esp_dragon (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
esp_dragon) wrote2018-05-27 10:26 pm
esp_dragon) wrote2018-05-27 10:26 pm
Entry tags:
Hound [Nightmare Part 2]
Fandom: Noblesse
Summary: M-21 wakes up from a nightmare.
Notes: Continues from Madame aZure's snippet here.
Rating: G
Genre: General
Word count: 676
Total word count: 9,789
Status: Work in progress
M-21 yelped, pain shocking him. But not from his eyes, but his back and wrist. He tasted blood.
He panted, staring up at the ceiling. The high ceiling. The clean ceiling.
The ceiling hadn’t looked like that when Jake had burned his eyes.
He curled up, still trembling from the memory. Jake was gone. He had new owners. New owners who didn’t treat him like Jake.
It didn’t stop him from thinking about that day, of what Jake did.
M-21 rolled over to stand up but paused. The Tao plushie had fallen off the bed with him and he slowly reached over to pick it up, holding it to his chest.
It still smelled of Tao and he breathed in deep, the scent chasing away the ghost memory of cigar smoke and burnt flesh.
But…
M-21 peered at his door. The scent wasn’t as strong as it used to be. Maybe he could…?
Taking the plushie with him, M-21 went to Tao’s door and settled down with a sigh. Takeo and Tao’s scents were fresher here and M-21′s heart calmed down at the familiarity, feeling safer.
It didn’t take him long to doze off.
* * *
Tao turned his head towards his door. He was sure he’d heard…
He waited a couple seconds — and there it was, a soft creak of the floorboards.
It wasn’t in the centre of the corridor where most people would stand, which left only one likely suspect.
He padded over to his door and peeked out.
Yup, M-21 was curled up right there, the Tao plushie poking out from the crook of his arm, which was still adorable.
What wasn’t as adorable was the trail of blood that ran thick rivers over M-21′s arm. It wasn’t the full moon tonight and M-21 was still in his humanoid form, so why had he…?
“Hey, M,” Tao whispered as he crouched down. “Hey.”
M-21 twitched, his eyes snapping open as he backed away.
“It’s me!” Tao said, and M-21 blinked. “You okay?” Bad question — of course he wasn’t. “What’s wrong?”
M-21 glanced away. “Bad…” He stopped. He didn’t say anything for a few seconds and then shook his head. “Sleep. Bad sleep.”
A nightmare? “All right. Wanna sleep with me?”
“W-what?”
“You came here, right?” Tao said, nodding. “And I’m not gonna let you sleep on the floor.” Not after all the coaxing he and Takeo had done to get M-21 to sleep in the bed.
M-21 was opening and closing his mouth. “Okay?” he eventually said. M-21 got to his feet.
Hm. “Do you want to sleep with me or do you want to go back to your bed?” Better make sure M-21 didn’t think it was an order.
“Sleep with you,” M-21 said as soon as Tao finished his question.
“All right. But first,” Tao said, “we should clean up your arm.”
M-21 glanced at it like he hadn’t realised it was wounded. Or he didn’t think it was that important. M-21 bobbed his head and Tao lead him to his bathroom.
The bite marks had sealed over when Tao ran water over it but he was still gentle with the towel as he dried it.
“All done!” Tao declared once they’d gotten the blood off M-21′s face as well. “Now for bed.”
M-21 followed him as Tao climbed into bed first, lying next to him. It wasn’t a tight squeeze, but there would be a problem if either of them moved a lot while they slept. Tao knew M-21 didn’t, which meant himself.
The plushie lay in the safest place, between them, and when M-21 reached over, Tao clasped his hand. He hoped it wasn’t as traumatising as the last time he’d had to do this with M-21, but if the nightmare had driven M-21 from his room, it must have been bad.
M-21′s eyes were already fluttering and Tao watched him drift off, making sure he didn’t head straight back into another nightmare. When it seemed like M-21 had fallen fast asleep, Tao fell asleep as well.
Summary: M-21 wakes up from a nightmare.
Notes: Continues from Madame aZure's snippet here.
Rating: G
Genre: General
Word count: 676
Total word count: 9,789
Status: Work in progress
M-21 yelped, pain shocking him. But not from his eyes, but his back and wrist. He tasted blood.
He panted, staring up at the ceiling. The high ceiling. The clean ceiling.
The ceiling hadn’t looked like that when Jake had burned his eyes.
He curled up, still trembling from the memory. Jake was gone. He had new owners. New owners who didn’t treat him like Jake.
It didn’t stop him from thinking about that day, of what Jake did.
M-21 rolled over to stand up but paused. The Tao plushie had fallen off the bed with him and he slowly reached over to pick it up, holding it to his chest.
It still smelled of Tao and he breathed in deep, the scent chasing away the ghost memory of cigar smoke and burnt flesh.
But…
M-21 peered at his door. The scent wasn’t as strong as it used to be. Maybe he could…?
Taking the plushie with him, M-21 went to Tao’s door and settled down with a sigh. Takeo and Tao’s scents were fresher here and M-21′s heart calmed down at the familiarity, feeling safer.
It didn’t take him long to doze off.
Tao turned his head towards his door. He was sure he’d heard…
He waited a couple seconds — and there it was, a soft creak of the floorboards.
It wasn’t in the centre of the corridor where most people would stand, which left only one likely suspect.
He padded over to his door and peeked out.
Yup, M-21 was curled up right there, the Tao plushie poking out from the crook of his arm, which was still adorable.
What wasn’t as adorable was the trail of blood that ran thick rivers over M-21′s arm. It wasn’t the full moon tonight and M-21 was still in his humanoid form, so why had he…?
“Hey, M,” Tao whispered as he crouched down. “Hey.”
M-21 twitched, his eyes snapping open as he backed away.
“It’s me!” Tao said, and M-21 blinked. “You okay?” Bad question — of course he wasn’t. “What’s wrong?”
M-21 glanced away. “Bad…” He stopped. He didn’t say anything for a few seconds and then shook his head. “Sleep. Bad sleep.”
A nightmare? “All right. Wanna sleep with me?”
“W-what?”
“You came here, right?” Tao said, nodding. “And I’m not gonna let you sleep on the floor.” Not after all the coaxing he and Takeo had done to get M-21 to sleep in the bed.
M-21 was opening and closing his mouth. “Okay?” he eventually said. M-21 got to his feet.
Hm. “Do you want to sleep with me or do you want to go back to your bed?” Better make sure M-21 didn’t think it was an order.
“Sleep with you,” M-21 said as soon as Tao finished his question.
“All right. But first,” Tao said, “we should clean up your arm.”
M-21 glanced at it like he hadn’t realised it was wounded. Or he didn’t think it was that important. M-21 bobbed his head and Tao lead him to his bathroom.
The bite marks had sealed over when Tao ran water over it but he was still gentle with the towel as he dried it.
“All done!” Tao declared once they’d gotten the blood off M-21′s face as well. “Now for bed.”
M-21 followed him as Tao climbed into bed first, lying next to him. It wasn’t a tight squeeze, but there would be a problem if either of them moved a lot while they slept. Tao knew M-21 didn’t, which meant himself.
The plushie lay in the safest place, between them, and when M-21 reached over, Tao clasped his hand. He hoped it wasn’t as traumatising as the last time he’d had to do this with M-21, but if the nightmare had driven M-21 from his room, it must have been bad.
M-21′s eyes were already fluttering and Tao watched him drift off, making sure he didn’t head straight back into another nightmare. When it seemed like M-21 had fallen fast asleep, Tao fell asleep as well.