By the time she was back with more of the cream the Doctor had said sped up healing, and an armful of plasters and bandages, the Doctor had given in and unbuttoned the last of his shirt buttons. He was just shaking his arms out of the ends of the sleeves when Rose entered the room. He laid the shirt beside him and was doing his best to appear casual about the whole affair. Rose gulped, certain that he could hear her from across the room.
Sure, she had seen him without his shirt before, but this was different. It was different this time - not only because the Doctor being shirtless was a small step down the road towards something happening, but because she knew that this was a road that both she and the Doctor were headed down, with deliberate intent. Before she had lost him, him being shirtless would obviously have affected her, but now they were so close to making the leap to the next level of their relationship it made her slightly nervous on a whole other level.
Also he had a really nice chest.
But her eyes were quickly drawn back to the marks and the burns marring his collarbones, and concern for his pain quickly overtook the interest in the Doctor's chest that had been quite speedily taking over her mind.
"Does it hurt?" Rose asked as she crossed the room and sat down gently on the bed next to him. The mattress shifted under her weight and the Doctor moved ever so slightly closer to her.
"A bit, nothing I can't handle." Of course he wouldn't tell her how much it actually hurt. That would involve actually being direct for once.
"Thanks, that really helps," Rose muttered, deciding to start on his left shoulder and work her way across to his right. He shifted so that he was facing her more directly and she did the same, leaning forward to examine his wounds and most definitely not dwelling on the fact that his knee was brushing hers and that his face was close enough to hers that she could feel his breath on her cheek.
She worked in silence for a few minutes, the Doctor occasionally humming under his breath as he looked around the room, not letting his eyes rest on her for more than a few seconds at a time. He was acting quite casually, but Rose could sense the tension in his body even as he fought to conceal it from her.
"So if I hadn't seen these," Rose asked quietly as she bandaged a particularly nasty burn, not even glancing at the Doctor's face, "would you have even told me that you got hurt?"
He paused, and she could feel him looking at her. "Probably not. Like I said, I'll probably be healed by the morning, there's no need for you to be so worried."
But Rose pressed on regardless of his attempt to fob her off. "If I was hurt and I tried to hide it from you and you found out, you'd have me off to the medical room, quick as a wink, and you'd be all grumpy and serious and tell me off for not telling you about it. How is that fair?"
She actually looked at him this time, and he blinked several times as he took in what she had said. "You're certainly asking me a lot of questions."
"And you're certainly doing a good job of trying not to answer any of them. Go on then, is it fair that you're allowed to hide things from me but I can't hide them from you?"
She continued to apply cream to another burn to give him some time to think. She knew that it was taking a lot of effort for him not to just run away from this sort of thing.
"It's different."
"No it's not." Rose threw him a look and the Doctor sighed.
"Well I'm glad that's sorted then. I am sorry, I was oh so wrong and I see the light now, can we move on?" He raised his eyebrows sarcastically and pressed his lips together, looking at Rose expectantly, until she elbowed him hard in the ribs. He grinned and rubbed the spot that he was sure would be a bruise in the morning. "Just joking, sorry." Rose rolled her eyes but she had to smile, he was just so ridiculous and such an idiot and she was so in love with him that she almost laughed.
Rose stuck a plaster over the last cut and sighed. "There, all done. Imagine you'll be all healed by morning, but it doesn't hurt to be safe."
"True." The Doctor wriggled his shoulders a little bit. "Thanks for that, um, this, you know. Helping me." He gestured at his chest with his hands, slightly awkward movements underscored by the way his eyes flickered to hers and away again. "You're right, I wouldn't have said anything to you about it. Used to just soldiering on, I guess."
"Well that makes you an idiot then, doesn't it?" The Doctor looked at her and she wrinkled her nose cheekily at him, but he was giving her a look that didn't quite fit with the conversation they had been having.
All of a sudden she was staring into the Doctor's eyes and he was looking right back at her and she wasn't sure whether she could actually hear his heartbeat or whether it was just her own pulse thundering in her ears and he opened his mouth and... yawned.
A great, big jaw cracking yawn that was accompanied by him stretching his arms and tilting his head back. "Sorry," he muttered after the yawn had passed, "I'm just so tired. Been through a lot today, you know." He looked a little sheepish and Rose smiled fondly, knowing it was not his fault.
"Don't blame you," she said, "you could definitely use some sleep."
"I bet you could too."
Rose considered this, rolling her head from one side to the other and feeling how much tension there was in her neck, stretching out her arms and legs and suddenly becoming aware of the tiredness in her muscles. "Yep, me too."
"You can sleep here," the Doctor said, the words tumbling out of his mouth as he sleepily rubbed one eye. Rose could never get used to hearing the Doctor say those words.
When she looked beside her on the bed Rose found that the shorts and vest top she had been sleeping in were already there. She knew that at this moment her toothbrush was probably materialising in the ensuite bathroom. Sometimes the TARDIS was just so helpful. She scooped the clothes off the bed and left for the bathroom, hoping the Doctor would have the sense not to just fall asleep where he sat.
When she got back from getting changed the Doctor was already in bed. From the looks of things he was most likely only wearing his pants. Rose took a moment to wonder what sort of pants he wore, and as a line of Doctors paraded through her mind in various different types of underwear (including some rather lovely stockings and suspenders) she had to hold in a giggle. She quickly pulled back the covers and slipped in next to the Doctor. His bed was huge. Rose felt like she had to sort of swim across it underneath the duvet just to find the Doctor where he lay on the other side.
He wrapped an arm around her as she settled next to him, and by the time she had snuggled up against him she could tell from his breathing that he was asleep. It was such a strange sensation, being able to watch the Doctor resting, and Rose raised her head from the pillow slightly to take a look at his face.
His mouth was ever so slightly open, and his entire face looked so relaxed and peaceful in a way that she knew it never could when he was awake. Rose was aware that the Doctor had terrible nightmares sometimes; he always had done for as long as she had known him, but right now he was sleeping so calmly that she hoped the bad dreams wouldn't trouble him for tonight. He clearly needed the sleep after what he had been through today. She stroked a few locks of hair back gently from his forehead, and he moved his head unconsciously towards the touch of her hand.
Rose stretched her head up and pressed a gentle kiss to the corner of his mouth, before snuggling back down and resting her head against a part of his chest that was thankfully clear of injuries. She had come very close to losing him that day, and as she drifted off to sleep she took comfort in the warm, solid weight of his body beside her, definitely not going anywhere, at least for the moment.
After a couple of days trying to get back into their normal routine, or as normal as it ever got in the TARDIS, the Doctor brought up their date again – Rose was so shocked that he actually mentioned it that she could barely nod – and they arranged it for the next day.
Last time it had all gone so shockingly wrong. This time everything was going to plan.
Jenny was with Martha and Mickey, Jack had called to wish her luck, and she had spent half a day trawling through the TARDIS wardrobe for something perfect – the outfit she had chosen a few days ago for their original date just wasn't as nice as it had seemed at the time. She showered, dried her hair, put on her make-up and stood in front of her bed in her underwear, surveying the outfit she had finally decided on before she had to put it on.
The Doctor had assured her that there would be absolutely no running for their lives – not that she really quite believed him about that, he had a tendency to just fall into trouble – so Rose had decided on heels. Black ones, nothing too high or too fancy, but they went well with the dress that she had chosen. It was purple, dark but deep and vibrant, with delicate swirls of black embroidery that got thicker and more intricate as they extended towards the hemline of the dress. It had a skirt that flowed out from her waist, delicate black straps and a neckline that was low enough to show off just the right amount of cleavage – she had taken Jack's comment about seeing if the Doctor blushed to heart.
She took the time to make sure that the dress looked just right – the TARDIS had provided her with stockings rather than tights, and Rose was certain she could feel a sense of smugness in the hum of the ship and she tried to make sure they were even. Pulling on a little black shrug – she did not know where they were going, after all, it might be quite cold – Rose made her way to the console room. Her heels sounded odd on the floor and after so long with only the pad of her boots or trainers and the slap of the Doctor's converse. She made it to the doorway before stopping, taking a deep breath in and out and hoping she wasn't going to blush too much when the Doctor saw her. That moment of hesitation over with, she stepped into the room.
The Doctor was at the console with his back to her – Rose wondered whether he had done that on purpose – but as soon as he heard her approach he span around, his look of slight surprise and apprehension giving way to an unreadable expression as his dark eyes travelled from the top of her head to the bottom of her feet. He was wearing a black tail coat, complete with black trousers, waist coat and bow tie. She was amused to see that he still had his black converse on with this ensemble, and as she took in his incredibly handsome appearance, his face lit up with an enormous grin. She could not help but grin back, laughing a little and twisting her hands together, and the tension eased a little.
"What do you think?" The Doctor did a little twirl before thrusting his hands in his pockets and cocking his head on one side as he waited for Rose's approval.
Rose took a moment to look him over again, enjoying the opportunity to leave him in suspense for a moment or two. His hair was carefully spiked into disarray, his sideburns were neat and his clothes were all clean and tidy, even his normally muddy shoes. His eyes were sparkling as he looked at her.
"You'll do I suppose," Rose said, watching as the Doctor's face fell just a tiny bit. "I'm joking!" she laugh, holding up her hands before his eyes got all big and sad, "you look great, Doctor."
He held his head high and preened. "Well, I was aiming for 'great', so that's alright then."
After a little bit of silence Rose gave a pointed cough. The Doctor's head flicked towards her and she spread her arms and nodded downward, indicating her dress. "I was just about to say," the Doctor told her crossly, but Rose simply shook her head at him, pressing her lips together to hide a smile.
She watched the Doctor's eyes track over her yet again, and twirled around for him just as he had done for her. She must've been more nervous than she thought, because the act of turning made her a little bit unsteady, her legs slightly shaky as they fought to keep her balanced. It must be the heels.
When she faced him again he was still just looking at her. "This is the bit where you actually say something."
He smiled – not a grin, but a genuine smile that seemed to have risen onto his face from deep inside him. "You look beautiful." Those three words were full of awe and delight, and Rose had to laugh.
"Considering?" Her tongue crept between her teeth and she saw the memory flickering in his eyes.
"Of course," he said nonchalantly, spinning to flick a control on the console before turning back to her, "considering you're not me."
Rose was about to retort when the TARDIS thumped and halted, and she looked at the Doctor. "We're here?" He nodded.
"Well go on then, I need your approval on my choice of location." He folded his arms and nodded towards the TARDIS doors. Rose practically sprinted down the ramp, not bothering to disguise how thrilled she was, the trepidation of a few minutes ago taking a back seat in her mind.
She opened the door and looked out. It was early evening apparently, and the air was cool but not cold on her skin. She looked around, through the branches of trees, across the pavement and over the river to where she could just spot a familiar landmark.
"Paris?" Rose dragged herself back in the TARDIS and stared at the Doctor with wide, excited eyes. "You are taking me on a date in Paris?!" The Doctor nodded and grinned as Rose skipped a couple of steps and span around, giddy and laughing.
"Of course Paris," the Doctor cried, bounding over to the open doors, "after all, it is the city of love." He drew out the word, rolling on his tongue as he waggled his eyebrows at her.
Rolling her eyes, Rose shoved him unceremoniously through the doors. "Come on lover boy, gimme some romance."
The Doctor turned back to face her, bowing and offering her his hand. Rose took it with a smile, and allowed him to lead her out into the evening air, the blue TARDIS door swinging shut behind her with a click.