Marshall Nolan (vetsorders) wrote in shadows_rpg, @ 2021-12-30 01:46:00 |
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Entry tags: | #june 2018, marshall, marshall x sage, sage |
Who: Marsh & Sage
Where: Dino's, then Black Cove
When: Thursday evening, 6/21
Status: Complete, part 1
Marsh was beginning to realize that he was acting recklessly. He'd been away from Point Pleasant for so long that he'd forgotten what kind of freedom that distance had given him - and how he was taking that freedom for granted. He was home now and he'd already scored a date. With a guy. This was probably a terrible idea but everything about Sage so far had him acting weird and reckless. Was it a big deal anyway? So what if he was bi, so what if there were rumors? It felt a bit like making a risky move in sports, if he got hurt then that was a later time problem. He still considered at least telling his mom he was bi, but he never found the time, so when Thursday rolled around he was feeling a little bit apprehensive. It occurred to him that maybe he should invite Sage over to his place for dinner instead of meeting in a public place but they'd made plans and he didn't want to make assumptions or make Sage feel like he owed him sex or something. Meeting at home was definitely an indicator of intentions!
He texted him about an hour before they planned to meet, just to make sure they were still on and that Sage would be ready at seven for Marsh to pick him up. God he felt crazy for doing this, but excited too, there was something about the blue haired boy that sparked his interest and it was pretty obvious he wasn't exactly in his right mind around him. Had he been affected by the Monday weirdness? Was this something that had worn off? He was curious about that too as he worked on getting ready and waited for Sage to text him back.
Sage had tried not to stress about the date for the rest of the week, but it was one of the few things he had to look forward to, so his mind kept coming back to it. He kept expecting Marh to change his mind and call it off, or not show up at all, and as disappointing as that might be, Sage couldn’t really have blamed him. There was no part of his life that wasn’t a mess and it was obvious to everyone that knew him, even those he’d just met, like Marsh. But when he texted an hour before their agreed upon time, Sage was glad he’d gone ahead and showered, just in case. He texted him back that he’d be ready at seven, then spent the majority of his remaining time rifling through his closet, attempting to find something to wear. He felt underdressed without a baseball hat on, but determined it was better to go without, leaving him in a t-shirt with a flannel open over it, ripped skinny jeans, and black converse sneakers. Was it date attire? He had no fucking idea, but it was him, so he thought it was okay.
They weren't going anywhere fancy, so Marsh didn't dress up too much for it, trying to look casual and like he hadn't been trying too hard, even if he had. He'd settled on black jeans and a maroon t-shirt from some very soft cotton, both for his own comfort and hopefully it was something Sage would enjoy touching. They were just going to Dino's, there was no dress code there and he didn't want to show up looking like a total tool. Thankfully he was pretty sure Sage was a casual kind of guy himself and once he'd parked outside his place in Seaview he was glad to see he'd been right. If anything Marsh had dressed up way nicer, but there was a charm to those clothes Sage was wearing and they fit his vibe perfectly. He smiled at Sage when he got in the car and gave him an appreciative once-over. "Hi again," he said and maybe that smile didn't want to leave his face because he was a little nervous.
Sage’s stomach was in knots by the time he climbed into Marsh’s car and he couldn’t help but give the guy a quick once over as well. He was as hot as Sage remembered, and definitely better dressed than him, but Sage felt like it was important that he be himself. Marsh had met him at his worst, but going the opposite direction and setting a standard that he couldn’t maintain didn’t make sense. “Hey,” he smiled, fingers drumming on his knees once he’d finished buckling up. He was tempted to pull at the frayed edges of the holes there, but he knew it was just nerves. “You’re actually here. I was, like, ninety percent certain you were going to back out. Not because you’re a flake or anything, but I know I didn’t make the best first impression. Or second impression. Third time’s a charm?” Oh God, he had to stop talking.
"Third time's a charm," Marsh agreed with a little laugh, even if Sage hadn't really made a bad impression on him that second time they met; he'd just stirred up some darker longings and gotten Marsh's head screwed on wrong. On the scale of badness that Point Pleasant could inspire, breaking into a vet's office really wasn't among the worst offenders. "And yeah, I... I had second thoughts, but not because of you, I wanted to see you so." He felt like Sage deserved to know why so he didn't get them going just yet, not wanting to make his date feel trapped in the car already on the way to a restaurant while he rambled at him. "I'm not out. To anyone," he said with a little wince. "I'm not in either, strictly speaking. I just never really talked about it. So asking you out was probably a little crazy. Crazy Monday, am I right?" He gave Sage a slightly pained smile of hope and apprehension both, even if he didn't really expect this to be a dealbreaker for a date.
Sage raised a brow and patiently waited for more when Marsh said he’d had second thoughts, because he definitely couldn’t leave it at that. Even though Marsh said it wasn’t because of him, it tied his stomach in knots, as that was the only thing that made sense in Sage’s head. At least, until Marsh explained. If his brow could rise any higher, it would have. “It was definitely a weird day,” he said, eyeing Marsh curiously. As someone who didn’t flaunt his sexuality, he understood not talking about it, but most of the people that were close to him knew that he was open to dating both girls and guys. If Marsh wasn’t out to anyone, then going on a date had the potential to change that fast, though it didn’t have to be that way. It was just a first date and Sage didn’t expect them to start swapping spit while eating pizza. But he still felt like he needed to check in and get a feel for what Marsh was comfortable with. He’d already come close to crossing so many lines with the man that he didn’t want to immediately cross another. “So, are you cool with this? Do you need me to, like, be discreet? ‘Cause I promise I wasn’t planning on making a scene or anything. Unless you’re into that,” he added, lips turning up mischievously. Sometimes he couldn’t help himself.
"You're a little bit dangerous, aren't you," Marsh murmured with a grin and he had to admit he liked it. "You can behave however you want, the whole point of this is to get to know you, right?" Fuck discrete, he'd deal with the fallout later. If he was going to live in Point Pleasant, he didn't want to be playing hide and seek for the rest of his life. "Okay," he added and pulled out of the driveway since Sage hadn't felt the compulsion to run or anything. "Let's do this date thing. Do you date a lot? 'Cause I don't, not really. I like getting to know people more organically, I guess." And didn't he already know a lot about Sage without having had a date with him? Yes he did, so that was something. Still, dates could be fun, especially if he didn't think of them as dates. They were just hanging out, eating some pizza and getting to know each other without the crazy influence of some Point Pleasant nonsense.
“I’ll just be myself then,” Sage grinned back at Marsh, kind of liking the idea of being dangerous in a flirtatious way. He wasn’t sure how accurate it was, though he knew he could be a bit of a trouble maker when in a good mood, and Marsh seemed to bring that out in him. It was a good feeling, one that had been absent from his life for far too long. “It’s been a while since I went on, like, an actual date. I don’t do any of those apps or anything, and it’s a small town, so it’s pretty dead. I mean, sometimes you meet someone somewhere, or through a friend, and maybe something starts up for a bit, but…” He shrugged, initially thinking Marsh would know what he meant, but then he doubted many people ghosted a guy like Marsh. They’d have to be out of their mind. “I don’t think dates have to be super formal or anything. They’re just two people hanging out, getting to know each other better.”
"Good to hear," Marsh said with a softer smile. "Then we'll do just that, a casual get to know each other thing with yummy pizza. I like that." Sage would probably be surprised to hear that Marsh had been ghosted plenty of times in the past, or catfished, people could genuinely suck, but he'd had some lucky breaks as well, mostly just one night stands. This date made him wish he wasn't on call all weekend, he already knew he liked Sage's company so he wasn't really stressed about the date and he would have loved to hang out with him again on Friday night without the possibility of having to run off hanging over him. "So where do you stand on the heavy pineapple on pizza debate?" This is pretty vital, considering we're going to Dino's."
Sage had had a number of hookups over the years, but he didn’t count those as dates. They were mostly people who hung around after a concert, girls who liked the idea of being with a musician, but didn’t really know anything about him. He hesitated to call them groupies. Their band didn’t feel big enough to really have those, but he supposed they did. Or they used to. They needed to start playing again. “It’s not my preference, but I can dig pineapple on pizza, so long as there’s ham or Canadian bacon,” he grinned. “Chicken barbecue is good too. And I had a fancy one one time with, like, arugula and figs. I’m pretty flexible when it comes to pizza, but I draw the line at anchovies. Even if you pick ‘em off, you can still taste that they were there.” It wasn’t the deepest conversation topic, but Sage didn’t expect it to get heavy when they were still in the car. He wanted to ask a bit more about Marsh and if he’d been out when he hadn’t been living in Point Pleasant, but that moment seemed to have passed. Maybe he’d ask if it came around again.
"See? Yeah!" Marsh exclaimed. "Pineapple when paired with ham is awesome, I thinks this date is going great already." He was half joking but it was a nice, light topic to start off the night and he did like pineapple on pizza and it was a big deal to some people for whatever weird reason that might be. "It's good to know we're both pro-pineapple and yeah, figs on pizza doesn't sound like it should work but if you're in the right mood it absolutely does." Yeah he was staying on this very light topic, they could talk more in depth once they were chilling with food in front of them and it would be super sweet to share a pizzas between them, sharing food could be so damn intimate. "What's your favorite pizza?" he asked and at worst they could order separate pizzas and do taste tests.
All the chatter about food was actually really cute, and as silly as it seemed it set Sage at ease. He’d been so worried about some of the heavy topics that they might get into, but this was easy. Almost trivial. He doubted Marsh was going to call the date based on his answer. But maybe that was just what he needed, to ease into things from the shallowest of waters. “My favorite is probably an all meat pizza. Pepperoni, Italian sausage, ham, maybe bacon, extra sauce, extra cheese. With a side of ranch and a cold beer,” he grinned. It was pretty much the same thing he’d liked since he was sixteen, with the addition of the beer. “What about you? Hopefully not a vegetarian.” Marsh had already said he liked ham, so he doubted it, but as someone who worked with animals daily, it was always a possibility.
"Not a vegetarian, no," Marsh said with a shake of his head and a titter, he wasn't sure he could ever go full vegetarian, let alone vegan. "I do days without meat, it's good for your body to eat less of it, but I definitely enjoy a good steak every now and then. My favorite pizza is all pepperoni, ham, mushroom, garlic-" he trailed off with a content hum, his mouth watering at the thought and now he was looking forward to eating all the more since he was pretty hungry. Thankfully they were there already and he pulled into the parking lot, pleased to get parking right away even if he was a little bit nervous about going inside. Would he know a lot of people there? Guess it was time to find out. "I hope you're hungry, I'm about to inhale a whole pizza in front of you and it'd just be embarrassing if you barely eat anything while I do that."
Hearing Marsh could go a day without meat reminded him of his mom, who did ‘meatless Mondays’ and called it healthy. For Marsh and his mother, that might be the case, but Sage knew if he tried he’d probably end up with pasta and fried cheese, both smothered in marinara. Eating healthy had never been a strong suit for him, his kitchen skills somewhat lacking, and he was just lucky that he had the metabolism to keep up with his diet. Or lack thereof. “Don’t worry, I’m hungry,” Sage smiled as Marsh parked the car in front of Dino’s. He was relieved that it was summer and it was still light outside, that he still had some time before he had to worry about the darkness. “I can’t stand being on a date with someone who doesn’t touch their food. I don’t think I’m capable of it myself.”
"No it's damn right depressing," Marsh agreed with a snicker. "Glad we're on the same page there." In a way it felt weird to go on an actual date. A part of him just wanted to drag Sage to his place in Black Cove and skip all the formalities but a plan was a plan and after the way they met, maybe taking him home right away wasn't the best course of action. He held the door open for him and got them a table, easing out of his jacket and getting settled in. It wasn't the most private place to be in, but it wasn't too busy so that was okay and Marsh didn't recognize anyone in there. "Been a while since I last came here," he admitted as he picked up the menu. "Wonder if it's changed at all." He hoped not, it'd be nice to order a familiar meal and know what he was getting.
Sage followed Marsh into the restaurant, adding his two cents at the hostess stand to get them a booth tucked further back into the restaurant. It was somewhat strategic on his part—it granted them a touch more privacy than being out in the open, and it kept them away from the big glass windows. They were nice right now, but Sage knew himself well enough to know that if he wanted to focus at all on Marsh, that he couldn’t be sitting up against one once it got dark. He settled into his side of the booth and gave a glance at the menu, not really needing to look it over after years of coming there. “Not much,” he said. “They added fried cheese, which is decent. And there’s gluten free options now, but I’ve never tried ‘em. Otherwise, pretty much the same.” He fiddled with the menu and tilted his head to the side as he looked over at Marsh. “How long’s it been? You’ve been gone a while, right?”
"Years," Marsh replied with a smile. "I mean, I visit all the time but that's not the same. I had to though, I missed this place even when I was enjoying myself a whole lot more than I ever did here. I think it's been at least two years since I last came to Dino's. Or hell, three? Time is weird. They didn't have fried cheese the last time I came here." He liked the way Sage was looking at him but there was a bit of a wall up now when Sage was sober and Marsh wasn't even sure whose side that wall was on. It had been easy to tease him and flirt when he'd been drunk and that taste he'd given Marsh wasn't as strong tonight. Maybe Sage was calmer but it was both a relief and a pity to Marsh who had really liked the taste. He wondered if bringing up 'the other place' would rile up those emotions again but it felt cruel and now was definitely not the time for a heavy subject. They were about to eat and they were in public. Maybe they could stop by Dragonfly for some drinks after they ate, or better yet, Marsh's place. "So have you been good this week?" he asked teasingly instead to keep the topic light. "Anything I should know about?"
“Depends on your definition of good,” Sage smirked, a hint of mischief in his eyes. He was calmer tonight than Marsh had previously seen him, feeling far less manic, which he considered a good thing, but a clearer head also meant he was more likely to think before speaking. He had control over his emotions, instead of letting them control him. It made him seem somewhat subdued, but some of that was nerves. This was an actual date and he was determined to make a better impression than he had last time. He’d enjoyed flirting with Marsh before, and he was certain they could get there again, but it would likely take them becoming comfortable with each other under normal circumstances. Normal. It was such a bizarre word to Sage. Nothing ever felt normal anymore. “I hung out with Jacob. Picked up some job applications, picked up my guitar, which felt good. Reminded my mom why she didn’t like me living at home. Nothing near as exciting as Monday night.”
For a second, Marsh had the crazy idea to offer Sage a job at the vet clinic. He still hadn't found someone he wanted to hire and it seemed like such a cool idea - until he had that extra second to think about it - then it was clearly a terrible idea. If they actually kept dating, he'd be working with his boyfriend and that was rarely a good idea, if this went sour, well, even worse. "What kind of jobs are you looking for? I could write you a recommendation." His eyes twinkled mischievously as he grinned. "Good at hiding, sexy smile, darker urges not too out of control. I don't know what kind of job that would be good for but hey." He wasn't even sure about that last part, he just knew people had been going crazy on Monday and on the scale of bad things that had happened, Sage's wasn't even in the top ten. Maybe it would have gone differently if Marsh hadn't come back but he really didn't want to think about finding Sage overdosed on Ketamine the next day or something. "Did you cuddle with your friend?" he asked instead, referring back to a conversation they'd had those few days ago.
Sage grinned as he snickered softly, liking Marsh’s description of him, even if he didn’t really know what Sage’s darker urges really were. Were theft and drug use better vices than sexual deviance? It was all a matter of perspective, though truthfully he’d never indulged in any of them, so he supposed Marsh’s description was apt. “I used to bartend down at Dragonfly, but I’m pretty sure the spot’s been filled, and my friend’s dating the owner, so I feel like I should look elsewhere.” He was making assumptions, but they seemed like good ones. He already felt like such a burden to everyone around him that he didn’t want to ask for favors. “Did we cuddle?” he laughed. “No, we—“ Sage was struck dumb as he remembered exactly what he and Jacob had gotten up to and the subject of their conversation. He bit his lip and shook his head, flushing as he realized his lack of answer made it sound worse than it was. “We just hung out. Talked about boys. And kinks. It was fun.” Just thinking about it made him grin.
"Ooh," Marsh cooed, quirking a brow because of course he immediately latched onto 'kink', especially with the way Sage seemed to get a little more color in his cheeks before he even said it out loud. "Just kinks in general or something more personal?" he asked and by now he wasn't so much interested in the menu so thankfully he'd already decided what he wanted. He wouldn't be surprised to hear Sage had kinks, but there were good kinks and bad kinks to have and now he was curious. Maybe Sage wouldn't want to tell him, especially in Dino's of all places, but he had brought it up so Marsh was compelled to ask. It did sound a little bit like there was more between Sage and his friend than just friendship but it didn't feel exactly threatening.
Sage knew he could’ve kept his mouth shut, and maybe he should have, but thinking before speaking had never been his strong suit. He was hesitant to say too much about Jacob, since he didn’t think his friend would appreciate him broadcasting the dynamics of his relationship with an almost stranger, but he thought he could talk about the bits that related to him. If he wanted to. Some parts he was hesitant to share, having only been comfortable with Jacob, but others didn’t seem quite so bad. “More personal,” he admitted. “I was curious about some rope he has. I let him bind my arm.” He was well aware of where they were, and hadn’t even ordered their food, but it was an interesting topic and Sage didn’t want to shy away from it. Despite the discomfort, he’d rather this than more talk about pizza toppings.
"Just one arm?" Marsh asked with a bit of a twinkle in his eye before clamping his mouth shut and leaning back to greet their waiter whose timing was just awful. Thankfully ordering was a quick task and once the man was out of earshot, Marsh leaned on the table again, not eager to go off topic that easily. "Did you like it?" he asked since his unanswered question had been more of a tease and now he couldn't help but imagine Sage all trussed up in ropes, even if he'd just told him it had just been an arm. God he hoped the answer was yes, his imagination had already run away with him and he was itching to learn some ropework now because what was going on in his head was delicious.
Sage snickered at Marsh’s first question, but held his tongue while the waiter took their order, not eager to share all the details of his personal life with the staff at Dino’s. But then the food was ordered and Marsh asked an even better question, one that made Sage’s heart beat a bit faster. “Yes,” he said, remembering the feeling of the rope against his skin and the marks it made when removed. He wanted to know what it would feel like across more of his body and with Marsh sitting across from him, listening so intently, he could easily picture the man tying him up. “It’s not something I’ve done before, but… yes. And Jacob’s not usually the one doing the tying, so just one arm ‘cause that was easy. Also, not my rope.” He knew they were a gift from Connor and anything more seemed like he might be infringing on something private.
"You and your cuddle friend sound like real fun," Marsh said with a grin and Sage was giving him a lot of information without saying things directly, piquing his interest. While he hadn't paid much interest to Sage's friend at the charity event, he couldn't help but think watching the two of them tie each other up and cuddle could be a really nice way to spend his time. It would just be hard not to join in and not everyone was into that, especially whoever was apparently tying Jacob up. "I'm starting to think maybe I should get some rope," he mused, hoping he wasn't being way too forward with that, but it was too tempting to see the look on Sage's face at the suggestion.
Sage chuckled softly, fairly certain that Marsh thought he and Jacob got up to more than just cuddling. While that wasn’t the case, he kind of liked that Marsh didn’t seem bothered by the thought. He wasn’t willing to enter into any kind of relationship that put that friendship at risk, so he considered it a good thing. Sage bit his bottom lip and took a deep breath through his nose as Marsh introduced the possibility of getting rope, unable to hide the smile or the blush he was sure was creeping up his neck. It should not be that easy to turn him on, and yet his pants suddenly felt a touch too tight. “I would not be opposed to that,” he admitted with a little laugh. “You weren’t a boy scout, were you? I hear they’re good with knots.”
"I was not, no," Marsh replied in an jokingly apologetic manner, puppy dog eyes and all before he tittered. "I did learn some knots though, just for the hell of it." He did enjoy that blush on Sage's face, it said more than words could and he thought he might have to learn a lot more if he wanted to see some of those images in his mind come to life and admittedly, he did want that, they were fucking hot. "Were you?" he asked slyly. "I hear most boy scouts end up pretty kinky." He wagged his eyebrows and narrowed his eyes at Sage, as if he was trying to read his expression more than waiting for an actual answer. "I feel like I should be taking notes, what else are you into?"
“Oh no, not a scout,” Sage chuckled. “I was the skater kid who played in a rock band. Not exactly my jam. Though, looking back, I could have really benefited from some of the stuff they probably learned. Just didn’t see that at the time. And I thought I’d look really bad in the uniform.” He couldn’t even picture himself as a scout, even if he might have enjoyed some of the training they received. Hindsight was always twenty-twenty. If he’d known then what he knew now, he would have jumped at some of the survival information, even if he didn’t think it would really change what he’d gone through. Were boy scouts actually kinky? He had no idea. He didn’t know any. “Everything I’m into is theoretical,” he admitted with a little laugh. “And… I’m kinda nervous to go beyond that. Don’t wanna scare you off.”
That meant no experience and Marsh found that hot in what was probably a disturbing way. He could probably open up a whole new world for Sage if that was true and the thought tickled him. "I'm hard to scare off," he said with an impish little smile. "I'm way too curious about what happens next to run off that easy." He could probably tell Sage stories to verify that particularly dumb stubborn nature of his but it didn't feel right in the moment. "What about you? Think I could scare you off if I tried?" Marsh knew his limits with people and he always kept himself in check, but sometimes limits could be pushed and if that was the case with Sage then this might be even more fun than he initially thought.
Sage’s tongue pressed against his canine as he considered the question. He wanted to say he was completely open minded, that he’d try anything once, but he knew there were some pretty dark kinks out there that just didn’t appeal to him. Anything involving knives, for one. Or blood. Or any bodily fluid, for that matter. If Marsh’s leanings went there, then yeah, he might scare Sage off, but Sage was willing to bet his kinks were darker than anything Marsh could come up with. “I don’t think so,” he said with a little smirk. “There’s definitely some lines I have no interest in crossing, but I think they’re kind of extreme. Not something you’d just spring on a person. So I feel like we’d talk about that first. And talk alone doesn’t scare me.” He was well versed in fear, having wallowed in it for almost six months, and this conversation was nowhere near frightening by comparison. “If you tried,” he asked curiously. “What would you do?”
"Honestly?" Marsh tittered. "I wouldn't try. Why would I want to scare you away?" He meant that too, Sage was cute and there was something about him that kept drawing Marshall in, against his better senses too. He probably should have called the cops when Sage snuck into his clinic and he probably shouldn't be on a date with him tonight but it just didn't seem to matter much. He was doing what he wanted, he'd face the consequences, good or bad. "I'm not really into anything crazy," he added and it wasn't really a lie. His fantasies could get dark, but that didn't mean he wanted to enact all of them.
While it probably meant that some of his darker fantasies wouldn’t be explored, Sage was kind of relieved as well. He liked Marsh so far and he’d rather him be safe then find himself in a situation that actually scared him. “Good answer,” he smiled. “I’m… curious. About a lot of things. But I don’t really need anything else to worry about.” Being with Marsh felt a little like an escape from reality for the moment, like he’d been plucked out of the pit of misery that was his life, then dropped into a date with a cute guy who might be interested in tying him up. He’d wake up soon enough, but he’d cling to the dream as long as he could live in it.
Marsh thought he could see some of that relief in Sage's expression, his smile was softer at least and there was a brief taste of something tea-like on his tongue. He was curious too, mostly about what Sage was curious about, but getting into all that now felt a little premature, especially when their food arrived just moments later. All the things he really wanted to ask Sage about didn't pair well with pizza so they kept the conversation light while they ate; school, former jobs, family members and the like. It wasn't boring but it wasn't what was weighing on Marsh's mind either and sometimes he felt like it showed. "So this is about as far as I planned things," he admitted when they were sitting there with empty plates. "Dinner, then see what we feel like. Do you wanna go out for drinks? Come to my place for drinks? Movies?" He grinned at Sage and hoped he wasn't the type who liked all his decisions made for him.
It was nice to talk about the easy things throughout dinner, though Sage kept seeing the holes in the conversation where he avoided certain topics. He could talk about school, but not what happened the end of his senior year. Or he could talk about past jobs, but not the fact that he still didn’t have one now. Family was easy enough, so long as he didn’t mention the tension he caused with his lack of understandable answers. It was always something it seemed, but Marsh either didn’t notice or let it slide, which Sage appreciated. He’d promised to answer those questions, but he’d rather not do it out in public. It helped sway his answer to Marsh’s question, though he probably would have made the same decision regardless. “Let’s do your place for drinks,” he suggested. “Then if we feel up to a movie, we can just put something on.” And, more importantly, it would be just them on a couch, rather than a theater full of people.
Marsh wondered if they'd be up for a movie or if he could keep his hands to himself when they were alone. A part of him wanted to take things slow, get to know Sage better and actually talk to him but he couldn't deny that hunger he felt around the younger man. "Sounds good," he murmured and once he'd taken care of the check he let Sage lead the way out of there. "It's so weird to be home and go out and not recognize anyone," he admitted as they stepped outside into the pleasant night air. "You keep expecting to run into people you went to school with at every corner but it's mostly just tourists right now." So maybe it wasn't going to be too bad being back - in the summers at least. He was going to have to look some people up though, check if they were still in town and willing to go out for drinks sometime.
The date had been going so well that Sage forgot what time it was until they stepped outside and the air was sapped from inside his lungs. It was like a vice had been around his chest, and each step into the darkness of the parking lot cranked it one step tighter. His eyes searched the shadows for predators as his feet guided him towards Marsh’s car, and he tried his best to focus on what Marsh was saying as fear tried to suffocate him. It had been so warm and bright inside. How had he forgotten about the night? He’d much rather go back to thinking about Marsh’s couch and all the things he’d like to do on it that weren’t watching a movie. “There’s probably more than you think,” Sage said. “They always show up when you least expect it.” He rather liked the tourists, who knew nothing of him and his past. They’d been the best tippers when he’d worked behind the bar. He took a shaky breath, attempting to hide emotions that wouldn’t make sense to anyone else. “I’m glad we didn’t run into any tonight. I know you said you’re find with it, but I still worry about outing you.”
Sage was doing a good job of visibly hiding the panic he felt but it was hard to disguise something like that from a psychic - or whatever the hell Marsh was, he didn't really know it himself. All he knew was that the aftertaste of food was suddenly overpowered by the taste of red wine, something Marsh could only associate with bad things, fear or sadness, something that could drive a man to suicide. He felt a twinge of panic himself because this emotion was clearly coming from Sage and he didn't think he'd said or done anything to cause him distress but then he thought it might be the darkness. There was a story there that Sage had only given him snippets off and maybe now he'd tell him more when they were alone. "I'm pretty close to outing myself so don't worry about it," he answered as casually as he could and moved in closer to Sage, wrapping his arm around his shoulders for the rest of the walk. If it was the darkness he was worried about, this might help, but if Marsh had done something to make him uncomfortable he was sure the taste would only get stronger. "It's two thousand eighteen, my family had better be cool about it."
Sage breathed a soft sigh of relief as Marsh’s arm draped over him, the action calming him for reasons he couldn’t explain. His fear was still there, but it wasn’t overwhelming, and he’d assume it was the offer of protection that quelled it except nothing could protect them from the darkness. Certainly not Marsh’s arm around him. And yet, there was a definite change within him—the tightness around his chest subsided, his hands stopped trembling, and his focus returned. Marsh took over his senses, his scent and warmth blocking out the night, and Sage swallowed down the worst of his fear. “In my experience, family can get over a lot more than you expect of them. Good family, at least. They don’t have to understand. They just have to accept.” Sexuality was easy compared to everything else Sage had dealt with over the years, but Marsh seemed a bit more sheltered in some ways. Or maybe not sheltered, just… less damaged.
The taste faded from Marsh's mouth and that was reassuring, he might not have fully believed he had actually caused the negative emotions but it was still good to get the confirmation that it had been something else. He liked holding Sage too, the man fit nicely into his grip and this close together, Marsh could feel their height difference more keenly. "Yeah I'm not worried," he admitted. "My family's chill, it just never came up, you know?" Maybe sexuality was a bigger deal to a lot of people, but Marsh was fairly easy going about his own. It was what it was and he'd never been in love or anything so relationships with whatever gender weren't high on his list of priorities while he was dragging his ass through school. It felt different now. He'd graduated, he was opening his own business and he was home, ready to settle in and settle down. Maybe not with Sage, he was in no real rush to decide anything with anyone, but he did like his company and it was a pleasant - if a little crazy - situation. He walked Sage to the passenger side of the car and even opened the door for him. It had less to do with being a gentleman and more to do with not leaving him alone if he was afraid of the dark, plush it just felt nice to do that. Once he got in the car he wasted no time in starting the engine, grinning at Sage. "Just so you know, I'll drive you home whenever you want me to," he told him. "So don't hesitate to ask."
“It just never came up?” Sage asked, raising a brow. “Does that mean you’re bi? Or you just didn’t date?” he teased. He couldn’t imagine a guy like Marsh not dating. He’d have had girls clamoring for his attention. Sage didn’t care if he was bi, seeing as he was as well. He just wanted to get a better idea of who Marsh was and what he was dealing with. It was good that this wasn’t some heavy secret that was weighing on him at least. Those could take a toll over time, sometimes more on the person keeping the secret than those that were being kept from it. Sage knew his own secrets had bore a hole within him, causing rot and fear to fester. Having Marsh hold him close wouldn’t fix him, nothing would, but it was soothing in the moment. He would have enjoyed it even if he’d had nothing to fear. The car felt even safer and Sage relaxed further, willing to buy into that false sense of security for now. He refused to let it ruin their date, which had been going so well so far. “What if I never ask?” he said, a little smirk playing on his lips. “You’ll kick me out at dawn?”
"Noon maybe," Marsh replied after pretending to give it some thought. He kind of liked the idea of Sage spending the night, he could do with some fun times after the stressful week he had, take a break from fixing up the clinic and working non-stop. "And to answer your question from earlier, yeah I'm bi. That's not an issue, is it?" He'd kind of assumed Sage was bi too, he wasn't even sure why. He just gave off that vibe. He'd heard that some monosexual people didn't like dating bisexual people, but he'd never actually experienced it first hand. Of course he'd never been in a serious relationship so it wasn't like there had been much talk of serious things.
Sage wasn’t sure sleeping over would be the best idea, considering he had nightmares almost every night, but he liked the idea of it. Falling asleep with someone, especially after incredibly hot sex, was always appealing, and Sage assumed sex with March would be incredible. It was something he’d spent most of the week thinking about, but trying not to assume would happen. Even though they were headed back to Marsh’s house for drinks, Sage assumed there was still plenty of time for him to fuck things up. “Same, so no, not an issue,” Sage smiled, keeping his attention fixed on Marsh rather than the road or outside. “I know it bothers some people, but... when things don’t work, that’s not usually the problem, you know?”
"I don't know, I've met some girls who couldn't imagine dating a bi guy," Marsh replied with a little wrinkling of his nose that showed both his confusion and dislike of that fact. "Repulsed by it even, it's kinda insane." That was a depressing topic though and if he was going to veer into uncomfortable topics, there were other things he was far more curious about. He just wasn't sure where to start. "So," he said, in that drawn out way that signified a change of topic. "You said you were gonna tell me some stuff when you're sober. No take backs." He sounded teasing on that last part but he really did hope Sage hadn't changed his mind. There was a lot there to learn and Marsh was pretty sure he wanted to know it before he took Sage to his house. It wasn't that he didn't trust him, but Sage had said that some dark shit had gone down recently, something that had possibly caused him to develop a supernatural gift. Marsh wanted to know what that was, even if it might only be so he could watch his step.
Sage was going to agree, and then maybe explain what he’d been trying to say, but the change of subject cut off that train of thought for something far more uncomfortable. Marsh tried to make it sound light and Sage laughed softly in response, but it didn’t make the topic any less dreadful. Sage looked out his window, into the night, and felt his chest clutch in fear. He’d much rather have this conversation somewhere safe, with four walls, minimal windows, and lots of lots of light. But he’d promised Marsh some answers and, even if Jacob said he didn’t owe Marsh anything, he wanted to follow through. “It’s really weird,” Sage warned him quietly. “I’m gonna sound crazy. But there are others who can vouch for me. If you need that.” He hoped it wouldn’t come to that, if only because he wanted Marsh to trust him, but he also understood that what he had to say was so bizarre that most people would think he’d lost his mind even if a dozen people validated his story. Instead, it sounded like a dozen people needed to be locked up.
"You'll only sound crazy because the world we live in is crazy," Marsh told him. "And remember you already turned invisible in front of me." 'And I can taste that dark emotion that just welled up inside you'. He didn't say that last bit out loud, it would probably creep Sage out to know that his fear or sadness tasted like fine wine, that Marsh liked the way it tasted even if he didn't want to like what it meant. He gave Sage a reassuring smile before focusing on the road again. "My tolerance for crazy is a lot higher than you think. I've seen some shit." He was pretty sure everyone who lived in Point Pleasant had 'seen some shit' too but people liked forgetting and moving on and Marsh knew he was no exception from that. It was just easier than driving himself crazy trying to make sense of everything.
Everyone in Point Pleasant had ‘seen some shit’, but Sage was pretty sure what had happened to him was on some other level. It sounded like something out of a sci-fi horror movie, not real life, and it was hard to tell anyone, let alone someone he was just getting to know and trust. But Marsh was right. He’d seen Sage go invisible and that raised the bar, hopefully making him a bit more believable. He nodded, swallowing the knot in his throat, then took a breath and began. “A few months back, in December, this fog settled over the town. I was out in my car when it rolled in and got stuck. I tried to wait it out, but there was something in the fog and… I tried to run and it got me.” Sage pushed up the left arm of his flannel shirt, exposing only a fraction of the long white scars that ran up his forearm to his bicep. “I got fifty-five stitches. Most of the people that came into contact with those things died. I wish I could say that was the worst of it, but it’s not.” He ran his fingers through his hair, still shorter than he was used to, then pulled one knee up to his chest to wrap his arms around it. He’d never had to relay the whole story to anyone all at once and it made him feel sick with fear and anxiety. He’d rather gloss over the beginning, but then the ending wouldn’t make sense. He pushed on, eyes on the road, waiting to see if Marsh changed his mind and drove him home instead.
“I already had nightmares. I didn’t really need new fuel. But it was more than that. I got weird. Paranoid. Convinced there were people out to get me. And there were, kinda, but not like I thought. We all became, I dunno, something else. Like psychic vampires. Anyone I spent time with became exhausted. I worked as a bartender and the customers were practically passing out on the bar. And I felt fucking fantastic,” Sage bit his lip and shook his head. He should have realized something was wrong with him, but it had felt the opposite, like something was wrong with everyone else. “So yeah, um, then… then the people that were after me. Us. They… they somehow summoned us to this field. Or something like that. I dunno how they did it, except that we all showed up together. Everyone who’d been attacked by those creatures and survived. And it was like all hell broke loose. There was fire and lightning and trees flying through the air. Just pure chaos. And in the middle of it all, this portal that had all the monsters in it. A portal to the world that they came from. I don’t know what their plan was, but… they trapped us in it. In this portal world. A world like ours, but a nightmare. There was no real sun. Just dark-ish and darker. No food. No water. And monsters. Lots and lots of fucking monsters.”
Sage closed his eyes, not caring if he disappeared at that point. It would be easier if Marsh didn’t see the way his hands were shaking. He couldn’t convey how absolutely terrible that place was, or the trauma that he’d walked away with, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to. Marsh already knew he was broken. There was no need to nail it in further. “I was there until May 12th. Five months and suddenly I was back home. By the tunnel, of all fucked up places to turn up. And with amnesia. But that wore off after a few days. The doctor said that can happen after incurring some kind of trauma, but… I dunno. Maybe we all had it. Those of us that survived. We all came back. We came back changed.” Sage pulled his other knee up to his chest, then turned to watch Marsh, opening his eyes as he sat curled up on the front seat. He knew how crazy he sounded, but it was kind of cathartic getting it all out there, even if the story barely scratched the surface. He couldn’t get into it all in one go. It was too much to unpack already and he wouldn’t be at all surprised if Marsh was done for the night, ready to take him home so he could have another drink alone.
Marsh listened without comment or questions because what could he really say? It was a crazy story and he might not have believed it coming from someone else but Sage sounded and looked so sincere and the negative feelings that the story invoked in him weren't something he could have faked - not to Marsh with his own strange ability to taste them. The story itself might not be true, but Sage believed it had really happened and that meant he wasn't lying to Marsh. It might even be fairly easy to find out what the truth was in the matter if he told Marsh who the others were and if a whole bunch of people had really gone missing in January. It was all too specific and if Sage was really delusional and had spent that time somewhere else, well, that shouldn't be too hard to figure out either. "I'm sorry you went through that," he said quietly, Sage's misery honey rich on his tongue and it felt so wrong for something so negative to taste so good. "That sounds like hell. You have no idea how you got back? Have you talked to the others?" He was not turning around now, that was never the plan, taking a turn up on his street instead.
It sounded like hell because it had been and Sage was going light on the details. He didn’t know if Marsh believed him or not, but he appreciated him going along with it. Defending his sanity didn’t feel like a good mid-date activity. At least this didn’t seem to be bringing an abrupt end to things, if their destination meant anything. This definitely wasn’t the way to Sage’s parent’s house. “No, it was like I was there, then I woke up in the woods. People had started disappearing, but I didn’t know where they’d gone until it happened to me. It freaked me out at the time. I thought something was picking us off one by one.” The scary part was that it was a much more reasonable guess than what had actually happened. “I talked to Jasper. I think he’s about as fucked up as I am,” he snorted softly. “I’m not really close to any of them, even though we’re kind of bonded through shared trauma, but I could reach out to them. I know about where they are, which is kind of another weird side effect.”
"Jesus," Marsh whispered at the thought of being stuck somewhere with people disappearing like that, it was hard to imagine just how horrible it was, the only thing he could try to compare it to were some horror movies or war movies he'd seen and those never really reflected reality well. He wondered if he knew any of those people, even in passing. If it had been someone close to him he'd have heard but maybe Sage would tell him some of the names later, right now didn't feel like the right time to be asking that and he kind of wanted to steer Sage away from the topic again, even if his misery tasted good to him. He slowed down and turned in on his driveway, pressing the button on the garage remote. He was quiet while the door opened, processing everything Sage had just told him and thinking about what the hell he could say. Words were overrated. Once he was inside and the door was closing behind them, he unbuckled his belt and leaned over to kiss Sage, cupping his cheek and keeping the kiss chaste for now. "I'm sorry that happened to you," he said quietly. "We can do anything you want tonight. If you want to go home, I'll take you home. If you want to stay the night, you're welcome here."
The silence of those last few minutes ate at Sage and he wondered what Marsh was thinking and if he regretted bringing Sage home with him. He knew it was a lot to take in though, even if he didn’t believe him. The story itself was hard to swallow. There was never a good time to tell it and he hated that it had ruined the vibe that they’d had, even if he’d been all in knots due to the dark to begin with. He didn’t want to add that fear to the pile, aware of how childish it sounded, though he breathed so much easier when Marsh shut them inside the garage. It felt like a weight had been lifted. He was safe. Then Marsh kissed him and he was reminded of how inherently good he seemed to be. The kiss was simple, chaste, and spoke of affection and compassion, rather than the undertone of lust that seemed so prevalent earlier in the night. Most of all, it was what Sage needed at the moment. “I don’t want to go home,” he said softly. “I don’t want to end the night on that note.” The memories were too close to the surface now and they’d haunt him if he was left alone. He wanted a distraction more than ever and he had a perfect one sitting right next to him, offering him anything he wanted. “Maybe we could have that drink?”
"Then stay and keep me company," Marsh told him with a faint smile, pressing one more kiss to his lips before he sat back and opened the door. "Earlier warning still stands, my house is half warehouse right now." The bedroom and living room were mostly presentable because those were the places he liked to relax in but the kitchen was a mess of boxes and the spare room was completely empty as he still had no idea what he wanted to do with it. A gym or an office sounded great in theory but he wasn't so sure he'd use those at the house. He waited for Sage to join him before leading the way inside, keeping his hand lightly against Sage's back. He turned on the hallway light and gestured around at the boxes with an apologetic smile. "What's your poison? I've got some beer and kahlua, haven't exactly stocked up on party stuff yet so I might have something else but it'll be in a box somewhere."
It was such an easy decision to make and that second kiss just sealed the deal. Sage knew it wasn’t smart on his part—he had nightmares, wasn’t near as stable as he wanted Marsh to believe, but he thought he could hold it together for a night. The hand on his back as Marsh guided him inside burned through his body, a pleasant distraction from the ghosts in his mind. Marsh’s house was just as he described it, barely unpacked, but it made Sage smile. “It’s a lot like my room right now. Just way bigger and better organized.” Or it appeared that way. Not that it was hard to be better organized than Sage. “Beer’s fine,” he said. “I’d have a Jack and Coke, if you’ve got it. Or a rum and Coke. But I feel like Kahlua needs coffee and I don’t think you want me up all night.” Or maybe he did. Maybe that could be a lot of fun. It was a train of thought Sage preferred over his previous one, so he let his mind wander, enjoying the fantasy.
Marsh made a little sound that indicated he might not be entirely opposed to keeping Sage up all night, but it was a joking one because he knew he wouldn't last all night awake, not tonight at least. "Beer it is," he said with a cheeky smile and led the way to the kitchen where some of the boxes were at least open and partially unpacked, only the things he'd needed so far. "I'll probably throw a house warming party so I'm gonna need to go shopping for some proper drinks but the longer I stay here with all this mess, the less I feel like I actually will see that party happen." He handed Sage a bottle of beer and took one for himself. "Unless it's something very small and confined to my living room." He gestured at the way there for Sage. "That one is almost like home now."
Sage peered into the boxes as they moved past them, poking about as Marsh grabbed him a beer from the fridge. He was curious about the unseen things in his life, the less obvious parts that he didn’t put on display, but knew that they weren’t literally sitting out in the kitchen to be rifled through. Yet he was still nosy. “You don’t have to get the whole house in order. Just the parts people might see,” he said, thinking a bit about how that applied to life in general. Everyone had their mess, or he assumed they did. Some was just worse than others. He followed Marsh to the living room, impressed with how comfortable, yet refined it felt— A leather corner sofa sat across from a large flatscreen TV, mounted on the wall. A corner fireplace. The walls were bare, still waiting for pictures to be hung, but the curtains were done. For a moment Sage felt mildly out of place, aware that he would never be able to afford a place like this, but he pushed it away. “It’s nice,” he smiled. “And you’re almost there. Who all would you invite?”
"You fishing for an invite?" Marsh teased him before shrugging. "It'd be a very mixed crowd, or a very small one. Either way, I'm hoping this weekend won't be crazy busy, then I'll have some time to work on this place. But you know, if it's ready before Christmas I'll be happy." It was an exaggeration, surely he'd have it ready by Halloween but it was better to set attainable goals and do better than expected than the other way around. He sat down on the couch and turned on the TV, if only for a nice background setting, watching Sage intently as he joined him. On some level he wanted to relate to him, tell him he'd seen and experienced some strange things too, but mostly he just wanted to leave that darkness outside the door and make Sage feel at ease in his house. He was kind of glad they'd had that conversation in the car so they could do that quite literally, at least tonight. He reached over to grab Sage's wrist, gently pulling it closer and lifting his sleeve so he could look at those scars again. Fifty-five stitches was intense and he couldn't imagine what kind of horrors Sage had lived through, whether his story was accurate or not. They had healed very well at least, whether it was as Sage said or whether whoever stitched them just did a really good job. If anything, they looked older than a few months.
“Maybe,” Sage said, lips tugging up at the corners. “Depends on how much of a stir you want to cause.” He would love to be invited, to even think that Marsh would want him to meet his friends, but this was only a first date and he didn’t want to get ahead of himself. He also knew that he came with a reputation, in addition to the baggage they’d already discussed, and then there was the fact that Marsh wasn’t technically out. He would be soon, if they kept seeing each other, but it all felt a lot to pile upon a house warming party. Then again, if it was a few months down the line, none of that really mattered. They’d either be together or they wouldn’t be. It was too much to think about. Sage just wanted to get through the week. He settled on the couch next to Marsh, his knee bouncing nervously as Marsh took his wrist and examined the scars. “It healed faster than it should have,” he said, though he was unable to explain why. “I keep thinking I want to get ink to cover it, but I haven’t decided on what.”
Marsh didn't want to cause a stir, he just wanted to settle right in and have nobody question his choices and actions. He didn't owe anyone a big coming out thing, just like he didn't owe anyone an explanation of what he was or what he could do. He just went through life doing his own thing and either people got with the program or they didn't. No, that wasn't quite true, it wasn't going to be as easy with family, but he couldn't imagine for a second that it'd be a big deal to those closest to him. He smiled at the idea of a tattoo, nodding softly. "Scars can be beautiful on their own," he said, running his thumb up one of the pale scars, enjoying the soft skin around it too. "You don't have to hide them but I bet it can feel empowering to reclaim them with art.
“Scars usually don’t bother me. I used to skateboard and got plenty in the process,” Sage said as goosebumps rose on his arm, the result of Marsh’s light touch. “I like the idea that they make us who we are, that what doesn’t kill me makes me stronger, and that they tell a story. I just… don’t like that story much.” Maybe as he got farther from it, it wouldn’t be as terrifying, but he was still too close to know. It affected him every day, poisoning his life, and it made Sage want to remove all traces of it where he could, aware it would always be burned into his brain. “And I like getting ink,” he said with a little smile. “I see it as an opportunity to take something painful and make it beautiful.” Not everyone would agree. He knew plenty of people who turned their noses up at people with tattoos, but they were small minded and Sage didn’t have time for them in his life.
"Do you have a lot of ink I haven't seen?" Marsh asked with a little grin because Sage obviously had a lot of tattoos and they were in very visible places. It did make him wonder what he'd find if he stripped his clothes off, if there were more hiding in intimate places or if Marsh had already seen them all. The ones that were visible weren't exactly epitome of art - a cross, a circle and an arrow - but he liked them anyway. They were simple and their placement was good and they suited Sage and his scruffy nature. They were also a good reminder that he didn't need to overthink getting a tattoo if the urge struck him though so far it just hadn't. He lightly stroked Sage's fingers, the O under his thumb, while his mind wandered the rest of Sage's body.
“Only a couple,” Sage said with a little smile. “Nowhere scandalous.” He liked the way Marsh’s hands stroked over the ink on his hands and it made him wish he had more, if only to give those hands more places to travel. He hesitated for a minute, then shrugged over his flannel so that Marsh could see the ink on his bicep, peeking out beneath his t-shirt. It was far more detailed than the others, a treble cleft and several bars of music that wrapped all the way around. It was done with an artistic flare, as if the notes had been painted in watercolor. The arrow had been his first, the X and O a drunken decision that he didn’t regret in the slightest, but this one he’d saved for for months. “My favorite of them,” he said, tugging up his sleeve. “I’ve also got a sigil on my shoulder, but that’s… that’s more for protection. If you believe in that sort of thing.”
"I believe a lot of things," Marsh murmured, his focus still on the ink on Sage's skin. The musical tattoo was far more artistic than the others, more delicate too and he found himself glad it hadn't been on Sage's left arm to be practically torn to pieces. He wasn't going to talk about whether Sage's sigil worked or not, he didn't know if those things worked or not, he just knew he hoped they did because there were plenty of strange supernatural things in the world that they needed protecting from. He let go of Sage and reached for his beer, settling back and getting comfortable, still close to Sage. "What kind of sigil do you have?" he asked and he wouldn't mind a look at it, though he suspected that'd come soon enough without him pushing for it. They were comfortable and safe in his house, he might just get lucky tonight. He just wanted to get to know Sage a little more first, maybe find out about those theoretical things he was into.
Sage sat back on the couch and sipped at his beer, enjoying the relaxed feeling of the conversation. He needed a bit of this after their talk in the car and the more they talked, the more the weight of the topic seemed to dissipate. “It’s a sigil of intent,” he explained. “It’s basically a unique symbol that I charge with energy to help bring about the outcome I want. Some people write them on paper and then try to forget about them. Or they tear them up or burn them. I had mine permanently etched into my skin.” Because, for Sage, it wasn’t a simple, one time thing. It was the kind of intent that would last a lifetime. If he forgot about it, great! But if not, he believed he could recharge it just by repeating the words and believing in it’s function. “It means ‘I am stronger than my demons.’” He’d gotten it a year after high school, when all his friends had left and he’d been struggling to move on. Whether there was magic involved or not, Sage thought it had helped in some capacity, even if it was all in his head.
"I like that," Marsh said and he didn't really need to ask if those demons were literal or not. Sure, everyone had their burden to carry but it sounded like Sage was dealing with a lot more trauma in his past than the average person. Whether it was all as strange as he'd said it had been - well, they'd both grown up in Point Pleasant so it was easier to believe than not. "You sound like a very spiritual person. I've never been religious but it's hard to dismiss the supernatural when you've experienced some of it. Have you ever gone on a... I don't even know what to call it. In simple terms, a mushroom trip, I guess. It's very... spiritual and weird." Possibly too scary for someone who was traumatized though the friends he'd recently made in Limpopo would probably know a healing path. That just hadn't been what Marsh had needed.
While Sage did believe in a higher power, he wasn’t sure he’d call himself religious either. Spiritual was much more accurate and he liked that Marsh had picked up on it, since it was something he rarely talked about. Maybe it was hard to miss in their current conversation, but then he’d been in a sharing mood tonight. “I’ve never done shrooms,” he smiled. “I think they could be fun, but I’m always a little worried I’ll get into something addictive and that’s the last thing I need in my life. Pot always seemed safe enough, and now it’s legal, so… I probably would. Especially if a doctor says they’re safe.” He knew Marsh was an animal doctor, not a human one, but suspected he still knew more than Sage ever would. “I take it you have?” he asked, clearly fishing for more information.
Marsh grinned at the 'doctor' comment because yes, he probably should have known better than to drink some concoction he knew nothing about. "Yeah," he admitted. "Shrooms and... some plant stuff I know very little about. Which in hindsight is dumb but it felt right at the time." Well, that just made it sound like a dumb mistake he'd made as a teenager and not as a full grown man less than a year ago. Oh well. "I would never do it alone, you need an anchor, a sober buddy, someone to keep you safe and talk you out of a bad trip." Since Sage was obviously fishing he decided to tell him a little more about it, though he wasn't sure he could ever really talk about the trip he'd had. "I met this guy in Limpopo, he called himself a shaman, which was hilarious considering he was just some white British guy but he had uh... There was something about him. It was easy to believe he was something more. He called this trip The Path, it's supposed to connect you to the core of your being and help you find your place in the world. I'm not so sure it did." He tittered again and took a swig of his beer, keeping an eye on Sage, curious about his reaction.