Summary: The aftermath of a battle.

Ride

By Dark Ice Dragon

Tao wanted to press a hand to his side, but since he'd managed to keep most of his clothes on, pushing fabric into an open wound wasn't a good idea when it came to enhanced healing.

Before he could try, he got a massive wolf's head ducking under his arm and he chuckled, petting M-21, avoiding the wound right above his eye. "Okay, okay, got it." He could type one-handed anyway as he erased all traces of the battle and of him, M-21 and Boss travelling back home. They'd needed to get M-21 out of sight as soon as possible and if they went on ahead, Boss could get everything set up for when the others arrived.

They'd been able to keep the collateral damage down as best as they could - and Tao was sure the civilians had a network up to warn them to evacuate when another 'gas explosion' happened. There had been too many of those happening close together that they couldn't not be suspicious by now.

"Aaand done!" Tao declared, grinning as much as his protesting muscles would allow. "At least the CCTV anyway - I'll check twitter, youtube and tumblr later." After he'd slept for a day. For the moment, it seemed quiet.

He got a huff of acknowledgement from M-21 and Tao turned his attention back to him. "Shouldn't you have transformed back by now?" The fight had ended a while ago but M-21 happy staying in that form. Which was fair enough, but he was exhausting himself that way.

"He may believe there's still danger so he'll hold it for as long as he can," Boss said, bringing out a tray of medical instruments.

"That's just M all over." Tao petted M-21 one more time and started to walk towards Boss. He paused when Boss shook his head at him.

"I won't need your assistance - there weren't any fatal injuries."

Aside from Boss' master, but that wasn't something that could be fixed with surgery.

"Are you sure? I'm not that injured." He'd been able to stay out of the fighting until the very end.

Tao looked over his shoulder at a low growl and saw M-21 lifting up a back paw, his head turned towards it.

"Ah!"

M-21 froze, his ears pricked towards him.

"No scratching - you'll open your wounds that way."

He got a whine in response, but M-21 set his foot down. And then made a move to bite one of his injuries on his flank.

"M!"

His ears flattened at that.

"Though I will need your help with this. I'll be right back."

While Boss was busy getting whatever it was he needed help with, Tao tried to distract M-21 from getting at his wounds. For the most part, it involved scratching around his ears.

Boss came back a minute later and -

"Is that a Cone of Shame?" One that could fit around M's neck - there was no way Boss bought that in a shop; he must have made it. That, and it looked like it was made out of fabric, not plastic.

Boss gave him a wry smile. "An Elizabethan collar, yes. There was a chance of this happening, so I made preparations." And that was Boss all over.

"M-21," Boss said, and M-21 focused on him, "we'll be putting this around your neck to make sure you don't scratch your wounds. It will be uncomfortable, but it won't hurt you."

"Hng..." M-21 leaned in and sniffed the Cone of Shame as Boss presented it to him. He seemed satisfied with what he smelled and he lifted his head, giving them access to his neck.

They opened it up and wrapped it around M-21's head. Tao saw him stiffen before they'd finished securing it with the velcro, and Tao patted his shoulder, trying to soothe him.

He took a step back to avoid being whacked in the face by the cone as M-21 span around, a loud whine erupting from his throat. M-21 shook his head, backing away. When the cone didn't move, he sat down with a thump, trying to scratch it off.

"Ah, c'mon, M, we just got it on," Tao said, going closer to stop him again.

He got a glare and a short growl for that.

"It's just until you heal up. Less than thirty minutes." Either M-21 would heal first or his transformation would end in that time.

"Hnnn!" M-21 shook his head one more time and then sighed, drooping.

"It'll be off soon, okay?" Tao reached up and rubbed the base of his ears. He tried to hide his wince as that stretched things that didn't want to be stretched right now, but Tao looked up at Boss patting his shoulder.

"You should rest," Boss said. "There's a double bed through there." He nodded towards a large set of doors Tao was sure he'd been through before. "It should be big enough for both of you."

And it was close enough for Boss to check up on them without too much trouble.

"Are you sure-"

"Yes, I am." He gestured towards the door again. "Both of you."

M-21 made a grumbling noise but got to his feet, padding over, and Tao hurried after him, making sure to stay in his sight so M-21 knew he wasn't going alone.

The bed was what Tao expected anything coming from Boss: neat, clean, and if Boss had told them to go to bed it had to be sturdy enough to take both their weights.

"What side do you wanna take?"

M-21 cocked his head to the side for a second and then clambered in on the right side, curling up.

Tao went for the left and while M-21 got they were supposed to sleep, he kept his head up.

"Boss said we're to-" Wait, his neck was too stiff. Hm. Tao reached over and pressed the Cone of Shame towards M-21's snout. "It's soft, see? You can put your head down."

M-21's eyebrow ridges lifted and he set his head down between his front legs, the cone flattening under him. He did it again, huffing.

Tao didn't think much when M-21 looked at him. "Sleep. You sh-" M-21 shuffled forward and dropped his head on top of Tao's chest. "-oof! M'fine," he said before M-21 could worry, curling a hand around one of his ears. "You just surprised me."

"Mrr..."

"Apology accepted. Now go sleep." Tao was already getting there; the bed was comfy and warm, his eyelids going heavy.

He got a sigh as a reply and Tao drifted off.

xOx

Tao's hand was still buried in M-21's fur when he woke up, but he felt more refreshed after the nap. Sleep? There wasn't a clock in the room and his phone had gotten destroyed in the fight. Again. Maybe he should work on that next - in a pinch, they could use it as a weapon if he made it indestructible.

M-21 shifted - oh, whoops. He'd transformed back, and Tao didn't have enough time to get his hand back before M-21 stiffened, his nostrils flaring.

"Just me," Tao said, moving his hand, though M-21 would know that by now.

"What's-" M-21 opened his eyes, holding a hand to his neck.

"Lemme get that." M-21 turned his head and Tao took the cone off with a long pull. "You were scratching so we needed something to make sure you didn't."

"Hm." M-21 studied the cone and then nodded, stretching. It was like all of M-21's joints cracked at once.

"Clothes are behind you," Tao said, and those hadn't been there before. Especially the table they were on top of. Not to mention the bowls of ramen next to them.

"All right." M-21 didn't move, his muscles tense.

"Everyone's fine," Tao said, giving his shoulder a nudge as he scooted over to the food. "The last I knew anyway. We got out alive." The bowl was still hot when Tao touched it. Excellent timing as always, Boss.

M-21 sagged. "Good."

When M-21 came over to his side to eat, he leaned on Tao's shoulder and Tao let him use him as a crutch, not saying about it.

So I wanted to write wolf!M-21 in a cone…