Hearts in the Dark - Dooiney_Oie (2024)

Chapter 1: Dinner Plans

Chapter Text

The music is deafening, the strobe lights are blinding against the otherwise pitch darkness of the club, and most people are far too drunk to pay him any mind as he quietly swirls a glass of wine in his hand. It's exactly the way Kravitz likes his hunting grounds.

He's dressed in a loose, dark t-shirt and faded jeans - not his preferred style, but his usual dress sense tends to garner him a lot of attention, and attention is the last thing he needs when he's choosing someone to drain the life out of. It's hard enough for him to stay inconspicuous without adding a sharp suit to the mix. Being a handsome monster is kind of a curse, really.

This particular club has been a rich vein (pun intended) of victims for months. He's been coming here for an unusually long time compared to most of his previous hunting grounds, but no-one seems to have made him as a regular yet, and this place has a rather above average amount of the kind of people Kravitz likes to target.

He takes a sip of his drink, only grimacing a little bit at the taste. It's not too difficult a task to spot a predator on the hunt when you are one yourself. All he has to do is keep an eye on people who look particularly drunk or vulnerable, and from there it doesn't take too long to find some low-life trying to take advantage. It's enough to make a person question their faith in humanity - but then, Kravitz hasn't been human in a long time. He can't afford to have faith in people, that would make his life (death? Undeath?) even more difficult than it already is.

There. A hand passed over the open mouth of a glass, and a small splash in the liquid inside. That didn't take long at all.

He drains the rest of his wine - he's paid for it, might as well finish it - and is about to make his way over when the spiked glass is suddenly knocked flying. Strawberry daiquiri spatters everywhere, particularly into the lap of the skeevy-looking man who'd been so nimble with his hands. The now-emptied glass rolls off of his legs and smashes on the floor.

"Oh, my bad, my bad! God, clumsy me, I'll make you another - you go get yourself cleaned up." The bartender is waving his hands in the air apologetically. Then he stops, seeming to consider for a second, and points at the man. "Actually, no, come with me into the kitchen and I'll give you a hand - Ren, would you mind getting our friend there some napkins and another daiquiri? I'll be back to clean this up in a sec."

Kravitz watches as the bartender circles round the other side of the counter to place a hand on the skeevy man's shoulder and whisk him away behind the bar into the kitchen. From his seat at the far end of the bar, Kravitz has a decent vantage point to watch them through the saloon-style doors opposite. He does his best to make out their conversation over the music, turning his sharp hearing their way.

"So, what's your name, thug?" the bartender says airily. He's bustling around the kitchen like he's looking for something, but Kravitz doesn't have a good enough view to see what.

"Jerry."

"Cool, cool. Now, Jerry, I may not be an incredibly smart man, but I've got some decently sharp eyes, and I value my honest customers," the bartender's voice suddenly turns harder than steel, and Kravitz catches a flash of something pointed being brandished in Jerry's face, "so I'm gonna give you exactly one chance to hit the road before I take this beautiful umbrella here and shove it somewhere entirely unpleasant. Got it, my dude?"

"You gotta be kidding me," Jerry says with an incredulous laugh. "You can't threaten me, I could take you easy."

"Oh, for sure, for sure, probably. But do you remember that bouncer you passed on the way in here? Big guy, scar over one eye? He's a pal of mine, and I've got him on speed dial, do you think you could take him?"

Kravitz suppresses a smile. It's true the bartender isn't very imposing, but he is a fast talker, with a big personality and a surprisingly quick wit. It's charming.

If he's being honest with himself, he's made note of the man on several visits. Every visit, to be even more candid. He's even entertained the idea of approaching him on a couple of occasions, but even aside from the general sliminess of flirting with a server in their workplace, getting involved means being remembered, and being remembered means taking care of witnesses and finding a new bar to haunt. It isn't worth the risk of losing this place or having someone hunt him down, even if the guy is as cute as all hell and probably most of heaven too.

Kravitz has a pretty good impression of him put together from some sidelong glances over the months. He has a darkish complexion smattered with freckles, and curly chestnut-brown hair pulled back into a braid to keep it out of his way. He's of slightly above-average height, probably a couple of inches shorter than Kravitz - but then, that's not hard - and his physique seems to reflect his personality; soft and non-threatening at first glance, but with a hard edge underneath that suggests he's more than what he appears to be.

Maybe Kravitz had done more than just glance at him.

"Okay! I got it, I'm gone." Jerry has his hands raised in front of him as he backs towards the staff exit at the other side of the kitchen.

"And don't let me catch that mug back here again, either, Romeo. I meant what I said about my trusty umbrella here," the bartender calls after him, nonchalant. Jerry scowls and scurries out of the door into the night and the pouring rain.

Kravitz allows himself a briefmoment to mourn his lost dinner before turning his attention back to the bar. No chance he can get out that way to follow the guy, so he may as well start looking for a new target. If he's lucky, he may still get to eat tonight. If not, he might have to get reckless in his search for food - it's been too long since his last meal, and he can feel himself starting to flag. Not to the point where he's risking blacking out just yet, but it could be a problem if he's not careful.

The bartender pushes his way back through the doors, dusting off his hands like he just threw out a particularly nasty piece of trash. He's wearing a pair of thin leather gloves the same colour as his skin, barely noticeable in the darkness of the bar. The place must be pretty strict on hygiene, Kravitz muses, just as the man turns and catches sight of Kravitz's empty glass on the bar in front of him.

"Oh, hey, can I get you a refill, there?" he asks, starting to make his way over. Then he pauses and glances in the direction of the shattered glass, seeming to remember his promise to clear it up.

Kravitz puts on his best co*ckney accent, the one he's been using during his time at this particular club. ('Best,' in this case, means doing his utmost not to let it slip into something closer to the Queen's English, like he normally does.) "Oh, no worries, love, it can wait until after you've cleaned up."

"So you saw that, huh?" A smile tugs at the bartender's mouth. "Can't believe my hot regular was watching me butterfingers it up over there. I'll be right back."

Oh no.

Kravitz panics for longer than he can afford. Regular. He wasn't careful enough, he's made an impression. This place is burnt, now, he won't be able to come back. It hurts his heart to lose one of the few things he actually gets to look forward to, but there's no helping it. It's how it has to be.

He makes to leave and gets as far as grabbing his jacket before the bartender returns, house red in hand, and picks up the empty glass from in front of him, chatting away. "Ren's already gone and cleaned it, that girl never stops. I told her I'd take care of it, but hey, who am I to complain? Less work for me." The wine swirls deep crimson as he pours it. "Can I ask you a question, my good man?"

Leave, Kravitz, now,the logical part of his brain screams. But the part that's lonely and has been wanting to talk to this beautiful man for the better part of a year has other ideas.

"...Sure, why not?" he says, settling carefully back onto his stool. The bartender shoots him a bright smile, and Kravitz has the thought that this might be worth the risk after all, to be smiled at like that for a change.

"Are you like, a cop or something? 'Cause y'know, the look on your face doesn't suggest you're here for fun, and, well," the bartender slides the refilled glass across the bar, "not for nothing, but I keep a pretty good eye on my customers. Most of 'em are good people, but every barrel's got a few rotten apples, if you know what I mean. The kind that try to take advantage of other, more naive apples." He leans against the counter, watching Kravitz intently. "And, more often than not, I see you leaving with or after a few of those past-best pieces of sweetness, and I gotta wonder what kind of person takes a liking to poison apples, and seems to have a way of making sure they don't darken my door again."

"...You're, ah, more perceptive than you look."

Kravitz sighs. He had really liked this place. It's more than just a shame to lose it. But, at least he's got an out.

"You've caught me, I'm a police officer," he says with a smile, trying not to let his disappointment show on his face or in his voice. The bartender raises a doubtful brow.

"Uh-huh. On loan from Scotland Yard, I assume. You got a badge to go with the accent?"

sh*t. Time to improvise.

"I'm, ah, off-duty. Call this," Kravitz waves vaguely, "a hobby. Bit of community service. In any case," he stands in a hurry and grabs his jacket again, pulling some cash from his pocket and throwing it onto the counter next to his untouched refill, "I really should be going. Thanks for the drink."

"Right. Well, come back some time." The bartender grins and waves coyly. "Else I'll miss seeing that handsome face of yours."

And there's the second rub of the evening. Kravitz has a very strict operating policy for when he's out hunting, rule number one of which being: no witnesses. That means the pretty bartender has to go, lest he have a very interesting conversation with an actual police officer about a mysterious patron of his, who's frequently seen leaving with other, less savoury, customers - who, completely coincidentally, become missing persons shortly after. It really is a shame, but the poor man has simply noticed too much for his own good.

And, Kravitz thinks, painfully aware of the growing emptiness in his stomach, he really needs to eat.

He steels himself and turns back towards the object of his frustrations. "Well, I'm not usually one to hit on people in their places of work, but," he takes a pen from his pocket and scribbles a phone number on a napkin, "I probably won't be back here. So if you miss my handsome face too much, maybe we can go for dinner sometime. Tomorrow night, maybe?"

He pushes the napkin across the counter and flashes his most winning smile. He should be able to afford to not kill the man right away - at least, he hopes so - and he can probably manage without food for one more day at least, though he'll be pushing his luck. If the offer goes untaken, he'll just have to follow him, but this option is a hundred times more pleasant than an ambush in some dingy alley. He doesn't like ending people's lives afraid and in the dark.

The bartender picks up the napkin and studies it contemplatively. "Hmm. Tomorrow's a no-go," he says,tapping a finger to his lips.

Within the privacy of his own mind, Kravitz heaves a sigh. Looks like it might be the hard way.

"But I'll tell you what," that lazy grin spreads across the bartender's face again, "I'll be done here in - oh, about a half hour. And then, we can go wherever you want." He leans forward onto the bar and tilts his head just so, sending the loose parts of his hair falling across his face. "Name's Taako, by the way."

Surprised at how smoothly that went and dazzled by the man's smile, Kravitz forgets to think up a pseudonym. Almost drops his accent, too.

"Kravitz."

He resists the urge to smack himself in the face. Idiot. That's rule number two out the window.

Still, it looks like this is going to be a lot easier than he thought.

Chapter 2: A Short Walk and a Lot of Talk

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A little over half an hour later they're standing outside as Kravitz holds Taako's umbrella over them both. He checks around for the burly bouncer that was at the entrance on the way in, the one Taako is apparently friends with, but he doesn't seem to be there. Good, that's one less witness to worry about.

"Man, long night," Taako yawns. He's changed from his work uniform into a pair of leggings with calf-length boots of deep brown leather, and is wearing a large, dark jumper over his white dress shirt that reads 'NIGHT OWL'across the front in neon yellow lettering. The gloves from before have been removed to reveal freckled hands sporting black, sparkling nail polish, and when he reaches up to let his hair out of its braid, it falls to his mid-back in a shower of dark curls. Not for the first time, Kravitz marvels at just how attractive he is. Ethereally so.

But that's not why he's here. He clears his throat.

"So, where to?"

Taako taps a finger to his cheek and studies the inside of the umbrella, considering. "Well, it's pretty late. Most places are closing up around now. We could take a walk around the city, or," he turns a sly grin Kravitz's way, "you could take me back to your place and we could, uh, hang out."

Kravitz blinks a little. This is going far, far easier than he had thought it would. Not that he's complaining, but-

"Aren't you being a little too trusting of a man you've only just met?" he asks, playful as he can manage under the circ*mstances. "I could be a serial killer, string you up by your ears or something."

Taako meets that question with a shrug. "I can handle myself. Besides, we haven't just met - you've been hanging around here for months, haven't you?"

It looks like Kravitz really hadn't been as surreptitious as he'd thought. "I suppose that's true."

"To tell you the truth, I've had my eye on you since day one," Taako says, leaning into him with a sultry smirk. "Tall, dark and handsome in the corner, all alone of an evening. Seemed too good to be true."

For f*ck's sake, everything he says makes this more difficult.

"I was hoping I'd get you to lure me back to your lair with that handsome face of yours sooner rather than later," Taako continues, oblivious to the fact that Kravitz is seriously considering cutting his losses and seeing if he can't find literally anyone else to eat. He casually picks a piece of lint from Kravitz's jacket and flicks it away. It's like he's doing this on purpose. But that won't change his fate.

"Well, in that case, my apartment's just a few blocks away, if you don't mind walking," Kravitz offers. Maybe disposing of the body will be risky, but at least it's private and comfortable. There are worse places to die.

"Not my favourite mode of transport, but I'll take it," Taako smiles, linking their arms together. "Lead the way, stranger."

He chatters away the whole time they're walking, talking about his coworkers, his sister, his nephew, a new drink he'd come up with the day before. His enthusiasm is dazzling, like a star on stage. Kravitz has seen glimpses of this in his flair bartending performances - when Taako was done flipping bottles and glasses high into the air, never missing a beat, he would often receive an impressive round of applause - but up close it's like looking at the sun. Which is something Kravitz usually prefers to avoid, but in this case... he could get used to it.

But, he reminds himself, he can't.

It occurrs to him that this man will probably be missed by a lot of people, and that only makes his dead heart sink further into his stomach. If only he could eat that instead, solve two problems in one go.

He pushes the feeling away. He can't afford to have those kinds of thoughts.

Chapter 3: Defying Expectations

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They arrive at Kravitz's apartment after a too-short walk through the rain, Taako still running his mouth and Kravitz trying not to think too much about how still and cold that mouth is going to be by the morning. He does his best to keep his hands from shaking as he turns his key in the lock and pushes open the door to his apartment.

It's a pretty nice place, all things considered. Fairly small, but the décor is tasteful, and the neighbours keep to themselves, which suits him perfectly. Taako hangs back a little as he enters the room, casting his eyes around the space.

"This, is possibly the gothest room I've ever seen, and I've dated some hardcore goths." He turns to Kravitz and giggles. "Don't you get sick of looking at black all the time?"

"Uh, no, not really," Kravitz says with an awkward smile. A lot of the interior design is actually left over from the previous owner, but he hadn't had the money or inclination to change it. "I like black. Brings out my eyes."

"Clearly. This is a nice place, though!" Taako says, stepping into the centre of the room and spinning in place as he takes it all in. Then he squints over at him, something unreadable in his expression. "You get this on a cop's salary?"

Kravitz shakes his head, false smile still in place. "I, uh, work nights at some hotels, restaurants. Playing piano." That much at least isn't a lie. Not being able to go out during the day limits his options, but rich people appreciate live music, and the money he makes playing combined with tips and what he saves on things like not having to eat or turn any lights on is decent. That, and dead people don't tend to mind parting with their cash, either.

"Interesting," Taako muses, wandering over to the kitchen area. "That a black tie deal?"

"Yeah, usually. They don't typically take kindly to t-shirts in places where the food has a higher net worth than the staff."

Taako looks him up and down like he's picturing it, and nods in approval. "Sweet."

Hemakes his wayover to the refrigerator in the small kitchenette on the right side of the room and looks inside, Kravitz silently thanking himself for keeping the bare minimum in there just in case of unexpected guests as the door closes again with a clunk. Then he pauses and frowns at himself. It's not like it makes a difference what Taako thinks of him, this will all be over soon.

"You got something to drink, my dude?"

"Oh, yes, right - how rude of me." Kravitz quickly squeezes past him and reaches up to open a cabinet next to the fridge. "Is wine alright?"

"Sounds perfect."

The other side of the room has a small living area, a double bed pushed against the wall, and a door leading into the bathroom. Taako makes his way over to the bed and collapses onto it, wet umbrella in hand, stretching over soft black sheets. Kravitz watches him pull off his boots and throw them across the room as he pours a bottle of wine into two large glasses. Setting the bottle on the counter and walking over, he proffers the slightly fuller one to the man sprawled across his bed.

"Here. It's not the finest vintage, but it's good enough," he says. He might not be able to enjoy it so much any more, but this brand has always been one of his and- One of his favourites.

"Hm. I'll be the judge of that." Taako sits up to grab the glass and take a sip. "Wow. Okay, you weren't lying. You've got good taste, after all."

"You're here, aren't you?"

Taako bursts out laughing, surprisingly loud and completely unembarrassed, which is exactly the opposite of how Kravitz is currently feeling. Clutching his stomach, the bartender sets his drink down on the bedside table to avoid spilling it as he fights back more laughter. It's a nice laugh, Kravitz thinks. The thought pains him.

"I - aha - I'm sorry, that was really cute. And I may have taken a couple of shots from the bar before we left," Taako says, fanning his face with a hand. "Boy, I'm really hot, will you help me get this off?" He tugs at the jumper, which now has a couple of small splotches of wine on it, and Kravitz helps him pull it off over his head. He can't quite figure out how to segue into thekilling part of this situation. The man just keeps talking, and Kravitz can't bring himself to silence him, remove all that bright energy from his eyes. He's not like all the others, his only crime is being a witness and an inadvertent threat.

That's right, he's a threat and he has to go, Kravitz thinks, even as he struggles to tear his gaze from the motion of the bartender's hands fluffing out his hair.

"Now that is a gajillion times better. You keep this room like a sauna, you know that?"

Kravitz attempts another smile. "I have, uh, bad circulation. Can't really stay warm otherwise. I'm like a snake, have to get the heat from somewhere else," he explains. Half-truths are easier than outright lies.

Taako reaches over to touch his hand as if to confirm and snatches his fingers back with a yelp. "Hoo, boy! That is a clammy one. You'd think your heart didn't work at all."

Kravitz tries to keep himself from tensing at that as Taako reaches back to reclaim his hand and press it against his warm neck, sighing happily. "But y'know, you're doing a great job of coolin' me down. Get rid of that glass so I can get another ice pack on me."

"Oh, sure."

He leans over to set his glass on the table next to Taako's, and as he goes to pull back a gentle finger on his shirt collar stops him. Their faces are an inch apart from each other.

"You up for this, snowman?"

Instead of answering, Kravitz opts to lean in and press a kiss onto his lips. They're incredibly soft, and so, so warm.

This is a bad idea.

But Taako is already kissing back, wrapping one hand around the back of Kravitz's neck, pressing the other into his chest and pushing him back onto the bed until he's lying on top of him. f*ck, he feels nice, but - remembering himself a little, Kravitz flips himself out of that vulnerable position, turning them both back over so that he's straddling Taako's hips, a little more in control.

A tiny, cautious part of him realises that he hasn't been in control of this situation since they entered the apartment, probably even before then, but the rest of him doesn't care.

Taako has unbuttoned his shirt and pulled it off his shoulders, and Kravitz leans down to kiss the soft skin of his neck. He can feel the human's pulse racing as much as he can hear it.

Then, he becomes aware of hands pushing up the back of his t-shirt, and pulls back. "If it's all the same, I'd rather keep that on," he murmurs. He shouldn't have let this get as far as it had already, never mind undressing. The warm arms pull out from under his shirt, to Kravitz's resigned disappointment, and wrap back around his neck instead. Taako's smile is warm, too. There's a small gap between his front teeth that Kravitz hadn't noticed before.

"No problem, my dude, it's all good with Taako. You just tell me if I'm gettin too handsy for ya."

He really is gorgeous, Kravitz thinks. He considers for a second, continuing to fake a few heavy breaths. He can afford to take things just a little bit further, right? The man will be dead by morning anyway, he may as well commit to this and have some fun. He removes the arms from around his neck and pulls off his shirt, breathing deeply, if only for show. Taako's eyes glance briefly over the two horizontal scars on his chest, and then he bites his lip. "sh*t, you're hot," he breathes, and then they're kissing again, and f*ck, does stopping sound like the last thing Kravitz wants to do, but he can't let him live. He has to end this before it goes too far.

Soft hands on his waist, fingers running up his spine. Just a little bit longer.

Now, a voice cautions, or you'll never do it.

He opens his mouth and lets his teeth graze along the man's exposed neck, tracing his pulse. He can do this.

"You got a thing about biting, huh? I can work with that."

Kravitz stops, fangs a breath above bare skin. He realises he's hesitated too long - despite everything screaming at him to do so, he really, really doesn't want to kill this human. He can't.

He closes his mouth and rests his forehead resignedly against Taako's shoulder. f*ck. He's going to leave a witness alive. This is going to get him killed, he thinks, even though he knows he's still not about to change his mind.

That's when he feels a sharp point pressing into his back.

Chapter 4: Hunger and a Hard Place

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"What," Kravitz wets his lips nervously, "is that?"

"That'd be a stake, my fella," comes the cheery reply. "Pure pine wood. Should think you'd be familiar with these by now."

"I have no idea what you're-" Kravitz starts, going to push himself back, but he's stopped by a firmpressure that holds the point of the stake just steady enough to break the skin.

"Oh, don't bother, fangs. I know a vampire when I see one, and you," Taako smiles wickedly, still panting a little, "have been eating my customers."

Kravitz clenches his fists in the sheets. This is just hisluck. The first time he takes a guy home in years, and he's a f*cking vampire hunter.

"...I could still kill you, you know," he says, meeting the hunter's eyes with a defiant glare.

"Not before I got this handy little stick of mine through your heart, I don't think," Taako muses. "You might get your teeth in there, sure, but you'd be dead before finishing me, and then I'd just end up turned. And I don't know about you, but I'd rather avoid that particular eventuality." He leans in close to Kravitz's ear. "Plus, I think if you were gonna make a meal out of me, you'd've done it already, wouldn't you?"

Kravitz stiffens. He's not wrong. His heart has always been way too soft for this lifestyle, ever since he was first thrown into it. He'd always expected it would end something like this.

The fight goes out of him. He drops the accent; there's not much point in it now.

"Do it, then. I won't struggle," he says quietly, averting his eyes.

Taako hums in his ear.

"Hmm. Nah, I don't think I will."

The pressure recedes from Kravitz's back. He slowly leans away to sit on his heels, feeling like he should put as much distance between himself and this (decidedly strange) hunter as possible, but too tired and too confused to go very far. All he can do is stare.

"...What?"

The hunter sighs and props himself up against the head of the bed, twirling the stake between his fingers. "Well, y'know when I said you could've killed me by now? I guess you could say the same goes for me with you. I just wanted to see what kind of guy you were, and, as I suspected, you don't seem like a bad person, so I'm thinkin' I can let you live." He fixes Kravitz with an unreadable stare. "Unless you think I'm wrong about that?"

"I... you..." Kravitz is reeling. Who the hell is this guy?

Sighing, Taako rolls his eyes. "See, the fact that you're still just sitting there kinda proves my point. Most of your kind would have drained me dry by now and be out on their way for dessert. Hell, I'd have killed me by now if I was in your position. But you haven't. Which means you're a much better person than I am, and I feel like killing you would kind of make me a hypocrite."

"But you're-"

"A hunter, correctamundo. And you're a vampire, but going by how totally dead you look, you haven't eaten in weeks, and given that you've looked like that every single time I've seen you, it's probably safe to say you're eating the absolute bare minimum you need to survive. And you still didn't try for a taste of this juicy little refreshment here, even thoughI'm your natural enemy and you're running on fumes!" Taako flips the stake into the air. "As for me, I only kill vamps who I think are dangerous, and I don't think you are. Haven't since I first clocked you taking stock of my shadier patrons." He pauses, frowns and then shrugs. "Well, not too dangerous. I can work with morally grey."

Kravitz's head is pounding. This is too much to process, and the hunter is right, he hasn't fed in weeks. Still not at the point of blacking out yet, but closer than he would like.

"...Then why are you here?" he manages, a bitter sneer twisting his mouth. "Just thought you'd hang out with a vampire for fun?"

"Oh, to tell you the truth, I wasn't sure at first. This could have ended up being business or pleasure," Taako says. That lazy smile has crept back onto his face. "I'm glad it didn't turn out to be business."

That's enough to render Kravitz truly dumbstruck. He's had his share of run-ins with hunters, but this guy is singular. Even if he is well-equipped, to put his own life at risk over little more than a hunch... Kravitz can't figure out if it's sheer confidence, or total idiocy.

And, he thinks, scowling, he's definitely wrong about one thing.

"Vampires can't be good people. It's kind of part of the deal when you're a monster who keeps yourself alive by murdering others," he bites, unwilling to let himself be lorded over by some hunter who doesn't know what he's talking about. He might be a monster, but he has some pride left, at least.

"Uh-huh." The stake continues to spin between Taako's fingers as he watches him intently. "How long you been, uh, living off red wine, shall we say?"

Kravitz is a little taken aback by the question, enough for an honest answer. "About five years."

"Huh. You're kinda young."

"I'm older than you," Kravitz points out. The man in front of him can't be much older than he was when-

He's younger, in any case. Maybe not by much, but he is.

Taako meets that assertion with a waved hand. "Okay, fine, but I mean, you're kind of a baby in vamp terms, right?"

"I - I guess," Kravitz mumbles. "I don't meet many others."

What is happening? He's sitting exposed, on his bed in his own apartment, having a friendly chat with a vampire hunter? It's enough to make his head spin, not that it wasn't doing that already.

"Yeah. I can see that. You don't seem like the hellraiser type. Anyway," Taako points the blunt end of the stake at him, "five years of the human smoothie diet, and how many people have you killed?"

The number leaps into Kravitz's mind unbidden. "Seventy-three. Give or take," he murmurs, feeling the weight of the admission in his mouth. And Taako laughs.

"That's f*cking low as sh*t, my man! Most vamps don't even bother keeping count, and they'll hit five times that number in that time - more, even. And, from what I've seen, you've been chowing down on exactly the kind of people this world could use less of."

This is way too much. Kravitz brings his knees up to his chin and looks away, unable to face this dazzling, beautiful stranger who seems to be trying to convince him he's not a monster.

"Please just stop. I don't need your reassurance, or your pity."

"This ain't either, broseph, I'm just statin' facts. You're a sh*tty vampire."

"I know," Kravitz whispers. He hates himself, really. He hates himself and he hates living like this but he can't just stop. What else is he supposed to do, just let himself die? Starve to death or throw himself into some hunter's path or drive a stake through his own heart? He can't do that.

And then there's the responsibility he still has, one person. He can't leave her alone, he has to make sure she's cared for. Even if that's just an excuse and she's never going to-

His vision mists over as he struggles to keep tears from his eyes. Stop it, he tells himself, this is why you don't think about it. This is why you have rules. How the hell had he gotten himself into this situation?

Being stupid, is the answer. Stupid and lonely and desperate to feel something other than forced numbness for once.

"Hey, I didn't think it was that bad of an insult," Taako says, with maybe just a trace of actual concern in his voice. That's an idea Kravitz squashes quickly. A spark of something a little too similar to hope. Taako continues on unawares. "In fact, I'd call being a sh*tty vampire a compliment from where I'm standing."

"Why didn't you just kill me?" Kravitz mutters, resentment colouring his tone. "You'd be doing the world a favour." He chokes out a laugh at how stupid this all is, sniffs and wipes his wet eyes on his arm. "I guess that makes you a sh*tty vampire hunter, too."

"Guess neither of us are very good at this, then."

"I suppose not."

Taako just watches him for a long time.

"If you're such a monster, why're you still here?" he asks eventually. Kravitz lifts his gaze slightly to meet his eyes.

"What does that mean?"

"It means," Taako says, gesturing vaguely with a hand, "you don't seem happy with this whole deal. You'd think a vampire who hates themselves as much as you do would throw themselves at the first hunter they met and get themselves killed, but you haven't. In fact, you seem to have a pretty good setup going. So what's keeping you here?"

Kravitz studies his knees. He supposes he really has nothing to lose. "...I have a friend in the ICU," he admits after a moment. "She's been asleep for five years. Coma. I'm the only one who visits her. I can't- I can't just leave her alone. And, well," he fidgets with his hands, "the people who did this to me are still alive, as far as I know. Or - well, not alive. Vampires, y'know?"

"So it's a revenge mission?" Taako asks, and there's that spark of genuine interest again. Kravitz forces himself to ignore it.

"I guess."

Taako twirls the stake around a few more times, thinking, and then nods to himself, reaching over to where his umbrella is leaning next to the bed and slotting the wood into an hollow section along its length. So that was where it had come from.

Kravitz finds himself relaxing a little now that his life is in less imminent danger. Unfortunately, that tension seems to have been all that was keeping him upright, and he feels a wave of dizziness pass through him as he curls up on his side with his arms over his abdomen. That had been a lot of excitement on a very empty stomach. He presses his face into the sheets and groans. "sh*t."

The hunter rests his face in his hands and grins at him.

"How about you and I make a deal?"

"What kind of deal does a vampire hunter make with a vampire?" Kravitz huffs, muffled against the bed.

"I was thinking you agree to come work with me, and I'll get you some food."

"Yeah, we'll head out on the town and you can help me murder someone," Kravitz says flatly, forces a dry laugh. "Don't be cruel."

"No murder required," Taako assures brightly. "You ever heard of the Bureau of Balance?"

"No."

"Well, I suppose that isn't surprising. Anyway, I can explain when we get there, but the point is I can get you some grub if you abandon this whole setup here. Deal?"

"Sure. Whatever." Kravitz is way past talking specifics at this point. Fatigue and hunger are hitting him like a truck full of bricks. He'd thought he could go for longer than this without blacking out, but now he's headed that way hard and fast. Besides, this doesn't sound like a bad deal, depending on what this Bureau actually does. And if he doesn't have to kill anyone, all the better.

"Cool. Uh." Taako sounds uncertain for once. "I don't suppose you have a car?"

Kravitz shakes his head, lacking the energy to speak.

"Well. Guess you're gonna have to lend me the cab fare, then."

That's just great.

Chapter 5: Double Act

Chapter Text

By the time they get there, Kravitz is just about unconscious. In fact, when Taako stops walking - having dragged him out of the cab and propped him up with his shoulder - and the vampire opens his eyes to squint blearily at his surroundings, he's pretty sure he's also seeing double.

And then Taako number one starts having a conversation with Taako number two.

"Dude, where the hell have you been? You just up and vanished after work, we were worried," the doppelgänger asks as they approach, sounding distinctly unimpressed.

"I uuhhhhhhh," the voice of the Taako holding him pitches up in a steep scale while he thinks of a story, and Kravitz might find it endearing if not for the fact that he could really use some food right about now, "went for a walk."

"Okay, whatever - just, for the love of f*ck, Taako, please tell me that is not a vampire draped over your shoulder."

Taako makes a noncommittal noise. "Well, I'm not gonna lie to you, Lulu, that's exactly what he is-"

"Taako, come on! And don't call me that."

"Fine, but anyway, he's chill! He's the one from the bar, I told you about him, remember?"

The other Taako - Lulu? - sighs wearily. Kravitz tries to make out the source of the familiar-unfamiliar voice through the haze he finds himself in. This Taako has shorter hair and seems to be fixing him with a rather irritated look.

"Is he supposed to be half-dead?" they ask flatly. Kravitz closes his eyes and resigns himself to the fact that he's going to have to wait out whatever spat this is before they actually get anywhere. He's so f*cking tired, too much to make any moves or conversation.

"Vam-pire."

"More dead than usual."

"Well, no, I was actually hoping we could fix that. I kinda offered him a job."

"You f*cking did what? You don't have the authority to do that!"

"Lucretia will get it! She's gonna love him, I promise. He's almost as much of a nerd as she is."

"Taako."

"I swear!"

"And you're not just saying that 'cause he's cute?"

"Not just 'cause he's hells of cute," Taako says - another thing Kravitz might have reacted to if he wasn't actively f*cking dying a second time and very much in need of some help. His whole body feels like it's made of lead and he doesn't think he could open his eyes even if he wanted to.

"On my life," Taako continues, unbothered, "he had his teeth right next to my pretty little neck and not a scratch on me."

"Taako, what in the f*ck were you doing? He could have killed you!"

"Buuut," Taako's voice is sing-song, "he didn't, which I think is a pretty stellar recommendation, if you hadn't noticed how starving the guy is."

Kravitz has noticed. Kravitz has noticed consistently for this entire conversation, and really f*cking wishes someone else would, too.

"If we weren't family, I would kill you."

"See? My point. Now, if you could give me a hand? Cause I think homeboy here is about to pass out, and he's getting kinda heavy," Taako says with a small grunt as he tries to shift Kravitz upright again. The movement doesn't even register in Kravitz's awareness. He's so tired.

"You are my least favourite brother."

"I'm your only brother, and you love me."

Kravitz just about manages to think 'Oh. Twins.' before his arm slips from around Taako's shoulders and his legs give out from under him. He's out cold before he hits the ground.

Chapter 6: First Impressions

Chapter Text

Kravitz wakes up to someone splashing water on his face.

"Krav? Kravitz? Kravvy vampito? My man? Come on, fangs." He feels a series of light slaps against his cheek. "If you're still with us, you gotta say something, 'cause it's really hard to tell if you're alive or not with no pulse and no breathing, fella."

Speech is a little out of his grasp. Instead, he manages half a moan.

"Hey! Great. Not dead. Well. Not too dead. All right."

He hears rustling and then feels plastic pushed against his mouth.

"Here - bite this."

"This is a bad idea, brother."

"Will you please just trust me? He's fine." A warm hand pulls down his jaw to push the plastic further into his mouth. "C'mon, you've gotta bite it, homes. It'll help, promise."

Kravitz bites down. Cold blood fills his mouth, and he chokes a little in surprise before finding the presence of mind to swallow it. There's something stale and clinical about the taste, but it's enough that his head stops pounding and he can move his fingers a little.

"If you move a muscle towards my brother, I'm staking you," comes a growled threat from nearby. From the space right next to him, he hears Taako sigh in exasperation.

"Lup, will you give him a break? He's not gonna hurt anyone."

The Taako-but-not-Taako voice, Lup, hums doubtfully. "We'll see."

"Listen, I told you-"

Kravitz opens his eyes as he continues to drink from whatever blood source is filling his mouth. He's lying on a sofa in a small, run-down room, and Taako is holding some kind of bag to his face as he argues with his twin. He looks good in profile, too, Kravitz notes dimly, still a little hazy. He slowly moves a hand to try to get Taako's attention. Lup stiffens.

"Taako," she says, arms folded, gesturing at Kravitz with her chin. Taako turns and grins.

"Oh, hey! Looks like you're good. Cool, cool, alright." He makes a noise that's halfway between a hysterical laugh and a sigh of relief, and then seems to collect himself a little. "Um, you good to hold this so I don't have to feed it to you like a baby? It's kinda weird."

Kravitz nods and lifts a hand to take the bag. He's not a fan of how cold the blood inside is and the way that feels going down, but he's too hungry to care. Taako hands it over with a quick pat to his cheek that Kravitz frowns at, but, again, is too hungry to bother commenting on as Taako stands from where he'd been perched on the edge of the sofa and starts to head towards his twin.

"Okay, you just uh, you stay there while I go have a chat with my sister here, okay? Don't move," he adds quickly when Kravitz attempts to sit up, "Lulu here's a little protective, if you hadn't noticed, and we don't want her killing you after all the effort I put into dragging you here."

"Will you stop f*cking calling me that?" Lup snaps, not taking her eyes off Kravitz as she speaks. He maintains careful eye contact and tries not to show any signs of weakness.

"Why? It's cute, makes you less intimidating."

"Because you know I hate it and you're doing it to piss me off."

"Maybe just a little. You were being kinda mean to my friend here."

Lup makes an aggravated growl, briefly glancing over at her brother. "Will you just come over here so I can talk to you? And you," she stabs a finger at Kravitz, "don't f*cking move."

Kravitz nods slowly. Taako's sister is, by first impression, kind of terrifying.

She drags Taako to the far side of the room and starts talking at him in an angry whisper. Kravitz, however, for better or for worse, has very good hearing, and the room is rather small, so it doesn't really have the intended effect.

"Why are you being so f*cking weird? First you run off on your own out of nowhere, and then you come back here with a vampire? You're gonna bring the director down on both of us!" Lup hisses, getting very close into Taako's face and clenching and unclenching her fists in agitation. Taako leans away and waves her off, seemingly unmoved.

"Like I said. Lucretia. Is. Gonna. Love. Him. He's very nice when he's conscious and not being threatened." He stops for a second, and tilts his head a little in a thoughtful motion. "Well, actually, he was alright when I threatened him. Very understanding. So I guess he's just nice."

"I'm sure," Lup says, voice dripping sarcasm. "Where the hell did you even find this guy? He looks like he's been through the wringer."

"Well he does now," Taako sniffs, seeming mildly offended on Kravitz's behalf. "That's what happens when you drop someone in the dirt and then drag them across a courtyard in the dark."

Does he look that bad? He looks down at his clothes. He's wearing Taako's sweaterand his own jeans from earlier, both covered in grime. The journey here was kind of a blur - Taako must have dressed him and gotten him into the taxi as he fought to stay conscious. The cab driver probably thought he was completely wasted, being dragged home by his boyfriend or something. He ignores the small blip of excitement that idea stirs in his chest for the moment - not the time or place for that.

"Anyway, I can tell you everything later," Taako is saying, "I just wanna make sure the guy's not gonna croak on me, okay?"

"You owe me so much for this," Lup grumbles, but she sounds resigned.Taako shoots her a sh*t-eating grin before turning back Kravitz's way.

"You feelin' better there, fangs?"

Slowly, Kravitz gives a nod, still wary of moving too much after he was told so convincingly not to.

"Cool, cool, can you - are you good to sit up?"

He raises an eyebrow and pointedly shifts his gaze over to Lup for a second.

"Oh, we're cool over here - right, sis?" Taako nudges her with an elbow.

Lup's eyes say murder, but her mouth says, "Yeah. Go for it."

Very carefully, Kravitz sits up, still holding the bag of blood to his mouth. Now that he looks at it, it seems to be the kind of pouch hospitals keep for blood transfusions. What kind of place is this? These bags are kept under heavy security to prevent tampering, near impossible to steal - and he should know, he's tried more than once.

Taako walks over and prods his face experimentally, earning him another frown and a short growl that Kravitz quickly cuts off before Lup can decide he's being threatening. "Yup, looking much more alive there," Taako concludes, withdrawing his hand, and giggles. "You look like a little kid sippin' on a capri sun."

Kravitz glowers at him but is still too hungry to take his mouth away from the bag so he can reply. He'd like to retain a shred of pride, but looking down again at the mess his clothes are in, it doesn't seem like that's going to happen. His face and hair must be in a similar state - this really isn't his finest hour.

Taako catches his look and snaps his fingers. "Oh, your clothes! Yeah, I uh, I wanted to get you over here as fast as possible, so I just shoved that on you, but I did also raid your closet on the way out - you've got some good sh*t in there!" He backs up towards the door. "I left everything in the front - I'll go get 'em, back in just a sec!" He rushes out of the room, yelling "Lulu, don't kill him while I'm gone!"

Kravitz drains the last of the bag as Taako dashes out of the door. He's feeling much stronger now, though it'll be a few more hours and a lot more blood before he's back to anywhere near decent condition. He risks a quick glance over at Lup. She's standing in the corner where Taako left her, preternaturally still.

There's an awkward silence. Kravitz now wishes he still had the bag so he'd have an excuse not to talk. As it is, he feels like he has to fill the empty air.

"I, uh, I understand why you don't trust me. I really do," he says, and rubs his palms against his thighs a couple of times before realising he's only making them dirtier and giving up with a sigh. "But I swear, I really don't want to hurt him. He saved me, despite everything."

"He said you had an accent. British."

"Oh, yeah, I, um, I did. When I met him. It's, uh, it's something I do to throw people off in case anyone's trying to track me," Kravitz says, attempting to clean his hands on the back of his calves instead. Boy, does that feel stupid to say out loud.

"Right." Lup narrows her eyes at him. "Did he say closet?"

Kravitz stills and runs his tongue over his lips, suddenly very wary. "...Yes."

"Your closet."

"Yes."

"In your home, where you live."

"That'swhere I keep it, yes. It's convenient."

Lup is silent for a couple of seconds.

"Is that his sweater?"

Kravitz nods very slowly.

"So, my brother," she clasps her hands below her nose, "disappears after his shift with no warning, somewhere along the way ends up in your home - you, a starving vampire - you trade clothes for some unknown reason, and then he brings you here to save you from the brink of starvation instead of just letting you die like a sane person?"

"That would be the series of events."

She fixes him with a stare as sharp as a stake.

"Why was he in your place," she says. It's a demand, not a question. "The truth, or you're dust."

Kravitz swallows, choosing his words very carefully.

"I didn't... I didn't force him there. I invited him to dinner, and he said he wanted to go home with me instead."

"And you invited him because you needed a meal."

He's practically dissolving under the look she's giving him, but it seems like honesty is probably the option least likely to get him killed here. Hopefully. "That, was the initial plan - I didn't really want to!" he adds quickly as he sees her fists clench, and holds up his palms defensively. "It was just - he noticed too much, and I can't leave witnesses behind." He casts his eyes downwards and picks some of the dirt from his clothes. "That's how things get messy."

"And you were hungry," Lup says, accusation plain in her tone.

"Yes." Kravitz's voice is very quiet. He glances back at Lup cautiously. "But, to be perfectly honest, it seemed to me like it was his plan the whole time. I don't think he would have been in any danger even if I hadn't changed my mind."

"And why was that? The reason that you changed your mind."

Kravitz is suddenly very glad his blood vessels are empty and incapable of heating his face. "We, uh. I got to know him a little better. Then he threatened me with a stake and I passed out. N-not because of the stake, I just - I hadn't eaten in weeks. Expended a little too much energy without any food to back it up."

"And somewhere in that mess, you ended up shirtless."

He braves a look in Lup's direction, trying to get a gauge on how close she is to the staking option. "...Yes?"

Lup takes a very deep breath, holds it, and lets it out again.

"I am going to f*cking murder that boy."

She's out of the room before Kravitz can say anything further. He hears loud footsteps stomping away, and then a small squeak that sounds very much like a terrified brother.

"Taako."

"Mm-hm?" Taako's voice is about two octaves higher than usual.

"I just had a very interesting conversation with your friend in there."

"Oh, you guys talked?"

"Oh yeah, he's real nice. Filled me in on a few things. Like where those clothes came from."

"Ah."

"But y'know, he didn't fill me in on everything, so what I'd like you to tell me is, what in the f*ck did you think you were doing, going off on your own, leaving me worried out of my mind, not to mention Magnus, who was practically ready to start kicking down doors when you didn't come to meet him, while you're out on the town MACKING ON A f*ckING VAMPIRE, WHO JUST, BY THE WAY, ADMITTED TO ME THAT HE WAS TRYING TO KILL YOU, AND THAT HE THINKS YOU PROBABLY KNEW ABOUT THAT FACT? WHAT KIND OF RECKLESS IDIOT ARE YOU? NO BACKUP, NO CLUE AS TO WHERE YOU WERE, YOU COULD HAVE BEEN f*ckING DEAD OR WORSE-"

"I CAN TAKE CARE OF MYSELF!" Taako sounds irritated, but there might be a trace of guilt there, too. "I don't need backup to take care of one vampire who's already double dead on his f*cking feet!"

"I don't give a sh*t, Taako! You f*cking tell someone where you're going!"

"I sent you a text!"

"'Back soon'? What am I supposed to do with-"

Kravitz does his best to tune the barrage out as the sound bounces down the corridor and through the open door. He massages his temples. Who the f*ck are these people? They seem to be part of some kind of organisation, but what kind of organisation employs vampire hunters? And they're soweird. He should be dust by now, but somehow he isn't, and he kind of gets the impression he might be let off the hook here? Or maybe he should make a break for it while he can, but he's pretty sure he'd be more likely to end up on the floor than anywhere useful. Easier to just wait and see how this pans out. Maybe this'll turn out to be a good thing, who knows.

His thoughts are interrupted when a small face peers around the edge of the doorframe.

Chapter 7: Reprieve or Redouble?

Chapter Text

Curious eyes stare at him from behind a pair of thick, round glasses, and Kravitz jumps, blinking.

"Um, hello?"

The eyes blink back at him. "You have blood on your face, sir."

"Oh." He quickly wipes a hand over his mouth. "I - Sorry?"

The kid smiles. He's missing a tooth at the front of his mouth. He steps fully into the room and shuts the door behind him, muffling the shouting match still going on in the corridor outside.

"Oh, you don't have to apologise! You should see Taako's face when he eats. He gets food everywhere."

Kravitz almost cracks a smile at that image, then he remembers his situation and catches himself. "You're, uh, you're not scared of me?" he asks tentatively, wondering what kind of oddball he's being faced with now.The boy shakes his head brightly.

"Nope!" he says, without a trace of hesitation, and the corners Kravitz'smouth twitch upwards a little, uncertain.

"You probably should be."

"I don't think so, sir! Taako doesn't seem to be scared of you, and Lup's left you here unsupervised, so I don't think you're gonna hurt me. And," the kid raises a finger like a teacher explaining something to a struggling student, "they only gave you one pint of blood, while I'd estimate you'd need at least nine or ten to recover to a point where you'd be very dangerous."

The growling in Kravitz's stomach puts that estimate about right.

"...You're a pretty observant kid, aren't you?" he asks, curious despite himself. The boy seems sharp as a tack, and Kravitzfinds himself inexplicably warming to him. He wouldn't have ever described himself as someone who was fond of kids, but - he's just so tiny and precocious and bright. They've barely spoken for a minute and already Kravitz likes him.

"That's my job, sir! I'm the world's greatest detective!" the boy says, pushing his glasses slightly further up his nose. They're a touch too big for him, and Kravitz can't help but smile a little.

"You're- no offense, little man, but you look about seven. 'World's greatest' seems a tad ambitious."

The boy pouts somewhat, but he still speaks with the same chirpy tone he had before. "That's rather unkind, sir! I'm ten years old! And I am the world's greatest, you'll see."

"I've been dead half as long you've been alive," Kravitz says dryly. The boy folds his arms and gives him an equally flat look.

"Judging people by their age is pretty reductive, sir. I could call you senile."

Kravitz laughs. Genuinely, for the first time in a very long while. "Alright, point taken," he smiles. "And, uh, you don't have to keep calling me 'sir' every other sentence, I'm Kravitz."

"Oh, I know!" the boy smiles back. "I was - well, kind of spying on Taako and Lup when they brought you in." He rocks back and forth on his feet. "I also figured out that you were a vampire, and that you're probably getting recruited, and that Taako has a big crush on you!"

Again, Kravitz is hit with the thought that if he weren't undead his cheeks would probably be burning. "Is that so."

"Yup! He seemed really worried when you passed out, and Taako doesn't worry about anybody! Or at least, he pretends he doesn't," the boy says knowingly. "He does that kind of thing a lot, like when he steals my lunch and throws it in the garbage, but then I always find a better one in the refrigerator afterwards with my name on it."

Kravitz studies the boy carefully. He's definitely precocious, and doesn't appear to have any inclination towards protecting people's privacy, but he seems earnest. "So, does the world's greatest detective have a name? Or shall I just call you sir as well?"

The kid beams. "Oh, now I'm being impolite, huh? I'm Angus McDonald!"

Kravitz acknowledges that with a nod and smiles. "Nice to meet you, Angus. I'd shake your hand, but you've probably noticed I'm kind of covered in dirt."

"Oh, don't worry about that, sir!" Angus chirps, bright as ever. "I don't really want to get any closer than this anyway, even if Taako does trust you!"

"You're smart for your age."

Angus shakes his head and smiles, all innocence. "I'm just smart. And I have a crossbow up my sleeve that works way better from over here than it would if I was right next to you!"

Blinking, Kravitz sits up a little straighter. He isn't entirely sure what to say to that. He's not used to threats being delivered quite so cheerily, if that was even what it was.

"I... thought you weren't scared of me?"

"You don't need to be scared to take precautions!" Angus grins. "I wouldn't be a very good hunter if I didn't come prepared."

"You're... a hunter." Kravitz finds himself rubbing his temples again. This is a very strange group of people he's found himself with. Employing a child as a vampire hunter? What on earth next? Maybe this is all a hunger-induced fever dream and he's actually dying in the street somewhere. That would make more sense.

"Actually, I should probably leave before they come back," Angus says, turning to hurry back out of the room. "I don't think I'm really supposed to talk to you. Nice meeting you though!"

He places a hand on the door to open it, but before he can pull the handle it swings open, knocking him backwards onto the floor. Taako is standing in the doorway, a pile of Kravitz's clothes in his arms.

"Oh, hey Agnes," he says mildly. "Whatcha doing on the floor, pumpkin?"

"You knocked me over with the door, sir," Angus replies a little accusingly, rubbing the back of his head. Taako hums and casually steps past him into the room.

"Did I? I think you probably just tripped over those fancy shoes of yours," he says with a yawn. "You been talking to Kravitz?"

Angus looks a little sheepish. "I- I just wanted to see for myself if he was trustworthy, because you brought him in, and you helped him, and I've never seen you worry about anyone except Lup before-"

"Hmm," Taako says, eyes narrowing. "Nosy little sh*t, aren't you? And what did you deduce with that little noodle of yours?"

Angus considers, standing up and dusting himself off. After a second, he shrugs. "He seems nice."

Taako snorts slightly. "Would you mind telling Lup that?" he asks, seeming like he's mostly joking, but Angus perks up immediately and shoots him a bright smile.

"Sure, sir! And I can tell her he's definitely not going to try to eat you because he likes you too much!" he says, anddashes out of the door before Taako can react, chirping "Goodbye, sirs!" as he goes. Taako glares after him.

"That kid's a f*ckin' menace."

"You let children hunt vampires?" Kravitz frowns, feeling like he's maybe not in a position to be making moral judgements here, butstill.Taako turns back to blink at him.

"Oh, Ango doesn't work in the field. He's kind of an informant." He shrugs. "His parents got killed by vamps, and he got real close to finding out about us with those sleuthing skills of his, so Lucretia decided to just let him join us so she could keep an eye on him. He's kinda like the company mascot. Or pet."

Kravitz finds himself biting back another smile. "So he wouldn't be the nephew you were gushing to me about earlier?"

"No," Taako says quickly, looking to be aiming for scandalised, but the way his ears turn scarlet at the tips betrays him. "Kid's a thorn in my side. I'm just responsible for training him."

"I see. You clearly don't care for the boy at all," Kravitz says, raising an eyebrow at the hunter, who shoots him a dirty look. He just smiles innocently back, then nods towards the pile of fabric in Taako's arms. "Are those my clothes?"

"Oh, yeah," Taako says, glancing down but not making any move to offer them. "I, uh, kinda grabbed stuff at random, so they might not match."

"I'm sure it can't be much worse than my current outfit."

Taako looks him up and down with a grimace. "Uh, yeah. You're kinda all grosserooni there. There's, uh, there's some showers a little way up the hall, d'you think you can walk that far?"

"I'll be fine." Kravitz pushes himself up, weathering the brief dizzy spell that comes with the motion. Taako starts to dart forward and then stops, unsure.

"Do, uh, do you need help?"

"No," Kravitz says curtly. He takes a step towards the exit, and then hesitates, turning a slightly wary look Taako's way. "And your sister isn't going to stake me the moment I walk out that door?"

"Nah, she's gone to talk to the director. I think I convinced her to vouch for you." Taako grins triumphantly. "Try to keep the whole vamp thing on the dee-el though, yeah?"

"I promise not to go shouting it from the rooftops," Kravitz says, uncertain movements somewhat undercutting his disdainas he makes his way shakily towards the door. True, this night hasn't been kind to his dignity so far, but he'll be damned before giving up what's left of it.

Chapter 8: You Clean Up Nice

Chapter Text

They make their way down a short corridor whose walls are made up of raw cinderblocks, with the occasional door breaking up the pattern. Fluorescent lighting flickers overhead. He's lead into a small, tiled room with a few shower stalls on one side and some benches and sinks on the other. It looks like something you'd find at a local gym, complete with a light coating of grime and a few patches of unidentifiable mould.

"Here we are," Taako declares, sweeping a hand around the space. "Fancy, right?"

Kravitz shrugs as he moves past him into the room. "As long as it's warm."

He heads towards one of the cubicles and goes to take off his clothes, but stops with his sweater lifted barely a few inches.

"...Do you, um. Mind?"

"Oh!" Taako jumps, looking more than slightly embarrassed as he drags his eyes away. "Right. Sorry. I'll, uh - I'll wait outside." He dumps the pile of clothes on one of the benches and heads for the door.

"Just turning around is fine," Kravitz says, pulling the sweater off the rest of the way. He doesn't really want to risk being left alone in this place without the one person who doesn't seem to want to kill him.

With Taako now standing with his back to him (however fidgety), he undresses, lets down his hair and gratefully steps under a stream of very hot water. The dirt and muck start to swirl away down the drain, and he breathes a long sigh of relief. So much better. He hates the cold with a passion, and doesn't much like being filthy, either.

"Y'know, I, uh, I meant what I said earlier," Taako says after a minute, voice echoing from the other side of the room.

"Before or after threatening me with a stake?" Kravitz scoffs. Not that he's bitter or anything. He doesn't exactly have the moral high ground here.

"Before. When I said you were hot. And - and also when I said I was glad things didn't turn out to be business? I just- I mean, the whole thing wasn't a f*ckin', uh, a cunning ruse, is what I'm getting at."

Kravitz pauses in working his fingers through his hair and studies the way the water splashes across the tile under his feet. There's another one of those sparks of feeling again, but... he's not that naïve. He knows better than to get his hopes up. So instead of dwelling on it, he turns his attention back to his hair and says, "Oh."

"Yeah," is the reply he earns, and then silence. It doesn't sit right with him.

He frowns at the wall. Taako has no reason to lie, right? If he was trying to kill him or anything in that vein, he could've done that several times over. And Kravitz really can't blame him for the stake thing - that was pretty much self defense, they wereboth kind of in the murder zone there, so it's something of a moot point. And it's not like Kravitzisn'tinterested, that was how this whole mess had started. And, this place doesn't seem so bad, either, even if it is some kind of hunter hideout. Threats aside, nobody's tried to kill him outright, and there's at least one kid here, so it can't be too dangerous. A friendly kid and a very attractive man that seems...genuinely interested in him. Despite his past and despite not being human.

So, maybe a spark of hope would be okay.Maybe he can relax, just a little. Just slightly.

He takes his time in cleaning off the last of the dirt, then turns off the water and looks around, realising he'd maybe jumped the gun on the shower thing. Suddenly he's keenly aware of how he's kind of soaked and naked with no real way to remedy that.

"Um," he says tentatively, loud in the sudden vacuum left by the rushing water. "Do you have a towel?"

"Here," comes Taako's voice from outside. Kravitz turns, draws back the curtain of the cubicle a little. Taako is covering his eyes with one hand and offering him a towel with the other.

"Thanks." He reaches for the towel and wraps it around his waist, giving the hunter a quizzical look even though he can't see it. "You could just close your eyes, you know."

"Temptation's there, my dude. This is easier."

"You're... really strange," Kravitz says, watching him with wary curiosity. A sharp grin flashes over Taako's features.

"Don't I know it?"

Kravitz finds himself smiling a little, entertained by this odd hunter and his unorthodox approach. Alright, he can play along with this for now. What's the harm, after all?

He dries himself off, pulls on some boxers and starts to pick through the pile of miscellaneous clothing that Taako pilfered from his closet. Best make a good impression if these people hold his life - or, whatever - in their hands.

"You can, uh, take your hand away now if you want," he calls back across the room. "Nothing you haven't seen already."

Taako moves his hand away from his face and then immediately slaps it back again. His voice cracks a little as he squeaks out, "Y'know, I think I'm, uh - I think I'm good like this. It's uh. It's kinda warm in here? And you're still super handsome, and I'm a little loopy from bein' up this long, and I don't really wanna embarrass myself. Just, just tell me when you're done."

Kravitz shrugs. "Alright. I'll only be a minute. You, uh -" Taako now has both hands over his eyes - "enjoy the view, I guess."

He picks out a burgundy waistcoat and tie and some other clothes that are a reasonably decent match, even if they are a little rumpled and not the best fit in the world. There's quiet while he finishes getting dressed and turns to check his reflection in the mirror above the sink. Bless modern manufacturers for not using silver backing anymore, he thinks as he reties his hair - much improved, though it could still do with a proper wash. He looks as good as he can, under the circ*mstances, and takes a second to give his reflection a once-over, smoothing creases and trying to push some escaping curls back behind his ears.

"I'm done."

He hears a sharp gasp from behind him.

"Wow. Hello. You uh, you really were dressin' down before, huh?"

Kravitz turns back to the hunter with a smile, very much satisfiedwith that reaction. "A little bit. Helps with not getting noticed."

Taako is a little flushed as he giggles, leaning back against the wall. "Mm-hm. Yeah. That- that makes a lot of sense." He stands up a little straighter and coughs. "I'm uh, supposed to take you to see Lucre- uh, the director, when you're done. We good to go?"

"Lead the way, stranger," Kravitz says, parroting Taako's over-the-top flirting from a few hours before. Taako gives him an odd look, a smile brewing just underneath the surface of his expression.

"...You're not gonna let that go, are you?"

"That depends," Kravitz smirks and tilts his head, "Do you want me to? I can pretend that never happened, if you like."

Taako's face flushes even further, and he laughs, high and breathy. "Not really."

Kravitz slowly makes his way over to him, rather enjoying the effect he's having on this gorgeous man that's caused him so much grief over the last few hours.

"You know, I didn't thank you for saving my life," he says quietly, moving in close enough that Taako can hear him at a murmur. "That was very rude of me."

"Yeah?"

He nods slightly and moves in even closer, carefully running his hands along the outside of the hunter's forearms. The skin there is soft and warm, and his eyes flick up to Taako's lips, the memory of howthey'd felt just the sameturning his mouth dry. "I think so," he says, almost a whisper. "Don't you think I should pay you back?"

There's that breathy laugh again. "I think that'd only be fair."

He leans in and Taako immediately wraps his hands around his neck, pulling himself up and Kravitz down so their mouths can meet, quick and eager. This time, the vampire is much more careful with his teeth, very glad that killing this fascinating man is now firmly off the table so he can enjoy himself without distraction. He finds Taako's hips with his hands, runs his fingers underneath the fabric of his shirt, and-

For f*ck's sake.

"Why'd you stop?"

"Your sister has a stake to my back."

"...Oh."

Chapter 9: Job Interview

Chapter Text

Kravitz rests his head against the wall with a resigned sigh. "Is this gonna be a recurring event? Because I'm starting to thinkit really isn'tworth it."

Taako humphs and folds his arms. "Kinda rude. I'd say I'm worth a few near misses."

"Are you done? The director is waiting," comes Lup's voice from behind Kravitz's back, tinted with something close to amusem*nt. Once again Kravitz can't help but think how weird these people are.

"More than done. Can I move?" he asks, raising his hands to either side like a criminal caught in the act, but with no small hint of sarcasm. The sharp point pricking his skin and putting a hole in his nice shirt moves away as Lup tucks the stake back into her belt.

"Yeah. Keep it slow, though, or sharp and pointy here goes between your ribs."

"I don't think I could make any sudden moves if I tried," Kravitz says, turning to brace a hand against the wall as he starts to feel woozy again. The tiny detective had been right about the amount of blood he needed. Taako takes a small step his way.

"Do, uh - do you wanna lean on me again?"

Kravitz closes his eyes and shakes his head. He's not going into whatever interrogation this is already showing signs of weakness. "Just, give me a minute. Is it far?"

He hears the sound of fabric shifting as Lup shrugs. "Not incredibly."

"I don't suppose you'd let me have another one of those bags, either," he tries, and Lup shakes her head as predicted.

"Not until the director decides if we can trust you or not."

"I thought it'd be something like that," Kravitz sighs, and pushes himself up off the wall. "Just don't expect me to be breaking any landspeed records. And if I pass out again, that's on you."

"Seems fair. Follow me."

Lup heads out of the room and left down the corridor without a backward glance, but Taako holds the door open for him as he makes his way out, and then proceeds to hover at his elbow like a nervous parent while simultaneously trying to look like he's not paying attention. It's kind of adorable, Kravitz thinks, before catching himself again. Focus up.

"This director, what's she like?" he asks, wanting to be as well-prepared as possible with his life on the line.

"Lucretia?" Taako asks, glancing over at him. He seems to consider the question for a moment before giving an indifferent shrug. Not exactly the reaction Kravitz had been hoping for, but maybe one he should've expected. At least it doesn't seem like a negative one. "Well, she can be a bit of a hard-ass, but she's nice, when you get to know her. Means well under all the rules and regulations. We go way back."

"In what capacity?" he prompts, probing for a little more information, and earns himself another shrug.

"Well, me 'n' Lup didn't really have a home when we were kids. A bunch of us, you'll meet some of the others later, ended up in a little group together, and then eventually it turned into this place."

That raises an eyebrow. "So you're a founding member?"

Taako makes a noncommittal noise. "Not really. There was a bad scene, we got separated for a while. Lucretia set this place up on her own, tracked us down and brought us back together. Something happened in the interim, and she and one of the others ended up cursed, but she won't tell us what happened."

"Sounds like a formidable woman."

"No doubt about that, she's come a long way from how she used to be." He shoots Kravitz a hard look. "Don't tell her I said that, though. I've got a brand to maintain."

They enter into a softly-lit room with crammed bookcases lining the walls and a large, ornate desk facing the door. It's completely at odds with everything else Kravitz has seen of the building, but the change isn't unpleasant. An older woman with tired but sharp eyes looks up from some paperwork on her desk as they enter, and the two hunters motion him forward ahead of them.

"You must be the vampire," the woman says as he moves to stand in front of her, setting down her pen and lacing her fingers together in front of her.

"Uh, Kravitz," he says with a small frown. He really hopes people aren't going to keep referring to him as 'the vampire;' it's kind of demeaning. He does still have feelings, despite everything.

The woman bows her head slightly as if to acknowledge that thought, and smiles placatingly. "Kravitz, my apologies. Welcome to the Bureau of Balance. I'm the director of this establishment."

Well, this one hasn't tried to kill him yet, at least. He attempts a charming smile - though between fatigue, hunger, and the sheer absurdity of the situation he's in, his capacity for social niceties is currently close to an all-time low. "A pleasure."

The director - or, Lucretia? The twins seem to use them interchangeably - smirks to herself. She somehow manages to make resting her chin on her hand look regal. "Hm. You're a poor liar. I can see why you got caught."

An indignant voice sounds from Kravitz's left, and he jumps a little, not having noticed Taako moving up behind him. "Hey, give me some credit for being good at my job. Magnus saw the guy like eight times and didn't even blink! Only took me one look."

"Which means you waited how long to do your job, exactly?" Lucretia asks, sounding entirely underwhelmed. "And what part of that job involves bringing a vampire into my office?"

Taako gives a haughty sniff and folds his arms. "Just trust me, Luc. You know I know my sh*t."

"Madam. Director," Lucretia corrects, in a way that tells Kravitz that this isdefinitely a long-standing argument. She sighs and turns her gaze back his way. "Anyway. Lup tells me that Taako offered you a position here. Which isn't something he's allowed to do, but -" her eyes are piercing; Kravitz feels like he's on a specimen table - "he trusts you enough to bring you here, and from what I've been told, you're not the average murderous vampire. So, I'm willing to consider it." She lingers carefully on the word 'consider,' staring him down all the while, then steeples her fingers. "Do you know what we do here?"

"No," Kravitz says quietly, a little intimidated by the force of her gaze, then clears his throat, shakes himself and stands up a little straighter. No weakness. "I've gathered you're hunters of some kind."

Lucretia inclines her head in concession to that. "Well, that's the short answer, yes. The long answer is that we work with the police, hospitals and a few others to keep vampires out of the eye of the general public, and stop them from killing as many people as possible. I guess you could call us a covert government organisation."

Despite himself, Kravitz stifles a snort. "So you're what, area fifty-one for vampires?"

"If you want to look at it like that. Containment isn't really our speciality," Lucretia says mildly - sounding bored, even. "But to be frank, it doesn't really matter, because your options at this point are to either join our organisation, or meet the sharp end of a stake and be swept out by the cleaning staff."

She looks deadly serious. Kravitz fiddles with a shirt cuff, trying to look more relaxed than he feels. "I see."

"What I'm trying to decide," Lucretia continues, impassive as ever, "is whether or not you're worth the risk. Lup seems to be on the fence about you, and while Angus is a little more trusting, I'm not sure that's enough for me. Which means Taako here has to plead your case." The barest hint of a smile passes across her face. "The choice is yours if you'd rather die now."

Kravitz clenches his jaw. This is looking worse and worse by the minute. But if not for this place, he'd probably be comatose and close to death by now. So, he thinks, "I guess I have nothing to lose."

"I didn't think you'd go for the instant death option," Lucretia says with a small nod. Kravitz thinks he catches just a trace of humour in her voice before she turns to Taako again, all business. "Taako, what's your argument?"

"He's like, a real sh*tty vampire," Taako says flatly, and it's all Kravitz can do not to wince. A good start. Lucretia looks unimpressed.

"How sh*tty?"

"Like super mega sh*tty."

"Would you care to go into specifics?"

"Well, for starters, he feels bad about killing people." Taako starts counting out a list on his fingers, "He wanders around starving half the time, doesn't think to hide his fangs, like at all, can't reliably clock a vampire hunter when he sees one, makes no attempt to form alliances with other vampires, and," he moves on to the other hand, "let himself get thoroughly manipulated into a very vulnerable position by yours truly, with only a little eyelash fluttering on my part." He throws a glance Kravitz's way. "No offense, homes, but I have no idea how you lasted this long."

Kravitz wilts as he feels the last of his pride crumble into dust. "I'm usually more careful, honestly," he mumbles, and Taako shoots him a sly grin.

"Maybe you just have a weakness for gorgeous hunters, no shame in that."

"Well, that might have been part of it," Kravitz says with an abashed smile, then claps a hand over his mouth, covering his teeth. "Oh. Are - are they really that obvious?"

Taako just cackles at him and turns back to Lucretia. "See what I mean? He's a f*ckin' dweeb."

"It's true he doesn't seem particularly bloodthirsty," Lucretia muses, continuing to study him intently. Kravitz tries to look amenable. Ironically, he is currently very much thirsty for blood; he can feel himself swaying on his feet.

"Can I, uh, can I sit down?" he asks, as it starts to become clear that he really hasn't had enough food to be handling this level of stress. Might as well live or die comfortably. "I don't really fancy passing out on your floor again."

"...Be my guest."

"Thank you," he says, and seats himself on the floor where he had been standing. A little dusty, but better than collapsing while trying to walk over to a chair.

"Well... that works," Lucretia says, barely raising an eyebrow. She turns her attention back to Taako. "We'll give him a trial run. You're his probation officer, and if he becomes a danger to anyone here, you will take full responsibility for him, is that clear?"

Taako practically leaps in excitement. "Absolutely!" he crows, before quickly catching himself and adding a more subdued, "I mean, yeah, of course. Obviously."

Lucretia shakes her head a little, and then leans forward to press an intercom button on her desk. "Davenport!" she calls, and asmall man rushes in from a room to the side.

"Davenport?" he says, and Kravitz glances at the others in the room. They seem unphased, so apparently that's a standard greeting.

"Would you mind heading to the cold storage room and getting a handful of transfusion bags?" Lucretia says, surprisingly soft. "I think our new friend here might need a few more before doing anything else."

The man nods and says "Davenport," and then rushes out again without saying another word. Kravitz looks up to whisper to Taako.

"Does he always just say his own name?"

"Oh, yeah, Dav's always like that. You remember when I said someone else got cursed?"

"I thought you were joking. Cursed?"

"Yep," Taako says. He doesn't explain further, and Kravitz can't tell if he's being messed with or not, so he decides to just move on. Raising his voice slightly, he turns to address Lucretia again.

"So what now?"

"You eat, and then Taako shows you the ropes," Lucretia says with a small shrug. "I suggest you pay attention. He may not act like it, but he is one of our best hunters. Aside from him, you've met Lup, and there are a few others, but we don't like to put too many people out in the field. It's dangerous work."

Kravitz almost laughs. Makes sense to employ a dead man in a high-risk field. "Good thing I'm expendable then," he quips, only slightly bitterly, and Lucretia actually does laugh at that. That's a surprise.

"Well, don't be too reckless, we can always use more hands. It's not like we put out recruitment fliers," she smiles. As her expression softens, Kravitz starts to get the suspicion this whole meeting was little more than a formality designed to scare him. He rests his head in his hands, feeling drained. This whole night has been exhausting.

"I don't suppose you have somewhere I can sleep for a while," he sighs, rubbing at the skin under his eyes.

"The last time I checked, vampires weren't partial to sleep," Lucretia replies, sounding mildly surprised.

"They are when they've had a night like the one I've been through."

That earns him another laugh. "Fair enough. I can see why Taako likes you."

Taako leans over to Lup, who's been standing slightly behind them, watching. "I told you she'd love him," he says smugly, andLucretia either doesn't hear or wilfully ignores him.

"We do have dorms here," she starts, and then smiles slightly and adds in an almost apologetic tone, "But, in the nicest possible way, I don't imagine most people will want to sleep in the same vicinity as you."

Of course. Kravitz sighs and gives a small nod. "Yeah, I wouldn't either if I were them."

"Hm." Lucretia taps a finger against her lips. "We don't have any single rooms free, so Taako, I suppose you'll have to share yours for the moment, seeing as you were the one that brought him in."

Taako looks like he's more than happy with that arrangement. "Hell f*ckin' yeah!" he grins, and throws the director a wink as he goes to help Kravitz off the floor. "You're a great wingwoman, Luc."

"No, that's not- please don't-" She stutters and then sighs in a way that seems almost practised. "Try to keep things professional, please."

"I'm always professional," Taako replies in a tone that suggests exactly the opposite, "I have no idea what you're insinuating."

"Please just get out of my office," Lucretia says wearily.

"Already gone," Taako assures, indeed already halfway to the door and pulling Kravitz along with him by the arm. Kravitz doesn't have the energy to resist being led like a sheep, or being halted as Taako stops and turns to ask, "Am I good to give him a tour after we rest up?"

"If you like," Lucretia says, seemingly more preoccupied with something on her desk. "Just keep an eye on him. Like I said, he's your responsibility."

Davenport meets them at the doorway with an armful of transfusion bags. "Davenport?"

Lucretia gestures towards Kravitz, and Davenport pushes the bags into his arms before looking back at the director. "Thank you, Davenport," she says, "that will be all," and he returns quickly to the side room.

Kravitz looks over again at the woman behind the desk. He can't quite figure her out, but it seems like she has a kind heart. He hopes so, anyway.

"...Thanks," he says, before following Taako back out of the door.

-

After the two men leave, Lup and Lucretia exchange some meaningful looks.

"I told you," Lup says, jumping up to sit on the desk, "he's f*cking smitten."

Lucretia smiles and leans back in her chair, resting her face on a hand. "Quite possibly. He reminds me of someone else when she's around her boyfriend."

"I do not walk around looking like that!" Lup protests, then pulls a face. "...Do I?"

-

The sound of hysterical laughter echoes down the hall behind them, and with that Kravitz is now pretty certain that he's just been put through some kind of elaborate hazing. Ahead, Taako is hopscotching down the hall, spinning around on his heel occasionally to make sure he's still following. He's really fallen in with a strange lot.

Chapter 10: Night Terrors for Night Terrors

Chapter Text

Kravitz starts awake with the sound of screams in his ears and the taste of blood in his mouth. The same nightmare as always. The same chill in his bones and the same suffocating thickness in his throat.

"You okay there, my man? You were kind of shaking in your sleep."

He jerks his head towards the sound. Taako is watching him with vague concern from the sofa where he'd thrown himself before offering Kravitz the bed. That had confused him a little - the hunter had been very eager to get them into the same bed before - but when he'd questioned it Taako had just waved a hand and said he wasn't about to go creeping on him while he slept. He was surprisingly reserved after he'd dropped the flirty persona from earlier that night. Or maybe he was just a little less tipsy. Either way, something had changed, and Kravitz wasn't sure entirely what.

Still, he'd only taken a moment to glance around the windowless room with its bare concrete-brick walls and mismatched furniture before collapsing onto the mattress and falling into unconsciousness almost immediately, blessedly full from the bags of blood he'd downed on their way to the room and too exhausted to give a second thought to the fact that he was sleeping in a building full of vampire hunters. It wouldn't have been a surprise if he hadn't lasted the night, but he's still here, and starting to think that maybe he can trust this place after all. Even if he doesn't have a choice.

He sighs the tension from his limbs and rubs his eyes, willing away the last of the memory. "Yeah, just a nightmare."

"That happen often?" Taako asks, still watching him with that vague concern thatmight even be genuine.

"I don't sleep very often," Kravitz replies, blunt and brief. He half expects Taako to press at the noncommittal answer - and he does seem to want to, if the way his gaze continues to linger on him is any indication - but after a moment he just shrugs and looks away.

"Understandable, I don't sleep well either," he says with a yawn, and as he lifts his hand to his mouth Kravitz catches the shine of leather caught in his fingers.

"Is... that my wallet?"

Taako starts and glances towards his hand, his wince relaying that he obviously hadn't meant to get caught. "O-oh, this?" he smiles, a little too wide. "Yeah. My bad. I've, uh, I-I got a touch of kleptomania, steal everything your gay little hands can carry 'n' all that." He opens up the wallet and pulls out a small polaroid, holding it out for Kravitz to see. "You were kinda, uh - were a cute kid. Who's the other one?"

Kravitz knows exactly what's on the glossy paper without having to look. It's a slightly blurry picture of him and an older girl with pitch-black hair and dark, serious eyes. He's beaming into the camera as she tries to snatch it away, trying to hold an annoyed scowl but the ghost of a smile playing on her lips.

"Her name's Raven," he says quietly, sadness creasing his brows and weighing on his voice. "It's from when we were kids."

Taako watches him like he's waiting for him to continue, but when he doesn't, he turns the picture back towards him to study it further. "...Sister?" he asks softly, and Kravitz shakes his head a fraction.

"No, but she may as well have been. Or a parent, she practically raised me."

Taako's eyes fall on him again, waiting for more. But he doesn't give it.

"She's... the one in the hospital?" he prompts after a moment.

Kravitz gives a small nod, jaw tense and gaze fixed on his knees.

"Oh," Taako murmurs, looking back at the photo again. Then he slips it back into the wallet and throws it over to him. "That's, uh - sorry. Didn't mean to stick my nose all up in your business."

"It's fine. I just miss her," Kravitz says, managing a small shrug. He opens up the wallet himself to look for the millionth time at the picture tucked into the small window inside. "She was- is, a really good person. Force of nature."

"Don't doubt it."

They sit in silence for a minute as Kravitz falls into a field of old memories. Light and music and laughter. Taako idly drums his fingers against one of the seat cushions, then pulls the blanket he'd pushed down to his waist back up to his shoulders and turns over. "I'll uh, I'll let you get back to sleep."

Kravitz shakes himself out of his stupor and stretches, most of the previous night's dizziness now a memory, too. "No, don't worry," he says, pulling his hair out of its tie so he can redo it, "That's about all I needed anyway."

"Cool, that's- cool," Taako says impassively, sitting up and stretching out his own limbs. The sofa squeaks underneath him as he shifts. "Well uh, most people won't be awake for a few more hours, so do you want me to show you around?"

"Isn't it still daylight?" Kravitz asks, checking his watch. Six o'clock. The sun won't be down for another couple of hours or so. Taako gives a small nod as he pushes himself up and heads for a dresser pushed up into the corner.

"Yeah, just about, but we're all inside here, no windows. You're not the only vampire on the premises, so we make allowances."

Kravitz doesn't try to hide his surprise. He probably couldn't even if he'd wanted to, with that bombshell. "I-I'm not?"

"Why do you think we have all that blood on hand? For throwing weird parties?" Taako snickers, shooting him a sideways glance. "Hunters get bitten sometimes, we're not gonna off them just for making a mistake." He stops in pulling out clothes from the dresser, and his expression darkens a little. "Well, unless they go feral. Most people do. It's not always the ones you'd think, either."

Kravitz nods, eyes downcast. "It can be hard to adjust. Especially at first."

"Yeah," Taako says, seemingly lost in thoughts of his own. Then he spins to face him, back to flamboyant and bright. "Anyway, you won't have a problem getting around. Just don't open any doors with yellow tape around them during the day unless you're looking to sunbathe, and if you hear a buzzer, check your distance. People gotta go outside sometimes. Got all that?"

"Crystal clear," Kravitz confirms. Taako gives a couple of small nods and turns back to the dresser.

"Great, so - wanna take a look around, then? Dunno if you wanna change out of those, but I'm sure not bein' caught out in the same outfit, so I'll be a minute," he calls back to him without looking, tone indifferent.

"Sure, yeah," Kravitz says, a little thrown by the change in attitude. "I'll, uh, turn around," He adds as Taako starts unbuttoning his shirt, seemingly unbothered about whether Kravitz is in the room or not.

He gets up and changes out of his rumpled clothes into some fresh ones from the pile that Taako had dumped onto a chair, then when he's done, he picks his way through the messy room to where the hunter is waiting by the door. He's dressed in a mess of bright colours that somehowwork, layers of patterned fabric over tight jeans,watching him with an odd look on his face.

"First day, huh?" he says as he opens the door and moves through it, leaving Kravitz to catch it as it swings shut behind him. "You nervous?"

"I mean, I am working for a bunch of vampire hunters," Kravitz replies, rubbing the side of his neck where an old itch is acting up. Taakoturns to look at him, leaving them facing each other on either side of the hallway, and his expression flickers for a second before settling into nonchalance with a shrug.

"Well, I'm not gonna lie to you, most people aren't gonna wanna be your buddy. You're the only vampire here that wasn't a hunter and a friend first, so try to keep a low profile for now." He gives Kravitz that same up-and-down consideration that he had at his apartment. "Though, obviously you're gonna turn some heads what with you being uh, hot as f*ck."

"I'll try my best not to draw too much attention," Kravitz says dryly, unsure of quite where they stand. The man has gone from outright flirting to mostly disinterested in no time at all, even though he'd said himself that the way he'd acted before hadn't been a ruse. Kravitz can't quite figure it out.

"Good luck with that, fangs," Taako snorts, and then cracks his knuckles loudly. "Okie-dokie. Prep yourself for the coolest tour you have ever taken, with the world's hottest tour guide, Taako the magnificent."

"Wow, really humble," Kravitz comments, and Taako gives a shrug.

"I could've said universe's hottest."

"You could have," Kravitz agrees. "You wouldn't have been wrong."

"Y- uh." Taako blinks at him and sputters for a second. "I mean, obviously," he manages once he's collected himself, faking a cough that doesn't hide the way his ears flush at the tips. Kravitz gets the feeling he's more used to people rolling their eyes at his grandiose brags than agreeing with him. But he'sclearly interested, so what's with the change in attitude?

"Anyway, please refrain from flirting with the undoubtedly smokin' guide until the end of the tour," Taako says, turning to stride away down the hall without checking to see if Kravitz is even following. "He doesn't need people all up in his personal business this early in the day."

"It's 6pm," Kravitz points out.

"Snarky employees will be removed from the tour," Taako jabs back, spinning back to face him and poking him firmly in the chest. "We run on a night shift here, should suit you. Now follow me and keep those ears pricked, fangs, cause Taako is gonna be droppin' some hot deets that he is not gonna be repeating for slackers," he says, and continues away down the hall.

Kravitz follows without protest. What else is there to do?

Chapter 11: New Friends

Chapter Text

They take a tour around the base, Taako pointing out various rooms and explaining their uses - training rooms, dorms, rec rooms, kitchens. The place seems to have everything and exists on a scale Kravitz would never have guessed at. The building itself is a massive complex made up of several long corridors surrounding a large converted warehouse in the middle, which houses desks and meeting areas in one huge open-plan layout. It's largely empty when they arrive at that section, save for a few tired-looking hunters and one figure Kravitz recognises as the bouncer from the bar, who catches sight of them as they come in and stands up to make his way over.

"Oh, that's Magnus," Taako whispers to him quickly as the hulking man approaches them, "Listen, his wife was like, killed by vampires? So just be cool, okay? He's probably gonna be a little harsh."

Kravitz balks a little. He's not used to meeting people who are the same height he is but with five times the muscle, especially not ones who probably bear a grudge. Even so, he forces himself to look impassive. He reminds himself that he's the dangerous one here.

Magnus stops in front of them, arms folded.

"How's it goin', Mags?" Taako says cheerily, and jerks his thumb Kravitz's way. "This is Kravitz, I'm just showin' him around."

"New guy?" Magnus grunts, eyes fixed firmly on Kravitz throughout Taako's explanation. Taako nods, smiling brightly.

"That's the one."

"Vampire?"

"Yup."

Magnus continues to offer a steady glare which Kravitz does his best to weather. "You'd better not cause any trouble," he growls. Despite being all but immortal, Kravitz finds it quite a convincing threat. Still, nobody else needs to know that.

"I don't plan on it," he says evenly, staring the huge man down in return.

There's a tense silence while the two of them continue to hold each others' gazes, neither willing to back down - then suddenly, Taako snorts out a laugh.

"sh*t, I'm sorry! It's just-" He doubles over in a fit of giggles, and comes out with a shaky imitation of Magnus' gruff and gravelly voice, "You'd better not cause any trouble."

"Taako, c'mon! Every goddamn time, you're terrible at this!" Magnus pouts at him, seemingly upset that his hazing has been interrupted. "...Well, now that Taako's ruined that," he sticks out a hand and grins bright and warm, "I'm Magnus. You seem nice enough."

Kravitz is starting to realise that being thoroughly messed with is probably going to be a regular occurrence in this place. But at least Magnus doesn't appear to be an enemy after all. He tentatively takes the offered hand and immediately regrets it as he's caught in a grip like a vice,all that muscle on Magnus' frame going straight intoshaking his whole arm up and down.

"N-nice to meet you," Kravitz manages, hoping his grunt of pain wasn't too audible. He pulls his hand back and rubs his throbbing fingers as Magnus continues to smile at him.

"Your hand's really cold."

"Oh, right," Kravitz mumbles, unsure whether to be embarrassed or offended. "Sorry, I don't often shake hands with humans."

Magnus responds by clapping him on the shoulder so forcefully it sends him stumbling a little. "Hey, don't worry about it! Julia's about the same, I'm used to it," he grins. "I'll bet you're pretty strong, right? You should come spar with me sometime!"

Taako pointedly clears his throat next to them. "Magnus, if you break him, I swear-"

"Oh, come on! I'm not gonna hurt him!" Magnus whines in a way that reminds Kravitz a little of a scolded puppy. Why on earth he had thought for a second this man wouldn't be as strange as the rest is beyond him. "Not on purpose, anyway," Magnus adds, contemplative, and Kravitz makes a further mental note to avoid sparring with this man at all costs. Taako raises an eyebrow Magnus' way.

"And that's why sweet flips are the only ones who'll train with you."

"Hey, that's not true!" Magnus protests, indignant. Taako's eyebrow moves a degree higher and more doubtful. Kravitz decides to take a moment to consider what incredible feats of acrobatics fate had had to perform to bring him to this moment.

"Name one other person," Taako goes on, oblivious to his existential crisis.

"Uhhh, Julia? Obviously."

"Okay, one: she's your wife, and two: she has vampire strength. She doesn't count."

"Ohh, I see what this is."

"What?"

"You don't want me to be besties with your boyfriend!" Magnus proclaims, strikingly loud, and Kravitz snaps out of his reverie to stare at him, tryinghis best to ignore the way that statement had launched his heart into his throat.

"My what?" Taako squawks, scandalised. Kravitz tries to tamp down any sparks of offense (or disappointment) that flare up. That's a fair reaction.

"Yeah, I'm not as dumb as I look," Magnus says, sounding oddly proud of that statement. "I know you blew me off to go and smooch tall, dark and handsome here, you can't fool me."

Taako squints at him for a moment. "...Lup told you, didn't she?"

"Hey! No she didn't!" Magnus says, unconvincing. He seems tobe aiming forindignant but ends up rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly instead, "Angus did."

"I am going to f*cking murder that boy," Taako seethes, and he sounds so much like his sister that Kravitz can't help but laugh. Taako glares at him, ears flushed from what Kravitz assumes must be embarrassment or anger, and he covers his smile with a hand. "Sorry, it's just that someone else said the same thing about you yesterday."

"Oh yeah, when you couldn't keep your big mouth shut and got me in trouble with matron," Taako grumbles.

"She would've found out eventually," Kravitz points out. "Also, I was kind of delirious, so I feel like you should cut me some slack."

Taako rounds on him, huffing and blustering. "Fine, next time you pass out because you can't feed yourself, I'll just leave you!" he declares, pushing into his space and poking him roughly in the chest. "And you, pretty boy, can find some other hunter to save your life."

"Hmm," Kravitz ponders, encouraged by the (admittedly backhanded) compliment. "Maybe they wouldn't drop me in the mud on the way."

"I'm sensing some ingratitude," Taako says, eyebrows lifting, but there's a spark of humour there that makes Kravitz think he's enjoying this.

"Is that so?" Kravitz smiles innocently. "I thought I thanked you earlier."

Taako's face and ears flush scarlet. "That does not count."

"Would you like me to thank you again?" Kravitz smirks, and moves in a little closer himself. If this is a game of chicken, he's never been one to enjoy losing.

"Yeah, buy me some roses," Taako shoots back, apparently also unwilling to back down.

"I didn't figure you for the flowers type."

"And I didn't figure you for the kind of guy to come onto somebody in a bathroom."

"You weren't complaining at the time."

"How am I gonna complain with that handsome face all up in my grill?"

"That-"

"You guys are cute."

Magnus is grinning at them. Kravitz had completely forgotten the other man was there - and apparently, so had Taako, who looks absolutely mortified as they both spring backwards, avoiding eye contact.

"...There goes my f*cking cool and aloof reputation," Taako mutters, and takes a deep breath, clasping his hands together. "Well, nice seeing you Magnus, now if you'll excuse me I think I'm gonna go throw myself off a bridge."

"Bye! Have fun! If you see Julia tell her I said I love her!" Magnus calls brightly after them as Taako drags Kravitz out of the room and out into the hallway. After they're out of earshot, the hunter pokes an accusatory finger into his shoulder.

"I believe we had a conversation about flirting."

"'Pretty boy'?" Kravitz scoffs with a short laugh, "No, that was on you."

"That was provoked," Taako insists, jabbing his finger again. "Keep it professional, I mean it."

"Oh, professional?" Kravitz says, dragging out the co*ckney accent. "Why didn't you say so earlier?"

"You know, I think I liked you better when you were unconscious," Taako groans, turning to walk away down the hall. Kravitz follows a few steps behind, a smile tugging at his mouth.

"Is the co*ckney not professional enough? I can do others," he offers cheerily, and Taako snorts in derision and responds without a backward glance.

"My dude, if they're as awful as that one is I do not want them in contact with my ears."

"Hey! I fooled you with it, didn't I?" Kravitz says, quickly striding up to bring himself level with the hunter, who stops and spins to face him with a bark of laughter.

"Not even close. Two first impressions: one, this guy is hot as sh*t, and two, that accent is fake as hell." He snaps his fingers and adds a third to the two he already has held up in Kravitz's face. "No, actually, three: he might as well be wearing a neon sign that says 'VAMPIRE.'"

Suddenly Kravitz feels like he's on the back foot again, despite the compliment thrown his way. "...I guess at least one of those was good," he tries, hoping to salvage a little pride.

"Oh yeah, the whole vampire thing probably worked in your favour - meant I actuallyhad to deal with you," Taako says with a smirk, and turns away to leave Kravitz in his dust once more.

Chapter 12: Old Enemies

Chapter Text

As the night wears on, the base starts to see some more activity, and Kravitz receives more than a few sideways looks as they continue their walk around the building. Taako doesn't seem to pay them any mind, other than returning casual greetings to the occasional person who he seems to like more than the rest. His explanation of how things work at the Bureau is confusing at best, as he jumps between topics and makes references to things Kravitz barely has time to question before he's thought of something else to talk about.

"So, the deal around here is that we work in groups of two or three," he says airily as they pass a series of rooms that go by too quickly for Kravitz to really get a glance at. "Some teams work guard duty, others do outright hunting, there's a couple other positions I dont give a sh*t about so I don't bother to remember them. Most people have side jobs as well - you've seen mine and Mags', he does some carpentry too, Lup does some occult research sh*t with her boyfriend, that kinda deal. It's just like a, like a normalcy thing, y'know? Makes people feel like they're not totally cut off from the world."

Cautious, Kravitz waits for him to start talking again as they stop at a junction in the corridor, but he seems to have taken a break to study his nails. The black lacquer has chipped somewhere inbetween now and the previous evening.

"...So if you're in teams, do you work with your sister?"

"Hell yeah, sometimes," Taako says with a casual shrug. "Other times she hangs with Barry, and Tres Horny Boys take a midnight ride on the town."

Barry must be the boyfriend, but more importantly, "Tres what?"

"Tres Horny Boys. I know." Taako grimaces a little. "Just like - me, Mags and Merle work together a lot, I made a joke about having a rad team name to match our group and that one kinda stuck."

"...Right," Kravitz says slowly. "Those two must be... interesting."

"Well, you've already met Magnus," Taako says, once again striding away heedless of whether Kravitz is following or not. "Merle can be our next stop, then you'll have met most of the hunting crew here."

"You have a lot of friends."

"They're co-workers, but... yeah, I guess I'm pretty lucky. It's like having a big family," Taako says, surprisingly mildly, then shoots Kravitz a sharp look. "Don't repeat that to anyone."

Kravitz smiles a little. It seems like this hunter has a softer heart than he lets on. "Because of your cool and aloof reputation?"

"Exactly, fangs," Taako nods, reaching over to pat his shoulder, "you're getting it."

They round a corner and Taako stops them outside a wooden door that appears to have vines growing up the outside of it. The hunter places a hand on the knob to open it, then pauses, removes it, and pushes Kravitz back a couple of feet to the side. "Hang on here just a second."

He goes ahead through the door, light spilling out from inside as it swings open. Kravitz feels a brief tingle of the telltale burning of sunlight on his skin - odd, considering the time of night - but then the door swings shut again, and a moment later, Taako returns and beckons him forward. "You should be good now, c'mon."

They enter a room with more green in it than most of the city put together. Plants line the walls under rows of sun lamps, whose bulbs look to be slowly cooling down. Kravitz makes out several different kinds of vegetables, as well as some fruit and even some poisonous species. It's an impressive display.

"So, how's it hangin' Merle?" Taako asks, addressing a tiny, portly man laid back onto a sofa with his nose deep inside a book which the gaudy cover declares to be the 'X-TREME TEEN BIBLE.' His right sleeve is rolled up to reveal a prosthetic arm made of rough uncarved wood. "This is Kravitz, he's new."

"Why are you showing around new recruits?" Merle says, then looks up from his book. "Oh. That's why. The vampire thing's new." He squints at Kravitz, and now that he can see the other man's face Kravitz is very much ready to rapidly exit the room and never return.

"Don't I know you?" Merle asks, brow creasing, as Kravitz considers whether his best option is to run or deny all knowledge. Probably too late to run, now, and bolting might get him killed.

"Ah, no, I don't think we've met," he says with a placating smile, butMerle leans forward to jab a wooden finger in his direction.

"No, wait just a second, you're the asshole that got my damn arm cut off!" he accuses, andTaako lets out a burst of delighted laughter completely at odds with the atmosphere in the room.

"That was you?"

Still smiling, Kravitz shakes his head and takes a tiny step behind the hunter that doesn't look like he's ready to stake him. "I don't-"

"Don't play dumb with me, pally, I remember that face! You almost killed me!" Merle insists, rising fromhis seat with a glare. It looks like there's no more point in pretending, so Kravitz raises his hands in defeat.

"Okay, that- in my defense, you did come at me with an axe, and also you should really know not to try to handle a silverpoint flower that hasn't been de-thorned unless you're already dead."

"You threw it at me!"

"You scared me! I was just picking flowers and you jumped out at me screaming and swinging a blade around!"

"And what was I supposed to do upon seeing a vampire?" Merle snorts, hands on his hips. "Give you a hug?"

"I wasn't hurting anyone," Kravitz says defensively. Merle gives a dry laugh.

"Ha. Not at the time."

Kravitz glowers. The other man glares back at him.

"You're just lucky Magnus was nearby to stop the poison before it spread too far," he says after a moment, flopping back onto the sofa with a sigh. "Don't you dare tell him I said that, though. Guy was almost too eager to take my arm off." He rubs the end of his elbow where it meets the wooden prosthetic. "Why were you even out there anyway? Killing people with your teeth isn't enough, you've gotta poison 'em, too?"

"What? No!" Kravitz protests, then turns his gaze to the ground and worries at the button on one of his shirt cuffs. "They - they were a gift for a friend in the hospital. She always liked the colour."

"Uh-huh," Merle says flatly. "Real sweet. I'll bet you put her there, dead man. You try to kill her, too?"

"I..." Kravitz's throat feels tight. "It wasn't..." He tries to push back the memory that's creeping into his head. It wasn't my fault, he wants to say, as he takes a step backwards and feels the backs of his legs hit a desk, the memory crashing into him despite his best efforts to keep it at bay and overwhelming his senses.

"Oh, sh*t. Man, I didn't mean - hey, are you okay?"

Kravitz doesn't hear him. He's too focused on white hot fear, the flash of sharp teeth, blood running down his neck, a shout and the sound of running feet, blinding pain in his chest, blood on the floor in front of him, Raven's screams filling his ears, and he's so cold, his hands are shaking but he can't move, there's no life left in his body and Raven isn't screaming any more, she's not moving and he can smell her blood as it pools against his skin, and it smells good, and then there's only suffocating whiteness for hours and hours and-

A warm hand touches his shoulder.

"Fangs? You wanna sit down?"

A concerned pair of eyes is staring up at him. He tries to slow his breathing - why is he breathing? He doesn't need to breathe, it's been five years since he needed air.

That's right. Five years. Calm down, you're not there any more. Just a memory.

He straightens up shakily and rubs at his neck, shrugging off the hand on his shoulder and trying to push away the lingering sensation of sticky, wet heat. "I'm fine. Just another dizzy spell," he murmurs, then clears his throat, hoping that sounded a lot more convincing to them than it did to him. "I - I really am sorry about your arm," he says a little more evenly, and gesturesslightly towards the prosthetic."It seems - seems like you're managing pretty well without it, though."

Merle eyes him carefully but lets the issue drop. "...Yeah. We've got good tech here," he says, then gives a small shrug. "And y'know, magic always helps, too."

Kravitz lets out a short laugh, ready to play along with the joke this time. "Right, magic."

The other two men just look at him.

"Uh, yeah. Magic," Taako says, smiling a little like he's not sure what's so funny. Kravitz watches him for a long moment before concluding that he is not, in fact, being messed with again.

"...You're not serious," he says, a confused smile of his own taking hold. "Magic's not real."

Merle gives a hearty chuckle. "And neither are vampires, but you're standin' here. Whaddya think you're runnin' on, kid?"

"I - blood?" Kravitz tries, blinking in bewilderment. "I never really questioned it."

"Well, it's magic. Even I know that."

"Yeah, vampirism is just a blood sacrifice deal with some demonic lineage in the mix," Taako chimes in, nonchalant as anything. "It's not complex, just super viral and permanent. Plus the whole thing where your physical body gets kinda temporally stuck the way it was when you died, which I think might actually be a side effect, but don't quote me on that."

Kravitz almost wants to laugh at that description. Not complex. Good to know it was a simple thing that had ruined his life. He turns to Merle with a resigned sigh and waves vaguely at his wooden arm. "So how does... magic, help with your arm, exactly?"

Merle waves the fingers of his prosthetic obligingly. Now that he's looking at it properly, Kravitz can see sap shining in the joints. "This is just raw wood, but I can move it however I want. I've got a way with plants. Most folks here have something like that. Siren songs, short-range telepathy, magical barriers - one guy has a bit of werewolf in him, real nice dude though."

Taako pipes up again. "Yeah, Lup can get some pyrokinesis going if she feels like it. S'really only good for lighting candles most of the time, though."

Kravitz stares at him. "And Angus?"

"Eh, Angus is just annoying. I guess you could say he's supernaturally annoying, though."

"And what about you?"

Merle lets out a loud humph before Taako can respond himself. "We haven't really figured out Taako's deal yet. There's definitely something there, but so far all he's been good for is turning random drinks into key-lime gogurt on occasion. Like my best whiskey," he says with a hard glare in the other hunter's direction. Taako scratches his face awkwardly.

"Yeah. I, uh, I'm thinkin' it's some kind of transmutation magic. Not too sure how to channel it, but I'm working on it."

"You're a bartender," Kravitz says with a small frown. "Seems like magicking people's drinkson a dime might be a little inconvenient. Or dangerous."

Taako's whole posture locks up, and Kravitz sees Merle wince slightly. Apparently that was the wrong thing to have said.

"Yeah. If you hadn't noticed, I wear gloves when I'm working," Taako says stiffly. "Soak them in salt-water during the day. Seems to do the trick."

"I figured it was just part of the uniform."

"Nope."

Kravitz is starting to get used to how a one-word answer is his cue not to press any farther, and he can recognise a sore subject when he sees one. He turns to Merle and attempts a smile. "It was, uh, nice meeting you. Again. And I'm really very sorry about your arm, too."

"Eh, whatever," Merle shrugs. "This one's cool, I can throw it across the room and stuff."

"Why would you do that?"

"Turning off light switches, mainly. Sometimes I miss, but it crawls right back." Merle pushes himself up with a small grunt and stretches out his back. "Now, I've gotta tend to my plants, if you don't mind."

Taako grabs Kravitz's arm and whisks them out of the room faster than light, shouting "Coolniceseeingyoumerlebye!"

Once outside, he slams the door behind them and leans against it like he's trying to bar it shut. Kravitz gives him a bewildered look.

"What was that about?"

"You do not want to be in there when that creep is talking to his plants; it's sickening, trust me."

"What? They're just-"

"I'm telling you," Taako persists, giving him a meaningful and slightly haunted stare, "If he starts yappin' to anything with leaves, get outtathere. You do not need those particular mental scars, my friend."

"I - okay?" Kravitz says, wondering if it might be better to just accept this one. Taako seems mostly satisfied with that, and gives a slightly exasperated nod.

"Yuh-huh. Let's go, anyway. One more stop and then I'm getting lunch, you made me miss breakfast and ch'boy isstarving," he says, already walking away again.

"You're not gonna pass out on me, are you?" Kravitz asks as he follows in step, a little teasing.

"Very funny. I'll leave that department to you, sweetheart," Taako says lightly, leaving Kravitz frozen behind him as he continues away down the corridor.

Fruitlessly, Kravitz opens his mouth to attempt a witty comment in return, but he's too busy replayingTaako calling him 'sweetheart' over and over in his head to manage anything worth saying. So he just stumbles after him, trying not to make it too obvious just how besotted he is and very glad even despite his dark skin that the dead can't blush.

Chapter 13: Tech Support

Chapter Text

"Okay, last meet and greet for now is Lucas. Kind of a major jerk, but he's the one who makes all our cool sh*t for us, so you should probably get acquainted," Taako says as they move down yet another corridor that Kravitz can't really tell apart from any of the others in the building. The place is like a goddamn maze, and he can't help but wonder whether he'll ever get used to the layout.

That thought hits him hard. A thought like that means he's already accepted being in this place for a while, maybe indefinitely. And it's not like he has any say in the matter, really, but... working with these people is actually looking like a more and more attractive option the more time he spends here. Because he is, despite everything, starting to get the impression that he really could be happy in this place, if he allowed himself to be. Which is - terrifying, in a way, and not something he's ready to consider just yet. He'd need a good long time to think that one over.

So he puts it out of mind for the moment, and keeps following along.

"Cool sh*t like your umbrella?" he asks, and Taako nods sagely.

"Uh-huh. Handy, right? C'mon, he's down this way."

They head down yetanothercorridor into a part of the building that seems to be a little more distinctive than the rest, a little less run-down. There's actually some paint on the walls in this section, and the lighting doesn't flicker quite so much. Taako stops outside a door with a hundred different warning signs plastered to the outside of it, and Kravitz only has a second to read 'HAZARDOUS AREA: KNOCK BEFORE ENTERING' before the hunter has shoved the door open and sauntered inside.

The room is filled to the brim with paraphernalia of all kinds, stacked haphazardly on every surface. Glass, metal and plastic fight for space on top of various desks and benches, and what looks like a few unfinished weapons litter the floor. A scrawny man with messy hair and bandages on most of his fingers is fiddling with something on the workbench in front of him. There's something familiar about his face that Kravitz can't quite put his finger on - he really hopes he didn't accidentally try to kill this one as well. Taako spins in place, arms spread as Kravitz takes it all in.

"So this is Lucas' nerd workshop-"

"It's alab," the man at the table says, not even glancing at them.

"-nerdlab, and he makes weapons and gear for us. Say hi to the new guy, Lucas."

"Hi. Can you leave me alone now?" Lucas asks irritably. He finally looks up from the pile of parts he's been sorting and leaps backwards off his stool, fingers skittering across the bench to his back as he presumably clutches for a weapon. "S-sh*t, Taako, is that a f*cking vampire?" he squeaks, andKravitz gives a resigned sigh.

"Is it really that obvious?"

"You're not exactly back to a living flesh colour yet, my dude," Taako says, giving him a consoling yet somewhat arch pat on the shoulder. He turns back to give Lucas an unimpressed look. "Anyway, Lucas, contain your sh*t, Lucretia gave him the okay."

"What the f*ck -why?!" Lucas practically shrieks, and Kravitz winces a little at the sharp noise as Taako rolls his eyes.

"Because he's cool is why," he says like it's the most obvious thing in the world, and heaves an excessively dramatic sigh. "Anyway, Kravitz this is Lucas, Lucas this is Kravitz, please don't try to kill him if you see him without me, and ah-let's go. Time for Taako to get some chow," he breezes, turning on his heel to leave.

"Hey - hey, wait a sec, before you go," Lucas calls after them, and looks directly at Kravitz as he turns back. "Can I have some of your hair?" he asks, as if he was mayberequestingsomething entirely mundane like a piece of gum and not somethingreallyf*cking weirdlike hishair.Kravitz just stares at him.

"What?"

"Oh, right, sorry, I should probably-" Lucas waves vaguely towards the back of the room, "I'm running some tests with different kinds of holy water, and if you could give me some samples-"

There's a small drop of annoyance tinting Taako's carefully dispassionate voice as he turns fully back to Lucas with a snort. "Holy sh*t, megamind, guy's been here five seconds and you're already tryna make him your guinea pig? Real classy."

"The others never let me do any tests on them!" Lucas whines. "I'm missing out on valuable data that could help our cause."

Taako folds his arms and leans towards the other man with a lazy grin. "I have some data for you, my friend: vampire plus holy water makesouchies. That's all we need," he smirks, then pulls back and nudges Kravitz in the arm. "Whaddya think, fangs, standard holy water not effective enough?"

Kravitz grimaces to himself, remembering the few times some hunter had actually managed to splash some of the stuff on him. It had burned like acid and made his skin come up in angry red welts that hadn't healed for days. "I think it's definitely effective enough," he mutters, nose wrinkling.

"But - you don't wanna make the stuff better? I could make something incredible here,"Lucas continues to wheedle. He turns an exasperated look Kravitz's way. "What if I could even cure vampirism, wouldn't you say that's worth a few hair samples?"

"Cure?"Kravitz echoes, trying not to let too much hope seep into his voice. The thought alone is - he can't think about it. Going down that road will only make it hurt more when nothing comes of it. He can't let a total stranger push him into getting his hopes up, especially after Taako sets his weight against the doorframe and scoffs.

"Don't listen to him, fangs. Nerdlord here talks a big talk, but I don't think you want him pokin' around in your insides or anything."

He's right to be sceptical. Kravitz is too, but even so...I'll take any chance I can get,he thinks, looking over at Taako uncertainly. The hunter gives a weary sigh and holds up his hands.

"Listen, I don't own you, you can do whatever you want, I'm just sayin' don't put too much faith in this guy."

Lucas sees his chance and leaps for it. "Anything you give me, I'll put to good use, I swear," he insists, pressing forward a little, but curbs his enthusiasm as Taako eyes him. "I-I mean, no promises, but I'll do my best."

Kravitz chews at his lip, opening up the skin with his teeth for the millionth time. Maybe at some point he can let himself hope, but not now. Not just yet. "...I'll think about it," he says quietly, and Lucas sighs and waves a disinterested hand in his direction as he turns back to his work.

"Sure, I get it. Same as usual, nobody sees the potential," he mutters bitterly.

Taako opens the door for them to go to leave again, but Kravitz lingers a little longer. He bites at his thumbnail, considering. "Say, uh, Lucas, you don't do - you're not like ahunterhunter, are you?" he asks carefully. He still can't quite place that familiarity, and it's bothering him.

"Can you see me throwing a stake around?" Lucas asks with a short laugh and a sideways look. "No, I work pretty much strictly in support. Why?"

"You look, uh, really familiar. You weren't um, around when Merle got his arm cut off or anything?"

Lucas frowns a little. "I don't see why that would - oh. That was you, huh? But no, I wasn't."

"Oh," Kravitz says, sporting a frown of his own. "Then where - are you sure we haven't met? There's really - I really feel like you look familiar," he insists. There's some niggling memory he can't quite catch here. Lucas is quiet for a second, continuing to frown at him in confusion, then his eyes widen.

"You couldn't have-" He turns to rummage around in a drawer, pulls out a picture and thrusts it at him. "Was this - did you see this woman? Is that why I look familiar?"

Kravitz looks at the picture, and an older woman holding a small hand mirror looks back at him from the paper. His heart drops a little.

"Yeah, I've seen her."

"You've seen my mom?!" Lucas shouts, frantic, leaning into his space. "She's alive?!"

"No, she's - I'm sorry," Kravitz falters, praying that these hunters aren't the type to shoot the messenger. "I don't know how to say this, butshewas, well - as alive as I am. Which is to say, undead, or-" He swallows and shakes his head, giving up with a sigh. "Look, I really am sorry, but the woman I saw was a vampire."

Lucas stares at him for a moment before sitting back heavily onto his stool. "...Oh, sh*t." He runs a hand through his hair, jaw working without producing sound. "...sh*t," he manages eventually. "I mean, I - I guess I knew that, really. I kinda...Man, I'd kinda rather she was dead, if I'm honest." He exhales carefully and closes his eyes. The next part, he sounds afraid to ask. "Was she... how bad was she?"

Kravitz winces slightly. "Lucid enough to talk a little, but, not... not friendly."

"Do you think she's saveable?" Lucas asks, meeting his eyes with a steady, haunted gaze.

Kravitz can't give him the answer he wants to hear. He blows a puff of air from between his lips, trying to choose his words as best as possible.

"She... look, I don't know what happened to her before then, but when I met her she'd fallen in with a group of other vampires, organised ones. They were - well, they tried to get me to join them, and when I refused, they tried to kill me instead. They probably would have, too, but as they were chasing me we ran into a group of hunters and I lost them in the scuffle."

"You were attacked by other vampires?" Lucas sounds more than a little surprised.

"I mean, I've come across territory disputes before, but... this wasn't like that. They said they didn't need anyone who wasn't loyal to them out on the streets. It sounded like they were aiming for a takeover."

Lucas rubs at a day-old layer of stubble on his face. "I - we gotta find her. Maybe if we can capture her, we can try to - to help her somehow," he says, clearly grasping at straws.

"Lucas, listen," Kravitz says gently, "I went back there later, and those hunters had been torn to shreds. There was nothing left. I don't know if you'll be able to reason with her."

"That's..." Lucas purses his lips and nods, dropping his head to study his shoelaces. "If she's that far gone, we have to take her down. She, uh, she wouldn't have wanted to hurt people."

Kravitz nods. He almost wishes he hadn't brought this up, but - it has to be better than not knowing, at least. Or maybe it would have been better to be able to believe her dead rather than a monster. "I'm sorry you had to find out like this," he offers, muted. Lucas shrugs his shoulders dejectedly.

"Better I hear it from you than I find out she's taken one of us out, right? Or vice versa."

Taako clears his throat from behind them, breaking the blanket of mournful quiet that had settled over the room. "Well, I think we've found you mission numero uno, fangs," he announces, starkly breezy after such a fraught conversation. "You're gonna help us find Lucas' mom."

Kravitz turns to face him with unmasked surprise. "Is that - are you sure? I've not exactly been here very long, and this seems important," he says, but Taako waves off his concerns like bothersome flies.

"This kind of investigation doesn't happen overnight," he explains, "We'll have time to make sure you're on the ball with how we work. And with what you said about that group she was with, we'll probably need all hands on deck, especially ones with spooky vampire strength."

"Honestly, I don't know how much use I'll be to you," Kravitz says, doubtful. "I'm not much of a fighter."

Taako fixes him with a grin Kravitz can only describe as unnerving. "Oh don't worry, my man, we're gonna get Julia to put you through your paces," he says, sounding disturbingly cheerful. "Once she's done with you, you'll either be broken seven different ways or making the most of that strength of yours. Maybe both."

OnKravitz'sother side, Lucas gives an affirmative nod. "Julia is the best fighter we have. If she's training you, you'll be more than good enough to help on this."

Kravitz tries not to think too much about the part where he gets broken seven different ways, butsupposeshe doesn't have a choice about whether to do this or not. May as well agree - and, he does find himself wanting to help. He knows what not knowing feels like. This should help Lucas get some closure, if nothing else. "I... okay, I guess. I'll try not to disappoint."

"Don't look so nervous, fangs," Taakosays with a smilethat Kravitz doesn't particularly trust in the least. "You'll be great. I know potential when I see it."

"Is that why you brought me here?" Kravitz asks, allowing himself just a sliver of teasing in the question. But rather than flirt back or even scold him, that shadow of an expression flits through Taako's eyes again, and he turns abruptly and yanks open the door.

"Yeah. And, y'know - yeah, that. Anyway, time for me to eat. Lucas, you mind telling Lulu and the others I'm cooking? Thanks, babe."

"Wh- Taako, I'm not your secretary! You have a phone, tell them yourse-" Lucas starts, but they're already out the door and making their way towards one of the kitchens.

Chapter 14: Mealtime at the Zoo

Chapter Text

As they enter the kitchen - a really nice kitchen, Kravitz notes, bigger than most other rooms they've seen and much shinier - Taako pulls out his phone and types a short message made twice as long by the amount of emojis he tacks onto the end of it, muttering "Guess I'll have to tell them myself." He then sets the device down and starts pulling out ingredients and cooking equipment from various cupboards. The place seems to be kept well-stocked, Kravitz assumes at least in part to Merle's efforts.

Pulling out a stool, he sits down at the counter across from where Taako is organizing his ingredients. On the side in front of him, Taako's phone buzzes a few times. The screen blinks to life, andKravitz makes out a message that reads "HELL YEAH I'M GATHERING THE CREW BE THERE IN FIFTEEN!!!" before registering that he probably shouldn't be reading it and looking away. His own phone, a small burner and the one whose number he had given Taako the night before, rarely sees any activity other than the occasional work-related or promotional text. It would be nice to be linked to that many people, he thinks. Maybe now that he doesn't have to worry about being hunted down he'll be able to get a more modern phone and actually use it. And yet the idea just feels so foreign.

He hears the steady tapping of a knife against a chopping board as Taako makes a start on the meal and glances over to see a range of ingredients he can't make head or tail of. Cooking was never his strong suit.

"What are you making?" he asks, curious and ready for a distraction.

"Nothing fancy, just stir-fry," Taako replies without looking at him. His hands move with the confidence and rhythm of somebody who knows exactly what they're doing, Kravitz thinks.

"You're a good cook?"

Taako scoffs a little. "I'm an amazing cook, fangs."

A handful of carrots vanish underneath his knife, then peppers and a couple of other vegetables. Then the blade stops. A strange look passes over Taako's face, and he tips the contents of the board into the trash and puts everything he'd used into the sink before reaching into his pocket, pulling out a pair of gloves like the ones he'd been wearing at the bar, and slipping them on. Then he starts over again from scratch, pulling out new equipment and new ingredients and making fast work of them.

"...Was there something wrong with them?" Kravitz asks, puzzled. Merle had said something about drinks and gogurt, but none of the rejected food had looked affected in any way. Taako doesn't spare him so much as a glance.

"I don't work with sub-par ingredients," he says curtly, and Kravitz frowns a little.

"They looked fine to me."

"Oh yeah," Taako snorts with a harsh laugh, "Forgot vampires were renowned for their culinary expertise, my bad. Real gourmands, that crowd - you wanna give me any more tips while you're at it?"

Kravitz takes the hint to back off this time. Try as he might to ignore it, that one did sting a little. "Fair enough," he murmurs, picking at a dried drop of something on the counter. "I was never a good cook anyway."

He considers offering to lend a hand as time ticks on, but he'd probably only end up getting in the way - Taako moves around a kitchen like a professional chef. He's only making a simple stir-fry, but Kravitz can see him doing a lot more given the inclination. He watches as Taako reaches across the side and pulls the cover off a tray of oven-browned tofu.

"When did you do that?" he tries carefully, wondering if he's overstepping again. It's been so long since he had to worry about that kind of thing, he's not sure he knows how to read this situation at all correctly. But, Taako doesn't seem bothered by the question.

"I got Lup to prep them for me earlier," he says as he picks through the small cubes on the tray, looking to be checking them over.

"You like tofu?"

"I'm a vegetarian."

"Oh," Kravitz says, subdued. Something about that feels a little ironic. "I always liked the idea, but never quite managed it. And then, well."

"Human smoothie diet, huh?"

"Yeah."

There's an awkward silence where Kravitz realises he really doesn't know anything about this strange, mercurial hunter who saved his life. And by the same token, Taako probably doesn't really know anything about him. They're still relative strangers, all things considered. Kravitz finds himself tryingto think of anything interesting he can share about himself - literally anything - but his mind goes blank. Failing that, he just blurts out the first thing that comes to mind.

"I-I used to love strawberries. Before. They make me sick now, but, y'know. I still miss them. Miss being able to actually enjoy wine, too," he says, tapping out an idle rhythm on the counter. Taako nods, still focused on his work.

"Julia had a thing about hard candies. She can't even look at them now."

"I'm looking forward to meeting her," Kravitz offers, and realises in saying it that he does in fact mean that, if only to see what kind of person would voluntarily take Magnus in a fight. "Your friends are - they seem nice."

Taako only shrugs a little. "Sure, I guess."

Kravitz watches as Taako finishes prepping a mountain of ingredients and begins tossing them into a large wok. They start to sizzle and steam as he shakes the pan back and forth, browning quickly under the heat, and the room rapidly fills with the smell of it.

"That looks amazing," Kravitz comments - and it does, even though the smell is making him feel sick to his stomach. There's a certain uncomfortable dissonance in having your brain tell you one thing while your body tells you another.

"Taako does amazing or he doesn't do at all, my friend," Taako declares, a little more downbeat than Kravitz has become accustomed to but still haughty. He smiles a little, even though Taako hasn't actually looked at him in the last five or ten minutes at all.

"I can tell."

Taako only hums quietly, a noise that might suggest agreement but hides doubt under the surface. At this point Kravitz can't figure out if the hunter's real nature is the flirty confidence he showed before, or this careful remoteness Kravitz has been glimpsing more and more of since they got here.

And then there'shere. An old warehouse full of vampire hunters and a whole organization he'd never heard anything of before now. And this hunter who seems to be friendly and distant by turns, unpredictable but undeniably interesting. Kravitz can't quite figure him out. He rests his chin on his hand and watches this fascinating man work, just admiring him for a minute. Taako, seeming to notice the lack of trivial conversation, finally looks up at him. "What?"

Kravitz jumps slightly, realising that staring like that is probably pretty off-putting. "Sorry," he says quickly, directing his attention towards the polished countertop instead. "I, uh, I was just thinking about how strange this is. I haven't spent this much time around other people in - in years, not really. It's - it's rare that I have a conversation that lasts more than a couple of minutes and doesn't end with me killing someone. And to think I'd end up working for a hunter organisation, it's..."

He trails off, uncertain of how to finish that statement. It's... ludicrous? Some kind of sick joke? He feels like he could be either grateful or resentful for this whole series of events and isn't sure which way to fall. He doesn't know whether to act like a monster or a person any more.

"Well, it's not like you had much of a choice," Taako says as he stews, a dull laugh breaking the silence. "Join or die, remember? What with you falling into my cunning trap 'n' all." His voice turns quiet for a second, and Kravitz wonders whether he would've been able to hear the next part without superhuman hearing."I guess I kinda kidnapped you, really."

Kravitz looks over at him where he's still focused on his work, studying his face for any clue as to his motivations or why he's acting so differently, but finds nothing. He can't even tell if this is normal behaviour or whether something's actually bothering him. "Why did you do that?" he asks softly, after a moment. "You put your life at risk to bring me here, I could've killed you. I almost did."

"Don't give yourself too much credit, fangs, I'm good at what I do," Taako scoffs as he continues to agitate the mix in front of him, eyes still not straying from the motion. The indignance fades quickly, though, replaced with that same quietness again. "But, y'know. I took a chance. Just had a feeling. And I figured if things went well, then great, and if not, then..." He shrugs. "Better I kill you than some other hunter who might not've given you a chance."

Kravitz watches him for a long while. He doesn't seem like he's lying - though, evidently Kravitz isn't the best judge of when he's being played for a fool. Still, this feels sincere, even if the motivation is... strange. Putting everything on the line like that over a feeling.

"...You're an odd person," he says eventually, and Taako sighs slightly.

"Yeah. Sorry I forced you into this whole deal, though."

Kravitz considers that for a moment. True, he hadn't had a choice in being brought here, or recruited into this job. But, he'd made the choice not to kill Taako, accepted whatever consequences that brought. He'd decided he could play along with this situation long enough to see how things panned out. It wasn't like he'd gone unwillingly, and if he'd been offered this opportunity without the threats and passing out and all the other unpleasantness, he probably would've taken it. He'd never wanted to live like that anyway, a lonely monster stalking the night. He'd just been making do with the hand he'd been dealt, and now he's been given a new one to play with - so, why not make the most of it?

"...Honestly?" he says quietly, gaze lingering on his hands where they're folded on the counter in front of him. "I think this is the best thing that could've happened to me."

At that, Taako gives him an inquisitive look, a trace of guardedness lurking in the depths of his eyes. Kravitz smiles a little, and offers a small shrug.

"You said it yourself - I'm a really sh*tty vampire. I don't know how much longer I would've lasted on my own."

"Well," Taako starts, slightly strained, then clears his throat and tries again, "Well, it's - s'good you feel that way, because you're kinda stuck with m- with us, now."

Kravitz laughs softly, feeling like something's settled into place. "I can think of worse people to be stuck with."

That flicker passes across Taako's face again. This time Kravitz catches the expression - it's something close to uncertainty, with maybe a touch of fear, and he's not quite sure what to make of it. Is Taako regretting bringing him here, having second thoughts? That would be understandable, and yet... it hurts to think that Kravitz might lose whatever connection they might have. Maybe he's just being optimistic (and isn't that a change), but he could swear there's something here. He just prays it's not only him that feels that way.

He decides to double down, hoping some reassurance might sway Taako out of whatever doubts he might have. "Really, I think you've saved me twice over now. I can't thank you enough."

Taako shrugs again, eyes gravitating back to the pan he's still tossing like iron to a magnet. His voice is apathetic when he speaks again, and maybe a little sad. "We'll see how you go, fangs. Might change your mind."

Kravitz opens his mouth to argue, but at that moment the kitchen door slams open and a stream of people pours into the room - Magnus, Merle, Angus, and a few new faces among them. Lup trails in with a plain-looking man in blue jeans, kisses him on the cheek and heads over to Taako to help him finish up the meal and portion it out. She glances over at Kravitz sitting opposite as Taako hands her a bowl and a large spoon.

"I see the overgrown mosquito's still here," she says airily, and Taako's already dull expression darkens further still.

"Don't give him sh*t, Lup, c'mon."

Lup gives her brother a curious look, a contemplative frown creasing her brows. "...No Lulu today?" she asks. Taako only shrugs and continues spooning out food dispassionately, not even looking up.

"You hate it when I call you that."

"...I do," Lup says slowly, squinting a little now, "You don't usually give a sh*t, though."

Taako shrugs again, eyes still downcast, and picks up several bowls from the counter to take over to the table, balancing them expertly on his wrists and forearms. Lup studies his back as he walks away.

"sh*t. He really does like you," she murmurs. That elicits a confused frown from Kravitz. Where in that conversation had she pulled that from?

Lup catches his look and makes a pained face. "He's been weird with you, right?"

Kravitz nods, still not sure where she's going with this.

"Look, he gets - it's this thing he does, like, whenever-" She stops trying to put together whatever she was trying to say and sighs. "Never mind. I'll let him deal with that mess himself - just suffice to say my brother adores you, and if you dare f*cking hurt him I am still ready to stake you if needed."

Kravitz nods again quickly as she leaves to bring the rest of the bowls over to the table, but remains a little confused. He doeswhat?

Before he can think too far into it, a burly woman with a bright crimson headscarf sits down at the counter next to him. "This is the section for special dietary requirements?" sheasks with a wide grin, exposing sharp, elongated canines not dissimilar to his own. Huh. He really isn't the only vampire in the building.

"Oh, you mean - I guess so," Kravitz says, and cautiously extends a hand. "You're... Julia?"

"That's me," Julia smiles, shaking the hand with a grip as firm as Magnus' but with enough control not to threaten his metacarpals. Her skin is the same temperature as his, he notices, feeling a little dazed by the whole encounter. He's never met another vampire not lost to bloodlust, nor one so genuinely friendly. He's not met many humans that smile that warmly, in fact.

"You're the new guy, right?" Julia says as she lets go. "Rabbit or something?"

"Kravitz," he says flatly, only slightly miffed. At least it wasn't 'the vampire' this time.

"Right, right, sorry," Julia says, and though she waves the mistake off Kravitz gets the feeling she does actually mean that apology. "Magnus told me about you. Think I'm supposed to be jumping you through some hoops later, figure out where you're at in terms of fighting ability. S'gonna be fun."

"I hope you're not expecting too much," Kravitz says with a slightly nervous laugh.

Magnus suddenly shouts over at them from where he's sat at the table, an empty chair to the side of him. "Honey, bring him over here! Killian and the others haven't met him yet!"

"Okay, give us a minute!" Julia yells, then turns back to Kravitz. "Sorry about this, you probably feel like you're on display, right?"

"I, uh - well, a little bit."

Julia smiles again at that. "I mean, I guess you kinda are. It's rare we get new people here, and to have you be a wild vampire on top of that..." She inclines her head and lifts her eyes as if to say, 'y'know.'

"I wouldn't describe myself as wild," Kravitz says, eyebrows drawing together but a smile forming on his lips nonetheless. Julia seems to be the kind of sweet and genuine person it's hard not to feel relaxed around. The feeling reminds him of... no. He pushes that thought away for now, pulls himself out of his head.

"I just mean you're not from the Bureau already," Julia is explaining, "And, there's also the fact Taako doesn't trust easy. It's the first time he's brought anyone here, and well, uh-"

"Jules! You can't keep him all to yourself!"

"Fine, we're coming!" Julia shouts, more than a little exasperated. She stands up and then gives Kravitz a confirmatory glance. "Is that okay? Everybody really wants to see what we're working with here, but I know this is probably a lot to take in all at once."

"I - yeah. Yeah, that's fine," Kravitz says, the show of consideration taking him a little by surprise. As he stands himself and follows in her wake, he decides he likes Julia. Maybe they could even be friends.

They make their way over to the rowdy table where the food is rapidly vanishing under an accompanying stream of appreciative comments and noises. Lup stands up as they approach and shifts her seat up a little, smiling at him and grabbing a chair so that he can sit in between her and Taako. Kravitz takes the seat feeling slightly off-balance - the speed at which the people here have warmed up to him is a little dizzying, he's still not so sure this isn't a dream. But, dream or not, it's a welcome change to sit at a table with so many people after years of keeping himself held apart from humanity.

Taako is picking at his food next to him as he sits down, very quiet. "Um, are you alright?" Kravitz asks gently, wondering if he's overstepping his bounds. He's pretty sure his feelings towards the hunter are mutual, but Lup was right - he had been acting strangely, and Kravitz can't figure out why.

"What?" Taako says, blinking over at him like he'd just been pulled from a trance. "Oh, yeah. Yeah, I'm fine, ch'boy is - Taako's good." He clears his throat and raises his voice so the others can hear. "Okay, so left to right," he declares, and starts to point a finger around the table, listing off names. "Julia, Magnus and Merle, you've already met, then Killian and Carey, they're on a hunting team together with Noelle, who's out working, then Johann, he-" Taako stops suddenly and frowns. "What do you even do, Johann?"

The melancholy-looking man Taako's finger stopped at just shrugs. "Hell if I know, man."

"Right, nothing important," Taako snorts, and continues with his list. "Then uh, Avi isn't here because he's stuck on guard duty, and Barry's on the other side of Lup, there, so I guess that's just about it."

"You didn't mention me, sir!" Angus McDonald pipes up from Taako's other side, barely visible over the high table. He could really do with a seat cushion.

"Nobody could forget about you, Agnes," Taako sighs. It sounds like he's aiming for sarcasm, but he can't quite keep a sliver of affection from creeping into his voice. Quickly after, though, he clears his throat and claps his hands loudly enough to make Kravitz's ears ring for a moment. "Okay, questions now so the poor guy doesn't have to run through this a million times, go."

"You're a vampire, right?" the woman Taako had identified as Killian asks. She looks like she could lift weights professionally. Taako jumps in before Kravitz can even open his mouth.

"Yup, next!"

The person next to Killian - Carey, who is as wiry as Killian is muscled and sporting a blue mohawk - goes next, a sly grin on her face. "You kill a whole bunch of people?"

Kravitzmakes an uncomfortable face, not sure what to say, but Taako swoops in again before he could try to reply anyway. "Yup, lotsa tasty tasty people juice. Next question."

"Are you two... intimately involved?" Merle asks, raising an eyebrow.

"Wholly inappropriate table conversation!" Taako proclaims, glaring at him with undisguised irritation. "Don't you people have anything better to think about?"

Merle huffs, folding his arms. "Fine, how come you were passed out when you got here?"

Taako looks at Kravitz and inclines his head like he's giving him permission to answer that one himself. Kravitz looks from him to Merle and back before hazarding, "I, uh - I was kind of starving to death?"

"Wow. You're not a very good vampire."

Taako waves a hand. "As I have pointed out, anything else?"

"Why are you dressed like a victorian gentleman in love with black?" Carey asks, shoving a stray mushroom into her mouth.

"I... like to dress like this?" Kravitz says, unsure of why exactly he's being grilled on his fashion choices, of all things.

"Cool. What did you do before you started eating people?" Carey bats back, that sly grin splitting her face again. Her teeth look strangely pointed, but not in a vampiric way where it's only the canines - her whole mouth is full of sharp fangs like a shark. Kravitz frowns at her, more concerned with the morbid line her questions seem to be taking.

"Can we get past the vampire thing?"

"Yeah, I think we've run that one into the ground," Taako says, sounding bored, then fixes Kravitz with a curious look. "What did you do though?"

"Nothing interesting," Kravitz replies absently. He can't stop fidgeting with his hands, not sure of what to do with them while almost everyone else has theirs occupied with eating. "I had an office job, endless bureaucracy. Mostly paperwork and administrative stuff."

"Boo! That's boring, dude!" Killian heckles, seeming dissatisfied with that answer. Kravitz tenses a little, defensive.

"It paid my rent," he mutters. Sure, it wasn't a fun job, not the one he'd wanted, but it paid well. It kept him upright, and - well, it had had its perks, being friends with the boss.

He realises he's been scowling at his hands for the last half-minute as Taako nudges him a little. "What about that other stuff you mentioned?" he prompts. "You said you did music, was that true?"

The melancholy-looking man, Johann, offers a hint of a smile. "Hey, you play? Maybe you can help me out with my mixtape sometime. What instruments you play?"

Kravitz thinks for a moment, pulling himself out of the dark space he'd ended up in. "Um, piano, cello, violin, a few others. I used to conduct for the school orchestra too, sometimes. Then community stuff for a bit."

"Oh my god, you were a band nerd," Taako grins. His eyes are shining and he's beaming a little maniacally as he leans towards him, turning in his seat. "Puh-lease tell me you did marching band, I wanna see pictures of you in that uniform."

"I am not giving you that ammunition," Kravitz says, unable to keep down a smile of his own. Taako leans closer, seemingly only encouraged by that.

"That a yes? You might as well tell me now, or I'm gonna get Angus to find the dirt instead."

"I don't think that's a very good use of my skills, sir."

"Hush, Ango, the grown-ups are talking." Taako says, flapping a handat the kidand keeping his gaze firmly on Kravitz, still grinning.

"There aren't any pictures to find," Kravitz replies evenly. Taako's grin widens.

"But you did do marching band?"

Kravitz rolls his eyes a little, entertained despite himself. "If I say yes, will you leave me alone?"

"Oh, no way, fangs. Ch'boy's gonna milk this for all it's worth."

"And you said Barry was a nerd," Lup snickers from Kravitz's other side.

"Barry is a nerd," Taako snorts, unimpressed.

"Barry never did marchingband," Lup shoots back.

"No, he just won the science fair every single year."

Barry leans forward so he can see around Lup. "I'm sitting right here. And what's so bad about winning science fairs?"

"What's a science fair? Can we have one?" comes Angus' voice from behind Taako.

"I'm surrounded by nerds on all sides," Taako groans, slumping down in his seat, but it looks like he's fighting away a smile. And while Kravitz might not appreciate the ribbing, he's glad Taako seems to have pulled himself out of whatever bad mood was eating him before.

"I could play for you sometime, if you want," he offers. Taako hums and turns a sly smirk on him, contemplative.

"What's your genre?"

"What do you want to hear?"

Taako narrows his eyes, trying to think up a challenge. "How about... mid-2000s eurodance?"

Kravitz can't help but laugh at that. "You wanna hear Basshunter on a cello?" he asks, then pauses to consider for a second. It sounds doable, given the right tweaks. "I can probably make an attempt."

"Nerd," Taako snorts, turning back to his food so he can hide his smile behind his fork.Magnus leans over to Julia to speak in what is probably supposed to be a whisper.

"I told you they were cute," he says, and Julia nods to herself, a small smile on her mouth as she takes his free hand and twines their fingers together. Taako's smile, on the other hand, quickly turns to a glower, and he shoves a bite of tofu roughly into his mouth.

"People in this building need to mind their own business," he snips, butJulia just smiles at him and rests her chin on her palm.

"You're allowed to have feelings, Taako."

Taako abruptly slams his hands down on the table and stands up, making Kravitz start slightly. "Oh, what a shame! Lunch is over," he says, pointedly loud, "And d'ya know, I think I have paperwork to do. That's how much I've enjoyed this conversation, I'm leaving to go do paperwork."

"Hey, 5 o'clock, bring your new friend down to the training room so I can assess him!" Julia calls after them as Taako pushes his seat back, pulling Kravitz's arm to get him to follow.

"Fine, whatever. Mags, it's your turn for dishes."

"Aw, man. Lup never makes me do dishes."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm the evil twin, I get it," Taako huffs, waving a hand back at the group behind. "Just do 'em and try not to break anything this time."

Kravitz flashes an apologetic smile as he's dragged from the room and led quickly away, Taako stripping off his gloves and stuffing them in his pocket as they go. He finds himself a little unsure of what he should be doing, now that they've seen most of the building and Taako has work to do. He'd probably just be getting in the way if he tagged along now.

"If you're working, where should I go?" he asks, and Taako barks a laugh.

"Oh, you actually - that's sweet," he snickers. Kravitz frowns at him, and he only laughs louder. "Listen, there's no f*ckin' way I'm doing paperwork, not for love, money, or any other sh*t you wanna offer. We're gonna go pick up all your sh*t from your apartment - unless you wanna go give Lucas some hair samples for him to torture?"

Kravitz gestures him on ahead, grimacing a little. "Your plan sounds good."

Chapter 15: One Small Box

Chapter Text

To get to the apartment, they take one of the many cars (whatdon'tthey have here?) that the Bureau apparentlykeeps for staff. Taako pulls a set of keys from a rack on the wall and throws them to him as they enter the building's garage, and Kravitz snatches them out of the air with a look of surprise.

"You don't want to drive?" he asks as he follows Taako over to a nice but nondescript car in the corner of the garage. Seems a little trusting to put him in charge of their destination - at this point he's decided he doesn't want to go anywhere, but Taako doesn't know that. He might try to bolt the moment he gets behind the wheel. And yet, the hunter opens the passenger door without a care.

"Can't drive, homes."

Kravitz stops with the driver's side door halfway open and stares at him. "Then why on earth did you ask me if I had a car yesterday? You thought I was in good driving condition?"

Taako just shrugs. "It was an emergency. I was just gonna wing it."

Kravitz gives him an incredulous look and shakes his head before deciding to take the path of least resistance and climb into the driver's seat. Taako hops in on the passenger side and leans his seat back as far as it will go, propping his feet up on the dash. "Let's get this show on the road, fangs," he declares. "We're burning darkness."

-

The hunter eschews conversation for most of the ride, opting to fiddle with the radio the whole time instead. Kravitz begins to find the sound rather grating after a while on his sensitive ears.

"Can't you just pick something?" he asks eventually, tone just short of snapping. He's not in a position to be making demands, but much more of this and he'd be tempted to deafen himself for a while. Not like it wouldn't heal in a couple of days.

"I have discerning tastes," Taako says, as casual as if he didn't know exactly what it is he's doing. "There's nothing good on any of these."

Kravitz unclenches his jaw with not inconsiderable difficulty. "You could turn it off," he points out, carefully measuring out each word.

Taako doesn't reply, instead delicately finding the volume knob with his fingers and slowly turning the horrendous between-frequency white noise up. Kravitz abandons the idea of attempting to reason with him and tries to just tune out the endless whine of static and snippets of song coming through the speakers. It seems like Taako is deliberately trying to piss him off, though to what end is a mystery. Maybe it's a test, trying to see if he'll snap. If that's the case, he's not gonna rise to it.

-

The door to the apartment is still unlocked after their rushed exit the night before, but nothing's missing from inside. Not that there's much to take. It feels strange re-entering it in such different circ*mstances, no longer being complete strangers and neither of them hiding ulterior motives. At least,Kravitz isn't any more.

Taako flops down in a chair and watches him as he moves around the room, picking up items to place into a cardboard box he pulls from the closet. It only takes him a minute or two to get his things together, and in the end the box's contents are mostly just clothes, with a few toiletries and other bits and pieces. He sets it down on the table in front of Taako. "I'm done. Shall we head back?"

Taako just looks blankly at the box on the table. "That's all you've got?"

"Yeah. Oh, wait, one more thing," Kravitz says, and goes over to the bed, pulling out several rolls of cash from underneath the mattress and tossing them into the box as well. "That's it."

"What, you don't trust banks?" Taako asks, jokingly. Kravitz doesn't laugh.

"I'm legally dead, Taako."

The hunter gives him a quizzical look, as if that doesn't explain anything. Kravitz sighs, closing his eyes in resignation. "I can't access anything I used to have saved, can't open new accounts, anything like that. I don't exist on the system any more. I have a driver's license which I'm guessing you saw that's valid ID for a couple more years as long as no-one actually tries to run it through anything, but other than that..." He walks over and sits down wearily in the seat adjacent to where Taako is lounging, "I get paid in cash, pay for everything in cash, can't shop anywhere that isn't open after dark, and have to be prepared to up andrun at any given moment if some hunter figures out where I live. It wouldn't be the first time." He gestures at the box. "That's everything."

"You cut ties and bolt, just like that?" Taako asks, unusually quiet. Kravitz shrugs a little.

"If I have to," he replies softly. "It's not like I need much to live. Don't need food or shelter or anything, really. Just somewhere to keep out of the sun."

Taako stares at him for a while, some dance of thought going on beneath the surface. "Well, you shouldn't have to do any of that any more," he murmurs, looking a little unsettled. "But, you really don't have anything at all from before you got turned?"

"Nothing except my wallet, really. I couldn't exactly go and get all my belongings out of my old place," Kravitz says, scratching at his neck. The itch that plagues him when he gets close to those memories hasn't played up this much in a long time, but then he usually avoids even thinking about these things, let alone talking about them. Now that he considers it, he's probably never said any of this out loud.

Seemingly oblivious to his discomfort, Taako frowns in confusion. "Why not?"

"I just, I didn't dare - I was too worried someone would see me." Kravitz gives a humourless laugh and rubs his face, worrying the skin. "I'd killed so many people by the time I was in a position to worry about that kind of thing. Or at least it felt like it at the time, I suppose it's nothing now.And they weren't all the kind of people you saw me go after at the bar, either. Some of them were just... unlucky, I guess." He swallows and fidgets with his hands, trying to keep them away from the itch that's insistent now. "There's no way I'd've - I wouldn't've been able to face anyone I knew even if they didn't faint at the sight of me. They'd think I was a ghost." He laughs, that same wry sound cutting the air again. It isn't funny, but he can't think of what else to do. "I might as well be, really. Besides, by that point everything I owned had probably been sold off already anyway."

Probably Raven's things too, he thinks. Their shared apartment has probably had at least three new owners by now.

After a stretch of subdued silence, Taako lets out a long, slow breath of air. "Jeez, fangs."

A sad smile comes to Kravitz's face, despite everything. "Well, it's in the past now, right? Look at me, working for the enemy." He leans his head on his hand and stares into the middle distance, brow creasing. "...Maybe I can even make up for all the hurt I've caused."

Taako studies the carpet, working his shoe into the worn pile. "I don't know if it works like that, my man."

"I suppose not," Kravitz concedes, smile fading as quickly as it had come. "That would be a bit too easy, wouldn't it?"

"Yeah," Taako murmurs. There's something turning behind his eyes, some thought that he won't voice.

Kravitz looks at him and decides to just ask. He's growing a little frustrated at seeing all these flashes of something, some kind of distress signalthat he's unable to decode. "Is something wrong?" he asks plainly - maybe it's a little forward of him, but this is the most direct solution. "It seems like something's been bothering you all night."

Taako stands up abruptly and heads for the door, the crack in his armour swiftly sealed up. "It's nothing. I'm just tired," he says, offhand but firm. "Let's get back so I can watch Julia wipe the floor with you, that's gonna be hilarious."

It looks like Kravitz isn't going to get an answer just yet. But, he supposes he of all people has time to wait. For now, he picks up his small box from the table and follows this puzzle of a man out of the door, locking it behind them and slipping the key into his pocket.

-

Taako starts off quiet as they drive back, flicking the radio station over every so often until he settles on some obscure programme whose host seems to do a different voice for every sentence. He smiles then, finally. "This guy's worse than you are."

Kravitz perks up in his seat, risking a glance away from the darkened road. "Is that a challenge?"

"Don't you dare-" Taako starts, but he's already made his mistake.

"I reckon I can beat 'im," Kravitz declares, in his absolute worst co*ckney.

"No-o!" Taako protests, covering his ears with his hands, but there's laughter in his voice. "You're gonna break my ears!"

Kravitz grins. Payback. "Vhat about zis one?"

"Stop!"

Kravitz continues switching between accents that get - somehow - progressively worse as he goes on, only stopping when Taako is howling with laughter and he himself can't manage anything more without breaking off into giggles. It's stupid, but it's been a long time since he's had cause to laugh; it might as well be at himself.

As they start getting relatively close to the Bureau, Taako pulls himself together and wipes his eyes on his sleeve. "Okay, stop it, I need to give you directions and I don't need your godawful accents distracting me."

Kravitz just glances over at him and smiles, glad he seems to have cheered up a little. He's still not quite sure what's wrong, and Taako doesn't seem to want to tell him, but it's enough that he's smiling again. It makes his own heart feel a little lighter.

Chapter 16: Warm Up

Chapter Text

By the time they get back, it's fast approaching four in the morning. It turns out that even while paying attention, Taako is terrible at giving directions, and they end up getting lost at least three times on the way. When they finally arrive, they dump Kravitz's things in Taako's room and kill some time talking as Kravitz tries to find some clothes he doesn't mind getting dirty - not that he can sweat or bleed, but given what he's heard of Julia's 'training,' it couldn't hurt to wear something that can stand to be ruined.

At 4:45, with nothing better to do, they head to the building's main training room. It's a fairly large space, with foam mats spread out over the floor and racks of weapons lining the walls - Kravitz can see stakes, swords, crossbows, and various other implements, but curiously (or perhaps unsurprisingly) Taako's umbrella appears to be singular. Julia is sitting on the far side of the room, seemingly trying to reassemble a training dummy.

"Jules! I brought him!"

She looks up. "Oh, hey newbie! You're early. Good motivation. Come over here and let's get started." She pushes herself to her feet and stretches.

Kravitz makes his way over and positions himself cautiously opposite her, unsure what to expect. Taako stands slightly to the side of them, out of the way but still fairly close by.

"So. We're gonna start with weapons. You shouldn't need them for the most part with you being a vampire and all, but I want to try 'n' find something that suits you to have as a backup just in case - you have any combat experience?"

Kravitz thinks for a second. Up until now he'd mostly gotten by on his wits, running away, or being supernaturally stronger than his human opponents. "Not really."

"Nothing at all? You didn't do any sports clubs in high school? Boxing? Self-defense? Baseball, even?"

"Does baton twirling count?" he asks, scratching his face.

Taako snorts loudly and Julia shoves him as Kravitz tries not to take too much offense at that reaction. "Don't be a jerk. It's a start." She studies Kravitz for a second, seeming to be sizing him up, then grabs a short staff and throws it to him. "Try playing with that."

He weighs the staff in his hands. It's only about the length of his forearm plus another half, but quite heavy for its size, made of some kind of textured metal. He twirls it experimentally, the familiar motions quickly coming back to him as he flips and tosses it, spinning it into a blur and throwing it high into the air, catching it single-handedly behind his head.

Watching him move, Taako folds his arms and huffs. "Okay, even I have to admit that's pretty cool." The vampire feels some swell of pride at that, liking the idea that he'd impressed him even a little. Focus, Kravitz, now's not the time.

Seemingly pleased by how well he'd taken to her choice of weapon for him, Julia smiles. "There's a button about halfway down, try holding it away from you and pressing it."

Kravitz does as she says. There's a loud SHINK and he tries not to jumpas the staff extends from either end to be almost as long as he is tall.

"That's a training staff, so there's no blades on it, but normally you'd have one on each end, or just the one if you prefer. Not great for small spaces, but then that's what stakes are for."

"You sure about this, Jules? You don't think he'd be better off with a sword or something?"

Julia nods firmly. "He's a pretty tall guy already, and this is gonna give him even more reach. If he can swing that long version around as well as the short one, nothing's gonna be able to get close. We'll try out some other stuff later, no reason for him not to learn everything, but for now," she turns back to Kravitz and grins, sharp teeth flashing, "you wanna try it out? I'll be your opponent."

Kravitz hefts the newly lengthened staff and tests the movement of it, spinning it slowly and swinging it a little. It's harder to manipulate than the shorter version with the centre of gravity being farther out, but with his strength it's still not too taxing. It feels oddly natural, in fact. "I'll give it a go."

"Don't worry, I'll go easy on you. Won't even use a weapon."

"That seems unfair."

"Let's just see you fight before you say that." Juliasquares off and raises her fists, still smiling. A little apprehensive now, Kravitz grips the staff with both hands and braces himself. He's always been more of a runner than a fighter up until this point, but if he's going to be in this line of work, that's going to have to change. As he commits to the idea, he's surprised to find himself feeling almost... excited.

Taako steps backwards towards the edge of the room, moving well out of their way. "Jules, if you could like, not catch me up in your little super strength fight, that'd be fantastic."

"Come on, you think I'm an amateur?" Julia throws back. Her smile widens as she gestures Kravitz forward. "Are we doing this? Come at me already."

"Oh - okay, then." Kravitz sprints towards her and swings the staff towards her torso. She knocks it away with an arm.

"Aim for the neck!" she shouts, "you're not gonna kill anything undead with a body blow!"

He lets the recoil spin him around, quickly getting a feel for the motion, and brings the singing metal back in towards her neck. She catches it with one hand, a manic grin on her face, "that might work on a human, but you'll need to hit a bit harder with me."

Suddenly she's right in front of him, and he feels a fist slam into his sternum, knocking him back across the room and sending him sprawling onto his back. The staff goes ringing to the floor.

Julia shakes out her fingers. "Not bad, but your base strength isn't too great; I reckon even Magnus could send you flying. And like, you're a vampire, you should be stronger than he is." She starts muttering to herself, tapping a foot against the floor. "We can't really do much about it, though, not like giving you some weights is gonna make any difference."

"What do you mean?" Kravitz asks from his back, still dazed. A wave of electric pain shoots through his ribs as he speaks.

She looks up to talk to him again. "Oh. Sorry. You must have noticed by now though, right? You can't change anything about yourself. Cut your hair, get a tattoo, whatever, it all just," she waves a hand, "unmakes. Handy for healing quickly if you get injured, but it means we can't really build you up, either. We'll just have to work on your technique and reaction time and hope the strength you have will be enough to back it up."

Kravitz coughs and pushes himself up onto his elbows, chest throbbing. "I've never really been the brute force type."

"Well, I mean you don't have to be. Taako certainly isn't, I can barely ever drag him in here."

Somehow, that isn't surprising. While not lazy per se, Taako doesn't seem the type to let other people see him work at anything.

"I do my job just fine without sweating it out in here with you and the guy who should have been born a grizzly, thank you very much, Ms. Muscles," he calls from his position slouched against the far wall.

"You can just admit you're afraid of hard work, umbrella boy. I won't judge you."

"Just because your husband loves getting his ass kicked doesn't mean the rest of us do, Jules. Why would I try 'n' fight somebody I'm never gonna beat? Seems masoch*stic if you ask me."

"Well, maybe your boyfriend here can be a little more gentle with you," Julia says. Taako groans but she won't be dissuaded, a mischievous smile creasing her eyes. "Magnus was just gushing to me about how cute he thinks you two are together. I think I agree with him, we'll see. Maybe we can go for a double date sometime."

"I'm gonna quit this job and be a full-time bartender, my co-workers are way nicer there." He looks at her pointedly. "Way less into my business."

"And here I thought we were family."

Taako folds his arms and lifts his nose in the air in disdain. "You don't have to like family, hon."

The door opens, and Magnus enters the room with a towel draped around his neck, holding a bottle of water. He stops when he sees Kravitz laid out on the floor and frowns. "Seriously? You went and started without me? Unbelievable, you guys."

Julia walks over and pats his cheek. "Sorry babe, I couldn't resist cutting loose a little. I'll let you try next time though, he's still too soft to take me on for now."

At the assurance that he hasn't missed out on the fun, Magnus brightens. "Sweet. You up for another round, Kravitz?"

"You should probably let him rest, I reckon I cracked a couple of his ribs. He'll be fine in a day or so and we can start on hand-to-hand, but for now," she goes over to offer Kravitz an arm and pull him to his feet as he winces from the movement, "do you wanna just watch, new blood? I'll bet you can learn something."

"Sure," Kravitz says, trying to remain amiable through the pain of his aching chest and bruised pride.

"Carey and Killian will probably be here soon, too, and Noelle if she's not still busy. Carey might actually be able to give you some pointers if you're more inclined towards jumping around."

He nods and then heads over to collapse against the wall next to where Taako is leaning on it casually, sliding gingerly down until he's sitting on the floor. "I thought she said she was going to go easy on me."

"If she hadn't been going easy on you, you'd have hit the wall instead of the floor, bubeleh."

"sh*t. What is up with you people?"

"Hey, you're part of the group, now, fangs." There's that flicker again, gone as soon as it appears. Kravitz does his best not to wince at the shooting pain that streaks across his torso as Taako nudges him with his foot and smirks. "And I'd say you're about as weird as the rest of us."

There's a spirited shout from in front of them as Magnus goes flying across the room. He rolls a few feet, then grins and picks himself up again, wiping some blood from his lip and rushing back in for another round.

"...Okay, maybe some are weirder than others," Taako says, looking somewhat tired but also a little amused.

"He seems to be enjoying himself. I wouldn't exactly call it a fair fight, though."

"They used to be more evenly matched before she uh, went all creature of the night. Jules still usually won though, lady actually uses her head as well as her fists. Think the big guy's been taking some advice from Carey recently though, he's getting better."

As Magnus slams against the floor for the second time in as many minutes, Kravitz shudders to think what kind of beatings the mats must have taken before.

"Carey's the one with the blue-?"

Julia's voice cuts him off. "sh*t - look out!"

Taako throws himself to one side impossibly quickly as an axe clangs against the wall where he had been leaning a second before and falls to the ground with a clatter. Feeling a little like a deer in headlights, Kravitz just stares at it - the edge is blunted, but that impact would still have done some serious damage if the dent in the wall is any indication. Taako waves an angry hand in Julia's direction and shouts as Kravitz continues to hold stock still in shock.

"I thought you weren't an amateur, asshat!"

"Sorry! The axe took me by surprise - my man here's gettingsneaky."

"My bad, Taako!"

"No f*ckin' sh*t, you almost killed me!"

Julia rolls her eyes. "Don't be so dramatic, you big baby." She turns to Magnus with a mildly scolding look. "But, honey, no more surprise weapons for now, I don't wanna risk injuring Kravitz any more tonight."

"Yeah, hi,Taako here, I'm the one you almost cleft in f*cking twain, where's the consideration for my welfare?"

"Oh, like you had any trouble getting out of the way."

"Not the point, my dude, I could do without the heart attack."

"Maybe if you came and joined us instead of chatting in the corner you'd be more prepared to move."

"Nuh-uh, no way, you're not roping me into that punch party - Taako is good over here, just don't throw any more goddamn axes at me."

"Whatever, no more axes, promise."

Looking down, Taako finally seems to realise that Kravitz still hasn't moved from the tense half-standing position he'd ended up in. "You good, fangs?"

"I'm not particularly used to axes flying at me without warning."

The hunter shrugs and sighs, looking to have calmed down a little now."Eh, she did shout."

"You call thatwarning?"

"Warning enough, when you're as good as me."

Shaking his head, Kravitz closes his eyes and rubs at his temples, sliding back down the wall again. "You're all so f*cking strange."

"You'll get used to it, fangs, I'm sure." Taako says dismissively, sitting down next to him and patting his shoulder. If he wasn't already looking out for it at this point, Kravitz might have thought he'd imagined the brief flash of uncertainty on his face.

"...Yeah, I'm sure I will."

As the night wears on, Carey and Killian join the group, and he's introduced to Noelle, apparently another of the Bureau's vampire members and a powerhouse despite her small stature. The three women look to make a very formidable team, and Kravitz is exceedingly glad he never ran into them before they were on the same side.

The training dummy Julia had finished reassembling is broken several more times before the end of the session, being put back together a little more the worse for wear each time. It's enough to make a person feel kind of bad for it as its head lists to one side, arms having to be taped onto its shoulders after Magnus rips them clean off, waving them triumphantly in the air and proceeding to use them to high-five the four women, who are all in stitches at the display. Next to him, Taako giggles as well, the sound becoming a guffaw as Magnus tries to take a bow and one of the arms swings round at the elbow to smack him in the back of the head.

These people are unquestionably ridiculous, that much he's sure of. They're some of the most peculiar folk he's ever met in his life. But even despite that, Kravitz finds himself laughing as well, feeling so at home with these relative strangers that the last of his anxieties about the place all but melt away. Maybe Taako had been right, and he might get used to all this after all.

Chapter 17: Warm Down

Chapter Text

After watching the others spar for an hour or so, Kravitz and Taako return to the hunter's room, the vampire nursing what Julia had correctly identified as a few cracked ribs. The Bureau still hasn't figured out a sleeping arrangement for Kravitz - not that he usually needs the rest, but it seems like the place is going to thoroughly put him through his paces - so for now they're still bunking together.

As they enter the room, Taako heads for the sofa again, yawning. Kravitz places a hand on his arm, holding him back gently as the hunter turns to look at him in mild surprise. "No, I really can't let you do that two nights in a row. I'll take the couch, you actually need to sleep after all."

"Yeah, but you're a guest and I'm not injured. It's fine, really. I've slept in worse places."

"But-"

"Listen, when Jules knocks me across the room, then we can switch, cool?" A small smirk twitches Taako's lips. "Although, if that happens I'll probably be laid out in the infirmary instead of in here."

Giving in with a sigh, Kravitz sits down on the end of the bed. He watches Taako as he takes off his boots and makes for the sofa again, hair swishing. He'd threaded a number of small braids into it and tied it into a ponytail as they sat together, and though Kravitz should have been watching the others, he hadn't been able to tear his eyes away from the motion, thinking about how much he wanted to run his own fingers through those dark, winding strands. Imagining Taako coaxing his own thick hair into braids like that and how good it would feel to have his warm hands so close to his skin. Before he can stop himself, he clears his throat and says, "There is a third arrangement we could- I mean if you wanted to- to..."

His sentence trails off as Taako just turns and stares at him. He curses himself. That had been so incredibly stupid. Why had he said that? He'd clearly misread everything up until now, wishful thinking, or maybe he hadn't and the hunter had just changed his mind about getting involved with a vampire of all things-

"A-actually, never mind, sorry, I was being presumptuous, and-"

Taako jerks from his daze. "No! No, it's not that, I'm just, it's-" He heaves a sigh and sits down heavily on the sofa. The uncertain expression that's been leaking out from behind his lackadaisical mask all night comes out in earnest; he doesn't attempt to hide it this time. Maybe that means he's finally ready to talk about whatever it is that's been eating at him.

There's a long moment of quiet while Taako chews his lip, thinking, and Kravitz waits patiently, trying to watch him in a way that's attentive without making him feel like he's being put on the spot. He's undoubtedly eager to get to the bottom of whatever this is, but not at the cost of dragging it out of the man. He can wait until Taako is ready to tell him himself - and a minute or so later, he does, gaze flicking towards him and then away in rapid succession.

"I guess I'm just not used to people I'm- people I'm interested in sticking around, really. I can't exactly bring anyone back here, and, well, a lot of people back off when they realise I'm kind of a sh*tty person." He looks sad and a little scared as he picks at a loose thread on one of the cushions, further chipping his nails. "But I mean, I guess you can't really leave unless you- I-I mean it's better to be on good terms with your jailer, right?"

So that's it.

Kravitz feels a puzzle piece click into place. There's a tug at his long-dead heart as he realises this must be what Lup was trying to get at earlier. He gets scared. Taako isn't having second thoughts about him at all - he's worried that Kravitz wants to leave, that he resents being here. That the only reason he's stayed this long is because of the threat to his life.

He tries not to show too much relief as he responds - he doesn't want to belittle the issue by any means, and he also doesn't want to make the hunter think he's somehow laughing at him. "Oh, Taako, I'm not going to- I've already told you I'm happy to be here. I don't think you're a sh*tty person at all."

The thread is yanked further out from the seat cushion. Taako doesn't look at him. "Yeah, well, just give it a while. You've only known me what, a day?"

"I've known you for months."

He laughs bitterly. "You've seen me for months. From a distance. Up close is a little different."

Kravitz wants to just go over and hold him, but he forces himself to stay seated, letting his words do the reassuring. "I... listen, I don't want to argue with you, but in the time I've known you - and it might not be very long - you've only been amazing." The hunter looks at him cautiously, not quite ready to believe him just yet, so he keeps going. "I don't want to go anywhere, I really don't. I like you, Taako, I truly do, and I really don't see my feelings about you changing any time soon." A short burst of laughter escapes him at this bizarre situation. "If you threatening my life didn't put me off, I don't know what would."

Taako studies him for a while, face unreadable. Once more, Kravitz simply waits for him, hoping his sincerity was clear enough. Finally, the hunter looks away and nods, the faintest smile on his lips. "Alright. I guess you being a blood-sucking vampire didn't put me off either."

That reassurance makes Kravitz smile wide and warm. "I'm glad." He tilts his head a little, tentatively extending a metaphorical hand again. "...The offer's still there, if you want."

"Like you can make me an offer to sleep in my own goddamn bed." Taako says lightly, but makes his way over and flops down next to him. He gives him one last uncertain look. "...You sure you don't wanna change your mind? The Taako train does not stop once it leaves the station, my man. You gotta commit to the ride."

It has only been a day, really. Throwing himself into this so fast is dizzying, but Kravitz knows without doubt as he looks at the figure next to him, the beginnings of long-forgotten emotions swirling in his chest, that he's already in so deep he couldn't get out if he tried. "I'm sure." He leans down and brushes some stray hair from the hunter's face. "Can I?"

In response, Taako sits up and kisses him, leaning into him like he's standing on a cliff edge and he's willing to tip over if no-one is there to catch him. Kravitz braces an arm on the mattress, injury forgotten, and pushes back, gently. Just enough to not let him fall.

Taako pulls away. "You're still f*cking cold as death," he laughs.

"Sorry."

The hunter shakes his head, beaming. "Y'know, I don't think ch'boy gives a sh*t." And he moves back in to kiss him, harder this time, taking his face in his hands. Kravitz grabs the back of his thigh and pulls him forward onto his lap, and Taako sighs and leans into him again, wrapping his arms around his neck, running his fingers through his hair on the way, pushing roughly against his mouth until Kravitz falls backwards onto the bed underneath him - and shouts "f*ck" as the hunter's weight lands squarely on top of his cracked ribs. Taako leaps backwards.

"sh*t! f*ck, I forgot about- A-are they broken?"

"I'll live," Kravitz gasps, "or - whatever, I'll be fine. Maybe we can save this for another night, though?" He smiles through tears of pain.

"Yeah, yeah of course. Man, I'm sorry. I just, I got a little carried away there."

He manages a short bark of laughter. "It's fine. I was enjoying it right up until that last part."

Taako smiles at him and bites his lip, face flushed. "You'd better heal fast, fangs. I am not stopping play for injuries again."

The door crashes open. Standing there in her pyjamas is Lup, stake in hand, eyes wide. "Taako, are you okay? I heard shouting..." She trails off as she takes in Kravitz wincing in pain on the bed and Taako standing over him, hair pulled out of place where the vampire had run his hand through it. "What, did you decide to kill him after all?"

"No, Jules um, she cracked a few of his ribs during training. I was just uh. Checking him over."

"...Oh-kay. Sure. Maybe be a bit more gentle with the first aid, loverboy," she says, rolling her eyes, and shuts the door again.

Taako pushes out his lips and sucks his teeth a little. "...Thin walls. Good to know."

"Sorry,"Kravitz says, choking out a laugh.

"Well. Better we find out now than later."

"Later?" That thought is enough to pull a smirk to his face despite the throbbing in his chest.

"Uh-huh, meaning not now because you are too fragile to take all thisat the moment and I am putting you to bed, my man."

He tries to laugh again but it turns into a cough. "I never thought a human would call me fragile."

"And I never thought I'd have a vampire in my boudoir, but here we are." Taako stretches and yawns. "I'm gonna take a shower. You head off to sleepytown and get those hot dead bones back in tact."

Kravitz nods, and the hunter saunters out. Undressing, he takes a moment to sigh at the fist-shaped rumple in his shirt as he strips down to his underwear and climbs properly into bed.

As he starts to doze off, he feels the other side of the mattress dip and squeak, and then a warm foot presses against his leg. It brushes upwards, leaving heat in its wake and tickling against the hair on his calf. There's a soft huff of air on his neck, and then quiet.

"...Night, fangs."

"It's sunrise."

"Just shut up and go to sleep, smartass."

-

When he wakes up a few hours later, there's a warm arm draped over him as he lies on his side, and he can feel Taako's forehead pressed against his back, other arm curled up between them and their legs tangled together. He smiles and enjoys the feeling, not needing any more sleep but not willing to move just yet either. In fact, he thinks he could stay like this for just about forever.

Chapter 18: Breaking Point

Chapter Text

Eventually, Taako also wakes up, jerking into consciousness after a minute or so of agitated mumbling in his sleep. He seems disoriented for a few seconds before sighing happily and burrowing into Kravitz's hair, pulling himself closer into him. "I've gotta still be dreaming," he whispers, and Kravitz reaches up to intertwine his fingers with those of the hand next to his face. He understands the sentiment.

"I hope not."

Taako jumps a little, "Oh. You were awake, huh?"

"Seems like it."

He feels heat radiating off Taako's face as he presses it into the back of his neck. Then the warmth recedes as he laughs through his teeth and pulls back so he can poke his chin over Kravitz's shoulder.

"...How are those pain in the ass ribs of yours?"

"About halfway healed, I think."

Taako whispers into his ear, voice low and lilting. "So you should be all better by the morning?"

Kravitz smiles and shifts himself over onto his other side so they're facing each other. "Should be."

He leans in for a kiss but Taako clamps a hand over his mouth mischievously. "Nope, I have got the worst morning breath," he smirks. Kravitz just kisses his palm instead and runs his fingers along one of the braids in Taako's hair. The hunter giggles. "You're just a big sap, aren't you? Gross."

Kravitz grins into the hand over his mouth and licks it in response, cackling as Taako yelps and kicks him away. "Double gross, you jerk! I take it back, you've got a wicked streak," he says, voice shaking with laughter.

It's true, though the streak is more playful than wicked. He'd always loved to play little games and tease, and people who didn't know him very well never expected it, either, which made it all the more entertaining. But, thinking about it, that part of him hadn't surfaced in a long time.

He goes quiet at the realisation, considering how he's laughed more in the last day than he ever did in the entire five years preceding it. The careful distance he'd maintained from others is starting to come apart, and the whole process is dredging up a lot of feelings and thoughts he'd always had to force down just to keep going until now. He's been keeping himself numb and moving for so long, the idea that he's able to stop and rest is... is unbelievable. Overwhelming.

Taako nudges his arm. "Fangs?" He rubs a finger on the spot where Kravitz's brows are wrinkling the skin of his forehead. "Hey, I didn't say I didn't like it."

Blinking, he pulls himself out of his reverie and offers a weak smile, though the crease where Taako's finger had been still remains. "Sorry. I was just thinking."

The hunter leans over again and flicks his forehead, following it up with a kiss to the same spot when Kravitz's frown deepens. "You think too much."

That's also true. "Yeah. Sorry."

"Stop apologizing, you're being a f*ckin' downer, broseph."

"Sor- uh. Gosh, I am, aren't I? It's nothing, really, just a lot's happened."

Taako just giggles. "Say 'gosh' again, that was adorable."

Behind him, his phone blares out an alarm, loud and grating. The hunter starts and fumbles for it, slapping the snooze button and collapsing back onto the bed. Then his stomach growls loudly. Groaning in protest, he pushes the covers off and stretches. Kravitz's eyes are drawn to the small window of soft belly visible between his loose sleep shirt and shorts, fingers twitching but too slow to reach out before the fabric closes again. "sh*t, I'm gonna waste away here, my man. Time for breakfast. Hell, did I even eat dinner last night?"

"Oh, sh*t. You didn't. That's probably my fault for taking up your time again, sorry." Kravitz isn't used to having to keep track of mealtimes after not eating real food for so long. He feels a twinge of guilt, and resolves not to let the hunter miss any more meals on his account.

Taako walks over to a dresser and starts pulling out clothes seemingly at random, throwing garments haphazardly over his shoulder. "What did I say about the apologies, fangs? Taako's a big boy, he should remember to-"

A pair of gloves falls to the floor from on top of the dresser with a soft thwap, and he cuts himself short, staring at them, and then, slowly, at his hand where Kravitz had licked it. A momentary shudder runs through him, and he snatches them up, placing them fingers-down inside a small glass of water. He clears his throat, "Should remember to take care of his own sh*t. Now come on, I gotta make up for missing dinner."

Kravitz is too absorbed in his own thoughts to pay much attention to the display as he pushes himself up and carefully feels at his ribs. Still sore, but as he'd guessed, only about half as much as they were before.

He turns away as Taako dresses and he carefully puts on his own clothes, and when he turns back the hunter is waiting by the door, wearing a vermilion skirt of a very flirty length and a flowery blouse that sits off his shoulders. Kravitz once again gets the sensation that he would be blushing intensely if he could - as it is, he forgets his words a little as he stumbles through something that sounds vaguely like 'you look nice,' giving up completely when Taako tilts his head at him and gives him an amused smirk. He walks over and moves in close, brushes Kravitz's face with the back of his hand teasingly and then grabs him by his sleeve and drags him out of the room, laughing at him tripping along behind.

After a breakfast fit for a king and most of his court, prepared by Lup this time and by the sounds of it as well-appreciated as lunch the day before, he's guided into the main warehouse section and shown a few more new faces. He also gets a much better look at the room, making note of the numerous desks, whiteboards, pinboards and other surprisingly regular office equipment. It looks something like the kind of meeting rooms seen in police dramas on TV - not that Kravitz had owned a TV for several years, but it's similar to what he remembers.

Lup walks by him as he stands a little awkwardly to one side of the huge room, getting his bearings and wondering where he should be after Taako goes to his desk and starts rifling through papers. She gives him a playful shove to the arm on the way past and says, "Come on, twilight, time for you to make yourself useful." He rubs his arm more out of surprise than pain, though Lup does have more obvious muscle than Taako does, and follows her over to her station, where she flops down on her chair and puts her feet up on the desk in a way eerily reminiscent of her brother. She gestures to a chair and he pulls it over, sitting down to one side of the desk due to the fact that it's pushed up against another one at its front.

"What do you want me to do?"

"I heard you've seen Maureen, so we're gonna do an interview." She grabs her lamp by its neck and turns it into his face, blinding him as she puts on a gruff voice and mock-shouts, "WHERE IS SHE?"

He squints into the light. "Very funny."

"Aw, man. You're way less jumpy when you're not starving," she pouts.

He chuckles. "Sorry to disappoint you. Aside from being starved to deliriousness, though, I think almost getting killed, and then being kidnapped, passing out, waking up surrounded by hunters and then being threatened several times might also have put me slightly on edge."

"And you're not on edge now?"

The question takes him by surprise. "I... guess not, no."

That earns him a smile as the light is turned away. "You're not so bad, vamp boy. Maybe I can live with you going to the bone zone with my brother."

"That's not... what happened," he says, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"Oh? What were you doing that had him so hot under the collar yesterday morning then? From that shouting it must have been something."

Kravitz gives her an unimpressed stare. "He accidentally hit me in the ribs."

"And you weren't doing anything else? If that's the case maybe my boy's got some sadism sh*t going on I didn't know about." She smirks, leaning her chin on a hand.

He gets the feeling that between the two of them these twins might have put him into an early grave if he wasn't already dead.

Thankfully he's saved by the plain-looking man from the previous night, Barry, sitting down at the desk pushed against Lup's. She directs her attention his way instead. "Finally made it in here, babe?"

Barry grimaces into a mug of coffee. "I was just talking to Lucas about this operation to find Maureen, he-" He looks up and seems to only just notice Kravitz. "Oh, hi. Lup said Jules gave you a rough time last night."

"I'll recover."

"Figured, that stasis reasserts itself pretty quick. I'd love to keep a record and track the process, actually, if you're willing."

"Uh, sure, I guess."

"You don't have to if you're not comfortable, I'm not gonna try 'n' force you like som-"

"Be nice, babe."

Barry sighs. "You're right. Anyway, Lucas said he wanted me to get him some parts when I went for supplies, so-" he reaches into his pocket and frowns. "I left the list. Back in a minute," he says as he goes to leave the way he came, muttering to himself and not looking too thrilled about having to return to Lucas.

"Weird, those two. You'd think they'd get along like a house on fire considering they're both mahoossive nerds, but Barry can't stand him." Lup chews on a pen with a sly smile as her boyfriend walks away, "I am totally gonna shrink those jeans when he puts them in the laundry, they're way too loose. Anyway, time for me to grill you," she says, picking up a pad from her desk to go with the pen. "What exactly happened between you and Maureen? I was told she was with a group, and they tried to recruit you?"

"Yeah, there were uh, there were three of them, Maureen and two younger vampires - or at least, they lookedyounger. I think they were senior to her as far as years go."

"Why do you say that?"

Kravitz leans back in his chair and folds his arms, thinking. "Just from he way they acted; really confident, like they knew exactly what they were doing. They looked really similar, too, siblings maybe - or twins, even. And they had some pretty flashy clothes, so they must have some form of income, but dusty, so they probably aren't living anywhere fancy. They looked well-fed, too, so they've got easy access to blood. I think- what?" Lup has stopped taking notes in her pad to raise an eyebrow at him.

"You sure you were a desk jockey and not a detective? You're pretty observant, my man."

"Oh. Well, office work wasn't my dream job, but..." He shrugs. "I never really got to consider anything else. I needed the money and I had a guaranteed position there. Music would have been my first choice, but..."

The pen has returned to Lup's mouth. "Huh. Interesting. Why'd you need the money?"

"That's, um." He shifts a little uncomfortably in his seat. "I uh, had a bit of a gambling problem when I was younger. Didn't have a lot of money to begin with, and as you may have noticed, I'm not the luckiest person, so... lots of debts and nothing to pay them back with."

"Wouldn't have pegged you as a gambler."

He just shrugs again. He'd kicked that habit a long time ago, just about. Lup grins a little wickedly. "Me 'n' Taako used to make a whole bunch playing pool in bars. Used to bet people out of their shoes."

He can absolutely see that. The twins seem like they could raise absolute hell with relatively little effort. "Your luck's better than mine, then."

Lup beams. "Oh, no, we cheated for sure. It's no fun if you don't win, right?"

"Not in my experience," he concedes, inclining his head.

She waves a hand. "Back to Maureen, anyway. How was she acting?"

"Manic. Lucid enough to hold a conversation, vaguely, but full of bloodlust. I reckon she'd been turned a month or two before, probably. Couldn't tell you why, but that was the impression I got."

"And this was how long ago?"

"About five or six months back."

"Fits with our timeline. Any injuries? Anything out of the ordinary?"

"No, she seemed fine, other than the whole being dead thing."

"How about the location? Where you met them, what direction they came from, what direction they left in, anything you have."

"It was out near the industrial area on the north side of town. I could probably show you the spot and the route they chased me if you took me back there."

"Okay, that's a start. Anything else?"

"Yeah, they called themselves 'the hunger.' A little on the nose, but memorable at least."

"Hmm. We've been hearing that name too." Lup leans her chin on a hand and taps her pen against her lip. "Must be a decently sized group. So they-"

Her head hits the desk mid-sentence with a thunk.

"Uh, Lup?"

She doesn't answer.

Kravitz jumps to his feet. He can hear her heartbeat, but it's incredibly slow. Tentatively, he places a hand on her shoulder and shakes it, gently. Nothing. He starts to panic a little.

"Uhhh, Taako?"

Taako pokes his head around a dividing wall.

"What?" His eyes find Kravitz, standing next to Lup with a look of utmost concern on his face. There's a beat of silence before he starts shouting.

"Oh my god. Lulu?!" He runs over and shakes her. "Lulu, wake up!" He turns to look at Kravitz. "What happened?!"

"I-I dont know! She was fine one second and the next she was like this!"

"Holy sh*t. Lulu, talk to me! Come on!" He slaps her cheek gently.

A cup of water lifts itself off the table and throws its contents in Taako's face.

He pauses, then nods and licks some of the water from his lips. "...Yeah, okay. I deserved that one."

What the f*ck.

"Di- did that cup just?"

Now Lup's pen rises up out of her hand and starts scribbling across her notepad:

'He's f*cking with you, twilight.'

Kravitz looks at Taako in confusion and horror. "What. The f*ck. Is going on."

At that moment, Barry returns from his errand. He doesn't bat an eyelid at the fact that his girlfriend is collapsed over her desk, and goes to his seat, sighing.

"I'll get that stuff later. Honey, did you manage to take a look at that lab report I gave you?"

A sheaf of paper flips itself over onto his desk.

"Amazing, thanks."

Barry catches Kravitz's astonished stare. "Oh. You haven't seen this before, have you?"

Very slowly, Kravitz shakes his head.

"Yeah. This happens. She's fine." He shrugs. "Her soul just kinda, falls out of her body sometimes. Happens to me too."

"Her soul?"

"Yeah, we were messing around with some banishing circles, and there was kind of a magic... explosion? And our souls got knocked out of our bodies, but we put them back in again. So we're kinda... I guess ghosts now, a little bit? There's a spell we can use to stop it happening temporarily, but it's usually not worth doing unless we really need to."

Kravitz doesn't respond.

"...Krav, you okay?" Taako leans over the desk in concern. Kravitz is very, very still.

"Do you know," he starts very quietly, "I didn't think my life could get any weirder? First, I find out vampires exist, and then I am one - or, I guess you could swap those two round, either way that was a situation I had to deal with - and, and then, I find out that vampire hunters are also a thing that exists," his voice is getting louder as he continues, "which was kind of a nasty shock as you can imagine, but I got used to that status quo, and then, then I find a hunter who apparently doesn't want to kill me, saves my life, and introduces me to a whole group of other hunters who also, apparently, don't want to kill me - and then," he's shouting now but unable to stop, years of pent-up frustration bubbling their way to the surface, "f*cking then, I find out magic is a thing that exists, and not only vampires, but werewolves, and witches, and a million other things - dragons? f*cking d-r-a-g-o-n-s? Really? But you know, I f*cking - I thought that was it! Nothing weirder could possibly happen to me! And now, you're just, you're just telling me - casual as anything - that you blew yourselves up messing around with some magic bullsh*t and your souls just pop out for a breath of fresh air every so often! And that's f*cking normal! No-one sees anything wrong with that! It's fine, it's - well, I am done, that is it, my life is a f*cking joke and it's not funny anymore, and I - I am going for a f*cking walk until fate decides to stop laughing at me!"

He grabs his jacket and barges out of the door, which very slowly creaks shut behind him. The whole room is filled with stunned silence.

After a minute, the sound of a pen scratching across paper breaks the stillness.

'I think we broke your boyfriend?'

Chapter 19: Finding a Song

Chapter Text

Kravitz stalks the halls for a long time before finally expending his energy, at which point he realises he's completely lost. All the corridors at the bureau look near enough the same, and there's no-one around to ask for directions. Not that he's sure he'd even be able to ask, given that his mounting embarrassment at his outburst is already making him want to curl up in a ball somewhere without admitting to being lost on top of that.

He spots a door that has a calm blue light seeping out from under it. Maybe he can stop in there and take a metaphorical breath.

Stepping inside the room, he leans back against the door with a sigh, groaning and rubbing his eyes, pressing his fingers into the sockets a little too hard.

There's a small clearing of the throat a little way in front of him and he starts, eyes snapping open. The figure in front of him waves a little.

"Oh, uh, Madam Director - I'm sorry, I didn't mean to just-"

"It's all right, this is a public space. And Lucretia is fine, I don't worry about the title outside of official business." She smiles.

He looks past her towards the far wall. "Is, is that a jellyfish? It's huge."

Kravitz steps towards the large tank at the back of the room, which seems to be the source of the blue light he had caught spilling under the door. Curiously, the tank doesn't seem to be lit at all - the light is emanating from the creature itself as it floats gently in the water.

"Yes. Its name is Fisher, but a lot of people here call it the voidfish."

Kravitz looks at her. "Fisher the jellyfish?"

She laughs. It's quiet and rushed, so at odds with the first impression he'd had of her as she sat sternly behind her desk and picked him apart with only a look. Taako had said that she was 'different from how she used to be,' and certainly now he can see a soft vulnerability underneath the formal exterior. He wonders what happened that changed things for her as she covers her mouth with a hand. "Magnus named it, not me. He said it was unfair to only call it 'the voidfish' all the time. But it's as good a name as any." The quiet confidence reasserts itself. "Fisher here is one of the only reasons we can operate so well. It's very intelligent, and very magical."

He fights a little not to groan in frustration. He'd been hoping for a break from magic invading his life. "Magical how?"

Not acknowledging his tight expression, she nods towards the jellyfish. "Fisher secretes a substance that when ingested can wipe a person's memory. The more they drink, the stronger the effect. A small vial can erase up to a year - for our needs, a few drops usually suffice."

Kravitz is more than a little perturbed by that. "What do you need memory-wiping fish juice for?"

"Why do you think the existence of vampires and the like isn't common knowledge any more? It was systematically erased. Creatures like Fisher let us and other organisations like us keep witnesses to a minimum without having to resort to unsavoury measures."

"But why erase it? People would be safer if they knew about what kind of threats are out there. They'd be more careful."

I could have been more careful, comes the unbidden follow-up.

"People have exploited magical beings in the past to no end. You can imagine what kind of people might voluntarily choose to take the lives of others in exchange for their own eternal life. I understand what you're saying, however," there's some hesitation in her eyes, but also resolve, "this is ultimately the safer option. And it allows people to feel safe. There's enough fear in the world without everyone knowing about all this in addition."

"I'm still not sure I agree, but it's your organization." He looks at her curiously. "How did you even get into this line of work? I can't imagine it's an easy position to just fall into."

She just smiles. "That's a long story. Another time, maybe. I should be getting back to my duties." She places a hand on the tank and the jellyfish raises a tendril to meet her, emitting a soft pulse of light. "You can come here whenever you'd like, Fisher is always looking for company. It likes people talking to it, or singing, if you're so inclined."

"How does it hear?"

Lucretia laughs again, louder this time, caught off guard by the question. "I hadn't considered that. It just does, I suppose. We know it can hear us, anyway." She gestures towards the corner next to the tank. An old but well-maintained guitar is leaning against the wall. "It likes music. Johann is in here a lot of the time, but he's off the base today."

Kravitz moves towards the guitar despite his brain telling him he doesn't need any more magic messing up his life. "Can I?"

"Of course. It should be in tune already."

He picks the instrument up and plucks a string experimentally. The fish in the tank glows in response, playing the note back to him. He laughs. "Wow. How does it...?"

"I can't answer that one either, I'm afraid. I think it likes you, though."

Kravitz looks back at the creature in the tank. He can't read any expression in it, but the glow it emits is soothing. He throws out a short and simple tune, and Fisher plays it back to him. Then it plays a slightly different tune, and after a second Kravitz realises it's given him a harmony. He plays the first tune again, and the jellyfish repeats its harmony alongside, lights pulsing along its tendrils. The sound is beautiful, the power of temple bells mixed with the nostalgia of a music box, and he finds himself smiling.

"I often come here to clear my head when things get overwhelming. It's a humbling creature - we're pretty sure it's over a hundred years old at least." Lucretia smiles at him, looking at him out of the corner of her eye. "Even older than most vampires. My own problems seem so small next to a life like this." Kravitz looks back at her, and thinks he was right in his assessment that she has a kind heart, even if she keeps it hidden. She turns towards the door with a sigh, "Now, I really do have to get back to work."

He jolts and takes a half-step after her. "Do- do you mind if I come with you? I um, actually only ended up here because I got lost."

"What happened to your escort?" There's a twinkle in her eye as she meets his gaze and he looks away.

"Well, I uh, kind of had a bit of a meltdown. Nothing to do with anyone else, just, everything got a bit much all of a sudden. And once I started talking it all just kind of kept coming out, I guess because I haven't really spoken to anyone since..." The rest of the sentence doesn't make it past his throat.

Eyes soft, Lucretia nods. "Being on guard for so long wears on a person. It's good you got it out in the air, though, it means you're finally relaxing." He nods, gratefully, her knowing smile and quiet understanding alleviating his unrest a little. "I'm glad you feel safe enough here for that. Now if you'd like, I can take you back to the main warehouse?"

Remembering how heated he'd gotten, Kravitz drags a hand over his face. "sh*t, they probably all think I've lost it. I don't suppose you'd wipe their memories for me so I don't have to deal with that?"

She raises a hand to her mouth again and laughs. "No, unfortunately not. But that room isn't far, if you want to stay here and collect yourself a bit longer - just head left out of here, then turn right and walk down the corridor a ways, and you'll see the door."

That's something of a relief. He wasn't really ready to face that situation yet. "Thank you."

"It's no problem at all. Most people here had their lives turned upside-down before they came to us; you're not the first to have some trouble adjusting." Turning back to the tank, she looks admiringly into its soft glow. "A lot of troubled souls seem to end up in this room. And as I said, Fisher loves the company." She places her hand on the glass again and the jellyfish lifts its tendril back up to meet hers, pulsing and emitting a short chirp of a sound. "I'll leave you to get acquainted," she says, and sweeps quietly from the room, closing the door gently behind her.

After a moment, Kravitz lifts the guitar again and tries a chord this time, watching the creature's reaction. It plays it back to him, all six notes in unison, then adds a second one, continuing the progression.

"You want a duet?" he asks. It flashes gently in response. "...I'll take that as a yes."

He sits down cross-legged on the floor and tries a simple progression of four chords, repeating the pattern over and over, and after a couple of bars Fisher starts to put a melody over the top. After a while, he changes the chords, and the jellyfish follows his lead, altering its song to fit. The sound, carrying a subtle, gentle loneliness in each note, takes on a life of its own as he lets his hands feel their way through, movements growing more complex as he plays.

He loses himself in the music for a long while, trying to remember the last time he'd felt so peaceful. He's not sure if he ever has, even before... before he died. Not even the times when he'd had wild nightmares as a child and Raven had let him share her small bed, stroking his head and soothing him until he'd settled back to sleep, acting the parent even though she hadn't been much older than he was. Peace isn't a feeling that comes easily to him, silence setting him on edge and noise interrupting his thoughts. Music - listening, performing - is the closest he gets to tranquility.

Some time later, he hears the door open behind him. He lets the song fade away and lays the guitar to rest on the ground. Fisher continues its tune for a little longer, bringing it to a close before falling silent, its rippling lights dimming to a gentle, shifting glow.

"Luc said you might still be here." Taako sits down next to him. "You weren't lying about the music stuff, huh? I could hear you guys from the hallway, it was beautiful."

"It's a wonderful creature," Kravitz says, looking up at the glowing form in the tank, still tinkling softly with an echo of melody.

"Magic sh*t ain't all bad, hm?"

"...No, I guess it isn't." He runs a hand over his face and through his hair. "Sorry about earlier."

Taako shrugs. "Sounds like you've been through a lot. f*ck knows most people here have. We get it."

"I shouldn't have yelled, though."

"Honestly, it was kinda funny. Probably a little embarrassing for you, but..."

Kravitz makes a sound that's half laugh and half groan and leans over to rest his forehead against Taako's bare shoulder. "The whole building heard me, didn't they?"

He feels the hunter jostle as he snickers. "Just about. Like I said, though, we get it. You're not the first person to have a meltdown about this stuff, and you probably won't be the last, either."

"Still. I hope your sister doesn't think she pushed me into a breakdown or anything."

Taako's shoulder shifts again as he snorts. "That is in fact pretty close to what she said. Or wrote, I guess."

Kravitz whines, embarrassment making him feel small and childish. "Seriously? It's really not her fault."

"Don't worry about it, fangs. I should have warned you earlier instead of trying to mess with you."

He starts to laugh, head still pressed against Taako's skin. "It was a pretty good prank, in hindsight."

"Nah, it was mean. I can admit when I'm wrong," Taako says, but he's laughing a little as well. "Your face was pretty funny though, you looked super worried."

Indignant, but good-naturedly so and still laughing, Kravitz jerks his head up to defend himself. "I thought something was wrong! She just stopped mid-sentence and her head hit the desk!"

"Yeah, she's got a massive bruise coming up, it's great." They both break down into fits of guilty laughter, enjoying this stolen moment in the quiet room with the jellyfish's glow tinting everything a cool, calm blue. Taako collects himself first and nudges the guitar with his foot. "Will you play a bit more for me? Just for a minute."

"Is that okay? I don't want to tire Fisher out."

"I don't think it gets tired. I'm pretty sure Johann's been in here for a whole day before without it ever seeming to want to stop."

"...Okay, then. I did promise you a song." Kravitz picks the guitar back up and repositions himself. He tries a single note again, and Fisher plays it back to him, soft flashes of light glinting like windchimes at a sunny window. He nods at the creature and begins to play again, a little slower this time, as it sings a gentle accompaniment.

Taako lies back next to him with his arms folded behind his head, just listening. As he plays with his eyes closed and face turned towards the tank, Kravitz doesn't see the hunter smile serenely, watching the tension melt unnoticed from his shoulders. He doesn't see the soft touch of admiration in his eyes, either.

After a little while, Kravitz lets the song die again. "I should probably go back and let Lup continue her interview. I want to do whatever I can to help you find Maureen as fast as possible."

There's something sad in Taako's eyes as he sits up and rubs the nape of Kravitz's neck, where the vampire can can feel stress knotted like thick rope. It's starting to unravel under his warm touch, just a little, but then the hunter pulls his hand away and pats his knee instead. "If you're ready, boychik."

"Yeah, I am." Kravitz stands up and returns the guitar to where he found it, then walks to stand in front of the middle of the tank. "Thanks for singing with me," he says, and raises a hand to touch the glass. Fisher meets it with a tendril, illuminating in response. "I'll come back sometime."

"I think it likes you."

"Lucretia said that, too."

"Well, it is kind of like a big wet dog. Play with it and it'll love you forever." Fisher flashes brightly, blinding them for a second. Taako shouts and covers his eyes. "Okay! Jeez, not a dog, sorry."

Kravitz laughs a little at that, and takes the hunter's hand to lead him out of the room, the strange and wonderful creature floating and glowing gently in the tank behind them.

Chapter 20: Rest and Recuperation

Chapter Text

Returning to the warehouse room, Kravitz hesitates at the door for a second, fingers hovering over the handle, before setting his teeth and pushing it open. Thankfully it's now around lunchtime, so most people have left to get something to eat. Still, walking back over to Lup's desk where she's tossing a glass paperweight between her hands, this is another situation in which not being able to blush comes in useful.

Lup, to her credit, doesn't even miss a beat as he sits back down, just picks up where she left off and continues to ask questions about his encounter with Maureen until she's satisfied he can't provide her with any more information. Taako leans on the desk next to them, listening and quipping in turn and doing a great job of sweeping away the remains of the tension left in the air from earlier.

After they're done, Lup turns to discuss a further plan with Barry and Taako, and Kravitz sits back into his chair to listen. No longer required to contribute to the conversation, he finds his eyelids heavy and drooping, and before he knows it he's fallen asleep.

-

When he wakes up, he's on his back in an unfamiliar bed in an unfamiliar room, but turning his head to look around, he does see a familiar figure slouched on a chair next to him, hair falling across his face and breathing slow and even.

"Taako?"

The hunter's eyes flutter open. "Oh. Hey. You're not dead dead." He stretches, rolling his neck to relieve some of the stiffness, and smiles tiredly. "You kinda just passed out on us there, homes - seem to be forming a habit. You got narcolepsy or something?"

"No, I just... couldn't keep myself awake suddenly."

Taako tilts his head and squints intently at Kravitz's face. His fingers twitch, but he doesn't reach out to poke at his skin like he did last time, instead offering a stifled yawn and a teasing smirk. "Not starving on me again, are you fangs? You don't look like a corpse, or I might have been more worried."

"It's not that, I won't need to eat again for a while. I was just - just tired. How long was I out? And where are we? This isn't your room."

"Few hours, don't sweat it," Taako says, waving a hand. Then he rocks back in his chair and sweeps an arm behind him, grinning. "Aaand, the Bureau finally cleared a pad for you! Maybe not 'world of eternal night' enough for your tastes yet, but you got somewhere to crash now." He tips the chair forward again and leans in conspiratorially, smile still teasing his lips, "not that I wasn't enjoying our previous arrangement, you can sleep over whenever you want. But anyway, we got Mags to fireman you in here after you went off to snoozeville in the middle of the warehouse and we couldn't wake you up."

That's an embarrassing image, and one Kravitz quickly pushes out of mind. "I'm so sorry, I really don't know what happened. I'm not usually one for sleeping at all, never mind right in the middle of the night."

Taako folds his arms and hums, tapping a finger against the loose fabric of his blouse. "Hmm. If you ask me, I think it's your noggin workin' through some sh*t, my fella."

"What's that got to do with me being tired?" Kravitz asks. He's starting to feel sleep tugging at his eyes again, the world turning hazy like smudged paint on glass.

"Listen, think of it like, you've been stretched out like a rubber band for all these years and now it's like, poof!" The hunter splays his hands. "Nothing's stretching you any more, right? So now you gotta rest and pull yourself back together, get your whole sitch back into shape. Or like, hibernate or some sh*t like a bear. Or I guess a bear doesn't really suit you, that's more Magnus' thing. How about a cat - oh that fits you like a goddamn glove,a black cat like a witch's cat 'cause you're all fancy an' goth 'n' sh*t - what?"

Kravitz is smiling at him gently, eyes half-closed. "I love the way you talk. It's like free jazz, you don't follow the same patterns as everyone else."

Stuttering, Taako tries desperately to hide his blush as he pulls back and looks away. "Was that supposed to be a compliment, fangs? Because-" He looks back over, ready to face the vampire laughing at him, but it seems like he's already fallen asleep again.

Leaning forward and propping up his chin on a hand, elbow on his knee, Taako studies his face, so much calmer when he's asleep and finally looking somewhat alive again. He shouldn't be watching the guy sleep like this - that's creepy, right? Just sitting and watching someone sleep is creepy, even if there is... something, there. Something.

He extends a hand and brushes a cold cheekbone with the back of his finger. Kravitz's skin is downright icy, but for some reason that doesn't bother him. He just wants to press his face into his hair again and hear him laugh playfully and unguardedly like he did earlier.

He shoots to his feet suddenly. Holy sh*t, Taako, now you're being creepy and sappy.It's been like two days; rein that sh*t in, cowboy.

Time to skedaddle before this gets any worse.

He turns and is about to head for the door, but stops before he can take a step. With a quick glance around the room even though he knows they're alone, he leans down and presses a small, fast kiss onto Kravitz's forehead, then rushes out, hoping the heat pricking at his cheeks isn't enough to be noticeable to anyone he passes. That's not even in the same ballpark or on the same planet as sh*t he's willing to deal with right now.

He comes back a little later, just to check the guy really hasn't double-died on him. He definitely doesn't have to resist the urge to pull on his gloves so he can just hold the vampire's hand while he sleeps. Not even close.

-

It happens several times over the next few days, Kravitz falling asleep partway through the night and not waking up until the next evening, sound unconsciousness too dense even for the usual nightmares. Each time, he comes to fuzzily, either having been carried to his new room once again, or with a blanket or jacket (one of which smells like Taako, all lavender and salt, and is never asked for back) draped over him as he wakes slumped across a desk or back into a chair. It's not like he even has any body heat to retain, but it's a kind gesture and doesn't go unappreciated. No-one ever comments on it, just fills him in on what he missed and on how their investigation is going as he's slowly integrated into their team.

He doesn't need the sleep, technically, certainly not this much, but after a couple of days of these episodes he starts to feel lighter somehow, and they begin to get less and less severe - shorter, and not so sudden - until after a week or so they clear up altogether.

That's when he really gets started on proving himself to this weird and wonderful band of people, who pulled him from an existence that was slowly eating him alive and welcomed him, rocky start aside, into their strange home and their strange, strange family.

Chapter 21: Legwork

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Kravitz feels amazing.

It's been a couple of weeks or so since he picked up this job, and he's taking to it like a duck to water. Strange as it sounds, it almost feels like he was made to hunt down targets, even if this one is giving him trouble.

He's moving across the rooftops in a run-down part of town at a sprint, chasing a figure making their way through the alleys below. This one had been easy to find, but not so easy to catch - he was annoyingly slippery. But, he was also one of the few leads they had.

Seeing an opportunity, he takes a leap from the roof and plummets downwards, landing squarely on the fleeing figure's back and pinning him to the ground. He hears bones crack, but the downed vampire just laughs.

"Second time lucky, ah? I hope your ankles aren't too sore after that little fall you took before."

They are, but he's not going to admit that. "Yes, that was rather embarrassing, wasn't it? Call it performance anxiety; my aim's usually much better, as you can tell."

Or, getting better at least.

Taako comes running up behind him. "Boy," he pants, "this is... way easier... hah... with you here... to pin 'em..." He takes a deep breath and points his umbrella at the vampire underneath Kravitz. "Okay... time for you to talk."

"All this just for a little chat? How flattering." The vampire chuckles. "But I don't really feel like talking, and you can't kill me with an umbrella, or with your little pet here."

"I think you'll find I'm perfectly capable of killing you," Kravitz growls, resisting the urge bare his teeth. He's sick of being called a lapdog by every single one of the vampires they've been hunting down the last week.

"Actually, I've been meaning to try out this fun little gadget Lucas added." Taako grins sad*stically. "I've got this liiittle button on the handle here, and if I press it, you get a nice refreshing bath of holy water, you wanna try it out?"

"Oh, no thank you, I had a shower just earlier, actually."

Taako's grin turns smug and catlike. "I didn't think you'd go for it. So, you wanna tell us about... uh, you got a name?"

"It's Brian, darling."

"Cool - you wanna tell us about your friends, then, Brian?"

"Hm. No, no not really. I think I'd prefer it if you just cut to the chase and killed me."

"Are you sure? You don't wanna be my pal like fangs here? You don't seem too bloodthirsty, we can probably make it work. Whaddya think, Krav?"

He only glares at him, unimpressed by the comparison. "This guy has killed five people in the last week. Can we just get on with it?"

"Fine, whatever." Taako presses the tip of the umbrella to the vampire's temple. "Tell us about the hunger, or I'm gonna make it rain pain on your brain, thug."

Kravitz rolls his eyes. The one-liners are cute when they haven't been out all night and sunrise isn't rapidly approaching.

"Okay, okay, maybe I can tell you a few things. We're friends, no? You let me go that one time, very nice of you."

"Doesn't ring a bell."

"Well, maybe you didn't mean to let me escape. I was just too slippery for you, ah?"

Taako looks at him for a minute. "Oh, yeah. You were the one that jumped down a manhole when me 'n' Merle had you cornered."

Brian seems delighted. "So you do remember me! A good plan, don't you think?"

"Well, there was no way was I following you into a sewer in those shoes, and Merle's back doesn't do ladders."

"I thought that might be the case," Brian says, a smug edge to his voice.

"Taako, if you're done chatting? I'd rather not get caught out in the daylight," Kravitz says, starting to get ansty. Sunrise is getting very close.

Taako sighs dramatically. "You take all the fun out of this, you know that?"

He doesn't reply. Truthfully, the fact that this vampire is so lucid is getting to him. It's one thing taking out feral creatures who'd rip your throat out in a heartbeat, but it makes him uneasy to kill something - someone,only one small step removed from himself. Even if it's a necessary job.

Brushing over his lack of response, Taako squares his shoulders. "Okay, business. What do you know about Maureen Miller?"

"Oh, she's just lovely. One of our best people."

"Where can we find her?"

"Hm, here and there." Brian attempts a shrug but only manages half an inch of movement before Kravitz wrestles him still again. "I don't really run with that group, too rowdy for my tastes."

With a sweet smile, Taako presses the umbrella to his head harder.

"Now, now, there's no need for that - I really don't know, swear on my death."

Kravitz leans a little more weight on the vampire, who grunts as his broken bones shift. "You'll forgive us if we don't believe you."

Brian gives a resigned laugh. "I know you're going to kill me anyway, boys. I have no reason to lie, I think that's apparent, don't you?"

The two hunters exchange a glance. Looks like another dead end. Taako sighs. "Fine, but we're not done. How many of you are there?"

"Oh, very many. We've been, ah, recruiting. Lots of fresh faces. Our leader is a very persuasive person."

"Persuasive with his teeth, I presume?"

"Oh, that and, you know, the usual - take what's ours, enslave humanity, unite all life under eternal undeath, that sort of thing. A veritable silver tongue."

"And does your boss have a name?"

"Oh, yes."

A stretch of silence. A siren wails by in the far distance.

"...Would you like to share with the group?"

"No, I don't think so. You can kill me now if you'd like, I'm not going to tell you anything further even if you do torture me, and I don't think your friend here can play outside too much longer, can he?" Brian jerks his head in Kravitz's direction before looking back to Taako. "I enjoyed our little talk, though, I think we could have been friends under different circ*mstances. I was considering inviting you to my wedding."

"That's real sweet, I appreciate it."

Kravitz jumps out of the way as Taako pops the stake out of the side of his umbrella and rams it into Brian's back in one deft movement. The vampire collapses into dust. Kravitz shivers, and his hand lifts to rub at his neck.

"You good over there, fangs?"

He brushes some stray dust from his clothes and tries to put more morbid thoughts out of mind. "Yeah, I just uh, I hurt my legs a little with that jump I missed." He clears his throat. "He didn't really give us much, either."

Taako shrugs. "It's more than we've had until now."

"That's unusually optimistic of you."

The hunter moves closer and looks at him from beneath his lashes, smirking playfully and running a gloved hand over his jaw. "Hmm. Maybe I'm just looking forward to taking a shower and collapsing into bed with my handsome sidekick."

Kravitz grabs his wrist and raises an eyebrow, pulling back with his mouth open in offense even as the corners twitch upwards in amusem*nt. "'Sidekick?' I did all the work!"

Taako pours on the mock sympathy, patting his arm with the other hand. "You just don't have the star power to be the hero, I'm afraid. Maybe if you work on your stage presence I'll bump you up to partner in crime."

It's getting to be a fight not to laugh, so he goes on the offensive, taking both the hunter's wrists and leaning their faces closer. "Is that right? I'll remember that the next time you start swooning over me."

"I do not swoon. That's slander against my brand," Taako says, trying to ignore him but not being entirely successful.

Smirking, Kravitz puts an arm around him and dips him backwards, enjoying how the sound of the hunter's heart speeds up and his arms come up instinctively to grip his shoulders. "Are you sure about that? I'm pretty sure I've seen some swooning."

Taako's ears turn red as he pouts and turns his face away. "That sh*t is for victorian ladies and idiots far too smitten for their own good. Maybe-"

Above them, a street light flickers off. The sky to the east is starting to brighten as the sun peeks its first rays above the horizon.

"sh*t, you gotta run." Taako extricates himself from Kravitz's arms and kisses his cheek, which burns with residual heat as he pulls away. "You're faster than me, so I'll meet you back at the car, okay? Don't get turned to ash on the way, and remember the protocol we ran through-" He grimaces, "I hate you for making me say protocol with a straight face - just, call me if you get stuck somewhere."

With a quick nod, Kravitz turns to hurry back towards the car. Times like these he wishes he could teleport, just tear open a hole in reality and jump through. His cheek is still burning and he must look like a fool smiling and running down the street at this hour.

"We'll continue this later!" comes a shout from behind. He grins wider as he scales a fire escape and rushes to escape the dawn light.

Chapter 22: Nightmares

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Soft yellow light spilling in from the doorway to his back stirs Kravitz from his sleep, casting a skewed rectangular shadow onto the bed and across the far wall. Consciousness comes quickly and easily to him, sleep being more of a meditative exercise than a necessity at this point. Briefly, he wonders if Taako has left for some reason, but there's still a warm presence pushed up against him, steady breaths on his back where his t-shirt has rumpled up to expose the skin and an arm around his torso, so the door must have been opened by someone else.

"Sir?"

Next to him, Taako shifts, sliding his arm from around Kravitz's waist to sit up and rub his eyes as he turns blearily towards the small voice in the doorway. "Wh... oh, hey pumpkin, what's up?"

"I-I didn't wanna bother you sir, it's just I, um, I had that nightmare again, and I d-didn't want to be on my own. Can - can I sleep in here with you?"

"Sure, kiddo. What about Mags and Jules, though? They'd make better company than little old me."

"They um, got caught out in the daylight across town, so uh, they're holed up in a hotel until tonight. And, um, Lup and Barry are still awake researching."

"Ah-ha! I knew I wasn't your first choice, you little sh*t." As usual, Taako's words for Angus are harsh, but his tone warm. "Come on up here anyway, bubeleh."

"Thank you, sir!" The room dims again and he hears small barefoot tapping as Angus runs over.

"Agnes, what did I say about the 'sir' thing? Just call me Taako."

"Okay!" The tapping stops just before it reaches the bed. "Is that Mister Kravitz?"

The vampire considers whether he should continue to feign sleep or if he should just go back to his own room; he doesn't want to make either Angus or Taako uncomfortable with his presence, still feeling a little like an outsider at times despite everything. Taako answers before he can decide.

"Oh, right. Yeah. He uh, he gets nightmares too - see how generous I am? Casa del Taako is always open to the needy."

Angus sounds put out by that cover-up, though it's not untrue. "I'm ten years old, s- uh, Taako, you don't have to lie to me about that stuff."

"What st-"

This is probably a good time to let them know that he's awake. He turns over and props himself up on an elbow, pulling the hem of his shirt back into place. "He's not lying, Angus, I do get nightmares. Being in here helps."

The unwelcome dreams seem to be kept at bay a little by not being cold or alone while he's sleeping - it makes the memory feel less vivid, less real, and it also helps having someone to wake him when he does start tossing and turning. Often he returns the favour, too. Not that he wouldn't be here enjoying the company anyway, but sleeping untroubled (even if he doesn't need it) is also nice, and all the better if he can provide some comfort in return.

Taako gasps theatrically to cover genuine fright and flops back down onto the bed when Kravitz moves, pressing a hand to his chest. "sh*t, fangs. I can never f*ckin' tell when you're awake, you know that? It's creepy as hell."

With Angus watching them, squinting a little due to his lack of glasses, the vampire opts to bite back the flirty comment on his tongue, subtly rubbing Taako's shoulder instead. "Sorry."

"You should learn to read body language, s- Taako, I would have been able to tell he wasn't sleeping," Angus says, not a trace of arrogance in his tone, simply stating facts. He hops up onto the bed and crawls to sit in between them, not seeming to be bothered at all by the vampire's being there. Kravitz doesn't know why he expected anything different, really - the boy seemed to have taken a shine to him for some unknown reason, and Kravitz, for his part, thought he was possibly the sweetest kid he'd ever met, never mind smartest, too. Angus turns his wide brown eyes on him, puffy from tears and tiredness but still ever-curious. "What kind of nightmares do you have, sir?"

"Just Kravitz, Angus, please. And they're um, they're about the night I died," he says, turning a small bubble of panic rising in his throat into a mostly controlled sigh through his nose.

"You mean when you got bitten and turned into a vampire?"

Kravitz feels all his muscles tense up at once and manages a stiff nod. Certain memories are still like a white hot iron to the touch, especially that one.

Angus' reddened eyes widen in horror and guilt. "O-oh no, I upset you, didn't I? I'm sorry, sometimes I don't know when to stop asking questions."

The look on the boy's face would be enough to melt a heart much harder than his. "It's fine, Angus. It's been a long time."

"And you're still having nightmares? Does that mean mine won't go away either?" he asks, turning his gaze on Taako instead, who looks a little panicked and shoots Kravitz a slightly desperate glance. Sometimes even the world's greatest detective acted his age, seeking reassurance and an adult to provide it. Seeing the boy so vulnerable, now he feels like an ass for opening his mouth.

"I'm sure yours will get better soon," he rushes out, trying to fix his mess. "You have a lot of people in your life to help you work through this. I didn't for a very long time." He reaches out and ruffles the boy's hair, attempting a reassuring smile and hoping it's enough. "They'll go away eventually. Hopefully mine will too, one day."

Angus frowns at him, and for a second Kravitz isn't sure if he's only made things worse, but the frown is doubtful rather than upset. "I don't know if that's how nightmares work, sir. I think I should do some research into psychological causes and..." Words fading into incoherence, Angus yawns, fruitlessly trying to wipe sleep from his eye with the back of his hand.

Taako puts a hand on his shoulder. "Okay, pumpkin, I think it's time for you to hit the hay. You can start conquering the dreamscape tomorrow. Plop your big brain on down here." He gives Kravitz an appreciative and slightly relieved look and pats the pillow between them. With a sleepy nod, Angus worms his way underneath the sheets, curling up on his side facing Taako. By the looks of things, this isn't the first time he's sought comfort here.

"Love you, dad," Angus mumbles, and goes out like a light. Kravitz can hear his heartbeat slow and his breathing even out.

Taako stares down at the boy, dumbfounded. Grinning at his speechlessness, Kravitz whispers "Not ready for fatherhood?" and is fixed with the most thunderous glare he's ever received in life or undeath.

"Don't joke about that, fangs," Taako whispers back, voice low in warning. "What do you think he's having nightmares about? His goddamn parents dying, asshole."

f*ck. Feeling like an absolute ass for the second time in a very short period, Kravitz closes his eyes and purses his lips, expression pained. "...I am so sorry. That was insensitive of me." He turns away, suddenly feeling distinctly unwelcome. "I should be going, anyway, it's not like I need any more sleep." As he goes to slide carefully out of the bed, Angus stirs, rolling towards him and grabbing hold of the bottom edge of his shirt.

"Ango, hey, you have to let him go, kiddo," Taako says softly, reaching out to remove his clenched hand. Quickly and without looking, Kravitz grabs his wrist to stop him, gently shaking his head.

"Don't, he's still asleep," he whispers, pulling his hand back and gesturing at his ear in explanation, gaze not straying from Angus' tiny fingers clutching his shirt. "Heartbeat's still slow."

"I... guess he really doesn't want you to leave," Taako says. There's something unspoken there, as there so often is. He's used to it by now.

Finally raising his head, Kravitz looks at him steadily. "I can still go if you want me to."

"I'm not gonna kick you out just for putting your foot in your mouth, Krav. S'not like you knew." Taako tucks the top of the duvet more snug around Angus' shoulders.

"...He does think the world of you, though. I'm not joking about that."

"I'm no father figure, fangs," Taako says, expression clouding over.

"Angus clearly doesn't agree. He loves you, in any case."

Taako gives a doubtful hum and turns away from him, pulling the duvet up to his ears. Carefully manoeuvring himself back into the bed around the boy whose hand is still clamped around his shirt, Kravitz reaches over him to gently touch the hunter's shoulder. He just rolls farther out of reach in response, so he draws his hand back, considering, not wanting to leave it at that but not wanting to overstep either.

"...Taako, you..."

There's no reply, only a muffled sniff.

"Listen, Taako, you might not believe me, but you're a good person. Angus knows it, I know it, so does Lup and everyone else. I hope you know too. You're allowed to be loved."

This time he receives only silence. He sighs and settles back down into the pillows, resigning himself to a few more hours of sleep. After a minute, the mattress creaks and a gloved hand reaches over Angus' curls, held out in the air like an olive branch.

"Thanks, Krav."

Kravitz brings a hand up to grasp Taako's and rubs his knuckles through the leather with his thumb in reassurance. He's long since given up trying to pursue Taako's reason for covering his hands. Maybe one day he'll be trusted with that information, but not yet, and that's fine. They both have things they'd rather not discuss. For now, he just moves his arm so their hands rest together on the pillow above Angus' head. It's not the most comfortable position, but he doesn't let go. Neither does Taako.

Chapter 23: Supply Run

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His back hits the ground with a sharp thud, head slamming back against the mat for the dozenth time that night. Julia frowns down at him, a hand on her hip.

"What is up with you tonight? You're even worse than usual."

Kravitz pushes himself upright, rubbing the back of his head. He has been taking a lot more hits this session, though thankfully nothing's broken this time around. He rolls his shoulders, taking a moment to feel out his movements, and sure enough there is a certain weakness starting to creep into his limbs, and something of a deficit in his stomach now that he thinks about it. "I think I need to eat," he says, leaning back on his palms and looking up at Julia, who doesn't even have a hair out of place after handily knocking him to the ground several times over. "I've actually been meaning to ask where we go for that? No-one told me when I arrived and it's been kind of a while now."

"Dude, you haven't eaten since you got here? You must be pretty hungry by now."

Kravitz shrugs. "Not really. I'm used to going a couple of weeks longer than this. This is mild by comparison."

Julia gives him an incredulous look and shakes her head. "You don't have to do it like that any more, Krav."

"Like what?"

"Waiting 'til you're starving and then drinking a person's worth all at once." She claps him on the shoulder and helps him to his feet. "Come on, follow me, I'll show you how this works."

She gives him a moment to dust himself off and then leads him down a corridor towards the section of the base that seems slightly newer than the rest, where Lucas' lab and the other more high-tech areas are. They stop outside a room marked 'REPOSITORY' with a rough metalwork sign, and Julia hesitates for a second.

"By the way, don't mention T-A-A-K-O around Leon. Or Magnus or Merle either, for good measure."

"Why not?" Kravitz asks, blinking at the unusual request.

"Just don't. Not if you want to be on good terms with him."

A large steel door opens into a room with equipment piled high behind a wire cage dividing the space from wall to wall. It looks to be some sort of armoury, though there are no firearms among the myriad of weapons and equipment. As they enter, a bored-looking older man Kravitz assumes must be Leon looks up from his crossword. He's sitting in a chair behind a window in the metal grating, a shutter pulled up above the opening and a counter lining its lower edge. Julia smiles at him warmly, as she seems to do with everyone she meets, and he returns the expression.

"Hey, Leon! How are things?"

"Fine, fine, not much to do today. I finished inventory hours ago." He looks at her over the rim of his glasses curiously. "Are you here for your supply? I thought I saw you just earlier this evening."

"Not tonight, Leon." She jerks her head towards Kravitz, standing a little behind her. "Did Lucretia fill you in about the new guy? I'm assuming you've got stuff set aside for him."

"Yes, she did inform me." His eyes narrow in Kravitz's direction. "The one Taako brought in."

"Kravitz. It's nice to meet you," Kravitz says, stepping forward and offering a hand. Leon just looks at it and then back at him.

Julia leans against the counter. "He's nice, Leon, I promise. He's not gonna pull anything."

Leon eyes her a little suspiciously but reaches out to tentatively shake Kravitz's hand. He looks like he expects to be electrocuted just by touching him, and his mistrustful expression lingers even after he isn't. Whatever Taako and his friends had done to the man, he certainly held a grudge.

"...Nice to meet you, too. I expect we'll be seeing a fair amount of each other," he says, sounding vaguely terrified at the prospect.

"You handle the blood supply?"

"Leon does inventory for the whole Bureau. If you need any kind of supplies, this is where you need to come. But yeah, blood is part of that," Julia explains, before turning back to Leon. "Could you get him a bunch today, Leon? He hasn't eaten since he arrived. The, uh, the hunter who showed him the place neglected to include this room on the tour."

Setting down his crossword, Leon sniffs haughtily. "If it was who I think it is, that's fine by me. That one is welcome to give my supply room a wide berth."

He rises from his chair and goes to another large steel door at the back of the room, tapping a code into a keypad on the wall. A fog of steam floods from behind the door as it opens, and Leon vanishes inside, returning a few seconds later with five bags of red liquid. Pulling a brown paper bag from a desk drawer, he places them inside and puts it on the counter, then unhooks a clipboard from the wall next to him and starts scribbling onto the paper. "Twenty-sixth... 5 pints... type O... Mister... Kravitz, was it?"

"Yeah, with a K and a Z."

"Do you have any other names? Surname, first name?"

Kravitz smiles an apology. "Is just Kravitz okay?"

Leon looks at him like he's expecting the other shoe to drop. "...That's fine, I suppose. As long as no other Kravitzes join our ranks that I have to distinguish between." He proffers the clipboard and pen. "Sign on the right."

With the man watching him like a hawk, Kravitz takes the clipboard and writes his name in the place indicated. Julia looks down at the paper as he leans the board on the counter. "That's some fancy handwriting."

He shrugs. "I like to be neat."

Face tight, Leon takes back the signed form and squints at it, then releases a breath, muttering something that sounds a little like 'ohthankgod,' and hangs the log back on the wall, tension draining from him like a very anxious bath that someone's pulled the plug out of. He pushes the paper bag across the counter, shoulders relaxing. "Here."

Kravitz takes the bag and gives a slightly wary nod, making a mental note to ask Taako what the hell he'd done to the poor man later. "Thanks."

Julia straightens as Leon sinks back into his chair. "You'll be allowed around twenty pints monthly, but when you take them is up to you. Just have to sign them out with Leon, and bring the bags back here afterwards so they can be disposed of."

"Thank you for your help, you didn't have to come all this way with me."

"No problem," she smiles, "just try to keep your meals spaced out a little better from now on. Running yourself into the ground out of habit isn't gonna be useful to anyone, especially if something comes up suddenly and you're not in good condition."

"You're right. I'll try to keep on top of it."

"Back to the training room, then, and you can get those down you. Maybe I'll kick your ass a little less this time."

They nod a goodbye to the Leon and turn to leave, heading towards the door.

"Oh, actually, while we're here..." Julia stops and beckons him back over to the counter. "Can you get him a single-blade staff and a holster for it? One of the telescopic ones."

With surprisingly little hesitation, the stockkeeper shuffles off towards a rack of staves on the opposite wall. Julia must be very well-trusted here. She looks back at Kravitz over her shoulder. "Keep it as a backup for when you're out, just in case."

Leon returns and they repeat the same signing process as before. Kravitz has never seen a man so nervous about a signature, but he seems to meet expectations and the small bar is handed over. This one is slightly heavier on account of its having a blade inside as well as the extending sections. The metal is black and textured with small indents that make it easier to keep a grip on, moreso than the ones in the training room. It looks brand new and shines as he turns it over, searching for a button like the one on the practice staff.

"You have to twist either end to extend it," Julia says, pointing at a seam around the circumference of the bar's midpoint. "It's a safety precaution so you don't set it off while it's in the holster."

"Isn't that inconvenient when you're in a fight?"

"Better than sitting down wrong and accidentally taking off a finger."

"Fair enough."

"Leon, is it okay if he gives it a swing in here?"

"If you say he's fine, I suppose. Be my guest, just don't destroy the place," Leon says, waving a hand and massaging the bridge of his nose under his glasses.

"I'll be careful," Kravitz assures, and gently twists each section of the staff in opposite directions until there's a click. Further sections spring outwards, and he notes a single-edged blade, about a foot long, now extending from one tip of the staff. Or, he supposes it's more of a polearm at this point.

"The edge is coated with silver, so you should be able to use it to go for the heart as well, but it's better suited for slicing so I'd keep aiming for the neck."

"It's perfect. How do I collapse it down again?"

"Twist that middle part back in the other direction and just push the ends back in. Careful of the blade, though, I'm pretty sure the whole stasis thing doesn't extend to regrowing lost limbs or fingers," Julia says with a playful smile. "Better not put it to the test."

Kravitz pushes the staff back together and takes the harness that will allow him to wear it concealed under his clothes. Leon seems to have decided that he isn't hell-bent on ruining his life in some way, and shakes his hand teary-eyed before they leave the room, bewildering Kravitz even further as to what could have happened between him and the others. Julia pats him on the arm as they leave.

"Actually, I think we'll call it here for tonight. Go eat and get some rest so you're ready for tomorrow, I have a feeling Luc's probably gonna have us both out and about again."

Grateful for the opportunity to miss out on further injuries, Kravitz goes back to his room and drops onto the bed, turning the staff over in his hands. It's a weapon designed precisely for killing creatures like him, he observes a little uneasily.

He brushes his fingertips along the metal, which would probably be cold for most people but feels about the same temperature as his skin. Idly, he spins the bar between his fingers. Cold and made to take lives, just like him. The ore used to make the weapon never asked to become a violent instrument, couldn't have ever predicted its future. What might have happened to it if it had had that knowledge and the capacity to act? Would it have found a better life, or just ended up lying useless somewhere, a thousand miles away?

With a sigh, he sets the staff down next to the bed. Stupid to feel kinship with a bar of metal. Still, tearing open one of the bags with his teeth and filling his mouth with the familiar taste of iron, he sits and wonders about where that ore might have made its way to, in another life.

Chapter 24: Heat

Chapter Text

Another night, another dead end. Their last dead end, in fact. For all their searching, Maureen Miller may as well be a ghost.

With their last lead run down, the investigation has slowed to a crawl, but even though it should be frustrating, Kravitz isn't complaining. It means he and Taako finally get some downtime, which between his sleeping spells, Julia's training sessions, and being out every night hunting down vampires, has been a scarce resource. And for once, it's just them, too. As much as Kravitz likes the other Bureau members, he's glad they aren't around tonight. He and Taako's budding relationship - all heated flirting and stolen kisses and warm embraces while they sleep - isn't a secret as such, but he knows the hunter likes his privacy when it comes to personal affairs. An odd trait considering how flamboyant he is about most things, but then Taako is nothing if not a little odd. It's one of the things he likes about him.

They've put aside some time to have dinner together in one of the base's more out of the way kitchens - or at least, Taako is making himself dinner while they talk. Kravitz prefers to take his own meals away from other people. That he's still reliant on blood makes him sharply conscious of the fact that he isn't human, as much as he tries to forget that. Not being able to share meals with the others brings the same feelings, but he can still be good company, and watching Taako cook is an experience all its own.

The hunter enters a kind of trance when he's cooking, totally focused on the task at hand, which is unusual for him. Kravitz is content to pass him the occasional ingredient or pull something from a drawer, probably still slowing him down but enjoying the feeling of being included. The times he's not needed, however, are almost better, because it means he gets to just watch. And that's entrancing in itself.

There's a rhythm to Taako's work, steady and measured, everything he needs organized to perfection, so unlike how he treats the rest of his playfully chaotic life. He's wearing the red skirt from that night a few weeks before, and a shimmering loose-fitted shirt that catches the light. The messy fishtail that he's pulled his hair into leaves numerous strands uncaptured to tumble around his face and shoulders like spun bronze as he moves, seemingly unnoticed. He looks ethereally gorgeous. Enough that Kravitz has to risk breaking the spell to reach out and touch.

Crossing the space between them, he slowly wraps his arms around the hunter's torso from behind, the contact worth braving the nauseating smell of the food, and kisses his neck. Taako hums happily but says, "You're distracting me, babe."

"That's a shame. You know how vampires are though, hard to deter once they've picked a target." He tilts Taako's chin up and leans around to kiss him long and softly, relishing the way the hunter melts into him, pressing back into his chest. Taako sets down the grater he was using and turns into the kiss, deepening it and resting his hands on Kravitz's hips.

Kravitz pulls away and he gives an indignant whine, following his lips backwards before letting them part reluctantly and tossing a sour look.

"I thought I was distracting you," the vampire laughs.

"Damage is done now, fangs, I'm distracted. Get back down here and kiss me, asshole."

He obliges with a smile, letting Taako's hands wander as he keeps a sharp ear out for approaching feet. He finds it hard to keep listening as they get more heated though, especially when the hunter's fingers find their way into his underwear to squeeze his ass and he lets an involuntary moan slip into his mouth. He feels the small of his back hit the countertop as Taako pushes him backwards, moving his hands to hold his jaw instead, palms hot against his skin as he kisses him deeply one more time before pulling away, panting, a wild light dancing in his eyes. "You wanna take a drive somewhere? Private?"

"Should we be leaving with this investigation still going on? And what about your food?"

"We have no leads, and food can wait, I want something else right now, if you're on board." Taako's teeth flash mischievously. "You still got that apartment?"

"You don't think this is a little fast?"

He chews his lip, looking up at him through his lashes. "Maybe. But uh, I wanna f*ck you like, right now. So y'know, I'm ready if you are."

Kravitz grins, excitement making him feel warm to his core. "I pay rent a month in advance, the lease won't have run out yet. Key's in my jacket."

Taako beams back at him. "Let's go. Keep it quiet, though, this is a stealth operation, homes."

He takes Kravitz's hand and drags him out of the room towards the garage, both of them letting out short bursts of laughter and then shushing each other, giggling at their sneaking out like teenagers.

It's the longest drive either of them have ever made.

-

Passing through the apartment's threshold together for a third time, Kravitz has barely shut the door behind them before Taako grabs his face in both hands (wearing his gloves as usual) and pulls him down for a deep kiss, hungry but still ever so careful of the vampire's sharp teeth - it only takes one slip, after all. Kravitz leans down into it and then lifts the hunter up by the back of his thighs so they're on the same level, fingers pressing into soft flesh as his skirt rides up. Taako wraps his legs around him obligingly, his weight resting on Kravitz's hips now, hooking his hands around his neck for support, trailing kisses from his forehead along one cheekbone and down his jaw towards his neck, sucking at the skin gently as Kravitz leans back against the door, just breathing him in. Taako pulls back and grins at him, unhooking one arm to slide the deadbolt over on the door. "No interruptions." He giggles. "You up for this, snowman?"

Kravitz kisses him again and smiles, eyes bright. "Absolutely."

He carries Taako over to the bed and lets him fall onto it, then pulls off his boots, removes his own shoes, and follows, straddling his hips and finding the hunter's hands with his own, kissing soft skin, feeling hot breath on his face, interlocking their fingers and pressing their palms together through the gloves, pushing them down into the slightly dusty sheets.

Taako lifts his leg to brush up against Kravitz's inner thigh, and he shudders and gasps at the touch. Taako smiles, that gap in his teeth winking. "Do you wanna-?"

"Mm-hm. Yes. Yeah."

Taako grins and grabs his shoulders, rolls them over so he's lying on top of him and then reaches over and starts rummaging through the drawers on the bedside table as Kravitz starts picking apart the clasps on his shimmering shirt. Not finding what he's looking for, he looks down at Kravitz and frowns. "Seriously? Nothing we can use?"

Kravitz palms his face. "sh*t.I forgot. I didn't get a lot of house guests."

"Still, nothing?"

"Sex wasn't high on the agenda!"

Taako sighs but smiles down at him, lowering his head so their faces are a breath apart. "Well, I have some other ideas. You don't need to breathe, right?"

"Ha. Maybe we can arrange something, if you promise you're not gonna try to stake me this time."

"Not in the way you're thinking of."

Kravitz pushes him away and starts laughing uncontrollably, snorting and wheezing as he covers his face with his hands. "That was awful."

Taako is giggling too, overcome by his own double entendre and only just managing to keep himself propped up over the vampire with shaking arms. His hair slips from behind his shoulders, the braid not having lasted even to the car, dark waves tumbling around them in a curtain that tickles Kravitz's skin. He stills so he can take in the sight properly, drinking it in like lifeblood.

"You're so beautiful." He reaches up to brush a thumb along the curve of the hunter's ear, and he trembles under his touch, pulling in his breath sharply. Kravitz grins, committing that to memory. "You like that?"

"Yes."

He reaches up with the other hand and traces both of his ears at the same time. Taako whines and a tremor moves through him as he grabs Kravitz's wrists and shoves them back down onto the bed, face flushed and breath heavy. He smiles, eyes shining. "Nuh-uh, my dude. I am gonna break you first." Kravitz laughs at him, but doesn't try to move.

Taako starts kissing him again, taking his time as he begins at his hairline and works slowly down his face. One... two... three. The vampire tries to lift his hands so he can run them through the soft curls brushing his cheeks but Taako pushes them gently back down again, smiling into his lips as he reaches his mouth. "Just let ch'boy work his magic, babe," he says, "there'll be time for that after," and Kravitz relaxes a little, letting him have his way.

He moves downwards from his neck, unbuttoning his shirt and kissing the newly exposed skin as he goes, ever so slowly, torturously so. Kravitz shivers, trying not to puncture his lip as he bites down. Fifteen... sixteen... seventeen. He curls his fingers into the sheets and sighs, suppressing something louder and not entirely succeeding. The hunter finally reaches his belt and slips it off, catching his gaze and grinning like a cat. "Is this okay?"

It's all he can do to manage a nod and an affirmative noise, losing track of his count. Taako's hands pull at his waistband and boxers, lips brushing the hair on his stomach and continuing their interrupted journey down. This is miles better than okay. The hunter stops just before the end of the line and crawls back up to bite at his ear. "Hey, for future reference, I don't have to worry about you having weird little vampire babies, right?" he whispers, a smile in his voice.

Kravitz laughs, feeling breathless despite not needing air, "I'm pretty sure that won't be a problem. Couldn't hurt to be safe anyway, though."

"Cool," Taako purrs, and returns to his route, breath hot against the vampire's frigid skin. Kravitz is shaking in anticipation, bedsheets crumpled in his fists. It really has been a long time. And then.

Then.

Holy sh*t.

Kravitz is very glad his apartment has thicker walls than the Bureau dorms.

When he's done, Kravitz returns the favour, still seeing stars and wondering how he ever managed to get this lucky(though he daren't use his mouth too much at risk of misplacing his fangs). Taako doesn't even try to be quiet, shouts his name like a chorus, but it's nice. It means Kravitz knows exactly what he's doing right with his rusty hands, can feel his way like he's caressing an instrument. And he's nothing if not a musician.

He lets the hunter use the shower first as he bundles the sheets up into a ball to be washed, pulling out some fresh ones to spread out on the mattress. As he does, his phone starts to buzz - a new model with an actual touch screen. The number isn't recognised, but it's a relatively new purchase, and he hasn't had the chance to add anyone but Taako to the memory yet. He picks it up.

"Hello?"

"Kravitz? It's Lup, is Taako with you? He isn't answering his phone."

sh*t. "Oh, he's uh, he's in the shower."

"Could you tell him to come see me as soon as possible? You too, we've found some more info on Maureen, good stuff."

Double sh*t. Kravitz glances at the time, the room's dark, heavy curtains blocking out any clue as to the whereabouts of the sun. The phone display reads 7 a.m.

"Um, it might have to wait until this evening if you want both of us there. We're uh, off the base and the sun's coming up, I won't be able to get back until then."

"Wait, you're off the base? Where are you, is it safe?"

"My apartment in the city. We'll be fine here, but I'll have to wait to leave until sunset."

"Your apartment? Why are you both - and he's - oh my god you weren't-"

Taako appears behind him, wrapped in a towel with his hair sopping and piled up into a messy bun. "Lulu, you owe me money! He was f*cking fantastic!" he shouts into the phone.

"You were betting on how good I'd be in bed?" Kravitz asks incredulously.

"I am not doing this right now!" comes the voice from the phone, "Absolutely not! I am hanging up and we are never going to talk about this again!"

Taako grabs the phone out of his hands. "Are you sure, Lulu? I've got some pretty sweet details for you, like-" The line goes dead. Giggling wickedly, the hunter hands him back the device. "There was no bet, I just wanted to see your face."

Kravitz gives a weary sigh and heads towards the bathroom. A minute or so after stepping under the water, he hears the door click, and then warm arms wrap around his waist. Taako presses his head into his back. "You know, I had a thought."

"What's that?"

"If we're in here, I don't have to worry about you being an ice cube."

Kravitz lets out a small huff of laughter, then looks down.

"...You're wearing gloves in the shower."

"You wanna risk washing in key lime?" There's a hard edge under the playful words.

Kravitz just sighs and smiles. "Guess not."

"Seeing as you're stuck here all day..." The hunter kisses his spine where it stands out under the skin at the base of his neck. "How about I go get some food and uh, supplies, and we make the most of it? If you're up for another round, that is."

"I should think you'd get tired before I do, vampire stamina and all."

"We'll just see about that. I have my ways."

With a wide grin, Kravitz turns in his arms to kiss him, loving knowing that he's not as cold as usual and pulling them closer together underneath the rushing water.

The rest of the day is absolutely electric - as are all the days that come after that, as exploration melts into familiarity and burning heat settles into comforting warmth.

He keeps renting the apartment, just for them.

Chapter 25: A Solid Lead

Chapter Text

Lup can't even get any words out when she sees them, just falls about laughing and wheezing the moment they walk in the door - apparently she's over her shock and ready to launch into full-fledged ribbing.

"I cannot believe you got stuck out there all day because you couldn't keep it in your pants!" she snorts, tears in her eyes and voice a little too loud in the open warehouse, drawing more than a few curious glances.

Kravitz moves to quietly go sit down at his desk, supposing this is some form of revenge and resigning himself to that minor embarrassment. Taako, however, seems to have other ideas, halting him with a hand on his arm.

"Well you don't know me very well then, do you Lulu?" he smirks, performance mode turned up to eleven, and presses himself flush against the vampire, hands wandering low.

"Um," Kravitz says, confused at the sudden change in attitude. "Isn't this a little public?"

"Listen, babe, if we're gonna make this official I'm gonna do it with style and flair or not at all. And definitely not on my sister's terms." Taako leans up to whisper in his ear, dropping the show for a second, "if you're cool with that, I mean."

"Are you sure?"

"Oh, absolument, my man."

Kravitz moves his hands to mirror Taako's and feels his mouth twitch into a smile. "Official has a nice ring to it."

"Rad," Taako says, and jumps him right in the middle of the office, sending him stumbling back a few steps with the unexpected force. They earn a few whoops and whistles from around the room as the hunter holds the kiss for a full half minute before unwrapping his limbs and pulling away, bowing to his audience and casually sauntering over to sit on Lup's desk. She looks up at him with an amused smirk and a raised eyebrow.

"You finished?"

He goes to push up from the desk. "Well, if you're requesting an encore, I guess I'll have to-"

She kicks him gently and smiles. "Siddown, goofus. Debriefing time. And while we're doing that," she looks over at Kravitz, who's still feeling a little giddy from that performance and trying not to show it. "Will you go find Angus for me? He's probably in the library. Get him to fill you in on what's going on and then bring him back here so we can get everyone together."

"Together for what?" Kravitz asks, with a light cough to try to cover how his voice cracks.

"We've got an actionable lead, Krav m'boy. A good solid one. Now go find Angles so I can give my brother an earful for sneaking out without permission."

He nods and makes for the door, but not before making a detour to Lup's desk to kiss Taako again. Now that the hunter doesn't care who knows about them, he can do this whenever he wants, professionalism be damned. Lup makes an off-handed comment about a bucket of cold water but he just winks at her as he pulls back, Taako flipping her the bird. She sends him on his way with a playful shove, shooting her brother a glare without any real malice behind it and biting back a smile, clearly happy for them despite her teasing.

-

He'd taken note of the Bureau's library from the time he'd first been shown it, the contents being an eclectic mix of arcane tomes, archives, various fiction, nonfiction, and everything in between. It didn't seem there was any kind of book the library didn'thave at least one of. It's not a huge room, but it has a high ceiling filled to bursting with bound paper. If not for other... distractions, he may have spent many hours in here.

Reading had been one of the few things he'd actually been able to keep doing after, after, (his brain skips like a record over the memory) after dying, especially during the summer when daylight stretched long and he'd be stuck inside for endless mind-numbing hours. He'd stock up during the winter, rushing around second-hand bookstores in the little time he had between the sun setting and them closing up for the day, and though many of the titles weren't particularly gripping, it was better than staring at the ceiling or restlessly pacing the floor when he couldn't sleep away the time, which was often. The smell of the room, old paper and leather, is a comforting one.

"Angus, are you in here? Lup said-"

Kravitz stops with one hand still on the door. Angus is curled up on a chair with an enormous tome on his lap. A small red bird is perched on his shoulder. That's... unusual.

"I thought pets weren't allowed on the base?"

"Hey, I'm not a pet,"an unfamiliar voice says.The bird flutters. The voice sounds very much like it's coming from its beak. "That's a rather rude assumption there, friend."

Biting his tongue, Kravitz stares at the bird for a few seconds. Angus looks up from his book, concerned. From the dark circles under his eyes, it seems like he's been up all day.

"Sir? You're... not gonna start shouting again, are you?"

He expels a careful sigh and closes the door behind him. Of course Angus had found out about that, the kid knew everything. "...Nope. A talking bird is just fine. Completely par for the course."

The bird co*cks its head at him as he makes his way over. "I'm not technically a bird, either, but close enough. I'm Roswell. You're Kravitz, right? I heard about you."

"Good things, I hope."

"Mainly that you and Taako can't function when you're in the same room as each other."

Kravitz raises an eyebrow in Angus' direction. "I wonder who you heard that from."

The boy very quietly lifts his book up to cover his face, looking sheepish. He mumbles from behind the huge, yellowed pages. "Roswell does recon for us. I asked them to keep an eye out for someone matching Maureen's description, and they came in yesterday to tell us they'd seen her."

"It was definitely her?"

"An older woman matching her exact description out in the middle of the night in a derelict part of town, accompanied by two younger people in flashy clothes. I'm pretty sure," Roswell says.

"That's-" The word 'great' sticks in his throat. He continues more quietly. "...Have you told Lucas?"

"I've been instructed not to include him in any part of the investigation," Angus says, lowering his book and removing his glasses to carefully clean the lenses with a cloth.

"Why not? She's his mother, surely he should be involved."

"Precisely for that reason," Roswell chirps. "He might try to do something stupid."

"Like what?"

"Like try to save her. Even if it were possible, it's just way too risky. We can't afford to lose people trying to bring in feral vampires, it's straight up forbidden."

"But I'm here."

"You aren't feral. But even so, Taako got a lot of sh*t when he brought you in. He broke a lot of rules."

"He did?" Maybe his arrival had rocked the boat more than he'd thought.

"Yup. I don't know specifics, but he probably had some wages docked at the very least, probably a lot more than that. We can't just make exceptions, even if everything did turn out okay."

"Oh. I... can understand that." The odd mix of guilt and happiness that information stirs is a little much to unpack for the moment, so he pushes it aside. "Anyway, Angus, Lup said she wanted you in the warehouse."

"Oh, right! I've been going over plans of the area trying to see if anything stands out," he says, lifting his book a little in explanation. "They're somewhere on the north side of the city, where all those abandoned buildings are due to be demolished. That makes most of them fairly likely hideouts, but..." He yawns widely, unable to keep it down despite a valiant effort.

"Angus, how long have you been awake?"

"Um, I'm not sure. What time is it?"

"Nine p.m."

"Oh. A little over twenty-four hours then."

"Even the world's greatest detective needs to sleep, Angus."

Angus shakes his head. "I've gotta brief you guys before that. I'll sleep after."

Torn between some kind of protective instinct and not wanting to insult the boy's intelligence, Kravitz settles on making a careful suggestion. "Is it that urgent? A nap might do you some good, at least."

"We have to act before the trail goes cold. We would have gone earlier, probably, but we couldn't find you or Taako."

Kravitz clears his throat and looks away at one of the packed shelves. "Yes, um, we went out for a little while. Sorry about that, poor timing." He turns his attention back to Angus again, expression softening. "Regardless, once you've briefed us, you have to sleep, okay?" he says gently.

The boy yawns again and rubs his eyes. "Yeah, I will."

"Promise?" Kravitz presses. He knows what it's like to avoid sleep for fear of what might come in dreams, but he can do without it, Angus can't.

"Promise."

"Good. Do you need to bring that book with you?"

"Not this one, but," Angus points to a small stack of thick volumes on a nearby table. "We'll need those."

"I'll take them," Kravitz says, tucking the stack under his arm.

Roswell flits over to his shoulder. "I'd better join you guys."

"Of course. Thanks for the help, we were all out of leads to follow."

"That's my job. Helps to have wings."

Angus stands up and lets out another huge yawn, swaying a little. Kravitz extends an arm. "Come on. Let me carry you."

"You don't have to do that, sir, I'm old enough to walk."

"I want to. And you've been awake a whole day, Angus, you'd be forgiven for being a little out of sorts."

Angus gives a tired nod and opens his arms so Kravitz can scoop him up and rest him on his hip. He's strong enough to support the boy with one arm and the books with the other without a problem, and carries both back towards the warehouse as Roswell flits ahead of them.

By the time they get there, Angus has dozed off, but he jolts awake as the door shuts behind them. Kravitz lets him slide down so he can walk unsteadily over to where Lucretia - or, the Director in this capacity - Lup, Taako, Barry, Magnus, Julia, and a few of the others are gathered, waiting. He follows close behind, setting the books down on the desk.

"Finally, we have everyone here," Lucretia says, something of a pointed statement but looking at no-one in particular. She raises her voice, authority tempering her words. "You all know the goal here, find and eliminate Ms. Miller and her associates before they can do any more harm."

That statement is met with a chilled silence. Kravitz is uncomfortably familiar by now with the unease of killing his own species, but he can only imagine what it's like to have to hunt down someone you once called a friend, family even.

Lucretia seems to have shared his line of thought. "I know this is hard for everyone. It's a terrible circ*mstance, as these things always are, but it is what she would have wanted."

She's speaking as if Maureen is dead - which, he supposes, she is, but that creeping unease still remains. Just a little too close to home. He catches his hand halfway to his neck and stuffs it in his pocket.

"We're going to send in a small squad, no fireworks," Lucretia continues. "We'll need raw power, three vampires for three vampires. That means Julia, Noelle and Kravitz for a start."

It looks like they really had been serious about sending him on this. He knows he's a lot more skilled in a fight than he was, but being faced with the reality of a serious mission, one where he's really being relied upon, brings a cloying anxiety. Though, he feels that small buzz of excitement again, too. Just a drop tinting the ocean of nerves and doubt, but present. That voice in his head telling him this is something he can do.

Lucretia's gaze settles on him as he does his best to look composed. "Obviously, Kravitz, your parole officer will have to go with you as well. Four of you in total."

Leaning on a desk next to him, Taako nudges his foot and flashes him a small smile. That bolsters him a little more still.

"Luc-" Magnus starts, but she cuts him off.

"And I am aware that certain teams will not want to be split up. I've half a mind to tell you to suck it up, but given Kravitz's relative inexperience, I think we can spare a few more people to make up for it. So, Magnus, you may go as well, and Lup to round it off to six. That way you can search in even groups. Is that acceptable?"

Lup nods amicably, and pats Barry's thigh in reassurance when he shifts anxiously next to her like he might say something, too. He gives her a worried glance, but keeps his mouth shut. Magnus looks a little embarrassed at being read so easily, but pleased. "Yeah, I can work with that."

"In that case, Angus can tell you what he's found about the area, and you're to head out as soon as you're prepared. You'll be provided with some communications equipment, but I suggest you keep chatter to a minimum lest they hear you coming - we don't want them slipping away from us." She pauses for a second and makes eye contact with each of them, resolve and concern mixing in her expression. "I'll leave the rest of it to you. Good luck," she says, and with that, she pats Angus on the head and walks briskly from the room.

With a yawn, Angus stands up on a chair and opens a few of the books to pages marked with brightly coloured paper. "So, it's an old area of town, lots of high rises that ended up abandoned and rotting. A lot of them are completely burnt out, so watch out for structural damage. There are a few entryways into the sewers - here, here, and a couple more over here - that they might try to escape through if you're not careful, but for the most part your main concern is just finding them. It's a fairly big area and we don't have a lot to go on. If it starts getting too close to sunrise, we'll have to pull you out and try again tomorrow night, but this is the best chance we have."

He goes over a few more details about the place where Roswell saw their target and the surrounding buildings, before giving them all a look that's achingly full of worry for a boy of his years. "Be careful, all of you."

Taako claps him on the shoulder, nonchalant as ever. "We got this, Angles, don't fret about it. Three killing machines and three top-notch hunters, we'll be back by dinner."

"Please take this seriously, sir. By the sounds of it, these three are really vicious, and if they're part of a larger group, it could get very dangerous very fast."

"Angus. We'll be fine. Go get some sleep."

Taako calling him by his actual name seems to surprise Angus enough that he doesn't argue, just gives a small nod and steps down from his chair. He squeaks a little as Killian unceremoniously throws him over her shoulder to carry him back to his room, her and Carey giving Noelle some words of luck and pats on the shoulder as they leave.

Lup steps up immediately, no-one disputing her place as leader of the team. "Okay," she says, "Roswell will show us the general area, but we'll have to do some searching from there. You happy to give us some aerial recon, Ros?"

"Affirmative, I can do that."

"Sweet. Get your asses ready and meet in the garage, fifteen minutes and we're out."

Kravitz takes the opportunity to visit Leon in the time allowed, signing out a transfusion bag and draining it right there to make sure he's in the best condition he can be before leaving. Then, he stops by his room to pick up his holster and staff. It feels heavier than usual in his hands, the weight of responsibility sitting on the blade. He straps on the holster under his jacket and slides the bar into place, securing it tightly, and then heads for the garage.

Time to get to work.

Chapter 26: Search and Slay

Chapter Text

The drive there is full of idle chatter punctuated by tense and quiet silences. Magnus takes the wheel, citing some kind of vehicle proficiency Kravitz doesn't bother to question - he drives surprisingly carefully for such a brash individual, focused intensely on the road.

Though the others are friends of his by now, he hasn't really interacted much with Noelle, their paths rarely crossing day to day. He finds her to be determined and thoughtful, and not without her own brand of subtle humour. She seems confident even without the company of her usual team, and she, Lup and Julia have a good rapport that they make an effort to include him in as Taako catches up on his sleep, though a lot of their inside jokes and references pass over his head. The team as a whole meshes wonderfully even with him being a new addition, and he marvels at how well Lucretia knows each and every one of her employees to play to their strengths so well.

Still, when the buildings around them turn from run-down to derelict and the car starts to slow, the conversation quickly dies down. They're here for a reason, after all.

They park a little way away from the area they need to search, not wanting the sound of the engine to give away their approach, and walk under a bare sliver of moonlight towards their destination with Roswell leading the way, a crimson flash under sparse streetlights.

Lup turns to whisper to the group as Roswell finally stops, alighting on a nearby wall with a bob of their head.

"Any of you three hear anything?" she says, addressing the three vampires.

All three shake their heads. The night around them is deathly silent.

"Guess we're splitting up. Jules, you lead Mags and Noelle in squad B, dingus and Krav with me for squad A, I'm not leaving you two lovebirds unsupervised."

Kravitz is about to make a comment about knowing how to be professional, but decides they probably deserved that one after their vanishing act. He keeps his mouth shut. Taako still isn't awake enough for a retort, just a smirk, eyes lidded as he leans on his umbrella, the cold air steaming his breath.

"I'll scout around the area and let you guys know if I see anything," Roswell says from the wall next to them. "Whistle if you need me."

"Thanks, Ros," Lup says as they disappear, then jerks her head after them. "Let's go."

They start at the south side of the area, combing northward in two parallel lines a block or so apart. They move methodically through a few structures, until the dim moon is high overhead. Most of the buildings appear to be completely deserted, many all but disintegrated, but some house the occasional lost soul huddled in the night chill. Always people falling through the cracks. But, all those people have heartbeats, the sound of their lives drumming faintly as they draw close. The group passes on; they're not looking for living beings.

Back outside after another fruitless building sweep, Lup stops and frowns as they approach a half-collapsed structure with something scrawled across the wall facing them.

"Is that... a sign?" she says, voice low in the quiet of the street.

"Sure looks like one," Taako supplies. "Or really bizarro grafitti."

It certainly does look like a sign. On the wall in front of them, broad, confident strokes mark out an arrow and large letters pointing to 'WONDERLAND.'

"You think this is some kind of underground club?" Taako quips as Kravitz steps forward for a closer look.

Despite being as cold as the night already, the vampire feels a chill as a familiar, sweet smell reaches his nose. "No." He snatches his fingers back from where he was about to run them over the brickwork. "That's not paint, it's blood. And it's recent."

"Well, if that doesn't scream 'vampire' I don't know what does. Let's follow the red brick road then," Lup says, and sets off in the direction the arrow is pointing.

Kravitz hangs back a little. "I don't like this. Why would they leave asign? We shouldn't let ourselves be herded like sheep."

"Well, what else are we gonna do? We have to go after them anyway, may as well take the direct route," Taako says, tugging him forward to stay close to Lup's retreating figure.

"Hm. Still feels like we're walking straight into the lion's den."

Taako shrugs and keeps walking. "Probably. But that's a pretty good place to be if you wanna kill lions."

There's a feathery rustle as Roswell flaps down to land on Kravitz's shoulder, making him jump a little. "They're all over," they say, "the others found one, too."

Hearing them, Lup stops and turns, takes a radio from her hip and clicks down the transmit button. "You guys are seeing these too?

Julia crackles in from the other end. "Yup. Think they're expecting us?"

"Maybe. Or they could just be batsh*t." Lup considers for a couple of seconds before pressing the button again. "Let's just follow this and see where it goes. Let us know if you find anything on the way - and don't rush into a fight, wait for us first. That means you, Magnus."

Magnus' voice comes loud and indignant through the radio. "Hey! I don't-"

"Mags, gimme that!"

Noelle is barely audible over the small speaker as she hisses, "Guys, inside voices? We're keepin' this quiet, remember?"

"Sorry," come Magnus and Julia's voices in guilty unison.

"Anyway," Lup continues, looking unimpressed, "we'll follow the arrows. Call in if you find something, or send Ros over."

"Got it."

"I'll see if I can't figure out where these lead," Roswell says, and flutters off again.

The arrows take them in a winding path through the buildings, often seeming to loop back on themselves without rhyme or reason. Kravitz shudders as he thinks about where the blood for the growing number of signs must have come from, even as the smell makes his mouth water.

After what feels like hours but is probably only about fifteen minutes, they see the others approaching from the opposite end of the street. Magnus raises a hand in greeting.

"End of the line?" he asks quietly (or as quiet as Magnus gets), as they come to a halt together outside a building that might once have been a hotel or upmarket apartment block, with a final arrow pointing down towards a doorless entryway. The interior is dark and the structure half-collapsed, rough scrub overtaking the eastern wall which is black with aged soot. The other walls look to be similarly unstable.

"Sure seems like it," Lup replies in a whisper, eyes squinting at the building through the darkness. Even though his own night vision is ten times better than a human's, Kravitz can't make out any movement inside, either.

Noelle shares his sentiment. "I can't see any sign o' life in there, but then that doesn't mean much. Can't hear a peep o' sound, either."

"Well, these are vampires we're talking about."

"Can we just get on with it?" Taako hisses, stamping his feet lightly. "I'm not one to volunteer to go into dark and spooky murder buildings, but we've been out for hours, it's f*cking freezing out here and I don't wanna turn into a nice little blood popsicle while we're standing around like sitting ducks."

Lightly rolling his eyes, Kravitz takes off his jacket and offers it to him. "Here. It's not like it makes any difference to me anyway." He only wears it to keep his holster hidden and for the look of it, really.

"Aw," Lup smirks, and Taako punches her in the arm, but he takes the jacket, zipping it up to his chin and pulling the collar up around his face, warming the fabric with his breath.

"Are we going in or not?" Magnus says, looking similarly antsy, fingers twitching towards a small hand-axe holstered at his back.

With a nod, Lup draws a stake from her own holster. "Quiet as you can. Jules, Noelle and Kravitz in the front, the rest of us'll follow along behind you. You guys are the meat shield, sorry."

Julia just shrugs. "Makes sense."

Before they can go more than a couple of steps, Noelle stops and frowns, looking around. "Wait a second. Where's Roswell? Shouldn't they have arrived ahead of us?"

The group all look at each other. Kravitz and the twins hadn't seen Roswell since they went to follow the path marked out by the arrows, and going by the others' expressions, it had been even longer since they'd seen their avian friend. There's a long, uncertain pause. Magnus whispers, "Should we whistle them?"

Biting her lip, Lup shakes her head. "We can't risk making any more noise than we are already. They'll be fine, probably just got tired. We'll regroup later," she says, though she sounds unconvinced herself.

The group nods a solemn agreement, for now.

"Time to hunt some lions, then," Taako says quietly.

And with that, they approach the entrance - bodies tense, and weapons drawn.

Chapter 27: Malice in Wonderland

Chapter Text

The interior is as pitch black as it had looked from the outside, the whisper of crumbling plaster accompanying the quiet crunch of their footsteps across the shattered tile floor. Other than their own movement, there's only silence.

Other than...

"I think I can-"

Shooting pain flashes behind Kravitz's eyes and he shouts and covers his face with a hand as lights snap on from every corner of the room. Similar noises erupt from his team, and there's a scuffling sound as someone stumbles and falls. He takes a firm grip of his weapon and strains his ears to try to hear the inevitable sound of their attackers approaching, but it doesn't come. Tension spirals through every limb. Why set up an ambush and not follow up on it?

A hand finds his sleeve. He flinches away and is about to swing his blade in its direction when a voice shouts, "Just me, fangs!"

He relaxes a little. Right. Taako's eyes would adjust before his. He cracks an eyelid to try to get a look at what's going on, but the brightness is still blinding.

"Well, this is convenient," comes a flat voice from his left, Lup's. Kravitz braves another look at the room, and this time his eyes have recovered enough for him to blink away the coloured spots obscuring his vision.

Spotlights bathe the space in sharp contrasts, bright highlights and deep shadows, with their group lit at centre stage. In front of them, two staircases sweep upwards from either side of a spacious lobby area, meeting at the top to form a balcony, where three figures are standing. One older, two younger, with manic grins, wild eyes, and sharp, pointed canines. The exact trio they've come here to find.

Maureen is dressed simply in grey and black, but the other two look like they've just walked out of a piece of pop art, all neon colours and sharp high-fashion cuts. Their limbs are dripping with jewellery, hair twisted and braided into labyrinthine styles with bold makeup honing already sharp features.

Kravitz almost thinks he hears Taako mutter 'nice' under his breath.

In a moment of concern, he risks a quick glance at the others - all fine, though Magnus is dusting off his palms on his thighs, lightly bloodied from the floor's broken tiles.

"Our guests have finally arrived!" one of the two younger vampires exclaims, leaning forward onto the balcony railing. It creaks precariously under the weight, but Kravitz is more focused on the red stain dripping from their hands to the floor below.

He follows the blood's descent towards the decrepit reception desk under the balcony. And there-

A dizzying mix of revulsion and feverish thirst billows up inside as he takes in a pile of mangled bodies stacked up behind it, torn to bloody pieces and seeping fluid onto the floor. Nausea turns his stomach, but at the same time the sight looksappetizing. He covers his mouth, though which feeling it's to suppress, he can't tell. They hadn't eveneatenthem, just ripped them apart and tossed them aside like broken toys.

Gaze still on the massacre, unable to look away as his body fights between polarized impulses, Kravitz hears the humans' pulses quicken slightly. Blood drips to the floor from Magnus' fists as he clenches them tight, but there's no tremor in Lup's voice as she asks, "So. What's with the light show, babes?"

"We just wanted to welcome you!" The young vampire who hadn't spoken before raises a small cage with a tiny pile of red feathers slumped at the bottom. "We already got acquainted with your little scout friend."

"They're alive," Julia whispers as Magnus goes to take a step forward. She'd also picked up on the faint, pattering heartbeat, then.

The first vampire co*cks their head with a devilish smile. "Did you like our signs? We went to a lot of effort to make them for you."

"So you did know we were coming," Magnus says through gritted teeth. It looks like Julia's hand on his arm is the only thing stopping him from launching himself up the stairs.

"Oh, obviously! You made it so easy for us to lure you here. Maureen knows exactly how your group operates, I would have thought you'd consider that," the second vampire smirks, self-satisfied.

"Just dangled your prize out in the open for a flash and in you followed, exactly like she said you would. Wonderful," the other vampire gloats, then claps their hands together. "Now, let's get down to business."

Lup raises an eyebrow. "Business vampires. That's fun."

"I was expecting a lot more of, y'know, you trying to kill us, if I'm honest," Taako says, sounding bored. If he hadn't been able to hear their heartbeats, Kravitz would have thought the twins completely unfazed.

"Well, we'd much prefer a civil discussion."

Kravitz finally tears his eyes away from the pile of gore, riled. He takes a half-step forward as his grip tightens on his staff. "Is that what you had with these people? A civil discussion?"

The first vampire beams, delighted. "Oh, it's the little running rabbit! How nice to see you again, and with some interesting new friends. Have to say, it's a little hurtful to see after you turned us down so thoroughly - were we not up to your standards?"

"No. You kill innocents for sport," he says with disgust, gesturing roughly towards the mound of dead behind the desk.

The second vampire giggles. "Well, that was a bit of a spree even for us. But we had to get your attention somehow."

That incenses him even more. "You knew we were already looking for you! You didn't have to kill any of these people! You-!" He can't get any more words out past the rage whirlpooling in his chest - why is he even trying to reason with them anyway? He shouldn't have expected anything different from these creatures.

"I suppose we may have had a little fun along the way," the first vampire chuckles, giving a bloody finger a slow, appreciative lick.

"You're monsters," Kravitz snaps.

He finds himself fixed with a smug look. "And what does that make you, sweetheart? A kitten? We both know you're not as righteous as you're acting."

The hot fury in his chest turns to ice. He opens his mouth to defend himself, distance himself, but nothing comes out. His eyes are drawn back to the pile of dead. Less than seventy-three, there. Some teacher's words about glass houses echo in the back of his mind.

A gloved hand tugs at his wrist. He turns to look back at Taako, whose eyes are hard, glaring up at the trio on the balcony. "Don't let 'em get to you, fangs. You're nothing like them." There's no trace of the usual cool smile on his face. "They don't regret any of this sh*t."

Kravitz looks at the ground. It would be nice if that were true, if they were all that different. But he is a monster, really, however much he pretends not to be. He's just getting good at forgetting.

There's another tug at his wrist. "Hey. I don't date people with sh*ttier morals than me, babe, you're good."

It's still not true, but he doesn't argue. Just gives a tiny nod and turns his attention back towards the enemy.

The two glamourous vampires titter. "How sweet. But, teasing aside, we really would like to talk to you."

"Your little group has been causing us some problems, hunting down all our friends."

"All for little Maureen here," the first vampire says, placing a still-bloody hand on Maureen's shoulder. The smile has faded from the old woman's face, replaced with something like confusion, eyes unfocused. She hasn't moved or said a word this whole time.

"Alternating their f*cking lines. Creeps like these give twins a bad rep," Lup mutters.

"How crass. We do have feelings, you know. And names," the second vampire pouts.

"Somehow, I don't care."

"You wound us, my dear." The first raises a hand to their chest in offense, then sighs and waves it dismissively. "In any case, business," they say with melodramatic disdain before giving Lup a dispassionate look."We want to make you an offer."

"This should be interesting," Lup says, folding her arms.

"You're aware of our... organization. Your little witch hunts have been causing us a bother, so we'd like you to stop."

Lup snorts. "And if we do, you'll give us Maureen, is that it? We're here to dust you all, no deal."

The two vampires laugh in eerie unison. "Oh, no," the second chuckles, "Our offer is you join us, or you die."

"You can imagine our boss doesn't like the idea of tame vampires in particular, as well as the rest of it. It's all rather an inconvenience to our ventures."

"We were told to kill you right away, but we'd hate to waste an opportunity to make some new playmates." A tongue runs over sharp teeth. "And we do meanmake."

The three vampires on the lower floor move a little closer to their human companions. Julia practically growls. "It's six on three, you're in no position to be making threats."

"Now, now, we prepared a little more than spotlights, darlings," the first vampire says, snapping their fingers. More glassy-eyed figures emerge from the deep shadows created by the lights. The group clusters closer together still - there are at least a half a dozen new enemies.

"This is bad," Noelle mutters. "This is really, really bad."

Taako's grip on his umbrella is white-knuckled, though his voice is light. "No sh*t, kemosabe, what gave that away?"

The twin vampires jump lightly from the balcony to stand on the floor facing them, the first still holding Roswell's cage. The motion seems to stir Maureen from her daze, who follows a second later, landing between them. The manic smile has returned to her face. "I think you should accept the offer. Edward and Lydia are such good friends," she says, gesturing to left and right with each name, "I know you'll love them. I've been having so muchfun."

"Sure seems like it. How have you been, Maureen? Enjoying your undeath?" Lup says, resting a hand on her hip and sounding almost amicable.

"Touch that radio, Lup, and I guarantee you'll lose your arm before you have a chance to use it. That goes for the rest of you, too." Maureen continues to smile unnervingly, and Lup scowls as she moves her hand away from her belt. "Perfect, now are you going to come willingly, or will we get to play with you a little first?"

"Normally we'd have a whole suite of games for you to try, but the boss was very clear." The vampire Maureen had identified as Edward sighs. "And we do so love to play with our food."

Magnus draws himself up and grips his axe. "Well, I don't know about the rest of you guys, but I'm thinking we dust these cats and head home for pizza."

"That's a little cruel, honey," Julia berates, but she's grinning, her sword shining in the stark light. "You know how much I miss pizza."

"All in favour of telling these goons to go f*ck themselves?" Lup intones. Six hands raise themselves into the air. Despite everything, Kravitz smiles a little, the others' confidence contagious. Lup co*cks her head at the three ringleaders. "Looks like it's a landslide vote. Go f*ck yourselves."

The group of hunters ready themselves for a fight, and Maureen opens her mouth with a smirk, presumably to give the kill order, but she's interrupted by another voice ringing from the entrance.

"Mom?! Mom!"

Chapter 28: Family Reunion

Chapter Text

Everyone in the room turns towards the sound. Unbelievably, impossibly, Lucas f*cking Miller is standing in the doorway, wide eyes illuminated by the light of a phone screen, wearing a bulky winter coat which renders his racing heartbeat muffled in the chill.

For a long moment, humans and vampires alike just stare.

"Wh... Lucas? What are you..." Maureen frowns and shakes her head like she's trying to chase away a bad dream. "You're not..." She scrunches her eyes shut, shakes her head again, and then that eerie smile slowly reasserts itself over her features. "Why don't you come over here, sweetheart?"

Looking uncharacteristically panicked, Lup moves to break the line of sight between them and shouts, "Lucas, get the f*ck out of here before you get yourself killed!"

"I - she's my mom! I have to, have to-" Lucas stammers, leaning sideways to try to keep his mother in his sights.

Lup is unmoved, expression moving from fear to anger as she continues to block him. "I don't care who she is, I'm not having your death on my hands! f*cking go!"

Her outburst seems to jar Lucas a little, and he leans ever so slightly backwards, one foot tinkling through the shattered tile. Then he sets his jaw and presses forward into the room. "No! I-I came here for a reason!"

Edward titters as Lucas shoves his phone into his pocket and makes his way towards them, stopping short with a jump a few feet away when some of the subordinate vampires growl a warning. "This should be fun."

"What do you think, Maureen, do you want to have your boy join us?" his sister says with a sideways glance.

Maureen frowns again, blinking rapidly. "I... don't know."

"Well, the more the merrier, right?" Lydia smirks and snaps her fingers.

There's a yelp as Lucas is seized and tossed forward over their heads, hitting the floor on his side and sliding a few feet to come to a stop in the space between the hunters and the trio of lead vampires. He pushes himself up shakily, blood dripping from his face and hands where they've been lacerated by the tile, insulation leaking out of tears in his coat. The nearby vampires start to shift in anticipation, but Edward waves them down. "Not just yet. We love a good family reunion - let the boy speak to his mother first, he's been so brave."

The group of hunters is similarly restless, but no-one makes a move. On top of being outnumbered more than two to one, they now have a huge liability to worry about. None of them want to risk breaking the thin ice they're on and getting swept away with the current just yet, though Magnus looks like he might crack any second, hand shifting on his axe.

Lucas carefully picks himself up off the ground and glances about the room warily. It's only now that he finally catches sight of the pile of bodies in the back, and he trips backwards a few steps towards his allies as his knees buckle and his face pales. The vampires make no move to stop him. In fact, the twins laugh as he stumbles over a bump in the floor and falls into Magnus, who drops a hand to steady him.

"You can hide behind your friends if you want, in the end it won't make any difference."

"Yeah, well, maybe we'll kill him first." Taako shoots Lucas a look out of the corner of his eye, unimpressed. "Good job getting yourself caught instead of callin' for backup, genius. Real smart play y'made there."

With Magnus' arm the only thing keeping him upright, Lucas is at this point more of a trembling puddle than a person. "I-I'm - I didn't mean to - I just... I saw her and..."

"And now you're in the frying pan with the rest of us, yeah. Good plan, nerdlord."

Magnus sighs and pulls Lucas properly to his feet, resting a hand on his shoulder to stop him swaying. "Well, no point complaining about it now. Shoulda known you'd pull something like this, really. Lemme guess, you put a tracker on the car, or one of us? Pretty rude, probably broke about a dozen Bureau rules."

"I-I'm not gonna apologize, I had to-" Lucas' expression tightens, and he turns back towards Maureen, seeming to remember again why he's here. "Mom, listen, you can - you have to come back to the Bureau. Please, we can, we can make this work."

"You all just came here to kill me, honey, I don't think Lucretia will share your sentiment." Her smile seems strained, forced. "Perhaps you could come with me instead, how's that? All you have to do is let me bite you a little, unless you'd rather one of the others took care of that."

Lucas blanches. "N-no, you were supposed to - mom, please-"

"Lucas, that's not your mom any more," Noelle says gently. "You gotta see that. She's past saving."

"So you guys get a free pass and she doesn't?" Lucas snaps, whirling to face her. "Taako gets to bring in some, some f*cking stranger off the street a-and I can't have my mom back? No, I'm not just gonna roll over and accept that - Barry said-"

"Barry'stheory," Lup interrupts sharply, "doesn't apply to vampires so far gone they paint signs in people's blood, Lucas.

"She's still... still my mom, I still - I-I can bring her back, please just let me try." He turns to Maureen again. "Mom-"

Lydia suddenly steps between them. "This is getting boring. As lovely as this has been, we're gonna kill you all now, cool?"

"Last chance for recruitment, kids," Edward says, extending a hand. He's met with six steady glares and a panicked plea for more time, which he cooly ignores. "No? Then-"

"No!" Maureen shouts suddenly. "No - don't, don't hurt my son. Or... or his friends." Her expression keeps shifting, conflicting emotions fighting for dominance in a way that feels almost familiar to Kravitz. A dull memory of white, cloying fog.

"...What?" the twin vampires rasp in unison, smiles sharp as razors and eyes wide as they turn to stare at her. Maureen runs her hands over her face, suddenly shaking and looking much older than her years.

"I'm not, not going to be part of this any more. I don't - what have I beendoing?" She presses a hand to her temple as she stares at the ground, looking pained, then her attention snaps back to her son, and her eyes are wet with tears. "Lucas, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry I left you alone."

Lucas sniffles. "It's fine. It, it doesn't matter as long as you come back with us now."

Maureen smiles, and this time there's no murderous intent or sharp edge to it, only relief. "You're the best son a mother could ask for, Lucas. You saved me, coming here. We're gonna go home, okay?"

She starts to walk towards him, past the twin vampires, and for a second it looks as if they might have one more ally on their side, and the trip might have something of a happy ending after all. Then Lydia snickers.

"Oh, now we can't be havingthat," she says - and faster than lightning, yanks Maureen backwards, wraps an arm around her neck, brings her other hand around to grip her jaw, and wrenches.

They're too far away to stop it, can only watch in horror. Magnus pulls Lucas towards him and shields his eyes with a hand as, with an awful, grisly tearing sound, Maureen's head is ripped from her shoulders. Lydia steps back as her former comrade's body dissolves into dust and falls to the floor, sweeping off her clothes blithely. "I'm afraid there's no leaving once you're in, my dears. This is a permanent contract."

Magnus's hold on Lucas loosens, and he shakes off his grip, only to be faced with a pile of dust where his mother had been just a moment before. Motes hang in the air like bright snow under the spotlights, swirling with the ghost of motion. Whimpering, he drops to his knees in a daze, tears spilling down his cheeks as he stares in disbelief.

Flicking away some errant dust from his shoulder, Edward laughs. "Now, there's no need to look so distraught, is there? Wasn't this what you came here for? We just made your jobs easier."

Lucas' breath hitches in his chest. He curls forward onto the floor, pressing his head against bunched fists like he's praying. "She was... she was..."

Next to Kravitz, Lup swears under her breath. "He was right," she whispers.

Edward claps his hands. "Mmn, all very loving, all very mushy. It really was very sweet, we love love, but we couldn't allow her to just leave. I'm sure you understand."

Magnus sets his jaw and pulls Lucas by his shoulder, resorting to picking him up bodily by the neck of his coat when he doesn't move and setting him down behind him. "Stay out of the way, I think it's about time negotiations ended. Jules?"

"Yeah, I got your back," she says, moving to Lucas' other side.

The figures around them start to shift again, sensing the escalating tension. One of them takes a small step forward. The twins smile.

"Let's play a game. The first one to kill or turn our guests gets the feast."

"The dead ones are the priority, but there's no harm in killing the others first if you'd like. Do your worst, my dears."

Lup smirks. "You'd better hope it's good enough."

Lydia snaps her fingers. And then all hell breaks loose.

Kravitz doesn't have time to spare even a fraction of a thought for the others before he has a faceful of snarling vampire. He kicks it backwards and swings his blade towards its throat - it misses by a hair. He curses, trying to bring the motion back under control after his wild sweep. These blood-crazed creatures might not be as strong or fast as Julia, but they're still vampires. He spins the staff into a defensive whirl, trying to get a look around to see just how many enemies he's up against.

There's a howl behind him and he glances back to see Taako clock a still-steaming vampire with the handle of his umbrella before sweeping its legs out from under it and raising his other arm to ram a stake home. He's almost managed it whena second barrels towards him, but it's barely made contact before a burst of flame lights its clothes and hair on fire and Lup slams into its back, pinning it to the floor.

Something flickers on Kravitz' peripheral vision and he throws himself backwards just quickly enough to avoid a nasty slash to the face, a sharp reminder that he needs to focus on his own fight. There's one vampire in front of him - the one that had just taken a swipe - and another to his right. Two enemies. He can manage two. That feeling in his stomach that tells him he's strong enough, skilled enough, speaks to him with confidence.

The one to his right lunges towards him, going to claw at his eyes, and he sidesteps the blow and brings the blunt end of the staff up to knock it sideways towards the one in front. To his dismay, they don't collide, as the second dodges out of the way and gets in close while Kravitz is still recovering from the swing. He brings his staff up defensively across himself and they grapple for a second before he slams a foot into its knee with a gratifying snapping sound. The vampire lists towards its injured leg, off-balance enough for Kravitz to shove it sideways and onto the ground, but then the other one is on him again, everything so fast he doesn't have time to think, only working on instinct and muscle memory from training sessions he's now very, very glad of.

He manages to put enough distance between himself and the uninjured vampire for a mostly unhindered swing, and though it raises a hand to defend itself, the blade passes right through its fingers before burying itself in its neck.

Unfortunately, it doesn't quite make it all the way through, and he finds himself stuck with a dead weight on the end of his staff as the other vampire finds its feet and throws itself at him. He succeeds in forcing the blade the rest of the way, but too late, and the staff goes spinning away into the darkness behind the lights as they collide among a cloud of dust. It clings to his eyes, rendering him temporarily sightless, and his only saving grace is that his opponent seems to be having the same problem he is as they roll blindly across the sharp ground.

Teeth sink into his hand, and he shouts, but it gives him a reference point, enough to get his other hand around the vampire's neck and push it back, and as he pries his hand away from its teeth he finds that they've come to a stop with him on top, knees pinning its arms, one hand on its neck and the other slamming its head into the ground by its face, dazing it. Weaponless, he has to resort to cruder tactics to put an end to it, and while he may not be a paragon of strength, he's definitely powerful enough to tear skin and muscle and cartilage if he has to. And he has to.

His knees sink into small piles of dust as the flesh in his hands also disintegrates, and he brings his fingers to his face to try to wipe the cloying mess from his eyes. When he's blinked away the worst of it, he staggers upright and tries to get a look around.

Taako and Lup are fighting four vampires between the two of them, but that number drops to three as he watches, and they seem like they have everything in hand. Noelle has one pinned by a foot on its neck as she kicks another backwards, looking similarly on top of things, but Magnus and Julia have taken the brunt of the attack trying to keep Lucas safe against three more enemies, as well as Edward and Lydia. He rushes their way.

He bodychecks one vampire as it jumps towards Lucas out of the pair's blind spot, sending it sprawling a few feet away. He takes care of it quickly, but when he turns back Edward is preparing to launch himself towards their trembling charge, and this time there's not enough time for Kravitz to intervene.

Magnus's form is suddenly between them, swiping at Edward's neck with his axe, goading him away. Edward makes to dart past him, but spins at the last second, landing a kick to his side that hits hard enough to send the huge man flying. He hits the wall so hard he leaves a Magnus-shaped dent, and slumps to the ground, unconscious.

Turning at the sound and finding the source, Juliaroars, blade forgotten in her anger, and is on Edward so fast Kravitz isn't even sure she moved through physical space to get there. She has him on the ground in a matter of seconds, but while Lydia rushes towards them, kicking her roughly off of her brother, the other two vampires are still making a beeline for Lucas. Kravitz stands for a second in indecision before someone yanks at his sleeve.

"She's got it covered!" Noelle shouts, pulling him towards Lucas. "Help me out with these two!"

They take one enemy each, heading them off before they get too close to Lucas, who's been slowly shuffling towards the exit over the course of the fight. He's not totally out of it, then, Kravitz thinks, a little relieved.

But now's not the time to think. He's starting to find his rhythm with these creatures, the way they move entirely by instinct, and he and Noelle are facing twin pillars of scattering grey particulate in no time at all.

A piercing shriek tears through the room, and he looks over just in time to see Edward's body turn to dust, Julia casting his head down to disintegrate against the ground. Lydia's eyes are impossibly wide, her face distorted with wild rage and grief.

"You'll pay for that!" she screams, stumbling backwards and slamming a fist into the eastern wall, drawing her hand back and striking it again and again until it crumbles under the blows, cracks ricocheting upwards towards-

"The ceiling!" Kravitz shouts as the building starts to groan around them.

Lup dispatches the last remaining vampire and follows his eyes upwards. "Out! Everyone out!" She grabs Lucas and shoves him towards the entrance as the others scramble after them, Julia hefting Magnus's unconscious form with her. Chunks of ceiling start to drop to the floor in waves as the long-neglected structure finally gives in to gravity.

Lydia grabs Roswell's cage and jumps onto the balcony, fleeing out the door behind. Kravitz watches her disappear, and time seems to slow.

"Fangs, move your ass!"

He looks back at Taako, halfway to the exit and beckoning him forward with urgent, panicked eyes. He knows that the building is coming down around their ears and that he should get out while he still can. He also knows that he isn't going to let another friend get hurt while he just looks on helplessly, not again. Not when he can do something about it. This undead body has to be good forsomething.

"She has Roswell! I can't, I'm not letting her get away - I'll be fine, just go!" he shouts, and sprints after the escaping vampire, hauling himself up the balcony after her. The room behind him starts to collapse in earnest as he plunges into the darkness of the corridor.

Chapter 29: 1v1

Chapter Text

The building's corridors are dark and bare, whatever furnishings there may have been reduced to ash that Kravitz kicks up as he runs, straining his ears for the sound of receding footsteps or even Roswell's tiny heartbeat. But there's nothing but silence ahead of him, only the sound of the lobby crashing down from behind. He stops at a junction in the corridor, glances around as his eyes finish adjusting to the darkness, trying to look past the ash in the air for any sign of his targets.

Ash. He looks back the way he'd come, at the grey particles in the air, at where he'd left a trail through the shallow covering on the floor. Lydia would have to have left a trail, too. He squints at the floor, finds the single path where the ash has been disturbed, and takes off again.

It takes another minute for him to catch a sound, a whisper of a rhythm, but it's enough, and as he rounds another corner he sees Roswell's cage set down underneath the burnt shell of a window, moonlight glinting off the metal. Their feathered form is still lying inside, unconscious, but where's-

Too late, he hears a sound to his left and someone slams into him, sending him flying into the wall. Lights dance behind his eyes as his head cracks against the brickwork, and his vision blurs the slowly approaching figure into smudges of vibrant colour. Cold hands take ahold of his jaw, long nails sinking into the skin, and start to pull upwards - he feels the bones in his neck straining to stay together and a strangled noise wrenching itself from his throat.

"How about I do to you... what your friend did to my brother?" Lydia whispers, bloodlust in her eyes. Her nails dig in further, and Kravitz shouts and kicks her away, head still spinning from the impact against the wall. He tries to stand but can't keep his footing, and she comes at him again, pinning him with one hand and grabbing his hair to pull his head back and expose his throat with the other. She rakes her teeth over the skin above his jugular and a wave of panic tears through his fogged brain, the need to get away get away get awaythe only thing he can think of over terror past and present screaming through him all at once. He tries to shove his attacker back, focus on now and running and surviving but he can't think straight, can't tell whether he's indoors or out or if he has a pulse or not or whether the sound of his strained breathing is a memory or if the smell of blood is from her hands or if it's his own or-

He's slammed backwards into the wall, pain cutting through his frantic thoughts and pulling him back to the present as Lydia drags a nail over his cheek, finds his mouth with her thumb and traces the edge of one of his fangs. A dim idea surfaces that he could try to bite her, that maybe that would hurt her enough to give him time to run, but his head is still swimming and it's a fight just to stay conscious, let alone move fast enough to escape.

"You are sturdy, though, aren't you? In fact, I could just maim you - break your neck, drag you back somewhere no-one's going to find you and break every bit of you piece by piece until you're in as much pain as you've caused me." She laughs hysterically, full of rage and sad*stic glee, "You can't even die unless I let you! Yes, I think that'd be a much better idea."

She's as strong as he is, if not more, and he can't keep his bearings long enough to fight back. In a last-ditch effort, he tries once more to push her away, but she just laughs and shoves him backwards again, knocking his skull against the bricks and bringing on a fresh wave of nausea and dizziness. She pulls him forward, throws him to the ground and slams a foot on his chest, increasing the pressure until something gives, and he screams, the snap of his ribs straining and breaking one by one echoing in his ears.

"Yes! That is exactly the sound I want to hear!" She throws her head back and laughs wildly - her guard dropped if only he could move to take advantage of it. His right arm is numb and unresponsive as he tries to raise it to push her foot away, but desperately scratching at the ground with his left, he feels cold metal appear in his hand. It's just some kind of rebar, but he grips it and swings it wildly upwards, hoping he can at least buy himself enough time for someone (are those footsteps?) to come to his aid.

Her neck is split in two as a blade meets the flesh.

Chapter 30: Taako

Chapter Text

"She has Roswell! I can't, I'm not letting her get away - I'll be fine, just go!"

Taako watches Kravitz sprint away after the escaping vampire.

"sh*t. f*ck. Idiot," he curses, and then he does something very stupid and very out of character.

He rushes in after him.

Lup's too far away to stop him, but he hears her shout, "Taako! Get the f*ck back here!"

Ignoring her - ignoring Lup? what the f*ck is he doing? - he keeps running, heading for the stairs. He's just reaching the top when the ceiling finally gives up the ghost completely, and as his foot hits the last step a stray beam catches him a glancing blow. He's knocked to the ground, biting his tongue as his head hits the floor. Reeling, he spits out blood, but doesn't even have time to curse before another chunk of plaster slams against his back, knocking the wind out of him. Lightning pain shoots through his shoulder and he grits his teeth as he scrambles to his feet, fumbles for his umbrella and drags himself through the double doors the two vampires had vanished through. He's gonna give this asshole a f*cking earful when he catches up with him.

Stumbling down the dark corridor, Taakohears the screaming, and that's Kravitz's voice, and he breaks into as close to a sprint as he can manage, cradling his injured arm against his chest.

-

The first time he'd seen him, his gaze had lingered like a butterfly on a particularly sweet flower. Tall, dark and handsome in the corner, all alone of an evening, catching his look and offering him a polite smile. Dark hair, dark eyes, dark skin, striking looks played down by worn clothing but shining through anyway. It seemed too good to be true.

And it was.

By all accounts, he should have killed him that first time he'd flashed a smile and he'd caught the glint of sharp teeth behind lips much less full of colour than they should have been. He should have killed him that night, but he didn't. He'd just suppressed a snort at the terrible accent and poured him a drink.

The guy was clearly starving. He looked like a walking corpse, but he wasn't looking at any of the lonely hearts who would have made such easy targets for him - because yeah, f*ck, the man was hot as hell even in this condition. But no, he was looking at the ones doing the targeting, the onesTaakohimself always kept a wary eye on. And when the bartender saw him leave after one of thoseslimebags, he didn't follow, didn't stop them. Who was he to moralise, after all? He had deaths on his own hands.

Still, he should have killed him that first time. And he didn't. The asshole the vampire followed out never came back.

The next time he saw him, he looked even worse, pushed to his limit and hands shaking almost imperceptibly as he took his glass of red wine that he wasn't even going to enjoy, not really. And when he left with another piece of sh*t who had slipped something into that glass,Taakofound himself turning a blind eye again. That one never came back, either.

The next few visits he didn't look so bad, eyes a little brighter asTaakocaught them glancing, staring. That was a new development. Not that he wasn't used to being looked at like that, but from a vampire? This vampire, who he should have killed several times over by now and apparently thought he was cute? Definitely a situation with a capital 'S.' One he should probably deal with, but... in a way, his customers were safer with someone there to take out the trash. And he did enjoy those looks.

Seeing him in the corner every few weeks became almost an event to him. He found himself looking forward to it. He even mentioned the guy toLupoff-handedly, though he left out the vampire part. He didn't need that earache.

He wasn't entirely stupid, of course he kept an eye on the guy. It would be irresponsible not to. More irresponsible than clocking a vampire on the hunt and doing nothing, anyway. But he didn't intervene, for months. Something told him he didn't need to, and nothing the guy did proved him wrong.

The last time he came in was one of the worst states he'd been in. He looked like death itself, not shaking this time, probably even past that, but gaunt and washed out and exhausted. It was almost pitiful.

Taakodecided tonight was the night enough was enough. This was the night he wasgonnafigure out what the hell this dude's deal was.

It hadn't been hard to strike up a conversation, not hard at all. Knocking over a drink and removing his target from the equation to make him desperate were simple things, but effective. He caught the suppressed panic in the vampire's eyes when he let slip how long he'd taken notice of him, saw him go to run and made sure he didn't, made sure he was enough of a threat that he had to be dealt with. And he threw some flirty words in there, too, because why not take advantage of it if the guy had the hots for him? However this ended, he may as well enjoy it. He was only human, after all, even if his date wasn't.

And, the man's resolve to kill seemed... flimsy. Brittle. No harm in pushing it a little, seeing if it wouldn't break. Wouldn't that be something? A starving vampire not taking the chance for an easy meal.

He'd teased him the whole way back to his apartment, making sure to take it slow and linking their arms together because the guy hadn't seemed to notice he couldn't walk in a straight line. Was this just routine for him? Being inches away from death's door? Sure, he'd been starving every time Taako had seen him, but that had to be the result of some kind of sh*tty luck, or just the fact that his bar was his last resort, or something.

The hunter kept up his show, regardless; distraction and misdirection were his specialty. He loved to dazzle, to perform. He was good at it.

Watching the vampire try to unlock the apartment door with shaking hands was pitiful, but he ignored it. Instead, he breezed past him and made himself at home, kept trying to throw the man off-balance and succeeded oh-so easily, and then he took it one step further than he really should have. Something was up with this f*cking guy. Creatures of the night didn't keep apartments, or pretend to stock their fridges, or have traces of guilt buried in their eyes. He wasgonnatest this weird, hot vampire, and he wasgonnahave fun doing it.

If Kravitz realised how thoroughly he was being manipulated, he didn't show it. In fact, it seemed like he was genuinely into him, if that first kiss was anything to go by. He was freezing cold and barely had enough presence of mind to fake his breathing, clearly as hungry as any vampire he'd ever seen, but damn if it didn't feel like he wanted this.

Despite himself,Taakoliked that idea.

He was weak enough from lack of food that even someone on the lower end of average probably could have won a contest of strength between them, butTaakodidn't object or resist when he flipped them over to give himself the advantage. It only made it easier to push his shirt off for easier access to his back, better to slide a stake into his heart if needed - but Kravitz had pulled away at the touch.

For a second, he thought he might have been made, readied himself to grab his umbrella and put an end to it, but the expression on the vampire's face wasn't angry or murderous - it was cautious, considering something.

And then he took off his shirt, and oh but he was gorgeous (don't) - skinny as all get out but still-and he still hadn't tried to kill him yet. A strange (hot (don't)) vampire indeed, but then,Taako'sstake was still snug in its hiding place, too. He should probably remedy that before things went any further. He did have a job to do, after all, even if he did have unanswered questions.

Pulling Kravitz - vampire, he'd reminded himself, his name doesn't matter - back down to kiss him (he kissed so well) again, he'd taken the opportunity to reach over and eject the weapon from his umbrella unnoticed, keeping it held at the ready in one hand while stroking along Kravitz's (vampire's) back with the other, counting vertebrae, ribs. It would be a shame to bring this to an end, a real shame.

He'd felt the graze of teeth on his neck (kinda hot (stop)) and allowed himself one more quip, probing at the vampire's brittle resolve one last time before he turned him to dust.

And it had broken. Shattered like glass.

Now that was something. Enough to make him curious. Enough for him to reconsider things.

The look onKravitz'sface when he realised what was going on was priceless, even if Taako did feel a twinge of guilt at tricking him like he had. Ridiculous to feel sorry for a vampire, but he'd looked tired and confused and angry, and so desperately vulnerable. And he still, still hadn't tried to kill him, even then.

A little more leaning and the vampire crumbled completely, and replacing the confusion and anger were resignation and some deep... deepsadness he was no longer bothering to hide. It looked like his instincts had been right after all: this unfortunate man had no real desire to kill anyone. It seemed like he really hated himself, actually, and wasn't that an all-too-familiar feeling.

So he kept talking, kept prodding and pushing until he stumbled upon an actual well of emotion. Genuine tears. This was turning out to be a very interesting night indeed.

It was strange to be holding a civil conversation with a wild vampire. They normally laughed, snarled, teased, snapped, if they could even talk at all. As they spoke, he was reminded more of conversations with the vampires - his friends - at the Bureau than any words he'd exchanged with others of Kravitz's kind. He didn't seem a trace feral at all. And that gave him an idea even as the man keeled over in front of him, his hunger finally catching up.

This one was getting recruited.

He'd dragged him to the cab certain of what he was going to do already, knowing it was risky and knowing there'd be consequences but not really caring. If he did nothing,Kravitzwould be dust by morning, and then he'd never figure out what was up with him. No, it wasn't altruism or kindness that spurred him, it was pure selfishness. He just wanted to find out more about this guy. Why he out of all the many wild vampires he'd met was lucid.

(Sure.)

When Kravitz had actually woken up, the wave of relief that washed through him was a surprise. A released breath he hadn't even realised he'd been holding. Ridiculous, really. Why did he care if some rando vampire lived or died? He didn't. He shouldn't. He definitely didn't. This was professional curiosity; the others could study him, figure out what made him tick, and he'd be an asset to the team.

(Sure.)

Luphad given him hell over it of course, but in the end she trusted his judgement. He didn't put his foot down over a lot of things, not seriously. She respected that enough to hear him out. And it felt like she'd figured out something that he hadn't.

(Or that he just didn't want to admit to.)

He'd come back to hear him talking to Angus, tone polite as anything and maybe even crossing into friendly. Almost being caught listening at the door wasn't his finest moment, but he'd played it off pretty well, he thought. And Angus had said he seemed nice. Coming from that kid, maybe bringing the guy there hadn't been a mistake. Maybe it had been worth it.

If he was going to do this though, he was going to have to do it right. That meant getting the guy cleaned up and dressed and then maybe, just maybe, Lucretia might bend her rules a little. She had to see there was something to this guy. If she didn't - well, he didn't care, right?

Right?

He hadn't really thought the showering part through. He shouldn't really leave him alone, but he couldn't, just, supervise him showering, and while he'd been turning those options over he'd been caught staring, but not before he'd caught a tantalizing glimpse of skin, and f*ck this room was very warm and he was very tired and Kravitz was very attractive and it had been a while since he'd seen any real action andwhat in the f*ck was he saying with his mouth holy sh*t shut up.

Then the shower had stopped, and he hadn't given him a towel. f*ck. Maybe if he didn't look, didn't think, he could keep his goddamn mouth from running away on him.

sh*t, he wanted to look. He'd been given permission to look. He'd looked and that was a very very bad idea f*ck he was going to embarrass himself even more.He was supposed to be a professional, for f*ck's sake, not some kind of horny teenager. Except he couldn't stop flirting with this f*cking vampire and holy sh*t that dress sense. This guy was gonna kill him, and he wasn't even trying to any more. It was one thing to see him flagging in a t-shirt and jeans in dim bar lighting, or shirtless in a darkened room, and another to see him in a goddamn waistcoat and tieand checking his reflection like he absolutely knew how good he looked. Taako's mouth had gone dry, and then run away with him again, the traitorous f*ck.

And then Kravitz had smiled - playfully, genuinely, no calculating edge or hidden guilt, and it was terrifying, not because of those sharp, deadly teeth, but because now Taako couldn't keep lying to himself that this was just work, not after the way his heart jumped into his throat.

sh*t, he really knew how to pick 'em, didn't he. A hundred miles out of his league and a vampire to boot.

He'd gotten so close Taako could smell the iron carried on his words. Still hot from the memory of that brief glimpse of him in nothing but his boxers and now faced with him dressed so sharply he might have cut diamonds, it had been a no-brainer (as in, his brain had absolutely not been involved in the decision) for Taako to kiss him again. And f*ck if Kravitz hadn't kissed back, the metallic tang of blood still on his mouth - and it didn't feel like it was because he was hungry and trying to finish the job. It felt like it was just because he'd wanted to. He'd even been careful about his teeth.

Of course Lup had cut them off - what are siblings for, if not to stop you making out with bad ideas? Obviously, Kravitz was a bad idea. He knew that.

He also knew he absolutely wanted this bad idea.

(And this bad idea seemed to want him.)

f*ck.

Convincing Lucretia hadn't even really taken much in the end. It didn't take an extended conversation with Kravitz to realise he was mostly harmless and also a massive dork. Especially after he'd self-consciously covered his teeth because, f*ck, cute.

He definitely hadn't expected her to put them in the same room, though. Probably thinking of it as some kind of guard duty for their new probationary member, but he'd take it.

The reality of it all hit him somewhere on the way there, in the quiet as Kravitz had rapidly drained several pints of blood. He'd thrown himself into bed with a vampire, somehow hadn't died, and now they were... co-workers? Co-workers who were sharing a room. That didn't seem workplace appropriate. Should it be? He'd always had a policy of not dating Bureau members (that sh*t was like dating family), did that now apply? f*ck, he hadn't thought this through at all, things were gonna go the way they always did and then Kravitz would leave-

But, as Taako had realised with a start, Kravitz couldn't leave.

Oh, god, he couldn't leave, he was such an asshole,he'd given the guy a choice between being stuck with him or actual literal death, of course he'd go along with anything he said. He hadn't even thought about that. Stupid and an asshole, score two for Taako, what a major-league piece of sh*t.

He'd slept on the couch.

Waking up meant realising it hadn't all been some kind of dream, some wild fantasy about him hooking up with the hot vampire from the bar and having it not end in one of their deaths. It had felt like a dream, but now he had to face facts, that this couldn't go any further. He'd looked at the sleeping figure in his bed and at how relaxed his face had settled, softened with unconsciousness, and he'd wanted, but acting on that want was out of the question. He was a bad idea, and it wouldn't end well. These things never ended well for him.

He'd gone through his wallet on impulse (like his stealing sh*t wasn't always on impulse). Some cash, old receipts, a driver's license for a Mackenzie Aman Kravitz - he'd been a little surprised the vampire had actually given him his real name, honestly, considering he was cautious enough to use a fake accent - that'd expire in a couple of years. The picture didn't do him justice, they never did, but it showed a slightly younger Kravitz with a faint smile and less of the tiredness that weighed him down now. None of that deep sadness that had come out under some light duress earlier. Taako supposed that was to be expected; whatever had brought him to this point probably hadn't been sunshine and rainbows, and he didn't seem to have anyone around him in the way Taako had had when his life went to sh*t. That was... kinda sad. It struck him again how incredible it was that Kravitz had made it this far without getting killed or giving up somewhere along the way.

As he flipped through the rest of the contents, there was another picture there too, one that was much more interesting. He'd smiled a little looking at it, it was kind of adorable. Kravitz, looking about eight or nine, beaming like the sun, a couple of teeth missing and unabashedly enthusiastic in the way only small children can be. There was a girl behind him who he guessed was about fourteen, wearing a very familiar expression, the same begrudging affection he'd seen on his own face caught in pictures with Angus. She must be pretty important to him for him to carry her picture in his wallet. Maybe this was the friend in the hospital he'd talked about.

He'd been interrupted in his prying by restless movement in the bed across from him. Kravitz's eyes were squeezed tightly shut, he was shaking all over, and his chest hitched like, like - it almost looked like he was trying to breathe, but his throat wouldn't let him. Like he was choking. But vampires didn't breathe. It was kind of painful to watch, honestly, but Taako was stuck in place. A nightmare? Could vampires even have nightmares?

He hadn't had time to turn that thought over before Kravitz jerked himself awake with a sharp gasp, looking downright terrified. When Taako had asked him if he was okay, he'd looked through him with wide, dark eyes for a solid five seconds before coming back to himself enough to give a familiarly evasive answer. He'd tensed up when he'd asked about the girl, too, not as bad as he did later with Merle but still enough to be noticeable. Seemed like there was some wound there that hadn't healed, so he'd left it alone. He was trying to follow a new resolution to be less of an asshole.

(That was something he'd kept noticing though, certain things that made the vampire start shaking or scratch absently at his neck, or that made his eyes glass over like he was looking at another plane of existence. That haunted look was just like Angus when dark memories plagued him, and even Taako could take a guess at the cause. He kept a mental list of those topics, and did his best to avoid them. Less of an asshole, remember?)

The more time they'd spent together, the worse he'd felt. Kravitz managed to put himself on good terms with everyone, even the guy whose arm he'd gotten cut off, he was just so goddamn likeable. f*ck, the guy was nice, and Taako had tricked him, practically kidnapped him, forced him into working for them against his will.

Well - either he was nice, or he was pretending to be interested until he could get free, and then he'd leave. None of his boyfriends - and that was some f*cking wishful thinking right f*cking there - ever stayed long once they got to know him. He wasn't a good enough person for that. That option made more sense, right? He wasn't interested at all, that'd be lunacy. He couldn't actually like him.

Could he?

No. There was no way. It was all an act, he - he wouldn't stay. He'd wait for his moment and then bolt as fast as he could, like they all did.

Doubt as his guide, Taako had pulled back, forced himself to detach so it would hurt less when the time came. But it didn't, and for all his pulling awayKravitzjust seemed to want to get closer. He made him laugh, made him forget he should be putting up walls, seemed concerned for his welfare. Asked if he was okay. Told him he did like him, after all, and sounded like he meant it.

He'd said he was amazing, without a trace of insincerity. And he hadn't pushed him, just left his offer on the table, left the door open for him and let him decide whether or not he wanted to walk through. No-one had ever done that. He always panicked, and pulled away, and people would either claw and fight to keep him present (which made him panic even more) or decide he wasn't worth the effort. Usually the latter.

So, he thought, maybe he could take a chance on this one. Just this once. Just this once, he'd take a leap and trust he'd be caught.

And he had been. And wasn't that something. A something that kept growing. He'd gotten caught up in that fanged smile, that unguarded laughter, the stupid accents and the sharp wit and the beautiful music and the underlying gentleness he'd never expected to find. Kravitz had slotted himself into his life like some puzzle piece he hadn't realised wasn't already in the picture somehow - and sure he could be grouchy and bitingly sarcastic and kind of an asshole when he felt like it, but in the end, Taako was often all of those things too, and he found he didn't care.

He hadn't regretted any of it. Not the flirting, not the kisses, not sharing his bed, and definitely, definitelynot the sex, even if it had been kind of cold and weird and he'd had to keep his gloves on the whole time.

(Kravitz had asked outright about the gloves exactly once. One day, after they'd shaken each other from their respective nightmares, he'd looked at him with a worrying mix of concern and insecurity, and quietly asked if it was because he was cold, assured him that if he found the sensation unpleasant, he didn't have to touch him at all. Or at least, it had sounded like that was where he was going because Taako had interrupted that bullsh*t halfway through by rolling on top of him and pressing every part of them that he could against each other, shutting him up with a kiss. He'd said he had his reasons but he didn't want to talk about it, that he didn't touch anything he cared about with his bare hands, and Kravitz had smiled a little, and nodded, and never asked again. The odd comment, sure, an invitation to open up if he wanted to, but he didn't push. He never pushed.)

No, Taako hadn't had any regrets. Not a single one. Until here, now, when he's faced with the prospect of losing this weird, stupid, ridiculous, sappy, caring,wonderful vampire. Now, he regrets not knocking him round his f*ckin' handsome idiot head and dragging him out of the building while he'd had the chance, because he's f*cking terrified, and it has nothing to do with the building coming down around him. Or maybe it's a little bit, a lot to do with that, but also to do with that other idea he's trying not to think about too much.

All these thoughts crashing around in his brain as he runs down the building's dark corridors, still wearing the jacket that smells like faded aftershave and trying to follow the sound of screaming, Kravitzscreaming, and it's his fault, Taako's fault for bringing him into all this.

He rounds a corner and finally finds him.

There's dust everywhere - no, no, this can't be happening, what kind of bullsh*t-

A figure moves among the dust, groaning. There's the metallic clatter of a steel bar against the floor as Kravitz collapses onto his back from where he'd been lying on his side, long hair coated in dead vampire and lying in dishevelled strands across his face.

Taako is next to him before he can think, kicking Kravitz's staff away and kneeling down so he can check him over. He wipes some of the dust from his face. He's in terrible shape. Deep gashes line either side of his neck, and it looks like some of his ribs have pierced the skin under his shirt. No blood, of course, but f*ck, it looks painful. His right arm is bent awkwardly at his side, and as Taako reaches out to lift his head he grunts in distress - eyes open, just about, but unfocused. He tries to take in a breath to speak, but instead hisses in pain, baring his teeth and screwing his eyes shut again. His arm twitches like he's trying to move it, but doesn't budge from the floor, and he winces.

"M... mouth," he manages.

Taako raises a hand to his lips - they come away bloody, residue left from when he'd bitten his tongue. He suppresses a snort. The man is lying half-dead (figuratively speaking) and beaten to sh*t inside a collapsing building, and that's what he's worried about? "I'm in better condition than you, babe, you look like Simba's goddamn dad after the stampede." That earns him a ghost of a smile. "If you weren't f*cked up six ways already, fangs, I'd slap you. I hope you know that."

Kravitz nods gingerly, gets out a single word, "Stupid."

"No f*cking sh*t. Thought I wasgonnalose my boyfriend right after we made it official. You're an asshole."

Bleary eyes attempt to focus on his own. "...Boyfriend?"

"Yeah, moron, boyfriend. And off you go tryna get yourself killed."

"Had t-" Kravitz starts, but the words turn into an agonised gasp halfway out of his mouth as the building shakes violently.

"Okay, that's enough, we've gotta get you outta here, fangs," Taako soothes, chewing his lip as he tries to search for an escape route. The building trembles again, and he can hear the sound of shifting rubble. "f*ck. We really need to get outta here."

He tries to get Kravitz slumped over his uninjured shoulder, tries to ignore the shouts of agony he's causing, but he's not quite strong enough to lift the vampire's weight completely and his own injuries are making him dizzy with pain. "f*ck," he curses, slumping to the floor.

There has to be something he can do. Maybe-

He pulls off the glove on the hand of his good arm with his teeth, presses his palm against the floor and tries to think of something sturdy, something like metal or solid stone or anything that might stop them getting buried alive, but nothing happens. "Come on," he spits in frustration, slamming his hand against the ground, "Come the f*ck on, work for me for once! You're supposed to be useful!"

It's clearly not going to work. He really doesn't know why he'd hoped any different. He grits his teeth and turns back to Kravitz, who's doing his best to push himself to his feet despite the evident pain it's causing him. A strained moan later and Taako is rushing to support his weight again before he crashes to the ground. "Hey, hey, don't move, fangs," he hushes, trying to lower him down gently, "we'll get out of this even if I have to push you out a window, got it? You can live through that."

Kravitz looks as if he's about to argue, but instead he lifts his head as quickly as he seems to be able to and stares down the corridor. "Someone's-"

Julia comes skidding round a corner, Noelle not far behind. She's holding Lucas' phone in her hand. "Taako! Kravitz -sh*t." She marches over and holds out her arms. "Give him to me. Noelle, you grab Taako."

"Roswell," Kravitz hisses as Julia lifts him. "Window."

Briefly setting him down, she glances around and catches sight of the cage sitting under the window, quickly snatches it up and places it on top of Kravitz's chest with a hurried apology before hefting them both into her arms. Taako hooks his umbrella over his good arm and starts forward, but Noelle snatches him up before he can go more than a couple of steps.

"No time for that," she rushes out, setting off at a run.

They move incredibly quickly down the corridors, Taako allowing himself to be carried for speed's sake even though his legs are mostly fine. He feels a little ridiculous being lifted by Noelle, who's about half his size, but if it means not dying in a collapsing building, he's not gonna complain.

By the time they get outside, exiting out the back of the building via a crumbling fire escape, the first signs of dawn are starting to show on the horizon. Julia swears and urges them onward, rushing them past the others who are waiting by the entrance with strained faces and giving a harried shout for them to follow as they make for where they parked the van, Lup taking over supporting Taako so that Noelle can pick up Magnus, still unconscious. Kravitz is all but passed out as well as they lie him in one of the corner seats with Magnus in another and pile in, Lup jumping behind the wheel after quickly making sure everyone is accounted for.

As they speed away, Julia bounces her leg up and down while looking nervously between Magnus and the brightening sky outside, and Taako knows why - it's gonna be a race to get back before sunrise, and they can't afford to get stuck somewhere with Magnus and Roswell needing urgent medical attention as well as Taako and also Lucas, who's still bleeding from dozens of cuts on his hands and face and looking very pale. That's something that could potentially become doubly a problem with a heavily injured vampire in the vehicle, which Lucas appears to have noted if the fact that he's sitting as far away from Kravitz as possible is any indication. Taako catches his eye as he glances back nervously and glares at him, even though he'd been thinking the same. But Kravitz is still and silent, the only motion he makes being the occasional wince or pained grunt as the vehicle jostles them. His resemblance to a corpse is growing unnerving, and Taako finds his hand and squeezes it, breathing a little easier as he squeezes back weakly. Not long after, a sharp bump in the road draws a hoarse attempt at a shout from his lips, and he tenses against the pain before falling completely unconscious, grip slackening in Taako's fingers.

Sucking in a breath through his teeth as he moves his shoulder, Taako gingerly tugs off his jacket - Kravitz's jacket - and covers the vampire's face with it as the sky starts to brighten even further. The tinted windows might buy them some time, he just hopes it'll be enough.

Chapter 31: Patient

Chapter Text

Consciousness is a slippery thing for several hours. There's a vague idea somewhere in the depths of his swimming mind that he should be trying to stay awake, something about head injuries, but he can't keep track of much outside of the warm touch against his hand. It doesn't matter, it won't stick. Nothing sticks.

At some point, the warmth leaves. He misses it.

Eventually, he becomes aware of the buzzing of fluorescent lights and the occasional sound of shifting paper. Everything smells clean, the scent of blood no longer heavy on the air. With awareness comes feeling, however, and with feeling, pain. His torso feels like it's been run over, right arm and head not much better. Why was he injured?

The building. He has to-

As that thought solidifies in his still-fogged brain, the sound of turning paper stops. There's a small gasp and then the sound of running feet and a door opening and shutting.

A door? He's inside? There are lights. He remembers being in a car before he passed out. There are sheets against his skin, a pillow under his head.

Safe, then. Hopefully.

"You finally awake?" comes a gruff voice. A familiar voice. He rolls his head towards the sound, slowly, because every movement sends his stomach cartwheeling. The room's lights are harsh on his eyes, and it takes him a minute to make out Merle at the other side of the room, sat at a desk with his back to him.

He's at the Bureau, they made it back. He feels his muscles relax with the thought and as his arms shift there's a clinking sound and he becomes aware of something pressing against each of his wrists. He moves his left arm slightly, testing, tugging gently at the restraints.

"Insurance," Merle explains as he spins on his chair to face him. "Just in case you couldn't keep it together. You lucid?"

Kravitz nods carefully, head still spinning but clear enough to know he's not going to take a bite out of anyone.

Merle sighs as he pushes himself up from his chair and shuffles over. He waves a hand in front of Kravitz's face. Automatically, Kravitz tries to follow the motion for a moment but stops when it starts to make him dizzy, screwing his eyes shut instead.

"You can see that, then?"

Another nod. When he opens his eyes again, there's a light in his face. Merle hums flatly as he winces. "Thought so."

The light switches off and he feels his wrists freed, the sound of metal clattering against itself following shortly after. Handcuffs? They'd handcuffed him to the bed?

His initial indignation quickly fades into numb acceptance. Of course they would. He'd be a danger to others if his injuries pushed him over the edge. Tying him down was the logical approach, the safe approach.

Merle rolls his chair over to sit next to the bed and starts flipping through pages on a clipboard.

"So, I think you're starting to recover already, but you have a concussion and a skull fracture, at least. And that's just your head; when they brought you in, your whole right arm was broken from your wrist to your collarbone, as well as most of your ribs, which - if you haven't felt that sh*t already - had pierced the skin and punctured your lungs, causing them to collapse. Not to mention the lacerations on your neck, and the fact you were just generally beaten to sh*t." Merle sets the board next to the bed looks at him blithely. "Basically, you'd have kicked it ten times over if you weren't already dead."

It definitely feels like he should have died ten times. He tries to take in a breath to respond and almost blacks out. It's unfortunate that whatever magic keeping him animated extends to his nerves as well; the warnings they bring seem a little useless when damage is undone in days and none of it can even kill him anyway, he thinks. Or at least, that's what he would be thinking if he wasn't almost fainting from the pain in his chest.

And being unable to breathe is, is - that isn't a feeling he deals well with. He fights down a rising panic and reminds himself that he doesn't need air anymore, doesn't need to breathe. It barely helps. He clenches his jaw and crumples the bedsheets in his fist. You're fine, calm down, you're fine. It doesn't matter if you can't breathe, you're already dead.

Merle seems to notice his discomfort, though discomfort is a mild term for it. "Right, I couldn't give you any painkillers with no bloodstream to put them into. Now you're awake, though, I can give you some pills for you to take until you pull your rewind routine."

Trying to focus on the throbbing in his head rather than the one in his chest, Kravitz gives him a quizzical look that he hopes gets his question across.

Merle shrugs. "Works for the others, long as it's a double dose. Your bodies mostly function pretty normally as far as we've been able to figure out, just magic does a lot of the heavy lifting instead of things like your heart. Like, you can technically still eat things other than blood, there's just not any point; it doesn't stop you getting hungry and you'll probably just make yourself sick from the taste." He sets down the clipboard and starts rummaging in a drawer. "Anyway, point is chemical sh*t works. Like booze - I mean, don't tell me you never tried getting yourself smashed in five years?"

(*) Gingerly resting his head back into the pillows, Kravitz looks at the ceiling. He had. Many times. Usually they coincided with the times he'd left deep bite marks across his skin in an ever-futile attempt to see if he could bleed, the times he'd considered finding the closest hunter and letting them put an end to it all. He couldn't, though, not when it meant leaving Raven alone. At least drinking himself into unconsciousness had meant some relief from the nightmares, even if the taste of the alcohol was lacking.

Mostly unphased by his silence, Merle pulls a small container from the drawer and slides it shut. "I can't figure out if that's a yes or a no. Just take 'em anyway, if you can. Here."

Kravitz lifts his good arm to take the small pills Merle offers his way. Swallowing them is an effort, but it's not like he can choke. After a couple of minutes, during which time he notices his right arm has a splint attached to it and his ribs have been bound in place, they do start to take the edge off the pain. He doesn't bother to question that part of his undead physiology, only be thankful for it. Merle busies himself with something on the other side of the room. Once the drugs have taken enough of an effect, Kravitz finds his voice, just about.

"The others?" he rasps, grimacing as he feels the bones in his chest move around. He decides to take talking off the table for the moment, but at least he knows he can.

Merle turns to him and raises an eyebrow. "All peachy. Well, they're alive. Magnus still hasn't woken up, but I don't think there's any, uh, permanent damage. Roswell was awake earlier but they're sleepin' again now, and Taako - well, he was camped in here until I forced him to go get some rest." He folds his arms, rubbing at the base of his prosthetic, and fixes Kravitz with a disapproving look. "He was worried f*ckin' sick, though I can't see why. Not like you'd even die from any of this crap. But, don't pull any sh*t like that again, bub. I won't see that boy hurt on my watch, got it? He's been through enough sh*t."

"Mmn," Kravitz hums, doing his best to make the noise sound apologetic.

"Well, you sound sorry." Merle scratches his face. "And you did save Roswell. Told 'em what you did when they woke up before, they're real grateful to ya. Maybe make sure you don't need savin' too next time, though."

Kravitz nods very slightly and allows himself a hint of a smile. It had come at a price, but things had gone differently this time. It's vindicating, knowing that he'd managed to save a life for once instead of taking one.

His satisfaction doesn't last long, however. A moment later the door swings open and Taako pushes his way into the room, looking tired and pissed off. He's still wearing Kravitz's jacket, loosely slung over his shoulders like a cape seeing as his left arm is bound up in a sling. Kravitz feels a rush of guilt when he sees how beaten up he is; he'd been so out of it he hadn't realised just how badly Taako was injured. He hadn't cared about the cost to himself, those things were temporary, didn't stick, but the idea that he'd put the hunter in danger hurts almost more than his injuries.

"You," Taako says, pointing, "are a f*ckin' moron."

Well, at least he's well enough to insult him.

"You gonna defend yourself? Apologize, maybe?" Taako continues, settling down in a chair on the other side of the bed to Merle. He picks up a pair of his signature gloves from the seat before he sits, slipping them on without looking. Kravitz goes to take a breath so he can maybe force out something resembling a comeback, but Merle cuts him off before he can even start.

"Don't try to talk. It'll only make it take longer for you to heal. Bad enough I have to have you in my office instead of outside with everyone else without you extending your stay." He turns his gaze to Taako. "You've seen the state of his ribs. Don't goad him, or he'll never recover, and I'll have to have him in here forever."

"Fine,"Taako huffs, and crosses his legs, leaning back in his seat. "I'll hold off on grilling you for a bit, even though you deserve it." He tilts his head a little, eyes roving over Kravitz's bandaged torso. "And, I guess you did kinda get your comeuppance already. Lady did a number on that bod of yours. Probably hurts like hell, but hey, at least it won't kill ya, right?" he says, flashing a wonky grin with more concern behind it than he'd probably meant to show. Not daring to laugh, Kravitz just smiles weakly instead.

Taako smirks at him, poking his shoulder gently. "I'm liking this no talking thing, you can't sass me like this."

Kravitz braves enough of a breath to choke "f*ck you," immediately regretting it but smiling through the pain nonetheless. It's worth it for the smile he gets in return.

Exasperated, Merle throws a hand in the air and turns back to his desk. "Don't know why I bother," he mutters.

"Oh, hush it up, old man. You're a miser."

"Well excuse me if I'm a little grumpy after bein' awake all day patchin' you idiots up. What were you fightin' on, broken glass?"

"Somethin' like that. Think those assholes chose that terrain on purpose, real pieces o' work."

Wearily, Merle shakes his head and stands from his chair. "If you're stayin', I'm gonna go get a coffee. You can be on guard duty for a while, mister parole officer."

"Don't you think we can drop that now? Guy ran into a collapsing building to get our friend back."

Merle shrugs as he heads out into the corridor. "'Cretia said I had to wait at least twelve hours before he's left unsupervised."

Taako sniffs a little, irritated. "Ingrates. I'd say you've more than proved yourself by now."

"'Tsfine," Kravitz breathes. It's a good excuse to hang around you all the time, he wants to say, but he can't quite manage that much air yet.

Taako looks at him doubtfully but doesn't say anything, just shuffles the chair closer so he can lean forward onto the railing of the bed and lace their fingers together, breath whispering against Kravitz's hand as he suppresses a yawn.

They sit like that for a few minutes, Taako clearly trying to fend off sleep but too stubborn to admit it. Kravitz starts to feel the painkillers kicking in in earnest, and lifts his head slightly, rubbing his thumb against the back of Taako's glove. "You-" he starts, taking a second to brace himself against the dulled protest from his chest before pressing on regardless; it doesn't really make too much difference if he hurts it a little more anyway. "You look tired. You should sleep."

Taako yawns and lifts his eyes towards him. "This mean you're up for talking now?"

"Just about. No monologues, but, a little," Kravitz says, quietly, making sure to at least keep his breaths shallow and words brief.

"Good," Taako says, leaning over to poke him in the shoulder again. "You ever pull that lone wolf sh*t on me again, I'm breaking up with you. We work in teams for a reason, fangs."

Seeing the worry behind his anger, Kravitz offers him an apologetic smile and a slight nod. "Yeah, sorry. Dumb move. Thank you for bailing me out."

His apology is met with an aggrieved sigh and a waved hand, but Taako's eyes soften slightly. "I didn't do much, don't worry about it. It's just a good thing you had your staff with you. Shame it got left behind, but we can get you a new one. Or, cleanup'll probably pick it up eventually if you're like, super attached to it."

"...My staff? I thought, I lost it." Kravitz frowns, confused. "No, I definitely did. I lost it in the fight."

"Well then how-" Taako blinks at him, and then his brows draw together. "It was in your hand. You took her head off with it."

"I thought you killed her."

Looking as confused as Kravitz feels, Taako shakes his head. "When I found you, she was already dust, babe. Your staff was in your hand, and she was gone."

"What? No, I definitely didn't have it." Kravitz pauses for a second to cast back in his hazy memory for those frantic moments before Taako had arrived. Things had been moving very quickly, and he hadn't been thinking straight, but- "I just, I was trying to find something to buy me some time and there was... some rebar." He couldn't have beheaded Lydia with only that, could he? He isn't that strong, vampire or no.

"It wasn't rebar, babe, I saw the blade. It was definitely..." Taako trails off, still frowning. Then, a grin starts to slowly tease at his face. "Oh, my god. Oh. My. God." He stands and leans forward onto the bed, pointing a finger in Kravitz's face excitedly. "You're a magic boy! You totally summoned that sh*t!"

They stare at each other for a minute, Taako beaming and Kravitz gaping at him. He pushes himself up slightly on his good elbow as Taako leans back with a smirk. "No, that's - no. It - no?"

Taako braces a foot against the bed and starts rocking the chair back and forth on its hind legs, still grinning. "Krav, babe, you didn't have it, you needed it, and then you did have it. That reeks of summoning magic, my dude."

"Th-" Kravitz stops, starts again. "That's not? No. I must've, must've forgotten I had it, or something. Or someone else-" He tries to sit up further, too quickly, and drops back onto the pillows with a pained grunt as that concussion makes itself felt. Taako snorts and shakes his head fondly, patting his hand.

"Alright, I'm gonna let it be for now, but we are totally gonna put this theory to the test once you're better, my guy."

"I... yeah, okay," Kravitz says, mind still trying to turn but more than willing to drop the subject with the ache that's thrumming through his skull. "Could you help me up? It's kind of hard to," he fights back a cough, wincing, "to look at you from this angle."

"Oh, sure. I got a better idea though."

Taako helps him adjust the pillows so he's sitting further upright, then climbs up onto the mattress and carefully settles himself against his side, resting his head gently against Kravitz's uninjured shoulder and lifting the hand that's free of the sling to play with his hair, still covered in a light coating of dust. Kravitz wraps his good arm around him and rests his chin on top of his head, feeling a little guilty for leeching Taako's heat away but not enough that he doesn't press closer. Taako doesn't seem to mind.

"...I'm really glad you're okay," Taako says quietly after a moment, only audible because of how close they are. "I was uh, was worried, for a minute there."

"You put yourself in danger, too. I should scold you for running in after me."

Taako laughs, once, with little humour. "Don't bother, I've already had that spiel from just about everyone, including Lucretia. 'Sides, I knew it was a bad idea before I did it, but uh," he winds some of Kravitz's hair around his finger and pulls some of the dust out of it, flicking it away, "I didn't really care. We're a team, I got your back. Those guys were... they were pretty extreme. Not a great idea to try to go one on one, fangs."

"Yeah, you're right," Kravitz murmurs, pressing his face into Taako's hair and kissing his head. "I knew it was a bad idea, too."

Taako hums and lightly traces his fingers over the bandages around Kravitz's neck, then rubs a thumb along his jaw. "At least you know you were being a moron. Still, close one, huh?"

"Yeah."

"And, look, you did good getting Roswell out. I know - that's, honestly, if Mags was conscious, I bet he would've tried something similar. But you're important, too, y'know? I'm glad Ros is okay, but that could've just ended with two losses instead of one. I can't be dating someone with a death wish. You're not expendable, fangs."

Kravitz watches him as his fingers move deftly through his hair, twisting and twirling but unable to really braid with just one hand. And that guilt comes again, knowing the reason he can only use one. It's painful, in a different way from the physical. He isn't worth Taako getting hurt for him, can't let this happen again. "I appreciate you saying that, but..."

Taako sits up, turning slightly to look at him with the beginnings of anger touching his features. "But what? There is no but, here, Krav, you're not."

"It's not - I just don't want you to..."

Kravitz goes quiet, thinking about the brutality of the vampires in that building, how utterly sad*stic and bloodthirsty the twins had been, even though they'd spoken so amicably. All those bodies, but still less of those than the pile in his wake. He'd called them monsters, and they'd asked what that made him. What did it make him? A monster with a conscience, maybe, but no better than them.

And the look on Maureen's face had felt so familiar. A shudder goes through him as his thoughts stray to that white patch in his memory he tries so hard not to think about. Those first weeks that he can barely remember.

There's warmth on his arm as Taako clamps his hand over it, watching him intently, voice hard. "Don't want me to what?"

"I just mean," Kravitz says, carefully, slowly, for more reasons than just his injuries, finding Taako's hand and linking their fingers, "Just, for example, if I, if I ever got like that, like those vampires back there, I'd want you to kill me. No trying to talk me down, no trying to save me, just take me out before I can hurt anyone. You shouldn't try to help me if it's dangerous. I really do appreciate it, that you say I'm not expendable - and I would hope you never have to make a choice like that - I just don't want you to, to value my life so much it puts others' lives at risk. Or yours."

Taako moves further away from him and pulls his hand from Kravitz's grip. "What, because your life's worth less than anyone else's? That's bullsh*t. Besides, it's not gonna happen. I know you, you wouldn't do anything like that. You wouldn't hurt anyone."

Pursing his lips, Kravitz doesn't give voice to his thoughts, that he doesn't really have a life to be worth anything, that he has hurt people, has enough blood on his hands for anyone to be justified in calling him a monster, that the least he can offer in penance for the lives he's taken is not to hurt anyone else, no matter the cost to himself. Instead he says, "You can't be sure of that."

"I can and I am. End of discussion."

"Taako, I really think you should consider this seriously. I'm not kidding when I say I would sooner die than hurt any of you. You have to accept that I'm not human, things can go wrong."

Taako scowls at him. "I am serious. It won't happen, and even if it did I'm not gonna kill you. That's stupid. Never say that to me again, that you'd die, ever. I don't give a sh*t if you're human or not."

"I just don't want you to get hurt because of me."

"Bullsh*t! I'm a grown ass adult, you don't have to protect me like I'm made of glass just because you're a little harder to kill than I am."

"It's not like that-" Kravitz starts, but Taako stabs a finger at his face, hushing him.

"Kravitz. If I got turned, and couldn't keep it together, would you kill me? Could you kill me?"

Kravitz goldfishes, unable to manage a response. It's different, the other way around. His answer should be yes, except he knows that it isn't, even with all the logic in the world saying otherwise. "I, no, but-"

"Right, and that's not gonna happen either. I'm way too good at my job for that. So can we stop talking about bullsh*t hypotheticals now? You're not, not some kind of chess piece to be sacrificed for the greater good. It doesn't work like that."

Taako's look is intense, angry in a low-burning way that tells Kravitz he should save his breath lest he blow those embers to life again. It isn't like chess at all, he's right. Your own pieces can't hurt you in chess, and they haven't lived morally dubious existences before the start of the game. But, neither of them are in any state for an argument about his ethical status. He finds Taako's hand again and brings it to his mouth to kiss his fingers. "...Okay. I'm sorry, I shouldn't've said anything. Now's not the time."

Taako rolls his eyes, decidedly unimpressed with his response, but also still fighting off sleep and probably some painkillers of his own. "Close enough. So are we done? I don't know about you, but I wanna enjoy this downtime. Bedrest, they said," he snickers, settling into a smirk, planting kisses along Kravitz's jaw and leaning back against his shoulder. Kravitz loops his arm back around him and chuckles into his hair, turning his head so he can leave kisses of his own along Taako's forehead and over his cheeks. Then, Taako leans in to try to catch his mouth, and Kravitz pulls back, remembering something. It earns him a look even more unimpressed than the previous one.

"What?"

"Didn't you cut your mouth? Before? There was blood on your lips."

"Yeah, I bit my tongue a little. Doesn't hurt much. What, you won't kiss it better for me?"

"I don't think it's a good idea for you to be kissing me if you've got an open wound in your mouth. I don't know how much that could count as a bite if anything got into your bloodstream."

Taako's frown turns into a pout. "Oh. Well, boo. No frenching 'til that heals, then, I guess. Downer."

Kravitz nods and wipes a stray eyelash from Taako's cheek. "Yeah. Better safe than sorry though, right?"

Snorting, Taako raises an eyebrow and plucks at one of Kravitz's bandages. "I didn't realise you were so concerned with safety, fangs. Could've fooled me."

"I won't take risks when it comes to you."

Rolling his eyes again, Taako headbutts him gently in the chin. "We really need to have a talk about this protective streak, babe. But not now. It doesn't matter, anyway, I can kiss you other places," he smirks, trailing a hand down Kravitz's chest towards his stomach and sliding his thumb underneath his waistband. Kravitz is laughing quietly and shaking his head when Merle wanders back in holding a cup of coffee, stopping with his hand on the door. After a second, he starts forward, waving his free hand.

"Nope! Nuh-uh, I've been lenient, but none of that sh*t in here."

Taako flips him off. "Like you're one to tell anyone else off! You and your f*ckin' plants!"

Setting his coffee down on his desk, Merle puts on a vaguely patronising voice and raises his hands mock-defensively. "Listen, it's cute and I'm glad you two're gettin' all lovey-dovey," he drops his hands to his hips and glares pointedly at Taako, "but not after I just spent my precious time setting your bones back together! You're both supposed to be on bedrest, and I've been nice, but I think it's time you scram before you undo all my hard work."

"I'm not hurtin' him," Taako pouts, a little bratty. Kravitz feels like he's sitting in on an instance of parental discipline. "And I'm fine, you've got me on that good sh*t, remember?"

Merle is completely unmoved. "Taako, if you don't get your ass the hell back to bed, I'm gonna put a blessing on your goddamn face, and then you won't be smooching any undead beings for a long ass time."

Taako glares daggers at him. "You wouldn't."

"Try me, buddy. I can play the stern doctor when I feel like it."

There's an abundance of scowling and grumbling, but Taako begrudgingly slides off the bed and stalks out of the room. A second later, he pokes his head back around the door.

"This is mine now, by the way. Payment for my trouble," he says, tugging at Kravitz's jacket and vanishing back into the corridor again.

Merle sighs and checks his watch. "Y'know what? I'm gonna take a nap. I'll lock the door, don't try to leave 'n' get me in trouble, yeah? I shouldn't technically be leavin' ya alone yet, but I'm pretty sure you're not gonna eat anyone."

"I won't go anywhere. How long before I can leave?"

"'Nother few hours. I'll talk to Lucretia, see if I can't convince her you're lucid enough to get out early."

"Thank you. Sorry to cause you so much trouble, especially after, uh," Kravitz gestures towards Merle's arm, feeling his lips twitch into some kind of apologetic grimace. Merle just snorts at him and waves him off as he heads towards the door.

"I'm not one to hold grudges, waste of energy. You can pay me back by not letting Taako make more work for me. And by not letting me see you in here again; I shouldn't have to play nurse and babysitter to a dead guy. You vamps are supposed to be sturdy."

"Of course. I'll try not to let it happen again."

"Whatever. They all say that, and then the next day they're back askin' me to fix their new boo-boos. I'll be back in an hour or two, maybe bring you some food while I'm at it," Merle says, and shuts the door. The lock clicks, footsteps recede down the corridor, and Kravitz is left alone with his thoughts.

(*) Lying in a bed on his own like this reminds him of daylight hours in his apartment, except in this instance he has even less to do - he can barely move, can't even pace the room. It's a state he tries to avoid, being unoccupied; his mind always strays in disquieting directions. Like towards those moments of wondering if it was the end for him right before Taako had arrived, the memory clamouring to be thought about, the fear of dying still sharp and fresh on his nerves. His head always told him that he was only a parasite, really, keeping himself alive at the cost of others, but it's not like he could let himselfdie. That was always the problem, that he couldn't help but cling to existence even though he shouldn't, doesn't have any right to. He'd gone on for so long by telling himself that he was a monster and that monsters don't feel guilt, that they can be numb and selfish enough to live the way he had. It had worked well enough to get him this far, and it's true. He's nothing but a dead man leeching off the living.

But it feels like living again, being here, like being human, and humans do feel guilt. The numbness that had kept him safe from it had melted under warm hands even as he tried to forget, and it's crushing. Crushing like a foot on his chest and a voice asking what he thought he was.

He scrubs at his face, letting out a noise of frustration. No. He's not hurting anyone just by continuing to exist any more. He doesn't have to feel guilty about surviving this.

(*) But the feeling is still there, whispering. Saying that he shouldn't have fought so hard, because he had hurt so many before, isn't meant to be here to begin with. That he should've died for good five years ago in a dark alleyway and that every day since then he's just been running and living on stolen time because he hadn't known what else to do, was scared of the alternative. Still is, because he'd been desperate enough to pull off some kind of miracle.

That's a better train of thought - he grasps at it, switches tracks to try to distract himself. What had happened, back then?

Magic, Taako had said.

He carefully levers himself up into a sitting position and scrutinises his hand. No. It couldn't be. He holds his arm out in front of him, tries to remember what he'd done in the collapsing building. He'd been so desperate, his hand had reached for something to use, and then there'd been metal. He'd thought it was just rebar, but if Taako hadn't killed Lydia, then either someone else was there, or he had done it himself.

That was all there was, a need, and then textured metal against his skin. But what about a want?

His fingers twitch, and then he's holding something.

He stares.

It's a little bent and broken, but definitely his staff. And it had just materialised out of thin air.

What the f*ck.

"sh*t," he whispers, resting the weapon on his knees and bringing his hand to his mouth, "I am a magic boy."

He sits and stares at the staff for a moment, turning that information over. A thousand questions start to fight for attention - how had this never happened before? Can he send it back? Can he use this for other objects? Is there a limit to how many times he can summon it? What would happen if the staff broke?

Even though he'd just seen it happen with his own eyes, he finds himself starting to doubt again. He drops the staff on the floor, and then lifts his hand. A thought, and then it's back in his grip.

Okay. Alright. This is, this is useful. Not the worst or weirdest thing that's ever happened to him. Not by a long shot.

Letting go of the staff doesn't seem to dismiss it, nor does trying to will it away. It seems it just stays put wherever it is until he summons it again. That's not the most inconvenient thing in the world, he supposes.

He grabs Merle's clipboard from the table next to the bed and runs his fingers over the surface, thinking. Then, he sets it back down and holds out his hand, trying to imagine holding it again. Nothing happens.

He chews his lip, wincing and hissing a curse as one of his fangs cuts into the skin, and bringing his hand back in to try to rub the sting from the wound. So what's the condition? Is it only the staff, or - or what? Is he just not in control yet?

He returns the weapon to the floor and flops back into the pillows. Raven would know how to figure it out. She'd have a series of tests planned and a flow chart drawn up, even if it was only in her head. She was always so organised.

He wishes she was there. He wishes she would laugh at him and flick him on the forehead and tell him just think it through like she used to before. Like she had when they were kids, and he'd used up all the film in the camera in one go and then gotten upset when he couldn't take any more pictures. He doesn't even have any of those, now, only the one left in his wallet.

He closes his eyes and just lies there for a while, trying to distract himself from the unpleasant sensation of his bones slowly moving themselves back into place by picking through old memories. He always comes back to the same one; the day he'd taken that picture. It had been hard, that period, trying to get used to living with a family that wasn't his own, but Raven had always been so kind, even if she had a funny way of showing it. She was like a lighthouse in the fog. Is like, still.

Settling into a doze, he rubs his thumb against the glossy paper in his hand, and thinks he should take more pictures.

Chapter 32: Pancakes

Chapter Text

It's late on in the afternoon, and Kravitz is bored. Merle had come back, made sure he was able to stand, and declared him free to leave, and so he had, but given that everyone's asleep at this time of day he'd just ended up aimlessly wandering the corridors.

In the end, he'd come into one of the kitchens for some water to help him swallow his painkillers, and ended up kind of stuck there, not trusting himself to sleep with Taako still laid up on bedrest in the infirmary and lacking anything better to do. He sits at the table, tapping absently at the surface. Maybe he should go to the library, or see if he can convince Johann to lend him his violin for a little while, maybe visit Fisher. Except, he thinks, flexing the fingers on his right hand and wincing, he's still in no condition to be playing any kind of instrument just yet.

He resists the urge to sigh for the sake of his chest and slumps back in his seat. The daytime seems to stretch on forever without anyone to share it with, and he can feel that restless energy pushing him to start pacing about the room. Of the others he knows who don't need to sleep, Julia is still tending to Magnus, and Noelle is nice, but he probably doesn't know her well enough to bother her without reason. Which leaves him to entertain himself, something he's realising he hasn't really been faced with since arriving here.

Strange, how quickly he's gotten used to being around people again. The past five years are starting to feel like a prolonged and unusually vivid nightmare, save a few unshakeable reminders. If not for those, he might've let himself forget altogether; distracted himself with all these new things without interruption.

On the subject of which - reaching into his pocket, he pulls out the old polaroid and flips it between his fingers, watching the light play off it. He'd come back to full consciousness with it in his hand, another object pulled out of nothing. It proves whatever magic he's capable of isn't restricted to just his staff, but he can't quite figure out what the parameters actually are. He knows that once he's summoned an object once, it doesn't take much thought to do it again, but as for what the initial trigger is, there doesn't seem to be a pattern; just that he'd been only semi-conscious both times. Maybe it just has to be something important.

Something breaks the silence behind him and he turns towards the door as Angus wanders into the kitchen in his pyjamas, yawning and dragging his feet. The ends of the fabric fall past his limbs; Angus doesn't appear to own much that isn't at least slightly too big for him for some reason. Hope that he might hit a growth spurt, maybe.

"You're up late, Angus," Kravitz says, tucking the polaroid back into his pocket and watching him curiously.

Angus turns to him with sleep weighing at his eyelids. "Oh. Hello, sir. Yeah, um, the only way we could get Taako to go to bed earlier is if I agreed to wait in Merle's office and tell him when you woke up, I kinda missed dinner. I'm a little hungry. How are your injuries?"

"I'll live," Kravitz says wryly. The worst of the damage is already starting to unravel, even after less than a day. He'd been bandaged up a little just for the sake of appearances and to keep his broken bones from moving around too much, but he'll recover in a couple of days. He always does.

"But, you're not-" Angus frowns, then he blinks and a sleepy smile takes over his face. "Oh, I get it. You were goofing!"

Kravitz leans his head on his hand and smiles as he looks at the boy fondly. While exceedingly smart, Angus often takes a minute to catch on to when people are pulling his leg. "I was. What's the point in being dead if I can't make a few jokes about it, hm?"

Angus just looks at him. "Taako uses humour as a coping mechanism."

They stare at each other for a couple of seconds before Kravitz clears his throat. "Weren't you going to go get some food, Angus?"

"Oh! Yeah!" Angus chirps, smiling at Kravitz in a manner that seems maybe a little placating. He shuffles over to the kitchen area and starts to clamber up onto the counter, opening one of the upper cupboards to try to snag something off the top shelf. The scene is a little too precarious for Kravitz's liking.

"Here, let me get it," he says, standing from the table and starting to make his way over.

"It's fine, I got it. I do this all the-"

And then Angus overreaches and slips backwards off the countertop, falling out of Kravitz's line of sight behind the jutting island separating the kitchen from the dining area. Strangely, Kravitz notes in his panic as he rushes around the obstruction, there was no sound of the boy hitting the floor. The reason for that, he finds, being the fact that Angus is hovering a couple of inches from the ground with his eyes scrunched shut.

"Are you... okay?"

Angus' eyes fly open and his back hits the floor with a small thud. He flips himself over and scrambles up towards Kravitz to grip the bottom of his shirt, eyes round and pleading. "You can't tell anyone! Especially Taako!"

"What? But, why - why not?"

"B-because..." Angus says, looking at his hands where they're bunched in the fabric of Kravitz's loose button-up, "I don't want him to feel bad."

Kravitz takes the boy's hands in his own, wincing a little as he moves his injured arm, and gingerly crouches down so that he's on eye-level with him. "Angus, I don't - why would he feel bad?"

"He doesn't like other people being better than him at stuff. One time Lup beat him real bad when they were sparring, and he wouldn't talk to her for a whole day! And that's forever for them!" Angus says, looking panicked. "I-I don't want him to get mad at me because, because I can control my magic better than he can," he finishes on a mumble, looking away.

Kravitz takes a moment to think that one over. It's true that Taako is a very sore loser, but he also adores Angus, even if the affection manifests strangely. That said, Taako's abilities have also always been a touchy subject - but, again, he'd been so excited about the idea of Kravitz being able to do any kind of magic, he can't imagine him having a different reaction for Angus. He bounces back and forth a little more before deciding to ask, "Do you really think he'd be that upset?"

Drawing his hands back and hiding them in his pockets, Angus frowns at Kravitz's shoes. "I don't know. I know it frustrates him, not being in control. I - it's not really my place to talk about it, but I think he used to be able to use his magic okay, and then something really bad happened. Lup always tells him off for blaming himself for something. I think whatever it was scared him so much he got, got scared of himself, a little."

Scared? Kravitz thinks of half-prepared meals tipped away without a word and 'I don't touch anything worth anything with my bare hands,' and gloves that rarely come off. Whatever had happened must have been something awful to shake Taako's confidence that much. But that's not an issue for right now, with an upset little boy in front of him in need of reassurance. "I don't think you'll upset him, Angus. I think he'll be proud of you."

"I don't know. Are you sure?" Angus says with an uncertain look.

"I'm sure. Give me your hand?"

Angus looks confused but offers his hand. Kravitz turns it so Angus's palm is facing towards the ceiling and lays his hand over the top. When he takes his hand away, the polaroid is resting on Angus' dark skin. "He wasn't upset with me. And he loves you to pieces, Angus, even though he'd never say it himself." He smiles a little and tilts his head to try to catch Angus' gaze. "Just don't tell him I said it, or we'll both be in trouble."

Wide-eyed, Angus looks down at the photo and then back up at him. Then he leans forward, gaze intense, and starts asking questions so fast Kravitz can barely make out what he's saying. Kravitz smiles warmly and flicks him very gently on the forehead, the familiar gesture feelingsomehow right.

"Angus, breathe, then speak. Your mouth doesn't move as fast as your brain."

Blinking, Angus rubs at his head with his free hand. Then he holds up the photo, "Who is this?"

Feeling his stomach drop slightly, Kravitz's smile falters - he's still physically and emotionally spent from his ordeal and certainly in no state to talk about that. "Ah, um, someone very important to me. I'll tell you about her another time. During sociable hours maybe."

"More important than Taako?" Angus asks, all tiredness suddenly gone as he looks at him intently.

"Don't you think that's a bit of a loaded question, Angus?" Kravitz frowns, scratching at one of the bandages on his neck a little uncomfortably.

Angus considers for a second. "I guess. But, I've never seen him so concerned for anyone outside of Lup, so..."

"So, what?"

"So," Angus stands up a little straighter and his eyebrows furrow in determination. "I want to know whether he's as important to you as you are to him. You have to convince me."

Kravitz is suddenly reminded of a number instances of trying to win over difficult parents, even though the 'parent' in this case has barely hit double digits. He wants to find it cute, and it should be, but the intensity with which Angus is looking at him is quite frankly a little unnerving. "I see. Well, how would you like me to do that?"

Angus' eyes don't waver. "Just say it, I'll know if you're lying."

Kravitz almost laughs. If all he has to do is say it and mean it, it's the easiest test he's ever had to take in his life. "He's very, very important to me, Angus. Does that meet your standards?"

The boy relaxes a little, and he smiles broadly. "Yeah. You meant it."

Feeling somehow a little relieved, Kravitz chuckles at him. "I know I did, but I'm glad you're satisfied. As for whether he's more important than Raven..." He runs a hand through his hair, then shakes his head and shrugs. "I don't know. I've known her a very, very long time, almost since I was born. Taako is also very dear to me, yes, but... it's different. She's been the one constant I've had my whole life, she's always been there for me no matter what, always. I was younger than you are now when this was taken," he says, tapping the picture gently.

"Wow, so this is really old," Angus says, turning the picture back to look at it with renewed interest. Kravitz huffs a laugh.

"I'll try not to be too offended by that, but yes, it is. I've had that photo for over twenty years. I've only really known Taako a month or so. I care for him very deeply, but a bond like that takes a long time to build, do you see what I'm saying?"

Angus looks from him to the photo and nods slightly. "I think so. It's weird that you've only been here that long, it feels like forever."

"I'm hoping you meant that positively, Angus. Honestly, though, it feels the same for me," Kravitz smiles, taking back the picture and mussing Angus' hair as he stands up. "And I won't tell anyone about you levitating if you don't want me to. I'll leave that up to you."

"It's not levitation, it's telekinesis. See?" Angus says, patting his hair back down as a bag of flour floats down from the cupboard.

"My mistake," Kravitz says, holding up his hands by way of apology. "What are you making, exactly?"

"Pancakes," Angus says as what looks like baking powder floats itself down from the cupboard as well.

"Isn't it a little late for pancakes? Or, early, I guess."

"Taako says there's no such thing as a breakfast food and labels are for bores," Angus recites as if by rote.

"Okay, well why don't you go sit down and I'll make them instead? You look very tired and I don't want you burning yourself."

And, Kravitz thinks, he's not convinced Angus could reach the stove properly without a chair to stand on, and he doesn't want another incident.

"You're gonna make them?" Angus asks, looking at him with a level of suspicion that only serves to make Kravitz laugh, too amused to be offended.

"Hey! I wasn't born a vampire, Angus! I can manage making pancakes even if I can't eat them," he chuckles, pushing away a nagging thought that's insisting he shouldn't pretend to be something he's not.

Angus squints at him for a second, then shrugs and walks around to hop up onto one of the stools on the other side of the counter. "Okay."

Glad he's earned at least a tacit agreement, Kravitz pulls milk and eggs out of the fridge, one-handed to spare his right arm the unnecessary movement, and searches the cupboards for a bowl and a whisk. Angus occupies himself with some sort of game on his phone - though knowing him it's probably teaching him astrophysics or some other concept that would go way over Kravitz's head. He glances up when Kravitz pulls out a pan and sets it on the stove. "Oh, don't use that one. That's Taako's favourite, he'll kill you if you burn it."

Kravitz pulls out another pan and holds it up questioningly. Angus shakes his head. "Lup's favourite."

Well, at least he has good taste, apparently. Third time lucky, he sets the approved pan down and goes back to mix the batter. But instead of mixing, he just kind of stares at the collected ingredients for a bit. He seems to remember some kind of ratio for this. Was it one to one to two? Did he add sugar? f*ck, it had been... a while, actually. The last time would've been...

There's a soft swishing sound as Angus quietly slides his phone across the counter. On the screen is an open browser window with a recipe. Feeling a little sheepish, Kravitz takes the phone and checks the measurements before handing it back and starting to pour ingredients into the bowl, and Angus returns to his game.

"What uh, what do you normally have with them?" Kravitz asks as he switches on the stove to warm the pan while he finishes the batter, which seems to be about the right consistency, as far as he can remember. It shouldn't be too runny, right?

"It usually changes every time, actually. Taako likes to use me as a guinea pig to try out new stuff. It's always good, though, so I don't mind."

"Well, what do you feel like having?"

Angus thinks for a minute. "I don't know. I'm not used to having the choice." He watches Kravitz spoon the finished batter into the pan to form a few wonky circles. "What did you like to have when you could eat real food?"

"We, uh, I used to put chocolate on them, any kind we could get, and then some fruit, sometimes syrup as well. Bit of a sweet tooth. You probably shouldn't have that much sugar at this time of day, though, I want you to go back to sleep after this." Kravitz tries not to wrinkle up his nose at the smell coming off the pan as he levers a pancake over with a spatula. It would be nice if he could smell when they were burning; it's all kind of the same to him. He misses the time when this would have smelled like home instead of turning his stomach. "How about just some butter? Probably a little plain compared to what you're used to, but you won't be bouncing off the ceiling."

"Alright. I don't know if it'll make much difference, though," Angus says, tapping away at his phone. "You should warm the plate up so the cooked ones don't get cold."

"Or you could eat them before that happens. I won't make you stand on ceremony. Here, start on these while I do the rest," he says, stacking a few finished pancakes onto the plate and sliding them over with some cutlery before pulling the butter out of the fridge and sliding that over, too.

Angus blinks at him like he'd just suggested skipping grace to a priest, but picks up the knife and fork. "Oh. Okay," he says, starting to cut into the stack.

Kravitz watches him eat quietly while he spoons a few more wobbly circles of batter into the pan. "So? Rating out of ten? Zero means you've never tasted anything worse and ten is Taako's cooking."

Angus just keeps chewing and smiles awkwardly. Kravitz chuckles. "Come on, I can take it. I won't be offended, I promise."

"Like, uh, like a five?" Angus offers, and Kravitz snorts a laugh. "But Taako's cooking is like, really good, like better than anything else I've ever had, so please don't feel bad!"

"You don't have to sugarcoat it, Angus, it's fine. I was almost expecting worse," he chuckles, flipping one of the new pancakes over. He's pretty sure they're not too burnt, at least, he can see that much. "How about you help me out next time? You seem to know what you're doing better than I ever have."

Angus smiles and swings his legs, still eating even after his dead average review, which Kravitz suspects might still have been generous.

He finishes up the next batch and lifts one out of the pan questioningly. "You still want the rest of these? I don't mind if you want to find something better to eat."

"Nope! These are fine, sir, I appreciate you making them for me."

"It's no problem, really. But if you call me 'sir' again I'm gonna burn the next one, I've told you about that," Kravitz says with a smile, hoping Angus will see that he doesn't at all mean it. Angus smiles back and nods, starting on the new stack Kravitz pushes onto his plate.

Lup stumbles into the room, bleary-eyed and with bandages dotting her hands, arms, and legs. "Do I smell pancakes?"

Angus swings around on his stool, beaming. "Mister Kravitz made them for me! He didn't want me to burn myself on the stove."

Lup yawns and smirks a little, playfully patting Kravitz's face on her way past as she makes for the fridge. "That's sweet," she says, pulling out a bottle of syrup and then returning to gently shove him out of the way, taking the spatula from his hand. He takes an obliging step back, grateful to be out of the worst of the smell even though he's clearly being sidelined. "But the pancake queen's here now. First of all, you've got the heat on too high." She reaches over and tears a piece off one of Angus' pancakes, shoving it unceremoniously into her mouth. "Too much flour, no salt. And I give you a three for presentation. But y'know, not too bad, considering. You tried, fangs."

There's a beat of silence. She grimaces and looks over at him, nodding at his uncomfortable look. "Mm. Yeah. That was weird. I'll leave that one for Taako, sorry," she says, taking a shaker from a nearby rack and adding some salt to the batter. Then she glances over with a spark of mischief flashing in her eyes, and leans in towards him for a conspiratorial whisper. "Wait, he didn't call you that while you were-"

"Nope, no, he didn't," Kravitz says, probably too quickly but also highly aware of the small child sitting not two feet away. Lup gives him a sh*t-eating grin that tells him he's absolutely going to be hearing about this later and turns back to the bowl,pouring a little more milk into the mix.

"Cool, I gotcha," she snorts. "Anyway, let's see if we can't salvage these, huh?"

She messes with the mixture in the bowl a little more until it appears to meet her standards, then pours it straight into the pan in smooth, practised motions, not misplacing a drop.

"How's he doing?" Kravitz asks, leaning against the counter as Lup adjusts the heat on the stove. "I'd go see for myself, but I'm not allowed into the main infirmary area on account of, um, y'know. The blood thing."

Lup turns to him with a look of surprise. "You're not? That's some bullsh*t, dude, I gotta have a talk with some people."

Kravitz goes to shake his head a little too hard and reels a little at the dizziness that overtakes him for a second. That concussion hasn't quite gone away yet. "It's fine, I understand the precaution," he manages, rubbing his forehead. "It's a completely logical move."

Insistent, Lup presses on. "You've been here a month already, I think we can start rolling back the probation. Besides, we were practically hotboxing you in that car and you didn't so much as twitch."

"I was barely conscious," Kravitz says, though he smiles a little at the vote of confidence. "I couldn't have moved if I'd tried."

"You know that wouldn't've made a difference if you'd snapped," she says, pointing the spatula at him. "And it wouldn't have been even close to surprising if you had in that state, but nothing happened. Think it's safe to say you're not gonna turn feral all of a sudden just from a cut or two, so I'll talk to Merle and 'Cretia when they wake up." She smiles around a yawn, poking at the edge of one of the pancakes. "Anyway, your boy's just fine, been sleepin' like a baby the last few hours using your jacket as a blanket."

Kravitz smiles a little at that image, feeling a little warmer at his core, but it fades into a concerned frown as he asks, "So the damage isn't permanent?"

"He might need a little physical therapy, but no, shouldn't be, once he recovers from the worst of it."Lup starts to flip each of the pancakes over, and glances at him out of the corner of her eye. "I'm guessing he's already given you hell for that stunt you pulled?"

Kravitz chews his lip and nods, ducking his head a little. "And then some. I understand if you're upset with me, too, though. It was stupid, won't happen again. I put people in danger."

"You put yourself in danger. It'd suck if you got yourself dusted, twilight, I haven't seen m'boy this happy in a long time," Lup says, jabbing the spatula at him again. "Also - Angus, cover your sensitive ears, baby boy - next time you two decide to get down 'n' dirty, maybe pick a better moment, yeah? Don't get me wrong, I'm glad I don't have to hear it, but you gotta give some warning if you're gonna vanish off base like that. I'm pretty sure you actually broke some rules running off for your little sex-scapade."

That odd sensation of feeling like he should be blushing in embarrassment even when he can't creeps in. "Got it. Sorry."

"Can I uncover my ears yet?"

Lup slaps three perfectly round pancakes onto Angus' plate and nods at him, gesturing with the spatula as he lowers his hands. "That enough for you, Ango?"

"Yup!" Angus says, digging in with enthusiasm.

"In that case, the rest of these are all mine," Lup grins, pouring the remains of the newly-improved batter into the pan. Kravitz takes the empty bowl from her hand as she goes to set it back down on the side and takes it over to the sink to start washing it, waving away the look she gives him.

"I've got it, give me the rest when you're done."

"Ooh, what a gentleman," she coos.

He shrugs as he fills the bowl with water and dish soap. "It's no problem, I was looking for a distraction anyway." He lets himself take a moment to enjoy the feeling of heat pushing up his arms from where his hands are submerged. "The warm water feels nice, too."

"Mmn, Taako mentioned a shower," Lup teases.

Kravitz turns to glance at Angus, who's focused intently on his food and whatever is on his phone, and then at Lup, raising an eyebrow at her. "What happened to sensitive ears?"

She just laughs. "Oh, psh! He's gonna figure it out eventually, if he hasn't already. You're a smart cookie, right hon?"

Angus finishes his food without looking up from his game. "I was actually wondering how the differences between vampire and human physiology would affect-"

"Looks like you're done, Angus! Plate please," Kravitz interrupts loudly, holding out a hand as Lup snorts with laughter. She sets down her spatula and passes Angus' plate and cutlery over to him.

"Wait, sh*t! What day is it?" she gasps suddenly as he takes the pile and dumps it in the sink.

Angus yawns and leans his chin on his hand, eyelids heavy. "Wednesday."

"f*ck, I forgot - I gotta do my sh*t - meds," Lup says, throwing her pancakes onto a plate and turning off the stove. She shoots Kravitz a look as he suppresses a laugh. "What?"

"Sorry. I just realised that's one advantage to being stuck in the same body forever. No medication," he smirks, laying the last of the dishes on the rack to dry. "You should really set an alarm, though."

Lup sticks her tongue out at him as she pours a waterfall of syrup over her food. "Whatever, mister silver linings vampire."

Kravitz just shrugs back at her, drying his hands on a cloth and leaning against the counter. "I've gotta be grateful for some things, right? Like, I probably wouldn't have met all of you if not for this," he says, gesturing vaguely at his mouth.

Pausing on her route out the door, Lup looks at him steadily. Something in her expression cuts into him. "I mean, yeah, but you don't have to pretend to be okay with it. It f*cking sucks, pun not intended. It's pretty obvious it upsets you - like, you know you're a real sh*tty liar. You looked pretty shaken up about what those weirdos said before."

That comes as something of a surprise. He knew that Taako was aware of how he felt about his situation, but he hadn't realised it was quite that obvious to anyone else. "Oh. Yeah. I uh, I guess so. But it's, it's not so bad," he says, looking at his feet. "I've had time to adjust."

He bites his lip, wondering how much he should say. "...It's mainly the food stuff, y'know? I could kind of put it out of mind before, but now it's, it's harder to forget about. And everyone else is so warm, and I'm clammy and cold all the time." He sighs, rubbing at his rapidly cooling hands. "Being around people makes a lot of things feel sharper than they did being alone," he murmurs, then looks up quickly, realising how that might have sounded. "Not that - I still wish I'd found this place sooner, though. I'm happy to be here."

Lup tilts her head, eyes searching. "Because we're such good company, or because you might've killed less people?" she asks gently.

Turning his gaze away again, Kravitz attempts a smile, suddenly feeling very tired. "Both, I guess. Lucas had a point, before. Why should I get a free pass when others don't?"

"It's not a free pass, Krav, it's a second chance."

It's a second before he can begin to formulate a response to that. Does he even deserve a second chance? Not trusting himself to give a real reply, he only nods, then takes the pan off the stovetop and starts running some water into it. "You should uh, you should go take your meds. I'll wash everything up and get Angus back to bed. I won't sleep anyway."

Quiet footsteps approach from behind him. "Listen, twilight, my brother's good at a lot of things, but emotional sensitivity isn't really one of them. I'm gonna say you don't think you deserve to be here."

The pan in the sink is overflowing, but Kravitz can't bring himself to turn the water off. He can't even give Lup an answer, feeling like he's been torn open like so many bandages over a wound he's been patching and ignoring for years. It's been vying for his attention for weeks, more and more as he's been shown so much what he's lost, what he isn't any more, and now that he's being forced to look at it he finally has to admit that it's there, and it hurts.

"Right on the money, huh?" Lup says, voice low and gentle. "f*cking - c'mere." There's a clinking sound as she sets her plate down, then shuts the water off, turns him to face her and gives him a very careful hug. He can feel warmth radiating off her like a campfire though her touch is feather-light around his ribs. "Y'know, it'd be a whole lot more concerning if you didn't feel guilty," she says into his shoulder. "I don't know the whole story, but it sounds like you turned a pretty sh*tty situation into something kind of morally defensible. Not many people could've done that."

"That doesn't make it okay," he says quietly, feeling stiff and cold. The contact is appreciated, but nothing makes him feel more dead than being so close to someone living. It's easier to put out of mind with Taako, being more focused on the rush of feeling that having him so close brings, but outside of that, touch is just another reminder.

Lup's head knocks against his jaw in a scolding gesture so similar to Taako's from earlier. "Okay, fine, maybe not something to brag about, but like, you're still a person. Just, a person who's been through some sh*t. Dabbled in a bit of extreme vigilante justice." She giggles a little. "You're like batman but with a little more murder. And if he had to drink blood to live. So don't go throwing yourself at things thinking you don't matter, yeah?"

Slowly, Kravitz brings his own arms up as well, allowing himself to relax into the touch, to hold a little tighter despite the insistent feeling that he's treading somewhere he's not welcome. Still a person. He's not sure he's allowed to be a person any more, but maybe he can try.

"I, um. That's - that's generous of you," he says around the lump in his throat, and grips a little tighter still. He feels Lup pat his shoulderblade and rub his spine a little as she sighs.

"You're both as bad as each other, I swear, I really gotta give you boys some lessons in self-worth," she mutters. Kravitz swipes roughly at his eyes as she pulls back, glad at least that they won't redden.

"That's, um, thanks. You, uh, you really wanted to make a bat pun there, didn't you?"

Lup gives his shoulder a quick double-pat and winks, then turns away to lift Angus, who's passed out with his head resting on his arms, onto her hip, and pick up her plate. "I'll put Dango here to bed. Why don't you finish those dishes up, make me some strong ass coffee, and meet me in the rec room with the big TV? I'm in the mood for a batman flick now, you seen any of 'em?"

"Maybe, uh, maybe like one? I wouldn't mind seeing it again."

She smiles. "Top right cupboard, blue jar. Black with three sugars. Can you manage that?"

"Yeah, I think I can do that."

"Sweet. I'm gonna grab some blankets, sh*t's gonna be cozy as hell."

It is cozy. About half an hour into the movie, Angus wanders in as well with puffy eyes, and settles himself across them with his head in Lup's lap. She takes the blanket she'd put aside across the arm of the sofa and drapes it over him, shaking her head and smiling.

They all fall asleep on the sofa with the flickering light of the TV still playing in the background. After Angus, Kravitz is the next to give in, falling slowly sideways until his head is resting on Lup's shoulder, too drained to feel embarrassed about it even though she doesn't seem to mind. Her heartbeat is loud and steady in his ears as his eyes fall shut, and in the hazy moments before sleep takes him he draws a slow breath and allows himself to pretend that it's his own.

Chapter 33: Way Up High

Chapter Text

He wakes up with his arms wrapped around something warm but with someone blowing cold air on his face.

"Krav, wake up, I got you your visitor's pass."

"T'ko, cudditout," he grumbles, frowning at the sensation and turning over, and there's a giggle.

"Cute, but I'm not Taako, babes," the someone says.

Then who's he holding? He fumbles at consciousness for a second before realising the heat in his arms isn't from a person, but something smaller. A hot water bottle with a bright pink, fluffy cover.

"Y'know, for someone who doesn't need to sleep, you sure do it a lot," Lup muses, smirking down at him from where she's standing by the sofa.

"Feels nice," Kravitz mumbles, pressing his face into the seat cushion and pulling the warmth a little closer.

"So you're just a hedonist."

"Can't I just enjoy nice things?" he says, a little more coherently as his brain starts to finally roll into motion. "Besides, 'mpretty sure 'sgood for my head. People weren't meant to be awake for days on end."

"Sure, I'll buy that excuse," Lup laughs, and nudges him with her foot. "Anyway, when you're done with your beauty sleep, I talked the boss into letting you into the infirmary."

"You did?" He sits up and rubs at his face.He's in much less pain than before, he notes, and tugging one of his bandages away reveals that the surface damage has almost completely gone, though his bones still feel bruised and twinge when he moves. At least there are some advantages to this whole deal. Turning back to Lup, he smiles gratefully. "Thank you, I appreciate it. And I'm guessing you gave me this, too," he says, lifting the hot water bottle slightly.

"'Ko was sayin' you can't really sleep without somethin' warm," she shrugs. "You started lookin' all frowny after I got up to go play lawyer for you, so I figured I'd give that a shot."

"That was kind of you. Thanks."

"'Scool. Keep it, I've been tryna get rid of that thing for years, I don't need it. And anyway, you're practically my brother-in-law at this point, right?"

There's that weird blushing feeling again. It's getting to be so familiar at this point one would think it would be losing its potency, but Kravitz is having no such luck. He scratches at his cheek and makes a noise that tries to be both a laugh and a cough and somehow manages to make both equally awkward. "Well, um, let's not get ahead of ourselves. But thank you, again, I'll go, uh, go see Taako, see how he's doing," he stumbles out, and stands and stretches gingerly before turning to head out of the room.

"I'll come with y-" Lup starts, but then her eyes roll back in her head and Kravitz darts to catch her before she collapses, laying her carefully down on the sofa.

"Who's always sleeping now?" he quips as he straightens up, and a pillow smacks him in the face as he laughs. Searching around the room, he locates a pen abandoned on a table, and uncaps it and holds it out along with his hand. "Do you need anything?"

The pen plucks itself from his fingers and scribbles across the back of his other hand, Lup's angular, block-capital handwriting appearing over his skin. When it stops, he turns his hand back towards him to read it, squinting a little trying to read black on brown with his vision still blurry from sleep.

Nah, I'll be good in 10, go have fun x

He looks up again and turns vaguely towards where Lup's face would be (going by where the pen is hovering in the air), unsure of where to settle his gaze without a corporeal body to make eye contact with. "Are you sure? I can take you to your room if you want, or get Barry to come in here."

Some force pulls his hand back again and the pen scrawls a new line of words across his palm.

I'm good K just go see y'boy ;)

"If you're sure. Guess I'll see you when you're done with your beauty sleep, then," he smirks, and another pillow smacks him in the back of the head as he leaves the room. He's laughing, but there's an ache that tempers the edges of the sound. Lup reminds him so much of Raven sometimes it hurts.

-

After a short detour to wash off some of the accumulated grime and dust from the last few days and remove the more obsolete bandages from his neck and limbs, he makes his way to the main part of the infirmary, a large room situated across the hall from Merle's office.He taps gently on the door as he pushes it open a fraction. "Can I come in?"

"Sure, sure, kid, Lup's already made your case for ya, not that I cared to begin with," Merle calls from behind a curtain to the left of the room. Several more curtains divide the space into a dozen or so cubicles, each containing a bed, a chair, and a few other assorted pieces of furniture. All in all, it feels very much like a real hospital room, complete with harsh fluorescent lighting and the clinging smell of antiseptic.

He steps into the room in earnest and shuts the door quietly behind him, and notes that while most of the room's beds are empty, the one closest to the door on his right is burdened by Magnus's unconscious body. Julia is sat on a chair next to the bed, bouncing her leg and gripping his hand tightly.

Heart falling a little, he makes his way over. "How is he?" he asks quietly, and suddenly he's on the ground, one arm wrenched painfully behind his back and pinned by Julia's knees as she growls in his ear.

"Hey, hey, Jules! Keep your sh*t together!" comes Merle's voice from behind him, accompanied by a rush of footsteps. Kravitz is too stunned to move, can feel himself starting to struggle for unnecessary air and coughs into the linoleum.

"Oh, f*ck," Julia stammers, and her grip loosens as she pulls him to his feet and frantically starts dusting him off. "Sorry, Krav, I'm just, I'm a little on edge, are you okay?"

"Fine," Kravitz breathes, rolling his shoulder and trying to stop his hands from shaking. His throat still feels tight, and he clears it a few times to try to chase away the sensation. That had felt a little too familiar.

"I-I didn't mean to scare you," Julia is saying, "it's just..." She trails off, eyes straying back to Magnus.

"It's fine, really," Kravitz says, but Julia doesn't seem to hear him. He leans forward slightly, though he daren't reach out to touch her. "Julia?"

"I'm not leaving," she snaps, turning to glare at him. Kravitz takes a small step backwards under the force of her gaze.

"I wasn't asking you to."

Her face falls. "sh*t, I'm sorry," she groans, hands going to rub at her her temples. "My head's messed up, I, I haven't been able to relax since we got back, he still hasn't woken up at all." She looks back towards where Magnus is breathing evenly, covered in as many bandages as the rest of the group had been, if not more.

Kravitz starts to move away, unsettled by seeing Julia so out of sorts and wary of her getting physical again. "I'll leave you be, I just wanted to thank you for saving me. Hope he wakes up soon."

Julia nods, but doesn't look at him, instead finding Magnus' hand and gripping it tightly once again. Kravitz feels a tug on his sleeve and turns to see Merle gently pulling him away, drawing the curtain closed behind them.

"Is she okay?"

Merle lets out a tired sigh. There are heavy bags under his eyes, and Kravitz wonders just how long he's been awake with all this. "She will be. Always gets like this when Mags f*cks himself up."

"Every time?"

"Usually. It's better if he's awake to talk to her, but like this, she just stews."

Kravitz glances back towards the closed curtain with a worried frown, then back to Merle. "Does she always pin people to the floor?"

Merle shrugs. "Not usually, but then you are new, and you're not human. Probably just read you as a threat."

"Guess I'll just stay out of her way then," he mutters, feeling a little put out that he was the one that had been banned from the room when Julia is acting like a loose cannon. He supposes she has a fair amount of seniority here, but still.

There's a snort as Merle gives him an amused look. "You wanna know why she's still allowed in here when there was such a fuss about you?"

Kravitz winces. He really needs to work on being harder to read. "I, well, I mean I wouldn't say-" he stammers, but Merle waves him off.

"Put it this way, you wanna be the one to try to drag her out?"

Suddenly he feels very sheepish. "...Fair enough. Sorry."

There's something of an awkward silence, and it's at this point that he realises he can only hear three heartbeats in the room, when he'd expect four. He glances around, and then turns back to Merle.

"Lucas isn't here?"

"Stayed long enough for me to patch 'im up an' make sure he hadn't lost too much blood and then bolted," he shrugs. "From the sounds of it, he's been holed up in his room since then. Didn't say a word the whole time I was treatin' him, either."

"That bad?"

"Kid's mom was the most important person in his life, and vice versa. Think it's gonna take him a while to get through things," Merle says, sounding tired, then looks up at him with searching eyes. "Is it true? That he actually managed to talk her down right before they dusted her?"

Kravitz nods solemnly, gaze dropping to his feet.

Merle drags a hand over his face, scratching at his beard on the way. "sh*t. That's gotta be rough, finally getting some hope and having it ripped away like that," he mutters. He shakes his head and sighs again. "I'll make sure someone keeps an eye on him. Your boyfriend's over there, anyway," he smiles, gesturing to a bed at the far end of the room with an light elbow and a wink.

Kravitz is about to correct him out of habit, but then he stops. Taako had said boyfriend, hadn't he? He hadn't imagined that. And he'd said official, kissed him in front of everyone and even made a show out of it. That means he's allowed to let other people say boyfriend, too, right? It isn't a secret or anything.

So instead, he smiles back and nods and makes his way over to the bed Merle had indicated, a warm feeling spilling out from his chest and filling up his limbs when he sees Taako - his boyfriend- bundled up in the sheets and still half under his appropriated jacket. It's not like he hasn't had anyone of that nature before, but somehow the word holds something more now, especially after so long.It sinks down to settle in the deepest part of him and shines all the way out again, and it feels like home.

He takes a moment to stand at the threshold, one hand on the curtain and the other thumbing one of the shirt buttons at his chest as he takes the scene in - the bird's nest of hair, the slightly parted lips, the fingers bunched tightly in the fabric of his jacket like a child with a favoured blanket. He can't help but smile so wide it feels like his face might run out of room to hold it. Then he remembers his thought from the previous night, and pulls out his phone to take a picture, or several. What Taako doesn't know won't hurt him.

There's a fluttering of eyelids as he sits down in the chair next to the bed, and then a slow smile spreads across Taako's face, his pupils wide and dark. "Heeeey, they let you in," he drawls lazily.

Kravitz tries not to smile too much as he realises Taako must be fairly heavily dosed up. This should be fun. "How are you feeling?"

Taako rolls his eyes, head lolling slightly. "My dude, I am on so many drugs right now - so feeling? Not much."

Biting his lip, Kravitz feels fondness bubble up like water from a spring. "At least you're not sore, right?"

"Hmm," Taako hums, and shifts slightly to look at him, yawning widely. "Your eyes are pretty."

"Thank you," Kravitz says, suppressing a smirk. "So are yours."

"I f*ckin' know it, my guy, I got f*ckin' gemstones. I got orbs," Taako declares, and Kravitz can't keep his laugh down.

"You have very beautiful orbs," he agrees.

"f*ck yeah I do." Taako yawns again and drops his head back down as he waves feebly at him. "Get up here, I need another pillow."

"They only just agreed to let me in here, Taako, I don't want to get myself kicked out within five minutes," Kravitz says gently.

Taako gives a petulant huff. "Fine, guess I'm comin' to you," he says, rolling off the bed and collapsing across Kravitz's lap before he can protest, making small dissatisfied noises as he tries to wriggle himself comfortable. "You're a terrible pillow," he complains, "all f*ckin' cold 'n' bony."

"Maybe you should lie on the bed instead, then," Kravitz says, pressing his cheek against Taako's hair and kissing the side of his head in an attempt to get him to settle and stop jostling his injured bones. "Y'know, that thing you're supposed to be resting in?"

"I don't need rest, Taako's all good," Taako says through another yawn, seeming to finally find a position he deems comfortable.

"The amount you're yawning would suggest otherwise."

"Mmn. Wake me up then," he purrs, leaning up and going for Kravitz's mouth. Kravitz turns his head so the kiss lands on his cheek instead.

"Taako, sweetheart, come on. What did we say before?"

Taako, for his part, doesn't seem to be concerned about the risk at all, and tries again even as Kravitz leans away and raises a chastising eyebrow at him. "Come on, jus' one. It'll be fine," he whines.

"How would you like not being able to eat anything you cook for the rest of your life, hm? You wanna risk that?" Kravitz asks as he runs a hand through the hunter's hair, trying to work out some of the tangles.

"Ugh, fine, mister sensible," Taako pouts, slumping back, and then that lazy grin creeps across his face again. "Sweetheart, is it?"

Looking away over his shoulder, Kravitz bites his lip through a nervous smile. "Well, you said boyfriend, so I thought-"

Still smiling sleepily, Taako kisses his fingers and presses them over Kravitz's mouth, seemingly too out of it to realise he's not wearing his gloves. "I like it. Darling."

Kravitz smirks against his fingertips and gently moves his hand away - for the sake of Taako's peace of mind when he sobers up, however much he himself wants to keep the contact there. "Alright, honey."

Taako grins. "Baby."

"Dearest."

"Sweetie."

"Cupcake."

Taako looks like he might be about to break at that one, but then he grins and leans in close to his ear. "Bone daddy."

Snorting, Kravitz covers his mouth with his hand to muffle his laughter. "Okay, you win, please don't call me that one."

"What, you don't like bone daddy?" Taako asks with feigned disbelief, wiggling against his hips in a way that has Kravitz suppressing a very embarrassing noise and clamping his hands over Taako's waist to keep him still.

"You're gonna get me kicked out, sweetheart," he reprimands gently, knocking their heads together a little. Taako just smirks and kisses the end of his nose, then settles himself more comfortably into his lap, his back against Kravitz's chest. Kravitz wraps his arms around his waist and sways them slightly, resting his jaw against Taako's cheekbone as he hums quietly, a song finding its way to his mind. Asmall laugh interrupts the melody when he realises what it is, and he smiles. 'Over the Rainbow'.

Taako catches his laugh and his smile and turns to give him a curious look. "What's got you so happy?"

"You," he sighs contentedly, and Taako makes a gagging sound.

"Gross."

Kravitz continues to smile and plays with a strand of the hunter's hair. "Maybe. You make me happy, though."

Taako is quiet for a moment, then mumbles almost inaudibly, "'Smutual, I guess." It's a good thing Kravitz has sharp ears. There's another moment of soft quiet, and then a tap on his shoulder. "Get that song goin' again, was puttin' me to sleep."

"I think that might in fact be the drugs."

"Nah, your voice jus' sounds nice. 'Spretty."

"You think so?"

Humming an affirmative, Taako nuzzles into his cheek. "Mmn. When you're not being a sarcastic asshole."

"I'm sure I have no idea what you're talking about."

That earns him a slap across the shoulder. "f*ck you."

"You did that already."

"You're the worst."

"You don't mean that."

"I do, worst vampire I ever dated."

"You may be right about that. How's this supposed to work again? I put my mouth on your neck, right?" he murmurs, pressing his lips to Taako's good shoulder and kissing gently towards the crook of his neck while Taako hums in satisfaction. "And then-"

Taako shrieks as he blows a raspberry against the sensitive skin and almost falls out of his lap onto the floor, only stopped by Kravitz's arms still wrapped around his torso.

"f*ck! God, I hate you!" he whines as Kravitz snickers into his shoulderblade.

"You want me to kick him out?" sounds Merle's voice from across the room, tinged with laughter.

"No, f*ck you," Taako snaps haughtily. "I wanna hate him from here."

"Didn't think so," Merle chuckles.

"You're all insufferable f*cks," Taako grumbles, and turns to bury his face in Kravitz's hair. Then he sniffs and pulls back to squint at him. "You f*ckin' stole my shampoo, didn't you?"

Knowing he's been caught, Kravitz looks off to the side. "I don't know aboutstole."

"Oh, you did, you f*ckin' thief!"

"I barely used any of it!"

"What's wrong with your own, huh?"

Kravitz tilts his head slightly and gives Taako his best puppy-dog eyes. "But this one smells like you."

A blush slowly starts to spread across Taako's cheeks, and he burrows into his hair again. "Holy f*ck, you're so cheesy. I'm gonna barf, you're gonna make me barf on you."

"But then I'd have to take another shower, and use more of your shampoo," Kravitz teases, kissing the top of his head.

"Whatever, you gotta perform for me as payment, music man."

"Only because you asked so nicely," Kravitz laughs quietly, then settles his head back against Taako's and starts humming again, soft and low. He's never really fancied himself a singer, preferring to use the voices of instruments over his own, but this feels right. It feels like that warm fondness from before is being carried through him and out onto the air.

The whole moment is just... nice. It's tranquil, and warm, and Kravitz thinks there's very little he wouldn't give to have every day feel like this. And he'd come so close to throwing it all away.

He lifts his head and whispers quietly over the steady heartbeat in his arms. "Did you fall asleep?"

"Mmn. Not yet."

"Listen, um..." He shifts a little, and Taako lifts his head slightly from where he'd been leaning against his shoulder, ears metaphorically pricking. "You were right. I was reckless and stupid, and I shouldn't put myself in danger like that. I'm sorry I worried you." He traces his fingers over the hunter's knuckles, taking note of the scratches intermingled with his freckles. "If it helps, I was only thinking that I wanted to be able to save someone for once. Only thought in my head, but there should have been more," he murmurs. "Been a while since I really considered my life worth anything. But I've, um, I've been given a second chance here, I shouldn't treat it so carelessly. Should keep in mind what I've got to lose."

After a moment, Taako starts to pick at his nails. "Lup got on your case, huh?"

"How could you tell?"

"Lucky guess. She's uh, better at that whole emotional intelligence thing than I am. Always has been, really. I'm kinda stupid when it comes to that sorta thing."

Kravitz frowns and gently turns his face towards him. "You're not stupid at all, Taako, you basically said the same thing she did, just in a different way."

"You don't have to lie, it's fine. I know I'm an idiot, it doesn't bother me."

"But you're not."

Taako just huffs and turns himself around so that he's straddling him instead, chest to chest, and hooks his chin over his shoulder. It seems like he's done talking, so Kravitz leaves it be, but after a minute he speaks up again.

"Y'know, there was um, there was one point where I uh, I never thought I'd see Lup ever again. It was, was a pretty dark time for me. Because I don't, I don't have a lotta people I consider important to me, y'know? So if I lose even one, it's..." His grip around Kravitz's torso with his good arm tightens slightly. "And she's the most important person in the world to me, but um, that moment where I, I thought you might be gone, and that time I didn't have her, those feelings weren't too different. And it's a good f*ckin' thing I'm high as balls right now, because that's not somethin' I'd usually say, so don't bring this up once this wears off or I'll start spiking your blood supply with holy water," he grumbles, and Kravitz smiles a little. "Point is, I never wanna have to feel like that again."

Infinitely careful of his shoulder, Kravitz gingerly pulls him closer, trailing his fingers along his spine. "I'm sorry, Taako, I really am. I won't ever do that to you again, I promise."

There's a sniff from next to his ear. "Swear on your life?"

Kravitz chuckles. "On my life, though I don't know how much good that is to you given the obvious."

Taako thumps his head against his jaw. "Don't be smart, asshole, I'm tryna be serious here for once. Bearin' my heart out here an' you're crackin' jokes."

"You're right, I'm sorry," Kravitz soothes, turning to kiss his temple. "I'll swear on anything you want me to, okay?"

"Swear on your tie collection."

Kravitz bursts out laughing, doing his best to keep it subdued so as not to disturb the sling pressed between them too much but not succeeding particularly well. "On every item of clothing I own, Taako, I promise."

"Good. 'Cause if you go back on that I'm gonna take scissors to all of it."

"I know you will," Kravitz says, still giggling a little. "And, um, that's not the only thing you were right about, either," he adds, reaching his hand back so Taako can see and letting the polaroid blink into existence between his fingers. Taako stills against him, and for a second, Kravitz worries Angus' fears may have been founded after all, but then he snatches the photo from his hand, pushing himself back slightly with a grin and waving it in front of his face.

"Cool, now can you summon me a coffee?"

Kravitz smiles, a little relieved. "I don't think so. I've only managed to get it to work with that and my staff," he replies, calling the picture back to his hand and returning it to his pocket. Taako rolls his eyes.

"Well, what are you good for then?"

"Sitting on, apparently."

"Nah, I told you, you're f*ckin' uncomfortable."

"Shall I leave, then?" he asks, making as if to stand up and laughing as Taako makes an irritated noise and clings like a vine to a tree. He leans back again and smooths back his hair, still a mess despite his best efforts. "I'm pretty sure you're not supposed to have caffeine while you're this heavily medicated anyway."

Taako drops his head and groans into his shirt. "You're always so f*ckin' considerate, how are you like that? You just, you just go around bein' all sweet to people like it ain't no deal, so f*ckin' weird, 'n' then y'go runnin' off into danger town to save some bird y'only just met, stupid idiot handsome dumbass," he goes on, punctuating each insult (peppered with the occasional compliment) with a headbutt to the shoulder.

"For the last time, I'm not a bird," comes Roswell's voice from across the room. Kravitz starts and turns to look at a lump on the bed opposite that seems to be more bandages and splints than feathers. All those layers had masked the tiny heartbeat inside. "I really wish you'd listen to me."

Kravitz can't help but cringe a little thinking about how long they might have been awake and listening. "Hi, Roswell. I didn't realise you were over there."

"I didn't want to interrupt you guys. You seemed like you were having fun," they say, and if they find the situation funny, they do a good job of hiding it. "Thanks for saving me, by the way, Merle told me you got real f*cked up on my account."

"It's uh, it's no problem. I'm glad you're okay."

"I mean it. Not many people would've risked that much for a bird- and if I had fingers, I'd be doing air quotes on that, by the way - but you did, so I owe you one. Let me know if you ever need a favour."

"Thank you, I appreciate it," Kravitz smiles, the gratitude buoying his spirits a little. Then he gives them a curious look. "But, if you're not a bird, what are you then, exactly, if you don't mind me asking? Because you sure look like one."

"I'm human. Or, at least I used to be," Roswell says, sounding completely unperturbed by the question. "My soul's human, just got bound to this bird. It's not bad once you get used to it. Being able to fly is pretty great, not so into the food, though."

Kravitz takes a second to process that information, a little stunned. And nurturing some newfound respect, too; he might be dead, but at least he still has some kind of a human body. Roswell's situation might be worse than his in a lot of ways. "And I thought mine was bad. How the hell did that happen?"

Roswell tilts their head slightly. "Well, do you know what a familiar is? Like a witch's familiar? Like that. If you hang around somewhere that someone's recently died, you can sorta grab their soul and bind it to an animal and make it serve you. But the person that made me didn't really know what they were doing and kinda died before the spell got finished, so I'm pretty much free to do what I want."

"So you died?" Kravitz asks carefully, wondering how Roswell manages to talk so calmly about it. It doesn't seem to bother them at all.

Roswell seems to perform the (not-)bird equivalent of a shrug. "Yeah, but it's not really a big deal. I don't remember anything from when I was alive and this is better than being dead, probably. Depends what kinda ideas you have about the afterlife, I guess. It's a second chance, anyway."

"You seem to be big on those here."

"I mean, who else would volunteer for a job like this? Most people here either have some red in their ledger or nowhere else to go. We've all got our issues, just some more than others."

"I guess you're right," Kravitz says, quiet as he considers the kinds of events that must have brought a group like this together, the rocks fallen in the water that forced the current to forge new streams away from the solidarity of the river. Their existences run parallel to the main body of humanity, a kind of negative image developed in the dark.

"I try to keep a balanced perspective," Roswell says airily. "Eveything looks small when you're in the air, bird's eye view and all that. I think your boyfriend's fallen asleep there, by the way."

Kravitz looks down. Taako has indeed passed out with his head leaning against Kravitz's shoulder, drooling onto his shirt. It's incredibly endearing, even with the slight snoring and unpleasant dampness seeping through onto his skin. Kravitz sighs through a smile and pulls some hair away from the hunter's mouth. He should probably put him back into bed, but the selfish part of him argues for continuing to sit here together, enjoying the affection warming him from within and the body heat from without. After some heavy debating, he settles for slipping off his shoes and climbing onto the bed, manoeuvring Taako so that he's leaning back against his chest again, sat between his legs, and resting his chin over his shoulder as he browses absently through a few news articles on his phone. Lup finally arrives a few minutes later and stops mid-sentence when she sees him raise a finger to his lips, instead mouthing 'adorable' before kicking back in the now-vacant chair and pulling out her phone as well so she can heckle him over text instead of out loud. He sends her the pictures he'd taken before and smiles as she laughs and takes a few of her own to share. He saves those for his collection too.

At some point there are voices and sounds of movement at the other end of the room; from the sounds of it, Magnus woke up ready for a fight and it took a minute to fill him in on what had happened. Kravitz is grateful for his regaining consciousness in more ways than one, glad that another friend is okay but also that he might now be able to talk to Julia without worrying she might try to tear his arm out of its socket.

Eventually, Lup leaves to get some food, and Kravitz is left to his own devices, continuing to play with his phone until the battery finally runs out and he sets it aside. After that, he settles his head more comfortably against the back of the bed and closes his eyes, not at all tired and not planning on sleeping but content to enjoy this moment for as long as it lasts. Which isn't long enough, in the end, but then he's not sure it ever will be. At least he'll be here to catch the next one.

Chapter 34: Something in Common

Chapter Text

Kravitz has to knock a dozen or so times before Lucas finally yanks open the door to his room. He looks terrible, days' worth of unkempt stubble and bags under bloodshot and swollen eyes. Eyes which fix him with an accusing glare.

"What, are you here to chew me out as well? Forget it, I'm already practically under house arrest," he snaps, scowling.

"I've had enough lectures of my own, Lucas, I'm not here to give you another," Kravitz says, holding out the small metal disc they'd found sewn into the lining of Taako's umbrella. "Taako asked me to return this. Said it was a good thing it came in useful."

Lucas takes the disc and gives him a suspicious look. "Think you left something off that, right?"

Kravitz inclines his head. "Or, he would've, quote, 'shoved it so far up your ass you'd have to spit it out again' for invading his privacy," he admits. Taako hadn't asked him to return it, either, so much as Kravitz had insisted on taking it back before he could do anything drastic, but that's not something that needs advertised.

Lucas shoves the disc into his breast pocket with a slight sniff. "Thought so. Thanks, I guess."

"It's no problem, I didn't really have anything better to do," Kravitz says, which is a blatant lie given the loud music and slightly drunken singing echoing down the corridor, but Lucas doesn't call him on it. Seeming to decide the conversation is over, he goes to shut the door, but Kravitz stops it with a gentle but firm hand on the metal. "Just a second. Have you eaten today?"

"You don't have to pretend to be concerned," Lucas scowls through the half-foot gap between the door and the frame. "I know you guys have some kind of rota set up to check on me."

"I mean, you're not wrong," Kravitz concedes. "But I am concerned. I know what it's like to lose someone like that. I wanted to make sure for myself that you're handling it alright."

"I don't think it counts if they're in a coma," Lucas mutters bitterly.

Frowning, Kravitz moves his hand away from the door and scratches at his neck. "Well, I don't know how you found out about that, but it wasn't what I was talking about. My parents died in an accident when I was seven. I know it's not quite the same, but similar enough, I think."

Lucas at least has the grace to look a little guilty. "Oh. Right. Sorry," he mumbles, pushing back his greasy hair. He doesn't look like he's showered in days. The smell of it is growing increasingly overpowering the longer the door remains open, but Kravitz is doing his best to ignore it. He shakes his head with a small shrug.

"It doesn't bother me too much any more. But only because I let people help. So if you need to talk, or, y'know, whatever, just come find me. I don't mind."

Curious and seeming to perk up slightly, Lucas eyes him. "Does 'whatever' include letting me take samples to test?"

Kravitz gives a resigned sigh. This is what he gets for being nice. "Sure, fine. As long as it's nothing too invasive."

"Cool," Lucas says, "I'll let you know," and shuts the door abruptly.

Another sigh escapes Kravitz's chest as he tries to rub away the tension that's seeped into his forehead. This might be painful going forward, but offering an ear had been the right thing to do. Maybe Lucas will even get something useful out of his samples.

Still, how had he found out about Raven? Taako wouldn't have told him, would he? Kravitz would like to think not, but outside of Taako, there's only Angus, and the boy doesn't know about her condition even if he had said anything, which is doubtful. Angus is a gossip, but he knows when something is said in confidence.

His thoughts are interrupted by a whiff of lavender and a nudge to the shoulder.

"Earth to Kravitz, which planet you visitin', babe?"

He blinks in surprise and turns to see Taako watching him with a small smirk playing over his lips. "Oh. Hey," he smiles, leaning in to kiss his cheek with a careful hand on the elbow of his sling-bound arm. Taako makes a mildly irritated noise and pulls him towards his mouth instead before letting him lean back and shoving his arm gently.

"Kiss me properly, doofus, I'm your boyfriend, not your dad," he scolds. Kravitz smiles a brief apology.

"Sorry, still a little paranoid."

"We're golden, Krav, I told you. Cut's healed," Taako says, then titters slightly. "I can't believe you just agreed to let that nerd get all up in your sh*t."

"I was trying to be supportive," Kravitz replies wearily. "How come you're here, anyway? I thought you were just gonna wait in the rec room," he adds with a curious look.

"Changed my mind about shovin' that f*ckin' thing up his ass, but then you'd already handed it over, so." Taako shrugs. His expression then gains a subdued quality to it, and he carefully pulls one of Kravitz's hands towards him and starts quietly tracing patterns over his palm with a gloved finger, eyes tracking the motion. "You never said you lost your parents."

Kravitz smiles a little. 'Lost' always makes it sound like they'd just wandered off somewhere. "You shouldn't eavesdrop, sweetheart. And I did say Raven practically raised me, there's a reason for that. Other than that, it didn't come up. It's not something I think about too often. The past few years aside, I've never been at a loss for family."

"Sounds kinda familiar," Taako mumbles, following the line of a bloodless vein up his wrist. "Guess it depends on how you define family."

Seems this is one of Taako's sporadic moments of openness. Watching him trail his fingers down his arm again to start massaging the pads of his hand, Kravitz wonders just how far he'll be allowed to press on this time before the ebbing tide rushes in again to block the way. "You... said you didn't really have a home, right? When you were a kid?" he prompts gently.

"Didn't need one, long as me 'n' Lup were together. Our home was each other, sappy as that sounds," Taako says, and the leather of his glove squeaks slightly as he clenches the fist of his slung arm. "We got passed around family -" the word drips with contempt "- for a while before we just decided it'd be easier to go off byourselves. I dunno if it was easier, in the end, but it was sure better than not bein' wanted."

Taako goes quiet for a moment, then he sighs, and his voice softens a little. "Not like all of 'em were bad, but somehow the good ones never seemed to stick. But y'know, we found somethin' better."

Kravitz nods and frees his hand to brush some hair from his boyfriend's face. "Blood isn't everything."

Finally lifting his head to look at him, Taako raises an eyebrow. "That's funny, comin' from you."

"Hey, only I'm allowed to make jokes about that," Kravitz laughs, not really selling the mock-offense at all. The tide had come in gently this time.

"Are you gonna stop me?" Taako smirks, a playful challenge in his eyes. "Hey, what do you call a vampire with icy ass skin? Frostb-mm," the word turns into a muffled snort as Kravitz covers his lips with his own, and Taako giggles as he pulls away. "Y'know that's only gonna encourage me, right?"

"Maybe I just want an excuse," Kravitz smiles. In the following moment of quiet, he feels that small seed of doubt sprout up again, and clears his throat. "Hey, you, um, you didn't tell Lucas about Raven, did you? Not that I think you would, just, does everyone know about that?" he asks, feeling a little uncomfortable at the idea of the whole Bureau knowing his life story. Or, death story, or something. He keeps the specifics of that carefully out of mind.

"f*ck no I didn't," Taako frowns, looking offended. "Guy just snoops into everyone's business. I don't even know if Luc asked him to or if it's just somethin' he does, but he knows sh*t about everyone. What, you don't think ch'boy can keep his mouth shut? I'm not that stupid."

Kravitz reaches out to take his hands and quickly shakes his head. Of course Taako wouldn't have said anything, he should've had more faith. "No, no, sorry, I didn't mean to suggest, uh, anything, y'know, like that," he falters, feeling somewhat shamefaced for doubting him.

"I mean, y'did, fangs, but whatever," Taako huffs in annoyance, but pulls back a hand and flaps it as if to clear the air, and starts to lead him back down the hall. "Come on, karaoke night's not over yet and I'm gettin' ya to sing at least once before we're done."

A sudden nervousness settles over Kravitz as he follows dutifully behind. "Um, do I have to? I'm really not that good."

"Who says you have to be good to rock some karaoke?" Taako scoffs without looking back. "You heard Mags, he's tone deaf, doesn't matter as long as you're loud and enthusiastic. Also you can stop with the modesty, you've got the voice of an angel and I'm gonna show you off."

"It's not modesty, I just, uh," an awkward laugh falls out of Kravitz's mouth and he scratches at his face, "I get stage fright. I try not to be directly in the spotlight unless I have to be."

"Good thing you're gonna be my backup singer, then," Taako grins as they stop outside the room, where Merle is singing 'Kiss From a Rose' a touch too enthusiastically. He pats Kravitz's chest in arch reassurance. "Taako doesn't share the spot..." he starts, but trails off, smile fading and eyes suddenly somewhere else, "light..."

Kravitz rests a hand on Taako's good shoulder and tries to catch his gaze, worried. It's not the first time he's seen him like this, but it doesn't ever stop being disquieting. "Hey, you okay?"

Taako shakes himself and waves Kravitz's hand off his shoulder, smile back up to full voltage. Perhaps a little too bright, in fact. "I'm great - anyway, everybody's gonna be lookin' at me, so don't worry your pretty little head about it," he assures, opening the door and shoving him into the room ahead of him with a hand on the small of his back.

No-one really takes too much notice of them as they settle back in, too preoccupied with Merle's... passionate, performance, though there are some scattered nods of greeting here and there and Magnus waves them over before going back to arguing about song choices with Julia. He's still a little beaten and bruised after the Wonderland incident, but also has the vitality of a grizzly bear and seems to be recovering remarkably well considering it's only been a couple of weeks.

A few more songs of varying quality go by before their turn, and with each one Kravitz finds himself slightly more anxious. His earlier admission hadn't beena lie; he does suffer from stage fright, or at least he used to. But he's been on top of that for years. It's just been a long time since he gave any kind of performance where he wasn't just background noise, and singing isn't something he'd considered part of his repertoire.

Regardless,he lets himself be dragged up to the screen and handed a microphone, sings a shaky duet that he only knows half the words to with his boyfriend and feels the nerves turn more and more into excitement and the thrill of performing the further they go on. It hits him just how much he's missed this. Missed being able to hold the attention of everyone in the room and the way it makes his hands shake with exhilaration and fear indistinguishable from each other. It doesn't even matter that it's not a real stage or a familiar instrument, or that it's an audience of friends - it's intoxicating. Familiar.

There is something missing, however, something other than the hollowabsence of hisracing heart under the music. Somebody missing from the audience. He pushes that dim realisation out of mind and lets himself be talked into another song with barely an ounce of resistance, unwilling to let theharmonious warmthof the room and the buzzing high in his limbs slip away from him just yet.

Despite what he'd said about making Kravitz sing backup, Taako seems content to let him take more of a lead as he gets more confident. Not that the hunter isn't also throwing himself around flamboyantly enough that Kravitz fears he'll further injure the shoulder he's supposed to be resting, but he lets him have his share of the attention. There's a suggestion in the way he acts that he's holding back slightly, careful not to take too much of the spotlight for himself, and the hesitance is one more thing that Kravitz files away in his mental case file as another clue to Taako's obscure past, alongside the other unintentional slips of emotion and the slow trickle of information that Taako is purposefully allowing him. It's not something Kravitz resents, this measured process of uncovering; he'd committed himself to being patient not long after he'd arrived there, tucking away Julia's casual assertion that Taako isn't a person that trusts easy and keeping it in mind. He recognises that the story is something he'll have to earn, in the same way that Taako will have to earn his.

It's something they'll learn to share eventually, like they're learning to share a song and a stage with each other, but for now, the mutual love of showmanship is just something they have in common.

Chapter 35: New, But Familiar

Chapter Text

The soft quiet is broken as Taako's phone chirps out sunset, the screen flashing bright in the darkness of the apartment. Behind him, Kravitz groans and pulls him closer, locking his arms more firmly around his waist. One good thing about not having blood, they'd found, was that there wasn't really any circulation to cut off on the occasion he wanted to play big spoon.

"Already?" he whines, nuzzling into Taako's hairline behind his ear.

"Hey, you're not the one that needs to sleep here, babe," Taako says, smiling even though nobody can even see it. That's something new, feeling the need to smile for nobody's sake but his own. Just because he can, and because he can't really help it.

"I wasn't sleeping, I was just enjoying this," Kravitz sighs. Taako gives a quiet laugh and pats his arm with his free hand.

"Cute. But come on, we gotta get you back to the base so I can get to work."

Taako shifts carefully and brings his good arm up to free himself from the vice grip his boyfriend has him held in. It takes a hard push to get Kravitz to unwrap his arms, but it's only a token resistance, really; he could keep him held indefinitely if he wanted to.

Shuffling away, he swings his legs down to sit on the side of the bed, silencing the alarm and switching on the light, and then leans back over to try to lure his reluctant boyfriend up with a series of kisses that are just a little too short, compelling him to chase his mouth as he pulls back inch by inch. It almost works, too, until Kravitz catches on and drags him back again with a hand to the back of his neck, strong but gentle.

It's always the way with him. Strong enough to be able to have his way every time if he wanted but always so gentle that Taako can stop him any time he wants to. Which he usually doesn't, but in this case is required.

"Fangs, we gotta go," he smiles, extricating himself again and turning to look around the room for wherever the hell he'd thrown his clothes that morning. It had been a good morning. Kravitz only huffs and collapses back onto the bed.

"You'll never take me alive," he says, pulling the sheets up over his head and turning over.

"Don't have to when I'm so good at takin' you dead," Taako muses. Pulling the covers back, Kravitz turns and gives him an unimpressed look, and he giggles. "You were askin' for that one, come on."

"You're very insensitive," Kravitz scolds, but there's a smile playing under the surface.

"And you're a lazy f*ck who's gonna make me late, now c'mon."

Kravitz sticks out his tongue and flashes a smile that shows off sharp teeth. (Taako can't tell if he still forgets about them, or if he just doesn't care any more.) "Make me."

"What are you, five?" Taako snorts, pulling on his shirt. He should be annoyed by this, really, he should, but it's kinda hard with that face smiling dreamily at him from the bed, head propped on his chin. Taako crooks a finger at him. "C'mon, let's get this movin'."

"Hmn," Kravitz hums, fiddling pointedly with the edge of the sheets, "Didn't catch that, sorry. You'd better come back over here."

"Kravitz. Krav. Krav, my man, my dude," Taako drawls, crawling over to straddle him and propping himself up with his good arm as he leans down to whisper in his ear. "Get the f*ck up."

Grinning, Kravitz kisses his nose. "Y'know, I actually think I'm sick, better stay here just in case."

"You can't get sick, hon."

"I'm too tired to drive," he sighs theatrically, turning his head to the side. "Can barely keep myself awake, far too dangerous."

"That so?" Taako reaches down and slides a hand up the inside of Kravitz's thigh to palm his crotch through the sheets, eliciting a sharp gasp with just enough voice in it to be immensely satisfying. "Still tired now?" he purrs, triumphant.

Kravitz watches him with poorly-concealed fondness that looks like it's trying very hard to be irritation. "That was dirty, sweetheart."

Taako shrugs innocently. "You forced my hand. Gotta use all the tools at my disposal." He kisses Kravitz's cheek and pats his chest. "Now come on."

"Mmn," Kravitz hums noncommittally, turning his face away again.

Taako sighs and sits back onto Kravitz's thighs - uncomfortably, because he's still skinny as all hell in a way that would probably be unhealthy if not for the fact that he's literally dead. "What's the issue, fangs? You gotta go back eventually."

"Maybe I just want to spend more time with you," Kravitz says, looking up at him through his lashes, but Taako knows avoidance tactics when he sees them. He uses too many of them himself not to notice eventually.

"I know you do," he smirks, playfully pinching his boyfriend's cheek. "Taako time is a valuable resource, gotta treasure that sh*t. But that's not the reason you're bein' so slow."

They have a minute-long stare-off before Kravitz finally breaks and flops his head back onto the pillow with a groan.

"Fine. Julia's making me do hand-to-hand with her again, I don't want any more broken bones! I swear she gets more aggressive every time we do this."

Shaking his head, Taako gives him a quick peck and pats his cheek before climbing off the bed to search for the rest of his clothes. "That means you're gettin' better, hotshot, she's takin' you seriously. Now move your ass."

"You're not the one getting a new bone snapped every other night," Kravitz grumbles, still not moving.

"Mmn," Taako concedes as he pulls on a single sock and wonders whether he'll be able to find the other one or whether it's just lost forever. "But I am the one still foolin' around with you despite having a busted collarbone, so if I can suck it up, so can you."

"I'll put you in the ring with her and see if you still say that,"Kravitz huffs a little petulantly, and Taako barks a laugh.

"You're such a big baby! Big, scary monster man can't get outta bed, huh?"

Surprise and pain flash briefly across Kravitz's face before being buried under something subdued, any trace of playfulness in the atmosphere suddenly evaporating."Alright," he says quietly, pushing back the covers and sliding out of the bed, "I'll be ready in a minute."

Taako curses himself. Idiot. He'd taken it too far, didn't know when to keep his big stupid mouth shut. "Hey," he hushes, padding over and stealing a kiss that's only half-reciprocated, "I didn't mean to be an asshole, babe. I wouldn't want my bones broken either. Sorry. That's on me."

"It's fine," Kravitz smiles, even though it clearly isn't. Guy's still a goddamn terrible liar, heart's always out on his f*ckin' sleeve and carrying a megaphone. But the moment passes as quickly as it came, and not long after they're locking the door behind them and heading back to the car hand in hand - or as close as they ever get through a pair of gloves.

-*-

They linger at the door to the Bureau's garage, reluctant to part ways for a whole night after spending the day so close. The time they get together is somehow both most of their free hours and never quite enough.

"So, I'll see you when you get back?" Kravitz says softly, cupping Taako's jaw in one hand while the other holds the wrist of his unbound arm, thumb tracing back and forth over the skin.

"Oh, for sure, my guy. I'll send you a message when I'm on my way back, yeah? So you can be ready to welcome me home, get a bath run for me, some candles, all that romantic sh*t."

Kravitz chuckles, teeth flashing. "Of course. Have fun at work, then," he says, though his feet don't move. He only squeezes his hand lightly and continues to watch his face. Taako sighs in exasperation.

"f*ckin', c'mere then, asshole," he says, and pulls him in for rough but chaste kiss before pushing him away. "And listen, you gotta remember to at least like, pretend to breathe when we do this, yeah? Feels like I'm goin' down on a corpse sometimes."

Kravitz snorts a laugh. "That would be because you pretty much are."

"f*ck, dude, don't make this weird, you're makin' me feel like some kinda necrophiliac here," Taako pouts, wrinkling up his nose. Kravitz only laughs again and kisses his forehead.

"Sorry. I'll try to remember. Have a good night, sweetheart."

"Yeah, you too," Taako says, but doesn't move away. He can feel... something more that needs saying. The words evade him. Instead he says, "Tell Jules if she puts you too far out of commission Taako's gonna come for her himself," and Kravitz smiles warmly and kisses his cheek before heading away down the corridor.

For a minute, Taako just stands there, frowning at the empty space left behind. Something missing from their goodbyes that he can't put his finger on, even though they were pretty much the same as always. He scratches around the edges of the feeling, but then Magnus claps him on the back and asks if he's ready to go, scaring the living daylights out of him - and if Magnus had managed to get the jump on him, either Carey is a better teacher than he'd thought or he'd been really out of it. The weirdness can wait for now, he decides, and goes to make himself presentable enough for work.

-*-

A short drive and a brusque goodbye later, he pushes through the door to the kitchen, where Ren is already wiping down the surfaces. Normalcy, he'd told Kravitz this was for, and it's not untrue. Kravitz still isn't allowed to leave the Bureau unsupervised and so hadn't kept up his side job, but he can alwaysspend time with Fisher or Johann if he wants to play. He seems happy enough with that, but Taako likes his routine. He likes the feeling of performing for a crowd, even if most of them are drunk and it brings up some unpleasant memories. Those last words he'd said before he went out to meet the audience that day, the ones that have been bugging him since they thoughtlessly fell out of his mouth not too long ago.

I told you, my man, Taako doesn't share his spotlight.

This bar doesn't have spotlights. This bar doesn't have roasting garlic for him to catch the smell of or kids chatting excitedly with their parents while they wait for the show to start. This bar is dark, and he can keep his gloves on, and no-one ever, ever recognises him. And why would they? Not like he ever made it to TV. Not in the way he'd wanted, anyway. He'd even let the blonde in his hair grow out to make it even less likely for anyone to remember him, even though he'd liked it more than the plain brown he sports naturally.

(Kravitz had said he liked it dark. That the blonde had been nice but his natural colour was less harsh and looked better against his skin, when Taako had showed him a picture of how he used to look. Taako insisted the brown was boring, but Kravitz was adamant. He'd said no colour could ever be boring when it was on Taako, which was obviously true, but, well. It was nice to hear it from someone else. And he and Lup matched again now. It wasn't such a loss. He'd found himself starting to warm more to the idea of staying brunette recently, even if it was still part of keeping a low profile.)

No spotlights. No-one to stare at him in horror as he crashes backstage and whisper "What did you do?"

None of that here. Here is Ren, and a bunch of lonely drunks who probably haven't watched an instalment of the evening news in their lives. Here is safe. It's safe and he's going to act like a person tonight even if he'd woken up shaking and crying two days before and hadn't slept the day after and practically dragged Kravitz off the base just before sunrise that morning because he needed to blow off some steam. And because he's sickeningly sweet and considerate, his boyfriend had asked if there was something wrong, tacitly accepted 'don't wanna talk about it' as an answer provided he was assured that itwasn't cause for concern, and insisted on being as gentle as (in)humanly possible so as not to risk aggravating his injury even though it was healing just fine and was all braced and everything - and on taking a shower first so he wouldn't be cold to the touch and make things weird.

Taako has no idea what he ever did to deserve someone so... Kravitz. He definitely knows what he did to not deserve him.

He pushes all those thoughts down and out of the way and starts setting up for the evening. He needs to prep ingredients to go in the drinks, make sure none of the required bottles need replaced even though someone should have already done that before closing up the night before but they never do,and make sure everything is reasonably clean before they open. Not too clean, because they can't afford the place's reputation to rise too much, but at least not unbearably sticky. And he needs a clean pair of gloves, he keeps some around here somewhere.

He digs a pair out from a largely unused cupboard, dumps the old ones in his bag, and starts on slicing limes first, awkward with his shoulder still braced and his arm wrapped in its sling to keep the weight off.

As he works, he lets his mind wander, and his thoughts turn to Kravitz, as they seem to do so often now. He smiles to himself, thinking about the previous day they'd spent together, the memory of cooling skin still damp from the shower brushing against his own making him feel unseasonably warm. Thinking about the way Kravitz softened into his touch even through his gloves, dug in his fingers - carefully, always so incredibly careful - when he got close and moaned broken curses mixed with his name under his breath like the words were secrets shared only between the two of them. Thinking about when he'd pressed his lips to Taako's ear and teased the skin with his mouth, tracing his tongue around the edge, and Taako had just melted, limbs turning to jelly involuntarily and a little inconveniently.

So many tics they were getting to know by now - how Taako didn't like his hair pulled, but Kravitz loved it, loved when Taako was just a little bit rough with him in general, how weak the vampire was for gentle biting, ironically, apart from that one swathe of skin on the left side of his neck that Taako had nipped just once and found himself almost thrown across the room for his trouble. He'd been so frantically apologetic, the f*cking dork, even though Taako had laughed him away. He'd just found better places to put his teeth, ones that earned him some pretty satisfying noises. Kravitz had started out with a tendency towards being very quiet, like he was somehow embarrassed, but he seemed to be relaxing more and more, and Taako was getting better at wringing new and louder reactions out of him. The surprised squeak he'd managed to cause that day was one sound he definitely wouldn't be forgetting in a hurry.

"Taako?"

He jumps, and his knife slices the skin of his thumb through his glove, drawing a muffled curse as he pulls it off and shoves the wound into his mouth, trying to suck out the stinging juice from the limes. sh*t that smarts.

"Sorry! You just, you had this look on your face," Ren stammers, rushing for the first aid kit.

"What look?" he asks around the thumb in his mouth. That's twice tonight he's been snuck up on mid-reverie. He hopes this isn't going to become a regular occurence.

Ren hums in consideration as she takes his hand, wipes the area clean, tears a band-aid off the strip and presses it over the cut. "I guess you just looked... really happy. And you were blushin' like nothin' I ever seen."

Taako clears his throat. So maybe he'd gotten just a little carried away. "Oh. Um. I was just thinkin' about someone, I guess. My boyfriend. Natch."

"Wouldn't happen to be that guy you left here with that one night? Tall, dark and handsome? I've kept seein' ya smilin' like a goof ever since then," Ren grins, smile bright and knowing. Taako just blinks at her for a second. Has he really been that much happier? Smiling enough that even Ren has taken notice when he's only seen her a few times since then?

"...Yeah, that's the one," he says quietly, looking down at the bright blue bandage now wrapped around his thumb and feeling his lips twitch upwards a little. He supposes things have been going well. Really well. He can feel the edge of something he's not quite seeing calling for his attention, begging to be pulled away like a sheet from a monument. Something new but familiar.

"That good, huh?" Ren asks, her voice soft.

"Yeah. He's - he's really amazing," he murmurs. Coming back to himself with a start, he shoves that horrifyingly sincere train of thought firmly off the rails before he embarrasses himself any further and clears his throat, waving a hand like he can clear the air of what he just said. "Obviously, because Taako doesn't accept anything less than the best."

Ren just smiles at him and puts away the kit. "I'm glad he makes you happy."

"...He does. A lot," he says softly, and the words feel like a confession. Undoubtedly true. Ren continues to fix him with that smile that would normally put him straight on the defensive, but he finds he doesn't feel like putting that wall up tonight. Tonight is a wall-free kind of night. He's gonna have to throw these limes out, though. And find another spare pair of gloves.

-*-

Magnus meets him at the exit after he finishes for the night and drives them both home, keeping up his usual excitable chatting even as Taako yawns through it. It's been a long couple of days, hopefully long enough that he can now pass out in his boyfriend's cold embrace without too much trouble. Unless Julia has actually broken him more than superficially, in which case she and Taako need to have a talk.

It's not until he collapses into an armchair in one of the rec rooms that he realises he'd forgotten to send the message he'd promised. Not that he expected the bath or candles or anything - the Bureau doesn't even have baths, much to his chagrin - but he'd said he would. His phone is so far away, though, in the pocket of his jacket thrown across the chair next to his. It doesn't matter. Kravitz will figure out they'd come back soon enough, anyway. It's not like he doesn't know when his shift finished, and nobody can ignore Magnus being present in a building for too long.

He rests his head against the back of the seat and closes his eyes, tired enough to fall asleep right there. Then he hears quiet footsteps, and grins as cool hands run their way down from his cheeks, over his neck to rest on his chest underneath his shirt. Kravitz leans over the back of the chair to kiss him, upside-down, and Taako smiles into it.

"Any bones broken, hotshot?"

"Nothing important. Good night?"

"Not bad. Better now," Taako says, opening his eyes and lifting his hand to brush Kravitz's face with the backs of his fingers. This close, he can see the way the vampire's pupils dilate as he lifts a hand to meet his wrist and pull it away, eyeing the bandage. He swallows and clears his throat.

"You cut yourself."

Taako winces, he'd forgotten about that. "Ah, sh*t - sorry, fangs. Gimme a minute, I'll put some oil or some sh*t on so you can't smell it," he says, going to push himself up, but Kravitz holds him down gently with his other hand, sliding it from his chest to the crook of his neck, firm although he's still very careful of his shoulder.

"It's fine, don't worry. I can deal with a little blood," he assures, rubbing small circles into the skin. Relaxing into the touch, Taako sighs happily. Kravitz's fingers are cool, but the contact feels amazing nonetheless - maybe moreso because of it, even, soothing against his flushed skin.

"Mmn. Keep doing that. Harder."

"This?" Kravitz asks, pushing his fingertips a little deeper, past soft flesh and into the muscle. Taako feels like he might melt into a puddle.

"Ooh. Yes, that. That's bliss, babe. You've got magic fingers."

"Well, we knew that already," Kravitz says, a smile carried on his voice.

"Remind me not to feed your ego any more, you're gettin' a big head."

Kravitz just moves his other hand to his free shoulder, massaging the skin on both sides. Taako slumps further into the seat. "Woof. f*ck. Okay, you win. Just keep doing that for like, ever."

"You haven't eaten yet."

"Mmn. I'll get to that later. Tired. Sons of bitches work me to the bone."

"I could make you something?"

Taako leans his head back and raises an eyebrow at him. Kravitz raises one back. "I can follow a recipe."

"Alright, sure, whatever you say. Finish this first, though, magic hands."

"What do you want me to make you?"

"Hmm. Just pick somethin' from my phone notes. Whatever looks easy. Don't go spreadin' anything to the press."

"I promise not to spill your secrets," Kravitz chuckles as he retrieves Taako's phone from his jacket and taps it open. Taako hears a click, and then a small noise of surprise. "When did you take this?" Kravitz asks, holding the phone down in front of his nose. The wallpaper is a picture of Kravitz mid-laugh, eyes crinkled shut and unaware of the camera. It's a dorky as hell picture, but cute, and it makes Taako smile whenever he unlocks his phone and sees it sitting behind all the dumb apps he keeps on there.

"Ch'boy can give the paparazzi a run for their money, fangs. I'm sneaky." He giggles as Kravitz pulls the phone back. "And it is, let's be honest, insultingly easy to get you into hysterics, barely even gotta try and you're outta commission for ten minutes."

"Hmn. Sounds more like you're taking advantage of my finding you hilarious," Kravitz says absently, flicking at the screen, then his eyes widen. "Wait. Oh my - Taako, how many of these do you have?" he asks, scrolling incredulously through the camera roll. Taako smirks.

"Enough for blackmail purposes."

"You really are a black-hearted scoundrel, sweetheart."

"Bless the advent of the digital camera, eh fangs?"

Kravitz drops the phone into his pocket and returns his hands to Taako's shoulders, just resting them on the skin without moving. "But what reason would you possibly have to blackmail me?"

"Just a precaution. Maybe I'll start sendin' 'em round the Bureau intranet if you don't get those fingers of yours movin' again."

Taako gives a happy moan as Kravitz hums in amusem*nt and presses his fingers into his skin once more. "How unfair. And right after I offered to make you dinner."

"Oh, you're doin' that, too, homes. I've got leverage."

Kravitz leans down to murmur in his ear, thumbs still tracing circles at the base of his neck. sh*t that's good. "How do you know I don't have leverage on you, too?"

"You're too nice for that, babe. I own your sappy ass."

"That so?" Kravitz says, and quickly, carefully, nips the tip of his ear with his front teeth. Taako yelps, feeling his whole body go warm as he swats at his jerk boyfriend's face, missing by a mile.

"Oh, you underhanded f*ck!"

Kravitz laughs and pushes his hands further down Taako's shirt, pressing his forearms against his back. "Oof, you're like a radiator! Who owns who again?"

Taako squirms and arches away from the cold arms chilling his skin. "sh*t! That was dirty, asshole."

"No dirtier than you, darling," Kravitz says, removing his arms from Taako's back and cupping the hunter's face in his hands instead, tilting his head towards him. He kisses him again, soft and slow, taking his time, then plants two more pecks on his nose and forehead before patting his cheek and moving towards the door. "Just wait here. I'll bring it through when I'm done."

"I'll keep an ear out for the fire alarm."

"Very funny!" Kravitz calls as he exits the room, and the door swings shut behind him.

Taako flops back into the chair to wait, exhausted from his lack of sleep the previous couple of days and then being on his feet all night. This had kind of been the goal, but it's now slightly inconvenient. He can probably afford to shut his eyes for just a minute so he has the energy to stay awake through dinner.

-*-

The sound of the door opening wakes him as Kravitz returns with a bowl of hot food and a glass of wine. He looks a little nauseous, but pleased with himself, and it makes Taako's heart swell to see him trying so hard to make him feel better, to make him happy even though all he really has to do for that is be there with him. The edge of that sheet is in his hands, if he could only find the courage to give it one good tug. He's not sure if he's ready to see what's underneath it, but he's thinking it might not be so bad to try.

Kravitz stops next to the chair with a soft smile warming his face. He has some kind of sauce smudged across his cheek. "No promises, but it is your recipe," he says, placing the bowl in his hands along with a fork and setting the wine on the table. "If it's really bad I can probably find something else for you, though."

Taako looks blearily down at the bowl in his hands, containing some kind of bean stir-fry, then lifts his head again and smiles. "Nah. This'll be fine. I'm sure you can't have f*cked it up that bad."

"I'd uh, I'd try it first before you say that," Kravitz says with a nervous smile, and then proceeds to just stand there, watching him expectantly. Taako does his best not to find it too endearing and obligingly picks up a forkful to shove unceremoniously into his mouth.

It's actually pretty decent, if maybe a little burnt in places and heavy on the spices. But that's probably to be expected when you can't taste-test or smell things overcooking. He offers Kravitz a raised eyebrow. "Not bad. I'm gonna make a sous-chef outta you yet, my dude."

Kravitz looks absolutely delighted. "Great, that's - I'm glad it's okay. You, um, you eat, I'm gonna go clean up. I made a bit of a mess," he says with a slightly abashed grin, and kisses the top of Taako's head before turning to head out of the room.

Taako watches him go, smiling to himself at the rogue curls that have escaped from Kravitz's hurriedly-constructed ponytail without his notice, and the words fall through his mind as easy as breathing but get lost somewhere on the way to his mouth. The sheet comes away, and that new-familiar feeling shines silent but unveiled.

I love you, he thinks.

"You're a mess," he yells.

Chapter 36: Down Once More

Chapter Text

It had been a busy few weeks at the Bureau. Aside from the usual operations and the cleanup from the Wonderland incident, there had been a general inclination towards group activities since then. Lots of attempts at team-building and morale-boosting and putting aside more morbid thoughts in favour of lighter, more manageable ones. The karaoke night (or morning, to be more accurate) had been one of many options that had been proposed, among more competitive and more relaxed events. For a lot of those who had been involved in the operation or who had been close with Maureen in her time there, the gatherings did provide some comfort, and though Lucas still shunned most of them he started to leave his room more often, if only to nag Kravitz about when he'd let him take his samples.

They're distractions, really, but distractions which Kravitz is becoming increasingly glad of as time goes on. There's a growing feeling of restlessness deep in his nerves, a sense that something is off, missing, that he's forgetting something. It feels like there's a hole in him somewhere that he can't seem to fill, something other than the empty hunger that always hums at the edges of his consciousness like hollow background noise. It's putting him in a state where he's forever slightly on edge, and keeping himself busy is the only way he's found to expel the nervous energy that builds when he's left to his own devices. He hasn't been able to sleep more than an hour or two at a time in over a week without being woken still fighting for unnecessary breath, even with warmth and company. After a few days, he'd stopped trying, deciding to just lie there with a book that he couldn't focus on instead. He has no trouble reading in the dark, at least.

The latest event is a quiz night, not the first but one of the most rowdy as people had started to bet on who would win or who would come horribly, distantly last. Lup, the instigator, had only raised a questioning eyebrow his way as an invitation in the midst of the conversation, and nodded when he smiled and shook his head. That hadn't been a backslide he wanted to risk, and he was grateful for her not making a big deal out of it. Magnus hadn't been quite so subtle in trying to include him, but a word and a swift but gentle kick from Lup cleared that up.

Which is why he's now sat around a table with Taako, Merle (For 'old sh*t') and, surprisingly, Lucas (For 'nerd sh*t'), while Lup, Barry, Magnus and Julia harrass them from nearby over their five-point lead, something which is mostly the result ofa music round Kravitz has a feeling has been included partially for his sake. On the whole, his general knowledge isn't too bad, but in terms of pop culture he's practically useless, especially when it comes to anything from the last five years. With these, though, he feels like he can contribute, even if Barry and Lup give him a surprising run for his money.

They're at a point where the competition is mainly between their two teams, something only possible at all because Angus is reading the questions and not playing himself, or else every point would have gone to whichever team he joined. The other teams have fallen by the wayside somewhat - not that they aren't still trying, but they're not really being given a chance to.

"Which piece famously used cannons-"

Kravitz's hand is once again on the bell before Angus can finish the question. "Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture."

"Correct!" Angus beams, and moves the card to the back of the stack. Taako holds up the hand of his good arm for a high-five, a little awkward given the angle, and Kravitz slaps it (gently) without taking his eyes off Angus, who's writing another tally mark on the whiteboard behind him.

"Angus, I'm begging you, please give me a challenge, I know you can do better than this."

"No heckling the baby!" Lup shouts from the table next to them.

"I'm not heckling him, I'm asking him to stop making it so easy!" Kravitz protests.

"That's heckling - Angus, dock their points!"

"I'm not gonna-"

"He shouldn't be allowed to hit the bell, either, it's an unfair advantage," Magnus complains. Taako shrugs and waves his free hand in response.

"Hey, we have one vampire, you have one vampire, I say this is fair."

"Ours doesn't know the answers!"

"Do any of you know the answers?" Taako asks, resting his chin casually on his hand. Their four opponents look between each other, and a smug smile takes over Taako's face as he leans over towards their table. "Then it doesn't matter how fast he hits the bell now, does it?"

"Moving on," Angus calls as he hops back up on his makeshift podium (a small chair), pulling another card from the stack in his hand. "Which conductor is noted to have always appeared wearing a white-"

Kravitz slams the bell. "Sir Malcolm Sargent."

"Correct!"

"Wait, a white what?" Barry asks, leaning forward to look at him.

"Carnation. Also, sometimes it was red."

Lup throws her hands in the air. "How the f*ck do you know that?"

"Oh, is this a good time to mention I majored in music history and theory?" Kravitz asks innocently.

"Oh, hell yeah, ch'boy's got himself an educated man," Taako crows, hooking their arms together and planting an exaggerated kiss on his cheek while Kravitz laughs and Lup bangs her head on the table.

"Does that count as cheating?" Magnus whispers to Julia - except this is a Magnus whisper, so it's audible to just about the entire room.

"Man, we should've forced Johann to come," Lup groans, slumping back in her seat. "How were we supposed to know there'd be a whole round on this nerd sh*t?"

Taako shoots Angus a conspiratorial wink that Lup fortunately doesn't catch (or else she might have staged a mutiny right then and there), and the boy giggles into his cards for a second before saying, "Okay, the next one's a little more recent anyway."

He reaches into his pocket and pulls out his phone. "Which 1986 musical features this piece in its finale?" he asks, holding it out and tapping the screen.

A song starts to play from Angus' phone. Kravitz knows it. He wishes he didn't. It takes him off-guard, and the rest follows like an avalanche set off by one wrong step.

'Have you gorged yourself at last in your lust for blood?
Am I now to be preyto your lust for flesh?'

The song, the arm hooked around his own, the warm feeling of companionship that suddenly flees because it's all just like-

That fate which condemns me to wallow in blood,
Has also denied me the joys of the flesh.

"Krav? Babe, you good?"

Just like-

This face, the infection, which poisons our love...

"Babe?"

He tries so hard not to remember.

A bell rings to his left, but it's drowned out by the ringing in his ears, the sounds of laughter turn to screams. His chair goes clattering to the tile as he stands and trips his way towards the door, managing some kind of rushed excuse that he can't confirm the coherency of.

The song still echoing in his head, he stumbles a few feet down the corridor before collapsing against the wall and sliding down to the floor, shaking, sinking his teeth into the back of his hand in an attempt to ground himself with the pain as he tries not to hyperventilate, as if it would make any difference. The breaths come irregularly and involuntarily, hitching in his chest and burning his throat, never reaching his lips, and he squeezes his eyes shut and tries to remind himself of where he is, that he's safe, he's not dying, not any more, and he doesn't need air. He doesn't need air. He's freezing and his throat is filling with blood but it doesn't matter because he doesn't. Need. Air.

Except he can smell dirt and fear and feel his heart pushing more of the life out of him with every weakening beat. His neck is hot and wet with blood but everything else is chilled, numb, static, gone. It's all white, all blank and angry fog. He can't breathe, he's drowning. He doesn't need air but he's drowning, he's dying, cold and dying dying dying-

There's the sound of a door opening and then someone is close in front of him. The only thought he can manage is that at least he's not dying alone any more.

"Krav? Woah, hey, hey, Kravitz, you're okay, you're fine, it's alright."

It won't be alright.

"Vitti, stay with me, honey, come on, you can't die on me, just hold on, it's gonna be al-"

It won't be alright.

Someone loosens his tie, undoes his collar. Warm hands, so warm but covered in something that muffles the heat, cup his face and gently tilt it upwards, slowly pulling his hand away from his mouth. He chokes out a rasping cough, but it doesn't clear his throat.

"Breathe, babe, you're okay."

"I-I can't, I don't - I don't need-"

"Just do it anyway. Try for me. Deep breaths. You're fine."

He tries anyway, even though he doesn't need to. Even though he's choking on iron. All he manages is a strangled wheeze.

"Kravitz? Can you look at me? Open your eyes and look."

He does, dimly aware of wetness on his cheeks as he blinks the world into focus. Taako is giving him a worried but reassuring smile. It's not who he had expected. "See? I'm right here. You're safe. Everything's fine."

He takes the hunter's warm hands and grips them tight, shivering, breaths still broken and laboured but expelling, slowly, the suffocating fear filling his chest. Making room inside to breathe.

"Krav, you gotta let go a little for me, hon, you're gonna break my hands."

He drops them. "Sorry, I'm-" He chokes again, there's no air to speak with - dying, dying, still - "I'm sorry, I'm so-"

"It's okay, babe, it's okay. Just not so tight, it's fine."

Carefully taking Kravitz's hands back, Taako moves one to his own chest and breathes in slowly, holding his gaze. "Come on, fangs. Just follow, you're fine."

Kravitz tries to follow the motion, faltering and choking every time the memory - because it is a memory, it's just a memory - of blood in his lungs claws its way up again. Taako keeps talking in a stream of hushed tones.

"It's okay, babe. In and out, I'm right here. Just breathe. You're okay, you're safe, I've got you, you're fine."

It takes what feels like forever, an age of sharp remembrance blunted by soft reassurances, but eventually the tightness in his chest fades, and he exhales one last time before returning to stillness. No air needed. He wipes his face and leans his head back against the wall, closing his eyes again, still shaky but no longer feeling like he's dying. No longer remembering the feeling of dying.

Taako gives him a minute before moving a hand to his arm and giving it a reassuring squeeze. "...You feelin' better?"

Kravitz gives a weak nod. "Sorry," he sniffs, throat raw, "I just wasn't expecting - that, the song, and everything, it just-"

Firm, Taako shakes his head and brushes some hair away from his face, tucking it behind his ear. "Don't be sorry, babe, it's fine. We'll steer clear of that topic from now on, okay?"

"...Thank you."

"Do you wanna go back in? Or I can, uh, can tell 'em you're tired or something if you wanna go lie down or whatever."

"Could we just stay here for a minute?"

"Sure."

Taako shuffles closer and turns to sit next to him on the floor, back against the wall, taking a second to return his injured arm to its sling. He's still supposed to be resting it, Kravitz thinks with no small amount of guilt. Even so, he leans into him, still feeling deathly cold and finding comfort in the heat and sound of a pulse. A shiver runs through him, then another, and a warm hand finds his back and rubs gently along his shoulderblades as the final tremors work their way out of his system.

He never used to have to think about being warm. He just was.

"Has, uh, has that happened before?" Taako asks after a little while.

"Sometimes. I try not to think about it. Usually passes on its own, eventually."

"You know that's a panic attack, right?"

Kravitz breathes some semblance of a laugh with little humour behind it. "Silly, isn't it? A vampire who gets panic attacks."

"You're a person who gets panic attacks, Krav. It's not silly, don't be stupid," Taako scolds gently, hand still working soothing circles over his back. Chasing the now-familiar smell of roses and lavender, Kravitz turns his head to sigh into the soft warmth of his hair.

"It doesn't exactly fit with the bloodthirsty monster image."

"Neither do you, ya big nerd," Taako says with a playful nudge. Kravitz huffs and headbutts his jaw in return.

"I guess that's a compliment."

"Part of your charm, trust me."

A bell sounds from inside the room, and Kravitz finds Taako's bound hand to squeeze it gently in thanks before he lets go and sits up, rubbing his face. "You can go back inside if you want. I'll be fine."

"Do you want me to go back inside?" Taako asks, gaze steady. Kravitz holds it for a moment before dropping his eyes and taking his hand again.

"No."

"Then I'm not gonna."

"...Thanks. You don't have to, though."

"Since when do I do anything I don't wanna do, fangs?"

Kravitz smiles a little. "Never."

"Exactly," Taako says, bringing his hand up off his back to pull his head towards him and kiss his temple in an uncharacteristically sweet gesture. "Taako's good out here. Y'know, as long as you'll have me."

"Of course I'll have you," Kravitz assures, squeezing the hand in his again very lightly. He now realises that he'd probably left bruises with how hard he was gripping before - too strong for his own good or anyone else's. "Sorry, I probably lost us our lead."

"We'll get 'em next time, fangs. And I'll talk to the kid about his song choices. Is it just that one, or...?"

Kravitz picks at a loose thread on his trousers. "Any of them from that show aren't great," he murmurs. "That, um, that's the worst one, though."

"I'll veto the album, no worries. Angles won't even bat an eye."

"Thank you."

"You don't need to thank me, babe, I - um." Taako stops, clears his throat. "Taako's just great like that," he smiles. "Boyfriend of the year. Ain't even no deal."

"I appreciate it. Really."

"I should f*ckin' hope so," Taako huffs theatrically, then drops his gaze to their linked hands and brushes his gloved thumb along Kravitz's skin. "But, um, it's fine, really. No biggie. You looked after me when I felt like sh*t, we're even."

"You still didn't have to. Thank you, I mean it."

"Stoooop," Taako groans, pulling Kravitz's face into his shoulder and rocking them both back and forth. "Stop sayin' thank you, it's fine, you're my boy, I got you covered. Don't make a big deal out of it. What am I gonna do about my rep if anyone finds out I'm bein' so nice, huh? I'll be ruined."

"Sorry," Kravitz laughs quietly. "I'll keep your secret."

"You'd better. I'll dust your ass, fangs, don't test me."

"I won't."

"Good. Taako's got a brand to maintain."

They sit there for a little while in the quiet, with the sounds of ringing bells and spirited shouting filtering under the door and through the walls. No-one walks past, and Kravitz is glad of the fact that no-one else leaves the room to check on them, either. He's not really in the mood for interaction or explanation.

After a couple of minutes, he slowly rises to his feet, one hand against the wall behind for support while the other holds Taako's as he follows. "I think I'm gonna go lie down," he says, feeling drained and tired and not quite connected to his body.

"I'll tell them you forgot some paperwork. Do you want me to come with you?"

He hesitates for a moment, then nods. "If that's okay."

Taako tuts at himand leans up to kiss his cheek. "Of course it's okay, doofus. Just wait here a second."

He vanishes inside the room for half a minute and offers another comforting smile when he comes back out, reaching out to take back his hand with his good arm.

"All good." He tugs him gently down the corridor towards his room - their room, really, for the amount of time Kravitz spends in there. "C'mon, ch'boy's got just the thing to get you unwindin' again."

The lights remain off as they enter, and Kravitz sinks gratefully onto the bed as Taako crosses to the other side of the room tolight a stick of incense and set it in a holder on the dresser. It's far away enough to be comfortably enveloping rather than overpowering on Kravitz's sensitive faculties, and he's thankful for it. It smells like home, like a missed note on a piano and a hand mussing up his hair a little too hard, even though there's no way Taako could possibly have known. It's still soothing.

"Too much?" Taako asks quietly, padding back over and brushing a hand over his cheek. Kravitz brings his own hand up to meet it and shakes his head.

"No, it's perfect. Thank you."

"'Course it is, it's me. Now c'mon, get these off so we can go lie down," he says, patting Kravitz's shirt and turning his own attention to his shoes. He's taken his arm out of its sling again, but Kravitz doesn't have the will to scold him for it.

Kravitz starts to work the buttons loose on his shirt, but stops dead after barely managing one, the realisation that it's the same colour as the one he'd been wearing - wine red, blood red - almost enough to push him back over the edge again before Taako moves his shaking hands out of the way to take over for him, his touch warm and steady. Kravitz lets his head slump forward to rest his face against his boyfriend's hairline, brings his hands up to run them slowly through his curls, focusing on the texture, the weight of them. The repetitive movement and the knowledge that someone is there with him help to settle his nerves again.

Taako helps him into a pair of soft pyjamas - a gift, given with the justification that they would stop him giving Taako frostbite during the night - and kisses him on the forehead. "There, you're good. Go snuggle up, babe, I'll just be a second."

He crawls under the sheets and obediently curls up underneath them, hazy and tired, wondering if it's enough that he'll finally be able to sleep tonight but not holding out too much hope. It's a minute before Taako climbs in next to him and presses himself close, working his way between his arms and wrapping him in his body heat. His heart beats through his ribcage and echoes hollowly through Kravitz's chest, somehow both comforting and disquieting at the same time. Still, he pulls him as close as he can. Taako runs a gentle hand through his hair, and he leans into it, savouring the warmth against his scalp.

"If that happens again, you tell me, alright?" Taako says softly against his ear. "Don't just try to deal with that sh*t on your own."

"Yeah. Sorry," Kravitz murmurs, holding him even closer. Still too cold.

"Ugh, fangs, don't be sorry. Angus gets 'em too, it's no big deal. I think Jules has her moments." His hand pauses in Kravitz's hair for just a moment. "I used to get them sometimes as well," he adds, more quietly. "And, you know I have no time for feelings bullsh*t, but if you wanna talk about it, I can make an exception."

Kravitz takes in a breath to speak that hitches on the way in, swallows and turns his head to kiss the warm skin behind Taako's ear. "I don't think I can do that, not right now. But thank you."

"S'fine, babe. I get it," Taako says quietly.

A heady mix of gratitude and affection has Kravitz squeezing him as tightly as he dares and pressing his face into his neck, trying to convey so much through only that contact. He's still not quite settled, but this is so much better than he usually feels after being set off like that, especially after an attack that bad. He's glad to have someone that understands - or just anyone at all, really.

After a minute, he rolls onto his back and pulls Taako over him like a blanket, letting the weight of him ground him, pin him down. It helps. He's just starting to drift rapidly towards sleep under the gentle touch of fingers carding through his hair and the sound of steady breathing against his ear, when there's the barest whisper in the darkness.

"Hey, Krav? You still awake?"

"Nnm. 'Tisit?"

"I, uh," Taako starts, then stops and breathes a small sigh. "...No, doesn't matter."

There's a foggy part of Kravitz's brain that tallies this as the fifteenth time Taako has done this in the last week, but he's too tired to question him about it. A kiss plants itself on his jaw. "Go to sleep, babe, it can wait."

Kravitz doesn't need to be told twice. He passes out almost immediately, falling into soft unconsciousness with a comforting weight against his chest and a living warmth pushing back the chill in his veins.

Chapter 37: Behind the Moon, Beyond the Rain

Chapter Text

Kravitz is slow and reluctant to wake, clinging to the welcome sleep that for the first time in a while hadn't been snatched away from him. The smell of incense still lingers on the air, warm fingers still tangled in his hair and warmer breath breezing past his ear in even bursts. A moment he could quite happily stay in forever.

But it's there, in the hazy half-reality between asleep and awake, that he remembers what he had forgotten. What's been eating at him the last several days. What that hole was.

Raven.

He sits bolt upright, shocked at himself. How could he have forgotten to visit her? It's impossible, except he knows how, really. He's fallen off schedule, always used to go the night after he'd fed so he'd be in the best condition possible, just in case. But with him now eating regularly and all of the events and people clamouring for his attention, it's been over two months since he saw her.

The realisation brings a clawing anxiety with it. What if something had happened in that time, if she'd been moved? What if her condition had changed and he hadn't been there? If she'd recovered, or even-

He cuts that thought off before it can finish, already feeling lightheaded just from the start of the idea. He has to go, immediately.

"What the hell, fangs?" Taako mumbles, dislodged from his position sprawled across Kravitz's chest and rubbing at his eyes. Kravitz turns to look at him without really seeing. They still won't let him leave the premises without supervision yet, which means he needs an escort. Preferably.

"Can we go out?"

Yawning, Taako smirks slightly. "What've you got in mind?"

"I need to go to the hospital."

"What?" Taako pushes himself up to look at him better, a doubtful frown on his face. "The hospital? Why'd you-?"

"I have to visit Raven."

"Krav, it's like six," Taako says, frown deepening. "The sun's barely down, can't it wait?"

Kravitz shakes his head. "No. I need to go, right now. Please, I don't want to have to break the rules, but I need to see her, I'm going with or without you."

Looking concerned, Taako reaches out to rub a warm hand over his arm. "Alright, alright, cool your jets. We'll go. You okay?"

Kravitz shakes his head again. He isn't okay at all, he feels dizzy and jittery - it's that on-edge feeling from the last several days turned up tenfold. "It's been too long, I haven't seen her. I have to make sure she's okay."

"Babe, we've got people at the hospitals, I can call 'em. Just tell me which one it is and we can find out right now."

"Eastern. The - the one with the big pond next to it with the ghost koi," he says, and Taako nods and turns to grope along the bedside table for his phone, but it's too slow, and Kravitz leans over him to grab it and shove it into his hand. "Call them."

"Krav, I'm doing it, calm down, okay?" Taako says, frowning at him as he opens the phone and brings up the dialler. Kravitz bunches and unbunches his hands in the sheets, too restless to stay still.

"I'm - I'm trying, just - call them. Please."

Taako clicks his tongue as he scrolls through his contacts, agonisingly slowly. "Okay, Eastern should be..." He taps a name and brings the phone to his ear. It rings for too long, and Kravitz tries to focus on the warmth still lingering on his skin, the feel of the sheets in his hands, anything except how f*cking long this is taking. When Avi finally answers, he sounds a little confused.

"Taako?"

Taako's voice immediately turns chipper. "Avi, my dude, you're on East at the moment, right? Can y'check on somethin' for me, pal?"

"Uh, sure. What do you need?"

"Sweet. Could you just, go to-" Taako presses the phone to his shoulder and looks over at him. "What's the room number?"

Kravitz flounders. "I don't - I don't know, it's the fifth floor, side of the building facing the street-"

Taako stops him with a waved hand. "Okay, just, give me the name then, full name."

"Raven Lamort."

"Her name is f*cking-?" Taako starts, but Kravitz cuts him off with a sharp glare. "Okay, sorry, jeez," he mumbles, then brings the phone back up. "Raven Lamort. Can you find her room? She's somewhere on the fifth floor, probably long-term care."

"Now?"

"Yeah, my dude. Kinda urgent."

"I mean, uh, yeah, okay. I'll just be a minute, gotta grab someone to keep a lookout while I'm inside."

"Okay, call me back when you get there."

Hanging up and locking the phone, Taako rests it on the bed between them. "He's gonna go check, okay? Five minutes."

Kravitz fights back a scream. Five minutes is an age. Five minutes is a century, an eternity. He jumps out of the bed and starts pacing back and forth, tapping out nervous rhythms with his fingers. This is stupid, he knows it's stupid, he knows it's irrational and that there's nothing wrong but the fact that he doesn't knowis buzzing around in his skull like a hornet. Any thought not directed towards this earns him a sting and sets him right back to thinking in circles again. He stops and turns back to Taako.

"Has it been five minutes?"

"Thirty seconds, babe," he says gently. "You wanna come sit back down?"

"No, I - I can't, it's - how much longer?"

"She'll be fine, hon," Taako assures, "Nothing's happened."

"I know, I know but it doesn't - it doesn't help. I'm sorry, I know it's stupid, it's just - it's all I can think about," Kravitz sighs, squeezing his eyes shut and rubbing at his forehead. He doesn't see the flash of realisation lighting briefly behind Taako's eyes before fading into a solemn look, or him shaking his head.

"No, it isn't stupid. This makes sense," he says softly, and runs a hand through his hair with a sharp exhale. "I know it's hard, just hang on a minute. Avi'll be done in no time, and after that we can go see for ourselves, yeah?"

The barest spark of gratitude flickers in Kravitz's chest. "Thank you. I'm sorry, really, I don't want to drag you around, I just - I can't think straight," he says, feeling a touch of guilt for being so frantic but unable to stop. Taako offers him a half-hearted smile.

"Since when can you ever, huh?"

Kravitz wants to laugh, he really does, but he feels like he doesn't have the capacity to even try. Like that part of him has been turned off or covered with thick fog. In the end he thinks he manages a ghost of a smile that's gone as soon as it appears, but it may not have even been that much.

Concern creasing his face, Taako pushes himself out of bed as well and pads over to start running his fingers carefully through his hair. Kravitz tenses a little when he gets close, and again when Taako's hands brush just slightly too near to his neck, and as much as he enjoys the contact it's like it's being filtered through layers of thick glass. Dim and not quite making it through to the place that needs it.

A thousand years go by before Taako's phone buzzes from the bed, and Kravitz snatches it up and answers it in less than a second. "Is she okay?"

"Well, uh, she's not conscious, but she seems fine. Nurse said nothing's changed," Avi says, then pauses for a moment. "You're not Taako."

"No, I'm - I'm not, thank you," Kravitz replies, handing the phone back to Taako, who keeps his eyes on him as he brings it to his ear.

"Yeah, thanks, my good man, I owe ya. Catch ya later," he says as Kravitz collapses back onto the bed. That settles him a little, but it's not enough just to hear it. He has to see for himself, check for himself that nothing is wrong and that she's safe, she has to be safe. He sits up to find a gloved hand extended his way.

"C'mon, you wanna go, right?" Taako says, beckoning with his fingers.

"Yeah, I - thank you, I'm really-"

Taako shakes his head firmly, and he almost looks sad. "Don't say you're sorry, I know you can't help it. Just go get dressed, I'm not takin' you in your jammies, babe."

Kravitz takes the hand extended his way and kisses its fingers. Humour and its surrounding emotions aren't working, but affection, he can do that, dulled as it is. It's like trying to draw water from a half-dried well, but he can.

Taako takes a minute longer than him to get ready, during which time Kravitz bounces anxiously on the balls of his feet, unable to even appreciate his boyfriend's figure like he normally would. It feels like his head is stuck in a loop, stuck underwater, everything muffled and out of focus but somehow sharp and bright at the same time. Staying still, just waiting,is a task in itself.

"Taako, are you going to be much longer?" he asks, trying to keep his voice level. "I can't - I'm trying to wait, but it's-"

"I'll just be a second, babe, just gimme-" Taako finally pulls on a jacket and pats the pockets. "Okay, c'mon. Let's go."

Kravitz nods and turns to leave, but something catches his eye as Taako approaches. He blocks his exit with an arm. "You need to wear your sling."

"But we need to get going," Taako says, trying to duck past him. "It's fine, it barely hurts."

"You're suppposed to still be wearing it. I can - I can wait," Kravitz insists, and Taako stops trying to get around his arm and watches him for a second before nodding ever so slightly.

"Alright. I'll go grab it," he says, and only once that's done does Kravitz finally drag him out of the room.

-*-

Kravitz doesn't trust himself to drive in the state he's in, so they take a cab there. Taako had been right about the position of the sun; there's still the barest touch of purple and pink lingering on the horizon, and Kravitz does his best to appreciate that rare sight instead of just stewing in his own head. He finds himself thinking that maybe he should have been more understanding of Julia when she was sat at Magnus' bedside - her behaviour makes so much more sense to him now.

Taako rests a warm hand on his thigh when he starts restlessly shaking his leg, and while he registers the warmth and the contact it's hard to do much more than absently rest his own hand over the top. He's too preoccupied to appreciate or even notice the bare skin under his fingers.

The cab lets them out across the street from the building and the small grassy area in front of it, and Kravitz immediately pulls them out of sight into the shadows, scanning the area for any stray figures lingering outside. He can see the open window, he just has to get to it.

Taako taps his arm. "What are you doing?"

"Making sure the coast is clear," Kravitz says, dragging his eyes away from the window to look at him. Taako blinks at him for a second, and then starts to laugh, startlingly loud in the quiet of the evening. Kravitz is so surprised he can't do much else but stare at him.

"You don't - we don't have to sneak in, babe," Taako manages between giggles, once he's calmed down a little. "You work for us now, remember? They'll just let us in. You get the VIP experience."

Kravitz straightens up slightly, too out of touch for embarrassment even though he knows that's where he should be. "Oh. That's a lot more convenient."

"Chyeah. Let's go, ocean's eleven," Taako snickers, and grabs his sleeve to tug him over the road towards the building.

Avi is waiting outside the entrance, leaning against the wall by the huge sliding doors. When he sees them approach, he perks up a little and walks over to meet them.

"Hey, how's it going? What's with the weird phone calls, huh?"

"I'll, uh, tell you later," Taako says. "Just got some business inside."

"With a coma patient?" Avi asks, a confused smile on his face.

Kravitz shifts restlessly on his feet. He's met Avi a fair few times now, he likes Avi, his laid-back energy and generous heart, but right now, Avi is in the way, and it's all he can do not to physically remove him from their path.

Thankfully, Taako seems to notice this, and carefully touches a reassuring hand to the small of his back. "Yeah, it's kind of a long story, can we just - Krav needs a badge, right? You got one?"

"Oh, yeah, hang on a second," Avi says, and digs into his pocket to retrieve a small pin with the Bureau's nondescript logo on it and offer it out. "This is your visitor's pass. Makes sure none of our people are gonna take a stab at you."

"Thanks," Kravitz says curtly, taking the pin and clipping it to his shirt as he pushes past Avi into the building.

He hears Taako mutter a quiet "Thanks, man," behind him, aware that he's being rude, but polite conversation is not currently a level he's functioning at. All he can think about is getting up to the room and checking Raven is okay, she has to be okay.

He stops half a dozen steps inside. Getting there may be an easy plan to follow, however actually doing it is - well, he doesn't actually know how to do that.He's not used to being on the inside of the building. He'd always climbed in through the window, for some reason it was always unlocked, pushed ever so slightly open. Maybe the fact that the room is on the fifth floor, and hence is less of a security risk, or something. He was always just glad for the access.

Luckily, Taako seems to have a better idea of where he's going. "It's this way," he prompts, lightly tugging at Kravitz's sleeve again and heading down a corridor that's way brighter than it has any right to be. "Five-one-one, that's easy to remember, right?"

"Mmhm," Kravitz manages, content to follow silently until they get there. He can wait that long.

They move through the building without any trouble until, halfway down a sparsely populated corridor, Kravitz grabs Taako by the arm and yanks him behind a vending machine as a woman with long white hair starts to turn towards them. Taako stares at him in wide-eyed surprise.

"What's the deal, Kr-"

"Don't say my name so loud," Kravitz whispers, hushing him with a hand over his mouth and leaning out very slightly to confirm his suspicions. "That's Raven's girlfriend, the one with the white hair. I didn't think she still visited."

Taako gently pulls his hand away and glances around the edge of the machine. "Oh. She's pretty."

"Oh sh*t, she's coming this way," Kravitz gasps, quickly pulling them both back behind the cover of the machine. She couldn't have seen them, right? She probably wouldn't have believed her eyes even if she did.

"So?" Taako frowns. "She looks nice."

"Taako, she thinks I'm dead! She can't see me!" Kravitz hisses, desperately looking around for an escape route and not finding a single one. He presses the heels of his hands into his eye sockets with a low groan. "I should've just climbed in the window," he mutters. He can feel himself spiralling more into cold dread by the second; facing Istus isn't something he'd ever planned on doing, especially not in the state he's in right now. This is the last thing he'd needed tonight.

"It's fine, she'll go right past us, no worries," Taako assures. "Just turn around."

"In case you haven't noticed, I'm not exactly someone who blends into the background easily," Kravitz says in an agitated whisper, gesturing to himself a little frantically. "I've known her for years, there's no way she won't recognise me, even if she doesn't see my face."

Taako waves him off. "Okay, fine, but it's cool, if she sees you, we've got magic jellyfish pee on our side. She won't remember a thing."

"I'd rather not dose her with that, Taako!"

"I could slam you against the wall and make out with you like they do in the movies?" Taako suggests, smirking and running his fingers over Kravitz's chest, and while that does sound enjoyable-

"Yeah, 'cause that's inconspicuous," Kravitz says, firmly dismissing the idea. He risks a glance back around their cover and falls further into panic when he sees that Istus is still heading their way, quickly pulling back and starting to tug anxiously at his hair. "sh*t, sh*t, sh*t."

Taako catches his gaze and holds it. "You want me to pull the fire alarm?"

"No!" Kravitz hisses, then thinks of the alternative and reconsiders that option a little. "f*ck, maybe. sh*t, what's she going to think of me?" He buries his face in his hands and slumps back against the wall, thinking that maybe if he doesn't have to watch this disaster happen it won't be as awful.

Suddenly, Taako snaps his fingers. "Wait, she knows you, but she doesn't know me - Taako's got this, you go on ahead, yeah?"

Kravitz looks up in a panic. "Taako, don't-"

But he's already out from behind the machine and hurrying the few steps to meet Istus, which he does quite spectacularly. He slams straight into her with a surprised shout and goes tumbling past her to the floor, quickly scrambling up and waving his free hand apologetically as Istus turns around to stare at him. Kravitz watches cautiously from his hiding place, chest aching at seeing such a familiar figure. He so desperately wants to close the distance and let her know he's still here as well, despite everything, but he's not a part of that world any more. And she isn't a part of his.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry, I wasn't paying any attention, are you okay?" Taako is saying as he frantically smooths out Istus' clothes. Her hands are hovering an inch from Taako's upper arms, like she's trying to form a protective barrier, and even though Kravitz can't see her face he knows the expression of soft concern that is undoubtedly written across her features. She was always so kind.

"Yes, dear, I'm fine, are you alright? Is your arm okay?"

"Oh, this? I've had worse, trust me," Taako assures, plucking at his sling. Then his eyes go wide. "Oh my goodness, that scarf is amazing! Where did you get it?"

"O-oh, thank you. I made it," Istus says, hands going to the technicolour scarf that drapes around her neck and brushes the floor at either end. "Knitting is a hobby of mine."

"It's beautiful! Would you let me buy one from you? My boyfriend's got super bad circulation issues, if you could make a black one I bet he'd-"

Taako suddenly breaks off and bursts into fairly convincing tears. Istus' hands go back to hovering again in concern.

"Oh, sweetheart, what's wrong?"

"It's - f*ck, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to-" Taako sniffs, wiping roughly at his cheeks. "He's dead, a-and I keep forgetting, but then it all comes rushing back and I just - he would've loved a scarf like that," he sobs, covering his face. If Kravitz didn't know any better he'd say this was genuine.

Istus coos and rubs his shoulder. "Oh you poor thing, I'm so sorry - what was his name? I do embroidery as well, if you'd like a memorial piece."

There's a brief pause where Kravitz is pretty sure Taako has just forgotten every potential fake name in existence.

"...His... name... was... Taako - no, sh*t, sorry, that's me - um, it was - f*ck, I can't even say it," he laughs nervously. "Um, Fffffabian. That was his name, Fabian."

Istus nods and takes his bare hands gently in her own. Taako glances down a little nervously, but probably doesn't have a real excuse to pull them away. Despite his silence, Istus seems to take notice of his discomfort and moves her grip to his arms instead, saying, "That's a lovely name. Mine's Istus. Why don't you come with me, dear, and I'll buy you some tea? I'd love to hear about him."

"Oh, no, I couldn't, I'm fine, really, you don't have to do that, I'm sure you have places to be-"

"It's no problem, I was only about to head home anyway, but this is more important. Please, come tell me about him, I'd be happy to listen - remembering is cathartic, I find."

She leads him away back down the corridor. Taako throws a peace sign behind his back with his free hand and Kravitz breathes a small sigh of relief, though there's disappointment mingling there too. He misses Istus dearly, and all the blindingly colourful scarves and sweaters she used to make him. She always insisted he was going to get cold, like some kind of worried grandmother, even though he'd never had a problem staying warm in any weather - too warm-blooded, in a cruel twist of irony. The garments were never his style, either, but he couldn't resist wearing them anyway, and Raven had always laughed at him whenever she caught him in ten shades of black and another ten neon. He misses both of them so much.

But with that disaster averted, the agitation starts to build again. Kravitz turns in the opposite direction from the way the other two had left and hurries towards Raven's room. Or at least he tries; it takes him a little while to locate the room on his own, not knowing exactly where he's going.

He manages to keep himself from running until he sees the door, but once he catches sight of the metal sign outside it's all he can do not to sprint the rest of the way. He shoves the door open roughly enough to send it banging against the wall - fortunately there's no-one around to hear it - and steadies himself with the familiarity of the space.He doesn't bother with the lights; he doesn't need them anyway, and the room isn't particularly dark to begin with - there's moonlight spilling in through the open window, and more artificial light joining it through the glass panels in the door.

It's the same scene as ever, the single bed and a chair either side, one facing the window and one with its back to it. It always seemed strange for there to be two, but then maybe Istus brought guests with her when she came. Raven is the same as ever, too, lying there silently with closed eyes. There's no visual indication that she's doing anything but sleeping, no bandages or scars or breathing tubes. She's just frozen.

He crosses over to the bed and collapses into a chair, the one with its back to the window. The one he always uses. She's fine. No change. The buzzing at the back of his skull finally quiets down, the hole smoothed over.

He laces his fingers with hers and watches her breathing, her face. Five years is starting to make a difference to her in a way it never will to him any more. It's with a flash of something cold in his chest that he realises she looks ten years older than him instead of five, and the thought chills him from the inside out. He's not sure if he could take leaving her behind.

"Raven, it's me, it's Vitti. I'm sorry it's been so long. I brought someone for you to meet, I think you'll like him," he says quietly, wondering not for the first time if she can hear him or not. There's never been any indication that she can, however much he talks. "I wish you could talk to him, I know he'd like you, too."

The room is silent save for the buzzing of machinery and the steady beeping of the heart monitor. There's little movement in the corridor outside; this section of the hospital is mostly for indefinite residents, and people rarely come here without reason. Duty, or loneliness, or even optimism. He'd assumed it was Raven's own savings that funded her stay here, but thinking about it now it must be Istus still holding out hope. One of her 'feelings,' maybe. Or maybe she's just not ready to let go yet either.

It's another few minutes before Taako follows through the door, glancing through the window briefly before pushing it quietly open and walking inside. He sits down in the chair opposite, and the silence stretches on for a soft moment.

"She's a real sweet lady, that Istus," Taako says after a while. "Swear she would have let me talk all night if I'd wanted to."

Kravitz gives a small nod. "She is. Sweet, I mean. Her and Raven were - they're a good pair. Tough love and soft love, really good at the whole good-cop bad-cop routine. Ended up on the receiving end of that more than a few times," he says with a wry smile, wishing they could scold him now.

He reaches out to carefully tuck some of Raven's hair behind her ear. There's a scarred ravine across the lobe from the time he'd fallen out of a tree and ripped the piercing out when she'd dived to catch him. He'd always felt bad about it.

From his seat on the other side of the bed, Taako watches him quietly. "She uh, she said it's hard to move on, when I was talking to her. Said she bought a whole apartment out of hope someone would come back to it."

Kravitz jerks his head up. "She - she kept it?" he asks, voice barely a whisper. He drops his eyes back to the hand in his, skin so close in tone to his own the colours start to blur together. "I never thought she would... I always figured she would move on."

He'd never imagined it could all still be there. He thinks about all their things, sat unmoving - stuck in a different time, just like he is. Covered in dust. Or maybe Istus had moved in herself, and made the place her home. That had been the plan anyway, and he'd rather that than a stranger selling off their possessions, their memories. Like that old and tattered toy rabbit he'd had since before he could even say his own name.

He'd left his laundry still unfolded in its basket. Maybe she had put it away. Maybe she'd thrown it out. Left Raven's room the same for her return and put her own things onto his shelves in the meantime. There was no point in her holding out hope for him, after all.

He wonders if she'd kept their pictures in their frames, or if they were just a painful reminder. He allows himself, for the first time, to wonder how many people had come to his funeral, how much they had bothered to do without a body to bury. Whether any of his friends or distant relatives still thought about him, the hapless burnout whose life had been cut short just as it was supposed to start again. Whether his mortal days had amounted to anything more than just a tragic story in the paper and some unfinished music, in the end.

It hurts. This is why he doesn't think about it. Why he'd rather be numb than face it. At least Raven's still here, though. He's got something left, tenuous as it is. It was all he'd had for such a long time.

He holds her hand a little tighter - not too tight, barely a whisper of what he can manage - and brings it to his mouth to kiss her knuckles. She'd always had bad circulation, a contrast to himself. It still feels wrong that her hands are warmer than his, everything turned upside-down. He was the one who she always teased for sleeping too much, the one who had to give her his coat because he was warm and she was cold. This is all so wrong, still.

"Tell me about her?" Taako prompts gently, interrupting his thoughts.

"What do you want to know?" Kravitz asks, because where would he even start? There's twenty years of history between them, two decades of memories. He wouldn't know where to begin.

"Anything. You said there was a reason she raised you?"

Well, the beginning is as good a place as any, he supposes. "Yeah. Her father took me in right after my parents died, they were old friends. He'd lost his own wife almost a decade earlier, a car crash, so I think he wanted to help somehow. Knew what it felt like. Raven almost died in that crash, too, but somehow she pulled through. Made a full recovery." He runs his thumb over the back of her hand, tracing her knuckles. "She was the first person who had the guts to tell me my parents weren't coming back. She was always so wise for her age. I wasn't," he says with a small laugh. "We balanced each other out, I think. Like you and your sister. Or at least, she balanced me. I don't know how much use I ever was to her."

Taako looks at him steadily. "You really care about her."

Kravitz shrugs a little, not looking away from her face. "I love her. She's my best friend. Family," he says quietly, and even that doesn't feel like enough. Raven has been a guiding light in his life since he was seven years old, his anchor. She's everything, and her absence has felt like a weight he's had to drag behind him for the last half decade. But he has enough of her left to hold onto, at least. Something to hope for, though it seems more and more likely as time goes on that it might be in vain. "She's the only reason I'm still here, in more ways than one."

"What do you mean?"

"She gave me a reason to keep going, after-" He swallows, clears his throat. "And she was there, when - when it-"

"When you got bit," Taako murmurs.

Kravitz nods, suppressing a shudder. "I would've died otherwise. Or - died permanently."

"Oh," Taako says, voice flat and hollow. "...f*ck."

There's silence for a moment while they both just watch the figure in the bed between them. Taako stands and leans forward onto the bar of the cot, taps a nail on the metal. "You're both still alive, at least."

Kravitz laughs bitterly. "You call this a life? It's a poor excuse for one."

He's met with a thick and heavy silence. When he looks up, Taako is staring back at him, looking like he's been stabbed through the heart. "Oh. Right. I uh, I guess it isn't, is it? My mistake," he says, looking away. Kravitz suddenly realises how that must have sounded.

"sh*t, Taako, that's not what I-"

"It's fine. I get it, really. This probably isn't where you wanted to end up, right?" Taako says shakily, jaw tense. He clenches his fists, knuckles whitening around the bar of the cot. "It's not where I wanted to end up either, but-"

Taako tips forward suddenly as the bar underneath his hands dissolves into loose white sand that scatters on the floor. He leaps backwards towards the door, yanking his injured arm out of its sling, knocking over his chair and falling to the ground, the linoleum turning black and shiny under his palms even as he scrambles up and further away still. "sh*t!Stop it," he hisses, glaring at his hands, "Stop it, you f*cks." He goes to his pocket, tries to pull out a pair of gloves but fumbles and drops them onto the floor. "sh*t!"

"Are you okay? Do you want me to-" Kravitz goes to pick the gloves up off the floor, but Taako jumps a foot backwards.

"No!" he yelps, and the desperate edge to his voice stops Kravitz in his tracks. "Don't come near me, okay? It's not safe."

"What? Taako, you-"

Taako holds his gaze and pronounces his words like he's trying to explain something to a small child. "If I touch you, I could turn you to stone, or gold, or pink f*cking tourmaline - please, just stay over there."

The tremor in his voice isn't something Kravitz wants to push, and he doesn't move any closer. Taako bends down and carefully lifts the gloves off the floor, slipping them onto his hands. "Okay." He lets out a deep, shuddering breath. "I'm good. Sorry, I just - it wouldn't be the first time I accidentally hurt somebody because of this."

Kravitz watches him carefully, sees the tension written into his shoulders and across his face, and it cuts into him like a knife. "You really can't control it at all?" he asks gently.

Taako bristles. "No, I can't, which is why I'm stood here in the dark talking to a vampire instead of living out in the daylight like a normal f*cking person," he snaps, and Kravitz wishes he'd bitten his tongue.

"I - I didn't mean - I'm sorry."

Suddenly Taako's face turns very tired. "No, don't - you didn't, you didn't know." He sinks to the floor, cross-legged, still keeping his palms carefully out of contact with anything but the air despite the gloves. Kravitz cautiously sits down opposite him, their knees half a centimetre apart. He so wants to just pull him close and embrace him, but Taako is holding himself away from everything like he has some kind of virus that will destroy anything he touches. So talking it is.

"...To be honest, I have wondered why you were in this line of work," he says softly. "You don't seem like the type to want to stay in the dark all the time." Taako's lip curls, a sullen twist to his mouth.

"Yeah, well. Not many people will employ a murderer. You're not the only one who needs to keep a low profile."

Kravitz reels. "You - what?"

Aggravated, Taako grits his teeth and shoots him an impatient glare. "I f*cking killed people, fangs." He doesn't elaborate, and Kravitz can only stare at him in confusion and disbelief. A moment of that, and Taako looks down at his hands again and sighs. "Surprised you haven't seen anything about it. Was kinda big news at the time."

"I haven't exactly been engaging much with society, Taako," Kravitz reminds him gently.

"Right. Of course," Taako says, resignation weighing on his voice.

"You don't have to tell me."

"No, you should know. It's kind of - kind of a big deal." Taako wets his lips and rubs at his eyebrow with the back of one fist. "I, uh, I used to do a show, cooked for a crowd, during the time we all got separated. I was f*ckin' amazing. I used to throw sh*t up in the air, set stuff on fire - all that fancy bullsh*t, y'know? And then when all this started happening -" he waves his hands slightly - "I could get even fancier. Not big stuff, nothing on stage, I was still kinda figuring it out. Little things like turning salt into sugar, that kinda deal."

He toys with the leather of his gloves, tracing the seams. "I used the money to try to look for Lup, or I thought that maybe if I got famous enough, she could find me. Even without her, it was a great gig, best job I ever had, and then it all went to sh*t, because I couldn't keep this stupid magic bullsh*t in check," he scowls, and scrubs roughly at his face before leaning his forehead onto his fists. "Do you know what's funny is that, that whole sh*tstorm was the thing that meant Lup found me, after everything? Life slaps you with one hand and offers you an ice pack with the other."

Kravitz turns that information over in his head. It all fits together with the sparse details he'd scrounged together over the weeks, fills in the gaps in his puzzle, or at least some of them. He hadn't expected anything as extreme as people dying, maybe a near miss or - or something like that, but if it's true then it explains so much of the hesitance and paranoia and fear.

"I know the feeling," he says, reaching out to place his hands tentatively on Taako's forearms. He doesn't push them away. "But Taako, vampires notwithstanding, I can't believe you'd kill anyone on purpose."

"It wasn't. On purpose."

"So what happened? If you want to tell me."

There's a long period of quiet, and Kravitz is about to change the subject when Taako breaks the silence. "I'd give out samples," he says incredibly quietly, barely loud enough for even Kravitz to hear. "Every night after the show, I'd hand out samples of what I'd made, and one of those times a bunch of people in the audience just up and collapsed. Some of 'em died there, some of 'em later in the hospital. I panicked and ran the moment sh*t started going south, but things just kept, kept melting under my hands. The newspapers said they found poison in the food I'd made and on all my equipment, everything I touched. I'm a f*ckin' idiot, but I can put two and two together. The police did." He chokes out a dry laugh. "'Local chef poisons fourteen people and flees the scene' makes for a great headline."

"Taako, you're not-"

"Don't even," Taako says, a warning in his voice.

Kravitz squeezes his arms gently. You're not an idiot, he wants to say, you're wonderful, but he knows Taako won't hear it. All it will do is make him close off immediately. "That's awful. I'm so sorry," he offers instead, and it sounds like a platitude even though he means it completely.

"Yeah, well, I've still got less deaths on my hands than you," Taako mutters bitterly.

Shocked and hurt, Kravitz instinctively pulls his hands away. Taako's eyes snap up towards him, regret on his face.

"Oh, sh*t. I-I'm sorry, I just - I get to feeling bad, and mean sh*t comes out of my mouth. I didn't mean it."

"It's fine. You were only stating facts." Kravitz draws himself in, folds his arms over his knees and rests his chin behind them, avoiding eye contact. Taako hadn't been wrong by any stretch. Fourteen is a whole graveyard away from seventy-three.

"I don't care, you didn't deserve to hear that," Taako says, reaching out a hand and then appearing to think better of it, and dropping it and his gaze back to his lap. "Not like you asked to be a vampire."

Kravitz flinches. He definitely didn't ask.

Taako catches the movement and stares at him. "sh*t. You didn't, did you?"

"No."

"Sorry, you just-"

"It's kind of a traumatic memory."

"Right," Taako murmurs, looking away again. "Yeah, of course. That was f*ckin' stupid of me."

"It's... fine. You would need to know."

There's a short silence, and then Taako leans forward slightly. "That's what that panic attack was about? The nightmares?" he asks,though it's more of a confirmation than a question. Kravitz spares him the barest of glances.

"...You're really not very good with the whole emotional sensitivity thing, are you?"

Taako laughs a little, awkward. "Not really. Feelings sh*t ain't really my style. But uh, that's my bullsh*t, so never mind. You don't have to answer."

There's a longer silence then. Kravitz tries to push down the pressure building in his chest, but it just keeps mounting. Maybe, he thinks, he should try letting it out instead. Everyone had always told him he should talk when something was wrong, he'd had more than one therapist over the years. But he'd fallen out of the habit of talking about anything, to anyone.

"...Yeah, that was why," he says softly.

"And that time Merle said you put Raven in the hospital? Because she was there when you died?"

An echo of desperate screaming rings through Kravitz's ears, and his body tenses without his consent. He fights the urge to stand up and run and digs his nails into his shirt instead. "Yes."

"f*ck, I hit a nerve again. I really am like a bull in a china shop with this, aren't I?" Taako grimaces. Kravitz lets out an exasperated laugh.

"You're pretty bad."

"Yeah. Sorry, I'll just stop talking."

Kravitz sighs a little and lifts his eyes towards him. "No, I was actually... I was thinking it might help. I've never talked about what happened - and you, you've trusted me with your past. You said you'd make an exception this morning, right?"

"I did. But only if you want to."

"I - I think I do. I want to be able to say it out loud to, to someone. I think it'll help to not have it all in my head, if you're happy to listen." He holds his gaze, thinking the mix of emotions he's feeling might come across through his eyes if not his mouth. "If I'm going to be able to talk about it at all, it'd be with you."

Taako looks at him more sincerely than Kravitz has ever seen him until now. Like he understands the level of trust this represents and is determined not to let it be misplaced. "I can listen."

"Okay. Thank you, just let me... give me a second." He takes a breath and braces himself for the rush of memory that will inevitably come when he scratches the surface. Just breathe.

It takes a minute to organise his thoughts, put his words in order. A few false starts go by before he actually manages to get started.

"We were walking home together from a show late at night, Raven and I," he finally manages. He smiles a little, thinking about their loud and slightly tipsy singing. Alternating parts in a duet, except they kept stealing each other's lines. It would be such a good memory if not for the rest. "Phantom of the Opera."

Taako's eyes widen a fraction. "Oh. That was what set you off earlier."

Kravitz chews his lip and nods. "Yeah. Raven loved - loves that show, even if the performance isn't Broadway standard. That one was pretty bad, but they'd tried at least."

"You two really go in for the drama stuff, huh?" Taako says with a hint of a smile. "All that black and decorating hospital rooms with poisonous flowers."

"A little," Kravitz agrees, a mirror of the smile on his own face. "The performance finished late, so we cut down a back street to make our bus on time, and two, two people grabbed us from behind." That urge to gasp for air as his throat fills up has started again, and he fights it down. You don't need air. Calm down. You don't need it.

Taako watches him steadily. "Fangs, if you gotta breathe, do it. You said you'd tell me."

Kravitz inhales shakily. There's no blood to stop him. Nothing in his throat. He breathes out again. "...Okay. Okay."

"Good. You wanna stop?" Taako asks, and he shakes his head.

"I'm fine, really."

The gaze on him doesn't waver. "You don't seem fine."

"I'm... fine enough to keep going."

"Okay. I'm stopping you if you start choking again, though. That's not fun to watch, fangs."

"Yeah. It's not fun to feel, either," Kravitz sighs. "But it's fine. I can deal with it."

He takes another breath and tries again. "So, so they grabbed us and one - one of them held me by my throat while the other had Raven the same way. She was swearing at them and struggling like hell, absolutely furious, un-until she saw the one holding me rip open my neck with its teeth."

He stops to breathe for a second. In and out. The memory of his heartbeat is loud in his ears, the rush of blood. "Then she started screaming. It was such an awful sound, I can't forget it. Then it stopped and - I couldn't see much by then, but I heard a shout and felt her slam into the vampire feeding on me." A small laugh makes its way onto the air despite the horror of the memory. "She took a lot of self-defense classes. Always tried to get me to come with her, and I never did."

His hand unconsciously moves to his neck, rubbing at the ghost of a sensation. Taako reaches out and takes it, and the warmth is grounding even through the gloves. He breathes.

"She couldn't have realised what she'd done. She just thought I was bleeding out - I felt her hands on my wound and heard her voice but she got dragged away, shouting and screaming the whole time. That's when we heard sirens, people running towards us. The vampires panicked and ran, but before that-" He shudders - breathe, you can breathe you're not dying -"Before that one of them threw her against the wall, there was - she was bleeding, a lot, must've hit something. I could smell it. She lay there dying on the floor in front of me but I-I couldn't, couldn't do anything to save her, not a single thing. I was in so much pain, so cold. The bite went - w-went deep enough to open up my windpipe and I was, was choking on my own blood. Drowning. I could-" He falters slightly, and at some point Taako has taken his other hand, because he presses it gently to his chest so he can follow his breathing. He lets himself use that, recentre himself. "I-I felt my heart slowing down even as I passed out, and then it just... stopped. Everything went white. I thought - I thought that was it."

The last part comes out on a shaky exhalation. He swallows the remains of the memory and allows himself a second to breathe. He can't tell if he feels better for having shared the experience, at the moment it just hurts. But he'd wanted someone else to know, someone other than himself to tell the story to, because that put it in the past tense. And that's a comfort, being able to say it happened,and is over,but the reliving is - "f*ck, there was so much blood," he whispers. "It's a miracle it wasn't both of us that died."

"sh*t," Taako murmurs under his breath, gripping his hands tightly. "sh*t, Krav. f*ck."

Kravitz sighs and squeezes back a little. "They must've thought I was dead - I mean, I, I was dead, I - a-anyway when I woke up, it was in the morgue." He just about remembers the cold steel of the room, and the smell of stagnant blood on the air. "Alone, thankfully. All the staff were out. I can't imagine what would've happened if there was someone else there."

He woke up alone, and he's been alone ever since, a part of him thinks.

He feels a gloved hand against his cheek and realises he's crying. Crying cold tears. "I've never told anyone about this before," he breathes, fights back more tears as they bubble up against his will. There's a crack in that wall inside, the one that he built to keep himself numb. It's pressure building behind a dam, the water straining to be let loose. "There wasn't anyone to tell it to," he chokes as the world starts to blur.

Taako leans towards him and wraps his arms around his trembling shoulders, holding him close, and Kravitz can feel his heat and his heartbeat against him, his life. Something breaks inside him, and he clings to that solid warmth like a child, letting five years of loneliness and frustration and fear out into the air in a stream of sobs. It hurts to face what he's lost; his life, his family - his mind, almost. His heart. For the longest time he hadn't thought he had one any more, but he must, because it hurts. The pain means it's still there.

He'd lost so much, but it feels like maybe now he's at least gained something in return. A new life and a new family and the realisation that he'd never lost his heart, he'd just buried it to keep himself safe. These things are no replacement, and it doesn't make it hurt any less, but it makes it a little more bearable.

And the water calms from a flood to a stream to barely a trickle. It's quiet.

They stay like that for a long while, just holding each other. Eventually, the tears stop completely, and he manages a weak laugh. Taako pulls back just far enough to look at him, and his face is shining in the dim light, too.

"What?"

"We, uh, we make quite a pair, don't we?"

"A traumatised vampire and his idiot hunter boyfriend?" Taako snorts, eyebrows lifting. "Sounds some kinda f*cked-up buddy cop movie."

Kravitz takes his face in his hands, thumbing away the wetness. "Please, stop that. You're not an idiot. You're wonderful."

Taako's expression closes off. "Don't. You don't have to-"

"I mean it," Kravitz insists, gripping Taako's face just firmly enough to force him to hold his gaze. "You're smart and funny and kind and considerate even though you always pretend you aren't - and I, I love you."

He laughs, just a little, because somehow he hadn't noticed when he'd finally fallen over the edge, but he had. Falling had just felt so much like flying it was hard to tell. These aren't words he throws around easily, having suffered too many heartbreaks in his youth to take them lightly any more, but he thinks that if he can't say them to Taako - this man who had found him at close to his worst and had seen something there worth saving, who'd dug up his buried heart and taken it for himself - he may as well never say them to anyone at all.

And somewhere in the dark he'd given up on love, given up on feeling entirely, especially something as warm and as human as love, but here it is, staring him in the face. It's been there for a long while now, just waiting for him to take notice. All he'd had to do was look at it, brush the last of the dust from his heart - so out of use but unearthed and willing - and let it do the rest.

"Hell, I don't - I don't know how it took me this long to say it," he laughs. "I love you, Taako, I love you so much. You're wonderful."

"I - I can't believe you just..." Taako's eyes are wide, staring at him in shock. Of course.

Kravitz gives a pained smile and drops his hands from Taako's face, folding them in his lap instead. He nods at the ground. Of course it was - it would be stupid to think - he shouldn't have said anything. He'd gotten carried away. It had been a stupid thing to say, he should have known better. Stupid and impossible to think it might be reciprocated at that level. Obviously someone who shone so bright wouldn't ever love a monster who belonged in the dark - it had been a step too far. He'd given too much to someone who didn't want it, just like he always had. Somehow knowing all that doesn't make the lump in his throat or the weight on his chest any smaller.

"It's, it's fine, I don't expect - I know I'm a monster, and there's no reason for you to-"

Taako's mouth stops him, silencing the words on his lips and replacing them with comforting warmth instead.

"Shut up. You're great," he murmurs, pulling back a fraction. Kravitz stares at him, unable to reconcile everything that's happening.

"But - but you said-"

"I said you're great," Taako says firmly, staring back unflinching and with fire in his eyes. Kravitz can't hold them, can't face the intensity there. He looks at the floor instead.

"I appreciate it, but I'm not, Taako. I really shouldn't have said anything. You deserve much better than me. It's fine."

Taako shakes his head emphatically and grips his forearms hard enough to hurt. "Nuh-uh, no take-backs. You said it, you gotta own it."

"You could do so much better," Kravitz whispers, voice weak. "I'm just-"

"Don't." There's a sudden rush of heat against his skin as Taako grabs his face and slams a fierce kiss onto his mouth, firm and final. He rests their foreheads together when he pulls back, brushing his leather-clad thumbs over the damp lines on Kravitz's cheeks. "Listen, I know you think you're some kinda demon, but I can tell you that absolutely nobody else we know thinks that. You know what they think?"

Kravitz avoids his eyes. "Does it matter?"

"Yes, now hush up and listen," Taako says, and his tone leaves little room for protest. "They think you're the sweetest guy in the world, fangs. They think you're stupidly kind and charming as hell, and, okay, maybe a little bit of an asshole, but only enough to be interesting, and definitely less of one than me. And if anyone else said different, I'd f*cking challenge them to be put in the same position you were and try to do better."

He kisses him again, but this time it's a soft thing, less heat and more warmth. "There's no way I'd pass you up for anyone else, you moron."

"...Sounds like you know an awful lot about what everybody else thinks of me," Kravitz says, finding the start of a smile despite himself.

"Yeah, well. Maybe some of those were mine," Taako concedes. He considers for a second, breath a whisper of heat against Kravitz's skin and eyes studying his face. "Can I make you another deal?"

Kravitz sniffs a little, eyes still shining and threatening to spill over again. "What kind of deal?"

"I'll stop calling myself an idiot if you stop calling yourself a monster. Sound fair?"

Kravitz huffs a weak laugh. "Sounds fair."

"Good." Taako leans forward to kiss him again, and this time he doesn't have to go the whole way himself. When he pulls back, he looks at him determinedly and chews his lip, and then says, "I love you, too, fangs. Can't believe you f*ckin' beat me to it, I've been trying to get that sh*t out for a week."

Suddenly Kravitz's chest is full to bursting with something that feels like fireworks. They spread down his limbs and set every inch of him sparking - maybe one of them might even hit his heart and set it beating again. "A-A week? That's what you've been trying to say?" he manages as one escapes his mouth as a bark of incredulous laughter.

"I told you, feelings sh*t is Lup's thing, you got stuck with this emotionally constipated ass. Lucky you got anything outta me at all," Taako huffs, turning his face away and sticking his nose in the air haughtily.

Kravitz can't stop smiling even as he scrubs the last smudges of tears off his face. The echo of thatI love youis still bouncing around in his head like a vibrant, shouted chorus.

"For what it's worth, I love your ass, too."

"Who doesn't?" Taako drawls, cupping his face coyly and batting his eyelashes. "Consider yourself privileged to have seen it first-hand, babe."

"You know I do," Kravitz chuckles. "But it isn't your best asset."

Taako co*cks an eyebrow at him. "I'm pretty sure it is."

"Nnm," Kravitz hums. "I'm much more concerned with this," he kisses Taako's forehead, "and this," and his lips, "and this," he lifts a hand to his chest and covers his heart with his palm.

"Holy f*ck. You goddamn sap. I can't believe you can say that sh*t with a straight face," Taako giggles, a flush quickly tinting the skin of his cheeks.

That smile won't go away even if Kravitz wanted it to. It might even be permanently stuck to his face. "I don't care, I mean every word. I don't care how sappy it sounds."

"Well that's good, because you're, uh, pretty f*ckin' gross, my guy."

Kravitz bites his lip and says cautiously, "But you love me?" He hadn't meant for it to sound like a question, but he just can't quite believe it.

"Yeah," Taako smiles, and the gap in his teeth winks. "I love you, fangs. For sure."

A short laugh escapes Kravitz's mouth, breathy and relieved. How long had it been since he'd heard those words from anyone? How long had it been since he'd given up on ever hearing them again? "I love you, too. A lot, Taako. A whole lot."

Taako just snickers at him. "I know, babe. You're not subtle."

"I don't want to be," Kravitz smiles, taking his face in his hands again and pulling him close. He kisses him deeply, barely able to keep his smile down long enough to hold it, basking in his warmth and the joy of feeling like a person again, of feeling human again. Raven has always been his reason to keep going, despite everything, but now - now he's found another reason.

He'd never expected to find his rainbow in the dark.

-*-

A few hours later, when the two of them are gone and the room is quiet and still, the fraying ends of a colourful scarf brush across the floor, and someone closes a window.

Chapter 38: Honeymooning

Chapter Text

It's approaching nine o'clock by the time they leave, arm in arm and knocking their shoulders or hips together every so often. The sky is pitch black now, or trying to be as it fights against the city lights, and Avi is talking to someone outside the entrance, looking to be passing off his shift to another hunter. He catches sight of them coming out of the doors and waves, and Kravitz raises a hand in return as they walk over. The other hunter, someone Kravitz recognises by face but doesn't know by name, claps Avi on the shoulder and moves away to settle against the wall, scanning the surroundings with bored eyes. Even a job like this must grow routineeventually, Kravitz reflects.

"Hey, you get everything settled with your sleeping lady?" Avi says cheerily once they're within human earshot.

"Yeah," Kravitz replies, glad that Avi doesn't appear to have been too put out by his attitude before. "Thank you, you really helped us out." They come to a stop in front of him, and Kravitz pauses to shift his weight on his feet and scratch at his face. "And, uh, I really should apologise for earlier - I wasn't, um, wasn't really feeling myself. Sorry."

Avi shrugs a little, sloughing the apology off his shoulders. "No worries, dude, I get it. Everyone gets a little grumpy sometimes. Probably just hangry or something, right?"

Kravitz gives him a hint of an awkward smile. He doesn't say that if that was grumpy, angry would have had him launching Avi into the pond or worse. That it felt like parts of his consciousness were shutting down one by one and that he barely remembers the trip here. That now, looking back on the last few hours, he's not entirely sure he'd really been present at all, and it's actually kind of scary now that he's back in control. It had felt like he was slowly losing himself. He should probably be seeing some kind of therapist about getting into a state like that - that level of dependency can't possibly be healthy - but what kind of therapist would or could take on a vampire as a client? He'd have to change the story in its entirety even if they could find someone who worked outside of daylight hours.

Taako saves him from a response by butting in. "Listen, Avi, my dude, there was a little bit of, uh, of an incident? Up in the room, so we might need, uh, need some cleanup, up there."

"What kind of cleanup are we talking here?" Avi frowns. Then he looks between them in vague horror. "You guys weren't, like...?"

Kravitz gapes at him. Is - is that the kind of reputation they have? Having sex in a coma patient's hospital room? That's - so maybe he'll take any excuse he can get to kiss his boyfriend, and maybe Taako gets a little handsy around the office, but they're not that bad.

Taako once again saves him from trying to come up with some kind of rebuttal for that by getting there first. "No! Why would - what the f*ck kind of question is that?" he squawks indignantly, turning a couple of heads among the sparse crowd moving around the entrance. Seeing the curious looks he's drawing, Taako clears his throat and lowers his voice a little, though the resentment is still there. "I just f*ckin', accidentally like, spilled some magic on the floor, turned it to like, glass or somethin' a little bit. Jeez."

Avi visibly relaxes, shoulders dropping. "Oh. That's cool then. We'll deal with it, but it'll probably come out of your wages." He leans forward a little to nudge Kravitz playfully in the arm. "Maybe you can bail him out."

Confused, Kravitz blinks at him and frowns. "What?"

"Y'know, 'cause like, he gets paid less than you 'cause of the whole like, bringing you here, breaking the rules," Avi says amicably. "Seems fair, right?"

"I - hang on just a second," Kravitz says, smiling through his bewilderment because he's not quite sure what else to do. "I getpaid?"

"Uh, yeah." Avi's own smile has begun to falter. "What, did you think only the human hunters get paid? You get a bit of cash that gets left with Leon. Not too much, seeing as you get, y'know, room and board and everything, but..." He looks between them, frowning. "Taako was supposed to tell you all this."

Carefully, Kravitz wets his lips and turns towards his suspiciously quiet boyfriend. "Sweetheart," he says, voice deliberately even, "Why didn't I know I get paid for this?"

Taako is continuing to fix Avi with a downright icy look, but then he catches Kravitz's hard stare and quickly turns his eyes towards the ground instead. "That's, uh, that's a funny story, actually, long story," he says, fidgeting with the edge of his sling. "Long, long one. Y'know, we should be getting back, huh?" He takes Kravitz's arm and tries to tug him towards the road, but Kravitz puts that inhuman strength of his to use and doesn't budge. He's notmad, per se, but he's definitely none too pleased.

"No, I think we have time. Really, I'd love to hear this."

Wincing a little, Taako gingerly pulls him a little distance away from Avi, who's looking rather sheepish and trying not to make eye contact. "Well, I may have, uh,persuaded, Leon, to let me pick them up on your behalf."

This is starting to rub Kravitz up the wrong way. It reminds him too much of the period that Raven had to watch his bank account for him to make sure he didn't have a relapse and empty it again, and the feeling is not one he's thrilled to reacquaint himself with. Does Taako think he's not trustworthy? That he doesn't have his sh*t together? "And you figured it was a good idea to do that without telling me because of what, exactly?"

Taako continues to fidget nervously. You'd think there was a swarm of flies around them, with the way his eyes are darting around. "Well, first of all, they only started paying you last month, so it's - it hasn't beenthatlong--"

"Taako. Explain."

Taako squirms slightly under his glare, and while Kravitz does feel a small pang of guilt at grilling him like this, he's honestly feeling a little riled and Taako trying to dodge the issue isn't helping. He doesn't quite trust himself to say anything further without snapping out something harsh, so he keeps staring until he gets a response.

"I, uh, I thought that it might, uh, might be, y'know, a nice surprise if I just, waited a bit an' then gave 'em to you all at once," Taako eventually mumbles. "Like, uh, surprise! Here's a whole wad of cash, go have fun." He stops trying to look at Kravitz entirely, watches his shoes instead and says very quietly, "And if you didn't know how much it was supposed to be you wouldn't notice if I put a little extra in there."

"If you--?" Kravitz feels any sparks of anger snuff out in an instant, puzzlement the only thing left as he asks, "Why would you do that?"

Taako fusses with his hair, twirling loose strands in and out of small braids. He shouldn't be moving that arm, but Kravitz is currently too interested in his explanation to sidetrack him. "I thought you, maybe, you might want to buy yourself some new clothes and stuff. And Johann said you mentioned wanting to get your own violin, so you didn't have to borrow his all the time." Another half-finished braid is abandoned only for its creator to move onto the next. "I might get less from the Bureau, y'know, but the bar's a decent gig, and I've got some stuff saved. Thought I could help you get a nice one, but I didn't - I didn't want you to think it was, was charity or something." Taako doesn't look to Kravitz for a response, focused solely on his restless fingers and working himself into something of a state. "Y'know, it was a stupid idea, I'm an idiot, I should've--"

"Taako," Kravitz says sternly. "We had a deal."

Taako blinks at him a few times before catching up and looking away again. "Oh. Right," he says softly, chewing his lip. He looks like he's waiting for Kravitz to start shouting, or walk away, or something, wound up tight and tense like a spring, but Kravitz only sighs and rubs at his temple, eyes closed.

"Sweetheart, you know I had a gambling problem. I had to have Raven keep my money out of my hands because I couldn't be trusted with it. How did you think I was gonna feel when I found out you'd been doing this? Did you maybe think that it might come across like you don't trust me with my own money?"

Guilt and horror flash across Taako's face, and he smacks himself roughly in the forehead. "sh*t. f*ck, I didn't even think about - man, I'm sorry." He pushes his hair back away from his face, grimacing. "That was - god, that wasstupid."

Kravitz inclines his head in agreement. "A little, yeah." He breathes another sigh and gently pulls Taako in to tuck his head under his chin and rest his own on top. "It was a sweet thought, but do me a favour?"

Taako pulls back to meet his eyes, cautious. "Yeah?"

"Don't go behind my back next time," Kravitz says, stone-faced. Taako nods quickly, smoothing out his tie and shirt in careful motions.

"Yeah. Okay, sorry. I didn't mean - I should've thought about it--"

He only manages a few seconds of stumbled apologies before Kravitz breaks. "Yourface," he snickers. Taako stares at him with wide eyes.

"What?"

"You looked so worried," Kravitz smiles, kissing his forehead.

"Y--" Taako's expression flies from guilt to confusion to blustering anger, clearly covering relief. "Asshole!" he yells, "I thought you were mad at me!"

"Sorry, you just look so cute when you're nervous," Kravitz chuckles. Taako growls quietly and slams his face into his shoulder - half punishment, half seeking comfort. Kravitz brings his hands up to trace some of the tiny braids still clinging to life in his hair. "And maybe I was a little mad. But it was a sweet idea, it's okay. Just maybe don't take my wages without consulting me again?"

Taako nods into his shoulder. "Yeah. I - I won't mess with your sh*t again, sorry," he murmurs, then pulls back and slaps him in the arm. "Long as you never pull that fake-angry crap again. I thought you--" He swallows and returns his forehead to its spot on his shoulder. "I thought I'd messed everything up, asshole."

Kravitz smiles softly and pulls him close, nosing gently behind his ear. "Okay. Sorry. Not a good time or method for payback," he says quietly, and plants a kiss at his hairline. "I love you."

"f*ck you. I hate you. Asshole," Taako mumbles into his shirt, but his death grip tells a different story. Kravitz snorts and plays with the loose ends of his hair, trying not to let the insecure part of him take that too hard.

"Do you mean that?"

"...No." Taako turns his head sideways as if to kiss his neck, then seems to change his mind and goes for the corner of his jaw instead. "Love you, too, you f*ckin' dick."

They stay for a minute wrapped up in each other like that, then Avi clears his throat.

"So, uh, do you guys need a ride back, or...?"

Taako spins to face him. "Uh, just give us one second!" he says brightly, then he turns back to Kravitz and his expression drops like a weight off a ledge. "Oh my god."

"What?"

"We'rethatcouple."

"What couple?" Kravitz laughs quietly. Taako throws up a hand at him.

"The goddamn - the gross couple that everyone ha-ates because they're all f*ckin', out there with the PDA and all goddamn over each other twenty-four seven.f*ck."

Kravitz considers that for a second, pressing his tongue against his teeth in contemplation. Then he co*cks his head and shrugs. "Seems like that couple has a lot more fun."

Taako takes a second of his own. "True," he says, and goes straight for Kravitz's mouth, all needling tongue and biting at his lips and making some frankly obscene noises that have Kravitz growing a little (metaphorically) hot under the collar.

"Hey, so, are you guys coming?" Avi asks, sounding slightly uncomfortable, and Taako unwraps his free arm from around Kravitz's neck to hold up a finger at him while he assaults his boyfriend's face for a further few seconds, then pulls back and grins that wild and gap-toothed grin of his, the one that Kravitz has come to adore.

"I'm thinkin' we take the night off at your place, handsome, agreed?"

"S-sure, uh - yes. Yes," Kravitz manages, feeling somehow more lightheaded than he had at the start of the evening. "That sounds. Good."

"We'll take a cab, brandy-man," Taako calls to Avi as he drags Kravitz away towards the road, "Catch you later."

Avi frowns after them. "You know you guys have jobs, right?"

Kravitz stops dead, startled at his own complacency. He'd been fully prepared to drop everything at the thought of rolling around a little with Taako. sh*t, maybe they are that bad. He'd never thought of himself as the type to let himself get wrapped around someone's finger, and he's certainly not weak-willed, but the fact remains that if Taako asked him to jump off a cliff with him he'd probably do it - and gladly, provided they were together and Taako was safe and Kravitz knew it would make his boyfriend happy.

Boy, is he in deep. Completely f*cking besotted, but at least he's self-aware. Mostly.

"Maybe we should save this for the morning," he says quietly to Taako, who's fixing him with a confused look.

"Uh, like f*ck. You had a sh*tty morning, we both had a rough time in there, and ch'boy wants some action," Taako scoffs, then his eyes turn uncertain. "I mean, if you're - if that's okay."

"Well, I - you know I'm always happy with that, but - Avi has a point," Kravitz says, glancing back towards the other hunter. "I haven't even been taken off probation yet. Probably shouldn't go bunking off."

Taako watches him steadily for a moment, then turns and marches towards Avi, stopping in front of him with one hip co*cked and his free hand resting on top.

"If you cover for us I'll bake you cookies every week for a month," he says plainly, and Avi folds his arms.

"Two months, twice a week."

"Month and a half, once a week, and I make 'em the rum ones you like," Taako says, unmoved. Avi hums pointedly, and he sighs in resignation. "And I replace that bottle of brandy I stole."

Avi regards him for a further few seconds, then extends a hand. "Deal."

Taako slaps his hand with a flourish, wiggling his fingers over his shoulder as he turns back towards Kravitz, who's watching on in bemusem*nt. "Pleasure doing business, my man."

Taako waits until Avi has moved far enough away to be out of earshot before giggling impishly. "Sucker." He beckons Kravitz towards the road, grin returning to his face in a flash. "C'mon, vamp boy, let's get this movin'."

"Are you sure this is okay?" Kravitz asks, though his feet are already moving and he has a grin on his face to match.

"This is a long-standing tradition, babe, we're chill. A-man knows a good barter when he hears one."

Kravitz chuckles and takes his arm, sliding his hand down to lace their fingers together. "I love that renegade spirit of yours, you know."

"Oh, ch'boy knows," Taako says with a dismissive snort, but turns away before Kravitz can catch him blushing.

-*-

They do manage to resist making out in the back seat of the taxi, though it's a close thing for Kravitz with the hungry looks being thrown his way and the hand snaking its way up the inside of his thigh. Taako practically throws the money at the driver before dragging Kravitz out of the car and into the building, only letting go of his hand when they have to stop for Kravitz to unlock the door - oddly, he doesn't remember putting the key in this jacket, but if his magic has decided to link itself up to this as well he's certainly not complaining. Saves him a lot of trouble, though Taako has assured him that picking locks is, in fact, one of his myriad skills.

Getting their clothes off is a fairly slow process with Taako's injury still hindering his movements, but one they've become accustomed to, and they both know it's easier for Taako to just take a seat on the bed while Kravitz helps him with his outfit before turning his attention to his own. The hunter watches on restlessly while Kravitz takes off his shoes and belt, lets him take off his tie (how on earth Kravitz had managed to make his way through putting on a tie earlier is a mystery) and unbutton his shirt himself, but then moves in to help relieve him of the rest, leaning up for long, slow kisses at the same time.

He pushes Kravitz's shirt off of his shoulders and then stops, breaks away, traces his fingers over the lines of his ribs with that odd expression that bobs its way to the surface every so often. "f*ckin', skele-man, babe," he says softly, and reaches up to smooth a hand over his jaw. "You're lookin' all dead again."

"Sorry, I've been out of it all week," Kravitz murmurs, turning his head to kiss his wrist just below the line of his glove. "When we get back, I'll eat."

"I swear, I gotta write you a rota, fangs," Taako sighs, then reaches round to slap his ass. "Now back to bedroom talk, this isn't sexy."

"Right," Kravitz smiles, and scoops him up off the floor and into his arms so he can start running kisses down Taako's neck and along his bare shoulder while he giggles happily.

"You're still half-dressed, babe."

"I don't see that that matters just yet," Kravitz hums against his ear. "But give me a second."

He drops Taako carefully onto the bed, quickly shucks off the rest of his clothes and lays them over a chair, then clambers up after him and lets himself be pushed roughly onto his back under an onslaught of kisses and impatient hands as Taako rolls on top of him. Another few seconds go by before Taako breaks off mid-kiss again to give him a searching look. "Is this, like - is this okay? You always give up so easily. We, uh - y'know we, we don't always have to do what I want."

Kravitz smiles fondly. "You haven't let me down yet, sweetheart. And I love this view," he says, lifting a hand to gently part the curtain of hair falling around them. Then he stops and studies Taako's face - not worried, but, remembering that's not the only factor. "Unless, you want to try something else? I don't mind changing things up a little."

Taako grins wide. "Nah, maybe next time," he says, before leaning over to the now-stocked bedside table to start rummaging around with his good hand. "So you're down for me f*cking you 'til you're sore, then, right?"

"Absolutely," Kravitz confirms, though the likelihood of him being left sore is slim to none. While Taako searches, he leans across to grab the sling from the edge of the bed where Taako had thrown it and pokes it into his chest as a reminder. "As long as you keep that shoulder still."

Taako rolls his eyes. "You're like a f*ckingnanny," he groans, but quickly gives under Kravitz's pointed look and grabs the sling. "Fine, whatever rattles your bones, babe."

Kravitz smiles to himself while Taako begrudgingly pulls the sling on. "The more you wear it, the sooner you heal, the sooner you get out of it," he chuckles as Taako sits back and spreads his free arm in a sarcastic tah-dahmotion. Smile growing at the petulant theatrics, Kravitz sits up to kiss him and run a hand over his bare thigh, leaving goosebumps in his wake. The thought surfaces that he should probably have taken a shower to warm up first, but it's a little late for that now given the stage they're both at. "I swear, you're the worst person to try to take care of, sweetheart," he says fondly.

"And yet," Taako kisses his nose, "Here you are."

"Because I love you," Kravitz says, soft and sincere as he presses a short kiss to the corner of his mouth. Maybe he's saying this too much, being too intense, that insecure part of him thinks. But... he means it. He means every one.

"Yeah, I, uh--" Taako swallows and clears his throat, which would probably make Kravitz incredibly nervous if not for the knowledge that Taako struggles with things like this. It's just how he is - the reticent to Kravitz's outspoken. "I - you too, babe," he manages after a moment, a shy smile touching his lips. He quickly schools it into something more sultry and leans in, voice honey-coated. "Now are you gonna kiss me for real or what?"

Kravitz laughs and turns his face away, watching him out of the corner of his eye. "Behave and we'll see."

It's a bluff, and Taako knows it. Fun to pretend that they're not both as eager as each other. That he doesn't crave the feeling of heat blooming where their bare skin meets, the rhythm of his boyfriend's heartbeat picking up faster and louder with every kiss and intimate touch. He whispers soft words between each one, small affirmations and endearments and'please's and'love you's that spill out straight from his chest, bypassing his brain entirely. After a minute or so, Taako pulls back to give him a curious look.

"Someone's chatty tonight."

"If I'm talking, then I have to breathe," Kravitz explains in a murmur, kissing along his neck instead. "Don't have to focus on remembering."

Truthfully, that's only half the reason. The other half is the five years of these words he has built up in reserve, with more flooding in every second. He's overflowing with them, and now that he's let a few slip out the rest want to follow their path.

"Smart man," Taako smirks, then glances away for a split second, flicking his tongue over his lips. "Gotta say, I kinda love hearing you beg."

Kravitz's mouth goes a little dry even as he laughs. "Oh, I can do that."

"Guess I'll have to give you something to beg for then, huh?" Taako muses, sliding a hand over his chest, around his waist and continuing down towards his ass, following the trail with his mouth while Kravitz caresses his face, traces his ears. He sighs contentedly as Taako starts to kiss and nip at the inside of his thighs, gently pushing his legs apart. The first few times they'd done this, he'd tried to suck bruises into the skin as well, but they'd quickly found that hickeys were something of an impossibility with no blood to form them. He still does it sometimes, but only for the sake of the feeling, rather than the marks.

Kravitz lets him have his way with his prepping for a little while, enjoying the sensation and focusing on his breathing, before deciding enough is enough and sitting up to pull Taako into his lap, occupying his mouth with rough-but-careful kisses his while his hands get to work of their own.

"I-Impatient," Taako pants as Kravitz works him up. "I haven't heard any begging yet."

"Please," Kravitz murmurs against his mouth.

"Think I need a little more in--" Taako's breath hitches, "More incentive than that," he says, even though he's clearly raring to go, and Kravitz takes him by the hips in response and grinds them together, eliciting small whines from both sides.

"Please, just - f*ck, please, my love, please."

Taako laughs, high and trilling, and more than a little breathless. "Well, when you ask so nicely," he grins, and pushes him back down onto the mattress so he can finally slot their hips together properly with a low moan. The noise that Kravitz makes is - considerably louder. If Taako wants to hear him... well, he can oblige.

"S-sh*t, yes, you're - good, just, please, just - f*ck, sweetheart, I love you," he stutters, letting his head flop back into the pillows and trying not to let himself buck against him too hard.

Taako gives another breathless and slightly nerve-wracked laugh as he adjusts his angle. "God, you're just - sure somethin', fangs, sh*t," he breathes, and Kravitz laughs a little in return, glad that they're both getting something out of his runaway mouth.

He tries to keep up his stream of words as they get going in earnest, but it starts to become something of an effort, because Taako keeps yanking on his hair and scattering his thoughts before he can finish speaking.

"Taako, I lo-- mn, f*ck, I - f-f*ck - love - I-I Iove -sh*t."He gasps as the hunter gives another firm tug and slams their hips together hard enough to knock the air out of him. "You're doing - d-doing this on purpose."

"And what if - what if I am?" Taako pants, skin flushed.

"I'd be w-uh - be w-wondering why you don't want to hear that I lo--a-ah, ah, sh*t- okay,okay, I get it, f*ck."

"Not yet, fangs," Taako murmurs under his breath, "just, not yet."

Kravitz tries to keep the words out of his mouth. He really does. And he manages it, for a minute or so. But he so desperately wants to fill the air with these feelings, and one more tiny declaration on top of the pile he's built up so far couldn't hurt, could it?

"sh*t, f-f*ck - I,f*ckTaako I love you," he rushes out, unable to help himself, and the hunter suddenly goes tense in his arms, breath stuttering, and then melts against him with a soft gasp, panting against his ear. Kravitz blinks at the ceiling for a minute, thrown by the abrupt cessation of motion and sudden lack of heat inside him, trying to form thoughts into a coherent sentence.

Usually, Taako is loud. Usually, if he gets there first he does his best to keep going until Kravitz catches up. Which is why he couldn't have--

"D-did you just--?"

Taako has his face buried in the crook of his neck, skin so hot it's burning. "Shut up."

"You--? B-because I said--?"

"Shutup,"Taako says again, pressing his face further into him and bunching his fingers into his hair, embarrassed. Kravitz feels his heart flip and swell with heady affection and pulls him close, a soft noise of reassurance escaping his chest.

"Oh, sweetheart--" he starts, and then whimpers as another tug on his hair reminds him that while Taako may have finished, he himself remains very worked up and close to his limit. "S-sh*t, sh*t - I just mean it's - it's okay, if--"

He doesn't get to finish the sentence before Taako muffles the rest of it with his mouth, one hand fisted into his hair and the other pulled from the sling and sliding between his legs, and any further words dissipate into white noise.

"You're f*ckin' - f*ckin' lucky you're handsome, moron. I told you to wait."

"Love, you s-shouldn't be--" he starts, but Taako kisses him quiet again.

"Mmnope, Taako time now," he says firmly, increases his pace a little further. "This good, babe?"

"Y-yeah, it's - good, j-- good," Kravitz stammers, trying his hardest to hold himself together under all the undivided attention. How is he so good at this while injured and still wearing gloves?

"Thought so," Taako says with something of a wicked grin. "God, you're so - so goddamn gorgeous," he mutters, and huffs a laugh as Kravitz whines softly, tugging him in close. "You like it when I call you nice things, huh? Got a vain streak. Weakness for flattery."

Kravitz doesn't trust himself to form words, unable to articulate that it's less of what he's saying and more of how he's saying it, bites his lip instead, punctures it as usual. "Mn-- Mm-hm."

"Handsome and honest, is it? And you love me," Taako says, smile on his voice even though Kravitz has long since shut his eyes.

"Y-yes, so m--"

Taako cuts him off with his mouth again. "Rhetorical statement, babe," he murmurs, nipping at his ear, and Kravitz feels him grin against his cheek as he fights the growing need to grip him as hard as he can, control slipping. "Love you, too, asshole," he snickers, pulling hard against his scalp, and that does it.f*ck.

Taako kisses him through it, tightens his grip on his hair as his back arches and then releases it and smooths it gently back in place as he collapses back onto the bed - and then it's Kravitz's turn to be embarrassed, because that really hadn't taken much at all.

Wiping his hand off on the sheets, Taako drapes himself over his torso and slaps at his chest with his good arm, reminding him to breathe. "Now we're even, asshat."

"Y-- Fu-- f*ck you," Kravitz manages once he's found his words again. "You timed that."

"Did I? Or are we both just kinda messed up in the romance department?" Taako asks with a smirk, pushing himself up to look at him. Kravitz gives a breathy laugh towards the ceiling.

"Both, I suppose." He lifts his head enough to meet Taako's gaze. "Guess we're, uh, both a little starved for it, huh?"

Half a second of eye contact and they both break down into fits of giggles, brought down by their own ridiculousness. Kravitz doesn't stay laughing for long, though. He's too distracted by the sight in front of him, this incredible man who he's fallen hopelessly in love with and who has somehow decided he loves him too. Taako yelps a little as he hooks his hands underneath his armpits and pulls him upwards, needing to have him close.

"f*cking - ow, fangs, you were the one who said to rest this sh*t, god damn," he grumbles, worming his good arm between them to rub at his shoulder. Kravitz plants a kiss on the area by way of apology.

"Sorry, I just - I love you so much," he murmurs into Taako's hair, still carrying the smell of flowers and the ghost of incense from the night before. He's pretty sure his heart is steeped in this smell now.

"Jeez, babe," Taako laughs quietly, a drop of nervousness in the sound. "Guy might get worried you're gonna run out of those at this rate."

Kravitz moves to catch his mouth and then pulls back enough to look at him. "Renewable resource. I get a new one every time I look at you," he smiles, and watches Taako's face flush scarlet.

"f*ck, you're so - god, Krav," he whines, covering his lack of response by grabbing Kravitz's face and smothering him with kisses. Kravitz lets him off without commenting on his silence, for now. Maybe he's a little disappointed not to hear it back every time, but Taako's feelings are pretty clear through just this. For someone with such a quick tongue, he's so often shown himself to be better at showing affection through actions over words, and Kravitz knows he's trying. He's not about to start pressuring him into something so important. He's always been the type to fall hard and fast - it's a testament to his being out of the game for so long that it took him until nowto realise it was love- and if Taako needs some time to catch up, that's okay. As much has he wants that reassurance and the thrill of hearing those words, he can wait.

What matters to him right now is that he's sure. More sure of this than of most anything else in his life, now or before he died. He's sure he wants this to last, whatever he has to do for that to happen, however patient he has to be. He's not going anywhere.

It's a rush at the moment, he knows, and the whirlwind of this stage won't last forever. It'll fade from the blinding brilliance of a bonfire to the soft and steady warmth of a hearth, and that's fine by him. A bonfire is something for a cold night under the stars, but a hearth - that's something for a home. And he knows better than most that home can be a person.

Chapter 39: Practise Makes Perfect

Chapter Text

"I love you" is both a simple and a complex phrase, Kravitz knows this.

On the one hand, it's so right and so familiar and so easy, such a short refrain of only three words that can be thrown onto the air as carelessly as any other three you might want to choose.

On the other hand, there's so much weight behind it, an entire history's worth of connotation - from your perspective, the perspective of the person who you're saying them to - the foundation of every love story ever written.

The real meaning of the phrase depends on who's saying it, Kravitz supposes. For him, it carries the memory of all those times he'd offered his heart and had it handed back to him with an apology, or a sad smile - or even, once or twice, a laugh. But it's also a promise, and the grip of memory loosens itself a little more every time he says those words and knows that they're accepted. They turn warmer.

For Taako, those three small words are like a labyrinth.

It quickly becomes apparent, in the nights following that first exchange, that the phrase is one he struggles with. Kravitz learns to watch for the careful intake of breath that means he's trying, and helps him out when the words don't form, which is always. He doesn't know what the source of the block is - not even Taako seems to know that - but there's clearly something there, something about the words or about Taako's attitude to them that causes them to get stuck before hitting the air. It's a silent declaration, most of the time, made by a tightly squeezed hand, a held gaze, a kiss that lingers slightly longer than usual.

But he can usually say it back, given that first nudge. However quiet it might be. Every exchange is a balm on Kravitz's soul, something he tucks away and holds on to until the next one flutters into brief existence, and he can catch that one to keep alongside it. He doesn't particularly mind that Taako can't seem to say it first. It's enough for him that he says it at all, for the moment. He'd love to hear those words unprompted, eventually, but it's not like he doesn't have time to wait.

Immortality is... an odd perspective to consider things from. He tries not to think about the other implications of an existence that long. Longer than almost everyone important to him. That's not an issue for right now.

The issue for right now is that Taako isn't sleeping well again, badly enough that he'd quietly asked if Kravitz would mind sleeping in his own room for a day or two so that he can bunk with Lup instead, and he's determined to help. Granted, there may not be a huge amount he can do, but stepping aside on their sleeping arrangements is one thing, and he's doing his best to find others. In the meantime, he'll be fine going without sleeping. He's got paperwork to catch up on anyway.

Honestly, of all the things reminiscent of his living days, he could've done without paperwork.

Still, it can wait until later. For now, he's got a mug in either hand and a boyfriend to find - which he does relatively quickly given the distinctive smell of his shampoo. The heightened senses are often useful, he has to admit, even if they do end up giving him headaches sometimes.

Taako is hunched on a dumpy sofa in one of the rec rooms - one of the smaller and hence empty ones - glaring at one of a dozen glasses of water laid out seemingly at random on the table in front of him. Kravitz approaches with a smile he couldn't keep down if he tried, though Taako seems too focused to look up and notice him. Kravitz does note the sling once again cast aside on the seat cushions with a raised eyebrow, but at this point it's not particularly necessary. Another week or so and Taako should have a clean bill of health, as long as the insomnia clears up.

"Here," Kravitz says once he's close enough, nudging Taako's foot with his own to get his attention and offering him a mug. "Chamomile, should help you sleep."

"Thanks," Taako murmurs as he takes the drink and wraps his hands around the warm ceramic."You've got some too?" he asks with a quizzical look at the other mug in Kravitz's hands, and Kravitz shrugs.

"Hot water. Better than nothing, and it keeps my hands warm." He gestures his chin towards the array of glasses on the table. "What are you doing?"

"Oh, you noticed the - the ol' H2O collection, huh?" Taako mumbles into his tea. His breath sends the steam dancing away into the air in front of his face, briefly obscuring the bags under his eyes. He takes a small sip before setting the mug down directly on the wood next to the glasses, and rolls his eyes when Kravitz picks it up to slide a coaster underneath it. "Dork," he mutters before turning his gaze to the glasses again, expression tight. "I'm, uh, I'm practising."

"Magic?" Kravitz prompts, and Taako gives a small nod, chewing his lip a little.

"It's, um - it just feels kinda stupid that I still can't control it. Can't keep this conceal-don't-feel routine up forever, right?" He picks idly at one of his nails, deceptively casual. "I wanna be able to touch you without Midas-ing your sh*t up. Even if you are a chilly boy."

"You know I trust you not to do that," Kravitz says, aiming for reassurance, but Taako's brow furrows.

"I don't want blind trust, fangs. That's just reckless, and I'm not gonna risk this." He looks up and offers him a lopsided grin. "Plus, wouldn't it be cool if I could turn water into wine? All religious and sh*t. Or y'know, gold from straw or whatever. I'd be a goddamn wizard."

Kravitz settles himself down on the equally dumpy sofa on the opposite side of the table, cradling his mug of hot water in his hands and braving the occasional sip that helps warm his core, too.

He really wishes the Bureau had a few bathtubs as well as showers. He could run the water until it steamed and lie submerged for as long as he wanted, not needing air, letting the heat seep right into his bones. It's been such a long time since he felt warm all the way through, even with a living body curled around him as he sleeps.

But, a warm drink will have to do.

"Yeah, that would be pretty cool," he concedes, drawing himself out of his thoughts. "How are you getting on?"

Taako gestures at the glasses with an exasperated wave. "Nothing. Not even gogurt. I can't figure it out."

"Do you need to say a spell or something?"

"Oh, yeah, lemme just - alakazam, water, do my bidding!" Taako intones, making jazz hands at the glasses and then dropping them to fix Kravitz with a flat look. "I don't think that's how it works."

Kravitz shrugs, sitting back and resting one ankle over his other knee. "You know more about it than I do."

"But you can summon your sh*t just fine!" Taako huffs, clearly frustrated. "And - and even the kid has his sh*t under control, so why can't I f*cking do this?"

"Hm." Kravitz extends a hand and that familiar polaroid appears, just popping into existence like it had always been there. "Maybe you're thinking about it too much? I don't - I don't think when I do this, it just happens. It's like a muscle memory."

Taako hums a dark note and mutters under his breath. "Show-off."

"I mean it, I think you're trying to do something with your head that needs to be done with - with something else," Kravitz says. Taako co*cks an eyebrow at him as he tucks the photograph back into the inner pocket of his jacket.

"What, like my soul or some sh*t? You're the one that's supposed to think all that stuff is ridiculous."

"I mean, it is, but that doesn't mean it isn't effective," Kravitz counters. He runs his tongue over his teeth, absently tracing the points of his fangs, and drums out a contemplative rhythm on the mug in his hands. There has to be some kind of trigger, the same way his own magic seems to require a directed thought and a precedent in order to work. "What were you thinking about when it happened at the hospital?" he asks, lifting his gaze back towards Taako, whose expression suddenly turns distant and pensive.

"Well, um. There was - a long time ago, we all went on this trip, really nice beach. I was thinkin' if none of that sh*t with my show ever happened, that's - I would've wanted to go back there." He picks up one of the glasses from the table and rolls it between his palms. "It happens randomly though, anyway. That was just - just a bad moment."

"Well, what about the other times?"

Taako groans and slumps back against the cushions behind him, resting his head on the top of the couch. "I don't know, it justhappens. I don't even notice sometimes until I realise I'm drinking gogurt instead of wine."

"So you're not paying attention?"

"No," Taako huffs, lifting his head to fix him with an exasperated look. "I don't see how that helps any."

Kravitz nods towards the glass in his hands. It's filled with thick, off-white liquid. Taako blinks at it.

"Oh." He gives the glass a careful sniff, then frowns and puts the very tip of his tongue to the surface of the liquid. Kravitz can't help but crack a fond smile, and leans his chin on his hand as he watches.

"So?" he asks.

"Gogurt," Taako grimaces. "f*ckin', key lime f*ckin' gogurt." He sets the glass on the table and throws a hand up at it. "So what the f*ck? I can only do it when I don't need it? What kind of useless superpower is that?"

"What were you thinking about then?" Kravitz prompts. "When that happened."

Taako turns his eyes back on the glass. "I dunno. I guess I was just thinkin' I wouldn't mind some gogurt."

"Sounds like you just have to want it," Kravitz offers. Taako makes a frustrated noise and fidgets with his hair.

"But it doesn't - that time when you got all beat up, I tried to use it to buy us some time and nothing f*cking happened. And I wanted that, y'know? I needed it." He pushes his hands into his hair and scrubs roughly at his scalp. "God, I'm so--"

"Sweetheart," Kravitz interrupts gently, and Taako freezes, then sighs and drops his shoulders.

"Right. Sorry."

Kravitz shakes his head. "You don't have to apologise. I just hate it when you say things like that about yourself."

Avoiding his eyes, Taako goes back to fidgeting with his hair. "I mean, I'm cool with being an idiot," he says, all aloof indifference. "Nobody expects anything from you."

"Maybe so," Kravitz concedes, careful and slow, "but, I think you should really give yourself more credit. Even if you weren't all that sharp - which you are, by the way - you have a lot more to offer than just an IQ score."

"Right, forgot about these looks for a second," Taako smirks, lounging back in his seat, and rolls his eyes at the look Kravitz gives him. "Obviously I got other assets, babe, you think I don't know that?"

"Other than your looks, my love," Kravitz scolds gently. A flush blooms across Taako's ears and cheeks at the pet name, and he waves a hand as he turns his face away.

"Yeah, y-- Whatever you say. Can we get back to the stupid magic thing now?"

Kravitz smiles a little and decides to let the issue drop for now. He likes to think he's fairly well gotten the hang of knowing how far to push on this kind of thing, but he also thinks it's better to play it safe over trying to force a conversation too soon. Small steps are best for them both, one issue at a time. He sets his own mug down on the table next to Taako's and leans forward to inspect the gogurt-filled glass.

"Maybe it's because you're so scared of it. It's not like you don't have any control, you can change the liquid without affecting the glass."

"Psh. Scared," Taako mutters, and returns to picking at his nail polish. It's a wonder any of it ever stays on at all. "Maybe. I guess when I start thinking about that stuff the, the ol' grey matter starts pullin' the runaway train routine."

"It's understandable. It's caused you a lot of grief," Kravitz soothes, going to reach for Taako's hand before thinking better of it and drawing back. Then he pauses again, because that gives him an idea.

"I think you should trust yourself more. Here," he says, holding out his hand. Taako regards it like a snake that might just bite him any minute.

"I don't think that's a, uh - a primo idea there, fangs."

"Just for a second," Kravitz insists, holding his hand out a little closer. "It'll probably revert in a day or so anyway, even if you do turn me to stone a little bit, right?" He smiles a little. "But you won't."

Taako's eyes study what feels like every inch of his face, unblinking, before he finally sighs and leans forward. "Whatever," he huffs, "Not like I can poison you or anything."

He reaches out and brushes his fingers across Kravitz's palm, brow tense and teeth buried in his lower lip. The contact only lasts for a second, but it brings back memories of that first night they really met - an arm leading him through the rain, soft hands roving over his torso, black nail polish. It makes Kravitz ache a little, wishing that neither of them had to hold back for fear of hurting the other. There's always something in the way, even if it's paper-thin. Still, he smiles.

"See? Nothing."

"Not this time," Taako says darkly, frowning down at the magicked glass.

"But it's a start, right?" Kravitz says gently. After a moment, Taako bites his lip and lifts his eyes to look at him, giving a small nod.

"Yeah. Thanks, fangs." He bunches his hands in his leggings and shifts a little in his seat. "I, uh."

Kravitz smiles and leans across the table to kiss his forehead. "I love you, too."

"No, come on," Taako complains even as he accepts the gesture, "I can, I can say it first - you just gotta gimme a minute to get there."

Kravitz briefly ducks his head and raises his palms in apology as he sits back. "Okay, sorry, go ahead."

"Well it doesn't count now, does it?" Taako huffs, folding his arms. "Jeez."

"Alright. I promise next time I'll let you finish," Kravitz replies, a small smile making its way to his face. Maybe it'll even happen.

"You'd better," Taako grumbles. "I don't need bailed out like some kinda dummy."

"You're right, I should let you try," Kravitz says, and moves around to join him on the other sofa, wrapping an arm around his shoulders as Taako flops into his side. "So, how was your night, other than the magic practise? Been eavesdropping on people again?"

Taako's eyes light up. "Oh, my dude, I have got the sweetest deets for ya. I've got blackmail material. I've got gossip so hot it burns."

They stay there for a little while, just talking and touching, content with just being in the same room with each other. Eventually, though, Taako starts yawning, and Kravitz nudges him lightly with his knee and says, "Think it's time for you to go to bed."

Taako whines and leans further into him. "Mmn. Whatever. Not like I'm gonna f*ckin'--" He cuts himself off with another yawn and waves off Kravitz's pointed look. "Yeah, okay, I'll go, matron. You out tomorrow?"

"Yeah. Barry again."

"Man, f*ck Barry," Taako grouses, burrowing into his shoulder. "Gets more time with my man than I do."

"Well, when you get some sleep, that can change," Kravitz chuckles, reaching up to tuck his hair away from his face. "And in the meantime, Barry's very nice."

"Y'mean weird as f*ck," Taako snorts.

"Nice and weird as f*ck," Kravitz corrects with a laugh, then pulls his boyfriend in for a careful hug. "Night, sweetheart."

"Mnn. Night," Taako mumbles, and squeezes him tightly with a small, deliberate headbutt to the underside of Kravitz's jaw.

"I know," Kravitz says softly, moving to kiss the top of his head. "You too."

"Be nice if I could say it though, huh?" Taako sighs as he pushes himself back upright. Kravitz shakes his head and smiles in reassurance.

"It's okay. Now go to bed," he says, and leans in to kiss him goodnight, and--

That's weird.

"Taako, did you--?"

Taako frowns at him. "Did I what?"

"Just--" He pulls Taako back in to kiss him again and - yeah, that's definitely weird. Taako releases a sharp breath as he pulls back, eyes wide and cheeks a little reddened.

"W-uh, well, that was, uh - was a whole lotta tongue for a goodnight kiss, babe."

Kravtiz only continues to stare at his mouth, confused. "You taste good," he mumbles, and then shakes himself as Taako leans back from him with a frown and a vaguely disturbed look. "Sorry, not like - not in a creepy way, you just - normally if you've been eating, it's--"

"I taste bad?" Taako says with something of a pout, but Kravitz is too preoccupied to pay him much mind.

"Yeah, so--" He grabs Taako's mug off the table and sniffs it experimentally. It smells just fine. Pretty nice, in fact. Before he can think better of it, he downs the cold dregs left in the cup to find they taste like - well, cold tea. Or, weird cold tea, but - not awful. Not enough to make him sick.

In fact, it's f*cking amazing.

"The-- It doesn't taste bad. I can drink this," he laughs. "sh*t, I can actually drink this," he repeats in disbelief. Taako shoots upright next to him and flicks his eyes between him and the mug.

"Holy sh*t, really?" He flaps an excitable hand towards the table. "Try the - try the gogurt."

Still riding sky-high on his discovery, Kravitz grabs the gogurt-filled glass from the table and gets as far as bringing it to his lips before the smell hits him and he gags and practically throws it back down. "Nope," he chokes out, trying not to dry-heave into his hand. "N-- Nm-mm."

"Man," Taako pouts, frowning at the glass like it's the single cause of all his worries on earth. "Guess it's just the tea, then."

"Seems like it," Kravitz breathes, having recovered enough to take his hand away from his mouth, though he's still fighting off some residual waves of nausea. "I guess it's - I suppose flowers don't count as food? Or they're borderline?"

Taako sighs. "And here I thought I'd cured you with my undying love like some kinda fairytale."

"I think if that were possible Julia would have been human again a long time ago," Kravitz says, a smile fighting for visibility on his face. Taako waves him off, oblivious.

"Psh. You think Magnus loves Julia more than I love you? Ch'boy's not gonna lose to - what?"

Kravitz is biting back a grin. "Nothing."

"Wh--?" Taako frowns, and then he blinks, and his eyes widen. "Oh. Oh, th--" He turns away, letting his hair fall across and cover his face in that way that Kravitz knows means his cheeks are probably burning. "S-see? I said that - f*ckin', told you I didn't need any - didn't need your help."

"I never said you did," Kravitz laughs, feeling light as a feather.

"But you were thinkin' it, huh?" Taako says, revealing enough of his face to hit him with a piercing look. "Weren't you?"

Kravitz opens his mouth, then thinks better of it and closes it again. Taako raises an eyebrow at him, and he scratches at his cheek."...I was thinking I didn't mind giving you the help," he says carefully.

"Well, I don't need it," Taako declares, tossing his hair back over his shoulder. "I can say it any time I want."

"I don't doubt you can," Kravitz smiles, and Taako squints at him.

"Nuh-uh, don't do that either, the, the - that thing."

"Wh-- What thing?" Kravitz asks, blinking at him in confusion.

"The - that thing that you do where you say stuff to make me feel better but it's like, all condescending and sh*t, don't do it," Taako huffs. "I'm not an idiot."

Kravitz smiles wide and kisses his forehead. "No, you're not. Sorry, I'll try not to do it."

"...So?" Taako mumbles as he pulls back, avoiding eye contact. "Are you gonna say it back or what?"

"Say what?" Kravitz asks innocently, and earns himself a punch in the arm.

"Don't be an asshole," Taako growls as he laughs. Kravitz stifles his giggles and leans in again to catch his lips.

"I love you, too," he murmurs, smiling against his mouth. Then he gently pats Taako's thigh and rises from his seat. "Now c'mon, I'll carry you to bed if I have to."

Taako drapes an arm across his face and collapses dramatically across the seat cushions. "Oh, what a threat," he wails, "That sounds just awful."

"It will be if I carry you by your ankles," Kravitz grins, trying to catch Taako's legs as he kicks at him playfully.

"You wouldn't f*ckin' dare," Taako snorts, and Kravitz stops to look at him.

"I see," he says, and takes a firm grip of Taako's ankles and hoists him into the air as he screeches in protest.

"HEY, YOU-- YOU f*ck! PUT ME DOWN, ASSHOLE, I'M INJURED!"

Kravitz only laughs and swings him around a little more. "Oh, are you now? Because up until now I think you've been forgetting that."

"FANGS, I SWEAR TO f*ck IF YOU DON'T PUT ME--"Taako starts, but it turns into a sharp squeak as Kravitz spins him back upright and sets him down, placing a careful hand on his arm to stop him stumbling.

"Right," Taako says with a small cough, breathy and frazzled as he smooths out his clothes and sweeps back his hair. "Good. S-- Uh, I'm gonna. Bed. Have-- f*ckin', have a good day or somethin'. You dick."

"Thank you," Kravitz laughs, "You too." He moves in for one last kiss and squeezes his arm lightly. "Love you, sweetheart."

Taako nods to himself, and goes quietly along as Kravitz shepherds him towards the door, lost in his own thoughts.

"...You really don't mind?" he asks quietly as Kravitz goes to open it, and Kravitz turns back to look at him where he's stopped a little way behind.

"Mind what?"

"That I don't--" Taakowaves a hand vaguely and makes a pained face. "Y'know. That I'm not good at the mushy sh*t."

Kravitz lets go of the handle and moves back over to offer a reassuring smile and soft touches across his arms and shoulders. They both find being tactile soothing, and it's become a habit to always be touching each other when they talk things over. Not during spats or anything like that, but for discussions like this, it suits them both just fine.

"Not really," he assures, gentle as he can while still being honest. "I like hearing it, but you don't have to say it all the time for me to know. You get it across well enough without that."

"Still," Taako says, muted as he reaches out to fiddle with Kravitz's tie. "I don't want you to think I'm not as into this as you are, y'know? I do. Feel the same, it's just--" He sighs. "I'm not, like. Y'know. Good at this."

"Yeah, I know," Kravitz replies just as quietly, reaching out himself to fix Taako's mussed hair in return. "But I have faith you'll get there, if I'm honest." He smiles at Taako's uncertain look, brushing a hand over his cheek. "Really. It's just practise, right?"

Suddenly, Taako clamps his hands onto his shoulders, mouth drawn tight and gaze steady. "Keep looking at me like that."

"Like - like what?" Kravitz stumbles out, bewildered. The uncertainty in Taako's expression has turned to hard determination, and he leans in close, brow furrowed.

"Like - y'know. All starry-eyed and sh*t."

"Like I lo--?" Kravitz starts, but then there's a hand over his mouth, although it'sremoved almost as soon as it makes contact.

"Don't. Say it," Taako says, palms hovering an inch or so from Kravitz's chest without touching, "Just. Keep that stupid look on your face."

Kravitz sighs fondly and lets his expression fall open again. It isn't hard. All he has to do is allow himself to stare a little. Taako takes a deep breath and continues on the exhale. "Okay. You - you, love me, and, I - I love you, too," he whispers under his breath, then clears his throat and says louder, "I... love you. I, I love you, I love you - I love you I love you I love you I love you," he finishes in a rush, growing more confident and smiling brighter with each one - and then he stops, swallows, and watches on expectantly. He looks like he might shatter if Kravitz doesn't return his words.

But, there's little chance of that. Kravitz reaches out and gently takes each of Taako's wrists with a smile that couldn't possibly capture how bright and happy he feels.

"I love you, too."

The door slams open.

"I knew it!" Lup shouts, and turns to yell back down the corridor. "Cough up, short stack, I was right!"

Kravitz goes still as a statue, frozen in shock. "Wh-- What? What?" he stutters as Lup wanders over, looking unbearably smug, and drapes herself across her twin's shoulders. Taako's face is beet red.

"Me and the old man had a bet goin' as to whether you'd get there before bro-bro here got back to active duty," Lup grins, sharp and mischievous. "He didn't think you'd manage it, said you -" she nudges Taako, who looks like he might have short-circuited - "were too much of a scaredy cat."

Finally breaking out of his humiliation-induced silence, Taako rounds on her, face still flushed bright and voice cracking. "Like you can talk about that sh*t! Two years, Lup, two years it took you and mister I-sleep-in-my-jeans to even admit you liked each other, you do not get to pull this on me!"

"But you're so cuuute--" Lup coos, going for a hug and being held determinedly at arm's length by a hand to the face.

"f*ck off!" Taako shouts as she pulls back and starts making kissing noises at him, leaping backwards as he attempts to tackle her to the ground with an angry growl.

"Taako loves Kravitz! Taako loves Kravitz!" she chants gleefully as he chases her around the room, pelting her with pillows and just about anything else he can get his hands on. Kravitz watches the display partially amused and partially mortified.

"God, how old are you?! Go pine after your boyfriend!"

"My boyfriend loves me," Lup chirps, sing-song. "And yours loves you, so you can't say sh*t to me any more!"

"Well it's a good thing Barry loves you, 'cause I sure don't any more - you're dead to me, asshat! Hope you enjoy bein' an only child!" Taako shouts, and collides nose-first with the back of Lup's head as she stops dead in her tracks. She turns slowly to look at him, hurt plain on her features, and Taako looks panicked for the split second it takes her to break into a wicked grin.

"Well in that case, I'm gonna go tell Magnus right now," she says, and bolts for the door. Taako scrambles after her with a squawk of protest.

"Don't you dare, traitor! I'll double disown your ass!"

Kravitz follows as far as the doorway, if only to watch the two of them speed away down the hall with a fond chuckle. He stands there for a moment smiling to himself before Merle approaches from behind him. "What the hell was that about?"

"Lup says you owe her money," Kravitz says a touch wearily, turning slightly to look at him.

"Oh-ho!" Merle grins, and gives him a good-natured shove that moves him maybe a fraction of a nanometre. "Good job, kiddo. I knew I liked you."

Frowning slightly, Kravitz turns a bemused look on probably the last person in the world he would've expected to be congratulating him just a couple of months ago. "Why do I feel like I'm living in a nature documentary? Are you all that invested in this?"

Merle just shrugs. "Isn't that what family's for?" he says plainly, turning his eyes back down the hall.

Well, there's something. Kravitz digs his teeth into his lip and ducks his head a little to hide his smile. It's been a long time since he'd last considered himself part of a family, but... the feeling is familiar. Painful, in a way, because of how closely it echoes the life he'd had before at times, but it's soothing, too. It's a bittersweetness he's grateful for.

"I guess so," he says quietly, and they stand in comfortable silence for a moment before Kravitz remembers something and turns to share, just because he can. "Hey, did you know I could drink tea?"

"Y'can?" Merle scratches at his beard, contemplative. "Guess that makes sense. Not technically food, right? Weird," he muses, then grins again and gives him another shove, perhaps slightly harder than the first. Kravitz still does not go anywhere, though he does contemplate faking a stumble to make Merle feel a little better, or maybe just to get him to stop doing it. "That's great, though, kid," the old man enthuses, continuing to grin up at him. "Get something new on your palate for once."

Kravitz smiles and nods, revelling in knowing he has a group of people to call family again, however strange they might be. Then, he pulls his phone from his pocket, because the thought strikes him that if Merle hadn't known about that, then none of the others probably have any idea either. So, he sends out a few texts and goes to one of the kitchens to make at least three cups of tea.

Chapter 40: Twin Talk

Chapter Text

"So," Lup says airily, once she's dragged her brother into her room and finished noogie-ing him to within an inch of his life.

"So?" Taako asks from the bed next to her as he tries to fix his hair, having clearly forgotten what it was they were fighting about.

"So-o," Lup repeats, and pointedly draws the word out this time, "You love him, huh?"

Taako's ears and cheeks turn scarlet, and he flicks his gaze away at light speed, but he nods a little. Beaming, Lup launches herself at him and wraps him up tight in her arms, taking no notice of his token protests.

"I'm so happy for you, Koko. Really. Been a long time coming for you to get someone as good as you deserve."

At that, Taako goes very suddenly quiet. "...Thanks," he says softly, unusually subdued. He doesn't even react to the nickname, and Lup thinks maybe she's broken him until he reaches up to smack her in the back of the head and snips, "Except I'm still f*ckin' injured and you're squeezin' the sh*t outta my shoulder, dingus."

"Baby," Lup snorts, but lets him go. That's more like it. "So how long has this--" She circles a finger between him and the door, "Been a thing? Gotta say I'm a little insulted you didn't come to your sister first."

Taako's face flushes again, and Lup bites back a giggle. This is f*cking wonderful. Taako getting all flustered at the barest mention of his boyfriend, who'd've thunk. "I - I figured it out a couple weeks ago," he mumbles, avoiding her eyes. "Didn't manage to actually say it 'til he beat me to it."

"That's my brother, so in touch with his feelings," Lup teases, but truthfully, she's damn proud of him. She'd noticed how fidgety he'd been last week, but she hadn't expected him to hit the L-word that fast, or maybe even at all. He barely ever says he loves her, his ever-present mirror image and dearest darlingest sister. Not that he needs to, but he's bad at affection, Lup knows this. However much he's feeling on the inside, words like capital-Llove rarely make it out of his mouth - so, clearly, Kravitz had been doing a lot of things very right to get Taako to open up so quick.

And okay, true, she had bet in his favour with Merle. But only on principle. Only she gets to pick on her brother for his emotional unavailability.

"Shut your mouth," Taako grumbles, but there's no bite behind it. "It's not like - I f*ckin' tried, but - you know I'm not good at that sh*t."

He pulls his legs up to his chest and fidgets with the hem of the long shirt he's wearing. "He just - he tries so hard, y'know? When I feel bad. Makes me food even though he doesn't know what he's doing and it makes him - it makes him f*ckin' sick and he does it anyway, like what the f*ck?" The fidgeting turns into restless tugs at the fabric. "And I-I see him get sad about stuff and it physically f*ckin' hurts me, and I wanna fix it for him and make him laugh, and - f*ck, I just want him to be happy. Like, seeing him happy makes me happy, how f*cked up is that?" He takes half a breath to trill out a nervous laugh and then the words start rushing out again, "I mean I've only known the guy like two months, what kinda - i-it doesn't make sense, it's--"

Lup reaches out and presses her hand over his mouth to shut him up. Oh boy.

"Jeez louise, you've got it bad, brother mine," she says slowly, carefully taking back her hand. "I've never seen you in so deep."

"I don't think I ever have been," Taako murmurs to himself, and Lup lets out a soft whistle. For Taako not to be trying to dodge the issue or make a joke out of it - this is serious. And he keeps sharing unprompted, which is just not like her boy at all. She stays silent, just waiting, and sure enough, he starts spilling again.

"I don't even know how - it's only been two months, like isn't that too fast for that kinda sh*t?" he rambles. "I don't - I've never felt like this about anybody, Lup, anybody I've - f*ck, okay, I guess you, or - whatever, but, notromantically. I just - I f*cking love him." He swallows and continues so quietly Lup barely catches it, "So much it scares me."

Lup reaches out and sets a hand on his shoulder. "I don't think you need to be scared, hon. I've vetted the guy ten times over, he's got my seal of approval," she soothes, but Taako whines in aggravation and shoots up from the bed so he can start pacing back and forth along the floor.

"I-It's not even - just, what if something happened to him? I know he can't get like, permanently hurt, but, what if he f*cking - f*cking died or something?" he says as he moves, frantic. "He already got hurt so bad with those creeps last month, and I-I don't know what I'd do - a-and then I think about if something happened to me, and how much I could hurt him, and--"

"Oh-kay, babe, I'm cutting you off now, you're spiralling," Lup says, getting up herself to wrap him up in a hug and hold him still. Taako slumps into her, but she can still feel how tense he is in the hard grip his hands have on her shirt. "Jeez, you're real worked up about this, huh?" she murmurs as she traces a hand up and down the rigid line of his back.

(She tries not to name the bones and muscles in her mind. It's been a long time since she learnt them, but they still stick with her. Taako's not the only one with lost dreams.)

"It's awful and I hate it," Taako whines miserably into her shoulder. "I didn't sign up for feelings and sh*t."

Lup laughs a little. Being overly dramatic is a good sign, at least. "Well, as far as him dying goes, you've pretty much picked the most immortal boyfriend you could go for," she assures, then squeezes him little and continues softer, "And you know nothing's gonna take either of us out, Taako. We're legends, remember?"

Taako lets out a breath into her hair, slumping even further. "Yeah," he mumbles, and yet it still feels like he's unsettled, like he's holding something back. Which isn't new, but it never stops being frustrating.

"C'mon, goofus. You think I don't know when you're bottling sh*t up? It's champagne time, broseph, pop that cork," Lup announces, pulling back and clapping his cheeks between her hands. Taako grimaces and tries to wriggle away, hands bunched into fists and pushing at her roughly, but she just clings harder. She knows exactly how to drag the truth out of him when she needs to, and that's most quickly done by backing him into a corner.

It's not the nicestway, for sure, but it's definitely the quickest.

"C'mon, 'Ko," she grunts as he yanks himself backwards and sends the both of them tumbling onto the bed. "You know I'm not gonna let go until you spill."

Taako insists on putting up a further few seconds of resistance, but Lup is stronger than him even without his bum shoulder, and they both know it's only a matter of time.

"f*ck - fine," he snaps, once it's clear she's not gonna give up any time soon, and Lup releases him, triumphant. Taako turns onto his back, and she settles herself next to him, both of them looking at the ceiling. She can concede eye contact for honesty hour. Or honesty five minutes, given who she's talking to. That's fine.

"I just... realised how much I don't wanna lose him, I guess," Taako murmurs after a moment. "And there's - there's a lotta ways that could happen." He takes a deep breath and lets it out again as his hands fuss with the sheets and the loose parts of his clothes. "Part of me wants to just bolt before anything can go wrong. It's... I don't know if it's worth... if it all goes to sh*t."

There's quiet for a second or two. Lup risks a glance at her brother out of her peripheral vision, catches tense brows and hard-drawn lips and fearful eyes. "The further this goes... the more it's gonna suck when it all blows up in my face," he whispers.

Lup gives him a second to make sure he's done before pushing herself up slightly to speak, propping herself up on an elbow. "Taako, it's not gonna--"

"But it always does, Lup. Every time," Taako bites, cutting her off. Then he sighs and grinds the heels of his hands into his eyes. "Every damn time."

"Dav'd tear into you for thinking like that, baby bro," Lup says as he drops his hands back to the bed with a huff.

"Yeah, well. Things didn't turn out so great for him either, huh?" Taako replies flatly, breezing straight past the baby comment and leaving her bait untouched.

This is really getting to him, Lup thinks. The idea that letting people get close means they can hurt you all the more easily has always been a hang-up of his - and hers too, to a certain extent. But she'd learned that taking the chance was always worth the risk, that it was better to pick yourself back up after a fall than never try to make the jump at all.

Taako hadn't learned to jump with her. He'd made his way in her wake with uncertain steps and one eye always firmly on the exit.

Lup sighs and flops back onto the bed again. As much as she loves her brother, she knows he can be sharp and emotionally closed-off and hard to get along with. Which is exactly why she's so exceptionally happy for him to have found such a perfect fit, even if the circ*mstances are less than ideal. He'd clearly been absolutely smitten with the guy from day one - which was understandable, with a face like that. If Lup wasn't already happily taken she might've made a pass at the hot vampire, too. But she'd had her doubts about whether things would work out. Taako was difficult, and Kravitz was an unknown. He'd clearly had a hard time over the past few years, but other than that, they knew nothing about him past the fact that he was cute, and kinda sh*tty at being a vampire. So as far as first impressions go, not terrible, but not too good, either.

Except they'd both proven themselves to be weirdly capable of putting up with each other's bullsh*t. Kravitz had shown himself to be both gentle and determined, and earnest enough to get past Taako's emotional walls, and Taako seemed unusually willing to let him through, too. The calm energy Kravitz has to him had shown itself fairly quickly once they were past the threats and intimidation and weirdness and everything; still and deep like a vast, shimmering lake. Things might be a mess on the surface a lot of the time, true, but the depths are steady, and that stability seems to have been just what Taako needed.

And the guy seems to have the capacity to be hard and sharp enough to give her stubborn brother an emotional kick up the ass when required, too, which is always useful. Lup appreciates that.

And Taako, for his part, makes Kravitz shine brighter. He'd seen a diamond in the rough that night just a couple of months ago, had stood by his belief in the odd vampire's potential through every stage of scrutiny, and it had paid off in unearthing a goofy sense of humour, a wellspring of compassion, and a very loyal friend to just about everyone. He'd been blunt enough to knock through Kravitz's own walls, tried his best to repair the guy's battered self-worth (even if he might have needed some additional help with that) and he's grown so much in the short time they've been together Lup almost doesn't recognise him. She's never seen him be so softwitha person, or light up like that just from seeing them. She's rarely seen any two people who make each other laugh quite that much.

But there is one thing between them that she does see every day. She sees it in Barry when he opens his eyes to hers in the morning, and in Carey when Killian insists on carrying her bridal-style from room to room. She sees it in Magnus when he goes head-to-head with Julia and gets his ass kicked for the thousandth time, and she catches it in herself, sometimes, in a surprise candid or in a mirror. It's the look of someone so caught up in love they've forgotten anyone else is watching.

They've made each other better, that much she's sure of. The two of them harmonise in their similarities and balance each other in their differences, and where they don't - where they've clashed and grated against the edges of each other - they've just... made it work.

She's so f*cking proud of the both of them.

"Babe, I haven't seen many people get on as well as you two do," she says softly, eyes fixed on the ceiling. "If you ask me, it's worth it ten times over. I haven't seen you this happy in forever."

"I know," Taako groans, turning over to press his face into the mattress and pull a pillow over his head. "f*ck."

Lup shifts onto her side to look at him with a small snort. "Taako."

"Mmnf."

"Taako, look at me," she smiles, and sits up to try to pry the pillow away from his head, but he has it on lockdown. "Taako. Hey, f*cking--" Huffing, she opts to just roll his whole body over, leaving him glaring up at her with the pillow clamped firmly around his ears. Lup only shakes her head in exasperation. "Babe, just let yourself have this. He's a nice guy and he loves you. And you love him. So don't be an idiot."

"M'not an idiot," Taako mumbles, gaze set over her shoulder rather than on her face.

Lup blinks. That's new. Self-deprecation is normally Taako's go-to when he's being like this. But after a second of surprise, she smiles. She really likes that vampire.

"So don't act like one, then. You two're great together, goofus," she says with a grin and a sharp nudge to his ribs, making him yelp and launch the pillow at her. She catches it with a laugh and throws it onto the floor. "Really. And look, I know Bar and I - we took a while, but everybody's different. I think this is just how you two go."

"What, hard and fast?" Taako snickers, finally cracking a smile, and Lup nods sagely to herself.

"Mm-hm, full emotional penetra--"

"Lup."

"You started it," Lup giggles. Taako makes a face and sticks out his tongue at her, and she shoves him gently. "Seriously. You're good for each other, Taako, I think you of all people can see that. And you're not gonna lose him."

Taako's eyes suddenly cloud over again. "...Did you guys ever, uh... ever do any more research on that theory of yours?" he asks quietly after a moment, picking at his nails. "About the anchors?"

Lup takes a second to reorient herself, thrown by the abrupt change of topic. "Well - not really. Lucy said it was too dangerous to test out, and she's got the final say-so, y'know? And like, she's got a point." She sighs and scratches at her hairline. "We've been doing what we can just by observation - that thing with Maureen was another mark to put in the file, but..." She pauses, and fixes her brother with a suspicious look, eyes narrowing. "Why?"

"No reason," Taako says quickly - a little too quickly, "Just - what, I can't be interested in my sister's nerd sh*t?" he asks with a concerningly forced grin.

"Uh-huh," Lup says slowly. "That's why you ask me about our vampire theories while we're talking about your vampire boyfriend?"

Taako kicks up his fidgeting to a new level. "It's - I'm - I'm keepin' an eye on it, okay? It's fine." He rolls his eyes and huffs a frustrated noise as Lup squints at him harder. "Look, I'll tell you if it's important, alright?"

That isn't particularly what Lup wants to hear. She likes Kravitz, she really does, but there's always an unspoken risk hanging in the air. The fact is that they don't know much about what the difference is between friendly and feral vampires - Kravitz is the first they've found outside of the Bureau that's actually beenchill. Like, okay, he'd chowed down on a few dozen people, but he at least had had the awareness and inclination to try to mitigate the damage, and the decency to feel bad about it. Much nicer to be in a room with him than another, actually feral vampire they might've picked up off the street. They're worlds apart, for reasons none of them can do anything but guess at.

Most people at the Bureau have at least a vague theory about what the difference is. Willpower, luck - blood type, even. Lup has her own hypothesis, if only she could actually put it to the test. Unfortunately, vampires are a little harder to run trials on than lab rats - especially the bitier ones. That's risky business, and Lucretia is right to be wary. Hunting is dangerous enough without trying to capture instead of kill, so they're kind of stuck gathering what scraps of info they can from just watching.

Lup doesn't like the implications of what Taako's asking here. But if he says it's fine, that he's keeping an eye on things, then she trusts him. He's always had the better sense for danger out of the two of them, after all.

"...Alright," she agrees, and Taako nods in satisfaction before flopping back onto the sheets. After a minute of easy quiet, Lup rolls onto her front and grins at him. "Hey, if you really wanna lock the guy in, I've got an idea."

"Mmn?" Taako hums, more than a little suspiciously. Lup smacks him gently in mock-offense.

"Relax, dipsh*t, I'm not gonna tell ya to marry him," she snickers, "Yet. I'm just thinkin' you 'n' me can go along to see Lucretia and get her to make him a full Bureau member," she explains, kicking her feet in the air with an innocent smile. "Then he's officially part ofthefamily."

"...Still so weird, the Director thing," Taako grumbles. "Like, that's 'Cretia, y'know? But she's not the same." His expression darkens even further, and he wrinkles his nose. "Don't like havin' to answer to her, either. S'weird."

"She set this place up, Taako, brought everyone back together. Gave you a safe place when you needed it," Lup says with a pointed shove. "We can at least pretend to respect her rules."

Taako lets out an aggrieved sigh. "Sure, if you say so."

"That an affirmative, loverboy?" Lup asks, absolutely delighted, and Taako waves a hand in front of his rapidly darkening cheeks.

"Ye-- Yeah, fine, whatever. It'll - y'know, it'll make Krav happy, he loves that kinda romantic gesture stufff," he mumbles, turning his face away. Lup laughs and pulls him in to kiss his temple.

"Boy, you really have gone soft, huh?"

"f*ck off," Taako growls, scrubbing at the afflicted spot, but once again there's no real malice behind his words. It makes Lup's heart lighter to see him in such a good place.

"C'mon, then, Romeo," she says, standing and tugging him up by his wrists, "Time to go tell Lucretia how much you love your boyfriend."

"You're the worst," Taako complains, even as he follows along behind.

Lup doesn't even need to look back to know he's smiling to himself. Guy's got it almost as bad as she did with Barry - or worse, even. Lup's pretty sure she never started blushing just from thementionof her boyfriend, but then she could be misremembering.

Still, it's not a competition. She's just glad her brother has finally found someone as good as he deserves, who he loves enough to say it out loud. Who gives a sh*t if the guy's a blood-sucking creature of the night, given that? Definitely not her. She'd studied that man inside and out over the last couple of months, and had fairly quickly come to the decision that she's prepared to trust him with her brother's heart.

But heaven f*cking help him if he breaks it.

Chapter 41: Trust

Chapter Text

Lucretia is, predictably, in her office and at her desk when they find her. Working late into the morning as usual. Someone who was the type to show more active concern than Taako might question how good her working habits are for her health, especially now she's so much older than them. Weird, now, to think they used to be the same age.

But Taako, cool and aloof as he is, is not the type to show active concern for damn near anyone, and so he doesn't say a word about it. Doesn't say a word at all, in fact, until Lup nudges him forward with her knee with a pointed clearing of the throat and Lucretia looks up from her work, finally taking notice of them.

"Oh. Taako, Lup. Good morning," she says amicably, only slightly surprised. "Did you... do you need me for something?"

"I want you to take Krav off probation," Taako replies without preamble. "He's been nothin' but good since he got here, and he hasn't given us any reason not to trust him."

"I agree with you," Lucretia says with barely a pause, and Taako blinks at her in mute surprise. That had been easier than he'd expected - though maybe he should've thought otherwise. Luc likes Kravitz as much as everyone else, he's not sure why he'd thought she'd resist this.

"Uh, s-- so, uh, cool," he stumbles, and sees a small smile flicker across her face, "So - we're good?"

"Well, you were the one assigned to watch him, so I was only waiting for your opinion," Lucretia says with the tiniest of shrugs. "If you're happy, then so am I."

"Well, I'm happy," Taako declares, folding an arm across himself and gesturing vaguely with the other. "Just - real happy, he's not gonna cause problems and I trust him and stuff. It's all roses."

There's silence for a moment. Taako's not sure why it feels so awkward - they're done, everything's settled. Lucretia is just watching him, face unreadable and eyes steady. Maybe she's expecting him to just... go? That's probably it. Well, that's fine by him. Taako out.

He's halfway through turning on his heel to leave when Lucretia calls his name, and he stops, turns back towards her. She folds her hands and studies him carefully.

"Taako, you know doing this means he's a free agent afterwards. He's free to go wherever he wants, without our supervision, and if he wanted to run he could do so very easily. We'd have to go after him, obviously, but it is a possibility." She pins him with a look - since when could little Luc give a look like that? - and he suppresses a shiver. "Do you trust him that much?"

Taako swallows. The paranoid part of his brain screams no, he doesn't trust that Kravitz won't change his mind and leave the moment he's given the chance; it's too much of a risk and he wants to keep him on lockdown forever. That part tells him to sink that ship before it can sail away without him and let things be.

But... that's no basis for a relationship. A healthy, lasting relationship, and that's - that's what he wants. And this will make Kravitz happy, and that's what he wants, too. And Kravitz loves him, and he won't leave now, he has to believe that. He does believe it, despite all his deepest fears and insecurities telling him otherwise.

Or at least, he believes it enough.

"...Yeah," he says quietly. "We're all good."

Lucretia nods, then stands from her desk and circles around to stand in front of him, watching him intently. Taako holds her gaze without backing down, until she smiles and pulls him into a hug.

"I'm happy for you, Taako," she murmurs, squeezing him gently. "I think you've found something special here."

"Yeah," Taako croaks, and he's not crying. He's definitely not crying one bit. He's not scared and he's not worried and he's not f*cking crying.

He holds on a little longer as Lucretia pulls back, because the only thing worse than voluntarily extending affection is having anyone see his eyeliner running.

Not that it is. Because he isn't crying.

Lucretia doesn't comment or resist. She's always been one of the kindest of their group, always one of the most well-intentioned, even if she was quiet about it. Somewhere along the way - somewhere that Taako has no knowledge of and maybe never will - she'd gained steel to reinforce that softness, but it's still there, underneath the armour. Taako can relate to that. And he knows that when she says she's happy for him she means it.

After another moment or so, he scrubs his face as best he can on his sleeve and pulls back, letting his hair fall forward to hide the redness around his eyes. "Th-- Uh, thanks, 'Creesh. Y'know, Krav, uh, he - he'll get a kick outta this. So."

"Then you can go give him the good news," Lucretia says with a small smile. Taako chews his lip for a second, then nods and backs away towards the door, throwing a wonky mock-salute on his way out.

"S-- Sure, I'm gonna - Taako's - Taako's outie," he trips out, "See you, f*ckin' - catch you nerds later. Sayonara or whatever."

He dithers outside of the office for a moment before heading back towards the main warehouse - he's pretty sure Kravitz mentioned he was gonna do some paperwork, goddamn nerd. Actually does his job the way he's supposed to.

Smiling to himself, Taako turns the corner at the end of the corridor - and runs straight into a familiar pair of arms. Jeez, how many surprise hugs is he gonna have sprung on him tonight?

"Thank you," Kravitz says, so soft that he could've wrapped those words in silk and they would've been rough by comparison. Taako swallows and stutters for a moment, unprepared.

"Y-you heard, huh?"

Kravitz nods into his shoulder and pulls back, a slightly guilty smile on his face. "Sorry, I shouldn't - I shouldn't've been eavesdropping but, I came to find you to say goodnight, and - well, it's hard not to listen when your own name comes up," he admits, then bites his lip and fiddles with the hem of Taako's sleeve. "Thank you, really. I know how big that must've been for you, and it means - it means so much to me that you'd do that."

"It's not a big deal, fangs," Taako says quietly, turning his eyes away towards the floor. "Didn't say anything that wasn't true." He flicks his hair back over his shoulder and sniffs, clearing his throat. "Also it's not night, it's morning. You'd think you could get it the right way around by now."

Kravitz chuckles softly. "You'd think so," he murmurs, sliding his arms back around him and sighing against his ear. Taako grips him tight and takes a careful breath.

"Love you," he says carefully. Kravitz kisses his temple and moves back, pushing Taako's hair back behind his ears and away from his face.

"I love you, too, sweetheart." He smiles. "And I'm not going anywhere, you know that, right?"

Taako wets his lips, uncertain. It's not that he thinks Kravitz will actually bolt on him. It's just that believing the opposite is - well, it's hard. For him, anyway. But... he is trying.Maybe he doesn't know it just yet, but he's starting to see it. External factors aside, Kravitz loves him, and Taako loves him back, and he's not going to leave. He loves him and he won't leave. Taako can keep that mantra in the back of his mind until the fear is gone entirely. Eventually. But not quite yet.

He smiles a little and takes Kravitz's hands from behind his back, holding them in front of him and squeezing them - hopefully hard enough that Kravitz understands what he's trying to say. "Hey, let's go to bed, huh? Ch'boy's bushed."

Kravitz watches him carefully for a moment, then reaches up to run his fingers through his hair again. "I thought you were gonna sleep with Lup today?" he asks softly. "Don't change your plans on my account, you need your rest."

"Nah, it's - I think, I think I'll sleep just fine," Taako grins, and slumps to a dead weight against Kravitz's chest. "Now put those spooky strong arms to use and carry me to dreamland, vamp boy."

Kravitz snorts at him, moving his hands to his arms to stop him sliding away. "Someone's changed their tune. You seemed violently opposed to me carrying you before." He tilts his head and smiles - the soft, slightly co*cky one that always threatens to give Taako a minor heart attack every time he sees it. "Don't want you yelling at me again."

Smirking back up at him, Taako lifts a hand and boops his nose. "Carry me like a nice boyfriend and not like a jerk and we'll see how things go."

"I should really stop letting you take advantage of me," Kravitz sighs wearily, but obligingly slides his arms under Taako's knees and behind his back and lifts him into the air. Taako giggles to himself - he never gets tired ofthis. Never gets tired of this view, either. He doesn't think he ever will.

"Love you," he murmurs, marvelling at the fact that he can say those words. That he wants to say them. That however many times he does, he's almost - almost - certain that he's gonna hear them back. It feels unreal. It feels too good to be true, but it is.

"Love you, too, sweetheart," comes the soft reply, just as he'd expected. Like clockwork. Like the next beat of a song the two of them are playing together. Kravitz shifts him in his arms and starts down the corridor. "C'mon, time to put you to bed."

"Mmn," Taako agrees through a yawn, starting to feel the last few days' sleeplessness catching up with him. He lets his head flop against Kravitz's shoulder, and decides to rest his eyes, just for the journey.

The next thing he's aware of is being gently deposited onto a dead-average mattress with his own soft sheets stretched over the top of it. He grumbles in protest and tries to sit up - he hasn't gotten to any of his usual pre-bed routine yet and his skin's gonna be a mess when he wakes up - but Kravitz hushes him and pulls the blankets up to his shoulders.

"Krav, m'not even--" He yawns, "Need to get into - jammies," he mutters, pushing the blankets off and going to slide out of bed. Before he can go anywhere, though, a soft bundle lands in his lap with a quiet flop. He frowns at it. "M'kay, but--"

"You can skip the beauty routine for one day, love," Kravitz says softly, and tugs pointedly at his shirt. "Get changed, I'll be back in a minute."

"...Love you," Taako mumbles as Kravitz starts to walk away, and he pauses, turns back and presses a kiss to his forehead.

"Love you too," he replies, and then turns to leave again. Taako pulls off his shirt and proceeds to get changed the rest of the way, taking a second to quickly wipe off the worst of his eyeliner so that he doesn't smudge it all over his pillowcase, and then slides back under the sheets to wait.

He'll be back in a minute. He'll be back.

Still, Taako fights sleep long enough to hear it. The door swings open and shut, and he feels the mattress dip slightly next to him as his boyfriend carefully gets settled on the other side of the bed. His side of the bed - the side that belongs to him, now.

He stays firmly on that side, though, so Taako wraps part of the sheet around himself to ward off the worst of the chill and shuffles over to curl up against him - except the skin he presses himself against is warm, not cold.

"Thought you were asleep," Kravitz murmurs as he gently wraps his arms around him and shifts closer himself, setting his nose against the crown of his head.

"Nnm," Taako mumbles back. He presses into the warmth slowly seeping from Kravitz's skin and sighs happily. "Someone's toasty."

"Took a shower," Kravitz chuckles. "Figured you'd sleep better without having an ice cube next to you."

Taako grunts and shifts again, trying to get properly adjusted. "Y're too nice," he grumbles. Kravitz only laughs quietly, and Taako butts against his nose in retaliation.

"...Love you," he says quietly, after a moment.

"Love you, too," Kravitz replies, equally hushed, and kisses between his eyes. "Go to sleep."

Taako hums an affirmative, but doesn't let himself drift off just yet. He stays awake with his eyes half-closed, nestled up against his boyfriend and listening to him breathe softly - breathing for Taako's benefit, because he had asked him to, once. After a few minutes, though, his chest stills and his face slackens, and Taako opens his eyes completely and lies there for a little while longer, just watching him.

"Love you," he whispers softly, knowing that this time, he won't hear anything back.

And surprisingly, he's thinking that maybe he doesn't need to. Because he's starting to think he knows anyway.