Author Notes: includes the Weekly Drabble Challenge prompt word Soft at lj user="doctor_donna". Thanks to lj user="cytherea999" for the beta.
The Doctor hovered in her bedroom doorway.
"Hi. You gonna stand there all morning?"
He felt abashed and she must have noticed, because her tone became tender as she invited him inside. He entered reverently, closing the door behind him quietly. Although he had been in here many times, this time felt different. It was early, Donna was still in bed, her hair appealingly tousled, and the lighting was soft. She patted the bed for him to sit next to her. That was also different. He sat down beside her slowly. They were both quiet as the Doctor tried to find the words to begin the conversation he'd been having in his head with her all night long.
"So, this, uh…courting thing?"
"Yeah," Donna eyed the Doctor warily.
"How does it work?
"Well, for a start, it's not called courting anymore. What century are you in?"
"We-ll, that's flexible…" he couldn't resist a smirk and she playfully swatted his arm. "You know what I mean, Spaceman."
"Courting is the closest translation of what I mean. For me, where I am from, it's a time for us to get to know each other, intimately."
Donna's eyebrows rose at the last word, and the Doctor reddened slightly. "I didn't mean…what I meant to say was, well, I am just wondering how we should do this, get to know each other better, emotionally, I mean."
She rolled her eyes at him, but she looked like she was secretly enjoying his awkwardness. "Been a while huh, Doctor?"
"You could say that."
"It doesn't have to change things, just cause we're now seeing each other."
He frowned, and Donna paused. "What?"
"We've been seeing each other every day for a long time now…"
No – I mean, "seeing each other" – it's just a way of saying that we are going out, y'know, as a couple."
He was still frowning. "The language is vague."
"Well, we could say dating I guess," she wrinkled her nose at the same time as the Doctor shook his head.
"What's wrong with courting again?"
She smiled in surrender. "Courting it is."
He smiled back, and leaned forward, taking her hand in his. "On Gallifrey, courting was a somewhat lengthy process, bound up with ritual and protocol." Feeling her tense, the Doctor quickly added, "but we don't need to worry about that, it's from a different time."
"No, we can do this any way you want to, just tell me what to do." She looked up at him, anxiety in her eyes, and he could see that, for all that she teased him, how much it mattered to her to please him.
"It's not important, Donna. That is not were I am going with this. I was just thinking, we come from very different places, we should be clear about our expectations to minimize misunderstandings. Changing things between us, we both want it, but…I just want to avoid disappointing you." Or scaring you.
She nodded slowly.
"Tell me what it was like for you, when you were with human men?"
She looked down and dropped his hand. "Well, there wasn't a lot of courting, if that's what you mean. Not unless you count them trying to buy me as many drinks as possible then seeing what they could get away with." She shrugged, and turned her face away.
He waited, unsure, then when she didn't say anything else, he offered, "We don't have to talk about this if you don't want to, Donna." She shrugged again, with feigned nonchalance. The Doctor sighed inwardly. Any time he tried to broach the topic of their developing relationship, Donna disappeared inside herself like this. He reached for her hand again, and fell back on his single most successful strategy for dealing with all human problems.
"Let's get a nice cup of tea, okay?"
Donna sat at the kitchen table, her hands wrapped around a mug of tea, smiling as the Doctor regaled her with stories of his mostly unsuccessful attempts at courting women in his youth.
"So…" she began hesitantly.
"Don't worry, I promise not to wear any of those ridiculous collars I told you about!" He quirked a smile at her that he hoped was encouraging, then reached across the table to cover his hands with his own. "Tell me what you were going to say?"
"I like the part of your courting rituals were it takes, like, a while."
He nodded, and she continued, "I don't mean years, I just mean, its more than one night, y'know…"
She trailed off again.
"We can take as long as you want, Donna, we are in no hurry."
When she still didn't say anything, he kept going.
"Here's what I propose. Let's go places, just for us. Places where we can do things together, with no other people, and no scary monsters. We'll take our time. And we'll talk. Lots of talking."
"In between saving worlds and getting in trouble, and lots of running?"
He grinned, "Exactly!"
She matched his grin. "I like the sound of that!"
He stood, and held out his arm. "Then what are we waiting for?"
"Right now?"
He nodded firmly. "Donna Noble, I request the pleasure of your company this fine morning. Would you care to join me for breakfast on a planet with seven sunrises?"
She slipped her arm into his. "I would be delighted, Doctor."
And for once, there was no running, and not a monster in sight.
Follow up: "Water"