After Hours

by SSAvalon

Summary:

A strange, almost glitching sound came from above, but he didn’t still his movements until he felt fingers push over his scalp, grabbing onto his hair and yanking his head back.

“Jesus, what the f-”

Reed froze, hand tangled in cables, looking at RK900. A deep blue blush colored his cheeks, moving down over his clavicle and chest. His stoic composure from seconds before was now completely gone, replaced by a wide eyed glare. Even his perfectly quaffed hair had shifted just enough that a few strands now hung in his face. His body seemed to be in some sort of panic mode, giving the effect of heavy breathing.

“I told you to avoid the wires.”

Chapter 1

Detective Reed poured his third cup of coffee for the evening, the breakroom only dimly lit by the lights beyond the glass wall. This late night was an unfortunate side effect of a job well done. Several, in fact. Initially it had caused a large amount of animosity when RK900 was assigned to Reed, first for the more obvious reasons, and then to the stranger one; They were an excellent team. On more than one occasion, Gavin would be sure to remind his new partner that he was more than capable before their sudden partnership, but there was no question that his success as a detective was now skyrocketing. He now had multiple cases solved so swiftly that the paperwork wasn't getting handled before they were needed on a new investigation. It was an excellent issue to have, in terms of his career, and with his lack of any real social life outside of the precinct, he didn't mind pulling a few all-nighters here and there. At times it was preferable to laying in bed, staring at the ceiling and getting increasingly pissed off at the click click click of the clock on his wall. This way he was at least utilizing his time.

Nine’s and him now had, what he would consider, a functional working relationship. Many on the outside would disagree, seeing the two exchange snarky comments, arguments, and Gavin storming off more than a few times. However, knowing how hostile they’d been for their first year together, this was a significant improvement. Still, when Nines offered to speed up the process regarding these evening shifts, Gavin was quick to shut him down. A few hours alone, no petty spats, no stupid people in his way, the dark and quiet where he can drink his coffee in peace? The piles of paperwork were a small price to pay.

And as if God was playing a cosmic prank on Gavin (as was how he commonly felt), a sound disrupted the silence the moment the coffee passed over his lips. The rare sense of calm he had been lulled into quickly pulled taught as the badge reading system for the bullpen beeped and released the entry door. Anxiety zipped through his spine and the normal tension in his shoulders returned. With gritted teeth, he slammed down his mug on the granite countertop and moved into the open room. He was hoping, praying even, that someone had simply left a key or jacket and was only making a brief appearance but, somehow, he knew who it was before he saw him. 

Nines stood at Gavin's desk, hand resting on the surface, one ankle crossed over the other. A casual pose for anyone else, but somehow still so stiff and polished on him. Gavin crossed his arms and glared across the silent room. Nines returned the contact, cold eyes unblinking. His face, unlike Gavins, was blank, but there was a glint in his eyes that cast the illusion of a smirk playing on his lips. Or maybe Gavins's mind was playing tricks on him… no, fuck this guy, he was doing this on purpose. What ‘this’ was, he was not going to find out over a staring contest. 

“Go home.” Gavin demanded, breaking the tense silence between them, as was his way. Nines shook his head, looking down at the floor, and this time Gavin was sure he saw a shitty little grin. 

“Is something funny, asshole?” RK900 let out a small sigh as he looked back up, no longer hiding his smile. 

“Trust me, detective, I am not her for my personal enjoyment.”

“Well, you’re not here to work either, I already told you, I need this time to-”

“Yes, yes, I know, you just love being as unproductive as possible. I’ll allow you to do your work the impractical way.” 

The dig along-side being cut off had Gavins's blood pressure rising. “Well, then, it sounds like you don’t need to fucking be here.”

Nines composure cracked, for a moment a look flitted across his face that was hard to place. Irritation perhaps? Anxiety? Gavin already had trouble interpreting emotions on people, but Nines was a lockbox with no seams. He almost looked as if he was second guessing himself, a thoughtful moment passing before he pulled something small from his pocket. 

“Hey, tin can, use your words.”

“I need your help.”

Nines words came out a bit rushed and he kept his eyes on his hand. Was he… embarrassed? Gavins's mood suddenly shifted, a development he wasn’t expecting.

“You… need my help?” It was his turn to smile, the corner of his mouth curving into a lopsided smirk. In place of a response, Nines moved across the room and held out the small metal object in his hand. Gavin looked down, confused. When he returned his gaze to RK900, those blue eyes were steadily holding on his face. “What? Is this some sort of evidence you need to catalog?” Gavin asked, too confused to do anything but ask a genuine question.

“No, it’s a compression joint, model 4K2010, spring loaded, with a fiber-”

“Eh, okay, enough technobabble. If you need some sort of upgrade go find an IT guy or something, I don’t know shit about this stuff.”

“You don’t need to; I have access to all of my own installation manuals. I can walk you through it.”

“Walk me through what? - Wait, no, stop, I don’t have time for this, do it yourself.”

“I have already tried, you really think you would be my first choice?”

Gavin plastered on a sarcastic smile, no humor reaching his eyes. “Flattery will get you everywhere.”

Nines ignored him, “It seems that most alterations would have originally been made within a Cyberlife facility with me powered down. For small things like this, there are some strange…” For a moment Nines seemed at a loss for words, something Gavin had never seen, “Side effects. I don’t know if it's just some sort of minor feedback issue, maybe an oversight in some wiring, or perhaps an unexpected effect due to RA9…” He seemed to ruminate on this, but Gavin was becoming even more impatient.

“Then go to one of those new Cyberlife Clinics, or Jericho-”

“I can’t.” He cut in.

“What the fuck do you mean you-”

“I can’t .” His voice was louder now, less controlled. “I’m not… Jericho is not a home to me, and Cyberlife-” His LED began to flicker red. Gavin once more questioned why he chose not to remove it. Nines cleared his throat. “Look, I don’t need their help, I can do this myself, I just… need a second pair of hands. That's all. 15 minutes and I’ll be gone.” 

Gavin clicked his tongue, deciding how to respond. After a decent length of contemplation, he picked up the small item. It was a small cylinder, with metal rings that seemed to hook into a larger mechanism. “And where is this going?”

“It slots into the armature of my femoral head, a smaller part of the TTD000-” Gavin shot him a look of pure irritation, and Nines redirected. “It goes near my hip. If I don’t fix it, I could end up needing to replace the entire leg.” 

Gavin moved it around, looking at the way the dim light reflected on its chrome surface. 

“So, what, I just plug it in?”

“Basically. You’ll go in through my abdomen and avoid the wiring.”

Gavin looked both startled and skeptical. “You would trust me to go digging around inside you?”

“I don’t trust anyone, but you’re the best option I’ve got.”

The silence returned, each holding a steady gaze until, as always, Gavin caved first.

“Fine.”

___________________________________________________________________________

 

“I’m not gonna get therium stains on my shit, am I?”

“Not unless you do something very wrong.”

Nines stood in the breakroom, back up against the counters, Gavin sat in a chair directly in front of him. 

“And I’m not going to get electrocuted, right?”

Nines seemed to deem that question too stupid to answer and began removing his high-collared shirt. Gavin watched as his long fingers effortlessly popped each button, revealing pale, smooth skin stretched taught over lean muscles. He shucked off his jacket but left the shirt open and hanging from his broad shoulders, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. Slowly, the skin below his belly button retracted, and in its places was black shining plastic with small blue grooves making lines and patterns on the surface. Nines had explained the process, but Gavin still felt hesitant as he brought his hand up to the polished surface. He was surprised by the almost carbon fiber-like texture as his fingers slid over Nines’ real skin; he had assumed it would be smooth. The blue seems gave off a faint glow and he ran another finger down one, heat radiating from what he assumed was therium. Nines took what felt like a small, shuddering breath and Gavin snapped out of… whatever the hell that was. He must have been tired. Not enough coffee.

He didn’t look up, just placed his fingers where he was told to and pressed. The compartment opened, and for just a second Gavin became dizzy at the prospect of what he would see. He has witnessed a lot in his line of work, but the concept of seeing inside of a living being created a pit in his stomach.

Relief washed over him when he looked into a clean, glowing chamber. Like a lovingly built PC from a dork with too much time on their hands. Wires of white and blue were clearly organized, some in bundles. The cool, blue glow shone off of the interior white surfaces. This front compartment had a limited view to RK900’s hardware, a glint of dark black steel that may have been some sort of spine only partially viable through the wiring. It was disconcerting, but not disturbing. Reed leaned forward, looking down. There were more wires and near the front were two cylindrical objects connecting to some sort of base, above both of the legs and dipping down in the middle. Seeing clearly where Nines’ joint connected brought the image of a Ken doll to Gavins's mind.

“So…” Reed looked between the two connection points, and then up at Nines. By leaning in to see better, Reed had moved to the very edge of his seat. Now looking up, his face was directly up against the muscular bare stomach in front of him. His lips were only about an inch from the black surface, his hot breath creating a small fog on its reflective surface. Looking up past his bare chest, into RK900’s intense gaze, felt distinctly… unprofessional. Reed tried to remind himself that he was just helping out this walking toaster oven, so it doesn’t affect his ability to do his job. It seemed his body hadn’t gotten the memo.

There was a strange look in RK900’s eyes as he gazed down at Gavin, a stoic stillness that seemed out of character in some way but was impossible to place. Gavin swallowed hard.

“Uhm, which one?” A muscle flexed in RK900’s jaw for a fraction of a second, his eyes watching Gavin's mouth as he spoke. No, not mouth, he must have just been looking at Gavins face. It only made sense that he’d be acting weird, his coworker was essentially doing back-alley surgery on him. 

“My left, your right.” RK900’s voice was short and clipped. Gavin ripped his eyes from the blue ones bearing into him, motivated to get this over with quickly. 

With no further ado, he reached in and began sliding his hands in between a bundle of cords to grab the existing compression joint. 

A strange, almost glitching sound came from above, but he didn’t still his movements until he felt fingers push over his scalp, grabbing onto his hair and yanking his head back.

“Jesus, what the f-”

Reed froze, hand tangled in cables, looking at RK900. A deep blue blush colored his cheeks, moving down over his clavicle and chest. His stoic composure from seconds before was now completely gone, replaced by a wide-eyed glare. Even his perfectly quaffed hair had shifted just enough that a few strands now hung in his face. His body seemed to be in some sort of panic mode, giving the effect of heavy breathing.

“I told you to avoid the wires.” His voice was sharp and sounded almost breathless.

Reed began to retract his hand, sliding against the cords, and the grip in his hair tightened. This time he got a good view of Nines, a gasp leaving his lips before they closed tight. He tried to keep in the noise building up in his throat, but a low moan still slipped out, the sound fuzzy around the edges like radio static. The blue flush of his skin deepened. Reed’s hand wasn’t fully extracted and his chest felt tight. Nines looked like he wanted to lay into Reed but couldn’t risk whatever would escape his mouth if he unclenched his jaw. 

“I-” Reed was shocked by the rough edge to his own voice, and swallowed before trying again, “I can’t get to the part without touching the wires.” 

His own breathing had picked up, and his heaving chest barely brushed against the top of Reed's thighs with each inhale. The feeling of tension on his scalp should hurt, should be pissing him off. Should. 

Nines released his grip, trying to steady his body as he went back to gripping the countertop behind him. 

“Then be more careful.” He directed, but the stern tone of his voice was shifting into something… else. 

Gavin dropped his gaze again, trying to control his breathing. God, the room was getting warm. Slowly, gently, he tried slipping the hand back down, trying his hardest to touch as few wires as possible. Unfortunately, it was nearly impossible. His eyes darted up sporadically as his hand moved, watching to see Nine’s reaction. Just making sure he was okay. No other reason.

RK-900 had dropped his chin to his chest, eyes clenched shut and mouth pressed into a thin line. By the time Reed’s fingertips brushed against the top of the joint, Nine’s seemed to be very subtly shaking. Reed was concerned his own shaking hands might lead to more friction, so he swallowed hard and let out a slow breath before grabbing the piece. He held the top of it delicately between his forefinger and thumb. A light sweat broke out on the nape of his neck.

“Do I… just pull it out?”

Nine’s kept his eyes closed, opening his mouth with some effort. His voice had that same subtle glitching effect as before.

“T-Twist it to the right, it will slide loose.” He managed to get out, trying to sound composed and failing terribly. Gavin followed the directions, feeling it turn and click. Lifting gently, it slid out of place, and in response RK-900’s leg seemed to lock up. Gavin looked up to see his light flashing red, his eyes open again, bearing down into him. 

Focusing once again, he tried pulling his hand out. Holding the joint meant it was even harder to avoid the wires, his knuckles catching on one, tugging it slightly. Nine’s gasped, his other leg buckling, the locked leg and his grip on the counter keeping him upright. 

“Fuck-” Gavin mumbled, twisting his hand to avoid further friction, the wire twanging back into place like a guitar string. 

This noise wasn’t a gasp. The desperate, keening sound that escaped Nine’s mouth was so incredibly out of character that, for a moment, Reed didn’t know where the sound had come from. His hand exited the chamber, and he let out a breath he didn’t know he had been holding, swinging his eyes up to Nines. 

The robot was panting in breath that he didn’t need, probably overheating. The red flashing at his temple was frantic and his whole body was struggling not to shake. He locked his blue eyes on Reed, looking like an absolute mess. Reed couldn’t look away, the old joint in his hand slipping from his distracted grip. He could swear that the look in Nine’s eyes was not just embarrassment but pleading. The sound of metal hitting the floor scared the shit out of both of them. Reed jumped up, out of his chair, in full fight or flight. They were right up against each other, Reed slightly shorter than Nines. His eyes slid to Nine’s lips, the light blue tint to his skin, the rise and fall of his chest. 

“You, uh…” He was way too close; he knew he should move back. “You good?” 

Nines tried to straighten, the look in his eyes shifting back to his usual stoicism, trying to lock himself back down. The muscle in his jaw moved, giving a single, sharp nod. 

 Reed stayed put, reaching past Nine’s and grabbing the new joint on the counter. He moved even closer as he reached for it, their chests brushing together for just a second. Nines kept his face neutral, but the red flashing continued and his nostrils almost imperceptibly flared. 

A thought pushed its way into Reed's mind and a smirk suddenly found its way back onto his lips.

“Did you-” He wanted to tease, to poke and prod like they do, their usual dynamic, but he was still out of breath, “Did you short circuit or some shit when you tried this?” 

Nine’s nostrils flared again, this time in frustration, his eyes darkening at Gavin's tone. His glare was his only response. Gavin felt the cold metal in his hands, sliding his thumb over the chrome.

“I mean, if I knew it was this easy to get that smart ass look off your face, I would have-”

Nine’s strong fingers gripped Reed’s jaw, squeezing enough to keep his mouth closed. 

“Shut up and put it in.” 

Reed could no longer ignore the hot pit in his stomach, now moving south. Did this tin can even know what he was saying? The pain in his jaw seemed to only be ramping that feeling up more. Not allowing Nine’s time to release his grip, Reed slipped his hand into the chamber, metal and fingers immediately rubbing against a bundle of cables. 

Nines failed to hold in a moan, hand releasing its grip and slamming down onto the counter. Reed heard the marble crack. Knowing the strength of those hands should have motivated him to hurry up and finish.

Instead, he kept his eyes locked on Nines, hand meticulously moving down as if he was trying to make contacts with every individual component. He stuck out his pinky, snagging it on a thick wire. Nines whimpered, brows pushing up into the most pitiful look Reed had ever seen. Reed was known to be a bully, a label he tended to wear quite proudly, and watching RK-900 look like he was falling apart was sparking something cruel inside of him. 

“Did you sound like this, playing with your wires?” His pinky tugged gently, and Nine’s let out another miserable little noise, the counter continuing to crunch under his grip. He pushed down lower, moving the joint into place, his finger flicking off of the wire. 

“Gavin-!” Nine’s let out the name in a cry that had Reed freeze. It was downright pornographic. Both of their eyes went wide, and the blue flush on RK-900 became worse. A heat was now radiating off of his mechanical body and his voice seemed to be glitching out more. Whatever embarrassment or shame he had been feeling previously was now replaced by desperation, “P-please, hurry up, or I’ll-” He couldn’t finish his sentence, cutting himself off with a moan.

Reed had never heard him beg. He never thought he would. RK-900 would rather die than show weakness. Hearing his voice crack and break, unable to speak, was giving him a powertrip. Seeing him shake and plead, that was doing something else. He moved his hand down, pushing the joint into its socket, giving it a small twist. It locked into place, the leg coming back alive and immediately buckling. His grip on the counter was the only thing holding him up, granite crunching under the pressure. His head fell forward, pushing his forehead into Reed’s. His body seemed to be lightly convulsing against Gavin’s. 

“Please, Gavin, please” He mumbled, his voice almost inaudible above the glitching. His forehead was burning hot. Reed was panting, the heat making him sweat. 

“Nines-” He whispered, not realizing he was speaking until the name tumbled out of his mouth. He slid his hand out, skin gliding over wires, plucking each one that slid against the pad of his middle finger. Nines shaking got worse, his works now falling out in a jumble of begging and Gavin’s name. His voice got louder, crackling and glitching. 

Gavin’s hand left the chamber, plucking one final wire. Nines threw his head back, rock hard scalp slamming against the cabinet and splintering the wood. He shouted what Gavin assumed must be his name. 

He stumbled backward, breathing labored, looking at Nines. The room went silent. The only sounds were a whirring coming from Nine’s body and Reed’s breathing. The silence went on a little too long and Gavin took a tentative step forward. 

“Nines?”

No response. His body remained in place, ridged, hands gripping the counter, legs bent, head back. 

“Hey. Hey! Tin can.”

Nothing. No shaking or shivering, no noises, just frozen silence. The remaining blood that hadn’t found its way to Reed’s dick now drained from his face. 

“Oh my god.” He muttered, moving towards RK-900. He began looking around, panicking but afraid to touch him. Had he disconnected something? Was he broken? 

“Oh, Jesus, oh Jesus-” He had killed his partner. He had killed him in a police station.

He began gently touching his arms, his neck, his face. He tried pulling it forward, but it was locked into place with an inhuman strength. 

“Hey, Nines, say something.” He felt his voice shake from fear. His skin was cooling down, but was still radiating heat. 

“Nines, please-” A shuttering noise echoed through RK-900’s body and his head lulled forward. The granite counter finally gave out and shattered under his weight, and he fell into Gavin. Had his legs been completely shot, RK-900 would have knocked over Reed, but he seemed to have enough strength to keep himself mostly upright with Gavin’s help. He continued holding onto Nine’s face, relief washing over him.

“Oh, thank god.” He felt like he could cry, “Hey, Nine’s, look at me, are you okay?” 

Nines blinked, his eyes hazy and unfocused. They were so close, Nines bent over him, his hot breath against Gavin’s lips. Gavin slid his thumbs over Nines cheeks, coaxing him back to reality, “Hey, Nines, talk to me.” 

Nines continued to blink, looking out of it as his hands gently moved to rest on Gavin’s hips. He moved forward just a few centimeters, pushing his body flush against Gavins, lips getting closer. 

“Uh, Nines-” His voice was a rough whisper, the aching pain in his jeans finally feeling some relief at the pressure from Nines body, “What-”

Nines slowly slid his lips against Gavins, not kissing him, just reveling in the feeling. Gavins breath caught, holding still as Nines bottom lip brushed up, against his top. It felt like teasing, like an invitation, but that unfocused look in RK900’s eyes didn’t look like he had the mental capacity to tease right now. Gavin knew what their game was, how it felt to play it, even if it never went this far. This was something different, something altogether genuine. Too genuine.

Reed pulled his head away, hands still firmly planted on each cheek.

“Hey, Nines, pull it together.” He said, trying to hide the rough edge to his voice. What he presumed was the cooling system continued to do its work and Nines began blinking away that drowsy look. Letting out a confused grunt, he leaned back against the busted counter, bringing a hand to his head. Reed moved backward, accidentally knocking over the chair he had forgotten was behind him. 

Once he was about half the distance of the room away, he was able to fully take in the state of the room. The broken countertop, the cabinet with its now splintered surface, chair knocked asunder, and most noticeably, the shirtless robot looking absolutely shell shocked. The eye contact that followed was tense, concern creeping onto both of their faces. In the last 10 minutes Reed had seen more emotion on Nines face than he ever had since meeting him, and seeing the distress in those usually harsh eyes made his stomach turn in knots. 

He didn’t know what to do, dreading the moment that one of them broke the silence. So, he did the only thing he could do.

He grabbed his jacket on his way out. 

Chapter 2

Summary:

Angst? Misunderstandings? In MY fanfiction? It's more likely than you think.

Reed had his flaws, but he had never shown up to work intoxicated. He had never felt the temptation to do so. But the way that liquor bottle seemed to be calling out to him as he got dressed was making it hard for him to focus. He hadn’t slept, which was nothing new, but the thoughts that kept him awake were not the usual nightmare fuel that made up his past experiences on and off the job. No, this anxiety had been much different.

Anything to numb his thoughts would be welcome, as he was trying and failing to calm the electric thoughts zapping through his brain. A mixture of feelings and worries and implications that he could not allow himself to linger on for more than a moment, or else it seemed to bring up many more questions. And feelings. And ideas. Dangerous ideas. 

He dug a knuckle into the spot between his brows as he walked out of the front door, hoping the pressure would somehow push the thoughts from his mind. His sleep deprived brain could have sworn the liquor twinkled in the morning sunlight, a sort of signal that expressed ‘last chance!’. He slammed the door a little too hard on his way out.

______________________________________________________________________

“Detective, my office, now.” Captain Fowler's voice carried across the office the moment Reed entered the room. Most officers continued their work, but a few eyes looked his way, notably Hank and his little metal playmate. They both observed with no shame, Hanks' face barely disguising his amusement. Connors was more curious than anything, and it struck Reed how odd it was that he could look so different compared to Nines when they had the same face. The eyes were the obvious giveaway, Connors big browns giving him the appearance of a lost puppy half of the time. Nines’ sharp, blue gaze was more than just a cosmetic difference. The way he looked at Reed, his jaw tight, brows furrowed-

Reeds hips slammed into the corner of Tina’s desk. “Fuck.” He winced at the pain and the loud noise of her personal effects being knocked asunder. 

“Jesus, Gavin.” She said, exacerbated, “What are you, drunk?” 

“I wish…” He mumbled under his breath, continuing his walk to the Captain's office. From his vantage point he could see caution tape blocking off the breakroom, the coffee maker now precariously perched on a nearby empty desk. His anxiety grew tenfold. Had the security footage already been passed around? Was he about to be fired for destruction of government property? How the fuck was he going to find a new job after being labeled some sort of robo-diddler? That sinking feeling turned into full on nausea when he saw Fowler sitting at his desk, speaking to Nines as he stood at attention. 

Shoving his hands deep in his pockets, Reed sunk into his well-worn air of nonchalance and moved into the room. The conversation came to a halt, Fowler looking up at him. The Captain’s eyes were investigatory as he surveyed Reed. RK900, on the other hand, kept his attention locked on Fowler, as if they were still the only two people in the room. 

“Well,” Captain Fowler leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms against his chest, “I’ll have to believe that there was no physical altercation, seeing how the Detective doesn’t resemble the cabinet.” 

“As I said, Captain, I wouldn’t risk my job picking a fight that presents no risk to my wellbeing.”

“You have to understand my concerns when my most volatile team were the only two badged in when significant damage was done to our office.”

Reed could feel his blood pressure rising as the Captain and RK900 spoke as if he wasn’t in the room. He opened his mouth, ready to express that sentiment, but the two barreled on.

“I’m sure the Detective would be the first to alert you to any of my wrongdoings.” Nines’ voice took on the slightest sharpness, causing Reed to turn his attention to the android. He maintained his unwavering eye contact with the Captain.

“And the camera feeds being glitched to shit was completely unrelated?” Captain Fowler asked, eyebrows raised.

“The lack of funding to our department leading to obsolete security systems seems like an administrative issue.” 

What followed was an extended silence, Fowler and Nines locked in a staring contest, while a confused Reed looked back and forth. Fowler seemed to give-in first, sighing and dropping his arms to his sides.

“You’ll have to just take my word,” Nines stated, “Reed wasn’t present when my hardware malfunctioned. I can get my things and hand in my badge.”

Reed’s eyes widened in shock, a tight feeling in his chest overwhelming the previous anger. “Hey, wait-“

“Oh don’t be so dramatic,” Fowler stated, punctuated with an eye roll, “It’s a countertop and a cabinet door. I would garnish your wages, but seeing how I have no actual evidence of your involvement-“

“I just told you I did it.” Nines interjected, eyebrows creased in confusion. 

Fowler gave him a knowing glance, speaking more intently, “Since I have no actual evidence , I will let the limited funding we do have cover repairs. What I will request is that you go to one of those Cyberlife facilities and get… whatever the equivalent of a doctor's note is to assure me that nothing like this is going to affect you on the job. Understood?” 

Nines opened his mouth but seemed momentarily at a loss for words, something so out of character for him that for just a moment, his features seemed to soften. Reed may have imagined it, as just a second later Nines found his voice again, his face stoic, “Yes sir.”

“Alright, get back to work.” Captain Fowler dismissed them by immediately turning to work on his desktop. Nines made his exit without hesitation, and Reed awkwardly followed behind. What might have been a complaint about wasting his time died on his tongue as he watched RK900 return to work without a word. 

______________________________________________________________________

Only one call disrupted the cascade of paperwork that filled what felt like a never-ending day. The investigation was already over before it began, the obvious presence of a drug related death leading this to be an ATF issue, not a homicide, but the detectives still did their due diligence. A sample collection here, a reconstruction there, and within under an hour the likelihood of any suspicious circumstances were ruled out. Tina walked up to Reed as he moved back towards his car, RK900 close behind.

“Wow, no bickering from the old married couple?” She said with a small nudge to Reeds ribs.  His anxious gaze dipped back to his partner, who only stared forward, clearly pretending not to be listening. Reed sped up his pace to the car.

“Just trying to do my job.” His voice was curt, and he swiftly outpaced his colleague. She let out a small scoff, clearly used to the Detectives behavior at this point.

“You guys' better kiss and make up so I get some entertainment at work!” She laughed, turning back to the scene, as Reed swung into the driver's seat and slammed the door with too much force. The night air was oppressively humid, and it made him too aware of his skin. He felt warm and irritable.

RK900 sat in the passenger seat without a word and Reed turned over the engine, letting it idle for a moment, hands tight on the wheel. He chewed on his cheek, leg bouncing. The silence only lasted a few seconds but Reed thought he might implode.

“So, do tin cans have a habit of lying to their bosses?” 

“Excuse me?” For the first time today Nines acknowledged Reed's existence, turning in his seat. Reed immediately felt a horrible mixture of relief and frustration as those blue eyes began baring into him.

“Oh, look, he speaks.” With a huff, he continued, “Look, if you’ve got that footage and you’re planning on holding it over me, think again. I’m not going to be blackmailed at my job. Plus, you’re the one who asked for help. Maybe- maybe I acted… unprofessionally, but I- well I wasn’t trying to…” 

Reeds ranting slowly lost steam as he watched an unfamiliar expression creep over RK900’s face. The LED at his temple, which had been a steady yellow all day, was now flashing red. His lips had parted slightly, his brow knit, pulling up in the center, vibrant eyes widening at every word. What was this? Reed was terrible at telling others' emotions outside of the interrogation room. Was it anger? Disbelief? 

Hurt?

Clamping his mouth shut into a thin line, RK900 returned to glaring out the front windshield, “Drop me off at the station.”

A fight was one thing. A snarky word or cold shoulder even. But whatever this was set Reed's teeth on edge. 

“What, I’m wrong? You just decided to take the blame when I-“ Reed couldn’t bring himself to finish the sentence, aware that he was teetering on the edge of some sort of admittance of guilt. He didn’t need to feel guilty, he was just helping, like he had said. Nines was fine, they hadn’t actually done anything. “When we- I mean come on.” An indignant laugh fell from his lips at the idea. The muscle in Nines’ jaw twitched, but otherwise he remained perfectly still in his seat. That anxiety that had wracked Reed all day felt like it was going to fry his brain. 

“Okay fine-“ Reed really wasn’t sure what he wanted to say, feeling the defensive need to fight building in his throat like bile, “So you’re suddenly some sort of selfless hero? Or-“

Don’t

“Did you just realize-“

Stop talking

“That you’d look like some sort of fucking freak if they saw the footage?”

Whatever satisfaction Reed hoped to feel at his words was instead drowned in immediate, unadulterated regret. Nines didn’t move, his facial expression becoming blank. The red blinking LED slowed, settling back to a solid yellow. Reed froze, watching the miniscule transformations in Nines until he seemed to be absolutely inhuman. No emotion now broached his face or voice as he calmly repeated, “Drop me off at the station.”

Notes:

Sorry for such a short chapter, the next will be longer and spicier, I promise! <3

Notes:

I'm a freak for robots, it only seemed right that I write some wireplay~