Jacob hadn't gone out much since the fog. Truth be told, it was just terrifying leaving the house, but with every passing day it got a little easier. Whatever had been out there was gone and he was starting to think that it wouldn't come back unless the fog did so it became something of a rule to not spend long anywhere he didn't want to get stuck. It was a little tricky, considering he was still employed but his boss was hurt and the arcade was closed until the New Year so that made it a little easier for now. Still, he couldn't stay at Connor's forever. Knowing his friends were safe and seeing them for himself were two very different things and it was high time Jacob go see Sage in person to give him a big, life-affirming hug. It was New Years Eve and under any other circumstances he might have plans to get wasted but this year it was different. The thought of drinking a lot, trying to party and act like everything was normal made his stomach turn a little and he was more than happy to have a quiet night in. It would be the first time in years he didn't actually celebrate the new year drunk and looking for a good time, but it was also the first time ever he'd be spending it with someone he was head over heels for so that felt like a pretty good trade-off.
He still went to Dragonfly that afternoon, not planning to stay long, but Sage was working and hopefully it wouldn't be busy right after opening so they could spend some time together. Connor dropped him off and the plan was he'd pick him up again so Jacob was feeling nice and spoiled when he kissed him goodbye and headed inside.
Sage was easily found, right behind the bar, and Jacob felt a little pang of relief when he spotted his colorful hair. An easy smile snuck onto his lips as he made his way over there, drumming his hands on the bar top. "You need to come out here and hug me, damn it," he told him.
When Sage had told Nate that he planned on coming in on New Year’s Eve, he’d been told to stay home. Take the night off. Rest, for fuck’s sake. But then Sage had pointed out that he needed the money, the tips would be the best of the year, and Nate needed him behind the bar. Sage had won with the promise that he’d take breaks if he needed them. He didn’t plan on over-exerting himself, but he also wasn’t an invalid. He could still mix drinks. He wasn’t in pain, so long as he was taking his painkillers. He could do this.
It felt a little weird to return to work like the past few days hadn’t happened, but it also felt good. Sage didn’t want to think of the fog and the creature it concealed. He wanted things to return to normal and when he was standing behind the bar he could believe it would. It was early enough that he was still paying attention each time the door opened and he grinned when he saw Jacob come through. Sage was circling the bar even before Jacob spoke. “Come here,” he grinned, wrapping his arms around Jacob, but keeping his hold light. “Just watch out for my stitches.”
"I can't believe you got hurt," Jacob sighed as he hugged him, smothering that urge to give him a big squeeze because of said injuries. "I'd ask you to tell me all about it but I'm so not ready to hear it." He gave Sage an apologetic little smile as he pulled back because it was probably shitty but he still knew Sage would understand. Jacob still needed time to process all of this shit, he'd nearly shut down after the Cooperdale incident and the fog incident felt like whiplash. Right now all that was keeping him afloat was the fact he was surrounded by amazing people. It was hard to feel bad about any of that now though, now that he was inside Dragonfly he was actually a bit excited about the night because it was still New Years Eve and this time of year always felt a bit magical. "You look like a real snack," he teased Sage. "I probably would have nommed on you too if I was a creepy thing in the fog."
“No problem, man,” Sage laughed, reluctant to recount the experience even while under Dragonfly’s charm. It was the one time in his life he really and truly thought he was going to die. He’d been scared to death at the tunnel, sure, but the reaper hadn’t sunk it’s claws into him that time. As far as nightmare fuel went, Sage was full up with bags under his eyes as evidence. Recounting it all for Jacob would do nothing but bring them both down and possibly share the wealth. “It’s the candy colored hair,” he said with a little grin. “Thing probably thought I was a giant lollipop.” It was weird to joke about it, but it felt lighter that way, less real. “How you doin’? Everything good on your end?” He knew Jacob had told him on the phone, but he’d been a little drugged up at the time and couldn’t remember much except that his friend was alive and well, which was what mattered most.
It was a terrible thing to joke about but it was hilarious and Jacob found himself laughing and pulling Sage into another brief hug. "I love you man, maybe you should dye your hair boring like mine so you don't get eaten." It was just silliness, Jeff's hair was a dull light brown and he'd been attacked too. Jacob didn't want to think about that though so he tried to focus on something else. "Everything's great, considering. I'm uh staying with Connor now." Moved in sounded a little too serious and technically it didn't really count since he only had a suitcase and a messenger bag but it kind counted anyway. "Things just got scary and intense and he asked me to stay with him so... That's where I am now." He couldn't shake the fear that his friends would judge it, worry some more - especially Jocelyn - but their worrying wouldn't change anything, it would just make him feel bad hanging out with them and he hoped they understood that.
If Sage had really believed his hair played any part in him getting attacked, that would have been reason to kill the color, to go black and then back to his roots. It would’ve felt like killing a part of himself, but it would have been worth it to avoid the monsters. He’d been pushed to his limits, terrified in a way he hadn’t experienced since high school, and he didn’t think he could handle anything like that ever again. The only bright side was that he felt alone in it. No one had been hurt but him and no one was to blame. “Moved in with or staying with?” Sage asked, raising a brow. The first sounded like things had gotten serious, whereas the second was a temporary arrangement meant to last only as long as the fear. Though, when had that ever gone away? Sage felt like he’d been at least mildly afraid his whole life. Sometimes sharing a bed with someone helped, but other times it made him feel more alone, unable to make anyone else understand what he’d gone through. “How’d things go for Connor? Was he at the hospital?”
Jacob didn't actually answer that first question, not in so many words at least. He made a face that probably answered it anyway and latched onto the next question pretty fast. "Yeah, he was stuck at the hospital so he was safe, just tired. I got a ride there with the ambulance. My boss got hurt, did I tell you? Jesus, the last few days have been a blur, I barely remember talking to you on the phone." It was uncomfortably reminiscent of the time back at the tunnel. There had been weeks he couldn't account for because he'd just been depressed and out of it. This was a little different because it felt like it was over and nobody he knew personally had gone missing or died and nobody was blaming him for it. And still. Trauma was trauma, he might feel blissfully numb now but he could still feel all those issues lurking around the corner.
Sage thought it was all a little fast as far as relationships went, but it’d been years since he’d had one really stick, so what did he know? If he stumbled across the love of his life, he wouldn’t want his friends giving him shit for it, so he tried not to be skeptical when it came to Jacob. “Is he okay? Your boss?” Sage asked, focusing on that instead. “If you told me, I missed it. They had me on some pretty good drugs for a while there.” He’d lost a lot of blood and been in quite a bit of pain, but Gabriel had taken good care of him, especially for a stranger. It was probably a miracle he hadn’t died and he’d been trying not to think about it, but it was constantly on his mind, the monster a new headliner in his nightmares.
"Nobody gave me drugs and I barely know what I've been up to lately," Jacob admitted, in part to make Sage feel a little better about it - but he also wasn't sure what he had or hadn't told him. "He's okay now, we're just opening the arcade again in the new years so I get the feeling he's not letting it all hold him back." He smirked and arched a brow at Sage. "You crazy workoholics. But yeah he's... he got grabbed by that thing. I don't know how he survived, I was kind of just. Not present for most of it." He smiled again and this time it was sheepish. He didn't know if Sage remembered or had even noticed how shittily Jacob dealt with being afraid. The last time they'd been afraid together Sage had been dealing with his own terror. "His leg got torn up pretty badly but we were at this hunting store by then and the guy there knew what to do."
“Nate told me I could take the night off, but I really need the money,” Sage said with an embarrassed laugh and a shrug. “Plus, I’m not… it’s… it’s better being with people right now.” When he wasn’t working, he was home, alone, with no one to confide in or comfort him. He felt a little bit crazy, swaying between crippling fear and depression to manic highs that he knew were out of control. On Saturday he’d played most of the day, ignoring the protests of his neighbors, eventually crashing hard around sunset. He’d woken to find his fingers bleeding, something he hadn’t done since high school when the calluses hadn’t been completely built up. He’d definitely considered calling in, but the tips on New Year’s were likely to be the best of the year and he couldn’t pass them up. “A hunting store would’ve been a good place to hide out. I ended up in this new salon on Main Street. The owner happened to be there. I owe the guy my life.”
Jacob nodded in understanding. He couldn't imagine being alone so soon and he was thankful Connor got some time off from the hospital. He deserved it after being stuck there, working for two days straight with barely any sleep. "Saved by owners of small businesses," he said with a little smile. "Go us." He found himself wanting to ask just what had happened, how Sage had gotten hurt, why he'd been outside but it was just a small part of him that was curious enough. Most of him wanted to leave it behind and never think of it again. It wasn't realistic but it was a form of self preservation. He knew he didn't want to recount everything that had happened, how he'd seen Jeff disappear out into the fog in a way that was too similar to how Grayson had gotten sucked into the tunnel. How he'd spent the last hours with a boy who bled and bruised because he could hear ghosts. "A hunting store was a great place to be stuck, I guess. I had a tent to hide in." He still felt embarrassed about it, ashamed even, but it was weirdly easy to make light of it and pretend not to feel like shit.
“Hey, a tent would be good,” Sage smiled, laughing softly. “I bet they had sleeping bags and-- and freeze dried food.” And guns, he thought. They probably had guns and could’ve shot the fucking monsters if they came too close. Sage knew better than to relate the worst parts of his attack back to Jacob. He didn’t need to know about the attack itself, or how he’d left a smear of blood from the door of the salon all the way to the back. “I got stuck in my car,” he confided. “Eventually I got hungry and thought I could make it to, like, Moxie’s or something. Probably should’ve stayed in the car. But Gabriel, the hairstylist, he had some food on hand. Granola bars, chips, yogurt. And a couch. Nice guy.” And if he’d thought Sage was crazy, he hid it well. It had occurred to Sage later that he’d overshared, that he’d told a story he’d sworn he’d never tell, but he hadn’t been in his right mind at the time. That had to be excusable.
"We started at the arcade," Jacob said. "We were running out of food and it was really uncomfortable so we tried to get to the store next door. Jeff would probably be okay if we hadn't..." He would have felt horrible thinking about it again if he was anywhere else but he didn't really question why he didn't. It was New Years Eve, he was meeting his friends tonight and then getting a nice midnight kiss from the guy he was falling for, that seemed like a good reason to feel lighthearted. "I got to hang out with a highschooler," he said with a little grin. "But he was really nice so I guess I got lucky."
Sage knew where Jacob was going with the story, so he didn’t ask for additional details. It sucked that Jacob’s boss had gotten hurt, but at least he’d survived. Sage considered himself one of the lucky ones. There were plenty out there who’d just disappeared into the fog. “A nice high schooler?” he laughed. “Sounds like fun. A sleepover in the hunting store.” He liked to believe it was a good time, but he suspected Jacob had been huddled up and terrified, much like he’d been. Except different. Sage rambled like an idiot when he was scared, whereas he remembered Jacob kind of shutting down.
Jacob shook his head because nothing about those two days had been fun, but he laughed anyway because in the abstract it was kind of amusing. "I didn't even like high schoolers much when I was one, but this guy seemed like someone I would have gotten along with back then." Which meant he probably would have been with them at the tunnel since Jacob hadn't had many friends back then, but that wasn't really something he wanted to think about. "So everyone on your end is okay?" he asked since he was pretty sure the answer was yes or Sage would have told him about it, that meant it took things in a little lighter direction - the one where everyone was safe.
“A cocky little asshole then,” Sage teased. Even though he’d loved his high school friends, he suspected they’d been brats, as he thought most high schoolers were. That was how it seemed to him now, at least. It all felt so long ago, when their biggest problem had been what party was that weekend and if they were going to crash it. But that was before… There was always before, then after. Everything was different after. “Yeah, Bandit got stuck out in it too, but she made it to Moxie’s before the creatures were out and about. Everyone else was at home and had the good sense to stay inside. You?”
"It's just you guys, Connor and Holly now," Jacob replied with a faint smile. "Holly was at her sister's in Overlook, Connor was in the hospital. Poor Joss was stuck at her mom's office." Sage probably already knew that but it was okay to go over it again, Jacob thought. "I haven't told mom, but I just know she's going to hear about it from someone." Like she'd heard Jacob was in Point Pleasant now, word got around and she still had friends in town. Stupid internet. "So you're working all night? No other plans?"
“You should tell her before she hears it from someone else. She’ll worry,” Sage said, feeling like it was good advice. He should at least check in with her so she’d know he survived it all, otherwise just hearing about it would freak her out. “Yeah,” he said. “I know it’s lame, but it’s not like I’ve got a lot going on. Joss is working too, I think. We should get together soon though. Have drinks and chill.” Do something that would take all their minds off the chaos of the past week. That’s what everyone else was doing tonight, finding an escape. Sage could appreciate it, even if he couldn’t join in. “You meeting up with Connor tonight?”
"Yeah," Jacob replied, glad to change the topic since he didn't really want to talk to his mom just yet. There were a lot of things he wasn't telling her, things she wouldn't approve of, and he was in no rush to put himself in that situation where he might have to outright lie to her. "I'm gonna drop by the Back Porch and give her a hug too, then spend the night with Connor. Just take it easy, you know? Things have been so tense lately, I think relaxing will be nice." A small part of him felt weird not going to a real party and if it wasn't for Connor it might even have felt a little lonely, but he really couldn't stomach being around a bunch of drunk people yet and he absolutely didn't feel like partying.
“Tell her hi for me,” Sage smiled, again glad to have his friends back in town, even if it meant they were stuck dealing with the same shit he was. Fuck, that was so selfish of him. “If you’re still up at midnight, you should check out the fireworks. They still put on a pretty good show and you might be able to see it, depending on where you are.” He’d seen it in year’s past, when he’d been on the other side of the bar. He suspected it would be the same this year with the crowd down at the marina and all the booths and the heaters. It was fun, but it was crowded, not really what he would consider relaxing.
"Doubt we'll see much from Connor's place," Jacob said and realized neither Sage nor Joss knew where he was living now. He was wildly aware of how insane it was that he was now staying in Seaview 24/7 but he was already considering sleeping somewhere else when Connor had to spend the night elsewhere. He just needed to find a good time to bring that up with Connor because he might think it was weird. "Maybe he'll want to go to the marina though, I have no idea. I got the feeling we'd be staying in." Jacob didn't really care as long as he got his midnight kiss and he absentmindedly toyed with his collar as he thought about it. "It'd be more fun if it wasn't so cold out."
“Where’s Connor’s place?” Sage asked, then his eyes went comically wide. “You’re not shacking up in Overlook, are you? Got yourself a sugar daddy?” He was mostly teasing, though Connor was a doctor, so it was kind of true. Sage had never known a doctor who wasn’t well off. “If you do decide to go to the marina, I’m sure they’ll have heaters out. And you’ve got a boyfriend to keep you warm,” he smiled, idly flipping a glass in his hands. “You staying long enough to have a drink?”
Jacob's smile got a little pained because no, they were not shacking up in Overlook though he thought they totally should be and he shook his head decidedly no. Thankfully Sage kept joking around so he dodged the bullet there, letting out a little laugh at the sugar daddy part. "I'm not drinking tonight, I know, shocker." He might have something later with Connor just to toast to the new year but he didn't want to be sloshed by the time he was done visiting his two friends who both worked in bars.
It didn’t go unnoticed that Jacob answered nothing but the last question he asked and for a second Sage just stared at him, trying to figure out what was really going on. It was all a little fast if you asked him, you didn’t start shacking up with a guy you’d only just met, but he was trying not to judge. “You’re not drinking on New Year’s Eve?” he asked, not only shocked, but confused. It was a night meant to be partied and yet Jacob was deciding not to. Sage couldn’t imagine why.
"It's still early," Jacob replied with a shrug, amused at Sage's dumbound expression. "I guess I'm just a little reluctant to lose control right now. Both the fog and that night... I don't think I told you about it. I think it was my sleep medication or a bad batch of drugs or something. I sleepwalked and it was just... I don't want to lose control again so I'm being careful with how much I drink and stuff." He didn't want Sage to think Connor was making him do something he didn't want to do, unsure if Jocelyn had told him the nature of the relationship and whether Sage would be as disapproving as she had been.
“Wait, what are you talking about?” Sage asked, pouring Jacob a soda instead, mostly because it looked better if Jacob was going to sit at the bar. It always looked better to have a drink in front of him. “When were you sleepwalking? What do you mean by ‘lose control’?” All of it together sounded like a reason to be concerned and none of it had to do with having a drink or two early in the day.
"I wish I could tell you," Jacob sighed, resting his arm on the bartop. He was always a little impressed with how clean Dragonfly was, the bartop never felt sticky when he got there. Maybe it got that way late at night but it wasn't now. "I went home after work and I went to sleep, then I woke up the next day but I'd obviously gone outside. My legs were all scratched up, my feet were dirty, the sheets were dirty. It was creepy. So I figure maybe I took something when I came home or my sleeping pills drove me crazy or something. This was a while back, it hasn't happened since I stopped taking the pills."
“Here? In Point Pleasant? When--Why are you on sleeping pills? Had you been drinking? Was this after the fog? Was it just that once?” Sage asked, fully kicking into the conversation now that he knew something was up. He’d thought everything was cool with everyone and he worried at the mention of sleeping pills. Maybe Jacob just had trouble sleeping, but what if he had nightmares. Still had nightmares. That was something Sage understood and could relate to, though he didn’t want it for anyone else. He was concerned and worried, no longer thinking about New Year’s Eve, but just Jacob in general.
"I just had a hard time sleeping and no, I don't remember taking anything and I wasn't drinking," Jacob said. It had only been a little over a week but so much had happened, it felt like an eternity. "So I threw away my drugs, just in case they were bad? I don't know. It was before Christmas so it could have been stress too. It just freaked me out. Still does because I don't know what the fuck I was doing. I was going to ask you about it but then I figured if you'd seen me you'd tell me since... You know. I was obviously not okay? I brought home a gigantic party banner and I have no idea where that came from either. Maybe I have some pissed off neighbors now."
“Were these new sleeping pills?” Sage asked. “I mean, like, if you’d been on them for a while, that shouldn’t have been it, unless you had a bad batch. If things like that exist. Connor would probably know better than me. He knows about this, right?” It felt like a given, so it probably wasn’t worth asking, but Sage did anyways, just in case. “That’s freak me out too. I’d probably put new locks on my door, on the inside, something I couldn’t just open and wander out of. Or a camera, though that could be a bad idea too, I guess. What’d the banner say?” He didn’t know why he asked it, since of everything that mattered the least.
Jacob really regretted not telling him about this back when it happened because now? He didn't want to talk about it, not on New Years Eve. Just thinking about that banner gave him chills and it didn't make sense because he was just reading too much into the message but what if he wasn't. And what if he told Sage and he got upset about it and read too much into it too? "I don't remember," he said, waving it off. "It was just some dumb party banner. I don't feel like I need sleeping pills when I don't sleep alone so I'm just off that stuff. It's like... Sleeping with Connor just calms me right down." He smiled, knowing full well that probably sounded cheesy but it was the truth. He was dreading the first night shift already. "Maybe I'll ask him to chain me to the bed," he added cheekily.
“Kinky,” Sage snickered half-heartedly, aware that Jacob had ignored pretty much every question he’d asked. He was worried about him, but he told himself it was probably none of his business. He had Connor looking out for him. He didn’t need Sage asking him to recap nightmare inducing memories. “Whatever it takes to keep you in bed, I guess. I’d freak out too if I woke up and realized I’d gone for some midnight walk.” It was even more dangerous now that it was below freezing most nights. Sage couldn’t imagine the cold not waking him up, but if it didn’t then he was likely to freeze to death. “Connor a light sleeper?”
"Sometimes? I don't know," Jacob said with a shrug. "Depends, I guess. More so now than usual, I think. Everyone's so on edge." He nibbled at his bottom lip for a moment and wondered if he should tell Sage about the nature of his relationship with Connor. Jocelyn hadn't particularly liked it but she was a little overprotective of him. It felt weird to keep one friend in the dark though so... why not. "Just so you know, that wouldn't be the only reason he ties me up," he mumbled with a little grin. "He's my dom." He wasn't sure what kind of reaction he was expecting - if any - Sage had always been pretty mellow about things.
Sage’s brows drew together for a moment as that statement took time to register. “He’s your dom? Like… like you’re his sub?” he asked, just to make sure he was hearing that right and not drawing the wrong conclusion. But how could he be wrong when Jacob had just said Connor was tying him up? Sage had thought he was joking. People make jokes like that without meaning that their boyfriend literally bound them to the bed, but he didn’t think Jacob was joking. He licked his lips, suddenly trying to be careful with what he said, something he’d never been especially good at. “So… I’m… I’m not judging or anything, but… don’t you think this is all a little fast? I mean, I… I feel like you just met him. And now he’s your dom. And now you’re moving in with him. Which… is convenient, if… I guess… I didn’t realize you were into that kind of thing. I just wanna make sure you know what you’re doing, you know? It’s a lot. A lot a lot.”
Jacob sipped his drink while Sage stumbled through his words, suddenly wishing it was alcoholic. He arched a brow, smirking faintly at the concern. Jocelyn had been the same but he somehow hadn't expected Sage to fret about it. Oops. "It makes me happy," he muttered dismissively, not feeling up to doing the whole dance and song of defending what they had. "And I think we all need whatever makes us happy right now, more than ever."
“Yeah,” Sage said, smiling weakly, the rise of emotion stamped out by Dragonfly’s magic and his own desire not to create conflict. “If it makes you happy, then… I’m glad you’re happy.” Maybe they all deserved to be happy right now, though Sage wasn’t sure what that meant for him. Maybe he needed to try and leave town again because the circles he was running in didn’t really equate to what he’d call happiness. He had other questions, nosy questions, but now he wasn’t all that sure he should ask them. “Does Joss know?”
"Oh yeah," Jacob said with a small roll of his eyes. "She's already given me the worried mom speech, I'll probably get another one when I tell her I'm staying with him now." He toyed with his glass, glancing at Sage again with a smile that was a touch warmer. "I mean, I appreciate that you guys worry, just shows you care. I'll come crash at your place or hers if things get weird, I promise. Right now he's just really good to me and super reasonable, we talk everything through. It's not like I just do anything he tells me to do even if I don't want to."
“I know,” Sage said. “I mean, that’s… that’s how I understand it.” He considered himself open minded, but he’d never had a friend in that sort of relationship before. Most of what he knew he knew from fiction and gossip, which likely meant he knew nothing at all. It wasn’t so much that Jacob was in that kind of relationship, but everything at once--how fast it all was, the moving in together, everything. “Just be careful, I guess. It sounds really intense and I don’t want to see you get hurt. And now I sound like a worried mom,” he said, rolling his eyes at himself.
"Yeah, you do," Jacob said with a little snicker. "Already have a mom. Two if you count Joss. It's really not that intense, I promise. We just feel... I don't know. Safer together. This town is messed up, who knows what else might happen. We could all die at the stroke of midnight because some new crazy thing comes along and crushes us, so if you think of it like that..." It wasn't intense at all. "The only power he has over me is the power I choose to give him and I like being taken care of."
Sage could appreciate that. He wouldn’t mind someone taking care of him. Maybe not like Jacob did, but all he had was his family and that wasn’t the same. He didn’t want another mom either. You have to get out of this town, he thought for the millionth time. Jacob had found what he needed by coming home, but as the years passed Sage was becoming more and more convinced he was never going to find what he needed in Point Pleasant. In fact, he was probably going to die at the rate he was going. “Whatever works,” Sage said with a small smile. “I’m glad you found someone. You deserve to be happy.”
"So do you," Jacob replied, reaching over the bar to nudge Sage gently in the chest. His relationship with Point Pleasant felt weird right now, he hadn't intended to stay this long but it was like there was an underlying fear that whatever this was that he had with Connor wouldn't survive outside of the town, that he had to stay in order to be happy. It wasn't like leaving had really helped in the first place, he'd still had nightmares and Portland had just given him a series of different problems so here he was, back where he started, even when he'd promised himself he wouldn't come back.
Sage smiled and gave Jacob a little nod of agreement. Sure, he deserved to be happy. Someone tell that to the universe. He’d get right on that. “We’ll see,” he said. “Not much for me around here. Maybe the band will finally get a break and I’ll have groupies to choose from.” He laughed, since he couldn’t imagine actually wanting to pick up a groupie, even if they did make it big. “I think we may have booked a show in Bangor in late February, just an early act to a local festival, but it should be fun. You’ll have to come see us play.”
"Yeah I do," Jacob agreed, even if he wasn't huge on festivals or concerts. He'd make an exception for a friend for sure. "I'll drag Joss with me and we'll stand up front and squeal your name, how's that sound? You need groupies to gain groupies, we'll get you started." He wasn't even sure he could 'squeal' like a proper fan would, maybe if he was drunk enough, the thought was funny at least. "Are you getting set up in a hotel and everything? Or do you have to pay for it yourselves?"
If the only groupies he had were Jacob and Jocelyn, then Sage definitely wouldn’t be picking one of them up. But it was nice of Jacob to offer and it earned him a laugh. “Sounds great,” he smiled. “We aren’t at the level where they pay for anything. It’s exciting to be invited at all. We’ll probably drive back later that night or crash in the van or something. I dunno. Maybe we’ll splurge for a hotel room and all pile in together.” They were usually too wound up afterwards to sleep, so a drive back made the most sense, so long as they hadn’t been drinking.
None of that sounded tempting to Jacob but maybe if he played his cards right, he could spend the weekend in Bangor with Connor or something and not have to worry about getting home that night. It wasn't like he'd be the one driving either way so it'd be up to Joss what they did, he guessed. At least it wasn't right around the corner so he had some time to think about it. "You guys ever play locally?" he asked. "Maybe we can come to practice sometime, hear you play." He wouldn't want to do that alone, he was sure, it just seemed like it might be awkward.
“We play when there’s a gig, or someone’s looking for some live music,” Sage said. “We jam at least once a week, just to keep things fresh. Sometimes someone’ll have a new song they want to hammer out and then we’ll play a bit more.” They weren’t making a living off of it, which meant they all had to maintain day jobs. And social lives. He supposed that was optional, but they kind of needed it to maintain their sanity. “We’ll get together after the holidays and you guys can come chill with us if you want. It’ll be fun.”
"Sounds good," Jacob replied. "Then we can decide if you're good enough to make the trip to Bangor." He knew he'd only really go if Jocelyn did, being dependent on the band for a ride would suck and he was a creature of comforts. "What kind of music are you playing these days? Covers? Or do you have your own stuff too?" Once upon a time he'd been pretty well immersed in everything his friends were doing so it felt a little weird not knowing that, like he'd missed out on a big chunk of Sage's life because he'd been away so long.
“We can do covers, but we prefer to play our own stuff,” Sage explained. A cover was good to get people’s attention and pull them in, but then they had to be able to stand on their own sound and lyrics. “It’s mostly pop-punk, kind of rock alternative. Depends on the song, but it’s not metal and it’s not pop. We’ve got a few songs that some people might consider to be kind of singer-songwriter-ish, but we’re a band and that’s really a one off thing. Think, like, All American Rejects or Blink-182 as bands that inspire us. Or Green Day. God, they’re good.”
Oh right, Jacob let out a little laugh because he'd plain forgotten where their taste so diverged. He'd still come see them play, he didn't hate that kind of music, it just wasn't really what he chose to listen to. Drunk in a bar though? It could be fun. "You're so perky," he said affectionately, reaching across the bar to ruffle Sage's shiny red hair. "Let me know when you're meeting up and if the guys are cool with us coming, I miss hanging out with you and Joss together. We should do karaoke again too, that was really fun."
“I like talking about music,” Sage smiled as he shrugged. Even music that he wasn’t super into, he could appreciate. Because he taught, he messed around with all kinds of genres. He could even play classical piano if he wanted to. It just wasn’t what he loved. “I’ll definitely let you know. Even if we don’t get together for that, we should do something else. If Joss and I weren’t working, tonight would’ve been great, but sometime soon for sure.”
"And I have other plans tonight," Jacob replied, smiling warmly at the thought of Connor. “Let's meet up in the new year though, do something fun." He pulled his phone out of his pocket to check the time but there was no rush, they could sit there and shoot the shit for a little while longer - unless the bar got busier. It was still early so it shouldn't happen too soon and Jacob really felt like he hadn't spent enough time with his friends lately so he was ready to sit there for at least another hour.