Chapter Text
Taako woke up to someone staring at him. Luckily, that person happened to be his boyfriend. “What are you doing?” he asked.
Kravitz, who was hugging a pillow with his dreadlocks askew, shrugged slightly. He was a very put-together, fancy kind of guy. Dressing down meant untucking his button-down shirt. When they were in Taako’s gigantic fantasy-California King bed was the only time Taako really got to see him a little disheveled. It was a good look that definitely got Taako going. He couldn’t lie about that one. “Nothing,” he said. “I just like watching you sleep.”
Taako let out a burst of laughter. “Fuckin’ pervert,” he said but he was grinning anyway, something Taako was not known to do in the moments after he’d woken up.
Pouting, Kravitz reached forward and tucked a lock of hair behind Taako’s pointed ear. “I just like looking at you,” he protested. “You’re pretty when you’re peaceful.”
Taako huffed, shuffling on the bed to press his back against Kravtiz’s chest. The reaper draped one arm over the elf, tucking Taako’s head under his chin. “Are you insinuating that I’m not pretty normally?” he protested.
“Of course you are, babe,” Kravitz said, kissing the back of Taako’s head. “But you move so fast sometimes. I just like looking at you. I still can’t believe I get to date you.”
“You better believe it, hot stuff,” Taako said, “because you’re not getting rid of me any time soon.”
“I’d hope not,” Kravitz said, his voice close to Taako’s ear and his fingers gently fiddling with a lock of hair. “I love you.”
“Love you, too,” Taako said. His eyes closed again and he was snuggling up to Kravitz when he realized what had just happened. He’d said I love you. It had happened before, of course. He loved his boyfriend. But being vocal about his affections was not something he was known to do. The only other person he’d ever submitted himself to the mortifying ordeal of his affections being known to was his sister. But with Kravitz… It was so easy. Gods, it was so easy. He didn’t agonize about his words, try to dance around it and say he cared without using the Big L Word. He just… Said it. He just loved Kravitz. And frankly, that was kind of fucking awesome. He didn’t have to be afraid to love him. He just did.
He felt Kravitz shift behind him, pressing a kiss to the back of his head again, and then his boyfriend softly started to sing. “ Come attrition. Come the reek of bones. Come attrition. Come hell.”
Taako frowned slightly, opening his eyes. He really liked hearing Kravitz sing even though it wasn’t something he did often and definitely not in public. He was almost shy about it and seeing him blush was adorable. But he cherished the moments when Kravitz wasn’t shy about it. Moments when they were sitting alone in the house, Angus already in bed, Kravitz braiding Taako’s hair as the elf leaned against him and singing quietly. “This one’s new,” he said.
“It’s from back when I was a kid,” Kravitz said. “My mother taught it to me.” He took in another soft breath that he didn’t really need before he started singing again. “ This is why. Why we fight, why we lie awake. And this is why. This is why we fight. ” He pulled Taako a little closer, his breath making the hairs on the back of Taako’s neck stand up a little. This was something intimate that Taako had never felt before Kravitz. “ When we die we will die with our arms unbound. And this is why. This is why, why we fight come hell .”
Silence hung in the room with them, thick but not heavy, when Kravitz was finished. Maybe Taako had goosebumps, maybe he didn’t. He wiggled out of Kravitz’s embrace to flip around and face him. “Kravitz,” he said. “Kravitz, babe. That is some hot shit.”
“Thanks,” Kravitz said, laughing softly. “I don’t really… Sing much. Especially not at work. The Grim Reaper slowly marching toward you and wielding a scythe is not the type of silhouette that will convince someone to come with you quietly.”
“Not to mention the accent,” Taako added. “I can’t take you seriously when you’re using your dumb work accent.”
Kravitz pouted, resting his forehead against Taako’s. “I thought you liked my work accent.”
“Hate to break it to you, but it’s dumb as shit,” Taako said knowledgably.
“That must be why the Raven Queen laughs every time she hears me use it,” Kravitz mused.
Taako grinned. “That’s totally why,” he said. “I love and support you, but it sucks.”
“Duly noted,” Kravitz said. “I’ll take that into consideration.” He blinked, smiling at his boyfriend. He opened his mouth to say something else when the bedroom door banged open dramatically.
“ GET DECENT ‘CAUSE LUP IS HERE ,” Lup shouted, pouncing onto the end of the bed. Kravitz sprang backwards from Taako, startled, and fell off the bed tangled in the comforter, smacking his head against the nightstand. Taako, even though he was fully clothed in a soft, silk robe cinched around his waist, snatched the sheet and yanked it under his chin.
“Lup,
what the fuck,
” Taako said, trying to calm his racing heartbeat. “Why? Why would you do that? Fuck you, I’m an only child now.”
“Rejected,” Lup said. “You’re my baby brother and I love you.” She flung herself down next to him where Kravitz had been moments before.
“Baby brother,” Taako repeated, his lip curling slightly. “Lup, I am exactly 7 minutes younger than you. I’m not baby anything.”
“Still makes you my baby brother,” she said in a sing-song voice. She peeked over the side of the bed to the ground when Kravitz was sprawled out. The suddenness of the attack and then hitting his head had startled him into his skull form. “What’re you doing down there, broseph?” she asked.
“You did this to me,” he said. Kravitz sat up, sighing, and shook his head. The motion seemed to trigger his corporeal form which instantly spread across the white expanse of bone. In a moment, Lup was looking at a dark-skinned man with long dreadlocks.
“Taako,” Lup said thoughtfully, still looking over the side of the bed, “do you ever think about how both of our relationships are technically necrophilia?”
Taako thumped his sister on the back of the head with one hand and, laughing, she fell back next time. “But do you though?” she asked as Taako got comfortable again, his head on her chest.
“Too much,” he said. “But that’s not important a-tee-em. What is important is why in the name of Pan you thought that was a good thing to do.”
“It’s wedding day and you’ve got a house full of people, little bro,” Lup said. “We gotta make breakfast.”
“Oh, fuck,” he groaned. “Can’t we… Can’t they just make their own? This is more people than was on the Starblaster.”
Lup patted Taako’s cheek. “Do you really want Merle Highchurch in your kitchen?”
Taako paused, thinking long and hard about the prospect. “Absolutely not,” he said. “Not a chance. Not even for a second.” He sighed deeply as he studied the ceiling. “Why did I agree to this?” he asked no one in particular.
“Cause everyone travelled in for the wedding last night and you have the biggest house,” Lup said. She ran her hands through his hair, leaning over to plant a kiss on his forehead. “Up and at ‘em.”
Taako rolled off of her, his face now planted firmly into the mattress, but he could still hear her speaking. “Krav, why the fuck are you on the floor? Get up! It’s time to go! It’s wedding day!”
“You’re the reason I’m down here,” Kravitz protested. Taako could hear footsteps, the door swinging open and snapping closed again, and then the mattress shifted beneath him, followed by a hand on his shoulder.
“Well, that was something,” Kravitz mused. Taako turned over again before he spoke.
“Lup is something,” he told his boyfriend knowledgeably before finally swinging his feet off of the side of the bed and standing up. Kravitz followed, trailing after the elf towards the bedroom door.
“She’s very excited,” Kravitz remarked.
“She’s been to, like five weddings in her lifetime,” Taako explained. “We were crashing four of them to steal shit and the fifth one was hers. I get being excited for a party, but fuck, Taako needs his beauty sleep.”
Kravitz laughed fondly as the pair of them padded down the hall and into the kitchen where Lup was excitedly pulling out pans and plates. Barry was sitting at the kitchen bar, rubbing his eyes and blinking. His hair was messy and his glasses were on the table in front of him. He looked like he’d just been woken up, too. Kravitz sunk down next to him into a chair, nodding. They were pretty good friends now, he thought. “What’s going on?” he said.
Barry shrugged, sliding his glasses back onto his face. “I genuinely do not know,” he said. “I was in bed, asleep, and now I am here.”
Kravitz hummed, nodding in agreement. That was a pretty accurate depiction of his morning, too. He shifted his gaze from Barry back to Taako who had joined Lup in gathering ingredients from the cupboards.
Taako knew how to cook. Even when he had no idea what the fuck was going on in the rest of his life, he knew how to cook. Cooking was his one constant and he was damn good at it. Even if he was still a little bitter about being abruptly dragged from his bed, he was still going to make one hell of a breakfast for the full house.
Magnus trailed into the kitchen first, drawn likely by the smell of bacon sizzling away in a pan. Rubbing tiredness out of his eyes, he dropped down into a seat at the kitchen bar next to Barry. “What’s cookin’, good lookin’?” he asked.
“The best damn breakfast you’ve ever fuckin’ had,” Taako and Lup said at exactly the same time before spinning to face each other.
“He was talking to me,” Taako said, crossing his arms.
“Clearly, he was talking to me,” Lup said. “I’m the far superior twin.”
Taako opened his mouth to speak again before Barry cut him off. “Relax, girls, you’re both pretty,” he said. “Where’s everyone else?”
“Merle was still asleep in our guest room when I came in here,” Magnus said. “His kids are with Angus.” He paused for a beat before he spoke again. “It was kinda nice sleeping with Merle again.”
“What the fuck, ” Taako said, spinning around brandishing a spatula, “did you just say?”
“I said it was-” Magnus stopped, his eyes widening. “Oh, shit. No, that wasn’t what I…” He trailed off to peels of laughter from Taako, Lup, and Barry and a very bright smile from Kravitz.
“Like you guys don’t accidentally make sex jokes!” Magnus said, but it didn’t have much weight because he was laughing, too.
“Yeah, but I make them on purpose,” Lup said.
“And I don’t make jokes about fucking Merle, ” Taako said, wheezing.
Magnus sat back, trying to hide a smile and fake being disappointed until the laughter stopped. “But do you get it?” he said when the kitchen was quiet again save for the sizzling of meat and eggs in separate pans. “Like, the first night after we left the Bureau, Taako, when we were all in our own places… I couldn’t sleep. It was just so… Weird, you know? Being alone…”
Taako turned from the stove, his head tilted slightly. “Honestly, I get it,” he said. “I couldn’t, either, and I had the dopest set up.” He paused, preparing to be vulnerable which wasn’t something he willingly did often. There was… There was always Lup. Then the crew. Then you and Merle. After we, you know…” He tapped the side of his head. “Got our lives back. Dude, took me weeks to be able to meditate on my own.”
The kitchen was quiet again, a meditative quiet, while everyone pondered Magnus and Taako’s comments. “I didn’t sleep in the umbrastaff,” Lup said. “But I was also, like, not super conscious all the time. At least when I got back I had that weirdo to keep me company.” She shifted her gaze to her husband, smiling fondly as she whisked up some eggs.
“I’m not weird,” Barry protested. “You’re weird…”
Lup laughed, shaking her head again. Barry rested his chin on his hands, thinking. “My ten years sucked,” he said. I didn’t sleep when I was in my lich form because, you know… Lich. And even when I was Barry and I only had what the coin reminded me… There was still something missing, you know? I could always feel it. I could feel in here that something wasn’t right.” He tapped his heart on the word here for emphasis.
“Yeah,” Taako said, studying the second group of bacon slices sizzling in the pan. “I get it.”
There was silence again before Kravitz spoke up. “That’s shitty,” he said truthfully. “I mean, I’m dead, but… That’s pretty shitty.”
Taako laughed, turning from the pan to pat his boyfriend on the cheek and kiss him on the tip of the nose. “I know, and I love you,” he said. Kravitz blushed but smiled, pleased by the affection. Magnus and Barry smiled.
Before Taako could turn back to the stove, he heard another sizzle in a pan and the smell of something cooking wafted over him. “Shit, Lup,” he said, turning around with his whisk in hand. “What the hell is that?”
Lup shifted slightly, poking at whatever was cooking in the pan. “You had some salmon left, figured I’d cook it before it went bad.”
“It smells like it already went bad, fuck ,” he said. “Get rid of it, I’m gonna puke.”
Lup frowned. “Really? I didn’t think it was that bad.” She sniffed it again but shrugged. “Alright, I guess,” she said. “Is it overkill to cast, like, banishment on a fish? Probably. I’ll take it out…” She picked up the pan, elbowing Taako in the side as she went. Taako, satisfied, turned back to his own work and the kitchen fell into a comfortable quiet. Barry, Kravitz, and Magnus were talking at the bar while Taako and Lup, after she came back, finished cooking breakfast. They were just about done when a sound like a herd of horses started down the stairs.
Mookey burst into the kitchen shouting, “Dad, Dad, Dad!!” Mavis was following him more sedately and just behind her was Angus. Mookey skidded towards the kitchen bar, almost colliding with Magnus. Luckily, Magnus threw his hands out, catchimg the youngster before he hit something.
“Your dad’s not up yet, kiddo,” Magnus said, scooping him up and plopping the little dwarf in his knee.
Mookey pouted, crossing his arms over his chest, but before long he was grinning again and laughing as Magnus bounced him up and down. Mavis and Angus broke apart, Mavis stopping next to Magnus and Mookey and Angus going behind the counter to linger near Taako. “I watched the children last night, sir,” Angus said. “Nothing was destroyed. But I still don’t know why you wanted me to ‘babysit’ them because Mavis and I are the same age.”
“Cause I trust you, pumpkin,” Taako said. He bent over, kissing Angus on the forehead. “Now go set the table.”
Angus scampered off, prepping the dining table for the breakfast they were about to have.
Merle wandered in just as Taako and Lup were carrying dishes laden with eggs and bacon and toast and other dishes straight from the Taako From TV Cookbook. Everyone migrated from the kitchen bar to the dining table, and then all 9 of them were sitting around the table. Taako ended up at the head, where he was certain he belonged, with Kravitz and Angus on his right and Lup and Barry on his left with the rest of the group filling out the table.
“Sleep good, pumpkin?” Taako asked Angus, sticking a forkful of eggs in his mouth. “Sorry you had to share but I was not leaving Merle’s kid alone in my house.”
“It was fine, Taako,” Angus said, his head dipped slightly over his plate as he started to eat. “After Mookey went to sleep, Mavis and I stayed up for a bit. We talked about books. She likes Caleb Cleveland, too! She’s really nice. I like her.”
Taako grinned, wiggling his eyebrows. “You like her, do you?” he said.
Angus looked up suddenly, flushing darkly. “Not like that!” he protested. “I mean… Maybe? I don’t know! She’s nice!”
Taako cackled, his fork clinking against his plate as he set it down. “Krav, ruffle his hair affectionately so I don’t have to reach over you,” he said. Kravitz shrugged and did as he was asked, unable to suppress a smile as he did it. Angus was still flushing but he was smiling, too.
Taako had a big family again and he fucking loved it. He loved it so, so much even though it terrified him.
Carrey and Killian’s wedding was shaping up to be a pretty damn great day, after all.
Was***
“I know I like parties, but fuck,” Taako said, sinking down into a chair next to Kravitz. “This is a lot. My feet hurt like a bitch.”
“You did absolutely annihilate in that dance battle,” Kravitz said, drumming his fingers lightly on the side of his wine glasses.
“And I caught Carrey’s bouquet,” Taako added, elbowing Kravitz in the side. “Get moving, bone daddy.”
Kravitz laughed, leaning over to give Taako a kiss on the side of the head. “Why do I have to be the one to propose?” he asked. “You could do it, you know.”
“I definitely could, but I won’t,” Taako said. “You know me. I like being the center of attention and what better way to be the center of attention than being proposed to?”
“Fair enough,” Kravitz said. “Are we about to head out?”
“Yeah, I think so,” Taako said. The party was starting to wind down. The happy couple had drifted away and the rest of the party-goers were peeling away, too. Magnus had, a few minutes prior, told Taako goodbye and that he wasn’t coming back to the house. He needed to go home and check on his dogs since someone else had been looking after them while he’d been gone. “Lup and Barry are adults, they can get back on their own fine. We just need Merle and Angus.”
“What about Merle’s kids?” Kravitz asked.
“Hekuba came by for them earlier, I think,” Taako said.
Kravitz nodded, squeezing Taako’s shoulder as he stood up. “I’ll go find Merle,” he said. “Grab Angus?”
Taako nodded, wincing as he pulled himself to his feet. He meandered around the outsides of the reception space, searching for Angus. He figured wisely that was where the little boy would be and he ended up being right. There were a few chairs lined up against the wall and Angus was stretched out on them, fast asleep, one hand holding a book on his chest and the other dangling off the chairs.
“Oh, Angus,” he said softly, smiling. He eased the book out of Angus’ hand, tucking it into one of his spacious pockets before murmuring a spell to himself, something to give himself a little strength boost. Then, very carefully, he leaned down and scooped up the little boy bridal style. Angus didn’t even wake up, his head now resting against Taako’s chest. Angus was adorable, Taako thought, and by gods, he’d fight anyone who said otherwise.
He made his way back towards where he’d left his boyfriend, careful not to wake Angus. Luckily, he was still snoozing as Kravitz approached him, tailed by Merle.
“Found him,” Kravitz said, pointing. Merle stumbles up behind him, squeezing his eyes shut and opening them again to focus on Taako.
“Who’s that?” he asked. “Hold on… I know you…Chalupa! You’re a chalupa.”
“Nice try, buddy,” Taako said. “Try Taako.”
“Taako!” Merle said brightly and very loudly. “You’re Taako. We saved the world together. We also killed a fuckton of people. ‘Member that? We should do that again.”
“Yes, I do, and no, we shouldn’t,” Taako said. “If you wake up my boy I’ll kill you in your sleep.”
Merle nodded solemnly, falling silently beside Kravitz.
“I ran into Barry and Lup,” Kravitz said. “They’re gonna help clean up for a bit and then meet us back at the house.”
Taako hummed and nodded. “Good,” he said. “Alright, let’s head out. Can you rift? I don’t want to walk all the way back and wake up Angus.”
Kravitz stuck his hand into his jacket, pulling his scythe out of an impossibly small pocket. He dragged it through the air in front of them, slicing a hole through their current plane. He stepped through before turning back slightly, waiting for Taako and Merle. Taako stepped through first. Merle somehow managed to trip on the rift in their plane when he crossed over behind Taako.
Taako snorted, shaking his head slightly as Kravitz sealed the rift behind them. “Don’t you have a spell that instantly makes you sober or something?” he asked.
“Do I?” Merle asked. He scrunched his nose up in thought before speaking again. “I don’t remember it.”
“That’s pretty on brand,” Taako said. “That makes perfect sense.”
Kravitz paced in front of the two of them a few more feet before he sliced open another rift. He doubled back, bending down slightly to put his hand on Merle’s back and guide him through the rift. “The last thing I need is to lose a dwarf in the astral plane,” he said. Taako followed them through the rift and into the living room of their home, still carrying Angus who was fast asleep against his chest.
“You get him into a bed and I’ll take Angus,” Taako said.
Kravitz nodded, steering Merle in one direction and disappearing out of the living room. Taako took the stairs, skipping the one that always creaked, and nudged the door to Angus’ room open with his foot. He remembered when the house was finished and they showed Angus his room for the first time. He had been so excited to have his own room that it was adorable and heartbreaking at the same time.
Unfortunately, Angus was neat and had up the bed that morning. Well, it was late and Taako has spell slots to burn. Even if he didn’t have many, he’d still do it for Angus. He quietly cast levitate on the sheets before lowering the kid onto the bed and tucking him in firmly. He’d never felt this… Paternal before. It was weird. But Angus was weird. He was weird.
Angus didn’t stir until Taako was putting the finishing touches on his tucking job. “Taako?” he mumbled. “Where..?”
“At home, pumpkin,” Taako said. “You had a long day. Rest.”
Angus hummed and turned over to lay on his side facing Taako without opening his eyes. Taako felt something soften in his chest and a song flutter up in his heart. He wasn’t the singer, that was Kravitz, but it was suddenly very important he sing what was in his heart.
“ Don't you cry, I'm right here with you. Feel the darkness running away from here. Don't you cry, I will stay with you. Nightmare, demons... all end now ,” Taako sang softly. He reached forward, brushing a curl of hair off of Angus’ dark forehead.
“ So close your eyes and you will travel to a magic world where peace reigns forever ,” he continued. “ Today the stars will guide your dreams and protect all the things above you. Tonight an angel will come to give you a kiss only for you .” He paused there, leaning forward to press a gentle, tender kiss to Angus’ temple. “ Sweet dreaming now, my little piece of love .”
He leaned back, satisfied, and readjusted the covers one more time before he straightened up and turned to leave the room. That was when he almost had a heart attack because Kravitz was standing in the doorway.
“Oh my fucking gods,” he whispered, his hand over his heart. “ Fuck , you almost killed me.” Kravitz smiled mildly, stepping aside. Taako left the room, pulling the door closed quietly and dragging Kravitz to the side.
“You almost killed me,” he repeated, his hand tight around one of his boyfriend’s lapels.
“That was sweet,” Kravitz said, ignoring the comment. “Where’d you learn that?”
“Lup and I learned it when we were kids,” Taako said. He released Kravitz’s suit, smoothing it down. “Our aunt taught us. We used to sing it to each other when there was no one else.”
Kravitz smiled softly again, tucking a piece of hair behind Taako’s ear. “You’re sweet,” he said. “I love you.”
“Back at you, bone daddy,” he said. Taako paused, tilting his head slightly, before he spoke again.
“I put Merle in the guest room downstairs,” Kravitz said. “But that’s kind of overselling what I did. He fell onto the bed face first and was instantly asleep. I just pulled his shoes off.”
Taako shook his head, laughing. “Yeah, that’s Merle,” he said. He paused for a beat before he spoke again. “Hey, do you want to fuck?” he asked.
Kravitz nodded firmly. “Absolutely,” he said. “I really, really want to have sex with you.”
Taako grinned, pulling his hand away when Kravitz tried to take it. “Catch me if you can,” he teased before he darted towards the staircase. He could hear Kravitz’s laugh behind him as he made it to the stairs. He was halfway down when his speed faltered and he grabbed the railing so tight his knuckles turned white. Kravitz nearly crashed into his back, knocking the elf over. But Taako was still standing, barely, as Kravitz squeezed his shoulder.
“Caught you,” he whispered into Taako’s ear. Normally, Taako would have been super into that but that moment wasn’t normal.
Kravitz realized something was off when Taako didn’t respond. He immediately came around to Taako’s side, his face drawn and concerned. “Taako,” he said. “Are you okay?”
Taako shook his head, his lips firmly pressed together, but it seemed to be in vain because he bent over and threw up.
Kravitz squeezed his shoulder again, supporting him to keep him from going down the stairs, too. “Taako!” he said. “Shit, shit… What happened? Are you okay?”
Taako shook his head again, his breath heaving, and pressed the back of his hand to his mouth. “I think… I think you should wake up Merle,” he said weakly before his vision went fuzzy and white and he collapsed into Kravitz’s arms.