Clone Verse: Steal

[esp_dragon]

Fandom: Noblesse
Summary: Seira notices that a couple of knives have gone missing from the kitchen.
Rating: PG-13
Contains: Swearing.
Notes: Set two or three days after the clone trio get taken to the household. (We'll see if this still fits when we eventually get here after filling in all the other parts.)
There's a couple of non-plot spoilers from between here and Dictate, as well as a few implicit plot spoilers. But yeah, I just had to write this because the bunny wouldn't let go.
A bit info-dumpy though, haha…
Genre: General
Word count: 949
Status: Work in progress



"Chairman," Seira said from the kitchen and M-21 looked across to see her frowning at something, "two knives are missing."

M-21's eyebrows rose. Everything was kept in its proper place in Frankenstein's kitchen and no-one had any reason to take anything from it.

"Ah…" Takeo's…clone (M-21 was still trying to wrap his head around the fact he, Takeo and Tao had clones. Not one each either. Tao's clone –Rend?- had said they were a generation.) said from next to Seira as he chewed on one of Frankenstein's latest experiments, "that'll be Lex."

"Oh?" Frankenstein said, tilting his head and M-21 hid a grimace, tapping his fingers on his mug. This was Frankenstein's kitchen they were talking about here; their clones hadn't seen what Frankenstein was like when there was a mess and M-21 had hoped it would be later before Lex found out.

"Yeah," Xeno said, nodding, and that gesture drew M-21's attention to his hair again - he still hadn't gotten used to seeing 'Takeo' with hair shorter than Regis', blue roots announcing their presence under purple hair. "He steals knives whenever he gets the chance – they're his speciality."

If he stole knives and used them only once (why else would he keep stealing them?) it would leave less of a trail and would make them harder to track. Made sense. But…

Frankenstein shook his head. "There's no need for him to do that – you're safe here."

The hooded look Xeno gave Frankenstein made M-21 purse his lips because he knew why Lex would steal the knives, and it was part of the same reason why Takeo and Tao slept with their weapons under their pillows, why he practiced his transformation at every chance he could – they never knew when a 'safe haven' could suddenly change and even while he, Takeo and Tao knew they were truly safe in the house, some habits were hard to break. The other reason was standing in front of them: they didn't know what exactly the Union was planning or what they would send out next.

Xeno's expression disappeared, replaced with a smile. "I'll talk to him about it."

"Nonsense," Frankenstein said, waving a hand, and Xeno blinked. "You're still eating-" Xeno glanced at the nearly empty plate in his hands. "-M-21 can talk to Lex in the meantime."

…Dammit. He hadn't tried talking to Lex yet, but there was no way he'd be able to back out after Frankenstein had volunteered him.

He sighed, getting up. "All right." M-21 went to the kitchen but he paused when Seira held her hand out towards him.

"I'll do that," she said.

Do-? Oh. "Ah, thanks," he said, nodding as he gave her his mug.

She gave him a small smile in return before turning to start washing the mug.

Xeno was studying them from the corner of his eyes but M-21 ignored it; it wasn't like he hadn't been doing the same.

Finding Lex wasn't hard – he was downstairs in the lab like he always was after he'd regained consciousness, staring at one of the tanks.

Just like how Xeno had short hair compared to Takeo's long hair, Lex not only had brown hair, but it also reached the small of his back, even in the braid. The thing was, while M-21 could see a bit of Takeo in Xeno –a lot of it was how polite he was and in his smile, even if Xeno was using it as a mask to hide behind- Lex-

"The fuck you want, asshole?"

-was a damn teenager.

Sighing, M-21 went further into the lab, hearing the door swish shut behind him.

"Hand them over," M-21 said, and Lex finally looked over his shoulder, more baring his teeth at him than sneering.

"Hand what over?"

"The knives you stole." He held out his hand, an eyebrow raised.

"Tch." Lex turned around, crossing his arms. "Why should I?"

"Because," M-21 said with a slight roll of his eyes, "Frankenstein'll be pissed at you."

Uncertainty flickered across Lex's face for a second before it was replaced with a scowl.

M-21 sighed, resisting the urge to rub his forehead. "Look, I'll give you money for some of your own."

"Hah." Lex glared. "I don't want money for 'em, especially from you."

M-21 didn't doubt that, considering BLX-3's beginnings. "Right," he said, shaking his head. "You don't want anything from me, fine - I'm still getting Frankenstein's knives back."

Lex snorted, lifting his chin and smirking at him. "If you can."

M-21 felt his own lips twitch into a smirk as he walked towards Lex.

He hadn't expected Lex to lunge at him, transforming his arms between one blink and the next but M-21 narrowed his eyes at the reckless way Lex did that.

It was far too easy to sidestep and trip him; Lex hit the ground with a 'thump' and M-21 pinned him with one knee on his back, flipped up Lex's top and slid out the knives he'd hidden there.

Knives retrieved, M-21 stood back up and took a step back, waiting to see what Lex would do next.

The muttered, "Fuckin' asshole," was expected as Lex got to his feet; what wasn't was after Lex's dark glare, Lex merely shrugged and looked away. "Whatever."

M-21's eyebrows rose. "You don't care?"

Lex snorted, looking back at him. "No."

It took a second for M-21 to figure out why. "Because you're going to steal them again."

His only reply was a smirk.

M-21 sighed as he turned to leave, listening in case Lex tried to attack while his back was turned.

Lex didn't.

Looked like he was going to have to tell Frankenstein to lock up the knives…

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Maaay have made a slight plothole but it should be easily fixable.