Captivated
Title: Captivated
Characters: Jude/Max
Fandom: Across the Universe
Rating: PG-13
Table: 11
Prompt: 9, First Date
Author's Note: This is entirely a product of imagination, and I do not own Jude Feeny, Max Carrigan, or any of the other characters depicted in the film Across the Universe.
"Do you remember our first date?" Jude asked Max as the two of them lay in bed. Jude's head was pillowed on Max's chest; his lover was gently stroking his hair, those long fingers almost hypnotizing him with their touch. "I do. Like it was yesterday."
"You make it sound like it was such a long time ago," Max said with a laugh. "It was only a few months, Jude. It's not like we've been together forever yet, babe -- even though it feels like I've known you and loved you all my life."
"It's hard for me to remember a time when I wasn't with you," Jude admitted, raising his head slightly to look at his boyfriend. "Isn't that weird? It's almost like I didn't exist before I knew you, even though I knew I did. I think my life started when we met."
"Mine too," Max told him, his voice soft and reminiscent. "I remember the first time I saw you, when I was running from those guys in my dorm. I thought I might have died and gone to heaven, because I knew I was looking at an angel."
"Come on, Max!" Jude said, laughing. "I'm no angel, and you know it. But I thought you were -- just from looking at you, that is. An angel with a scruffy face and a wild look in his eyes. But then I found out what you were running from, and I changed my mind."
"What, you decided I wasn't an angel after all and I was the devil instead?" Max teased, laughing along with Jude. "Just because you found out that I like to get up to a little fun now and then? If I recall correctly, you kind of went along with me."
"Did I have a choice?" Jude asked with mock outrage. "After all, I knew that I'd have to take your side if I wanted to stay around the angel I'd found. So yeah, of course I went along with you. And I've got to admit that I've never regretted it for one second."
"Neither have I," Max said softly, stroking his fingers through the softness of Jude's hair. "I love being with you, Jude. I can't imagine what my life would be like if I wasn't. I guess I'd still be in school, pretending to be what my parents want me to be."
Jude shook his head, his mood changing from playful to serious. "No, Max, you wouldn't. You've got too much integrity for that. I think that even if I hadn't come into your life, you'd have left school and started being your own man."
"Do you really?" Max asked, sounding unsure. "I don't know, Jude. I think you coming into my life and knowing that I was in love is what gave me the strength to finally defy my parents and come out. All the things I did to defy them before were just child's play."
"Maybe they were, but you were at least still putting up a fight for what you believed in, even if you didn't quite take it all the way," Jude pointed out, cuddling closer to Max's side. "Maybe I just gave you that final push you needed to make it out of the nest for good."
"You sure did!" Max laughed, shaking his head ruefully. "I realized after the first few days I'd known you that I was in love with a man, and that I couldn't lie about who I was any more. It was about time, too. If it wasn't for you, I'd still be living a lie."
"When did you first realize that you were in love with me?" Jude asked, his voice soft. "I think I knew right off the bat. I even admitted to myself that first night, when I was sleeping in that basement room, that I was in love with you, even though I barely knew you."
"It took me a few days," Max admitted with a sigh. "Well, I think I knew right at first, too, but I had to take a little time to actually admit it to myself. Once I did, I knew there was no turning back. And I think I knew when I asked you out on our first date."
"That was a beautiful night," Jude whispered, his mind going back to that first date. "Sitting across from you at the table in that restaurant -- and then hearing you tell me how you felt. You were kind of hesitant, like you didn't know if I'd feel the same way."
"I didn't!" Max told him, laughing again. "I was so sure that you'd be disgusted and get up and walk away from me. I was petrified through the first part of the meal, because I knew what I wanted to say -- what I had to say -- and I was so scared you'd reject me."
"I'd never have done that," Jude protested, shaking his head. "I loved you even then, when we first met, Max. I might not have been able to say it in so many words right at first, but I felt it. I'd have thought you could feel that love reaching out to you."
"Maybe I did," Max said thoughtfully, his tone contemplative. "Maybe that's a big part of what gave me the strength to defy my parents and to tell you how I was feeling. If I hadn't known somewhere inside that you loved me, I'd never have been that brave."
"Oh yes, you would have," Jude told him, his voice firm. "You're the bravest man I've ever known, Max. You'd have told me how you felt, and you'd have given your parents what for, too. I know you would have. It might have taken longer, but you'd eventually have done it."
"You're so sure of me, babe," Max said with a sigh. "I've never had anybody believe in me the way you do -- not even Lucy when she was a little kid. I expected my little sister to look up to me -- but I didn't expect it from you. It makes me feel humble."
"You? Humble?" Jude couldn't help but laugh at his boyfriend's words. "Max, you're anything but humble. Don't forget, this is me you're talking to. I know you better than anybody. If there's one person in the world who's not humble, it's you."
"Oh yeah?" Max's voice was full of mock indignation, but Jude could hear the laughter lurking just under the surface of his words. "You really think so? I should turn you over my knee and spank you for that, Jude Feeny. You can't talk about me like that."
"I think I just did," Jude informed his lover, his dark eyes sparkling with laughter. "And anyway, weren't we talking about our first date? How'd we get from that to discussing whether you're humble or not? We tend to ramble a lot in our conversations."
"Our first date." Max's voice was dreamy again, reminiscent. "I can remember how you looked in that candlelight across the table from me. I spent the whole meal wanting to lean over and kiss you. I couldn't take my eyes off your mouth."
"I could tell!" Jude said, finally laughing aloud. "You kept staring at my lips. I kept wondering if I'd spilled something on my face and that was why you were staring at me. But after a while, all I could do was stare right back at you. I was mesmerized by you."
"I'm still mesmerized by you," Max whispered, his arm tightening around Jude's waist. "I always will be, Jude. From the first time I saw you, to our first date, to the first time we made love, to right now -- and far into the future. You'll always captivate me."
Jude couldn't speak for a moment; his heart was too full of emotion. He felt exactly the same about Max, but he hadn't been able to put those feelings into words. His boyfriend, who was usually the inarticulate one of the two of them, had done it perfectly.
"I love you, Max," he managed to whisper after a few moments of silence. "I've loved you since I first met you. That first date only confirmed my feelings to me -- and I was captivated by you then, just like I am now. Just like I'll always be."
Those words didn't need an answer; Jude raised his head to see what was written in Max's eyes, then felt himself drawn down to the other man for a long, lingering kiss that took his breath away. A kiss that made the world spin, made his senses reeling incoherently.
Jude wrapped his arms around Max, letting his boyfriend roll him over onto his back, feeling those hands start to move down his body. He closed his eyes, sinking into the pleasure of Max's touch, knowing that he would always be captivated by this man, now and in whatever future might lay ahead of them.
Characters: Jude/Max
Fandom: Across the Universe
Rating: PG-13
Table: 11
Prompt: 9, First Date
Author's Note: This is entirely a product of imagination, and I do not own Jude Feeny, Max Carrigan, or any of the other characters depicted in the film Across the Universe.
"Do you remember our first date?" Jude asked Max as the two of them lay in bed. Jude's head was pillowed on Max's chest; his lover was gently stroking his hair, those long fingers almost hypnotizing him with their touch. "I do. Like it was yesterday."
"You make it sound like it was such a long time ago," Max said with a laugh. "It was only a few months, Jude. It's not like we've been together forever yet, babe -- even though it feels like I've known you and loved you all my life."
"It's hard for me to remember a time when I wasn't with you," Jude admitted, raising his head slightly to look at his boyfriend. "Isn't that weird? It's almost like I didn't exist before I knew you, even though I knew I did. I think my life started when we met."
"Mine too," Max told him, his voice soft and reminiscent. "I remember the first time I saw you, when I was running from those guys in my dorm. I thought I might have died and gone to heaven, because I knew I was looking at an angel."
"Come on, Max!" Jude said, laughing. "I'm no angel, and you know it. But I thought you were -- just from looking at you, that is. An angel with a scruffy face and a wild look in his eyes. But then I found out what you were running from, and I changed my mind."
"What, you decided I wasn't an angel after all and I was the devil instead?" Max teased, laughing along with Jude. "Just because you found out that I like to get up to a little fun now and then? If I recall correctly, you kind of went along with me."
"Did I have a choice?" Jude asked with mock outrage. "After all, I knew that I'd have to take your side if I wanted to stay around the angel I'd found. So yeah, of course I went along with you. And I've got to admit that I've never regretted it for one second."
"Neither have I," Max said softly, stroking his fingers through the softness of Jude's hair. "I love being with you, Jude. I can't imagine what my life would be like if I wasn't. I guess I'd still be in school, pretending to be what my parents want me to be."
Jude shook his head, his mood changing from playful to serious. "No, Max, you wouldn't. You've got too much integrity for that. I think that even if I hadn't come into your life, you'd have left school and started being your own man."
"Do you really?" Max asked, sounding unsure. "I don't know, Jude. I think you coming into my life and knowing that I was in love is what gave me the strength to finally defy my parents and come out. All the things I did to defy them before were just child's play."
"Maybe they were, but you were at least still putting up a fight for what you believed in, even if you didn't quite take it all the way," Jude pointed out, cuddling closer to Max's side. "Maybe I just gave you that final push you needed to make it out of the nest for good."
"You sure did!" Max laughed, shaking his head ruefully. "I realized after the first few days I'd known you that I was in love with a man, and that I couldn't lie about who I was any more. It was about time, too. If it wasn't for you, I'd still be living a lie."
"When did you first realize that you were in love with me?" Jude asked, his voice soft. "I think I knew right off the bat. I even admitted to myself that first night, when I was sleeping in that basement room, that I was in love with you, even though I barely knew you."
"It took me a few days," Max admitted with a sigh. "Well, I think I knew right at first, too, but I had to take a little time to actually admit it to myself. Once I did, I knew there was no turning back. And I think I knew when I asked you out on our first date."
"That was a beautiful night," Jude whispered, his mind going back to that first date. "Sitting across from you at the table in that restaurant -- and then hearing you tell me how you felt. You were kind of hesitant, like you didn't know if I'd feel the same way."
"I didn't!" Max told him, laughing again. "I was so sure that you'd be disgusted and get up and walk away from me. I was petrified through the first part of the meal, because I knew what I wanted to say -- what I had to say -- and I was so scared you'd reject me."
"I'd never have done that," Jude protested, shaking his head. "I loved you even then, when we first met, Max. I might not have been able to say it in so many words right at first, but I felt it. I'd have thought you could feel that love reaching out to you."
"Maybe I did," Max said thoughtfully, his tone contemplative. "Maybe that's a big part of what gave me the strength to defy my parents and to tell you how I was feeling. If I hadn't known somewhere inside that you loved me, I'd never have been that brave."
"Oh yes, you would have," Jude told him, his voice firm. "You're the bravest man I've ever known, Max. You'd have told me how you felt, and you'd have given your parents what for, too. I know you would have. It might have taken longer, but you'd eventually have done it."
"You're so sure of me, babe," Max said with a sigh. "I've never had anybody believe in me the way you do -- not even Lucy when she was a little kid. I expected my little sister to look up to me -- but I didn't expect it from you. It makes me feel humble."
"You? Humble?" Jude couldn't help but laugh at his boyfriend's words. "Max, you're anything but humble. Don't forget, this is me you're talking to. I know you better than anybody. If there's one person in the world who's not humble, it's you."
"Oh yeah?" Max's voice was full of mock indignation, but Jude could hear the laughter lurking just under the surface of his words. "You really think so? I should turn you over my knee and spank you for that, Jude Feeny. You can't talk about me like that."
"I think I just did," Jude informed his lover, his dark eyes sparkling with laughter. "And anyway, weren't we talking about our first date? How'd we get from that to discussing whether you're humble or not? We tend to ramble a lot in our conversations."
"Our first date." Max's voice was dreamy again, reminiscent. "I can remember how you looked in that candlelight across the table from me. I spent the whole meal wanting to lean over and kiss you. I couldn't take my eyes off your mouth."
"I could tell!" Jude said, finally laughing aloud. "You kept staring at my lips. I kept wondering if I'd spilled something on my face and that was why you were staring at me. But after a while, all I could do was stare right back at you. I was mesmerized by you."
"I'm still mesmerized by you," Max whispered, his arm tightening around Jude's waist. "I always will be, Jude. From the first time I saw you, to our first date, to the first time we made love, to right now -- and far into the future. You'll always captivate me."
Jude couldn't speak for a moment; his heart was too full of emotion. He felt exactly the same about Max, but he hadn't been able to put those feelings into words. His boyfriend, who was usually the inarticulate one of the two of them, had done it perfectly.
"I love you, Max," he managed to whisper after a few moments of silence. "I've loved you since I first met you. That first date only confirmed my feelings to me -- and I was captivated by you then, just like I am now. Just like I'll always be."
Those words didn't need an answer; Jude raised his head to see what was written in Max's eyes, then felt himself drawn down to the other man for a long, lingering kiss that took his breath away. A kiss that made the world spin, made his senses reeling incoherently.
Jude wrapped his arms around Max, letting his boyfriend roll him over onto his back, feeling those hands start to move down his body. He closed his eyes, sinking into the pleasure of Max's touch, knowing that he would always be captivated by this man, now and in whatever future might lay ahead of them.