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Angus is woken up by hushed whispering and the feeling of someone gently shaking his shoulder. He snuggles deeper into his bed in an attempt to block out the sound, the drowsy weight of sleep still cradling him in its warm velvet.
“Hey, little bird. Shh, hey, it’s okay. I know you’re sleepy, but can you open your eyes for me?”
Angus muffles a disgruntled sound of groggy protest into his pillow, scrunching his face up in a confused frown. An upset little meow comes from the foot of his bed, where Raandyy is curled up warm against one of his ankles, clearly irritated at having his sleep interrupted.
Angus feels a soft hand brush back through his hair, and the touch forces his foggy brain to make the connection. Taako. He nuzzles his head into the open palm, stifling a yawn.
“Why?” he asks, his throat still thick with sleep. “What’s wrong? ‘S there a fire?”
“Nothin’s wrong, pumpkin, you’re safe, don’t worry. Sorry to wake you. I just wanna show you somethin’.”
Angus sits up a bit and opens his eyes, the room sliding sidelong into blurry focus. He can see Taako perched on the side of his bed, albeit indistinctly, more outline than features. His glasses are pressed delicately into his hand before Angus can even ask for them. He slides them on, and everything sharpens.
Taako stands up then, awkward and sudden. He wipes his palms on the fabric of the bathrobe he’s wrapped in, shoves his hands in the pockets, evidently thinks better of it a moment later, pulling them out and crossing his arms instead. He seems anxious, twitchy in his movements. It’s harder to tell when his hair is down, but Angus watches his ears for any clues, and sure enough, they’re twitching back in the way he’s pretty sure indicates discomfort. It feels a little bit like cheating, since he knows Taako doesn’t have much control over his ears, but his moods can be kind of inscrutable, so Angus will take any help he can get in discerning them.
“What time is it?” Angus asks, glancing out his window and seeing only darkness in the yard outside, save for the faint yellow glow of a solitary streetlamp across the road.
Taako shrugs a little. “Late. Or early, I guess, if you think about it.”
Angus checks the clock on his nightstand. Half past four.
“Where are we going?” he asks, and Taako turns to rummage through Angus’ dresser drawers in lieu of replying. He pulls out a thick sweatshirt and tosses it over onto the bed, followed shortly by the warmest pajama pants he owns, and a pair of thick wool socks.
“On an adventure,” he finally says. “If I tell you what we’re doing, that takes half the fun out of it. Put these on, okay? Just trust me. I’ll be right back.” He leans down and presses a tiny kiss to Angus’ forehead before leaving the room.
Angus blinks after him for a moment in confusion, but then he sighs and sits up in bed, locking eyes with the big gray tom cat nestled into the soft warmth of his comforter. Raandyy tilts his head and meows inquisitively, and Angus reaches out to scratch him behind the ears. “What do you think, huh pal? Should I just go back to bed?” Raandyy closes his eyes and purrs, and Angus laughs. “Yeah, you’re right.”
He pulls the covers back and gets out of bed, starting to slowly pull the warm layers on over his pajamas.
He’s putting on his second sock when Taako returns in his worn-in brown leather adventuring boots, warm-looking gray flannel pants, a maroon sweater that Angus is pretty sure he stole from Kravitz, and a soft pink faux fur coat. Angus smiles. Leave it to Taako to look like he just stepped off of a runway, even at four in the morning. He’s cradling a folded blanket under one arm and holding two big thermoses. “Hey, boychik. You ready to go?”
Angus nods, and follows him out to the foyer, where Taako sits him down on the bench by the door that leads to the garage. He grabs Angus’s boots and a scarf out from the coat closet and sets them down on the bench beside him wordlessly, turning to enter the garage, giving Angus’s hair a distracted ruffle on his way. He seems scattered, a bit wild-eyed in a skittish sort of way. It makes Angus nervous.
“Taako?” he calls softly.
The elf whips around to look at him, taking a half step back from the garage door, his hand still on the knob. “Hm?”
“Are you okay? You seem kind of...” Angus trails off, unsure of the right words to use. “I don’t know. Weird.”
Taako blinks at him, and then he sighs deeply, and for a moment Angus worries that he might be cross with him for asking, but then Taako gives him a small smile, fond and tired. He sets the blanket and the thermoses down on the ground and strides over to the bench, kneeling down in front of Angus. He reaches a hand out and sets it on Angus’s face gently. “Oh, Angus, honey. Taako’s chill, yeah? Just figured some stuff out, is all. Big, complicated, scary grown up stuff. I’m sorry for freakin’ you out, pumpkin.” His brown eyes are warm, and there’s something fierce in them, maybe protective? Angus can’t quite parse it, but he feels reassured anyway, so he nods. He isn’t the best with eye contact, so he has to look away after a moment, but Taako doesn’t comment on it. He never does, and it’s something that Angus is eternally grateful for.
“Okay,” he says. “Is that why we’re going on an adventure? ‘Cause you figured stuff out?”
Taako inhales sharply, smiles, gives a breathy little laugh. “Yeah, boy wonder, it sure is. You cool with that?” He sounds sort of shaky, like he might cry.
Going for a drive at four in the morning isn’t exactly Angus’s first idea for handling a sudden revelation, but he’s not a grown up with big scary grown up problems, so maybe he can’t quite understand. “Yeah, it’s okay. I like adventures,” he says simply. “And I trust you.” It’s the truth.
Taako closes his eyes, smiles in a quiet sort of way, sighs softly, and Angus gets that creeping sense he gets sometimes that he’d managed to say just the right thing. Taako presses a brief kiss to his forehead before standing back up. “Alright, then adventure it is. I’m gonna go start the car and get it warmed up before we head out, okay? Can you put your boots and your scarf on for me? I’ll wait for you in the driveway.”
Angus nods, busying himself with the laces of his boots while Taako carries the blanket and the thermoses out to the car. He hears the growl of the engine and the rumble of the garage door not long after, as he finishes tying his second boot.
He holds the scarf in his hands, turning it over and feeling its soft yarn, just taking a moment to look at it before he puts it on. He traces the stripes, soft yellow and slate gray, his two favorite colors. Taako had knitted it for him back in August, saying he’d need something warm for the fall. He was right, of course. Angus had worn it on his walks to school and back almost every single day of fall semester, even when it clashed with his outfits, something that had bothered Taako to no end.
He wraps it around his neck, ties it the way that Kravitz had shown him one morning when Angus had found him in the kitchen making breakfast, wearing Taako’s favorite robe over his pajamas to ward off the early morning chill of the house. It had been kind of awkward to see him so early, but Kravitz was really nice about it, and he made Angus breakfast and packed him a lunch before seeing him off to school for the day.
He heads out to the car, idling in the driveway, with the warm yellow glow of the headlights bleeding out into the cold night, catching the shapes of drifting snowflakes and gilding them around the edges. He climbs into the passenger side, closing the door firmly behind him to seal out the cold and fastening his seatbelt. “It’s snowing,” he says.
“Like hell,” Taako agrees. “If it wasn’t winter break, I’d say you might even get the day off tomorrow. I’ve driven in worse, though. We’ll be fine.” He checks to see that Angus is buckled in before putting the garage door down and backing out of the driveway carefully.
“Where are we going, anyway?” Angus asks, holding his cold hands up to the air vents and basking in the heat they’re giving off. “I know you said it’s a surprise, but I’m curious!”
Taako laughs, putting the car into first gear and setting off down the street. “I thought we could go on a Candlenights drive,” he says, “Look at all the lights and shit that people put up. We gotta find the most over the top house this side of Neverwinter so that we know who to outshine when we decorate this weekend. Know your competition, all that. After that, I have a cool spot I found that I wanna show you, but I’m keeping the purebred cat in the Gucci bag on that one until we get there.”
Angus grins, settling into the car for a long drive and looking out the window at each passing house wrapped in gleaming lights. “These are all so pretty. I like the one up there with the blue lights.” He points, and Taako agrees once he spots it.
They take turns pointing out houses to each other, ones where the decorations have veered past extravagant and well into tacky, ones that are sadly bare, ones with multicolored lights wrapped around the trees and inflatable snowflakes on the lawn and blinking purple lights lining the walkway. They take extra notice of the cool ones- “Look, this one has animatronic reindeer! Sick.” “Angles, check it out, the lights on this lawn are shaped like a menorah.” “Is that a dragon made of string lights? I don’t know how that relates, but I suddenly want to know these people, holy shit.” “How many inflatable snowmen can one yard possibly have?” “This house’s decorations are all in Elvish, can you tell me what they say?” -as they slowly make their way through each neighborhood, Candlenights music playing softly on the radio.
In between pointing out houses, they talk to fill the silence. Taako tells stories from his time on the Starblaster. Angus explains his favorite case from the newest Caleb Cleveland novel. They talk about holiday plans, what they’re going to cook, what day would be best to go shopping for presents. They talk about the cats, about Angus’s friends at school, about what spells he’ll be learning at school next semester. They talk about movies they want to go see, about weird dreams they’ve had lately, about how cute Magnus’s dogs will look in holiday sweaters.
Taako sounds warm, unguarded, raw and genuine, the way he sometimes sounds at night, when Angus finds him humming to himself in the kitchen, on the nights when neither of them can sleep. Angus still hasn’t solved this particular case, hasn’t been able to figure out what triggers this version of Taako. It’s as if he’s been peeled open like fruit, all of his breezy quips and melodramatic bravado stripped away to bare an unusually candid, vulnerable, honest core, as if he’s too exhausted to keep his walls up for even a second longer. Angus is still unsure of the proper protocol for handling this late-night Taako, his tenderness, his unexpected sincerity. It’s nights like these that remind Angus of how long Taako has lived, how much he’s felt, the things he’s seen. He talks about Candlenights growing up on the road with Lup, how sometimes he would steal hair ribbons or bracelets to give her as gifts, how sometimes all they could give each other were hugs and oranges they swiped from the kitchen of whatever caravan they were with that week. He talks about the Candlenights they got to spend with their aunt, all the Elvish traditions they learned that winter. He tells Angus the story of the first Candlenights he and Lup spent together after joining the IPRE, about how they could finally afford nice gifts for each other, about the holiday party they threw for their soon-to-be crewmates which, according to Taako, was “off the fucking chain, natch.”
Angus doesn’t talk much about his own holidays growing up, besides talking about the year his nanny gifted him a full set of the first five Caleb Cleveland books on the last night of Hanukkah, but Taako doesn’t press the issue. They argue about which holiday movies are the best, Taako shares his favorite recipe for latkes and asks Angus about his favorite Hanukkah traditions, to ensure they’re included in their holiday plans. They plan what they’re going to wear to Lup and Barry’s holiday party, because they have to match, obviously. Angus says that Kravitz is welcome to spend Candlenights at their house this year, and he laughs at Taako’s resulting blush and indignant scoff. They’re discussing the pros and cons of multiclassing (Angus is still a few years off from needing to choose a class, but he’s torn between wizard and bard) when they see it.
The house.
Taako parks in front of the driveway, and they both sit silently for a moment as they take in all the glamour and brilliance the house has to offer.
It’s a mansion, first of all, so finding the sheer space for that many lights on their cozy little bungalow is going to be a challenge. Every inch of the roof is glowing, graced with neatly organized, perfectly straight lines of pale blue lights. There’s an elaborate nativity scene sprawling over part of the lawn, a veritable mountain of shiny metal sculptures at the end of the driveway, designed to look like presents. There’s an enchanted snowglobe on the porch, big enough for an adult to stand in, glitter swirling around inside of it. There are elaborate wreaths on the door and the wrought iron gates, lamps shaped like candy canes lining the walkway, giant glowing snowflakes hung from all the trees. The lights edging the eaves of the mansion slowly pulse and change colors to the beat of a Candlenights song playing quietly from somewhere on the property. It’s extravagant. It’s gorgeous. It’s breathtaking.
Taako whistles under his breath. “We’ve got our work cut out for us, Angus. Think we can really top this? It might require actual effort on my part, and I don’t know if I’m down for that shit.”
Angus giggles. “Relax. You’re Taako, from TV. I’m Angus McDonald, world’s greatest detective. We got this.”
Taako offers him a fist bump, and Angus tries to hide how delighted Taako’s proud expression makes him feel.
They take a few pictures, and spend a couple minutes speculating about the people who live in this lavish and festive home. And then Taako pulls back onto the road, and Angus remembers the mysterious second leg of their adventure.
The atmosphere in the car changes, softens, goes quieter. Taako switches the radio from the holiday station to the one he usually prefers, and he sings along to top 40 hits under his breath as he guides the car onto back roads with less houses and less streetlights. Angus leans his head against the window, tucks his knees up to his chest, wraps his arms around them.
He watches Taako out of the corner of his eye, watches the way his eyes are fixed on the road, gaze flicking every so often towards the rearview mirror. He has one hand on the steering wheel and the other resting on the stick shift, and as he accelerates around a banked curve set into the base of a snow-dusted foothill, Angus hears the engine slowly rev higher and higher before dropping back down to a purr as Taako shifts gears. He finds himself taking mental stock of how many years he has left before he can start learning how to drive, before Taako can start teaching him. It takes a moment for the thought to register as a Forever Thought, hopeful and naive, preemptive in its assumption that things will stay the way they are. Angus allows himself room to indulge in the thought anyway before neatly packing it away inside the box of all the other Forever Thoughts that he keeps inside his head. It’s filling up awfully fast lately.
“Hey, little man. Gold piece for your thoughts?” Taako asks, casting a glance over at him.
Angus shrugs, turning to look out the window at all the trees rushing past them. There are so many things that he wants to say, an ocean of keep me, but the tide has gone out and all the words are out of reach, so instead he simply settles for “Are we there yet?”
Taako hums quietly. “Almost, cricket.”
They drive in silence for a few more minutes, and Angus senses a gradual change in altitude as Taako drives them further up into the foothills. He finally turns off of the main road and onto a stretch of gravel that rumbles underneath the tires. They’re on a cliff edge overlooking the city, and below them, Neverwinter twinkles and gleams with a million needlepoints of light. Angus sits up a bit straighter in the passenger seat, unbuckling his seatbelt as Taako drops the car back into first gear, slows to a stop, and puts on the parking brake.
“Careful, kid,” Taako warns as he opens his door, pocketing the keys and grabbing both of the thermoses. “It's dark as shit, and there could be ice, and it's a helluva long way down. Stay close, yeah? And get the blanket from the back for me, if you would.”
Angus nods and turns to fish it out of the backseat before getting out, careful to find his footing on the slippery gravel as he climbs out of the car. He sees Taako leaned against the hood of the old Saab, a thermos in each hand, staring out over the city, backlit and contemplative.
Angus meets him in front of the car and offers him the blanket, and Taako sets the drinks on the roof for a moment to free up his hands. He helps Angus scramble up onto the hood of the car, the metal still faintly warm from its trek up the mountain. Taako hauls himself up to sit right beside him, unfolding the blanket to wrap it around both of their shoulders. He passes Angus a thermos, and he cradles it between his hands, the heat of it helping to ward off the chill of the night. Angus watches their breath fog against the cold, as falling snowflakes tickle his face and catch in his eyelashes. He takes a sip from his thermos and smiles at the familiar taste of Taako's hot chocolate, the one they've made together too many times to count, with vanilla and just a touch of salt.
He knows he should be looking out at the city below them, but he chances a look over at Taako, whose gaze seems to be fixed somewhere in the middle distance, somehow both a thousand miles away and right in front of him all at once.
“It's beautiful,” he says, the silence starting to prick at his edges and make him nervous. “The city, I mean.”
Taako startles a bit, refocusing his gaze on the view ahead of them, nodding softly and humming his agreement as he takes a sip from his own thermos. “Pretty dope, right? I thought you'd like it.” Taako reaches over to ruffle his hair, and Angus leans into it without meaning to.
“Taako,” he says after a moment, his voice hushed, sincere. “Why are we here? The real reason, I mean.”
Taako lets out a soft laugh beside him, and it's something shaky and almost bitter. “Damn, you got me. You really don't miss a thing, do you Holmes?”
“Nope,” Angus quips, grinning a little in spite of himself and his nerves, leaning his head against Taako's shoulder. Taako wraps an arm around him, shielding him further from the cold.
They look out over Neverwinter, watching cars crawl by like ants as the city begins to stir with people waking up and bracing themselves for a long day ahead. The wind picks up around them, and in the glow that rises up off the city, Angus sees the mist of falling snowflakes catch and twirl, suspended thin and gossamer in the air like smoke from a blown-out candle.
“Angus,” Taako sighs, closing his eyes, his voice hoarse and watery. “This isn't easy for me, this whole... actually-talking-about-shit-for-a-change thing. You have to know that. So, I'm... I'm trying, but. Fuck. Give me a sec, boychik. I just... Taako just needs a minute, that's all.”
“It's okay,” Angus whispers, his heart beating thickly in his throat, his pulse rushing in his ears. “Take your time. I can wait.” The space behind his eyes pricks in that painful way it always does right before he starts to cry, because he knows this part, he knows what comes next. He can't stay here. He grips his thermos so hard his knuckles ache, and he bites his tongue, and he tries to blink away the hurt behind his eyes. If Taako notices, just blame the snow, he thinks, say your eyes were stinging from it. It would only be a half-lie.
“Is that what you figured out?” Angus asks in a rush, his anxiety spilling over into panic. “The big complicated grown up thing from earlier? Did you realize you can't keep-”
“Ango, I think I'm your dad,” Taako says frantically, interrupting him. “Or- or you're my kid, fuck, I don't know how to say this.”
Angus blinks, stopped in his tracks by the statement. He feels his face screwing up in confusion, and he pulls away from Taako in order to better see his face. “What do you mean?”
Taako scoffs, pressing the heels of his hands against his eyes. “Come on, you're a smart kid,” he groans, “I think you know what I mean.”
“Uhh, no, I really don't,” Angus says. “You're an elf. I'm a human. That's not how it works.”
“Okay, first of all, you're like six, how do you know how anything works,” Taako teases, and Angus rolls his eyes at him. “Second of all, that's not what I was talking about. Think about it, sweet pea.”
“Then...” Something finally clicks, and Angus gasps a little, bringing a hand up to cover his mouth. “No.” He feels the tears needling at his eyes again, but this time they're a different kind entirely.
“Yep,” Taako says, smiling down at him, tone soft and tentative. “'Fraid so, pumpkin.”
“You mean you're-”
“Means whatever you want it to mean, Angles, you've got a say here too, but...yeah. You and me. Welcome to the family, kid. There's space if you want in.”
Just like that, Angus feels his box of Forever Thoughts splitting open at the seams. He rushes in to hug Taako around the waist as tight as he can, burying his face in his father's coat as his shoulders start to shake. “Dad,” he says, his voice rough with tears, and it comes out so small, but it feels bigger than anything. He feels Taako's sharp exhale in response, and a hand comes up to run through his hair comfortingly as Taako pulls him close.
“Yeah,” Taako says, and it sounds like he’s crying, too, maybe. “Yeah, that's me. Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” Angus replies, shaky between sobs, “I’m okay. I've just wanted this for a long time, that's all.”
“Me too,” Taako whispers. “I'm sorry I made you wait so long. I just had to figure it out.”
“I know,” Angus says, laughing weakly. He pulls back and sniffles, drying his eyes with the sleeve of his sweater. “It was worth the wait.”
Taako looks down at him, an emotion brewing in his brown eyes that Angus isn't sure either of them could name. He sighs softly, reaches out to gently lay a hand on either side of Angus's face. “You sure did surprise me, huh, little bird? Comin’ along like that when I least expected it.”
Angus laughs a little. “I guess so? I'm not entirely sure what you mean.”
Taako smiles, his hands lingering on Angus's face for a moment longer before he pulls away to lay back against the hood of the car, looking up at the stars, his long legs dangling over the front bumper. Angus follows suit, laying down beside him. On the outskirts of the city, the stars above shine almost as brightly as the Candlenights decorations below.
“I just meant I didn't see you coming, that's all. Or this, I guess.”
Angus is quiet, giving him a chance to gather his thoughts. He tries to spot the Big Dipper, searching for the stars Magnus had shown him one night on the moon base.
“Far back as I can remember, I never in a million years thought I'd have kids. Have a family,” Taako says, continuing. “Lup always wanted one. Wanted to settle down somewhere, fall in love, be a mom, maybe. She'd talk about it all the time when we were growing up. I think it was her way of... finding light at the end of the fuckin’ tunnel, I guess? Like maybe we wouldn't be on the road forever. But I guess I never saw the point, really. Or I think...maybe I just didn't want to let myself think about it too hard, in case I...started to want it. And hell, even if I did, I knew I'd never be any fuckin’ good at it anyway. Lup would. She'd be a great mom. That shit’s always been easier for her than it is for me. People, I mean. Never could figure out why. Just...I knew I didn't have any fuckin’ business raising kids. Not like I had any role models in the first place.”
“You have a family now, though,” Angus says. “You've got me, and Aunt Lup, and Uncle Barry, and Uncle Magnus, and Mister Kravitz, and Davenport, and Aunt Lucretia, and... is Merle my uncle or my grandpa?”
Taako laughs. “He's gross, is what he is. But he can be whatever you want, kid. And hey, bold move lumping Krav in with the rest of the chucklefucks.”
“Grandpa,” Angus decides. “And I think Mister Kravitz should count. He makes you happy. He feels like family.”
“Christ,” Taako says, “You might be right. We can hash that out some other time, though. Taako's had more than enough emotions for one night, thank you very much.”
Angus giggles. “Sorry. You know I'm right, though.”
“You're a pain in my ass, is what you are,” Taako quips, but there's no bite behind it, and Angus can hear the smile in his voice.
“What changed? About you having kids, I mean,” he asks after a moment, rolling over onto one side to look at Taako.
“I got a family, I guess, whether I asked for one or not,” Taako answers. “A hundred years spent with the same six losers will do that to ya. And then I met you, junebug. And I realized how much I'd been through, and...I guess I just thought, y'know, if I can't help someone, someone else who was going through some shit, then what's even the fucking point. And...I guess at first I just thought I was helping you, but eventually I realized how much you were helping me, too. I don't know how to explain it, Angles. I woke up one day and there you were, and I just knew I was your dad. Scared the hell outta me. But I'm glad you're here.”
“I know what you mean,” Angus confesses. “It's been really hard not calling you...y'know. It just kept wanting to come out. I was so worried I'd say it. But I didn't wanna freak you out, so.”
“Jeezy creezy, kid,” Taako says. “You coulda said somethin’. But I appreciate your patience, I do. You're always gonna be quicker on the draw than I am, I think. Wouldn't have it any other way, though. And hey, we figured it out eventually.”
“We did,” Angus agrees. “And that's what matters.”
“You're damn right, pumpkin.”
“Wait,” Angus says, a thought having suddenly occurred to him. “Who else knows? That you're adopting me, I mean.”
“No one yet,” Taako says. “Figured it was only fair to ask you first. It's your life, after all. You should be first to know. Talking about it behind your back seemed shitty.”
“Huh,” Angus says. “That makes sense, I guess. But nobody? Not even Lup or Kravitz?”
The color drains from Taako's face then, and he closes his eyes. “Oh, fuck, Lup is gonna be so pissed.”
Angus laughs. “I don't think she will, I think she'll just be happy for you.”
“Of course she will, munchkin. She would never be pissed about me adopting you. And it's not like I was keeping anything from her, I only figured all this shit out a couple hours ago. I just meant she'll be pissed I beat her to it when she's the one who always wanted kids. But hey, Ango, sunshine, can you keep a secret?”
“Probably,” Angus says. “Depends on how big it is.”
“That's very honest of you, I dig it. Keep it comin’, hon. But anyway, you didn't hear this from me, but her and Barold are starting to try for kids. They're gonna use Wish, I think, but she said they were maybe thinking about surrogates too. In any case, fingers crossed and you'll have some little cousins pretty soon here. But keep this on the down low, yeah? It's not a done deal yet, and they're still hammering out the logistics of it all.”
Angus grins. “Cousins? Taako, that's so exciting! I hope it all works out!”
“Me too,” Taako says. “We could babysit them while Lulu and Barry are off playin’ grim reaper with my boyfriend. You're old enough.”
“I should do some research on babies,” Angus thinks aloud, closing his eyes and curling into Taako's side. “If I'm going to help take care of them.”
“Oh no, here we go,” Taako says teasingly. “Nerd alert. Nah, I'm just kidding, that's sweet. I should probably join you. I know fuckall about babies.”
“Can we wait a little bit and tell everybody at Candlenights?” Angus asks against Taako's shoulder. “It'll be hard keeping it a secret, but I wanna surprise everyone.”
“Sure, Agnes, if that's what you wanna do,” Taako says. “You can be everyone's best gift this year.”
Angus yawns then, caught off guard by how suddenly his exhaustion crept up on him.
“Oh, shit, right,” Taako says. “Humans aren't nocturnal. You must be wiped, my man. We should probably get you home and back into bed, huh bug?”
Angus nods, stretching sleepily, and he hears the crunch of Taako's boots against the gravel as he slides off the hood of the car, followed by the sound of car doors opening, and the next thing he knows, Angus feels himself being bundled up in the blanket and lifted off the hood. Taako sets him down gently on the backseat and closes the door behind him, and Angus cracks open one eye to watch him climb into the driver's seat. He starts the car, but before he backs out onto the road again, he turns to look at Angus over his shoulder, reaching one hand down to brush Angus's hair back from his forehead.
“We can fill out all the paperwork and swing by the courthouse tomorrow to finalize everything, yeah? Goodnight, mouse. Love you.”
Angus closes his eyes again as he feels the car pulling back out onto the road, gravel rumbling under the tires.
“Okay, Taako,” he mumbles. “Love you too.” He pauses for a moment, and the gravel turns into pavement, and he hears the windshield wipers come on, and he snuggles a bit deeper into the warm blanket, letting the motion of the car lull him closer towards sleep. “Goodnight, Dad.”