Work Text:
Taako adjusted the brim of his hat over his eyes in an effort to block out the sun’s harsh glare. It was dreadfully hot, and Taako was certain he was melting inside his riding leathers. Even his horse, steadfast and stronger than any steed Taako had ever ridden, was huffing his discontent below.
“It’s okay, Garyl, we’re almost there.” He turned to Davenport who had a map laid out over the neck of his own horse. “We are almost there, right?”
Davenport didn’t even look up when he replied. “Yes. Now, please stop asking that.”
Taako glanced back at the caravan. Magnus was on his own horse, large ax strapped to his back, Lup and Barry were sitting in the front of their first covered wagon, and Lucretia and Merle were sitting in the front of the second one. It had been a long journey so far, but Davenport had been hopeful that a change in scenery would be exactly what their gang needed.
The price on their heads in Phandolin had been too dangerous, and a fresh start and a new place to gain their footing were in order.
The dusty trail began growing narrower as they pushed through into a thick copse of trees.
“The spot is right by a large river, which should make for some excellent fishing, and these trees are excellent cover” Davenport said. “We should be coming on it now.”
And true to his words, the copse of trees opened up on a lush shoreline, butting up against a broad river, sparkling in the afternoon sun.
“What do you guys think?” Davenport asked.
“Definitely a step up from the mud pit that was our last camp,” Lup replied.
“I just hope the bounty hunters lost our trail,” Magnus said as he dismounted his horse.
“The illusion magic should have done the trick.” Davenport dismounted his own horse, and a long ride turned into an even longer haul to get camp set up before evening fell over them.
The Seven Birds had been running together since Lup and Taako were young, and they had become an unfaltering family. Outlaws they were, but their crimes were a necessary part of keeping the little people safe and all that. They never robbed anyone who didn’t deserve it, and they killed even less.
“Taako, help me with this tent, would you?” Lup called, and Taako was by her side in an instant, wrangling a tent into place.
Night was falling by the time they had gotten their camp set up and a large fire roaring. Lup handled the stew that night, and Taako took the time to scout the area with Davenport, setting up warding spells and illusions to keep the law from finding them out here.
“Do you think that Kravitz is on our tail?” Davenport asked Taako, out of earshot of the others.
“At this point, losing him is a temporary deal,” Taako replied. “I think our goal should be to get him on our side instead of trying to beat him.”
Davenport sighed. “I don’t think he likes us very much. Well, he doesn’t like the rest of us very much. I have no idea what his deal is with you.”
“He likes me. We'll figure something out, don't worry.”
Davenport eyed him doubtfully, but he had learned in all these long years that questioning Taako was an uphill battle.
They trailed back into camp and settled in for some celebratory drinks and hearty stew under the sprawling stars.
Taako didn’t sleep well that night—he never did on the first night somewhere new, but his heart was calm. They may live a tough life, but they were a team and they had made it through each scrape thrown at them, all in one piece.
Taako got up early the next morning and set up on the shore of the sparkling river to fish for their dinner that evening. He already had two lovely bass when Merle and Magnus found him.
“We’re planning to head into the local town, scope things out. You wanna come?” Magnus asked.
“You wouldn’t dare leave me behind,” Taako responded, folding up his fishing rod and taking the fish to the makeshift food pantry where Lup would find them to cook later that day.
They saddled up and made their way into town. Neverwinter was a decent-sized settlement, with honest-to-Pan cobbled streets and a line of shops on the main stretch that made Taako’s fingers itch. He needed new pants, and these places were sure to have all the latest styles. The folk here were friendly, too, offering waves and cheerful greetings as the three of them, a little rough for wear, rode down the main street.
“Is that a barber?” Magnus asked. “I bet they actually give good haircuts.” His voice was wistful, and it was a testament to how long it had been since they had set foot anywhere decent. They were nearing the edge of town, and Taako was just beginning to think that this was a place where they could lay low for a while when there was the sound of galloping hooves behind them.
Taako immediately went on high alert, hand hovering over the wand holstered at his side.
“Stop!”
The three of them turned to see a dark horse thundering down a side road, straight for them.
It had taken Kravitz barely any effort at all to find them this time.
“Shit!” Merle crowed, and they all three tugged the reins of their horses and kicked in their heels to hoof it as quickly as they could in the opposite direction.
“You all are the bane of my existence!” Kravitz shouted from behind them as they tore out of town. “And I am through playing games.”
“What happened to good, old-fashioned fun?” Taako called back, unable to resist the grin splitting his face. “Like that time Magnus beat you in a game of cards and you let us go? That was fun.”
“Enough is enough!” Kravitz snapped, and then there was gunfire.
Taako darted a look back to see Kravitz had pulled back from them, circling in a wide arc as more gunfire popped in the air. Taako watched in horror as Kravitz crumpled off his horse.
“Guys, things just got more complicated!” Taako shouted as he noticed the trio of bandana-wearing riders advancing on Kravitz, who was struggling to pull himself up from the ground unsuccessfully. His horse had bolted, leaving him a sitting duck on the side of the road.
“Kravitz, this is the last time you’ll ever see the light of day,” the tallest one growled, pointing his pistol.
“I say we leave him,” Merle responded, but Taako was already hauling his horse around.
“Hey, losers!” Taako called, and the riders turned their attention to him. “Your color scheme is wack.” He pulled out his wand, quick as lightning, and sent a volley of Magic Missile their way.
Their attention was easily diverted from Kravitz, and since it appeared none of the three of them were magic users, it was a fairly quick fight. When the last one fell to a swipe of Magnus’ ax, Taako jumped off his horse and hurried over to Kravitz.
“Hey, you alright over here?” he asked, kneeling by Kravitz’ side.
Kravitz was squinting up at him. He had lost his hat, and he was obviously in pain, clutching a wound in his thigh. “You saved my life.”
“Damn right we did. Can you imagine how embarrassing it would have been if you died because of some bandits? Yikes.”
"The Legion Riders aren't as competent as you, but they've been a thorn in my side for months." Kravitz chuckled and then winced.
“Hey, Merle, you got a spare heal over there?” Taako asked.
“Why are we healing him?” Merle asked. In one of their very first run-ins with Kravitz, Merle had gotten his arm severely injured, and he had never really forgiven any of them for that.
“Because we’re outlaws, not assholes,” Taako replied.
Merle stepped forward and kneeled down next to Kravitz. “Whatcha got going on?”
“They shot me in the leg,” Kravitz hissed.
“I'd like to treat this back at camp,” Merle said after a few moments. “I don’t like messing around with bullet wounds.”
Kravitz looked up at them with wide eyes. “Camp?”
“Here’s what’s gonna happen, kemosabe,” Taako said. “We take you to camp and heal you up, and you don’t immediately try to turn us in. You’re not going to get a better healer in this town than Merle, as scary as that sounds.”
Kravitz looked like he was going to protest, but the tension drained from his body and he sighed. “Okay.”
Magnus helped Taako get Kravitz up onto his horse behind him. “You better hold on tight there,” Taako said with a grin, and he felt Kravitz’ arms wrap around him.
“You are the strangest people I’ve ever met,” Kravitz said with a huff as they set off to camp. “You’re not like any other outlaws I’ve ever dealt with.”
“That’s because we’re cooler than them,” Taako replied. “We also have a pretty strict code of honor and all that. Sometimes the law isn’t in everyone’s best interest, so we break it.”
Kravitz fell silent, and the three of them made the short trek into camp. Barry gave them a startled look when they came into his sight, but Taako waved him off and they passed through the protection wards.
Merle hopped off his pony and immediately started barking orders to Magnus, who scrambled to find the supplies Merle needed. Lup came over and helped Taako pull Kravitz off the horse.
“You said you were going into town to scope it out. You brought back a whole bounty hunter.” They pushed him down onto a cot. “Well, almost whole.”
Kravitz looked up at them with a weary expression.
Merle was on him instantly. “Taako, you stay right here and hand me what I need when I ask for it,” Merle instructed.
Taako stood by, passing herbs and tonics when Merle asked for them, and soon, Kravitz was bandaged up. “This is mostly healed, but I like to tell my patients to keep a bandage on for at least a day afterward, especially with bullet wounds. Those are nasty things. And I’d prefer if you stayed the night, just in case.”
Kravitz looked like he wanted to argue, but Taako could tell he had barely any energy left for it.
“Lup and I are cooking fish stew tonight. You should stick around.”
Life in camp needed to go on, and Kravitz watched them quietly as they cleaned and cooked, stabilized tents, and poured over maps.
Taako had to admit he had always enjoyed the game of cat and mouse they had played over the years. Kravitz was clever and funny, and he seemed to enjoy the chase just as much as they enjoyed tricking him. Taako always flirted ceaselessly with him, and Kravitz always flirted back, perhaps a bit clumsier, but always with amusement. Taako wondered now, seeing Kravitz humanized by the wound and humbled by the help they had given him, if the flirting was more than a joke for the both of them. He could feel Kravitz’ eyes on him as he sliced up the fish for their stew.
Kravitz joined them by the fire for dinner, sharing a log with Taako and eating a bowl of stew that Lup handed to him.
“This is amazing,” he said after the first bite.
“Now you know we have more skills than just breaking the law,” Taako replied with a grin.
“I already knew that,” Kravitz said. The glow from the fire hid Taako's blush, but it was there.
They gave Kravitz a tent to spend the night in, and he retired there gratefully. Taako stayed out by the fire until everyone else had gone to bed for the evening and Lucretia had moved out to take the first watch. Taako stood and made his way to Kravitz’ tent.
“Hey, can I come in?” he murmured, careful not to let anyone but Kravitz hear him.
“Only if you’re not planning to kill me.”
Taako pushed through the flap. “I wouldn’t have asked you if I was coming in to kill you, doofus.”
Kravitz was sitting up on the cot and watching him with dark eyes. There was a lantern glowing softly in the corner of the tent, and the warm light was gentle on the curves of Kravitz’ face.
Taako stood just inside the entrance and took a deep breath. “When you live your life as an outlaw, you learn to take what you can get while you can get it. And I think now is a great time to tell you that I totally dig your style and would be down to spend some time together when we’re not trying to kill each other.”
Kravitz looked surprised for a moment, but then his face split into a grin. “That sounds nice.”
“Good. Now budge over.”
Kravitz again looked startled, but he slid sideways on the cot and gave Taako just enough room to settle in beside him.
“Honestly, you’ve been trying to bring us in for so long that I feel like we’re like old friends at this point.”
“You could say that. And now you’ve saved my life. That counts for something.”
Taako noticed that neither of them had taken their boots off, and he bumped the toe of his boot against Kravitz’. “This life is lonely. Sure, I’ve got my sister and my closest friends with me, but it’s not great for romance, you know? We’re always moving around, and no one likes to trust us, not really.”
“I can relate to that,” Kravitz replied. "Being a bounty hunter is a rough job, and people don't trust us easily, either." His hands were resting on the tops of his thighs, and the pinkie of his left hand was just barely brushing Taako’s wrist.
Before he could think too hard on why it could be a very bad decision, Taako turned and met Kravitz’ dark gaze. “We could try.”
Kravitz lifted a hand and slid it against the side of Taako’s neck, and Taako realized quite suddenly that maybe Kravitz had been feeling a lot more than he had ever let on. When their lips met in a kiss, it was hot and slick in the warm air of the tent. Taako gripped Kravitz’ waist and let himself be carried away in a tide of desire and longing. Kravitz’ hands were big and warm and they held him so gently, like Taako was something that would break, as opposed to a hardened outlaw who had seen more trouble in a month than most normal folk would see their entire lives.
Taako found his way into Kravitz’ lap, and when he finally pulled back, they were both breathing heavily. Kravitz was looking up at him, gaze flickering between his eyes and his mouth.
“Well, that just proves my point,” Taako said, voice rough. “We should definitely try.”
Kravitz’ arms tightened on his waist. “You’ll get no argument from me.”
When Taako leaned down for another kiss, Kravitz met him halfway.