A/N: Here's the fluff I promised. Set a day after the 'The Stone Rose' DW novel's adventure, with the assumption of being mid-series 2 timeline-wise. Hope you enjoy x
Chips, Kisses and Favourite Things
"Oi! Get your own!" Rose laughed, snatching her bag of chips away from his prying hands.
"What's yours is mine," the Doctor retorted smilingly.
She nudged his arm. "Is that right?"
"Oh yes."
"How did you work that one out?"
"Kindly remember that you've been living with me free of charge for the last few years," he pointed out smugly. "I reckon I'm entitled to a few of your chips."
"I pay you back with my ample supply of companionship and good humour, and don't you forget it," she giggled.
"Weelll, I s'pose I can't argue with that. Although, if The Authorities ever ask, you pay me with real money, not yourself, 'cos who knows what they'll think otherwise," he said playfully, waggling his eyebrows. "Companionship may be a very broad term, for all they know."
"Oi!" she exclaimed, eyes wide and trying not to laugh; instead, waving a chip in front of his face in feigned indignation.
He opened his mouth and ate the chip from her hand.
"Hey!" she exclaimed.
"What? I thought you were offering it to me," he smirked, still chewing.
Rose rolled her eyes. "Honestly."
He grinned at her wolfishly, and flung his arm around her shoulders. "So, where do you want to go next, Rose Tyler?"
Her head rested against his shoulder as she considered his question. She thoughtfully ate another chip, before asking, "What's your favourite thing in the universe?" as her answer.
The Doctor swallowed thickly, his mouth suddenly dry. His eyes flickered down to her, and he anxiously tugged at his ear with his free hand.
After a few moments of silence, she shifted to meet his gaze. "Doctor?"
He looked at her steadily, not breaking eye contact. "Favourite thing, you say?" he murmured hoarsely.
"Yeah..." she said slowly, her brow creased in confusion.
Something dropped onto her cheek from the sky then, and he realised it was raining. His face broke out into a grin.
"What is it?" she asked eagerly, because his smile was contagious.
He let out a bark of laughter and shook his head at himself in wry amusement, watching as the droplets of water started coming down more quickly, landing on her eyelashes and hair and nose and chin. He hardly felt the rain on himself; he was too entranced with looking at his...his best friend.
"Doctor?" she prompted, feeling like she was missing out on some big joke, whilst absently swiping her hand across her face to keep the rain out of her eyes.
He was still chuckling, but he composed himself to answer her. "So, favourite things. Weeellll, I like raindrops on Roses, and whiskers on - "
Rose rolled her eyes and interrupted him. "Oh my god, you're so cheesy."
He chuckled again, and tucked a long, slightly wet strand of her hair behind her ear before continuing, " – kittens. Bright copper kettles – they are always useful. Ooh, and those warm woollen mittens you can get, you know, to keep your hands nice and toasty. And then there's - "
"Alright, alright," she laughed. "I get the idea. Can we go home? It's getting a bit wet out here."
He smiled widely at her, warmth and happiness bubbling up within him at her casual use of the word home in reference to the TARDIS. "Home. Yeah, let's," he agreed, taking her hand and hauling her up with him. Then he frowned. "Ah. Um, Rose. Any idea where we parked the TARDIS earlier today?"
She bit her lip thoughtfully, and he so wished there was a lyric from that song that he could attribute to that. 'When the dog bites' somehow just could not fit. Rose Tyler was most definitely not a dog. And he was pretty sure that a Rose bite would not make him sad in the least.
"Somewhere...that way?" she tried, not sounding all that sure but pointing to the east. She tossed the chips wrapper into a bin and twirled in a circle, trying to remember which direction they came in. It was a bit difficult to judge, seeing as the rain was coming down even harder now, obscuring things from sight.
The Doctor tilted his head and squinted. "Aha!" he announced, tugging Rose back to his side. "See that building over there? With the spire?"
She followed his gaze and then nodded her agreement. "Oh yeah! We definitely passed that."
"Thought so. Excellent, right – come on, let's make a run for it and see how wet we end up by the time we get back."
Rose glanced down at herself and laughed. "Well, my top's already soaked through, so we might just as well take a leisurely walk back..." she trailed off, looking back at him. And noticing just whereabouts his eyes were decidedly looking on her. She suppressed a satisfied grin.
"Mmm," he murmured distractedly, pondering her choice of clothing that day. A nice top, very white, with a bit of a pattern along the hem. Nice bra, too, by the looks of things.
He thanked her silently for picking something that turned near see-through with added H2O.
"Doctor?" she said, amusement heavily clouding her tone.
At the sound of her voice, he met her eyes and cleared his throat awkwardly. "Yes?" he croaked out.
"Shall we?" she asked innocently.
"Shall we what?" he replied, tone high-pitched, mind whirring. Could she read his mind? He hoped not, or else she might just be a little bit angry at him imagining such thoughts. Alternatively, though, she might be happy with him thinking such thoughts, so if she's offering, weeellll...
"Shall we go? Back to the TARDIS? Try and warm up?" she clarified slowly.
He gulped. "Yes. Back to TARDIS, uh, warm up. Excellent plan." He started to walk briskly, hands in pockets, in the wrong direction. "Come on; don't dawdle!" he called back to her.
Rose grinned to herself. "You're going the wrong way," she pointed out.
"No I'm not," he insisted. Then he stopped, realising where he was walking. "I'm going the wrong way," he admitted, spinning around and walking in the right direction, with Rose already taking the lead.
She was even more distracting from behind, however, and he had to force himself to look ahead rather than at her bare legs and – well, other things. Let's just say that that wet denim skirt clung in all the right places.
Rose glanced back at him coquettishly over her shoulder. "You alright?"
"I'm fine!" he squeaked, speeding up his pace so that he fell in step with her again. He held out his elbow so that she could link her arm through his, and they continued their journey in a tingling but comfortable silence.
-x-
The Doctor was so immersed in his thoughts that it was Rose who took the liberty of unlocking the TARDIS doors, looking at him bemusedly from the entrance when he remained standing outside, staring thoughtfully up at the heavily clouded sky, fists balled tight in his pockets, hair flattening adorably across his forehead.
"Doctor?" she called gently.
His gaze whipped back to her, and he almost found words to answer her. Almost.
But she was such a vision to remember forever, standing there in the doorway to his home, their home, soaking wet and gorgeous and smiling at him widely. Consequently, he sighed in a contented fashion, and was quite thoroughly and speechlessly happy. Him and Rose, in the TARDIS, together. How utterly perfect his life was right now.
Even as her cheeks flushed pink, her smile grew even wider, watching him watch her with an adoring look in his eyes. "What?" she asked shyly, wondering how often he looked at her like that without her noticing.
"Nothing, just..." he managed to say, before trailing off, shaking his head. He stepped up to her, into the TARDIS, holding the doors open when she let go of them. Rose took a reflexive step backwards to make room for him.
She didn't move any further away though, because his eyes had pinned her to the spot. He wouldn't be able to get past her; but then, he didn't look like he particularly wanted to.
"Do you, uh..." she began, trying not to noticeably breathe too quickly. It wasn't working; his eyes were instantly drawn to her heaving chest, the dripping white fabric of her now-translucent t-shirt demonstrating its exceedingly valuable qualities that the Doctor so appreciated.
"Do I what?" he replied, voice low. He let his hands slip from the doors and they fell abruptly shut behind him, closing them off from the outside world and all its rain and clouds and prying eyes.
"Do you want a cup of tea?" she blurted out, belatedly realising she sounded ridiculous but decidedly not caring because he was smiling at her like she'd said the best thing ever, so who was she to judge herself?
"I think tea would be good, yeah," he agreed, seeing her shiver. "It'll warm you up, at any rate."
"And you," she pointed out, eying his sodden jacket and shirt. Not letting herself look lower, for fear she would spontaneously combust - despite the cool temperature.
"Nah, I don't feel the cold," he dismissed, still staring into her eyes intently. His hands clutched uselessly at nothing at his sides and he ached to wrap his arms around her and pull her close.
"Rubbish," Rose countered, feeling braver than him, reaching out a hand to touch his chest, running her finger down the line of his shirt buttons and watching with a grin as he shuddered. "See? You're shivering too."
"Not from the cold," he murmured, raising an eyebrow. "But then, you know that."
Her eyes widened innocently. "I don't know anything, Doctor."
"Course you don't," he agreed sarcastically. "You're just standing in my way wearing that and smiling and teasing for the good of your health."
"Yep," she grinned. Swallowing her trepidation, she stepped forward, closing the distance between them.
He stared down at her, half-pleased, half-petrified that she was taking the initiative. "Rose..." he murmured. He tried to make it sound like a warning, but even to his own ears it sounded more like a plea. He winced, embarrassed.
"It was nice to feel the rain again, don't you think?" she said conversationally, slipping her left hand into his right, continuing delightedly when she felt his thumb begin to stroke the back of hers; a gesture both familiar and electric, "After spending all that time in Rome. Where it was hot. Very, very...hot."
He gulped. "Ye – yeah," he stuttered, wondering where this little tête-à-tête was going.
"It was nice to get back into normal clothes, too," she said next, biting her bottom lip wistfully. "Although, I do kind of miss the toga, Doctor."
"Yours or mine?" he replied, tilting his head down slightly.
"Both," she answered with a teasing smile. "And that Minerva costume."
He coughed suddenly to hide the unmanly squeak of surprise that had emerged from his throat. "Right," he breathed out roughly.
"Kept it all, though," she continued. "Safely in the wardrobe, in case we ever need to, um...play dress up again."
"Right," he repeated. He wondered if she could feel his hearts beating so fast. She was leaning so close into him that he thought perhaps she could.
"You kissed me," Rose murmured then, squeezing his hand.
The Doctor tensed up. "What?"
"It was only yesterday; don't you remember?" she asked. She sounded hurt.
He squeezed her hand back. "Of course I do."
She squinted up at him, pondering how to phrase her next question. She supposed that she might as well keep it simple but blunt. "Why?"
His eyebrows rose to his hairline. "Weeellll..." he drawled. He inhaled deeply, before letting out a breath with a whoosh. "Um..."
"Relief? Joy?" she suggested quietly.
"Yes," he agreed. "Yes, both of those things."
"Right," she nodded.
The Doctor lifted his free hand to tentatively rest at the curve of her waist, and hers instantly came up to lie at the crook of his arm, holding him there. At the immediate and unconscious intimacy of her touch, he struggled to prevent himself adding something else, confessing quietly, "I often want to kiss you."
Rose pressed her lips together to stop herself squealing in delight. "Oh?" she croaked out eventually, aiming to sound nonchalant about it.
"Well, I often feel relieved and joyous, after all."
"Yeah," she assented. "Yeah, you do."
"And I also often feel, uh," he continued, marvelling at the way he appeared to admitting things he'd sworn to himself he'd never admit; but deciding that now was as good a time as never, he continued, "That, well, that you – I – you and I, ought to..."
"Ought to what?" she persisted eagerly.
"Just...we ought to. Kiss, that is. We ought to kiss," he explained, the tips of his ears pink. "More, really. We ought to kiss more."
"Yeah?" she asked hopefully.
"Yeah," he breathed, laughing shakily, nervously. "Yeah. Needless to say: you, weeellll, you're...you're my favourite thing, lucky mascot and all that and – and, well, you are so very, very tempting, and we've kissed before, not frequently but, you know, what's so wrong about it, really, we're best friends; best friends kiss, occasionally, and that's – we're not, it's not, it, I – you – we, we, well, we're us, and, uh, it was sort of instinctual, I suppose; the first thing I would ever want to do after being stuck as a statue for awhile would be kiss you, weeelll, it's the first thing I'm pretty sure I'd like to do after, well, after anything, really, and I - " he said quickly, rushing through the words at such a speed with the hope that she didn't pick up on all that he'd said.
She did hear everything, though. She had long ago learned how to decipher fast-paced Doctor-talk, so she didn't miss anything. And it made her heart stutter in her chest.
" - Doctor," she whispered, interrupting him. He stopped speaking, and just looked at her, waiting patiently for her to speak again. But she shivered violently before she could, and she rolled her eyes at herself for ruining the moment.
His eyes widened in alarm, and he let go of her hand to rub her arms quickly. "You're freezing! Come on, let's get something nice and hot inside you fast," he said, ushering her towards the kitchen.
Rose would have laughed her head off at that, but her teeth had started chattering, so she contented herself with a little giggle. The Doctor, immediately in Concerned for Rose mode, barely noticed her amusement at his turn of phrase.
Once inside the kitchen, he rushed to the kettle, preparing their tea whilst telling Rose to sit down at the table.
"Surely it would be better if I just..." she mumbled to herself, pulling off her t-shirt.
The Doctor went absolutely still as he heard the sound of wet fabric hit the kitchen sink. "Rose?" he squeaked indignantly.
"What?" she replied defensively. "Keeping it on is what's making me cold."
"Maybe you should..." he started, clearing his throat to continue, "Have a shower. A nice...hot...shower. I'll, um, make the tea, and meet you in your room, yeah?"
"Okay," she said slowly. "Um, Doctor?"
"Yes?" He told himself firmly that he was not to turn around. Absolutely not.
"Look at me a sec," she requested politely.
"You know, I think I'll just stay facing this way," he replied, as nicely as he could.
He heard the smile in her voice as she next spoke. "Not like you weren't looking at my bra beforehand," she pointed out.
"Not the point," he insisted, his fingers clutching the edge of kitchen counter tightly.
He let out a sigh of relief when he heard her leave. And Rose grinned to herself all the way to her bathroom.
-x-
Barely five minutes later, Rose emerged from her quick shower, entering her bedroom with a towel wrapped tight around her, long enough to graze her knees as she walked.
"Alright?" the Doctor asked quietly, sitting with his back against the headboard of her bed, watching her get some clean, dry clothes out of her chest of drawers. And trying not to leap off the bed and unravel all his careful self-control by taking off her towel for her. Just to, you know. Help.
"Mmhmm," she answered distractedly. "You?"
"Yep," he replied, popping the 'p' cheerfully. He sipped at his tea, and when she turned to face him, he nodded towards her mug on the bedside table.
Rose smiled gratefully. "Thanks." She left her clothes at the end of the bed and instead went for her tea, climbing onto the space beside him. "Ahhh," she sighed appreciatively, taking her first sip.
His eyes studiously remained connected to hers, and her eyebrow quirked upwards. "So," he began, grappling for something to say so that she wouldn't start teasing him for absolutely not staring at the rivulet of water droplets cascading down the column of her throat, caressing her collar bone, travelling beneath the gap her cleavage created in the towel that hugged her body so tightly.
He realised then that his gaze had slipped somewhat, and when he met her eyes again, she was beaming broadly, her eyes alight with mischief.
"Doctor..." she said ponderingly. "I was wondering yesterday just how you managed to create such a perfect sculpture of me, down to every last detail."
"Yes...?" he prompted for her to carry on.
"Now I think I've realised."
"Realised what?" he asked blankly.
"I've realised that you stare at me quite a lot," she murmured, brows drawing together as she riveted her gaze on the mug in her hands. "I never noticed before. I never thought..."
"Never thought what?" he rasped out, his throat suddenly dry.
"I never thought you stared at me. I never thought you even looked at me that much. Not...like that..." She blushed deeply and bit her lip, embarrassed. "I mean, I know it's just your...er, Time Lord superior senses or whatever - "
"It really isn't," he disagreed softly. Her eyes snapped back to his, imploring him to continue. "I..." he floundered, tugging his ear awkwardly, wondering how to best put it. "I don't just notice these things about you because I'm a Time Lord. Quite the opposite, really. Thing is, the er, truth, of the matter, is that, I don't look - "
She momentarily seemed heartbroken, a lump coming to her throat.
" – at anyone but you..." he continued gently.
Her eyes lit up. Unconsciously, she put her mug down on her bedside cabinet.
"...because you, you're...I just..."
She inched closer to him, her smile encouraging him to continue.
"I think you're beautiful," he whispered.
She took his hand, staring at it as she entwined their fingers together. "I..."
He too stared down at their joined hands, now resting on her thigh. He could feel the heat of her skin through the fabric and it taunted him evilly.
"Rose?" he urged hesitantly.
"I love you, Doctor," she murmured back, almost-silently.
His hearts pounded fiercely against his chest at her admission, but his reply caught in his throat when she lifted her head and kissed him.
He slipped his hands into her hair and held her to him, kissing her back with just as much undeniable reverence and bubbling passion as she was him. Neither really noticed what they were doing as she shifted to lay flat, her back dipping firmly into the mattress as the Doctor moved with her, his body hovering over hers while their lips refused to part from each other's.
Eventually, the kissed eased off, and Rose gasped breathlessly against his neck as he pressed soft kisses along her jaw. She realised where his hands had moved to, clutching as they were at towelling fabric gathered at her hips, and blushed brightly. She then realised something else.
"Doctor, you've not changed your suit," she murmured hoarsely.
He leaned his head back to regard her curiously. "So? It's practically dry," he shrugged. "Nifty material, this. Quite absorbent. Which is lucky, really, because - "
" - Doctor," she interjected softly. "I was trying to suggest that you've not showered yet..."
"Well, I was making tea for us. No time to fit a shower in, and...why? Hang on, are you saying I need one?" he asked, wrinkling his nose up.
"No!" she laughed. "Well, sort of. It doesn't matter."
"Course it does; go on," he urged her.
"I rushed mine, just now. I thought maybe I'd take another," Rose said slowly, wondering whether he'd pick up on that implication.
"Whatever for?" he asked, baffled. He nuzzled her hair briefly, then her neck. "You smell lovely. What is that, peppermint? And...raspberries? And ooh...something else - " He paused, licking her neck experimentally, making her shiver again. " – grapefruit! Odd combination, but really, that's gorgeous, that is, can I - "
" – Doctor!" she exclaimed, impatiently resting her forehead against his. "Right," she sighed heavily. "Would you do me a favour?"
"Of course," he said instantly. "What is it?"
"Will you have a shower with me?" she asked bluntly.
"Yes," he answered, just as bluntly. Then, he added, "Weeelll, no."
"What? Why not?" she asked, confused at his abrupt change of mind.
"I'd prefer a bath," he admitted ponderingly.
She giggled in surprise. "Really?"
"Yes," he replied, a little defensive. "What's wrong with that? Baths are nice."
"Not very manly, though."
"I resent that remark entirely."
"Do you use bubble bath?"
He averted his eyes. "Sometimes."
"Do you have a toy duck?"
He sighed. "Maybe."
"Ha!" Rose grinned, kissing him firmly. The Doctor started to smile. "Does this duck have a name?"
Now he positively beamed. "Trevor!" he replied enthusiastically.
She stared at him.
"What?" he asked.
"Trevor?" she repeated, looping her arms around the neck of her daft alien.
"Yes. What's wrong with Trevor?"
"Nothing!" she replied hastily. "Just...not very...duck...ish."
"It's original. Hans Christian Anderson's Ugly Duckling would have been infinitely better had the duckling in question been called Trevor."
"Why add that to his list of woes?" Rose asked, biting her lip to hold in her laughter.
"Oi!" He threw her a withering look. "Trevor's a nice name."
"But the ugly duckling was actually a swan. And Trevor is an even sillier name for a swan," she pointed out ruefully.
"If you're not careful, Rose Tyler, I shall not share a bath with you. Or Trevor, for that matter."
Rose smiled at him apologetically. "I'm sorry, Doctor. I won't tease you anymore, I promise."
"Pffft, as if," he scoffed, but he grinned. Rose took that to mean he quite expected and enjoyed her teasing him.
She grinned back at him, tracing her fingertips across the back of his neck. "So...this bath you speak of...how big is it?"
"Oh, it's really big," he smirked, squeezing her hips lightly.
"Yeah?"
"Yeah. You'll be very impressed."
"I bet I will," she agreed.
He kissed her then, slowly and full of promise. "Want to come and see it?" he murmured against her lips.
"I think I do," she smiled.
The Doctor shifted off of her, straightening his shirt ineffectually as he stood. He held out his hand to help her up. Once she was upright, he offered her a nervous but happy smile, and began to lead her out of her bedroom. He paused at her doorway when he distinctly heard the thud of a towel hitting the floor.
She anticipated his reaction and spoke before he could. "Not like I'm gonna need it. Besides, it'd only get in the way," she grinned, tongue between teeth.
How the Doctor made it to his bathroom without once succumbing to the urge to turn around and face a Naked Rose Tyler he'll never know. Luckily, Rose was as astounded at his willpower as he was, and accordingly rewarded him for it.
He later revised his list of favourite things. Rose Tyler remained at the top, of course, but silly things like 'saving the universe with Rose' got relegated in favour of far more important things involving her.
He suspected that the list would acquire many additions over the next few days.