by pebble/scifipony
Fandom: The Librarian
Chapter: 2
Characters: Excalibur, Flynn Carsen, The Library
Tags: Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Grief
Warnings: None
Author's Notes: This chapter borrows some lore from the 2014 tv show, as well as the idea that Nicole's death was only three months after Flynn was first recruited. (Personally I headcanon that it was shortly before the second movie, since that movie implied Flynn had only recently started to go on solo missions, but the earlier death works better for the purposes of this fic.)
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In the wake of Nicole’s death, the atmosphere in the Library was more somber and quiet than usual. There was a sorrow in the very magic of their home that clung to the shelves and lay heavy in the shadows.
It was a sorrow that had been felt too often in the walls of the Library. They lost Librarians and Guardians on a depressingly regular basis. They would all mourn for a time, and then invitations would go out and life would move on. The cycle didn’t get any easier with familiarity, though. It still hurt.
Excalibur had also seen enough examples of the soulmate-like bond that formed between a Librarian and Guardian to know how much harder this was hitting Flynn than the rest of them.
It wasn’t too hard to track down the young Librarian. Flynn was a creature of habit, and Excalibur had very quickly learned which alcoves and nooks were the most likely places for him to retreat to when upset. Well, that and the Library giving him a gentle nudge in the right direction. It was apparently as concerned as Excalibur for their new friend.
He found Flynn sitting cross-legged on the floor of a reading alcove deep in the ancient languages section. There were numerous notebooks and research materials spread around him, but he wasn’t actually reading any of them.
Excalibur hovered close, letting out a questioning sound.
Startled, Flynn looked up from the photograph he’d been holding in his hands.
“Oh, hey,” he murmured, pushing some books aside to let Excalibur settle in beside him.
His eyes were red, though Excalibur couldn’t tell if it was from lack of sleep or grief. Probably a bit of both. It made the sword ache for their young Librarian. It wasn’t fair that he was dealing with something like this so soon. A lot of Librarians didn’t even survive this far into their tenure, let alone having to deal with the death of their Guardian.
“Sorry,” Flynn said, wiping a hand down the tear tracks slowly drying on his cheeks. “I just—”
His voice cut out, and he took a long shaky breath. Excalibur whimpered in sympathy and nudged gently against Flynn’s arm.
You don’t have to be okay yet, he wished he could tell him. We’ve got you.
The Library, as if to agree with the unspoken sentiment, softened the lights and sent a ripple of calming magic over them. Excalibur wondered if Flynn had yet learned how to ‘listen’ to the Library. It was always trying to communicate with its Librarians, but not all of them learned how to understand it.
The extra reassurance from both of them seemed to be the last push Flynn needed to tip over that edge and let himself spiral down into his grief. Tears came hard and fast as he silently mourned his lost Guardian.
Excalibur skewered a blanket from a nearby chair and draped it over the Librarian’s shoulders before settling back down by his side.
It’s not your fault.
He wished he had a way of getting the message through to Flynn — a way to make him actually believe it.
All he could do was sit quietly beside the grieving Librarian and offer his silent support.
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