Chapter Text
It’s 4 PM on a Monday, and Gavin turns in his chair and uncharacteristically speed walks out of the station. It’s the end of his 8-4 shift, he has all the right to leave. Nines looks up, debates going after him, then shakes his head.
Gavin’s an adult, he doesn’t need help, he can handle himself.
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It’s 3:28 PM on a Wednesday, and Gavin leaves early. He returns to the precinct with Nines, fills out paperwork, then leaves. It’s 1 hour to the end of his shift, and they have nothing to do. Gavin can do what he wants, it’s not an easy battle to fight with him. Nines decides against going after him again this time. He pointed out that Gavin was late earlier and got a pen thrown at him.
Gavin’s crass, and in any little argument with him, he’ll bring up your worst parts. Nines can’t do that today. He turns and gets up, and he goes to talk with Connor and Hank.
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It’s 3:57 PM on a Friday.
Gavin is speed walking out of the door a͔᷿͎͕͓͒͑͐͑͒͒g͔͕͕͕͒͑͒͒͐a͔͓͕͑͒͒i͔͔͕͕͐͒͑͒n͕͔͓͓͒͑͒ . He was late this morning a͔᷿͎͕͓͒͑͐͑͒͒g͔͕͕͕͒͑͒͒͐a͔͓͕͑͒͒i͔͔͕͕͐͒͑͒n͕͔͓͓͒͑͒ . Captain Fowler is, surprisingly, not angry with him.
Nines is no longer worried about it. What Gavin does in his personal time is none of his concern. As long as Gavin stays out of trouble does his share of work, nothing is to be questioned.
There is another error as Nines feels something unidentifiable.
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Sunday passes by quickly.
It’s Gavin’s day off, and nobody is on edge in the bullpen. Most are happier without him. Tina and Chris’s moods don’t change. They're Gavin’s only friends. Nines spends his empty time organizing the evidence panel that Gavin carelessly put together. No big cases, just a bit of stuff awaiting court dates. The room feels colder without Gavin there.
He stands and thinks about Gavin.
He wanted to be Gavin’s friend, or at least someone he trusted. He wanted to know more , but Gavin’s a private person. He steps on toes and knocks people over and is careless. He doesn’t hate deviants, he hates androids. As long as they had feelings, they were good in his book. He likes coffee and cigarettes and tried to stop smoking before, but then the revolution happened.
It’s a lot to take in.
Nines is still learning how to live.
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It’s 2:30 PM on a Monday.
Gavin’s smoking at the crime scene. Once everything is done, Nines makes small talk with Connor and Gavin goes back to the truck.
When Nines returns, Gavin is up against the grill, head down and arms crossed. He’s trembling and rubs his arm across his face. It occurs to him that Gavin is crying.
It’s a silent drive to the precinct. Gavin walks into the bullpen, takes one look at his terminal, and just stops. Nines turns around to find that Gavin has his hand over his mouth and his eyes shut tight. Nines turns to try and find Tina to help him, and when he looks back, Gavin is gone.
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It’s now 2 and a half hours into their shift on Tuesday.
Gavin hasn’t shown up.
He didn't come to work that day, and when Nines inquired about his whereabouts to the Captain he was met with indifference and was ignored until he left.
When asked, Tina shrugged, smiling. “This happens every year around this time. Don’t take it t’ heart, it’s just some personal shit that only Fowley boy knows about. He’ll be back eventually.”
Nines nodded, “Do you know what’s going on?”
“Never asked.”
Figures. Gavin hardly shared things with people, and if they asked, he’d either yell and leave or answer and distance himself from that person. It caused a lot of mistrust between him and the other officers.
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It’s Wednesday. Gavin’s gone again. The Captain looks stressed and Hank can’t understand why Nines is so worried about Gavin.
“Kid’s always been a pain in the ass, why the hell would you miss him? He threw a pen at you for fucks sake! You ever see Miller doin’ that to Chen when she’s in his way?”
He just doesn’t get it . He’s not good at this.
Nines is a few months old.
Nines is still learning how to live.