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Entry tags:
while you're still young
Title: while you're still young
Fandom: Bungou to Alchemist
Character(s): Naoya, Takiji, Musha
Pairing(s): None
Genre: Angst
Word Count: 660
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: None
Summary: The end of their work is imminent. Naoya and Musha are fine with this; Takiji is not.
Notes: "but Mini you have request fics to do-" they're getting done later, angst now
About a week ago, Miss Librarian told Naoya that the spread of Taints had been stopped, and that once they were finished clearing out the already existing Taints, his existence in this world would be over.
She’d told the other authors too, of course, but she’d told them all individually. It was news that some people would react badly to, and the very least she could do for them was give them their privacy.
Naoya wasn’t one of those people. He wasn’t surprised - he’d known from the start that there was no reason to keep around a dead author if there wasn’t any work for him. He wasn’t upset, either - he’d lived a long, full life, and there wasn’t any reason to complain about getting an extra year and having a chance to see some people he’d long since parted with.
Some of his colleagues felt similarly. Akutagawa worked even harder than usual in book delves, most likely to make up for the authors who slacked off, intentionally or unintentionally. Musha took time out to praise the other authors for their accomplishments, both in life and in the library, “so that no one will disappear without knowing how important they were!”
Takiji, though. Takiji is hard for Naoya to read at the best of times. But he’s withdrawn more, avoided speaking to either Naoya or Musha, and Naoya thinks he has an idea of why.
It’s probably something that needs a delicate touch-
“Takiji, if you’re upset, you should come talk to one of us about it!”
-but Musha has removed all chance of approaching it with subtlety, so he might as well just go for it.
Takiji avoids looking at either of them, choosing instead to stare at a corner of his room. “I’m fine.”
“You haven’t had a real conversation with us in a week, though,” Naoya points out. “You’re even eating less than normal, and that’s weird for you.”
“There’s no point in someone who’ll disappear soon eating food that could go to other people,” Takiji replies.
Musha’s frown intensifies. “Are you sad because our work will be done soon?”
“...No more than anyone else is,” Takiji says, and tugs his hood down over his face.
Even without that obvious tell, Naoya would figure he was lying, because- “Nah, it’s not the same for everybody. Me and Musha, we’re old men. After you live ninety years or so, you really can’t complain that you want more out of life, if you’ve been living life the way you wanted to. I loved meeting you again, but I’m satisfied with how much I got out of this world. But you...”
Twenty-nine, and not even a death by illness, but a violent death. If things had gone differently, who knows what Takiji could have experienced while he was still alive?
If these months meant so much to Naoya, how much more did they mean to Takiji?
Takiji’s hood covers his eyes, but the moment he starts to tremble, Musha throws his arms around him in a hug, and Naoya follows suit. Takiji’s breath comes in hitches and gasps, as if trying not to cry was more important than even breathing.
“I’m glad we met again, and we got to be such good friends,” Musha says, into the back of Takiji’s jacket.
“So am I,” says Naoya, and doesn’t miss how Takiji’s trembling worsens at that. “Even if it was short, we got to spend a lot more time together this time around.”
“I…” Takiji’s breath hitches, his face still hidden. “I wish… I wish we all could have stayed like this forever...”
That’s a dream, an ideal future that all of them know would never happen. From the moment Takiji pulled him out of that book, he’d known his time with his disciple wouldn’t last half as long as either of them would like.
But dreams have their place, and so Naoya strokes Takiji’s back gently and murmurs, “Me too.”
Fandom: Bungou to Alchemist
Character(s): Naoya, Takiji, Musha
Pairing(s): None
Genre: Angst
Word Count: 660
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: None
Summary: The end of their work is imminent. Naoya and Musha are fine with this; Takiji is not.
Notes: "but Mini you have request fics to do-" they're getting done later, angst now
About a week ago, Miss Librarian told Naoya that the spread of Taints had been stopped, and that once they were finished clearing out the already existing Taints, his existence in this world would be over.
She’d told the other authors too, of course, but she’d told them all individually. It was news that some people would react badly to, and the very least she could do for them was give them their privacy.
Naoya wasn’t one of those people. He wasn’t surprised - he’d known from the start that there was no reason to keep around a dead author if there wasn’t any work for him. He wasn’t upset, either - he’d lived a long, full life, and there wasn’t any reason to complain about getting an extra year and having a chance to see some people he’d long since parted with.
Some of his colleagues felt similarly. Akutagawa worked even harder than usual in book delves, most likely to make up for the authors who slacked off, intentionally or unintentionally. Musha took time out to praise the other authors for their accomplishments, both in life and in the library, “so that no one will disappear without knowing how important they were!”
Takiji, though. Takiji is hard for Naoya to read at the best of times. But he’s withdrawn more, avoided speaking to either Naoya or Musha, and Naoya thinks he has an idea of why.
It’s probably something that needs a delicate touch-
“Takiji, if you’re upset, you should come talk to one of us about it!”
-but Musha has removed all chance of approaching it with subtlety, so he might as well just go for it.
Takiji avoids looking at either of them, choosing instead to stare at a corner of his room. “I’m fine.”
“You haven’t had a real conversation with us in a week, though,” Naoya points out. “You’re even eating less than normal, and that’s weird for you.”
“There’s no point in someone who’ll disappear soon eating food that could go to other people,” Takiji replies.
Musha’s frown intensifies. “Are you sad because our work will be done soon?”
“...No more than anyone else is,” Takiji says, and tugs his hood down over his face.
Even without that obvious tell, Naoya would figure he was lying, because- “Nah, it’s not the same for everybody. Me and Musha, we’re old men. After you live ninety years or so, you really can’t complain that you want more out of life, if you’ve been living life the way you wanted to. I loved meeting you again, but I’m satisfied with how much I got out of this world. But you...”
Twenty-nine, and not even a death by illness, but a violent death. If things had gone differently, who knows what Takiji could have experienced while he was still alive?
If these months meant so much to Naoya, how much more did they mean to Takiji?
Takiji’s hood covers his eyes, but the moment he starts to tremble, Musha throws his arms around him in a hug, and Naoya follows suit. Takiji’s breath comes in hitches and gasps, as if trying not to cry was more important than even breathing.
“I’m glad we met again, and we got to be such good friends,” Musha says, into the back of Takiji’s jacket.
“So am I,” says Naoya, and doesn’t miss how Takiji’s trembling worsens at that. “Even if it was short, we got to spend a lot more time together this time around.”
“I…” Takiji’s breath hitches, his face still hidden. “I wish… I wish we all could have stayed like this forever...”
That’s a dream, an ideal future that all of them know would never happen. From the moment Takiji pulled him out of that book, he’d known his time with his disciple wouldn’t last half as long as either of them would like.
But dreams have their place, and so Naoya strokes Takiji’s back gently and murmurs, “Me too.”