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ninoexchange2018-07-06 04:02 am
nino_mod) wrote in ninoexchange2018-07-06 04:02 am
Entry tags:
fic for ltgmars!
For: ltgmars
From: :3.
Title: The Golden Thread
Pairing/Focus: Jun/Nino
Rating: PG
Word count: 2,747
Warnings: N/A
Summary: Nino is a scholar. Jun is the librarian in a magical library, and Nino needs his help.
Notes: Dearest ltgmars, I hope this scratches your magical AU itch <3
Candles flickered in the sconces on the wall, throwing light and shadow across the room that served as a study and living quarters for a high-ranked court scholar, sorcery theorist Ninomiya Kazunari. The room was lined with bookshelves, packed with papers, scrolls, and various magical paraphernalia. One shelf seemed to be laden with only ink pots and quills, another with a soft cushion on which a black cat slept, yet another with astrolabes and miniature telescopes. The dominant theme, though, was books. Books on the floor, books on the battered desk, books stacked precariously in towers, books next to the bed, books everywhere.
Newcomers to the court were often surprised that the small man with a sardonic smile and affinity for sleight-of-hand tricks was actually the country’s foremost expert in illusion theory and highly regarded among his peers. He carried no staff, rarely wore the silk and velvet embroidered robes that sumptuary laws permitted his rank, and seemed more comfortable in his study, researching and tinkering, than taking advantage of the pleasures at the court of the Great East Kingdom.
Tucked away in a far-off wing of the sprawling castle, Nino’s study was difficult to find unless one knew exactly where to look. Unfortunately, the same principle sometimes applied to Nino trying to find a book inside the room itself.
“Where is it, where is it,” muttered Nino to himself.
Nino pushed his hair back from his forehead, frowning. The cat sat up and yawned, and Nino absent-mindedly petted her with one hand while with the other he sketched a symbol in the air, golden light following the path of his fingers. The sign hung in the air briefly, then collapsed in a little shower of sparkles.
“Must be in the library, then,” Nino said to the cat, who meowed in seeming agreement.
With a sigh, Nino retrieved a simple black robe from a hook on wall, and shifted a pile of books away from the door with one foot. As he left, he tucked his hands in his sleeves and whistled what seemed to be an idle tune.
The door to his study faded, leaving only a bare wall and a small painting of a stormy sea.
---
The library was always quiet, of course -- the web of spells designed by Master Librarian Inohara kept all unnecessary noise to a low murmur of scholars muttering, the susurration of pages turning -- but today it was almost silent. A massive room, filled with shelves of books, desks, and comfortable armchairs for long periods of reading, the library was nonetheless a chancy place. Nino had once got stuck in an endless aisle when he was a journeyman scholar, the row of shelves filled with books on the kingdom’s agricultural exports that seemed stretch out forever. Luckily Inohara had found him, and Nino had developed a healthy respect for the strange architecture of the library.
Nino walked across the main floor to the grand staircase that led to the more esoteric research sections. As he came closer, a mahogany desk set perpendicular to the staircase shimmered into view, as did a chain blocking the entrance. Behind the desk sat one of the librarians, clad in a dark green velvet jacket with a gold embroidered coat of arms on the breast pocket of a crossed quill and wand over a open book, the emblem that denoted him to be a senior research specialist.
He looked up as Nino approached, and frowned.
“I’m sorry, this area is for court scholars with a rank of Sage or higher,” he said, looking over his glasses at Nino, who raised an eyebrow in response.
“It seems I’ve been demoted,” Nino replied, leaning on the desk with one arm and smirking as the librarian gave him a filthy look.
“You are wearing the garment of a journeyman scholar,” the librarian pointed out, gesturing to Nino’s simple over-robe of black wool, embroidered with yellow bands on the sleeves and hem. “Or any symbol of your rank, for that matter.”
“I didn’t realise being a scholar came with rules for fashion,” said Nino, trying not to sound too scornful as he eyed the librarian’s impeccably-cut jacket, silk cravat, and gold-rimmed eyeglasses.
The librarian’s frown deepened.
“Your credentials, then, if you please,” he replied frostily. Nino sighed, and held out his left hand, palm up, clenched his fist, then opened it. A silver nine-pointed star hovered over his palm, shining brightly for a moment before Nino snapped his fingers and it disappeared with a little puff of smoke.
The colour drained from the librarian’s face, followed by a deep flush of embarrassment. The nine-pointed silver star signified a master-level scholar, and the court only held three or four any one time.
Nino snickered. “You must be new,” he said sweetly. “Ninomiya Kazunari, Ninth Circle Scholar and Sage, at your service,” Nino said, sweeping his robe back and bowing deeply. “But you can call me Nino.”
The librarian’s mouth twitched, and he smiled in spite of himself. “Matsumoto Jun, Senior Librarian, recently transferred from the city university. You may call me Jun.”
“Nice to meet you,” Nino said. “Now. I’m looking for a book. Sakamoto’s treatise on cantrip theory. I thought I had a copy but it seems not.”
Jun pushed his glasses back up his nose, and opened a large, leather-bound volume on the desk, flicking the pages quickly until he found what he was looking for, running a finger down the page.
“Cantrip theory, cantrip theory,” Jun muttered to himself. Nino eyed him, noticing how one lock of hair flopped over the librarian’s eyebrow.
“Ah, yes. Just the one copy, recently returned by Yokoyama, just shelved. Come with me, please.”
Jun beckoned another librarian, Bunichi, who was floating a stack of books for reshelving in front of him.
“Bunichi-kun, would you mind the desk for a moment while I assist Ninomiya-san?”
“Of course.” Bunichi patted the top book gently, and the pile of books fell on the floor with a clatter.
“You may want try an amendment to the float charm, Bun-kun,” said Ninomiya over his shoulder as Bunichi blushed and Jun frowned. “A little more emphasis on the landing when you cast.”
“Thank you, Ninomiya-senpai, I’ll give it a try.”
Nino waved as he followed Jun to the staircase. Jun touched the chain, murmured something under his breath, and the barrier disappeared.
“So, how long have you been at court for?” asked Nino. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Jun’s grey trousers were as well-cut as his jacket, emphasising his long legs. It is occasionally worth leaving my study, after all, he thought.
“About three months,” Jun replied. “I’m sorry I didn’t recognise you -- I thought I’d been introduced to all the sages when I arrived.”
“Oh, I don’t leave my quarters terribly often, don’t worry about it,” Nino said, shifting to walk a little closer to Jun, and noting with interest that the librarian didn’t move away.
They reached the top of the staircase. The marble flooring was set in a large circle with eight stone spaced evenly around the diameter. Each structure had a sparkling gem hovering a few inches above a hollow in the top.
“I can go from here, Inohara showed me how to work the teleport system,” Nino said, stepping into the circle. “Which section is the book in?”
“No, I’ll come with you -- it’s in the Sapphire section, and Inohara mentioned there’s been some problems there in the last few days,” June replied. They both stood in front of the plinth with a bright blue sapphire above. Jun closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and pushed the gem down.
Nino stumbled as the ground shook, and he instinctively reached out, grabbing Jun’s arm to steady himself. The sapphire glowed brightly, and the air around the two men shifted, then the marble circle and staircase disappeared, replaced by endless rows of deep mahogany bookshelves. They stretched up so high that they seemed to disappear into the ceiling.
“Are you alright, Nino?” asked Jun, with a small smirk. He looked pointedly at Nino’s hand, still gripping Jun’s arm.
“I think someone needs to service that teleport, it wasn’t like that last time,” Nino grumbled. He squeezed Jun’s arm and let go, tucking his hands in his sleeves.
“Oh, that was one of my suggestions when I commenced here,” Jun said airily as he started down one of the many aisles. Nino sped up to match his pace. “It’s a mechanism to stop untrained members of the court sneaking into the stacks. You know how delicate some of the manuscripts are.”
Nino nodded, impressed in spite of himself. It was similar to the cantrip that was one of the guards to the entrance of his chambers. If anyone unauthorised tried to enter, the floor would seemingly drop away, leaving the intruder panicked and suspended in mid-air, until Nino returned to free them. Yokoyama had fallen foul of this when he and Aiba had attempted to get in to play a prank on Nino, and it backfired spectacularly.
“Here we are,” Jun announced, stopping suddenly. Nino stumbled into Jun’s broad back, and he couldn’t help noticing how nice Jun smelled, a strangely compelling mix of cologne, paper and ink.
“Sorry,” Nino said, stepping back. He noted with interest the faint blush staining Jun’s cheeks.
“Now, it should be right here -- hm.” Jun stopped, and crossed his arms. “Or not, as it seems.”
Nino stood on tiptoe behind Jun, and sure enough, there was a gap in the books that indicated where Sakamoto’s Cantrip Theory should have been.
“That is odd,” Nino agreed, resting his chin on Jun’s shoulder, and grinning as Jun starting breathing a little faster.
“Uh, excuse me…” Jun said, edging forward slightly. Nino smirked and stepped to one side.
“Thank you. Now, where is that book?” Jun muttered to himself. He placed one hand on the shelf where the book should have been, and closed his eyes.
Nino whistled, impressed, as a shining golden thread appeared, leading from Jun’s hand down and around to the next row of shelves.
“Very nice, I like that. I’ll have to get you to show me that trick later,” Nino said.
“Perhaps, perhaps. We librarians have to have some secrets,” Jun replied, smiling. “Come on, let’s find this book.”
The stacks were as quiet as the main floor of the library, and seemed completely empty. Rows of shelves stretched off into the distance, as far as the eye could see. The only noise was the soft tapping of Nino and Jun’s footsteps as they followed the thread, twisting and turning from left to right until Nino was completely lost, and very relieved that Jun was with him.
“I think we’re getting close,” said Jun, as the thread seemed to glow more strongly, then stopped suddenly.
“A dead end, that’s not right,” Jun said. In front of them was a blank wall. The golden thread seemed to go right through it.
“Hmm.” Nino stepped up to the wall and tapped it. It seemed solid enough.
“I think this was what Inohara meant when he said there were problems in the Sapphire stacks,” Jun said, his voice tight.
Turning, Nino grimaced. The path they’d come down had disappeared. Surrounded on three sides by shelves, with the bare wall in front, they were now trapped.
“Well. That sure is a problem,” Nino said. He touched the shelves blocking the aisle. “I can’t feel any charms -- it doesn’t seem to be an illusion.”
Jun sighed. “I should have been more careful. The archives in the university used to move around all the time, we once found a researcher, Sakurai, caught between the section on the history of magical objects and one of the bathrooms. He’d been there for a week.”
Laughing, Nino leaned against the shelves. “How did he survive?” he asked. “That’s a long time to be stuck in a library.
“Well, he had access to water and a toilet, luckily. And the section he was stuck in had a book on transforming objects into food. He’d managed to master bread, jam, and instant noodles by the time we found him.”
Nino stretched, then sank down to sit on the floor, crossing his legs and leaning back against the bookshelves.
“I hope we’re not stuck here for that long,” Nino commented. “There’s no bathroom and we appear to be in a section dedicated to the kingdom’s accounts.”
“You could try to help me work out how to get out of here,” Jun replied waspishly. “Instead of sitting on your ass.”
Nino shrugged. “The shelves aren’t illusions. Neither is that wall. I’m not an expert at destroying objects, and despite how boring they are, I think the accountants would not be impressed with us if we blew up their records.”
Rolling his eyes, Jun sank the floor next to Nino. “There has to be a way out of this. You’re a Ninth Circle Sage, I’m a pretty decent librarian. Somehow we’ll figure it out.”
Jun muttered to himself, sketching a symbol in the air then retrieving a crystal from his pocket and blowing gently on it, with no apparent result. “I’m stumped. The finding spell is still pretty convinced that the book is here.” He slumped back against the shelves, taking off his glasses and rubbing his eyes.
Nino shuffled a little closer.
“There’s plenty to do in a library to entertain ourselves though, right?” he said in a low voice. Nino felt Jun shiver slightly and he reached out, tracing one fingertip along Jun’s wrist.
“I’m sure I don’t know what you mean,” Jun replied, his voice catching a little as Nino drew little circles on Jun’s palm.
“Really?” Nino said, his voice light and teasing. “Or are you just avoiding the fun?”
With a little growl, Jun grabbed Nino’s hand and yanked him into his lap, flush against Jun’s chest. Twisting one hand in Nino’s robe, Jun used the other to pull Nino’s head close.
“Be careful about playing games with me, Ninomiya,” Jun murmured, sending a very agreeable shiver up Nino’s spine. “I play to win.” He crushed Nino’s mouth against his own.
Oh damn. Nino’s mind short-circuited as Jun kissed his mouth, his neck, his jaw, pulling Nino’s robe and shirt aside and biting down on his shoulder. Nino let out a gasp in response, clutching at Jun’s waist. He reached up and tugged Jun’s cravat. “Very nice. Hand-woven silk?” Nino asked, the question turning into a moan as Jun twisted his fingers in Nino’s hair, pulling his head down for another kiss.
“You’re incorrigible,” Jun murmured. He kissed Nino again, slow and languid. “This is ridiculously unprofessional,” he continued, sliding one hand under Nino’s shirt.
Nino laughed a little, low in his throat. “Think of it as your lunch break,” he suggested, grinding his hips down on Jun and enjoying the resulting shudder.
“It’s not lunch-time yet,” said Jun, smiling. He leaned back, pulling Nino with him.
“Hey, that book’s sticking out,” Nino murmured into Jun’s neck. Jun twisted, looking where Nino was pointing. “Wonder what’d happen if I push it back in?”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Nino,” Jun replied, his breath catching as Nino nipped his earlobe. “No one would be silly enough to set a trick shelf up in this library.”
“No harm in trying, then,” Nino said, and reaching to one side, pushed the spine of the book.
The air shimmered, and with a crash, Nino and Jun tumbled backwards into the space where the bookshelves had been, falling flat on their backs.
“Ouch,” said Nino, rubbing the back of his head. Jun just groaned, staring up at the ceiling.
“I can’t believe it was just a trick,” Jun said darkly. “I’ll skin whoever it was that set it when I find out.”
“Oh, don’t let it get to you,” Nino said. “It was pretty clever. You could build something similar into the transport system to trap non-credentialed scholars who sneak in.” He smiled. “Besides, it was probably Yoko testing out one of Sakamoto’s cantrips.”
Suddenly there was another crash, this time the sound of a book falling from a great height.
“Well, there’s Sakamoto’s Cantrip Theory,” said Jun, stretching out one arm over Nino’s chest and grabbing the fallen book. “I hope it was worth it.” The tips of his ears were bright red.
Nino grinned. “Definitely, Jun. Definitely worth it.”
~fin~
ltgmarsFrom: :3.
Title: The Golden Thread
Pairing/Focus: Jun/Nino
Rating: PG
Word count: 2,747
Warnings: N/A
Summary: Nino is a scholar. Jun is the librarian in a magical library, and Nino needs his help.
Notes: Dearest ltgmars, I hope this scratches your magical AU itch <3
Candles flickered in the sconces on the wall, throwing light and shadow across the room that served as a study and living quarters for a high-ranked court scholar, sorcery theorist Ninomiya Kazunari. The room was lined with bookshelves, packed with papers, scrolls, and various magical paraphernalia. One shelf seemed to be laden with only ink pots and quills, another with a soft cushion on which a black cat slept, yet another with astrolabes and miniature telescopes. The dominant theme, though, was books. Books on the floor, books on the battered desk, books stacked precariously in towers, books next to the bed, books everywhere.
Newcomers to the court were often surprised that the small man with a sardonic smile and affinity for sleight-of-hand tricks was actually the country’s foremost expert in illusion theory and highly regarded among his peers. He carried no staff, rarely wore the silk and velvet embroidered robes that sumptuary laws permitted his rank, and seemed more comfortable in his study, researching and tinkering, than taking advantage of the pleasures at the court of the Great East Kingdom.
Tucked away in a far-off wing of the sprawling castle, Nino’s study was difficult to find unless one knew exactly where to look. Unfortunately, the same principle sometimes applied to Nino trying to find a book inside the room itself.
“Where is it, where is it,” muttered Nino to himself.
Nino pushed his hair back from his forehead, frowning. The cat sat up and yawned, and Nino absent-mindedly petted her with one hand while with the other he sketched a symbol in the air, golden light following the path of his fingers. The sign hung in the air briefly, then collapsed in a little shower of sparkles.
“Must be in the library, then,” Nino said to the cat, who meowed in seeming agreement.
With a sigh, Nino retrieved a simple black robe from a hook on wall, and shifted a pile of books away from the door with one foot. As he left, he tucked his hands in his sleeves and whistled what seemed to be an idle tune.
The door to his study faded, leaving only a bare wall and a small painting of a stormy sea.
---
The library was always quiet, of course -- the web of spells designed by Master Librarian Inohara kept all unnecessary noise to a low murmur of scholars muttering, the susurration of pages turning -- but today it was almost silent. A massive room, filled with shelves of books, desks, and comfortable armchairs for long periods of reading, the library was nonetheless a chancy place. Nino had once got stuck in an endless aisle when he was a journeyman scholar, the row of shelves filled with books on the kingdom’s agricultural exports that seemed stretch out forever. Luckily Inohara had found him, and Nino had developed a healthy respect for the strange architecture of the library.
Nino walked across the main floor to the grand staircase that led to the more esoteric research sections. As he came closer, a mahogany desk set perpendicular to the staircase shimmered into view, as did a chain blocking the entrance. Behind the desk sat one of the librarians, clad in a dark green velvet jacket with a gold embroidered coat of arms on the breast pocket of a crossed quill and wand over a open book, the emblem that denoted him to be a senior research specialist.
He looked up as Nino approached, and frowned.
“I’m sorry, this area is for court scholars with a rank of Sage or higher,” he said, looking over his glasses at Nino, who raised an eyebrow in response.
“It seems I’ve been demoted,” Nino replied, leaning on the desk with one arm and smirking as the librarian gave him a filthy look.
“You are wearing the garment of a journeyman scholar,” the librarian pointed out, gesturing to Nino’s simple over-robe of black wool, embroidered with yellow bands on the sleeves and hem. “Or any symbol of your rank, for that matter.”
“I didn’t realise being a scholar came with rules for fashion,” said Nino, trying not to sound too scornful as he eyed the librarian’s impeccably-cut jacket, silk cravat, and gold-rimmed eyeglasses.
The librarian’s frown deepened.
“Your credentials, then, if you please,” he replied frostily. Nino sighed, and held out his left hand, palm up, clenched his fist, then opened it. A silver nine-pointed star hovered over his palm, shining brightly for a moment before Nino snapped his fingers and it disappeared with a little puff of smoke.
The colour drained from the librarian’s face, followed by a deep flush of embarrassment. The nine-pointed silver star signified a master-level scholar, and the court only held three or four any one time.
Nino snickered. “You must be new,” he said sweetly. “Ninomiya Kazunari, Ninth Circle Scholar and Sage, at your service,” Nino said, sweeping his robe back and bowing deeply. “But you can call me Nino.”
The librarian’s mouth twitched, and he smiled in spite of himself. “Matsumoto Jun, Senior Librarian, recently transferred from the city university. You may call me Jun.”
“Nice to meet you,” Nino said. “Now. I’m looking for a book. Sakamoto’s treatise on cantrip theory. I thought I had a copy but it seems not.”
Jun pushed his glasses back up his nose, and opened a large, leather-bound volume on the desk, flicking the pages quickly until he found what he was looking for, running a finger down the page.
“Cantrip theory, cantrip theory,” Jun muttered to himself. Nino eyed him, noticing how one lock of hair flopped over the librarian’s eyebrow.
“Ah, yes. Just the one copy, recently returned by Yokoyama, just shelved. Come with me, please.”
Jun beckoned another librarian, Bunichi, who was floating a stack of books for reshelving in front of him.
“Bunichi-kun, would you mind the desk for a moment while I assist Ninomiya-san?”
“Of course.” Bunichi patted the top book gently, and the pile of books fell on the floor with a clatter.
“You may want try an amendment to the float charm, Bun-kun,” said Ninomiya over his shoulder as Bunichi blushed and Jun frowned. “A little more emphasis on the landing when you cast.”
“Thank you, Ninomiya-senpai, I’ll give it a try.”
Nino waved as he followed Jun to the staircase. Jun touched the chain, murmured something under his breath, and the barrier disappeared.
“So, how long have you been at court for?” asked Nino. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Jun’s grey trousers were as well-cut as his jacket, emphasising his long legs. It is occasionally worth leaving my study, after all, he thought.
“About three months,” Jun replied. “I’m sorry I didn’t recognise you -- I thought I’d been introduced to all the sages when I arrived.”
“Oh, I don’t leave my quarters terribly often, don’t worry about it,” Nino said, shifting to walk a little closer to Jun, and noting with interest that the librarian didn’t move away.
They reached the top of the staircase. The marble flooring was set in a large circle with eight stone spaced evenly around the diameter. Each structure had a sparkling gem hovering a few inches above a hollow in the top.
“I can go from here, Inohara showed me how to work the teleport system,” Nino said, stepping into the circle. “Which section is the book in?”
“No, I’ll come with you -- it’s in the Sapphire section, and Inohara mentioned there’s been some problems there in the last few days,” June replied. They both stood in front of the plinth with a bright blue sapphire above. Jun closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and pushed the gem down.
Nino stumbled as the ground shook, and he instinctively reached out, grabbing Jun’s arm to steady himself. The sapphire glowed brightly, and the air around the two men shifted, then the marble circle and staircase disappeared, replaced by endless rows of deep mahogany bookshelves. They stretched up so high that they seemed to disappear into the ceiling.
“Are you alright, Nino?” asked Jun, with a small smirk. He looked pointedly at Nino’s hand, still gripping Jun’s arm.
“I think someone needs to service that teleport, it wasn’t like that last time,” Nino grumbled. He squeezed Jun’s arm and let go, tucking his hands in his sleeves.
“Oh, that was one of my suggestions when I commenced here,” Jun said airily as he started down one of the many aisles. Nino sped up to match his pace. “It’s a mechanism to stop untrained members of the court sneaking into the stacks. You know how delicate some of the manuscripts are.”
Nino nodded, impressed in spite of himself. It was similar to the cantrip that was one of the guards to the entrance of his chambers. If anyone unauthorised tried to enter, the floor would seemingly drop away, leaving the intruder panicked and suspended in mid-air, until Nino returned to free them. Yokoyama had fallen foul of this when he and Aiba had attempted to get in to play a prank on Nino, and it backfired spectacularly.
“Here we are,” Jun announced, stopping suddenly. Nino stumbled into Jun’s broad back, and he couldn’t help noticing how nice Jun smelled, a strangely compelling mix of cologne, paper and ink.
“Sorry,” Nino said, stepping back. He noted with interest the faint blush staining Jun’s cheeks.
“Now, it should be right here -- hm.” Jun stopped, and crossed his arms. “Or not, as it seems.”
Nino stood on tiptoe behind Jun, and sure enough, there was a gap in the books that indicated where Sakamoto’s Cantrip Theory should have been.
“That is odd,” Nino agreed, resting his chin on Jun’s shoulder, and grinning as Jun starting breathing a little faster.
“Uh, excuse me…” Jun said, edging forward slightly. Nino smirked and stepped to one side.
“Thank you. Now, where is that book?” Jun muttered to himself. He placed one hand on the shelf where the book should have been, and closed his eyes.
Nino whistled, impressed, as a shining golden thread appeared, leading from Jun’s hand down and around to the next row of shelves.
“Very nice, I like that. I’ll have to get you to show me that trick later,” Nino said.
“Perhaps, perhaps. We librarians have to have some secrets,” Jun replied, smiling. “Come on, let’s find this book.”
The stacks were as quiet as the main floor of the library, and seemed completely empty. Rows of shelves stretched off into the distance, as far as the eye could see. The only noise was the soft tapping of Nino and Jun’s footsteps as they followed the thread, twisting and turning from left to right until Nino was completely lost, and very relieved that Jun was with him.
“I think we’re getting close,” said Jun, as the thread seemed to glow more strongly, then stopped suddenly.
“A dead end, that’s not right,” Jun said. In front of them was a blank wall. The golden thread seemed to go right through it.
“Hmm.” Nino stepped up to the wall and tapped it. It seemed solid enough.
“I think this was what Inohara meant when he said there were problems in the Sapphire stacks,” Jun said, his voice tight.
Turning, Nino grimaced. The path they’d come down had disappeared. Surrounded on three sides by shelves, with the bare wall in front, they were now trapped.
“Well. That sure is a problem,” Nino said. He touched the shelves blocking the aisle. “I can’t feel any charms -- it doesn’t seem to be an illusion.”
Jun sighed. “I should have been more careful. The archives in the university used to move around all the time, we once found a researcher, Sakurai, caught between the section on the history of magical objects and one of the bathrooms. He’d been there for a week.”
Laughing, Nino leaned against the shelves. “How did he survive?” he asked. “That’s a long time to be stuck in a library.
“Well, he had access to water and a toilet, luckily. And the section he was stuck in had a book on transforming objects into food. He’d managed to master bread, jam, and instant noodles by the time we found him.”
Nino stretched, then sank down to sit on the floor, crossing his legs and leaning back against the bookshelves.
“I hope we’re not stuck here for that long,” Nino commented. “There’s no bathroom and we appear to be in a section dedicated to the kingdom’s accounts.”
“You could try to help me work out how to get out of here,” Jun replied waspishly. “Instead of sitting on your ass.”
Nino shrugged. “The shelves aren’t illusions. Neither is that wall. I’m not an expert at destroying objects, and despite how boring they are, I think the accountants would not be impressed with us if we blew up their records.”
Rolling his eyes, Jun sank the floor next to Nino. “There has to be a way out of this. You’re a Ninth Circle Sage, I’m a pretty decent librarian. Somehow we’ll figure it out.”
Jun muttered to himself, sketching a symbol in the air then retrieving a crystal from his pocket and blowing gently on it, with no apparent result. “I’m stumped. The finding spell is still pretty convinced that the book is here.” He slumped back against the shelves, taking off his glasses and rubbing his eyes.
Nino shuffled a little closer.
“There’s plenty to do in a library to entertain ourselves though, right?” he said in a low voice. Nino felt Jun shiver slightly and he reached out, tracing one fingertip along Jun’s wrist.
“I’m sure I don’t know what you mean,” Jun replied, his voice catching a little as Nino drew little circles on Jun’s palm.
“Really?” Nino said, his voice light and teasing. “Or are you just avoiding the fun?”
With a little growl, Jun grabbed Nino’s hand and yanked him into his lap, flush against Jun’s chest. Twisting one hand in Nino’s robe, Jun used the other to pull Nino’s head close.
“Be careful about playing games with me, Ninomiya,” Jun murmured, sending a very agreeable shiver up Nino’s spine. “I play to win.” He crushed Nino’s mouth against his own.
Oh damn. Nino’s mind short-circuited as Jun kissed his mouth, his neck, his jaw, pulling Nino’s robe and shirt aside and biting down on his shoulder. Nino let out a gasp in response, clutching at Jun’s waist. He reached up and tugged Jun’s cravat. “Very nice. Hand-woven silk?” Nino asked, the question turning into a moan as Jun twisted his fingers in Nino’s hair, pulling his head down for another kiss.
“You’re incorrigible,” Jun murmured. He kissed Nino again, slow and languid. “This is ridiculously unprofessional,” he continued, sliding one hand under Nino’s shirt.
Nino laughed a little, low in his throat. “Think of it as your lunch break,” he suggested, grinding his hips down on Jun and enjoying the resulting shudder.
“It’s not lunch-time yet,” said Jun, smiling. He leaned back, pulling Nino with him.
“Hey, that book’s sticking out,” Nino murmured into Jun’s neck. Jun twisted, looking where Nino was pointing. “Wonder what’d happen if I push it back in?”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Nino,” Jun replied, his breath catching as Nino nipped his earlobe. “No one would be silly enough to set a trick shelf up in this library.”
“No harm in trying, then,” Nino said, and reaching to one side, pushed the spine of the book.
The air shimmered, and with a crash, Nino and Jun tumbled backwards into the space where the bookshelves had been, falling flat on their backs.
“Ouch,” said Nino, rubbing the back of his head. Jun just groaned, staring up at the ceiling.
“I can’t believe it was just a trick,” Jun said darkly. “I’ll skin whoever it was that set it when I find out.”
“Oh, don’t let it get to you,” Nino said. “It was pretty clever. You could build something similar into the transport system to trap non-credentialed scholars who sneak in.” He smiled. “Besides, it was probably Yoko testing out one of Sakamoto’s cantrips.”
Suddenly there was another crash, this time the sound of a book falling from a great height.
“Well, there’s Sakamoto’s Cantrip Theory,” said Jun, stretching out one arm over Nino’s chest and grabbing the fallen book. “I hope it was worth it.” The tips of his ears were bright red.
Nino grinned. “Definitely, Jun. Definitely worth it.”
~fin~
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-So interested in the idea of a magical court, let me live in this universe already
-Casually nerdy Nino is like my biggest kink
-The "EEEhee" noise I made aloud at Master Librarian Inohara(!!) was actually embarrassing so it's a good thing I live alone
-Your writing and descriptions (of spaces and clothing in particular) EXUDE elegance and it's just so perfect for this story
-Ya effin' blew it Matsumoto, all that's left is to charm (ohoho) each other's socks off
-All these name-drops are giving me life
-BUNICHI!!!! BUN-KUN WHO NEEDS TO WORK ON HIS FLOAT CHARM (also I can literally see how this particular charm plays out and the stack of books falling to the ground, neat!)
-It is occasionally worth leaving my study, after all ahahaha I actually cackled out loud, Nino you perv XDD
-Hee Nino gettin' grabby as he teleports with Jun (INTO LOVE WITH EACH OTHER AMIRITE)
-Yikes, hitting me with a mention of Yokoba trying to play a prank on Nino, that is incredibly rude and all too wonderful
-Imagine being stuck in a library for a week. Though honestly as long as I had a bathroom and could transform objects into food, I'd probably be okay XD
-God this teasing tension is real good
-Ohoho Nino must realize he's playing with fire
-OHSHIT AND THERE GO THE FLAMES ugh my bbs making out in the stacks, I'm so proud
-The trick was so analog this whole time, I love it. XD Yes, let's blame Yoko for everything
-Hyuhyuuu welp now that Jun's had a taste of Nino, he's never going to be professional in this library again, is he?
Thank you, anon!! It's like you literally took everything (and everyone) I love and stuffed it into this gem of a fic. I love that you've given us a glimpse of this universe and the people in it, and I'd definitely read a thousand more tales of library(!) and magic(!) shenanigans, of people accidentally or purposely getting lost in the stacks together, or being serious scholars and perfecting their skills, or using their magic just to mess with each other because they're all little shits no matter how old they get. XD This little peek was so, so perfect. Thank you again. <333
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Thank you so much for writing anon!
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I love love love the setting. It reminded me of Doctor Strange (unpopular opinion: I liked that film) and I could really see the inside of that castle, the way you described it. And I LOVE that there are still instant noodles in someplace as magical as the Great East Kingdom. LOVE. IT.
I liked how there was a lot of falling in this fic, both literally and figuratively. Wonderful.
Thank you for this!
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Great read thanks!
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Nino is so cheeky and it's so typical for him to not care about what to wear and being so casual with everybody but at the same time being easy to approach ^^
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This world is so interesting! I would love to read more too!
I like high status Nino hehe
Would love to know if Nino takes Jun to his study after this ;)
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Love librarian Jun and his fancy clothes, love scholarly Nino who barely leaves his room but is insanely skillful, and love all the cameos. And love the Matsumiya feisty flirting...and Jun's early lunch break. I want to work there!!!
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