Archive of Our Own

Yes, Kravitz had been practicing his wedding vows for weeks in preparation of the rehearsal. No, he still didn’t remember all of the words. What’s worse was that he was so nervous he tripped on the rug in the rehearsal room, dropped the ring so it landed in one of his betrothed’s boots, and said “oh fuck” out loud so his moms and future in-laws heard him. But it wasn’t all his fault.

If he got to choose who his fiancee was, if he were marrying for love and not just for status, he would have nailed it. But Kravitz wasn’t in love with his fiancee Lup, and she wasn’t in love with him either. Lup had eyes for another man, and Kravitz was more than happy to let her go after him. But their families had been the most powerful in the area for years, and their combined social status and wealth would keep their families comfortable for generations, so they insisted on the engagement. Which meant that Kravitz, despite only being attracted to men, was set to marry his best friend Lup.

After the disaster of a wedding rehearsal, he was sitting on the bridge that crossed a small creek between the town and the thick forest that surrounded it, nervously toying with his ring. Being out of the town usually calmed him, but nothing was soothing his nerves. He heard the soft crunch of gravel behind him and didn’t even lift his head to see who it was. He knew it was his elven bride-to-be, solely from the sound of her shoes hitting the gravel road.

“I know, I fucked everything up so badly…” Kravitz let out a shaky breath. “How’re we supposed to do this, Lu?” Kravitz turned to see Lup standing behind him, holding one of his jackets in her hands.

“I think we just have to grin and bear it for now…” She sighed, taking a seat beside him and draping the jacket over his shoulders. “I’m sorry you have to pretend to like a girl.” She tried joking, elbowing him playfully as her ears perked up. Kravitz snorted as he pushed her back.

“I’m sorry you have to pretend to like someone that’s not Barry,” Kravitz pulled his jacket on the rest of the way before pushing himself up. “I, um… I’m gonna take a walk in the forest for a bit, see if I can’t get those vows down this time.” Brushing the dirt off his pants, he held out his hand to help her up. “Do you want me to walk you home first?”

“You’re relieved of fiancee duty, Krav,” Lup grabbed his hand. “Barry’s walking me home, he’s waiting just inside the town square so no one saw me walking out towards the woods with a man that’s not my betrothed.”

“I guess I’ll see you tomorrow, then.” He tried to muster up a smile. Lup gave him a hug, rubbing his back gently.

“Listen, we don’t have to do anything after the wedding. We can hold hands and be lovey dovey in front of our families, but when the door’s closed, we can build a pillow fort and talk about boys instead of what they want from us.” She laughed to herself. “We’re just friends who kiss in public to make it seem like a real relationship. We can have a messy divorce down the line where you catch me ‘cheating on you’ with Barry, then I get Barry and you get sympathy.”

“Can’t wait.” Kravitz shoved his hands in his pockets, chuckling lightly. “Bye, Lup.”

“Don’t stay up too late brooding! You need all the energy you’ve got to play straight tomorrow.” She waved, heading back towards town. 

Kravitz trudged through the forest, starting to feel calmer as he went deeper into the woods. He didn’t know why, but the sounds of the trees blowing in the breeze and the distant caw of ravens always put him at ease. That night was no exception, the cool early autumn wind blowing away any stress he was feeling. Being this far away from the town helped him forget everything from that day, giving him some clarity on the situation. He could just keep walking into the forest, leaving his responsibilities behind, but he knew it wouldn’t help anything. Besides, he couldn’t do that to Lup.

“With this hand… I will take your wine,” Kravitz murmured, then shook his head. “Fuck, that’s not it,” he paused, trying to remember. “With this hand, I will cup your-- God, no, that’s definitely not right.” he sighed. “With this ring,” he tried another line. “I will…I will... I’ll drop it in your shoe, embarrassing our families.” Giving up on remembering, he sat down on a stump nearby and buried his head in his hands. 

It shouldn’t have been this hard, it was only a few simple, impersonal vows that Lup would repeat after him. But the apprehension he felt over the whole situation seemed to be building a mental block, keeping him from memorizing what he needed to make it through, and it was aggravating him more than it should. Kravitz pushed himself up off the stump, trying to take deep breaths and clear his head. Thinking of the distant future seemed to help a bit, keeping in mind that he and Lup had the plans to have an intentionally messy divorce. It wouldn’t have to be like this forever, and his bride was just as annoyed at the whole situation as he was. As Kravitz walked further, he paused in front of a branch that resembled a hand and chuckled to himself.

“Honestly, I could probably say my vows to this tree easier than I could... With Lup…” He trailed off, knowing the easiest way to get the words down. A small smile spread across his face as he pulled the ring from his pocket. “With this hand, I will lift your sorrows…” he began, feeling more confident as it came back to him. “Your cup will never empty, for I will be your wine. With this candle, I will light your way in darkness.” Kravitz reached into his jacket pocket to grab the wedding band meant for Lup. “With this ring, I ask you to be mine.” Kravitz placed the ring on the branch dramatically, then paused to laugh at the ridiculousness of it all. The distant sound of church bells tolling in the distance reminded him that it was midnight and he sighed, pulling his jacket tighter.

All he had to do was make sure he got it down to say it like that the next day. Then, the rest of the day would definitely be a blur. He turned back towards the branch to get his ring back, then paused upon noticing it’s disappearance.

“I do,” he heard a man’s voice behind him. Kravitz jumped, then backed up in a panic when he found the source of the voice. An elven man stood there in a suit, smiling at him. But it wasn’t the fact that he was suddenly behind Kravitz in an instant that caused the panic. The man’s suit was torn in multiple places, and he had pale purple skin and hair, a dark red stain in the center of his chest, and a skeletal arm. He definitely wasn’t alive. Kravitz stumbled backwards, then tripped on a root sticking up out of the ground. Wincing as his head hit the ground, the world around him faded to black.

-----

“He must’ve fainted… Are you alright?” Kravitz heard that man’s voice again as he came to. His eyes fluttered open and he immediately felt a jolt of fear. He was in a bright colorful bar, but everything around him was straight out of a horror novel. Nobody was alive, multiple people were completely skeletal, and Kravitz jumped up, backing up until he hit the bar behind him. “Hey, take it easy… We’re not going to hurt you,” the elf cracked a small smile, trying to calm him down. Kravitz shakily lowered himself down onto a bar stool as he tried to process what just happened, but could only feel his panic worsen. He could feel the tightness in his chest as his breathing began to get more shallow and panicked as he completely shut down. Everyone seemed to notice and backed up to give him the space he needed. Except for the elf, who just sat beside him and waited it out, silently admiring every bit of him. He tapped his skeletal hand on the bar, reaching for Kravitz with the hand that was still intact.

“Hey, you okay?” He asked again quietly, looking at Kravitz with immense focus.

“I... I don’t know.” Kravitz barely spoke up, his head spinning as he struggled to comprehend anything that was happening.

“This might be awkward, given the fact that we’re married now and all, but... What’s your name?” He spun back and forth on the stool, watching Kravitz’ eyes dart between him and the bar counter, his mind deep in thought.

“Kravitz.” He said quietly, then froze. “We’re... We’re what ?” He finally looked up, his voice getting caught in his throat.

“Married!” The elf grinned and held up his hand with the ring on it. “You did your vows so perfectly, and you gave me this stunning ring.” Kravitz went pale as everything faded to black once more.

“Geez, you sure faint a lot.” Kravitz felt that bony hand helping him up once more. His eyes flew open and he felt that tightness in his chest again. “Just focus on breathing. I mean, I can’t really do it with you but… You work on that.” He helped Kravitz lean against the wall. Kravitz ran his fingers through his hair, shaking his head.

“This isn’t real… I-I’m not really here,” he muttered, squeezing his eyes shut. The whole thing had to be some kind of dream, or a twisted prank.

“I’m sorry, this must all be a shock to you. I mean, you’re still alive and you’re stuck down here.” The elf sat against the wall beside him, toying with his hands. Kravitz leaned his head back against the wall and took deep, shaky breaths.

“How… Does any of this work?” He looked around, somewhat growing used to the sight of people around him who weren’t alive.

“It’s a lot to explain. Basically, you were in the land of the living, but now you’re not.” He shrugged.

“Thanks, that explains so much .” Kravitz muttered quietly before turning to the elf. “I don’t belong here… You know that, right? Surely, you must at least know that.”

“Well, duh!” He snorted. “I may not be alive but I’m not stupid.” Kravitz noticed the ring on his finger and furrowed his brows again. He shook his head, as if he were shaking thoughts from his mind. He didn’t even know where to start questioning. It didn’t seem real, but it obviously was. This was far too specific to be something he just imagined. He felt on the verge of a breakdown, but completely closed off at the same time. The elf noticed Kravitz’ discomfort and fear and his expression changed from curiosity to sympathy.

“Hey, Kravitz? Did you… Mean to marry me?” He asked quietly. Kravitz clenched his jaw and shook his head wordlessly. The elf bit his lip and nodded. “I figured as much.” He carefully slipped the ring off of his skeletal hand and gently placed it on the ground between them. “It’s fine, I’m just… Stupid.” He pushed himself up.

“Wait,” Kravitz stood up quickly, putting the ring back into his jacket pocket. “Do you know… How I could get out of here?” The elf shook his head, sighing deeply.

“I wish I could help you, Kravitz. I’m probably beyond help myself, there’s not really anything I can do for you.” He looked down at his feet. Kravitz tried not to look disappointed, but the elf noticed how upset he was. “I mean, you can stick with me if you’d like. I know how terrifying it can seem down here at first. Maybe there’s a way to help us both.” Kravitz bit his lip in concentration.

“It wouldn’t hurt to have someone who knows a thing or two about being here.” He nodded. The elf smiled a little.

“I promise it’s more chill than you’d think.” He reached for Kravitz’ hand, then stopped and pulled away, realizing how cold his would be in comparison.

“Hey, um… Kind of dumb question, but what’s your name?” Kravitz asked quietly. The elf grinned in response.

“It’s Taako.” He made eye contact with Kravitz, then grew embarrassed and ducked his head down. “It’s a stupid name, my sister used to tease me.”

“No, I like it.” Kravitz smiled a little. Taako blushed, then looked away quickly again.

“I don’t think she’d even talk to me again, let alone tease me about my name. I mean, if she were here.” Taako rubbed his neck, starting to walk away. Kravitz stopped him, leading him back to the bar.

“If we’re going to be living together…” He paused, looking over at Taako. “Poor choice of words, sorry.” He cleared his throat to try again. “If we’re going to be staying together, we might as well learn more about each other.” Kravitz sat down, patting the stool beside him. “You said you have a sister?”

“Yeah, twin sister actually.” Taako hesitated for a moment, then sat down at the bar. “I made a, uh… A huge mistake and pissed her off so I doubt she’d talk to me.” He chewed his lip, looking at Kravitz. “Enough about that, tell me about yourself! Weird guy who walks through the woods and proposes to random skeleton hand doesn’t seem like all there is to you.” He grinned.

“Well… It’s kind of a long story.” Kravitz toyed with his hands. Taako sat forward, resting his chin in his hand.

“This is the afterlife buddy, we have nothing but time.” He shrugged. Kravitz chuckled to himself, nodding.

“You’re right. I guess everything started about 2 months ago.” Kravitz cleared his throat. “There’s this girl. And it’s not that she’s not great, we get along super well! But I’m not… Interested in her. Or any other girl, if I’m being honest.” He went quiet, trying to read Taako’s expression. “Well, I have an arranged marriage with her. And since, you know, I have no feelings towards her, I’m super nervous about the whole thing. I kept messing up at the rehearsal and didn’t want to look bad at the ceremony, so I was practicing where I thought no one else would be.” Kravitz looked at Taako, who was deep in thought. “I was fine marrying her because she isn’t into it either. We’d just be friends and we were both okay with that for the time being. Besides, Lup is in love with another man anyways.” Taako’s ears perked up at the mention of her name, sitting up straighter.

“Did… Did you say Lup?” Taako blinked in disbelief.

“Yeah, that’s her name. Why?” Kravitz looked him up and down.

“Is she an elf like me? Medium complexion, dark hair, bright green eyes?” He began to bounce slightly in his seat. Kravitz nodded and Taako began to get more specific. “Tiny scar on her eyebrow? Face full of freckles?  Lopsided grin?”

“Wait, how do you know Lup?” Kravitz raised an eyebrow, looking him over.

“That’s my twin sister! That’s Lup!” Taako jumped up. “Holy shit, you were going to marry my sister!” Kravitz furrowed his eyebrows. He couldn’t think why Lup wouldn’t have mentioned a twin brother, let alone a deceased one. They’d been friends for five years, so a whole family member left out of their conversations definitely came as a shock to him.

“She… She never mentioned you, Taako.” He rubbed his neck. “Is there any reason she’d leave you out of her life?” Taako slowly sank back down, nodding slightly.

“I made…. A shitty decision almost a decade ago.” He mumbled, not looking Kravitz in the eye. “I met a guy. A-and I thought he was the one!” He sighed deeply. “He was so sweet and handsome, and we never wanted to be apart, so he suggested we get married as soon as possible. My family didn’t approve at all. Lup was so upset and personally hurt that I would abandon the family just for a guy…” Taako shook his head at himself. “I was so goddamn stupid and desperate for love that I left them, I was too young and in love. We met at night in the same forest that you found me in. I’d brought all my savings, everything I could carry, anything I needed for him and I to start our lives together after eloping. I waited for so long and he didn’t show, and at that point I started to get worried. But by the time I saw him… It was too late.” Taako wrapped his arms around himself, finally making eye contact with Kravitz. “He killed me, taking everything for himself. I’ve been here ever since. I don’t think he ever really cared, he just wanted to take my family’s good name from me and take the money for himself.” Taako laughed bitterly, tossing his hair over one shoulder. “You know what the worst part of it is? I don’t think Lup even knows I died. I think she still believes I’m just in a different town with that asshole.”

“Taako, I’m so sorry…” Kravitz placed his hand on top of Taako’s. “I wish I could talk to her for you, and explain everything.” Taako’s head snapped up, looking Kravitz over.

“Maybe we could… I know someone who specializes in teleportation spells, my friend Davenport has researched them for centuries!” He tapped his skeletal fingers on the bar before grinning at Kravitz. “C’mon, I think he’s still working.”

Leading the way through the city streets, Kravitz felt a familiarity and realized what it was; this place was a mirror image of the city his family had been living in for years. Taako seemed to know the streets as well as he did, maybe even better. After all, he lived in Neverwinter before Kravitz’ family even moved there, and he’d lived in this city for years prior as well. Rounding a corner, they nearly got separated by a crowd and Taako instinctively grabbed Kravitz’ hand in his own to keep him nearby, shocking Kravitz with how cold he was. But he didn’t pull away.

“Okay, his and Lucretia’s workshop should be just around the block. They might… Get confused when they see you here, though,” Taako laughed a little. He realized he was still holding Kravitz’ hand gently and pulled away, ducking his head down. “Uh, c’mon. I’ll explain everything to them when we get in.” They walked up to a building and Taako gave a quick rap on the door before letting himself in. “Hey, Cap’nport! Hey, Lucy! I have some questions for ya!” he called out, stretching his arms as they climbed the flight of stairs. Kravitz looked around curiously, admiring the dozens of stacked books cluttering up the stairs and leading up to the landing.

“Haven’t seen you in a bit, Taako. How’ve things been?” A deeper voice called back, drawing Kravitz’ attention over to a stack of books in the corner. A short gnomish man stepped around the stack, carrying a few books of his own. He seemed fairly normal, in less of a state of decay than Taako, but he was missing his left ear, his right eye and half of a bushy orange mustache. His red military-esque uniform was ripped in a few places, but remained mostly untouched.

“Well Dav, I, um… Seem to have run into a little problem.” Taako laughed nervously, gesturing over to Kravitz. Upon seeing Kravitz, fully alive, Davenport dropped his stack of books and his jaw in unison. Kravitz waved a little, feeling extremely out of place. “Maybe more of a big problem.”

“Is he.. Are you…” Davenport trailed off.

“Alive? Yes, I am.” Kravitz spoke up.

“Taako brought someone alive here?” A young woman rounded the corner, raising an eyebrow in curiosity. Kravitz nodded in her direction and she cocked her head. “Huh. Well, good to meet you, living guy.” She handed a notebook to Davenport, revealing her two skeletal hands and turning so he saw that half of her face was just a skull.

 “I’m more than eager to see if there’s a way for me to get home. Taako said you’ve been researching transportation spells?” He questioned them, starting to become less affected by the sight of dead people now that he’d internalized the fact that they weren’t mindless zombies coming for him.

“That we are,” Davenport paused, looking over towards Taako. “And did you tell him I have them ready?”

“No, just that you’ve been working on them.”

“Well, then I have good news!” Davenport climbed a stack of books, which Lucretia stabilized for him. “One of them will have to be modified a little, I haven’t taken account of someone living for this spell to work, but it shouldn’t be too difficult.” Kravitz watched as he climbed higher onto another bookshelf, sitting on a stack once he found what he was looking for. “It might take me a few hours to look over, can you wait that long?”

“Not like I have somewhere else to go,” Kravitz chuckled in response, looking around before taking a seat on a cushioned bench at one of the windows overlooking the city. The skyline was… Eerily beautiful, he decided. It rested in a sort of eternal twilight, the whole area seemed to be caught in the moment between sunset and night. He felt the bench dip slightly beside him and he turned, giving a small smile once he saw that it was Taako sitting next to him.

“You feeling okay? It seems like you’re at least coping with being here a little easier.” Taako hugged his knees to his chest instinctively.

“Yeah, it’s only been a little bit, but it’s… Less jarring to be around people who aren’t alive than it was before,” he let out a shaky breath. “And if Davenport can help me get back, well at least I know it’s just temporary here.” He noticed Taako looking away and bit his lip, feeling guilty. Taako clearly wanted to be able to go home and see Lup too. “Taako?”

“Hm?” he turned to look over at Kravitz.

“I, um… I’m sorry about everything that happened to you.” Kravitz tried to smile supportively. “You deserved to have someone who cared about you so you could still be on good terms with your family.”

“Yeah, I really wished it worked out that way,” he examined Kravitz’ expression and nudged him gently. “You look exhausted, maybe you should get a quick nap. Dav might take a little bit.” Kravitz realized how tired he was once Taako pointed it out and he nodded, shifting slightly. “If you need to lean on me to be comfortable, knock yourself out.” Taako cracked a smile. Kravitz rested his head on Taako’s shoulder and as soon as he felt comfortable, he fell asleep in an instant.

----

“Hey, wake up, Krav,” Kravitz heard Taako murmur gently in his ear. He groaned quietly, then the events of that day hit him at once and he sat up quickly, looking around at his surroundings. The book-covered room was still out in front of him, but Davenport was now standing in the middle, channeling a spell with Lucretia.

“He’s still alive!” Davenport called out teasingly. “This should only take a few more seconds, then we’ll have the portal opened! Taako told us where you’re headed, so I don’t think it’ll open anywhere else."

“That was pretty quick,” Kravitz mused, impressed. But mostly, he was just looking forward to getting to finally see someone familiar.

“What’s better is we combined the spells so both living and dead can pass through. If Taako wanted to, he could join you as well!” Lucretia chimed in. Taako’s ears perked up and he turned to her.

“You didn’t tell me this before--” he was interrupted by a flash of light and a portal opening up in front of them. Taako stood up, gaping at the sight. “This is… Oh my god, this is our house, I haven’t seen it in forever,” He reached out towards it, then stopped himself. “She probably shouldn’t talk to me first.” He looked to Kravitz, who looked a little dazed. “You, uh… You’ll come back to get me, right?”

“Y-yeah, for sure.” He stepped partially through. “I’ll only be a bit, okay?”

“Okay… Make sure Lup knows the truth.” Taako nodded to him. “I just want her to know that her brother loves her very much, and that he’s sorry.”

“I’ll tell her.” Kravitz smiled at him, stepping through into the pouring rain. He saw that he was standing on Lup’s balcony and looked around before gently tapping the window. She quickly jumped up, looking startled, then frowned at Kravitz at her window. She opened it up, looking him up and down in disbelief.

“Krav, what the hell are you doing out there?!” She grabbed his arm, pulling him inside. “No no, better yet, what the fuck are you doing here after ghosting on our stupid wedding and disappearing for almost a week?!” Lup punched his arm, her brows furrowed in anger.

“Wait, a week?” Kravitz counted on his fingers, then shook his head. “I’ve been gone for maybe a day.”

“Okay, regardless of whatever the fucked up timeline you’re using is, you didn’t answer my question!” She crossed her arms.

“I… I don’t know if you’ll believe me.” Kravitz sat down on a small bench at the end of her bed. “I’ve had the most insane, terrifying, confusing day ever.” Lup saw him shaking, whether it was from the rain or from fear she didn’t know. She pulled his jacket off, replacing it with a warm blanket. “Thanks, Lup…” He cleared his throat, pulling his feet up underneath him. Lup mirrored his actions. “I guess I’ll just… Start at the beginning. I was super nervous for our wedding after fucking up the rehearsal so badly, so I was practicing my vows out in the forest after talking to you,” Kravitz continued with the full story, sparing no detail. Lup was going to think he was crazy, but he just had to tell her. He purposely left out any details about Taako’s identity, wanting to get her reaction on the whole situation first. He paused in his story to give her a chance to respond. Lup’s eyes met his, seeing the fear in his eyes and his still-trembling hands.

“Kravitz, I…” She took a deep breath, laughing slightly. “I honest to god feel like you’re telling me some fake story. But the way you’re describing it, h-how you’re shaking while retelling it…” Lup shook her head. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I believe you!”

“You do?” Kravitz sat up straighter. “Lup, that is such a relief.” He paused for a moment, rubbing his neck. “There’s, uh. There’s something else I have to tell you. I met this elf there. Super sweet guy, kinda cute despite the fact that he was, you know, dead.” Lup snorted at that, shoving him slightly.

“You’re such a fucking dingus, but go on.” She grinned.

“Well, um… This elf was the one I accidentally proposed to. He told me about his story, why he was there, and um…” Kravitz struggled to phrase it correctly before deciding to just be blunt about it. “Lup, it was Taako.” Her grin instantly faded and she shook her head.

“No, it couldn’t be. My shithead brother is in another town, Taako couldn’t bother to stay here.” She said his name with such disdain.

“Hear me out. He told me why you would have never mentioned him to me. Because he fell deeply in love and left to elope.” Kravitz saw her ears perk up in response to that. “I wouldn’t have known that unless I actually saw him, right?” She nodded slowly, her eyes never leaving him. “But here’s why he never came home… Taako met up with him that night, but instead of running away together, he murdered Taako, taking everything he had.” He held Lup’s hand. “Lup, your brother loves you so much . He’s so sorry for what happened.” Lup wiped a tear away, ducking her head down.

“I can’t… Fucking believe I have to go track down and kill that asshole now.” Lup laughed quietly. “Are you going back? To see Taako?” Kravitz nodded, standing up. “Will you tell him I forgive him?” Kravitz grinned upon turning around and seeing Taako standing there just inside of the portal.

“I think you can tell him yourself.” He gestured for Taako to step through, who looked extremely nervous. Lup gasped, covering her mouth as he came through the rift, realizing how different he looked. Taako opened his mouth to say something, but was caught off guard by Lup wrapping her arms around him, crying into his chest.

“Koko, I’m so sorry, I-I didn’t know what happened to you and if I’d known he’d do that to you…” She placed her hand on his cheek, looking at him.

“No, I’m sorry Lulu.” Taako held her hands tightly, shaking his head. “I shouldn’t have abandoned you just for some garbage guy. I got so fucking caught up in the fantasy that some guy would actually like me that I just… Couldn’t see any other way of going about it.” He saw tears streaming down her cheeks and wiped them away. “I love you so much, Lup. I’m your brother, nothing’s going to change that.”

“I love you too, Taako.” Lup laughed, trying to stop crying. “Your hands are cold as fuck,” She pointed out, her mouth quirking up into a smirk. “Well, hand… The other one is a fuckin’ skeleton.” Taako laughed, punching her shoulder lightly.

“This is what you have to look forward to, goofus. You’re gonna get a dope ass skeleton hand too.” 

“Can you stay? Or do we have to say goodbye again?” She bit down on her lip. “I don’t want to lose you, Koko.”

“I, um… I’m gonna try and figure out how I can stay for good. But not like this.” Taako waved his skeletal hand a little and cracked a small smile before turning to Kravitz. “Hey, uh… We should probably go talk to Davenport again, right? Maybe he could help, do some research about everything.”

“Well, whatever you two do, you better come back. If I don’t hear from you, I might have to figure out my own way of getting a portal to the underworld to pull you two out dead or alive,” Lup looked between the two of them.

“We won’t disappoint, Lup,” Kravitz chuckled. “Give us a week or two, okay? I think we could figure things out by then.” He opened the window leading to the balcony where the portal was still open and reached out for Taako’s hand to help him through. Taako paused for a moment before carefully taking Kravitz’ hand and Kravitz could swear he saw a blush cross Taako’s cheeks. They stepped through together and Davenport grinned as the portal closed behind them.

“How was it? Did the portal hold up well enough for ya?” He jumped down from one of the stacks of books.

“We have… Another request of you, Dav,” Taako spoke up. “I want to see if there’s a way I can come back to life.”

“That’s actually something I know I’ve researched before… I’ll just have to figure out where I put that book.” Davenport looked over at Kravitz, twirling the intact half of his mustache. “We’ll get started here, but I think you should get some actual sleep, Kravitz. We don’t need it, but I think you could use it, you’ve only had a short nap in the past 24 hours.”

“Right… Yeah, good idea.” Kravitz looked around to see if there was anywhere to lay down, and Lucretia chuckled lightly.

“There’s a bed in the back room, I can show you where it is.” She led him around the corner and lifted a curtain to reveal a cozy bed tucked into an alcove. “We’ll work as quietly as we can, let us know if we can get you anything, okay? I, uh… I don’t exactly know where we can get you something to eat if you need it. But I’m sure if all else fails, we can open a portal to somewhere we can get food.” She laughed a little.

“Thank you, Lucretia. Honestly, it really means a lot that you’re all so accommodating.” Kravitz sat down carefully, taking off his shoes. She gave him another smile and walked away, leaving him to finally get some rest. The second Kravitz’ head hit the pillow, he was out, drifting into a dreamless sleep.

-----

Kravitz woke up to voices, more specifically Taako’s, speaking in hushed tones so that they wouldn’t wake him.

“Dav, I don’t think we can do that… I mean, what the fuck am I going to do that I already haven’t tried?” Taako sounded exasperated.

“It’s the most surefire way we can bring you back, Taako. You just need to figure out what you wanted out of life, it’s simple!”

“Okay, well that’s… Kinda embarrassing,” Taako muttered. “I just wanted to love someone who loved me back, that’s all.”

“Easy! I know exactly what we can do.” Davenport nodded, then Kravitz heard footsteps walking closer to him, followed by scuffling sounds as Taako ran after Davenport. “Do you want to come back to life or not, Taako?” his voice went soft, and Kravitz could hear the sort of parental concern in his tone. Kravitz finally decided to see what was going on and stood up, shuffling out of the alcove. Taako was kneeling in front of Davenport with a frustrated expression that immediately softened as he noticed Kravitz was up.

“Hey, sleep well Krav?” Taako stood up, a small smile crossing his face. Kravitz nodded, then noticed something off and stepped closer to Taako, gently taking his skeletal hand in his own.

“Wasn’t this your whole hand before? It looks like it’s starting to revert, only your fingers are bones now.” He looked up at Taako’s face and cracked a small smile. “Coming back to life already?” He teased. Taako pulled his hand away as he ducked his head down, turning away from Kravitz.

“We, uh… Figured out a way to bring me back, but I don’t think I’m going to do it.” Taako sighed to himself. “The only way Dav knows is to have someone finally fulfill what they wanted out of life, and I can’t really do that now.” He turned back to Kravitz with a sheepish expression. “I have to fall in love and have someone love me back, but that’s not going to happen anytime soon.”

“Oh, well, um… We can work on that!” Kravitz rubbed the back of his neck. “I-I’m not saying me, but there has to be someone you like here, right?”

“Not really,” Taako looked down. Davenport rolled his eyes, crossing his arms.

“I’m just gonna make it easier on you two. Kravitz, Taako has feelings for you, but he doesn’t want to say it because he doesn’t want you to try and force feelings for his sake.” He blatantly ignored the glare Taako shot his way. Kravitz could feel the heat rush to his cheeks and he looked down at his feet.

“If, um… If it helps, I um… I think you’re handsome but um, I don’t know about love, exactly,” Kravitz stammered, not knowing why he suddenly felt so nervous. Lucretia walked over, noticing the tension between them.

“Hey, let’s not put pressure on them like that, Dav.” She sighed. “We don’t know of any other ways yet, but why don’t we put this idea on the backburner and look for other solutions, okay? I have a huge stack of books about life and death just waiting for the four of us to skim through and look for other ways to bring someone to life.”

“Good idea, Luce.” Taako sighed in relief, walking over to the shelves and picking up a book to distract himself. They spent the better part of the day researching, taking a few breaks here and there to tend to Kravitz’ still-living needs, and Kravitz couldn’t help but notice that Taako seemed to be actively avoiding him.

That night, Kravitz was sitting up in bed and the curtain suddenly opened, revealing Taako standing there nervously.

“Can we talk?” Taako murmured softly. Kravitz immediately nodded and pushed himself over, patting the bed beside him for Taako to sit down. “I’m sorry Davenport put you in an awkward position. I’m just… Worried I won’t be able to see Lup again. I don’t want to go to her until I’ve figured this out, and as far as we know, our only option is me finding love.” He toyed with his hands nervously and Kravitz realized Taako’s whole hand had reverted, no longer an exposed skeleton.

“If you don’t want to go with that option, we don’t have to.” Kravitz carefully slipped his hand into Taako’s to help him relax. “I know it might seem almost impossible, but I think we’ll be able to figure it out within the next few weeks. You already seem to have a little more life to you,” he pointed out, rubbing his thumb on the back of Taako’s hand.

“Why are you helping me?” Taako sighed. “You could have stayed behind with Lup, you don’t belong down here… We’re all way past help.”

“I want to help you out, Taako.” Kravitz turned to face him. “I could have stayed, but why would I? Being there, I’m just going to be stuck in the same arranged marriage I was before, in the same shitty predicament with no way out. I’d rather be here with you, whether or not we can figure out a way to bring you back.” He noticed something peculiar with Taako again and squinted. “Are… Are your roots dark brown, Taako?”

“What??” Taako jumped up, running out to the main room in the workshop to check a mirror. “What the fuck, m-my hair hasn’t been a natural color since I’ve gotten here…”

“Maybe it’s like your hand. Something has to be changing,” Kravitz pushed himself up. Taako peeked back in, his brows furrowed in thought. “You okay?”

“Hmm? Oh, yeah, I just,” he gave Kravitz a small smile. “It’s nothing, I’m just a little confused. You should go to bed, we have a shit ton of reading to get through again tomorrow.” Kravitz shifted to get back into bed. “G’night, Krav.” He walked out of the room, clutching his now-intact hand to his chest.

-----

The next morning, Kravitz got up and saw Taako packing a small basket, a blanket draped over his shoulder. 

“What’s this for?” Kravitz yawned. Taako turned to him and smiled sheepishly.

“It’s um… A picnic. I don’t really have to eat anymore, but I just thought you might like to. There’s this nice overlook about a mile from here, I know it’s kinda gloomy out, but a little break from the constant reading we’ve been doing might be nice.” Taako held out the basket to him. Kravitz grinned and took it eagerly.

“Well, if you’re ready to head out, lead the way!” The pair walked down the flight of stairs to the street and Kravitz couldn’t help but notice that there was just a tinge of purple left at the bottom of Taako’s hair, his whole head had changed to the same dark brown that his roots were just the night before. They walked through the streets before coming to a grassy hill overlooking the town below. Kravitz recognized it as the same place he used to go to unwind in the afternoons at home, but instead of a soft breeze on a sunny day, everything was eerily still and silent. He spread out the blanket and settled down next to Taako.

“I know it’s not as nice as the one back home,” Taako laughed a little. “Nothing here really is.”

“I mean, there’s no you back home, so I think that’s a point for staying here.” Kravitz gently nudged him. “Well, there’s no you there yet , anyway.”

“Krav?” Taako furrowed his brows, staring down at the blanket beneath them. “What, um… What’re you gonna do if we can’t find another way to bring me back? I don’t wanna just keep you hostage, you should be up there with Lup, not down here surrounded by death.”

“Well, it’s like I said last night, Taako,” Kravitz looked over at him, cracking a small smile. “I don’t really have the choice to be myself if I were to stay and marry Lup. But at least down here, I can be me. And the company’s not bad either,” he chuckled. Taako snorted, shoving Kravitz playfully. “Maybe the key isn’t love, maybe there’s something else you missed out on. We can explore whatever we need to in order to bring you back!”

“You’re right,” Taako nodded. “I’m just worried nothing’ll work.”

“Well, either way I’m staying where you are.” Kravitz reached into the basket, pulling out some jam and bread. They sat in a comfortable silence, gazing out at the constant twilight over the town. Kravitz wasn’t sure if it was just Davenport’s suggestion the day before, but the more time he spent with Taako, the more he was realizing that falling in love with him wouldn’t be hard after all. After all, they’d only known each other for a few days but were already close in a way Kravitz had only ever been with Lup. But this felt… Different, somehow. Kravitz was shaken from his thoughts by Taako gasping and looked over to him, his jaw dropping when he noticed that Taako’s unnatural purple skin seemed to be fading slightly, the purple becoming more of an undertone to his normal tanned complexion. Taako was just staring at his hands as he turned them over, frowning in confusion.

“I don’t know what the fuck is going on… F-first it was the hand, then my hair, now it’s my skin…” Taako looked over to Kravitz. “Do you think it’s the research? Maybe learning more about being able to come back to life is acting as a placebo or something,” Taako reasoned as he looked back down at his hands, but he didn’t seem to be convinced himself.

“I, um, I don’t think it’s that,” Kravitz murmured softly. Taako turned, examining Kravitz’ expression in confusion. Kravitz suddenly turned back to the basket, trying to shake his thoughts from his head. “Nevermind, it’s probably just the research.” He sighed. Kravitz couldn’t think about the fact that he was already falling for Taako. It was too soon, regardless of how the magic effects seemed to be taking hold of Taako already. For then, he would keep his mind off of it and try not to gaze at Taako for too long.

-----

The rest of that week, they continued their research. But nothing came up that was even remotely useful. Just constant reiterations of completing someone’s goals from life, which Taako insisted he didn’t want to do, despite the fact that Kravitz knew it was already working. And while researching, Kravitz noticed two things. Firstly, Taako was looking livelier by the minute. Really, the only change that needed to happen was that Taako still had unnatural pink eyes and no freckles, while he claimed he had the same green eyes and face full of freckles that Lup did. And the other thing Kravitz noticed was something he had been trying not to bring up, no matter how clear the evidence was; he was falling for Taako more every single day. It was just little things for the first few days, but he couldn’t deny it any longer. It wasn’t just that he enjoyed Taako’s company or that he thought he was attractive, he knew it was love. Kravitz didn’t just want Taako to live again, but he wanted to share that newfound life with him.

At Kravitz' request, Davenport and Lucretia had gone out to ask around about more research they could be doing, leaving Taako and Kravitz alone amidst the stacks of books in their workshop. He needed to finally talk to Taako, but didn’t want them to know he’d really fallen in love with Taako after denying it for so long. Kravitz noticed him sitting at the window seat and caught himself grinning as he admired every inch of him. He couldn’t wait any longer, no matter how scared of his own feelings he happened to be. He sat down on the ground in front of the seat, leaning his back against the bench.

“Hey, Taako? I gotta tell you something…” Kravitz let out a nervous breath, not meeting Taako’s gaze.

“What is it?” Taako paused, noticing his tense body language. “Do you need to go home for a bit?” Taako pushed himself off of the bench to sit beside Kravitz. “You can always come back, y’know. Davenport could open another portal.”

“No, that’s not it. I’m very happy to be here with you,” he chuckled. Taako’s eyes scanned his expression for any indication of what was next. Kravitz took a deep breath, feeling the anxiety rising in his chest. He knew Taako loved him back, that wasn’t what worried him. He was just scared that he wouldn’t be able to get it out right.

“Then what’s up?” Taako hugged his knees to his chest, chewing his lip.

“It’s just that I, um… I love you, Taako.” Kravitz murmured before turning to look over at him, cracking a small smile. “Not just in a friendly way, like how I love Lup as my best friend, but… I really love you.”

“You… You what?” Taako’s eyes widened, then he furrowed his brows and clutched the front of his shirt, feeling the long-forgotten sensation of his heart beating in his chest once more. Kravitz noticed his eyes flash to green, freckles popping up here and there across his face. Taako gasped as the urge to breathe suddenly came back to him. His eyes flitted back towards Kravitz and he laughed, relief flooding his body as tears prickled in his eyes. “You love me,” Taako breathed, shifting to sit closer to Kravitz.

“I do… I really fucking do, Taako,” Kravitz tucked a strand of hair behind Taako’s ear and leaned over, kissing him gently. Taako leaned into the kiss and held onto him as if he were a life raft in the middle of the ocean. As Kravitz held his cheek, he felt warmth come back to Taako’s body and saw a light flush rise up his cheeks. He grinned, then his smile faded as he noticed Taako struggling to breathe, on the verge of hyperventilating. “You okay?” He murmured softly, looking him over.

“Y-yeah, gimme a moment…” Taako took a careful breath, trying not to laugh on top of everything else. “Having to breathe for the first time in years… Plus the rush of finally kissing you… It’s catching me off guard,” he let it all out between breaths, holding his head between his knees. Kravitz chuckled softly before carefully taking Taako’s hand as he caught his breath. The two of them suddenly felt the world rush by them and when they opened their eyes, they were in that same forest where they met only a week prior, seated against a tree that had fallen over the spot Taako had previously resided.

“We’re home…?” Taako looked around, not paying attention to the fact that Kravitz still held his now-fully formed hand. “Holy shit, we’re home …” He turned back to Kravitz, a grin spreading across his face. “We did it, oh my god.”

“Do you feel alright?” Kravitz looked him over, standing up and holding out his hands to help Taako to his feet. The elf nodded, pulling Kravitz down by his collar to kiss him once more. Kravitz grinned before putting everything he had into the kiss. The church bells tolling in the distance startled them, bringing them back down to reality from their moment of bliss.

“Let’s go see Lulu again, I know she’ll be so happy to see us!” Taako jumped up, grabbing Kravitz’ hand with no intent of ever letting go. The two of them ran out of the woods, their hands never parting, and Taako couldn’t help but luxuriate in the sensations he hadn’t felt in what seemed like forever; the rush of joy at seeing that familiar cobblestone road leading up to town, the comfort of someone else’s warm hand in his, the feeling that somehow, everything was going to be okay from then on. Kravitz was just happy to finally have Taako there with him, knowing there wasn’t going to be anything stopping their happiness together.

They ran up to the front door and Taako paused before knocking. He had to think of the perfect way to greet his sister again, but came up empty. Just seeing her in this way would be enough. He knocked on the door, looking over to Kravitz with a huge grin.

“Lup’s going to lose her goddamn mind when she sees us.” The door creaked open and Lup gasped upon seeing them, pulling them both in for a hug.

“You fucking did it! I-I can’t believe it, Koko,” she grabbed his head and stood on her toes to examine every bit of him, making sure he was still the brother she recognized. “I missed seeing you in one piece, not looking like a gross purple zombie,” she teased, planting a soft kiss to the top of his head before pulling back. Taako immediately pulled her in for another hug, holding onto her tightly as he felt the start of tears prickle in his eyes. 

“Make sure I don’t pull anything stupid like that again, mmkay?” he murmured as he pressed his face into her shoulder, holding back the cries of relief he could feel building up.

“I can’t guarantee you won’t do anything stupid, because you’re still my idiot brother, but I know you made the right choice in men this time.” Lup beamed as she looked over at Kravitz, then gasped and pulled away as she remembered something. “Oh my god, while you two were gone, I figured out how we can make our families happy without compromising ourselves.” She looked between the two of them, still grinning. “So, someone from my family and someone from your family has to get married, right Krav? And it wasn’t going to work because you don’t like girls and I wasn’t in love with you. But if I had, say, a gay twin brother who’s definitely head over heels for you…” Lup smirked as she gestured towards them, waggling her eyebrows. “Get what I’m saying?”

“Well, I think in that case, we should talk to our families and get everything set up,” Kravitz smiled at her, wrapping an arm around Taako’s waist. “I mean, we were what, engaged for two months? I think me and Taako can get it all done quicker,” he snorted. “What do you think, Taako?” He reached into his jacket to pull out the ring that he’d been keeping on him for a week.

“I think I’m not gonna regret rushing into a marriage with a cute guy this time.” Taako beamed as he took the ring and placed it on his finger, leaning over to kiss Kravitz’ cheek. “I just gotta brace myself for a stern talking to from our parents. And meeting Krav’s, which might be scarier than death.” He laughed as the three of them walked into the house, preparing to start the rest of their lives.

-----

Kravitz adjusted his vest, looking over to the steps where Taako was sitting and toying with a ring. It’d only been a few weeks since he and Taako returned home, but every moment felt more blissful than the last. Their families were hesitant to go through with the change in engagement at first, as Taako had just come back from seemingly having been married in another town for years in their eyes. But once they saw how happy the pair were together, they wholeheartedly agreed.

“How’re you feeling?” Kravitz asked, startling Taako out of his thoughts. Taako looked him over and beamed, pushing himself up off of the stone stairs.

“Absolutely perfect. You?” Taako leaned against the wall next to his fiancee. Kravitz just leaned over, planting a soft kiss to Taako’s cheek, giving him all the answers he needed. 

Luckily for the two of them, planning for their wedding was just picking up from where Kravitz and Lup’s wedding had stopped. Kravitz finally perfected his vows at the rehearsal, actually feeling comfortable with the situation and being overjoyed at the idea of this man being his husband. And now, they were preparing for their big day together, in matching suits and everything.

“Hey, um… Before it all starts, I just wanna say thank you,” Taako murmured, reaching to take Kravitz’ hands. “I know the whole thing had to have been scary for you at first. Y’know, the whole dead guy claiming to be married to you thing,” he cracked a small smile. “I just really appreciate you being willing to help me, even if it would’ve been so much easier to just leave when we visited Lup for the first time.”

“Of course, Taako,” Kravitz tucked a strand of Taako’s hair behind his ear. “Like I’ve said dozens of times before, staying with you was so much better than having to come back here and be married to someone I didn’t love. Even before I felt the same way about you.” A band started playing inside, prompting Taako to tuck the ring into his pocket before planting a soft kiss to Kravitz’ hand.

“I’ll see you out there. I’ll be the one in white under the archway.”

“I’ll be the one walking down the aisle towards you, kinda hard to miss,” Kravitz teased, nudging him playfully before gently cupping Taako’s cheek in his hand. “I love you, Taako.”

“Love you too, Krav,” Taako looked him over, as if he were trying to memorize every detail of Kravitz’ face in that moment. He finally turned to open the doors and headed inside the church. Kravitz took a deep breath, counted until he knew Taako would have made it down the aisle, and pulled the doors open for himself, ready to start the next adventure in his and Taako’s life.