#sparkledragons

“Right? You told me it was gonna be trouble and it’s trouble. He’s dreamy, Taako,” she says into his shirt, and rolls off him to stare at the plastic stars on the ceiling. They were a joke at first, but she hasn’t seen them arranged in quite that position in so long, and the open sky was always their roof before. It’s comforting.

Comforting like the smell of denim, soft arms brushing hers, standing back to back with the universe’s most powerful necromancer. She never used to feel safe with anyone but Taako.

“You killed me,” Taako wheezes.

“You’ll come back,” she says. “Listen to me talk about Barry. He’s perfect, Taako. He brought me hot chocolate today.”

“You never say I’m dreamy when I bring you hot chocolate,” Taako pouts. She elbows him.

“I’m not trying to bang you. Isn’t he just the best?” She sighs and squeezes her brother to her chest like a pillow. “He’s so nice and handsome and I’m in trouble, Taako.”

Taako is busy pretending to suffocate, so she continues.

“He thinks I’m brilliant. He said that today! He said even if we weren’t stuck together he’d want to spend time with me,” she tells Taako, who rolls his eyes.

“Of course you’re brilliant,” he says. “If he didn’t see that we’d need to hit him with a sledgehammer. He’s got eyes, last I checked.”

“But he liiiikes me,” Lup sings, rolling and squeezing the life out of Taako. “He really likes me! He! Likes me! And he’s so nice, Taako! And he’s smart, and funny, and--”

“Yeah, he’s the best, I get it,” Taako smiles. “You two are gonna have a beautiful romance once one of you gets off your ass. You deserve each other.”

She hides her head in his shoulder.

“Do you think he’d say yes? There’s still the Hunger and everything, and I don’t want him to date me because rejecting me would be awkward, and I really want this to work out, Taako. I don’t care if he’s human. Taako, I think I love him,” she says. She picks herself up to look at her brother. Her ears flatten in apprehension. She’s never said it before. “Taako, what if I love him?”

Taako is unimpressed.

“Of course you love him, doofus. And he loves you. The two of you are painfully in love, believe me, he’s not gonna say no. Actually, try to get that confession in this week, I have dish duty riding on it,” he says. Lup hits him in the shoulder.

“You wouldn’t really bet on my love life,” she says.

“I woulda thought you’d never pine for fifty goddamn years, Lup, miracles happen,” he says, hitting her back. She’s still hugging his arm to his side, so it doesn’t work very well.

“Taako, dear,” she says, sobering, “You’re...you’re okay with this, right?”

His brows furrow and his ears tilt. “What?”

“Just, we always...it’s been the two of us, and now there’s--him.” And she has to take a moment to revel in that, that there’s Barry now, that he’s a part of us. Me and Taako and Barry. It has a good sound to it. “And I--I love him, Taako, I think I really love him. But I don’t wanna--I don’t wanna leave you behind.”

Taako’s ears droop and he looks away for a moment, trapped. But he steels himself and smiles at her.

“We materialize holding hands at the start of every year, you’re gonna be hard-pressed to leave me behind,” he says. But she keeps looking at him for any signs of a lie and he relents.

“I want you to be happy, Lup,” he says. “I’ve never seen you happy like you are with him. The two of you are really somethin’ special, something I didn’t really believe in before.”

He wriggles his arms free to card his fingers through her hair.

“If you really think he’s it for you, and you don’t tap that denim ass on my account, I will never forgive you,” he swears.

She laughs, as he meant her to, and shoves his face into the bed.

“Fuck you, I’m being serious here!” she protests, and he squirms but doesn’t break free. “Feelings, Taako! I’m talking about feelings!”

“You’re talking about fucking what,” he gasps before she shoves him back down.

“Fuck you, someday you’re gonna be in goopy love and I’m gonna make fun of your dork-ass boyfriend,” she teases, and he snorts laughter.

“Not fuckin’ likely, sis, Taako’s a heartbreaker. Love ‘em and leave their whole damn planar system, that’s how we do.” He tussles her and messes with her hair, careful to avoid tugging her earrings.

She doesn’t mention that it breaks her heart, a little bit. She’s found a love that has changed her life and he’s not letting himself search for that.

Can’t blame him, though.

Once the Hunger is gone. Once they’ve had a good, easy cycle, once the plan she’s scraping together with Barry works out, she’ll talk to him. He’s brilliant, kind, funny, he’ll find his someone once he bothers to look.

“Well, I’m not, anymore, I guess,” she says lamely. There was a good comeback there and she completely missed it.

Taako snorts.

“Yeah, you bet you’re not. Fuckin’ domestic is what you are, it’s hilarious,” he says. She shoves him and he gives her a soft look.

“Really, though,” he says. “I’m happy for you, Lup. I’m so glad you two have time together. If it means the two of you can be in love, I’d take the Hunger forever.”

She hugs him close and tucks his head into her shoulder because the things her brother would do for her are a little bit terrifying, sometimes. She loves him so much, and she loves(!) Barry, and she loves this crew, and...