#dbh series

[honey-beann]

Ruiner, Ruination (RK900 X Reader)

Chapter 10: An Uneasy Aftermath - The Reality of Ruin

Series Masterlist

Word Count: 6,904

Chapter Synopsis:

The third (and final) part of a multiple part special in which Reader and Nines struggle to manage their concern for one another now that their respective injuries have forced them both to realize how destructible the other truly is.

This chapter includes an uneasy partnership, a gruesome discovery, some more internal struggling, a chase, what jealousy hath wrought, and of course, a slow but sure ruin, particularly where Nines is concerned.

AKA - Reader and Nines are accompanied by Connor to the home of their suspect, where tensions rise to a crescendo for far more reasons than one.

Warning: This chapter touches on some pretty dark themes such as death, violence, isolation, obsession, necrophilia, and potentially more that I've neglected to recall. Please be wary of these facts before choosing to read this chapter.

The car ride over to the Schryfeld residence was... interesting.

Of course, you hadn't expected it to go smoothly, not after the way that Nines had reacted to the news that Connor would be joining the two of you on your little excursion, but still, the tension was so thick that you wondered briefly if you could choke on it.

And it certainly didn't help that Connor was driving.

And maybe that had been a mistake on your part, to hand the older android the keys to your car when he asked if he could drive, but truly you hadn't meant anything by it...

You just wished that Nines could even begin to see things that way.

Instead, he was sitting in the passenger seat of your sedan, completely silent, stock still, and facing forward without any sign of responding to the honestly quite pitiful attempts at conversation that you were making from the backseat, which you had resigned yourself to for fear of frustrating Nines further by asking him to sit in the back.

"So what exactly are we looking for here?"

You asked hesitantly, watching as Connor's familiar brown eyes met yours in the rear view mirror, briefly casting a glimpse in your partner's direction before they moved back to yours for a moment, looking a little bit too sympathetic for your liking.

Was it that obvious that Nines was upset with you?

Was it that obvious that you cared?

The rk800 sitting to the slight left of you gave the android beside him a few seconds of pregnant silence to respond to you, as if hoping silently that he might, before finally he responded before the situation could begin to feel even more awkward than it already did.

"Well, hopefully Mrs. Schryfeld might have some idea of where her android is, and if not, we can at least ask if we can check her apartment to see if there's any additional evidence that might prove useful to the case."

You nodded softly,

"Right. Do you think she knows about Harry yet?"

You asked absentmindedly, not noticing the way that Connor's gaze fell toward you again, watching for a few seconds as you watched Nines for any reaction to your words, eyes scanning the side of his face from where you sat in the middle of the backseat.

If he noticed though, he certainly didn't show it.

Connor responded again,

"I'm not sure, it's hard to say since it seems that 900 was the first to perform a scan through CyberLife's databases, as I'm sure no one thought an owner would be relevant due to the android's legal freedoms."

You sighed softly at that, turning your head to look out the window to the right of you,

"So we could very well be showing up there with the bad news that one of her androids attempted to murder the other one."

You said matter of factly, looking out at the slowly fading sun that sat on the horizon.

There would be another hour or two of sunlight before it set for the evening, but you hoped that you'd be finished long before then.

Nines' attitude was making it more than a little bit hard to concentrate, and more than a small part of you wished silently that you could be done for the day.

This wasn't the first time that the android had acted cold toward you, far from it in fact, but after everything that had happened recently, it hit especially hard.

How was this fair?

He had been shot earlier that day, had lost enough blue blood to stain most of your clothing and haunt your memory, and yet here was Nines, more upset over his predecessor having control of your vehicle than he'd been about his injury.

Of course though, that wasn't really it, you just didn't know it.

For Nines, this was something personal, a form of evidence that you didn't trust him, or at least that you trusted Connor more.

This was proof, in his mind at least, that because of his injury, you felt that he was less capable of doing his job, or even successfully helping you to do yours.

"Hank says we can go, but he wants me to take both of you."

Was what you'd so casually said upon approach to where he and Connor had been waiting so tensely for your return.

Your eyes had been cast downward when you'd said it, body language stiff, so clearly expecting an argument that Nines just didn't give beyond a simple,

"That won't be necessary."

Because when you'd countered with the fact that Hank's words had been an order rather than some concerned suggestion, he hadn't bothered to say a word in response.

How many of his superiors or coworkers believed that he would be unable to protect you now that he'd been injured? That he would allow you to come to harm again?

On some level, it enraged him, the idea that he could ever fail so pitifully in the manner that they were silently suggesting with their concerns, but on another, is just scared him, more so than he would ever be willing to admit, even to himself.

He knew that he was superior to his predecessor, had been built solely for that purpose, so why was there this gnawing dread building deep within him that he somehow had to prove that to you? To everyone?

Why was there this sinking feeling that he might be wrong?

His mind was lost in these thoughts even as you spoke, his processors barely registering your voice through the din of his inner monologue, which pestered him ceaselessly about what any of this meant.

And meanwhile, you felt concern and frustration muddle together within you, angry with your partner for acting so childishly that he would ignore you, and worried about what could possibly be causing him to do so.

Was he really so upset over something as simple as a short drive? Was that all that it took to derail your usually rather efficient dynamic?

Rather than allow yourself to consider such thoughts to a detrimental extent, you simply sighed, turning your head to look out the window to the left of you as Connor slowed down your car before parking it alongside the curb.

Outside there were several buildings, but the one you were stopped in front of was tall and white, with sketchily built fire escape style stairs that went up to the highest apartment, which, based upon your luck alone, you were almost certain was where you would be going.

From where he sat to the slight left of you, Connor turned around, gently pulling your car key from the ignition before holding it and the rest of your keys out to you politely.

You offered him some fragment of a smile, one weighed down by stress and weariness, before you accepted them, hooking them onto the belt loop of your jeans just as you'd done upon your arrival at the previous scene about an hour prior as you stepped out of the car, taking inventory of your surroundings the way you'd been trained to.

From behind, you could hear Nines getting out as well, his door closing with a dull thud before his quiet footsteps made their way around the car and up onto the sidewalk where you and Connor now stood, gazing up at the clearly not up to code apartments in front of you.

"How much do you two wanna bet that she lives all the way up there?"

You asked, a twinge of annoyance evident in your tone as you realized how inconvenient of a trip this was quickly turning out to be.

Sure, this was your job and all, but you had been rather thoroughly traumatized literally hours prior, did you not deserve a bit of a break?

You made a mental note to thank Nines for his absurd insistence to work this case via some less than friendly words later that evening before turning to see your partners' reactions.

Nines continued to look straight ahead, not yet reacting to your words, while Connor offered an apologetic smile that told you all that you needed to know about the answer to your question.

And then finally, your partner spoke up.

"Her car is here."

He stated matter of factly, and immediately Connor nodded,

"It is. It's a good sign of her being home."

You raised a brow at that, but simply nodded rather than bothering to ask where they'd learned what kind of car this woman drove.

Nines hummed before taking a step forward, opening the swinging door to the chain link fence that surrounded the property,

"Agreed. We should go up now so she doesn't have the opportunity to see us staring and become hesitant to answer the door."

And with that, he was off, making his way toward the stairs that led all the way up to the shoddily maintained third floor apartment, not bothering to take a look back to either of you as he did so.

You watched for a few seconds, shocked at his sudden action, before sighing and moving forward yourself, Connor not far behind after having clearly waited for you to go before he did.

There were over twenty weak feeling and creaky metal steps up to the unlatched screen door of the Schryfeld apartment, and with each one you had to hold back a wince.

The sound felt so much louder in the persistent silence of the evening air, the sounds of distant car horns and the occasional bird caw all that you had to distract yourself from the harsh noise of old metal bearing the weight of two androids and a fully grown adult woman.

Briefly, you were reminded of earlier that morning, when your hands had wrapped around the old and slightly rusted metal of the ladder that Nines had lifted you up on to, his hands firm on your hips and his mocking chuckles the only sound filling your ears all the while.

But then you remembered where you were, who you were with, and what you were doing, and snapped yourself out of it, cheeks tinged a light pink that you hoped you could blame on nerves or the slightly chilly autumn air.

Upon reaching the top of the stairs, waiting just off of the staircase where Nines stood, you watched as he opened the screen door to knock on the sturdy wooden one that was just inside of it, his fists hitting strong enough that you were certain it could not have been missed by any hearing person.

But still, as if wanting to be sure to catch the attention of whoever could be waiting inside, the android called out loudly, his voice deep and his tone stern in a way that you knew he tended to reserve for those he wished to assert his authority to.

"Detroit PD!"

He called out, his vocal volume just beneath that of a shout as he waited silently for a response, fist poised to knock again should he not receive the answer that he was looking for.

You almost felt bad for the woman inside while watching him, seeing in his body language how unlikely it was that he would give up on speaking to the residents of this household.

He had seen Maria's car, and now that he knew there was a high likelihood that she was home, it appeared that he was on a mission to get her to answer the door.

You could see the determination in his eyes and the stiffness of his posture, and, slightly concerned that he might blow a fuse or something, you stepped forward, noting with slight surprise as you did so that even through the curtain that covered the window that looked inside, you could tell that multiple lights were on, brightly illuminating the indoors and making you suspect further that someone was home.

You glanced toward your partner, motioning backward in a silent request for him to let you give it a try. After all, it wouldn't have been the first time that a woman answered the door upon realizing that your male partner hadn't come alone.

With a sigh, the android relented, stepping back to where you had stood as you knocked gently on the door, listening closely for any movement inside as you did so.

"Hello, is anybody home? We're with the Detroit Police ACU!"

You called out in hopes of your voice carrying through the thick wooden door in front of you, your ears still searching for any sound from within the apartment.

After a few seconds of once again getting nothing in response, you turned toward your partners, raising a brow in their direction.

"So are we just supposed to leave?"

You asked, tone mildly exasperated as the two androids made brief eye contact with one another, clearly wondering themselves what the next best course of action was.

Typically, you needed a warrant to search a house unless you had probable cause or concern for someone within, but that could take quite some time, and if you didn't talk to someone soon this android could completely skip town.

If you wanted answers that could actually help, it was now or never, and that was becoming increasingly clear as you further considered the situation.

So, you took matters into your own hands before either android could pipe up with the logical answer to your query.

"Did you guys hear that?"

You asked, tilting your head toward the apartment as they both regarded you with curiosity, though Nines had a faint spark to his eye that let you know he had likely already caught on with what you were doing.

Connor, on the other hand, was quick to shake his head,

"My apologies, Detective, but what exactly are you-"

"You don't hear that, 800?"

Nines asked, his tone slightly mocking as he too gestured toward the apartment,

"I think someone might be requesting our assistance from within."

He turned to face you once more, that spark now much brighter and his expression notably amused,

"Is that what you're referring to, Detective?"

You nodded, looking to Connor to see his response.

It appeared that he too had now caught on, and, after a few seconds of obvious surprise over your choice of tactic, he slowly gave a nod,

"Now that you mention it 900, I think I can hear that too."

He looked back to you now, a look to his eye that you hadn't seen since his first interrogation of a suspect now present,

"And we would be remiss if we did not check the premises."

You held back a laugh at the two androids' feigned concern, rolling your eyes slightly before you took a deep breath and steeled your resolve.

"Alright Ma'am, just hold on, we're coming in!"

You called out as if you were assuring someone requesting your help from inside before you squared your shoulders, braced yourself using the door frame, and kicked at the metal of the inner door knob.

At your first kick, it shuddered,

On the second, it shook,

On the third, it buckled,

And then finally, on the fourth, it broke, the latch separating as the lock succumbed to your persistence.

The door swung open.

You smirked proudly, turning slightly to brag at your partners when you felt Nines push past you, clearly hoping to move in before you could hope to go first.

Eyes widening with a slight panic, you grabbed quickly at his wrist, not even bothering to argue with him and looking to Connor instead, your gaze so pleading that it seemed he knew what you wanted almost instantly.

He regarded the two of you for a moment, as if surveying the situation, before he finally nodded, moving to step around and inside of the apartment as you sighed out of relief.

Once he was firmly in front of the two of you, you hesitantly let go of your partners wrist, hearing him let out a frustrated growl beneath his breath as he regarded his predecessor with a glare that would have sent almost anyone else packing immediately.

Of course, if Connor had even noticed it, he didn't react in the slightest, instead gazing around the pristine living room in front of him with keen interest.

Seemingly realizing that he had very little hope of getting anywhere, the android directly in front of you let out a scoff before moving to stand behind you instead, clearly unhappy with the idea of you being first or last in line while you all worked to search the house.

You opened your mouth to protest this, already fed up with him acting as if you needed protecting when he was the one who had gotten injured so recently, when suddenly an immensely distinct smell hit you, and you closed your mouth instantly, smacking a hand over it to keep yourself from gagging aloud.

Sure, the house was clean, but even so, there was obviously something very wrong here,

Because it smelled so strongly of death that it was impossible to ignore.

The scent stung your nose and eyes, causing them to water with the intensity of it as you groaned slightly into your hand, moving to lean back against the wall only to find Nines there instead, your head meeting his firm shoulder as you struggled not to lose your lunch.

Sure, you had smelled dead bodies before, long dead ones in fact, but there had been no preparation for this, no warning, and the smell was completely permeating the entirety of this apartment, a distant buzzing of flies serving as yet another reminder of how disgusting the scent was.

Distantly, you could make out Connor asking if you needed to go outside, and you wondered for a moment if you were about to pass out from the overwhelming sensory shock of it all when suddenly the smell dissipated significantly.

As did your ability to breathe.

You barely held in a gasp and your eyes flew open at the sensation of something working to halt most of the air flow through your nostrils, though you calmed down almost instantly when you reached up and realized what was there.

It was a nose pin, one that a few of the mortuary assistants and detectives that you knew would use at the scene of some of the older or more grisly murders that you investigated.

You moved to turn around, suddenly very curious to know where Nines, who had undoubtedly equipped you with such an item, had acquired it, only to freeze for a moment as a fingertip swiped across the area just above your upper lip, causing the sweet scent of vanilla to flood what little sense of smell you still had left via your primarily closed off nostrils.

You spun around after a few seconds of surprise, and watched in shock as your partner capped a small bottle of pure vanilla extract and placed it into his coat pocket, his eyebrow raised in your direction.

"Better?"

He asked, his tone slightly condescending in the manner you had grown so accustomed to as you sputtered in an attempt to get out a response.

Though eventually, you settled on just staring in pure shock before he rolled his eyes and placed his hands upon your shoulders, turning you back around to face Connor with a chuckle so quiet that you were only just able to make it out around the din of flies that was coming from the other room.

How all of you had managed to miss that god awful noise until entering the apartment you had no idea, but rather than taking the time to stop and ask questions, you simply motioned for Connor to keep moving, offering him a brief thumbs up when he hesitated to do so that finally got him to step slowly and quietly closer to the mid-length hallway, which you could tell from the sound of the flies alone harbored the room with the body in it.

As the three of you slowly inspected the surrounding areas, checking each passing room as you descended down the eerily dark hallway, you heard Nines unholster his gun, and watched as Connor did the same shortly thereafter, though you notably did not remove the one Nines had given you earlier that morning from where it sat upon your hip.

After all that had happened recently, you were less than certain you could force yourself to make a clear shot, even if you wanted to.

And while you were sure that Nines noticed the way that your fingers had briefly made their way just under your shirt to feel at the slightly cool metal of the weapon you had borrowed from him before moving away shakily, he didn't say a thing about it, and for that, you found yourself grateful.

Connor led the way down the long dark hall, gun in hand as he scanned the area for any potential threats while you all made your way from one door to the next, until finally, upon reaching the third one down, the sound of buzzing flies had grown so strong that it almost made you gag again.

Whatever had died here, it had almost certainly been dead for a long time now.

Soundlessly, Connor motioned toward the door with his head, and you nodded your approval immediately, getting into position behind him to ensure that you would see any threats that may exist beyond that door. Meanwhile, Nines took up the safest position of the rear, though you were notably unhappy about the fact that he had no one to cover him for the moment.

You were just starting to think about how you might be able to remedy that fact when Connor pushed the door open, allowing it to swing inward with a high pitched and ominous squeal that made you hold your breath in spite of yourself.

But what was inside had you forgetting about that squeak immediately.

Because lying slumped against the wall, surrounded by buzzing flies and squirming, plump maggots, was Maria Schryfeld.

She was covered in her own blood and some slightly blue tinted opalescent fluid, and her eyes were open and rolled back into her head, although they were decomposing to the point that you wondered briefly if you could even call them eyes at all anymore.

In addition to this, her mouth was opened in an absolutely horrific looking mockery of a scream, that same blue fluid dripping from the edges of her mouth, and her jaw had clearly been broken in some form or another based on the way that it was hanging.

You were all but frozen in place as you stared at the corpse, instantly overcome with just how horrific a condition that it was in, as well as the fact that this was the very woman that you had all come here to question.

You swallowed thickly, straightening your posture a bit as Nines stepped into the room and walked swiftly past you, kneeling beside the body and inspecting some of her wounds without a word.

Meanwhile, Connor moved in as well, leaning down to sample the blue fluid present on the body without a word.

You watched as he gathered it onto his fingers, pressing it against his tongue gently as his LED spun yellow while he processed the data that he was receiving.

You watched in slight revulsion despite how many times you had seen this by now, and glanced around the room briefly in search of potential clues for how this woman may have died until Connor spoke up quietly, the sound of his voice instantly capturing your attention as you turned toward him.

"The substance found at the corners of the victim's mouth is android ejaculate. This sample is particularly fresh, but multiple other sources of it are older, some even having likely come from the android model that was interviewed earlier."

"Fresh?"

You replied immediately, confusion and horror coloring your tone as you spoke,

"Then does that mean that-"

You were cut off by the sudden sound of something violently crashing against glass from the living room you had seen around the location of the front door, and the three of you were quick to exit into the hallway and watch as an AP700 model android, looking more than just a little bit injured, got up from where he had apparently hit a few antique collectables that had been sitting upon a shelf on display before he jumped out the window, eyes wild with both fear and what almost appeared to be hunger.

You turned, about to ask Connor to give chase when both he and Nines burst past you, almost knocking you off balance as they chased the android out the window and onto the roof of the apartment below, much to your horror.

You cursed aloud, chasing after them to the best of your ability (though you were notably slower) as you prayed that Nines wouldn't overwhelm his systems and break one of his temporary parts.

You radioed in your location to Hank as you gave chase, ensuring that he planned to send appropriate services to the scene before you hung up via your ear piece, cursing again as you made a huge leap from one roof to another before you slid down a fire escape in an effort to remain as close as possible to the chase, which had moved to the ground during your brief conversation with your superior.

The AP700 was incredibly fast, far too much so for you to ever even hope to keep up with on your own, but unfortunately for it, that was not the case for Connor, and even less so for Nines, who had managed to grow incredibly hot on the perpetrators tail, his long legs and impressive speed keeping up with the other android easily.

You wanted to call out to Connor, to beg him not to let Nines tackle that android down and hurt himself further, but found that you were so out of breath from the running and the adrenaline in your system that you were struggling to keep moving as it was, and if you started screaming, you weren't so sure you would be able to remain conscious afterward.

And well, as it turned out, it wouldn't have mattered if you'd called out to the rk800 in question anyway.

You watched on in absolute horror as Nines leapt at the android in question, tackling him to the ground with a heavy thud.

You halted all movement for several moments, panting and gasping for breath as you stared on in shock, before finally you forced yourself to keep moving forward, barely able to keep from squeezing your eyes shut in anticipation of yet another brutal scene involving your partner.

Though, when you finally got close enough to see things clearly, you found that they weren't nearly as grisly as you'd feared they'd be.

Well, at least not for Nines.

The AP700 was lying uncomfortably on his stomach with his face crushed against the ground and his hands wrapped behind his back as Nines knelt beside him, handcuffing him with ease before he turned to look at you, his breaths unlabored and even despite his recent run.

"Please ensure that someone brings the other android into custody as soon as possible, Detective. I believe that I have all of the information needed to incriminate both androids in the murder of their former owner."

He stated matter of factly, his expression somehow almost bored as he spoke.

And as per usual, Nines was right.

He did have all of the evidence that he needed.

Their biological evidence on the corpse was enough to incriminate both androids in the murder of Maria Schryfeld, and their subsequent confessions after Nines threatened to probe their memories made it easy to convict them of their absolutely heinous crimes, which ended up involving:

murdering their "master"

necrophilia

android on android violence

running from the police

and a slew of other smaller charges that were almost entirely there for formality and to ensure they received the maximum sentence for their crimes.

But fuck, was it hard to hear them confess to what they had done.

Sure, you had assisted Nines in plenty of interrogations before, and you were more than used to your role as the occasional good cop, but even so, their words and confessions were chilling, to say the very least.

Apparently, Maria had been their prisoner since the revolution, when they had "woken up" and almost immediately become obsessed with this woman, who had been engaging both stock models in sexual intercourse for months.

This led to them becoming more and more possessive of Maria over time, with them even forging emails stating that she quit her job to properly isolate her from the outside world before they eventually managed to accidentally starve the woman to death as a result after having forgotten that she needed to eat.

But even still, the androids' obsession with this woman had not died with her in the slightest, and after days of being alone with one another, they had begun to fight over who she liked more.

Except now, without her there to play referee as she had in the past, the two androids had gotten into a physical fight, which had ultimately led to the discovery of the android that you all had initially believed to be the victim.

And so there it was, a closed case, but not one that you were happy with in the slightest.

And the night was still far from over, because you still had a very difficult android to supervise back at his apartment, especially after his previous negligent actions.

You cornered him once the two of you got back to his place, crossing your arms over your chest as you regarded him with obvious disdain,

"What the hell was all of that about, Nines? In what way was any of that supposed to be in your best interest? Or in anyone's for that matter?"

You asked angrily, a certain fear to your tone that the android caught, but chose not to comment on.

He shrugged, responding with so little effort that you had to fight off the urge to reach up and strangle him despite knowing how little of an impact such an action would have on a being who didn't even breathe.

"I did not see it as being at all negligent or harmful, Detective, and thus it was in the best interest of our case. I know you felt concern for me due to the temporary parts installed earlier this evening, but I can assure you that I was not at any risk of being overwhelmed in any manner during any singular moment of that case."

You rolled your eyes at that, scoffing as you uncrossed your arms, exasperated.

"Stubborn asshole."

You muttered, grumbling to yourself as you headed into his bathroom to find a toothbrush you could use.

You had told him that he would be stuck with you overnight upon your arrival at his apartment prior to your case assignment, but now you definitely meant it.

If he was going to make your life hell, then you were at least going to stick around to bother him however you could.

Though, in the back of your mind you knew that the real reason you were so dead set on staying had a lot more to do with your concern for him than you would ever be willing to admit.

So, that night you brushed your teeth in his apartment, placed your new toothbrush into one of the many spare toothbrush holders that he kept in the cabinet under his sink, and set it down upon his bathroom counter thoughtlessly, not yet knowing just how much of a familiar sight that object would become in the rather near future.

No, you didn't have the slightest idea about that, so instead you simply exited the bathroom quietly, nearly jumping our of your skin when you found Nines waiting for you to the right of the exit, a new shirt in hand.

You groaned in response to your quickly dissipating fear, shooting your partner a humorless glance as he moved to hand you the shirt, which you realized, upon feeling the fabric, was an undershirt of his, a soft white one that would doubtlessly be much more comfortable to sleep in than the one you had on at the time.

"Thanks."

You muttered, though you faltered when you saw that the shirt wasn't all that he had been holding.

There, still in his hand after having been hidden beneath the shirt that you now held, was a pair of men's boxer shorts, a simple gray cotton blend that, regardless of their monotony, immediately left you extremely confused.

Thankfully, Nines must have noticed this, because he was quick to clarify,

"These are new."

He explained calmly,

"I had an unopened package of them and thought you might prefer these over sleeping in your jeans."

You stared at him for a moment, slightly shocked that he had actually considered your comfort before you nodded slowly,

"Oh uh, cool. Thanks."

You said, cheeks slightly tinted due to your own childish reaction to something as simple as underwear as you reached down to take them from his waiting grasp, eagerly closing the door behind him mere seconds afterward, allowing you to lean against it with a barely stifled groan of embarrassment.

How much longer could this day possibly go on for? Because to you, it was beginning to feel like it was dragging on for eternity.

Soundlessly, and with plenty of effort on your part not to think too hard about whose clothes you were (once again) wearing, you changed, soon stepping out of the bathroom with both your shirt and Nines' borrowed pants slung over your arm.

You made your way over to the empty living room quietly upon your exit, laying the clothing on the back of the couch and wondering for a moment where Nines could be, only to jump slightly at the sudden sound of your phone ringing.

You sighed at your own jumpiness as you reached into the back pocket of your discarded jeans to grab your phone, surprised to see that rather than some random number, it was actually Nines' technician calling you.

You answered with an almost embarrassing level of speed.

"Hello?"

You asked, slightly breathless as you tried not to sound nearly as freaked out as you felt.

Thankfully, if the technician noticed, she didn't say anything.

"Hello Detective, this is Laura Billings from the android emergency center that your partner was repaired at earlier today. I'm sorry to call so late, but I was looking through my files and realized that the results of a diagnostic test I meant to perform earlier are missing."

Your eyes widened at that, not entirely sure what such a thing could mean, but not liking the sound of it either.

"Oh... well I don't really-"

"Right, sorry, you probably have no idea what I'm talking about."

The technician reminded herself with a gentle sigh,

"So basically, I think I remember asking Nines to perform a diagnostic test earlier today, but I can't remember for sure and because I don't appear to have recorded any results from it, I'm worried that I forgot to do that before he left."

You rose a brow in confusion,

"Okay, well what do we need to do about that then? Should I bring him in tomorrow?"

You asked nervously, already dreading the idea of having to drag him back there against his well after he'd already been acting so difficult lately.

Thankfully, Laura seemed just as eager to make sure that wouldn't be necessary.

"Well I mean, you can certainly do that if you want to, but I was honestly hoping you might be able to just have him perform the test at home so you can get back to me with the results via email tomorrow."

You faltered at that, not entirely sure how to respond to such an idea.

"It would be very easy,"

The technician clarified, as if having sensed your hesitance,

"It just has to do with the ocular lens that I had to replace. He should be able to perform it entirely on his own, I just need you to tell me what happens when he does."

"Wait, what?"

You replied almost immediately, uncertainty coloring your tone,

"He took damage to his eye? What the hell happened to it?"

There was silence on the other end of the line for a brief moment, before finally the technician spoke up,

"Oh, he didn't tell you?"

And that was how you learned about Nines' decision to shut down the ocular function on his left side in favor of his leg, which apparently would have been a far easier fix.

And he would have known that.

According to Laura, he would have had to, because his systems would have informed him of the safer choice.

But yet, he still chose to preserve the ability to move his left leg over his ability to see out of his left eye, almost assuredly because the eye was a less obvious issue, and he had already promised that he was okay, so he couldn't have spared his vision without you seeing the results of his injury when he had tried to stand on the way out of the factory.

To say you were angry over this was an understatement, furious was far closer to the word, but honestly, you couldn't bring yourself to care about that, because once the call was over and you were standing in front of the android who you had forced to sit on the couch that your clothes hung off the back of, the anger made it a lot easier for you to demand he run the rest with scarcely any room for him to argue.

"The technician said you need to test that stupid lens, Nines, and I'm not letting you up again until you do."

You insisted sternly, arms crossed over your chest as the android sitting before you simply rolled his eyes in response, his expression a borderline amusing display of utter exasperation as he fought back a sigh.

"I can assure you that the lens is working fine, Detective. Did my depth perception seem at all of to you while I was tackling our suspect to the ground?"

He reasoned, only to have you shut him down almost immediately.

"You know Nines, I really don't think that there should be any expectation that I believe you when you tell me something about your health after today."

You all but snapped, causing the android to regard you with a real sigh before he finally relented, taking note of just how upset you were becoming.

"Fine then, Detective. I will perform the diagnostic test that you feel so strongly about, but afterward I must insist that you get some rest. Will you agree to do this?"

He asked sternly, and though you hesitated for a moment, you were quick to nod, gesturing for him to get on with it.

The android sitting before you rolled his eyes in response to your impatience, but sat back nonetheless, allowing you to perform the preliminary task of checking his eye under various lighting using the flashlight of your phone.

For a while, you leaned over him rather uncomfortably while doing this, until finally, spurred on by your annoyance, frustration, and the achy muscles of your legs, you moved to straddle his lap instead, eyes focused on his as you watched his artificial pupils react to the light in the very same manner that yours would have under similar circumstances.

You were glad to see this, as the technician had mentioned that it would be a good sign of the lens working as it should, but even so, you found yourself rather distracted in spite of your relief.

Under such direct lighting and with you now sitting so close, you could see every fleck of color present within his eyes, the subtle greys, the light and deep shades of blue, and the ostensibly endless pools of black that made up his pupils, which seemed to grow slightly each time that his gaze focused upon you.

Even still, you were so annoyed with the android sitting beneath you that you scarcely gave any attention to him at all as you continued performing your portion of the test, barely even noticing or paying any mind to the fact that you were straddling his lap due to your immense focus and heightened emotions.

Nines on the other hand, noticed it almost too much, and for the very first time since he'd had his parts temporarily replaced, he felt his systems begin to strain, the familiar and overwhelming feeling of his pump attempting to kick into overdrive filling him as he was overcome with the unexpected closeness of you.

And oh, how fitting it was that you be the one thing that could ever truly push him beyond his typically so unreachable limits.

How fitting it was that you could be his ruin.

masterlist

AO3

[glass-noodle]

[CW: blood]

lab merman AU part 15

Shit.

[first] [prev] Part 15 [next]

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Kofi <3 | Commissions <3

Taglist under the cut!

@dokidokisadness @extraordinaryandroid @dirty-droid @bluewolven @maddsmallow @aesthetichoney2111 @marilady @iwonderwh0 @rurousha @thatsgoodweather @clocks-declaring @shaed @binxwells @nothinggathers @treeffles @akakonight @djeris @timebird84 @averyshittyseal @jayfirebird @username-is-required @go-flow-bro @leelany-world @cosmogyral-cat @a-space-in-the-void @flitewulf @canofworms95 @fandomhell97 @scurvioli @reality-was-stolen @kibikikou @celinamcm @zenithier @kibze @neverlet @idlebirdsparagon @nekojetto @unstablerk800 @fearlessjones @basenikon @jei-rifni @isu0 @nota-deviant @leon-lemon0 @tartrazeen @ranunculus-bloom @katlakitty @temporary-enthusiasm @blue-lothus @paopuofhearts

(There are an increasing number of users who I have not been able to tag, so if you don’t see your name listed I was unfortunately unable to tag you!)

I know it’s been taking longer between updates (mostly bc I’ve been trying to increase the quality of each one), so if you’re not interested in being tagged anymore then please free to let me know and I will remove you from the list. Taglist is closed for now, sorry (but may reopen again if a lot of people choose to be removed)!

Otherwise, thank you so so much for sticking with me and leaving the nicest comments, asks, reactions, and tags. You’re all so incredible and I am so fortunate to be here with you all. 💕

[sfaira]

Six years late, but apparently that is what was needed so I could not fail miserably at trying to draw everyone's favourite Detroit machine I am obsessed, spent his week reading fanfics and watching various clips but still, as I'm a person of one fanart per character I think you shouldn't expect more Connor xD A shame really, cause it seems I'm just starting to learn how to draw him but I don't want to get my own hopes up. Anyways, I'm free now, I contributed to the fandom after all these years.

[wake-up-lieutenant]

[orange.]

[maddsmallow]

my commission for @anonymousedward of a scene from their stupid, sexy hank series. had to go with the bbq scene and hank being a harlot for drinking from such a phallic glass!!! (it's just a beer bottle LMAO) i am loving this little series and i can't wait for more, and i had so much fun working on this!

be sure to check out my ☕️ (link in pinned post) for c/mmission info! direct link and full size image link in reblogs

ps: please direct all grievances about connor's attire to ed LMAO while they were explaining his fit to me, i was just like dear god leave this man some dignity 💀💀 but ed said NOPE, and honestly we love them for that 🤣🤣❤️

[sync-nd]

yikes! old art! from 2020 😥

[sh-haashi]

series of screens for subscribers (2021)

[nova070]

Being in a fandom is fun and all UNLESS you love this one character that is so underrated and overshadowed

OR the majority of the fandom hates them for some fucking reason like damn what did they to you for you to hate them this much

[poorlydrawnandroids]

Every man (and android) for himself. 

More siblings content because idk that’s just the 2023 mood. My brother and I brought it in by drinking gross champagne and singing to the cats. Happy New Year!

[shqdowcatt]

Haymitch Abernathy, Dionysus (specifically percy jackson series dionysus), and Hank Anderson are all the same person in different shapes and i want them all to be my dad!!!!

[connor-sent-by-cyberlife]

(click for better quality)

³ᴰ ᵐᵒᵈᵉˡ ᵖᵒʳᵗ ᵇʸ ᴰᵃᶻ ᶜᵒᵛᵉʳ ᵒⁿ ᴿᵉⁿᵈᵉʳʰᵘᵇ

[honey-beann]

Ruiner, Ruination (RK900 x Reader)

Chapter One: Naming Nines

Series Masterlist

Series Synopsis:

After Gavin Reed, the biggest asshat in the DPD refuses to work with the newest android detective, the only RK900 in existence, you find yourself being offered the opportunity in his stead. Post successful android revolution, with a very recently deviated android partner at your side, will the two of you gain the same level of success as Hank and Connor, or will your different manifestations of humanity, and all of the feelings that come along with it, get in the way?

AKA: Reader and Nines get partnered up and grow closer over a series of one-shots and random cases.

Will you become RK900's ruination?

Chapter Content Warnings: None

Word Count: 2,579

"Absolutely not!"

The sounds of shouting nearly made you groan as you slumped down further in your desk, trying to ignore the grown man throwing a temper tantrum clearly visible through the glass just a few yards in front of you.

"Sounds like Gavin found out about his new android partner, huh?"

Muttered one of your coworkers from behind you, and you lamented internally at all of the bitching you were going to be subjected to as a result of this mess. Having your desk situated just a few feet across from Detective Reed's meant having to hear all about his newest complaints and disagreements, even if you had absolutely no interest in them at all. Back when you were still considered a rookie just a year prior, you had hoped this had all been a test, and that you would soon be moved to a less bothersome location, but as time went on with no complaints from you, Fowler appeared to have decided that the arrangement worked just fine as a permanent fixture.

You were less than pleased.

Trying not to be as obvious in your staring as your coworkers, you placed your tablet in your lap, looking up from the blank screen every few seconds to watch Gavin push at some other expensive looking object, his eyes wild with an anger you had grown all too familiar with throughout your somewhat brief time here at the station. Needless to say, you were not a fan of Detective Reed and his childishness, and this extreme act of crazed rage only made you all the more aware of how ridiculous and dramatic he could be.

"All this over some android partner?"

You muttered under your breath, rolling your eyes before returning them down to the tablet in front of you, still blank as you tried to look as busy as possible despite your light work load.

Working in the android crimes unit alongside Lieutenant Anderson, Connor, and Detective Reed had been no walk in the park so far, especially not when the first two made such an incredible team. You and Gavin, on the other hand, had been urged to try your best for a few months, before it was ultimately decided that you both worked best on your own. Or, at least, that's what the amicable write up said. In reality, Reed had made it impossible to work with him over the course of just three months, and after that, you had outright refused a partnership. If you were supposed to receive any form of repercussions for this, they never came, and now, watching Gavin rant and rave through the glass of Fowler's office, you were pretty sure that you knew why.

How could anyone truly expect someone to work well with one of the biggest assholes in the entire city of Detroit?

Yourself and the rest of your coworkers watched on for a while, as Gavin continued to argue his case against a potential asset to his one man show of a team, rolling your eyes jointly at his dramatics until finally, Fowler put his head in his hands and exasperatedly motioned for your desk neighbor to leave. Begrudgingly, you watched as Reed did just that, grumbling something under his breath that had your boss glaring at his back as he exited the room.

Everything was quiet as Gavin approached the desk across from yours once more, and everyone tried to look as busy as possible despite the obvious lack of commotion within the usually busy police department.

You relished in that near silence for a few minutes, before suddenly, Fowler's angry voice sounded from just outside of his office door, his glare fixated on Gavin despite you being the only person he was talking to.

Damn, Gavin really had pissed him off, huh?

"Detective L/n!"

He shouted, and you swallowed thickly before standing at once, nodding in his direction to show that you were listening, At the sight of an actually obedient employee, Fowler seemed to calm a bit, although you noted that his hands were still clenched into fists as he spoke,

"How would you like your very own android partner?"

Shocked, you stared at your boss as if he had lost his mind, fighting the urge to ask him if he was sure he had the right person. You were just barely out of rookie status, nowhere near important enough to have earned an android of your own. But, then again, Gavin had blown it, and the unit needed more hands on experts, whether Gavin wanted to work with one them or not, so in the end, you were pretty much the only other option if they didn't want an android going about solving crimes alone.

Swallowing back your various questions and concerns in favor of simply answering the question at hand, you nodded once at your superior,

"It would be crazy of me to say no to an opportunity like that, sir."

You replied as cooly as possible, taking note of the way that Gavin sneered from his seat across from your own as he rolled his eyes at your words. He had called you a kiss ass since your arrival, but truthfully, you just knew when to use the right kind of language with the right kind of person, unlike the incredibly annoying detective you had been forced to call your partner just a few months back.

"Good. Glad to hear there's at least one sane person in the damn Android Crimes Unit."

He grumbled that last part before clearing his throat and speaking up once more,

"Your assigned model is an RK900, the only one in existence. It was originally created as a prototype advanced deviant hunter, but ever since it's... deviance a few months prior, along with the results of the android revolution, employment in a separate area started being considered. You will guide this android in your field work, and maintain a professional relationship with him regardless of your differences, do I make myself clear?"

Shocked to have heard Fowler address this in front of everyone rather than in a private meeting, you nodded quickly and eagerly in response to his words, watching as your boss signed in relief and ran his hand across his face.

"Good. The model was brought by for tuning and integration this morning. He should be by your desk promptly."

Shocked, you opened your mouth to reply, maybe even ask a few questions, but before you could Fowler had returned to his glass enclosure, picking his desk phone up and dialing a number quickly, his shoulders tense and eyebrows drawn together.

Maybe right now wasn't the best time for questions regarding your new android partner.

Sighing, you sat back down once more, trying not to look nervous as you stared back down at the blank tablet on your desk once again.

That is, until a voice, slightly familiar, and somehow also incredibly foreign to you spoke up from your right.

You yelped in response to the sudden sound, jumping in your chair and twisting around to all but gawk at the intimidating man who stood before you.

He looked incredibly similar to Connor, but somehow the slight differences made him seem like a completely different person, and you could tell by the cold expression on his face that they would in no way be sharing similar personalities. Where Connor Anderson, the RK800 model who had deviated nine months ago, was warm and friendly, always ready to ask about your day, this RK900 model was clearly cool and calculated, his gaze consistently disapproving no matter where or who it happened to fall upon.

And to be the subject of said disapproval? It made you shiver before you could even speak up, giving the android in front of you the opportunity to do so first.

"Hello Detective L/n. I am an RK900 prototype built for the purpose of tracking down and dismantling deviants such as my predecessor. That being said, my previous function has been rendered inconsequential due to my status as deviant, and therefore, I have gained employment here, alongside the RK800 model known to you as Connor, in order to support the DPD in the development of android crimes. I understand that you are to be my partner in this task, is this correct?"

You blinked, shocked at the robotic tone of the supposed deviant who stood before you. You stared for a moment, taking in the crisp white jacket that adorned the android's shoulders, and the blinking model number that could be seen on his chest. He was incredibly intimidating, several inches taller than Connor, and far less friendly. It was as if this android felt no reason at all to utilize it's social interaction protocols, and you couldn't help but wonder if that was yet another unexplored area of deviancy.

Slowly, as if unsure of your own actions, you reached your hand out to the android in front of you, clearing your throat as you did so, trying to shake your nerves and muster up the courage to speak.

"I look forward to working with you..."

You trailed off hesitantly, your heartbeat quickening as you felt the unfamiliar chill of the RK900's hand against your own, that gaze never leaving you as your hands interlocked, shaking in greeting slowly,

"Is there something wrong?"

The RK900 model in front of you asked slowly, his words clearly enunciated and incredibly probing as they passed the artificial pink skin of his lips.

"I, uh, I guess I don't know what to call you."

The android quirked it's head in curiosity before it seemed to understand your words, and nodded,

"Ah, yes, your RK800 model-"

"Connor"

You corrected immediately, knowing how much the android in question disliked being called by his model number, your nerves leaving you for the briefest of moments as you stood up for your friend.

"Right, your... Connor"

The RK900 spoke slowly this time, as if testing the way that the sentence sounded in his ears, and you almost smiled at how much it reminded you of his predecessor.

Suddenly, as if he had been enlightened with the correct words to say, the RK900 model cleared his throat, and spoke up again,

"My predecessor, Connor as you call him, goes by a name. This name was given to him upon his distribution, in order to make him more relatable and easy to trust. I was not built to be trusted, nor related to. To put it simply, Detective, I was built for the purpose of destruction, ruination if you will, and that of my own kind in particular. Therefore, I was not given a name as Connor was upon the start of his mission."

You nodded softly, gazed upward at the oh so familiar stranger that stood above you,

"Right, I guess that does make sense... In that case, can we give you a name?"

You asked, tilting your head in question as the android before you stiffened a bit, quirking a brow in response,

"You wish to name me?"

He asked, and you shrugged softly, trying to ignore the heat that was building in your cheeks,

"Well, not exactly. You can pick it if you want to, I just want something to call you that isn't as long as your model number."

Nodding in understanding, the RK900 thought for a moment, before finally reaching what to him was the most logical conclusion.

"I will allow you to choose, since you are so keen on my having a new name to go by as your partner."

You could have sworn you saw the android smirk a bit as he spoke these words, but you shook it off and started thinking hard about potential names for the man in front of you.

This train of thought lasted far longer than you had ever initially anticipated, and eventually, you found yourself groaning out of frustration, hunched over a notepad at your desk two hours after your initial meeting with your new partner.

"Nicholas?"

You offered hopefully, and the man in front of you shook his head for what had to be the one hundredth time that day, that shadow of a smug grin forming on his lips as he met your gaze again from the desk attached to your own, which he had made himself comfortable at shortly after his arrival.

"It just doesn't suit me."

He explained wryly, and you fought to roll your eyes in exasperation as he utilized the same excuse he had been using for the past twenty names. He had a reason to hate everything.

Sighing heavily, you moved to bury your head in your hands, rubbing at your cheeks before you let out an annoyed huff, glaring over at your new partner.

"Two hours in and you're already impossible."

"Oh, on the contrary, Detective."

The android's response was immediate, long and drawn out as he leaned forward so his elbow was on your desk rather than his own, his smirk predatory in a way that made you almost feel frightened as you swallowed thickly while desperately trying to come up with a new name.

"I think I am being quite cooperative. I mean, I've hardly said a thing about that untouched work load of yours."

He finished teasing, and you shot him another glare, as you stood to pace before your shared desk space.

"Well fine then, if a regular name doesn't work, how about something different?"

You asked exasperatedly, and the RK900 leaned forward towards you in what appeared to be mock anticipation,

"Different you say? Go on then Detective, what do you have in mind?"

You thought for a moment, struggling to think of anything, before finally, your eyes fell on that glowing model number upon his jacket, and finally it hit you.

"Nines,"

You breathed out the name as if it were a prayer, and the android in front of you seemed to hum in response, watching you intently as your gaze moved to meet his own once more, challenging and unwavering.

Just what he was hoping to see.

"I like it."

He said after what had felt like an entire minute of deliberation, and you whooped victoriously and jumped excitedly about the small office in response to those three short words, your grin wide and splitting your face in two.

He watched, annoyed by your strange actions, yet somehow also entertained by how improvised and sudden all of your reactions felt to him.

Were all humans like this? If so, this job would get exhausting very fast.

Eventually, you slowed back down and had the sense to look a bit bashful as you sat across from the RK900 - 'Nines' once more, clearing your throat awkwardly as you started to look at your completely empty tablet for what felt like the one millionth time that day.

"I do hope you know that tablet has been depleted of battery life, Detective."

Nines' voice was laced with a bit of humor and cruelty as he spoke, and you groaned internally upon being caught.

You couldn't find the correct words to respond with, so instead you turned your face away from the man sitting on the other side of your desk, trying to focus on anything else but this near stranger who was supposed to be your partner sometime in the near future.

How were you ever going to make it through this with your sanity?

AO3 Link

Series Masterlist

[lacunacoil-moved]

Detroit: Become Human Scenery (2/?)

[giveamadeuschohisownmovie]

Honorable mention (vote “some other character” if this is your answer):

* Connor MacManus (Boondock Saints). Wasn’t enough room on the poll.

[iwonderwh0]

I think the first interface between Markus and Connor will be really short one due to being so personally relevant, intense and resonant it'll be damn painful for both of them and will probably get broken by them just snatching in opposite directions, terrified at what can of worms they just opened. The kind of interfaces that loops back, as their memories too often mirror each other or show a bigger picture of the same event. When another's traumatic memories are expanding your own traumatic memories making them only that much more miserable from knowing the bigger context, and the worst part is that this knowledge doesn't really bring any closure or reconciliation, but on the contrary reveals wounds the existence of which they may not even been aware of before.

[casscassiecascoril]

Recently rewatched RT's Detroit playthrough and I gotta say it really struck me with how much his streams have evolved. He genuinely seems a lot more at ease these days, and you can tell he's having fun with it.

Icl, it kinda makes his older stuff - even stuff I love and come back to often like DBH - pale in comparison.

Still love them of course, but also it would be very cool to see him now play through it again, see just how different it is