Hickory

Guidance

Nines was a fucking saint. Reed had no idea how he knew, he just did. It was fucking unsettling. After leaving the clock tower, Nines led him to a quiet diner, where he decided what he would eat and drink. He picked a sandwich and some fries with a mixed fruit juice, balancing the healthy with the unhealthy. They sat at a quiet table in a dim corner where they wouldn't be noticed or disturbed, letting him calm down and regain some of his self-control. It was calm and quiet. As Reed recovered, Nines internally reported the incident to both Fowler and Dr Marr, which he resented, but understood.

After Reed had numbly eaten as instructed, Nines told him they would return to the precinct on foot. He hadn't argued, walking obediently at his side. There was probably something funny about a non-deviant android giving a human orders, but Reed wasn't together enough to feel it. He wasn't in a fit state to feel anything. Letting Nines lead was just easier. Everything was so fucking raw. He wanted to drag Connor to the gym and fight until he was fucking done. Too done to think. Too done to care. Instead, he walked with Nines.

Nines chose a slow route, one that cut through a large open park. Kids were running around, playing games. There was a basketball court crowded with teens. People cycling, sitting on picnic blankets and benches, eating a late lunch, sharing ice cream. It was peaceful. The air was still sweet with that humid summer scent. Reed stopped about halfway through just to watch some teens shooting hoops. Nines was content to stand beside him. His vitals had finally evened out to something approaching normal. Back at the precinct, Reed had a short check-in with Fowler and insisted that he was fine to work his shift. They were only going on a stakeout. It was hardly difficult, and Nines could take the lead if need be.

Nines interfaced with Connor when he returned, quietly letting him know what had happened without drawing attention to it. Connor's LED flashed yellow as he gave him a sympathetic nod and settled down with Hank to file their report of the day before leaving. Reed let Nines drive the car, having promised he'd take it easy. Nines had gone soft on him. He let him have an extra cigarette break and ignored the two extra coffees he'd snuck in. He also stopped at a drive through on the way to the house to order him a large meal and insisted that he eat.

"Thanks...for today." The words were quiet, grumbled under his breath while he pointedly looked out of the window to avoid Nines' piercing eyes. Instead of answering verbally, Nines rested a hand on his thigh for a moment as a sign that he'd heard and accepted. They sat on the street corner, far enough down from the darkened house that the occupant wouldn't see them. The pickup was in the driveway and the curtains were drawn, with soft light glowing around the edges. There was an eerie stillness in the street, not another soul to be seen. The problem with it being so quiet was that it left them free to talk, and Reed wasn't in the talking mood.

"What do people usually do on missions like this?" Nines asked after a while, noting a need to fill the void with something innocuous. Reed had finished his meal, the packaging left screwed up on the backseat besides the soda cup sitting in the cupholder. Reed knew what he was doing. He could easily look that up in his directory or message Connor about it, but he was grateful for the distraction.

"Just wait and watch...It's pretty dull and draining work. There's no guarantee that anything will happen tonight, and that can be frustrating as hell. It could take days for this guy to trip up...If he's our guy." They were all pretty fucking certain this was one of the sickos they were looking for. Nothing else really made sense. It was too much of a coincidence, both the missing days and seeing him with a YK600 matching Richard's description. "This is where people usually gossip...You know, talk about work and bitch about coworkers." Nines' head tilted curiously. Of course, he's never gossiped before...

"Connor has been attempting to teach Sumo to play fetch," Nines shared uncertainly, watching Reed's expression soften in surprise. Cute. It wasn't exactly gossip, but it was innocent and mundane news. He could imagine it, too. Connor patiently cooing as the large Saint Bernard loped cluelessly around him. Sumo was pretty old and Reed was a little surprised he didn't know how to play already. Then again, Hank hasn't exactly been the playful type for the past three years...He felt a little sorry for Sumo having to deal with that.