Adapt [Colour]

[esp_dragon]

Fandom: Noblesse
Summary: There's a strange smell coming from Tao's room.
Rating: G
Genre: General
Word count: 935
Total word count: 14,386
Status: Work in progress



There was a weird smell coming in the air. It was a strong sharp smell, something that dug right into Kentas' nose. He turned his head towards it and followed it to its source.

The scent lead him to Tao's room and he poked his head in, his nose still twitching as he double checked.

"What're you doing?" he asked, trying to peer at what Tao was doing, but his back was to Kentas. He wasn't in front of his usual pc though.

"Hm?" Tao looked over his shoulder and grinned at the sight of him. "I'm painting my nails! They were starting to crack."

Kentas blinked at the small bright bottle in Tao's hand. It wasn't even the size of his palm. "Why?"

"Why not?" was Tao's immediate reply.

...

Kentas didn't have an answer for that so he entered Tao's room, curious, and saw Tao's nails were uniformly blue. The same colour as the bottle in his hand. His nails had been black before, hadn't they?

"You've never painted your nails before?" Tao asked, shaking the bottle.

Kentas shook his head. "Why would we? As soon as we transformed, the paint would be destroyed."

Tao hummed, his gaze going upward. "But until the next time you fight or train, it'd stick, right?"

"I guess?" He wouldn't know, but since it didn't involve damaging the body, his regeneration shouldn't try to undo it either like a tattoo.

Tao grinned at him. "Wanna find out?"

Kentas smiled back. "Sure." There was no harm in it.

Tao's grin widened. "Awesome! What's your fav colour?" Tao asked, opening a drawer and revealing an entire family of tiny bottles, each one a different colour.

"I...don't know?" Kentas said, peering at the bottles. He tilted his head at one. "That one looks nice though." It was a deep red, one that almost looked like freshly spilled blood.

"Oooh, good choice, good choice!" Tao said as he pulled it out and shook it against his palm. Once he was done, Tao held his hand out, waggling his fingers, and Kentas placed his hand there.

Tao tilted his head at Kentas' nails, running his fingers over them. "I don't have any spare nail files I made for M-21..." he mused to himself. "Shame. Maybe I'll make something to trim them for next time." He peered at Kentas through his hair.

"A nail file?" Kentas could guess what it was from the context, but sometimes things weren't named like he'd expected them to be.

"Mm!" Tao nodded. "I think he was biting them before he and Takeo got adopted here."

That was one way to cut their nails down.

"I guess you don't do that?" Tao asked.

"It's one way," Kentas said with a shrug. "It's convenient if there isn't a hard enough rock nearby to wear them down on."

"Huh." Tao opened the bottle and Kentas wrinkled his nose at the sharp smell. It was even stronger this close to it.

"Doesn't the scent bother you?" How hadn't he noticed it before?

Tao chuckled, shaking his head. "My nose isn't as good as yours and I either get used to it, or the scent fades after a while."

That must have been it. Kentas watched him as he lifted the bottle lid completely, revealing a tiny brush attached to it.

The paint was cool on his nails and Tao hummed as he coated every one with speed and confidence. It didn't take him long to finish both of Kentas' hand and Tao grinned as he leaned back again, putting the lid back in the bottle.

"Aaand done! Thank you for using our services and we'd be totally happy for you to come again for an even more extensive treatment."

Come again? Kentas peered at his nails, seeing how they reflected the light and how smooth they felt now compared to how they usually did. They did make it seem like he'd just finished being in a fight, though the colour was only kept to his nails instead of dripping off his fingers. "How long would it take to make the nail trimmer?"

"Weeell..." Tao drew out, blowing air through his lips. "It took me a couple days to make M's nail file, but that was largely trial and error. Since I know now the best ways of getting through a werewolf's nails, I could probably have a prototype done up by tomorrow."

"Tomorrow then?" Kentas glanced at his nails again. "Unless I'm supposed to wait until the paint starts cracking?" The bottles were so small, they would get used up fast.

"Nah, we can redo them tomorrow! It's fun doing this with someone else. And I can figure out what's the best stuff so you don't need a clothes peg to get through it all." Tao paused, tapping a finger on the nail paint lid. "I wonder if I can make a polish that doesn't crack when you transform..."

After everything Kentas had seen in Frankenstein's lab and what he'd seen Tao had created, Kentas said, "I think you could, though I don't think it would survive a fight." A scratch would be enough to take them off.

This time, Tao's grin was sharp. "Oooh? Is that a challenge, Kentas? You're on! I bet I'll have something within a week!"

It hadn't been a challenge, but Tao ushered Kentas out his room anyway, and Kentas just smiled at Tao's enthusiasm.

Hm. Tao was busy now, so Kentas headed downstairs to the living room, hearing movement from there; he could see what the others thought of the new colour of his nails.