Summary: M-21 regains consciousness alone.

Contains M-21/Kentas?

Plotbunny spawned by Motochika Chosokabe!

Thanks to Hellse Bunny for listening to me flail over this fic, pfft.

Confirm

By Dark Ice Dragon

M-21 was lying on something soft when he regained consciousness. His body, on the other hand, ached in different places every time he breathed in.

But...

The scents around him were familiar.

He took in another breath, double-checking.

The scents didn't change. When M-21 opened his eyes, he wasn't surprised to see his room, everything as he'd left it.

M-21 sighed, relief relaxing his muscles. He was home.

His relief didn't last for long and after M-21 sat up, he gazed at his clenched hands. He'd survived being ripped apart in a lab, but he'd lost someone again. And he'd gotten so fucking used to it his heart didn't hurt; he buried the feeling before he could feel it, leaving him hollow. Of course he couldn't have expected-

His door opened and he lifted his head, expecting Frankenstein or Tao checking on him.

It wasn't.

M-21 stared at Kentas standing in his doorway, wearing a white shirt stretched so thin over his broad chest it looked like it would tear if he moved wrong. In one hand was a paper bag.

What-?

Kentas smiled at him before entering. "I didn't think you'd gain consciousness so soon, but I should know better by now." He chuckled at that.

M-21 kept staring at him, his brain refusing to understand what was in front of him. Kentas should be dead. Even if the others had arrived in time, Kentas shouldn't be here in his house.

...Oh.

Right.

He had to be hallucinating. Dreaming. Pretending Kentas had survived as well.

He closed his eyes with a sigh and lay back down. Since he was hallucinating he had to rest more to recover.

"M-21...?" There was a rustle on M-21's bedside table. No point trying to humour himself when he'd face the truth-

M-21 snapped his eyes open at a warm pressure on his forehead. Kentas was leaning over him, his eyebrows knit in concern, pressing the back of his fingers to M-21's forehead.

"How're you feeling?" Kentas asked. "I got you-"

M-21 grasped Kentas' hand and it was solid and warm, Kentas' heartbeat thrumming under the skin.

"You're...here?" M-21 croaked, trying not to hope because he was too used to that being crushed. And he was failing that, starting to tremble and his breathing sharpening.

"Yeah." Kentas nodded, scratching his jaw with his free hand. "Frankenstein insisted." Then he shrugged, sighing. "He still hasn't explained why though."

"Ah..." M-21 glanced away before looking back at Kentas. "I asked him to." When Raizel-nim and Frankenstein had shown up, he'd known he was safe, and he'd used the last of his strength to beg them to save Kentas. And they'd done just that.

He was still holding Kentas' hand, and M-21 let go, not looking at him.

Kentas wrapped his hand around his, like how they'd held it before they'd split up. "Thank you," Kentas said, smiling. "And I'm glad you were able to reunite with your companions."

M-21 squeezed Kentas' hand, a small smile on his lips. "Were you able to smack a couple warriors in the face?"

Kentas laughed and the sound made M-21 smile more. "More than that!"

"Good." They'd both managed to do what they'd set out to.

Kentas looked at him as he pulled himself into a sitting position, leaning back on his headboard. "I've slept enough," M-21 said, ignoring the twinges of pain. They would fade soon enough and he doubted he would be able to sleep again anyway.

"I got food if you're hungry," Kentas asked, bringing over the paper bag, and M-21's nose told him what was in it before Kentas pulled out the burgers.

"You're repaying me for that?" M-21 said, taking one and unwrapping it. It had been so long since he'd bought a burger for Kentas.

Kentas raised an eyebrow before biting into his burger. "Of course."

M-21 gave him a wry look; Kentas had made it sound like it was an obvious conclusion when that kind of exchange didn't always happen. It was probably something about being a werewolf.

He would find out. Later. Once he'd filled his stomach.

Because we totally need more variations of 'Kentas survives at the end of season 8' fic. 83 And also writing and posting before canon dictates otherwise, ahahhaa.

I'm a little unsure about their characterisations here, hmm.