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Chapter Text

Gingerbread Houses Chapter 1: Bake Baby, Bake!

Saturday, December 24th, 2039, 9:45 am

Nines woke up on Saturday morning to the aromas of gingerbread filling the apartment. He could tell instantly what it was. He went home with Gavin after the holiday party and made out for a bit, but ultimately it was late and Gavin was tired from the party, so they went to bed shortly after making it home. He wasn’t quite sure what his relationship with Gavin was now, but perhaps by following his nose to the kitchen, he could find out. 

Shuffling his way to Gavin’s small kitchen, he took in the smell of sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. The insides of his nose tingled slightly at the scent, and he decided he liked this smell better than the roses from where he was first born. 

“Good morning, Gavin,” Nines greeted. 

Gavin, dressed in loose clothing and protected by a dark blue apron, turned around and smiled at Nines. “Mornin’ handsome. Did you sleep well?”

Nines’ face began to match the color of Gavin’s apron. He liked the pet name.

“What are you doing?” 

Gavin picked up his spatula and bowl again and began stirring. “Growing up, my family would make gingerbread houses on Christmas Eve,” he explained. “We’d bake and decorate all day. I figured I would share the tradition with you, seeing that this is your first Christmas.” He lifted the spatula out of the bowl and held it before Nines. “Here, give it a try.”

Nines took the spatula and licked. And licked again. Until he licked the entire spatula clean. Gavin stared at him the whole time, mouth agape. He knew Connor had licked a myriad of substances, but he didn’t know whether he could actually taste what he licked, let alone ingest it. But Nines wasn’t Connor, so maybe he could taste things. If this was one of the first things Nines had tasted in his one year of life, Gavin actually felt a little bad for not sharing food or drinks earlier.

“Holy shit, Nines, alright,” Gavin said, grabbing the spatula back. “Wanna be my dishwasher for the day or what?” He was answered with a small pout and a flash of pastel blue eyes. 

“Ok, how about this? When I get this batch in the pan, you can lick the bowl. That sound good?” 

Speechless from the delightful tastes, he nodded. 

“You missed a spot,” Gavin observed. He reached up towards Nines’ face and wiped off some batter that was at the corner of his lips. Then he brought his finger back to his lips and licked the batter. Nines’ eyes widened.

Gavin chuckled and put the spatula in the sink. “Well, while you wait, can you help take the batch in the oven out? Then maybe you can start making some of the icing.” He placed down the bowl and reached down to open a drawer filled with aprons and oven mitts. “Take your pick.”

Several batches later, Nines was thoroughly covered in flour and molasses. Baking was not as easy as it seemed. There were little to no precise measurements that Gavin was using, as it was one that was passed down in the family. He was frustrated trying to understand arbitrary measurements such as “a splash of vanilla extract” or “lightly floured surface”. Gavin was forgiving, guiding him through the process and giving him tips. 

Later that afternoon, they began decorating. Gavin gave Nines a few small sheets of gingerbread so that he could practice piping techniques and selecting different candies to add to his creation. Both Gavin and Nines were enjoying each others’ company, chatting about Gavin’s childhood memories, exchanging feedback on their progress, and even stealing candy out of the bowls when one of them wasn’t looking. 

“What kind of house are you building Nines?” Gavin asked. He had been staring at the back of the baked building for around half an hour; Nines had been focusing on the front of it. 

“Oh...you’ll see,” Nines winked. 

Nines sure loves surprises, Gavin thought fondly. As he added the final touches to his house a few minutes later, he sat back in his chair and admired his work. This year, he decided to make a simpler design, compared to last year’s recreation of the Eiffel Tower. He created a modest cottage, complete with a beautiful front lawn, dusted with powdered sugar to represent fresh snow. 

By the time Gavin had finished cleaning the kitchen, Nines was still working on his project, focusing intently. Because Gavin had scaled back this year on his house, Nines was using the rest of the baked goods for his work. It was 3:36 pm, well past lunch time for Gavin, so he heated up some tomato soup and sat down in front of the TV, glancing over at Nines during the commercials. 

He was unsure of what this activity meant for their relationship now. He felt like he was back in college, having a dude come home with him after a night of fun. Except most of the time, they wouldn’t stay over for breakfast, let alone make gingerbread with him all day. They would have to talk more about this later, but for now, he was just content sipping warm soup and watching Nines work. He wondered when Nines would be finished, but in any case, he was glad to see Nines pursuing a creative task. Connor had initially guided him in some other hobbies such as coin collecting, but Nines found little value out of it. The more he thought about Nines, the more he liked him. It was crazy how much he had fallen for him in less than 24 hours. 

At 5:30, Nines had finally finished his project and placed it next to Gavin’s on top of the refrigerator. After covering it with a towel, he joined Gavin in the bedroom. He was reading the news on a tablet, thick reading glasses falling down the bridge of his nose and reflecting the screen. Nines committed this softer look to memory. 

“I’ve finished with my gingerbread house.” Nines said.

Gavin dropped the tablet to his lap and peered up at Nines. “Finally. Come here.” He patted the bed next to him. 

Nines slipped under the covers with Gavin and learned his head onto his shoulder. He couldn’t wait to reveal his project with Gavin on Christmas morning. For now, he would melt into the warmth of Gavin’s body and the blankets.

Chapter Text

Gingerbread Houses Chapter 2: Christmas Morning

Sunday, December 25th, 2039 

4:06 am

Already anticipating his alarm buzzing under his pillow, Gavin had turned it off and rolled over to look at Nines sleeping next to him. His LED was blue, gently cycling. God, he was so handsome. 

He rose out of bed slowly to avoid waking his partner. Technically, he didn’t have a gift for Nines. Not because he didn’t want to give him one, but because he didn’t expect to have him over at his house for the past day and a half. He felt a little guilty, but it wasn’t his fault. He was excited and nervous to try to find a gift for Nines.

He dialed a cab and began looking for his warmest clothes in his closet. He was going to go to the convenience store and pick up a card and something else he could scrap together at...what time was it again? Oh well, he really needed to get going. He grabbed his wallet from the dresser and blew Nines a kiss as he tiptoed out of the bedroom. 

4:11 am

Calculating that Gavin was now 4 blocks away at the nearest convenience store, he leapt out of the bed, buzzing with excitement of putting the real finishing touches on his gingerbread creation. He washed his hands and grabbed his project carefully from the top of the refrigerator. 

The fondant that he had added to several places on the building had finally dried enough that he could begin painting the final details that icing was too big to create.

First, he needed to find a brush. The brushes supplied in the detective’s old forensics kit were too big for painting fine details, but the bristles were soft enough for painting on to food. Utterly convenient that Gavin had pointed it out before he went to bed the evening before, so he plucked a few of the plastic bristles from the brush, apologized silently for invading the kit, and glued them together with the tacky glue he found in the kitchen drawer. He also fastened it with a rubber band to cover the wet glue but also to add extra reinforcement. Finally, he trimmed the ends of the bristles to shape them into a fine point.

Then, he needed to make the paint, but he didn’t know how long Gavin would be out shopping, so he had to make it quick. He hastily gathered sugar, cornstarch, and food coloring, and silently thanked Gavin for having those on hand. He realized that if he started taking out bowls and utensils, not only would they eat into precious time he would need for painting, but also dirty up supplies that Gavin might see in the morning, even if he washed them. So he decided to use his hand as a bowl. 

Holding his fingers in his left hand tightly together so that the ingredients wouldn’t spill out, and his brush in the other, he got to work. He mixed a small amount of the sugar and cornstarch before dyeing it a deep navy blue. He stood from the table and kneeled so that he was eye level with the project. Fluttering his eyes for a moment, suddenly a projection of a special insignia was illuminated through his eyes, and he used his brush to trace the projection. Once satisfied with the insignia, he blinked again and the projection shut off. He used the same shade of navy blue to paint a few other items before he had to clean up and get back in bed. 

4:58 am

Gavin had found a card. That was it. That’s all he had to show for Nines. At this rate, he had walked up and down all of the aisles so much he could start creating a trench in the tile floor. It’s not as if there was anything else open at this hour, unless he wanted to get Nines cold McDonald’s for Christmas. 

The next best things he found were a scratchy scarf, Thirium flavored ice cream, and a pair of cheap aviators. It was getting late. He’d been there for nearly an hour, overthinking a present for his partner. Reasoning that despite the fact that the aviators wouldn’t actually benefit him, he’d look damn hot in them. Plus, now the two could match each other. Nines always told Gavin that he never used them when it would be most appropriate, only when he wanted to look badass. So he plucked them off the rack and took them and the card to the register. He asked for a few paper bags, which he would use as wrapping paper when he got home. 

Once he got home, he wrapped up the sunglasses as neatly and as quietly as he could. He filled out the card and tucked them under the Christmas tree. He padded back into the bedroom, the dim glow of morning shining more on Nines’ face. Exactly where he left him. He shimmied off his jacket and scarf and shoved them back in the closet, and he slowly sank into the mattress once again. 

8:37am

Gavin blinked himself awake at the sunlight spotlighting his face. Inhaling deeply, he suddenly became aware of a weight on his stomach. He looked over and saw that weight was Nines’ arm, draped over him and now pulling him closer.

“Hello Nines,” Gavin mumbled, and that earned him a squeeze.

“Spoon?” Nines mumbled back.

“Hell yeah.” Gavin rolled on to his other side and allowed himself to be embraced by the big android. If it were up to him, he’d stay in bed all day with Nines. 

“Merry Christmas...love,” Nines whispered into Gavin’s neck. 

His warm breath, combined with the endearment, made Gavin’s heart double in size. Good God, how did he end up in this breathtaking situation? 

“Merry Christmas, Nines,” Gavin replied. His shoulder was beginning to cramp from laying on his side for so long, so he stretched his body and rotated back around to face Nines. They were nose to nose now, and Gavin smiled. “Have I ever told you that you’re a good blanket?”

Nines shook his head, rubbing noses together. “Nope.” 

“I could stay here all day with you,” Gavin continued. “But we should make breakfast.” He propped himself up on his elbow so that he was leaning over Nines now. “I make killer homemade pancakes. I’ll even let you lick the bowl again.”

At that, Nines grinned and looked up at Gavin. “That would be lovely.”

After breakfast, Gavin turned on the lights for the Christmas tree and told Nines to join him by the tree skirt. Nines sat down, the lights of the tree bouncing off his face. 

“Well Nines, I’ll be honest,” Gavin said, “I wasn’t planning on getting you anything, but at the same time, I didn’t expect you to literally come home with me after the Christmas party. And well...I just felt like I had to get you something.”

“Gavin, spending time with you is the best thing I could have asked for this year.”

Gavin blushed and turned his gaze down toward the gift. “Sap.”

“Gavin, I’m serious.” He moved closer to Gavin and put a hand on his cheek. “I have no prior experience with the social conventions of the holiday. While it’s acceptable to exchange gifts, I’m happy for the moments we’ve shared these past few days.” 

Gavin nearly forgot about the present in his hands. Nines was so sweet. And he was right. It was such a wonderful time being with Nines this year. This was probably the best Christmas he’d had in a long time. 

“Well, Nines, thank you. You should open your gift anyways.” He handed Nines the paper bag. 

Despite what Nines just said about spending quality time with Gavin, he had a childlike curiosity with ripping into the present that Gavin could swear his heart was about to explode. 

“Gavin, these are…” Nines began.

“Neat huh?” Gavin smirked and cocked an eyebrow. “We’re twins now. Put them on.”

And when he did, the lights on the tree practically scattered around the room like a disco ball. Nines’ face fell. 

“What?” Gavin was confused. Did he not like the present? Was there something wrong with them? He noticed a smudge on them from where he picked them off the rack, but that was something easily fixable.

“I’m you,” Nines said flatly.

Shocked, Gavin retorted, “I don’t look like that!”

The android demonstrated a projection ability in front of the detective, this time using his hand. It displayed an image of Gavin leaning against a squad car with his aviators on, an unreadable expression across his face. “Do too.”

“When’d ya take that picture then?”

“Exactly 73 days ago, when we were waiting outside the--hey!” Gavin had slapped Nines’ arm playfully, making the projection dissolve. 

“You’re a real piece of work, you know that?”

“You work me up,” Nines replied. Gavin laughed. This moment was perfect. Nines removed the shades and folded them so he could look at Gavin. “Thank you, Gavin. I love them.”

There it was again, ‘love’. Was Gavin in love with Nines? Was Nines in love with Gavin? Their relationship was moving fast, and while Gavin was longing for someone to love, he would still have to be practical about it. 

“Let me give your gift,” Nines said excitedly. He bounded up off the floor and rushed to the kitchen. Meanwhile, Gavin balled up the paper scraps and waited patiently. Nines returned, calculating his steps slowly so that whatever he had in his hands would remain balanced. 

“Your gingerbread house?” Gavin was confused. “I mean, I’m all for having them early, but I usually--”

Nines shifted the model onto one hand. With a grand flourish, Nines whipped the towel off the gingerbread house. He kneeled down in front of the detective, whose eyes had now widened and were rapidly scanning the building. 

It was a gingerbread scale model of the DPD.

No wonder Nines had taken so long on the project yesterday. Tiny desks and chairs made out of tiny rectangles of cookies and chocolate squares were scattered across the floor. Starburst squares represented computers and screens, while Smarties were turned into makeshift stairs that led up to a miniature Captain Fowler’s office. Nines had somehow even recreated the break room that included a Snickers bar for a vending machine, and peppermints propped up on lollipop sticks. And then there were the officers. Nines used gummy bears to represent them, and he had even painted a blue dot on the sides of some of them to represent android LEDs. Best of all, he had hand painted the DPD insignia on the front of the little building and labelled “Detroit Police Department” across the white fondant sliding doors. Nines had really thought of it all, and it was beautiful.

“Oh my God, Nines,” Gavin whispered.

“Like you, I didn’t formally have a gift prepared for you. However, I figured it would be best to use as much of the leftover cookie as possible, and to make something I knew well. Merry Christmas, Gavin.” 

Gavin lifted himself up on to his knees to get a better look at the inside of the model. Gavin was seriously impressed. “Can I take a picture of this and send it to everyone?” Nines nodded. Gavin snapped a quick photo and looked back at Nines.

“You know, I don’t think I could ever eat this Nines, this is beautiful,” Gavin beamed. 

“Luckily you took a picture,” Nines winked. The treat nearly fell out of his hands as Gavin reached up to Nines’ face and kissed his cheek. 

“I love it, Nines,” Gavin whispered, the words flowing out of his mouth. “Thank you for such a nice present.”

“For you, anything.” He nuzzled his chin on Gavin’s forehead. “Now, let’s head to the kitchen. There’s better lighting; you could take more pictures.”

They spent the next few minutes rotating and examining the model at the table, Gavin endlessly finding little details and angles to take pictures of. Nines was absolutely delighted that Gavin was enjoying the gift, explaining the creative and improvised techniques he used to make it. 

As Nines explained his process, he figured it out. Nines got up in the middle of the night to finish the gift. Gavin decided it would have ruined the moment if he pointed out that he saw the makeshift paintbrush behind some magazines.