Fic: RPF: Tuck Your Shirt In (14/17).
Apr. 24th, 2008 12:09 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
x_moonshine_xTitle: Tuck Your Shirt In (14/17).
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
x_moonshine_x
Pairing: Rupert/Emma.
Rating: Light R (eventually).
Warnings: Real person fiction, teenage naughtiness.
Word count: 1,691.
Summary: After taking Rupert shopping ready for her 18th birthday party, Emma begins to realise her interest in him isn’t purely platonic after all and has trouble getting her head around this new revelation and how to deal with it. Meanwhile, Rupert is suffering some unwanted attention from an old school friend and comes to the conclusion that Emma might very well be his saviour.
Other chapters: Here.
Tuck Your Shirt In
Chapter 14 – Making Up
‘Now just make sure you-’
Rupert’s words were cut off as the engine flooded and Emma cursed under her breath before glancing over at him bashfully.
‘Oops?’ she tried.
He couldn’t shout, she was pouting at him and right now it was the last thing on his mind. The first thing being kissing her of course, but it wasn’t really the right time. Shuffling in his seat slightly, he slid his hand over the gear stick, putting the car back into first.
‘You might want to start the engine now,’ he told her, teasing lightly.
Flustered, Emma nodded, fumbling for the ignition once again and starting up the car. Rupert was thankful she’d stalled the engine in a relatively quiet street and they didn’t have to worry about causing any unnecessary queues.
Shaking her head after a minute or so of driving, she sighed. ‘Sorry, it’s so different from the car I learnt to drive in, it’s hard to get used to. Nice though, don’t you think?’
To be honest, he didn’t really know. He’d already been put off by the colour of the VW Beetle. Lilac with a cream soft-top and birds of paradise painted onto the bonnet. ‘I thought you wanted to get a mini?’ he questioned curiously.
‘Are you sure you could handle me having the same car as you?’ Emma cast him a sidelong glance and grinned.
‘I’d cope.’ Rupert smiled back, getting comfy in his seat.
‘I’ll remember you said that.’
Reaching over to the radio, he tuned it into Radio 1 and then leant his head back, closing his eyes and listening to the music playing. They’d been driving for fifteen minutes now and would have to take the car back soon. Making the most of it while they still could was undoubtedly a top priority. The top was down, Emma’s hair blowing around in the afternoon breeze and for the first time in weeks, the sun had decided to make an appearance.
All in all, it was pretty perfect for them. Whether it would last or not was yet to be decided.
Rupert decided not to take any chances, questioning apprehensively, ‘Em, are you free on the bank holiday weekend?’
Emma looked to him quickly, a contented smile on her face as she responded. ‘So far I am,’ she said, flexing her fingers slightly against the steering wheel. ‘Why do you ask?’
‘Mum’s decided that we’re having this big family BBQ on the Saturday night and I thought maybe you’d like to come.’ Lifting his shoulders in a shrug, he returned her smile. ‘Plus, when I went to your birthday party the other week, Charlotte was saying how much she wanted to see you again.’
‘Well, if Charlotte wants to see me I can hardly say no, can I?’ she said airily.
A tad putout, he asked, ‘So you’d say no if Charlotte didn’t want to see you?’
Emma laughed and rolled her eyes. ‘No, Rupes, I wouldn’t say no. Does your mum mind me coming? You have asked her, haven’t you?’
‘She won’t mind.’
She wouldn’t, there was no need to ask. His parents loved Emma, they were the ones who generally told him to invite her over, that it was clear they got on well and they should spend more time together away from work. He never used to listen to them of course and still didn’t most of the time. Mixing work with pleasure had always been a rather daunting prospect. He loved what he did and he loved the time he spent at home with his friends, but throwing the two together? It didn’t bear thinking about.
Of course, now that Rupert had acknowledged the way he felt for Emma (which was scary enough by itself), he found himself wanting to be near her every second of the day. And seeing as they wrapped up filming in just under two weeks, it wasn’t going to be possible for much longer unless he did something about it.
‘Suppose we better head back to the garage.’ Pulling up at a set of traffic lights, Emma turned her attention to the pub not far from where they’d stopped. ‘Do you want to get some lunch before we go home?’
He followed her gaze, taking in the ivy climbing the side of the building and the old painted sign creaking as it swung in the breeze. ‘Yeah, sure,’ he murmured.
After dropping the car back at the dealers and Emma explained to the guy she’d need some time to think about it, they took a slow walk back to the pub they’d spotted earlier and sat down outside. She wasted no time in picking up the menu, raking her teeth lightly over her lip as she perused it thoughtfully.
For a minute or so, Rupert found himself completely transfixed. So much so that it took a moment for him to realise she’d been speaking to him.
‘What do you think?’ questioned Emma, lowering the menu to look at him.
He blinked, clearing his throat. ‘Uh… think of what exactly?’
Swatting him with her menu, she sighed overdramatically before giggling. ‘You weren’t listening to a thing I just said then were you?’
Standing up for himself, he hastily said, ‘Yeah, course I was. I didn’t understand the question, that’s all.’
‘Hmmm.’ She stared a moment longer, contemplating quietly, and then said, ‘I’ll go and order, shall I? What do you want?’
Putting in an order for a bottle of Fosters and a chicken baguette, Rupert kept his eyes on her as she walked away, watching as the smile on her face didn’t falter, no matter what happened, and the way she tossed her hair over her shoulder as she looked around. She really was beautiful, how he’d ever denied it before remained a mystery to even himself.
Turning his gaze from the pub and to the street beside him, he noticed a small child wrestling an ice-cream from its wrapper on the other side of the road, his grubby face screwed up in concentration. His parents were too busy chatting to notice. Not five seconds later he threw a tantrum, tossing the ice-cream into the road and screaming at the top of his lungs until they paid him attention. They looked disgruntled when they did finally look at him.
Realising the family were about to head towards the pub and in his direction; Rupert picked up the menu, hiding behind it and stifling his inadvertent laughter.
Upon first meeting Emma, he’d thought she’d turn out to be very much the same, the spoilt little brat who wanted everything. The posh, Daddy’s girl who spent her childhood in France and lived in Oxford, how could she not be? However, she’d grown into the most generous and kind-hearted young woman he’d ever known, proving him wrong in every possible way.
Emma emerged from the pub a couple of minutes later, drinks in hand and looking a tad vexed. Plopping down at the table, she sighed heavily. ‘Sorry it took so long,’ she said, beginning to explain the cause for her aggravation. ‘The guy behind the bar wouldn’t serve me. He’s convinced I’m only fourteen. Luckily one of the girls in there vouched for me.’ Muttering something incoherent, she ran her hands through her hair. ‘Seriously, how long is this going to go on for?’
‘Another three years?’ he tried.
‘Oh God, I’ve had enough!’ She dropped her head down onto the table top with a thud, her body wracked with laughter. ‘Remind me why we signed up for this, please?’
Chuckling softly, Rupert patted her shoulder in comfort and reached for his drink. ‘Because… umm,’ he paused in thought, taking a long swig from the bottle. ‘It was the chance of a lifetime, right?’
She nodded, glancing up at him through her hair. ‘I need to remember that.’
‘Yeah, you do...’ He smiled.
Sighing again, Emma joined him in picking up her drink and they sat in comfortable silence for a while, Rupert sneaking the occasional glance across the table at her.
Five minutes later as he felt himself drifting away with the fairies, she seized his attention quite abruptly by sliding her foot up the back of his calf and he stiffened in his seat. He shot her a questioning look and she simply grinned at him innocently, taking a sip of her wine.
Sometimes she really did amaze him.
He rolled his eyes playfully at her before returning the favour and resting an elbow on the tabletop casually.
Their food arrived a few minutes later and as they ate, they continued their game of footsie, completely unaware they were being scrutinised by an overly curious seven year old at the table next to theirs. It wasn’t until Rupert heard her say, ‘Look Mum, it’s Ron and Hermione!’ that either of them paid any attention and immediately they moved away from each other like guilty school children, embarrassed at being caught.
Emma giggled apprehensively, beginning to toy with her hair as her gaze dropped down to her salad.
The sad thing was that if they were going to have any kind of relationship, they’d have to put up with this all of the time. Every second of every day. Hiding it from the world would suck all of the joy out of it and truthfully, Rupert didn’t know if he wanted to hide it from everyone anyway. Shouting it from the rooftops sounded like a much better plan and maybe one day he would. He’d just need to check with Emma beforehand.
They finished eating quickly and then catching Emma’s gaze, Rupert nodded up the road, silently suggesting they should head off. She nodded in response and they rose in unison, making their way back toward the garage after waving cheerfully at the little girl who had been watching them.
When they were out of earshot, he turned to her and asked, ‘So… you’re definitely coming next weekend?’
Emma smiled, linking her arm through his as she leant against him, a happy smile on her face. ‘Wouldn’t miss it for the world, Rupes,’ she whispered softly.
.x.
Author:
x_moonshine_xPairing: Rupert/Emma.
Rating: Light R (eventually).
Warnings: Real person fiction, teenage naughtiness.
Word count: 1,691.
Summary: After taking Rupert shopping ready for her 18th birthday party, Emma begins to realise her interest in him isn’t purely platonic after all and has trouble getting her head around this new revelation and how to deal with it. Meanwhile, Rupert is suffering some unwanted attention from an old school friend and comes to the conclusion that Emma might very well be his saviour.
Other chapters: Here.
Chapter 14 – Making Up
‘Now just make sure you-’
Rupert’s words were cut off as the engine flooded and Emma cursed under her breath before glancing over at him bashfully.
‘Oops?’ she tried.
He couldn’t shout, she was pouting at him and right now it was the last thing on his mind. The first thing being kissing her of course, but it wasn’t really the right time. Shuffling in his seat slightly, he slid his hand over the gear stick, putting the car back into first.
‘You might want to start the engine now,’ he told her, teasing lightly.
Flustered, Emma nodded, fumbling for the ignition once again and starting up the car. Rupert was thankful she’d stalled the engine in a relatively quiet street and they didn’t have to worry about causing any unnecessary queues.
Shaking her head after a minute or so of driving, she sighed. ‘Sorry, it’s so different from the car I learnt to drive in, it’s hard to get used to. Nice though, don’t you think?’
To be honest, he didn’t really know. He’d already been put off by the colour of the VW Beetle. Lilac with a cream soft-top and birds of paradise painted onto the bonnet. ‘I thought you wanted to get a mini?’ he questioned curiously.
‘Are you sure you could handle me having the same car as you?’ Emma cast him a sidelong glance and grinned.
‘I’d cope.’ Rupert smiled back, getting comfy in his seat.
‘I’ll remember you said that.’
Reaching over to the radio, he tuned it into Radio 1 and then leant his head back, closing his eyes and listening to the music playing. They’d been driving for fifteen minutes now and would have to take the car back soon. Making the most of it while they still could was undoubtedly a top priority. The top was down, Emma’s hair blowing around in the afternoon breeze and for the first time in weeks, the sun had decided to make an appearance.
All in all, it was pretty perfect for them. Whether it would last or not was yet to be decided.
Rupert decided not to take any chances, questioning apprehensively, ‘Em, are you free on the bank holiday weekend?’
Emma looked to him quickly, a contented smile on her face as she responded. ‘So far I am,’ she said, flexing her fingers slightly against the steering wheel. ‘Why do you ask?’
‘Mum’s decided that we’re having this big family BBQ on the Saturday night and I thought maybe you’d like to come.’ Lifting his shoulders in a shrug, he returned her smile. ‘Plus, when I went to your birthday party the other week, Charlotte was saying how much she wanted to see you again.’
‘Well, if Charlotte wants to see me I can hardly say no, can I?’ she said airily.
A tad putout, he asked, ‘So you’d say no if Charlotte didn’t want to see you?’
Emma laughed and rolled her eyes. ‘No, Rupes, I wouldn’t say no. Does your mum mind me coming? You have asked her, haven’t you?’
‘She won’t mind.’
She wouldn’t, there was no need to ask. His parents loved Emma, they were the ones who generally told him to invite her over, that it was clear they got on well and they should spend more time together away from work. He never used to listen to them of course and still didn’t most of the time. Mixing work with pleasure had always been a rather daunting prospect. He loved what he did and he loved the time he spent at home with his friends, but throwing the two together? It didn’t bear thinking about.
Of course, now that Rupert had acknowledged the way he felt for Emma (which was scary enough by itself), he found himself wanting to be near her every second of the day. And seeing as they wrapped up filming in just under two weeks, it wasn’t going to be possible for much longer unless he did something about it.
‘Suppose we better head back to the garage.’ Pulling up at a set of traffic lights, Emma turned her attention to the pub not far from where they’d stopped. ‘Do you want to get some lunch before we go home?’
He followed her gaze, taking in the ivy climbing the side of the building and the old painted sign creaking as it swung in the breeze. ‘Yeah, sure,’ he murmured.
After dropping the car back at the dealers and Emma explained to the guy she’d need some time to think about it, they took a slow walk back to the pub they’d spotted earlier and sat down outside. She wasted no time in picking up the menu, raking her teeth lightly over her lip as she perused it thoughtfully.
For a minute or so, Rupert found himself completely transfixed. So much so that it took a moment for him to realise she’d been speaking to him.
‘What do you think?’ questioned Emma, lowering the menu to look at him.
He blinked, clearing his throat. ‘Uh… think of what exactly?’
Swatting him with her menu, she sighed overdramatically before giggling. ‘You weren’t listening to a thing I just said then were you?’
Standing up for himself, he hastily said, ‘Yeah, course I was. I didn’t understand the question, that’s all.’
‘Hmmm.’ She stared a moment longer, contemplating quietly, and then said, ‘I’ll go and order, shall I? What do you want?’
Putting in an order for a bottle of Fosters and a chicken baguette, Rupert kept his eyes on her as she walked away, watching as the smile on her face didn’t falter, no matter what happened, and the way she tossed her hair over her shoulder as she looked around. She really was beautiful, how he’d ever denied it before remained a mystery to even himself.
Turning his gaze from the pub and to the street beside him, he noticed a small child wrestling an ice-cream from its wrapper on the other side of the road, his grubby face screwed up in concentration. His parents were too busy chatting to notice. Not five seconds later he threw a tantrum, tossing the ice-cream into the road and screaming at the top of his lungs until they paid him attention. They looked disgruntled when they did finally look at him.
Realising the family were about to head towards the pub and in his direction; Rupert picked up the menu, hiding behind it and stifling his inadvertent laughter.
Upon first meeting Emma, he’d thought she’d turn out to be very much the same, the spoilt little brat who wanted everything. The posh, Daddy’s girl who spent her childhood in France and lived in Oxford, how could she not be? However, she’d grown into the most generous and kind-hearted young woman he’d ever known, proving him wrong in every possible way.
Emma emerged from the pub a couple of minutes later, drinks in hand and looking a tad vexed. Plopping down at the table, she sighed heavily. ‘Sorry it took so long,’ she said, beginning to explain the cause for her aggravation. ‘The guy behind the bar wouldn’t serve me. He’s convinced I’m only fourteen. Luckily one of the girls in there vouched for me.’ Muttering something incoherent, she ran her hands through her hair. ‘Seriously, how long is this going to go on for?’
‘Another three years?’ he tried.
‘Oh God, I’ve had enough!’ She dropped her head down onto the table top with a thud, her body wracked with laughter. ‘Remind me why we signed up for this, please?’
Chuckling softly, Rupert patted her shoulder in comfort and reached for his drink. ‘Because… umm,’ he paused in thought, taking a long swig from the bottle. ‘It was the chance of a lifetime, right?’
She nodded, glancing up at him through her hair. ‘I need to remember that.’
‘Yeah, you do...’ He smiled.
Sighing again, Emma joined him in picking up her drink and they sat in comfortable silence for a while, Rupert sneaking the occasional glance across the table at her.
Five minutes later as he felt himself drifting away with the fairies, she seized his attention quite abruptly by sliding her foot up the back of his calf and he stiffened in his seat. He shot her a questioning look and she simply grinned at him innocently, taking a sip of her wine.
Sometimes she really did amaze him.
He rolled his eyes playfully at her before returning the favour and resting an elbow on the tabletop casually.
Their food arrived a few minutes later and as they ate, they continued their game of footsie, completely unaware they were being scrutinised by an overly curious seven year old at the table next to theirs. It wasn’t until Rupert heard her say, ‘Look Mum, it’s Ron and Hermione!’ that either of them paid any attention and immediately they moved away from each other like guilty school children, embarrassed at being caught.
Emma giggled apprehensively, beginning to toy with her hair as her gaze dropped down to her salad.
The sad thing was that if they were going to have any kind of relationship, they’d have to put up with this all of the time. Every second of every day. Hiding it from the world would suck all of the joy out of it and truthfully, Rupert didn’t know if he wanted to hide it from everyone anyway. Shouting it from the rooftops sounded like a much better plan and maybe one day he would. He’d just need to check with Emma beforehand.
They finished eating quickly and then catching Emma’s gaze, Rupert nodded up the road, silently suggesting they should head off. She nodded in response and they rose in unison, making their way back toward the garage after waving cheerfully at the little girl who had been watching them.
When they were out of earshot, he turned to her and asked, ‘So… you’re definitely coming next weekend?’
Emma smiled, linking her arm through his as she leant against him, a happy smile on her face. ‘Wouldn’t miss it for the world, Rupes,’ she whispered softly.
.x.
