Hi everyone! It’s mod ND. I’m gonna lay out some hard facts right now: everyone is tired, and interest in taz: balance is waning
taagnus content has been far and few between lately, simply because wow omg balance ended three years ago. I still love it! And I still create content (occasionally). But I’m not going to pretend people are still hardcore shipping it, and that’s okay.
if I followed my usual metric for when taagnus week starts (first full week in november) taagnus week 2020 would be happening on the week of the election in America which... could really fucking kill the mood. I think most of us will be too stressed out in the days leading up to it to create, and who knows what will happen after.
literally no one but me tried to participate in the Taagnus Jam in April, which was totally understandable but really gives a good barometer of the ship’s place in people’s minds. It’s okay that interest is dying. People move on to new things
I’m in the middle of a Mental Health Moment where I’m switching meds and getting new care, so I’m not as present as I normally am. Taagnus week is usually something fun for me but it does not feel as fun with everything else that’s happening right now.
I’m thinking Taagnus week this year will only really be happening on the Taagnus Discord, (which is a cool place and if you’re not a part of it I encourage you to join we are very chill and fun), and it might be very low key. Unless people are jumping out of the woodwork to ask for it, I’m not going to put in the effort I have in the past. I’ll do what I can, but we are all doing what we can right now, and I just don’t think the interest is there anymore.
Thanks for three great years of Taagnus Week! It really was fun to do this, I’m honored so many people had fun with it in the past. And if you’re still really into the ship but you haven’t joined the discord, join us! We are always down to talk about Ruff Bois and Flip Wizards in love.
Y’all are some of the nicest people I’ve had the pleasure with interacting with online, and I’m so thankful for all of you <3
TIS DONE. Thank you @taagnusweek for this week, which has been way more of a challenge than I was anticipating. I’ve really enjoyed taking part/looking at everyone else’s responses. Yay!
Some quick notes before I post the fic: This one does feature Kravitz and a poly relationship. It’s not super Taakitz - in fact, all they mostly do is talk about Magnus. If that’s not your thing, you have been warned!
Summary: At the wedding of Carey and Killian's daughter, Taako contemplates the costs of falling in love with a human.
----
"Right, how do I look?" Magnus extended his arms, ready for appraisal.
Taako cast a critical eye up and down his body. He was wearing his new suit – Taako had insisted that he buy a new suit – deftly fitted and tailored to his body, with a crisp, pale blue shirt and a grey tie. He looked good; suits always looked good on Magnus, if you could convince him to put one on.
But it was impossible not to notice the wrinkles around his eyes, now, or the grey hair that had, once upon a time, been a bright copper colour. He'd lost some of the bulk of his muscles over the years, the suit clinging less than it would have done twenty years ago.
"Remember that time Lup roped us into that casino thing?" He said, walking around Magnus so he could look at him from every angle, trying not to linger on that thought.
"Of course."
"Back when you thought that a 'suit with the arms ripped off' was suitable evening wear?"
Magnus chuckled. "I stand by that."
Taako leant back on one foot. "You look good, babe. What about me?"
Magnus stepped forwards, wrapping his arms around him. "You look beautiful." He kissed him. "As usual." He kissed him again.
Taako rolled his eyes. "Oh, you're too much. Go on?"
Magnus grinned and kissed him once more. Taako let himself relax beneath his touch, then had a sudden thought. He broke away and span around to check the clock on the wall.
"Shit. We're gonna be late."
"We won't be late…"
"Not risking it, this time! Come on, we gotta go… and grab the invite!"
Magnus sighed. "Why do we need the invite? They know who we are!"
"Grab it anyway, come on."
The invitation had been pinned to the board in the kitchen for six months and now lay on the desk in their hotel room. "Carey and Killian Fangbattle are delighted to invite you to the wedding of their daughter, Amala Fangbattle, to Adrel Caskstone." Neither of them could really believe that Amala – little Amala who'd run around their garden in the rain, who'd tried, with mixed success, to ride the wolfhound around the house like a horse – was actually getting married. Carey and Killian's wedding, the final fight against the Hunger… that felt like a lifetime ago now. For Amala, it really was.
Magnus grabbed the invite, stuffing it in his jacket pocket, following Taako out of the room.
---
The wedding was beautiful – of course. Taako sat with Magnus on one side and Kravitz on the other – he'd arrived just minutes before the wedding had started, trailing Barry and Lup behind him, muttering about barely getting out of work in time. It had been months since Taako had seen this many of his friends in one room – years, perhaps. Even Merle had made it, flanked by Mavis and Mookie.
After the ceremony, Magnus and Taako stood to one side of the room, trying not to get in the way. The Reapers – as they'd taken to calling Barry, Lup and Kravitz – had gone off to raid the cocktail bar, all three of them cagily avoiding questions about a hard day at work.
There was a flurry of silk and lace and scales. "Uncle Magnus!"
Even now, Magnus was still able to pick up the squealing dragon-born, although not perhaps as energetically as he might once have.
"Amala! You look amazing."
"Aw, you gotta say that."
"You do! And it was a lovely ceremony, really. I cried."
"You always cry, dummy. You cried when I graduated."
"And that was lovely too!"
Amala rolled her eyes at him. She spotted Taako watching them and broke off the hug, grinning.
"Taako! You made it!"
"Natch, I wouldn’t miss the big event, would I?"
"Did you guys bring Krav?"
"Oh, yeah, he managed to sneak out and meet us here. Barry and Lup too; I think they're at the cocktail bar."
"Of course they are." She smiled, sighed, then gave Magnus' hand a quick squeeze. "I've gotta go mingle, you know how it is. Don't forget we're doing photos in an hour, I want you in at least half of them okay?"
"Okay, Lala."
"Uncle Magnus!" She complained, blushing at the old nickname.
"Go on, go mingle."
Amala retreated, her skirts bouncing around her as she skipped towards another group of people. Taako waited till she was gone, then sidled up to Magnus. He slipped his hand in his.
"Hey, big guy."
Magnus smiled, a little sadly. "Hey."
"You're not gonna get all emotional on me, are you?"
Magnus laughed and hurriedly wiped a tear from his eye. "Maybe. It's just…" he sniffed, noisily. Taako pulled out the little wad of tissue he'd brought with him with him – knowing this would happen – and passed it to Magnus. He blew his nose noisily. "Man, I remember when her moms got married, dude. And now she's all…" He sighed, "She's all grown up!"
Taako looked up at him. Looked at the wrinkles, at the grey hair. "Yeah, she is."
"And, shit, I am old, Taako."
"Nah, you're not."
"I am! It's the worst."
"You still look fine as hell, if that helps." He squeezed his hand, but wasn't sure if he was doing a good job of reassuring him.
"Hah, thanks. It must be nice to live hundreds of years and look like a total god for like, six hundred of them."
"It's alright. It has its downsides."
"I can't imagine what they could be."
Taako leant against him, winding his other hand around his arm. "No, I guess you can't."
"Come on, I wanna go find Carey and Killian and tell 'em how nice that was…"
They headed towards the reception room, Taako still hanging from Magnus' arm, and found Carey and Killian – both looking relieved, if tired. Taako hung by the edge of the conversation for a while, before giving Magnus' hand a final squeeze.
"I'm gonna go see if I can find Lup, babe. I'll be back in a bit."
He did not go to find Lup. He sequestered himself at the back of the room, back pressed against the wall, watching Magnus animatedly chatting to Carey and Killian. He felt a hand on his shoulder, and a tall, fizzing glass of champagne was pressed into his hand.
"You alright?" Kravitz stood next to him, another glass in his own hand.
"Yeah."
"Are you alright? Really?"
He swallowed, looked down at the swirling bubbles in the glass. "…No. Fucking… humans, man. They're so fucking fragile."
He turned away, turned to face the wall, hoping no one else would spot the tears that were suddenly threatening to overcome him. Kravitz tugged the glass back from him as Taako pressed a hand against his mouth, trying to force the emotion back in, squeezing his eyes shut.
"Okay, come with me,"
Kravitz deposited the full glasses on the tray of a passing waiter, grabbed Taako's hand and gently dragged him out of the room, towards the lobby. He guided him to the balcony, quietly shutting the doors behind him.
Taako leant against the railing of the balcony, staring out at Neverwinter below them.
"Talk to me, Taako."
Taako shook his head furiously, biting on his lip, keeping the feeling trapped inside.
"It's me, come on." He stood next to him and placed his hand over Taako's where it was resting on the cool stone. "I love him too, you know. Maybe not in quite the same way you do, but…"
That was all it took. Taako couldn't keep it inside any longer – couldn’t keep the hot, horrible feeling in his chest. The tears fell freely now, and all that came out of his mouth was a series of strangled, gasping sobs. Kravitz wrapped him up in his arms, holding him close.
After a few minutes, his shoulders stopped shaking. He muttered something into Kravitz's chest.
"What was that?" He extended his arms, looking at him.
"I'm gonna ruin my fucking makeup."
Kravitz laughed and pulled a neatly pressed handkerchief out of his pocket, passing it to him. "I figured you'd need this today."
"Gee, thanks." Taako took the hanky and dabbed at his eyes, then blew his nose. "This sucks. It's a wedding! I'm supposed to be out there enjoying myself, not…" he shoved the hanky into his pocket, "…not crying on the balcony. Urgh."
Kravitz gave him a soft look. "Everyone cries at weddings."
"Not cos they're…" He took a deep breath, trying to calm his heart, "Not because they're having a fucking existential crisis about their human boyfriend's mortality!"
"Babe, if you think people don't have existential crises at weddings, then you have not been to enough weddings."
Taako laughed, pressing his forehead to Kravitz's shoulder. "What do I do?"
"Go to more weddings."
"No! What do I do now? About… about him?"
Kravitz took a step back, grabbing Taako by the shoulders, forcing him to look at him.
"What you do is you go back out there, and you enjoy Amala's wedding. You drink, you eat, you dance – and you have fun. All night. With him. You take every second and you enjoy them all until there's no more seconds left."
Taako could feel the tears starting to form again, but Kravitz reached up and brushed them away with his thumbs.
"Humans are amazing, and exciting, and brilliant, and they are so, so small. You have to make the most of every moment. Don't let yourself get tangled up thinking about the future. All that matters is now."
Taako nodded, silently chewing on his lip. "What about you?" He said, finally.
"What about me? I love weddings! All of our friends are here, and Angus has brought the kids, and afterwards we're all going back to the hotel together. You and me? We're going to go to so many weddings, Taako. I cannot imagine how many weddings we're going to go to. This is just one. I think I can take a step back for one night, don't you?"
"You sure?"
"Of course. But I will be cashing in dances with the both of you. This is a wedding, after all."
Taako smiled. He took a deep breath. "Okay. You're right. But… urgh, one sec…" He cast a quick spell, restoring his makeup, vanishing the tears and the redness. "Better?"
"There wasn't anything wrong before."
"Yeah, but this is better, right?"
"You look gorgeous."
"Of course. Right." He leant up and gave Kravitz a quick kiss. "Wish me luck."
"You don't need it. But good luck."
Taako pushed open the doors of the balcony and headed back into the reception room. As he entered, a pair of dark-haired children rushed by, screaming, chased by a harassed looking Angus. He gave a quick wave as Angus dashed past, then made a bee-line for Magnus.
He turned around as Taako pressed a hand onto his shoulder.
"Hey! Where'd you go?" His smile drooped, slightly. "Are you okay? You look… kinda not okay?"
"I'm fine, babe." Taako waved away his concern, swallowing back the flood inside him, "Just, weddings, you know?"
"Hah, yeah, I know." He wrapped an arm around Taako's waist, and he automatically pressed against him, leaning against his chest. "You're sure you're okay?"
"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. Let's go enjoy this wedding, shall we?"
They grabbed a couple of drinks and wandered into the crowd. There were a lot of familiar faces at the wedding – people from the BoB days, people from the IPRE days. People they'd met and folded into their lives since the day they'd defeated the Hunger over thirty years ago.
There was a call from somewhere in the back for photographs, and they found themselves bundled into various configurations, the photographer snapping away. Magnus did as he'd promised, posing in all the photos Amala forced him into, smiling. Even Taako was lagging by the end – but Magnus stood, shining, grinning the whole time. Before the photographer had a chance to pack away his things, Amala had insisted on photos for groups too – "so everyone has something to remember the day with", she said.
Taako found himself sandwiched between Magnus and Kravitz – their arms linked – smiling despite the niggling, gnawing feeling in the back of his head. And as soon as the photo was done, Kravitz had ducked away, insisting the photographer take a photo of just him and Magnus. He clung onto his arm, forcing himself to smile, focusing on the feeling of Magnus' soft, warm skin beneath his fingers.
The wedding passed in a blur. There was food, there were drinks. Taako stuck to Magnus' side the whole night, their hands twined together, laughing and joking with their friends.
Finally, the band struck up, and they watched with the rest as Amala and Adrel waltzed across the room. Soon, the slow-paced dance was abandoned, and Amala grabbed Adrel by the waist, spinning her around, both of them laughing. Then they began to beckon other dancers onto the floor. Amala grabbed Carey and Killian, Adrel grabbed her best man and his partner. Soon the room was full of dancing couples. Carey reached out and grabbed Magnus, heaving him onto the dance floor, dragging Taako along with him.
Neither of them were great dancers – dancing was more Kravitz's remit – unable to keep up with even a basic waltz. Magnus took Taako by the hand, placing his other hand on his waist, and they span around the room laughing, pretending they knew what they were doing. Lost in the dance and the music, Taako felt like he was a teenager again, like all that time had never passed.
He stared up at Magnus' sparkling eyes. The rest of him had changed – his body had become leaner, his hair grey, his freckled face wrinkled from years of laughing. But his eyes – giant, dark, honest – remained untouched. Magnus stared at Taako with the same expression he wore when they'd danced together at Carey and Killian's wedding, the same expression he'd given him when they'd defeated the Hunger. The same eyes that he'd locked onto in the tavern when they'd both been seeking Gundren Rockseeker, the same eyes that he'd stared into on wild, unimaginable planes, a century of moments stolen away and remembered again.
He hadn't even realised the song had ended until Magnus let go of his hand.
"Taako? You good?"
He blinked. "Oh. Yeah. I was…" he shook his head, "I was distracted. Sorry." The band struck up for the next song. "Shall we?"
"Okay," Magnus laughed, "But you're leading this time."
"I always lead, baby."
They danced two more songs together before parting, before being pulled away by others. Taako found himself dancing with Lup, twirling away, while Carey was insisting on a dance with Magnus. Taako extracted himself from the floor to get more champagne, and returned to find Magnus with one of Angus' little girls balancing on the tops of his feet, giggling. Later, Kravitz danced with them both – as promised – Taako, Lup and Barry standing to the edge of the dance floor and laughing as Magnus tried to keep up with Kravitz's intricate steps, before giving up, grabbing him around the waist and dipping him.
The night was long, and joyful. Taako smiled as he looked out across his friends and family, glad that the walls he'd carefully built around himself for so long had been knocked down. As midnight approached, he rose from the table they'd been hovering around and walked back out onto the balcony, into the cool night air.
He was staring up at the stars, remembering how the sky had looked that day the Hunger had come, when there was a hand on the small of his back.
"Hey."
He turned. "Hey."
Magnus leant on the balcony, looking out at the view, at the stars, at the twinkling lights of Neverwinter. "It's really beautiful out here."
"Yeah. It is."
"I, ah… Taako, are you sure you're alright? You've seemed kinda… sad… this evening?"
Taako sighed. "I'm okay. Really."
Magnus wrapped an arm around him. Taako leant in, pressed himself against him, letting his hands rest against his chest, his head tucked into the crook of Magnus' neck. They stayed like that for a while – Taako listening to Magnus' breathing, to the beat of his heart, reminding himself that it was a strong as it ever was. He could feel a familiar pricking at his eyes. Willing it to stop, he pulled away, looked up at Magnus' face.
He didn't even need to be crying – Magnus could read the distress on his face regardless. "You know, if you wanna-"
"Magnus." He cut him off. "I just wanna be here. With you. Right now."
Magnus smiled – he always understood, somehow, always just knew. Taako pressed a hand against his face, brushing his thumb against the fine, white scar that split his upper lip. His eyes and his scars: neither of them ever changed.
Before Magnus could say anything else, he leant forwards and kissed him, softly pressing their lips together. He felt Magnus' hands move to his waist, the way they had done countless times before, and let his eyes close. That was another thing that never changed. Magnus had kissed him like this a hundred times – a thousand – his lips and the feel of his body as familiar to Taako as his own.
He smiled against Magnus' mouth and then, without warning, without being able to stop himself, there were tears silently trickling down his face. Magnus broke the kiss apart, gazed down at him, and without saying a word softly brushed the tears away. Taako put his hand against Magnus', keeping it pressed against his cheek, staring into his eyes.
"Magnus, I…" He leant into Magnus' hand and took a steadying breath. "…I love you."
Magnus sighed, a half-laugh. "I love you too." He brushed away another tear. "Obviously."
He leant down and kissed him again. The tears returned, thick and fast, running down his cheeks, spilling over Magnus' hand.
From inside, they could hear the sound of music and laughing. Above them, the stars glittered in the perfect, unblemished sky. The world span on.
Hoo boy, guys. So I apologised for how long the last one was, but this. This is something else. I’m really hoping that Tumblr sorts itself out and lets me hide all this behind a readmore, because it is long. Nearly 6k words long. So much for ficlets.
For the free day, I’ve written a Brewery AU, because, dang, I love craft beer. I have probably gotten all of the technical terms wrong. (Also, I may have stolen the name of the brewery from a pub in my city)
----
“...So I’m gonna get three tickets, because if I’ve gotta listen about beer science, then so do you…”
“Yeah, yeah…” Taako continued to flick through his magazine, sipping at his coffee.
“And you can do next Saturday, right?”
“Yep.” Flick, sip.
“Okay, sweet, so that’s three of us, next Saturday, at Thirsty Bear…”
Taako snorted coffee out of his nose. “Excuse me? At what?”
Lup rounded on him. “Hah! I knew you weren’t listening!”
“What the fuck are you-”
“I’m on the phone, babe!” Lup grinned at him, gesturing to her cellphone, tucked between her ear and shoulder.
“Lup!”
“Sorry!” She mouthed at him, exaggerating the word, “Busy!”
He rolled his eyes and tossed the magazine at her. She dodged out of the way with a little squeak just as the other line picked up.
“Ah! Hello? Yes! Hi! Yeah, I was calling to book three tickets for the tour...next Saturday, yeah.”
Taako watched as she started to pace the room.
“Yep, three… under the name Lup? Yeah, that’s L, U -” She frowned. “Yeah, that’s right. Barry? Yeah, he’s my boyfriend… Yeah, it’s his birthday next week!” She laughed. “Oh, dunk, seriously? Thanks so much! Right so that’s… next Saturday, 4pm? Got it. Thanks!”
“Are you going to tell me what’s going on, or not?” Asked Taako as she hung up the call.
“You know how it’s Barry’s birthday next week?”
“I absolutely did know that, yes.”
Lup rolled her eyes. “Well, he’s always going on about that brewery he found a few months ago so I figured I’d book him a tour for his birthday.” She picked up the magazine, rolled it into a tube and booped Taako on the head with it. “You’re coming, by the way.”
He swatted her away. “I figured. So what’s all this about bears? You can consider my interest piqued.”
“That’s the name of the brewery,” Lup said with a sigh, shaking her head, “It’s called Thirsty Bear.”
“You’re telling me,” Taako stood up, hands on hips, “That Barry’s found a brewery called Thirsty Bear?”
“Yep.”
“And we’re sure it's a brewery?”
She boops him again. “Positive. If you paid more attention, you’d see that the recycling is always full of their bottles.”
“Bold of you to assume I pay attention to the recycling at all. So I get why you’re going, because you chose to stick with the nerd, but why do I have to go?”
“Because,” she said, folding her arms across her chest, “I said so.”
“That’s hardly fair, Lulu.”
“Oh, you’ll love it. It’s not like you’ve got anything else on.”
“I resent that!”
“Do you have something planned?”
“I… I could do! I could have a hot date!”
“Mm-hmm, sure. Maybe you’ll meet someone on the tour.”
Taako laughed. “Psh, what, find myself another Barry? One is enough, I think.” He pulled the magazine from Lup’s hand and tucked it under his arm. “What does one wear to a brewery, anyway?”
She shrugged. “I’m sure you’ll figure it out.”
***
They waited in the crowded little front room with the rest of the guests on the tour. There were a few groups - another birthday - and several little gangs of middle aged men. Taako flicked listlessly at the fake hops that had been artfully stapled to the wall. The guy behind the till - the owner of the brewery, according to Barry, started to walk around the room, handing out branded glasses. The glasses were pretty simple and engraved with the brewery's logo - a bear standing on its hind legs. He passed a small stack of tokens to Barry - clearly designating him the sensible one of their little party.
Barry noticed the disinterested look on Taako’s face.
“Seriously, Taako, I think you’re gonna find it kinda interesting.”
“Really, Barold?”
“Yeah! I think you’ll, uh…” Barry took his glasses off, gave them a wipe on his shirt, placed them back on his nose, “You’ll really enjoy it, actually.”
Taako looked sideways at Lup. “Lup, babe, do you have any idea what your weird boyfriend is talking about?”
“Actually… no.”
“Huh. Gonna enlighten us, Barry?”
Barry shrugged, but there was a cheeky grin on his face that neither of them missed. “What? I just think you’ll find it kinda interesting. You don’t have to get all suspicious on me, jeez.”
Taako squinted at him, trying to figure out the trick. “...Right.”
He began to examine the various bottles that were stacked on the shelves on the wall closest to him when the owner, clipboard in hand, called out to the group.
“Right, I think that’s everyone. So, guys, you’re gonna be taken around the brewery by one of our lads, and he’s gonna show you how it works, what we do here, all that. There’ll be time for questions at the end, but if you’ve got anything to ask just stick your hand up. Or just yell at him, either works for me.” He grinned out across his audience. “You can cash in those little tokens for thirds and halves as you go, and if you’ve got any left at the end you can spend them here in our taproom or use them for money off bottles, growlers, whatever.”
Taako tapped his fingernails on the edge of his glass, a little impatiently. He didn’t even like beer. Sure, he would drink it, but if he could choose between beer and a cocktail? Or wine? It didn’t even stand a chance.
“Hey, Barold, you can have half my tokens. Call it a birthday present.”
“You sure?”
Taako waved a hand at him. “I’m not, you know, a huge beer fan. Don’t spend it all at once, okay?” He nudged him with his elbow. “I don’t want you throwing up on me in the Uber on the way home.”
“Thanks, T.” Said Barry, shoving the tokens in his pocket. “Thanks for coming, too. Seriously, though, keep an open mind, yeah?”
“Mm-hmm, sure.”
“You never know what you mi-”
“Right!” The brewer clapped his hands together and the room fell into silence. “I’ll get the man of the hour.”
He pulled open the door at the back of the room, leant through the doorway and hollered into the room beyond.
“Hey, Magnus? Magnus! We’re ready to go in here!”
Barry snickered. Taako and Lup both turned to look at him, and the laugh transformed into a cough. “What?”
“What are you up to, Bluejeans?”
“Nothing!”
Taako was about to contest that claim when the back door swung open.
He suddenly realised what, exactly, Barry had been talking about when he told him to keep an open mind.
Magnus was tall and broad, with wide shoulders. He wore a red plaid flannel shirt over a tight, black T-Shirt cut into a v-neck, revealing a tanned, freckled chest and the hint of a tattoo peeking out from beneath the fabric. His dark brown hair was tied into a messy top-knot, little strands falling haphazardly around his face. The hair at the nape of his neck and the base of his head was shaved into a neat undercut - one that sorely needed re-shaving, the hair growing out at messy angles. His beard was trimmed, far neater than his hair, into a pair of matching copper-coloured mutton chops.
Around his waist was a kind of apron-slash-utility belt, tied at the hip and covered in bulging pockets. His jeans were skinny - indecently skinny, Taako thought - and tucked into a pair of oxblood red boots, scuffed on the toes and heels.
His wide, freckled face broke into a smile as he entered the room. He had a slightly lopsided grin, a fine white scar gently twisting the upper corner of his top lip. His nose had obviously been broken at some point, and one of his eyebrows matched his lip - a scar splitting it in two. He was drying off his hands on an old towel, which he tossed over one shoulder as he turned to face the crowd.
Taako felt someone nudge him in the ribs. “Hey, Ko.” Lup whispered in his ear, “If you don’t close your mouth, something will fly into it.”
He spun around and shot her a dirty look. Then he had a thought and turned on Barry.
“You…” he began, keeping his voice low, but before he had a chance to finish the brewer - Magnus - was calling out across the room.
He faltered into silence. Barry gave him a huge, shit-eating grin. “Have fun, Ko.”
“Right, everyone,” Magnus began, still grinning, “I’m Magnus, as, uh… some of you already know…” He spotted Barry standing amongst the crowd and gave him a little wave, Barry waving back with enthusiasm, “... So, I work here at Thirsty Bear, and I’ll be taking you around today and showing you how we make the beer and all the work that goes into getting you drunk every Saturday evening.”
Taako found himself laughing, despite the poor quality of the joke. Ah, shit.
“We’re gonna head into the yard, now, because back there,” he gestured over his shoulder, “is just the back of the taproom, and that’s not super interesting unless you really wanna know how we install the beer lines. So if you’ll follow me…”
He started to weave his way through the crowd, greeting familiar patrons as he went, then headed through the lobby door. The group followed after him, shuffling awkwardly through the door and out into the yard.
“Well.” Lup shoved Taako with her shoulder as they slowly filed out.
“Well what?”
She rolled her eyes. “You know what.”
“I can’t say I do.”
Lup threw an arm around Barry. “I cannot believe you managed to keep him a secret, babe.”
“Honestly, I wasn’t even sure he’d be working today.”
Taako walked a little ahead of them, trying to block out their giggles. Shit, shit shit. Hot guys were not supposed to work at micro-breweries. Right?
They followed the rest of the group into the first stop on the tour - a large warehouse-like building to one side of the shop and taproom with a huge sliding door. Magnus pulled the door up, and Taako was hit with a strong hoppy smell. The space beyond was piled high with sacks, a make-shift office built from plywood built into the corner of the room.
“So, this is the first stage of any brewing process,” Magnus began, “grains and hops. We’re lucky to have our resident botanical expert on site today…” He led them into the warehouse space, cupped his hands to his mouth and shouted. “Oi, Merle! Tour’s here!”
There was a distant crash, and another man appeared from the little office. He was older than Magnus, with greying hair and a long beard. He was wearing a vibrant green Hawaiian shirt.
“Botany enthusiast.” He corrected, with a knowing look, “Not expert.”
“Right, right, sure. So we get the grains from a supplier, but Merle here grows his own hops locally and supplies ‘em to us for a reduced fee.”
“And as much beer as I can fit in the truck.”
“...and that. Tell ‘em about your hops, Merle.”
Merle launched into a well-rehearsed spiel about the different kinds of hops they used in the brewery. Taako was barely listening, still vaguely distracted, when Lup elbowed him again.
“What now?”
“Hey, Barry!” He turned at the unfamiliar voice. Magnus had made his way over to them and had clapped a giant hand on Barry’s shoulder. “You finally made it to the tour, then?”
Barry grinned. “I thought it was about time, you know? It was Lup who booked it though…” He pulled Lup towards him, wrapping an arm around her.
“Yeah! You phoned, right?”
“That was me!”
“It’s nice to finally meet you! He’s always talking about you.”
Lup grinned at Barry as he blushed, looking down at his feet. “Is that right? Aw, babe.”
Barry made a non-committal noise of assent and blushed even more. Lup laughed, then grabbed Taako’s arm, pulling him forward.
“This is-”
“Taako, right?”
The twins froze.
“I… yeah. How…?”
Magnus’ smile faltered, for just a second. “Well, I mean… Barry’s talked about you a bunch of times too.”
“Yeah?” Taako shot a look at Barry, who was very deliberately looking the other way. “All good things, I hope?”
“Oh, sure! All great. I didn’t expect you to be...ah…” He falters again, and starts fiddling with the patch of poorly-shaved hair at the back of his head, “...to be here, you know?” There were the beginnings of a flush on his cheekbones. Taako found himself mindlessly biting on the inside of his lip.
“Well, it’s not my usual scene.”
“No?”
He shrugged, dismissively. “The craft beer? Nah. I don’t really like beer, you know?”
Magnus laughed, his apparent anxiety fading. “I do not know, dude. You really don’t like any beer?”
Taako shook his head, lips pursed.
“So not like...IPAs? Stouts? Or…” He looks up, sticking his tongue out slightly as he thinks, “Sours, milds, bitters? Ales? Pilsers, porters? Or a saison?”
“Uh…” Taako blinked at him. “I recognised, like, one of those words. Which one do they sell at bars?”
“Oh, dude. If you’ve only ever drank that shit they sell in pubs it's no wonder you don’t like beer. Look - right - they say there’s a beer for everyone, yeah?”
“Why do I doubt that?”
“There is! I’m gonna find you your beer. By the end of the day, you’ll be out there with the rest of them talking about hops and mouthfeel and aroma and stuff.”
“Really? Mouthfeel?”
“Okay, maybe not, but you’ll be in the taproom with something you really like on your lips.”
Taako tried not to think too much about lips. “You’re very confident.”
“That’s ‘cause I’m right.”
“Why don’t we make it interesting?”
Magnus laughed. He took a quick look towards the front of the room where Merle was still taking about hops, now handing around a bag of dried plants for people to sniff. He still had a little time.
“How interesting?”
“If you can find me this magical beer which you claim I’ll love so much, I’ll-”
“He’ll buy you a drink!” Lup pushed her way into their conversation. “In fact, that works both ways. The winner has to buy the looser a drink.”
“That sounds fair.” Agreed Barry, grinning.
Taako looked back up at Magnus. He was blushing again. “How’s that work for you?”
He seemed to be considering it. “Well… I finish when the tour does, so… yeah. Yes!” He extended a hand. “Deal?”
Taako took his hand with a grin which, he hoped, was hiding the sudden feeling of butterflies in his stomach. “You’re on.”
“Hey, Magnus!” They turned simultaneously. Merle was shouting at Magnus from across the room. “Quit flirting and get on with the tour, dude!”
“Uh…”
They turned back to each other, eyes wide. Magnus was definitely blushing now, and Taako could feel heat spreading up his own chest, too. With an awkward laugh, he pulled his hand back.
“I… should…” Magnus was starting to look downright panicked. “Yes.” And then he was off, pushing his way back through the crowd. Merle gave him a pointed look and said something Taako didn’t quite catch, which Magnus returned with a playful shove.
“Right, so…”
As Magnus continued, quickly slipping back into the swing of the tour, Lup leant towards Taako.
“Oohh, babe. Barry was right, this is fun.”
“I swear to god,” He responded, muttering under his breath, “one more word…”
“Yeah, yeah, you’ll kill me or feed me to the cats or whatever. Just promise me you do it after you make out with him, mmkay?”
“What’s to say we’re even gonna-”
“Oh, shut up.”
Soon, the tour moved through into the next room. Taako was still only paying half-attention, more interested in the way Magnus excitedly moved his arms around when he was describing what mashing was than the actual craft behind brewing. His enthusiasm was sweet - and infectious - and he found himself laughing along with his shitty beer puns. Every time he did, he could feel Lup watching him, laughing at him more than the jokes.
At one point, midway through a long explanation of the exact temperature to store an IPA at, Taako caught Magnus’ eye. He raised his eyebrows at him and then - as if he had lost total control of his faculties - stuck his tongue out at him. He realised how ridiculous the gesture was as he did it, but it appeared to have the desired effect: Magnus spluttered, laughed, blushed, and then completely lost his place in the talk.
Ten minutes later, the brewery owner reappeared, ready to help Magnus hand out the first round of samples. Tokens were exchanged for drinks - halves or thirds, depending on the beer they were trying. Taako was leaning against one of the cool, concrete walls waiting for Barry and Lup to return with their drinks when there was a tap on his shoulder.
“Hey.”
Magnus had three tiny glasses held a little haphazardly in his hands, each with an inch or so of beer in them. Taako grabbed the one nearest to him before they all dropped to the floor with a scoff.
“You call this a sample?”
“What? No!” Magnus grinned. “Right, so, you said you don’t like any beer, yeah?”
“Yeah.”
“So instead of just wasting a whole half on you, you can try a bit from each, okay? Plus this way you won't get massively drunk.”
“What’s to say I didn’t want to get massively drunk?”
“You can do that after we find your dream beer.”
“The dream beer you’re going to be buying me? Because it doesn’t exist? And is, in fact, vodka?”
“That’s the one.” Magnus leant on the wall next to him, “Right, so... that one you’ve got there is an IPA, it’s just our standard session ale. Then this one…” he raised one hand, “is the speciality tropical IPA, and then lastly this one,” he nods at the final glass, “is a ruby beer, which… you might like. Okay?”
Taako raised his eyebrows at him. “It’s like you’re speaking another language.”
“Just try one. Let me know what you think, and don’t-” Taako knocked back the drink in his hand, swallowing it in one, “... drink it all at once. Oh.”
“Was that wrong?”
“You’re supposed to savour it, dude!”
“Ah. Woops.”
“Did you at least taste it?”
Taako thought for a moment, moving his tongue around his mouth. “It was...fine. I mean it didn’t make me wanna throw up but it wasn’t good either. It was kinda… herby?”
“Right, good, we’re on the right path. Try the next one - and savour it, okay?”
They made their way through the next two beers, Taako taking them more slowly, letting the liquid sit in his mouth for a moment before swallowing. Magus was talking about hoppiness and texture and carbonation. All of it went over his head.
“All I know,” he said, finally, “is that the tropical one had a kinda nice...fruity thing going on, and that that one,” he pointed at the empty glass, “was genuinely disgusting.”
“Progress!”
“If you say so, darling.”
Magnus stacked the three empty glasses on top of each other. He looked like he was about to leave, but turned at the last moment, looking guilty.
“There is, ah… one thing.”
Ah, shit. “...Yeah?”
He had a boyfriend. Or a girlfriend. Or he wasn’t interested, or this was all a dare, or, or, or…
“We’re not, like, a big brewery…”
He wondered where this was going. “Okay?”
“It’s just, look. I said I could find your beer but we really only do IPAs and then a handful of specialities, maybe a couple of stouts when it's the right season...”
“...and?”
Magnus looked sheepish. “Basically… It looks like you might hate IPAs, and there’s a good chance you won’t like stouts, so that means I might not be able to actually find, you know. The One.”
“Okay?”
“So, what I was gonna suggest is… we sell all kindsa stuff in the taproom. So, after this, I was thinking…”
“You’re asking if I wanna stay when the tour’s over? With you?”
He laughed, nervously. “Something like that, yeah.”
“That’ll really expedite the process when you have to buy me a drink after I win the bet.”
“So that’s a yes?”
Taako looked him up and down with a small smile. “Sure. It’s a date.” Magnus’ eyes went wide, and now he really was blushing, but he took it in his stride.
"I'll come find you after-"
"Taako!"
Lup and Barry were heading back over, their now-filled glasses in their hands. Magnus took the cue to leave.
"I'll see you later, then?"
"Yeah."
As Magnus walked away, Lup sidled up to him. "What was that about?"
"Homeboy's just bagged himself a date, Lulu."
Lup squealed at him and pulled Barry over, hurriedly whispering in his ear. They were both looking self-satisfied, now, wearing matching, mischievous grins. He was glad they were finding it funny – glad that he could let himself get carried away in their mirth – because beneath his stoic, smug expression his heart was racing.
The rest of the afternoon went in the same way, and despite his reservations Taako found himself actually enjoying the tour. Admittedly, he wasn't really learning anything, wasn't really paying attention to anything about mash or fermentation or filtering, but enjoyed watching Magnus talk, waiting for the little pauses in the tour where everyone else rushed to top up their glasses while sat away from the group, talking through another three samples.
Magnus wasn't having much luck proving his point, much to Taako's delight.
"I swear you're pretending to dislike these just so you can win." He said, exasperated, after their third rendezvous. They were sat on the floor, legs crossed, facing each other.
"Not true! That one, I said I liked that one!"
"You said it tasted like dirt water."
"Okay, yes, but lots of things taste like dirt water! Coffee tastes like dirt water, and I love that!"
"So you love that one?"
"Psh, no!"
"You're impossible."
"I prefer difficult. What's next?"
"Okay, this one is a bit weird…"
"Ohh, do tell?" Taako took the shot-sized drink from him, sniffing it. "It smells like… burning?"
"This is the smoked porter. It's new – so new that we aren't actually selling it yet. I got this one out of the tank, so it'll be a bit punchier than if it had been kegged or bottled. What do you think?"
Taako cautiously raised the glass to his lips, aware of Magnus watching – whether he was watching him, or just waiting for his response, he didn't know. The dark, slightly foamy beer was cool and robust and – yes – tasted like burning. It had a smoked, ashy taste to it that put him in mind of bonfires and fireworks.
"Well?"
"It's actually…not bad."
Magnus looked surprised. "I'm impressed," he said, "Dark beers don't usually go down well with newbies."
"It's interesting. It's not great, not awful. Not bad. The smokiness is…" he trailed off, trying to find the right words.
"It's like firework displays and bonfires, right? Like…" Magnus gets a wistful look on his face, "Like huddling around a fire in the winter."
"You're really into this, aren't you?"
Magnus grinned, rolling one of the empty glasses in his hands. "It's my job." He sighed. "I think we're getting there. Slowly."
"I feel bad," Said Taako, mindlessly stacking his glasses, pulling the empty one away from Magnus, "I've taken up all your attention when you could be off talking about, I dunno, mouthfeel with those guys." He gestured at the crowd of beer aficionados.
"Ah, they already know everything I've got to say." He said, shrugging, "and… this has been fun."
Taako lowered his gaze, hoping Magnus wouldn't spot his cheeks turning pink.
"This is the last stop on the tour, too."
Taako frowned and pulled out his phone, looking at the time. "Shit, so it is. That went faster than I expected."
Magnus grinned. "I'll take that as a compliment. Are you… ah... still interested in meeting? After? So we can continue the quest for beer?"
He gave him a playful shove with his shoulder. "Yeah, dude! I still need to prove you wrong…"
“Good. Great!” He stood up, taking the empty glasses from Taako. “Right, I’ve gotta get going. See you in a bit?”
“Later, dude.”
The tour ended in the taproom – the guests who still had tokens left exchanging them at the bar for drinks. Lup and Barry grabbed a table near the back of the room. Taako sat with them, nervously bouncing one of his legs.
"So where's your friend, then?"
"He said he'd be out in a sec…"
Lup gave him a look – a kind look, which he hated. "Cool your jets, babe, he'll be back."
He didn't respond, just made a sarcastic snorting noise. Barry and Lup giggled – unlike him, they had been taking advantage of the free drinks along the tour. Barry stood up.
"What do you fancy?"
Lup shrugged. "Something pale and nerdy." Barry blushed. "Anything! I trust you." She winked, and Barry wandered over to the bar with a fistful of unspent tokens.
Taako was still eyeing the door behind the bar nervously.
"Seriously, dude. Chill. I've not seen you this jumpy about a guy since… god, since college. It's fine."
"I am not not chill. I am chill. I am ice cold."
She watched the table top vibrate with the rhythmic bouncing of his leg. "Uh-huh, sure."
"Hey, you're still here!"
Taako's leg immediately went still. He turned.
Magnus was still wearing the red plaid, but he'd abandoned the utility belt and now had a thick, green scarf slung around his neck. His hair had been released from the top-knot, falling around his face in little kinks and waves, twisting where it had been tied up.
Taako successfully avoiding swallowing his own tongue. "Where else would I be?”
Magnus shrugged, running a hand through his hair. "I dunno, I was worried you might have gotten bored of me going on about beer…"
"If I'd gotten bored of you going on about beer, I'd have left hours ago."
"Hah, right, so did you, ah…" He looked down at the seat next to Taako, shot a quick glance at Lup, "Do you wanna…"
Taako rose, fluidly. "Let's go sit at the bar. Leave the two love birds to their gross courtship displays."
Lup stuck her tongue out at him, but as soon as Magnus' back was turned she winked and gave him a thumbs up. He swore at her.
Magnus spoke as they weaved their way through tables and patrons. "So, I was thinking we should try you on a couple of sours first, because we've got a couple on tap and they're super controversial, so we can get 'em out of the way…" He found them two seats at the end of the bar. "Wait here…"
Taako watched as he manoeuvred his way behind the bar, greeting the bar staff with a friendly smile, a pat on the shoulder. A couple of them peered over his shoulder to look at Taako – he quickly dropped his gaze, looking down at his phone instead of meeting their eyes. It was cold in the taproom, and he started to wish he'd brought a coat – or had the luxury of a beer blanket like his sister.
Magnus was back quickly, two more of the taster-sized drinks pinched together in one hand and two-thirds of something dark in a curvy craft beer glass in the other.
"Okay, these are sours. I've got one that's kinda mild, and one that is… not. Loads of people really hate sours, so I figured we'd see what you think."
"Why the vitriol?"
"Just try one. That one, the milder one."
He did as he was told. The beer had a fruity smell, which seemed promising, and he took a cautious sip.
"Urgh! It tastes like sour candy…"
"Yep."
"People drink this? Willingly?"
"Mm-hmm. Wanna try the other one?"
"How can this be any-" he took a sip, "-Oh, Pan. No. Do not want that. Nope!"
Magnus laughed and pulled the glasses towards him, downing the remnants with a grin.
"You like that shit?"
"Yeah, dude! That fruity flavour? I love it!" Taako shook his head at him. "Okay, new plan: tell me what you like. What flavours are you into? What food do you like?"
"Well I did like fruit flavours, until you betrayed me, so… I dunno! I like sweet things, I guess?"
"Right, got it."
He jumped up, his own drink still untouched, and returned with another taster. "What about this?"
"What is it?"
"Nuh-uh, you have to guess this one."
Taako rolled his eyes and took a sip from the drink. Then another. It was a familiar taste, but he couldn't quite place it. Magnus was watching him like he was waiting for him to do a trick.
"It's… man, what is that?"
"You want me to tell you?"
"Yeah!"
"It's a jam donut IPA, dude!"
Now he knew what it was, he could taste it – a sweet strawberry flavour on the tongue, then a kind of yeasty, bready aftertaste. "Holy shit, that's clever."
Magnus' eyes were sparkling. "Have we found it?"
Taako thought about it for a moment, finishing the rest of the drink. "I mean, it's good, sure. But could I drink a whole pint? Probably not."
"Oh, come on, that counts!"
"Hmm, I'm not sure…"
"You were right, you are difficult." Magnus grabbed his own drink, giving it a sniff before sipping on it.
"Some say difficult, others would say that I'm a perfectionist."
"You literally called yourself difficult like, half an hour ago."
"Only I am allowed to say it. The rest of you just have to…" he wriggled his fingers at him, "…accept it."
"Hah." Magnus took another drink, then looked sidelong at him. "You cold?"
Taako realised he was shivering. "…No."
"It's always super fucking cold in here, I swear. Here…"
He started to pull the plaid overshirt off. Taako started to tell him to stop, but he was too quick – tugging the sleeves from his arms and wrapping it around Taako's shoulders. He slid his arms into the sleeves gratefully – it was warm, the fabric thick and soft with wear.
Now Magnus' arms were bare, Taako could see that they were dotted with tattoos. He had matching black bands around both wrists and a wood-carving style bear on his right forearm. On the opposite arm, just below the ditch of his elbow, was the silhouette of a duck. Spilling from beneath the tight, short sleeve of his t-shirt were a mass of what appeared to be tendrils and tentacles, stretching towards his elbow. Magnus spotted him looking, and grinned, pulling the sleeve of the shirt up to reveal the full design – an intricate, blackwork jellyfish.
"Holy shit, dude, that's incredible."
"Thanks!"
He had a hand halfway extended out when he realised that it was probably not a great idea to start stroking the arm of a man he'd known for only a few hours. He retreated, the sleeves of Magnus' shirt riding down, hiding his hands.
"You're not gonna be cold?" He said instead, glancing at Magnus' arms, trying not to concentrate on how tight the sleeves were stretched over his muscles.
"Nah, I'm okay. I always run a bit hot."
Taako raised his eyebrows. "… you can say that again."
They both blushed at that – Taako surprising himself with his sudden boldness - but Magnus looked pleased, smiling to himself as he sipped his drink. In Taako's pocket, his phone buzzed. He fumbled to reach it, but the sleeves of Magnus' shirt were too long, getting in his way.
"Here, let me." Magnus reached over, grabbed the sleeve closest to him, and started to roll it up. His hands – a little dry, a little calloused – rubbed against Taako's, brushed against the insides of his wrist as he rolled the fabric and secured it in place midway up his forearm. He moved to the other arm, Taako watching, entranced.
"There." He went to move away, but Taako was quicker – one of his hands snapping around his wrist, around the black, inked band.
Magnus looked up at him. He looked nervous, but he didn't pull away. Taako let his fingers slide down Magnus' wrist to his hand, pressing his thumb into his palm.
"You know," he said, watching their hands play together, "You totally lost that bet. So you owe me a drink. A proper one."
"I think I'm big enough to admit when I'm defeated." He smiled.
"Good for you. You're a better man than me." He paused. "Was it worth it? Losing, I mean"
"Well… I'll have to find out." He licked his lips. Taako watched, his eyes darting from his lips, to his eyes, to their hands. He leant in.
Magnus had seemed to have the same idea, but where Taako moved slowly, carefully, he was more fervent – and suddenly their lips were pressed together. Taako made a shocked, muffled sound and Magnus immediately retreated.
"Sorry, was tha-"
Taako kissed him into silence. He rose from his seat to get better purchase on him, and suddenly Magnus' arms were wrapped around his waist, keeping him balanced. He was sure – almost certainly sure – that somewhere he heard a loud whoop, and made a mental note to kill Lup when he got home. But for now, he was caught up in the feeling of kissing Magnus, of the way their lips danced together, of how his long hair played beneath his fingers.
And then…
He pulled away.
"Not to sound, you know, like an utter creep, but you taste amazing, my dude."
"Uh… Thank you?"
"No, I mean… you taste like chocolate! What the hell?”
“Oh, shit!” Magnus grabbed his drink. “It’s this!”
Taako eyed it suspiciously, then moved away from Magnus with reluctance, taking it from him. He sniffed it. He lifted it to his lips. Magnus raised his eyebrows at him, waiting.
He tried it.
It was like drinking liquidised chocolate cake. “Holy shit.”
Magnus’ eyes widened. “Did we find it? You gotta tell me if we found it.”
“It’s like… it’s like a milkshake. It feels like drinking a milkshake!”
“That’s what mouthfeel is!”
Taako put the glass back down. “I thought mouthfeel was what we were doing thirty seconds ago.”
Magnus licked his lips again - as if he was nervous, as if he was remembering.
“So… does this mean I win?” He asked, voice low.
“Hmm, well… I’m not sure. I’ll need to taste it again before I decide.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. Just to be, you know...” He leant in, so their faces were just inches apart, so he could feel Magnus’ breath mingling with his own, “...sure.”
“Oh, yeah,” Magnus whispered, “You gotta be sure.”
Taako allowed himself one last, lingering look at him - at his broken nose, at the scar on his lip - before leaning in.
Pairing: Magnus Burnsides/Taako (The Adventure Zone)
Summary: magnus is a lonely, widowed butch lesbian who keeps building furniture for her new neighbor. taako is a lonely femme lesbian who cooks for her in exchange.
Tags: Strangers to Lovers, Modern AU, apartment neighbors, falling in love, squirting, cunnilingus, fluff and smut, lesbian sex
Word count: 5538
written for the ‘modern au’ prompt for @taagnusweek
Magnus yawns as she comes up the creaky apartment steps to the second landing. It’s been raining outside and she had forgotten her umbrella this morning, so she’s soaked through. At least she’d managed to save her fast food under her jacket. She’s looking forward to kicking off her work boots, taking off her bra, and taking that first bite of greasy, bacon-y burger.
There’s someone struggling with a big box up the stairs and Magnus waits patiently, since there isn’t enough room to duck around. The stranger lets out a grunt of frustration, her skinny arms trembling a little as she takes a few careful steps.
Magnus crinkles her bag of food and the girl turns her head sharply, glaring a little in apprehension — like she’s moments away from telling someone to fuck off. She’s beautiful: golden skin, messy, long blonde hair spilling out of a braid, sharp cheeks and pouty lips, a funny little nose that Magnus thinks enhances the rest of her features. She looks like a model maybe, or someone who could be on TV who Magnus could stare at forever. She realizes, a little too late, that she’s, like, staring too hard in person.
“Hello there! Take your time. Or — do you want help with that?” she chirps, taking the few steps forward, hand outstretched. The stranger looks at the box in her arms and then back at Magnus.
“Honestly, I’m not too proud to ask for help. I’ve been lugging these up all day, so sure, go for it,” she says, glare softening into a tired smile.
“Sure thing! Not a problem! I’m Magnus — but my friends call me Maggie. What apartment are you in?” She tucks the baggie under her armpit and grabs the box from her, lifting it to her chest. It doesn’t weigh too much at all. The stranger lets out an unintentional sigh of relief.
“Taako. And thanks. I’m in 309.”
“Oh, sweet. I’m just down the hall from you. Everyone on this floor is really nice, but don’t be surprised if you see this old guy, Merle, walking around without his shirt on.”
“Hot-old, or old-old?” Taako asks with a grin.
“Old-old. Is that, like, ageist? Mostly he’s just gross and inappropriate sometimes. But he has like, three boyfriends, so maybe he’s doing something right.”
Taako ducks in front of Magnus to get her door unlocked, pushing it wide open with her foot. Magnus sets down the box and takes a look at her surroundings. The layout is opposite to Mag’s and she’s got a better view with more windows since it’s a corner apartment. There are boxes stacked everywhere, and even with the light on, it’s dimly lit. Mag turns back to Taako, who looks exhausted. She watches her dig through one of the boxes in the kitchen, popping back up with a cup in hand. She sticks it under the sink and turns on the faucet, then gulps down the whole glass. Her crop top rides up further to reveal a long, attractive stretch of torso. Magnus looks away, cheeks pink. She hasn’t felt her heart pound like this in a long time.
“Do you, uh, need anything else?”
“I’m good, I think. Taako doesn’t wanna put you out or anything. I can smell that burger of yours from here. I’ll probably just order delivery and sleep on the floor,” she says, wiping her mouth delicately with the back of her hand.
“I can just build your bed frame for you? If you want. It’ll take me like, two seconds. I’m a carpenter, so this is my wheelhouse.”
Taako takes a moment to think, her lips twisted to the side. Eventually she shrugs, crossing her arms. “For sure, go for it, Maggie.”
Magnus beams and sets her food down. The bed frame is shoved in a corner alongside the mattress. She gets on her knees, rips the box open haphazardly and pulls out the frames. It’s simple enough; she lays it all out first, then gets the little screws and her letterman ready.
“Where are you from?” Taako asks as Mag gets to work.
“Raven’s Roost. What about you?”
“Oh, that’s pretty far from here. I grew up here, but left to do some traveling. I just moved back because my work and my sister are here.”
“Oh, that’s nice! Where is she?”
“She’s with her hubby ten minutes from here. What about you? Single life or what’s the dealio?” Magnus pauses and glances at Taako over her shoulder where she’s leaned up against the counter, checking her nails casually. Magnus doesn’t usually do this — hasn’t done this in a long time. Is this what she thinks it is? Or maybe she’s just reading into it. If Julia was here, she’d laugh at her.
“Uh, yeah. On my own,” she says, voice going soft, her mind lingering on Julia the way it always does when she thinks about her. Magnus finishes the bed frame; makes quick work of it, like she promised. She even stands up and starts to unwrap the bed, which is probably overkill, but she isn’t one to half-ass things.
“Where do you want it?”
“Jeez, that was fast. Bedroom is through there, though it’s mostly boxes in there right now. So here is good. I owe you big time!” she says, flashing a brilliant smile, her very adorable gap-tooth showing.
Magnus nods and finishes pulling all the plastic off of the bed and sets it down on the frame, straightening it out. “Nah, you don’t owe me anything. I’m happy to help out anytime. Just knock on 302, and if I’m home, I’ll be right over.”
Magnus dusts off her hands and swings back to the counter, snatching up her burger. She taps her fingers on the counter, even though she can and should leave now. When has she gotten all attention-hungry?
“You this good to old man Merle, too?” Taako says, her smile melting into a smirk that makes Magnus’ belly simmer with heat. She watches Taako’s hips jut out to the side, enticing in their narrow sharpness. She wants to dig her thumb there and leave a mark.
“No. He always forgets to take his clothes out of the dryer so it gets all moldy. Fuck that guy,” she says with a grin.
“So just me? I get special treatment?” she says, coming close enough that Mag can feel the heat of her body.
“Maybe. If you’re a good neighbor,” she says, her stomach lurching and her face getting hot simultaneously. Was that okay? Was that too much?
Taako barks out a laugh, musical and a little shrill for someone so incredibly beautiful. “For sure. I’ll let you borrow my sugar anytime, darling,” she says with a wink. Her stance changes and she smiles at Mag again, blinking a little sleepily. “I’d love to keep flirting, but I’m deffo gonna pass out the minute you walk out this door, and it’s not gonna be pretty.”
Oh. “Oh,” Mag says, dumbly. “Yeah, no problem. I’ll get out of your hair. Have a good night,” she says, fumbling with the door handle.
“Here, I’ll get it,” Taako says, squeezing Magnus’ hand once before gently moving it off the knob. She twists it once and pulls it open with a flourish towards the entryway with a curtsy. “Night, Maggie baby, thanks for your help.”
“Yeah sure — anytime,” she shuffles out, glancing over her shoulder one more time. Taako wiggles her fingers in goodbye, biting her bottom lip.
“Goodnight.” The door closes.
Mag exhales slowly.
Shit.
She makes her way back to her apartment, cold burger in hand. She gets into hey apartment, locks it, and stares out for a while into the emptiness of her space. There’s her comfy couch and Julia’s rocking chair; the little workshop stand she’d set in the corner where a TV should be, because she can’t ever stop working. Mag kicks off her shoes, almost leaving them where they’re knocked over until she hears Julia’s voice in her head to clean up.
Maggie, if you drag dirt in here one more time, I’ll divorce you!
Magnus sets the boots on the shoe stand, tosses the bag of food and her keys on the counter, and goes to take a leak and wash her hands. She stares at herself in the mirror. Her hair’s getting a little too long and fluffy at the top, but her sides are still okay. She touches her sideburns. She should get a haircut. And maybe a dog, too, while she’s at it. It’s too lonely here. Being flirted with for the first time in a year, just makes it more obvious how lonely the apartment is.
“Jules, she was really hot. You’d think she was really hot and joke about a threesome, but you know me. I couldn’t look at anyone but you. But she was hot. And that was… sort of nice,” Mag says, her brown eyes reflecting back.
She sighs one more time and takes off her flannel and her shirt and her sports bra, sighing in relief at her sore tits being free.
Mag eats her cold burger and fries and goes to bed.
_
A few nights later, there’s a staccato knock on the door that startles Magnus out of her thoughts. She was spacing out, microwaving a frozen dinner.
“Coming!” she says, heart still pounding.
The door swings open to a pink-faced Taako. She’s in slippers and a strapless, sparkly cocktail dress, and she’s giggling.
“Hi there. Are you drunk?” Mag says with a small, amused laugh.
“Hey! Yes, wine drunk, if you wanted to know the specifics. I wanted to ask if you wanted to come over for dinner? Because I’m finally kind of moved in and I was able to cook! One’s the loneliest number and all that.”
“Uhh,” Magnus glances back at the sad frozen dinner that’s still humming in the microwave. She turns back. “Sure, if I can come dressed like this?” she gestures to her work flannel-tank top combo.
“What? Of course you can, mi amiga!”
“Oh, it’s just, you’re so dressed up, I feel like I should too?”
“Oh, this old thing?” Taako says with a grin, her eyebrows waggling. “No, but for realsies come as you are. This is an old NYE dress. I was sorting through clothes to donate and thought I’d relive the moment. Come on over!” she says, deciding for her by grabbing Magnus’ hand to yank her down the hall. Mag stumbles after her, barely managing to pull her own door shut before they’re almost fox-trotting down the hall.
It smells amazing, is the first thought that comes to mind; like spices and buttered meat. Mag’s mouth waters immediately.
She takes a quick look around. Most of the boxes are still stacked up, and there are clothes, like, everywhere on the floor, but there are knick-knacks up, and some picture frames propped against the wall, waiting to be hung. The kitchen, however, looks completely done. There’s pots and pans hanging up and dishes in the sink. On the island, there’s two ready-to-eat plates of steak, shrimp, and rice.
“Holy wow, this looks amazing!”
“Taako was feeling a little cajun today, no biggie,” Taako says, floating to the cupboard for a second glass. “Take a seat. You want any wine?”
“Sure, I’ll take a glass,” Magnus agrees, obediently pulling out a stool.
“This is the good shit,” Taako says, pouring her a full glass of something dark red and velvety before taking a seat across from her. “Dig in!”
Magnus doesn’t have to be told twice. She cuts up the steak and spoons a little rice on, takes a bite and moans. She hasn’t had a home-made meal in ages. Even when Julia was still around, they were both too lazy to cook most days, opting in for take out instead.
“Bingo bango, right?” Taako says with a smug grin.
“This is fucking amazing,” she says, still savoring the bite.
“I know,” she says, taking a sip. “I can’t put furniture together for shit, but I can cook a mean meal. So we’re even, right?”
“Yes — I mean, I feel like I still owe you! All I did was put together a bed frame, this is like a Michigan star meal!”
“Michelin star, you mean,” Taako snorts, amused. “Hey, I’ve still got plenty of furniture to build, so I guess we can just start a running tab, huh?”
It starts that way. Magnus does end up putting together a couch and a dresser. Puts up all the picture frames and ladder shelves with Taako on the counter, legs crossed, directing her where to go.
Taako keeps cooking her killer food and sends her home with leftovers that make her coworkers jealous. Avi tries to steal her pot pie and she almost throws him out the window. She likes the company, likes coming over while Taako weaves stories about her incompetent coworker, and how much pressure she’s getting with ratings on her show.
Magnus finally gets a TV just to watch Sizzle it up! With Taako in support. She’s fantastic on screen, of course, nothing shines a light to Taako in real life.
_
She meets Lup and Barry a month in, when they finally have down time from their research. She’s never seen Taako nervous before, but today she is. She’s a whirlwind in the kitchen, so Mag stays out of the way after her hands get slapped a few times for trying to help out.
Magnus dresses up a little for it, just a suit she hasn’t worn in a while. She has to take off the blazer to duck under the table and fix a wobbly table leg, though.
“What are you nervous for? Is she mean?”
“Lup? No! She’s just — three minutes older and she thinks she’s three years older. She’s worried about me, or whatever, so I need her to think I’m living my best life! I’m hot shit! I don’t need her to worry. The hot mess Taako? She’s long gone! Left on the wild beaches of Ibiza, baby!”
“Okay. I can back that up, if you want?” Magnus dusts her hands off, retesting the table. When it seems good and sturdy, she returns all of the table decorations to their place.
“No, I just need you to tell me if this needs more salt,” she says, coming around the corner. She shoves the spoon in Mag’s mouth, knocking against her teeth. Mag pulls away, licking gravy off her lips. “It’s good,” she says, steadying Taako’s wrist. “Thanks for not knocking my teeth in.”
“Shit, sorry,” Taako says, setting the spoon down. She uses the bottom corner of her apron to wipe at Mag’s mouth. The fabric tickles Magnus’ nose and she thinks hard about that instead of how she wants to suck Taako’s fingers into her mouth.
There’s a knock at the door and Taako curses. “I’ll get it,” Mag says, steadying her waist. She pecks her forehead and moves on to the door.
“This Taako’s place?” Lup says. She looks almost identical to Taako, except she’s taller, and she’s got an undercut. Her clothes says she just left a punk-rock concert, rather than the chemistry lab Magnus knows she and Barry work at. Magnus likes her immediately.
“Yep! Right place. I’m Magnus, Taako’s — neighbor. She’s right over there, being totally normal and well adjusted!” Magnus winks at her, but Taako misses it. She looks dazed and her fingers are at her brow. Magnus worries that she might have cut herself or something, but she seems to snap out of it when Lup comes running over. They collide in shrieks and limbs. Magnus can’t stop grinning watching them.
Barry chuckles. “They always act like they haven’t seen each other in years when they see each other.”
Dinner goes well. Taako makes an assortment of things, including pot pies. Magnus eats two of them and Lup gives her a weird look the whole time.
“Do I have something on my face?”
“No, it’s just— that’s a new one on the menu, sis,” Lup says, smirking at Taako.
“What can I say? I’m always evolving.”
“Changed the whole ‘pot pie is soggy puff pastry with glue and peas for filling’ outlook?”
“Whaaat? It’s my favorite,” Magnus says, cuddling the pot pie closer to herself. “Taako makes the best pot pie I’ve ever had in my life.”
Lup cackles out loud and Taako throws a Hawaiian roll at her.
After dinner, as Magnus comes out of the bathroom, Lup is right there, looking dangerous. She’s easily 2 inches taller than Magnus with her heels on. “Hey Maggie, can we chat? So I like you— and, listen, hate to do this. But if you so much as treat her wrong once, I will set your car on fire and I will make it look like an accident. I am a chemist, so I can Breaking Bad your shit to high heaven, get me? Oh, and I have a coworker who’s real sweet on her and who I’d love her to meet. So don’t clown me,” Lup pats her on the shoulder once before straightening up.
“Uh. Okay.”
“Let’s go get seconds of cobbler before Barry eats the whole thing.”
The whole encounter is a little bit confusing and a little bit arousing, but Magnus will never tell Taako that.
_
Mag doesn’t even stop by her own apartment, just heads straight to 309, opens the door without thinking about it, and hangs up her jacket on the hook she installed two days ago. There’s a pot on the stove that’s bubbling, but Taako’s nowhere in sight. When Mag takes a step in, she can hear the shower running. All of the boxes are gone. The couch is there and Taako’s added a few fake plants to the shelves. Julia would have filled their apartment up top to bottom with plants and flowers. She had a green thumb.
Shit, Taako hadn’t even said anything about furniture today. Mag had just assumed, had walked right in without asking, like she lives here. Embarrassment crawls up her throat and she takes a quiet step back, knocking into a side table. A cup gets knocked off and tumbles to the floor with a clatter.
“Maggie? Is that you?”
“Uh, nope!”
Shit, shit, shit. She quickly picks it up, takes off her flannel to mop up the tea that spilled. She hears the bathroom door open and the pretty, floral smell of Taako’s body wash fills the living room.
“Hey, what’s up?” Taako says, eyebrows raised. She’s got her hair wrapped up in a towel and she’s in a fluffy looking robe. Mag wants to bundle her up in her arms and kiss her freckled nose.
“Hey. Uh, nothing. Just—,” Mag looks for her escape.
“Cool. Dinner will be ready in a couple of minutes… Is there something wrong? You look a little jumpy.”
“No, that’s okay. I’m fine. I’m gonna. I’m gonna go home. And eat there. At home. See you later!”
Magnus rushes out.
“Mags?” she hears, muffled behind her.
Her heart’s pounding in her chest when she gets home. It’s dark. Her laundry basket is still next to the couch with a pile of unsorted socks she’d abandoned when Taako came knocking at her door to get a coat hanger installed. She stayed over to talk until 2 am, until her throat got scratchy and the tea went cold.
“Julia? What am I doing?”
You’re smarter than that, Mags.
Magnus sighs. “But what if I’m not ready?”
Tough luck, my love.
Julia’s right. Julia’s also dead and isn’t here to actually give her advice over a mortifying crush; or just to be here, filling up the empty spaces with her warmth. It’s just Magnus in her sad, bachelorette-style apartment. Mag turns the door handle, takes a deep breath and centers herself, determined to just deal with this.
There’s no answer when she knocks on Taako's door. She knocks again.
“Taako?”
She tries the handle, but it’s locked and, okay, she probably deserves that. “Can we talk?”
The door cracks open and Taako looks livid, her lip curled up in a snarl. Her eyes are narrowed and she looks poised, ready to slam the door in Magnus’ face. “What?”
“So, about our tab. There’s like, no more furniture or fix-it-ups I have to do, right? So, I feel kind of bad about eating your food.” Oh boy, this isn’t what she wants to say at all.
Taako stares at her in disbelief. She shoves Magnus’ jacket out through the crack and slams the door. “Fuck you!”
“No! Wait! Fuck! That’s not what I—“
No response.
Magnus leans her forehead against the door and closes her eyes. Her fingers trace the grain of the wood as she concentrates on what to say. “I haven’t done this in… I have a dead wife. She was the love of my life and I didn’t think I’d be doing this again, like ever. But then you walked in here and everything changed.” she says slowly and sincerely.
The door knob turns slowly and Taako pulls it open, looking wary. Her hair’s damp, freed from its towel and she’s still in her bathrobe.
“Why didn’t you tell me about her?” She says, crossing her arms.
“I wanted to. But it still feels fresh, sometimes. I want to talk about her. With you, if that’s okay. Can you let me in, please?” Taako bites her lip, thinking for a moment before she swings the door open. She slinks to the couch and doesn’t face Mag just yet.
“You kissed my forehead.”
“What? When?”
“The other night when Lup and Barry were over.” Had she? Oh shit, she had. Magnus approaches the couch slowly, sitting at the other end of it.
“I… liked it. I wanted you to do it again. And I keep cooking pot pies, even though they are glue and peas in soggy pastry. But you like them and you get so happy when I make them — I’m in over my head. Taako doesn’t really do this. Lup’s right to worry, because I am a mess. Cooking is basically the only thing I’m good at. And surfing, I guess.”
“You surf?”
“That’s beside the point. The point is, I don’t have any more furniture for you to build. I did consider catalogue shopping for furniture I don’t need, so that you would keep coming over. Because why would you want to be here otherwise?” She looks up, expression sullen.
“Because you’re here,” Mag says, softly. “Taako…I guess, I was worried — conflicted…about what it means that your apartment feels more like home to me than my own apartment. Just now, I walked into your apartment without even thinking about it. And I don’t want to like, freak you out, or scare you away, because this like, freaks me out a little. How much I like you.”
“You do?”
“Yeah. Yeah, I really, really do. I like you! It scares me, how much I do.”
“You’re dumb,” Taako says, and it stings a little. But then she starts moving, climbing on top of Magnus, setting her bony ass on her lap. “You’re so dumb, god, Taako what are you doing?” she says to herself before leaning in and kissing her. It’s good, better than Magnus remembers. Her hands slide up carefully to the bird-bones of Taako’s shoulders. She’s so petite, nothing like Julia’s full figure at all, but Magnus likes it anyway.
Taako’s delicate fingers brush through the short sides of her hair, up into the thick, wavy top of it. She moans into the kiss, trembles when Magnus licks into her mouth. She tastes sugar-sweet and Magnus swirls her tongue to get more, to feel the cut of her gapped-teeth. Her hands keep exploring, down the waist of her fluffy robe to where her knees and thighs peek out. She squeezes the tops of her thighs and Taako moans again.
Taako pulls away first, her hands still stroking at the base of Mag’s neck. Her eyes are closed, forehead resting against hers. “God, your hands. Watching your hands when you work drives me crazy,” she says, grinding down a little. Magnus can feel a rush of wetness from her own cunt, her clit twitching for friction.
“Can I touch you? Is that okay?”
“Yeah,” she says breathily, holding herself steady, one hand at Mag’s shoulder as she presents herself. Mag unties the robe, feeling like she’s unwrapping a present as she unfolds the robe to reveal more of her. The curves of her breasts and the pooch of her tummy shift when she sucks in a breath. “Don’t,” Maggie says, reaching out to pet her tummy first and then up to cup her boobs. They’re a perfect handful and her nipples are so fucking hard already. Magnus leans forward to lick her neck and nibble at her collarbone. “You’re so gorgeous, fuck."
Mag’s thumb presses hard at her perfect, dark brown nub, pinches her hard until she gasps and rubs herself on Mag’s thigh again, riding her. Mag presses the heel of her palm to her own cunt, still trapped in layers of clothing. She leans down and kisses the top of her right breast and then sucks the whole thing into her mouth, sucking hard, then she narrows in on the nub with her teeth and pulls gently. “Maggie, fuck!”
Taako cries out again, grasp tightening in her hair and she can feel it this time, her wetness soaking into the denim of her jeans. Magnus pulls away, breathing hard and laps dirtily at her, circling her areola until Taako’s shuddering in her lap.
“Wanna eat you out,” Magnus slurs, wild-eyed, a trail of saliva running down her lip.
“Fuck yes. Great idea, yes,” Taako nods profusely and scrambles back onto the couch. The robe falls away and Taako shifts the sleeves off so she can wrap her arms around Magnus’ neck.
Mag grins at her, pushes her thighs up so they’re folded and presses her nose down the valley of her hips. She closes her eyes, smearing her lips down the crease of her hip. Takes her time, inhales deeply at the thatch of her well-groomed pubes, intoxicated by her musky sweetness. She buries her nose and laps at the dew-drops of cum on her pubes.
Mag blinks her eyes open, takes in her glistening pussy. Taako’s dark brown lips shine sweetly, and when she uses her fingers to split her open, she’s so pink and soft. Magnus’ mouth fucking waters.
She flattens her tongue, eyes on Taako’s face as she pushes her broad tongue against her pussy folds, moving her head side to side as does. Taako’s belly sucks in again and she moans as Mag presses in further, circling in slowly towards her clit.
She teases her, brushes her nose against it first, spreads her wide, one hand on her thigh, the other two fingers petting at her slick folds. She’s so fucking wet and messy and Mag just has to clean that up first, right?
“Stop teasing,” Taako whines, humping up. Mag grins at her, nipping her teeth along the inside of her thighs. Mag sucks off her fingers, grinning at Taako.
“This is Michelin star pussy. I gotta take my time.” Taako barks a laugh until she moans when Magnus uses the opportunity, rushes in, fucking her tongue into her tight, throbbing pussy. She licks out all of the sweet, slick juice dripping out of her and keeps doing it, stroking in deep.
“Oh, fuck son of a—,“ Taako whimpers, rutting against her. Magnus pulls back out, circling again with the tip of her tongue, tracing her. Then gentle, gentle, gentle she moves to her clit, sucks her into her mouth and swirls her tongue on the hot, hard head of it. Taako sobs and Magnus sinks two fingers in, rubbing at the velvet smooth inside. She crooks her fingers in Taako's cunt, playing with her now.
Taako’s thighs tighten around her head and she rides her face, chin to the ceiling as her orgasm builds. Mag tongues her clit, fast and rhythmic, eyes locked on Taako’s face. She’s biting her bottom lip hard, holding it off until she can’t anymore. Her mouth drops open, slutty, as she comes hard, hips lifting up off the couch; her moan chokes off and her long fingernails dig into Magnus’ neck.
Magnus keeps going. She adds two more fingers and she fucks them in harder, uses her whole arm to fuck that sweet spot inside of her. She can feel her pussy clenching, tightening, pulsating wildly around her, can feel the hungry heat, the way it wants to swallow her up and release at the same time. She kisses her clit and then sucks at the overstimulated nub. Taako’s hips keep working, and she lifts up again, oversensitive. Magnus pulls her mouth away, watching her pussy twitching restlessly. She pulls her fingers out all the way and then pushes them back in, deep.
Taako comes all over her, squirts all over her face like a fountain spray. Magnus closes her eyes and opens her mouth, drinks her up, best she can — swallows it all up, almost snarling as she does. She closes her mouth on her cunt, letting the last of it hit the the back of her throat. Magnus hastily shoves her hand down the front of her jeans and rubs.
She’s so fucking wet, she can barely feel it. Her whole hand coated with Taako’s cum and her own and she fucks the side of her thumb hard and fast. She comes, groaning. Taako pulls her into a kiss that she can’t see because it’s hard to open her eyes. She pants into the kiss, lets Taako lick at her mouth and her face. Her thumb grazes Mag’s chin, stroking over and over again until Magnus winds down.
Simultaneously, they collapse together in a heap.
“Holy shit.”
“Yeah.”
“Talk about splash zone. I have never come that hard in my life. I’m gonna have to get a new couch,” Taako says, absolutely awed. Magnus grins smugly, using her left hand to at least wipe off her face so she can see Taako. She looks flushed, eye bright and glossy. She’s stunning. Magnus kisses her red, red lips.
“Gonna have to do that again, like pronto. My legs are jello, though. I think my soul astral-projected. I’m still floating up there.”
“No, come back,” Mag says, with a giggle.
“You still have clothes on. How is that fair?” Taako whines, pulling at her shirt. “I wanna see those abs. I wanna see that wet, hot fucking pussy.”
“I’m gonna have to throw these boxers and jeans away,” she says, making a face. It’s already starting to get uncomfortable and chafing.
“I wanted to throw those jeans away, anyway. They have wood stain all over them, babe.” Mag snorts and rolls her eyes. Taako tugs at the bottom of her shirt again, inhaling deeply. She presses her face up into Mag’s hairy pit and mutters something.
“What was that?”
“Maggie,” Taako’s eyebrows are furled when she shows her face again.
“I like you,” she says, voice shaky. Magnus’ heart takes a long distance leap, right over some finish line she didn’t know she was running. “I want you to come over every day, eat my food, fix my furniture, and keep fucking me on every inch of this apartment. I’m really, really not good at this stuff, but hey, I’m shootin’ my shot here. I want you to be my girlfriend, please and thank you. You and also your dead wife willing — may she rest in peace, if that’s gucci.”
Magnus strokes the soft skin of Taako’s waist, staring at every blink over every hard word. She knows how hard Taako’s trying and she’s trying for her. How incredible is that? How lucky is she? Jules, I think I may be in good hands.
“I am very willing. And I think Julia would… want this for me. She was that way, you know?”
Taako smiles at her, presses a kiss to her lips and then sucks hard on her bottom lip until Magnus groans. “You taste like me, which is very hot. I mean, my pussy is Michelin star rated, as you know. But I think I know exactly what I want to go for my second course,” she wiggles her eyebrows and starts to slide down the length of Mag’s body.
“Get these clothes off right now.”
_
Taako can’t keep a plant alive. Taako cooks everything and anything and it's always fantastic, takes 2-hour long baths, despite the messes she leaves everywhere in her room. She doesn’t care that Mag leaves her dirty work boots toppled over in the foyer, but does care about what Magnus wears when they go out together.
She likes bad TV (so did Jules), nicknames, and surprisingly, kids too. She hates dogs. She also hates pot pies, but makes them for Magnus, anyway. Magnus thinks she is probably, definitely in love with Taako, despite the dog thing. (She’s working on it.)
(I chose to go with one of my prompt submissions that didn't get used.)
Magnus squinted down at the leaflet in his hand, trying to make out the smudged handwriting. After glancing between it and the sign hanging over the pub door a few times, he shrugged and headed inside. He was relatively sure he was in the right place, anyway.
The interior of the pub was dark, noisy, and packed to the gills. He was supposed to meet his potential employer at the cornermost table, so he squeezed through the throng of drinkers gathered around the bar. As he approached, Magnus noticed someone was already sitting at the corner table.
An elf with choppy shoulder-length white-blond hair was sitting on the far side of the table with his back to the wall. He was wrapped almost protectively in a dark cloak, and the brim of his pointed hat was pulled low, knife-like ears barely peeking out from beneath. For all the effort he seemed to be going to in remaining unnoticed, Magnus could tell that he was stunningly beautiful, even more so than elves were usually known for. As Magnus approached the table, he looked up, hazel eyes narrowed warily.
"What."
Magnus smiled automatically, trying to appear non-threatening. "Hail and well-met! I don't suppose you are--" he referred to the leaflet again, "Gundren Rockseeker?"
The elf lifted a perfectly manicured eyebrow, a wry twist to his lips. "Considering as I'm not a dwarf, no."
Magnus glanced back down at the parchment. "Oh, uh. Didn't read that bit. Makes sense, a name like Rockseeker…" he felt his face growing red.
Oddly enough, this display of self-consciousness seemed to endear him to the elf more than his friendliness had. He pushes his hat back from his face and gave Magnus an appreciative once-over that only served to make him blush more. "You here about the gig, too, big guy?"
"Magnus," he replied, "Magnus Burnsides. And yes, I am."
The elf waved magnanimously, indicating that Magnus should take a seat, so he did. "It seems our host is a little late, but I imagine he'll be along shortly."
"Sorry, I didn't get your name?"
The elf hesitated for a moment, and then offered his hand. "Taako," he said. "Hail and well-met or whatever."
Magnus clasped his hand. His own hand nearly swallowed it up. "Pleased to meet you." He frowned, a weird sense of deja vu washing over him. "Have I...seen you somewhere before?"
Taako stiffened, retracting his hand. "No."
"I feel like I know you…"
"I mean, I did a little traveling show for a while. No big thing." He gave an unaffected shrug, but his tone was strangely terse.
Magnus did recall a show, but it didn't feel like that completely accounted for the strange sense of familiarity. That had to have been what he was thinking of, though. "Oh right! You did a cooking show in Ravens' Roost. My wife and I saw your demonstration."
The memory was a fond one. Julia was the one who had suggested going, but Magnus was the one who ended up being hypnotized by the performance, and by the chef. Even then, he remembered noticing Taako's beauty. Julia had teased him about his "crush" for weeks. The free meal had been delicious, too.
Taako did not look like it was a fond memory for him. "Yeah, well, I don't do that anymore. I'm an adventurer-for-hire now. It's a living, huh?"
Magnus nodded. "I like it."
"Your wife is cool with you disappearing on these big adventures all the time?"
Magnus swallowed. "Oh. She's, uh, she...passed away."
"Shit," Taako deadpanned. "I just shoved my entire foot in my mouth, huh?"
His response surprised a laugh out of Magnus. It was so unlike the reactions he usually got, all false platitudes and sorry-for-your-losses. It was actually kind of refreshing. The elf was oddly familiar to Magnus, even more than the one ships-passing encounter explained. He didn't feel like he was meeting him for the first time; it felt like he was reuniting with a dear friend after a long separation. The grin on Taako's face made him think the wizard maybe felt the same way.
"Honestly, there's no good way to bring it up," Magnus admitted. "I mistook you for a dwarf when I first got here. Maybe we're just shit conversationalists."
Taako snorted. "Well then we better hope this Rockseeker homie brings along somebody with more social graces, or this whole trip's gonna be a disaster."
"You must be Taako and Magnus," said a gravelly voice. "I'm Gundren Rockseeker. This is my bodyguard, Barry, and the third member of your party, Merle Highchurch."
Magnus looked from Gundren to the two men behind him. One, a tall and denim-clad human and the other a crunchy-looking dwarf cleric who looked like he had some leaves stuck in his beard.
Magnus snuck a peek back at Taako. The elf was already looking back, lips twitching. "Never mind. We're doomed!"
They fell against each other, laughing. Despite what he'd said, Magnus was starting to think this gig might've been the best choice he'd made in a long time.
[image id: taako and magnus, about to kiss on their wedding day. Taako has long hair tied up in intricate braids, with flowers woven in, and a loose top falling off his shoulder. He is smiling, eyes closed, with his left hand touching magnus’ face and his right hand holding magnus’ hand. Magnus is also smiling, hair tied up in a bun with flowers in it, wearing a tight shirt with lacing. Both of them have their entwined hands bound together in a handfasting ceremony. end id]
Taagnus Week Day 7: Wedding
Aaaah I’ve been meaning to do a cleaned-up digital version of my icon for... well years at this point, and since this is always and forever how I have pictured their wedding, this seemed like as good a time as any... but I’m exhausted so all I got done was lines. Something to work on in the future I guess. At least I got some of the janky anatomy issues with the old one fixed, as well as made the smaller details easier to read.
The original is still one of my favorite pieces I’ve ever done, so hopefully the cleaned up version will be nice too.
[image id: a quick doodle of taako and magnus. Taako has long hair in a braid, loose bangs, a long sleeve shirt, and high waist pants. He is crouching over magnus with a grin. Magnus is laying on the ground, back to the viewer. Taako shouts “HA! Pinned you!” and magnus responds with a lovestruck stare “yeah, you got me <3″ end id.]
Taagnus Week Day 5: Fighting and Magic
Imagine... the year they spent teaching each other their skills in Stolen Century... and magnus falls in love with an oblivious taako as they practice self defense.
[image id: Taako and magnus as they appear in the fic “wizards and woodsmen, beauties and beasts”. Taako is an elf with long hair and a loose open shirt. Magnus is a large bear creature with fangs, a messy mane, and broken antlers. they are laying together on the floor, taako holding magnus’ paws in his hands. end id]
Taagnus Week Day 6: Free Day
IS IT CHEATING IF I DRAW FAN ART FOR MY OWN FIC.
This fic is hopefully ending soon (i say hopefully because I want it to be done and for these boys to be HAPPY).
