Frowning, M-21 closed the fridge and headed to the corridor.
He was right, it was Kentas, but... Kentas wasn't exactly stumbling, not like a human would, but compared to how he normally walked, it was slower, and he leaned side to side with each step, like he wouldn't quite keep himself upright.
"You all right?" M-21 called out after him, expecting Kentas to turn. It was a surprise Kentas had even walked past the kitchen in the first place - he always seemed to head straight for wherever M-21 was (Tao was sure Kentas was sniffing him out, but M-21 ignored that comment).
Kentas continued walking. Like he hadn't heard him.
It took another two steps before Kentas slowed. "Mm? Yeah, I'm good," he said over his shoulder before he started walking again, heading for the living room.
No. No, he wasn't. M-21 quickened his pace, reaching for Kentas. Normally, Kentas knew he was coming, was reacting to meet him when M-21 got close, but M-21's hand closed on Kentas' shoulder, and that felt so wrong at that particular moment that M-21 just stared.
Kentas smiled at him, but it didn't look like he was focusing on M-21.
"What's wrong?" M-21 said, his stomach tightening as he saw Kentas' mildly blank face. What had happened between the spar and now? It couldn't have been an attack - could it have been some kind of poison? Or a reaction to something?
Or maybe...this was happening because of the spar? "Did I hit you too hard?" Except that was fucking laughable. There was no fucking way he would be able to seriously injure a werewolf warrior.
Kentas just laughed lowly, leaning into M-21, making his stomach drop. "Of course not. The spar was great." He nuzzled M-21's cheek, breathing in deeply.
What the fuck was wrong with him? Muzaka might know, but he was out right now, so that left Frankenstein.
"Just-" M-21 swallowed, hating how uncertain his voice sounded. "Just stay here, all right?" What if Kentas didn't, and he wandered somewhere and was attacked like this?
He had to hurry. It would be faster if he got Frankenstein himself, than trying to drag Kentas to him.
M-21 span on his heel and headed for the lab - he hadn't seen Frankenstein in a while, so it was a good bet that was where he was.
Kentas had acted normal after the spar, right? Right? There was the usual wooziness as their skin, muscles and bones healed but... Had Kentas been himself after that?
The lights were already on when he got to the lab, and as soon as the main lab doors opened, he called out, "Frankenstein?"
He got a reply almost immediately, Frankenstein within sight.
"M-21?" Frankenstein said, no longer writing in his journal. "What's the matter?"
"It's Kentas," M-21 said, resisting trying to just go over and drag Frankenstein out of the lab, if only because he knew that wouldn't work. Frankenstein couldn't be forced to do something he didn't want to. "He's acting weird. I don't know what's wrong with him." And he wasn't sure if it was permanent. He couldn't voice that thought though, because it couldn't be. Kentas was a werewolf warrior - they couldn't be permanently affected by one spar, right?
A creased formed between Frankenstein's brow as he frowned, and he set his journal down, nodding to M-21 to lead the way.
"How is he acting?" Frankenstein asked as they left the lab.
"Like he's drugged." Could werewolves get drugged? Didn't their system destroy everything they came in contact with? "Slow reactions, barely registering I was there. Walking slower." That sounded ridiculous, but Frankenstein would understand. He had to. And Frankenstein wanted as much information as possible. "It was like he couldn't focus on me."
"His speech? Slurred? Using the wrong words?"
"No. Just...slow." He couldn't give Frankenstein enough information, but the questions still relaxed M-21. Frankenstein was there; he could do something. And the questions helped keep M-21's mind away from thoughts about what could happen if Frankenstein couldn't help. If he really had somehow brain damaged Kentas. Had they even - yeah, there had been a number of head blows. M-21 had sometimes even specifically aimed for Kentas' head, because that was one of the few ways to make Kentas dodge or flinch back. Or to stun him.
Had he really...?
"Where was he?"
Frankenstein's question cut through his thoughts and M-21 looked around. They were in the corridor he'd last seen Kentas, but Kentas wasn't there. Shit. If Kentas hadn't changed direction- "Living room?" After that, if they didn't find him there, they were splitting up, because the living room lead to the way out, and they would need to get to Kentas fast.
The door was ajar and M-21 exhaled, seeing Kentas' familiar hair, his back to them as he sat on the sofa. He'd stopped there. Good.
"Kentas," M-21 said, and Kentas barely even stirred at his voice.
M-21 glanced at Frankenstein. See? Something was wrong!
Frankenstein nodded and walked over. When Frankenstein reached Kentas' side and saw his face, Frankenstein...
Smiled?
The fuck?
M-21 saw Frankenstein shake his head slightly as he bent down a little to gather Kentas' wrist in one hand. When M-21 went over, Kentas still had that blank expression on his face. What the fuck was Frankenstein seeing? Why was that okay?
"Kentas?" Frankenstein said, turning his own wrist over to check his watch as he took Kentas' pulse.
Kentas rolled his head to look at Frankenstein. "Nnn?"
It was wrong. M-21 had seen too many of his comrades' expressions go like that when their body had been overloaded with drugs, barely able to comprehend what was going on.
"Good spar?" Frankenstein said.
That was it?
...Not that it seemed like Kentas could process anything more than that.
But...had he mentioned that when informing Frankenstein? No, he hadn't. He'd only talked about the symptoms, not what they'd been doing before.
A second's pause, and a grin grew across Kentas' face. He rolled his head to beam at M-21. "An amazing spar."
M-21 hear Frankenstein's soft chuckle as M-21 tried to figure it out. Was Kentas really like this because of their spar?
"He's fine, M-21," Frankenstein said, setting Kentas' arm down. "He's currently riding high off endorphins right now; he'll be back to his usual self in another hour or so."
"Endor-?" Because of the spar. They were usually released after exercise or some shit, weren't they? It apparently made people feel good, which, looking at Kentas... Could people really be so happy they acted drugged? "He's never been like this before." Why was it different now?
Frankenstein cleared his throat, his twitching lips trying to hide his smile, and M-21 still didn't get why this was so amusing to him. "The more evenly matched a werewolf pair are together, they harder they have to fight to win."
Yeah, that made sense.
"The harder they fight in a spar, the happier they are afterwards," Frankenstein said, nodding towards Kentas. "Muzaka is similar after our spars. There's nothing to worry about."
Trying to beat the shit out of each other made werewolves so happy they acted drugged afterwards? "Werewolves are fucking weird." He knew Kentas was weird, but he thought that was just Kentas, not that it was something fucking biological that Kentas enjoyed their spars so much.
"That they are," Frankenstein said, except his tone was soft and fond, and M-21 couldn't help roll his eyes. They'd both, somehow, ended up with werewolves, so they were just as weird.
And Kentas being weird and being in some post-spar trip was much better than being brain damaged.
Kentas reached over, and when M-21 held his hand, Kentas tugged him to his side.
"They can get rather, ah, 'snuggly' afterwards as well," Frankenstein said as Kentas wrapped an arm around M-21, rumbling hard enough to feel.
"Yeah, fine. You said he'd be like this for another hour?"
"Give or take," Frankenstein said. "I'll be in my lab if you have any other concerns. In the meantime, it would be best if you stay by his side."
"It's not like he's fucking letting me go," M-21 muttered as Kentas leaned in to nuzzle M-21's neck. Not that he would leave anyway.
M-21 heard Frankenstein leave, but he was focused on Kentas, just making sure he was all right. Kentas seemed it. Frankenstein had said he was fine.
But M-21 would keep an eye on him for now.
Just in case.
