From an outside perspective, Taako has no incredible stake in this. Sure, he knew Kravitz- as far as anyone else was concerned, they shared a few classes at their college, had some meetings in the dining halls, traded books and notes. But they weren't friends. Who was really friends with Taako besides his sister? He's a guy everyone knows, a guy most people even liked or at least found funny. But there's no one that close. What reasons does he have now, weeks after Kravitz has gone missing, for a barely there not friend to be tromping through the woods with a flashlight as the sun sets?
Only Lup knows, when she cornered him on his way out the door, cloak pulled over his head as he tried to slink out without her seeing. But she got it, through the badly concealed blush, the mumbled confession he never gave, the vulnerability he never knew how to be when Kravitz was around. And now, tromping through the underbrush, light from the sky fading, he just wants him back. Just wants one more chance. Taako hates permanence- he hates this middle ground of not knowing, not doing anything, just nothing. So he's going to fix it. He's going to bring him home.
Intermittently, he calls out, waiting for some sort of response.]
Krav? Look, I know you've gotta be out here, just-- come on.
[He sounds tired. He's so close to giving up. But he'll go just a little farther.]
[At first he follows the voice as if in a daze, driven by nothing but hunger. He moves fast, faster than he should be able to, using the trees and the growing darkness as cover. His feet barely make a sound.
It's only when he's close enough to see Taako's outline in the near distance that he comes back to himself, and his gut lurches as his brain wraps around a couple of things. Namely: he knows who this is, even from this distance. He can smell the perfume Taako always wears, he can hear his voice like it was right beside him, and can discern the soft lines of his hair from this far off.
He's hungry for the person he's missed the most since losing himself to this shit. Kravitz thinks he might be sick.
He stays behind a cluster of trees, fighting the urge to stay, and the arguing with the knowledge that he should leave. A shudder wracks him; a noise haunting and low echoes through the brush.]
[He’s a little lost in his own thoughts, but as soon as an unusual sound rings out, Taako stops, digging in his heel and whipping around. What the fuck was that? He’d like to convince himself it was a wolf, or a bear, or something— even if that wasn’t ideal, either, what the fuck would he do against any of those things— but at least that would be explainable. Something he knew how to deal with. There’s legends, of course, of things out here that are beastlike and gaunt and hunt anything that cross their path. But at this point, Taako’s more afraid that sound means he might find Kravitz’ corpse, and it won’t be the answer he wanted.
The anxiety chokes into his throat, and he swallows hard, trying to speak to fill the silence.]
Y’know, I know I uh, totally sound like a white dude in a horror movie here, but please don’t be somethin’ that’s about to chase me.
[He’s looking hurriedly in his field of vision, but not seeing anything definitive, even as the sunset illuminates the wood still.]
Let’s just— make it easy this time, huh universe? Let’s have it not be something terrible. Let’s just find him with his hair all messed up and he like, I dunno, has been unconscious in some dirt for a little bit and everything’s fine. Right?
[He's afraid. He's afraid, and he's here for Kravitz, because of course he is. His heart lurches with a poisonous mix of feelings. A perverse sort of pride stirs in his chest, darker than anything he's felt before. A possessiveness. Taako is here for him because he's his, and he can do what he wants with him, and he's hungry.
Kravitz sobs, stuffing a hand into his mouth and instantly crying out in pain as his own sharp teeth rake through his skin. The blood tastes good, and he forgets about worrying about the fact that Taako will hear and locate him as he laps it clean, long tongue unfurling.
[Taako babbles when he's nervous, but the cry stops him, another spike of fear making him feel like he's going to vomit up his own heart. Was that-- was that his voice? Is he here, is he hurt, is he in trouble--
He flips his flashlight on, the beam whizzing past him, and catches the light off one of Kravitz' eyes. He jolts immediately, stumbling as one foot goes down much too hard behind him.]
Fuck, oh fuck--
[He's afraid he's shaking, like he's about to be attacked by something he doesn't even know, like he's going to die out here and Lup is going to rez his corpse just to call him a fucking moron, and he retrains the light that direction, prepared to bolt.
And he sees him.
It's only a second or two before Taako lets his arm fall, the beam shining onto the ground, letting his eyes adjust again in the fading light to the man in the bush. The man he thinks-- no, doesn't think, knows. Just knows. But something is so wrong, so beyond wrong, he doesn't even know where to begin.]
K... Krav?
[His voice is shaking. He babbles when he's nervous, sure, but he's jumped past nervous and directly into afraid.]
[Oh. That's new. Shame is what he feels now, a hot wash of it that prompts him to shudder and turn his face away. It's strong enough to drown out the pinprick of anger the disgusting, hungry presence in his gut feels, which is good, but Taako's shocked and frightened expression is burned into his mind, which is... not great. Kravitz's stomach turns.
He grates out a reply, voice hoarse with disuse and thick with emotion. It's hard to parse what, exactly- fear? Pain? Even Kravitz isn't sure.]
[He can't take his eyes off him, in a way that's completely different than what it meant before. Taako can see the places where he's Kravitz but not, the way teeth tear at his skin and things rip from him in a way that can only be painful. There are legends of something that lives out here, but there are legends of something that lives out everywhere. Is it-- is this what Kravitz has always been? He can roll with that, I mean-- hell of a secret, but he can accept a monster boyfriend out of the deal. Maybe it's like a werewolf thing. He'd take any fucking reasoning at this point. Anything to make it okay.
He hates that he can practically tell he's not right by the way Kravitz doesn't even seem to want to look at himself, much less Taako. He clicks the flashlight off.]
So, uh, listen, if I've stumbled across your secret identity as the like, chupacabra or something, I seriously swear not to tell anyone.
[His voice is high and shaken, and obviously scared, even as he tries to shove it down.]
We can-- I mean, I can work with this. Probably. But you kinda have to, uhm, tell me what's. What's up, here.
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comes back to open more of these, 7
From an outside perspective, Taako has no incredible stake in this. Sure, he knew Kravitz- as far as anyone else was concerned, they shared a few classes at their college, had some meetings in the dining halls, traded books and notes. But they weren't friends. Who was really friends with Taako besides his sister? He's a guy everyone knows, a guy most people even liked or at least found funny. But there's no one that close. What reasons does he have now, weeks after Kravitz has gone missing, for a barely there not friend to be tromping through the woods with a flashlight as the sun sets?
Only Lup knows, when she cornered him on his way out the door, cloak pulled over his head as he tried to slink out without her seeing. But she got it, through the badly concealed blush, the mumbled confession he never gave, the vulnerability he never knew how to be when Kravitz was around. And now, tromping through the underbrush, light from the sky fading, he just wants him back. Just wants one more chance. Taako hates permanence- he hates this middle ground of not knowing, not doing anything, just nothing. So he's going to fix it. He's going to bring him home.
Intermittently, he calls out, waiting for some sort of response.]
Krav? Look, I know you've gotta be out here, just-- come on.
[He sounds tired. He's so close to giving up. But he'll go just a little farther.]
no subject
It's only when he's close enough to see Taako's outline in the near distance that he comes back to himself, and his gut lurches as his brain wraps around a couple of things. Namely: he knows who this is, even from this distance. He can smell the perfume Taako always wears, he can hear his voice like it was right beside him, and can discern the soft lines of his hair from this far off.
He's hungry for the person he's missed the most since losing himself to this shit. Kravitz thinks he might be sick.
He stays behind a cluster of trees, fighting the urge to stay, and the arguing with the knowledge that he should leave. A shudder wracks him; a noise haunting and low echoes through the brush.]
no subject
The anxiety chokes into his throat, and he swallows hard, trying to speak to fill the silence.]
Y’know, I know I uh, totally sound like a white dude in a horror movie here, but please don’t be somethin’ that’s about to chase me.
[He’s looking hurriedly in his field of vision, but not seeing anything definitive, even as the sunset illuminates the wood still.]
Let’s just— make it easy this time, huh universe? Let’s have it not be something terrible. Let’s just find him with his hair all messed up and he like, I dunno, has been unconscious in some dirt for a little bit and everything’s fine. Right?
no subject
Kravitz sobs, stuffing a hand into his mouth and instantly crying out in pain as his own sharp teeth rake through his skin. The blood tastes good, and he forgets about worrying about the fact that Taako will hear and locate him as he laps it clean, long tongue unfurling.
He looks like an animal.]
no subject
He flips his flashlight on, the beam whizzing past him, and catches the light off one of Kravitz' eyes. He jolts immediately, stumbling as one foot goes down much too hard behind him.]
Fuck, oh fuck--
[He's afraid he's shaking, like he's about to be attacked by something he doesn't even know, like he's going to die out here and Lup is going to rez his corpse just to call him a fucking moron, and he retrains the light that direction, prepared to bolt.
And he sees him.
It's only a second or two before Taako lets his arm fall, the beam shining onto the ground, letting his eyes adjust again in the fading light to the man in the bush. The man he thinks-- no, doesn't think, knows. Just knows. But something is so wrong, so beyond wrong, he doesn't even know where to begin.]
K... Krav?
[His voice is shaking. He babbles when he's nervous, sure, but he's jumped past nervous and directly into afraid.]
Is... I... y... what is this?
no subject
He grates out a reply, voice hoarse with disuse and thick with emotion. It's hard to parse what, exactly- fear? Pain? Even Kravitz isn't sure.]
Please leave. Please.
no subject
He hates that he can practically tell he's not right by the way Kravitz doesn't even seem to want to look at himself, much less Taako. He clicks the flashlight off.]
So, uh, listen, if I've stumbled across your secret identity as the like, chupacabra or something, I seriously swear not to tell anyone.
[His voice is high and shaken, and obviously scared, even as he tries to shove it down.]
We can-- I mean, I can work with this. Probably. But you kinda have to, uhm, tell me what's. What's up, here.