Chapter 6

The feeling of Rory's lips against his was exciting, and the Doctor hoped he was doing the right thing. But the excitement vanished a moment later as the young man recoiled, and the Time Lord hastily pulled away. "I-I'm sorry." he stammered, seeing the shock in his companion's eyes. "I thought…I thought you wanted that…"

He had misread the signs, obviously. He had noticed Rory's behaviour change as they journeyed together, and it eventually dawned on him that the young man was developing a crush on him. It seemed only natural, given what they had been through. Perhaps a past incarnation would have picked up on that earlier, but this was the way he was now. To him, a kiss had seemed like a simple way to let Rory know he saw the crush and held the same feelings. But he had been wrong.

Dropping back onto the ground, he started to babble without giving his friend a chance to respond. "Well, this changes things, doesn't it? You probably hate me now, don't you? Think I'm trying to get in between you and Amy. I'm not; I thought you really wanted a kiss. I suppose there's little point in continuing now. You probably don't want to. And I had such a good plan, too…anyway, I'll take you to the nearest shuttle depot once the car is re-charged and-"

"No."

"-you can go back to the resort." he finished, then realized Rory had spoken. "No?"

"No." The nurse sighed, then sat up and shifted to gaze over the plain far below. "No, I don't hate you, although I probably should. And…no, I don't want to go back." Baffled and wishing he knew exactly what was going through Rory's head, the Doctor remained stretched out on the grass, watching him.

Silence ruled for many minutes, the Time Lord making sure to remain as still and as quiet as possible, suppressing his inclination to fidget. Eventually, the young man turned to him and spoke, voice thick with emotion. "I don't know why, but I think I love you, Doctor. I don't know how I came to feel this way, or when the feeling first appeared. All I know is that I feel something for you that I probably shouldn't, and I can't do a damn thing about it."

"You're torn between me and Amy." the Doctor stated simply, letting the comment float between them for a moment. "But Amy's not here right now."

"I know. What are you suggesting?" Sighing at the pure frustration in his words, the man sat up and stared across the darkened plain.

"I know you probably won't like this, but perhaps you could have it both ways?" he said carefully, holding up his hands as Rory's head jerked towards him.

"Are you suggesting that I cheat on her? Cheat on my wife with you?" Rory's tone was dangerously low, and the Time Lord shifted uneasily at the checked fury in the words.

"I wouldn't necessarily term it as cheating…since after all, you both seem to be interested in me. And many planets don't even have the definition of the word 'cheat' in their vocabulary. A person with multiple partners is considered normal. As I recall, several cultures on Earth were the same way…" Absently straightening the lapels of his jacket, he sighed softly. Dealing with humans at this stage in their development could be so messy sometimes. They were so narrow-minded when it came to relationships and things of that nature. "I'm just saying that Amy did kiss me once, and I know she wanted more than that."

"I know…" The anger seemed to drain out of his companion at that, and the young man's shoulder slumped as he looked away. "I just don't know what to do. I love Amy, and I don't want to hurt her, but I want you as well."

"Oh, Rory." the Doctor muttered, deeming it safe to reach over and wrap and arm around his shoulders. The nurse tensed, but didn't pull away, so he shifted closer and hugged him fully. "We could try an experiment, you know. See if you really want me, or if it's just your crush talking."

"You want to make out, right?"

"Basically, yes. What do you think?"

"I think it could lead to trouble…but perhaps it's for the best." Rory muttered in response. "But where, though? I mean, it's a bit exposed here…"

Chuckling softly in anticipation, the Time Lord released his companion and scrambled to his feet. "Wait right here until I call you, then come back to the car."

"Right-o, I'm ready! And I'm never saying 'right-o' again!"

Despite himself, Rory smiled a little. He was uneasy with the entire situation, but maybe the Doctor was right. He had to find out if what he felt was true or just a silly crush. Rising to his feet, he wandered slowly back to the car, finding the back door open for him. "Isn't it going to be a bit-" he started as he stuck his head inside, then faltered upon seeing the backseat, "-cramped?"

The interior of the car was completely changed. Both front and back seats were gone, replaced by a large padded area running almost the full length of the car. The steering stick and other controls were still present, but were now located on the ceiling.

"I changed the configuration around a tad." the Doctor explained, seeing his astonishment. "This planet plays host to a lot of different aliens, and not all of them are humanoid."

"I see…" was all Rory could manage. At the man's gesture, he crawled inside and removed his shoes, swinging the door shut a moment later. With the moon set and the car's batteries dead, the interior was mostly dark, but he honestly preferred it this way. Being able to see clearly would have made him feel awkward.

The young man groped his way towards the Doctor, hands landing on his knees after a moment. Feeling a confusing mix of lust, fear and hope, he carefully moved his hands to the man's chest and toyed with his suspenders, snapping then gently a few times. The Doctor kissed him in return, their lips meeting so easily that Rory suspected that he was able to see better in the dim lighting than himself.

He moaned softly as the Doctor's lips worked their way over his mouth, chin and throat, finding them to be soft and yielding. Rory had been too stunned to enjoy the kiss he had gotten while outside, but he allowed himself to relax and enjoy the ones he was being given now.

Somehow, his hands had shifted from the suspenders to the man's jacket, and Rory found himself pulling the tweed material off, the Doctor quickly getting the message and wiggling out of it. Once that was out of the way, he went to work on the suspenders and bowtie, easily pushing the thin straps away. Rory had more trouble with the bowtie, distracted as he was by the shower of kisses he was receiving. The Doctor tensed as he finally removed it, but the young man was careful to place it somewhere out of the way so it wouldn't get crushed.

A few gentle kisses from him made the man relax again, and Rory shifted closer to him, yearning to learn more about the impossible alien.

"So?" the Doctor breathed in between kisses, his warm hands sliding up and down the young man's back.

"I like this." he replied simply, hearing him chuckle in return. The hands then trailed around to the front of Rory's shirt, fingers toying with the buttons as the man kissed him. Feeling his stomach twist a little, he nodded and murmured, "Go ahead."

His anxiety must have been present in his voice, because the Doctor's hands stilled as he kissed Rory deeply for several minutes, tongue worming into his mouth. The attention helped to calm the nurse, and he squeezed the man's shoulders in silent thanks. Finally breaking the kiss and allowing them to breathe, the Doctor went about unbuttoning Rory's shirt and removing it. Rory sighed as soft lips worked their way along his collarbone a moment later, sending a tingling feeling through him. This was nice, very nice. Different that being with Amy, but still enjoyable.

"Doctor?" The man lifted his mouth from his neck, and he felt sharp eyes focus on him. "How far are we going?"

"As far as you want to, Rory." He liked the answer, since it implied that he was the one in charge, not the Doctor. Grasping the Doctor's chin, Rory drew him in for a long kiss, fingers landing on the front of the other's shirt. He had seen the Doctor topless before - both by walking in on him accidentally and through various activities on alien planets, but this was different. Getting a reassuring kiss, the young man started to unbutton the shirt, fingers fumbling a few times in awkwardness. But he eventually got them undone and the shirt off, the undershirt quickly following.

The Doctor leaned back then, allowing Rory to run his hands over his chest and stomach. The skin was soft yet firm, and he could feel the man twitch whenever his fingers went over a sensitive spot. Feeling slightly more daring, the nurse reached out and looped an arm around the Doctor's neck, drawing them down onto the padded cushion.