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With deviants being a fairly new concept, most of the aspects of deviated androids were still not studied sufficiently, and nobody could clearly explain how deviants perceived pain. However, it was a general consensus that they did, if only differently from humans.
Connor was laying on his back in a small backroom in a former CyberLife shop, that was repurposed as some sort of medical office for androids after the revolution. The white walls were as sterile as it comes, and reminded Connor of the CyberLife Tower, which only added to his discomfort caused primary by the gunshot wound in his shoulder. The wound was non-threatening and had yet to be tended to.
After the revolution his initial job as the deviant hunter was obsolete, but Connor decided to stay at the precinct helping out, and was assigned the cases of violence against androids together with Hank, who was currently waiting outside. The job often lead them to people who were against the freedom Connor and the others fought so hard to gain, and as soon as they caught wind that one of the police officers questioning them was also an android…
He heard the steps long before Nines stormed inside, worry written all over his face. “Connor!” He crossed the space between them and hovered over the older android. “What happened?”
“The usual,” Connor tried to smile, but the glitching feedback from the wound turned it into a grimace. Nines sat at the edge of the table, taking the other’s healthy hand and gently squeezed it. Connor felt his shoulders relax – Nines’ presence always had this effect on him.
“How are you?” Connor knew that the soft inquiry was not about the physical damage – the RK900, being the most advanced military android, was perfectly capable of determining the level of it on his own - it was about the glitches that they both knew were running through their programming as a response to it.
“I’m...” Connor struggled to find the words to describe his state, and did not want to lie to Nines, but the other understood regardless, because he pulled the synthskin from his hand and requested to interface.
As soon as the link between them established, Connor’s discomfort was washed away by a wave of warmth. It engulfed the older android from within, taking away the glitches and Connor let out a relieved sigh and let the affection he harboured for Nines seep back through their link. Trembling lips pressed to his forehead, bringing Connor back to reality.
He opened his eyes – when did he close them? - and Nines' gaze full of emotion, the other intently watching him.
“You need to be more careful, Connor,” Nines was whispering, almost pleading. “Please.”
A pang of guilt surged through him at that – Connor knew he should be, it’s just that…
It’s just that working on cases of violence against androids did put him in danger way more than it would with a human. Connor sighed. He will ask Fowler to assign other cases to the two of them.
“I will, Nines. I promise.” He bridged the space between them and kissed the other gently. Nines kissed him back, tenderly moving his lips against Connor’s.
Re-establishing the link, Nines continued sending the other comforting waves until the care android finally found the chassis needed to patch Connor up, and then kept it up throughout the process.
~~~~~~~~~
When the two of them finally approached Hank, who was waiting outside, the older man only smiled at Nines protectively laying his arm around Connor’s shoulders. He did not envy the one who shot his partner - the guy had it coming.