Fic: Light Up
[Story for my partner in crime. My prompt was: Ben's Graduation. As always, I take many liberties!]
"Make now always the most precious time. Now will never come again." - The Inner Light
"Pets aren't allowed in the store, Miss."
"He's contained," Amelia protested but the clerk shook his head. Frowning, Amelia left the store, contained-kitten-containing-cat-carrier bouncing against her hip. Jake followed, bemused. "I guess we can order online. Do you think it'll come in time? It should. Unless things are out of stock. It is the season. But I didn't want the standard stuff anyway. It's probably just as good they don't like you, Buttons." She raised the carrier, which was more like a mesh purse, up to her face and scrunched her nose at the kitten. Button made a little noise in response and Amelia put the case down. "We'll look online. We can do express shipping if we have to."
"Or we could leave the cat home for an afternoon," Jake suggested. At Amelia's answering pout, he shook his head. "I think you like him more than me."
"Don't be dumb." He smiled to show he was teasing and she leaned over to give him a quick kiss. "I don't want to go home, though. It's too nice a day." After a week of rain and gloom it was finally sunny; it was almost as if the weather reflected Amelia's moods. After her outburst at Pepper, with the new kitten and some decisions made about the team, she'd returned to something better resembling herself. Ginny had made up with her and Jamie was coming around. Things were better if not quite good.
"Where would you like to go?" A simple question, but those are the ones Amelia gets stuck on the easiest. "Amelia, you are over thinking."
"Sorry."
Jake shook his head again. She apologized too often. "Close your eyes." She did. He touched his forehead to hers. "Where do you want to go?"
"Mmmmm," She swayed closer. "I like it here just fine."
He chuckled and set her back down on her heels. "I believe that is called 'loitering'." Her eyes opened and she mock pouted again.
"The roof."
Jake raised an eyebrow. "The roof?"
"Your roof."
He nodded and they started walking, his arm around her shoulders. "I thought you didn't want to go home."
"I don't want to go to my home. Or inside."
"My home is your home."
Amelia rolled her eyes, though with affection. "I don't think your parents would agree." Jake looked down at her and merely shrugged. He wasn't so sure of her assessment.
"Do you really want to marry me?"
"Of course." There was no hesitation. It wasn't even a question.
Her face scrunched again. "There's no of course! Ben and Ginny don't talk about getting married."
He pulled her slightly closer to his body but remained watching ahead. "I won't talk about it if it bothers you."
Amelia stopped walking. "No! No, it doesn't bother me." Her eyes searched his face. "Do you believe me?"
He held her gaze a moment, memorizing the look; he wished he could capture it and carry it with him, nothing more beautiful existed. "I believe you." She let go the breath she hadn't realized she was holding and as her body relaxed the cat made a funny little noise again. Jake and Amelia both looked at the carrier and laughed. They resumed walking.
"What if we made a yearbook?"
Jake was used to Amelia's way of jumping from topic to topic. It was endearing and it always pleased him to know he could follow her train of thought.
"Ben is on the yearbook staff."
"I know and he worked really hard and should totally be proud. But it's like ninety percent stuff that doesn't matter to him."
Jake smiled. "I don't know, Amelia, there is a lot of you in it."
She shook her head. "No, I mean it. The school yearbook's great and I'm glad he has it but what if we made one that was all about him. I mean another one. An, um, addendum. Yeah?"
"A scrapbook."
A frown flitted past her face. "Why don't you want me to call it a yearbook?"
Jake paused to think. "I don't know," he said finally.
"You're funny." He was saved coming up with a response by their arrival at his building. He touched a hand to the fire escape but Amelia pulled him back away from it.
"Don't you wanna ride the Ameliator?"
He grinned. "Always"
"Just don't say it around Vincent."
"Vincent is a bad influence on you," Jake teased as he wrapped his arms around her small frame.
"Nobody's a bad influence on me." Amelia raised her right arm and shot webbing up to the roof. They both felt the tug as it adhered to the brick. The cat squeaked in his case. "Shh, kitty. I'm the bad influence."
Jake frowned at her tone. "Amelia..."
"Shhhh," she said again, but he was unconvinced it was to the cat. She launched into the air and pulled them up to the rooftop in one swift motion. They dropped and swayed with the impact. Jake moved his arms to her waist but Amelia pulled away and focused on setting her cat free. "Don't go far, you." The kitten was too little to get up onto the ledge so she wasn't worried. She straightened, pulling out her phone. "What should we do first: browse decorations or plot the scrapbook?"
"You're not a bad influence."
"Okay." Amelia chewed her lip. "Decorations or scrapbook?"
Jake was quiet. He took a seat against the wall and gestured for her to join him. "Why do you want to call it a yearbook?"
"I don't know." Amelia slid down beside him and leaned her head on his chest. "It sounds more graduationy. We already have scrapbooks." She sighed. "I guess it's a silly idea. Photographs are Ben's thing and you're right that he put together the school yearbook."
"I didn't say it was silly."
"I know." She was quiet, his heart beat in her ears.
"What's wrong, my sun?"
"Lots of things." A whisper.
He pulled her closer. "What's on your mind?"
A long moment passed. Amelia twined her fingers into his shirt. The cat reappeared and swatted at their legs. Jake waited with patience.
"I'm going to miss him. I know he's not really leaving, but when I think about it I already do miss him. Everything's changing, moving so fast... I want to make it stop a moment, so we can remember. And so, so, he knows how important he is to me this second, this year. Now. It never feels like it's now anymore." She frowned at the edge in her voice, it wasn't the right sound, and took a breath. "And this is his year. I shouldn't be in the book more than he is, you know? I want it to be all about him."
"Ben put together that book."
Amelia pulled away to look at him. "I know, you said --" Her voice trailed off as she understood what he was saying. "Oh."
Jake smiled. "Oh." He pulled her back into his arms. "I think Ben would like very much for you to make him a yearbook addendum. But I think the one we have is all about him."
Amelia relaxed in his embrace and weaved their fingers together. The cat settled onto her lap. "We're not getting much work done."
"Are you worried?"
"No. We have time. We can leave the cat home tomorrow."
He kissed the top of her head. "Do you really want to marry me?"
"Of course!" The cat yelped as she sat up so quickly he was knocked off her lap. "Wait, is that a real proposal?"
Jake's smile was imperturbable. Amelia slapped his hand.
"No."
"Okay."
"Okay?"
She slapped him again. "Okay!"
Jake closed both his hands over hers. "Do you want a real proposal?"
Amelia considered. "Yes."
"Okay."
"Okay? Okay what?"
He pulled her onto his lap and kissed her neck. "Okay," he whispered into her ear. "Be patient."
She met his eyes. "Okay." She slipped her hands under his shirt. "I want to feel now."
"Make now always the most precious time. Now will never come again." - The Inner Light
"Pets aren't allowed in the store, Miss."
"He's contained," Amelia protested but the clerk shook his head. Frowning, Amelia left the store, contained-kitten-containing-cat-carrier bouncing against her hip. Jake followed, bemused. "I guess we can order online. Do you think it'll come in time? It should. Unless things are out of stock. It is the season. But I didn't want the standard stuff anyway. It's probably just as good they don't like you, Buttons." She raised the carrier, which was more like a mesh purse, up to her face and scrunched her nose at the kitten. Button made a little noise in response and Amelia put the case down. "We'll look online. We can do express shipping if we have to."
"Or we could leave the cat home for an afternoon," Jake suggested. At Amelia's answering pout, he shook his head. "I think you like him more than me."
"Don't be dumb." He smiled to show he was teasing and she leaned over to give him a quick kiss. "I don't want to go home, though. It's too nice a day." After a week of rain and gloom it was finally sunny; it was almost as if the weather reflected Amelia's moods. After her outburst at Pepper, with the new kitten and some decisions made about the team, she'd returned to something better resembling herself. Ginny had made up with her and Jamie was coming around. Things were better if not quite good.
"Where would you like to go?" A simple question, but those are the ones Amelia gets stuck on the easiest. "Amelia, you are over thinking."
"Sorry."
Jake shook his head again. She apologized too often. "Close your eyes." She did. He touched his forehead to hers. "Where do you want to go?"
"Mmmmm," She swayed closer. "I like it here just fine."
He chuckled and set her back down on her heels. "I believe that is called 'loitering'." Her eyes opened and she mock pouted again.
"The roof."
Jake raised an eyebrow. "The roof?"
"Your roof."
He nodded and they started walking, his arm around her shoulders. "I thought you didn't want to go home."
"I don't want to go to my home. Or inside."
"My home is your home."
Amelia rolled her eyes, though with affection. "I don't think your parents would agree." Jake looked down at her and merely shrugged. He wasn't so sure of her assessment.
"Do you really want to marry me?"
"Of course." There was no hesitation. It wasn't even a question.
Her face scrunched again. "There's no of course! Ben and Ginny don't talk about getting married."
He pulled her slightly closer to his body but remained watching ahead. "I won't talk about it if it bothers you."
Amelia stopped walking. "No! No, it doesn't bother me." Her eyes searched his face. "Do you believe me?"
He held her gaze a moment, memorizing the look; he wished he could capture it and carry it with him, nothing more beautiful existed. "I believe you." She let go the breath she hadn't realized she was holding and as her body relaxed the cat made a funny little noise again. Jake and Amelia both looked at the carrier and laughed. They resumed walking.
"What if we made a yearbook?"
Jake was used to Amelia's way of jumping from topic to topic. It was endearing and it always pleased him to know he could follow her train of thought.
"Ben is on the yearbook staff."
"I know and he worked really hard and should totally be proud. But it's like ninety percent stuff that doesn't matter to him."
Jake smiled. "I don't know, Amelia, there is a lot of you in it."
She shook her head. "No, I mean it. The school yearbook's great and I'm glad he has it but what if we made one that was all about him. I mean another one. An, um, addendum. Yeah?"
"A scrapbook."
A frown flitted past her face. "Why don't you want me to call it a yearbook?"
Jake paused to think. "I don't know," he said finally.
"You're funny." He was saved coming up with a response by their arrival at his building. He touched a hand to the fire escape but Amelia pulled him back away from it.
"Don't you wanna ride the Ameliator?"
He grinned. "Always"
"Just don't say it around Vincent."
"Vincent is a bad influence on you," Jake teased as he wrapped his arms around her small frame.
"Nobody's a bad influence on me." Amelia raised her right arm and shot webbing up to the roof. They both felt the tug as it adhered to the brick. The cat squeaked in his case. "Shh, kitty. I'm the bad influence."
Jake frowned at her tone. "Amelia..."
"Shhhh," she said again, but he was unconvinced it was to the cat. She launched into the air and pulled them up to the rooftop in one swift motion. They dropped and swayed with the impact. Jake moved his arms to her waist but Amelia pulled away and focused on setting her cat free. "Don't go far, you." The kitten was too little to get up onto the ledge so she wasn't worried. She straightened, pulling out her phone. "What should we do first: browse decorations or plot the scrapbook?"
"You're not a bad influence."
"Okay." Amelia chewed her lip. "Decorations or scrapbook?"
Jake was quiet. He took a seat against the wall and gestured for her to join him. "Why do you want to call it a yearbook?"
"I don't know." Amelia slid down beside him and leaned her head on his chest. "It sounds more graduationy. We already have scrapbooks." She sighed. "I guess it's a silly idea. Photographs are Ben's thing and you're right that he put together the school yearbook."
"I didn't say it was silly."
"I know." She was quiet, his heart beat in her ears.
"What's wrong, my sun?"
"Lots of things." A whisper.
He pulled her closer. "What's on your mind?"
A long moment passed. Amelia twined her fingers into his shirt. The cat reappeared and swatted at their legs. Jake waited with patience.
"I'm going to miss him. I know he's not really leaving, but when I think about it I already do miss him. Everything's changing, moving so fast... I want to make it stop a moment, so we can remember. And so, so, he knows how important he is to me this second, this year. Now. It never feels like it's now anymore." She frowned at the edge in her voice, it wasn't the right sound, and took a breath. "And this is his year. I shouldn't be in the book more than he is, you know? I want it to be all about him."
"Ben put together that book."
Amelia pulled away to look at him. "I know, you said --" Her voice trailed off as she understood what he was saying. "Oh."
Jake smiled. "Oh." He pulled her back into his arms. "I think Ben would like very much for you to make him a yearbook addendum. But I think the one we have is all about him."
Amelia relaxed in his embrace and weaved their fingers together. The cat settled onto her lap. "We're not getting much work done."
"Are you worried?"
"No. We have time. We can leave the cat home tomorrow."
He kissed the top of her head. "Do you really want to marry me?"
"Of course!" The cat yelped as she sat up so quickly he was knocked off her lap. "Wait, is that a real proposal?"
Jake's smile was imperturbable. Amelia slapped his hand.
"No."
"Okay."
"Okay?"
She slapped him again. "Okay!"
Jake closed both his hands over hers. "Do you want a real proposal?"
Amelia considered. "Yes."
"Okay."
"Okay? Okay what?"
He pulled her onto his lap and kissed her neck. "Okay," he whispered into her ear. "Be patient."
She met his eyes. "Okay." She slipped her hands under his shirt. "I want to feel now."