Summary: Rai looks after the trio in what way he can when they need reassurance.

Happy birthday, Laryna6! :D

Set after season 4.

Care For

By Dark Ice Dragon

M-21 dragged his feet as he made his way up from the lab, on the verge of leaning on the wall. All of his skin buzzed, and he could feel when his clothes moved over it with each step, his sensitivity through the fucking roof.

Had he overdone it? He was sure he should have been able to do at least transform for over an hour, but it seemed that he'd already reached his limit, dammit. Was that all he could do?

M-21 jerked his head up at a sound and then blinked when he saw Raizel-nim walking towards him. Was he going down to visit Frankenstein?

Except Raizel-nim was heading for him, not the door. That had to mean Frankenstein needed something then.

M-21 straightened, ready to hear what Raizel-nim had to say.

He tracked Raizel-nim's arm as he lifted it and...patted him on the shoulder? What?

After two pats, Raizel-nim turned and left.

...Was that it? Was that Frankenstein's message?

...What?

xOx

Tao hummed, checking the pa jeon in the pan. It had to be good this time, right? He'd quadruple-checked the recipe, making sure everything was exactly what the measurements was supposed to be.

So unless there was some weird thing with his body rhythm mixing things up and changing them just when he touched the ingredients, it should be fine.

This time he wouldn't almost blow the stove up.

Tao kicked a leg out as he leaned back on the counter, swinging it. It was too late to quintuple-check it now so everything was set.

He turned his head at the sound of the living room door closing behind him. It was Boss' Master and Tao grinned, waving a hand. "Yo! What do you need?" He could do tea or coffee while he waited for the pa jeon to finish. That wouldn't be sweet enough for Boss' Master though.

"Hm," Boss' Master said, heading straight for the kitchen.

And peered into the pan. Uh. "That's just something I'm trying out, haha!" Tao said, rubbing the back of his head. As for it working out, that was something else...

Boss' Master didn't say anything in response, which was normal. What wasn't normal was the shoulder pats Tao got from him.

"Eh?" fell out of Tao's mouth as Boss' Master turned away. Tao had just been able to see the smile on his face before he left the room.

Okay. That was different.

xOx

Takeo leaned on the balcony banister, gazing out at the horizon. It was the same as the last few times he'd went there, and it was good. That meant he remembered it right.

He exhaled and looked down at his hands, seeing the tiny scar slivers there. He knew where most of them had come from (nicks when he's caught metal while reassembling his gun, slices from his knives), but there were others that he didn't. But that was normal. Most people didn't remember every detail in their life, and with his enhanced healing and pain tolerance, he might not have been aware it had even happened until after.

Still. Takeo couldn't help but think there were more memories in his head that weren't his.

If his sister had been fake, there could be others.

Someone walked up behind him and Takeo didn't turn around. Whoever it was would get his attention if it was something important.

The person patted his shoulder instead and Takeo exhaled, looking over his shoulder, seeing black hair. "Ta-"

It wasn't Tao, but Frankenstein's Master. "Ah!" He twitched, realising that, though Frankenstein's Master was smiling.

Takeo got another definite pat and then Frankenstein's Master left.

Why had...?

xOx

"Sooo," Tao said, moving the pa jeon to plates, "did anything...weird happen to you guys today?"

M-21's gaze slid away, and Takeo blinked. Which meant 'yes, definitely'.

"Mine was Boss' Master patting my shoulder out the blue." Tao sat down at the dining table and poked at his pa jeon. It looked like the example in the recipe he'd used.

"You too, huh?" M-21 snorted, leaning an elbow on the table and resting his chin in his hand. Since it wasn't dinner and no-one else was at the table, Boss wasn't there to shoot some Very Big Smiles in M-21's direction until he stopped doing that.

Takeo nodded, starting to eat. He didn't tense when he put it in his mouth, so that was a good sign it was edible. "He did that to me just before I came down as well." Takeo finished eating the piece and then smiled at Tao. "This is good."

It was? "Do you think he's going around patting everyone on the shoulder?" Tao wondered, sticking a piece in his mouth, and huh! It did taste good!

"He might," M-21 said, "but he's not that touchy. The only time I've seen him pat anyone was..." He trailed off, his eyes widening.

"When he was consoling Boss about the school," Tao finished. "He was consoling us?" Tao glanced down at his plate. Yeah, he'd been unsure about cooking when Boss' Master had come in.

The other two also nodded slowly, and Tao hummed, twirling his fork between his fingers. "Do ya think we should do something for him?"

M-21 frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Well..." Tao waved his fork. "He came to us in our time in need and tried to help us, right? Like a hero! So we should do something to repay him."

"What are you suggesting...?" And Tao knew that wary tone from Takeo, that the other man was expecting Tao to unleash a new plan that he was going to drag the others into.

Which was exactly what he was going to do. "Well we can't make him ramen, because that's Boss' forte," Tao said, ticking off a finger. "Keeping things clean is so Boss is happy, and giving his Master more tech could backfire. Though it could keep Boss happy, because then Boss can make him another manual," Tao added as an aside, waving another finger. "We're already trying to get stronger so he doesn't have to step in so..." Tao beamed.

"Tit for tat!"

"What," Takeo said, his face blank.

"We repay him exactly in the same way!"

"What," M-21 said, his face blank too.

"Are you saying we-"

"Give him pats too!" Tao nodded. "Yeah! Or maybe hugs." Tao hummed, mulling the idea over. "Do ya think Boss'll kill us if we try that?"

"Yes."

Tao pouted, crossing his arms. "Okay, then how else are we gonna pay him back?"

M-21 and Takeo shared a look and then M-21 covered his own face with his hand. "Urgh, fine, we'll hug him."

"Great!" Tao started tapping the table with a knuckle, eating more of the ja peon. "So how do you think we should do this...?"

xOx

M-21, Tao and Takeo had decided on something, Rai could feel that much as he left Frankenstein's laboratory. The three of them were no longer thinking about what had been discouraging them earlier, and he was glad for that. Hopefully the touches he had given them had helped.

Tao was excited again, his thoughts zipping about like a bird that Rai could not track, and M-21 and Takeo followed him around the house. The three of them were heading towards him and as soon as Tao rounded the corner and saw him, happiness sparked inside Rai's mind from the young human.

Hm?

"There ya are!" Tao said, almost bouncing towards him, his arms stretched outwards.

Rai only felt Tao's intent the second before Tao wrapped his arms around him and – oh. Rai had seen the children hug each other, usually when they were celebrating something, but he had yet to experience it himself.

M-21 and Takeo gauged what was happening and then they walked over, wrapping their arms around Rai and Tao both, and it was nice, being surrounded by the warmth of their bodies and feeling the care they had for him.

"This is thanks for being there for us," Tao said, smiling. "But you know, if you want more of this, we're totally willing to give ya hugs whenever ya want."

There was only confirmation from M-21 and Takeo, no surprise at Tao's words. They knew and agreed with him.

The three were like Frankenstein: once they had decided something, they would do it with all their energy.

Rai smiled. "Thank you." If this was what a hug felt like every time, then yes, in the future he would ask them for more hugs.

She asked for Rai patting the trio. :3