She looked around the library curiously. Spotting the familiar mess of brown hair, she perked up considerably and creeped over. "Hey, Doctor." Rose smiled kindly at him. He looked up and grinned.
"Hey Rose. How are you?" he asked quietly. A book was clutched in his hands. It might have been Paper Towns. It might not have been.
"Good. The Master has been following me, though. He's so creepy." Rose shivered and hugged herself. She sighed. "Why must you live with him?"
The Doctor blinked and thought. "Well…" he tilted his head to the side and locked eyes with Rose. "… I can't get enough money for an apartment without him. I know it may not seem like he earns much money, but it helps. The landlord… he understands our situation, thank goodness. Besides, he was there for me when no one else was. I would be alone and insane if it weren't for him."
"What? He's crazy and he's not worth your time!" Rose insisted, her hands balled up into fists. She looked at The Doctor in terror. "He talks about you constantly and follows me around and he doesn't care about personal space and he smells like hazelnuts. It's creepy."
Sighing, The Doctor turned away from Rose. "You're right about him, but you're also not. You know? He's a bit creepy, but he's not too bad. If he hadn't been there, I might still be on the streets… or dead… I need him as much as he needs me." He wasn't quite sure of Rose's intentions. Did she want for him to be alone again? He hated being alone. "Do you want for me to be alone again? I can't be alone again. Not like that."
"B-But why can't you be alone? I know you don't like being alone, but to go to such lengths as to keep him as company… Well, it just doesn't make sense!" Rose interrogated. She was sincerely concerned for her friend/love interest. Fighting the urge to look to the carpet, she managed to look him straight in the eyes. He looked tired with those dark circles under his eyes.
He tried to control his trembling hands. Tears pricked at his eyes. "Rose, it's not your fault. I want for you to know that." The Doctor looked out of one of the windows. A black truck sped by. "But… I have done some things in the past I'm not proud of." He swallowed hard and finally looked at Rose again. "I'm scared. Scared that if I'm left alone, I will do it again."
"Doctor… I'm so sorry." Rose hugged The Doctor. Her heart crumbled at the look in his eyes. He looked so old when he was sad. Way too old to be only 17. She pitied him and everything he had dealt with. "Why do you surround yourself with people like us?" Rose pulled away from him and looked confused.
"People like-?" The Doctor was puzzled before he figured it out. "Oh! You mean troubled souls?" Rose nodded hesitantly and slowly. "I like people like me."
Rose raised an eyebrow. "People like you? How are we like you?"
"All of you have loved and lost. You lost your father, Jack lost his brother, The Master lost his people, Donna lost her boyfriend, and Martha lost her grandmother." He paused and smiled a tiny little smile. "There are a lot of other factors as well." The Doctor placed the book down onto a shelf and made wide hand gestures.
"You're kind and you find the good in people. Jack is quite handy and is surprisingly logical when he isn't flirting. The Master is pretty good at finding a good viewpoint and keeps me sane. Donna helps me keep a level head and is a mother to all of us. Martha is excellent at tending to wounds and is incredibly brave." He nodded in agreement with himself.
"If you think about it, all of us are just a family!" The Doctor grinned a ginormous smile, showing his somewhat crooked teeth. "Isn't it magnificent?"
"Yeah, it is. I like it. We love each other. Some… more than others." She chewed on the inside of her cheek and messed with the hem of her shirt. "I was wondering if you wanted to go get some coffee sometime." Rose blurted, making it sound like a question.
The Doctor blinked and seemed to consider the offer for a few seconds. Rose waited with baited breath. He smiled warmly and nodded. "That sounds nice. How about Friday after work?"
Rose breathed freely again. "Sounds great!" she agreed, beaming brightly. "I have to go." Waving, she left the library with a skip in her step. She giggled at the thought of having asked The Doctor out. Finally, it had happened!
Meanwhile, The Doctor returned to putting away books. He was hardly surprised by the request. People seemed to like him. No matter what gender. He sighed noiselessly.
Author's Note: So here we have some more relationships and stuff. And we have a lazy person who does not write with her friends around.
Disclaimer: Out of all of these things I own none of them. Give credit to the original owners.
