Title: Sun, Surf, and Seagulls
Author: Angel Leviathan
Spoilers: Anything is fair game.
Disclaimer: Doctor Who, characters, concept, etc, aren't mine.
Notes: Set some time after Boom Town. For Rini, even though she doesn't watch a lot of Doctor Who, because she spawned the seagull idea with a wonderfully random statement.
"Can we go yet?"
"We've been here half an hour."
"Longest half hour of my life…and that's saying something for a Time Lord!" the Doctor exclaimed, pretending interest in the book he held, half reading, half shielding his eyes with it.
Rose propped herself up on her elbows, pushing her sunglasses up onto her forehead, "You know, you really don't blend in here."
"I don't do blending in," he replied, glancing down at her. He sat beside the towel she had laid out on the beach, still clad in his leather jacket, half-heartedly reading the first book that had come to hand once he'd learnt of the beach plan.
"Aren't you at all hot?" she questioned, having to glance down at the sand to stop herself from smirking and voicing the rather inappropriate thought that had followed her inquiry.
"Nope," the Doctor answered, with a slight shrug, "Different body chemistry."
"And you don't think anybody's thinkin' 'why the heck is that bloke dressed like that in this weather?' ?"
"Let 'em think what they like."
Rose flicked her sunglasses back over her eyes and lay back down, "Maybe you should try the beach thing. Might like it."
"Might not."
"Your loss," she closed her eyes.
"Devastated, I am," he mumbled.
"Oh, I can tell."
The Doctor looked away from his book, trying not to let his gaze rest on his companion again. He'd had enough trouble looking away the first time. And the second. He shook his head when he finally caught sight of Jack, "You say I'm bad at blending in. Take a look at that," he nudged her.
She opened her eyes and sat up, looking around, "Where?"
"There."
Rose stared for a few moments before she started to laugh, "Typical Jack."
"Not exactly blending in though, is he?" he prompted.
She paused in thought, "Kinda."
"'Kinda'?"
"Yeah, well, I mean, he's being a show-off. If you've got it, flaunt it, as they say. It'd be more worrying if he was sittin' here quietly beside us. So he's attracting attention, let him be. Its not as if he's gonna invite 'em back to the TARDIS for cocktails or anything," she shrugged.
"Whether he's 'got it' or not remains to be seen…" the Doctor finally looked down at Rose, and, judging by the expression on his face, knew she was about to argue, if only to wind him up, "but he's certainly flaunting it."
"He's surrounded by a crowd of people, he's flirting, he's happy! So yeah, he is blending in. Man can surf. Man is not shagging any of said crowd senseless. Which he could be if he wanted. Probably. At least he's not sitting 'ere in a leather jacket, stubbornly refusing to change," Rose glared at him before she lay back down again.
"I like the jacket. The jacket is good," he protested.
"I like the jacket. The jacket is good. Not on the south coast of the UK at thirty degrees on a flamin' beach it isn't!"
The Doctor was stubbornly silent and returned to his book.
Rose yawned and opened her eyes, believing she was temporarily blind until she took her sunglasses off. She wasn't sure exactly how long she'd been asleep, or when she'd even fallen asleep, thoughts of sunburn suddenly racing through her mind, so she sat up and checked her legs. She was starting to tan, though that could have been sunburn making a pre-emptive strike, trying to trick her. Rose yawned again and glanced behind her, grinning at the sight she saw. The Doctor was fast asleep, book over his face, and the unbelievable had happened. He'd taken the jacket off. It was rolled up and tucked behind his head, being used as a pillow. She smiled and lay back down, nudging closer to him, lying on her side to study him. He looked peaceful. Well, as peaceful as a person could look on a crowded beach with a book on their head.
"Hey cutie, what's happenin'?" Jack suddenly parked himself beside her, dropping to the sand and throwing an arm over her, "Why aren't you in the sea like you-" he belatedly noticed the state of the Doctor and grinned, "You drug him?"
"No!" Rose hissed, prodding him. Her eyes widened, "…Did you?"
"Hell no, not worth my life…"
"Good."
"You ready to go yet?" Jack draped himself over her further, so she couldn't move, "Comfy," he commented.
"Glad I'm useful for somethin'," she smiled, "Yeah, we better go. I'm gonna crisp if we stay any longer. And he'll start complaining again when he wakes up," she paused, "Why so you eager to leave all of a sudden?"
Jack let her go and lay back, hands behind his head, "Let's just say if we don't, several people are expecting me to be in their hotel rooms this evening."
"Ah…"
"And of course, I'd love to, but so many people, so little time…"
"Modest, ain't ya?"
"Incredibly."
"Alright," Rose leaned over again and gently removed the book from the Doctor's face, "Doctor?" she nudged him gently, "Doctor?"
"Need a fog horn…" Jack mumbled.
She smiled and sat up, prodding her victim, "Doctor? Wake up, time to go," she still received no response, "Alright, you asked for it," she leaned over and kissed him firmly, "Wake up, handsome, no time for kip now you know…" she taunted.
The Doctor sat up, peering around, as if confused. He frowned at Rose, a flicker of something else in his expression, before he caught sight of Jack and obviously thought better of it, "What's going on?"
"You fell asleep."
"Never."
"Two witnesses," Jack stood up, slinging his back over his shoulder, "You lose."
Rose folded up her towel and retrieved her sandals from her bag, "It was very cute though."
"I don't do cute…" the Doctor frowned again.
Jack and Rose exchanged a look that said it all, having to turn away quickly to hide their grins. She stood up, grabbing her bag from the sands, "Let's go."
"Thought I'd never hear those words…"
"Shut up, you, you enjoyed yourself really."
"I did?"
"You did."
The TARDIS was parked on the main street along the seafront, between two hotels, and with the area being so crowded, they got a few stares when they wandered up to it. The Doctor paused and stared up at the roof of the TARDIS.
"What?" Rose asked.
Jack glanced up, "Someone else likes the TARDIS."
A scarily large seagull sat atop the TARDIS, glaring down at them, suddenly squawking as if the blue box was its own property.
"Get off my house!" the Doctor waved his arms.
The bird only squawked louder and opened its wings in what it hoped was a threatening manner.
"Do we accept hitchhikers?" Jack shielded his eyes from the sun, glaring at the seagull.
"Not through time and space we don't. I am not taking one of them with us. Next thing we know, seagulls have plotted world domination and are the dominant species in the year 3000. No thank you," he waved his arms in a more dramatic fashion.
"Definitely doesn't do blending in…" Rose shook her head, feigning embarrassment. She dropped her bag to the floor and took several steps back from the TARDIS, so she didn't have to squint at the bird, "Oi!" she yelled, so loud that it echoed in the alley between the hotels, "You! Shift it! Now!" the Seagull made a shrieking noise and flapped its wings some more, "No! Move!" she continued.
"What she said, sod off!" the Doctor added.
"What I wouldn't give for a gun…" Jack muttered.
Rose mumbled a curse and rummaged around in her bag, throwing the remains of a sandwich across the alley, "Go! Get off! Now!" she pointed.
Seeming at least 'interested' in the offering, the seagull squawked at her again before it hopped off the TARDIS into flight, landing by the sandwich.
"Now that's over…" the Doctor unlocked the TARDIS and stepped inside, "Where to next? I'm starting to feel like a tourist. Let's get moving."
"Somewhere cold," Rose answered.
"Sounds like a plan," Jack nodded.
"Do we only do extremes around here?" the Doctor asked aloud.
"We don't do quiet."
"And we don't do subtle."
"And we don't do blending in," Rose shrugged, standing on her tiptoes to kiss him on the cheek.
"Just so that's sorted," he grinned, "Alright, how's a wave frozen in time sound?"
"Heaven," Jack closed the door.
"Sunburn and freezer-burn. I like it," she smiled, "Jack, no licking the wave."
"Spoilsport…"
"And Doctor?"
"Yeah?"
"You can keep the jacket on this time," she nudged him as she wandered past, winking, "At least, for now."
Fin