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veryace-ficrecs · 4 days

Note

Hey! Could you do another daemon rec list? Your other list got me in the mood

Absolutly! d=====(￣▽￣*)b

More Daemon Fic Recs

This list will include all ratings and tags, so read at your own discretion! :)

Star Trek

Ni'Var by WerewolvesAreReal - Rated G

Humans have daemons. Vulcans have katras. Spock, born of both, has neither. Which he's fine with. Really. Meanwhile, James Kirk is a little curious about this whole daemon business, because how the hell can he have two souls - ?

a resilient touch by kurgaya - Rated T

Jim’s daemon used to be a wolf and Leonard’s not sure how he feels about that. Used to be. [STID Missing Scenes - Jim sleeps. Leonard worries. Someone unexpected talks some sense into them both].

Daredevil

Down to the Bone by SpiritsFlame - Rated G

Everyone always wants to know why his daemon isn't a bat. As though being blind is all that there is to him, the center point of his character.

Spiderman

of things unknown (but longed for still) by aloneintherain - Rated T

Peter Parker can’t walk around with the same daemon as Spider-Man. But she’s going to settle one day, and there’s nothing he can do about it.

The Witcher

Two Halves of a Whole by penguistifical - Rated G

Geralt doesn’t take much notice at first when the small brown bird alights on his table.

one for sorrow by Emamel - Rated T

There were other rumours, older and more persistent, that Jaskier hadn't been able to make a dent in. Witchers don't have souls. Witchers are no better than beasts. How could they be civilised, intelligent, compassionate, human, when they don't even have daemons. What was Jaskier supposed to do about that?

interconnected strand to strand by Hirikka - Rated G

Turns out Jaskier isn't the first person who loves Geralt to be driven away by the witcher. After The Mountain, Jaskier is found by Geralt's daemon. They adopt each other.

The Adventure Zone

a thousand points of no return by anonymousAlchemist - Rated T

Since wizard's daemons often settle as birds and urban legend says that elves are separated from their daemons, no one looks too closely at the fact that Taako and Lup are both single entities, missing the other halves of their hearts. They walk like people, they talk like people, and if they're hard to read because their daemons aren't fluffing up their feathers or swatting playfully with their paws, well, elves are notoriously enigmatic anyway. This lasts until their first death. All deaths on the Starblaster are strange. When Magnus first died on the animal planet, I'morko followed right after, both of their bodies dissipating into golden sparks, a strange inversion of the natural order. The pattern holds. Year after year, person and daemon alike dissipate into a fine mist of dust, knit together by the bond engine in the new plane. During their fifteenth year, Taako is shot through the heart with a well-aimed magic missile. Lup screams and casts one last firebolt, spell-sculpting around their bodies, before unspooling into a fine golden sand.

Yuri on Ice

hollow ground by Piyo13 - Rated T

There's no rules regarding where a daemon has to be in relation to their skater, only that they aren't allowed on the ice. This has always seemed a little unfair to Yuuri. After all, he loves skating like he loves his own soul; why can't he have both?

Batman

I know you won't leave by Speechless_since_1998 - Rated G

Jason was thirteen, adopted for over a year, and he was at his first gala. He expected the rich snobs who looked down on him, judging his daemon. What he didn't expect was to find a child hiding as his daemon took shape. Nor that Ace would adopt him.

everything you lose is a step you take by oceanofchaos - Rated T

“Tim,” she says, hesitant in a way that she never is, not when it’s just the two of them, “About settling.” Thirteen is hardly unreasonable to be unsettled, but rare given their night activities, and Tim’s been thinking hard about what Hestia will choose. “I don’t think I want to settle,” she says quietly, interrupting his train of thought, “Maybe not ever.” “Okay,” replies Tim, stroking a careful finger over her soft brown snout, “Not if you don’t want to.” ------------ Dæmon AU, the life and times of Tim Drake and his dæmon Hestia, before, during, and after Robin.

Fullmetal Alchemist

the lives of wild animals by ohmytheon - Rated G

military - but what people don't realize is that his daemon is just as wild as Mustang's in the end.

In the Shape of a Soul by redketchup - Rated T

Ed says, “Stupid Colonel Bastard.” “Brother, what are you thinking?” Alphonse asks evenly, which is his way of saying, Please, for the love of god, brother, the colonel is not responsible for every terrible thing, but hey, it ends up Alphonse is still loyal to his big brother, because he also adds, “I’m surprised he didn’t make an effort to call us. It sounds like something we could help with. Maybe the first lieutenant has been out recently.” Which conveys how little faith Alphonse actually has in Mustang when he acts outside Riza Hawkeye’s influence.

East City has a new string of murders and, much to a young alchemist's annoyance, his superior officer insists that the Fullmetal Alchemist's expertise is not needed. This leads to more trouble than anyone would expect.

talents of the souls by ohmytheon - Rated G

Edward's hand shakes as he draws the soul bonding transmutation circle on the inside of the armor. Alethea has to hold his arm up to keep him steady. “I won’t let you take them!” Ed screams. “Take my arm, take my heart, take my soul!” Alethea cries out as she buries her face into his stomach. He can’t feel her. He almost gets sick. Oh, god, why can’t he feel her? (Or, Fullmetal Alchemist with daemons, focusing on Edward, Alphonse, and human transmutation. Companion piece to "rummaging in our souls", which focuses on Roy and Riza.)

#veryace asks #daemon au #star trek #batman #fullmetal alchemist fic rec #spiderman #daredevil #yuri on ice fic rec #the adventure zone #the witcher #ao3 fic recs #fanfic recs

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liltaz-asatreat · 2 years

Text

Sometimes You Can’t Get Them All

(You can also read this on ao3!)

TW: transphobia and alcohol

Barry walks back up onto the deck of the Starblaster after using the bathroom, swaying slightly in his slightly more than tipsy haze. Lup and Taako are still sitting at a table, laughing drunkenly, with their new friend, Sebastian, a local chef from a five star restaurant in town that they met at a cooking tournament where they were looking to score a little bit of cash and to prove that they were the best chefs currently residing on this plane. Of course, the twins did win with their almost two hundred years of cooking experience, but surprisingly, Sebastian had come in at a close second. He was amicable about losing to them, and the three of them had enjoyed talking about cooking techniques enough for the twins to introduce him to Barry and the others and invite him over a few times to hang out.

Tonight, Davenport had brought out a bottle of green apple schnapps earlier in the evening, and as the night grew late, everyone started trailing off to bed. With how late it is now, currently, Barry thinks it might be time to start wrapping up the party for everyone else too as he walks up behind Lup and wraps his arms around her in a hug.

Lup twists in her chair a little to try and look at him with a sloppy smile, and Barry takes the opportunity to kiss her forehead. She giggles and tilts her head back to kiss him too. “Hey, babe. We were just talking about embarrassing stories about our previous crushes.”

Taako laughs. “Yeah, you just missed the story of the one girl Lup had the biggest crush on while we were traveling with a mercenary group. She tried to impress her with her 'martial prowess',” he says with air quotes, “by taking a swing with her giant morning star. Nearly took out her head!”

Barry snorts, and Sebastian laughs as Lup rolls her eyes. “At least I've never went out with someone who was dead set about refusing to believe that gravity is real.”

“You went out with someone who didn't believe gravity was real?” Barry asks incredulously as he sits down in his chair next to Lup. Sebastian laughs harder, and Taako scowls at Lup.

“I did not go out with him; it was a one night stand! I didn't know he was an idiot until after I sucked his dick, and Lulu, you swore you wouldn't tell anyone about it!”

Lup bends over laughing, hugging her stomach, and Sebastian shakes his head. “Don't worry, Taako, you can't do worse than my last girlfriend. We'd get into arguments all of the time over the smallest shit, and there was one argument we got into where she got really angry, and she stabbed me.”

Lup stops laughing, and the three of them look at Sebastian in silence. He just shrugs and says, “It happens sometimes. Funnily enough, that was unrelated to why I broke up with her.”

“Wait, stabbing you wasn't enough for you to break up with her?” Barry asks incredulously. “What finally did it for you?”

“She tried to get with my mom and my younger sister. Really weirded all of us out.” He takes another drink from his glass as Lup shakes her head.

“I mean, I think both me and Taako have been in relationships like that too at some point.” Taako nods at her, and Barry looks at the both of them a little sadly. “Shit's hard growing up on the road, and you can meet a lot of nasty people. Especially over the course of about a hundred years.”

“Great thing about being on the road though is if someone tries to kill your sister, you can just kill them, hide the body, and leave, and no one will catch you because no one knows who you are.” Taako says with a shrug.

“Still wish I had gotten that one guy who almost let you fall of a cliff,” Lup muses quietly. “Too bad he managed to disappear by the time I saved you and got you back up on solid ground.”

“Well you can't get them all,” Taako says. He stands up and stretches his arms above his head. “I think I'm gonna head in. I want to test something out with the Light tomorrow if I don't wake up with a monster of a hangover.”

Barry snorts. “You actually want to help study the Light this time around?”

Taako tries to glare at him, but it's obvious he's fighting a smile. “I don't just sit around the ship all day, Barold. I've helped y'all with studying the Light plenty of times–”

“Usually only if me or Lup ask,” Barry interrupts, but Taako ignores him.

“–And when I'm not doing that, I do plenty of other important things too.”

Lup scoffs. “Uh huh. Sorry, Koko, but I don't think starting cults of personality is exactly helpful to the mission.”

Taako smirks and ruffles her hair, and she swats his hand away. “You say that, but most of the times I've done that, I've been able to convince a lot more people to help us in whatever our endeavor is pretty quickly, wouldn't you say?”

He has a point.

Lup scowls. “Fuck you.” And Taako laughs.

“I'll see you all tomorrow. Night, Sebastian.” He waves, and Sebastian waves back.

Lup stands up from the table and stretches too. “Sorry, Sebastian. I think everyone is heading in now unless, Barry, do you want to stay out here?” She looks to him questioningly.

Barry yawns. “Only long enough to clean up and see him off the ship.” He turns to Sebastian and asks, “Will you be okay getting back home?”

“Oh, yeah. I don't live far from here. Here, let me help you clean up.” he says as he stands up from the table.

He starts collecting trash as Barry stands up and gives Lup a hug and a kiss. “Don't worry about the mess; we've got it. I'll see you back in our room.”

Lup smiles tiredly. “Thanks, babe.”

They share one more kiss before they let each other go, and Lup heads back down into the belly of the ship.

Barry turns back to the table and starts collecting empty glasses. Sebastian conjures up a trash can and dumps the trash he's collected into it. “So I got to hear about their dating stories. Do you have any fun stories from before you met Lup?”

Barry laughs. “Yeah, a couple. Nothing quite as dramatic as the twins' stories, I'm sure, but there was this one girl in middle school. Prettiest girl I had seen up until that point, and she was really smart too. We were kind of friends, but we didn't know each other super well by the time the winter dance was coming up, but I wanted to ask her to go with me anyway. I almost didn't because I was too nervous, but some of my other friends tried to boost my confidence and gave me advice on how to do it. They insisted I had to do this huge display of affection–”

“Oh no,” Sebastian says, and Barry laughs.

“Yeah, and um, unfortunately, I listened to them, so I ended up cornering her in the courtyard during lunch with a bunch of balloons and a big teddy bear. I lost my nerve as I was staring at her though, so I kind of just said, 'Dance. With me. Teddy bear?' and stuck the teddy bear and balloons out to her, and she just stared at me while her friends laughed.”

Sebastian chuckles and shakes his head. “I'm guessing she said no?”

Barry nods with a small laugh. “Understandably, she didn't speak to me for a whole year after that. I never listened to my friends about dating advice again.”

Barry stacks the glasses he's collected on the table, so it would be easier for him to carry as Sebastian stares at him, seemingly lost in thought. “So you're bisexual too?”

Barry looks up at him confused. “No? Why do you ask?”

Sebastian gives him a funny look. “I was just curious. No hate; I'm bi too– or I guess, by myself. But wait– you just told me a story about how you wanted to go out with a girl.”

Barry stares at him. “Yeah?”

“But... you're also married to Lup?” Sebastian asks questioningly.

“Yeah?” Barry asks again. “Lup's female too.”

Sebastian shifts his weight from foot to foot and looks generally uncomfortable. “Yeah, but like, she's different, right?”

Barry sets the rest of the glasses he has in his hands down on the table. “What the fuck are you talking about?”

“Did she not... tell you?” Sebastian asks carefully. “I mean, she brought it up when she was talking to me about her past, so I thought it was common knowledge.”

Does he mean her being transgender? Or did Lup's gender identity change, and she didn't tell him yet? That can't be right, can it? She definitely would have told him before she told some guy she met two weeks ago. “Look, bud, I honestly don't know what you're talking about,” Barry says. “Last I knew, Lup still identifies as female.”

“Yeah, but... she was male before, right? She was born male?” Sebastian asks.

Barry sets his jaw and folds his arms across his chest. “Yeah, and so was I. Shit changes sometimes, bud. She's female now, and she's been female for a very very long time.”

Sebastian hesitates. “But she's not really female, right?”

Barry's heart starts pounding in his ears, and he clenches his jaw a little tighter. “I think it's time for you to leave now.”

Sebastian takes a small step backward away from him. “I'm sorry, I–”

Barry puts up a hand to stop him. “I'm going to give you to the count of two. Get out.” he says coldly.

Sebastian takes another few tentative steps backward. “I'm really sorry. I obviously misspo–”

Quick as a flash, Barry pulls out his wand and fires off six silvery bolts of light that hit Sebastian square in the chest. He stumbles back in pain, clutching at his chest as pools of blood quickly stain his shirt red as Barry raises his voice. “One!”

Sebastian scrambles backward and runs for the ramp. Barry follows him, and as he watches him flee, he yells, “And don't darken this doorstep again!”

He stands at the railing and watches him get consumed by the darkness of the night, and he continues staring out into the distance, breathing heavily. The fucking nerve of that guy to come here and disrespect his wife after she and everyone here have been so gracious to him.

He better not see his face for the rest of this cycle.

Barry storms back to the table and grabs the stacks of glasses. He carries them down into the kitchen, and he takes the time to wash them instead of waiting for morning in an attempt to make himself calm down. It helps a little bit, but certainly not enough to warrant the obscene amount of noise he's making while everyone is supposed to be asleep. He slams the handle of the sink's faucet down to turn off the water, and he grips the counter tightly as he breathes heavily through his nose. Maybe he should have blasted him off the side of the ship himself. He probably would have survived the fall. It's not like they're a thousand feet in the air.

“Well you can't get them all.”

Shut up, Taako.

Now that he thinks of it, that bastard's lucky he didn't say that to him or Lup. He definitely would not have survived being blasted off of the ship by either of them.

Barry sighs heavily. He's tired, and he should really go to bed. Especially if Taako really does want to help study the Light tomorrow.

He climbs back up the stairs to the deck to put away the table and chairs and to collect the trash bin and dump it into the regular trash can before the spell wears off. Then he makes his way to his room and quietly slips in through the door.

Lup stirs a little as he sits down on the bed, and she holds an arm out to reach for him. Barry takes her hand and gently kisses it as she turns over to look at him through half lidded eyes.

“You 'kay, babe?” she asks, slurring her words slightly. “You're making s'much noise... it sounded like you're angry.”

Barry takes a deep breath as he slips under the covers. “Yeah, sorry about that. I didn't mean to wake you.”

Lup nods a little and snuggles closer to him. He wraps an arm around her as she says, “D'you wanna talk 'bout it?”

Barry hesitates. “I don't want to make you upset while you're half asleep. If you still want to know in the morning, I'll tell you, but just know, Sebastian's not welcome on this ship anymore.”

Lup frowns slightly. “I'm deffo gon' ask 'bout that in the morning. But you right. Too tired for that conversation now.”

Barry kisses the top of her head. “I love you so much, you know that, right?”

Lup smiles again. “Yeah, and I love you too, babe!”

Barry's heart swells at that, and he closes his eyes. “Good night, Lup.”

“Good...”

She doesn't finish the sentence because she's already fallen asleep again.

#tw transphobia #tw alcohol #taz #taz balance #taz fanfic #blupjeans #barry bluejeans #lup #taz lup #taako #taz taako #written works of Gab #stolen century

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elftwink · 3 years

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no thoughts only taakitz superhero/villain coffeeshop au. taako’s power is shapeshifting but he has a cool gun from lup. kravitz’s power is Big Fuckin Scythe With Unspecified Abilities. also there was no time to get into it but fantasy starbucks isn’t a real starbucks it’s a borderline illegal unaffiliated bootleg starbucks that taako and lup own. like dumb starbucks was.

By all rights, it should have been a fairly routine night for the Reaper. Go out, stop some crimes, arrive just in time to prevent whatever scheme the Mongoose had cooked up this week, exchange some one liners, make some threats that essentially amounted to ‘same time next week?’, the works. A regular Tuesday as a superhero in Neverwinter.

But Kravitz is tired, and more than a little distracted, so he’s not doing so hot on the one liners, and the Mongoose’s attacks are a little closer than they would normally be. He doesn’t even have a good excuse, it’s not like he’s injured, or that he has anything pressing to think of.

It was just— this morning his barista (who he may or may not have been harbouring a small crush on) had mentioned offhand that he thought the Reaper was ‘probably hot under the stupid all-black getup’, and Kravitz didn’t really know what the protocol was for someone complimenting your alter-ego was.

“I think if you were gonna go for the strong silent type, you had to start doing it months ago. Now it’s just acting like an asshole. Are you mad at me?” the Mongoose cuts into his thoughts, firing off another few missiles from his stupid umbrella gun (Umbrastaff, he called it, although it was a gun and not a staff so Kravitz had no idea why he insisted on calling it that).

“We are literally fighting as we speak,” says Kravitz, playing up the cockney accent, spinning his scythe to deflect the missiles off the blade, sending them ricocheting around the room. He’d said something like ‘how can you tell’ to Taako— the barista (well, they’d been on a first name basis for a few weeks, so, Taako), and he’d said ‘I can just tell’ which was not at all helpful in getting Kravitz through the conversation without saying or doing something to give himself away.

He’d almost given Taako his number, but how was he going to justify that? Hey, it’s me under the all black getup. Do you want to go out sometime? As if.

“You can have fights without being fuckin’ rude,” says the Mongoose, firing off another few rounds, which Kravitz deflects again, advancing on him.

“You’re right, sorry. I’m a bit scattered. Not exactly my A game.” As if to prove his point, the Mongoose easily dodges his next couple swings with the scythe, not even bothering to leave his range.

“Clearly. I mean, normally you’re at least close enough that I can feel the breeze from your sword.”

“It’s not a sword, and you know that.” Kravitz brings down the scythe in the space where the Mongoose was only seconds before, having already backflipped out of the way and landed a few metres back. Show off. Not that Kravitz had room to complain about that. The Mongoose spins to face him again, at least this time seemingly aware of what a close call that was. He’s tense, and his hair, which Kravitz supposes has thus far been hidden underneath his costume, has come somewhat unravelled, black braid falling to the middle of his back.

It seems... familiar?

He doesn’t have time for that right now. Kravitz draws back the scythe, feeling the hum of energy under his fingers, swinging again, and—

“Wait! Time out!” the Mongoose puts up a hand and Kravitz, for who knows what reason, stops his scythe mid-swing. The familiarity sticks, so it’s not just a trick of the light. It takes him a second to place, but the hairstyle... it looks a lot like a certain barista he’d been spending all night thinking about.

He shakes his head, trying to clear it. It’s because he has Taako on the brain, is all. Besides, he has other things to worry about besides seeing his crush in his enemy. Namely the fight currently happening with said enemy. “What? You can’t call a time out.”

“I just did,” says the Mongoose, fishing through his pockets and pulling out several bobby pins, sticking them in his mouth so he can use both hands to fix his hair. Kravitz blinks, still trying to shake off the sense of deja vu, but it won’t quit nagging him. “It’s a whole safety issue to leave long hair down.”

“It’s still in a braid,” retorts Kravitz.

“Somebody never took Foodsafe.” the Mongoose gives him a lopsided grin that Kravitz fucking knows he’s seen before, and suddenly it’s more than just passing familiarity, and how could he possibly have not noticed before, and— the Mongoose finishes putting up his hair, raising an eyebrow at Kravitz and his private crisis. “Alright. Ready—”

“You work at Fantasy Starbucks,” blurts Kravitz, without even thinking about it. The Mongoose stops dead in his tracks, and Kravitz can see his eyes widen even behind the mask. He splutters for a moment, and then seems to find his footing, already ready with a snarky remark.

“Yeah, well— your accent is fake.”

Shit. He’d forgotten. At the only time so far that having it would have been useful too. Still, he pushes it out of his mind; the Mongoose hadn’t denied it. And, well, he’s already solidly derailed this fight, so he might as well get some real confirmation out of it.

“...Taako? It is you, isn’t it?”

“Just who the fuck are y—” The Mongoose— Taako— levels the Umbrastaff at him, and then stops again. “...Kravitz?”

Well. Shit. Again. Kravitz doesn’t bother to affirm that; his silence is more than enough confirmation. One of them has to say or do something, but the seconds stretch on.

“You’re telling me I said all that shit to your face this morning?” says Taako.

“That’s what you’re worried about right now?”

“Uh, yeah—” Taako is backing up now, and they’ve fought enough times that Kravitz knows when the Mongoose is looking for an escape route; Kravitz’s feet still feel glued to the floor, even when Taako reaches the window, fingers already turning to talons around the Umbrastaff. Taako breaks the glass (because of course he does, even though the windows aren’t even fucking locked), breaking eye contact with Kravitz in order to swing his legs through the window before his form changes too much. “Look, this is like, a lot right now, and I— I’m getting the fuck out of here,” he says, and then drops. Whatever had been keeping Kravitz in place, slack jawed, ends as soon as Taako leaves his sight, and he’s moving before he has time to think about it.

“Wait—!” Kravitz runs for the window, but by the time he gets there, the bird clutching the Umbrastaff is nearly out of sight.

Well. That could have gone better.

***

Kravitz doesn’t go for his coffee the next day. Or the next day, either, although the day after that he’s sick of making his own coffee. And frankly, he misses chatting with Taako. Even if the guy was trying to kill him like once a week. He couldn’t just avoid this forever.

Still, the fact that Taako is working cash when he comes in makes him want to turn tail and run back home. He conjures up the memory of yesterday’s shitty coffee and pushes onward. The shop is mostly empty still, so there’s no line.

“The usual?” says Taako, like nothing abnormal has happened.

“Please,” says Kravitz, and then, before he can chicken out entirely, adds, “Uhm, do you have a few minutes?”

“My shift isn’t over until—”

“I’ll cover you,” comes Lup’s voice from the back room; she pokes her head out and gives Taako a look that is clearly significant, but that Kravitz can’t quite puzzle out. “Take five minutes after you’re done making his coffee.”

Taako scowls at her, and she smiles brightly before heading to the back again.

“Okay. I guess I have five minutes. Talk to you after I make your coffee.”

Kravitz nods, and goes to hover around the pickup counter, pretending to be interested in things on his phone. Taako makes his coffee in a ceramic mug, which at least means he doesn’t want Kravitz to get the fuck out as soon as possible, so that’s... something.

Taako slides the finished coffee across the counter, circling around to join Kravitz on the customer side as Kravitz grabs the mug.

“Lup!” he hollers, and then starts walking towards one of the corner booths without checking to see if his sister is headed to cash or if Kravitz is following. Kravitz does, though, sliding himself into the seat opposite Taako, hands wrapped tightly around the mug.

Taako speaks first. “To be honest, I kinda thought you would rat me out.”

“That would be shitty of me, to just sic authorities on your place of work without so much as a warning.”

“So is this the warning?”

“No,” says Kravitz, taking a sip of his coffee, “I... can’t really make coffee without burning it. And this is the only place for miles with tolerable muffins.”

Taako cracks a grin, like Kravitz knew he would. “Flattery will get you nowhere.” His smile falls, and he crosses his arms and leans back. “So. Reaper. Why didn’t you rat me out?”

Why indeed. Kravitz takes another sip of his coffee and thinks for a second, not even sure himself what his explanation will be once he starts talking.

“It didn’t seem... fair. You’re less of a villain and more of a pain in my ass—” Kravitz ignores Taako’s indignant noise and keeps talking, “—and while we always have cause to fight when on the clock, you’re not doing anything that I feel needs to leave the bounds of those... work hours, I guess.”

Taako is trying to pick him apart with his gaze; it’s something he’s been subjected to several times, although normally in costume, and in retrospect it’s difficult to imagine how he spent so long not noticing the Mongoose in Taako.

Whatever Taako is looking for, he must find it, because he relaxes a bit, and shoots him a lazy grin. “Plus, Mongoose related insurance just got rolling and it would be fuckin’ rude to take me out of commission before anyone got to use theirs.”

Kravitz laughs. “Sure.” He’s silent for a second, before adding, “You aren’t planning on revealing my secret identity, are you? Awfully rude of you to double cross me like that.”

“Wha— You didn’t even give me a chance to respond! Maybe I wasn’t!”

“Were you?”

“I was,” admits Taako, not even pretending to look sheepish. Kravitz raises his eyebrows, and Taako shrugs. “Oh, like you didn’t think about revealing my secret identity? And could you imagine the hype if I unmasked the Reaper? I was tempted.” He sighs. “But I figured then you’d have no reason to keep my identity a secret. No way am I risking a backfire like that.”

It sounds callous, but Kravitz has been talking to Taako almost daily for months; at this point, he can pretty reliably pick up on when Taako isn’t being entirely truthful about something.

“Hmm. Then I suppose it’d be in my best interest not to tell you that I wouldn’t reveal your identity even if you revealed mine?”

Taako narrows his eyes. “Why not?”

Kravitz makes a face. “It’s just in poor taste. I just think we all go through all the trouble to hide who we are and use these powers for good— or whatever it is you do— that it’s always going to be such a low blow to reveal who we are. There might be times where it’s necessary, but petty revenge is not one of them.”

Taako’s expression hasn’t changed; if anything, he’s narrowed his eyes more. “God, you are like— fuckin’ irritatingly nice. Fine. I wasn’t going to reveal your identity. That would be fuckin’ annoying to deal with. Plus I’m having fun.”

“Fun?”

“Oh don’t— don’t fucking lie to me. I know you’re having fun out there too. With your stupid accent and one liners and shit.”

“Alright, alright,” says Kravitz, rolling his eyes. “But I’m not supposed to be having fun, so keep it quiet.”

“See, that’s why I market myself as a villain. No dumb rules.” He puts an elbow on the table and leans on his hand. “Why do you have a fake accent anyway?”

Heat rises to Kravitz’s face, and he’s hoping he looks less embarrassed than he feels. “It’s my— I do it so people don’t recognize my voice.”

Taako laughs. “Well, it doesn’t really do that if you immediately stop using it when you realize you might know someone.”

“I was caught off guard!” defends Kravitz. “It’s not every day you find out your nemesis is your barista.”

“Nemesis, huh?” Taako grins. “Didn’t realize it was that serious to you. You know I have other heroes to fight.”

Kravitz rolls his eyes again. “I don’t see how you have the time, considering how often you’re causing trouble for me.”

Taako laughs, and it’s so contagious and the whole conversation is so surreal Kravitz can’t help but laugh too, before they both lapse into a comfortable, if drawn out, silence.

“So, uh,” says Taako eventually, “what now?”

“Well,” says Kravitz, “I want to keep coming in for coffee in the mornings. And I assume the Mongoose will continue with... whatever chaos it is you currently have planned.”

“It’s not chaos,” insists Taako, “I have plans. But yeah. And I assume the Reaper is gonna show up and throw a wrench in those plans?”

“Yes, probably. So we’ll just be enemies by night...” Kravitz trails off, not entirely sure how to refer to their by day relationship. Friends? Potential love interests? Acquaintances? There’s a few seconds of awkward silence before Kravitz gives up entirely.

Taako pulls and pen and a napkin out of his pocket, jotting something down and pushing it towards Kravitz.

“Here’s, uh, here’s my number. If you give me a heads up five minutes before you get here, we can have your coffee ready by the time you walk in. If you’re nice to me out there.”

“I don’t take bribes,” says Kravitz, grabbing the napkin and pulling out his phone to type in the number.

“That wasn’t a bribe, it was a threat. You don’t even wanna know what I’ll do to your coffee if you fuck me up.”

Kravitz doesn’t bother to point out that neither of them have ever caused any extreme bodily harm to one another and instead says, “So you’re asking me to go easy on you? I thought you were having fun.” He sends Taako a ‘hey it’s kravitz’ text before he has time to second guess himself.

“Could you stop poking holes in my threats? You’re harshing my fuckin’ vibe, Krav.” He sounds irritated, but Kravitz can see the smile tugging at his lips as he texts Kravitz a couple of skull emojis. “I should get back to work before my sister kicks my ass,” he says, standing back up. “I’ll see you tonight, nemesis.” Then he turns on his heels and heads back to the counter, saying something to Lup as he walks by. Kravitz watches him disappear into the back room.

Tonight.

Kravitz had better make sure he had hung his cloak up to dry.

#this is like. 2k words of unpolished nonsense that desperately needs an edit BUT i had a lot of fun with it #i dont know how the powers work or where they are or why they're fighting or who theyre affiliated with ok just roll w/#*roll w/me on this one. just go with it #taako's name was selected by virtue of being the only thing on his wiki page that sounded even remotely like a good supervillain name #taakitz #taz balance #mine

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phantasmagoric-acquaintance · 3 years

Text

who said anything about marriage

[read it here or on ao3]

Barry was nervous.

That was nothing new. Barry was nervous most of the time. But Barry hadn’t been nervous around Lup in decades.

There were so many things that could go wrong. For one, he could lose the ring. For the millionth time in the past half hour, he patted the outside of his jacket pocket. He felt the little box and exhaled quietly.

He could screw up the plan. They’d already made it to the restaurant on time, thank the Gods. But what if they missed the gondola ride? He’d booked the damned thing in advance, and if the rules he’d read online were any indication, the company didn’t give latecomers a whole lot of leeway. He could pop the question on the streets next to the canal, he supposed, but that was unromantic. Plus, he’d pre-paid so much for the ride.

And what if he fell? He’d made himself sick the night before reading articles about mistakes to avoid on a gondola. He knew not to try to stand, but what if he forgot? He could tip the boat and soak them both.

“Um, babe?”

Lup’s voice brought Barry out of his anxious reverie, and he remembered he’d been pouring a glass of wine, which was now very close to overflowing. “Aah!” He hastily righted the bottle, hitting the mouth against the overfilled glass in the process and very nearly knocking it over.

Lup snickered, eyes glinting with amusement. “You are a wreck,” she said as she lifted her own wine glass to her lips. There wasn’t a hint of malice in her voice or in her expression. Barry remembered that he’d probably embarrassed himself in front of her thousands of times, and she still loved him. As the waiter came by to take their orders, Barry felt himself relaxing.

That calm moment was short-lived.

When the waiter turned away from their table, Lup propped her elbows up on the table and rested her chin on her palms. “Hey, Bear?”

“Mm-hm?” Barry vocalized, sipping from his comically full wine glass.

“When are we gonna get married?”

Barry sputtered, spitting a little wine back into his glass and trying not to choke on the rest of it. “Huh?!?” Had she figured out his plan? She was clever, and he wasn’t the best at keeping secrets, but he thought he’d done a good job of keeping it from her. He’d known better, too, than to tell anyone expect Taako. Did she get it out of him?

She raised an eyebrow. “Well, don’t freak out or anything. It’s just, you know, we’ve been together for, like, I don’t know, an entire human lifespan?” She shifted her chin so that it rested only on her left palm and reached for her glass with her free hand. “I mean, we’re pretty much already married. I just thought, I dunno, maybe we should make it official.”

If Barry had been thinking, he might’ve told her “Yes! Gods, yes!” right then and there. He might’ve pulled out the ring and said, “Funny you should ask, I was thinking the same thing!” If he had been thinking, he might have realized that this moment, right here in the restaurant, was the perfect opportunity to do what he’d set out to do this evening.

But Barry wasn’t thinking. Barry was panicking.

“M-marriage? Who said anything about marriage?”

Lup set her left arm back down on the table. “Huh? Nobody said anything about it. Or, I guess I did.” She looked down at her glass and swirled it around a bit. “Geez, Barry, I wouldn’t have brought it up if I knew it’d make you all, like, panicky and sweaty and shit.”

“I-I’m not panicky and sweaty.” He was very obviously both of these things. It was this moment that the waiter came by, awkwardly setting their plates in front of them and hurrying off, sensing that whatever was happening here, it was definitely not something he wanted to be privy to any longer than necessary. “Y-you just caught me off guard, that’s all. Marriage is, you know, a big word.”

“Well, sure.” Lup picked up a fork and began swirling it in her pasta. “But, like, haven’t you thought about it before?” She lifted the fork to her mouth.

“Thought about marrying you?” Barry was drenched in sweat now.

“Mm-hm,” Lup managed through a mouthful of linguini.

“Well, no, I mean, why would I?”

This was absolutely, positively, the wrong thing to say. It might have been the worst possible thing Barry could’ve said, and he’d said it, and he couldn't take it back.

Lup swallowed her food hard and gaped at him. “Fucking excuse me?”

“Uhh…” He took a long sip of his wine.

“What do you mean, ‘Why would I?’?”

The pressure was on now, and Barry tended to falter under pressure. “I just, I mean, marriage is, it’s such a long-term commitment, you know? It, uh, ties you down and stuff.”

Lup’s eyes went even wider. “Barry, what are you trying to say?” she asked softly.

Barry threw his hands up. “Nothing! I- nothing! Just, you’re such a, a free spirit, I, uh, wouldn’t wanna… hold you back?”

She deflated, and he knew he’d dug himself deeper. “Yeah, okay.” She put her elbow back on the table, making a fist with her left hand and resting her cheekbone on her knuckles, and looked down at her plate.

Silence. Barry cut off a bit of his salmon and ate it. “Mmm!” he hummed exaggeratedly. “The salmon is amazing! How’s your food?”

Lup pushed her noodles around on her plate, not looking up. “It’s fine. Fantastic.”

They stayed like that for a while, him slowly eating his food and watching her, her only taking small occasional bites and refusing to look anywhere but her plate.

“Um, are… are you ready for the check?” Barry asked after some time.

“Hm? Oh, yeah. Whenever.” Lup stood. “Just, like, excuse me for a minute first.” She walked quickly towards the restroom.

When the door closed behind her, Barry sighed and sunk his face into his hands. He didn’t have the slightest idea how he was going to recover. “Fuck,” he breathed into his hands.

After a minute, Barry heard the sound of footsteps, distinct from the clicking of Lup’s heels, approach the table. “Barold.”

He lifted his head to see Taako, still in his full chef’s uniform, glaring at him, arms crossed. Fuck, he was really in trouble now. “Hi, Taako.” In retrospect, maybe it was a mistake to have this dinner at Lup’s brother’s restaurant. It had seemed like a sweet idea at the time. Taako had only recently gotten comfortable cooking for large crowds again, and he and Lup made efforts to support him when they could.

Taako leveled a glare at Barry. “One of my little birdies has just informed me that she saw my sister run crying into the bathroom. Would you, dear customer, mind telling me why that is?”

Barry exhaled, long and slow. “I beefed it, Taako.”

“You beefed it? What does that mean, exactly?”

“Okay, she brought up marriage out of nowhere and it threw me off and I didn’t want to spoil the proposal and I panicked and maybe I said some things I didn’t mean.”

“Such as…?”

“Such as… ‘I’ve never thought about marrying you,’ and ‘Marriage ties people down’…”

“Oh, good Gods. All because you didn’t wanna spoil some dumb overly romantic surprise?”

Barry flushed. “Well, when you put it like that…”

Taako pinched the bridge of his nose. “Barry, I don’t know how you’re going to do it, but if you know what’s good for you, you’re going to have this fixed by the end of tonight.”

Barry grimaced. “I-I’ll try.”

“You’ve also wasted my food.” Taako nodded at Lup’s mostly-untouched plate and tossed a leather check holder onto the table. “And if I find any fire damage in my bathroom, I’m charging you for that, too.” With that, Taako turned and strode back into the kitchen.

By the time Lup came out of the bathroom, Barry’s credit card had already been returned to him and he was signing the receipt. He looked up at her and tried not to wince when he noticed the mascara tracks marking paths down her cheeks from her puffy eyes. “Ready to go?”

“Mm.” She still wouldn’t look at him. He led her outside, and she leaned against the building, hugging herself and staring into space, eyes unfocused.

Barry stood next to her uneasily. “Uh, I’m going to… call the taxi now?”

“Mm-hm.”

Barry didn’t reach for his phone. Another uncomfortable silence passed.

Then, he sighed. “Okay, I-I didn’t wanna do it like this, but…”

Barry knelt down, pulled the ring box out of his pocket, and flipped it open.

Lup finally turned to face him now, stunned. “Wh-what-?”

He blushed and began rambling. “I had this whole evening planned, and there was supposed to be a gondola ride, that’s where we were supposed to go next, and I was going to ask you there, but then you brought up marriage and I panicked and I put my fucking foot in my mouth. It was so dumb, I’m so sorry I said all that shit, I didn’t mean any of it, I just really wanted it to be a surprise. Gods, I was so fucking dumb, of course I wanna marry you, if you’ll still have m-“

Lup bent down, grabbed Barry’s face, and kissed him hard.

Barry felt all the tension in his body melt away. He shut the ring box and held it securely in one hand. He brought the other up to sweep Lup’s hair behind her ear and held it there, against her cheek.

When Lup pulled away, she rested her forehead against his. “You’re a fucking wreck, baby.”

He chuckled. She was crying again and, Barry realized, so was he. “I know.”

She beamed. “We’ll work on it together, fiancé.” She gave him a quick peck on the lips. “I can’t believe you did all that for a fucking gondola ride, though. I mean, no offense, dear, but I’m kinda glad we didn’t do that.”

He grimaced. “Well, about that, I paid a lot of money for it, and there’s still time…”

Lup pouted. “Do we have to? I’d rather go home.” She kissed the corner of his mouth. “I’ll make it up to you,” she breathed.

Barry smiled. “Yeah, okay. You’ve convinced me.”

“Perfect!” Lup stood up, smirked, and held out her left hand. “Now gimme that rock!”

Taako lifted his phone off the bedside table and squinted at his notifications.

Lulu: Missed Call

Lulu: Voicemail

Remembering the scene at his restaurant the night before, he inhaled sharply and unlocked his phone. There are two ways that situation could’ve played out, he thought. He navigated to his voicemailbox and pressed play on the most recent message.

“Ugh, it’s so annoying how you’re never awake when I have news. I have big fucking news, by the way, so I’m gonna be really pissed at you if you don’t call me back within the next, like, two hours. Okay, later.”

Taako smiled. It was a relief to hear her sound so chipper. It meant this news of hers was definitely good, and it meant that Taako didn’t have to fight Barold. He sat up, rubbed the dust out of his eyes, and called his sister.

#taz #the adventure zone #taz balance #the adventure zone balance #blupjeans #barry bluejeans #lup #lup taaco #this is a couple months old but I really liked it at the time i wrote it #i hope its still good im kinda scared to think about it too hard #reese inspired me to write this in the first place i remember #i think she asked me a very simple like ''how would they get engaged after s&s do you think'' and i wrote her like a paragraph

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holdmecloser-gandydancer · 2 years

Note

Okay okay okay

Hear me out

41. you know what, maybe they ARE tired of being nice. maybe they DO wanna go apeshit. And Davenport lol

He should be able to go a little apeshit, as a treat :)

He does deserve to go apeshit!!! From this prompt list! (still accepting!!)

Working in academia for a while tends to earn you a reputation. You could be known as the hard ass, the professor who’s little more than a brick wall that reads off of powerpoint slides, the professor who’s entirely too willing to spill every single detail on why their marriage failed, or even the professor who is abysmally unhelpful to anyone not interested in their research. Through no active attempts of his own, Dr. Davenport has earned the reputation of having the patience of a saint. Even students who’ve never had a class with him, who would have no reason to have a class with him, sing his praises; Rockport University’s a small campus, word gets around.

Davenport never intended to be put upon a pedestal like that, he was just doing his job and doing what he could for his students. He wasn’t one to balk at an assignment turned in a day late, wouldn’t demand a litany of excuses and documentation for a missed class, just an email to let him know the student was doing okay. He was notorious for bringing in snacks on midterm and final days. If his lectures bordered on dry, students never faulted him too much. “He just drones on after a while,” some of his online reviews would begin, “but at least he seems into what he’s teaching.” Holistically, Davenport was one hell of a professor.

But everyone has their limits.

Usually as math department chair, Davenport was able to dodge teaching introductory courses for students who didn’t want to be there and for students who absolutely didn’t belong there. (Even the best professor couldn’t help but occasionally dash the med school hopes of students who failed cal 1). This year though, the department was facing a number of staffing issues which is how he found himself leading a class of non math majors into the fray of finite math. A finite math class that met Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at 8 am. What could go wrong?

Besides about half the class choosing absenteeism over attendance, the class had gone well for much of the semester. Test grades were decent, the students who did show up usually did their best to not be obviously on their phones the entire time, and none of his dry erase markers had gone missing. Truthfully, Davenport couldn’t complain too much.

Davenport shuffled into the classroom and kicked snow off his boots, unwinding his scarf as he did. “Sorry I’m a little late, folks. Spilled coffee all over some books from the library so please please please do not tell Mrs. Istus at circulation about that, I’m hoping she won’t notice. Also, car door was quite literally frozen shut this morning so that was a whole other debacle to deal with. But I’m here, you’re here, it’s Friday, let’s rock and roll through some probability, maybe some introductory stats stuff too.” He stacked his cold weather gear onto the chair before looking out at the blank faces of his students. Great start. He glanced at his outline for a moment before pacing to the center of the classroom. “I always like starting off with independent events, I think they’re useful and can even be fun at parties if you’ve got that one friend who always says ‘now what are the odds of that?’ because now you can let them know!” He laughed a little to himself before walking towards the whiteboard. Looking around the room, he pointed at the twins slouching in the middle row. “Let’s say Taako and Lup over there are getting their nerd on and are playing Dungeons and Dragons later tonight.” Lup blinked heavily and nodded absently while Taako snorted, attempting to hide the fact that he was absolutely checking Twitter instead of listening. “And let’s say they’re both just rolling like crap. They’re trying to kill some evil wizard or something and both whiff it, bad. What are the odds that, using a twenty-sided die, they both roll a natural one?”

Fifteen blank faces stared back at him. He looked around the room, trying to catch the eye of any of his students; they were all pointedly avoiding eye contact, hoping to skirt any attention. Davenport hesitated. He hated cold calling but sometimes he had no other choice.

“Magnus?”

Magnus Burnsides jerked his head up from his hand where it was previously propped up for the world’s least comfortable nap. “Yeah?”

“What are the odds that Taako and Lup both roll a one on a twenty-sided die?”

He scratched his sideburns thoughtfully, genuinely contemplating the question. “Uh, one in ten, right?”

Davenport’s smile wavered for a moment. “Not quite! Let’s try someone else. Sloane? Any ideas?” Davenport looked at her expectantly.

Sloane blinked and stared at him for a moment before shaking her head. “One in twenty?”

Davenport grimaced a little. “Okay, let’s take it back a step. Who can tell me what the textbook called independent events?” He looked out into the room and saw fifteen scalps; everyone had upped their avoidance tactics. “Taako?”

Taako set his phone down in surprise and sent Davenport a tight smile. “Hmm?”

“Did you catch my question?”

“See, I want to say yes because I feel like you’ll be disappointed if I say no. But no.”

He nodded tiredly. “I appreciate the honesty. Avi? Remember what the book said about independent events?”

Avi shook his head slowly as he smiled apologetically.

Davenport took a deep breath and clasped his hands together. “Okay, did anyone actually do the reading?” Once again, fifteen pairs of eyes declined to meet his. Davenport could feel his blood pressure rising by the minute. “Folks, I really don’t think I ask for a lot. I know most you really don’t care about this class and that’s your business. But you have got to help me help you. You know, I-I really don’t love having my inbox flooded with questions that are answered in the first two pages of the chapter we’re on. But that happens every time an assignment goes out. You’re all smart but you’re not acting like it. And frankly, I don’t know how much more I can take! Those of you that actually come to class spend most of your time daydreaming or checking your socials or just outright sleeping and I’m a little sick of it!”

All his students looked around at each other, saying nothing. Nobody had ever seen Davenport get flustered. Truthfully, nobody had thought it possible.

“And listen, I know nobody wants to spend their time reading a math textbook but I really don’t wanna spend my time trying to get some very basic concepts through your skulls when we could be spending our time more wisely. I know damn well I’m going to stand up here and explain the lesson for today, assign some problems, and get no fewer than ten emails I’ll have to attend to. My differential equations class has been waiting for test grades for three weeks because I’ve been having to spoon-feed this class APR! I’m not trying to be a dick this morning but you’ve got to give me something. You’ve gotta start doing your readings, give me a little bit of feedback in class, and stay off your damn phones. You think you can handle that?” Davenport was a little red in the face. He hated having to go on a tirade sometimes the situation called for it.

The class nodded mutely. Davenport smiled warmly at them. “Okay great. I’m sorry about that, I really am but I do hope you all understand where I’m—”

He was cut off by perhaps the single loudest rendition of the chorus of “Call Me Maybe” coming from a phone in the classroom. Ever head in the room turned to look at Kravitz, who was frantically trying to shut his phone off. He looked back at Davenport sheepishly. “Sorry, I thought it was on silent.”

Davenport silently walked back to the chair where he had stacked his winter gear and started bundling back up. “Uh, happy Friday, everyone. Go home or go somewhere else, I think we’ve all had enough today.”

#taz #taz balance #tazb #the adventure zone #davenport #taz davenport #taz au #like i could tag everyone else mentioned but it feels disingenuous. this is a dav fic ksldfjsld #thank you!!#this uh. this is totally Not Based On Real Events #i think more mild mannered profs should go apeshit #reese writes #also don't come for me for any math corrections i never took finite #i was a stats bitch #tentatively positive 3 #prompt fill

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fernpost · 3 years

Text

looking forwards

[link to ao3]

Angus McDonald, boy detective. Greatest detective, if you asked him. And if you asked most of his clients.

He could solve any case, any mystery or murder or missing persons case. He’s always able to find the truth.

He just struggles sometimes, when it comes to himself.

His own emotions are swirling masses of weird bubbly feelings . He does not like how hard it is to decipher his own feelings.

Deciphering people's feelings about him is often just as hard. He knows social cues. He’s studied them thoroughly, and knows why people say what when he’s asking them certain questions and what they’re hiding when they ask him to leave.

Working a case is easy.

He’s solved plenty of murders before. Those are easy. Child’s play! And Angus is not a child anymore. He’s twelve whole years old, and had the first birthday party he’s ever really enjoyed to celebrate with all his friends.

Sure, most of them were adults, but he’s always gotten along really well with adults.

And they’re his family, so it’s fine-

Well. They’re not really his family. He’s not blood related to them. He’s not sure he has any immediate family now that his grandpa is gone. He’s never asked Taako or Magnus or Merle of Kravitz or Killian or- or any of them if they consider him family.

They’re his friends. That’s fine. He’s perfectly content with that (he thinks. Again, his own emotions are confusing).

But that’s okay. Because he’s going to school soon. It’s kind of far away from where most of them live, though. Far from the home Taako, Lup, Barry, and Kravitz have been sharing. Where Angus has been staying.

Very far from where Magnus has been setting up his school. And a whole day's ride away from Killian and Carey’s home.

The school is three hours away from Angus’s ho- from Taako’s house, where Angus is staying.

He hasn't- he hasn’t told Taako he’s going to school yet. He doesn’t know how to tell him he’s going to need to move out because obviously he would never ask Taako to uproot his whole life- all of them to uproot their lives just for Angus to be able to attend school. Not when they finally got settled down.

He really doesn’t even need school, but when his parents passed away and he went to live with his grandpa he dropped out. And if he wants to go on to college (if Lucas is serious about the potential teaching job) he needs to at least graduate high school. He was almost done too, but his grandpa didn’t have a lot of money like his parents did, so he started solving more and more cases to help out.

His parents didn’t give his grandpa any of their money because they didn’t expect him to be around when they passed on- not that they were bad people! He doesn’t mean to make them sound bad. They weren’t bad. They weren’t the best, he guesses. They’re not as fun as Taako, or as warm as Lup, and didn’t give as many hugs and Magnus, and didn’t talk to him about science like Barry, or-

But they were nice. They just weren’t really into parenting. They still left their small fortune to him, he’s just not old enough for it.

He’s thinking of petitioning the banks and saying he’s perfectly independent to get the money so he can move out easier.

He wonders if Kravitz would help, because he’s really good at that type of stuff, and the bank workers would be much more likely to listen to an adult than him.

Being young had its perks when solving cases, but it sucked for his day-to-day life.

It also sucked when his stomach churned for no reason that he could deduce. He’s just sitting in the kitchen, watching Lup cook in her still-slightly-fresh body as she sings a funny folktale song (Barry is sitting next to him, and he’d leaned over when she’s started singing to tell him how she learned this song early on in a world that had no writing system, and the song was about a man who could never remember where he left his pants. Angus didn’t really get it, but Barry kept laughing and smiling like it was the funniest thing in the world. Angus was pretty sure Barry would laugh at anything Lup did as a joke, though. He didn’t need to be a great detective for that).

But despite how good the food smells, his stomach hurts really bad. He’s barely eaten today, so it can't be food poisoning. Not that he’s had that since moving in- the Taaco’s are wonderful cooks and he trusts anything they feed him implicitly.

He tunes out Lup as he thinks.

The stomach pains are probably anxiety. Kravitz was telling him how he used to get them all the time, so it’s possible it’s just that.

But he shouldn’t be anxious . He’s a big kid- he’s just waiting for Taako to get home so he can tell him he’s moving out.

He has already looked for an apartment. Once Lucas' Academy of Arcane Sciences is fully up and running, he should have a highschool diploma and will be able to move on campus to work on his own degree. And be a student teacher while he works on it. It’s very exciting! If he should be feeling any physical effects from his emotions, it should be excitement, not this. This gross conglomerate of mushy feelings he can’t piece together.

He hates this.

Lup is holding a spoon to him, and Angus snaps back to the present to hear her softly ask, “you okay, little dude?” He doesn’t like the look of concern on her face- she’s been through too much to have to worry herself with him (he can’t get the century out of his head, these people are so amazing and they just let him hang around them. He doesn’t know what he’s doing right and he’s scared he’s going to stop doing that and they’re not going to like him anymore).

“I’m fine, Miss Lup! Thank you for asking.” He folds his hands tighter in his lap as he smiles. Whatever is on the spoon smells great, but he’s not sure his stomach is up for it yet.

Lup continues to stare at him for another second before pushing the spoon a little closer, “if you say so. Now, tell me, how’s it taste?”

Angus shakes his head and pulls back, “my stomach isn’t feeling too good right now, I don’t want to infect the rest of the food if it’s contagious.”

A hand appears on his head and he jumps a little, still not used to the casual touch-language of the household, and Barry’s nasally voice joins the conversation. “You don’t feel hot. Want us to call Merle over and give you a check up?”

The spoon is back, “it’s a good soup, Ango. It shouldn’t upset your stomach, and I can just get a new spoon. Barry can call Merle while you give me pointers.”

“You don’t need to, it’s fine really.” He waves his hands at Barry before turning to Lup. “And I’m not sure what help I can be with the cooking, I haven’t improved much these past few months even with Taako walking me through those other recipes.”

Lup snorts, “you’re improving much faster than Barry ever did. And I haven’t been helping Kravitz much with it, but he’s worse than anyone I’ve ever met at cooking. You’re doing just fine.”

Angus straightens up, discomfort momentarily disregarded, “Mr. Kravitz hasn’t needed to eat or cook in a long time, so he’s forgotten a lot of the basics so it’s not fair to judge me against him.”

“Sure, sure.” Lup waves her free hand in the air, the other still holding the spoon. “Still, this spoon is staying in the air until you taste it.” She glances at Barry, “and don’t worry about bothering Merle, he’ll never admit it but he likes the excuse to come over. Barry will pick him up; gives him more practice on perfecting the portal spell.”

Angus frowns, but reaches out to take the spoon anyways, “you really don’t need to call him. I’m sure it’ll pass by tomorrow.”

A hand is now on his shoulder, and Angus glances over to make eye contact with Barry, who speaks. “I won’t call him tonight, but if you still feel bad tomorrow we’ll tell him, okay?”

“Okay.” He’s not going to tell him if his stomach still hurts tomorrow, because it shouldn’t. Because he’s going to tell Taako right when he gets home and there will be nothing making him anxious or sad or excited or whatever that will make his stomach hurt. Because he’s going to do it.

He punctuates the thought by sticking the spoon in his mouth. Lup has turned back around, a fresh spoon stirring the pot, so she doesn’t see Angus’s eyes widen, but she turns back to face him with a smile when he gasps.

“This is really good, Miss Lup! Thank you.”

“Anything missing from it?” She crosses her arms, a new spoon dangling from her fingers as she twirls it around. It feels like a test, and the stomach ache is back.

Maybe it is from anxiety, because he used to get them before really hard tests. But why is he anxious? Taako is most likely going to take the news well, because Angus will finally be out of his hair.

(But maybe he doesn’t want that. Maybe Taako being okay with him moving out would hurt. Maybe the thought of Taako not just being okay, but being excited at the thought of him moving out is making him sick with worry and sadness and-)

“I’m not sure what else. It tastes perfect as-is.” He can’t think about cooking anymore. “I’m going to read on the couch, if that’s alright.”

The twirling of the spoon pauses, before she gives him a smile he knows is a bit forced, “okay, but when Taako comes home complaining that something is missing from the soup we’re blaming Barry.”

“Hey!”

Angus slides from the stool, moving to the sink and placing the spoon in there before heading to the couch. The living room is open to the kitchen and dining room, and he can hear Lup puttering around in there as she and Barry speak quietly to each other.

He’s unsure if they’re talking about him, or just being polite because he said he was reading, but his stomach twists again anyways. He picks up his book from where he set it on the coffee table this morning, and tries to read- he really does.

But he can’t focus.

The words blur together as he stares down at them blankly. He’s so zoned-out he misses the sound of the door opening, and the ensuing whispering in the kitchen.

It’s only when a hand is on his shoulder does he notice someone else is in the room, and he almost jumps out of his skin. Turning his head quickly, he catches sight of the gaudy sequin coat Taako had bought a few months ago. He’s paired it with a pair of jeans with tassels, and Angus doesn’t know much about fashion, but he’s fairly sure that’s not a normal outfit combination.

“Lup said your stomach hurt? Did you eat the so-called muffins Barry made yesterday? Because I told him those were toxic for human consumption. Probably dwarven consumption as well.”

Angus shakes his head, eyes following Taako as he slips his coat off and throws it on the armchair. He’d taken one look at those burnt muffins and slid them behind the milk, hiding them to prevent anyone from eating them. The elf walks around the couch and sits on the opposite side as him, tucking his knees under him as he stares at him with those eyes that are far more observant than most people think.

“Uh-huh. I’m throwing them out anyway. Don’t want to risk it.”

Angus nods, fiddling with the pages of his book. He runs a finger down the edge, finding a temporary calm in the weird texture of the uneven edges. He’s wearing a crease into the sides, he knows, but that’s fine. His grandpa liked to talk about the beauty of a well-loved book.

He’d spent all night planning on what he was going to stay. He wants to make sure Taako knows he isn’t throwing his kindness back in his face, and that he is going to be able to do this mostly on his own. He doesn’t have many belongings, so the move itself would be pretty easy. There won’t be much for Taako to worry about. Angus has always been very self-reliant. He isn’t a pushover, and is fine taking care of himself. While living here has been nice, he’s fine going back to living like that.

A foot knocking against his knee gets his attention, and he glances over to Taako. The elf’s face is pinched, ears flicking back and forth.

It’s a weird expression to see directed at him. Taako speaks, “you with me, Agnes?”

He nods, eyes flitting away. The nickname is an endearment, something he figured out soon after he started living on the moonbase. Their story being projected into his mind only reinforced that knowledge; seeing how Taako interacted with the others (and how the others teased everyone as well) proves that Taako being mean normally shows he cares.

He states instead at the fireplace; it’s still kinda dirty because no one has wanted to clean it out from when Lup caused it to flare up during a particularly intense board game night (they banned board games when the fire was going after that, at least while Lup was in her lich form. Far too much magical energy waiting to be released).

“Angus. You sure you’re feeling okay?”

He doesn’t mean to flinch, but seeing a hand come towards his face after already being stressed all day caused him to react unfavorably.

The hand yanks itself away, and Angus forces himself to look over at Taako, apology already leaving. “Sorry, sir. I just didn’t expect it- I’m fine, really.” He almost says ‘I promise,’ but stops himself. He doesn’t like lying, and it wouldn’t have been a lie but it wouldn’t have been the full truth.

Taako doesn't seem to believe him anyways, as he squints at him. “You’re a terrible liar.”

Angus starts, “I’m not sick!”

“I know you’re not sick, but you’re acting all weird.” He wiggles his fingers, and it almost makes Angus laugh.

He takes a deep, steadying breath. It only makes his stomach clench even more. His face gets hot, and suddenly his throat is tight and he can’t- he can’t do it- he doesn’t want-

“I need to move out.” The words leave him at once, just barely slow enough to be comprehensible.

The soft conversation in the kitchen stops at once, though neither of them walk over to the couch. Taako is staring at him, face blank.

He finds himself beginning to ramble. He hates it, he’s normally more composed, but working a case is much, much easier than navigating people he cares about. “Mr. Miller offered me a position at his school once I graduate, and the school is on the other side of town. I can’t make the commute each day, it’s too far and the walk would be too much. So, I found a small place that’s cheap, and once I get access to my parents money they left me I’ll be fine on that front. And-”

“Miller? Lucas Miller?” Taako cuts him off. He hasn’t done that in a long while, and it shuts Angus up immediately.

“Yes? He’s opening his school, the Academy of Arcane Sciences.”

“And he wants you to teach there?”

Angus' face flushes, and he gets hot with indignation. “I’m very smart, sir. I am very qualified to teach, and it’s not a stretch that he would seek me out and-”

Taako puts his hands up. “Not what I was implying. You’re just young.” He glares off to the side, before pulling his crystal out. “Thought Miller was above hiring a child.”

“I’m not a kid.”

“How old are you, then?” Taako glances back over at him, eyebrows raised in that annoying way he gets when he thinks he’s made an excellent point. He’s typing without looking down, and Angus wants to know what he’s doing.

“I- that’s not what I meant.”

Taako leans back on the couch, looking back at his crystal. “You should be focused on being a kid, not teaching nerds at Lucas’s subpar school.”

The indignation that started when Taako brushed off what he’s been worrying about has been building and building. He clenches his hands into fists, letting the book drop to the floor as he stands and yells, “stop trying to make me have the childhood you wanted!”

He regrets it immediately, but can’t bring himself to look at Taako. The room is so, so quiet. It’s almost worse than if they yelled at him. He runs past the couch, dodging the hand that reaches out as he passes by Taako. He slips into the room he’s been staying in, closing the door and locking it behind him. He sits on the floor, back resting against his bed, and shoves his face into his knees, pulling them tightly into himself.

At least he made it easy, right? He’ll wait for Taako to cool down, finish packing his things, and leave.

He doesn’t even know why he said that. He knows Taako was just being nice, even if he phrased it poorly. He just wants him to be a kid because he knows what it’s like to not have a childhood. Angus had no reason to say that. He didn’t mean it.

The hot press of tears builds in his eyes and he forces them down. He has no right to cry when he was the one in the wrong.

Knowing Taako, Lup, and Barry are in there, talking about him, is almost as bad as the guilt. Not knowing what they’re saying is disquieting.

It doesn’t take long for a soft knocking on his door to fill the room. He says nothing, but looks up at it. He stares at the handle, checking it’s still locked.

“Angus, it’s Lup. Can I come in?”

He considers not answering. They’ve been good about not barging in before, when he makes it clear he wants to be alone. He doesn’t want to be alone, though. He’s just not sure he wants to have this conversation.

“Yeah.” He stands, unlocking the door and holding the handle. Breathes. Opens the door.

Ears tilted down low, Lup stands there with hands in a neutral position at her side. Gods, she’s being so aware of her movements right now so she doesn’t startle him. He turns, walks over to his desk, and stands by it. He’s now very aware of his backpack and small suitcase against the wall, half-packed. Not enough to be obvious, but enough so that when he told them he was moving he could do so quickly.

Lup is staring at it. She hesitates, then goes to sit on his bed. She doesn’t shut the door all the way, leaving it just barely cracked.

He hates being treated like this.

“We’re not mad.” She begins, and Angus can’t bring himself to look at her as she talks, staring instead at his bags. “Taako isn’t mad either. We’re just confused as to why you want to move out.”

Angus furrows his brow, glancing over to Lup for a second before retraining his eyes on his bags, “I told T- I said that it was too far for me to walk there each day.”

“Me and Barry have basically mastered rifts, we could bring you there and back you know. So could Kravitz.”

“I already thought about asking you to, but you’re called to go help the Raven Queen randomly, and I wouldn’t want to be stuck on campus.” He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, “I didn’t phrase it very well out there.” He forces himself to make eye contact, “I am very grateful for everything you all have provided me, and I’m not leaving because I’m unhappy or anything. I just know I’ll be fine on my own, and I really want to go to school.”

Lup purses her mouth, “I’m not going to argue that you aren’t responsible or that you couldn’t live on your own. But you are young, there’s no reason you should be teaching at this age.”

“I’m not though! I’m finishing high school, and then student teaching until I graduate from his school. I’ll just be helping the professors until I have the proper qualifications.” He clenches his hands, trying to keep himself calm. He doesn’t like when people don’t understand what he’s saying.

She takes in what he says, keeping her gaze steady. “Okay. That’s better. But, you still shouldn’t be living on your own, little dude.”

“I used to-”

She holds her hand up, “come on, this is a group conversation. The other two people living here should be here for this.” Angus casts an anxious glance at the door when she says that. She continues on, “before we go out there, though, we do need to talk about what you said.”

Panic fizzles through him again. “I know! I didn’t mean it, and I’m really, really sorry. I just got frustrated because he was patronizing me and I don’t like being treated like that. I’m very smart and capable- I’ve done- I’m just-” He feels his emotions begin to well up again, and it only makes him more upset. He knows he’s more mature than this. He’s caught numerous serial killers, solved murder cases, and helped so many people. He can keep up with serious adult conversations, as well as banter with everyone easily. He’s good at words. He hates getting sensitive like this.

“Hey, hey. Angus, it’s okay. Breathe.” She steps towards him, moving slowly to not startle him and he hates how he’s already shown that she needs to do that. “Taako was being rude when you spoke to him, no one is denying that. But what you said at the end was also pretty rude. And we understand needing to take a minute to ourselves, but we have to make sure we have hard conversations. You’re telling us you don’t want us to treat you like a child, and we are not going to baby you. But you are still very young, especially compared to us.” She closes the gap to him and rests a hand on his shoulder, kneeling down. “Being mature means hard conversations. Being nice means having harder conversations. All we want from you, Angus, is for you to be honest with us and listen to us when we want to be honest with you.” She removes her hand from his shoulder and spreads her arms wide, offering a hug.

If he says no, she won’t make a fuss. He knows this.

He crashes into her, smushing her face into her shoulder. Her arms tighten around him as she runs her hand through his hair. “Here’s the plan. We go out there, Taako apologizes to you for being an asshole, you apologize for snapping, and then we all talk about you moving out, okay?”

Pulling his head away from her shoulder, he nods. He knows if he tried to speak, he would devolve into tears. She smiles and pulls him back into the hug.

They stay there for another moment, before Angus pulls away. Lup stands and gestures for him to lead the way.

His stomach clenches again, but some it’s not as intense as it was a few minutes ago.

They walk down the short hallway, and find Taako and Barry sitting on the couch. Both are staring at them as they enter the room, and Angus finds his hands twisting into the hem of his shirt.

“I shouldn’t have said that, sir. I’m sorry.” Angus says it fast. He hopes it doesn’t sound dishonest, the way it tumbled out of his mouth, but he knows if he slowed down the tears would fall too and he doesn’t want that.

Taako moves to stand, but Angus watches as Barry’s hold on his hand keeps him on the couch. Taako, instead smiles. “It’s okay, Ango. I was being an ass first. Should have listened to you all the way instead of cutting you off. Taako’s better than that.”

Lup brushes past Angus, moving to sit on the armchair next to the couch. Angus stays where he is. “I am still moving, though.”

No one speaks for a moment, but all three of them look at each other. After a moment of silent conversation, the type born from living together for a long, long time, Taako speaks up. “Okay. We’ve been talking about getting a bigger house anyways. This one is too close to the city and when the others visit it’s far too crowded. We need more extra bedrooms.”

Angus blinks. Then blinks again. “What?”

Lup sighs. “That’s one way to bring it up. We’ve already been talking about it- there’s a chunk of land just outside of the east end of the city. It’s not far from the school we assume is the one you plan on attending. Magnus has already said he’ll help us fix up the house there.”

He is still wildly confused.

Barry gathers that, and he sighs, “we will all move. So you can be closer to your school.”

He starts shaking his head, “no, you guys just settled down, you don’t need to do that.”

“Do you really think you could make us do anything we don’t want to do?” Taako asks as he begins to walk over to Angus. He mimics the position Lup took earlier, squatting in front of him. “If you really don’t want to live with us, fine. But we had already been talking about getting a bigger place. This isn’t a sudden decision- if Krav wasn’t on some mission he could tell you the same thing. The house we were looking at was empty before the Hunger arrived, and it got fucked up even more during the fight, so the land there is cheap. So if you want to stay with us- and I’m not asking what you think we want, I’m asking what you want- then one of the rooms will be yours.”

The tears he’s been working so hard to hold back begin to fall, so he just nods quickly. He lets Taako pull him into a hug, “I’d- I like living with you. Are you- you sure?”

“When has Taako ever lied?”

Angus just laughs, and does so even harder when he hears a pillow thwack against the back of Taako’s head (it’s a common occurrence in this house).

He feels someone approach on the side, and their hug is yanked to the side, both of them stumbling as Lup pulls them towards her, and he glances up to see Barry hovers right beside them. Taako must see him too, “Come on, Barold. Looks like it’s hug time.”

It’s awkward, and not at all very comfortable, but it’s warm. Angus’s tears have dried up, and he’s about to pull away when the familiar zip of a portal being created precedes Kravitz’s voice.

“Oh, am I interrupting?”

Taako laughs, “just missing out on a group hug.”

“Come on,” Lup speaks up now, her voice coming from just behind Angus’s ear, “it’s a family hug.”

Angus barely has time to process that when Kravitz steps forward. He’s almost as awkward as Barry, but it’s nice.

They separate eventually, Lup heads back to the kitchen to finish the food, with Barry close behind. Kravitz gives Taako a hello kiss, the two of them sitting on the couch, and from their low tones Angus can tell Taako is giving him a quick rundown of… today.

Angus see’s his book was placed on the coffee table at some point, and sits on the armchair once he grabs it, pushing Taako's discarded jacket to the side. Opening it to where he left off, the page is bent with a large crease down the center, from when he dropped it on the floor. He reads for a minute, before Taako speaks up.

“Mending should get rid of that crease, if you like.” Taako says.

Angus just smiles and shakes his head. “It just proves it’s used.”

He shrugs, looking down at his crystal, and Kravitz nudges him. It causes Taako to huff and hold out the crystal. A flyer for a recreational soccer team is displayed.

Join the new Neverwinter recreational soccer league! Ages 10-14. Help your kids make new memories and friends- Create everlasting bonds!

Angus frowns, “what’s this?”

“Soccer team. Was looking for one in the area when we started looking for potential houses to move to. Planned on signing you up.”

Tears begin to well up in his eyes again, and Angus finds himself frustrated. Not with Taako, no, of course not. Not now, not with this. But with himself, and how emotional he’s being.

Because he’s been talking about Caleb Cleveland books at Taako for so long now, and he’d always assumed he’d only been tolerating it. But Caleb Cleveland was a part of a soccer team- it wasn’t even a big part of the books. Angus has probably only mentioned it once or twice. And yet, Taako specifically looked for a soccer team and-

“Thank you, Taako!” He grins, and the way Taako’s ears are flickering, he knows he’s embarrassed.

“Just thought you could use the exercise. You know, you can’t be running around solving crimes if you can’t run.”

The smile doesn’t leave his face as he snarks back, “but sir, you never do physical training and you saved the world.”

“I just transmute my legs to be strong and fast if I need it. Or get Magnus to carry me.”

He leans further onto Kravitz, who smiles. “Or he just calls me to pick him up.”

“Exactly!”

Snuggling back into his chair, Angus holds the book close to his chest, “thank you, really, sir.”

“Come on, little dude. We’ve been over this. The ‘sir’ thing is so formal.”

“Would you prefer me to call you ‘sappy bitch’?” He turns up his fake innocent charm, the one he uses often on cases, as he says it.

Kravitz bursts out laughing, and he can hear Barry and Lup in the kitchen do the same.

Taako flares up, pointing an accusing finger at him, “who taught you that kind of fucking language!”

“I’ve always known curse words!”

“Not in my house!” Taako stands, and Angus climbs out of the chair and starts running. He knows what will happen if Taako catches him, so he runs to Barry, calling out for help.

Barry, the traitor, only holds him still so Taako can grab him and ruffle his hair. He begins yelling at Barry, cursing his name, but it’s hard to get the words out through his laughter.

Kravitz is the one who saves him, pulling him out of their arms and holding him high in the air. “Do not assault the child, please.”

Taako steps towards Kravitz, “you heard what he called me, didn’t you?”

“And he was right.”

Taako’s affronted gasp is so loud, it must scratch at his throat as he begins coughing.

Angus is giggling, kicking his dangling feet lightly in the air.

Whatever Lup is pulling off the stove smells delicious, and he cannot wait to begin eating.

As they sit down, Taako looks over at him and says, "you know, you should be careful about accepting a teaching job at Lucas's lame school. Taako here is working on a much cooler idea, and he could use a smart kid like you, if you can pass the rigorous application process."

"What is it?" Angus asks, getting excited. He hasn't heard Taako talking about anything like this.

"Top secret."

Angus laughs, "it won't be for long!"

"You're pre-emptively fired, then."

"Wait-"

#angus mcdonald #taako #lup #barry bluejeans #taz balance #my works

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lilblog-asatreat · 3 years

Note

ooh maybe "Um excuse me? This is a library. Can you and your noisey friends stop coming in everyday just to be a disturbance?" with taakitz ?

Edit: Oh shit, I forgot to add a link to the song I found that I based Kravitz's performance on! I just searched violin music and this was one of the first things that popped up, and it's really good!!!

The doors to the library burst open with a loud bang, and Kravitz hits his face in the book he has laid out on the table and sighs in irritation. He hears four pairs of footsteps run past him as their owners whoop and holler, and the students sitting at other tables around this section of the library cheer.

"Are you all ready to see the best show you will ever see in your fuckin lives?" The beautiful male elf yells, as usual.

The audience cheers again and Kravitz groans. Every fucking day. He supposes he can just get up and find a quieter part of the library or just go back to his dorm to study, but he shouldn't have to be the one to leave because a group of people decided to be as obnoxious as possible in a place meant for studying.

"Lup! Set these clubs on fire!" The human man says.

Kravitz looks up with horror as the female elf points a wand at the clubs the human man is already juggling, and she manages to set them ablaze without injuring him or setting anything else on fire. It doesn't throw off his juggling in the slightest. The audience goes wild which attracts the attention of a few other students who make their way over to see the spectacle.

This is beyond the point that Kravitz would normally leave, but fear paralyzes him when the human starts getting wilder and wilder with his throws, barely catching the flaming clubs before throwing them higher and higher into the air.

"Careful Maggie, you might set this whole building on fire," the male dwarf chuckles.

"You're absolutely right, Merle, but oh no! They got away from me!" Maggie exclaims as he throws all of them up into the air and steps to the side.

The audience gasps, and Kravitz stands and scoops up his books and violin case, getting ready to sprint out of there. But then Merle points his holy symbol at the falling clubs, and a huge vine comes up out of the ground and grabs them before throwing them back up toward the elves. The male elf points his wand at the clubs, and they explode in a spectacular display of fireworks.

The audience gives a standing ovation as they all take a bow. Kravitz sets his books back down on the table, breathing deeply to try and calm his heart rate. He looks back up at the male elf who is smiling brightly with one arm around his sister. There are still some smoldering embers in the air popping off smaller fireworks, and Kravitz watches as each one lights up his face, making his freckled skin glow briefly with flashes of rainbow light.

Kravitz stands so transfixed by how pretty he looks and his joyous laughter that he almost misses Lup saying, "Who wants to watch my brother fly through an obstacle course of different projectiles?"

Kravitz shakes his head and looks around at the books and bookshelves that start levitating and moving around to different positions in the air. He looks back at the male elf's devious smile before he shrinks into a small dove and takes to the air.

Kravitz has to stop this chicanery before someone gets hurt.

He pushes past some of the students that gathered from other parts of the library until he's standing up front and center. "Um, excuse me? Can you all, like, not do this? Someone is going to end up getting hurt."

They all snort, and the books and bookshelves slowly make their way back to where they belong. Lup steps forward with her hands on her hips and a devious smile on her face. "Don't worry, dude. No one's going to get hurt. We're professionals; we've practiced this routine many times before doing it here."

Maggie and Merle snicker behind their hands.

"Somehow I highly doubt that," Kravitz says, eyes narrowed. "You're students here just like the rest of us, and you're just here to show off, and I don't appreciate you doing that here, in a library, of all places where you're just being a disturbance for people who are trying to study."

The three of them laugh as the crowd around them starts booing at him, and Kravitz feels his cheeks heat up in annoyance and embarrassment. The dove flies down and morphs back into his elf form as he steps closer to Kravitz.

"It's ok everyone, calm down. It just sounds like someone's jealous that he doesn't have as high of a performance skill as yours truly." The male elf says with a smile and a wink.

The audience laughs, and Kravitz's cheeks burn.

"I'm not jealous!" Kravitz splutters. "I can out perform you any day! I just think that it's really inconsiderate of you four to be doing this here instead of out on the quad or something especially if you're going to be playing with fire!"

Lup laughs. "Here that, Magnus? Merle? He thinks he can out perform us!"

Kravitz crosses his arms and opens his mouth to say something, but the male elf cuts him off. "Prove it, hot stuff. Right now, and if you're good enough, we'll consider moving our act somewhere else."

Kravitz's heart pounds in his chest. Sure, he's studying to be a bard and a conductor, but that doesn't mean he likes being put on the spot. Plus, does that damned beautiful elf actually think he's hot?

"Fine." The crowd parts as Kravitz walks back to his table and pulls out his violin case before opening it and pulling out the instrument. He pauses for a moment considering an idea that pops into his head. He feels like if he follows through with it, it would be cheating, but he really wants to win this and to impress the elf.

He makes up his mind, closes his eyes, and starts to play. It's a fast paced and intense song that's full of rivalry and challenge. He knows he's good at what he does, and this song is going to prove it. This song is going to make them dance.

The audience starts clapping in time with the rhythm, and Kravitz opens his eyes and smirks at the look of surprised awe on the elf's face. He can already see him and the other three struggling to not tap their feet in time with the rhythm, and he hasn't even worked in his magic yet. Perfect.

He takes a breath before murmuring an incantation. Instantly, Magnus, Merle, Lup, and the unnamed elf start dancing in place with a yelp of surprise. The audience laughs and starts dancing too, though no magic spell had been cast on them. Kravitz's music catches the attention of more students who are just walking into the library, and they join the crowd to listen too.

Kravitz closes his eyes again and starts moving to the music. He plays through short staccato eighth notes and runs through sixteenth notes and dramatically pulls through the longer notes and gets totally immersed in the song.

At the last few bars, he opens his eyes again and stares directly into the elf's sparkling brown eyes before finishing the song with a dramatic push of the bow. He ends the spell on the four performers, and they collapse in a heap on the ground as the rest of the students clap, cheer, and laugh. Kravitz takes an over dramatic bow and laughs.

Magnus, Merle, and Lup get up from the floor, grumbling slightly and fighting back amused smiles while the unnamed elf gets up, brushes himself off, and walks until he's just a foot away from Kravitz. Up close, Kravitz can count the freckles splashed across his nose and cheek bones. He wonders if his hair is as soft as it looks, glinting in the overhead lights.

"Well, that was quite the performance, handsome, but I have to say, that's cheating." The elf pokes him in the chest, and Kravitz laughs, a blush creeping up his face. "But you did get everyone else dancing and attracted a bigger crowd, so fair's fair. I only have one condition though before we take our performance somewhere else."

"Oh? And what's that?" Kravitz asks with a smirk.

The elf sticks out his hand for a handshake. "The name's Taako, and I need your stone of farspeach frequency."

Kravitz laughs before taking his hand and shaking it. "I'm Kravitz, and here." He pulls out his stone from within his pocket. "We can get it tuned in right now."

Kravitz and Taako tune each other's stones as the crowd of students disperses. They say goodbye and promise to call each other later that evening, and as Kravitz walks back to his table to put away his books, he smiles giddily and feels lighter than air.

#sorry I got so swept up in trying to write Taako and co.'s performance I forgot to shoe horn in romantic attraction #and I didn't know how to fix it lol #I hope you like it though and that I didn't do too bad of a job recovering lol #taz #taz balance #taakitz #taako #kravitz #taz taako #taz kravitz #taz fanfic #a gift from Gab #written works of Gab

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fandomsnstuff · 4 years

Text

Angus figures everything out and fucks up Lucretia’s whole Thing AU

Lucretia hires angus, innoculates him, and is like this is the deal with those missing people cases you were investigating

Angus says oh okay! This totally and completely satiases my curiosity :)

Internally angus says this is sus as hell

So he does what he does best, he snoops

So angus is snooping and somehow, cause he's a little crime boy who can sneak around real good, he finds the starblaster

He's like what the fuck is this

He gets in, and it's.....odd. he doesnt linger in any one room too long, he just kind of pokes his head into the bedrooms and moves on (he figures he shouldnt stay here too long, lest he get caught)

But the most peculiar thing is how lived in this place looks. There's mismatched furniture with throw pillows and blankets in the common area, a chore chart on the fridge, the bedrooms are all cluttered with knick knacks and clothes, beds unmade, theres a lab with papers scattered around tables and taped to the wall

But one room catches his attention

It's... fairly simple, and emptier than the others. Bookshelf with some books missing, a bare desk, but what catches his attention is the pile of red on the bed

He goes to investigate and finds robes and jackets, all with an odd patch and names embroidered on them

He finds, in this order:

A robe with "lucretia" embroidered on it

A jacket and robe, together as if someone had been wearing them at the same time, with "lup" and "taako"

A jacket with "davenport"

A robe with "merle"

A jacket with "magnus"

(there’s no barry robe cause he fell off the ship with it, these are the robes/jackets lucretia took off of the crew members as she sent them off to their new lives)

Now. This is after crystal kingdom and angus was at the candlenights party. He knows the director's name is lucretia

He knows who Davenport is

He knows who taako, magnus, and merle are

This is pre-LUP incident, so he doesnt know who lup is

Angus, appropriately freaked out, puts them all back and BOLTS

Angus vacates the premises

Runs back to his room

He tries to figure out what this all means, but his thoughts dodge around the obvious conclusion that's right in front of him

Hes too nervous to go back, it's not until the L U P incident that he decides okay. I have to go back

So he goes back. He goes into the room labeled Captain's Quarters (although "captain" has been scratched out and changed to "cap'nport". Angus doesnt think too hard about what that means)

In the desk he finds some folders with the same weird logo as the robes and jackets. He doesnt look in them. Not yet. He can do that back in his room. He cant spend too much time here.

Then he goes to the lab. He doesnt know what hes looking for, but he grabs ones that seem important. A notebook or two. Some papers clipped together. He just grabs and shoves them into his bag and he fuckin bolts again

he looks at what he grabbed and some of it he can read, some of it he can't

They lived in that ship. They were going on a mission for something. They made the grand relics to stop something. Theres a lot of notes on the planes.

Angus recognizes the way some stuff is redacted, and he kind of figures out that there must be another voidfish. And if the directors name was on one of those robes, maybe she has it.

Refuge mission comes and goes

Angus, cause he's so fucking good, is able to sneak back into lucretias personal quarters and finds junior. He fills a water bottle with the ichor and gets the fuck outta there

He gets back to his room, innoculates himself and is like AAAAAAAAAA

Cause he can finally put it all together properly

And he basically pieces together the whole hunger situation himself with the notes he grabbed

The stuff he grabbed from davenports room was the crew's like profiles or whatever from when they got hired on to the mission so angus now knows who lup is

So angus is like oh i GOTTA fix this

So he heads down to the reclaimers dorm with his bottle of ichor

Angus: i need you to drink this Merle: what is it? Angus: voidfish ichor Taako: *laughs* hate to break it to you kid, we already drank the voidfish juice. Angus: just- please? Magnus: yeah alright

So magnus drinks it. His breath catches and he kinda goes weak and he's shaking and he drops to his knees. After a minute or two (or more) he looks up at angus. "Holy shit," he says. He grabs the bottle from where he dropped it and holds it out to taako and merle. "Drink it." He says.

"Yeah alright," merle says. Same deal as with magnus.

Once merle collects himself, they both turn to taako.

"Yeah, alright. Sure. Let's get taako in on this weird party," he says, taking the bottle and drinking

This time, magnus is ready and he catches taako when his knees give out

"Im gonna fucking kill her," taako mumbles into magnus' shoulder, his knuckles white as he grips his shirt.

"You're not gonna kill her."

"Im gonna fucking hit her so HARD, i swear to god."

Taako keeps his face in magnus' shoulder, but magnus and merle watch as angus crosses the room to where taako had left the umbrastaff, and he walks back over to magnus and taako on the floor

"Sir?" Taako looks up at angus. Angus holds the umbrella out, "i think i know where your sister is."

(Lup, meanwhile, in the staff: HEEEEELLLLL YYYYYEEEEEAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH)

It takes taako a second, but he realizes what angus is saying and scrambles out of magnus' hold and to his feet. He takes the umbrella and lifts it, about to snap it when angus says, "wait!"

Taako glares at him. "Ive waited ten years, kid. Make it snappy." "Madame director had a holy symbol in her office. I think it would ward against your sister, if shes a lich." "Uuugggggghhhhhhhhh LUCRETIAAAAAA"

The four of them go down planetside under the guise of a magic lesson and not wanting to burn any more "cryptic messages" into the walls

Taako snaps that fuckin umbrella as soon as his feet hit solid ground

Lup's back!

Lup does some magic shit to summon barry, so barold shows up, happy reunion, and then a Discussion on what to do re: davenport not being innoculated and re: lucretia

Their plan boils down to this: thb and angus will go back to the moon and act as if this never happened. As far as lucretia knows, thb are still under junior's influence

As soon as they can get davenport alone without rousing any suspicion, they bring him to their room and innoculate him. Once he's got his memories back, he'll be powerful enough to a) get his bracer off/disable the tracking spell in it and b) get off the base undetected

Davenport will definitely not want to go back to playing butler, so he'll sneak off the base and hang out with lup and barry until lucretia sends the boys to wonderland

When the boys get sent to wonderland, theyll meet up, get the bell all together, and THEN confront lucretia, cause at that point theyll have the whole light, and they'll have Options

So they do just that. They go back and innoculate davenport a few days later, a week at most

A panic ensues once everyone realizes davenport is missing

AND the tracking in his bracer is turning up nothing

Lucretia's blood pressure has never been higher

But everything goes as business per usual

Lucretia, oddly enough, suspects nothing re: the boys ‘cause surely they wouldve confronted her if they remembered

The boys get sent down to wonderland. They meet up with blupjeans and dav at the entrance. With the six of them with all their memories and full access to their skills they take edward and lydia down in like 30 minutes. Tops.

So edward and lydia get their asses thoroughly handed to them by the six of them

(Davenport has the time of his LIFE)

They head back to the lich cave, barry gets in his new body and gets innoculated (the boys brought some ichor with them for him)

Lup possesses barry, then barry-with-lup and dav get in the pocket spa and back up to the moon they go

Lucretia is in her office when avi comes knocking "Uh... director? The boys are coming back." "Already?" "Yeah." "Are you sure it's them?" "Yep."

Lucretia is.... stunned. It's been... an hour and a half. Two, maybe. She has full faith in the boys but they took down wonderland in two hours?????

Not even two hours

She goes to meet them, highly suspicious

But they arrive and, sure enough, it's them. No magic. No tricks. It's them, for sure.

taako has the bell and hes just holding it casually from the top as if it isnt one of the most powerful magic items in existence. And she can tell he isnt thralled, that's just how hes decided to transport it.

Lucretia: ive got to admit, you boys took care of that...much faster than i expected Magnus: ah, it was no big Merle: piece of cake! Taako: yeah, luce, shit was easy. Dunno what you were talkin' about earlier.

And lucretia just freezes. Luce. Thats what taako called her. It’s what they all called her, really, but it’s the nickname Taako took 4 whole cycles to give to her, officially cracking the door of friendship open to her. And she looks him in the eyes and she knows that he knows. And she looks at merle and magnus and she can tell they know, too.

And taako gives her a venomous smile, all teeth, and says, "why dont we go have a little chat, madame director" and she flinches at the way he spits out her title

She doesnt know what to do but nod and turn to leave. As she turns, there's angus, looking up at her with a determined set to his brow, and she knows he knows too

They head back to her office, and taako pulls the pocket spa out, and before lucretia can ask him what hes doing, out walks barry and davenport. And barrys eyes have got that red glow about them, so she knows lup's here too.

"Take down the lich ward, lucretia," barry says.

She does, and now there's a firey, red robed lich among them.

Now this is where things get a little iffy for how they work out but here's what i got

They have a similar confrontation as canon where theyre bickering about staying or going, shield or no shield, and im thinking this is where taako has his "there's a third option" realization

And, because they did extreme wonderland speedrun, and they didnt take a whole extra day to travel to the lich cave and just used fuckin magic to get there, theyre a whole day ahead of where they were in canon

The hunger is close enough at this point tho that they can enact the plan like. Now.

But magnus insists on returning Fisher's baby to them first

As magnus takes junior, lucretia works on getting the base secured and getting the bureau members ready for if the hunger touches down before they can cut it off

Magnus goes down to fisher with the baby, he takes his axe and swings, breaking the tank open

Johann, still alive and now soaking wet, is like dude wtf

Magnus returns the baby and out goes the story and song

Now johann is REALLY like DUDE WTF

Magnus is like im off to save the universe. Peace.

So since theyre a whole day ahead of the hunger, all seven of them go up in the ship

And then they fight and they win and they cut the hunger off and it's rad

The end

#taz au #angus mcdonald #taz balance #magnus burnsides #merle highchurch #taako taaco #taako #taz taako #taz lucretia #lucretia adventurezone

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desiree-harding-fic · 3 years

Note

mayhaps a snippet of reJEANcy Lup and Barry when they were courting and Before Things Went to Shit?

Is this ask like at least a year old? Yes. Am I sorry? Very. Better late than never??? 😂 Please ignore the fact that the first half of this conversation is missing they’re courting they’re walking in a park in London, that’s all you have to know it’s fine don’t question it. This is part of my ReJEANcy Au (it’s like jane austen but with taz)

***** “And you have been sent here to marry,” he said. Lup felt her face grow warm at the words, and a bitterness settle in her heart. For though the material circumstances of her situation never escaped her, they had felt of late to be more and more pressing in upon her, confining and stifling her at every step.

“ I am one and twenty years of age,” she replied, bitterly. “I am a spinster in the making, in their eyes. And my brother, with the decline of our property, will scarcely be able to afford me, in a number of years.” Her chest clenched at the thought of it, her and Taako, her brother ragged and tired even just as a youth, and Lup a burden on him he could not afford, and would not part with.

“Spinsterhood is a harsh fate to have thrust upon you at so young an age.” And Barry’s voice drew her back to the present, the kindness and warmth in it, even with the weight of the subject they were discussing, and it did not escape Lup that such a subject coming from him could only mean one thing, and while her heart wished dearly for it, it frightened her. To be taken from Taako by matrimony would only be a fate slightly less terrible than to be a weight around his neck as their years advanced.

And yet, Lup had enjoyed such company with Barry in London as she had never before experienced in her life. To imagine that he could walk out of this conversation, to a place where Lup could not follow, and perhaps that upon her journey home, she would not ever see him again, and perhaps exchange only careful letters from afar, as polite acquaintances… surely there could be no joy in that either.

“If I could, I would make my fortune as you do,” she said, wistfully. “Make discoveries that would bear my name for generations to come.”

Mister Bluejeans chuckled.

“There is little money to be made in discovering,” he said wryly.

“Even so. As it is I am expected to prattle along until I keep house for whichever man deigns to make me an offer.” The forwardness of her words practically made Lup tremble. The distance between her and Barry seemed incredibly vast, and she longed, for a terrible moment, to be more openly his sweetheart, for though everyone in Town seemed to sense their connection, she could not link her arm with his and feel the strength and weight of him beside her, and had to make do with the faint energy of one who is close but yet not close enough to touch. She abruptly missed their first dance, and wished, foolishly, to have taken better advantage of the opportunity to touch him, when she had it.

“It is a disheartening way to live,” she said, for the truth in it, and desperate, perhaps for comfort, and perhaps for clever mister Bluejeans to read between the lines, to see that he was one of those who could release her from the utter precarity of her circumstances, and more happily, perhaps, than any other soul on earth.

For truly, with him, she thought that perhaps she could be happy. That they could have a companionship in intellect as well as in affection, one that she could hardly have hoped for upon her arrival to London, nearly five months ago now.

“You speak of yourself very meanly, Miss Taaco,” Barry responded, after a time, and Lup laughed with no humor.

“I speak the truth, meanly or no,” she said. She could not bring herself to brighten her words, the depth of her anxiety dragging her out of levity’s reach.

At this the gentleman paused a long moment, and the sound of birds’ wings and trills, and the footfalls of himself and herself along the path were all that she heard for a long moment. Until he spoke again,

“It would be a foolish person,” he said, “who would know you more than an hour and consider you fit only to keep house.” He spoke in that stilted way that Lup had come to know well, the words coming slow and soft and in such a manner that she could hardly help but understand, in her deepest heart, that his intention was to tell the absolute truth, as he understood it, without alteration.

“You carry as sharp a wit as any of my colleagues,” he continued, “and as great a natural aptitude for the scientific arts, that you have consistently been a most stimulating conversational partner, these several weeks, without the benefit of the extensive education many others enjoy.” Lup flushed, half in shame at his oblique reference to her lack of fortune and circumstance, her greatest failure in the eyes of Society, and her greatest blemish. But the other half of it was no doubt in the sincerest throes of flattery, that he should speak of her so.

Mister Bluejeans, she knew now, was not one to embellish needlessly, in his kindness to others. Though as good and generous a man as any she had known, Lup could not imagine that his words were meant only to flatter her unduly. Such counterfeit would not suit Barry, not in any reality she could imagine.

“There is no lady in all my acquaintance,” he said, soft, “whose mind I admire more. It is a great injustice indeed, that the whole of society should underestimate you, when you are more than worthy of their highest esteem.”

Lup almost could feel tears coming to her eye at his words.

“Mister Bluejeans,” she said, her voice weak, “You are surely too kind.”

“I am exactly as kind as you deserve,” he answered, though Lup thought she could hear perhaps the barest tremor in his voice with the words. And indeed, Lup had hardly ever heard him speak in so forward a manner before, without the barest opportunity for misinterpretation to be found. He was always plain of speech, but never had Lup been on the receiving end of such unmitigated compliments.

The day was fine, and the sun was shining down upon them, and the season would be over soon, and Lup, for perhaps the first time, allowed in herself a kind of happiness to blossom such as she had never thought she would feel in her life. For this was what it must be like, she thought, to be in love, and she was now certain, loved in return. For surely Barry must love her, with the time that he chose to spend by her side, and with his words, seemingly designed to cut her to the quick and lay her bare. She was certain he could see all of her heart stretched out before him, and she waited to see how he would act upon the information written upon it.

“Perhaps it need not be necessary,” he said, after another several minutes of silence, “that you be forced into one circumstance or another.” Lup’s heart quickened in her chest, and she could scarcely believe her ears. “Perhaps marriage need not be… so stifling as you imagine it, if your husband were of a mind to pay sufficient respect to your intellectual capabilities alongside the pleasure of your company.”

Lup could hardly breathe.

“I do not think I should find it stifling at all, mister Bluejeans,” she said, breathless, desperate, “if that were the case.” She swallowed, and wondered how much further she dared go.

“In fact,” she pushed, “I think I should like that very much.”

And at that, Lup seemed to feel a tension roll off of his shoulders, by proxy, and saw, from the corner of her eye, an almost resolute nod, and he seemed inclined to speak no more, while Lup kept her pace silently beside him, and choked on her own anticipation.

For surely, his words were as good as a proposal, in everything but name? What else could he be alluding to, with such talk, but a marriage between the two of them? And in a matter of minutes Lup’s life had turned on a dime, and suddenly all of her terror and discomfort and pain seemed they could vanish at a simple word from mister Bluejeans’ lips-

If only he would ask her.

But he spoke no more, just then, and Lup’s heart, as they took their turn around the park, slowly returned to a more sedate pace to match her breaths and her steps, and they spent a good fifteen minutes in a not-uncomfortable silence.

Which, if his words had not before, only sealed Lup’s heart further in its conviction toward the man beside her.

Here was someone, she thought, who must care for her, to have sought her out. Who must surely understand how perfectly suited he was to her desires for her own future and for companionship in marriage. With whom she could speak and feel at ease, and more, with whom she could be silent and feel no pressure to chatter needlessly and fill the air.

He was perfect, Lup thought, practically sick with it, and she could not imagine another day without him.

After a time, their ramble came to an end, and mister Bluejeans turned, as Lup saw the Captain catching up to them, from down the path, where he had been walking a good quarter-mile behind.

“Miss Taaco,” Barry said, his blue eyes warm behind his spectacles, and weighty, so that Lup hung upon his every word. “Do you think the good captain would permit me to call upon you tomorrow, at his home?”

And Barry had already called to the Captain’s home many times. There could be but one reason why he was asking, as Captain Davenport was the closest thing Lup had to a guardian, and it could not have escaped Barry’s notice that while he had no right to deny any suitor Lup’s hand, Barry could ask for permission to see her, and it would be nearly the same.

Her heart ached with his gallantry.

“Mister Bluejeans,” she breathed. “The Captain has always said that I am free to extend his invitation to any visitors I please, while I am here in Town.” Yes, he would be happy to have you. “Plus,” she added, “he considers you a friend. I am sure that he would be more than happy to see you call.” He will approve.

Barry smiled, then, and it nearly killed her, and with a bow, and the barest brush of his lips to the back of her gloved hand, he bid her a farewell until tomorrow, and turned, and left the park, just as the Captain made his way to stand beside her.

“That’s sorted, then?” he asked, in his brusque way. Lup thought she could feel her hand tingling through her glove, still warm from where Barry’s lips brushed against it.

“He wishes to call upon the house tomorrow,” she said faintly, still staring, quite shamelessly, at his retreating form.

The captain’s hand came up to rest upon her shoulder, and he gave her something of a squeeze and an awkward pat.

“Congratulations, then, lass,” he said. “I daresay you could not have done any better.”

And Lup thought that she quite agreed.

#everlastingrandom #rejeancy #Blupjeans #my writing #taz balance #regency au #hey where the FUCK did all my tags go?#lup taaco #barry bluejeans #i love them you guys i'm Obsessed with them #The Almost Saying What You Wanna Say #But No You Can't #anyway after this is when Lydia goes to barry and dissuades him but like #he was Definitely going to propose the next day #also hey thanks joc for asking this #a fucking YEAR ago #i love u #also hello everyone turns out i still exist #go figure

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ceilingfan5 · 4 years

Note

13, 2, 2? ::3

OOPS IT GOT LONG SORRY TO STRETCH YOUR DASH

(Soulmates au, Enemies to lovers, “Fuck. fuck fuck fuck fuck this shit. Fuck”)

“Fuck. Fuck- fuck, fuck, fuck this shit. Fuck-” Taako can’t breathe. He’s holed up in the university bathroom with his shirt half off, looking at the absolute very end of the world. Taako, like most people, was born with a birthmark that was supposed to show the first place his Soulmate would touch him, but there must be some mistake. Sure, the psychedelic colors are spreading, still swirling magically under his skin in a near-perfect handprint shape, just like in the movies, but Taako hasn’t met his soulmate yet. What’s worse? The only person who touched him today was his mortal enemy, That Guy From Music Theory That Never Shuts Up.

Oh no. This absolutely won’t do.

His slouchy top barely covers it, either. He tries covering it with the concealer he has in his bag, but just like in all those rumors from middle school, nothing works. True love shines through. But it can’t be true love! Taako remembers the absolute contempt he felt when K...Krabbins. Kravix? When that jackass squeezed his shoulder after their group presentation where Taako let him do all the work. It was absolutely an I’m-going-to-throw-you-under-the-bus-for-this-one-shitbag sort of squeeze, something Taako’s not unfamiliar with, and Taako had given him his winningest smile and pulled that offending hand right off of him. There was no love lost there. So has Cupid lost his goddamn mind, or is...is That Guy Taako’s soulmate?

Taako’s gut plummets faster than a lead fart. He’s got to find this guy and prove he isn’t actually his Soulmate. And then he can go back to living his fun and sexy and free lifestyle.

He’s easier to find than Taako expected. He’s just sitting around in the common area, studying a thick textbook. Taako didn’t even buy any textbooks this year. Obviously they aren’t a match. It’s clear as swarovski crystal, baby.

Taako walks right up, sweating to death in his sweater but absolutely about to let the public see his divine embarrassment, and he slams his hand down on That Guy’s table. He’s going to go full intimidation with this one. He gives That Guy a narrow look when he jumps and pitches his voice down a little to sound more serious.

“We have to go on a date.”

The Guy stares back at him--funny, his hand is wrapped up. Maybe he punched somebody for talking shit about a dead ass wig wearing piano fucking composer. It takes him a second to find his voice, but when he does, it’s that affected accent Taako hates so much.

“I’ll be honest, Taako, that’s...not exactly what I thought you were going to say.”

“Is that a no?” Taako squints at him.

“More of a...why, I’d wager?” The Guy- Kravitz. Kravitz is it, according to the silver sharpie on his fancy notebook. Taako knew that.

“Does it matter? You, me, mmm...Italian food. The Phoenix. 7pm.”

“Today??” Kravitz splutters. Taako allows him no mercy. Serves him right. Especially as sweaty and nervous as he looks with Taako so close to him. Eugh.

“Did I stutter? Now’s your chance to opt out. Three. Two.”

“I- I guess- sure. Why not.”

“Perfect.”

Taako wears a turtleneck and a short skirt, the full, easy-to-move-in kind in case he has to run away or climb out a bathroom window. In case, you know, the guy is a full-on creep and not just the kind of person who likes to lecture the teacher on why the textbook has inaccuracies that poison the study of music and ruin the experience for entry-level musicians like his compatriots.

God.

He shows up fashionably late to find, to his surprise, that not only has Kravitz already gotten them a table, he’s dressed up, and...unfortunately, he cleans up tasty. Maybe he’d be super fucking gorgeous hot, you know, if he could keep his mouth shut.

Taako takes his seat and more than his fair share of breadsticks, ready for the guy to bitch and moan about it, but he just raises an eyebrow.

“So,” Taako says. “You got any hobbies, or are you just into music?”

“I do really enjoy music, and I spend a lot of my time practicing, but I also like playing games like poker. I also spend some time at the gym, and...I’m sorry, the way you keep looking at me. Is this an interview? I feel like I missed something.”

“Maybe so,” Taako says vaguely. They order, and Taako’s slightly surprised to find that Kravitz has good taste. Hm. Interesting.

They trade tales from other classes and parties they’ve been to, and against his will, Taako starts...enjoying the date. He finally has to steer the subject back to why he hates the guy so much.

“So why the fuck do you take music class so seriously?”

“Why?” Kravitz thinks for a moment, itching at the bandages on his hand. Maybe it was a burn. Maybe he’s a shit terrible cook, which is another great reason to hate him. Although that hasn’t been a dealbreaker in the past. Shit cooks are always impressed when you’re a great cook, and Taako loves being the center of attention.

“I’ll tell it to you straight, Taako. And I don’t think you understand. I’m a music major. I play fifteen instruments. I-” his accent slips, and oh, his real voice? Honey butter. Taako may or may not be blushing. “I’m going to be a conductor. It’s an embarrassment for that class-- for basic, entry-level fucking music appreciation to be one of my requirements. Taako, I could teach that class, do you understand?”

Taako understands that he likes the way his name sounds in that low voice of his. Fuck.

“Okay, yeah, maybe that would make me an asshole too.” He hesitates, and bites his lip, and then the bullet. “What happened to your hand? It was fine this morning.”

“My hand?” Kravitz clutches it. “Nothing.”

“Liar.” And then Taako knows. “Your soulmate mark showed up. Didn’t it.”

Kravitz stares at him. His expression is impenetrable.

“And why would that be?”

Taako takes a gamble.

“Mine did too.” And he yanks his turtleneck to the side to reveal his mark, practically glowing in its respendency. It almost seems like a shame to cover it.

Kravitz frowns. And he pokes at his ravioli with his fork. And he unwraps his hand. Glorious, swirling colors, even more passionate than Taako’s, are revealed. Taako swallows.

“So what does this mean?” Kravitz asks. His tone is intentionally level.

“I don’t know,” Taako admits. “I guess...I guess we could go on another date? Maybe even...see where the night takes us?”

Kravitz hesitates, but he nods.

“I think that’s worth a shot.”

#taakitz #fan5fics #taz #tazb #the adventure zone #the adventure zone balance #thank you!!#ask games #minific request #it's not so mini lol #maybe if this one takes off ill add more and publish it?#soulmates au #not my usual fare #long post #sorry it's so long oh my god #enemies to lovers does not a minific make.

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iknikblackstonevarrick · 3 years

Text

Red Lightning (Part 1)

---

“What are you doing?”

Lup ignored Magnus’s voice as she clutched the warm silver glove to her chest. Merle was looking at her too, but with far less urgency. Taako stood beside her and didn't waver.

“How do you know?” she asked, looking up at the human woman on the throne with serious intent. “I asked you a question. You said you’d never acquired one of these things before, so how do you know how to destroy it?”

The Director looked down at her evenly, not showing a reaction to any of her words. “We have gone through exhaustive theoretical study of these weapons based on their observable effects on the world and the traits we’ve managed to record. I am fully confident that this process will succeed in destroying it.”

Lup continued to stare with narrow eyes, and the Director sighed.

“If it would make you feel more comfortable, the glove will not touch any hand but yours from now until its destruction. And you have my word, if, by some unforeseen happening the process fails, you will be immediately re-entrusted with the item’s care.”

Lup’s shoulders fell a little bit. Care didn’t feel like the right word. Eventually, she walked slowly up to the metal sphere and dropped the glove inside.

Throughout the entire drawn-out, flashy process, Lup felt sick to her stomach. When the theatrics were over and the Director declared with far too much joy that the gauntlet had been destroyed for good, she knew in her gut something was terribly wrong.

“Are you afraid?”

The boys around her tensed with apparent fear as the skeletal figure appeared in front of them, Magnus jumping straight to swinging through the thing with Railsplitter, to no effect.

“Are you afraid… of the dark?”

Taako opened his mouth to say something, but he was too late to be heard before she burst out laughing.

The others followed suit after a pause, the dramatic tension of the moment cleft in twain. The Red Robe floated helplessly before them, seemingly at a loss.

“Oh god, oh gods, okay. Gimme a second, it’s just-” Lup attempted to collect herself, poorly. “I can tell you’re trying really hard babe, but the spookiness really isn't doing it.”

“Lup?”

She froze. The lich’s voice had changed completely in the moment- gone was all the distortion and the theatrics, and in its place was… a guy's voice. A regular guy’s voice. And she swore to god she knew it.

The space where the lich’s face should be was nothing but a void, but she could feel the creature’s gaze boring into her with such strong, unbridled emotion. Hope. Fear. Something she wouldn’t dare name, not right now, not like this.

“Yup,” she said. Her attempt at being casual came out small and squeaked.

The lich’s gaze slowly became less intense, until he seemed to be looking through her. He looked back toward the rest of her party and delivered a speech about the people they’d fought up to this point and their ‘Hunger’.

“This is your first lesson,” he finished, and just before he disappeared she felt him look at her one more time. Her feeling as this monster disappeared from the room was unmistakably that of heartbreak. Something deep inside her was tossing and turning and bursting to get out, but she couldn’t put a name to it.

“Lup?” she heard again and started, but it was her brother’s voice this time. She turned to reassure him, but then followed his gaze when she saw he was looking at her hands.

There was red lightning arcing between them, but just as she realized it was there, it was gone.

“Something’s wrong.”

Lup spoke aloud to her brother in the middle of the night. The new rooms they’d been given were too spacious not to share, so the room that had been Taako’s was now an extended closet while the two beds stayed in here.

“You had the nightmare again,” Taako said, not a question.

“We’re being lied to,” she insisted, turning to face the opposite wall. She had had the nightmare again, but they’d already exhausted every line of conversation they could have about it over the last ten years.

Ten years. The same starting point as the relic wars. Static started scratching at her brain, and she knew what that feeling meant, even if she couldn’t comprehend it.

“Probably,” Taako agreed. She could feel his eyes on her back. ��Do you wanna bail?”

There was no hesitation in her brother’s voice. It was a line of conversation they’d had a million times, throughout their childhood, and more recently in their adult life, after-

After what?

She stared at the wall and breathed.

“Not yet,” she said. She waited silently for his breathing to even out.

“Hey boys!”

Lup cheerfully twirled her umbrella as she approached the guards stationed outside the brig. It was still the dead of night, and she had half-hoped they wouldn’t have bothered to set up a night shift for guarding their sole inmate.

They looked at each other briefly.

“Miss Taaco,” one of them acknowledged.

“Yuh-huh, so I was just gonna head down to give my friend Pringles a visit, it’s totally cool, if you would just let me through here?” she mimed nudging one of them aside with her Umbrella.

“No one is allowed to see the prisoner without the Director’s permission,” the other one explained.

“Totally got it!” she reached into her bag to subtly Fabricate a note.

“We don’t accept verbal or written permission, she has to be here with you,” the other one continued.

She paused for a moment. Then quick as lightning, she whipped her staff between the two of them and hit them both with Sleep.

She clicked her tongue and stepped over them. There was no one out and about to see them right now, and she would have them cleaned up by the time there were.

Pringles didn’t actually end up being worth the risk. As far as she could tell he was never a real red robe- just possessed by one, briefly. Honestly, she questioned the Director’s reasons for keeping him locked up for so long, but at least she knew the next place she was gonna secretly break into during the night.

Oh. That was probably why. She laughed aloud to herself.

“I cannot imagine what’s so funny.”

She twirled around so fast, shooting off another Sleep right in the direction of the voice, but The Director was faster. She put up a shimmering barrier around herself- and Lup narrowly missed her own spell as it bounced back off.

Before she had time to react there was another barrier, around her this time. Lup could tell this one was for containment, not protection, mostly by the draining feeling of the anti-magic field that came along with it.

She looked the Director in the eye, and the expression on her face was… not what she expected. She looked shattered. Heartbroken. Like she had been betrayed in the utmost way. That last thought made a firelight in Lup’s chest.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Lup asked, walking as close to the edge of the barrier as she could get. “What, are you gonna lock me up in here just cause I know you’re full of shit, too? Newsflash: I didn’t need to come here for that, I figured it out on my own.”

The Director sighed deeply.

“I’m afraid you’ve given me no choice.”

The bubble she was in started moving slowly inside the cell next to Pringles’s, which seemed redundant. She pushed on the bubble wall as it pushed her along with it, but she couldn’t gain any ground.

“You’ve gotta be kidding me,” she said as the cell door swung shut, trapping her inside bubble and all.

“This is more important than you could understand,” The Director said in an infuriatingly mournful voice.

“Like hell I couldn’t- You never gave me the chance! You never gave any of us the chance! Does anyone up here know what you’re actually doing? Is anyone up here physically capable of it?” Lup glared at her through the bars.

The Director looked more neutral now. “You wouldn’t understand.”

Then she turned to depart from the hall.

Right before The Director disappeared up the elevator, Lup heard her voice again, softer, kinder. Resigned. “It’s just for a little while,” she said, like a mantra, like she was trying to convince herself.

“Fuck you,” Lup said just before the elevator doors closed.

#taz balance #lup #lucretia #barry bluejeans #lup taaco

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patriciasage · 3 years

Text

promises, promises

Author: Patricia_Sage

Fandom: The Adventure Zone - Balance

Summary:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Taako doesn’t give a shit.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

He drinks too much.

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

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

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

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

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

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

And she’s gone.

And he made her a promise.

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

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

“Fucking talk,” he says to the stove.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The next day is better.

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

“Taako!”

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

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

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

“I guess I am.”

“Great!”

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

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

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

Taako cooks when he can.

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

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

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

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

“What?”

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

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

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

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

“I don’t know.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Don’t worry about it.”

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

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

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

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

“Yeah, that’s fair.”

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

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

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

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kravkalackin · 4 years

Text

another snippet from voidfish’d blupjeans. First two parts and here and here

Barry couldn’t actually pinpoint a moment where him and Lup had started dating. It happened the same way everything with Lup happened, with an ease so natural it was as if they’d done it all before. Like this was just the way things were supposed to be, and he just hadn’t known about it before now.

When he thought about taking that next step, it still felt just as natural, as inevitable as the rest of it had.

That didn’t make it any less terrifying.

Barry was pretty sure that things weren’t supposed to be this easy. Maybe they were doing something wrong, maybe he just hadn’t picked up on something and things weren’t as great as he thought they were. He wanted this to be as good for Lup as it was for him, he wanted her to be happy.

And Lup loved freedom. She loved being able to explore the world, to travel with her brother and cook and learn magic without any sort of restrictions.

Lup also loved him. Despite how wild that sounded he knew with certainty that it was true. Lup would leave, but she’d always come back to him.

Staring down at the ring in the small velvet box in his hand, he told himself this wasn’t something to tie her down with. He didn’t want to take away Lup’s freedom. He just wanted her to know how fucking much he loved her. That he wanted to keep loving her for as long as he was still alive and his heart still beat.

He’d talked to Taako about it a few weeks ago, not as any sort of weird asking for his permission thing, Lup was her own person even if they were twins. It was just that Taako was his best friend and the person who knew Lup best in the world, so he was a pretty solid source for advice. Boy did Barry feel like he needed advice.

Taako had told him to go for it. Said Lup would understand his reasoning, that they were sickeningly in love and it was bound to happen eventually.

“Besides, you’re not exactly a spring chicken anymore, ya know?” Taako said, and Barry rolled his eyes when he punched his shoulder. The sincere look on the elf’s face made him pay attention though, his voice shifting to that special sort of soft Taako only used around people he cared about.

“You’re human Barry. It’s not- we don’t exactly have all the time in the world together, ya know? Why not make the most of the time we do have?” he said.

Taako was right, too. They would probably live at least a couple of centuries well past the time he reached his expiration date. Barry wasn’t going to pretend that he could be a permanent feature in their lives, that was just the deal fate had cut out for them.

But even if it wasn’t forever, Barry wanted to make the best of the time he did have.

There was a knock at the door and Barry quickly stuffed the ring box into his pocket. “Coming!” he called, taking a deep breath as he stood up before walking to the door. He knew who was going to be on the other side of it before he even got there.

Lup still managed to take his breath away when he saw her.

“Hey babe,” she said, smiling brightly. Her hair was done up in some loose curls, and she wasn’t dressed up particularly fancy or anything, Barry hadn’t told her to. She was wearing a fairly simple off the shoulder red top and black pants, and she was still the most beautiful woman Barry had ever seen.

Instead of trying to figure out how words worked again Barry leaned forward and caught her mouth in a kiss. Lup immediately began kissing him back, and Barry could feel her smiling against him. When they finally pulled away Lup was grinning ear to ear.

“Dang, miss me much?” she asked, and Barry couldn’t help but laugh at that.

“Of course,” he said, going in for another, much quicker kiss. Lup laced her fingers with his and staring at her, Barry had to take a moment to wonder how the fuck he got this lucky.

“So, what’s the plan for tonight babe?” Lup asked, and they’d started to walk out of the apartment now.

“I was gonna ask if you wanted to get engaged,” he said, and like most of the time when he was with Lup he didn’t really think about the words as he said them. He didn’t realize what had come out of his mouth until Lup stopped in her tracks and then Barry had to replay the last few seconds in his head. “Fuck- shit, did I just-” and when he looked over at Lup her face was beat red, looking somewhere between trying not to laugh and smiling so hard her face was gonna split open.

“You sure did,” she said, and Barry groaned, slapping his forehead with his free hand.

“Damn it! I can’t believe- we can’t just like, go the rest of the night pretending that didn’t happen and you can act all surprised when I ask properly, can we?” he said, and the fact that Lup was still smiling was probably a good sign.

“Sure thing,” she said, and Barry could only imagine how red his face was now.

“Uh, just in fairness though, since you already know that I’m gonna ask,” he said, and the completely unrestrained love on Lup’s face was almost took his breath away, but he kept on. “What uh, do you have any idea of what your answer might be? Later?”

Instead of answering Lup pulled him into another kiss, and when she pulled back he could see her blinking back tears.

“Of course it’s gonna be a yes,” she said, and Barry couldn’t keep himself from smiling at that.

“Oh. Well then, I guess we both have something to look forward to tonight then,” he said, and Lup burst out laughing at that, squeezing his hand a little tighter. “Yeah, I guess we do.”

#taz #blupjeans #lup #barry bluejeans #at first sight (second time around)#decided to post it now because i desire the instant gratification #also there's gonna be enough stuff that i don't post #that i won't feel bad about posting little bits around

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mspainttaz · 4 years

Text

Davenport’s just like that

read on AO3

summary:It’s a common phrase on the moon.

Davenport loves to hum beautiful songs as he walks from place to place. No one recognizes the melodies. “Oh, Davenport’s just like that” you say to the new recruit. He likes making his own music his own little songs; Johann and he get along great! He always has new ones it seems, and, if you catch him in the right mood he even likes to sing sometimes.

Davenport is quiet on his feet and hard to spot during training. He can tag out an entire team before anyone can lay a hand on him, then grin and say “Davenport!” Like some people would say “Better luck next time!" before helping up anyone he tripped. It’s hard to stay a sore loser when you lose to a guy as genuine as that. "Davenport’s just like that” they shrug, then go through the exercise again until they get it right.

It’s whispered sometimes. “Davenport’s just. Like that.” Davenport will trail off mid-sentence and stutter into silence, before picking his fallen face up and giving a quick “Davenport”, a quick what do you do, as if suddenly being unable to speak was something he refused to handle with anything but grace. The rest of the conversation would become more one sided as Davenport finishes giving whatever information he’d been asked to relay and made his exit. No one on the moon pitied him or talked behind his back. Davenport was capable and likable and possibly one of their bosses (?) So a shrug and a quick “he’s just like that” to anyone new tended to be the end of that.

Davenport cooks sometimes and gets frustrated over missing ingredients that he doesn’t have the words to describe and not always in the usual way. Davenport walks in the room and smiles and chirps “Davenport!” And suddenly everyone feels like it’s going to be all right. Davenport got startled once and jumped so high he landed halfway up the side of the library dome. Davenport flicks his ears at the elves on the moon to confuse them by mixing Elven and Gnomish body language signals and no one realized until Brian busted out laughing one time during a debriefing; between spluttered fits of laughter he explained that Davenport had been alternating “I want to fight you” “I am VERY interested in you, wink wink”, and something that didn’t translate well from Gnomish but in Elvish was basically “the monster behind you is constipated” at him the entire time. Davenport admitted to nothing. The Director called the room back to order and looked like she was trying very hard not to give Davenport a high five.

("I am sure Davenport would not act quite so unprofessional, Mr. Brian." The corners of the Director's mouth twitch.

Davenport puffs up in mock indignation. "Davenport.")

Again and again. “Davenport’s just like that” “Davenport’s just like that” “Davenport…”

Davenport remembers being a part of a great and terrible war that destroyed many. He lost friends and loved ones during this war. There’s counseling provided on the moon base to those who need help reconciling these returned memories with their current lives. Everyone is required to participate in the group therapy sessions, though no one has to say anything. Davenport can’t say anything most of the time. He gestures, “Davenport’s”, hell he’s willing to take up interpretive dance if it means saying something some days. But mostly he can’t. Mostly… Davenport has about as many words as he does ways to say them. He wonders if his speech has always been like this or if something happened in the war that took away his mind and his words. He feels it. Something’s missing but it doesn’t feel like it’s missing until he hears what everyone else has to say. He knows he was involved in heavy fighting. Remembers conflicts where he had to be fast and smart when everyone around him had spells and brawn. Talks about that, sometimes. Sees some others nod along. Occasionally one person will recall a battle and others in the room will perk up, say me too, I was there, I didn’t realize you were the one fighting by my side. Once or twice Davenport has even shared that moment of comradery. He remembers fighting in the village Killian says she fought in. Stuff like that. But Davenport knows there’s something else not because of what’s gone missing, but because as time passes and he realizes that yes, this is all the Voidfish can give back to me…

He realizes he doesn’t remember growing up in a Gnomish city because he never lived in one. He doesn’t remember parents or siblings because he has none. He doesn’t remember staying in one school long enough for the name or teachers to make a dent in his memory. He doesn’t know if that’s because he got kicked out a lot or because he was smart enough to never stay in one long enough for it to make an impression. He doesn’t recall when he first started noticing the Davenport’s sneaking up on the heels of his sentences, when they started taking over. He doesn’t remember anyone who would miss him terribly if he was gone and in the quiet moments of his mind, he realizes that’s not because he doesn’t remember them but because there was never anyone there.

Davenport doesn’t say this. Instead he carries out his duties on the moon base and feels right wearing his uniform and his cheer and standing at the side of a woman who speaks like she too remembers things she doesn’t want to say. Madame Director and him understand how important this organization is; have worked together on it since the early days with Maureen. Back then Lucas was young and bratty but inquisitive and would spend hours talking Davenport’s ears off. Davenport would help him adjust screws and calibrations on whatever mad machine Lucas was currently set on bringing to life. When Maureen died and Lucas withdrew and the Director was silent in her office most days with a look about her like she felt her age more than usual, Davenport ended up speaking more than anyone else around him. He knew the Director… Lucretia loved Maureen and. The time they had spent together. Knew that Lucas was taking over a legacy and a duty that his feet were simply not big enough to fill. Davenport knew the feeling. So he spoke, he spoke until his words ran out or until he found them again and in between he “Davenport'ed” enthusiastically.

[REDACTED] died. [REDACTED]tried to defect.[REDACTED] was killed. [REDACTED] went under the thrall. [REDACTED] went under the thrall.[REDACTED] died. [REDACTED] went under the thrall. [REDACTED] went under the thrall. [REDACTED] d

Sometimes there really were no words for what was happening sometimes no one knew what to say or expected someone to speak and

Davenport helped things run smoothly in the Bureau of Balance. He was a familiar face. Some joked he was an even more familiar name. He would stand in front of the room for meetings. Help with archiving mission statements after the Director had gone over them. Headed the Treasury Department. Listened to Brad Bradson not-complain about Taako not-purposely messing up his filing system. Rarely took vacation days. Wiped the floor on game nights. Got twitchy when he sat still for too long. To everyone he was Davenport, the ward of the Director who competently filled some mystery role or several unnamed mystery roles in the Bureau and who had his own quirks just like anyone else. To new recruits, (there were always new recruits) the explanation was always “Davenport’s just like that”. It was practically an inside joke by now and Davenport.

Davenport was relieved that he was quickly accepted with no further need for explanations he couldn’t always adequately communicate.

Davenport also loathed it because he didn’t know why he was “like that” either. The answer was locked up behind his mouth and inside his brain behind the irritating. Numbing sound of his own name and Davenport Davenport Davenport wasn’t an answer he knew how to translate. All he knew was that the only answer he was likely to get was the same one he’d been making do with for longer than he remembered

He was just like this.

#taz balance #the adventure zone #davenport #fanfic #m #my writing

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