Jack watched in amusement as his flat mate ran around their home, picking things up, tidying, hoovering, bleaching, washing, and all around cleaning like a man on a mission.
"What's the rush, Doc?" he asked, grinning from overtop his suitcase, where he was packing for a weekend away with his latest boyfriend. "Ants in your pants?"
James tripped to a halt, the tips of his ears going red.
"Can't a man want to live in a clean flat?" he asked, a defensive edge creeping into his tone.
"Sure," Jack allowed. "So what's got your knickers in a knot this time?"
James burned his nervous activity in a manner reminiscent of a puppy; he would run from place to place without stopping until he collapsed in exhaustion.
"What?" James squeaked. "Er, nothing, nothing. Just school stress, I suppose. You know, exams are coming up, I've got that paper due next week that I've not even started. Just ready for the semester to be over, is all."
Jack watched as James re-hoovered the same strip of carpet for the fifth time.
"You need to get laid," Jack announced, and the vacuum fell out of James's hand with a loud clatter.
"I beg your pardon?" he asked incredulously, shutting off the machine when he realized he was being far too thorough in his cleaning.
"You need to get laid," Jack repeated, a filthy smirk crossing his face. "There are far better, more pleasurable ways to work off energy. If you need a hand, I'd be happy to lend mine. Or anything else you may need."
"Jack," he said warningly, his blush creeping down his neck. "I've told you, I've got a girlfriend."
"Right, the mysterious Rose," Jack taunted. In the ten months that James had been his flatmate, Jack had never once seen this Rose girl James was always going on about. No photos, no late night calls, no loud and enthusiastic shagging from James's bedroom. Nothing. "I think Rose is just a euphemism for your right hand. Or left. Or both, ambidextrous as you are."
"Jack, enough," James growled, turning away from his friend to put the vacuum back in the closet. "Don't you have a train to catch?"
Jack glanced at his watch and gave a noncommittal shrug, despite the fact he was already ten minutes behind schedule. He picked up his suitcase in one hand and slung his backpack across his other shoulder as he made his way for the door.
"Y'know," Jack said, halfway out the flat. "If you decide to change your mind, there's this really fantastic website I think you might enjoy. Skype me."
"Out!" James yelled, shoving his friend out the door and latching the deadbolt firmly behind him.
He sighed as he slumped back against the door, running his hands over his face. He hadn't been cleaning to burn of the nervous energy of the end of the semester stress. Nope. He was burning off the nervous energy from the prospect of Rose coming to visit him this weekend, and his anxiety over the tiny velvet box he'd had for a month stashed away in his pants drawer.
His phone buzzed in his pocket, and he smiled when he recognized the text tune that was Rose-specific. Her train had just left London. That gave him a little less than an hour to make the flat pristine and figure out how the hell to work in a proposal to his very best friend of almost fifteen years.
It seemed as though James blinked and his hour was up, and before he knew it, he was pacing around the train station, looking for Rose, whom he hadn't seen in person since the Christmas holidays four months ago.
"James!"
He grinned at the sound of her voice, and finally caught sight of her blonde hair and wide smile. He ran towards her and opened his arms for her. He giggled in her ear as he lifted her into his arms and swung her around as though she weighed nothing, delighting in the sound of her laughter.
He set her back on the ground, but kept a hand on her hip to pull her in for a kiss. He sighed against her mouth when her arms looped around his neck, holding him closer. The feeling of her lips moving against his felt so good after their four-month separation, and as much as he would have liked to keep snogging her, they were in public, and he could feel multiple pairs of eyes staring at them.
He eased them out of the kiss, and rested his forehead against hers, letting their breaths mingle in the inch of space between them.
"I missed you," he whispered, slowly rubbing the tip of his nose against hers.
"I can tell," she said cheekily, grinning up at him.
"You wound me, Rose Tyler," he said, pulling back to place his hand on his chest dramatically.
She giggled and swatted at his chest.
"I missed you, too, you plum," she said fondly, taking his hand away from his chest to twine their fingers together. "Can we never go that long again without seeing each other?"
"It was your fault," he said, bumping his hip against hers as he slung her bag over his shoulder. "Somebody decided to spend the semester abroad."
"Oi, it was a good opportunity!"
Rose was studying art in London and she had qualified for the tour of Europe program, so she'd spent the last four months touring some of the major art capitals of Europe. She had been so excited when she received the notification that she could study abroad, and James was excited for her, and helped her scrounge up the money so she could go.
"I know, and I'm so proud of you, Rose," he whispered, bringing their joined hands to his lips to brush a kiss to the back of her knuckles.
They walked hand in hand the short distance to his flat from the train station, filling each other in on small details of their lives they hadn't already said yet by phone.
"Oh!" Rose said. "You'll never guess who got engaged!"
James's heart thundered in his ears. Speaking of engagements…
"Who?" he asked, hoping his voice sounded steadier than he felt.
"My mate Mickey!" she said, squeezing his hand excitedly. "To that medical student, Martha! Who knew, right!"
"And what do you think about that?" he asked nonchalantly.
Rose peered up at him in confusion. "I'm happy for them, obviously. They're good for each other."
"That's nice," he said, "but I meant…y'know, marriage. What do you think of it? The whole institution of it?"
Rose's fingers tightened around his as she slowed to a stop, tugging him to the side and out of the way of other pedestrians.
"Well," she said slowly, trying not to read too much into his question. James, as brilliant as he was, could often be oblivious to how his words could be interpreted. "Every little girl daydreams of her wedding day, doesn't she?"
"Yeah," he allowed, shoving his free hand into his hair to scratch nervously at his neck. "But you're not a little girl anymore, are you?"
"Nope," she said, eyeing him critically.
James felt as though his heart was going to lurch right out of his chest. He was sure the hand Rose was holding was getting hot and sticky, but if it was she didn't say anything.
"So what do you think about it now?" he asked. "Y'know, if you found the right bloke and all, would you maybe be amenable to marrying him? Hypothetically? If he maybe wanted to marry you, too?"
"James?" Rose whispered. "Are you asking me what I think you're asking me?"
"Maybe?" he squeaked. "Yes?"
"Can you ask me again without all the maybes?" she asked, her eyes prickling with tears as she stroked her thumb across his.
James stared at her for a moment, seeing her tears and panicking for just a second before he saw the utter love shining behind them. He took in a big breath as he released her hand to cup her cheeks.
"Rose Tyler," he whispered, rubbing his thumbs under her eyes to catch a fallen tear. "Would you may—no, would you definitely be agreeable to marrying me? Please?"
More tears dripped down her cheeks as she covered his hands with hers.
"You're not asking just because I told you about Mickey and Martha, right?" she whispered, her voice cracking.
"No," he murmured, his anxiety increasing as she still didn't answer. "I've had a ring for over a month now." He dropped his hand to his pockets and made a show of patting around, hoping maybe by sheer force of will that her ring might have suddenly appeared in his pockets. "A ring which is currently in my pants drawer. So what do you say? You've been my best friend since we were six. I hardly remember a time before you, and I don't want to know any time without you. Will you do me the honor of being my wife? And letting me be your husband?"
A slow smile crossed her face as she nodded and choked out what was meant to be a yes, and flung her arms around his neck. James laughed shakily into her shoulder as the band of anxiety around his chest loosened. She said yes! Rose Tyler wants to marry me!
"I meant for this to be more romantic," he whispered apologetically, wrapping his arms around her waist to hold her tighter. "You know, candlelit dinners and grand gestures."
"I don't need any of that," she assured, pulling back to look at him. "It was perfect because it's us. I love you."
"As I love you."
James pressed his lips hungrily to hers. She moaned into his mouth and opened up for him, letting his tongue trace her lips before dipping into her mouth to tickle across the roof of her mouth. She took a fistful of hair in her hands and scratched her nails across his scalp, delighting in his grunt and shiver of pleasure.
"Rose, love," he murmured against her mouth between kisses. "As brilliant as this feels, we're still outside. Flat's just another couple minutes' walk."
Rose then heard a lewd whistle, and she reluctantly disentangled herself from him. He looked deliciously rumpled. His hair was sticking in every direction, his lips were red and swollen, and there was a slight bump pressing out from his zipper, the sight of which sent liquid heat throbbing to her core.
"Let's go," she ordered, taking his hand and firmly dragging him in the direction he pointed.
Even though the flat was only a five-minute walk away, it seemed as though they'd been walking for an eternity and a half before James shoved a key into the bright blue door of his flat.
"Home sweet home," he said, ushering her inside.
"It's nice," she said, taking a cursory look around. "Where's Jack?"
"Gone for the weekend," James said, locking the door and hanging his keys up on the hook. "Now, I do believe we were in the middle of something?"
"Were we?" Rose teased. She walked up to him and draped her arms across his shoulder as she let her hip brush teasingly lightly against his zipper. She felt him twitching back to life quickly as he sucked in a sharp breath.
"Well, I was," he growled, placing his hands on her hip to pull her flush against him. He rocked against her, rubbed his growing erection against her his as he rested his forehead against hers. "Could always take care of myself, though, if you're not interested."
"Yeah, but where's the fun in that?" she asked breathlessly, skating her fingernails across his chest. "Been taking care of yourself for months. Let me take over."
"With pleasure," he grunted, shuddering as her nails flickered across his nipples.
He threaded his fingers through her hair and angled her face up to recapture her lips with his. She tasted so good, and he felt as though he could kiss her for hours. And he would've been more than happy to, except for the throbbing in his cock.
He thrust his tongue into her mouth as he restlessly rutted his erection against her hip. He was already achingly hard and leaking in his pants, and he knew this would be over embarrassingly quickly if he didn't stop.
"Rose," he whispered, kissing his way down her jaw. He whined and bit down harder than he intended on the skin of her neck when she arched her hips into his and gave him a particularly pleasurable rub. "Jesus, Rose, I'm already close."
"Gonna come, James?" she whispered, tilting her head back to give him better access to her neck. She reached down and took one of his hands off her arse and placed it on her breasts. He moaned against her neck as his other hand joined its mate in dipping under the hem of her shirt to play with her puckering nipples.
"Yeah," he said raggedly, squeezing and fondling her tits through her bra.
Rose pushed her chest closer to his hands as she dropped her hands to his bum. She shifted slightly until his erection pressed against the seam of her jeans, giving her friction she desperately needed. She was close too, but she wouldn't be able to tip over like this, but she knew James could, and probably would if they kept at it.
"Rose—fuck—gotta stop," he hissed through clenched teeth. His hands lost their finesse on her boobs, and he was holding them tightly as he thrust mindlessly against her. "Gonna come."
"That's the point here," she whispered, leaning up to latch her lips to the column if his throat. "Come on, James. Come."
"Oh, sh-shit!"
He grunted as the ache in his cock deepened to an unbearable pressure, before his stomach bottomed out and exploded in pleasure. He arched into her and his hands unthinkingly dropped back to her bum to hold her as close as she could be as he released in his pants.
Rose held him as he shuddered through his climax. He dropped his head to the juncture of her neck as he moaned softly into her neck. Those sounds ignited the fire in her belly, and she ached to drop her hand into her knickers and rub herself to the same completion.
"Shit," he panted, nuzzling her nose against her collarbone. "Sorry. I'm sorry."
"Don't be," she whispered, resting her head against his. "That was so fucking hot. I love watching you come."
He hummed happily and pressed lazy kisses to her collarbone, willing his shaking legs not to give out on him.
"Probably for the best," he mused. "'Else I'd've popped off two seconds after being inside you."
He winced at the cooling wet patch in his pants as he stood straight and let out a long sigh. His bones were jelly and his muscles were trembling, and he wanted to cuddle up with Rose and take a nap, but he as far from finished with her.
"C'mon," he whispered, pressing his lips to her forehead. "Bedroom's this way."
They slowly made their way to his bedroom, making pit stops against the walls for a snog or a hump or a grope, as well as to shed their clothes. Finally, despite their slow going, they were at James's bedroom, with Rose completely naked but James still in his undershirt and boxers.
"You're overdressed," she commented, walking backwards towards the bed until the mattress hit the backs of her legs.
"Hmm, gonna fix that for me?" he asked, continuing to palm her breasts has he had been doing ever since he'd removed her bra.
"Might do. Arms up."
He reluctantly released her boobs long enough to get rid of his pesky vest, and to tug his boxers off. He groaned lowly when he wrapped his arms around her once more, delighting in the feeling of her skin rubbing up against his skin, no barriers between them.
"Up you get, love," he murmured, pushing on her hips to urge her to settle onto the bed.
She did, eagerly, and stared at him as he stood at the foot of the bed with a hand on his cock and his eyes glued to her naked body.
"You're so beautiful," he whispered reverently, lightly stroking himself as he watched the flex and pull of her muscles and the bouncing of her breasts as she leaned back against the pillows.
He crawled up onto the bed after her, but rather than settle himself between her thighs like she had expected, he settled his head between her thighs. The aching in her core sharpened in anticipation, and she wished she could squeeze her thighs together for a bit of pressure and friction.
"I do believe I owe you an orgasm," he murmured into the soft skin of her inner thigh as his fingers teasingly brushed through her sopping curls. He inhaled deeply and let out a soft groan at the smell of her arousal.
"James, please," she whimpered, arching her hips up.
"As you wish."
He placed a kiss on her glistening folds before he pushed them apart with his fingers. He ran his tongue lightly around the edges of her clit, not touching it directly yet. Her taste exploded on his tongue and he pressed his growing erection into the bed to help it along. He fucking loved doing this to her.
Rose sighed in pleasure as his tongue continued to dance around her clit slowly, letting her arousal climb wonderfully higher and higher. She fucking loved when he did this to her.
She squealed in surprise which dissolved into a moan as his tongue finally flicked over the head of her clit, giving her a rush of pleasure.
"Fuck, do that again," she panted as the ache of arousal faded slightly.
He did, and she moaned his name encouragingly as she dropped her hands to the top of his head and dug her heels into the mattress to thrust into his mouth. He worked with the rhythm she set, knowing she was so close by the urgent moans she was letting out.
"Gonna come for me?" he growled into her, sucking softly at her clit as he let his tongue dip into her entrance. She was so fucking wet, he could feel her juices dripping down his chin.
"Yeah," she whined, tightening her hold of his hair as her hips writhed into his face.
He could feel her muscles trembling against his tongue, so close to the release she desperately craved.
"Let me see you come, Rose," he whispered against her. "Come for me."
He replaced his tongue with his fingers as he moved his tongue back to her clit. He thrust his fingers into her harshly, curling them up to rub her front wall, as his tongue danced frantically around her clit.
She cried out his name as her nails scraped against his scalp. He could feel her clit pulsing rhythmically in time with the clenching of her inner muscles around his fingers. Hot moisture flooded over his hand as she yelled out her pleasure. James shuddered as he firmly pressed his hips to the mattress and willed himself not to come; he wanted to be inside her for his next orgasm. But it was so bloody hard, seeing her lost in the throes of pleasure he was giving her.
He continued lapping at her clit, drinking her juices as they ran down his chin, moaning against her as he rubbed his aching erection against the bed.
Her fingers loosened in his hair as she gently pushed him away, too sensitive for him to keep licking her.
James pushed himself up and popped his fingers into his mouth, grinning down at her as she looked up at him through hazy, lidded eyes.
"Good?" he preened.
"Sod off," she mumbled fondly. "You know you're good at that."
He hummed happily and swiped the moisture from his chin as he settled down onto the pillows beside her. He pressed his cock to her hip, the pressure not nearly enough, but it was better than throbbing against nothing.
"Let me know what you're ready for round two," he whispered.
He lifted himself onto his forearm to press his lips to her neck as his other hand went on a wander around her chest. He lightly traced his fingers across the soft, smooth skin of her breasts as he nibbled at her collarbone.
She sighed and arched her chest up into his hand and mouth, already feeling her belly swoop in renewed arousal. She dropped her hand to his cock and stroked it lightly, delighting in his sharp intake of breath followed by a shaky exhale.
He slowly rolled on top of her and settled himself between her thighs as he replaced his hand with his mouth on her breast. He suckled and nipped at the sensitive flesh and rolled her nipple around in his mouth, pulling a delicious moan from deep in her throat.
He wormed a hand between them and dropped it to her curls. He circled his finger around her clit, not touching it directly, but putting enough pressure along the edges to stoke her flames of arousal.
"James, enough teasing," she whispered, dropping her hands to his bum to pull him closer. The tip of his cock bumped against his fingers at her clit. "Fuck me already."
"Well, since you asked so nicely…"
He winked theatrically at her, making her snort and roll her eyes at him fondly. God, she loved him.
She braced her hands on his shoulders as he took himself in hand and lined himself up. He clenched his teeth as the tip of his cock slid into her wet, velvety heat. He continued inching his way in until he bottomed out and his balls were pressed snugly to her arse.
"Christ, you feel good," he groaned, fisting the sheets near her head as he trembled with the strain of staying still.
"So do you," she mumbled, her muscles stretching deliciously around him. It felt so good to be filled by him again. As nice as her vibrator was, it wasn't the same. "God, I've missed this."
"That the only thing you missed?" he asked, pulling back achingly slowly before pushing back in just as slowly.
"Yep," she gasped, digging her fingers into his shoulders as he thrust a bit harder into her. "Always are a bloody good shag."
"Good to know," he grunted, picking up the pace as she arched her hips into his.
Their teasing gave way to low moans as he moved deep inside of her. He pressed his lips to hers in a sloppy kiss, licking at her lips and tongue as her muscles tightened around him.
"Touch yourself for me?" he pleaded, his balls aching for relief. He just needed to hold out for a few more minutes.
"Are you close?" he panted. "Oh, please tell me you're close. I need to come so fucking badly Rose."
"Almost there," she whimpered, rubbing hard little circles on her clit. "Gonna make me come, James. Love having you inside me. Missed you inside me. You feel so good. So good."
"Shit, Rose," he grunted. Everything ached, his balls, his cock, his stomach, and he knew he couldn't hold back any longer. "Oh, fuckfuckfuck!"
He slammed into her and stiffened as his balls drew up. He spurted his release inside of her with a shout. Her muscles clamped down on him, giving him extra friction that made his pleasure spike, as she grunted his name and scraped her nails down his back. He sighed in relief and finally let himself drown completely in his pleasure now that Rose had come too.
He buried his face in her neck, breathing her in as his hips jerked involuntarily into her as his cock continued throbbing lightly. He exhaled raggedly and dropped down on top of her, humming happily when she wrapped her arms around his shoulders.
They were abruptly pulled out of their post-coital bliss by the sound of the front door slamming shut.
James rolled off of Rose and scrambled for the sheets at the foot of his bed as he cast a panicked glance at his open door.
"Shit shit shit," he mumbled.
He managed to tug the sheet up and over them both just in the nick of time.
"Uhm, Doc, is there something I should—well, hello there." Jack appeared in his doorway with a filthy smirk on his face and with Rose's knickers swinging from his index finger. "You must be the mysterious Rose. Wow. You know, I was convinced that James made you up."
"Jack, out!" James said through gritted teeth as he hoisted the thin sheet up to his neck, making sure to preserve Rose's modesty. But with the scent of sex in the air and their red, sweaty faces, there was no hiding what they'd been up to.
"Aww, you sure you don't have room for one more?"
"Out!" James bellowed.
Jack smiled good-naturedly at them before he let Rose's knickers fall to the floor, and he turned on his heel and walked out of the room, latching the door shut behind him.
James glared at the door for a few moments as he listened to Jack's retreating footsteps before he fell back against the pillows. He glanced at Rose, who was biting a lip to stifle a giggle. He grinned at her, and within seconds, they were both laughing.
"Oh, Jack is everything you described him to be," Rose said, letting the sheet pool at her waist now that they had privacy once more.
"I'm so sorry about that," James said, scrubbing his hands over his face. "He was supposed to be gone all weekend."
"Why haven't you ever introduced us?" Rose asked curiously. She turned towards him and propped her elbow on a pillow and her jaw in her hand. With her free hand, she traced random lines up and down his chest. "Ashamed of me?" she teased.
"Never," he said immediately, catching her hand to press a kiss to her palm. "I just… Jack is my friend, but he can be a little… much. As you saw. I-I didn't want to scare you off. Or… well… he comes onto anything with a heartbeat. Rather successfully. And… I didn't want…"
James refused to meet her gaze as he felt his cheek heat up.
"Hey," Rose said softly, leaning over him so he had to look at her. "You know that you're the only one for me. Why else would I agree to marry you?"
"Oh!" James shot up and barely avoided clunking his forehead into her jaw. "That reminds me!"
He scrambled out of bed and to his dresser, where he opened up the top drawer and started rummaging through the clothes. Rose admired his naked form as he mumbled to himself before his face lit up in a smile and he turned back to face her with a velvet box in his hands. Rose's breath caught in her throat as he crawled back into bed beside her, cradling the box in his palm like it was the most precious thing in the world. Rose choked on a laugh as an image of Gollum popped, unbidden, into her head.
"What?" James asked, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion.
"Nothing," Rose said, but he still looked like a kicked puppy, so she pressed a quick kiss to the corner of his mouth. "Really, it's nothing. I'll tell you later. Go on."
James shrugged and popped open the box with his thumb. Nestled in black velvet was the most beautiful ring Rose had ever seen. In the soft light, she could see four sapphires set into the ring, each flanked by tiny, flawless diamonds. The platinum band offset the dark gems perfectly, and she thought that no ring would ever look better on her finger.
"James, this is beautiful," she gasped as her eyes burned with tears.
"Yeah?" he asked nervously, a shy smile quirking up his lips. "You like it."
"I love it," she said, finally looking up at him. She reached up and cupped the back of his head to pull his lips to hers in a slow, languorous kiss that she hoped helped convey her happiness, love, and thanks.
"Let's see if it fits," he murmured against her lips. He took the ring out of the box and slipped it onto her finger with shaking hands.
"It's perfect," she breathed. She twisted her hand around so make the muted sunlight glitter off the gems as James watched her with a soft smile. His heart felt fit to bursting with love and happiness. He couldn't remember ever feeling so at peace.
"I love you," he whispered, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as he brushed a soft kiss to her temple.
Rose's eyes fluttered shut as she leaned into his kiss.
They stayed in a naked, sitting cuddle for a few minutes, neither of them saying anything, until a loud clatter for the kitchen reminded them that they weren't alone in the flat.
"Well, I suppose we can't exactly hide in here all weekend," James lamented. "And I dunno about you, but I'm starved. C'mon. I've stocked up on your favorite foods."
"That sounds good," Rose said haltingly, grimacing at the stickiness between her thighs. "But first, a shower."
James agreed and he hastily tugged on his boxers and vest as Rose pulled on the knickers Jack had dropped as well as a t-shirt she found near his hamper.
James gathered fresh clothes for himself and Rose and was about to head for the loo but watched as Rose took off her ring.
"With my luck, it would slip off and be lost down the drain," she explained, seeing his hurt confusion. "I'm quite fond of it. Would like to keep it safe."
James grinned at her, humming happily deep in his throat. Despite having only slid the ring onto her finger five minutes ago, already her hand looked bare.
"Y'know," she mused, following his gaze to her ring. "If Jack was shocked that you had a girlfriend, imagine what he'll think now that you have a fiancée."
She grinned at him with that tongue-touched smile he loved so much before quietly creeping across the hall to the loo. He watched her for just a moment, his ears ringing at the 'f' word. Fiancée. He found he quite liked the word, and he thought the only other word he might like better would be wife.
With that thought and a goofy grin, he eagerly followed his fiancée to the shower.