Summary: ·AU· Something had touched M-21 while he was sleeping and he snapped his hand up, clamping it around a wrist.

Set after season 2.

Probably won't make much sense, but it's a snippet of an au Key and I hashed out, where Tao is an android going by the name of TA-0.

Written for Key, and the characterisations and details were also helped by her. X3

I'll reply to reviews eventually, haha...

Timer

By Dark Ice Dragon

Something had touched M-21 while he was sleeping and he snapped his hand up, clamping it around a wrist.

It was thin, his fingers overlapping each other. They were also cool to the touch and M-21 got a slight static charge.

All the hints clicked together and when M-21 opened his eyes, he wasn't surprised at TA-0's brown eyes peering at where M-21 was holding him. M-21 let go of TA-0's wrist, and TA-0 drew it back.

"What…?" M-21 sat up, swiping at his hair until it fell into place. TA-0 hadn't been in his room when he'd fallen asleep so how long has TA-0 been there? …And what time was it? The sunlight coming through his window was brighter than it was when he usually woke up.

"You've been sleeping for eight hours – you're fully recharged now." TA-0 blinked once and tilted his head at him.

"Eight-" Shit, he'd exhausted himself more than he'd realised. He'd been practicing his transformation into the night but he hadn't thought he'd used that much energy.

"Yes, eight hours," TA-0 repeated.

M-21 sighed, scrubbing his face with a hand. Good thing it was the weekend or else he would have been late for work. Still, it was far longer than he usually slept.

"…Are you not fully charged?" TA-0's voice was softer than usual.

"I am," M-21 said as he swivelled so his legs were over the edge of his bed, TA-0 moving back to give him room. "Breakfast?" His stomach was demanding food, on the verge of growling.

"Yes!" A small smile crept onto TA-0's face; at least watching the Korean dramas had been helping TA-0 in one way.

"Let me get changed first," M-21 said, shaking his head as he stood up. TA-0 did seem eager at times but…

He frowned as his brain made a few more connections. "Were…you waiting for me?" Why else would TA-0 come to his room and wake him up after thinking he had rested enough?

TA-0 paused, then nodded.

Oh. Huh. "It's all right," he said, acknowledging TA-0's pause. "I don't usually sleep for that long anyway."

"I can wake you up earlier next time?"

His top was off and he started pulling on a fresh one. "Yeah."

Once he was finished changing, they left the room, heading downstairs.

xOx

The next morning, M-21 stared up at TA-0's face, moonlight not giving up to sunlight yet.

"You've been asleep for three hours," TA-0 said.

Shit. M-21 let go of TA-0's wrist, dropping his hand to the mattress. He should have told him how long his usual sleeping hours were.

Inspired by the prompt 'robot friend who very diligently wakes you up every day after exactly 8 hours of sleep because you should be fully recharged by now and they are bored and miss you and want you to be awake and do stuff with them'.