𝚜𝚊𝚐𝚎

⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𖤠

[𝚜𝚊𝚐𝚎 @CUPIDOLLQUEEN]

⠀⠀⠀ ⠀ 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘢 𝘮𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥 .ᐟ

[𝚜𝚊𝚐𝚎 @CUPIDOLLQUEEN]

your hair looks like it can be touched now without disintegrating.

( their hand reaches out to ruffle his hair with a laugh. )

[𝚜𝚊𝚐𝚎 @CUPIDOLLQUEEN]

( sage has changed too. they’ve switched to protective styles that their mother always tried to shame them from steering towards. her style has changed. less preppy, more relaxed. less makeup. more than anything, she seems tired. despite that, she breaks into a smile. )

+

[˖ ࣪ ‍ 𝒕𝒉𝒆 ‍ 𝗵𝘂𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻’ ‍ 𝙺𝙸𝙽𝙳 𓈒 ৲ ꒷꒦ @dreadspecialist]

( he’s changed, that much is certain. for one, he sacrificed the manic panic hair dye that once had him in a chokehold ; reluctantly swapped raggedy old clothes for ones with no holes in them, and of course ... he looks older.

there

[𝚜𝚊𝚐𝚎 @CUPIDOLLQUEEN]

i never thought i’d see the day when you were integrated back into society.

( they tease. just like old times. she shakes her head. )

yes— well, no. i was almost there. life got in the way. i had my baby and had to focus on her. what do you do these days?

+

[𝚜𝚊𝚐𝚎 @CUPIDOLLQUEEN]

on guard. when you live on your own, you learn to pay attention. )

i think i can handle—

( the familiar face makes them lower their defenses. )

matteo? that you?

( sage questions, a bit taken aback. he looks different. a lot different. )

[𝚜𝚊𝚐𝚎 @CUPIDOLLQUEEN]

( well, that’s a no-brainer. it’s been thirty minutes of fighting since it came to a sputtering hault. she’s just about to consider collapsing onto the concrete and screaming into it when someone pulls over.

when they see it is a man, their heart sinks. they are always

+

[˖ ࣪ ‍ 𝒕𝒉𝒆 ‍ 𝗵𝘂𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻’ ‍ 𝙺𝙸𝙽𝙳 𓈒 ৲ ꒷꒦ @dreadspecialist]

( well, beating it up isn’t gonna fix much. when matteo pulls over and comes to a stop beside them, he almost feels he should have a white flag to wave. he does * not want to take that car’s place.

he pops his door open, steps out

[𝚜𝚊𝚐𝚎 @CUPIDOLLQUEEN]

( hitting the hood of their car with their fist. it won’t start. the last thing she needs on her plate is a car repair. )

[𝚜𝚊𝚐𝚎 @CUPIDOLLQUEEN]

“ there— now maybe you’ll have some mouth skin left when ya get to london, ” sage teases, professional facade cracking ever so slightly. sage smiles behind their cup as they drink the rest of their shirley temple.

[𝚜𝚊𝚐𝚎 @CUPIDOLLQUEEN]

“ . . . yeah, i have a daughter, yvette. she’s 5, ” sage admits. it wouldn’t be the first time that someone was shocked that she was a mother. she looks young and doesn’t necessarily present like a typical mother.

the fact that terence didn’t do a deep dive on sage makes

+

[𝚜𝚊𝚐𝚎 @CUPIDOLLQUEEN]

sage falls quiet as they watch the other take that painful sip. she eases the cup from terence’s hand. they take a few ice cubes from her drink and plop them in their coffee.

+

[𝚜𝚊𝚐𝚎 @CUPIDOLLQUEEN]

then, i never left. sometimes, life makes a plan for you. we better finish these, so we get to our gate in decent time. ” sage turns their attention back to their drink. plush lips wrap around the mouth of the cup and leave a light lip gloss stain.

[𝚜𝚊𝚐𝚎 @CUPIDOLLQUEEN]

sage can’t help but to look on in wonder. how someone so famous can have the physical capabilities of a newborn giraffe yet be considered suave by so many.

they seem distracted the whole time that terence rambles on.

+

[𝚜𝚊𝚐𝚎 @CUPIDOLLQUEEN]

though, after they discard the wipes, they seem a bit embarrassed. “ sorry— force of habit. i got a kid back at home. i think i went into autopilot. ” she clears her throat and tucks them back into her bag.

“ i came to new york for college. scholarship covered it.

+

[𝚜𝚊𝚐𝚎 @CUPIDOLLQUEEN]

{ bingo }

[𝚜𝚊𝚐𝚎 @CUPIDOLLQUEEN]

of course, i can. i’ll get it all taken care of, mr. k— i mean. . . terence. i’ll get back to the room now and make some phone calls.

( they nod to reassure the other of this. )

well. . . fly safe and i’ll see you soon, won’t i? i hope it’s nothin’ too bad.

[𝚜𝚊𝚐𝚎 @CUPIDOLLQUEEN]

( sage tugs their robe around their lounge wear a little tighter. their brow furrows as terence speaks. concern briefly flickers through dark eyes before deciding it is not their business— they’re her boss, after all. )

+

[𝚜𝚊𝚐𝚎 @CUPIDOLLQUEEN]

( sage is a bit embarrassed to be caught in the hallway, not dressed for the day. they had left their room to grab a drink. they look up towards them and nod. )

yeah— i have a second. what’s goin’ on?

[𝚜𝚊𝚐𝚎 @CUPIDOLLQUEEN]

“ . . . well, if you’re offerin’, could i have a shirley temple? thank you. ”

[𝚜𝚊𝚐𝚎 @CUPIDOLLQUEEN]

sage takes the binder back and returns it back to its previous condition. they aren’t here to make friends— she never is at work. she keeps an air of professionalism on at all times.

+

[𝚜𝚊𝚐𝚎 @CUPIDOLLQUEEN]

she doesn’t feel comfortable drinking alcohol for obvious reasons. but, sage can never resist a good mocktail. it reminds her of summers spent in her grandfather’s bar where she’d work for ten dollars and get a mocktail just for her before the doors opened.

+