by pebble/scifipony
Fandom: The Librarian / The Librarians
Characters: Flynn Carsen, Excalibur, The Library
Words: 1,099
Tags: Friendship, Fluff, Episode Tag, Light Hurt/Comfort, Found Family
Warnings: None
Author's Notes:
Originally posted to SquidgeWorld on Oct 22, 2024. Written for the Octoberfics challenge on tumblr.
Tag scene for the S2 finale of the 2014 series.
“There you go, buddy,” Flynn said, gently setting Excalibur on the thick area rug in his bedroom.
He knew how much it annoyed the sword to have to be carried around, but his room was pretty far from the annex and he wasn’t sure Excalibur would have made it on his own.
Breathing out the exhaustion and worries from their adventure, Flynn sat down cross legged on the rug beside his friend. He could immediately feel the Library’s presence wrap around the both of them, like a welcoming hug.
“I think the Library missed you, too, Cal,” he said with a chuckle.
Excalibur chirped happily and snuggled deeper into the thick pile of the carpet. He definitely seemed happy to be home.
It was the first quiet moment they’d had since defeating Prospero. Between waking up from their hundred year hibernation and having to go over all the explanations and wrap ups, Flynn really hadn’t had time to properly take in the reality of having his best friend back.
A deep sense of relief filled him at the knowledge that the three of them — and the other relics currently roaming the Library — were alone. The others had all gone back to their apartments for the night, and Jenkins was out in the annex, probably tinkering in his workshop. Eve had invited Flynn back to her apartment as she was leaving, but had thankfully understood when he mentioned wanting to keep an eye on Excalibur’s recovery.
As much as Flynn loved Eve and the LITs, and was slowly growing used to having them in his space, it was still a welcome feeling to have this time with only himself and his two closest friends around. Excalibur and the Library were all he had left of his family — all that remained of his life from before the Brotherhood had taken it all away. They understood what he’d lost in a way the others simply couldn’t. While it wasn’t the same without Judson and Charlene here, it was still nice to have this sense of familiarity back in his life.
Flynn pulled out one of his thick, leatherbound logbooks to begin jotting down everything that had happened with Prospero and their time travel adventure. It was a habit he’d gotten into years ago after discovering the journals of several of the past Librarians. The idea of having some kind of records for future Librarians to reference seemed like it could be very useful, so he’d started trying to keep notes on anything that might be important farther down the road.
The hours ticked by comfortably as the three old friends enjoyed each other’s quiet company, having been far too long since they were all together.
Flynn didn’t even realize how much time had passed until Excalibur gently nudged him in the leg, drawing him out of his writings.
“I guess you’re right,” he sighed, stretching the cramps out of his hand. “Need to at least try to get some sleep.”
As a chronic insomniac, Flynn’s preferred method of managing his sleep schedule was usually to work until he couldn’t keep his eyes open any longer. After he’d moved into the Library full-time, Charlene and Excalibur used to gang up on him to make sure he went to bed at a more appropriate time each night, or didn’t get so lost in his work that he forgot to take care of himself. It was almost two years since anyone had done that for him, though, and the reminder was nice.
Changing into more comfortable clothes, he pushed back the covers and dropped into bed with a yawn. He grabbed a pillow and set it down on the floor. “Here you go, buddy,” he said, motioning Excalibur towards the pillow. “You need rest, too. You’ll be back to patrolling the halls in no time.”
Excalibur whined impatiently but did settle in for sleep. His rebirth had been more taxing than he was apparently willing to acknowledge. Flynn understood the need to get back into action all too well, but he was going to make sure his friend took the time to recover properly.
The Library automatically dimmed the lights for them once they were both settled.
Barely a minute of silence passed before Flynn heard a shuffling around on the floor. Another passed, then a sharp whine followed.
“Hey, you okay, Cal?” he asked, sitting up.
The room filled with a very soft light, just enough to see by, and a heavy current of concern swirled through the air. Flynn could only calm one of them at a time, though, so he chose to focus on the one in more immediate need.
“Cal, what’s wrong?”
In the low lighting, he could see the sword shifting around restlessly on the pillow.
Relieved, Flynn smiled. “Having trouble getting comfortable?” He grabbed the quilt from the end of the bed and laid that out instead. “There you go, that’s a bit larger for you.”
Excalibur shuffled over to the blanket and tested it out before letting out an unhappy grunt.
“Okay, buddy, I’m out of ideas. What do you need?”
The sword floated over and nudged at Flynn’s hand with his hilt. He whimpered pleadingly and Flynn absolutely didn’t have the heart to say no.
“Alright, fine,” he sighed, reaching down to lift his friend onto the bed. “But if you stab me in your sleep, that’s entirely on you.”
Excalibur yipped happily as he snuggled down onto the bed.
Flynn didn’t think sleeping next to the world’s most powerful weapon was a great idea, but he’d also missed his best friend so much over the last two years. There was no way he was going to refuse anything that would help Excalibur feel more comfortable. The sooner he was rested and feeling like his old self, the sooner Flynn could stop worrying about losing him again.
“Comfortable?” Flynn asked, maybe a touch sarcastically.
Having quickly claimed an unreasonably large section of the bed for himself, Excalibur finally settled down. He let out a contented sound and the aura of magic that usually surrounded him dimmed to a resting state.
Flynn smiled and shook his head. It was incredible how much he could miss even the annoying little moments like this. He reached over and patted Excalibur gently.
“It’s good to have you back, Cal.”
The Library’s lights glowed warmly for a moment in agreement before fading back down.
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