Title: Chapter IX: Puppy

Writer: Madame aZure

Fandom: Noblesse;

Pairing: None

Genre: Family;

Rating: K;

Warnings: there are no warnings for this chapter. 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.

"He doesn't really like me, does he?" Muzaka sighed in resignation, ruffling his hair with a hand, as once again M-21 had disappeared from the sight as soon as he set foot in the house.

Since he had tricked the child into cuddling him, the little one has done everything he could to stay away from him, running and hiding every time he came to visit, not coming out until he left. No one managed to convince M-21 to stay in the same room with Muzaka more than one or two minutes before attempting to leave, one way or another.

"You can't really blame him," Frankenstein hummed as he poured Raizel a fresh cup of tea. "He must think you're a suspicious person after what you've done and it's only natural that he wants to stay away from you." Really now, of all the strategies he could've chosen to get closer to the child, he had to pick the most straightforward one. It's no wonder it backfired so badly.

"M's a little difficult when it comes to trusting people," Takeo smiled reassuringly. "Don't take it to heart, sir," he advised.

"Yeah, even we had troubles 'taming' him," Tao laughed, remembering the first few days after M-21 had become the way he was now. Aside from Frankenstein and maybe Seira, he hadn't let anyone get too close to him, glaring left and right, wary and seemingly ready to run away at a moment's notice. "Just give him some time," 'and hope – no, pray for the best,' Tao wanted to add, because unless a miracle happened, Muzaka had no chance of getting any closer to M-21.

"Perhaps you are right," Muzaka sighed once again. It was hard to admit that gaining the child's trust was perhaps a foolish attempt at soothing his still grieving heart. That child reminded him too much of his daughter – he had the same determined eyes, same heated glare, same strong will, but… he wasn't her and will never be. He could never replace her or fill the ever-bleeding wounds in Muzaka's longing heart, but there was nothing wrong with showering him with affection in her place. If he could, that is, because so far, the child wouldn't even want to hear about him, let alone spend time with him.

"Oh, I know!" The hacker beamed, as an idea just dawned on him. "Since children love animals, maybe if you transform into a wolf, he'll play with you," he grinned brightly.

"That's not such a bad idea," Muzaka hummed, scratching his chin, actually taking the advice to heart.

"Introducing a five-year-old to a fully transformed werewolf? Absolutely brilliant," Frankenstein retorted in the most sarcastic tone he could manage, glaring at the hacker, who shrunk in his seat under the weight of the scientist's threatening gaze. Of all the times he couldn't hold his tongue, he had to chose precisely this moment and Muzaka as an accomplice for his rather idiotic idea, hadn't he?

"Well, the pup already hates me from the bottom of his heart, so I don't see how it could worsen the situation," the werewolf laughed awkwardly.

"By terrifying him," Frankenstein narrowed his eyes, apparently entering his protective-parent mode.

"You'll be there, so he won't be afraid," Muzaka replied, knowing that the little one would instinctively seek the scientist whenever he needed help, feeling safer in his presence.

"Besides, he might like a big, fluffy puppy," Tao intervened in a cunning tone, but one look from Frankenstein told him he would better keep his mouth shut unless he wanted to face his wrath.

"If he does wish to play with animals, we'll take him to a petting zoo. Under no circumstances I will have a werewolf transform in the living room," the scientist stated firmly, shuddering at the horrifying prospect of what the blast of Muzaka's transformation could do to his house: the mess, the havoc, the mayhem. Dear lord…

"I'll transform quietly," Muzaka said, trying to persuade him.

"If memory serves, you've always had a rather distorted definition of 'quiet'," Frankenstein replied, crossing his arms over his chest. "This whole situation is only your fault and I see no reason for which I should force M-21 to do something he doesn't want to, unaware or not. If you had even an ounce of patience, it could've been avoided altogether, but after all, patience hardly suits a werewolf, isn't that right?" he raised an eyebrow, the blue of his eyes darkening.

Muzaka's expression saddened, knowing that there was nothing more he could say to Frankenstein, as the scientist's words regarded more than just the issue of the pup hating him. He hadn't forgiven the werewolf for what he has done to his Master and never will, as he knew how to hold a grudge. Their relationship being on 'amiable' terms was just for Raizel's sake and nothing more, but even that could change in the blink of an eye.

"Then there's really no chance for me to make it up to the pup, is there?" Muzaka asked quietly.

Frankenstein chose not to state the obvious, simply taking a sip from his tea, when his eyes fell upon Raizel and he froze. The noble looked at him with what could be best described as puppy-eyes, silently pleading the scientist to help his friend. Frankenstein could almost feel his heart melt at that expression, which was more compelling than any order, and with a sigh, he resigned to his fate and gave in – of course he gave in, this was Raizel after all.

"Fine," Muzaka's head perked up. "But if M-21 says no, then it's no and that is final," Frankenstein put the teacup on its saucer, sitting up. He needed to go on a little errand first, before talking to the child. After all, Muzaka shouldn't have it easy, should he?

~Z~

There was a big dog in the living room – that was M-21's first thought upon sighting Muzaka's wolf form. And by 'big' he actually meant huge, because that dog had to be at least as tall, if not even taller than a human when standing. Thankfully, he was sitting down in a relaxed position, resting his head on his front paws, wagging his tail lazily, a playful glint in his eyes. His fur was silver, almost white in the right light, had several scars across his body, and his gaze seemed far too focused, too intelligent for an animal. Such a strange dog he was…

Frankenstein came and told him that Master's friend had left so it was finally safe for him to come out of his hiding, but that unfortunately they had to look after his dog for a while. Truth be told, he was expecting something else… something a little smaller, perhaps?

"That's a big doggie," the child said warily, tightening his grip on Frankenstein's hand. "Are you okay with it? He'll shed on the carpet," he asked looking up at the scientist with concern, knowing that the other really valued cleanliness and tidiness.

Takeo and Tao had to stifle their snickers at the child's commentary, at which the dog appeared to have huffed in indignation. Apparently, M-21's problem wasn't the seven foot tall silver wolf in the living room, was the fact that Frankenstein might get upset by him getting fur all over the place.

"It's alright," the blond chuckled, "we'll just shave him if he does," he shot Muzaka an ominous smirk. Of course, he could've corrected the child, telling him that Muzaka was in fact some sort of wolf, but he had something else in his mind. Something a little more… devious.

"Would you like to pet him?" Tao intervened excitedly.

"No," the child shot him down instantly.

"But just look at how fluffy he is!" the hacker grinned, gesturing to Muzaka with both his hands as if he was introducing a product to a customer.

M-21 frowned at him for a moment, his lips set in a thin line, suspecting that something was up, then looked at the dog and his expressions somewhat softened. The doggie appeared to be indeed rather fluffy. The child idly wondered how it would feel to run his hands through his silver fur and pet him and maybe play with him a little…

"Does he bite?" he asked unsure.

"I assure you he doesn't," Frankenstein answered, smiling at him. "Would you like to get closer to him?" he asked, feeling M-21's hand twitch into his. Apparently, the child found reassurance in holding someone whom he trusted close, as if to convince himself that he wasn't alone anymore and that there was someone he could rely on. Perhaps this tendency was an instinctual vestige left from the time when his comrades were still alive, which his older version might've learnt to suppress, since he wouldn't voluntarily do that. But as a child, his behavior was a little more instinctive, raw, unpolished yet and he would openly express his need to have someone close.

The child pondered the idea for a few moments, considering whether it was safe or not to do that. So far the dog had behaved, not moving from where he stood, simply watching them patiently, so M-21 guessed he was trained and there was no danger in approaching him.

When he finally nodded, Frankenstein walked over to Muzaka, who raised his head, ears perked up at them. They stopped in front of him, M-21 instinctually edging closer to the scientist.

"You can pet him, if you want," Frankenstein encouraged the child, who was still hesitating, his eyes locked on the werewolf before him.

M-21 slowly raised a hand to pet the dog, his little fingers tentatively touching his muzzle. Seeing as he did not react badly to being touched, the child gained a little more confidence and put his whole hand on it. The dog closed his eyes and leaned into his palm, sighing in content, as the little one moved his hand from the dog's muzzle to his head, dipping his fingers into the soft fur, enjoying its pleasant texture.

"He's really fluffy," M-21 noticed timidly, unknowingly letting go of Frankenstein's hand to better pet the dog.

The dog's fur was puffy and soft around the more sensible areas, such as the ears, while on his back it was coarser and longer. He seemed to like being scratched under his jaw or behind the ears, pushing against the child's hand, who took it as a sign that he was enjoying it.

M-21 frowned as his fingers passed over the scar on the left side of the dog's muzzle.

"He has been hurt," he observed. "Is his owner treating him badly?" he asked looking up at Frankenstein, a little concerned that the doggie might've been abused, which meant that his owner was even meaner than he initially thought. Not only he was tricking people into cuddling them, he was hurting dogs too? He was such a bad person!

"Oh, no," Frankenstein shook his head. "It's just that he got in a lot of fights with other… dogs."

"Oh," M-21 was a little relieved that the doggie hasn't been hurt by his owner.

Muzaka chose to ignore the fact that Frankenstein had just called his fellow werewolves 'dogs' because the plan was working perfectly: the pup had accepted him and even seemed to be a little happy to pet him. Leaning in, he rubbed his muzzle against M-21's face, at which he chuckled lightly, tickled by the werewolf's soft fur and whiskers. With a huff, he rested his head on the child's shoulder, feeling the pup hug him in a tentative embrace as his little hands barely encircled his neck.

"He's really warm," M-21 unknowingly said, as the dog was far warmer than he had expected.

"He is, isn't he?" Frankenstein smiled seeing as the child was getting more comfortable with being in Muzaka's presence. "Oh, I forgot I have brought something special for him. I'll be right back."

"Okay," M-21 nodded, watching the scientist leave the room before he resumed petting the dog.

Muzaka wondered where Frankenstein left, feeling that he might be up to something, but was distracted by the little one who was now intrigued by his fluffy ears and the way they reflexively twitched at the slightest touch.

A few minutes later, Frankenstein returned with a paper bag in his arms and a sweet smile that could be contrasted only by his dark aura, a clear indication that he was up to no good.

"Unfortunately, his owner hasn't left us any supplies for him, so I went out and bought some," the scientist explained when M-21 looked at him in inquiry, putting the paper bag on the coffee table, taking out several items from it. With each item revealed, Muzaka, Tao and Takeo's eyes went wide, the horror of the revelation dawning on them, while Raizel was as clueless as ever. Frankenstein could only smirk in satisfaction as he placed on the table several dog toys, a collar, a leash, brushes and dog shampoo. "Since he will be staying with us for a while, we need to take good care of him. Would you like to help me give the doggie a bath, little one?"

Muzaka's eyes went even wider at the word 'bath', his head snapping up at Frankenstein, who's unsettling smile made the fur on his nape stand. He then looked at the pup, and much to his dismay, he saw him nod, his eyes sparkling at the idea.

"Now, doggie, let's go take a bath," Frankenstein beckoned him, his smile not faltering even for a moment, the shampoo and the brushes in one hand.

"C'mon, Mr. Doggie," M-21 innocently called him, tilting his head and waiting for the dog to stand up and follow him.

Muzaka, former werewolf lord, had done a great deal of thing throughout his life, but getting a bath from a child was not one of them. And still, M-21 looked at him with such bright eyes, it was hard for him to refuse. With a long sigh, he gave in and stood up, much to the scientist's satisfaction. He was aware this was some kind of twisted form of payback, since Frankenstein had mastered the art of holding a grudge to perfection and unfortunately, there was nothing he could do. He couldn't disappoint the pup now, could he?

He followed them further through the house and into the bath, which was rather large, having a shower big enough for Muzaka to get in with ease. Frankenstein helped M-21 put his little apron and his pink gloves, before putting his. He took the showerhead from its support, turned it one and adjusted the right temperature of the water.

"Can I do it?" M-21 asked, clumsily masking his eagerness to be the one to clean the doggie.

"Of course," the scientist chuckled, giving him the showerhead.

The child sprayed Muzaka with water, running one hand through his fur to make sure it was thoroughly wet, avoiding his head. After that, he turned off the water, grabbed the shampoo bottle and squeezed a rather generous amount, spreading it on the fur. The little one frowned in concentration, lips pressed tight, diligently washing the dog that was almost three times as big as he was.

Unfortunately, the child had put a little too much shampoo and in a matter of minutes, all that was left of Muzaka's body was a cluster of pink bubbles and foam. Frankenstein had to stifle his chuckles at the exasperated expression the werewolf lord was showing. Yet one look at the pup who was so engrossed in what he was doing he was unaware of the mountain of bubbles, and Muzaka's expression softened. He barely even felt those little hands washing him, and yet, the child still gave it his all even though it might've been a little too much work for someone as small as him.

"I think that should do it," Frankenstein said after a while, not necessarily because Muzaka had been thoroughly cleaned, but because the little one was getting tired.

After rinsing all the foam, the scientist closed the shower door, so Muzaka could shake freely. In the meantime, he went and brought a few towels and a hairdryer, which he gave to M-21, since he was so determined to take care of the dog on his own. As soon as Muzaka stepped out of the shower, the child began wiping the excess water with the towels, then moving on to completely dry him with the hairdryer. By the time he was finished, the werewolf was twice as fluffy as he was in the beginning, his fur sticking out in every direction.

"We'll have to brush him," M-21 hummed, noticing the dog's fluffiness. "Can I take him to my room?"

"Of course," Frankenstein answered.

Muzaka only sighed in resignation. What was a little bit of brushing compared to being bathed and dried like a pet? The pup seemed to be having fun, so no harm in it, was it?

"Little one, I have to go and see if Master wouldn't like another cup of tea. Do you think you can handle everything?" the scientist asked him.

"Sure," M-21 replied, taking off his apron and his gloves.

Once he was in the child's room, Muzaka jumped onto the bed and settled down, patiently waiting for the pup to join him. M-21 took a seat near him and began brushing him with careful, gentle moves. The werewolf watched him with an amused expression as once again the little one was very focused on what he was doing. The child started with the head, being especially attentive around the more sensitive areas, such as the eyes and the ears, after which he moved onto the ruff, smoothing down the long fur, then finally he groomed his back.

"That should do it," the child said with a jaw-cracking yawn after he had finished, putting the brush on the nightstand and admiring his work.

Muzaka nudged M-21 with his muzzle into a more comfortable position, making him lie against him, before curling around him and looking at him expectantly.

"You wanna take a nap too?" the child asked. "Mm, a nap sounds good," he continued leaning against the fluffy dog, closing his eyes. Muzaka's comforting warmth lulled him and in a matter of minutes he relaxed, his breathing evened out and eventually drifted off to sleep.

After a while, Frankenstein appeared in the doorway to check on them, finding the little one sound asleep.

"You're welcome, Mr. Doggie," he smiled smugly at Muzaka, before turning the lights off and closing the door so the child could sleep comfortably.

Aside from some… complications, this plan hasn't been so bad after all.

TO BE CONTINUED… :)