5 Cliches That Didn't Work, and 1 That Did (chapter 4)
Title: 5 Clichés That Didn't Work, and 1 That Did (4/6)
Author: sinecure - My master fic list
Character/Pairing: Ten/Rose
Rating: Humor, romance
Summary: Rose and the Doctor trample through the clichés.
Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who.
Author's Notes: Thanks; to momdaegmorgan for beta-ing and keeping me working on this and my other stories when I wanted to give up.
Rose tightened her grip on the console, digging her nails into the surface as the Doctor hopped around doing his manic piloting thing. When he reached for the knobs in front of her, she stepped back quickly, grabbing the strut behind her for purchase. The TARDIS convulsed, jerking them about, but somehow the Doctor managed to keep his feet as he darted back and forth.
Rose lurched forward, her feet nearly leaving the ground as the TARDIS rocked to the left. The Doctor left the space she'd been in, and she took the opportunity to grab hold of the console again.
"What is it?" she yelled above the time rotor's wheezing pump. Apparently, something was up with the ship, though Rose couldn't tell just by looking at her. The Doctor insisted though, and with the way he was frantically moving from one side of the controls to the other, she knew it wasn't the good kind of wrong where they landed somewhere eons and kilometers off from their original destination and had a good laugh about it.
The Doctor didn't bother looking at her as he twisted two knobs in opposite directions then flicked a red switch. "Just gotta-- ah!" Sparks flew up from the console, showering him in orange and yellow embers. He jumped back, staring at the rotor as if the TARDIS had insulted him. "Well, what'd you do that for?" he snapped.
Maybe she had insulted him.
Rose snickered and bit her lip to keep the laughter at bay. The Doctor turned to her and grinned before jumping back into action. He ran to her side of the console, leaned in next to her, and reached across to flip one button and point at another. "Press that when I say now."
Eyes on the white button, she nodded and hovered her hand over it, waiting.
He darted toward the dials and knobs on his other side, half climbing onto the console to reach them. More sparks flew and he yanked his hand away, sliding back to the floor. Bumping against her as the rotor continued its sedate movement, he wrapped an arm around her waist and settled his hand firmly against her hip.
She eyed him curiously, wondering if it was strictly necessary to touch her, or if he was just being cuddly. Since the night in the sewer tunnel, they'd stayed close and kissed a few times--up against the TARDIS doors with so much force and heat that she'd half-expected they'd melded into one creature during the course of the kiss.
But they'd yet to actually satisfy that need both had for the other. She knew he wanted her. After all, she'd felt him pressing against her numerous times. In the field by the rebel force's camp on Limutre as they hid from the government.
In her back, as he shoved her against the wall to protect her from the shrapnel from a bomb that'd interrupted their make out session in a museum.
It'd been a week, and she was beginning to wonder if he intended to drive her mental with foreplay.
She wanted him. Badly.
Now, then, here, there, anywhere, any when, so long as she got to have him.
Groaning, she leaned into the console and pressed against his side, wedging herself for stability and maximum Doctor-touching. The ship lurched to the right, knocking him into her. His hand was over a button as well. He leaned toward her and whispered, "Now."
They both slammed their hands over their respective buttons and the TARDIS suddenly went still.
Silence descended as they waited. One second, two seconds. The rotor remained still and the ship was no longer convulsing. He raised his brows at her, grinning and rocking back and forth on his feet, hands in his pockets. "What do you think about that?"
"You fixed her?" she asked, darting a look around the control room. Everything looked all right, the sparks were gone, no fires had started, so... "Yeah?"
His smile slipped a little, but didn't disappear completely. "Nope." Removing his hands from his pockets, he turned back to the controls with a deep breath and a headshake. "We were jutting along the edges of the vortex-- hence the bumpy ride." Lifting a hand her way, he waited until she took it and then drew her to his side. "Now we're not because we're in space. Regular old space. Boring space. No time traveling or anything. Just..." he twisted his lips a little, "space."
She rested her arm against his and stared at the controls he was working. "So, we're... not going to be traveling through time until you get her fixed?" That didn't bother her. Maybe it'd give them a break. They could use a break. Since the tunnel, he'd been landing them more frequently than was their norm, and darting them off into adventures more often.
Not that he'd been avoiding her. Oh, no, definitely not that. He just seemed to not want to take that extra step just yet, the step that would place them firmly in the 'had sex' column, and she wasn't sure why. Fear?
Glancing at his profile as he mumbled to himself and flipped a switch back and forth a few times, she dismissed that idea. The Doctor wasn't afraid of sex. He'd as much as told her he wanted her. Had, in fact, told her that very thing. Maybe he was just giving her time to adjust. Time to take everything in and breathe and not worry about the next step.
Yeah, she liked that idea. They needed time. Jumping into a relationship was never a good thing. Never mind that they'd had more than a year and all of time and space since first meeting, flirting, and, in her case, falling in love.
Realizing he hadn't answered her question and was still flipping the same switch, she called his name.
"Hmm?" Giving her a quick look, he released her hand and moved around her back, pulling the monitor to him before typing something on the keyboard.
"No time travel?" Pushing back from the console, she leaned down and rested her elbows on it, propping her chin in her hands.
"Ah. No," he agreed, frowning at the screen. He smacked it on the side. "Definitely no... huh."
"What?" Not that she'd understand, of course, since most of what he told her about the TARDIS went over her head, but she liked to ask. Liked to hear him explain things. It turned her on that he was so brilliant. She liked it especially when he got his-- ah. Out come the glasses.
She loved looking at him with his glasses on. The word geek popped into her head, and maybe seventeen-year-old Rose would've scoffed at the idea of being in love with a man who made geek chic, but twenty-year-old Rose didn't care.
"Seems..." he said slowly, dragging his eyes from the monitor to her as he stood up straight and slipped his hands back into his pockets. "Seems we're stuck."
She straightened as well, trying to get a look at the screen. "Where?" A sudden grin lifted her lips. "Anywhere I know?"
He shook his head and she caught sight of his eyes behind the reflection of his lenses. They were dark and... regretful? "When I say stuck, I mean the controls are stuck and I can't pilot the TARDIS. She's hurtling through open space and I can't stop her."
Rose was unconcerned. They'd been in plenty of these sorts of situations before. Gesturing to the controls, she frowned at him. "Well, un-stick them."
Removing his hands from his pockets, he stepped up to her, settling his palms on her shoulders. "I can't, Rose. There's no way to do that. The mechanism in the matrix adapter charge is--"
She waved her hands in annoyance, not wanting the techno babble anymore. "Can't you pilot manually or something?"
"Normally, yes, but I told you, the mechanism in the matr--"
Rolling her eyes heavily, she stared up at the ceiling. "Doctor!" He stopped and blinked at her. "Can't you just... fix it? It's not like we're going to run out of space before you can get it working again."
He sighed and turned from her, dropping his hands to his sides before tapping again at the computer. When he was through, he gestured her over. "The universe is huge. Space is vast, but the problem is that there are planets and moons and satellites and..." He tapped a key twice and took her arm, drawing her toward the monitor.
She stopped beside him and looked down at the screen. On the display, a bright orange and red circle appeared, fiery offshoots blasting out this way and that from the roiling, ever-moving disc. "Suns," she whispered, lifting her eyes to his, not wanting to see the angry red gaseous giant anymore.
"Yes. And we're headed directly for this one." His knuckle tapped the screen, distorting the image for a brief moment.
Rose's mind whirled. This wasn't the first time they'd been in danger, and it wasn't the first time they'd faced death. He always saved them somehow, someway. And this time wouldn't be any different, she was sure of it. But the worry still gnawed at her insides and the fear still began to creep through her gut. "What about the shields? Like, when we were on the Dalek ship. They'll protect us until you figure something out."
"No, I'm sorry, Rose, that's not possible." He drew her close, wrapping his arms around her. "We have sixty-eight minutes until we're in the sun's gravity and it won't be long after that that the shields will fail--they weren't meant to withstand that much heat--and we'll burn." He kissed her forehead, his brown eyes filled with guilt. "I'm so sorry."
Her lower lip began to tremble as her mind worked at a thousand times its normal speed. She wanted to think of something that would get them out of this, think of something that would help him figure out how to get them out of this. Think of a way to tell him she loved him. To call her mum and say goodbye.
"I should call mum," she whispered, pulling back from him and digging for her mobile in her back jean pocket. She pulled it out and was about to dial when she froze, staring at the glowing display. What could she possibly say to her mum? Tell her that her only child will never be coming home again, that she was about to die by plunging into the center of a sun? "I can't think what to say."
She snapped the phone shut with shaking hands and slid it onto the console.
The Doctor raised her head to his, lifting her chin with his fingers. "I'm sorry, Rose." He pressed a kiss to her cheek. When her lip trembled more, he ran his thumb over it, staring into her eyes. Mouth lowering to hers, he cupped her face in his hands. His lips were soft and tender, apologetic. When he pulled back to look down into her eyes, she saw that his had darkened, and she knew that look. Oh, did she know that look.
She grabbed his arms, fingers digging into his suit, dragging him back to her. It was desperation, she knew that. Strong emotions often made her do and say things she'd never have done before. But sometimes it made her do the only thing she wanted to do. "I want you, Doctor. And if we're gonna die..."
His arms wrapped tight around her back and drew her closer, pressing his forehead to hers. His breath skimmed hers, danced among her lashes and then settled into her skin. "Making love to you is the last thing I want to do in my life, Rose Tyler."
She snorted in amusement at the unfortunate wording. "You know how to flatter."
Looking chagrined, he huffed out a breath and smiled. "Let me rephrase that: making love to you is the last thing I would like to accomplish in my long life." Sliding a hand against her cheek, he touched his lips to hers as she let her eyes drift closed. "Nearly the only thing I've thought about for months."
She moaned into his mouth and kissed him eagerly, pulling him closer as he tightened his grip around her. Their lips moved over one another's, nipping, biting, sucking and licking desperately. She pushed at him, shoving at his suit jacket to get it down his arms. He needed to let go of her to undress, but he didn't seem to want to do so. She grunted in frustration. If they only had an hour, then she wanted to make the best of it. Tearing her mouth from his, she took his face in her hands, feeling the scratchiness of stubble. Rubbing her cheek against his jaw, she gasped, "Undress."
He pulled free of her and shed his jacket to the floor, then reached for her again with quick, cool hands, but decided to tear at the buttons of his shirt first instead. She yanked the zip down on her hoodie, the teeth of the zip sounding overly loud amongst the silence of the TARDIS, silence interrupted only by their heavy, gasping breaths.
The Doctor's blue button-up shirt dropped to the floor grating, the plastic buttons plinking against the metal. His eyes were on her, never blinking, never straying as he stripped his t-shirt off at the same time as she removed hers.
Bare skin met cool air, and her nipples tightened, though she wasn't sure it was the air affecting them. His eyes were nearly black, his mouth open as he panted and dropped his fingers to the waistband of his trousers. She ran her eyes over his chest, taking in the smattering of hair and his well-developed chest. As thin as he was, she'd expected less, but knew, in the back of her mind, that he was ropey and strong. She'd felt that chest against hers too many times to count.
Her fingers worked at the buttons on her jeans as his worked on his button and zip.
Their gazes met and they drew together, her hands cupping his face, his sliding against the expanse of her bare back, catching on her bra strap, then slipping underneath. Wet urgent mouths violently took from one another. His tongue was forcing hers to dance at a pace that took her breath away. The sensation of his skin against hers made her shiver, but she reached back and unhooked her bra, shrugging forward to loosen the straps.
His hands caught the ends and he groaned into her mouth. Jerking away from her mouth, he stared down at her chest as he ripped the bra from her, throwing it onto the console.
He licked his lips, watching her chest rise and fall as she breathed. Inhaling deeply, he lowered his mouth to her shoulder, placing open-mouthed kisses on her warm flesh. "That smell drives me insane," he mumbled, licking the dip between shoulder and neck. "It's everywhere in the TARDIS." Another lick, making her shudder as wet heat exploded between her thighs. Her intimate muscles clenched at his words. He was using that low, intense tone that made her want to throw him on the floor and have at him. "Everywhere except my room." Closing his eyes, he inhaled again and started to smile, but something shifted in his face.
Her grin was wide. "Let's remedy that."
He blinked a few times and leaned down to sniff her neck. "Cherries and... bananas?" he mused, frowning now.
Chuckling, she rolled her eyes. "Everything's bananas with you." Biting her lip at the joke, she waited for him to laugh or chuckle or snicker and roll his eyes or something, but all he did was stare past her. She had a bad feeling about this. Her body really, really wanted him right now, and it looked like he'd gone elsewhere in his mind.
Suddenly, he darted across to the other side of the console and bent down.
Blinking at him, feeling empty and bereft, standing in just her jeans and shoes, she stared at the spot he'd disappeared in.
There was a heavy grating sound, like metal being scraped against metal, then the Doctor popped up, and a panel of the TARDIS console went flying behind him to land crookedly against the captain's chair. He once again dove down, and Rose circled around to see what was going on.
As soon as she approached, he jerked up with a shouted, "Aha!"
Seeing her there, he grabbed her arms and held her still, not even seeming to notice her naked upper body. "Rose, there's a room; down the right corridor, second left, first right, two doors past the rubbish chute, around the corner and one more right. Inside, there are bottles of E'ren'on gin. Smells like bananas and cherries," he said with a grin, infectious in nature, and she found herself returning it.
He'd figured out a way to fix the TARDIS. There was no way she could be angry about that. Disappointed that, once again, they weren't going to have sex, yes, but... there was always later. Lots and lots of laters.
Stopping to grab her shirt from the floor, she slipped it over her head and then ran down the TARDIS hallways to the room he'd told her about. The door was marked with a dusty sign that proclaimed it the 'TARDIS Pub'. Huh. She turned the handle, and inside, found crates of bottles and kegs of wine and jars of things she didn't want to get too close to.
It looked like there were things floating inside. Possibly still alive.
Shuddering, she looked for a box marked E'ren'on. The crates were covered in inches of dust, so she had to wipe off the tops and sides. Ten crates later, hands covered in dust, sweat beading on her body, she found what she was looking for. Inside were six large bottles of what looked like Ribena.
He hadn't said how much he needed, so she grabbed four of them and headed back to the console room, bottles clinking the entire way.
When she clinked her way into the console room, the Doctor popped his head up again, grinning at her. "Brilliant! Thank you. This," he said, taking one of the bottles from her as if it were a precious artifact from the rarest of planets, "will clean the matrix's adapter charges and refuel them so they can recharge and-- you don't care," he pouted.
She shrugged, patting his arm with a smile. "Fix the matrix adapter charges, then tell me about it. Time's ticking."
He set each bottle on the grating beside him, lining them in a row. "Only needed two, but--" grabbing her face--with greasy hands, she noticed, feeling the gritty substance on her chin and cheek--he kissed her soundly on the lips and pulled back. "Soon as I fix her," he said heatedly, "I am taking you to my room and making love to you for a week. No interruptions." Another quick, hard kiss to her lips, and then his attention was back on the TARDIS' inner workings.
Well, she certainly agreed with that sentiment. A week of sex with the Doctor? That might just make up for all the times they'd been interrupted.
She watched as he pulled a cork free from one of the bottles with his teeth and swept up a rag from... somewhere and dumped some of the liquid onto it before diving back into the console.
Eyeing the bottles, she picked one up and pulled the cork free, raising the bottle to her nose to sniff it. Smelt a bit like cherries and bananas, she guessed. "This safe to drink?" she asked the Doctor, squinting into the bottle, making sure nothing was swimming inside.
"Hmm?" came his distracted voice. He glanced over at her and his eyes fell on the bottle. "Yeah, of course." Then he disappeared again.
Rose sniffed it again and raised the bottle to her lips.
Chapter 5 - Stiny and Durnk.
Author: sinecure - My master fic list
Character/Pairing: Ten/Rose
Rating: Humor, romance
Summary: Rose and the Doctor trample through the clichés.
Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who.
Author's Notes: Thanks; to momdaegmorgan for beta-ing and keeping me working on this and my other stories when I wanted to give up.
Rose tightened her grip on the console, digging her nails into the surface as the Doctor hopped around doing his manic piloting thing. When he reached for the knobs in front of her, she stepped back quickly, grabbing the strut behind her for purchase. The TARDIS convulsed, jerking them about, but somehow the Doctor managed to keep his feet as he darted back and forth.
Rose lurched forward, her feet nearly leaving the ground as the TARDIS rocked to the left. The Doctor left the space she'd been in, and she took the opportunity to grab hold of the console again.
"What is it?" she yelled above the time rotor's wheezing pump. Apparently, something was up with the ship, though Rose couldn't tell just by looking at her. The Doctor insisted though, and with the way he was frantically moving from one side of the controls to the other, she knew it wasn't the good kind of wrong where they landed somewhere eons and kilometers off from their original destination and had a good laugh about it.
The Doctor didn't bother looking at her as he twisted two knobs in opposite directions then flicked a red switch. "Just gotta-- ah!" Sparks flew up from the console, showering him in orange and yellow embers. He jumped back, staring at the rotor as if the TARDIS had insulted him. "Well, what'd you do that for?" he snapped.
Maybe she had insulted him.
Rose snickered and bit her lip to keep the laughter at bay. The Doctor turned to her and grinned before jumping back into action. He ran to her side of the console, leaned in next to her, and reached across to flip one button and point at another. "Press that when I say now."
Eyes on the white button, she nodded and hovered her hand over it, waiting.
He darted toward the dials and knobs on his other side, half climbing onto the console to reach them. More sparks flew and he yanked his hand away, sliding back to the floor. Bumping against her as the rotor continued its sedate movement, he wrapped an arm around her waist and settled his hand firmly against her hip.
She eyed him curiously, wondering if it was strictly necessary to touch her, or if he was just being cuddly. Since the night in the sewer tunnel, they'd stayed close and kissed a few times--up against the TARDIS doors with so much force and heat that she'd half-expected they'd melded into one creature during the course of the kiss.
But they'd yet to actually satisfy that need both had for the other. She knew he wanted her. After all, she'd felt him pressing against her numerous times. In the field by the rebel force's camp on Limutre as they hid from the government.
In her back, as he shoved her against the wall to protect her from the shrapnel from a bomb that'd interrupted their make out session in a museum.
It'd been a week, and she was beginning to wonder if he intended to drive her mental with foreplay.
She wanted him. Badly.
Now, then, here, there, anywhere, any when, so long as she got to have him.
Groaning, she leaned into the console and pressed against his side, wedging herself for stability and maximum Doctor-touching. The ship lurched to the right, knocking him into her. His hand was over a button as well. He leaned toward her and whispered, "Now."
They both slammed their hands over their respective buttons and the TARDIS suddenly went still.
Silence descended as they waited. One second, two seconds. The rotor remained still and the ship was no longer convulsing. He raised his brows at her, grinning and rocking back and forth on his feet, hands in his pockets. "What do you think about that?"
"You fixed her?" she asked, darting a look around the control room. Everything looked all right, the sparks were gone, no fires had started, so... "Yeah?"
His smile slipped a little, but didn't disappear completely. "Nope." Removing his hands from his pockets, he turned back to the controls with a deep breath and a headshake. "We were jutting along the edges of the vortex-- hence the bumpy ride." Lifting a hand her way, he waited until she took it and then drew her to his side. "Now we're not because we're in space. Regular old space. Boring space. No time traveling or anything. Just..." he twisted his lips a little, "space."
She rested her arm against his and stared at the controls he was working. "So, we're... not going to be traveling through time until you get her fixed?" That didn't bother her. Maybe it'd give them a break. They could use a break. Since the tunnel, he'd been landing them more frequently than was their norm, and darting them off into adventures more often.
Not that he'd been avoiding her. Oh, no, definitely not that. He just seemed to not want to take that extra step just yet, the step that would place them firmly in the 'had sex' column, and she wasn't sure why. Fear?
Glancing at his profile as he mumbled to himself and flipped a switch back and forth a few times, she dismissed that idea. The Doctor wasn't afraid of sex. He'd as much as told her he wanted her. Had, in fact, told her that very thing. Maybe he was just giving her time to adjust. Time to take everything in and breathe and not worry about the next step.
Yeah, she liked that idea. They needed time. Jumping into a relationship was never a good thing. Never mind that they'd had more than a year and all of time and space since first meeting, flirting, and, in her case, falling in love.
Realizing he hadn't answered her question and was still flipping the same switch, she called his name.
"Hmm?" Giving her a quick look, he released her hand and moved around her back, pulling the monitor to him before typing something on the keyboard.
"No time travel?" Pushing back from the console, she leaned down and rested her elbows on it, propping her chin in her hands.
"Ah. No," he agreed, frowning at the screen. He smacked it on the side. "Definitely no... huh."
"What?" Not that she'd understand, of course, since most of what he told her about the TARDIS went over her head, but she liked to ask. Liked to hear him explain things. It turned her on that he was so brilliant. She liked it especially when he got his-- ah. Out come the glasses.
She loved looking at him with his glasses on. The word geek popped into her head, and maybe seventeen-year-old Rose would've scoffed at the idea of being in love with a man who made geek chic, but twenty-year-old Rose didn't care.
"Seems..." he said slowly, dragging his eyes from the monitor to her as he stood up straight and slipped his hands back into his pockets. "Seems we're stuck."
She straightened as well, trying to get a look at the screen. "Where?" A sudden grin lifted her lips. "Anywhere I know?"
He shook his head and she caught sight of his eyes behind the reflection of his lenses. They were dark and... regretful? "When I say stuck, I mean the controls are stuck and I can't pilot the TARDIS. She's hurtling through open space and I can't stop her."
Rose was unconcerned. They'd been in plenty of these sorts of situations before. Gesturing to the controls, she frowned at him. "Well, un-stick them."
Removing his hands from his pockets, he stepped up to her, settling his palms on her shoulders. "I can't, Rose. There's no way to do that. The mechanism in the matrix adapter charge is--"
She waved her hands in annoyance, not wanting the techno babble anymore. "Can't you pilot manually or something?"
"Normally, yes, but I told you, the mechanism in the matr--"
Rolling her eyes heavily, she stared up at the ceiling. "Doctor!" He stopped and blinked at her. "Can't you just... fix it? It's not like we're going to run out of space before you can get it working again."
He sighed and turned from her, dropping his hands to his sides before tapping again at the computer. When he was through, he gestured her over. "The universe is huge. Space is vast, but the problem is that there are planets and moons and satellites and..." He tapped a key twice and took her arm, drawing her toward the monitor.
She stopped beside him and looked down at the screen. On the display, a bright orange and red circle appeared, fiery offshoots blasting out this way and that from the roiling, ever-moving disc. "Suns," she whispered, lifting her eyes to his, not wanting to see the angry red gaseous giant anymore.
"Yes. And we're headed directly for this one." His knuckle tapped the screen, distorting the image for a brief moment.
Rose's mind whirled. This wasn't the first time they'd been in danger, and it wasn't the first time they'd faced death. He always saved them somehow, someway. And this time wouldn't be any different, she was sure of it. But the worry still gnawed at her insides and the fear still began to creep through her gut. "What about the shields? Like, when we were on the Dalek ship. They'll protect us until you figure something out."
"No, I'm sorry, Rose, that's not possible." He drew her close, wrapping his arms around her. "We have sixty-eight minutes until we're in the sun's gravity and it won't be long after that that the shields will fail--they weren't meant to withstand that much heat--and we'll burn." He kissed her forehead, his brown eyes filled with guilt. "I'm so sorry."
Her lower lip began to tremble as her mind worked at a thousand times its normal speed. She wanted to think of something that would get them out of this, think of something that would help him figure out how to get them out of this. Think of a way to tell him she loved him. To call her mum and say goodbye.
"I should call mum," she whispered, pulling back from him and digging for her mobile in her back jean pocket. She pulled it out and was about to dial when she froze, staring at the glowing display. What could she possibly say to her mum? Tell her that her only child will never be coming home again, that she was about to die by plunging into the center of a sun? "I can't think what to say."
She snapped the phone shut with shaking hands and slid it onto the console.
The Doctor raised her head to his, lifting her chin with his fingers. "I'm sorry, Rose." He pressed a kiss to her cheek. When her lip trembled more, he ran his thumb over it, staring into her eyes. Mouth lowering to hers, he cupped her face in his hands. His lips were soft and tender, apologetic. When he pulled back to look down into her eyes, she saw that his had darkened, and she knew that look. Oh, did she know that look.
She grabbed his arms, fingers digging into his suit, dragging him back to her. It was desperation, she knew that. Strong emotions often made her do and say things she'd never have done before. But sometimes it made her do the only thing she wanted to do. "I want you, Doctor. And if we're gonna die..."
His arms wrapped tight around her back and drew her closer, pressing his forehead to hers. His breath skimmed hers, danced among her lashes and then settled into her skin. "Making love to you is the last thing I want to do in my life, Rose Tyler."
She snorted in amusement at the unfortunate wording. "You know how to flatter."
Looking chagrined, he huffed out a breath and smiled. "Let me rephrase that: making love to you is the last thing I would like to accomplish in my long life." Sliding a hand against her cheek, he touched his lips to hers as she let her eyes drift closed. "Nearly the only thing I've thought about for months."
She moaned into his mouth and kissed him eagerly, pulling him closer as he tightened his grip around her. Their lips moved over one another's, nipping, biting, sucking and licking desperately. She pushed at him, shoving at his suit jacket to get it down his arms. He needed to let go of her to undress, but he didn't seem to want to do so. She grunted in frustration. If they only had an hour, then she wanted to make the best of it. Tearing her mouth from his, she took his face in her hands, feeling the scratchiness of stubble. Rubbing her cheek against his jaw, she gasped, "Undress."
He pulled free of her and shed his jacket to the floor, then reached for her again with quick, cool hands, but decided to tear at the buttons of his shirt first instead. She yanked the zip down on her hoodie, the teeth of the zip sounding overly loud amongst the silence of the TARDIS, silence interrupted only by their heavy, gasping breaths.
The Doctor's blue button-up shirt dropped to the floor grating, the plastic buttons plinking against the metal. His eyes were on her, never blinking, never straying as he stripped his t-shirt off at the same time as she removed hers.
Bare skin met cool air, and her nipples tightened, though she wasn't sure it was the air affecting them. His eyes were nearly black, his mouth open as he panted and dropped his fingers to the waistband of his trousers. She ran her eyes over his chest, taking in the smattering of hair and his well-developed chest. As thin as he was, she'd expected less, but knew, in the back of her mind, that he was ropey and strong. She'd felt that chest against hers too many times to count.
Her fingers worked at the buttons on her jeans as his worked on his button and zip.
Their gazes met and they drew together, her hands cupping his face, his sliding against the expanse of her bare back, catching on her bra strap, then slipping underneath. Wet urgent mouths violently took from one another. His tongue was forcing hers to dance at a pace that took her breath away. The sensation of his skin against hers made her shiver, but she reached back and unhooked her bra, shrugging forward to loosen the straps.
His hands caught the ends and he groaned into her mouth. Jerking away from her mouth, he stared down at her chest as he ripped the bra from her, throwing it onto the console.
He licked his lips, watching her chest rise and fall as she breathed. Inhaling deeply, he lowered his mouth to her shoulder, placing open-mouthed kisses on her warm flesh. "That smell drives me insane," he mumbled, licking the dip between shoulder and neck. "It's everywhere in the TARDIS." Another lick, making her shudder as wet heat exploded between her thighs. Her intimate muscles clenched at his words. He was using that low, intense tone that made her want to throw him on the floor and have at him. "Everywhere except my room." Closing his eyes, he inhaled again and started to smile, but something shifted in his face.
Her grin was wide. "Let's remedy that."
He blinked a few times and leaned down to sniff her neck. "Cherries and... bananas?" he mused, frowning now.
Chuckling, she rolled her eyes. "Everything's bananas with you." Biting her lip at the joke, she waited for him to laugh or chuckle or snicker and roll his eyes or something, but all he did was stare past her. She had a bad feeling about this. Her body really, really wanted him right now, and it looked like he'd gone elsewhere in his mind.
Suddenly, he darted across to the other side of the console and bent down.
Blinking at him, feeling empty and bereft, standing in just her jeans and shoes, she stared at the spot he'd disappeared in.
There was a heavy grating sound, like metal being scraped against metal, then the Doctor popped up, and a panel of the TARDIS console went flying behind him to land crookedly against the captain's chair. He once again dove down, and Rose circled around to see what was going on.
As soon as she approached, he jerked up with a shouted, "Aha!"
Seeing her there, he grabbed her arms and held her still, not even seeming to notice her naked upper body. "Rose, there's a room; down the right corridor, second left, first right, two doors past the rubbish chute, around the corner and one more right. Inside, there are bottles of E'ren'on gin. Smells like bananas and cherries," he said with a grin, infectious in nature, and she found herself returning it.
He'd figured out a way to fix the TARDIS. There was no way she could be angry about that. Disappointed that, once again, they weren't going to have sex, yes, but... there was always later. Lots and lots of laters.
Stopping to grab her shirt from the floor, she slipped it over her head and then ran down the TARDIS hallways to the room he'd told her about. The door was marked with a dusty sign that proclaimed it the 'TARDIS Pub'. Huh. She turned the handle, and inside, found crates of bottles and kegs of wine and jars of things she didn't want to get too close to.
It looked like there were things floating inside. Possibly still alive.
Shuddering, she looked for a box marked E'ren'on. The crates were covered in inches of dust, so she had to wipe off the tops and sides. Ten crates later, hands covered in dust, sweat beading on her body, she found what she was looking for. Inside were six large bottles of what looked like Ribena.
He hadn't said how much he needed, so she grabbed four of them and headed back to the console room, bottles clinking the entire way.
When she clinked her way into the console room, the Doctor popped his head up again, grinning at her. "Brilliant! Thank you. This," he said, taking one of the bottles from her as if it were a precious artifact from the rarest of planets, "will clean the matrix's adapter charges and refuel them so they can recharge and-- you don't care," he pouted.
She shrugged, patting his arm with a smile. "Fix the matrix adapter charges, then tell me about it. Time's ticking."
He set each bottle on the grating beside him, lining them in a row. "Only needed two, but--" grabbing her face--with greasy hands, she noticed, feeling the gritty substance on her chin and cheek--he kissed her soundly on the lips and pulled back. "Soon as I fix her," he said heatedly, "I am taking you to my room and making love to you for a week. No interruptions." Another quick, hard kiss to her lips, and then his attention was back on the TARDIS' inner workings.
Well, she certainly agreed with that sentiment. A week of sex with the Doctor? That might just make up for all the times they'd been interrupted.
She watched as he pulled a cork free from one of the bottles with his teeth and swept up a rag from... somewhere and dumped some of the liquid onto it before diving back into the console.
Eyeing the bottles, she picked one up and pulled the cork free, raising the bottle to her nose to sniff it. Smelt a bit like cherries and bananas, she guessed. "This safe to drink?" she asked the Doctor, squinting into the bottle, making sure nothing was swimming inside.
"Hmm?" came his distracted voice. He glanced over at her and his eyes fell on the bottle. "Yeah, of course." Then he disappeared again.
Rose sniffed it again and raised the bottle to her lips.
Chapter 5 - Stiny and Durnk.