Chapter Text
Taako was very bad at respecting personal space. Kravitz had come to this conclusion around the campfire after several glasses fantasy Tequila and orange juice, with the elf sprawled loosely across the laps of Edward, Magnus and himself.
None of the others seemed in the least bit phased, so he supposed this must be a common occurrence for the elf, but the high heels were digging into his leg and he was sure he would have bruises in the morning. It was very tempting to move, but the only time he had tried to do so one of those high heels had nearly stabbed him in such a location that he decided it wasn’t worth it.
Magnus was lucky; in the middle of the three he was victim to neither the high heels Kravitz was suffering or the alcohol spills that were ruining Edward’s clothing. The other elf didn’t seem to be bothered, instead running his fingers through Taako’s hair as he gossiped with others in the group. The gesture was familiar and affectionate and very different to the conflict Kravitz had witnessed in the big top only two days prior.
“I’m taking bets, by the way,” Lydia told them quietly as she brought another glass for her brother, slapping Taako’s hand away from it.
“Ten minutes,” Magnus immediately tossed a coin her way which she deftly caught, winking at him.
“More like five,” Edward rummaged in his pocket, pulling out a silver for his sister.
“Bets on what?” Kravitz automatically reached into his bag of holding inside his own pocket, calling forth a silver.
“How long it takes those two,” she nodded meaningfully in the general direction of Barry and Lup, who had been arguing ferociously for some time. Barry’s face was flushed bright red and Lup’s ears were pricked upright. They had lost their original train of thought a while back, and for some reason their argument was now about which was better on chocolate cake, single cream or double? “To make excuses to leave and pretend they aren’t going off to snog.”
“Clock’s ticking,” Taako flipped a coin in the air to Lydia. “Three for Lup, twelve for Barry.”
To Kravitz it didn’t look like either of the pair were going anywhere very quickly, especially not to ‘snog’. Back when he was alive courting definitely didn’t involve arguing like that. What had happened to romance, people bringing their loved ones flowers and chocolates and taking them out for romantic evenings under the moonlight?
“I’m in for fifteen,” he hedged, handing over his silver. Honestly, the others knew the couple far better than he did, but he didn’t want to look like the outsider by not putting in his money. He was trying to ingratiate himself with this group, better to find the show’s lich in the long run. Know your enemy.
“Ooh boy,” Taako laughed, kicking his feet. “You got a lot to learn, newbie.”
Taako won the bet. A stormy-faced Lup had charged away from the campfire, sparks jumping from her fingers and crackling around her, two minutes and forty seconds later. Barry had joined them at the fireside, but his flush never did fade. In quick succession he downed two more drinks before declaring that he was going to turn in, headed for the opposite end of the camp and his own caravan.
Lup sneaking back through the camp to follow him would have been much more subtle if she had been able to put out the sparks.
“I don’t know why they even try to keep it secret at this point,” Julia smiled fondly, watching Lup’s attempts at sneaking. “It’s obvious that they’re crazy about one another.”
“Commitment’s not Lup’s schtick,” Taako shrugged. His ankle flexed in Kravitz’s lap, coming dangerously close to vital parts of his anatomy.
“That’s it, I’m taking these off you,” he grabbed for the elf’s ankle, determinedly unfastening the straps which curled halfway up the toned calf.
“Yeah, homie,” Taako smirked. “Hey, how about a foot rub while you’re at it?”
Magnus and Edward made a very poor attempt at hiding matching knowing grins as Kravitz opened his mouth to refuse, annoyed with the elf for suggesting it, but all that came out was a splutter. Taako’s ankle flexed in his hand, long elven toes tipped with painted nails curling.
“You’re flirting with me?” Kravitz meant for it to sound like a simple statement of fact. He didn’t intend for his voice to rise in pitch at the end, giving the emphasis and tone of surprise to the me.
“Well yeah,” Taako frowned at him, long ears pricking. “Thought that was obvious.”
Kravitz stared, frozen in place for what felt like it could have been minutes but was probably only seconds.
He really shouldn’t have been so surprised. The elf had been overfamiliar with him from their first meeting. However, from what he had seen of him, Taako was that way with a lot of people. He was always touching someone, usually Lup and usually therefore chastely. When he didn’t have an arm linked with Lup, he was draped over Kravitz or Edward or Magnus. The only times he stood alone were when he spoke with the Captain, and even then more often than not he would have Angus with him, holding a hand or curled up in his lap.
Now that he thought about it, Taako was actually very selective over who he allowed close. He had seen the elf actively avoid other members of the show, even to the extent of levitating himself over the tents to get away from Brian the Beastmaster on one occasion. He didn’t actively avoid Barry, but Kravitz had never seen them touch either, nor did Taako act flirtatiously around him.
Storing that new awareness away to consider later, Kravitz finished removing Taako’s shoes and threw them, one after the other, right into the fire.
“Hey! Those were…” Taako sat up quickly, jolting Magnus’ glass from his hand and spilling it down his own chest. “Shit! This is fantasy Prada!”
“You’re a wizard,” Kravitz reminded him, humming a tune to cast prestidigitation on the shirt to clean it instantly.
“You threw my shoes in the fire!”
“They were awful,” Kravitz sniffed. “I’ll buy you another pair. A better pair.”
“But I liked that pair…” Taako crossed his arms, sulking. “They were my favourite pair!”
“Two pairs?” Kravitz negotiated, feeling guilty. “And a foot rub?”
“Hell yeah sugar daddy!” Taako’s mischievous grin promised Kravitz that he had just been perfectly played. The elf laid back once more, waving toes in his face.
Kravitz sighed, exasperated. He was a man of his word, so though he couldn’t remember having done it before he did his very best, glad when Taako relaxed bonelessly where he laid and didn’t give him instructions.
He wasn’t sure how long he had been at his task when Magnus nudged him in the side, speaking in a quiet whisper, “I think you’re off the hook.”
Taako’s eyes were closed, a blissful expression on his face. His breathing was steady and peaceful, his decorated lips parted slightly. He was sleeping.
“Good job,” Edward congratulated, giving him a thumbs up.
“I don’t think you boys will be going anywhere tonight,” Julia chipped in, taking in their predicament. Moving would definitely jostle the elf and probably wake him. “Shall I bring a few blankets? We could all sleep out here. It’s a lovely night.”
“That sounds perfect love,” Magnus beamed. “I… I won’t be able to make the hot chocolate tonight?”
“I’ll live,” she leaned in to kiss him on the forehead. “Think Taako would mind if I join you boys?”
“You know he likes you,” Lydia’s tone was just slightly bitter. She looked to her brother. “I’m sleeping in the caravan. Try not to catch fleas out here.”
“You’re kidding babe, I’m not sleeping outside!” Edward scowled at the dusty floor. “Soon as Julia comes back I’ll swap out.”
Julia wasn’t away long, returning with a huge number of blankets and pillows and arranging them into a comfortable makeshift bed before taking Edward’s place, Kravitz holding up the back of Taako’s head with a gentle mage hand so that he wasn’t jostled awake.
“You don’t mind?” Kravitz wondered as Julia got herself comfortable, curling up on her side so that her legs were propping Taako’s head up just a bit higher than Magnus’s lap, acting as a pillow.
“It won’t be the first time we’ve spent the night outside,” she leaned her cheek on Magnus’s chest so that she could use it as a pillow for herself and was able to see Kravitz over it. “Or the first night with Taako.”
Kravitz preferred not to be judgemental in general when it came to relationships. Over the centuries he had lived he had seen so many different combinations that he had become somewhat desensitised from the prejudices that had existed when he was alive. He didn’t judge Julia and Magnus and Taako, but he wasn’t sure of the nature of what was actually happening between them and this confusion must have shown in his expression.
“Since Lup and Barry have been – unofficially – together, Taako’s been left alone,” Julia explained. “I don’t think he’s used to it. He needs someone, but he doesn’t want anyone to know that, so he plays with all the boys. He’s broken more than a few hearts over the years, but Edward and Magnus have always been his favourites. They understood more than the others.”
“Aren’t you two married?” Kravitz asked, noticing Magnus blush.
“We are, but Magnus really likes to cuddle,” Julia shrugged. “My baby has so much affection to give. I don’t have to keep all of it to myself.”
“We don’t… it doesn’t…” Magnus stammered, flushing and looking helplessly at Julia.
“They just hug,” she clarified for him. “Taako isn’t the sort of person who sleeps around, and especially not when it has even a chance of damaging someone’s relationship. The majority of those hearts he broke were because he didn’t actually want to take things further.”
“It’s a shame,” Kravitz sighed. “It’s not his fault but I can see why people would be confused. Some of the things Taako says and does, even Lup jokes about him having one-night stands…”
“Yeah. That’s what a lot of people here think,” Julia shook her head, looking fond but disappointed. “It doesn’t excuse anyone trying to take advantage, but I wish he wouldn’t encourage the wrong people to get attached, especially after what happened with Sazed…”
“That’s Taako’s story to tell,” Magnus interrupted, a little too loudly. Taako, still laid across their legs, shifted. They all held their breaths as he frowned in his sleep, reaching out an arm and patting over Magnus’s chest. None of them were sure whether he was awake or asleep as he dragged his body upwards to curl up on top of and around Magnus, clinging on like a Koala. Julia smiled fondly, stroking loose hair from Taako’s face before it could get into his mouth.
“It’s different with you,” Magnus murmured, assessing Kravitz with far less of the usual kindness in his expression. He looked suspicious and wary. “It’s like… Taako can be flirty, but usually it’s only if he wants something, and even then he shuts it down as soon as he gets what he wants. Maybe it’s just because he’s going to be working more closely with you if you’re going to be part of Sizzle It Up. Maybe it’s because you haven’t been flirting back. I’m not sure, but if you hurt him…”
“You’ll throw me out of the show,” Kravitz repeated the threat the Captain had made. “Or blow me up?”
“No?” Magnus frowned. “Well, yeah, but that’s not what I was going to say.”
Kravitz made the universal gesture to suggest that he should continue.
“I was going to say that if you hurt him, he’s never going to open up again,” Magnus rubbed small circles into the small of Taako’s back, the elf purring in his sleep at the contact. “You’ve been here for less than a week and he’s already allowed you to join us for drinks night. I know Lup invited you, but she wouldn’t have done that without checking with him first. That’s big, for Taako.”
“I… have no intention of hurting him,” Kravitz promised, uncertain.
He had Taako all wrong. His first impression of the elf had been of a childish, flirty, slightly rude person who might just use people as commodities and then throw them away. If what Magnus and Julia were telling him was true he was none of those things, not really. Maybe that was a front, hiding the insecurities underneath. What sort of friends were they that they would so thoroughly unmask him to Kravitz, who they had known for no time at all and who was essentially a stranger?
They laid for a while with Kravitz contemplating what he had been told. The thought came to him after a while that Taako moving had freed him, the elf laid entirely on Magnus. He was free to get up and go to his trailer if he wanted. He even thought about it for a while, as well as considering all that Magnus had told him.
Eventually he turned to face Magnus, awkward as the arrangement was, and tentatively wrapped an arm around Taako’s waist, keeping at least two inches above the upper hem of his skirt.
“I was meaning to ask you,” he deflected any comment Magnus may have by speaking before the man could so much as open his mouth. “Captain Davenport suggested a team training session, because I’m new to the security team?”
Magnus groaned, the reverberations from his chest running through Taako strongly enough for Kravitz to feel them on his arm. “I hate team training… Merle always manages to mess it up somehow, you know? He claims to be a cleric but I’m pretty sure some of the things he does in that greenhouse are entirely unholy. Still, the Captain’s right. It can’t be tomorrow though, Brain asked me if I would fix one of the cages for the menagerie. After the next show though?”
“Sounds like a plan,” Kravitz agreed, biting the bullet because he couldn’t find any other way to rest his head comfortably and using Magnus’s shoulder as a pillow. “Will people think it’s weird if they get up in the morning and find us like this?”
“Nah, they’re used to it.”
Kravitz felt intolerably warm. Drowsy and only half aware, he tried to turn over and go back to sleep on a cooler part of what he assumed to be the bed, but he seemed to be stuck.
He opened his mouth to take in a deep breath, preparing to sigh, but he got a mouthful of hair for his troubles.
“Crappy alarm clock,” Taako’s grumbling voice finished the process of waking him, so the knock to the top of his head from Taako’s hand was entirely unnecessary. “It’s too early.”
Kravitz opened his eyes and looked to where he had expected Magnus to still be, but the human couple were gone. He and Taako were still outside covered in a stack of blankets and the fire had burned down to embers. Taako was at his side, leg looped over his hips and loose hair scattered across his chest and face. His arms had been wrapped around Kravitz’s chest but he had removed the top one to rub his own eyes clear of sleep.
“I’m sorry,” Kravitz apologised genuinely. He knew that Taako usually slept in. Out of the two of them Lup was the morning person, and by morning person he meant that she would be awake before noon, which was an achievement for her twin. “There’s no curtains, and it’s getting light.”
“Hmph,” Taako lifted his head an inch from Kravitz’s chest, opening his eyes blearily to look at the horizon. “Too early.”
“I know,” he soothed. “Think you could move just for a few minutes? We could go to one of the caravans. Mine’s pretty close, just a couple of rows over.”
Taako was suddenly pushed up from his chest and frowning at him, suspicion written over his features before his smile masked it. “Knew I’d get you into bed sooner or later bird boy!”
“To sleep,” Kravitz stressed, rolling his eyes and feigning frustration. He wasn’t actually annoyed; after what Magnus and Julia had said last night though he thought any other reaction might unnerve Taako. “I’m not comfy here.”
“Well, that’s a let down,” Taako must have failed his deception check on that one, or Kravitz had an advantage with what he now knew of the elf, because he could see the relief come over him. “If I’m not getting anything out of it, I’m not getting up. If you insist on going to bed, you might have to carry me.”
“That’s not a problem,” Kravitz assured. “But you’ll have to let me get up.”
Grumbling and complaining Taako allowed Kravitz to stand and scoop the elf into his arms. For a chef – heck, for a living being – Taako was extremely light, almost too light. Kravitz found himself wondering about that, but didn’t voice the question. It was none of his business whether Taako looked after himself properly.
He resolved, almost involuntarily, to keep track of how much the elf ate from now on and encourage him to eat more if he could.
“Love what you’ve done with the place,” Taako told him once he was set down on the bed, looking from the small holes in the fabric roof, to the drab décor, to the shrine to the Raven Queen on the counter top. Kravitz thought that he should maybe have hidden the shrine before bringing Taako inside, before reminding himself that there were lots of people who worshipped the Raven Queen who were perfectly normal people, not reapers.
“I’ve not done much interior decorating,” Kravitz shrugged. “Maybe you could help me find a style, when we get to Phandolin?”
“Give my styling services away for free?” Taako pulled a shocked expression, hand over his heart. He dropped it in an instant, grinning. “Sure. Why not?”
“I could pay you?” Kravitz couldn’t decide whether Taako made light of it because he was actually joking or whether he was covering up a desire to actually get some reward if he did the job. “I already owe you two new pairs of boots. Maybe I could buy you dinner?”
Taako’s eyes narrowed instantly, one hand making a fist in the covers. As before, it lasted less than a second, and if Kravitz had blinked he would probably have missed it. The elf was back to being relaxed and smiling already. “Sure.”
Could he take back the offer? Kravitz wasn’t sure what would be worse – actually taking Taako to dinner, when his immediate reaction had been that flash of fear and anger, or withdrawing the offer now. He decided that since the offer was accepted he’d best leave it as it was, but he would be careful about how he went about the dinner. It would be best to make it as down to earth as possible, no chance of misinterpreting anything as an attempt at romance or seduction.
“Move over a bit?” he waited for Taako, again grumbling, to make enough space for him at the edge of the bed to get in. “I swear, if you push me out of my own bed I’ll drop you back into your caravan faster than you can say Dimension Door.”
“Dimension Door?” Taako asked drowsily, innocently, before his eyes snapped open and he shoved.
“I hate you,” Kravitz complained from the cold floorboards, without venom. It was his own fault for even suggesting the idea.
“Dimension door?” Taako tested again, his expression alight with mischief.
“Oh hush,” Kravitz chuckled as he climbed back on to the bed, wrapping an arm around Taako’s – remarkably, dangerously – thin waist. “There, now if you do that again you’ll be on the floor too.”
“What happened to poofing me out of here Mister Bard?”
“Don’t want to waste the spell slot,” Kravitz grumbled falsely. “I thought it was too early in the morning for you to be awake?”
“Gonna cast sleep on me?” Taako stuck out his tongue. It was a shockingly childish gesture, which made it all the worse that it caught Kravitz’s eye as much as it did. “Actually I am pretty pooped. How about you get me up at a normal person time next time?”
“Go to sleep and I will,” Kravitz insisted, not sure why he was still talking. If he shut up the elf would definitely get bored and sleep. He found that idea disappointing.
“You go to sleep first,” Taako demanded.
“So that you can draw on my face? Nope. You sleep first.”
They did eventually fall to sleep, about an hour and a pillow fight later. If Taako paid the slightest bit of attention to Kravitz’s pillows being stuffed with raven rather than duck down he didn’t comment on it in the heat of pillow war.
When waking from a sleeping spell there were subtle tell-tale signs. An itch on the inside of the nose without the urge to sneeze. A tingling in fingers and toes. And most noticeably the abrupt feeling of falling.
Taako had left, managing not to disturb Kravitz as he went. He had likely cast the spell so that he could sneak away. Kravitz didn’t think anything of it beside checking to make sure the elf hadn’t played any tricks on him when he was under the spell.
This was the last day of travelling, and the carriages were already moving. The horses were driven by mechanical creations of Lucas and Barry, so as long as they kept up with the pace people were able to go about their days as they chose. Kravitz allowed a lot of the transport pass him by when he emerged, waiting for the enclosed cart with the showers and then once he was ready for the day waiting again for Taako’s larger show carriage to pass.
He had missed whatever breakfast Taako had cooked, the pans discarded in the sink to be washed. Lup usually washed while Taako dried, it was their routine, but Lup was still not back from her overnight stay with Barry. Rather than waiting for her to return, Kravitz rolled up his sleeves to clean up.
Taako was there, watching Kravitz from the corner of his eye. Across from him at the table was with an older looking dwarf man in a fantasy Hawaiian shirt and shorts. A pair of gardening gloves were on the table beside his teacup. The pungent smell coming from the tea was not familiar to Kravitz, though it was suspicious.
“I’m just saying, a flower shop wouldn’t pay the bills,” Taako sounded bored, like he might have had this conversation more than once before. “If you stop buying all those hideous shirts, maybe cut back a bit? Sure, you could manage it. Until then you’re stuck with the red nose and the face paint.”
“It’s not the face paint,” the dwarf grumbled. “It’s the kids! Hundreds of kids, every show day. Heck, I can’t even handle my own kids, why would I want to be around other people’s snot monsters?”
“Morning sleepy,” Taako interrupted to finally greet Kravitz, seeming to decide something that resolved his suspiciousness. The dwarf looked up as well, taking a gulp of his tea.
“Morning,” Kravitz looked to the dwarf. “Sorry I didn’t introduce myself. I didn’t want to disturb your conversation. I’m Kravitz.”
“Oh, I know,” the dwarf smirked at him before winking, very slowly.
“He’s Merle,” Taako introduced, openly kicking the dwarf under the table.
“Ow! That hurt!”
“Heal it,” Taako stuck out his tongue. “You’re the one who insists that you’re a cleric.”
“Ah,” the gardening gloves made more sense to Kravitz now. “Taako has mentioned you before. How are your plants doing?”
“Very well thank you,” Merle beamed, his eyes lighting up. “I’ve got this one shrubbery at the minute that’s absolutely ground breaking, you should see it, perfectly formed, tender stems, undamaged leaves...”
“Lalalalala!” Taako stuffed his fingers into his large elf ears, eyes wide with horror. “No plant talk!”
“He asked!” Merle crossed his arms, glaring daggers.
“Sorry, can’t here you, lalalala!”
“I’m told if he teases you it’s because he doesn’t hate you,” Kravitz reassured Merle with a shrug. “You two must be close?”
“His cooking show produces the best fertiliser for the plants,” Merle grumbled, attempting to kick Taako under the table but his leg wasn’t long enough.
“Lalalalala…”
“We could just leave him to it?” Kravitz suggested. “It might be more peaceful than if he’s actually talking?”
“I don’t think…”
Even with his fingers in his ears already, Taako slammed his palms flat against them as an alarm sounded, deafeningly loud, its location difficult to determine due to its sheer volume. Kravitz covered his ears so quickly that he nearly hit himself in the head with the frying pan he had halfway washed, splashing water all down the front of his suit. Merle didn’t seem to be as badly affected, though he swore profusely in a string of profanity most would consider unfitting for a cleric.
Taako tore his hands away from his ears, Kravitz recognising the familiar motions involved in casting message.
“Shut it off, we’re deaf now but we’ve heard you. We’re on our way.”
“What is it?” Kravitz asked as soon as the ringing in his ears stopped. They were already out the door, Taako shoving a purple wizard’s hat onto his head as they left the caravan, Merle’s grip tight around a book with the title ‘Extreme Teen Bible’.
“Security breach,” Taako told him quickly. “They’d better not have interrupted Lup’s morning, she doesn’t stay over there often.”
The whole chain of caravans had stopped in its tracks, people emerging from their mobile homes and muttering to one another, trying to work out what the problem was. Taako and Kravitz rushed past them all, Merle following more slowly on shorter legs, until they reached the bestiary caravans where Captain Davenport and Magnus were waiting impatiently.
“Is this us?” Magnus looked them over quickly. “Lup still…”
“With Barry,” Taako spoke quickly. “What’s the problem?”
“Bryan.”
“The Beastmaster?”
“Not Brian, Brian. Bryan,” Taako explained unhelpfully. “How did he get out?”
“I was fixing the cage,” Magnus looked a bit guilty. “Julia brought me some lunch and I was… distracted… and I must have forgotten to do the latch.”
“Not your fault big guy,” Taako flourished a hand dismissively. “How long’s he been gone?”
“At most an hour,” Magnus rubbed the back of his neck, avoiding their gaze. “Brian’s gone too. I think he might have gone after Bryan.”
“I’m sorry, what is Bryan?” Kravitz interrupted, struggling to follow.
“Brian’s giant spider,” Captain Davenport kindly filled in the gap.
“Thank you,” Kravitz nodded. “Any idea which way it went?”
“No?” Magnus winced.
“Ooh kay,” Taako rolled his eyes. “Ready to move?”
“We don’t know where we’re even going,” Merle complained. Taako’s wand dropped into his hand.
“Bippidi-boppedi-boo,” the elf flicked the wand with practiced ease, the spell unfamiliar to Kravitz, before pointing to some hills in the distance. “Wooh boy, it’s nearly out of range, let’s haul ass.”
“What spell was that?” Kravitz questioned curiously as they quickly grabbed horses from waiting helpers and followed the direction Taako’s wand still pointed.
“Locate creature,” Taako laughed at his expression. “Don’t look so impressed, it’s only fourth level music boy.”
“When we find Bryan, I can charm him,” Kravitz caught himself showing off only after he’d said it. “That happens to be fourth level as well, hat boy.”
Taako seemed to think that was the funniest thing, doubling over his horse’s back. He was lucky the beast didn’t throw him off. “You need to work on your come backs. Hat boy?”
“I may be out of practice,” he admitted. Childishly, not sure where the impulse came from, he kicked on his horse to race with Taako’s, the elf quickly having to sit back up as the ride suddenly became much more uneven.
“Ooh, so it’s like that is it?” Taako laughed, spurring on his own horse with a whoop.
Neither animal was designed for racing, heavy cart pulling beasts with thundering hooves and only so much speed that could be urged from their heavy frames. However, like a lot of horses, no one seemed to have told them that, and they raced with almost as much enthusiasm as their riders, overtaking Magnus’s horse and sending it into a bolt after them which the heavier man struggled to sit to and nearly wobbled off the side.
The horses tired quickly, and Taako pulled his down to a trot to check the direction his wand was pointing them.
“We’re definitely much closer,” he told them, his eyes following the direction of the wand. “Anyone else thinking what I’m thinking?”
“Spiders do like dark places,” Kravitz agreed, following the wand’s direction to a cave system in the cliff ahead.
“I know this place,” Merle told them, his horse having lagged behind but coming within earshot as they talked. “I think it belonged to someone in my family, but they disappeared?”
“Well that sounds like fun,” Taako frowned. “You’re really getting better at those motivational speeches.”
“Yeah, but surely they didn’t die here?” Magnus questioned, not waiting for an answer. “Come on guys, looks like we’re on foot from here.”
Magnus dismounted his horse in a rush, rushing into the mouth of the cave.
“Actually,” Merle added as an aside to Kravitz, reluctantly getting down from his horse. “The day he disappeared, I think he was planning to visit this exact cave.”