Work Text:
Everyone has heard of the reapers in black and red cloaks. Eyes that burn in the darkness and feathers that shift between black and blue and green. Scythes sharp enough to cut through steel, through space, through souls. They’re scared of death for this reason. They’re scared they’ll be hunted down, painfully taken over to the other side.
But that couldn't be further from the truth.
If they’re innocent (As most are. Deceptively few people are on the bad side of The Raven Queen), they may never see the reapers at all.
They instead see Taako. They get taken to the astral plane by an ethereal elven wizard. Clad in white that seems to reflect all light, that glitters and shimmers with all colours of the rainbow. Adorned with gold bracelets, rings, necklaces, piercings. They get a familiar (yet not too familiar) voice, and a pleasant conversation. They get to meet Taako, one of the seven birds, one of the ones that everyone knows, everyone is born knowing, pull out a wand and gracefully take them to their next life. The material plane melting around them, replaced by the endless sea of souls. He can show people where their families are, for he knows how important family is, and he can show people their friends, for he knows how important they are above all.
Sometimes, the souls will see the reapers, and they’ll hide, but Taako will laugh, a beautiful, enchanting laugh, and kiss his husband on the cheek, using his fluster to show that they're really not all that scary.
Sometimes, he visits out of work. Sometimes he comes to meet with the reapers, the birds, the souls he’s assisted crossing over, and sometimes he’ll see their end, as they slowly fade away into white noise and water, collecting at the bed of the sea. Sometimes the last thing a soul will see is freckles that seem to glow against tan skin, a glittery white dress, impossibly long, and a melancholy smile, wishing them goodbye.