Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who.
Certain quotes are by F. Scott Fitzgerald or Sylvia Plath.
Un-beta'd and unedited.
Pairing: Ninerose
°•°
It was a beautiful day, Rose had to admit.
Even if the gaggles of giggling pre-teens, and garish red heart-covered shop decorations were putting her on edge.
As it was, Rose had been reluctant to return to London, but Jackie had insisted that she visit soon (soon).
So, the Doctor had obliged and landed them in Cardiff, only six months late, where they were all greeted by a fussing Jackie, and declarations on the street of the upcoming Valentine's day.
The Doctor was tinkering in the TARDIS (he'd be out for dinner, he'd promised, grudgingly), while Jack was having his ear talked off by Jackie; taking notes for gossip and blackmail purposes no doubt, and occasionally contributing a playful crack at Rose.
"Don't you dare," was all Rose had said to him, glancing at Jackie before she left with Mickey.
"You wound me, Rosie," Jack called after her. "I'm just a friendly man."
They'd been quiet. There wasn't much to say to a sorta-ex-boyfriend, she supposed. Nevertheless, it was nice to soak in the quiet, and be part of the nighttime bustle that was distinct to the human race.
It was soothing. But she knew she'd start feeling restless soon.
Mickey was staring ahead, away from her.
"So..." he started, taking the initiative to break the silence. "You and the Doctor doing anything for Valentine's?"
"Oh, I'm sure Jack will drag us somewhere," she replied, smiling as she remembered the argument Jack and the Doctor had had the day before. Jack had tried to convince him to try the seven-day tour of paradise planets like Florana, Azure and Laylora, as suggested by the Centennial issue of 'The Spacehiker's guide to The Galaxies'.
"He's been hinting at-"
"No," Mickey interrupted, "I meant, just you two. You know, Valentine's plans." He still wasn't looking at her.
"The Doctor," she scoffed, trying her hardest not to blush, "and romance?
"Besides, we're not... You know."
"Oh, c'mon, Rose. We all know what's going on, you don't have to deny it."
"What are you trying to say?" She narrowed her eyes at him, that Tyler intolerance rising to the surface — and honestly, she was just annoyed by the day itself and the fact that despite all she'd done and experienced in the past year alone, just the sight of two happy kids in love that would ordinarily make her smile was making her feel alone, and petty for being jealous.
"You don't know us. You don't get it. He is not my boyfriend." She enunciated firmly.
It wasn't fair of her to take her frustration out on Mickey, but that's all she did, didn't she?
°•°
I constantly remind myself
That our hardships have
brought us where we are
Now together
°•°
"What's got you all in a mood?" Jack asked as he broke the surface of the swimming pool in the library the next day, and found her still frowning at her distorted reflection in the water.
" 's nothing," she mumbled.
"Rosie."
"That is not even my name."
"Roosiie."
She looked at him glumly, and tried to explain best as she could her strange and sudden urge to celebrate love.
It was this ache, almost, to feel that same excitement and affection for the tradition, as she would have three years ago.
The first year with Jimmy had been wonderful ― at least for a sixteen year old with nothing to compare it to. Then the next was just disappointment and fear as he revealed his true colors and her life fell apart briefly.
Mickey on the other hand had been safe, comforting; still missing the mark.
She needed to do something with the currently two most important men in her lives, something that would break through the chains of her past.
Something more special than their regular adventures.
And, she couldn't help but think, maybe establish something more with a certain aloof alien.
Jack flashed her a smirk."So just tell the Doctor, then. I'll get the journal."
"Let's not start that again, God." They laughed.
"Seriously, Rose, just ask him."
"But it's a bit moot, isn't it? What are three friends supposed to do for fun for Valentine's?"
"I can think of eight things off the top of my head."
"Jack!"
°•°
All my soul follows you
My love encircles you
And i live in being yours
°•°
The first day they take her dancing on Zazz.
"Planet of the jazz-loving humans," The Doctor declares, with the special kind of glee he reserves only for her.
"You're kidding," she replies, grinning in the way that she, in return, reserves only for him.
"Rose Tyler, would i lie to you?"
"If you thought it would impress me, then maybe, yeah," she suggests, with a tongue-touched grin.
He folds his arms, eyebrows raised, mock offense barely hiding his amusement. "Oi! I don't live to impress anyone."
"So you say."
"I'm not having this. Sassed by a human; the disgrace."
"What are you going to do about it?"
"Well, I'll prove it to you," he replies, taking her black satin-clad arm and leading her outside into a glowing atmosphere that's thrumming with mystic vibrancy, and really, really loud jazz music.
"C'mon, pretty boy," the Doctor calls behind them, as Jack steps out from the blue doors, tying a velvet bow-tie.
"It's really cute when you two do that," he remarks as he strolls to catch up with them.
°•°
They arrive on Apalapucia to view the mirrored Glasmir mountains, after which they find their way to Delphon, where the natives communicate using only their eyebrows, something that seems fascinating at first but soon proves problematic ― especially with Jack around to add an inappropriate connotation to every flick.
They accidentally land on Desperus once and agree not to speak of it (It takes hours for Rose's ears to stop ringing from the screaming).
Jack must have talked to the Doctor because she keeps finding cute little notes left for her around her favorite spots in the TARDIS.
Whether it's one or both of them doing it she isn't sure ― until she finds one that informs her that she has 'a nice a*s' and knows it must be Jack.
Which is sweet. In a twisted sort of way.
Neither of them mention the notes, to her, or otherwise.
°•°
You are always new to me
And always precious
°•°
On the planet Midnight, the boys leave Rose to herself for a spa day while they go off for a 'gentleman's outing', something which the Doctor looks quite sceptical about.
"Call if anything feels remotely off," he tells her firmly, his blue eyes blazing with seriousness.
He's gripping her shoulders as he warns her about the fatal x-tonic radiation that breaches the beautiful, and deadly, stone gardens beyond the entrance, which she isn't sure is entirely necessary but she doesn't complain.
It's only after she's sipping an exotic foreign concoction ― It's blue, so it must be fine, is one of the things she's learnt through her travels so far. And that purple is probably venomous (an incident that is best explained by a drunk Jack) ― and admiring the view of the sapphire waterfalls does she notice the note tucked neatly into the bowl of what is assumed to be fruit.
On the crisp stationery is another one of the messages:
'I constantly fall for your courage,
Sincerity, and flaming self respect'.
Jack's really getting into this thing, isn't he, she thinks, amused and touched by her friend's attempt to cheer her up.
She teases him later for being a surprisingly good romantic, and he glances at her confusedly for a second before brushing it off unabashedly, and showily declaring his love for the Doctor, who responds as usual with raised eyebrows and witty comebacks.
°•°
I love her
And it's the beginning of everything
°•°
When she wakes up on the day of Valentine's itself, she searches for a note on her way to the main console room, and is confused and disappointed when she can't find one.
"You know, that the build up actually has to lead to something, right?" she tells Jack groggily.
He's sitting on the jumpseat and looks bemused. "What?"
"The notes," she answers, slightly impatiently.
"Oh. Oh." He laughs.
"You might want to step out for a bit," he nods towards the doors, smirking.
Rose makes her way to the doors slowly, steps out, and gasps.
They're on a silvery landmass surrounded by thick clouds that seem to be radiating cold and heat at the same time.
It takes her a minute to realise that they are in a sort of clearing, and the stormy clouds are actually a mass of insanely high wave-like structures that loom, frozen far above her, reaching for the grey sky.
As she brings her gaze back down she sees the Doctor, standing in front of her, almost smiling as he studies her face.
"Doctor, what- ?"
He's holding a single blue rose, and he holds it out to her, just a flicker of uncertainty in his eyes.
She smiles because he looks so innocent and young standing here ― well, young for someone nearing a millennium in age ― and takes it without a second thought.
"What's this for?" she asks softly. It smells like a thousand different things at once, all of them pleasant.
"I was told that human custom demands roses and romantic cards on this particular day."
Rose looks up, startled. She doesn't know what to say. She can't imagine The Doctor would do that for her.
All those messages, this beautiful planet, whichever it is, all put in place for her.
There's moisture in her eyes. She hurriedly blinks it away.
"Jack helped me pick it from Florana. It's called the Royal Prussian Blush, the same colour as the princess' cheeks. It would be a crime to pluck it, which is why there's just the one, a reward for saving the Queen's brother from the pollen thieves."
She's on the verge of giggling because The Doctor is rambling.
"Is that all?" she asks, smiling so wide it hurts her cheeks.
"No."
Now he's standing right in front of her, rough, cool hands cupping her face. She closes her eyes as he kisses her forehead, just a brush, and whispers something in an ancient language that she understands as his.
It's a feeling she could never explain. It's as if his mind nudges hers, and for a second she can feel what he feels for her and what he wants to say.
And as he pulls back to look her in the eye, with his own, crinkling, shining ones, she knows, for sure, that this is love.
°•°
They slipped
briskly
Into an intimacy
From which they
never recovered
°•°
A/N: This is what a last minute contest entry looks like.
They were a bit OOC i know... but it's Valentine's day!