#i was just gonna share this with avi and lucas but i decided that i need to post this

[michsmeesh]

guys. guys i did a thing *EXPLDOES*

[nd43taags]

A Warm Cup of Caring

Another fast thing hammered out to fight writer’s block!  Enjoy, it’s horribly cute.

Two weeks before Candlenights, the floating moonbase of the Bureau of Balance experienced the worst cold snap it had since its foundation.

It was cold enough planetside, but being nestled in among the clouds in the air didn’t help the Moonbase one bit in staying warm.  The moisture was crystallizing almost immediately on every surface.  All the outdoor plants froze overnight.  The walkways and roads turned slick.  The glass domes frosted over until they were opaque.  And Madam Director had to issue a warning to all employees not to venture out unless it was absolutely necessary.

Magnus Burnsides was no stranger to cold.  Raven’s Roost was perched on top of a high column of stone, and the wind chill in the winter kept everything nice and frosty.  It wasn’t common to get a lot of snow, but it was cold, much like the moon was today, and Magnus was grateful to still have the fur-lined windbreaker and boots that Julia had gotten for him during his first winter with her.  

It made heading out to Fantasy Costco for coffee much less of a hassle.

Read more on AO3 or below the cut!

The cold snap had sent most employees indoors.  Magnus hadn’t seen Carey in days because her cold blooded body couldn’t handle the temperatures.  He imagined her curled up in her dorm room with a heat lamp and a blanket, trying to wait it out.  He’d seen Avi in the launch bay, bundled up as he scraped ice off of the cannonballs with fumbling mittened hands.  He had also checked on the Voidfish, since it seemed like the creature that lived in water would be having a hard time, but Johann had informed him that the tank had better heating elements than the whole base.  It was a very cozy temperature for their fishy friend.  It also appeared that Steven in his magical glass ball wasn’t having too much trouble, but Magnus was leaving him in the dorm room when he had to go outdoors just in case.

His two other roommates were not handling the weather very well at all.

Merle was complaining more about his arthritis, saying the cold was making his hands ache.  Magnus supposed it made sense, Merle had lived on the beach most of his life.  Biting cold probably wasn’t something he had experienced much of, and he was getting up there in age.

Taako on the other hand had retreated into his room, bundling up in so many sweaters and scarves he looked more mummy than elf.  He was amassing a dragon’s hoard of blankets on his bed, and he curled himself inside them like a nest.  It was kind of cute, but Magnus had noticed almost all of his blankets had mysteriously vanished in the past few days.

They both had the heating in their new dorm turned up so high it was practically sweltering.

But Magnus liked the cold.  Or at least, Magnus tolerated it.  Despite The Director’s orders, Magnus still took a brisk morning walk every day in the bracing cold to get coffee for himself and sometimes his roommates.  It cleared his head and helped him think.  Plus it was a relief from the sauna that was his dorm room.

His boots crunched the ice as he approached the Fantasy Starbucks outside the Costco shopping center.  They had a special going on for Hot Chocolate, and Magnus smiled.  He remembered spending cold winter nights with Julia, curled up under one of her handmade quilts with mugs of cocoa, watching the fire and whispering secrets and kissing whipped cream from each other’s lips.  And oh how he missed that, the closeness of another being, the intimacy and warmth they had shared.

He missed being loved.

During the rebellion, they had promised each other not to let their grief stop them from loving again should one of them be killed in battle.  But when she had died he honestly thought he would never love again, no matter how much he knew Julia would have wanted him to.  And he was prepared to live the rest of his life alone, no matter how much it hurt.

Or at least, he thought he was.

Magnus had loved being in love, giving his attention and care to someone special.  He was made for love, built for hugging and holding and cherishing others.  A much as his mind had resolved not to love again, the rest of him had to disagree.  He was realizing that as much as he loved Julia, he was ready to feel that love for someone again.  His body ached for it, even as it ached with grief for her.

As he entered the coffee shop and kicked the frost off his boots on the doorframe, a thought crossed his mind.  Being cozy and warm under a blanket and sharing hot chocolate with someone else who made his heart flutter.  

Taako.

Magnus had been trying to deny it for months, but he had been crushing pretty hard on Taako.  Taako was beautiful, but Magnus was certain that even by the standards of elves he was exceptional.  Magnus couldn’t count the number of times he had been enraptured by the dusting of freckles on his face, or the way he chewed his lip when he was thinking, or the way his laughter carried through the halls of the dormitories.  It was easy to ignore at first, but once they had become roommates it was harder to avoid, and the longer he spent with him the more intense it had become.  And now that they were no longer sharing a bedroom, Magnus was surprised to find himself missing Taako being around, even though he was only just down the hall from him.

He wasn’t quite sure where Taako stood though.  He was flirtatious in his personality, and Magnus had difficulty parsing Taako’s pet names and flirty winks he gave Magnus at every turn.  He was like that with everyone, Magnus knew that, but he couldn’t help himself but read into every interaction.  Couldn’t help but notice every moment of attention he got.  Every time Taako called him “Big Guy” he felt his heart leap into his chest, trying to figure out if it was just friendly or if that little waver in his voice was meant to be romantic.  When Taako winked at him across the table at dinner after making a joke, Magnus would look around and try to figure out if it was meant in general or just for him.  He couldn’t tell the difference.  And once, when Magnus had done Taako’s chores for him while he napped, Taako had kissed him on the cheek as thanks.  It was fast and it was chaste, but was it just a little friendly peck, or was it something else?

Did he want it to be something else?

At the counter Magnus could see that the shop was offering a few different kinds of hot chocolate in their promotion with different add-ins and toppings for flavor.  Lots of fancy and ridiculous flavors for sure, and he looked at the menu with his hands in his pocket.

Did he want it to be something else?

If he was being truthful, Magnus had entertained the idea of being with Taako once or twice.  He was funny and smart and beautiful, and Magnus couldn’t deny that he had fallen for him.  But they had a good thing going with their friendship, and Magnus wasn’t sure if this thing was mutual, or just him looking too deep.  Was he so desperate for a connection that he was inventing a crush where there wasn’t one?  And if Taako did like him, what did that mean?

Was he as ready as his heart felt?

“Hey Magnus, what can I get for you?” the barista asked with a cheery smile.

“Uh… I guess I’m gonna get some hot chocolate for me and the other Reclaimers, since you’re having a special” Magnus admitted, still staring at the menu.  “You got any suggestions?”

“I mean it’s for Taako and Merle right?” he replied. “You can’t really go wrong with the classic hot chocolate, but I really think Taako would get a kick out of our newest item.”  He gestured at a sign on the counter, and Magnus cracked a wide smile.

“Oh hell yes, give me three of those!”

Twenty minutes later he was headed back to the dorms, a cup carrier enchanted by a warmth spell in hand, nestled tightly with three piping hot drinks.

Maybe it was okay not to know.  It had been so long since he had felt this way about anyone, and Magnus wasn’t sure if he could, would, or should feel the way he did about Taako.  Maybe it was alright to just enjoy the company of his friend, and if it went anywhere else that was alright too.  Taako was a great guy.  He would be okay with anything, as long as he was around.  Magnus resolved that maybe rushing in wasn’t the solution this time.  Maybe it was better just to hang back and wait to see what happened.  As the elevator to the dorms descended and he warmed his hands against the side of the caddy, he decided to go slow and keep it cool.

As he unlocked the door to their dorm, he discovered it was very easy to keep cool there.

“Magnus there you are!” Merle cried, shuffling to the door with a blanket draped around his shoulders.  “Shut the door!  The damn heater went out a little while ago, and it’s freezing in here!”

Magnus laughed as the door closed behind him.  It was cold, but nowhere near as cold as it was outside.  Just a little chill in the morning, but for these two lounge lizards it was probably frigid.

“Did you call anyone?” he said, setting the drinks down on the dining table.

“Yeah that Lucas guy is supposed to be looking into it,” Merle grumbled.  “He’s taking forever though.  My arthritis is killing me.”

“Well I got hot chocolates, and one of them is for you,” Magnus said, taking two of the drinks and heading to the hall, “Is Taako back in his room?”

“Yeah but…” Merle grabbed the remaining drink with a bemused look. “Magnus this is pink, what kind of hot chocolate is it?”

“They’re calling it The Garryl,” Magnus chuckled, “Of course that showboater got a drink named after him before we did!”

As he entered Taako’s room to see the mountain of blankets, he heard Taako’s muffled voice reply.  “I have a drink named after me.  It’s two parts vodka, three parts ice cream, one part cake mix.”

“That sounds... disgusting,” Magnus laughed, approaching the bed.  “Come on and get out here, I brought you some hot chocolate.”

Taako’s long ears poked up out from under a blanket, followed slowly by the rest of him, and Magnus had to hold back a smile.  The cold was biting at Taako’s cheeks, leaving him flushed and red, and it was adorable.  Magnus felt himself get a little flush in response.

“Thanks Homie,” Taako said, reaching for the drink, “You want to sit?”

“Yeah sure,” Magnus replied, turning to his own hot chocolate as he sat on the edge of the bed.

“Whoa what’s this then?” Taako laughed, turning so his own legs dangled off the side.

According to the barista, it was some sort of white chocolate mix with pink coloring, topped off with a huge dollop of whipped cream and a healthy scattering of sprinkles and little marshmallows.  It smelled sweet, almost too sweet, but it was so delightfully gaudy that Magnus couldn’t help but love it.

“It, uh… It made me think of you actually,” Magnus admitted sheepishly.

“And they’re calling it The Garryl?” Taako smirked. “Those bastards, I may have to sue.”

They quietly sipped their drinks (and Magnus found all could do was sip because it was so very sweet) for a minute before Magnus noticed yet another one of his blankets had been added to Taako’s pile while he was out.  It was one of Julia’s quilts, and he felt something warm dip into his stomach that had nothing to do with hot chocolate.  

Maybe that memory from earlier wasn’t as far away as he thought.

“That’s my blanket,” he said without thinking, putting a hand to it.

“It’s fucking cold in here my dude,” Taako defended, and Magnus caught a hint of that teasing lilt in his voice that he just couldn’t read.  “And you’ve got the best blankets in this place.”

He smiled as he looked at the faded quilt.  “Yeah this is a pretty good one.  I use it when I’m sleeping outside.”

“Ah, that explains why it smells like campfire and sweat,” Taako teased with a soft elbow to his side, “Do you ever wash that thing?”

“It’s handmade, I, uh… I don’t know how to wash it,” Magnus admitted with a shrug, taking another sip of his overly sweet drink.

Taako nodded quietly, then scooted a little closer.  Magnus felt a thrill run over him as he felt Taako’s body warmth near him.  With a little shiver, Taako whispered,  “Cuddle up big guy, it’s still really cold.”

He laughed.  “Should we put the blanket over us?” Magnus asked.

“Yeah that sounds nice,” Taako whispered, and they both reached for the quilt at the same time, hands touching.  Magnus flinched at the touch, unsure what to do, but Taako didn’t seem to notice as he grabbed a handful of blanket and wrapped his arm around Magnus’ shoulder.

“Taako,” Magnus breathed, unsure what to say.  He felt that warmth creeping over him again, and his stomach felt twisted and nervous. “I-”

“You guys snuggling in here?” Merle said, popping his head in the room.

“Hell yeah we are, Magnus is like my personal space heater,” Taako laughed, “You want in on this old man?”

“Damn straight, make a space son.”

Merle joined them with his hot chocolate in hand, and with some help from Magnus he got up on the bed.  Magnus draped the blanket over him, and Merle and Taako both curled into him, Taako resting his head on Magnus’ shoulder and Merle leaning against Magnus’ stomach.  With a smile, Magnus sighed, and let himself enjoy the moment.

He felt cozy and safe, and he knew it had nothing to do with the blanket or the hot chocolate.

“You guys feeling better?” he asked, and took another deep sip of his drink, and a bit of it touched his nose.

“Warm as a glass of brandy,” Merle replied.

“Yeah, thanks for the choco, big guy,” Taako laughed.  He glanced up, and giggled.  “You’ve got whipped cream on your nose my dude.”

Magnus tried to reach up to wipe it off, but Taako was faster, stretching up and kissing him on the nose.  Magnus felt his face go hot, but Taako simply cozied back up against his side as if nothing had happened.  The trio spent the next half hour in silence, drinking chocolate.  When the heater came back on, Merle and Taako both scattered, and Magnus found himself heading back into his room with a smile.

He still wasn’t sure what would happen, but Magnus decided whatever it was, he’d be happy just having moments like this.  Moments of warmth that he got to share with people he loved.