Chapter Text
Taako nervously knocked on the front door to Ren’s house, bouncing a little on his toes. What he was about to do wasn’t going to be a failure, but his anxiety told him otherwise. The door opened and Ren beamed, stepping aside to let him in.
“You could have just come in, dork!” She elbowed him as he walked past. “This is the first time in at least six years that you haven’t just walked into my house announcing yourself.”
“That’s cuz I have something I wanted to talk about, but it’s stressing me out,” Taako sat down on the closest chair in the living room. “It’s about Sizzle It Up, which I know is a big subject right now, given everything going on.”
“Take a deep breath, then ask me. I can see you holding your breath,” she sat down in a chair beside him. Taako let out the breath he was holding and nervously toyed with his hands.
“So, um… It’s been around 6 months since the incident happened, and I think it’s finally time to make a full change. I decided I’m moving out of Neverwinter for good, not just staying there temporarily. I-I’m so much happier out there with Kravitz, but that means I’m also officially stepping out of the Sizzle It Up spotlight,” he waited for a negative response, but only saw Ren nodding along attentively. “Ren, do you want to be head chef for Sizzle It Up?”
“Wait, really?” Ren cocked her head to the side curiously. “You want me to take over? Not just… Cancel the show outright?”
“Only if that’s what you want to do,” Taako reassured, making sure she didn’t feel pressured. “Since my place is only an hour drive from the city, it might be a fine commute for, say, a co-creator now working from the sidelines. Maybe a role swap is in order?” He looked her over for any signs, but she didn’t respond for a moment. But, just as Taako was about to speak up again, Ren tackled him into a big hug.
“Of course! Oh my god, this is so exciting!” She bounced up and down, buzzing with energy. “You just gotta promise you’re not going to hire me an assistant who has a tendency to poison meals,” she snorted.
“We’ll do thorough poison-related background checks, don’t worry.” Taako laughed. “And you’re sure you want to do this?”
“One-hundred percent sure, no doubts from me here,” she held out her hand for a pinky promise.
“I decided I’m gonna do one last show, but with you. Just like old times. We’ll do a transition episode, we can cut together a bunch of clips from the youtube channel and make it all dramatic where I pass on the apron. Even though you’ve been here from day one.” He grinned. He’d been planning this for two weeks, trying to get everything put together in case Ren was hesitant about his proposal. Everyone insisted that Ren would take it well, but Taako was still nervous about the whole thing.
“Promise me one thing, Taako,” Ren looked him over with a smirk. “If I start acting like a famous bitch like you were, be brutally honest with me.”
“I’m going to be brutally honest with you right now.” Taako took her hands in his. “You’ll never turn into that, you’re not gonna get the big head I had.” He nudged her playfully. “We’re gonna start prep at the studio tomorrow, so I’m going to get a head start on some paperwork at home.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow, then!” She hugged him once more. The drive home was quiet, but Taako felt like everything he’d been worried about had finally been lifted off his shoulders. All he had to do was one last show by his friend’s side, and then he’d have the life he’d been waiting for. As he walked up the porch steps, he heard Kravitz’ voice call out from inside.
“Wait, don’t come in yet! I have a surprise!” Kravitz laughed. “I thought I’d have a little more time to get things set up!”
“Can I come in with my eyes closed so the mosquitoes don’t devour me?” Taako smiled.
“Yeah, go ahead! Just no peeking!” Kravitz sounded excited, and he opened the door a crack so Taako could come in. Taako closed his eyes and walked forward, holding his arms out so he didn’t run into anything. “Okay, I’m gonna lead you to the living room, don’t listen too hard.” Kravitz said, then a small mew came from the next room. “You didn’t hear that.” He quickly led Taako to the couch.
“Is this what I think it is, babe?” Taako couldn’t help the grin spreading across his face. Kravitz carefully set something down on his lap.
“Okay, open your eyes!” He sounded more excited than before. Taako opened his eyes to see a small calico kitten purring on his lap, starting to knead against his leg. Her little claws felt like tiny knives digging into his leg, and he was floored.
“Oh my god, she’s so fucking cute …” He nearly whispered, picking the kitten up carefully.
“Me and Lup went to pick her up earlier, a little bit after you left. I’ve been wanting to do this for weeks, I know you said that you wanted a pet now that you’re out of the apartment.” Kravitz sat beside Taako, kissing his cheek. “Do you like her?”
“I love her, she’s perfect.” Taako murmured, leaning against Kravitz. “Have you picked out a name yet?” Kravitz shook his head before resting his head on Taako’s shoulder.
“I was thinking you could pick her name. Lup suggested Princess Destroyer of the Sixth Realm, and Barry suggested Toaster. So, two good options there.” Kravitz laughed. Taako looked the kitten over, gently giving her chin scratches as he pondered. Suddenly, it hit him, and he sat up straight.
“How about… Chicken? Since this all started with me eating some fucked up chicken,” Taako looked over at Kravitz. “Is that too stupid?”
“I think it’s perfect. Chicken it is.” Kravitz grinned, leaning over to pet Chicken. The three of them sat together in the living room, enjoying the quiet evening, and everything felt like it had fallen into place. Taako had been through a lot in just half a year, but now things had worked out better than he’d have possibly hoped for. He was nearly fully recovered physically, working on things mentally, and he was finally in a place where he really felt like himself. It wasn’t like Taako to get sentimental, but he hadn’t truly had peace like this in a long time. All it took to get him there was a jealous cooking assistant, a haunted house, and a little bit of arsenic.
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“Hey, you ready?” Ren knocked on the dressing room door. “Almost time for your final show!”
“Yeah, I just gotta try and fit into this apron with the tiny ties around the back,” Taako snorted, adjusting his apron. “Taako seven months ago didn’t eat and it shows,” he turned around in the mirror, finally tying it the way he wanted. He looked himself over, then started laughing as he caught a glimpse of a poster for the show behind him.
Not only did he look completely different, but he felt different too. Yes, he swapped his long blonde braid for his short, natural dark brown hair, and he overall looked healthier, less starved and exhausted. But what really felt like a huge change was how he felt on the inside. Taako loved the person he’d become, and he was so ready to continue living the life he’d earned.
“Let’s get out there! I promise I checked my pockets for any kinds of poison, your assistant today won’t fuck things up for you again.” Ren teased.
“I’m more like your assistant today. I’m stepping down, it’s your show now!” Taako grinned at her, grabbing his chef’s hat and walking out to the studio set. The familiar hot lights and feeling of the set sent a jolt of anxiety through him, but he shoved that down for the time being. Once the show was done, he could have a big anxiety attack, but for now he had to act charismatic and charming for the entire time they cooked the meal. Taako took a deep breath, waited for his cue, and headed onto the set for the last show of Sizzle It Up that he would host.
Even during the performance, Taako felt like something had changed. He was less artificial, more genuinely himself. It felt like he should have acted more like his old self, but once Ren came out to help with the meal, things clicked into place and he felt more comfortable and at ease. When they’d finished a lovely tray of French macarons, Taako made the big announcement about Ren taking over, and the studio audience was nothing but supportive, alleviating his fears. The second he stepped off the set, he let out a deep breath, leaning against the wall. Ren walked over, a concerned expression on her face, and Taako waved her off.
“I’m fine, don’t worry. Just… the realization that it’s all over is hitting hard.” He laughed, taking his chef’s hat off. Ren wrapped him up in a big hug, ruffling his hair.
“Go take a break, Taako. We’re not planning any other shows until next week, you get a little vacation. Y’know, a vacation after the months that the show was on hiatus.” She teased. Taako rolled his eyes, then heard a voice that sent his heart racing.
“Hey, great show you two!” Kravitz walked towards them, a wide smile on his face. Taako immediately buried himself in his boyfriend’s embrace. “You did wonderfully, Taako,” Kravitz murmured, planting a soft kiss to his cheek. “I’m excited to see your next show, Ren!” Kravitz grinned at her, shifting so he just had an arm around Taako’s waist.
“I can’t wait, I’m already thinking of recipes for the next one!” She beamed. “I’m gonna go take this obnoxious amount of makeup off, have a good week, you two!”
“I’ll call you later, love you!” Taako chuckled as she walked off towards her dressing room. Taako lifted Kravitz’ chin and kissed him softly. “Any plans for tonight, handsome?”
“Mmm, just getting dinner and smooching my cute boyfriend.” Kravitz stood on his toes to kiss the top of his head. “You okay with Italian tonight?”
“More than okay, it sounds perfect,” he held him close. As Taako started driving home, he looked over to Kravitz in the passenger seat and just smiled to himself, looking back at the road. Seven months ago, he didn’t think he’d be this overjoyed with the little things, like driving home in the sunset with the person he loved. It took a lot more to make him feel happy then, but now he felt more content with life in general. He didn’t want to look too far forward into the future. All he wanted to do was live a little bit at a time. Tonight, all he was doing was spending the night with his loving boyfriend and their kitten. And that was exactly what he needed to kick off his new, “boring” life.