before the world was big

[sagehqs]

replies 05 | starters 03 | threads -- tracker coming soon

Working on: work 8-5; plotting; existing

[owenrobinson-deactivated2023092]

Owen was pretty sure he had never blushed this much in his life, not as much as he did with Sage. Her signs turned him another shade of red and he gave a rather bashful shake of his head in return. "Doesn't matter, I know I'll still like everything about you. All sides there is to you and all." Knowing that he wasn't here for just happy Sage or fun Sage but for all the Sage's in between. For the good days and the bad days, Owen wanted to be there for every single one. Wanted to be a place for them to find happiness and comfort, to feel safe and break down when they needed to. He wanted to be all that he could be for Sage and more.

For Owen, there was no doubt that he wanted more moments like this with them. He wanted to experience everything he could with Sage- wanted content moments of cooking, homemade dinners, and nights spent on the couch curled up and watching tv and eating ice cream. He didn't need big moments, didn't need anything over the top, just being with Sage was more than enough. Was more than he could have ever asked for and Owen was soaking in every second of it. And for once he understood happiness being a person because with Sage, that was exactly how he felt. So happy- more so than he had done in a long time. Felt so at ease, so relaxed, and carefree when he was with them. And he also knew that without doubt, they would win Lady over. Already picturing nights where she was curled up with the two of them. It was so domestic and it was exactly what Owen wanted. "For a second I was afraid you were going to say you didn't like waffles." He teased with a grin. "That's alright, everyone knows pancakes are just sort of-" He paused and wiggled his hand in a so so motion. "Coffee is always a must- I'm the worst morning person there is. I need at least two cups before I can remotely function."

Eyes looking down to see the progress of the crust, a soft sound leaving his lips as he saw the stick figures that Sage had ended up making. "We can start a business, hire us to make all your stick figure pie needs." Owen grinned as he moved his hands once more. Nodding along as he kept his eyes on them. "That's exactly me, I see them make something and instantly assume I can do the same. Needless to say, it never ends well." Though he was quickly finding himself liking cooking, even surprised when he had mentioned how this was something he wanted to do again.

There was no stopping the laughs and sounds of amusements that were tumbling from Owen's lips, which only seemed to multiply as they smeared it right back on his cheek. Shaking his head, a grin stretched from ear to ear as he kept his eyes on their hands, eyebrows raised as she said that her hand had slipped. Which earned Sage a huff in return as an answer, though he knew the brightness of his eyes completely gave him away. Though he easily gave into the kiss, not expecting more of the filling to be wiped on his cheek and once more, all sorts of laughs were leaving Owen as he wrapped his arms around her waist, giving Sage a look. Brows furrowed as he looked down at the pout on their lips, knowing better than to fall for it this time around, and resisting the urge to melt at the hand in his hair. So instead Owen gave his best innocent face right back to them before he leaned down, wiping the mess of filling from his cheeks right back against theirs.

A wicked gleam in his eyes as he quickly dodged to the side, reaching for the spoon he had been using to mix the filling just minutes ago. Wiggling his eyebrows, doing his best to fight off the laughs that now seemed to constantly fall from his lips. Feeling so goofy, so carefree, so ornery, and loving the fact that Sage seemed to be feeling the same. With his best innocent look, he held the spoon just slightly above Sage, grateful for their height difference, nodding his head back and forth as if he was deciding on something. Before he brought the spoon down, smearing it along their cheek and nose, an incredibly loud laugh leaving him. Nearly doubled over with laughter as he put the spoon back onto the counter, giving them a shit eating grin as he wrapped his arms around Sage from behind, finally placing a kiss to their cheek as a truce. Still behind them, Owen moved his hands in the front so Sage could see him sign as he rested his chin on her shoulder. "Pretty sure blue suits you more than me." A rumble of quiet laughter now shaking his body as he placed another kiss to their cheek, knowing that he could have kept going but didn't want to make a mess in their kitchen or distract Sage too much and burn the food. Especially since she was on timer duty.

Finally he moved away, holding his hands up in surrender as he walked backwards, eyes still on Sage, towards the sink, grabbing for a dish towel and running it under the water before he turned back to them. Nothing but pure happiness on his face as he closed the space between them, moving his hands to gently wipe some of the mess off of their face with it. "Probably good thing that we didn't have any flour on hand." He signed with a free hand, shaking his head some, he could only imagine what kind of mess they would have made with that. Owen cleaned a bit more on Sage's face before he turned it towards his own, cleaning some of it as well before dropping it back down onto the counter. Quickly moving to place one last kiss on their lips, giving a content and happy hum against them before eh pulled back some. "Everything good though- we didn't miss any timers or anything?" Owen question. "I don't smell smoke so I feel like that's a good sign."

[sagehqs]

Pretty positive her cheeks were about to fall off by how much she had been using those smile muscles today, Sage moved her hands to hide her face for a moment as she got fully flustered. His compliments were far from vapid and shallow, they held weight to them, so when he complimented them… they barely knew how to handle it. It was almost as if him signing it made it all true and made them feel better about themselves. However, they didn’t want to start seeking out these compliments, they loved having them happen in their own time, at their own pace, and when Owen felt the need to let it out. There was something so sweet in the way he complimented her, that she just wanted to hold him forever and made sure he had everything he could ever need. Finally taking a deep breath and feeling like they could face him again, they peeked out from behind their fingers before pulling their hands down, revealing a still-pink face.

With a quiet giggle, Sage couldn’t stop themselves from picturing a sleepy Owen, but for once not one in need of sleep, one waking up from it. Her heart fluttered a little in her chest, the concept of him being sweet, cuddly, and refusing to get out of bed was a concept she immediately was fond of and wanted to see. “How much coffee do you really need to make it through a day? I’m starting to think my caffeine intake might be normal compared to yours.” They winked, laughing loudly as they gave a shrug. “I’m a morning kind of guy. I don’t think well after like… midnight, my brain goes all mushy. So being up early is good for me.” Their opposition on mornings made the blonde laugh, amusement of future annoyances breaking into their thoughts now. They, even if they hadn’t stayed the night with him yet, were already excited for their first instance of waking up with him, annoying him to get out of bed, annoying him to make coffee, annoying him to cook with her, and then annoying him to do fun morning adventures? Oh yeah, that was right up their alley, and they were ready for that.

Owen’s reaction to the crust caused a pleased hum to escape from Sage’s lips, excited to see he was pleased with their work. “We’ll run all the other pie makers out of Denver, then Colorado as a whole – slowly we’ll take over the US and be the only ones that make pie. Are you prepared for that responsibility?” With a mischievous look on their face as they signed, they raised their brows and gave them a little wiggle. On brand with the bookworm inside her, she was rather fond of letting ideas run loose, so the more he egged on their pie crust capabilities, the more she was going to play along and blow their next moves out of proportion. As he spoke on how it typically went after he watched a cooking show, they nodded along in agreement. “I’ve only been able to get like… two meals down after copying them from a show. Only because they were expensive ass meals and I would have been very, very mad had it failed.” They admitted, thinking back on their trials of cooking.

Hearing his noises of excitement and joy made Sage’s nose crinkle, fondness spilling through them completely. Between kisses, mischief, and the arms at their waist, they were utterly content in this moment. Being with Owen felt like being home, especially considering all that Sage ever wanted was a home full of laughter, joy, and love. If they could get that already from him in just a few days, they couldn’t wait to see how their relationship developed further and what incredible emotions he could stir up for them. Hand in his hair and eyes glued to him, they waited for his next move. Letting a groan escape as he wiped the mix over her face, she wiggled a little in his grip half-heartedly, not wanting to move away in the slightest. However, once he grabbed the spoon and held it up, they feigned offense. Hands quickly moving between them, they simply signed, “You better not…” Knowing immediately that it was a failed statement.

Gasping at the contact of the filling on their face, they scrunched their nose again and giggled until their sounds were full-blown laughter. Between his laugh and the moment they shared, there was no way they could have attempted to pretend to be mad, it could not happen. The press from behind was welcome as they easily leaned back against him and moved her hands to rub softly over his arms until he moved them to communicate. Rolling her eyes, she glanced at him, and smirked, “We both look good in blue? Power couple status, look at us.” Giggling quietly, it took quite literally everything in them to keep from making a bigger mess, all they wanted was a chance to get him back, but instead, they figured they would just accept the softness between them and let it lay. The moment he moved, though, they were back on guard, eyes glued to him and his hands. Narrowing her gaze, she just watched him cautiously, hands crossing over her chest in the uncertainty of his intentions. Once it was clear, though, that he wanted to help clean them off, their gaze softened.

“Oh yeah, otherwise we might have gone a little overboard.” And they would have, as this wouldn’t have been the first time Sage got into a food fight, or the second… or third for that matter. Watching him with puppy-dog eyes, they grinned as he cleaned off their face, suddenly very thankful for their typical lack of makeup. As he cleaned his own face, they still watched, smitten completely by his existence. Humming happily against the kiss, they giggled and shook their head at his question. “Nope, thankfully. No burning, but I should check the cornbread again, though." Taking a deep breath, she moved away from him, only to check the oven, otherwise, she wouldn’t have moved. With a gasp, they quickly grabbed their oven mitts, put them on, and grabbed the pan from the oven, carefully setting it aside to cool. “Perfect,” she said to herself, enjoying the turnout of the bread for a short moment before moving to turn the potatoes off. Once again, that cooking focus took over and she was distracted with making the potatoes – one of the first dishes her mother actually trusted her to make during her teen years. It took only a few short moments to get the potatoes made and seasoned. Turning back to him, she smiled brightly and signed, “Just got to get the pie in the oven and we’re good.”

Moving their attention back to the pie, they grinned and happily moved back to Owen’s side. “You want to place the crust on top? I think I did it right, so you should be able to pick the whole thing up and throw it on there carefully. Then it can go in the oven and start baking.” Taking the filling, they transferred it to the already laid down crust, scraping as much of it from the pan as they could before setting the pan aside. Looking up to Owen, they grinned and leaned up to kiss his cheek, hands moving quickly after, “This has been the best time. Thank you for coming over and making dinner with me.” They knew they didn’t have to thank him, especially considering hanging out with them was now an expectation, but they truly appreciated this evening for all it had been, and they wouldn’t adjust it in any way.

[blamesmyself]

He'd been giving lessons all day. Maybe teaching guitar wasn't the most apt choice of career for him. Most of his clients were under the age of 16 and he wasn't sure he was a kid person. Vince's kids liked him fine, Marco's when he saw them. Strange kids, however, didn't vibe with him. He had decided he certainly wouldn't be having any - God willing. If it wasn't the kids, it was their parents who seemed to think Gio was a shining beacon of responsibility to show their kids then lost it when he was late to an appointment or cursed during a session. He might not be exactly cut out for this.

So he decided to take a walk after his last appointment. There was nowhere in particular he was headed, just enjoying the weather. He saw someone standing and maybe he ought ot have stepped out of the way, but they didn't seem to be moving, so he kept going. It seemed like the wrong move though because he collided with a smaller person. "What the fuck?" he said instantly, putting his hands up. "You're lucky I wasn't carrying anything. I thought about getting coffee. You could be burned right now. Did you think about that?"

[sagehqs]

His reaction wasn't surprising, but Sage couldn't hide the frown on their face as their brows furrowed together. "Clearly I wasn't expecting someone to be right behind me. I said I'm sorry." They would have returned in a full huff, but it was only halfhearted as his concern seemed to be mostly on them. "I-I... well, it's a good thing you didn't have coffee -- we'd both be a little screwed if that were the case." Chewing on her bottom lip she stood up straight, straightened her shirt, and looked over his face. "Again, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bump into you, it was a complete accident. Accidents just happen sometimes."

With a deep breath, they turned back to the window, trying to justify themselves in their mishap. "I saw this book of poems -- I think it's a first edition of Whitman poems. Super, super rare, but in a little antique shop. I just really couldn't believe it at all -- so that... I..." Looking back up to him, they offered a small, shy smile, "So, my brain was a little preoccupied with that concept. I'm still super sorry about bumping into you, it wasn't intentional in the slightest." With a small laugh, they took a deep breath and nodded. "Uhm, you're okay, though, right? If I did anything or hurt anything, let me know." With slight concern written over their face, they looked him over, trying to make sure he was fine before their attempt to go back to focusing on the book.

[gatheringswans]

"oh, not on my watch. besides, i've been sitting here and working all by myself for the past two hours, i've been dying for some company. thank the universe for you," ken smiles bright at sage as they make room on the table; they've been pretty liberal with their trash so there's a bunch of used, scrunched up napkins lying around—right next to napkins with notes on them and those ken holds onto, those are important. they're pretty sure they put a date for a client fitting on one of these because their google calendar wouldn't load.

"oh my god, you have no idea how much i wish i'd seen that," ken says, a bright grin on their face. "an impromptu queer poetry reading in the middle of the day? people should be saying thank you. oh—but the event you're getting ready for, when is it exactly? if i don't have any client meetings i'm definitely swinging by. and if i do have meetings then i'm rescheduling them. got my priorities sorted like a normal person."

[sagehqs]

"Always looking out for the best of us, I see. The universe has the best plans, even if they take some difficulty getting to the lesson or the reason." Looking around the table, Sage giggled quietly, sat their bag down in the booth, and made themselves comfortable. Hands moving to fuss with their blonde locks, they quickly pulled it up in a messy bun, not minding the hairs that stuck out around their face; the messy look was one they always enjoyed. As the waiter came around, they quickly put in their order, already having it planned from their date night with Owen. Their attention was immediately back on Ken.

"Right?! Oh my god. It was excellent. Like a scene right out of a movie -- I know that kid will remember today for a while, if not the rest of his life." Reminiscing on the moment longer, they continued, "I remember the first time I disrupted a library -- I was in show choir in high school and begged my teacher to let us do something for banned books week. Eventually, we chose a medley of Adele songs, parodied them all, and well -- the librarian definitely got a kick out of it. The classes inside did too, but the teachers were so fuckin' annoyed. It was great." With a wave of laughter from their chest, they quickly nodded, "It's this weekend. Please come on by if you want. We'd love a good turn-out." Raising their brows in interest they leaned in a little, "Clients? What for exactly? Hopefully, you have no clients on the weekend -- that would be horrible. Everyone needs a little time to decompress."

[owenrobinson-deactivated2023092]

Owen smiled as Sage laid their head on his shoulder and he laid his head softly on top of theirs for a moment. Remembering how this is what started everything that ight in the diner. Them laying their head on his shoulder, him moving to hold their hand that night- It had lead to the most wonderful confession he could have ever made. Had set their course and their friendship on a path that Owen truly never thought would happen. And yet here he was, in their kitchen, holding and laughing with and kissing Sage. For so long he had simply thought friendship was all he would have with Sage, something which he still would had cherished but so glad that feelings had been told, and where the two of them currently were.

A deep red coated his cheeks at Sage's comment, doing his best to press his lips together from keeping a sheepish smile working its way onto his face. After a few seconds Owen brought his hands up, the comment caught him so much off guard. "Again, another thing I'm pretty sure you're the only one that has ever told me." The smile finally winning out as he tried to think for a moment, truly not recalling if anyone had said anything along those lines to him before. It was funny, how simple little comments and compliments could send Owen into an absolute grinning mess. Despite how sure of himself he was, there was still so many insecurities buried deep down and it was their comments like that, that seemed to soothe those for just a moment. To fully put them out of his mind for the time being. "And have I told you how I much I like everything about you?" Owen counter with a grin and several silly kisses pressed against their cheeks once more.

A loud snort of laughter fell from Owen and he brought a hand to his forehead, shaking his head some, though the smile was in full force across his lips once more. Around Sage, he never seemed to stop smiling, and Owen loved it. "You have my word, I'll fight them without doing harm." Came his reply as he finally moved his hand, letting it rest of Sage's waist softly as he watched their hands once more, nodding along as they signed. This time a bark of laughter fell from his lips and Owen shook his head in nothing but pure amusement. "Everything is riding on this corn bread. It better be the best damn version you've ever had then because I want to cook with you all the time now." Finding it funny how he went from absolutely loathing having to cook to enjoying every second he had been doing so with Sage. Hoping that there would be more nights and even mornings where they would find themselves in the kitchen together.

At the tapping on his arm in excitement, Owen's entire face scrunched with a silent laughter at her response. Though he felt his heart instantly swelling as well, at the thought of Sage getting to see his place and meet Lady. "She's going to adore you and if all else fails, just give her a belly rub and you'll win her over no problem." At silly as it was, he was so excited for Sage to meet her. Even though she was just a dog, Lady was such a huge part of his life, and seeing the two of them together- Well, he was already picturing the three of them going on late evening walks and early morning hikes together. It never ceased to amaze Owen how he went from thinking about things just him, no one else at his side but now when he looked towards the future, even if it was just a week or so from now, Sage was always there with him. And he knew that he wanted this for as long as Sage was willing to have him. When he was with Sage, it was a feeling he had never had before, not with any of his previous partners. This felt different, felt special in a way Owen couldn't even begin to describe, and he was beyond thrilled that the universe had lead them to one another. That this was happening between them, that he was falling for Sage more and more every single day. His heart swelling with so much happiness and adoration for them.

"Maybe we can do pancakes or waffles or honestly both and coffee?" Owen suggested, tilting his head to the side some in question as he kept his eyes on them. "Just send me a list of all your favorite toppings and I'll get everything for us." Already beyond excited for making plans to see Sage again, even though their current night had yet to end. Hell, if he had it his way, Owen would want to see her every day if it was possible. Though maybe he could sneak in a facetime call before his shift tomorrow. An amused sound leaving the back of his throat about the stick figures. "Never know, might be on to something with a stick figure pie. The newest sensation sweeping the culinary arts." Owen teased, nudging his shoulder against theirs lightly. "I don't know what it is but there's something oddly relaxing about watching a baking show. My go to was usually whatever weird documentary I could find but now I'm sitting there on my couch, judging people baking when I'm a mess at it." Owen nodded his head as Sage looked up what they needed to do for the pie filling, taking a moment in the lull to keep his eyes on her, taking all of Sage in, of them standing in the middle of the kitchen, and feeling so damn lucky he was the one who got these moments with her.

Once her hands started to move again, Owen quickly pulled himself from his thoughts, keeping watch, and nodding along once more. Moving closer to their side and looking back down at Sage's phone so he could skim over it as well. "Seems like its easy enough though. But still, good thing we doubled check." With the pot placed in front of him, Owen began to assemble the ingredients together, another smile finding its way onto his face as he did so. Remaining on his best behavior until he realized that some of the mixture was on his hands. Sure, the responsible adult thing to do would have been to wipe it off on his apron but instead he quickly finished up mixing the filling and set it off to the side before he turned around to Sage once more. Doing his best, and failing, to keep a shit eating grin off his face, Owen raised the hand that had the mixture on it and swiped it across Sage's cheek. Loud laughter instantly falling from his lips as he did so, his entire body almost shaking with it. "Sorry my hand slipped, didn't mean for that to have happened. But in my defense, you were way to clean for having been cooking." But even as his hands moved to sign, he was still laughing.

[sagehqs]

“I’ll tell you it again, too. I like that brain of yours. I mean, there's a lot about you that I like, but that noggin' might be number one.” If the world hadn’t been kind to him in the way he deserved, Sage absolutely would be. The fact that he hadn’t been complimented on his thoughts was damn near a crime in their mind. He was brilliant, enough to handle the world adaptively, to become a nurse, and to keep their interest in conversation time and time again. At the returned compliment their face scrunched up in excitement, laughing loudly at the kisses on their cheeks. Waiting for him to finish kissing her cheeks, she moved her hands to sign, “Everything? Clearly, you haven’t seen my annoying, needy side yet. Give it a little bit.” With a playful wink, they giggled a bit more and turned their head to press a little kiss to his arm.

His snort caused a hoot of laughter from Sage, fully enjoying hearing each variation of laughter he had. “Thank you for honoring my request.” The touch on their waist caused a wave of heat to flush their body, always in awe of contact between them. As another burst of laughter came from him, they beamed, their attention completely locked in on him. Their nose crinkled again, utterly smitten at the fact they had gotten him to cook and seemingly want to cook even more. Before it had seemed his relationship with the kitchen was strained, but now he was asking for more. That, truthfully, made them excited for the future, for the thoughts of breakfasts together and more dinners like this one. Those thoughts were wonderful, they were exactly what they were beginning to want more of – it was like the concept of real, loving domesticity was all they could think of when they thought about their future with Owen. “I’ll gladly cook with you again; this has been so nice.” Any chance that they could get to cook with him, regardless of how dinner turned out, would be a chance that Sage takes. Any single opportunity she could have to exist in the world with him, she would take, happily, and without a second question.

As he spoke about Lady, they could really only nod, not wanting to let anxiety capture the best of them in this moment. “I hope you’re right about that. I’m always ready to give out belly scratches, so she’ll definitely get those.” Sure it would be fine, but this was going to be a dog she saw often – or that was the hope anyway, she couldn’t afford to mess up at all. Not that they had ever actually met a dog that didn’t like them, but they were still afraid it could happen; it’d be her luck that it happened that way. “Okay, so here’s a funny thing about me, I’m not a pancake kind of guy, definitely a waffle fan. And coffee, of course. I think we both need coffee to function at the base level at this point – don’t you?” The solidification of hanging out with him yet another time was all Sage really needed to get her through the time without him. As long as they had something planned and in place, they couldn’t be anxious about the next time to see him or if he wanted to see them in the first place. He was good about making it clear that he wanted to see them, and they were endlessly thankful for that.

“Stick figure pie – hrm. Maybe I’ll have to coin that. Take some pics of my technique, market it – I’ll be the next Julia Childs or something.” Fully amused at the concept, they casually moved back to the pie crust, carefully slicing a piece into a thinner strip, they took it and began to craft two stick figures. With a quiet giggle to themselves, they connected the two figures in the middle at the end of their arms. The bump on her shoulder caused her to look back up, catching his hands again. “I just always get so hungry when I watch them – it’s a curse. Then I end up telling myself I could totally do the same things they all do, make that same food, when I definitely cannot.” Shaking her head with amusement she went on to tease, “A cooking judge that can’t cook – checks out.” Head filled with images of them curled up on the couch meticulously tearing apart chefs and their masterpieces filled their head. They, without question, couldn't ask for anything better at this point. Everything happening between the two of them was wanted, welcome, and wonderful.

As he took over mixing everything together, Sage happily took the backseat and moved to check everything for their dinner. Keeping an eye out on the cornbread, they wanted to make sure it was setting the way it should. With everything on track, they moved back to the kitchen counter and leaned against it. Watching Owen, full attention on him as he worked on the filling. They had only looked away for a moment, checking the time left on the oven timer before a gooey consistency was wiped against her cheek. With a loud gasp, her gaze immediately went to Owen, her mouth agape in shock. At his grin that was juxtaposed by his signs, they simply shook their head and cackled. With disbelief still written on their face, they couldn’t help their next actions, casually moving to get filling on her finger from the pot. Without giving a second thought, she returned the smear to his cheek, a smirk replacing the disbelief on her face. Popping her finger into her mouth right after, she giggled as she watched him. Licking off the remaining filling from her finger, she moved to wipe her hand on her apron before signing, “Oh no. My hand slipped.” Giving a little wink she couldn’t even attempt to hide the amusement on her features.

Smirk still on their face, Sage moved to lean up and kiss his cheek, casually moving their head and smearing the filling from their cheek onto his other, clean cheek. Spilling out laughter as they did so, they wrapped their arms around his shoulders and looked up at him, face trying to feign innocence as she batted her lashes and gave a little pout – hoping no retaliation was in store. Instead, to hopefully deter from any further filling shenanigans she moved a hand to play with his hair. However, there was a small part of them that wanted to see what could ensue from his ornery mood, which was clearly shared by them, too. Pulling away for a moment, she couldn’t help but sign, “I think blue might be your color, actually.” With a little wink, she gave another cackle, completely amused at the moment between them. It did, however, take everything in them to keep from making a bigger mess; mainly the fact that they’d have to clean up, but it was only barely enough to keep them in check.

[owenrobinson-deactivated2023092]

A soft and fond smile made its way onto his lips as he watched Sages hands. "I'll look into more accessible options. Promise." He replied, a gentle look still staying on his face. Having people care was still such a strange thing to him, even after all these years of being in a family. There was some scars that remained from his time in foster care, and having those in his life that truly cared about him, what happened to him, was one of those. Something he struggled to wrap his mind around from time to time. He didn't have that in those years he spent bouncing from home to home for a few years. But if him having more accessibility in his place gave Sage a peace of mind, Owen saw no harm in doing so. And really, it was probably something he needed for himself after all. Making a mental note to get searching for things tonight or tomorrow.

Owen watched as Sage placed the pan into the oven, his eyes roaming over the food that was currently everywhere. The fact they had managed to make all of this, well, Sage more so than him, was pretty impressive. And he was even more excited to sit down with them and have a nice meal, to taste what they had been working on for the last hour or so now. And he knew that moments like these were indeed what he wanted more of. He didn't need crazy nights out or going to bars. Maybe it was because he was getting older but the simple little things like this meant more to him than anything else. This is what he cherished and what he hoped him and Sage could have more time of.

There was no stopping the small sound of protest as Sage took her hand back so they could sign once more. The smile easily settling back onto his features, nodding along as he kept his eyes on their hands. "Exactly- I think they would go so well together. And it's something different, not just your every day apple pie." Laughing some as he watched Sage moved towards the fridge but kept their eyes on him. A move he knew all too well, he was constantly doing that, especially around Sage. Though weeks ago he had told himself it was simply because he didn't want to miss anything that was being said. But now, Owen knew the reality of it, for him at least, all those weeks ago had simply been because he didn't want to take his eyes off of them,

The kisses against his cheeks made Owen beam. Every kiss sent his heart soaring in the best way possible. And he found himself craving a constant stream of kisses and touches, any kind of contact that he could get from Sage. "Noted. I'll fight off the bees for you." Though mentally made a note to keep epipens for both of them in his backpack, where he also kept his overly filled first aid kit at all times too. The nurse in him just couldn't escape. As he brought his hands up, Owen backtracked the smallest bit. "But really- I never thought I could have fun cooking. It always stresses me out-" He made a slight face at the admittance. "But this has been so fun, the best time I've ever had cooking, and I swear, I could do this every day with you." Another hint of red across his cheeks though he closed the small space between them now and placed a kiss to the corner of Sage's mouth. "I have an overnight shift tomorrow but the following day- If you want to, I mean- We should do brunch. I can offer up my place to make a mess in." He grinned, also wanting her to finally get the chance to meet Lady as well. That and after having been in their place, Owen wanted to show them his as well. Wanted her to pick out a favorite spot on the couch or in a chair, a place that they could claim as their own. There was just something so deep and personal about being in each other's places and having them become like their own.

"On it." He beamed, placing a quick kiss to their forehead before he moved, grabbing the berries, and moving over to the sink. The more time he spent cooking with Sage, the more confident he was feeling, like he wouldn't make a total mess of things. And he was feeling more at ease moving around their place as well- which was such a welcoming feeling for him. As he worked on washing the berries, Owen looked up and over at Sage, wiggling his eyebrows some at them, laughing as he did so. Trying to remember when he had least felt so at ease, when the last time he was truly himself around someone that wasn't Sage. With the berries washed, Owen brought them back over to the counter, wiggling his hips as he walked over, wiping his hands on the apron that he was still wearing. "I'm going to get an ego from cooking with you, I can feel it now. I peel potatoes and wash berries one time and suddenly here I am thinking that hey, cooking isn't bad- maybe I could do this." Though he had a feeling that most of it was because he had Sage around as well. That it probably wouldn't go this well if he was cooking on his own.

Reaching for the can opener, he set to opening the fillings for Sage, and setting them off to the side once he was done. Crossing the small space between them, he watched as she cut the pie crust. "Is this where you get all fancy and make like-" He waved a hand as he searched for what he wanted to say. "A self portrait or something on top of it? Because let me tell you, I've watched enough of the British Baking Show to clearly know that's what supposed to go on top of it." Owen teased with a crunch of his nose and laugh before he nodded towards the berries and fillings. "Do I need to mix that all up and add sugar-" Having a very vague memory of something along those lines when it came to pie mix. "Before I put it into the crust?" Wanting to double check before he went ahead and just dumped it all in there and made a mess of it, especially when things had been going so well in the cooking department on his end.

[sagehqs]

“Thank you, I appreciate that.” Leaning her head softly against his shoulder, Sage had no choice in the smile on her face. All thanks to Owen, it seemed the smile was a new, permanent feature on their face. Even when she wasn’t around him, all she had to do was get her thoughts remotely in his direction and that smile crept up. Being with him in the same room? That damn smile never left their face, only unless to flare dramatics as they so often tended to do with him around. Something about him, perhaps everything about him, lit their entire being up. Thoughts of him lingered and danced in the back of their mind, with or without being prompted – but Sage didn’t mind one bit. In fact, his presence in their mind was beyond welcome. This had been the happiest they’d been in a hot minute, so anything to keep that feeling was well received.

If they could have taken back the whole moment of pulling their hand back, they would have – his little sound of protest sending a pang through their chest. “Have I told you how much I like the way you think?” Overly fond of the statement, they couldn’t do a single thing to prevent the admiration that took over their features. Having leaned fully into their feelings for Owen, they were completely helpless under his entire existence. He was brilliant, which paired insanely well with how passionate and considerate he was. Those three features alone would have swept Sage off their feet, but those were only the tip of the iceberg when it came to him. So far his worst trait was not being able to cook, and within an evening they found a solid compromise to that. He, in their opinion, was damn near perfect – and they relished in that completely. For once in their life, they weren’t on the hunt for red flags, they were completely happy with the green ones, and the abundance of them.

With a grin, her hands pulled up, over her heart for a moment, batting her lashes at him before signing, “My hero.” However, she did raise a finger in an addendum. “Can you fight them without killing them? While they might not realize how dangerous to me they are – they’re still endangered and deserve to be protected.” They had to add that, having a small side passion for different variations of pollinators. As he pulled back to the thought of cooking together, they beamed and nodded along enthusiastically “No, exactly! It’s so much to do, especially when you do it alone. Like… prepping and cooking is a lot, then you have all the dishes. It’s a very stressful time. But this?” With a small scoff, they shook their head. “This has been easy and so much fun. I’d absolutely love to cook with you again.” Pursing her lips, she giggled as she added, “Well, pending the results of the cornbread.” With a wink, they did their best to keep a straight face.

Welcoming the kiss, they giggled quietly, utterly thankful that this was the result of spilling feelings. They truly couldn’t have handled it had their situation gone in a different direction, so they were going to cling to each moment that they possibly could. At the invitation to come over in just a few days, Sage nodded and bit at their lip softly. “I’d absolutely love to. Oh, yes please – I’d love to see your place.” With an excited scream, she tapped his arm excitedly, “I’ll get to meet Lady. Oh my god. I know you make it out to be easy to get her love, but I really hope I don’t fuck it up with her.” Laughing at the idea, she shook her head and took a deep breath. “That’ll be so much fun. I’m looking forward to it.” They were, that was very clear; any chance to see him and explore his world was an opportunity that they were going to take.

Kisses on their forehead would forever and always be their favorite, so having them in passing caused her heart to flutter and cheeks to heat. As she carefully worked on the crust, occasionally catching Owen’s glances and returning the goofy face and eyebrow wiggles as they did. Dusting her hands against her apron, she moved to rest against the counter, laughing loudly as she watched Owen do his little dance over. Watching his hands, she shook her head dramatically and rolled her eyes. “Don’t go blaming me for that – everything you’ve done you’ve been able to do this whole time. I would, though, always be willing to help you cook, though. Like I said, this has been a blast and I would gladly do it again.” Whatever chance they got, whatever opportunity to see him they could have, they were going to take advantage of.

“A self-portrait?” Literally cackling at their own lack of artistic ability, they quickly shook their head. “It would be a stick figure and it would still probably turn out really, really badly. I can do random shapes at best, anything more than that is going to look pitiful.” Shrugging just a little, they carried on, “I actually need to watch more baking shows – I’ve been slacking. I’ve been watching dumb cartoons recently.” At the question of the pie filling mix, Sage raised their brows and gave a small shrug, “Going to be honest, we’ll have to check Google on that one. This might be my first time making a pie since I was a teen.” They admitted, quickly pulling out their phone and checking for a good recipe. After a few moments of searching, they looked back up, giving a grin. “Good thing you asked, apparently it’s sugar, it all gets heated before baked, and we need corn starch to thicken up the filling.” With a little sigh, they moved to get a new pot for the filling and moved it over to the counter for Owen to fill. “I truly expected the pie to be easy – but apparently there’s a little more to piemaking than I figured.”

[twxlxght]

{ @sagehqs }

at least in this moment, hunter felt like maybe the run in wouldn't be as awkward as they'd been imagining it. most situations never called for a quick get-away but that was always the first thing on hunter's mind. you get out before they can leave you. it'd happened to many times for them to count and they didn't want to let it happen again, even if it meant acting like an asshole to decent people.

they also knew quickly that they did not want to get into a conversation about whatever she was up to because it sounded deeply out of their wheelhouse. the lack of schooling hunter had had was pretty evident. they were not a fan of books or anything related to learning at all. "ah, cool." they said with one nod, though it was clear on their face they hadn't cared a bit about it. "i've been fine. just working like usual." their shoulders shrugged a bit.

[sagehqs]

{@twxlxght}

Thankful, very thankful at that, for the fact they currently had a partner, Sage dug her hands into her pockets. Trying to ignore the heat on their cheeks at the sheer thought of the night they shared months back. Clearing her throat a little, she shook the thought away and focused on the moment at hand. Maybe the quicker they worked through niceties, the quicker they could both forget about each other. Even though they knew it was dangerous to already be having malicious accusations in their head.

At their barely half-hearted response, a twang of annoyance ripped through Sage; wondering fully how someone could be so nonchalant and disinterested after being intimate with someone. For them, it wasn't something they could quite do. "Work really is like that, huh? Just work, work, work, until we die. Don't we just love working for a shitty Capitalist democracy?" With a small huff, they couldn't quite hold themselves back, anger eating at the back of their head. "Y'know, not to be awkward, because realistically I could care less, but like... you just slipped out after we fucked. Like you could have, at the very least, had coffee with me in the morning and let me know you weren't interested in more than one night. Do you know how much it fucking sucks to feel like your body has been vilified in someone's story?" It all came out as a ramble, but a pointed one nonetheless.

[andante--andante]

Sebastian tapped his fingers excitedly before pointing them over at his new conversation partner. "That's exactly what people should be asking about art--not 'what does it mean' but 'how does it make you feel?' So much of art doesn't always need to focus on the intention, though certainly that's always an excellent point of conversation and debate. How we feel, on the other hand, is so pertinent when it comes to art. Why else does one make art but to feel and to make others feel?" He rambled on briefly before let out a small chuckle. "Have you ever tried to journal how art makes you feel? Even just a stream of consciousness in description can help get those feelings out," he suggested. With a slight hum, he pondered over the question. "That's like picking a favorite child, isn't it?" he teased lightly, an answer clearly meant to avoid providing a proper answer.

[sagehqs]

Hearing their feelings about art be validated, they couldn't help but furrow their brows in thought. It wasn't every day that someone actually considered their art opinions, let alone opinions in general -- so to be told their way of thinking was along the lines of where thought and art combined, a grin worked its way on their face. "I -- thank you. You seem to understand art in a way that I don't, though." At the next question, they laughed quietly. "I journal a lot, but I've never journaled about art. Usually about my own mixed and wild emotions to get some clarity... you're saying that works with art too?" It wasn't something they had ever considered, but it very much made some sense. "Picking a favorite child?" With raised brows, they couldn't help their next question, "Do you work with the arts or something? Most people say very surface-level things when talking about art -- you're not. I like it, it makes me feel like I'm learning while having some fun." It wasn't terribly hard to capture Sage's attention, but once you had it, it was undivided.

[sagehqs]

sage x gio ( @secondhnd) | outside afterlife antiques | late afternoon

Ducking toward a trashcan on the side of the street, Sage threw the final sips of their smoothie away and habitually wiped their hand against their jeans. They weren't paying the most attention to their surroundings, considering the display window of the antique store had caught their eyes. Bright green eyes locked on the typewriter sitting atop an opened cover desk, Sage was in total awe of the setup. If they could have their way, their apartment would look exactly the same as this display -- neatly packed with knickknacks and essentials. Heavy on the emphasis of packed with knickknacks, they let their eyes flutter around the window display, gasping as they noted a first-edition copy of Whitman poems just strewn across the scene before them.

"Oh my god. I have to have that. Shit. I need that, actually" Turning around without any hesitation, she originally planned to head into the antique store -- however, with a human two inches from their face, their attention turned its focus. "Ah." Was all that escaped their mouth for just a moment as they took a rebuked step back. Their face, being the tell-tale of their emotions, dropped only slightly seeing Gio. It wasn't that she thought ill of him, but he just challenged them in a way they weren't used to, that they truly didn't know how to handle. "Fuck, I'm sorry. I wasn't really paying attention -- you good?" With a faint smile on their face, they looked up to the brunet and gave a small wave.

[owenrobinson-deactivated2023092]

"I like to think of it as living life on the edge. Will I become one with my dinner? No idea." Owen signed with a shake of his head. "I'm like the worse deaf person there is. All my friends talk about this cool adaptive technology they have and here I am, like, I finally got a smoke alarm!" A laugh falling from his lips as his hands moved. No idea why he was even like that. Not when his biological parents had made sure he had access to everything he needed from a very young age. Made sure he knew to fight for his accessibility rights. But then the foster homes had happened and there was no chance of that. So when he was finally with Kai and Diego, Owen didn't want to be a bother and ask. And it seemed that it had just carried into his adulthood, not even thinking of getting whatever technology might make his life a little easier. Instead finding other ways to live in a world that was made for the hearing and not for him.

Usually he wouldn't hade been so worried about possibly messing up a recipe but knowing it was from Sage's grandmother had added a bit of pressure to him. And knowing that this dinner was important to them, determined to impress her even a smallest bit by getting the corn bread right at least. He wanted to learn all that he could about Sage and this meal was a small insight to that- to where she was from, what kinds of things she truly loved to eat. Storing every little fact that he could about them into the part of his brain that seemed to be filled with nothing but them.

"At least one of us has faith in me and this corn bread." Owen replied, bumping lightly into their arm as he let his hands drop back down to his sides for the moment. Giving himself a moment to take everything about this night so far in. It was the most fun he had in the kitchen and he knew that this was something he wanted to do often with Sage. Cooking meals with them, laughing, just talking- It boggled his mind how it had only been a few days ago that he was scared to admit his feelings to Sage. Afraid that they might not return them, content to stay friends for the sake of not ruining their friendship. And now here they were, stealing kisses as they moved around the kitchen, working together to make dinner with plans to curl up together afterwards. It was funny almost how life seemed to work out, how one fleeting moment of bravery to tell Sage how he felt, to kissing them that night in the park, had lead to this moment. Had lead to some of the best times he had over the last few days with them. Making him beyond excited to see what would come next for them.

Owen raised his eyebrows some in question as he watched Sage move across the kitchen and back to the fridge, curious what was happening for a moment before he saw them grab the ingredients for the pie. His face lighting up. "I can't believe we almost forgot about that." Easily returning the hip bump against them as he let his eyes moved over the fruit for a moment, debating if there was one he really would like over the other. Seeing their hands coming back up, his attention was instantly back on Sage, nodding along as they signed. "I feel like it would be better for a cobbler too-" Before he waved his hands towards the apples. "And I feel like the apples are too obvious, an apple pie is a classic staple, something you can pretty much get anywhere. Not gonna like, I was eyeing those blackberries."

Reaching out to grab the apples and return them to Sage's fridge as well before he made his way back over to the counter where they were. "What about you, any you're leaning towards? We could always mix whatever each of us are thinking about, see what comes of it." Owen suggested with a light shrug of his shoulders before he reached for Sage's hand, pressing a kiss to the palm of it. Still in complete awe of them, how he could simply reach out, and kiss them now. Didn't have to hold back and pretend that feelings for anything more than friendship existed. He gave a slight pause at the movement of his hands for a few seconds before Owen brought them back up. "This is the most fun I've ever had cooking. I could do this every night with you." He admitted, his face soft as can be as his eyes locked back in on theirs. Though after a few seconds, "I also feel like this is where I need to tell you, in case if we do cook more together in the future, that I am very allergic to pineapple and mango." Figuring that it was better to be safe than sorry, not wanting to be cooking with Sage in the future and have any kind of reaction. But also a random thing he wanted to share with her, wanting Sage to know all there was to know about him. A complete open book with his pages laid bare for her to explore.

[sagehqs]

“Boo, we need to take the option of becoming diner out of the equation.” Rolling her eyes playfully, she moved sign back as quickly as she could, “Progress is great, at the very least. However, please know that you for sure have people who care about your wellbeing, and if anything happened to you, they might be slightly affected by it.” Bumping him, she hesitated a moment before adding the admittance, “It’s me, I’m people.” Not to get too caught up in any emotions, they couldn’t help but want to make it clear that they cared about him and were fully invested in his existence if he hadn’t already put all of that together. The last thing they’d want, regardless of him being just a friend or their boyfriend, was for anything bad to happen to him. However, they were quick to be mindful of the fact he had navigated the world for this long in his own way, they were more than sure that he would keep doing so, just now with some extra nagging for safety.

“C’mon, have some faith. I think you’re just being a little hard on yourself, though.” Although, he did know himself best. She was just, perhaps, overly estimating out of pure fondness. Grabbing the pan from the counter, they moved to place it in the already pre-heated oven. They, frankly, were excited about the whole dinner – but this cornbread was the crème de la crème of the whole meal, the golden centerpiece that they were ecstatic about. As they shut the oven, they looked over the food on the stove and sighed proudly, feeling like their meal was on track to yummy completion. Aside from dessert, which wouldn’t take too long to prepare, the rest of their meal required some waiting.

“I know, I can’t believe we almost forgot about it either – what the hell.” It was a wonder they had managed to make it this far into cooking dinner with minimal distractions, let alone getting all the way to starting dessert. Sage was fairly impressed, especially considering ‘Door Dash’ had been mentioned several different times. “Pear cobbler – we can make that some other time.” And yes, she was absolutely going to drag him back over to their place – or take ingredients over to his – to make pear cobbler in the near future. Any excuse to see him, they were going to take. As he motioned to the apples, her brows raised and lips upturned, “Too obvious? I like that. Anyone can make an apple pie, period. We need something special, not predictable.” The mention of the blueberries made Sage giggle as she moved to the rest of the fruit, leaving out only the blueberries and blackberries.

Listening to him, they originally went to reply until he grabbed their hand and kissed it. Never before had they been so wrapped up in a person that they found sweet, stolen kisses to be this important – but every single time he made contact with their skin, they were over the damn moon. Sheepishly she took her hand back, even though she’d let him immediately have it back had he wanted to. “I think the blueberries and blackberries together would taste really nice. The blackberries would bring a little bit of tartness while the blue brings the sweetness. Does that sound like a good plan?” Placing the remaining extra ingredients in the fridge, their attention stayed on him, not really caring if they fumbled a bit or bumped into the fridge before opening it.

As he signed about how nice it was to cook with them, Sage couldn’t keep themselves from absolutely beaming. “Honestly? Same. This has been so much fun.” Prepared to be completely sentimental for a moment, they were caught a little off-guard by the allergy mentions. Their eyes went wide as they made a mental note. “I hate pineapple and only eat mangos on occasion; so I’ll make sure there’s no cross-exposure there.” With a small laugh, she leaned up to kiss his cheek again, quickly getting pulled away at the timer on the stove for the pork chops. Giving him a second kiss, quicker than the first, and moving away, they focused on the dinner once again, removing the pan from the stove, placing the meat on a plate to sit on, and then moving to check the potatoes. At a stalemate with the food, they moved back to Owen and the counter, signing, “I’m allergic to coconut and bees. Not that bees would ever be included in food, but if I ever start running while we’re outside, that’s probably why.” Nudging him slightly, a little smile played at their lips.

Not wanting to take more time, and selfishly wanting to hang all over him until the food was done, they grabbed the pie crusts – because who really has time to make a crust from scratch – and carefully placed it in the pie pan. Looking up at Owen, she signed to him the moment her hands were free, “Want to wash the fruit and open up the cans of blueberry and blackberry filling for me?” Batting her lashes ever so slightly, she looked up at him and smiled sweetly. Bossing people around, even with their permission, wasn’t a strong suit for Sage. It was all going to come out as questions and polite favors before they could ever actually bark out an order. That, for a fact, was a key reason they never explored culinary arts, despite how much fun cooking could be. With his new orders, she moved to start on the top of the pie, carefully cutting the crust into half-inch wide strips for latticing.

[sfs-alsaud-deactivated20251212]

relationship goals: we both feel lucky to have each other

[naturiisms]

"yeah it's real shit how inaccessible the arts have become," they huffed. "but, you can tell me more about growing up in appalachia while we do. i hear a lot of lore but i'd love to know how much of it is actually true." if it was anything like the things they'd read online, sage had officially moved up on their list of badassery. their stomach churned at the way they'd summed it up, but a small smile remained on their face. it was a price they'd become accustomed to, fleeing nature damning her to short lived connections. they were certain the last one would be different, but now they weren't so sure it would ever be different if they weren't, too. "it's kinda my fault, too. i left really fast and i didn't want to shock him by just picking him up and changing his life overnight, y'know?" besides, they'd adopted him together and while their ex might think withholding him was okay, they definitely did not. allowing the topics to flow they shook their head in amusement, laughter interlacing with their words. "shiiiiit, i probably would let a whole ass stranger pierce my ears, too. drunk me is a whole different bitch and to be fair, sober me isn't much better. i'm all about the cheap thrills," ayanna waved them off, smacking their lips together. "i think lots of people are cute. i don't think lots of people are cool. and as far as my mess goes, i'd rather pack it in a box and put it over there." she pushed her arms out to the left, hoping the reference would be caught. "probably not. we almost kissed that night he pierced my ears but then he said his brother might come home and then i think we both freaked out a little bit. i almost left cause it was kinda awkward but i was hungry and the leo in me couldn't let my own ego win, if that makes sense."

a wide grin spread at her spelling the acronym, thinking that it was great she'd found someone she meshed so well with. their little quirks seemed to compliment and bounce off each other, an unspoken understanding hanging between the two. "personally, i think there's way more appeal to being gay, but no, i don't think people do realize. society has completely brainwashed them! plus, chicks dig vampires. if i was a vampire i'm sure all of my problems would be gone. they might be replaced with bloodier ones, but you win some you lose some." she tried her best to contain her quizzical expression, nearly losing it at the thought of themself in a university setting. they were almost certain sage did not want to share a class with them, not if they wanted better than a d average, that is. "school and i do not mesh," they chuckled. "i would've been asking you questions the whole time or we'd be arguing with the professor." she was sure the two of them could go back and forth about just about any topic. ayanna shot a cheeky smile at sage, nose scrunching up at her friends display of emotions. it was clear from the body language that this owen had left his mark, and they were determined to find out more. "i met an owen at the strawberry festival a few days ago, but what are the chances it's the same one in this big city?" she sat up, knees folding to her chest and arms crossing around to hug them to her. "and weren't you just telling me that it's okay to have a little fun? pot, meet kettle." they laughed. "i think that if you two are friends, and a little something happened, if the friendship is strong enough then there could be a lot of fun waiting to happen. and either way, i'm sure the friendship would still be fine. tell me more, how exactly did this crush come about? have you been hanging out? or is it a fleeting library crush and you're waiting for him to sweep you off of your feet and take you out?"

[sagehqs]

“Honestly! I remember even when I was kid, being able to see really nice art in most places, but as we’ve gotten older, that hasn’t been the case. It just gets more and more elite and classist, while profiting off cultures of labor.” It was meant to be a side thought but came out fully fledged. Sage still shook it from their head as fast as it came, though. “Oh god, comparing real Appalachia to stereotypes is always a blast. I’d do that all day every single day if there were money in it. Folklorist and App studies positions don’t fare too well unless you get an academic career or something in a museum.” Had there been any money in it, though, Sage probably would have chanced it – but she also knew she wanted out of Appalachia so badly that being stuck would have been a curse to their existence. For now, she was pleased with how life was going. Hearing the additional excuse about the cat, Sage bit the inside of their lip to keep from going on about it – almost nervous to say the wrong thing or have some harsh statement find its way out. Instead, they bolstered on with the conversation, “I need to see drunk Ayanna. Can we just get together and drink one night? Do stupid shit like prank calls and post stupid pictures? I haven’t had a night like that in so long.” Shooting up at the dismissal, they crossed their legs, and let their hands move into the grass, giggling quietly, “Do you think they’re cool?” Watching Ayanna, Sage’s giggles hit full laughter at the reference, their face lighting up a little, “Push it somewhere else,” even mocking the movement as they said this. “Regardless, though,” they managed as they tried to control their laughter, “Your mess is really cute and shouldn’t be ignored.” With wide eyes, Sage caught the conversation and gasped, “Almost kissed?! Wh—oh my god.” Their brows furrowed and they shook their head, “So you stayed? But didn’t kiss?”

A smirk hit her face, “I honestly think so too. People who don’t see it absolutely blow my mind. What’s there not to like about being gay? Okay, you’re so right, though. Chicks do dig vampires – I think I’m gonna incorporate this bit of information in my conversation the next time I pick up someone.” They were sure it wouldn’t be anytime soon, but nonetheless; they’d stick it in their portfolio of fun facts. Watching Ayanna’s expression shift caused a cackle from Sage, then they leaned in, elbows against their kneecaps as they listened. “We’d be arguing with the professor! I think that’d be a blast. I love being that fucker that occasionally holds up the conversation too long, so a new topic has to be pushed until the next class – you know what I mean?” Having been skilled at this in high school, it was a special talent they pulled out when needed in college. That, without question, would have been the best time. However, Sage fully understood the sentiment about not meshing with school – it wasn’t for everyone. At the mention of meeting an Owen in town, Sage raised her brows, “You never know, but surely not. How many Owens could be in Denver?” Chewing on their lip as Ayanna carried on, she giggled and sighed roughly, “You got me there, dammit.” With a small sigh, they nodded along. “If the friendship is strong enough. That’s the thing. It’s not like we really hang out outside of the library – it’s really only been there. I… ugh. He’s a patron that comes in on occasion, we hit it off one day and just started talking. Now I’m teaching ASL classes at the library because I’m in so deep. Not that it’s an issue because I love it, but just to really round out the picture. So… I don’t think it’s fleeting in the slightest. I think I might really, really like him.” Letting out a deep breath, they moved their hands to their face and rubbed softly, stressed out at the concept of having a crush and not knowing what to do with it.

[sagehqs]

S, A, G, and E

headcanon a-z

S - Seeker - How do they go in search of new information? Do they accept ideas on faith or do they need to test out information for themselves?

Sage is a wild mix of faith and scientific evidence. Old wives' tales? 100% without question, immediately believe. When it comes to nearly anything else, though, they'd like the chance to give it a good, quick google. Research is part of Sage's job at the library and something they'll have to do a lot of once they go back to school. So finding credible resources and knowing how to locate facts is part of their daily workflow. It should also be said though, that if someone they're friends with says something, they will totally take it at face value and believe it unless otherwise prompted.

A - Advocate - How do they show their support for others? Are there any causes that they publicly support? Why?

100% an ally in whatever well-researched and positive cause they can, Sage wants to put in the work to make sure others are supported and taken care of. Humans are humans and there's nothing you can say to make them feel differently -- each human needs to be met where they're at and given support and access to life, whatever Sage can do to aid to that, they absolutely will.

G - Growing - How have they changed over time? How has their self-image changed? Are they more or less of a risk-taker? Has their approach to romance changed?

Growing up Sage was just a simple tomboy that played football with their neighbors every single day during summer vacation. They always, always saw themselves as one of the guys, until puberty and middle school had other plans for them. Forced to move into more feminine circles, Sage traded football for long dresses (to cover up scarred knees from years of roughhousing), fart jokes for makeup, and snack time for bathroom gossip. Not all of it really clicked for them, eventually, she chose to hang out with people who rejected normality in some sense. Finding solace in people who live in the margins, Sage never stopped looking in the shadows for friends -- knowing that they're usually the ones with the most authenticity to them. Once they discovered romantic feelings, they never really knew how to control them. The emotions are much bigger than what Sage is prepared for, literally every single time she has a crush, it feels like the weight of the world falls onto her shoulders. Her parents never prepared her for relationships, not having a stable ones themselves. Up until recently, Sage thought a relationship was just living with someone you could put up with -- but they're very much learning the opposite.

E - Entrepreneur - How do they make money? Are they willing to take financial risks? How do they approach making deals with others?

Work, work, and more work. Need extra money for a date? Pick up a shift. Need extra money for crystals? Pick up extra hours. That's the solution to any issue Sage has surrounding money. Risks aren't exactly part of their vocabulary, that's a big thing keeping them from grad school. However, they're slowly putting together their application at this point. Deals with others doesn't happen unless it's something stupid like five dollars for something harmless. However, she can negotiate her way through a yard sale and should never be doubted on a car lot.

[owenrobinson-deactivated2023092]

Another dramatic look took place on his features as he was poked in the chest, bringing a hand up to place against the place they had poked him. Easily giving the teasing right back to her. "If that's the case, good thing I'm a frequent user of door dash." He signed back, raising his eyebrows some as he kept his eyes on Sage. The teasing that came between them was something he lived for, it flowed so easily like most things between them. Dishing it out just as much as she gave it to him. He wanted all the moments, the sillier ones like these, the tender ones like their dancing, and all the ones in between with Sage.

With one last sound of protest, Owen moved back over to the counter, making a show of dragging his feet the entire way over. Half tempted to sweep her back into his arms and pull them into another dance but also knowing that they really needed to cook dinner before they did anything else. It was still early in the evening, the faster they got done cooking, well, the more time they would have to just curl up and be together. "This is probably where I should tell you that I've been in my apartment for three years and just last month finally got a fire alarm that flashes." He made a face and gave a shake of his head. "My poor neighbor had to text me every time my fire alarm was going off." Another admittance to Sage and yet another one of his signature loud laughs to accompany it as well. "But perfect- see we make a good team." Owen beamed from where he was, eyes on Sage as they moved around the kitchen.

At the mention of it being their grandmother's corn bread, Owen raised his hands in mock surrender. "You're putting too much trust in me now. Grandma's recipe? That's a lot of pressure right there. I can't mess it up now." Biting down on his bottom lip some to try and keep his grin at bay, though Owen knew it was quite the loss cause. "It's one thing to mess up any recipe but one belonging to grandma? I feel like it's a whole other level." His eyes moving from Sage down to the notecard, reading through it until he felt the squeeze on his arm, looking instantly back up at Sage. A smile coming as his reply to the kiss and wish of good luck. Determined that he wouldn't mess this up in anyway. Though knowing himself, Owen had a feeling the odds were pretty low. Wrinkling his nose the smallest bit as Sage moved away again, looking back down to the notecard, reading over it a few times before he moved to grab what he would need.

With everything in hand, Owen rubbed at the back of his neck for a moment, reading it one last time before he looked up, glancing over at Sage who now had pots and pans scattered about, wondering when the hell that had even happened. He gave an amused shake of his head, getting himself to focus as he followed the instructions. Going over each one a few times, not wanting to make a mess of the corn bread that Sage seemed to love so much. It wasn't that he was bad at cooking, it was mainly what he had mentioned to Sage, how he lost track of time when cooking and things tended to burn because of it. But this- following the recipe was simple enough and before Owen knew it, he was letting himself get lost in the process of mixing it all together. Looking up very now and then to see what Sage was doing, the kitchen filling with some of the most amazing smells.

As Sage moved back to where he was, Owen looked up at the movement, flashing her a warm smile, finishing up the last few steps that he needed to do as they were moving away yet again. Pushing down the urge to let out another sound of protest, and finishing up the corn bread. Seeing the pan placed in front of him, Owen gave a nod of his head, figuring that was what he was going to use, and he carefully scraped it out of the bowl he had been mixing it all into, and into the pan, flashing her a thumbs up with his one free hand before eh sat the bowl back down. "I love how I managed to make one thing and you've basically cooked an entire meal. But I think that corn bread should be good- pretty sure I read each step at least fifty times." Owen laughed, looking around the kitchen to see what she had been doing while he had been working on the cornbread. Impressed with how much they were getting down now that they weren't distracted with kisses and dancing. Pushing off from the counter, Owen placed a quick kiss to her cheek before moving to wash his hands, before turning back to face them once more. "Is there anything else that I can help with or needs to be done?" Finding himself enjoying cooking in the kitchen with Sage quite a bit, moreso than he had ever done so while cooking alone at home.

[sagehqs]

If they could have it their way, this would be most of their nights. Getting a taste of it only made them want more of this, more softness, more cuteness, more cooking, more conversation, and ultimately more of Owen. His whole existence, from that beautiful head of hair to his well-worn sneakers, she was borderline obsessed with him; happy and thankful that they were being blessed with the opportunity to get to know him like this. Days in and she was head over heels, fully invested, and happy with her existence in this little relationship. In a matter of days, Sage went from having a huge crush on Owen – hardly able to handle a real conversation with him, to now where they were dancing and cooking in her kitchen. It was a wide gap, but somehow they closed it, and she wasn’t planning on looking back or getting too caught up on how long they were both crushing on the other.

With a gasp and a headshake, Sage quickly took note that checking in on Owen and his well-being would be a frequent occurrence, as they were now immensely worried, and rather confused as to how he’s made it this far just coasting in a world made for the hearing. “I… thank Goddess for your neighbor making sure you don’t just burn up with your dinners. We really, really need to get you some alternatives so you’re not raw-dogging life like that.” At the compliment of making a good team, they grinned and nodded along enthusiastically, “We make a very good team, actually. I’m totally here for it.” And she was, the concept of meshing with someone so well that they could work together as a team was cute, and it made her feel rather excited to see that this camaraderie was already so prevalent in their relationship.

Sage furrowed their brows and nodded, “Of course I’m going to trust you with this recipe. I think it’d be riskier to trust you with pre-made ones; those are the ones without wiggle room. This? This has room for error, but when you follow it exactly, it’s the best taste.” Moving to lean her head against his arm, she nodded, “Trust me, I know you got this. Grandma wrote it down because it works well, trust her process. Plus… this is really the only cornbread recipe I have. I don’t trust Google with an Appalachian staple like this.” They took pride in the dinner being made tonight; in the food they chose for the two of them, and in the fact that they were even able to make a dinner like this happen. Having him have a hand in the process of making the food, though, was even better than they could have anticipated. For once, they feel like they can move around the kitchen with ease, not rushing to make everything happen on their own; they could get used to cooking like this.

As he complained about only making one thing, Sage quickly shook their head, “You helped with the potatoes, cutting them is half the cooking, honestly.” Hearing his laugh in tandem with his comment, they joined in on the laughter. “Then I’m sure the cornbread is going to be great. I have nothing but faith in you and this cornbread.” Even if he might not be the best chef on his own – most of which seemed to be a situational issue rather than on him, Sage was positive this cornbread would turn out right. Her grandmother’s recipe, after all, was simple and relatively easy to follow, so with the attention Owen paid to it, this would be perfectly fine, completely edible, and hopefully a great introduction to one of her personal favorite side dishes. Humming in thought, Sage looked around, mentally running through the list for dinner – then gasping and hurrying back to the fridge to get everything out for dessert.

After splaying out the fruit on the counter, Sage hurriedly moved to grab a pie pan from her cabinet. Moving back, she didn’t pass up the opportunity to bump her hip against Owen’s again, happily doing so as she placed the pan on the counter. “Now, we’re onto the dessert.” Chewing on the inside of their lip, they eyed the fruit for a minute before looking back up to her partner, “No preferences? Because if not, I might just do eenie meenie and let fate select our pie for the night.” Not that she was particularly opposed to the idea, she wanted to make sure there were no politely hidden preferences before going in to make the final decision on the finale of their meal. “Any fruit you might prefer to another? The more I look, the less I’m liking the idea of pear – that might make a better cobbler than a pie now that I’m thinking about it.” With a shrug she moved over to the fruit again, still eyeing it before deciding to put the pears back into the fridge.

[owenrobinson-deactivated2023092]

From what he could remember about his parents, something he recalled the most about them was how in love they were. He could remember small moments here and there of them always holding hands, making nights just for the two of them without the kids. But despite that, as he got older, Owen never saw that kind of love for himself. Even after he was adopted, seeing his dads completely smitten with one another as well. It was something Owen thought he would never have, that small insecurity that seemed to hang to him over the years, that no one could possibly love him in that way. And even in previous relationships where he had been so unsure most of the time, feeling self conscious in a way he didn't like one bit. So all of this with Sage, it was so new to him but Owen welcomed it with open arms. More than ready to put his heart fully into it, to learn what it meant to be in a relationship where he could be himself and Sage like him simply for that. He knew that he was in this for the long haul, that he wanted to learn all he could about Sage, wanted to walk this stage of life with them by his side. Wanted to see what the future held for the two of them. Letting someone in like this was such a strange concept but he knew that he wanted Sage to see every side of him. The good and bad and in between and in turn, he wanted to see and learn every side of them. Knowing there was nothing about Sage that could or would change his mind, that would case him to turn the other way. No, not what the way he was falling for them.

At the mention of the promise, Owen beamed and placed a hand against his heart. It was a promise that meant a lot to him in such a silly way. Having gone from never dancing in is life, to now looking towards more moments where him and Sage could sweep each other in the swaying motions, despite not being able to hear the music. It was the moments like these that he wanted the most with her, the simple ones that meant the world. And now with that promise, Owen had a feeling that he would be pulling her into more dances and hoped she'd do the same. Eyes staying on Sage, Owen gave a wiggle of his eyebrows, laughing as he did so. As the spin came to an end and Sage wrapped her arms around his shoulders, Owen's hands found their waist once more. His fingers splayed against their hips as he stayed looking at them. Though another chorus of laughter fell from Owen as she stood on her tiptoes and kissed at his cheeks.

Shaking his head at their next signs. "Excuse me- you're the one that's being a perfect distraction, not me." Giving a small huff, though Owen knew the crinkling at the corner of his eyes gave him away. Making noises around people was something he typically tended not to do. It was one of the things he was very self conscious about, especially not knowing how he sounded, what his voice sounded like, or hell, even what noises he was actually making. But like most things when he was around Sage, that insecurity went right out the window. Instead he found himself wanting to make all the sounds when he was around her, to let her into another side of himself he kept hidden away. He wanted her to be able to hear his laughs and sounds of joy or whatever else might tumble from his lips. Wanted to say their name every chance he was able to, even if he might not be close to the pronunciation of it. Not even thinking twice as he made them, another small form of communication he was able to give them besides his mostly silent movements of hands.

The kiss to his palm once more earned another sound from Owen, his body melting once more under the simple touch. It was probably silly to most but touch was so important to him, helped clue him in to things, could grab his attention so each touch and kiss against his skin from Sage meant quite a bit to Owen. Almost another way for them to communicate- a simple touch here and there, a gentle kiss against hands or foreheads or cheeks. As Sage finally pulled back, even though he had suggested getting back to cooking, Owen made a small sound of protest, making a face as he did so. Watching as she placed the skillet back onto the burner, still grateful one of them had at least thought to move it from the burner while they had been dancing. This was exactly why he was leaving the cooking to Sage.

"Following directions I'm good at, baking though-" Owen scrunched his nose some and gave a shake of his head. "That's where cooking goes a bit shit for me. Since I can't hear the timer, and I haven't bothered looking into an alternative for it, I never set one. Then I get busy doing things around my apartment and well, next thing I know, I'm smelling smoke." Owen admitted with a laugh, amusement dancing in his eyes. "So no idea if you want to put the faith of your beloved corn bread in my hands." He teased, bumping their hip back with a grin on his lips. Though with Sage there, they'd be able to hear the timer and the food would have a much better chance of survival than if it was just Owen. So he took a dramatic deep breathe, rolling his shoulders like he was preparing from some big battle, before bringing his hands up, cracking his fingers some before he gave a nod. "Alright, alright, I think I'm ready for corn bread duty. Though I can't be held responsible for how it turns out." His eyes locked back in on Sage, ready to follow whatever she told him it was that he needed to do to make it.

[sagehqs]

With sudden, big expectations for the future they had with Owen, they couldn’t hide their pride from reaching this mental milestone. “Oh! What lies – I was just minding my business, cooking food, then all of a sudden you distract me with dancing.” Poking his chest softly, she stuck out her tongue, not minding one bit that he was a distraction for her, not minding it in the slightest. “Keep it up and I might forget how to cook altogether, then we’ll both be out of luck tonight.” Teasing him, one of her favorite past times, was something she would do any chance she got, especially when it was surrounded by tender moments to make it even better. All they wanted was to dote on and with him, to have a perpetual moment of soft, sweet nothings and comfortability. However, they knew that they would get that soon enough, that they’d get to curl up with him, hang onto him, and enjoy being in his personal space soon enough. That thought alone was enough to power them through the rest of making dinner – plus there was a small pang of hunger hiding underneath all the butterflies.

His sounds of clear protest caused a pout to hit her face, but nonetheless, she carried on – knowing full and well that if one of them didn’t make the move to actually get back to cooking, they probably never would. They had already gotten too far in the process to let it fall by the wayside now. With a grin on their face, they moved to grab their box of recipes, quickly flipping through the notecards to find one for cornbread. Happily looking to Owen, she nodded along as he explained. “So, I just need you to follow these directions, I can do the baking, that’s not an issue. I… although we should probably work on getting you an alternative for that. Thankfully I get very annoyed by the sound of the oven timer… and I obsessively check food when it’s on.” As a kid, they had to put out one too many house fires started by bad cooking, cigarettes, or that one time a firework flew into the house. Regardless, their adult life had become one spent making sure no fires were started in the first place.

“I’m going to trust you with my cornbread – my grandmother’s recipe. It’s super simple to follow and makes the best cornbread. I highly doubt anything will go wrong, you’re going to do great, babe.” Setting the notecard down in front of him, she moved her hand to his arm, squeezing it softly for a bit of good luck before leaning up to kiss his cheek and signing, “You got this.” Looking between them for just a moment, she sighed happily; taking another note of the moment to remember later on. Slowly she moved away and focused again on cooking.

Without more hesitation, Sage went to the meat, gathered it up, and brought it over to the hot pan. With the base finished, they slowly filled the pan with the meat, setting a timer for a few minutes to let the meat sear on one side before switching it to the other. With that, she moved to wash her hands and place dirty dishes in the sink, trying to keep up with the dishes as they went rather than letting them get ahead of them. Focused on cooking, her next task was to get the potatoes on the stove. Fumbling through her pots and pans for a moment, quite thankful that her ruckus meant little to nothing to Owen, she managed to find the right one after several dropped pots. With the right pot in hand, they moved to fill it with water, then moved back to where Owen had cut the vegetable up. Placing the diced pieces into the water, they wasted no time before getting the pan on the stove.

With that, they were finally free to move back to Owen, eyes searching over his entrusted space to see where he was at in the process. Lazily leaning against the counter, they mumble-sang to the music filling the air behind them. Not wanting to interrupt, she happily just let him do his work for the time being, only getting distracted once the timer went off for her to flip the meat. Doing so at the signal, she set the timer once again. With the thought of moving back to his side on their mind, they hesitated only to grab the pan for the cornbread mix to go into. However, with their job not finished there, they carefully lined the pan with butter – as her grandmother insisted needed to be done, and set it in front of Owen’s workstation.

[owenrobinson-deactivated2023092]

For as long as he could remember, Owen had built up walls. Too afraid to let people really in, to let them get close to him. It was something that had happened in the foster homes that had stayed with him- keeping people at an arms length, never letting them close enough to really see him. Up until now the only people that had broken down those walls were his fathers and his adoptive sister. Partially out of fear that he would lose those close to him like he had his parents all these years ago. And the other part of it being afraid of letting people see him been vulnerable- that maybe they would see some sort of weakness in that, would think less of him, added in with his deafness- So he had slammed those walls up, tried to keep people out as much as he could, letting those silyl fears win. But now Sage had knocked those walls down too and Owen had let them in without a second though. More than happy to let her all the way, to let her fully see him, not just the Owen he kept at the surface for most people to see. So when their hand cupped his face, Owen didn't think twice about leaning into the touch. About soaking up every damn second of this that he could.

"Good thing I won't be able to tell if you fuck up since I can't hear the music." He huffed a laugh, though his face remained soft and gentle as he looked down at Sage, another tint blossoming across his cheeks as their hand found his bicep, finger tapping against him as the two of them continued to move around the kitchen. Their bodies seemed to mold as one, to fit perfectly together like puzzle pieces, and Owen absolutely relished in that fact. Like they had been carved for one another, like they were a perfect match. With Sage he never second guessed anything, something he had done in all his previous relationships. It felt like even after only a few days if dating, the two of them were already in sync. And he felt nothing but pure happiness, every second with Sage his heart was soaring, beating fast in his chest in the most pleasant of ways. With Sage, it felt like he had found what he had been missing without even realizing it.

His lips slightly parting as Sage's hand made its way down to his wrist, letting her take it without question, the softest expression crossing his entire features as she pressed his palm to their lips, kissing at it. A sound escaping from him as he kept his eye son them the entire time. Pretty sure that he could melt into a puddle right there in the middle of the kitchen as she kissed at his hand and knuckles. Trying to remember the last time someone had been this gentle with him, had kissed him like this, had made him feel anything remotely close to how he was currently feeling. Every touch from them was filled with so much emotion, so much behind each gentle kiss against his skin. And when Owen didn't think it was even possible, he found himself falling for Sage more and more. Their words so gentle, a fond smile gracing his lips as he kept his eyes on their hands. "I'm going to want to dance with you all the time." Owen admitted as he moved his free hand up to sign. "I like that a lot- looking at it as little pauses before the next time." He added a few seconds later, his head lightly tilted to the side, eyes still locked in on Sage.

All he wanted to do was wrap his arms back around Sage, to pull them in close again, and never let go. But he kept his eyes on their hands, smiling as he watched them move, already shaking his head some. "Dancing and being close with you is more important than eating right now." Though he knew at some point they would have to break apart and finish making dinner together. But he knew there would be time after that though, when they could curl up on the couch, and not let the other go for rest of the night. So without a second though, Owen let his arms slid back around their waist, pulling Sage in close once more. A very content sound escaping his lips once more. His cheek resting against the top of their head, one of his hands moving to run up and down Sage's back ever so lightly. Trying to memorize everything about this night, not wanting to forget a second of it. Wanting every memory he could make with Sage. Feeling more full, more happy than he had done so in such a long time. The tapping of their fingers against his shirt and stomach making him grin even more.

After a bit of swaying back and forth with Sage, Owen grinned, pulling back some as he moved one of his hands, making a twirling motion before he took Sage's hand, spinning them under his arm with a loud laugh. His blue eyes bright as can be as he kept them on her, pulling Sage back in for a deep kiss. A rumble of his laughter against their lips before he pulled back once more so he could see her face. "We really should finish cooking, what you said you're making seems so good and I'd hate for it to go to waste." Though he scrunched his nose some at the idea, of separating his body from theirs. "That and I keep telling myself the sooner we get to cooking, the sooner I'll get to curl up on that couch and hold you close all night once we're done." Owen added a few seconds later, once more his cheeks heating up some as he looked down at them, bringing a hand up to cup one of her cheeks, his thumb lightly brushing over her skin.

[sagehqs]

Ever since they were young, the concept of romance intimidated the hell out of Sage. Their parents weren’t a stable definition of love – mostly staying together for the sake of already being married and not wanting to deal with the trouble of divorce. They both had partners on the side, caused drama, and fought regularly, but in the end, they did always choose one another. That, in all reality, had been what Sage thought their future would entail: fights, half-assed trials, and pathetic excuses for infatuation. Relationships for them were either 'real-world' relationships where both parties are completely flawed, or fictional stories consumed off pages in the middle of the night. Regardless, when Sage pictured a relationship for them, it would have never been what was unfolding in front of them. The concept of soft touches and butterflies was foreign, but damn did it feel comfortable and good as it happened to her. Everything that was happening between herself and Owen was something she never would have pictured for herself, but as it happened, she couldn’t picture it any other way. They trusted the will of the universe; so if this, these big feelings, and these rapidly evolving emotions were what the universe had in store for them, they were going to ride that.

Now she craved the familiarity of a real relationship – the stability that was supposed to come along with that. Sage wanted to get the chance to actually learn what being in a relationship meant, especially one where both parties seemed fully locked in on the other. Sage wanted to learn, firsthand, with Owen what a relationship really was – no matter what all that meant. While it might still be early to tell, she knew she signed on for the good and the bad already, even if she had an inkling that there wouldn’t be much bad to come along between the two. She wanted it all, wanted to experience the full scope of humanity that was between her and Owen, to see all of him, to learn what makes him happy, but also to learn what makes him tick. Wanting to be inside someone’s world was a foreign feeling, but it was welcome. Being the cause of any sound from him was quickly becoming one of their favorite activities, thankful she was able to get an extra form of communication from him. Learning what their own actions can do to cause his reactions, learning the difference between his sounds -- that's exactly what Sage was excited about. They couldn't do much to contain their excitement over the fact that it was already starting to happen between them.

“All the dances are yours; I’ll go ahead and make that promise.” As he complimented their choice of phrase, they grinned. It had been their intention to say something else, but as they looked over his face, the words got lost in infatuation and utter adoration. Not minding the newfound moment of admiration, Sage let their eyes wander over his face. They were completely thankful that somehow they had maneuvered through life in such a way that they got Owen’s attention. Being under his gaze was a delicious treat that they would happily indulge in as much as they possibly could. With their bottom lip caught between their teeth, Sage giggled quietly and repeated, “More important than eating.” With a moment so sweet, so simple – Owen absolutely knew how to make it everything Sage could want and even more. Pressed up against him, heartbeat steady and sure, but stomach fully fluttering – they let their grin settle on their face and sighed happily.

As he moved, they caught the twirling motion, a loud laugh pulling from their chest. They, in full honesty, hadn’t been spun while dancing since they were little – so the action pulled a hint of nostalgia from them. Letting him spin them around, they couldn’t hide their excitement, pleased to hear his joining in a chorus of laughter. Breath hitching ever so slightly at the kiss, Sage moved her arms to wrap around his shoulders. As he pulled back and signed, Sage rolled her eyes, leaned up on her tip-toes, and kissed his cheek a few times. After a few more random kisses, they pulled back, face feigning annoyance. “You can’t just spin me around like that, kiss me, and then push to go back to cooking. So unfair.” They would have rolled their eyes, but they fully were cut off by his hand on their face. Enjoying the touch, they laughed and shook their head a little, “No, you’re so right. I am beyond ready for some cuddles, so this dinner needs to be done as quickly as we can get it to be.”

Tilting their head just slightly, they kissed his wrist, lips lingering on his skin for a few moments. Finally, they looked back up to him and started signing, “You need to stop being the perfect distraction, okay?” Their hand moved to lay over his and interlock their fingers. Pulling his hand up for another kiss to his palm, Sage sighed, and finally pulled their hands down. Letting her attention fall to their hands, though, she watched them for a moment, then slowly pulled her hand back to sign. “Okay, okay – cooking. We really need to get this dinner going." With a small huff, mostly at herself for being the one to fully make the move back into cooking, she moved to put the cast iron back on the burner. “Are you any good at baking and following directions? I might need you to start the cornbread while I get the pork started.” Raising her brows she moved to bump his hip with hers.

[sagehqs]

sage x carly ( @xallmywolvesx) | outside the library | late morning

Fresh coffee in hand and a lingering smile on their face, Sage made their way through the back of the library to the back deck that they typically frequent during lunch. With a relatively busy morning already, a visit from their partner, and being due for a break, they figured this was as good a time as any to take it. Fussing with their shirt a little as they sat down, they let out a little sigh, contented notes mixing with the exasperation of being at work rather than any of the places they'd like to be. Not that working at the library was bad, not by any means, but sometimes they'd rather be curled up in the mornings reading, or out experiencing Denver during a weekday to see what it offers during mundane hours. Regardless, they also couldn't deny they would have liked more time with Owen this morning.

Digressing completely, thankful for having seen him out of surprise in the first place, they sipped their coffee. Finally, they looked around, gasping a little once they noticed their supervisor just a few feet away. "Carly!" Immediately hopping up and moving closer to the woman, Sage beamed. "I didn't realize you were out here too. I thought I'd go ahead and take my break before it got too late." The quick explanation was followed by them taking a seat next to Carly. "How's your day going so far? I feel like I've been stuck on the floor a lot recently and haven't been able to see you." With a sip of their coffee, they watched their colleague with bright eyes, excited for a moment to sit alone with her without the worry of a patron walking up.