Dramatic

[Spoo]

Stop right there! I know what you're thinking. An Atonement fic? Not the very same Atonement that had me crying hysterically for hours?! Ohhh, yes. PurpleRawrz and I have yet again gotten together to co-write this lovely encounter between Robbie Turner and Cecilia Tallis (even though this is fairly old and I'm just posting it now ).

Just to know, this takes place BEFORE the events in the movie. On that note, this story is closer to the movie than to the novel (for those of you who have read it). This was mostly written to satisfy Purple and I's inner fangirls for James McAvoy - who plays Robbie - but we quickly realized how much fun we had writing it in general.

The movie is dreadfully depressing, but we attempted to write something less…oh, I don't know…heartbreaking?! With that, we hope you enjoy it!

Dramatic

by PurpleRawrz and Spoo

All things considered, Robbie Turner thought himself incredibly lucky that the Tallis family had invited him to stay for dinner after Briony's reading. He was glad that he'd spruced up a bit beforehand, wearing a suit jacket and formal slacks, even though the event hadn't required such upscale dress.

Still, with a family as wealthy and as refined as the Tallis', he wanted to adhere to any set standards (casual or otherwise).

After all, they were primarily responsible for his education at Cambridge. He was very grateful to Mr. Tallis and his generous deed of putting him through school. Because of this, he was willing to do whatever they asked of him, which, as of late, included taking care of their grounds.

Following dinner, Robbie waited in the library for Cecilia to join him, seeing as she had disappeared upstairs to tend to something or another.

'Typical', he thought, shaking his head.

They had gone off to university together, even though Cecilia had more or less ignored him while they were there. Now that they'd returned, however, he wouldn't deny that their behavior toward one another had been rather…hostile.

Truthfully, Robbie couldn't understand why. They had been such grand childhood friends, and now they could barely speak a word to each other without getting into some sort of disagreement.

Eventually, Cecilia returned. Robbie knew that he shouldn't have teased her, but he couldn't help it. Not when she had practically lured herself into it.

"Gone and touched up, have you?" he said, smirking.

Robbie would not say so aloud, but Cecilia looked far more attractive than she usually did. Her dress exposed her nice, thin shoulders, while it also dipped into her navel and creased just so at her tiny waist. Not that Robbie had spent time analyzing her appearance.

Heavens no.

Other than rolling her eyes, Cecilia refused to acknowledge the comment Robbie had thrown in her direction. Yes, she had gone upstairs to touch up her makeup and perfume. And the bizarre thing was that she couldn't decide if she had done it for herself or for Robbie.

Although it was probably more for him, she would never admit that to anyone, not even herself.

Never.

Lately, Cecilia had been torn between wanting to spend time with Robbie one on one, and resisting the urge to slap him every time she saw him. She wasn't entirely sure why or what it was, but something had changed between them; something she felt for certain would lead to an unexpected series of events beyond her control sometime in the near future.

Striding across the room, Cecilia made her way to the window, which was half-open. She closed it suddenly, then turned around to face Robbie.

"Are you still interested in that novel my father offered to lend you? Though I should tell you, it's a horrible read, truth be told."

"I suppose I'll be the judge of that," Robbie said, referring to the novel in question.

Cecilia headed towards one of the many bookshelves. Her heart was pounding, and a voice in the back of her head told her why.

'He noticed.'

She took a slow, deep breath, filling her nose with the sweet scent of the perfume she had just put on. It was calming, and brought her back to reality.

'Stop being stupid,' she told herself. 'It's only Robbie.'

As he waited for her to pluck the novel from the bookshelf, Robbie stood back with his hands his pockets, eyeing the rest of the library. An abrupt itch in his nose had a few of his fingers reaching up, where he scratched at it idly.

"And really," he continued, lowering his hand. "When have our literary preferences ever once agreed?"

"After you finish with this book, I'm sure they will," Cecilia replied curtly.

He was right, of course. They rarely agreed on anything. But Cecilia secretly somewhat enjoyed their silly arguments. Not that she'd ever make that clear, nor would she ever let him win one.

"I think it's up here, on the top shelf. Do you mind reaching it? After all, it's you who wants to read it, not me."

Robbie said nothing as he stepped over, but there was a cheeky smile on his lips. With ease, he reached up and took the book into his grasp.

He glanced down at the novel and flipped through a few of the crisp pages. It was reasonable to assume that the literary selection within his possession hadn't been read in quite some time; there was a bit of dust on the inside.

Perhaps it was that very same dust, or something more, that continued to tickle Robbie's nose. Again, he lifted up a hand and sawed his knuckles beneath his wriggling nostrils.

"Is there anything else you need me to fetch while I'm here?" he teased, looking back up.

Cecilia rolled her eyes.

"How kind of you," she replied sarcastically. "I think I'll manage without your assistance, but I'll let you know when the time comes."

"See that you do," Robbie returned, shutting the book and tucking it into his coat pocket. The novel was just small enough to fit.

Cecilia fiddled with her right earring, cursing herself internally and turning away from Robbie.

Why did everything she say sound so...stupid? And why did she care so much? Things were never so awkward before this particular day.

Cecilia hadn't exactly anticipated Robbie stopping by, let alone staying for dinner, but Briony in all her manipulative ways had invited Robbie to a reading of her most recent story, along with the rest of the Tallis family.

And since the moment they had sat down for dinner, Cecilia had been struggling with these odd…feelings.

Their eyes met, but the stare didn't hold for more than ten seconds before Robbie became distracted with the itch in his nose that refused to go away. It was irritating that it hadn't left him alone after he'd given it a good rub.

After a few seconds of sniffing and twitching, he lifted his hand yet again; he rubbed the front of his nose in circular motions against the center of his palm, attempting to alleviate the ridiculous tickle.

Not too long after that the sensation changed: The itching turned into burning. The feeling stretched upward and affected his eyes, forcing them to water. He was certain he looked rather silly - or possibly mad - but he couldn't help it. Something was getting to him.

Cecilia watched the minor struggle Robbie was having with whatever invisible source it was, and couldn't help smirking a bit as his eyes welled up with moisture. It was the perfect opportunity to tease him, and by no means would she pass that up.

"Oh, I hope I haven't gone and upset you," she said with a glimmer of laughter threatening to burst through the perfected false concern. "I mean, the novel is terrible, but you needn't be to upset by it. Not yet anyway."

She whirled around and sank into the oversized armchair at the foot of the bookshelf, clasping her hands together and smiling sweetly at Robbie.

Oh, yes. Of course. He'd left himself open for teasing, hadn't he? Just when Robbie thought he would have the last jab of the evening, here was Cecilia showing him up.

"No, it isn't that, it's…"

He would have finished his reply, but he quickly found himself unable to do so. He barely had time to turn away.

"Hurh'ASHHhhuih!"

The sudden outburst was caught in between his steepled hands. Robbie had hoped that one satisfying sneeze would do it, but, to his horror, the fit was not finished.

"Huh'RRSHhhuuihh!! Hih….! Huh'ISHHhhuih!…Hn'NGSCH'tt!"

The last of the spell was desperately stifled. His eyes were streaming when he was able to open them again. If it wasn't clear before, it certainly was now. He was allergic to something.

Desperately so.

As much as the outbursts had startled Cecilia, she refused to let it show - at least no more than the blush that crept across her cheeks while Robbie paused to catch his breath.

She stared at him, twisting the earring in her left earlobe repeatedly. A nervous habit. She had never seen him this disheveled or 'out of control,' so to speak.

It was entertaining, to say the least. After all, a few sneezes never hurt anybody.

"Is the dust getting to you? I would have thought tiny particles would be no match for Robbie Turner," she smirked.

"Because even I am invincible to such petty th-thhiiiihh…things," Robbie managed to gasp out, sniffing back the shimmering wetness that was trying to escape his nostrils. "Huhr'AKSCHhhuih!"

In his haste to leave his home earlier that afternoon before Briony's reading, he'd forgotten to tuck a handkerchief into his coat pocket; it remained on his desk, folded neatly, and he could only mentally kick himself now.

He would need Cecilia's help after all. How…degrading.

"I'd very much dislike my nose dripping onto your nice floor, dearest Cecilia, so if you wouldn't mind fetching me a handkerchief?" he asked, somehow turning the question into a tease.

There. At least he'd managed to sound condescending about it, rather than vulnerable.

"For God's sake, Robbie. That's revolting. And really, don't you have one on you? How...unfortunate." She waited for a brief moment, tapping her index finger on her bottom lip as if deep in thought. "I suppose I could help you out, seeing as you're so desperate."

Robbie had resorted to pressing the edge of his coat sleeve to his nostrils, preventing them from leaking with the watery byproduct of his allergic reaction. That wouldn't necessarily stop the sneezing, though.

It seemed that Cecilia would not miss a single opportunity to embarrass him. He had fallen right into this. Rising from the comfortable chair, she glided past Robbie. She stopped at the nearest desk, taking her time as she opened each of the six drawers in search of a handkerchief she knew was not there.

"Hrh'ESKChhuih!"

As Robbie doubled over with the force of that last sneeze, Cecilia couldn't help but give in.

"Oh, alright. Here."

She pulled a handkerchief from the hidden pocket of her dress and handed it to Robbie.

Robbie wasn't stupid. He knew that Cecilia had been toying with him. Honestly, he would have done the same with her, had their roles been reversed. Nonetheless, he accepted the proffered handkerchief and settled it below his nose, just as the worst of the running began.

He dabbed the perfumed cloth at his wet nostrils, trying to dry them. In the process, he took a deep breath and immediately felt a sharp, unsettling tickle ignite in his sinuses. His eyes watered all over again as his nose violently reacted to whatever was tormenting it.

"Huhh…" he breathed, his eyelids fluttering.

The sneezes finally arrived, and it was everything Robbie could do to not suffocate from the breaths he couldn't seem to catch in between.

"Huh'ESSCKhhuih! Huhh'RSSHUhhuih! ESHHKhhuih! Hih'ihhh'…! Huhr'ASCHhhuih! EKSCHHhh--TSGHhhshh!"

In their multitude and strength, the sneezes nearly tripped over one another as they tumbled out. It was by far the strongest and most powerful allergic reaction he'd ever endured.

Cecilia wasn't quite sure what to do or say.

Even though she had been raised to be politely mannered, she had yet to bless him. To be honest, she was rather surprised and quite taken aback by the spectacle taking place in front of her.

It seemed very possible that Robbie was being over dramatic, and mocking her delayed reaction of handing him the handkerchief. It was very likely, in fact, so much so that she rolled her eyes once more.

"Honest to God, Robbie. Stop being so dramatic. There's hardly any dust. Ugh, here."

Cecilia marched forward and reached into his pocket and pulled out the novel that, to her, seemed to be the source of the problem.

Robbie could barely hear Cecilia over the sound of his own violent sneezing. From what he could make out, though, she didn't seem very pleased with his current predicament. Quite truthfully, neither was he.

All at once, Cecilia became aware of how physically close she was to Robbie. She looked up, into his eyes, only inches away from hers. Although his, unlike hers, were red and watering.

Honestly. How utterly dramatic.

A firm clutch of his nose managed to pause the fit, even though Robbie's breaths were still desperately hitching.

Through the screen of allergic tears that blurred his vision, he made out Cecilia's form. She was standing close. Very close.

"Ceciihhhhh…" he attempted to say, but was unable to finish.

How strange. The closer she came, the more his nose itched. Now, this was an interesting discovery. Of course, the fact that she'd given him a handkerchief that came from her person only made things clearer.

That was it.

"Hurh'ISSCHhhuih!"

He turned away from the young woman as another round of sneezes started.

"It's y--USSCHHhhuih!" He stepped back, snapping into another ticklish outburst. "It's you, Cee!"

That was what, or who, Robbie was allergic to.

"What are you talking about?" Cecilia snapped as Robbie stepped away, succumbing to another fit.

Obviously he wasn't faking the sneezes; she knew that much. By no means would he ever willingly lose such self control and dignity, especially in front of her. But to suggest that she was the reason for his problems? How absurd. He couldn't have suddenly developed an allergy to her...

And then it hit her. And when it did, she had to bite her lip to keep from bursting out with laughter.

Her new perfume. Of course. What a perfect opportunity to 'one up' him.

She swallowed back the grin that was taking over her lips, and attempted to erase all emotion from her face.

"Let me try something," she smirked, stepping towards Robbie.

Slowly, she took his head in her hands and gently pressed his face into her neck, resting her chin on his back.

"Is it my perfume?" she taunted, as she felt his body tense beneath her.

Oh, she would pay. She would pay handsomely for her bold, cheeky action.

Robbie's nose wriggled fiercely as his moist, hot breath bounced off of the exposed skin of Cecilia's elegant neck. His eyes leaked with tears as he tried to keep himself from sneezing all over her.

"Ce-Cecilia…!" he warned, gasping.

One of his palms came to rest upon her petite waist, but it was unclear whether Robbie knew where he'd set his hand. The other hand - the hand that was still clutching onto the handkerchief he'd been given - hovered at his side.

Finally, when he couldn't take it any longer, he pulled away from her to sneeze again.

"Huh'RSHHhhuish! Hh'EKKSCHhuih!"

He wasn't sure how much longer he could go on like this.

Cecilia backed off for a moment, letting Robbie catch his breath as best as he could. She could still feel the place on her waist where his warm touch had been moments before.

Perhaps it was a bit cruel of her to do what she was doing, but there was also a level of satisfaction that came with knowing it was because of her perfume that Robbie was so vulnerable.

She put her hand on his shoulder and turned him around.

"I'm serious. Do you think it's that?"

If she was going to be honest, Robbie looked, well, awful. His nose and eyes were streaming, both various shades of red. His cheeks were flushed, and he gripped her handkerchief tightly, as if a firm grip would regain whatever dignity he could rediscover.

She took pity on him.

"Let me get you another handkerchief," she said, rushing out of the room.

As she arrived upstairs in her bedroom, the tiny bottle of perfume caught her eye. Her mouth twitched with suppressed laughter. Oh yes, she could have fun with this. Innocent fun, of course, but fun nonetheless.

She slipped the small bottle in her pocket and opened the top drawer in her vanity, pulling out a fresh handkerchief. Afterward, she headed back downstairs to Robbie.

While Cecilia was gone, Robbie found himself understandably relieved. He walked to another corner of the library, hoping to escape the scent of her perfume. The handkerchief he had been clutching was abandoned on the desk, seeing as he didn't want to be anywhere near it.

His sinuses and eyes still burned, but his sneezing had died down, which he was thankful for. Unfortunately, though, the runny nature of his nose began to solidify, turning into a bit of congestion.

He sniffed strongly and hoped that the reaction would continue to retreat.

As Cecilia returned, he looked at her through his bloodshot eyes and outstretched a hand, silently requesting that she give him the handkerchief she'd retrieved. She did, but not without taking a stab at him.

"Shall I keep my distance? Or have you managed to control yourself in my absence? I can't imagine you'd have any more sneezes left in you after that."

"You should certainly keep your distance," Robbie replied, brushing his nose with the new scentless handkerchief. "Just to be safe and all."

He smirked beneath the cloth, egging Cecilia on.

"Perhaps for an entire week, even."

Cecilia pretended to ponder that, ignoring Robbie's suggestion that she keep her distance. She took a step forwards, as if to taunt him further.

"A whole week...whatever would I do for that time?" she replied sarcastically.

Even a single step from Cecilia had Robbie's nose twitching, having picked up on the sweet smell of that ghastly perfume. He stood his ground, despite the fact that every nerve in his body was telling him to take a step back, to retreat.

"Do you need me that desperately?" he persisted, sniffling.

For reasons beyond her control, Cecilia felt a blush creep across her cheeks, as that unfamiliar feeling returned. She knew Robbie was teasing her, taking whatever opportunity to regain some dignity. He wasn't serious.

Then…why was she reacting like this?

The rush of embarrassment that flooded through Cecilia turned into utter irritation. Robbie had no right to make her feel like this.

"Desperately? As desperate as you needed me five minutes ago?"

Oh, so now she was attempting to turn the tables on him? Robbie applauded Cecilia's valiant effort, but really. If she would simply admit defeat, they could move on and be done with it all.

"That was beyond my control," he said in defense, sounding disturbingly calm.

Cecilia had five or six comebacks in the ready, but refrained from saying any of them. He was right, after all. It was beyond his control.

"Oh, come on," she sighed, taking Robbie's hand. "You could do with some fresh air, I think."

Something odd and unusual fluttered in the pit of Robbie's stomach when Cecilia grabbed his hand. He stared down at their touching palms and fingers, swallowing, before he looked back up. They had held hands as children, but this was different.

This was new.

"I won't disagree with that," he said quickly, stepping closer. Of course, doing so only allowed the scent of her perfume to reenter his barrier of smell, prickling his exhausted nose. "Hh…! Huhr'ISSHhkkuuh!"

With the force and strength of the sneeze, he had unintentionally tensed, and thus squeezed Cecilia's small hand. After he recovered, he sniffed and faced her again, having turned away during the nasal outburst.

"Pardon," he said, excusing himself for the first time that evening. "I'll do with the fresh air now, thank you."

Cecilia smiled and shook her head, pulling Robbie towards the door. They exited through the back of the grand house, hands still clasped together tightly. Surprisingly, it felt…natural, Cecilia thought, as they walked out into the night. It was comfortable, the way their fingers fit together.

She paused and looked up at the sky. The twinkling heavens reminded her of the summers they had spent as children trying to count every star in the sky. She glanced over at Robbie, who was looking up to the sky as well, smiling slightly.

God. Who would have known Robbie would be allergic to perfume of all things. Her perfume especially. Though it had given her quite the advantage.

Happy to be outside and away from the restricted enclosure of the library, Robbie breathed in some clean night air through his nostrils; the sound was a bit wet, considering he hadn't blown his nose and didn't plan to in front of Cecilia.

They were quiet for a moment, with the exception of Robbie's occasional sniffles, which only irritated Cecilia slightly, but she said nothing. Eventually, she remembered the little bottle in her pocket. Slipping her free hand into her dress, she pulled it out and handed it to Robbie.

"I suppose you'll want to destroy this," she said. "Don't worry, it's sealed."

Robbie hadn't seen what exactly Cecilia was handing to him until he looked down, just as she told him he'd want to destroy whatever it was. That was when he noticed it was the very source of his present misery. Simply gazing at the tiny bottle in his palm was making his nose twitch.

"Were you planning to attack me with it?" he asked.

Cecilia shrugged.

"To be honest, I'm not entirely sure. Though, I don't really have to attack you with it to set you off. I just have to do this," she smirked, leaning into Robbie's chest.

The funny thing was, she didn't do it for any reason other then wanting to be close to him again. Not that she'd ever admit that.

The reaction was almost instantaneous. Robbie felt the inside of his nose begin to wildly itch, prompting the earlier occurrence to return. With a sharp intake of air, he detached he and Cecilia's hands and turned.

The handkerchief in his grasp was all but crushed to the wrinkling appendage on his face.

"Hhr'RRSHhhiuhh! Huh'ISCHHhhish! Hih…hh! Huhr'AEESHhhuihh!"

The episode spared nothing, nor was it any less violent than his former allergic misery. Since they were outside, the releases were granted the luxury of space; they were not so loud, as they had been in the secluded walls of the library.

"…Huhh'ESSHhhhuih! EKSCHHhkkuh!"

Cecilia wasn't expecting that violent a reaction - if she were to be entirely honest, she really wasn't sure what to expect. She put her hand on Robbie's shoulder and led him to the ground, where they sat after the fit passed.

For the first time that night, a wave of guilt washed over Cecilia.

"Robbie, I..."

She looked at him and then laughed, flopping backwards onto the moonlit grass.

"God bless you," she sighed into the night. "And really," she added with a teasing smile. "Don't be so dramatic."

Yes. She had won this match.

Robbie ran the edge of his coat sleeve over his damp eyes as he looked at Cecilia, her laughter resonating in his ears. He smiled, setting her bottle of perfume down onto the grass beside her.

"Right," he agreed, sniffing. "I'll see that I won't."

End.

[Purple]

Ohhhh, this will always be lovely lovely lovely...

Cecilia is such a tease. Robbie is just....perfect.

DAMMIT, JAMES!

Also...."Come back..."

[[Gasp! Happy 100 posts to me! What a wonderful way to celebrate! ]]

[TheCakeIsAlive]

Hmmm.... lovely. Your co-written pieces are always very nice. ^^

[Dusty15]

"Desperately so"

GUH! I'm so happy in so many ways right now....!

[Akahana]

AWWWW~ <33333 That was so cute!!! Ohmaigod~

[VoOs]

*purrrrrrrr* Oh, I love this. Very, very tasty.

[Tarkus]

Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit, this was hot!

I have never seen Atonement and personally don't find James McAvoy *that* hot, but DAMN, girl, if you didn't make me overcome that because this story is just so well crafted and painfully alluring that I couldn't resist commenting. Thank you for writing this...it's one of those stories you can read again and again and it never gets old.

Love this