Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Having the ability to travel between planar systems, even if it was only for eighty minutes at a time, provided an extraordinary opportunity to gain knowledge otherwise unattainable. As soon as he learned that such a technology existed in belt form, Lucas Miller began sponsoring expeditions into other systems, sending scientists and linguists and a bit of hired muscle to explore strange new worlds. It was risky, to be certain, but the pay was good and the opportunity was exciting enough to attract a fair number of volunteers.

There were quite a few successful missions before one inevitably went wrong. It didn't go as wrong as it could have, but an unfortunate accident left an expedition member stranded on another world in a dangerous forest with a broken belt. An extraction mission was deemed too risky for those currently on staff, so a call was put out for more experienced adventurers to take on the task.

Three adventurers answered the call, their familiarity with danger and planar travel making them more qualified for the job than anyone else he could have hoped for.

Taako had spent all of ten minutes in this forest and he was already miserable. It was oppressively humid and he could feel his hair frizzing.

He was fairly certain this world wasn't one they had been to in their century of travel. Not that it would have helped any if it was, because like hell if he could keep track of the differences between a hundred different planets. The flora and fauna did seem remarkably similar to their own though.

"So," Taako said, because he was bored and to distract himself from his misery, "Who's this dude we're looking for again?"

"Uh, I think Lucas said he was a dwarf?" Magnus answered without turning around, continuing to forge a path through the trees. "Some kind of scientist. Probably not really used to surviving in the wilderness."

"Peachy. Do you think we still get paid if he's kicked the bucket?"

"Dunno. You need money for something? I thought you were loaded."

"That's beside the point."

Magnus just laughed in response, and Taako suffered through another minute of boring silence before Merle spoke up.

"I could ask one of these trees if they've seen our guy."

"No!" Taako and Magnus answered in near-unison.

"I did not get up early this morning to listen to you sweet-talk a pine, old man," Taako complained loudly.

"These aren't pine-" Merle began, but his valiant attempt to educate Taako on dendrology was interrupted by a voice from behind them.

"My, my, look what we have here. Haven't seen you three around before."

The three of them turned to the source of the unfamiliar voice, and where there was previously nothing now stood a well-dressed tiefling man, his clothes far too pristine for someone traipsing through a forest. He was grinning, showing off a mouth full of sharp teeth, and his yellow eyes glinted with malice. His tail flicked back and forth with ill-contained excitement.

"I'm not sure how you've avoided capture for so long," the man continued almost conversationally, "But it seems your luck has run out. Come with me quietly, and I promise to be gentle."

Taako glanced at his companions, and could see they were both as dumbfounded as he was. Magnus pulled out Railsplitter and took a few steps forward, positioning himself between his two friends and the apparent threat.

"Um, no?" Magnus offered in response, punctuating his point by waving his axe.

"Wait, I'm confused," Merle cut in, pulling out the Extreme Teen Bible even as he spoke, "Why are we fighting?"

The man's grin never faltered. "I gave you a chance, your feigned ignorance will not earn you any mercy. Your bounties are higher than any I have ever seen, and I aim to collect."

With those words, the tiefling extended an arm out in front of him and a scythe materialized into existence in his grasp. At the same time, his clothes shifted into a ragged black cloak that billowed behind him in a nonexistent wind, and his eyes glowed an unearthly red.

Taako chose not to dwell on the Pavlovian jolt of arousal that shot through him in response to the very familiar transformation, instead reaching into his well of confidence to sneer at the tiefling.

"I'm flattered, really, but Taako's a one-reaper kinda guy."

The tiefling didn't even justify his quip with a reply, simply charging forward with his scythe swinging. Rude.

Magnus easily intercepted the first blow, parrying with Railsplitter before quickly taking a swing with the Flaming Poisoning Raging Sword Of Doom. The tiefling managed to dodge out of the way, but it left him open to an attack from an angelic figure that Merle summoned into existence next to Magnus. The tiefling took the full brunt of a blow from the angel's holy sword, and he jumped backward, snarling in pain. His eyes burned with rage as he prepared to attack again.

Taako quickly considered his options. There were plenty of ways he could hurt the tiefling, but if his resilience was anywhere near Kravitz's then defeating him would only be a temporary delay before he was back to attack them again. They didn't have time for this, they only had a short window in which to find the lost scientist and hand him a belt before they were pulled back to their own world.

Taako held out KrEbStAr in the reaper's direction, channeling magical energy through the glaive and speaking a word of power. The tiefling gave him a single horrified look before disappearing from existence, and Taako sincerely hoped the last thing he had seen before being forced out of the plane was his shit-eating grin.

Magnus began looking around frantically as if he expected their opponent to suddenly appear somewhere else. Taako casually put away his weapon and motioned for the others to follow suit.

"S'cool, cha'boy took care of it. Stuck him in a demiplane where he can't teleport. We'll be gonzo before he finds his way out."

"Oh," Magnus said as he slowly strapped his weapons back onto his body, sounding almost disappointed the action was already over. "Well, let's go I guess."

They continued in the direction they had arbitrarily chosen to walk, and it was another ten minutes or so with no sign of their target before they finally relented and let Merle speak with the surrounding foliage. After an emotionally traumatizing conversation that involved excessive bark stroking, they finally had a lead.

They located the dwarven scientist with only minutes to spare, huddled in the branches of a tree.

"Oh thank the Gods," said the battered dwarf, "You guys are with Lucas, right? Get me the fuck out of here."

They quickly helped the scientist out of the tree, getting him fitted with the extra belt they had brought for the occasion. Just as he buckled it into place the belts began to chime, warning them that their time was nearly up. The three of them took a moment to congratulate themselves on their awesome timing, but they were rudely interrupted.

"You won't be getting away that easily," came the voice of the tiefling, and reality seemed to bend and twist around a spot in front of them as the reaper suddenly appeared. His tone was even, but behind it was barely concealed anger. "That trick won't work on me twice."

The belts gave one last echoing chime as a brilliant power spilled out of them and enveloped their wearers. Taako grinned at the reaper, flipping him off and hoping it meant the same thing here as it did in Faerûn. "Better luck next time compadre," he taunted.

The reaper focused on him, eyes narrowing in rage- and between one blink and the next he was in front of Taako, arm reaching toward him, through him, and he could feel with a sickening clarity the moment his soul lost connection with his physical form.

Taako looked down just in time to see his body crumple to the mossy ground before it disappeared into a bright white light, along with his friends and his only way home.

The reaper grinned, showing off every one of his sharp teeth, and when he spoke his voice was dripping with vindicated mirth.

"Better luck next time, compadre."

Chapter Text

Kravitz hummed a tune to himself as he tidied up the house, picking up clothes that were scattered on the floors and draped over furniture, carefully returning them to Taako's half of the closet where they belonged. He didn't really mind the mess, but he had plans for Taako that night and he wanted the place to be clean when he got home.

It had been three days since they had last seen each other, thanks to a reaping job that went unexpectedly long. It was nowhere near the longest they had been apart, but it was still three days too long in Kravitz's opinion. He couldn't help but smile to himself as he thought about getting to see him again soon, and the smile grew as he imagined Taako calling him an impossible sap for getting so emotional over such a short time apart.

Would setting up candles be too much? Taako would certainly tease him for it, but appreciate the gesture all the same. Kravitz was opening up a drawer to retrieve said candles when he felt his stone of farspeech vibrate in his pocket. He barely had time to pull it out before he heard a voice come through.

"Kravitz?"

It was Barry. Being contacted by him directly was a bit unusual, but not enough to cause alarm. The tone of his voice, however, was deeply so. His voice was steady, but it was the careful, forced kind of steady that came from someone doing their utmost to remain calm in a bad situation.

Kravitz felt a heavy dread settle itself in the pit of his stomach.

"I'm here. What is it?" He did nothing to mask the apprehension in his voice.

Kravitz heard someone in the background, it sounded like Lup, just far enough away that he could not make out her words. She was yelling something frantic, a hysterical lilt to her voice that fueled his dread, reaching into his throat and threatened to choke him.

Barry did not react to the outburst, answering Kravitz with a simple, "You should come over. Now."

Kravitz's scythe was in his hand before Barry had reached the end of his sentence. He used it to tear a hole leading straight into Lup and Barry's living room, stepping through without a moment's hesitation.

As was his habit when entering a potentially dangerous situation, the first thing Kravitz did upon passing through the rift was focus on what souls he could sense in the immediate area. Before he even had time to visually process his surroundings, he knew there were four people in the house, all of their souls familiar to him. Lup, Barry, Merle, Magnus. But no, that couldn't be right, if Merle and Magnus were back from their adventure then-

"Where's Taako?" The words were on his lips before his body had fully made it through the portal.

Merle and Magnus were standing near the center of the room, and Magnus visibly winced at the question. Without a word he pointed off to one side, where Kravitz now saw Lup kneeling over the very still form of her brother, laid out on a couch.

Kravitz took a single step forward before he froze, the wrongness of the situation paralyzing him. He would have known immediately if Taako's soul had been present in the room, could recognize the feel of it even if he lacked every other sense. Taako's body was here, but Taako was not.

Kravitz would have known if he had passed into the Astral Plane, he was sure of it. Whatever had happened was even worse than he had feared.

He shook his head and swallowed thickly. "That's not- that's an empty vessel. Where's Taako?"

A heavy silence filled the room, broken a second later by Barry entering from another part of the house. He was holding two tomes with titles suggesting necromantic subjects. Kravitz did not have the mental energy to be annoyed by the thought of necromancy, too busy imagining all the awful things that could have happened to his husband.

Barry nodded to Kravitz, mouth set in a grim line, before depositing the books on the coffee table and quickly beginning to thumb through the top one.

He began speaking in a hurried tone as he searched the book. "I can keep his body preserved for as long as we need, it'll be a bit more complicated without the pod but I have all the components for-"

"Where the fuck is Taako?" Kravitz snapped, his nerves frayed beyond the point of caring how harsh his tone came out. It startled Barry into silence, his hand freezing mid page-turn.

It was Lup who answered, her voice burning with anger and grief. "Dumbass got himself reaped in a different dimension."

"He... what?" Kravitz turned to look at Merle and Magnus, hoping for an explanation and praying it was somehow not as terrible as it sounded.

Magnus looked pointedly away from Kravitz as he spoke. "Well, you see..."

Merle sighed gruffly and shook his head. "You better sit down, you're not gonna like this..."

Taako knew that as a spirit he could never match the strength of a reaper, but he made the man's job as hard as he possibly could, fighting him at every opportunity and keeping up an incessant stream of comments about how dull this Astral Plane looked compared to the one back home.

"-And I know you've got an aesthetic going on and I appreciate that, but nothing needs this much gray. If you're going to force everyone to stay here for eternity you could at least get a little color. Did you know color affects mood? No wonder you're such a boring person if all you ever have to stare at is-"

"Do you ever shut up?" The reaper snarled, and Taako immediately felt victorious for having needled a reaction out of him. "You do realize I have the power to extend your sentence in the Eternal Stockade?"

Taako shrugged his incorporeal shoulders. "I'm gonna guess I'll be here... twenty-four hours, maybe up to a week, max."

The reaper raised an eyebrow at him. "And how do you figure that?"

Taako grinned and gestured to himself. "Because you can't keep all this contained."

The tiefling shook his head in disbelief. "You truly are insufferable."

"It's a talent."

The two of them entered a large, stone building that was the physical embodiment of dreary. It didn't look like the Eternal Stockade that Taako had seen before, but it definitely screamed "horrible ghost prison." He was unceremoniously shoved into a small, bare cell, and as soon as the door to it was closed he felt the severing of the magical tether the reaper had used to drag him there.

The reaper sneered at him from the other side of the bars. "The exact length of your sentence will be determined shortly. In the meantime, I suggest you make yourself comfortable. Despite whatever fantasies you hold, you're going to be here a very long time."

And then he was gone, before Taako had a chance to speak another word.

Taako took another look around the cell, and yes, it was just as boring and bland as his first glance had suggested. He approached the cell door and experimentally reached a ghostly hand toward the space between the bars, not at all surprised to find himself repelled by an invisible force.

"So, what's there to do for fun around here?" He called out to no one in particular, hoping to strike up a conversation with some fellow inmates.

There was no response. It was silent, the unnerving, unnatural silence of a space where all sound was cancelled out completely. A silencing spell, perhaps?

Or maybe he was just alone.

Taako shook himself, refusing to fall into despair. There was no way he was going to be stuck there for eternity, he was Taako, the best damn transmutation wizard the worlds had ever seen. And he had friends and family on the outside, ones who knew he had been taken. They were probably planning a daring jailbreak right at that moment.

He refused to picture them trying and failing to save him, dooming themselves to eternal imprisonment. He refused to entertain the possibility of them simply deciding not to come at all, leaving him there to fend for himself in an empty cell.

Taako slumped down onto the stone floor, hugging his knees to his chest, definitely not thinking about how badly he wished he was home, curled up against Kravitz, surrounded by warmth and love.

Chapter Text

Kravitz was sitting in a plush chair, head in his hands, pointedly ignoring the act of necromancy Barry was performing not ten feet to his left. He mentally sorted through what he had just learned of Taako's whereabouts, trying to calm himself down enough to make a rational decision.

He lifted his head, forcing himself to look over at Taako's body. He hated seeing him like this, cold and empty, a painful mockery of everything Taako meant to him. The idea of what it meant sickened him, twisting his gut in a way that should not have been possible as an undead construct. The thought that Taako was further away than should be physically possible, a distance untraversable even by his own expansive planar traveling abilities, with no way of getting home.

The thought that he might simply never see him again slipped through his mind but he forced past it, the idea too horrible to dwell on. He could not afford to lose himself to despair. Taako had once saved him from being trapped in the Astral Plane, against all odds. He was going to return the favor.

Kravitz took in a few deep breaths to ground himself before speaking.

"Okay," he said as he slowly rose from the chair, tearing his gaze away from the morbid sight of his lover's soulless body. "Okay. Do you still have the belts?"

Magnus nodded, motioning to a table where three belts had been stacked.

"Lucas tried to take them back," Magnus said, a momentary grin flashing across his face. He offered no further explanation.

Kravitz nodded. "Good. How long before they can be used again?"

Lup jumped up from her seat next to Barry, her eyes shining with determination. "They take twenty-four hours to recharge, and then we can pop back over there and kick some serious reaper butt!"

Kravitz turned to her, startled. "We? You're not coming!"

Had Kravitz been in a sound state of mind he would have chosen his words more carefully. But he was not, and Lup rounded on him with a look of burning fury that could have melted adamantine.

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?! I'm his fucking sister, I'm not just going to sit here while you go play hero!"

Kravitz refused to cower; this was too important a situation, he couldn't afford to give in. "Listen, if I go alone I might be able to negotiate for his release. But if you come along-"

"This is a totally different reality, Kravitz! We have no idea how things go there. You have no idea some of the crazy shit we've seen on different worlds. You could go there and immediately get thrown in the slammer because you looked at someone wrong, then we're down a belt and we have to save both of your asses the hard way! Going alone is idiotic."

"But you're a lich, Lup!" Something in the back of Kravitz's mind told him he shouldn't be yelling, that there was no reason to when they wanted the same thing, but he was panicked and terrified of the consequences of failure. "If the rules of life and death are anything like they are here- which it sounds like they are- you'll be taken away immediately and no amount of negotiating will get you out! The only reason the Raven Queen let me plead your case was because she heard the Story. We won't have that there!"

Lup threw her arms up in frustration. "You're making way too many assumptions! We don't know fuck all about how shit works there!"

"Which is all the more reason we need to be cautious!"

"Exactly! Which is why no one should go alone!"

Kravitz opened his mouth to retort, stopped himself, then sat roughly back down, burying his face in his hands again. He forced himself to take a deep breath; the oxygen was unnecessary but the action calmed him. Lup, for her part, did not push him further, giving him that moment to compose himself.

When he raised his head and spoke again, his voice was strained but significantly less harsh. "Lup, you have a bounty on your head as well. All of you do. I'd tear down that whole system to get Taako back, but if there's a way to do this without risking someone else..."

Lup crossed her arms and examined him closely, eyes narrowed. "What do you plan to do?"

"I want to see if I can contact the Raven Queen using the method we use here. I know it might not work, that she might not even exist, or that I might accidentally anger some God... but please let me try."

There was a long, tense moment as Lup thought over his words, then she finally huffed and let her arms fall to her sides. "If you're gone one second more than eighty minutes we're going after you."

Kravitz offered her a weak smile. "Thank you."

Lup looked over at Taako, laid out on the floor over a hastily drawn magic circle in the center of her living room. Barry was kneeling beside him, watching her and Kravitz with a tense expression.

She spoke again without looking away from her brother. "Just don't do anything stupid."

The passage of time felt different for Kravitz than it did for the living. He had been around a long, long time, years blurring into decades blurring into centuries. Now that he had mortal companions he made an effort to keep track of time, but it still felt as if months slipped past him in the blink of an eye.

The next twenty-four hours crawled by slower than any Kravitz could remember. It was torture, knowing Taako was in trouble and being helpless to act. He would have given anything to be able to teleport to him, to talk to him, even to just be able to send a message assuring him they would find a way to get him home.

But he couldn't. There was nothing to do but wait.

Kravitz spent the time going back and forth between Lup and Barry's house and his own, torn between wanting to watch over what was left of Taako and being made ill at the sight of him, held in stasis by necromantic magics. When he was home he cleaned, burning nervous energy by making the place spotless.

Finally, finally the belts were recharged, and Kravitz left with a reminder from Lup that if the situation was not resolved in eighty minutes they would be there to back him up.

Kravitz found himself in the middle of a large, unpleasantly warm forest. He quickly reached into his pocket and pulled out five pristine black raven feathers, carefully laying them out in a circle on the ground. He knelt beside the circle, concentrating on the bond he shared with the Raven Queen, reaching for a connection he could only pray existed in this realm.

For a stressful handful of seconds nothing happened, and Kravitz was silently cursing himself for wasting a day. Then he felt something seize his soul, wrenching him from the Prime Material Plane with a roughness he was not accustomed to, throwing him into a place of endless darkness.

"Who are you? " A voice boomed inside his head, loud and angry and unmistakably divine. "Why have you the power to summon me? "

Kravitz remained kneeling and bowed his head respectfully, addressing the inky blackness surrounding him.

"My Queen, pray forgive my presumptuousness. My name is Kravitz, and I have traveled here from another world to speak with you on an urgent matter."

"Another world? " The voice was skeptical, but curious. "Explain yourself. "

"I come from a world not so different from your own, and I work as a bounty hunter in service to the Raven Queen." The voice made a noise of interest, but did not interrupt. "A soul was recently taken to your realm that belongs in mine, and I have come to retrieve it."

"And how was it that this soul went astray? " It was clear from the Goddess' voice that she was not convinced.

"There was a... misunderstanding," Kravitz explained, choosing his words carefully, "This soul has been through a unique set of circumstances that makes him appear a criminal, but due to these extenuating circumstances he has been pardoned. He came to this world to save one of his own, but in the process he was... collected by a member of your retinue."

"Perhaps he was pardoned in your realm, but not in mine." There was a force behind the words, a sharp reminder that she held all the power in this situation. "I am not in the business of releasing prisoners based on the word of a being I have never met who dares contact me without my blessing. Begone from my sight, and do not call upon me again."

Kravitz could feel himself being pushed away, and he hastily stood, his carefully constructed calm persona crumbling in an instant.

"Wait! Please!" His voice shook with desperation.

Though he could still see nothing, Kravitz could feel the Goddess hesitate.

"What is this soul to you? " Her voice was filled with curiosity and... amusement?

Kravitz had a decision to make. How honest should he be? Would it help or hurt his case if she knew of their relationship? Lying to a God or Goddess was folly, but he could be careful with his phrasing.

"He is... all of his loved ones remain in my world. To keep them separated for eternity would be unnecessarily cruel, even for a criminal."

"And you? " There was unmistakably amusement in her voice now. "Are you counted among those loved ones? "

Kravitz paused for a moment to come to terms with the inevitability of having to answer the question. "...Yes, I am."

"I see. Tell me, Kravitz of another world, are you here representing your Queen to retrieve a misplaced soul, or is your quest of a personal nature? "

Kravitz could not believe he had not thought to contact his own Goddess in the twenty-four hours he had been forced to wait, and possibly gain some legitimacy for his claim to Taako's soul. As it was he had not, and he was still unwilling to lie in the face of a divine being.

"It is... personal," Kravitz admitted, trying to keep too much embarrassment from coloring his voice.

There was very suddenly an unnaturally tall humanoid figure standing in front of him, body mostly obscured by a flowing black cloak adorned in raven feathers, face completely covered by a mask with a sharp beak. Despite the figure having no visible facial features, Kravitz knew she was scrutinizing him heavily.

"Hmm." The Raven Queen cocked her head to the side as she examined him thoughtfully. "And what are you willing to offer me for the soul's return? "

Kravitz had to physically bite his tongue to stop from blurting out "anything," because there was not a worse way to negotiate.

"Perhaps I could bring you something from my world. What pleases you, my Queen?"

She waved her hand dismissively. "I have no need for physical objects." She took a few steps closer to Kravitz, and he felt a slight dread at her approach but refused to waver. "You appear a capable bounty hunter. How would you like to work for me? He will be released, but you will stay here in my service."

Kravitz considered her offer. He was more than willing to make sacrifices for Taako's happiness, and his priority was to get him home to his family and friends. This would certainly accomplish that, but he himself would be separated not only from Taako, but all of the friends he had only just made. And it would mean betraying his pact with his own Raven Queen, something he had no desire to do.

Worst of all, it would mean breaking a promise he made to Taako, a promise to stay by his side forever, for as long as he would have him. More than anything else, the thought of leaving Taako and making him feel abandoned was simply unacceptable.

Kravitz shook his head. "I cannot accept your offer. Is there not another deal that can be struck?"

The Raven Queen laughed, high and sharp. "I did not expect you to. How about we make a wager? "

She snapped her fingers, and seconds later there was another figure standing beside Kravitz. It was a tiefling, or what would have been called a tiefling in his world at least, and he shot a single confused glance at Kravitz before kneeling and bowing to the Raven Queen.

"My Queen," the tiefling said in a voice filled with reverence, "What would you ask of me?"

"Aetrius. Recall you the bounty you recently brought before me? "

"Of course, my Queen. Nineteen deaths and zero visits to the Astral Plane."

A flare of rage sparked in Kravitz as he realized this was the reaper that had taken Taako. He fought to suppress it; this was not the time to lash out.

"Kravitz, this bounty is the soul that you seek, is it not? "

"It is," Kravitz confirmed, careful to keep the anger from his voice.

"Excellent." She steepled her fingers and allowed silence to fill the room for several seconds. Kravitz was almost certain she was purposely building anticipation.

"I wish to see how you stand against one of my own, world traveler. The two of you shall duel for the fate of the soul. "

The tiefling, Aetrius, looked shocked, and he stole another glance at Kravitz before looking to his Goddess.

"My Queen, I am afraid I do not understand."

"You are not required to. The two of you will do battle until one of you loses your physical form. If Kravitz is the victor, both he and the soul in question will be released. If Aetrius is the victor, the soul remains imprisoned, and Kravitz will be ejected from my realm and barred future entry."

The Raven Queen faced Kravitz, and though she still lacked eyes he could feel her gaze boring into him. "Are these terms acceptable? "

There was a finality to her voice that told Kravitz she was not interested in negotiating the terms. And though Kravitz knew nothing of Aetrius or his fighting capabilities, the offer was not an unreasonable one.

Kravitz nodded with determination. "It's a deal."

Chapter Text

The Raven Queen was eager to get the duel started, which was good for Kravitz and his time constraints. It occurred to him that if he lost his body he would not be able to make use of the planar traveling belt, but it was too late to back down now. It was mostly a moot point anyway, since he could not imagine leaving without Taako. He would just have to win.

The Goddess created a space for them to do battle, a demiplane she brought into existence specifically for their duel. It contained a large, circular arena, the outside of which was bordered by a wrought iron fence. An abundance of black roses clung to the bars, so numerous that they obscured the metal almost completely. The battleground itself was perfectly flat and devoid of obstacles; it was to be purely a test of skill.

Just outside the arena, raised well above the fence, was an ornate onyx throne upon which the Raven Queen was perched, looking down on the two combatants as they took their places on opposite ends of the arena. She snapped her fingers and Kravitz immediately felt the introduction of another into the space. A warm, brilliant, familiar presence that simultaneously filled him with joy and dread.

Kravitz quickly turned his head toward the source of the sensation, and just outside the fence he saw what appeared to be a large, clear crystal, inside of which was a visibly confused Taako.

Taako's ghostly form was taking in the sights of the arena. Kravitz could tell the instant Taako noticed him because he immediately perked up, pressing his palms against the wall of his crystal prison, his expression quickly jumping from confusion to excitement to concern.

Taako was clearly trying to call out to him, but no sound came through the crystal. Kravitz gave him a sad smile and shook his head, then mouthed the words I love you, praying he understood. Which he must have, because he responded by making a heart with his hands and grinning conspiratorially.

The Raven Queen cleared her throat. Kravitz was loath to look away from his husband, but he certainly wouldn't win this duel if he let himself be distracted. He turned back toward Aetrius, his gaze moving up to where the Raven Queen was seated behind him. He caught Aetrius looking at Taako with a bewildered expression before he quickly snapped his attention to his Queen.

The Raven Queen leaned forward to address them. "The two of you may make use of any abilities at your disposal, but you cannot leave the bounds of the arena and you may not summon any allies to your aid."

She leaned back in her throne and folded her hands carefully in her lap.

"Begin."

She said the word so casually that it took Kravitz a second to realize it signaled the start of combat. He hastily called his scythe to him and transformed into his skeletal reaper form, skin melting into bone as his cloak whipped around him. Mercifully his opponent was equally startled, and his delay in summoning his own weapon put them at an equal starting point.

Kravitz would have preferred to take a moment to size up his opponent, but Aetrius had no such plans. He charged him immediately, moving with extraordinary speed, almost seeming to teleport across the arena to strike at him. Kravitz was able to parry the blow, but only just barely, and Aetrius deftly jumped backward out of range.

Kravitz prepared himself for another attack, and Aetrius swung his scythe around to point in Kravitz's direction, a bolt of red energy shooting from the tip. Kravitz held up a hand with his palm outward, concentrating on forming a shield to absorb the blast.

The bolt collided with his chest, sending a shock of pain through his body and forcing him to stagger backward. Why hadn't his spell worked?! His powers had never failed to come to him as the shield just had, not since he entered the service of-

Oh Gods, the Raven Queen. She was the source of virtually all his powers, and he was cut off from her.

In desperation he tried to reach for that power again, could feel the presence of this world's Raven Queen, but she would not allow him to draw power from her. He wasn't sure if she blocked him intentionally or if the act was subconscious, but he had no time to ponder it. Aetrius was coming for him again.

It occurred to him, as he barely dodged another attack, that Aetrius was not unusually fast for a reaper; Kravitz was slow without his Goddess' blessing. He was at an extraordinary disadvantage, one that he wasn't convinced he could overcome.

He chanced a glance over at Taako, and his metaphorical heart twisted as he caught his unguarded look of worry. It didn't matter how terrible his chances were, he had to win. He was going to take Taako home.

Aetrius' next attack was met with a renewed resolve, and Kravitz managed to knock his weapon askew before catching him in the side with the blade of his scythe. The other reaper howled in pain, black blood splashing across the otherwise pristine floor of the arena.

Kravitz took another swing but this time Aetrius caught the blade with his, a momentary stalemate that ended when Aetrius sent another wave of red energy through his weapon. At close range the spell hit with enough force to send Kravitz flying backward, his back colliding with the fence that marked the boundary of the arena.

Whatever Kravitz's back hit was definitely not roses and iron; it was a solid magic wall that did not provide a single bit of give. There was a sickening crack and his entire body shook with the impact.

His reaper form was extremely resistant to pain, but not immune. Every inch of him ached in protest as he forced himself to his feet, managing to move just quick enough to deflect what likely would have been a finishing blow from Aetrius. Kravitz twisted his scythe and managed to catch the other reaper on the shoulder, who jumped backward and growled at him in response.

Aetrius looked like he was going to move in for another strike, thought better of it, then used his superior speed to turn and run to the other side of the arena. Kravitz did not give chase, knowing it would be foolish to waste his quickly-dwindling energy on trying to keep up. Instead, he pressed his back to the wall and braced himself for whatever was to come.

As soon as he reached the other wall Aetrius turned around with a flourish, grabbing his scythe with both hands and slamming the tip of the handle into the ground. The very shadows in the room moved to gather at his feet before rising up and swirling around him, enveloping him in a dark haze. It was intensely obvious that he was channeling some kind of spell, but without his own magic Kravitz was powerless to stop him from such a distance.

Kravitz made a sudden jump to the side, hoping to at least throw off the spell's aim, but he was too slow. A loud caw echoed throughout the space as the shadows took the shape of a giant raven and shot forward, crossing the length of the arena at an impossible speed and slamming into Kravitz.

His scythe was gone before he hit the floor, and he did not have the strength to call it back to him. Every bit of power he had left was straining just to keep his corporeal form intact. He lay on his side, helpless to do anything but watch as Aetrius closed the gap between them.

His heart screamed in frustration and despair. He had lost.

Taako had been alone in a cell, trying to find a way to track the passage of time, when he had suddenly felt a violent pull on his soul, yanking him from the plane with a force he could never hope to fight. The place he was taken was only incrementally brighter than the Eternal Stockade, with the same grim aesthetic. At least the roses were a nice touch, even if the colors were dull. He was still trapped, his new prison much smaller than his old one, the only plus being that the crystalline structure was closer to his style than metal bars.

Taako quickly lost interest in the walls of his prison when he caught sight of Kravitz some distance away, watching him, eyes wide with loving concern. He was thrilled to see Kravitz, to know he had come for him, but what was he doing and where was everyone else? Surely they hadn't all been caught?

No one bothered to explain anything to Taako before Kravitz and the other reaper became locked in combat, lorded over by the imposing figure of what he assumed was the Raven Queen. It was eerie, watching them clash but hearing nothing past the walls of his new prison.

Taako could tell almost immediately that something was wrong with Kravitz. He had seen him fight before, he knew he could rip up a battlefield in a way that was both terrifying and sexy (in his own personal opinion, which was the only one that mattered). Yet he wasn't holding back either, there was a desperation in his eyes and bearing that said he was pushing himself as far as he could go.

But it wasn't enough. He was getting his ass kicked.

Taako paced the length of his tiny crystal prison, wincing involuntarily whenever Kravitz took a hit. Which was distressingly often. What the fuck was he doing? If this was his idea of a rescue mission, it was going badly.

Taako tried again and again to tap into his magic, but it was as if something solid and impassable was in the path of his magical reach. Were spirits not allowed to cast spells? Or maybe the crystal was enchanted? Whatever the reason, he was thoroughly and frustratingly cut off.

Kravitz took a bad blow and hit the ground hard, his scythe flying from his hand before disappearing into a puff of black smoke. Taako froze, transfixed, certain his heart would be pounding out of his chest if he currently had a body. The other reaper had his scythe ready to finish him off, and No, no no no stop stop leave him alone LEAVE HIM ALONE!

A power exploded outward from Taako, shattering the crystal around him like glass as he threw himself forward, through the fence, colliding with the tiefling reaper and causing him to yelp in surprise. He felt himself phase partway through him, and Taako used his newfound strength to rip into him from the inside, viciously tearing him apart, powered by a protective fury. The reaper screamed, his voice cutting out as his body suddenly crumbled into dust, leaving behind nothing but a floating ball of light.

In the wake of his uncoordinated attack, Taako's hand passed through the glowing light. Immediately he was flooded by emotions, anger and fear and surprise, and then he was seeing memories that weren't his: a childhood spent in a cozy house, a little brother who died far too young, a lover who promised him the world, slipping at the edge of a ravine and falling to his death-

The reaper's spirit jolted backward as if burned, and he shot upward toward the Raven Queen's throne, stopping to hover beside her. Taako watched in a daze, snapping back to attention when a skeletal hand slipped into his. He turned to look at Kravitz beside him, and even though he was a skeleton there was clear concern in his burning red eyes.

The Raven Queen was standing now, and her voice forced itself into his mind. She was angry.

"The conditions of the duel have been broken. As punishment for this transgression-"

She suddenly stopped as if interrupted, but Taako did not see or hear anything that could have caused it. She turned her head toward the soul bobbing up and down at her side.

"What is it, Aetrius? I assume you have sufficient reason for the interruption."

The soul bobbed and swayed, and the Raven Queen stayed silent as if listening. Taako leaned closer to Kravitz, who was watching the two of them with no small amount of trepidation.

"Hey, can you hear what they're gossiping about?" Taako whispered to him as quietly as he could. Kravitz squeezed Taako's hand and shook his head, then raised a finger up to where his lips would be, a clear indication that he should stay silent. Taako didn't like being told what to do but he also really didn't want to get locked up again, so he went back to quietly watching the weird exchange.

"I see," the Raven Queen said, finally breaking the silence. She turned to face them, and Kravitz let go of Taako's hand to move and stand in front in him. Taako wanted to yell at him, to ask him what the hell he thought he was going to accomplish if he got in the way of whatever the Raven Queen had planned for him; he could barely even stand, something was dampening his power, and even at full strength it was doubtful he could do anything against a Goddess.

Instead of yelling at his severely frazzled husband Taako pressed a hand against his back, a reminder that whatever happened they were in it together. They could have a discussion about recklessness after they got out of this mess.

"Taako," the Raven Queen addressed him, completely indifferent to the fact that Kravitz had placed himself between them, "Aetrius has seen into your heart, and has advocated for your release. It is not in my nature to pardon a prisoner so easily, but your situation is... exceptional. You both may depart on the condition that you never return to this realm."

"Fucking done," Taako said without hesitation, "You couldn't fuckin' pay me enough to come back here."

Kravitz turned his head just far enough to give Taako a desperate look, no doubt relating to the incredibly irreverent tone he was taking with the Goddess who had just spared him. The Raven Queen just laughed, a high, unpleasant sound.

"Then go," she said with a wave of her hand, and a moment later the dark of the demiplane was melting away, replaced by the vibrant greens of the forest in the Prime Material Plane. There was no sign of the Raven Queen or her reaper; he and Kravitz were alone.

Kravitz immediately collapsed to his knees as skin regrew over battered bones. Taako quickly knelt beside him, trying to place a hand on his shoulder and frowning as it passed straight through him. Right, he couldn't do shit as a ghost on this plane.

"Krav, babe, you okay?"

Kravitz turned to face him, eyes watery, a strained smile on his face. "I'll be fine, I just-"

His belt chimed.

"Shit," Kravitz cursed as he staggered back to his feet and reached into his cloak. After a moment of frantic searching he pulled out what appeared to be a metal lantern, ornate carvings of ravens decorating the base and top.

"This is a tool for temporarily housing souls while I'm on a job," Kravitz explained, looking apologetic as he continued, "It's designed to hold them against their will so it's cramped and can only be opened from the outside, but I promise I won't leave you in it for any longer than strictly necessary."

Taako nodded. He didn't at all like the idea of immediately going back into a tiny prison, but there was no time to find another solution and it was a very small price to pay for getting the hell out of there.

"S'cool. I trust you."

Kravitz smiled warmly at the sentiment. He held the lantern out toward Taako, opening the glass door on the front of it. Taako immediately felt a supernatural force pulling him toward the device, and he did not fight it, as much as he hated the sensation of being sucked inside of it against his will.

Once Taako's soul was completely contained inside the lantern Kravitz closed and latched it. He sure had not been kidding about it being cramped in there; even as a mostly incorporeal being of spiritual light Taako felt crowded. He had to remind himself that he was safe, that Kravitz would never take advantage of his helplessness.

The belt chimed again and Kravitz held the lantern protectively against his chest, swaying slightly but managing to stay on his feet. They were engulfed in a bright white light and they were finally, finally on their way home.

Chapter Text

The view through the lantern was foggy and distorted, and sound was muffled to the point where Taako couldn't even pick out individual words. The sensory deprivation was unsettling; he could not even begin to imagine being trapped inside an object for ten years. He was going to hug the hell out of Lup when he got out of there.

When the light of the teleportation spell faded the first thing he saw was his sister, and he instinctively pushed against the sides of the lantern trying to reach her. He heard her exclaim something, and there was movement as the lantern was handed off to... Barry? Yeah, that was definitely Barry, face close to the glass as he examined the lantern with interest. And what was that on the ground? That was- oh. His body. Right.

Taako had separated his soul before, but there was still something existentially disturbing about staring at his own lifeless form. Especially when it was lying in the center of what appeared to be a runic circle of the type of magic that the Raven Queen's emissaries definitely should not be using.

The door to the lantern opened, and Taako was all too happy to push his way out of it and jump back into his corporeal form. There was a terrifying half a second where he felt resistance and wasn't sure he could make it back inside, but the moment passed and he retook control of his body. Which he immediately regretted, because he felt like absolute shit.

"Fuuuck," Taako groaned, pressing his palms against his eyes in a vain attempt to stop the splitting headache that was quickly forming. "What the fuck did you do to my beautiful body?"

He heard Barry laugh somewhere above him, completely without remorse. "Necromancy always comes with a few side effects. You were technically dead, you're lucky you're not partially decomposed."

"Should've stayed dead," Taako grumbled to himself, still not making any move to get up off the floor. He heard sounds of shuffling and someone kneeling beside him, then felt soft lips press against the back of one of his hands. He moved that hand just enough to uncover one eye, squinting up to see Kravitz smiling down at him.

Now that he had time to really look at him, Taako could see how truly spent Kravitz looked. There were no obvious physical marks of the battle he had just participated in, but there was a deep exhaustion in his eyes and he looked like he was struggling just to say conscious.

"Taako," Kravitz said softly, and there was something broken about his voice that scared him, "I'm going to... I need to rest for a bit, but I'll be all right in a few hours, okay? I don't... don't want you to worry, I promise I'll be fine."

Before Taako could ask what exactly he was talking about, Kravitz's body very suddenly dissolved into nothing before his eyes, startling him into sitting bolt upright. Despite Kravitz's warning, Taako still felt a horrible stab of terror at seeing his husband's form fall apart in front of him, and his newly-awakened heart hammered painfully in his chest.

A ball of white light was hovering about where Kravitz's chest had been, and Taako instinctively reached for it, muttering, "You scared the fuck outta me."

The light floated toward him, settling into his outstretched palm. It was incredibly warm, and gently hummed with a familiar energy that vibrated through his fingertips. With both hands he carefully cupped the precious light, marveling at how his skin tingled at each point of contact.

Then the adrenaline started to wear off, and Taako's body reminded him that he had been dead for a day and everything hurt. He briefly wondered if he could also dispel his body to stop it from causing him pain.

"Taako."

He knew that voice. It was Lup's "you're in big fucking trouble and I'm about to tell you why" voice. He looked up at her, standing nearby with her arms crossed, eyes leveled on him, no doubt ready to launch into an explanation of what a reckless idiot he was. Which, okay, fair, but he really wasn't in the mood to deal with it.

"Lulu," he whined with all the petulance he could muster, "You're not allowed to yell at me right now, I just came back from the dead and my husband turned into a lightning bug."

Lup sighed and shook her head. "You can take a nap in the guest room if you need it. But don't think for a second you're going to get out of talking about this."

Then her face softened and she knelt beside him, pulling him into a hug that he gladly fell into, his forehead resting against her shoulder. Kravitz drifted out of the way so Taako could throw his arms around her, clinging tight.

"I'm glad you're safe, doofus."

Lup helped him stand and make his way to the guest room, and if she noticed that he leaned on her way more than he needed she didn't comment on it. Kravitz trailed after them, hovering next to the bed as Lup helped Taako remove the more uncomfortable parts of his ensemble. Once he was settled and she went to leave the room, the ball of light floated uncertainly between the bed and the direction of the door, as if Kravitz wasn't sure if Taako wanted him to stay. Which was, quite frankly, ridiculous.

"C'mere," Taako said as he reached toward him, and he caught Lup smiling at him as she closed the door.

The only light in the room was from the tiniest sliver of daylight beneath the thick curtains on the window, and from the glowing soul that now quickly floated over to him, coming to rest on the pillow beside him. Taako gently cupped his hands around him and pulled him closer, momentarily overwhelmed by the thought that this little light represented everything that was Kravitz, literally here in the palm of his hand.

"I missed you," Taako mumbled almost inaudibly as he held Kravitz's soul against his chest. Kravitz must have heard, because he glowed brighter for a moment, filling Taako with warmth.

He lay in silence after that, mesmerized by the glowing light and the hum he was used to only hearing through layers of muscle and bone. He focused on the comforting warmth radiating from Kravitz's soul, soothing his aches and coaxing him into a deep sleep.

Taako wasn't sure how long he slept, but when he woke the room was dark and there was a weight on his shoulder. He nuzzled closer to the familiar presence on the bed beside him, humming appreciatively as gentle fingers traced down his spine.

"Good morning, love," Kravitz said affectionately, just enough teasing in his voice for Taako to know it was definitely not morning. "How do you feel?"

Taako shrugged as best he could while lying on his side.

"Less dead," he mumbled into Kravitz's shoulder, "You?"

"Mm, still pretty dead myself."

Taako weakly shoved him for the bad joke, then immediately snuggled back up against him. Kravitz laughed and wove both arms around him, holding him tight. The pressure was comforting, and he let out a contented sigh.

Kravitz kissed the top of his head and pressed his face into Taako's hair, breathing deeply.

"...I'm sorry," Kravitz whispered, his voice suddenly small and choked.

"Buh?" Taako blinked sleepily, trying to figure out if he had missed something. "Why?"

"I... Taako, I fucked up. I agreed to a duel for your soul and I lost. If you hadn't freed yourself, I-"

"Wait, wait, hold up," Taako said, interrupting Kravitz's slightly manic explanation, "Why don't you just, why don't you start from the top. Explain what the fuck actually happened. No one bothered to explain a damn thing to lil old Taako."

Kravitz sighed deeply before giving him the explanation he asked for, starting with the call he had received from Barry and covering up to when Taako had been summoned to the battlefield.

By the end, Kravitz was in tears. And it was weirding him out a little. It wasn't that he had never seen Kravitz cry before, or that the act itself bothered him, but it wasn't like him to get so worked up over something that had, all things considered, worked out pretty damn well for them. He was missing something.

"Krav, babe." Taako ran his thumb over Kravitz's cheek, gently brushing away still-flowing tears. "I'm here. You're here. What's got you so fucked up?"

Kravitz took in a shuddering breath.

"Taako, I... That was the first time I've ever faced the idea of just... of never getting to see you again. If you died I'd, I'd hate that but you would still be here, your soul would remain. But then suddenly you were just... gone."

Taako felt Kravitz shudder under his fingertips, and his heart ached at the sight of the distress etched clearly in his face.

"The living fear death," Kravitz continued, "But they expect it, prepare for it. I thought myself beyond the need for that fear. But when I heard what had happened to you, I realized for the first time that I could lose you, really and truly."

Kravitz closed his eyes and shuddered again, tears flowing with renewed force.

"That's dumb," Taako blurted out, and he hadn't meant to sound so harsh but expressing emotions was complicated and he was still learning. "I mean, no, I get what you're saying, really, but what if I hadn't pulled my sick stunt and instead got put back into A-U ghost jail? Would you have just given up and let me rot?"

"No!" Kravitz answered immediately and emphatically, eyes flying open and locking Taako with a watery gaze, "Goddess, no, never! I would have come back for you, I would have returned every day for eternity if that's what it took to get you home."

Taako gave his best reassuring smile. "Exactly! And if you did keep, just keep trying shit forever then statistically you'd eventually get me out, right? Monkeys writing Shakespeare and all that."

Kravitz scrunched his face up in confusion, but the tears had stopped so Taako considered it a victory.

"All I'm sayin' is, if there's anything I've learned, there's always a way, you know? You're not gonna lose me. Promise."

A smile slowly broke across Kravitz's face, and his eyes shone with a love that Taako had come to cherish. He pressed his forehead against Taako's, and started combing fingers through his hair.

"I love you, Taako."

"I love you, too. Also next time we're facing down a Goddess and you're half dead and I'm a ghost please don't stand in front of me, unless you have an actual plan and aren't just being reckless."

Kravitz let out a choked laugh. "I sincerely hope we don't find ourselves in that situation again. Can you promise me you won't taunt reapers on other worlds?"

Taako put a hand on his chin, making a show of looking like he was considering it. "Hmm, tell you what, I promise not to unless I'm sure I can get away with it."

Kravitz laughed with fond exasperation. "I suppose that's the best I can hope for. Now, is there anything I can do for you?"

Taako grinned and waggled his eyebrows suggestively, but before he could say anything salacious his body betrayed him as his stomach let out a noticeable growl.

Kravitz's smile fell into a worried frown. "You haven't eaten in quite a while, have you? Come on, let's get you something to eat."

He started to sit up, but Taako dragged him back down with a whine. Kravitz let himself be manhandled, laughing as he flopped back onto the bed.

"I don't wanna," Taako complained as he held Kravitz firmly in place beside him, "The moment I go out there Lup is gonna yell at me for being an idiot."

Kravitz grimaced. "I'm sure she'll have a few choice words for me as well, once she learns what happened. But I'm not going to let you starve to avoid confrontation."

"Just cut us a portal home, then it's just a matter of avoiding her for the rest of forever."

"You do remember she can also open a portal into our house?"

"Mmm," Taako mumbled without further clarification, burying his face in a pillow as if no longer being able to see would make the situation go away.

There were a few seconds of silence where Taako thought Kravitz might leave him be for a while longer, and then without warning he suddenly stood, effortlessly pulling Taako along with him and lifting him into his arms. Taako let out an undignified yelp, instinctively wrapping his arms around Kravitz's neck, the reaper looking entirely too proud of himself as he carried him toward the door.

"Okay! Okay!" Taako cried out while making a token effort to squirm out of Kravitz's grasp, "You've made your point, I'll go out there and eat food and have an adult conversation! Happy?"

Kravitz gently set him down on his feet, grinning, something deep and meaningful in his eyes as he answered, "Yes, I am extremely happy."

The sincerity in Kravitz's voice made Taako blush, and he turned his gaze to the door to hide his embarrassment.

"Whatever, you're lucky you're cute," Taako said as he reached over and linked his arm with Kravitz's. "Now c'mon, I'm starving."

"One more thing, before we go out there." There was a hint of playfulness in Kravitz's voice that made Taako look back up at him with keen interest.

Kravitz used their linked arms to pull Taako flush against him, pressing a slow, tender kiss against his lips, eyes glowing with unbridled affection when he stepped back to look at him.

"Welcome home, love."

Chapter Text

It had been a week since the incident. Taako had mostly been avoiding thinking about it, because it was over and in the past so what was the point? It definitely didn't still bother him and occasionally send him spiraling into an existential crisis. Not at all.

It was for this reason that it took so long for him to ask Kravitz about something that had been nagging at him about that day, something he hadn't understood. He finally brought it up one night, as casually as he could, trying not to sound like it had been on his mind the entire week.

"Baby, can I ask you something?"

Kravitz looked up from his seat on their second most comfortable armchair and lowered his book, some trashy novel Lup had given him as a joke and he ended up loving. "Of course, love. What is it?"

Taako stepped closer to him, taking a moment to appreciate how ridiculously domestic the sight was. Kravitz, sitting there in the living room of their shared home, perfectly content to just spend a quiet evening with him. Taako from ten years ago would have vomited.

But current Taako found himself enchanted by the sight, by this little pocket of happiness that they had carved out for themselves against all odds.

Kravitz raised an eyebrow questioningly, and Taako realized he may have spent a bit too long in contemplation.

"Darling?" Kravitz asked with a hint of concern, setting his book down on a table and giving Taako his full attention, "Are you all right?"

Taako found it was easy to give him a genuine smile. "Yeah, sorry, got distracted. Anyway I wanted to ask you about something that happened with uh... Arthas? Asus?"

Kravitz frowned. "Are you talking about Aetrius? That other reaper?"

"Yeah, him!"

Kravitz was giving him a measured look, no doubt trying to figure out what this could be about. "What about him?"

"Well, when I was busy tearing him a new one I sort of... saw his life? I got these weird flashes of memories that I guess were- I guess they were his? Just wondering if you knew what was up with that."

Kravitz looked momentarily confused, then apologetic. "Oh Taako, I'm sorry, it didn't occur to me that's something you wouldn't have knowledge of. I would have explained sooner."

He stood and took a few steps to close the gap between them, resting his hands on Taako's arms.

"You momentarily merged your consciousness with his. It's something that usually only happens after a soul has moved on and taken residence in the sea, but..." Kravitz smiled with fond amusement. "You've never been one to follow the natural order of things."

Kravitz wrapped his arms loosely around Taako's shoulders, and he allowed himself to be pulled close.

"So I'm guessing he saw a bunch of stuff about me too?" Taako asked, though he already knew the answer.

Kravitz began gently tracing patterns into Taako's back. "I'm afraid so. It's really not something that should happen accidentally, it's supposed to be a conscious sharing of experiences. Though it is the reason he bargained for our release."

Taako leaned further forward, resting his cheek against Kravitz's shoulder. He deeply disliked the thought of sharing such an intimate experience with someone who was not only a stranger, but had tried to hurt both him and several of the people he held closest to his heart. Ultimately it was a small price to pay for getting to go home with Kravitz in one piece, but it still made him feel sick to think about.

Kravitz held him in silence, giving him time to process his thoughts before speaking up with a cautious, "Are you all right, love?"

"Yeah." Taako found that he meant it, despite his initial discomfort. His thoughts had moved on to considering the specifics of how soul merging worked. "Just thinkin' about stuff. Is that something you can do? The consciousness merging thing."

"It's something anyone can do," Kravitz explained patiently, "Just not with a body in the way. But since I can banish my body at will then yes, it is a great deal easier for me."

"Is it something we can do? I mean, without me dying again."

Taako couldn't see Kravitz's face from where he was pressed into his shoulder, but his hesitance belied how taken aback he was by the question.

"That... that would be theoretically possible, yes. I could banish my body and enter yours to reach your soul. Is that... something that you want to try?"

Taako lifted his head and pulled back just enough to be able to meet Kravitz's eyes. His husband was watching him with curiosity and bewilderment, which was understandable. It was a strange question, one that he had asked purely for curiosity's sake, but now that offer was on the table he found himself considering it.

"Maybe? Would that be weird?"

"Taako, it's not something I would be willing to do unless you were absolutely positive you wanted it. It's... extremely intimate."

"It's not like it would be the first time you've been inside me."

Kravitz let out a startled snort of laughter. "It's intimate in a very different way than sex is. You would be literally feeling what I feel, and there would be no way for you to keep your own emotions from me. And you would... see things from my past, and I from yours. And what I saw would not be in your control."

Taako shrugged. "I mean, everyone in the universe already knows basically everything about me."

Kravitz shook his head. "This would be different. These would not be stories told from a third perspective, these would be memories important to you, and I would feel them as you felt them."

Kravitz placed a hand under Taako's chin and lifted it slightly, locking him with an intense gaze.

"Taako, I would gladly give every part of myself to you, to share this experience with you, but I could not live with feeling like I had violated you in any way. Do you understand?"

Taako's instincts told him to make a joke about Kravitz's use of the word "live" in reference to himself, but the seriousness in his demeanor gave him pause. "Yeah. Yeah, I gotcha. I'll… I'll think about it."

Kravitz's gaze softened and he smiled. "Sorry to get so serious on you, love. I just wanted to make sure you don't force anything."

"You don't gotta worry about me babe, when have I ever been quiet about something I didn't wanna do?"

Kravitz chuckled and moved the hand from under Taako's chin to brush a lock of hair behind his ear. "That's fair. Did you have anymore questions for me?"

"Naw, I think it's time for bed."

"Hmm, time for bed or time for bed?"

Taako's eyes widened and he grinned. "Ohh, all this talk of merging consciousness getting you frisky? If I'd known I'd've brought it up sooner."

Kravitz huffed out a laugh. "Do you really want to start this? Should we talk about how me turning into a skeleton gets you-"

"Hey, hey, you promised not to make fun of me for that!"

"I would never," Kravitz teased, kissing him on the nose. "I'm going to get ready for bed, come join me when you've decided whether to cuddle me or ravish me."

Never one to be limited to two options, Taako ended up going with both.

It was another few days before Taako brought it up again. Kravitz had probably assumed his "I'll think about it" had just been a way to end the conversation, but he really did think about it. About what it meant to share a consciousness with someone, however briefly. About if it was something he wanted to try on purpose.

Taako had always been emotionally distant from all but a chosen few, a consequence of growing up on the road with only his sister to rely on. Kravitz, with his handsome face and disarming honesty had snuck past his defenses with alarming speed, and now he was sitting here actually considering opening up to him in the most direct and vulnerable way he possibly could.

The part that scared him the most was that it didn't really scare him. Maybe that seemed silly since they were married, but it had barely been a year since they tied the knot and there were still parts of himself he struggled to be open about (it was a work in progress, and he would forever be grateful for Kravitz's nigh-endless patience with him).

Maybe what he needed was for it to be out of his control, to not have to struggle with finding the words and forcing them past his throat. He could just feel, and Kravitz would understand, without a doubt.

"I wanna try it," Taako said one night, apropos of nothing.

"Hmm?" Kravitz, who had been in the process of attempting to organize their closet, turned to face Taako where he sat cross-legged on their bed. "Try what, love?"

"The soul thing. Where we merge or whatever."

Kravitz blinked in surprise. "Oh! Are... are you certain? You know that it's-"

"Intimate, yeah." Taako leaned forward, forcing himself to keep his eyes on Kravitz's. "That is- that's why I wanna do it."

Kravitz looked him over carefully, his face slowly breaking into a smile. "Okay. All right. Did you want to try it tonight? Or did you... need a little time."

"I already got time. I wanna do it whenever you're ready."

"All right." Kravitz was practically radiating nervous excitement. "Promise to tell me if it's too much. Or if you want to stop for any reason. I won't be able to talk but I'll hear you."

Taako nodded, and he felt his pulse quicken. "Yeah, I'll use the word if I need it."

"Good." Kravitz hesitated a moment, then surged forward and leaned down to capture Taako's lips in a brief but meaningful kiss. "Are you ready?"

Taako swallowed down his nerves and nodded. "Yeah. Go for it."

Kravitz gave one more reassuring smile before his body dissipated, evaporating like mist to leave behind a familiar ball of light. Taako made himself comfortable, leaning back against the headboard with a couple pillows for support. Kravitz's soul floated over to him, pressing up against his chest, hovering there for several long seconds before pushing forward and disappearing inside his ribcage.

It was a strange sensation, a point of warmth that he could feel moving inside him, slow and cautious like Kravitz always was when he was afraid of pushing Taako too far, a gentle caress that- oh.

There was no slowly easing into it; one moment Taako was pondering the weird feeling in his chest, and the next he was flooded with emotion.

At the forefront was an intense and powerful love. He knew that Kravitz loved him of course, had heard the words more times than he could count, but to feel it coursing through him was overwhelming. He was momentarily stunned, capable of nothing but shuddering against the pillows as he tried to regain his composure.

A deep concern seeped into the mix, Kravitz's way of wordlessly asking him if he was all right. He wasn't, for a brief moment, but his mind (or rather his soul, he supposed) began to adjust to the foreign emotions, and he was able to steady himself.

"'M all right," Taako assured him, and the concern dimmed somewhat, "It was just... real sudden."

Taako closed his eyes and tried to relax. The shock was wearing off, and he was able to feel more beyond the initial outburst of love. There was still a great deal of concern, and a sudden flare of guilt as Kravitz blamed himself for Taako's discomfort.

"Stop that," Taako chided. He was certain Kravitz could understand his intention without words, but it still felt good to say it out loud. "I can feel you beating yourself up in there, this was my choice."

The guilt didn't dissipate but it did lessen. Taako wondered what Kravitz felt from him, what touching his soul was like. Did he like what he saw? Could it even begin to match up to the outpouring of affection he was giving? Would he see something he couldn't deal with, would this be how Taako finally drove him away-

Disbelief, frustration, love, love, love.

Kravitz had heard his insecurities, and had responded. Taako's heart ached with gratitude and love, and he prayed it shined through as strongly as what he was getting in return.

Past the emotions, Taako began to see memories. There was no order or organization to them, just scattered pieces of history that must have meant something to Kravitz.

The first memory Taako was able to pick out from the chaos was bright, recent, and familiar- it was their wedding day. Taako saw flashes of himself, walking down the aisle (damn he looked good), struggling not to cry as Kravitz read his vows, stealing a relatively quiet moment away from their enthusiastic friends- all of it permeated with unimaginable joy, a backdrop of this is it, this amazing person wants to spend his life with me and I'm so lucky, I'm so fucking lucky.

He got caught up in that memory for a while, with the familiar sights from an unfamiliar view, and the constant reassurance that yes, Kravitz really did love him and wanted to spend his existence by his side. He could no longer tell how much of the love in his overflowing heart was his and how much came from Kravitz, but it didn't matter. It was theirs to share.

That memory connected itself to other, related memories; their first date, their anniversary, a quiet night in, their first real argument, their reunion during the end of the world. All clear and easily reached, hovering near the forefront of Kravitz's mind.

Beyond that, the memories were foggier and harder to latch onto. He saw snippets of Kravitz's many years as a reaper, of cities long gone, of deals struck and enemies vanquished, of a heated battle with a fantastic beast that seemed to be made of light itself.

He saw the Raven Queen, could sense the incredible awe and gratitude Kravitz felt in her presence. She looked softer than she did the handful of times Taako had met her, and he wondered if she appeared differently before him or if it was just Kravitz's memories being colored by his perception of her. He saw the moment he was taken into her service, listened to him negotiate the terms and conditions that would dictate the rest of his existence.

He saw Kravitz die.

Or rather, he felt it, felt the blinding panic tearing through him as he realized his life was over, felt the pain and regret of dreams that could never be fulfilled, crying out for help from anyone who would listen, someone, please-

It was an experience that was all too familiar to Taako but one that he wasn't prepared to face. He didn't expect the panic it would awaken in his heart, fueled by his own memories of death tangling with the dread of watching loved ones die, finding himself trapped in the memory of Kravitz's life slipping from his body again and again and again-

There was a sudden cold emptiness in his chest as Kravitz's soul flew out of him, the emotional connection severing in an instant. He was vaguely aware that Kravitz was beside the bed reforming his body, but everything was blurry. When had he started crying?

"Taako?" Kravitz's voice was soft. "Love, can I touch you? I mean, physically, not- I'm not going to, uh-"

Taako wiped his eyes before reaching out toward him and Kravitz took the hint, enveloping him in a hug. The tears had stopped but his heart was still racing and the contact felt nice.

"I don't know what you saw," Kravitz said after a moment, "But I felt how much it scared you and I... I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, love."

"Stop apologizing," Taako grumbled, "Wasn't your fault."

"May I ask what it was? You don't have to answer, of course, I was just-"

"You died."

"...Oh." Kravitz held him a little tighter. "I'm sorry you had to see that."

"I told you to stop apologizing. And it wasn't, it wasn't really a bad thing? I mean no it was, it totally sucked, but it also felt like maybe..." Taako hid his face against Kravitz's neck, fighting the embarrassment that always surfaced when he was being emotionally honest. "...Feel like I know you a little better. Or something."

He felt Kravitz relax a bit against him as he spoke. "I'm glad you... got something out of it. What did you think of it overall? You seemed like you were enjoying yourself at the start."

Taako's mouth twitched up into a smile. "Yeah. It... it was nice. I guess I shouldn't be surprised you're as much of a sap in your head as you are out loud."

Kravitz laughed, and feeling the rumble of it in his chest was oddly comforting. "And you are far more of one than you pretend to be."

Taako shifted his position within Kravitz's embrace so that he could look up at him. "Don't go spreading rumors about me now, I got a reputation to maintain."

Kravitz threaded practiced fingers through Taako's hair. "Think of the scandal if people knew you loved your husband and your friends."

"Right? I’m glad you get me."

Kravitz made a noncommittal noise, hesitating for a brief moment before speaking again. "I'd like to... talk to you about a few of the things I saw, if you're up for it."

Taako tensed, the idea of discussing his past instinctively putting him on the defensive. He had already told Kravitz parts of it, but it wasn't a subject he liked to delve into.

"Not... not right now. I don't- I don't mind you knowing stuff, I just- I don't think I can do it right now."

"Of course," Kravitz said calmly, "Whenever you're ready. There's no rush."

Taako let himself relax again, soothed by Kravitz's words and the feeling of careful fingers in his hair.

There's no rush.

Even now, Taako sometimes had to remind himself that this world was their permanent home, that he wouldn't be forced to suddenly flee and leave everything behind. Maybe he would have to be careful of interplanar mishaps, but this was his home, and he could always return to it. He was allowed to get attached, to let himself feel.

He was safe, and they had all the time in the world.