Stuffed Toy
Mar. 23rd, 2024 01:57 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
esp_dragonv2Fandom: Noblesse
Summary: "What do you think?" M-24 said, pointing to a stuffed toy in the window. "That could be me. Something to remember me by if something happened."
"Oh, fuck off," M-21 said immediately. "Nothing's going to happen to you."
M-21 found himself at the same shop afterwards.
Rating: PG-13
Genre: General
Word count: 2,182
Status: Complete
M-21 kicked over a stone down the street, sneering at anyone who looked in his direction, daring them to approach or make a comment. No-one did.
Cowards.
M-21 clicked his tongue, trying to find M-24. They'd been bored enough to go to ground level while they waited for the infected to do his work but it was just as boring as watching the non-modified humans scurrying below them like ants. It was all the same anyway, just noisier.
He saw M-24 at a brightly lit shop front, peering inside and M-21 elbowed his way over.
"What is it?" M-21 said, keeping an eye out around them. It seemed like it was a toy shop - M-24 usually only stopped by the food shops when they were hungrier than usual, either because of a long pause between missions or M-24 needed more food to recover after his body had started to break down again.
"What do you think?" M-24 said, pointing to a stuffed toy in the window. "That could be me. Something to remember me by if something happened."
"Oh, fuck off," M-21 said immediately as his stomach tightened at M-24's words. "Nothing's going to happen to you." M-24's body didn't break down too badly or for that long. As long as they did what the Union wanted, they would keep getting the pills and M-24 would be fine.
"...Yeah," M-24 said, glancing at the window one last time before going to M-21's side.
M-21 looked in the window to see what had caught M-24's attention so much. A bunch of brightly coloured soft toys, some wearing so many clothes the toy was barely seen under it all while others didn't have any.
There was one wearing a long black coat with a wide-rimmed hat. Oh. That could-
It didn't matter.
M-21 turned, walking away from the shop and hearing M-24 just half a step behind.
He had M-24 right next to him; he didn't need anything to remember him by.
* * *
Everything ached in M-21. His legs were heavy, his arms didn't want to move as he wandered around the city's streets.
His heart hurt. He wanted that to stop so much but there was only one way it could.
Two ways, to be honest, but he needed to live to find everyone's names.
They had to be waiting for him though...
He stumbled over his feet and thumped into a shop window.
He didn't move for a second. Was there any point? Who would care if he stopped moving right now? No-one. No-one would miss him.
His breath misted the glass in front of him, making him focus on it, what was inside.
The display was familiar with soft toys and... Oh.
The toy shop M-24 had pointed out before.
He hissed, his heart thudding like it as trying to crush itself under its own power.
The stupid toy he'd mocked was still in the window, because who would look twice at it with its pale eyes and stitched on smile and -
M-21 took a shuddering breath, pushing himself away from the glass.
Something to remember M-24 by, huh.
It was something M-24 had wanted.
* * *
The bag made so much noise, rustling with every step no matter what he did.
M-21 expected to see Frankenstein pop his head out as soon as he entered the house and demand to see what he'd bought with the money Frankenstein had given him, but the house was quiet. Frankenstein had to be downstairs in the lab then and didn't know M-21 had returned yet.
M-21 hurried up the stairs, not wanting to risk his luck running out.
He leaned against the bedroom door after he closed it behind him with a sigh. Safe. Relatively. This was Frankenstein's house and Frankenstein could break the door in if he wanted to. M-21 was staying here because Frankenstein allowed it.
No footsteps from outside his room coming closer.
M-21 waited another minute, just to make sure.
Still nothing and M-21 pulled the toy out of its bag, studying it.
What had he been thinking? He should have saved the money for when he was kicked out.
It was so small... So soft... Nothing like M-24.
He didn't let go of it though. He couldn't.
He'd spent the money.
It would be a bigger waste if he threw it away now.
M-21 carried the toy to his bed and curled up there.
He stared at it, his breath making the toy's fur move.
M-21's breathing hitched, his sight wavering and he scrubbed at his eyes, his sleeve coming away wet.
S-shit. He still kept crying without warning. It only happened when he was by himself, but if he did that in front of Frankenstein, Frankenstein would think he was weak and useless. ...M-21 was weak and useless, but Frankenstein didn't have to know that yet.
* * *
M-21 woke up with a headache, his eyes crusted shut. He could feel the dried tear tracks down his face and he wiped at them.
The toy was right there next to him, staring at him.
Still too small for what it was meant to represent, what M-21 wanted to be there instead. He drew the toy to his chest.
It wasn't M-24. It was just a stupid toy.
He still didn't want to let go.
Was M-24 laughing at him for being sentimental? He'd already lost the rest of his comrades. He should be used to this already.
If their roles had been reversed... He would want M-24 to find comfort wherever he could, since M-21 couldn't do it himself.
He exhaled, still holding the toy.
* * *
Tao couldn't find his top. It wasn't that important but he wanted to know where it was before he ordered another set. He'd asked Takeo, but he didn't have it. There was quite a few other people in the house, but a lot of them were more likely to give him his shirt back if they noticed they had it.
He and M-21 were a similar size...
M-21 hadn't answered his text yet and it was late enough that M-21 might be sleeping already.
He just had to check M-21's drawers. It wasn't take that long. Though M-21 would probably wake up. But once Tao had checked, he wouldn't take long. He'd be in and out real quick.
M-21's room was dark when Tao poked his head in, deep breathing greeting him. Damn, M-21 had to be exhausted if he didn't wake up to Tao opening the door. That was probably why M-21 hadn't answered.
Right. Drawers. His presence wouldn't even be noticed.
They were easy to find, Tao using the light from the landing to see.
Movement from the bed and Tao span around, hand's splayed and raised so M-21 wouldn't think he was armed.
Oh. Huh. There was a splotch of black against the bed, obvious against the light sheets. A teddy bear...?
M-21 stared at him, arm curled around the bear, not moving.
"Have you seen my top?" Tao said, not acknowledging the toy at all. They all had their quirks and their different ways of dealing with what happened in the Union. Or maybe it didn't have anything to do with the Union and M-21 just liked sleeping with a soft toy. "Y'know, the one without the shoulder."
M-21 still didn't move for another second, and then shook his head.
Tao sighed, walking back to the door. "Maybe it's still in the washing." Or Frankenstein's washing machine had eaten it - it was hard to tell what Frankenstein's tech could do.
He didn't look back, making sure the door clicked shut behind him.
Soo, his top wasn't there either. Where else could it be?
* * *
M-21 was already in the kitchen when Tao entered the next morning.
"Morn', M," Tao said with a yawn, heading straight of the filter machine. Mmm, just made coffee. He was tempted to drink straight from the jug but he'd also had enough of Frankenstein smiling at him to learn not to do that. Pour it into a cup first and then he could knock it back like a shot.
M-21 hadn't said anything yet, looking at Tao through his hair.
Too early for talking? M-21 did have a cup of coffee in hand, but it looked untouched.
"You aren't going to say anything about last night?"
"Oh, that?" Tao gulped down some coffee first. Phew, he had to find out where Frankenstein got his coffee, because that was strong. "I found my top hanging to dry." Safe and sound, and it must have just been a late wash cycle.
M-21 frowned at him, and Tao blinked, waiting for the coffee to kick in. What else had happened last night?
Oooh, right right right. "The toy was cute." The little he could see of it anyway. Dark long jacket and wide rimmed hat.
Why did that sound familiar?
They normally wore dark jackets for their suits, but that was too short for what was on the teddy.
Long jack-
"Aah!" Tao didn't know what M-24 really looked like but M-21 had talked about him enough Tao could piece things together even with is pre-caffeinated brain.
Definitely no glib marks about the toy then.
"Are you going to add to the collection?" Prodding questions were another thing altogether though.
M-21 stilled. "I got it because - I don't want-"
It could be a bit ominous if M-21 got toys of them all when the first one he got was because someone had died. But also, "We're not dead -obviously- but your bed is large and kinda empty so there's lots of space for more of them!"
M-21 tried to glare at him, but it was half-hearted, maybe even just exasperated. "My bed's not empty."
"Sure, sure." Tao took another swig of coffee, starting to feel awake again. Maybe he could add to it himself.
* * *
Tao had been quiet for the past few days. Usually the others sighed a breath of relief because Tao wasn't doing another one of his jokes, but it also meant Tao was probably planning something instead.
M-21 didn't really care what Tao was doing. There had been no other comments from Tao since he had seen M-21's toy and that was what mattered.
M-21 held the toy in his hands as he sat on his bed, studying it.
It looked almost the same as it did when he'd first bought it. How long had it been now? A couple of weeks? Months?
M-21 jerked his head up at someone knocking on his door. Hide the toy or keep it in the open? In the Union, the toy would have been destroyed - well, before he even got it in the building. It would have been found and M-21 would have been punished for wasting money and showing weakness.
Here, he had his own room and no-one cared what he put in it.
Even Tao hadn't said anything.
The door opened, and Tao poked his head in. "Yooo, Em, you in?" Tao's gaze flicked to the toy on M-21's lap before looking at M-21.
He stilled, but M-21 kept the toy where it was. He wasn't going to hide it. The toy was his and he couldn't -wouldn't- hide M-24, in whatever form M-24 was in.
"Yeah," M-21 said. "What is it?"
Tao was holding his hand behind his back. "Weeell," Tao said, and even the tone was enough to make M-21 sigh. They hadn't known each other long, but he was starting to recognise when Tao was gearing up to put his new plan into action. "I was wonderin' if little M-24 wanted a friend."
Tao brought his arm around and... Oh.
It was a stuffed toy. A cat by the looks of it, with pointy ears and whiskers. It had black fur with a white patch across the forehead. Bright blue eyes. It was wearing a dark suit.
"So not to be all death omen-y, it's not exactly me," Tao said, walking over, "but it's Tao-lite."
M-21 had no idea what that meant.
"Just different. What do you think?" Tao held the toy close to M-21's face.
M-21 didn't move for a few seconds, long enough that Tao waved the toy side to side.
He'd said he'd bought the toy to remember M-24 but...
M-21 exhaled, taking the toy from Tao's grip.
He could remember the people around him without them dying first.
"Great! I'll see what the others want to do for their toy versions!" Tao was gone before M-21 could say anything.
Though it would be impossible to forget Tao anyway. M-21 looked at the toy Tao had made, and set it next to the toy M-24. It looked...better that way. Less alone.
In the distance, he could hear people clattering around the house, their voices carrying over even if he couldn't hear their words.
He wasn't as alone now, and the toys in front of him proved that.
Inspired by this conversation
Summary: "What do you think?" M-24 said, pointing to a stuffed toy in the window. "That could be me. Something to remember me by if something happened."
"Oh, fuck off," M-21 said immediately. "Nothing's going to happen to you."
M-21 found himself at the same shop afterwards.
Rating: PG-13
Genre: General
Word count: 2,182
Status: Complete
M-21 kicked over a stone down the street, sneering at anyone who looked in his direction, daring them to approach or make a comment. No-one did.
Cowards.
M-21 clicked his tongue, trying to find M-24. They'd been bored enough to go to ground level while they waited for the infected to do his work but it was just as boring as watching the non-modified humans scurrying below them like ants. It was all the same anyway, just noisier.
He saw M-24 at a brightly lit shop front, peering inside and M-21 elbowed his way over.
"What is it?" M-21 said, keeping an eye out around them. It seemed like it was a toy shop - M-24 usually only stopped by the food shops when they were hungrier than usual, either because of a long pause between missions or M-24 needed more food to recover after his body had started to break down again.
"What do you think?" M-24 said, pointing to a stuffed toy in the window. "That could be me. Something to remember me by if something happened."
"Oh, fuck off," M-21 said immediately as his stomach tightened at M-24's words. "Nothing's going to happen to you." M-24's body didn't break down too badly or for that long. As long as they did what the Union wanted, they would keep getting the pills and M-24 would be fine.
"...Yeah," M-24 said, glancing at the window one last time before going to M-21's side.
M-21 looked in the window to see what had caught M-24's attention so much. A bunch of brightly coloured soft toys, some wearing so many clothes the toy was barely seen under it all while others didn't have any.
There was one wearing a long black coat with a wide-rimmed hat. Oh. That could-
It didn't matter.
M-21 turned, walking away from the shop and hearing M-24 just half a step behind.
He had M-24 right next to him; he didn't need anything to remember him by.
Everything ached in M-21. His legs were heavy, his arms didn't want to move as he wandered around the city's streets.
His heart hurt. He wanted that to stop so much but there was only one way it could.
Two ways, to be honest, but he needed to live to find everyone's names.
They had to be waiting for him though...
He stumbled over his feet and thumped into a shop window.
He didn't move for a second. Was there any point? Who would care if he stopped moving right now? No-one. No-one would miss him.
His breath misted the glass in front of him, making him focus on it, what was inside.
The display was familiar with soft toys and... Oh.
The toy shop M-24 had pointed out before.
He hissed, his heart thudding like it as trying to crush itself under its own power.
The stupid toy he'd mocked was still in the window, because who would look twice at it with its pale eyes and stitched on smile and -
M-21 took a shuddering breath, pushing himself away from the glass.
Something to remember M-24 by, huh.
It was something M-24 had wanted.
The bag made so much noise, rustling with every step no matter what he did.
M-21 expected to see Frankenstein pop his head out as soon as he entered the house and demand to see what he'd bought with the money Frankenstein had given him, but the house was quiet. Frankenstein had to be downstairs in the lab then and didn't know M-21 had returned yet.
M-21 hurried up the stairs, not wanting to risk his luck running out.
He leaned against the bedroom door after he closed it behind him with a sigh. Safe. Relatively. This was Frankenstein's house and Frankenstein could break the door in if he wanted to. M-21 was staying here because Frankenstein allowed it.
No footsteps from outside his room coming closer.
M-21 waited another minute, just to make sure.
Still nothing and M-21 pulled the toy out of its bag, studying it.
What had he been thinking? He should have saved the money for when he was kicked out.
It was so small... So soft... Nothing like M-24.
He didn't let go of it though. He couldn't.
He'd spent the money.
It would be a bigger waste if he threw it away now.
M-21 carried the toy to his bed and curled up there.
He stared at it, his breath making the toy's fur move.
M-21's breathing hitched, his sight wavering and he scrubbed at his eyes, his sleeve coming away wet.
S-shit. He still kept crying without warning. It only happened when he was by himself, but if he did that in front of Frankenstein, Frankenstein would think he was weak and useless. ...M-21 was weak and useless, but Frankenstein didn't have to know that yet.
M-21 woke up with a headache, his eyes crusted shut. He could feel the dried tear tracks down his face and he wiped at them.
The toy was right there next to him, staring at him.
Still too small for what it was meant to represent, what M-21 wanted to be there instead. He drew the toy to his chest.
It wasn't M-24. It was just a stupid toy.
He still didn't want to let go.
Was M-24 laughing at him for being sentimental? He'd already lost the rest of his comrades. He should be used to this already.
If their roles had been reversed... He would want M-24 to find comfort wherever he could, since M-21 couldn't do it himself.
He exhaled, still holding the toy.
Tao couldn't find his top. It wasn't that important but he wanted to know where it was before he ordered another set. He'd asked Takeo, but he didn't have it. There was quite a few other people in the house, but a lot of them were more likely to give him his shirt back if they noticed they had it.
He and M-21 were a similar size...
M-21 hadn't answered his text yet and it was late enough that M-21 might be sleeping already.
He just had to check M-21's drawers. It wasn't take that long. Though M-21 would probably wake up. But once Tao had checked, he wouldn't take long. He'd be in and out real quick.
M-21's room was dark when Tao poked his head in, deep breathing greeting him. Damn, M-21 had to be exhausted if he didn't wake up to Tao opening the door. That was probably why M-21 hadn't answered.
Right. Drawers. His presence wouldn't even be noticed.
They were easy to find, Tao using the light from the landing to see.
Movement from the bed and Tao span around, hand's splayed and raised so M-21 wouldn't think he was armed.
Oh. Huh. There was a splotch of black against the bed, obvious against the light sheets. A teddy bear...?
M-21 stared at him, arm curled around the bear, not moving.
"Have you seen my top?" Tao said, not acknowledging the toy at all. They all had their quirks and their different ways of dealing with what happened in the Union. Or maybe it didn't have anything to do with the Union and M-21 just liked sleeping with a soft toy. "Y'know, the one without the shoulder."
M-21 still didn't move for another second, and then shook his head.
Tao sighed, walking back to the door. "Maybe it's still in the washing." Or Frankenstein's washing machine had eaten it - it was hard to tell what Frankenstein's tech could do.
He didn't look back, making sure the door clicked shut behind him.
Soo, his top wasn't there either. Where else could it be?
M-21 was already in the kitchen when Tao entered the next morning.
"Morn', M," Tao said with a yawn, heading straight of the filter machine. Mmm, just made coffee. He was tempted to drink straight from the jug but he'd also had enough of Frankenstein smiling at him to learn not to do that. Pour it into a cup first and then he could knock it back like a shot.
M-21 hadn't said anything yet, looking at Tao through his hair.
Too early for talking? M-21 did have a cup of coffee in hand, but it looked untouched.
"You aren't going to say anything about last night?"
"Oh, that?" Tao gulped down some coffee first. Phew, he had to find out where Frankenstein got his coffee, because that was strong. "I found my top hanging to dry." Safe and sound, and it must have just been a late wash cycle.
M-21 frowned at him, and Tao blinked, waiting for the coffee to kick in. What else had happened last night?
Oooh, right right right. "The toy was cute." The little he could see of it anyway. Dark long jacket and wide rimmed hat.
Why did that sound familiar?
They normally wore dark jackets for their suits, but that was too short for what was on the teddy.
Long jack-
"Aah!" Tao didn't know what M-24 really looked like but M-21 had talked about him enough Tao could piece things together even with is pre-caffeinated brain.
Definitely no glib marks about the toy then.
"Are you going to add to the collection?" Prodding questions were another thing altogether though.
M-21 stilled. "I got it because - I don't want-"
It could be a bit ominous if M-21 got toys of them all when the first one he got was because someone had died. But also, "We're not dead -obviously- but your bed is large and kinda empty so there's lots of space for more of them!"
M-21 tried to glare at him, but it was half-hearted, maybe even just exasperated. "My bed's not empty."
"Sure, sure." Tao took another swig of coffee, starting to feel awake again. Maybe he could add to it himself.
Tao had been quiet for the past few days. Usually the others sighed a breath of relief because Tao wasn't doing another one of his jokes, but it also meant Tao was probably planning something instead.
M-21 didn't really care what Tao was doing. There had been no other comments from Tao since he had seen M-21's toy and that was what mattered.
M-21 held the toy in his hands as he sat on his bed, studying it.
It looked almost the same as it did when he'd first bought it. How long had it been now? A couple of weeks? Months?
M-21 jerked his head up at someone knocking on his door. Hide the toy or keep it in the open? In the Union, the toy would have been destroyed - well, before he even got it in the building. It would have been found and M-21 would have been punished for wasting money and showing weakness.
Here, he had his own room and no-one cared what he put in it.
Even Tao hadn't said anything.
The door opened, and Tao poked his head in. "Yooo, Em, you in?" Tao's gaze flicked to the toy on M-21's lap before looking at M-21.
He stilled, but M-21 kept the toy where it was. He wasn't going to hide it. The toy was his and he couldn't -wouldn't- hide M-24, in whatever form M-24 was in.
"Yeah," M-21 said. "What is it?"
Tao was holding his hand behind his back. "Weeell," Tao said, and even the tone was enough to make M-21 sigh. They hadn't known each other long, but he was starting to recognise when Tao was gearing up to put his new plan into action. "I was wonderin' if little M-24 wanted a friend."
Tao brought his arm around and... Oh.
It was a stuffed toy. A cat by the looks of it, with pointy ears and whiskers. It had black fur with a white patch across the forehead. Bright blue eyes. It was wearing a dark suit.
"So not to be all death omen-y, it's not exactly me," Tao said, walking over, "but it's Tao-lite."
M-21 had no idea what that meant.
"Just different. What do you think?" Tao held the toy close to M-21's face.
M-21 didn't move for a few seconds, long enough that Tao waved the toy side to side.
He'd said he'd bought the toy to remember M-24 but...
M-21 exhaled, taking the toy from Tao's grip.
He could remember the people around him without them dying first.
"Great! I'll see what the others want to do for their toy versions!" Tao was gone before M-21 could say anything.
Though it would be impossible to forget Tao anyway. M-21 looked at the toy Tao had made, and set it next to the toy M-24. It looked...better that way. Less alone.
In the distance, he could hear people clattering around the house, their voices carrying over even if he couldn't hear their words.
He wasn't as alone now, and the toys in front of him proved that.
Inspired by this conversation