（ he has the technical skills, the breadth of knowledge, and the chakra control to manage it. however... ）
But I see no need, when I have you.
（ it is telling, that this suggests a willingness to rely on wei wuxian for such things. it is a measure of vulnerability, one that he would very likely deny if pressed but present nonetheless. ）
[Completely caught of guard by the blatant regard in that comment, Wei Wuxian's eyes widen and he flushes lightly, pleased and embarrassed, and unsure what to do with the warm feeling that the words engender in him.]
Aiya, don't be so nice to me, I'll take advantage! [He playfully shoves at Itachi's shoulder and then carefully sets the rest of the talismans down for him.]
Alright, then just let me know when you need more, or if there's anything else I can do for you.
[That garners an eyeroll but his amusement quickly turns serious and he sits back down on the edge of the bed, exhaling softly as he processes that.]
Gone back to his world? [Well. Shit.]
I can tell her. [She'd only recently told Wei Wuxian how worried she was about McCoy's illness and now this. He shakes his head back and forth and lets out another sigh.]
She's going to take it hard. You're sure he's really gone?
（ there's a brief schism of annoyance in his brow, there and gone as he simply looks at the man. it seems nearly two months in a body not his own has left him a bit less able to control his micro-expressions than usual, but it serves as answer enough. ）
（ he thinks of the witch's bark, neatly and meticulously gathered, sitting in a little container in one of his drawers. but it is without hesitation that he shakes his head. ）
No. He treated me for my illness, and performed a necessary surgery to restore my sight. The Ximilia's crew is poorer without him, but he and I were not especially acquainted.
[The subject of Itachi's illness had come up before, but Wei Wuxian had not asked after it. Assured that his friend has not been deeply hurt by McCoy's loss, he allows that subject to pass in favor of the rest of what he's said.]
What happened to your sight? Was it related to this illness?
（ he is silent for a moment, holding court with himself on the matter. he has already told wei wuxian one lie tonight, and him knowing more about the sharingan is not in and of itself a risk, nor does itachi feel it is information he would surrender willingly. ）
Use of the Mangekyō Sharingan comes at a cost. It triggers an auto-immune response in the body, and with each technique it causes further deterioration along the tenketsu. It attacks all of your main chakra gates, and eventually, one succumbs to the illness.
（ wei wuxian knows he's dead, so this should not be a surprise. ）
It can be ameliorated with a transplant of like eyes. However — very few Uchiha ever wake the Mangekyō. It was not an option in my world. Here...
（ he shrugs absently, lifting one shoulder up carelessly. ）
[He's silent as he listens, understanding the graveness of such an illness and that it must have been extremely painful. His heart aches for Itachi but he does not voice that thought. Were it him, it would be the last thing he'd want. Instead, he glances away and lets a faint smile touch the corner of his lips.]
To think that all this time I had no idea how much I had to be grateful to Dr. McCoy for. [He'd known what the man did for Gwen. He didn't know what he'd saved Itachi from.]
The eyes you have now, are you at risk of it happening again?
No. Once the necessary conditions are met, there is no possibility of relapse.
（ his father's eyes. kakashi had known right away with the changes to his mangekyō, but no one left aboard the ximilia has seen him use the mangekyō both before and after the transplant. ）
[It's a very Itachi® response, and Wei Wuxian nods, accepting it. He hardly expects the man to detail his own suffering or admit to it at all. Whether it still hurts him or not, it doesn't seem likely he'll tell Wei Wuxian.
He should probably get up and make his way back now, but he finds himself remaining seated on the bed. McCoy's absence—despite his own lack of closeness to the man—has left him feeling unsettled, and there's something he needs to say, though he doesn't know how to say it.]
Hey. [He starts, voice soft and expression solemn.]
Do you remember when I told you I was going to do something stupid? [Back on E23-b, an embarrassing text exchange that he wouldn't usually bring up again.]
[This is hard enough, Itachi, don't look at him like that! He lets out a quiet huff and looks away.]
Since Gwen disappeared, I've been thinking about some things. I didn't end up dying then, but it's so easy for one of us to just disappear from here. [He pauses and when he starts again, his voice is softer.] Not easy, inevitable. Whether it's you or me first, one day one of us will wake up and...[He shrugs, lips formed into a soft half smile.]
I told you then—when I was going to do something stupid—that Wen Qing taught me not to leave things left unsaid.
[He isn't in danger now—neither of them are, but there's no saying when they'll wake up to find the other gone.]
Forgive me for being sappy this once. I need you to know this, just in case. You matter to me. And if I disappear from here and am reborn into another life years from now, without any memory of Wei Wuxian and all of his nonsense, my soul will still remember. It will still matter.
And if I'm not and this is all the time I have left, then it matters all the more. [He inhales quietly and shakes his head.] I'm glad we met. I'm glad we're friends. That's all.
（ it is not immediately clear that was not what he anticipated. his expression does not change in the least, a perfect mask like the still waters of a placid lake.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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（ he has the technical skills, the breadth of knowledge, and the chakra control to manage it. however... ）
But I see no need, when I have you.
（ it is telling, that this suggests a willingness to rely on wei wuxian for such things. it is a measure of vulnerability, one that he would very likely deny if pressed but present nonetheless. ）
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Aiya, don't be so nice to me, I'll take advantage! [He playfully shoves at Itachi's shoulder and then carefully sets the rest of the talismans down for him.]
Alright, then just let me know when you need more, or if there's anything else I can do for you.
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（ just so we're clear on that point. ）
Doctor McCoy is gone. Gwen will be... upset. You should be aware before she learns. I can tell her if you would prefer.
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Gone back to his world? [Well. Shit.]
I can tell her. [She'd only recently told Wei Wuxian how worried she was about McCoy's illness and now this. He shakes his head back and forth and lets out another sigh.]
She's going to take it hard. You're sure he's really gone?
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He's silent for a moment before he eyes Itachi with a considering look.]
Were you close with him?
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No. He treated me for my illness, and performed a necessary surgery to restore my sight. The Ximilia's crew is poorer without him, but he and I were not especially acquainted.
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What happened to your sight? Was it related to this illness?
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（ he is silent for a moment, holding court with himself on the matter. he has already told wei wuxian one lie tonight, and him knowing more about the sharingan is not in and of itself a risk, nor does itachi feel it is information he would surrender willingly. ）
Use of the Mangekyō Sharingan comes at a cost. It triggers an auto-immune response in the body, and with each technique it causes further deterioration along the tenketsu. It attacks all of your main chakra gates, and eventually, one succumbs to the illness.
（ wei wuxian knows he's dead, so this should not be a surprise. ）
It can be ameliorated with a transplant of like eyes. However — very few Uchiha ever wake the Mangekyō. It was not an option in my world. Here...
（ he shrugs absently, lifting one shoulder up carelessly. ）
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To think that all this time I had no idea how much I had to be grateful to Dr. McCoy for. [He'd known what the man did for Gwen. He didn't know what he'd saved Itachi from.]
The eyes you have now, are you at risk of it happening again?
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（ his father's eyes. kakashi had known right away with the changes to his mangekyō, but no one left aboard the ximilia has seen him use the mangekyō both before and after the transplant. ）
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Do you still suffer the effects of what it did?
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（ it's not exactly a clear answer, but that's itachi for you. ）
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He should probably get up and make his way back now, but he finds himself remaining seated on the bed. McCoy's absence—despite his own lack of closeness to the man—has left him feeling unsettled, and there's something he needs to say, though he doesn't know how to say it.]
Hey. [He starts, voice soft and expression solemn.]
Do you remember when I told you I was going to do something stupid? [Back on E23-b, an embarrassing text exchange that he wouldn't usually bring up again.]
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Since Gwen disappeared, I've been thinking about some things. I didn't end up dying then, but it's so easy for one of us to just disappear from here. [He pauses and when he starts again, his voice is softer.] Not easy, inevitable. Whether it's you or me first, one day one of us will wake up and...[He shrugs, lips formed into a soft half smile.]
I told you then—when I was going to do something stupid—that Wen Qing taught me not to leave things left unsaid.
[He isn't in danger now—neither of them are, but there's no saying when they'll wake up to find the other gone.]
Forgive me for being sappy this once. I need you to know this, just in case. You matter to me. And if I disappear from here and am reborn into another life years from now, without any memory of Wei Wuxian and all of his nonsense, my soul will still remember. It will still matter.
And if I'm not and this is all the time I have left, then it matters all the more. [He inhales quietly and shakes his head.] I'm glad we met. I'm glad we're friends. That's all.
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you shouldn't be, he thinks but does not say. ）
Are you finished?
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Yeah, I'm finished.
I should get back to Gwen to check on her. [He rises from the bed and makes his way to the door.]
I'll see you. [With a quick wave, he's out the door and gone.]