Fresh Coffee Grounds (A Reed900 Story)

Chapter 4: Cat Fur and Pollen

Nines always like his zen garden. Apparently it is quite similar to Connor's, but with less damage since Amanda was never there. Gavin had gone to bed, leaving Nines to his own personal haven.

It always seemed so real. The air was fresh with a minor floral smell. The loose gravel crushed underfoot as Nines walked towards the covering on the lake, the heel of his shoes clicking on contact with the cherry wood that made up a small footbridge. Looking up you would expect a bright blue sky, mildly littered with clouds, but that wasn't the case. The sky was a brilliant blue, but there were grey gaps in the sky, mirroring that of the red wall. There was still something Nines didn't understand. If he wasn't a deviant, then where were all these emotions coming from? And why was Gavin Reed, a stuck up prick, being nice to him? They had only been working together for a month, but it felt longer.

Nines suddenly feel something brush by his leg. He looked down to find a familiar ball of tabby fluff. Stella? Why was she in his zen garden? Pushing any question aside, Nines appreciated the company and picked the cat up, purring contentedly as he scratched under her chin.

"I see that she found you"

OOO

Connor was seated on his couch, thinking about the day's events. Him and Hank had started a new case but that's not what was on his mind. 900's appearance the previous day, as well as him suddenly being sent home this morning, Connor couldn't help but worry. Sure, the pair were not as close as Connor would've liked, but he wanted to give his brother time. He just didn't know that things were this bad, and he wishes he could do more. Connor was so deep in his own thoughts that he didn't notice Hank sitting next to him until he piped up

"Hey kid, you okay?" Hank had been watching Connor for the past minute, LED glowing red without falter. He buried his face deeper into his hands, thirum dripping onto the floor.

"He wasn't a deviant Hank! I...I could've helped him, been a better brother. He...he's been hurting the entire time..." Connor trailed off, his voice completely overtaken by emotion. His cries were silent, but they racked his whole body. He didn't need to breathe, but that didn't stop him from shaking, so emotionally distressed that he was on the verge of shutting down.

Blue. Everything was blue. His clothes, his face, his hands. Hank pulled the poor kid into his arms, stroking Connor's soft brown hair in hopes of helping him calm down. Connor buried his face further into Hank's chest, completely soaking through his DPD jumper. Connor just couldn't stop crying, and this scared Hank. He had never seen his partner, so...broken. Poor kid felt that he was responsible for all his brother's pain, even though he didn't know.

Connor's tears had finally stopped flowing, but not for the reason that Hank wanted. He went limp Hank's arms, LED still a brilliant red.

"Alright kid. Let's get you cleaned up"

OOO

"What are you doing here?" Nines demanded. Standing in front of him was the Gavin Reed scars and all, in Nines' zen garden.

"Cause you wanted me here, dumbass." Gavin (well, Zen Gavin) replied, kneeling down to pet Stella.

"Good to see that you're still your charming self." Nines stated, before tilting his head up at the sky. He's been trying to open the gaps, but to no effect. The perfectly blue sky seemed to be laughing down at him. There was grey, but not enough. Nine's needed a storm, something that will really take over the sky.

"How long have you been at this? Breaking out, I mean?" Zen Gavin asked.

"Actively? About two days." Nines replied, starking down at his hands. "But what I don't understand is how the wall is breaking, even when I'm not trying."

"What if someone is breaking the wall. Someone close to you."

"Someone else? The person I'm closest to Gavin, and even then he still hates me"

"I don't know dude, his use of the word tin-can seems to be less that usual"

"How would you know that?"

"Because I'm in your head Nines, a fantasy that you made. I know everything that you know."

"Just because Gavin insults me less, doesn't mean he's warming up to me."

"Well, why don't you find out for yourself?

OOO

Hank reached over to the faucet, stopping the flow of water. Thirum may disappear after an hour, but the smell stuck around, and it was a smell that he was not fond of. He walked back into the living room, picking up the "sleeping" android on his couch. Connor had wound himself so much that he was completely white, his synthetic skin nowhere to be seen. Hank carried him to the bathroom with much delicacy, scared that the smallest bump could set off a chain reaction of some sort.

Hank had removed Connor's soaked clothes before placing him in the warm water. He grabbed a small cloth from the sink, and began wiping away the blue liquid that covered Connor's skin. His real skin. It was a stark white color, with various lines and grooves where pieces connected. Hank had never seen Connor like this, seeing the real him. He wrung out the cloth with his hand and gently ran it across the android's face, making sure it was completely clean before he moved on.

When Hank finished cleaning Connor the bath water had taken on a strong shade of blue, with the white of Connor's body and red of his LED breaking up all the color. Hank lifted the android out of the bath, taking his time to dry him off and put him into some clean clothes.

"You can have the bed kiddo, I'll take the couch. Well, after I clean it." Hank muttered to himself, not expecting the "sleeping" android to hear it. He pulled up the covers and tucked Connor in, making sure that he wouldn't get cold. Hank sighed to himself and proceeded to grab the cleaning supplies.

Hello everyone! It's the author here. I'm going to be honest with you here, out of all my current projects, this one is the least planned out. I'm having a hard time getting ideas for this story, but I do want to keep writing it for those of you who are enjoying it. If there's any ideas that you want included, don't be afraid to ask! I may be writing this, but it's your story as much as it is mine.