M-0 [Part 3]
Apr. 19th, 2021 09:14 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
esp_dragonv2Fandom: Noblesse
Summary: M-21 and M-0 are saved from the Union by a blond stranger, who seems to know M-0 before he lost his memories. M-0's name used to be Muzaka...?
Rating: PG-13
Genre: General
Word count: 2,018
Total word count: 6,252
Status: Work in progress
"What is it?" M-0 said, peering at Frankenstein's screen. Frankenstein had gone silent when he pulled up M-0's scans.
M-21 didn't have much experience with brain scans but... He was pretty sure they weren't meant to have large dark patches.
Frankenstein cleared his throat. "It would appear a large part of your brain is damaged."
M-21's stomach clenched at the confirmation, even though he already knew it.
"I'm brain dead?"
M-21 wanted to kick M-0. Why would he think that?
Frankenstein laughed softly, stepping to the side so M-0 could see his scan clearly. "Clearly not. No, but where your memories tend to be stored-"
"It's this black spot?" M-0 said, finger hovering over the screen.
"Yes." Frankenstein watched M-0 while his attention was on his brain scan. M-21 saw Frankenstein's arm twitch forward before he held his arms behind his back.
"Am I the same?" M-21 said softly.
M-0 stepped back as Frankenstein flipped to the other window.
The black area was different in M-21's scan.
Bigger.
M-21 laughed, gripping the chair under him so hard he shook.
"Yes, I'm sorry."
Right. Focus on something else. Something that wasn't the yawning black hole in his head that were his memories. "M-0's dead area was smaller. That's a good thing, right? He'll remember more?"
"It's not dead," Frankenstein corrected, changing it so both their scans were side by side. "Damaged is the more..." He shook his head. "It would depend on how large the damage was in the first place."
So he knew about M-0's healing. "Then once his brain is healed...?"
Frankenstein didn't answer straight away, and as each second passed, M-21's stomach sank further.
"It's debatable," Frankenstein said and he kept going, even as M-21's thoughts tumbled. "The brain is a wondrous organ, and can do unexpected things. The memories that are inaccessible right now may make new paths and can be remembered again, while others are... Well."
"Lost forever," M-21 finished for him.
His healing wasn't as good as M-0's. If M-0 couldn't heal the damage the Union had done to him, then what hope would M-21 have?
Lost.
His entire life before the Union was lost and he was never getting it back.
"Excuse me," Frankenstein murmured, walking away. "I need to prepare a few things."
M-0 watched Frankenstein leave, and M-21 scooted his chair so they were close their arms touched. M-0 wrapped an arm around him like he always did, like it was an instinct he had to make sure M-21 was there.
M-21 hadn't seen what M-0 looked like when he was sad before, preferring to try and keep their spirits up, but M-0 hadn't been this quiet before either. So he was probably sad.
"He could be wrong," M-21 said, studying their scans again. Scientists could be wrong. They were wrong a lot of the time. If they weren't, they wouldn't need so many experiments. They wouldn't need to keep testing everything.
"Huh?" M-0 said, looking at him in puzzlement. "What about?"
"Your memories?" M-21 said, frowning. "That's not what you're thinking about?"
"Nah." M-0 shook his head. "Just. It must be hard for him."
"For him?" M-21 spluttered. "He didn't lose his memories!"
M-0 nodded. "Yeah, exactly."
What?
M-0 looked at him. "How would you feel if I just forgot everything about us tomorrow?"
"I..." If M-0 looked at him like he looked at Frankenstein, just with polite friendliness. If M-0 didn't sling an arm around him whenever he got close by.
No more 'kid'.
No reaction to 'old man'.
Nothing.
Even the thought of it made M-21's chest ache, and he must have only known M-0 a few months. How long had Frankenstein known Muzaka for? It had to be for so much longer if Frankenstein was willing to go looking for him.
To lose everything, even if Muzaka was physically alive...
"I would hate it," M-21 said, leaning into M-0.
M-0 gave him a brief squeeze. "Yeah."
Was that what Frankenstein was feeling right now, every time M-0 interacted with him? Did Frankenstein see what Muzaka used to do with him however long ago?
M-21 hoped if M-0 did regain his memories, that didn't mean he'd forget his new ones. Forget M-21.
M-21 wouldn't know what he would do if that happened.
*
Food. The whole house section smelled of food when they exited the lab.
"I figured you would want more to eat," Frankenstein said, leading them to a dining area, "and made what I could."
Made what he could? M-21 stared at the selection that was spread out across the the table that was about the same length as he was tall. There was more food there than he and M-0 ate in a week.
"Now," Frankenstein said as he sat down, M-0 and M-21 sitting across from him, "you shouldn't eat all of it, but eat what you can to regain your strength and whatever you've been denied."
It felt like a trap, but even the wary part of M-21 wasn't as strong as normally would be, his hunger kicking it to the side. He would still be careful, checking what-
M-21 swallowed the strangled noise he made as M-0 just grabbed something from the plate in front of him and started eating.
Right. M-0 wouldn't know to be careful about eating what was given to him by strangers.
Though, Frankenstein wasn't exactly a stranger.
"This tastes amazing," M-0 said, grabbing the same plate and pushing some of it onto M-21's plate. "Here, try some."
It was some kind of meat in sauce, M-21 could tell that much, but aside from that, M-21 had no way to identify it, not by sight or smell. It didn't have that weird tang the Union food had anyway. And the food had a shape to it, rather than the mulched up mess the Union pretended was food.
M-21 nibbled at it and his eyes flew open. It wasn't strong, the tastes subtle and not like it was trying to chemically burn his tongue off.
"Great, right?" M-0 said, his plate already filled with other portions from other plates.
"Yeah." M-21 watched Frankenstein reach for a plate, and he took some food from the same plate. That one would definitely be safe, though by now it was already too late to be cautious.
There was a fond smile on Frankenstein's face as he watched M-0 eat and...
M-21 looked back down at the spread of food around them. Were all these dishes ones Muzaka had preferred?
M-21 could see why though - they were all tasty and not too strong.
He kept his head down as he continued eating. Even if M-0 didn't have any memories of being with Frankenstein, his body had preferences and Frankenstein knew those.
Muzaka was still there, just...not all of him.
*
"A what bed?" M-0 asked.
"A double bed or two single beds," Frankenstein repeated as they went up the stairs. "The double bed is enough to fit two people, and a single bed fits one person."
The names made sense. Any bed would suit M-21. A bed would suit M-21. They hadn't had one in the Union.
"We'll go for the double bed."
M-21 looked at M-0, who just ruffled his hair with a grin. He glanced at Frankenstein, but all he saw was his back as he lead them further into the house.
M-21 wouldn't have cared what kind of bed he had but... Yeah. He would want to be close to M-0.
He wasn't even sure if M-0 could sleep if he didn't have an arm draped over M-21 in some way.
The room they were led to was three times as big as the room they had in the Union - it felt smaller, because of the huge bed that took up the centre of the room, and all the furniture that lined the walls. Like a wardrobe, a desk and chair, bookshelves... There was so much there.
M-0 went in first, poking around the bed. While he did that, M-21 gave Frankenstein a quick bow. "Thank you, Sir." In all the confusion, he'd forgotten to be polite and his position here. M-21 was just...a whatever he was. He didn't know. Someone attached to M-0, and Frankenstein was a scientist. Someone who had power over him. Who could kick him out whenever he wanted, or decide to take his body apart because he felt like it.
When M-21 lifted his head, Frankenstein was looking at him with confusion. "Frankenstein is fine," he said.
Was it? It wasn't some test? M-21 could understand M-0 calling Frankenstein by his name, but him? He was a nobody.
"...Okay," M-21 said. "Frankenstein," he said, studying his face when he said it. No twitch or tightening of any muscles. Frankenstein was being truthful?
Frankenstein gave him a small smile before walking away. M-21 watched him go and then headed into the bedroom. His bedroom? Their bedroom?
It wasn't that important.
He paused when he closed the door, seeing the lock on the handle. He turned it, hearing the lock slide into place. He tugged at the door and it held.
They could lock their door.
That... Just meant they had a little more time before someone came in, right? Frankenstein would have the key. Or could just kick it in.
M-21 unlocked it anyway. If Frankenstein found it locked...
Okay. M-21 didn't know how Frankenstein would react, because Frankenstein hadn't acted at all like a Union scientist the entire time M-21 knew him. The scientists would have been pissed if they had tried to slow things down but here... M-21 wasn't sure.
He couldn't predict Frankenstein at all.
"'21, get over here and just sink inta this bed with me."
M-21 huffed at that, one corner of his mouth curling up. "In a minute, old man - I just need to check something."
"I'm gonna take up all this space so you'll have nowhere to lie and you're gonna regret it."
Even if M-21 slept on the floor, it would still be better than the Union's. There was carpet. There was heating. M-21 felt on the verge of sweating, and he was sure that wasn't because of all the hot food they'd just eaten.
Behind the wardrobe, behind the mirror (after a second, M-21 took it off the wall and turned it around. Too many memories of one-way mirrors), behind and under the desk.
He opened the clos - it wasn't a closet door, and M-21 stared at the bathroom that was joined to their room.
"What're you doin'?" M-0's words were mumbled, almost sleeping already.
"Checking for listening devices." Nothing. Their room hadn't been bugged. No listening devices or cameras as far as M-21 could tell. It had been a habit to check for them whenever he and M-24 ended up at a lab to decide what was safe to talk about. There had always been something there to keep an eye on them.
M-21 went to the bed in a daze and sank right onto it, just like M-0 said he would.
This wasn't the Union.
He had to remind himself of that.
This wasn't the Union.
All his expectations didn't mean anything. Not here.
He would just need to learn how things worked here.
When he glanced at M-0, he smiled softly. M-0 had already fallen asleep, and M-21 sitting next to him hadn't disturbed him. M-21 reached over, brushing away some hair that had fallen in front of M-0's face.
In the Union, M-21 would have stayed up, watching over M-0, in case something happened.
But, this wasn't the Union.
It would be safe for both of them to sleep at the same time, wouldn't it?
M-21 eased himself down and turned over so he faced M-0. One part of him felt like it was safe, but another part refused to believe it. He wasn't sure yet. There was always a chance of something changing.
He wouldn't sleep. Not now. But he would allow himself to doze, so he would be ready for whatever happened tomorrow.
Summary: M-21 and M-0 are saved from the Union by a blond stranger, who seems to know M-0 before he lost his memories. M-0's name used to be Muzaka...?
Rating: PG-13
Genre: General
Word count: 2,018
Total word count: 6,252
Status: Work in progress
"What is it?" M-0 said, peering at Frankenstein's screen. Frankenstein had gone silent when he pulled up M-0's scans.
M-21 didn't have much experience with brain scans but... He was pretty sure they weren't meant to have large dark patches.
Frankenstein cleared his throat. "It would appear a large part of your brain is damaged."
M-21's stomach clenched at the confirmation, even though he already knew it.
"I'm brain dead?"
M-21 wanted to kick M-0. Why would he think that?
Frankenstein laughed softly, stepping to the side so M-0 could see his scan clearly. "Clearly not. No, but where your memories tend to be stored-"
"It's this black spot?" M-0 said, finger hovering over the screen.
"Yes." Frankenstein watched M-0 while his attention was on his brain scan. M-21 saw Frankenstein's arm twitch forward before he held his arms behind his back.
"Am I the same?" M-21 said softly.
M-0 stepped back as Frankenstein flipped to the other window.
The black area was different in M-21's scan.
Bigger.
M-21 laughed, gripping the chair under him so hard he shook.
"Yes, I'm sorry."
Right. Focus on something else. Something that wasn't the yawning black hole in his head that were his memories. "M-0's dead area was smaller. That's a good thing, right? He'll remember more?"
"It's not dead," Frankenstein corrected, changing it so both their scans were side by side. "Damaged is the more..." He shook his head. "It would depend on how large the damage was in the first place."
So he knew about M-0's healing. "Then once his brain is healed...?"
Frankenstein didn't answer straight away, and as each second passed, M-21's stomach sank further.
"It's debatable," Frankenstein said and he kept going, even as M-21's thoughts tumbled. "The brain is a wondrous organ, and can do unexpected things. The memories that are inaccessible right now may make new paths and can be remembered again, while others are... Well."
"Lost forever," M-21 finished for him.
His healing wasn't as good as M-0's. If M-0 couldn't heal the damage the Union had done to him, then what hope would M-21 have?
Lost.
His entire life before the Union was lost and he was never getting it back.
"Excuse me," Frankenstein murmured, walking away. "I need to prepare a few things."
M-0 watched Frankenstein leave, and M-21 scooted his chair so they were close their arms touched. M-0 wrapped an arm around him like he always did, like it was an instinct he had to make sure M-21 was there.
M-21 hadn't seen what M-0 looked like when he was sad before, preferring to try and keep their spirits up, but M-0 hadn't been this quiet before either. So he was probably sad.
"He could be wrong," M-21 said, studying their scans again. Scientists could be wrong. They were wrong a lot of the time. If they weren't, they wouldn't need so many experiments. They wouldn't need to keep testing everything.
"Huh?" M-0 said, looking at him in puzzlement. "What about?"
"Your memories?" M-21 said, frowning. "That's not what you're thinking about?"
"Nah." M-0 shook his head. "Just. It must be hard for him."
"For him?" M-21 spluttered. "He didn't lose his memories!"
M-0 nodded. "Yeah, exactly."
What?
M-0 looked at him. "How would you feel if I just forgot everything about us tomorrow?"
"I..." If M-0 looked at him like he looked at Frankenstein, just with polite friendliness. If M-0 didn't sling an arm around him whenever he got close by.
No more 'kid'.
No reaction to 'old man'.
Nothing.
Even the thought of it made M-21's chest ache, and he must have only known M-0 a few months. How long had Frankenstein known Muzaka for? It had to be for so much longer if Frankenstein was willing to go looking for him.
To lose everything, even if Muzaka was physically alive...
"I would hate it," M-21 said, leaning into M-0.
M-0 gave him a brief squeeze. "Yeah."
Was that what Frankenstein was feeling right now, every time M-0 interacted with him? Did Frankenstein see what Muzaka used to do with him however long ago?
M-21 hoped if M-0 did regain his memories, that didn't mean he'd forget his new ones. Forget M-21.
M-21 wouldn't know what he would do if that happened.
Food. The whole house section smelled of food when they exited the lab.
"I figured you would want more to eat," Frankenstein said, leading them to a dining area, "and made what I could."
Made what he could? M-21 stared at the selection that was spread out across the the table that was about the same length as he was tall. There was more food there than he and M-0 ate in a week.
"Now," Frankenstein said as he sat down, M-0 and M-21 sitting across from him, "you shouldn't eat all of it, but eat what you can to regain your strength and whatever you've been denied."
It felt like a trap, but even the wary part of M-21 wasn't as strong as normally would be, his hunger kicking it to the side. He would still be careful, checking what-
M-21 swallowed the strangled noise he made as M-0 just grabbed something from the plate in front of him and started eating.
Right. M-0 wouldn't know to be careful about eating what was given to him by strangers.
Though, Frankenstein wasn't exactly a stranger.
"This tastes amazing," M-0 said, grabbing the same plate and pushing some of it onto M-21's plate. "Here, try some."
It was some kind of meat in sauce, M-21 could tell that much, but aside from that, M-21 had no way to identify it, not by sight or smell. It didn't have that weird tang the Union food had anyway. And the food had a shape to it, rather than the mulched up mess the Union pretended was food.
M-21 nibbled at it and his eyes flew open. It wasn't strong, the tastes subtle and not like it was trying to chemically burn his tongue off.
"Great, right?" M-0 said, his plate already filled with other portions from other plates.
"Yeah." M-21 watched Frankenstein reach for a plate, and he took some food from the same plate. That one would definitely be safe, though by now it was already too late to be cautious.
There was a fond smile on Frankenstein's face as he watched M-0 eat and...
M-21 looked back down at the spread of food around them. Were all these dishes ones Muzaka had preferred?
M-21 could see why though - they were all tasty and not too strong.
He kept his head down as he continued eating. Even if M-0 didn't have any memories of being with Frankenstein, his body had preferences and Frankenstein knew those.
Muzaka was still there, just...not all of him.
"A what bed?" M-0 asked.
"A double bed or two single beds," Frankenstein repeated as they went up the stairs. "The double bed is enough to fit two people, and a single bed fits one person."
The names made sense. Any bed would suit M-21. A bed would suit M-21. They hadn't had one in the Union.
"We'll go for the double bed."
M-21 looked at M-0, who just ruffled his hair with a grin. He glanced at Frankenstein, but all he saw was his back as he lead them further into the house.
M-21 wouldn't have cared what kind of bed he had but... Yeah. He would want to be close to M-0.
He wasn't even sure if M-0 could sleep if he didn't have an arm draped over M-21 in some way.
The room they were led to was three times as big as the room they had in the Union - it felt smaller, because of the huge bed that took up the centre of the room, and all the furniture that lined the walls. Like a wardrobe, a desk and chair, bookshelves... There was so much there.
M-0 went in first, poking around the bed. While he did that, M-21 gave Frankenstein a quick bow. "Thank you, Sir." In all the confusion, he'd forgotten to be polite and his position here. M-21 was just...a whatever he was. He didn't know. Someone attached to M-0, and Frankenstein was a scientist. Someone who had power over him. Who could kick him out whenever he wanted, or decide to take his body apart because he felt like it.
When M-21 lifted his head, Frankenstein was looking at him with confusion. "Frankenstein is fine," he said.
Was it? It wasn't some test? M-21 could understand M-0 calling Frankenstein by his name, but him? He was a nobody.
"...Okay," M-21 said. "Frankenstein," he said, studying his face when he said it. No twitch or tightening of any muscles. Frankenstein was being truthful?
Frankenstein gave him a small smile before walking away. M-21 watched him go and then headed into the bedroom. His bedroom? Their bedroom?
It wasn't that important.
He paused when he closed the door, seeing the lock on the handle. He turned it, hearing the lock slide into place. He tugged at the door and it held.
They could lock their door.
That... Just meant they had a little more time before someone came in, right? Frankenstein would have the key. Or could just kick it in.
M-21 unlocked it anyway. If Frankenstein found it locked...
Okay. M-21 didn't know how Frankenstein would react, because Frankenstein hadn't acted at all like a Union scientist the entire time M-21 knew him. The scientists would have been pissed if they had tried to slow things down but here... M-21 wasn't sure.
He couldn't predict Frankenstein at all.
"'21, get over here and just sink inta this bed with me."
M-21 huffed at that, one corner of his mouth curling up. "In a minute, old man - I just need to check something."
"I'm gonna take up all this space so you'll have nowhere to lie and you're gonna regret it."
Even if M-21 slept on the floor, it would still be better than the Union's. There was carpet. There was heating. M-21 felt on the verge of sweating, and he was sure that wasn't because of all the hot food they'd just eaten.
Behind the wardrobe, behind the mirror (after a second, M-21 took it off the wall and turned it around. Too many memories of one-way mirrors), behind and under the desk.
He opened the clos - it wasn't a closet door, and M-21 stared at the bathroom that was joined to their room.
"What're you doin'?" M-0's words were mumbled, almost sleeping already.
"Checking for listening devices." Nothing. Their room hadn't been bugged. No listening devices or cameras as far as M-21 could tell. It had been a habit to check for them whenever he and M-24 ended up at a lab to decide what was safe to talk about. There had always been something there to keep an eye on them.
M-21 went to the bed in a daze and sank right onto it, just like M-0 said he would.
This wasn't the Union.
He had to remind himself of that.
This wasn't the Union.
All his expectations didn't mean anything. Not here.
He would just need to learn how things worked here.
When he glanced at M-0, he smiled softly. M-0 had already fallen asleep, and M-21 sitting next to him hadn't disturbed him. M-21 reached over, brushing away some hair that had fallen in front of M-0's face.
In the Union, M-21 would have stayed up, watching over M-0, in case something happened.
But, this wasn't the Union.
It would be safe for both of them to sleep at the same time, wouldn't it?
M-21 eased himself down and turned over so he faced M-0. One part of him felt like it was safe, but another part refused to believe it. He wasn't sure yet. There was always a chance of something changing.
He wouldn't sleep. Not now. But he would allow himself to doze, so he would be ready for whatever happened tomorrow.