Summary: "What are you doing?" Regis' shout blistered the air just as M-21 caught sight of Tao on top of Takeo, in the process of tearing off Takeo's shirt.

Contains swearing. ...Tao being Tao.

Post-season 4.

We know that I'm a crack writer, right? Right. XD;;;;

Blaaaaaaming Paradoxicaldreamer for this, pfft.

Balancing Act

By Dark Ice Dragon

M-21 sidestepped Regis' punch, smirking at his huff of annoyance. "Is that the best you can do?" he asked before retaliating with a kick.

Regis jumped out the way of the blow. "You've done no better," Regis retorted and as soon as he landed, sprinted towards M-21 again.

They'd been sparring for over ten minutes, with neither of them gaining the upper hand or even landing a hit but M-21's lips twitched when he felt Regis' aura surge, and he transformed his hands to block Regis' attack. He was getting better at keeping his temper under control.

When M-21 blocked Regis' punch, the concussion of the attack shredded his shirt and M-21 sighed. He was going to have to start wearing cheaper shirts when they sparred at the rate he was going through them.

He was about to continue when he saw the flash of confusion on Regis' face as he looked at something behind M-21. Regis didn't use those kinds of distraction tactics so M-21 started to turn around.

Thump. "Fuck - Tao!"

"What are you doing?" Regis' shout blistered the air just as M-21 caught sight of Tao on top of Takeo, in the process of tearing off Takeo's shirt.

"M-21's shirtless," Tao said matter-of-factly, "and - woah!" Takeo grabbed Tao's hands while he was distracted and pinned him to the ground. "Hm, should have tied you up first," Tao said to Takeo. "That would have made it easier."

Takeo sighed and shook his head.

"What does that have anything to do with it?" M-21 asked, transforming his arms back. He had a feeling it would be a while until the spar started again.

"Because," Tao drew out, waving towards him with the little manoeuvrability he had with Takeo's hands around them, "you've been shirtless way more than all of us put together!"

...What.

"So we gotta do what we can to even out the numbers."

"Tao's been keeping track," Takeo said in a suffering tone.

"Yup," Tao said, nodding. "Got tables and pie charts. You should see 'em!"

"No thanks," M-21 said, shaking his head. Was that why Tao hadn't been getting any sleep recently?

"Shouldn't you take your own shirt off first?" Seira asked and Regis squawked.

"I would have!" Tao protested, "but Takeo said he wouldn't do it so I decided to help him out first."

"...You're going to do this every time I end up shirtless," M-21 said flatly, feeling another headache come on.

"Pretty much, yeah."

M-21 had no doubts Tao would try to do this in the middle of an actual fight, if he thought he could get away with it with no-one getting hurt.

"I'm keeping my shirt on," Takeo told Tao.

"Oh, fine," Tao said, huffing. "Me an' M-21'll be shirtless together, and then my score'll be higher than yours."

M-21 also shouldn't have been surprised that this was sounding more and more like a game they were playing.

The door hissed open and Frankenstein walked in. "Dinner's ready, if you're..." He looked at Takeo, who was still pinning Tao to the ground. "What are you doing?" he asked, bemused.

"Uh..."

"I tried to take his shirt off," Tao said cheerfully.

"Tao-!"

"Ah, I see. But you can continue that after dinner," Frankenstein said, shaking his head. "Dinner's on the table."

And of the few unwritten rules of the house, one of them was that no-one missed a meal unless they were physically incapable of doing so. Together, they went back upstairs (and M-21 left to get another shirt before going back).