To Safety (The Adventure Zone, M) 1/4

[Ignis]

this takes place during the stolen century, and nothing really happens ship-wise but there's a bit of taako/magnus flirting in here so be warned! there is also some non-fetish-related plot, which is an anomaly for me. there's also not much you'd need to know about the show prior to reading this, so you can read it as an original if you would like!

-

 

Taako keeps falling behind. Magnus would be more worried than annoyed if he wasn't being so damn dramatic about it. And if they hadn't been walking for so long.

"Are we almost there?" Taako whines, voice distant, and Magnus turns to see him just turning a corner.

"Y'know, we'd get there sooner if you walked a little faster," Magnus sighs, waiting for Taako to catch up so they can keep going. The elf reaches his side and drags a dramatic hand across his forehead.

"We've been walking for days, Mags."

"It's only been a few hours."

"Are we almost there?" Magnus rolls his eyes and keeps walking.

"I don't see why Cap'nport couldn't just drop us off a little closer."

"It's a no fly zone, you know that."

"Yeah, I know that, but since when do we follow all the rules?" Taako murmurs with an irritated sniff. Magnus agrees, and he'd much rather they just crash the place, but he'd tried something similar last cycle and died on the fourth day. Not fun.

"It shouldn't be too far, just keep up."

Taako makes a loud groaning noise that sounds a bit like a dying animal and valiantly trudges on. They walk for about half an hour before Magnus starts to suspect they've made a wrong turn. That, or the directions Davenport's been given are bunk.

He wants to bring this up but when he turns, Taako is too far. He guesses he can shout, what with his elf ears and all, but he doesn't want to attract too much attention. He bounces his weight back and forth until Taako catches up again. Opening his mouth to speak, his words catch in his throat as Taako stumbles a bit.

"I'm—" Taako pauses to breathe for a second. "I'm— Fucking— Tired. Can we— please— stop— for, like— two fucking seconds."

Magnus watches Taako catch his breath, hands on his knees, before walking towards him and crouching down.

A brief silence, and then, "Is this what I think it is?"

"C'mon, Taako," Magnus pleads, and he can practically feel the tired grin he knows is spreading over Taako's face. "We gotta go."

"Don't have to tell me twice, big guy," Taako says, sounding utterly pleased. He climbs onto Magnus's back, shamelessly shifting his hips for a better position. Magnus feels his cheeks redden as he stands and starts walking again.

Something is wrong, though, and not just the path that's getting wilder and harder to traverse. Taako is surprisingly quiet up there, save for the slow breaths that whistle through his nose.

"You good, Taako?" Magnus asks carefully. Taako responds with a loud yawn, pressing his face into the back of his neck. It's strangely warm. 

"Mhm. Cha boy's falling asl..." He trails off.  For a moment, Magnus wonders if he actually knocked out midsentence. Taako probably would, especially since they've been—

"H-HEHH'TISSHYuu!"

"Jesus!" Magnus nearly loses his footing as Taako directs a loud, throat-scraping sneeze into the back of his shirt. 

"Fantasy Jesus can't save you now, buddy," Taako croaks when Magnus steadies his grip again, sniffling and rubbing his nose between Magnus's shoulder blades.

"Bless you," Magnus amends, walking faster. "Are you feeling okay? I've never seen you do that before." He pauses. "Or heard, I guess."

"Peachy." Taako settles himself and presses his face against Magnus's neck again. Okay, is he imagining things, or does Taako's face definitely feel super hot? Hotter than before? "Just wanna nap..."

"We're almost there," Magnus tries, but he fails his deception check. Taako scoffs. "Yeah, okay, and I'm a rich and famous celebrity." He sniffles again, making a muffled noise that Magnus suspects might be a stifled cough.

"Just wake me up when we get there, yeah? Taako's boutta take a na... n-nhh, huh..."

"Bless you," Magnus anticipates, just as Taako ducks into his shirt again. 

"Heh'TSCHHYUU! Ghh... Hh... HEH'TISHHyu! Heh'SHyu! 'KSCHyuu! Uhh... Hehhh... HEHH'TSSHYuu!"

"Bless you, what, six times?"

"Five," Taako sniffles, voice near a whisper.

"Are you sure you're okay? You sound like shit."

"Fuck off, I'm fine. Just keep going." Magnus feels Taako's breath come in warm puffs on the back of his neck and sighs.

"Hang in there, buddy," he says, shifting Taako's weight and starting down the road again.

True to his word, Taako does fall asleep. None of that elf meditation, he's just out cold. Magnus has to admit that there's something kinda soothing about the sound of his snoring, which is exceptionally close to purring. And he'll take any comfort he can get. These directions are definitely fucked.

He'd been relying on the fact that Taako could cast a light spell if they got lost, but he's loath to wake him up now, and Magnus doesn't have darkvision, either. The luminescent plants and fungi are the only thing helping him, and even then he can barely see two feet in front of him. Taako makes a displeased sound in his sleep as Magnus trips on a root and stumbles.

"Not helpful," he mutters as Taako sniffles and returns to snoring. The path only gets worse. Soon Magnus is just following any light he sees. He's not even sure there is a path anymore. The glowing plants slowly become more and more sparse, and eventually he has no choice but to jostle Taako awake.

"Taako."

"Mmhhgggghghh."

"Taako, hey, wake up." The elf in question lifts his head and scowls at him. 

"Fuck's goin' on?" he murmurs, and Magnus sets him down gently. Taako rubs at his face, looking around. He looks dazed.

"Can you cast a light spell or something?" Magnus asks in a low voice. "I can't see shit."

"You said we were almost there," Taako says, voice husky from sleep, as he reaches into his boot for his wand. Mumbling something Magnus can't hear, he flicks his wand and his hat starts to glow. He frowns at it.

"Does it always do that?"

"No, I was trying to make your shield glow," Taako says, sounding apprehensive. He sniffles and runs his sleeve under his nose. "Maybe my wand's busted or something. C'mon." He trudges forward, and Magnus is quick to follow. 

"Who gave Dav these directions?" Taako eventually asks. His speed and determination have faded quickly, quicker than Magnus would have liked, and after only a few minutes of walking they're back to Magnus leading with Taako's hat in tote, and Taako dragging his feet behind him. So much for a rejuvenating nap.

"I dunno, some dude sent by the king."

"So either we got duped or the king wants us to die in this fucking dank ass forest. Great. If we don't get eaten maybe we'll freeze to death." Magnus looks back to see Taako hugging his arms with a shiver. 

"Are you cold?" he asks incredulously. He knows Taako and Lup are more drawn to warmth and the sun than the rest of them, but it isn't particularly cold out here. It's actually comfortable enough for Magnus to have his sleeves rolled up. Which he does. He watches Taako carefully as he runs his sleeve under his nose again, sniffling and staring at the ground.

"Yeah, my dude, I'm freezing." He sniffles again, and for a moment he just looks vulnerable and sad, but then he looks up with a half smirk. "How about we huddle together for body heat, huh?" he teases, waggling his eyebrows. There, that was more like it. Magnus shakes his head.

"Can't you just cast something to keep you warm?"

"Uh, and burn a spell slot in the middle of this dark and creepy hellscape? No way." He turns away to muffle a cough into his shoulder. Magnus winces at the sound. "Ugh. Besides, if something's messing with my magic I'll probably set your fine ass on fire."

Magnus frowns as he shivers again. "Maybe I should set you on fire," Taako muses quietly, rubbing a finger under his nose. "It'll keep me toasty."

"Hey, c'mere a second?" Taako's ears perk up as Magnus lets him catch up.

"What's up? You thinking over Taako's body heat offer?"

Magnus brushes Taako's hair aside and presses a palm against his forehead. Taako's eyelids flutter with a soft "Oh," and his ears twitch madly at the contact.

"You're hot," Magnus says worriedly. Taako opens one eye.

"You know it. Glad you're comin' around, Maggie, I was starting to think you'd lost your sight."

Magnus rolls his eyes, lowering his hand. "You know what I mean. Seriously, are you feeling okay?"

"I'm feeling tired of walking and getting absolutely nowhere," Taako says, putting obvious effort into matching his pace. Magnus feels kinda bad and slows down a little.

"We'll just go a little more, and if we don't find anything we can stop."

Taako doesn't respond, focusing instead on pressing one finger to the underside of his nose.

"Taako?"

"Gimme a second, I'm h-hh..." He stops, and Magnus stops with him this time. Taako buries his face in his sleeve, and before Magnus can get too concerned, ducks forward.

"H-HehH'SSCHYuu!Uh... Heh'TISHHYUU! Ughhh. Snff."

"Bless you, Taako. You're definitely sick."

Taako pushes the heel of his hand against his nose a few times, waving Magnus off and turning away. "Just allergic to something in this shitty forest. Probably demons or something."

Magnus sighs. "You're a demon."

"Maybe so." He sounds tired. Maybe Magnus is just projecting, but Taako sounds really tired.

"Wanna get on my back again? I'll carry you the rest of the way and then we'll stop to... I dunno, camp, I guess."

"We're gonna kick the bucket in this place," Taako mutters, taking Magnus up on the offer and burying his face in the fabric of his shirt. "I can't believe the last thing I'm gonna see i-is y... yhh... hhh... HEH'TISCHHYuu! 'KSchyuu! Heh'TSSHYUU!" He dissolves into a coughing fit that makes Magnus's own chest ache in sympathy.

"Fuck," Taako mutters, shutting his eyes and resting his head in the dip of Magnus's shoulder. 

"How long have you been sick?" 

"I told you I'm not—" He breaks off into more coughs, ones that rattle in his chest and leave him gripping Magnus's shirt until his knuckles go white. "Snff... A few days," he admits, wiping his nose. "Think I caught it off Barold again."

"Barry only had a cold, though," says Magnus, squinting into the distance. Is that a light? Looks like a fire, but he's not completely sure, so he doesn't say anything. "You sound pretty bad. Also... Is that how that works? Like with human illnesses and elf illnesses?"

"It's, uh, it's not common, but it happens." His breath stutters, and he reaches across Magnus's chest in search of their bag. "We had water, right?

"...Mags?"

Magnus comes to a stop. The three people sitting around the fire pit look up at him, and smile.
 

[ohlala8]

Oh man, this is not my ship but I like sniffly whiny Taako very much. And also plot! Excited for more

[Ignis]

On 12/20/2019 at 10:27 AM, ohlala8 said:

Oh man, this is not my ship but I like sniffly whiny Taako very much. And also plot! Excited for more

thanks! sniffly whiny taako is my favorite 👌 

edit: i cannot for the life of me figure out how to edit the title?

-

"Hello," says the shortest of the group. "Are you two lost?"

Their eyes glow bright in the darkness, as do the bands around their wrists and ankles. Magnus notes with a touch of uneasiness that they all breathe in unison, and long serpentine tails drum a steady beat onto the forest ground. Definitely creepy.

"We're looking for King Daedalus," Magnus says carefully. Their pointed ears perk up.

"Well, you won't find him in here," they say. "You must have been misled."

"'Course we were," Taako mumbles, coughing quietly.

"Your friend doesn't look well," says the person tending to the fire as she nods at Taako. "We have food and beds. You two can rest up and we'll have a caravan take you to the king tomorrow morning."

Magnus doesn't trust these people as far as he can throw them, but much to his surprise, Taako is already climbing down from his back and walking towards the fire. He puts a hand on Taako's shoulder to stop him. "Hold on, Taako."

"They've got food," Taako whines, and when he looks back at Magnus, his eyes are glassy. Magnus touches his forehead again. His temperature hasn't changed, but the fever is probably muddling his mind.

"We just want to help," the first one says. "The forest is dangerous to traverse if you don't know your way around. It wouldn't sit right with us to let you wander off and get killed in the process, while we sit on a pile of experience and resources. What do you say?"

Magnus lifts his hand, and Taako rushes in. The people here are right, they barely have enough to get them through a couple days— and with Taako's condition, he might not make it that long anyway. He makes a face, and walks over to where Taako is standing as close to the fire as he safely can, warming himself.

"Fine," Magnus says reluctantly. The two people who spoke exchange a glance that doesn't make him feel any better, and the first one claps their hands together.

"Wonderful! We'll just pack our things and get going." The other two start gathering the few things they have with them. Taako watches, enraptured. 

"I'm Lionel, by the way," the person says, reaching a hand out to shake. Magnus takes it, noting how cold it is. 

"Magnus."

"That's Anjel, and the tall quiet one is Aleki. We were just coming out here to meet a friend, but I'm sure he won't mind the delay."

Lionel doesn't break eye contact with whoever they're speaking to, Magnus notices. There's a small gasp from behind him, and then—

"Heh'TISHHYUU!" Magnus jumps. Taako barely even gives him a glance, coughing at the ground and swaying on his feet. Magnus is quick to lift him onto his back, shifting so that Taako can rest his head on his shoulder again.

"You still with me, Taako?"

Taako raises a shaky hand to give him a thumbs up. Good enough, for now.

He follows the three planet's inhabitants through the dark, checking up on Taako every now and then. He's completely stopped complaining, which is worrying in itself, but more concerning is how he rarely takes his eyes off the party in front of them. When Magnus asks, Taako shrugs and mumbles something about the "pretty lights." Magnus makes a point out of not looking at the glowing bands any more than he has to.

Soon the trees begin to disperse and a starless sky emerges. Magnus can see a small house in the distance, which Lionel identifies as their safehouse. He doesn't ask why they need one. When they finally get there, Aleki informs them in quiet, rumbly tones that he'll be preparing dinner and the extra bed is down the hall.

Magnus sets Taako down and curses under his breath. His pallor has gotten worse than before, a flush spread under his eyes and on his cheeks proof of the fever that's climbed way too high. Even his ears are reddened, though not as much as his nose, which he rubs at with the back of his wrist. Magnus feels his face anyway, unsurprised by the heat he finds. 

"I don't feel good, Maggie," Taako says quietly, eyes still glassy. Something is off about it, though, and Magnus finds himself wishing he knew at least a little more about magic.

"I know. You gotta eat something first, and then sleep this off."

"'Kay." He sniffles. "Where's Lionel?"

Magnus frowns. "They're in the kitchen. Why? Do you need something?" Taako starts climbing out of bed, protesting when Magnus gently pushes him back down.

"I wanna go see," he insists.

"See what?"

"See Lionel."

"Why?"

Taako stops, confused. He shakes his head, and rubs at his eyes for a moment. When he opens them again the unfocused look is still there, but he settles.

"Taako?"

"What?"

"You were—" Magnus shakes his head. "Never mind." He rummages around in his bag until he comes up with the last of their water, handing the flask to Taako. "Here. I'm gonna go see about dinner and then get you... I dunno, tea, or something. Sit tight."

He finds Aleki cooking something that smells godly, while Anjel and Lionel argue in hushed but angry voices. Magnus lingers behind the doorframe, pressing his ear up to the wall, but he rolls poorly on his perception check and only catches Anjel hiss something about not wanting to eat tainted meat.

The two look up when he enters. Lionel schools their features into something more pleasant while Anjel continues to scowl.

"Everything okay?" Magnus asks.

Lionel nods. "Everything is fine, Anjel here is just being a bit dramatic." Anjel rolls her eyes. 

"What's for dinner?" he tries, glancing over at Aleki. He looks back from where he's stirring something in a pot and gives Magnus a tiny wave. Magnus returns it and Aleki smiles, going back to the food.

"Lexi's making—" Anjel says something in a tongue Magnus can't parse. The confusion must show on his face because she waves a hand and tries again. "It's, uh, traditional comfort food. You guys came from that ship that landed a while ago, yes?"

"Yeah, actually." Magnus rubs the back of his neck, taking a seat as Lionel gestures beside them. "You heard about that?"

"Everyone heard about that. You made quite a scene when you turned up in the middle of a tavern with all your alien clothes and whole—" She gestures at all of him. "—selves."

"Word travels fast, huh?" Magnus says sheepishly, and Lionel laughs.

"I suppose it does. I—" They open their mouth to continue, but suddenly a platter piled with the most meat Magnus has seen since they landed is placed before them all. His mouth is watering immediately, and Aleki places a bowl of something that looks like beans in front of him with what he assumes is a spoon.

"Will your friend be joining us?" he asks timidly. Who? What friend? Magnus is sure his friend is fine, he just wants to sit with these fine people and eat some delicious dinner and fall asleep, his friend won't—

Oh, right. Taako. He starts to push away from the table, but there's a firm hand on his shoulder that pushes him down with suprising strength.

"Careful," Lionel mutters over their bean-adjacent food items as Anjel gives his back a rough but friendly pat. 

"Don't worry, Lexi will check on him," she says cheerily, sitting down again and picking up a slab of meat. "Eat up for now, you look starving." When she opens up to shove the entire piece down whole, Magnus can see every razor sharp tooth in her mouth. For some reason that doesn't bother him at all. He reaches for something that looks sort of like a drumstick and takes a juicy bite.

"Good?" Lionel asks, and Magnus all but moans.

"Tastes like pork," he says, and then all the food is gone and his stomach is full.

He loosens his belt and sighs, resting a hand on his stomach and staring at Lionel and Anjel in a daze. He doesn't really remember how long he's been sitting here, but <i>damn,</i> that food was so good. He's ready to go to bed. What was he doing, again? He can't shake the feeling that he's supposed to be getting something. Oh, well. Whatever it is can wait for tomorrow.

"If you'd like to bathe," Lionel says, breaking his train of thought, "you can do that out back. Just go down the hall past your room and make a right. 

A bath sounds good. Warm and wet and safe. Magnus starts down the hall, passing by their room. Something important... He'll get it later. He's halfway to the door when he hears a loud,

"HEHKISCHHYUU!"

The sneeze startles Magnus out of his thoughts. Taako. He turns on his heel and goes back into the spare room.

"Hello," Aleki says. He's sitting cross legged on the floor, the bedside to Taako. Taako's running a hand through Aleki's hair, staring intensely into his bright eyes as his tail thumps a steady beat into the floor. What the fuck did Magnus walk in on?

"I was checking on your friend. Tayko?"

"Tah-ko," Magnus corrects, as Taako nods along.

"Taako likes my hair." Taako nods again, squinting and gearing up for another sneeze. Aleki leans away politely, and Taako ducks forward. "Hah'TISHYUU!"

"Bless you," Magnus says, coming over to feel his forehead. "Your fever isn't going down at all. Can you look at me for a second?" He doesn't. "Taako."

Taako watches Aleki, leaning closer even as Magnus slides him farther down the bed.

"What are you doing?" Magnus asks Aleki. He whips around, eyes dimming somewhat.

"What?"

"That thing, with your eyes. Is it a healing spell or something? Because that's the only kind of magic you should be doing on him right now."

Aleki blinks (Now that Magnus thinks about it, do the three of them ever really blink?) and gets to his feet suddenly.

"I'll get a cloth," he says softly, leaving the room without another word. Not what Magnus asked, but at least he's gone. He doesn't know what these people have planned for them. But it can't be any good. He's gotta get them the fuck out of here.

Taako sneezes again, reminding Magnus that they can't go anywhere until he's at least a little better. 

"Bless you. How are you feeling?"

"Like shit," Taako says, sniffling and wiping his sleeve under his nose. 

"Are you hungry?"

"Al fed me."

"He... fed you?" Taako nods. "What else did he do?" Taako screws up his face, rubbing a finger against his nose.

"I don't remember. Brain's all fuzzy, y'know?"

"At least you're talking again. Once you shut up I was starting to worry about brain damage." Taako laughs, stopping only to cough into his sleeve. Magnus steals a glance at the door before leaning forward. "Listen, I think they're trying to put us under some kinda charming spell. I keep forgetting stuff, and you keep... going all babbly and soft."

"I'm not babbly and soft."

"You are, you just can't remember. You keep staring at them and you were just petting that guy's hair two minutes ago."

Taako frowns. "He's not my type." Magnus rolls his eyes. 

"They're probably gonna try and kill us. I need to get your fever down so you don't die, but also, because we can't stay here for too long. You don't have any healing spells, do you?"

Taako shakes his head. "Not Taako's forte. And I'm not... so good in the magic department right now."

"What do you mean?"

Taako rubs at his eyes. "I think it's the whole, uh, fever deal. S'fuckin' with my magic. I can't cast shit right."

Magnus looks over at the corner of the room where he'd dumped their few belongings. "Is that why your hat is still glowing and levitating three feet off the ground?"

Taako sniffles. "Got it in one."

There's a knock on the door and Aleki lets himself in, handing Magnus a washcloth and small container of cold water. His tail thrashes nervously, and he leaves as soon as Magnus takes the items.

He tugs Taako's sweater off, ignoring the look that earns him, before dipping the cloth in the water and pressing it to his forehead. Taako's eyes flutter shut, and he makes a pleased noise. "Oh, that feels nice."

"It should, you're burning up." Taako leans back until his head is on the pillow again. 

"Are you gonna sleep?" he asks, and Magnus looks around. There's an uncomfortable looking chair, and there's the wood floor. Not exactly cozy options. Sleeping next to Taako right now doesn't seem appealing either, but he guesses it'll be easier to check on him in the middle of the night if needed.

"I'll sleep later. Do you need anything else?"

Taako hums his dissent, reaching up to rub lazily at his nose before sniffling and wiggling around under the sheets. Magnus gives him maybe thirty seconds. He resoaks and replaces the cloth, and Taako is snoring once he's done. 

He leaves the door closed when he goes to bathe. No one bothers him while he's there— At least, not that he knows of. The memory is kind of hazy. When he gets back inside it's dark. The kitchen is vacant and all the lights are out, so Magnus trails one hand on the wall and follows the slight glow coming from under the door of the spare room. He's suddenly thankful Taako fucked up his spellcasting.

"You still asleep?" he whispers as he enters the room slowly. The silence answers him, and he drapes his shirt over Taako's hat. 

Sweat beads on Taako's forehead and leaves a patch on the pillow. That'll be his fever breaking, Magnus realizes with relief.

"Scoot over," he mumbles, pushing Taako towards the wall and climbing in bed. So here's that cuddling for shared body heat scenario he was so excited about. Too bad he's missing it. Taako mumbles something.

"What was that?"

"Fuckin'... binicorn."

"What the fuck is a binicorn?"

"S'got two of 'em. Name's Garyl."

"Who the fuck is Garyl?" Taako doesn't seem to have anything to offer, only rolls over and keeps snoring. Magnus makes a note to play closer attention to what Taako sleeptalks about. Taako cozies up to Magnus's side, resting a hand on his chest. Magnus rolls his eyes. Pillow duty. Of course.

He can't sleep yet. He needs to figure out how to get them the hell out of here. Tonight is definitely a no. Lionel said that they'd get a caravan to the king tomorrow, but that's not happening. They can overwhelm the driver easily and try and get back to where Davenport should still be waiting for them— That is, if they even actually leave the house at all. Maybe these three won't even bother with a cover and just kill them here. They're outnumbered and at a disadvantage, and it might already be too late. Maybe they're poisoned. Maybe Taako's poisoned. He didn't ask about that, did he? Magnus swallows, putting an arm over his eyes with a slower, deeper sigh. They are so fucked.

Edited December 23, 2019 by Ignis

[ohlala8]

Aww, poor Taako is not having a good time. I love that he's a snuggler, and also that he sleep-talks about Garyl. And I am very curious what these glowy-eyed people are doing... 😶