Scavenging for Love (W.I.P)

Sleep Over (Sage)

Oh I hope he comes home safely... Sage thought anxiously as he lay on his bed. I don't know what I would do if he died out there in that horrible place. A piece of wood crackled in his fireplace, sending little sparks up into the air above the fireplace. He looked over at the fireplace and saw that it was starting to die down, and a small sigh escaped his lips. I should probably get more firewood. He thought as he lazily got out of bed and started for the door. Stretching his arms across the room, he let out a relieved sigh as his muscled unwound. I think I'll go get another pipper for dinner tonight. He thought as he reached for the door and opened to see Jason raising his hand to knock. "Jason!" Sage squealed in delight as he jumped forward and wrapped his arms around Jason, his heart beginning to beat quickly.

"Well hello." Jason chuckled, wrapping his warm, muscular arms around Sages back. "It's good to see you too," He said as Sage tightened their embrace with all the strength he could muster.

As Sage held Jason, he felt his cheeks begin to warm. "You were gone for so long, I didn't know if you were coming back this time. I'm so glad you're safe."

"I wasn't gone all that long," Jason countered, slowly beginning to pull away from their embrace as Sage tried to hold on. "I was only out of the village for a week. That's pretty fast, even for me."

Finally letting go, Sage looked up at the love of his life happily. "It always feels longer when you aren't around. How was the trip, no crazy encounters I hope?" He asked hopefully, slowly looking Jason over as he did. His eyes slowed to a halt on the necklace Katia had given him and his smile faltered.

"Nope, nothing interrupted my search this time. Not even the gagkuts were out there. It was almost too quiet..." He paused when he noticed Sage's look of pain beginning to take form. "What's wrong Sagey, are you okay?"

"I see you're still wearing that trinket Katia gave you. Does that mean you want her?" Sage asked, trying to hide his obvious displeasure at seeing the necklace.

Looking down, he noticed the necklace and scowled. "Oh, that..." He took it off quickly and glared at it. "I guess Katia thought that it would be some kind of promise ring or something." He paused when he saw Sage's skepticism and quickly pocketed it. "But I had to put it back on when I got here. She noticed me before I could get to the elder's house, and she kept talking about how I wasn't wearing it. I wanted to get away from her and come see you, so I put it on. Then the elder..." He paused for a moment, thinking about something as Sage looked up at him.

"The elder what, she didn't give you crap about the stuff you brought her did she? The badlands aren't an easy place to find stuff, let alone working mechanical things." Sage asked, his eyes resting on Jason's pocket, his thoughts beginning to darken.

Jason let out a long sigh and kicked the ground with his foot. "No, she just told me something I didn't want to hear. I don't wanna get into it, let's just get this sleepover going. I've been thinking about it since I left!" He said with a fake enthusiasm that made Sage look up at him. There was something hiding in Jason's eyes, and before Sage could ask, it flicked away, and his warm, friendly eyes took over, dominating his thoughts.

"I was going to go get some firewood and then go get a pipper for dinner." Sage paused for a second, then looked back at his room. "If you want to rest, you can lay on my roll till I get back. I'm sure you must be tired after your long journey in the badlands."

A small laugh broke through as Jason looked at the room behind him, then back to Sage. "What, make you go gather firewood, and go hunt a pipper all by yourself? How rude would I be to accept an offer like that?" He looked out towards the forest with a smile, then looked back over towards Sage again. "I'd like nothing more than to go gathering with you again." He smiled as Sage felt his cheeks begin to burn.