Stages and Sunglasses

"Doctor, do you know where I put my sunglasses?" Rose asked him, as she came into the room. She surveyed her surroundings, hoping to spot her misplaced item.

"Hmm?" he replied distractedly, looking up from his book. She arched an eyebrow at him, evidently unimpressed that he'd ignored her entrance and question. His own eyes widened at her expression and, closing the book and giving her his full attention, he hastened to add, "Sorry darling, what did you say?"

The rare incidence of a term of endearment coming out of his mouth caught Rose unawares, and she began giggling instantly.

"What's the joke?" the Doctor smiled.

"Nothing, nothing." She tried to smother her giggles. She couldn't.

The Doctor narrowed his eyes. "What is it? What have I done?" He self-consciously ran a hand through his hair as though something were wrong with it.

"It's nothing," she repeated.

"Well it must be something."

"It's just – well, over the last couple of weeks I've been noticing a change in you, and I couldn't pinpoint what exactly it was – but now I've realised," she explained, then let out a happy sigh.

"A change?" he echoed. "Nothing's changed – what do you mean?"

"We've reached the next stage," she informed him wisely.

"Stage of what?"

Rose rolled her eyes. "Our relationship."

He furrowed his brow in confusion, but before he could voice his question, she interrupted with –

"Aha! See! If I'd said that a month ago you would've looked terrified!"

"I'm just confused – wait!" His eyes grew wide. "Should I be terrified?"

"No!" she laughed. "No, look, the thing is, you're not unsure anymore."

"Unsure?"

"About us."

"Of course I'm not unsure about us. What does that even mean?"

"Listen, it's taken time, right, for you to be completely certain that this – what we're doing, what we are – was the right thing to do. But recently you've been acting so…carefree. Happy."

"I am happy," he assured her, standing up.

"I know. It's…I'm glad."

He stepped towards her, reaching out to grab both of her hands in his. "But I've always been happy when I'm with you. Well, maybe not always, because sometimes we argue or I'm an idiot and upset you and that doesn't make me happy at all. But generally speaking, every day since I've known you the amount of happiness in my life has risen exponentially."

"That's a lovely thing to say," she smiled softly.

"But I don't understand what you were trying to say - "

She sighed. "You've accepted us as fact. Assimilated this new relationship as part of your everyday life. Acclimatised to it. Yeah?"

"Rose - "

"It's easier now, don't you think?"

"What's easier?"

"Oh, you can be so dense sometimes. Us. Us being an us. We were rock solid, more or less, before we got together romantically, but once we did get together – well, we were nervous about it. And that's natural. But now we've – you've – got used to it. We're just how we were before – best friends."

"Except for the fact that we're…lovers, now," he said slowly, thumbs stroking the back of her hands, trying to comprehend her meaning.

"Yeah, exactly," she beamed.

"So what you're saying is: we were best friends; then we were new lovers; now we are best friends who happen to also be lovers?"

"Or lovers who happen to also be best friends – not sure, probably same difference. But yeah."

"Oh, okay," he nodded, starting to grin. "Yeah, I see the logic in that. But hold on – are you saying it took longer for me to acclimatise? Because that's what it seems like you are implying." He sounded offended by this implication.

"Doctor, it was only rational that it would take you longer."

"And why is that?" he frowned.

Rose raised her eyebrows. "Seriously? What, you think being nine centuries old, a Time Lord and having a ton of emotional baggage didn't limit your capacity to accept that we could have a romantic relationship?"

He tilted his head to the side, contemplating her words. "Well, when you put it like that…" he acknowledged. Then he grinned mischievously and released her hands to wrap his arms around her waist. "I've wanted to call you that for ages, you know."

"Call me what?" she asked, confused.

"Darling," he replied, leaning forwards to affectionately bump his nose with hers.

"Really?" she laughed, and realised he'd worked out what had set off her laughter earlier. "Why?"

He shrugged. "Dunno. Just wanted to. Felt like it could be a thing."

"A thing?"

"A thing I say now. To you. Just you." He paused, reflecting on the ramifications of such a thing. Then he added, "Not in public, and especially not in front of your mother. But when we're on our own, at home in the TARDIS on one of our days off, like today, then…well. It feels…nice." He searched her eyes. She was looking at him oddly. Which, honestly, was nothing new. "Is that okay?"

"I'll never understand you," she murmured, her mouth curving into a grin.

He squeezed her middle, hugging her to him more tightly. "On the contrary, Rose Tyler, you understand me better than anyone ever has." He paused again, then asked, tentatively, "So is it okay?"

"It's gonna take some getting used to," she laughed. "Never expected you to be all lovey-dovey like that."

He frowned. "That's not 'lovey-dovey,' don't make me sound all – all – sentimental."

Rose shook her head in despair. "What am I to do with you, hmm? I'll never know what measure of domestic is too much; never know whether you're being romantic or just oblivious; never know - "

He abruptly picked her up, swinging her into his arms, bridal-style. "Right then," he interrupted her with a growl. She giggled in surprise and wrapped her arms around his neck to hold on as he carried her out of the room and down the corridor. "If you don't want me to call you that now and again, then I'll withdraw any further attempts at acting like a normal couple," he teased, his eyes twinkling.

"Yeah, looks like it," she scoffed, gesturing at the very couple-y way he was taking her to their bedroom.

"What, this? Oh, this isn't romantic. No. This is simply me manoeuvring you to somewhere I can keep an eye on you. Let you go and you might wander off, and that won't do."

"Won't it?" she laughed again.

"Nope!" His loving gaze and a quirk of his lips would tell her, if she didn't already know, that he was joking – that he would never force her to be somewhere she didn't want to be. It just so happened that there, in his arms, was exactly the one place she'd like to be at that moment. Aside from in their bed.

"So, wait, if I do let you call me 'darling' - " She pulled a face as she said the word in question and he scowled playfully at her. " - now and then, as though I'm fifty two years old or something, does that mean that I get to call you something other than Doctor?"

He sniffed haughtily, as though he would straighten his tie if he had a spare hand. "Well, already you sometimes you call me 'God,' so…"

She rolled her eyes. "In no way do I call you that. Just because I happen to say that, in your presence, does not mean I am addressing you in any way."

He smirked, shouldering open their bedroom door. "No, you're usually undressing m- "

"If you utter one more bad pun, I'll ban you from this room forever."

"Now that's a feeble threat," he grinned, then dropped her unceremoniously on the bed.

"You know, we only just got up, like, two hours ago," she said, fixing him with her teasing gaze. "I'm pretty sure it's not time for bed, yet."

"Well, I'd have to inform you that you are mistaken, Miss Tyler," he told her firmly, as he took off his jacket.

"I s'pose you're right…time is relative, after all," she smirked.

"Exactly," he grinned, then pounced onto the bed with her. She squealed in surprise and he grabbed her round the waist, rolling onto his back and thus pulling her atop him. "Hello."

She lifted her eyebrows. "Hello yourself."

::- Sometime later-::

She sighed deeply.

"What's wrong?" he asked in concern, his brows drawing together anxiously.

"Still didn't find my sunglasses," she bemoaned softly.

"Oh! Were those what you were looking for? I know where they are."

"You do?" she asked hopefully.

"Yep! Pretty sure they were discarded into a bush in Emperor Davenesko Hex's royal gardens." She groaned. "Remember that night?" he continued eagerly. "When we indulged in a little al fresco, ahem, dining?"

"Yeah," she replied, unable to refrain from smiling at the memory. "I just wish I hadn't left my sunglasses there – I liked those ones."

"We could go back and look for them," he offered. She stared at him. He looked at her blankly. "What?"

"Sex always makes you daft."

"What?"

"Doctor, we were banished, remember?"

He grinned rather proudly. "Oh yeah." Then he pointed at her. "Your fault!"

"Hey, why just my fault?" she protested.

"You were the one who announced what we were doing to all and sundry by – well, by vocalising your, uh, enjoyment."

"Well you were the one who said that no one would be walking 'round the gardens at that time of night!"

"Well how was I to know that Tuesdays are the Royal Tour days, hmm?" he retorted.

She tutted at him and rolled onto her side, her back to him.

He panicked briefly, worried if she was a bit upset. "Rose? Look, you're right. I at least ought to take a percentage of the blame. I'm sorry we got ourselves banished and therefore can't ever retrieve your lovely sunglasses." He perched his chin on her shoulder, his arm curving around her waist. "Happy?"

Rose couldn't hold her giggles in any longer and they burst free joyously. He smiled in relief, kissed her shoulder, then slid his hand down to her thigh.

"Fancy staying in bed all day today?" he asked her quietly, scooting closer to spoon up behind her properly.

"Mmm, I'd like that," she agreed contentedly. So they did.