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Chapter Text

Lieutenant Connor taps on the tinted window of a 2024 Nissan Sentra SV with his gloved knuckle. It was an awkward two minutes, but eventually Connor is greeted by his younger brother rolling down his window.

"Nines" Connor clears his throat. "Glad to see you."

Nines, who seems unreactive to Connors' greeting, now leans his body halfway outside the car window. The red and blue lights from distant police cars deepen the dark circles under his crisp blue eyes.

"What's going on?" His voice croaks questionably.

Connor's calm expression becomes blighted as both men lock eyes on the nearby rugged warehouse. A soft sigh slips as Connor sheds his cheerful demeanor.

"Supposedly this case was originally a simple drug bust.” Connor digs the tip of his shoe into the gravel parking lot. “Officer Brown said recently an anonymous tip was called in. Reporting some sort of coke sweatshop. But..."

Connor thinned his lips as his eyes drift over the inside of his brother's vehicle. Nines's car was filled with paperwork. Several files opened and linked together with different colored strings. His dash, the ceiling of his car is thumbtacked down, with several hand written notes. The jar of blue paperclips growing, showing how many files he's recently lingered through. Nines is quite literally knees deep in yellowing case files.

Anyone new to Nines would assume he's insane. Untrue, this is a process he was famous for doing. Most of Detroit’s big cases were solved this way. While Nines was on his way to assist in solving minor cases, he often used the minutes in-between to work on organizing his theories and evidence. He was always on the go, never home or in his office for long.

His current thought web was focused on a case nicknamed, Pied Piper. A series of events seemingly copied word for word from the Brothers Grimm chapter books. A serial killer who made their mark, by luring these people away from home.

Investigators would find no evidence of hostile activity in the victim's home. Not even evidence of a break in. Home security watched these people become mindless puppets and willingly enter a white van outside their homes. They didn't fight the masked strangers when they tied them up. Instead they lifted their hands to assist in their own kidnappings.

Ten victims in the first month. The number increased for a while but dissipated a year ago. Connor remembers one too many milk cartons that had pictures of the missing people on the spines of the containers. People often let the milk spoil; they didn't want to think about this week's victim.

Every local police department picked apart the crime scenes like starving animals, but always turned up with nothing. Every file seemed to be written the same.

An Omega has been reported missing for a week.

No sign of breaking entry nor were there signs of struggle. If there were any cameras, the omega victim is seen willingly leaving their home. No ransom note or suicide letter; just their empty home.

The victim would be found holding a white rose, coins on their eyelids. By the time they were found, they had long lost their warmth.

The autopsy report showed slight promise. But quickly died when the mysterious drugs couldn't be traced to any substances known.

The only answers to what the drugs were, was nonsense. It was beginning to be believed that a spell, or a strange lullaby had taken their hand and led them to their mysterious death. Hence the dead case's nickname, Pied Piper.

When the killings stopped, so did the investigations. People were eager to forget the bad events. Everyone but Nines.

Almost two years later, and Nines still held a fist full of suspicions, but never enough grounding evidence. The only needle in the haystack that dared prick his finger was maybe the Pied Piper's lair. Ironically, tonight his car sits on the outskirts of Detroit city, staring at the very place he suspected.

It had to be a silly coincidence, but the way his stomach was twisting urged him to trust his instinct. There was a reason his big brother's eyes became vacant when looking at that abandoned property. The Pied piper had to have dropped his flute here.

Nines opens his car door, careful to make sure nothing followed him out as he climbed out of his car.

"But?" Nines asks.

"There's something in the warehouse" Connor begins traveling toward the tainted building, Nines walking faster. "I called you, I called Sixty, and a swat team."

"A swat team for a drug house? What are you not telling me, Connor?"

"I saw your obsession with this place. The paperwork, your notes...” Connor takes a deep breath. “I thought maybe if me and Hank found nothing you could finally put that case down."

Connor lays his body up against the door before nines could go inside. His doe-shaped eyes, looking directly into Nines’s sharp gaze.

"I'm scared you're going to start thinking you're going to find something." Conner braces himself as Nines reaches for the door handle at Connor's hip. "You've been running yourself thin over this for years. I miss mom too. But you have to promise me you won't let yourself believe what's in there is some kind of clue. You gotta let go of this one."

For a moment, Nines fought the weight forming against the waterline of the corner of his eyes. Frustration tears. He can feel his hand tremble on the door handle. Then the emotional turmoil rolls right off, like water on a duck's back. He feels Connor squeezing his shoulder.

"Nines?"

"I can handle it." He shakes his hand off and forces the door open.

//// Rrrr Eeee Aaaa Kk ////

Once those doors had been opened, Nines's reality became forever severed from what it used to be. He couldn't spare the eye contact to examine the warehouse environment. His gaze sank further into what stood in the center of the room. He had billions of scenarios of why Connor called him tonight but nothing came close to this. In the sea of swat team members, is a fully shifted werewolf.

In Nines's old reality he could've been sipping coffee as he analyzed what he found tonight. However in this new timeline, he'd be sipping coffee with an omega werewolf. Something that isn't supposed to be plausible in more ways than one.

In school, everyone had read many legends and theories about how today's society's collective DNA traits came to be. According to cave paintings, society's ancestors used to be able to shift into that form, giant dogs.

Historians and scientists could only theorize about how this genetic code came to be. What was thought to be just bedtime stories became real. Nines was staring at the fictional character, the werewolf. He was standing on his four paws, head lowered, his arched backbone equivalent to the size of a barnyard horse.

No matter how much time Nines gave his eyes to adjust, the werewolf-thing was still there. Even after rubbing the dark circles under his eyes. Lacking sleep shouldn't cause such vivid hallucinations. Yet the beast's guttural vocals continue dripping disdain in the room.

"This is why I called you. I still can't believe what I'm looking at." Connor closes the heavy iron doors.

Nines kept his eyes on the beast. His focus staring deeply into his big, beastly, grey eyes.

The swat team continues their pursuit. Pushing him further into the far corner of the room. Sometimes when someone stept too quickly, the dog flashed its pearly white canines at them.

"Did you see who he was before he transformed?" Nines grabs at the iron bar in front of himself to steady his wobbling legs.

"He was like this when we found him." Connor says, "What are we going to tell Captain Fowler? This isn't normal, Nines. Lycans are supposed to be a myth."

A loud bark makes the swat team flinch backwards. The painted bravery on the officers' faces was beginning to wash off. It was only moments before they'd unload their gun clips. If that man died before they get answers-...before Nines could step forward, Connor puts an arm out in front of Nines' chest.

Nines could barely hear what Connor was saying, something about ‘staying put’. The heart throbbing in his eardrum was too loud to hear logic. Something in him was begging him to jump over Connor’s arm. The deeper Nines spyruled in those grey eyes, the more he searched for the human inside.

Once The wolf's back hits the corner of the room, it lets out a low whine. Savage animals would've already bit someone if backed in a corner. Instead the Lycan is tucking its tail between his legs. Nines was seeing past the fur, staring at the human inside. He wasn't going to stand here and let him be shot for being scared.

"If he was dangerous he would've hurt someone by now." Nines shoves Connor’s arm away from him as he starts making his way into the center of the room.

"Put the guns down." Nines raises his voice over the murmuring sounds.

He couldn't tell if the room became silent because of his order, or if he was becoming deeply focused on the stranger. All he could hear was heavy breathing and his suede shoes tapping on the concrete.

"My name is Nines, I am a Detective sent by the Detroit Police Department." He got an eyeful of those white fangs. "I'm not going to hurt you."

The guttural growl wavered only a moment, but picked up volume when Nines got in his personal space. He was a prettier puppy up close. His wet nose was both pink and coal colored, the dark spots under the dog's eyes looked like mud splatter, a beautiful pattern in his amber fur. Nines’s hands hungered to ruffle the mutt’s freckles.

“Are you going to settle down for me?" Nines reaches his hands out. A part of him hoping the dog has enough wits to see he's unarmed.

The wolf's ears fold flat to his head. Letting out another soft whimper. Nines' hands inches from his face, that's when they heard a gun scream.

Nines shoves the stranger's snout into his chest. A hot stinging pain was building up in Nines’ hip. He gritted his teeth, sucking in air. He didn't realize his eyes were closed; until he found himself opening them to the sight of smoke exiting from the gun's mouth. His glare must've been more menacing than he meant, because he watched the young officer quiver like a leaf.

"It was going to hurt him" The officer, her hands weak. Drops the gun onto the floor.

Nines, with his hands pressing on both sides of the dog's head, slowly looks down at his wound. Is that a horse tranquilizer? It's thicker than any he's ever seen. He can feel the drug seeping into his blood already. The medicine clinged to every vain, maybe it's already reached his heart and was making another lap. As his knees grow weaker, they try to buckle and cry. But the intensifying rabid sounds coming from the animal between his hands and chest keeps him standing.

"I told no one to shoot," the long needle burns as he pulls it out of his own hip. It makes a weak shatter sound when hitting the concrete.

He feels himself slowly being forced on his tiptoes as the head of the wolf rises from his stomach. He feels a gentle nudge come from the snout, the animal moving his body aside to evaluate the damage. He can feel it sniffing where his side began bleeding at, a faint cry coming from the dog. Nines couldn't help but crack a slight smile.

“M’ Glad you're ok.” He mutters.

The smile broke, once the wolf's iris narrowed on the young officer who fired the gun. Nines adjusts his arms to cling to his neck, giving a light squeeze.

“Sir, please don't-”

He starts trying to squirm out from beneath his arm. Nines braids his fingers into his neck fur to keep a good hold on him. Nines' morphing vision and his expiring limbs was making this situation harder to dismantle. Officers began to try to get closer to attempt to assist.The mashing of teeth keeps them at bay.

“Stand down! Please I have this handled.” Nines drops down a few feet, pulling fur with him. Somehow managing to half kneel and stand. “I said stand down”

But people were getting more worried. Sweat beading down their foreheads, watching their comrade wrestle the beast. What were they going to do if the Detective faints and lets go of the wild animal? Nines wasn't sure either. He should possibly order the room to be cleared out while he remembers how to give orders.

Just as he's about to order the command, he can hear Connor screaming his name. He squints into the crowd, trying to figure out where his brother was. He's running straight towards them.

Nines tries getting on his feet, but finds himself tying into knots. Nines squeezes his knuckles white, forcing his entire body to move.

"Hush." He cuffs his muzzle in both of his hands.

But the wolf's eyes reconnect with Connor, its lips curling back preparing to bite. So, Nines did what his loopy brain thought best. Slamming his forehead against the wolf's. He watches the pup's eyes roll back, his eyelids flutter close.

Nines's hands feel the snout shrink into a soft face in between his fingers. It was like it was made from clay, and his headbutt smushed the man back in place. The stranger and his scruffy dark hair, and his sun kissed skin. It could've been another pretty face to forget, if that nose scar hadn't been there.

"You're so pretty." Nines mutters, feeling his face get hot. He must've knocked a brain cell loose or the drugs were reaching their maximum high.

He was guessing it was the high, because he was carefully finding a spot to wait out the paramedic team. He continues carefully cradling this strange man, averting his eyes from his naked figure. Nines shifted his shoulders, until it was a low effort to pull off his trench coat with one arm. Quickly he wrapped it around the man.

His adrenaline was creeping away, as he watched the swat team disperse. Threat averted, so each member began going in their own directions. Some going home, others standing in the distance still processing what just happened.

He huffs in relief, taking a moment to examine his environment. Until the feeling in his hands began slipping away. It's increasingly worrying as he loses the ability to make arm movement. Someone had to be getting the medical team soon, right? Where'd Connor go? Nines was starting to be able to taste sound, and hear color. Once his arm strength fades, the stranger's face rolls into the crook of Nines neck.

His body rapidly feels a chill as the touch rubs heat bumps up his back. He tries shrugging his shoulder to move the man's nose from the crook of his neck, but it doesn't work. Instead it's making it more distracting, moving the man closer it seemed.

The man's breathing is making Nines more queasy. 'Whatever' Nines tries rationalizing, 'he's passed out and can't help it.' But the quickening of sniffling on the nape of his neck, kinda makes Nines think this guy is waking up.

Before Nines could react, his brothers approach.

"You have no idea how badass you looked!" Sixty starts, his hands pretending to be the wolf. "They were all. GRRR. And you were like. No, no, no. But then! Some DUMBASS-" he yells purposely at the fleeing crowd.

"-Fired their gun! I thought you were gonna be eaten. But then you fucking head-butted that bastard into human form???" Sixty then headbutts his own hand trying to recreate the scene.

Connor, fanning away Sixty's excitement, is trying to attempt to remain professional. "Yes, but it was very reckless. You could've died...But, I guess you handled it." He slightly smiles.

"How's your head, tough guy?" Sixty squats down beside Nines.

"I think I'm going to pass out." He admits. "Can one of you get him to a medic?"

"Right, of course. The quicker he's checked over, the quicker we can get you home" Connor moves his hands in the man's armpits to lift him but-

"-Ow." Nines's face crunches up.

"Don't be such a baby. You were tranqed, not shot." Connor gently teases.

"He's got his claws in me." Nines growls.

"Let me try. Move over, ConCon! It's my turn to pull." Sixty pushes Connor to the side, squatting down for a better view.

But Sixty makes a choke sound. Emotions get caught in his throat at a glance of the man's face. If emotions had hands, they were choking him.

Nines watches his older brother crumble. He can't recall the last time he saw Sixty cry like this. His soft baby face was drowning because his eyes were overflowing. His bottom lip trembling too much for him to grab words.

The stranger seems unfazed by the sniffling sounds. He's nuzzling back down in the detective's throat. But Sixty wasn't having it. That face wasn't about to leave his sight. He reaches his hand out, and grabs ahold of him.

"Gavin?" Sixty trembles.

The name, hammered nails into their throats. Nines, and Connor exchanging brain cells in a single glance.

Gavin is a name they all knew, but thought they'd never feel in their mouths again. Because Gavin Reed went missing two years ago. His name is in one of the many folders sitting in the passenger seat of Nines's car.

"Sixty" Connor gently whispers.

"It's Gavin." Sixty weakly says as Connor pulls his younger brother's head on his shoulder.

"We don't know that for sure, Six" Connor places his hands on Sixty's, trying to pull them off Gavin. "How bout we let go of him, hm?"

Sixty's mouth was moving, but Nines didn't have the ears to really listen anymore. He didn't have much of an eye sight to read lips
also. He couldn't even energize himself enough to break apart their argument. So he continues sitting foolishly clutching what he presumed to be Gavin Reed.

Nines's half asleep brain couldn't register that new burning feeling. It wasn't his hip, that was the first thing he lost feeling. The sizzling was somewhere in his neck. Something had punctured him, and was spreading a hot bubbly, fizzy feeling in his throat.

Peering to the side, his crescent eyes sees Gavin's upper lip wrapped over top of his neck. Gavin's biting him. His skin was pink underneath his teeth, bleeding when Gavin lifted his head from the fresh bite mark.

The blurred blob, where his brothers are, still sounded like they were still arguing. Nines darted his vision back to Gavin's bloody lips.

"You smell really damn girly." Gavin was now keeping Nines from slipping backwards.

The stormy eyes of the stranger, was eating Nines alive. It felt good.

"You...fucking bit me." Nines whispers weakly,

Gavins lips moved again, but Nines couldn't hear him. Couldn't see him anymore either. The drug was fully setting in. Everythings so far away as Nines’s conscious inched closer to sleep. When his eyelids finally gave, he felt himself existing in the black void of his brain.

Chapter Text

>Dream Sequence Start< 

Sunlight tries prying apart the curtains. Its warm fingertips try to pry apart the slumbering man’s eyelids. But he ignores the sun's presents, Rolling on his side. His embody hair crowning around his face, slowly slipping from the pillow. A cold begins creeping in as the blankets slide to the floor. Yet he doesn't budge, today is a stay-in-bed day for Nines. 

The colors trapped behind his eyelids continue to swirl. With careful focus he can stretch or change the color, even make it face away. Blue to electric green, circles or endless waves. He patiently waits for the colors to fade. When this happens, the ocean of black void will take him away into the deepest pit of sleep. Yet he finds himself staring at the walls. It's vanilla paint burning into his memory. Touching the wall, lets him feel the world spinning on without him. 

 The sounds of passing cars. The wind playing in the trees. Birds moving from telephone poles to street lamps. He desperately wants to focus on the organ inside his ribcage. Slow it down, use it to lull himself back to sleep. It's becoming increasingly too late for that. He was becoming more aware of the smallest creaks inside his house. 

The wooden planks downstairs continue creaking. His keen listening already knew who it was by the weight of the stranger's footing. Everyone has a unique way of walking. Connor walked on his tiptoes. While Sixty walked on the back of his heel. But this someone sounded like they were attempting to walk on air. Carefully adjusting their feet on clouds to not fall though. Carefully they are walking circles in his kitchen. 

Nines presses his face into the bed to listen to the light foot steps move. They're approaching the stairs. Walking slower than they've ever had on those twelve steps. He adjusts himself on the bed after estimating how long it'd be til the stranger was outside his bedroom. 

 When his bedroom door opens, Nines relaxes his face into his hand. He finds himself smiling at his brunette boyfriend tiptoeing through the room. His pajama pants are a little short, showing off his ankles. His shirt sleeves rolled to keep food from ruining them. Gavin continues to carefully carry the food platter. The orange juice pitcher, It sways a little in Gavin's eagerness to find a spot to place it. All of his attention making sure nothing spills. 

Once the tray is placed on the dresser, Nines grabs the back of Gavin's shirt. The fabric is thin, and held between each of his knuckles. He feels giddy at his easy capture. It only takes a light tug to reel the smaller man into Nines’s hold.  

"Nines!" He giggles. 

Nines purrs at the call of his name. Moving his face into the crook of the other man's neck. He could roll over and fall back asleep confidently now that his comfort person is back. 

"Come on, Sunshine. You gotta wake up.” Gavin says. 

Nines playfully groans. 

“Your breakfast is gonna get cold." Gavin’s fingers are now pushing against Nine's face as it rubs deeper into him. "Babe!" Another whine. “Come on, I worked hard on this.” 

"Worked hard on…?” All Nines could see was Gavin's messy brown hair, and maybe his painted fingernails that threatened to stab his eye. “Do I smell hash browns?”

"Maybe…I mean, I think I burned most of it." Gavin leans over trying to reach the food. His arms are too short to get a good grab at it. ”I'm sure you’ll manage eating around it.” 

"You made me breakfast…?” 

It was complicated to explain what exactly Nines was feeling as he stared at the breakfast tray. His favorite flower, still dripping dodrops. Gavin possibly picked it during his morning jog. The zoo-pal plate holding burnt hash browns and runny eggs. Each slightly burnt because of Gavin's cooking experience. Yet it didn't downgrade the simple home cooked meal. 

 When he was a sickly child, his mother prepared chicken noodle soup with a side of grilled cheese. No matter how hard she tried, the toast would always be burnt on the edges. Almost exactly how Gavin burned this meal. She'd often spoon fed him because his clammy hands couldn't. Tuck him in with the stuffed animals she brought during meal time. They were stallaways. Snuck onto the platter by his older brothers. “Connor said, Snoofles wanted to see you.” “Samuel (Sixty) wanted you to take care of Stanley for him.” 

It was funny how breakfast in bed made him feel…bittersweet. 

“I mean, I tried. The hash browns might be rocks.” Gavin, who's blissfully unaware of how much this means to his boyfriend, finds a wet kiss pressing underneath his earlobe. 

"I like burnt hash browns. Thank you." Nines says. He wanted to thank Gavin's voice for holding him here in the present. 

To further ground himself, he decided the best move would be to fill his senses with the man caught in his arms. Nines’s fingers became tangled in Gavin's soft wavy hair. Once free from the wild locks of brown, his thumb trails against nearby facial scars. Most of them were unnoticeable from afar, a minor detail a lot of people would overlook. But not Detective Nines.

His thumb trails to his favorite scar. The one on the bridge of his nose. That faded down his cheekbone to the back of his neck. Beautiful little details, Nines thought before kissing it softly. The marks in Gavin's skin were his favorite places to kiss and get lost in. 

Sometimes he wanted to find more or make more. Something more personal, a visible scar that would make Gavin remember him. Something forever etched in him that linked them together. Wedding Rings can be removed but his teeth marks- maybe his nail scratches- couldn't be removable.  

 His thoughts are cut off when his stomach growls loudly. He didn't realize how far his hands wandered until he pulled them from the inside of Gavin's pajamas. His face blushing, as he looks away from the astonished muse. Maybe his hungry stomach is the reason why he badly wanted to put his mouth around things.

 Nines mumbles a quiet sorry. Then reaches for his breakfast. His fingers wrap around the metallic fork. Just as he was about to lift it from the plate’s edges, Gavin pressed his hand on Nines's. Pinning it to the table's surface. 

"On second thought. Should we just…skip to dessert?" Gavin looks up at Nine's through his eyelashes "Is that okay with you?" 

"I." Nines tries speaking up. His brain feels fuzzy at the implication- "Yeah. It's ok" -dumbass! "I m-mean." Nines pushes his hair back, those grey eyes all over him "I would love too.” 

"Yeah?” Gavin chuckles. “Okay, baby girl." 

Nines shakes his head, "baby girl?" But the silliness makes him laugh. 

"Baby girl~" Gavin repeats. "Let's get this shirt off, ok?" 

*

Nines feels cold air as his shirt is rolled up off his body. His face feels like an illuminated light bulb. He wanted to look down to see where Gavin's hands were going, but the sound of his T-shirt smashing into his lamp post distracts him.  

“Think we should save the lamp?" Nines tried looking for where his lamp flew off to. 

"Your focus should be on me, pillow princess." 

"Pillow prince-? I am n-” His eyes enlarge when Gavin's tongue slips into his mouth. “..ot” Nines runs his fingers across his bottom lip when Gavin pulls away. “...May I try that again?” 

Gavin chuckles, placing his hands firmly on his chest leaning back down for another dosage. His tongue, playing in his mouth again. Gavin's tongue was muscle, but reminded Nines of a melting Hershey bar. Omegas were always flavored addictingly sweet. But this was Nine's first experience with this. His nails dig into the back of Gavin's neck to taste more. Gavin is the richest dark chocolate, while Nines was lavender. An oddity among alphas. 

“mh” Gavin looked captivating above him. He wipes the spit from mouth. “You taste so girly.” 

Nines squints. “What does that even mean?” 

“Does it matter?” The wet kisses on Nine's neck is hurting his attention span. “You like how it sounds.” 

“you said it back at the warehouse. When you…-”  

Gavin rubs himself against Nine's boxers, a short gasp escaping. “Stop thinking so much.” 

He hears the sound of Gavin opening his mouth, and feels the bite. Its pressure is so much harder than the other hickies. Gavin can feel Nine's vocals squeak under his teeth. He can also feel his boyfriend's ribs heave heavily between his thighs. He's shaking so bad. 

 The grooves of his teeth print deeply in the center of Nine's jugular. It was a pretty necklace for his bitched alpha to wear, Gavin thought. He was pretty proud, tracing it with his fingers. He watched Nines body wince each time he fingered the wound. Gavin's stormy eyes trail down his boyfriend's body, locking eyes on the happy bulge. His cocky smirk spreads seeing his partner’s expression. Nines looked starved. 

Nines sharply sucks air in through his teeth. “Are you proud of yourself?” his face painted in frustration and vulnerability. "You're a prick, you're teasing me.”  

Gavin presses his thumb to his lip to silence him. "You're so beautiful." His lips near his, but pauses short. "You're my everything, you know that?" 

The bite on the crook of Nines' neck, began throbbing. It felt like his blood was too thick to move through his throat and ears. Maybe it is because his uneven heart beats. Heat chills rushes up Gavin's spine as Nine's chilly hand trails up his backbone.

“Am I?" 

“you are.” He admits. 

 He watches Gavin's hands tighten their grip on the band of his boxers. The beating in Nines's shoulder, echoing lower and deeper in his body. Nines likes the way Gavin's face stubble feels against the lower part of his stomach. Each light smooch comes closer to the sweet spot. Gavin's mouth finally wrapping around-

*

>Dream Sequence End< 

-Nines didn't wake up to a blow job or a beautiful sunrise. He woke up to the sounds of his heart monitor and a pasty white popcorn ceiling. His bedsheets weren't silky either, in fact he's freezing because of the thin hospital gown. No morning doves, or burnt breakfast, just gossiping nurses looming over him. And they have yet to notice their patient's eyes flicking open. 

"Are you seeing this, Britney? This cutie is having a really good dream~" one of the nurses coos. "Wouldn't it be a dream come true if it was about me?" 

"Hannah, you already have two kids. Calm yourself." The other voice comments, with a slight bitterness. 

"Hehe, yeah you're right. Plus it seems someone’s already claimed him" Hannah comments "Lucky bastard." 

First he's dazed, and couldn't understand a lick of what the nurses were saying. Then his cheeks, all the way down his throat, burns at the sight of his own bonner. Quickly he grabs his pillow, doing his best to hide himself behind its fluff. His stealthy attempt to slink out of bed becomes miserable as he hears their giggles. 

"I think we accidentally woke em. Mornin, sir. Could you tell us your name?" Becky said as she looked through Nines's chart. "Or maybe what you last remember?" 

He remembers how pissed off he's at Gavin Reed for biting him back at the warehouse!  

"C-can I tell you my name later?" -He pulls his jeans over his hips- "I have an asshole that needs beat." -Nines bats his eyelashes processing what he just said- "I m-mean..i'm going to punch someone. repeatedly." 

Britney snorts, while Hannah offers his sweater to him.

"He bit me..." Nines continues...more so speaking toward himself. "He really fuckin bit me." 

He rubs the mark on his shoulder, before finally pulling his sweater on. The wool rubs his chin as his sweater slips back on. It strangely gives him a comforting feeling. Smelt a little off too, but not in a bad way. He brings the collar up to his nose, deeply inhaling.  

Gavin's scent stained his sweater. 

"He bit me." 

"And you liked it," his thoughts whispered.

 His face wrinkles in disgust. 

His throbbing shoulder made him pull his sweater downward for another glance. Somehow the mark looked worse than he originally saw it. It's etched deeply in his skin, he wouldn't be surprised if chunks of skin were gone. Each indent had its own bruising coloring. A discolored rose on his shoulder in a sense, each color was a petal of the bite. It showed very slim signs of healing. He'd be lucky it didn't scar.

Images of Gavin's parting lips, flashing in his mind. There's something off with the formation of his teeth. They looked like they belonged to something between a dog and a man. He shakes his head at the developing brian rot. With what brain cells he has, he uses them to leave this room. 

In the hallway, he could see rows of windows. The halls stretched for miles. It'll be a miracle if he finds that asshole. He takes a minute to listen to the silence. Hospitals are anything but quiet. But the night sky could be used as an excuse for the lack of sound. 

He continues his stride. He didn't care if it took all night to find him. Gavin had to be in one of these many rooms. There was a mountain of questions stacking in the back of his mind. Why was he at that warehouse? What gave Gavin Lycanthropy? Nothing about that situation made sense. Who mixes up a drug bust with a living fossil? 

 People don't just transform into dogs. They don't crawl on their fours and are the size of a barnyard horse. If they could, Nines would combust into fur and track down where Gavin is, instead of guessing. Better yet, it would make his police career easier. Imagine how many criminals they would catch with beastly instincts.  

As if on cue, his shoulder reminded him of the searing bundle of pain it's in. "Why does it hurt so badly?!" Nines holds it carefully. Even trying to squeeze out the pain. 

What is the last thing he remembers? 

He smudges the glass with his palms trying to see himself better in the reflection. The image in the glass, he looked so refreshed. But felt like a bag of crap, like he slept for too long. He tried fixing his messy bed hair, it didn't feel like any gel remained. The wrinkles in his clothes next. Again he examined himself. The dark circles under his eyes were gone. Maybe he did sleep for a good minute. Afterall…he was shot with a horse tranquilizer. 

He remembers the officer's expression when she shot him. He has some recollection of the ride to the hospital. Connor's worried face in his blacking vision. Connor never looked so scared before. Was it really that big of a deal?

He pulls up the bottom of his shirt, curious. The massive black, ugly injection site on his lower hip told a story. 

He could've died. 

His trembling hand let his shirt hide his bonus bruise. He didn't regret taking the hit. After all, it's his job to save others. It's just terrifying thinking that could've been his last day on earth. He uses the window to steady himself to help repress or process this new information. It wasn't the first time he's gotten hurt on the job. But It doesn't numb the emotional shock. 

"That…guy." Nines began pondering again. "Gavin Reed.” 

His shoes made a clicking sound as he settled his feet on the ground. The tapping continues, as he makes his way further into the hospital. The health posters, the doors and their files hanging, It blurred together. 

Every few minutes, Nines glances backwards for Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dumb. The nurses from earlier, either lost him or don't get paid enough to chase patients. Either way, no one is going to stop him from looking at that nose-scar-wearing man, again. 

"Did I hallucinate that he was a giant wolf?" Nines questions. 

His muzzle shifted into a man in his very hands. Those moments visibly bubbling in his mind as he looks at the insides of his hands. Nines still couldn't believe it. Shapeshifting was just stories he learned in elementary school. Or was it middle school? They lacked importance in his life, but now they seem prominent.

 He wasn't sure if the drugs were still wearing off, or if he missed school that day. But all he could remember about the myth is that humanity's early ancestors evolved to survive some type of plague. It's why Alphas, Omegas and Betas genetics came to existence. Somehow becoming a giant dog faded away in the collective gene pool for eons; until today. 

If Gavin really did have that recessive gene, Nines would have to dust off his history books. Could it be possible that Gavin is a victim of the pied piper as well as his lycanthropy? His detective brain is brewing now. The man has been missing for two years. It did align with the timeline. But this could be another desperate grab at straws. 

For now, he's going to keep walking until he finds the correct hospital room. He rubs his shoulder, again. Noting to himself that it's dulling in pain the further he walks down this hallway.  

Suddenly a sharp skkkrt echos, Room 334. If he carried on with his insane walk, the bite would scream. His shoulder stayed quiet when looking at this room plate. Something about this door has him standing still. His mind clears, as he places his hand against the wood. From the little window, he can see Gavin in his hospital gown, with a carefree expression; talking to someone. 

Nines presses his face to the glass, trying to see who. Weren't guest not suppose to be here after hours? This hospital is very poorly managed, he thinks. His brain blanks at seeing Sixty, comfortably sharing the twin-sized bed. Yesterday- or whatever day they were at the warehouse- Sixty was really messed up from seeing his best friend alive again. Gavin, after all, has been missing for two years. It makes sense why Sixty was smothering him.

Before he could give more thought to the situation, Nines’s knuckles mindlessly began swatting at the glass. Both guys give the knocking all their attention. Nines opens the door, closing it carefully behind himself. 

"I wasn't expecting' you to be up yet, good mornin'! Aww look at that messy hair!" Sixty excitedly takes Nines under his arm, pulling him up by the bed. "Gav, this is my baby brother, Nines"

Gavin, not daring to look up at Nines, nods. His pretty grey's move sheepishly to stare at the painted shark on the wall. 

"Nines, this is Gavin. My bestie, the guy I talked about nonstop before...you-know." Sixty continues. 

"I'm already well acquainted," Nines says dryly. "Afterall he marked me." 

Nines pulls his sweater down showing off his clavicle. Sixty cannot contain the shock, it comes out as an audible gasp. His eyebrows inch closer, as he counts the individual piercings on his brother's shoulder. His and his best friend's eyes meet.  

"Gavin, you can't be biting my baby brother!" Sixty exclaims. 

"Sixty, I thought you wanted me to become your brother." Gavin, unseriously answers "I didn't wanna be Connor's mate. Sooo, I had to bite your other brother."  

The two began weeping in laughter. 

"Hilarious. Teasing me. I love being the butt end of a joke." Nines rolls his eyes. "But, can the both of you spare me from your shenanigans? I need to talk to you." 

"Ha! You said butt. " Gavin continues joking, "Sixty, is he always so serious?" 

"Must be an Alpha thing" Sixty giggles, while leaning into his hands. 

 "Embarrass me later, I want to discuss what happened back at the warehouse." Nines states. 

Gavin disconnects his eyes from Nines, a sigh exiting him. With his hands back in his lap, he makes eye contact with the careless shark on the wall. 

"Don' wanna talk 'bout it." Gavin lightly snaps.  

"Don't you want to make a statement? Don't you want closure or something?" Nines questions. His hands become tight on the bars of the bed. 

"...M' not gonna make a statement." Gavin mumbles. 

"What do you mean you're not going to make a statement?" He feels the metal starting to deform as he squeezes. 

No should've been enough, but It wasn't. It's hurting, feels like a red string is tying around his hands. How is he supposed to help him if his hands are binded?

“Where have you been for two years, Gavin?" 

Silence. 

"Who kidnapped you?" Nines asks. "Did they drug you? Are you scared if you tell me they'll hurt you?” 

"Nines," Sixty grabs him gently. His goofy smile, the joking aura, its melting off of Sixty. His very serious expression, pleading Nines to stop. 

"What happened to you?" But Nines continues anyway. 

Gavin's salty tears trailed to the corners of his face. It feels like the questions are puncturing so many holes into his lungs. Nines' face is in the reflection of Gavin's eyes, the harsh glare echoing back at himself.

"Why did you bite me, Gavin?" Nines mutters out. It wasn't the question he wanted to ask. but his reasoning skills fried once Gavin started to cry. 

"Because you made me feel safe. And…I was scared that feeling-...was going to be taken away from me, again." Gavin squeezes Nines's hand, he gets on his knees to be eye-level. "And I'm starting to wish that dart hit me instead." 

Gavin removes Nines's hands from the bar before those big hands intangle into his. "It was nice meeting you Nines, but I think you should go." 

Nines takes a few steps back, looking for his older brother to back him up on this. Instead, Sixty avoids meeting his gaze; moving to comfort his best friend. 

So, Detective Anderson moves into the quiet hall. 

He just needed a moment to get that sour taste out of his head. His body miles away, that small moment back in the room eating at him. 

Who wouldn't want to tell their mom and dad about the monsters in the shadows? How were they supposed to draw them out into the light if they aren't pointed out?

 He didn't believe for a minute that Gavin Reed would cut ties and disappear on his own. If he did…he would've at least told Sixty. They seemed close.

He feels his face with the back of his hand. It's wet from his eyelashes to his chin. He looks down at his other hand, the knuckles turning white with how tight knitted his fist was made.  

 Maybe Connor was right. He needs to use those PTO days and relax. Take a break. Get away from this for a while. 

Yet his mind grabbed his eyelids and forced him to remember his mother's dying blue lips. Her blood soaking into his pant leg. Fading from warm to cold as he waited for the dpd a year ago. The Pied Piper's white flower in her hand. 

He still needs to solve that case.  

Chapter Text

Getting acquainted with being hospitalized isn't something Gavin thought possible. He used to fear spending the night in places like this. The iron scent and decay, always masked with a sterile scent. It's unnatural and disturbing, Gavin used to think. Now the scent is stale, and so is missing home. It's funny how life turns out sometimes.

In his old life, He didn't have to scavenge for loose pocket change. He earned his cheddar like most other people, working a job. Not that he needed one, money wasn't ever a shortage. It was the principal! He used to consider himself as an activist. Alot of the workforce is limited for Omegas, unless it was “freelancing”.

Gavin loved his freelance job, Private Detective. From finding missing pets, to background checks, he loved having his own Sherlock Holmes episodes. It was something to do, better than housewife duties. He had so many plans.. He was going to vote for Markus Kane. His vice president was an Omega…the first in history. But that was years ago.

Two years ago maybe…

But today, he is standing here, at Mercy Hospital. On his hands and knees looking for quarters.

Yet being snatched up again, is very possible if he stays here. His skin won't ever forget what their hands cloaked in latex gloves felt like. The ridges of their fingerprints, the gloves sticking to his arm and ripping hairs from his arms. Those hands weren't kind. They cut skin. Stabbed him. He has new scars from their handy work that he hasn't fully processed. But at least it was never sexual. The animal-shaped masked strangers never wanted him in that way. He was just their lab rat they liked injecting things into.

He supposes now, that strange serum was some kind of wolfsbane. They wanted him to transform into that thing back at the warehouse. That giant mutt, that form felt like a blanket wrapped around his body.

Does it really matter anymore? He's far away from that cult now. He needs to be more present in his second chance at life.

Speaking of, he just notices something gleaming by the water fountain in the hallway. Gavin grins to himself as he scoops up the coin. It's the last quarter he needs tonight. And it's so lucky he found it. He wonders what year it could possibly be.

Carefully he turns the coin over, staring at the lavender field engraving. The year is 2009, and somehow is clean considering its been in the floor. But why lavender of all the things that could've been on this coin?

"Lavender is such a girly smell," He thinks.

He then scoffs at the strange emotion and pockets the silly quarter. That bastard detective bent his bed frame. And has been lurking in the corner of his eye for some time now. That Nines fellow, might be as bad as the nursing staff. Maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration…The staff at least doesn't pry into his personal business.

The nurses here kinda baby him to a degree though…they simply won't let him leave. Said he needs more treatment and useless vinamines. But Gavin really doesn't need it! He can move his fingies and toes just fine!

His fingies have picked up a dollar worth of coins, and his tip-toes are keeping his steps silent as he walks to the end of the forbidden hospital wing. Each jingle of his pocket screaming "Cigarette break!"

Just outside of the broken exit door sits an old cigarette dispenser. The weird logo is fading, but the outline of a boot-legged Mr. Monopoly lives on. His mouth acts as the coin slot. It used to make Gavin laugh at the “Put your money where your mouth is” being taken literally. On the days he can't find a dollar to feed the machine, he thought about feeding it a punch. But breaking the illegal cigarette dealer doesn't sound smart. Especially since every puff of an old cigarette is orgasmic.

Every time he smoked here, he couldn't help but feel a little bad ass. The lit cigarette in his omega hand, burning on hospital grounds...

This old machine should've been carried away in the refurbishment. Kinda makes him wonder why it got left behind. Forgotten about, but with so much life still in its tincan body… It's best not to think about that. Focus on enjoying another yellow stained stick, and the lovely view of the overgrown wheat field, Gavin.

As the cigarette began to pack and load itself into the coils, he decided to calculate how much time he had left before the final bed-check.

His usual evening went something like this:

Getting back to the room at 10:20pm.

at 10:30 pm, expect a squeaky-wheeled trolly.

It stops outside his room like usual. Little cups full of pills and liquids, loaded on its back. The nurse cusses silently as the trolley almost spills everything because of its faulty wheel. She quickly flashes a smile at Gavin, then begins looking through her clipboard. She'll see his name, mark a check on it as she hands him a cup full of red ooze.

He hates that cup of red goo, It makes his coffee taste red. Cherry flavoring, he swears cock tastes better than that flavoring.

But this nurse cared about her job. Watching and unbudging until Gavin drinks his shitty vitamins. He'd grumble for another 5 minutes, then glance at Detective Nines who's standing in the doorway now.

"Do I really gotta drink this shit?" He grumbles as he swishes the red liquid around in its tiny cup.

"It's full of vitamins and minerals. It's good for you" the nurse repeats her npc lines.

At 10:50 pm, he'd finally take it like a shot of whiskey.

Gavis' toes scrunches in disgust "Pah! It's so Nasty!" His sour pucker glances towards the giggling guest "What're you laughin’ at asshole?"

"It's almost like watching a toddler." Nines laughs again, “When you're done gagging on your medicine, would you converse with me?"

"No, fuck off already" Mr. Reed would then ask his nurse at 11:00 pm, "Can I leave now?" He’d then stick out his tongue at her, showing off the red dye. "I took your shitty medicine. Can I leave this shit hospital now?"

****

It's complete bullshit they won't let a grown man leave. They could only feed him so many lies before the truth comes out. They're waiting for an alpha to come pick up their "distressed" Omega.

"Good luck ever getting ahold of my husband" he mumbles as he fingers the cigarette slot. The coils start to cool when his racoon hands finally grabs a hold of his smokes. He holds the stick between his lips as he gets on his knees. His arm reached to the far back of the machine for the match box.

"Smoking isn't good for you." A voice behind him states.

Gavin peers over his shoulder and sees Nines once again stalking him from another door frame. Between Nines's index and thumb was Gavin's Lucky Duck Matchbox.

"Ok asshole, thanks for the advice. Give me my matchbox." Gavin snatches the box from Nines's hand. "And quit stalking me. I'm not gonna tell you anything. "

"I'm not stalking."

"Then why are you still here?"

The empty box brought a growl. Before Gavin could blow up, he watches Nines light the match against the roof of his mouth. His hand carefully holding the flame to the cigarette in the corner of Gavin's mouth.

"I was hit in the hip with a tranquilizer." Nines said. "Remember?"

Gavin rolls his eyes exhaling deeply. "You could've just moved."

"And let it hit you?" Nines said.

"Yes!..-" Gavin snaps, holding his forehead as he looks to the side. "-No…?" His eyes glare up at Nines "-i don't know. Maybe I wouldn't have bit you if it hit me instead."

"You would've died."

"And you could have too!"

The crickets were loud, and they were quiet. Gavin flinches when feeling an ember burn his hand. Nines moves but Gavin growls at him. Waving his hand to keep Nines over there in the doorway.

"You were asleep for a week, because of me." His vision blurs as the tears build up in his waterline "You don't even know who I am."

"It's a part of my job." Nines immediately hates how hollow his words sounded "I would've done it either way. Job or no job. I would've taken the shot. It's... -your supposed to help others."

A stale chuckle leaves Gavin, "You're a dumbass," Gavin says, "The only reason I'm worth saving is because I got some man-womb. Admit it. It's your ‘Alpha duty.’ you just can't help saving meek Omegas!” He mocks.

Nines is laughing, genuinely. Gavin thought that would offend him and make him go away.

"What's so funny, mountain-sized fuck boy?" Gavin snaps.

"You. You really believe your worth is centered around being an Omega."

"Really? I thought I was special because I'm some kinda green- eyed, one horn, purple people eater" Gavin snarks.

"You really don't get it, do you? You can't see there's something different about you."

Gavin glares, "You tell every man-gina that? Or just the ones that turn into furries?"

"I don’t actually…" The weight in Nine's voice, "it's just...-" he's staring through Gavin, past the wheatfield. He's looking at the ghosts that are haunting him. "-I’ve never found a survivor. Someone who actually lived after being taken…"

Gavin deeply inhales and watches the cigarette's life shorten.

"Why don't you want to tell your story, Gavin?"

Gavin’s eyebrows push together in annoyance.

"You're not going to give up on this, are you?" Gavin grabs Nines chin pulling him down to his height "You sure you really wanna know?”

Gavin beckons him to lean in his hands. Give him full control of his movements, let the weight of his head set in Gavin's strength. Those Grey stormy eyes eating him up again.

'Its my story, Nines. I'll tell it to you if I want to." Gavin blows all the smoke in his lungs into Nine's ear. "Be a good boy and give up already."

He puts the cigarette out on the brick beside Nine's head before heading back to his room.

*****

It isn't long before Gavins morning is interrupted by a migraine. Again the nawling in his skull causes body aches. His coffee pot brewed slowly, and his brain tremors had no patience. He really could use something for this monstrous headache.

Waiting any longer might risk him becoming a coke bear. He crumbles out from bed, fumbling for another dollar. If he can’t have pills yet, nicotine would have to do. His emergency change presses in his sweaty hand, he just hopes no one will notice him sneaking to Mr. Tobacco.

Once he made it to the secret area, he nearly dropped his coins in shock. To his surprise, someone murdered the rust bucket. The metal was bent in, the glass sparkled in the morning sun. The cartoon character's expression that once was once smiling, now wrinkles in pain.

His mind was continuing to bend inward, He had no time to process his drug machine was murdered. The coins in his pocket would now just have another use. Near the entrance of the hospital, were payphones.

Gavin just hopes to god Sixty is awake.He listens eagerly to the ringing of the phone, until a dreary Sixty answers him.

"Hiya Six. Mornin'! Sorry I'm waking you up so early...But I really gotta ask. Could you hook me up with a cigarette? My head is killing me and...Sixty?" Gavin pouts.

Sixty, not wanting to lift his eyelids above his eyes, blinks at the request.

"Gav, I quit smoking a year and a half ago. I don't have any."

"Buy me some? Please, I'm dyin' here! The nurses wont let an omega smoke. Plus they skipped my room."

There's a long pause before Gavin can hear a sigh.

"Okay. I wanted to come see you today, anyway. Do you want anything else from the store?"

"Mhh. Not that I know of." Gavin quickly opens his mouth again, "Actually..."

****

Fifteen minutes, and Gavin is sitting with Sixty where the cigarette dispenser was. His fingers enjoy lifting and lowering a proper cancer stick to his mouth. Each hit was more savory than the last. Gavin goes to pass it, like old times, but Sixty just shakes his head.

"I quit smoking. For real. Maybe you should too."

"And never annoy you to buy me more? Never~" Gavin lightly shoulder bumps Sixty. "I'd hate to have to find a new way to annoy you."

"Har har. Maybe annoy me by getting better and staying the night instead."

"Wish I could. But apparently my alpha has to sign me out." Gavin tries laughing. "They act like i can't take care of myself"

"You still haven't contacted him?" Sixty’s words cause Gavin to lower his gaze.

Gavin lights another cigarette, "Your brother, Nines. What's his issue?"

Sixty deeply inhales at the change of subject. But Gavin isn't someone to argue with unless necessary. He'll talk about it when he wants to. So Sixty smiles, he will amuse the topic shift.

"Workaholic" short and simple explanation.

"So, a Connor 2.0 but more stalkerie?"

"No, Connor knows when to take a break. Nines, he doesn't stop. Kinda like someone else I know." Sixty punches Gavin's shoulder "Ya’know, my lil’ bro wasn't always stuck up. He actually used to be quite fun to be around."

"Used to?"

"Ohhh, You would've loved the old him. Motorcycles, black jackets, and a lot of bar fights." Sixty’s hands fan the air. It's as if he's drawing out the scene, "This one time, he bit this guy's fingers off and shoved them up his ass."

"Bullshit." Gavin snorts.

****

It was almost afternoon by the time the two guys stopped trading stories. Most of it was about bar fights, or reminiscence of the old days. Gavin treasured the old days. Sixty and him grew up together. Almost every scar on his flesh was caused by something the two of them did. Exploring junk yards, getting into fights, crazy exes, or simple rough housing.

It always ended in giggles and tending to small wounds. Gavin misses Sixty taking care of his scratches, no matter how mild they are… He wished he was found sooner, wished Sixty patched up the damage they did to him.

It was getting cold because of the fall weather. So Sixty and Gavin began returning to the familiar hospital room. Sixty spent so many nights with him in that small bed. Kind bastard.

The guys stopped walking a moment, and ogled at the figure sleeping on the floor against Gavin's door. His headache must've been horrendous if he never noticed Nines sleeping there.

"No wonder why my nurse hadn't shown up." Gavin says in a hushed tone. "There's a whole-ass mountain man against my door."

"Mountain man?" Sixty lifts a brow.

"Yeah. Lets get my hoodie. I wanna hang out with you a bit longer before visiting hours are over."

***pov switch***

It was ten, maybe fifteen minutes after and Nines was finally beginning to stir awake. His body is abdominally heavy, but that's because of the hospital quilt draped on him.

"Anderson?" Hannah's voice is soft. She parks her trolly as she approaches him.

Nines almost looks through her, his head still spinning with visions of last night's dream. His back pops as he straightens his posture. "Nurse Hannah, was it?"

She blushes slightly at the sound of her name, "Yes, Mr. Anderson." she brushes off her embarrassment as she offers him a hand "You think I can talk to you for just a moment?"

Nines takes the offer, steadying himself as he follows her down the hallway.

"How are you feeling? Do you often sleep in strange places?" Hannah jokes.

"I'm Fine." He doesn't actually know if ‘fine’ is the right word. His emotions keep layering around him. It's suffocating. "Usually I prefer sleeping in a bed. Floors aren't the best for my back" he dryly jokes.

His thoughts are swarming again as he settles into the gestured room. His case has hit another dead end. Sixty is possibly still angry at him, rightfully so. And Connor is coming to visit him today. He saw the text message, but still can't believe it. Nines didn't think he'd still be here at the hospital. He hasn't shown any signs of allergic reactions or permanent damage from his wound.

His body just kinda hurts really badly. But wouldn't that be normal since he has been asleep for a week? Plus waking up on the floor.

"I'm fine." He repeats. The words feel more true the second time.

"Good. I'm glad you're doing well." She giggles. "Did you ever finish your unfinished business with that stranger?"

"No. That asshole is already hospital bound. Don't wanna make it any worse" he tries joking, it feels pretty lame saying it though. "Did I ever get that ok to leave?"

Hannah is logging into the nearby desktop. He tries not to watch her type, but the simplicity of her password, "iloveyou" has him questioning the hospital security standards. Her typing pauses once his chart is on the display screen.

"It says here you've been hit with a powerful narcotic...Normally with big doses like these we wait a day or two for side effects." She scrolls up to see how long he's been here, "It's been adequately enough time...the good news is there's no side effects or long term damage."

Nines sighs, laying backwards into the bed. "But I'm not in the clear?"

"Mhm. Which is a little strange. Let me take a better look into why." her eyes dips deeply into his file. "It's been a hot minute since you've seen a care provider."

That statement kinda catches him off guard. It could've been long enough to be called out on it. He could bat his lashes and try remembering his last hospital visit, but was there a point?

"Yeah, i guess it has. I suppose I'll have a lot to update for my medical records."

"Oh yeah," she mumbles while scrolling "Think of it this way. It's an investigation of your wellbeing. We can piece together what's caused you to be our guest."

Did She really just relate the medical industry to criminal investigation? It's effective, and has Nines relaxing his shoulders.

"I'm sorry for the personal questions. Part of the investigation. You understand, right Detective? First question,"What is your marital status?"

"Oh, that's simple. No update."

"So...single? But My files say that you've been recently marked."

"That's correct. But it's not like that." Nines grabs his shoulder as the bite burns at the mention of it. "It was accidental. Nothing official."

"Did you reciprocate the mark?"

"No."

The typing pauses.

"It's not like that either." He knows what the awkward pause is questioning. The sound of relief is audible from the nurse.

She blows strands of hair from her face, as she looks at the next question.

"When was your last rut?"

"Ahh...is that really important?" Nines keeps his hand on the mark.

What he really means is, he doesn't keep track of his cycles. He gets his usual symptoms, then calls off work. Her lifting her brow is another sign he needs to say something.

"Usually, April-ish" his leg is starting to bounce at her vacant expression.

"Have you noticed any strange symptoms?" She says calmly.

"I've rutted in April. I can't be having symptoms."

It's a true statement. Single Alphas only have one cycle per year. But why does he feel so unsure about that though. Maybe because of his unfamiliarity with these kinds of things.

"Any increase of aggression?"

"No." He stares at the cuts on his hands. His thumb tries to rub away the scratches caused by glass shards. "Im perfectly calm."

"How many sexual dreams would you say you experience during a weekly time frame?"

Nines face reddens in frustration "That was just a one time thing." His eyes squeezed shut when Dream Gavin's moan plays a refresher in his mind. It isn't just from that one dream either. It's from every night since- "I don't understand what this has to do with why I can't leave." He doesn't even like him like that. He wished it would stop.

Hannah gives a pitted look to her patient. "It has everything to do with your situation Mr.Anderson. Have you ever heard of rejection syndrome?"

"I haven't. And I'm not about to stay here because of a reactive rejection bite. I have work I should be focusing on." Nines has a hold of the door.

"It can kill you."

His hand slips from the door. "I'm really not bothered that the person who bit me doesn't want me. The feeling is mutual. I can't die from a broken heart, if it isn't broken."

"Then, you should have nothing to worry about. But you should let us do our job and let us continue to monitor you."

Nines grimaces the idea of postponing his work further. He could agree with the treatment, or maybe sign the paperwork so he can leave. Before he can put much more thought into his situation, his cellphone starts to ring.

"I'll give it some thought." He says before taking the call.

Chapter Text

The red plastic bowl has been sweating in Nine's hands for a while now. He's been holding this bowl on his lap staring at the potato sprouts. The spuds were unnaturally round, and starting to have a yellow hue from the soup's creamy surface. Pepper Flakes were starting to sink, reminding him of the possibility that there are other vegetables underneath the cheesy surface. He can theorize what's underneath, or lift the spoon. Yet his hand didn't move an inch, the thought of eating was rancid. His favorite potato soup continues growing cold. 

Nines continues watching Connors reflection yap, slowly the spuds float to block out Connor's relaxed amber eyes. Two yolky eyes, with pepper pupils reflecting the saddest stare. He should pick up the spoon and cut them into a different shape. 

"...They have the classiest powdered donuts. But that isn't the best part. They have little designs that turn them into cute little animals." "My first donut was a dog! And you know how I like dogs- ...Nines are you listening?" Connor raises a brow. 

"New donut shop. Yeah." Nines sets aside the bowl, straightening up in his cafeteria chair. "I would love to accompany you sometime. But..wouldn't it be more beneficial to take someone else? ...like a special someone? On a date there, perhaps?"

 "You know I gave up on that kinda thing after..." He shakes his head. "Honestly us Anderson brothers. Are doomed to be terrible at dating." 

"Don't be so dramatic. It can't be that bad." 

"It certainly is." Connor sighs into his hands. "We're never going to make Hank a grandfather." "You're married to your job. I'm bad at dating. And Sixty is..Sixty." 

"Sixty is Sixty" Nines chuckles just a little. "The bloodline ends with us then. Sounds like an intense action movie title..." "But uhm..Connor, can I ask you something? How come you're still calling Dad by his name? Are you still mad at him?" 

By the look on Connor's face, he's still very much is. "Let's..change the subject." "So, did the Doctor ever get back to you about why they haven't released you?" 

"Yaknow...you can't stay mad at him forever right?" Nines meets Connor's gaze for the first time in this entire conversation.

" I'll forgive Hank in my own time." Connor states. "For now, Can you tell me when to expect to be taking you home?" 

Nines looks back at the spuds in his soup. No matter how many times he's been rehearsing those lines in his head to the eyeballs in his soup, he's still unprepared. Connor, still sits before him with a shimmer of a hopeful smile. 

"I think I..I think I forgot to ask about that." 

"You think you forgot..?" 

Nines can hear boss battle music rising in the background. 

"Maybe they said they wanted to wait another day." "You know, just in case." Nines should shove his foot in his mouth. An appetite to shut-up causes him to eat the lukewarm soup. "This is really delicious, Connor. You outdid yourself. Did you- did you change the recipe?" 

 "That's canned soup...but I'm glad you like it." Connor tongues his cheek. "Do you remember when we were kids? Your ears used to turn the brightness pink when you'd lie." 

"Yeah I remember. It was a lie you and mom used to tell me." 

"Nines, Your ears are a little pinkish"

Nines hands unconsciously move to cover his ears.

"Shouldn't we be more worried about Gavin? Wouldn't he be in a science facility right now? I think your ears are the pink ones here." 

"Are you implying that I would falsify my investigation reports?" "Even if it were a possibility... how would I convince an entire SWATT team that they didn't see a 10 foot monster?" Connor shakily takes a breath in. "I honestly couldn't care less about what happened back at the warehouse. I'm more worried about you.” "Did you know your heart stopped on that ambulance ride? Your heart almost gave out that night." "And it would've been my fault." 

"That's not true-" 

"I called you. I begged for you to come down that night. They didn't call you. I called you." His honey brown eyes shook "and here we are. You call me to talk about him, how he could be the missing link to that damn cold case!" "I called you to ask about how you were doing-" Connor chokes a little. "Not about work! That damned case is going to kill you one day." 

"Connor-" 

"She was my mom too. Stop acting like finding the culprit is going to put her to rest. What's actually going to bring her peace, is you living your best life." 

... 

...

"-Connor" Nines takes his hand squeezing. "Look at me." 

Connor's glossy eyes focus from the blurring background, focusing on Nine's presence. Slowly Connor realizes he's grabbed his own hair and has dug his nails into his scalp. It boiled over, his emotions. He wipes at his red puffy face, trying to gather what thoughts and feelings he accidentally let escape.

 His hand being held by his brother used to be simple.

 When did Nines grow up so quickly? His hand once was small in his hand. And now seemed to be slightly larger and colder. Connor began missing their youth again, when spiders were the scariest things. Now his biggest fear is losing more family. He thought he was doing so well keeping that fear in control. But now It's in the open, splattered all over his face and Nine's forming memory of today. Yet that expression on Nine's face is full of understanding, a comforting calm. 

 "Check my ears. I think they are a little pink." Nines pushes his hair behind his ear. "I was trying to keep it as a surprise for you..." "But, The doctors said that it's ok for me to go home." He watches Connor lighten up. "I just gotta sign some paperwork. Then maybe later this week, we can go to Luigi's Donuts." 

"Really??" Connor quickly gathers his brother tightly in his arms "That's such wonderful news!" 

Xxxxx

Where the busted cigarette machine laid on its side, was a beautiful overgrown scene. The sun high in the autumn sky, the tall grass and wildflowers hiding tree stumps where a forest used to be. All chopped down to expand the hospital, yet the project remains incomplete leaving nature to lick its wound. 

Nines sits on the warm broken pavement, staring at the stretching field. Maybe his eyes are starting to linger upwards, looking for his mother's gaze. He fucked up today. He promised he'd never lie to his brothers and did. He even died that night. And could die again if he didn't take his health seriously. But maybe he would die mentally as well if he did give up on his moral obligation.

 Was he to bury a part of himself here? Or later be lowered into the ground? 

He could stay here longer, let go of that case or he can take his chances. It wasn't guaranteed he would die, the virus is only as strong as his romantic feelings toward whomever inflicted the rejection bite. And he had no feelings for that rat man. He only cared about his connection to his mother's murderer; And even then Nines was reaching for straws. 

Straws.

 He reaches his hand out, touching the grains. They were soft under his touch. Smelling like childhood, the time he was lost in the woods. Before there was Hank and Missy, there was Amanda. Amanda and her home for orphaned children. In Nine's mind, that place was a grey blur. But he did remember some things about that place. 

Straws. 

He remembers the chain fence towering to the bleak sky. Inside its grasp was mud, and rusted, broken playground equipment. But all around them was the forest; beautiful and plush, full of golden fields. And there was a spot in the fence you could pull back and escape from. Sixty did this often. So often Nines remember the schedule, and often would wait for him to return at a certain time. Maybe he'd fall asleep in the dirt and be carried to bed by his older brother. But when he got older, he wanted to go play in the woods too. 

"No! You'll just get me in trouble, Richard." Sixty said as he pulled the fence back. 

"'m coming with you, Sammy!" 

"No! And stop calling me that." Sixty sticks his tongue out at him. "Now go. Go play with Connor. I'm not babysitting you." 

"Connor's busy! 'manda has him do something dumb. You said we'd play power rangers today." Nines whines, visibly jumping. 

"No. We can play later. And you can be the red one this time. Ok?" 

Connor was always busy with keeping Amanda in their grace. Sixty would always indulge in his escapism. What did Nines have? He didn't even have a stick to draw in the mud with, Just his finger. And the mud was too dry that day. So it didn't take long for him to try to find his older brother in the woods. 

Nines remembers, talking to the trees. Running until out of breath. Tripping over tree roots and giggling at the scraps and cuts on his hands and knees. The animals he saw. He liked the ones that jumped the most. He never did catch up with his brother but, the orphanage was only a shoulder glance away. All until he followed this beautiful fawn. It's fur brown and spotted. And it seemed like it loved tag- all was fine until the orphanage was long gone and a raindrop hit his nose. 

Why did it have to rain that day? The entire reason he spent the rest of his childhood sick was maybe because of that rain. He remembers that's when he realized he was long lost. And how he sat down in the dirt, like he is now, and cried. 

"Are you crying?" There was a voice coming from behind child Nines. 

A boy standing in the rain staring down at him. His shoulder began throbbing, the memory starting to blur and fade again. Just as it always had. Why can't he ever remember the part where went home. How did he get home? 

"Hey. Are you listening?" Gavin's voice somehow finally became audible. "I can't believe it. You're really ignoring me." 

"Now's not a good time." Nines says weakly. 

"Yeah? And you think that's a good enough reason to break things?" Gavin kicks at the busted machine. "Cause now's not a good time?" Gavin stares at the back of nine's head.  

 Nines shrugs. "I'm sorry about your cigarettes. Guess I broke it because I'm just-" he mouth sighs "I'm really lost right now." "It's a shit excuse but...I really don't know what I'm doing right now." 

He wasn't expecting Gavin down beside him. Nines stiffens and moves his arms on top of his knees, trying to take up less space. The rat man will leave when he's bored. 

"Wanna talk about it?" Gavin has his whole body facing Nines. 

"Are you really asking me to vent to you?"

Gavin pushes his bangs back, giving a stupid smile. "Duh. Can't have my stalker all sad." "If it makes you feel any better. I'm also kinda lost." 

"Is that so?" Nines begins peeling his eyes away from the forest, resting them on the stubble growing in on Gavin's chin. 

"Definitely. This dumb place claims I'm too emotionally compromised to be able to make my own decisions. Meaning, I can't sign myself out." "They want some Alpha to come sign me out." The strain of keeping his voice relaxed is present. "No one like that is coming for me. You disappear for two years and think more than the fruit roll-up recipe would change." 

"Fruit roll-ups?" 

"Yeah! They tasted like actual fruit. Now they taste like plastic and-" Gavin bites his lip a little. "-anyways I ranted. Spill your guts." Gavin jabs Nines in the ribs before falling backwards into the grass. 

"Shouldn't you be cussing me for breaking your cigarette machine? Or be pissed at me because I pesture you for your history?" 

"If you're asking me if I hate you. I don't." Gavin sighs watching the clouds. "I hate that your drive makes you want to use me for information and dig into something I wanna forget and move on from." "But you? I don't know you enough to hate you." 

"So, are we friends now?" 

"It's more of. I'm friends with your brother and because of that I need to look out for you too." Gavin chuckles a little. "Complicated but. I really hate seeing you so upset. You should be having a drink at the bar with your colleagues celebrating." 

"I have nothing to celebrate. I mean. I'm glad you're alive. ...but I really wanted to find the person who..took someone important from me." 

"A girlfriend?" 

"My mother." Nines finds himself laying his head on the ground, laying on his side and losing himself in Gavins calm grey eyes. 

"Nines, I'm so sorry-"  

"It's. You don't have to comfort me when it comes to her...but Thank you." "I just know if I figure out who did it. I'll be able to sleep better." He starts cuffing his shoulder as if to cover the scars ears. "The problem is, The hospital is advising me to stay. But the longer I stay, the closer my boss will close my case." 

"Fuck what the hospital says." 

"That was originally the plan." .."ori- originally." He takes a giant breath. "Rejection syndrome." 

Gavin immediately sits up. "Rejection syndrome?" 

Nines has his hands over his eyes weakly laughing. "Apparently. It has a high mortality rate. I'm not too bad worried but-" 

"Its-...is it because I bit you?" Gavin blurts out. 

"What?" 

"So It's my fault that you're lost." There's a wild storm brewing on the surface of those pretty eyes. "Am I killing you?" 

Nines peaks through his fingers watching Gavin's chest heave. 

"I stupidly bit you and now you're dying because of me." 

Nines adjusts himself to be eye level with Gavin. "I'm not going to die. I'm just stuck here like you." 

"You just said-" 

"I know. Rejection syndrome. Doesn't it only form because of one sided love? Can't die if I don't like you like that." "(No offense)" "It's just- its a lot of scary information that keeps being thrown in my face. Rashes, migraines, body aches, black bruises, fever, aggression. It's A Lot." 

"I'm sorry, Nines," Gavin rubs his eyes. "I wasn't thinking. It was not my goal to hurt you i just wanted to-" 

"Feel safe. I know." "I'm not mad at you. Honestly..I don't think I would've experienced whatever you did and didn't return biting." Nines dryly jokes. "But it's quite an interesting situation. Being marked. I feel less alone, even when I am." "It's like I'm constantly with someone and strangely they're watching over me?I can love and support myself...but something else is there and- I get the safe feeling." His face pinkens, at Gavin's curious glance. 

Nines coughs into his hand before speaking again. "It's not all bad, is what I'm saying. I think I really just want to go home" 

"Sounds like you're not lost anymore." Gavin hums to himself.. "I'm glad you're ok and you finally made up your mind on what to do next." His arms squeezing his chest to soothe his near heart attack. 

"Come with me." 

"Huh?" Gavin laughs nervously. "Repeat that." 

"What if we both leave?" "I'll pretend to be your alpha. And I can drive you home. I'm sure your family is missing you terribly." 

Nines is fully standing, offering a hand to him. It was the second time Gavin was being saved by him. But instead of the cold warehouse surrounded by guns, it was here in the daylight of the meadows. Nine's hair had a different glow in this light, and somehow his sharp features melted away and seemed kinder here. Gavin lets his hand wander into Nines's. 

"I'm glad it fucking bit you" he said with an eager goofy grin.

Nines calmly smiles back at him, even though he felt something deep inside his heart start to wake up at those words. 

"Are you alright?" Gavin speaks up again.

"Yeah. I'm going home today." "Maybe I do have something to celebrate." Nines began thinking about what kind of alcohol would pair well with this celebration. He's craving a Red Queen strangely. 

Xxxxx 

Gavin couldn't stop smiling ear to ear. He was practically having a Disney Princess moment. Singing to himself and slightly swaying as he packs his things into a trash bag. Knitting needles, yarn, his collection of get well cards and the three blankets he made while staying here. He had almost everything packed, all that was left was a single red flannel. 

It had a missing button near the top. The fabric was thin at the sleeves. Gavin couldn't decide on wearing it or packing it away. He found himself sitting on the edge of his bed smelling the collar of it. Sixty's cinnamon scent, still woven into the checkered pattern. 

As his brain slowed in the smell, it was harder not to reflect. His cinnamon scent was so strong the night he went missing. The city's glow dimming, the sounds of rain muffling all his senses. He was standing on Sixty's doorstep, knocking till his hand was raw. Not because he was scared-the opposite- he was ecstatic at that moment. Happy when his friend finally opened the door.

"Gavin, what are you doing here? It's really late." Sixty said. 

"[Redacted.]"- 

-Gavin bites down onto the shirt, not allowing that memory to continue. He lifts his nose from his flannel, sticking it into the bag. Mental baggage can stay packed, physical baggage will probably smell like limes by the time Gavin arrives wherever his next destination is. Where was he to go after all this? 

Eventually he'd have to go home. He fingers at the spot where his wedding band used to be. It was such a beautiful house, with a massive garden. He wondered if half of their room was left untouched. What kind of mourning did his husband enter? Did he preserve everything Gavin ever touched? If he went home, would his office be the exact same way it was when he left? Could he pick up right where he left things? Like a movie that's been pause for two years.

 He knew that answer was no.

He ties off the trash bag with a bow.

He's changed. And was scared his home wouldn't fit him any more. If he can't face his marital home yet, maybe he can face his sister. See how she's been fairing without him. But he's also scared he won't fit there anymore either. 

"Give it time, Gavin" he said to himself, lifting the bag over his shoulder. He gives himself a smile in the mirror.

He gives one last glance to the room he's been sleeping in. The shark on the wall. His bent bed. Nine's concerned expression. Sixty sleeping beside him for weeks to make him feel safer. It all happened here. 

The door closes with a click. 

"Do you have everything?" Nines asks. He's being accompanied by two suitcases with wheels built into the bottom. 

"Fuck. Did you move in?" Gavin chuckles. 

"Connor worries about me a lot." Nines admits as he thinks about the humidifier, the bedding and everything else his older brother brought for his comfort. He takes Gavins bag, noting the lightness of it before attaching it to his suitcase. "Let me handle this for you." 

"If you insist, Mr. Kidnapper." Gavin shrugs teasingly. 

"Mr. Kidnapper?" 

"You've been promoted." Gavin confidently says as they walk to the 2024 Nissan Sentra SV, Nines's fancy car. 

"Can't you think of a better nickname?" Nines grimaces. 

"Like what?" "Mountain Man?" "Rain cloud?" "Tincan?" Gavin grabs the handle of the passenger seat. "My Alpha?" 

Nines almost crushes his hand under the trunk door. "Can't you just call me something normal? Or just call me by my name?" His face is red, either with irritation or embarrassment. "Where exactly am I escorting you too? Where does Gavin Reed live? I can't say I've been curious." 

Gavin stares back at the hospital. It white brick walls, thousands of windows. He still can't believe he's out here, and not inside his small room staring at this very spot. His hand is growing numb as it stays rested on this car's door handle. 

"Gavin?" Nines asks, 

"I don't know where Gavin Reed calls home yet." Gavin feels his mouth drying. "All I knew were four walls for two years. I don't really know if I have a home to go back to." "...I guess I'm still in shock I'm here. And not there." That hospital was just a kinder version of his abductors prison. "Is it bad that- ...that I'm hoping you'll ask me to be your roommate?"  

Gavin's hands are getting shaky, every muscle in him readying his body to hear Nines to tell him to get lost. He can hear his monotone voice telling him to go back to his hospital room, and stop touching his car. He's nothing but a hindrance to the people around him. A time capsule better left in the ground forgotten. The hospital blurring in his sight when he hears the car door opening and not Nine's velvet voice. He stops looking at the building, watching Nines moving about his car. 

"We should start heading home then." Nines continues moving his paperwork and files from the passenger seat.  "I wouldn't mind sharing my residence with you until your ready to go home. Even if you call me a stalker, or kidnapper. We can discuss our living arrangement on the way if you're serious about moving in."

Nines feels Gavins arms around him. This is his second hug from cheering someone up today. 

"Thank you, Nines" Gavin sighs against his neck. 

"Sit down and put your seat belt on." Nines huffs into his hand. ...