Arranged Marriage: Running Away Towards Each Other

Rating: General Audiences

Pairing: Eleven/Rose

Other tags: Arranged Marriage AU, Human AU, Modern AU, Meet-Cute, Fluff

Warnings: None

Summary: Two people are running away from their marriages on the same night. They happen across each other in a park and help each other work through their troubled thoughts.

Welcome to Day 23. This is a common trope, but I tried to put my own spin on it.

I used a prompt for this one, but I'm putting it at the bottom because I don't want to spoil it. Though most of you will probably predict it anyway. Enjoy!

Word Count: 1,259

Rose cursed as she almost slipped and fell twenty feet. Holding on tightly with her hands, she continued her descent more safely. Well, as safe as you can be climbing down a trellis from a second story window in the middle of the night. Rose knew what she was doing was childish. She knew she had to return in the morning. But she couldn't help it. For just a few hours, she wanted to pretend like she wasn't getting married to a stranger in a year's time.

When she stepped into the cool spring night, Rose crossed the street from her childhood home to the park across the street. It wasn't very big, but it had a round fountain that Rose sat on the edge of. She pushed her hand through the water, watching as the coins at the bottom shined in the moonlight.

"It's too nice of a night to spend it alone." Rose jumped with a shout, splashing a fair amount of water onto the side of the fountain. She turned to see a man her age standing a few feet away.

He had green eyes that were slightly shadowed by his floppy brown hair and was wearing one of those T-shirts with formal attire printed on them. This one had a white collared shirt with a red bow tie and a tweed jacket. If he'd been wearing the real thing, he'd look like a professor at university. The man had a smile on his face that bordered on a smirk. Rose realized he was trying to keep from laughing her.

"Oi! What'd you go sneaking up on me like that for? You're lucky none of this water got on me. Then you would've been in real trouble." Her tone was somewhat harsh, but her smile gave away her amusement. She stood up and brushed off the water on her jeans. Holding out her hand, she gave him a smile. "I'm Rose. What brings out here at midnight?" The man took her hand and shook it. Instead of letting go, however, he bent at the waist and kissed the back of her hand. Her surprise must've shown on her face, because he openly smirked at her.

"I'm John, and I could ask you the same question."

"I asked first."

"So you did." He chuckled. "Well, it's a bit of a long story. You see, I'm getting married next year. But my parents are old fashioned, like ridiculously old fashioned. I've never met my fiancé. I just came out here to clear my head a bit. I saw you sitting over here and figured I'd say hello." He paused. "Hmm, I guess that wasn't as long as I thought it'd be." Rose giggled, making John smile.

"I'm in a similar situation. I'd convinced my parents to let me date while I was in secondary school, but, well, let's just say a bad boyfriend made me agree to an arranged marriage. That doesn't mean I like it though. I came out here for the same reason as you: to try and ignore the fact that I'm getting married to a stranger." She sighed.

"We're supposed to be meeting tomorrow. I'm just so nervous. What if I don't like him? What if he doesn't like me? My parents say he's a good man, and I trust them, and I know they not force me into something I don't want, but I can't help but be nervous." John stepped forward and sat next to her on the fountain.

"My parents and I are in London this weekend from Leadworth for me to meet my fiancé. We're staying until the motel down the street. I'm sure your bloke feels the same way. I know I do. What if our lifestyles clash? What if we no interests in common? I don't even know her name or what her job is. I just wish there was a way to practice this, you know?"

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, they shared a look of realization. John jumped up off the fountain edge, offering his hand to Rose. She took it and let him pull her up. He dropped her hand only to offer it to her again, this time for a handshake.

"Hello, my name is John Noble. I am a cardiologist. My favorite color is red, and my cousins Amy and Donna insist that I'm a terrible dancer." Rose laughed as she took his hand with a grin.

"I'm Rose Tyler. I work as an art teacher at the local school. My favorite color is pink, and you can't believe a word my mate Martha says about my chip addiction. It's not my fault they're so good." They laughed and sat back on the fountain's edge.

Rose's lost track of how much time they sat they talking. Their list of topics was endless, from places they wanted to see to what they cared most about in the world. For the first time since their agreement to it, Rose wished she'd fought harder against an arranged marriage. If given the option and the ability to get to know him better, she imagined John would be a good husband.

Somewhere around 3 AM, they parted ways. Neither of them said it out loud, but they knew they'd never see each other again. As she climbed back up the trellis and into her bedroom window, Rose's nervousness over the meeting returned. She still worried about how she and her fiancé would get along, but she trusted her parents' judgement. Rose quickly and quietly changed into her pajamas and got in bed. While she had been wide awake when she'd left, she fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

~~~~~DW~~~~~

John stood nervously on the sidewalk, looking up at the sign of the restaurant. He and his parents were meeting his fiancé and her parents here for lunch. Despite the night before, John felt five times as nervous now than he had yesterday. Against his own will, John's thoughts drifted to Rose, and he wondered when she was meeting her own fiancé. Maybe she was standing outside a similar restaurant, having similar thoughts. This made him relax a little, and he followed his mother inside.

Years later, if asked, John would be unable to tell you a single thing about the first three minutes he was inside the restaurant. But that was ok, because neither could Rose.

Oh, yes. Miraculously, the beautiful blonde that John had spent half the night talking to and half the morning thinking about was his fiancé. The two of them just stared at each other for a minute before their mothers pushed them forward. John barely managed to keep from stumbling forward. He offered her his hand, much like he had the night before. He was keenly aware that both of their parents were watching them closely.

"John Noble." She smiled and took his hand.

"Rose Tyler."

They spent the meal getting to know each other better. It really was just a continuation of their conversation from the night before. Their parents were none the wiser. They sat at a separate table watching their children, smiling at their matchmaking abilities.

~~~~~DW~~~~~

Even though they hadn't needed it in the end, both of them were happy for those late-night hours in the park. The ability to meet without the pressure meant they were more comfortable with each other from the beginning. Neither of them ever told their parents about that, though. Some things are best kept between couples.

I considered using a joker for this one, but then I found this prompt: bit .ly /3kRLV6k