He watched her out the corner of his eye as he fiddled with the controls of the TARDIS. Sneaking sly glances as she stood and stared at the movement of the central column as it pulsed up and down, bathing the room in a soft blue-green glow. The light cast an eerie glow over her features and he saw, for the first time, how tired she looked.
It shocked him to realise that he'd not noticed how worn out she was. It was obvious that she was exhausted, probably had been for a while, but still he had dragged her from one plant to the next, saving the day at each and she had never complained once. Which, he thought with a smile, was definitely not like Rose.
Rose caught his smile and looked across at him
"What?" She said, a hand flying protectively flying up to her head and feeling around. "Do I have alien goo in my hair again?" Which was quite likely after their last expedition into space and time.
He laughed, "No"
"Then what is it?" Rose asked, letting her hand fall to her side
"I'm just thinking how tired you look"
"Oh thanks. Great friend you turned out to be"
"I know" He said, a smug grin spreading across his quirky face, with its big ears sticking out on the side. "I'm the best"
She laughed. She couldn't help herself. He had an ego the size of a planet, but he was, as always as he always told her, right. He was the greatest best friend that she could or would ever have. Suddenly a pain ripped through her head and she clasped a hand to her forehead to stop it from splitting in two.
"What's the matter?" The Doctor asked, a look of concern spread across his normally cheery features
"Headache" She said, wincing at the effort it took to get the words out of her mouth. "Probably something to do with that last alien exploding two inches from my ear-hole"
He shook his head. "Nah. It's your stupid ape brains'" he said, walking round the console to where she was stood and slinging and arm around her shoulder. "They're so small they get clogged up quickly with all the trivial stuff you humans think about, like having beans on toast for tea and where to buy dodgy top-up cards from. They can't cope with thinking really important stuff, you know like intergalactic politics, alien's exploding, world peace…Ow" he added as she elbowed him in the ribs.
She shot him as look that said there was more where that came from if he carried on. He frowned for a second and softly said something in Gallifreyan, which earned him another jab even though Rose had no idea what he was saying.
"Ow" He repeated, rubbing his chest. "I'm just saying the truth"
Rose rolled her eyes, there was nothing the Doctor like better than slagging off humans. Sometimes she wondered why he let her stay if he thought that her race was so inferior. And if all humans were so stupid why did he like earth so much?
"Do you know what they say is good for a headache?" The Doctor said, gently leading her over to his seat by the controls of the TARDIS
Wearily, she sat. The chair was old and battered, but surprisingly comfortable and she curled her legs under her as she relaxed her tired and aching body into its soft fabric.
"Paracetamol and a good night's sleep?" She said, hoping against hope that this was what he was going to say, but knowing that he probably had some obscure alien cure
"No" he replied, frowning for a second, wondering why humans relied so much on a drug that would prove to be obsolete in a couple of year's time, and then turning back to the controls. "That stuff is useless for headaches. No. They say sex is the best thing for headaches"
"Sex?" She said incredulously, raising a weary eyebrow at his back, wondering if he was teasing her and seeing how totally gullible she was. "Doctor, people use headaches to get out of sex"
"That is only because the person who they are supposed to be shagging is crap" He said, in very matter-of-fact tone, turning back to look at her. "Sex releases all these chemicals in your brain and it gets rid of headaches"
Rose eyed suspiciously, "Doctor, is this your way of seducing me? Because if it is Mickey is better at it. Not a lot better, but better all the same"
She watched as that mixture of displeasure and something else, something she could quite define, flickered crossed his face they way it always did when she mentioned her ex-boyfriend. He raised his eyebrows, said nothing and turned back to flying them to their next destination. Rose sighed; she didn't know what he had against Mickey. It wasn't as if he was a bad lad and he had helped them out of a spot or two, but there was something that the Doctor just didn't like, and as much as she wanted to know what it was, her head hurt too much to have the argument that would inevitably lead to that information.
"Doctor" Rose said, dropping her head against the arm of the seat as she could no longer support the weight of it.
"What?" He asked, his voice was cold and Rose sighed again, that argument was looking like a definite prospect.
"Do you have any paracetamol or anything? Because my head is killing me"
"No. I don't. I told you that stuff doesn't work"
"You must have something? Even you get headaches"
"Who says?" He asked, looking back at her. His face showing traces of anger.
"Oh I forgot" Rose said, surprising herself by responding to his anger, but then again he could be so goddamn infuriating at times. "You have such a big brain that you don't get headaches. Shame that you're head is so big to accommodate it that there is no space for anyone else in the room". She slid off the chair and stood up.
He swung back round to face her. "Where are you going?"
"Bed" She replied and then stomped down the ramp. She stooped when she got to the door and looked back at him, still stood by the console. "Do you know what? You can be so inhuman at times". Rose watched as he raised his eyebrows as if to say "Duh", which pissed her off even more. "And cruel" she added for good measure.
A look of hurt crept onto his face and Rose felt the first bite of guilt in her stomach. Biting back the tears she fled down the corridor.
"Damn it" He whispered quietly, turning back to his task. He picked up his hammer and smashed it against the panel in front of him several times to vent his frustration. "Damn her". She drove him mad at times. She seemed to know what buttons to press to make him angry and seemed to enjoy pressing them, until it blew up in her face.
The Doctor hit the panel again. Did she not know what he felt about her? Was it not obvious? He thought for a moment, maybe she didn't know? Maybe she was just blind. "Humans" he muttered. Sometimes they just couldn't see what was right in front of their faces.
He dropped the hammer and it fell on to his foot, making him wince with pain. He looked at the main console and watched as the light it omitted seemed to grow brighter.
"Oh great" he muttered. "Now you are laughing at me. I bet you thought that was some sort of joke"
The light glowed again and he took it as a yes. He sighed, he had actually deserved it and the comment Rose had said about him being cruel. He didn't mean to be cruel, especially not to her, but sometimes his cheerful nature slipped and some of the darkness that was inside him slipped out, causing him to lash out at the closest person and usually it was Rose that bore the brunt of it. Though he wished she wouldn't remind him of Mickey's existence every chance she got.
The column in front of him throbbed.
"I know" he said, shaking his head at it. "You are right as usual. I am an arrogant, pigheaded alien, who really should know better. Are you happy now?"
The light flickered, and muttering in his native tongue and still with a limp he left the control room to follow Rose
