Disclaimer; I do not own the rights to Doctor Who, nor do I mean to infringe on BBC's copyright for publishing this work of fanfiction.
-x-
"Come on, Doctor," Rose begged, tilting her head to the side and sticking out her lower lip just a little bit more. "Just one little trip?" The Time Lord sighed, running his hand through his tangled hair as he debated Rose's request.
"Okay, fine," he relented, much to Rose's joy. "But I don't understand all the fuss involved with that day."
"Valentine's Day is a very important human holiday, Doctor!" Openly rolling his eyes at Rose's defensiveness, the Doctor smiled to himself.
"Yeah, I bet," he nodded sarcastically as he threw a lever and hit a button, twisting a knob for good measure. "Chocolates and flowers and kisses are so much more important than million year-old glaciers!"
"Doctor, we're in a bloody time machine! We can visit your silly old glaciers any time we want!"
"And we could visit your holiday any time as well!" The Doctor retorted, trying to keep his tone out of the annoyed zone. He was far from that point, but Rose sometimes missed the subtle hints he was teasing. Especially when it was her time of the month.
"Yeah, well you choose where we go every time," Rose huffed, crossing her arms and pretending to be indignant. "I wanna have a choice at least once." The Doctor opened his mouth to retaliate and remind Rose that he never forced her to go anywhere when he decided it was better to just remain silent. With one last push of a button, a soft thunk resounded through the TARDIS, signaling their arrival in the courtyard of the Powell Estates.
Rose excitedly ran down the ramp and hopped out of the TARDIS, spinning in a quick circle in the bright, snow-filled air. The flakes fell gently, attaching themselves to Rose's jacket and clinging to her hair. The Doctor smiled as he stepped out into the light flurry, closing and locking the TARDIS doors.
"Meet back here in an hour?" The Doctor nodded at Rose's half-question, and he watched her as she skipped away, heading in the direction of the street shops she was so fond of. The Time Lord smiled and strolled down the lane, deciding to go the opposite direction. It wouldn't do to run into her when he was trying to pick out a gift.
-x-
Rose wandered around the store, aimlessly pacing up and down the aisles as she searched for something to give to the Doctor. As she made rounds through the Valentine's Day section for the umpteenth time, she took in all of the heart-shaped boxes of different sizes and realized she didn't even know if the Doctor liked the taste of chocolate.
Picking up one of the larger boxes, she absently turned it over in her hands and imagined the Doctor going on and on about all the different types of sweets he had sampled in his lifetime. She imagined the Time Lord's nose crinkling at tasting the chocolate, followed by a brief rant about the inferiority of human sweets. At this thought, Rose mentally slapped herself. The Doctor was known for speaking before thinking, sure, but he was rarely that unkind and unfeeling.
Besides, Rose assured herself as she tucked the heart-shaped box beneath her arm, he always appreciates the little things.
-x-
"Who's the lady?"
The Doctor's twin hearts both skipped a beat at the sudden interruption of his thoughts, and he gave a panicked look to the middle-aged woman who had approached him.
"So sorry," he admonished, flashing an apologetic grin. "What was that?"
"I asked who the lady is," the woman smiled brightly, gesturing at the flower stem held in between the Doctor's thumb and forefinger. "You've been staring intently at that rose for a good time."
"Oh!" The Doctor suddenly remembered hat he had wandered into a flower shop, and must have gotten wrapped up in thinking. "Ah, it's—." The Doctor stopped, the name of the blossom in his hand just registering.
"What did you say this flower was called?" A puzzled look passed over the woman's face, but it quickly passed.
"It's a rose," the florist chuckled, "and I assume it's for a good friend?"
"Ah! Yes, yes it is," the Doctor stuttered, feeling like a fool. "Do, um... Women like flowers, right?" The florist laughed for real this time, making the Doctor shift from foot to foot in embarrassment.
"I can't speak for us all, but I'm positive that your friend will definitely appreciate it." Glancing pointedly at the vase of red roses the Doctor had selected the blossom from, the florist continued. "Would you like a dozen? I can wrap them, if you'd like." The Doctor looked down at the flower in his hands, and with only a moment's hesitation, he nodded and handed the blossom over.
"That would be brilliant."
-x-
As he rounded the corner, bouquet in hands, the Doctor wondered how he would approach Rose as he gazed at the crimson blossoms; should he just pop out from behind the TARDIS and flash a cheeky grin, or should he wrap her in his arms tenderly from behind, kiss her hair and present the flowers to her? Puzzled by his indecisiveness, the Time Lord looked up from the red flowers and instantly froze.
There, leaning against the side of the TARDIS, was Rose, a large bulky object wrapped in her jacket. She seemed to be staring at a specific point in space, but as the Doctor's still-functioning mind chipped away at her expression, he came to the conclusion that it was a blank stare.
Rose seemed to notice that she was being stared at, and, broken from her thoughts, she turned her head and locked eyes with the Doctor. She watched his big brown eyes flicker down to the bulge beneath her arm and back up to her face, his eyebrow raised as if silently questioning her. A faint smile broke across his face as Rose's gaze fell to the bright bouquet of crimson blossoms in his hand.
Rose's cheeks colored immediately, and the Doctor merely laughed as he strode over to his blushing companion.
"Hello, Rose!" He grinned cheerily, a clear bounce in his step. "Happy Valentine's Day!"
"Happy Valentine's Day," she murmured back, staring with wide eyes at the bouquet of roses being held out to her. As if suddenly realizing her hands were full, she shifted the bundle wrapped in her jacket under an arm, awkwardly taking the flowers from the Doctor's hand. He smiled at her again, and Rose remembered what was in her jacket.
"Oh!" Shoving the roses back into the Doctor's hands, she untangled the mess of cloth and withdrew a big red heart-shaped box, quickly swapping the roses with the box.
"Happy Valentine's Day," she repeated, bringing the bouquet up to her nose to smell the flowers and hide her blushing smile. The Doctor stared dumbly down at the box in his hands, pleasantly surprised at the gift. Looking back up at Rose, he grinned and took a step forward, closing the distance between them. Using one hand to gently push the bouquet away from Rose's hand, he tipped her chin upwards a bit and planted a light kiss on her lips. Hearing a faint whimper come from her throat, the Doctor felt Rose return the gesture.
Valentine's Day suddenly became the Time Lord's favorite holiday.