M-0 [Part 5]
May. 3rd, 2021 08:15 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: G
Genre: General
Word count: 1,731
Total word count: 10,086
Status: Work in progress
M-0 frowned at the wireless phone in his hands as they sat in the living room, looking between the keypad and the number balanced on his knee. "I just have to push in the number in the same order?"
M-21 nodded. "Yeah."
"And that's it?" M-0 said, pressing one number, then checking the next one on the paper. It was slow, but M-0 seemed to get it.
"No, you have to..." M-21 trailed off, watching M-0's fingers. With each number, they were becoming more confident, moving across the keypad with less hesitation.
"What?" M-0 said, looking up at him. His fingers were still moving, as if M-0 wasn't thinking about what they were doing.
M-21 saw the second M-0 hit the final number. His thumb kept going, and M-21 lunged, grabbing M-0's hand.
"21?" M-0 said, baffled. He looked down, and then frowned. "When did I...?"
"You have to press the green button to start the call," M-21 finished, seeing understanding dawn on M-0's face.
"That's what I was about to do," M-0 said faintly. "How did...?"
"Muzaka...must have called Frankenstein a lot," M-21 said, checking the number on the screen. It was the same number. Were Muzaka's memories coming back, or was it something his body remembered doing?
"Hnn, I guess he did." M-0 stared at the phone for a few seconds before setting it down. "I think I know how to use it now, heh."
"Yeah..."
*
M-0 was napping in their room. M-21 exhaled as he wandered around the house - M-0 really had needed as much rest as he could. All the food Frankenstein was giving them would help as well.
So... This was just a house then? That had a lab built underneath it. It wasn't a lab where groups of scientists studied something together.
If Muzaka had been friends with Frankenstein, had Muzaka been a scientist too? Was that why his healing was so good?
...No, that didn't sound right. If Muzaka had been a scientist, the Union wouldn't have tried to break him to be an agent - they wanted scientist minds in tact and coerced them through blackmail and threats.
M-21 paused at the bottom of the stairs, staring at the wall. It was blank, and that wasn't weird, but it did have a bit to hang a picture.
He frowned, going up to it. The wallpaper was a cleaner shade there, as if something had been in front of it for a while. A largish rectangle...
M-21 looked up the corridor. Dotted around there were a few more empty spaces between some framed nature photographs and paintings.
Some pictures had been taken down recently? M-21 couldn't remember if he'd seen anything there before but he hadn't paid any attention to them.
Whatever. It wasn't important. Frankenstein could do whatever he wanted in his house.
M-21 made his way to the living room, his gaze again taken by the garden just past the glass doors.
It was so bright outside... The sun was shining, birds were chirping.
And there was a handle on the door. It didn't look like it needed a key to open.
He could just... Open it.
Step outside.
M-21 stared at that handle, before he swallowed, tearing his gaze away.
He was fine with just looking right now. He wasn't sure if they were allowed to leave yet.
*
"Ah, sorry, in my rush this morning, I forgot to give these to you," Frankenstein said, holding something small in his hands.
More things? When M-21 held out his hand, Frankenstein dropped a -
"What is it?" M-0 asked, turning it over in his hands.
"A key," M-21 said faintly, staring at it. One made of metal with teeth. One to open a door. "To this house?"
"Of course," Frankenstein said, nodding. "I wouldn't want you to think you had to stay indoors all the time. You can return whenever you want."
Not the Union. M-21 had to keep reminding himself of that.
"Cool, thanks!"
It was just that easy for them to leave. M-21 stared at the key before making sure it was securely in a pocket.
*
M-21 leaned against the railing of the balcony, feeling the wind against his skin. The warmth of the sun.
Which might be too much after however long he'd been underground, his skin prickling. He was going red.
He heard a door open behind him, someone walking closer. "Hey, old man."
"Heh, how you doin', kid?" M-0 said, ruffling M-21's hair before leaning on the railing next to him.
"Good. I'm doing...good." Was this what it felt like? To not have his stomach twisted so hard and for so long he didn't even think it was doing it anymore? To not be constantly worried if M-0 could live another day? "You?"
"I feel like a whole new person!" M-0 said with a laugh. He turned his head towards the house. "I think Frankenstein's cooking dinner."
He could smell it from here?
"I'm gonna see if he wants some help with that," M-0 said, patting M-21's shoulder as he left.
M-21 listened to him leave, but stayed where he was. If washing up had been as hectic with three people, M-21 couldn't imagine what cooking would be like. Not...that he knew what cooking really involved. But it had to be more complicated than washing up afterwards.
So he would just wait here until they were finished.
*
The smell of cooking wafted out from the house and M-21 went back inside, closing the door behind him.
"Hey, '21!" M-0 called out as he bounded up the stairs. There was no urgency to his voice.
"Yeah?"
"We're done!" M-0 said, meeting him at the top of the stairs, a huge grin on his face. M-21...wasn't sure if he'd ever seen M-0 that happy before. "C'mon!"
M-21 smirked, following him. "Looks like you're the kid now."
M-0 laughed. "It feels like it!"
M-0 ducked into the kitchen as they passed it, patting his shoulder towards the living room. There were already a few filled plates on the table when M-21 got there, and Frankenstein entered a few seconds after with more plates.
"I think it turned out pretty well," M-0 said, bringing out what had to be the last of the meal: there wouldn't be space for any more.
"It did turn out well," Frankenstein said, putting down his plates and sitting down.
M-0 beamed as he sat down and he turned to M-21. "Frankenstein showed me how to do a lot of stuff."
"And you picked it up fast," Frankenstein said, a smile on his face as he started putting things on his plate
M-21 didn't have anything to compare to, but the food seemed similar to what they'd had the night before. It all looked edible.
He stayed quiet as M-0 and Frankenstein chatted, listening as they talked about preparing the food while he ate.
Was M-0 really a fast learner, or was his body remembering something Muzaka used to do again...?
*
M-21 woke up groggily. The room was still dark, and he couldn't hear anyone moving around, so what had woken him up?
M-0's breathing was sharp and shallow and before M-21 could do anything, he heard a high pitched whine as M-0 shifted restlessly on the bed.
He was having a nightmare.
"M-0," M-21 said, shaking his shoulder. Nothing. Maybe not nothing. M-0 flinched away from his touch.
"No..." M-0 moaned, making M-21 grit his teeth. "Don't..."
"Zero," M-21 tried again, shaking him harder. He had to get M-0 awake now.
All at once, M-0 snapped awake with a heaving gasp.
M-21 had just enough awareness of M-0 reaching out to him before he was pulled into a tight hug, feeling M-0's trembling, his uneven breathing right by M-21's ear.
"You're awake," M-21 murmured, returning his hug. "You're not there anymore." The words were thick in M-21's throat, his stomach twisting. M-0 was having a nightmare because of him. Because of what he went through to protect M-21.
How close had the Union been to completely breaking M-0 before they were rescued?
He rubbed M-0's back, feeling him settle down the longer he stayed awake. Even then, M-0 didn't let go of him.
"Yeah," M-0 said, his voice husky, "we're not there anymore."
They weren't, but that didn't mean they were completely free of the Union. They were still affected by what had happened. "I'm sorry," M-21 said. It seemed muffled against M-0's shoulder.
"Hn? What about?"
M-21 closed his eyes for a second, exhaling. "You suffered so much because of me," he said, still holding onto M-0. "If I hadn't been there, you could have esc-"
"Hey. Hey, hey, hey," M-0 said, pulling back just enough so he could rest his forehead against M-21's, looking him in the eyes. "If you hadn't been there, I couldn't have anything, okay? The only reason I was able to hold on was because of you. You gave me something to focus on while they were tryna break me."
M-21 stared at him. What...?
"If you hadn't been there..." M-0 didn't say anything for a few seconds, before he let out a short breath. "If you hadn't been there, I think I would have just given up." He gave him a small smile. "You're the reason I'm still here, kid."
M-21 choked out a breath, tears forming in his eyes, seeing the same in M-0's.
They continued to just hold each other through the night, listening to each other breathe.
Listening to each other live.
*
As the days passed, the shadows under M-0's eyes faded, colour coming to his skin. M-0 smiled more too, in a way that wasn't trying to mask his pain, and he was quicker to laugh.
Though M-21 could see why.
Frankenstein laughed at something M-0 said, and M-0's grin widened, like that was what he'd aimed to do.
The two shared a smile, and then looked away at the same time, both reaching for different foods.
There was something about the way the two were with each other... The more the two talked, the closer they became. M-0 hadn't been like that with M-21, and that could be because they never had the chance to be, but...
M-21 wanted to figure it out.
Something just wasn't fitting right about this picture.
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: G
Genre: General
Word count: 1,731
Total word count: 10,086
Status: Work in progress
M-0 frowned at the wireless phone in his hands as they sat in the living room, looking between the keypad and the number balanced on his knee. "I just have to push in the number in the same order?"
M-21 nodded. "Yeah."
"And that's it?" M-0 said, pressing one number, then checking the next one on the paper. It was slow, but M-0 seemed to get it.
"No, you have to..." M-21 trailed off, watching M-0's fingers. With each number, they were becoming more confident, moving across the keypad with less hesitation.
"What?" M-0 said, looking up at him. His fingers were still moving, as if M-0 wasn't thinking about what they were doing.
M-21 saw the second M-0 hit the final number. His thumb kept going, and M-21 lunged, grabbing M-0's hand.
"21?" M-0 said, baffled. He looked down, and then frowned. "When did I...?"
"You have to press the green button to start the call," M-21 finished, seeing understanding dawn on M-0's face.
"That's what I was about to do," M-0 said faintly. "How did...?"
"Muzaka...must have called Frankenstein a lot," M-21 said, checking the number on the screen. It was the same number. Were Muzaka's memories coming back, or was it something his body remembered doing?
"Hnn, I guess he did." M-0 stared at the phone for a few seconds before setting it down. "I think I know how to use it now, heh."
"Yeah..."
M-0 was napping in their room. M-21 exhaled as he wandered around the house - M-0 really had needed as much rest as he could. All the food Frankenstein was giving them would help as well.
So... This was just a house then? That had a lab built underneath it. It wasn't a lab where groups of scientists studied something together.
If Muzaka had been friends with Frankenstein, had Muzaka been a scientist too? Was that why his healing was so good?
...No, that didn't sound right. If Muzaka had been a scientist, the Union wouldn't have tried to break him to be an agent - they wanted scientist minds in tact and coerced them through blackmail and threats.
M-21 paused at the bottom of the stairs, staring at the wall. It was blank, and that wasn't weird, but it did have a bit to hang a picture.
He frowned, going up to it. The wallpaper was a cleaner shade there, as if something had been in front of it for a while. A largish rectangle...
M-21 looked up the corridor. Dotted around there were a few more empty spaces between some framed nature photographs and paintings.
Some pictures had been taken down recently? M-21 couldn't remember if he'd seen anything there before but he hadn't paid any attention to them.
Whatever. It wasn't important. Frankenstein could do whatever he wanted in his house.
M-21 made his way to the living room, his gaze again taken by the garden just past the glass doors.
It was so bright outside... The sun was shining, birds were chirping.
And there was a handle on the door. It didn't look like it needed a key to open.
He could just... Open it.
Step outside.
M-21 stared at that handle, before he swallowed, tearing his gaze away.
He was fine with just looking right now. He wasn't sure if they were allowed to leave yet.
"Ah, sorry, in my rush this morning, I forgot to give these to you," Frankenstein said, holding something small in his hands.
More things? When M-21 held out his hand, Frankenstein dropped a -
"What is it?" M-0 asked, turning it over in his hands.
"A key," M-21 said faintly, staring at it. One made of metal with teeth. One to open a door. "To this house?"
"Of course," Frankenstein said, nodding. "I wouldn't want you to think you had to stay indoors all the time. You can return whenever you want."
Not the Union. M-21 had to keep reminding himself of that.
"Cool, thanks!"
It was just that easy for them to leave. M-21 stared at the key before making sure it was securely in a pocket.
M-21 leaned against the railing of the balcony, feeling the wind against his skin. The warmth of the sun.
Which might be too much after however long he'd been underground, his skin prickling. He was going red.
He heard a door open behind him, someone walking closer. "Hey, old man."
"Heh, how you doin', kid?" M-0 said, ruffling M-21's hair before leaning on the railing next to him.
"Good. I'm doing...good." Was this what it felt like? To not have his stomach twisted so hard and for so long he didn't even think it was doing it anymore? To not be constantly worried if M-0 could live another day? "You?"
"I feel like a whole new person!" M-0 said with a laugh. He turned his head towards the house. "I think Frankenstein's cooking dinner."
He could smell it from here?
"I'm gonna see if he wants some help with that," M-0 said, patting M-21's shoulder as he left.
M-21 listened to him leave, but stayed where he was. If washing up had been as hectic with three people, M-21 couldn't imagine what cooking would be like. Not...that he knew what cooking really involved. But it had to be more complicated than washing up afterwards.
So he would just wait here until they were finished.
The smell of cooking wafted out from the house and M-21 went back inside, closing the door behind him.
"Hey, '21!" M-0 called out as he bounded up the stairs. There was no urgency to his voice.
"Yeah?"
"We're done!" M-0 said, meeting him at the top of the stairs, a huge grin on his face. M-21...wasn't sure if he'd ever seen M-0 that happy before. "C'mon!"
M-21 smirked, following him. "Looks like you're the kid now."
M-0 laughed. "It feels like it!"
M-0 ducked into the kitchen as they passed it, patting his shoulder towards the living room. There were already a few filled plates on the table when M-21 got there, and Frankenstein entered a few seconds after with more plates.
"I think it turned out pretty well," M-0 said, bringing out what had to be the last of the meal: there wouldn't be space for any more.
"It did turn out well," Frankenstein said, putting down his plates and sitting down.
M-0 beamed as he sat down and he turned to M-21. "Frankenstein showed me how to do a lot of stuff."
"And you picked it up fast," Frankenstein said, a smile on his face as he started putting things on his plate
M-21 didn't have anything to compare to, but the food seemed similar to what they'd had the night before. It all looked edible.
He stayed quiet as M-0 and Frankenstein chatted, listening as they talked about preparing the food while he ate.
Was M-0 really a fast learner, or was his body remembering something Muzaka used to do again...?
M-21 woke up groggily. The room was still dark, and he couldn't hear anyone moving around, so what had woken him up?
M-0's breathing was sharp and shallow and before M-21 could do anything, he heard a high pitched whine as M-0 shifted restlessly on the bed.
He was having a nightmare.
"M-0," M-21 said, shaking his shoulder. Nothing. Maybe not nothing. M-0 flinched away from his touch.
"No..." M-0 moaned, making M-21 grit his teeth. "Don't..."
"Zero," M-21 tried again, shaking him harder. He had to get M-0 awake now.
All at once, M-0 snapped awake with a heaving gasp.
M-21 had just enough awareness of M-0 reaching out to him before he was pulled into a tight hug, feeling M-0's trembling, his uneven breathing right by M-21's ear.
"You're awake," M-21 murmured, returning his hug. "You're not there anymore." The words were thick in M-21's throat, his stomach twisting. M-0 was having a nightmare because of him. Because of what he went through to protect M-21.
How close had the Union been to completely breaking M-0 before they were rescued?
He rubbed M-0's back, feeling him settle down the longer he stayed awake. Even then, M-0 didn't let go of him.
"Yeah," M-0 said, his voice husky, "we're not there anymore."
They weren't, but that didn't mean they were completely free of the Union. They were still affected by what had happened. "I'm sorry," M-21 said. It seemed muffled against M-0's shoulder.
"Hn? What about?"
M-21 closed his eyes for a second, exhaling. "You suffered so much because of me," he said, still holding onto M-0. "If I hadn't been there, you could have esc-"
"Hey. Hey, hey, hey," M-0 said, pulling back just enough so he could rest his forehead against M-21's, looking him in the eyes. "If you hadn't been there, I couldn't have anything, okay? The only reason I was able to hold on was because of you. You gave me something to focus on while they were tryna break me."
M-21 stared at him. What...?
"If you hadn't been there..." M-0 didn't say anything for a few seconds, before he let out a short breath. "If you hadn't been there, I think I would have just given up." He gave him a small smile. "You're the reason I'm still here, kid."
M-21 choked out a breath, tears forming in his eyes, seeing the same in M-0's.
They continued to just hold each other through the night, listening to each other breathe.
Listening to each other live.
As the days passed, the shadows under M-0's eyes faded, colour coming to his skin. M-0 smiled more too, in a way that wasn't trying to mask his pain, and he was quicker to laugh.
Though M-21 could see why.
Frankenstein laughed at something M-0 said, and M-0's grin widened, like that was what he'd aimed to do.
The two shared a smile, and then looked away at the same time, both reaching for different foods.
There was something about the way the two were with each other... The more the two talked, the closer they became. M-0 hadn't been like that with M-21, and that could be because they never had the chance to be, but...
M-21 wanted to figure it out.
Something just wasn't fitting right about this picture.