Promise Me Forever
Title: Promise Me Forever
Characters: Jude/Max
Fandom: Across the Universe
Rating: PG-13
Table: 11
Prompt: 29, Promise
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.
"Promise me that you'll never leave me," Jude whispered, his breath soft and warm against Max's bare skin a as the two of them lay in each other's arms. "Promise me that I'll never have to be alone, or spend one night of my life without you."
"Jude, you know I can't do that," Max protested, sighing. "Anything could happen, babe. I could get caught in a snowstorm and not be able to make it home from the bar one night. I could have to go to my parents' place for some emergency and not take you with me."
"I don't think I could bear to spend a night without you holding me. I've gotten way too used to this," Jude told him with a soft sigh, snuggling closer to his boyfriend's warm body. "If I had to spend a single night without you, I think I'd go completely crazy."
"What if I get drafted, babe?" Max asked, his voice soft and hushed in the quiet of their bedroom. "It could happen, you know. I could end up out there in Viet Nam for months or even years, thousands of miles away from you. What would you do then?"
"I'd probably try to follow you!" Jude said with a laugh, then sobering immediately. "If you got drafted, I don't know what I'd do," he whispered, his thin arms wrapping around Max's waist to pull his lover close. "What if it happens, Max? What do we do then?"
"We just try to make the best of it, I guess," Max said, his tone thoughtful. "I wouldn't run away, Jude. I know everybody would expect me to -- but I couldn't do that. Besides, you'd never be able to get into Canada with me if I did, not without documentation."
Jude nodded, knowing that Max was right. Maybe coming to America before he'd had the money to get a proper passport and do it legally had been one of the stupidest things he'd ever done. He had to be careful all the time, in case he was caught and sent back to Liverpool.
But if he hadn't come over here when he had, then he might never have met Max. He wouldn't be spending his life with the man he loved, and that would have been a tragedy for both of them, he told himself. He'd done the right thing by coming here when he had.
What if he had decided not to, if it had gotten into his head that finally finding his father wasn't something he wanted to do? The thought made his blood run cold; the idea of not being with Max gave him the shivers. He didn't want to contemplate that turn of events.
Without Max in his life, he would still be in Liverpool, working on a fishing boat for a living and hating every second of it. He would still be pretending that he cared about a girl whose face he couldn't even remember now, still be living a lie every second of his life.
That wasn't the life he wanted for himself. He wanted to be here, with Max, no matter where they were. As long as they were together, nothing else in life really mattered, did it? As long as he was with his soul mate, everything else in his life would simply fall into place.
But sometimes, that wasn't enough. Sometimes he needed to hear Max say words that would assure him of their togetherness, words that promised him a forever that he needed to hold close to his heart and believe in. He needed that promise, that reassurance.
Forever was a very long time, but Jude was absolutely positive that he and Max were meant to be with each other for all of eternity. It didn't seem right that two people who loved each other so much could ever be taken away from each other, in any sort of way.
What if that did happen? The thought of Max being drafted was the most frightening possibility on the horizon -- and even though Max's parents seemed to think that because of his family name, he would be spared that indignity, it could happen. There were no guarantees.
The idea of Max having to run off to Canada to avoid going to Viet Nam weighed heavily on Jude's mind -- though he knew that all he could do was hope it wouldn't happen. Maybe his lover's parents were right, and the fact that he was from an important family would keep it from happening.
But if it didn't .... Jude firmly pushed the thought away from him, refusing to countenance it. Max wasn't going to be drafted. He wasn't going to have to think about running away. He was going to stay here, in New York, where he belonged, with the person who loved him.
"I need you to promise that you'll be with me forever," Jude said, wondering what Max would think of those words. "I know that you might not be able to stay right by my side all the time, but I need to know that you'll always be with me in spirit. That you'll always love me."
"Do you think I ever wouldn't?" Max asked, placing a finger under Jude's chin and tilting the younger man's face up to his own. "Jude, I've loved you since the first time I laid eyes on you. You don't ever have to worry about that love ending. It's never going to."
"So many people say that -- and then it happens," Jude told him, his breath catching in his throat. He had to blink a few times to hold back the rise of imminent tears, tears that he didn't want to shed. "I need to hear you say it, Max. Please."
"I promise that I'll never leave you," Max whispered, his intense blue gaze concentrated on Jude's face. "I promise that I'll love you forever -- and that I'll be with you forever, with all my heart and soul, even if I'm not right here with you. I'll always be yours, Jude. I promise."
"I'm yours too, Max," he managed to say, though his throat felt as if it was closing with emotion. "I've been yours ever since the first time you looked into my eyes and smiled at me. I'll be yours until the end of time. Forever. For all of eternity."
Jude couldn't hold the tears back after that; they were falling down his face, and Max was tenderly wiping them away with soft, gentle fingertips, pulling him close and kissing him. But even though the tears didn't seem to want to stop, his heart was light, soaring as high as the clouds.
Those words were all he had needed to hear for him to feel safe and secure. Of course, he always felt safe with Max, but just knowing that his lover wanted to stay with him for all of their lives gave him a sense of security that he'd never felt before in his life.
There had been no security at home in Liverpool with his mother, the only family he'd ever known. But here, in Max's arms, when he'd just had a sincere promise of forever, he was not only safe and secure -- he was happier than he'd ever thought he could possibly be.
He had his promise -- even though, in his heart, he had known that it was already there. He knew that Max loved him, just as deeply as he loved Max. He hadn't really needed to be promised forever. He had known that promise was already there, unspoken between them.
But it had been good to hear the words. Jude sighed in contentment, snuggling into Max's embrace and closing his eyes. Whatever might come at them in the future, he had all that he needed to make him happy and secure, in a promise that he knew would never be broken.
Characters: Jude/Max
Fandom: Across the Universe
Rating: PG-13
Table: 11
Prompt: 29, Promise
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.
"Promise me that you'll never leave me," Jude whispered, his breath soft and warm against Max's bare skin a as the two of them lay in each other's arms. "Promise me that I'll never have to be alone, or spend one night of my life without you."
"Jude, you know I can't do that," Max protested, sighing. "Anything could happen, babe. I could get caught in a snowstorm and not be able to make it home from the bar one night. I could have to go to my parents' place for some emergency and not take you with me."
"I don't think I could bear to spend a night without you holding me. I've gotten way too used to this," Jude told him with a soft sigh, snuggling closer to his boyfriend's warm body. "If I had to spend a single night without you, I think I'd go completely crazy."
"What if I get drafted, babe?" Max asked, his voice soft and hushed in the quiet of their bedroom. "It could happen, you know. I could end up out there in Viet Nam for months or even years, thousands of miles away from you. What would you do then?"
"I'd probably try to follow you!" Jude said with a laugh, then sobering immediately. "If you got drafted, I don't know what I'd do," he whispered, his thin arms wrapping around Max's waist to pull his lover close. "What if it happens, Max? What do we do then?"
"We just try to make the best of it, I guess," Max said, his tone thoughtful. "I wouldn't run away, Jude. I know everybody would expect me to -- but I couldn't do that. Besides, you'd never be able to get into Canada with me if I did, not without documentation."
Jude nodded, knowing that Max was right. Maybe coming to America before he'd had the money to get a proper passport and do it legally had been one of the stupidest things he'd ever done. He had to be careful all the time, in case he was caught and sent back to Liverpool.
But if he hadn't come over here when he had, then he might never have met Max. He wouldn't be spending his life with the man he loved, and that would have been a tragedy for both of them, he told himself. He'd done the right thing by coming here when he had.
What if he had decided not to, if it had gotten into his head that finally finding his father wasn't something he wanted to do? The thought made his blood run cold; the idea of not being with Max gave him the shivers. He didn't want to contemplate that turn of events.
Without Max in his life, he would still be in Liverpool, working on a fishing boat for a living and hating every second of it. He would still be pretending that he cared about a girl whose face he couldn't even remember now, still be living a lie every second of his life.
That wasn't the life he wanted for himself. He wanted to be here, with Max, no matter where they were. As long as they were together, nothing else in life really mattered, did it? As long as he was with his soul mate, everything else in his life would simply fall into place.
But sometimes, that wasn't enough. Sometimes he needed to hear Max say words that would assure him of their togetherness, words that promised him a forever that he needed to hold close to his heart and believe in. He needed that promise, that reassurance.
Forever was a very long time, but Jude was absolutely positive that he and Max were meant to be with each other for all of eternity. It didn't seem right that two people who loved each other so much could ever be taken away from each other, in any sort of way.
What if that did happen? The thought of Max being drafted was the most frightening possibility on the horizon -- and even though Max's parents seemed to think that because of his family name, he would be spared that indignity, it could happen. There were no guarantees.
The idea of Max having to run off to Canada to avoid going to Viet Nam weighed heavily on Jude's mind -- though he knew that all he could do was hope it wouldn't happen. Maybe his lover's parents were right, and the fact that he was from an important family would keep it from happening.
But if it didn't .... Jude firmly pushed the thought away from him, refusing to countenance it. Max wasn't going to be drafted. He wasn't going to have to think about running away. He was going to stay here, in New York, where he belonged, with the person who loved him.
"I need you to promise that you'll be with me forever," Jude said, wondering what Max would think of those words. "I know that you might not be able to stay right by my side all the time, but I need to know that you'll always be with me in spirit. That you'll always love me."
"Do you think I ever wouldn't?" Max asked, placing a finger under Jude's chin and tilting the younger man's face up to his own. "Jude, I've loved you since the first time I laid eyes on you. You don't ever have to worry about that love ending. It's never going to."
"So many people say that -- and then it happens," Jude told him, his breath catching in his throat. He had to blink a few times to hold back the rise of imminent tears, tears that he didn't want to shed. "I need to hear you say it, Max. Please."
"I promise that I'll never leave you," Max whispered, his intense blue gaze concentrated on Jude's face. "I promise that I'll love you forever -- and that I'll be with you forever, with all my heart and soul, even if I'm not right here with you. I'll always be yours, Jude. I promise."
"I'm yours too, Max," he managed to say, though his throat felt as if it was closing with emotion. "I've been yours ever since the first time you looked into my eyes and smiled at me. I'll be yours until the end of time. Forever. For all of eternity."
Jude couldn't hold the tears back after that; they were falling down his face, and Max was tenderly wiping them away with soft, gentle fingertips, pulling him close and kissing him. But even though the tears didn't seem to want to stop, his heart was light, soaring as high as the clouds.
Those words were all he had needed to hear for him to feel safe and secure. Of course, he always felt safe with Max, but just knowing that his lover wanted to stay with him for all of their lives gave him a sense of security that he'd never felt before in his life.
There had been no security at home in Liverpool with his mother, the only family he'd ever known. But here, in Max's arms, when he'd just had a sincere promise of forever, he was not only safe and secure -- he was happier than he'd ever thought he could possibly be.
He had his promise -- even though, in his heart, he had known that it was already there. He knew that Max loved him, just as deeply as he loved Max. He hadn't really needed to be promised forever. He had known that promise was already there, unspoken between them.
But it had been good to hear the words. Jude sighed in contentment, snuggling into Max's embrace and closing his eyes. Whatever might come at them in the future, he had all that he needed to make him happy and secure, in a promise that he knew would never be broken.