Marked

[esp_dragonv2]

Fandom: Noblesse
Summary: Frankenstein has two soulmarks, but he isn't interested in searching for either of them - he has more important things to do, and it's unlikely he would meet either of them anyway.
Contains: Frankenstein/Rai/Muzaka
Notes: Soulmate AU.
Written for Gotcocomilk for parallelsfic.
Rating: G
Genre: General
Word count: 4,713
Status: Complete



Frankenstein rubbed the inside of his wrists as he walked down the street. They had been warmer than usual for some ti...

He slowed to a stop, other people passing him by. Had it happened?

He had gotten out of the habit of checking, since it was years until he would mature enough for the soulmarks to solidify but... It had been years since he'd thought that.

Steadying his breathing, he pulled back his sleeve. The mark was red, two crescents facing each other. Not quite, the edges softer than that, rounded. Feathers?

Frankenstein frowned, studying the mark. A pair of red wings. Frankenstein couldn't bring to mind a bird with such plumage, but he could find out. Only the wings though? How interesting.

But then, he was already interesting enough to have two soulmarks.

He rolled back the sleeve from his right wrist. This one was easier to identify. A dog's head, its snout facing to his left.

A bird and a dog? Frankenstein knew the soulmarks were hard to decipher, people going to diviners to try to point them towards their soulmate, but these symbols were tied to what his soulmates did...

Frankenstein shook his head, moving again. What was doing he entertaining these thoughts - it was unlikely he would meet either one of his soulmates with the number of people that lived in the world. He had more important things to do than to seek them out: he was going to do his best to learn what he could to protect humanity.

They would understand. Or should do, if they were indeed his soulmates.

+
The souls that made up Dark Spear wouldn't stop screaming as Frankenstein curled up in bed, trying to block them out, hands clasped over his ears as if that would help. It was like they was trying to claw themselves out of his skull, baying for his blood, his soul.

His fault.

Every single one of the thousand voices was a soul that had died because of him. That had been torn from their bodies far too early.

His. Fault.

His repentance was to be their prison, to bear what he had done. He may not have killed them himself, but it was his work that had caused it. Their blood stained his hands.

And yet, Frankenstein let out a wheezing chuckle as he saw the soulmarks still stark against his skin.

He'd heard whispers of soulmarks changing when a life-altering event happened in ones life, changing the person so much their matching was redone, or the soulmark faded completely. They were stories, nothing he had substantiated himself but...

How could he still be connected to his soulmates when he had killed so many people? How could they still stand to be with him when they found out?

He winced, panting as the clamour in his head swelled, agreeing.

Was the strength of a soulmate bond that strong? Were they matched because they truly fit together, or because of whatever did the matching tied them together no matter of their personalities?

He didn't know.

What could have happened if he'd focused his work on soulmate bonds instead of creating a soul weapon? He wouldn't feel so lost right now.

So many wouldn't have died.

The Dark Spear wouldn't have been created.

But he hadn't thought something like Dark Spear would have been created from his work either. Maybe the outcome would have been the same.

He wouldn't know. What was done was done.

He would have to live with it.

Dark Spear would make sure of that.

+
Frankenstein let out a soft breath when the door clicked shut behind the two Clan Leaders.

"Thank you," he said, turning back to the noble. The noble had no reason to guard him, and yet he had.

The noble gazed at him silently. Seeing something he couldn't.

Was the Dark Spear so obvious? He had quelled the voices over time since he had first taken it but for it to be seen so easily at just a glance...

And yet...

Frankenstein frowned. The Dark Spear had been quieter than usual ever since he had first stepped into this noble's mansion. Normally he had to fight to stop it from continually lashing out at him after he had used it, but here, he had no need to.

Was it the noble? Did his presence calm Dark Spear?

"There are many rooms for you to choose to stay in," the noble said, turning back to the window.

Wait... "You're allowing me to stay?"

"You work here, do you not?"

That wasn't just an excuse? He'd thought... Then, maybe for the time being he would.

If the noble's presence helped to calm the Dark Spear, it would be nice to have a restful night's sleep again.

+
Frankenstein exhaled, staring down at his wrist. The set of red wings was still there, as clear as the day they had first appeared.

Unlike the soulmate it was connected to.

In all the decades he'd lived, he'd yet to meet anyone who the wings or dog could refer to. He'd travelled to countless countries for both his research and to fight the mutants, and there had been nothing.

It was doubtful he would meet them even if he lived as long as Raizel-nim.

It didn't matter now. Frankenstein sliced a thin cut right above the set of wings, watching his blood drip into Raizel-nim's tea.

He wanted to stay with Raizel-nim.

+
"Great, thanks," the - hm, the silver-haired man said as he walked past Frankenstein into Master's house. He wasn't a noble. The aura he gave off wasn't the same, but even if it was similar, Frankenstein had never seen a noble who would wear an open jacket, revealing only scarred skin underneath. "Raizel in his usual place?"

"Y-yes?" He'd never met anyone who would use no titles or suffixes for Master either, aside from the Lord. "I'm sorry, but who are you?"

"Muzaka," the man said, walking in the direction of Master's room. "And you're Frankenstein, right? It's good you're here with Raizel."

How did-? "Yes." He followed Muzaka, still trying to work out this puzzle. "I haven't seen you before." Surely he would have seen someone who was so familiar with Master already?

Muzaka looked over his shoulder to grin at him, revealing sharp fangs. "You wouldn't, heh. I made sure to wait until you went out to spar with the Clan Leaders before coming in. They wouldn't like knowin' there's a werewolf wandering around their lands."

He'd heard of the clashes nobles had with werewolves, chasing werewolves away from human settlements.

"Oi, Raizel," Muzaka called out as he lifted his foot and -

Frankenstein sucked in a breath as Muzaka kicked the door open.

It wasn't hard enough to make the door bounce off the wall, but just enough that Muzaka could walk in unhindered.

"Ya couldn't even choose a different window?"

Frankenstein bristled, but he couldn't rebuke a guest of Master.

Who turned away from his window, smiling softly as he walked over to his chair. "The view is good here."

Muzaka sighed, throwing himself onto the sofa, looking as if he was trying to take up as much space as possible. "At least the window's open."

Well... They seemed to be friendly enough.

"I'll go make some tea," Frankenstein said, leaving the room.

+
"He's...rather loud, Master," Frankenstein said, once he'd seen Muzaka to the front door.

Muzaka didn't shout like Urokai, which raised Frankenstein's approval of him, since his ears weren't ringing like the aftermath of Urokai's visits. Muzaka was just...brash.

"He is," Master said, finger sliding over the edge of his teacup. "He enjoys talking." Master's smile hadn't faded the entire time Muzaka was here.

A friend. Frankenstein was glad Master had one.

+
"I went so far north it was snowing, heh," Muzaka said as he stretched out on the sofa. "Big billowing clouds of white everywhere."

"Clouds...?" Master said, listening to Muzaka intently.

"Not quite, Master," Frankenstein said, pouring them both tea. "Snow falls from the sky like rain, but they're bigger and fall slower."

"Yeah!" Muzaka nodded. "Like this." He raised his hand and as he waved it down, waggled his fingers.

Rai mimicked the movement, frowning as he concentrated. From their link, Frankenstein could see Rai was imagining the snow like the leaves that drifted past his window.

"Would you like me to show you what snow looks like, Master?" Frankenstein said, putting the teapot down.

Master nodded.

Frankenstein opened his mind to Master, selecting a memory and showing it to him.

Master's eyes widened as he watched, surprise easily felt down their connection. "It is cold..."

"Yeah, it only snows when it's cold," Muzaka said, watching Master with a small smile. He turned to Frankenstein. "You've travelled a lot too?"

"Yes - I'd needed to for my research."

Muzaka grinned. "Great, then you can show Raizel a couple things that I couldn't explain clearly enough."

Oh, their link would make showing things Master had no reference points to compare to much easier than just describing it.

+
"Hey, Frankenstein," Muzaka said, looking back at him at Master's front door, rather than leaping away after a few steps like he usually did.

"Yes?"

"Do you wanna travel with me?"

Frankenstein blinked at him. "That seems rather sudden?" Where had that come from?

"Eh," Muzaka said shrugging. "You like travellin' too so why not?"

"Thank you for the offer, but I'm afraid I have to decline." The thought of travelling again though... It made him a little wistful. There had been a time when he was constantly on the move, spending all his time travelling from place to place for one reason or another.

But now, he had to look after Master.

"All right." Muzaka didn't seem too put out, disappearing from Frankenstein's view.

+
Frankenstein stared at Muzaka. Had he misheard? "You're the werewolf Lord?"

"Yep." Muzaka looked at him, amused. "Did you think I was a noble?"

"No, of course not." Muzaka had made it clear he was a werewolf from their very first meeting, just not his position. Muzaka's informality made it hard for Frankenstein to picture him being serious and leading the werewolves.

And yet the noble Lord was exactly the same...

Frankenstein sighed. Maybe something happened to their minds when they gained so much power.

Master sipped his tea. "You did not ask."

That was true...

+
Frankenstein turned his head when he heard the kitchen door opening. He raised his eyebrows when Muzaka walked in, hands shoved in his pockets.

"Do you need something?" Frankenstein asked. The kitchen wasn't somewhere for the owners of the house or guests to go.

"Helpin' you with the tea," Muzaka said, glancing at the crackling fire before grabbing the kettle.

Frankenstein frowned. "Thank you, but this is my job."

Muzaka snorted, rolling his eyes as he filled the kettle. "Raizel played along to get the Clan Leaders off yer back - you don't hafta stick with it so hard."

"Master told you?" It still amused him to rile up the Clan Leaders by doing his duties perfectly so they couldn't criticise, but along the way, it had stopped merely being something he did to antagonise the Clan Leaders and it became something he enjoyed doing for its own sake.

"'Course he did!" Muzaka hooked the kettle over the fire, going over to sit with him at the table.

"I suppose you asked."

Muzaka grinned. "Yep."

+
"I thought you normally knocked," Frankenstein said as he carried the tray holding the teapot and teacups to Master's room. He hadn't heard the tremendous bang that normally accompanied Muzaka's arrival.

"That was for you," Muzaka said with a shrug. "Raizel knows I'm here."

Master smiled at them both when they entered, not surprised by Muzaka's presence.

Of course Master would have known.

It didn't take long to set the table but Master merely stared at the tea rather than reaching for it.

"Is it not to your liking, Master?" Frankenstein said, concerned.

"It is not that," Master said. "Hmmm." He continued gazing at the tea for a few more seconds. "The Lord called you a peacock today."

Muzaka bolted upright, grinning wildly. "Really?"

Frankenstein raised an eyebrow. Was the image that amusing to him?

"What is a peacock?"

Aah, of course.

Muzaka gestured the length of his right arm and Frankenstein nodded. "They're birds, Master. The males have magnificent tail with feathers that are longer than your arm." He reached for a memory out of habit before shaking his head. "One moment," he said before leaving the room.

He returned shortly, a peacock feather in his hand.

"You had a feather just laying around?" Muzaka said and it looked as if he had relaxed even further than he had before, hands resting behind his head as he leaned back on the sofa.

"I use it to write with," Frankenstein said, handing it over to Master. It would be better for Master to see it with his own eyes than to see it through Frankenstein's.

Master stared at it, wonder travelling through their link as Master touched it so gently as if it would break if he used too much force.

"It looks a little beat," Muzaka said, looking at it.

"Yes, it was a gift from many years ago when I first started researching," Frankenstein said. He had looked after it as best as he could, but the passage of time and all his travels still took its toll on its shimmer.

"As for why the noble Lord would call me as such..." Frankenstein said. "The peacock is the symbol of immortality in a number of places; they would be the living representation of a phoenix. I am long-lived for a human." It fit. The question was if nobles viewed them the same way as humans.

"Hmmm." Master continued to stare at the feather.

"If it was a gift," Muzaka said, "have you seen one in person?"

Frankenstein shook his head. "Unfortunately my travels never took me in that direction." He would have liked to see them in the flesh.

Muzaka grinned. "I could take ya to where they live so you can see 'em for yourself."

Interest piqued in Frankenstein before he quelled it with a sigh. Muzaka had invited him to travel around the world many times before, but this was the first time it was for something he truly wanted. "I have to stay with Mas-"

"Go," Master said, his gaze still held by the feather.

"Eh?" Master wanted him to go? But then who would look after him?

Master smiled at him. "I have looked after myself before you arrived. I will be fine."

That was true... Master liked the view from his window; it was enough for him.

It wasn't for Frankenstein. To see something in the distance that he couldn't reach... He wanted to go up to it and see it up close, to learn about it and study it.

Frankenstein exhaled, ducking his head. "Thank you, Master." He turned to Muzaka. "When do you want to go?"

"We can go right now if you want," Muzaka said, grinning.

Frankenstein almost agreed before he shook his head. "You have just arrived. I need to prepare and make sure I have everything I need." He would not deprive Master of his friend because he had itchy feet. "We can set off when you leave."

"Sure."

"If there is anything else either of you need...?" Frankenstein said.

They shook their heads.

"Then I'll take my leave for now." Frankenstein smiled as he left the room, excitement bubbling up in him as he listed what he would need to bring.

+
Frankenstein muttered under his breath as he ran through the list in his head, double-checking he had everything in his bag.

"You really need all that?" Muzaka asked as he leaned on the wall next to Master's front door.

"Do you really only travel with just the shirt on your back?" Frankenstein retorted, though the answer was already clear. Muzaka never brought any sort of bag when he visited, though he might have stored it elsewhere before arriving.

"Yep," Muzaka said, nodding. "I can find water and hunt." He shrugged. "What more do I need?"

"A pot would be nice."

"I roast food over the fire."

It was going to be interesting seeing their differences in how they approached things. But Muzaka was a friend of Master's, so they shouldn't clash too much.

+
Frankenstein inhaled as he opened the door to Master's mansion. The familiar smell that greeted him when he opened it made him smile.

As much as he'd enjoyed travelling again, it was nice to have somewhere to return to as well. Aah, maybe he was getting old now.

Seeing Master walking over made Frankenstein smile even more.

"Welcome back," Master said.

"We brought gifts!" Muzaka said, raising the bag over his head like a trophy as he walked in. "No peeking -with yer eyes or mind- to see what they are."

"I would not do that."

Frankenstein had had to convince Muzaka to not grab the entire bird when they found one and that he was only interested in the feathers. They'd been able to collect enough for him to last several decades though, and that was far more than enough.

"I'll go make tea," Frankenstein said, but paused when Master shook his head.

"It has already been prepared," Master said. "For all three of us."

It had...?

"He knows when I'm coming, remember?" Muzaka said with no surprise.

"You do not hide your approach."

"I hide it enough so the other nobles don't notice," Muzaka said, grinning.

The tea was still giving off soft wisps of steam when Frankenstein entered the room. It had just been brewed.

"You do not need to worry about me," Master said.

He would still like to continue to do so.

"Hey, do you want this on the table or the windowsill?"

When Frankenstein looked over, Muzaka had taken out one of the peacock feathers and placed it in a vase like it was a brightly coloured flower.

"Hmm..." Master said, looking between the table and windowsill. "The window."

Muzaka placed it right where Master would stand, so he would be able to see it at all times.

Master stared at the feather, watching as it ruffled in the breeze.

It was good to see Master liked it.

+
Frankenstein heard the kitchen door open as he chopped vegetables. "I'm making dinner right now," he said, not looking up. There was only one person who entered the kitchen. "Not tea."

"That's fine," Muzaka said. "Anything you need help with?"

Frankenstein paused, looking at him over his shoulder. They'd cooked together while travelling, but Frankenstein had expected things to return as they were when they returned.

"I have onions left to chop," he said, amused when Muzaka wrinkled his nose. Muzaka had refused to go near the vegetable on their travels. "I'll do that myself - you can prepare the water."

"Sure."

It was nice settling into a rhythm with Muzaka again. Muzaka knew what was needed for the meals, only needing to be told where certain utensils were.

Frankenstein noted the kitchen door opening -Muzaka must have popped out- but Muzaka was next to him, taste testing the stew.

Then...

"Yo, Raizel!"

"Master!" Frankenstein said, whirling around. "Dinner isn't ready yet." Had time passed faster than he realised? But no, there was still time before he served dinner.

"I know," Master said, walking over to the table. Frankenstein hurried over to make sure it was clean enough for him. "I prefer watching you two than the scenery from my window."

Ah? He did?

"Great!" Muzaka said, as he walked over with a spoon, "you can taste this and tell us if you think it has too much salt."

"You think everything has too much salt," Frankenstein grumbled. There had to be a difference in how they tasted things - Muzaka preferred plainer foods no matter what Frankenstein had added.

Master tasted it, humming. "It is fine as it is."

Frankenstein smiled.

"Urgh, more food for me then," Muzaka said as he stirred his own meal.

"Your food also tastes good," Master said.

"You haven't even tried it."

"You enjoy it."

"Hn." Muzaka smiled.

+
'We hate you,' the souls in Dark Spear hissed.

'You caused this!'

They were strangling him. Drowning him in their voices. He couldn't stop them, their fury beating against him. Wave after wave of their voices as they clawed at him.

They were going to tear him apart. Kill him.

He had became lax in keeping an eye on them. Forgotten.

He was going to pay for it.

'-stein.'

There was something shimmering through the darkness. Something on the edge, out of reach.

'You think you deserve to be happy?'

'To forget what you've done?'

'What you've caused?'

'We won't let you forget!'

Right. How could he? They were so loud, tearing at his core. He deserved their hatred.

They pressed in and all Frankenstein could see was a purple that was so condensed it was black, hands wrapping around anything they could touch. Squeezing around his neck and he couldn't breathe, couldn't move as they-

'Frankenstein.'

Something pierced through Dark Spear, sending the souls scattering as they shrieked.

Red replaced the purple, but this one didn't wish him harm. It cradled him, promising to protect him. It was-

Frankenstein woke up with a gasp, his heart hammering, his skin slick with sweat.

What had...

He swallowed with a groan, his head pounding. It had been a while since Dark Spear had attacked him while he'd slept. That had been close; any longer and Dark Spear could have consumed him.

His skin itched and when he looked, there were bruise-like discolourations against his skin. They were hand-shaped.

It wasn't a bruise, not when it burned like it was trying to bury deep to spread into his bones, but that was the truth, wasn't it?

He scrubbed at his face with a hand, sighing. But what had that red been? It wasn't one he'd seen bef...

No. He had. That red was familiar, but from where?

Frankenstein racked his mind, but he couldn't place it.

A red that filled his senses until there was nothing else but that colour. There was nothing he'd seen that resembled it in the slightest, but he knew it from somewhere.

'Frankenstein,' Master's voice echoed in head and the air caught in Frankenstein's throat.

That had been the voice that had saved him from Dark Spear.

Frankenstein's head throbbed harder and he curled up, focusing on his breathing until it passed.

Master had saved him from Dark Spear.

It hadn't been the first time.

He barely remembered the first, Dark Spear running wild and almost consuming him. Master had-

Master had...

Frankenstein sucked in a breath, his eyes going wide.

The fight had been a blur of anger and rage, and Frankenstein couldn't remember much of it after Urokai had brought out Tesamu's pendant.

But it had ended with Master in front of him, surrounded by red.

Red as blood.

But that wasn't it either. Not just red. What was it?

Something soft had brushed his cheek during then. A light touch. Like...

A feather.

The memory finally solidified with Master standing in front of him, impossibly huge blood red wings spread out from his back.

Red wings.

It couldn't be, could it?

Frankenstein threw his blanket off as he stumbled out of bed. He was still a little weak but Frankenstein kept moving, heading to where Master was. No time to change. He had to know now.

Master was by his window when Frankenstein arrived, the sun peeking over the trees, lightening the sky.

"Do you feel better?" Master asked, not turning around.

"I..." Frankenstein exhaled, trying to calm his racing thoughts. "Yes, Master, thank you. But that isn't what I wished to talk about."

"Mm?" Master turned around to look at him.

"You...have red wings, don't you?" Frankenstein said, wondering if he could see the wings like Master could see Dark Spear when he hadn't summoned it.

"Yes."

Just like that. No hesitation. Just... Yes.

Frankenstein sank onto the sofa, his mind a whirl. Master was his soulmate.

He'd spent all this time with his soulmate and hadn't realised. There had been no immediate connection that he had assumed would happen, but he had never researched what happened when soulmates met, had he?

"Why do you ask?"

"You're my soulmate," Frankenstein said faintly. Would Master even know what that was? Were nobles also matched when they came of age?

"Yes."

Frankenstein stared at him as Master sat down in the other chair. He didn't seem surprised. "Did...you know?"

Master nodded, tugging at his cravat. When he pulled it away, the-

Peacock feather stood starkly on his clavicle against his skin. Next to it was the same dog soulmark that rested against Frankenstein's right wrist.

Master's attention had been immediately caught when he saw Frankenstein's quill. It hadn't just been interest, but recognition.

Haa... Frankenstein slumped against the back of the sofa. He had found one of his soulmates. One who also shared the same dog mark as he did.

"Have you met the one who's connected with the dog mark?" Frankenstein said, but even as he asked, he snorted. There was only one person who visited with some kind of regularity and if Master hadn't met the person in all the years that he'd lived, then what hope did regular humans have of meeting their soulmate?

And yet, Frankenstein had.

Master hadn't answered him, which was strange, and when he looked over, Master was staring at him, his brow creased slightly. "You did not know...?"

Know what?

The door opened and Muzaka walked in with a wave. "Yo."

"Show him your marks," Master said, and that was the sharpest Frankenstein had heard Master speak. But why would he - Wait.

Muzaka didn't even blink or slow down as he walked in, pulling up his sleeves.

Revealing a set of red wings and a peacock feather on the inside of his elbows.

Frankenstein stared at the peacock feather before he grimaced, pinching the bridge of his nose with a sigh. Muzaka had gestured to his arm when Master had asked about what a peacock was. His right arm, where the feather mark lay.

Muzaka hadn't been saying what the length of the feather was, but indicating what the feather had looked like.

"Ya didn't know?" Muzaka said as he plopped down next to Frankenstein, resting his arms on the back of the sofa.

"I'm not sure how I was supposed to connect wings and..." Frankenstein started muttering but he trailed off, seeing Muzaka's amused grin.

He had been thinking about the mark wrong the whole time.

It wasn't a dog, but a wolf.

And Muzaka was a werewolf.

They'd been with him the entire time and he hadn't known. No wonder he had never stumbled across his soulmates while he travelled around the world.

"Would knowing have changed anything?" Master asked.

Frankenstein opened his mouth and paused. Would it? He'd chosen to be with Master because he'd wanted to, not because the soulmark had told him to. He'd travelled around the world with Muzaka because Muzaka had offered, like he always did, not because the soulmark told him he should be with Muzaka.

"Hmm, no, it wouldn't have," Frankenstein admitted.

It had been his choice. He was here because he wanted to be, not because of what the soulmarks dictated.

"I'll go make tea then," Frankenstein said, still in a bit of a daze. He paused when Muzaka and Master also rose to follow him.

"What, alone?" Muzaka said, grinning.

...It had been a while since the kitchen had been empty while he cooked. "No, I suppose not," Frankenstein said, replying with his own smile.

And Frankenstein had the feeling it would continue to be like that for a long time yet.