Fic: Breathless
2025-11-09 07:03 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rodoTitle: Breathless
Fandom: Rivals (2024)
Author:rodo
Length: 1187 words
Rating: 12+
Pairing: Rupert/Taggie
Disclaimer: everything belongs to Disney
A/N: written forbearholdingashark72 during 2025’s ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
fandomgiftbasket
Summary: With everyone gone, Taggie is left to take care of her father on her own – until Rupert arrives to help, that is.
Breathless
Mummy was having the time of her life in London, and Daddy was throwing himself into his work even more than usual. He spent all day and most of the night on the bid, lost in a haze of spreadsheets and business plans while studiously ignoring the fact that their main competitor had bought it in a very suspicious fashion. Taggie watched it all from the sidelines, making sure he ate something, at least, even if he didn’t seem to be able to tell the difference between a shepherd’s pie and an Irish stew. It was all just fuel that kept him going. His eyes were flitting from column to column, a glass of whisky in one hand while the other turned the pages. Patrick had been able to stand three days of it before he had buggered off to one of his friends from university, and with Caitlin back at boarding school, that left Taggie to deal with all of it all on her own. She merely sighed as she watched them leave. By now, she was used to it. Maybe Mummy had had a point when she’d told her about putting others before herself.
“How are you holding up?”
The question surprised her. Nobody had ever bothered to ask, not her mother, not her father, not her siblings. Not even Seb, what with their tentatively budding romance having fizzled out thanks to Taggie’s disinterest. She was just the one who was always there: stupid, dependable Taggie, puttering about her kitchen, baking her roly-polies. Or doing the dishes, as was the case in that particular moment.
“Don’t want to answer me?” Rupert Campbell-Black asked, misinterpreting her ruminations as intentional silence. “That’s alright. You don’t have to.”
“No,” she replied, raising her hands and noticing they were covered in suds. She dried them off on her apron in haste. “I’m fine.”
Rupert tilted his head and stared at her. Taggie couldn’t help but stare back, transfixed as a cobra hypnotized by a snake charmer. He’d had that effect on her from the first moment she’d encountered him buck-naked on his tennis court. Everything else just seemed to drift away, and all she could see were his large eyes and luscious mouth, the one that had kissed her in this very spot a mere week ago. She shouldn’t be thinking about this. They hadn’t even talked about it after a loud cheer had interrupted their moment. And, to be quite honest, she needed all her inner fortitude to keep herself together. This wasn’t the time to get lost in a man, no matter how much she wanted him. (And she wanted him a great deal.)
Finally, he averted his gaze and stared past her at the decorative plates on the kitchen shelves and nothing in particular. Taggie breathed a sigh of relief when he did so. She wasn’t fine, not really. But there was no use in making a fuss when she couldn’t really do anything about it.
“Would you mind fetching something to drink? Water, for your father, I mean. I think he’s just about reached the point where he might decide to randomly mow the lawn in frustration. I’ll take care of the rest.”
And to Rupert’s credit, he did. He was good at that, taking care of things, at least when he didn’t make the mess himself. Taggie listened to their muffled voices from the study, and an hour later, Rupert had coaxed her father into some proper hydration and then into his bed for a well-deserved nap. When he walked back to the kitchen, she felt the hair on her neck stand up in anticipation the moment she heard his steps out in the hall.
“I think the counter is clean enough.”
Taggie looked at her hands. She didn’t even remember how long she’d been polishing the very same spot. She needed a break. Badly. And still, it took force to put down the rag and turn around. She felt like she might come apart at the seams any moment now.
“How is Daddy?”
“Sleeping,” Rupert said, rubbing his neck. “God knows he needs it.”
“Thank you,” she told him, putting on a smile. She meant it. “I’ve been trying to get him to take a break for days, but he won’t listen to anything I say.”
Rupert hummed. He was looking past her again. It was sort of endearing. He was never like that with others. When she observed him from a distance, he was as Caitlin had pictured him before they’d moved to the Priory: sexy, suave, a cocksure smile on his face and the look of a predator in his eyes. With her, he seemed more like an awkward schoolboy trying to talk to his first crush – sometimes, at least.
“I think we should talk,” he finally said. Words dreaded by everyone the world over. He was right, of course. They needed to talk. Whether to make a plan or a clean break, it required both of them to stop tiptoeing around the issue, and it seemed Rupert had decided to cut to the chase first.
“I broke up with Cameron.” That was not what Taggie had thought he’d say, but before she could get a word in edgewise, Rupert continued. “I didn’t do it because I expect anything from you, and I didn’t do it because of the trouble she’s in – I’ll still do anything I can to help her. I did it because I want to be the kind of man who is worthy of… of someone like you. Of love. Of commitment. Of something more than what I’ve been content with all these years. And I know your father is going to do more than punch me if he ever finds out about last week, but you should also know that I don’t regret it. Not one bit. Because I love you, Taggie O’ Hara. I mean it.”
Taggie felt like a goldfish, gaping past the glass of her bowl, her mouth moving in silence. Dimly, she wondered just how stupid she must look, staring at him. His face didn’t tell her. His eyes were glowing with all the emotions he tried to keep inside (which he failed at miserably). He looked as if he didn’t see anything less than a goddess.
There was only one thing she could think to do: she launched herself into his arms and kissed him fiercely. Rupert responded by wrapping himself around her tightly, and soon enough, they were both leaning against the kitchen counter, with Taggie bracing herself on her hands. His forehead touched hers, and they were both out of breath. She felt her heart racing and gripped the counter tighter. If only this could be every day – there was nothing else she wanted from life.
“We’re going to make it work somehow,” Rupert promised her, a tentative “someday” that almost made her legs give out.
“We are,” she agreed. There was a lot to talk about, but right then and there, she was content with what she had: this moment and daydreams of a wonderful life ahead of her.
Fin
Fandom: Rivals (2024)
Author:
rodoLength: 1187 words
Rating: 12+
Pairing: Rupert/Taggie
Disclaimer: everything belongs to Disney
A/N: written for
bearholdingashark72 during 2025’s fandomgiftbasketSummary: With everyone gone, Taggie is left to take care of her father on her own – until Rupert arrives to help, that is.
Mummy was having the time of her life in London, and Daddy was throwing himself into his work even more than usual. He spent all day and most of the night on the bid, lost in a haze of spreadsheets and business plans while studiously ignoring the fact that their main competitor had bought it in a very suspicious fashion. Taggie watched it all from the sidelines, making sure he ate something, at least, even if he didn’t seem to be able to tell the difference between a shepherd’s pie and an Irish stew. It was all just fuel that kept him going. His eyes were flitting from column to column, a glass of whisky in one hand while the other turned the pages. Patrick had been able to stand three days of it before he had buggered off to one of his friends from university, and with Caitlin back at boarding school, that left Taggie to deal with all of it all on her own. She merely sighed as she watched them leave. By now, she was used to it. Maybe Mummy had had a point when she’d told her about putting others before herself.
“How are you holding up?”
The question surprised her. Nobody had ever bothered to ask, not her mother, not her father, not her siblings. Not even Seb, what with their tentatively budding romance having fizzled out thanks to Taggie’s disinterest. She was just the one who was always there: stupid, dependable Taggie, puttering about her kitchen, baking her roly-polies. Or doing the dishes, as was the case in that particular moment.
“Don’t want to answer me?” Rupert Campbell-Black asked, misinterpreting her ruminations as intentional silence. “That’s alright. You don’t have to.”
“No,” she replied, raising her hands and noticing they were covered in suds. She dried them off on her apron in haste. “I’m fine.”
Rupert tilted his head and stared at her. Taggie couldn’t help but stare back, transfixed as a cobra hypnotized by a snake charmer. He’d had that effect on her from the first moment she’d encountered him buck-naked on his tennis court. Everything else just seemed to drift away, and all she could see were his large eyes and luscious mouth, the one that had kissed her in this very spot a mere week ago. She shouldn’t be thinking about this. They hadn’t even talked about it after a loud cheer had interrupted their moment. And, to be quite honest, she needed all her inner fortitude to keep herself together. This wasn’t the time to get lost in a man, no matter how much she wanted him. (And she wanted him a great deal.)
Finally, he averted his gaze and stared past her at the decorative plates on the kitchen shelves and nothing in particular. Taggie breathed a sigh of relief when he did so. She wasn’t fine, not really. But there was no use in making a fuss when she couldn’t really do anything about it.
“Would you mind fetching something to drink? Water, for your father, I mean. I think he’s just about reached the point where he might decide to randomly mow the lawn in frustration. I’ll take care of the rest.”
And to Rupert’s credit, he did. He was good at that, taking care of things, at least when he didn’t make the mess himself. Taggie listened to their muffled voices from the study, and an hour later, Rupert had coaxed her father into some proper hydration and then into his bed for a well-deserved nap. When he walked back to the kitchen, she felt the hair on her neck stand up in anticipation the moment she heard his steps out in the hall.
“I think the counter is clean enough.”
Taggie looked at her hands. She didn’t even remember how long she’d been polishing the very same spot. She needed a break. Badly. And still, it took force to put down the rag and turn around. She felt like she might come apart at the seams any moment now.
“How is Daddy?”
“Sleeping,” Rupert said, rubbing his neck. “God knows he needs it.”
“Thank you,” she told him, putting on a smile. She meant it. “I’ve been trying to get him to take a break for days, but he won’t listen to anything I say.”
Rupert hummed. He was looking past her again. It was sort of endearing. He was never like that with others. When she observed him from a distance, he was as Caitlin had pictured him before they’d moved to the Priory: sexy, suave, a cocksure smile on his face and the look of a predator in his eyes. With her, he seemed more like an awkward schoolboy trying to talk to his first crush – sometimes, at least.
“I think we should talk,” he finally said. Words dreaded by everyone the world over. He was right, of course. They needed to talk. Whether to make a plan or a clean break, it required both of them to stop tiptoeing around the issue, and it seemed Rupert had decided to cut to the chase first.
“I broke up with Cameron.” That was not what Taggie had thought he’d say, but before she could get a word in edgewise, Rupert continued. “I didn’t do it because I expect anything from you, and I didn’t do it because of the trouble she’s in – I’ll still do anything I can to help her. I did it because I want to be the kind of man who is worthy of… of someone like you. Of love. Of commitment. Of something more than what I’ve been content with all these years. And I know your father is going to do more than punch me if he ever finds out about last week, but you should also know that I don’t regret it. Not one bit. Because I love you, Taggie O’ Hara. I mean it.”
Taggie felt like a goldfish, gaping past the glass of her bowl, her mouth moving in silence. Dimly, she wondered just how stupid she must look, staring at him. His face didn’t tell her. His eyes were glowing with all the emotions he tried to keep inside (which he failed at miserably). He looked as if he didn’t see anything less than a goddess.
There was only one thing she could think to do: she launched herself into his arms and kissed him fiercely. Rupert responded by wrapping himself around her tightly, and soon enough, they were both leaning against the kitchen counter, with Taggie bracing herself on her hands. His forehead touched hers, and they were both out of breath. She felt her heart racing and gripped the counter tighter. If only this could be every day – there was nothing else she wanted from life.
“We’re going to make it work somehow,” Rupert promised her, a tentative “someday” that almost made her legs give out.
“We are,” she agreed. There was a lot to talk about, but right then and there, she was content with what she had: this moment and daydreams of a wonderful life ahead of her.
