Rory/Jess one-shot, because I can't stay away. Oh, and because I'm a disgusting wench, too.
jovial grin
The night is almost upon her. The sun is long past, but several shadows of its golden rays stream through the violet clouds that enshroud it. The dawning of the twilight casts shadows on the grass surrounding her, and the memories of the last rain sprinkle dewdrops in her hair. The air, humid and hot, whispers to her, making her fine locks cling to her cheeks.
The soft breeze rustles her loose clothes, and the fireflies dance about her, illuminating her face with their ethereal glow. The faint essence of jasmine that her mother insists upon growing enters her nostrils and melds with the rosewater perfume she's wearing. It's so pungent she imagines she can taste it. A friendly cardinal serenades her from the cherry tree by her window.
She is sitting outside her house, the very picture of innocence. Summertime has finally come, wrapping Star's Hollow in its velvety grasp.
There is nothing more beautiful than Rory in the summertime.
Jess thinks so. Unbeknownst to her, he is watching her. He does so often. He hasn't seen anything that can compare to her in terms of beauty.
Certainly not the blond, busty, make-up laden women he sees all too often when he leaves Stars' Hollow. They're good for the fuck, but not worth the trouble.
Jess would pursue Rory all summer, if he could.
He already has her, though.
With that in mind, Jess approaches her. It's a shame he isn't poetic, because he thinks right now, he could really write a poem about her.
She sees him, and her face relaxes into a welcoming smile. "Hey, you."
Her hair is blowing about her face in disarray. She is in an old tee shirt and a ratty pair of shorts small enough to affect him. He is a teenage boy, after all. She indicates the ice-cream stains on her shirt sheepishly. "See, mom and I were having an ice-cream eating contest, and we went through a whole container before we realized that it would be more interesting if we couldn't use our hands," she explains. "So we got Lane to come over, and so she tied our hands behind our back and, um, refereed us."
Jess grins at her. "Who won?"
Rory seems to wilt as her ego deflates considerably. "Well, mom did. But that's only 'cause my retainer fell into my bowl half-way in between and Lane refused to take it out, so she had to untie me and I had to get it out. Mom cheated and didn't stop eating," she defends herself. "So it wasn't exactly a fair contest."
She blushes a little and looks down at herself. "So, as you can see," she explains, "I'm not exactly the best-looking I've ever been--"
Jess hauls her up to him and steps in a little closer, enjoying the way the faint blush on her cheeks becomes pinker and she forgets what she was saying.
It's dark now, and her face is becoming a little shadowy, but Jess is sure his is too. She's still pretty, though, even though she's not all made-up. That's just Rory. Nothing could make her stop being beautiful.
And then the last glint of the sun moves out from behind the clouds and bathes her with its luminescent light. And she is all golden, a golden girl standing in the sun, streaks through her hair and blue eyes sparkling.
Sometimes Jess thinks it's wrong to kiss Rory. He thinks that if someone like him kisses someone like Rory, it'll be like ruining something. Like walking through freshly-driven snow with dirty shoes. He curls his lip in mild disgust at the poetic lameness of where his thoughts have gone the past few seconds. And as he looks at her, her bottom lip out a little bit as she chews at it, and her right hand reaching up to brush his cowlick out of his forehead, he thinks that maybe he doesn't care very much, because she's looking very kissable right now.
Jess kisses her, and she is yielding, and responsive. He smirks a little as she tries getting even closer. Very responsive.
He runs his fingers through her baby-fine hair a little. It feels nice and natural, he thinks vaguely. Not all sticky, like most of the girls he's known.
He wonders if Lorelai Gilmore is going to look out the window and be scandalized at the fact that her daughter and Jess Mariano are pretty much making out on her front lawn. Probably not, he thinks. He doesn't think Lorelai would be one to make a big deal out of something like that, although she may not enjoy it very much.
But Rory definitely is. She's already twined her arms around his neck and stood on her tiptoes, which would be a very good indication that she's enjoying it, but those little gaspy sounds she's making kind of give it away too.
The scent of rosewater and some other sweet flower are entering his bloodstream and making him heady, so Jess pulls away and looks at Rory.
And because she's Rory, she can't keep eye contact for more than 15 seconds without blushing a little and looking away, so they stand there for a little while, Jess watching Rory and Rory watching the fireflies around them, a shy smile on her face, until---
"Hey, Ror."
She turns her head a little and meets his eyes. "Yeah?"
"You're my girl, right?" he asks, tensing a little in anticipation of the answer.
She's silent for a few seconds. When answering a question like this with Jess, one must always be careful.
Then, her mind clears of all doubt, and she gives him a small smile. "Yeah. Yeah, I am," she replies softly, giving him an affirmative nod.
There are little drops of sweat on her face, whether they're from the humidity or the kiss they just shared, Jess cannot tell. And she smells good, really good, despite the sweat that he can feel beginning to soak through her shirt. And her hair is curling a little at the ends, there are dewdrops in her hair and most of her face is in shadow.
And despite all the hardships that he's endured, and surely will continue to endure, Jess likes to think that there will be a few constants in his life. And he knows now what they are. Rory, his girl Rory, the girl he's going to marry, Rory, and the unfailing summertime, their beauty beyond compare.
Oh, man! Rory/Jess! I love it.