Who: Sage and Marsh Where: Marsh’s house When: Saturday Night, July 7
Sage waited just inside the door to Dragonfly, rolling the tunnel rock between his palms as he watched for Marsh’s car. He’d planned to wait outside tonight, but after his earlier trek through the woods he decided against it. He’d taken enough risks for one day and didn’t need to push it any further. He’d thought, hope against hope, that the visit to the tunnel would allow him to put it behind him for good. It’d been years since the incident and there’d been nothing there but stone, grass, and a hole inside of the hill. Sage wasn’t stupid enough to venture inside, but overall it seemed fine. Pleasant. Normal. And yet, he couldn’t shake it from his mind. Despite its beauty, it still made his skin crawl. Thinking about it made his heart rate spike. Even though he was miles away, he was sure the tunnel knew where he was, how close he’d been, and could find him if it wanted to. The paranoia was the worst. The last time he’d experienced delusions of this sort there’d been something seriously wrong with him. Otherworldly. He tried to put it out of his mind and was mostly successful while he worked, when he was caught up in task after task. Now that he had a moment of quiet, it was back with a vengeance. He breathed a sigh of relief as Marsh pulled up outside, then gave a wave to Nate before jogging out to the car. The less time outside, the better, and he locked the door as soon as he climbed in.
“Hey,” Sage smiled and hesitated only briefly before leaning in and kissing him hello. “Thanks for picking me up.” He knew Marsh said it was fine, that he didn’t have work in the morning, but it was still a huge inconvenience. Things would be better when Sage could drive himself home at night, but he appreciated Marsh and his friends helping him out until he got there.
Marsh had seriously considered going out and hanging out with Sage for the last half hour of his shift but he wasn't so sure that would be welcome and, well, at the last minute he felt a bit too lazy. It was his day off so he'd kept busy at home before giving himself time to lounge in comfy clothing - which he was still wearing now - watch some tv and enjoy the down time. He was going to get out of the car and wait by the door like a real gentleman but as soon as he pulled up to the curb, Sage came darting out from the bar and towards his car at a ridiculous speed. The tension was palpable, even before Marsh could taste it and he wrapped his arm around him to pull him in tight when he got his kiss, keeping Sage close for a little longer than necessary. "Hey, cutie," he murmured. "Did you have a good night?"
Sage closed his eyes, letting himself sink into Marsh’s embrace while it lasted. It didn’t completely quiet his mind, but he felt safer there, like the darkness couldn’t quite reach him. “Yeah, it was okay,” Sage sighed. “Work was fine. Tips were good. I’m just… having a bad night.” He tried to sound off-hand about it, like it wasn’t a big deal, but he knew Marsh would be able to taste the truth. There was no point in trying to hide it when fear loomed over him, attempting to suffocate him now that he’d given it a foothold. It was his own fault, he should have never gone out to the tunnel; it had stirred up all kinds of feelings that had previously gone quiet to give way to newer, more recent fears. Now he had to deal with both.
"You wanna talk about it?" Marsh asked, though he suspected that if Sage did, he'd want to do so while they drove back. He knew very well he hated being out here, even if he was inside the car. If only he'd gotten the gift of teleportation instead of invisibility, it would have served him better. He gently raked his fingers through Sage's unruly hair, giving him a warm smile before smooching him again and adding a much needed, "While I drive?" Again he was thankful he could drive straight into his garage where there were lights and shelter. He could always feel Sage calm down considerably as soon as the garage door closed behind them.
It would have been nice to turn off his brain and give into those kisses, maybe crawl into Marsh’s lap and see how much he could get away with in the car. Unfortunately, Sage couldn’t get his brain on board. He was stuck thinking about the tunnel and doubted that would change any time soon, no matter how pleasant a distraction Marsh was offering. Talking about it might help and, even if it didn’t, at least Marsh would know what he was dealing with. There was an inclination to smile and fake it, but what would be the point of that? Marsh would know he was lying. “Yeah,” Sage said, settling in his seat. He reached for Marsh, fingers skimming his arm, just wanting to keep that connection open, even while Marsh was driving. “I went out to the tunnel today. I knew it was a dumb idea, but it felt… it felt like I should? I thought it might help, be cathartic maybe, but… now it’s got me all over again.”
Out of all the things Sage could have said, this was not something Marsh could ever have predicted and he looked at him with visible surprise in his expression before he caught himself and got them moving. He couldn't help but try to figure out if any of the things he tasted in Sage's mood were different, but he didn't even know what kind of emotion he'd be linking that too. He might not understand everything Sage had been through but he knew it had all been traumatic and the Sage that he knew was not exactly the type of person to face his fears head on. He avoided them, rightfully so, and this was the exact opposite of that. "What did you expect to see? And... what did you see?" he asked almost cautiously.
“I know, stupid, right?” Sage cringed at Marsh’s response, aware of how unusual this was for him. He wanted to be able to face his fears, but it was hard when his fears had almost gotten him killed. He’d thought he would start small—face the night with a flashlight and maybe drive himself home at night. Going to the tunnel wasn’t even on his eventual To-Do list. He could have lived the rest of his life without facing that particular fear, and yet today he’d done it with ease. It was the aftermath that fucked with him. “I don’t know what I expected. A monster maybe? But I wouldn’t have gone if I really thought that.” He looked down at his hand, at the rock in his palm, then back to Marsh. “It was just an old tunnel. Quiet. Serene. Some of Jacob’s graffiti was still there. It was…just a place. It only sunk its claws in once I left.” Turning his back on it had felt dangerous, but he’d also been eager to get away. “Jacob was there. He’d felt the same… draw. I don’t know if that’s a good thing or not. Probably not.”
Marsh listened and for about ten seconds he was leaning towards this being a good thing. Going out there, seeing it was just a place, making peace with the past. It sounded therapeutic. Until Sage brought his friend up and it had to get weird again. "Wait, you both felt compelled to go there at the same time?" he asked. "Is it... some kind of anniversary or something?" He didn't really know the details of the events that had occurred at the tunnel, didn't really remember the timing of it. He'd thought it was in the fall because he was sure he'd heard about it while he was at school but memories could be unreliable.
“No, it happened in March,” Sage said with a little shake of his head. The exact date often failed him, but he remembered the time of year perfectly. Graduation had been on the horizon, a world of possibilities for all of them. Prom was on everyone’s minds—who would ask who, and where the big parties would be. All of that faded into the background after Grayson’s disappearance. Sage had kept his head down, cleared his name, and disappeared to the best of his abilities. “Maybe it was just a nice day. Maybe we both heard the train,” he said with a mirthless laugh. “At the time I thought, I should go. Face it. Remind myself that it’s just a place. Take some of that power back. It felt right until after. Now… I feel like it’s watching me.”
The problem with that line of thinking was that the tunnel wasn't just a place. Marsh didn't know a whole lot about it but it had a big dose of bad vibes going on judging from its history. Superstitious or not, it was not a place where Marsh would choose to hang out. There was probably some good psychological reason for why Sage felt like this after going there but that was all way above Marsh's pay grade and he could only guess as to what this place was doing to him. "It's far away now," he said in what he hoped was a soothing tone. "It can't see you from there." He frowned softly and reached over to rest his hand on Sage's thigh, giving it a reassuring little squeeze. "Did you? Hear the train?"
In retrospect, Sage knew better. He knew the tunnel was dangerous and that going there was reckless, no matter how brave he was feeling. It was like playing Russian Roulette; he’d just been lucky enough to survive this time. “It can always see me,” Sage whispered, looking out the window, into the darkness. Night in Point Pleasant was harmless compared to the tunnel or the other place. Sometimes his mind could see it, and knew he’d be safe, but most of the time it seemed too similar. Everything looked the same in the dark. “I can’t hear the train from Austin’s place, but I heard it after I parked in Seaview,” he said, looking back at Marsh. “I shouldn’t be able to hear it at all.”
Marsh always had a problem with sussing out just how much of what had happened to Sage was real and how much was in his head. Sometimes he sounded outright insane and that would worry Marsh a lot more if he hadn't seen and experienced some weird things himself. Tonight he sounded like a paranoid schizophrenic except what he was saying was terrifying and could very well be true. "No you shouldn't," he agreed gently, because there hadn't been a train anywhere near Point Pleasant in years. "It seems like you should stay away from Seaview as much as you can," he added and that made Sage's little venture into the woods even weirder to him. He understood that his family lived in Seaview so naturally he had to go there sometimes, but all the way out to the tunnel? "Did Jacob hear the train too?"
“I don’t know,” Sage sighed, looking back at Marsh. He knew how crazy he sounded and that he should probably shut up, but talking sometimes helped him sort through his thoughts and Marsh had offered to listen. “I know he has, other times, but I didn’t ask today. I was kind of shocked to see him there. I thought about texting him, but didn’t think he’d go with me.” He had been determined to go and hadn’t wanted Jacob to try and talk him out of it. It hadn’t even occurred to him that Jacob might want to go there as well. He knew it scared them both, which was what made the whole day so bizarre. “I should probably check in with Joss tomorrow. If she went… I don’t know what that means.”
Marsh bit back on the 'nothing good' that he suddenly felt compelled to blurt out. That kind of pessimism wouldn't help anything and it was the last thing Sage needed to hear. God he hoped Joss hadn't gone out there too because one other person could be a coincidence but two? "Did it help at all? Going out there?" he asked rather than tell Sage not to go back there again, but that was what he really wanted to do. Put his foot down, be bossy and probably stoke Sage's fears while he was at it. Better to be calm and rational, he thought. Better to not give Sage more reasons to be worried.
Sage’s thoughts echoed Marsh’s, but he knew better than to say it. Saying it felt like dooming them all and he really needed a break. Hopefully, Joss stayed home, had a normal Saturday, and there was nothing to worry about. “It kinda helped, just seeing it. We were out there almost every day, but I’d kinda forgotten. That last time got stuck in my head and—and sometimes I wonder if it’s more nightmare than reality. I mean, I know it’s dangerous, that hasn’t changed, but… it can’t get me from here.” His recollection of that day was rather shitty at that point, but he still knew the core truth of it all—the tunnel had taken Grayson. But the tunnel was in the woods and he was safe in Marsh’s car. His fear might be real, but the threat was not, at least not at the moment.
Marsh didn't know if it really was the tunnel that was dangerous or if there was something dangerous living in the tunnel. A living thing could move around so he decided not to share that thought. So far all those things seemed very localized to the Cooperdale Tunnel area so he hoped Sage was right that it couldn't get to him out here. If all the rumors were to be believed, there were plenty of other things that could hurt them and just like with crime statistics and accident rates, he just had to not think about them and hope for the best for himself and his loved ones. "Yeah, if you're scared of heights, don't go bungee jumping," he said and gave Sage's thigh another squeeze. "Don't go to the woods, there's plenty of way nicer places to visit around here. I don't want you to get hurt."
In Sage’s memory, there was something in the tunnel, something that had come out and pulled Grayson in, but he wasn’t confident enough in his own mind to say so. The memory was fuzzy and ever-changing, more nightmare fuel than anything concrete. If there was a monster in the tunnel, he was sure it stayed near or inside the tunnel, so it shouldn’t matter when he was so far away. “Don’t go into the woods,” Sage said with a little smile, letting his hand rest on top of Marsh’s. “That’s good advice anywhere, for anyone. I think I can manage that.” He’d gone years since wandering down to Cooperdale Tunnel again and he doubted he’d be visiting again any time soon.
It was definitely advice that Marsh thought about when he had to go out to one of the farms off Witcham Road. Driving there made him a little nervous but so far he hadn't had to go there in the middle of the night, at least. He was sure it'd come to that though, but hopefully Ty would be going with him. It'd make him feel a little easier, having a former cop along. "Good," he replied simply, turning his hand to tangle their fingers together. "If you go missing out there I'd have to come look for you and that just sounds really fucking scary." He said it lightly, almost jokingly, like admitting something was terrifying was kind of silly, but it was true. Knowing Sage was in danger would probably drive him insane and it made him wish he felt more indifferent because Sage was absolutely the type to get into trouble. If Marsh had half a brain he'd be shacking up with some home body trophy wife material and not this crazy, punk kid who had so much trauma on his back. Feelings were dumb.
“You’d come looking for me?” Sage asked, a grin tugging at his lips. The thought gave him little flutters in his chest and he wasn’t sure why. There was nothing overtly romantic about it, except that he wasn’t sure anyone else in his life would willingly brave the woods in hopes of finding him. It made him want to be that brave in return, though he knew that was unlikely. He’d run and hide in the face of danger before and would probably do it again. If it was different, it was only because he had someone to fight for. “You’re kind of crazy, you know that?” he said, eyes flicking down to their hands as he stroked his thumb against Marsh’s finger. He didn’t understand why Marsh continued to stick with him, but the longer he did, the more Sage began to believe that he actually liked him, despite the mountain of baggage he carried. “I like it.”
"Whaaat?" Marsh said jokingly, the word drawn out and incredulous. "Nah, I'm boring. You're the crazy one. Don't make me come after you." Maybe Sage was right, he was a little crazy, less boring than he tried to be at least. With all the weirdness he'd experienced and his new found odd psychic thing, there were definitely more boring people in the world at least. "Just stay home with me and be boring too." He couldn't imagine Sage being like that for long and that was okay. Hopefully he'd want to go out more, overcome his fears, play more music. Marsh would go see him, he wasn't a total homebody, he was just still adjusting to being back in a routine and settling in to a new place.
“Hate to break it to you, but kinky vets who can taste feelings aren’t boring,” Sage snickered. “Maybe when you’re alone, but definitely not when I’m home with you.” They didn’t get up to it every night, but Sage sometimes felt like he was making up for lost time when he was with Marsh. He couldn’t seem to keep his hands off him. Tonight was different, of course, by no fault on Marsh’s part. It was hard to be horny while fighting off his demons. Marsh deserved a lot of credit for even making him smile. It would be nice to cuddle and cling to someone who made him feel so safe. “I like staying in sometimes, but it’s good to get out. I really kind of miss having a night life on nights I’m not working. Most people aren’t social in the middle of the day.”
Marsh supposed he did sound a lot more fun in theory than he felt in practice. Kinky vet, it made him laugh and he pulled Sage's hand up to sneak a quick kiss on his knuckles, keeping his eyes on the road. "Say the word and I'll take you somewhere," he promised. "We don't have to stay home all the time, I like bars and karaoke, and bowling and all sorts of things. Maybe if you get a weekend off we can drive down to Bangor or Portland and actually go dancing." He thought it'd do Sage good to get out of this town, even if it was just overnight, stay in some nice hotel in a walking distance - in well lit streets - to some fun place so they could both get plastered if they wanted to.
Marsh didn’t seem like the kind of guy that would make an offer like that and not mean it. He also didn’t seem like the sort to take a casual fling on a get-away weekend. It gave Sage a boost of confidence in their relationship and the state of it, providing more insight than an awkward conversation would have. “It’s been forever since I went dancing,” Sage smiled. “I’m awkward as shit, so be prepared to laugh at me. If you’re serious, I’ll look at my schedule.” He knew Nate would give him time off if he asked for it, so long as there wasn’t some kind of event going on, but he wanted Marsh to be sure. “You know, Joss wants to meet you,” he said, feeling the urge to fidget as his nerves flared up, but he refused to take his hand from Marsh’s. “She’s been poking me for a double date, if—if you’d be up for that.”
"I am serious," Marsh exclaimed, because why would he say that if he wasn't? Oh, right, some people talked shit all the time. Maybe he did too. But he did mean this and Sage could probably use a little vacation. "Who is she dating again?" he asked though he wasn't so sure Sage had told him already. "I haven't been on a double date since high school." Back then it had been triple and quadruple dates, he'd had a big friends' group and spent a lot of time with his teams but that was different from meeting the friends of his... Boyfriend? He had no idea what they were, he just liked having Sage around and loved fucking him. So probably boyfriends. He felt possessive enough to claim the word.
“We don’t have to call it that,” Sage said with a little laugh. It sounded better than being interrogated by his friend, but Sage opted not to say that. Joss wouldn’t be that harsh. “She just wants to meet you, and bring her boyfriend along so she’s not a third wheel. She’s dating Nate Kelly—my boss. Has been for a while now. Eight months maybe?” He wasn’t exactly keeping track, but knew they’d hooked up before he disappeared. There’d never been an awkward meeting of her friends on his end because he’d known Nate before she did. “It doesn’t have to be anything formal, but… she’s curious. They all are.”
Marsh already knew Nate Kelly a bit and he wasn't shy so none of this sounded like any sort of torture to him. "Name the time and place and I'll be there, formal or not," he said and let go of Sage's hand just long enough to press the garage opener as he turned in on his driveway. It was weird to think about meeting Sage's friends, it made him wonder if meeting the families was next up. Dating as an adult was so different from dating as a teen and he'd only done it far from home so he'd never had to really think about it. His parents would probably be very polite with Sage but he could imagine they'd be startled, not just that he was dating a guy, but that he was dating someone like Sage.
“Now formal sounds like some kind of black tie event,” Sage smiled. “We’ll do drinks somewhere. Somewhere one of us doesn’t work. Or karaoke.” He knew they could sit down to dinner together, but that felt more structured than he wanted. He was comfortable in bars, where the noise covered any awkward lulls in conversation, and karaoke always provided a nice distraction. While meeting friends felt like some kind of relationship marker, Sage hadn’t even thought about meeting families and wasn’t willing to even assume that would ever happen. For all he knew, he might be Marsh’s dirty little secret, albeit a very poorly kept one. With parents in Overlook, Sage couldn’t imagine that they’d be pleased with Marsh dating him and even if Marsh didn’t care, Sage wasn’t quite ready to face their scorn.
The only problem with Sage working at Dragonfly was that it was a really nice place and Marsh wouldn't be opposed to hanging out there with him when he was off work. He could understand why he wouldn't want to though but maybe some night he'd be okay with it. "Karaoke is fun," he agreed as he turned off the engine, waiting for the garage door to close behind them before even thinking about leaving the car. Funny how little habits changed so much with the arrival of a new person. "Weekends are best but obviously but if we go early I can do any night, really."
“Yeah, weekends are hard. And Joss works at The Porch, so you’re dealing with three bartenders. Or, well, I think she’s just a waitress. But you get what I mean,” Sage said, his eyes ticking to the rearview mirror as he watched the garage door lower behind them. He could literally feel his anxiety settling as it went down and he said a silent prayer of thanks that this was even an option. “We could probably do a Wednesday. I don’t think anyone’s looking to get shitfaced and I promise to have you tucked in bed at a decent hour,” he grinned. “When do you need to be in bed? Is nine too late?”
Marsh shook his head and grinned. "Nah, I might even be a little wild and stay out until ten," he said playfully but really, he did wake up stupidly early on his work days and some nights he wanted more sleep than others. "Check with Joss about Wednesday, I'll make sure to clear my schedule." He unbuckled his seat belt and leaned over to pull Sage into a kiss, tangling his fingers in his thick hair. "You okay now?" he asked quietly but he could almost feel the tension dissipate when the door was closed behind them. It was starting to affect him too when he was alone, knowing how afraid Sage was made him feel like there really was something to be afraid of and he often found himself tense when he was out and about, more so than he'd been when he was younger.
“Better,” Sage murmured against Marsh’s lips, willing him to stay close a minute more. Kisses from Marsh always riled Sage up just a little bit, especially those where he took hold of his neck or his hair, so it was impossible for things to remain truly bad. He knew it’d be back, that the darkness was never truly gone, so he wanted to hang onto the moment for as long as he could. He rested his forehead against Marsh’s, breathing him in before slowly pulling back. “Do you have any plans tomorrow?” he asked as he reached for the car door. The garage was safer than being out on the street, but he’d prefer to be in the house now that they were there.
"Some heavy duty vegging out," Marsh replied and grinned at him. "I was kinda hoping you'd stay for a while." Sundays were designated lazy days unless he was working and that might be a leftover effect from his partying days. Party hard Friday and Saturday, then use Sunday to recuperate before the week began anew. "We can watch some movies, order in..." He wasn't sure if Sage was working or not, but if he was he usually started late and stayed late so that would at least give them a few hours. He still hoped he had the night off, Sundays felt very lazy. Of all the days for Dragonfly to be closed, it should have been Sunday, not Monday, but alas. "Do you have work?" he asked once they were out of the car and heading in and he let Sage go in first, feeling like he had to have his back somehow.
“I’m off tomorrow,” Sage smiled. His schedule at the moment wasn’t super conducive to dating, but that was because he was bartending full time. If he could get back to giving music lessons part time, then he could shift his schedule to be during the busiest times of the week, when Nate needed him most and the tips were the best. Sage hated that he was exhausted most nights when he saw Marsh and hoped to get to a place where he could do more than crawl into bed with him. At least they were both off tomorrow. Vegging sounded divine. “I was hoping you’d ask, but I didn’t want to assume,” he said, slipping his hand into Marsh’s once they were in the house and the lights were on. “We could sleep in. I keep hoping to wake you, but you’re always up before me.”
"Yeah, I'm really bad at sleeping in," Marsh said apologetically. "But hey, if you keep me up tonight, maybe I'll sleep a little longer tomorrow." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively and pulled Sage closer, wrapping his arm around him. "I can think of a few ways you could do that." It wasn't like he was sleepy now, he'd had plenty of downtime today, even if he had woken up early. The thing he did like about waking up before Sage was that he could have coffee and breakfast ready for him and he liked taking care of him as much as he liked lovingly abusing him.
Sage could feel himself warming to the suggestion, his fears sinking into the background—never disappearing completely, but waiting for later. Postponed. He’d thought that they might play in the morning, but tonight might be better if they were both up for it. He could use the distraction. “You should tell me about them,” Sage said, leaning into Marsh, one arm looping up around his neck. “All these things you’re thinking of… I bet reality’s better.” Fantasies were fun. Fantasies got him through dry spells when it felt like he might never connect with someone. And then he met Marsh and he realized how much he was missing. His imagination was great, but it never compared to the real thing.
"How about I show you instead," Marsh all but purred at him before kissing him, just a little appetizer before they headed for the bedroom. He couldn't taste Sage's emotions at the moment which was a good thing as it meant they weren't as pronounced as they often were but he kind of couldn't wait to taste them again when they were more pleasant and he was determined to get him in a good state of mind before they even attempted to sleep. He swatted his ass gently and then pulled back, grabbing Sage's hand to tug him along to the bedroom upstairs.