[AN: I hope you got some fluffy stuff while you were waiting for me to get around to this prompt]

“Taako Taaco…” said the Reaper. “You are comin’ wif me.”

Taako, having just finished one of his cake frosting extravaganzas, smirked at the spectre of Death. “You going to do this for every date night, babe?”

Kravitz reformed into his fleshy, handsome self, chuckling the entire time. “It makes you smile, Dove. Anything’s worth it if it makes you smile.”

Taako placed the cake under a preservation cover and tidied himself up. He knew he had a dusting of sugar on his cheek, colouring staining his hands, and that his hair was a mess. “I can tell you got something planned, bone daddy, any guidance on how to dress up?”

“You always look amazing no matter what,” said Kravitz. “Let’s just say… changeable weather is anticipated.”

“Good thing I can afford silk,” singsonged Taako. “Timetable?”

“Not important.” He gathered Taako in his arms and enjoyed a kiss. “You’re worth the wait, Dove.”

Taako’s hands, covered in colouring and flour and fondant, tangled into Kravitz’ hair. He was out of breath when he pulled away. “I’ll try not to keep you waiting long.”

“I could wait forever,” said Kravitz. “I already have.”

*

Taako didn’t take forever. He washed up quickly and dressed efficiently in a khaftan top and some flowy pants made of finely-patterned silk. His heels were relatively utilitarian - at least in comparison to most of Taako’s footwear. Combined with his usual two-foot wizarding hat and trademark Umbrastaff, he cut quite the figure.

His golden hair had been combed, twisted, and wound up into a twisted braid that ended in a jewel-encrusted clamp with no visible means of closure.

“Whoah,” breathed Kravitz. Taako could easily tell he was falling in love again.

Taako struck a pose. “So. You got a plan or are you just gonna undress me with those hypnotizingly dark eyes?”

Kravitz, the cheat, had altered his form to create a splendid suit that matched Taako’s clothing. Darker toned, of course, but still vibrant. “Oh, I got a plan…”

They were arm in arm as Kravitz tore holes in reality. In a dizzying moment, they were in a thronging marketplace halfway across the world. It was rife with lifeforms of all shapes and sizes. Every colour in the rainbow and more than a few that weren’t.

“Shopping?” guessed Taako.

“Better,” said Kravitz, leading him through the multicoloured labyrinth. There, in a haze of steam, smoke, herbs and spices, were a host of food carts. “I searched the world for something new,” he said. “Something to inspire you.”

Taako’s eyes were lit with delight. “Ooooh…” He let his nose lead him to the best-smelling foodstuff and watched the cart’s chef in action. Already taking notes. Of course he had to try some, and then share with Kravitz as he learned about the spices.

One such tidbit had him blowing flames as he spoke for twenty minutes afterwards. They were harmless, and came out in different colours for every word. Taako wanted to play with that spice for the rest of time, and bought a whole sack of the stuff to take home.

They must have shared thirty different dishes there. With more than thirty kisses in-between. They did go shopping, too. Buying an assortment of interesting and shiny things that Taako would turn into clothing at one point or another.

“Gonna be hard to top, ain’t it love?” teased Kravitz.

“Ooh, I dunno,” Taako cooed. “I might have me some plans…”

Next week, Taako would be showing Kravitz the Shadow Sanctum, where the adepts took turns singing the universe. A wordless, eternal chorus. Beauty without light. It would be fun watching that Bard’s face in the darkness.

Until then, though, there would be plenty of opportunity to fall in love with him on an hourly basis.

[TAZ Prompts Remaining: 10]

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[AN: This is resulting from a private chat where we speculated about Ango’s gaming habits. Sweet fluffy Young Ango fic ahoy]

Sky. The sun was a square, and so was the moon, far below. Taako blinked, and the world was made of cubes that were seemingly made of smaller squares. Standing across from him was a humanoid figure made out of squares and rectangular prisms, that only vaguely looked like his little Angel. Except they were the same height.

The mountains were made of cubes. The trees were made of cubes. Even the animals were blocky. The plants were… weirdly flat.

“Sweetie?” said Taako. “What the fuck?”

“This is Fantasy Minecraft, sir. A virtual experience in a tetrahedral world.”

“Explain that to me again like I’m a kid your actual age, please?”

Ango giggled. “Everything’s made of blocks, Papa. We get materials, make things with them, and build stuff.”

Taako felt vaguely disappointed. “That’s it?”

Another blocky humanoid figure popped in. All black, with a skull instead of a face. Well. A skull made of squares. They stood very still for a moment and then looked around. “What… is this?” said Krav’s voice.

“Hi, babe,” cooed Taako. “World’s made of cubes. Can you dig it?”

“We’ll be doing a lot of digging, Papa,” said Ango. “But first, let’s go over the controls.”

It was a very educational handful of hours, in which Taako and Krav learned how to punch trees, make certain tools, then use those tools to break and gather other blocks.

Krav, a few millennia older than anyone else, repeatedly failed to understand anything. “Why’s my scythe called a ‘hoe’?”

“It is a hoe, sir. Use it on the ground to make ploughed ground.”

“It just turned back into dirt!”

“That’s because you have to plough within four blocks of water, sir.”

“It’s not working, love…”

“Da-a-a-ad… you’re trying to plough sand!”

Taako, meanwhile, had discovered that he could knock down grass, and was in the process of discovering that the blocky chickens wanted the seeds in his hand. “Someone get these fucking ducks away from me!”

Krav gave up on trying to plough the sand and attempted to reap some chickens. “I’ll save you, my Dove.”

“Papa… Da-a-ad… It’s okay. Chickens are harmless.”

There was some raucous squawking, puffs of smoke, and scattered chicken meat and feathers. 

“Your toime ‘as come, miscreants,” said Krav. “Oi. Where’d me scythe go?”

Ango could have helped. Theoretically. He was far too busy laughing his little seven-year-old lungs out. “Oh my gosh,” he kept repeating.

They would later learn that they were lucky they were playing on Peaceful.

[TAZ prompts remaining: 7]

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Angus McDonald was small for his age, and proud of himself for qualifying into entrance into the Miller School of Academic Excellence. Taako also offered his own school, but the small boy had already argued that Taako could teach him everything anyway and it would count for extra credits.

Taako thought of it as the wrong school. Not that his was much better with the standing ‘hard knocks’ policy in regards to internal squabbles being solved with duels. Angus, smart though he was, was not emotionally resilient enough to withstand the slings and arrows of outraged fellow students.

Lucas Miller promised an arena focussed on education. Learning how to do things without much in the way of practical use within the halls. A much better environment for a scared and fragile lad like Angus.

He went with a skip in his step and optimism in his heart.

He came home with leaden feet and an ominous return of his former silence.

Taako was worried, but whipped up all his best comfort foods in snack form. It looked like he had lost what little there was of his appetite. “I’d have thought that nerd school would’a been next to heaven for ya,” he said, laying something creamy and sugary in a small bowl in front of his tiny son.

Angus sighed and poked at it with his fork.

“It wasn’t the teachers, I know they’re not stupid. One of the kids there?”

Angus held up four fingers.

“Four of ‘em. I bet it’s over stuff you can’t control, too. Let’s see… they got at you ‘cause you’re small, you’re skinny, and they called you all kinds of names. Am I spot on?”

Angus nodded and made a small ‘more’ gesture.

“They hurt you?” Now he felt like his heart was ready to explode. “Where?”

Angus pointed to his stomach.

“Bet they were all bigger than you, too.”

Nod.

“Not much detective work here. This is the same shit as always. I bet you didn’t want to make trouble.”

Nod.

“Yeah. Thing with trouble is… you gotta make it real good.” Taako smiled. “Don’cha worry, kid. Papa’s got your back. I’ll help you give those little shits more trouble then they’re bargained for. Tonight? I wanna teach you how to use Prestidigitation offensively…”

*

Angus apparently didn’t have anyone nearby as he walked through the gates of Miller School. The four who called themselves the Rough’n’Toughs laughed to each other as they elbowed their neighbours in the group.

As one, they moved to circle around Angus.

“Well, well, well,” cooed Big Jack. “The widdle baby came back…”

“Don’cha know this ain’t a kindergarten, kid?” said Jason. One of those kids who was doomed to be spelled with italics. “You might have an accident in your pants.”

The kids’ lips moved, but no sound came out.

Greasy Dave said, “I think the liddle baby wants his mommy.”

“Wait,” said Darren. Another doomed to permanent italics. “He doesn’t have a mommy.”

Which was the cue for all four of them to push him around within their circle, and chant, “You don’t have a mommy, you don’t have a mommy,” as they did so.

Taako appeared out of nowhere. He had an Orb of Recall in his hand. “Well, this is educational. I’m sure the office and your parents would love to see all of that.” He grinned. “By the way, guys, if you keep this sort of horsehit up, you might meet my main squeeze.” Taako directed their attention towards a figure in a black robe, carrying a scythe.

The Grim Reaper, floating across the ground, raised his blade up and said, “’Ave you lot been naughty boys?”

Of course they freaked and ran away.

Angus didn’t feel better immediately. He felt horrible. “…i couldn’t say anything,” he murmured. “…i couldn’t do anything.”

“Told ya I had your back, Ango,” breezed Taako.

Kravitz returned to his crisp, fleshy form. “I know how it can be when you’re used to bad things. Shutting down… it’s how some people cope.”

“Let’s make sure they can’t go crying to their moms,” said Taako. “Especially since we have evidence and they don’t.”

“…i couldn’t do anything,” murmured Angus.

“That’s okay,” soothed Kravitz. “That’s why we were here, just in case that happened.”

“For the record, I’d’a been cheering my ass off if you kicked their butts, baby.”

That? That made him feel a little better.

[TAZ prompts remaining: 4]

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Tumbl Into TAZ - Chapter 28 - InterNutter - The Adventure Zone (Podcast) [Archive of Our Own]

A follow-up from the allergic reaction that I wrote, the day before yesterday. Because they so kindly asked.