Summary: M-21 has trouble sleeping - Tao figures a way to help.
Blanket
By Dark Ice Dragon
"So what film do you wanna watch?" Tao said, wriggling into his space on M-21's bed, bowl of popcorn in hand.
"I don't mind," M-21 said as Tao placed the bowl into his lap.
That was the expected answer; M-21 didn't usually have a preference at the best of times, but when he was up because of a nightmare, he didn't care what he did, so long as he didn't have to think about it. Tao had already pulled up the list of films they still needed to watch, choosing the first one that caught his eye.
They should be able to finish one or two before they dozed off.
Tao glanced beside him, and then lowered the volume on his laptop, seeing M-21's head bobbing, his hand buried in the half empty bowl.
Takeo reached over and eased M-21 closer so his head rested on Takeo's shoulder.
It only took a couple more minutes before M-21 dozed off completely, his deep breathing filling the room.
They guided M-21 to bed, and he slept through it. He really was exhausted, huh. Hopefully he'd sleep a bit better now.
When they stepped away, M-21 was still for a couple seconds before he curled up around where Takeo had been sitting.
Hmm. Was it the warm spot?
It was a too early in the year, but maybe a hot water bottle would help.
Tao would think about that later - first, he needed sleep himself!
Tao paused as he passed M-21's door. Had he heard-?
He exhaled softly as he heard the whimper again. Damn. It had only been two nights since the last nightmare.
He eased M-21's door open, and winced, hearing his quickened breathing.
"Heeey, Em," Tao called out as he walked over.
No change and hmm. He needed to wake M-21 up, but doing that wrong could mean he got a fist to the face before M-21 realised what he was doing.
Tao called out his cables, tossing them over in M-21's direction. They landed on the bed, and Tao directed them to M-21's shoulder.
M-21 stiffened at the contact as Tao shook his shoulder. Still not awake though.
"Eeem, come on, you need to wake up." Tao shook him a little harder.
He saw M-21's brow crease more before his noise twitched and M-21 turned his head toward Tao's cable.
M-21 took in one deep breath and settled down, his face relaxing.
...Huuh, that wasn't expected.
Tao called back his cable, feeling it settle around his skin again.
Was it touch? M-21 wouldn't have sniffed then.
Sooo, scent?
Was that why M-21 had curled up around Takeo's spot last time? Not because it was warm, but because of his scent?
Then maybe...
Tao left M-21's room to go to his own. Now, what could he use? There were a whole bunch of cables he could use, but those were all connected, and it wouldn't be very comfortable if M-21 rolled on top of it.
Something softer then... That had his scent. He looked down.
Oh.
Right.
Clothes should work really well then.
Tao picked up the shirt he'd been wearing for work that day and brought it to M-21's room.
M-21 was still sleeping when he got back, but he was starting to frown again.
Not good, but it would show Tao if his guess was right.
He balled up his shirt and set it down next to M-21's head.
M-21 turned towards it, relaxing almost instantly.
Great. it worked!
Grinning, Tao left M-21's room.
"Tao, why the fuck did I wake up with your shirt in my bed?"
Tao looked up from breakfast, and grinned at M-21, who was walking into the living room.
"How did ya know it was mine?" Tao asked, catching his shirt as M-21 tossed it to him.
"Because it sme-" M-21 cut himself off, grimacing. He sat down next to Takeo.
Tao snickered, eating again once he'd draped the shirt over the back of his chair. "That wasn't the test - you were having a nightmare, but you settled down when you smelled me, so I figured a shirt might help. It did."
M-21 didn't say anything for a few seconds. "Oh."
Tao nodded. "You seem to sleep better when you're near something that smells like us."
M-21 sighed, grabbing some food. "So I have to sleep with your clothes to sleep at night?"
"Hey, if it works?" Tao shrugged. What was the problem?
"Would blankets or towels be better?" Takeo asked.
"I'm not stealing your blankets just so I can sleep," M-21 grumbled.
"It's not stealing if we're giving them to you!"
M-21 rolled his eyes, buuut he didn't shoot the idea down instantly, so that meant he was open to it.
Shirts worked, but how could they transfer their scents onto blankets quickly? Sure, Tao and Takeo could just give M-21 the blanket on their bed, but Tao knew M-21 would refuse that. So he just had to make blankets that were ready but weren't currently being used.
M-21 had liked the spot Takeo had sat on...
Aha! Tao clapped his hands, an idea forming. Putting blankets on places they sat would work!
A blanket at the back of Tao's computer chairs was an easy place and Tao put one over the chair where Tao maintained his guns.
Where else, where else.
The sofa was a safe bet.
"What are you doing...?" Tao heard as he draped a blanket over the back of the sofa.
"Hey, Boss!" Tao chirped, flattening the blanket to make sure there were no folds. "It's for Em - he needs it."
Frankenstein raised an eyebrow. "He needs a blanket over the sofa?"
"Weeell, basically." Tao nodded. "He needs something with our scents on it to sleep better, and I figured if there are a bunch of blankets around, then there's always gonna be one that's available and easy to find."
"I see," Frankenstein said, looking over the blanket. He raised a hand, resting the side of his fingers to his lip as he thought. "Your training room should be another good place to keep one."
"Oooh, great idea, Boss! I'll get right to it," he said as he walked past him. He hadn't considered it since it was down in the labs, and that usually wasn't a place with good associations.
And keeping one there would also be good for when M-21 did late night training.
Tao got into the habit of slowing every time he passed M-21's door at night as he was going to bed (if M-21 and Takeo hadn't dragged him to bed for staying up too late anyway).
Most nights, it was quiet, and when Tao poked his head into M-21's room to double-check, he saw M-21 snuggled up against the extra blanket.
He grinned at the sight, resisting the urge to take a picture. It wouldn't be good in this darkness, and the whole point was to try and keep M-21 sleeping, not disturb him.
The next time Tao checked on M-21, there were two blankets next to M-21's head.
M-21 wouldn't take more than one, which meant someone else was checking on M-21 as well. Good.
Tao frowned, hearing M-21's whine even before he got close to M-21's door. That bad a nightmare?
When he looked in M-21's room, there were two blankets there, but M-21 was still tossing. Damn.
He threw a quick text at Takeo as he walked in. [u up? ms not settling even w/ blankets]
[I'll be right over.]
Tao smiled before he put his phone away again.
He called out his cables, gripping M-21's shoulder and shaking it.
M-21 woke up with a gasp, scrabbling to sit up.
"Hey, hey, it's just me, Em," Tao said, letting him go. "You were having another nightmare."
M-21 stared at him, his eyes wide, his breathing still quick and sharp, and Tao turned on the bedside light. "Just me," he repeated.
M-21 studied him, and slowly relaxed, running a hand down his face. "Thanks," he mumbled.
"It's fine, it's fine," Tao said, sitting down next to him.
M-21 looked up when the door opened and Takeo walked in. "What...? Was I that loud?"
"Naw," Tao said. "We just know the signs. So! Do you think you can go back to sleep now, or do you wanna stay up?"
M-21 grimaced, shaking his head. "You don't have to-"
"We want to," Takeo said softly.
M-21 curled up on himself, staring at his blanket for a couple seconds before he nodded. "I think I'll be able to sleep if you're here. ...Thanks," he added in a smaller voice.
"Heh, no problem," Tao said as he shuffled the extra blankets to the bottom of the bed. They weren't needed right now with Tao and Takeo here now.
They arranged themselves on the bed, with M-21 in the middle.
M-21 seemed to be drifting off already with them there, his breathing deepening.
M-21 rolled towards Tao, pressing up against him as he relaxed and Tao smiled, patting his waist. "Yep, we're here," he murmured. "You sleep now, all right?"
This should work, and Tao drifted off to the sound of everyone else's breathing.
Inspired by this conversation: darkicedragon tumblr com / post / 640664887096475648
