As sock is flung off, it lands quite unceremoniously on the doorknob, and the TARDIS lets out a sound that faintly resembles a chuckle before closing The Doctor's door.
Dazed and still groggy from sleep, Rose cautiously cracks open an eye. A creamy colored duvet blurs her vision, and she blinks rapidly before sitting up. Glancing around the room, she quickly absorbs her surroundings. Beige carpets the same color as the bed sheets line the floors; both the dresser and the bedside table are the same mahogany wood as the bedposts; the floor and countertops alike are littered with knick-knacks, spare parts, and tangles of electrical cords.
She flops back onto the bed, arms spread open and eyes wide. This is his room, she realizes. Turning her head to the right, Rose suddenly gets a face-full of Doctor, in all his glory. Lying just a few feet away from her is the man himself, clad in nothing but the sheets wrapped halfway up his left leg. A glance downwards finds her wearing even less.
Turning back to The Doctor to take in the view, Rose props herself up on her elbows. A hint of a smile tugging at his lips; the leg freed of sheets is bent to secure his foot underneath the scrap of cloth draped across his left side. Bringing her gaze higher, Rose's mouth forms an 'O' as she drinks in the sight before her. She might not remember all of what happened last night, but the evidence in front of her says she's a very lucky woman.
Lying back down, she starts to piece together events, and realizes that lucky doesn't even begin to cover it. The Doctors arm is stretched out, almost as if seeking her out. So smiling softly, she curls into his embrace, letting her eyes droop closed as his arms automatically encircle across her torso.
…
The Doctor wakes up to hear the soft breathing of Rose lying beside him. Grinning, he instinctually pulls her closer, pressing her frame against his. She sighs against him, and he freezes, interpreting the sound as one of displeasure. What if last night wasn't what he thought it was? Was she just caught up in the moment? He watches, body stilled, as she slowly opens one eye, then the other.
With both eyes open for the second time this morning, Rose is surprised to see that since falling back asleep; she had shifted, turning over to face The Doctor. The corners of her mouth turn up in a grin, but fall once she sees his petrified look. Fearing the worst, that he thought last night was a mistake, she slowly peels away from him, stuttering. "I- I should go. I'll um- I'll see you at breakfast."
Rose turns, eyes down cast, and sits up before starting to shuffle off the bed. Struggling to maintain her composure, she sniffles, and a lone tear streaks down her cheeks. The Doctor notices, and immediately jumps up, lifting a finger in an effort to capture it. The tear slides down Rose's cheek, where the Doctor's hand lays waiting. It runs down the length of his index, and Rose looks up, halfway off the bed.
"Rose, can we please talk about this?" the Doctor whispers. The tear falls from his fingertips onto the duvet, and the hand that had once held it reaches out to wrap around her wrist. Her eyes fall to meet his hand, and she sits down next to him. Suddenly self conscious, she makes to pull the cover up over her, but once again The Doctor stops her. "Don't. You- you look beautiful."
Rose smiles softly, but folds her arms over her chest and crosses her legs nonetheless. "You don't want to leave, do you?" The Doctor queries. "What?" Rose replies, shocked. "You don't- do you want me to leave?" her voice grows quiet and trails off as she finishes. The Doctor, alarmed at such a thought, springs forward to place his hands on her shoulders.
"No, never. I just assumed… you were so quick to leave. Bit still- I'll always want you to stay, Rose." The statement starts off soft, but by his final words, the Doctor's voice holds a sense of self-assuredness Rose has never heard before. "Good" comes the swift and decisive reply. Rose smiles, putting an end to all controversy over the matter, and settles more comfortably into the fluffy duvet beside him.
A wide grin splits The Doctors face and he brushes his hips against hers when he shifts closer. "Good" he echoes. The slight contact makes Rose shiver, aching for more. "Now, I do believe we were in the middle of something." Rose raises an eyebrow at The Doctor's words, mirth sparkling in her eyes. "Oh were we? And that would be…" Rose lets her words drop off, teasing him by feigning ignorance. "Well, we were cuddling, of course." And with one swift motion The Doctor grabs Rose around the waist and tucks her neatly back into his side.
Rose murmers a sigh of contentment, and shifts against him, getting comfortable. "you know, a girl could get used to this." She breathes when his lips ghost over her bare shoulder. "Mmm?" comes the reply, too busy kissing the back of her neck to articulate much else. "God, I love you." Rose moans when his lips reach the dip in her collarbone, letting the phrase slip out with ease.
Not registering her exclamation, Rose cocks her head when The Doctor suddenly stops his ministrations. "What?" she asks, shifting away slightly to face him. "Is something wrong?"
"no, no- nothing, its just. You've- you just... oh, hell. Rose Tyler, I love you, too." The words tumble out of his mouth, his tongue tripping over them in an effort to expidite their release. His grin is ear splitting, and manic, and Rose can't help but join in. "I- you just... really?" her words all come out in one breath, she eyes him carefully, hope alight in her eyes.
"Of course, really." Some of the manic joy leaves his eyes, and the smile he flashes her becomes all warmth and reassurances. "Wow..." Rose breathes out her reply, the lets out a happy giggle. Sealing thier lips together, she smiles into the kiss.
They settle back into the covers like this, warm bodies pressed together, peppering each others faces with light kisses. "Can you say something to me in Gallifreyen?" Rose queries as The Doctors lips dance across her jaw line. "Okay." Comes the reply, murmured into her neck. "Hmm... what about..." He trails off, trying to think of a phrase worthy of Rose's request. He pulls away and leans onto his forearms, glancing around the room, and smiles as his eyes fall upon the ornately decorated headboard lying above them.
The perfect expression found, he lets the words slide off of his tongue, lilting and musical, with all the devotion they hold within them. "That was... Beautiful." Rose says softly, her voice full of conviction as she struggles to place the feelings it envoked. "What does it mean?"
"It's us. Well, our names... together. It symbolizes us as a couple- like the names humans comes up with for celebrities- only with more meaning." He follows his words with a smile, one of his stupidly large grins, and proclaims with a laugh: "So then its official, your really stuck with me now, Rose."
She laughs along with him, but the meaning behind his word choice is not lost on her. Its a confirmation, or at least all the confirmation she needs, that what they share turly means something. "Thank you," she murmurs. "It's perfect."
She leans back into his warm and inviting arms, and he has to dissagree. It isn't perfect, not by a long-shot. But it's them, and that'll always be more than enough for him...
~Fin~
I think that went quite well, considering how hard of a time I had writing it. Also, an apology is in order, because this came up way later than expected (my 500 words a day plan went out the window). Anyways, hope you enjoyed, and I believe I can hear a review button shouting 'Press me! Press me!' In the distance. You might want to check that one nout, just sayin'.
Thatnerdychic :]