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Kravitz hates roller coasters.
A perfectly reasonable response, if you asked him. For someone whose entire career is built around death and those that defy it, he’d rather not spend his free time near death traps.
Sure, an amusement park is much less deadly than the average carnival, but that isn’t saying much. Not to mention that Kravitz has had to apprehend the wayward spirits of those that die on roller coasters. And while the number isn’t astronomically high, it’s higher than you’d want.
Needless to say, an outing to Action-Adventure Park wasn’t high on his list of date ideas.
Still, who is he to say no? He doesn’t often have a preference on where he and Taako go for their dates. So long as Taako is happy, he’s happy. He can only pray that Taako prefers Ferris wheels over straight vertical drops on rickety wooden coasters.
They wander at first, partially to get a good look at the park, partially to get away from the more crowded areas. It’s a weekday, meaning that the crowd isn’t as heavy as it could be, but that doesn’t mean either of them want to be shoulder to shoulder with a sea of people.
“Should we get something to eat?” Kravitz asks, nodding toward the line of food stands to his right. Each has a line, but none of them longer than three people.
Taako takes one look at the hot dog stand and curls his upper lip in distaste. “Yeah, no. I’m not buying a ticket to Puke Land this time around, hoss.”
Kravitz chuckles. “Fair enough.”
They walk a little longer, with Taako swinging their hands in a gentle rhythm. That isn’t attention-getting by itself, but there’s something about the quiet awe settled over them that tells Kravitz something is off.
“Taako, moppet…” He doesn’t say anything more than that, because when Taako turns to look at him, there isn’t a doubt in Kravitz’s mind.
Taako’s regressed.
Not as young as he’s been recently—and certainly not as young as he was after Wonderland—but young enough to be noticeable. It’s hard to ignore that sparkle in his eyes, the slightest tick of ease in his shoulders that isn’t normally there.
Kravitz’s face eases into a smile. “Hello there.”
Taako’s cheeks flush. It’s not in his nature to be bashful, but it’s also not in his nature to regress involuntarily. Or at least it hadn’t been before Wonderland. But now headspace has a way of creeping up on him when he least expects it, and he still hasn’t found a way to quash it back down like he once could.
Not that any of this matters to Kravitz. Taako is Taako, and big or little, he is loved.
“Do you want to get something from the stands?” Kravitz prompts. He almost wants to laugh at the soft tone he’s using, as if Taako—self-assured, self-confident Taako—ever needed such a gentle hand.
But this isn’t the little one he’s used to—at least, not yet. He still needs a little assurance, a little grounding, until he’s steady on his own two mischievous feet. And sometimes that means a bribe is in order.
Taako considers this. “We should get cotton candy. It’s good for you.”
And who is Kravitz to deny him that?
It isn’t hard to find a snack stand with cotton candy—the park is absolutely littered with them. Kravitz tries to remember the last time he saw Taako eat anything, and subsequently he wonders if it’d be worth it to push something a bit more substantive.
With their newly acquired snacks in hand, they gravitate toward the kid-friendly section of the park, the side with rigged games and merry-go-rounds.
Taako looks around, taking in the park with fresh eyes. His gaze flickers from group to group, never staying on one person for too long. And while Kravitz thinks it’s odd at first, he quickly remembers that this will be Taako’s first time regressed in public since before Wonderland.
“I know the tricks to those,” Taako says proudly, leveling a finger at a ring toss booth. “Can win you a giant banana if you want!”
Kravitz chuckles. That took less time than expected, but maybe that was just him underestimating his beloved. “If that’s what you’d like to do.” If this evening hadn’t already been for Taako, now it most certainly is.
Taako’s head jerks up at the sound of screams overhead, and he immediately latches on to the ride it’s coming from.
A towering coaster, with about seven loops and a straight drop the size of a mountain. Kravitz had been pointedly ignoring that particular ride, and while he’d thought he’d been in the clear, he recognizes that look in Taako’s eyes.
“I wanna go on that one.” With his free hand, Taako latches onto Kravitz’s wrist. Not once does he take his eyes off the coaster. “Krav, we gotta.”
“Oh, I’m not so sure about that,” Kravitz says. “Weren’t you the one worried about not getting sick?”
And while this deters Taako for a moment, he almost immediately decides it’s worth it. “Yeah, let’s go!”
“But what about your snack?” Kravitz has had a number of souls reaped due to vehicular accidents. Now he knows firsthand what it feels like to pump the brakes only for the car to keep going.
“I learned this from Maggie,” Taako says. He pops chunk after chunk of cotton candy into his mouth, quickly enough to make Kravitz nauseous by proxy.
The worst part is the light in his eyes. How bright he shines when something he truly wants is put in front of him. Kravitz can’t take that away from him. But Kravitz also really doesn’t want to go on a roller coaster.
“Now, hold on, love—” Kravitz drops the thought, unsure of where he was even going to go with it, but frankly, he would’ve been better off saying nothing. Because now he has Taako’s attention.
Taako grins, that kind of cocky, mischievous grin that makes Kravitz fear the worst. He’s never had it directed at him before, and now that it is, he understands Lup’s warnings a little better.
“Krav, you’re not scared of roller coasters, are you?”
Kravitz sputters. Taako always has a way of casually kicking his feet out from under him and smiling the entire time. “I wouldn’t say scared, exactly. More realistic? They’re a dangerous thing, moppet.”
Wrong answer. Wrong, wrong, wrong answer. Taako’s grin splits wider as he takes one of Kravitz’s hands in both of his. “I’ll keep you safe, Krav, don’t worry!”
He’s already in motion, leaving Kravitz no choice but to stumble along behind him. After all, disconnecting their hands is not an option. “That’s very generous, darling, but I don’t think—”
Taako stops short, to give Kravitz his full attention. His brows are drawn and serious, even if he’s barely able to fight back a grin. “Sissy says it’s good to conquer your fears.”
It’s bait. And oh, what spectacular bait it is. Hidden behind a childish half-lisp, Taako has presented him with a lose-lose situation. He can either go against Lup or admit that Taako has a point. Either way he loses, but it’s all a matter of whose toes he least wants to step on.
Thankfully, Taako doesn’t wait for his answer. He’s more than used to filling the silences for Kravitz, well aware that sometimes the things he says are beyond response. It hardly matters, anyway, when he’s already made his point.
“I’ll keep you safe,” Taako repeats. This time there’s a weight to his voice, as if he expects a dragon to be waiting for them at the top of that roller coaster.
And gods above, Kravitz just can’t say no to that face.
“I’ll hold you to that,” Kravitz says, and Taako cheers in response.
The line for the roller coaster is long but moves quickly. Kravitz can’t decide if that’s better or worse, but he doesn’t have too long to think about it.
Every time his gaze strays back to that dangling monorail, Taako reels his attention back in with excited babbling.
He changes directions so often that Kravitz has to focus to follow. Jumping from Barbie movies to games with Lup to conversations with Magnus and Merle, all with barely a breath in between.
It’s no time at all before they’re at the front of the line.
Kravitz casts a glance toward Taako, who happily links their hands. It’d be a different story if he were scared for himself, but when it comes down to it, only one of them has a bad habit of dying.
The coaster starts out slow. It’s one of the older wooden ones, so it rumbles and quivers down every tick of the track, which only get more pronounced as they slowly climb the first hill.
The only relief is that Kravitz can shut his eyes tight and pretend he’s somewhere else. Maybe if he can zone out hard enough, he can trick himself into thinking he’s in the back of a battle wagon, chasing down a wayward spirit. They’ve had bigger runaways before, and it certainly tracks with Lup’s driving.
He squeezes Taako’s hand a little harder, which Taako takes as a cry for comfort. He doesn’t realize that Kravitz is worried about him, but he usually never does.
Kravitz exits the coaster on wobbly legs, but it’s hard to be miffed when he catches the light radiating off of Taako’s smile.
“Let’s go again!” And before Kravitz has time to argue, Taako is vaulting over the banister between the entrance and exit lines.
“Love, I think we’re supposed to go around,” Kravitz says. It’s mostly to assure the people around him that no, he’s not in the habit of skipping lines, but there’s no way that Taako will listen to him regardless.
They end up riding the same roller coaster three times in a row. It gets easier every time—both skipping the line and ignoring the slim possibility of eminent death. And it’s hard to fret when Taako’s whooping with joy.
Taako claps his hands as they disembark. It might just be Kravitz’s imagination, but he’s pretty sure Taako’s been slipping steadily younger. “Again!”
“Are you sure you don’t want to do something else?” Kravitz asks, fully aware of the trouble he’s causing for himself. “There are so many other rides!”
Taako thinks this over. Kravitz follows his line of sight, to the curve of tracks peeking up just over the buildings, and lets out a silent sigh. It’s on him for not directing Taako’s attention to something a little closer by.
And with that, Kravitz has accidentally established a pattern.
It doesn’t matter how far away the next ride is. If it’s caught his attention, then that’s the one they’re taking next. Frankly, Kravitz is just surprised Taako has the stamina for all this running around. The last time he’d seen Taako move this fast, Kravitz had been trying to kill him with a crystal golem.
It’s rather refreshing to see.
Taako doesn’t let go of Kravitz’s hand for anything. Even when it makes it hard for them to adjust their safety belts. Even when he’s dashing full strides ahead.
Kravitz’s calves are aching within the hour. From roller coaster to roller coaster, he’s sure he’s gotten at least double his required steps for the day. Even for him, someone who makes an effort to stay in shape, it’s exhausting.
But Taako’s overjoyed, and none of the rides have malfunctioned yet, so as long as Taako keeps holding his hand, Kravitz thinks the two of them will be just fine.
Kravitz can barely feel his legs by the time the park announces it’s closing for the night, and while Taako whines in protest, it’s lacking the usual energy. Personally, Kravitz is glad an outside force is making it so he doesn’t have to drag Taako out kicking and screaming.
The two of them hang back, resting their feet as the mass exodus passes them by. People are shoulder to shoulder, so it’s best for them to stick back. Either Taako will be too overwhelmed to be around so many people or he’ll be swiping anything from their pockets that isn’t tied down.
There’s something special about the way the lights glisten at dusk, painting twinkling loops in the low light. Kravitz gives Taako’s hand a squeeze.
With a groan, Taako rests his head on Kravitz’s shoulder.
Kravitz chuckles. “Tired, love?”
Another tired whine, just in case Taako hadn’t gotten the point across yet. “Wanna go home, Ravioli.”
He must be tiny if he’s busting out the pasta nicknames. Then again, Kravitz can’t quite blame him. It’s probably the most running around that Taako has done since his Grand Relic hunting days.
“We’re on our way,” Kravitz assures him. “What should we do when we get home?”
Taako hums in thought, but the extended pause only emphasizes how close he is to falling asleep. Of course, that might just all be a ploy to get Kravitz to carry him home, but that’s something Kravitz would do without being prompted. It’s just easier for Taako to put up a charade then have to outright ask.
Kravitz chuckles. “Maybe we should go straight to bed.”
Taako nods his head, too tired to be anything less than agreeable. From the way that his eyes keep drifting shut, at best he’ll fall asleep on the way home, and at worst he’ll be asleep before Kravitz can get him off the bench.
In the end, Kravitz can only shake his head. Of course Taako would run them both ragged, and frankly, Kravitz wouldn’t have it any other way.
At least he’ll sleep easy tonight.