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It's Magic

Summary:

If Tyler had been anyone else, if he’d been able to sleep at night, he might not have noticed the strange light. But he wasn’t and he couldn’t. He was Tyler and he was wide awake at nearly one o’clock in the morning, standing at his bedroom window, staring absently at the large expanse of woodland that hugged his backyard.

His brows furrowed in confusion as he stared at the strange light, deep in his personal stretch of forest. His sanctuary. If his best friend been there, Josh would probably have insisted the light was something otherworldly. Aliens, probably. Tyler smiled at the idea of bug-eyed aliens frolicking in his woods. The smile didn’t last long, though. Tyler wasn’t the dreamer Josh was; he was more inclined to go straight to worst-case-scenario. At that moment, his worst-case-scenario was fire.

Oh, God. His forest was burning.

Chapter Text

If Tyler had been anyone else, if he’d been able to sleep at night, he might not have noticed the strange light. But he wasn’t and he couldn’t. He was Tyler and he was wide awake at nearly one o’clock in the morning, standing at his bedroom window, staring absently at the large expanse of woodland that hugged his backyard.

His brows furrowed in confusion as he stared at the strange light, deep in his personal stretch of forest. His sanctuary. If his best friend had been there, Josh would probably have insisted the light was something otherworldly. Aliens, probably. Tyler smiled at the idea of bug-eyed aliens frolicking in his woods. The smile didn’t last long, though. Tyler wasn’t the dreamer Josh was; he was more inclined to go straight to worst-case-scenario. At that moment, his worst-case-scenario was fire.

Oh, God. His forest was burning. Tyler went cold all over as he started to sweat. Even at his distance, Tyler could make out the distinctive red, yellow, orange hues of a fire.

I have to call someone, he thought. Before he could reach for the cellphone on the dresser, though, another thought struck him.

It hasn’t gotten any bigger. He’d been staring out the window at the strange light for several minutes, but it appeared to be roughly the same size and shape as it had when he’d first spotted it. Tyler was willing to put money on the light being a fire – but a controlled one.

A campfire?

The high, wire fences and “keep out” signs were supposed to ensure his and Jenna's privacy. There was no way a camper could accidentally wander into Tyler’s forest without realizing they were on private property. If they weren’t there by mistake, it could only mean something bad, something sinister...

To his shame, Tyler’s first thought was, Stupid Clikkies! How dare they invade our privacy! His rage was immediately doused by a wave of guilt. Even when they crossed the line, Tyler still loved and appreciated his fans. After all, he wouldn’t have his house or the property that it sat on without those fans.

He might have chosen to deal with it in the morning, had Jenna not sighed in her sleep at that moment, rolling over in bed. The guilt beating at Tyler’s shore was dashed away in a surge of protectiveness. He wasn't particularly fierce or frightening, but Tyler would take down anyone who threatened his wife. He'd go to bat against the whole damned Clique, if he thought she was in danger because of them.

Blood singing with anger, Tyler hastily threw on some clothes and stormed from the house in a protective rage. He only slowed when, reaching the forest's edge away from the light of the house, he realized he'd left his phone in the house.

The small woodland was one of Tyler's favorite places on earth. He'd spent hours losing and finding himself under its green canopy but, at night, it was a completely different world. Tyler stumbled over roots he was certain hadn’t been there during the day, grumbling at himself for forgetting his phone.

Never mind falling on your face, he thought grumpily. How are you going to call for help if it does turn out to be some dangerous thug?

His step faltered, then picked up again, even more determined than before. It didn't matter who it was; Tyler would defend his home, his wife – even if it meant getting his scrawny butt kicked in the process.

Which, to be fair, it might.

Tyler's trek through the dark forest earned him enough scrapes and bruises to look as though he'd already been in a fight. His protectiveness had nearly been overshadowed by annoyance by the time he finally caught sight of a light through the underbrush. He was just annoyed enough to burst through the trees and shout at the trespassers – and he might have, if not for the music.

Okay, maybe music wasn't the right word. There was a kind of drumbeat, but the sound came from the slapping of hands on thighs and the stomping of feet on the ground rather than any machine. Some sort of pipe sang out a shrill, airy tune over the top. Voices spoke in a rhythmic rise and fall that was mesmerizing. Tyler tried to make out the words, but they sounded like gibberish to him.

Something about that chanting made Tyler forget his anger. He moved forward more cautiously, careful not to do anything that might interrupt the captivating sound. His first glimpse of the clearing beyond the trees confirmed his suspicions: there was a bonfire burning in the middle of his forest. Suddenly, though, that unwelcome fire seemed the least interesting thing there because it was surrounded by people in the most outrageous garb he'd ever seen.

And there'd been a fan dressed as a vulture at their last concert.

Tyler stared in awe at the strange creatures before him. Some wore robes that reminded him of the Bishops in their music videos, but these were in shades of moonlight, gemstones, and growing things. Others wore crowns made of flowers or had tiny bells woven into their hair. None of them wore shoes; their bare feet kicked up dirt as they moved in unison around the fire.

I'm dreaming, Tyler thought, squeezing his eyes shut. There was no way the scene in front of him was real. He shook his head to clear the image but, when he opened his eyes, it was still there – and even more surreal. The dancers fell back as a lone figure, moved in front of the flames.

Now I know this isn't real.

The man had his back to Tyler. Firelight danced across the curves of his toned flesh. It illuminated the wide swath of leaves hanging low over his bare hips and the horns nestled in his dark, curly hair. Tyler had the impression that the man had stepped right out of the forest, like he was some sort of woodland god. The thought shook Tyler's hard-won belief in God.

An uneasy shiver raised the hairs on his arms. He rubbed them to chase the feeling away. Then the horned man turned, and it was all Tyler could do to keep from gasping aloud. He knew that strange figure; knew it as well as he knew his own reflection.

Josh?!

There was no doubt it was the drummer. Tyler could draw those tattoos in his sleep. He knew that aquiline nose and the powerful shoulders; recognized the sculpted chest and the pointed jaw, despite the distance between them.

But the creature haloed by the fire wasn't the Josh he knew. It was something... else. Something wild and powerful, without the constant worry and Anxiety that made Josh retreat into the background whenever he could. This Josh was full of an energy, a purpose that commanded every person in the clearing to take note.

Tyler took note.

He watched, almost too afraid to breathe, lest it break the strange spell, as Josh-Not Josh crossed the clearing. The others had fallen into a wide circle where they sat swaying to the rhythm that had stopped but somehow still lingered in the air. Josh held out a hand to one of the seated women. She rose. Her cloak fell unnoticed to the ground.

Beneath the cloak, the woman wore a simple shift dress of flowing white. She took the hand Josh offered with a knowing smile and followed him to the middle of the circle. Josh spoke to the woman in a voice too low for Tyler to hear over the chanting that had resumed or... never stopped... or... he didn't know. Where was that noise coming from?

The woman nodded and – Tyler missed how – the fastening on the back of her dress was released. It fell, pooling around her. Josh followed it down, kneeling at the woman's dirty, bare feet. He said something that the circle of people echoed before bowing to kiss them. To Tyler's amazement and chagrin, Josh made his way up the woman's naked body, placing a kiss to several spots – some quite intimate – until he reached her lips.

Although both were nude, the kisses were somehow chaste. There was no arousal, no sexuality in them but there was something deeper. Something older. Something Tyler was afraid to think about for too long.

After kissing the woman's lips, Josh took a step back. Tyler found himself inexplicably glad the odd display was over… until the woman knelt at Josh's feet and began the process all over again.

It was a kind of torture, watching the woman work her way up his best friend's body – especially when she got to his penis! Tyler found his own clothes suddenly uncomfortable and, irrationally, wished he could also be rid of them. He adjusted the growing bulge in his jeans but found that touching himself only made matters worse.

Tyler didn't know how the others could sit and watch the... performance? without reacting. It was driving him mad! By the time she reached the organ half-hidden by a cluster of leaves, Tyler couldn't bear the constraints of his jeans any longer. Both excited and ashamed, driven nearly mad with longing, Tyler freed himself from the too-tight pants and took hold of himself. If any of the strangers or – God forbid! – Josh saw him masturbating, there in the woods, Tyler would die of embarrassment. But the dancers were on their feet again, moving around the nude figures. No one so much as glanced in his direction.

Oh, how Tyler wished he could pretend his arousal was due to the naked woman in the circle! But truth be told, he couldn’t take his eyes off Josh’s nude form. He was mesmerized by the way the light of the fire danced across the other man’s flesh as the woman placed a kiss to each of his nipples. How Josh's strong hands splayed across her hips to help steady her as, rising on tiptoe, she pressed a kiss to his lips. How the horns rising up from his riotous curls seemed to belong there, as if they had always been there and Tyler was only just noticing them for the first time.

Under the moonlight, dappled with shadow and flame, Josh was a primal force – one that called Tyler join the strange celebration. He had to grab a nearby tree branch with one hand to keep his... desire from pulling him forward. How he managed to stay quiet and in one place as he pleasured himself to the beat of their tribal chanting was beyond him.

Their exchange completed, Josh and the unknown woman joined the dance. Watching Josh as he twisted and writhed, bent and rose, Tyler let himself forget about right and wrong. He forgot to be ashamed that he was getting off to the sight of his best friend dancing nude by the light of a bonfire – a fire that sparked and grew to a deafening roar that did nothing to dull the chanting filling Tyler's mind. Finally, when he couldn't take another second, when the music reached fever pitch, Tyler let himself explode.

Across the clearing, the fire fell back to an easy blaze as the dancers collapsed together, laughing joyously, their energy spent.

Chapter 2

Summary:

“I’m a witch, Ty.” Josh finally said the words he’d been avoiding for years. They didn’t come willingly to his tongue. It was so difficult to spit the words out it felt like he was choking on them.

“A witch? But... you’re a guy!”

Chapter Text

When the ritual ended, Josh hurried his coven along. Usually, the solstice celebration would have gone on most of the night – but they didn’t usually have observers hidden in the brush. He carefully placed his horned headpiece inside his duffle bag and pulled the zipper shut as he waited for everyone else to pack up.

“You coming?” the coven’s High Priestess asked. Cloak tossed over one arm, she shoved her feet into a pair of sandals.

“Nah, I’ll catch up with you,” Josh told her, fiddling with the bag’s handles. “I’ve got something to do.”

The High Priestess nodded sympathetically. She gave Josh’s arm a comforting squeeze and urged the others forward to pick their way through the dark forest. When the last one had vanished into the trees, Josh took a deep, steadying breath before speaking.

“You can come out now, Ty,” he said loud enough to carry to Tyler’s hiding spot.

There was a muffled gasp, then two saplings parted. Tyler’s face appeared between them. His face was a picture of surprise. “You knew I was there?”

Josh didn’t tell the other man that everyone knew he was there. That you can’t stand so close to a magick circle without alerting the elements. That sex is power – or that the coven could barely control all the power Tyler had inadvertently added to their ritual.

Tyler Joseph was clearly a very passionate man.

Glad he’d swapped jeans for his ritual garb, Josh shifted uncomfortably. If he’d still worn only the belt made of silk leaves he favored as High Priest, Tyler would be able to tell exactly what was on Josh’s mind.

Him.

Focusing on the ritual had become increasingly impossible after Tyler entered the forest. Josh – who knew the land nearly as well as the man who owned it – could sense the shift that ran through the earth beneath his feet; could smell Tyler’s unique scent on the wind that sifted through the full summer canopy rustling overhead; could feel Tyler’s rage pulsing across the distance between them.

Tyler had entered the woods ready for a battle. Not that there would have been any fight on Josh’s part. He couldn’t exactly be mad at Tyler for ruining the ritual – they were on his property without his permission, after all. It didn’t matter if Jenna had known they would be there because Josh would never throw her under the bus that way. No, Josh would take the blame and, undoubtedly, the responsibility for the end of their friendship because, once Tyler knew what Josh really was, he wouldn’t want to associate with a witch.

But that wasn’t the way it had happened, much to Josh’s surprise. (And gratitude.) Of course, Tyler looked shell-shocked at the moment, like he couldn’t believe his eyes, so maybe he just hadn’t processed it yet...

“What- What was that?” Tyler demanded as he crossed the meadow. His eyes were wide and wary. Josh noticed the other man kept a few feet between them when he stopped. It hurt.

No point trying to lie, Josh thought miserably. If I don’t tell him, Google will.

“Magick,” he said simply.

Tyler’s eyes narrowed. Twin circles of color touched his cheeks. His hands balled into fists. “If you’re going to make fun of me, I’m leaving.”

Josh lunged forward to catch his friend’s wrist as he turned to go. Tyler glanced down at the spot where their flesh touched. His breath hitched audibly. Power surged between them.

 “Ty, wait,” Josh said. His breath came hard, dragging against his ribcage to come out ragged and uneven. He felt as though he’d run a marathon.

Looked like Tyler was having a tough time breathing too. His chest heaved as he breathed heavily through parted lips. Josh felt a thrill of excitement at the possibility that he might be affecting Tyler as much as the other man was affecting him.

Of course, he could just be building up to a good explosion...

Josh had seen it often enough: when a clumsy roadie nearly busted up Tyler’s piano case while moving it; when venue officials threatened to sue if he climbed anything higher than a stepladder; when sound guys got it wrong, and when equipment burned out. He’d never had Tyler’s anger directed at him, though, and he dreaded it. Even if he did deserve it. He had, after all, been lying to Tyler for years. Josh had never meant for the lie to last. It had started as an omission, then grown into deceit.

At first, Josh simply didn’t mention the fact that he was a witch – nothing personal, just a habit one got into if they didn’t want to be burned at the stake. As their friendship grew, however, the time just never seemed right. Tyler had spent so much time fighting to understand his own god in those early days that Josh couldn’t bring himself to confuse things by throwing his own gods into the mix.

They’d spend many long hours talking about faith – about God and Hell and all the things between. Tyler had shared his doubts and fears. A dozen times or more, Josh wanted to blurt out his own. In the end, though, Josh had bottled it. He pretended to share his best friend’s beliefs because, then, keeping Tyler’s friendship was important enough to keep the secret. And, now...

Now?

Now, Josh couldn’t bring himself to let go of Tyler, for fear that the other man would disappear into the darkness and out of his life forever.

“Please, let me explain,” he pleaded.

Tyler hesitated a moment, then nodded. “Okay, but if you expect me to believe that you-” His eyes widened as a thought occurred to him. “You don’t even like Harry Potter!”

Josh nearly laughed at Tyler’s outrage. That was the part he had a problem with?

“Not everyone in the world has to love Harry Potter!” he countered, falling into the old argument.

“Well, not everyone is trying to convince their best friend that magic is real!”

An awkward silence descended upon them. Josh still had one hand around Tyler’s wrist. The time to release him had come and gone but, still, Josh held on. He held on to Tyler like a drowning man clinging to a lifejacket. Without Tyler, Josh knew he would drown.

“Magick is real,” Josh said quietly but firmly, “whether you believe in it or not.”

Tyler’s bottom lip stuck out. “Yeah, well, Harry Potter is good, even if you pretend you don’t like it.”

They were avoiding the real issue, both afraid to be the one to bring it up. The one to take things one step too far to be saved. Eventually, Josh forced himself to put a toe over that line. Slowly, reluctantly, he released his hold on Tyler, one finger at a time. He waited for the other man to move away and could have cried with relief when Tyler didn’t.

“So... uh, I guess I should explain... well, everything...”

“Remind me to get you a dictionary for Christmas,” Tyler grumbled, “so you can look up ‘understatement.’”

Tyler could still see a future when they were on speaking terms at Christmas? That gave Josh confidence.

“Where do you want to start?”

Pressing his lips together, Tyler rubbed a hand across his short hair. “Let’s start with you bringing a bunch of strangers onto my property,” he said, eyes blazing. “How often does that happen?”

Had he really thought Tyler would start with an easy question? He sighed.

“Eight times a year for our major holidays,” Josh began. He hurriedly added, “and once a month on full moons,” when Tyler opened his mouth to, Josh assumed, tell him off. Might as well get the yelling over in one go.

“Jesus, Josh!” Tyler exclaimed. “How could you bring all those people here? Jenna’s up there asleep,” he said, waving a hand behind him to the house beyond the trees. “I thought you cared about her more than that, even if you didn’t give a damned about me. What if she’d seen the light? What if...” His words trailed off. A frown tugged the corners of his lips down. “Jenna knows.” It wasn’t a question.

“Jenna has nothing to do with this!” Josh insisted.

Tyler returned Josh’s denial with raised eyebrows. “How long has she known?”

Josh wanted to lie, to spare Jenna from the mess he’d gotten her into, but knew he couldn’t get out of the web of lies he’d been clinging to by spinning more. He ducked his head. “She’s always known.”

“Of course she did.” Tyler didn’t look surprised. Furious, but not surprised. He took a couple of steps away and Josh’s heart sank. He was leaving after all. But then Tyler spun on the spot and stalked back. Pacing. Typical Tyler.

“Sit down, Ty,” Josh said, motioning to a fallen tree nearby.

“I don’t want to sit down!” Tyler snapped. “I want to... I dunno, throw stuff. I wanna climb to the top of this tree and scream.”

Josh looked up at the tree Tyler stood next to. “I wouldn’t pick that one, man. A woodpecker’s been nesting in it for months and it’s getting surly. Might chuck you out for the hell of it.”

Tyler stopped dead. He stared hard at Josh. “Are you messing with me?”

Shaking his head, Josh plonked himself down on the fallen tree. After a moment, a wide-eyed Tyler joined him.

“How can you know that? You can’t... talk to the trees or something, can you? Can you?”

Josh tugged at the frayed knee of his jeans. He’d spent an hour artfully ripping in a hole in them when he’d first purchased them so the “Tyler” tattoo underneath would show. Yeah... he’d had it bad for a while. That was part of the reason he’d kept his secret from Tyler for so long: he didn’t want the other man looking at him like he was evil. Or, crazy.

Like he was now.

“Trees don’t talk much,” Josh said, unable to meet Tyler’s eye. “But birds, they’re chatterboxes. They’ll tell you a story about every blade of grass in the meadow, if you let them.”

Tyler was silent for a moment. “Josh, I- God. I’m having a hard time believing all this.”

Who wouldn’t?

“I’m a witch, Ty.” Josh finally said the words he’d been avoiding for years. They didn’t come willingly to his tongue. It was so difficult to spit the words out it felt like he was choking on them.

“A witch? But... you’re a guy!”

Letting out a quick, dry laugh, Josh shook his head. “Witches are guys and girls and everything in between. It’s not really what we are, though, it’s more about what we have. How do I explain? It’s just something sleeping inside that some of us have woken up.”

“Like cancer?”

Josh cringed. It wasn’t the comparison he would have made.

“Well, I guess – but I’d rather have magic.”

Tyler thought for a moment. “How did you wake it up?”

“My father’s mother – you remember her?” Tyler nodded. “Well, she was a witch. She taught me.” Josh didn’t mention that she’d taught all the kids. Leave some shock for later, he thought miserably. 

“Wow. I’m trying to picture Granny Dunn as a witch and just... wow.” Tyler faced Josh. “Oh. My. God. Does your grandmother dance around naked in the woods, too?” He looked scandalized.

Josh let out a laugh, a real laugh, then. “Eww! No! And it’s called skyclad. Like, clothed only in the sky.”

“That’s kind of beautiful.”

Josh nodded his agreement. “Yeah, it is.”

Tyler cleared his throat. He rubbed his palms on the knees of his jeans. “I, um... What I mean is you were kind of beautiful. You know, to watch. I don’t know what the leaf thing was about and I’m not sure I want to know but...”

Blood rushed through Josh’s veins so quickly it filled his ears with a dull roar. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Tyler thought he was beautiful?

“...damn. I mean, I totally get why Clikkies are always throwing themselves at you now.” He glanced up at Josh through his lashes. “That forest god thing looked good on you.”

Josh didn’t give himself time to think about what he was doing; didn’t wait long enough to talk himself out of it. He saw the look of appreciation in Tyler’s eyes, felt the attraction radiating off him in waves, and went for it. Leaning forward, Josh slid his hand up to cup the back of Tyler’s head as he caught his lips in a kiss filled with years’ of longing.

His mind, his body exploded with sensation. The feel of Tyler’s surprisingly soft lips... The rough bark beneath the palm he used to steady himself as he urged Tyler backward... The warm summer breeze against the bare flesh of his back... The wild pounding of his heart, answered by the echoing staccato of Tyler’s... The growing heat between them, a slow simmer that grew hotter when Tyler’s hands rose to grasp Josh’s shoulders...

It was Tyler who broke the kiss, clinging to Josh as he gasped for breath. His brow furrowed as he searched the other man’s face. His eyes were heavy, unfocused. “Are you using magic on me now?”

The question struck Josh like a fist to his gut. He jumped up, putting distance between them. His voiced dripped with pain when he said, “Do you really think I would do that to you?”

Tyler passed a hand across his short hair before shaking his head. “No,” he answered honestly, “I don’t. It’s just...”

“Just what?” Josh asked. He didn’t bother trying to soften the hard edge to his voice.

Pressing his lips together in a familiar display of uncertainty, Tyler fought some sort of internal battle. Josh watched it play out across Tyler’s face, unable – unwilling – to interfere.

You shouldn’t have kissed him, he scolded himself. You crossed the line. There’s no going back. He’s going to-

“It’s just that I want you so much I feel like I’m going to die if I don’t have you!”

Satisfaction tried to twist the corners of Josh’s mouth into a grin at Tyler’s embarrassed outburst. He fought to conceal the smile, knowing Tyler wouldn’t appreciate the gesture for what it was.

Joy.

“Oh, honey,” Josh said as he rose, approaching Tyler, “that’s magic, alright, but not the kind you’re thinking of.”

Tyler swallowed hard. Josh noticed the other man’s gaze drop to his bare chest – and lower. His own body reacted instinctively.

“Wh- what kind of magic is it?”

Josh stopped fighting the smile. He caught Tyler’s hand and tugged him to his feet. Taking Tyler by the hips, Josh pulled the other man forward to meet his own hard body.

“Let me show you.”

Chapter 3

Summary:

The forest held its breath.

Nocturnal creatures paused their foraging. They lifted their little noses into the air, distracted by the scent of possibility on the wind. Branches overhead stopped their gentle swaying, leaves quivering in anticipation. Wild Midsummer magick that had been slowly sinking back into the earth since the coven released their circle began to shimmer. It started to rise once more, answering an unspoken call. A visiting owl forgot his hunt. Distracted by the forest’s unnatural stillness, he landed on a moss-covered stump that was home to a family of voles to get a better view.

Something momentous was about to happen and everything living thing around could feel it.

Chapter Text

The forest held its breath.

Nocturnal creatures paused their foraging. They lifted their little noses into the air, distracted by the scent of possibility on the wind. Branches overhead stopped their gentle swaying, leaves quivering in anticipation. Wild Midsummer magick that had been slowly sinking back into the earth since the coven released their circle began to shimmer. It started to rise once more, answering an unspoken call. A visiting owl forgot his hunt. Distracted by the forest’s unnatural stillness, he landed on a moss-covered stump that was home to a family of voles to get a better view.

Something momentous was about to happen and everything living thing around could feel it.

Tyler felt... he felt...

He felt like he’d been waiting his whole life to be exactly where he was at that moment. It was stupid, he told himself. He and Josh had been friends for years. They’d touched and hugged and even seen each other naked. Tyler tried to convince himself that it wasn’t anything between them, it was… something else. It couldn’t just be attraction they’d been denying for too long. It had to be…

Magic?

Did he believe in magic?

Of course he didn’t! But, if magic wasn’t real, that meant the crazy desire burning through him was.

One doesn’t negate the other, Josh would have argued. Tyler knew his best friend well enough to know that. Or, at least, he thought he had. Until tonight.

Tyler didn’t know anything anymore. No, that was a lie. He knew he was so hard it hurt. He knew he would never forget the taste of Josh’s mouth, the feel of his tongue. He knew he wanted Josh in a way he’d never wanted anyone else.

He knew wanted Josh to kiss him again so he didn’t have to think anymore.

But Josh didn’t kiss Tyler again. He waited, still as the forest, chest heaving with the effort it took to stay that way. Let me show you, he’d said. It wasn’t an order, it was a question. A plea - and it was obvious he wouldn’t move a muscle until Tyler gave him permission, no matter what it cost him.

What would it cost Tyler, the admission? His own plea to please, please show him? Show him everything he’d never knew existed? Teach him everything he never knew he didn’t know?

Josh hadn’t moved but a tremor had begun in the fingers pressing into Tyler’s biceps. That was when Tyler knew. It would cost him exactly what it had cost his best friend to ask the question.

Everything.

Could he do it? Could he give everything to open his eyes to this new wonder? To step into a new, unexplored world?

The answer came on a rush of warm summer wind that carried the musky air of the forest, his forest - their forest - deep into Tyler’s lungs. He tasted bittersweet tang of burning logs and... something else. Something more fragile the wildflowers that ringed the clearing. Something softer than the bed of grass beneath their feet. Something he couldn’t name.

Yes, you can, a small part of Tyler argued, a part that originated in his heart, rather than his mind. Call it what it is.

No, he couldn’t. Tyler had already given too much, accepted too many impossible things to believe that you could taste hope.

“Ty, please,” Josh said, his rich voice marred by a nervous hitch. “You’re killing me here, man.”

The question hung heavy in the breath of space between them. That was all there was stopping them from having what they both wanted, both needed. A single breath. Tyler answered by taking that breath, closing the distance between them, and feeding it back to Josh in a messy tangle of lips and teeth and tongues that left them clinging to each other for support.

Could he?

Fuck, yes.

Josh’s hands trembled even harder as they slid up Tyler’s arms to rest on his shoulders. For some reason, Josh’s uncertainty made Tyler doubt his own less. He covered the other man’s hands with his own and moved them to his waist. Then, reluctantly breaking the kiss, he pulled back just far enough to grab the neck of his tee-shirt and yank it over his head. The fabric bunched in Tyler’s fist as Josh’s hands shyly slid up his bare abdomen, then fell to the ground as Tyler released it to grab Josh’s shoulders when he rubbed the coarse pads of his fingers across Tyler’s exposed nipples.

Tyler wanted to pull Josh forward again, to claim his mouth in a hot, desperate kiss, but Josh leaned back. Disappointment beat at Tyler – until he realized that Josh had only moved away to get a better view as his hands moved down Tyler’s torso. They stopped at the waistband of his dark jeans. He remembered the moment, not long ago, when he’d freed himself from the confines of those jeans, longed for Josh as he caressed himself. His cock leapt at the thought.

Light from the dying fire danced in Josh’s eyes as he slowly sank to his knees in front of Tyler without breaking eye contact. (How had Tyler never noticed that his best friend had eyes the color of freshly tilled earth?) Then, Josh popped the button on Tyler’s jeans. He slowly eased the zipper down, making Tyler groan aloud when his fingers accidently brushed against him.

The look on Josh’s face was both amused and delighted. “You’re not wearing underwear,” he said.

“I didn’t exactly have time to dress properly,” Tyler told him defensively. “I was kind of in a hurry since I thought someone was burning down my- ah!”

Josh interrupted the mini rant by wrapping his long fingers around Tyler’s thick cock. He slowly pulled it out, running his fingers along the length until Tyler thought his knees would give out. He stumbled backward, stopping only when his back slammed against a broad tree. Still on his knees, Josh advanced mercilessly, a grin spreading across his face.

Tyler knew that look. It was the look his best friend wore just before he played a prank on one of the roadies. Right after he repeated a slightly raunchy joke he’d heard. When he showed up on Tyler’s doorstep at 3AM to drag him out for Taco Bell.  And now, right before he wrapped his lips around Tyler’s…

“Jesus, Josh!” he exclaimed, bracing himself against the tree as Josh swallowed his throbbing cock. Josh responded with a chuckle that did wicked things to the head buried deep in his throat. One hand on the rough bark at his back, Tyler tangled his fingers in Josh’s curls, urging him on.

Something was building inside Tyler, something terrifyingly unfamiliar. Briefly, he wondered if orgasms were somehow different when you were with another man, then quickly dismissed it as a ridiculous thought. But there was something there, something he didn’t understand – and it was getting bigger. Bigger, and more uncontrollable. Already nearly out of his control. He fought against it, clinging to Josh like a man fighting to stay on his feet in the midst of a flash flood.

Josh released Tyler, who nearly cried at the sudden deprivation. Frowning up at Tyler, he asked, “Why are you fighting it?” He slid his hand up and down Tyler’s slick member. “Let go, Ty,” he urged, coaxing him closer to climax and closer to… to… something… else…

It wasn’t just Josh trying to get Tyler to let go, to jump into that unfamiliar tidal wave. It was as if the entire forest was part of the call. The wind intensified until the full canopy over their heads rustled like the roar of a crowd. The tree behind him seemed to throb in time with his straining cock, a living thing with its own pulse. The entire forest was alive, and Tyler wasn’t just in it, he was part of it. The same energy that thrummed through the ground at his feet thrummed through him, too.

“That’s it,” Josh coaxed. His hands continued to work their magic on Tyler as he…

Magick.

It’s just something sleeping inside that some of us have woken up.

Tyler hadn’t understood it then, but he was starting to understand it now. That thing that Josh had told him about, that thing that slept inside most people, it was inside Tyler. It didn’t just want to wake up, it wanted to storm out into the world and have a goddamn party.

Groaning Josh’s name, he exploded, releasing his magick as he spilled his seed into Josh’s waiting mouth.

Chapter Text

Waking up alone in bed wasn't unusual when your husband suffered from chronic insomnia. Jenna didn't bat an eye, just reached for the phone on the bedside table and texted Tyler a quick, "Hey, Babe. You okay?"

Something across the room buzzed. Tossing back the covers, Jenna rose with a frown of concern. She found Tyler's phone on a dresser near the window.

Weird... Tyler never went far without his phone. As much as it drove him crazy, he hated to be disconnected. Wherever he was, he was off-the-grid. No access to social media? Now that was unusual.

Jenna decided to start in the places Tyler normally wandered to when sleeplessness struck: his studio, the kitchen, his "man cave" (though that was really the downstairs living room, filled with just about every gaming console there was.) But, as she turned to leave, movement outside the window caught her eye. A stream of people moved along the shadowed tree line, heading toward the edge of the property.

She automatically checked the date on Tyler's phone. June 21st.

Oh, yeah.

Jenna had completely forgotten about the solstice. Josh had reminded her about it last week, too. She was going to have to be more careful. If she didn't do a better job of keeping track of the dates, Tyler was going to find out his best friend had been using their private forest to perform secret rituals with his coven. Jenna didn't mind the whole witch thing – well, very much –  but she wasn’t sure Tyler would feel the same way.

The Josephs were both faithful Christians, but that word meant something different to every person who claimed it. Personally, Jenna thought the whole shall-not-suffer-a-witch-to-live stuff was nonsense. Everyone had the right to exist, regardless of their faith. Especially someone as gentle and kind-hearted as her husband's best friend.

Besides, Josh had explained the basics of his religion to her and, as far as she understood it, witches worshipped the earth. Well, if they worshipped the earth and God made the earth, witches worshipped God too. In their own way.

Tyler, though… well, sometimes he struggled with the true meaning of Christianity. With what faith really was. Jenna didn’t know if his tumultuous relationship with God would survive the discovery of Josh's beliefs. Neither was Josh – which was why they'd agreed, years ago, to keep it between themselves.

She tucked Tyler's cellphone into her pocket and started to turn from the window. The window. Jenna stopped as she recalled where she'd found Tyler’s phone... on the dresser. In front of the window. On the night of the solstice, when Josh and his entire coven celebrated their holy day. The ritual was over, but how long ago had Tyler stood where she was now?

Long enough, she'd bet.

"Oh, no..."

Jenna's heart sank. Her boys never squabbled much (and rarely over anything more serious than who cheated worse at video games,) but it always made her feel sick when they did. She couldn't even imagine what a real argument would be like between them. How Tyler would cope with the lies his best friend had been keeping from him for so long.

His best friend... and his wife.

Worry tied Jenna's stomach in knots. Oh, their marriage would survive. She didn't doubt that for a minute. They love she and Tyler shared could survive anything. She wasn't as certain about Tyler and Josh’s relationship.

No matter what he might say in the heat of the moment, though, Jenna knew losing Josh would break Tyler – and seeing Tyler hurting would break her. Josh, of course, would be beyond devastated. None of their lives would ever be the same if Josh's secret and Tyler's pig-headedness ruin their friendship.

She couldn't let that happen.

Wouldn't let it happen. She'd storm down there and make them work it out. Hesitating at the door, Jenna glanced down at her teeny tank top and short shorts. She'd storm down there and make them work it out... just as soon as she put on something more suited to tromping through the woods at night.

***

Dressed in jeans and sensible boots, armed with the emergency flashlight that lived in the junk drawer in the kitchen, Jenna slid open the screen door that faced the woodland behind the house. Worry still knotted her stomach, but determination drove her steps. She'd never been to one of Josh's rituals – accepting someone’s faith and taking part in it were two very different things – but she knew vaguely where they met. Keeping her light trained on the uneven ground, she strode purposefully into the forest.

Even with her sturdy hiking boots, it wasn't easy going. Jenna wondered absently how Tyler had found his way in the dark but, of course, he would have had the sounds of the ritual to guide him. With the coven gone, Jenna had only her flashlight and concern to guide her.

She strained, listening for the sound of voices raised in disagreement, and was surprised when none reached her. Either she was headed in the wrong direction, or they had already sorted things out themselves. Hugged it out and moved on, like always.

Huh, she thought, impressed and proud of her boys, guess they didn't need me after all. Unless they've already taken the argument back to the house and I somehow missed them on my way out here...

What was that?

A sudden noise brought Jenna up short. She swung her light around, looking for the source. It was a strange, disconcerting sound to hear in a dark forest. At first, she thought it was the cry of an injured animal. Then, her worry went into overdrive. An injured animal... or an injured person?

Oh, God. They wouldn't have actually come to blows over this, would they?

Tyler and Josh were both extremely passionate men in their own ways. Their band would never have become as huge as it was if they hadn't been. But they weren't violent people. She couldn't picture either of them taking a swing at the other. The thought was absurd.

So, what the hell was that?

The noise came again, this time deeper. Lower. More familiar.

It sounded like...

Don't be stupid.

Jenna scolded herself for entertaining such ridiculous thoughts. You're getting yourself all wound up, she told herself. Just keep going and you'll see. Everything will make sense.

Everything will be okay.

It got louder as Jenna moved closer. She chose her steps more carefully, trying not to make any sound herself. She pressed the flashlight against her leg to dim its light. Something warned her to keep her presence a secret. Another part – a part that grew larger the closer she got – told her to forget about it. To turn around, head back to the house, and continue in blissful ignorance. Good idea, right? She should do that... 

Turn around. Turn around and-

"Ty!"

That was no animal.

The answering groan was as familiar to Jenna as her own name. Her body reacted with an ache of recognition. Tyler?

Josh sounded breathless when he said, “Wait, Ty… Can you feel…?” Confusion clouded his words. Confusion and... something that made Jenna's face go hot and cold all at once.

Tyler’s answering voice was thick with desire. “I can feel this.

A deep groan rumbled through the trees. The horror of what she suspected but couldn’t see made a sob lodge in Jenna’s throat. She pushed forward, no longer caring how much noise she made. She had to see. Had to know.

“Ty!” Josh’s voice grew sharp with panic. “Wait, don’t. There’s something… Ahh!”

Jenna stepped through the trees just in time to see her husband, arms wrapped around the thick trunk of a tree, throw his head back with a cry of pleasure as he came hard. Behind him, deep inside him, Josh's tattooed body strained in the throes of his own climax.

The knots in Jenna's stomach came undone all at once. They fell around her feet, along with the tattered shreds of her heart.

Chapter 5

Summary:

Tyler's world, which had already been rocked once that evening, was turned on its head. Not only was it turned upside down, it was turned inside out. Would the surprises ever end? Except... well, it didn't feel like a surprise. It was more like when that magick burst out of him. A... what was the word?

An awakening.

It’s just something sleeping inside that some of us have woken up.

Love wasn't all that different from magick.

Chapter Text

The enormity of what they'd done hit Tyler in an instant. He would have fallen to the ground if not for Josh's powerful arms, which were quick to catch him as he sagged.

"Oh, God..." he breathed.

Josh chuckled. "About that..." he said with a smile in his voice. "I have a few of those I should introduce you to."

Startled at his... friend's? lover’s? bold talk of gods, Tyler's head snapped up. His eyes met Josh's and he was falling again.

The rush of emotion he felt staring into Josh's eyes was like that first wild rush of magick that had exploded out of him, within him, around him. It woke something in him he never knew was sleeping. Something he never knew existed at all. Now that he did...

Tyler could see it, feel it, hear it. It was part of him, but separate. He was made of it, and it of him. His life before magick suddenly seemed empty – like he had only been playing the part of Tyler Joseph. Like he had learned the lines and hit the marks but had never really understood the character.

He was something new, yet more himself than he had ever been.

And Josh...

Josh.

Being with Josh was like that too. It had never occurred to Tyler that there could be anything there he was missing but, now that he had found it, embraced it, he couldn't imagine existing without it.

And Josh...

Was happy. That wasn’t quite right… Josh was buoyant. Nervous excitement bubbled just under the surface, waiting to be released. He felt relieved Tyler had accepted him for what he was, but also felt a little afraid that Tyler might have an attack of conscience any time now and bolt. Silently, he begged Tyler to make the first move – and soon, before the anticipation killed him.

"Josh!" Tyler exclaimed, grasping the other man's muscular forearms. "You... I mean, I can... How...?" It was so impossible he couldn’t put it into words.

Josh's eyes grew wide and he blushed. He quickly ducked his head, looking up through his eyelashes at Tyler. "You can feel what I feel?"

Tyler could only nod. He was glad Josh had said it; if had to put it into words himself, he might have started to doubt his own sanity. A ball of joy rose to his chest and exploded, filling him with indescribable happiness. He didn’t know if the emotion was Josh's or his own.

Pressing his lips together, Josh bounced on the balls of his feet, too excited to stand still. "That's... I..." He beamed, seemingly unable to voice the joy he felt. The joy they... shared?

"Can you feel what I feel too?"

No longer able to hide his smile, Josh beamed. God, he had a beautiful smile.

“Yes, I can!”

Clearly, it meant something more to Josh than it did to Tyler – not surprising, since he didn't know what it was supposed to mean. An owl in a nearby tree grumbled that they were scaring away his dinner and Tyler decided sensing Josh's emotions probably wasn't the weirdest thing he was going to experience now that he was...

"Oh. My. God. Am I a witch too?"

Josh's laughter rang through the clearing. Startled by the loud noise, the owl took flight, deciding to find his dinner somewhere else.

"Not yet," he told Tyler, "but you could be... if you want." It rose at the end, more a question than a statement.

Did Tyler want to be a witch? He'd only just found out they existed! And, if he was a witch, could he go to church? Was God even real? The questions he'd spent his whole life struggling to answer were suddenly wide open again. Yet, despite his confusion, there was a certainty he'd never felt before. Standing there, surrounded by the chatter of animals, the sighing of trees, and the strange, constant hum that rose beneath their feet, he felt... at home. He felt right.

"I think I do."

Josh's joy nearly bowled them both over.

"I'll teach you," he told Tyler in a rush. "Anything you want to know, anything at all, I'm here for you." The statement held a ring of finality. It wasn't just a promise, it was a vow. Tyler knew Josh's absolute conviction in keeping it, without having to hear the words. It was as if they shared a mind.

No, not quite. He couldn't read Josh's mind; didn't know his exact thoughts. It was like Josh had said, he could feel the other man's feelings. They didn’t share a mind; they shared a heart.

"Will I be able to do this with other people?” he wondered aloud. “Will I always be able to know what people are feeling?" Tyler didn't think he'd like that much. It was exhausting enough constantly worrying what their fans thought.

He felt nervousness from Josh and watched him weigh his words carefully before releasing them. "No. It only happens when two people become... close."

"Close?" Tyler thought of Josh's hot mouth on his cock and nearly choked on his next question. "You mean... when people have sex?"

Some of the tension in Josh broke. He laughed again.

"No! No, that would be... awful. Can you imagine that? People sleeping around, sharing all the jealousy and shame and... ugh, shudder."

Well, that was a relief. But it didn't answer his question.

"So..."

Dropping his hold on Tyler, Josh anxiously shoved his hands in his pockets. He was worrying about how to phrase something so that it didn't scare Tyler.

There's a rabbit under that bush complaining about her children and he's afraid he'll freak me out? Bit late for that...

"What is it, Jish?" The old nickname came automatically to his lips. Whatever they were now, they were friends first. Tyler didn't want him to forget that.

The corner of Josh's mouth quirked up at the use of his nickname. He took a deep breath and explained, "Ty, it's... uh... there's this thing called a soulmate bond. It's something that only happens to people who..." He shifted from one foot to the other, gaze somewhere over Tyler's shoulder, as if he couldn't bear to look at him as he said, "To people who've fallen in love."

Tyler's world, which had already been rocked once that evening, was turned on its head. Not only was it turned upside down, it was turned inside out. Would the surprises ever end? Except... well, it didn't feel like a surprise. It was more like when that magick burst out of him. A... what was the word?

An awakening.

It’s just something sleeping inside that some of us have woken up.

Love wasn't all that different from magick.

"Josh," Tyler said, chest aching with understanding. Tears pricked his eyes. How could he have been so blind? Of course he was in love with Josh. He'd known he loved him for a long time; he just didn't know he was in love with him. That Josh wasn't just his bandmate or his best friend, but his soulmate. Of all the crazy stuff that had happened since he’d stormed out of his house that night, it was the one that made the most sense.

Ever terrified of rejection, Josh looked ready to bolt. Tyler could feel him trying erect walls against what he was sure could only be rejection. We're going to have to work on that, Tyler thought. No soulmate of mine is going to doubt my love. Ever.

He reached out to nudge Josh's chin up with one long finger. When Josh's warm brown eyes met his, Tyler realized the fear of rejection was an old one. He wondered how long Josh had carried those feelings secretly, too afraid to tell him. It broke his heart to think of the other man going through life alone, with the one thing he needed just out of reach.

Not anymore. Never again.

"I didn't know," Tyler told Josh. He wanted to comfort him, to reassure him that he would never be alone again. "I'm so stupid, I didn't see it. I'm sorry."

Hope, hesitant and shy, snaked around Josh, reaching toward Tyler. It pulled them together. In the space of a heartbeat, the length of a sigh, they were in each other's arms. The kiss Tyler gave his soulmate started slow and sweet. Achingly tender. But, with their bodies pressed tightly together, their breaths joined and their souls tangled, it didn't take long for that soft, gentle kiss to turn into something that gave the muggy midsummer night something to sweat over.

There were too many clothes between them. Tyler didn't know who felt it first, the desire to be pressed together, flesh to flesh, but it didn't matter. The only thing that mattered was getting rid of the offending fabric. It became a race to see who could get the other undressed first and only ended when they collapsed against each other, laughing and naked.

Josh trailed a hand down Tyler's lean thigh, then back up. He cupped Tyler's ass and squeezed. "I've dreamed of this so many times."

Tyler dragged his fingers through the riot of Josh's curls, lightly dragging his short nails down the other man's neck. "I'll never dream of anything else."

He wanted to explore Josh's body properly. To run his hands along every inch of the drummer's hard body. Wanted to learn what made him writhe and what made him moan. But, more than anything, he wanted to finish what they'd started when Josh first sank to his knees in front of him. He wanted them to be together.

Really together.

Kissing Josh hard as he reached between them to stroke his cock, Tyler tried to focus his feelings. He hoped Josh would pick up on the desire without his having to speak it out loud. Tyler had never done this before, and he didn't know how to ask for it.

Josh groaned. The deep rumble vibrated through Tyler's chest. "Yes," he said, gasping for air. "Yes, yes, yes..."

It was Tyler's turn to take Josh into his mouth. Although inexperienced, he was eager. Plus, it helped that he could feel exactly what turned his soulmate on.

"Now," Josh panted all too soon. "I need you now."

Tyler was happy to oblige. Turning around, he wrapped his arms around the base of a nearby tree for support. He waited for the tree to be offended but sensed only mild amusement. It had seen far worse in its lifetime.

Grabbing his hip with one hand, Josh gently pushed Tyler’s back down with the other until his ass popped into the air. It was a strange, unfamiliar feeling, having his anus exposed. Tyler found he liked it – especially when Josh leaned forward to drag his tongue across the tight opening.

***

"Oooh!" Tyler whimpered. He spread his feet apart to give Josh better access.

Josh worked on Tyler mercilessly, preparing him for their first time. He didn't stop until he had two fingers buried in Tyler, pumping himself with his other hand while Tyler begged for release. Only then did Josh position himself behind Tyler.

"Are you ready?" he asked, trembling with the need to claim his soulmate in every way possible. He tried to school himself, but patience was hard fought when his cock throbbed painfully.

Don't rush him, he warned himself for the millionth time that night. He's never done this before. Take your time. Let him get used to you.

It would have been easier to listen to those little warnings if Tyler hadn't been egging him on, begging him to please, please "Fuck me already!"

He couldn't deny his soulmate anything.

Josh took Tyler. Slowly, at first. He eased himself into Tyler's untested asshole inch by agonizing inch. And Tyler obediently swallowed every bit of him. When Josh was finally balls deep in Tyler, he froze, overcome.

Completion. Fulfilment. Two pieces of a puzzle finally fitting together when one was thought lost forever. If that was all – if Josh could do nothing but stand there, filling Tyler and being filled by him – that would have been enough.

That wasn’t all.

Tyler impatiently bounced his perfect little ass against Josh and suddenly nothing would be enough until he filled it with come. Keeping one hand on Tyler's waist, Josh thrust into him over and over. He reached around with his other hand and took hold of Tyler, working him that way as well. Soon Tyler Joseph, the man people praised for the power of his words, was reduced to sobs of "Please!" and "Yes!"

Their climaxes built swiftly together. Josh could feel Tyler's and he knew Tyler could feel his. But then something... shifted.

There was something wrong with their forest. No.

Not something, someone.

He strained to make out who it could be (It would be a really bad time for one of his coven to realize they'd left something behind!) but Tyler thrust back to meet him and Josh didn't give a damn who else was in the forest.

Until a frightened family of voles ran past, worrying loudly about some woman in the forest.

Josh wanted nothing more than to carry on doing exactly what they were doing – for the rest of their lives, if possible – but he didn't want their first time marred by an interruption. "Ty!" He tried to get Tyler’s attention as he stopped to listen to the night sounds for any hint of who might be sneaking up on them.

Tyler wasn't having it. He didn't seem to care about interruptions. His need was so overwhelming Josh found it difficult to listen to his own common sense. He felt Tyler reach out with his newfound magick, connecting with the earth in a way that was instinctive. Untaught. Tyler simply asked the land for what he needed, and the land was happy to oblige.

He'll be a helluva witch one day, Josh mused as magick rise around them. He heard the earth whisper words to Tyler, and heard Tyler repeat them. Felt Tyler channel his fledgling magick through those timeless words. He cast a spell over Josh without even trying.

"Oak and holly, leaf and briar..."

Magick surrounded them, suffused them. Heedless, the sounds of another human grew louder. Closer. We should stop. We have to stop. The magick, though, was impossible to fight. For Tyler's sake, Josh tried one last time, even though he knew it was a lost cause.

“Ty!” Josh’s voice edged toward panic. “Wait, don’t. There’s something…"

"Touch him with your secret fire."

"Ahh!"

Josh was lost. He was nothing but passion. Desire. Completion. Satisfaction. The feelings were his and they were Tyler's and there was nothing to separate them. They were two halves of the same whole.

A choked sob sounded from the edge of the clearing. Through the haze of spent passion, Josh twisted his head, blinking rapidly to see the intruder staring at them with a stricken expression on their face.

Except it wasn't an intruder. It was her forest too, after all.

"Jenna?" Beneath him, Tyler's voice was small and full of uncertainty. Uncertainty... and regret.

Jenna looked from one man to the other. Then, without a word, she turned and fled.

Tyler quickly pulled away, leaving Josh bereft and stunned. He felt an invisible hand reach into his chest, rip out his heart, and throw it to the ground. Devastated, he could do nothing but watch helplessly as Tyler clumsily tugged on his jeans, carelessly trampling Josh's aching heart underfoot as he chased his wife, calling her name.

Chapter 6

Summary:

He pictured Jenna's glowing, sun-kissed skin and silky hair with its natural highlights. The image warred with one of Josh, antlers rising majestically from his curly hair and a band of oak leaves slung low over his lean hips.

A sun goddess versus a god of the night.

How was any mere mortal supposed to choose between the two?

Notes:

Everything is horrible. I needed a distraction so... here's some witchy angst.

Chapter Text

Tyler followed Jenna through the forest, though he stopped calling her name when it became apparent she had no intention of answering.

An indignant owl scolded Tyler after his shouting scared off a tasty-looking mouse. It wisely – if sarcastically – pointed out that “the woman” could hear him just fine. That every living thing in the forest could hear his shouting, thanks very much.

Sorry, friend. Tyler sent the thought back without stopping to wonder how he did it or if it would work. (Or if he was actually talking to. A. Freaking. Bird.) The owl ruffled its feathers once and flew off, abandoning any hope of finding a decent meal in the forest that night. As it went, a fat-bellied mouse scuttled past Tyler’s foot, squeaking thanks as it went.

I can hear animals, Tyler marveled. But not just animals… They were the ones who spoke to (at?) Tyler, but he felt... something from the plants he passed as he hurried after Jenna, a kind of hum from the trees around him. A sort of low, rolling murmur from the ground beneath his running feet.

Everything around him was so alive. It was difficult not to get distracted by all the voices, by the myriad of creatures going on about their busy nocturnal lives, unseen by most human eyes.

Most. Not all.

Now, Tyler was one of the few. Thanks to Josh.

His step faltered. Josh. He’d just taken off without a word and left Josh alone in the clearing…

No soulmate of mine is going to doubt my love.

“Oh, God.”

What have I done?

No sooner had he made the silent vow, than he’d broken it. Guilt and shame tied Tyler’s gut in knots as he stumbled to a halt, horrified at himself. He doubled over, clutching at his chest as unexpected pain struck him. His lungs were suddenly full of burning coals, searing each breath on its way out of his chest.

Tyler welcomed the pain, knew he deserved it for breaking the promise he’d made, just moments after making it. Josh deserved better. He deserved a better soulmate, someone who wouldn’t leave him alone, naked, and anxious in the dark.

His soulmate.

He could feel what Josh felt.

Was the pain Tyler felt his own? Had thinking of Josh somehow opened the connection between them?

Was it even real? Maybe it was just some kind of witch’s trick Josh was using to punish him…

The doubt crept into his mind but quickly breezed away again. It felt so wrong he couldn’t keep hold of it. Wouldn’t even try. Josh would never use magick against him; Tyler knew that as well as he knew… as well as he knew anything at that point.

In one night, Josh had turned Tyler’s whole world upside down. Had challenged everything he thought he knew. Every hard-won certainty. Every niggling uncertainty. It was as though Josh had removed the blinders guiding Tyler’s life.

Or woke him from a dream.

It’s just something sleeping inside that some of us have woken up.

Another wave of pain trembled down the bond between them. Doubt and despair accompanied it.

“Oh, Josh...”

His tremulous groan sounded small against the silence of...

Wait a minute. Silence?

Tyler blinked away the hot tears blinding him and found himself staring at the perfectly manicured lawn behind his own house. The security lights were on, illuminating neat rows mown into the grass. Had it only been that morning that he'd toiled under the hot sun while Jenna napped, draped across the hammock on the deck?

It felt like a lifetime ago.

He pictured Jenna's glowing, sun-kissed skin and silky hair with its natural highlights. The image warred with one of Josh, antlers rising majestically from his curly hair and a band of oak leaves slung low over his lean hips.

A sun goddess versus a god of the night.

How was any mere mortal supposed to choose between the two?

Movement inside the house caught his attention. He let his gaze travel up to the bedroom where Jenna’s slim figure could be seen silhouetted in the bright window. Her dark form was deathly still as they considered each other.

Tyler wanted to feel conflicted. He told himself it was the hardest decision he’d ever make in his life. That he’d made vows to Jenna too, and those meant something. That he should at least talk to her, explain why he couldn’t stay…

But Josh needed him – and he needed Josh too. In ways he still didn’t understand fully. They shouldn’t be apart. Not now, not ever. They weren’t just bandmates, or friends, or even just lovers. They were soulmates. Tyler didn’t understand a lot about being a witch yet, but he felt the meaning of that word to the core of his being.

Maybe, he told himself, maybe Jenna just needs to wake up that thing sleeping inside her. Josh could show her…

The thought of Josh “showing” Jenna the way he’d shown Tyler made him hot with jealousy.

The thought of anyone else touching Josh…

Somehow, Tyler knew without having to be told that some people couldn’t – or didn’t want to – wake up that part of themselves. Not everyone was meant to be a witch. He could picture Jenna with her head bent in silent reverence at church… but not dancing skyclad in a field.

Even so, he tried once to reach out to her, feeling for a bond – any bond – between them. He found exactly what he expected to find: nothing. Just silence and space. Had his burgeoning relationship with Josh created the space between them? Or had it always been there, buffering any deeper connection?

Now, the space between them only served as an echo chamber for thoughts that weren’t getting him anywhere. He had made his choice. It was always going to hurt someone… but although he felt sorry for the pain he had caused Jenna (and the greater pain he was yet to cause her,) it was nothing to the coals threatening to burn his heart to ashes.

With a small, sad sigh that was more apology than regret, Tyler turned and dashed back into the forest.

Overhead, the bedroom light went out.

***

Tyler did his best to tune out the noise of the forest as he bounded over tangled roots and squeezed through paths between trees he didn’t remember being there before. He concentrated on the scent that he’d come to recognize as uniquely Josh (woodfire and oak leaves, comfort and laughter) as he scrambled for the bond between them. Each time Tyler thought he had it, that he could grab it, hold it, use it to pull Josh toward him, it slipped out of his hands like a fish desperate to escape the pan.

“Dammit!”

The connection had evaded him again – but the low branch of an upstart young hickory hadn’t. His face stung as the branch made contact, reminding him that trying to utilize strange new magickal powers you couldn’t control while running through a forest at night was probably not the best idea.

He swatted the offensive branch out of his face, furious with himself, not because he wasn’t able to control his new abilities (hell, he didn’t even know what his new abilities were,) but because he’d put himself in the position of needing them. If he’d just stayed with Josh where he belonged instead of uselessly chasing after Jenna…

“Josh!”

Even before he burst into the clearing, Tyler knew what he would find. Or, rather, who he wouldn’t. He could still smell Josh there; his senses swam with the scent of woodfire and oak, sex and power. But he couldn’t feel Josh.

It wasn’t the same ringing emptiness that had greeted Tyler when he’d sought a bond with Jenna. Even though Josh wasn’t there, Tyler could feel him here, in his chest. Not the burning ache of despair and heartbreak that had struck him before, but something gentler. Sadder, like the kind of homesickness that hit you after six months on the road when all you wanted was to fall asleep in your own bed.

He wanted to go home. But home was no longer that big house on the edge of the forest. It was wherever the hell Josh had gone. Tyler wanted to be with Josh so much it was a physical ache.

The pain was entirely his own. Wherever Josh was, he was too far away for Tyler to share his feelings. Their bond was stretched tight, like a guitar string that had been overturned. So tight it felt like a step in the wrong direction would snap it, breaking them both in the process.

No, he decided. It was as simple as that. Tyler wouldn’t let it break. Wouldn’t let them break.

If Josh was hurting because he thought Tyler had chosen Jenna over him, well… well, then he needed someone to talk some sense into him because what they’d shared went so far beyond what normal people called “love” that the two couldn’t be compared. Josh had to know that.

Except how could he when Tyler hadn’t said it? When his actions had proven exactly the opposite?

Groaning, Tyler rubbed a hand across his face. He’d really made a mess of things.

But messes could be cleaned up.

He fished in his pocket for his phone…

…and came up empty-handed.

Tyler wondered briefly if it had fallen out as he and Josh had hastily shed their clothes but then remembered that he’d left it back at the house. He winced. Going back for it wasn’t an option. That was one bridge going up in flames.

Unfortunately, his car keys were also in the house. Driving around until he found Josh wasn’t an option either. How was he going to find his soulmate?

Think, Joseph…

He sank to the ground, leaning against the same fallen tree trunk he and Josh had shared earlier than night. When they’d begun the single most important conversation of his life. Tyler’s knees were drawn up to his chest, but his hands rested on the ground beside him as he deliberated.

Where would Josh go?

Anywhere, that was the trouble! Josh had two methods of coping with problems: get in a ring and punch them or put on a pair of sneakers and run from them.

There’s that gym downtown Josh likes, Tyler mused. He’d only been once or twice to watch Josh train, but he thought he could probably find it again. Would it be open at… he reached for the phone he didn’t have to check the time and slammed a palm against the ground.

It was pleasantly warm under his touch, thrumming with life. Tyler almost let himself get pulled in by that steadying, soothing rhythm. It told him things he didn’t believe – that everything would be okay, that he had all the time in the world. He just needed to put down roots and stay awhile…

No, he didn’t! He needed to find Josh now and make things right between them.

The breeze was a sigh. Humans. Always in a rush. If that was the way he felt…

A surge of energy traveled up from the warm ground beneath Tyler’s fingers. It twinned with the newly unleashed and unrestrained power within him, focusing his need. He felt the power pulse through him, up from the soil, then back down again, deep tendrils connecting him to the earth itself.

For a moment, Tyler could only press himself to the fallen tree, fingers buried in the soil, head thrown back. Then, as quickly as that, it was over. Tyler knew exactly where to find Josh. Fine tremors wracked his body as he pushed himself to his feet. He felt strangely electrified, like all his nerve endings had been stripped raw and every accidental contact was a jolt of static.

“Um…” he said, feeling foolish. “Thanks?” He didn’t know if… whatever power had helped him could understand, but it seemed like the right thing to do. His mother had raised him to be polite, after all.

Of course, she’d also raised him to be a good little Christian boy…

He did not even want to think about that right now.

First thing’s first, Tyler thought as he made his way back toward the road. Find Josh and promise to worship him for the rest of my life. Then, I can worry about our immortal souls…

 

Chapter 7

Summary:

It was a betrayal. Josh knew that if he continued with the spell, he would be doing exactly what he told Tyler he would never do. Tyler wouldn’t understand that Josh was doing it to help, that he just wanted to make it easier for them both. Easier for Tyler to repair his marriage. Easier for Josh to carry on, knowing that his soulmate was in the arms of another.

'It’s for the best,' he told himself, blindly reaching for the dagger.

Chapter Text

Josh’s whole body ached by the time he trudged through the front door of the apartment he kept in Columbus. Tyler and Jenna had been offering him a room at their place since they’d moved in, but he’d always been too afraid of Tyler accidentally discovering his secret stash of magickal items to accept. Now, he thought, it was a good thing he’d decided to rent an apartment instead. Having to face Tyler and Jenna while they sorted out their…  marital problems made a shiver of dread run through him.

As hard as he tried not to think about them kissing and making up, it made him hot with jealousy knowing that Tyler was with Jenna. That he was probably cooking up a million excuses for their…

No, that wasn’t Tyler.

He had probably told Jenna exactly what had happened between him and Josh, apologized sincerely, and promised that it would never happen again – which would save his marriage but ruin their band. Because there was no way in hell Josh could perform with Tyler and not want to touch him. Hold him. Bury himself inside…

“Argh!”

Josh threw his ritual gear on the floor by the door and stormed toward the bathroom. Maybe if he got the scent of Tyler off him, it would help. Maybe then he’d be able to figure out a solution to their problem, instead of picturing Tyler looking up at him over his shoulder, with that pouty bottom lip swollen from his kisses, begging him to…

Swish.

He jerked the knob in the shower on full-blast and jumped under the spray without stopping to check the temperature first. It was freezing – hopping-up-and-down-on-the-spot-squealing-like-a-little-girl freezing – but he didn’t care. There were probably going to be a lot of cold showers in his future if he couldn’t get Tyler Joseph out from under his skin.

Oh, he’d had a crush on his bandmate for as long as he could remember. That was nothing new. This, this… obsession was new. New and absolutely terrifying. Bracing his hands on the wall, he let the bitterly cold water rain down on his bowed head, hoping it would wash away some of the emotions bombarding him.

That was the real problem. It wasn’t just lust. If it had been, a good pounding in the forest should have been enough to see him through the next decade of silently crushing on his best friend. No, this was… it was…

Irrevocable.

There was nothing like the bond between soulmates. It was falling in love all over again every time you looked at them. It was having part of yourself severed when you were apart. It was the greatest heights of passion and the deepest throes of despair. It was a rare gift.

But it could be a curse too.

Sometimes, when people found their soulmates, it was simply too much. One party or the other couldn’t handle the intensity of the bond. It never ended well for those soulmates; their stories were the greatest tragedies in history.

Please don’t let us be a tragedy, Josh pleaded silently. Turning the shower off, he threw back the curtain and stepped out, dripping wet, onto the mat. He stood that way a long time, lost in thought as the thick pile beneath his feet soaked through.

How could it be anything but a tragedy? Tyler was married. Until a few hours ago, he thought he was straight! He was probably already writing the whole night off as a terrible mistake. Or, worse, blaming Josh for it.

Are you using magic on me now?

Josh groaned, rubbing a hand across his face. He didn’t mind if Tyler blamed him. He could live with Tyler hating him. But he couldn’t stand the thought of Tyler blaming it on magick. Blaming it on Josh’s being a witch. They had so many prejudices to fight already… if Josh’s coven suffered because things went badly between him and Tyler, he would never forgive himself.

He gripped the edge of the sink as fresh pain struck him. Doubling over the sink with a groan, Josh tried to force the swell of agony down.

Okay, he thought. I lied.

He did care if Tyler blamed him. He couldn’t live with Tyler hating him. Could barely stand to be across town, feeling that horrible, unnerving twang of the bond stretched dangerously tight between them. It wasn’t just the physical distance that had their soulmate bond at breaking point; it was the uncertainty of their future together.

What future?

Josh groaned aloud as fresh flames of despair licked at his already brittle heart. His fingers tightened painfully around the porcelain lip of the sink. The pain was just as devastating now as it had been that moment in the field when he’d been forced to watch Tyler chase after Jenna without a backwards glance in his direction. Would it ever ease?

He knew the answer to that, of course.

No, never.

Without Tyler, without the other half of his soul, Josh would have to get used to the pain of losing him. Day after day, over and over.

Unless he found a way to let go of Tyler.

Josh lifted his head enough to see his reflection in the misty mirror. It was impossible. Breaking a soulmate bond wasn’t as easy as dumping someone and moving on. It wasn’t even as easy as breaking a love spell; it was messing with the natural order of the universe – and, when it offered you a gift, the universe did not appreciate it if you tried to return it.

But maybe something to lessen it…? A powerful revulsion spell might be enough to make the separation bearable – or at least buy Josh time to get help. If he wasn’t crippled by the agony of being apart from his soulmate, he could find an older, wiser witch to help. Maybe one of the old Italian or Bavarian crones… they remembered more than their American counterparts had ever forgotten.

And that was how, less than a hour later, Josh found himself dressed in nothing but a towel wrapped hastily around his waist in front of the nondescript oak cabinet that housed his altar. Two wax figures lay on the black cloth inside. One had Josh’s aquiline nose. The other bore Tyler’s well-defined arms. At first glance, you might not be able to tell exactly who the dolls were meant to be.

Josh picked up the small version of himself and turned it over in his hands. Made from plain white wax, it was roughly eight inches and wasn’t too bad, considering he had no real talent in carving or waxwork. He could have gotten much more accurate likenesses from other members of his coven but couldn’t afford to wait. Wasn’t sure he was ready to share this development with them.

Besides, it didn’t matter how closely the dolls resembled Josh and Tyler. With magick, it was the thought that counted.

Josh picked up the white-handled blade resting on the altar and reached up to drag it across a lock of his hair. A single curl fell onto his palm. He stared at it with burning eyes, trying not to remember he way Tyler’s fingers tangled in his hair, urging him on as he swallowed the other man’s thick cock.

“Fuck.”

He slammed the boline down on the altar hard enough to make the tiny jars of herbs that lined the shelf above clang together. Focus, he schooled himself. Unfocused magick was dangerous. His lips set in a determined line, Josh passed the doll over the black candle burning at the center of the altar, then quickly pressed the lock of hair to it. The wax burned his thumb, but he held the curl in place until it set.

“Joshua William Dun,” he said, naming the doll.

He set the doll back down gingerly, hyper aware of it, of the power it held over him, and let out a nervous exhale of breath. The air passed gently over the doll, and he shivered as goosebumps rose along his arms. Hands shaking, he reached for the second doll.

It was a betrayal. Josh knew that if he continued with the spell, he would be doing exactly what he told Tyler he would never do. Tyler wouldn’t understand that Josh was trying to help, that he just wanted to make it easier for them both. Easier for Tyler to repair his marriage. Easier for Josh to carry on, knowing that his soulmate was in the arms of another.

It’s for the best, he told himself, blindly reaching for the dagger.

The spell would work best with something of Tyler’s, even better with part of Tyler. Neither were an option at the moment. In lieu of anything else, Josh pressed the tip of the blade to the doll’s chest, carefully recreating the first of Tyler’s tattoos. He was just starting the second when a frenzied knocking on the door startled him, making him jump. The blade slipped, slicing across the soft pad of his palm.

Josh hissed a “Dammit!” through his teeth as he pressed his bleeding hand to the towel at his waist. Droplets of his blood dotted the Tyler-shaped doll. The spell was ruined. With a resigned sigh, he snuffed the candle.

A little part of him rejoiced at the failure but he refused to acknowledge it.

Another wave of knocking sounded at the door. Josh’s gaze swept the room. His magickal tools were all on display and he wasn’t exactly decent – never mind that his carelessness had ruined both the spell and a perfectly good towel. He had almost convinced himself go ignore the insistent pounding when a painfully familiar voice called his name.

“Josh! I know you’re in there! I can feel you.”

His heart gave one heavy thud before it flew into a wild frenzy, lodging on his throat as it tried to wing its way free of its cage. Without his entire focus centered on the spell, he could feel Tyler on the other side of the door.

“Tyler?”

Tyler!

Josh was at the door before he made the decision to answer it. He reached for the handle, forgetting about his injured hand. Blood made the brass knob slippery. He fumbled with the handle as a whirlwind of hope spiraled through him. It caught up his heart and dashed it around mercilessly. When Josh finally managed to get the door open, he threw it wide with an aching chest and found himself staring into the flushed face of his soulmate.

Tyler seemed to sag in relief at the sight of Josh – until he noticed the blood dripping down Josh’s fingers. His eyes darted from the blood to the knife Josh still held. The color drained from his face.

“No.”

Josh was still trying to wrangle his elated heart back into place when Tyler dropped the heavy word between them. He repeated it, as if repetition somehow equaled explanation.

It didn’t.

“Josh, no.” In a flash, Tyler was in the apartment, door slamming behind him. He caught the wrist holding the boline as he pressed Josh against the wall, forcing Josh’s arm above his head and holding it immobile.

Josh’s head swam with heady exaltation at the press of Tyler’s body against his, mixed with confusion at Tyler’s strange behaviour. He wanted to bury his face in Tyler’s shoulder and breathe in the scent of him. To kiss him until they both fell in a weak heap on the floor. To trade places with him and take him right there in the hallway.

But it was kind of hard to do any of those things while Tyler had him pinned to the wall. Tyler’s eyes bore into his, searching for… Josh didn’t know what. Then, slowly, gently, he turned his gaze down to Josh’s still bleeding hand. He yanked his shirt over his head in a quick movement, gingerly pressing it to Josh’s wrist.

“Josh, no matter what happens between us,” he said, “I need to you promise me you’ll never do anything stupid like this again.”

How could he know what Josh had been doing? Had he felt the magick? Did he…?

“Suicide is never the answer.”

Oh.

The blood. Well, there was a lot; the cut was deep.

“Ty, I…”

“No, listen,” Tyler interrupted. “I hurt you, I know, and I’m sorry. I don’t know what I was thinking, running off after Jenna like that. It was a mistake.” His words came out in a great rush. “But I’m not worth dying for. Got it?” There was a fiery intensity in his expression that warmed Josh’s cheeks.

“Oh, Ty…” Josh couldn’t go far - but he could lean forward and catch Tyler’s lips in a kiss every bit as hot as his gaze. So that’s what he did.

Tyler leaned into the kiss, planting a knee between Josh’s legs, and grinding his hips into him. Josh groaned as Tyler took the lead, his greedy tongue plundering Josh’s mouth. It was over too soon. They were both left gasping for air. Resting his forehead against Josh’s, Tyler said, “God, I want you… but we have to get you to a hospital.”

Josh blinked in confusion. Hospital? “Why?” The cut wasn’t nice – it burned like hell, for sure – but he was pretty sure it wouldn’t require stitches.

Frustration and disbelief warred for dominance on Tyler’s face. “Because you tried to slit your wrist!” he exclaimed, exasperation taking his voice up a pitch.

“My…? Oh! No, Ty, I…”

“It doesn’t matter,” Tyler interrupted. “Whatever you were thinking, it was wrong, okay? What were you thinking?” he demanded, eyes narrowing as his demeanor changed in a flash. “You know my history with…”

He did. Although it had all happened before they’d met, Tyler and Josh had spent many long nights talking about his struggles with self-harm and suicide. Of course he would jump to that conclusion. Not that the truth was much better.

“Ty, listen.” He had to take charge of the conversation before Tyler worked himself into a rant. “I didn’t try to cut my wrist, okay? It was an accident.”

Tyler squeezed his eyes shut. “Come on, Jish,” he said in a pained voice. “I know all the lies. You don’t have to hide anything from me.”

Remember that when you see the wax figure of yourself in that cabinet…

“Ty,” he said helplessly, “look.” He wiggled his wrist until Tyler lifted the tee-shirt. Tyler carefully used a corner of the shirt to wipe at the blood on Josh’s wrist. It came away, revealing smooth skin underneath. “See? I’m okay.”

Well, maybe not okay… his heart was pounding painfully, he felt breathless, and his cock was so hard it could no longer be restrained by the thick towel he wore. Oh, and he was still bleeding… A trick of blood ran down his palm.

Tyler’s brows drew together in confusion. “But, all that blood…”

Josh dropped his eyes. “I was… uh…” How could he admit to Tyler that he’d been in the middle of a spell meant to force him away so Tyler could try to save his marriage to…

“You’re here!” he exclaimed. “I thought you went after Jenna.”

Don’t get your hopes up, Dun, he warned himself. Just because Tyler’s here, it doesn’t mean he changed his mind. Just because he’s got you pinned to the wall with his hard-on pressing into your thigh, it doesn’t mean he chose you…

His hopes were up. They were so far up, they were in danger of taking out satellites.

A grimace twisted Tyler’s features. “Josh,” he said thickly, “I should never have left you. It was a mistake to… wait.”

He pulled back, creating space between them without releasing Josh. “Are you… I mean, is it okay that I’m here? I didn’t think that maybe you wouldn’t want…”

Josh stopped that madness with a desperate kiss full of so much need it left Tyler in no doubt of where he belonged. When they finally broke apart, Josh asked the question he dreaded the answer to.

“What about Jenna?”

Tyler twisted a finger around one of Josh’s curls, giving him a rueful half-grin. “Well, we’re going to have to pay her a visit soon,” he said, “and try to explain…” he made a gesture that encapsulated their tangled bodies, “you know, all of this.”

“You didn’t…?”

When Tyler shook his head, Josh’s hopes came back down to Earth – but instead of being crushed, they rained on him like a shower of shooting stars. Drenched in their light, Josh gave Tyler a brilliant smile.

“You picked me.” It wasn’t a question.

“I picked you.” Tyler’s expression was as serious as Josh’s was buoyant.

Josh leaned in for a kiss, but another thought brought him up short. “If you didn’t go to Jenna, what took you so long?” he demanded. “I felt like I was dying, thinking about you two kissing and making up…”

Resting his palm along Josh’s jaw, Tyler stroked his cheek with his thumb. “I know,” he confessed. “I could feel you hurting when I ran after Jenna. Having to chose between the two of you tore me up.”

He released Josh’s other wrist and trailed a finger down his bare arm. The knife fell, forgotten, to the floor as a delicious shiver ran through him. “For about a minute,” Tyler added. “It was always going to be you, Jish.”

A pleasant glow spread through Josh, warming his cheeks. If Tyler had worked that out sooner, Josh wouldn’t have had to trudge through the forest on his own, body, mind, and soul aching. He wouldn’t have sat in his car in the dark for ages, staring blindly into the night as he faced the fact that his soulmate had abandoned him. He wouldn’t have started a dangerously powerful spell to drive them apart!

“Where have you been?” he demanded.

Tyler rubbed a hand across his short hair. “Well, my keys and my phone were in the house…”

Realization dawned. “And going back for them would have meant facing Jenna.”

“Exactly.”

They really were going to have to pay her a visit soon.

“So, I had to find another way go get here,” Tyler continued. “A very excitable Clikkie is, at this very moment, telling the entire internet that she found Tyler Joseph hitchhiking.”

Josh laughed. “I think the Clique is going to have bigger things to talk about than that!” When Tyler only blinked in response, Josh caught his hand and twined their fingers together.

“Oh!  Tyler said as if the idea of going public hadn’t crossed his mind.

It probably hadn’t, Josh realized.

Amazing how you can fit your whole foot in your mouth… he scolded himself for jumping the gun. For assuming that what made Tyler happy behind closed doors – or dark forests – would be what made him happy in public. They had so little privacy as it was…

“Of course we have to come out,” Tyler continued pragmatically. Josh released a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding.

Tyler looked thoughtful. “But it has to be something really big…” he went into what Josh thought of as Scheming Mode. When Tyler was in Scheming Mode, he was a hundred steps ahead. When he was in Scheming Mode, he created whole dystopian worlds with complicated storylines.

Josh did not want their relationship to be a puzzle the fans had to work out.

“Deal,” Josh said, dragging Tyler back to the present. “But, before you launch a secret website, there are two things we have to do first.”

“What?”

“One,” Josh began, “I need a Band-Aid.” He held up his injured hand for emphasis. “And two,” he wrapped his free arm around Tyler’s waist and pulled him close.

“Two?” Tyler’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed.

“Two,” Josh continued, a wicked grin spreading cross his face, “I’m going to fuck you so hard you can’t run away again.”

Chapter 8

Summary:

His fingers brushed the locks, sparking a thrum of familiarity. Josh’s hair. He turned the figure over in his hands, really looking at it. An idea was forming in the back of his mind, one that made his stomach twist painfully. The figure was something he didn’t recognize but thought he understood.

“Josh,” he said in a low, confused voice. “Is this… is this a voodoo doll?”

Notes:

Sorry if this one's a bit... extra. There were too many adult beverages involved.

Chapter Text

They didn’t make it to the bedroom.

Tyler blamed Josh. He was just trying to be a good soulmate, meticulously cleaning Josh’s self-inflicted wound before gingerly pressing a Band-Aid to his calloused palm. It was Josh who blinked slowly as a blush spread across his cheeks. It was Josh’s voice that dropped to a husky whisper as he said, “Do you wanna kiss it and make it better?”

How was Tyler supposed to refuse?

Witch or not, he was only human.

What started as a careful, chaste kiss next to the wide bandage on Josh’s palm quickly escalated. Tyler’s lips followed the frantic flutter of pulse down to Josh’s wrist, then up his muscular arm to the curve of his shoulder and up his throat. He dropped kisses along Josh’s jaw before teasing the gauge in his ear…

…and that was as long as Josh’s coyness lasted.

With a groan so deep it was almost a growl, Josh lifted Tyler up to sit on the edge of the bathroom sink. He planted his hands on the mirror behind, trapping Tyler between them, and caught his mouth in a dizzying kiss that Tyler returned with all the fervor of a man who’d nearly lost the love of his life.

Josh took the kiss deeper, dropping a hand between them to rub Tyler’s cock through the coarse material of his jeans. The rough scrape of denim against his aching cock made Tyler buck his hips. Moaning low in his throat, he arched into the sensation, even as he broke the kiss.

“Josh,” he panted. “Hey, wait a sec.”

Josh froze. “What? What’s wrong?” A curtain of doubt fell across his eyes.

Tyler could practically hear the fears piling up in his lover’s mind. He wanted to kiss them away... but if he kissed Josh right then, at that moment, Josh would kiss him, and then he’d beg Josh to fulfil his promise to fuck Tyler until he couldn’t walk.

Which he did not object to.

The location, on the other hand…

He reached up to caress the light stubble across Josh’s jawline. “We should take this to the bedroom,” he said, daring a quick peck on the other man’s cheek. “Unless you want to have a threesome with this faucet…”

Not my kink,” Josh laughed. He took a step back so Tyler could lean away from the faucet that the force of Josh’s kiss had driven into his back. Offering Tyler a hand down that he didn’t release, even after the other man’s feet hit the floor, he added, “And just so we’re clear? I’m not sharing you. With anyone, ever.”

The promise sent a thrill of excitement through Tyler. He liked this new possessive, dominant Josh.

Where have you been hiding these years?

“I’ve been here,” Josh answered, snaking a hand behind Tyler’s neck to pull him into a softer, more tender kiss. “Right here, waiting for you.”

The soulmate bond.

It was still so new, so unbelievable and profound that it caught Tyler off guard. The idea that he should feel violated, having another person peer into his mind that way flitted across his thoughts... but it was so absurd he nearly laughed out loud.

Josh wasn’t just another person. He was Tyler’s best friend. His bandmate and longtime companion. His soul’s mate. The connection that twined around them – through them – connecting their hearts and minds could never be a violation. Could never be anything less than a blessing.

His heart swelled. Tears pricked his eyes. “I’m sorry,” he breathed, taking Josh’s face between his palms. “I’m sorry I didn’t see it sooner. Didn’t see you sooner.”

A single tear fell from Josh’s beautiful brown eyes. Tyler was transfixed by them, buried in the color of freshly tilled soil, the sensation of comfort, the warmth and steadying strength of earth. He was in danger of falling – harder and farther every second he was lost in those eyes.

But he wasn’t afraid.

“I see you now,” Tyler whispered. He brushed the tear away with his thumb. I only see you.

Then he was falling but it was okay because Josh was falling too. They tumbled into each other, arms tangling in their haste to touch, to embrace, to hold on for dear life.

Laughing a joyous (if slightly watery) laugh, Josh pulled back long enough to say, “Bedroom, now.”

Anticipation made heat spread across Tyler’s cheeks. Breathlessly, he nodded his agreement. “Now.”

They stumbled through the apartment, both unwilling to stop kissing long enough to cross the short distance. On the way, though, something managed to distract Tyler from the bed he’d helped Josh pick out years ago and hadn’t been able to stop thinking about since he’d burst through the door. It was... a niggling sensation, urging him to look this way.  He tried to ignore it but, as he got closer to the source, it became more of an insistent tingle, then a pulse.

It demanded his attention.

He stopped and looked up, blinking.

“Do you feel that?”

Josh was unswayed. Taking hold of Tyler’s hand, he pressed it to the hard member barely contained by the plush towel draped around his waist. “I feel this,” he countered.

Tyler’s breath hitched. His fingers tightened and Josh moaned. The strange pulsing seemed to throb in response. He released Josh, his gaze sweeping around the apartment.

“What is that?”

It felt... like a living thing. Not as powerful as the feeling he got from the plants in the forest, but alive all the same. More than that, it felt like...

“Josh?”

Confusion drew his brows together as he approached the oak cabinet. He’d never paid any attention to it before... never wondered what could be hidden inside. Maybe that was a mistake.

The shelves thrummed with the tell-tale buzz of what Tyler was starting to recognize as magick. Tiny bottles lined the top, filled with all manner of powers and leaves and petals. Another shelf contained rocks of every shape and color. His fingers itched to touch the unfamiliar objects...

But none of them were what had called to him.

He approached the open cabinet and discovered that the largest shelf, the one in the center of the cabinet, was covered by a dark cloth. On it, there were various dried herbs as well as oils that sloshed inside amber bottles. A long black ribbon wound through it all. There were also two very curious objects. Tyler picked up the one that caught his attention. The one that had called to him. The one that made his nerve endings tingle.

“Josh?”

Turning, he held up what appeared to be the figure of a man made out of wax. It was simply carved but somehow reminded Tyler of Josh. Yeah, definitely Josh. Inspecting it closely, he recognized the drummer’s aquiline nose and muscular arms. As he held it up, he noticed something else. Something that had been melted into its back.

Was that… hair?

His fingers brushed the locks, sparking a thrum of familiarity. Josh’s hair. He turned the figure over in his hands, really looking at it. An idea was forming in the back of his mind, one that made his stomach twist painfully. The figure was something he didn’t recognize but thought he understood.

He’d never been in a witch’s apartment before (well, that he knew of…) but he’d seen freaking movies.

“Josh,” he said in a low, confused voice. “Is this… is this a voodoo doll?”

Tyler turned back to the shelf, glancing sideways at the other figure. That one didn’t feel the same. It didn’t hum with magick… but it disturbed Tyler more because those marks on its chest were horribly familiar. “Oh, my God. Is this… us?”

 

Chapter 9

Summary:

“Please, what?” Josh asked conversationally. A quick flick of his tongue accented the words.

“Please, what?”

“Please fuck me!”

Chapter Text

“Well,” Tyler demanded, his voice shaking with sudden, unexpected anger. “Are these freaking voodoo dolls, man? Of us?”

“Ty, I…” Josh buried his face in his hands. “I’m sorry. I…”

Anger warred with confusion, making Tyler’s head swim. “What’s going on, Josh?” he asked in a hard voice. He didn’t know much about magick or being a witch, but he knew the word voodoo wasn’t a good one.

Josh dropped his hands, forcing his tortured gaze up to meet Tyler’s. “When you took off after Jenna,” he started, “and I thought you’d chosen her…” Emotion choked his words.

Tyler’s fingers tightened around the figure in his hand as cold fury rushed over him, chilling the passion in his veins. Josh winced.

“So,” he said, “you were going to… what, make me pick you?”

Josh’s head shot up. “What? No!” He was on his feet, crossing the distance between them, in a heartbeat. “I would never do that to you,” he swore.

Silently, Tyler held up the figure accusingly.

“It was…” Josh swallowed hard. “It was so hard, knowing that you were there, with Jenna. With your wife,” he voice cracked on the word. “I just thought… if I could make me, make us not care so much… maybe hate each other, just a little…”

Rubbing a hand across his face, he turned his agonized face to Tyler’s. He sighed. “I thought if I could drive a wedge between us, it might make it easier. That I’d be able to live without you.”

The flash flood of anger that had washed over Tyler ebbed as quickly as it had come. His heart ached – not because he felt betrayed, which he knew he should, but because he had made Josh feel that way. The only anger he felt at that moment was toward himself.

“Oh,” Tyler was silent a long moment as he fought against the waves of emotion battering him. Finally, he spoke in a soft voice. “It wouldn’t have worked, you know.” He caught Josh’s gaze and held it. “Nothing you could do would make me hate you. Not even magick could do that.”

“I know,” Josh said with a resigned shake of his head. “I knew it wouldn’t… wait.” He blinked. “Aren’t you angry?”

Tyler took a slow breath, then released it. “I’m not happy that you didn’t have enough faith in me to wait at least one night before giving me up,” he admitted, unable to hide the pain in his voice. “But I guess I didn’t exactly give you any reason to believe otherwise, did I?”

Josh sighed, his shoulders slumping in relief.

Tyler looked down at the figure in his hand. “Is this a voodoo doll?” he asked.

“Not exactly,” Josh answered. “Voodoo is a… Oh!”

Tyler’s long fingers drifted over the figure, brushing across its chiseled chest and down along the curve of its penis. He looked up at Josh’s gasp. The guilt that had clouded Josh’s expression seconds before was gone. In its place was a heated, hungry look. Twin spots of color darkened his cheeks.  

Not exactly, Tyler thought, a mischievous grin crooking the corners of his lips up. But close enough?

Curious, he dragged the tip of his finger lightly along the figure’s penis. His balls tightened at Josh’s sharp, shuddering breath. At the way the other man dropped his hold on Tyler’s wrist, his hands closing into fists at his sides. The way his eyes squeezed shut and his lips parted.

Close enough.            

Tyler waited until Josh opened his eyes, heavy with desire, to look at him. Then, he lifted the figure to his lips. He cocked his head to the side, his smile nothing less than devious.

“Ty?” Josh said warily. “Ty, what are you… Ah!”

Very slowly and very deliberately, Tyler dragged his tongue along the figure’s penis.

“By the gods and all that’s sacred!” Josh exclaimed. He stumbled backward to collapse on the sofa. “Ty, please…”

Tyler decided he liked hearing Josh beg almost as much as he liked being dominated by him.

“What’s wrong, babe?” he asked innocently, the endearment slipping naturally from his lips. “I thought you said it wasn’t a voodoo doll?” He swirled the tip of his tongue around the head of its penis.

Josh’s hips bucked off the sofa.

“If it isn’t voodoo, then this,” he rubbed the penis mercilessly with the pad of his thumb, “won’t do anything.”

“Gods, Ty!” Josh’s panted exclamation made Tyler hard. Made him want more than a silly wax doll.

“Please…” the other man begged, throwing an arm across his eyes. “Put that thing down before you break something… Or me,” he added in an undertone.

Laughing, Tyler obeyed.  He wanted more of the real thing, anyway.

He approached Josh, noticing with no small amount of satisfaction that the towel had parted. The other man’s cock strained, begging for the attention its wax counterpart had gotten.

Tyler was happy to oblige.

As he tugged on the knot that held the terrycloth in place, though, Josh stopped him. He caught Tyler’s wrist, eyes flying open. “You are so going to pay for that,” he warned.

Heart fluttering, Tyler ducked his head. Looking up at Josh through his eyelashes, he asked, “Oh? How?”

Josh grabbed the front of Tyler’s jeans and yanked them open with one rough movement. “Like this…”

Tyler’s pants were around his knees before he could think of a witty comeback – not that he wanted to stop whatever Josh had planned. Taking hold of Tyler’s cock in one hand and his swollen balls in the other, Josh urged him forward. Tyler followed willingly, thrusting into Josh’s hold. When the drummer’s quick beats made him throw his head back with a cry of pleasure, Josh kicked impatiently at the jeans.

“Get these things off,” he ordered. “I want to fuck you.”

Didn’t have to tell him twice…

But when Tyler finally stood naked before Josh, the other man didn’t make a move. Just sat there, staring. His dark eyes slid slowly up and down Tyler’s body, making his flesh prickle with awareness.

“What?” he breathed.

Josh shook his head. “Sometimes I forget how beautiful you are. C’mere,” he said, holding out a hand Tyler took eagerly. He tugged gently, bringing Tyler into his lap for a slow-burning kiss that lit up every inch of Tyler’s now hyper-sensitive body. The kiss quickly grew heated, Josh’s hands searching as his tongue plundered Tyler’s mouth. He urged Tyler to straddle him, his fingers dipping between the cheeks of Tyler’s ass.

“Are you going to fuck me,” Tyler panted against his lips, “or do I have to get the doll again?”

Laughing, Josh shook his head. “You’re gonna regret that, Joseph,” he teased.

Tyler opened his mouth to offer a challenge but all that came out was a startled huff when, griping Tyler’s waist with both hands, Josh hooked a foot under the low coffee table and dragged it closer. Propping his feet up on the table, Josh urged Tyler backward until his head hung over Josh’s knees. Then, with a low chuckle and a quick jerk, he tugged Tyler’s knees up, hooking them over his elbows. The movement left Tyler... exposed.

His face flamed as he gasped.

“Josh! What are you...?”

Josh didn’t answer. Instead, he lowered his head to tease Tyler’s anus with his tongue. He took his time, licking lazy circles around and across the puckered hole until Tyler was bouncing impatiently against his hold.

“Please,” he begged, writhing against Josh’s tongue. His fingers sought some – any – kind of purchase but the position Josh had him in left Tyler completely helpless. Totally at Josh’s mercy.

Not that Josh showed any.

“Please, what?” Josh asked conversationally. A quick flick of his tongue accented the words.

Tyler tried to choke back the whine that escaped him when Josh teased his entrance with one finger, then immediately withdrew it, only to replace the digit with his tongue.

“Please, what?”

“Please fuck me!”

Josh’s attentions immediately halted. He sat back, pulling Tyler forward with him.

“No,” he said simply.

His words were a cold bucket of water to Tyler’s libido.

“Wh- why not?”

You’re gonna regret that, Joseph.

Josh let his head fall back, cushioning it with his arms. “I changed my mind,” he said simply.

Tyler was crestfallen. Was this punishment? His penance for foolishly chasing after Jenna? Would he ever be able to atone for that mistake or would Josh hold it against him for the rest of their lives?

Or, worse, had Josh decided Tyler simply wasn’t good enough? Sharp rejection stung his ego and pricked at his eyes. “You don’t want me?”

Lifting his head, Josh’s expression softened. He reached out to press one rough palm against Tyler’s cheek. “I’ll never stop wanting you,” he said. His hand dropped to rest on Tyler’s hip. “But what I want right now is for you to fuck me.”

Heat crept across Tyler’s cheeks. He considered his position. “Um…”

“You’ll figure it out,” Josh said. Smothering a grin, he crossed his arms behind his head again.

Tyler felt Josh’s satisfaction radiating through the bond they shared. He also felt the other man’s desire and his eagerness for Tyler to prove that he wanted Josh as much as Josh wanted him.

Well, if Josh wanted to know just how badly Tyler wanted him, he would have to rise to the occasion.

Lifting himself to his knees, Tyler reached back to take hold of Josh’s thick cock. It leapt at the touch. Although his pose was casual, Josh’s hot gaze was anything but. His heavy-lidded eyes watched Tyler with a hunger that made his hand tremble as he guided the other man’s cock to his entrance.

“Go on,” Josh urged. A muscle in his jaw jerked. He made no move to help Tyler find his way.

His eyes on Josh’s, nervously watching his reaction, Tyler eased himself down on the other man’s cock. Those dark eyes flashed approval – but it was the way Josh bit his bottom lip that gave Tyler the encouragement he needed to rest his palms on the drummer’s shoulders, supporting his weight as he began to move.

“That’s it,” Josh urged. He dropped the casual pose, letting his hands fall to Tyler’s waist.

Tyler started to move. He twisted his hips as he ground his ass back against Josh, his eagerness making up for what he lacked in experience.

“Yeah, perfect,” Josh purred. “Go on, baby.”

Tyler glowed – but didn’t need the words to know Josh liked the way his tight ass milked him as he rode his hard cock; Tyler could feel the other man’s pleasure radiating down the connection they shared. The soulmate bond swelled around them, soaking up their rising desire, blending it into one, and feeding it back to them twice as large as it began.

When that swell of broke over them, it drove everything else from their minds. There were no thoughts of atonement, or playfulness, or doubts… nothing but all-consuming desire and the need for instant gratification.

Josh leaned forward with a groan, sliding his arms up Tyler’s back to grip his shoulders from behind. He took charge, pulling Tyler down to meet each powerful upward thrust. Tyler could only wrap his arms around Josh’s neck as the movements drove the head of Josh’s dick into contact with a part of him he’d never given any thought to.

“Fuck,” Tyler moaned. Heat spread through his legs and torso, building in a way no climax he’d ever experienced had before. His fingers tangled in Josh’s curls as he panted into the other man’s ear. “Fuck, Josh. God. I…”

“C’mon, baby,” Josh urged, still slamming into him, still hitting that same spot again and again until Tyler’s head swam. Until he was dizzy with desire. Until a slow, shuddering orgasm tore through Tyler, rippling down the bond they shared to drive Josh to his own hard climax.

Tyler dropped his head to Josh’s shoulder as the other man pumped his hips rapidly, filling him as he shot his load. He lay that way, cradled in Josh’s arms, as he rode the final waves. Eventually, Josh’s iron grip eased. His fingers trailed lazily down Tyler’s back, then up again.

“Hey, baby,” he said. “You okay?”

Lifting his head just far enough to meet Josh’s eye, Tyler said, “What. Was. That?”

Josh laughed, running a hand through Tyler’s short hair. “That was the first of many prostate orgasms I’m going to give you.”

A shiver of anticipation ran through Tyler. Every mention of their future together felt like a new joining. A new promise of forever. He sighed happily, letting his head fall back to Josh’s shoulder while fingers continued their slow exploration. They ran down Tyler’s back, across the cheeks of his ass, around to dance up Tyler’s thighs. Gasping as his soulmate’s fingers brushed his cock, Tyler’s head shot up.

Josh offered him a grin. It promised all manner of new experiences, new pleasures… a new world of magick and sex and union.

Some, it seemed, sooner than others.

“Well?” Josh asked, his touch skirting the base of Tyler’s shaft. “Wanna try the bedroom again?”

Tyler nodded so Josh helped him up, then took his hand to lead him to the bedroom – except that Tyler’s legs went weak as he tried to follow. Josh’s laugh filled the apartment as his strong arms came up to catch Tyler when he stumbled.

“Told you I’d fuck you until you couldn’t run,” he teased, his breath hot on Tyler’s face. With that, he scooped Tyler up in his arms and carried him to the bedroom.