Tick Tock Part Three - Dock

Deviant

Gavin was stiff as he sat on the curved sofa in the bar. He drew his legs up and crossed them, lacing his fingers in his lap and staring at them until Nines appeared before him holding a small tumbler of whiskey. He had a second one of thirium, likely one of those alcohol blends that Elijah or Chloe had stashed behind the bar for him. Gavin took the glass. It was ice cold. Slippery with condensation. It seemed Nines had left some glasses in the fridge to cool the drinks without watering them down with ice. He held back from downing the whole thing, barely wetting his lips with the smooth, burning liquid. It was strong. Almost fruity.

"I found your phone," Nines murmured after a few moments. He'd taken a seat beside him, leaving a little space between their thighs. He turned to face Gavin and folded one leg beneath his body. Gavin took the proffered phone, surprised to find it was still in once piece. It was in a rubber case, sure, but it had still been tossed from a moving car and clattered across the pavement. A scooter or bike could have gone over it. It could have been stepped on or kicked into the road and run over. He was surprised it hadn't been stolen, though if it had, the GPS still would have led Nines straight to it. He swiped through the phone a little, taking in the missed calls and messages. Elijah had tried to contact him both before and after the incident. Gavin swallowed nervously, unsure he was ready to face whatever his brother had to say. There was also a bunch of missed calls from Nines sent during the incident. He'd probably noticed his phone's GPS pinging outside the hotel and called to ask why. Fuck, he'd probably gone out of his mind when he didn't pick up. He tapped the android app that Chloe had downloaded, smiling as the small Nines emoji appeared. The small face blinked up at him warily, Nines LED blinking yellow at the connection. Gavin lowered the phone as Nines' hand reached across to rest on his wrist. Talk to me...

Gavin didn't know what to say or where he should start. Did Nines want him to start at the beginning and tell the whole story again, the way he had with Hank? Or had he seen his interview already? Did he want him to offer excuses? Did he want him to get on his knees and apologise? Usually, there'd be some sort of punishment involved with disobedience, but this somehow seemed too serious to be used in play. They needed to talk it out properly. Nines needed to understand what had been going through his head. Why he'd made such a terrible mistake. Gavin shook his head. That wasn't quite right. It was a mistake. He wasn't sure what he'd do differently, but he knew he'd still go there again if given the choice.

"What were you thinking when you left the house?" Nines asked softly, starting with a simple question. Gavin closed his eyes, leaning his head back with a tired sigh to look up at the ceiling as he relived the moment. Chloe had been screaming in his ear. She'd been so fucking terrified, and in so much pain. The Hickory Killer had been giving him clear and simple commands. He'd thought of Nines, sure. Of course he had, but getting him involved could have tipped off the Hickory Killer and gotten Chloe killed. He knew now that the Hickory Killer had never planned on letting her out of there alive, but at the time, he'd had no choice.

"I thought that I...I had to get to Chloe. I had to get there as soon as possible. It was phcking...She was screaming, Nines! He was hurting her!" Gavin's voice was much smaller than usual. He couldn't help thinking that he'd let her down. Despite doing everything the Hickory Killer told him to, he'd still let her down. It was the worst thing he'd experienced since Jack's death. Maybe it was even worse. At least with Jack, it had been accidental. He hadn't realised the door was rigged. This time, the Hickory Killer had given him clear choices, and he'd consciously chosen to murder Chloe. He squeezed his glass tighter. He could still remember the slickness of warm thirium on his skin, and the heat of her core in his hand.

"I know...Were you afraid? Is that why you didn't contact me?" Nines' cool tone oozed understanding. He hated that. He hated that Nines was being so fucking understanding. So accepting. He'd run into danger by himself. Again. He'd knowingly made himself a target for the Hickory Killer. Again. He'd even gotten someone killed. I did it this time. I killed her. He wasn't about to let himself forget that anytime soon. Nines was still waiting for an answer. He rested an arm across the back of the sofa, leaning there with his head tilted expectantly. Gavin licked his lips as he nodded.