Chapter Text
Taako thinks he doesn’t notice. They’ll be standing in the kitchen, sipping wine over whatever delicious concoction he’s cooked up for them that night. Kravitz didn’t used to appreciate food, not really, not since he became a Reaper - but Taako’s food was...well, he couldn’t not appreciate it. Besides, there’s something about Taako that's made him more human. He's even warm, sometimes, now.
It will be between bites, between laughs. He sneaks it in, leads the conversation subtly in the direction he wants, and then -
“How’s Magnus?” Taako isn’t looking at him when he asks, he never does. He knows he isn’t supposed to, but he also knows that Kravitz will answer. He swirls the wine in his hand as he waits for an answer, looking painfully nonchalant. Kravitz clears his throat.
“He’s good, he’s really good,” Kravitz says. “He and Julia have built houses for their dogs together. He looks...happy. He is constantly talking about you and Merle - have I told you he introduced you to Julia as ‘the most beautiful elf’?”
Taako cracks a grin. “Damn right.”
“Lup and Barry asked The Raven Queen to allow a small extension on his time there. No matter how I may disagree with their...methods, they are remarkably effective Reapers. She granted the extension at their request.”
Taako is beaming now. “Sounds like Lup. How long does he get?”
Kravitz shakes his head. “I promised you I would make sure he has enough time, but I don’t know. She’ll tell me to collect him whenever she decides it is time. I don’t think that she’s in any hurry, though.” He sets his wine glass on the counter, and steps closer to Taako. They stand, chest to back, as Kravitz’ hands wrap around his waist. Kravitz knows that Taako misses Magnus, even though he’s never said. He just asks, like this, every few months.
He tries to remember every detail when he passes over, when he stops by the place they have made. They invite him in, always, but he can never stay. He has a job to do. He tries to remember so he can tell Taako, and Merle, and everyone else in the IPRE. Not even Lup and Barry are allowed to go there on their missions for The Raven Queen. The most insistent of the gang is Lucretia. It will be her time soon, too, but she grills him about Magnus every chance she gets. She's not sly like Taako, but insistent. She needs to know. When he obliges, she is radiant, in a way he hasn't seen since Magnus died. She always wants to know that he is happy. She still asks if he is safe, like she is worried something will happen to him in the only place where she can't protect him.
Carey, too. He sees her less often, but she asks without shame. She cries when he tells her how Magnus is doing, every time, but she is happy. She gives him messages in Thieves Cant for Magnus, and if he is able, he relays them. Magnus always responds, and he finds himself tracing patterns in the scales of her palm, even though he himself never learned the language. The last one made her laugh through her tears. She still wears the half of the best friend necklace he gave her.
It's Taako, though, that he can't bear. Taako hides it well, the sadness, but Kravitz can see it clearly. It's the two second beat before one of his witty remarks, the smiles that die early on his face, the way he sometimes forgets to laugh. Even Lup has trouble cheering him up now and again. It breaks her heart to see him like this, and so she is the one to make the plan.
“We’ve got to let him through,” Lup says, as they stand in the astral plane. “I can't do shit, but you can, you can take him.”
“I can't,” Kravitz replies, “she’d never allow it. The seven of you have broken the laws of life and death more than anyone in existence. She won't let me break another for any of you. Even if I want to.”
“Then strike a deal, Kravitz! It's what you do,” Lup says, voice insistent. “You stopped her for coming after them, you stopped her for coming after us, you can make this work. She already lets him visit. He's alive and mortal and she lets him visit. I know that was you.”
Kravitz pauses, and thinks. Maybe there is a deal, somewhere. Maybe Lup is right. Maybe he can bargain. “I can't promise anything, Lup, but I will try.”
Lup grins at him, and there's so much passion behind the surface it nearly always catches him off guard. “Good luck in Fantasy Deal or No Deal with the literal Goddess of Death. I hope you pick the right case.”
“It seems you have more clout with her than I do, lately,” Kravitz teases.
Lup waves her hand dismissively. “Can you blame her? I'm a Taaco. We're ridiculously attractive. This face is...perfection.” She gestures to herself as she talks and gives him a large, sloppy wink. He suddenly gets the very real feeling that he's speaking to Taako. They behave eerily similar sometimes, and he wonders if they have ever noticed. He wonders how much of them is Lup and Taako, and how much of them have blended together. The facial expressions, phrases, gestures, reactions. Lup always says that he is her heart, and Taako has proven there's nothing he wouldn't do for her. He admires them for that.
“You should come with me,” He says, watching her face. “Whatever we can use to get her on our side.”
The Raven Queen is always busy. She doesn't spend a lot of her time in the Kingdom, and when she does, she is always distracted. Watching, waiting, giving commands. The entire planar system is her responsibility, and she can't let anyone slip through the cracks.
Kravitz and Lup enter her throne room together. He is nervous, and he greets his Queen with a bow. Lup pulls the hood of her robe down and grins openly at The Raven Queen, with no hint of fear. She offers her the same sloppy wink Kravitz received earlier. He opens his mouth to apologize to her for the lack of respect, but she is already talking-
“Kravitz,” The Queen says, letting her eyes linger too long on Lup before she sweeps them over to him. Her gaze is almost overwhelming to him, still. All that power behind the eyes. He is surprised to see that there is the faintest trace of a smile on her face. “If you are here, I know I should expect trouble.”
“Not at all, my Queen,” He steps forward, approaching her throne. She looms above him, large and beautiful, and reminds him that he is small. “There is an opportunity that I would not wish to see pass you by.”
“Is that so?” She regards him with amusement. “If it's anywhere near as good as the last deal you brought me, I too would be deeply saddened to see it pass by.” Her gaze has returned to Lup again, and Lup is thriving under the attention. He thinks she might even be posing for her.
“Actually, it’s funny you say that,” Lup says, and she steps in front of Kravitz. She's closer to the throne than he has ever dared to get, but The Queen doesn't seem to mind. She sits up and leans closer, as if to better hear what Lup has to say. “I think this deal, while not being, like, exactly as good as me - maybe better than me, at like, macaroons, but definitely not better looking - is pretty fucking close.”
The Raven Queen raises an eyebrow, and waits for someone to explain.
“Taako,” Kravitz clarifies, trying to see over Lup. He fails, and decides to step to the side instead. “We believe he would make an excellent Reaper.”
“Taako?” The Queen echoes.
“My brother, my twin brother, actually,” Lup says. “My identical twin brother. He's not even a lich, so he's not breaking any of the big life and death rules. And it would be like...having two of me in your service. Which, frankly, is a fucking spectacular deal.” Kravitz watches her bounce her brows.
“You've met him, actually,” Kravitz says. “You let me bring him here.”
“Oh!” The Queen says, and she smiles. “From TV? Your...husband?”
Kravitz thinks about correcting her - were they still considered boyfriends, or was it husbands now, after all this time? He realizes he might be wrong mid-sentence, and it comes out like this - “Yes, my boy...band.”
The Raven Queen looks quizzically at him, but Lup is already laughing so hard she has to take a step back. Kravitz buries his face in his palm.
“Your boy band ?” Lup’s breathing is labored from her laughter, she inhales sharply before continuing. “What is he, in Fantasy Backstreet Boys? This is amazing. My brother is Fantasy NSYNC, holy shit.”
“I didn’t know that was the colloquial term used by mortals now,” The Raven Queen says, looking pensieve. “I’ll make sure to use that in the future.”
“No, don’t, it’s not,” Kravitz says, desperately. “Don’t listen to Lup, I just made a mistake-”
It’s too late. Lup’s face has lit up, and she’s smiling in the way that he knows is trouble. If Taako and Lup give this smile to each other, you know it’s going to be devastating. He braces himself for the fallout.
“It is!” Lup steps closer to The Raven Queen again. “You know Barry, right? He’s my boy band, though he’s more like Fantasy New Kids on the Block. You can ask him, he’ll back me up. They’re using it all across the planes now. I’m surprised you’ve never heard it before. It’s what happens when two people decide to declare their love in front of friends and family, except they all wear matching outfits, and there’s choreographed dance. It’s really beautiful.”
The Raven Queen’s eyes have gone wide, and she’s hanging on Lup’s every word. Kravitz knows there’s no convincing her otherwise anymore.
“I’m so sorry,” Kravitz says, but his voice is quiet. He’s not sure what he is apologizing for, but he knows it was his fault.
“So, what’s the verdict? Can we get my brother in as a Reaper?” Lup asks, and she bends closer to The Queen.
The Raven Queen raises her eyes, and lock’s them onto Lup’s face. “I think that can be arranged. If he has the recommendation of my favorite Reaper’s, he’s in.”
Kravitz sighs. That was the easy part. There’s still the matter of his real favor, of asking if he can visit Magnus now, as a mortal. He’s trying to think of the best way to approach it when he hears Lup’s voice.
“Also, can Kravitz bring Taako to visit Magnus? You know, since he’s going to pledge his eternal life in service to you and all.”
Kravitz’ mouth drops. He swallows. Lup certainly handled that with the appropriate amount of finesse. He’s halfway to apologizing for her again when The Raven Queen speaks.
“That can be arranged,” She says, as she surveys the two of them. “I will allow you to take him there, while Magnus remains.”
Kravitz closes his mouth. He didn’t expect it to be that easy. Apparently, Lup did. She bows too low, a grandiose gesture that makes The Raven Queen laugh.
“Thank you, Mistress,” Lup says. Kravitz stares at her in disbelief.
They exit the castle together, Kravitz following behind Lup. Once he catches up, he’s incredulous.
“What was that?” He asks.
“What?” Lup responds, a grin still on her face. “She knows I have a boy band. It was just fun. Besides, it worked. We got Taako.”
“Yeah, now we’ve only got to tell him,” Kravitz says, with a frown.
“I’ll leave that to you,” Lup says.
“No - don’t abandon me on this, Lup. I’ll need your help. He never gets mad at you.”
“Okay, first of all, I’m never forgetting this moment. Do you see this? We’re bonding. Taako will be so proud. Just two Grim Reapers, totally forming an emotional attachment to each other,” She puts an arm around his shoulder. “All right, I’ll go with you. You’re right, you will need my help.” They enter the mortal world together, with Lup's arm still strung around his shoulders.