Chapter Text
“So, are you going to tell Miss Lup that you’re dating Mr. Kravitz? I bet she’d be really happy,” Angus says, giving Taako that stupid smile with his head tilted to the side that absolutely means I want to watch the exact interaction when your sister finds out you’re with the dude she wanted you to get with and revel in your pain and misery .
He’s complicated for a ten-year-old, which is a shame because Taako isn’t built for complicated.
“We’re not dating,” he mutters. “It’s more complicated than that.”
(Re: not built for complicated.)
Angus seems confused--which is fair, considering he’s ten--and asks, “What do you mean by that?”
“I don’t--do you really wanna hear about my love life, kid?” Taako laughs a bit, running a hand down his braid.
He just shrugs, flicking through one of his new books. “I mean, yeah, kind of.”
“I’m leaving out the inappropriate parts, for your sake and mine,” he mumbles, causing Angus’ eyes to widen. “That was a joke , okay, there’s nothing that inappropriate.”
“I’m telling Lup.”
“Do not ,” Taako insists, a little more venom in his voice than he initially intends, and Angus startles. “Sorry, Ango. I just.. my sister is awesome, yeah? I love her. If she finds out that I have any chance with this guy, bubbelah, my phone will break with all the times she calls me trying to ask about him.”
Angus nods, thinking. “Why aren’t you dating?”
“Kid, I don’t fuckin’ know. I don’t know. It’s weird, life is weird, and I would explain it to you if I understood it,” he says, a bit exasperated, “but I don’t understand it either.”
“Huh.” Angus shuts his book. “Well, sir, I hope he makes you happy.”
Taako sighs. “He really does.”
It’s a few days after that conversation that Taako finally comes to a few realizations about Angus, namely that he should probably be going to school, even if he is smarter than Taako and Maggie put together. He can’t exactly go to the same college that Taako goes to (right?) but at this point, it’s been a couple of months, and Ango’s essentially his son, so he should probably figure something out for school.
“Angus,” he asks one morning as he’s making breakfast--if heating up Pop-Tarts counts as making breakfast, “do you want to go to school?”
“In general, sir? Or specifically today?”
Taako rolls his eyes a bit at the honorific, but lets it slide--he’s really stopped caring at this point. “In general, I think. You’re smarter than me, bubbelah, but it’s probably good you, like, learn things.”
“How long has he been living here, T? Why are you just now thinking about this?” Magnus yawns as he sits down next to Angus.
“Because I figured he might want to go to school or something,” he mutters, not exactly willing to admit that Kravitz mentioned that it was a bit weird him and Angus had been able to stop by the bookstore at noon on a Monday. It was a bit weird, now that Taako’s thinking about it, but he hadn’t considered at the time that kids go to school on Mondays.
“I do want to go to school,” Angus says, but his voice is tinged with a caution that Taako understands a bit too well. “I really liked it, but I’m worried…”
Magnus makes pointed eye contact with Taako before he stands up with a quick comment about how he’s meeting Julia for breakfast. They’re both quiet as he leaves, and then for a bit after, before Taako speaks up. “Ango, if you want to keep learning things and, yanno, being a kid and shit, we can figure that out, I’m sure.”
“I don’t want to keep--” he cuts himself off, looking a bit scared. “I don’t want to keep being a kid if it means I have to go live with someone else.”
“You won’t,” Taako says simply. “I’m not letting you go. I know someone--a friend of a friend--who I think is a tutor or something. I’ll ask her to help me out, figure some stuff out with my sister since she’s like, smart and shit.” He reaches over, ruffling Angus’ hair. “We’ll work it out. I care about you, kid, and I don’t want you to miss out on your childhood just ‘cause you’re stuck with me.”
“You’re really nice, Taako.”
“Shut your goddamn mouth, Ango.”
He does, in fact, have a friend of a friend who is a tutor.
The problem is that it’s Sloane’s friend, and Sloane and Hurley want to hear about Kravitz, and since they know him, Taako can’t lie to them and say that nothing’s really happening because the damn traitor already told them that something’s happening.
Namely, that they’re going on a date Wednesday because that’s when Lup and Barry are taking Angus out.
Sloane and Hurley know that because Kravitz told them because he actually hates Taako and this whole date thing is an elaborate prank. Or maybe he just isn’t nearly as embarrassed to admit that he likes someone else.
First one. Definitely the first one.
-
to: scary lesbian (10:34 AM) yo sloane
from: scary lesbian (10:35 AM) yo taako
from: scary lesbian (10:35 AM) whaddya need
to: scary lesbian (10:37 AM) your friend noelle
to: scary lesbian (10:38 AM) the one with the red hair
to: scary lesbian (10:40 AM) she’s a tutor, right?
from: scary lesbian (10:41 AM) yeah?
from: scary lesbian (10:41 AM) for like, kids though
to: scary lesbian (10:42 AM) yeah
to: scary lesbian (10:43 AM) this might be easier to explain over the phone
-
“You’re on speakerphone. Hurley’s here too,” Sloane says, and Taako can hear her arms crossing. “What’s going on?”
“So, I have a kid now,” he starts, causing the two girls on the other side of the phone to lapse into stunned silence.
Hurley is the first to speak up. “I thought you were dating Kravitz?”
“I need you two to give me a few minutes to explain myself and then we can deal with that,” Taako responds with a sigh. “I found a child. Now he’s mine. He’s been living with me for--Ango, how long have you been here for?” he calls, and Angus shouts back that it’s been around two months. “He’s been here for two months.”
“Holy fucking shit.” Sloane laughs. “Of all the people, Taako, I would have never expected--”
“I know,” he interrupts, “but he’s the reason I need to talk to Noelle.”
They’re both quiet for a second, thinking. “I can give you her number,” Hurley says, “but we have to talk about Kravitz. Consider it a gift in return.”
“Actually, doesn’t your sister’s boyfriend do tutoring?” Sloane mentions, though Taako can hear the shit-eating grin in her voice. “He knows Noelle through it, I’m certain of it.”
“He does, but--” Taako grits his teeth. Barry is, of course, a huge fucking nerd, and would be more than happy to help Ango out, but he doesn’t want to admit to him (and by extension, Lup) that he needs help with Angus--that he’s thinking about the future when it comes to the kid. There’s a part of him that still wants to believe that Angus can find a happy home without Taako, and acknowledging to Lup and Barry--to himself --that he needs to figure out something like school is hard. He wants Angus to have a good childhood, and he’s not sure that he can give it to him, as much as Taako wants to.
Hell, he’s never gonna be able to let this kid go. He just wants to make sure that Angus is happy.
“But what?” she challenges, unaware that she’s struck a nerve.
“But... nothing,” he says, backing down. “You’re right. I should ask Barry before I ask Noelle.”
Sloane mumbles something to Hurley that Taako can’t quite make out. “I can still give you her number, but I think you should talk to him first.”
“Now for the fun part. I heard you had a date on Wednesday?” Hurley asks innocently.
“And there’s no point in denying it, since he already told us,” Sloane chimes in.
“It’s not a big deal,” Taako mutters, and out of the corner of his eye he catches Angus trying to pretend like he isn’t listening. “Bubbelah, I can see you trying to listen to my conversation, and eavesdropping is only cool when you don’t get caught, mkay?”
Angus goes bright red and looks away while Taako just laughs. “I’m gonna go to my room so the kid doesn’t listen in, gimme a sec.”
Hurley is kind enough to wait until she hears the door shut to ask, “So, I heard you ran into him at the bookstore.”
“Yeah, I was letting the kid pick some stuff out. I feel mildly betrayed that he told you all this, and I expect you to pass that along,” he says, but there’s no malice in his voice.
Sloane snorts. “I’ll make sure to file that complaint. Come on, tell us what’s going on! Do you like him?”
“Course I like him, I’m going on a date with him, aren’t I?” Taako responds, trying to keep his voice low. “I mean, he’s absolutely amazing. A total fucking dork, but amazing nonetheless. I didn’t know that someone was allowed to be that hot and that nice at the same time.
“It’s just crazy ‘cause it’s been so fuckin’ long since I’ve had a real relationship, a good one, and hachi machi, the perfect man just gets shoved into my life…” he trails off with a sigh, suddenly regretting this phone call. “Why am I telling you guys this?”
Sloane laughs. “‘Cause Taako’s got a crush.”
“Alright, I’m hanging up now.”
“Love you!” Hurley calls as he clicks the ‘end call’ button.
Taako sighs, throwing his phone next to him on the bed. “Ango, are you listening at the door?”
There’s silence from the other side of Taako’s bedroom door, following by a quiet shuffling sound that he assumes is Angus totally not moving away from the door.
“Ango.”
“No, I’m not!” he yells from the living room, which he has been in the whole time and did not move to when Taako asked him, no sir.
“Yeah, okay, I totally believe you!” he yells back, rolling his eyes as he opens the door. “How much were you listening to?”
Ango blinks up at him innocently. “I didn’t listen to any of it.”
“For the smartest kid in the universe, you’re a pretty bad fuckin’ liar.” Taako flops down onto the couch next to him with a loud sigh. “You know, Lup’s boyfriend is a tutor.”
“Yeah?” Angus says, looking up from his book.
He glances over to the kid, who looks so hopeful that a terrifying feeling of doubt washes over Taako and settles around him like a heavy fog. “Um…”
He suddenly doesn’t know what to say. The next step is to suggest to Angus that Barry might be a suitable replacement for school--at least in the meantime--but it’s hard to acknowledge that. Not because he doesn’t want Angus to stay, he fucking loves the kid or something lame like that, but because Taako doesn’t want Angus to end up like him and he doesn’t know if an elf that definitely needs therapy and barely has the financial means to support a child is the right person to make sure he doesn’t end up as fucked up as Taako.
But he wants to try.
“I was thinking,” he starts carefully, “that he would probably be able to help you keep learning while we figure out school for you. Since he’s such a fuckin’ nerd and all.”
“You… figure out school?” Angus asks.
Taako shrugs, looking away. “If you’re really going to stay here, we have to get you to school somehow. I think I have to legally adopt you to be able to register you--what the fuck am I saying?”
Angus’s eyes are wide, but he’s smiling from ear to ear. “Adopt me?”
“You heard nothing, bubbelah. Do you want me to talk to Barry?”
“Yes, please!” he says, and the excitement in Angus’ voice causes a smile to edge onto Taako’s face. “That sounds amazing, thank you so much!”
Angus throws his arms around Taako, who’s startled for a second, then sighs and hugs the kid back. “Don’t get used to it,” he mutters, even though he already might be.