Disclaimer: I do not own Rugrats or any of its characters
A/N: I'm back with a new Tommy and Lil fic and I couldn't resist posting it. The title of the fic comes from Owl City's song, "The Saltwater Room"
The Saltwater Room
Owl City
The smell of the salty sea air was pungent, so overpowering that he felt the need to gag. The squawks of the seagulls weren't helping his concentration either. Thank God, they didn't bring an entire meal to the shore this time; a rather embarrassing moment due to the fact that they had left their food upon the sand unattended and later had to chase the seagulls away. At least the day's beach residents had a laugh.
The cool ocean breeze swept through his hair as he turned his face from the cloudless sky and back to the notebook in his lap just as a plane passed by bearing a banner with a message, some discount to a restaurant. A little declaration of love might have struck some inspiration, but no, just another boring message. Impatiently, he tapped the pen against the page adorning his familiar scrawl and bits of sprinkled sand. Sand, another reason not to bring food on the beach, lets just say something's were tastier without the unnecessary crunch.
"Tommy!"
The girly voice stole his attention, a distraction arriving in the form of Lil Deville, one of his best friend's. She strode over to him from the coast, her wet feet coating absently with the beige grains, and her honey brown hair stringy. Despite the wet state of her tresses, the pounding sun kissed her hair with streaks of gold.
She invited herself to share a seat upon his vibrant beach towel, peering over his shoulder with curiosity, "what're you up to?"
"Lillian, do you really think it concerns you?" he asked, pulling the notebook aside.
"Phil warned me you would be grouchy."
"Then don't you think you should heed his advice?"
She shook her head, the wet strands of her hair framing her heart shaped face. "I believe that contest is taking you over. School hasn't even started yet, don't you think you should concentrate on having fun. This is our last summer as high schoolers."
"Nostalgic much?"
Lil frowned, facing him with a glare. When he turned to face her, she found herself giving into that lopsided smile Kimi Finster considered a legitimate smile when Lil told her about it. It was crooked and not fully formed, but she knew at that moment that was all she would get. "What's plaguing your mind?"
"Normally, I have to ask you that," he told her.
A sigh escaped her coral lips as she pulled her dark pink Hollister sweatshirt around her tighter. "At least, let me help you, who knows, you might be surprised."
"How is your talent in regards to song writing?"
She pressed her lips together, appearing to think hard, "well, I do love to write."
"That you do," he stated, a quality he knew about the girl all to well. He'd seen her numerous times leaning against the tree in her backyard with a pen and notebook in her hand or seated upon the window seat in her room on one of his random visits.
"Can I help you or not?" there was a sense of finality in her voice. He watched her for a moment, but Lil refused to look his way, and instead, opted to watch the foamy waves crash against the shoreline. A giggle escaped her lips, and Tommy found it odd until he took in what captivated her interest.
Phil was dunking Chuckie into the water repeatedly and from the looks of it the carrot-top didn't seem to mind. "You can help," he whispered and brought the notebook towards her.
Lil took it from his hands, blowing the bits of sand away and tempting to read his scrawl. It wasn't chicken scratch like Phil's, but it wasn't as neat as hers either. The brunette mentally read the words, her eyes glazing over many scribbles and ink blots. She didn't want to down his mood, but the phrases failed to make an impression. "Tommy, this is rubbish."
"Did anyone tell you that honesty isn't always the best policy?"
She turned to face him with a grimace just as he lay back against the hot sand. He knew he should have placed his towel under an umbrella because the sun's rays were pounding against his bare chest and face. He prayed he didn't get burned. "Didn't you wear sun block?" he asked, casually glancing her way.
Lil met his creamy blue orbs for a brief moment. With the sun pouring over him and the dark contrast of his ebony hair, they seemed more piercing than ever.
"W-why do you ask? Of course I am. Did you really think Lillian Deville would forget such a thing?"
He rolled his eyes; that's what happened when you were friends with a perfectionist. "Because you're turning red."
"I'm what?" she touched her hand to her face. Tommy was right; her skin was much warmer here. Lil frowned as the thoughts firing across her brain grew louder, thoughts she had begun having more often than necessary. Her hazel orbs turned in his direction. She had seen him shirtless plenty of times, but had just begun to take notice of the sculpted planes upon his chest, the lean muscle coating it and his arms. The brunette shook her head, "well, let's just stick to the song writing shall we?"
"Why, Lillian, what else were you considering?"
She groaned as he kinked his brows. Flirting was one thing, but she detested when he did that, it definitely took away from the attraction in her opinion.
Tommy leaned his weight upon his forearms, "alright, what's wrong with it?" he knew a long monologue was sure to follow about grammatical errors and the overall flow of the song.
"For one thing, I can't picture a tune when I read over the words, usually with your songs I can." She flashed him an encouraging smile, "You have talent when it comes to this stuff. I just think your lacking some inspiration."
"And where the hell am I supposed to get that?" He sat up, filling his fist full of sand and then watching it sprinkle back with the rest.
Lil cleared her throat, "…well, there is me."
"You? I haven't become that desperate."
She gave him a playful shove, but he barely moved. "When did you get so strong?"
"I've been working out."
"Don't tell me it was just for the beach."
"Are you crazy, Lillian Maria Jill Deville?"
"How many times do I have to tell you…" she didn't bother finishing because even Lil could tell when an argument became pointless. Lil knew this task was futile,
"you're at a beach with the sun, the sand, and surf. This place has so much to offer. You just need to find it."
xoxoxox
Inspiration, he needed the ignition of an idea to light his brain. Tommy let out a frustrated sigh as he ran a hand through his tousled hair. He looked up and happened to see Lil walking along the bay. The question that plagued his mind was, what was a girl such as herself doing out here in the night? Forlornness clouded her beautiful features, one he couldn't quite explain. Her face tickled pink due to the chilly night air. She had stopped all of a sudden, staring up at the speckles glittering back at her with a silvery glow, but they failed to attain her attention for long.
He muttered to himself, a twig crunched between the soles of his sneakers and immediately the brunette turned to face him. All lack of composer vanished the moment she met his worried gaze, and instead, she sent him a wink. He was surprised to say the least by such an action, especially since Lil was so shy, but he guessed that quality didn't adhere to her personality when he was in her presence.
"Hey, Pickles," she hugged her cardigan around her tighter and made her way over to him; her cotton dress rippling with the wind.
"What the hell are you doing out here, Lillian?" Tommy couldn't keep the anger out of his voice. Who in their right mind came out here in the middle of the night?
"I snuck out," she told him of the obvious, "it wasn't hard considering everyone's pretty much knocked out. Who would have thought a few days on the beach could do that."
The frown creasing his lips deepened.
Once Lil took notice of it, she didn't bother to keep the harshness out of her voice either, "hey, you did the same."
So, she had a point there, then again, Lil always had one. He let out a sigh and took a seat upon the dock, allowing his feet to dangle over the edge. He wondered just how much trouble the pair would get into if their parents found out they were not in the beach house their families had rented for the week. "I'm here to find some inspiration; maybe the ship lights can do that."
"They are quite mesmerizing," she voiced aloud before taking a seat beside him, and pulling out the flashlight that had been encased in her right hand all along, "I've been coming out here to write since we first got here."
"You've been sneaking out since, when did you find the need to become rebellious?"
"I'm not acting out, I'll have you know," she stated, swinging her feet back and forth in an absent manner. She had to admit the glow from the ships provided the perfect amount of ambience, "sometimes I come with Kimi, sometimes on my own. It's just for the inspiration. Ideas seem to bubble when I'm out here."
Great, Tommy thought, she could get her creative juices to flow, but that feeling had to evade him. He just had to be the hot head and sign up for that contest at school before summer vacation arrived. The prize was most appealing, the winner of an original song would perform at the homecoming dance, and that was a great way to expose the band to some fans.
"Can I ask you something?" he whispered, gazing out into the horizon he could barely make out due to the inky blue-black sky, "did something upset you earlier?"
"Where would you get that idea?" she asked, setting her pen into the crevice of her notebook.
"It's just that you looked so heartbroken when I first saw you." Tommy blinked as she shined the flashlight in his face. Due to the contrast of the darkness, the intensity of the light was fierce. "Lillian," he hollered, latching onto her wrist.
"Don't be silly, Pickles, I'm fine, you must have been seeing things." She flashed him a rather convincing smile, but her tone of voice told him otherwise. Despite the hollowness it carried, he didn't push the subject further.
"When did you start calling me by my last name?"
The brunette shrugged her shoulders in a nonchalant manner, "it sounds nice."
A moments silence trickled between them. Tommy was beginning to enjoy it too; there was something soothing about the sound of the rippling waves that when Lil broke that peace he found himself longing for it to return.
"Inspiration strike yet?"
"No, Lillian," he gritted through his teeth, "not if you keep talking to me it won't."
"Well, better luck next time," she said, standing up and stretching.
"Where are you going?"
"I'm heading back to the house, aren't you?"
"I guess I'll come too," he sighed. She allowed him time to catch up to her, and only when he was by her side did she begin her walk. Somewhere along their trip back to their rented beach house his hand had found hers, he couldn't recall when that moment was, but it brought a comforting warmth with it.
"Well, tomorrow's another day," she told him as they stood before the doorway. Suddenly, Tommy felt rather self conscious. This felt much like the end of a date.
"Yeah," he stuttered.
Lil giggled, touching locks of his hair, "how do you get it to stick up like that?"
"Random much?" His eyes fell to the book clutched in her hand and he couldn't help the curiosity that followed, "what do you write in there?"
"Fictional stories," Lil told him, switching off the light, "you'll have to read them sometimes."
"Great," he muttered, "how do you plan on getting back in there?"
"The sliding doors in the back, isn't that the way you came out?"
"No," he stated with a shake of his head, "I took the front door like a normal person."
"Silly, Tommy, what if someone saw you?"
"Yeah, because the back door is so discrete, what if someone came down for a late night drink of water?"
Lil frowned, but said nothing more. Instead, she grabbed him by the t-shirt and practically dragged him around the perimeter of the house.
Tomorrow's another day, Tommy sighed, as he got into bed, tomorrow was another day. Maybe, just maybe he'd find what he was searching for.
xoxoxox
He watched her walk over to him from the water's edge, adorning the same pink sweatshirt from the day before, but instead of the brown shorts she now supported a cotton mini skirt in the same shade to cover her bathing suit. Tommy found himself quite liking the stringy state of her wet hair, a thought he shook away in haste, for such a thought exceeded the boundaries of friendship.
Lil lifted a pair of seashells off the ground and followed after him to a more discrete area of the beach. An area of a beach he was most inclined towards because despite the sharp rocks, the salty smell was some how sweeter, and the oceanic life more apparent. "What are you doing?" he demanded as she practically shoved the seashell towards his ear that he had been watching her listen to only moments before.
The brunette frowned, "Oh, come on, Pickles, don't tell me you never listened to a seashell as a kid?" She rolled her eyes, sticking the shell back to her ear; she knew Tommy thought such an act pointless and childish, but to her, there was something fascinating about being able to hear the ocean in such a tangible object as this.
"You have the ocean around you, why do you need to hear it in a shell?"
"Yeah, because it has offered you plenty," she stated bitterly. She set herself upon a rock and dipped her hand into the lagoon and plucked a starfish out of the crisp water.
Tommy let out a frustrated sigh, too bad there was a natural law that stated he couldn't hit a girl. He sat on a smooth rock opposite to the one she resided upon and pulled out his tattered old notebook, one that contained the numerous songs he had previously written and one that was rather tedious to put down on paper.
"How's it coming along?" she asked sweetly, it was amazing how she could switch her mood in an instant, then again, Lil had never been one to hold a grudge for long.
"You should know, you've basically been with me every step of the way."
"Yeah, Kimi's been saying I haven't been spending much time with her, but all she wants to do is sunbathe."
He let out a chuckle, Lil had never been one to go tanning, she had always opted for the swim, besides he thought her pallid completion suited her rather well. He watched the starfish drop back into the lagoon with a splat, and then watched as Lil fished out whatever sea creature she'd find. He prayed it wasn't a crab or lobster.
"There must be a girl you like," she mused, "you could write about her."
"Problem is that there isn't anyone I'm currently into."
Lil bit her peach glossed lips, a look coating her face he couldn't explain. Why couldn't girls ever express exactly what they meant? It was mind boggling enough to try and please them.
"No one?" she squeaked.
"No one," he affirmed, placing a hand upon his knee, "which is too bad considering I could use love as an inspiration."
"Why does everything always have to be about love?"
He blinked, but then the words flew free before he thought much about them, "because it's something everyone yearns for."
"I guess you're right, everyone does long for that feeling," she stood up from her position on the rocks, leaving the sea critters alone, but not before Tommy caught the pink tincture encompassing her cheeks.
"Do you yearn for it?" he asked, his voice coming out in whispered tones as he stood before her.
"For what?" she asked, stuffing her hands into the pockets of her sweatshirt.
"Love?"
"Like you said, everyone does."
"Right," he stated in a flummoxed tone, running a hand through his hair.
Lil frowned, she hated when he did that, he really had no idea how such an action affected her.
A mischievous glint sparked from his eyes as an idea struck and suddenly Lil felt rather conscious about his eyes lingering upon her face. She took a backwards stride and nearly stepped onto a jagged rock with her bare feet. "What?"
"Too bad we can't fall in love."
"Us?" the idea was totally uncalled for, "a hoax would never help you."
"Maybe not," he whispered, stepping dangerously close. He took his hand and wrapped it around her wrist, pulling her hand from the pocket of her sweatshirt, "but I'm sure it could strike some feeling."
"Don't be silly," she stammered, retreating, but it was no use, due to his strong grip she couldn't liberate herself. "Tommy?!"
"What harm would it produce, I'm not attracted to anyone and neither are you…" he gazed into her eyes, "you're not in love with anyone are you, Lillian?"
She averted her gaze to the sand below, watching her toes wiggle, "no…but you'd be toying with my feelings, and no girl wants that."
"Not even a strong and independent person such as yourself?"
"Definitely not."
"Well, that's too bad, Lil," he whispered, drawing towards her lips as if in a trance, "because you never know, you might come to like it."
Lil thought that through the course of their friendship she'd become immune to his flirting, but every time he intentionally, and at times unintentionally, from the looks of it, committed such an action, it still induced the feeling that her heart had literally tore away from the rest of her organs. "C-cocky much?"
A light chuckle rumbled from his throat, his warm breath hitting her face. He knew she'd never give into a condition such as this, so why was he bothering to continue with the unacceptable behavior? Maybe she had begun to spend way too much time with him? It was bound to get unhealthy.
Tommy placed his one hand at her shoulder, with the other; he gently pried away the flap of her sweatshirt and placed it at her bare waist. "What do you say, Lil…"
Pink burned across her cheeks, the heat growing. She swallowed as his lips drew near. "…maybe…if you wished we'd fall in love."
The tiniest of smiles was apparent upon his lips before he uttered in a rather husky tone, "maybe, I do."
A chill coursed through her as his lips found hers; warmth reverberated between them as she kissed him back. Lil pulled away, feeling rather breathless, a tiny smile lit across her lips as she said, "ditto."