Title: Puzzled soulmates.
Number of parts: 1/1.
Pairing: Ninth Doctor/Rose Tyler.
Synopsis: The Doctor was trying to complete that damn puzzle when something else caught his attention...
A/N: The characters and universe don't belong to me. All rights go to Russell T. Davies, Phil Collinson, Susie Liggat, Steven Moffat and to the BBC. Everything else belongs to my imagination.
A/N2: legendslikestardust (rings) and doctorroseprompts (Canon 'verse soulmates AU where humans and Time Lords have different ways of finding their soulmate; something happens and one of their marks is accidentally uncovered) prompts fulfilment.
"Doctor, what is that?"
The Doctor didn't seem to hear Rose's voice. He was too busy trying to assemble the pieces of that damn 3D puzzle. He had argued with Jackie about it and, as usual, had boasted about his superior intelligence. It had all ended with him saying he would finish it in less than an hour before he took the puzzle to the TARDIS to do it there and not have Jackie Tyler mumbling around him. But he was starting to think that she had been right – though he would never say it out loud – and that this thing was impossible to assemble. The pieces were always coming off whenever he was adding another one and he was getting seriously pissed off. He needed to sort that thing out and shut Jackie up.
"Is that screwdriver coming, Rose?"
His voice was rather angry. He had asked for it two minutes and thirteen seconds ago and she still hadn't found it in the bigger on the inside pockets of his leather jacket he had thrown on the rail while working on that puzzle on the console. He wouldn't let Jackie win and have the last word about something as stupid as a puzzle. If a human kid could do that, a nine hundred years old Time Lord could do it even better. He held out a hand for Rose to give him his sonic screwdriver. He was gonna cheat and make those pieces hold still whether they wanted it or not. But when it didn't come, he turned around to figure out what was taking so long. He found Rose standing still with a small blue box in her hands and looking completely absorbed in what she was watching.
"You never answered my question."
"Neither did you."
The Doctor gave up on the puzzle and walked to his companion. He already knew what she was looking at. A blue thin Gallifreyan steel ring with Gallifreyan symbols on it. He always had that ring on him wherever he was going and whatever face he was wearing. It was just a reminder to him.
"It's a wedding ring. From my planet."
"You were married?"
"No."
He could never get married because the Time War happened before the wedding could occur. And anyway, it was an arranged marriage like they always did on Gallifrey. Love wasn't something that mattered on his planet. Arrangements were better. Everything was planned according to a particular logic. But all of that was gone up in smoke now. If he should be relieved to have escaped that custom, he wasn't. Time Lords didn't care about soulmates but they did have one waiting for them somewhere in the universe. And with the planet burning, the Doctor knew he would surely never met his.
"That's weird."
"What?" he asked, looking for his screwdriver.
"Those symbols. I've always wondered what they meant."
"You've seen them before?"
He was asking the questions without really expecting an answer but if he had been more attentive, he would have been surprised. "I've always wondered what they meant." She had already seen those symbols before. Before she even met him. But it didn't strike him right away.
"Yeah. They appeared on my shoulder a few years ago. My mother said it was a soulmate mark. But that's a weird one. I thought someone was mocking me."
"What?"
The Doctor stopped what he was doing to look up at Rose. She was stroking the symbols on the ring unaware of what they could mean. But he did know what they meant. And now, he was becoming aware of the whole message the universe had sent him months ago.
"This is your language, right? This is Gallifreyan. Just like on the TARDIS screen. But what does that mean?"
Her heart was beating faster now. She was starting to think that the Doctor, that extraordinary friend she had, was maybe related to her soulmate. Or could it be…?
The Doctor took the ring between his fingers and read the symbols. How stupid had he been! That was so obvious! Under his nose all that time! The symbols on that ring were the symbols of his own soulmate mark. And Rose had the same… That would explain why they were getting on so well with each other, why it had immediately clicked between the two of them, why he had always felt like she was connected to him.
"Doctor?"
"Arkytior."
"I'm sorry."
"The symbols. It means Arkytior. It's a name."
"Oh."
"The name of my soulmate."
Rose looked up at him, surprised by his words. So Time Lords did have soulmates too? And why did she have the name of some random person called Arkytior on her shoulder? And why the Doctor had a ring with that name too? The Doctor put the hand in his jacket's pocket and pulled out another ring. The symbols were different.
"There once was that guy on Gallifrey. He was making rings with your soulmate's name and yours on it. It was like a gift. He could tell the name of everyone's soulmate if they had one. I was curious, and I got that ring with Arkytior's name along with mine."
He put the ring down in Rose's hand. She looked at it closely and recognised the symbols. Those were the exact same symbols as the one on her soulmate mark. It wasn't saying Arkytior, but Doctor. Or whatever his name was. She felt her face go red as she realised what it meant. He was her soulmate. He always had been. But she wasn't his. It was heartbreaking for her who had feelings for him. Justified feelings. Tears filled her eyes.
"Rose?"
"I'm sorry. It's just… That's… That's your name written on my shoulder."
She lightly uncovered her shoulder to show him her mark. He came closer and his hearts seemed to run a marathon in his chest. She was right. The name she had on her shoulder was the same as his ring. It was his name. His real name. He was Rose Tyler's soulmate. As unbelievable as it was.
"Rose," he murmured with a croaked voice.
"I'm sorry," she repeated, tears still filling her voice.
"Arkytior. It means Rose in high Gallifreyan."
Rose felt her heart stop at his words and her brain seemed unable to think about anything but that. Arkytior meant Rose. It meant she was his soulmate, and she was his. His fingers softly stroked her mark, causing her to shiver. She closed her eyes as he traced the symbols on her shoulder. What did it mean for them? Were they gonna ignore it and continue their adventures? Or were they gonna take the next step? The kiss the Doctor left on her mark was the answer to her silent questions. He, who never let anyone know what he was feeling or thinking, was showing her affection. He was willing to take the next step. And she didn't push him away. That's why she turned around and pressed her lips on his when she got the opportunity…