Selina (bloodbeat) wrote in 25prompts, @ 2008-04-27 17:37:00 |
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Current mood: | chipper |
Current music: | Accident & Emergency / Patrick Wolf |
Entry tags: | bloodbeat:jude/max |
Jude/Max, Across the Universe
Title: Dressing Up
Characters: Jude/Max
Fandom: Across the Universe
Rating: PG
Table: 25 Dates
Prompt: 8, Dressing Up
Jude grimaced as he tried to adjust his tie, scowling into the mirror over the desk in Max's bedroom. He hated dressing up; he'd hoped when Max had invited him home for Thanksgiving dinner that he wouldn't have to bother with something like this. But one of the first things Mrs. Carrigan had said to them when they'd entered the house was that they were expected to dress for dinner. So here he was, trying to get himself into a penguin suit for the evening.
Max entered the bedroom quietly, his own suit immaculate, his tie perfect. He moved behind Jude, slipping his arms around his boyfriend's waist and burying his face in Jude's dark hair. Jude leaned back against Max with a resigned sigh, closing his eyes. How in the bloody hell was he going to make it through an entire dinner with Max's family? He already felt intimidated by them, and this whole suit and tie ordeal wasn't helping.
"You look great, baby," Max whispered in his ear, one hand moving up the front of Jude's body and eliciting another sigh from the young man in his arms. "I don't know about that tie, though. Here, let me fix the damn thing. I just went across the hall and got Lucy to fix mine. She's great at it. You should get her to help you."
Jude shook his head, somewhere between a frown and an embarrassed laugh. "Lucy hasn't taken her eyes off me ever since we picked her up at school. I think she has some kind of schoolgirl crush on me, Max. What's she going to say when she finds out how things are between us?" His eyes met Max's in the mirror, anxiety in their dark depths.
The unspoken words hung in the air between them until Max finally voiced them in a matter-of-fact tone. "And what are we gonna do if she tells my parents about us, right? Babe, don't worry about it so much. If it happens, then it happens, and we'll deal with it when it does. Until then, don't let it get to you. They've got to know sometime, and I really don't care when they find out. I'd tell them tonight, if you'd let me."
Jude shook his head again, a frown creasing his brow. "Yeah, we'll have to tell them sometime. But this .... isn't the right time, Max. You're already springing it on them that you're dropping out of college. That's not going to go over too well -- and it definitely wouldn't add to their joy to find out that you're fucking a Limey from Liverpool who has no job, no money, and is in the country illegally."
Max rolled his eyes, letting out a short bark of a laugh. "Okay, you're right about that. Not that they haven't had suspicions that I'm gay in the past, but okay. We won't tell them until you're ready. And if they guess, or Lucy tells them, then we deal. Okay?" He turned Jude around to face him, reaching for the tie. "Here, I'll get this."
A few moments later, the tie was perfected and Max drew Jude into his arms for a lingering kiss. Jude's arms slipped around Max's waist, and he let his forehead rest against his boyfriend's broad shoulder, wishing that he didn't have to deal with the whole "meeting the parents" ordeal. This wasn't something he looked forward to in any way -- he was too afraid that he would somehow slip up and let them know exactly what his relationship with their son, in some word or action.
"Jude ...." Max's voice carrried worry, concern. Jude raised his head slowly, straightening up and meeting his boyfriend's eyes. Max's eyes searched his face, one hand reaching out to smooth down a lock of Jude's unruly dark hair, lingering on the smooth skin of his cheek. "Babe, don't be so serious, okay? This isn't gonna be that bad. My parents are stuffy, yeah, but they won't eat you alive. I promise."
Jude forced out a laugh, trying to hide his nervousness. "Only you're allowed to do that, right?"
Max laughed, leaning towards Jude and kissing him again. "Damn right. Nobody else had better try to eat you, alive or not."
"Oh, that's comforting." Jude couldn't keep back a laugh; somehow, Max had the ability to make him feel better about anything. He supposed it was one of the myriad of reasons he'd fallen in love with this blond Adonis at first sight -- there had been something in Max's words, his expression, his candid stare, that had captured his heart from the first moment.
"Look at this as our first dress-up date," Max replied, moving to the door and putting his hand on the knob to turn it. Jude took a deep breath. When that door was opened, they'd be going down the stairs, into the dining room, and he'd be under the scrutiny of Max's family. He only hoped that he'd be able to pass muster with them.
Jude sighed, trying to smile. "We should get this over with," he said, throwing a last glance towards the mirror, then turning and looking at himself self-consciously. Would Max's parents think he was good enough to be friends with their son, much less his lover? He was a nobody -- no money, no heritage, and nothing to recommend him. Nothing but the fact that Max loved him -- and that he loved Max. With all his heart.
"Ready?" Max asked, his brows lifting in question. Jude took another deep breath, nodding his acquiescence. It was now or never, he supposed, and he wouldn't be any more ready for this than he was at the moment. It was one of the scariest things he'd ever had to do, facing Max's family, but once this was over, they could come back into this haven of a room and spend the night locked in each other's arms. Behind a locked door, free from worry.
"As ready as I'll ever be," he answered, standing up straight and mock-saluting his boyfriend. "Lead the way."
As they were walking out of the door, Max turned to whisper into Jude's ear, his voice a soft purr. "I'll make other parts of you stand at attention later tonight, you know. Hold that thought."
"I was hoping you'd say that," Jude answered in a muted whisper, looking up and down the hallway before giving Max a quick kiss on the cheek as he made his way along the hall to the stairs. Somehow, those words took the edge off his nervousness. Now he had something to look forward to -- and it was going to make this little dinner party much easier to get through.