Fandom Disaster Hearts - A Taagnus RP

[SolitaryNoodle]

Taako scoffed, delighted by Magnus' participation in this little game of his, as well as by the distraction from whatever the hell he'd been thinking and feeling at the party. That had been like free falling off of a cliff, and this game of shallow joke-flirting was the parachute that saved Taako from crashing.

"The prince in distress? More like the seductive enchanter that keeps tempting you astray from your noble and knightly ways. But feel free to try and come rescue me on your noble steed anytime you want, sir Muscles." He batted his eyelashes at Magnus, before collapsing in a fit of laughter. "That sounds like a cat! 'Oh sir muscles you've left another mouse on the doorstep! Bad kitty! Bad!' Oh my god, I've got to get a cat now."

After nearly toppling over and falling off the car in his drunk laughter, Taako managed to gather himself somewhat, only briefly whispering 'sir muscles' to himself and giggling. He took a deep breath, forced the image of a very buff cat out of his mind, and turned back to Magnus. "So... Is this your car?"

 

[humlors]

Folding his arms, Magnus took more amusement seeing Taako break down completely in laughter than the actual joke. He really was shitfaced, as if that hadn't been obvious before. His own shoulders shook slightly with a soft chuckle. “An enchanter that that doesn't even use magic to lead innocent warriors off their paths?” He snorted, smiling. “Sounds like a pretty shitty wizard.”

“And ah, no it's not.” he continued to answer the question, connecting the hostile attitude of the partygoers inside with them probably not wanting their car sat on. A little hastily, he went to gently pull at Taako's arms and off the hood. “It's a few streets over. C'mon.” he said carefully, throwing a look over his shoulder in case any slick blondes decided to show himself again.

 

[SolitaryNoodle]

Taako stopped laughing abruptly and made a rather undignified face at Magnus. "Excuse you? Who needs magic when you got looks like this, I'll save them spells for more useful things. Like... Blowing things up. Or, ya know, leaving awkward situations. Or conjuring cool stuff..." He quickly got lost in thoughts of all the things he could do if he'd had a little magic. The only thing pulling him out of the fantasy was when Magnus pulled him off the car.

"Woah there big fella, no need to get handsy yet. At least buy me a drink first." With a wink he began sauntering off in what he guessed was the direction of Magnus' car. Despite his big show Taako was now well into the land of 'please god let me sleep' and right then, he couldn't care about much more than getting somewhere where he could be somewhat horizontal to pass out. "Where we going?"

 

[humlors]

Magnus retracted his hands as if stung, muttering a quick and ashamed “Sorry.” while mentally vowing not to let it happen again. He was used to being touchy, familiar with the people around him. Having to get used to that not everyone was comfortable with that wasn’t the greatest, but he knew he’d rather have people’s friendship and respect before acting on his own habits.

Putting at least one and a half metres between him and Taako, he pointed in the general direction in which his car was parked, slowly making his way towards it. “It’s over there. The streets were a little clogged here, had to park a block away. This must be one helluva party.” he said with a small smile, putting hands in his pockets. He paused, carefully continuing his own questions. “So… you go to these sort of things often, then?”

 

[SolitaryNoodle]

Craning his neck to try and spot any car that might have been Magnus’ Taako yawned once more. His efforts were useless as it was dark, he was short, and he had absolutely no idea what kind of car Magnus would drive. At the remark he just shrugged. “It’s okay, think it was a birthday or something. Lots of out of towners so I guess they’re the ones driving.”

At Magnus’ question he stopped and squinted over his shoulder. That sentence was something he usually heard from social workers and foster homes wondering how much trouble he was going to be. “Well Maggie you’re either using an outdated pick up line in the wrong context or about to judge me, and I’m far too wasted to figure it out on my own, so i’ll just answer and we’ll move from there. Capish?” Taako rolled his eyes, a practiced move that also covered up nervousness brilliantly. “Yeah, I party often. Cuz I like it, it’s got the music, the booze, and the people looking to fuck you senseless and never call. It’s like, made for me.”

He laughed, somewhere beneath his drunken stupor he recognised that he might have said too much and he desperately tried to move on. With a yawn and a displeased noise worthy of a drama queen he breathed, “Are we there yet? M’tired!”

 

[humlors]

His eyebrows arose quickly, mouth hanging open at the incredibly blunt answer he received. Mind standing still for a second, he processed it slowly, letting silence drag between them. Then, to Magnus own surprise, he got angry. He stopped, looking at Taako's limp form without stuttering, without his usual blushing, irritation rising in his chest.

Without thinking, he strode towards Taako again, putting himself in front of the shorter man, but still keeping his own promise and didn't touch him. “Listen, I ‘capiche’ or whatever you want me to say, but you'll have to explain to me why you charge into some dumb hostility whenever I try to ask anything bordering on personal to you.” He stated firmly, folding his arms over his broad chest. “You talk to me, but you don't want to be friends? I didn't mean anything by asking you if you partied a lot, I was just curious! Have I done an impression that says otherwise?”

His voice had risen at the end, completely unintended, but he gathered himself quickly, backing a step away from Taako, scratching the back of his neck. “B-because if I have, please do tell me what I'm doing wrong. I don't… like this.” And there, there came the blush, his insecurities bubbling to the surface again. Still, he stood his ground, looking into Taako's beautiful lidded eyes, wanting answers.

 

[SolitaryNoodle]

The silence seemed never ending as Taako stared up at Magnus like a petulant child, waiting for a reaction to his words. When it came it was both a surprise and expected, and the anger in Magnus voice and ways made something deep withing Taako curl up to wither away. If he hadn't known better he would have called it hope, but then why would he ever have hoped that Magnus, that this thing with Magnus, would be different when he knew that everything was eventually going to go the exact same way it always did.

An entirely different, and much bigger, part of Taako rejoiced as Magnus' voice rose. The pessimistic masochist in him vibrated with every word and prayed that Magnus would keep going, listing Taako's flaws, his problems, how he was failing and hurting Magnus... And then Magnus stepped back, calmed down, and Taako nearly screamed at him before his sarcastic autopilot took over. "Okay Clark Kent, I don't know what kind of suburban utopia you're from, but here's a news flash: not everyone is perfect and good like you, some of us are just 46 different issues wrapped up in a trench coat trying to see an R-rated film, okay?! So sure, if you really want to try and befriend me then fine go ahead, but don't blame me when I'm not showing up to your therapy couch or tea with your dolls. I never agreed to talk feelings, I never told you to go barging in on anything, and I definitively never said anything about a deeper friendship."

He bit off the last sentence, bit down until his jaw hurt, and kept eye contact with Magnus the entire time. He knew exactly how horrible he was being, exactly how little Magnus deserved this, and that was precisely why he had to do it. Why couldn't Magnus just get what so many others had before, why couldn't he just see that Taako wasn't a person you kept close, he wasn't friend material. Taako was eye candy material, he was shag material, he was 'try to bully me if you can, loser' material, but not whatever it was Magnus was (or should be) looking for. He was Lex Luthor, not Lois Lane.

 

[humlors]

Magnus would've flinched back if he hadn't already half been expecting another hostile response. Taako's word hurt, but it didn't hurt as much as it just proved Magnus’ point. He wanted to bite back, lash out just as bad about how Taako wasn't the only one in the world to cope with their problems in unhealthy ways. That he wasn't the only one running away from facing reality. Instead, he could only feel compassion, seeing through every defence mechanism Taako was firing off at the moment. As he always did.

“Fine.” He sighed, shoulders slumping. “You don't wanna talk about it, cool. You don't wanna be friends, fine. Why do you keep talking to me then?” The question came as a surprise to him, but he wanted to know. Desperately so now, when he was standing half-arguing with said almost-friend in the middle of the night for seemingly no good reason. “Why’d you tell me to come here?”

Magnus prided himself on being so stubborn at times. Not a chance he was gonna let Taako slip away. This, whatever this was, was just defence. Taako didn't hate him. And Magnus would be damned if he couldn't at least scratch the surface.

 

[SolitaryNoodle]

A muscle in Taako's face twitched, he'd completely lost control of this situation and nothing was going the way he thought it would. Magnus wasn't the first person to start out trying to understand or help Taako, but he was the first to keep on doing so even as Taako was being his most insufferable self. It was terrifying and Taako did not want to deal with it. At all.

An itch was developing under his skin, utter discomfort coupled with anxiety brimming as Magnus slumped back. All the energy that Taako had thought (hoped?) was building up to a fight, verbal or physical, seemed to dissipate in the most cruel turn of events. This here, with Magnus looking so let down and sad was the worst case scenario as Taako could not deal with it and the following guilt. He'd wanted anger and yelling so he could turn Magnus away before anything happened, and all he got was some sad puppy eyes that made that impossible. Still, he kept his ground and tried to reignite the fire.

"I never told you to come here, you offered. And if you haven't noticed, I talk to you to flirt. No one said anything about friendship." Pulling on his usual mask of careless provocateur was harder than usual, and the air of rogue sex liberal Taako normally wore as a second skin seemed to sit wrong on him now. "Haven't you understood that yet, after what you saw in there? I'm not trying to meet your family or learn your story, Maggie, I'm trying to get into your pants."

 

[humlors]

A confusing wave of both discomfort and excitement surged through Magnus, finally hearing Taako admit what he’d been suspecting for a while. He quickly swallowed it down, mind racing to find a solution for the situation at hand. There was… disappointment, he could admit. Taako had his objectives on talking to Magnus, clearly diverging from his own. At the same time, some forbidden voice from the back of his mind was panicking, screaming at him. Taako did like him!

But he wasn’t about to exploit that. Taako was drunk, he needed to get home, to be looked after by someone who maybe didn’t decide it was a good idea to pick a fight with someone obviously in an unstable condition. Magnus looked another way, ashamed of himself for having assumed too much, for having pushed too far. Definitely ashamed for the part of him that wanted Taako to want him back. He sighed.

“Well, that’s- that’s not gonna happen.” he said firmly, trying to put an end to whatever fantasy Taako had conjured up in his head. He felt too tense, shoulders set square, anxiety roiling in his stomach. “I’m not looking for a relationship or whatever. I should just get you home.” WIthout looking at the other, he started walking again towards his car, somehow still hyperaware of every move Taako made.

 

[SolitaryNoodle]

The moment that Magnus turned around Taako simply deflated. This was unprecedented. New ground. A small step for anyone else, but a giant leap for Taako, a giant, unwanted leap. Gobsmacked he watched Magnus' broad back moving towards a parked car, unsure if it was the lack of violence or lack of interest in Taako's confession that surprised him the most. Either way he was speechless for what might have been the first time in the history of Taako.

As if in trance he followed Magnus and got in the car, where he promptly turned towards the window and pretended to fall asleep. The world behind his eyelids was dark and spinning. It had only one point of clarity; Magnus wasn't interested in him like that, but he didn't hate or find him annoying either. Magnus wasn't doing all this, picking him up and driving him home when they should both be asleep, because he wanted something from Taako in return. Magnus just did it. It was messed up.

The car ride could have taken a minute or a year, Taako wouldn't know. All he knew was that suddenly they were in Merle's driveway and he was stumbling out of the car with nothing more than a mumble to Magnus before he had his keys out and was in the house. He spent what felt like an eternity staring into the wall by his bed before he finally fell asleep to the sound of bird song outside and bright sun filling his room.

 

[humlors]

Magnus didn't sleep well that night. The ride back home had been quiet, too quiet. As if all air had abruptly gone out of Taako, deflated and tired. He'd fallen asleep in the car, and Magnus decided against waking him up. The hangover would probably be a nightmare, but Magnus had to remind himself that it wasn't his responsibility to take care of that. Didn't mean he didn't want to.

He went to bed when the clock said 2 am, and he groaned, but couldn't bring himself to sleep until at least an hour later.

--

A few weeks later, Magnus fumbled tiredly with the keys leading to his one room apartment, ready to collapse onto any vertical surface at any given moment. Of course now would be the perfect time for just about every single one of his teachers to remind him of how insufficient his previous teachings had been, heaping him with homework, as if that would help. He hadn't had time to work out, not time to sleep.

But he was getting by, at least to anyone who asked. And people did. It was a pleasant surprise when the rest of the little gang had taken him in as one of their own at this speed, and even more surprising when they asked about his well being. Not that Magnus had gone under the impression that if Taako was as closed off emotionally as the rest of the squad, but he felt like he could breathe out now that he knew Taako was just special.

He’d spoken to Lucretia about it, about that night. She seemed like the most competent of the bunch, and a good listener too. She’d looked concerned but… not surprised. That alone had made more worry swirl around in Magnus’ head. When he’d told the whole thing over, Lucretia had simply sighed, saying, “I think you expect me to know more of what’s going on in that doofus’ head than you do, but… I don’t know if anyone does.”

And Taako hadn’t spoken to him since that night. That might also have caused some of his lack of sleep.

On the other hand, he was glad over two things as he turned the knob of his front door. First, he was finally done with the most pressing assignments that had kept him up for the last few nights, which meant that his plan was to collapse on his couch, take a nap, cook a cup of noodles and then resume his nap. Second, Taako hadn’t been to school today. It felt bad to think of him like that, but Magnus still thought being blatantly ignored was worse than Taako not being there at all. So, one less thing that would keep him awake.

Opening the front door - the only door except to the bathroom really, why call it a front door? - he was immediately hit with the smell of something absolutely delicious. His eyebrows furrowed. Then he actually looked around, eyes widening to see a slight figure by his stove he surely recognize a little too well. “T-Taako? Wha- why- How did you get in here?”

 

[SolitaryNoodle]

Taako slept his way through most of the day and spent the rest too hungover to do anything but wallow in self pity and what had happened with Magnus. When that god awful sunday was over he simply flopped over in his bed and went back to sleep, desperate to get away from his own thoughts. He faked sick to get out of school for a couple of days and spent them slouching around trying not to think about anything connected to Magnus. Which obviously led to him doing nothing but thinking of Magnus and wondering what was wrong with him.

When the third day had passed and he still hadn’t made either heads nor tails of what was up with Magnus Taako did the only reasonable thing and headed over to Magnus empty flat. Of course he should have known it to be empty, but frankly he’d completely forgotten about school during his leave of absence. With a shrug Taako picked the lock, old habits die hard and apparently he still remembered how to do it, and sat around in the tiny flat.

He was in the midst of wondering how the hell Magnus fit in this tiny space when his stomach made an unmistakable noise. Not a trace of shame or awkwardness in his body Taako strolled into Magnus’ kitchen and opened the fridge.

“Oh hell no.” It escaped Taako out of pure reflex, and not a second later he set out for the nearest store to restock Magnus’ terrifyingly empty kitchen.

Taako’s spindly arms felt like spaghetti once everything was in its proper place, and he was hungrier than ever as well as bored out of his mind. And when Taako was any combination of hungry and bored there was only one thing he could turn to: cooking. The recently neatly organised kitchen was quickly turned into a hurricane of pots, pans, and trays. Taako was in his rightful place; blasting Kesha, stirring a pot of pasta sauce, and waiting for the macaroons in the oven.

Just as Kesha (and Taako) launched into the chorus of Tik Tok the door opened to reveal a confused looking Magnus. “You!” Taako pointed at him with the sauce spoon and ignored every question. “How are you even alive?! Or allowed to live alone?! I had to buy milk, Maggie! Milk!” Turning the stove off Taako shoved the spoon forcefully back into the pot. “What kind of caveman doesn’t even have fucking milk?”

He squinted at Magnus. “Gotta say, Mags, nearly suspecting some foul play here if you don’t eat anything but cup noodles and you’re still, ya know..” Taako gestured vaguely in Magnus direction with the spoon before slamming the pot down into n the tiny table. “Eat. There’s spaghetti in the other pot.”

 

[humlors]

It felt like his brain had temporarily disconnected to his body, as Magnus could only stare with wide eyes and mouth hanging open as he took in the scene. Taako was yelling at him for some ungodly reason, there were fumes coming from the stove, pop music of some artist he didn’t recognize was playing a little bit too loud, and the place looked more alive than he’d thought the sad little kitchen ever could.

Oh, right. Taako was still yelling. A little dumbly, he sat down as directed, not entirely having the urge to speak up against the other. Who knew what he could do with that wooden spoon when riled up. “I- Mom usually cooked at home…” he tried to explain, shoveling up the incredibly pleasant smelling sauce and pasta, almost automatically. Near entranced by the fact that food could look and smell so amazing, he had to shake his head to snap himself out of it, looking up again at Taako. “No- wait. You didn’t answer my question. How did you get in here?”

 

[SolitaryNoodle]

Honestly, how hard could it possibly be to just shovel some spaghetti into his mouth and chew? Taako rolled his eyes at Magnus apparent inability to eat a simple meal, but there was anxiety gnawing on his insides. Despite how he tried to deny it to himself, Taako knew there had been a point behind all this. It wasn’t just for fun, it was a repayment and if Magnus was going to try to force the unspeakable words out of Taako, well then Taako would be out of there and never returning. Magnus had to understand that, right?

“I picked your lock. How else?” Taako deadpanned before sitting down opposite Magnus and loading a plate for himself. He looked half expecting, half exhausted between Magnus and Magnus’ plate before drawling. “Hey, I know it’s not your gourmet cup noodles but you can at least try it, dude. About time you eat something that wasn’t seasoned with a packet.”

 

[humlors]

Managing to gather himself a little bit more, Magnus closely watched as Taako sat down in opposite him by the small table. “You picked the lock? Why would you-!”

He stopped himself, taking a deep breath a closing his eyes, mouth in a thin line. This wasn't the time to get mad. He'd already seen very well how Taako reacted when people started calling him out on his behaviors. Better save that for some other time.

Breathing out he looked at Taako with something cautious in his eyes. “What are you doing here, Taako? I thought we weren't on… speaking terms anymore.” He couldn't help the hint of disappointment and sadness in his voice, but crossed his arms over his chest, trying to shield himself from the small onslaught of feelings rummaging his head from seeing the other again. Speaking to him.

 

[SolitaryNoodle]

Why was everything going wrong? This hadn’t been Taako’s plan when he’d showed up, far from it. Why did Magnus have to be so... So solid and straight forward? Why couldn’t he just be like everyone else, a little vague, a little mean, doing his judging behind people’s backs like normal people? Why was he so... good?

Taako put on a stiff mask of indifference and shoved some pasta into his mouth. “What, just cuz I’ve got better things to do than talk to you for a few days we’re suddenly not on speaking terms. That’s way egocentric of you, dude.” It was mean, of course it was, and it was definitely not what Taako actually wanted not the right thing to say. But when had he ever been known to say the right thing?

Desperation crept into his voice as Taako kept a stern focus on his own plate. “Now eat, sasquatch.” He needed Magnus to just accept this, needed it more than he needed to breathe. Because this, food, was the only way he could show gratitude without wanting to disappear forever. Well. The only safe for work way at least. Taako didn’t do ‘thank you’s, he didn’t do repayments or pay back. He cooked for, or gave himself to, his benefactor and then he was done, debts payed and everything forgotten. No agreements, no bonds, and no ‘it was nothing’s. Just really good food.

 

[humlors]

Taako’s words weren’t unexpected, not anymore. But nonetheless, hurt hit the middle of Magnus’ chest, slumping his shoulders. Of course he shouldn’t have expected anything less than the coarse words that seemed to slip so easily off the other’s tongue. It hurt, but resolve surged through Magnus. Even if he couldn’t make Taako speak in clear terms with him, he could try speaking in Taako’s language. Kind of.

“Alright.” he said shortly, without a hint of hurt showing. Finally shoveling up a sizable portion of both pasta and sauce, he spoke slowly while giving the man in front of him an analytic look, eyebrows furrowed and eyes attentive. “So since I’m obviously the asshole here, guess I’m the one who should be sorry for not welcoming you into my home immediately. Sorry for not having milk in the fridge. Sorry for intruding on your party the other day.” Leaning forward on the table as casually as he could, he twirled his fork to scoop up the food, shoving it into his mouth. “Sorry for wanting to unders- holy shit Taako.”

The food was delicious. No- no, that was an understatement. Magnus wasn’t sure if he’d ever look at pasta the same way, or even Taako the same way, ever again. It was perfect, savory and salty and creamy and sweet in just the right measurements. Definitely not anything he’d encountered in his days in a small village with limited quality of whatever you put in your mouth.

“Holy sh- are you like, trained in this? You are, aren’t you?” Magnus asked hotly, all previous resolve gone as he switched his fork to function both as a pointing stick at the offending slighter man and to shovel more of the heaven on his plate.

 

[SolitaryNoodle]

The taste of his amazing pasta went sour in Taako’s mouth as a twinge if guilt rose like bile at Magnus words. Every accusation made Taako want to hit back worse, and those harsh words felt misplaced rolling out between those delectable lips. A familiar voice in his head told Taako that this was his fault, that he was ruining the unusual and unbelievable softness that had allures him to Magnus. (And perhaps that was what he had always done, maybe he would have encountered kindness more if he wasn’t well... Taako)

But as the harshness turned to praise Taako pushed all of that to the back of his head and preened. He tilted his head to the side and fluttered his eyelashes. “Or I’m just naturally awesome. That’s always an option you know.”

He plopped some pasta into his mouth and swallowed as he gathered the words together in his head, mentally preparing himself for what he was about to say. “And you know, you drove me home, so this is a...” Nope, he couldn’t do it, not even when he was looking anywhere but at Magnus. “Food. This is a food. To you know...” Just do it, it was just a little ‘thank you’ two words, nothing big. Everyone did it. “To keep that body nourished. Can’t have you wasting away on instant noodles, Superboy.”

Thankfully he was saved at that moment by Kesha fading into Bonnie Tyler and Holding our for a hero. “Ooh I love this song!”

 

[humlors]

Magnus barely heard him, practically inhaling the food. Occasionally letting out moans to show just how much he enjoyed the food, the plate quickly turned out empty. He had to admit, he had missed actual cooked food.

Of course, it did bring a sense of deja vu he hadn't entirely missed. Yes, he'd been avoiding his parents since he got here. So much he could admit to himself. The guilt that followed whenever he thought about it was just as unbearable as actually talking to them, as remembering was. Coming to this town had been as if starting a new. And yet, with so much behind, he knew it wasn't something he could ignore until it went away.

A solemn expression sunk into his face, poking around with his fork at the remaining pieces of pasta. When Taako spoke again, he looked up, a small smile making its way into his lips again. “To thank me?” He humored Taako, seeing his hesitance. “Then I appreciate it. Anytime.”

The song changing went past Magnus, most pop songs sounding the same to him. Taako's enthusiasm brought a full grin onto his face, and it struck him how much he liked Taako's smile. It was definitely something he wanted to see more. “Really?” He tried to tease, trying to push down the heat rising to his cheeks. “Not trying to hate or anything but… they all sound pretty similar?”

 

[SolitaryNoodle]

He would never admit it, nor let it show in any way, but Taako felt like his chest expanded with pride and something was tugging at the corners of his mouth. It wasn’t like Taako wasn’t confident in his cooking, quite the opposite really, but it was still rare for him to get this kind of praise for anything. And the fact that it was Magnus praising him was really starting to get to him.

When Magnus somehow managed to understand exactly what Taako was avoiding, Taako huffed. With a defiant murmur he knitted his brows together and shrugged, unable to meet Magnus eyes. “You wish, beefcake. I’m a busy dude, anytime isn’t happening.” Taako paused and asked himself why the hell he was being such a mess. “But I think I could squeeze feeding you once or twice into my schedule, it’s a tight squeeze though! Real tight!”

Taako’s face fell. And fell. It took his chin with it in the downfall but left his voice to climb to uncharted octaves. “Do you live under a rock?! Do the rocks live in your ears?!” He took a deep breath to calm himself and managed to continue in a somewhat normal voice. “Bonnie Tyler is nothing like Kesha, how can you even- what are you?! This is on that Shrek soundtrack how could you possibly not know what it is? Oh god. You have seen Shrek, right? Animation? Cinema? What didn’t you have in that hole of a town you’re from?”

 

[humlors]

Magnus bit down his lip, forcing down the laugh wanting to break through of Taako's outbreak. He really didn't want it to come across as if he was making fun of what was obviously Taako's passion, but the riled up state of the smaller man seemed to either make him irritated, or in this case, struggling to hold back his amusement. “No- no, I don't know what a Shrek is.” He got out, clutching his stomach. “We didn't have a cinema at Ravens Roost, didn't exactly see the use of a television. Most of all we got from the radio.”

It wasn't as if they'd been poor, just simply uninterested. Several generations had lived without any of the newest technology and been perfectly fine. Seriously, coming to this town had been somewhat of a culture shock. It had taken some time getting used to, but he was getting a hang of the rapid messaging the teens here seemed to use.

 

[SolitaryNoodle]

Taako could do nothing but stare in shock at this... being... in front of him. It had to be a weird joke, right? “My dude, I can’t even tell if you’re joking or amish right now. Please say you’re not amish.”

Sure Taako has lived in a whole bunch of ways and cultures, of several different standards, but completely without pop-culture... That was unimaginable. There was just so much you missed, so much that Magnus had missed out on. “But... What did you do for fun then? There’s like... two things left to be doing if you take out- well, everything.”

 

[humlors]

Magnus lit up, mind going back to the years he spent growing up in the small town. “Oh, lots of stuff! I mean, when our parents didn’t need help or if we didn’t have any homework to do, there was tons of places to be.” He started moving his hands wildly to empathie his point, wanting Taako to know he’d loved growing up at the place. “Around the town there was this huge forest, so much to explore when I was a kid! Built a treehouse in our backyard once, all by myself! And I only got a little help from Julia’s dad - not that he minded. Julia and I also used to-”

He stopped himself short, enthusiasm of getting to talk about something he actually knew about getting the best of him. And… he hadn’t told anyone about Julia. There was that, also. Shame sank down into his stomach, of keeping something important like her to protect himself and of not honoring her memory. Fingers knitting together, he looked somewhere above Taako’s shoulder. “Well- ah, we used to play in the treehouse. And stuff.”

 

[SolitaryNoodle]

As Magnus went off on his trail of thought Taako found his initially honest skepticism turning into an act. Where he’d started off highly doubting that small town life could be anything but utterly boring, he found himself feeling jealous. Magnus excitement rubbed off on him, and even if he easily saw that that life was nothing for him now Taako couldn’t help but wonder what that kind of childhood would have been like. What it would have done for him. Maybe, just maybe, having something so bright to look back on would have made him a different person, a better person even. Or maybe this jealousy was yet another sign that he was simply rotten to the core.

And then Magnus stopped himself and all that energy just left. Taako found himself stumbling in its absence; at once both disgustingly happy that the sheltered perfect childhood apparently had been disrupted by something, and saddened by the loss evident in Magnus voice. As always, he had nothing to say to this change in temperature. After a moment of painfully awkward silence he managed a pitiful little, “So, treehouses huh? Was it any good?”

Inwardly he punched himself, but really he had nothing to do with this, he wasn’t good at this. He could barely deal with his own emotions, let alone the feelings of someone like Magnus. “Must have been nice, that whole ‘we were the true american ideal’ thing. I’d say that I could easily see a tiny you climbing a whole bunch of pines and being a real rosy cheeked lil cherub, but I can’t imagine you tiny to be honest.”