So maybe I'll just keep my mouth shut...

[likes_pears]

At the Casa del OT3, John Smith is curled on the sofa with a library book. He's caught up on recent history, a few key scientific advances, and now it's on to just reading for fun. He also happens to be avoiding his room. By this point, the sight of a strange person or creature in his bedroom's so typical he just ignores it and finds someplace else

Comments

[fantasticrose]

Rose has been standing in the doorway watching John read for a couple of minutes. Yeah, she's sort of got it bad for him, whatever the Doctor might try to say against him. She grins to herself like the twitterpated young woman she is, and grabs plate with sandwiches she made, and plops down next to John, using the moment of surprise to drop a quick impulsive kiss on his cheek.

"Made you lunch!"

[likes_pears]

John smiles in delight, blushing just a little bit -- all right, a lot -- at the kiss.

"I... thank you."

Obviously, Rose's feelings aren't mutual. No, not at all.

[fantasticrose]

Rose is not at all pleased by that blush-and-smile combo. Not. At. All. Which is why she's not looking even a little pleased with herself.

"So..." she says slowly, "I was thinking... maybe we could try to find our own place." Her tone is hesitant, like she's afraid he might really not like that suggestion.

Hey, he's from a different time with different sensibilities. She's allowed to be nervous. Especially as they haven't actually... stated that they're an item or anything.

But being with both him and the Doctor in the same house just seems like a recipe for disaster.

[likes_pears]

See John. See John be shocked. Be shocked, John. Be shocked.

"I... ah... I mean, you... it... I..." There's a few more minutes of sputtering and blushing and...

He forcibly regains his composure. "Of course, it's a different time. I'm sorry, I just..." There's a moment of flailing.

"Do you really want to... get a place? With me?" Because the way she says 'our own place', it's obvious it's nothing so simple as the two of them living in the same house. They're doing that already.

[fantasticrose]

"Well, that... I mean, if you weren't..." Rose flails herself, a bit. "I just thought that if we were... the Doctor is going to make things unbearable if we're..." she pauses and sort of lets the last word bubble out quickly, "courting. So... I mean, if we are. Because we don't have to be. And if you don't want to, it's fine, I just... thought maybe..."

And she trails off, at a loss for words, finally. It wouldn't be nearly this awkward if he weren't from such a different time period.

[likes_pears]

"Oh, yes, well, he is a bit..." John's not going to finish that sentence. He just isn't.

"I just..." he looks down at his lap for a moment, then up at the ceiling, then over at her. "That was more or less what I..."

Alright. That's quite enough of that. He takes a deep breath and starts again.

"You're a beautiful, amazing woman, Rose. And when I'm with you, I'm happy in ways I didn't think I could be, after..." After coming here. After Joan. And that memory hurts, a real, physical pain that takes his breath away.

And the worst thing is that he knows, deep down, that Joan would want him to be happy, and would probably tell him not to be silly, and kiss this Rose girl, since he obviously wants to.

"So... Yes. I think we are. And... Perhaps it might be best. Because... Well, I don't think he'd react so well to me doing this."

And that's when he leans over and kisses her. It's a very brief, chaste kiss, and he's blushing a bit when he pulls away, but there it is.

[fantasticrose]

Rose... was not expecting the kiss, in all honesty. She's been heroically patient (for being her mother's daughter) and not pushed too much, and now he just ups and kisses.

It's far too short, and she really wants to properly snog him after that, because his lips are soft and he tastes lovely, but she's not going to push him.

Or, you know, she could mentally say "screw it" and lean in to kiss him again, a little more lingeringly. She pulls back flushed and positively glowing. "Um. So, I... it would probably be better if we weren't... the Doctor would just... flip out, y'know? So maybe we should... just get another place. We could get a two-bedroom and everything," she adds quickly. "I-if you wanted."

[likes_pears]

And... Oh, he wants to keep kissing her. He'd like to do that as much as possible, for as long as possible, but... They're in the Doctor's house. That would be inexcusable, no matter how he feels about the Doctor.

"I... yes. I think two bedrooms would be... a good idea." Not that he'd mind sleeping next to her, but he's just old-fashioned enough that the thought of doing anything more is unthinkable. And he knows enough of basic human urges to know that sleeping next to Rose Tyler might just be more temptation than even he can handle.

[fantasticrose]

"Okay, then," Rose says, almost shyly, and reaches out to link her fingers through his. "We'll... find a place. I don't know how, I'll ask around." She laughs a little, and ducks her head. "God, I've never... You're such a gentleman, you know that?"

It's nice. And much better than the last guy she shacked up with.

No, not the Doctor.

[likes_pears]

John smiles and squeezes her hand. "We'll work it out somehow. ...And I can't imagine being anything else with someone like you."

And if anyone were to try and be less than a gentleman with Rose... Well. He might have to have Words with them.

[fantasticrose]

"Yeah, well," Rose blushes. "Some people could." Some people like her ex-fiance. Oh, yes, Rose Tyler has been engaged. It didn't end will.

She smiles, though, and rests her head on his shoulder. "I'm... I think I'm really glad we both ended up here," she says softly.