Work Text:
"Welcome home!" Jett welcomed Sage, jumping up from her seat on the couch and tackling Sage into a big warm hug. Waiting for Sage to budge, Jett kept her smile and held Sage closer. Yet she didn't.
"Let go." Sage coldly, almost emotionlessly replied. Jett tried to hide the fact she was slightly hurt, yet she was insecure of herself that she might be a little too sensitive if she ever showed it. So she only smiled before she let go of Sage.
Sage heard the clatter of plates from the distance as she freed her hair from it's ponytail. Removed her lab coat and put her bag down.
"I made dinner so we don't have to order pizza tonight, you know. I wanted to try something a little different so I cooked for u-"
"I'm heading upstairs." Sage quickly cut and discarded Jett's excited sounding statement with her cold reply, and proceeding to walk tiredly upstairs to their room.
"B-but I already prepared your plate... Sage?" Jett tried to call Sage again. Yet she only heard a distant sound of a door closing shut. She only had time to look at Sage's already ready plate and wiped the tears that formed in her eyes with her arm. Proceeding to eat dinner all by herself. She tried her best to think that maybe Sage was just having a bad day. Regaining her positivity back, she made sure to wash her dishes, and keep Sage's meal warm and covered. Putting Sage's lab coat in the coat hanger, putting her bag on the couch properly.
Jett slowly opened the door to their bedroom, the light from the living room peeking from the barely opened bedroom door. Jett only smiled, softly. Sage fell asleep with her working clothes on. Jett entered the room, arranged a few stuff, tucking herself and Sage under the covers, hugging Sage from her waist even when Sage was facing the opposite direction as her. Falling asleep with a smile on her face.
•••
Sage awoke early, waking up feeling a pair of arms wrapped around her. Managing to smile the slightest bit, she got out of the bed and proceeded to shower and get ready for work. Her mood was so bitter, that even the person she loved coming home to the most was almost like talking to a wall for her. It was so sudden, it was so unexpected. Yet seeing Jett smile even when she wasn't so responsive made her feel guilty.
She just wanted to get this over with.
Dressed up, freshly taken a bath, yet Sage hasn't ate anything yet. She saw the dinner Jett made for her, and she didn't want to come off as bad. So she ate it with a smile in her face, and since she still has time. She returned the favor by sparing time and making breakfast for Jett, then, she went on ahead.
•••
Jett was lazily all over the bed, her body nearly taking in the whole bed size, which meant it was empty. Just her. Yet she didn't notice.
"Goodmorning Sage." She mumbled sleepily without opening her eyes, feeling her hand around the place where Sage was supposed to be, yet it was cold, empty.
"Hey, isn't it a little too early to get ready for work?" Jett asked, sitting up to rub her eyes in hopes of seeing Sage just infront of her getting ready for work. Yet there was none.
This immediately made her frown and stand up from the bed, opening the bedroom door. The living room was also empty. Sage was nowhere to be found. And so was her car. Jett has never felt so uncared for, never felt so vulnerable when she was alone. All by herself once again. She had no choice but let it pass, she wasn't going to let this get her.
As she went the the stairs, by the wall was found the calendar. She made sure to grab her phone as well, she was correct.
Tomorrow was the day of her birth.
Jett was really confident on Sage not forgetting it. Ever since they were together, the both celebrated her birthday just a tad bit different, everytime Sage comes home from work they make sure to cook together and wait until it was 12 in the morning, perfectly celebrating her birthday just as the day arrived. It was as if friends just waited for the day to pass, yet it was more than that, and alot more special.
Jett had alot to do today.
But no one works with an empty stomach, so she had to make breakfast. Excitedly walking over to the kitchen. Stopping when she found a plate of food with a note beside it. Marking the words:
'Goodmorning, eat well.' with a tiny heart at the end, Jett knew it was from Sage. Who else could it be from? Not even wasting a second to eat it. Jett mostly cooked for the two of them since her cooking abilities were almost advanced since she works in a Korean restaurant. Unlike Sage, her schedule wasn't as nearly tight. She excels when it comes to cooking, that she was only assigned to enter the restaurant two times per week with a high pay.
Yet she was simple, minimalistic. After she finished her breakfast. She cleaned the plate and the utensils before she showered and readied herself to go for groceries. Well, mostly for the food she wanted to cook for her special day.
She went out to lock the door with her key when 5 pm hit, and rode her bike. It was the same bike she uses to go basically anywhere. And even her work.
Locking her bike down the bike section on the parking when she arrived, she went on to buy high quality food such as meat. Mostly, she went her for the amazing food quality. Yet she never forgets to buy over at the places Sage loved the most. One of her favorite things was peaches, and Jett never bought them on the supermarket.
"Grandma, I'm here!" Jett exclaimed, holding dozens of plastic bags that contained her the food she wanted to cook. There was one special place Sage and Jett loved buying fruits at, and, peaches to be more exact.
"Look who's here early!" The grandma was happy to see Jett as always, and even hugged her. Jett was kind enough to return the hug even the slightest since the bags were heavy.
"What is my favourite customer here for?"
"The usual, grandma." Jett answered shyly in which the grandma chuckled at softly, getting the newest peaches delivered at her store. Weighing them, then giving them to Jett.
"Here, you don't have to pay this time."
"Ohh, what? I have to pay for them grandma! They're expensive and I know that-"
"Oh come on dear, I know it's your day tomorrow. Consider it as my early gift darling." The grandma replied before she smiled at Jett.
After a little bit of persuading, Jett had got out of the store with the peaches she got for no price. Favor and act of kindness.
Today wasn't so bad after all.
•••
She returned home and immediately got to cooking, wearing her sleeveless cyan shirt, exposing her toned shoulder muscles, and her signature apron. She was listening to some music as well, moving here and there around the kitchen. The amount of happiness that gets her when she cooks, especially when it's for her and Sage. The thought alone gives her butterflies.
Jett promised herself that she wouldn't eat anything else until Sage arrives, she hasn't ate lunch. Only the simple, small breakfast Sage made for her was in her stomach. The hunger wasn't getting to her, not yet.
She made a whole variety of food that Sage has never tasted, yet would love to eat. She knew, she was very familiar with Sage's taste in food.
She could already imagine Sage entering the door with a smile on her face, hopefully, going back home leaving the bitter mood behind and away.
Hopefully.
•••
The clock was ticking a little too slow for Sage's liking, she was only three hours away from going home.
"Doctor Sage, you're being called in the Emergency Room. We have patient with major physical injuries due through a car accident, it's urgent." A nurse spoke to her, her eyes widened, a surgery lasts more than 3 hours, on a major injury? Sage signed but began making her way in the hallway to head for the Emergency Room. She felt like she was forgetting something, yet she couldn't put a thought to it. She shrugged, changed into the surgeon fit and entered the Emergency Room.
•••
Jett was only doing the plating now, Sage was an hour away from going home. She quickly got to the living room to set up the party hats, the balloons, and the other decorations.
An hour passed quickly for her since she was only tidying herself up and the kitchen counter, Jett pulled out the birthday cake from the fridge and set everything up properly, making her way to dim the lights and sit on the couch.
"Now we wait."
Jett was sitting impatiently, typically, Sage arrives home at 10 pm, yet it's been 30 minutes, but it was only 30 minutes. Jett tried her best to console herself that maybe Sage was stuck in traffic.
11:13 pm. No knocks, no replies from her messages, it was only a matter of less than an hour and it's her day.
She began to frown once again, her stomach grumbling from her hunger. She laid down on the couch, and let time pass by, minutes, nothing.
•••
From: Jett❤️
— Sage, I'm waiting for you ^-^
sent: 10:34 PM
— I hope you're doing well! If you come home, there's a surprise waiting!
sent: 11:04 PM
— I feel it's cold tonight, make sure to wear the scarf on your bag, okay?
sent: 11:36 PM
— Happy Birthday to Me, thank you for being here. I hope you have a safe way home. I love you.
sent: 12:05 AM
•••
After possibly one of the hardest operations Sage has done in a while, she managed to save the life of the patient on a 7 hour surgery. She stretched when she got out of the room. Her co-workers congratulating her and admiring her for her hard work. Finally, a good news, she has something to tell Jett when she's home. It was 2:18 in the morning, and she had to rush home to go and have rest with her beloved.
Until she took her phone out of her bag when she arrived inside her car, a string of messages that was left unread had her brows furrowed in confusion, not wasting a second to unlock her phone, it was from Jett.
— Happy Birthday to Me, thank you for being here. I hope you have a safe way home. I love you.
sent: 12:05 AM
Sage panicked, it was the 2nd of June.
It was Jett's 27th birthday.
•••
After safely rushing home, she went to unlock the door, slowly pushing it open, yet bumping into something to stop it. Sage looked down to see Jett was sleeping on the floor, hugging the teddy bear Sage won for her back when Jett took Sage into an amusement park date, their first.
Sage whole heartedly felt guilty, alot.
She looked over at the living to see the candles 27 placed together, the number 2's flame already blown out, since to them, each of them get to blow a number in the candle everytime it's one another's birthday. Sage got back to her senses and carried Jett off the floor and carried her to the couch. Jett slightly furrowing her brows, and opening her eyes. Yet to see her lover infront of her.
"Welcome home... Sage." Jett smiled, weakly. Her smile turning upside down slightly when she felt tears make it's way on her cheeks. It wasn't hers, it was Sage's.
"W-why, why are you being so happy right now... I just missed it, I just missed a celebration we always did together." Sage cried, Jett couldn't help but smile once again, sitting up from the couch to wipe Sage's tears.
"I told you, I will always understand your situation."
"But what about yours? Jett, I feel guilty. The past day I haven't treated you right at all yet you... Yet you still did this, you still hoped I'm going to be here."
Jett slicked Sage's hair back before cupping her chin, giving her a short, soft kiss before she spoke "Well, you're here now. That's all that matters, I... I'm happy. And it's enough."
Sage felt guiltier and guiltier each time Jett speaks, sniffing a few times before she pulled Jett in for a hug, they have been together for so long. Jett must've felt so betrayed from the sudden change of pace from the events. She was so bubbly, so cheerful when it comes to Sage. So happy, and so kind. Most of all, very forgiving.
"I'm sorry." Sage softly mumbled for the last time, feeling Jett's hand pat her back "Let's do this, once more. But this time, I'm here."
Jett pulled away from the hug, holding Sage's hand as they stood up to brighten the lights, both of them wearing the hats and tries of stiffled little giggles.
"Happy Birthday 27th birthday, my love." Sage spoke as she blew the left candle, the two of them pressing their lips together after.
Sage was not lying. Jett felt sad.
But for her?
The small things mean the most, and the bad things are swept away. Look on the bright side even when you're hurt. That way. You think of a plan what you do next and how you overcome your sadness.