Summary: M-21 has been avoiding Takeo and Tao.

Contains Tao/Takeo/M-21. Mention of M-21/M-24.

Avoidance and Confrontation

By Dark Ice Dragon

There was something weird going on. Tao shared a look with Takeo as M-21 walked past, slipping on a jacket as he headed for the front door.

"Hm..." Tao said once the door clicked shut, stretching out and then resting his hands behind his head as he stared up at the ceiling. "No goodbye."

"He didn't look over either," Takeo added, turning the TV remove over as he talked. It wasn't like they were hard to miss, especially when the TV was on.

"What do you think it is?" He blew upwards, getting some hair out of his eyes. "It's not just he's avoiding us — he's flat out ignoring us." Or best he could when they were working at the school. Any other time where he didn't have to be with them, M-21 was gone.

"If something was bothering him, he would have told us already," Takeo said.

Tao nodded. M-21 didn't tend to keep secrets with them and when someone had done something wrong, M-21 was one of the first to tell them.

"But it's been a couple of weeks already." That was more than enough time to give M-21 time to approach them. "I think it's time for more direct measures," Tao said, turning his head to shoot Takeo a grin, wagging his eyebrows.

Takeo smiled back. "Ask him when he gets back?"

"Yup!" Tao paused, thinking it over. "No, wait, we'll wait until he's in bed — that way he can't suddenly remember to go for another walk or decide there's an important ingredient he has to buy." Then they could get to the bottom of this.

xOx

"No," Takeo said, shaking his head.

"But-!"

"I'm not climbing to his window to make sure he doesn't jump out of it."

"Bah, fine," Tao grumbled, waving a hand as they walked up the stairs.

"Do you want him to feel trapped?" Takeo's voice was going softer as they reached the top. Conversations could still be heard through the walls, but it made it a little harder.

"No..." Tao said, exhaling in an explosive breath. He just didn't want to drag it out any more than it already had been. Make it quick and (hopefully) painless.

They reached M-21's door and Tao turned an ear towards it, making sure. He'd heard M-21's door close minutes before but maybe M-21 had sensed there had been a change of plan and he'd already gone out the window.

There was a soft creak of bedsprings and Tao grinned, nodding to Takeo.

Tao knocked twice, listening as M-21 approached the door.

As soon as it was open, Tao launched himself into M-21's arms. "M!"

M-21's eyes widened before Tao wrapped his arms around his shoulders, his legs going around M-21's waist.

M-21 held him, but his muscles were stiffer than usual, M-21 almost not breathing. But he hadn't dumped Tao to the ground, so M-21 wasn't angry with him.

"Okay," Tao said, leaning into M-21's face to stare into his eyes, "what's wrong?"

A muscle on M-21's jaw twitched, but he didn't go as far as gritting his teeth. "Nothing."

"We know you're avoiding us," Takeo said, and M-21's eyes flicked to him.

"You haven't exactly been hiding that," Tao said, leaning back a little. "Three walks a day? Really?" Sometimes it was more.

This time M-21 did grit his teeth, looking at a wall.

It had to be something important. M-21 was never this clammed up with them.

M-21 sighed, his shoulders slumping, and let go of Tao, still not looking at either of them. When M-21 backed into his room, Tao and Takeo followed, Takeo closing the door behind him.

M-21 went to the wall next to his window, leaning on it as he crossed his arms.

Tao neared, eyeing him. He wanted to ask again, but there were times to push M-21 to get him to talk, and then there were times where pushing too hard cemented his stubbornness.

"All right, yeah," M-21 said, his hands gripping the sleeves of his shirt as he glared at them. "I've been avoiding you."

Good. They were getting somewhere. "What did we do?" Tao asked, running over what he'd been doing last month when M-21 had started. He hadn't pranked M-21 - or anyone recently, and he still hadn't unveiled his new RK suits yet, so it couldn't be that either. Actually, the house had been quiet aside from the kids coming over. And Tao couldn't think of what Takeo could have done to make M-21 avoid him.

M-21 tensed at the question like he hadn't expected it. He didn't answer straight away, and huh. Had he told them he was avoiding them to make them leave? He was trying to drive them away? What didn't he want them to know?

M-21 was glancing between the two of them again before staring at the ground, his hands fisting hard enough Tao was sure he'd hear fabric rip soon enough. Tao stayed quiet, not wanting to interrupt his thoughts.

He would have approached M-21 before, would have laid a hand on his shoulder to remind him he was there but Tao stayed where he was in case getting closer made things worse.

M-21 seemed to be looking for something on Tao and Takeo's faces and after a few minutes he exhaled, his head thumping back against the wall. "I - shit." He hissed again, screwing his eyes shut as he roughly ran a hand through his hair. "Fine. You didn't do anything wrong." He was taking deeper breaths and he stopped talking for a few seconds. He closed his eyes and then looked both at them, his body tense like he was bracing himself for a blow.

"I've been avoiding you because I think I love you both, not as comrades or family, and...I can't."

Tao stared at him, stopping his jaw from dropping in time. M-21 loved them? And that's why-

"You can't?" Takeo repeated, his voice barely heard over M-21's harsh breathing.

"I can't." M-21's hands where fisted again as his breathing went sharp. "I was already close with '24 and it hurt so fucking much when he died." M-21's voice was cracking and Tao's heart hurt just seeing him like that. He wanted to run over and wrap him up in a hug and as many blankets as M-21 needed. "I don't-" M-21 shook his head. "I don't want to go through that again."

"M," Tao said, taking a step closer. M-21 didn't react to it. He might not have even been aware Tao had done that. "We're not going anywhere."

"You don't know that!" M-21 snapped, lifting his lip and glaring at him. It wasn't much of a glare when M-21 was shaking, tears starting to shine in his eyes.

"Then we'll work together to keep each other safe," Takeo said, and he was moving closer to M-21 too.

M-21 shook his head hard enough to send his hair all over the place. "Won't work. We aren't around each other all the time."

"So safety precautions!" Tao added. "I've already got a bunch of cameras everywhere." They were nearing him bit by bit, and M-21 wasn't trying to move away. He looked like only the wall was keeping him upright.

"And we'll train more so we're harder to take down." They were beside him and when they reached towards him, M-21 leaned into them.

M-21 sagged against them as they pulled him into a hug. They curled up on the floor together and Takeo was close enough to M-21's bed to drag the blanket over.

M-21 didn't seem ready for sleep, looking between them, his cheeks starting to go pink.

"Go sleep, M," Tao told him, throwing an arm over him. "We'll still be here in the morning."

"That's what I'm worried about," M-21 grumbled, cheeks going pinker. Then he tensed. "...Actually, no. You haven't said if you... Shit."

Takeo's arm joined Tao's, his hand resting at Tao's back. "Like Tao said: we'll still be here in the morning."

Tao grinned at M-21's surprised expression as he got it. "Yup. So go to sleep."

"Assholes," M-21 muttered, making Tao and Takeo chuckle.

It didn't take them long to sleep after that, wrapped up in the warmth of each other.

I hope the ending is clear since it was all indirect, haha...

Written for anon's prompt, '"I think I'm in love with you and I'm terrified." and the trio'