“Late Night” ~ For Pigeonn_Milkk
@pigeonnmilkk created this gorgeous image using a prompt I gave them on Instagram, so I couldn’t help but write something for them to accompany it. Thank you so much Pidge for chatting with me and making me smile! I hope this brightens your morning. 💙
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“Late Night”
In the still of the night, the DCPD was quiet as usual, but not yet completely abandoned. One lone terminal shown brightly as its occupant sat leaning back in their office chair, tapping and scrolling away at their cell phone.
Despite being in sleep mode, Nines was fully aware of his surroundings. He knew, without opening his eyes, who was near. Some might say it was a program designed to use other senses to determine the person’s identity, but he knew who it was because this person always stayed late into the night recently.
Not that he was working feverishly on the paperwork he hated so much. Oh no. Not this Detective. Such things, like Nines, were beneath him.
In the two months Nines had begun working with the bitter Detective Reed, he had seen his fair share of ire from him to last anyone a lifetime. Sometimes he was rude, other times crude and sometimes bitterly amused to find things to tease Nines about.
“You dirty son of Alexa. Play me Despacito.” Gavin had said, guffawing loudly when Nines’ LED cycled to yellow in an attempt to figure out what it was the Detective had asked of him. A meme. Lovely.
At other times Reed had opted to ignore him all together. Not acknowledging he was in the room, or that he voiced opinions to help with cases. Nines did not understand what he had done to earn such a reaction, but he had worked hard to try and undo any damage he might’ve caused to no avail.
Then, one night while they were investigating a crime scene, something curious had happened.
This particular case seemed cut and dry. Old woman, hoarder, who died alone when she was unable to get to her phone in the kitchen. There was so much trash that blocked her way that when she had a stroke, she’d not made it there due to the exertion it took to get around it all. She was so cut off that no one noticed her missing until her landlord came for the next month’s rent. They were there as a formality to make sure no foul play had occurred.
Gavin seemed genuinely bothered by this scene, which Nines had never seen in his partner before. Reed was ignoring Nines’, as usual, when Tina Chen walked up to Gavin with a box.
“I found them in the basement. The mom’s gone Gavin. We’ve looked all over the house. Know anyone that can take them in?”
Nines watched Reed’s face as he opened the box and Nines distinctly heard the mewling of kittens. Shortly thereafter, Gavin’s face lit up, but only momentarily when he realized what was inside. Before Nines could get a good look, it was gone.
“I’ll drop them by the shelter on my way home.” Gavin said, bringing that authority back to his voice. He side glanced Nines, who watched him curiously. “What the fuck are you looking at? Shouldn’t you be computing or something?”
Nines stood, letting Reed turn back to give Tina further instructions. That had been joy in the Detective’s face, Nines had no doubts, mixed with something else. Sadness, perhaps? Another officer came over, named Daniels and lifted the top of the box to look inside as Tina held it.
“They’re too small and likely won’t survive. Mom likely abandoned them because they were the runts of the litter. You’d be better off tossing the box into a river.” Daniels had said in a tone that didn’t sit right with Nines, but apparently he wasn’t the only one.
While Gavin was fit, Nines had never seen him move so quickly to put himself between Daniels and the box. He practically plowed into the man with no care for the officer.
“Shut the fuck up before I throw your ass into the river.” Gavin said with all the venom he could muster seething in his voice.
“What a stupid, cruel thing to say Daniels.” Tina continued as she glowered at him, both emanating a scary aura as they beat the officer down with those looks.
This surprised Nines greatly to hear the Detective standing up for the well being of the kittens, but considering that animals still held rank over androids in humanity’s eyes, he really shouldn’t have been. Daniels got the idea and scuttled off as Gavin lifted the box, shielding it as one tiny head poked out to meow in his face.
“Don’t listen to that asshole.” Gavin mumbled to the cat as his hand encased the side of its face and he scratched the back of its head. Nines tilted his head, watching curiously as this brute of a man succumbed to the whims of such a small, helpless creature.
It was the first time he noticed software instability, but instead of reporting on it, he kept it to himself. The more he did, the more unstable his programming became, but the memory of that large hand engulfing the kitten lovingly had made him… He wasn’t sure. But he liked it.
Continua a leggere
