Need a Hand?
"So, Doctor..." she begins, and he knows at once his in for a bout of the Rose Inquisition.
He pops his head out from beneath the console. "Yes, Rose?"
She puts down the magazine she's been reading on the jumpseat and stands up, walking over to sit down beside him. She looks at him contemplatively and he sighs in impatience. His sigh turns into a groan when she starts to smile at him in that way she does when she wants something. The Rose Smile he can't resist.
"What is it?" he asks, well, almost whines, really; because although he'll inevitably give in to whatever her request is this time, just like he always does, he'll certainly have a good moan first. "Do you want to visit your Mum again? 'Cos we only just came back from visiting there, what, last week? And I thought we could go and see the -"
" – I don't want to go visit Mum," she interrupts firmly, suppressing a giggle.
"Oh. Right, good. That's a relief, that. She welcomed me with a kiss, last time! A kiss! Goodness' knows what's got into her head recently – it's almost as if she likes me or something!" he chuckles.
"You know she likes you," Rose smiles. "Part of the family, you are. She likes to wind you up and give you a big slobbery kiss. She'll do it every time from now on, mark my words."
"Oh good grief, haven't I had enough torture in my life thus far?" he sighs dramatically, and points a finger at her. "I hope you realise that I only go through all that to keep you happy, Miss Tyler! There is no enjoyment in being snogged by your mother."
"Try telling Howard that," Rose giggles.
"Yes, well. I'm sure he enjoys it."
She tilts her head to the side and he can tell she's thinking over something she wants to ask him.
He tugs his ear anxiously. "What, Rose? You're starting to unnerve me."
"Sorry. I was just...wondering about something."
"I could tell."
"Do you..."
"Do I what?"
"When I'm, like...not with you or something - "
"- when are you ever not with me?" he snorts. His lips curve into a teasing smile. "Can't seem to shake you off, Rose Tyler - always hanging around, you are."
"Pfft, you can talk!" she laughs. "You're the one who insists on doing everything together. I mean, why should I have to go around food stores with you while you collect every single variety of jam in existence?"
"Well, this is a co-habitation thing we've got here. You can't expect me to do the food shop on my own, especially in 21st century London." He wrinkles his nose.
She raises an eyebrow. "What's wrong with 21st century London?"
"Nothing!" he answers hastily. "It's...my favourite, er...time era. Anyway! What were you going to say?"
"Well," she begins, watching him carefully. "I was just thinking, do you ever...you know...see anyone?"
He squints at her in confusion. "See anyone? I see lots of people. Clarification, Rose – be more specific."
She rolls her eyes at him. "Like...women?"
He continues to look at her as if she's gone mad. "I'm assuming you mean not including you and your mother."
She sighs. "I mean, potential, you know, sexual - "
"- what!" he interrupts loudly, jumping in surprise. "Okay, so now I know you've gone mad."
"So you don't, then."
"When would I have time?" he retorts, baffled.
"When I'm asleep or something," she shrugs.
"You think I'd..." he trails off in utter confusion and feels a little bit hurt by her suggestion. "I wouldn't do that."
She ponders that for a moment. "So...if you had time, would you?"
"Would I what? Find a random woman and just..."
"You're an alien, but you're still a man. Most men have certain...needs..."
He rubs at his eyes wearily and moves to sit next to her, leaving his wires and sonic screwdriver behind. "Rose, I'm not really like most men."
"Right." There's a brief pause before she speaks again. "But, don't you ever just get the urge to...you know..."
He swallows thickly. He can't believe she's asking him this. It's such a futile conversation and he's dreadfully nervous. "Rose..."
"It's nothing to feel guilty over, if that's what you're thinking."
"What isn't, going around sleeping with random women?" he retorts sarcastically. "No, that's not immoral at all."
"No, I didn't mean that, I meant...getting..." She averts her eyes from his and mutters, "Getting...turned on."
He pretends he doesn't make the yelp of astonishment he makes and stares at her unblinkingly. "Right..." he exhales slowly.
"It's perfectly natural," she rationalises blithely. "I mean, it's not like we...resolve anything...but then again, it's not like we couldn't..."
His mouth drops open. "What are you suggesting?" he squeaks, his voice a tad too girly to be dignified.
"Oh I dunno," she shrugs casually. "Just thought perhaps we could help each other out in that respect. Give each other a hand, so to speak."
His mind boggles at the innuendo laced within her words. "What?" His pitch rises even higher this time and he winces in embarrassment.
"I don't know why you're so outraged by the idea," she says nonchalantly. "People do it all the time."
"Do what?"
She sighs at him good-naturedly and decides to just blatantly put her point across. "Basically, Doctor, we've been travelling together in the TARDIS for nearly two years now, getting in each other's personal space, holding hands and hugging and god knows what else and not once have you acted on the thoughts running through your head."
"What thoughts!" he demands.
"I dunno; whatever thoughts you think that involve me and you and that jumpseat," she replies exasperatedly, nodding towards said piece of furniture. "And probably every other horizontal – and vertical, come to that – surface in the TARDIS; didn't you say you've got superior mind and all that? Good imagination, I bet. Point is - "
"- the point is," he interrupts hastily. "You're not making sense!"
"You honestly haven't considered it?"
He can feel his hearts racing and tries not to look too obviously flustered. "No!"
"Then what's with all the lingering looks over the console?" she points out.
"There are no lingering looks!" he lies.
"Right, okay," she says sarcastically. "So what about all those times I'm sitting quite happily on the other side of the sofa in the library, quite content with my book and my cup of tea, and then you sit there staring at me until I pay you some attention?"
"I do not do that," he denies fruitlessly.
"And then when I do put my tea down and turn to look at you, you seize my hand and drag me over to you so that I'm right up close while you lecture me about this planet or that planet, or tell me jokes that you get annoyed if I don't laugh at, or read a story from so-and-so 'best author in the universe.'"
He frowns grumpily. "What's wrong with sitting together?"
"Nothing, absolutely nothing," she answers. There's a pause. "But you do snuggle. A lot."
"I do not snuggle," he replies, outraged. "Time Lords do not snuggle."
Rose giggles at his scandalised expression. "Well, you snuggle with me."
"I thought you liked it, anyway," he says without thinking. He immediately squeezes his eyes shut in embarrassment when she smirks in triumph.
"I do," she says, and his eyes snap open again. "But that's my point, see. We hug and we hold hands and we snuggle and if we're out on an adventure or one of us has a nightmare, we sometimes even fall asleep in the same bed together. And yet, you've not once kissed me, or tried anything...you know, sexual, and I -"
"I know I don't look it but I'm an old man, Rose," he reminds her quietly. "A ridiculous amount older than you."
Her lips curve into a tempting smile. "So what, does that mean you can't have a little fun?"
His eyes narrow at her words. "I do have fun!" he protests. "We have lots of fun!"
Rose rolls her eyes and moves closer to him. He doesn't shift away – he never can step away from her - just raises an eyebrow. "You know what sort of fun I mean," she says softly. He now gets the impression that she's genuinely curious rather than trying to put pressure on him. "You said you've still got the moves..."
"Well. Perhaps I was a little...over-confident about that," he admits, swallowing thickly.
"Really? Seemed pretty sure of yourself to me."
"I was jealous," he blurts out without realising what he's saying. His eyes widen along with Rose's and he tries to backpedal. "I mean, for your company. I mean, your friendship. Jack was swanning in with his good looks and his romancing and gaining your attention and..." he shrugs as the rest of his point trails off.
"So when we were talking about dancing," she begins, and he's mortified to find himself turning pink at the memory. Time Lords definitely aren't supposed to blush. "You were definitely not thinking about actual...you know..." she waggles her eyebrows suggestively.
He tugs at his ear nervously. "Of course I wasn't," he denies quickly.
"You sure? Nothing to be ashamed about if you were..."
"I wasn't," he insists.
"I was," she counters, and his jaw goes slack for a moment. Then, he shuts his mouth again and just stares at her in shock. "I'm not being funny but how the hell can I not think about that when you're so..."
Throat dry, he pre-empts her sentence hoarsely, "I don't mean to lead you on or anything, Rose."
Her eyebrows rise. "I was gonna say 'gorgeous,' but sure, we can go with 'Mr Mixed Signals' instead."
He blinks at her.
"Doctor?" she prompts.
"You think I'm gorgeous?" he asks quietly. He prays she isn't going to tease him too much for sounding so hopeful.
"What do you care if I do?" she retorts. "Not exactly like I'm allowed to doing anything about it, is it?"
He's about to suggest she can, actually, if she really actually wants too, but she speaks again before he has the chance.
"Look, I'm not saying that we should have a proper, serious relationship or anything – I know you probably don't want that sort of thing, commitment-phobe that you are – I'm just suggesting that really, if you think about it, we're good enough friends to surely, at least, have sex maybe once?" she suggests eagerly.
"Rose..." he says slowly, his chest aching unpleasantly at her words. He can't have a one-night stand with her. Not one night. He just can't.
"It's just, two years is a really long time, and I'm getting a bit..." she searches for the right word, can't seem to find one so she finishes lamely with, "...randy..." and winces at her phrasing.
The Doctor's breathing becomes a little more erratic and he seriously considers he might have to have a lie down in a minute. He's inconceivably pleased with her implication that she hasn't, ahem, been with anyone since she's been travelling with him. "Rose..." he begins again, sounding just a tad happier.
"You know, maybe we could just have a friends-with-benefits thing, yeah? It's not that illicit a proposal, lots of people do it, like I said, and to be honest, it'll help me concentrate a lot better on saving the world and all that. I keep getting distracted and it's really not conducive to our lifestyle."
"Distracted?" he croaks out.
"Yeah, like by my over-active imagination and its creative ways of undressing you with my mind and stuff," she explains matter-of-factly. "Especially when you've got your glasses on. I don't know how you expect me to concentrate when you're wearing those - right in front of me. Seriously, it's unlawful."
"You like the glasses?" he murmurs, the corner of his mouth quirking up.
"God, yeah. They're really sexy. Anyway, my point is, you're a man, right? You've got the necessary parts, even if they are hardly used - "
" – Rose..."
"And basically, what I'm saying is, casual sex would be beneficial to our everyday lives. Okay?" she concludes. He stares at her, utterly bewildered for a moment and she suppresses a grin. "Right, good. So...think that over. I'll go make us a cup of tea."
She smiles briefly and then leaves him sitting there looking like...well, looking like someone who's just had his best friend announce she wants to have casual sex with him, come to think of it...while she goes into the kitchen to put the kettle on.
She's sitting at the table, sipping from her favourite mug, when he abruptly bursts into the kitchen about seven minutes later.
"Ah, there you are. Your tea's getting cold so you'd better - " she starts, but he cuts across her.
"- Rose," he exhales roughly. "I do not want to have casual sex with you just to satisfy your understandable but problematic human urges."
She puts her mug on the table and stares at it, nodding her head acceptingly. "Right. Okay. Oh well. Just a thought."
"Rose - "
She looks back at him. " – no, it's alright, Doctor. Don't worry about it."
He tries to interject again but she drains her mug in one final gulp then stands up, placing it in the sink and leaning against the counter, facing away from him. "Leave it," she says softly. "Don't make it anymore embarrassing."
He stands there hopelessly, watching her slumped shoulders and bowed head. "Rose, you haven't let me finish," he says quietly.
She turns around and forces a jovial smile on her face. "Nothing left to say, is there? I'm just gonna..." she gestures to the door. "I'll see you in the morning."
She starts to leave but he quickly grabs her wrist, drawing her towards him. She looks up at him questioningly and he stares into her eyes. "I do not want to have casual sex with you just to satisfy your understandable but problematic human urges," he repeats. "Because - "
"- yeah you've already said that," she sighs, glancing away.
He takes her chin in his hand to urge her back to face him. "Because, I want to make love to you every single day of our forever to also satisfy my not-understandable and even more problematic Time Lord urges."
Her eyes almost pop out of her head in surprise and she gasps loudly. "You...what? I...you...!" She pauses, clears her throat, and tries to regain her composure. "Really?"
"Yes. Sorry."
"You don't have to be sorry," she protests, shaking her head.
"Weeelll. I don't want to make things awkward. Your friendship is the most important thing in my life. I would hate to ruin it because my dormant sexuality has suddenly arisen – oh dear; sorry, pun very much not intended – to tell me that it really thinks you and I should..." He coughs awkwardly. "Go that extra step."
"Trust me, our friendship won't be ruined," she ensures him hastily. She couldn't believe her luck. The Doctor actually wants her. The Doctor.
He smiles at her when she reaches for his hand, and entwines their fingers tightly. "Do you fancy me, Rose Tyler?"
She rolls her eyes. "I've already told you I think you're gorgeous, remember. So kind of yes."
He tilts his head closer to her. "Good. That's good. I fancy you, too."
She swallows thickly. "You do?"
"Yes," he says emphatically, squeezing her hand. "I do. Very much."
"Right...good. That's...good."
"Yeah."
They look at each other for a few moments and then promptly burst into giggles.
"I can't believe we are actually having this conversation," she laughs.
"Well, you started it!"
"Well somebody had to!"
"Ah, touché," he shrugs.
"So...are you saying that there really are lingering looks across the console?" she smiles impishly.
"Of course there are. Not just from me, either," he adds, giving her a cheeky wink.
"Why have you never said anything, then?"
"Well, I..." He tugs at his ear again. "I haven't really...partaken in that sort of, er, activity, for quite awhile. Hadn't really thought about it for a bit - and by a bit I mean years and years and years. And then, you turned up in my life and I - " he cuts himself off quickly.
"You...?" she prompts, biting her lip.
"Well, you know what. I just told you."
"You seriously want to..."
"Yeah," he laughs nervously.
"You said, 'every single day of our forever'...did you mean that?"
His cheeks turn pink. "Erm...yes. If...if you want."
"Yeah, I want," she grins.
"Excellent," he grins back.
"You also substituted the words 'casual sex' for 'make love,'" she points out, sounding a little nervous. "Did you mean that, too?"
"Yes," he answers definitively.
"So when you say you fancy me, do you also mean that you - "
He takes a deep breath and impulsively decides to interrupt her.
" – are in love with you? Yes," he interjects quickly, eager to say the words before he loses his nerve. "I am."
Her heart rate increases even more. "You're..."
"Yes," he nods.
She beams, and grabs his face in her hands to draw him down for a hard kiss on the lips. He responds instantly, his hands shooting to her waist to bring her closer, fitting her against him in a way that makes them both sigh with contentment.
When she breaks off to breathe, his mouth lingers at her cheek, and he whispers, "I take it that's alright, then."
"That you love me?"
"Yeah."
"Of course!" she laughs. Then she adds, somewhat shyly, "I love you too."
His smile matches hers as he kisses her again, and they stumble backwards, trapping her between him and the kitchen table. She hears the Doctor's forgotten mug of tea get knocked over but can't bring herself to care, because he's pushing her against the table and kissing her relentlessly.
"So, we're not just going to have a friends-with-benefits thing, then?" he pants when he pulls back.
She tilts her head and pretends to contemplate that. "I think I'd rather be your girlfriend," she teases.
He growls, and kisses her again.