Companion Appreciation Day
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Synopsis: Hopefully a series of humorous short and fluffy stuff surrounding the most beloved of all holidays: Companion Appreciation Day!!
Formal Disclaimer: This story is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental – NOT!
Disclaimer: Gosheth, no, I don't own anything except for "Companion Appreciation Day" –glares- leave me to my misery, all right? Can't you just… go suck on a cow at a fair and leave me alone???
Tylenol
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"You know what day it is today Rose?" asked the Doctor casually one morning in the TARDIS, lounging in a TARDIS chair, at the TARDIS table, in the TARDIS kitchen, holding a TARDIS mug full of TARDIS tea in his non-TARDIS hand.
"Umm… my birthday?" Rose asked him hopefully.
"Nope. That was 2 months ago – exactly."
"So technically it's 305 days until my birthday," Rose reasoned. "That earns me a present."
"Iiii don't think so," the Doctor told her, unconvinced.
"Let's see… if it's not my birthday… Christmas?" she guessed, once more hopeful.
The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Considering we just had it – no."
"Doctor," Rose whined. "You're spoiling my fun."
"Just shake your head and say, 'No, Doctor, I do not know what day it is today,'" the Doctor responded patiently, as if speaking to a child.
With an annoyed glance that added to her growing headache, Rose sighed, completely irritated. "No – filthy-leotard-wearing-crackpot – Doctor, I do not know what day it is today."
"Well," the Doctor grinned triumphantly, adding to Rose's scowl, "It's CAD."
"Cad?" Rose asked warily.
"CAD," the Doctor corrected.
"That's what I said!"
"No, you said 'cad'."
"YES! That's what I mean," Rose said irritated. "Do I have to spell it out for you? Cad. C – A – D!! Cad, cad, cad, cad, cad!"
"No, I mean CAD," the Doctor told her, thoroughly frustrated. "You're saying 'cad'. I'm saying 'CAD'. There's a difference!"
"YES!" Rose roared. "The 'difference' is that you're an annoying bull-headed ox who eats cows for a living and who lives on the planet MARS!"
The Doctor blinked. "Do not," he defended.
"Do too!" Rose exclaimed.
"Not."
"Do."
"Not."
"Do."
"Not."
"Do."
"Not."
"Do too – thick headed bull of a stupid jerk who has two heads as well as two hearts – oh, and do you know why he has two heads?"
"No," the Doctor said honestly. "Why?"
"BECAUSE HE'S A SELF-CONCIETED LOSER!"
The Doctor frowned. "That's not nice," he tutted.
"Grr…" With a growl to calm herself, Rose bolted out of her chair and out the door of the kitchen – but the Doctor caught her by the arm.
"What's wrong?" he asked quietly, trying very hard not to show the hurt he felt at her words. They had stung, probably deeper than he cared to admit.
Rose stared at the Doctor for a long moment, tears that had no explanation threatening to roll down her eyes like a never ending river. "I'm sorry," she muttered, and looked away. "I don't mean it." He gently tipped up her chin to get her to look at him squarely. Her bravado vanished quite easily after that – or maybe it was the strong, warm and gentle hand on her arm that did it. Whatever the case, Rose easily answered him. "I don't feel well," she whimpered as the torrent of tears rushed down her face and she turned into him for a comforting hug as she buried her head in his chest.
The Doctor didn't hesitate to take advantage of the opportunity to get close to her – he wrapped his arms around Rose without a second thought and held her, tucking her snugly into his chest, his chin brushing the top of her hair. "Oh Rose. Oh Rose, what am I to do with you?" he sighed as he cuddled her gently.
Rose sniffled as she wiped her eyes on the Doctor's jacket. He couldn't help but smile as she blew her nose on it, too. He tipped up her chin and couldn't help but be tender. "Now, now. Are you done with your tears?" he teased her lightly.
Rose nodded without saying a word.
"You wanna know what CAD means?" he asked teasingly.
Rose nodded again.
"Companion Appreciation Day," the Doctor told her cheerfully with a wicked grin on his face.
Rose sneezed and went through a bout of coughing before she glanced back up. "Ugh," she muttered as she made a face.
The Doctor laughed as he pulled her closer and planted a kiss on the top of her head. "I guess today isn't a very good day for telling a certain woman how much I appreciate her," he murmured.
"You? Appreciate me?" she scoffed, but couldn't quite keep the smile from her voice or her eyes.
"More than I can say," he declared, rather husky.
"Mmm…" was her blissfully happy reply and she didn't move a muscle, content to be in his secure hold.
"So. How's about a Companion Appreciation Day, just for you?" the Doctor suggested, quirking a smile.
"I love it," Rose murmured, moving back as she cracked him a grin – telling him just how much she loved the idea.
"Is that the only thing you love?" the Doctor teased back, grinning cheekily, though his brown eyes were serious and his tone slightly seductive.
Her jaw dropped and eyes widened and he smiled.
"You're right," she admitted slowly, somewhat teasingly as she eyed him.
"Hmm?" his tongue felt thick in his mouth as he tried to swallow.
"I would love some Tylenol."
The Doctor blinked. Tylenol?!??! He had given her the perfect chance to… to do what? he brooded.
"Well…" he hesitated. "Would you love me if I get some for you?" he asked finally.
"Dearly," replied Rose immediately, and he chuckled softly.
"Do I have your word on that?" the Doctor asked, somewhat huskily, though the bantering tone was still there. He raised an eyebrow.
Rose's gaze flicked from his eyes to his mouth, to his throat and then to his chest and back up again as she licked her dry lips.
"Yes," she whispered.
"Actually, I need more than just your word," the Doctor clarified as he bent his head, seeing the complete trust she had in him.
"You would, knowing you," Rose retorted, though gently and softly, her eyes betraying her laughter.
"You're sure?" he whispered, his lips gently brushing her ear.
"Quite." The word was quaky.
He gently and sweetly kissed her cheek. It felt smooth and soft, warm and light against her skin as he traced her bottom lip with his finger, making her quiver. Before he could capture her lips in a further passionate kiss, Rose stopped him. "I need…"
"The TARDIS?" he guessed, pausing to kiss her other cheek and leaned down to swiftly kiss her throat gently.
"I need…"
"A dog?"
"I need…"
"A banana?" He made a little growling noise at the back of his throat as he explored her neck and chin with his tongue, gently whipping it across before she could catch a breath, alternating with running sweet little kisses along her jaw line.
"I need…"
"Me?" he peppered the side of her neck with kisses and smiled wolfishly when she whimpered – he had found a sensitive spot.
"I need…"
"'However, you already have me…"
"I need…"
"So what do you need?" He nibbled on her ear gently and tugged the lobe with his teeth.
"I need Tylenol and a large blue bucket."
The Doctor paused in his exercise of exploring that glorious spot on her neck.
"Why?"
"I'm sick and I'm going to throw up."
"Oh." He cringed.
The Doctor spun away as Rose darted for the bathroom.
"So, I take it that this isn't a good day to have Companion Appreciation Day?" the Doctor asked as he leaned against the bathroom doorjamb, wincing as Rose made retching noises.
Rose replied by throwing up some more.
"Here, let me help." With uncanny swiftness and tenderness the Doctor swept him and took her in his arms, lightly kissing her forehead.
"What would it be like if you were a vampire?" Rose mumbled against him, shivering.
"What do you mean?" the Doctor asked, clearly puzzled.
"I mean that vampires are cold – "
"Oh! I get it," he spoke as he gave a little chuckle. "Well, first off, the scent issue would drive me up the wall – you smell gorgeous," he added huskily as he bent his nose to her neck and inhaled deeply. "Second, I would be rather hard to lie against and third – you're quite appealing to me so… I would have to keep away from you," he finished in a low voice, telling Rose exactly what he thought of that idea.
"Someone's been reading up on their vampire homework," Rose teased him weakly, trying to keep the conversation as light as she could manage.
"One tries," the Doctor answered simply with a shrug. "So… would you like me to be a vampire?"
"No," Rose said suddenly, hugging the Doctor's chest hard. "I like warm people just fine."
The Doctor raised an eyebrow. "Lucky I'm a Time Lord then, eh?"
"You sound awfully Canadian," Rose remarked.
"And you're hardly coherent. Let's get you to bed," the Doctor murmured as he gave Rose a gentle squeeze.
"I'm not moving away from the toilet," she declared, and instead of laying her head against his warm chest, she moved to lay it against the hard, cold bathtub.
The Doctor frowned when he saw Rose do this. "Love, it's too hard for you to be hugging the bathtub – plus you'll catch a chill. Come over to me."
"It's cold – it feels nice," she whimpered softly.
With another, deeper frown, the Doctor moved over to Rose and gently rested a hand against her forehead. Rose whimpered again at the searing heat she experienced, along with the slightly cool touch of his palm to her skin. It wasn't enough, however, and she pulled away again.
"Rose," the Doctor sighed. "I think you have that twenty four hour stomach flu."
"Feels like it," Rose managed to choke out.
Without another word and certainly without difficulty, the Doctor swept his Rose up in his arms and carried her like he would a child as she clung to his neck. In a few steps they had reached her bedroom, and the Doctor pushed against the door sideways, forcing it open and not being gentle with it.
With tender care he picked his way through the floor with Rose still trapped in his arms; and considering this, Rose decided that this was a nice place to be. He carefully placed her on the bed, whipping away the duvet in one hand as he smiled at her and held her with the other. Finally he set her down comfortably and tenderly on the bed and stood slowly, sighing and smiling at the same time. It came out as a puff.
"Okay, Missy, you're going to get changed into clean and warm Jim Jams." His voice wasn't inviting argument. With a sigh, Rose stood up and slowly walked to her wardrobe, while the Doctor sped once more out of the room.
Rose managed to yank on a clean top before the Doctor entered the room again, carrying so many things that Rose blinked and tried to focus on just one of them.
"Right, here's that Tylenol you wanted… a drink of cold water to go with that – and… a lovely blue bucket – that you wanted. Also, here's a hot water bottle – just in case you change temperatures and go from being hot to cold – and… a surprise for when you're feeling better," he told her cheerfully, producing each thing with a flourish, including something wrapped up in a pink plastic bag, something that Rose could only identify as the 'surprise'.
Rose stifled a groan as she glanced at the cup of water and then the Tylenol, both still in the Doctor's hand. "I think I'll take it dry," she declared.
"You won't be able to swallow it – I don't want you to get dehydrated," refused the Doctor, frowning meaningfully at her.
"But –"
"No buts."
"I'm not thirsty," Rose denied.
"That's a lie and a half, and besides, if you don't drink this I'm not getting into bed with you," the Doctor told her with a straight, serious face.
"Fine," Rose gave in immediately and held out her hand. With a grin the Doctor gave it to her. Rose tipped up the glass and drank a drop. "I drank it," she told him innocently when he raised an eyebrow at her.
With a sigh, the Doctor conceded with a nod and watched as Rose hopped off the end of the bed and managed to slip into the side, pulling the duvet up to her chin and flipping down the other side as an open invitation. He didn't need to be asked twice. As he discarded his tie, jacket, trainers and socks, he dived under the covers, trying not to let the cold air enter their haven of warmth. As he rested his back against the headboard, the Doctor gently tugged Rose over and began making soft and slow circles on her back with his hand.
"How are you feeling, love?" he murmured.
"Horrible," she groaned.
"Hey…" he whispered as she looked up and he caught her lips finally with his. "Twenty-four hours and it will be gone."
"That's the problem," Rose groaned again. "I think that you being here… snogging me… is a dream." She snuggled down against his chest closer, making the Doctor's two hearts begin to beat out of synch. "If it is, I don't want to wake up."
The Doctor laughed lightly. "Here I am, thinking that the only reason you're letting me hold you is that you're not feeling well."
Rose shot up and almost nailed him in the chin. "Don't think that –" she choked on her words. "Don't think that I hate you –"
"No, my love, no," He hushed her by placing his fingers on her lips. "I didn't think that. Truth is, I love you – so much – " he choked, but coughed to hide the fact. He looked down regretfully at how close they were – regret that he couldn't make it closer. "I'm afraid to do anything lest I bring you pain," he admitted.
"You could never…" She leaned in closer to him, eying him intently, her whisper almost incoherent with intensity. "…never bring me pain."
With a sigh that sounded almost like relief, the Doctor once more brought his lips to her own, and unleashed everything he had ever felt for her.
"We're having a Companion Appreciation Day the day you're feeling better," the Doctor panted slightly in the ear of Rose, once it was over. Rose just relaxed and laid her head on his chest, content to fall asleep to the double heartbeat – the heartbeat that had steadily gotten faster and faster and faster until she was sure he was having a heart attack.
And so she did. To the sound of those wonderful heartbeats, to the sound of the Doctor murmuring sweet lines in her ear, to the feel of the Doctor's hands brushing across her collarbone, her neck and her hair, to the feel of the sweet, small, light brush-like kisses that landed on her forehead every now and then – Rose fell asleep. She fell asleep in peace.
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