Hey babes! Back with the next installment of this little universe that now has a name. The prompt used for this one was: One Bed.
Enjoy!
It's certainly not the worst situation they've ever found themselves in when they've been cut off from the TARDIS. But at least in those situations they'd had more space to occupy, and more than one bed to use. This time around, the room they're in is very heavily lacking on space, and there is only one bed in the entire thing. There isn't even enough space for one of them to spread out on the hardwood with a couple of blankets underneath as a cushion.
"Right, so," The Doctor speaks up, grabbing Rose's attention, "clearly there's been a bit of a mix-up here." His eyes dart briefly to the bed, then back to her. "I'll go and see if they can fix this."
Rose shakes her head. "Not gonna work. There's no way we can get a second bed in here. And you heard what the woman said, we were lucky enough to even get their last room. We're stuck here, Doctor."
He smiles. "Stuck with you, though, that's not so bad."
Her heart clenches at the reminder of what feels like another life for her, reminding her momentarily of her late husband. She smiles tightly at the Doctor but doesn't respond to his words. She doesn't know if she can, not when things are still so up in the air between them.
They'd had a good, long conversation when they'd been reunited, after she showered and changed her clothes. They'd sat together in the galley, had some chips, and found their way into that hard conversation.
It'd done them both wonders. But now Rose isn't sure where they really go from there.
"Right then," she says, choosing not to respond to his comment, "we should probably try and get some sleep."
"I don't sleep much," The Doctor responds. "In case you've forgotten."
That has her quirking her lips. "No, I haven't. And neither do I these days. But we've both been running on steam for the last couple of weeks, we need to at least lie down and rest. Even if we don't sleep."
The Doctor is quiet for a long moment, then he takes a deep breath and smiles. "Well, when you ask so nicely."
She rolls her eyes at his words, the smile still on her face, and turns toward the bed to turn down the covers. It doesn't look like the most comfortable bed in the world, but it'll have to do for now. They can't get back to the TARDIS right now for a number of reasons and there's nowhere else for them to stay for the night.
"Which side you want?" she asks the Doctor as she stands back to her full height.
"Oh, um, you pick. I've got no preference."
She lets out a breath. "Alright. Gonna wash up real quick." Thank goodness for an en-suite bathroom, even if it's significantly smaller than would be preferable. There's just enough space in it for the essential equipment and one person, but then it's very much lacking.
She takes her time in the bathroom, stretching her limbs the best she can, wincing at a few of the pops and creaks. Nothing she isn't used to with the way her life is now.
After a few minutes, she lets out a heavy breath, realizing there's no use in putting off the inevitable any longer. It's certainly not the first time she and the Doctor have shared the same bed, but it'll be the first time with the current Doctor. And they're doing it this time because they have no other choice, not because they've had a rough adventure and don't want to be apart but are essentially dead on their feet.
It's certainly a change.
Stepping back into the room, Rose freezes in the doorway and stares at the bed. The Doctor is already lying on one side of the bed, his back propped up against the wall, sans jacket and shoes, with the sleeves of his shirt pulled up.
She raises a brow. "Thought you said you had no preference."
He looks up at her and smiles. "I changed my mind. This side is perfect. And this one"—he pats the empty space next to him—"is perfect for you."
Rose laughs quietly and crosses the short distance to the bed, sitting on the edge of it. She takes a deep breath and then swivels around so she's lying against the pillow, her hands resting on her stomach. She taps her fingers a few times, then lets out a puff of air and tilts her head to glance at the Doctor. "This is weird, right?"
The Doctor laughs quietly. "I did find it a bit odd, yes. You and I haven't shared the same bed since…" His brows furrow tightly for a long moment and then he looks at her. "I don't think I want to say it out loud."
The corners of her lips barely tick up. "The last time we shared the same bed was right before Canary Wharf."
The Doctor's jaw tightens. "Yes. Now you see why I didn't want to say it out loud. That was one of the worst moments of my life, watching you nearly get trapped in the Void. I try not to relive it if I can."
"That why you looked like you were in so much pain when I brought it up before?"
He nods. "In case you haven't noticed, I'm not very good at talking about things that cause me pain."
Rose snorts. "Trust me, I've noticed. John was the same way at first, until I, and everyone else around him, helped him realize that it's good to talk about the hard stuff." A large yawn escapes past her lips, her eyes closing from the size of it. She lets out a quiet laugh. "Well, guess I'm more tired than I realized. You gonna be up the whole night?"
He shrugs. "Haven't decided."
"Alright. Wake me up as soon as we're able to go find the TARDIS if I'm not already awake?"
He smiles and nods. "Of course."
"Thanks." She flips onto her side and shifts a bit to get comfortable, pushing and pulling on the pillow beneath her head until it's how she wants it. This is far from the most comfortable bed she's ever slept in, but it'll do for one night until they can find their way back to the TARDIS.
Breathing deeply over and over, she slowly feels sleep overtaking her. She wasn't lying before, when she said she doesn't sleep as much as she used to, though when she does need to sleep, it hits her hard and she's out completely.
.
.
.
For the last few centuries, whenever Rose does manage to find sleep, there's always a moment, that one tiny moment before she's fully conscious again where she forgets. She forgets that she's no longer in the arms of her husband, she forgets that all of the family she was closest to is long gone and never coming back, she forgets that she's no longer completely human. But then she remembers and the grief hits her all over again. Sometimes she can hang on a little longer to those past memories, but it always comes back to her in the end.
This is the longest she's ever been in that forgetful moment.
A pair of arms is wrapped perfectly around her waist, holding her flush against a solid chest, warm breath against her neck that sends a particular shiver down her spine.
She smiles to herself, eyes still closed, thinking about all the ways they can have fun this morning before they have to get their days started. There's probably loads of paperwork she needs to deal with, and her husband, bless his heart, is going to do everything imaginable to avoid helping her with said paperwork.
Reaching behind her, Rose freezes as soon as her hand hits the head of hair. That's not her husband's hair. She knows her husband's hair and this hair is not right.
Her stomach sinks and her heart clenches as all the memories of the last five hundred years hit her like a truck.
Shifting enough on the bed to look behind her, she can't help but smile at the look of peace on the Doctor's face, the pure contentment that covers it. Despite the pain that's still working its way through her heart, she pushes her fingers through the Doctor's floppy hair, giving her a better view of his face. As much as she loves her husband, and always will, she doesn't think she would have minded if this face had been the one she spent so many years with. It certainly might have made some of the early days a bit easier.
A soft sound escapes past the Doctor's lips a moment later, his head turning in the same direction her hand had. "Too early," he mumbles, his words slurred from sleep.
Rose smiles, removing her hand from his hair. "I don't even know what time it is. But I think we've both gotten as much sleep as we're going to get for a while."
He sighs and opens his eyes. "I suppose you're right." His eyes drift down and then go wide. "Oh." He quickly unwraps his arms from around her and scoots back on the bed. "Sorry about that. I didn't mean to invade your space."
Rose shrugs. "S'alright. Did you at least get a few hours of sleep?"
"Yes. Probably the best sleep I've had in a while. Though, I can't actually remember the last time I slept."
Rose offers him a small smile. "Glad I could help, then." She takes a deep breath as she sits up on the bed. "We've got a bit of a walk ahead of us to find the TARDIS, so we should probably get going. I want to see what this place has for food first, though."
"Right, of course." He sits up next to her. "Do you want to see what food is available while I figure out exactly where it is we need to go?"
"Yeah, sure." She stretches a bit and then stands from the bed, eager to get back to the TARDIS and hopefully find a new adrenaline-filled adventure. She's in dire need of one of those right now.
After such a good night's sleep, she's feeling much more energized and ready to go. And no, it has nothing to do with the two-hearted alien who had slept wrapped around her. Absolutely nothing at all.
So? What did you think? Let me know in a review down below. I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Until next time,
Jellybean96 out!