The Sarah Jane Adventures fic:
Disclaimer: I don't own anything
Pairing: Clyde/Rani
Summary: Clyde is bored, will a good deed put him in the good books of Rani's family?
This fic title came from someone called dreamsdowndrain on tumblr, thank-you for the fic prompt! Hope you all enjoy it :)
Gadabout
Clyde Langer left his house and soon found himself on Bannerman Road. It was a beautifully sunny day, not a cloud in the sky. A small breeze rustled nearby trees and plants, birds chirping happily from somewhere, early on this Saturday morning.
He approached 13 Bannerman Road, the place he loved so much. It was his second home. So much happened under that one roof, yet very few people knew anything about it. This house on a normal street, in a normal neighbourhood, was the reason why planet Earth was still here. Still safe. Aliens had been, but had soon gone, once the Bannerman Road gang had dealt with them. The aliens soon knew not to mess with this team from Ealing, yet still some came back for more. They were unsuccessful of course. No one messed with Sarah Jane and the people she thought of as her family.
The woman herself was outside washing her signature green car, when Clyde approached. She stopped what she was doing briefly, and smiled at him "Hey Clyde."
"Hi Sarah Jane. Need any help?"
"No I'm alright, I'm nearly finished anyway."
"Are you sure? I've got nothing else to do."
Sarah Jane chuckled "I'm sure you have some homework to do?"
Clyde shook his head "For once, no I don't. I've done it all."
"Blimey, you must be bored if you've done it all already?" Sarah Jane smirked.
"Tell me about it" Clyde fidgeted, clearly restless "Everything's been so quiet around here lately" nodding his head towards the attic "Why can't some Judoon come and try and take over the planet or something? Give us something to do."
Sarah Jane raised her eyebrows "You shouldn't wish for things like that to happen, Clyde."
"Why not, it keeps us in business!"
Sarah Jane chuckled then looked behind Clyde "Why don't you go and help Haresh with the gardening?"
Clyde momentarily turned around and saw Haresh struggling to trim the hedge in the front garden.
"Uh no, I think I'll pass." He turned back to Sarah Jane "Is Rani in the attic?"
"No she's still at home, I haven't seen her yet today."
"I'll go and see what she's up to then, see you later."
Clyde crossed the road to Rani's house, Haresh saw him approach and turned off the hedge strimmer.
"I don't suppose you're here to help me with the gardening?" he said solemnly.
"Sorry sir, my talents don't stretch as far as gardening."
"Didn't think so."
"Rani about?" Clyde wondered.
"She was, but Gita's sent her to the shops. I wouldn't think she'll be too long."
Clyde groaned "Great!" he said sarcastically, taking off his bag and chucking it down on the floor by his feet.
"Maybe helping me with the gardening isn't so bad now?" Haresh said, trying to not sound too smug "Or, you could help Gita with tiding up the kitchen?"
Clyde didn't know which was worse, but settled for helping Haresh out. After all, a few brownie points from your headmaster has got to be worth the agro. Not to mention the fact that having feelings for his daughter, so trying to make a better impression on the man, can only be a good thing.
So Clyde set to work sweeping up the path and collecting the parts of the hedge that Haresh had been cutting off.
...
Fifteen minutes later Rani was walking down the street, two large shopping bags in her hands, she could see her house in the distance and as she was approaching closer she saw that Clyde was helping her dad out. Rani beamed, but also started to laugh. She had never thought she would ever see Clyde helping her dad with something, let alone gardening, which she knew her best friend hated doing.
Out of the corner of his eye, Clyde saw a person walking down the street, he looked up properly and spotted it was Rani.
"Sorry sir" he dropped the bag of hedge cuttings, much to Haresh's annoyance, and jogged down the street to meet Rani, who was smiling as he approached.
"What are you doing helping my dad out?" Rani asked, as Clyde came closer.
"I was bored!" Clyde said exasperatedly "Here, let me take those for you." He took the bags off Rani's hands.
"Aw thank-you! Such a gentleman Clyde, what's up with you?" Rani asked, genuinely perplexed as they continued to walk towards her house.
"Nothing! Can't a guy carry heavy shopping bags for a girl anymore?"
Rani giggled "Course you can" she kissed his cheek, much to Clyde's delight, and looped her arm through his.
Haresh watched them with a frown.
"Why is Langer being so nice today?" he said towards his daughter as they walked over "He even helped me with the gardening!"
"I know I saw" Rani smiled, happily.
Clyde rolled his eyes "Any chance you can let me in the house, or my hands are going to drop off!"
Rani chuckled "Come on then!"
She opened the door and they went through into the kitchen where Gita was standing, having just finished cleaning the worktops.
"Hello Clyde, fancy helping bake with us?"
"Bake?" Clyde frowned, as he dumped the bags on the kitchen surfaces.
"Yeah, we're making welsh cakes, cupcakes, sausage rolls and ..."
"Whoa, whoa whoa your boats!" Clyde held us his hands "Why are you making all that?"
"We've got a family party tonight and mum's helping with some of the food" Rani informed her best friend.
"Come on Clyde" Gita encouraged him "Rani's told me all about you being an excellent cook."
"Oh has she now?" Clyde looked at Rani with a thankful smile, she blushed, before she grabbed Clyde's arm, pleadingly "Please, come on, we could do with an extra pair of hands."
Clyde sighed "Alright, I suppose i've got nothing better to do."
"Yes!" Rani kissed his cheek again "Come on then, help me unpack all this lot" she gestured to the shopping bags.
Clyde grinned, if helping Rani and her family meant getting more kisses he would do anything she wanted.
The two Chandra women and Clyde spent the remainder of the morning baking party food, they got flour and cake mixture everywhere, including on themselves. Although Clyde and Rani could be blamed for causing a lot of the mess as they had had a bit of a play fight with some of the flour, most of it now ending up in their hair. After most of the food was finished, and was waiting to go into the oven, Clyde decided to make his own chocolate fudge cake, all courtesy of his mum's recipe. The smell from all the freshly baked food was intoxicating, and most of the food had turned out beautifully, except for one incident with some rather burnt sausage rolls. Thankfully the second batch were a lot more successful.
Gita sighed "Thank heavens for that, I'm exhausted!"
"She better appreciate this food!" Rani said, wiping some of the flour off her forehead.
"As long as they like my fudge cake that's all I'm worried about" Clyde told them as the girl's laughed "Make sure you tell them that I made it!"
"You can tell them yourself" Gita told him with a smile "You can come if you want?"
"Can he mum?" Rani's eyes lit up at the idea.
"The more the merrier" Gita beamed.
Clyde frowned "What, a party... I can come to your family party? But I'm not family."
"Not yet" Gita blurted out.
"Mum!" Rani could not believe what her mum had just said.
She could see out of the corner of her eye, that Clyde looked just as shocked as her as he asked "What d'ya mean?"
Rani laughed it off "She means you're as good as, didn't you mum?" She glared at her mum.
Gita beamed "Of course my darlings."
"Now, hurry home and get yourself sorted, we've got to leave in a few hours." Rani pushed Clyde towards the door, Rani looking back at her mum in a 'you're in so much trouble' kind of look. Gita just giggled to herself.
...
"I don't see why we have to go to this party anyway" Haresh finished putting on his shoes in the living-room, whilst Gita put on her lipstick.
"Oh Haresh don't be such a misery guts, it'll be nice to have a night out for a change."
The doorbell rang, quickly followed by Rani shouting "I'll get it" as she ran hurriedly coming down the stairs.
"Who can that be?" Haresh wondered.
"Clyde I should imagine" Gita said, putting her lipstick away in her bag.
"And why would he be calling over?"
"He's coming too."
Haresh looked startled "What? Langer's coming? What for? It's supposed to be a family party!" Haresh stressed this point to his wife.
"Why shouldn't he come?" Gita beamed before saying quietly "Besides, I doubt it'll be long until he is part of this family."
"He better not be" Haresh warned with a scowl, much to Gita's giggles.
Meanwhile Rani answered the door to see Clyde stood on the other side, dressed in a navy shirt, dark jeans and trainers. He grinned as he saw Rani was dressed in an identical colour dress and shoes, her hair mostly tied up at the back.
"Wow Rani, you look great!"
"Thanks, so do you" she said, as she stepped aside to let him in.
"Do I? I thought I might be too under-dressed?"
"No it's fine, it's only a 40th birthday party anyway."
They headed into the living-room, where Haresh and Gita were standing there waiting for them.
"You look lovely Clyde, you both match!" Gita beamed, spotting their identical colour coordination.
"Great minds!" Clyde held up his hand, and Rani gave him a high five as they laughed.
Haresh picked up his car keys "Come on then or we'll be late."
They arrived at the house not long later. Clyde sticking to Rani like glue, not just because he wanted to, but because he knew no one there except for Rani and her parents. He felt very out of place.
Dancing soon kicked off in the living-room, Rani dragging Clyde over to dance. A lot of the family were gossiping about Rani and this young lad, asking who he was and were they together. Most of the greetings or introductions started with "Rani, is this your boyfriend?" Of which all the replies had followed with blushes by the two young adults, and Rani saying "No, we're just friends."
They didn't stay long at the party, Haresh not liking family parties that much; which was a huge relief to Clyde who had wanted to leave the moment he had stepped through the door. Nevertheless once they arrived back at Rani's house, he said with all politeness "Thanks for inviting me, I had a great time."
"Any time Clyde, do you want to come in?" Gita offered.
"No I'm good thank-you, I'd best be heading home."
"Okay, night then Clyde" Gita replied as she and Haresh headed indoors, Rani staying outside with her best friend.
"Thanks for coming, I know you didn't really enjoy it."
Clyde made to protest otherwise, but Rani laughed "It's okay, my dad's just the same. He's not that keen on my mum's side of the family."
Clyde laughed "Oh I wonder why." Which made Rani giggle.
Clyde responded "No, but seriously Rani, I had a nice time...with you anyway."
"Thanks, I enjoyed spending time with you too. My family loved you!"
"Did they?" Clyde asked, surprised.
"Yeah you should have heard them in the kitchen when I went to get us drinks; they were singing your praises."
"Looks like my Clyde-y charm is working well, how could anyone not love me?" he grinned cheekily.
Rani nudged him "Shut up Clyde." She laughed before she said "So I'll see you tomorrow then?"
"More than likely" Clyde responded and hugged her "See ya."
"Night" Rani smiled as Clyde walked down the street.
Clyde knowing his day of wandering about doing nothing had ended on a rather productive path. Rani's family loved him, now all he had to do was make Rani do the same. Although in the back of his head, he was thinking she already did.
...
Please review, thank-you for reading! :)