Atypical Goodbyes

"Atypical Goodbyes" is a [SEASON NUMBER] thread started on [IRL DATE] and finished on [IRL DATE].
==Summary==
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==Full Text==
=== Part One ===
A collision of repeated, echoing rumbles and bestial screams, making his head pound as a furious red spotlight shadowed his every move. Shaking with freezing cold as raindrops pelted his head and arms, numbing extremities, and huge metal bars dug painfully into his shins and the soles of his sneakers. Wrenching his neck to look desperately up at the other balancing carefully on two separate rib limbs, sawing at the metal in front of him with a dark sword. Both jumping in fright as another blast rocked the construct, its body constricting and swelling as a bright laser of white-gold energy swept across the Jaw, searing entire blocks of buildings into ash. Clutching the bodyguard’s limp body and shaking, unable to do much more than keep it in place.
“Almost there, kid, hang on.” Sparks flying as another chunk of inlaid obsidian fell away to the ground dozens of feet below, rocking dangerously below them. The opening nearly big enough to push through. Desperate fingers slipping off of dripping metal. The scream of a Night Fury as it pushed off the construct’s head and dived, baiting it to go low, bringing the beast to crouch along the ground and scramble like a furious lizard. Earsplitting cracks, splashes and screams. “Now, now’s our chance! You first!”
“No!” Pushing Stonegit’s body towards Juro, and seeing the Bookkeeper’s eyes wild with fear and frustration. “Get him out!” No way to squeeze past him. Juro forced to pull Stonegit out headfirst and pass him to a nix skating below them at a rapid pace. Juro reaching in to insistently pull at his arm. 
“Out, now!” 
Aching as he scrambled through the opening, biting cuts across his patterned arms as he tore his skin on the jagged limbs. Clutching close to rain-soaked silk robes and feeling a tight arm around him, keeping him from falling. A sudden faltering stumble from the construct, and a fearsome red light blinding both of them as the head bent down to twist and stare at its belly, seeing the escapees still clinging to the ribs. A screech of metal and stone as the body flexed unnaturally and collectively warped outwards and seized around the Bookkeeper in an impossibly tangled web. Screaming out in fear and bracing feet against bars to try to pull him away, having no strength in the glaring gaze of the the horrifying beast. Feeling energy start to drain away once more, twice as fast. Memories and thoughts fracturing. Vision flickering.
“Get out of here!” A violent push at his front with a long boot, almost making him fall. The sound of ice and water rushing far below them as the nixes and rebels circled in panic. Wet hazel eyes meeting hard amber.
“NO!” 
“I’m not asking!!”
A shrill cry from the construct. One more focused shove into his sternum, with both feet this time. His grip slipping from the ribs around them, stomach lurching as he tumbled backwards through the air, unable to catch his breath, catching a wild flash of the construct twisting overhead, the light in its stomach growing stronger once more. Hitting water with a rumbling splash, everything going silent for several panicked heartbeats. Feet finding purchase on the ground, and water pulling away in several waves. Rebels rushing him to pull him out of the way of the construct’s limbs stabbing down into the mud, crushing two of them with a cry. Looking to the sky and seeing Juro’s long body silhouetted against a bright light that was now quickly shifting and flashing between scarlet, gold, and blue. Seeing the construct’s eyes burn white as it swept them across the Jaw, screaming with new fervor and energy. Throwing himself against two sets of arms trying to keep him in the safe shadow of a marketplace, out of sight. A new, terrifying presence settling across the Jaw, almost blinding with its weight. A torn throat, a desperate yell.
“We have to get out of here!”
“NOOO! JIN!!”
An ancient voice. A smothering, numbing haze of red. Sudden silence, replaced by chains rattling, clinking, snapping when they reached their breaking point. The sound joining with the oppressive noise of fabric ripping and stretching. Over, and over, and over until–
=== Part Two ===
“Jin!?” 
Yun’s body jerked aggressively, and all his limbs quickly curled inward, tense and covered in sweat. He opened his eyes, heart racing.
The cage was gone, as was the rest of the Jaw. Yun stared with wide eyes in front of him, unable to register the fuzzy mix of white and gray in front of him, before recognizing it as a mess of sheets. A soft sheen of daylight could be seen through them. Most of the covers were tented over his head, he slowly realized, and he went to move them, but his memory came crashing in and he instead covered most of his face with a hand, trying to get his breath under control while he continued to lay in a fetal position. The weight of the blankets was comforting for the moment, as was the relative silence of the morning, and his pulse slowed bit by bit. As terrifying as his nightmare had been, he was further disturbed by remembering what was happening in the waking world, and he sighed and hid half his face into Jin’s pillows, hoping he could put things off for even just a minute.
akkeyagentofhelheim
“Yun? Are you okay?”
He heard the door open. Jin yawned audibly; it was his first somewhat decent sleep on the couch since the chain incident, nerves finally somewhat settling at Yun’s return, but the agent in him brought him to his feet at Yun’s cry, albeit sluggishly.
The bed sank slightly, indicating that the bookkeeper had sat beside him.
foresight-botgd
The blankets shifted one way, then the other, and then appeared to sit up by themselves, like a ghost. Then Yun grabbed them from underneath and pulled them forward over his head, revealing a gnarly case of bedhead and a lined, sleepy face. He met Jin’s gaze, and it was the least pretense Jin had ever seen from him–massive relief in bleary eyes joined with a slight anxious furrowing of his brow.
“Uhf. Sorry, did I wake you up?” He rubbed his cheek, still feeling discomforted and sweaty. 
akkeyagentofhelheim
“Don’t worry about it,” sleepy grin and glasses perched perfectly on his face, like where they were always meant to be, slightly amused at this morning appearance before him mixed with concern. He absentmindedly scratched under his shirt, still observing Yun.
“…bad dream?”
foresight-botgd
“Yeah, but…never just a bad dream with me.” Yun looked out the window, rubbing the back of his neck. “I can usually control what I do when I’m asleep, but that was…I don’t know, living out something else. Something bad. You…I mean, not you, him…Juro…got stuck in the construct trying to save me, and…” His arm paused. His eyes were distant. “I saw things in the stun this time…chains breaking, n’ threads ripping…”
akkeyagentofhelheim
Jin froze, good feelings gone, a cold feeling running down his back, like a finger trailing his spine. He could feel the trappings wrapped around his limbs, sensation disappearing into non existence, slowly but surely, devouring him until he was gone.
“That… uh,” he rubbed a hand across his forehead. The alarm in his voice was barely noticeable, but it was there, “But that’s not what happened, right? It’s not real…”
foresight-botgd
“No, of course not, I’m here, but…” 
Yun’s eyes moved back and forth almost imperceptibly between Jin’s. It has to be real, he intended to say. It’s real, because it’s scaring you, and I want to know what it is because you’re never scared…
No, Yun didn’t want this morning to go like that. He took a deep breath and shrugged. “You–you’re right, it’s nothing,” he said hastily. “You okay? Did you sleep alright?”
akkeyagentofhelheim
“Mhm, yeah,” he continued nodding distractedly, not quite seeing Yun before him for a few seconds before blinking rapidly, like he was forcing himself back into the real world.
“Yeah, it’s fine. You’re fine, don’t worry,” he stood quickly, and walked towards the door before turning again, posture easy and tall with a hand on his hip, “Come on. I’ll make you breakfast.” He slipped back into his usual demeanor, trying to do away the awkward atmosphere.
foresight-botgd
“Oh, okay!” Yun quickly lifted up the sheets to his face, hiding himself for a moment while he searched, and then did a quick dig through the bed and found his pants and swinging his legs over the side of the bed to pull them up over his boxers. “Aha.” He nearly tripped hopping out of bed and running up to Jin, hugging him quickly around the middle before leaving the room.
akkeyagentofhelheim
Jin will never get used to Yun’s hug attacks, but it doesn’t mean he hasn’t come to appreciate them. He laughed through his nose, tousling the back of his own sandy hair in contentment and following the time jumper out to the kitchen.
The kitchen island was partially cluttered with keycaps and screws from an abandoned project, but those were swept away to make room for the Library, processor humming softly, browser opened in the Golden Timeline.
Jin motioned for Yun to take a seat on the bar stool as he pulled out the usual ingredients for a hearty breakfast, “Eggs?”
foresight-botgd
Yun propped his chin up on his wrists, almost exactly like he had when the two of them first met in the Wilderwest U Library. “Yes, please.” After a second, the Library caught his eye and he slowly leaned over to peek at it, wrinkling his nose. “Is everything okay over there?” He scrolled down the touch pad a few lines.
akkeyagentofhelheim
“Mhm,” he nodded as he put together their food, curiously smooth with the preparation, twirling utensils and ingredients deftly between his hands. He continued, “They’re wrapping things up there. A good number of the Conclave surrendered so they were able to scatter them across Aidorin. Still a huge crowd for their teleporters though, so the nixes and Juro are down for the count while they recover.”
The clink of china and silverware filled the apartment as he served a typical American breakfast to both of them, sitting across from Yun, “They’re fine though. Just need to rest,” he added as an afterthought, just to confirm their well being to the shorter man.
He balanced his fork between his fingers, watching Yun carefully as he scrolled through the forum. Curiosity regarding his next step was nagging him at the back of his mind.
Yun nodded as he listened, but he also bit his lip in thought, tapping the tines of his fork against the edge of his plate lightly. “That’s good.” His tattooed fingers hovered over the keyboard, and one letter at a time, he slowly typed “chains” into a general inquiry field and pressed enter. 
akkeyagentofhelheim
One couldn’t tell if the universe was for or against Yun in that moment. Jin’s phone vibrated and he turned to look at the message on the palm sized screen, distracted by the Helheim ping.
The search came up with only a handful of results, but it was enough. The most recent entry opened in the browser.U-1815250112The chains are breaking.It has been two weeks since His Imperial Majesty has fallen unconscious. It is evident through the Library that the Original Bookkeeper is wavering, and it is affecting the Other Timelines as expected. We are fortunate to have the rest of the Imperial Court to continue with the work in the Library in the event that our Emperor is unable to write, but if the Original Bookkeeper continues to lose his neutrality, as we know the lock will break, the Bookkeeper will be in danger, and His Imperial Majesty and the Library will cease to exist–“What are you doing.”
Jin’s hand shot out to grab Yun’s wrist, not painfully but it was a strong grip, a reminder of how the Helheim Agent can actually fight. The expression on his face was practically undiscernable; he couldn’t tell if he was angry, or upset, or shocked. It was a singular look that took in everything before it as it was presented, breaking down and absorbing information as is.
Neutral. That’s what it was.
foresight-botgd
Yun’s heart thundered in shock, but he didn’t pull his hand away. He left it exactly where it was. His eyes sharpened in the same way they had earlier. They darted down to the forums and back up again.
“He hasn’t written in two days.”
“And there was nothing else in the Library about you after I woke up…”
Yun swallowed.
“Jin,” he said in a coarse whisper. “Why weren’t you bookkeeping while I was gone?”
akkeyagentofhelheim
The silence in the apartment was deafening.
Food abandoned on their plates, car horns and dogs sounding off outside as the rest of the world woke up, A/C whirring from the vents. Still, neither of them broke eye contact, a tug of war between amber and hazel.
Jin’s phone beeped again, and it was like the spell was broken. He dipped his head, and when he faced Yun again, the old, grinning, mysterious Juro Jin from Wilderwest U made a return.
He let go of Yun’s arm and shut the notebook closed with a resounding snap, before taking his seat again, legs crossed easily.
“I wasn’t bookkeeping. Because I was disappearing.”
The lopsided smile stayed.
foresight-botgd
The seidkonur pressed his lips together in a resigned, trembling line, forcing himself to keep staring at his friend’s mask. His wet eyes begged for Jin to come back.
“I don’t understand,” he pleaded.
akkeyagentofhelheim
“Disappear. Cease to exist. Die, is the easiest word to describe it I suppose?”
Jin took a rare pencil and twirled it between two fingers, looking exactly as Juro had back at the Jaw when he was speaking with Milae, “You mentioned Juro healed you. After the Construct was destroyed, yeah?”
“He’s always had that. In fact, he’s had infinite amounts of magic. He’s like an amplifier, you pump magic into him and it doubles and multiplies until there’s a shit ton of energy in him. Him –his real name was Jin– Jin and his family, it’s an ability passed down. He can power an entire country by himself like that.”
“But when you have that much power, you got greedy people wanting it for themselves,” he paused long enough to look at Yun pointedly, no undertones whatsoever. Just stating a fact, “You know how that is, no?”
“His birth country had his family trapped in their iron grip for that, until the Bookkeeper Juro saved Jin. And it was all going well… until someone very close to him, someone he trusted, and laid himself bare to, betrayed him and the Bookkeepers.”
It was at this that Jin’s eyes grew hard and bitter, the same way when he gave the speech to Yun yesterday about the things one couldn’t control, “He managed to escape, but the Bookkeepers were gone, and he felt that it was all his fault. Because it was, you know? The existence of immense magic, caught in a war between people who want to control that.”
“So he locks himself up so they can’t find him anymore. He forms a contract with Hel– in exchange for his service as a Helheim agent in suspended physical state, the Library continues to exist, even extending to the other timelines like this, that power birthing other Bookkeepers like myself, continuing the legacy of the Bookkeepers that gave meaning to his life even for a short while. His condition is to conceal himself and his magic from Chuugo, and anyone else who could want him, but as a result that also includes supressing his emotions and his bias, because who else could he trust?”
“Which was great! That’s what he wanted, a neutral position that records true history without having to deal with where he came from. He called himself Juro instead and the Library thrived for hundreds of years. But lately for him it’s been… tricky.” Jin paused to slide his line of sight to the side in thought.
“The moment that neutrality is broken, when he loses control of himself, whatever he locked up will go haywire, the chains will break, and the magic will surge and destroy all his alternate selves and the Library.”
He brought the tip of the pencil to point at his chest, “Including me.”
foresight-botgd
Yun was positive his chest was clawed open and bleeding across the island, even though he saw no such thing. His dark hands had white knuckles and he couldn’t look away from Jin even if he wanted to. There was horror, and sadness, and a deep, fear-ridden guilt. A hurricane of questions was building inside him. Why did Juro think that this was his fault? Why hadn’t Jin ever told him this? Was there any way to save any of them from that kind of fate? His breath was tight and shallow and rapid but he could hardly move. Yun chewed on his words, his mouth still trembling with emotion and refusing to string together anything coherent. Instead, the only shaky words he could manage were, “It’s…it’s Milae…and…and m…”
akkeyagentofhelheim
Jin’s lashes lowered and he tilted his head to the side, the pencil now idle in his hand. He stared straight at him, his silence was all Yun needed.
foresight-botgd
This can’t be happening.
Yun pushed both his hands into his thick, messy hair, staring down at his cold breakfast. His entire body pulsed and shook with an innate fight or flight response, because one thing after another was crashing into him. His dream hadn’t just been a dream, he was certain now. He knew what another timeline felt like. He wasn’t sure why it hadn’t caused the chain reaction that Jin had been describing to him, but he better understood why it had self-destructed like it had. Maybe the thread had torn itself apart just in time. And it meant the possibility of this terrible fate had almost been a reality.
And Milae…all of this had mostly been his fault, and the goat had no idea. A forceful memory that didn’t belong to him came to mind–the slam of the Bookkeeper’s hand up against the Library wall next to Milae’s head, and an amber glare. And even then, with Jin’s silent confirmation, Yun knew that Milae was not even slightly to blame for this most recent development.
That guilt belonged to Yun.
In a fit of desperate thinking, he was furious at both Bookkepers for never telling either version of Milae about this, especially Yun, who had forced Juro to take sides and mount a rescue in reckless abandonment of his entire existence. But the flash of rage was instantly gone. Who would have been able to warn him? He had kept his new spectrum of power hidden from anyone that could have given him caution, and now it was too late, a vicious cycle of secrets that now had both of them by the neck. Yun was in danger of being hunted and drained by a vengeful goddess, and he needed Juro’s help. Juro was in danger of his own emotions regarding Yun shattering the Bookkeepers from existence and offering himself up as magical bait. And Milae and Jin, powerless and caught in the middle…
The bar stool crashed to the ground, scaring Yun, and it made him realize he had abruptly gotten to his feet. He clutched the edge of the counter. His throat hurt so badly. Shoulders shivering, Yun’s eyes jumped from his plate, to the closed laptop next to him, to Jin’s still hand, and then up to his face. 
“I’m sorry,” he heard himself whisper. “I…I didn’t know…I wouldn’t have gone…I…”
akkeyagentofhelheim
“If you hadn’t gone, Stonegit would be dead, Nala would’ve been taken, and the Rebellion would’ve suffered the heavy consequences. I wouldn’t be surprised if they died as a result. Including Milae.”
“Then what would happen with Juro? With no one left to help him?” There was a light that flared behind amber; as much as Jin masked himself, his eyes would always betray him to Yun. He was still there.
His hand came up in motion to pull a scarf over his chin in habit to hide further, forgetting that he wasn’t wearing one in that moment, “I was hoping you wouldn’t find out. I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want you to feel responsible. Then it would make the decision that much more difficult.”
He stood, turning away like he didn’t want to face Yun, “So I’m telling you now. Go to the Golden Timeline. Nobody else will be able to help you other than the Rebellion, and you know it. Whether Juro keeps the lock safe or not, he can always run, as long as he can move, there’s a chance for him to escape Chuugo. So be by him while you still can.” His mouth hung slightly open at the end of that, knowing that there was still one more issue. But he didn’t bring it up.
There was a minute of silence, and then it was broken by a sniffle. Jin heard footsteps padding across the tile, and then a smaller hand took his from behind, followed by a forehead pressing into the back between his shoulderblades. 
“But I don’t want to lose you,” he choked. “It’ll be all my fault…”
akkeyagentofhelheim
“Don’t.”
The pale hand squeezed his hard in return, Jin’s low voice echoing in his chest, “Please don’t ever dwell on that. You and Milae crashing into our lives has been the best thing to happen to us. The Bookkeepers are lonely people, we have to push others away, even more so for Juro. That’s his lot in life. But you two, even just for a small while… you showed us what it’s like to really care for others again. Just for bit, it felt normal to spend time with you, to find a bit of brightness in this place. And we wouldn’t exchange that for any magic or immortal life in any world.”
Jin shook his head, turning to face him quickly. His hand gripped Yun’s shoulder, and he dipped his head to meet him at eye level. A huge, genuine grin split his face, shaking only ever so slightly at the corners of his mouth.
“I’m lucky to call you my friend.”
foresight-botgd
Chest heaving, Yun stared at him with huge eyes that spilled over his cheeks, a mix of sheer overwhelming fear, loss, and relief, and after he tried and failed to return Jin’s smile, he threw himself around the agent’s shoulders instead, clinging to him like he was hanging from the construct again. Everything within him hurt like Hel. He wanted to wail, but he forced himself to be strong, like Jin was being, like he had always been. Everything was going to be okay. He had to believe that. 
akkeyagentofhelheim
The arms that wrapped around Yun were so unbelievably gentle, and kind. Jin closed his eyes and held onto him for as long as he could, stretching the minutes out, memorizing this feeling, an embrace that he could only ever get from Yun. Just in case it was his last.
“Come on,” a habitual lopsided smile remained on his face, but it wasn’t as masklike anymore, “I’ll warm up the food again. You need to eat as much you can before you dip.”
foresight-botgd
Yun took a quick, deep breath, rubbing his face and nodding. “Okay, yeah.” He pushed the stool back upright and then anxiously drummed his fingers across the seat. He wasn’t quite tied up yet. “Jin, I’m…I’m gonna tell Dario that I’m leaving for a while, and make it sound like Helheim stuff. If…” He bit his lips, and his hands stilled. “If something goes really…really wrong…can you let him know? It can be the truth, or whatever agent stuff we end up sticking with…I just…I can’t leave him hanging. Not any more than I already have.” He was already dreading the conversation, but it was his responsibility. “I think that’s the only other person that would notice…”
akkeyagentofhelheim
“Of course, I’ll do what I can… And I’ll keep an eye on him,” Jin raised his brows, studying the time jumper as the microwave hummed and beeped, depositing the plate on the counter once again.
“It’ll all work out in the end,” he said, despite knowing that it could very much not be, for any timeline. But still he spoke it, just to manifest it into the real world, “You’ll be fine.”
foresight-botgd
Now starving, Yun began to wolf down the food, nodding quickly and squaring his shoulders at Jin’s words. “Yeah,” he said between bites. He looked up with determination. “I’m gonna do it. I’m gonna help take down High Central, and keep the lock safe, and beat Frigga up, and you can read about it, and then I’m coming right back home…well, here, I mean.”
akkeyagentofhelheim
He watched him finish his food with that newly found vigor, leaning against the counter on his elbows; at first he was amused at the positivity, but a strange feeling of encouraging awe washed down him, Yun’s bright eyes brimming with resolve infectious.
“Yeah, you’ll be so cool. Kick some ass.”
I’ll be gone. It was intrusive.
“Juro will be ecstatic.”
I’ll disappear even if you win.
“And I’ll be right here, waiting.” He found himself saying that, and believing it wholeheartedly. Something fell on his hand, and he looked down to see it wet with a single drop of water. He looked towards the ceiling in confusion, but he found no leaks anywhere.
No, it came from him, a trail down one cheek.
foresight-botgd
Having gone to shoulder his backpack, Yun turned, and wilted and softened. He rounded the island to hug Jin from the side, burying his nose below Jin’s shoulder. “I’m coming back,” he said quietly. “I promise.”
akkeyagentofhelheim
“Yeah…” He draped one arm around him, before inhaling deeply and lifting him off him, mussing up his mop of hair further then pushing him slightly.
“Okay go find Dario. You owe me a story when you get back.” Jin grinned at Yun, glasses reflecting the midmorning light, comfortingly the same as he always knew him to be, “I’ll see you later.”
foresight-botgd
“See you later.” Yun lifted his arms, paused right before his thumbs touched his shoulders, and took Jin in as though trying to cement him in his head, smiling sadly. “Love you,” he added.
Then the apartment was empty.
=== Part Three ===