Hickory

An Awakening

One might have thought that the incident at the bar would end things with Aaron. If one thought that, then one clearly didn't know Gavin Reed. He'd left him on read for a day, but when he'd turned up at the precinct after his shift the following day Reed just couldn't refuse him. Not when he'd spent more than a day with Nines. Not when Aaron's blue eyes left lingering promises and his lips dropped heartfelt apologies. Reed went home with him then and there. The night ended just as he thought it would. With him face down on the mattress, biting a pillow and whimpering Nines' name as he came.

Another week went by. Another couple of sessions with Dr Marr. It seemed Connor and Nines had both been discreet about the incident at the bar. Marr didn't bring it up, so he didn't talk about it. They talked about Elijah instead, and the abandonment issues he had surrounding their relationship. She didn't tell him anything he didn't already know. He was transferring those negative feelings from his father to his brother. He should give Elijah a fair chance. Elijah wasn't their father. Reed just didn't know how to do that. His father had never been there. His mother had disappeared. He'd lost Jack. He felt emotionally vulnerable letting someone close after all that. Marr encouraged him to try. She had the feeling that Elijah would surprise him, so that's what he did.

"Gav? I mean, Gavin? Hi-hello-I-um, I wasn't expecting-I mean I had hoped that..." Elijah's voice trailed off after stammering out that greeting. Reed couldn't help the small smirk on his lips as he sat at his desk with his mobile pressed to his ear. The great Elijah Kamski, smooth talking CEO of Cyberlife, reduced to a stuttering wreck. That had to be a first. Reed let out a small chuckle as he leaned back in his chair. He was feeling strangely relaxed, confident even, after his session with Marr.

"Yeah-uh, I just got out of therapy, so I thought I'd give you a call..." Reed sat back and just let the conversation happen. Elijah had no idea he was in therapy. Reed had a lot of issues he'd built up over the years. Was the therapist good? Sure, she seemed good. He was making progress. He didn't want to go into the exact details, but Elijah seemed happy enough to let him lead the conversation. "What are you doing, anyway?" Reed asked as he twisted his chair lazily, knowing Elijah was likely quite busy.

"Oh, nothing that can't wait...Just Cyberlife business mostly. Markus and I are still working on a few more legal documents for the senate." Markus' voice called a polite greeting in the background. Reed didn't want to distract him, but Markus seemed settled enough drinking thirium with Chloe and North to allow them a few more minutes. It felt good. Natural. Elijah's voice set something off in his chest. It was an odd feeling. He wasn't used to recognising feelings of safety or security, but that's how he felt. It was a mystery why he felt like that with a guy he barely knew.

"I thought we should set a date for that meet up. I'm-uh...I'm off this Wednesday and Sunday?" Reed suggested hesitantly after a while of idle chatter about Cyberlife and android upgrades. He didn't hear a cry on the other end of the phone, but he did notice a small intake of breath and a sigh that sounded almost relieved. He heard some scuffling and could just imagine Elijah searching around his papers for his schedule. If he knew Chloe well enough, then she'd be at his shoulder in an instant, handing him the paper and pen he was looking for.

"Alright...I have back-to-back meetings most of Wednesday...but Sunday is looking good after twelve. Come over for lunch around then. I can show you some of the things I'm working on...You can bring Nines with you if you'd like, maybe try out the pool." Reed mumbled a confirmation as he scribbled it on his diary and flicked his gaze across to Nines, who was pretending he wasn't listening in. Reed knew him well enough by now to know he could hear them, even if he wasn't paying attention to the call. The RK line had the best audio processors on the market.