Title: Don't give up

Writer: Madame aZure

Fandom: Noblesse;

Pairing: Tao/Takeo/M-21;

Genre: Angst/Drama;

Rating: T;

Warnings: this fanfiction contains violence and drug abuse mentions. Read at your own risk.

Disclaimer: I do not own Noblesse or any of the characters. No trademark infringement or profit is meant from the writing of this fanfiction.

M-21 clenched his fists, trying to suppress the sparks of anger at his own powerlessness from figuratively bursting out in flames – him losing his temper wouldn't solve the current situation, only worsen it. He was forced to simply watch from a distance as his comrades suffered in silence, bravely enduring Dark Spear's merciless mental attacks. He wanted to reach out to them, to ease their burden, to soothe their pain, to protect them… but how could he protect them from their own minds?

Before Frankenstein left with Raizel to Lukedonia, M-21 asked him if there was a way, no matter how insignificant, to help his comrades or if the Noblesse couldn't permanently seal their dark energy. The scientist sighed and shook his head – it was true that Raizel would be able to do that, but that would've spoiled the whole purpose of Frankenstein bestowing this power upon them. They had to learn how to control it and accommodate the Dark Spear's energy within them if they ever wished to use its power, and this was something they had to deal with on their own. Whether they succeeded or not it was only up to them.

Unfortunately, this was not the answer M-21 was looking for – he wanted a solution, not the confirmation of his painfully obvious helplessness in this situation.

These past four days have been especially difficult for Takeo and Tao, the werewolf sensing how the dark energy attacked them relentlessly, ferocious like a rabid beast, tearing their minds apart. The constant mental stress was weakening them with every passing day, forcing them to withdraw in themselves, barely sleeping and eating. They gradually became unable to actively fight back anymore, only enduring the attacks and defending the parts of their minds that haven't been corrupted yet.

M-21 hated to admit it, but even if they tried to conceal it, he saw them slowly giving up. They were tired of resisting, tired of fighting, tired of all the pain. Their efforts were easily swallowed by the greedy dark energy, which relished in their pain and agony, hopelessness slowly taking over them. They built a glass wall around them, shutting everyone else out, because, since no one could help them, there was no reason to burden the other household members with their pain. Exactly like a spectator at the theater, M-21 could do nothing more than to witness their tragedy, praying in vain that they made it through.

Apart from that, there was another thing that was bothering M-21: when the Dark Spear started assaulting his comrades, his werewolf instincts gradually began to react more violently to its presence. If he was to give his instincts a metaphorical form, they would look like a wolf prowling in the back of his mind. Each time his comrades struggled with another mental attack, the werewolf would bare his teeth at the energy, growling and snarling at it, trying to protect them. Unfortunately, besides fuelling M-21's anger and frustration, it did nothing useful.

M-21 tried to hide his irritation as once again his comrades refused to have dinner saying that they weren't hungry, going to their respective rooms to get some rest. He knew they were lying – there was no way they could sleep with the Dark Spear attacking their minds like that. M-21 sat up from the table, as he too has lost his appetite.

He just couldn't stand and watch them suffer - had to find a way to help them. That would've sounded like a honorable idea, if only he had a real resolution to rely on. For now, the only thing he could to was to make sure they ate and slept even a little, which made for quite the challenge, considering his comrades.

~Z~

"What's this?" Tao asked when M-21 put a tray with food on the desk, near his computer.

"Food," M-21 replied flatly. "First time seeing something like this?" he raised one brow and smirked.

"Mean," the hacker pouted playfully, but then he averted his eyes. "Thanks, but I'm not really hungry," he smiled sadly.

"You haven't eaten anything for the past four days, literarily," the werewolf crossed his arms over his chest, letting out a long sigh, taking a good look at the other. The hacker's skin was alarmingly pale, the dark circles under his eyes were more prominent than they should be, his usually annoying/cheerful behavior was subdued, and he hasn't tried pranking or bothering the werewolf in almost four days, which was very unsettling. No matter what M-21 has tried so far, he couldn't convince the other to eat even a little, so he decided it was time to use the more underhanded methods of persuasion.

"Ah, well," the hacker ruffled the hair on the back of his head with a hand, chuckling awkwardly, trying to find a way to dismiss the subject.

"Whatever, it's fine," M-21 told him, turning his back to him, going to take a look at the hacker's bookshelf.

"It's fine?" Tao was taken aback by his reaction, since usually, his stubborn comrade would never give up so easily regardless of the situation. There had to be a catch somewhere.

"Yeah, it's not a big deal. But if you don't eat, I won't either until you do," the werewolf stated it as a matter of fact, scanning the book titles, deciding which one he should read.

"Huh? That's how you wanna convince me to eat?" the hacker looked at him shocked.

M-21 gave him an uninterested look and shrugged, turning his attention back to the books. The hacker hummed in suspicion, going back to work on the code he was previously trying to write. They stood in silence for a few minutes, when a loud grumbling sound was heard, and it was not coming from the hacker. Tao's eyes went wide, realizing what his sneaky comrade was trying to do: instead of putting up with the hacker's stubbornness, he was trying to make him feel guilty about being hungry and not being able to eat because of him. That was a clever, but low move.

"I'm not falling for it," Tao said, clenching his fists, making evident efforts not to give in, since under his apparent annoyingness, he was a softie.

"I never expected you to," the werewolf chose a book and flipped through it.

Another few minutes passed and the werewolf's stomach protested again, even if he didn't seem to be bothered by it in the least.

"Ugh, you're making me feel guilty!" Tao glared at him.

"Tragic," M-21 replied sarcastically, smirking slyly at the hacker.

"I hate you," the hacker mumbled, puffing up his cheeks in displeasure.

"I know," the werewolf said, fully aware that the hacker did not use those words with their literal meaning. He put the book back and came back to the desk, grabbing the spoon. He took a spoonful of the vegetable stew and offered it to the other. The hacker looked at it for a few seconds, then sighed and reluctantly accepted it, letting M-21 feed him.

"So I guess now I have to feed you like a baby-bird?" the werewolf chuckled, making the hacker blush, unable to answer as he was chewing his food.

~Z~

Takeo tossed and turned, struggling to shake off the Dark Spear's influence on him, trying to get even a moment of rest. The beast sought and brought up his darkest and most hidden fears, filling his head with nightmarish images, taking pleasure in torturing him. The lack of sleep exhausted him, and each passing night in which he barely his was draining him even more, fighting back becoming increasingly difficult. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw the same scene repeating over and over again: his comrades dying, be it by the enemies' hand or his own, red was staining all around him, voices telling him it was only his fault, his own dead comrades laughing at him, mocking him for being so weak.

His eyes shot open again, breathing quickening, shaking uncontrollably, sweat trickling down his neck. He had the impression that his room walls were constricting all around him, as if they wanted to crush him into nothingness. The air seemed so thick it refused to enter his lungs, the lack of oxygen making him dizzy. The shadows around his room morphed into black hands, slithering on every surface, coming to him to rip him apart. Out. He need to get out.

He jumped out of his bed and rushed to the balcony without a second's thought. The moment he saw himself in the open space, he breathed in deeply, letting the cold air calm him. He shivered a little, since a pair of sweatpants and a tank-top were hardly suited for the low temperature, but ignored it, going to the railing. He slid down and leaned against it, pulling his knees to his chest, fighting the dark thoughts that bloomed in his mind like weeds, barely noticing someone approaching him.

"Hey," M-21 announced his presence, looking at him with an empathic expression.

"Hey," the sniper greeted him back, suppressing another shiver when a cold gust of wind howled around them.

"Bad night?" the werewolf asked, narrowing his eyes.

"It's nothing, go back to sleep," the sniper advised him, smiling kindly. There was no need to bother his comrade with his inner struggle, as the other could do little to help him.

The werewolf simply stood there for a few moments, saying nothing, then turned his back and left. The sniper felt a small pang of disappointment seeing his comrade go, but brushed it off since he was the one who advised him to go back to sleep. Still, he would've liked some company to keep the nightmares at bay. He closed his eyes, placing his forehead on his knees, wrapping his arms around them to keep himself warm against the cold temperature, trying to stop himself from shivering so pathetically.

He stood like that for several minutes, when he heard footsteps approaching him again. He raised his head to see his comrade return with two steaming cups and a blanket under his arm. Of course the loyal and protective werewolf wouldn't abandon him when he needed help.

"Hot cocoa," M-21 told him, offering him the cup. "The kids say it can help you sleep."

"Thank you," Takeo accepted the hot beverage, wrapping his cold hands around the cup to warm them up, with a shy smile on his lips.

"Hold this for a second," the werewolf gave him his cup too.

M-21 took the blanket he brought and unfolded it, draping it over the sniper's shoulders. He then sat down near his comrade, getting under the blanket himself and taking his cup back.

"You don't have to do this," the sniper whispered after he took a sip from his cup, enjoying at the blissful, warm feeling he got from the beverage.

M-21 hummed and shifted closer to the sniper in order to share his body heat, since as a werewolf, he had a higher body temperature. The sniper sighed, thankful for the warmth, resting his head against the werewolf's shoulder. This comfortable closeness made him forget about the Dark Spear, failing to notice it retreating in the back of his mind, like a predator on the prowl who has been spotted and had to change its hiding place.

"You should drink it before it goes cold," the werewolf advised him, and the sniper listened to him. He finished his cup and put it down near him, the werewolf doing the same.

M-21 gave no indication he would want to leave, and the sniper decided to stay there like that until his comrade would say it was the time to go back inside. He closed his eyes, focusing on the werewolf's warmth and steady breathing, falling asleep before long.

~Z~

Takeo shakily made his way to the lab, resisting the urge to fall down and curl on himself. It became too much to withstand the Dark Spear's corruption: the pain was agonizing, his muscles aching as if they were ripped off his bones, his skin sizzling where the dark energy marked it, his head threatening to split open at any moment. He felt like he was being swallowed by a dark water: the more he descended into it, the more vicious were the attacks on his mind and body. He needed something to soothe the pain and quiet the voices and he need it fast or he would go insane.

He sighed in relief when he got into the lab, going to one of the medicine cabinets. After some rummaging, he found the bottle with sedative pills he was looking for. He popped it open, shaking almost half of its contents into his palm, intending to take them all when a hand gripped his wrist in an determined, unfaltering grasp.

"What are you doing?" M-21 asked him in a serious voice, frowning at the amount of pills the sniper attempted to take. Even by their standards as enhanced humans, it was far too much.

"It's none of your business," Takeo bit back angrily, taking the werewolf by surprise. M-21 looked him straight into his eyes, clearly suspicious of the sniper's hostile reaction – Takeo rarely behaved aggressively, usually being the calm, quiet and kind. He felt his wolf side baring his teeth aggressively at the dark energy emanating from the other, snarling occasionally, but he ignored it for the moment.

"You taking a fistful of sedatives is my business," he said turning the sniper's hand so the sedatives could fall into his own palm, Takeo all but whimpered at the loss of the pills that could ease his agony. M-21 let him go, taking the bottle from the sniper and putting the pills back, then returning it to its place in the medicine cabinet. "If you're having serious troubles controlling the Dark Spear, I can contact Frankenstein and ask him to come home sooner and help you and Tao."

"No, no. I'll be fine," the sniper shook his head, knowing that the scientist and the Noblesse had more important things to do.

M-21 looked at him through narrowed eyes, not believing the sniper's words in the least.

"You're not fine," he told him, letting out an exasperated sigh, "and neither is Tao. Stop trying to act like this doesn't affect you."

"It's not like you can do anything to help us!" the sniper roared at him violently, freezing almost instantly, realizing that he has just yelled at his comrade who only wanted to help him. "I'm sorry, I –" he put a hand over his lips, though it made little difference now since he had already snapped at the werewolf.

"I'm calling Frankenstein," M-21 said quietly but decisively, taking out his phone. It was not the fact that his comrade yelled at him that was bothering him, it was that this violent reaction meant that he was no longer able to control the Dark Spear and that damned thing was hurting him far more than he wanted to let on. Forget obtain power, that energy needed to be sealed off.

Before he even managed to unlock his phone, he found himself thrown across room, crashing into a table full of experiment equipment. The table broke on impact, the glass test tubes, bottles and jars shattering under him. M-21 winced when he felt the shards pierce his skin, but had to dodge quickly as the sniper attacked again with pitch-black claws.

"Takeo!" he tried to call his name, hoping that he could still reason with his comrade.

The sniper held himself weirdly, his head tilted to the side, his body convulsing occasionally as if he had a seizure. For a few moments, he seemed to be in a daze, before he quickly turned his attention to the werewolf. His pupils narrowed so much, they looked like merely black points against his blue irises, his breathing was ragged and forced, his teeth were gritted into a predatory snarl, and his fists were clenching and unclenched repeatedly. Dark tendrils of energy were spreading on his face, neck and hands, giving his skin that purple-black tint, transforming his fingernails into sharp claws, like Frankenstein had when he used his own Dark Spear.

M-21 watched his moves attentively, pondering what to do. If he transformed, there was a high chance that he might hurt the other, since he had some troubles controlling the force of his own attacks. In a battle where he had to injure or kill his enemy, it wasn't an issue, but now he had to face his comrade. Furthermore, any kind of physical damage would only weaken the sniper further and make him vulnerable against the Dark Spear's corruption. If he didn't transform, he would most likely not be able to match his comrade in strength and speed, and would end up hurt himself, or worse, dead. The werewolf gritted his teeth, trying to come up with a solution, when he remembered why the sniper had come into the lab in the first place: the sedatives. He couldn't make the other take the pills, but he was sure Frankenstein had some sedative auto-injectors around prepared for quick use.

A vicious snarl snapped him from his thoughts and warned him of an incoming attack. He barely dodged it, running to the cabinet where Frankenstein held the auto-injectors. It slipped his mind that the sniper's most valued attribute was his speed, the other attacking him again. He felt his skin being torn and burned when it came in contact with the dark energy, grunting as he was slammed into the floor.

He found himself on his back with the sniper on top of him, other's hands wrapping around his neck, crushing his windpipe and stopping all the air from reaching his lungs. He gasped, gripping the other's wrists, trying to shake off his hold before he lost consciousness due to the lack of air, but to no avail, as the sniper's strength, enhanced by the Dark Spear, was too much for him. Unless he transformed, he had no way of escaping. But if he unleashed his werewolf powers, he could end up hurting his comrade, and he would rather die than to do that, which, given how the situation was unfolding, it would happen soon, if he didn't came up with a solution.

"Ta…keo," he barely managed to speak, trying to call his comrade again, hoping to snap him out of it.

To add to this already unfortunate situation, the only person he prayed not to come to his aid appeared in the doorway, alerted by the crashing sounds that came from the lab.

"M!" Tao shouted in panic at the sight, attempting to come closer and help his comrades.

"N-no, stay a-away," M-21 tried to warn him, knowing that the sniper's dark aura could contaminate the hacker's, but it was too late, because not even three steps into the lab and Tao fell on his knees, gripping his head and howling in pain.

The hacker's scream distracted the sniper for a second, which was more than enough time for M-21 to push him off himself. The werewolf stood up quickly and dashed to the medicine cabinet, grabbing two sedative auto-injectors. He swiftly turned, as the sniper attacked him again, slamming him into the cabinet, grabbing him by the throat with one hand. This time the werewolf was ready, pushing the auto-injector against Takeo's neck and pressing the firing button. The sniper winced when he felt the needle prick his skin, but ignored it, preparing his claws to attack again.

In merely seconds the sedative took effect, Takeo's gaze becoming dazed. His pupils dilated, his ragged breathing started getting steadier, his grip on the other's neck faltered, and he staggered, not being able to stand anymore. He fell forward into the werewolf's arms, who caught him effortlessly, gently laying him on the floor, making sure to avoid the glass shards.

M-21 turned his attention to the hacker, who was on his knees, hunched forward, eyes screwed shut, hands gripping his head, whimpering in pain. His breathing was quick and shallow, as if he has yet to give in, fighting not to lose control, but quickly losing ground to the Dark Spear.

The werewolf prepared the sedative and ran to him, but had to jump back as several black cables shot in his direction, some meant to catch him, some meant to impale him. He continued dodging the attacks, making his way to the fallen hacker, knowing that the moment he would sedate the other, his hostile attempts would cease.

He managed to get to the hacker, kneeling near him. The cables reacted to his presence, quickly multiplying and wrapping around his arms and torso, slicing the skin on contact like sharp knives. M-21 ignored the pain and the fact that behind him, some cables were wrapping around each other, forming something like a spear blade, preparing to impale him, and put the auto-injector against Tao's neck, sedating him too. The hacker relaxed under the drug's influence, collapsing on one side on the floor, his cables dropping around him lifelessly.

M-21 breathed in relief, seeing as both of his comrades were asleep, barring his teeth in frustration as the sedative had only put them to sleep, but hasn't stopped the Dark Spear from attacking their minds.

When he heard the hacker let out a pained whimper, he reached and brushed the other's hair from his eyes, his hand lingering on the side of his face for a few seconds. He sighed when he felt his wolf side roar protectively in the back of his mind. During the altercation, he stopped paying attention to it, but as things slowly settled down, it made its presence known. He was sure that if it could've had a physical form, the wolf would've been crouching over the hacker, ready to defend him against the dark energy. It and the Dark Spear resembled two fierce beasts, roaring at each other, ready to kill each for its own reasons: one for his pack and the other for control. The wolf crouched down low, ready to lunge at the dark energy, barring his teeth, eyes shining menacingly, the fur on his back standing up. But instead of metaphorically attacking the Dark Spear, like it had tried these past few days, it gathered all its strength, stood up proudly and roared as loud as it could, the sound-like thought thundering in M-21's mind, with a shock wave similar to that which appeared when he transformed. The enhanced human breathed deeply, feeling a shiver travel down his spine, due to the impressive mental force the roar had. He knew that his wolf side loathed the Dark Spear, but this reaction made him a little confused, since just roaring like a caged beast could be of little use in this instance.

His eyes widened when he saw the hacker relax under his touch, the black stripes fading away where his hand touched the other's face, as if he somehow repelled them. He briefly recalled that a few days ago, Takeo managed to get some peaceful sleep, but only when M-21 held him close. Has his wolf side somehow scared the Dark Spear? Werewolves were renowned for their strength rather than their mind control abilities, so he had no idea why that roar had worked the way it did. Yet, his senses didn't lie to him – his wolf side did have an impact on the dark energy, forcing it to dissipate slowly.

~Z~

Tao breathed in deeply, hugging his comfy pillow, sighing when he realized that the Dark Spear's presence in his mind was nothing more than a faded echo, a forgotten memory. He snuggled against the pillow, wanting to go back to the peaceful sleep, when he realized that it rhythmically went up and down, a soft beat came from it and it was strangely warm – he wasn't sleeping on a pillow, he was sleeping on top of someone.

His opened his eyes, blinking away the initial blur. In front of him was Takeo, who was resting on the other side of the person between them, wearing a peaceful expression. He gazed up and saw M-21 deeply immersed in the book he was reading. The hacker's eyes traced the dark laceration on the other's skin, as the dark energy infected wounds had yet to fully heal. He bit his lip, realizing that they were the cause for those wounds, guilt crushing his heart.

"Hey, how're you feeling?" the werewolf quietly asked when he noticed the hacker had woken up, careful not to wake the sniper, who was still sound asleep.

"You're hurt," Tao said groggily, feeling like he had slept a lot more than he had these past few days combined.

"It'll heal, it's no big deal," M-21 brushed aside his worries.

"We hurt you," the hacker emphasized each word, each letter he spoke dripping with sadness and remorse as he hesitantly traced the wounds around M-21's neck with a hand.

"I told you, it's no big deal," he told him again, trying to reassure him.

"How can it not be a big deal?" Tao asked bitterly.

The werewolf would've replied, but he was distracted by the sniper, who stirred in his sleep, slowly opening his eyes and looking drowsily around him. He blinked, trying to get a better grasp on reality and understand where he was, relaxing when his gaze fell on his comrades. However, one look at M-21's wounds and his eyes widened in horror, remembering what he has done.

"I'm so sorry, I never meant to hurt you, I –" he said, standing up quickly, trying to speak past the lump in his throat, as panic took over him.

"Takeo," the werewolf interrupted him, "it's fine. They're just some shallow cuts, they'll heal."

"I –" the sniper tried to continue but the werewolf ignored him.

"You must be hungry. I'll go get you something to eat," he said getting up and stretching his back.

The two enhanced humans averted their gazes. They kept quiet, knowing that mere words couldn't possibly heal their comrade or erase the memory of them attacking him. The deed was done and dwelling on the past wouldn't change it, but that did not stop the remorse and shame from tearing them apart.

Sensing their distress, M-21 stopped in the doorway for a moment, turning to his head to them.

"If you're really sorry –" his sentence made them both look at him, probably thinking he was going to give them ways to apologize for what they've done, "– then keep on fighting! Don't you dare give up!" his eyes narrowed to emphasize the importance of his words. "I know that it's not as easy as it sounds, but if can't find the strength and will to fight for yourself –" he paused for a second, pondering if he should really say what he wanted to say, "– then do it for the people you care about," he said and left the room, leaving the two enhanced humans dumbfounded.

Leave it to the werewolf to know how to strike a sensitive chord. And yet, their comrade was right: they were so focused on fighting the Dark Spear's influence, that somewhere along the way they forgot the reason they were fighting for in the first place. It wasn't stopping the Dark Spear from taking control over their minds they wanted to obtain, it was the power to protect those they cared about. They couldn't give up: not now, nor ever. They just had to keep on fighting.

THE END :)