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Kravitz’s hand stalled on the doorknob like it had been doing for the past year. Twelve months since the Day Of Story and Song...twelve months since Wonderland. Since Taako looked at him blankly and joked about giving him a signature.
A frustrated sigh and he tightened a grip on the doorknob, constructed features tightening into a grimace as he fought to keep the emotions shoved down. He wasn’t here to try to see if he could undo Lich magic (enough sleepless nights on company time proved to him that it was pointless and could do more hurt than help). He was here, first and foremost, to help Angus in his studies and make polite small talk with Taako about his progress. No more, no less.
“Angus? Are you ready to-” His breath is knocked out of him as a strange sense of déjà vu as he found himself caught in a chest squeezing hug by…. “Taako?”
A beat of silence, of Taako breathing against his neck, and Kravitz mind spun. Flashes of ancient fairy tales and legends of true love breaking the spell and winning the prince his true love. Kravitz couldn’t call himself a knight, wasn’t that heroic, wasn’t that noble, but he knew true love could be applicable to Taako. Talking with Istus had confirmed that, confirmed that the Wonder Elves had messed with Fate. But the stories, old and ancient and sung by a kind woman whose face has long faded. True love could conquer all and undo evil spells and it conquers all. Kravitz allowed himself to press his face into Taako’s neck and breath in his perfume and exhale out shakily.
“Kravitz.” Taako’s voice was rough and he stumbled back against the doorframe as he heard it. “You’re home.”
Two words made him freeze before he wrapped Taako in a tighter hug. Home, yeah, this is his home. With his boyfriend and his son and speaking of his son, he yelled for Angus and normally he would have replied by now, even if he was delayed.
A click of plastic against wood sounded out and as Kravitz opened his eyes, he caught the eye of Angus (taller now with age, seeming to be filling out his beanpole frame).
The student raised his hand, offering up a two-fingered salute as he chirps out, “Good morning sluts!”
Kravitz chokes on his spit, Taako does not. Taako is smooth, easy motions as he releases Kravitz from the hug and gives a two-fingered salute back, “Hey little man!”
“Hi dads!” Kravitz’s breath hitched at the comfort of the phrase, the ease of it. Even as Angus’s normally styled hair was mussed up, ends sticking up like he slept on it and got out of bed without fixing. He gave Taako a hug and another wave to him, “I’ll be back before dinner!” and then was out the door.
A beat in his hollow chest and Kravitz almost allowed his skin to melt away. But then Taako’s hand was on his arm and squeezing and it was strangely grounding and once again Kravitz felt jealousy for a him he’ll never be. It was an echoing pang as he made a strangled noise, “I...something’s wrong.” A hiccup of his tone, almost shifting into Cockney. But no, he couldn’t let himself treat this as a job, couldn’t let him treat Taako or Angus like a job that needed solving.
“What’s wrong?” Taako moved back, hands curling of Kravitz’s (much more prominent) hip-bones as his gaze raked over him, “Are you feeling alright?” There was a note of concern, hidden under layers of something Kravitz aches to know, but something that sounded so usual. So casual as he searched for something that Kravitz couldn’t name.
“Nothing I just...necromancers had some rituals.” Kravitz babbled, caught off guard by the tenderness in the curve of Taako’s smile.
A nod, like this had happened before, like any of this had happened before, and Taako let go of him with a final squeeze, “Child sacrifices again? Krav, babe, you really should let Barry handle that. Like I know you got your issues with the guy, but he’s good with handling messy things.”
Another discordant note and Kravitz barely let a frown register on his lips, “I don’t...what?”
A slight shrug of Taako’s shoulder, “Oh, you know. I know you have issues like reeling him in when Lup isn’t there, but if these things are going to affect you this badly I think it’s worth it to take the chance.”
Kravitz's hand shook slightly, but he kept it bunched in his slacks, “Alright. Oh uh, I haven’t cooked in a while.” He really wished this was the case in whatever antithetical world he was in, “I hope you don’t have anything planned.”
He gave a soft frown and felt a slight pang in his chest, but Taako continued on, “Oh, look, as much as I’d love to eat your cooking....the Starblasters are coming over tonight and I promised them I’d make their favorites. I’ve been cooking the entire day for it, I could’ve sworn I...told you?” Taako tilted his head at him.
Kravitz stilled, wondering if this whole charade would come crumbling down, but offered up a wavering grin, “Oh, you know how hard it is to keep track of time in the Astral Plane.”
Taako laughed, loud and bouncing as he gently held Kravitz’s cheek. Feeling Taako rub his thumb over his cheekbone, Kravitz couldn’t stop himself from turning into it, exhaling out softly. A light chuckle and Taako patted his cheek, “Remind me to convince Lu to take the next paperwork day.”
He almost laughed, could have cried at the idea of having someone there to care about him being home on time. About him not working himself to double death or undeath or whatever term he would call it. Instead, Kravitz gave a soft hum and nodded his head, “Alright. Sounds good.”
Taako grinned, leaning up to kiss his lips like it meant nothing and everything at once, “Fantastic,” He turned on his heel, heading back for the kitchen before half-pivoting towards him, “Don’t worry, Bone Daddy, I got something cooking up for you.”
Kravitz let a laugh echo in his chest, bouncing off of his rib bones as he nodded, “I’m going to...get out of this. Dress up a bit for dinner.”
His response was just a head poked out of the kitchen, a slow wink, and the words, “Or you could dress real down.”
Kravitz felt his cheeks flush red and he hurried up to where he knew the bedroom was. The door locked behind him and he slid down with his back against it. Scrubbing his flaming cheeks with his hands, Kravitz cursed as he tried to focus back on the present.
His hand moved, diving into his pocket and retrieving a bracelet of tightly coiled, engraved threads. Rubbing the pad of his thumb over the impressions in the material, Kravitz slowly breathed out. “Okay.” The word was more of an exhale than it was a word, and he thought on what the actual fuck was going on.
Angus was rude. Okay, okay, that is teenager stuff, that’s easy, no skin off his balls! Kravitz doesn’t quite have the best memory of his childhood, but rudeness can’t be that uncommon!
Taako referred to the Seven Birds as the Starblasters. That was kind of weird, but maybe he just got tired of all of the bird imagery. Or being asked if he could shapeshift. Maybe it’s just a nickname because he was on the Starblaster and it holds importance to him! It was a pet name for a big chunk of his life and who is Kravitz to judge!
Taako...held him. This fact made Kravitz’s breath hitch at the memory. Taako flirted with him and held him and touched him like a lover. There was a slight burning feeling under his thumb, skin chafing over the threads as he thought about the feeling of his hands on his hips.
Kravitz let a shuddering sigh leave his lips. Dinner. At dinner, he’s going to cover it. He’s going to get to the bottom of whatever is going on, even if it turns out to be a cruel joke.
Dinner, he just has to wait until dinner.