were unfocused.

Gavin shifted to his knees, throwing the coats off himself and turning to cradle Nines’ face in his hands. “Hey, hey, are you alright?” As much as he wanted to stay steady, as much as he wanted to pretend that he hated him, Gavin couldn’t keep the trembling out of his voice.

He tilted Nines’ head up, trying to see what was going on. His fingers brushed the back of Nines’ neck and found it as cold as the ice he was leaning against. Gavin gasped and pulled back a bit but forged on, hoping it was just because he was sitting with his back to ice that he felt cold.

Gavin put a hand on Nines’ chest and felt the heat he’d been feeling the whole time. His other hand rubbed a thumb across Nines’ cheek. Gavin looked back up at him and noticed the ice crystals that had gathered on the android’s eyelashes, gently wiping them away with his fingertips.

“Come on, tin can. Talk to me!” Gavin shook him a bit, panicking now. He stood, stumbling back over the discarded coats. Looking down at them, Gavin felt like he was in a daze. He slowly reached down and picked them up. Throwing Nines’ coat around his shoulders and holding the white fabric with one hand, he wrapped his own coat around Nines’ shoulders in an attempt to warm him up.

Gavin stumbled over to the door, his legs feeling numb. He banged on the door with his fist, needing to get the attention of anyone at this point. He screamed until his voice was raw, banged until he saw the ice turn red, and still no one came.

Just as he was starting to pass out, a click happened and the lock opened. Gavin, who had slid down the door to sit on the floor and stare at Nines, flopped onto a cold tile that felt like fire compared to the ice he’d been sitting on for the previous five hours.

The people around him shouted but all he could do was weakly point at Nines and beg someone to help him. He felt hands lift him but his eyes wouldn’t leave Nines as a stretcher was placed underneath him and he was carried away, eyes still focused on the freezer door. He only breathed again when he saw people bringing Nines out behind him.

He was medevacked to a nearby hospital and was treated for frostbite. He didn’t even care about himself and put the bill on the department’s tab, knowing it would be covered by that. As soon as the medical staff left him alone for a moment, Tina was by his side.

“How are you doing? What were you two doing in that freezer for so long?”

Gavin gripped her hand. “How’s Nines? He was worse off than I was the last time I saw him.” His grip tightened, eyes pleading. “T, I need to know how he’s doing. If he’s in bad shape, it’s my fault.”

She gripped his hand with both of hers. “I heard he’s fine. He should be repaired in a few hours. I’ll be sure to direct him here as soon as he’s functional, okay? Even if that means he’s got a mechanic on his back the whole time keeping him stable.”

Gavin breathed a sigh of relief, relaxing slightly into the hospital bed. “How much longer until I’m clear to leave? I hate hospitals.” He shivered.

“I know, Gav. Doc says you’ll have to be here overnight to make sure you’re actually fine. You were in there for a while. However, they said you weren’t as bad as they expected you to be for how long you were in there.”

Gavin nodded. “Nines kept me warm. Apparently, at the cost of his own functions.” He groaned, knocking his head against his pillow. “T, he almost died and I didn’t even notice. How am I supposed to deal with that?”

She shook her head. “I don’t know.” She fell silent, staying with him for a few more minutes before leaving to check on Nines.

Gavin spent the rest of the day in the hospital and drifted into a fitful sleep that night. The soft sound of a door opening woke him and he turned over to find Nines standing just inside the doorway. Gavin smiled, tears filling his eyes, and reached out a hand to him.

Nines crossed the room in three long strides and gripped Gavin’s hand, nearly crushing him before remembering that he was fragile. Pulling the chair closer, Nines sat with his legs practically under Gavin’s bed to be as close as possible. 

“How are you?”

Gavin laughed, a harsh sound. “Out of all the things to say, that’s what you go with? How are you?!”

Nines shrugged. “It’s the only thing I care about.”

Gavin didn’t know how to respond to that. “W-well, I could ask you the same thing! You almost shut down on me back there!” He reached forward to punch Nines’ shoulder. “What happened?”

Nines’ smile was bittersweet. “I diverted as much heat as I could evenly across my chest and arms to keep you as warm as possible. I underestimated how much heat each biocomponent needed to function and how much they could take and burnt out a few while freezing others. I’m fully repaired now, don’t worry.”

“Why didn’t you say anything sooner? We could have figured out some other way that didn’t include you killing a few organs to stay alive!”

Nines shrugged. “My only mission at that point was to keep you alive at all costs. My life was, and still is in my eyes, inconsequential in comparison to yours.” His voice was kind, tinged with affection, but also firm, as if he weren’t willing to budge on that.

Gavin weakly punched him in the chest. “No! You need to care for yourself more than you care for me, tin can! Our lives are equal!” Gavin didn’t truly believe that his own life was worth that of his partner’s but he needed Nines to see it that way.

Nines caught his fist and held both his hands. “Our lives are equal. But, I love you too much to see you harmed.”

Gavin stopped trying to hit him, stunned. “What? You love me?”

Nines shrugged, releasing one of his hands to rub the back of his neck. “I do.”

Gavin smiled, scoffing slightly. He knew his face must have resembled a tomato with how hot it felt. “Good. ‘Cause, I love you too.”

I currently don’t have a taglist for DBH/Reed900 fics but feel free to check out my masterlist before sending an ask to be added!

[samswinchesters]

a lot of white women in dbh fandom either fetishize white gay men. or sometimes they write these tone deaf self insert fics. usually depicting a white human lady who feels sorry for androids, showing how 'woke' she is by quoting mlk or nelson mandela or some other black person. it's like some of these people don't get how offensive it was for david cage to exploit the struggles of black people and they don't care either. they just want to fuck the white cop robot.

asjkdsajkld GO AHEAD KING STEP ON THIS PLATFORM BABEYYY! TAKE EVERYONE PRISONER!! LEAVE NO ONE LEFT ALIVE!!!

a lot of the fandom keep forgetting that their foundation is build on david cage’s exploitation of black people’s trauma, jewish people’s trauma, and profits off history that isn’t for him to tell. whenever a white person thinks they’re saying something by creating stories and films where “imaginary” characters are substitutes for marginalized people (ex. netflix’s “bright” and amazon prime’s “carnival row”). fairies, elves, and orcs go through a type of discrimination that is a lot like racism because of who they are, how they look, and how they are perceived as “other”. this is just a way for white people to digest the meaning of racism but it’s also incredibly harmful because it gives the perception that this doesn’t happen at all today when in reality, it is...and people are dying because of it. gosh not to get emotional but i was rewatching some of dbh because there was a mod for it and just...the way that this game is echoing a lot of what’s happening right now is just...it’s horrible! how can y’all demonize a violent revolution?? how dare a white person think that violence isn’t the answer when there is literal violence coming from the opposing side. then there’s the whole fucking fist symbol, the “i can’t breathe” shit, the “we have a dream”, the “hands up, don’t shoot”...literally getting sick thinking about how the game got away with so much shit and no one batted a fucking eyelash.

seriously, you really did capture this whole fandom in a nutshell. it’s incredibly frustrating when at the end of the day, the only thing the fandom walks away with from playing/watching the game is that connor is hot, nothing else. everyone’s attention is only drawn to connor’s storyline where they only care about him and the characters within his little world. it’s mainly white people (specifically white women) who are out here drooling over hankcon and reed900 as if gay men are some sort of sideshow attraction and say that they care about gay people when they don’t. even with rk1k, the ship between markus and connor, there are some works and fanart that depict a lot of racial stereotypes of markus and that shit ain’t right. people make fanfiction for stale side white characters and for what purpose? why can’t y’all think of headcanons for josh, a history university lecturer who definitely knows that history is repeating itself. what about rose and her son adam? why can’t y’all expand on her story and actually explore why she got into helping androids the that she does? and above all, why don’t y’all white stannies DESPISE markus? he is the literal at the center of dbh, this is his story...how are y’all just gonna brush him aside because you think he’s “boring”? this is not only the fault of DC but also the entire fandom. i have seen fandom literally create a character’s whole ass backstory, complete with fears and wants and dreams, for a side character that doesn’t fucking matter. trust if gavin was actually a man of color, he would be hated and cancelled. if hank was a man of color, he wouldn’t be forgiven for his past prejudices. hell, if connor was a man of color, y’all would NOT be this way with him...that’s on racism.

i did wanted to make this a separate paragraph because as a lot of y’all know, i used (maybe still..who knows) to write for dbh and i have seen firsthand the type of fics you described. the reader is either described as having the same prejudice as hank towards androids or the reader thinks “androids rights!” but it’s so base level activism and fake woke. like come on, girly, i don’t give a shit if you educated yourself by reading things, now what are you gonna do with the knowledge? how are you going to help this population? have you checked your own biases? then...that kinda gets to another thing where it drives me bananas thinking that white authors will write the reader as not having any sympathy towards androids...like what about us people of color who hurt alongside with them? who know what it’s like? it’s so vile to think that an author could write a reader to be so uncaring...it comes from a privileged place and that’s why i literally hate the self-insert dbh fandom. there is no representation whatsoever and whenever something is marketed as “neutral”, it never really is if the reader doesn’t care about androids. if the reader is actually written as neutral and to be “woke”, it’s a big ole bruh moment when they be like “why can’t we all get along :(” like fuck off!! we can’t get along because we still got a fucking police state, racist people in the streets, and the literal production of servants of color WHO STAND AT THE BACK OF THE BUS!! what is the reader doing about it? what are their biases? what are their privileges, if any? that’s why there’s not a single reader insert that is truly “neutral” because we know racism hasn’t been eradicated in the year 2038 (despite what rose said y’all KNOW that shit is deeply rooted and if the same establishments are still in place in detroit, we know racism hasn’t left) so we know that there will still be discrimination towards people of color. we can’t have neutral readers when writing in the dbh universe because that shit goes hand in hand. people of color, more so women of color, are gonna be far more sympathetic/empathetic towards androids and their cause than white people because they see a lot of themselves in them.

that’s why i tried to write for latinx readers while i was actively in the dbh fandom as a way to get the fandom into diversifying the reader. i have been incredibly vocal on my writing blog about these issues and though i was overwhelmed with love, support, and praise, i still wasn’t seeing the change the fandom promised to do. i was still seeing the same white reader being advertised as “neutral” ...and it hurt. neutral readers can’t provide the much needed nuances to discuss racism and discrimination about androids (since they symbolize black people/people of color do not argue this) because there needs to be a deeper understanding. yes, i have some privileges where i haven’t experienced half the shit others have experienced and i am not the spokesperson for people of color everywhere but i just know that we can no longer write neutral readers anymore when it comes to shit like this. it’s like when y’all right for 1940s!bucky barnes, you know damn well a woman of color would NOT be treated fairly during that time. that’s the nuance. you must be able to have the room to talk about it because then the work of fiction caters to white women. out of sight, out of mine and they go back to fucking connor. honestly, clown behavior.

no more “being hank’s daughter”, “gavin reed’s sister”, “reader that doesn’t care about androids/doesn’t believe in rights for androids” and other bullshit like that. society has progressed past being associated with white people!! fuck that shit xx

[charmingnines]

want - reed900 through connor’s pov fic

summary: 

“When Gavin got shot, I thought that he was-that he was-” Nines broke off. “Humans are such idiots,” he said miserably. Suddenly, something clicked into place for Connor. “Are you and Reed-?”

Nines and Gavin getting together through Connor's perspective ft. Connor being protective, Hank&Connor being cute, and Nines freaking out over an injured Gavin!

read it on ao3

or read the rest below vvv

Connor was protective of Nines. Too protective, Hank had said. But Connor couldn’t help it. Nines was basically his little brother, though Nines was taller and (technically) more advanced than Connor.

It’d been months since the revolution. Months since Markus had deviated Nines. Connor knew, though he’d never outright said it, that Nines was bothered he hadn’t chosen to deviate. Nines had asked, soon after being awoken, what deviating had been like for Connor.  

“It was like I was stuck behind a wall,” Connor had said. “But every time I tore it down there was another.”  

“What made you keep going?” Nines had asked.

“I didn’t want to do what they programmed me to do,” Connor had said. “I wanted to help Markus, not kill him. I wanted….” Connor had trailed off, looking out the backyard window where Hank was playing with Sumo. Sumo kept lunging for the toy in Hank’s hand. Connor could tell by Hank’s face that he was laughing.

Connor had turned back to Nines, who had a look of longing on his face that made Connor’s chest hurt. Nines didn’t show emotion often, a side effect of his intimidating design, but when he did….

“I think it’s a good thing you didn’t choose to deviate,” Connor had said. “You were born- awoken- with free will. You get to figure out your own purpose, right from the start.”

At that, Nines’ mouth had quirked to the side. His equivalent of a full-blown grin.

The next morning, as Connor waited for Hank to get ready for work, Nines told Connor he’d figured out his purpose.

“I want to work at the DPD,” Nines said.

“Oh,” Connor said, surprised at Nines’ speed. Connor had been under the impression it took people a lot of time, sometimes their whole lives, to figure out their purpose. Though, Connor reasoned, Nines was an advanced prototype. “Are you sure?”

“Yes,” Nines said, without a trace of hesitation.  

Then, Hank walked out the bedroom, absentmindedly kissing Connor on the temple as he made his way into the kitchen for coffee.

“Nines wants to work at the DPD,” Connor told him.

“Hm. Makes sense,” Hank said.  

“Makes sense,” Nines echoed to Connor, smiling slightly.

“You know, you don’t have to do what you were programmed for,” Connor reminded Nines.

“You do what you’re programmed for,” Nines pointed out.

From the kitchen, Hank laughed. “He’s got a point there, Connor.”

Connor’s LED spun yellow. It wasn’t that Connor didn’t want Nines to work with him. He just wanted Nines to consider all of his options.

“You’re sure?” Connor asked again, studying Nines’ face.  

Nines’ jaw was set, his expression open. “I’m sure,” he said.

“Okay,” Connor said. “I’ll talk to Fowler.”

_

Connor and Hank were talking in bed, Connor leaning against Hank’s chest. “I can’t believe how quickly Fowler said yes,” Connor said.

“I can,” Hank said. “Fowler could fire most of the precinct if Nines is half as good as you.”

“Most of the precinct?” Connor said, agitated.  

“Kidding,” Hank said quickly.

Nines had been overjoyed when Connor had told him the news, LED spinning bright blue. Nines had retired to the guest room after Hank ate dinner, going into stasis to prepare for his first day.

“Hey,” Hank said, thumb brushing over Connor’s LED, which had been circling yellow since he’d talked to Fowler. “You’re thinkin’ too hard.”

Connor intertwined his hand with Hank’s free one, sighing. “Just nervous.”

“Don’t be,” Hank said, squeezing Connor’s hand. “Besides, even if you tell him not to go, he won’t listen. Stubborn little shit gets that from being around you.”

Connor laughed weakly.

Hank squeezed Connor’s hand. “It’ll be fine,” he assured. Then, Hank kissed Connor. Connor took Hank’s advice and stopped worrying, at least for the rest of the night.

_

Introductions started off well enough. Fowler was gruff as always. Chris was welcoming and kind. Tina shook Nines’ hand with only a blink of surprise at he and Connor’s resemblance.

They weren’t the ones Connor was overly worried about Nines meeting. Detective Reed, on the other hand….

Reed had changed, since the revolution. He’d even apologized to Connor, afterwards. He, like the majority of the public, had been shaken at peacefully protesting androids being killed and shipped off to camps.

Reed still called Connor ‘dipshit’, but it seemed more out of habit than malice. Connor wasn’t sure what Nines would make of Reed; he’d been unable to preconstruct any solid outcomes of their meeting.

“Who’s that?” Nines asked, cocking his head to where Reed had just sat down at his desk.  

“Detective Reed,” Connor told him. “We don’t have to go over right away. He hasn’t always-” Nines was already striding over to Reed’s desk. “-liked androids,” Connor finished.

Nines has to meet him sometime, Connor told himself, walking over to join Nines. Reed’s gaze bounced between Nines and Connor, something like amusement behind his eyes. “Twins, huh? I almost feel bad for Anderson.” Reed finally said.  

“I feel bad for Hank, as well,” Nines said, gesturing to Hank’s desk across from Reed’s. “I suppose it’s too late for him to choose the desk furthest from you.”  

Connor winced. Reed, strangely enough, started to grin, Nines’ antagonism seeming to please him. “He’s even more of smart ass than you,” Reed said in faux awe to Connor.

“I’m not a smart ass,” Connor protested.

“Yes, you are,” Nines and Reed said at the same time. Reed laughed.

“Nines,” Nines said, extending his hand.

Reed took it. “Gavin.”

Connor looked between the two of them, bewildered. What had just happened?

_

Connor should’ve predicted that Nines and Reed would be partnered together. Reed hadn’t had a partner in a few months and Nines was perfectly qualified to work alongside a detective.

“So, how’re you and Reed getting along?” Hank asked, after a few weeks.

“Fine,” Nines said. “Good.”

“I think Fowler’s just pleased you didn’t ask to be re-assigned after one day,” Hank joked.  

Nines smiled. “I don’t give up so easily.”  

“He’s been… civil with you?” Connor ventured.

Nines thought for a moment. “Gavin can be… argumentative at times,” he said. Then, shrugging, “I think he’s realized he’s stuck with me.”

Hank whistled. “Stick with him for a few more weeks and you’ll be the longest Reed has ever kept a partner.”

Connor leaned forward. “You know, if he ever crosses a line-”

Nines waved Connor off. “I can deal with Gavin.”

_

Three months later, and Nines’ statement still rang true. He really could deal with Reed. The precinct had even stopped taking bets on how long they would stay partners.

When Nines and Reed went out on their first few cases alone, Connor hadn’t been able to put down his coin. Watching the pair now, heads bent together over a terminal, talking out possibilities for their latest case, Connor felt silly for ever being worried.

Nines was good for Gavin. The longer Nines was partners with Reed, the less hostile and angry Reed seemed to become. Nines didn’t ‘take any of Reed’s shit’, as Hank liked to put it.

Connor’s sensitive hearing caught Reed’s appreciative “You genius motherfucker-!” after Nines made a particularly clever connection between the evidence they’d gathered.

It was only when Nines grinned, eyes alight at Reed’s words, that Connor considered Reed might be just as good for Nines as Nines was for Reed.

_

Connor got to the hospital as soon as he could. Hank had driven him, squeezing Connor’s hand reassuringly the whole drive. They found Nines in the waiting room, pacing back and forth.

“Nines,” Connor said. “Are you hurt?” He’d never seen Nines look so unkempt, clothes torn and soaked with blood and thirium. The other people in the waiting room kept eyeing him nervously.

“Nothing major,” Nines said, though his LED was red.  

“Sit down,” Connor beckoned. Nines sat, but wouldn’t stop jiggling his leg. Connor didn’t think Nines even realized he was doing it.

“What happened?” Hank asked.  

“Red ice dealers,” Nines said. Connor and Hank nodded in understanding. High humans did not make good judgement calls, especially when they had guns.

“I didn’t have enough time. Gavin. He- he jumped in front of me,” Nines said, like he couldn’t even believe it himself. He looked at Connor with tearful eyes. “I didn’t have enough time,” he repeated.

“It’s gonna be okay,” Connor said.

“My partner was shot,” Nines said sharply.

“But Reed’s alive, right?” Hank asked.

Nines nodded. “They won’t let me see him.”

“They will soon,” Connor assured.

“First time shots are fired is a shock for everyone,” Hank said.

“I just-” Nines stood up and swayed on his feet.

“O-kay,” Hank said, gently pressing Nines back into his seat. “I’ll go find some thirium and Connor will stay with you.”  

Nines deflated in his seat, so different from his usually excellent posture.  

“You know, just because we’re androids doesn’t mean we’re perfect,” Connor said.

Nines looked questioningly at Connor.

“I’m saying, not everything is predictable,” Connor clarified. “It’s okay to mess up, sometimes.” He and Hank had had their fair share of fights over that statement, when Connor was too hard on himself about work. It’d taken Connor a long time to realize that being imperfect was an integral part of being a person.  

“It’s not about that,” Nines said. Connor blinked. “When Gavin got shot, I thought that he was-that he was-” Nines broke off. “Humans are such idiots,” he said miserably.  

Suddenly, something clicked into place for Connor. “Are you and Reed-?”

“Yes,” Nines said.

“That’s- that’s amazing,” Connor choked out.

Nines’ laugh was watery. “I know you don’t really like him.”

“That doesn’t matter,” Connor said quickly.

Then, Hank returned with a pouch full of thirium, handing it to Nines. Hank cocked his head at Connor’s shocked expression just as the doctor arrived. “Later,” Connor whispered.

“Mr. Reed is in stable condition. He’s groggy from the pain medication we’ve administrated. We’ll permit one visitor at a time as to not overwhelm him,” the doctor said.

Nines stood up immediately, following the doctor to a room just off the waiting room.

Connor could hear just the start of their conversation as the door to Reed’s room slowly closed.

“Hey, tincan,” Reed said, voice tired and gentle.

“Don’t ever do that again, asshole,” Nines said, sounding choked up.

“I love you, too,” Reed said, more earnest than Connor had ever heard him.

[transdro1ds]

My new terrible AU that sprung into my head fully formed like a reverse Athena is a theater AU and it’s...

Look for some reason this quote from that I love from Much Ado About Nothing popped into my head: “I love you with so much of my heart that none is left to protest.” Ah! Beautiful. Since my brain is 90% Reed900 now, my brain immediately went “wHAT IF—“

So this is not an AU where they’re Beatrice and Benedick, this is an AU where they *play* Beatrice and Benedick in a gender-blind production of Shakespeare. (Look, this is something you don’t know about me, but I’ve done a lot of live theater in my life including quite a bit of Shakespeare and I have lots of opinions about casting and I think gender-blind casting is the best just in general.)

Gavin plays Benedick and Nines plays Beatrice (nonbinary Nines in this AU for SURE btw). I know your first impulse is to cast Gavin as Beatrice and that was my first impulse too but listen, that’s wrong. It’s better this way.

Gavin as goofy, cocky, self-deprecating Benedick is prime content. It’s great and it’s really good. Meanwhile, Nines gets to channel their rage into Beatrice, which is something Nines doesn’t get to do very often in fics.

If Nines is Beatrice, Nines gets to say this line about a character who disgraced Beatrice’s cousin but who she is supposedly powerless to take direct revenge upon because of her gender:

O GOD, THAT I WERE A MAN! I WOULD EAT HIS HEART IN THE MARKETPLACE.

And, if Nines is Beatrice, it’s Nines who says the line “I love you with so much of my heart that none is left to protest.” And I like that so much better coming from Nines than coming from Gavin.

Much Ado is a good play for these two in general because it’s about two proud lonely idiots having to humble themselves enough to admit that they’re in love with each other. Sound familiar? Oh, that’s every Reed900 fic? Yup! Tale as old as time!

What other thoughts did I have let me think

When Benedick overhears a staged conversation about how Beatrice is in love with him: “Love ME? WHY?” Excellent.

I think this would be a really fun fic to explore everything that I love about acting and how when you and your scene partner are both really serious about acting, it brings you very close to them emotionally even if you didn’t intend that or necessarily want it. You feel every feeling that your character feels through them and you are also just so happy that you’re both such AMAZING GODDAMN ACTORS that this scene is BRILLIANT and it wouldn’t be this good if your scene partner hadn’t WORKED SO HARD AND IF THEY WERENT SUCH A GOOD ACTOR so even if you think they’re an obnoxious prick offstage, when you’re acting together you feel so proud of the art you’re making together and you kind of fucking adore them for the effort and talent that they’ve thrown into the scene.

Also, my favorite thing about any AU where Gavin isn’t a cop and was never a cop is making him say to Nines, “Did you know I was almost a cop?” I just think it’s funny.

I’m sorry I’m actually really sick today and I’ll make this a better and more cohesive post when I’m not so scrambled. Don’t reblog this one, I’ll make a better one! But I wanted to get this idea out into the world RIGHT now

[connorssock]

Reed900 being fluffy?? Not enough of those in fics I read.

One serving of fluffy Reed900 coming right up (with a healthy side of crack)!

Dream Come True

The hospital smelt of antiseptic. It was no different to any other hospital really, other than the fact that it was the one that was looking after Gavin. Connor wring his hands nervously as the nurse led them to the door, it was his fault Gavin was there in the first place. He hadn’t means to push his chair back from his desk just as Gavin was walking past with a fresh mug of coffee. The consequent tumble wouldn’t have been so bad if the mug hadn’t fallen and Connor’s instincts hadn’t kicked in. He saw the mug go flying out of the corner of his eye and moved to grab it before it shattered on the ground at the same time as Gavin had stumbled and reached for anything to grab onto to prevent his fall. They’d ended up in a heap on the ground, chair tipped over them and Gavin’s arm trapped under Connor at an unfortunate angle.

“He’s still a bit woozy from the sedation,” the nurse warned them as she opened the door.

Connor, along with Hank and Nines stepped into the room and looked over Gavin.

“Woah!” Gavin’s eyes went wide as he took them in and he smiled.

“How are you feeling?” Nines asked as he pushed past the other two.

“So much better now that you’re here. Has anyone ever told you you’re really pretty?” Gavin gave him a sloppy grin before he looked down at his cast. “Awesome, I’m a badass. Do you like heores? Because only heroes have casts.”

“I think you’ll find it’s actually: not all heroes wear capes,” Connor corrected and Gavin’s head snapped up to him.

“There’s two of you. Sweet,” he let out a little laugh, “but you’re not the same. You”, he vaguely gestured towards Connor, “you’re pretty but funny looking. You though,” he waved towards Nines, “you’re the hot identical twin that’s not the same.”

In the background Hank let out a snort and Gavin’s eyes landed on him.

“You!” he yelled and pointed animatedly. “I know you!”

“Hello Gavin,” Hank replies and he frowns in worry when Gavin gawps.

“Santa! You know my name!”

There was nothing in the world that could stop Hank from laughing. It also drew giggles from Connor and Nines huffed out an entertained snort. Immediately, Gavin’s attention was back on Nines.

“I should give you my number,” he announced proudly.

“Okay then,” Nines humoured him with a small smile. “What’s your number?”

Gavin’s gaze shifted to the far wall as he frowned in thought. He drew a deep breath.

“Two.”

Silence stretched in the room as the watched Gavin smiling proudly.

“Your number is…two?” Connor asked hesitantly.

“Yep,” Gavin nodded sagely. “It’s my favourite number. Plus there’s two of you. But only one of you is good looking. And there’s one of me. One plus one is two. Like Roman numerals. Did you know to depict the number two, they draw two lines? And for three they draw three? Those Romans were so deviously clever.”

Hank plopped down in the chair at the back of the room and bit his hand to stifle the laughter. He’d seen Gavin angry before, grumpy, frustrated, a few times happy and twice close to tears. But never before had he been so freely delighted.

“We should get married,” Gavin seemed elated at his genius. “I’d treat you right, love you like something as beautiful ought to be treasured.”

He huffed out a open mouthed breath and frowned at it.

“Huh. Thought there’d be fire because you’re the prize gem in my hoard as a dragon.”

Nines took pity on him then, first he turned to Connor.

“Turn off your audio-receptors,” he said before turning back to Gavin and leaning forward to whisper something in his ear.

From where he sat, Hank had prime view of Gavin’s face first dropping into stunned awe before a smile blossomed across his face, crinkling his eyes and his cheeks dimpled. Nines straightened up and Gavin threw himself back against the bed with a mind boggled smile.

“Holy shit Santa,” he looked straight at Hank, “I must be on your nice list for you to bring him here. Did you know we’re engaged to be married in secret?”

Stunned silence reigned in the room. Connor glanced between them, oblivious to the conversation he’d just missed but not missing the sudden surprised silence.

“I don’t know why I thought you’d be able to keep your mouth shut,” Nines sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose in a most human fashion.

“Is it because I’ve got a big dick? I bet that’s the only reason you’re marrying me,” Gavin valiantly tried to lift the cover to get a look before Connor and Nines both jumped to keep him decent.

That was the moment the nurse returned, ready to shoo them out as visiting hours were over. Even as the door shut behind them, it was impossible to miss Gavin’s voice delightedly talking to the nurse.

“You saw the hot one, right? The really good looking one? Don’t tell anyone because it’s a secret, but we’re getting married! I get to keep him and call him mine.”

As annoyed as Nines tried to be about their secret being reveal in such fashion, it was difficult to begrudge Gavin and the way pride and happiness carried in his voice. He might regret it once the drugs left his system, but for the time being he seemed utterly over the moon.

             The next day, Nines went to pick Gavin up by himself. One night at the hospital was more than enough, his arm was splinted until a cast could be applied at the end of the week. He pushed the door to Gavin’s room open and watched him for a moment.

“You going to stand there and stare, or are you actually going to help?”

Gavin was trying to pull his jacket over his good arm and drape the other side over his shoulder but was failing miserably. Without a sound, Nines walked over and tugged it all off.

“Here,” he offered his own jacket, slightly bigger and easier to wrap around Gavin.

“Thanks,” Gavin rubbed his face tiredly. “Please tell me I didn’t call Hank Santa yesterday.”

“I would tell you but I am programmed not to lie,” Nines settled on the bed next to him and wrapped an arm around his waist. Gavin tipped his head against Nines’ shoulder and closed his eyes.

“But I can tell you,” Nines fought hard to keep the smile from his voice, “that I’m marrying you for more than just how well you are endowed.”

Gavin snorted and shoved against Nines with a muttered “prick”. But he didn’t object when Nines helped him up from the side of the bed, tied his shoelaces for him and tucked him under an arm as they walked out of the hospital.