Chapter Text
"Please don't make me talk about my feelings."
Magnus freezes. Taako is sitting cross-legged on the turf near the edge of the moonbase, staring out towards the lights of Neverwinter below. At first, Magnus doesn't know how the elf even heard his approach, then he sees that Taako's long ears are swiveled back towards him like hyper-alert anntenae.
"I wasn't--" he starts to protest, but Taako snorts and cuts him off.
"C'mon, my dude, I'm not a complete idiot. It's four in the morning--prime human sleeping hours--and you've been lurking for a good three minutes. You've clearly got something to say." He still hasn't turned around, his whole body tense with anticipation.
Magnus feels an odd sense of deja vu. Have they had this conversation before? When he tries to think about it, there's a weird buzzing in his head that makes it hard to concentrate. He shakes off the feeling.
"Yeah, well, maybe I do want to talk about it," he concedes, approaching his roommate with some caution. Taako looks up at him. He's always been beautiful, but something about the silver moonlight on his carefully blank expression makes him seem even more ethereal.
"Do we have to?"
Magnus frowns and sits down next to him. "You're the one who kissed me !"
"It was a heat of the moment thing!" Taako protests, "N-b-d!"
Wisely, Magnus chooses not to respond. He remembers the feel of Taako's fists twisted in his tunic, yanking him forward, and the brief, warm press of his mouth. He can perfectly picture the startled look on Taako's face as he pulled away, like even he was taken off guard by his actions.
When the silence starts to stretch out between them, Taako heaves a massive sigh that blows his bangs out of his face, ears drooping. He looks tired, and Magnus abruptly remembers that he's over a hundred years old.
"You almost died today, Burnsides. Excuse moi for expressing my...relief that you didn't." Taako says haughtily.
Magnus cracks a grin. "Are you saying you care about me?"
Taako looks absolutely horrified. "I most certainly am not! I'm just saying don't jump off of trains like an idiot."
"We all jumped off the train," Magnus feels compelled to point out.
"Well, you did it badly. Be more careful." Taako grumbles.
"Because you caaaaaaare," Magnus singsongs. "You liiiiiiike me."
"I won't stand for this slander," Taako snaps, starting to get to his feet. Before he's thought about it, Magnus reaches out and grabs Taako's wrist, pulling him back down. To his surprise, the elf doesn't resist.
"Don't go," he says quietly. "I'll stop teasing. Just...sit with me for a while?"
"Fine, but only because I have nothing better to do." He pulls his knees up to his chest and slumps sideways, a warm weight against Magnus' side. As Magnus gingerly puts an arm around his waist, he slants a glare up at him. "This isn't cuddling, just to be clear."
"'Course not," Magnus agrees as Taako settles more heavily against him.
He desperately wants to talk about it; about the kiss that felt so familiar, like coming home after a century on the road. He wants to tell Taako how much he trusts him and how much he cares, even though he's only known this strange, mercurial elf for a couple months. It feels like they've already known each other for a lifetime, and it's all Magnus can think about lately.
But he knows that Taako isn't ready to have that conversation. And he knows--even this early in their friendship--that forcing him to talk about it now will send Taako running for the hills. So he snuggles in a little closer, tightening his grip and smiling as he hears Taako's breathing slow as he drifts off to sleep, his head resting lightly against Magnus' shoulder.
All in all, it's still a pretty good place to be.