one x one with jae bird

[thingie]

madeline's head shifted back over to joby at his reply. it suddenly dawned on her that if she left him out here, he'd be by himself, unsure how to get back to the apartment. besides, he said he didn't need anymore time to think, which convinced her little. her brows knitted together, a pitiful expression on her face as she tapped into his other comment. swiftly, madeline walked back over to the park bench, placing a hand on joby's shoulder in an intimate manner. "this isn't your fault, joby. sometimes, things like this happen.." madeline bit her lip, mentally grimacing at her own words. the grip on his shoulder lightened. "...do you think you're ready to head back to the apartment? i'll bet you're pretty hungry." the young woman threw on a nervous smile, hoping that it would cheer up the dreary mood.

[xiao.]

joby was surprised as she approached him and placed her hand on his shoulder. "things like this only happen because of guys like me." he mumbled. if he'd just been smarter about it, and thought of the consequences... but of course he didn't remember what was going through his head at the time. he sighed quietly, glancing down at her hand. "yeah, i am actually." he replied quietly, but her smile made him feel a little better. one corner of his lips quirked up slightly, and he shyly looked down at his shoes. he was reminded of how hungry he was, and how he was excited to eat food that wasn't from the hospital, and it made him wonder if she was a good cook.

[thingie]

for a moment, madeline's grin widened as soon as it left. "good, because i am too," she chided, waiting for joby to rise from the bench before making her way past the park, and back to the apartment. she liked to think she was an okay cook. whenever her parents were busy way back when, she'd always try and whip up something for her and anthony, and he never complained. neither did joby. then again, both of them were total foodies so they weren't the best to reference. either that or they didn't want to upset her.

[xiao.]

joby nodded and began to follow her, thinking about what she was going to cook. maybe burgers, or pasta, or chicken. he loved chicken. food always made him happy, and though he would never admit it, he was a stress eater. he'd probably eat anything he could get his hands on. finally, when they arrived back at the apartment, he kicked his boots off, before settling down on the couch. "do you want help with anything?"

[thingie]

the keys in madeline's hands tapped over the knob as she twisted it, kicking her heels off as soon as she stepped in. distractedly, the young woman tilted her head over to joby as he entered, squeezing in to shut the door behind him. after setting the keys down on the kitchen counter, madeline rifled through the fridge, eyes focused as she tried to create a makeshift recipe in her mind based on the ingredients in front of her. "oh, uh.. well, i'm still trying to figure out what what we can eat.." she muttered, tucking a strand of her hair. she clicked her tongue, spinning back over to meet joby's gaze briefly. "i have some chicken we could grill, if that sounds good to you?"

[xiao.]

the man watched her curiously, his stomach rumbling angrily for food. normally he'd probably be pretty impatient, but he didn't want to be rude. though the old joby would bounce over to her before she'd even began cooking and ask her when it would be ready, what she was putting on it, and try to steal pieces of food. but now it was like he was just invited over for dinner with a new friend. at the mention of chicken, he perked up, nodding. "mhm, that's perfect."

[thingie]

madeline smiled, grabbing the chicken from out of the fridge. she set it down on the counter behind her and took a knife from the dishwasher, running it under hot water for good measure, as she began slicing the chicken into smaller wedges. madeline placed a pan, already covered with cooking spray, on top of the stove, followed by the chicken itself and a few slices of onion to give it a bit of flavor. for some reason, the aroma swirling around in the air from the food made her feel nauseous. it never did before, but she wasn't surprised. this whole pregnancy thing would probably make her feel sick from everything, including smells.

[xiao.]

joby watched her begin cooking curiously, his head tilted. maybe she'd teach him how to cook sometime. as he watched her, he began to zone out, his thoughts drifting to the baby. would it be a girl or a boy? what would they name it? would he ever get to sleep again once it was born? all these questions swirled around his head, he hadn't even noticed that his eyes had drifted to a lower place on her body. finally, his eyes focused, but he didn't shift his gaze. he had to admit, she was really gorgeous. he could see himself going after her.

[ oof sorry this is late! ]

[thingie]

once she was finished, madeline grabbed a couple plates from the cupboard, setting them down on the counter as she began dividing up the food from the pan. she washed the pan off in the sink, taking two forks from one of the kitchen drawers and placing them on both of the plates. madeline sat down awkwardly on one of the bar stools, taking a bite from her share as she stole a glance in joby's way, noticing that he was staring at her. a slight amount of red dusted over her cheeks, though she smiled in spite of it. maybe things would start working out in the long-run, madeline wasn't sure. would it be possible for him to fall in love with her again?

// lmao dw ^^ we can timeskip to the next day if you want!!

[xiao.]

[ okay! ]

joby thought he was dying by the time she finished cooking, and he hurried over to sit, blushing when he realized she saw him staring. he looked away, and began wolfing down his food.

that night joby had insisted on sleeping on the couch, so she could have the bedroom. he didn't feel comfortable sharing a bed with her just yet, even though he felt bad about it. in the morning, he woke early from the sun shining on his face, and found he couldn't go back to sleep. so he rolled off the couch and moved into the kitchen, figuring maybe he could make some breakfast. sighing, he opened the fridge, bending over to see what was inside.