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Magnus doesn't think, he just moves. "Magnus rushes in", that's like his whole shtick. One second he's watching what's happening, and the next he's moving; pushing Taako out of the way and throwing a wild swing with his ax in one slightly-less-than-fluid motion.
The bandit takes the ax in the ribs and falls, Taako is sprawled in the dirt looking uncharacteristically anxious, and Magnus is standing with a knife buried to its hilt in his side, blood spilling down into the dirt.
It doesn't actually hurt much, which is weird, but Magnus has been hurt worse before. He can take damage like this no problem.
He goes to pull the knife out, but halts when Taako snaps, "Stop you fucking idiot moron." The elf is scrambling to his feet, one hand held up in a "stop" motion. "If you pull it out, it's going to bleed more. What the fuck were you thinking? I would have moved out of the way." His hands flutter around the wound, uncertain. "Where the fuck is Merle?"
It's starting to hurt a bit now, which sucks, but Magnus just shrugs. "You could have gotten hurt," he says simply, and Taako looks incredibly close to hitting him. Magnus is pretty sure that the knife between his ribs is the only thing protecting him from that at the moment.
"Yeah, and now you're definitely hurt," Taako snaps, finally pulling a piece of fabric from one of his pockets and pressing it around the knife to try and staunch the bleeding. Magnus hisses in a breath of pain. "Yeah, it hurts when you get hurt, imagine that," Taako growls, "Tits, now I'm going to have literal blood on my hands, and I swear to god if you die, I'm going to kill you."
"It's not a big deal," Magnus says dismissively, though he is starting to wonder where Merle is. "I've been hurt worse."
"Yeah well so have I," Taako spits viciously, "You don't see me hopping in front of knives willy-nilly."
Magnus doesn't like to think about Taako getting hurt, but he's seen the scars on the elf's body; he knows that it happens. If anything, that only really makes Magnus affirm the idea that he did the right thing here. The others shouldn't be getting hurt, and Magnus doesn't mind taking the hits.
It all works out.
"Hey, what are you boys up to?" Merle asks as he walks through a patch of trees, and then pauses to take in the scene in front of him. "What in the hell happened here?"
"Magnus had the brilliant idea to literally jump in front of a knife."
"You could have gotten hurt," Magnus protests.
"Well I don't need a fucking meat shield to take the hits for me."
"I just don't to risk losing any-"
"Yeah well neither do I!" Taako's breath is coming in short pants, his eyes are wide and wild. He looks up at Magnus and apparently decides that he's had enough. He pushes away from the human and turns to Merle, "Heal him. I'm gonna go fucking cool off."
He shoots Magnus another dirty look before walking off into the woods.
Merle sighs, and sets to work, casting a healing spell and then carefully removing the knife so that the skin can knit closed. Magnus grits his teeth, and doesn't make a sound.
"Look kid," Merle says eventually, "You've got to look after yourself."
"I do," Magnus argues, "but I don't want anything to happen to you guys."
Merle tosses the bloody knife in the dirt, and gives him a look, "And if you get yourself killed, what are we supposed to do?"
Magnus doesn't actually have a response for that.
Merle pats him on the shoulder. "Go talk to Taako," he says, then jerks his thumb behind him to point at the now-dead bandit, "I'm going to look and see if this guy had anything good on him."
Magnus thanks him, and goes to find Taako, sitting with his back pressed against a tree, his head buried in his hands.
"Hey."
Taako startles and looks up, glaring when he sees Magnus standing in front of him. Magnus pretends not to notice the redness of his eyes, and goes to sit next to him.
"I'm sorry," he says after a moment. Taako mutters something under his breath that sounds a lot like "You fucking should be". Magnus presses on, "I've just... I've lost a lot of people that I cared about, and, I don't want to lose anymore."
Taako is quiet, and then he says, "I've lost people too. And I'm sick of it, and I'm not about to lose anymore. Especially, when it would be my fault."
Magnus wants to protest that it would be his decision, if something did happen to him, but he knows that he would blame himself the same way, so he doesn't bother. "I'll be more careful," he says instead.
Taako gives him a look. "But you won't stop."
Magnus meets his eyes steadily, "I'll be more careful," he repeats, firmer.
Taako stares at him, then rolls his eyes. "I meant what I said," he points threateningly at Magnus' chest, "If you die, I'm gonna fucking kill you."
Magnus laughs, "That doesn't make any sense."
"It does, and that's what's going to happen; don't fucking test me. Now," he hauls himself to his feet, "let's go find Merle before the idiot gets lost again."
He turns around and offers Magnus a hand up, and Magnus takes it.
He'd take anything that he has to in order to protect his family, even if they might hate him for it.
As long as they're safe, it's okay.