exonym | you do this, you do

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you do this, you do

ROOK

i.
[ most of the time, Rook is aware of where he is going and what random surface he is deciding to nap on. he has his favourite spots, out side of his hoard of pillows and blankets, and they are usually in presence of other demons, the few vampires he has decided he likes, or the bar in downtown Seoul that caters to those with magic in their blood.

this couch is in none of those places.

it smells like earth and dampness and moss first off.

second, there is way less magic in the air here and it's weird. well there is magic, a kind that Rook hasn't felt in a long while, and nothing like the static feeling of too many magical creatures in one area brings to his skin. this is... calmer. more unified.

still, he has no fucking clue where he is. not that it seems to bother him. the demon hums and sits up on the couch hair a mess and eyes half lidded, standing out if only because he is clad in just loose black pants and a whole lotta gold body jewellery.

what there are standards for demons of lust okay? sometimes he cares enough to hold himself to them. kinda.

his voice is rough when he speaks.]

Mm, where 'm I?

ii.
[ Rook doesn't need to stay. he can leave as easily as he came (but with more intention), can slide between the worlds and slink back to hell where he has whatever he needs to make eternity terrible for others. but--

and isn't there always a 'but'

he kinda likes it here. this place is weird, with the people and the place. the magic that is so different in them all but also strangely similar. how all these beings are under one roof in the swamp and have found things that so many spend their whole existences searching for.

how there is more love than lust here and well fuck, isn't that something.

so yeah, Rook could leave. Rook should leave. there isn't much for him to do here with his Cardinal. there are only so many strings for him to pull on (and yeah yeah yeah, a good demon would seduce and destroy, would ruin relationships and cause hurt but-- if you ask Rook he doesn't do that because he is lazy, not because he if soft). but he doesn't. he stays.

stays and starts bringing little pieces that he likes into the home. a pillow. a blanket. a set of dishes where none of them match but they are inlaid with precious stones so who cares. today's present is a bookshelf. complete with books. mostly in dead languages but hey, it's the thought that counts right?

Rook is in the middle of the living room (or what he thinks is the living room) hands on his hips and head cocked as he tries to figure out where the shelf would look best.

feel free to help him out.]

Ros

i.
[ the early morning, Ros has found, is the best time for him to practice much of anything in this place. sure he still goes to the underworld, still has his haunts and the shadows but--

he likes this place. these people. so he has taken to sticking around whenever he doesn't have a job that needs to be done. not because he thinks that they need protecting (they totally need protecting, almost more from themselves than from outsiders) but because he likes it here.

so early morning, when the sun is just thinking about getting up and most everyone is asleep, if not quiet, Ros can be found on the grounds outside with more than a few short blades in his hands and a concentrated look on his face.

ever since the war, ever science the adaptation of science and magic and everything, Ros has found that he cannot rely on his hound form as much, cannot rely on what he is, so he needs to adjust. needs to learn. and learn quickly (which considering he is a weapon isn't very hard at all). still, practice is necessary and, since he does not need much sleep, it is a nice way to just-- exist for a while. ]

ii.
[ if you happen to pass by the kitchen, you might notice one (1) rather confused looking hellhound who is staring at what appears to be a rather fancy looking espresso machine. the machine in question is sitting on the counter, in the middle of a hastily cleared spot, with a bag of actual coffee beans next to it while Ros leans against the table and just stares at it.

you see, he learned very early on that everyone here is quite fond of coffee (well, not all but--) so, being the being he is, Ros set out to find the best of the best. apparently this machine was supposed to be one of the best so long as you had the right beans (which he did make sure to grab) and followed the instructions (which he did not have at all). which is why he is looking confused.

because how the hell were you supposed to turn those beans into liquid coffee? the hound has no idea.]

Sage

i.
[ to say that Sage feels like shit would be a bit of an understatement. he isn't sure what is worse, death maybe? but he is certainly there. ever since the night where he made the fucking brilliant choice to let Minsu into his room (and subsequently kicked him out) the witch has been no where to be found within the confines of the house.

or even the immediate swamp.

Sage has, despite knowing better, been in the darkest parts of the swamp where the sun barely reaches and humans haven't been in fucking centuries (okay, maybe they have, but shhh) with no real point to it all but to just get out. be alone. away.

maybe to punish himself a little bit but, that is neither here nor there.

the magic in this part of the swamp is thicker, is heavier and seeps into his bones and makes it easy for him to forget about fucking humans and their brilliant smiles, or their soft mouths or--

(such a soft and fragile thing, the human heart is witchling. careful.)

Sage doesn't really forget anything, but he does manage to push more magic into the wards and finds a small patch of fungus that he can most certainly use in potions so not a total loss. still, when he trudges back into the house, covered in swamp and a little paler than usual, he isn't so sure that is a good win.

the witch leaves the ingredients he found on the kitchen table (along with a note stating not to eat them because he really doesn't want to deal with that, thanks Ten) then makes his way to the washroom to clean himself off and then to his room to get dressed. and if he comes out wearing sweatpants that belong to Ros for how huge the are and Minsu's shirt, well--- shut up.

he is then making his way back to the kitchen for coffee. because jesus fuck he needs that. ]

ii.
[ inhale. exhale. inhale. exhale-- you can do this!

Sage isn't usually a nervous person. not even a little. but-- standing outside Minsu's door with a basket full of fresh berries (that cost him more than he would like to admit but worth it) and a new frying pan, the witch is nearly shaking with nerves.

what if Minsu left? what if he hates him? what if he tries to smack him upside the head with the frying pan and just--

Sage knocks before his mind talks him out of this.]

... Minsu? You there?

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[ if it makes you feel any better Minsu, Sage doesn't look much better off. sure he has showered, hair still a little damp and frizzy around the ends giving him a mint halo of sorts, but he is paler than normal and smaller (or maybe that is because he is wearing your shirt still) and looks like he hasn't slept in a week. which he hasn't but not the point. seeing Minsu like that when he is usually so fucking full of life makes his stomach twist and oh fuck wow-- he really fucked up. big time.

for a beat Sage just stands there, mouth hanging open a little bit.

he is such an asshole, fuck.]

Uh, shit. I -- [ well fuck words. Sage snaps his mouth shut and instead holds up the frying pan and basket of berries. hopes that Minsu gets what he can't say. there is a sorry stuck in his throat, but at the same time he feels like it isn't enough, that he needs to say something more and-- well he is shit with words when it matters. ] I got these for you.

[it doesn't make him feel better at all to see sage looking small and bone white. and yet he can't stop himself from noting how cute he looks with baby bird hair, or how that's his shirt on sage's body.

(it was just an accident, the first shirt that he grabbed. minsu won't let himself get his hopes up.)

so for a moment there's just awkward silence, two broken halves trying to figure out if and how they can become whole when sage goes and holds up his offerings. his eyes go to the berries first and widen.]

Where did you get these!

[because he knows how hard it is to get fresh produce, especially something as rare and fragile as berries. minsu looks at them longingly every time he goes to get food for them, wishing that he could buy something like fresh berries for the plain oatmeal that they have to eat sometimes, or to put into muffins for breakfast. but for the same price, he can get enough canned goods to last them for a week.

minsu blinks a couple of times, holding the basket in one arm and the frying pan in the other hand. he leans closer with concerned eyes, lowering his voice.]

You didn't sell your body to the man with the eye patch, did you?

[look, he gets propositioned for produce all the time. it's a thing.]

[ there was a good moment of hesitation this morning after his shower where Sage just stared at the shirt that was still in a pile in his room. he knew that he should give it back, that Minsu probably wanted it back (it was a nice powder blue that Sage thought looked amazing on him when he let himself be honest), but-- he felt a little sick when he thought about how upset Minsu looked when he told him to leave. how he kept saying he didn't mean to hurt him, how--

he doesn't deserve to wear the shirt he knows this, but here he is.]

Uh, I have my connections, I just thought--

[ inhale. exhale. Minsu never has to know about what Sage knows, what he does and where he has gone, but that doesn't mean he doesn't startle at those whispered words.]

Wait what? The man-- fuck, has he propositioned you before?[ because he might be missing two eyes next time you see him. jesus.]

And no, I didn't... sell my body to that man. I just know how much you love cooking and I tried to find some good honey but there was none available so... um. Yeah.

[minsu's relieved at that. sex is one thing, an entirely different thing, but that - that was something that he'd never done, not even before he met myung and he was scared and hungry, when a few rough minutes in an alleyway would've put a roof over his head for the night, possibly bought him a pack of ramen too.

so telling sage that he's approached for that sort of thing fairly often seems pointless. it's not something minsu could ever bring himself to actually do.]

Thank you...

[minsu folds his arms around these things, hugging them against his chest. they're nice, and sage must've known how much they'd mean to him given minsu's love of food and cooking. but the best thing that the witch actually gave him is himself. all minsu wanted was his return.

he thinks he's on the verge of crying. so the taller boy reaches for his wrist suddenly, and starts towing in the direction of the kitchen.]

It's nothing.

[ the words are whisper quiet, eyes down, because really he should be doing so much more for Minsu. should get on his knees and beg forgiveness but-- he doesn't deserve it. not yet. maybe not ever. there is still so much that Sage doesn't understand. why he reacted like he did when Minsu said that and meant it (fuck, why Minsu would say that and mean it in the first place), why the witch couldn't just brush it off with a laugh and a comment like he might usually do, why he couldn't stop thinking about how fucking hurt Minsu was when he told him to leave.

how Sage has never in his life wanted to take a moment back that badly before. not even that afternoon at swamp's edge when he was ten.

how Sage is so fucking afraid that will happen again. that he will love and that love will burn the other to ash, will sink them into the mire of the swamp and only live on in the scars on his heart.

and he wants to tell Minsu, he does but--

then Minsu is dragging him along and Sage is almost tripping on his sweatpants (Ros's sweatpants because no one else has legs that long here) to follow and--]

Min? What...

[minsu's a little surprised himself. he would've thought that, given the chance to tug the witch into any room in the house, it would've been his bedroom. but sage hasn't had a good meal in days. he knows by looking at him, knows from the way he showed up at minsu's door with gifts in hand that the last time they saw each other has weighed on him heavily too.

minsu has more than one way to express his love. it's easy to fall into bed with someone, and if sage doesn't know that he could still have minsu that way too, he probably will before this is over. but right now minsu just wants to....he wants to take care of him. he wants to use the pan that sage gave him, and the berries that he gave him, and feed him bites of what he makes with those things and his own hands.

he pulls a chair out at the kitchen table and gently ushers sage into it.]

Can you help me crack the eggs?

[minsu asks quickly, gathering the eggs and a bowl and a whisk and other things. this is more than minsu just letting him into his pants. this is minsu offering his life, his happiness. showing his willingness to make a place just for sage in it.]

[ there is no resistance from Sage as he is ushered into a chair in the kitchen, blinking a little because he still isn't sure what is going on right now until there are eggs in front of him and a bowl and--

oh.

okay this-- this seems important somehow. like he should be able to grasp something more than just eggs and bowls and Minsu looking at him like he forgives him without the witch even asking for it. there is something here and Sage is aware enough to realize that but he doesn't know what.

so he does what Minsu instructs, follows along with whatever the other tells him to do with care and precision. reaches under his shirt to thumb at the piercing on his hip for a burst of magic to make sure he doesn't fuck anything up. to make sure he doesn't miss something that Minsu is telling him do to.]

What are you-- what are we making?

[ the change, the you to we, feels awkward in his mouth but it also feels right. like it means something. ]

Pancakes...

[minsu hesitates before admitting it, something almost bashful in his voice. it seems simple for someone who once had a full scholarship to one of the finest culinary schools in the united states.

but his pancakes are perfect. minsu knows just the right amount of everything that's needed. there's no guesswork to it, no getting anything wrong. it feels nice to have that on his side right now. he opens the flour canister and starts scooping out little cups full.]

It was one of the first things that I ever learned to make by myself. See this?

[minsu pauses to point to a spot on the back of his wrist, a smooth but faded scar.]

The oil splashed up and got me. It's okay, sometimes you have to go through a little pain for something you love.

[minsu slides his bowl closer, which means he moves closer to sage as well.]

Pour them in here. [minsu stirs quietly, not moving from his spot even once everything is combined.] This is the first time I've made them with someone else.

... you do make the best pancakes.

[ there is a smile in his voice, something small but there. he really does think Minsu makes the best ones, he would actually go to breakfast if he knew that was what would be served. he doesn't remember eating them a lot before the human decided the kitchen was his domain, but Sage would probably put them right up with coffee on his favourite food list.

so when Minsu talks, Sage listens. pays attention. looks at the little scar that is barely there and finds himself wanting to press his fingers to it, or his lips. and he is almost so concentrated that he misses the story, the--- moral?

that makes him blink a few times.

sometimes you have to go through a little pain for something you love. there is something about the way Minsu says that, like he really knows that the pain is worth it. like he isn't talking about pancakes anymore makes Sage still. makes a few things click together. he hasn't slept enough to really make the connections he needs to, but--

but he thinks maybe he gets it. a little bit. almost.

it's terrifying. and that fear rises up in him like a fucking tsunami, threatens to drown him and have him falling out of the chair and running because no, no no nononono Minsu doesn't know him, Minsu can't mean that at all because what if-- but then-- Minsu just carries on like he didn't say anything that shook Sage to the core.

tells Sage this is the first time he has made pancakes with someone and-- the fear is back but there is something else. something that roots Sage to the spot, mouth dropped open in a little 'o' as he looks at the human.]

Thanks. [ soft. honest. he pours the eggs in as instructed. ] For sharing this with me, I mean. It means-- fuck, I don't know but...

[ fuck. this is hard. Sage makes a noise and curls his fingers into his hair, tugging.] I'm sorry.

I know.

[minsu glances at the witch and gives him a halfhearted smirk. look, he's allowed to be a little smug about this. he goes to place the pan that sage gave him on the stove, adds a little oil and turns the heat on under it-

fights the urge to replace it with another. he's always taken good care of his kitchen tools, but he's never had a sentimental attachment to one before. the only thing that keeps him steady is that he wants to make these for sage using the things that he gave him. he divides the berries up too, saving some for the house before dropping the rest into the bowl.

to be honest, minsu isn't wise. brave, maybe, or at least he wants to be. the only way he started sorting anything about his own heart out is because neve and dash walked him through it. he's still working on it too, in the moments when he's actually not with sage.

when he is with him, it seems a lot clearer somehow.

minsu's stirring slows at the apology, before he lets go of the whisk completely. he steps behind sage instead, trying to gently uncurl his fingers from his hair.]

It's okay. Just...don't do that.

[his voice is a little shaky. whatever it is, it's okay. minsu will forgive him anything, or give him anything, just to see him stop hurting himself in these little ways. if he's hurt in the process, that's fine too. he's learned that lesson, he has. minsu's breath catches in his chest before he bends his taller frame down, pressing his face against the other's frizzy hair.]

[ sitting at the table, Sage watches as Minsu moves around the kitchen with a fluidity and easy that he has seen Ros take when fighting, or Myung. the kind of ease and awareness that comes with knowing yourself and your abilities. it is-- it's fucking amazing to watch actually. lets Sage see another side of him, because while Sage has always been aware of Minsu, has always watched him, he has never really noticed. not like this. not the way his fingers move, strong and sure, to place everything where they need to be, or the way Minsu is sure in his footing as he moves from table to stove to countertop.

sometimes Sage wonders how much he has missed in keeping himself a step back.

wonders if keeping himself a step back has worked at all. if he ever really needed to. he has tried to make it so that he doesn't close to anyone because he really is terrified of loving them and then having to bury them. afraid of having their blood on his hands. his sister-- fuck, she was just the first. there was the elder in the north that taught him control, the twins that shared their tips for survival during the first long winter alone, the family that sheltered the witch during the war--

Sage brings death, it is a part of his magic, he knows this, and he doesn't want to bring anymore. wants to see this little house of randoms be safe, and everyone be happy and-- fuck he really didn't make Minsu happy telling him to fuck off. wonders how he even manages to be in his presence right now after what he pulled.

but Minsu hears him out, takes the apology for what it is and-- fuck. Minsu is pulling his fingers out of his hair and pressing close and Sage is choking on a wet noise before he can stop himself. ]

Fuck, I can't-- Minsu, I'm sorry. I just-- fuck, I'm not amazing, or beautiful or-- fuck. [ Sage shudders, bows his head and inhales deeply.]

Her name was Lily. [ his voice is whisper quiet. it's the first time he has said her name out loud in thirteen years.] She was... she was my twin sister. I killed her, Minsu. My magic isn't fucking flower and sparkles, you know? It needs... It needs death and blood and bone, and sometimes it just takes it. The more it hurts, the more powerful the magic.

[ I don't want you to be next.]

[sage feels like he's going to shake apart in that chair, so minsu does the only thing that he knows how - he wraps his arms around the witch's shoulders, like he can physically hold him together. he'd give it all his strength if it would just work.

and then he listens, imagines a girl with mint hair and fair skin, a scattering of freckles across the bridge of her nose. and still he doesn't let go, not even to wipe the tears that slide down his cheek. he cries for lily, for sage, maybe even for the younger version of himself that thought magic was all shimmers in the air and flowers springing to life. now he hears the truth. he's not even afraid of ghosts now, because the dead surely don't envy the living at all. he's sure lily would not want to be in her brother's place.

minsu would trade places with her, but he's only human, no magic to turn back the clock or do alchemy or whatever if is he'd need to do to take the pain out of every breath that sage takes. all he can do is what he's doing right now. all he can do is love someone and hope it makes them hate themself a little less.]

This isn't your fault. [minsu squeezes his eyes shut, two more tears falling before he presses a kiss to the crown of the witch's head.] This isn't something you did. This is something that happened to you. And I'm telling you that you're amazing, and beautiful, and I'm sorry if that scares you, but it's true.

[minsu whispers those last two words again as he slides into the chair beside him, cups sage's face in his hands and tries to scatter kisses against his face.]

[ when Minsu wraps around him, sturdy and warm, Sage shakes even more. this feels too much like absolution, like he is forgiven and fuckfuckfuck he does not know how to cope with that. with how gentle Minsu is, how understanding. it reminds Sage all over again how he isn't worthy of this attention, this affection. those goddamned words that Minsu tells him all over again in the same reverent tone that shakes his bones and rattles his teeth.

this does terrify him. truly, because gods he could get used to this. feeling fucking safe and wanted and-- home. he could grow to want and need this kind of feeling that he feels when Minsu wraps him up and presses kisses to his head and tells him that it isn't his fault like he means. in a way, Sage already craves it. because he doesn't push Minsu away, doesn't push out of the chair and flee. he just-- shudders and lets himself be held.

and then Minsu is next to him, light kisses on his face and fuck, Sage is shaking like a goddamned leaf. so he takes in a shuddering breath, the past and regrets sticking in his throat, and moves to curl his hands around Minsu's to hold them.]

I am terrified, Minsu. I am. [ honesty. Minsu deserves that. ] I don't know-- fuck, I don't want your blood to be next on my hands. I can't-- fuck I couldn't handle that.

[how does he stop this. how does he fix it. he could hold sage until he stops shaking, he's strong enough. but how does he take this fear away? minsu's not afraid. his blood on sage's hand is the last thing that he'd be afraid of, but somehow he thinks that would only scare sage more. somehow he thinks he already knows anyway.]

Would it really be such a big loss? [minsu smiles a little, eyelashes fluttering.] I'm just a human. Kind of a trashy one at that.

[because sometimes minsu doesn't feel so good about himself either. sometimes he wishes people just wanted a little more from him. sage is the first one who's shown that he might, and minsu thinks that's worth taking the risk.

he draws him closer, pressing their foreheads together.]

But it's not going to happen. Your magic will just have to get used to me.

[ at first, Sage is pretty sure that he heard Minsu wrong. that there was no way he just said that but-- no he did. blinking Sage focuses on Minsu, fingers tightening against his before he opens his mouth and then snaps it closed again. there is something simmering in him at the thought of Minsu being so cavalier, at him thinking no one here would miss him, that he was just a human and fucking trashy and--

fuck.

when Sage moves it is to crawl into Minsu's lap, eyes furious and intent as he lets his hands move all over, like he doesn't know where to put them.]

Shut up, fuck, that-- you can't possibly--- fuck. Yes! Yes it would be a fucking big loss you asshole! [ sorry he is nearly hissing in your face but he-- gods he didn't realize how much he would hurt if you were gone until right now.] You are so much fucking more than just a human and fuck, not even a little trashy. How dare--

[ strangled noise as he kisses Minsu. because he isn't good with words when they need to mean so much, when they need to convey so much, so he kisses him hard. curls around him and tries to show him how much of a loss it would be.

when he breaks the kiss he is panting lightly, eyes closed and forehead pressed to Minsu's.]

I need you to stay, okay? I just-- please. I would carve the fucking magic out of my marrow if I could, but-- [ a breath. in and out. ]

[sage cares about him. really cares.

it wasn't a test, he's not that cruel. minsu just said the thoughts that brew around in his head more often than he's willing to let anyone else know about. he's let sage know, and his reaction to it is so much more than minsu would ever have thought.

he makes a sound when sage kisses him, when his hands are everywhere at once and his mouth presses hard enough to bruise, when he bites at minsu's mouth like kissing just isn't enough. minsu likes being kissed like this.

when it breaks, he reaches up to brush at a tear that he didn't even know had spilled, before curling his arms back around the witch.]

I'm staying. I want you, please don't send me away again.

[his voice breaks, and a little tremor has found its way into minsu's body too, so he tries to pull sage even more onto his lap.

his pan is about to catch fire in the background, but he really doesn't want to move from this spot.]

[ the biggest lie that Sage tells to himself and to others is that he does not care. because he does care, a lot and deeply and he will tear himself apart to keep those he loves and cares for safe. and while everyone in this house is someone that Sage cares for, someone Sage loves in his own way, he knows that there are differences.

somewhere in the last few months of these people in his house, in their house, Minsu has made his way to the top of the list. Sage isn't sure how, fuck they haven't even slept together not really, but the human is one of the few Sage would pull his still beating heart out of his chest for. so to hear him think so little--- to think that he --

no.

Sage pulls back to let his thumbs trace the tear tracks lightly, to look at Minsu when he speaks. it takes a second but he nods.]

I won't. I promise, okay. [ and he means it. ] I can't-- I mean I can't promise I won't be difficult, that anything won't be hard but--

[ wait. w a i t.

Sage blinks and peers at Minsu, confused and wanting all at once. he is completely unaware of the potential fire hazard right now.]

What do you want? Like, from me. This? Fuck.

I know.

[minsu nods before sage even finishes speaking. it probably won't be easy, minsu doesn't expect it to be. he doesn't expect the witch to change either. why would he even want that when he's exactly who he fell in love with?

the question that follows clearly catches him off guard though. minsu blinks back at him, brows pulling together as he thinks but keeps drawing up blanks.]

No one's ever asked me that with their clothes still on before.

[it would be funny if minsu wasn't also entirely serious.]

What do you want?

[ well if that didn't just prove to Sage that he has to make sure Minsu knows how important he is. Sage makes a startled noise, nearly chokes on it because wow.

he blinks rapidly at Minsu.]

Are you-- fuck. Okay. That--

[ well it is a hard question to answer Sage will give him that. there is so much that he is afraid of, so much that he knows he doesn't want that he has never really stopped to think about what he would want. he knows that he wants Minsu around, wants him safe. wants him to feel like he can crawl into bed with Sage or show up at random. wants to never see Minsu upset like that again.

but-- that isn't really the question, is it?

he opens his mouth and closes it again.]

I want you to be happy. However that is.

[happy. minsu is happy; he's happy to have friends and a roof over his head. he's happy to have his health. he's happy for a lot of little reasons.

that's not what sage is talking about here. sage wants him to be happy with him, and the answer is so simple that it feels too simple. feels like there must be something that minsu is missing because he just doesn't know any better.]

I just want to be with you.

[minsu whispers before kissing him again, pulling at sage's legs until the witch his straddling him. it's a kiss that's full of intent, slow and deep, designed to take someone's breath away.

but he stops, eyes opening and mouth still pressed against sage's. there's no way he's at his most desirable right now. minsu pulls back, full of regret.]

I should - your pancakes. And I need a shower.

Okay. Then-- then we see what happens.

[ it does seem too simple, too easy even when Sage knows that it will be anything but. yet he knows that Minsu means what he says, there is no room left to doubt with the way he is kissed. like Minsu wants to burn away all other thoughts except for the ones about him and this kiss. so when it stops, Sage makes a soft noise and presses his lips softly against Minsu's.

this might be a disaster, but fuck, Sage will try. for Minus.]

Mmm, I do like this more than your pancakes actually. But , okay. [ he slides off him slowly, settling back into his own chair a little more mussed than he was a few moments ago.]

We'll run out of pancakes long before I run out of that.

[minsu laughs, and it still has that little tremble to it, happy but terrified. this could hurt. this could be like a burn over his entire body, starting with his heart.

be brave. braver than he was under his father's disdainful looks and words, braver than when the humans tried to put a gun in his hand, braver than when he was alone and zigzagging through alleys to lose the footsteps that were following him. all of that was to prepare him for this.

minsu stands up quickly, grabs his bowl and checks his pan before pouring the batter in. the sizzle is just right, and minsu watches for bubbles and checks the edges before flipping them over. once they're piled on the plate, minsu adds more berries, a little bit of powdered sugar, a little bit of syrup...

he places them in front of sage, steps in to wipe a little excess sugar from the edge of the plate. so what if it's the apocalypse, presentation is still important.

after a moment, minsu picks up the fork himself, sliding it through and offering the bite to the witch.]

Careful, they're still a little hot.

[ there is an 'I'm glad' mumbled against Minsu's lips one last time before the other gets up to make the pancakes. and Sage-- well Sage stays where he is, sitting in the chair with his chin in his hand as he watches the other. again he is more than a little awed at how well Minsu knows his way around the kitchen, how he puts so much effort into every little thing. these are just pancakes, they are, but he still-- still makes it feel important.

feel special.

gods, Sage is such an ass.

when the place is placed in front of him, the witch almost doesn't want to ruin them, he gapes a moment before looking up at Minsu with a quirk of a smile.]

Amazing.

[ you or the pancakes, you decide. but he probably means both. but he doesn't give himself time to be awkward before he leans in and takes the bit offered, pink on his cheeks and--

yeah, fuck that's amazing. Sage moans and closes his eyes.] Fuck, that-- gods, Minsu that's delicious.

[minsu waits for the witch's reaction like his life hangs in the balance, and there's a rush of breath and a bright smile when it comes.]

See? Sex noises.

[didn't he tell you that you make them when you eat his pancakes? minsu smirks, lowering the fork to lean down and kiss him, tasting syrup on his lips, sweetness on his tongue. he's not sure what this is, just that it's different from other kisses that he's had. he breaks it reluctantly, making up for the loss by feeding sage another bite.]

It's too bad you already took a shower.

[minsu licks the fork thoughtfully, pressing his tongue against the prongs before dragging it up. he shrugs before pressing the utensil into sage's hands.]

Don't move until you finish all of them, okay?

[even if minsu is taking his shirt off in front of sage. even as he watches him while he backs towards the door closest to the bathroom, sliding his sweats down low on his hips.]

[ if Sage thought he was going to get through this without blushing well... he was wrong. he nearly chokes on the next bite of pancake because, shit, he didn't mean to! not that Minsu seems all that upset by it, in fact he seems quite pleased. the witch swallows the bite and goes to say something but--

then Minsu is kissing him slow and sweet and fuck Sage might cry. there is something about it that makes Sage feel safe, makes him feel like he matters and that no matter what-- ]

Huh? I don't-- what?

[ you can't say shit like that while licking a fork and feeding him, damnit. his brain isn't working and honestly Sage has no idea what showers have to do with any of this. at least he doesn't until Minus is getting up and--

ah, showering. okay right that is fine. totally fine. completely--

fuck, fuck fuckfuck Minsu is fucking gorgeous and all lean muscle and perfect skin and Sage wants, more than he wants these delicious pancakes. Minsu is taunting him, he knows it, but also-- he can't move until he finishes. the witch looks down at the pancakes and there is a clear battle happening right now as he looks between them and Minsu. but-- time and effort went into these.

so Sage shivers and grips the fork, giving Minsu a look.] ... okay. Take your time though, yeah?

[ because it will take him approximately seven minutes to finish these and then there is going to be the faint noise of the door opening and one now very full witch padding into the bathroom while licking syrup from his fingers.]

you do this, you do

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