Title: Chapter X: The Cookie Thief

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.

Author's Note: I would like to thank you, dear readers, for all your kind words. I still can't stop flailing like an idiot over every single review :3 Thank you once again!

The little one's expression was a mask of sheer determination as he glared heatedly at the cookie jar inconveniently placed on one of the high shelves of the kitchen cabinets. Standing on his tiptoes, supporting himself with one hand on the counter so he wouldn't fall face-first on it, he tried reaching it with a hand.

"C'mon," he mumbled through gritted teeth, but no matter how much he tried to stretch his arm, he just couldn't close the distance between his hand and the cookie jar. After a few more attempts, he gave up with an exasperated sigh. Stupid cookie jar placed way too high. Why was everyone so tall in that house (except for Regis, but he was the exception that proved the rule)? Or maybe he was too small? Perhaps he should've ate those carrots after all…

But now, he had another challenge to face: he needed to get that cookie jar. What if he tried jumping? He could try…

A few jumps later, this idea was discarded as well, one, because it was too noisy, and two, because he wasn't getting any closer to his goal.

It was time to change the tactics. Looking around the kitchen, he spotted the chairs tucked under the table. He could climb on one of those to get to the shelf but… he was told he shouldn't do that. He could fall, hurt himself and get grounded in the process if Frankenstein found out that he was doing something he wasn't supposed to. Still, this wasn't the time to have second thoughts: desperate times required desperate measures and a little bit of thinking outside the box. If he was quick and sneaky enough, no one would've find out about his little misdemeanor so there was no need to worry, right?

He went over to the table and took one of the chairs, bringing it to the counter above which was the shelf he wanted to get to. He climbed on top of it, resting one knee on the countertop for more stability, and stretched his little arms to reach the cookie jar. Just a little bit more… and victory! The jar was in his hands! He allowed himself to smile a little at his success, knowing that he still needed to deliver it and put the chair back to its place so he wouldn't be found out.

He turned around just to do that but froze on the spot like a deer caught in the headlights. Frankenstein was leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed over his chest, lips curled into an amused smile, trying not to chuckle at the little one's alarmed expression as he had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar, figuratively speaking.

"Oh my, who knew we had a cookie thief in the house?" he asked chuckling lightly

"I can explain," M-21 blurted out rapidly, all the color draining from his face, the cookie jar pressed against his chest.

"Little one, you know you're not supposed to have cookies before dinner because you'll spoil your appetite," Frankenstein reproved him gently, his smile not faltering even for a second. M-21 hardly ever broke any rules, being a rather quiet type of child, so he had to have a reason for trying to steal the cookie jar when he wasn't supposed to have any snacks before dinner.

"They're not for me," the little werewolf continued, his voice tinged with panic.

"Oh? And for whom they might be?" the scientist asked.

"They're for Raizel," the child's reply made Frankenstein raise his brows in surprise. "He seemed upset that we can't have snacks before dinner so I just wanted to give him a cookie to cheer him up," he spoke rapidly, trying not to stutter. "I'm sorry," he bowed his head in shame, averting his gaze, waiting to be grounded for doing something he shouldn't have done.

Frankenstein's smile only widened at the child's justification. Apparently, even the little one gave into Raizel's charms. The scientist had to learn the hard way how to resist to them, and even he wasn't completely immune to the noble's puppy eyes. However, if left to his own devices, Raizel wouldn't eat anything but sweets, so Frankenstein had to impose a few rules regarding meal time, whether he liked it or not. It was very important to have a healthy lifestyle, regardless of the race.

"I see," the scientist said as he came to M-21 and picked him up in his arms so he would out of the danger of falling down from the chair.

"Are you upset?" the little one asked shyly.

"For climbing on a chair and risking hurting yourself? Yes," the werewolf shrunk in his arms. "For stealing the cookie jar just for Raizel's sake? No," M-21's head snapped up, looking at him with wide eyes. "You could've asked someone to help you." He was sure that Tao and Takeo would've helped him in the blink of an eye, even if that meant slightly going against Frankenstein's word. They were rather weak against the little one's adorableness, but after all, who wasn't?

"Sorry," M-21 mumbled the apology.

"It's alright, little one," the scientist replied, supporting the child's weight with one arm and ruffling his hair with the other. His gaze fell on the cookie jar still in M-21's hands. "Well, you can't have the whole cookie jar, but how about a compromise?"

M-21's head perked up, his eyes sparkling with interest, the fear that he might've got into trouble slowly fading away.

"Both you and Raizel can each have a cookie, but don't make a habit out of it, alright?"

"I promise," the werewolf nodded, glad that he had succeeded in obtaining the noble a cookie.

Frankenstein put the child down, took the jar from his hands, opened the lid and tilted it to him so he could reach in easier. M-21 took two cookies from inside and with a hurried 'thank you' he disappeared from the sight, going into the living room. The scientist placed the jar back on the shelf and then followed him.

"I got you a cookie," the little one said victoriously, handing Raizel his cookie.

The noble looked up from his book to the child's offering, his head tilted ever so slightly in surprise. His gaze shifted to Frankenstein, asking if it was all right to accept it, to which the scientist gave a short nod.

"Thank you," Raizel said quietly, his fingers gracefully curling around the treat, taking it from the werewolf's hand.

"You're welcome," the child answered before taking a seat near the noble.

They both began eating their respective cookies, and although M-21 couldn't even begin to mimic Raizel's elegance, he was doing his best not to get crumbs on the sofa. Next time he'll ask Frankenstein directly, rather than to try and steal the cookie jar… probably.

TO BE CONTINUED… :)