Tender Loving Care
Title: Tender Loving Care
Characters: Jude/Max
Fandom: Across the Universe
Rating: PG-13
Table: 11
Prompt: 26, Sick
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.
"Max, you don't have to take care of me," Jude protested as his boyfriend sat down by their bed and raised a glass of water to his lips. "I'll be okay. I'm just feeling a little under the weather, that's all. It'll pass. You don't have to be a nurse."
"I like playing nurse," Max told him firmly, shaking his head. "And besides, I can't help but worry about you when you're sick. It doesn't happen all that often, and that's more than enough in itself to make me worry.You're not the kind of person who's always getting sick."
"It's probably just a flu bug or something," Jude murmured as he obediently sipped at the water Max held for him. Truth be told, he actually liked being taken care of like this, even though he wasn't going to admit it out loud.
His mother had never really had time to take care of him when he was ill. She had always been too busy with the job that put food on the table for both of them; he'd had to be independent from an early age and learn to take care of himself.
Max was the first person who had ever given him that kind of tender loving care he craved. Even his former girlfriend back in Liverpool hadn't been much of a nurturing type; she had been more likely to run away from sickness than to be a mother hen.
It wasn't that he blamed the people in his past for not taking care of him properly, Jude told himself. His mother had done her best, and as for his girlfriend .... well, their relationship had always been one more of convenience than real passion.
"I don't want you to get up today," Max told him, his tone mock-severe. "The only time you're going to get out of bed is if you have to go to the bathroom. I want to make sure you get all the rest you need, and that you get well quickly. So you're staying put."
Jude nodded meekly, unable to keep back a small smile. Max almost sounded more like a drill sergeant than a lover, he thought, but he knew that was only because his boyfriend loved him and was worried about him. Max was trying to camouflage that concern.
"Max, I'm not suffering from some kind of deadly disease," he said softly, wishing that he could set Max's mind at ease. "It's probably just a bug that I'll get over in a couple of days. The flu has been going around, you know. There's nothing to get worried about."
"I know that," Max admitted with a sigh. "But I still can't help worrying, Jude. "You're the most important person in my life. I don't know how I'd cope if anything happened to you, and I guess that when something small happens, my mind immediately goes on alert for the worst."
"Nobody had to go to the hospital or died from a little bug," Jude told him, hoping that he was right. He had no idea if anyone had died from being sick in the way he was, but he hoped not. He wasn't going to let himself get worked up because of a little virus.
"That may be true," Max said, still looking worried. "But I want to make sure you're not the first, okay? Just relax and let me baby you a little. I'm a pretty good nursemaid, if I do say so myself. Even if I'm not wearing a white uniform and those sexy white tights."
"You think those white nursing tights are sexy?" Jude rolled his eyes, making a face. "They always make me think of hospitals and illness. Not sexy at all." He was trying to turn the conversation to another line of thought, to get Max's mind off him being sick.
"To each his own," Max said with a laugh. "And now that I've got you, the only thing I think is sexy is seeing you naked. Or even without your shirt on. Or just looking at you when you first wake up in the morning, with your sleepy eyes and your hair all tousled ...."
Max's words trailed off as he leaned forward; Jude was almost sure that his boyfriend was going to kiss him, and as much as he didn't want to do so, he pulled back and placed a finger to Max's lips. "You don't want to kiss me, love. You'll get my germs."
Max sighed, nodding as he sat back and looked down at Jude. "Okay, okay, you're right. No kissing, as hard as that is for me to do. The last thing we need is for both of us to be sick. Then there wouldn't be anybody to take care of you."
"I'd probably end up taking care of you, in that case!" Jude said with a laugh, shaking his head. "I know how you are when you get sick, Max. You're like a bear with a thorn in its paw. You can be the biggest baby when you're not feeling well."
"You're a lot better as a patient than I am," Max admitted, laughing along with Jude. "At least you'll lie in bed quietly and listen to what I tell you, instead of being all pouty and pissed off that you're sick and insisting that you need to get up."
"I promise that I'll stay right here in bed until I feel better," Jude told him, pulling the covers up around himself. "I don't feel like getting up, anyway. My stomach is all unsettled, and I don't want to throw up if I can help it. That's not something I like doing."
Max made a face, nodding in agreement. "That's not one of the things I like about being a nurse," he said, getting up from his chair. "But if you need me, then I'm here for you, baby. I'm going to go get you some soda and saltines to settle your stomach, okay?"
Jude nodded, giving his boyfriend a wan smile as Max left the room. He really disliked being sick; he felt that he was a burden to Max, making his boyfriend worry about him when Max had other things on his mind as well. He hated feeling so useless.
But if he stayed in bed and didn't try to get up and move around and probably make this worse, the sooner he would be feeling better and be back on his feet again. At least, that was what his more sensible side told him. The less practical side was screaming at him to do something.
But he wasn't going to do anything, Jude told himself firmly. He was going to stay here in bed, just as Max had told him to, and let this virus wind down until he felt better. That was really all he could do; he felt too weak and wrung-out to get up and be active.
Besides, it was nice to have his boyfriend at his beck and call, he thought with an inward smile. He hated to have Max worry about him, but still, it was nice to have him here, taking some time off work to play nursemaid, spending time with him.
That would end all too soon; he would be feeling better again within a few days, and life would go on as usual for the two of them. But for now, this was a kind of oasis, a little ripple in the water of their lives that made things seem different for just a brief time.
He could hear Max rummaging around in the kitchen, probably looking for a clean glass to pour the soda in. He was terrible about washing dishes. Jude resisted the impulse to go out there to help his boyfriend, snuggling under the covers and closing his eyes.
He hoped that he wouldn't be sick for much longer; it worried him that they weren't both working, and he was going to try to talk Max into going back to the bar tomorrow. After all, he wasn't dying; he could take care of himself if he needed to, and call Max if he had any problems.
For now, all he wanted to do was curl up in bed, knowing that his boyfriend was near, and fall into a deep, restful sleep. Jude sighed and puled the covers further over his shoulders, waiting for Max to come back into the room with more of that tender loving care.
Characters: Jude/Max
Fandom: Across the Universe
Rating: PG-13
Table: 11
Prompt: 26, Sick
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.
"Max, you don't have to take care of me," Jude protested as his boyfriend sat down by their bed and raised a glass of water to his lips. "I'll be okay. I'm just feeling a little under the weather, that's all. It'll pass. You don't have to be a nurse."
"I like playing nurse," Max told him firmly, shaking his head. "And besides, I can't help but worry about you when you're sick. It doesn't happen all that often, and that's more than enough in itself to make me worry.You're not the kind of person who's always getting sick."
"It's probably just a flu bug or something," Jude murmured as he obediently sipped at the water Max held for him. Truth be told, he actually liked being taken care of like this, even though he wasn't going to admit it out loud.
His mother had never really had time to take care of him when he was ill. She had always been too busy with the job that put food on the table for both of them; he'd had to be independent from an early age and learn to take care of himself.
Max was the first person who had ever given him that kind of tender loving care he craved. Even his former girlfriend back in Liverpool hadn't been much of a nurturing type; she had been more likely to run away from sickness than to be a mother hen.
It wasn't that he blamed the people in his past for not taking care of him properly, Jude told himself. His mother had done her best, and as for his girlfriend .... well, their relationship had always been one more of convenience than real passion.
"I don't want you to get up today," Max told him, his tone mock-severe. "The only time you're going to get out of bed is if you have to go to the bathroom. I want to make sure you get all the rest you need, and that you get well quickly. So you're staying put."
Jude nodded meekly, unable to keep back a small smile. Max almost sounded more like a drill sergeant than a lover, he thought, but he knew that was only because his boyfriend loved him and was worried about him. Max was trying to camouflage that concern.
"Max, I'm not suffering from some kind of deadly disease," he said softly, wishing that he could set Max's mind at ease. "It's probably just a bug that I'll get over in a couple of days. The flu has been going around, you know. There's nothing to get worried about."
"I know that," Max admitted with a sigh. "But I still can't help worrying, Jude. "You're the most important person in my life. I don't know how I'd cope if anything happened to you, and I guess that when something small happens, my mind immediately goes on alert for the worst."
"Nobody had to go to the hospital or died from a little bug," Jude told him, hoping that he was right. He had no idea if anyone had died from being sick in the way he was, but he hoped not. He wasn't going to let himself get worked up because of a little virus.
"That may be true," Max said, still looking worried. "But I want to make sure you're not the first, okay? Just relax and let me baby you a little. I'm a pretty good nursemaid, if I do say so myself. Even if I'm not wearing a white uniform and those sexy white tights."
"You think those white nursing tights are sexy?" Jude rolled his eyes, making a face. "They always make me think of hospitals and illness. Not sexy at all." He was trying to turn the conversation to another line of thought, to get Max's mind off him being sick.
"To each his own," Max said with a laugh. "And now that I've got you, the only thing I think is sexy is seeing you naked. Or even without your shirt on. Or just looking at you when you first wake up in the morning, with your sleepy eyes and your hair all tousled ...."
Max's words trailed off as he leaned forward; Jude was almost sure that his boyfriend was going to kiss him, and as much as he didn't want to do so, he pulled back and placed a finger to Max's lips. "You don't want to kiss me, love. You'll get my germs."
Max sighed, nodding as he sat back and looked down at Jude. "Okay, okay, you're right. No kissing, as hard as that is for me to do. The last thing we need is for both of us to be sick. Then there wouldn't be anybody to take care of you."
"I'd probably end up taking care of you, in that case!" Jude said with a laugh, shaking his head. "I know how you are when you get sick, Max. You're like a bear with a thorn in its paw. You can be the biggest baby when you're not feeling well."
"You're a lot better as a patient than I am," Max admitted, laughing along with Jude. "At least you'll lie in bed quietly and listen to what I tell you, instead of being all pouty and pissed off that you're sick and insisting that you need to get up."
"I promise that I'll stay right here in bed until I feel better," Jude told him, pulling the covers up around himself. "I don't feel like getting up, anyway. My stomach is all unsettled, and I don't want to throw up if I can help it. That's not something I like doing."
Max made a face, nodding in agreement. "That's not one of the things I like about being a nurse," he said, getting up from his chair. "But if you need me, then I'm here for you, baby. I'm going to go get you some soda and saltines to settle your stomach, okay?"
Jude nodded, giving his boyfriend a wan smile as Max left the room. He really disliked being sick; he felt that he was a burden to Max, making his boyfriend worry about him when Max had other things on his mind as well. He hated feeling so useless.
But if he stayed in bed and didn't try to get up and move around and probably make this worse, the sooner he would be feeling better and be back on his feet again. At least, that was what his more sensible side told him. The less practical side was screaming at him to do something.
But he wasn't going to do anything, Jude told himself firmly. He was going to stay here in bed, just as Max had told him to, and let this virus wind down until he felt better. That was really all he could do; he felt too weak and wrung-out to get up and be active.
Besides, it was nice to have his boyfriend at his beck and call, he thought with an inward smile. He hated to have Max worry about him, but still, it was nice to have him here, taking some time off work to play nursemaid, spending time with him.
That would end all too soon; he would be feeling better again within a few days, and life would go on as usual for the two of them. But for now, this was a kind of oasis, a little ripple in the water of their lives that made things seem different for just a brief time.
He could hear Max rummaging around in the kitchen, probably looking for a clean glass to pour the soda in. He was terrible about washing dishes. Jude resisted the impulse to go out there to help his boyfriend, snuggling under the covers and closing his eyes.
He hoped that he wouldn't be sick for much longer; it worried him that they weren't both working, and he was going to try to talk Max into going back to the bar tomorrow. After all, he wasn't dying; he could take care of himself if he needed to, and call Max if he had any problems.
For now, all he wanted to do was curl up in bed, knowing that his boyfriend was near, and fall into a deep, restful sleep. Jude sighed and puled the covers further over his shoulders, waiting for Max to come back into the room with more of that tender loving care.