The night had not gone well. Not at fucking all. Closing his eyes had just led to nightmares. Sometimes Jack, sometimes Nines, sometimes Connor and, more often with this case, the YK600 androids. Sometimes they were in the clock tower, and sometimes his apartment. They would laugh at times, and at others, they would sing. Always that fucking song. Hearing kids singing it up close was worse than the creepy recordings on the phone or pre-recorded tapes they'd found. Fucking cassette tapes! Who the hell even used those anymore? Even thirty years ago, they'd been way out of fashion!

In the end, at around three in the morning, with only about two hours snuck in between nightmares, he'd given in and headed through to the kitchen. Pipsqueak had felt him move and come out of stasis to join him, trilling and weaving between his legs expectantly. Reed had cooed at him as he'd made coffee. Nines would give him hell for it tomorrow, but right then, he just couldn't. If he gave in and closed his eyes again, he knew he'd be jerking awake less than thirty minutes later. He was almost tempted to call Connor or Nines to go over the case details again, but doing that would be admitting he was awake. Not that they won't realise it as soon as I walk in tomorrow anyway...He drank his coffee slowly, taking a last look at the sofa before coming to a decision.

He was dressed and in his car before three thirty, and in the precinct before four. There was still eight hours before his shift was due to start. On that day, he was supposed to be on the late shift. He'd just walked into the bullpen, another coffee in hand, when he saw Nines standing across the room. Cursing quietly, he headed to his desk and put the coffee down, already feeling like he had to defend himself. Nines was looking right at him. At least, he thought he was. But he hasn't said anything yet...Why is he just standing there giving me that thousand-yard stare?

"Look, before you say anything, I did try to sleep, but-" he began defensively as he raised his head, quickly realising that Nines wasn't looking at him. He was...He wasn't sure what he was doing. He was just standing there against the wall, staring ahead like someone had pulled the plug. A mechanical statue. "Hey, Nines...Terminator?" he called a little louder as he stepped in front of his rigid body. He waved a hand in front of his vacant eyes and snapped his fingers. Nothing...He frowned curiously, throwing a fake punch at his face. Still, Nines did nothing, even as his fist stopped barely a centimetre from the bridge of his nose. What the actual phck? Is he turned off or some shit? He was almost worried as he reached out and touched his arm, drawing back quickly as if he expected him to come to life. He hadn't.

I've never actually looked at him up close like this before...There was a sense of awe as he stepped closer, a little more confident since Nines seemed totally oblivious. His eyes are so phcking blue...They had an unnatural silvery tint, definitely tiger eyes. A white tiger...His face looked somehow soft but aggressive at the same time. Just enough of Connor remained to cut through the killer edge. His jaw was powerful and his cheekbones were just a little less pronounced than Connor's, but he still had that dimple in his right cheek. He also had the vaguest cleft in his chin and beauty marks that mirrored Connor's perfectly. His eyebrows were full, but slightly less curved, making him look sterner. His hair fell in exactly the same way, with that dumb little curl sweeping over his right eye. Reed reached up and ran his fingers through the strands hesitantly. It feels so phcking real...

Nines' head was held straight, chin up as usual, restricted by the stiff collar. Reed wondered what he'd look like with the collar loosened. He definitely had a neck in there somewhere. It was probably just as slender as Connor's, with a pronounced collarbone. He reached up curiously and examined the catch of the high collar. It wasn't buttoned like a regular shirt. It was fish hooked in two places. He looked around briefly. No one was watching him. There were only a few people milling around, and they were too busy with their own work to bother with him. But would Nines mind? I know he's not a deviant, so minding things isn't really possible for him, but it feels kind of weird to undress him like that...He just looks so damned stiff and uncomfortable...

"Hey, Nines? You in there?" It crossed his mind that perhaps he might record things while he was in stasis, keeping a running record. If that were the case, he'd probably be annoyed about the way he was messing with him. Despite the thought, he reached down and touched one of Nines' hands. It was still slightly warm, even though he was currently inactive. It was amazing how real they'd made it feel. As he raised the hand and examined it more closely, he could see the little scale-like mosaic of flesh. It was surprising they hadn't made real fingerprints. He was sure he could see the expected swirls on his fingertips, but he knew from experience that they wouldn't actually leave a mark. He tested the joints curiously, finding them quite moveable. "Can you feel that?" He was pretty sure at this point he wouldn't get an answer.

His eyes returned to Nines' peaceful face. He didn't have age lines exactly, not real ones. There were a few around his eyes and across his forehead, enough to mimic the age of around thirty. He looked so normal that he began to wonder if they'd actually modelled androids on real people. That was something to think about. What would it feel like for an android to have your face? You'd be immortalised but not at the same time. He shivered at the thought. It would be creepy to age but see your younger face everywhere you went. He reached up and touched Nines' cheek curiously. It felt so soft and smooth, like he'd just shaved. It was one of his favourite feelings.

"Detective Reed?" Connor's voice almost gave him a heart attack as he appeared out of nowhere, standing right at his shoulder. Reed jerked away from Nines in shock, complete with a quiet bark of fear, heart kicking into overdrive as he stumbled. Connor looked partly amused and partly curious as he stood behind him completely at ease. Reed was caught somewhere between catching his breath and reprimanding him when Connor spoke again. "What were you doing exactly?" he asked with interest, watching Reed's ears colour a little.

"How long have you been standing there?" Reed was clearly a little uncomfortable with the question.

"Long enough." He hadn't actually been there that long, but it was long enough to know that Reed was letting his curiosity get the better of him. "RK900 is in stasis," he added, confirming what Reed had been curious about the whole time. He'd sussed that, only Nines didn't seem to be coming out of it at all. More to the point...He turned his head to look at Connor.

"Your shift isn't due to start until seven." Connor nodded his agreement as he came to stand beside him.

"Correct, however I found myself feeling restless. Lieutenant Anderson was sleeping soundly when I left, but I felt perhaps I could do something more here...And you, Detective? You have not slept." Soft hazel eyes stared up at Nines like he was a work of art. Reed seemed utterly captivated by him, too. It was a rare chance to observe an android up close without it being aware, but it somehow seemed odd. Since Reed was preoccupied with examining Nines, Connor examined Reed from the corner of his eye. He was giving himself more lines around his eyes, not to mention the noticeable dark circles. His skin was a little pale, and his form was sagging. Fatigued and overworked.

"I did...A little at least," Reed replied in a tired grumble, which clearly meant he'd had nightmares again. "I thought it would be better to come here and get some work done. Figured you'd all be at home, but then I saw Nines here and..." He ended with a meek shrug, green eyes still staring at Nines' blank face. Connor joined him in admiring his brother. The RK900 really was an upgrade, in every sense of the word. He was almost envious, but ultimately preferred the softness of his own features. There was a reason Reed said he had puppy eyes, and he enjoyed having that in common with Sumo. They worked on Hank just as well.

"RK900 didn't want to stay with us since the house is quite small, but as a non-deviant, he isn't allowed his own home...The DPD was the next logical choice. There are still charging stations here and he can switch off his sensory input so as not to be disturbed." Reed's brow pinched a bit at the news. It was a strange expression. He almost looked sad. He reached out slowly and touched Nines' arm, stroking the stiff fabric of his jacket. So that's it, huh? When I go home you just...stand here waiting for me to come back? Do you ever talk to anyone? Does anyone ever mess with you? Standing there in a mass of people, you just look...lonely...

"If he turns off his sensory-whatever, then how do you wake him up?" Reed asked distractedly, still looking at Nines' face. Connor didn't answer at first, and Reed missed the yellow flicker of his LED. He was so focused on Nines' face that the first thing he noticed was the blink of his silvery eyes, and then he was stepping right into him as he left the alcove. Reed tripped back with a yelp of surprise, but Nines was fast enough to notice and catch him with one arm, leaning over him like a dancer before easily hefting him upright.

"You call or message his internal line," Connor replied in amusement as he stepped away and returned to his desk. Reed's biting response froze on his tongue as Nines' cool hand reached up and cupped his pale cheek. What the-was as far as Reed's thought processes went as Nines studied him with sharp blue eyes, brow furrowing in displeasure as he took everything in. He was fatigued and had arrived long before his shift was due to start. He could also tell from the dilation of his pupils that he'd been drinking caffeine.

"You are not rested."

"Couldn't sleep," Reed replied as he shrugged out of Nines' grasp and ruffled his own hair. He felt almost jittery after their close contact and the intense scrutiny. "Sorry, I didn't mean for Connor to wake you up or whatever...you must have been doing shit." Nines didn't seem to mind. He was content to follow him to his desk, eyeing him as he sat down with a full cup of almost cold coffee. Nines swiftly stepped forward and removed the offending beverage. Something in his system jolted at the little whine of objection that fled Reed's lips, hand meekly reaching for the cup.

"You are going to go above your daily limit." Nines placed the paper cup on his own desk with a tap and watched Reed shoot a glare at the back of Connor's head. He would have been able to drink his coffee in peace if he hadn't woken Nines. "You're tired. Why not get some more rest?" Nines suggested gently, noting the way his vitals jumped almost fearfully. He felt bad for him. He had no experience with nightmares himself, but the effect they had on Reed was undeniable. "Alright...You don't have to sleep...Just sit back and relax..." Nines soothed, stepping behind his chair and slowly resting gentle hands on his stiff shoulders.

"What are you doing?" Reed asked almost anxiously, tensing up as Nines slid his leather jacket down and helped him remove it. He placed it over the back of the chair as usual before returning his hands to Reed's stiff shoulders. He was wearing one of his usual tight V-neck sweaters that clung to his form so nicely. It felt soft, or what he assumed would be described as soft by a human. He worked his fingertips against the stiff muscles in slow, soothing motions, enjoying the surprised gasp that slipped out at the contact.

"I'm just loosening your shoulders...The stress is making your muscles stiff and tight...Just relax...You won't fall asleep...Relax..." Nines cooed, keeping his voice a soft murmur and sounding far more like Connor than he should. Reed couldn't help it as his body slowly sank into the touch. He fell back heavily as those long fingers continued working his sore muscles, easing the tension and making his eyes feel heavy. He hummed softly as he felt something new. It was almost like a warm electric pulse dancing across his skin. It was so soothing. So relaxing. He felt fuzzy. "Shh, rest now...I'll be here." The voice sounded far off, a deep timbre rumbling through his chest. Reed's brow twitched in a weak show of defiance, but he was already so deep...