"Please, come onnnn," he says, nudging her shoulder with his, "Try it. Do it for me."
Rose peers at the plate. She shudders. "It looks disgusting."
He feigns an offended look. "Rose Tyler. This is the sacred dish of my fallen people."
Her mouth drops open and she's suddenly rushing to say, "I'm so sorry!"
His lips twitch. Her eyes narrow.
"Did you just lie to me?" she demands.
"Maybe a little bit."
"That was so mean!" She pokes his chest. "I thought I'd upset you!"
"We did eat this on Gallifrey, but it was hardly a sacred dish, don't worry." He gestures at himself with a fork, "Not upset." He scoops up a forkful of the food he's just cooked for her, and holds it out, inviting her to take a bite. "It's really good, you know - I'm a great cook. Promise. Nine centuries, I've had to learn. Give it a try?"
"That's the first time you've told me the name of your planet," she murmurs instead.
He blinks, and sets the fork down on the plate. "Oh. Is it?" He tugs on his earlobe. "Really?"
"Yeah."
He drops his hand to his thigh. "Ah."
"You don't have to say anything else, if you don't want to." Rose's hand reaches out and covers his, squeezes in comfort. "But, if you do want…"
"Yeah?" he murmurs, his throat a bit scratchy. He's never consciously considered talking about Gallifrey at length with her - he'll drop a few bits and pieces of his life before her into conversation occasionally, tell her a story or two from his past. But his home planet - his old home - that's - he's left that off-limits for so long.
But sitting here, her hand in his, eating dinner. Conversation with Rose Tyler, over food, holding hands, in his ship. He does this, he can do this, and he can make Gallifrey a topic of that conversation.
"Yeah," she says, nodding, biting her lip, and she looks so eager for him to share some memories with her that he finds himself leaning forward, words about silver leaves and twin suns already on the tip of his tongue.
She continues speaking as he draws in a breath, with a teasing smile creeping across her face, "If you do, I'll give this Gallifrey - Gallifreyan? - cuisine a go."
He grins, and pushes the plate towards her. "Then eat up, Rose Tyler, because I have a lot to say."
Rose tentatively picks up the fork.
"And if you really don't like it - you will, but if you don't - we'll go for chips after," he says, watching her carefully. "Yeah?"
She smiles, and takes a bite. Chews. Tilts her head to the side as she considers, her eyes widening. She looks impressed, but like she's trying to hide that she's impressed. He can't stop smiling.
"Well?"
"It's all right," she says quietly, shrugging, but immediately goes in for more.
He is more than satisfied with her reaction. "You love it. I knew you would."
"I still want chips after," she says between bites. "But it is pretty good."
"Ha!"
"You gonna get going with your story, then?" she says, eyes flitting to his, looking very hopeful.
He scoots his chair closer to her and begins. "I wish you could've seen it, Rose. You'd not like the people very much, but the planet? Oh, it was beautiful. Trees with silver leaves that shone in the light of the twin suns and twinkled in the wind…"