bakerstreet | i'll crawl home to her.

Entry tags:

[meme] shipping

i'll crawl home to her.

r e t u r n e d

The premise of the meme is simple. Two characters, lovers, have been separated for a time. How long is up to you, as is the reason for the separation. Was it unwilling - an imprisonment, a required journey - or because of a choice one of the characters made? The reason may, of course, color the reunion, and somebody may be pretty miffed, with good reason. Still, the theme is the same: intimacy after being apart.
This meme is mostly geared towards being a smut meme, but nobody will judge you for just doing so heavy fluff.
Reply with your character and preferences.
Reply to others. Assumed CR is probably key here.

[Kiki, Gilmore, or Vex (gen only pls) would be prime candidates here, but other characters/canon would be good, and TAZ is love]

Edited 2018-03-29 22:43 (UTC)

[The easy thing with Beth is reunion after being separated by zombies/horrible people--after the fall of the prison, maybe--but I'm open to anything. Interested in both canon and cross-canon CR, happy to do things in her world, your character's world, or a jamjar!]

[Maybe he was away on Serious Superhero Business for a while? Interested in both canon and cross-canon CR, happy to do things in his world or a jamjar!]

[Castmates preferred. Both m/f and m/m very welcome.]

Edited 2018-03-27 05:48 (UTC)

[Cast mates and cross canon welcome.]

(Would love to thread a post-Canon au with a Vaughn. Otherwise, ships, kinks, and squicks are in the journal. Hmu?)

[Comes in E1 and E2 flavours.]

[ the morning that Sage woke up to a cold bed was one of the worst mornings of his life. it had been a whirlwind of love and magic and too good to be true for over a year and, well, after New Year's Eve, Sage was sure that he was going to get a life that he had always dreamed of but thought he would never get. after all, what kind of wicked witch gets a happily ever after with the charming prince?

not him, it turned out.

Sage wakes with happiness still buzzy like champagne bubbles in his veins, the curls of a smile still on his face as he remembers how fucking beautiful Minsu looked beneath the fireworks with the ring on his finger and the future before him and turns to curl around his fiance only to find the bed empty. which-- unusual, but not something to worry him right away. what did make him worry was the lack of movement anywhere in the house; no breakfast being made, no coffee being brewed, no life in the house that was supposed to hold his new future.

Minsu was gone.

that wasn't the conclusion that Sage came to at first, no he thought maybe the fox went out, was in the swamp, was in town for something or another. fuck, for the first few days that is what Sage thinks, sinking into a denial that was thick and murky like the swamp itself. but, when there is no word from the fox, when his scry's give him nothing, and when trying to connect with the ring that he hopes is still on Minsu's finger sends back emptiness and void, the witch has to accept that something has happened. that somehow, the universe has taken the only being that he has loved and that loved him and ripped it from him.

part of him wonders if it was just a dream, a fever dream from being in the swamp too long but-- no, there is still a scar on his neck and clothes in the closet that are a shade too big and smell like fire and freedom. little memories all over the place that speak of someone else having lived there with Sage for some time. not to mention the hole between his ribs that grew larger and larger every day.

the thought he knew that loneliness was before, but no-- he had no idea.

about a month after Minsu vanishes, Sage walks into the half-dead swamp dressed in his favourite jeans and Minsu's well-worn sweater with the intent of never walking back out.

instead, Sage emerges a week later with a young, bright-eyed child with dark hair that has vines under her skin and a bead made of bone under her tongue clutched tightly to his chest and a new reason to survive. the swamp loved him too much to let him go (and maybe it knew more than him, maybe), so it gave him the second best thing to Minsu back: a child that was equal parts of both of them. through all the time that they had lived there, had worked with the swamp and it's energy, the swamp took bits and pieces of them.

Sage doesn't know what Minsu gave to the swamp, doesn't know how he earned it's blessings as much as he did, but it is clear that, when the child laughs and her eyes flare fire bright, that the swamp had a great deal of the fox. had enough of him to give what it could back to Sage.

the first while, six months, is impossibly difficult, chest constricting and tears spilling so easily every time she laughs or tilts her head in a too familiar manner but-- over time, Sage finds it hurting a little less. by the time Minus has been gone a year, by the time their daughter (their daughter because, no matter what happened, she was made of them both) looks about three, is curious and brilliant and mischevious (and possessing the ability to change her hair colour and eye colour at will, he learns), Sage almost has stopped crying when she goes to bed. almost.

he still wears Minsu's shirts, still keeps a choker with a fox collar around his neck, has eyes like a trickster tattooed at the base of his neck, but he is almost willing to live. not for himself, not even close, but for Jiyun.

so when he hears her screeching, something pleased and terrified all at once one afternoon, the witch drops his potion to the floor and flies out to find her clutching he beloved fox plush, eyes the familiar shade of orange and hair a brighter shade of his own staring wide-eyed at a stranger on the lawn, the witch is already pulling power from the swamp to get rid of whatever has traipsed into their world.

what he doesn't expect is for the magic he pulls upon to vibrate with recognition at the stranger, to shake him to his core with something joyous.

it wasn't a stranger at all.]

....Minsu?

[ the name almost chokes him, sends Sage to his knees with hope clawing up his throat, Jiyun running towards him to wrap around him and stare at Minsu with his own eyes.]

Who is it, daddy?

[ Sage opens his mouth to answer, but nothing comes out, breath still gone as he stares.]

[minsu wasn't always aware of it - maybe at first, when he followed sage into the swamp out of curiosity or a desire to be helpful. he'd feel it, the magic and energy of the swamp, prodding him like it was trying to provoke him, test him, or maybe just understand what the witch saw in him. whatever minsu gave it in return must've satisfied it. minsu stopped noticing it as much, but there was an unspoken bargain there. a silent consent. as long as it allowed him to stay by sage's side, it could have what it wanted from the fox.

he woke on new year's day filled with happiness and love, just watching sage - his fiance - sleeping late after a night of kisses that tasted like champagne and fireworks that exploded in their eyes as well as the sky. sage was beautiful on that morning, more powerful than most of his kind but looking sweetly vulnerable when curled up beside his lover. suddenly minsu was terrified - not of commitment, no, but of the sisters that he'd ran from two centuries before. if they came for him, and if they caught wind of this taboo love, they would. if they did, they would try to leave all that minsu loves in tatters.

it was nothing like the fear that he used to feel for himself, a shiver up his spine at the thought of the gumiho trio. it froze him to the bone. minsu left to handle them, bought a plane ticket and cried as he watched his world grow smaller from the window. but it was all to make sure that nothing could touch the life that they were going to build together, that nothing could touch Sage, because he was Minsu's life.

he's regretted it every day since. a thousand days has always been an important number of days to him, even if the slips kept setting him back. now the only number of days that matters is the number that it takes for him to be returned to where he belongs.

he never lived a single day during that time. he just fell back on old habits and simply survived. it wasn't pretty, but it got him back here, standing in front of their little swamp abode, looking like he's covered in half the damn thing himself - he's forgotten how slippery the place could be, and there isn't a part of his body that hasn't paid the price. minsu doesn't give a fuck because he's happy to feel it, happy to feel the pain and the beat of his heart again. happy to feel the magic attached to his ring swirl around him, like it's just as overjoyed to be returned to its source.

he's less certain about the confusion that comes to greet him. minsu stops a few feet from them, chest heaving and head tilting at the little girl, a gesture that sage has seen every time he placed oatmeal in front of her instead of bacon. she has hair the color of lichen, and eyes the color of flames, but none of that is what really tells him.

it's the way she's wrapped her tiny body around sage, like she's ready to die for him. ready to kill for him.]

Ah - Seiji...

[there are so many questions in his eyes, blurred by tears before he all but throws himself at their feet.]

[ Sage had always hoped that Minsu would come back, that he would appear in the doorframe of their bedroom some morning like he never left. but he didn't. the fox never showed back up and eventually Sage stopped hoping for anything other than perhaps a sense of peace. then again, he knew that he would never even find that if he didn't know what happened to Minsu, why the other left in the first place.

there was a shard of Sage that wondered if it was something about himself that drove the fox away, if he was too much or not enough or--

those questions ate him alive for a long while. until he came out of the swamp with Jiyun and tried to be the best father he could be for her. tried to make sure that she knew that he would love her no matter what, that he was always there for her and, no matter how much it hurt him to speak about him, he told her about Minsu too. about the father that gave her eyes like fire and that wicked sharp mind as well. he told her about how much he loved Minsu and how much the swamp knew he loved Minsu, and so the swamp gave him Jiyun.

never once did he give her the hope of meeting Minsu, never wanted to make a promise that wasn't within his control to keep.

and now--]

Seiji... [ the word sounds too round and stilted in her small mouth, but Jiyun adapts quickly puts the information together and mimics the tilt of his head. her grip on Sage loosens slightly, but the witch doesn't let go of her, shakes a little as he tries to breathe.]Daddy, is this Minsu...?

[ the witch still doesn't have a voice to tell her, just swallows thickly and nods, eyes on the fox.

fuck, fuck, he can't--

with a shaking arm, Sage reaches out to Minsu, fingers trembling as he brushes them against the tops of his cheekbones, awe on his face.]

I thought-- ff-- I thought you were gone, where-- Minsu--

[ he can't think, so with one arm still wrapped around Jiyun, Sage leans in and wraps his arms around MInsu, burying his face in the crook of his neck to cry.

sorry about the sharp little claw talons that stab at your back there, Minsu. someone isn't gonna forgive you so easily. ]

[minsu always knew that he was coming back to him, not because other people told him that it was possible, but because he had to believe it. it kept him alive - it kept other people alive. it kept him minsu, when he's not sure who or what he would've become without that belief. certainly not the man that sage loved, not the one he would marry, and minsu had to stay that man.

but this still feels like a dream, one that he's had a hundred nights that he even managed to fall asleep. and he knows it's been the same for sage. how many nights did he fall asleep crying into minsu's pillow? how many mornings did he wake up reaching for him and thinking that he'd had some horrible nightmare, until the reality hit? it hurts to even think about it, hurts in the way that makes it hard to even breathe.]

I'm sorry, baby, I'm sorry...

[minsu keeps whispering apologies between his sobs, hands roaming over the witch's body to feel for broken pieces, but those are on the inside. he cups the back of his head and holds him. an arm reaches around jiyun too. she smells like herbs and baby shampoo and the chicken nuggets she must've had for lunch. as long as he could stay by sage's side...he'd made a deal with the swamp, and the swamp delivered in the only way that it could. minsu doesn't know how, but she is one-half of him.]

I'm here, I'm - yah, ow.

[he gives voice to the little stabs of pain, but he doesn't try to avoid them. minsu sniffs and lifts his head, wiping at his tears to get a better look at her.]

You have your daddy's temper.

[but the way he smiles at that says that it's a good thing.]

[ Sage knows that he will be angry later, furious, when he finds out what Minsu has done and where he has gone. the lengths that he went to on his own with no note behind for Sage. the danger he has put himself in without letting Sage help. sure, he will understand it on some level but also-- there is a lot of pain buried in Sage's bones, Minsu leaving no matter the reason brought a lot of that to the surface.

even if Sage hoped that Minsu would come back, prayed to gods that hated him for his return, there was the voice in the witch that told him he was never meant for happily ever after. that no one was ever mean to stay. so when the swamp gave him Jiyun, he hoped that was a sign otherwise.

still, Sage can't keep the tears back, can't swallow down the noises that are sharp and thick with pain and grief and disbelief. can't stop himself from inhaling deeply and shaking at the familiar scent of the fox.]

You're back, you're home. Holy s-- thought I would never see you again, oh my -- [ his words are cut off, choked with emotion that he has had buried for so long, fingers clutching at the swamp covered fabric of Minsu's shirt. part of him wants to laugh at the mire all over him, the rest is just happy to have him back, breathes him in and moves to kiss Minsu as best he can with the angle and arm full of child. ]

I have my other daddy's claws too. [ she means your claws, but that is probably clear. there is something too sharp and too knowing in her look for a normal three-year-old as she watches Minus and Sage, the way Sage clings to him and moves back only to let one hand brush along the fox's cheek reverently. ] She's mad at you for making daddy cry, you know. But he missed you. And now you have to stay.

[ Sage laugh wetly, eyes still brimming as he tears his gaze from Minsu to smile softly at Jiyun, moving his hand to smooth down her hair.] Is that your hello to your father, little raven?

[ she doesn't look at all apologetic as she steps out of Sage's hold and stares at Minus. she then picks up her fox plushie and with a dramatic huff opens her arms and stares at Minsu. hug her, damnit.

the look on Sage's face makes it clear that he still doesn't know what to do, how to process this, but there is also something there, something that was broken for so long, mending together as he looks between them both. ] Minsu, this is Jiyun Oh Abernathy. [ a pause while he searches the fox's face. ] She's our daughter.

I'm home.

[the words have weight to them, a heaviness that promises that the nightmare is over, that he won't leave him again. any dangerous thing that comes for them, whether it's shaped like a fox or a wolf or a human, they'll face it together. the monster and the swamp will eat well.

(there will be more now, something in him whispers. if your lover was taboo, what will they think about this.)

minsu kisses sage's face, his eyes, his mouth, tastes the salt where his tears have touched every place. he buries his face against the witch and breathes him in. god, he's missed the way that he smells. but there's someone else who demands his attention, and he looks at jiyun with a fresh look of wonder. minsu watches, watches them, until a nervous little peal of laughter escapes his lips.]

Ah, Jiyun did such a good job. She's such a good girl.

[these are the things that she will hear from him for life. nothing about her claws or powers. the things that they've hated about themselves will be loved so much when housed by her.]

Yeah, I'm mad at me too.

[his voice cracks, emotional all over again at the thought of sage's tears, at knowing that he was the cause for them. it's unforgivable. minsu watches the way that sage touches her curiously, the affection in his voice. once, minsu would've been jealous of anyone else who found themselves in the witch's embrace, but now he feels differently. he understands. hope wasn't enough for the abandoned, this is what kept sage alive. it's a big job for someone so small, and it isn't fair. it should've been him....minsu should've been the one there to take care of him, take care of them both.

he scoops her up when she holds her arms open, reminding himself to be gentle. but she hugs him like such a big girl and minsu suddenly can't stop laughing. his eyes bright and wide, go to sage's face as he continues to process this. he knew, there could be no other explanation, but it's another thing entirely to hear.]

How...?

[nevermind, he doesn't care. he just pulls them both to him, swamp mud and all.]

Jiyun...your father named you well. [a blessing for sure.] Your other daddy...he has so much to make up for. Ahhh....

[why is he crying again. but for every tear that falls for the heartbreak that they've endured, two fall from happiness.]

I'm home. those words shake Sage to the marrow of his bones, seep into the fractures of his heart and begin to mend. there were going to be scars, but the witch already knew that. knew when he walked out of the swamp with a piece of himself and Minsu tangled together that there were going to be things that left harder tissue in their wake, but-- Minsu is back. he's home and Sage doesn't need to be told that the fox has no intention of leaving again to feel the promise in those words.

and yet, more than anything, he is the happiest for Jiyun, for the fact that she can now meet the being that gave her all that curiosity and desire and bright fire in her eyes.

opening his eyes (when did he close them? why? ) Sage watches with a curl to his lips as Minsu stares at their daughter and laughs, a hint of uncertainty in the noise. he runs his fingers through MInsu's hair reverently, as if he still can't believe he is there, as he Jiyun watches.]

As long as Minsu promises not to do that again, I don't think we need to be too mad, do we Jiyun?

[ there is a pointed look at Minsu, something still vulnerable and hurt beneath the look, before he looks to Jiyun, softness and love clear in the look.

there is a beat where she just stares, too bright and too knowing before she nods.]

Okay. Daddy says we gotta be nice, no making people cry, and you did. But if you promise... [ 'you're forgiven' is left unsaid, because promises are binding when you are three and made of more magic than anything else.

Sage just watches, watches as Jiyun accepts Minsu easily and the fox stares at him wide-eyed and stunned at knowing who Jiyun is. the witch gestures to the swamp, as if that answers everything (and it does), smiles as he feels as the swamp and her magic, as their magic, wraps back around the fox so easily. like breathing. fuck, it is like Sage is breathing again, the weight in his chest that had been there since he woke up to that empty bed lifting. Jiyun kept him alive, kept him going so that Minsu had a home to come back to. had a family to come back to and--

fuck. that makes Sage cry all over, burrowing into the embrace that Minsu offers to them both because family isn't a thing that he ever thought he would have. safety. home. belonging.

both his tears and Minsu's are wiped away with slightly dirty stuffed paws from Jiyun's fox toy which brings a burst of wet laughter from Sage, leaning back look at them both, but not pulling away from the embrace.]

Perhaps we should go inside, mmm? [ he looks at Jiyun. ] We're going to have to let your father here wash off the swamp's welcome home gift.

[ that earns a wrinkled nose from the child as she wriggles out of their grasp laughing and looking more than okay with the spots of mire on herself as she makes her way to the front door, swinging the fox wildly and singing about goldfish. Sage cannot be blamed for the smile on his face despite the tears, leaning into Minsu as he whispers.]

... she's got so much of you in her, Min. So fucking much, it hurt sometimes to see your eyes and not--[ he stops himself, shakes his head and breathes. ] C'mon, you smell like bog. I'll start a bath for you while Ji and I clean up the mess I made in the kitchen.

[minsu ducks his head at that look. it's a happy reunion right now, tearful, emotional, but happy. later the harder questions will come, and with the answers the realization that so much pain could've been avoided if minsu just hadn't left that morning. he will feel the guilt for it, and it will take a long time of apologies and kept promises to even begin to make up for it.

but they'll forgive him. they'll love him. minsu knows this because he's going to do everything in his power to earn it.]

I'm fine, I'm fine.

[he's so afraid to let go, so afraid to let them out of his sight for even a second for fear that they'll disappear. he even reaches jiyun as she starts walking away, so bright and happy that minsu still has trouble believing that she's real. but there's no way that his weak and dark mind could conjure her from nothing.

he grasps sage's hand, squeezing it and smiling at his words. funny, he sees so much sage in her, tiny but headstrong, taking him apart with a look but also loving enough to hold him together with a hug.]

She's amazing...

[he looks to sage then, pulling the witch close for one more hug and a quick kiss. ...okay, maybe not so quick. minsu sighs against his mouth, touching their foreheads when it breaks. he feels like he can get to his feet then, pulling sage up with him. every minute that passes reassures him that this is real. so he should clean up, he should...eat something, maybe. they should start being a family. minsu chews on his bottom lip as they join jiyun inside, the fox casting a sheepish glance at sage.]

Do I still have clothes here?

[ eventually Sage will tell Minsu that he never stopped loving him, that he has no love or forgiveness to be earned from the witch because he never stopped loving him and forgave him as soon as he returned.

but that is for a later time, now he just revels in being able to see the joy and adoration on Minsu's face directed at Jiyun (exactly as he always imagined), and the ability to feel Minsu close and here. Sage is laughing still when Minsu kisses him, lets the kiss swallow up his laughter and the last few broken noises from between his ribs. he is flushed with his fingers tangled in Minsu's hair when they part, eyes closed for a heartbeat before he opens them, lets Minsu pull them towards the house.

Jiyun is rummaging through the closet in the front hall when they come in, dustpan in hand and small face scrunched in a concentrated look as she searches for a broom, the shards of broken glass in the kitchen barely visible from where they are, but it is clear she knows what to do.]

Ji, darling, don't worry about that. Daddy will clean up the mess he made. [ he takes the dustpan from her and reaches to the side to grab the broom. ] Take your father to the bathroom so he can clean up, okay?

...is he allowed to use your special bath potions?

[ she is reaching for Minsu's hand, tiny fingers wrapping around his as she stares at Sage, who laughs. ] If he wants to, he is allowed. I told you, those are for grown-ups. You are too little for that much magic, precious.

[ there is a pout on her face, but a resigned one. she has clearly heard that more than once. then she is tugging Minsu towards the bathroom, as if he might not know where it is.] C'mon daddy, we can make bubbles then!

[ Sage leans in then, pressing a kiss to Minsu's lips before Jiyun drags him away, eyebrow raised a little because, seriously, you thought he got rid of your things? he is wearing your sweater, idiot. ] Nothing's moved, Min. I couldn't-- I needed to think you'd come back for us. [ us. your family. fuck. he closes his eyes a moment, swallows the pain that bubbles up before he opens them again and stares at Minsu with a softness that no one else is privy to. ] I love you, okay. Always. We have things to talk about but-- I love you, Minsu. Always have and always will.

[it's always a kiss in the fairy tales. they've always had such a love-hate relationship with those stories, both aware of what becomes of beings like them, always death instead of happily ever after. but they were also determined to write their own, to have that ending. in fairy tales, it's a kiss that wakes a sleeping princess or transforms a beast. for minsu, it's sage's kiss that heals him, makes him feel whole again.

minsu nearly flies into a panic when he realizes that jiyun is about to clean up broken glass, any shard of which could rob her of a drop of her precious blood. hell, it's nearly as bad when he realizes that sage is going to do it instead, these two who are more precious to minsu than his own life.]

I can do that.

[cue every protective instinct in his body - which is a lot, especially right now. minsu blinks, a worried frown still on his lips as the little girl takes his hand. the fox looks between them as they talk, and it hits him again how much like sage she is, how she speaks of things with a child's language but with more than a child's understanding.]

Make sure you remember that. Your daddy's really smart, he wouldn't tell you anything that's wrong.

[he looks at sage with a fond smile before she's tugging him in the direction of the bathroom. it's the most perfect tug-of-war, jiyun tiny but insistent, minsu starved for presses of sage's mouth. but it's those words that he's missed the most, and fuck if he doesn't look like he's in danger of falling to his knees right there. he gives in instead, letting jiyun lead him while looking back over his shoulder.] I love you - you can keep the sweater. I'll find a new favorite.

[he laughs, even if it wasn't particularly funny. he just has to express his happiness in some way, through movement or sound. minsu kneels down beside the tub once they reach the bathroom, turning the water on and folding his arms on the edge of it as he goes back to studying jiyun.]

I like your friend. [he smiles and nods at the stuffed fox.] Does he have a name?

[wait. bubbles...she wanted to make bubbles. minsu starts looking around for the potions, murmuring to himself.]

Ah, which one was it again...

Nuh uh! Daddy was wrong about the wispy willows singing, and I was right![ Jiyun looks awfully proud of herself, even if that makes no sense to Minsu at all. whatever it references though makes Sage laugh, nudging at her with the end of the broom.]

Go on, raven, I will join you both when I have cleaned up my mess okay.

[ his eyes don't leave her and Minsu though, as if he can't quite believe what he is seeing. in the beginning, the first few months, Sage would have dreams about Minsu coming home but-- they were never like this. never this real with broken glass in the kitchen, Jiyun smudged with dirt, and Minsu looking like he went swimming in the swamp. they were always too perfect, too much like the ending picture in one of the story books he would read to Jiyun at bedtime.

this was real. smeared with moss and mire and perfect in ways Sage could never have imagined.]

Mmm, and I will steal that one too.

[ then Sage Minsu is out of sight and Sage is cleaning in the kitchen, trusting that Jiyun will keep Minsu more than enraptured for the time being.

and she does, swinging her fox plushy around as Minsu runs the bath. when she asks him about the name--]

Her name is Mimi. Daddy gave her to me when we came outta the swamp.[ she holds up the fox which, despite patches of dirt, looks awfully well put together considering the adventures she has been on. there is a familiar brand of magic stitched into the lines of the fox if Minsu looks close enough, magic amplified by the same magic that simmers in Jiyun's veins.]

Bubbles are in the green one. But the fun bubbles that make you fly are in the tiny orange one.[ look at her helping you out.

don't open the orange one. it was a trial thing Sage attempted once to amuse Jiyun and it took an hour to get her off the ceiling. clearly, she looks like she really wants Minsu to use that one.

there is a beat of Jiyun swinging Mimi back and forth before she stops and watching Minsu with sharp eyes, the eyes of a fox, and solemnly:]

... you promise you aren't gonna leave daddy again, right. Because he missed you lots. He told me every day you'd come back, but the swamp didn't know. [ the implication is clear; the swamp speaks to Jiyun far more clearly than it ever did to Sage.]That's why she gave me to him. She was gonna wait, but he tried to see her too soon so I had to make sure I protected him.

[ there is no judgement in her voice, just curiosity. and perhaps a little bit of a warning. she would protect Sage, both of them, even if she is too young to know what that really means. ]

[minsu takes a closer look at the fox, because he knows a thing or two about sage's protective instincts, how they're stitched into every act of love. literally, in mimi's case. and while minsu doesn't understand magic nearly as well as sage does, there are things that he's quickly understanding when it comes to jiyun's. sage wasn't trying to protect her from the swamp - there isn't a thing here that would harm her. he was making sure that she was protected from anyone or anything that would dare come into the swamp to harm her.]

Hmm...

[minsu hums, curved lips and narrowed eyes as he considers between the two bubble options. but he literally just got home. maybe it's too soon for the mischief of two foxes. better to ease sage into it, so he reaches for the green one instead.

he adds it to the water, watching it swirl around, mountains of foam already forming. he should be terrified by what jiyun's telling him - she's so young, should be playing dress-up instead of conversing with such a great and terrible power. but minsu just looks at her with sad eyes, imagining how much sage has suffered. how much jiyun has suffered too, missing one daddy while comforting the other.

minsu turns towards her, reaching for her tiny hand and letting his bead roll off his tongue and into her palm.]

You know what this is, right? It's important to daddy, but not as important as other daddy and jiyun are. He swears on it that he'll never leave them again.

[he leans in, pressing his lips against a soft cheek, letting her hold the bead until she deems fit to give it back to him. minsu's life has always belonged to sage. now it's her right too.]

Now come on, let's clean up so we don't mess up the floors again.

[hopefully he won't lose her in that mountain of suds.]

[ while Jiyun's disappointment at not getting to hang out on the ceiling is clear on her face when MInsu picks up the green bottle, it also isn't a very surprised look either. clearly she is used to having her mischief thwarted even if only a little bit. but eventually, they will have their fun, perhaps she can even teach Minsu some new tricks.

walking towards the bathtub, Jiyun is completely ready to lean over the tub and slap her hands in the bubbles that are forming, but she is stopped when Minsu reaches for her. there is no shock or confusion on her face as the bead spills from his lips, just a few blinks as she tips her head and holds it up, eyes fixed on the surface of it.]

Yours is so pretty! Like the scribbler bowl daddy has in the kitchen! [ she means scrying bowl but-- whatever] But you gotta keep it safe![ cue her tiny hands trying to shove it back in your mouth when you lean in to kiss her.] You can't let people have that or you'll get really sick. Daddy told me, and you bein' sick will make him sad.

[ a little pause as she looks at Minsu. ]

And me. I'll be sad too. But I still wish mine was as pretty as yours, look.

[ yup, that sure is a bead of bone that Jiyun is spitting into her tiny palm. it is white and grey and algae green, rougher too, but still clearly the bead of a gumiho. she looks terribly proud as she holds it up with a grin.

which is when Sage appears in the doorway, sleeves pushed up and face red but clear. oddly enough he doesn't look at all surprised to find Jiyun showing off her bead to Minsu, so he doesn't say anything and leans against the doorway, a soft look of awe on his face.

fuck, he never thought he would get to see this, no matter what stories he told Jiyun. ]

Edited (what are words) 2018-04-04 01:05 (UTC)

[minsu has a similar look of awe when jiyun shows him her bead. she might not think it's pretty, but his opinion is just the opposite.]

It's beautiful. [minsu closes her hand around it, and presses a kiss to her knuckles.] There's not another bead like that. There's never been one like it. It's Jiyun's alone and it's special, so she has to keep hers safe too.

[made of him, made of sage, but also uniquely her. he looks up at sage, the silent question of what have we created? on his face. but it's clear that he thinks it's something wonderful.]

...Okay, daddy's taking a bath now.

[he's imagined this moment a lot too, only it included sage and a lot of candles and...well, there wasn't a three year old in the picture, but damned if he has any complaints.]

[ Jiyun doesn't look quite convinced about that, she still clearly thinks that Minsu's is prettier even if she nods before letting the bead vanish again. she probably wants to say something else but then she realizes that Sage is there and stops, running over to him to tug him into the bathroom with her.]

Why didn't you tell me daddy had a pretty soul like that! I like his, but he said mine is special so that's okay. And he wouldn't let me play with the orange bubbles either.[ A DRAMATIC SIGH. Sage tries really hard not to smile while sending Minsu a grateful smile. he had almost forgotten about those. ] Can we make bubble hats again, please?

[ and this will be Minsu's first encounter with the most effective pouting Jiyun face that he will encounter. unfortunately, she learned very quickly that there were a few things that Sage was weak towards; her with wide eyes and hope bright in them was one of them. the fact that her eyes flickered orange as she stared between the two of them probably helped a little.

Sage kneels down, leaning a little against Minsu as he speaks.] We can, but after your daddy gets clean okay? There will still be bubbles left, then we can come back and make bubble hats. And beards too if you want. We should get you some food though. Then it's quiet time for a while, okay?

[ the bland look she gives Sage is all him, annoyance and displeasure as she rolls her eyes a little. don't you dare laugh, Minsu. she can be a terror. ] Fine. But I want bacon.

[ Sage pretends to think about it, like he wasn't going to make a ton of meat for her and Minsu, before nodding. ] Deal. Sound like a plan to you, Min?

[ there is another quick kiss pressed to the corner of his lips, Sage taking every opportunity to do so because he can, even if he is being far more restrained than he wants to be. falling apart a little more can wait for when Jiyun is having quiet time. aka napping. ]

[jiyun pulls that face, and minsu looks back at that bath potions again, trying to decide if it's too late to give her her orange bubbles. this is her true power - not magic or shapeshifting, but the power to wrap the both of them around her little finger. it happens to minsu in record time.

but sage clearly has the experience here, doing what's best for her while being so gentle about it. minsu nods along with him, because everything that the witch says is true. he needs to learn this.]

Is she hungry a lot?

[he asks quietly. he means it more than just a small body with a big appetite. he worries about a hunger like his gnawing at her all the time, that she wants something more. if bacon makes her happy, minsu will make sure that she always has bacon. he'll raise the pigs himself if he needs to.

and sorry sugar, minsu can't not laugh when she gives her daddy that look. it's so very sage, so unamused, compromise coming because she loves the person that she's negotiating with too much to keep pushing it. he's been on sage's end of this scenario a hundred times or more.]

Bacon's my favorite too. I'll hurry.

[minsu slides an arm around sage's waist and squeezes. there will be no relaxing amidst the bubbles. all he wants is to get clean so he can join them again.]

[ how dare. not that Sage is all that upset at the laughter, but he shoots Minso a dry look anyway (and if it happens to look a little bit like the look on Jiyun's face, well--), before ruffling Jiyun's hair and gesturing for her to head to the kitchen. she complies easily, Mimi swinging wildly as she heads out of the bathroom.

Sage slumps a little more into the hold Minsu has on his waist, shakes a little as he breathes.]

She eats a lot, but the hunger isn't there in the same way though. At least not that I can tell. [ she doesn't have to wrestle with herself, doesn't feel the need to eat the way Minsu did. perhaps the swamp tempers that, Sage knows that she consumes magic in a way he cannot even begin to fathom.

hence the watching of what potions and magics were around her all the time. the witch turns a little to bury his face in the crook of Minsu's neck, breathing him in. ] I'll grab some clothes for you before I go make food.

[ it is clear with the way he moves that Sage wants nothing more than to stay here wrapped around Minsu but-- it isn't just them anymore. so Sage gets up with one more quick kiss before vanishing. he appears for a moment to leave some of Minsu's clothes just inside the door, jeans and a shirt that might smell a little of Sage, before he is off to the kitchen.

when Minsu comes out he will find Jiyun sitting in a homemade high chair made up of wood and vines and a few flowers, legs kicking as she gnaws on some bacon, eyes bright as she regales Sage as he stands at the stove with a story about some frogs she named while playing outside.]

So they like their new names then?

[ Jiyun nods, tears her gaze from Sage and the food to smile at Minsu. ] Yup. Spot and Butterfly. Daddy! You saved the bubbles, right?

[minsu gives his hip a reassuring squeeze, turns his body a little more so that he can wrap the other arm around sage while he buries his face against his neck. he's the one who's reassured. he does't want to think about their little girl at war with herself. she doesn't deserve it, she's innocent, and maybe the swamp filtered out the worst parts of him when it made her.

he groans softly when sage pulls away, not in protest - jiyun needs him too and minsu would never take from her. it's just the longing for when he can hold sage and keep holding him. minsu lets him go, for now, undressing and stepping into the tub. it feels nice - the soap bubbles smell clean in a way that minus didn't. the smell of home is all around him, even if it's slightly different now. there's traces of jiyun everywhere, and sage's scent mingled with his own in a way that it wasn't even before. he breathes it in as he pulls his shirt on, pulling it up over his nose and mouth and just inhaling deeply.

he lingers in the doorway, just watching them for a few seconds. it's like a scene in someone else's life. he vaguely remembers seeing things like this through windows around holidays. he didn't understand it, told himself he didn't want it. but now it's his, and fuck if he isn't prepared to hold onto it with everything he's got.]

I saved them all for you.

[minsu smiles and sits down, and his stomach is already tearing itself up over whatever sage is cooking. he keeps looking from the witch to her, occasionally reaching out to touch her foot, her hand, a small ear. the way someone might inspect an especially beautiful but delicate doll.]

Ah...I always liked the frogs too. [he smiles at her.] They're fun. I wanted to wrestle with alligators too, but daddy wouldn't let me.

[things minsu probably shouldn't say to an impressionable three year old. but he'll learn.]

Yay! I get to make bubble hats before quiet time!

[ it is times like this when Sage is forever thankful for the swamp and what it has given him, including all the rough times and bruises, if it ended him here with this. with Minsu sitting at the table with Jiyun, both of them smiling with that curl to their lips, intelligence and magic simmering in their skin so brightly it almost hurts to look at. Jiyun has accepted Minsu just like that (the swamp has accepted him back just like that, Sage thinks) and Minsu looks at her like he can't quite believe she's real.

it's the same way Sage looks at the two of them sitting there, honestly.

the witch is about to turn back to the stove, finish with the large pan of meat that he is making for Minsu, when the fox mentions alligators.

of course, Jiyun squeals in delight at the thought, clapping her hands despite the bacon clutched in her fingers and Sage really can't help but shoot Minsu a simmering furious look. he just got her to leave the fucking redcaps alone, Minsu. why?]

Can I ride an all--

No, precious, your daddy was joking. [ POINTED LOOK. ] There are no more alligators around here, the moved away because they wanted more sun.

[ not a lie, not really. even if he does feel bad at the pout that flares to life on her face. but then again-- she would try to ride an alligator. Sage knows it.

the witch is still giving Minsu a pointed look as he plates the food, sliding most of it in front of Minsu while giving a smaller plate to Jiyun. hers also had the addition of some vegetables, and everything is nicely cut up (even if Sage learned a long time ago that when her teeth came in, they were that of a fox and he really didn't need to worry about that). Jiyun is still sulking about the alligators as Sage sits down, mug of cold coffee in his hand.]

Don't give me that look, little raven, just eat your food before the bubbles go away okay?

But I-

[he's pretty sure he saw an alligator or two on his way back, so they haven't all moved away. but then he catches sage's Look, the one that tells him to think before he says another word.

minsu presses his lips together and smiles back at him. food. food will help keep him from saying the wrong thing, because minsu will find it as impossible to lie to her as he does to sage.

he takes a bite and suddenly he's ravenous. the next bite shoved in alongside the first one, the swallows so hard that it looks like he might choke. he never does, of course, but he tries to slow down. already he's afraid of being a bad influence on her, when sage has worked so hard, so patiently to help her be so wonderful.]

We can make an alligator out of bubbles.

[he offers as a compromise, gaze shifting to the witch to see if that's okay.]

You have to finish your...first.

[he points out the green stuff on her plate, don't ask him.]

... okay. An' maybe tomorrow we can make one outta wood too?

[ good save there, Minsu, good save. Jiyun has accepted the compromise and made it her own which he will soon realize she does a lot.

Sage relaxes a little though, huffing a laugh at the way Minsu encourages her while at the same time stuffing his face. there is blatant fondness on his face as the fox shovels food into his mouth, the witch's gaze flickering between Minsu and Jiyun as they eat. Jiyun eats everything with the same focus that MInsu does, and about as much cleanliness too.

the similar smears of food on both their faces makes him laugh, bright and happy, leaning in to put his much down to wipe it away from them both.]

Mmm, all your veggies, Ji. That way you have more energy later for helping me catch the fireflies for the spell, okay?

[ yup, she sure does shovel nearly all the carrots and broccoli into her mouth in one go, cheeks bulging familiarly, as she chews. as if Minsu might need more proof that she is his in a way only the swamp could provide. it makes Sage tip his head to stare at Minsu like 'she is yours can't you tell?']

Jiyun, what have we said about eating our meals slowly?

[ wide innocent eyes as she chews, muffled words. clearly this is a work in progress.

Sage sighs, but is smiling. ]

I know, I know. Please chew carefully okay. Your father has a lot more practice at this than you.

[ stretching his feet out, Sage lets his legs tangle with Minsu's under the table, a little more sadness and tension lifting from him at the touch. ]

[he needs to slow down, needs to slow down because there is a little set of eyes watching him now. minsu is the example for one half of what she is, and he needs to make sure that he's a good one.

he swallows his mouthful, then takes a deliberately smaller bite, making sure that jiyun sees him chewing before he speaks.]

What spell?

[minsu reaches over to rub her back as she chews and swallows, catches one of sage's legs between his beneath the table. he could get used to this...no, he already loves this. jiyun smacks her lips as she eats and it makes him smile, makes him think that she really does just enjoy her food that much. good.]

Can I help?

[ if Sage notices how Minsu slows down his chewing, he doesn't say anything about it. maybe there is a thankful glance spared to him, foot rubbing along the line of Minsu's leg as they both watch her chew a little more thoughtfully.

tipping his heat back a little, Sage watches Minsu, quiet for the moment as he just-- takes it all in. there is the urge to cry bubbling in his throat again, affection and relief and overwhelming adoration all there as he looks between the two of them, how Jiyun watches Minsu eat, how Minsu tailors how he eats to be a good example, how--

fuck.

rubbing his face, Sage shakes the urge away. later, he can fall apart later.]

Do you remember the spell, Ji?

[ there is a piece of meat sticking out of the corner of her mouth as she tears her eyes from Minsu to stare at Sage. the furrow of her brow as she tries to remember. ]

The one for the witch that smells like chips.[ that makes Sage chuckle. the sea witch, for some reason Jiyun thought he smelled like chips. ] We gotta make the water lights.

Yes we do. Do you think you can use your daddy's help catching fireflies?

[ there are times when she doesn't want any help at all, even when it is clear she needs it. but Sage has decided that he will always give her the choice to ask, never make her feel bad for trying or for asking. he remembers how he was made to feel when he asked for help, and he refuses to have her feel that way. ]

He can hold the jar for me! Is that okay?

[ she looks to Minsu then, waiting to see if he would agree.]

[minsu wants certain things for their daughter: he wants her to eat well, and be happy, and know that she's loved. he also wants her to know how to tear a throat out if she needs to, but that's a lesson for another day. today: eat your vegetables and chew them slowly.

minsu waits, folding a piece of meat over in his own mouth before sitting up a little straighter at that description.]

The same one?

[the sea witch, ahh. minsu shifts his eyes away, tearing another bite straight from the bone. what he imagines are impossible things, but sage is beautiful, and jiyun is beautiful, and chips better not have had anything else in mind besides water lights...

minsu waits, chewing slower mostly because his mind is on something else right now. he watches jiyun, nodding quickly at her decision.]

I'll hold the jar. I'm good at that. Just wait and see how many fireflies we catch together.

[together, with his daughter and his fiance, and the depths can come get its dead for any rivals who dare.]

Hmmm? The same one what?

[ Sage spent some time simply not doing anything when Minsu first vanished, and then, for a month or six, when he first emerged from the swamp with Jiyun in tow. but the little girl proved to be smarter and faster and more independant than most (magic, gumiho, whatever) and so, by the time her first winter had passed, Sage was back to making potions and charms and spells to sell and trade. many of his clients had no idea what caused his absence, assumed that he was ill or perhaps Minsu had fallen ill, had no idea about Jiyun at all.

and for the most part, Sage was fine with that. did not need more creatures or hunters appearing at his doorstep looking for his daughter. but there were a few that knew that something was up, though no one knew the whole truth. the sea witch was one of the few who knew about Jiyun, thought it was amazing and would often include little shells just for her along with whatever he was trading with Sage. she had a collection in her room, most of them housing dirt and little plants now. but Minsu didn't have to worry about anything else: even if Minsu had never come back, Sage is fairly sure he would never have taken another to his bed. there are some things you don't recover from.]

Last time I got threeteen!

[ Sage smiles into his cold coffee, flickers a gaze at Minsu. numbers are still a work in progress some days. ]

Thirteen, Ji. But yes, she is very good at catching fireflies. The best, actually.

[ Ji smiles around a mouthful of food, teeth sharp, and Sage can't help the huff of laughter and the pang that resonates in his chest. he never thought he would find someone he would burn the world down for, never thought he would find people that he loved with every fiber of his being, and now he had two.

god help anyone who tried to take this from him.

finishing his coffee, Sage stands up and gestures to Ji to finish the little bit of food left (not that he needed to, she rarely left a plate with food on it) before moving to the sink.]

Finish up there, then you and daddy can go make some alligators out of bubbles while I clean up a bit. Then, quiet time.

[ the look on Jiyun's face is sharp then as she looks between Sage and Minsu, too clever for a normal three-year-old, eyes flickering orange. ]

Are you gonna talk to daddy and make him promise? 'cause I already did. An' he meant it, even the swamp agreed.

[ Sage braces himself against the counter, head dropped for a moment. times like this he wonders what else lies beneath her skin, what other magics are there in her bones, she sees too much and understands even more, and then--]

...can I bring the alligator to quiet time, please?

[ his shoulders shake with laughter and something else as he turns around.] If you really want to, I will let your daddy decide that one.

Nothing, love.

[there are much better and more important things to focus on now. there's not a thought to spare for the sea witch, there's only his swamp witch, and their little fox witch, and just as his love for them fills minsu's head with shadowy thoughts of what he would do to protect and keep them, just being with them drives those same thoughts away.

minsu pushes his plate away, resting his chin on the table as his eyes go from one to the other as they talking about numbers and fireflies. he ate a lot and finished quickly, but his appetite wasn't as voracious as it's been for every day that he's been apart. sage probably remembers well how sex could sate him in a similar way. it turns out that happens can too. jiyun's grin makes him grin, revealing a similar set of sharp teeth.]

I'm gonna eat it if you don't. [minsu finger-walks across the table like he's coming for her plate. it stops when she says that about the swamp, and minsu can see the effect that the words have on sage too. he sits up, gaze still soft on her.]

The swamp is a good friend to you, isn't it.

[it scares minsu too, in a way. it's the nature of the swamp to be a little frightening as well as powerful. he's never completely understood it, but it seems like even sage has questions about their daughter's link to it. minsu doesn't reach for her plate, but for her hand, giving it a gentle little squeeze. he looks a little alarmed when sage gives him the final say on alligators, worried that he'll choose the wrong answer. but this is something he needs to get used to, so he thinks it over, glancing from jiyun's hopeful face to sage's fond, amused one.]

I think it would be okay. After all, I'm taking your daddy to quiet time!

[ there is a squeal of laughter from Jiyun as Minsu teases her about eating her food, and shoves the last of it into her mouth with an ease that would terrify and worry most parents. Sage-- well Sage is teaching her to chew period, and knows that she is much like her father in the sense that she can eat far more than a normal child, hell he is sure she came out of the swamp with the ability to eat ribs off the bone. still, her laughter and smiling face as she ate soothes the shiver that passes through Sage.

the swamp is more than a friend to her, it is home and life and mother. Jiyun has two fathers and a mother, and all of them have fangs they are willing to bare for their child.]

Uh huh! I came outta the swamp, and it loves daddy and me an' you too. But that's not important, we gotta go make alligators before the bubbles go!

[ there is sauce on her cheek and a fire in her eyes as she speaks, holding her hands out to Minsu clearly expecting him to pick her up and take her to the bathroom. which, well, she is. Sage laughs and moves away from the counter, grabbing their plates and pressing a kiss to Minsu's temple before pressing another to Jiyun's head. god, he would do whatever he could to protect these two.]

That's an excellent idea there, little raven. Go on and make the alligators, but remember what I said about the blood magic in the house, okay?

[ there is a flicker of a look to Minsu at that. the fox knows that blood makes the magic in the swamp stronger, has seen Sage make sacrifices, knows how many bodies the witch has put into the murky depths. the same goes for their daughter, only-- she is so much more powerful. Sage has caught her, more than once, creating half-life with a prick of her finger with her too sharp teeth.

the rule is now that such creations can only be done outside, under parental supervision but-- well, he isn't sure Minsu would know what to do with a zombie frog made out of moss and sticks let alone a zombie bubble alligator.]

No big messes in the house. I won't! C'mon daddy!

[ she wiggles her fingers at Minsu, eyes mischevious. it makes Sage laugh; he has seen that look on Minsu's face so many times.]

Uhhuh, I want to be able to enjoy my own quiet time, okay?

[minsu doubts that the swamp actually loves him. maybe the parts of it that exist within sage and their daughter. and whatever feelings or investment or whatever that they swamp has in them, it must know how minsu feels about them, the lengths he would go to. and that makes him something that the swamp should at the very least tolerate.]

Okay....can I wrestle it? [he's only half joking, but min let it go. the fox picks jiyun up, wiping the sauce off of her face with his sleeve. sage has saved those clothes for so long, and already he's staining them up. but it's okay, he's home, and sage will never have to settle for his faded scent again.

he pauses, gaze sliding back in the witch's direction at the mention of blood magic. it makes him squeeze his eyes shut for a moment, not from the horror of it - he has watched those bodies sink beneath the surface. he brought some of them right to him. but there's something, the memory of a dream or something when they slept with the windows open, the sounds and the scents of the swamp drifting through them as minsu tried to sleep...

zombie foxes.]

Here we come!

[minsu lifts her up onto his shoulders, letting her point the way like he's nothing more than her trusty steed. it's not far from the truth. he puts her down in front of the bubbles, kneeling by her side.]

What if you make the alligator and I make bubble eggs?

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

i'll crawl home to her.

Roy Mustang - FMA

Vax'ildan | Critical Role | OTA

beth greene | the walking dead | ota

evan sabahnur | x-men

Zenji Banba | Hakata Tonkotsu Ramens

Meryl Stryfe | Trigun

Bruce Banner | MCU

U'rajul Tia | FFXIV OC | m/m

Ignis Scientia | Final Fantasy XV | M/M

John Clark (CIA) | Sum of All Fears | ota

Ryo Asuka | Devilman Crybaby | m/m

Mystique/X-MEN/ota

minsu oh | original

Ororo Munroe | XMCU | OTA

jack benjamin | kings

Rhys the Company Man | Borderlands | M/M

Tess Morgan ⚡ The Flash

Victor Creed (Sabretooth) | XMCU | ota

Jyn Erso | Rogue One | OTA

h..a.....ha....haaaa ; ;

I THINK YOU MEAN THE SOUND OF SOBBING

pretty much yes

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remember how this was supposed to be smut. STARES INTO THE DISTANCE

i guess this is to balance out all the threads that accidentally smutted

'accidentally' smutted. right. okay.

"accidentally"

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