Al Gumboil is a bad big brother. (countervail) wrote in an_ill_wind, @ 2009-06-15 18:44:00 |
|
|||
Entry tags: | - 1980/06 june, alastor gumboil, rita skeeter |
Who: Rita Skeeter and Al Gumboil
When: Monday, 15 June, 1980; lunch time.
Where: The Ministry, and then Hyde Park.
What: Picnic lunch. And bit of snogging.
Rating: PG-13
Status: Completed log!
Bollocks, he hated Mondays. Of course, everyone hated Mondays. But he really hated Mondays. It was the backlash of the weekend - the one day of it that he had - and there was always tons of paperwork. It had been like this all morning, Al bent over his desk filling out forms and reports and honestly, it was only half-way through the day and he wanted to be outside. Or anywhere, really. Just not sitting at his mess of a desk - which looked liked he spent more time behind than he ever did at his flat. Which was true. Al signed and initialled a few more places and then glanced at the clock. It was just about lunch time. He supposed if he was really smart, he'd bribe one of the secretaries into getting him a bagel or something so he could keep working. That was about where his line of thought was going when he heard a high-pitched whistle from half-way across the office. Sounded like Zeller. Al rolled his eyes and opened another file. Rita hadn't been catcalled in quite some time, and she winked at the man who did it, but didn't slow her progress. She was wearing a short leopard print skirt, a tight black shirt, and carrying a small basket with a telltale red and white checkered blanket sticking out of the corner. A picnic basket. Her high heels clacked as she made her way, smiling, through the maze of desks towards Al's, her hips swaying with each step. Rita had worked on Saturday, which she wasn't supposed to, so she felt absolutely no guilt in taking Monday off instead. She'd spent the morning prettying herself up and getting together some lunch stuff as she made plans to surprise Al at work. Maybe she was a little early, but she couldn't help but be a little eager, walking with confidence through the office. She stopped in front of Al's desk, set the basket down with gusto, and planted her hands on his desk, leaning forward with attitude to curl her red lips into a smile. "Good afternoon, Mr Gumboil," Rita purred. Said catcalls did seems to be making their way closer to him. Al finally looked up from his paperwork, about to tell them to shut the hell up. Instead he was met with the much more pleasant sight of his girlfriend. A smile pulled at his lips and he leaned back in his chair, eyes flicking between Rita and the picnic basket. "Well, hello Ms Skeeter," he greeted, the smile on his face widening. "To what do I owe the pleasure?" There were definitely eyes turned their way now. Al pretended not to notice them, although he wondered if this was going to be a frequent occurrence. Not that he minded. He'd just have to prepare for the digs from his coworkers. "Lunch, if you have time," Rita drawled, perching delicately on the edge of his desk, ignoring any attention they were getting. Her eyes were on Al, and she was biting her red lip as she tried to keep from laughing. Rita knew she was causing a bit of a scene, but she didn't care. She hoped he didn't either. Crossing her legs before her, she batted her eyes at him and tossed her coiffed curls. "You do get a lunch break, don't you?" "I get a whole hour," he informed her with smile. The only time his eyes broke away from her face was just about right now, to glance at the clock again. "Are you whisking me away?" he asked cheekily. "S'about that time anyway." "That's right, Casanova. Prepare to be swept off your feet," Rita laughed, twisting but not getting up off the desk just yet, looking over her shoulder at hims instead of facing him straight on. "Are you coming or not? You know, it's rude to keep a lady waiting, isn't that right boys?" She raised her voice for the last few words, addressing the rest of the room, smiling now at anyone looking in their direction. "I wouldn't keep you waiting," came a voice from somewhere to Al's right. Al rolled his eyes. Merlin, they were all a bunch of fourteen-year old boys, honestly. The Stinging Hex he sent Zeller's way was barely noticable, except for the yelp it elicited a moment later. And by then, Al was already on his feet. "Consider me swept," he answered, offering his arm to her. "Off we go then." Taking his arm, Rita got up, scooped up her basket again, and passed it over to him to carry. Settling in at his side, she rolled her eyes as they passed Zeller, who was rubbing his ear and frowning. Rita laughed and raised her eyebrows at him. "Pass, honey. I got what I want right here," Rita quipped as they passed by Zeller, who she presumed was the one who'd assured her he wouldn't keep her waiting. Her own words made her blush a little, though, as possessive wasn't really her style. She turned back to Al, smiling, and added, "It's a beautiful day outside. Thought we might go to Hyde Park or something similarly cliche." A more satisfied smirk pulled at Al's lips upon hearing Rita talking to Mr Zeller. He'd never claimed not the be the jealous type. He carried the basket with no qualm, really just happy to have her on his arm as they made their way off the floor. "Picnic in the park, Merlin, you're spoiling me," he teased as he led her into the lift. In which they were very much alone for a couple of floors. Al couldn't help himself. He leaned over and pressed a gentle kiss to her lips. "S'good to see you." "It's good to see you too," Rita replied, curling her fingers into his shirt and keeping him close after the kiss. She brushed her nose against his and then leaned back against the wall of the lift. She'd worried she'd feel silly coming to surprise him at work the way she had, but now she was glad she had. Still, she smirked and asked, "I hope I didn't embarrass you too much just now, did I?" "Not remotely," he assured her, a smirk pulling his lips again. "They're all just jealous. And rightly so." The lift dinged and Al led her into the Atrium and to the apparation points. "Hyde Park then? There's an apparation point like right in the bloody middle of it." "Mm, sounds like a plan. Meet you there," Rita said, leaning in and biting his earlobe teasingly before stepping back and into the apparation area and disapparating for Hyde Park. She stepped out of the way so he could apparate into the secluded area, but didn't move far, planning on launching herself at him as soon as he appeared. Al absently bit his lip as she got to his ear lobe. Merlin, he could be such a pushover sometimes. But he apparated right after her, almost immediately feeling less stressed just from having the sun on the back of his neck. He didn't care what anyone said - fake Ministry weather just wasn't the same as the real thing. As soon as she could see him, Rita stepped in and, with a hand on either side of his face, kissed him square on the mouth, smiling against him. After a long moment, Rita broke the kiss and smoothed her hands down his chest. Her voice was soft as she said, "Hey you." Rita was pretty sure it was ridiculous to feel the way she was feeling, as though she missed him when it had barely been a day since she'd seen him. To the point where she'd packed a bloody lunch and surprised him for no apparent reason. She was going soft in the head, clearly, but oddly, she didn't mind. Well, that was certainly one of the best ways to be greeted, Al decided. His free hand rested idly on her side and he hung onto the kiss until she broke it, feeling slightly as if his brain were trying to melt. "Hi," he breathed in reply, not quite ready to break away from her yet. It seemed to take a long time for his head to clear enough to put a proper sentence together and finally, he glanced around their surroundings. "You were right. S'bloody beautiful out here. Fuck the cliche," he smirked and pressed another kiss to her lips before eyeing a shady spot under a tree. "Just there, d'you think?" "Just there looks great," she answered, pleased he seemed to be into her random surprise lunch date. Following him towards the shady spot beneath the tree, she pulled the thin picnic blanket out of the top of the basket he was carrying and began to spread it out for them. She just couldn't stop smiling. She was so happy it was sickening. "I hope you like sandwiches. I bought the biscuits, but sandwiches is about all I know how to make on my own. I'm not much of a chef." Al put the basket down and helped with the blanket, fixing the corners and brushing away some loose grass. "S'ok, I was mummy's boy. I'll deal with the kitchen things," he said with a smirk. "But for now, sandwiches are fine. I'm not remotely picky about lunches, considering it's usually like, a bagel and tea." Which might go a ways in explaining his stick thin-ness. He sat down and put the basket between them, already digging into it and pulling out the sandwiches. "Did you take today off?" "Oh really? So you're going to cook for me?" she laughed, sitting down and taking a sandwich from him. At his question, she answered, "Yeah. I worked all day Saturday because of the wedding, so I'm allowed." She was on salary now, it didn't really matter when she was at the office as long as she kept her writing up. Well, her boss actually hadn't been too happy with the feedback from her article on the wedding after all, but he'd attributed it to the the fact that she was just 'a born action journalist'. Rita had almost wanted to hit him when he told her her day on Wednesday would be spent interviewing the head of a new orphanage, packed largely with children whose parents had been killed by either the attacks on London or on Hogsmeade. That was due to be a depressing day. "How was Sunday with your family?" Rita asked, changing the subject. He'd invited her to go, but she'd declined. She wasn't ready to go home to his whole family with him yet. Hell, they hadn't even christened their relationship. Besides, she got the vibe he wasn't surprised by her refusal. His offer had been more out of manners than anything, she figured, since she'd been over when he'd been getting ready to head over there. "Probably," Al informed her with a small smile. He wasn't about to claim any spectacular talent in the kitchen, but he knew how to do some things. He figured mostly it was just reading. At the mention of dinner though, Al rolled his eyes. It had been more out of manners than anything. He hadn't wanted her to feel left out if she'd wanted to come, but that didn't mean he really thought she did. It was a bit early for meeting the family. He'd spent the night fending off mum's usual questions about when he was going to settle down, and how he wasn't getting any younger and yes, look at Lee, already giving her grandchildren. Al loved his family, really he did. But honestly, he could do with out his mum's constant harping over the subject of marriage and kids. He was waiting for someone really special and that was all. "Mm, was all right," he responded. "The usual banter. Mum telling me I don't eat enough and I work too hard. Brothers poking at my ribs to make the point." Al shrugged and took a large bite of his sandwich. "Nothing terribly exciting. Chris - my nephew - nearly pulled a chunk of dad's hair out, that was pretty brilliant. Otherwise, you know. Good food." "Sounds nice," Rita said, and she meant it. She wished she had a big family. Well, she wished she had any family. The Crockfords were nice enough, they invited her over for Christmas and other holidays, and sure, there was Aunt Frida still, but it wasn't the same, she thought, as immediate, real family. She took a bite of her own sandwich--though a considerably smaller bite than his--and toed off her high heels so she could curl her toes into the grass. She pulled out some bottled soda she'd purchased, one for each of them, and opened hers, taking a sip of the sweet, fizzy liquid and then screwing the cap back onto the cool glass bottle. She loved butterbeer and pumpkin juice, but there was something so satisfying about a nice, cold coca cola on a hot day. "I think I forgot my toothbrush at your place," she said suddenly, not to break the silence so much as because it just happened to come to mind. "Well, it's family, I guess," he conceded. Which more or less meant that it was what it was. Which wasn't really saying anything at all. He shifted, laying on his side as he ate his sandwich. It was warm and comfortable and he just didn't want to go back to work after this. He felt like he could just lay here for ages. And he really just wanted to. He finished his sandwich and then flopped onto his back, enjoying the warmth of summer in England when Rita spoke up again. He couldn't help but smile. "You could leave it there," he teased, turning his head to squint at her as the sun hit his eyes. "I could, could I?" she asked, still munching on her sandwich, shifting to lay with her head on his stomach. She smiled a little, reaching up to grab his arm and curl it around her. She was comfortable with him, and she teased right back as she said, "Well, maybe I'll leave a pair of pyjamas there too, maybe some clothes. In fact, maybe you should just clear out a drawer for me. I mean, really, I've stayed over enough in the last week." Al squeezed her gently and then let his arm rest on her, tracing idle circles on her stomach with his thumb. "You're a good cuddler," he informed her, a smile still pulling at his lips. "I don't mind. Don't use half my drawers anyway." He smirked and prodded gently at her side. Some slightly less rational side of him was wondering just how serious he was about all this. But he was telling the truth - he really didn't mind at all. He was hardly ever at home anyway and he supposed someone ought to make use of it. "Good cuddler?" Rita snorted through a mouthful of sandwich. Swallowing before she continued (at least she was a little ladylike), she tilted her head up to smile at him and added, "I must be a natural, then, since I certainly haven't been practicing." It was true. She never cuddled. In fact, she hated it usually, though with Al she didn't mind. She far from minded. In fact, his hand on her stomach made her tingle a little, giving her a feeling of butterflies which made it very hard to focus on the remains of her sandwich. Of course, it wasn't long before her mind turned to the more weighty topic at hand. "Are you being serious? I mean. It wouldn't have to... mean anything. It could just be for convenience sake." Though, the thought occurred to Rita that she could probably quite happily live with Al. Even now, so early on, she could see it. It made sense to her, both emotionally and logically. She liked being around him, and she couldn't really afford to keep her apartment, not if she wanted to keep her father's house and his boat, and there was no question there. But it scared her, that she could have thoughts like this and not run for the hills. She very carefully didn't say anything, of course, since it was far too early to suggest anything like that. "Mhm, well you're a natural then," he informed her,tilting his head so he was talking more to her instead of the leaves. Al had always been a cuddler, so he'd had his fair share of ladies to spoon. But he liked her the best. "Well, yeah, I dunno, why not? Would keep you from having to pop home early in the morning. I don't use even like, half the room in my flat most of the time. Don't see why you shouldn't take up some of it." Which was all true enough. And it wasn't like Al would mind having her around more. Quite the opposite. It hadn't even been long and he already missed her when he was at work. He supposed he was just sort of clingy anyway. He'd always sort of been like that. But that didn't make the feeling any less real. He liked having her around. "It would save me that. And it would mean we could save water and shower together, if we wanted," Rita added teasingly, waggling her eyebrows. Despite her response, she was pleased. She was excited to have some of her stuff at his place. It made it feel like she had a real spot in his life. Like maybe she wasn't just a passing fancy to him after all. She shifted, rolling to face him and propping herself up on one arm, offering the remainder of her sandwich to him. "Want it? I don't want anymore. I brought chocolate biscuits, and I'd rather eat those." Al gave a slightly mischievous smirk, clearly not saying a yes or no to the suggestion of shared showers. "Mm, no, thank you," he said, considering her sandwich for only a moment before propping himself up on his elbows enough to press a kiss to her lips. Merlin, he was such a sap. He just wanted to snog her all the time. It was criminal, really. Rita re-wrapped her sandwich and put it away, getting up onto her knees to reach for the basket. She pulled out the tin and then moved back to Al's side, putting her hand on his chest as she settled back against him, offering him a chocolate cookie with a saucy smile as she bit into one herself. "You only have an hour, really? Don't you want to stay out here with me all afternoon?" she asked coyly, leaning against him so the cookies were next to them and her chin was pillowed on her hands close enough to him that she could give him a chocolatey kiss. She had no qualms with snogging him all the time. Al took a bite of the offered biscuit, chewing and swallowing before answering. Stupid work. Bloody war. It was ruining his romantic life. "I do," he admitted. "But I really do only have..." he glanced at his watch, "About twenty-five minutes now." He wrinkled his nose at the time and sighed, examining his cookie for another moment before taking another bite. Bollocks. Why did he think being a hitwizard was a good idea again? He finished his biscuit silently and leaned over to steal her soda for a swallow before moving over to kiss her again. All things considered, it was probably very sugary. "You're a slave to the man, Al," Rita said with an amused smile. She didn't mind the sugary kisses at all. She didn't even mind that they were making out under a tree on a sunny day in Hyde Park, just like thousands of unoriginal couples likely would that summer. She was just happy to be there with him, even if they only had twenty-five more minutes. Rita kissed him happily, then broke the kiss to say against his mouth, "I bet you've never been late. I bet you've never gone to work hungover, or called in sick because you just didn't feel like going in, or because you'd rather stay in bed with your incredibly sexy girlfriend." "Mm, three out of four, love," he mumbled. "Gone in hungover before," he teased. But the rest, well. He hadn't been late since he'd been twenty years old. Although he'd definitely been tempted to stay in bed before, girlfriend or not. Al and mornings did not get along. Now though, he was wide awake and wanted nothing more than to stay right here. Damn the job. If it weren't for the fact that it was just too bloody early in the relationship... but snogging was fine, and he caught her lips again. It was all cliché and silly and he didn't really care. So there. Rita was happy to be kissed, happy to kiss Al back, happy to ignore her soda and the cookies and any other park inhabitants who may be watching them and just kiss. She didn't even care if her mini-skirt was riding up and people could see her knickers. In that moment, she was just so stupidly happy she could barely even comprehend it. She hadn't ever felt like this before, and she blamed the sunshine and the fact that they were making out in a park like teenagers. The pessimistic part of her insisted it couldn't last, wouldn't, but Rita ignored it and just deepened the kiss. Al was pretty sure his brain was about to stop functioning any moment. It was hard to concentrate on anything but Rita and he was content to not bother trying. He shifted to get closer, pushing the picnic basket out of the way to do so, and he couldn't quite help a soft moan escape his throat as the kiss deepened. Merlin, he liked to think he had decent self-control, but she seemed to have a talent for dashing it away. All his thoughts of waiting for the right moment seemed to wane and he wondered just how much trouble he'd actually be in if he just didn't come back from lunch. He didn't think Crouch would be that amused. But Al wasn't really thinking of Barty Crouch just now. Mostly, he was thinking about how Rita tasted like chocolate. Everything about the situation just felt right to Rita. Al felt right, the sun felt right, his hands on her felt right, his mouth on hers... everything. It was the perfect moment, Rita thought, and she couldn't help but want to be closer, curling her hands up, sliding her fingers into his hair, rubbing her thumb along his earlobe gently. In that moment, Rita would've done anything he wanted. Especially considering the way the little moan he let out sent shivers straight through her. She couldn't help but press her fingers into him a little, breathing through her nose because she couldn't seem to pull her mouth off of his even long enough to breathe. There was some far off rational part of him that was yelling at him to knock it off. Really. It was just being buried under the general feel-good sensation that came with good kissing and he didn't want to stop. He felt warm, too much for just the sun, even at noon. He liked her hand in his hair and her lips against his and just her sheer presence next to him. It all made it very difficult to think when his body just wanted to take over. Finally though, he broke away, just an inch, nuzzling her gently. He was just a touch flushed and he didn't want to look at his watch. He didn't want to leave. Breathing deeply, Rita hung on as he broke the kiss, letting out a little whine in complaint, not yet opening her eyes, not moving away from him. She tilted her head and nipped once at his jaw, gently, and then said breathlessly, "Don't go back to work. Let's go back to your place instead." Her teeth on his jaw sent another wave of heat through his body and his very first reaction was Okay. But the gulp of proper air was sending actual oxygen to his brain now and he knew he couldn't. For a number of reasons, most of which being that they hadn't even been together that long and it was just too bloody early. It wasn't going to be on a random afternoon when he skived off work. As much as he wanted it right now. "I can't," he said finally, pulling away an inch to look at his watch. He had to go soon too. Fucking hell. "Protect and serve and... shit," he said with a roll of his eyes, sounding very put out about it. And hell. He was. Rita frowned--no, pouted was more like it. She pouted and leaned in to nip again at the same spot on his jaw, this time a little harder, kissing the skin as she let go of it with her teeth. She hadn't planned to try and steal him away from work. She really just had meant to bring him lunch, but as seemed to happen more often than not, she didn't want to tear herself away from him. So, she nuzzled his neck, moving her lips against his skin as she said, "I'm sure your boss will understand. Besides, it'll probably improve your efficiency in the long run." Merlin fuck, it wasn't fair that she remembered how much biting got him going. He was half-mortified as a near-whimper escaped his lips and he shifted uncomfortably. "Mm, I can't," he whined, pulling away more. He was slightly more resolved this time. "Barty Crouch doesn't understand people," he said, sighing heavily. "All right, all right sorry," she finally said, flopping onto her back and laying next to him on the blanket, looking up through the leaves of the tree to bright blue sky behind. Her blood was racing and she really wanted nothing more than to fall into bed with him in that moment. She almost regretting telling him right from the start it would just be him, that it wasn't about sex with the other guys. Of course, truth be told, she didn't want anyone other than Al right now, and if he was really so set on going back to work, she supposed she'd have to learn to be patient. She slid her legs a little, letting out a frustrated sound. Suddenly inspired, she shifted back up onto her hip, laying on her side and again propping her head up on her hand, running the fingers on her free hand over her collar bone seductively and looking down at him with an expression of mischief as she said, "Well, I suppose I'll just have to take care of it myself then, won't I? Maybe I'll go back to you house, lay in your bed, take off all my clothes, and work out a bit of sexual frustration. You wouldn't mind, right?" Al couldn't help the way his eyes followed her fingers for a moment and he didn't even realise he was biting his lower lip out of pure frustration. "You're a bloody horrible person, did you know that?" he asked, sounding put out, but was mostly just amused. Kind of. She wasn't exactly helping things. He sat up and pressed one more lingering (and slightly possessive) kiss to her lips. "I don't mind. Tell me about it later," he whispered hurriedly and then pushed himself to his feet. "I have to go," he frowned as he looked at his watch. He was supposed to be back about a minute ago. "I'm already late. I'll see you later, promise." Rita sat up as he got up, biting her lip as she watched him, amused at his reaction but also a little disappointed she hadn't been able to convince him to stay with her. She secured the lid of the chocolate biscuits, then, and tossed them to him. "Keep them to snack on at work and let them remind you of me," she teased, eyes sparkling. "I'll see you when you get home?" Al caught the biscuits nearly without effort, seeker reflexes from a decade ago still in full swing as he pulled them out of the air. "Yeah," he agreed. "Be around six, probably." Merlin, that was such a long time. "See you then, love." And then he disappeared with a pop. |