riverviewlogs | (closed) back at it again at fantasy krispy kreme

[That sounds like the opposite of appetizing. His face twists. But, all the same...]

It's kind of a big decision, huh...

[He still feels like he should hold off. But when he tries to pinpoint why he isn't down with it, there's no logic behind it besides 'playing it safe' or whatever the hell. It's weak, and definitely not very Magnus Rushes In.

He lifts his arms in an exaggerated shrug.] Lay it on me.

[He wonders if this is how Barry felt, as they all remembered, this kind of shaking relief that Taako is doing his best to stamp down on, because it's not helpful right now. He needs to focus.]

There you go.

[He smiles, somewhere between relieved and reassuring, then waves a hand towards the kitchen table as he sets his mug down.]

Grab a seat, I'll be two seconds.

[Literally, because he misty steps his way to his bedroom, where he grabs the flask, and then reappears in the exact spot he left. As he pours a little of the ichor into a glass, he says:]

Once you drink it, you gotta listen to me, yeah? I'll walk you through it so it doesn't get too overwhelming, but you can't try to think ahead. Got it?

[And with that, he holds out the glass to Magnus.]

[He does as he's told and takes a seat at the table, feeling some kinda way. Once he's holding the glass, The Regret™ really invites itself in.]

Asking me not to move ahead is a hell of a request, you know that? I assume you know about my whole Magnus Rushes In thing.

[Magnus steels himself. He's already dedicated himself to this task, so he's following the hell through with it.

His first response is, of course, to cough it back up again.] You weren't kidding, this tastes... [...and then he's cut off by the sound of a thousand sirens going off on either side of his head. At least, that's what it feels like. He wants to say fuck but he can't even think quick enough to get it out. Soon, his elbows are on the table, head in his hands.]

[Taako moves forward immediately, crouching down beside Magnus and reaching for one of his hands, wanting to give him something to hold onto.]

Okay, fuck, okay listen. We're from another world, another reality, with two suns and a purple sky just - just think about what I'm saying, try to picture it. [God, this sucks. Taako can hear his own voice shaking and he desperately wishes Lucretia was here to help.] We're part of the Institute of Planar Research and Exploration, you're the head of security, we all left our world on a ship called the Starblaster, but the Hunger attacked. It kept following us and we kept running, there was Tesseralia and the Legato conservatory and the beach, that whole year on the beach. And then we got to Abeir-Toril and we could put Barry and Lup's plan into action. We made the relics, to hide the light from the Hunger, but we never realized how destructive they'd be. Lup-- Lup left, to try to fix it, and Lucretia fed our memories to Fisher, so she could put her own plan into motion.

[Taako isn't religious, but he sends a little prayer up to Istus, hoping that this isn't too much for Magnus, that he did enough to get his friend through this.]

[Magnus can see the two suns in their purple sky. It would be a nice thought if his head wasn't pounding with information.

One hand remains clutching his head, but the other desperately takes Taako's hand when it comes. He grabs maybe too tightly at first, but Taako does good to keep his thoughts moving. With some deep breaths and reassurance, his hand loosens.

He remembers the Starblaster, the Hunger, Tesseralia and Legato and everything. He remembers the IPRE badge that Lucretia flashed at him the other day by the river, no longer shrouded in static.

After the worst is over, he's left with a ringing in his ear and a bit of weight in his head, but at least now it feels like a winter cold and not an explosion. He elects to keep his gaze on the table for now, but he doesn't let go of Taako's hand. His voice is rough and breathy:]

That was fun.

[Relief makes Taako's hands shake (he didn't even notice how tight Magnus was holding onto him) because Magnus seems to have gotten through it and that's all he could've asked for.

And now... now they have Magnus back. It's information he's not quite sure how to process just yet, so he decides to focus on what's in front of him.]

Try doing it on your own.

[There's a little laughter in his voice with that line, bright and full of that relief, even if his tone is wry.]

Welcome back, sweetheart.

Edited 2017-09-05 05:19 (UTC)

[Magnus can actually manage half a laugh in response to Taako, but it takes him a moment to process the fact that—]

Holy shit, you did this by yourself? [He finally brings himself to face Taako.] Who the fuck let you do that?

[He can guess.]

Uh, me?

[He was alone here and he knew so much was missing but he didn't know what. Curiosity got the better of him, in the end, especially with the dull ache he'd felt during the start of the mourning festival, the knowledge that he'd lost something he loved deeply.]

But hey, we both didn't die, so that's great! [Taako reaches out with his free hand, almost hesitantly, to rest his palm against Magnus's cheek. Just - taking a second, because it feels like it's been months since he's seen Magnus, and that's a long time for them.] Didya miss me, big guy?

[In response, he places his free hand on Taako's shoulder.]

Of course I fucking missed you, Taako.

[He can't bring himself out of his chair just yet, but he can pull Taako down for a hug. It would've been awkward in any other situation, but circumstances considered, this chair-hug gets a pass.]

Jeezy Creezy, dude. I'm so fucking sorry. I just spent a whole month not even—[He leaves that thought at implied.] Fuck, I'm so sorry.

[There's a second where Taako isn't quite sure what to do with himself; chair hugs are a little awkward, until he kind of mentally goes fuck it and moves with the momentum of Magnus pulling him forward until he's straddling Magnus's lap.

It's been a while, but not forever, since they've done something like this.

He leans his head down, resting his forehead against Magnus's and takes a moment to just breathe. Magnus has been here but not here, not in a way that Taako could really appreciate until this moment. There was no time for a reunion like this, when they all remembered on the Bureau's base, but now there's time.]

Listen, that shit sucked, but it's not on you. [They both know who's fault it is.] It's just real fucking good to have you back.

Edited 2017-09-05 06:08 (UTC)

[This definitely had the potential to be really weird, but Taako ending up in his lap turned out to be preferable to an awkward chair-hug in terms of physical comfort. He would've stood to avoid the whole scenario if his legs wouldn't have given out, but, you know, this is fine. He wraps Taako up in his arms, tight enough to hold him captive if he'd wanted to, but separates. He follows the motions when Taako brings their foreheads together.]

It's good to be back.

[Instinctively, his hands join with Taako's. He can see the red string tied to Taako's pinky, cut off from his partner, much like his own string. They figured out a long time ago that they weren't a thing that would work out, so it makes sense. They've both got someone waiting for them in some other universe.

Whatever.

Pensively, he runs his thumbs over Taako's knuckles.]

[A hundred years is a long time, and it's a lonely time, when every single person they met turned to dust after only a year. Taako made sure to never get attached to anyone in the worlds they landed on, but that didn't mean he closed himself off completely.

He loved Lup, always, and he loved the rest of his family, and sometimes he loved Magnus differently from the rest of them.

That isn't why he cared so much about this, about getting Magnus back with all his memories. It mattered because it's only right, that Magnus can have all of himself, the power bear and that shitty sportsball team and every death they endured, together or apart.

But now they're here and he feels like he can hear Magnus's thoughts, or maybe that's just his own heart thudding in his ears and he doesn't want to listen to it anymore.

It's tentative, the way Taako tilts his head until he can press his lips against Magnus's in a light, chaste kiss. It's been a long time since he's done this, over a decade, but he doesn't think he'd ever really forget.]

Edited 2017-09-05 07:13 (UTC)

[Magnus squeezes Taako's hands as he returns the kiss. It stays soft and light—it's not the time for anything more than that—but it does last a hot minute. When they part, Magnus looks back into Taako's eyes, solemn, but smiling. They both know what they're getting into.

After a beat, Magnus breaks the silence.]

Remember the other day when I didn't know what ricotta was? God, I forgot that cheese master class you held for me.

[He's digging through his memories, trying to find the happy ones.]

[He wonders how long it's been, since Magnus did anything like this with him, but it's hard to remember one cycle from the next, sometimes. It's odd to think of the decade that separates them, all the things that Taako knows and that he can't stop thinking about as he kisses Magnus.

Julia. Raven's Roost. The Hunger.]

Seriously? You've got Taako from TV in your lap and you're talking about ricotta?

[There's a lot they should talk about, but this is easier.]

[He can't help but chuckle.]

Good point. I'll stop talking about cheese now.

[He'd thought it would be more appropriate to chill for the time being, but the change in Taako's tone tells him otherwise. He breaks the hand-holdy thing they've got going to bring a hand around to Taako's nape, and kisses him again.]

[It occurs to him at some point between when that second kiss comes and when he slides his hands into Magnus's hair that they'll never do this again once Taako returns to the world he's supposed to be in, once Magnus catches up to him and they're together again but separated by the lives they built in the decade apart. The last time they kissed was probably some uneventful thing and they didn't even know it would be the last time. This is something Lucretia took from them, too. Less consequential than Lup but painful all the same.

He loved Magnus, still loves Magnus, and Taako will go back to Kravitz and Magnus will go back to the pain carved into him by Julia's death, an emptiness that won't ever be filled. This place is a second chance to say goodbye to what they had for a century.

But...

But there's no need to rush it.

Taako breaks away with a little huff of breath, though he doesn't go very far.]

You wanna do this or you wanna talk? Cause I'm down for either but Lup will kick my ass if she comes in and catches us making out at the kitchen table like a bunch of fucking teenagers.

[Magnus doesn't know that Lup died.

The thought makes his blood run cold, but he doesn't let his smile falter.]

[Magnus laughs, reminded of all the times Lup had walked in on them in the past.] Mine too, probably.

[And then, with a start, he realizes:] Lup! [Another wind of joy is blown into him, realizing he has even more people to come back to.] I gotta say hi to her! And—

[And then, of course, his smile dips as quickly as it came. Lucretia. He remembers walking into her room on the Starblaster, hoping to bring her comfort but instead discovering her betrayal seconds before forgetting it.

There's a beat where he thinks on it, eyes shifted away from Taako, and another beat where he forces himself to push that thought aside. He doesn't want this to impede on his reunion with Taako.]

Fuck it, I can do that later.

[It's been long enough that he's got his mobility back. He stands from his chair, straight up carrying Taako in the same position. He always loved doing this. He's a show-off.]

[Taako picks it a second before Magnus's words cut out, but he knows that it isn't the end of it for Lucretia and Magnus, he knows that Magnus will forgive her, because the dude's heart is too goddamn big.

And then it doesn't matter, because Magnus is picking him up and it startles a laugh out of Taako; Eddie was a buff dude, sure, but not on the level of Magnus fucking Burnsides who can haul Taako around like he weighs nothing. It's almost automatic, the way he wraps his legs around Magnus's waist.]

So we're talking, right, that's what this is?

[It's too easy to tease Magnus.]

Yeah, sure. We're talking.

[With a grin, he plants another kiss on Taako's lips and makes for Taako's bedroom.]

Watcha wanna talk about, hun?

[Two can play at that game, Taako.]

[That's cool, Magnus has a neck that very clearly needs a love bite, which is what Taako's going to spend the trip working on, pausing only to add:]

Fisher had a baby.

[Get fucking rekt, Magnus. His weird fish kid has a kid of its own.]

Edited 2017-09-05 13:11 (UTC)

[He's taken aback by the news. ] No way. I'm a grandpa! What's its name? [He adds, in a mocking stern tone:] You gave my grandson a good name, right?

[He manages to one-hand Taako (no sweat!) to open the bedroom door, then shuts it with his foot. He pauses once inside, bringing his now-free hand to Taako's face, brushing back some of his hair. Finally, privacy.]

Edited (i added a single space) 2017-09-05 13:28 (UTC)

Pretty sure you decided on Junior.

[Honestly he can't remember now, if it was something Lucretia labelled it or if Magnus just decided on the name the instant he remembered Fisher.

It doesn't really matter, anyway, especially not when Magnus is touching his face.

Taako's wry smile softens to something warmer, as he tilts his head into that touch.]

Hey, bubbale.

[It's soft and quiet and maybe, just maybe, a little bit reverent. He's missed Magnus, more than he ever really expected to. Because as much as Magnus can be an idiot or a bit of a dick, he's always, always had Taako's back, and that means more than anything else.]

[His gaze softens as well. They'd been alone anyway in the kitchen, but now they were together in the security of Taako's room.]

Hey.

[With Taako's face still cradled in his palm, he runs his thumb over Taako's cheek. He lets his gaze linger a while before he kisses Taako again, hard and slow.

They're done talking for now.]

[anyway.

As it turns out, a decade isn't long enough to forget how they fit together, regardless of the life Taako had lived in between and it had been a relief, more than anything, a reassurance that this wasn't something that was irreversibly changed, too. It will be, back in Fearun, but for now he's - happy. It's a nice change from the tension of the past couple of weeks.

This isn't too dissimilar to how he found Magnus in his bed a few weeks ago, except there's significantly less clothing involved and an arcane lock on his door, the magical equivalent of hanging a sock over the doorknob in case Lup comes home and tries to look for him.

He's kind of hoping that's not for a little while, since he wants to just enjoy this for as long as possible. Magnus is warm and soft and Taako is trying to remember all his scars, absently tracing a finger over a twisting one on Magnus's bicep.]

It's been like, over ten years for me. Since the Starblaster.

[He says it quietly, as if it's not as big of a deal as it is.]

Edited 2017-09-05 23:09 (UTC)

[It's funny being back in Taako's bed, this time intentionally. He regrets that nothing came of it then, although it couldn't have been helped. It doesn't matter. He's here now.

He's running fingers through Taako's hair when he oh-so casually drops the line about the Starblaster. Magnus shifts in surprise.]

Holy shit, dude. That's a lot longer than me. [Magnus thinks he's been gone a year or so? Maybe more, maybe less.] What did you do for ten years? [...Without the rest of us?]

Edited 2017-09-05 23:30 (UTC)

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