Partners - Reed900 series

Mistletoe

Sleeping with an android in your bed is something you get used to quite easily. And maybe Nines gets used to sleeping in a bed quite easily too. Gavin wouldn't know, he can only guess. They don't really talk about it, actually.

Gavin woke up early after that first night, with a warm and firm presence at his back. The side of the android was literally pressed up against his back - or rather the other way around, not an inch of space between them. Gavin had somehow arched his back to slot around Nines' arm, his butt popped back to touch the android's hip.
It took him a sleepy second to realise this and in the next second he rolled over to his stomach - pretending to still be asleep, creating some much needed space between them. A few minutes later he deemed it safe enough to 'wake up', with a yawn and a stretch that enhanced the distance between their bodies even more.
Gavin thinks he deserves an Oscar for his acting skills that morning, all casual and cool.

Nines had slept well that night, by the way. He was carefully positive about running his stasis program while being in a bed.

And when two days later the moment arrives that Nines is on his couch again, and the clock says it's time to go or to go to sleep, Gavin thinks they should nominate him for an Emmy as well, because he's cool as a cucumber in offering Nines a place in his bed again.

It's not just Nines that night: Tiny follows her android friend and curls up on his pillow, right beside his head. The light of Nines' LED gives her normally white fur a blue, alien hue.

And that's how things go, from that moment on. When Nines is over at Gavin's place, he stays the night and they share a bed. The android tries out different sleeping positions, 'the starfish' the only one that Gavin objects to, because those long limbs of Nines are all over his side of the bed.

It has been a while since Gavin shared a bed with another person, even longer when you only count the persons that were there for more than one night. The android is an easy sleeping partner, however; he doesn't move around a lot, he doesn't snore and the light at his temple dims when he is in stasis. And with the Detroit winter the added warmth is very much welcome.
Waking up pressed up against Nines isn't even an issue anymore. It happens way too often to make a fuss about anyway. Besides, they are very comfortable around each other nowadays, very 'tuned in to each other' as someone other than Gavin might say. Though nothing gets said, because they don't talk about it.

It's not that they don't talk at all. No, sharing a bed opens up the possibility for - platonic - pillow talk. Late night theories about a case, the latest news on android rights, or, very domesticated, the reminder to buy cat litter before it runs out. They talk about everything, except for the things that maybe need to be talked about.

Like how Gavin doesn't sleep all that well on the nights that Nines is over at Anderson's house or at his own apartment. Or how Nines his favourite sleeping position is on his side, opening himself up for Gavin to inch closer and closer during the night, until they are spooning.

What is there to talk about?

Everything runs smoothly.

At work.

At home.

Nothing to talk about. Nothing to analyse.

***

Christmas is coming, and with that, the end of Nines' suspension. The end of a period that started with that blasted press release, one that had reporters on the steps of the precinct every morning for almost a full week. They weren't there for Nines, they knew he was suspended and his home address was still classified information, like with any police officer. No, much to Gavin's dismay, they were there for him.