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The first time Angus meets Maggie, it’s by total accident.
He’s heading to Taako’s apartment for his weekly magic lesson. Some of Taako’s methods are a little… unorthodox, but the meetings have been consistent and he’s learned a lot.
Angus knocks once, and the door swings open. Now, Angus isn’t one for barging in unannounced—his grandpa taught him better than that—but Taako usually leaves the door open on purpose for “teaching purposes.”
Last week, he left the door open so he could ambush Angus and teach him combat magic on the fly. He was only using his cantrips, and even then he was barely trying, but Angus still can’t walk into their apartment without feeling braced for battle.
Angus takes out his wand, letting the door silently click shut behind him.
Step one is to assess your surroundings. Even if it’s a familiar place, even if the exits are burned into your mind, you still have to be aware of anything that might be different or usable in combat.
Angus is getting better and better at using Mage Hand, so his best bet will probably be anything small and aerodynamic enough to throw. The books on the coffee table might be good. Same with the small collection of shoes by the door.
Angus follows suit, slipping off his shoes and placing them neatly beside the others before proceeding further inside. He looks between the four main rooms—Taako’s bedroom, Magnus’s bedroom, Merle’s bedroom, and the kitchen—to try and assess which one Taako might be hiding in, when the sound of voices trickles out from Magnus’s room.
“Woe is me.” Taako says. It’s jarring to hear him so happy. “I guess my poor Magster is just lost to the universe, eh?”
Angus inches a little closer. It doesn’t sound like bait, but that’s never stopped Taako before.
“Wait a minute, I don’t think this suspicious lump was here before…” Taako continues.
The bedroom door is open, giving Angus a clear view of the two of them. Taako’s back is entirely to the door, but it doesn’t seem posed. More like he’s not expecting anyone.
“Aha!” Taako pulls back the blanket to reveal a giggling Magnus. Taako coos, wrapping his arms around Magnus’s neck. “There’s my precious little punkin.”
Angus knocks on the wall to announce himself. Somehow, he gets the feeling that this isn’t part of the lesson.
Taako and Magnus both stare at him, wide-eyed, and Angus gets the feeling he’s walked in on something intensely private.
Taako inches forward, readjusting his hug so Magnus can hide his face in Taako’s chest, and smiles, “Hey, there, Ango.”
Brushing aside the awkwardness, Angus smiles. “Hello, sirs! I hope I’m not interrupting anything, but it’s time for my magic lesson!”
Taako deliberates for a moment, his gaze flitting between Angus and Magnus. After a moment, he carefully detaches Magnus’s arms from around his waist.
Magnus whines, looking like he wants nothing more than to hide in the folds of Taako’s robes for the better part of a year.
“Keep your shorts on, broseph. I’ll be right back.” Taako promises. He tucks a lock of hair behind Magnus’s ear, and Magnus melts into the touch.
The next thing Angus realizes, Taako is right beside him, guiding him out of their living room with a half-gentle hand. “Come here, Angus. Come take a walk-o with Taako.”
“Of course, sir. Is Magnus alright?” After all, maybe he’s just sick or hurt? Taako tries to act like he doesn’t care about people a lot, but even he’s got a soft spot when the people he loves are sick or hurting. That would explain Taako acting so protective.
“Maggie’s fine, hon.”
The pointed use of “Maggie” instead of “Magnus” doesn’t go unnoticed.
“You and I will just need to schedule for another time.” Taako says simply.
“Because Magnus is hurt and you need to tend to him?” Angus guesses. It’s a shot in the dark, but he’s probably nowhere near the mark, based on how Taako’s expression sours.
“Because Magnus and I need alone time away nosy little detectives.” He must realize how that sounds, because he instantly backtracks. “And whatever assumptions are going through your little noggin right now are entirely off-base, so don’t get any ideas.”
An answer like that only makes Angus more concerned. If Magnus isn’t hurt or sick, and if they’re not an item, why exactly are they being so secretive?
Are they in some sort of trouble? Maybe they’re stressed about something. They’re definitely the type to get on the wrong side of the fantasy mafia, so maybe that’s what they were hugging over. It makes sense that they’d be jumpy if they’d just been talking about that.
And maybe it’s none of his business, but he wants to help in any way he can! Even if that means being a little nosier than his grandpa would appreciate. “Sir, well gosh, I guess there’s no way to say this without sounding threatening, but I am the world’s greatest detective, sir. And if you don’t want to tell me, then I guess I’ll just have to find out myself.”
Taako leans down so he and Angus are almost face to face and narrows his eyes. “Does privacy mean nothing to you, Agnes?”
Angus grins. “Not when I’m worried about my friends and their safety!”
“You can just say you’re nosy, home slice. I’m not gonna fault you for that.” And when that doesn’t work, Taako sighs. “Okay, fine, you know how sometimes I regress?”
Angus frowns and adjusts his glasses, a nervous tic he’s picked up in the last few weeks. “Not particularly, sir. In fact, I think this is the first time you’ve mentioned it.”
“Okay, well, allow me to explain.”
“No need, sir! I understand completely!” While Angus liked to read mysteries the most, he’d read just about everything he could get his hands on. “I’ve read about age regression in a book about coping mechanisms and—”
Taako cuts him off. “Okay, good, then you’ll understand why I have to threaten you right now.”
“Sir?”
Taako links his fingers, his eyes roaming the empty hallway, as if he’s trying to find the best, most diplomatic option. “Magnus is very new to this, and still very self-conscious, so it’s nothing against you when I say this, but…if you make him cry—which is very easy to do, mind you—I might just have to use…” He waves his hand, trying to find the right words. “…violent force? Let’s go with violent force.”
It looks like he wants to say more, but Taako cuts himself off, ears perk up to a sound Angus can’t hear, and with fond frustration, he looks back in the direction they’d come from.
“Patience is a virtue, Mags.” Regardless, he holds out his arms for a hug, and Magnus, if reluctantly, joins them.
It’s almost comical to see the way he tries to hide behind Taako, like his massive frame could ever squish into such a small space.
“Chin up. He won’t hurtcha, hon.”
Magnus offers a slight wave, but it’s clear just how uncomfortable he is to be in the situation.
Angus feels awful. For all his bravado, even Taako has no idea how to mediate this situation. So Angus does the only thing he can think of and excuses himself. “Well, I have to be on my way, sirs! Can I see you tomorrow for my magic lesson?”
The relief that radiates off Taako is almost palpable. “That’s fine, Ango.”
As he walks toward the elevator, Angus hears Taako sighing from behind him.
“I’m so sorry, punkin.” If Angus didn’t know any better, he’d say Taako sounded heartbroken.
He tries not to think about that.
The second time he meets Maggie—well, it’s also by complete accident.
After their first encounter, Angus didn’t want to push anything, academic curiosity aside, so he made an effort to avoid Magnus when he was looking particularly shy or jumpy. It didn’t happen often, because as Angus has found out, Magnus rarely walks around the Bureau when he’s regressed. He has a couple locations, like the Voidfish’s chambers, that he likes to wander off to, but more often than not, he’s basically glued to Taako’s side.
So when Magnus wanders into Angus’s section of the library, he doesn’t realize something is off until it’s too late.
“Hello, sir!”
Magnus freezes, his shoulders going all kinds of tense. When he turns around, his eyes are glistening with unshed tears.
Angus hesitates. He’s never dealt with regressed Magnus before, and he’s not quite sure what to do. “Is everything okay?”
Magnus glances side to side, nervously checking his surroundings before tucking his hands into the pockets of his hoodie. “You haven’t happened to see a dog plush anywhere, have you?”
“No, I can’t say I have. What’s his name?”
Magnus hesitates, twisting his sleeves in his fists. “Mr. Snuffles.” His voice is small, like he’s expecting Angus to make fun of him.
“Well, it seems like we have a mystery on our hands!” Angus chirps. He tugs on Magnus’s sleeve, trying to get him swept up in the excitement. “Is it a kidnapping? A missing persons case?”
Magnus blinks. “I think I just lost him…”
“Or the mafia is holding him ransom and it’s our job to save him!”
Magnus’s eyes go wide. “You think the mafia would do that?”
“Only one way to find out! First, I think we should get together a list of possible witnesses.” Angus pulls out a notebook from his backpack so he doesn’t miss anything. Fantasy Sherlock Holmes will just have to wait! “When do you last remember having him?”
“At the quad?” Magnus guesses. “I was on my way to Lulu’s office because Mr. Snuffles just got his first good boy sticker and she needed to sign it to make it official. That was at one or two, I think.”
Angus hums, notating as much. “Did you say hi to anyone on your way across the quad?” He doesn’t want to refer to anyone as a “suspicious person”—Brad from HR has given him plenty of flack for referring to his coworkers as much.
“Um, I saw Carey! She was moving boxes. And I saw Avi too. Mr. Snuffles and I stopped to talk to him for a bit.”
“And was that the last moment you remember having him?”
Magnus thinks it over for a moment. “Yeah, it was!”
“Hmm. It seems we’ve found our prime suspects!” Angus shoulders his bag with a grin. Magnus is starting to get swept up into the excitement, but he still needs a couple more pushes. “It’s time to investigate!”
Finding Carey isn’t that hard. She’s moving between buildings, carrying boxes that look like they could be twice her bodyweight.
“Mr. Snuffles?” Carey repeats. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure I saw him on the quad on my way to the dining hall. I just left him there, though. I didn’t know who he belonged to.” She grins. “Guess I should’ve guessed that one, huh, Mags?”
Magnus forces out a chuckle, hunching into the folds of his hoodie. His shyness comes in waves, and gets worse when he’s around new people. “Yeah, I guess so.”
Concern flashes across her features, but to keep her from inquiring any further, Angus launches into his investigation.
“Did you ever return to the scene of the crime to see the dog missing?” Angus asks.
Carey hums in thought, scratching her chin. “Maybe? I dunno, I’ve kind of been all over the place all day, and I wasn’t really checking every time I passed. It could’ve been.”
“I see.” Angus smiles at her. “Thank you for your time, ma’am!”
Carey laughs. “Sure thing, squirt.” She shoulders the giant box, but before she leaves, she turns to Magnus. “You want me to call Taako?” she asks in a slightly lower voice.
Angus studies her. While it’s possible she’s just being considerate, there’s also the possibility that she knows he regresses as well. It wouldn’t be all that surprising, with how close they are.
Magnus shakes his head, his cheeks turning a dusty pink. “I’m okay.”
“Cool beans. I’ll keep an eye out for Mr. Snuffles.” She pats his shoulder on her way by and leaves without another word.
“So that lead was a total bust.” Angus muses. He crosses out her name under the list of suspects. Her story is dodgy at best, but Angus doesn’t see a reason for her to take the dog plush in the first place, so she’s in the clear—for now.
“Yeah…” Magnus sighs. He must be missing Mr. Snuffles an awful lot.
“Hey, it’s alright! We still have Avi to talk to.” He slips his hand into Magnus’s, and much to his surprise, Magnus grins back.
Avi is absorbed in a book as they approach, but once they catch his attention, he flashes his usual charming grin.
“Oh, hey you two!”
“Hello, sir!” Angus chirps. “Would you mind answering a few questions—”
“Have you seen Mr. Snuffles?” Magnus interrupts.
Avi blinks, and Angus can practically see the gears turning in his mind. “That’s your dog plush, right?”
Magnus nods. He shoves his hands back into his hoodie pockets. “He got kidnapped.”
“Aww, I’m sorry, buddy. You want me to call Taako for you?”
“It’s okay.” Magnus says, a little too quickly.
“Are you sure? You seem…” Avi gestures vaguely, trailing off with a pointed glance in Angus’s direction.
“Really, it’s okay.” Magnus’s face burns, and after a long pause, he averts his eyes. “I tried anyway and he didn’t answer.”
Angus furrows his brow. He hasn’t seen much of Taako caring for Magnus, but this doesn’t add up with what he has seen. There’s no doubt in his mind that Taako would drop everything if Maggie asked. For him to not even answer his Stone? Very odd.
“Oh…” And Avi’s reaction only further confirms that theory. He practically spins on Angus. “So, uh, what did you want to ask me?”
“You haven’t seen Mr. Snuffles?” Angus asks. “Not even when Magnus stopped to talk to you?”
“No, not that I remember.”
Angus nods, acting like Avi hasn’t rocketed to the top of his suspect list. Because if Magnus claims talking to Avi was the last time he had Mr. Snuffles, but Avi claims not to see the plush at all, he’s more inclined to believe Magnus.
But what reason would Avi have to lie? Something strange is going on here…
“Any other places you’ve been at today?” At the very least, he might be able to find out where Avi took the stuffie—if he took it. Angus is still trying to figure out why Avi lied in the first place.
“No, I’ve been hanging around here all day.” Avi shrugs. “Johann’s been composing in the dorm, so I came out to the quad to take a nap.”
“Have many people passed by?”
“No, it’s been pretty quiet around here. Aside from Carey, the only other person that I’ve noticed is the Director.”
Angus raises a brow. “The Director? When did she come by?”
Avi shrugs. “I dunno. Maybe like three?”
“I see, I see.” Angus grins. “Thank you for your time, sir! Have a good evening!”
They exchange a few more pleasantries before heading to their next suspect—the Director herself.
“Avi was lying.” Magnus says after they’re far enough away. “I had Mr. Snuffles with me when we were talking. I know I did!”
“It’s okay, sir—Maggie. I believe you! We just have to find out why he lied. There was a chance he honestly forgot, but there’s an equal chance that he was lying.”
“So what do we do?”
“Follow our only other lead, of course. If the Director backs up his claim that they saw each other, then she can attest to seeing him with or without the dog plush. If not, then we have two separate lies to catch him in!”
“We have to hurry! Mr. Snuffles is afraid of the dark!”
Before Angus can dole out any reassurances, he’s being grabbed by the back of his collar and pulled up onto Magnus’s shoulders.
“Whoa! Maggie!” Any further protests die on his lips as Magnus breaks into a full sprint. After all, it is a more efficient way to travel. And he’d be lying if he said this wasn’t the tiniest bit fun.
They make it to the Director’s office in no time, the guards not even sparing them a glance before letting them in. Angus wonders, is this because they’re also in on Maggie’s secret? Or has the Director just given Magnus and the other two blanket permissions to enter her office whenever they want?
“Good evening, boys.” If the Director is surprised to see Magnus barreling into her office with Angus on his shoulders, she doesn’t look it. Maybe she knows about Magnus too, because she gives them both a warm smile that’s rare to see from her.
“Good evening, Madame Director!” Angus chirps. “Now, I hate to be rude, but we’re kind of on a tight schedule, so I hope you don’t mind that I’m opening with an accusation.”
The Director raises an eyebrow, a slight grin on her face. However, the spark of fear in her eyes is unmistakable. “Oh?”
“Unfortunately, you’re the prime suspect in a missing person’s case.” Angus begins. “Avi says he saw you crossing the quad at around 3 p.m., around the time Magnus lost Mr. Snuffles.”
The Director’s lips press into a thin line. “Must you know all my comings and goings?”
“Well, you see, if you really were out at that time, that would put you right at the scene of the crime right when Mr. Snuffles disappeared!”
“I believe I’ve been found out.” The Director sighs. She rounds her desk and produces a slightly weathered dog plush from behind it. “Here I thought I was being sneaky. I was planning on making him a sweater.”
“Mr. Snuffles!” Magnus cries. He tugs the dog plush to his chest, squeezing it tight. “Angus, we found him!”
Angus tries to smile back, but something is bothering him still. Something about that testimony… And why didn’t she put up more of a fight when he first caught her? “Wait a minute, Madame Director. Something here doesn’t add up.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“Well,” Angus puffs out his chest, feeling very proud of himself. “I believe I actually baited you, ma’am. Magnus’s stuffie went missing somewhere between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. Meaning that the time you were spotted near the quad would’ve been when Mr. Snuffles was already gone.”
The Director’s eyes widen. Honestly, she has one of the worst poker faces!
“Ergo, I have reason to believe that you’re taking the fall for someone else. Perhaps someone with an ability for spells like Greater Invisibility.”
Angus turns to the Director’s vacated desk. If he’s wrong about this, he’s going to look really stupid, but if he’s right, he’s firmly secured himself as the coolest kid in the room.
“You can show yourself now, sir.”
Slowly, the chair spins, revealing Taako, legs crossed, arms folded. “You just couldn’t leave well enough alone, could you, McDonald?”
“You asked Avi to lie, didn’t you?” Angus asks. He has to fight back a sigh of relief that Taako was where Angus thought he was. “He’s the one that took Mr. Snuffles when Magnus wasn’t looking and kept it hidden until Carey could safely retrieve it and move it to the Director’s office.”
The half-proud, half-angry smirk that comes to Taako’s face tells him just how right he is. “Care to explain your reasoning, Agnes? This is an essay question, kiddo, not short answer, and you won’t get full credit with a half-baked answer like that.”
“It wasn’t hard to find discrepancies in everyone’s stories. Magnus actually helped me a lot with that!”
Magnus perks up beside him, happy to be included in the parlor scene.
“I knew I should’ve given them scripts.” Taako mutters.
“But when Magnus mentioned you hadn’t been answering his calls, I knew something had to be up. I’m guessing no one but the Director knew you had any part of this, and that she fed them the same story she fed us.”
“I knew I should’ve given them scripts!”
Angus clasps his hands behind his back and approaches the desk. “The only thing I don’t have the answer to is why you did it.”
Taako shrugs. “Why not? Hell of a way to spend your afternoon, right, Maggie?”
“Yeah!” Maggie beams. He scurries over and sits on the end of the Director’s desk, happily kicking his feet. “Can you do a murder mystery next?”
No, that wasn’t quite it. There’s something more to this, something Taako’s not telling them.
Angus is about to let it go, deciding that all’s well that ends well, when it finally hits him. The first time he met Maggie, the weird sadness on Taako’s face. “Sir, were you… upset that Maggie and I didn’t get along at first?”
He knows he’s right from how Taako flushes, all the way to the tips of his ears. “Well, yeah, since you’re both obsessed with those Fantasy Pokemon games. I thought it was a bit of a waste.”
Angus gasps. “You like Fantasy Pokemon, Maggie? Wait, the cards or the games?”
“The games…” Magnus trails off. He gives a telling glance in Taako’s direction, but he must think better of hiding. “The card game is confusing.”
“I have the cards too! I could show you how to play sometime!”
Magnus beams, turning to Taako. “Can we?”
Taako gives him a fond smile. “Next time, Mags. I know for a fact you haven’t had dinner yet.”
While Magnus pouts, he doesn’t try to argue. In fact, he seems to perk up at the mention of food. “Can we make cookies after?”
“House rules still apply.” Taako says. He finally rises from the Director’s desk, sure to snag a couple butterscotch candies as he does so.
The Director takes his spot almost immediately, muttering something about finally being able to get some work done, but she doesn’t look too upset about it. She must love Maggie a lot, based on how much she smiles when he’s around.
Taako leads both boys out of her office, but almost immediately sends off Magnus. “Go fetch the elevator for us, Mags. Angus and I gotta talk magic stuff for a sec.”
Magnus beams and takes off down the halls. Taako doesn’t even bother calling after him to not run inside.
Once Magnus is gone, Taako crouches down to Angus’s level. “Thank you, Ango Mango,” he says. His voice is quiet and warm, the same tone he regards Maggie with. “I hope you had fun today.”
“I did, sir.”
“Good.” Much to his surprise, Taako drops a kiss to his forehead. He’s still smiling as he says, “Tell anyone about this and I’ll kill you.”
“A-as expected, sir.”
Clearly pleased, Taako boops his nose before making his exit. “Now you’re getting it! Bye, Ango! See you tomorrow for magic class!”