Ficlet: Half the Fun (1/1)
Title: Half The Fun
Author: karenor
Character/Pairing: Ten II/Rose
Rating: PG-13 snogging, nakedness, excessive fluff
Summary: If he’d learned anything in his long life...
Disclaimer: BBC owns, etc. etc.
Note: Written for challenge 1.10 at writerinatardis. The prompt was to be inspired by this quote: Perfection is a road, not a destination. Every time I live, I get an education. - Burk Hudson. I apologize for the absolutely tooth-decaying fluff. I wanted cheerful. I overdid it. :)
She felt his finger slip gently over her forehead, down over her nose, and she opened her eyes. He was above her, both of them tented under the white bed sheet that did little to keep out the bright sunlight flooding their room. He was grinning down at her.
“You,” he said, “are perfect.”
She blushed, just a little. “I am not, but thanks,” she answered, pushing against his chest. He rolled off to her side, hauling most of the sheet with him.
“Don’t argue with me, Rose Tyler. I’m old and wise.” He wrinkled his nose, probably at calling himself old, and hopped out of bed, tucking the sheet around his hips like a very large towel. He grabbed an orange wedge from a bowl of fruit that was sitting on the bureau and popped it in his mouth, watching her as he chewed.
So he’d been up for a while then, and prepared breakfast, of a sort. Naked, apparently. She sighed and scrambled for the duvet scrunched at the foot of the bed to cover herself with.
“You’re perky this morning,” she observed. “What’s the occasion?”
“It’s our anniversary.”
“It’s not…” It’d been about a year and three months or so since… their new beginning, so what was he on about?
“Five weeks exactly since our first trip in our new TARDIS, and so it’s time for our all-important fifth trip. So. Where would you like to go?”
“The stars,” she answered as she always did, throwing an arm dramatically over her eyes, even as she smiled.
“Not quite yet. Ask me again next time. We’re still grounded. So to speak. Earth only, and no time travel. But we’ll get there, I promise. She’s getting stronger every day.”
She mumbled agreement and burrowed into the blanket, closing her eyes.
“You pick,” she said on a yawn.
“Hmm. Parsippany, New Jersey.”
She cracked an eye open.
“No?” he continued, “The Galápagos Islands. Oh! I know, Kuala Lumpur. Have you ever been there, Rose?”
She laughed. “You’re just picking places that are fun to say.”
“So? It’s as good a reason as any.”
He had a point.
“I don’t care where we go,” she said. “Half the fun is getting there, yeah?”
His smile brightened the room all that much more.
“Now, bring me a strawberry and get back in bed and tell me more about how wonderful I am.”
“Perfect, I said,” he said, selecting a berry from the bowl. He dropped the sheet and slid back into bed and dangled the fruit over her mouth.
“Not quite.” She leaned up and bit the juicy strawberry, nearly forgetting how to chew properly as she lost herself in the dark eyes watching her.
“That’s why it’s true,” he said seriously and tossed the rest of the strawberry over his shoulder before leaning down and pressing his lips to hers.
She wound her arms around his neck as he deepened the kiss, letting herself get swept away. She was perfectly content to do nothing but this all day, but after only a few heavenly moments passed, he abruptly pulled back.
“Oi! You’re trying to distract me!”
“I’m wha’?” she asked, blinking.
His eyes were sparkling with laughter. “You are! You think I’m a bad driver.”
“I don’t…” Her eyes slid to the side.
“You think I’ll land her in the middle of the ocean.”
“Again,” she pointed out.
“Again,” he conceded. “But, in my defence,” he sat up and let his hands join in his animated mock pouting, “over two thirds of this planet is ocean. It was an easy navigational error to make.”
“So you made an error?” She gave him a teasing smile. “Should I alert the press?”
“Cheeky!” he exclaimed and swept her back into his arms.
“Besides,” he said several minutes later, “I think she liked the saltwater. Her coral never looked shinier.”
> > >
Months later they were piloting the new TARDIS together, riding out a bumpy landing, while he was trying to hide his shaky nerves. He had every confidence in their ship, young as she was, but still, a thousand things could go wrong. If he’d learned anything in his long life it was that plans went awry. It really was half the fun, though.
He smiled at the pulsing time rotor as the ship shuddered to a halt and then glanced at the monitor. If the readings were correct, everything was going according to plan.
“Well that wasn’t so bad,” Rose remarked when she managed to actually keep her footing. “Points for not falling on our bums.” She patted the console affectionately, and then hopped towards the door, grinning infectiously. “Go on, then. Where are we? Peloponnesus or something?”
He loved this bit, watching the anticipation play over her face. It really didn’t matter where they were going; just the fact that it was new and they were seeing it together was enough.
“Why don’t you open the door?” He nodded to it.
She did and stepped out into a street filled with grey buildings, awash in bright sunshine. The landscape was deserted, the only evidence of inhabitants being a single large airship floating in the distance.
Rose turned in a tight circle, taking in the familiar surroundings.
“But…” she turned to him, confused, “this is London.”
“Is it?” He couldn’t help but smirk.
“Isn’t it?” She began to walk down the street and he fell into step behind her. “Why’d we come here? And where are all the people?”
“It’s a bank holiday.”
They emerged from the street into a green park that afforded views of the city. Surely she noticed the differences now. She stopped and narrowed her eyes at him.
“Which holiday?”
“St. Halptriff’s day. No one comes out this day; everyone stays home with their family. Emergency services only.” As if on cue, the distant wail of a siren cut through the still air.
“I’ve never heard of St. Halptriff, Doctor.” Her tone was half accusatory, half full of wonder.
He gave a short laugh. “No, you wouldn’t have.”
Her lips quirked into a tentative smile. “This isn’t London is it?”
“Oh, it’s London. It’s just not Earth. Well, it’s Earth 2. And technically, New London.”
“Seriously? We’ve left Earth?” She still sounded doubtful.
“Yup,” he answered, beaming at her as he rocked on his heels. “500 light years away, AND,” he lowered his tone conspiratorially, “one thousand fifty two years in the future.”
Her eyes widened, and for a second she looked so much like she had when he first met her that his heart flooded with a fresh torrent of love. It still surprised him even now, that his feelings for her only increased and deepened over time. Just another lesson this new life afforded him.
“Time and space?” she asked.
“Yeah,” he said, nodding behind him, indicating the parked TARDIS. “Not bad, for the little one, is it?”
“The stars?”
“Oh Absolutely.” He grinned.
“She did it!”
“We did it. Rose Tyler, the Doctor, and the TARDIS.”
An instant later he found himself with an armful of Rose. She jumped him, wrapping her arms and legs around him, causing him to stumble and nearly topple them both.
“I love you!” she said in a hot exhalation against his ear.
He smiled into her hair and clutched her tightly to him.
Their moment was interrupted by the yapping of a small dog that ran up to them and barked excitedly at their ankles. He let Rose down carefully, and she bent to pet the small creature. On second glance it didn’t seem to be a dog at all, but some sort of combination of cat, marsupial, and possibly bird. Well that was different to the old universe’s 31st century Earth 2. Brilliant.
“Hello, little friend,” Rose cooed, scratching it behind the ears. “I thought you said no one was about today,” she said, looking toward the woman who came running to them through the trees looking worried and apologetic.
He shrugged. “Emergency services.”
“Sorry, sorry!” came the voice of the woman chasing after her runaway pet. She eyed them somewhat suspiciously, two people out for a stroll on St. Halpriff’s day for no apparent reason. “I didn’t mean to disturb your day’s sanctity. We’ll be off.” She swept up the animal, clipped its lead to its collar, and the pair disappeared as quickly as they had appeared.
“This really isn’t our Earth, is it?” Rose said when they’d gone.
“It’s all ours today, Rose.”
She smiled widely and hooked her arm around his. “So, where to?”
“Well…” He looked about considering. “Those dogs that aren’t dogs sort of throw everything into question. But if I’m right, and really, chances are that I will be, you won’t believe who they’ve got at Madame Tussauds.”
“Won’t it be closed for Saint Whatsit’s?”
He pulled out his trusty sonic and tossed it in the air. “Fancy a bit of breaking and entering?”
She grinned again. “Perfect.”
FIN
Author: karenor
Character/Pairing: Ten II/Rose
Rating: PG-13 snogging, nakedness, excessive fluff
Summary: If he’d learned anything in his long life...
Disclaimer: BBC owns, etc. etc.
Note: Written for challenge 1.10 at writerinatardis. The prompt was to be inspired by this quote: Perfection is a road, not a destination. Every time I live, I get an education. - Burk Hudson. I apologize for the absolutely tooth-decaying fluff. I wanted cheerful. I overdid it. :)
She felt his finger slip gently over her forehead, down over her nose, and she opened her eyes. He was above her, both of them tented under the white bed sheet that did little to keep out the bright sunlight flooding their room. He was grinning down at her.
“You,” he said, “are perfect.”
She blushed, just a little. “I am not, but thanks,” she answered, pushing against his chest. He rolled off to her side, hauling most of the sheet with him.
“Don’t argue with me, Rose Tyler. I’m old and wise.” He wrinkled his nose, probably at calling himself old, and hopped out of bed, tucking the sheet around his hips like a very large towel. He grabbed an orange wedge from a bowl of fruit that was sitting on the bureau and popped it in his mouth, watching her as he chewed.
So he’d been up for a while then, and prepared breakfast, of a sort. Naked, apparently. She sighed and scrambled for the duvet scrunched at the foot of the bed to cover herself with.
“You’re perky this morning,” she observed. “What’s the occasion?”
“It’s our anniversary.”
“It’s not…” It’d been about a year and three months or so since… their new beginning, so what was he on about?
“Five weeks exactly since our first trip in our new TARDIS, and so it’s time for our all-important fifth trip. So. Where would you like to go?”
“The stars,” she answered as she always did, throwing an arm dramatically over her eyes, even as she smiled.
“Not quite yet. Ask me again next time. We’re still grounded. So to speak. Earth only, and no time travel. But we’ll get there, I promise. She’s getting stronger every day.”
She mumbled agreement and burrowed into the blanket, closing her eyes.
“You pick,” she said on a yawn.
“Hmm. Parsippany, New Jersey.”
She cracked an eye open.
“No?” he continued, “The Galápagos Islands. Oh! I know, Kuala Lumpur. Have you ever been there, Rose?”
She laughed. “You’re just picking places that are fun to say.”
“So? It’s as good a reason as any.”
He had a point.
“I don’t care where we go,” she said. “Half the fun is getting there, yeah?”
His smile brightened the room all that much more.
“Now, bring me a strawberry and get back in bed and tell me more about how wonderful I am.”
“Perfect, I said,” he said, selecting a berry from the bowl. He dropped the sheet and slid back into bed and dangled the fruit over her mouth.
“Not quite.” She leaned up and bit the juicy strawberry, nearly forgetting how to chew properly as she lost herself in the dark eyes watching her.
“That’s why it’s true,” he said seriously and tossed the rest of the strawberry over his shoulder before leaning down and pressing his lips to hers.
She wound her arms around his neck as he deepened the kiss, letting herself get swept away. She was perfectly content to do nothing but this all day, but after only a few heavenly moments passed, he abruptly pulled back.
“Oi! You’re trying to distract me!”
“I’m wha’?” she asked, blinking.
His eyes were sparkling with laughter. “You are! You think I’m a bad driver.”
“I don’t…” Her eyes slid to the side.
“You think I’ll land her in the middle of the ocean.”
“Again,” she pointed out.
“Again,” he conceded. “But, in my defence,” he sat up and let his hands join in his animated mock pouting, “over two thirds of this planet is ocean. It was an easy navigational error to make.”
“So you made an error?” She gave him a teasing smile. “Should I alert the press?”
“Cheeky!” he exclaimed and swept her back into his arms.
“Besides,” he said several minutes later, “I think she liked the saltwater. Her coral never looked shinier.”
> > >
Months later they were piloting the new TARDIS together, riding out a bumpy landing, while he was trying to hide his shaky nerves. He had every confidence in their ship, young as she was, but still, a thousand things could go wrong. If he’d learned anything in his long life it was that plans went awry. It really was half the fun, though.
He smiled at the pulsing time rotor as the ship shuddered to a halt and then glanced at the monitor. If the readings were correct, everything was going according to plan.
“Well that wasn’t so bad,” Rose remarked when she managed to actually keep her footing. “Points for not falling on our bums.” She patted the console affectionately, and then hopped towards the door, grinning infectiously. “Go on, then. Where are we? Peloponnesus or something?”
He loved this bit, watching the anticipation play over her face. It really didn’t matter where they were going; just the fact that it was new and they were seeing it together was enough.
“Why don’t you open the door?” He nodded to it.
She did and stepped out into a street filled with grey buildings, awash in bright sunshine. The landscape was deserted, the only evidence of inhabitants being a single large airship floating in the distance.
Rose turned in a tight circle, taking in the familiar surroundings.
“But…” she turned to him, confused, “this is London.”
“Is it?” He couldn’t help but smirk.
“Isn’t it?” She began to walk down the street and he fell into step behind her. “Why’d we come here? And where are all the people?”
“It’s a bank holiday.”
They emerged from the street into a green park that afforded views of the city. Surely she noticed the differences now. She stopped and narrowed her eyes at him.
“Which holiday?”
“St. Halptriff’s day. No one comes out this day; everyone stays home with their family. Emergency services only.” As if on cue, the distant wail of a siren cut through the still air.
“I’ve never heard of St. Halptriff, Doctor.” Her tone was half accusatory, half full of wonder.
He gave a short laugh. “No, you wouldn’t have.”
Her lips quirked into a tentative smile. “This isn’t London is it?”
“Oh, it’s London. It’s just not Earth. Well, it’s Earth 2. And technically, New London.”
“Seriously? We’ve left Earth?” She still sounded doubtful.
“Yup,” he answered, beaming at her as he rocked on his heels. “500 light years away, AND,” he lowered his tone conspiratorially, “one thousand fifty two years in the future.”
Her eyes widened, and for a second she looked so much like she had when he first met her that his heart flooded with a fresh torrent of love. It still surprised him even now, that his feelings for her only increased and deepened over time. Just another lesson this new life afforded him.
“Time and space?” she asked.
“Yeah,” he said, nodding behind him, indicating the parked TARDIS. “Not bad, for the little one, is it?”
“The stars?”
“Oh Absolutely.” He grinned.
“She did it!”
“We did it. Rose Tyler, the Doctor, and the TARDIS.”
An instant later he found himself with an armful of Rose. She jumped him, wrapping her arms and legs around him, causing him to stumble and nearly topple them both.
“I love you!” she said in a hot exhalation against his ear.
He smiled into her hair and clutched her tightly to him.
Their moment was interrupted by the yapping of a small dog that ran up to them and barked excitedly at their ankles. He let Rose down carefully, and she bent to pet the small creature. On second glance it didn’t seem to be a dog at all, but some sort of combination of cat, marsupial, and possibly bird. Well that was different to the old universe’s 31st century Earth 2. Brilliant.
“Hello, little friend,” Rose cooed, scratching it behind the ears. “I thought you said no one was about today,” she said, looking toward the woman who came running to them through the trees looking worried and apologetic.
He shrugged. “Emergency services.”
“Sorry, sorry!” came the voice of the woman chasing after her runaway pet. She eyed them somewhat suspiciously, two people out for a stroll on St. Halpriff’s day for no apparent reason. “I didn’t mean to disturb your day’s sanctity. We’ll be off.” She swept up the animal, clipped its lead to its collar, and the pair disappeared as quickly as they had appeared.
“This really isn’t our Earth, is it?” Rose said when they’d gone.
“It’s all ours today, Rose.”
She smiled widely and hooked her arm around his. “So, where to?”
“Well…” He looked about considering. “Those dogs that aren’t dogs sort of throw everything into question. But if I’m right, and really, chances are that I will be, you won’t believe who they’ve got at Madame Tussauds.”
“Won’t it be closed for Saint Whatsit’s?”
He pulled out his trusty sonic and tossed it in the air. “Fancy a bit of breaking and entering?”
She grinned again. “Perfect.”
FIN