Who: Sage and Jacob Where: Jacob & Connor’s place When: Sunday afternoon, June 24th
It occurred to Sage as he drove over to Jacob and Connor’s place that their house had become their defacto hangout. In fact, Sage was anywhere but home if he could help it, because living with his parents was becoming stifling and he wasn’t about to invite his friends over to hang out in his bedroom like a teenager. He was sure they wouldn’t mind them in the living room, but that completely lacked the privacy that at least half their conversations warranted, so that was out of the question. The last thing he needed was his mom listening in while he questioned Jacob about his lifestyle.
That wasn’t all he wanted to talk about, but it had definitely been on his mind since his date with Marsh. He’d done a bit of googling and felt like he’d learned some new terms, but was overwhelmed by the amount of information. He’d rather trust someone who knew him, who he could talk to, rather than the internet, even if it required him putting himself out there. Jacob already knew his most closely guarded secrets; this was nothing by comparison, even if it felt far more personal. So he’d texted Jacob to make sure it was okay that he drop by, picked them both up lunch, and headed over. Moments later Sage was knocking on the door, a bag of burgers in his hand as he bounded on his toes.
Free home delivery of food was pretty great and it came with the bonus of hanging out with a friend so Jacob was pretty chipper when he answered the door. While he was getting better about being home alone now that he knew the house and felt safe there, he always preferred having someone around and Connor worked a lot. He'd texted Sage a bit after his date so he knew it had gone well and that Marshall Nolan hadn't done anything dodgy but he was looking forward to the details now, which he was sure he would get. Texting just wasn't the same as rambling in real time.
"Hi," he drawled as he let Sage in, giving him a one-armed hug before grabbing the food from him to give him some space to get his shoes and jacket off. "You look well fucked," he added cheekily and while he was just teasing, he thought Sage looked a little bit happier than he had lately.
“That’s ‘cause I am,” Sage snickered, hugging Jacob back. “Or was. It’s been a few days.” The physical signs had faded, but there had been a subtle, lasting effect on Sage that he didn’t know how to define. He found himself thinking of the coming days, attempting to make plans, spurned on by the hint of hope for something more. He was still broken, and probably always would be, but he didn’t have to be miserable. Being around Jacob had always helped, but Marsh had made him forget and that was incredible. “I’m supposed to see him again tomorrow. We’re going to check out that carnival that just rolled into town. Have you heard about it?” It literally popped up over night, so Jacob might not even be aware if he hadn’t left the house yet.
"The what now?" Jacob asked, eyes going a little wide as he led Sage into the house. He'd been at the marina the day before and there had been no carnival there. It had to be tiny if it just popped up overnight but he already wanted to go check it out. Just not yet, he was in heavy lounge-at-home mode, barefoot with sleep tousled hair. Going outside meant a shower and proper clothes and he wasn't quite there yet. "I had not heard, but cool. And yay second date! You know if you win him some tacky prize then you're practically married."
“You’ll see it next time you leave the house,” Sage snickered, since Jacob couldn’t miss it. “I’m sure you’ll want to go with Connor, but maybe we can go later in the week. You, me, and Joss. It feels like it’s been forever since we all hung out.” He knew that was mostly his fault, that he hadn’t exactly been a barrel of laughs lately, but he was trying to remedy that. Hanging out with his friends was an easy first step. “But yes! Yay! Second date,” he grinned. “Proposing on the second date seems a little fast though, so maybe I should stay away from the games. Besides, it’s hard to fit a life size teddy bear on a ring.”
"A life size teddy bear?" Jacob asked with feigned shock. "Wow, you've got it bad for this guy. I was just thinking a small cheap plastic ring or something." He stuck his tongue out at Sage to make it clear he was joking. "But yeah that sounds fun, I really miss going somewhere fun with you guys." He hadn't set foot into the arcade in a long time, that place held too many shitty memories for him, but he did miss the games there but most of all he just missed hanging out with his friends. It was partially his fault as well, he spent so much time with Connor and he'd become a real homebody.
“If I’m gonna win a prize for him, I might as well go big,” Sage smiled. Yes, he did have it bad for Marsh, but he was trying not to freak out about it. It was generally a good thing to be interested in the person you were dating. He’d be disappointed otherwise. But he did worry about it from Marsh’s perspective. What if he was just a novelty? At some point the interest would wear off and then where would he be? He didn’t want to get too attached, not until he had a better grasp on what Marsh expected of him. “We should start doing something weekly. Even if it’s just drinks. Though I like this too,” he said, giving Jacob a little smile. “Some things I’d rather not share with Joss.”
"I won't tell her if you don't," Jacob replied but he understood that it wasn't a big testament to their friendship with Joss or anything, different friends often got different stories and there was nothing inherently wrong with that. "You want something? Water? Soda?" He wanted soda for himself this time around and he busied himself with tidying up a little while Sage got comfortable by the kitchen table. Jacob wasn't sure why he liked chatting in the kitchen so much, but it was a really nice kitchen.
Sage was glad that he didn’t have to explain to Jacob because he wasn’t sure he could have done so succinctly and he didn’t want to make a big deal out of it. There were just some things he was more comfortable talking with Jacob about, a different bond with a different person. “Soda’d be great,” he said, following Jacob into the kitchen. They spent a fair amount of time there, most likely because one or both of them was always looking to eat, or at least have something to drink. Jacob was the kind of host that always offered and Sage never turned down a soda. “So I have a question, and I don’t know how to discreetly weave it into conversation, so I’m not even going to try,” he said, leaning against the counter. He paused then, having to work himself up to asking what he wanted to ask, nervous even though this was Jacob. “How did you... How do you give over control to someone if you’ve never done it before? I mean, like… How do you know that—that you’ll like it? ‘Cause if you don’t, it could fuck things up, you know?” He sighed, scrubbing a hand over his face. “Sorry, I’m not making any sense.”
"It only fucks things up if he's an asshole," Jacob replied and he was no longer surprised by Sage's curiosity on the topic. He clearly wanted something similar to himself and it was way better that he have someone to talk to about it than blindly throwing himself into the lifestyle. "Like... I can withdraw my consent at any time, I can take off this collar and give it back to Connor. It'd be like breaking up if I did that but I'm not stuck. More realistically if I don't like something we do, I talk to him about it. It helped that he's, you know... In the lifestyle and open about needing to be dominant. We both knew what that meant and stuff." He brought the soda to the table and paused there for a second, feeling weirdly restless. "And you know, you don't have to give anything up if you just want kinky sex."
“But you both knew what you liked going in,” Sage said, unpacking their lunch just so he had something to do with his hands. The conversation made him want to fidget and he opened the soda just as soon as Jacob delivered it, taking two huge gulps. “I don’t know what I’m doing. I feel like I’m being more honest with him than I’ve been with anyone else, but it scares the shit out of me. Because he’s not an asshole. I don’t think I’d worry about this so much if he was. But he’s, like, the nicest guy. And he doesn’t want to take something I’m not willing to give. Which is good. But he wants me to be sure of it. I don’t know how to be sure of anything.” Nothing in his life was constant at the moment and it sometimes felt like he was bouncing from one moment to the next, just trying to stay afloat. Maybe this was too big a decision for him to take on at the moment. Jacob was right—it could just be kinky sex if that’s what he wanted.
"Wait," Jacob murmured curiously. "You guys have talked about it? Like for real?" That was a surprise for some reason, he'd known Sage was considering all of this but he hadn't really known that about Marshall. "It's okay to not know what you're into, as long as you just talk about it. Like...Let's say I'm unsure if I'm into being tied up, I can agree to trying it but we have to talk about it first. We have to... like have a safe word so if I hate it I know I can make it stop." It sounded so easy in theory and he knew it wasn't that easy in reality. He'd been shy as hell with Connor in the beginning and being able to ask for what he wanted was a fairly new thing for him. "I know I sound like I've got it all figured out. I don't. I'm still learning."
“I mean, probably not to the degree that you’re thinking, but kinda,” Sage shrugged. “We were talking about kinks. Possible kinks. I don’t even know how we got on the subject. I said I liked the idea of giving up control. He said I had to be sure.” He could feel his neck heating up as he frowned, trying to remember the rest of the conversation to frame it correctly. Maybe he was missing something key that would make it fit together better. But it was that bit that stuck with him, that Marsh wanted more than a maybe. Sage didn’t know how to get there and it almost made him regret mentioning it at all. He felt stupid with his lack of confidence on the subject. He’d been with enough people that he should know, shouldn’t he? “We talked about a lot of things,” he said, looking up at Jacob. “He’s easy to talk to.”
Jacob hummed his approval because that sounded like a very good thing. He didn't know if he could have built this much trust and love with Connor if they couldn't talk about things and that certainly hadn't been Jacob's strong side at the beginning. "That's already a good start," he said. "And I don't know what exactly you mean by giving up control but I can see wanting to be sure about stuff before you do it. That's why safe words are good." He brought some plates to the table and finally sat down, lured in by the food. "A red flag to me is someone who's just eager to try everything and doesn't know shit about what they're doing, so I'd totally take this is a good thing but I know I'm just guessing since I don't know him. You don't have to tell me what it is, but did he say what he's into?"
Until recently, Sage had never tried to put what he liked and didn’t like into words and found it more complicated than he realized. He knew “giving up control” was vague, but saying he liked to be dominated still felt extreme, so it was the closest he could come to describing what he might like as someone who’d never purposefully done it. It reminded him of that feeling he had when he knew he wanted to bottom when he never had before. He couldn’t explain why he’d wanted it, or how he’d known he’d like it, but he’d been sure. This felt harder to explain, but maybe that was the problem—there was no reasonable explanation for why he might like it. He just thought he would. But he could be wrong and it felt like a bigger deal than trying anal for the first time. “I don’t know shit about what I’m doing,” Sage reminded him, then stared at Jacob for a moment, blinking before he gave a little laugh and a shake of his head. “So, I might be the idiot who told him some of the kinky shit I’m into, but didn’t return the question. I have some pretty good guesses, but maybe that’s the conversation starter for date number two. Or three.”
"I didn't know shit either," Jacob replied. "I mostly just read stuff online and did silly quizzes that told me what I was. They're not always super accurate but it helps to get a general idea, you know? I was just lucky Connor and I had some of our dos and don'ts on our fetlife profiles so I already knew we were into a lot of the same things." He knew how awful it could be to find out someone was into a kink that was a hard no for him, not wanting to be judgmental but being so completely turned off that he lost all interest. Thankfully Connor had no such kinks, they'd always been compatible, but he was sure Sage had no idea just how fast Marsh could turn from hot to not if he liked something Sage thought was gross. "Maybe you should just get drunk and do one of those lists together," he suggested - only half joking. "It can be a laugh and get you talking."
“What’s fetlife?” Sage asked. He thought he could wager a guess, but he didn’t want to guess on some of these things. He felt like he needed to spend a lot more time online, learning the terminology at the very least. Even if it turned out not to be his thing, he’d have learned something interesting. “I can do online quizzes and lists,” he said with a little smile. “I’ve got all the time in the world for that shit. I feel like if I was more sure about what I want, it would help.” Would Marsh laugh if he pulled out one of those lists? Or would he fill it out in good fun? If he took Jacob’s advice and they got drunk first, he was pretty sure it would be easier. He just couldn’t see himself whipping out paper copies of a quiz on the fly. Then again, the internet had all kinds of good things at his fingertips at all times. Sage picked up his burger and took a bite, finishing it before continuing. “I don’t know if we’re perfectly aligned, but it was probably the best sex I’ve ever had, so that seems like a good start.”
"Definitely a good start," Jacob tittered, digging into his own burger. "Fetlife's is like... kinky Facebook, I guess. It's just social media and dating and articles and stuff. It's kinda 'porny' but there's some really cool stuff on there too. Like they advertise events and stuff. I'm gonna email you a quiz." He took another bite, grunting happily at the juiciness. He and Connor were eating pretty healthy lately so junk food was always a treat. He thought he could also just give Sage the address, it wasn't complicated if he recalled correctly and maybe Sage didn't want some BDSM stuff in his regular email. People could be touchy about their privacy and nervous about being outed, even open minded people like Sage. "I can send it like it's a joke, by the way, if you worry about someone seeing."
“Kinky Facebook sounds a lot more fun than normal Facebook,” Sage grinned as he munched on fries. Eating healthy was not something he was good at. Nor was cooking. Or even getting three meals a day. But eating out was still a specialty when he didn’t have an income, so he reserved it for his times with friends. He could live on his mother’s cooking and pop-tarts until then. “I’m not really worried about people reading my email, but maybe make it sound like a joke, just in case I end up forwarding it to him or something. I don’t really wanna out you more than I already have. Not that I have on purpose, but I’ve said things that might—I mean, like, I told him about you and I playing with the ropes. Not anything else specifically.” He really just needed to shut up, but he felt like he needed to explain himself and backtrack, just in case he’d screwed up already. The more flustered Sage got, the more he tended to talk.
Jacob had never really cared what people knew about his lifestyle, it couldn't be much worse than being suspected of murder, but things had changed when he started a relationship with a doctor. He didn't want Connor to get into trouble for their relationship and while they were fairly open about it, Jacob knew he couldn't act too scandalously. "Yeah, I'll make it sound like a joke. Or just give you the address. So what did Marsh say about the ropes? Or what did his face say?" Sometimes people's expressions said far more than their words did and he hoped Marsh had lit up with interest instead of giving Sage a weary look. Judging by how well they'd hit it off, he suspected it hadn't been negative.
Sage was relieved when Jacob didn’t seem bothered by anything he might have said and tried to let it drop, hoping he could be more discreet going forward. He could, at the very least, ask Marsh to do the same, if he ever filled him in. “Oh, I think he could be very into ropes,” Sage grinned. “I don’t know if he has actual experience, but he did say that maybe he should get some. And then later said he wanted to tie me to the bed.” He was almost giddy as he said it, excited about the prospect, despite his lack of experience. Just thinking about those words as Marsh said them made his heart beat faster and he had to force himself to stay in this moment, rather than the memory. He’d spent way too much time there in the past few days and didn’t need to relive it now.
Jacob grinned at him wolfishly before licking the dripping sauce off his fingers. It was liberating to be with good enough friends that he didn't worry about being messy, especially because this food was very messy. "You're definitely into that," he murmured. "You lit up like a Christmas tree just saying that." He gave Sage a knowing and slightly amused look, still curious about a lot of these thing but a little less concerned about Marsh. He only hoped this worked out, Sage had already been through enough heartache, he needed something fun and good in his life for a change. "So are you super serious about this now? What if he ends up not being into it? I think if Connor wanted to go totally vanilla it'd break my fucking heart but... I'm in it now, I love him too much to let that get in the way. Not that I think that'll happen, but you know. Just curious where you stand."
Sage laughed softly as his gaze dropped, still embarrassed enough about being called out that his ears turned pink. He hadn’t been sure about it before, even when Jacob had bound up his arm. But with Marsh, all he’d had to do was suggest it and Sage’s heart began to race in anticipation. He felt far too into something they hadn’t even done, which made Jacob’s questions extremely valid. “I dunno. I mean… all I’ve ever had is vanilla,” he shrugged. “Maybe I’m missing out on something I’d be really into, but if he’s not into it, then I won’t know any better. And maybe that’s depressing, but right now the bar’s pretty damn low and he’s clearing it beyond… anything I ever expected. But it’s only been one date. It’s not like we’re serious. He could be bored of me in a week.” As much as it bothered him to think about it, Sage knew this was highly possible. Marsh was a catch, whereas he… he was a novelty.
Jacob wanted to reassure him that no way would this be over so quickly, but he knew all too well how fickle dating and feelings could be. It all made more and more sense the older he got, whereas when he was a kid he didn't get why people would stop seeing each other when they seemed so good together. "Well, enjoy it to the fullest while it lasts," he said with a grin and he might have smacked Sage a little if he'd been able to read his thoughts. "Man I wish I'd know you were into this stuff earlier, I'd have invited you out to Portland and dragged you to some meet-up." He probably wouldn't have been able to get him a date, he'd barely scored himself any, but community was important too.
Sage hoped it lasted because he really liked Marsh. He trusted him, despite how early it was in their relationship, and the sex was fantastic so far. If it turned out Marsh wasn’t into the same things as Sage, then it would be fine. Disappointing, sure, but he could live without it. It was a thought easier believed when he didn’t know what he was missing. “I didn’t know I was into this stuff,” Sage said with a little laugh. “I mean, I guess I did on some level, but I never thought about pursuing it because I’m here and it’s intimidating and how the hell did you go to a meet up your first time? It’s that step that seems so huge, going from researching and observing to actually putting yourself out there. I would be so obviously a newb.”
"Okay, I'm gonna let you in on a little secret," Jacob said. "Most of the people in the scene are total nerds so when you go to a non-party event, it's really chill. I went with my roommate the first time, it was really nice even if I was 'obviously a newb'." He echoed Sage's words with a roll of his eyes then finished the last of his burger, chewing happily on that last bite. It was strange to think he'd once been ashamed of all these urges, terrified of his friends finding out he was abnormal, worried Grayson wasn't just teasing him and could actually see right through him and tell what he really was. He wasn't even sure if he'd been wrong to, his friends were cool now, but would they have been at eighteen? Sixteen? Fourteen? He doubted it, they'd been different people back then. Happier people, but definitely dumber.
“Don’t make fun,” Sage said, poking Jacob with a fry. “It’s hard to talk about it. You’re pretty much the only one who knows, except maybe Marsh, who doesn’t really know yet. The thought of going to a social event seems huge, even with likeminded people.” He told himself he wasn’t ashamed of his interests, but he still worried that people might find out because then he might have to explain himself. He didn’t really understand it himself; explaining it to someone else seemed unfathomable. Plus, there was nothing that annoyed him more than being judged and he knew it was the sort of thing that people had predetermined conclusions on. He’d struggled with it when Jacob had come out to him and he wasn’t sure he was ready to face it himself.
"I know," Jacob said warmly because he did remember how big of a deal it had been, and then it just hadn't been a big deal at all once he was there. He was still nervous about the actual parties though, that wasn't the same thing, but now he had Connor to go with if it ever came to that. He got up to wash his hands, all sticky with fat and sauce and grossness now that he was done eating. "This is the messiest food I've had in months," he murmured. "It was perfect, thanks. Let me pitch in for it." He knew Sage hadn't gotten a job yet whereas Jacob was both pampered silly by a doctor and doing pretty well with commissions of his art so he was doing just fine at the moment. It wasn't charity between friends, he knew Sage would do the same for him.
“I would eat Moxie’s every day if I could,” Sage said with a little laugh. “I’d probably give myself a heart attack, though. I keep thinking I should learn how to cook, but it always seemed like a lot of work for one person.” Or he was just lazy. It was hard to say. When he’d been working, he tended to stuff his schedule so full that cooking a meal didn’t seem to fit. It was just easier to pick up things that went in the microwave, even if they left much to be desired. “You don’t have to,” he said, feeling bad about taking Jacob’s money, even if it really would help. Fuck, he needed a job. He didn’t like not being able to treat his friends to lunch, especially when it was his idea.
"I know I don't have to but I'm kinda rolling in dough right now," Jacob said. "And we do cook a lot at home so I don't spend that money on much but art supplies." Okay, so he was thoroughly spoiled and he was well aware of it. Connor kind of took care of everything and only let Jacob pitch in when he got pouty about feeling like a burden - which he just rarely did these days. "Learning to cook isn't actually that hard. You start small, start by getting less scared of the stove and go from there." He wasn't a master chef by any means but he'd gotten better about cooking after he moved to Portland and with Connor he was trying new things.
Not once in his life could Sage claim to be rolling in dough and just the statement itself made him laugh a little. He’d always been just getting by, so if Jacob was offering to pay for his half, he’d take it. He just hoped he could get to a place where he could treat occasionally. Unfortunately, now was not that time. “I can boil water,” Sage smiled. “I can make ramen, and can heat up those little breakfast sandwiches. And can make sandwiches.” How sad was it that he was technically an adult and that was the extent of his culinary skills? Making Marsh dinner was absolutely out of the question, though he supposed it wasn’t even a possibility if he was living at home. Maybe that was a good thing. “How’d you learn?”
"I watched my roommate cook and I followed a recipe," Jacob replied in a playfully hushed tone as if those two steps were some top secret dangerous mission he'd been on. He arched his brows and nodded. "It was intense. Lately I've been trying to make something a little more complicated than hamburger helpers and scrambled eggs, I'm still a little 'nope' at cooking a steak though. I don't know why, it just seems like a Big Deal." He wanted to though, make some nice meatloaf for Connor to eat when he got off work around dinner time, potatoes and salad and everything.
“Okay, smart ass,” Sage snickered. “A recipe doesn’t seem hard in theory. I just get intimidated by, like, two pages worth of directions. Like I’m going to put in all that work and end up with something inedible. A steak seems like a huge deal. Might be something to work up to though.” He liked having goals to work towards, even if he never got there. It was like a new project, and Sage loved new projects. The problem was finishing them before moving on to the next. “What’re you making tonight?” he asked. “Do you usually cook? Or does Connor?”
"I was gonna make a vegetable lasagna," Jacob replied. "And we take turns. I try to cook more often because he has a full time job that's super demanding but he often eats at work. I'm gonna text him and see if he wants a hot meal tonight, two hot meals a day is a lot for me but at least it's not more meat." He gestured at the fast food wrappings on the table with a playful little grimace then fished out his phone to do just that. "You should come over for dinner sometimes, Connor won't mind."
“Maybe I can watch you cook sometime,” Sage said, thinking that would be an easier start than picking up a cookbook himself. The amount he needed to learn was so intimidating that he tended to shy away from it completely. If he had more money, maybe it would be easier to take it on, but he didn’t like the idea of starving because he burned through all his groceries making inedible dishes. “I’d love to join you,” he said, somewhat hesitant. “If you’re sure that’s okay. I don’t want to intrude.” Most of the time he spent with Jacob was with him alone, or with him and Jocelyn. He’d tagged along to that Overlook function, but that felt like a one-off. It was out in public, so there were tons of other people around. Their house felt far more private once Connor was there with them.
"Hey, you can help me make the lasagna," Jacob suggested. "Then you're even more welcome to eat it." He was teasing about that last part, Sage was welcome to join them for dinner either way but he knew from his own experiences that taking part in the preparations did make a person feel more welcome. "You can also totally give me a ride to the store," he added cheekily, having planned to just walk to the nearest one later that day but it'd be even nicer if Sage could take him to a proper supermarket. "I'll pitch in for gas."
“I am not going to eat the fancy dinner you planned to make for your boyfriend,” Sage grinned. “But I will help you make it. Or mostly observe. We’ll plan something a bit more simple for my first attempt at actual cooking.” Lasagna sounded difficult just thinking about it. There were layers and layers of noodles, meat, cheese, and probably spices. It seemed like there were lots of ways he could fuck it up. Reading the recipe and seeing how Jacob followed it was a good place to start. “But yeah, I can totally drive you. Maybe I’ll even take that quiz you sent while we cook.”
"Okay, first of all, it's not a fancy dinner," Jacob said with a roll of his eyes. "Second, it's not hard to make. I mean, I thought it would be but it's so not. It just takes a little time. You're more than welcome to stay for dinner. We can even eat early so you can still make it home before dark." He didn't have anything else planned for the day so starting to cook at five seemed just fine, especially if he had Sage over, keeping him company. "I'm not giving you an out," he added playfully. "You're staying for dinner and learning how to make veggie lasagna."
The fact that Jacob was willing to eat before dark was the selling point for Sage, who didn’t want to call it out, but definitely appreciated it. It was a quirk he hoped to get past some day, but it still felt like a lot to take on. He was better at handling it if he wasn’t alone, but he wasn’t going to ask Jacob to ride home with him just to calm his nerves. The last thing he wanted was to be an inconvenience to a friend who was already going out of his way for him. “Okay, you’ve talked me into it,” Sage laughed. “But I still think homemade lasagna’s fancy, especially if you’ve got a salad and wine to go with it. And bread sticks. Or is that too many carbs? I dunno, sounds amazing. You’re going to have to prove me wrong.”
"Yeah, see? I don't have any of those things," Jacob tittered. "I have like these bread things in the freezer and that's it. You just get plain lasagna and bread. I don't know if Connor will have wine, I'm having water. So, not fancy." He said that last bit like he'd just won an argument, smirking at Sage. "But hey, if you want something extra to go with it, we can pick it up at the market. Salad's probably a good idea, you can help me by making it while I cook." Already this sounded like more fun than cooking alone and he'd be somewhat mortified to hear that Sage thought he was going out of his way for him. If anything, Sage was doing him a favor by giving him a ride to the store, it all balanced out for him.
“I can handle salad from a bag,” Sage warned him, but was willing to try whatever Jacob had in mind, even if it required cutting vegetables. It all sounded better than anything he’d have at home and the company was better too. Not that there was anything wrong with his parents, but he needed a change. Conversation at home was stilted, the worried looks from his parents suffocating, whereas Jacob seemed to know when to tone it down. He might worry, but he didn’t do so to a degree that increased Sage’s anxiety levels. Or maybe he just hid it better. Regardless, Sage was glad the invitation had been extended, even if he felt a bit like he was intruding. “Do we need to make a list before we head to the store? Or do you just wing it?”
"I have a list on the phone," Jacob replied. "But I might add to it since we're going to the big one." Sage was right that he did worry but he also knew from experience how suffocating that could be so he preferred being a place of normalcy for Sage. It was getting easier too, he seemed to be doing better and Jacob knew how resilient he was first hand but whatever fretting he did, he tried to not do it to his face.
“Okay, how about this? Why don’t you work on the grocery list and I’ll work on a playlist so we have something to listen to while you cook,” Sage suggested with a little smile. It wasn’t his kitchen, so he didn’t know what Jacob had or where things were. It would be better to stay out of the way for the moment, let him figure out what he needed, and then they could make their store run. Then the fun could begin.
They didn't always see eye to eye on what music to listen to but Jacob was in a chill mood so he'd go with it this time, grinning as he nodded. "Okay, I'll put up with your rock'n roll today," he teased as he picked up his phone to start listing the things he'd need to buy. "But only because you're cute and I want you to stick around with me for dinner." Sage already knew what he didn't like so Jacob had no doubt he'd steer clear of those bands and maybe he could use some more cheerful tunes than his usual sleepy indie droning.