Sweeter Than Fiction | ✓

Chapter Seventeen

Dedicated to error635 bc they are fab and thier last comment made me all teary and self-confident which was amwesome. Thanks so much!

Chapter Seventeen

Rudy was pulled into Mr. Archer's office the next day with a stern look and a hooked finger.

Rudy followed him in with a heavy heart, knowing that he was probably going to be leaving the room without a job and his badge missing from its place on his chest. Running out on the job without an explanation could do that.

He was almost embarrassed now, how much he overreacted. How much he cared for the stupid dog that he swore up and down he didn't care for in the slightest. He'd even roped Miles into it.

Rudy stared into his hands as Mr. Archer started off softy, talking about how they were only one shop but they still had rules and regulations like every other. His hand still had the faint scribble of Miles writing from the day before, Trudy's address which was, honest to god, ten minutes away from his and Rosie's apartment. Rosie had been almost at the other side of town when Rudy had called her, he had been just a far when Trudy called him.

Stupid mutt. 

"You're lucky I actually bought that collar, you said that he didn't need it,"Rosie told him, pouring the milk into their tea after the emotionally-draining hug. Rudy didn't say anything back, just frowned at her and grabbed his Star Wars mug his dad had bought him when he was twelve, and didn't say how at the time he thought the collar had just been a waste of money.

Trudy's number was also saved into his contacts, making her contact number five along with Rosie, Miles, Mrs Dunbar's home number and the shop's number. He had already texted her about when he should come up, keeping his promise. Saturday mornings were now taken up.

Mr. Archer was now getting into asking Rudy why exactly he thought it was a good idea to run out of the store, unannounced, while he was still in shift and making one of his colleagues having to pick it up and work over their shift. Rudy winced at that, making sure to make it up to whoever had done so.

Rudy was mulling it over in his head when Mr. Archer gave him an opening to fill in the blanks, trying to find an answer that didn't seem as embarrassing as the situation actually was when the door burst opened by a flustered Miles.

"It's not his fault!" Miles spluttered out. Rudy almost burst out laughing, cursing Rosie for her endless Harry Potter marathons that made Rudy immediately think of Hagrid slamming into Dumbledore's office to defend Harry. That, and the comical face Mr. Archer was pulling at his nephew.

"Miles... I was just about to ask you in after I talked to Rudy-"

"No. Uncle. It's not his fault for yesterday, please don't sack him. It was all my fault... I-uh... He just ran out after erm... It just isn't his fault." Miles was obviously trying to rack his brain for some random excuse whereas Rudy was honestly just going to say about Legolas. Rudy spared miles a fond smile, watching as his face turned a deep shade of red and he hid behind his hair.

"God dammit Miles. Not again!" Mr. Archer. "This is high school all over again, I thought you learned after I ha to drag you out of that fu-"

"Woah! Woah! No, not that. Not like that. Let's not talk about that, ever."

"Well, then what the bloody hell are you on about?"

"Certainly not what you were implying! What the hell?"

"Jesus Miles, just tell me."

"Uh..." Rudy jumped in, not really sure what was going on but noticing more that both of them were getting red in the face, which in turn was making Rudy feel a little stuffy too."My dog actually went missing, I ran out without thinking and Miles ran after me."

Miles let out a huff and Mr. Archer sighed, leaning back on his chair, hand to his temple. " Okay, okay. So why I'd you run out too, Miles?"

"Well uh... You see." Miles coughed, turning red again."I just. Rudy looked all little trouble so... IthoughtIcouldhelp... Or something?"

"Goddmit Miles..."

~*~

Rudy hadn't been fired, thanks to Miles, but he had been given extra shifts to make it up for it. Still, it could be worse.

"Stupid Uncle Archie, wasn't even your fault." Miles was still mumbling as they took their places behind the counter. 

"It sort of was."

"Don't take his side of things! it wasn't your fault your dog ran off, you had to find him, he was important to you."

Rudy processed that for a moment and gulped. "I think he blames me more for you going off after me."

"Well, that isn't your fault either. It was my choice, I had to go after you."

Rudy was now on a tightrope hanging over a lagoon of man-eating crocs, or that's what it felt like when he tried to take a breath, his chest tight as he tried to look anywhere but Miles. "Thanks for, you know, doing that and coming after me."

Miles grinned at him, Rudy could feel the wrath radiating off him without turning around to see it.

"Like I said, I had to."

At that moment Kelly came storming over, her face screwed into rage as she pointed a finger at the both of them , her voice harsh as she spoke,"you. Both of you. Left me to man the freaking counters the second it got busy. Do you have any idea how long I had to stay past my shift? No! Because the both of you fucked off thinking that it was the perfect time to get rid of that sexual frustration that hangs over the both of you whenever you are in the same room together and I have to suffer through it!"

"I also had to stay overtime," Mark inputted casually  as he past with a stack of new releases, earphones stuck in his ears. " just saying."

"Nobody asked you, Mark!" Kelly almost screamed. Rudy looked around for Lyndsay and sighed of relief when he didn't see a sign of her, just  a few freaked out customers. No biggie. 

"You also didn't ask me to help last night, but I did." Mark called back.

Kelly growled at him, chasing him him down and taking half of the book while she ranted to him, forgetting Miles and Rudy who were pale and gobsmacked as they looked on.

"She still scares me."

All Rudy could do was nod. 

It was safe to say that neither boys ever made trouble for Kelly's shifts ever again. 

"Wanna go to the cafe after?" Miles asked, riding of the silence altogether. 

Rudy smiled," yeah."

A/N: so i'm going away next week to Portugal for the October Week and I have no idea about the wifi situation so updates next week are cloudly. Also i'm not really sure how many chapters this has left, I was going for 20 when i first started but i added a few in that didn't exist in my plan so we'll see. Also I know that no one cares but my art class was awesome and I met a girl that likes DW and is awkward as me, which was fun. Also drawing naked ladies is not as awkward as it sounds.  

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