Chapter Text
Like so many things in Taako's life, it all started with a spur of the moment decision — a whim, really. He woke up one day, rolled out of bed, and thought to himself, I'm going to Neverwinter.
He never stopped to think about it. Why second guess yourself? No point to it, in Taako's mind. You know what you want to do, you go and do it, simple as that. So he packed up his bags, called Kravitz to let him know where he was going, and set off first thing in the mid-afternoon.
A week later, Taako strode through the massive main gates of the oldest city in Faerun, purse slung over one shoulder, umbrella dangling from his wrist, big hat shading his brow and brand new sunglasses on his face. The part of him that was still wrapped up in his self-preservation hated the city; too many folks stuck too close together was a recipe for trouble, and he'd never been all that big on people to begin with. But another part of him loved striding down the street like it was his own private catwalk, loved the stares he got from passers-by, loved any excuse to swish and swagger like the peacock he knew he was.
(Taako rarely let himself get wrapped up in his own vanity anymore — Wonderland had clipped those wings pretty good — but there were days when he caught an updraft and felt his ego soar, and he relished them.)
He made his way to his destination with purpose, paying only enough attention to avoid the wagons careening through the streets and the occasional pothole or errant pedestrian. Taako did have a reason to come to Neverwinter specifically, after all. He had no desire to delay it, even if it was the middle of the day and he hadn't found a place to stay yet. He'd sort that out later. This took precedence.
By the time Taako wound through the streets of the merchant quarter and found the right building (he'd had to double-check the address, Magnus' handwriting was next-level awful) it was half past three and he was starving. Still, he needed to make a proper entrance, so Taako adjusted his sunglasses, tugged on his purse strap, and marched up the steps to the door. He pushed it open and strode through the foyer, up the stairs, and through the second door with the frosted glass and the familiar name on it.
Inside, beside another door, was an tall orc sitting at a spotless wooden desk. Older (or maybe just nervous) with thin gray hairs streaking through his dark hair, pulled back in a ponytail. He was peering through half-moon spectacles as he wrote fastidiously with ink and quill, and didn't look up when Taako entered.
"Sir is busy at the moment," he said politely. "Please take a seat."
Taako didn't break stride. He made right for the second door. The orc noticed a bit too late, and his eyes widened.
"Hey, hey!" he called out, standing from his chair. "He's in a meeting, you can't—"
Taako threw open the door and stepped inside.
The office looked exactly like Taako expected it to; couple of chairs, big desk in the middle, some windows behind it overlooking an avenue. Bookshelves lined the walls, and every shelf was crammed full of books, with the odd knickknack here or there for color, only some of which Taako recognized. On the walls above the shorter shelves were hung wands, souvenirs, degrees from the university, and framed newspaper and magazine articles. All of it, he could tell instantly, was exactly where it was supposed to be. It was the most well-organized chaos he had ever seen.
The boy was leaning back against his desk, legs crossed. His jacket was off, slung over his chair, and his usual cap was gone, revealing the head of thick, unruly hair no one had ever been able to tame properly. His attention was on the room's only other occupant (an older woman Taako didn't bother to pay attention to) but he looked up when the door opened, and the expression on his face was worth the week and a half it took to get there.
Taako threw his arms out and grinned. "What's crackin', Angarang?"
Angus, eyes wide and smile even wider, straightened from his desk (still too tall, Taako would never get used to that) and closed the distance between them in two long strides.
"Taako!" he said, pulling him into a brief hug. "Sir, what are you doing here?"
"Oh, you know, I'm in town for a bit," Taako said casually, brushing imaginary dirt off Angus' shirt. "You look good, my dude. New glasses?"
"Same as last time, sir," Angus said with a laugh.
"Really?" Taako feigned skepticism. "Must be the face that's changed."
"I'm sorry, sir," said the orc behind Taako. "I tried to stop him."
"It's okay, Gav," Angus replied, raising a hand. "He's family."
Determined to ignore the sudden sharpness of feeling in his chest, Taako turned and smirked smugly at the orc named Gav. Gav glared back, but it became more like a pout as he closed the door.
With a little kick of his heel, Taako spun to face Angus. "You hungry? Because I just got off the road and I am ravenous!"
Angus hesitated, turned to look at the woman in the chair, then back at Taako. "Give me ten minutes?"
"Only because it's you, Ango," said Taako, pinching both his cheeks. "But if I starve out there, it's on your head."
Angus smiled one last time, squeezed Taako's shoulders, then turned back to the woman. As he left the room and closed the door behind him, he heard Angus apologize for the interruption.
"Quite alright," the woman replied, amused. "I had a mother who was the same way."
Taako spent his ten minutes in the waiting room of McDonald Investigations irritating Angus' orc secretary; tapping his foot to a non-existent beat, gently scraping the tip of his umbrella across the hardwood floor, making his chair creak at odd intervals, and generally being a nuisance. The orc steadfastly refused to acknowledge Taako's presence and continued with whatever dull clerical work he had to do.
Taako never liked being ignored.
"Hey, thug."
Gav looked up, slightly annoyed.
"I've been walking all day and I am just parched," he said, gesturing to his throat. "Can I get a glass of water?"
The orc looked off to the side, at the pitcher full of water on a small end table by the door. He looked back to Taako, who smiled innocently. He sighed, and stood from his seat, walked over to the table, took one of the empty glasses from the tray, filled it with water, and went to hand it to Taako.
"Fabulous," said Taako appreciatively, taking the glass.
Gav frowned slightly, acknowledged him with a nod, and turned away. Taako waited patiently for the orc to sit down at his desk again.
"Oh! Could I get a straw?" Taako smiled and pointed at his mouth. "Sensitive teeth."
Now Gav glared at him, visibly biting his tongue. With a flick of his wrist, a golden illusory hand materialized by the pitcher, opened a drawer and plucked out a straw, then floated in front of Taako's face.
"Fancy," Taako muttered, taking the straw as the hand vanished. "Much obliged, homie."
The orc shook his head and returned to his work.
Then he flinched as Taako sipped as loudly and noisily as possible.
This continued for several minutes. When Angus and his client finally emerged from the office, Gav's shoulders visibly slumped in relief.
"Thank you for answering my questions, ma'am," Angus said politely. "I'm sure some of them seemed unnecessary."
"Not at all, detective," the old woman replied. "I appreciate the meeting. I'm more certain than ever that our Museum is in good hands."
Angus smiled and bowed slightly, hands behind his back. The woman returned the gesture (though for her it was more of a nod) and left. After the door closed behind her, Taako set down his glass, stood from his seat and shouldered his umbrella.
"We good?"
"We good," Angus said, walking over and grabbing his cap from a coatrack by the door. "Gavin, close up shop for me, would you?"
"Yes, sir," replied the orc, standing from his seat. "I'll dust up as well, shall I?"
"You don't have to do that, Gav."
Gavin nodded and adjusted his spectacles. "I'm aware, sir."
Angus smiled at him (damn but the boy smiles easily, that has to be a good thing) and waved. "See you on Monday."
Taako followed Angus out, twirling his umbrella as he did so. "You know a good place?"
"I do," Angus said, "and don't even think about picking up the check."
He barked out a laugh. "Good one, Agnes."
"So how are you?"
They were sitting at a wrought iron table outside a pleasant little cafe at the end of the street. Angus had assured him the food was good, but while Taako trusted his judgment more than most, he had played it safe and ordered something impossible to screw up.
"Can't complain," Taako said with a shrug. He quickly snarfed down the last of his BLT. "I mean, I could."
"Of course you could."
"But I won't." He gestured at nothing. "Things are fine. Everything's fine."
Angus stared at him in that way he stared when he didn't believe Taako but didn't want to look like he didn't believe him. Taako was an expert in these sort of double-blind expressions, being a duplicitous bastard himself.
"How's Kravitz?" Angus asked, a little too casually.
"Good," Taako said, matching his tone. "He's busy, most days, is all."
Angus nodded and took a sip of his coffee. "Mhm."
Taako sneered. "Don't give me that 'mhm' shit, boychik. Just ask."
"Fine. How busy is Kravitz?"
"Too busy!" Taako declared, reaching for his tea. "He's out too late and leaves too early. Sometimes he doesn't come home at all, for days on end. Some necromancy cult in the Far Reaches or something. We don't talk about work much."
"That's a shame."
"Totally." Taako leaned back in his seat, cradling his cup in his hands. "I'd be worried he's getting tired of me if he weren't trying to play grab-ass whenever he's there."
"Gross, sir."
"Honestly, the man is insatiable! Like a sexual tyranno—"
Angus flicked his finger. A bit of Taako's tea jumped the rim and splashed on his nose. He wiped it off and glared at the boy, who grinned back at him.
"Goofing on you isn't as fun now that you can fight back," he grumbled, smiling behind his cup.
Angus chuckled — he used to giggle, Taako remembered — and took a sip of his coffee. "So you were bored?"
"Absolutely." Taako took a sip and grimaced, then added more honey. "It is dull as doorknobs in that house, pumpkin. I mean, I was happy to lay down some roots and all, but there's only so many times you can eat your own baking and pull weeds in the garden before you start to lose your marbles."
"You could get a hobby."
"I just named two!" Taako said loudly, throwing a hand in the air.
"Well... yeah," Angus admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. "I meant, like, a new hobby."
"Oh yeah, I'll take up carpentry," Taako scoffed. "That'll be buckets of fun. I can hear Magnus now, lecturing me on how best to carve a duck's asshole."
"It's an option."
Taako flicked a finger of his own. Angus, through a exceptional display of manual dexterity, barely managed to avoid spilling his coffee.
"Hobbies suck." Taako crossed his legs beneath the table. "I'm tired of 'em. This is better. Besides, when's the last time I saw you? You missed last Candlenights."
"And the Bureau reunion, I know." Angus sighed and looked down at the table. "School was so busy, and then setting up the agency..."
"Hey, no tea, no shade, Ango," Taako said gently. "You did what you had to. Place looks great. I'm glad I got to see it."
He smiled, and damn if it didn't make Taako want to smile too. "Thank you, sir. I'm glad, too."
"Shame I wasn't the first, though."
Angus rolled his eyes.
"Really thought I was your favorite."
"Magnus was in town for a trade fair," he explained, biting back a smile. "We ran into each other."
"No, no, it's fine," Taako said, looking away with a pout. "I understand."
"I did call you first, when I got the deed."
"Oh, yeah, on the stone. That's real special."
Angus flicked his finger again. Taako's chair tilted backwards, and he had to lean forward to keep from toppling.
"When did you get this petty?" Taako asked indignantly.
"Couldn't say, sir. Must have picked it up somewhere."
Taako glared at Angus, looking just so furious. Then he started cracking up. Angus quickly followed suit.
"S'good to see you, pumpkin," he said, wiping a tear from his eye.
"Same here, sir," Angus replied with a grin. "You have a place to stay?"
"Hadn't gotten that far yet," Taako said plainly. "I'm not exactly short of cash, though."
Angus leaned forward and put his hand on the table. "Sir, if you don't stay at my home, I'm going to be very upset."
"Don't have to if you're short on room," Taako said, putting up the most token fight imaginable.
"Sir."
"Alright, okay, jeez." He drank the last of his tea and set down the cup. "You're the boss, bubeleh."
Turned out Angus didn't live too far from the agency; his little second floor apartment was in a townmanor at the edge of the merchant quarter. There was a small garden in the interior courtyard, with some flowers, a large oak, and a couple benches. It was honestly nicer than what Taako had expected.
The boy must have caught him staring at that garden, because he started to explain. "I helped the landlord out of a jam a while back. He cuts me a deal on rent, and I don't have to take a cab to work."
"Nice," Taako said, nodding approvingly. "Already got people under your thumb, huh, Djangus?"
"It's not like that," he said as he pulled his keys from his pocket.
"Oh, yeah, totally. I read you." Taako gave Angus an exaggerated wink. Angus rolled his eyes and opened the door.
The apartment was small and sparsely appointed, with only a simple table and two chairs in the kitchen, and a couch and coffee table in the sitting area off to the right by a little fireplace. There was precious little in the way of decoration. In fact, the only immediate sign that anyone lived here at all were the hats and gloves on the rack next to the door.
"Jeez, Agnes," Taako drawled, taking off his hat. "You ever think about a plant or something?"
Angus paused taking off his jacket. "Yeah, I, uh. Figured I should probably decorate the office first. Gotta make a good impression on the clientele and all that."
"Yeah, but what about the non-clientele?" Taako asked curiously, hanging his umbrella on a coathook. "How are you supposed to invite someone over for a little late night mambo if your apartment looks like a furniture showroom?"
Angus chuckled weakly, and for the first time, Taako detected a hint of nerves. "That's... I'm not exactly —"
"What is it, kiddo?" he asked, concern edging its way into his voice despite his best efforts.
"Nothing," Angus said quickly. "I'm fine. I just — I don't spend a lot of time here, y'know? I'm super busy. Heck, I don't even know anyone outside of school or work! So—"
"So what?" he asked. "Why not invite one of them? You gotta have a life that ain't work, Ango."
"It's not that simple," he said defensively.
"Sure it is!" Taako reached over and grabbed him by the shoulders. It was the most comforting thing he could think to do in the moment, which probably said something about his instincts. "Just buy a plant, put up a painting, and say you wanna play tiddlywinks at your place!"
"What does that mean?" Angus asked, scandalized. "She wouldn't p—"
His eyes widened and he shut his mouth faster than you could blink. Taako stared at the boy, and a crooked grin slowly assembled itself on his face.
"She?"
Angus said nothing.
"Pumpkin. Cookie. Peaches." Taako removed his hands and clasped them together. "Do you have a crush?"
"No!" Angus said, then closed his eyes and winced, defeated. "Please don't ask."
"But I must, I must!" Taako threw an arm around Angus' neck and leaned on him. "Bubeleh. You know I won't judge. I mean I will, but for you I'd keep it all to myself."
Angus shook his head.
"Oh, please?" Taako whined. "Come on. Just a name!"
"I think it's time I went to bed, sir."
Taako pouted, and released the boy with a sigh. "Fiiiiiine. You keep your secret. But it won't stay secret for long! You're smart enough to know that."
Angus breathed a sigh of relief, running a hand through his hair. He promptly changed the subject. "I can sleep on the couch, if you want the bed. Is there anything you need? You don't have any luggage, so—"
"Oh, I do!" Taako said cheerily, then pulled a small model tent from his pocket. He tossed it on the floor and in less than a second, a six foot tall, two-foot wide pup tent popped into existence in Angus' living room. Taako pulled the cloth door-flap aside to reveal six large pieces of luggage (and a small clutch) sitting in the much larger magical confines of the Pocket Spa.
"Don't have to worry about me, my guy," Taako said smugly. "I've got plenty of room to stretch out."
Angus smiled sheepishly. "Right. Forgot you had that."
"Needed a place to set it up, though," said Taako, waving the door-flap. "Doesn't exactly have a lock. You want in? Seems like you could use a spa evening."
"Nah, I'm alright. Thanks, sir."
"Suit yourself." He stepped inside and held the flap open to say, "Night, kiddo."
Angus smiled and waved as he turned away. "Good night, sir."
Taako watched him walk back down a short hallway to what must have been his bedroom. He closed the door-flap and stepped into the Pocket Spa with a sigh, then started to take off his jewelry.
This visit had certainly been the right move — the kid clearly needed some company that wasn't attached to his work life. Obviously Taako wasn't ideal — that'd be whoever this crush was, and wasn't he tickled to learn about that — but every little bit had to help. He got the distinct feeling Angus was wearing a bit thin. Not the same carefree kid from back in the day, trolling around the Sword Coast with Taako and Kravitz before he heard the siren song of higher learning and left the nest. Those were good times. The best years of Taako's life.
And if he was honest with himself, the whole reason he was there.
Taako had a certain level of self-awareness, even if he did his best to fight it at every turn. There were at least three ex-Bureau members closer than Angus, Magnus included, and as reluctant as Taako was to admit it, he enjoyed all their company. But puttering around that empty house, spending time looking at the mementos scattered over every room... when he'd finally had enough, there'd only been one person Taako wanted to see.
With a snap of his fingers, Taako's arcane cosmetics fizzled out; he would have taken them off the moment he crossed into Angus' apartment, but there was still that part of him that wanted Angus to see the best of him, and not his (many, manifold) imperfections. He made a point of avoiding the full length mirror on the far wall of the spa as he changed into his pajamas, then opened up one of the trunks sitting on the floor and pulled out a blanket and pillow.
As he climbed into one of the lounge chairs, Taako decided Angus shouldn't know. No point to it. The boy had enough to worry about; no need to add Taako to the list just because the stupid elf had forgotten what solitude felt like. This is what attachment does, that small, selfish voice in his head told him. Makes you soft. Makes you weak. You used to live like this. Now you get a little lonely and you go running to a child.
Taako growled something unpleasant under his breath and flicked his wrist. The alchemical lights hanging in the Pocket Spa dimmed, and he shut his eyes.
No, Angus shouldn't know. But he probably already did.
He was just good enough not to say anything.