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esp_dragonv2Fandom: Noblesse
Summary: Frankenstein has to look out for the signs when M-21 isn't feeling well.
Rating: G
Genre: General
Word count: 1,340
Status: Complete
Frankenstein glanced at M-21's plate when M-21 stood up after dinner; M-21 hadn't eaten as much as he normally would. Not that M-21 had a favourite food, or disliked anything in particular, really, but there was still a set amount he tended to eat.
Hmm.
The children had visited earlier, so he may have had snacks earlier. On its own, it wasn't a sign of anything.
Frankenstein would keep an eye on him, nevertheless. Just in case.
* * *
M-21 still wasn't eating that well after a few days. It wasn't getting worse, but it wasn't getting better either. He seemed to be trying less to hide it too, his plate emptier for longer.
And that was when Frankenstein saw him. Before, he would see M-21 with the children in the living room, or on the balcony with Takeo and Tao.
Now, he was lucky if he saw M-21 at mealtimes. And when he did, M-21 seemed paler than usual.
The signs that something was wrong were piling up, and it was time Frankenstein stepped in.
* * *
"M-21," Frankenstein called out as M-21 left the living room after finishing washing the dishes.
M-21 slowed, not quite turning around fully. Hm. Not a good sign. "Yeah?"
Frankenstein made sure the door was closed behind him, so that the others wouldn't hear their conversation. He very much doubted M-21 wanted that. "How are you feeling?"
M-21 tensed, looking away. "Tch. I'm fine."
"M-21," Frankenstein said softly, "clearly you are not." Not with that reaction.
M-21 crossed his arms, still not looking at him. "I've had worse."
"That may be true," Frankenstein said, letting a wry tone into his voice, "but aside from death, there isn't much worse that your body can go through."
M-21 shrugged, and Frankenstein could see his tense jaw.
Frankenstein exhaled softly, and even that was enough to make M-21 stiffen. "If you begin to feel worse, let me know."
"Yeah." It was said quickly, which meant M-21 had no intention of doing so.
"Very well." Frankenstein watched M-21 leave, and sighed when he heard M-21's room door close. It was an understandable reaction, considering the life he had been through. It would take time to build trust.
* * *
Day by day, M-21 still wasn't improving, and Frankenstein caught Takeo and Tao glancing at M-21 every so often during meal times.
So he wasn't the only one who had noticed...
M-21 wasn't getting worse, but considering how long he'd been hiding while in the Union, then maybe he was more practiced at this than Frankenstein realised.
And if that was the case...
Then how bad was M-21 feeling right now?
* * *
Frankenstein exhaled when he returned home. There had been a few last minute calls he'd needed to make before leaving the school, and they had taken longer than Frankenstein had expected.
The house was quiet at least, the children not there. Which meant he wouldn't have to see a mess.
As Frankenstein removed his jacket, the front door opened behind him.
M-21 froze at the sight of him, eyes going wide for a second.
"Oh, M-21?" It wasn't strange for M-21 to arrive home late or alone, but with how M-21 had been over the last couple days, it was a little worrying. "How are you feeling?"
M-21 scowled at him. It didn't do anything to hide the sway M-21 had, how pale he was in the light.
And the scowl may have been something else entirely, with how M-21's eyes couldn't focus on him, flicking left and right.
M-21 still hadn't answered him either, still standing at the doorway.
"M-21...?"
"M'fine," M-21 mumbled, walking in.
Or tried to.
He made it one step and then would have fallen face first onto the floor if Frankenstein hadn't caught him.
"M'fine!" M-21 mumbled again. He was trembling and cool to the touch, his breathing stuttering.
"No, you are not," Frankenstein insisted, lifting M-21 up into his arms. He closed the front door with his elbow and hurried down to the lab.
* * *
It didn't take too long to stabilise M-21, and he thankfully stayed unconscious during the entire time Frankenstein was seeing to him. M-21 waking up in the lab never ended well, to put it mildly, and Frankenstein tried to make sure M-21 was well sedated during then.
The lab doors opened as Frankenstein was moving M-21 to the gurney, and he heard two people walk in.
"Boss, is he okay?"
"He's alive," Frankenstein said, checking the IV was still connected properly. "'Okay' is asking a different question." He sighed. "He's suffering from a mild illness, but not life-threatening. Though it would have been better if this had been treated earlier," he muttered.
Frankenstein shook his head. "I'll need to be firmer when it's clear he's ill." Now he had a better sense of how much M-21 could hide how he was feeling and when he should step in.
Tao nodded with a quick salute. "And we'll try our best to convince him too!"
Frankenstein smiled wryly at that. "Thank you. I think we'll need our combined efforts to convince him."
Tao laughed at that. "Yeeeah, we will. But the stubbornness is why we love him, heh."
"Now then," Frankenstein said, reaching for the list he'd been working on, "here's a list of things M-21 will need and has to be checked when he wakes up, since I doubt he'll want me hovering over him while he recovers." As much as M-21 could hide how he was feeling, he reacted strongly when he was still shaking off painkillers upon waking up, and terror, unsurprisingly, wasn't conducive to recovering well.
"We'll make sure he has everything he needs," Takeo said, taking M-21's gurney and directing it towards the lab doors while Tao took the list from Frankenstein, already scanning through it.
"We'll double an' triple-check to make sure he does, Boss!" Tao said, still reading over the list as they left.
Frankenstein exhaled after the doors closed and then turned to the task of cleaning everything up.
* * *
Frankenstein slid his plate into the sink basin and saw M-21 walk up to him, washing gloves in hand. "Ah, thank you," he said, taking them from M-21.
M-21 stared at him.
"I can manage the dishes for the next couple days," Frankenstein said, slipping the gloves on.
M-21 still didn't move, his brow drawn in confusion. Yes, if M-21 was taking this long to respond, he still had some recovering to do.
"Rest, M-21," Frankenstein said, running the water. Short sentences, making it as clear and direct as possible.
"A-ah, okay..." M-21 turned and left the living room, Tao at his heels. Good.
* * *
Later that night, Frankenstein was relaxing with a cup of tea, listening to the rain. He would need to begin writing a letter informing parents about the latest...
His thoughts were pulled away when he heard the living room door creek open. Not Tao, who would have burst in. The person hadn't stepped in yet, and there was only one individual who would hesitate at seeing him right now.
Frankenstein didn't turn around, continuing to sip his tea, in case he spooked M-21.
He heard M-21 exhale behind him and slowly walk up. "Frankenstein?"
"Yes?" Frankenstein said, smiling at him. "How are you feeling?"
M-21 glanced away, fidgeting with a nail. "Better, I guess..."
"That's good to hear. If there's anything you need, or if you feel like you're becoming ill again, please let me know."
M-21 opened his mouth, but hesitated. He tried a few times and then shook his head. "Yeah... All right," he muttered, and then left.
It was a better reaction than before, one that said M-21 would consider it as an option next time.
It was a start.
That was all Frankenstein could hope for right now and until the next time M-21 fell ill, he would have to build upon that trust and make sure not to lose it.
Summary: Frankenstein has to look out for the signs when M-21 isn't feeling well.
Rating: G
Genre: General
Word count: 1,340
Status: Complete
Frankenstein glanced at M-21's plate when M-21 stood up after dinner; M-21 hadn't eaten as much as he normally would. Not that M-21 had a favourite food, or disliked anything in particular, really, but there was still a set amount he tended to eat.
Hmm.
The children had visited earlier, so he may have had snacks earlier. On its own, it wasn't a sign of anything.
Frankenstein would keep an eye on him, nevertheless. Just in case.
M-21 still wasn't eating that well after a few days. It wasn't getting worse, but it wasn't getting better either. He seemed to be trying less to hide it too, his plate emptier for longer.
And that was when Frankenstein saw him. Before, he would see M-21 with the children in the living room, or on the balcony with Takeo and Tao.
Now, he was lucky if he saw M-21 at mealtimes. And when he did, M-21 seemed paler than usual.
The signs that something was wrong were piling up, and it was time Frankenstein stepped in.
"M-21," Frankenstein called out as M-21 left the living room after finishing washing the dishes.
M-21 slowed, not quite turning around fully. Hm. Not a good sign. "Yeah?"
Frankenstein made sure the door was closed behind him, so that the others wouldn't hear their conversation. He very much doubted M-21 wanted that. "How are you feeling?"
M-21 tensed, looking away. "Tch. I'm fine."
"M-21," Frankenstein said softly, "clearly you are not." Not with that reaction.
M-21 crossed his arms, still not looking at him. "I've had worse."
"That may be true," Frankenstein said, letting a wry tone into his voice, "but aside from death, there isn't much worse that your body can go through."
M-21 shrugged, and Frankenstein could see his tense jaw.
Frankenstein exhaled softly, and even that was enough to make M-21 stiffen. "If you begin to feel worse, let me know."
"Yeah." It was said quickly, which meant M-21 had no intention of doing so.
"Very well." Frankenstein watched M-21 leave, and sighed when he heard M-21's room door close. It was an understandable reaction, considering the life he had been through. It would take time to build trust.
Day by day, M-21 still wasn't improving, and Frankenstein caught Takeo and Tao glancing at M-21 every so often during meal times.
So he wasn't the only one who had noticed...
M-21 wasn't getting worse, but considering how long he'd been hiding while in the Union, then maybe he was more practiced at this than Frankenstein realised.
And if that was the case...
Then how bad was M-21 feeling right now?
Frankenstein exhaled when he returned home. There had been a few last minute calls he'd needed to make before leaving the school, and they had taken longer than Frankenstein had expected.
The house was quiet at least, the children not there. Which meant he wouldn't have to see a mess.
As Frankenstein removed his jacket, the front door opened behind him.
M-21 froze at the sight of him, eyes going wide for a second.
"Oh, M-21?" It wasn't strange for M-21 to arrive home late or alone, but with how M-21 had been over the last couple days, it was a little worrying. "How are you feeling?"
M-21 scowled at him. It didn't do anything to hide the sway M-21 had, how pale he was in the light.
And the scowl may have been something else entirely, with how M-21's eyes couldn't focus on him, flicking left and right.
M-21 still hadn't answered him either, still standing at the doorway.
"M-21...?"
"M'fine," M-21 mumbled, walking in.
Or tried to.
He made it one step and then would have fallen face first onto the floor if Frankenstein hadn't caught him.
"M'fine!" M-21 mumbled again. He was trembling and cool to the touch, his breathing stuttering.
"No, you are not," Frankenstein insisted, lifting M-21 up into his arms. He closed the front door with his elbow and hurried down to the lab.
It didn't take too long to stabilise M-21, and he thankfully stayed unconscious during the entire time Frankenstein was seeing to him. M-21 waking up in the lab never ended well, to put it mildly, and Frankenstein tried to make sure M-21 was well sedated during then.
The lab doors opened as Frankenstein was moving M-21 to the gurney, and he heard two people walk in.
"Boss, is he okay?"
"He's alive," Frankenstein said, checking the IV was still connected properly. "'Okay' is asking a different question." He sighed. "He's suffering from a mild illness, but not life-threatening. Though it would have been better if this had been treated earlier," he muttered.
Frankenstein shook his head. "I'll need to be firmer when it's clear he's ill." Now he had a better sense of how much M-21 could hide how he was feeling and when he should step in.
Tao nodded with a quick salute. "And we'll try our best to convince him too!"
Frankenstein smiled wryly at that. "Thank you. I think we'll need our combined efforts to convince him."
Tao laughed at that. "Yeeeah, we will. But the stubbornness is why we love him, heh."
"Now then," Frankenstein said, reaching for the list he'd been working on, "here's a list of things M-21 will need and has to be checked when he wakes up, since I doubt he'll want me hovering over him while he recovers." As much as M-21 could hide how he was feeling, he reacted strongly when he was still shaking off painkillers upon waking up, and terror, unsurprisingly, wasn't conducive to recovering well.
"We'll make sure he has everything he needs," Takeo said, taking M-21's gurney and directing it towards the lab doors while Tao took the list from Frankenstein, already scanning through it.
"We'll double an' triple-check to make sure he does, Boss!" Tao said, still reading over the list as they left.
Frankenstein exhaled after the doors closed and then turned to the task of cleaning everything up.
Frankenstein slid his plate into the sink basin and saw M-21 walk up to him, washing gloves in hand. "Ah, thank you," he said, taking them from M-21.
M-21 stared at him.
"I can manage the dishes for the next couple days," Frankenstein said, slipping the gloves on.
M-21 still didn't move, his brow drawn in confusion. Yes, if M-21 was taking this long to respond, he still had some recovering to do.
"Rest, M-21," Frankenstein said, running the water. Short sentences, making it as clear and direct as possible.
"A-ah, okay..." M-21 turned and left the living room, Tao at his heels. Good.
Later that night, Frankenstein was relaxing with a cup of tea, listening to the rain. He would need to begin writing a letter informing parents about the latest...
His thoughts were pulled away when he heard the living room door creek open. Not Tao, who would have burst in. The person hadn't stepped in yet, and there was only one individual who would hesitate at seeing him right now.
Frankenstein didn't turn around, continuing to sip his tea, in case he spooked M-21.
He heard M-21 exhale behind him and slowly walk up. "Frankenstein?"
"Yes?" Frankenstein said, smiling at him. "How are you feeling?"
M-21 glanced away, fidgeting with a nail. "Better, I guess..."
"That's good to hear. If there's anything you need, or if you feel like you're becoming ill again, please let me know."
M-21 opened his mouth, but hesitated. He tried a few times and then shook his head. "Yeah... All right," he muttered, and then left.
It was a better reaction than before, one that said M-21 would consider it as an option next time.
It was a start.
That was all Frankenstein could hope for right now and until the next time M-21 fell ill, he would have to build upon that trust and make sure not to lose it.