Chapter Text
As the Starblaster broke through a new plane, Lup watched Taako’s empty chair eagerly, her hands clasped together in anticipation.
The Light rebuilt him, and as soon as he reformed he threw his hands up in front of him and shut his eyes tight with an “Oh, shit!”
Lup’s brow furrowed in concern. “Taako?” She prompted.
He opened one eye cautiously, then both shot open wide as he searched his surroundings.
“What the fuck!” He exclaimed. “Did I die?!”
She smiled. Barry was right.
“Yeah, goofus,” she said. “Welcome back.”
“That thing killed me?!” He asked, shocked.
“One hit,” Lup said, feigning nonchalance. “Killed you real good.”
“One hit?” Taako repeated. He folded his arms across his chest, disappointed. “Damn.”
“Merle,” Davenport began, standing up straighter than he had in months. He tossed his crutch to the side. “Magnus, Taako. Welcome back.”
“Damn,” Merle laughed. “You guys really can’t stay alive without me, huh?”
“Yeah, yeah,” Magnus dismissed, instinctively reaching for an injury that was no longer there.
“For all you complain about my healing,” Merle began. “Sure sounds like you miss it when it’s gone!”
“Your healing is very helpful, Merle,” Magnus said. “But you know what would be really helpful? If our cleric could stay alive for five minutes.”
“Alright, alright, enough,” Davenport said. “I’m gonna get us to a safe spot, then we can recap and get the lay of the land. Looks...relatively normal? Then again, so did the last one...”
The Starblaster landed in a forest clearing a safe distance from a nearby village. They’d have some exploring to do later.
They filled Taako, Merle, and Magnus in on everything that had happened after they died while Lup busied herself in the kitchen, starting to prep a meal.
Taako had expected Lup to be a little bit...clingier.
Not that his feelings were hurt, but—she cared, didn’t she?
He noticed immediately that Barry was less shy about touching his sister. She asked Barry for help in the kitchen since Taako was deep in the recap, and Barry put a hand on her shoulder—for no particular reason! Taako wasn’t sure how to react. After all, things were getting...inevitable.
Well, Barry Bluejeans was a really good guy.
“Taako, if you’re caught up, come help me,” Lup called. “I’ve been cooking for five months.”
“Our friends haven’t had a decent meal for five months?” Taako feigned shock. “Tragic. Move it, goofus, I’ll make the sauce.”
Lup stepped out of the way while Taako sifted through the spice cabinet.
He had just gotten his hands on the oregano when he felt Lup wrap her arms tight around him, her face buried in the back of his shoulder.
Yeah—this was more of what he was expecting.
Something about the tightness told him he couldn’t joke about it yet, so instead he turned himself around and returned her embrace. He could tell from her breathing that she was fighting back tears.
He placed a hand on the back of her head and held her close, then he locked eyes with Barry, who was watching them with uncertainty from a few feet away. Taako gave him a nod of acknowledgement before returning his focus back to comforting his sister.
That night, the four who had survived the last cycle decided they were too stir crazy—not having been able to leave the ship much towards the end of the year—and wanted to camp outside.
Taako couldn’t have been less interested, but he couldn’t say no to Lup right now.
The rest of the crew slept on bedrolls around a bonfire, while the twins sat together far enough apart from the others so as not to be heard.
That night, after everyone else had gone to bed, Lup and Taako sat back to back with their legs crossed and folded. It was a position they often took when they kept watch—they could trance and watch over the others at the same time.
The twins rested in silence for an hour, listening to the sound of the fire crackling and popping. Taako was starting to wonder if he should say something, since Lup clearly had things on her mind—but she wound up speaking before he could think of how to start.
“Taako,” Lup addressed quietly. “That sucked.”
He opened his eyes and frowned, turning his head slightly so he could see at least part of her face out of the corner of his eye.
“I didn’t have much choice in the matter, Lulu,” he responded under his breath.
“I know that,” she whispered. “I just. That was. The most horrifying thing I’ve ever seen. And...I missed you, so much.”
“Well,” he started. “I’m here now. I know this whole situation is hell, in a way, but at least when we die we...y’know. Get better. Sorry. It must have been rough without me. Cause I’m so amazing and cool.”
Lup ignored his quip, which he took as a signal that she did indeed have a rough time and wasn’t in the mood for jokes.
“We’re gonna get out of this, Taako,” Lup said. “We are. One way or another.”
Taako moved his hands from his knees and folded them together in his lap.
“I’ve been thinking about that a lot lately,” Taako began cautiously. “Lup...are you sure that’s what you want?”
“What?”
“I mean, I get it,” Taako said. “All these planes are getting their shit wrecked. And we’ve been through some shit, yeah, but...come on, Lup, you can’t tell me you haven’t thought about it. How long we’ve been at this?”
Lup didn’t answer, so Taako continued.
“Think about it...thirty years. We haven’t aged because of the resets. But if we weren’t caught in these cycles...Barry, Mags, and Lucretia would be old. They’d be half way through their lives—they could be grandparents. And we...we really wouldn’t have aged at all. Thirty years is nothing to us, but it’s a third of a human life. At least.”
“I know. I think about that all the time. But...all this destruction? It’s not worth it. It’s not fair,” Lup balled her hands into fists. “I’m grateful for the extra time we’ve had with Barry, and Lucretia and Magnus, but...I’m so tired, Taako. Aren’t you?”
“Of course,” Taako responded. “It’s just...if we do get out of this, what’s gonna happen? What if our ages, or our injuries catch up to us? What if you have to watch Barry get old, while you don’t change at all?”
Lup was taken aback. “Wh—What does that have to do with—why Barry?”
“Don’t play dumb, dingus,” he said. “It doesn’t suit you.”
Elven-human relationships back home were often viewed as inherently tragic. To the elf, their human was gone in the blink of an eye.
“All I’m saying is...I know this is hard, but in a way...we’re lucky,” Taako mused. “We’ve got something most folks would kill for. Time. And unlimited second chances. We shouldn’t waste them, or wish them away when things go a little south.”
Lup thought for a moment, then let out a bitter laugh. “Hah, yeah. See if you can keep up that point of view next time I beef it.”
“Oh, you know that’s not gonna happen, bubbeleh,” he remarked with a smile. “I mean, I’ll give it a shot, but—lets both try not to die, huh?”
“I’m glad you’re back,” she said.
He felt her reach for his hand. He rolled his eyes. After all, he’d seen her and all of his friends die more than once. But he bit back his snark and tried to be sympathetic—she had never been without him, after all—and locked his fingers into hers.
His urge for snark won out.
“Nerd,” he commented.
“Shut uuuuuup,” she retorted.
That night, Lup rested better than she had in months.