M21 opened his eyes to the concerned faces of his comrades.

What? Had he been injured?

Must be, since he had no idea where he was. The fresh smell of grass was all around him. The ceiling above looked like an inverted tomb and made of hay. His comrades were sitting on what seems to be rectangular rocks. He himself didn't recognize the coarse but comfortable bed he was lying on. He dared to shift his eyes down to confirm his suspicion that he, indeed, was lying in nestle of grass like a baby bird.

Weird.

Where on earth was he?

Seriously?

Especially since, M21 begins to realize with an odd mixture of detachment and dread, that his head seemed to be resting on something oddly shaped but far softer than the rest of his body. He would wish this to be a normal pillow, but seeing as nothing else around him was normal, he knew it was futile to delude himself into false security.

M21 locked his eyes with his comrades, Tao and Takeo. Trying to gesture with eyes to give him a hint as to what his predicament was. But, no good. They were much too relieved to see him alive and kicking, their sparkling eyes and relieved face were frozen in their happy expressions to give him any clue whatsoever.

Then his eyes widened as memories started to pour in. Ah, he was on the werewolf Island wasn't he?

He blushed a little as his memories centered on the one lone incidence where he had cried in front of the Noblesse. Shit! How could he have let himself go while everyone was watching?…And does this mean he was lying on the lap of Rai-nim then?!

M21 couldn't help but bit his lip. His cheeks a lovely shade of red. He would so hate to be coddled like a child. Especially since Rai-nim was already so ill. Oh no, Rai-nim should be resting himself. What was he doing using him as pillow? M21 panicked as he allowed his imagination to go too far. He should at once get up and let Rai-nim rest instead!

His body wouldn't move however, neither did his voice allowed him to speak. Damn. M21 softly wished to whisper. He sure was feeling weak. He gestured with his eyes to Tao and Takeo to help him get him. Didn't they see how inconvenient he was being to Rai?

You two! Move

Help me get up!

Now!

He huffed at them in his mind in annoyance. Unfortunately neither his lips, not his comrades decided to give in to his desperate quiet pleas.

Disappointed with their lack of comradeship, M21 tried to wiggle away from his pillow.

123

Huff!

A mighty tug to let himself up met a mighty defeat as M21 failed to move even an inch from his spot.

Crushed, he looked at his two comrades in annoyance again, and sensed that it wasn't that his modified brothers in arms weren't sensing his plight, it was simply that they were reluctant to help. M21 focused with his sharpened senses, and yes. There it was. He could sense their mild fear even in his weakened state.

Why would they be…? And scared enough to not come forward to help their comrade, and their savior the Noblesse? M21 managed to furrow his lax brows in concentration to understand this complex situation.

And then it hit him.

Holy Shit!

No No No!

He couldn't have been lying on the lap of one Frankenstein?

Could he?

M21 would feel no shame in admitting that his werewolf heart jumped of throat to escape in the wide wild world right then.

He started sweating profusely. He wanted to squirm away from this uncomfortable situation. Frankenstein might be his doctor but using him as a pillow far exceeded taking advantage of his generosity. M21 was sure if he didn't get up right this instant, he was going to pay dearly later. Which he wasn't willing to ofcourse, he had to put a stop to it damnitall.

He closed his eyes and focused. Launching onto the source of power in his body. His werewolf heart, the strength it provided, the accursed power he abhorred so much, yet required so much, especially in situations like these. Gathering all the strength he could, he gave another monstrous tug up to raise himself. His head spun from the sudden jerk. He saw stars in broad daylight. His world titled upside down and then back again. When M21 came around to, he found out that he had managed to make himself move one good centimeter.

M21 had never been more disappointed with himself.

Pat

What?

Pat

Shiver!

He trembled when he took in the fact that Frankenstein had started lightly petting him on the head. Undoubtedly concerned with the sudden tense movement his patient had just displayed. M21 could see Tao and Takeo's eyes movie up and down following the movements of the hand, and flinching in simulation with M21 as each pat gently landed a top his head.

That did it! M21 couldn't take it anymore, and set his pride aside for plan B again. If he couldn't move then he needed the help of his loyal comrades. He scarcely drew his begging eyes to his comrades to reach out and pull him from his misery. But at this point, they seemed too fascinated with what was going on, and their morbid curiosity to see you how far Frankenstein would go temporarily stopped them from taking action…the action to escape that was.

TRAITORS!

M21s mind screamed, while to his dismay, his heart agreed whole heartily with Tao and Takeo's action, or rather lack of it. He couldn't blame either of them, he would have wanted to make himself scarce in the shortest possible time too had he been in their place.

Still he resented them for their betrayal and glared at them, trying his best to show his anger behind the thinly veiled paralyzing fear and daring them to escape. Tao and Takeo would later describe his furious eyes as the eyes of a scared puppy begging to not be left alone. M21 had to yet forgive them for this comparison, but right then he was glad that the look seemed to have worked. The duo hung around despite every cell in their body asking otherwise.

M21s heart swelled in pride. They really were his true comrades. Together through thick and thin, and this gave him courage to try to find his voice again. To gently protest Frankenstein to kindly please let him off his lap.

M21 took a deep breath, then let it out. This seemed to give him more confidence so he did it 2-3 times more, until he was marginally ready to voice his thoughts.

"Fra…" Frankenstein appeared from the sheds door, let himself in, then held it open for his Master to enter. Regis and Seira white haired heads were visible right behind them. All this while that hand on M21s head kept patting him in an attempt at soothing rhythms, which was just shooting his blood pressure up and down now.

?

M21 held his breath in shock. The head patted him twice before he could make his brain work again, and he looked at Tao and Takeo for confirmation.

They didn't look surprised at all. So this meant it was only him who had held this false believe that he was being petted by Frankenstein? If it wasn't Rai, and it wasn't Frankenstein, nor Tao or Takeo, Seira or shudder Regis, than who the hell was it?

The mysterious hand had senses his distress by this point. And it stopped the petting. M21 was relieved beyond words. Now that the consistent assault on his head had stopped, he could gather his thoughts to focus on the other options for the pillow.

Unfortunately though, the hand playfully started ruffling his hair in an attempt to calm him down then.

It had the opposite effect. Both on M21 and the other two modified humans whose eyes were the size of saucer. They had whirled their necks from looking at Rai and Frankenstein to laps owner again. Rai and Frankenstein looked unimpressed, if a bit bemused especially Frankenstein.

M21 could have tried to crank his head back enough to identify the face of the person, but his neck joints weren't quite helping him. Add to that the fact that now that Rai and Frankenstein were in the shed, a sense of security had penetrated his being that made him to be stubborn and rebellious. Now that he knew no one could hurt him, he would take the mystery of the lap owner as a personal challenge. He could solve this and he needed no gazing upon the face to get it right. Who the hell did this person thought he was?!

This sense of security, fortunately or unfortunately, also lulled his mind away from being paranoid for safety to more colorful and pleasant options.

Such as Lunark.

Now this was an idea he sure didn't seem to mind. It had to be her. These soft thighs could not be anyones else other than a women's. How did he not guessed this sooner? The werewolf had protected him and dragged him all by herself to safely until the time he was ready to stand on his own two feet. Was she still continuing her self assigned task of taking care of him?

M21 found his cheeks redden like before. Infact they were even a deeper shade of red than they were when he'd mistakenly assumed it was Rai. M21 should learn to not make quick assumptions and treat them as facts…he chided himself. Then he closed his eyes in a satisfied sigh as the hand tenderly removed a lock of his hair from his forehead and started running circles around his temple.

She shouldn't do this. M21s chided himself, she had no responsibility to take care of a helpless human, she'd done than more than he could have ever asked for, and he was already very grateful. M21 blushed and opened his mouth to thank and let Lunark know that it was enough when Lunark too, entered from the same door Frankenstein had and stood there talking to the scientist.

"…"

M21 just stared deadpanned this time.

"…"

The sparkle in her eyes as she looked at Frankenstein made M21 figure out why'd she thrown a rock at him earlier. Oh well, one mystery solved. So the questions remained, just who the heck was this person who he was using as a pillow? Did he even wanted to know at this point?

As M21 gathered his courage to crank his neck up. The person at the same time had the idea to lean forward and crank his neck down to see what was wrong with his care that all the amount of soothing, petting and massaging was only making him stiffen more and more.

Gray eyes met golden.

Strong jaw bone, stern wide face and the bulk of shoulders that was large enough to cover the ceiling for M21.

What the Fuck?

Thuck!

M21 jumped up and met the forehead of Kentas square on and promptly fell down in the same position he was before.

"What the fuck are you doing Kentas?!" He suddenly found his voice, and screamed to the baffled upside down face of the werewolf who was clutching the newly made bump on his own forehead.

"I'm massaging you what else. You seemed like you needed it" Kentas rubbed his bump.

"I never did asked you for a damn massage. Back off Kentas! Learn about boundaries." He tried to get up again.

"The heck? It was you who were murmuring 'more more' in your sleep and snuggling into me. I just helped you relax what wrong with that?"

Was he? Whatever! "Like hell I was" he shot back "You have no proof, you are making this up" Having waken up in such a ridiculous situation, M21 was in no mood to back down.

Kentas turned a shade of deep pink, and started giving explanation and supposed proofs.

All the while Tao and Takeo stared at both giving each-other sideways glances like they use to during Regis and M21s verbal spars. They realized that they had been worried for nothing. They had no idea what had transpired between the two to make M21 so frank with a full on werewolf, but suffering together tended to make people trust each other. Friends forged through fire was it? Takeo and Tao didn't know whether to cry or laugh this situation.

On M21s side, he had already exhausted all the energy he had gathered with this untimely verbal spar. Now that the shock of a big burly werewolf running delicate circles on his being had worn off, his body refused to hold its own weight. M21 huffed in annoyance and unabashedly flopped back down onto Kentas lap.

"Keep going"

"Huh?"

"Keep the massage going"

Kentas face lit up. He continued as if there had never been any interruption. Rai took a seat on the mini bench besides M21 keeping an eye on him. In the midst of his family and friends M21 felt luxurious even if he was by all means in a damned shed. Is this how werewolves houses are suppose to be? M21 idly wondered, then he shrugged, none of his business and made himself comfortable.

"Don't you stop until I say otherwise" he didn't forget to wag a mean finger at Kentas upside down face before he dozed off in his lap.

Authors Note: Written for tumbler Noblesse Summer event. Prompt: Aftermath.

This is my aftermath for the werewolf arc. I'd take this fic as a direct continuation of my fic 'As long as' with time-skip because both ends with M21 dozing off and there he had to take care of M24, he had no one else and only punishment to look forward to. Now others are taking care of him and he has so many well wishers, and a return to his warm home to look forward to. To celebrate his improved situation this one has an M21 being a jerk to Kentas. Also while M21 was snuggling onto him, he did not say more, this was Kentas making it up bc he wanted to keep massaging hence he turned pink lol.

And Tao and Takeo's reaction makes sense considering the last time they had properly interacted with Kentas he had beaten them to death nearly and tried to kidnap them. Now the big bad wolf is massaging his friend, and M21 is ordering him around. Oh how times change.

P.S Kentas did continue till he woke up btw hours later hahaha. Kentas owes this much to M him experimented on. Sorry doesn't cut it Kentas.