Chapter Text
Taako slammed the door behind him as he ran in to the pouring rain. He could hear Sazed yelling something, but he just muted it out. He cared as much of Sazed’s yells as Sazed cared about Taako’s happiness. So, not that much in Taako’s mind.
”Fuck!” Taako repeatedly whispered to himself between his ragged breathes. The thunder roared above him once again and and a streak of lightning lit up the dark sky. His bare feet slipped on the muddy road, sending him face down in to a puddle.
”Oh come on!” Taako whimpered, trying to wipe some of the mud from his white pants. They were ruined. His hair was no better, wet streaks of it getting almost glued to his cheeks. There was nobody nearby, but Taako was still grateful that it was impossible to tell, where the raindrops started and where the tears ended.
Taako stood up again, still continuing his aimless running down the hill where his and Sazed’s small cottage stood. He looked over his shoulder to the top of the hill. Yellow, warm light tried to lure him back to the cottage, where Taako could change back to warm clothes, eat something sweet and curl up next to his husband who would compliment him and love how…
No. Taako reminded himself. He hated Sazed. Fuck Sazed.
***
Taako’s lungs were screaming for air when he finally stopped at the edge of the dock. He tried to calm himself, leaning on the rail of the deck. Rain was only getting harder as Taako fell to his knees, holding the rail knuckles white. Taako didn’t dare to open his eyes. He would only see the roaring sea around him as the waves hit the deck. Taako could feel shivers running down his spine. It was cold and rain didn’t make it any better. Taako stood up with wobbly legs, still leaning on the rail and panting heavily. The sea seemed furious at him, big waves splashing on the deck and on Taako. And Taako was furious at the sea. The sea had already taken him his sister, and every month it would take his dickhead of a husband, only to return him a week later so that he could bother Taako. Taako screamed as loud as he could, tears running down his cheeks. The sea answered by splashing another big wave to his feet.
Taako just cried on deck, shouting how his life sucked and how he just wanted his sister back. He kind of hoped Sazed would have heard his shouts and come look for him, but no. It was just Taako, the sea and the roaring thunder above him. Taako shouted again, his voice drowning in the thunder. The tears rolled on his cheeks and there to ocean. Just more salt to the sea, Taako thoughts, smiling weakly. Then something caught his eye.
The streak of the lighthouse hit the big stones near the shore. On one of the stones sat… a man? Taako wasn’t sure, it could have been just a seal or some other creature, and it was hard to see in the rain anyway. The light hit the stones again. Now Taako could see clearer. It was a guy, just chilling on the rocks, in the middle of the raging sea.
”Hoooy!” Taako yelled, trying to get the man attention. The man didn’t seem to notice him at all, they just stared at the sea.
”What the fuck are you doing there!?” Taako continued shouting. He knew that Sazed’s fishing nets were there, it would be bad if the stranger would get caught in them. Who the fuck goes midnight swimming in a middle of a thunder storm anyways? He got curious.
” Fuck!” Taako whispered as he started to carefully jump from rock to rock that almost made a path from the shore to the bigger boulders. The rocks were slippery and Taako really had to concentrate on keeping his balance.
”Hey thug!” Taako shouted again. This time the man turned his head and Taako froze. The lighthouse’s light hit man’s face and in the next moment blinded Taako.
He was beautiful. The most beautiful man Taako had ever seen. Black skin with white spots almost shimmering in the light.
Thunder roared again and the sky turned white as the lightning struck. As Taako tried to stumble forward in the blinding light, he could only yelp helplessly as the sea decided to make his life miserable once again. Taako could feel the force of the wave that hit his body, how he lost his balance and fell to the black currents below him. He tried to fight against it. Taako desperatey tried to make his way back up, but the he was now totally on sea’s mercy now. And the sea didn’t seem to appreciate the way Taako had yelled at it. He felt a numb pain on his forehead and saw a streak of red rising towards the surface with bubbles, before everything went dark.
***
Taako coughed violently, and threw up. He could taste nothing but salt on his lips. Something warm had been wrapped around him. It felt like some sort of fur. Taako opened his eyes lazily. His eyelids felt heavy and his vision was blurry anyway. He was laying on his side on the the shore. The thunder above him had subsided, leaving behind only an ice cold drizzle.
”Where…who?” Taako muttered to himself, trying to sit up. He was trying to get the hair from his eyes when he was suddenly reminded of the cut on his forehead. Stinging pain made him whimper quietly. He tried to find out if the cut was still bleeding, but instead felt something that had been wrapped around his head. The strands of kelp had been used as makeshift bandages.
”Gross…” Taako whispered, trying to remove the bloodstained seaweed from his head.
”Don’t touch it!” someone commanded, adjusting the kelp back on it’s place. ”It should stop the bleeding”.
Taako screamed and tried to move away from who ever the freak was.
”Don’t be afraid, I’m just trying to help” the man said. His voice was gentle and calm. Taako calmed his breath when he finally got to look at the handsome man closer. His face was even more beautiful up close, strands of wet hair framing the worried smile on his face. But his eyes sent shivers down Taako’s spine. They were golden, almost shimmering in the dark.
Too many thoughts were running through his head. Too many questions. What had happened? Who was this naked stranger and why the fuck had he been in the sea in the storm? Why had he saved him? But from all these kind of rational and good questions, he could only blurt out one that was bit more bizarre.
”Am I dead?” Taako whispered, feeling his breath getting faster again. The man looked confused for a moment, but then started to laugh quietly.
” No, I think we are both still very alive” they smiled, and Taako wrapped himself tighter in the the warm fur. He now noticed the empty head of a seal on his lap and the flippers laying beside him. He was wrapped in a silvery skin of a seal.
”What …who the fuck are you?” Taako asked.
”People usually call me Kravitz” he smiled. Kravitz. What a beautiful name, Taako thought. The man leaned closer, adjusting the kelp bandages. Taako leaned closer to his touch. His hands were cold, but gentle as they put another kelp around Taako’s head, trying not to touch Taako’s sensitive ears.
”Taako! Where are you?”
”Sazed” Taako sharply whispered as he saw the light of a familiar lantern. Kravitz stood up and unwrapped Taako from the seal skin, before running to the waves. Taako just sat on the wet sand, watching as a silvery head of seal looked at him one more time, before getting swallowed by the black water.
”Taako! Taako are you alright?” Sazed huffed as he yanked Taako up from the sand. Sazed quickly wrapped his husband in a coat.
”You shouldn’t run off like that! You don’t even know how many people get swept to the sea in a weather like this. You really can be an idiot sometimes” Sazed laughed. Taako stared at the ocean, trying to look for the seal.
”And what even is this?” Sazed asked and started to remove the kelp. Taako quickly slapped his wrist.
” What was that for?!” Sazed yelped, just now noticing the small dribble of blood that had seeped through the sea weed. Sazed grabbed his arm tightly and started to run back to top off the hill, cursing Taako’s clumsiness.
” Are you feeling better honey?” Sazed asked as he wrapped his arms around Taako’s waist.
” I’m fine” Taako murmured, trying to squirm a bit. Sazed had made him take a bath and had gotten him clean clothes. He had cured Taako’s wound, and after that wrapped him in to a blanket and carried him to their bedroom. Everything a loving husband would do.
”I love you” Sazed whispered in to Taako’s ear, before blowing out the candle on their night stand. Taako pretended to have already fallen a sleep, feeling how Sazed placed a small kiss on his forehead, before snuggling next to him. Taako didn’t want to answer. He didn’t feel like lying today.