Life During Wartime
Title: Life During Wartime
Characters: Jude/Max
Fandom: Across the Universe
Rating: PG-13
Table: 11
Prompt: 21, Surprise
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.
Jude looked up as Max exclaimed in surprise over the letter he'd just opened; he wondered what his lover sounded so shocked about as Max sucked in a breath. His boyfriend's eyes were moving over the single sheet of paper, an astonished look on his face.
"Max, what is it?" Just asked him, frowning as he took in the fact that Max's face had gone as white as the paper he was reading from. Whatever that letter contained, it must be bad news to make him look like that. "Is it your family? Has something happened?"
"No," Max whispered, his voice hoarse. Jude's frown grew more pronounced as he watched his boyfriend; Max looked positively ill, his face drained of all color, his eyes wide as he stared at the letter. Whatever was on that sheet of paper, it definitely couldn't be good.
Jude moved across the room to sit on the couch beside Max, reaching for the letter in his lover's hand. But Max snatched it away, holding it out of Jude's reach as though he didn't want it to be seen. Jude reached for it again, but Max refused to relinquish his hold.
He wanted to see that letter more than ever now, to know what it was that had so disconcerted his lover. Max didn't usually get upset about anything, but he looked more than upset about this; whatever news had been contained in that letter, it must be really bad.
"Max, let me see the letter. Please?" Jude put every ounce of persuasion that he could into his voice; he felt that he had to see that letter, so that he could know what had so unnerved Max. If he knew, then maybe he could help in some way.
Silently, Max handed him the letter. It surprised Jude to see a government seal on the top of it; had Max done something that had somehow gotten him in trouble with the authorities? He hadn't thought that his boyfriend's silly college pranks could go that far.
But as his own eyes scanned the paper in front of him, the color slowly drained from Jude's cheeks as well, a gasp that he didn't even hear coming from his throat. This wasn't about some silly thing that Max had done. No, this was far more serious -- and frightening.
His lover was being drafted. Max was being told to report to a recruiting office in six weeks, that he would be given a physical and inducted into the army. He would be going overseas to be forced to fight in a war that he didn't believe in, a war that there was no winning.
How could this have happened? He and Max had botb been so sure that his boyfriend's family connections would keep him out of this war; it had seemed that Max was safe from even the idea of being drafted. He shouldn't have to risk his life for a cause that was already lost.
"This can't be happening," he managed to sputter, not sure where the words came from. They sounded hollow to his ears, far away, as though it wasn't himself saying them, but someone at the end of a long, dark tunnel that he suddenly found himself looking into.
"It is," Max said, his voice bled dry of all emotions. His tone was grim, his countenance stony when Jude looked over at him. "I'm being drafted. In six weeks, I'll have to take the physical, and I'll be over there in the middle of a war zone not long after that."
"No," Jude whispered,shaking his head as though that single word and the repetitive movement could keep the horror of what was happening away from them. "No. They can't take you away like that. They just can't. You don't belong there."
"I can't do anything about it, Jude," Max said, his voice still hoarse, but sounding more like his old familiar self. The color had come back into his cheeks; he turned to look at his boyfriend, taking Jude's hands in his own and squeezing them gently.
"If I try to go to Canada, then I'll be labeled a draft dodger for the rest of my life," he murmured, shaking his head in imitation of Jude's movements. "And you won't be able to go with me. You wouldn't make it across the border -- they'd send you back to Liverpool for sure."
"I can't lose you. Not like this," Jude choked out, tears in his eyes. "If you go off to that stupid war, I'll never see you again. You'll come back to me in a body bag and I'll never hold you or kiss you again, I'll be alone for the rest of my life ...."
With those words, his voice trailed off into incoherence; he was too choked to continue speaking. All he could think of was the possibility of losing Max, of having the person he loved more than life itself cruelly snatched away from him, into the jaws of death.
Max's arms were around him, holding him close, comforting him. But Jude felt as though he was drowning in a sea of despair; there was no way for Max to get out of this, short of running away to Canada. And his boyfriend was right -- he wouldn't be able to follow Max there.
"Shh, Jude, it's okay," Max whispered, but Jude shook his head frantically. He knew that it was far from being okay; somehow, this was going to separate the two of them forever, in a much more final way than mere distance ever could.
"What's going to happen when you go over there, even if you come back?" he asked, raising his tear-streaked face to stare at Max. "You'll be a changed man. Everybody says that the things you see during wartime can change you in so many ways."
"I might change, Jude," Max told him, his voice grave, his gaze focused on Jude's as though Max was trying to see into his soul. Jude couldn't look away from the intensity of that stare; Max's eyes held him spellbound, mesmerized as surely as though he was under some enchantment.
"If I do change, then that's something I can't help," Max continued, his voice getting stronger as he spoke. "But one thing I know for sure. I'll never stop loving you. That's one thing that'll never change, no matter what happens. I'll always belong to you."
"And I'll always be yours," Jude managed to whisper before his throat closed and tears clogged his voice again. He buried his face against Max's shoulder, wanting to rant and cry out against the unfairness of the shock that had just hit them, but too overcome to do so.
Max was still holding him; he was still here, still real and solid. There were still six weeks to go before he'd have to leave, six weeks for them pack as much living and loving as they could into a short period of time before they'd be separated -- perhaps forever.
Their life had seemed so safe and secure before, and now, everything had been scattered to the four winds. Life during wartime was never easy for anyone; Jude already knew that. But it was so terrifying to think of losing someone you loved, the war taking them out of reach.
The surprise that they'd been hit with would have so many repercussions for both of them, Jude thought, raising his head and starting to wipe his tears away. And they had better start thinking about how they were going to cope now, before any more unwelcome surprises came their way.
Characters: Jude/Max
Fandom: Across the Universe
Rating: PG-13
Table: 11
Prompt: 21, Surprise
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.
Jude looked up as Max exclaimed in surprise over the letter he'd just opened; he wondered what his lover sounded so shocked about as Max sucked in a breath. His boyfriend's eyes were moving over the single sheet of paper, an astonished look on his face.
"Max, what is it?" Just asked him, frowning as he took in the fact that Max's face had gone as white as the paper he was reading from. Whatever that letter contained, it must be bad news to make him look like that. "Is it your family? Has something happened?"
"No," Max whispered, his voice hoarse. Jude's frown grew more pronounced as he watched his boyfriend; Max looked positively ill, his face drained of all color, his eyes wide as he stared at the letter. Whatever was on that sheet of paper, it definitely couldn't be good.
Jude moved across the room to sit on the couch beside Max, reaching for the letter in his lover's hand. But Max snatched it away, holding it out of Jude's reach as though he didn't want it to be seen. Jude reached for it again, but Max refused to relinquish his hold.
He wanted to see that letter more than ever now, to know what it was that had so disconcerted his lover. Max didn't usually get upset about anything, but he looked more than upset about this; whatever news had been contained in that letter, it must be really bad.
"Max, let me see the letter. Please?" Jude put every ounce of persuasion that he could into his voice; he felt that he had to see that letter, so that he could know what had so unnerved Max. If he knew, then maybe he could help in some way.
Silently, Max handed him the letter. It surprised Jude to see a government seal on the top of it; had Max done something that had somehow gotten him in trouble with the authorities? He hadn't thought that his boyfriend's silly college pranks could go that far.
But as his own eyes scanned the paper in front of him, the color slowly drained from Jude's cheeks as well, a gasp that he didn't even hear coming from his throat. This wasn't about some silly thing that Max had done. No, this was far more serious -- and frightening.
His lover was being drafted. Max was being told to report to a recruiting office in six weeks, that he would be given a physical and inducted into the army. He would be going overseas to be forced to fight in a war that he didn't believe in, a war that there was no winning.
How could this have happened? He and Max had botb been so sure that his boyfriend's family connections would keep him out of this war; it had seemed that Max was safe from even the idea of being drafted. He shouldn't have to risk his life for a cause that was already lost.
"This can't be happening," he managed to sputter, not sure where the words came from. They sounded hollow to his ears, far away, as though it wasn't himself saying them, but someone at the end of a long, dark tunnel that he suddenly found himself looking into.
"It is," Max said, his voice bled dry of all emotions. His tone was grim, his countenance stony when Jude looked over at him. "I'm being drafted. In six weeks, I'll have to take the physical, and I'll be over there in the middle of a war zone not long after that."
"No," Jude whispered,shaking his head as though that single word and the repetitive movement could keep the horror of what was happening away from them. "No. They can't take you away like that. They just can't. You don't belong there."
"I can't do anything about it, Jude," Max said, his voice still hoarse, but sounding more like his old familiar self. The color had come back into his cheeks; he turned to look at his boyfriend, taking Jude's hands in his own and squeezing them gently.
"If I try to go to Canada, then I'll be labeled a draft dodger for the rest of my life," he murmured, shaking his head in imitation of Jude's movements. "And you won't be able to go with me. You wouldn't make it across the border -- they'd send you back to Liverpool for sure."
"I can't lose you. Not like this," Jude choked out, tears in his eyes. "If you go off to that stupid war, I'll never see you again. You'll come back to me in a body bag and I'll never hold you or kiss you again, I'll be alone for the rest of my life ...."
With those words, his voice trailed off into incoherence; he was too choked to continue speaking. All he could think of was the possibility of losing Max, of having the person he loved more than life itself cruelly snatched away from him, into the jaws of death.
Max's arms were around him, holding him close, comforting him. But Jude felt as though he was drowning in a sea of despair; there was no way for Max to get out of this, short of running away to Canada. And his boyfriend was right -- he wouldn't be able to follow Max there.
"Shh, Jude, it's okay," Max whispered, but Jude shook his head frantically. He knew that it was far from being okay; somehow, this was going to separate the two of them forever, in a much more final way than mere distance ever could.
"What's going to happen when you go over there, even if you come back?" he asked, raising his tear-streaked face to stare at Max. "You'll be a changed man. Everybody says that the things you see during wartime can change you in so many ways."
"I might change, Jude," Max told him, his voice grave, his gaze focused on Jude's as though Max was trying to see into his soul. Jude couldn't look away from the intensity of that stare; Max's eyes held him spellbound, mesmerized as surely as though he was under some enchantment.
"If I do change, then that's something I can't help," Max continued, his voice getting stronger as he spoke. "But one thing I know for sure. I'll never stop loving you. That's one thing that'll never change, no matter what happens. I'll always belong to you."
"And I'll always be yours," Jude managed to whisper before his throat closed and tears clogged his voice again. He buried his face against Max's shoulder, wanting to rant and cry out against the unfairness of the shock that had just hit them, but too overcome to do so.
Max was still holding him; he was still here, still real and solid. There were still six weeks to go before he'd have to leave, six weeks for them pack as much living and loving as they could into a short period of time before they'd be separated -- perhaps forever.
Their life had seemed so safe and secure before, and now, everything had been scattered to the four winds. Life during wartime was never easy for anyone; Jude already knew that. But it was so terrifying to think of losing someone you loved, the war taking them out of reach.
The surprise that they'd been hit with would have so many repercussions for both of them, Jude thought, raising his head and starting to wipe his tears away. And they had better start thinking about how they were going to cope now, before any more unwelcome surprises came their way.