#the ouija board sequel is reborn! or reposted rather
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a continuation of this delightful concept, featuring double entendres galore, a dark and stormy night, and yet another goddamn ouija board.
âOkay, Krav!â says Taako. âHereâs the dealio!â
The avant-garde clock hanging from their wall displays 12:32âthatâs his best guess, anyway, as it consists entirely of two nearly translucent spindles and twelve brightly colored circles. One of the spindles stands nearly upright, and the other is inching tentatively past blue, so 12:32 it is. Its quiet ticking is the only sound that occupies the space, apart from Taakoâs own voice. Lup and Barry are still out, wherever they are, which means that for now Taako has their apartment to himself. If they burst in while heâs attempting to summon the manifestation of Death himself, well, it wonât be the strangest thing theyâve walked in on him doing.
Admittedly, their cramped family room isnât nearly as atmospheric, unless fairy lights and the kitchenâs dim glow count as mood lighting. The storm rages persistently outside, soaking their shallow balcony and lashing against the sliding doors, and he supposes thatâll have to do for now. Heâs propped a broom between the door and the wall, bracing it closed, just to be safe. Thatâs about as much preparation as heâd done before he had set his sopping wet bag on the sofa, unzipped it with a flourish, and retrieved his prize.
Obtaining this particular ouija board had taken some actual effort on his part. Heâd ventured into the thrift shopâs back room with a very reluctant cashier, shoving aside dust-covered boxes and bins full of sequined bodysuits, holding up his Stone of Farspeech to shed light over towering shelves. The one theyâd found hadnât even come in a box. It was draped in spiderwebs and sitting next to a DVD copy of an interpretive jazz workout, which heâd pushed aside with one acrylic to get to the board and its planchette. The cashier had recoiled, surveying it with a wrinkled nose and slightly watery eyes. âAre youââ Heâd sneezed and nearly sent his glasses flying. âAre you sure? I mean, if youâre all hung up on this spirit-summoning thing, Iâm sure weâve got some haunted dolls or somethinâ around here that would do the trickââ
âHey,â Taako had interrupted, brandishing the planchette at him. âWhoâs the paying customer here? Yes. Correct. I know what Iâm about, son. Ring me up.â
The ouija board now sits indolently on the coffee table behind him, looking for all the world like someoneâs pathetic idea of a Scrabble game. For all the fanfare surrounding its existence, it isnât terribly relevant right now. Taako jabs a thumb in its general direction as he taps his foot impatiently, staring down the far wall.
âBeen a hot minute, hasnât it?â he says, smirking at the cracked plaster. âI donât usually call so soon after a first date, but wouldja just look at thatââ This time, he swivels around for dramatic effect and gestures widely to the board. If possible, itâs even more depressing than the last one, with a lengthy crack across one side and dismal, fading letters. âAs luck would have it, I found another one âa these just lyinâ around, gathering dust. Sure looks like itâs lived, a, uh⊠a full life, but Iâd bet itâs got a couple more summons in it.â
Taako turns his gaze back on the wall and reaches out, crooking a finger invitingly. âSo, what dâyou say, reaper man?â He grins, wide and full of anticipation. âCome ân get it.â
He waits, propping himself on a heel, for a good several seconds. The rain beats against the windows, and a rush of wind thoroughly rattles the trees below their apartment, but itâs muffled from where he stands at the center of the family room. Otherwise, everything is quiet. If he strains his ears, he can just barely hear the clock ticking.
12:34 by now, surely.
A low, barely-perceptible breeze passes through the room and ruffles the hem of Taakoâs skirt. Like a gaping wound in reality itself, the air splits in two, parted by a blade that trails black, gauzy smoke. The space crackles with arcane energy and makes the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. However much of a sucker Death really is, he thinks, thereâs some seriously powerful magic at work here.
That is kind of his jam, though.
It takes a moment for the main event to make his appearance, but when he does, Taako isnât disappointed. If anything, a vaguely irritated Kravitz is even more gorgeous. His gaze snaps to Taako almost straightaway, which to be fair is what most people tend to do in his vicinity, and a tiny frown creases his brow. His smooth, perfect brow. Taako notes with amusement that Kravitzâs cravat is just slightly off-center, and as soon as his lips twitch in a tiny smirk, Kravitz catches his heel on the rift and nearly stumbles. He rights himself as Taako snickers behind one splayed hand.
âWell,â he says. âDidnât mean to trip you up, handsome, but I gotta say Iâm glad I did.â
To his credit, Kravitz covers his surprise with a smooth and extremely impressive eye roll. If that isnât an attractive quality in a guy, Taako doesnât know what is. âHow long has it been, exactly? An hour? Two?â
âAlready counting the hours weâre apart?â Taako clicks his tongue, only half-trying to stifle a grin at his own quip. âI mean, thatâs a little whack, my dude, butâbut if thatâs how you roll.â
âYou know that isnât what Iâyou know what? Nevermind.â From where it sits in his hand, Kravitzâs scythe dissolves, and the rift phases out of existence behind him. Someone on the outside could have mistaken them for two normal people standing in a living room, having a normal conversation. To be fair, thatâs what Taako intends to do, although he isnât feeling particularly attached to the normal bit. He notes the gold embellishments on Kravitzâs vest as the reaper continues, still looking altogether extremely vexed. âLook, Iâve already made one too many house calls tonight. If you donât mind, Iâll need that ouija board so I can be on my way.â
As he says so, Kravitz steps forward as if to make for the coffee table, but Taako slides easily between them. âOh, not so fast, fella,â he says. âYou and I have got some business to conduct.â
Heâs rather proud of how easily his interference forces an Emissary of Actual, Literal Death to stop in his tracks. Kravitz sighs. âBusiness regarding what, exactly?â
âNo need to be so formal,â Taako drawls, and lowers himself to perch on the tableâs edge. He crosses ankle over ankle and looks up at Kravitz through dark, heavy lashes. âIt was kinda⊠uh, kinda rude of you, wasnât it? Just dropping in, scarinâ the shit outta everybody, and swinginâ right back out with no explanation?â
Kravitz arches an eyebrow. The undersides are highlighted faintly with gold, which would have made Taako weak in the knees had he been standing. âYou donât seem terribly intimidated.â
âI,â says Taako, âam an excellent thespian. Now, câmon.â He shifts and tips his head toward the ottoman adjacent, and Kravitz follows his gaze uneasily. âYâYou said it yourself, right? Tough workday? Iâve got some questions, you got all the answers. Sit down, take a load off, and I promise Iâll go easy.â
He canât resist a smirk, then, because itâs far too easy to get double entendre with this guy. Thatâs got to be a good sign of some sort.
Still, rather impressively, Kravitz lets that one roll right off him. He shuffles awkwardly to the ottoman and sits, fluffing his mantle out behind him, and Taako watches the feathers ripple and shudder in response. Now that they have less than a foot of space between themâgods bless this apartmentâs tiny floor planâhe can make out their iridescent shine, among other things. Kravitzâs subtly pointed ears, for instance, and the golden cuffs that cling to their tapered edges. Or the way his coat sits a little too snugly around his shoulders, as if it isnât quite well-tailored enough to contain perfection. Or how briefly but noticeably his eyes flick to the curve of Taakoâs lip, then dart away without any indication that heâd been looking to begin with.
Sometimes, Taako decides, actions really do speak louder than words.
âAlright,â Kravitz says, and Taako forces his attention back in line. âYou said you had⊠uh, questions?â
âWell, yeah, no fucking kidding. Youâre Death. IâI mean, I think we all confronted our mortality tonight, literally. You canât expect me to, uh, to just take that in stride.â
But Kravitz is already shaking his head. âEmissary,â he says. âThatâs different. Thereâs no such thing as Death as an entity. Itâs more like⊠like a law of the universe that we, uh, enforce.â
âLaw enforcement, huh?â Taako purrs. âNever woulda pegged you for the officer type, but I could see it.â He imagines Kravitz in the polished uniform of the Neverwinter militia, brass buttons and jaunty cap and all, and has to bite down on his lip. âYeah, I could deffo see it.â
Heâs getting off track, but hell if Kravitz doesnât make it easy. âAnyway. Emissary. Seems a tad too important for making house calls, hm? Donâtâdonât tell me we were something special.â
Kravitzâs mouth twitches. âThe only thing youâre special for is using a ouija board. Do you know how outdated those things are? I think they were popular when I was alive.â
Well. Thatâs new information. âOkay,â says Taako, and lets his gaze dip to Kravitzâs chest, trying to ignore the flattering fit of his vest as he scrutinizes it for a rise and fall. Sure enough, he canât make anything out. âSo that makes youââ
âImmortal,â says Kravitz, at the same time Taako says, âDead.â
He tips his head. âWell, yeah. That too.â
It says a lot about Taako that he immediately wishes he had paid more attention to Lup and Barryâs Thursday morning is-it-really-necrophilia-if debate. He canât even recall the consensus, which had been reached with a few contentious glances from nearby professors. Once again, itâs up to him. âOkay, then,â is all he says. âThat explains it.â
Kravitz blinks. âExplains what?â
Maybe itâs a little brazenâokay, scratch that, itâs incredibly brazen, but itâs also after midnight and Lupâs residual impulsiveness is starting to rub off on him. Taako shifts forward, and itâs not like there was much space between them to begin with, but now their knees nudge together when he leans in. He swears he hears Kravitzâs breath catch in his throat (which makes this even better, because the dead donât need air, do they?) as he reaches up and thumbs over Kravitzâs cheek, and sure enough, a chill rockets up his arm and leaves goosebumps in its wake.
âThis,â he murmurs, and theyâre close enough now that Taako can make out thin, feathery eyelashes and the hint of a shimmer across Kravitzâs upper lip. âYou⊠youâre Arctic, my man.â
âReally?â says Kravitz, faintly. âIâI hadnât noticed.â
Taako can make out his own heartbeat in his ears, thrumming with want and begging him just to edge a little closer, to kiss the life back into this beautiful man. He swallows, reins it in, and sits back with a brisk pat to Kravitzâs thigh. âWell! Mysâuh, mystery solved, I guess. Defââ Heâs never hated his stutter more than he does right now. âDefinitely dead as a doornail in there. But that meansâI mean, if you die, you donât just⊠automatically become an emissary, huh? What is there, some kinda lottery? An internship program? Application process?â
Kravitz stiffens. Taako can tell when heâs touched a nerve, and not the good kind, either. âAh⊠no. I was a special case. Still am, I guess.â Â
âSeems kinda fucked up that someone would just decide that for you.â
He shrugs a little helplessly. âIt might be, but Iâm grateful. I get to spend eternity doing work that matters. Barring having to go after the occasional idiots who decide to mess around with a ouija board.â
His tone is so pointed that Taako canât help but snicker, although he chokes back his amusement before it morphs into full-on laughter. âYeah, okay, you got me there. That oneâs on Taako, âkay? Totally wasnât tryinâ to break up your⊠whatever it is you even do in the astral plane. They got wine and cheese over there? You strike me as a wine and cheese sesh kinda guy.â
A wry smile breaks across Kravitzâs face. âI prefer brandy, actually.â
âBrandy! Youâre chock-full of surprises, huh? See, Iâm a cocktail man myself, but Iâm alsoâIâm open to experimentation, if you catch my drift.â He grins, and the way Kravitzâs eye twitches suggests that he does, indeed, catch Taakoâs drift.
âAnyway,â he says, looking very much like heâs trying to keep another smile at bay, âweâve gotten off track. I have some questions for you, too.â
âWho, moi?â
âYes, toi,â says Kravitz drily. âI donât care what you told me, ghost summoning isnât just a fun Saturday night time-waster. Thereâs got to be a bigger reason you went to the trouble of digging up a ouija board from gods know where.â
Taako bats his eyelashes. âCanât a guy summon Death without having any ulterior motives whatsoever?â
With what is apparently a fair bit of effort, Kravitz fixes him with a deadpanâhaâstare. âHonest answer? No. Never. And I already told you, Iâm not Death.â
âYeah, but it rolls so well off the tongue.â He leans back on the heels of his hands, returning the stare in full. âSo you seriously wouldnât believe me if I told you that it was all for shits ân giggles? Like, itâs gotta be for some nefariousâI mean, câmon. My dude. Do I look like a necromancer to you?â
Kravitz opens his mouth, evidently with the intent to respond, and stops short as his eyes snag on the folds of Taakoâs off-the-shoulder blouse. Entirely impractical for the weather, of course, but all of a sudden Taako is extremely glad heâd worn it. He pulls his shoulder inward and lets one sleeve slip just so, and it must have the desired effect, because Kravitz suddenly purses his lips like theyâve gotten very, very dry. âWell?â
âYouâno,â he says, and gives himself a tiny shake. The feathers covering his mantle perk up and cockle as he does so, and weird factor aside, itâs actually one of the most endearing things Taako has ever seen. âNo, Iâll admit you donât. But appearances can be deceiving.â
Taako thinks of his sisterâs absolute maniac of a boyfriend, and says, âOkay, yeah, thatâs fair.â
That earns him a suspicious glare from Kravitz, and he sighs. âYâknow, Iâd give you my word, but we bothâwe know that means jack shit. So I guess you just gotta be willing to trust châboy on this one.â
The speed with which Kravitzâs expression drops is almost hilarious. âI really do, donât I?â
âIf it makes you feel any better, handsome, I give you full disclosure to keep an eye on me.â
Kravitz starts to reply, trips over the beginning of whatever heâs trying to say, and releases a long sigh instead. âYou think youâre very charismatic, donât you?â
âJust above average,â says Taako. âWink.â
He chuckles in the way people chuckle at gods-awful jokes, which is to say, more than a little guiltily. Manifestations of Death have no business being this inadvertently charming. âI believe itâs your turn for a question.â
Taako scoffs. âWhen did we start taking turns? Last I checked, thâthat isnât the way an interrogation works.â
Kravitz regards him with lingering amusement in his eyes. Thereâs a warm but unmistakably sharp glint to them, and heâs reminded of Lup, ready and raring to burn spell slots just to prove somebody wrong. âIf anyone should be doing the interrogating here, itâs me. Youâre the one with the contraband.â
The universe canât possibly pin this one on him. Everything about their situationâthe setup, the exchange, Kravitzâitâs too good to be true. Itâs precisely why Taako canât bite back a smirk as he says, âOh, so you prefer to take control, huh?â
âNo,â says Kravitz, a little too quickly. To his credit, he doesnât give much reaction other than that, although Taako notes that his dark complexion makes it near-impossible to discern a blush. Lucky bastard.
âThought not,â he says. âIâm never wrong about that stuff. Okay, so⊠youâuh, you mentioned someone decided to make you an emissary. Who was the someone?â
Kravitzâs mantle fluffs around his neck. âHer Majesty the Raven Queen,â he recites. âShe who presides over the passage of life and death and all governed by it. Sheâs my⊠well, employer, I guess, if youâre putting it in modern terms. And a goddess, of course, but youâIâm sure you already knew that.â
âShe give you that?â Taako levels a finger at the mantle.
He glances back at it as if heâs just noticed it on his shoulders. âOh. Yes, she did. Itâs meant to be protective, but itâs also a⊠a mood detector, of sorts? Evidently it can react to what Iâm thinking, but obviously I wouldnât know⊠ah, sorry if itâs been distracting you.â
Taako wants to say Youâre plenty distracting on your own, but heâs not that far gone. Not yet, anyway. Instead he says, âItâs cute, bird boy. Chill. Your turn.â
He sits back, because he doesnât want to let on exactly how compromised heâs been by Kravitz and his ridiculous feathered cape. There are a thousand more jokes to be made in that veinâsomething about quoth the raven, among other possibilitiesâbut all heâd been able to manage is Itâs cute, bird boy, and the strangest thing is that he means it. This isnât an off-the-cuff affection like the ones heâs so quick to dole out. No, Taako thinks, with a growing horror in the pit of his stomach, Kravitz is cute. Heâs also snarky and dorky and very, very attracted to Taako, if he hasnât been hallucinating all the cursory glances and small intakes of breath.
And the worst part is that if the flush of heat across Taakoâs neck is any indication, heâs very, very attracted to Kravitz, too.
He can just imagine the look on Lupâs face when he tells her. So, heâll say. Last night the boner squad and I summoned Death, and then I summoned him again to try and seduce him just for the hell of it, and, well, fuck, heâs actually amazing and now I wanna do it for real. How was your night? Knowing her, sheâll probably top his story with some outrageous tale of attempted resurrection and a car chase or two (with a ridiculously sappy rant about how much she loves her boyfriend thrown in for good measure), but not before she loses her entire shit at his expense. Taakoâs blush flares hotter at the very thought.
Go big or go home, as the saying goes. Heâs already home, which means thereâs only one thing left to do.
âOkay,â says Kravitz, startling Taako out of his reverie. âAre you going to give me that ouija board?â
By the grace of whatever god is feeling particularly benevolent towards him tonight, Taako is able to make a seamless recovery. He pushes himself to his feet and puts a hand on his hip, looking imperiously down at Kravitz on the ottoman. âDepends,â he lilts. âYou willing to work for it?â
To his surprise, Kravitz follows suit, standing up and immediately regaining the height advantage. Taako is halfway tempted to climb up onto the coffee table again, but thereâs barely enough room for him to turn aroundâin fact, the cramped space between the tableâs edge and the ottoman has them sandwiched right up against each other. Sure enough, a chill radiates through the fabric of Kravitzâs shirt. The resulting shudder that grips Taakoâs body isnât entirely unpleasant.
As a matter of fact, he realizes, itâs not unpleasant at all.
He really wishes heâd paid more attention to the necrophilia debate.
âMake me work for it,â Kravitz hums, and his voice and their godsforsaken closeness sets Taako shivering all over again. âAnd how would you do that, exactly?â
Taako forces himself to muster every iota of his usual bravado. Itâs not much at the moment, but right now he needs every bit he can get. âI dunno ifâif youâve noticed, my man,â he says, and pointedly ignores the break in his voice, âbut Iâm a pretty smart cookie.â
âMm. I, uh⊠I donât doubt it.â Heâs looking about as distracted as Taako feels, all attempts at intimidation forgotten, as some innate gravity coaxes them closer. Taakoâs hands meet with Kravitzâs chest, sliding over the fine material and numbing quickly against the cold. He canât possibly care less.
Theyâre inches away, and Taako just knows that any minute now, Lup and Barry are going to come stumbling out of the entryway and tell him to keep a lookout for the police. Or itâll be Magnus and Merle, a little sloshed or a little high or both, begging him to reconsider his incredibly stupid plan. It really is stupid, Taako thinks. The plan, that is. But the plan also has him pressed up against an unfairly gorgeous man who seems just a tad punch-drunk on the moment, and he would be lying to himself if he said he doesnât feel the same.
Taako is waiting for fate to kick down the door and flip him off when their lips meet. Heâs not sure who initiates it and he honestly doesnât care. All he has the capacity to care about is how incredible the icy thrill of Kravitzâs lips feel against his own, and the way they rock forward into each other in perfect synchronicity. He bares his teeth and tugs lightly because heâs earned it, and everything in him soars and burns with the gasp he gets from Kravitz in return. The moment is dizzying and so absolutely beyond anything he could have asked from a Saturday nightâor a Sunday morning, he realizes, because midnight is a distant memory.
Everything seems a little distant, actually, when they part. Kravitz is staring at him, half-lidded and disbelieving, and Taako is sure heâs staring right back. Heâs too lightheaded to do anything else.
Eventually he says, âWell, thatâs, uh⊠thatâs how we do.â
âIâyouâre unbelievable,â says Kravitz, and he clearly doesnât mean it to come out as breathy and dumbstruck as it does.
âDamn right,â Taako shoots back, and sidles out from between an Emissary of Death and the coffee table. âBut I dunno if that was worth one whole ouija board.â
Kravitzâs eyes flare, bright and unnatural under the dim lighting. âYou canât beâoh, for Her sake.â
He cuts himself off and holds out a hand, and from his peripheral Taako catches the ouija board and its planchette disappearing in a plume of black smoke. They appear seconds later in Kravitzâs hand, and he folds them up and tucks them away with a huff.
Taakoâs mouth falls open. âYou could justâare you telling meâyou could just teleport that shit the whole time and you didnâtâyou didnât just do it?â
âI donât like to just magic my problems away,â says Kravitz, sounding wholeheartedly offended. âI wasnât about to justâstop smirking, Taako, please.â
âSorry, sorry,â Taako says, even though heâs never been less sorry in his life. He watches as Kravitz materializes his scythe, mantle tousled hotly around his neck, and only speaks up again as it starts to cut through the air. âHâHey, hey, one more question?â
âMm?â
âJust wondering,â Taako chirps, and winds his braid around a finger. âIf I were, to, yâknow, want to get ahold of some more astral plane contrabandââ
âDo you want my frequency?â Kravitz interrupts.
Is he really that transparent? Taako gives a noncommittal shrug, like they havenât just done something completely worthy of trading frequencies. âSure, sure. If youâre down.â
Kravitz gives him an awkward smile and ambles over to attune his Stone to Taakoâs. Their hands brush, because of course they do, and electricity shoots up Taakoâs arm, making his skin tingle. He sucks in a breath and does his best to stay unperturbed. This is not the time to lose his cool. Not now.
No, heâll save that for his sisterâs return, when he tells Lup about how he not only flirted with Death and lived to tell the tale, but got away with Deathâs digits and a Sunday morning to remember.
#the ouija board sequel is reborn! or reposted rather#sorry for the technical difficulties darlings#the adventure zone#taz balance#taakitz#fic#mine
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