#hound!m21

M-21 was cold.

Rai hummed and waited, but M-21 did not change. He stayed cold.

Hmm...

There was not much Rai could think of to help but...

If M-21 was sleeping, he should have a blanket. M-21 did not have one in his cupboard.

That would help.

Rai left the living room and collected a blanket from one of Frankenstein’s closets. When he reached M-21′s room, he knocked on the door, startling M-21 awake.

He walked in and went to M-21′s cupboard.

M-21 blinked up at him, shivering a little, when Rai opened the cupboard door.

Rai draped the blanket over M-21′s body. “This is for you,” Rai said, making sure M-21 wouldn’t misunderstand.

Surprise followed by shock fluttered through Rai’s mind.

“To keep you warm,” Rai added, so M-21 would know what it was for.

M-21 nodded, clutching at the blanket, wrapping it around him further.

That done, Rai left so M-21 could get back to sleep.

* * *

This was...his...? M-21 couldn’t let go of what his owner had given him. An owner had never given him anything before. Not like this.

He was usually given clothes to wear, or food to eat. Things that were necessary. And even then he didn’t always get that.

He hadn’t needed it, but his owner still gave it to him. He could feel his temperature rising from the cover and he wriggled so the cover was on top of all of him.

Probably not what you expected XD

Sooo, set right before the Muzaka snippets here. ~Timelines~

Something was wrong with the werewolf Raizel had brought into his home.

Fine, there were a lot of things wrong with the werewolf. From the chunk of flesh that had been carved out of his neck, scar tissue still pink and slowly healing it over, to the fact the werewolf loped around on all fours like he was instinctual all the time. He was half transformed too, Muzaka seeing a flash of fur across his cheeks before the werewolf had hid around the sofa.

But that wasn’t what made Muzaka look twice. He knew what the Union had been doing to his people, so that behaviour wasn’t surprising to him.

The werewolf was babbling. Babbling like a pup only a few decades old and just learning to speak. But that didn’t match up with the adult body he had, the claws he’d already developed. Maybe it was what the Union had done to him...?

“Hey,” Muzaka said, “kid, c’mere.” Calling the werewolf ‘kid’ slipped out, but the werewolf sounded so much like a child, that stuck more than how the werewolf looked.

It was a few seconds before the werewolf slunk out, head lowered and keeping one side pressed to the sofa. No werewolf should ever look like that and Muzaka didn’t stop the soft growl escaping his throat.

The werewolf whined in return, curling into himself even more, and it was more of the same, the sound carrying intent but no clear message.

“Kid,” Muzaka said, “how old are you?”

The werewolf didn’t answer, only giving him a questioning lilt.

“How many years do you remember?” Muzaka tried again.

Still nothing, though the kid glanced in Raizel’s direction.

Muzaka followed his gaze and Raizel’s eyes had narrowed. Nothing obvious, but Muzaka had been around Raizel enough to be able to tell when his facial expression changed, and that on Raizel’s face was scowling on anyone else’s.

“The...Union scientists,” Raizel said, “said M-21 is about twenty-eight years old.”

Muzaka’s anger warred with his horror at the realisation he’d been right. “What?” he snarled, taking a step towards Raizel. “They’ve been using pups?” The Union hadn’t just been twisting his people into shadows of their former selves. They hadn’t just been using warriors, who had been training their strength to protect those weaker than themselves.

They’d made children, ones young enough that they shouldn’t have their claws yet, into trained killers with no thoughts of their own.

“We have to-!” Muzaka was so focused on Raizel he didn’t have time to react to the silver blur that barrelled into him.

Set early-ish on.

M-21 looked over at a small ‘thump’.

There was a small red ball rolling towards him, the puppy standing behind it. When M-21 lifted a front leg so the ball wouldn’t bump into it, the puppy whined, taking a step forward, his tail wagging.

...? What did the puppy want?

“He wants to play, M,” Tao said with a soft chuckle as he walked over.

He looked between the ball and the puppy again. What was he supposed to do with the ball or the puppy?

Tao picked the ball up, tossing it between his hands. “He wants to play ‘fetch’.” At the word, the puppy perked up, going down on his front legs as he kept his attention on the ball, though his back legs stayed up so his butt was in the air.

“Like this: fetch!” As soon as Tao said it, he threw the ball low so it when it bounced it was about the puppy’s height.

The puppy chased after it. His first attempt to catch the ball was a miss, jaws snapping at air, but the puppy was able to pounce on it the next time.

Tail wagging harder, the puppy bought the ball back to Tao, who picked it up. “Good boy!”

Was it a training exercise? To teach the puppy how to attack? He’d done something similar in the Union, but his targets had been living and he had to bring them back dead.

Tao turned to him, grinning. “See? It’s fun!”

...It...was?

“Fetch!” Tao threw the ball again and he settled down to watch the pair, trying to understand what they were doing and why it was ‘fun’.

* * *

Takeo kept looking at the clock, which meant he was waiting for someone. When Takeo glanced at him, he quickly averted his gaze. 

“M-21...” Takeo said, and he turned his head towards him to make sure he heard everything. “Tao said he’d told you about ‘fetch’?”

He nodded.

“Could you ‘fetch’ Tao for me?”

Fetch...Tao? But if he fetched Tao, he would end up hurting him. But...that was the kind of ‘fetch’ he’d done in the Union. If he ‘fetch’ed like the puppy did with the ball...

He nodded.

“Thank you.”

He left the living room and went down to the lab, keeping as low as possible, trying to make as little noise as possible. Tao’s room was...here.

The door opened before he reached it and the room he entered was a green haze, Tao at the far wall.

Fetch. He had to fetch without hurting Tao.

Tao didn’t greet him when he approached, so he circled Tao’s chair, making himself as obvious as he could.

He stayed like that for a few heartbeats, but Tao still didn’t acknowledge him.

He wasn’t supposed to disturb owners while they were working, but Takeo had already given him an order...

Carefully he stepped forward and clasped his jaw around Tao’s wrist.

“Huh-? Eeeh, M? What’s wrong?”

Tao wasn’t angry. Good.

He gave a small tug, whining. Takeo was waiting.

“M...? All right, I’m coming.” Tao stood up and that was good. He kept his hold on Tao, tugging him out the room.

Tao kept asking questions but he couldn’t answer them; he couldn’t risk wasting time trying to explain.

They reached the living room and he breathed a sigh of relief when they arrived. He let go of Tao’s wrist once he’d brought Tao to Takeo. Hopefully he hadn’t taken too long.

“Tak - oooooh, right! Is that what time it is?”

“Yes,” Takeo said with a huff and a shake of his head.

“Whoops, I got buried in work.” Tao laughed while rubbing the back of his head.

“I know, but M-21 did a good job ‘fetching’ you.”

“So that’s what that was!” Tao nodded and then turned to him. He shrank back, unsure what Tao’s - “Good job!”

-reaction was going to be...? He’d done a good job?

“Though next time yer told to ‘fetch’ me, it might be easier if you threw me over your shoulder.” Tao laughed again, throwing himself onto the sofa. “It’d be a lot faster!”

He nodded, making sure to remember that for next time.

* * *

Frankenstein looked around he table, making sure everything was set. It was, most of the household already there. Most.

He sighed, doing another headcount. Still one less than there should be. “Could someone please fetch Tao-”

He blinked as a silver blur rushed out the room and then recounted what he’d just said. Nothing there should have worried M-21 enough to run away.

He looked over at a groan and saw Takeo covering his face with a hand.

“What’s-”

“Uuack! M!” could be heard in the distance, coming closer.

...Ah. That’s what he’d said to warrant that response.

When the pair appeared, M-21 had Tao by the wrist, while the rest of Tao was slung over his back.

“-too early for-!” Tao dazedly looked up at Frankenstein after M-21 had placed him on the floor by Frankenstein’s feet. “Ooh, dinner?”

“Indeed,” Frankenstein said as Tao hopped back to his feet.

“Heh, all right!”

“M-21,” Frankenstein said, making sure M-21 knew he was talking to him, “good job for fetching Tao for me.”

Set further along in the timeline. Thanks for @madameazzure for helping me figure out how this one would go.

M-21 walked down to the living room. Stairs were still a little difficult on two legs, his balance all wrong, and he held onto the banister to help. But he was able to do it without falling down. That was good. Successful.

He gazed at the living room door for a second before he poked his head through the gap, checking who was there.

Frankenstein was on the sofa and M-21 paused. Frankenstein was there.

Maybe he shouldn’t - but - M-21 nibbled his lip, not hard enough to break the skin.

Frankenstein was there and would be watching him.

M-21 closed his eyes and took a breath. That wasn’t bad. Maybe it would be good. Because he was a ‘person’ and what he was going to do was ‘normal’ for a ‘person’ to do.

Continuation of Nightmare. Didn’t reblog seeing how it was getting long, haha.

There was more noise in Tao’s room than he was used to. Closer as well.

Someone breathing.

And... His bed was moving in time with someone else’s breathing.

Oh, right.

He peeked and got a light, sharp inhale in response. M-21 was already awake and at the edge of Tao’s bed, only just balancing there.

“Mornin’, M,” Tao said, stretching his arms up into the air.

M-21 was unsurprisingly not looking at him. “Morning.”

“Feel better?” Tao asked as he sat up.

M-21 didn’t say anything for a few seconds and then nodded.

“Good.” So that was one thing down. “We should get you a new shirt,” Tao mused, tapping a cheek. He could fix M-21′s old one, but for the moment, M-21 couldn’t really walk around with a top with a ripped of sleeve. “So let’s go to your room, okay?”

M-21 nodded again and followed him out the room.

“Sooo,” Tao said once they were in M-21′s room, spreading the clothes in the cupboard so M-21 could see them better, “what colour do you want?”

M-21 peered at the shirts in turn before saying, “Blue.”

“Nice choice!” Tao said as he picked one out. He helped M-21 put the shirt on and then turned to inspect the bed. “Hmm...” The Takeo plushie was still laying next to the pillow and seemed like it had thankfully missed most of the carnage. The rest of the bed was crumpled, a wide dark red puddle covering where M-21′s arm would have lay.

The linen would have to be washed, that was for sure. That wasn’t what Tao was concerned about. “Looks like your blanket got hit with your blood, M,” Tao said. “We’re gonna have to wash it.”

M-21 blinked, tilting his head slightly.

Well, if M-21 watched them as they washed it, it should be fine?

* * *

“I think he’s going to get dizzy,” Takeo murmured.

“Wanna bet?” Tao said. M-21 hadn’t took his eyes off his blanket once it was put inside the washing machine, his head going around in fast small circles.

“No...”

“Aww, that’s no fun.”

Takeo shook his head and Tao focused on M-21 again. He seemed fine continuing to watch his blanket, his balance still stable.

* * *

“Aaand it’s done!” Tao said as Takeo pulled M-21′s blanket out of the dryer machine.

M-21 reached for it and it was warm. Very warm. He buried his face in it and took in a deep breath.

He froze, a long whine squeezing out his throat.

“M?” Tao said, patting his shoulder. “What’s wrong?”

This wasn’t his blanket! It had been replaced! “Not mine,” M-21 said, wanting to drop it. Was this one now his? Would they take it away too if he dropped it?

“It is yours,” Takeo said. “You saw us put it in the machines.”

But it didn’t smell like his blanket! It didn’t have any of the familiar scents!

“Hmm.” Tao prodded the blanket and then tugged a bit so a corner was exposed. “These holes were from your claws, weren’t they?”

M-21 squinted at the corner. There were five holes there and he poked at them. His claws fit in perfectly. This...was his? “But no scents?” Where had they gone?

“We washed your blanket to get rid of the blood,” Takeo said, “and must have washed the rest of the scents as well.”

“Buuut if that’s what’s wrong,” Tao said, petting M-21′s blanket, “we could go watch a movie with the blanket and get our scents back on it again. How ‘bout that?”

Set a little after M-21 was brought into the household.

M-21 sat next to his owner’s leg, watching the steam wisp up from his cup. It was quiet except for Tao tapping on his laptop and rain drumming against the window. Frankenstein was in the kitchen, doing something that smelled interesting.

His collar mark had started getting itchy and he scratched at it, sighing at the release. The feeling came back, worse than before and he rumbled a little in his throat, scratching harder.

There was blood in the air -his own, so it didn’t matter- but he just wanted the feeling to stop.

“M? Hey, what’s - M!”

M-21 froze midscratch. What had he done wrong? He hadn’t growled, hadn’t made too much noise or a mess-

Tao crouched in front of him and M-21 leaned back, looking away from him.

“You’re bleeding.”

Oh. M-21 blinked. Was that it? He would heal.

M-21 moved to scratch again-

“Wait. Wait, no, don’t do that.” Tao reached over, and M-21 snapped his eyes to Tao’s hand, breath caught in his throat.

Tao stopped, and then brought his hand back. “M, you shouldn’t scratch. You’ll make it worse.”

What was wrong with that?

M-21 ducked his head when there was a light pressure on his head, but lifted it again when he realised it was his owner’s.

“I have a salve that can help with the itchiness,” and M-21 froze at that voice.

No. No, no, he didn’t want Frankenstein’s salves! Frankenstein used needles. He whined, even as his owner kept petting him.

“Frankenstein will not hurt you,” his owner said when Frankenstein left but that was lies. Needles hurt. Whatever was inside the needles hurt inside him for hours afterwards.

When M-21 heard the living room door open again, he backed away from his owner’s hand, away from Tao, hiding away around the sofa. He whined, trying to decide on going around the sofa or to the more defensible corner as he heard Frankenstein approach.

“Frankenstein.”

The footsteps stopped. “But Master...”

There wasn’t anything said for a few heartbeats before Frankenstein said, “Yes, Master.”

What was happening? Tao had come to the corner with him, smiling but not trying to get closer.

“M-21.”

He turned his head towards his owner, not wanting to poke his head around yet.

“Frankenstein is in the kitchen again,” his owner said as M-21 heard movement on the other side of the room.

Frankenstein wasn’t going to poke him with needles?

“I will put the salve on you.”

...Oh. But it wasn’t Frankenstein, and his new owner was nice, so maybe it wouldn’t be that bad? They were insisting he needed a salve so M-21 slunk out, double-checking where Frankenstein was.

Frankenstein was still in the kitchen, his back to them.

His new owner looked down at him and said, “You will need to sit next to me.”

M-21 stilled. But that was on the sofa — that was for humans and owners.

“It’s not bad sitting there, M,” Tao said. “It’s nice and soft, you’ll see.”

M-21 made a grumbling sound, but it was an order so he climbed up, looking between Tao and his owner when Tao sat on his other side. The sofa didn’t feel that stable to stand on, his paws sinking into it.

The vantage point felt too high and he had already been ducking his head when Tao started running his fingers through his hair. M-21 would have normally would have leaned into the touch, but he watched his owner open up the small tub in his hand, coating his finger with the off-white stuff inside. It smelled of chemicals and M-21 whined, wanting to get away, his heart beating harder.

“It’s gonna be okay, M,” Tao murmured as M-21 saw his owner’s fingers come closer to him.

He closed his eyes and stiffened when he felt the stuff touch his skin. It was - cool? There was no other reaction as his owner spread it further.

“Gonna have to move yer collar a bit,” Tao said, and M-21 collar was eased lower. It stayed on though.

His owner continued putting the salve on, and bit by bit, the itchiness around M-21′s neck eased until he didn’t feel the need to scratch anymore.

Tao took over for the back of M-21′s neck and M-21 pressed his forehead into his owner as Tao did that.

“All done,” Tao said. “Feel better?”

M-21 nodded. He pulled away from his owner’s touch, and when his owner took his hand back, M-21 hopped back to the floor, where it felt more natural being.

He glanced at Frankenstein’s back once he’d settled down again. The salve had made him feel better and he hadn’t gotten any other side effects like he usually did.

First scene is set a little after M-21 is brought into the household. Something else me and @madameazzure thought about.

Rai knocked on M-21′s door and waited. He felt M-21 jerk at the noise, focusing on the door, but he did not approach, staying where he was.

Hm...

M-21 would not come to the door... Rai waited a few more seconds before opening the door and walked in.

He knew where M-21 was but he blinked when his gaze pointed him towards the cupboard. Was his sensing power wrong?

But M-21 was nowhere else in the room, and the cupboard was the only place he could be other than the bathroom.

M-21 stood up as Rai approached, but he still did not leave the cupboard.

“M-21,” Rai called out, watching the sliding door.

A soft whine answered him, movement from inside the cupboard, all of M-21′s attention on him.

Hm...

M-21 wasn’t more hurt than the last time Rai had seen him, and M-21 seemed to be waiting for something.

Rai gently pushed the sliding door open, revealing M-21′s face within.

“The entire room is yours,” Rai told him, “not just the cupboard.”

M-21 glanced around the room and shrank back into the cupboard. Rai got a flash of crossed wires on all sides, of the bedroom being too open, too exposed from what M-21 was used to.

...Ah. So that was why.

Very well. “Dinner is almost ready,” Rai said and M-21 blinked, confusion at having multiple meals a day filling the air.

Rai waited, stepping back from the cupboard to give M-21 space.

M-21 crept out and followed him as Rai led the way downstairs.

* * *

Takeo frowned as he rummaged through one of his drawers. He was sure...

With a sigh, he left his room and went to Tao’s. The door was ajar, meaning Tao didn’t mind people walking right in, but Takeo knocked anyway.

“S’open, Takeo!”

Tao was curled up on his bed his laptop balanced on top of his knees and Tao looked up at him with a grin. “S’up?”

“Do you have one of my shirts?” Takeo asked. “It’s the one with blue and white stripes.” Tao was the only one who would have it if there had been a mix-up with the laundry: everyone else in the house would have returned it to him when they realised it didn’t fit them or wasn’t theirs.

Tao tilted his head, his gaze drifting upwards. “That one? Nah. Actually, I was meanin’ to ask ya if you’d gotten my off-shoulder top — I haven’t seen that for a couple days now.”

Takeo shook his head. One of his shirts being misplaced was one thing, but something of theirs both going missing? In Frankenstein’s house? But there was no-one el...

Takeo looked over in the direction of M-21′s room.

“Yeeeah, M coulda gotten our stuff,” Tao said, shutting his laptop with a click.

And he probably wouldn’t have known how to return it.

“Let’s go ask.”

Takeo followed Tao as Tao knocked on M-21′s door and entered. “Heeey, M, do you have... Hey?”

Tao paused and Takeo looked over him, seeing no-one else in the room. There was no sound coming from the bathroom either.

“I don’t think M-21 would wander,” Takeo said, checking the hallway just in case.

“He’d probably want our permission for that first,” Tao said, checking around the bed.

Takeo pursed his lips at that reminder, of how little free will M-21 had of his own.

“He’s not in the bathroom either,” Tao said.

There weren’t other places M-21 could be except... Except there was a shuffling noise coming from the cupboard.

Takeo glanced at Tao, who nodded.

“Heeey, M, you there?” Tao said as they approached.

A huff.

“Did ya get stuck in there, huh?” Tao said as Takeo eased the sliding door back.

M-21 was crouched there inside the cupboard. Along with Takeo’s shirt and Tao’s top. And if he wasn’t mistaken, Takeo could see something of Raizel-nim’s in the pile as well.

“Oooh, so that’s where-” M-21 backed away, his eyes darting to the clothes around him. Tao beamed. “-you are! We were a little worried.”

M-21 relaxed, though he stayed where he was.

“Do you wanna come out with us or do you wanna stay here?” Tao asked him.

M-21 didn’t move for a couple seconds. They’d tried to coax M-21 into making decisions, but it seemed to panic him more when given a choice, making him freeze.

M-21 curled back up on the pile of clothes, watching them from the corner of his eyes.

“All right,” Tao said with a nod. “We’ll see ya later.”

Takeo closed the cupboard, making sure to leave a gap.

When they left M-21′s room, Takeo said, “I can use other tops.” He had enough spare.

“I was due to buy another bundle anyway — aaah, it’s nice having a salary!”

Takeo looked at Tao. “You’re going to run out of space soon.”

“And you don’t use enough,” Tao shot back with a grin. “If I do fill everything up, I can just use yours.”