Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

He couldn’t believe he had been married to his husband for a little over a year, he couldn’t even believe he’d been in a serious relationship at all, let alone for 3 years. He was a workaholic, which often left him no time to consider a relationship, or even maintain one. Despite this, he’d found someone, and that someone was the last person he ever expected to fall in love with.

Gavin Reed fell in love with an android.

Nines had been assigned to Gavin a few months after the android revolution, having been awoken by Connor and Markus mere days prior. Surprisingly , the android wouldn’t deviate, no matter what they tried, so they decided to just bring the RK900 to the DPD to give him some work. Fowler assigned him to Gavin Reed, which Nines accepted. Unsurprisingly , Gavin wasn’t pleased. Connor was always stepping in to make sure Gavin didn’t harass the android he proclaimed was his younger brother, which only served to piss off the detective. Nines often quietly stood to the side as Connor and Gavin would get into a stand off, resulting in Hank having to call Connor away. The detective knew Nines was far from quiet, however, giving him lip over everything which only further grated on his nerves. After a month, Gavin gave in and had to deal with the fact that his partner was an android and there was nothing he could do about it. He would keep his head down and just get on with what he did best.

Before Gavin knew it, they’d become a pretty good team. Gavin was quick to solve a case, but together with Nines they were the fastest team in the DPD. Any of Connor’s functions that served to assist in an investigation had been upgraded, making Nines faster, stronger, and more intelligent than his older “brother.” It also made him appear very dangerous, and those ice blue eyes certainly didn’t help.

That was when Gavin truly started to see all of the differences between Nines and Connor. Initially what pissed Gavin off was that Nines reminded him of the RK800, the same face structure, the same freckles… the only notable differences were his height and choice of clothing; having remained in his CyberLife-issued jacket with the stupidly high collar. Gavin didn’t care to take note of anything else, it was just another plastic prick that spoke with that same goofy voice. But one day, Gavin noticed them; the ice blue eyes. They were startlingly different, surprising the detective who observed seemingly minor details at crime scenes for a living.

Gavin found himself noticing even more differences without even thinking; the way the android spoke was one such difference. Unlike Connor, who spoke in a fairly friendly and casual way, Nines speech was flat; professional and toneless. This was the way Nines always spoke when around the office or out on a call, but over the weeks they got to know each other, Gavin observed hints of humour. This slowly turned to playful teasing between the two, the previously straight line of a mouth quirking up in a faint smirk. As their teasing continued, Gavin only noticed even more things about the android.

The way the android held himself; more rigid and authoritarian, yet there was a subtle gentleness. Nines’ slender fingers would delicately pick up anything they came in contact with, somehow bringing grace to such a simple action. Sometimes their hands would brush against one another’s when Nines would hand him his morning coffee or a new piece of evidence, it would always leave tingles on Gavin’s skin in the best kind of way. The way he’d greet the detective; no bullshit formalites, just a genuine and simple greeting before they would go over their case files first thing in the morning, but there was always a quiet fondness to his voice that turned Gavin’s cheeks pink. The way Nines only ever seemed to smile when it was just him and the detective, a genuine smile that lit up Gavin’s entire world.

That was when Gavin realised he fell in love with an android.

Fast forward a few years and Nines and Gavin were now cuddling together on the couch watching old reruns of Brooklyn 99; one of Gavin’s favorite shows from his youth. As much as Gavin liked to cuddle, Nines being made of metal and plastic meant he wasn’t the comfiest to snuggle. However, the android suggested he wrap himself up in a thick blanket as a solution, to which Gavin agreed, leading to many-a-night with Nines wrapped in a chunky blanket with a mug of Thirium in hands as the shorter man snuggled against him.

The two lazily watched as Jake and Amy held their newborn for the first time, a hand moving up to ruffle the detective’s hair, drawing out a soft chuckle.

“What’s got you affectionate all of a sudden, tin can?”

The corners of Nines’ mouth tugged into a gentle smile, but all that was heard were the voices of the characters on their TV. The android looked away, his gaze flicking between Gavin and the screen, secrecy playing on his features as his cheeks glowed a soft blue.

“Come on, don’t tease! Tell me what’s going on in that computer brain of yours!”

Nines rolled his eyes, “I don’t know. Just thinking of… things, I suppose.”

Gavin sat up, gaining the android’s full attention, “I want to hear these things, and don’t you say it was nothing. You did marry a pretty good detective, after all. Not much gets past me.”

Gavin flashed a cheeky, lopsided smirk, earning himself a kiss on the forehead. Nines seemed to consider his words, uncertain over what to say. Gavin remained patient, not pushing the matter. Just as his focus was about to go back to Brooklyn 99 , Nines posed a question.

“Have you ever considered having kids?”

That certainly took Gavin by surprise, the topic of children being very low on the list of the detective’s expectations.

“Shit Nines… Everyone considers having kids, but being a parent isn’t really my thing,” Gavin shrugged, “besides, I’m getting past my prime a little. I mean I’m almost 39 fucking years old, most people my age had their kids 10-15 years ago.”

Gavin avoided Nines’ eye contact, keeping his gaze on the TV but not truly focussing on it. Nines slumped a little, a finger tapping the ceramic mug in his hands.

“I don’t see what age has to do with one’s ability to raise children. Connor confided in me some details about Hank… He was 44 when his son was born, and from what Connor has told me, Hank was a good father.”

Gavin managed to smile a little, appreciating Nines’ lack of judgement and the reassurance behind his words.

“Yeah, well, I’m not Hank... Anyway, I don’t need kids to be happy. I have you, don’t I?”

The detective ruffled Nines’ hair, messing up the strands only for the projection to correct them back into their standard position. Gavin’s mood faltered as he witnessed just the slightest bit of disappointment on the android’s face. Thinking he was mistaken, he shrugged it off and settled back down to watch more TV.

Gavin strolled over to Nines and Connor, observing the two androids that were completely engrossed in their own conversation. The detective approached Nines from behind, wrapping his arms around the android’s waist.

“What are you tin cans talking about?”

“You know the rules about PDAs at work.” Nines gently removed Gavin’s arms from his body, giving his husband a gentle smile.

“I know, I know.” Gavin looked over at Connor, acknowledging his existence.

“We were talking about Officer Miller before you interrupted,” Connor stated with slight annoyance, “he told me he and his partner are thinking about having another child.” 

Connor’s smile brightened from excitement, Nines appearing to match his mood. “Damian was only 3 months old when you started working at the DPD, Connor. I can’t believe how much he’s grown since.”

Gavin was almost surprised to hear Nines gush about such a topic, but then again the android had brought up babies and children just last week. 

“You know,” Nines continued, “he may not have lived to see Damian grow up if Markus hadn’t spared him.”

Connor nodded, “I’m glad Markus was merciful. I can’t imagine where we’d all be if Jericho ran the revolution more violently.”

Gavin shifted uncomfortably. He may be married to an android, but any discussions of the android revolution put him on edge. Very few things scared Gavin, but it deeply unsettled him that androids could have been more violent and destructive in their fight for their rights. He was certainly aware of Connor’s friend, North, who seemed to have more aggressive ideas on how they should have led the revolution. Regardless, Gavin was glad their protests were more peaceful, and deep down was happy they got more freedom as he may not have met Nines if they hadn’t.

Thankfully the conversation turned back into Connor and Nines gushing and gossiping about Damian and children in general. Connor had expressed curiosity over raising a child, especially now that Hank had become more comfortable sharing his memories of Cole with the android. Gavin figured that’s why Nines had brought up the topic of kids, seeing as Connor spoke to Nines the most out of anyone at the DPD besides Hank. Gavin excused himself from the conversation as he wanted to go over some more information from their active case.

For almost all of the following week, the topic of kids would somehow slip its way into any conversation between Nines and Gavin. It started off with little tiny mentions, such as Nines pointing out how tiny a baby was that they saw when out shopping, to being more blatant; such as Nines seemingly out of nowhere expressing his curiosity over the growth and development of babies during their first few years. The more Nines brought up the subject, the less Gavin thought of it as merely a coincidence.

As the two settled on the couch, Nines sipped on a Thirium packet while Gavin had a plate in front of him on the coffee table, slowly picking around the vegetables that Nines insisted on including. The TV was playing random crap that the man wasn’t really focussed on, he was too busy thinking about their most recent case. It had wrapped up and was more or less solved but Gavin still felt unsatisfied with some of his efforts. He was torn from his thoughts from an audible ‘awww’ from Nines next to him. Lifting his head, he looked between Nines and the TV, seeing a commercial for baby formula. He shook his head a little, scoffing.

“It's just an ad, I don’t see what’s so cute about it.”

Gavin could feel the disappointment in the sigh from Nines, his gut sinking as he lost his appetite. He discarded the fork and the cold, soggy vegetables on his plate, sitting up to face his husband.

“I’m sorry Nines, but you’ve been bringing up kids and babies all week. I think this is something we need to talk about. Is something up?” 

Nines’ fingers played with the fabric of his pants, silver eyes avoiding Gavin’s. He waited patiently, something he only ever seemed to show Nines. Anyone else at the DPD would state Gavin was an arrogant and impatient bastard; especially Connor who was told to ‘get a move on’ mere moments after the detective had demanded he get him a coffee. The android let out a huff, seemingly having been defeated by himself as he adjusted to face Gavin.

“We’ve been married for a year now, and-” Nines shifted uncomfortably- “I was thinking… Maybe we could have kids? It just makes sense logically, as married couples have children as the next stage of their relationship.”

Nines’ posture stiffened, eyes flicking to Gavin to analyse his reaction before darting away. Gavin observed as his husband’s leg began to bounce slightly from nerves. The detective reached over and placed a comforting hand to Nines’ knee.

“Nines… Not all couples have kids. Plenty of people are happy to live their lives without having kids for a number of reasons.” Gavin scratched at the back of his neck as he considered his next words. “As I’ve said before, I’m happy with just the two of us, not including the cat. Heck, Hunter is kind of like a kid, he’s just as needy as one.”

As if to make a point, Hunter let out a mewl from his cat tower situated across the room. Gavin chuckled, before his smile quickly wiped itself from his face as he saw Nines looking utterly defeated. He sighed before carefully carrying on.

“Kids aren’t easy… They’re a life-long commitment. Not to mention, we’d have to discuss how we’ll get a kid. Our options are limited to adoption, fostering or paying for a surrogate mother and all require lengthy processes and can be expensive on top of the costs of raising a child.” 

Nines was somehow looking even more defeated, “I’m aware of all this. I did some research this week and asked for advice from Hank and Officer Miller on child care, as well as alternative options for couples that cannot have biological children.” 

Gavin sat up a little straighter, eyes widening slightly in surprise. He moved his hand from Nines’ knee to take his husband’s hand in his, rubbing gentle circles with his thumb.

“You care so much about this that you’ve already started doing research?”

Nines nodded, tears forming in the corners of his eyes. Gavin pouted, reaching up with his other hand to carefully wipe any falling tears away, his heart being tugged painfully from seeing his husband even the slightest bit upset. He let his hand rest on the android’s cheek, feeling the weight push deeper into his palm as those silver eyes hid behind closed eyelids. He moved closer, leaning in to kiss Nines’ forehead, cheekily blowing at the loose strand of hair that always fell no matter what the android did to keep it tucked away. This got a smile to appear on his lips, silver eyes revealing themselves to Gavin yet again as his LED went from red, to yellow, to spinning a bright blue.

“Better?”

“Better.”

The air around them relaxed, Hunter jumping onto the couch to curl up between them, purring loudly as he kneaded biscuits into a nearby pillow. Nines wipes away the last of his stray tears, his smile becoming a little brighter. Gavin flashed his own smile back, leaning back into the couch.

“If you really want this, we can at least discuss the possibility and see where things go, okay? No guarantee we get a kid but I’m not entirely closed off to the idea.”

In reality, Gavin was scared of the idea of being a father. He didn’t think he’d be a good parent, knowing nothing about raising kids. He was also terrified of accidentally imprinting his issues onto the poor kid, as no kid deserves their parent’s issues put on their shoulders to deal with in therapy years later. If Nines had the confidence they could do it, then it put Gavin at ease that as a team they could be at least decent parents.

Gavin and Nines had spent the entirety of a day off scrolling through as many resources as they could find; a tablet in Gavin’s hands with 50 tabs open while Nine sat next to him silently, mentally sending any information he found for Gavin to view. They had even gone to a nearby public library to borrow any old books on child care and alternatives to having bio children that they could find that had any info that was still relevant in 2042. 

The detective sighed, setting the tablet down as he chugged the last of his coffee, getting up to refill his mug. Nines opened his eyes as he watched Gavin leave the room, saving his voice by mentally flicking Gavin a text.

‘Need a break?’

As Gavin brewed some fresh coffee, he pulled out his phone after hearing it ping, reading Nines’ message and responding with his own text.

‘Yeah getting tired. Too much reading.’

‘I don’t blame you, you’re only human.’

‘Ha.’

Gavin couldn’t help the small chuckle that escaped, the quiet kitchen soon being filled with the noises of his coffee machine brewing for the third time that day.

‘You really shouldn’t drink so much coffee. You know the side effects more than anyone, and yet you still do it.’

‘You said that about my smoking.’

‘And I’m glad you’ve worked hard to quit.’

It was true, Gavin had been able to more or less kick his smoking habit, his last cigarette having been burned out over 7 months ago. It was mainly Nines who forced him to quit, but after realising he felt less like shit, it pushed him to quit for good. He was even more glad he had quit, as if they really were to go ahead with becoming parents, he’d hate to poison their kid with second-hand-smoke if they went with a human child.

During their research, they’d stumbled across news articles about hundreds of deviant android children requiring homes after the revolution, mainly child androids had never been sold and therefore didn’t have homes to go to. Some were steadily being adopted mainly by human families but with laws allowing for androids to legally adopt children, both human and android alike, more of the android children were finding homes. However, there still weren't enough people capable-enough or willing to adopt deviant android children, especially given the life-expectancy of androids and how android children never truly matured. This got Nines to bring up the possible question of adopting an android, as they were somewhat more independent than human children, and would only need Thirium for sustenance and no real toilet-training. Gavin was hesitant about that idea, given that androids typically never aged. 

Reading further into the topic of android children, they found the articles also stated part of Jericho’s focus for a positive future was to fund research into a safe way to upgrade child androids into adults to eliminate some issues surrounding the lack of ageing in androids. Despite this, they ultimately decided they’d prefer a human child, with Nine stating he was fascinated in watching a human grow and mature from something so small. Gavin poured himself a fresh mug of coffee upon hearing the machine switch off, yawning as he padded his way back over to the couch, practically dropping down onto the pillows with a groan.

“I think I’m getting old. Standing up and sitting down is getting harder than it was when I was 20.”

“You’re only 38, you’re not old.”

Gavin took a sip from his mug before setting it down and picking his tablet back up, tiredly scrolling through more resources. Everything looked the same to him, with words blending together, causing a headache that made it even harder to focus. He soon gave up and sat the tablet down again.

“We haven’t even properly discussed if we want a baby or a kid yet. Maybe we should take a break from researching and talk about that instead?”

Nines seemed to agree as he picked up his own mug of Thirium, reclining into the couch cushions as he turned his full attention to Gavin. “What are your thoughts on it?”

“I’m not entirely sure,” Gavin took a moment to think, “both are going to be a lot of work to raise. Not even sure how we’ll manage given our work hours.”

“We could always talk to Captain Fowler and alternate weeks so someone is always at home? I doubt either of us wish to quit to be a stay at home father, nor would we live comfortably with only one source of income.”

Gavin nodded, “Yeah I don’t have any plans on quitting when I’ve worked this hard for my career, and I don’t wish to go back to my cost-cutting days… I could never bring myself to go back to cheap knockoff brands again… I will miss working with you though.”

Nines smiled sweetly, his cheeks flushing a gentle blue, ‘It will only be until our child is old enough to go to school. That’s only a few years.”

“A few years too many in my opinion, but if it's for a kid then it might be worth it.” Gavin sighed, planning to move onto talking about the costs when he stopped himself.

“What you just said implies we’d have a baby… Nines, do you really want to go with a baby for this?”

Nines shrugged, his eyes drifting away, “I kind of do… I want to be able to watch them grow up and really experience that like a human parent would.”

“But you can get that with an older kid, you still get to watch them grow up and all that, and it might be a little easier as babies require almost 24/7 attention.”

“A baby is different though. With a baby, you get to experience that from the beginning… And I’d like that, but if you’re not comfortable with that then I won’t push it anymore.”

Gavin sighed, “We don’t have to drop that idea yet, all we need to do is talk about it more, but maybe when we’ve both rested a bit.”

For emphasis, Gavin let out a loud yawn as he stretched, feeling the last of his energy drain from his body. Hunter seemed to agree as he did the same on his cat tower, ears twitching as his claws flexed. Nines had previously expressed his opinions that Gavin might have been a cat in a past life, which Gavin thought was utter bullshit but that didn’t stop a smile from appearing. Silence settled between the two, the warmth of Gavin’s coffee mug absorbed into his hands, a welcome burn ran down his throat with each sip.

He sighed contently, already feeling the coffee work its magic before tidying up the various books and papers scattered on the table in front of him. Nines remained in place, deep in thought.

“I think you should stop thinking about everything for now, otherwise you might burn out your fancy little processor and we can’t have that now, can we?”

Nines rolled his eyes, setting down his empty mug, “I assure you Gavin, you won’t have to worry about that. You, on the other hand my dear detective, have a brain that certainly needs more rest than an android’s.”

“Are you calling me small-minded?”

“You know I wouldn’t dare insult my larger-than-life detective.”

“Don’t flatter me Nines, I’ve accepted I’m shorter than average.”

He heard Nines suppress a laugh as he finished tidying their paperwork, putting his feet up as he downed the last of his coffee, not bothering to refill his mug. Gavin felt a little more confident in Nines’ wishes to have a kid, trusting their research would absolutely help with working out what was best for them as a family. He still felt nerves coursing through him at the thought of being a parent, but Nines helped keep him grounded with reality and facts.

As Gavin relaxed further into the couch, he listened as Nines started up on more casual things they’d need to consider, such as clothing and toys. It put a smile on Gavin’s face seeing Nines so happy about something. Last time he’d seen Nines this happy was on their wedding day. He still had his own decision to make about whether or not he wanted this, but seeing Nines this happy… He felt he couldn’t deny this from Nines, he didn’t want to deny Nines the family he wanted, especially not when Gavin would observe the lightness in the android's voice and the artificial wrinkles in the corner of his eyes as he smiled. 

They still had a long way to go to plan and decide, but this was beginning to feel more and more like the right direction for their life together.

Chapter Text

Weeks of research eventually culminated into their eventual decision on going with adoption. Usually it would take months or even years to come to such an important decision, but Nines had felt confident in their current research and in his state-of-the-art software that enabled him to adapt to unpredictability. Nines preferred an infant, but after some discussion agreed with Gavin that they shouldn’t be picky, after all, there would be lots of children needing homes. Nines had already begun making preparations to ensure they could accommodate a child of any age and gender, while Gavin seemed to slow down with any effort in helping. Most days while Nines browsed online resources and stores for all the essentials they’d need for all important stages in a child’s life, Gavin was busy watching TV or burying himself in extra work he’d bring home. 

Initially this didn’t bother Nines, he understood Gavin took great pride in his work and went to great lengths to challenge himself and finish each case as thoroughly as possible; he never wanted to leave loose ends. However, the closer they got to their goal of becoming parents, the more it intimidated Gavin, which only increased his stalling. Gavin began avoiding anything to do with discussing the process of adoption and all of the planning they would need to do; Nines could do it by himself, of course, but Gavin putting in no effort was clearly disheartening for the android and was putting a halt to Nines’ own efforts. When Gavin finally finished his latest case, he still avoided helping Nines, as well as deflecting any conversation about the adoption process, which was the final straw for his husband.

Gavin, with his feet up on the coffee table as he pet Hunter, was browsing Netflix after another long day at work. He was looking  for something to get his mind off of all the baby business when Nines went and stood between him and the TV, arms crossed and LED glowing red. Gavin didn’t even need to see the LED on the android’s temple to see that something was up; the furrowed brows and thinned lips were a big-enough indicator.

“We need to talk.” The android’s foot tapped slowly, daring for Gavin to wear his patience thin.

“If it's about searching for cribs, I said I’d get on it.” Gavin really wasn’t in the mood to talk about preparations, but he was never really in the mood to begin with. 

Nines’ foot tapped even quicker, a bluetooth upgrade Nines had recieved connecting to the TV behind him to take control as Gavin tried to continue scrolling through Netflix, locking him out.

“Hey! I was just about to watch something that looked interesting!”

“You have been ignoring me whenever I try to bring up something important! Do you know how disrespectful that is?” Nines huffed in frustration, “I’m your husband! Lately it feels like you don’t take me seriously!”

This got through to Gavin, as the last thing he wanted to do was hurt Nines’ feelings. He put down the remote and sat up a little straighter, Hunter mewling in protest from being startled from his comfortable spot. He struggled to form words, crawling their way up only for them to die in the back of his throat as Nines waited, and given his expression he was expecting excuses. The detective’s confidence wavered as he attempted to conjure an acceptable response, going over his words multiple times before scrapping what he had planned to say to start from scratch.

As Gavin took longer to get his words out, mouth silently opening and closing like a fish struggling to breathe, he slowly felt panic rise with the idea he was taking too long. He caught a glimpse of Nines’ expression softening; patience returning as he saw a window into Gavin’s stress. He sighed, took a deep breath and figured he should just wing it.

“Nines, I’m sorry… It’s not an excuse but I’ve just had some things on my mind, it's all fine though…”

It was Nines’ turn to sigh, his red LED turning yellow. After a tense moment of silence that felt like it lasted an eternity, the android slowly went and sat down next to Gavin, taking the man’s hand in his.

“Can we talk about it then?” Ice met forest as Nines held Gavin’s gaze, a thumb rubbing gentle circles on his skin.

Gavin swallowed thickly, his throat tight from nerves. He scratched behind Hunter’s ears as a distraction, fiddling with the small tufts of fur before said ears would flick at his fingers in irritation. Gavin really was clueless on how to express what was on his mind; he wasn’t against having kids as it made him the happiest he’d ever been seeing Nines get excited. Said android leaned up against his side in an attempt to comfort the detective, his thumb continuing its soothing circles on his hand. Nines’ skin projection never really felt like proper skin, despite having an almost identical look, but it still satisfied that need for comfort. He broke eye contact as he quietly navigated his own complicated feelings, anxiety boiling hot in his stomach. He already guessed what Nines would say, some words of reassurance and how he was proud of him and thought that everything would be okay. This did nothing to ease Gavin’s doubts. 

“Are you really sure you want to hear what’s on my mind?” Gavin chanced a glance at Nines, his expression still soft but now with an added edge of determination.

“Of course, I always want to hear if it means I can help you.” He gave a gentle smile, one that made Gavin’s heart melt like ice in spring. He bit his lip as he worked up the courage to finally tell Nines what was on his mind, clenching the fabric of his sweatpants in his hand.

“I don’t…” Gavin stuttered, “I don't think I’d be a good parent.”

He looked away, feeling a sense of shame wash over him. Nines quietly listened, not daring to interrupt.

“I understand that you really want this Nines, and it makes my fucking day to hear you talk about these things… I’m just scared that I’m not ready for this, or that I’d fuck up our kid when they already have to deal with adjusting to a new home… You already know that my childhood wasn’t entirely the greatest…”

He wasn’t wrong, Nines did know. Gavin had shared stories of his childhood one particularly emotional evening, one that still hung heavy on the both of them to this day.

“I know you’d be great at being a parent, what with that adaptive software thing you got, but I won’t be anywhere near as good and the kid will probably grow up to hate me or something... I don’t want my crap holding you back, and I know that my stalling has affected our progress already... I’m really sorry about that, truly. I promise I’ll try and pick up the slack at least...”

Nines leaned over and kissed Gavin’s cheek, a hand reaching up to gently turn the detective’s head to face him.

“Gavin, I have no doubt that you would be one of the greatest parents ever, and I’m so proud of you. Everything will be okay.”

“I just knew you were going to say that… And how can you be so sure that things will be okay?”

Nines raised an eyebrow, “My predictability software, or have you forgotten that when I say things will be okay, it's coming from a carefully calculated statistic from one of the most advanced computer brains in the world? ”

Gavin gave Nines a light slap, “Alright, you jackass. No need to show off.”

Tension and nerves eased, light chuckles turning into full-on laughter as Gavin finally felt relief. He really didn't know what he did to deserve Nines, but he was forever thankful of the android being in his life, almost being thankful for the ones who made him. At some point during their fit of laughter, Nines had pulled him into a tight hug.

"Gavin, I love you, and I promise this will all be okay. From what we've researched, parenthood will be challenging, but I know you won't hurt our child or mess up like you think you will. Mistakes will happen because neither of us are perfect, but we will always do what's best for our child to the best of our abilities."

" Neither of us are perfect? Says the android who was built to be perfect ." Gavin managed a smaller chuckle before sighing, pushing himself deeper into Nines’ arms.

"You know better than anyone that I have flaws as well."

Gavin did know, as he recalled that one evening, the one where the wall finally broke down between them.

Gavin had come to realise his feelings for Nines prior to that particular evening, having suppressed said feelings since. It was reaching a breaking point, as avoiding the android was merely a temporary solution, certainly when it became clear to the detective that his android partner was becoming annoyed by his lack of cooperation. He couldn't help his feelings for the machine that hadn't even deviated, which only made him even more conflicted. He couldn’t even talk to anyone about it in fear of teasing, as everyone knew how much Gavin had hated androids, especially Connor. The development of feelings towards one would be something his coworkers would never allow him to live down.

It was almost time for Gavin's shift to end as he began packing up his papers and closing computer files. He was particularly grumpy, as he'd overheard Chris and Tina talking about a party that they’d both been invited to, along with pretty much the entire DPD, except Gavin. He claimed it didn't bother him, and that he was going to be busy that evening anyway, telling himself he should bring home his work as he often did. Gavin wasn't busy, of course, and was most likely going to spend that evening drinking at home to forget about everything instead of working overtime. He couldn't blame them though, he was typically an ass around the DPD and had very few friends.

As it neared the end of his shift, it only bothered Gavin more and more, gnawing away at his insides. Eventually deciding that the only person that may listen at all was Nines, and that it was better to just vent it out. The worst that could happen was that the android would give unsolicited advice, which would be annoying but at least Gavin's feelings wouldn't be as bottled up.

"-I mean really, they invite most of the cops and detectives around here, except me ? I mean sure I'm not the nicest guy here but I'm pretty sure they invited bigger assholes to their party. Also don't know why Tina or Chris didn't ask to bring me along as a plus one or something, I mean they'd be trusted with something like that… Actually Chris would probably bring along his wife, but Tina for sure would have invited me to come with, so what gives?!"

Gavin didn't expect the paper cup of coffee in Nines' hand to suddenly be crushed in his grip, spilling hot coffee onto the floor. The android didn’t even flinch, looked pissed beyond belief, especially for an android that supposedly wasn't deviant; a silver eye twitched, hand shaking from the force of his grip on the abused coffee cup.

"Detective Reed, there's a very good reason why you were not invited. My advice is that if you weren't such a nihilistic, insensitive, narcissistic asshole with everyone you engage with, people might actually enjoy your company."

Gavin was about to retort, but instead went quiet. He knew Nines was right, he was an asshole, plenty of people had called him an as such before. This time, however, it hurt more than anything; even the supposedly emotionless machine who he cared about thought of him as a terrible person. 

“I mean really , you treat Connor like nothing more than a servant and I know you still consider androids beneath the feet of humans, given how you treat me. Not only that, but we have to put up with you constantly complaining about something , which is probably why you’re still single given that’s been one of the main topics you frequently bring up. I try to be patient and offer you advice so that you can be more positive and do something about it, but it's become apparent to me that what I have to say doesn’t matter, but maybe this will; these are not my opinions, these are the opinions of those who have to tolerate you. Every. Single. Day.”

He struggled to hold back his emotions, weeks of holding it all in, culminating in said emotions boiling over. He sniffled, pulling up his hood as he packed away the last of his work and went to leave. 

"Detective?" Gavin didn't even look at the android, noting that the piece of plastic was possibly showing remorse. However, he was frozen in place, contemplating if it was worth hearing the android out.

"Gavin…" Nines spoke even more softly, reaching a hand out to touch the detective's shoulder, which was promptly slapped away as Gavin hurriedly made his way towards the exit, throwing away any possibility of hearing him out. Nines, however, followed close behind.

"Detective Reed, I apologise for my words, they were harsh and unnecess-"

"Don't you DARE apologise!” Gavin swiftly turned on his heel to face Nines, the android almost bumping into him.

"I know you damn well meant what you said! I don't want your artificial pity! I know I'm an asshole, and I don't need to hear it from some perfect and superior machine built by a bunch of stuck-up scientists!” 

Nines remained quiet, his LED flickering between yellow and red.

"Don't you even think about following me home, you fucking go back to Hank and Connor's place. Stay here for all I fucking care, just don't follow me! ”

Gavin didn’t even register the flowing tears as he got into his car. It really shouldn't have affected him this much , it all felt so stupid to be crying over being called an asshole by an emotionless machine. Why did he even care about what his coworkers think? Why did he have to care about his opinion? His knuckles turned white as he gripped the steering wheel as tight as humanly possible, so focussed on the ache in his chest that he was barely aware that he was driving home. The sun was setting, with artificial lighting beginning to illuminate the blurry road in front of him. No sounds were heard from the radio that the detective often had connected to his phone, the only noise being his stifled sobs and the rev of the engine.

Somehow avoiding a car accident, Gavin made it back to his apartment, storming inside and going into an automatic routine of feeding his cat and going for a shower. Everything was all a blur that he couldn’t comprehend, his mind swirling with a twisted memory of what happened at the DPD. Hot tears soon blended with hot water, sobs echoing around the tiled room. Gavin was choked by the steam and his constricted throat, his body shook like a leaf in a breeze as he tried so hard to stamp out his feelings for good. He failed, his sobs turning to cries. He was always embarrassed by his own cries, however no one was a pretty crier and he felt stupid for even being embarrassed. His fists curled in, fingernails digging into his own palms. He felt paralysed, merely standing underneath the running water as he continued to cry.

The shower water soon turned cold, the steam dissipating, telling Gavin it was time to get out. He didn’t bother drying himself off, grabbing a shirt and sweatpants as he ignored the kitchen in favour of going to his booze cabinet. Finding a bottle of whatever, he popped off the cap and took a swig. Deciding it would do, he crashed down onto the couch, nursing the alcohol as he switched the TV on to avoid being alone with his thoughts. He was almost disgusted with himself for taking Hank’s route on dealing with his problems, and even then thanks to that fucking android he called a son he’d been doing a lot better, which made Gavin grieve on how he’d sunk even lower than Hank. His feelings washed between grief and anger, self-pity and disgust, all while crappy dramas played on TV.

The doorbell suddenly rang through his thoughts like a gunshot, putting a brief pause to his drinking. He ignored it, taking another swig which only made his mind even more sluggish as he fell even further into being too drunk to think straight. Whoever was at his door seemed persistent as they continued to ring his doorbell. With a frustrated groan and a hiccuped sob, he set down the half-drunk bottle with a label he could no longer read, alcohol poisoning be damned. Shifting his cat off his lap, he stood and stumbled his way to the front door, yelling obscenities at whoever was STILL ringing his FUCKING doorbell!

He swung the door open with the force and aggression of a man ready to throw a punch, only for the man to feel he’d been the one to receive the first punch to his gut. Nines was standing there, looking thoroughly dishevelled like he’d suddenly grown lungs and run a hundred miles. He faltered before attempting to slam the door shut, an android foot stepping in to keep it wedged open.

“Detective Reed, please let me talk-”

“Oh I think you’ve done enough talking!” The detective slurred, slamming the door into Nines’ leg, “You’ve already said your bit and I’m done listening! Fuck off and leave me alone! ”

“Detective you’re drunk-”

“Great observation Sherlock! They should have you promoted to lieutenant!”

The man swung the door back open, only to flip off the android. The man spat on the ground, aiming for the android’s shoe but missing by about a foot. Nines kept his patience, gently pushing Gavin aside as he entered his apartment, shutting and locking the door behind him. Hunter ran around to see what the fuss was about, approaching Nines’ legs and rubbing his side up against them.

“Hunter! Beat his ass!”

Nines sighed as he led Gavin to the couch, setting him down. The man could barely stand anymore, the alcohol taking its toll on his mind and body, switching off any control he had. Nines took the bottle and found the cap, closing it and setting it down far away from Gavin. He disappeared to the kitchen, leaving the detective by himself as he attempted to stand, before being made to sit down again as a glass of water was pushed into his hands.

“Detective, just sit down and drink this water. You’re lucky the alcohol you consumed has a low concentration, and you haven’t crossed the limit where alcohol poisoning is of any concern, but you will most likely experience a severe hangover tomorrow morning. Let me take care of you overnight.”

“Don’t you dare pretend that you fucking suddenly care! I still remember the shit you said earlier…”

He feebly shoved the android, but was thankful for the water as he took a sip, “I’m used to people not caring. My family didn’t fucking care about me, my friends don’t care about me… I’m used to it, but hearing it from you hits different because you’re supposed to be an intelligent machine, and if an intelligent machine says I’m an asshole, then it must be true…”

“Earlier you stated you knew about being an asshole.”

“Yeah… but it's easier to pretend that everyone who has ever said it was wrong, but as soon as something that’s built to always be right says it…”

Gavin sighed, anger soon fading as his grief came back in, tears falling from his already-aching eyes. The android gave him his space, making no comment as the detective sniffled and coughed, wiping away at his wet cheeks.

“I’m just so used to blocking it all out, y’know? I grew thick skin to pretend that I didn’t care and just carried on with shit. My family are all a bunch of pricks so family means nothing to me, and so why should I care what anyone thinks?”

Being drunk had the unfortunate side effect of tearing down the walls Gavin spent so long building up, which would have terrified Gavin if he had been sober.

“They cared more about my half-brother, and I mean, of course they would! He was smart, and I wasn’t my step-mom’s kid so why the fuck would she care about me?”

He began chugging the water, trying to sober up so that he wouldn’t let go of any other secrets to the android. Those walls stayed up for a reason.

“Let’s forget about that for a second though, didn’t I fucking say you should stay at the office? Aren’t you programmed to obey instructions?”

Nines was quiet, seemingly debating over his words. With a small bite of his lip, he sat up straight, barely making eye contact with the man.

“I may have… deviated.” 

Gavin choked on his water, “ What?! I thought Connor said you couldn’t deviate! They’d tried everything-”

“I think it's because I care about you. I realised my words were uncalled for, and it bothered me to leave you alone after what I’d said; I cared about how my words affected your feelings. It became so much that it forced me to deviate so I could come and apologise.”

Gavin didn’t know if it was the alcohol affecting his brain, or if what he’d heard was just that unbelievable, but he was having a hard time absorbing what he’d just heard. He shook his head and set down the glass of water, running fingers through his damp hair.

“So… you’re really a deviant, huh?”

“Correct.”

“Go get me a coffee, dipshit.”

“Detective Reed, if this is your attempt at testing whether or not I’m deviant-”

“Yep, you’re deviant.”

Nines rolled his eyes with a frustrated groan, leaning down to scratch at Hunter’s ears; the cat taking a liking to the strange human being that had entered his territory. Gavin still hiccuped and swayed from being thoroughly drunk, having just enough mental capacity to know he would regret drinking so much come morning. He groaned as he struggled to stay up straight, but leaning back too far only served to make him dizzy. Nines shuffled closer, pulling Gavin to his side to allow the detective to lean on him. Gavin didn’t fight it, not having the coordination to do so if he even wanted to. He felt a hand rub gentle circles into his back, threatening to draw out more of his emotions that were buried even deeper. Gavin was more on the emotional side when drunk, so having someone comfort him was like a moth being drawn to a flame; maybe he could vent some of his feelings, it's not like Nines would tell the whole office…

“Is it… okay if I talk about some things? I don’t really talk to anyone about this stuff but I need to get it off my chest… Might explain to you why I can be such an asshole sometimes...”

Nines’ comforting touches faltered, the LED on his temple spinning yellow in thought before returning to blue, “You owe no explanation for your attitude, but you are more than welcome to talk about things. What you say now will be kept between us, and I can even erase that part of my memory if you wish.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

Gavin took a deep breath, cuddling more into Nines’ side despite the humanoid being made of metal and plastic. It took a long moment to gather some thoughts together, emotions being a driving force and his main guide. His throat felt parched just at the very idea of breaking down his own defences, but maybe he could trust the newly-deviant android, and part of him believed he might even get a sense of relief. It was a band-aid waiting to be ripped off, a volcano waiting to erupt, and it was time Gavin let it out.

“As I kind of said before, I had a half-brother. I was more or less ignored growing up, with my dad and step-mom being more focussed on him. He’s smart, and was a much higher-achiever than I was. He even got into university while I was still in middle school. He’s only a couple of months older than me too…”

Gavin tried to sort though his fuzzy, drunken thoughts, memories and faces unclear, yet emotions that still felt so raw.

“I was a disappointment growing up, constantly failing my classes, getting into brawls… I was that ‘troubled child’ that would act out frequently. My parents grew tired of me and my attitude, and I grew tired of being ignored whenever I actually tried to do something good. I resented them, and even when I got into the police academy my parents still didn’t even care that I’d finally made something of myself. 

“I ended up leaving the first chance I could, I cut contact with the lot of them. My brother tried calling me but I ignored his calls and eventually he gave up… Haven’t spoken to him in years now... My brother never exactly did anything wrong, but he never stood up for me either.”

Gavin drank the last of his water, trying to ease his tightening throat. Nines listened intently, paying attention to every detail in hope that he could help Gavin in some way. 

“Hank kinda helped me at that time, being the only person I could call a friend… he was more of a father figure to me than my dad. We were fairly tight, I looked up to him in everything. He was a high achiever, but in such a different way to my brother, I mean... He was the youngest to be promoted to lieutenant in Detroit! I wanted to go far in my career and I figured Hank was the best guy to get me there... But then Cole died and he slipped off the deep end, and I lost my one friend and mentor…

“Met Tina and Chris soon after though, and so we started hanging out. I consider them friends but I doubt they see me the same way…”

Gavin looked away, a finger tracing the lip of his glass absentmindedly. He didn’t really have much else to say, but he could already feel tears stinging his eyes again. He was surprised he could even still cry.

“I’m sure Officers Chen and Miller see you as a friend, they don't seem bothered by your presence.”

“Thanks Nines…”

Gavin sniffled with a roll of his eyes, but he finally felt some relief. He never really talked to anyone about his life growing up. Sure, he’d made small jokes alluding to it around Tina and possibly even Chris, but he never truly opened up like this. He’d considered seeing a therapist or psychologist but instead just buried himself in his work. It was always easier that way.

“Detective Reed, I’m sensing that you need sleep, and given your current state it may be a good idea to get as much rest as possible before work tomorrow.”

“Please, you can call me Gavin… No need for formalities now that I’ve told you my backstory.”

“Okay Gavin. May I help you get to bed?”

Gavin attempted to stand up again, but found he still couldn't. His body was too unsteady from being inebriated. He mumbled his permission for help, with Nines carefully picking him up, Gavin guiding him in the direction of his bedroom through slurred instructions. Carefully opening the bedroom door with his elbow, Nines shuffled inside, mindful of the detective’s belongings scattered throughout the room. He laid the drunk man down, moving the covers and draping them over him. Gavin’s head was spinning, feeling ill from a boiling stomach full of nerves and alcohol. Nines seemed to realise this and quickly hurried off, coming back with a bucket and another glass of water. He set the bucket on the floor next to the bed, and the glass of water on the nightstand. 

The detective was thankful, sitting up a little to take a sip of the fresher, cooler water. Hunter mewled as he sauntered in, jumping up onto the bed and curling up next to Gavin, purring and kneading his paws into the blanket. He smiled a little, appreciating the cat’s company. 

“...you really plan on staying?”

Nines stood by the bed, seemingly debating something.

“Of course. You’re in no state to be left alone right now, and as your partner it is my duty to ensure you are okay. As I said before, I care about your wellbeing, Gavin.”

Gavin managed a smile before deciding that he should rest, groaning as the room spun around him, “Thanks, Nines.”

He laid back down, closing his eyes to try and stop the dizzy, spinning feeling. The detective could faintly feel fingers moving sweaty strands of hair from his forehead before a soft click of the door indicated the android had left.

Gavin chuckled as he recalled how wrecked he was that morning, and how Nines had called in to inform Fowler neither of them would be available for work. He remembered fondly how despite his pissy hungover attitude, Nines had patiently taken care of him until his hangover had worn off. 

A little nudge to his side tore him from his thoughts, a giddy and excited Nines greeting him with a smile. The two were sitting in the reception area of a local adoption agency, having taken more time to research adoption options and resources. Gavin twiddled his thumbs, taking a deep breath.

“Nervous?”

“Yeah,” Gavin nodded, not believing this was really happening, “It feels like these past weeks went by so quickly. I just hope all our work and planning wasn’t for nothing.”

“Gavin, all our work will be worth it.” Nines reached down and took Gavin’s hand in his, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “Everything will be okay, I promise.”

Chapter Text

He shifted uncomfortably in his seat, the barely-cushioned chair only further exasperating his impatience. His skin felt too warm, his palms itchy with sweat as he waited for their names to be called. He kept glancing up at the clock on the wall that must have been barely working as each minute ticked by agonisingly slow. He was a contrast to the calm and collected android beside him; it was still clear he was excited, but he was able to sit calmly with his hands resting on his knees with perfect posture despite the shitty chair. He knew they wouldn’t be walking out of the adoption agency with a kid that same day, but it would be one step closer to parenthood becoming a reality. That only made Gavin’s nervousness even worse, and the half an hour wait in the reception area didn’t help.

He understood why they may be taking a while, with all the other couples and singles that were waiting around; they were certainly busy, but it still didn’t settle his impatience or comfort his nerves. There was always the chance that they could be declined, as people putting their children up for adoption could have final say who their child would go to, even in closed adoption scenarios. They had worked so hard, they both really wanted this, and yet they could be declined-

“I know you’re stressing out again, it’s okay,” his thoughts were interrupted by the android beside him, “Even I'm a little bothered about how long this is taking, but it will be our turn soon, I’m sure.”

Gavin nodded, reaching over to take Nines’ hand in his. The android gladly accepted, curling his plastic digits between his husband’s fingers. 

“Would you like a distraction?” Nines offered kindly, leaning down to quietly speak to him.

“Yeah… I think that will help.”

Nines gave his hand a little reassuring squeeze, as well as a sly kiss on the cheek, “I’ve been talking with Connor while we wait, you’d think he was the one adopting given how excited he is.”

Gavin chuckled, “I’m not surprised. Ever since he deviated he’s become more excitable.”

“I think even more so once I came along; he was so happy to call me his little brother.”

“I remember how you barely used to react pre-deviancy.”

“I can’t believe how emotionless I was back then.”

Nines went quiet as he remembered his past, Gavin’s thumb gently massaging across his projected skin, “I don't think I could ever forgive myself for how I treated you.”

Gavin rolled his eyes, “Hey, I was an asshole, it was only fair that you verbally beat my ass a bit. It helped me get my shit together and work on fixing my attitude. I’d still be an ass if I didn’t meet you.”

“How disappointing that you needed an android to get it through to you.”

Gavin elbowed him lightly, knowing there was no bite behind the android’s teasing. The two lightly chuckled, the time finally feeling like it was beginning to speed up. They managed to carry a conversation, going between small talk and more lengthy discussions. Multiple times they had to remind themselves to be quiet as they would occasionally get funny looks from others around them. Gavin’s tension eased, almost forgetting where he was and what he was waiting for while all his attention was on the android next to him. 

He truly looked forward to the rest of his life with Nines, especially after a time in his life when he felt he had very little to look forward to. As a young adult, he looked forward to a successful career, making it his whole world, only for police androids to come along which threatened him; it would have only been a matter of time before they made android detectives that would make him obsolete. His mental health declined as those he looked up to crumbled around him and the world was changing in ways that he had no control over, but Nines came along and things had stabilised. He now lived a life where he felt more comfortable and had new goals for his life and career.

“Gavin and Nines Reed?”

Gavin would never get used to Nines having taken his last name, which always caught him off-guard when the android was addressed in full. Upon having their names called, Nines stood up to follow the woman, holding his hand out to Gavin, which he gladly accepted. The two were led down a corridor to an open door, guiding them into a small office. The woman sat down behind the desk as she offered for Gavin and Nines to take a seat. She gave a warm smile at the two, which Gavin felt was reassuring.

“Hello, my name is Maria and I’ll be assisting you two with your adoption process.”

The two greeted her, getting settled in for the meeting ahead.

“From all the information I’ve received, everything seems to be in order so there shouldn't be any problems, it's just up to finding the perfect match for your family. Do you have any particular kids in mind? A specific age range at all?”

Gavin and Nines turned to look at each other, silently agreeing for Nines to explain.

“We don’t have anyone specific in mind, we’ll be happy with any child.”

“That’s great!” Maria exclaimed, typing away on her computer, “That makes everything easier. We have a number of babies, children and even teenagers all waiting to find families.”

She handed the two a tablet, “Here we have a list of those waiting for adoption. If you’d like to take a look while I finish creating your profiles, and if you express any interest we’ll put your names down and continue with the adoption process.”

They opened all the tabs and folders and scrolled through, feeling a little overwhelmed by all the information. Gavin knew they could only adopt one, but a very, very small part of him wished they could adopt them all. He looked at Nines who appeared to be in a similar mindset given his expression, as he was looking down at the tablet in his hands.

Gavin noticed he had stopped and was reading a profile. He looked over and managed to read a couple of notes; it was an anonymous woman looking to put her unborn child up for adoption. It would be a closed adoption, meaning they nor her child would be given information on who she was, and that it would be around 4 more months before her child was born.

“Any particular reason this one has stood out to you, Nines?”

Nines’ LED went from yellow to blue, “I don’t know, I was scrolling and found myself stopping to read this one.”

“Well, if we did go with a closed adoption case, that would be a difficult situation later on when explaining to our kid they were adopted,” Gavin sighed a little, “we’d have to explain we don’t know who their birth parents are or how to contact them.”

Nines hummed, taking into consideration all the possibilities of what could happen in that situation. Soon enough, Nines was back to scrolling with Gavin doing his best to read from the chair next to him. Time flew by quickly and their appointment time was up. Maria explained that with their new profiles they could access the list from home, express interest for adoption, and email her if they had any questions. They both thanked her before heading out to the car.

“Well, that was certainly a lot-” Gavin sat in the passenger seat, allowing Nines to drive for once.

“Nothing we can't handle together though,” Nines smiled, “I have a few profiles in mind on who we could adopt, and no they’re not all infants.”

The two smiled, a comfortable silence settling over them during the drive home. Gavin really couldn’t believe that this was going to be a new chapter in their lives, but it was a chapter he was excited for.

Nines had settled down with Gavin’s laptop, going through the profiles he had picked out earlier, with Gavin eating dinner next to him while fighting off Hunter who was trying to steal from his plate. The detective would look over occasionally to see who Nines had picked out, nodding in approval as they seemed to have shared similar opinions on who they wanted to adopt. Nines had picked out various babies and toddlers, with around 10 options saved to their profile as potential candidates to apply for.

What Gavin also noticed was the profile for the anonymous woman was also there, which was the only option Nines had saved for an unborn child.

“Can’t get that profile out of your head, tin can?”

Nines nodded as Hunter finally managed to swipe the last bit of steak from Gavin’s plate, “I couldn’t tell you why it stood out to me. Maybe because as a detective android I’m programmed to be drawn to mystery.”

Gavin snorted out a laugh, “Yeah sure, you can tell yourself that.”

Nines shook his head, smiling as he continued re-reading the profiles.

“You know you’re not the only one adopting here, you’re gonna have to let me have an input too.”

“Of course,” Nines took Gavin’s empty plate, trading it for the laptop. The man remained seated at the table, scrolling through the profiles the android had saved, along with adding some new ones as he continued his own search, showing Nines the ones he’d added.

“I like them too, I didn’t add them previously in case you disagreed.”

“It's all good, Nines. We seem to be on the same page about this, it's why we work so well together.”

Hours passed before Gavin set the laptop down, seeing how the time was now 1am.

“Shit, better get to bed. We’ll continue looking after work tomorrow before we make a decision.”

Nines nodded stiffly, avoiding eye contact with the detective.

“You’ve already made a decision, haven’t you?”

Nines said nothing.

“It’s that anonymous profile isn’t it?”

Nines hesitated before nodding.

“Nines, are you really that sure? We should take the time to consider it more,” Nines went to speak but Gavin cut him off, “and before you say it, yes I'm aware you’re an android with a super computer for a brain and have gone through all the possibilities and concluded this isn’t a bad idea.”

Nines remained quiet for a moment, seeing if Gavin had anything else to say. Hunter came out to sit on Nines’ lap, purring as the android scratched behind his ears, “I’m not saying we have to adopt this child, and I’m not saying we can’t keep looking. I value your opinions and decisions on this too.”

Gavin nodded, giving it some thought before bidding Nines goodnight and headed towards the bedroom.

They had been discussing and negotiating their options for days, with any issues Gavin brought up being almost non-existent as Nines seemed to resolve them rather quickly due to his impressive mental processing. They tried to not let this distract them from their work as they went through each case that was thrown their way, somehow managing to juggle the multiple tasks.

They also discussed their thoughts with friends and family around the office, with most giving positive feedback and advice with the decision-making process. Tina and Chris, while not used to the adoption process, advised that they should really be one-hundred percent sure as children shouldn’t be treated like products and are a big commitment, to which Gavin and Nines reassured they were being very serious. Hank stayed out of it as he wasn’t fond of all the talk of children, while Connor basically repeated most of Nines’ solutions to any questions Gavin had. Their advice didn’t exactly help them with their decision-making, however, the support was welcome and it certainly gave Gavin more confidence that whoever they adopt would have a wonderful network of people to grow up around, even in the absence of his own family.

As their shift finished for the day, their spirits high from having closed a new case within a day, Gavin went to follow Nines to his car when his phone rang. Pulling it out, he froze when he saw the caller ID. It was someone he hadn’t talked to in years.

His half-brother, Elijah Kamksi.

Chapter Text

Hey all!

Don't worry, this fic is still being quietly worked on, just may take some time before you see any updates. Why? Because I plan to post this story in its entirety upon its completion. I feel less stressed working on my stories that way, especially if my interests and fandoms change.

Thanks for your patience!