bakerstreet | (no subject)

GOODBYE MY FRIEND.

Goodbyes are inevitable. Maybe someone is moving away, maybe it's that final battle, maybe you can't stand to see this person any longer. They're leaving and this is your final chance to see them, final opportunity to say all those words you've been hiding away.

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TRIGGER WARNING: This meme may contain allusions to death, dying, abuse, etc. Please label threads appropriately if such instances occur.

GOODBYE

1. FALLING OUT ... You've had a fight. You can't stand to see one and other any more. Let it all out, all that hurt is finally coming to the surface.
2. FORCED SEPARATION ... You don't have much time left. Whether you like it or not, this person is being taken away from you - and you won't be seeing them again.
3. DEATH ... Whether immediate or impending, this person is going to die. Maybe it's the final battle, maybe it's a terminal illness. They're dying and this is your last chance.
4. MOVING ON ... You're graduating. Finished training. Got contracted somewhere far away. Whatever the reason may be, it's time to move on - and it's time to say goodbye.
5. WILDCARD ... Make up your own or combine a few! The choice is yours.

...

I'LL SEE YOU AGAIN

...But goodbyes aren't always forever. Be it fate or some stroke of luck, you're about to be reunited. Maybe it's just a short time later, maybe it's years later - somehow, someway, they're back.

REUNION

1. IN PASSING ... Who was that you just passed on the street? Didn't they look awfully familiar?
2. SURPRISE ... Someone has just shown up on your doorstep. How long has it been since you've seen that face?
3. IT'S A MIRACLE ... They lived. By some stroke of fate, they've lived. Or maybe you're meeting in the afterlife? Whatever the case may be here they are, waiting for you with open arms.
4. LOST & FOUND ... Everyone else thought it was impossible; they were dead, lost, gone. But you've never given up hope. Now that you see that face again, it's all worth it.
5. WILDCARD ... Make up your own or combine a few! The choice is yours.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[He's always wanted to die with dignity, but in the face of the obvious end, it's hard to keep a brave face, or even a neutral face. For the true first time in his (admittedly, short and soon to end) life, he's scared completely out of his mind, because things were finally looking up, because he was finally feeling good about his work, because he was finally living.

But Naegi likes him, and while that should make him feel better, it just makes his heart hurt worse.]

You know what I meant. Nobody else. I hate false sympathy.

[Vaguely, his mind wanders to other things as he tries desperately to stay conscious and present in the conversation, voice shaking almost too hard to be intelligible.]

I'm not a good person.

[His body itches with the urge to do, to help, but it's becoming increasingly obvious there's nothing he can pursue on that front. He can only wait for help to arrive. And so, as Togami speaks, Naegi settles down next to him, and focuses on doing what he does best. Hoping. Believing for the both of them. They'll be here soon. They'll be here soon. They'll be here.

Naegi presses in close to his side. Togami's shirt is sticky with blood. He laces their fingers back together again, and the gesture seems more firm this time. Steady and decided.

Or maybe he's just trying to convince himself that it is, in the wake of Togami's shuddering voice.]

Yes, you are. Nothing you say can convince me otherwise. I know you, Byakuya. You're good.

[Naegi hasn't noticed yet, but he's crying, too. They just need to wait another five minutes. Another two. They'll be here soon.]

You make me happy.

[The simple fact that someone as kind and unconditionally gentle as Naegi considers Togami--a sinner, a murderer in his own right, a cruel and stubborn man with a taste for blood--to be a good person is enough to overwhelm him, remove any pretense of grace and dignity from his manner and expression. Naegi thinks he is good, and he falls apart with ease.

How could he make someone happy? The concept is foreign but the fact is undeniably true, showing in Naegi's smile every time they talk or even pass each other. Naegi isn't smiling now, and Togami isn't sure how to fix it.]

Ah.

[He can't think to say anything other than that for several empty moments, so he absently guides Naegi's hand to his own face, a silent plea to not be alone.]

Thank you. It's an honor.

[It's a stupid thing to say, but he's beyond caring about things as petty as that.]

[And Naegi lets him without a shred of hesitation, his fingers curling around Togami's cheek. The building could fall apart around them. He won't leave.

The words sound too final for his liking, and it's difficult to think of an appropriate response that isn't optimistic enough that he's sure it'll just set Togami off again.

So he doesn't speak. He leans in, and he presses his forehead against Togami's, and he holds his gaze. Right here. He's staying right here.]

Keep your eyes open, okay? Stay awake.