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kravkalackin · 4 years ago

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For a long time, there was nothing. Just sitting, trapped in that umbrella, in that cave, listening to the echoes of waves off in the distance.

And then there was a rumbling, something far enough off that she couldn’t hope to tell the source, or maybe it was a minor earthquake. She didn’t know, but she did know that one minute, she was sitting as she had been for some countless amount of time inside that black curtained prison.

And the next, a rock had fallen, with a stroke of luck and a strange stitch of fate crushing both the remains of her corpse and the umbrella it was holding.

And Lup was free.

She laughed, as ecstatic, giddy, nervous thing as she let fire flair up around her just to feel it again. Feelings weren’t the same as a lich as a person, but she could still feel her power, could feel the warmth from her magic. She only let herself indulge in it a moment though, quickly focusing up on what she needed to do.

She had no idea how long she’d been gone for. She needed to find her family.

That turned out harder than expected. She couldn’t find the Starblaster. It wasn’t anywhere she searched, and she couldn’t track it with magic for some reason either. She would think (fear, dread) that somehow it had managed to leave without her, but that wasn’t possible. Even trapped in a pocket dimension she would have been taken as well, that wasn’t it.

Well, she could ask the others what happened to the ship when she found them. She needed to find Taako, Barry and everyone else would be with him, and if not he would know where to find them. He would know what was going on. He would be looking for her.

The search was hard, because apparently he didn’t have any of his shit oh him she could just cast locate object on. No, it was hard, until very suddenly it wasn’t. Until suddenly she was hearing about a cooking show and seeing a tacky flier for ‘Sizzle It Up With Taako’

Odd, but she knew better than anyone what her brother was like. How he would indulge in these phases, transforming himself for a while before tossing the whole thing away like an old outfit. The surfer year on the beach, his pseudo-philosophy stunt, and now apparently a whole cooking show. At least it made sense this time.

She caught him between shows, alone thankfully. He was outside of the caravan, stretching with a look Lup knew meant he’d just woken up. She didn’t waste any time, divebombing right for him.

“Taako!” she shouted, because fuck it, after however long in that umbrella she missed her brother. He jolted, passing through her arms as she tried to hug him, which was about what she expected.

“Holy fuck!” he snapped, clearly startled. She expected him to quickly realize what was up, and to either start berating her for worrying them all or start freaking out at her already being a lich.

But that wasn’t what happened.

“What the- what the fuck?” he asked, taking a step back from her, but Lup didn’t notice the fear on his face. She just dived forward again, this time managed to grab his arms as much as her spectral form could.

“Shit it took a while to find you! Is this really the time to be going off on your own doing a weird food cart business thing? I mean, it looks good, nice marketing, but a little inconvenient. Where are the others? How long have I been gone?” she asked, and it was starting to become concerning how long he was just... staring at her.

“I don’t... what?” he asked, and Lup didn’t have a proper face anymore, but she still felt like she was frowning at that.

“How long Taako? I didn’t- however long it was I didn’t mean to disappear like that. I just, I had to do something, and it backfired. But I’m back now so just tell me, was it a month? Two months?” she asked, and there was just... nothing in his face.

“A year? Five? Tell me!” she was shouting now, and she didn’t mean to but she didn’t... she didn’t think it was that long, and something was wrong and Taako was looking at her like he didn’t know who she was.

“I don’t know! I don’t- what the fuck’s going on? Do you know me?”

Oh.

Oh no.

“T-Taako? Taako it’s me. It’s Lup!” she pleaded, but her brain was already rapidly trying to make connection as just... no recognition shone in his eyes.

“Look, I’m uh, I’m real sorry lady. Doesn’t ring a bell,” he said, and it-

It was real fucking hard to not let that break her.

“Fisher. This has to be- it’s Fisher! Taako where’s the Starblaster?” she asked, but that confusion on his face only got more pronounced, his frown deepening.

“Uh, yeah that was- that was all Greek to me, or static, specifically,” he said, and that pretty much confirmed it. Something- somehow, someone had used Fisher to erase her. To erase who knows how much. Her brother didn’t remember her. No one would be able to remember her. No one except-

“Barry! Taako, where’s Barry?”

“Who?”

Again, there was a dangerous moment where she had to will herself together, thinking of her best day with Taako, her performance with Barry, all the little moments around them that kept her grounded.

“Okay. Okay, I’ll just have to find him the hard way,” she said, finally forcing herself to let go of her brother. Who was still looking at her like she was a stranger. Like she was crazy. “I’ll have to fix this, too,” she added.

“So uh, should I do something, or what?” Taako asked, and Lup told herself that was something. He was clearly freaked out, but he didn’t seem afraid of her. not of the fact that she was a lich or anything, at least. That was something. She thought over the question, glancing back at the food cart behind him.

“I don’t know. How uh, how’re you doing? You safe? This cooking gig working out for you?” she asked. There was still that confusion there, but he nodded after a moment, giving a carefully careless shrug.

“Yeah I mean, it’s pretty chill. I’m kinda a big deal, I guess,” he said, and if she could smile she would’ve.

“Then just keep doing what you’re doing. I know this must not make a lot of sense, but I’ll be back and hopefully I’ll have Barry and we can figure this all out together, alright bro?” she said, and reluctantly Taako nodded.

“Sure, I mean, you’re right on the money with this making no sense, but hey if I don’t gotta change anything about my life than sure, I’m down,” he said. That was good enough for Lup. It would have to be good enough.

“Alright, catch you later then,” she said, turning away as Taako gave her a casual wave.

New plan, she just had to find her husband.

She might have to kill him when she found him, but she’d burn that bridge once she got to it.

#taz #the adventure zone #lup #taako #we back at it again #imagine a lot of wacky shenanigans after this #of lup trying and failing to kill barry #who slowly starts to realize he can *flirt* with the murderous scary ghost lady #to get her to stop trying to kill him #he doesn't know why it's so effective #but hey he's not dead #and maybe this is kinda hot

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patriciasage · 4 years ago

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promises, promises

Author: Patricia_Sage

Fandom: The Adventure Zone - Balance

Summary:

Taako made two promises to his sister early on in this seemingly endless mission. Firstly, he isn’t allowed to intentionally cut a cycle short, no matter how much time is left, no matter how much he misses her. Secondly, if she’s gone, he has to take care of Barry.

He isn’t sure what his sister was thinking with the second one. ‘Taako’ and ‘take care of’ are not words that naturally go together for anyone other than Lup. He loves the entire crew, of course he does, but he would rather kill for them than comfort them.

This is the first cycle where Lup is dead and neither Taako nor Barry had gone with her.

posted in full under the break but you can find me on AO3!!

There are two months left in the cycle and Lup is gone. She, Merle, and Davenport were poisoned during a political meeting.

Taako hadn’t been hungry that day. He wishes he would have taken a drink. Magnus hates when he says it, but he prefers to die by her side than live without her. And death would have been much more preferable to watching her choke and spasm in front of him. Helpless.

Lucretia has a lot on her plate now, attempting to negotiate with the bastards who killed them. There was death on both sides, since Taako literally burned the place to the ground. It seems as though they’re on the verge of war – the four remaining crewmembers versus this country’s royal armies.

Taako doesn’t give a shit.

“What’s the fucking point?” he asks Lucretia when she made plans to meet with the royal representative. “This cycle’s gone to Hell; let’s just go.”

“We have two months left,” Lucretia says. “We have a chance to work through this and get the Light. Then they didn’t die in vain.” Her voice cracks. Taako attempts to be gentle with his friend, even though rage flows through him like a roaring stream.

But quiet vitriol escapes his mouth. “Are they even worth saving?”

Lucretia looks at him with bright, brown eyes. “Taako.”

“They killed Merle and Davenport and Lup! And they should have killed me too. And we’re still going to bend over backwards in order to save them? They obviously wouldn’t do the same for us.”

“That’s not how this works,” Lucretia says, quiet and stern. “We don’t decide who is worth saving or not.” She places her dark hand on Taako’s shoulder. “I know you’re hurting, T. And I won’t make you be a part of this. But I’m going to try and get the Light of Creation. And you’re going to make it through these next few months to see her again.”

Taako could see her again right now if he wanted to. But he doesn’t say that. And he doesn’t let himself truly entertain the thought. He promised.

Everyone on the ship is grieving in their own way. Barry becomes entirely reclusive, locking himself in his lab. Magnus cries a lot over the first few days and blames himself for not being at the meeting to protect them, but then he focuses his energy into learning to pilot the Starblaster. Taako attempts to distract his mind from the grief that sits deep in his bones.

Knowing their deaths are temporary doesn’t make it hurt any less.

Magnus makes it his personal mission to take care of Taako, which is very annoying but also helps with his plan for distraction. He sits next to the Magnus as the fighter test-drives the ship. It’s hard to think about your dead sister when your friend is crashing a spaceship into a lake.

But Magnus isn’t only recklessness and aggressive enthusiasm. He’s also soft and sensitive – and fucking manipulative. He tells Taako he needs a hug or someone to keep him company when he sleeps. Taako knows these are partial lies. He knows that Magnus just wants to hold his pieces together, to shield Taako from the nightmares that tear him apart.

Taako travels through the days like molasses. He wants to exist in the bare minimum, avoid the smouldering flame threatening to burn him up. But it’s hard to exist, unfeeling, in a world where he’s always had her at his side. He can’t do anything without thinking of her.

He drinks too much.

It helps a little, but it causes Magnus to make that sad, helpless expression, so Taako hides it as best he can.

He made two promises to his sister early on in this seemingly endless mission. Firstly, he isn’t allowed to intentionally cut a cycle short, no matter how much time is left, no matter how much he misses her. Secondly, if she’s gone, he has to take care of Barry.

Taako isn’t sure what his sister was thinking with the second one. ‘Taako’ and ‘take care of’ are not words that naturally go together for anyone other than Lup. He loves the entire crew, of course he does, but he would rather kill for them than comfort them.

This is the first cycle where Lup is dead and neither Taako nor Barry had gone with her.

Food is always an effective way to build a bridge between two stubborn souls. Taako steps foot into the Starblaster’s kitchen for the first time since the disaster a few weeks ago. Lucretia is a passable cook, so the remaining crew haven’t been suffering too much, but her meals are nothing compared to the twins’ concoctions.

Absolutely everything on this ship reminds Taako of his sister (pretty much every aspect of existence reminds him of his sister), but the kitchen is particularly salient. He stands in the doorway and breathes through it, thankful that no one is around. Lup is the only one who knows him at his core, the only one who’s ever seen his soft, fragile centre. Magnus has been digging closer and closer every cycle with his big hands and even bigger smile. But there’s no one Taako trusts like he trusts Lup.

And she’s gone.

And he made her a promise.

There are so many lakes on this world. Taako had spent most of springtime fishing and filleting, so the freezer is full. He takes out a few cuts of cod, expertly deboned, as well as some salt, pepper, lemon, chili powder, and dill. He starts the rice boiling and thaws the fish with a flick of his wand. The meat hasn’t been frying for too long before Magnus and Lucretia appear at the kitchen table, summoned by the smell. They’re looking at him with an irritating mixture of encouragement and wariness. He ignores them and focuses on cooking. He’s mentally batting away memories and feelings constantly and it’s starting to take a toll.

The kitchen is silent except for the sizzle of fish in the pan and the soft murmur of boiling rice. Taako transmutes some beans into asparagus and tosses that in the pan as well.

“Fucking talk,” he says to the stove.

Magnus startles into conversation. Taako feels his friends’ gazes move away from his back and toward each other. He focuses on their chat even though it’s boring. It’s easier than fighting his heart’s insistent ache.

He avoids looking at their faces while he places their meals in front of them. “Thank you,” Lucretia says softly. Magnus places a big, warm hand on the wizard’s shoulder.

Taako feels his mouth press into a shadow of a smile. He squeezes Magnus’s hand and steps away. “Dig in. I’m gonna bring some to the lab rat.”

Barry is asleep at his desk, drooling on a sketch of one of his prototypes. Taako sets the plate down next to him and watches the smell wake him up. His glasses are askew even when he lifts his head.

There’s an awful moment when he looks at Taako and his face softly lights up. Taako’s stomach sinks, and then Barry comes fully into awareness and looks away. Taako regrets shaving his face his morning and he regrets wearing his hair up the way Lup usually does before bed. He doesn’t blame Barry for the disappointment.

“This is good shit, so you’d better not let it get cold,” Taako says. He leans against the workbench with his arms crossed.

“Smells good,” Barry replies with his characteristic, gruff awkwardness. Taako tries not to fidget. The chill of Lup’s absence is strongest in the kitchen, but it’s swirling around the lab, too. It’s typical to see Lup sprawled on the couch pretty much every evening, chattering while Barry tries and fails to focus on his work.

Barry puts a forkful of rice in his mouth and speaks around it. Gross. “Did you eat already?”

Taako is absentmindedly surprised when he realizes he hasn’t eaten anything except a bite of toast that Magnus practically shoved in his mouth this morning. He curses himself for thinking about it too long and ruining what could have been a perfectly good lie. “Yep, sure did.”

“Taako…” Barry says disapprovingly, lowering his fork.

“Get outta my ass, Barry. I’m, like, a hundred years old, or something.” Age doesn’t mean much to them, anymore. “Don’t treat me like a child.”

“I’m not treating you like a child. I’m treating you like – ” He sighs. “Do you have some left over upstairs?”

“Yeah,” Taako lies. He walks toward the door. “Gonna go eat now, so…enjoy, or whatever.”

Barry rubs his eyes under his glasses. “Thanks, Taako.”

“Shit,” Taako mutters as he climbs the stairs. Why didn’t Lup tell Magnus or Lucretia to take care of Barry? Hell, anyone would do a better job than him.

Taako enters the now empty kitchen and casts Prestidigitation to clean the dishes, but he stops before he can leave for the upper deck. There’s a full plate of food on the table. It’s obvious that Magnus and Lucretia had each put half of their meal onto a clean plate. They’re taking advantage of his inability to throw away food, engrained from his childhood. Taako sighs but sits at the table to eat. He feels more solid when he’s done, but just as empty.

The next day is better.

“Come for a walk,” Taako demands from Barry’s bedroom doorway. Barry yelps and covers his chest with a blanket.

“Taako!”

“Come for a walk!” the elf repeats, leaving the door ajar as he leaves.

Barry joins him on the Starblaster’s lower deck in a few minutes, hair messy but fully clothed. “Where are we going?”

Before Taako has a chance to respond, Magnus rushes in. “Don’t forget your cloak – it’s kinda cold. Oh, hey, Barry. You coming with us?”

“I guess I am.”

“Great!”

Magnus hands Barry his denim jacket and throws Taako’s thicker cloak in his direction. The security officer himself is wearing a wool-lined vest with no sleeves. Taako resists the urge to roll his eyes when he notices.

The men don’t talk a lot as they traverse the path that Magnus and Taako have worn down over the last few weeks. They skip rocks on the surface of the still water. Barry stays far away from the water’s edge. Magnus picks Taako up and pretends he’s about to throw him in. Instead of protesting, Taako looks the man in the eyes with a challenge. “Do it. I fucking dare you, Burnsides.” Magnus freezes and just stands there holding the elf in his arms for a moment. Taako smirks. “That’s what I thought.”

Barry disappears into his lab when they return to the ship, but Taako still considers it a success. After a few days, Barry no longer needs to be woken up; he joins them in the foyer, sleepy but ready, every morning. Lucretia comes, too, when she’s not out negotiating.

Taako cooks when he can.

Sometimes he’s good. Sometimes the air of the kitchen suffocates him. Barry sees him once, standing in the pantry, frozen and overwhelmed. “Hey,” he says. There’s something soft and complex in his expression when Taako whirls around.

“What’s up, my man?” Taako’s voice breaks more than usual. The stiffness of his hands betrays him, too. Barry beckons him out of the pantry. Taako follows quietly as the scientist travels to the Starblaster’s upper deck.

The endless night sky is strangely comforting. There aren’t many constants in their life besides each other, their target, and their enemy. But the sky is always there and ready to take them away.

Barry opens a hatch near the centre of the deck and brings out what looks like a piece from a broken chair. “Ready?” he asks.

“What?”

Barry just nods and then throws the item high into the air. Taako understands when it reaches his highest peak, but he can’t bring himself to take out his wand. The piece of wood falls into a nearby like with a soft splash.

“Oh, sorry,” Barry says awkwardly. “You’re supposed to hit it with a spell –”

“I know what I’m supposed to do, Barry. I’ve lived with her my whole life,” Taako snaps. He takes a breath and tries again. “Look, I appreciate what you’re trying to do here, man. But that’s her. She feels things build up inside and needs to let ‘em out in a way she can control. But I- …I’m not full of anything.” He turns to leave. “So, thanks, dude, but this isn’t gonna work for me.”

Barry grabs his wrist. “Taako, wait!” He looks a little helpless. “Then what does work for you? Tell me.”

“I don’t know.”

“Come on.” Barry attempts a smile but he’s shivering a little in the night air. “Like you said to me the other day – you’re over a hundred years old. You know. So, tell me what makes you feel better when you feel like shit so I can help you out.”

“I don’t want your fucking help, Barry.”

“Well, that’s too damn bad!” Barry rarely raises his voice. It echoes across the empty deck and is swallowed by the night sky. “Tell me, Taako.”

He knows the answer will hurt both of them when it leaves his mouth, but he says it anyway. “Being with her.” Barry averts his gaze and Taako feels both sick and triumphant. “Just…being in her company makes me feel like a person again. So. Unless you can do that for me, I think we’re done here.”

Taako stands outside Magnus’s bedroom door for a few minutes. He raises his hand to knock then lowers it again. He spends the night on a nearby dock, listening to the waves lap against the shore and slowly emptying a bottle of rum.

The next morning, they pretend it didn’t happen. They go for their morning walk and let Magnus carry the conversation.

Lucretia gets the Light of Creation against all odds – and just in time. There’s only about two days left in this Cycle. Taako makes her favourite dish, piri piri chicken, and they allow themselves to celebrate with wine and music. It never feels completely right to celebrate, knowing the Hunger is still going to cause a lot of damage, but they need to allow themselves these small successes. The men also feel the need to show appreciation to Lucretia, since she worked tirelessly to save this world while they went for walks and crashed the ship into lakes.

Magnus is dancing with Lucretia in the kitchen and Taako makes a quick exit before the big man can trap him in another embrace. He finds Barry on the couch, lost in thought. He sits down beside him, touching their wine glasses together in a small toast. “We made it,” the wizard says before taking another drink.

“Yeah,” Barry says. They’re both thinking the same thing. They’ll see her again soon.

Barry turns to face him. “Listen, Taako, I’m sorry I was so pushy the other night.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“It’s just…” Barry sighs. “I promised her I’d take care of you and I –”

“What?” Taako interrupts. They look at each other, incredulous and inquiring. “She made me promise to take care of you, dude.”

Barry smiles and laughs. Taako fumes. As if Barry Bluejeans could take care of him – what was she thinking? “We both did kind of a shit job, didn’t we?” Barry says.

“Hey, without me you would’ve starved to death.”

“Yeah, that’s fair.”

A few days later, Magnus flies the Starblaster through the Hunger’s advancing tendrils, their bodies fragment, and the entire crew materializes in their set places. Before Lup can even take a breath, Taako shoves her hard. “What the fuck?” she sputters. He silences her with a hug.

The IPRE crew puts the past behind them and they settle into a new life on a new world. Barry and Lup go back to their routine of being attached at the hip and stubbornly not talking about their feelings. Lup and Taako cook and practice magic together. Barry and Taako aren’t close, per se, but they tolerate each other in a new, honest and kind way.

It’s worth it to see the smile on Lup’s face.

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toooceanblue · 4 years ago

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To Bother: Ch 7

Fandom: The Adventure Zone Rating: T for swearing and mild violence Warnings: None Relationship: Lup/Barry Bluejeans, Minor Taako/Kravitz, Lup & Taako

Summary: “I’ll be back soon,” Lup had told her brother, holding him tight on the harbor. She’d always had a knack for straying from the plan. Taako received the news of his sister’s death two weeks later, her ship downed by the Dread Pirate. He didn’t leave his room for days. When he could finally bring himself to eat again, he did the only thing

Read Chapter 7 here on Ao3

Excerpt:

He should never have left. Lup had been gone, and it had been devastating, but he shouldn’t have left their Aunt’s house. That was the first place she had come back to. If he had stayed there, he could have had her back years ago, and they could have traveled together. They could have become unrivaled in the arcane arts if that was what they still wanted, or they could have made Sizzle it Up worldwide. Lup would have never let him fall into this engagement in the first place. He wouldn’t have let himself fall into it if she’d still been with him.

Taako had never felt so stir crazy in all the years since he was made a lord. The letters from Kravitz and occasionally Lup kept him from crafting an impromptu rope from his curtains and making a break for it, but every other moment within the castle was spent like one imprisoned. The fact that he had less freedom that ever before wasn’t even his main concern. Taako knew his sister was out there now. He had more reason than ever to want to leave. It was going to drive him insane.

It didn’t help that his wedding was fast approaching either. Any information on his rescue remained under wraps even to him at the risk of the letters being intercepted, and the uncertainty did not feel great. He supposed it was possible that they were going to try to break him out after his wedding once things had blown over, but Taako desperately hoped his sister would know him better than that. He did not want to be married, even if the ceremony should really mean fuck all to him. But the possibility... Lup had been gone for years. Maybe she’d forgotten what he was like, why something like that would bother him so much.

Taako buried his head in his hands. He wasn’t going to cry in the royal library. He didn’t know how Lucretia would react if she found him, but he didn’t want to find out.

Keep Reading

#taakitz #blupjeans #taz #taz balance #the adventure zone balance #the adventure zone #thezonecast #fanfic #taako taaco #lup taaco #lup #taako #magic brian

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peachiekeeeen · 5 years ago

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some taz balance headcanons perhaps?

lup once got possessed by the spirit of a demon which somehow edited her physiology enough to allow her to breathe fire. when they finally unpossessed her, merle couldn’t stop cracking jokes about dry mouth, and lup berated taako for not recording her draconic episodes with their fantasy camcorder. for the rest of the cycle, lup burped cinders and sneezed smoke.

merle develops an aversion to the cold, which he attributes to being an aging beach dwarf. after the story and song, however, he remembers an icy plane where the starblaster touched down early in its mission. he remembered wandering off across the desolate, barren plains, getting hopelessly lost, and eventually succumbing to the cold, slowly freezing to death, completely and utterly alone.

june’s middle name is julia.

taako grows his hair out long, just experimenting, during the first run of sizzle it up, but the fans love it. he starts getting fanart, and now there’s t-shirts featuring his braid, and he just can’t cut it like he wants to—he’s all about the brand. but after glamor springs, after sazed ditches him, taako shears two feet of hair off with a pair of kitchen scissors in the middle of a midnight breakdown, and walks his ass to a hairdresser the next morning so they can repair the damage. it’s a weight off of him, physically if not emotionally.

taako gets these manic moments post-voidfishing, where he spends hours, or even days trying to dig up a recipe from the chasm of his memory. sometimes it succeeds, but most of the time, it doesn’t. after story and song, he recreates every single recipe he’d forgotten, much to the delight of all his friends. (he’s so happy, he even cleans up the kitchen, instead of leaving the janitor or the cleaning staff to take care of it.)

merle, lucretia, and barry all need glasses, and it’s lucretia who discovers one cycle that “magnus, you’re farsighted.” taako immediately gets him a pair of thick horn-rimmed glasses as a joke, but magnus loves them and keeps them even post-voidfishing.

instead of constantly burning spell slots on disguise self, taako obtains a necklace with the spell enchanted onto it with his specifications. when he drops the spell for kravitz, he disengages the necklace.

lup loooooves wearing heeled boots, and she takes every opportunity to do so when she has her body back.

lup develops a weird habit when she gets her body back: she starts dipping her fingers in hot wax. barry thinks she’s crazy, but in her defense, she didn’t really get to feel anything for over a decade.

#taz b #taz headcanon #the adventure zone #hannah screams

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believingbrook · 6 years ago

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taakitz hanahaki, 2

warnings/tags for fic series: terminal illness, angst with a happy ending (yes he’ll be fine), grief. please don’t read if you’re uncomfortable with these concepts, take care of yourself!

“How do you not have cumin?”

“I’m a bachelor, Taako!”

“That’s not an excuse to keep a pathetic pantry!”

“Pathetic — ” Kravitz sputters, but Taako raps his knuckles with a wooden spoon and points the butt toward the door, not bothering to look over the bowl of spices he’s crafting.

“You. Cumin.”

“It’s cold outside.”

Taako snorts. “You’re a big boy, and also freezing eighty percent of the time. It’ll hardly register.” He uncaps the cinnamon, sprinkles in a liberal dose. “Besides, the corner store is a two-minute walk. Make yourself useful.”

Grinning, Kravitz obliges, shrugs on a coat and a scarf and his boots and complains the whole way out the door. He shuts it behind him with a parting jab about how he’s going to get hypothermia and die and Taako’s resulting snort.

It is indeed a six-minute excursion to buy cumin. When he returns, purchased goods in hand, he passes them to Taako, the top of Taako’s braid brushing beneath his chin. He’s a good head taller than Taako and always thought that, if he were to kiss him, his hands would nestle perfectly in the small of Taako’s back.

“I realize, in retrospect, that sending someone out to get ingredients when they’ve got, uh, pneumonia, is — that’s probably a bad look.”

Kravitz blinks, then waves an airy hand through the air. “Like you said. I’m a big boy.”

“Yeah,” Taako says, as close to an apology as Kravitz is going to get. “Like I said. Hey, preheat the oven, will you? 350.”

Kravitz obliges. “Celsius or Fahrenheit?”

He laughs as Taako swats at him with the spoon again, dancing out of Taako’s reach with his tongue stuck out. “Disgusting,” Taako mutters, and sticks out his tongue to match.

Kravitz settles himself in his armchair, flipping idly through an old tome while Taako cooks. It’s a pleasant backdrop while he absorbs this new story (and yes, it’s one of those trashy romance novels that Taako hates but Kravitz refuses to abandon), the sizzling and splashing and decadent aroma wafting through their apartment.

Finally Taako clanks whatever he’s prepared into the oven — Kravitz isn’t even totally sure what, exactly, Taako is making, except that his kitchen smells faintly of garlic and he’d tugged two breasts of chicken out of Kravitz’s freezer, jabbing him on how he couldn’t even freeze chicken right, because he’d stored them too close to the icebox — and slumps onto the sofa with a huff.

That’s Taako’s corner of the sofa, or at least Kravitz thinks of it that way; it’s where he always sits, and in his more fanciful moments Kravitz can make out a Taako-shaped dip in the mattress. As is his custom Taako gathers all the pillows and blankets within reach and shuffles them over his lap, laying his head dramatically on the armrest.

“Hey, uh, your sister back this weekend?’

“Yeah.” Kravitz sets his book aside. Taako and Raven got along fine in the beginning, but since — well, since Kravitz’s affliction, she’s turned colder toward him. He jokes that she hates anyone who isn’t goth, and Taako ribs him about adoring Gerard Way and the t-shirts emblazoned with Amy Lee’s face still hanging in his closet, and they don’t talk about it. “Just in time for the party.”

“Natch.” Taako sprawls along the couch cushions, head resting on one crooked elbow. His hair spills in a golden weave over the threads of Kravitz’s couch and for one impulsive moment Kravitz wants to reach out, thread his fingers through that hair, find out how soft it really is.

“She saved my life, you know,” Kravitz says.

“Huh?”

“Raven. When we were kids.” He hadn’t meant to say that, hadn’t truly thought it out, but Kravitz hates that his sister and Taako don’t get along. That they don’t get along because of him. Out of everyone in their little family, Taako and Raven’s icy relationship is surpassed only by his and Lucretia’s. “I used to love swimming.”

“I could deffo get behind you in Spandex.”

Kravitz’s heart clenches. “I was eleven, Taako.”

Taako rolls over, quirks an eyebrow at him upside-down. “When’s the last time you went swimming, Krav?”

“Thirteen years ago.”

There’s a pause as Taako does the math. His eyes widen briefly, before narrowing again. Kravitz clears his throat. “I jumped in the river because there was something shiny at the bottom. And I was pretty good at swimming — this was back when I was a kid, and Raven was just a teenager, she took me to the river sometimes because she knew I loved it.” Kravitz drums his fingers against his thigh. “There was a current beneath the river. I almost drowned, but Raven — she pulled me out.”

Taako studies him. “Touching,” he says dryly. “Why are you telling me this?”

“It’s been ten years,” Kravitz says. “There’s little you don’t know about me already.” Kravitz stills his anxious hands. “Also I know you don’t like my sister and I hate it.”

“Shit, me too.” Taako looks toward the ceiling and crosses his legs. “We got along just fine until junior year, then she got all weird.”

Kravitz bites his lip. “Yeah, I know.”

There’s silence for a beat, then Taako rolls his head toward Kravitz and sits up. “Kravitz,” he says dangerously.

“What?”

“Give me that.”

He’s looking at Kravitz’s book. He snatches it up and holds it to his chest. “No.”

“Do not make me come over there and get it, Kravitz.”

“You’re gonna make fun of it!”

“Oh you know I am,” Taako says, hefting himself to his feet. He perches on one arm of the sofa and stares Kravitz down. “Hand it over, I just wanna read the back.”

Kravitz holds it tighter to his chest. “Don’t you have cooking to be doing?”

Taako snatches for it, but Kravitz twists out of the way. “It’s in the oven, bubbeleh, it’s not my problem for at least another fifteen minutes. Plenty of time to do some investigating.” He shuffles onto Kravitz’s lap and grabs again, but Kravitz holds the book tighter.

“This is awfully rude, Taako.”

Taako grins a sharp shark’s grin. “That’s me,” he says, pleased, and digs his fingers into Kravitz’s sides. “Rude and uncivilized.”

Kravitz lets out an extremely undignified squeak. “Oh come on — !” Kravitz snickers, trying to squirm away from Taako’s fingers and failing. “This isn’t fair, we aren’t fifteen — ha — oh come on, this isn’t fair — ”

He breaks away to snort, curling in on himself in a last-ditch defensive attempt. “Oh no you don’t,” Taako says, and even though Kravitz is currently occupied resisting the urge to throw Taako off his lap (he could and they both know it — Taako never was athletic, ‘too much effort’), he can hear the smile in Taako’s voice. “C’mon, Bones, I just wanna read it — ”

“You’re gonna make fun of me!”

“Perish the thought,” Taako says, and finds a sensitive spot along Kravitz’s sides and digs his fingers in. Kravitz rears backward, trying to wriggle away, but Taako snatches the book from his hands.

Kravitz laughs breathlessly, recomposing himself. The air brushes along the petals in his throat and he coughs once, twice, before clearing his throat and declaring, “I hate you.”

“You could never,” Taako says smugly, still perched atop Kravitz’s knees.

“I hate that my tickle spots are the same after ten years,” Kravitz grumbles, burying his face in Taako’s chest. “I’m an adult now, those shouldn’t still work!”

“Not how biology works, homeslice,” Taako says absently, pinching Kravitz’s nose with the hand not occupied holding the back cover in front of his face. Kravitz shakes his head to dislodge Taako’s fingers, smacks Taako’s hand away. “Oh my god, Kravitz.”

Kravitz groans, low and defeated.

“This is awful. This is awful, how do you — a horse? Why is this — is this a gay cowboy story?” Taako tucks two fingers beneath his chin and tugs his face up, brandishing the book at him with the other. “Are you reading a — a fuckin’ homosexual Western?”

“It’s a good genre,” Kravitz defends, blushing furiously. He snatches for the book, but Taako dances out of the way. He’s always been faster than Kravitz. “I don’t need you critiquing my taste in literature.”

“Listen — okay, no, first of all, you definitely do, because this is unacceptable and second, literature? This cannot be called literature, Kravitz! Literature has the word “lit” in and therefore by default cannot be applied to anything you read!”

“I’ve read the draft of your cookbook.”

Taako freezes, then hits him lightly in the chest with his own book. “Take your trash back,” he sulks. “Can’t sully my hands with it anymore.”

“You know I’m right, Taako!”

“I will confess to no such thing.”

“You don’t need to,” Kravitz sing-songs, leaning forward, bracing his elbows on Taako’s knees. “I already know everything I need to.”

Taako stares him dead in the eyes, then pokes his nose. “False. I — I don’t have anything better than false, and also fuck you.”

Kravitz goes to lick his finger and Taako yanks it back, retching. “You’re disgusting!”

“Learned it from Lup,” Kravitz shrugs, grinning unabashedly up at him. “Your sister, your fault.”

“No, that’s not even — you are so far off,” Taako says, disentangling himself from Kravitz’s lap and going to check on the kitchen. “By that logic that means you also gotta blame me for trying to set you up with Barold during freshman year and I want no part of that.”

“I think that worked out for Lup in the end, though,” Kravitz says, standing and stretching. “Chicken done?”

“Almost,” Taako says, putting the oven mitts back. It’d taken Kravitz four years to drill organization into Taako’s head — in this flat everything has a place and will be returned there, thank you. “Five minutes or so.”

“How long until people arrive?”

“You have a clock on your wrist.”

Kravitz sprawls out over the couch and grins cheekily at him. “Too far away.”

“You’re awful,” Taako says, rolling his eyes where Kravitz can see him. “We’ve got half an hour.”

“Cool.” He sits back, studies the ceiling, then picks his head up again. “Hey, could you grab Angus’s present? It’s in my closet.”

“Are you trying to put me back in the closet?”

“And you say my gay jokes are awful.”

Taako pauses, considering. “Okay, yeah, that one was pretty bad. What will you give me in return?”

Kravitz shrugs. “My undying love and affection?”

Taako snorts. “Disgusting,” he says, but tromps obligingly into Kravitz’s room. “Your room’s a mess!”

“Is not!”

“Your bed isn’t made, and there’s dust on the windowsill!”

Kravitz rolls his eyes. “I’m sorry I don’t dust my bedroom often enough for your tastes!”

He hears a muttered “you should be,” then silence. Kravitz closes his eyes, the delicious scent of garlic and rosemary wafting around the kitchen, and waits for Taako’s returning footsteps.

They return, far slower than they should. Kravitz sits up, and when he looks toward the entryway, Taako is carrying a jar of rose petals.

Ice chills in Kravitz’s veins.

“Taako?”

Taako doesn’t say anything as he crosses the room. Kravitz stiffens, scoots over to make room, and Taako sits, face eerily blank. This time, Taako doesn’t bother with his nest of blankets.

“What are these?”

“Petals,” Kravitz says, and in an attempt at lightheartedness says “I’d have thought you’d know that, Taako, your father is a gardener — ”

“Kravitz.”

Kravitz’s heart plummets to his stomach. Taako looks at him and Kravitz can’t hold his gaze, so he looks away, looks to the table still scuffed with bootprints from Taako’s uncaring kicked-up legs.

“Why do you keep them?”

His voice is perfectly even. Taako’s voice is never even. “I like them,” he shrugs. “I know that sounds, uh, fucked up, but — they remind me what I’m — ” He swallows, cuts himself off. “Are you angry?”

Taako ignores his last question. “Yeah, that’s pretty fucked up,” he says. He sets the jar on the table, lips pressed firmly together, eyes still shadowed with something Kravitz can’t quite understand. “You know, I don’t think I’ll ever understand you, Kravitz.”

“Taako, you still know me.”

“He’s a lucky guy.” This time, he’s the one who won’t meet Kravitz’s gaze. “Whoever he is.”

Kravitz blinks. “Taako, it isn’t — it isn’t some guy, it’s — ”

“Don’t.”

“Taako— ”

Taako’s voice is harsh with warning. “Don’t, Kravitz.”

Taako sits up, shoulders tense and gaze fixed rigid on the unlit fireplace in the wall. His jaw is locked tight and Kravitz feels like he can’t breathe and for once, it isn’t the damned garden coating his windpipe.

“Okay,” Kravitz says softly. “Okay, I won’t. Are you all right?”

Taako barks out a laugh, hands fisting in his jeans. “You’re incredible, you know that?”

It doesn’t sound like a compliment.

“I’ve been told,” Kravitz murmurs. He looks toward the fireplace as well. “The chicken’s probably done.”

Taako blinks. “Right,” he says, and stands. “Right. Yeah, it probably is.”

He stands. Kravitz hears the oven door open, shut, metal clanking against metal. There’s a beep of an interior thermometer; a pause, then the rhythmic sound of chopping.

Kravitz’s chest is tight now, too, something uncomfortably heavy pressing on his sternum. This is why he hadn’t said anything. He knew this was going to happen, knew that when Taako found out he would get scared, and he would leave.

Kravitz wants to run, badly. Wants to flee his own flat, take refuge with Hurley and Sloane. Maybe call Julia and see if her dining room table has room for one more, if she’s got tea steeping.

But too many people have left Taako already and if Kravitz leaves now he’ll smash the last of the wooden slats he hasn’t already burned. Instead he forces himself to stand, walk over to his own counter. He — he needs Taako to know this, at least.

“This isn’t your fault, Taako.”

His back is turned toward Kravitz and it stiffens at the words. There’s a pause in the rhythm of his chopping and it lulls, just for a moment; then Taako says, with a voice so unaffected Kravitz startles to hear it, “Don’t know what you’re talkin’ about, my man.”

His heart drops. “Ah,” Kravitz says. In the end, he tells himself, it’s better than it could be — he could have lost Taako entirely. He can keep pretending nothing’s wrong. He — he wouldn’t mind.

Inside his throat, the roses bloom, stretching their petals a bit farther. The prickling feeling of seeds taking root trickles farther up his windpipe and he fights the urge to retch, balling a fist against his mouth and blinking back involuntary tears.

“I think Lup bought Ango trick candles,” Taako says after a while. He slides the diced carrots off the chopping board, drops them in the bowl with a brisk flick of his wrist. “I don’t even think — don’t think she needs them, to be honest. She could just relight ‘em as soon as they go out.”

“He’d realize though,” Kravitz says carefully. “He’s very intelligent.”

“He’ll figure out they’re trick candles pretty fast too,” Taako says sharply. “But yeah. Don’t freak when they keep burning.”

“I won’t.”

Taako hums absently. His back is still turned. He pulls three full tomatoes out of his bag and sets about slicing those. “How long do we have?”

“Fifteen minutes.”

“Cool cool.”

“Do you need help?”

Taako snorts. “Not from you, my man.”

Kravitz bites his lip. He doesn’t know what to say, and that’s what gets him more than anything else — he doesn’t know what to do. He’s never had to dance around Taako. The sort of easy honesty that grew between them was present from the very start, and Kravitz has uprooted it. He doesn’t know what to say. He doesn’t know how to smooth things out into the easy camaraderie of before.

“Still got Magnus’s ducks?”

“Yeah,” Kravitz says. “Those were in the closet, too. Did you — did you grab Angus’s — ”

“Nah, got a little sidetracked.” Taako brushes a lock of hair out of his face with one shoulder. “Just be warned, I think he’s bringing some more. Takes every chance he can get to, uh, fuckin’ frisbee them at people he knows.”

“I’ll clear more space then,” Kravitz says, and leaves.

He means to grab the present and head back to the kitchen, he really does; but alone, the full weight of Taako’s stubborn denial weighs on him and he sinks to his knees on the patchwork carpet of his closet. He fights to keep his breathing even, he can’t afford to cry because then he’ll start coughing, and that —

He retches. One hand flies to his mouth and the other scrambles for the closet door, pulling it shut. The light spilling in from his bedroom ceases, leaving him in the dark, and Kravitz struggles to keep his coughs as quiet as possible.

It’s different now, this — the petals he’s coughing up seem larger, fuller somehow, and Kravitz’s eyes sting. Gods, he doesn’t want to deal with anyone right now, doesn’t want to deal with Taako. He hopes he’s not audible from the kitchen.

After several minutes the fit passes and Kravitz, now able to breathe easier, slumps back against the wall. He stares into the darkness, the faint halo of light around his door, and buries his head in his hands. Crying is out of the question, he’s too drained — he couldn’t muster tears even if he wanted them — so he dashes a hand across his eyes, his lips, reaching shakily for the water bottle Raven keeps tucked in the back corner. He unscrews it, hands still trembling, and takes a large drink to calm himself.

Kravitz counts thirty seconds, slumped against the wall, hands shaking where he’s folded them in his lap, eyes closed despite the darkness around him. Then he shuts the water bottle, replaces it, and opens the closet door, present in hand.

Scattered around him are full roses’ heads.

Kravitz doesn’t breathe, for several moments. Nothing blocking his windpipe; just shock.

It can get worse, he knows. Progress from petals to full flowers, when love is unrequited. This is what most experts call the point of no return; he probably couldn’t get surgery now, even if he wanted.

His only thought is how upset Raven will be. He hates when she worries.

He kneels, touches the head of one gently. There are at least ten, a dozen petals on each head, and scattered around him are no less than six. He thinks, I’m going to need a larger jar.

For now the smaller ones will have to do. He uncaps one — he and Raven keep them on the top shelf — and shovels them in, careful to leave their heads undamaged. He looks to the windowsill where he kept his jars, looks toward the kitchen where he can hear Taako still chopping, rhythm undaunted, then places this new jar on the sill.

“Find it?” Taako asks, when Kravitz reenters the kitchen.

“Yeah,” Kravitz rasps. One of Taako’s ears flick back toward him, though he himself does not move. Kravitz clears his throat and tries again, voice far more pleasantly full this time.

Five minutes pass in silence before the doorbell rings. Just before Kravitz opens it he hears Taako take a deep breath and glances over to find him arched over his cutting board, knuckles white around the knife.

Kravitz opens the door, a bright smile already in place.

#taakitz #taako #kravitz #taz #hanahaki

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warraigoe · 1 year ago

Text

xxvi.

— ❛❛ // taako t. ¦ the one from tv.

— ❛❛ // taako t. ¦ sizzle it up with taako ! ・「 in ! 」

— ❛❛ // taako t. ¦ you should have stayed handsome‚ my fella. ・「 images ! 」

— ❛❛ // taako t. ¦ the world is ending‚ and i don’t care. ・「 musings ! 」

#tags list //#— ❛❛ // taako t. ¦ the one from tv.#— ❛❛ // taako t. ¦ sizzle it up with taako ! ・「 in ! 」#— ❛❛ // taako t. ¦ you should have stayed handsome‚ my fella. ・「 images ! 」#— ❛❛ // taako t. ¦ the world is ending‚ and i don’t care. ・「 musings ! 」

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arcanelaurels · 7 years ago

Note

could you write something with like angus sleeping in taako and kravitz's bed bc he had a nightmare or smthn?

I will since you asked me to but I would also like to point you in the direction of this fic by @inkedinserendipity bc it’s so soft and good and I’m gonna have to try hard not to accidentally mimic it

Taako’s ears twitched and he woke up with a yawn. He was laying on his side with his arm thrown over Kravitz, who was sleeping on his stomach next to him. Looking around, he could easily see that it was still the middle of the night. Great.

Taako stretched cat-like and rolled over, hoping sleep would take him again soon. He often woke up in the middle of the night. His and Lup’s scrappy childhood, his years on the Starblaster, Sizzle it Up With Taako, and being an adventurer had all contributed to making him a light sleeper. Kravitz, meanwhile, slept like a log. The lucky bastard.

A new sound had Taako’s ears swiveling towards the door. It was the distinct sound of small feet retreating down the hall. His eyes cracked open again and he stared at the wall for a few moments before hoisting himself up into a sitting position with a grunt, listening for any indication that the footsteps might return. He looked down and assessed his clothing situation. A tank top and shorts. He looked over at Kravitz. Sweatpants and no shirt. With a sigh, he used one hand to prod his fiance while the other summoned one of his t-shirts.

Kravitz groaned in irritation at Taako’s pokes. When they became more insistent, he lifted up slightly so he could twist his head to look at him. “What is it?”

Taako held a finger to his own lips to shush him and shoved the shirt in his face, his ears still straining to listen for sounds outside.

Getting the hint, Kravitz took the shirt and put it on, then immediately flopped back down on the bed, already almost asleep again. Taako scoffed, always surprised that someone who was dead - and therefore didn’t need sleep - was so hard to wake up.

After a moment, he heard the sound of footsteps cautiously approaching the door again. He could easily picture Angus, hesitating with his fist raised to knock.

“Agnes?” He called out. “I know you’re there. You can come in.”

There was a moment’s pause before the doorknob slowly turned and the door opened, the head of a little boy hesitantly poking in. The nervousness on his face was clearly visible. Kravitz craned his head so that he could see Angus as he stepped inside the room, wearing his Caleb Cleveland pajama set. Held in the crook of one of Angus’s elbows was the stuffed dog that Magnus had originally carved from wood, then asked Taako to transmute to a more huggable form.

“Angus?” Kravitz’s voice was thick with sleep. “What’s wrong?”

“Oh! Um,” Angus spoke with forced cheer. “Nothing! I was actually just walking past your room to…get a snack!” He turned and started leaving. “Sorry to wake you, I’ll go now-”

“Angus.” It was both Taako’s warning tone and his use of Angus’s real name that caused him to freeze. “You have terrible Deception.”

Looking guilty now, Angus stepped back inside and fidgeted with the hem of his button-down pajama shirt. “Um, I just…had a bad dream…is all.”

Taako hesitated. Bad dreams were something he knew well. “Do you wanna talk about it?”

Angus looked a bit surprised by Taako’s seriousness, and stared down at the floor as he continued fidgeting with his shirt. “It was, um…I had a dream that…the Hunger came back. And, um…you…you both…”

He fell silent, but it was easy to fill in the blanks.

Angus looked up and his hand flew to his face as if to adjust his glasses, but he wasn’t wearing them and ended up passing it off as scratching his face. He forced cheerfulness again “I just wanted to see you and know you were okay! I can go now.”

Taako felt a tightness in his chest. Those weren’t the kinds of concerns an eleven-year-old boy should be having. “Don’t be ridiculous. Listen,” He reached behind him to put a hand on Kravitz’s shoulder. “Do you know what Kravitz does when I have a bad dream?”

“What?”

“He tells me everything’s okay and holds me till I fall back asleep,” He said matter-of-factly. “Now,” He adjusted himself to make space between him and Kravitz. “Hop on up, boychik. There’s plenty of room,” He patted the bed to punctuate his statement.

Angus hesitated, glancing at Kravitz, who flipped himself onto his back with a grunt and waved him up. He hesitantly approached Taako’s side of the bed and climbed up - the stuffed dog still held tight in the crook of his elbow - while Taako grabbed a pillow to put between his and Kravitz’s.

Taako moved the blanket so that Angus could easily crawl up and get underneath it, still looking uncertain even as his head hit the pillow. He turned to look at Kravitz, who seemed to be asleep again, then turned to Taako. “Is he always this sleepy?” He whispered.

“You could say he sleeps like the dead,” Taako responded with a smirk.

Angus held the dog to his face to help him stifle his laugh.

“Well,” Taako said, reaching out with one arm and pulling Angus a bit closer. “Guess I’m on snuggling duty since bird brain can’t keep his eyes open.”

Angus readily snuggled closer to Taako, who kept his arm around him as the two fell silent for a few moments. He heard Angus’s breathing start to even out, indicating that he was drifting off.

“Everything’s alright, pumpkin,” Taako murmured sleepily, feeling like the comment was a bit late. “We’re safe.”

Angus was silent for a few moments, and Taako was sure that he’d fallen asleep until he heard him respond, his voice barely audible as he spoke while letting out a contented sigh, fully drifting off.

“Thanks, Dad.”

Taako stiffened, heat rushing to his face all the way to the tips of his ears. He pulled Angus closer and curled around him protectively, his throat feeling inexplicably tight.

#taz balance #the adventure zone #angus mcdonald #taako #taz kravitz #taakitz #laurelscribbles #two and a half boys

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here-there-be-nerds · 7 years ago

Text

Single Dad Taako 2

( 0 ) ( 1 ) ( 1.5 ) ( 2 ) ( 3 ) ( 4 ) ( 5 ) ( 6 ) ( 7 ) ( 8 ) ( 9 ) ( 10 ) ( 11 )

_________________________________

There was a lot to adjust to after Taako adopted Angus, other than the obvious of course. Taako suspected that he’d stop fucking getting startled when he came upon a space he assumed would be empty only to find Angus in it or when either walked in to the same room. That had to go away eventually, right?

That wasn't so bad really, it wasn't like Taako had lived completely all alone before so he wasn't sure why this was really happening, maybe it was because Angus was an actual considerate person that didn't stomp and scream everywhere he went? The mystery was alive and didn't beg for solving.

Speaking of mystery, Taako was still adjusting to Angus' sleuthing life. He didn't consider it all that much when he decided to actually adopt Angus. Yes, he was well aware the boy did that, he just thought it was mainly for survival but it turned out the kid fucking loved it.

Which normally would be fine, but...some of Angus' cases would take him really far away? Like real far. To towns Taako's never even heard of and Lucretia's Bureau of Balance gig had him traveling all over the Faerune. Angus insisted he didn't need Taako to accompany him and the elf would just be bored while he was on the case because there was a lot of time devoted to research that Taako was just not about if it wasn't cooking or magic.

So the kid had a point but it didn't stop this gnawing in Taako's gut every time the boy would pack up and go. It was something so new for him that it took three cases to realize what it was; it was gut wrenching worry for his beautiful magical boy.

Sure, Taako could easily keep Angus from going, tell him no. He was the boy's legal guardian now. He had all the power in the world over Angus.

But...

No, he couldn't take that from Angus; that was his passion. The boy's eyes would light up like Taako has never seen before save in Lup's eyes when she learned evocation or his own eyes when Sizzle It Up With Taako™ took off. He didn't want to quash that light, but he didn't want something to happen to Angus either.

Taako's no fool, he sat Angus down about most of this, coming up with a bunch of ground rules and tried to keep it low on the over bearing. He wasn't going for Cool Dad™ but for a healthy amount of concern but still letting Angus do his thing. A sweet middle.

For the first month or so it was going really well, Angus would check in a lot. He loved checking in, honestly, he was happy to talk to Taako and sometimes went over the cases with him. Angus would talk a mile a minute, too wrapped up in the intrigue to take a breath and let Taako weigh in, he wouldn't have much to say anyway. It was a great system, perfectly fine...until it wasn't.

It started with such small things as time went by, late check ins, less check ins. Angus would say it was just a tough case, that he got lost in the solve. Sometimes Angus wouldn't tell Taako what kind of case it was, especially if it might seem dangerous. Angus refused help, no matter who offered it.

Taako knew what keeping secrets looked like and he didn't know what to do. He started to think maybe he would have to put some limits on the small detective...but he always came home fine. He came home happy and bubbly. He came home.

Angus was coming home today and Taako made sure to finish the quest he got sent on fast so he could be there when he did. He only liked going on quests when Angus went off on a case, an empty house wasn't that great. So he made sure Angus didn't come home to one if he could help it.

Taako may have pushed himself a little too much in doing so this time but luckily he was only exhausted and not battered. He was working on being less reckless now that there was someone at home expecting him.

The door opened and closed and Taako looked up from his task of transfering Angus' favorite cookies from a pan to a cooling rack. The perfect timing.

"Ango?" Taako called, but he didn't get anything back other than small feet quickly retreating down the hall and a door shutting very quietly.

Well if that wasn't suspicious.

Taako quickly undid his apron and tossed it on a kitchen chair and went to Angus' room. He gently knocked on the door.

"Anges?" Taako called, getting nothing in return once more. "Hmm." He tried the door but found it locked.

"Um...no." Taako muttered to himself and casted Knock on the door and smirked as he heard it unlock and swung it open. "What the fuck!?"

"Ah...sir...it's not-" Angus said as he tried to hide what he was doing but it wouldn't have mattered even if he could.

There was a cut going down Angus' forehead and nearly through his eyebrow looking much like Magnus'. His glasses were on a small white sheet of fabric on his bed spread in pieces, next to which was a roll of gauze and small first aid kit. In his hand was his wand as he was most likely about to use magic to repair the spectacles.

"Angus fucking McDonald! Explain right fucking now!" Taako demanded as he marched across the room to Angus, sitting on the bed and taking the boy's face in his hands to inspect the wound.

"It's not...it's not that bad!" Angus insisted as he tried to pull away from insistent hands.

"Not...are you fucking kidding me right now?" Taako snapped, setting him with a glare.

Angus averted his eyes, pouting like Taako was somehow overreacting or something. Oh it's just ol' Taako being dramatic like usual, nothing unusual going on tonight.

"Talk. Now." Taako said firmly as he tried to get Angus to look at him. Critical miss.

"I'm fine, it's not important." Angus said, slipping out of his hands.

That was the last straw for Taako as he stared at this little boy that was stubbornly bleeding in front of him. If that's how he was going to be...

"Ah!" Angus shouted as he was forcibly lifted up into Taako's arms and carried out of the bedroom and down the hall to Taako's bedroom and into the master bathroom suite and plopping the boy on the counter top next to the sink.

Taako gave Angus a look as if daring him to move before he went and dug out his own first aid kit, tossing some bandages he had forgotten to get around to tossing, gross. But everything else was fresh and ready to go.

"You don't hav-"

"Can it." Taako cut him off as he pulled out some cleansing wipes and carefully started cleaning the cut. It wasn't too deep so it wouldn't need stitches but he should call Merle for a small heal so it wouldn't scar. If for nothing than Taako's peace of mind.

After treating and bandaging the cut, Taako put everything away and threw the old bandages in his small trash can hoping Angus wouldn't see the rust colored stains. This wasn't about Taako, this was about Angus.

"Talk little man, now." Taako said as he stared down the little boy still trapped on the counter who refused to meet eyes.

"You're over reacting." Angus said.

"Oh am I?" Taako laughed sarcastically.

"Yes, it's not that bad and I'm perfectly fine. It's just a scrape." Angus said matter of factly.

"You got /hurt/ Angus, if you want overreacting I'll show you overreacting." Taako threatened as he felt his temper slipping.

"It wasn't the case!" Angus said finally looking up at him. "I just slipped and fell, that's all. This is nothing-" Angus cut himself off.

"What?" Taako asked sharply but Angus looked down again.

"Nothing, it's nothing, don't worry about it." Angus mumbled.

"It's not nothing." Taako lifted Angus' chin to look him in the eye again.

"/This/ is nothing, I can handle myself just fine obviously." Angus said and Taako's heart sank. "You're only like this cause you can see it." Angus muttered under his breath as he averted his gaze.

That struck Taako like a Thunder Wave to the chest, how many times has Angus gotten hurt and he just didn't notice? Or did he ignore it in ignorant deniability?

Taako's legs started to shake and he had to grip the counter on either side of Angus to steady himself. Was he really this bad at taking care of this kid? Did Angus...think he just didn't care?

No, no, this wasn't about Taako, this was about Angus. The elf had to push his oncoming self-hatred spiral and put himself in Angus' mind set, as similar as it was to his own.

This boy has been on his own for years now, no one had ever shown him interest or care. Angus was used to adults brushing him off, telling him to grow up if he wanted to be in this line of business or forcing himself to think that so people would take him serious. This boy thought that if he got hurt he'd have to take care of it himself because who else would care enough to help?

"Fuck." Taako breathed shakily, his eyes pricking with welling tears.

Angus shifted uncomfortably as he continued pouting like he did nothing wrong here. And Taako couldn't blame him for that and he couldn't stay mad at him.

"Angus." Taako choked on the emotion building in his throat and it caught the detective's attention and worry took over the boy's features.

"T-Taako?" Angus said unsure as he looked him in the eye.

"Angus.../I love you/." Taako stressed as much as he could muster into the words he always had trouble to saying to anyone but Lup. "I love you and I never want you to think that you have to hide...anything from me. I know I'm not...great at emotional shit and I'm not…as smart as you or like most people. I have crappy advice and I never know what I'm doing...but I know a thing or two about thinking no one gives a shit about you."

"I just, I just need you to get that...I'm trying over here. I'm sucking spectacularly, but I'm trying because I want you to grow up better than I did, I want you feel more loved..." Taako cursed as tears started streaking down his cheeks but this was just how it was going to be he supposed.

Angus was crying too at this point so at least the elf wasn't alone in that front. Angus hesitated before reaching out to Taako and the elf moved in closer and wrapped his arms around the boy as they shared a tight embrace.

"Angus, you get this right? Like I didn't do all this shit for nothing? It wasn't just to keep some kid I felt bad for safe. I care about you, so fucking much. If you get hurt, tell me, be honest with me and I'll try not to freak out...can't make a strong promise on that but I will try." Taako mumbled as Angus sobbed into his chest. "It's okay, it's okay." Taako hummed as he rocked the both of them.

It took some time for the both of them to calm down again and clean their faces. Taako got a small chuckle out of Angus as he told him smearing tears over your face was a great cleanser and it shouldn't go to waste.

"Well...this is turning out rough in ways I didn't expect." Taako muttered as he looked at Angus with a soft fond look.

Angus nodded as he rubbed his eyes a little.

"Are you gonna be real with me from now on?" Taako asked seriously.

"Yes sir..." Angus said in a small voice.

"You just sayin that?" Taako asked and Angus shook his head. "Good."

Taako scooped up Angus and put him on his hip, he was a pretty small kid but Taako was keen on fixing that. He carried the boy to the living room and deposited him on their plush couch before going to the kitchen and plating a bunch of the cookies that were only mildly warm now.

Taako plopped down with the plate and offered it to Angus.

"Thanks dad." Angus said as he took the top cookie.

Taako was so startled he dropped the plate on to Angus' lap cursing as they both scrambled to keep the cookies on the plate and pick up the ones they couldn't.

"Oh shit...shit...I-I'll get a paper towel for the crumbs." Taako scrambled back to the kitchen.

"I...I'm sorry." Angus squeaked.

"Not your fault, bubbleh, cha'boy just clumsy." Taako said as he came back with the towel and started brushing some loose crumbs into his hands.

"But...it's because I said..." Angus mumbled. Taako glanced at him, his ears twitching and turning pink at the tips.

"Look, uh, I was just...caught off guard is all? Don't worry about it." Taako said as he finished cleaning. "Eat your cookies." He said as he went back to the kitchen to throw the paper towel with crumbs away.

"Is...is that okay?" Angus asked so quietly that Taako almost missed it.

Taako looked over the island that separated the kitchen and the living room, a familiar gnawing churning his stomach.

"Of course it is, pumpkin." Taako said despite he didn't feel he really was properly suited for the title but it wasn't about him. "You're my son after all and I love you."

Angus lit up like he was on the greatest case of his life and Taako was trying his damnedest not get floored by that.

"I love you too...dad!" Angus grinned and damn this kid was great.

Best thing Taako ever did with his weird life.

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