Title: Chapter XIII: Like a Butterfly in a Storm

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: this fanfic will be marked as complete for now, because I'm not sure when I will be able to update it [got a bloody graduate thesis to write :(]. I would like to thank you, dear readers, for all your support and kind words :) You're awesome!

The child flinched in fear and shut his eyes closed, a soft whimper escaping his lips when the night sky was torn in two by a fearsome flash of light. A terrible roar of some sort followed, echoing in the darkness and in his heart that beat faster and faster with each passing moment. Covering himself completely with the blanket, he pulled his knees to his chest, curling into himself, trying to be as small as possible. His lips burned and reddened when he bit them hard enough to seal away any whimpers and cries of fear that might've bloomed in his throat. It was just some rain. He shouldn't be afraid of it and yet, he couldn't stop himself from trembling and flinching at every explosion of light. The white teddy bear that Seira had given him was squeezed to his chest, finding some sense of safety in having the little, puffy toy close to him. Why did the thunder had to be so loud and scary? Not even the gentle pitter-patter of the drops falling on the window managed to calm him down. He could only hope the storm would stop soon or else he would not be able to fall asleep at this rate.

The creak of his door opening alerted him, so he peeked from under the blanket to see who could be up so late in this stormy night to come into his room. A relieved sigh almost passed his lips when he saw Tao and Takeo come in, their gentle smiles softly lighted by the night lamp at his bedside. They closed the door carefully so it wouldn't make too much noise and came to his side.

"Hey there, little one," Tao greeted him with his trademark grin as he took a seat on the edge of the bed.

"Hi," the child sat up, only his head and the teddy bear peeking out from his cocoon of blankets and pillows.

"Can't sleep?" Takeo asked even if he already knew the answer to that question. Those big silver eyes glistening with unshed tears were proof enough that the werewolf had been scared by the storm. He and Tao had a hunch that something like that might've happened, since the little one was, well… so little and impressionable, but decided to wait and see if the child didn't come to them for help first. When M-21 never came to them, they went to check on him, just to make sure he was alright.

"I…" M-21 paused and frowned, averting his gaze. "I was just about to fall asleep," he lied to the best of his abilities, trying to stop his voice from faltering and his lower lip from trembling.

"Really?" the hacker feigned surprise. "You must be really brave! We couldn't fall asleep with this scary storm going on," the child's head perked up at his genuinely impressed tone, while the sniper only sighed in exasperation at his comrade's dramatization, although he knew him well enough to know when to pick up the discussion's topic and lead it further.

"He's right," Takeo reached and ran a hand through the werewolf's tousled hair. "Could we sleep together with you?"

M-21 glanced at them with a hopeful look. If they didn't like the storm too, maybe if they slept together the scary weather outside wouldn't be so scary anymore.

"Sure," he said quietly, shifting away to make more room for them.

Tao and Takeo smiled at their success and climbed into the bed, getting under the covers and settling down by the child's side. Tucked nicely between them, the werewolf squeezed the teddy bear at his chest, closed his eyes and tried to fall asleep… until another thunder broke the silence, making him flinch.

"Hey, hey, it's alright. There's nothing to be afraid of," Takeo whispered softly, caressing his hair to comfort him.

"I know," the child frowned, cheeks puffed up in displeasure. "But I don't like the storm."

"Wanna see something?" Tao asked and the child nodded a little unsure.

The hacker brought his hands together as if he was holding something, sparks of blue energy flickering around his fingers like little fireworks. Their light slowly gathered and condensed in between his palms, making it look like he held a firefly or something similar. Maybe a small star, the child thought.

When he parted his hands, he held something akin to a blue butterfly, shining and sparking with energy. Its shape shifted and waved at first, but then it materialized even more, as if the energy somehow crystallized to give it some sort of consistency.

"H-how did you do that?" the child looked amazed at the small butterfly that began to flutter its wings as if it were real.

"Patience and a lot of practice," Tao laughed, choosing to avoid to answer the way he got his powers. "Wanna hold it?"

"Can I?" the werewolf asked in disbelief, unsure if he could touch something so… unreal

"Sure," he answered as the butterfly flew from his palm to the child's fingertips with the grace of a real being, its energy somehow molding around the werewolf's skin so it never touched it. It rested for a few moments, its wings fluttering delicately open and closed, then it flew again to the little one's other hand, landing on his palm as if it were a flower.

"It's so pretty," M-21 breathed out impressed, a shy smile on his lips, the fright of the storm long since forgotten with the help of a little blue butterfly.

TO BE CONTINUED… :)