exonym | cause i am a little wicked i am i am

cause i am a little wicked i am i am

i. before the ceremony

[ it is two days before Samhain, before the veil between magic and mortal wears so thin it is almost not there, and Sage has been running around the swamp house and the outlying swamp like a small, furious hurricane. with Minsu as a shadow more often than not. they only have a little bit of time left to make sure that everything is put together, that the potions are ready for the week to follow, that the spells are woven right and that there are wards carved perfectly into the stones and bits of wood that Sage has gathered.

it isn't necessarily a lot to be done but--

Sage needs it to be perfect.

not for his sake, but rather Minsu's.

so yeah, he is a bit, uh... frantic? hectic? chaotic? all of the above?

if you happen to see him in the halls, hair pulled up into a messy ponytail (he has to admit, the one good thing about his hair growing at a constant rate is how much easier it is to keep it out of his face) with a rod of hewn mountain ash, berries and all, shoved in the middle.

a rod that he is currently searching frantically for.]

I swear to fuck, I had it right here... fuck, where--

after the ceremony

[ no one will see either of them for twenty-four hours. it will be the early morning of November the second before Sage or MInsu manage to pull themselves from the swamp and the curls of magic that are now swirling around them. well, more so Sage at the moment, but he knows that Minsu has some too. can feel the ebb and flow of the swamp and him and Minsu in some strangely easy dance.

he loves it in ways he didn't think possible.

but he would also love a shower and some coffee and his actual bed thank you very much. he is sure that Minsu would like as much as well, and to also make sure that everyone has been eating.

so if you happen to be around in the morning, you will stumble across a freshly showered witch, hair still damp around his neck, eyes a bright green with skin covered in writhing vines, shadows of claws and feathers against his skin, staring at the coffee pot like it might magically make it brew faster.

it doesn't, but hey he tries. ]

the ceremony for Minsu

[ well, he thinks that he has it all in order. it's barely noon on the thirty-first but-- yeah, Sage thinks that it is all put together. the witch looks at the table, covered in spells and potions, candles and jars and a pile of blankets and pillows and water with his hands on his hips and hums.

yeah, totally done.

he hopes.

tipping his head, he taps his fingers absently against the knot of fabric that currently keeps the shirt he is wearing from being a dress (not that it's an issue, just not what he wanted, he needed more movement and was therefore in leggings, and wow he gets why people love them so much).]

Minsu, love, you have that charm for the swamp offering?

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[ It's a morning. Yet another morning where Myung woke up with Dal - or Bam - in his bed, not touching, and from dreams that were distinctly not nightmares, which. He's not exactly used to. But lately, it's been his new normal, and it's leaving him slightly... unbalanced.

But not as much as seeing Sage - Sage, who is still a girl, and right now looks like the swamp is a part of him more than usual. Myung stops in the doorway, before he actually shakes himself out of his stupor, and walks towards the coffee maker. ]

Hey. You're okay?

[ Because he truly looks like he's halfway to being a vine, right now, and while it gives Myung some good memories, it's also not exactly normal, even for Sage.

But then again, Myung's not exactly looking his normal self either, not entirely. His hair's white, and he's not wearing a hat. ]

Haven't seen you in a while.

[ being in this body was getting a little easier. a lot easier actually, thanks to it having been two weeks or so and the fact that it didn't seem to phase Minsu at all. it just-- well it sucked being shorter and that was that. the swamp however-- that was something else. Sage turns magic bright eyes towards Myung with a blank look on his face.

probably not reassuring actually.

it takes a heartbeat before he seems to surface and lean against the counter, curl of a smile on his lips.]

Mmm, it's been a day. Two days? I don't know. When are we?

[ who uses time in the swamp, really now. Sage sways a little, eyes roaming over the other until he seems to catch on the white hair. the witch blinks a few times before he is leaning in and ruffling the hair lightly, sparks of magic flickering against Myung's scalp.]

Looks good on you. How--?

[ Myung checks his watch. It's huge and a little clunky and too big for his wrist, but he's picked it back up from his duffel, and so it's a present and it matters. Just like the ring he's slipped back onto his finger. ]

Hm, November 2nd. 8:03am.

[ He doesn't even flinch from the touch, just leans into it a little as he looks down at Sage. It's a strange thing, this - sudden Sage-is-a-woman thing. Funnily enough, it's making Myung slightly more at ease, right now, even as he opens his mouth. ]

Oh, um. Dal. Have you met Dal? He's. He can absorb other people's powers. So when he touches me, his hair takes on the color, and mine goes like this.

[ And if it's not obvious, Myung loves it. And Dal, too, he likes Dal a lot. If the dimples and the blush aren't proof enough of that. ]

Where have you been? You look very... swampy.

[ you are a very lucky man that Sage didn't catch you without that ring on, especially right now, as charged as he is. still, he hums a little at the time and date. it has been a day and a bit. oh well. the witch huffs, smile on his lips because he sees that, and it-- well it makes him happy to see Myung happy. especially after the last little while.]

Mmm, I have met Dal, and Bam, I like them. [ a beat before Sage flicks Myung's nose, leaving a curl of a vine against the pianist's cheek.] I like Dal more now because it seems he's good for you.

[ a faint 'you deserve it' lingers in the lines around Sage's eyes, the curl of his lips. ]

I was, uh, well the last two days in the swamp. With Minsu. We, uh--[ right. now this is a thing that is weird that he has to explain. damnit. Sage shifts and the vines move on his skin, telling more than a blush would.] Um, we're kinda... bonded? I mean, the swamp and it's magic now is his too. Kinda.

[ ah yes. very concise. good job, witchling. ]

[ Yeah, Myung - feels better with the ring on. It's another kind of strange feeling, like he shouldn't want it, shouldn't want that connection because it means too many muddled, complicated things, but. He's starting to get that his life is muddled and complicated and he'll never be free of all the fucking feelings he's constantly battling with.

He grimaces at the flick, at Sage's words. ] It's not - it's - fuck. [ It shouldn't be weird to be talking about this with Sage. ] I just like. Not advertising my feelings on my head. [ It's not everything, though, and he swallows, looking down at the mug in his hands for a second. ] And I. I like him, too. He's been kinda amazing, to me. Especially with Dae - leaving.

[ Dal's been the best distraction from these feelings. Especially since Myung knows what he's thinking and feeling when it comes to Dal is utterly sincere, not just a front to not deal with how madsad he is about Dae. No, whats going on with Dal is just as real.

He puts the mug down, pouring himself some coffee, too. ] Not that anything's happened just yet. Well. We kissed, but, yeah. That's it. It's - it goes beyond that, I guess. [ Which is not a usual thing for Myung. Which Sage knows.

But none of that matter when he hears what Sage says next. He lets the mug clatter back to the counter, some coffee spilling over the rim, as he turns to look straight at Sage, his mouth in a little 'o' shape, surprise etched all over his features. Even though it shouldn't be. He should have expected something like this. ]

Bonded. Bonded? Like - marriage? But with magic? [ Myung's heart thunders in his chest. ]

[it's finally time. they've been preparing for this day for weeks - well, mostly sage, taking trips out into the swamp, reading old books with fragile pages, brewing up things in his room while the rest of the house was asleep. minsu mostly followed and lingered, always ready to help if he could, but probably in the way more often than not.

all for this. minsu should be a little apprehensive, probably, but he's far from it. he's always been fascinated by magic, but this is sage's magic. yes, he knows what it's taken from him, what it demands, what it can do. and that just makes him want this all the more.

he wants to show the witch that he's not afraid, and he wants to lay sage's fears to rest too. this is how that happens, this binds them together, and minsu's so enamored by the idea that he doesn't hear sage at first.]

Huh? [he pulls his eyes away from the vine-wrapped trees surrounding them and comes forward, the little sachet held carefully in both hands.] I have it. I'm ready.

[ it has taken the better part of the month (maybe almost two, Sage can't really remember) for them to get to this point but-- they are here. everything is done and they are both ready and, even with the setback of the whole body fiasco, Minsu still wants this and--

fuck, Sage is the luckiest witch. he really is.

everything has been set up, they have this alcove that Sage cleared with the help of the swamp, they have the potions and spells and each other and that is really all that matters. the witch turns, lips in a soft smile as he takes Minsu in, the way he stands amongst the trees and vines and decay like a goddamned beacon. it makes Sage's ribcage feel too small for all this emotion.]

Good. Can you, ah, put it here. We need to set up an altar of sorts, with the stones. And we need to do it together. [ there is a spell that Sage will utter, about building things up brick by brick, a physical container to stand in for the metaphorical one they will become for the magic together.

a beat before Sage steps closer, leaning in and tipping his head up to smile at Minsu.] We have just under ten hours, so no rush, yeah?

[he feels at ease here already. maybe it's all in his head, a placebo effect. maybe he would feel differently if sage wasn't here with him, or if he hadn't felt like the swamp had already spared him once. or if he wasn't setting up a room back at the house like some sort of reptile nursery for one of the swamp's creatures.

whatever it is, it feels really beautiful here. it reminds him of an old used bookstore, something that a lot of people would pass right by without appreciating its charms. but it all pales in comparison when sage smiles at him. he definitely feels like the lucky one here, to even be noticed by someone so amazing.]

Okay. [he nods, and almost bends down to kiss him. but maybe he shouldn't. he's too nervous to do anything without sage's instructions first. at the very least, he shouldn't get them distracted, so he places the charm where it's supposed to go.] Only ten hours? You're sure that will be enough time after all?

[there's amusement in his eyes. naturally he hasn't forgotten about the sex magic part.]

[ maybe Minsu is calm because this place has challenged him once and he has been accepted. maybe he knows that Sage will fight the core of what he is, the magic in his bones, to keep Minsu alive and well. because he would, oh gods, Sage would.

huffing a laugh at the hesitation, Sage leans up, hands on Minsu's hips to steady himself, to press a quick kiss against his lips.] Hmm, more than enough time. I mean, we have ten hours to build the altar and such. Well, to build the altar, set up the spells I have already made, partake in the potions and then make ourselves comfortable in a nest.

[ and Sage will return that amused look. because when he says nest, he really means sex den of sorts. that is the, ah, climax of the whole thing if you will. the binding part of it all, bodies joined and magic too, sinking into Minsu's bones the way it does to Sage. ]

Then around midnight the ritual starts. Should be about two hours. [ he mentioned tantric sex for a reason before. a heartbeat where Sage breathes runs his fingers through Minsu's hair and leaves another light kiss against his skin.

he won't ask if Minsu is okay with this, knows that he is, and he won't ask if he is sure, or ready, simple closes his eyes and breathes.] Thank you, for trusting me enough for this.

[minsu's lips stay puckered for a moment as he nods at everything that sage lists off. it's probably not that much, especially not with that many hours, but each thing sounds big and important. essential for the end result of this.

he likes the sound of a nest though. it sounds warm, and a lot like home. it sounds like what sage already feels like to him. minsu slides his arms around sage's waist, allowing himself this moment instead of rushing right in.]

Thank you, for doing this.

[he's not just talking about the preparations. that sage is willing to do this with him is the most magical thing of all. it is....well to minsu, it's huge, though maybe that's just him being the sentimental sap that he is. but the witch is willing to take this step with him, and it's not something that could easily be undone. if at all. and how is he even worthy of that.

minsu breathes out, closing his eyes for a moment. and then he just...picks sage up, craving a deeper kiss, wanting to express this feeling with the press of his lips and the pounding of his heart against his boyfriend's chest before they get started.]

[ Dash is either on his way to his room or just leaving, holding a book propped open in his hand, with another tucked under his arm. He looks up every so often, presumably to avoid catastrophic trips and falls and any collisions with whatever might be in his path. Thus, he spots Sage long before he's in danger of colliding with his housemate.

He does pull up short when he gets close, lowering the book to his side. ] Hi, Sage, [ he says softly, offering a smile. ] Are you looking for something?

[ A little maneuvering and he's got both books tucked under his arm, books and arm both supported by the colorful sling he's wearing. It looks like he might have been embroidering things on it. No one's to breath a word if they spot the bit where he was practicing lettering and stitched 'THE OTHER MR. NEVE' on his arm. ]

[ it is a good thing that Dash is paying attention because Sage is surely not, he is-- well not quite stricken but also not really great because--]

Oh, Dash, hi.[ someone looks startled and confused and frustrated all at once, but not at you. sorry.] I'm-- fuck, I can't find the rowan wand with the sprigs and I swear I left it on the kitchen table but...

[ the witch makes a strangled noise, running his hands over his face in the process. he just wants this to go well, flawlessly actually. if possible.]

[ Seeming unfazed, Dash keeps on smiling that same serene smile. ] Hey, it's okay, [ he says, reaching over to touch Sage's arm reassuringly.

That'll put a little more pep in his step. ]

A wand, huh? I'm guessing it's not the one in your hair, is it? [ His eye rises to the level of said item sticking out of Sage's hair. ] What's up, do you have something important you're working on?

[ Rowan wand sounds very witchy to his largely untrained ear. ]

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cause i am a little wicked i am i am

post ceremony

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before the ceremony.

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