Selina (bloodbeat) wrote in 25prompts, @ 2008-04-30 16:44:00 |
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Current mood: | calm |
Current music: | We Are the Young / Dan Hartman |
Entry tags: | bloodbeat:jude/max |
Jude/Max, Across the Universe
Title: Dancing
Characters: Jude/Max
Fandom: Across the Universe
Rating: PG-13
Table: 25 Dates
Prompt: 7, Dancing
The group of people gathered in the living room of Sadie's large apartment had no thoughts beyond that evening they were spending together, talking and laughing amongst themselves and having a good time. It didn't occur to them that one of their number wasn't there.
Until Jude looked around and realised that Lucy wasn't in the room. "Max, where's Lucy?" he asked his lover, feeling a little uncomfortable that she was missing. They had been trying to keep their relationship from her, for fear that she would go back to California and tell Max's parents just what was going on between them, and it was getting harder to be circumspect in front of her all the time.
Max shrugged, looking unconcerned. "She's probably out shopping. I wouldn't worry about it, babe," he drawled, leaning back against the couch cushions and moving closer to Jude. "At least we don't have to pretend to be 'just friends' when she's not here."
Jude frowned, his eyes darting to the door as though he expected it to open at any moment. "But if she comes back suddenly, we don't want her to see anything ...."
Max shrugged again, a soft laugh punctuating his next words. "If she does, then we'll just have to swear her to secrecy. I'm getting tired of having to behave myself and keep my hands off you in public."
Prudence rolled her eyes, giggling at the two of them. "I don't know why you're so worried, Jude. What are Max's parents going to do? Send you back to England and make sure that Max gets locked in some deep, dark dungeon and you never see each other again? This is the 20th century, man. Things like that don't happen any more, so relax."
Jude had to laugh at himself; when Prudence put it that way, it didn't seem like it would be such a disaster if Lucy found out about them and ran back to her parents to tell. "It's just .... when they do find out, I don't want it to be through my boyfriend's little sister."
Sadie looked over with a raised eyebrow and joined the conversation. "She's got a thing for ya, man," she told Jude, waving one hand in the air. "That girl would get down on her knees and crawl across broken glass if you told her to. Finding out you're taking it up the ass from her brother is gonna break her little heart."
Jude blushed, wishing that Sadie wouldn't be quite so crude about his relationship with Max. "Thank you for putting what I feel for Max in such a lovely way, Sadie," he mumbled, trying to hide his embarrassment -- and his annoyance -- at her words.
She had the grace to look abashed. "Sorry, man. You know I love you guys. But that's the way it is. You're gay, you're with him, she's got to learn about it and accept it sometime. Might as well be now."
JoJo began strumming another song on his guitar, nodding over at Jude and Max. "It's about time you two told the girl what's going on. No need to be untruthful with your family -- they're your flesh and blood in this world."
Max sighed, standing up and pulling Jude off the couch with him and into his arms. "Forget about all this, baby. I don't want to think about my parents, my little sister, or what any of them might think about the guy I love and the way I'm living my life. It's none of their business. Dance with me and stop thinking about all that stuff."
Jude laughed as Max wrapped both arms around him from behind and rested his chin on his shoulder. "Max, I don't dance," he protested, relaxing and leaning back against his lover in spite of himself. "I've never been able to dance in my life."
"You don't have to know how to dance," Max admonished him. "Just sway your hips, close your eyes, and let the music take you away."
"You two were dancing at my gig last weekend." Sadie looked over at Jude, grinning. "I'd say you didn't seem so shy about shaking that cute little ass of yours for your boyfriend then, sugar."
"I was drunk! That was different!" Jude's cheeks coloured again, but this time he was laughing. "Anybody can dance when they're drunk. When I'm sober, I've got two left feet."
"Man, when you two go out on the town, you don't hide anything. So you shouldn't have to hide it here at home, either," declared Sadie matter-of-factly. "This is a free love, free dating, free everything area. Free to be who you want to be."
Prudence raised her small fist into the air. "You tell it, Sadie!" she whooped, eyes sparkling as she turned her gaze to the young couple standing in front of her. "Now come on, you two. Let's see you dance like you were on a date out on the dance floor."
Max's hands moved down to his hips, and Jude's eyes slipped shut, his body arching back against his lover's. "That's it, babe," Max whispered into his ear. "Just listen to the music and move any way you feel."
Jude kept his eyes closed, letting the music of JoJo's guitar sweep over him. The notes were joined a few moments later by Sadie's deep, husky alto, and then by Prudence's clear voice in harmony. Max's hand moved down the front of his body, slipping between his thighs to cup his balls, drawing a soft gasp from Jude's lips.
But he was past caring what the other people in the room thought about how his boyfriend was touching him. Why should he care? It wasn't as though they kept their moans down when they made love in their bedroom -- he was sure that everybody here had heard that.
He could feel Max's body pressed insistently against his own from behind, that warm hand moving between his legs, his own body hardening and responding to the caress. If they weren't careful, they'd be undressing and doing it right here on the floor, Jude thought dazedly.
Max's other hand moved up from Jude's hip, moving under his shirt and lifting it slightly, exposing smooth, pale skin. His fingers found one small, erect nipple, rubbing back and forth over the sensitive nub until Jude almost moaned aloud. The thought flashed through his mind that they must be looking and acting like a cheap porno film, but at this point, he didn't care.
"Wh-what's going on?"
The guitar and voices ended in a discordant jangle of noise, and all eyes turned towards the front door. Lucy stood there, her eyes wide in shock, her gaze riveted on Jude and Max.
Max was the first to find his voice. "What does it look like?" he asked, his words sounding defiant. "JoJo's playing, they're singing, Jude and I are dancing. It's just what you think it is."
"I don't know what to think it is, Max." Lucy sounded young and unsure, and very disapproving. "I could've sworn you were holding Jude like .... like you shouldn't be holding him."
"Shouldn't be?" Max raised an eyebrow and let out a bark of laughter. "Then tell me something, Lucy. Just how should I hold my boyfriend?" The words hung in the air, a challenge issued.
"Y-your boyfriend?" Lucy stammered, her already pale face going even whiter. Her mouth opened and closed spasmodically, as though she tried to form words that wouldn't allow themselves to be spoken. "You two are .... you're ...."
"Gay, Lucy. The word is gay," Max said, his voice sounding flat and matter-of-fact. "What the hell, you had to know sometime."
"J-Jude?" Lucy's voice trembled as her gaze met Jude's, his eyes wide with shock. "He's joking, isn't he? You're not ....?"
Jude sighed softly, shaking his head, but not looking away from her. "Yes, Lucy, I am." There was no way that he could think of to make his words gentler, make them hurt her less. The only thing that he could do was tell her what he felt, and hope that she could accept it with good grace. "I love your brother. I have since the moment I met him."
Max's hand moved between Jude's legs, giving his balls a gentle little squeeze and making him gasp with surprise. Lucy saw the movement, too, her eyes darting to Max's hand and then back to Jude's face. When she realised that he wasn't pulling away, her mouth set into a firm line.
"So that's how it is," she said bitterly. "I should have known. You're always together .... the way you look at each other sometimes ...."
"Yeah, that's the way it is," Max interrupted her, his voice harsh and angry, his words clipped. "I'd say I'm sorry, but I'm not. I've been wanting all of my family to know who I am for years. And this is part of who I am -- a big part of it. I'm tired of hiding. I'm tired of feeling like some kind of dirty little secret. And I won't make Jude hide, either. Not any more."
"So, what are you going to do?" Lucy asked, her gaze riveted on Max's. Blue eyes met dark ones, both hooded and defiant.
"Do?" Max raised an eyebrow, going from angry to sardonic in one moment. "I'm going to take my boyfriend into our bedroom and fuck him until he screams my name. And not give a damn what you think, or what mom and dad would think, or what anybody in the whole fucking world thinks."
Lucy's small hands bunched into fists, but she didn't move from where she'd been standing by the door. "Then I think I've overstayed my welcome," she said coldly, opening the door again. "I'll be by tomorrow to get my things and catch a bus back home."
Turning, she exited the apartment, slamming the door behind her with a finality that echoed all around the room.
Sadie, JoJo and Prudence let out a collective breath. "Good going there, Max," Sadie drawled, sighing. "I wouldn't want to be around when your little sister drops that particular bombshell on the family."
JoJo only shook his head, while Prudence shrugged her shoulders. "You're right, they had to find out sometime," she told Max. "But you might have wanted to leave out that part about fucking Jude. Or at least hope she doesn't repeat that to your parents."
Jude only closed his eyes, leaning back against Max, feeling as though he couldn't move. He hadn't wanted things to turn out like this. Surely there had been a better way of breaking this to Lucy; a way that would have kept them all friends. But there was no turning back now.
Max's arms tightened around him, and a moment later, he could feel his boyfriend's soft lips pressing against his throat. "Forget about it, babe. She had to know sooner or later. And I was sick of her attitude about you. At least now she knows there's no chance in hell she'll have some little white wedding with you walking her down the aisle."
Jude sighed, resting his head against Max's shoulder. "We could have handled that a bit better, don't you think?" he said, trying not to sound as though he was accusing his boyfriend. "It might not have been the best way for her to find out."
"What can I say? I'm unpredictable," Max smiled, his lips making their way from Jude's throat to his mouth. "And I intend to follow through on what I said," he murmured, barely lifting his lips away from Jude's.
"Do you? I suppose that I can't argue, then," Jude whispered back, wanting to forget everything that had happened in the last few minutes.
"Get in there, you two. And we'd better not hear anything but moans of ecstasy for the rest of the night!" Sadie mock-ordered them, pointing in the direction of their bedroom.
"Yes, ma'am!" Max threw Sadie an impromptu salute, disentangling himself from Jude for a moment before grabbing his hand and pulling him towards the bedroom. "See you guys in the morning .... errr, make that afternoon."
Jude followed him, still wishing that it had all gone down in a different way, but feeling relieved that everything was out in the open at last.