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Chapter Text

The swearing was colorful. It was probably the most inventive swearing Kravitz had heard in his life. He hissed a sigh.

The elf was back on his feet in a moment, finger waving in Kravitz's face, "Watch where you're fuckin' walkin', thug." He gave Kravitz the middle finger as he picked up the tray and rubbed his temple with one hand, looking at the wreckage. "Fuckin' dumb asshole. Do you know how much work went into these?"

Kravitz rolled his eyes. "Oh, I must apologize," he murmured lowly, plucking one of the strawberries from his ruined suit. "I wasn't aware that someone charging straight at me is my fault." Kravitz surveyed the man in front of him dismissively. He looked like he was someone from catering based on the tray of food, but he was dressed in a now strawberry stained ensemble. The elf looked more like a guest than worker, but the gaudiness of his bangles and necklaces screamed someone aiming above their class. "I'd ask you to pay for the damages, but I can tell it's worth more than you," he stated coolly, stepping away from the door as he took off the jacket.

The man snarled straight in Kravitz's face, baring his teeth. "The fuck you say to me, trash?" He gestured to himself. "Listen. Did you, a boring knock-off Dracula, just dismiss the thread stylings of Taako?"

That name sounded vaguely familiar to Kravitz, but he simply shrugged in response and turned to leave. "Guess so," he called without turning around.

"Hey, don't you run away from me, homie. We are not finished here," he heard distantly. Kravitz was already running late; he didn't have time for some elf with a dirty mouth. He rushed past security to the small orchestra that looked a lot less nervous when they saw his face. He tapped the baton across the top of the music stand. The song filled the hall without further glares from his patron. He drown out the party behind him in favor of the rise and fall of the music before him.

There was nothing else that existed but the worlds Kravitz had created.

His right hand always twitched and sawed as if he was playing the piece himself between the beats. Of course, each of these songs were second nature to him; as natural as breathing. He wasn't sure how much time passed until he noticed the orchestra starting to flag. They would have to push through the last song, then they were finished for the evening and could enjoy the party themselves. He brought the close down with flourish and turned to the applause of the audience, taking a quick bow. He threw the crowd a dazzling smile as he stepped off the podium. Some of the musicians muttered among themselves.

His patron stopped him before he could step off the stage, the other live band setting up to take on the rest of the evening. She picked up the microphone and gestured to him as he stood next to her. "Macallister Kravitz everyone," she called. The crowd cheered again. "I hope you all enjoyed both hearing and seeing him." There were polite smatterings of laughter. Kravitz tried not to feel too awkward.

The crowd of people was larger than he had thought it was. Towards the front was the elf, glaring up at him. He caught the other man's eye and smiled politely as if he didn't recognize him. So, he had been a guest after all. The elf doubled down on his glare. Kravitz focused back on what his patron was saying. "- help all of them. Please give another round of applause to Kravitz and the orchestra for the beautiful music," she gushed.

There was another small cheer. He gave the crowd another charming smile and then slipped off the stage towards the back before anyone was the wiser. Someone grabbed the sleeve of his shirt as he finally freed himself from the party and he stopped, sucking in a breath. He plastered on a smile as he turned. "My apologies, but I must be sure the equipment -," he stopped as he realized it was the elf from earlier. "Not going to work on you, is it?"

"Nope, not at all, handsome," the elf drawled. "Now that I know you're some fancy pants musician, my guy, you are paying for the damages to my outfit," he gestured to himself.

Kravitz sighed and pulled out his wallet. "Fine." The elf looked delighted, opening his hand for the money. Five copper dropped into his palm while Kravitz looked him dead in the eye. "A little extra so you don't have to get it on clearance this time."

"Wow, being insulted like that was a lot hotter than I thought it'd be, babe," the elf laughed, pinching Kravitz's cheek. "Name's Taako," he grinned, leaning into Kravitz's personal space. Kravitz felt his face warming and wasn't exactly sure why. "Look, you got a dressing room we can make out in or what?" Well, he did have an idea. It made that offer just a tad too tempting for him to be completely comfortable with.

This was not going the way Kravitz thought it would. "What," he said incredulously. "No."

Taako shrugged, winking. "Good thing I do." He pushed past Kravitz and walked down one of the halls, pausing to look back. "Judging by your trajectory, my man, you've gotten nothin' better to do but me. And really, you can't get much better, handsome." He tossed his hair and swaggered down the hall in a way that said he didn't think Kravitz would say no.

"Actually," Kravitz corrected. Taako paused with his hand on the doorknob, giving him an exasperated look. "I've got several crossword puzzles that are probably less forgettable than sex with you." This was one of the strangest encounters of his life.

There was a light thump as Taako leaned against the door with a snort of laughter. "Slow down there, handsome. I'm not gonna fuck you for five copper. Gonna need more of a dinner kind of situation first," he snickered.

Kravitz felt like his cheeks were on fire and he looked away in embarrassment. "My apologies," he said quietly, covering a cheek with one hand.

He glanced up in time to see the wink. "I'm not mad, babe, means your mind is on the right track. No one's gonna blame you for finding Taako hot," Taako teased.

"I do not -," Kravitz started, feeling as if his face was growing warmer. He wasn't some teenager tripping over his feet for a cute face. He stood up straighter.

The elf rolled his eyes. "Puh - lease. If it makes you feel better, homie, I kinda peppered every other sentence by calling you 'handsome'. C'mon, you wanna do this or am I goin' solo? Drunk Trivia Pursuit is a lot more fun with another person." He went inside the little dressing room, leaving the door open a crack.

Kravitz hesitated, then cautiously trailed into the unknown.

Chapter Text

Taako was already sitting on the couch by the time Kravitz opened the door. The elf looked mildly surprised, but then shrugged and held out a cheap beer. Kravitz was already regretting this choice. He grabbed the beer on his way to the opposite side of the couch, looking around. It was a tiny room with nothing special but the beer and some stolen food from the buffet table.

"I'm going to guess this isn't your dressing room," he commented, popping the beer open.

Taako laughed and shrugged. "If that's what you think, who am I to dissuade you, compadre?" He leaned back and kicked his feet onto the coffee table, scattering a pile of tabloids, taking a swig of the beer.

Kravitz laughed and tried not to make too much of a face when he took a sip of the beer. "Right," he said plainly. "The trivia pursuit?"

The elf's eyes widened and he took another sip of beer, then sat it down. "Oh yeah, that's sorta how I lured you in here," he laughed, then gave Kravitz the approximation of a reassuring look. Kravitz eyed Taako suspiciously; The elf had sounded almost nervous if Kravitz was any judge. "Well, get ready to be, uh, pursued by trivia, handsome." Taako grinned and pulled out his phone, holding up a finger for Kravitz to wait.

Kravitz was suddenly, one hundred percent, sure Taako had no idea how to play trivia pursuit. The door wasn't far away, even if it was now closed. He tapped a claw against the glass, but then turned his focus back to Taako. He still wanted to see how this played out. "Yes, I've never gotten to play before. I'm quite excited to learn," he smiled sweetly.

Taako looked back over, face dropping for a moment. "Well, well, well, well," his eyes quickly scanned over the words on the screen, he sounded as distracted as he looked, "You are in luck! You met an extremely attractive elf." He indicated himself vaguely. "And he, homie, he is going to teach you all about being chased by the trivial." Kravitz snorted and took another sip.

"You think very highly of yourself," he said pointedly. He relaxed against the couch, watching Taako's ears twitch.

The elf kept glancing over at Kravitz, then back at his phone. He scrunched up his face and then turned the phone off. "Yeah, well, handsome, I'm a high elf. Geez," Taako mumbled, sticking the phone back into his pocket. "Besides that," he turned to Kravitz, pulling his legs onto the couch, gesturing with both hands. "I'm Taako."

Kravitz couldn't decide if the elf was incredibly vain, expected him to know that name, or both. "You keep saying that," he mused. "So, the game?"

"Okay, right, so I gotta let you pick a category. I'll give you uh, trashy TV shows, music, or cooking," Taako held out his hand, three fingers up, like he was offering each of the categories.

Kravitz laughed again. "Music, please." He leaned forward and poked the middle finger. "You are aware of my day job," he smirked. Whatever obscure music questions the elf had couldn't stump Kravitz's inventory of songs and artists. Taako briefly flipped him off, dropping his hands into his lap.

He took another swig of his beer, pulling it away with a pop. "Alright, alright." He slapped the back of the couch. "Easy one. Country singer, born Eilleen Regina Edwards. Who?"

Kravitz groaned, holding his beer closer to himself. "You like country?" This had been a terrible idea, most definitely. "You listen to country?" He drank more of the beer, he'd need it to survive.

Taako waved his hands, almost splashing the beer. "Hey, hey, no judgement zone, Mr. Pompous Conductor Dude. It's easy and -." He fluttered his eyelashes at Kravitz. "Isn't this your day job?"

Kravitz sat the beer down and crossed his arms defiantly. "I have no idea, honestly. I'm thankful I don't, too," Kravitz rolled his eyes.

"Shania Twain, mother fucker," Taako grinned. "One point for Team Taako."

"What!" Kravitz shook his head incredulously; he felt like he should have known that one. He didn't like country, but she wasn't a rarity. "Alright," he huffed. "My turn. Music, literature, or," he paused, giving the elf a once-over, "languages?"

Taako leaned forward, setting his own beer down. "Ha! Languages, handsome; give it to me." His eyes lit up and he grinned at Kravitz.

Kravitz smirked and hissed in Infernal, "How many languages do you know?"

Taako blinked at Kravitz for a moment, seemed to realize he was staring, then looked away quickly. That was curious, but Kravitz let it go. "Uh," Taako counted out on his fingers, mumbling too quietly to himself for Kravitz to hear, "Ten, all told, bubala. Including Infernal. Kinda only learned it in a sorta scholarly way. Are you a native speaker, handsome?"

"I thought I'd have you stumped on that one," Kravitz laughed. "My baba didn't speak great Elvish, so we spoke Infernal." He exaggerated a sigh and plucked the beer back up from the table. "It seems like I'm losing, already. Maybe I'll do better with trashy TV."

Taako tapped a finger against his lips, thinking. "I'll throw you a bone. It's not trashy, but it is TV. Who hosts Sizzlin' It Up?" He grinned at Kravitz, puffing out his chest.

That show sounded familiar, but Kravitz could only remember it was a cooking show. If the elf was a chef, it made sense that he'd think it was ubiquitously well-known. "Ah," he hesitated; Taako deflated. "Draco?" Taako smacked a hand over his face. "Sorry, I don't really have time to cook. The fanciest my meals get are cereal," Kravitz mumbled, looking away in embarrassment. He knew it was a popular show, but he hadn't thought it was interesting enough to watch. "Who is it?" He put his beer back down.

He glanced back over at Taako who was waving his hand dismissively. Kravitz thought he looked embarrassed. "Uh, hah, I'll give you another question, handsome. Where was the little alien guy, The Great Gazoo from?"

Kravitz wondered about the shifting question, but he knew this one. "Wasn't he on The Flinstones?"

Taako snapped his fingers and pointed at Kravitz. "You got it! Alright, shoot, Holmes, what do you got in store for me?" He paused for a breath, "Wait, shit, I gotta pick a category. Alright, give me Disney for five hundred, Macallister. You're a musician, I bet it's a twenty-four hour Disney marathon for you, my man."

"It's just Kravitz," he corrected. "That wasn't one of the categories. I can't say I'm proficient in Disney movies." Kravitz averted his eyes, feeling a slight warmth in his cheeks. He tapped his claws against the beer bottle in front of him and scratched the side of his nose with his other hand.

Taako crossed his arms, clucking his tongue disapprovingly. "You're lying to both of us, Kravitz, and gods damn you are a cute liar. How many times did you watch Frozen when it came out?"

Kravitz threw up his hands. "For having an eight year old daughter, it wasn't that many," he sighed, keeping his eyes averted. Taako was charming, but he was probably looking for a fling. Usually, Kravitz only needed to say he had a kid for that to be the awkward wrap-up of many dates.

"Oh, oh," Taako said cautiously. This was what Kravitz had hoped for. "Did I totally read this wrong, are you married? Or not into -?" He cut himself off.

Kravitz snapped his eyes back to Taako, holding up his hands defensively, not sure why he was so flustered. "Ah, uhm - No, it's -. I'm not married. It's sorta -. Religious schools are great about abstinence, but not free condoms," he laughed nervously. He reminded himself this wasn't a first date where he had to worry about scaring someone off. No, he didn't really date anymore. After the first couple times Mac had met someone he was dating, she'd been sorely disappointed when it hadn't worked out. Since she occupied a large portion of his time, it'd been hard to regularly date someone without Mac being around them, too.

More than that, this was nothing more than finding something interesting to do with his night. There was no reason to get his hopes up that this would lead anywhere.

Taako seemed to relax, looking Kravitz over. "So how many times did you make your poor daughter watch Frozen, hot shot?"

Kravitz's hands fluttered in front of himself. "We can trade off the lines of 'Do You Wanna Build a Snowman'," he finally admitted.

The elf let out a bark of laughter. "That's fuckin' adorable, handsome. I'm still mad I couldn't get Angles into it, but it was fine because I got my sister into it and lil Agnes just had to suffer us," he snickered.

Kravitz blinked, feeling like he'd missed something. "Angles?"

"Oh," Taako started, shifting on the couch. "Angus, really. My sister and I kinda adopted him. Cute kid, real smart. He's like ten and wants to be Sherlock fuckin' Holmes." Taako smiled, looking away slightly. His expression had softened as he talked and Kravitz couldn't help but stare. He caught himself and looked at his hands.

Oh no, Kravitz thought.

"Ah, Mac wants to be either a pirate or a firefighter, depending on her mood," he laughed softly, taking a deep breath. "What was the cat in Cinderella named?"

Taako sat up straighter. "Oh yeah, we were playin' a game. Fuck. My dude, who fuckin' knows that?" He gave Kravitz an exaggerated glare.

Kravitz chuckled and picked up the beer, taking another drink. "Well, I do because I have to explain to everyone why I let my daughter name a cat Lucifer."

The elf laughed and finished off his beer. "Probably makes for some awkward dinner parties. 'Oh, don't mind Lucifer, he's a sweet heart really.'", he snorted. Kravitz guffawed, covering his mouth. Taako stood up to throw the empty glass in the trash and scooped up another one on his way back to the couch. He sat closer to Kravitz, but with a sofa so small, Kravitz wondered if he was simply imagining it or if it was accidental. Taako twisted the top off the new beer. "Okay, shoot, my man, give me your poison."

Kravitz considered the category carefully. "Literature."

Taako whistled, letting his head fall onto the back of the couch. "The fancy shit from college or are we talkin' erotic, my dude?" Kravitz shot him a flat look. "Right, the real proper stuff, then." Taako gave a deep sigh. Then, he rolled his head and to look at Kravitz, giving another deep sigh. Kravitz's lips twitched, but he tried not to smile. "Favorite euphemism for dick, go."

Kravitz cracked, setting his beer down as he leaned over, laughing. "That's not even a question!"

"Yeah, well it is cause I'm askin'. Alright, if it's somethin' I, the great trash connoisseur, Taako, have never heard of, you'll get your point, buckaroo," he smirked. "You got three tries." He held up three fingers.

Kravitz paused, composing himself. He glanced at Taako, then away. "Was that -," he paused, "Was that a Chuck Tingle reference?"

Taako sat up, snapping his fingers at Kravitz and leaning closer. "Hah! I knew I'd catch you with that! You read just as much as I do, so spill and answer the question," he snickered.

Kravitz held up his hands, not even trying to hold back the laughter. "You caught me." He lowered his hands as he considered, realizing slowly that Taako hadn't leaned back. "Crotch cannon."

Taako laughed and shook his head, putting down one finger. "Gotta have somethin' more creative up your sleeves than that, handsome. C'mon, you have very nice sleeves."

"Gleaming love sword," Kravitz tried. Taako just put down the second finger, grinning. Kravitz wasn't sure how much he wanted to reveal about himself, but he also wanted to win. His eyes slid back to the coffee table. "Deep-veined purple-helmeted spartan of love."

Taako choked on his beer, managing to swallow it, but wheezing and beating himself on the chest. Kravitz turned in concern, hands fluttering near Taako's shoulders. "Fuck!" Taako howled with laughter, leaning against the couch, snorting as he tried to calm down. He leaned forward again, covering his mouth with both hands. Kravitz dropped his hands back into his lap, the corners of his lips twitching.

"I would have waited until you finished your drink, I apologize," Kravitz said quickly. Taako waved his concern off breathlessly, taking deep gasps of air.

When he'd finally managed to regain his breath, he turned back to Kravitz. "Okay, so next category, handsome," he grinned; Kravitz wondered at the gleam. "Phone numbers of very attractive musicians sitting in this very room."

Kravitz's lips parted briefly in surprise. He flicked his gaze between the coffee table and Taako. "I -," he paused and saw some of Taako's excitement start to deflate. This had been fun, something he'd sorely been lacking for a while beyond work and home. Kravitz licked his lips and took out his phone. He unlocked it, pulled up a new contact, and handed it over. Taako grinned and entered the information, then passed the phone back to Kravitz after a small ping. Taako dug his phone out and shot Kravitz a text before Kravitz could put it away.

He glanced down at the text from 'Draco, The Hot Elf Chef', which read, "Free on Saturday?"

"Why did you put in 'Draco'?" Kravitz looked back up, turning the screen off.

Taako snickered and shrugged. "Listen, don't worry about it. You know it's me and that's all that you need."

Kravitz laughed softly and tucked his phone away. "I'm done after six? On Saturday, I mean."

Taako stood up, beaming down at him. "It's a date, handsome."

Chapter Text

The alarm blaring across the room wasn't exactly enough of a motivation to convince Taako to move from his fortress of pillows. "C'mon, Taako! We have to make enough pancakes to feed the army that is Magnus and Merle!" Lup calling through the door, however, was. He groaned loudly so she would hear how difficult being awake was. Then, he wiggled out of the comfortable warmth, scooping his phone up somewhere under a pillow and turning off the alarm. Taako stretched, groaning, as he went through his notifications.

Past the logs that stretched on about country music until three in the morning, there was a text from Kravitz from seven-thirty on the nose. It read, "Good morning." It gave him a stupid giddy feeling he tamped down by trying his damnedest not to smile.

The time was now hovering closer to eight-thirty, so he text back, "Mornin', handsome. Sleep well?" The composer had been more than attentive about texting throughout the day. Taako had been worried the upcoming date was one of pity or posterity, but the texting had whittled away his concerns. A text so early in the morning meant Taako was interesting enough to be one of the first things on his mind.

Taako sat the phone down on his dresser and tried to pull himself and his hair into some semblance of order. Family breakfast days meant church days. While Taako wasn't a follower of Pan, it felt rude not to at least browse Twitter during Merle's sermons.

Another ping from his phone as he pulled on a classy yellow skirt. "Like a rock after you let me sleep. You?" Taako smirked. They'd stayed up late debating the point of country music until Taako had started to nod off.

He typed out the text quickly, smiling to himself about the reaction he knew he'd garner. "Fine after going to bed with a clear conscious about country music. I think I might listen to some, 'She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy' this morning."

The text back was immediate. "Don't you like yourself? Hold on." Taako snickered, pulling his hair into a bun. Another ping with a YouTube link. He eyed the name, 'Love Theme - 2016 Version by Ennio Morricone', then clicked. It was a soft and sweet song.

He bit the inside of his cheek and leaned back, typing out his challenge, "Exactly what I'd expect from you at this point. Do you have anything that'll actually wake me up or is it back to tractors?"

No preamble this time, simply another link. 'Quentin Sirjacq - Aquarius (Official Music Video)'. He did a little twirl when he got up to grab a fake flower to clip into his hair along with the song. Then, he started doing his make-up. It was interrupted by another ping. He clicked the link when the song came to an end, surprised to actually have lyrics, 'stray italian greyhound - vienna teng // lyrics'.

"Better. Cute song. Send me what you're listening to," he sent back. Taako touched the replay button on the last song, listening to the lyrics closely. He wondered how much he should read into the lyrics or if it was only a product of Kravitz's clearly sappy tastes mixed with an upbeat, morning kind of melody and sharp violin accents. It seemed a bit too soon for Taako to be a sudden burst of sunlight. He snorted, smiling at himself in the mirror, then frowning. Maybe it was a better day for orange eye shadow, not yellow, he thought. Not because an itching sense of dramatic irony had occurred, but simply because orange was a nice color.

He touched the replay button for the second time. Well, Taako had been lucky to get that date on Saturday. Was that the 'no' that had become a 'maybe'?

Taako's foot tapped anxiously on the ground. He pressed replay for the third time. At least, it was a good song. Kravitz couldn't possibly feel this way. Taako suddenly wasn't sure if that sort of disappointed him or made him sort of relieved. There was another ping on his phone. He grabbed it, catching a bottle of nail polish he disturbed before it could hit the floor, looking at the next link as he blindly placed the polish down somewhere. This time there was a little message, "You won't like it, but here you go. It just came on." Taako clicked the link without looking, fully expected some fancy Beethoven action. He blinked down at it when it started, 'The Family Crest - "Beneath the Brine"'.

It was a terribly weepy, sweeping piece that caught him a little by surprise. "Kinda dark for the cruel touch of mornin', Dracula," he returned. He was touching up his lipstick when there was a tiny knock at his door. "Open it up, I'm already gorgeous," he called back.

Angus's little face poked in past the crack in the door. He paused, listening to the music with a curious head tilt. Taako switched it off with a nervous titter. "Taako, Julia and Magnus are already here," Angus warned. Taako let out an exasperated sigh and closed his vanity drawer.

"Alright, alright, I'm comin' Angles," he stood up as Angus stepped back from the door. Taako ruffled his hair as he passed, grabbing his phone on the way out the door and sticking it in a skirt pocket. "Hop on down and put out the plates, yeah?"

Angus nodded and hurried downstairs to the dining room. There was already chatter and clinking glasses. Taako veered into the kitchen where Lup had already made a huge pile of pancakes. She glanced back at Taako before leaning back over the stove. "Oh, look, it's Taako the famous TV chef," she said with mock awe. "Here to clean the dishes since he took too long putting on mascara."

Taako grabbed an apron and put it on, slipping on some rubber gloves while he went over to the sink. "Yeah, well, what's the point of being on TV if I don't look good?"

Lup guffawed, flipping a pancake. She paused, then looked him over briefly. "Wait a minimum, Taako, is that my skirt? I spent all mornin' lookin' for it," she glared and pointed the spatula accusingly at him.

"Hah!" Taako started the water, washing out the bowls she'd used to mix the pancakes. "It was mine first, then you stole it, and now it's mine again, sis. Besides -." He cut himself off as he heard a ping from his pocket. He quickly stopped the water and took a glove off, scanning the text.

"It gets me going well enough. Mac and I are on our way out. She wanted to take a picture, so she 'borrowed' my phone." Taako bit his lip to hold back a smile as the picture came in. It was the first time Kravitz had sent a picture; it was a poorly angled blurry photo of him sitting on a garden bench. His lips were pursed like he was whistling. His head was turned towards the bluebird alight on the finger of his outstretched arm. His outfit was somehow even fancier than the one he'd worn to the charity ball. Taako wondered if this was the outtake for a movie rather than, apparently, a candid photo taken by an eight year old. If Kravitz wasn't so utterly sincere, he would think he was being lied to. It was -.

"Adorable," said a voice behind him. Taako jumped and barely grabbed his phone in time to save it from a watery grave in the sink. Lup snorted and pulled out the bottle of syrup from the cabinet above him. "So, who's the new boy?" She was trying to sound casual, but he could feel the curiosity rolling off her. "I asked you for that syrup like three times while you were starin' at your phone all," she paused, searching for the word, "doey-eyed."

Taako felt his face heating up. He sent back a quick text of, "How'd you get a bird to land on you? Cute," before tucking his phone away. He shrugged casually, trying to look disaffected. "I wasn't doey-eyed, sis. It's just, yanno, cute."

"Hoo boy," she whistled, picking up the plate of pancakes. Taako turned back to the sink and scrubbed the dishes as quickly as he could. "Been a while since you used the 'c' word. How many dates have you been hidin' from me, Taako?"

Taako rolled his eyes as he haphazardly put plates on the drying rack. "It's fine. You saw the picture; he's drop dead fine, homie. He's a musician, so -."

"So he's a romantic," she summarized, pausing at the door and turning back to Taako as he ripped the gloves and apron off. "He's lookin' for long-term, Taako. Sure you can deliver?" Taako scooped up the bottles of syrup and made his way over to her.

He stood next to her, crossing his arms. "Look, we met at a party, slingin' insults at each other and I lured him to a dressing room with trivia pursuit."

She laughed and shook her head incredulously. "You what?"

Taako waved his hand dismissively, tilting his head back slightly so he could look down his nose at her. "It's for fun, not profit, sis. Also not your business," he said pointedly.

Lup snorted, rolling her eyes, and pushed the door open with her hip, heading into the dining room. "You make every guy you date my biz, Taako. Startin' early with this one is all."

A small cheer went up at the table as Lup sat out the pancakes. Taako sat the bottles of syrup down. Magnus scooped three pancakes off the top and sat them on his own plate. "Talking about boys this early? Truly scandalous, you two," he teased, pouring a generous amount of syrup onto his plate.

"Oh-ho," Julia jeered, swiping two pancakes for herself.

Taako plopped down next to Angus, who grabbed his own pancake. "It's nothin', thug," he pointed a glare at Magnus.

Lup grinned and zipped her fingers across her lips, winking at Taako as she sat on his other side. Merle grabbed three of his own pancakes. Taako gave Lup a thumb's up. "Well, I don't think it's a big deal to talk about dating at any time. Enjoy the fruits of life," Merle laughed, spreading his hands in front of himself. "That's why we're here." He paused for a moment, glancing between Taako and Lup. "Is he really cute? Do I know him?"

Taako groaned as Lup laughed. He gave Merle an exasperated look. "No, Merle, you wouldn't know him. He's like, a super hot and famous composer," he relented. This much food for their curiosity would keep them off his back.

"You didn't say he was famous," Lup exclaimed. She gave him a look of mock betrayal.

Merle waved his hands, protesting, "Hey, I know plenty of people! Some of them are famous. You're famous. C'mon, what's his name? You gotta tell us now, Taako."

Magnus leaned forward, opening his mouth. Julia giggled, but gave Taako a sympathetic look. "If he doesn't want to tell us, he doesn't have to," she soothed. Magnus smiled at her guiltily, sitting back.

"We haven't even been on a single date, my people. His name is Kravitz and that's all I'm giving you," Taako challenged them all with a glare.

Merle stared like that name sparked recognition, swallowing a mouthful of pancake. "Wait, like the Kravitzs who own the temple? But Macon Kravitz is married. Oh! You must be talkin' about little Kravitz. What was his name? Alli? See, I do know him! I guess he wouldn't be so little anymore. Yeah, I heard he had some trouble a few years back. Enough that the gossip filtered up from The Downstairs," he leaned forward, nodding solemnly.

Taako glanced at Merle, "The Downstairs has a sermon at nine thirty, too, right?" He'd never been to The Downstairs, it'd been a tad too on the side of scary. It was superstitious, but Taako wasn't sure how he felt walking into the domain of death. If Kravitz's family was in charge, it couldn't be half-bad.

Merle gave him a flat look. "Are you skippin' my sermon to spy on some guy?"

"No-o," Taako said slowly. It hadn't occurred to him that Kravitz might be there. He only wanted to do a little snooping, then leave. "I've always been interested in, uh, death. You've always encouraged us to take a, uh, active role in our faith. Maybe I should try out another god today, huh?" He grinned, leaning an elbow on the table.

Angus sat up in his chair. "Me too!" Taako opened his mouth to object, but stopped short when he realized the kid might actually be interested in trying out another god.

Eugh, this had been a bad idea, he thought, but he was really curious.

Merle threw up his hands. "Do whatever you want! It'd just be nice if sometimes you two," he pointed at Lup and Taako, "remembered that poor Merle is your selfless, loving, technically dad." He sniffed, dabbing at each eye theatrically.

Lup glared at Merle, holding up her hands defensively. "What did I do?"

The rest of breakfast diverged into the weekly game of catch up. They piled their dishes into the sink and made their way to the temple. Taako and Angus broke from the small congregation heading up the steps to the temple, making their way around the side. Taako stood in front of the crypt door nervously.

Taako stared at the symbols on the door, eyeing the lamp. "This is where people go in. Probably. Looks pretty solid." He knocked on the stone slab.

A raven cawed from atop the crypt, ruffling its feathers. Taako looked up at it suspiciously. Angus approached the stone wall, examining it. Then carefully touched the raven skull in the center. The door slid back, then disappeared. Angus grinned and gestured at the door. "It looked a lot more worn, so it seemed like the answer," he explained.

"That's my boy," Taako praised, giving him a pat on the shoulder. Angus looked down at his shoes, smiling broadly.

They descended into the crypt, sconces lighting their path. Neither of them had ever been to The Downstairs. While the temple above it was non-denominational and rotated priests of many religions in every time slot, this was only dedicated to The Raven Queen. Taako had thought the name Kravitz sounded familiar, but hadn't realized it could mean the family who owned the property. It was a solemn and long descent that hushed both of them.

Taako shivered in the cold, eyes darting between the stacks of skulls, to the shadowy, moving paintings on the ceiling. The pews were about half-full and Taako felt like he and Angus were suddenly under-dressed. This was like stepping back in time or going to a fancy goth convention. Both made his yellow skirt feel distinctly out of place. This temple felt all at once far too big and like every corner was pressing down on his skin. Goosebumps shuddered up his arms, his ears twitching up in alarm. Angus hid against his side. Taako almost screamed when someone touched his shoulder.

Kravitz - no - the priest paused, looking apologetic. He retracted his hand and clasped his hands in front of himself, giving a slight bow. Taako squinted at the man, taking a deep breath and putting a hand over his own heart. "I didn't mean to startle you, you two seem a little lost. We're about to begin a sermon. If you're seeking funerary services, I can help you afterwards," his voice was a warm and comforting whisper, with a heavy accent. The resemblance was uncanny, but the eyes were solid black like a tiefling.

"Oh, we're here for the sermon, sir," Angus squeaked, grabbing a fistful of Taako's skirts and edging behind the elf. Upon further scrutiny, the priest was definitely older, with streaks of white through his curls.

The priest clasped his hands and smiled brightly. No sharp teeth or claws like Taako had been expecting. "I'm glad to hear that. We'll begin soon; feel free to sit anywhere you'd like." He gestured to the pews and Taako stepped forward, out of the way. Taako was going to guess that was Kravitz's baba.

Angus kept a death grip on his skirt. "This place is a little scary, huh, Ango?" Taako looked down at the boy, who nodded slowly. "Where do you want to sit?" Angus pointed to the pew farthest to the back. Taako held back a laugh and headed over. He plopped down and leaned against the wooden arm nearest the aisle. Angus sat next to him shakily, staring at a skull lined under the pew in front of them. The boy leaned forward, tracing the gleam of some markings.

Taako turned his head when he heard a little girl giggle. That was the kind of thing that marked a horror movie. Kravitz met Taako's eyes as he started down the aisle, holding his daughter's hand; he paused, blinking. Taako wished he could sink underneath the bench. He should have known Kravitz would be here as soon as he saw that priest.

Kravitz looked between Mac and Angus, who was leaning forward to see around Taako. "Taako?" Taako tittered nervously, then smacked a hand over his mouth when he realized it was a bit too loud.

He lowered his hand slowly, giving a lazy, awkward wave. "Uh, hey there, homie," Taako said quietly, feeling like he had to whisper. "Angles and I are, uhm, here on religious exploration. Fancy meeting you here, huh?" He grinned, doing his best to sell the excuse.

Mac looked looked between them curiously, then at Angus even more curiously. Kravitz let go of Mac's hand, stepping closer, the little girl following behind him. "Oh. They have services upstairs, too. Ah," he paused, a forked tongue poking out as he licked his lips. Taako wondered if that was a tiefling thing. "Not that you can't stay here," Kravitz corrected quickly, hands straightening his tie. He glanced down at himself and brushed off the front of his jacket. Taako felt an involuntary smile cross his face. It was good for the ego to have such a handsome guy tripping over himself just by turning an eye on him. "You could - you could join us at the front, if you'd like. We sit at the front," Kravitz smiled at Taako awkwardly, flashing sharp teeth.

"We can see geddo better up there," Mac chirped, smiling up at Taako earnestly. She turned a smile on Angus. "Sometimes the ravens try to sit on us, too!" Angus smiled back at her, shoulders still up defensively.

Taako leaned forward, smiling down at her. "Because your grandpa is the priest. Then I guess we'll have to sit up there, button," he said reassuringly. He turned his head to look at Angus. "You cool with that, pumpkin?" Angus nodded slowly, looking between Taako and Kravitz, gears turning in his head.

Yeah, Taako didn't need the kid trying to solve the mystery of his love life, or lack thereof. He stood up and stood next to Kravitz. Angus joined him, still staying close to Taako. After a beat of awkward silence, Taako glanced down the aisle. "Well, handso - my dude, lead the way," he said with a gesture towards the front of the temple. No, he did not want Angus thinking too much about this. This was already far too awkward.

Kravitz patted his front with a start, pulling out an honest-to-gods pocket watch to check the time. Taako didn't know if he should be impressed by the commitment to a look or point and laugh. "Oh, yes, right," he laughed, tugging on an ear and taking Mac's hand. He slipped the watch back into his side pocket and started down the aisle. "Ah, you didn't strike me as a church type," Kravitz remarked politely to Taako.

"You didn't strike me as one either, but here we are, my man," Taako shot back with half-smirk. "In the domain of death."

"We go to Merle's sermon every week, sir," Angus added nervously at his side. Taako gave him a betrayed look and Angus looked back, adjusting his glasses.

A look of recognition dawned on Kravitz's face. "Bishop Merle leads Pan's congregation, if I recall," he smiled. Something else seemed to occur to him. "He also does services at the orphanage, right?" He glanced between Angus and Taako surreptitiously, but Taako caught the look.

Right, Taako had told him he'd sort of picked up the boy detective. "Yeah, you got it, compadre. So, tell me about what this is going to be like," Taako threw out casually, changing the subject quickly.

Kravitz paused in front of one of the pews. Mac let go of his hand and ran over to an elven woman with a great cloud of hair. "Nena!" The elven woman stood, swinging her up into her arms like the little girl weighed nothing.

Taako wasn't sure how he felt about, apparently, meeting the whole family. A few other faces looked at Angus and Taako curiously. Kravitz went over to the woman. "Good morning, mama," he greeted brightly.

"Good morning, Allister," the woman greeted in a cheery tone that didn't fear the oppressive darkness of the temple. Taako realized she was the first one not to whisper. She sat back down on the pew, pulling Mac into her lap.

Glancing around, Taako didn't feel so bad about his choice in clothing. One guy was chilling back in jeans in a t-shirt. He relaxed by the slightest degree. "Ah," Kravitz interrupted Taako's thoughts. Taako realized he was being stared at and he straightened up, giving a little wave. It was time to turn on the old Taako charm. "This is a, ah, frie- acquaint-, er," Kravitz stumbled over the words awkwardly. Taako bit down on his cheek and forced himself not to laugh. "This is Taako, and his son, Angus."

A half-elf woman leaned over to whisper something to a halfling woman that made her giggle. They both gave Taako a sly look. Taako patted Angus on the head. "Yeah, I guess, technically. Nice to meet you," he waved. Angus edged out from behind his skirt.

"It's nice to meet you, too, Taako. I'm Allister's mother, Riardon," the elf woman returned.

The guy in the blue jeans waved and winked at Taako. "Been a while since that guy's brought anyone. I'm Barry. Barry Bluejeans, nice to meet ya," he waved. Taako turned his head in time to see Kravitz direct a grimace and head shake at Barry. He realized Taako was looking and coughed, straightening his tie.

The half-elf woman grinned. "I'm Sloane, this is my girlfriend, Hurley." The halfling gave a wave. "Lucretia won't say it, so that's Lucretia," she waved to a human sitting on Riardon's other side. The woman gave a shy wave back.

Taako was more than sure he'd forget all these names, so he smiled and nodded at them all blankly. He also wasn't ready for the express train to small-talk town. "Great! So, where am I sitting, handsome?" He turned to Kravitz, then winced when he realized the name had slipped. It was clear that Kravitz didn't want to let on that they were in flirting stage zero.

Kravitz's eyes widened and he looked anywhere but Taako's face. There were multiple snickers behind Taako. "Ah, you can sit by me, and ah, hm," he mumbled, clearly flustered. He sat down quickly next to his mother. Taako sat next to him stiffly, and Angus occupied the space between Taako and Sloane.

Taako didn't think this could get worse. Luckily, the priest approached the altar and relieved him of his obligation to make chit-chat. Unfortunately, sitting at the front and next to people who actually seemed to care about the sermon meant he couldn't play on his phone.

He kept zoning out, but got the idea it was about accepting death. Which seemed like an impossibly dark topic to willingly listen to each week. At least, Taako thought, he wouldn't have to worry about learning to accept such a dark religion considering he had definitely lost any chance he had with Kravitz. Taako glanced down at Angus, whose eyes were fixed on the front, absolutely riveted.

Taako really hoped he wouldn't have to keep taking the kid down here each week. He wondered if he couldn't somehow pawn it off on Lup or bribe Carey and Killian to start spending their Wednesdays in a crypt. Taako was willing to bankrupt himself rather than sit, each week, a few feet away from his ruined dating prospects. He rubbed his temple as he felt a sudden headache.

Kravitz caught his eye, looking at him with concern. He whispered low enough so only Taako could hear, "Are you alright?"

Maybe this could get Taako a break until the service was over. "Feeling a little unwell," he murmured back.

Kravitz nodded in understanding and stood, glancing down at Taako. Taako hadn't been expecting this, but stood, hoping to minimize the embarrassment. Kravitz led him off to the side and to the back, opening another stone slab with a gesture. He ushered Taako into the back as sconces lit themselves. The door shut behind him and Taako felt the magic tingle along his fingertips. This area was as drab and shadowy as the temple. There were less carvings here, purely functional. He took a step away from nook carved into the wall, absolutely filled with humanoid bones.

"You can talk as loud as you want back here," Kravitz commented as he hurried towards one of the back rooms. "It's all sound proof. Is it a headache or -?" He cut himself off, turning to check on Taako.

Taako let out a breath of air. "Well, that's nice. What is this place? And it's a headache, my man."

Kravitz disappeared behind a door. He returned a moment later with a bottle of aspirin and a glass of water. Taako took it with a smile, this was way too damn sweet. "Ah, this is where visiting priests stay. We also keep a few odds and ends back here. Mostly, ah, mortician supplies," he laughed nervously. "Sorry, about my friends. They read far too much into everything. I mean, you could have just been some random new person interested in Our Lady." He shrugged, hands waving around widely.

"I don't think you're quite as smooth as you wanna be, handsome. You should have invested in a neon sign that said 'We're going on a date' if you wanted to be more subtle," Taako snickered. Kravitz drew in a breath of air and looked surprised. Taako downed an aspirin with a smile, then handed the bottle and empty glass back to Kravitz. "Thanks for that. It's real sweet and stuff." He paused as Kravitz went to put it away, biting his lip. "So-o," he started. "I'd kinda understand if this was a deal-breaker for Saturday."

"Wait," Kravitz poked his head from the doorway. "I mean, this hasn't - I'm still interested." He stopped, stepping back into the hallway. "In - in Saturday, I mean. Of course. If you are." The little hopeful lilt of his voice made Taako laugh.

Taako tried not to look too eager that apparently he hadn't ruined all his chances. "I dunno, homie," he teased. "You being extremely nice and understanding just isn't doing it for me. Weird how that works."

Kravitz laughed, relaxing by degrees. "Ah, so it was being critical of your musical tastes that was working for me," he grinned. "What kind of TV do you like? I'm sure that'll get me back into your good graces." He leaned forward, flashing those sharp teeth at Taako again, and clasping his hands behind his back. "We've already been on the topic of your fashion."

Taako guffawed, covering his face to stop a snort. "That outfit was seriously worth hundreds of dollars, handsome," he snickered. "And you demolished it in a single comment. Oh, and by running into me. no big deal."

"Right, right," Kravitz laughed. "Ah, though, if we could -." He paused and looked away. "Mac gets attached to people easily. I don't want her to be disappointed, if -." His brows knit together in concern.

Woof, Taako thought. They hadn't even gone on a date and the guy was already preparing for things to be over. Taako blinked looking away and down. Right, Kravitz was a Real Dad who was looking out for his daughter. Which made relationships infinitely more complicated. "Y-yeah, sure, dude. Probably the same for Angus. Listen, I get it. I hear it and have delivered it to myself. You'll have no problem from Taako, my man." He grinned wider, turning his eyes back on Kravitz and pointing at himself. Kravitz looked relieved, scratching the side of his nose. "You never answered about the bird thing," Taako remembered suddenly.

Kravitz blinked, then put on a look of 'Oh' and pulled out his phone, glancing over the text. "The bird thing is complicated. I'm sure you've noticed the -," he gestured to himself. Taako wasn't entirely sure what he was referring to. "At some point up the family tree, there's sirens or harpies or both. It depends on who you ask. We don't drag sailors to their watery graves. Birds seem to like us, though," he explained. Then, he laughed, crossing his arms. "We also have a bit of a thing for music."

That was odd, but only in that Taako had never heard of it before. "I have a lot more questions now, feathers, but doesn't seem to be the time," he smirked. The thought suddenly crossed his mind that he was talking to an actual Disney prince and he wasn't sure what to think about that. At least it cost less than going to Disneyland.

"You're right. We should probably get back to the temple before someone thinks we're up to something," Kravitz nodded at the door behind Taako pointedly. Taako had hoped to skip out on the rest of the sermon, but that didn't seem to be an option.

Taako laughed and they went back to the pew. It would be a little more tolerable knowing where they stood.

When the service was over, Taako said some swift goodbyes and tugged Angus away from the altar before the awkward questions could start. Angus chattered excitedly by his side, "Taako, sir, did you see! It was a puzzle on the side of the table. I think it was a map of the temple! But they were all, sorta, sir, layered on top of each other and if you looked at it differently, it was a different map. That's so cool."

"So that's what had your attention the whole time," Taako replied as they reached the top. The stone slid back for them automatically.

Angus grinned sheepishly as they both blinked into the light. "Sorry, sir. I know you were trying to impress your boyfriend by paying attention," he replied apologetically.

Taako stopped in his track, putting his hands up in a timeout sign. "Woah, woah, woah, slow the Anglo train there, bucko. Not my boyfriend," he punctuated his sentence by jabbing at the air with a hand.

Angus giggled. "Oh, sir, I'm old enough to understand romance! The newest Caleb Cleveland had a kissing scene. I know love when I see it, sir. Especially from your boyfriend, it's very obvious," he said reassuringly, reaching up to pat Taako's arm.

Taako froze, feeling like everything was moving far too fast. Love at first sight was dumb and he really hoped Kravitz - Oh, he thought. "You're fucking with me, aren't you?" Taako leveled a gaze at the kid, who burst out laughing. "Well, good thing I heard they canceled the new Caleb Cleveland movie. It won't give you anymore bad ideas," he smirked.

Angus rolled his eyes. "You'll have to do better than that, sir," he said simply.

Taako grinned, shrugging. "Guess I won't bring you on the set with me when I cater for the author," he sighed deeply.

Angus sucked in a breath, grabbing Taako's hand. "Please don't joke with me about this, sir! It's very important," he gave Taako big puppy eyes.

Taako looked away, plucking an imaginary hair off his blouse. "I pulled some strings. It's not for another month, peanut, and you gotta be on your best behavior for Lup, alright? No running off to find the neighbor's cat and getting stuck in a tree. You scared the shit outta her the other day." He hadn't meant to get so serious, but Lup had left this talk up to him and it seemed a good a time as any.

"Best behavior, sir," Angus chirped, standing up straighter and hugging Taako around the middle. "Won't leave the shop unless she asks!" Taako wasn't sure how seriously the kid took his talk, but at least he was excited. He gave Angus a little pat on his head and they sat on the steps of the temple to wait for Merle to finish rambling about onions.

In the quiet moment, Taako realized that this hadn't been such a terrible idea to change things up a little. Actually, as Angus held out his notebook to show Taako his sketches of the missing cat, Taako decided it had been a fantastic idea.

Chapter Text

The babysitter was late, because of course she was. Kravitz answered the door for her as soon as she rang the doorbell. She hurried inside and Kravitz scooped Mac into a hug, rushing into the garage with his keys. While he could have taken the car, he knew he’d be stuck in traffic before too long.

Well, this was the first date in close to four years. It didn’t need to be the only change.

There were few parking spots left when he finally managed to get to the address Taako had given him. He wedged the motorcycle into a small spot that probably wasn’t really meant to be parked in. Kravitz pulled the helmet off and stashed it under the seat, checking his phone for the time. He had one missed call and three texts from Taako. It was fifteen minutes past seven. He fussed with his hair on the way in, but eventually gave up on it being orderly. The Chug n’ Squeeze occupied the corner of a small strip mall. A flower shop with its neon ‘Open’ sign still on in the window caught his attention as he rushed past, if only for the novelty of it being open late.

The exterior of the building was bland with an air of a corporate chain. When Kravitz finally swung past the glass door, he found the place to be surprisingly cozy on the inside. Like most shops in the Moon District, it looked like the furniture had been assembled through Fantasy Goodwill. It didn’t escape him that each station only had two seats, with a table between. Each table even had a candle and sprinkling of plastic rose petals. He shifted uncomfortably and hung his jacket on a rack, searching for Taako.

He paused when he finally picked the elf out in one of the dimly lit corners. Taako was swirling his wine glass, glancing between his phone and a clock on the wall. Kravitz backed out of the door and stepped into the flower shop. He grabbed one of the pre-made bouquets, tipping generously, and hurried back into the pottery place. This would have to do by way of apology.

Kravitz plastered on a charming smile and approached his date. Taako started when he noticed Kravitz, then smiled broadly. His eyes dropped to the bouquet, expression faltering. “You’re late, compadre. I was about to leave,” he said by way of greeting, eyeing the roses suspiciously.

“I’m sorry,” Kravitz murmured, offering the bouquet. Taako took it, holding it between both hands awkwardly.

He glanced between the roses and Kravitz before finally settling his gaze to the roses, touching the petals delicately. Kravitz was starting to worry the flowers had been too much until a small smile slipped across Taako’s face. “Oh shit,” he muttered, ears twitching.

That sounded like something that Taako was saying to himself. Kravitz scratched the side of his nose and sat down. “I should have text you before I left. The babysitter was late. I’m usually a very punctual person,” he said sheepishly.

Taako glanced around, then sat the flowers down on the table behind them, carefully avoiding the candle. “I mean, I guess it’s fine. I own a phone, homie. Wasn’t like I was staring at the time and wondering what kind of guy would pass on an opportunity with Taako,” he grinned. Kravitz wondered how much of that was true. It seemed best not to call the bluff. “Listen, it gave me plenty of time to get us set up to make a couple of sweet ass vases, handsome. I also may have already thrown back like three glasses of wine.” Taako wagged a finger at Kravitz. “‘S good shit, too. You’re missin’ out.”

Kravitz chuckled, picking up the empty glass and pouring wine for himself. “Are you sure you’re going to be quite alright, Taako? Three glasses is a lot for fifteen minutes.” It probably wasn’t exactly his place, but he didn’t want Taako to hide if he wasn’t feeling well.

Taako averted his eyes and tittered nervously. “Yeah, fifteen minutes,” he said plainly, setting his wine glass aside and starting the potter’s wheel. He dipped his hands in the water bowl. “Yanno, you strike me as the kind of guy who shows up to things early, handsome.”

The subject change was a hint enough for Kravitz. He glanced down at his own hunk of clay, realizing he had no idea how to do pottery. He set aside the wine glass and rolled up his sleeves. Taako seemed to know what he was doing, so Kravitz turned to watch him while speaking, “Yes, the babysitter was an hour late. She said there was some family trouble. However, your judgement hasn’t appeared to be completely accurate so far. I didn’t strike you as the religious type, either.”

Taako laughed, starting to shape his clay into something that looked vaguely like a vase. Kravitz clumsily adjusted himself so he had his foot on the petal, easing it down slowly. “Yeah, you’re like the preacher's son, feathers,” Taako smirked. “Scandalous for such a nice boy to sling insults at a poor, innocent elf he nearly ran over.”

Kravitz snorted, trying to get the clay into any sort of coherent shape. “It’s not only because my family has run the temple for generations,” he commented, distracted by getting the potter’s wheel the right speed.

By Kravitz’s estimation, this was effortless for Taako. The elf stopped his wheel and laughed at Kravitz. “Then why do you go?”

Kravitz had forgotten what he’d said earlier, stopping the wheel so he could recall the conversation. “Oh, to sermons?” He turned his attention on Taako, who was swirling his smudged glass and looking amused. Taako nodded, smirking down at Kravitz’s misshapen lump of clay. Kravitz considered his various avenues for telling this story; it was one he told rarely. “Ah, do you know Bloody Raven?”

Taako blinked, taking another sip of wine before he set the glass aside. “Like that thing with the mirror?” He tilted his head curiously.

“Yeah,” Kravitz replied, turning towards Taako. “I won’t be upset if you laugh, but of course I did it on a dare as a kid. Except we did a more intense form someone found on a message board. We thought we were something,” he laughed nervously. He held out his hand, wiping off enough clay to show an old scar across his palm.

Taako stared down in mild horror and surprise as he realized the implication. He grabbed Kravitz’s hand to take a closer look. “Fuck!” He glanced around, then, more quietly, “Shit, my dude.” His thumb brushed against the edge of the scar.

Kravitz looked away, feeling his face start to heat. He crossed his legs and ignored the urge to fidget with one hand covered in clay while the other was warming under Taako’s touch. “Yeah, all kids are a little dumb,” he laughed softly, still not quite looking at Taako. Taako gave him a gentle squeeze, thumb tracing slowly down the scar. He cleared his throat. “Anyway, I cut myself too deep. We were all terrified. I ended up in the emergency room with stitches.” He was distracted by the line being drawn along his palm. He licked his lips and cleared his throat again. “On my hand, to be clear. My parents weren’t happy,” he added.

“That gives me a lot more questions than it answers, if I’m going to be honest,” Taako replied, looking at Kravitz curiously. He released Kravitz’s hand and Kravitz caught himself chasing the lingering warmth by clasping his hands together. “No pressure, homie. Not every story is for the weekly gazette.” He winked and turned back to his wheel.

Kravitz smiled apologetically. “It’s a long story. Maybe some other time.” He watched Taako start back up his wheel for a moment, wondering how the elf was managing to make his vase so nice. It crossed his mind that Taako probably did this often. That made Kravitz more nervous; Taako clearly had a lot of options. “Suffice to say it scared all of us into feeling like we owed Our Lady at least a minimal amount of piety,” he laughed softly, trying to lighten the mood and settle his own nerves. He turned back to his own wheel. “What about you? Angus said you go to The Upstairs every week,” he commented idly, then paused, licking his lip and glancing at Taako. “Sorry, I meant The Temple Above Queen’s Hill. The Upstairs is what the clergy call it,” he corrected.

Taako tittered, dipping his hand in a bowl of water. “We call The Raven Queen’s temple The Downstairs,” he smirked.

“Really?” Kravitz laughed incredulously.

“Mhm,” Taako hummed in response, picking up one of the tools to begin embellishments. “I figure I owe the old dwarf a warm body in his pews each week. Company’s not bad neither.” He paused and to Kravitz’s surprise, went on with his explanation, “Orphanage had a tough time finding a spot for two elf kids past their cute stage and a penchant for swearing. Merle took a liking to us and put us through college, the whole shebang.” Taako studied his vase, smoothing out the lip. “He wasn’t a dad or whatever, but he gave us a place to call home. It was better than the nothing we had before or being separated from each other.”

Kravitz wasn’t exactly sure how to reply to all of that. He caught himself staring and glanced down at his vase. It had reverted to a lump when he wasn’t paying attention. He stopped the wheel, adjusting the clay to be less lopsided. “That’s- That was a very honest answer, thank you,” he said softly, chuckling.

“Listen, my man, the Chug n’ Squeeze is the kind of place for confessions. I might also be feelin’ those three glasses,” Taako snickered, putting grooves along the lip of his vase. He glanced over at Kravitz and raised his eyebrows judgingly. Kravitz felt his face heating as he started the wheel again. “Krav, homie, have you ever done pottery before?”

Glancing at his clay that somehow looked worse than when he’d started, Kravitz didn’t think there was a point in lying. He eased off the pedal. “Ah, well, I’ve seen it done in movies,” he replied, flashing a smile.

The delighted laugh from Taako was worth Kravitz’s mild embarrassment. Taako leaned forward, lowering his voice to a playful whisper, “Was it the one with the ghost?” Kravitz looked away, nodding with a chuckle. “Well, we could reenact one of the scenes to get you on the right track.” Kravitz heard a chair scrape across the floor and looked up to see Taako was now across from him. He dropped his gaze back to the wheel as his hands were covered by Taako’s. “Hachi machi, but you are a cold one, handsome,” he exclaimed, rubbing his hands along the back of Kravitz’s. “I noticed earlier, but thought it was ‘cause you came in from outside.”

Kravitz laughed. “Sorry,” he murmured.

The contact returned almost immediately. “Don’t apologize for needing some warm-up, my dude,” Taako chastised, guiding Kravitz’s hands on the clay. Kravitz started the wheel slowly, letting Taako help him shape the vase. Taako affected a reassuring tone, “Listen, it’s all about what feels right. A little touch, a little go, and you’ve got yourself a grand ol’ time.”

The clay that was quickly becoming something recognizable. Kravitz glanced between it and Taako. “Pottery or warming up?”

Taako grinned at him wickedly and Kravitz’s hands tensed on the clay, face heating as quickly as his fingers. “Both. Play your cards right and I’ll consider the wine a meal kind of deal,” Taako smirked, leaning in closer. “Then we can warm you up together, handsome.”

This could become a problem. Kravitz sucked in a breath and looked more closely at the vase. A nervous laugh escaped as he studied their joined hands. “Is that so?”

“Yeah, well, we could always go back to my place for coffee after we’re finished up here,” Taako grinned, guiding Kravitz’s hands up the clay. It suddenly felt much more intimate than Kravitz had first thought. “Let the night take the wheel on this one, homie.”

No matter how awkward it was, it was better to head this off now. Kravitz cleared his throat and dropped his gaze. “Sorry, it’s been quite a while for me. For coffee. The babysitter is expecting me back by ten.”

Kravitz stopped the wheel and looked back up. Taako laughed, hands moving away, dipping into the water bowl. He reached back over and squeezed Kravitz’s hands reassuringly. “It’s no problem. Listen, if I was here just to get into the bone zone, I would have made a move in that tiny dressing room. But nah,” he said casually, gently pulling Kravitz’s hands off the vase. “Let’s concentrate on a good time. And bringing this vase back from the dead. For real, my man, be glad you are a musician because you’d never make it as a potter.”

The laughter caught Kravitz by surprise. He leaned back, barely managing to stop himself from covering his mouth. Taako grinned at him, leaning back, too. “I like,” Kravitz started, smoothing down his nervous edges with a breathy laugh, “how you assume my only career choices were musician or potter.”

“Well,” Taako drawled, shrugging. “You kinda look like one of those guys, yanno?”

“No,” Kravitz laughed. “I have no idea what you’re saying right now, Taako.” He shook his head as he focused back on the clay, starting the wheel again.

It seemed like Taako was going to watch for now. “Well, you’re one of those anxious, proper creative types,” he explained, pointing at Kravitz’s tie. “Your only options are potter or composer. I don’t make the rules, my man, that’s how it is.”

Kravitz snorted, trying to move his hands like Taako had guided him before. “Alright, if you don’t make the rules, who does?”

Taako blinked, opening his mouth, then closing it. He seemed to seriously consider the question while Kravitz worked on the clay. “That, handsome, that is a very good question. I bet they work in an office,” he snickered, standing up to retrieve his wine glass. “Spend all day making up rules. Rules like, uh, orange and purple look awful together.” He sat back down, crossing one leg over the other.

“So these aren’t rules so much as statements of the obvious. Things such as: Mozart was better than Beethoven,” Kravitz added.

“Oh,” Taako jeered. “Shots fired, nerd. Get into a peer review fight on Google Scholar? I’m thinkin’ something more like coleslaw is a sin against sentient beings.”

Kravitz laughed, glancing up from the potter’s wheel to see Taako’s smile. “I like coleslaw. It’s nice enough. I always bring some to cookouts.”

Taako gave him a flat look. “That’s not like. That’s toleration. No one likes coleslaw. It’s a trap that smells much better than it actually tastes. How could you do that to people you like?” He glared at Kravitz accusingly. “Wait,” he paused. “You’re a cookout kind of guy? I think I hear a sudden and very important family emergency,” he teased.

“Well,” Kravitz replied playfully, rolling his eyes, “it’s always gone when it’s over. To be clear, Barry is a cookout kind of guy. I’m a good friend. You don’t have any friends who do cookouts?”

Taako leaned forward, setting his wine glass on the floor. He put his hands back over Kravitz’s and helped him smooth out where it’d started to flop. “My people are more the type to throw potato chips all over my floor during a football game. Or go to a gay club. Or hustle people for shoes at a seedy bar. Depends on the particular night of the week, my dude,” he laughed. Kravitz snorted, shaking his head.

There were some stories there, but Kravitz wasn’t sure what one to pick first. He veered into the one that sounded more specific. “Were you successful in hustling people out of their shoes?”

“Oh, yeah, for sure,” Taako reassured. He sat back, letting Kravitz continue the vase on his own. “I got some really sexy boots one time. I’ll wear them for ya next time, handsome,” he winked, wagging a finger at Kravitz. “They’re red, big ol’ heels.”

Kravitz was definitely not completely overjoyed at hearing that Taako was already thinking of next time. He took a breath and stopped the wheel, looking up. “So, next time sounds like dinner and movies considering your feet will be aching by the end of the night otherwise.” He tried to tone down his hopeful smile.

The way Taako’s face lit up with delight made Kravitz more than sure he was dangerously done for. “Sounds like you got a plan, handsome,” Taako grinned. “Would be a damn shame to ruin it. Guess you’ve roped me in.”

The vase was probably as good as Kravitz was going to get it. He sat back, comparing his and Taako’s. “Good,” he remarked. “The texts are nice, but so is seeing your face.”

“Same,” Taako laughed. “Boy howdy, I wish you would send me more pics, my dude. You got a Snapchat?”

Kravitz grabbed a rag, wiping his hands off. “Considering I don’t know what that is, I’m going to hazard a ‘no’.” Taako took the rag, cleaning off his own hands and clearly judging Kravitz.

“Unlock your phone for me,” he said simply, holding out his hands. Kravitz glanced around, then retrieved his phone, handing it over. Kravitz stopped a passing waiter while Taako fiddled with the device. He’d only drunk half a glass of wine, but it was getting closer to time to leave. Kravitz sipped a water, watching Taako warily.

Finally, Taako handed Kravitz’s phone back. Kravitz looked at it curiously, opening the app. “I already have a camera, Taako,” he said plainly, looking up.

Taako rolled his eyes and aimed his phone at Kravitz. Kravitz thumbed over when it pinged, clicking on the picture of himself glaring at the camera. “You use it to send pictures ya take, dingus. Disappears after a few seconds, then it’s gonzo. Great for dick pics,” Taako teased, picking his wine glass back up and downing the rest of it.

Kravitz snorted, taking a picture of Taako and sending it to his only contact, ‘SizzlinTaako’. “What do you know,” he said in mock amazement. “It is.”

“You’re just the full package, aren’t ya,” Taako leveled a glare at Kravitz, the corners of his lips twitching. He sat his empty glass on the bare potter’s wheel, leaning his elbows on his knees.

Kravitz sat his water aside as he started laughing. “That wouldn’t be the first time someone’s told me that, if I’m being completely honest,” he smirked, tapping a claw on the potter’s wheel. He leaned closer, dropping his voice like he was telling a secret, “Maybe the first time with that much sarcasm.”

“Well,” Taako drawled. “That’s a damn shame. I can promise I’m the expert opinion.” His eyes dropped to Kravitz’s lips, his own parting slightly, before he looked back up at Kravitz. It registered vaguely that their faces were only a few bare inches apart.

Considering how inviting Taako looked, Kravitz thought those few inches were the damn shame.

“All finished, sirs!” Kravitz and Taako startled back from each other as the chipper waiter sat their fired vases down. “You can pay up front. I hope you had a sizzlin’ evening, sirs,” they winked at Taako.

“Ha fuckin’ ha,” Taako grumbled as the waiter moved away.

Kravitz glanced at Taako, straightening his tie. “That was weird. Do you think it’s a tagline?” He started to pull out his wallet.

Taako waved a hand at Kravitz to stop him. “Nu uh, this one’s on me, feathers,” Taako thumbed at himself and stood. “Besides, I’m going to have them call a cab.”

“Let me take you back,” Kravitz offered, picking up his subpar vase. “I had a lovely evening and I’m sure it won’t be out of my way.”

Taako picked up his own pristine vase, drumming his fingers on it. “It’s really not a big deal, handsome,” he replied.

Kravitz nodded in understanding, then laughed. “That’s probably for the best. I just remembered I rode my motorcycle. I have a spare helmet, but -.”

“Wait, wait, wait,” Taako interrupted, doing his best to approximate a time-out sign while juggling the vase. “Actually, it’s a huge deal. You gotta take me back. Lemme go pay.” Before Kravitz could get a word in edgewise, Taako had made for the cash register.

A few moments later and Kravitz was carefully placing their vases under the seat. Taako watched with the spare helmet under his arm, standing back as Kravitz pulled his own helmet on and threw a leg over the bike.

Taako whistled, grinning as his eyes raked over Kravitz. “This night couldn’t have possibly gone better,” he exclaimed gleefully, making Kravitz laugh. The elf bundled his hair into his helmet, then hopped on the bike, clinging to Kravitz’s middle.

Taako’s warmth and laughter lingered as Kravitz chased the moonlight home.

The babysitter smiled at him when he cracked the door open, peeking in. She indicated something on the other side of the door. He opened the door slowly, stopping when he felt it hit something. He slipped the rest of the way in. Mac was asleep in a play tent, camped out in the living room.

Kravitz paid the babysitter and she tiptoed out the front door. He carefully picked Mac up, cradling her against his chest. She grumbled, eyelashes fluttering as she started to wake. She mumbled dreamily, “Baba?”

He chuckled, swinging her slightly as he set her in bed. “Ya binti?”

She let him tuck her in, giggling softly. “You had a good time,” she murmured, poking him weakly on the nose. He poked her on the nose in return, making her laugh. “Tell me?”

He sat on the edge of her bed. “Well, only a little bit,” he grinned. She looked a little more awake, smiling up at him eagerly. “The most important part is whether or not you had a good time with Sarah, habibti,” he soothed, smiling softly.

Mac glared and rolled over with a tired huff. “I’m not a baby,” she grumbled. “He had a pretty yellow skirt. I like him.”

Kravitz sighed, rubbing his temples. She was right, of course; he should have known she would put it together easily. “I like him, too,” he whispered. He leaned over and pecked Mac on the temple. “Ahlam sa’ida.”

She reached up to pat him on the cheek, “Night, baba.”

Kravitz retreated to his office as his phone buzzed. He flipped the desk lamp on as he readied himself for a long night. Taako had sent him a photo of Lup and Angus curled up together on the couch with Magnus and Julia wedged onto a pallet on the floor snuggled around their huge dog, Steven. The message read, “Turns out it would have been an awful night for coffee.”

He closed the door before he let himself laugh. “Mac was camped in the living room. Had her tent and everything,” Kravitz sent back as he sat at his desk. He picked up his pencil and looked at the blank sheet of music.

It seemed like the time for a song of spring.

Chapter Text

The phone buzzed on the old wood desk, breaking the flowing song. Kravitz put down his violin and glanced over the text, “Send me something to get ready to.”

He typed out his reply, sitting down at his desk, “Where are you going?” It had been almost week since their first date, but the volume of their texts had only increased. At Taako’s request, he had also sent smatterings of snaps, though rarely of himself. Taako, in return, loved sending pictures.

Kravitz started flipping through songs on his phone. He’d started reaching beyond his own musical tastes and keeping an ear out for things he thought Taako would like. Another buzz, “Going to hang with Maggie and Jules.”

He smiled to himself, typing out a reply, “That sounds fun. What do you have in store?” He moved back to the songs.

Before he could get too far into his search, another buzz, “Coffee.”

That was an oddly succinct reply from Taako. Kravitz didn’t want to be nosy, but it was curious. He composed his reply carefully, “Do you have a cafe you usually go to?”

He fidgeted with tapping his pencil against the desk, not sure where the sudden unease came from. The buzz seemed to come sluggishly, “Cafe with Jules, Jules is going to go to the park with Steven. Then Mags and I are going to go have ‘coffee’.” Kravitz did a double-take at the tiny quotation marks around ‘coffee’.

That hit him hard. They were one date in, he reminded himself, asking for music to get ready to wasn’t a big deal. There were no exclusive notations around their relationship. He started to type, “Aren’t Magnus and Julia married?”, but erased it. After a few more tries, he finally settled on, “Oh.”

He set his phone aside and picked up the violin. The sound was loud and angry, something from his deep repository of songs. Kravitz used it to ignore the two buzzes on his desk, giving himself over to the music.

No matter how he looked at it, he knew he had no reason to be upset. One date and two weeks of texting were hardly basis for feeling whatever this deep anxiety was. Kravitz started pacing, continuing his song. Taako, of course, had more options than Kravitz. He was charming and funny, he could make someone feel handsome. There was nothing between them but a good time.

It was nothing serious.

No reason to look forward to the next text or making Taako laugh at their date. Mac ran past the open office door, ribbon and cat trailing behind her, squealing with laughter. He continued playing as he watched her pass, slowing the song down. Certainly, he had to consider if a good time was worth it.

Another buzz at his desk that he ignored. They had chemistry that was impossible to be oblivious of. Taako asking for music to get ready to be with someone else didn’t sting. No, he thought, deciding to embrace the feeling, sawing something incoherent across the strings. No, this feeling burned deep in his stomach, spreading out with lashes of anxious energy.

His concentration broke along the song from his desk. He stopped playing, head snapping towards to the ringing. It was Taako.

Kravitz hesitated, then sat the violin down and answered the call. Taako’s face blinked up from his phone, taking a deep breath. “Wowza, handsome, you really are upset.”

He thought about hanging up right there. Instead, he turned and shut the door. “I don’t know what I could possibly find upsetting, Taako,” he commented drily.

“Look, we’ve gone on a single date. If you’re the possessive type, feathers, we can make sure I don’t make that mistake again,” Taako glared, voice level.

Kravitz held the phone out, staring back. “I’m not- I’m not possessive,” he replied defensively, shoulders tensing. The chair creaked as he sat down. “You asked me for music to get ready to. To get ready to go have sex with your best friend, who is married to your other best friend. Really, I’m not sure why I’m bothered,” he barely kept the growl out of his voice.

Taako rolled his eyes, opening his mouth, then paused. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes briefly. “Right,” he said more calmly. “The music thing was, uh, kinda shitty. I’m sorry.” He sounded genuine and sincere, like it hadn’t occurred to him before. Kravitz felt a part of the tension in his stomach uncoil, shoulders relaxing. Taako gestured at the phone, “You didn’t read my texts, which I kinda figured. For Jules, uhm, sex isn’t really Jules’s thing. As long as everything is above the board, she’s fine with whoever Mango wants to be with, uh, physically. I was trying to make this not be a situation by telling you now. It’s something we do about every other week goin’ on six years now.”

Kravitz paused, taking his own calming breath. That arrangement was something Kravitz could understand to some extent, especially Julia’s perspective. “Okay,” he murmured. He knew he could let the uncomfortable situation pass here, but it still bothered him. “I know you apologized, but asking for music to see someone else is -,” he paused, licking his lips. “Well, it hurt, Taako,” he said softly, trying to keep his voice firm. Taako’s eyes dropped away from the phone as he frowned.

“Alright,” Taako replied slowly. “I, ugh, I really am sorry. This will sound stupid, but I didn’t think about it,” he admitted, keeping his eyes averted. “My thought train chugged into I should ask handsome for some songs, but didn’t quite reach oh yeah I’m going to fu- er, be with some other guy station.” He tittered nervously, biting the nail on his thumb while he watched the phone.

Kravitz picked apart the rest of the discomfort tangled in his nerves. “It’s not the - Taako, frankly, you can be with whoever you’d like, physically,” he said quietly, leaning forward in the chair. “That’s not what upset me. It felt like you - You sort of asked for my approval, in an extremely personal way, without asking. Do you understand?”

Taako gnawed on his thumb nail for a moment, then turned his attention back on the phone. “Yeah, I do,” he murmured.

“I think I’m okay with where you’re going, then. Not that I should have any input, I know,” Kravitz smiled self-consciously. He felt like Taako had enough of his point, now.

“No, I -,” Taako looked away from the phone. He seemed flustered, hand waving vaguely, not quite looking at the phone. “Listen, I wouldn’t tell you if I didn’t want your input.” He turned back towards the camera, a little wrinkle in his nose. More of Kravitz’s unease drifted away, he blinked down at Taako’s scrunched up face. “I think I really like your nerdy, handsome face. I’d like to keep seeing it for a while.” Taako turned his head away from the camera, grimacing.

Kravitz laughed softly, in relief. “That’s quite a face to put on for a confession,” he teased, smiling when Taako turned and shot a glare at the phone. “It’s been a long time for me, so I thought - well, maybe that I was feeling so strongly because -,” he stopped himself and sat back, holding the phone up and running a hand through his hair. Kravitz tried to collect his jumbled thoughts under Taako’s intense gaze. “My days have been a little brighter these last two weeks,” he finally admitted.

Kravitz’s heartbeat picked up as Taako’s face softened. “What a ridiculously sappy way to say that,” Taako snorted, twirling a lock of hair around one finger. “I know you were working, so I’ll let you go, handsome. I’m looking forward to tomorrow,” he grinned.

Kravitz felt his face warm and he tried to tone down the stupid smile he felt slipping across his face. “I’ll see you tomorrow, dear,” he replied. His eyes widened when he realized what he’d said.

Taako looked as flustered as Kravitz felt. “What did you-?” Kravitz panicked and ended the call, groaning as he leaned his elbows on the desk. His phone buzzed with a text. Fighting back embarrassment, he glanced at the lock screen, “Shmoopy.” Another text, “Sweet pea.” Then, another, “Cutie pie.”

Kravitz covered his face with both hands, laughing as his phone continued to buzz with pet names that only increased in ridiculousness. Finally, his resolve broke and Kravitz text back, “Ya amar, no more.”

He was expecting the next text, “What does that mean?”

“Someone very beautiful,” he typed out slowly, face on fire.

Kravitz was starting to give up on a reply when his phone buzzed again, “Okay, you win.” He laughed, setting his phone aside as he picked back up his violin. He tried to remember where he had been before Taako had thoroughly distracted him.

Oh yes, he thought, starting to play.

A song about chasing the moon between the blossoms.

Chapter Text

At six in the morning, the alarm only got off a beat of warning before a hand silenced it. Kravitz shifted, sitting up and looking blearily at his phone. The only thing major beyond his normal Saturday schedule was the date with Taako and a short interview. He rose slowly, pulling on something he could sweat in. Lucretia was already downstairs, glancing at him as she sipped her cup of tea. “Have a nice run,” she waved.

“I’ll be back soon,” he called over his shoulder.

The run around the neighborhood was always a bit quieter on a weekend. There were a few up this early, of course. Elves who needed about as much rest as he did, waving various gardening supplies at him as he passed. Vampires sleepily retreating from the first rays of dawn. A half-orc bouncer who always threw an encouraging word his way. Today it was, “Get it, scrawny!”

When the time hit six-thirty, he stopped at the bakery shop as Mara twisted the sign to read ‘Open’. “Good morning,” he greeted cheerily.

The gnome yawned and gestured for him to come in, moving behind the register herself. “You know the toll, Kravitz,” she smiled. He handed over the money and she slid across his bag, already ready on the counter. Kravitz waved as he jogged back out the door, more people starting to bustle inside. It had become so popular since the owners started doing something online; he mourned when he’d been able to grab lunch there, too.

At seven o’clock, Kravitz arrived in time for the newspaper shop to pull up its metal front. The kenku at the front greeted him with the starting notes of his first symphony. “Good morning, Page Turn” he returned brightly. Page Turn beamed up at him as he handed over the loaf of cinnamon bread, singing like a bluebird. Kravitz almost met the notes, but not quite. Page Turn tsked like a school teacher. “You’re right. Monday, though,” he promised. Page Turn waved, making the sound of a closing door as Kravitz took off again.

Kravitz sat breakfast on the table and went upstairs to shower. Back downstairs at the table, he text Taako, “Good morning.” Lucretia was already biting into her own breakfast, reading over the paper he’d brought back. Mac nowhere in sight, he started setting out breakfast from the bag. “Mac,” he called, “You’ll miss breakfast!”

Mac finally struggled down the stairs, rubbing her eyes and putting her head on her arms when she reached the table. Kravitz laughed and scooted an apple towards her.

“You have an interview at three,” Lucretia reminded him, swirling the tea in her cup.

“How am I going to be late if it’s happening here, Lucretia?” He commented between bites.

Lucretia leveled a look of frank scorn at him. “You’ll find a way, Kravitz,” she said simply, folding the paper over her arm. “Remember, casual. Relax. Be,” she gestured with one hand, “fun. You’re winning an award, not going to a funeral.”

“Actually, I’m going to a funeral before the interview. Baba needs help with -,” he started. She cut him off with a hand wave.

“Wear a pair of jeans, Kravitz,” she sighed, heading out the door. “I know you can be a smartass, so all you need to do is joke around a little.” The door shut behind her.

Mac giggled, nibbling on her food. “Baba, do you own jeans?”

Kravitz grinned at her. “As it so happens, I do,” he paused, tapping a claw on the table. “I’ll have to find them.”

“At the store, you mean,” she said simply, looking away while she sipped her orange juice. “Geddo says lying is a bad habit, baba.”

He snorted, glancing at his phone, “Geddo also says you eat too much candy.” She paused mid-bite, considering this seriously. “Finish your breakfast,” he laughed, looking up clothing stores near the temple.

By eight, Mac was cheering on Indiana Jones while Kravitz sorted through his email. Most of them were from Lucretia about various opportunities. The rest were about funerals to one extent or another.

Kravitz glanced up around nine-thirty to smile at Mac having a tea party until he noticed one of her guests. He sat aside his laptop and scooped the skull off the table. “Mac,” he chastised. She gave a frustrated huff, then looked at Kravitz with more alarm. “Your great geddo isn’t a toy.”

“Baba, you’re bleeding,” she pointed at his hand. Kravitz blinked down, realizing he’d cut his finger on the rows of sharp teeth the skull came with. He bit back the swear on the tip of his tongue.

He sat the skull aside, taking out a handkerchief to wipe away the ichor he’d dripped on it. “It’ll stop in a moment. More of a reason not to play with great geddo, Mac,” Kravitz warned, wrapping the handkerchief around his finger.

Mac crossed her arms, sitting back. “I was giving him tea. Not playing,” she protested. Kravitz gave her a look and she turned away, picking back up her teapot with a huff.

“It certainly looked like playing, Mac,” he replied, noticing his finger had stopped leaking. He picked the skull up and set it back on the bookshelf, murmuring an apology to it. It was superstitious, of course; he knew his geddo had long moved beyond the Veil. Still, he’d always been suspicious the magic inside held some mischievous will of its own.

Mac stubbornly left the teacup at the empty seat. “Why would you say ‘sorry’? I was being nice,” she insisted.

Kravitz sat back down, picking up his laptop. “Your great geddo is here to protect us, not be one of your teddy bears, hibibti,” he reminded her sternly. “That’s the end of it.” He turned his attention back on the screen.

Around noon, Kravitz headed towards the temple, stopping at a boutique to buy a pair of jeans. He was sure he had some in storage somewhere, but the searching would take longer than buying something cheap. At the temple, Kravitz spent his time getting the disciples in order between preparing bodies.

By three, Kravitz was sitting across from the interviewer in the pair of slightly too-tight jeans. He tried to ease the tension in his shoulders, but he knew this was going to end up as formal as any other. As the interviewer settled herself, he glanced around the room anxiously. His eyes settled on the spot where his geddo’s skull should have been.

“Excuse me,” Kravitz said tersely. “I need to check on my daughter, my apologies.” The interviewer didn’t have time to respond before Kravitz was taking the stairs two at a time. Sarah peered out of the library door as he stormed into Mac’s room. The skull was sitting on her dresser. “Maclaren Wolfgang Kravitz,” he hissed.

Mac jumped up from her play table, then glared at Kravitz. “I wasn’t hurting nothing! I’m not a baby anymore!”

“You deliberately went against my wishes, Mac! This is dangerous. You’ll have no television, video games or playing outside until tomorrow,” he said evenly.

“But Mindi found -.”

“No,” he held up a finger to stop her. Tears started to trickle down her cheeks as she glared up and Kravitz’s face softened. “I’ve let it go the last few times, but no more. Do this again and you’ll be grounded for longer,” he continued, more gently.

“You’re a meanie,” she sobbed. She moved forward and hugged him around the middle. “I promised Mindi, baba.” Kravitz wavered at the big eyes she directed at him, crossing his arms and looking away at the skull.

“I don’t ground you for fun, ya binti. Use the time to learn your lesson.” Mac let him go, stepping away. He picked up the skull as she turned, refusing to look at him. Kravitz sighed, then went back downstairs.

The interviewer looked relieved, then eyed the skull curiously. Kravitz sat it back on his bookshelf as she picked up her pen. “That’s a strange object. It’s really colorful, too,” she noted.

“Ah. It was my grandfather’s,” Kravitz laughed nervously. “By which I mean it was his skull.”

The interviewer started, staring at Kravitz blankly. “It barely looks humanoid,” she said quietly. “Doesn’t it bother you to have it here?”

Kravitz laughed more genuinely, “I’m a follower of The Raven Queen; bones do not bother me.” He ran his fingers over the painted engravings, down to the bullet hole in the forehead. “I never met him,” he said more casually, sitting back in his seat. “He died on the British side of the Revolutionary War. Quite accidentally became the reason my family stayed in America.” The interviewer chuckled and he flashed a smile.

The interviewer smiled back. “Has that impacted the way you approach your music?”

It wasn’t until five that Kravitz noticed his phone was missing.

Chapter Text

Around noon, a ping from a new snap sounded beneath a mountain of pillows. Taako groaned and checked his phone, fully planning on rolling over and ignoring it. A snap from Kravitz wasn’t something he was willing to ignore.

He grinned and eagerly opened it. It was a pair of what Taako could only describe as mom jeans. The caption said, “Do you think these are fine for an interview? My agent said I should be casual.”

Taako responded immediately, “No.” He laid back, staring up at his phone and waiting for the reply. That certainly wouldn’t be a mistake he’d let the poor man commit.

Another pair of terrible jeans, “How about these?”

Taako laughed to himself. “No. Do you even understand what good jeans are?”

After a moment, the simple reply of, “Maybe not. It’s been a long time.”

Taako covered his mouth; Kravitz certainly had a style about him, but the kind of style that was better in a ballroom than a bar. He brought up a few links and sent them over the snap. “Look for something like these.” Taako expected Kravitz to go quiet, so he groaned and pulled himself out of bed. “What’s the interview for?”

He wrapped a robe around himself, twisting his hair into a bun so he wasn’t a complete mess when he went downstairs. He plunked some cereal into a bowl and sat next to Angus on the couch, stretching out across the free space. “Yo, nerd,” Taako said by way of greeting.

Angus put a finger on the page of the book he was reading and blinked up owlishly. His face brightened into a grin when Taako summoned Angus’s wand to his hand. “Oh, good afternoon, sir. I was about to wake you up. Lup went to the bakery a couple hours ago.” He bookmarked his page and sat the book aside, holding out his hands eagerly for the wand.

“Your challenge,” Taako started, flicking the wand into the air and casting levitate, “is to get it down before it falls. With magic.”

Angus stared up at the wand, now pinned to the high ceiling, then back at Taako. “Sir, that’s -,” he protested, cutting himself off. His shoulders slumped in resignation. “Okay, I guess I’ll try, sir.”

Taako grinned, winking. “You got it, pumpkin. Probably. If you don’t, well, I won’t teach you magic anymore.” Angus sucked in a breath, then leapt off the couch, running off to try to crack Taako’s puzzle. Taako smiled after him, digging out his phone when another snap came through.

It made him pause, a terrible selfie in a mirror of Kravitz in a pair of jeans, under a button up and vest. “Something like this?”

Really, Taako was jealous how easily the man could look like he’d stepped out of a dream. Specifically, Taako’s dreams. Certainly, Kravitz didn’t need to get an easy time from him. “Show me the back,” he replied, biting his lip and waiting for the reply.

No caption, only Kravitz trying to take the picture at an awkward angle, looking exasperated. Taako snorted, shoveling cereal into his mouth and heading back upstairs. “Looks good. Try on what others you have,” he text back, rifling through his dresser for something a bit sexier than his sweatpants and oversized sweater. This would require some determination about what Kravitz found sexy. Given the man’s sense of style, he settled on stockings with frills and a garter belt; black, of course.

Peeling off his sweatpants, he decided keeping the obnoxiously bright red sweater was a good choice. He slipped on all the pieces and checked himself in a mirror for perfection. Kravitz pinged him back, “Why? Aren’t these fine?”

Taako laughed and reclined on his bed, taking a picture of his lower half, trying to look as casual as possible, “I’ll be honest, I’m relaxing at home with nothing better to do but think about you dressing for me.” He watched the screen, ‘Kravitz is typing,’ flicking on and off. Snickering, he took a picture of himself, hair sprawled out artfully on his pillows. “I’m enjoying the show, handsome. Wish there was more skin.”

The attempts at typing stopped. Surprisingly, another ping, which made Taako sit up as he leaned over his phone. Kravitz in his boxers and button-up, looking flustered, no caption. Taako sincerely wished he could save it. “Hoo boy,” he murmured, grinning wide, “Didn’t think he had it in ‘im.” He crossed his legs and text back, “Hot. Lose the shirt.”

“I’m in a dressing room.”

“So undress,” he smirked down at his screen. ‘Kravitz is typing,’ flicking on and off again for a moment. Taako knew Kravitz wouldn’t do it, so he sent the out, “Don’t worry, my imagination gives me plenty to go off of.” Taako set his phone aside and grabbed his spell book. Then, another picture.

Kravitz aiming his phone at the mirror in only his boxers, other hand holding his button-up. Not flustered this time, no, he was smirking in way that pressed all of Taako’s buttons in the right order. The caption read, “Not sure I trust your imagination to get everything right.” Taako whistled, thumping the bed and laughing delightedly.

Before Taako could formulate a reply, there was a crash downstairs. He quickly slipped back on his sweatpants and wrapped a robe around himself, hurrying to the stairs. “Angus? Are you alright?”

Angus blinked up at Taako, looking embarrassed. “Sorry, sir, I was trying something. It, uhm, it didn’t work,” he said cheerfully. It was the kind of cheer Taako had learned to associate with Angus putting up a front.

“Well, peanut, error is the way of trials or whatever. Don’t sweat it,” Taako frowned when Angus looked at the ground. “What did you try?”

The boy hesitated, then Taako felt rather than saw him trying to cast mage hand. Without the control of a wand, it blinked into existence by the couch, thwacking it, before flickering out. That explained the crash from earlier.

“Hold your hands up and concentrate on making it appear between them,” Taako instructed.

Angus nodded slowly, looking between his hands intently. After a moment, it appeared. He shouted in success and sent it flying up to the ceiling, grabbing the wand. “I solved your wand puzzle, sir!”

Taako grinned, leaning against the banister. “You sure did, Anglo. Good job. I’ll have to make the next puzzle harder. Go get some rays and enjoy the day, sunshine.” Angus smiled up brightly as Taako retreated back to his room.

The kid was too damn cute.

Taako briefly forgot why he’d come back to his room, then remembered the picture from Kravitz. “Shit,” he muttered, hoping Kravitz didn’t think he was disappointed by it. He grabbed his phone, quickly typing, “Sorry. That picture was so good I was stunned into silence, my man. You’re full of surprises and woefully far away.”

The instant reply had Taako a little worried, “We have a date tonight. I bought the pants.” Kravitz must have been waiting.

Well, Taako had an easy, if crude, way to fix any concerns Kravitz had. He wondered how early was too early to start expressing important thoughts like the one he was typing out, “Date’s too far away. I want to know what you’d do to me right now.”

A ping with a picture of Kravitz walking down the street in the sunlight, looking amused. The caption said, “It’s noon.”

Taako laughed, pulling off his sweatpants and robe. He fell back on his bed and took another picture, “So, the sunlight doesn’t kill you. It just stops you from doing anything fun like me, Dracula.”

“Honestly, I’m still shocked you wear garters and stockings to bed.”

Taako snorted, striking a pose and awkwardly angling his phone to take a picture, “It’s not that bad.”

“The last time I fell asleep in suspenders and stockings, I swear I had indents in my thighs for days.” Taako raised an eyebrow, staring at the reply. That was an interesting piece of information he’d smuggle away for later use.

For now, he carefully considered his reply. He placed a hand on his thigh and snapped another picture, “You caught me. I put them on for you. Seems like the kind of thing you’re into, feathers.”

Another ping, “I did not say it was unappreciated. Considering how thoughtful you were, maybe I could indulge you.”

Taako was no connoisseur of sexting, but he had quite the imagination. As the conversation turned more explicit, a bit of guilt crept into Taako’s mind. Texting with one hand was difficult and left him only typing out a word or two as he panted against his screen. He’d noticed Kravitz was good with words before, but he was pleasantly surprised that Kravitz seemed to know precisely what kind of fuel Taako needed for his fire.

Even after he cleaned up, he was still burning.

Too bad the conversation would disappear in a few minutes. Taako could make all those words have a considerable amount of usability otherwise. “If that’s indulgin’ me, I want to know what you planned for tonight, handsome.”

The reply was quick, “You’ll see.” Taako rolled his eyes and set his phone aside, heading for the shower. He checked the time when he was done, sad that the time had gotten away from him, it was almost three.

A quick text to Kravitz, “I’m back, handsome.” He sat at his desk, starting to flip through his emails.

He paused mid-reading through some questions he’d be asked during an interview next week when his phone pinged, “Hi.” Taako tilted his head curiously, smiling to himself.

He replied and sat his phone aside to go back to his email, “Well, hey there. What are you up to?”

He’d barely sat it down when another text came across, “Nothnig.”

Ah, Taako thought, Kravitz was in the mood to talk. He pulled his legs up and wrapped his arms around his knees. “I was checking emails. Did you finish that interview?”

“Yeah. It was rad.”

Taako raised an eyebrow, trying to process Kravitz saying the actual word ’rad’. He laughed to himself, covering his mouth. “Swell. I think I might bake some cookies for pumpkin. You want some? You earned it.”

“Yes. Pls bring some extra to take hime.”

Now, that was definitely weird unless Kravitz’s interviewer got him drunk. Taako sighed, slowly tapping out his reply, “Are you okay?”

“Yeah!” A pause. “I just really love you.”

Taako stared down at his phone in shock. He’d been worried before that things were moving too fast, but this was light speed. He shut down that line of thought to text back. “Uhm. What?”

“We should get married.”

Taako narrowed his eyes at the screen. “This isn’t Kravitz I’m talking to.”

“uhmmmm I dunno what you mean”

He wanted to be furious, but he was starting to get a pretty good idea of who he was talking to. He clicked his tongue, snickering, “Mac, does your dad know you have his phone?” Taako was incredibly glad all of that previous conversation had been erased by now.

There was a moment of silence, then a panicked response, “NO DON’T TELL HIM”.

Taako lost it, leaning back on his chair as he laughed. It was cute that apparently she thought they weren’t moving fast enough. He figured Kravitz would read back the logs whenever he recovered his phone. Still, Taako was going to take advantage of this at least a little bit. “Alright, button, I’m not mad. Can you do me a big favor? Tell me what your dad’s favorite food is.”

“Strawberries. And bug chocolate.”

Taako made a face, squinting at his screen. “Like chocolate covered bugs? Are you sure?”

“Yeh. He likes scorpions ones. Nena gets some evry Candlenights.”

Suddenly, that made a lot of sense. He guffawed at how absurdly on-brand that was. Kravitz probably preferred them dipped in dark chocolate, too. Though, Taako wouldn’t have guessed strawberries if he tried. “Thanks. I’ll make sure to bring extra cookies for you, too.”

Taako set his phone aside, expecting the conversation to be over. Mac didn’t seem to have the same idea, “Are you dating?”

He considered this carefully. On the one hand, Kravitz had asked him to be careful in his interactions with Mac, on the other hand he didn’t want her to hate him by ignoring her. “What does your baba say?”

“Nothin cept he likes you.”

Taako despised the stupid grin he could feel on his face. He was trying to remind himself this wasn't new information. “What do you think?”

A pause in responses. “He sings more. Where do you work?”

Yeah, Taako thought, Kravitz would be the end of him. “I’m a chef at Wizard Food Bakery.” He was going to guess that Mac would be as immune to his name drop as her father was, but it was possible she passed the bakery every now and then.

“!!! :) Baba gets breakfast there every morning from Mara. And on Sundays he gets breakfast for everyone cause we get to have leftovers when everyone leaves.”

Taako stared down in disbelief, not sure why he felt his face heating up. He opened up the bakery management page and went to special orders. The first one on the list, the terrible six thirty in the morning special order that meant he always had to drag himself out of bed at four am on a Sunday, ‘Macallister Iados Kravitz’. Taako groaned and covered his face. He’d done that order for so many years, he knew it by heart. It was one of the few constants in his busy life.

The name had been familiar, but he thought it was because Kravitz was a hotshot composer who did movies and plays. Not that he’d been a loyal patron long before Taako’s show had even been on air. Taako flipped through the other orders. Smaller ones, different every day, all scheduled at six thirty in the morning. Every order had something with strawberries.

Mac didn’t send further texts, so Taako didn’t reply.

Some time later, his phone pinged, “I’m so sorry. Mac took my phone to call her friend. I hope she wasn’t bothering you.”

Taako grinned down at the screen and wiped his hands free of cookie dough. “Did you read what she said?”

“Oh no.”

Chapter Text

The taxi pulled up to the park. Kravitz quickly shuffled all his things back into the basket and paid the driver. Once he was out of the cab, he sat on the fountain by the entrance. This time, he’d made sure to come early. Tapping his foot, he watched the pedestrians strolling past.

A couple stopped to throw a wish into the fountain by his side. Kravitz tried not to stare, but they seemed so happy to be enjoying the sunset together. He smiled to himself and pulled a penny from his jeans, spinning it in his hands. The basket hadn’t been thrown together last minute by any means, but Kravitz was still nervous. He’d promised dinner and a movie, but reservations had been hard to come by with Father’s Day the next day and nothing good was playing in the theatres. So, he had needed to improvise a bit. Wondering how much of a child it made him, he threw the penny into the fountain and wished for the date to go well.

“What’d you wish for?”

The voice made Kravitz turn around suddenly, almost sending him back into the fountain. Taako grabbed his shoulder to try to help him regain his balance, but that was what sent them both into the water. Kravitz was surprised enough to take a big breath of water. He came back up, spluttering and coughing. “Fuck!” Taako swore, sitting up in the fountain and shoving his wet hair back from his face. They both splashed around until they were kneeling safely.

Well, it seemed his wish wasn’t going to come true.

“I’m so sorry!” Kravitz apologized, patting Taako’s shoulders as if that would somehow help. He knew both of them were soaked from head to toe. Taako’s dress floated on the water prettily, distracting him.

Taako put his hands over Kravitz’s, laughter starting to bubble up between them. “I’m fine, I’m fine,” he wheezed, leaning his head on Kravitz’s shoulder. Kravitz tried to stop himself, but laughed anyway. “Shit, I spent like an hour on my make-up. I was hoping to ruin it, but not so soon,” he snickered, pulling back to look at Kravitz.

“Oh?” Kravitz laughed, looking down at Taako’s face. The laughter died on his lips. Even with mascara running down his cheeks and make-up smeared all over his face, Taako was captivating. Taako stopped laughing too, eyes dropping to Kravitz’s lips. His hands slid up Kravitz’s arms and wrapped around his neck.

“Yeah,” he drawled, fluttering his wet eyelashes.

“How exactly did you plan on ruining it later? Is there something I should know?” Kravitz teased, leaning a little closer, even aware as he was that they were still kneeling in the fountain.

Taako grinned, leaning down to put their foreheads together. “Kinda sucks that after all those texts about kissing me, you haven’t done it yet, handsome. Maybe we -.”

“Hey! Hey you two!” Kravitz turned his head to a police officer approaching them quickly.

“Nope! Not again,” Taako growled, grabbing Kravitz and jerking him down into the kiss. It was no more than a peck, but it made his face warm. He didn’t have time to put his arms around Taako before Taako was pulling away, tugging him out of the fountain. “C’mon before we get a ticket or somethin’,” he laughed, swiping his purse from where he’d dropped it.

Kravitz grabbed his basket and they ran deeper into the park, fingers interlaced. Taako pulled them behind some bushes and they both tried to stifle their laughter in order to catch their breath. Kravitz doubled over, dropping his basket to the ground as Taako leaned against a tree. When they’d both managed to tone their laughter down to giggles, Taako pulled out his wand and cast a spell that dried them both. For a brief moment, all his make-up disappeared, then it was back to immaculate.

Curious, but Kravitz didn’t question it. His eyes dropped down to the red boots Taako was wearing beneath the black dress. “How did you manage to flee in those?”

Taako struck a pose, lifting his dress to mid-thigh to stick his leg out. “My sister always told me that if I was going to wear heels then I needed to learn how to run in them. Yanno, in case there’s a zombie apocalypse and heels are my only option,” he grinned, waving the toes of the boot at Kravitz.

“I know some very nice zombies,” Kravitz interjected, straightening and picking his basket back up. He tried to unwrinkle the button-up he was wearing, but eventually decided it was a lost cause.

“Exactly. Like Canadians, they’ll kill you with kindness, bubala,” Taako laughed, sliding an arm around Kravitz’s waist. “You promised me somethin’ good. What do ya got in the basket, babe?”

Kravitz led them out of the bushes and towards the path. “Well, I also promised dinner and movies,” he replied, hesitantly putting an arm around Taako’s waist in return. “I sort of panicked when I couldn’t get a reservation anywhere and there’s nothing good in the theatres,” he explained, face heating up as he talked, “Uhm, I brought a tablet with Young Frankenstein, some wine and take-out. The take-out is from a good place I know, promise.” He hoped it was good enough, but Taako was so something Kravitz couldn’t name. It felt like the elf deserved a hundred dollar dinner, not the fifteen he’d spent at a Thai place Lucretia swore up and down was the best in the city.

“Sounds perfect, handsome,” Taako replied genuinely, smiling at him. His face was bright, still a little flushed from running and laughing. Kravitz suddenly remembered the kiss in the fountain and averted his eyes, face warm. Taako stopped them, grinning and putting a hand on Kravitz’s cheek. “You got a picnic blanket?”

“Yes,” Kravitz replied nervously, shaking the basket as he looked up at Taako.

Taako grabbed the basket and went through it, laying out the blanket in the center of some bushes, shoved against a tree. He stood back and studied his handiwork. “Perfect make-out spot achieved, handsome,” he winked.

“Oh,” Kravitz replied quietly.

Then, they were kissing again. No more than a peppering of pecks until Taako’s hands slid into his back pockets. Kravitz didn’t remember sitting down, only finding himself pinned against the tree with Taako between his legs. “The food will get cold,” he murmured between kisses.

Taako pulled back, laughing. “Handsome fella in your lap and you’re concerned with the food. Nerd,” he teased, poking Kravitz on the nose.

Kravitz laughed breathily and carefully put a hand on Taako’s hip. “Maybe I’m concerned about that handsome fella having a good time and not needing to eat cold food,” he returned, rolling his eyes.

“At least we agree I’m handsome,” Taako snickered.

Shaking his head, Kravitz tugged the basket over. He started to lay out plates and boxes of food. “Of course I think you’re handsome, anyone with eyes does, Taako,” he stated matter-of-factly.

“Oh,” Taako replied, looking away as he turned in Kravitz’s lap, leaning against his chest.

Kravitz paused in handing Taako a plate, leaning forward to feel the warmth of his face. “You just called yourself handsome, why are you embarrassed?”

“I’m not embarrassed,” Taako hissed, nabbing the plate from Kravitz.

“Your face is hot,” Kravitz replied pointedly.

“Shut up,” Taako groused, spooning rice onto his plate and refusing to look at him.

Kravitz laughed and helped himself to some of the food. “I brought a lot of different kinds of food. Had them set aside the meat just in case you couldn’t have it,” he indicated with his fork. “The curry is really spicy, if that’s not something you like. The rest of it is mild.”

“Good,” Taako commented, setting curry on his plate. “I was worried it’d be a problem for a minute. Nothin’ ruins a date like only eatin’ rice,” he laughed.

Kravitz approved of the choice, smiling at Taako and setting curry on his own plate with a small helping of beef. He pulled out the bottle of wine he’d brought. “I took a cab tonight, too, so you wouldn't be the only one drinking if you wanted to,” he smiled sheepishly. Taako grinned and grabbed it, pouring them both a glass.

“Got you somethin’, too,” he added, setting his plate down and pulling out a bag that was entirely too large to fit in the small purse. A bag of holding, then, Kravitz thought. Taako carefully sat out two slices of strawberry pie. “For dessert,” he winked.

“That’s cheating because Mac told you, but I don’t care. Thank you,” Kravitz replied sincerely. Strawberry pie was probably his favorite food. “Sorry, again, about earlier. I really don’t know what she was thinking,” he smiled softly, taking a bite of his food. He was still pretty embarrassed by it. Even he hadn’t noticed he’d been singing more around the house.

Taako waved his hand dismissively. “I thought it was cute and got some useful intel, my dude,” he grinned, indicating the pie. “If you want total forgiveness for something you don’t even need to apologize for, say the word ‘rad’ out loud.” He took another few bites of his food.

Snorting, Kravitz waited until Taako took a sip of wine. “Rad,” he drawled.

Taako choked on his wine, coughing and forcing himself to swallow. He shoved the glass at Kravitz as he laughed. “Asshole!” He coughed a little more and fluttered his hand against Kravitz’s chest. “I bring you pie and this is how you repay me!”

Kravitz took the wineglass, sipping as he smirked. “If you were being truly nice, you wouldn’t expect anything in return,” he laughed.

“I thought I’d get some fuckin’ decency outta you, my man,” Taako returned, tittering and turning to look at Kravitz.

Kravitz leveled a gaze at Taako, face dropping to serious. “Sure you want me to be decent?” After a moment, he cleared his throat and looked away. That’d been really stupid.

“Oh shit, look at Mr. Sauve,” Taako teased, pecking him on the cheek. Kravitz thought he probably felt how hot his cheeks were. “If you’d kept up the seriousness, you coulda clenched that delivery, handsome,” he snickered.

“Well, no one else is trying to be suave here,” Kravitz commented drily.

Taako laughed, shaking his head. “Whatever I’m doin’ seems to be workin’ on you, babe. Look at this setup. Fuckin’ moonlight and cuddlin’ and good food. Get this off the internet?”

Kravitz coughed awkwardly. “One of my friends writes romance novels,” he admitted, staring up at the flowers weighing down the boughs of the tree he was leaning against. Taako stopped eating mid-bite. “Really good romance novels,” he added, like that would help. He took a sip of the wine to hide his face behind the glass.

“Is that where you got ‘deep-veined purple-helmeted spartan of love’?”

Kravitz choked on his wine, eyes burning as he swallowed it back. “Revenge!” Taako crowed, stealing his wine back. Kravitz couldn’t help but laugh and cough, setting his mostly empty plate down.

“I guess I deserved that,” Kravitz wheezed, shaking his head. He picked up his own glass to ease the burn in his throat. Taako grinned, finishing off his food and letting Kravitz recover his breath. “Mac always gets her revenge, too,” he laughed. “She has very elaborate pranks, though.” He frowned to himself for a moment, “Like stealing my phone because I grounded her.”

Taako grinned to himself. “Agnes is too much of a good kid to participate in me n’ Lup’s sibling rivalry,” he commented, tapping his fork against the plate. “I can’t blame ‘im, he’s, yanno,” he paused, fork stilling on his plate. “A proper orphan. I think he has this mindset that he has to treasure every moment and treat everyone like he might never see them again.” Kravitz rested a hand on Taako’s shoulder. Taako looked off distantly before he forced a smile. “Sorry, sorry.”

“No, it’s fine,” Kravitz said quickly. “He is a good kid. Mac keeps asking if they can play together.”

Taako’s smile softened enough to be genuine, “Anytime you wanna, handsome. Angus is dying of curiousity about you. But so is Lup and all my stupid fam.” Kravitz laughed, squeezing Taako’s shoulder for lack of something better to do. “Been meaning to ask,” he said quietly, looking down at his plate. “You never talk about Mac’s mom. Did something happen?”

Kravitz froze, hand tightening around his wineglass.

Taako glanced back at his face and blanched. “Nevermind,” he said quickly. “Forget I asked.”

Kravitz took a deep breath and set his glass aside. Maybe this was the best time to tell Taako if he planned on this going on for a while. Taako would probably meet Erdan eventually. “No, I should tell you,” he replied softly.

“It’s really not a big deal,” Taako insisted, putting his plate down to gesture with his hands.

Kravitz put his arms around Taako. “Let me tell you,” he murmured. Taako stilled and went quiet, so Kravitz took that as assent. “I met Erdan on a family vacation when I was sixteen. He swept me off my feet and we wrote each other constantly after the summer ended,” he explained quietly. He could practically hear the gears whirring in Taako’s head. “Then, I missed a period. At least six pregnancy tests later, I dropped out of high school. I was already doing well with music and my parents have always supported me,” he shook his head, tightening his grip on Taako to keep from trembling. “It didn’t work out with Erdan, but we’re still friends. He’s in med school, so he visits Mac whenever he has time. He’s a good dad, we’re just not good together.”

Taako turned in his arms and put a hand on either cheek. “Thank you for telling me, handsome,” he murmured. Kravitz’s tremble disappeared in the following kiss. His hands slid down and around Kravitz’s neck, giving him a hug. Kravitz laughed and hugged him back, keeping his arms around Taako even as the hug ended.

“Has anyone ever told you how comfortable you are, bubala?” Taako commented, tucking in against Kravitz’s chest. He reached towards his wine weakly, refusing to move as he grasped his fingers towards it.

Rolling his eyes, Kravitz handed the wine to Taako, who thanked him with a peck on the jaw. This casual touching was something he could get used to. “Maybe once or twice. Do you want to watch the movie while we eat dessert? It looks like we’re both done,” he smiled against the top of Taako’s head.

“Sign me up, my dude,” Taako grinned, playing with a lock of Kravitz’s hair.

Kravitz pulled the tablet out of the basket and opened Fantasy Netflix. He groaned in exasperation as he flipped through the app. “I knew she wasn’t paying attention,” he grumbled. Taako peered down at the screen curiously, eyes flicking up to Kravitz. “I downloaded it days ago and told Mac to leave it on the tablet. I knew I should have checked,” he grumbled.

Snickering, Taako started poking at the screen. “Well, what does she have on here?” He paused when only two titles appeared. “Little Witch Academia.”

“I’ve never watched this with her,” Kravitz commented, reading the description. “It’s an anime.”

Taako’s eyes scanned over it, too. “Does your daughter have good taste?”

Kravitz considered this question seriously. “She wants to marry Ellen Ripley when she grows up,” he answered after a moment.

“From Alien or is there some other famous Ellen Ripley?” Taako laughed. Kravitz nodded in reply, making Taako laugh harder, “Rad. Probably watched weirder than this anyway,” Taako smirked, clicking on the play button.

It turned out to be an excellent addition to an excellent night. They drank wine and laughed, cuddling close under a blanket Kravitz had brought when the night began to get cold. When it was time to leave, they lingered near the fountain. Never quite parting as they waited, their shoulders brushing or interlacing their fingers or exchanging small kisses wherever they could reach.

Taako left him with a small box of cookies and a lighter step when they finally left the park for their cabs.

Of course, Mac was still awake on the couch when Kravitz got home. She ran at him, squealing, “Baba!”

He smiled, starting to hug her back, but she grabbed the cookies and retreated before he could. “I should have known,” he murmured to himself. Sarah shook her head and gave him a pitying smile. He paid her quickly so she could get home, then snatched the box back from Mac.

“Baba,” she complained, trying to reach the box he held over her head.

“You can have this after dinner tomorrow,” he chastised, turning to put it in the cabinet. Mac crossed her arms, fuming. “You’re still grounded today,” he threw over his shoulder. “And you should have been in bed an hour ago.”

Kravitz had no idea what she was grumbling to herself as he swooped her into his arms and carried her upstairs. He glanced down at her pouting face and sighed. “Taako said we could make a day for you and Angus to play together,” he commented, setting her on her bed. Her eyes lit up and she tucked herself into bed, grinning. “Only if you’re on your best behavior,” he told her seriously, stepping back.

“Pinky swear it,” she swore, holding up her hand.

Kravitz laughed and shook it. “Ahlam sa’ida,” he said, exasperated.

“Night!” She immediately rolled over and closed her eyes, fake snoring loudly. He kept laughing as he shut her door and retreated to his office.

Well, Kravitz thought, at least she was as excited as he was. He sat at his desk. Pausing, he looked out his window at the stars. For a moment, just a moment, he wondered if shooting stars were taken as seriously as pennies in fountains.

A moment later, a star carried his wish that whatever it was between him and Taako would blossom. It was a redundant thing to wish for, considering that flowers already hung heavy in the summer air. Still, it was the thought that gave it meaning.

Chapter Text

Despite all the amenities Kravitz had been privileged to growing up, he’d never had a real cup of cocoa. He nearly melted against Taako’s side and Taako laughed, drawing a plaid blanket around their shoulders. They were by the fire and in holiday sweaters, but Kravitz thought it was the gesture that would be why he ended up overheating. He turned his head so the horrible sequins on Taako’s charmingly tacky sweater wouldn’t dig into his face.

Actually, everyone in Taako’s family had been wearing garish sweaters. It’d made him feel overdressed at first blush. A few hours later and alone on his own couch with Taako, he didn’t much care. He felt drunk even though neither had yet touched the wine and whiskey sitting on top of the fridge. It was all Taako’s attentive, affectionate touches and sweet words throughout their time with his family.

Mac had been running around with Angus and a gaggle of children, shrieking with laughter any time she darted past the open archways of the orphanage. She’d barely given him more than a swift hug goodbye when he’d left with Taako in a taxi.

So, Kravitz didn’t feel bad about sighing dreamily into Taako’s ear and nuzzling his shoulder. Taako snickered and interlaced their fingers in his lap. “Did the old man spike your cocoa at the party, Handsome?”

“Don’t think so,” Kravitz chuckled, peeking up at Taako. “Hope not.”

Humming thoughtfully, Taako shook his head. “Had some good good eggnog Lup made yesterday and swore to the porcelain gods I’d never touch another drop of alcohol last night,” he drawled with a little smile.

Kravitz wrinkled his nose. “Somehow in a single day, I’d forgotten how romantic you are, Taako,” he teased and rubbed his thumb along the handle of his mug. Slowly, he looked away and let his face fold into concern. “Merle will really be alright watching Mac? She’s never really had a sleepover before,” he worried, hand tightening in Taako’s. “Usually she has sleepovers here.”

“She hardly noticed us leaving, bubula,” Taako grinned and squeezed his hand. “If she gets scared, Merle will call us and we’re five minutes away.”

Some of the tension in Kravitz’s chest eased and he let himself smile into his next sip of cocoa. A thought occurred to him and he looked back at Taako now sipping his own drink. “He’d call if she – I don’t know— if she was hurt and that enraged an ancestor from beyond the grave?” He cleared his throat. “Hypothetically.”

Pursing his lips, Taako squinted at him. “Is this one of those things where our dating level is high enough that I can ask what the fuck?”

Kravitz tapped his foot anxiously and shifted. “Maybe in the morning? Not that I don’t want to tell you, it’s—. Weird,” he answered sheepishly.

“Listen, he would definitely call. Besides—. ‘M not sure either of us would be here if we weren’t horny for weird, my man,” Taako snickered and set his mug down.

Rolling his eyes, Kravitz set his mug aside and patted Taako’s hand over his. “Horny for weird is one way to describe my attraction to your charm, dear,” he marveled, leaning forward. Maybe it would be okay to tell Taako some of the story. “My family has a long history of second chances,” he smiled and stood, pulling Taako with him to the hallway with a long line of portraits. “Those second chances only come from the love we give each other and the love we find in others.” He squeezed Taako’s hand and glanced back at him.

“Get out of here, Prince Charming,” Taako bubbled, pressing his face between Kravitz’s shoulder blades and giving him a brief hug around the middle. “Get on with your fuckin’ story, you big sap.”

Laughing to himself, Kravitz opened the door to the big tree. “Well, this is really the end of it. Goes back to them,” he gestured at an old wedding portrait at the root of the trees that grew down and then to the side, curling over the doorway and onto the ceiling. Taako took an awed breath, trying to trace all the leaves and branches of Kravitz’s family with his eyes. “I was named after the first Kravitz – Macallister. My baba says my geddo always said naming someone after him was bad luck. He had a feeling I could bring the name good fortune.”

Taako touched the engraving on the wall delicately. “What did you mean by second chances?”

Kravitz cleared his throat and fidgeted with the sleeve of his sweater. “We have a choice to let a part of ourselves hang around a little bit after we’re gone,” he explained. “To protect our family and the people they love. When they’re hurt, those parts of ourselves take their place for a little while. To let them have a second chance.”

“Seems to me like you should be way less worried about Mac in that case,” Taako smiled, turning and taking his hands.

“I used up a lot of second chances in high school. With the—. The stupid Bloody Raven thing,” he sighed and let Taako pull him into the hallway. “Mac only has one,” he whispered regretfully, guiltily.

Taako shook his head and put an arm around Kravitz’s waist. “My guy, that’s more than most get,” he reasoned and tugged Kravitz onto the couch. “Maybe less than you, but more than most.” Kravitz went happily into his arms. For most of Kravitz’s parenthood, he’d been the only voice talking down his own worries. It was nice to have someone else to hold him and tell him everything would be okay.

Nicer still to have someone he couldn’t help but believe in.

“Considering what I said earlier,” he started with a fond hand against Taako’s cheek. “There’s a second chance for you and Angus, too.”

Taako looked away with a sudden, loud laugh. It didn’t do anything to deter the deep warmth in Kravitz’s chest. He leaned back on the couch and threw an arm over his face. “You’re killin me, handsome,” he groaned, making Kravitz snicker. “Can’t just have one Candlenights that’s all salt and no sap, huh?” Exasperated, he wrapped his arm around Kravitz again and opened one eye, trying to shove down his grin. “I guess I love you too,” he relented with the firelight soft in his eyes. It was far from their first exchange of the words, but every time caught him in its path like the first.

Someone Kravitz couldn’t help but believe in.

“I love you so much, Taako,” he whispered genuinely, voice almost cracking with emotion. Taako raised both hands to put them on Kravitz’s cheek and Kravitz rested his on Taako’s forearms. He leaned forward so their foreheads touched. “You’ve given my days a music that pulls me out of bed at dawn just so I can hear more of it. I lose myself in the songs I want to sing to you about the dishes we do together rather than the epics I’m supposed to be composing.” Taako laughed, eyes bright. He kissed the side of Taako’s nose. “Thank you for this year. Happy Candlenights, love.”

Taako sniffed and turned his head, wiping at his face. “I’ve only got the three words in my head, sorry babe,” he mumbled with a watery laugh. “Happy Candlenights to you, too.” Swallowing, he wrapped his arms around Kravitz’s shoulders. “Gonna need a minute to get us back on the salt path, babe.”

Kravitz clapped a hand over his mouth to muffle his laughter. “Santa doesn’t only come one year. We could start off this clean slate on the nice list,” he teased and pecked Taako’s lips.

Rolling his eyes theatrically, Taako looked up suddenly. “Oh my,” he exclaimed. Pointing at the ceiling, he turned to Kravitz with a comically wide-eyed, innocent face. “There’s one of those weird occurrences we were talkin’ about! I guess we gotta be horny now.”

Still laughing, Kravitz followed his direction to a mistletoe he was absolutely sure he hadn’t hung. “That’s an inconvenient place for mistletoe,” he commented wryly. “Right above the couch means it’s not easy to get to.”

Hooting, Taako pulled Kravitz a quick kiss. “For everyone else, sure,” he grinned and kissed Kravitz again. “This is perfect for me, babe.”

After a few more kisses, Kravitz decided it was perfect, even if the mistletoe mysteriously disappeared when Taako lost all concentration on anything but him.

Chapter Text

The morning marched along in a sleepy hum. At least, Taako had caught himself humming three times that morning with his mind flashing to the fountain with his mouth pressed against Kravitz’s or the comfortable weight of his arms around his shoulders or the place where their hands joined amid the laughter. He slid a hand down his face and covered his mouth, taking a deep breath.

He’d made this order a million awful mornings. It was different now that it was Macallister Iados Kravitz’s order. Strawberry jam stuffed puffs, pancakes, waffles, scones, seriously enough food for a small army. He’d finally finished and was determined to be the one to ring Kravitz up this week.

Except Angus had fallen asleep against his side while he’d finished up paperwork in his office. They couldn’t leave him home alone, so he’d gotten somewhat used to being rushed into the bakery early. His tablet slipped out of his hand and onto the couch, so Taako gently turned off the screen and set it aside.

The door creaked open and Lup poked her head in, smiling fondly at Angus. “Hey brother, your boyfriend is here,” she whispered. “Got a cute friend, too. Where’d you hide away his order?”

His mind flashed through the friends he’d met at the temple, squinting at Lup. “Wait, which friend?”

“I think he said his name was Barry,” Lup answered automatically, looking around until she saw the goods.

“Oh no, Lulu, not cookout Barry,” he said in hushed horror. “Hey wait, come trade places with me. Take on Ango headrest duty.”

Lup grinned, picking up the boxes. “I ‘unno, Koko, I get Ango headrest duty every day and you’ve already got a boyfriend you’ve impressed,” she snickered. “And have you seen me today? I can tell that man he’d need to go through the lines of the Old Ones and he’d still call.” She gestured at herself with one hand and winked. “Still gotta give him my number.”

“Lulu, I swear to every god that can hear me right this second—,” Taako hissed, shutting his laptop and moving stiffly so he didn’t jostle Angus. Lup gave him a two-finger salute on her way out with the goodies. Forgetting himself, Taako yelled after her, “You only look nice today because those are my heels!”

She stopped at the door and thunked her head against the frame as Angus woke up with a jolt. Taako slapped a hand over his face, groaning. “Wha—?” Angus mumbled, barely on the side of coherent.

“Sorry, sorry, you can go back to sleep, bubala,” Taako tried.

“No, no, I didn't mean to sleep,” he mumbled, rubbing his eyes. “I wanted to see Kravitz again.”

Sighing, Taako forced on a smile. “You slept right on past the waitin’, peanut. C’mon, let’s help Lup get it out to our payin’ customers, huh?” He stood up, sweeping down stray flecks of flour from his blouse. Lup gave him a disapproving look as he nabbed the top box and handed a little bag to Angus tiredly yawning after him. “It’s fine,” he mouthed.

She shook her head and brushed past him, propping the door open for them with a heel. Barry and Kravitz were gathered around a couple of coffees by the window. The sunlight was still struggling over the skyscrapers, red dawn tangled in Kravitz’s hair. He was in nothing special for a Sunday, which made it special. The jeans he’d helped Kravitz pick and a faded shirt from what was probably a band that four people had heard of – all of those four people Kravitz knew. Mostly, Taako wanted to know when he’d gotten muscles and why he was only finding out now. He lifted the coffee to his lips and Taako could feel the ghost of them against his.

Hoo boy.

Taako didn’t realize he’d stopped to stare until Angus bumped into his leg.

“There’s a pot of coffee if you’re that thirsty, Taako,” Lup sang as she clicked past.

He rubbed one of his cheeks in embarrassment and waved it off with a dismissive flick of his wrist. Kravitz caught his eye across the room and waved. Taako waved back with a grin he could feel creeping into stupid. He hurried over to the table and held out the boxes, Angus keeping right on his heels. “G’mornin’, handsome,” he greeted with as much cheer as anyone could have at six thirty in the morning.

“Good morning, Taako,” Kravitz returned, reaching out to put his hands on the box like he might take it. He spared a smile at Angus, “Good morning, Angus.”

“Good morning, sir,” Angus greeted and sat the bag on the table for him.

“I almost forgot you worked here,” Kravitz commented, turning back to Taako.

“Yeah,” Taako answered intelligently, caught up in the red sunrise still caught in Kravitz’s eyes.

They probably would have stood there grinning at each other all morning if Lup wasn’t right there. “Since my brother hasn’t introduced us,” she drawled and nudged Taako in the ribs. “You must be this handsome fella he keeps talkin’ up.” She pointed at Barry and winked. Barry nearly choked on his coffee. Kravitz took the boxes from Taako with a laugh and set them on the table.

Taako rolled his eyes. “Kravitz, this is the bane of my existence, Lup,” he gestured back at her. “Lup, fill in the blanks.”

“Hi,” she snickered and turned immediately to Barry. “So-o that must mean you’re single,” she smiled at Barry.

Barry looked like he didn’t know what to do with his hands and, also, wasn’t entirely sure what hands were. “He is,” Kravitz answered for him. “This is Barry.”

Barry stuck out his hand to Lup as if to shake and then seemed to regret it immediately. “It’s nice to meet you,” he managed with a soft smile. “Lup.”

She took it gracefully and shook. Taako caught a flash of a piece of paper she pressed into his palm. “Charmed,” she winked. Barry stared down at his hand for a moment in bewilderment and then immediately fumbled for his phone.

“Right,” Taako interrupted, clapping his hands. “This one is on the house, babe.” He waved vaguely at the boxes. “Happy Father’s Day.” He started to lean in to peck Kravitz on the cheek but Kravitz threw up his hands in anticipation and nearly knocked Taako in the nose. Luckily, Taako managed to dodge out of the way from that.

“It’s far too much to allow that,” Kravitz insisted and pulled out his wallet. “You working here means I need to be extra generous with the tip. What would that hot-shot chef Theodore think about me taking advantage of one of his employees?”

Taako blinked owlishly, lips still puckered like he was ready to smooch. “Theodore?” Lup clapped her hands over her mouth to hold back a laugh.

“Draco? Whatever his name is. I know he’s here on Sundays. The one from TV,” Kravitz demurred and handed way too much money over to Angus. “You’ll make sure this gets in the register for me, won’t you?”

Angus took it with a giggle and immediately gave it to Lup who pocketed it. “You mean from Sizzlin’ It Up, sir?”

“Yes, whatever that show is means I can’t come here during lunch anymore,” Kravitz sighed and started to put his wallet away as he talked. Barry kept trying and failing to catch Kravitz’s eyes, glancing over to Taako nervously. “Too much foot traffic. They really should expand. I’ll give that chef one thing, he’s very good. It’s why we get the big breakfast on Sundays, it’s the only day he’s here early enough for us.” He smiled at Taako weakly. “I’m sure the other bakers are very good, but I can taste the difference when he makes it himself and when someone else is only using his recipes.”

“Ah,” Taako managed, ears flicking as his face started to burn. This was a lot to take in.

And, he thought, the best thing ever.

“Sorry to disappoint, but I made your order this morning, my guy,” he grinned and leaned in to give Kravitz a big kiss on the cheek. Surprisingly, Kravitz turned his head and kissed Taako on the cheek as he started to lean back.

“Not a disappointment. I look forward to trying your cooking,” he said sincerely and took Taako’s hand in his. “Well, more of your cooking. Tried one of your cookies when I was composing late last night and if this is half as good as that, you’ll have to make my breakfast every morning.”

“Gross,” Taako chastised half-heartedly. ”Too sweet for this early, babe.”

Kravitz patted the boxes of food with a snort. “Speaking of early, unfortunately I think I need to let you get back to work so Barry and I can get breakfast home,” he smiled.

“Yeah,” Taako grinned, dimples aching. He gave Kravitz another swift peck on the cheek as he stood. “I’ll text you on my break.”

“Please do,” Kravitz murmured and squeezed Taako’s hands, then picked up the boxes. “Happy Father’s Day. Have a good day, dear.”

With that slip of an endearment, Kravitz turned and hurried out of the door, flustered. “Bye,” Taako hollered after him and glanced around to see Bary, Lup, and Angus had somehow slipped away without him noticing. Barry took another coffee from Lup, full of nervous smiles. Taako made a face at her behind his back.

The bell over the door rang one more time as Barry rushed after Kravitz.

“Cu-ute,” Lup teased and leaned on the counter with a grin at Taako.

“Right on the money,” he smirked and glanced out the glass door. The sun swept away the shadows as the city sluggishly woke. Their next customer came in – yawning, in a Sizzlin’ It Up t-shirt – and froze at the door, awe on their face. He gave them a cheery wave and retreated to the back with a smile.

He threw himself on the couch and covered his stupidly grinning face.