cause i am a little wicked i am i am

[muskeg]

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?

Comments

[minsu]

[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.

[muskeg]

[ 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?

[minsu]

[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.]

[muskeg]

[ 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]

[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.]