Chapter Text
Time moved differently for Taako when he was with Angus and Kravitz. For one, he was just doing more. He was now often occupied with spell books he hadn’t touched in years, or even structuring lesson plans with concrete goals for Angus to meet for upcoming lessons. And at least once a week he found himself at the local coffee shop or the dumpling house or wherever Kravitz decided that he wanted to check out for a date. Which was still a new feeling.
Dating was nice. At least, it was nice enough for him to continue doing it with Kravitz. There were times that he thought about doing more- asking if they’d like to make it more official or at the very least invite him back to his place-but when opportunity came, he’d always rationalize it away and find an excuse out of it. . And whenever Kravitz said that he needed to go home, he never pushed it further.
But hey, he was dating. He had a brilliant apprentice. And it was summertime. This would usually equate to happiness right? Right.
The summer festival was happening in two days and Lup dragged him to go with her to get supplies. As she yanked a cart out from the row at the front of the store, she asked, “Are you bringing Angus?”
Taako jumped onto the rail at the bottom of the cart and shrugged. “I mean, I didn’t think he was invited.”
“He’s your apprentice. Of course he’s invited.” She pushed the cart with little hesitation, checking the shopping list on her phone.
“You have, like, a zillion apprentices.”
“Yeah, but that’s different,” Lup said, waving her phone before she stopped in front of a variety of produce. She inspected some celery before she added, “I don’t get that good, good one-on-one time with them like you do.”
Taako sighed, reaching toward a carton of strawberries and tossing them in the cart. “I mean, I can text him,” he said. He kept one hand stable on the cart while he pulled his phone out of his pocket. He texted a curt message to Angus, who replied instantly with a flourish of emojis. Taako groaned as he slipped his phone back in his pocket.
“So he’s coming,” Lup said, smiling impishly.
“Yeah, guess so,” Taako mumbled.
Lup resumed inspecting the produce before she bagged everything and put it in the cart. “What does Angus like to eat?” she asked, beginning to push the cart again.
“Ren gives him waffle fries, like, every damn Saturday. She doesn’t even make him pay.”
“Well, you know why that is,” Lup replied. She stopped at the drink aisle, inspecting the price tags. “Even though she’s the one signing your checks, she still sees you as Taako from TV. At least, to a certain extent.”
“Yeah, well, he’s been dead for a long fucking time,” Taako grumbled. Lup turned toward him, her eyes narrowed before he nearly fell off the cart. “Not in that way,” he said, “I’m just saying that there’s no way I’m ever going back to that life.”
Lup sighed, grabbing several armfuls of soda before she tossed them in the cart. “Really?” she asked, “You’re not getting that feeling of, like, wanting to sling spells with Angus?”
Taako shook his head. “Nah. Mostly, he just reminds me of you. He works so hard it doesn’t even matter if he has raw talent or not.” He tilted his head. “So… am I getting that Fantasy Kitchenaid Standing Mixer or…”
Lup began to push the cart again, pressing her lips together, “Hm… what spell slot level is he at?” she asked.
“Two,” Taako said, quickly shaking his head. “No, no, I mean 8000. He’s the best wizard ever in terms of skills, but will never surpass me in looks.”
Lup laughed. “Not yet,” she said, “Get him to at least third level spells before we discuss the gift.”
Taako huffed. “Unbelievable,” he snapped, “Is your goal to just regift one someone inevitably gifts you whenever the fuck you and Barry are getting married?”
Lup sighed, her eyes looking down at the ring on her finger. “That’s not a bad plan,” she murmured, smirking. She shook her head and made eye contact with Taako again. “Oh, back to food. I know you said Angus likes waffle fries, but do you know anything else?”
“I mean, he was really into Magnus’s baked ziti,” Taako noted, “So the bar is set pretty low.”
“Look, give him a break, that’s the only dish he can make that’s any good,” Lup pointed out. She hummed and said, “Oh, what if I make him a little mocktail? How cute would that be?”
“I mean, weird, but sure,” Taako replied.
Lup flexed before she turned the cart around, claiming that she had to go back to the produce area to grab some raspberries.
*
Magnus and Julia happily offered to pick Angus up for the Summer Festival. Unfortunately, that meant that their car was essentially filled with capacity, complete with Julia and Magnus in the front and Taako in the middle seat next to a drooling Steven, who was contently locked in next to him wearing his doggie seatbelt.
Taako attempted to take selfies with his camera, though every attempt was abysmal. Between Steven’s ear appearing in one corner and Julia reaching out to make peace signs when she thought he wasn’t looking, nothing was coming out quite how he wanted.
“Trying to send a pic to your boyfriend?” Julia asked, pouting her lips mockingly.
Taako sighed loudly. “Not my boyfriend,” he said, tilting his head in a different angle to see if it would help the picture at all. He groaned and fluffed up his hair before he attempted to take another picture using the same angle.
“Why not?” Magnus asked, poking his eyes in the dashboard mirror before he started the car.
Taako accidentally took a picture of himself glaring at Magnus’s reflection. “Can’t a person go out on dates with another person and not put labels on it?”
Magnus looked away from the mirror, but Taako knew that he was rolling his eyes. “Call me old fashioned, but from the way you’re not talking about him, it sounds a lot like there’s a lot more going on than just that.”
Taako glowered, flipping through his gallery of selfie options for a few breaths before he said, “I mean, I like him, but it’s not like we’re meant to be. He doesn’t know, like, any of my tragic backstory and once he does, he’ll bounce. You’ve both known me long enough to know that’s what happens every time.”
“I don’t get the vibe,” Julia said.
“You talked to him for five minutes max,” Taako said. He stopped at one of his earlier selfies. He was making a decent face, considering there was a blurry Steven hovering over his shoulder. He messaged it to Kravitz with a caption that read, “Wish you were here!” before he put his phone in his bag.
“I mean, he’s a teacher who gets that his students need love and support,” Julia said, “Why wouldn’t that lead to his treatment of his significant others?”
Taako stared at her, even though she wasn’t facing him. “You’re shitting me, right?” he asked, “Sure, he’s compassionate and patient to teenagers, but they’re tossed into his class and stuck with him for a year, maybe four if they give a shit about music. It’s not permanent. They can be fucked up, but they won’t be in his life forever.”
Magnus seemed to bristle at that comment, stopping at a light before he said, “I mean, I’m gonna be blunt right now, but hasn’t he seen your arms? Like, surely he can fill in the blanks and realize you’ve been through something.”
“Oh, I’ve had them covered anytime we hung out,” Taako replied.
Magnus’s shoulders still seemed too high for him to be relaxed by that comment. “Do you…” he started, “I mean… have you not gotten…”
“Have you even kissed?” Julia asked, turning herself around to make eye contact with Taako.
“Not seriously,” Taako replied, opting to stare at his phone, flipping through pages of apps. “Like, quick pecks and stuff. But I haven’t invited him back home and he usually has to go to bed too early, so he never offers, either.”
“Do you want to?” Julia asked. Taako glanced up and Julia covered her mouth before she said, “Oh! Not wanting to reveal tragic backstory… inevitable conversation… got it.” She slammed her hand on the arm of her seat. “Jeez, Taako, this guy’s got more patience than I thought.”
Magnus stopped in front of Angus’s house and hissed, “We're not done talking about this.” He looked ready to add something else, but Angus was already knocking on the window excitedly. Magnus unlocked the door and Angus tumbled inside, quickly wrapping his arms around Taako. Taako huffed as Steven tried to shove his face between them. Angus broke the hug to pet Steven and try to hug Magnus and Julia as best as he could while still sitting in his seat. He buckled himself in and swung his legs excitedly before he turned toward Taako again and stared him up and down.
“What?” Taako asked, adjusting the white crocheted coverup he had on.
“Oh! Pardon me for staring, sir! You just have an interesting bathing suit on, is all!” Angus exclaimed.
Taako posed. He had a bright one piece on that seemed to glow under the coverup. It was definitely Lup’s at one point, but he borrowed it and decided that he liked it too much to give it back to her. “This isn’t a problem, is it?” he snapped.
“Oh, no, sir!” Angus exclaimed, “I’m just… always very fascinated by your fashion choices. I thought perhaps it was related to you being an elf, but I’ve realized that it’s all your own.”
Taako squinted at him for a long moment before he realized that he had a very similar conversation when Magnus started living with him. “Ah. This is just me.” Taako said, “I’m not a guy or a girl or anything. I thought you already figured that out, boy detective.”
“I had my observations, but sometimes it’s best to just hear it from the source,” Angus explained. He smiled nervously at Steven and asked, ‘So who am I meeting today? Mavis wasn’t entirely sure of the guest list either.”
Magnus started the car and began driving toward the party. He piped in and said, “You’re meeting the immediate family, Ango! Which is all of us, Mavis and Mookie, our dad, and you’ll get to meet Lup.”
“Oh! I get to meet your sister?!” Angus exclaimed, “I’m so excited!”
“Yeah,” Magnus replied, “She can’t wait to meet you, either. You’ll also meet her… uh… well, she has a fiance, Barry, and… Lucretia… who’s…hmm.”
Julia lightly placed her hand on Magnus’s shoulder and said, “Angus, sweetie, have you ever heard of the word ‘polyamory?’”
“Oh, yes! We’ve discussed the term in history class and from my understanding, a few of the students at my school have family structures like that.” He pushed his glasses higher on the bridge of his nose before he asked, “So Lup, Barry, and Lucretia are in a similar relationship?”
“Yup. Like, I said, you’re meeting the immediate family,” Magnus said, nodding his head toward Julia before she lifted her hand off his shoulder.
They arrived at the townhouses, the beach along one of the rows having a sign near it that read that the beach was reserved for the day. When they got past the dunes, they could feel the cool air on their skin. With the clouds still rather grey, it was obvious that the weather had little regard for the festivity. But the beach was still ready for a party, complete with a grill and a tent that had a cozy furniture setup underneath it.
The water was also still being used, complete with boats dotting the horizon line. A few people scoped them out from under the tent, some of them Lup’s coworkers who hung toward the tent while Lup scrambled from the circle of people she was chatting with and dashed across the sand, throwing her arms around Taako and Magnus. She gave them a tight hug before she let go of them to kiss Julia on the cheek. They giggled, whispering something to each other before she bent down and reached out her hand, saying, “Lup Taaco.”
“Angus McDonald,” Angus replied, giving her a hearty handshake. “I’ve heard so much about you.”
“Oh yeah?” she asked, pushing the front of her hair back. “Good things, I hope?”
“Oh, absolutely!” he exclaimed, “Some of your students go to school with me and they say nothing but good things. Taako even says that you’re one of the most dedicated wizards he’s ever known!”
Lup grinned wickedly at Taako. “Does he now?” she asked.
“Oh, yes!” Angus added, “I know by now that he doesn’t give compliments easy, so when I do hear one, I know that it is the absolute truth.”
Lup refused to stop grinning, even though she focused her eye contact back on Angus. “Don’t I know it,” Lup replied, “I’m the one who had to grow up with him.”
“You made it!” a voice exclaimed. Everyone turned toward it, watching Mavis racing over with Mookie stumbling in her wake. He threw himself forward, cutting Mavis off and tackling Angus.
He dropped to the ground, flailing as Mookie pinned him. “So you’re Angus!” Mookie exclaimed.
Angus nodded, trying to squint through his crooked frames. “Y-es!” he exclaimed, “That I am!”
Mookie crowed, “Welcome to the family!” before sliding off of him and sitting next to Angus in the sand. He watched Angus try to sit up and straighten out his glasses before he asked,”How are you supposed to be a wizard if you can’t take a hit?”
Angus finally got his glasses on straight again before he said, “I don’t really know offensive spells.”
“That’s more my specialty, remember sweets?” Lup asked, pinching Mookie’s side. Mookie squealed, flailing toward her. Lup indulged him for a moment before she reached out and yanked Angus up, dusting sand off of him. “Let me introduce you to everyone. Sound good?”
Taako felt himself slump his shoulder out of relief, turning away from the group to check his phone. Sure enough, Kravitz had responded, sending him a picture of his feet propped up on a windowsill, the view washed out by the sunlight. “Wish I was there, too” was the caption.
Taako glanced back at the group, who was making their way toward the tent before he hugged his phone closer to himself and walked out toward the nearby dock, which was thankfully unoccupied. He sat on one of the creaky wooden benches that was set on the edge of it, sending a request to video chat. Kravitz appeared within a few rings, the screen blurry as he tried to adjust himself to a more comfortable position.
“I thought you were excited to see your family,” Taako said, checking how he looked in the thumbnail.
“I was,” Kravitz confessed, “But then I remembered why I didn’t mind taking a job so far away.” He brought his hand under his chin and sighed. “They’re just so noisy… how are you doing?”
“Just made it to my sister’s shindig,” he replied, “Angus got pummeled by my baby brother.”
Kravitz raised his eyebrows. “Intentionally?” he asked.
“Uh, I mean, he literally tackles anyone and everyone. It’s just the way it is.”
“And this is… Mavis’s little brother, correct?”
“Yeah. He’s not in high school yet. But don’t worry. He’ll be there soon enough. And you’ll be miserable.”
Kravitz giggled. “I’ll put him in percussion. Easy peasy.” He looked away for a long moment, as if he was already trying to come up with a plan to approach Mookie.
“You got brought up,” Taako noted. He resisted grinning when Kravitz looked back at the screen.
“I did?” Kravitz asked, tilting his head.
“Yeah. The whole what are we and all that nonsense.”
Kravitz natural smile faltered.
“What?” Taako asked.
“I mean, I wouldn’t call what we are doing nonsense…” he started.
Taako waved his hand, making sure the motion was obvious enough on screen. “Shit word choice,” he said, “Sorry about that.” He looped the motion into himself fluffing his hair, making sure it didn’t look flat on Kravitz’s end. “They were really into the idea of us having a label. That’s all.”
“I mean, I wouldn’t mind that,” Kravitz said, his voice soft.
Taako felt his stomach drop. “How so?” he asked.
“We’ve been going on dates for about a month now. This isn’t exactly the best way to ask, but would you have an interest in… I dunno… being boyfriends? Or partners. I don’t know what terms you prefer.”
“Either or,” Taako replied, nearly shaking his head when he realized what he had implied. “I mean, Krav, don’t get me wrong. You’re great, it’s just… I haven’t had a proper boyfriend in, like, ever.”
“Me either!” Kravitz exclaimed, laughing weakly, “I know I may not always be the best for you. But I know I’ll always try to be.”
Taako winced. He couldn’t confess to him that he was offering all he could ask for. It would probably make him come off way too desperate for affection, even if he definitely was. “Can I think about it?” he asked, trying to ignore how Kravitz’s face fell at the news. “I’m not doing the fade away on you! I just need to think about it.”
“That’s fine!” Kravitz replied. His smile was weak, but it was there. It still found a way to make Taako’s chest flutter the slightest bit. “Are we still on for Tuesday?”
Taako hummed under his breath, trying to file through his memories. They were supposed to meet up at the usual cafe they went to after the school day. “Yeah, of course,” he replied.
“Excellent!” Kravitz’s smile was back to its usual level. If Taako sounded subdued at all, he didn’t say anything about it. “Have a good summer festival?”
“You, too,” Taako said, hanging up on him unceremoniously. When he looked up from his phone, he saw Magnus leaning against a piling, watching him.
“What? Is Angus looking for me?” Taako asked.
“Angus is having a blast getting tackled by Mookie,” Magnus said, “Although, Lucretia is so in love with the kid, she might try to make him her apprentice. He looked down at his feet and toed gently at a nail sticking out from the plank underneath him.
Taako sighed. Magnus presented himself as a tough guy who resolved things through screaming or punching. It wasn’t necessarily true, especially with when he tried to resolve things relating to Taako. It was always with a soft voice and deliberate instances of eye contact.
“Don’t turn this into an inspirational speech,” Taako growled.
Magnus raised his hands. “I just wanted to know if you wanted a hot dog or a hamburger. That’s all. I just caught the tail end of the conversation and figured I’d remind you that I’m here.”
Taako huffed. “I mean, do you think I’m in any position to have an adult relationship thrown into my responsibilities?”
Magnus shrugged. “I mean, I didn’t think the whole taking on a mentor thing was the best idea, but it’s proven otherwise. And, like, it’s not that I think you can or can’t do things. I just want to be here to problem solve.”
Taako rubbed at the bridge of his nose. “I’m not giving him the tragic backstory speech.”
“I mean, I don’t think you’re obligated to.”
“Actually?”
“I mean… it’s in the past. You haven’t been that version of yourself in awhile. And, like. He’s your boyfriend. Not a doctor. So, who gives a shit?”
Taako gestured with his arms, making sure his forearms were visible.
“Oh? The scars and shit?” Magnus asked. Taako rolled his eyes, but Magnus kept going, saying, “I mean, two options, right? Either you blame it on working in the kitchen for years or you say you had shit coping mechanisms growing up.” Magnus was quiet for a long moment before he said, “Also, can I just say something? Fuck him if he can’t deal with that. He probably has, like, a shitton of students who are dealing with that, too.”
“Good point,” Taako said, getting up from the bench.
“Wanna go back?” Magnus asked, “Because if we stay here any longer, Lup will want to join us.”
“Well, I gotta get my food order in,” Taako said. Magnus grinned, leaning in to hug him. Taako apprehensively hugged back, gasping when Magnus picked him up and tossed him over his shoulder. Taako attempted pushing against him, Magnus shaking his head and gripping tighter. When Taako realized he was stuck he crossed his arms and huffed dramatically, even though he had no interest in trying to squirm out of his grasp.
*
Summer festivities traditionally ended with a bonfire. There were usually certain rituals that were supposed to come with it to wish for a happy summer, but no one in the group cared to observe them aside from Merle, who whispered whatever spells and dropped random pieces of leaves into the fire. Taako chose to sit on the same towel that Lup, Lucretia, and Barry were set up on as Angus pulled a folding chair next to him.
“You have fun?” Taako asked, ruffling Angus’s hair. He snorted when a dusting of sand came off his curls. “I feel like I haven’t seen you at all today?”
“I was having fun!” he exclaimed, “Though… does Mookie ever get tired?”
Taako shook his head. “Nah,” he replied, “It’s just the way he is.”
Angus took a deep breath. “Oh,” he said, “Okay… well, thank you for inviting me!”
Taako looked up at the boy, affectionately bonking his hand against his head. When he returned to his sitting position, he turned toward Lup and saw her staring at him, her face unreadable.
As the fire began to taper off, Magnus collected the group back into his car, trying to shove Steven back into the car while Taako said goodbye to Lup. They hugged, but Lup didn’t seem to have any commentary, keeping her hand on his shoulder when the hug ended.
“Yeah?” Taako asked, putting his hands on his hips.
She just smiled and said, “Later, nerd,” before she returned to the dying bonfire.
*
“Have you given any thought to our conversation?” Kravitz asked between sips of his coffee.
Taako looked up, the jewelry on his wrists and on his neck jangling with the sudden movement.
“I should be more specific,” Kravitz amended, “Have you thought about the conversation we had concerning us becoming a couple? Just curious.”
Taako took a deep breath. “Right,” he said. He brought his fingers to his lips, not even caring that he was smearing his lipstick in the process. He was grateful that the coffee house was packed tonight, if only so their conversation could blend in with everyone else’s. “I mean, yeah,” he said, unable to make eye contact, “Sure. Let’s do it.”
Kravitz blinked several times. “Oh!” he exclaimed, “Really? You’re sure?”
“Yeah,” Taako said, finally looking up, “Is that a problem?”
“Not at all!” Kravitz replied, “I was kind of ready for you to call it off… you seemed a little. I don’t know. Spacy?”
“Sorry about that, babe,” Taako replied. Kravitz seemed to light up hearing the pet name. “Got my mind on a lot of things. None of which are your fault, by the way.”
“Is there anything I can do to help, at least?” Kravitz asked.
Taako shook his head. “Nah. Just keep being your sweet self.”
Kravitz covered his cheek, his smiling becoming more dreamy before he looked down at the papers he was supposed to be grading. He grabbed his pen and resumed it, silence between the two of them once more.
Taako took a deep breath, looking down at his wrists, twisting in a way that a particularly large burn poked out between the bangles. “You wanna stop by tonight?” he asked, “Like, come inside? We can, I dunno. Watch a movie. Not have my budget go out the window, because Johann bleeds me dry with these prices.”
Kravitz looked up from the test he was currently covering in purple ink. “You sure?” Kravitz asked. Taako nodded his head for emphasis. Kravitz replied, “That would be great.”
“Let’s go, then,” Taako said, “We can at least get a short movie in if we hurry up.”
Taako led the charge to get the back home, though inside he was buzzing with anxiety. Was it even possible to have a boyfriend for less than twenty-four hours? There were probably people who timed worse than him, but the scenario would definitely go down in the annals of family history.
Kravitz parked the car a house away and they made their way toward Taako’s apartment. The lights were on at Julia and Magnus’s, but they seemed too wrapped up in their laptops to even notice them walking across the picture window they were sitting near. As they made it up to Taako’s apartment, Kravitz paused to admire the herb garden. He ran his fingers over some of the leaves, placing his fingers under his nose and sniffing them.
“My sister does the same damn thing,” Taako noted. Kravitz continued sniffing, though he was smiling now. Taako unlocked the door and let him inside.
The apartment was relatively organized, but it was nowhere near as pristine as when Julia and Magnus cleaned it. The garbage needed to be taken out and there were a few bowls that were left on the coffee table. Kravitz didn’t seem to mind, speeding toward a poster that was hanging on the wall.
“Who’re the Powerbears?” Kravitz asked.
“They’re my brother’s old punk band,” Taako replied.
“Ah,” Kravitz said, “That’s so cool… is he still in the music scene or…”
“There really isn’t much of one out here, so not right now,” Taako replied, “You’d probably get along with him. He can play a zillion instruments and all that.”
Kravitz turned around, clapping his hands together excitedly. Taako’s chest began to ache.
In truth, Kravitz would fit in perfectly with his family. He would love all his siblings and even Barry and Lucretia would probably get a kick out of him.
It hurt operating as if it was very possible that Kravitz was going to be out of the picture by the end of the night. But it’d probably hurt less than when he broke up with him for whatever thing that pushed him too far.
So Taako figured he’d go for it, leaning in and kissing him with full force. Kravitz kissed back, only to quickly break contact to asked, “A-are you sure? I just want to…”
“Yes I’m sure,” Taako growled, continuing to kiss him. He bit at his lower lip with his teeth as Kravitz squawked, though he did not pull away. He tried to angle Taako toward the couch, where they stumbled over a side table and fell across it. Taako leaned in to regain control when he felt his phone buzz in his jacket pocket. He shoved Kravitz away in the process of fishing it out of his pocket and Kravitz backed off, watching carefully. He attempted to fix his crooked glasses and rumpled collar shirt.
Taako checked the phone and his eyes widened. “It’s Angus,” he said, sliding to accept the call. He brought the phone to his ear and said, “What, kid?”
“Hello, sir!” Angus greeted, though there was something dulled about his tone. “Uh, are you busy?”
Taako locked eyes with Kravitz as he said, “No.”
“Oh! Well, I’m in a bit of trouble. My grandfather went to the hospital. I’d be home alone and I was just wondering… if I could stay with you? You can say no.”
Taako kept eye contact with Kravitz as he sighed. “Yeah, pumpkin,” he said, “It’ll be a tight squeeze, but I think we can manage.”
“Oh, thank you, sir,” Angus said, “Could you have Mr. Magnus or Ms. Julia pick me up? I’m at the hospital in Cherry Quay and I’m not really able to walk there.”
Taako muttered the location to himself, trying to remember the name of the hospital. “Can do,” he eventually said, “Be there soon.” He hung up before he could hear for Angus’s response.
“I can drive you,” Kravitz said before Taako could even explain the situation.
“Isn’t it a liability to drive a student?” Taako asked.
“Not sure,” Kravitz confessed, “I’ll just drive carefully, I guess.”
Taako weighed his options and shrugged. “Sure,” he replied, “Let’s get going.”
They returned to the car, driving out to the hospital. Luckily, it wasn’t the hospital that Taako’s family went to. They drove around until they found a pick up area, where Angus was sitting on a bench. He looked confused at the sight of Kravitz being there, but he didn’t push further than saying, “Oh, I didn’t expect to see you Mr. Kravitz.”
Taako let Angus get inside and settled before he asked, “Did you get change of clothes or anything?”
“I need to get them,” Angus said, “My grandfather’s nurse said he’ll be here for at least the night.” He sighed, hugging himself before he added, “I’m sorry… I didn’t have anybody else I could call…”
“It’s fine,” Takao replied.
“You made the right decision,” Kravitz added. Taako felt his cheeks warm up, but he hoped the odd lighting would hide it.
Angus got his things at his house and they made their way back to Taako’s apartment. He quietly set up the couch with sheets and a pillow, rubbing his hands when he was done. “It’s no frills, but hopefully it’ll be good enough for a night or two.”
Angus seemed content enough, flopping across the couch the second Taako walked away from it. Kravitz began to slowly edge toward the door. “Be right back, kiddo,” Taako said, nearly tossing Kravitz out with him, sitting on the steps and waiting for Kravitz to join him. They were quiet for a long moment, Kravitz grabbing his hand and squeezing it tightly before he whispered, “I don’t know what I should be doing. I’m sorry.”
“I got this,” Taako said. It was definitely a lie, but it was obvious that Kravitz wasn’t going to be able to help, either.
“So… do you want me to go?” Kravitz asked.
Taako stared blankly ahead for a long moment before he slowly nodded his head. “Yeah. This is your student, Krav. Don’t want you getting accused of preferential treatment or something like that.”
Kravitz hummed to himself, drumming against his knee with his free hand. “Let me know if you need me,” he finally said.
“Got it,” Taako said, letting go of Kravitz’s hand and opening up the door again. Angus was already wrapped up in a blanket, a book opened up in his lap.
“Well, I have to go, Mr. McDonald,” Kravitz said, enunciating his words like he was lecturing a class.
“Oh, all right, Mr. Kravitz!” Angus chirped, “Thank you so much for picking me up!”
“Not a problem,” Kravitz replied. He hovered in the doorway for a long moment before he added, “Don’t feel like you need to go to school tomorrow. You’ve had a rough day.”
“I know,” Angus replied, “Thank you.”
Kravitz locked eyes with Taako before he closed the door, his footsteps fading out of Taako’s earshot before Taako asked, “Uh, have you eaten at all?”
“No,” Angus replied flatly, “I went to the hospital right after school.”
Taako sighed, facing his pantry. He opened it and confirmed that the only thing he could really cobble together to make a meal with minimal intervention was a bowl of cereal. He took the box out and opened up the fridge, realizing that the milk bottle was swollen, certainly spoiled. He faced Angus, who was already reading his book again before he opened the produce bin with his foot. Staring back at him was some cherry tomatoes and a bushel of basil, both from Lup stopping by after going to the farmer’s market a few days ago. He took them out, placing them on the counter and drummed his hands against it.
He could make something with this.
It wouldn’t even be anything revolutionary. He had boxes of pasta he could use and then mix everything together with some olive oil, lemon juice, and garlic. Season with pepper and salt to taste. But that required cooking.
He brought his hands to the back of his head, taking a deep breath. He shut his eyes and tried to remember when he was Angus’s age. All he could think about was being curled up with Lup, watching their aunt’s favorite game shows while she shuffled over with a simple, but delicious homecooked meal. When he opened up his eyes again he stared at the ingredients and decided for one of the few times in his life, he was actively going to do the right thing.
So he grabbed a box of spaghetti, muttering to himself about how much better it would be if he had a Fantasy Kitchenaid Standing Mixer with a pasta making attachment. He began to boil water and prepare a pan with oil, trying to pause whenever his hands were shaking too much. The last time he did something like this, there were consequences. But there was no reason to fear those consequences, especially when so many of the factors that led to that incident were no longer in his life.
“What are you making?” Angus asked, still seated on the couch.
Taako turned toward him and shrugged. “Some spaghetti with basil and tomato. Real simple stuff. But it’s aromatic, so people call it rustic instead of simple.”
“Oh,” Angus said, tilting his head. “That sounds really tasty!” He walked toward the counter, sitting on one of the stools. He had his book under his hands, but he chose to watch Taako as he began cutting up the basil.
Taako smirked at Angus and he found himself more at ease. He didn’t host like he used to- the Taako of old would have showboated and bragged about how he could cook pasta so well, he could bed someone based on that skill alone. But the bubbling of water, the sound of a knife hitting a cutting board, the sizzling of a saute pan were all welcomed sounds.
Taako got the tomatoes and basil sauteed, mixing them with the spaghetti once it was done. He set them in bowls, unable to resist wiping the bowls with a towel to remove any splatter before he served it to Angus. He hopped to the counter, taking a quick taste as Angus spun the bowl around, smiling.
“Look, if you have any issues with any of this stuff, you should have said something sooner,” Taako grumbled.
“Oh no, sir, I feel quite the opposite,” Angus said, “It looks perfect.”
“Then eat,” Taako demanded, then nervously checking his hands for the haunting signs of transmutation poisoning.
Angus happily spun spaghetti noodles around his fork, slurping it up before he exclaimed, “Wow! You really are a great chef!”
Taako’s ears twitched. “A chef?” he asked. He narrowed his eyes at Angus. “That’s a pretty specific word choice. So tell me… what do you know about me?”
Angus sighed. “Sir,” he said, putting his fork down, “I’m the world’s greatest detective. Why wouldn’t I research my own teacher?”
“Because your teacher wants some privacy, maybe?” he asked.
“It’s okay,” Angus said, picking up his fork again, “You didn’t do anything wrong. And the court confirmed it.”
Taako gripped at the counter, trying to resist screaming at a child.
“I understand basic psychology, sir,” Angus explained, “Well, I wasn’t able to take the class, but I took the AP test and scored a 5.” Angus paused before looking up and flashing Taako a wide smile. “Today was a breakthrough! Wasn’t it?”
Taako rolled his eyes, shoving pasta in his mouth. “Yeah, well, whatever. Two can play this bullshit observation game. Why were you at my diner that first afternoon? I didn’t exactly take you as a kid who cut class.”
This seemed to rattle Angus enough. He quickly dropped his fork and said, “O-oh. That. You caught me, I guess.”
Taako leaned in, wishing he had the energy to give him a shit-eating grin.
“I have an independent study period,” Angus explained, “It’s for a linear algebra class. I do the work in the school library, but a couple of kids I don’t get along with have a study hall there. So… I left…”
“Did anyone say anything?” Taako asked.
Angus shook his head. “No. I had already been marked as present for attendance and I know there’s a door by the gym that’s always unlocked for deliveries.”
Taako shook his head. “You really are the world’s greatest detective,” he muttered.
“I don’t really skip anymore,” Angus explained, “One of Mavis’s friends is in the study hall and it’s way more bearable now. Promise.” He popped a tomato into his mouth and added, “Anyway, I really like your cooking, sir. I hope you do it again.”
Taako pressed his lips together, unable to resist smiling at him. “Well, thanks. Maybe I will,” he said, “You want Magnus to drive you to school?”
“I’ll walk,” Angus replied, “I like this part of town.”