This was written for my friend Develish1 over on lj - the prompt was simply Nine/Rose.
He couldn't keep his eyes off of her. The way she smiled and laughed made his hearts beat in a way that seemed both old and new to him. The spark in her eyes made their rhythm pick up. Her smile was infectious, her pink tongue tantalizing. And every now and then she'd lay a hand on his, her fingertips teasing along his skin – it made him tremble under his heavy leather jacket.
And then he'd distract her and the attention that had been showered over him was taken away. It was as if the sun was covered by rain clouds. He had always liked the rain, but found that the more the sun shone down on him, the more he missed it when it was gone.
The Doctor glared at the pretty boy they picked up during their last adventure. Rose had been so adamant about saving him – how could he say 'no'?
They were sitting in an ordinary-looking restaurant on an extraordinary planet – the sand was an aqua color, for one. The people were peaceful, the food delicious and Rose was sitting next to him while they ate – things were pretty good.
Except that pretty boy Harkness (if that was even his real name, which the Doctor doubted very much), kept trying to impress Rose with his heroics. And his stories always seemed to involve more than one species and gender – and always ended up in compromising situations – to say the least.
Oh, the Doctor knew that Rose wasn't innocent or bashful with these stories…but did she really have to laugh so heartily at everything the man said? It was beginning to feel insulting. Memories of their conversation in the basement resurfaced, making his smile melt into something resembling a pout.
Time Lords, he chided himself, do not pout.
"Doctor? What is it, what's wrong?"
Her voice brought him out of his dejection. He looked up at her, into those honey-colored orbs that bore into him so often and easily. The wall he'd built around himself had tumbled since their first adventure – what had she done to him?
Clearing his throat, he attempted normality, "Nothing – nothing." He smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes.
Rose continued looking at him, her eyes looking deep into his, making his hearts speed up once again. He wanted to look away, to flinch from her stare but found that he couldn't.
She made him want to stop running – and that terrified him most of all.
They were sitting on a bench in the marketplace, a plethora of the planet's traditional food spread on their table – but all he could think of was the fact that she was so close to him. Every edge of him could easily meet every edge of hers if he moved over just a little closer…
The Doctor was aware that they hadn't spoken in awhile and so he was about to offer her (and him, by default) a tour of the market when the Captain (which he knew he wasn't, by the way) grabbed her hand from across the table, distracting her from him once again.
He didn't know what came over him, but this time the pretty boy distraction made him furious. Since meeting Rose, he'd become less patient with her spending time with anyone who wasn't him. Call it possessive, name it irrational – he didn't care. The Doctor was tired of it.
The Captain was starting a new batch of stories, meaning to entice Rose into becoming one of the starring roles of future ones, he was sure, when he suddenly interrupted, "Rose…" The Doctor's voice was husky and low – quite unlike the outburst he half-expected.
Rose turned to face him instantly, and the idea that his voice, his presence could call upon her attention so easily, only fueled his impulse.
That's when it happened. He hardly realized what he was doing - only that he was.
Without warning, without even a full complete thought – he instantly cupped the back of her head and with his long fingers threaded through the locks of her hair, pulled her to him. His lips were on hers in an instant – no time for hesitation.
Once there, however, his nerves seemed to wake up and realize what he was doing. Instantly panicking at what he had done – after all, who'd want to kiss a big-eared, damaged Time Lord when a pretty, equally adventurous and above all charming human was sitting across the table – he made to detach himself from her.
But that's when he noticed that he wasn't the only one holding on.
Rose's hands had found his collar, pulling him to her, her lips which had at first been tense under his, quickly melted to his. She tilted her head slightly giving him better access to tease her mouth open which he quickly took advantage of. He edged her mouth open slightly by sliding his tongue over her lips.
And suddenly, everything around them – the noisy marketplace, pretty boy Time Agent and the fact that they had never done this before – quickly disappeared into a blur in the background. All that existed was the soft, beautiful human shop girl who'd become his best friend and salvation whom he held close and himself, the once-damaged Time Lord whose hearts beat harder and faster than they ever had. Time could erase, the universe could crumble around him – and he probably wouldn't even notice. This is what exhilarated and scared him about Rose Tyler.
Her tongue met his and he heard himself moan at the contact. The sound seemed to encourage her as she used the opportunity to slide even closer to him on the bench, her hands moving from his collar to the back of his neck, her fingers sliding slightly under the top of his jumper. The Doctor kept one hand entangled in her hair, but the other moved to grasp at her waist, keeping her close. The kiss deepened and he explored her mouth unashamedly. He could hear and feel her whimper in the kiss and it made his insides boil with a desire he hadn't felt before…not like this.
A cough coming from across the table reminded him of where he was. His lips stilled as he opened his eyes meeting Rose's equally alert ones. They'd forgotten about their newest addition.
The Doctor felt his ears burn as he disentangled himself from Rose reluctantly. He tried to smooth down her hair from where he'd held onto her. She attempted to smooth his collar, failing miserably.
Rose's lips had swelled just a bit, making her look even more gorgeous than before. The observation did not help the feeling that had begun to pool in his belly. She glanced at him, a teasing smile letting him know that he had much to look forward to later. He smiled hugely, his teeth glistening. He knew he probably looked like a lunatic and found that he rather liked the reason why.
The Captain couldn't help but smile at his new friends, "You know," he directed towards the Doctor, "a simple 'hands off the blond' would have sufficed." His smile was wide as he deliberately and happily pushed himself up and off the bench to explore the marketplace on his own.
The Doctor grabbed Rose's hand in his, quickly leading her from the bench to the Tardis which was parked oh-so-conveniently not too far away.
Hope you enjoyed :)