The snow fell in flurries, twisting and twirling downwards through the chilly winter air of Cardiff. On Rose's request, she and the Doctor were visiting Torchwood for Christmas. After all, it had only ben a couple weeks since the Metacrisis event and everyone was a little shaken up. Jack, Mickey, and Martha were pleasantly surprised (Mickey grumbled something about calling beforehand) and welcomed them in. It was a great dinner and even better party and the Doctor insisted on a walk through the town afterwards. Mickey and Martha declined, knowing a romantic setting when they sw one, but so did Jack. Thus, it was the Doctor, Rose Tyler, and Jack Harkness strolling through the streets of Cardiff. That's where they found themselves, Rose and the Doctor walking the snow-covered path with Jack trailing slightly behind them.
"Hey, Jack!" Rose called. "You sure you don't want to walk here with us?"
The Torchwood director waved his hand, dismissing the thought.
"It's fine, Rosie. You two go ahead. Besides, back here I'm free to flirt" he winked.
The Doctor sighed exasperatedly. "Please, Jack. Just once would you stop? For Christmas?" The former con-man merely smirked.
"What, and miss all the mistletoe? It's perfect for romantic settings!" Jack watched as the Time Lord scoffed and Rose blushed, suddenly looking very interested in their surroundings. This was going to be much harder than he thought.
It was fourteen blocks more of walking before Jack managed to find an opportunity to initiate his plan. Taking a sprig of mistletoe, he shoved the plant, the Doctor, and Rose inside of a photobooth and held the curtains closed.
"Jack!" Rose gasped.
The Doctor whipped out his sonic screwdriver, searching for a way out. "No good, it's all wood."
"What exactly are we supposed to do here, anyways?" Rose huffed, tapping her foot on the floor impatiently.
A muffled reply met her words. "Figure it out, Rosie… Here's a hint: cyssanophobia."
Rose cocked her head, confused.
"What exactly-" She was interrupted by the Doctor, who leaped up, hitting his head on the ceiling of the cramped box.
Rubbing his head absentmindedly, he spoke. " That's it! Cyssanophobia's the fear of getting kissed under the mistletoe!" His gaze changed from excitement, to confusion, to realization as he noticed Rose's awkward expression and the mistletoe lying on the floor. "Oh." Suddenly, Rose started laughing, realizing the situation. Before long, the Doctor joined her, peals of laughter filling the small phone booth. She turned to the Time Lord, eyes full of joy.
"Just like him, isn't it? To try and get us together?" she asked through giggles. A snarky remark was heard from outside, causing the pair to laugh harder. The Doctor returned her grin.
"Pretty much, yeah. Always planning something romantic."
Jack refrained from protesting, hearing the scheming tone in the Doctor's voice. A twinkle of mischief crossed his eyes.
"So what's the story, then?" the Doctor asked, looking at his companion expectantly.
"What do you mean?"
"Ah, you know," he babbled, waving his arm around. "The cyssanophobia. What exactly happened to get you scared of mistletoe, of all things? He watched as heat rose to Rose's cheeks again, and she tucked a spare strand of her back into her beanie.
"Oh, that… Funny story, really." Youthful eyes met old, as she looked at him.
The Doctor chuckled. "Go on, then. Can't exactly get out of this place, what with all the wood, and something tells me Jack's not letting us out without at least a story."
Rose nodded in agreement and started her tale. "Well, erm, I was in high school, yeah? I had some pretty nasty 'friends' and a rude g-" Her eyes widened as the Doctor pulled her closer for a kiss. Rose relaxed into his hold, hands finding his chestnut-brown hair. Both of them hardly noticed Jack, who pulled back the curtains and snapped a picture.
He grinned mischievously. "Smile!"
"Jack!"
Author's Note: There it is, then. My first written romantic oneshot. :P Looks pretty horrible, huh? I'd love a review or two, if you could spare the time. On another note, thanks to my local radio station for mentioning cyssanophobia to me.