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ceilingfan5 · 3 months

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#30 Taakitz

read here or on ao3!

It starts as a normal enough day, although Taako fell asleep before taking out his contacts last night because he was so worn out he just crawled into bed at like 7:30 and then it was game over, so he wakes up in his undies and his work undershirt and has to fuckin’ scramble to shower, and spotify chooses to play four ads in a row about the same stupid credit union, and then the song choice? Hey, the song choice? Heat of the Moment.

But whatever.

He trips over some shit he left on the floor, a bag with stuff that he finally moved from his car to his apartment, random asses and ends, and smacks his elbow on the wall hard enough he has to drop everything to find a bandaid, and he’s combing his hair with his fingers on the way out the door, stomach rumbling because he missed breakfast, and he speeds to work the backway and hits a pothole and his car makes a funny noise, which, you know, bodes well. He parks and rushes, clocks in, and bumps into the handsome manager from another department, who smells like a man candle, and smiles like a stock photo, and gives Taako a pat on the shoulder that just slightly lingers.

“Hey, Taako,” he says, already with his customer service glow turned on too bright. He gives his obnoxious green polo shirt a tug, and Taako imagines being given the opportunity to kiss that tummy. He imagines taking it. “How’s your morning going?”

“Ehhh, y’know, blood, chunks, the usual.” Taako intentionally says something concerning and then doesn’t elaborate. He likes getting Kravitz’s attention. But another employee comes in after Taako and shouts for Kravitz, who’s instantly distracted.

“Haha, uh oh. Sorry to hear it. Well, here we go again, right?”

Kravitz glances back at him kind of apologetically, and then starts to say something else, but Taako shakes his head and moseys to the cheese counter, tying on his stupid lime green apron and putting up his long hair.

And it is truly a work day from hell. Ren spills the mozzarella juice on the floor, and when Taako goes to get the mop, the stock manager yells at him for taking the wrong one, even though they all know Robbie busted the other one. Some old lady asks Taako for a cheese that isn’t spicy, and when he jokes about that, she tells on him. And then Lucretia is on his ass, and asks him if he even cares about the Grocery Adventure Mission Statement, and he has to say yes ma’am of course he cares ma’am so he doesn’t lose his fuckin’ job, and when he gets back from being yelled at, again, some other idiot is at the cheese counter trying to return a basketball, which gets dropped, because it was taken out of the packaging of course (but why would that disqualify a return. To the cheese counter. God, isn’t the customer ever right anymore?) and it knocks over Taako’s sign that says don’t tap on the glass, it scares the cheese, which he secretly worked really hard on, shh, don’t tattle, and it gets nasty and they have to throw it away, and when he is having five consecutive quiet seconds for a joke funeral, the alarm goes off because someone went out the wrong door, and security busts ass through the cheese zone, and Magnus socks Taako on the arm but misses his shoulder and hits his sore elbow. Some idiot watches tik-toks at full volume in the breakroom, over top the sports news nutwork, which is also at full volume, and also Taako forgot his lunch. And doesn’t have any cash on him for the vending machine. And no one will give him any, and he gets caught with his arm up ins, and has to play it off all cool like a joke and not like he’s a wet tiger about to start eating faces.

And when he goes back to the cheese counter, Kravitz is standing there, but when he opens his mouth, nothing comes out, and he gets real embarrassed, maybe because Taako’s giving him the Kubrick stare, unfortch, and he just goes, “See you tomorrow?”

And Taako goes, “What, you’re done?”

And Kravitz goes, “Yeah, sorry, wish I could hang out longer.”

And Taako goes, “No you don’t.”

And Kravitz laughs awkwardly and walks away. And cheese business continues as per usual, including a horrible Karen that gets real mad at him for telling her that her crumbly pick ain’t gonna grill her any cheese awards, and her kids won’t like it anyhow, and he gets tattled on again. And when he finally gets to go home, he notices one of his tires is low, and he has to go home via the gas station air machine, which makes the worst noise he has ever paid two dollars for the privilege of enjoying for five minutes. And he resolves to go to the tire store tomorrow, if he makes it, and goes home, eats an entire bag of chips in one sitting, and falls asleep on the couch.

And wakes up in bed, with his contacts still in.

He peels his eyes open, and tries to math that one, because he knows he was wiped, but not like…that wiped, right? But the time makes him frantic and he forgets it in favor of a shower…which is 4 consecutive credit union ads…and Heat of the Moment.

And he trips on the thing and busts his elbow.

And then he sits on the floor, even though he doesn’t have the time. Because there was no bandaid on the wound, and there was no wound to want a bandaid, until he tripped. And today is yesterday and he is in hell, actually.

“FUCK!” he hollers at the top of his lungs. But he hurries to work anyway, because what the fuck is he supposed to do?

Avoid the pothole, at least.

“Hey, Taako, how’s your morning going?” Kravitz smiles at him, all plastic and ready for a day of retail Barbie, and Taako squints at him.

“Uh, you know, little bit of blood, little bit of horrendous de ja vu?”

And Kravitz winces, but someone shouts for him, so–

“Haha, uh oh. Sorry to hear it. Well, here we go again, right?”

“Right,” Taako says slowly, rolling it over in his head.

Kravitz starts to say something else. But Taako shakes his head and fucks off to cheese alley, and has the same, exact, fucking, day, again. It’s nightmarish, and not even in the normal retail way. Like in a literal fucking time loop way.

He catches the basketball, though.

By the end of the day, he’s hungry and he’s ready to lose it, and Kravitz comes by again, and Taako snaps at him-

“What the hell do you want?”

And Kravitz shuts his mouth, shakes his head in apology, and just walks away. And Taako his ice cream and chips and freezer mac and cheese and all of the chocolate chips in the baking bin for dinner.

And when Taako’s last chance phone alarm goes off again, and he wakes up in bed with his contacts in, he screams bloody murder when he sees the date.

He doesn’t shower this time. He dry shampoos his hair and ties it up, and just puts on two coats of deodorant and hopes for the best. He does beef it, (who put that shit there!!!! fucker!!!) but he knows where the stupid bandaids are now. He eats fucking breakfast, even if it is a protein bar that kind of tastes like toothpaste. It’s fucking something. And he drives the long way to work, and he gets there on time, instead of truly last minute.

And instead of bumping into handsome man candle Kravitz, who could be a model, or a kiss instructor, or keep a heart shaped locket warm, he seeks him out, and when Kravitz looks up from his locker and sees Taako standing there with his you-can’t-say-it’s-greasy braid and the dark circles under his eyes and the intense intent within them, he lights up like a fluorescent oasis.

“Taako!” he says, delighted. “I’m surprised to see you- not that you’re never early, it’s just…” he clears his throat lamely. “You’re never early.”

“Yeah, only why would a guy like Taako wanna waste his time here if he wasn’t gettin’ paid?” Taako says, leaning back so so so casually against some other fucker’s locker and folding his arms. His elbow hurts. He wishes he’d picked out a pikachu bandaid, but the shuckle one will do.

“True,” Kravitz says, sheepish. “I just- you know, punctuality- it builds…a reputation, um. Anyway. To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“Nothin,” Taako says, sooooo casual. Achingly casual. “Just wanted to say hey.”

“Hey,” Kravitz says a little more softly.

“Hey,” Taako says, with an intense smolder, and Kravitz grins and bites his lip with his perfect teeth. Fucker could afford braces. No no, no resenting. Not yet. “You got any plans for lunch?”

Kravitz brightens somehow, which is a real surprise, given how bright he’s already acting. But…It’s more real, somehow. “I’ve been meaning to show you my secret spot, would you want to-?”

“Is it quiet?” Taako says, maybe far too urgently.

“Yes,” Kravitz says, firmly enough that Taako knows he knows about the tik-tok guy. And Taako nods very seriously.

“It’s a date,” he jokes.

“Is it?” Kravitz’s eyes widen a little behind his pretty glasses. Taako’s cheeks get hot suddenly.

“I mean what I say, and I say what I mean, unless I categorically don’t. Anyway, bye.” And he bolts, before Kravitz can figure him out.

He glances back though, and sees him smiling to himself. A real one, not a customer service one.

Taako moves the mozzarella tub so it won’t spill, and he catches the stupid fucking basketball, and recommends a mild cheese, not a spicy one, and when Grocery Adventure Radio plays Heat of the Moment, he only flinches a little. And when the alarm goes off and Magnus barrels through, Taako high fives him so he doesn’t hit his elbow. And Taako is handling some other dumb shit without bristling too bad when Kravitz shows up at the cheese counter, looking kind of nervous and excited in equal measure, and Taako takes his lunch break with him, and Kravitz shows him the boiler room roof access, and the broken padlock, and the chill spot outside the view of the cameras.

“I thought you were a rule-follower,” Taako accuses, eating the premade sandwich he swiped when stocking the gruyere and only complaining about the lack of a dimensional profile a little.

“Yeah, well,” Kravitz grins. “I get bored. I enjoy a game here and there, you know, to make things a little more exciting. As long as I get my job done at the end of the day, what does it matter?”

And Taako nods, grinning.

“You’re better than I gave you credit for, Krav.”

And Kravitz beams.

Their lunch break isn’t nearly long enough, and Taako ends up standing at the edge of the roof looking down past the bird fence, wondering about a billion things, about time loops and capitalism and gravity and exhaustion. The sun considers setting, and then jumps right into it.

And Kravitz, handsome Kravitz, who smells like a man candle and whose face could sell paper towels and who showed a secret side of him just because Taako asked, puts a hand on his shoulder.

“You know, it’s hard?” he says, and takes a breath. “It is, it’s hard. But there’s good bits, you know. Things that make the day worth it, rather than the same can of beans dumped in your lap every day.”

“Yeah?” Taako says, staring at a brilliant, flaming orange-magenta grocery store parking lot sunset. They’re always prettier than they have any right to be. And he has to be here for three more hours. It isn’t fucking fair.

“Yeah,” Kravitz says, honestly. “I like seeing you every day.”

“Yeah.”

“And I liked having lunch with you?”

“Yeah?” Taako tears his eyes away from the sunset, and looks at an even prettier sight. Kravitz pushes his hair out of his eyes and quietly resolves to tie up his long locs better before he gets back to work. Taako thinks about the day before, and the day before, and the day before, and hopes that tomorrow can fucking be tomorrow, and that this was the lesson he was supposed to learn, and not some other stupid dumb fucking bullshit, because he’ll just let it loop at that point, fuck it, he’ll stay home and learn how to play guitar and speak four languages and perfect his auntie’s applesauce cookies through trial and error, finally, because he can’t find the damn recipe card.

But no, no. This feels right.

“Let’s do it again tomorrow.”

Kravitz’s relief is palpable.

“Oh good,” he says. “I didn’t have a chance to share my Michael Winslow style sound effects, and we’re definitely late.”

Taako has to laugh.

“You’re kidding, right?”

“Mmmm, the mystery continues. Bye!” And Kravitz races him down the stairs, Taako laughing right on his tail.

And when Kravitz comes to visit the cheese counter before he leaves, he slides Taako a slip of paper with his number on it. Taako dreams of kissing him under the moonlight. Or on top of the cheese counter. He’s not that picky. He winks at Kravitz, and Kravitz turns and ducks his head like he knows he’s blushing, and Taako laughs, feeling a lot less heavy than he has in a while.

And Taako goes home after work, and showers, and makes the best damn grilled cheese, twice, and puts on his actual fucking pajamas, and takes out his contacts, and right before bed, he just texts Kravitz,

thanks

And he crawls under the covers, and for once, is ready for tomorrow to come. Maybe he’ll even pick up that bag.

Maybe.

#happy groundhog day #sorry you found out. im actually a huge dork #taz #taakitz #tazb #the adventure zone #the adventure zone balance #fan5fics #taz balance #taakitz fic #thank you!!#prompts

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