"This is the perfect chance!" Sixty murmured excitedly as he leaned over Connor's shoulder. Connor didn't even pause in his typing, hazel eyes still fixed on the terminal as his fingers flew across the keys with programmed precision. He could, of course, interface with the terminal directly, but Hank always complained about how quickly he completed work and how weird it was to watch him when he did that. It was far more natural for him to type like a human and keep him company. Feeling Sixty's weight on the back of his chair, Connor spared him a glance as he finished his report.

"A chance to cause chaos and annoy your coworkers?" Sixty grinned at the jibe. Connor knew him too well. He was, as Fowler always said, a menace. He was always getting in trouble for various jokes and pranks, often at Gavin Reed's expense. Thank goodness they didn't work together directly. Unlike Connor and Nines, Sixty had taken a position with SWAT. The only reason he came to the homicide department was to see Fowler and visit his brothers. Captain Allen usually kept an eye on him, making sure he didn't butt in unless he was on official business, but Allen wasn't anywhere in sight right now.

"A chance to get those two morons together!" Connor didn't need to ask who he meant. They all knew. The only ones who didn't seemed to be Nines and Gavin themselves. Nines was clearly love struck, in a socially awkward sort of way, while Gavin was quietly smitten. Connor had first clocked it four months ago when Gavin had stopped snapping at him. Until then, he and Nines had been at each other's throats, and he'd been curt with every other android. Over the past few weeks, he'd mellowed, and he was pretty sure Nines was the cause. Where before Gavin had snapped, he was now soft, even saying please and thank you. Nines was harder to read than Gavin, but although he was outwardly stiff and cold as ever, there was something warm in his silvery eyes whenever he was dealing with Gavin. He now knew his routine so well, Gavin didn't need to ask for anything. Whatever he needed was already there the moment he reached for it.

"You're meddling again." Connor was a firm believer that such things would work themselves out. Sixty disagreed. He believed it would be better to give them a firm push in the right direction. Nines wasn't what one might call socially adept, and Gavin was downright oblivious. They both lacked confidence, too. If an outside force didn't bring them together, Sixty was pretty sure they'd remain single and miserable forever. Worse. If one of them got with someone else, their partnership would surely suffer.

"Oh, come on! It's Christmas Eve! Are you telling me you're going to let our little brother spend this most festive of seasons all alone?" Connor sat back and folded his arms, offering Sixty a half-glare. That was low. Of course he cared about Nines and wanted him to be happy at Christmas, but feelings had a way of backfiring if they were pushed too early.

"And what if they're not ready for that yet? What if forcing the issue makes it worse, hm?" Sixty clicked his tongue and waved a dismissive hand.

"Please! Have you seen the goo-goo eyes they've been making at each other for the past three weeks? It's sickening." Of course he'd noticed, but that didn't mean they were ready to take the next step. "Come on! Gavin's interested...Nines is interested...All they need is a little motivation." Connor huffed fondly. Sixty was often a pain in the ass, but at least this time, his heart was in the right place. When he'd first arrived, he and Gavin had hated each other on sight, probably because he and Sixty looked so much alike. Unlike Connor, Sixty hadn't tolerated his antics, which had spurred Gavin even more. They'd come to physical blows more than once and been hauled into Fowler's office multiple times. Luckily, Nines' arrival had put a stop to all that. Although they'd fought at first, Gavin and Nines soon found a rhythm and ended up working together almost as seamlessly as Hank and Connor.

"Let me guess, you have the perfect proposal?" Sixty's grin widened.

"Of course! Look over there." He nodded to the far side of the bullpen, which had been modestly decorated for Christmas. Terminals were ringed with tinsel of all colours, foil streamers criss-crossed the high ceiling and walls, there was a large tree with presents beneath sitting out in the entrance, and a leafy sprig of mistletoe was hanging in the aisle just across from the photocopier. It went largely ignored, but a few officers had been caught beneath it. Connor still remembered the stutter of his thirium pump when Tina had, in the words of Gavin Reed, laid one on him just a few days ago. He'd been shocked and taken aback until she'd grinned and pointed upwards.

"You really think Nines would be foolish enough to get caught beneath it?" With his advanced systems, Nines would know what was going on before Sixty even got started. Sixty scoffed at the thought.

"Caught? No. Incentivised? Absolutely." That caught Connor's interest. "I'm going to get Gavin under there, and you're going to kiss him." Connor balked. He didn't want to kiss Gavin. There was nothing wrong with him, only it would be a betrayal of Nines' trust. Nines would know it, too. "Trust me, it'll work. You hang out by the copier and call Gavin over for something, maybe help with a case. Then, walk him under the mistletoe and wham! Lay one on him. Of course, you won't get that far, because over on this side of the room, I'll be telling Nines exactly what's going on. How if he doesn't make a move soon someone else will, yadda-yadda-yadda, and when he looks up, what do you know? He sees his dear older brother inches away from kissing his man." That was the stupidest idea Connor had ever heard. As if something so juvenile would work! For one thing, Gavin knew where the mistletoe was and had been circling the bullpen to avoid it for weeks. For another, Gavin didn't see him like that. There was no way he'd kiss him, even if they were caught under the mistletoe.

"That's the stupidest plan I've ever heard."

"Oh? Don't think it'll work? Trust me!" Sixty was infuriatingly confident. Connor folded his arms and raised an eyebrow. It was never going to work! "Or is it that you don't think you can do your part? Maybe the RK800 model just isn't up to the task. I could always ask one of the PC200 guys to help." Connor scoffed. Did he really think that would work?

"You're an RK800 too, you know!"

"Yeah, but I don't have a stick up my ass about it." Connor scowled. He did not have a stick up his ass, and he wasn't so prideful that he'd be bullied into taking part. "Hey, if you can't do it..." Connor's hazel eyes sharpened as he glared up at Sixty, who was still grinning like a Cheshire cat. He knew exactly what he was doing, expertly pressing his buttons as usual. If there was one way to make Connor do something, it was to suggest he couldn't do it.

"Watch me," Connor retorted with a smirk. Keeping Gavin distracted for five minutes would be child's play. Sixty hid his smugness as he looked around for their chosen targets. It was getting late, so the bullpen was mostly empty. A lot of people would be off work the next day, Gavin and Nines included, since they'd agreed to work the New Year shift. It was rare for Gavin to take Christmas off, but he was being considerate since it was Nines' first one and he thought he'd probably want to spend it with his family. Connor, Sixty, and Hank also had Christmas off that year.

"That's the spirit!" He found them. They were on their way back to their desks, talking fast as they circled the edge of the bullpen. Gavin had a steaming mug in one hand and a file in the other, a sure sign they were finishing up the day with a report on their latest case. That was perfect. Alright, give it a few minutes, then get into position and call Gavin over. He spoke internally this time, lest Nines overhear them with his sensitive audio components. Connor gave a curt nod before returning to his own report.

Sixty stepped away, wandering the edge of the bullpen and sizing up his prey. Gavin looked tired, as he often did. The man lived on caffeine and a prayer, and was rarely well rested. In reality, Sixty was pretty sure he just needed a good hard fucking to help him sleep at night. Maybe after this little stunt he'd find out if he was right. Gavin was currently leaning over his terminal squinting at the screen, a sure sign he was avoiding getting reading glasses. He was starting to make him think of Hank. Lines pricked the corner of his eyes, and a frown furrowed his brow as he leaned in. His cheeks were covered in a thick layer of brown whiskers where he hadn't shaved for a few days, and his brunette hair was out of place because he'd been running his fingers through it all day. His customary leather jacket had been discarded over the back of his chair, leaving him in a long-sleeved V-neck. It was an almost navy blue shade that brought out the flecks of blue in his dirty green eyes.

His rough, rugged appearance was a contrast to Nines, who sat stiff in his chair. Much like Connor, Nines had chosen to continue wearing his Cyberlife uniform for work. Sixty wasn't sure why. He'd tossed his jacket the moment he got out. Right now, his own tie was loose and crooked and his shirt was half-tucked, sleeves rolled to the elbows in defiance. Connor and Nines both looked prim and proper. Good little androids in their clean-cut uniforms. Where Connor's was charcoal grey, Nines' was white on black. The black turtleneck hugged his neck, forcing him to keep his chin up, inline with his spine. His shoulders were rigid beneath his white and black jacket, unlike Gavin, who had almost slumped over the desk and hunched his shoulders.

"Hey! Got plans for tonight?" Sixty asked as he leaned over the back of Nines' chair, much to his annoyance. He'd told him more than once not to lounge over his shoulder like that. The added weight made his chair creak and edge a little further forward. Nines barely turned his head as he continued typing. Much like Hank, Gavin preferred Nines to type, so they were a little more evenly matched. Nines didn't have the heart to tell him he actually slowed his typing speed to give him a fairer chance of keeping up.

"Should I have?" Nines wasn't entirely sure what was so special about this holiday. Most humans seemed to be in a better mood than ever, including Fowler. Gavin hadn't changed much, but he said he didn't really buy into Christmas and the season of goodwill bullshit. Having said that, he did like the decorations, music, and festive drink choices. Even now he was sipping on a specially blended hot chocolate with peppermint that was only available during December. Across their conjoined desks, Gavin's eyes flicked up briefly. It was so brief that a human probably wouldn't have noticed. Sixty noticed.

"Sure! It's Christmas Eve! Most people get cosy with their significant other or go out to get laid!" Nines' LED blinked yellow at that. Across their desks, Gavin snorted and rolled his eyes, pushing himself up to grace them with his human wisdom.

"That's bull. The good places are usually closed on Christmas Eve! Most of us just go home and do whatever like it's a normal day!" Sixty grinned, having successfully lured him in.

"Old folks do, sure." Gavin's brow twitched at the jibe. "But those of us who still have our youthful glow intact go out to have fun! What do you say? Up for a night on the town?" Sixty asked as he leaned a little closer to Nines. Out of the corner of his eye, Sixty saw Connor head to the printer, which was dutifully churning out documents. Meanwhile, Nines looked like there was nothing he'd hate more than going out on the town. He wasn't really one for loud or crowded places. They set off his self-defence protocols. "But, perhaps you have other plans..." Sixty looked over at Gavin with a meaningful smirk. Nines' silvery eyes thinned at that, and Gavin suddenly seemed very interested in the empty notice board to his right.

"Gavin! How do you unstick this thing again?" Spinning his chair, Gavin clicked his tongue as he saw Connor crouched by the photocopier with his hand inside the open machine. He'd removed the side panel, probably to fix another paper jam. If I've told him once, I've told him a thousand times! Advanced machine, my ass!

"I already showed you how to do this, for crying out loud!" Pushing to his feet, Gavin abandoned his desk to help Connor with the jam. Nines' silvery eyes sharpened as he watched Gavin lay a hand on Connor's shoulder, prompting him to look up with those big puppy eyes. Jerking his thumb, Gavin shooed him out of the way and took his place, pulling out a piece of the machine and talking him through how to fix it. Connor remained standing at his shoulder, now leaning down and watching intently.

"Connor does not require assistance. Gavin is correct, he has shown him how to fix this fault. As an android, Connor would retain that knowledge." Sixty grinned and moved to lean on Nines' desk instead. Just as Connor predicted, Nines had sussed them out straight away, but that didn't mean he couldn't be sparked into action. Knowing that Sixty absolutely had something to do with it, Nines turned to look at him. "You orchestrated this...Why?"

"Because it's Christmas, and at least one of you deserves to have a good time! And if you won't give it to him, Connor and I will." Nines' LED stuttered from yellow to red for a moment. He didn't believe for a second that Connor would do this to him. Connor knew more than anyone how he felt. It would be a betrayal for him to act. However, even as he thought it, Gavin was straightening up and Connor was stepping in closer, holding out the sheets he'd just printed. Gavin was letting him close, their arms almost brushing as Connor subtly led their steps closer to the aisle.

"He won't do it." And yet, even as he watched, Connor's hazel eyes softened as he looked at Gavin, who was busy reading the papers in his hand. Their arms brushed, and Connor leaned closer. It was so natural. Gavin didn't even pull away. Nines' LED stuttered red, his thirium pump clenching as Gavin and Connor stepped even closer to the mistletoe.

"How much are you willing to bet?"