Work Text:
Kravitz loves his Queen. He is absolutely devoted to her cause, believes in it from the very core of him, trusts in the sanctity of death, that life is beautiful because it eventually ends. And on top of all that, he owes his continued existence entirely to her.
But these long missions are rather inconvenient. They’ve been out for three full weeks and it’s grating on him.
He has no problem remembering the many years when going on a longer assignment would have been the same to him as dismantling a single necromancer’s den. When he had nothing to tie him to time frames, he would have had no reason to wish to be on short bouts rather than chasing down whole cults of chanting mortals in hoods. It was easy to get absorbed in his duty to the exclusion of all else. But he has Taako now, and as much as he enjoys Barry and Lup’s company, he’s ready to be with his beloved in their house.
Taako always says the same thing when he uses words like beloved, and he’s right: Kravitz is a fuckin’ sap.
When Barry sends the final soul to the Stockade, Lup sums it up best when she says, “Fuckin’ finally,” and claps her hands together in a brushing motion. “That’s that on that and I’m not touching paperwork for 72 full hours.”
Kravitz would normally frown at her refusal to acknowledge necessary office work, but he agrees wholeheartedly with her. They’ve done enough. “I’ll see you two at dinner soon, I’m sure,” he answers, cutting a portal into his living room.
Barry replies, wryly, “We’ll call first,” and rips his own hole in reality.
It must be late in Goldcliff because the living room is dark and empty of all but Princess Calliope, their calico Siberian curled up asleep in her usual spot on the couch. Kravitz strokes the top of her head as he passes by to their large kitchen, where the lights are still on. There’s a covered dish on the counter with a note.
Babe—
Enjoy this masterpiece of a meal that I put under a stasis spell for you. I’m gonna be pissed if it’s still here when I wake up.
❤Taako
Kravitz smiles and lifts the covering to find rosemary and garlic lamb and his heart jumps in his chest because Taako is wonderful.
Eating wasn’t something he’d done before Taako, but when your partner is a chef over multiple planes, you eat what’s put in front of you and fuck, you devoutly enjoy it, no matter what it is. But this lamb dish is his favorite. He’s not sure if it’s the flavor he’s so attached to or the memory of the first time Taako made it for him. It was shortly after S&S, and Taako made a whole production of it, really showing off for him, joking all the while that he had to prove whether Kravitz was a vampire or just tall, dark, and extremely handsome. After the food was plated, he’d poured a glass of Kravitz’s favorite Malbec and watched him hawk-like, ears reaching for the ceiling, waiting for a reaction.
Kravitz made his appreciation known with an unintentional and frankly obscene moan, Taako’s eyes immediately brightening with delight and mischief. “That good, huh?” he’d asked, a crooked grin spreading across his face. Kravitz was certainly rewarded for his reaction.
The fact that he loves this dish is probably a combination of factors.
When he takes the first bite, Kravitz knows that he won’t be able to finish his plate. Not due to any fault in the food—which is delicious, he feels wasteful already—but because he instantly chokes up. The food warms him from the inside out and gods, he’s missed Taako. It tastes like so many warm evenings together, easy conversations with soft eyes and wide smiles. It tastes like feeling secure and alive and happy and knowing Taako feels the same way.
It tastes like home.
So, when he leaves the plate half-full, it’s not from lack of enjoyment, but because he’s about to cry and he can’t possibly sit in this kitchen any longer while Taako’s in their bed.
He changes clothes as part of his construct and goes into their bedroom— their bedroom!—as quietly as he’s able. He looks at Taako, sprawled on his back, practically luminous in the moonlight, hair shining silver on their pillows. He slips under the sheets gingerly, doing his best not to wake Taako; he has enough trouble getting a full night’s sleep without Kravitz’s bumbling. Up close, Taako is even more lovely and he yearns to brush his hair back, to slide his fingers through the river of silk to stroke his scalp and hear Taako hum in satisfaction.
Kravitz sighs involuntarily and Taako stirs, one eye cracking open. When he sees Kravitz, the corners of his mouth upturn and he closes his eyelid only to jolt awake a couple seconds later when he realizes what he’s seeing. “You’re home!” he exclaims, face completely open.
Something in Kravitz wells up at the wonder in Taako’s voice, the way his eyes trail over Kravitz’s features in the same way Kravitz had done when he got into bed. “I am,” he responds, a tear leaking out of the corner of his eye.
Taako catches it with his thumb, eyebrows knitting in concern. “You good, babe?”
Kravitz nods fervently and buries his face in Taako’s neck. “I’m just... so glad to be here.”
Taako chuckles and wraps his arms around Kravitz’s shoulders, rubbing one hand in the center of his back. “I’m glad you’re here too. I missed your melodramatics.”
Kravitz scoffs as Taako kisses smiles along his hairline. “Sure, I’m dramatic. I throw myself over furniture to make a point and startle our cats.”
He can feel Taako’s smile widen into a grin against the side of his face. “Hey, bud, you knew what you signed up for.”
“I certainly did,” Kravitz replies, pressing a kiss into the junction between Taako’s neck and shoulder.
There’s a comfortable silence between them now, and Kravitz eventually turns over to telegraph that he needs to be the little spoon. Taako folds his arms around him, resting a hand just so he can feel his heart beat slowly. “Did you enjoy your dinner?” Taako asks, chin hooked over Kravitz’s shoulder.
Kravitz nods. “I have bad news, though: there’s still some left. I couldn’t wait to see you.”
Taako tsks, but doesn’t say anything for a long moment, thumb stroking along the line of his sternum. Then he pulls his face back slightly to kiss Kravitz’s shoulder, elbows tucking in around Kravitz’s sides to fully encircle him, squeezing tightly before he pronounces, “Fuckin’ sap.”