I Moderate (i_moderate) wrote in we_archive, @ 2006-02-14 12:54:00 |
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Entry tags: | jesse custer, maxine gibbons |
i_seekgod Valentine's In The City (Max)
He'd gone to bed the night before, thinking of all the things he'd do for Max if he had the money for it. He'd send her an obsenely large bouquet of purple orchids and lilys. This would have been better had she been in school again. He could just imagine the blush it would bring on. But sending it to her home would have been good enough.
And then, he figured that if he were going to imagine, he might as well get out of hand with it.
He pictured sending her a dress too. Though, he couldn't quite come up with a style or color that seemed right. He was no good with things like that. There'd be a card too, that professed his love and joy at getting to spend this silly holiday with her, and getting to spoil her like this. And then a car would pick her up. An overly long limo. Maybe deep red. Just to be different. It would bring her to his hotel room, which would be decorated with dozens and dozens of flowers and hundreds of candles. He'd be there waiting in a really nice pinstripe suit. The table would be set for two. A nice steak dinner would be waiting for them. They would eat, and he would present her with a beautiful gift. A necklace. Or something. Music would be playing. Sinatra or Harry Connick Jr.
Just a quiet evening, just them.
He'd drifted off to sleep, wishing that he could do this, and disappointed that he didn't have the means to.
Upon waking, though, he was greeted with a strange sight. Candles waiting to be lit. Flowers everywhere. He got up and found a suit in the closet. The little table was set beautifully. He knew he didn't have dinnerware like that.
It made him wonder if everything else was working out too.
----
EDIT:Gets a little naughty toward the end...
From: [info]i_assist Date: 02/14/2006 13:31:46
The pain medication had done it's job and knocked Max out again. She fell asleep on Tuesday afternoon around one o'clock, her French and history books laying haphazzardly on her chest and papers spread around her. She'd gotten used to the mid-day naps, they were kind of nice and she was going to miss them once she went back to school. She would have been in English about now.
When she woke up, it was to a strange extra weight on her legs. It was light, but she could still feel it. What really jolted her awake though, was a huge burst of purple and white coming from her night stand.
She blinked a few times before pushing herself up in the bed and looking sideways at the flowers. No one besides her parents had ever given her flowers before, much less knew that she really liked lilys. Sitting up even more, she reached out for the card.
But before Max could actually open the card, a white box caught her eye. It was sitting on her bed and she assumed it had been sitting on her legs before. She was still holding the card when she got up on her knees to pull the box closer to her, and eagerly pull the top off.
"Oh my..." It was a red halter dress. One that didn't clash with her hair. She pulled out matching shoes as well.
She couldn't help herself, she pulled the dress out of the box and went as quickly as she could to her mirror and held it up in front of her. It looked the right size, almost custom made even.
Ten minutes later she still hadn't opened the card, but the dress and shoes were on and against her doctors orders, she had her hair combed out and down, so that it hung just beneath her shoulders. She stood staring into the mirror.
There was a knock at the door. "Miss. Maxine? There is a car waiting for you down stairs. The driver says that he was hired by Mr. Jesse Custer."
She was out the door in a flash, completely brushing by Alfred, only muttering a few words of thanks.
Card clutched in her hand, Max ran out of the front door, stopping only briefly to let her jaw drop at the dark red stretch limo that sat in the drive. The chaufer was standing by an open door, and smiled at her when she climbed into the back seat.
By the time they'd reached the apartment, and the driver was helping Max out of the car, she'd read the card and was having a hard time keeping her grin down to a level where it wasn't hurting the injured side of her face. She was running (well, as much running was allowed when one combined high heels and a sling) back towards Jesse's room before the door of the car even shut.
She knocked on Jesse's door twice and then lowered her hand, trying to keep her excitement under wraps.
From: [info]i_seekgod Date: 02/14/2006 13:43:34
He'd just finished lighting all the candles. It took a lot longer than he could have even imagined to get them all lit. Sure, he'd imagined hundreds, but apparently The City had taken that to heart. He didn't even have to turn on a lamp by the time he was done. The entirety of the room was filled with a soft glow. It was better than he'd imagined.
Opening the fridge he found things he hadn't thought of, but were there anyway. Champange and sparkling cider. Chocolate covered strawberries.
The suit fit him like a glove. Better than any suit he'd ever owned. He'd gotten all cleaned up before putting it on. Showering, shaving, even doing his best to fix his hair. Generally he left it untamed, unruly, so trying to get it to do anything was bordering on impossible.
The knock came while he was putting on one of the CDs that had appeared. Sinatra. A whole disk of Sinatra love songs. How could a guy go wrong?
He assumed it was Max, because of the way things had gone thus far. It could only be her. There was no way that The City would see fit to fix all this up on his end, and not hers.
And, happily, it was her. He smiled big when he spotted her in her lovely red dress and matching heels.
"Hey, baby girl. You look fantastic."
From: [info]i_assist Date: 02/14/2006 13:51:13
The only thing holding her back from jumping up onto him and kissing him was the sling. And the dress to a lesser extent, but if she hadn't had the sling she would have worked something out.
Instead Max stepped into the room and, thankful for the extra height she had tonight, wrapped her good arm around his neck. "Thank you," she said before kissing him soundly on the lips.
"You look amazing yourself."
From: [info]i_seekgod Date: 02/14/2006 13:56:54
Jesse didn't let go of her immediately. He let the door swing closed and kissed her again. And then again. Then, a third time, where he didn't let up very quickly at all.
His hands settled on her hips as he broke the third kiss. "I'm just glad it all worked out." He said against her lips. "I had these ideas... but... I gotta say, it was The City that did it all."
Before letting her go so she could move away, Jesse pulled her into another kiss.
From: [info]i_assist Date: 02/14/2006 14:03:40
"Yeah, well, you have awfully good ideas," Max said, and then let herself be pulled into the fourth kiss. She was deciding very quickly that she liked this dress, she could feel his hands much better, almost like they were against her skin.
Max smiled and touched his hair gently, not wanting to ruin it. "How'd you know I like Lilys? I love lilys. And this dress is beautiful. And... oh!" She peeked around his arm. "Your apartment!"
She had to kiss him one more time, just for that.
From: [info]i_seekgod Date: 02/14/2006 14:07:57
Jesse shrugged a little. "I didn't know. They're one of my favorite flowers. Roses are overused, and I'm not fond of carnations. So I went with what I like. I'm really glad you liked them. How many did you get? I don't think I was specific about that."
He turned her around so that she could see the rest of the place and get a much better visual of things.
"All of it's for you, darlin. Every single flower and candle was done with you in mind."
Jesse wrapped his arms around her while they stood there. "I just wanted to do something special."
From: [info]i_assist Date: 02/14/2006 14:16:36
"I couldn't really count, but there were a lot. They were in this huge vase on my night stand, with this card," she showed it to him grinning. "I think this was the best thing ever."
Max leaned back into his arms while she took in the room. It looked completely different, and incredibly inviting with all the flowers and candles. And plenty of red and pink. She would never shake her love of pink.
"I love it all thank you." She was ridiculously happy now, glancing at the place setting on the table, and the candles near the couch.
From: [info]i_seekgod Date: 02/14/2006 18:55:32
All he could do was smile. Everything had come through like he'd wanted, and so much better. After letting her look around for a while longer, he took her to the couch and sat her down. Right at that moment, another knock came on the door.
Jesse looked (and felt) confused for a moment, and then went to answer. There was a man outside pushing a rolling cart that had two plates covered with metal dome lids.
He looked at Max. "Dinner's here."
From: [info]i_assist Date: 02/14/2006 19:03:18
Max stood up, grinning. It smelled wonderful, even from under the coverings. She hadn't even been aware that the hotel had roomservice.
"This is great. Seriously, great." She stood next to Jesse as the man brought the plates inside. She smiled. "I don't suppose you had any ideas about what to eat? Or is this gonna be a complete surprise?"
From: [info]i_seekgod Date: 02/14/2006 19:05:47
"Oh, no. I had ideas." Jesse held the chair out for her while the plates were placed on the table.
He also had a pitcher of ice water, which he poured into two glasses and then set in the fridge to stay cold. As soon as everything was ready, he lifted the silver domes to reveal two large steaks, complete with baked potatos on the side. Jesse looked at Max a bit sheepishly. "I'm ... a little basic in my food. I hope you don't mind none."
When the man left, Jesse sat down across from her.
"You wanna make a toast?"
From: [info]i_assist Date: 02/14/2006 19:14:38
She didn't mind at all. Max liked steak just as much as the next non-vegetarian person. Maybe she wouldn't be able to finish the whole thing (she was a small girl), but she'd enjoy what she could.
"A toast?" She repeated, picking up her glass and holding it up tentatively. There was a brief pause. "Well... to us, I guess. To how much you've already made me feel loved tonight."
He was basic in his food choice, she was basic in her toasts. She didn't often have reason to give them.
"I plan to return the feeling, by the way," she added in quickly, smiling. "Anything to add?"
From: [info]i_seekgod Date: 02/14/2006 19:16:47
Jesse thought a moment. "Anything to add." He pondered. "To the most beautiful gal in The City. Even when she's swollen and incoherant."
He tinged his glass against hers.
"I'm curious as to how you plan to return this feeling. Very curious."
From: [info]i_assist Date: 02/14/2006 19:27:34
"Oh, I'm sure I'll think of something before the night's done." She sipped from her glass and looked innocent. Max was quite good at that, or so she thought.
She set the glass down on the table and picked up her knife and fork, ready to start on the steak and potatoes. Looking at it now, she was having second thoughts. Maybe she would eat it all.
"You've got to tell me, anything else?" Max glanced back up at Jesse. "Like, a mariachi band isn't going to climb in through the window or anything like that, are they? Or you've got a whole pile of romantic movies by the DVD player? Flower petals into the bedroom? That always seems to happen in movies." She began cutting her meat. "Though, this is relatively perfect."
From: [info]i_seekgod Date: 02/14/2006 19:30:18
"Just one more thing, darlin." Jesse felt for the box inside his suit and smiled. He pulled it out and set it on the table. He wasn't sure what was inside of it. But it looked like a necklace box. Big and square. Or were those the ones that had the sets in them? Necklace and bracelet? He had no idea.
He pushed it across the table toward her.
"There's also champagne and sparkling cider in the fridge. And a little dessert. I haven't been back to the bedroom to see if there's anything special there, but I didn't think of it. Not that... you know, that matters, apparently."
From: [info]i_assist Date: 02/14/2006 20:00:54
Max set down her utensils and reached out slowly for the box, eyeing Jesse happily the entire time. Well, she hadn't been expecting this.
"I swear, this night just keeps--" Her words stopped abrubtly when she flipped open the box.
She was sort of afraid even to touch the necklace inside. It was beautiful. Two hearts hung on what she could tell was a long braided chain. It looked platinum. But that wasn't as stunning as the fact that the hearts appeared to be set in diamonds. A lot of diamonds.
There were earings too, featuring the same design as the bottom heart on the necklace and also set in diamonds.
Max was a little more than stunned, and she was aware that she looked it. There was no attempt on her part, though, to wipe the look off of her face.
"J-Jesse, they're beautiful."
From: [info]i_seekgod Date: 02/15/2006 07:33:44
He felt like he could breathe again when it turned out to be something she liked. Maybe he should have opened the box before giving it to her. That would have saved him a lot of worry.
"I'm glad you like them."
Jesse stood up and moved around the table. He took the necklace from the box and stood behind her.
The hearts rested against her skin as he clasped the chain behind her neck. It looked beautiful on her.
"Can't help you with the earrings, darlin. I might end up just stabbing you or something."
From: [info]i_assist Date: 02/15/2006 11:26:16
"I've got it." Max picked the earings up carefully, one at a time, and put them in here ears. The weight was comfortable, nothing overbearing. "What do you think?" She moved her hair behind her ears so that the earings were clearly visible.
"Thank you." She tilted her head up so that she could meet his lips. At this rate they weren't going to get to eating.
From: [info]i_seekgod Date: 02/15/2006 12:41:54
"It's stunning. They could never look better on another lady." Jesse kissed her. He stayed like that for as long as was comfortable, and then returned to his seat.
"I like how the diamonds sparkle against your skin. It's amazing."
He'd never gotten diamonds for anybody else, ever. He supposed he hadn't technically gotten these for Max either. Just wanted them for her. She seemed so pleased with them. Maybe diamonds really were a girl's best friend.
From: [info]i_assist Date: 02/15/2006 12:56:36
She looked down at the necklace when he mentioned the sparkle, because she really couldn't help herself. The way they glittered was enhanced by all the candle light in the room.
"You're really good at this romantic stuff," she said, finally picking up her knife and fork again and beginning to cut into the steak. "The driver who brought me over said he wouldn't be back until eleven and that there was plenty over here, but I never expected any of this. Even if you had a little help, I've never known a guy who would actually come up with all of this."
From: [info]i_seekgod Date: 02/15/2006 13:01:23
"That's what you get when you date a Southern boy, darlin. Our mama's teach us real good how to romance. Ain't no one more important in a Southern boy's life than his mother and his girl."
He picked up his own knife and fork and started in on the steak. It was perfect.
"All I had to do was imagine what might make that pretty smile come out. It worked better than I thought it would."
From: [info]i_assist Date: 02/15/2006 13:09:44
The pretty smile was going to have her cheek hurting by the end of the night, but Max didn't mind much. It was all worth it.
"I've been smiling since I woke up. Seeing as how the first thing I saw were the flowers." Max flashed teeth at him, in a momentary full grin.
"I'm gonna have to give you something," she said, still smiling. "Or I'll feel all guilty. You've done a lot for me in the past few weeks, I love you for it."
From: [info]i_seekgod Date: 02/15/2006 13:12:04
"I don't do it expectin nothin, darlin. I do it because I care, because I want to, and because it's the right thing to do. I didn't do any of this today thinking you'd go and feel like you needed to do something for me. I want you to know that. Not that I don't appreciate the desire to. I'm gettin more and more curious as to what you're gonna come up with."
He winked at her and ate a little more steak.
"Is your meat done right? I didn't think up any specifics for that either. Mine's perfect, but I like mine super rare."
From: [info]i_assist Date: 02/15/2006 13:23:33
Max nodded. "Medium-well, perfect. I don't like it still mooing at me" she laughed, and then put another piece of meat in her mouth.
"I dunno what I'll come up with, but you'll have it by eleven, promise. What d'you want?" Max said once she'd swallowed. She smiled at Jesse, and winked back.