If The World Was Ending
Part 2 - It Didnât Scare Me
Part 1 Â Â Part 2 Â Â Part 3
Story Summary: Â Gavin is on the hunt for his missing android when the U.S. Government announces the end of the world. The end of his world. A world without his precious Nines.
Chapter Summary: Connor has managed to escape the clutches of android genocide, but Gavin isn't sure if the same can be said for Nines.
Pairing: Reed900 (Gavin Reed x RK900)
Rating: Explicit
Notes:
Based on the song âIf the World Was Endingâ by JP Saxe and Julia Michaels.
Short Three-Part Story (so I can channel this desire to make Reed900 come alive)
The progress of Gavinâs relationship with Nines was practically nonexistent. Between a man who refused to admit to his faults and an android built without social protocols, it was near impossible to get anything to happen. Not to mention, android prejudice was becoming a real threat for androids and their sympathizers.
Jim Crow laws had nothing on the division that androids were undergoing now, being collected and forced into the entire state of Michigan, that is. The government called it a âremedial periodâ in order to adjust to android integration and develop the proper rights specific to robotic sentients. Humans were allowed to stay if they elected to; some left, most begrudgingly stayed due to the inconvenience of moving.
There had been a few brave souls to come out about their relationships with the opposing species during this time. Gavin and Nines werenât one of them. Rather, Gavin had not been. Although fresh into deviation, Nines was willfully blind to the hatred that people inflicted upon androids (despite the illegality of it). He had been prepared to tell the entire precinct the day they first kissed but didnât per Gavinâs request.
He wasnât ready.
Setting aside political excuses, Gavin was his own relationship inhibitor. Commencing these romantic interests with Nines was refuting the false exterior he had displayed for so long. Coming out to the world would create problems he was dead set on carrying with him to the grave. He had upkept a heterosexual reputation for so long, he wasnât sure how to be anything else around his family and coworkers without embarrassing himself by mocking silly stereotypes. It didnât help that Gavin was notorious for being against androids â what insults would he be subject to if they all knew?
As anyone might guess, there was hardly a âhoneymoon phaseâ for the private couple. What they considered âdatesâ would have been any ordinary lunch break or sleepover for the typical person. Itâs not that they didnât enjoy the time they spent together, but it was always anti-climactic and never much contributed to the progression of their relationship.
For several months, doubt stacked against them.
It became second nature to squabble with one another when they crossed paths merely to maintain utmost confidentiality. They had both agreed the effectiveness of this plan; it was the safest preventative measure to anyone discovering the truth. And besides, the feelings of hate for each other would always subside by the end of the day. As soon as the pair stepped into Gavinâs rust-bucket-on-wheels, Ninesâ attitude melted like nothing offensive had transpired from his mouth in the last twelve hours.
Gavin could forget for a while. Especially when Nines stared at him in that special way⌠that pleading, merciful stare which signified he was about to kiss him. Yes, he could forget entirely.
Until one day he couldnât: a day in which he had found himself lying on Hank Andersonâs living room sofa.
âYou donât have to sit all the way over there, you know? Theyâll be out of town for the entire weekend,â Nines had said. âI have their GPS locations, too, in case any plans have been changed.â
Gavin believed his android. Thatâs not why he distanced himself. âI know,â he mumbled, slaving his eyes to the television.
Nines was silent for several minutes. âI donât want to do this anymore,â came his contingent response.
The heartbeat indicating Gavinâs pressing existence quickened under the flatline of words. He was sure Nines could and had picked up on it. âDo what?â he snapped back, though his misleading disruptive tone did not match the building fear within him.
âI donât want to keep pretending.â The android pierced him with a sharp glare. âI donât like hating you. I was programmed to be emotionless in spite of personifying assimilations. Do you know how difficult it is to override such programs and to express emotions anyway? To feel emotions? Wasting my energy on an action that I have no desire to perform is exhaustive and it confuses my ability to love you.â
Gavin sputtered, âDid you just say âlo-â.â
âPlease Gavin,â interrupted Nines. He was undeniably aggravated. âItâs put distance between us. I know I have little knowledge and experiences with âdatingâ, but I know that itâs typical to have a common goal of becoming familiar with a chosen partner and sharing such feelings with one another. As far as weâre concerned, weâve hardly done anything of the sort. I mean, look at you, youâre sitting all the way over thereâŚâ Despite the stolidity in his demeanors, his voice cracked for the very first time Gavin had ever witnessed. ââŚand I want you over here.â
Gavin was no sympathy-cryer, but it was becoming apparent how little credit he gave Nines. He swallowed the building tears down to speak. âIâŚuhâŚI didnât know you were feeling all of this.â
Nines scowled. âI may not be well-versed in the ways of acting the part of âboyfriendâ, but I thought it was an obvious concept that lovers should want to enjoy their time with each other. I had hoped that this weekend we might have the opportunity to overcome some barriers, that you might be able to tell me youâre ready. IâŚ.I⌠never thought I would be the one stupidly pining over an emotional skin-sack to make some sort of romantic gesture.â He was raising his voice now. âI felt closer to you when you actually hated me before any of this.â
Gavin sunk into the cushions, absorbing the uncertainty his android was exuding all of a sudden. How had he not realized? Nines had always appeared so self-assured about everything. How was he supposed to have realized? His voice relinquished an untrying defeat, âI-Iâm sorry. Fuck, I donât know what to do. Iâve always been so terribleâŚâ
âAt relationships or in general?â asked Nines, though his facial expression did not indicate a cynical undertone.
âBoth,â he heaved. âNines?â
âHm?â
Gavin shifted uncomfortably under the burden of his thoughts. âDo youâŚahemâŚuh, love me?â
âOf course, I do.â The android rolled his eyes as if the answer was an obvious one. âWhatâs this all been about if not for love?â
A growing pause erupted between them, then was broken by the anguished man. âH-How long?â
Nines, all of a sudden, seemed to comprehend the weight of his words and moved his lips apprehensively before speaking their contents.  âSome time ago, I suppose. It wasnât a concept I understood well until Connor pressed me to study and indulge in human culture. For a long time, until then, you were just Detective Reed. And thenâŚâ
He slowed to a stop, now staring through Gavin as if recalling the memory. His menacing ring spun red and Gavin half-expected for the android to blow a gasket at the bunched skin forming along his forehead.  ââŚYou told me to âgo fuck myselfâ for the one-hundred-and-twentieth time after I had informed you that patching my wounds with bandages and alcohol was futile. Your profane terms, I then realized, came from an endearing place⌠I found myself considering your actions, thereafter, studying you more than I typically would another human. It eventually led to my affections for you. Why do you ask?â
Gavin, himself, remembered that alarming day like it had happened just yesterday. It was the day he, too, realized he had grown to not regret the androidâs presence. âThe bullet didnât hit a biocomponent, Detective Reed,â Nines had groaned. In that moment, the simulated pain erupting from his partnerâs movements embodied that of a true human. It was more than convincing, so much so that Gavin was still very much convinced to this day that he was, in fact, human.
âThat-That is a big word, Nines. ItâsâŚnot just âlikeâ. Itâs a complicated word.â He couldnât bring himself to say it again. It was a word that burned his tongue every time it bugged up his throat; a humiliating form of gutting your innards and displaying them to the world.
His android considered this for a moment. âLove is described in several different ways, existing dependently on the perception of a person and what they value in another. I value your stubborn loyalty, Gavin, and the way you stupidly care for my wellbeing.â Another pause. âDo you love me, Gavin?â
That damned word roared through Gavinâs head, stirring in disbelief that someone had the ability to say it so confidently; and to have someone so perfect say it to him⌠Could he say it back? Could he even push the syllable through his lips? As bitter as it tasted, his response was not a matter of knowing the answer, but rather recognizing the consequences that accompanied his candor.
Could he say it?
âYeah,â he exhaled, then corrected with a stronger âyes.â An immediate blush flushed from his ears to his toes. What an idiot, he had thought to himself immediately. Somehow, the admittance attracted more humility.
Nines smiled but made haste in his following words: âIâve been an obedient android for most of my short life,â he spoke rigidly. âNow, I have to demand of you that things change if our relationship is to advance into more intimate parameters. You may have some time to figure out how you desire to go about it, but I require it to be within the next thirty days.â Regardless of his humanâs wandering eyes, Nines coerced them to land safely on his own. âI love you, Gavin,â he said firmly, lulling into a softer tone. âI love you and I want more than this silly scheme youâre trying to conduct.â
âItâs not that eas-â Gavin tried, quickly cut off by his partner.
âIâm sorry, I canât hear a single word you say when youâre sitting all the way over there!â
The android smirked, knowing his partner was fully aware of his keen hearing abilities. Bullheadedly, Gavin remained glued to his spot. âOkay,â hummed Nines, shifting onto all fours and crawling overtop of his humanâs sprawled body. He slipped a palm underneath the awaiting manâs chin and flickered a glance to his lips. âYou know I always get my way, why do you beset me to this tactic every time?â
Gavin turned away, forcing himself not to fall for the androidâs seductive touch.
âThatâs never worked either.â Nines fixed the manâs gaze back onto him with a gentle press against his cheek. âGavin? Iâm not asking. I may be android, but my deviancy is as untame as your own human chaos. And youâre not alone. I will help you through this.â
Gavin bit at his lip, still attempting to avoid eye contact but ultimately unable to resist the reflective pools pouring infirmity into him. âAll right,â he breathed. âI-Iâll do it.â
It was the right answer. Nines had never been the greatest at reading into signs, but he was sure now â without the aid of dubious internet forums â that he should kiss this man that he loved. And he reminded this man that he loved him as he planted his lips gently onto his taut skin. Afterwards, Nines leaned back, gazing at his boyfriend expectantly. âI love you, too,â said he finally, cracking a genuine smile for possibly the first time in days.
Clearly satisfied, Nines hooked around Gavinâs jawline and dove down to meet him hungrily, asking now for a more invigorating stimulation. He shivered when fingers snaked through his synthetic locks, returning the intimate gesture.
Making out was about as far as they had ever gone. Keeping things a secret on top of their natural boundaries made for uneventful cock-blocks. But after everything that had ensued, Gavin was ready to take it to the next level.
Everyone would know about them by the end of the week, anyway; he would tell them all. Nines, the âsocially ineptâ android wanted to be his boyfriend publicly. How could Gavin say no to such requests when his partner had already overcome a great feat himself? It was his turn, now.
Shit, Nines loved him.
From below, he slipped a clutching hand beneath the androidâs indigo turtleneck and sunk fingernails into plastic skin that felt so real. Nines copied the action from on top of him. They were mostly motionless save for their conjoined mouths, and the lack of bodily movement didnât concern Gavin at first. But when his android let a grunt slip, there was no restraining the leg that mounted over Ninesâ ass and the upward thrust that grew Gavin to the vastness of his length. He wasnât sure if Nines knew how to properly reciprocate, though Gavin was more than happy to continue to oblige in the repetitive movements.
The body became stiff above him and it fell in response. Not quite what he was expecting.
Nines then dropped into dead weight altogether, halting Gavinâs accelerating speed. âI donât know what you want.â
âWhat do you mean?â asked Gavin. He thought it had been more than obvious what he was trying to segue into. After the bathroom incident, Gavin had ignorantly assumed all androids were capable of âdoing itâ. Had he been wrong? âCan you not-?â
âI can perform sexual actions, if thatâs what you mean. Itâs just, Iâm not yet equipped.â
âOh.â His wonder did not end there, curious as to how the part would attach and what was in place of the regular male form. Gavin imagined a bare Ken Doll, nakedly plastic in all its glory, sporting a mere bulge with no real appendage to put on display. The fickle state his android appeared to be in, however, told him tonight wasnât the night to pry about such curiosities. âThatâs okay, I was feeling tired anyways. Letâs just finish this movie.â
The android hesitated before sliding off of him and positioning himself along the edge of the couch, allowing himself to be encompassed by Gavinâs smaller yet protective frame. Although Gavin had hoped for more after exchanging such heavy vows, having his boyfriend back in his arms was satisfying enough. He fastened himself tightly around Nines like he would dissipate into thin air and rested a chin neatly over his blue LED.
Moments passed, then it flickered red. âGavin? Iâm still aroused, you know? After all, endorphins â human and android â arenât produced in the genitalia.â
âWhatâre you trying to say?â
âIâm saying,â continued Nines with a growing devious grin, âthat just because one of us doesnât have the part, doesnât mean we canât still have a pleasing night.â The android looked over his shoulder at his human, feeling a lump beginning to swell against his backside.
Gavin felt his breath go hot as Nines shifted to face him, his expression spoiled with desire.
They had sex for the very first time on Hank Andersonâs couch.
A week later, Gavin was regretting the memory. Not because it wasnât a pleasant one â in fact, it was so pleasant that, despite the harrowing circumstances, a warmth built in his groin when Connor invited him to take a seat in the exact spot that Nines had been bent over for him. But the feeling did not last long, soon replaced by a pang of melancholy.
Where was Nines now and why wasnât he with Connor?
âI thought you knew?â asked the RK800. âHe was with you last night when they broke the newsâŚâ He sat across from Gavin on the love seat.
âW-What? No he wasnât-.â
Connor dismissed him with a wave of his hand. âNines isnât that sneaky. Even in my stasis, I could hear him fumbling with the doorknob. âFaster, stronger, and more resilientâ, sure, but not a single drop of stealth thirium in him,â he snickered as a side-note. âHe also hates lying, so he had a shaky alibi at best when I questioned his whereabouts. I was able to eventually put two-and-two together when your bickering increased excessively, assisted by no considerable motive.â Through a heavy frown, the older android managed to yank a line into the end where his lips met and grinned at the reddening man. âDid I crack the case, Detective?â
Gavin moaned, âI didnât come here to play games. Look, even if all that were true â which Iâm not saying it is â I just want to know where he is.â Desperation edged into his voice. âO-Or to know that heâs safe.â
âI wish I could say that he is. HeâŚHe left a few hours ago.â
âWhat?â Gavin nearly jumped out of his seat. âWhere did he go? Itâs not safe for him out there right now!â
âI know that. He chose to leave on his own accord. We share many qualities, but while hiding out here, he came to this strange conclusion that androids werenât meant to coexist with humans. He thinks androids are the reason the country has become divided.â After every word that fell from Connorâs mouth, Gavinâs hope strained like a game of Jenga; a slow removal, piece-by-piece, that would inevitably lead to a thundering tumble. âHe said it was for the best that everything was happening the way it wasâŚâ
âSpit it out already, Tin Can. Whereâd he go?â
Connor choked on his final sentence, somehow appearing shocked by the words ghosting in his throat. âNines turned himself into the nearest camp.â
In all his years of detective work, Gavin would never have suspected an android such as Nines to act as a martyr for his entire race. No, scratch that; this wasnât a martyr. How could that be so if Nines was against his own kind?
âWhy didnât you stop him?â Gavin entered into a growl, targeting Connor now. The android seemed torn up about it as much as he was, but his was the only face he could put forth blame.
âI tried, Gavin, but you know Nines as well as I do, if not better. When his mind is made upâŚwell, I guess you guys really made quite the match.â
âYeahâŚâ was all he could manage in response. Images of a Nines stripped of all of his human clothing and skin pulsed afront the detectiveâs own eyes. Fear rung his heart like a punching bag. It was enough to cause him to lose his breath, enticing a sharp black movement across his sights, and suddenly the world was but a dream.
He woke up to Connor placing ice cubes over his wrists and speaking to him softly. âNines loved you, you know? It was obvious to both Hank and I. Hank wasnât too thrilled about itâŚbut Nines seemed much happier for a long time after we figured it out. And really⌠how can we be mad when you showed him what makes deviation so remarkable? What makes⌠being human so remarkable?â
Gavin shot up from the floor, pushing the androidâs helping hands out of the way. âIye needta go find âim.â The older RK did not follow him out the door â he couldnât have stopped him, anyway.
Nines was out there somewhere.
He wasnât dead yet.
Gavin could feel it.
Even when he traversed the local camps that had already been put up in the last ten hours without any sign of the broad android, Gavin pushed on.
He pushed on, assuring himself that Nines was still present in this world.
Nines was here.
He had to be.
He had to be, didnât he? After all, androids were built to endure for much longer than the fragile human life. It was humans that grew determinately, breaking back down into simple compounds and returning to the earth after just a few decades. Nines was supposed to watch him grow old.
No, Nines was not supposed to be the one to die.
Nines deserved to live more than any one of them, android or human.
It wasnât supposed to be him.
It wasnât supposed to be him.
When, finally, the sun was set far beyond its mantle, Gavin had to call it a night. And furthermore, painfully accept the mortality of his partner, of his boyfriend.
It wasnât a fair conclusion. Androids were sentenced to death because the U.S. government couldnât handle the thought of losing another source of enslavement. As selfish as Gavin was to journey only to save his android, his mind had developed change over just a few short months. It was hard to deny their sentience, since denying it would have meant that Gavin was falling for a toaster.
No, it was unfair and there was nothing he could do.
Nines was gone. The one good thing that had entered his life was gone.
And there was nothing he could do.
Anger boiled through his fingertips as he went to climb out of his car.
There was nothing he could do.
Gavin tossed his backpack onto the concrete ledge to retrieve later and faced the open car door. He clenched a fist around the handle and slammed it shut. Then he opened it again, shoving the damned metal with two hands now back into place. He did this several times, hastening his pace until he was sure the metal had forged a new crater.
Nines was gone.
Gavin thumped his head against the roof and angled an arm around himself protectively. Thatâs when the sobbing commenced. A few hot tears first burned in his sockets procured from the heat of the moment, then subsequently melted into a downpour of bitter release. Saltwater oozed past his cheeks, mingling with the slimy discharge that leaked from his nose, and adhering further down to the drool that he lacked even the simplest of strength to swallow.
With each internal repetition of his own mantra, he slammed his head harder into the rusted metal:
âHeâs gone.â
Thump.
âHeâs gone.â
Thump.
And there was nothing he could do.
Nothing.
Not a single goddamn thing.
Time was a mere subjective entity to the broken man. It wasnât until the chilling air exhausted his exoskeleton of numbness that he realized his tears ducts were emptied and his feet ached for cushion. Gavin drudged up the staircase to his apartment, stumbling over every step and dragging his pack by the tips of two fingers. It reminded him of all the times he had needed Ninesâ assistance through his drunken stupors. His now lost ability to climb during these muddled states came as a surprise to Gavin; he had become more dependent on the android than expected.
Eventually, Gavin achieved his minor plight, falling against his apartment door and gripping the handle for balance. It took several heaves to catch his breath and a few extra beats in between for courage before he could bind the lock with its respective key; a distinguishable challenge on its own through the bubble beginning to well from his bottom eyelids. When the door swung open, Gavin could do nothing more than to stumble inside and accept the turmoil his heart revved within him.
As he went to kick the door shut, however, a movement startled his quakes into stillness and he called out into the darkness. âWhoâs there?â
Heavy stepping erupted from his room and Gavin was quick to reach for his concealed carry. Slowly, the light above him crawled along the body of a man with hands raised in surrender. A red circular blink raised high among the shadow identified him before the light could touch his face.
âGavin,â lamented a voice, just above a whisper. Bright grey eyes reflected under the aged fluorescence, glimmering wistfully at him.
The bubbles swishing in Gavinâs sights finally popped, spilling over and singing his raw skin. His hands separated from each other and the gun went slack at his side, him ogling the floor while doing so â refusing to believe the illusion set in front of him. Then, without any preamble, he recoiled his arm and tossed the firearm recklessly into the wall beside of Nines.
The android did not move.
âYou fuck-fucking shithead!â














