GV's LED remained stuck on red as he stood at parade rest beside his partner's bed. He couldn't sit down. No one had given him the order. He was surprised he'd been allowed to stay, but since he remained motionless at the side of the room, he guessed they'd either forgotten he was there or thought he was in stasis. His green eyes were unblinking as he watched Nines' vitals, following the continual rise and fall. His heart rate was steady, stress levels low, brain activity relaxed. He was showing all the signs of sleeping peacefully, only he hadn't stirred for two days. Since the incident. The incident where GV hadn't been fast enough.

His own stress spiked at the thought. He shut off the memory and lowered his head until the brim of his service cap covered his eyes. It would do no good to dwell on such things. His primary focus should be on his partner. Detective Anderson, Richard James. Age 29. Status – Partner. Preferred name – Nines. That information permanently remained in his HUD. It had been there for so long he barely even noticed it anymore. Looking at the chronometer, he couldn't help thinking of their usual routine. It was Wednesday April 9th, 2038, 18:46. They'd usually be heading back to Nines' apartment about now. Nines would shower while he cooked dinner and played with the cats. His thirium pump stuttered as he thought of them.

Lieutenant Anderson and the HK800 had taken on the responsibility of caring for the cats in their absence, but GV was still as close to concerned as his programming would allow. Truffle could only eat the Slim-Feline food supplements provided by the vet. Dippy liked to play with her feather toy for an hour before eating. Ginger would only drink fresh, running water from the filter bowl, which had to be refilled daily. Dippy's fur was long and required daily maintenance to prevent tangles and limit the risk of hairballs. Truffle needed to play for at least thirty minutes as part of his new diet. Ginger didn't like sleeping alone, and would only feel content curled up on his lap while he entered stasis. Treat time was 23:00. Breakfast was served at precisely 06:00. He'd sent a list of instructions to the HK800, but had no idea if he was sticking to it.

Green eyes focused as Nines took a slightly deeper breath. He did that occasionally, teasing him with the prospect of waking. GV's hand twitched at the thought that he might take Nines' limp hand. The one that wasn't hooked up to an IV. The new hand that he hadn't seen yet. GV's chest tightened at the thought of what Nines would say when he found out. He would have been against it. Lieutenant Anderson knew that too, but he'd still gone along with it when Miss Kamski suggested the procedure. This was the first instance of human-android integration. Prosthetics were still crude and less advanced, but if Nines was to return to active duty, he needed something that would give him the same mobility. Retirement or active service. The choice was obvious.

Unfortunately, with Nines unable to make the choice himself, it was made for him. Lieutenant Anderson's expression had been grave as he'd listened to Miss Kamski's plan. Fusing a modified android component to his upper arm, right down to the nerves, had sounded difficult. In theory, he'd be able to feel the new limb more or less like his original hand. Besides running on a separate supply of thirium and the low pulse of electricity that thrummed through his human body, it would be no different to his old arm. GV was unconvinced that would be the case. Nines would need to learn how to control the limb like any other prosthetic, and it would require daily calibration and thirium, like any android.

GV's hand twitched again as Nines' brow furrowed slightly. That was new. His feet carried him to the edge of the bed before he could think better of it, and he finally reached out and touched the mechanical limb. You wouldn't know it was synthetic by looking. Like all androids, the arm was covered by a layer of synthetic flesh. It felt almost normal in his own hand. The only real difference was the temperature. Androids ran a little cooler than humans. The smallest groan fled Nines' lips and GV knew it was time. He sent an alert to the closest MP600 android and the female model soon entered. She was petite, dressed in a neat white uniform with a blue rim around the shoulders to let people know she was a nurse.

They didn't speak. GV stepped away from the bed and returned to his place against the wall. A silent guardian. Out of the way. The MP600 checked the levels on the surrounding machines and took out a small penlight to shine in Nines' eyes, lifting the lids one by one. He twitched as she did so, apparently disturbed by the light on some level as he slowly came round. GV's LED dropped to yellow as the MP600 summoned a doctor, who joined her in rousing him further. Since he was waking, GV also sent an alert to the HK800. That had been part of their exchange. GV would watch over Nines and inform them the moment anything changed, and they would take care of the domestic duties.

"Detective Anderson, you're in the hospital. Can you give me your full name?" The checks began. The doctor slowly went through a simple list of questions to ensure his memory was intact and he had all his mental faculties. Since the major injury had been to his arm, they hadn't expected any intellectual deterioration, however he had remained unconscious for longer than they'd originally expected. The procedure on his arm may have increased that time, but it was impossible to say one way or the other.

"What happened?" Nines asked groggily when the questioning had finally finished and he could push himself up. He raised his right arm to rest a hand against his face, rubbing his tired eyes and noting the uncomfortable prick in his hand from the needle embedded in the skin. Silvery eyes blinked tiredly, still unfocused as he took in the small room. GV was touched to note the relief in his gaze as he noticed him standing against the wall. Even if he was just an old policing android, it was nice to see a familiar face. He returned his attention to the doctor, waiting patiently as he typed away on his medical pad.

"You suffered a minor head injury, severe bruising on your left hip and thigh, and some swelling around the knee, however the most severe injury was to your left arm. Your ulna was cracked in multiple places, and your radius snapped clean in two, with the lower portion driving upward and fragmenting your elbow joint. Needless to say, the damage was extensive. Too Extensive to sufficiently heal and allow you to continue your career in law enforcement. With that in mind, it was agreed on your behalf that the limb would be amputated and you would undergo an experimental procedure." Nines' silvery eyes shot wide at the news and he looked down at his left arm for the first time. It also seemed he attempted to move it for the first time as his stress level skyrocketed. GV's LED span red as he watched his heart rate increase, panic setting in as he tried again and again to raise his arm. His shoulder lifted, pulling the immovable limb, but the signals weren't getting through to the arm itself.

"W-what the fuck did you do to me?" His brow pinched as he continued darting his gaze between his arm and the doctor. The doctor stepped in and laid a grounding hand on his shoulder, offering a little calm and support.

"Don't worry, it's perfectly natural at this stage. Your arm probably needs a little calibration, is all." That didn't help, and it didn't make him feel any better. What does he mean by calibration? He didn't think prosthetics were that advanced. The procedure was experimental? He'd be able to return to work? Did that mean he'd have full mobility back? What the hell had they done to him? Did they need to put a chip in his brain, too? The confusion must have shown on his face. "Miss Kamski has developed a procedure whereby android components, such as arms and legs, can be adapted for human use." Nines' body stiffened at the news, eyes shooting wide as he looked up at the doctor almost accusingly.

"You mean you turned me into a part-android freak?" GV winced a little at the heat and disgust in his tone. It wasn't that bad. Having said that, he wouldn't want a human limb attached to his body either. The thought of a piece of potentially rotting meat being permanently seared onto his body was pretty gross.

"It was the only way to ensure your career could continue. With such severe breakages, our choices were amputation or permanent pins setting the bones, with amputation being the more likely." The breaks must have been a lot more severe than they sounded if amputation was better than setting the bone. "You also lost a sizable amount of blood from internal tearing. You're lucky your partner was there." GV dropped his eyes as Nines looked at him. He didn't want to risk seeing the blame. I was right there! I should have been faster! "Miss Kamski will probably return in the next few days to check things over and begin your rehabilitation now that you're awake." Nines looked less than thrilled at the prospect.

It was decided that the best thing for him then was to rest and finally eat something. Again, GV's presence was either ignored or overlooked as they left. Now that Nines was awake, he didn't know what to do. Should he stay or go? Did Nines even want him there? He probably blamed him. As soon as he was well enough, he'd contact Captain Stern and have him scrapped. He wouldn't want to continue their partnership after this. It was his fault! He was the one who hadn't noticed the threat! His old legs wouldn't let him run as fast as Nines. He was too far ahead, distracted by their suspect instead of keeping an eye on his surroundings. I should have noticed! I should have been faster!

"GV!" He balked at the sharpness in Nines' tone, LED still spinning red with all the thoughts spiralling in his head. "It wasn't your fault." That's what the HK800 and Lieutenant Anderson had said upon reviewing his memories. It was an accident. It couldn't be helped. He simply wasn't equipped to keep up with Nines like that. His bottom lip trembled as a familiar heat swelled around his power core. It made his chest cavity feel tight, like he was overheating. It was an unpleasant sensation he couldn't put a name do. His whole body felt heavy. "I'm the one who wasn't looking. It's my responsibility." GV didn't see it that way. They were partners. They looked out for each other. "If you'd been closer, I know you would have helped."

If he'd been closer, he would have pushed him out of the way. He would have taken the impact himself. His old body was sturdy and could take a fair amount of abuse. Not as much as that speeding car would have caused, but enough to perhaps be repairable. It didn't matter how much damage he took. It didn't even matter if he was destroyed. He was the android! It was his job to protect his human and ensure his safety! He'd failed his mission! The only mission he'd had in decades!

"Gavin! I mean it!" GV balked again, LED dropping to yellow. Nines rarely used his real name. He said it made him too human. It didn't bother GV either way. No one had called him Gavin in years. Many were surprised he even had a name, being so old and outdated.

"It's my job to take care of you!" GV was surprised by his own outburst, green eyes widening as saline trickled from the edges. The saline was only present to oil his eyelids and ensure he blinked naturally. The current malfunction was unusual. It was also interfering with his respiratory system, making his breath hitch as his chest shuddered. That tightness had increased, making it hard to breathe. He could feel the skin of his face heating, making it darken a few shades. "I had one phcking mission, and you nearly got killed!" Odd sounds fled his lips, a sound he'd heard humans make occasionally. He believed it was called sobbing.

"I don't need you to take care of me!" Nines cursed under his breath as he realised how petulant that sounded. GV sniffled and wiped his eyes, still unsure how to process the current malfunctions. He couldn't keep ahead of them! His internal systems refused to obey his diagnostics' request and attempts to shut them off! Saline was now leaking from his nose, another outlandish side effect he couldn't categorise. He hadn't even realised that saline could leak from his nose. Something new surged in his chest as he realised he couldn't shut it off. He couldn't shut anything off! His thirium pump increased its output, beating faster to compensate for his rising stress levels.

"GV? Hey!" It was instinctive as Nines pushed himself up and reached out, barely managing to keep himself on the bed as he wrapped his arm across GV's chest to stop him from falling. He grunted, wincing at the pain in his hand where the cords pulled as he wrestled his way up again. He was huffing and wincing by the time he dragged GV's upper body onto the bed. His feet could barely hold his weight as he trembled and shuddered, still leaking saline and struggling to breathe. "Come on, snap out of it!" Nines grunted as he shook his shoulder. He was pretty much non-responsive to his touch, and Nines didn't know what to do. He wasn't a mechanic, and this was a hospital for humans. They probably wouldn't even know what to do with an old android having what looked like a panic attack besides shutting it down.

Not knowing what else to do, he settled for trying to offer comfort. He stroked his hair with his right hand and rested the useless mechanical one on his back. Murmuring assurances didn't seem to work, and he was beginning to think he was having a catastrophic failure. His whole body was quivering like he was having a minor fit, and his skin was overheating. His skin felt hot beneath his hand, like his internal components were working overtime trying to regulate the excess heat. GV was shuddering so much that he slipped lower on the bed, finally resting his knees on the floor and making Nines' useless hand slip to the back of his neck.

As soon as their skin touched, Nines saw a glow form between them. It was like their skin repelled each other, pushing it away with a trickle of blue light until the hard plastic of their casings touched. GV's casing was a dusty, beat up grey shade while his own was pristine white. Nines wasn't sure what happened, but his chest swelled with panic, a panic so intense that he almost couldn't breathe. He didn't have a clue what brought it on, but it was enough to make him double over and gasp for breath. Keeping a level head was important at times like this. He knew that well enough from having so many asthma attacks. He slowed his breathing gradually, taking deeper, longer breaths and repeating his usual mantra that everything was fine and he wasn't about to choke to death.

The most curious thing was that as he calmed himself, GV trembled less and finally started breathing normally again. Looking at where their casings touched, Nines couldn't help but wonder if it was possible that they were connected somehow. He was relieved when GV seemed to stir, taking a deeper breath and slowly turning his heavy head to look up at him with unfocused eyes. Nines' brow softened at the dazed look on his face, feeling a foreign flutter fill his chest. Silvery eyes blinked, warmth swelling in the pit of his stomach. He felt like he was frozen as he stared at GV, watching his green eyes blink wide and fill with vulnerability.

"I-is that you?" Nines wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer as GV's lips stammered in a way that could only mean yes. Nines licked his lips nervously, breath quivering as he breathed out. It was like a warm tide was rising in his stomach, nerves fluttering in his chest. He wasn't sure where his own feelings ended and GV's began, which was worrying when it came to things like this. GV was similarly nervous as he felt his own chest whirring, bringing with it those odd little stutters he'd been ignoring for months. The difference was, he was pretty sure these stutters were being caused by Nines directly. His chest cavity felt warm and full, like it was skipping.

The skin of his hand retreated as he reached up and gripped Nines' new synthetic wrist, starting a proper interface and lifting the hand from his neck. He felt somehow energised as he pushed to his feet and looked at their joined hands with something akin to wonder. He'd never imagined the synthetic limb would open Nines to interfacing, albeit in this limited capacity. They couldn't exchange thoughts and information directly, but it seemed there was a certain amount of what a human might call empathy. His thirium pump stuttered, urging him to do something, but he hesitated. Green eyes darted between Nines' eyes and lips, but he made no move to fill the gap. Nines leaned in too, subconsciously drawn by the pull of the emotions swirling in his chest.

"Gavin..." His name had never sounded so soft as it did in that low rumble. Nines' lips quirked as he felt GV's heart flutter in his own chest. Anticipation swelled between them as Nines reached up and cupped his stubbled cheek, something he'd imagined doing every night for months. He took a breath and finally leaned in until their lips touched. A moan thrummed in his throat as GV put up no resistance, eyes closing as they pushed closer. GV was unsure what to do, but hesitantly followed as Nines began moving his lips, pressing kiss after kiss, sharing heated breaths, and finally stroking tongues. The little whine in GV's throat made Nines' cock twitch, a sensation so foreign that GV gasped and shuddered against him.

They were both breathless by the time they finally drew back, though Nines was the only one who really needed air. His cheeks were flushed darker than GV's as they parted and gazed at each other. There was no way to get around what had just happened, or deny how they felt. The cat was out of the proverbial bag now, with no way of putting it back inside. As GV stared at him with those uncertain green eyes, Nines wasn't even sure he wanted to. He was finding it hard not to just pull him in again for a second taste. He settled for biting his lip instead, trying hard not to laugh at the giddiness that filled his chest.

"I didn't think policing androids were designed to do that..." GV's lips twitched at the quiet jibe. Nines felt it as the fingers on his wrist loosened and slowly moved to hold his hand properly, useless as it still was.

"My adaptive learning initiative is still active..." Nines gasped as something surged through his arm, making the skin tingle and disappear all the way to where it was fused to his upper arm near the shoulder. He winced as he looked down at the sore, ugly flesh that had been cauterised to the port. The flesh was still tender, nerve endings raw as they adapted to their new home. It almost hurt as the arm came to life, pins and needles running through the new limb as it adapted. It was unpleasant. So unpleasant he would have thrown him off if that were possible, but GV's hand was immovable as he gripped his hand. "Sorry, just a few more minutes." Minutes? His face must have said it all, because GV's brow pinched with sympathy and his free hand came to rest on his synthetic elbow in support. They both winced as GV held on, eyes screwing shut as he integrated the device and started up the calibration process.

"Is it over?" Nines' silvery eyes blinked open as GV drew back and released him. Wonder swelled in his chest as he watched synthetic skin wash over the mechanical limb, chased by a blue glow. When it was done, his arm looked normal besides the telling ring of seared flesh that circled his upper arm. One day, perhaps those burns would heal, but until then, it would be clear to see where his arm had been amputated. Miss Kamski had done wonders on matching skin tones, not to mention the freckles that littered his skin. GV couldn't tell the difference visibly, though a deeper scan would flag the difference in genetic makeup and highlight where hair follicles were growing in different places or smaller imperfections were missing.

"Almost..." GV searched his pocket as Nines held up his new hand and watched the fingers bend. It was a little different. He actually had to think about it now, and the movement was slower, almost jerky. "Here, you need to practice with this." Nines gave him a withering look as the old silver coin was dropped in his palm. He'd seen both GV and the HK800 android calibrating like this. They rolled the coin back and forth along their knuckles, flipped it, tossed it from hand to hand, and all manner of tricks. At first, he'd thought they were bored and killing time, but GV had explained later that it was part of their calibration. It didn't have to be a coin, but they needed something to tune their reflexes.

"Are you fucking kidding me?"

"Sorry, you'll need to calibrate it every day, and replenish your thirium reserves." There was something sour in Nines' expression as he all but glared at the coin in his hand. A sense of otherness washed over him, and GV didn't need to interface to feel it. As an older model, he felt something similar. The HK800 android, and many other newer models, had abilities he didn't. They were faster, stronger, and could connect to many new devices he couldn't, leaving him feeling isolated and somewhat alien. It surprised him he could even connect to Nines' synthetic limb. He knew it had come from a newer android, so new he didn't even know the model number, and yet the software was so primitive it had allowed Nines to reach out to him. Nines looked upon himself as being similarly isolated, the only cyborg in existence, at least the only one using android technology. He was pretty sure the AAL would call him a half android freak if they found out. "I'll help you through it." His heart skipped as GV's hand covered his own, closing his fingers over the coin.

"Thanks..."