makingthisupasigo | And the Sword of Damocles

Flynn Carsen is not an adventurous man. But when the Library recruits him he is wide-eyed and overwhelmed with awe and love for the place and the first day he just spends wandering, exploring.

Charlene tells him there's a task waiting for him already (though she is very dramatic and calls it a "mission" for some reason which is, of course, ridiculous) and she tells him there's someone else he needs to meet. She looks at him strangely at that, Flynn can't quite read that look, it's like she's trying not to roll her eyes – and tells him to wait here while she goes and gets him.

But Flynn gets distracted, forgets all about it, wanders off while he waits, just the first shelf right there, he can see the main entrance from here, or maybe the second one? What is that big tome back there, and oh, are these First Editions of Greek Philosophers – and he wanders on, collecting, reading, taking everything in and suddenly he is completely lost in the big hallway and the endless rows of shelves but he doesn't even mind.

This place is amazing. He can even feel tears of awe springing to his eyes by how absolutely beautiful it is. Eventually he stops, surrounded by the books he has collected, gently flipping pages and tracing the ancient writing with his fingers.

He smiles; he's never been happier.

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"Yeah. I'm gonna call you Number Seven." It's sneered, but there's something raw in his wide, angry eyes.

God, he just wants to toss this guy on the floor and kick him right out the door, tell Charlene and Judson that clearly, somehow, the Library was wrong, somebody was wrong because he didn't think he could put up with this jerk. Cause he wasn't the jerk, Number Seven was!

"One hit my face!" So your theory sucks. Even if that last part was probably right. Maybe just because he was bigger, it affected him less.

"Alright, Peter."

You're just gonna have to deal with Number Seven using your name.

But the little skirmish is soon forgotten in wake of this new information and Flynn looks up at that, frowning.

"It did? That shouldn't be possible. Unless you have some natural resistance that your partner didn't have? Has this happened before?"

Okay, fine. You can use his name, whatever. It doesn't matter. It's not weird.

Peter frowns, and shrugs. "Maybe I have some natural resistance. And yeah, I've been hit by poison darts before. They use them a lot in tombs, guess it's kind of a thing."

There's a pause.

"Maybe you should try not to get hit by them all the time?"

Just a suggestion.

"Especially if they're so deadly to everyone else."

"It's not like I go out of my way to get hit by them? I'm just really unlucky!"

An even longer pause than that.

"I didn't think they were that deadly to begin with?"

"Very deadly. I once wrote a dissertation on the various toxins? Trust me, a drop of that and your nervous system is fried, then your heart stops and your respiratory system fails. Luckily in that order, otherwise it would be quite painful."

He laughs nervously because he just remembered that that is what he is headed towards – but it also makes Peter's case even more mysterious and now Flynn is getting curious.

"Do you have any magic protection?" They're literally in a Library full of magic things, it's his first conclusion, really.

"Oh."

It's like he's truly first realizing what danger he's been in this whole time, and it's a very surprised, small oh. As if someone dying in front of him wasn't clue enough how bad it was.

"That...sounds pretty bad."

He shakes his head. "Nothing in particular. We don't really use the artifacts so much."

"Uh, yeah, I'd say." There's a pause on Flynn's end. "You... never considered that? What did you think poison does?"

It's more genuinely confused than accusatory.

"... Well, there's gotta be something. Maybe I can try and look into it when we get back?"

"...poison people. Look, I didn't think it was that big of a thing..." He sounds genuinely sheepish now, and he's starting to feel really bad about it...

He nods, maybe there was something weird going on. "Sure. I guess...I guess that'd be a good idea. Y'know, I wonder if it's connected to like, some other stuff...not that it's really that weird, but now that you mention it...like I don't really get sick. Ever. Or when I get hurt, it's takes a lot to knock me out? And broken bones man, those suckers heal way faster than other people's, but I thought it was just cause I drink a lotta milk..."

"That's definitely not a thing that happens." Another pause and Flynn figures he should probably elaborate. "Uh, any of that, really. Not that milk is bad for you, but it doesn't magically regrow your bones. Unless it's magic milk. Are you drinking magic milk?"

That might be an explanation? Not a very good one, but Flynn has a feeling that a lot of things in this place work on a rather handwavy base. Because magic.

"...no magic milk, unless something magical happened to the convenience store next to my apartment?" Which would be probably be something to worry about?

Peter frowns, it's kind of like he should be worried about a lot of this? Especially if they're not things that happen?

"Huh. Weird."

"Yeah, we should probably look into this."

He shifts the bag on his shoulder, glancing down at its contents. "You know, once we're back from this insane mission where apparently I am going on a quest to uncover a mythical artifact because I guess that is a thing, that's happening."

If he gets back from this insane mission.

"Just... don't let me get poisoned, okay?"

"...well, okay! Sounds like fun." You know, a little bit worrying, but fun. He reaches over to slap Flynn on the back amiably.

"Don't worry! I'm gonna protect you!" If only so he can find out about the weird magic-y things going on, so you're gonna be in better shape than the other Librarians he's had to 'take care of', right?

Well, at least he isn't making fun of him anymore. That's progress? He thinks. He hopes.

"Okay. Uh, that sounds great. You do that."

Please do that.

"Don't worry, bro, this is gonna be fun. Trust me."

Definitely progress!

Peter even holds the door open for him when they get over to the main lobby, sweeping his arm out a bit too dramatically and probably alarming a few of the actual-normal-library-goers coming in through the other side of the doors.

Please accept all his enthusiasm.

"Thank you..."

Flynn isn't exactly sure what happened in the last five minutes to get from 'make the new guy as uncomfortable as possible' to this energetic enthusiasm but honestly? He'll take it. It beats getting laughed at.

"I've never been on an airplane before, this is kind of exciting..."

"You've never been on an airplane before? Dude, you're in for a treat. Hope you like little bags of peanuts, though."

Don't worry, bro, this is just his life. Peter whistles loudly and sticks his arm out halfway into traffic (maybe a little too far into traffic? Maybe he's not concerned with getting hit by a car either?).

"Yo! Taxi!"

"... I do like peanuts. Hey, watch out!"

He grabs him and yanks him back when a particularly enthusiastic and angry NYC cabby screeches to a halt for them.

Is this going to be a thing? Is he going to have to protect you from yourself?

And the Sword of Damocles - for Peter Quill

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