candy and confounds, Ten/Rose, Adult
Without his sight, all other sensation was elevated, and he was acutely aware of her every tiny movement next to him and of each and every millimetre where her body pressed against his, radiating heat into all sorts of places that were quite warm enough, thank you., 2743
A/N: Smuff, because it sounds so much better than flut.
"No way! I'm not telling you! You and your Time Lord spider-senses - you have to guess." Laughing, Rose snatched the candy package away from the Doctor.
To be fair, he had spent quite a long time this morning explaining (well, okay, boasting) about his excellent sensory functions. They'd been stuck in this rainy little town for four days now, and activities and conversation topics alike were beginning to wear thin. Unfortunately, they wouldn't be going anywhere until the matriculary de-iodinating loop had recharged, and that wasn't happening any time soon.
Their first day here they'd headed out, spirits high, intent on making the most of the situation. But any hopes they'd had of stumbling across some adventure or mystery were quickly dashed. All they'd found was damp, more damp and a depressing little strip mall. Things hadn't improved any since.
Today, day four, they were both completely stir crazy. Desperate for something to do, they'd had another wander around town early this afternoon, Rose emerging from the strip mall with an enormous bag of jelly beans ("Fifty Flavours!") and the Doctor with some truly tasteless pocket books he wasn't even sure the TARDIS would allow in the library.
They'd returned to the TARDIS soggy and disheartened. The Doctor had lit a fire in the library in an attempt to chase away the persistent clamminess that seemed to have seeped through the walls of the TARDIS, and they were now sprawled out on the floor with the spoils of their shopping trip - the Doctor leaning against the couch, Rose cross-legged on the floor in front of him. The Doctor eyed the candy bag, which Rose was clutching to her chest, a teasing gleam in her eye.
"And if I can't guess?" He quirked an eyebrow at her.
"There will be consequences," Rose told him, her voice low and serious.
Something fluttered pleasantly in his stomach at her words although surely, surely, she hadn't meant it that way. He gave himself a mental smack. Bad Time Lord. Companions are for... companioning. Companionship. Not for... discreetly leering at when their backs are turned or for... smelling so delicious. Or for mentally undressing late at night when one is alone in one's Time Lord bed.
"Doctor?" Rose was watching him, looking a bit concerned.
"What? No! I mean - yes?" he spluttered, giving himself an internal kick in the shins. Companion Rule Number 17 -avoid picturing companion naked at all times, but at the very, very least while in the company of said companion. So easy to forget that one.
Rose giggled. "What's wrong with you? Scared of a few jelly beans?"
"No, nothing! Just... thinking about flavours. Flavouring. The Flavian Dynasty. No, not them. I'm ready to amaze you with my highly developed powers of gustation, though. Go on then, what've you got?"
It was becoming increasing difficult, these last few days, to remember and adhere to the many rules and guidelines of companionship, the fact that he'd created these rules himself being irrelevant. They hadn't done any running since last week, the usual pleasant distraction of threats to life and limb was completely absent, and Rose had spent most of the last two days looking inconsiderately adorable in her favourite pyjamas.
Still watching him with mild apprehension, Rose reached out to hand the Doctor a jelly bean. He most definitely did not let his eyes follow the curve of her captivatingly bare arm up to where it met her shoulder. He popped the candy into his mouth, all business now, and gave it a considering chew. "Lemon-Lime," he declared.
Rose smiled. "Yup." She dug in the bag and produced another, watching him carefully as he evaluated, tumbling the candy around in his mouth. "Mmm - Strawberry Jam!"
"That was an easy one," Rose allowed. "Try this." She handed him another.
"Tastes... orange," he mumbled. "Wait, wait, wait - Orange Sherbet! I'm right, am I right?" He grinned at Rose.
"Yeah," she admitted.
Now, this was fine. He was using seventy percent of his brain capacity for jelly bean identification, twenty-five percent was focussed on possible TARDIS modifications, and only five percent was fixated on the way Rose's teeth made that appealing little dent in her lower lip as she searched for another jelly bean. Wellll, eight percent. Twelve.
"Ready?" Rose asked.
The Doctor blinked, mentally shoving all thoughts of Rose's lip (and there turned out to be quite a lot) to the back of his mind.
"Ready," he confirmed, reaching for the next candy.
"Nope," Rose batted his hand away. "I think you're cheating using - what did you call it? Your very impressive tactile sense? No more touching."
The Doctor's eyes widened. Oh, this was probably a bad idea. Bad and... ill-conceived. Unwise.
Rose shuffled closer, her pyjama shorts riding up a bit. He swallowed. Was it getting warm in here? Maybe the fire hadn't been such a good idea.
Rose held out another bean. "Open."
Her fingers brushed against his lips as she deposited the candy in his mouth, and he managed to disguise his gasp as a yawn.
Rose raised her eyebrows. "Not boring you, am I? We can make this harder if you like."
He shifted uncomfortably. It was very, very, very nice, that expanse of five square inches where Rose's leg was now pressed up against his. Very nice and very distracting.
What was wrong with him today?
"No, no, it's... hard enough," he sighed.
"So what was that one, then?"
Oh, right. "Umm... Lemon? No, Lemon Drop!" He grinned in relief.
"Right." Rose nodded solemnly.
She leaned forward again, her mouth opening reflexively as she held out a candy for his. Oh, that was just... Surely he owned trousers that weren't this tight? Why didn't he ever wear them?
"Rose," he put his hand over hers. "You really don't need to feed them to me. I promise I'm not getting any tactile clues by putting them in my own mouth."
Rose shook her head at him, unmoved. "Sorry. I was there for your thirty-minute rant after you read that last issue of Time Travel Today, remember? I'm removing the confounding variables."
He was momentarily diverted by her reasoning. "You were listening?"
"Course I was!" Rose rolled her eyes. "Now, open!"
He was touched and proud she'd been paying such close attention. Unfortunately, Clever Rose was just as... appealing... as Potentially Naked Rose. He glanced down at her hand as it moved towards his mouth, opening obediently. "Oh, Tutti Fruitti," he commented happily before the candy actually passed his lips.
Rose froze, her eyes widening.
Uh oh.
Just as he was about to close his lips around the proffered jelly bean, if only in hopes of changing the subject, Rose snatched it back and popped it into her own mouth. "Cheater!" She looked thoughtful for a moment, then grinned wickedly.
Oh, surely she wouldn't suggest -
"We need to blindfold you." Rose jumped up, glancing around.
"Rose, I really don't think..." he began half-heartedly.
"Confounding variable, right?"
"Well, I suppose, but - "
"Doctor, are you disputing my scientific methodology?"
"No, but Rose - "
"Humor me, Doctor," she pleaded. "I'm really bored. You can do me next."
"Oh... kay," he sighed.
"Ha! Perfect!" Rose was very suddenly unknotting his tie.
"Oh - um..."
This was unsettlingly reminiscent of Naked Rose Tyler Fantasies numbers One through Twenty-Four B.
As Rose fumbled with his tie, the Doctor took deep, calming breaths through his nose - no, no, no - mouth, mouth! Had she always smelled so good? He sighed in relief as she finally unwound the tie from his neck, then abruptly sucked in a breath when she rose to her knees, situating her breasts alarmingly close to his face. Thankfully, he was quickly rendered sightless as Rose carefully knotted the tie around the back of his head, inconveniently bringing to mind Naked Rose Tyler Fantasies Numbers One-Fifteen through One-Twenty-One. One-Twenty-Two. No, One-Twenty-One. One-Twenty-Two was with the silk scarf.
"Too tight?" She ran her fingers under the edge of the tie.
"No, it's nice - fine. It's fine."
"Okay, then. Open."
The Doctor gulped as he felt Rose's hand brush against his lips. Warm. Soft. Without his sight, all other sensation was elevated, and he was acutely aware of her every tiny movement next to him and of each and every millimetre where her body pressed against his, radiating heat into all sorts of places that were quite warm enough, thank you.
"Doctor?"
"Right, yes, um... blackberry? No, blueberry. Plum."
Rose laughed. "You sure?"
"Yes. Wait - yes."
"You're right." She squeezed his knee. "Next one. Open?"
Rose's hand slid to his thigh as she leaned towards him. He leaned away from her rather abruptly, feeling a hot swell of desire and fear.
"Rose, I really - I think I've proved my point. What about another round of Monopoly? Scrabble?" Preferably something that involved less bodily contact and didn't require blindfolds. "Umm... tennis? I think I saw a tennis court somewhere down Corridor F..." He reached for his makeshift blindfold, but Rose grabbed his hands before he could free himself.
"Doctor, I've only got a few more. Please?" she cajoled. "You'll never guess the next one."
"Okay," he agreed defeatedly. Deep breaths. Think about... Gelth. Gelth were not sexy. Slitheen. Jackie's tracksuits. Cats in nuns' wimples. Cats in Jackie's tracksuits. Eugh. Rose's thigh pressed against his, warm and firm - no, no, no, no, no.
"Good. Ready?"
The next few seconds seemed to happen in slow motion. Rose shifted closer again, but she must have overbalanced. She reached out a hand to catch herself, landing not so much on his thigh as decidedly further... north, where he was now embarrassingly, achingly, one hundred percent focussed on Rose Tyler.
The Doctor gasped. Rose yanked her hand away.
"Sorry! ...Oh."
And then there was silence.
The Doctor froze, fervently wishing to be swallowed into the bowels of the TARDIS. Emergency Program One would be activated, and someday Rose could warn her grandchildren against accepting rides with strangers - especially creepy, lecherous old Time Lords. If he didn't regenerate from abject mortification, he would eventually emerge from the depths of his ship and simply avoid Earth for the next eighty-odd years. It seemed like a reasonable plan. The TARDIS wasn't obliging, however.
More silence. Silenter silence than the one before.
Well. Someone was going to have to say something eventually.
"Rose?" he asked tentatively, still not daring to move.
"Right, erm..."
She sounded flustered, and he was very, very glad he couldn't see her face. His own felt as if it was burning, heat throbbing up to the tips of his ears. He hadn't even been sure this body could blush. Apparently it could. Quite thoroughly, in fact.
"'Kay," Rose breathed, "next one."
What? Really?
"Ready?" Rose's voice was a little stronger now.
"Ready. Yes. Sure. Of course." That didn't sound like his voice.
There was a pause.
"Rose?"
He felt her lean forward, and then... oh.
Much softer than a jelly bean, much warmer than her fingers. Rose's lips, pressed softly to his. Oh. She kissed him cautiously, her mouth against his like a question, and as soon as he was capable of semi-coherent thought, he answered, his hands going to her waist, needing her closer. With some effort, he managed not to kiss her like he was drowning, but merely like he was sinking. Sinking into something he'd fully intended to sink into.
Her hands moved to his shoulders, slid down to his chest, and she melted against him, sighing into his mouth as he wrapped his arms around her. It was absolutely lovely - warm and wet and at least two hundred percent better than anything he'd ever imagined, all hot breath and teasing tongues.
The Doctor was so caught up in the taste of her he barely registered the path of her hands as they trailed further down his chest, over his stomach to... He gasped, breaking the kiss to press his forehead to hers, the first hesitant brush of her fingers sending a rush of heat through his body. A gentle scratch of her nails and a soft squeeze and - he made a sound he didn't recognize, though it certainly sounded... pleased. And pleading.
Missing her mouth already, he ducked his head, capturing her lips again as she shifted, nimble fingers moving to the clasp of his trousers. His lips faltered again.
"Rose - " He should say something, surely? What was it? It was surprisingly difficult to formulate complete sentences with the brush of her bare skin against his as she carefully unzipped him.
"Rose - " He caught her hands between his, bringing them to his lips to kiss them tenderly, already aching from the loss of her touch. "Rose, you - you don't have to." It wasn't her fault he couldn't control his body's reaction to her nearness, couldn't help himself imagining her in very un-companion-like circumstances.
Rose ran her thumb across his lower lip and he shivered. "I know I don't," she told him. "But - can I?"
"Yes."
She giggled at the hastiness of his assent, given almost before she'd finished asking.
He kissed her fingertips. "We could... take the blindfold off, though?" He moved his hands towards his face.
"Or..." Rose began.
"Or?"
"Or we could... leave it on?" She kissed the tip of his nose.
"Oh - okay," he breathed.
Her hands quickly found him again and he kissed her hard, a moan building in his throat as her touch became bolder.
Rose's fingers continued their thrilling exploration as she pressed one more firm kiss against his mouth before her lips were out of his reach. He felt his forehead crease in disappointment, but then her mouth joined her hands and he groaned, reaching out to grip her shoulders with beseeching fingers.
"OhRose."
She hummed happily against him, her mouth and tongue quickly sending him into spirals of bliss. She immediately set a tantalizingly insistent rhythm and he could already feel himself starting to come apart.
"Rose."
"Mmm."
He gasped at the slide of her tongue against him and momentarily lost his train of thought.
"Rose, I - this - I won't last long..."
She released him with a beautiful wet sound, continuing the rhythm of her hand. "So... don't."
And then she took him in her mouth again, and really, her words made perfect sense, and not just because he was altogether helpless to her touch. He was so completely enthralled by the way her mouth enveloped him, hot and wet, and those lovely little noises she made, as if she was enjoying a particularly decadent dessert... and, oh, yes, where did she learn that?
So. Close.
"Rose - " he gasped, gently taking hold of her head to move it out of the way.
She made an exquisite, muffled sound of disagreement and seconds later the tug and caress of her sweet, warm mouth broke him apart, shattering him into a thousand tiny blissful pieces.
He came back to himself a moment later as Rose gently released him, carefully tucking him back into his trousers. Seconds later, he felt her fingers at the blindfold, taking care not to pull his hair as she unknotted it. He blinked into smiling brown eyes as it was removed.
"Hello," he breathed.
"Hello."
She was, if possible, even more beautiful like this, cheeks flushed and lips swollen. She grinned at what must have been quite a stupid look on his face, and saved him having to come up with something clever to say by kissing him again.
"Rose," he mumbled against her lips.
"Mmm hmm?"
"Thank you." He pulled away to look her in the eye, trying his best to put a few dozen unsaid things into those two little words.
She rubbed her nose against his. "Any time."
He felt his eyebrows rise of their own volition as Rose laughed, wrapping her arms around his neck. He hugged her back, breathing her in, smiling against her hair.
He pressed a kiss to her ear. "So... still bored?"
She pulled back, looking thoughtful. "Nah, I think I might've come up with a few things we can do."
He quirked an eyebrow at her. "Only a few?"
She grinned teasingly. "Or a few dozen. Come on." She jumped up, grabbing his hand.
He followed her immediately, without question.
"Wait," she turned around.
"What?"
She bit her lip, smiling shyly. "Bring the tie."