(no subject)
Restart, TenII/Rose, PG-13
His posture slumps a bit as he still unsure of how to react to this new Rose. This Rose who is in charge and carries a weight on her shoulders that he never wished on her., 1,217
He’s sitting in the little room Rose set aside for him in her flat so he can tinker whenever he wants. So he doesn’t feel useless or bored or whatever she believes he’s feeling since his arrival in this universe. Except all he really feels is a bit heartbroken because Rose has barely touched him since the beach. She can hardly keep eye contact with him for very long. And she has not invited him to sleep with her just so they can sleep in the same room and make it so he’ll no longer feel like she’s still a universe away.
He sits in the room and stares at the tools. He has no desire to make anything or tinker with appliances like he used to just to annoy Jackie and amuse Rose. He only wants Rose to say something to him so he knows if he should leave or if he should take some kind of initiative like he did once upon time.
The Doctor doesn’t know what to do and he does the only thing he can. He gives Rose space and if she wants him, she can find him.
He’s so lost in his own thoughts that he doesn’t hear the door to the room close or the soft footsteps of the one person he wants to see.
“I’m sorry.”
The Doctor nearly falls out of his seat and tries to turn his fumble into a smooth transition of standing.
“Rose. Hello.”
“Hello,” she returns with a shy and soft voice he’s never heard her use before. Sure, she’s stuttered a few times, but she’s never been shy about her thoughts.
He watches her fiddle with the button on the almost transparent sweater she’s wearing. He can see the outline of her bra underneath and stares a moment because his brain has short-circuited due to certain hormones that he can’t control as easily as he once had.
“Doctor?”
His eyes meet hers and he rubs a hand on the back of his neck as he gives her a sheepish expression.
“Why are you sorry?” The Doctor inquires. “You’ve done nothing wrong.”
“I’ve been avoiding you,” Rose points out. “I just let go of your hand and expected everything to just fall into place. It can’t though because I’ve not been letting it. I haven’t been honest.”
“I can’t be upset that you tore holes in the universe,” the Doctor replies, believing this is what she’s referring to. “You helped to save two universes and then you kissed me. It was brilliant.”
Rose smiles, but it quickly disappears and the button fiddling returns.
“That’s not it, Doctor.”
“Is it that you work for Torchwood? Or that you carry a gun? Because I’m not going to judge. You’ve done what you could while you’ve been here and I’m sure you’re not someone who shoots first and asks questions later.”
“Doctor, just shut up for a minute,” Rose nearly shouts.
His posture slumps a bit as he still unsure of how to react to this new Rose. This Rose who is in charge and carries a weight on her shoulders that he never wished on her.
“I’m sorry,” he murmurs.
“Don’t be sorry,” Rose replies. “Just…” She stops and looks down at the floor. “I’m not the same. I don’t think I’ll ever be the same.”
“Well, I’m not exactly the person I once was either,” he responds. “One heart. Just a TARDIS seed in my pocket. And this constant need to sleep. Though the one thing that never changed is what I feel for you, Rose. I wasn’t lying when I whispered those words in your ear.”
The look she gives him is frightening and he takes a small step back.
“I know and this is why it’s been so hard to come clean.”
The Doctor tries to think of everything that she could possibly tell him that would give him pause and make him reconsider this life. There’s really nothing she could say. He’s done it all and then some. He destroyed his own race. He’s killed people and aliens because he felt he was in the right. He has decided over and over again not to change events in history despite desperate pleas for help because apparently it’s up to him to preserve the timeline of the universe. Anything Rose could tell him won’t matter because he’s done far worse in his nine hundred years of life. And he loves her. You forgive the people you love.
“I was afraid of your reaction,” Rose continues softly.
The button she’d been fiddling with comes undo with shaky fingers and the sweater she’s wearing slides off her shoulders then falls to the floor around her feet. The Doctor swallows almost audibly as he finds himself captivated a moment by her breasts that are still clad in the bra. His focus finally moves and he begins to register the scars and bruises adorning Rose’s torso. He remembers that she used to come back to the TARDIS with a few scrapes after an adventure and he’d quickly patch her up.
Except he hadn’t been here. And she didn’t have access to the medical lab like the TARDIS had. He suspects she probably wasn’t the best patient and was quite eager to get back to whatever she was in the middle of.
“I didn’t want you to look at me and be disgusted. I wanted everything to be perfect and it’s not.”
“Rose, it’s fine,” he says. “Everything is fine.”
He moves towards her cautiously then he’s standing in front of her. His hands cup her face and she looks up with the wide, trusting eyes he’s missed so much.
“You’re still beautiful. Inside and out,” the Doctor whispers. “Those only mean you’re not afraid of backing down to get what you want. To finish whatever you set your mind on. You crossed universes to come find me and I love you for that. I’ll continue to love you. I’m sorry you thought you had to hide these from me. I’m also sorry I can’t erase them.”
His right hand gently caressed a mostly healed scar at her waist, but he never broke eye contact.
“You are the strongest person I know, Rose, but even the strongest person needs someone to lean on every once in a while. It took me a long time to learn that. It’s something we both need to live by now. You can lean on me and I can lean on you.”
“Starting now?” Rose asks.
“Starting now,” the Doctor agrees. “Perhaps we could kiss on our new arrangement.”
Rose smiles and the Doctor once again feels right in this new universe with Rose Tyler as she kisses him.
Perhaps tomorrow he’ll come back to this room to tinker or destroy an appliance, but right now he’s leaving with Rose Tyler to do whatever the gleam in her eye might mean.
His posture slumps a bit as he still unsure of how to react to this new Rose. This Rose who is in charge and carries a weight on her shoulders that he never wished on her., 1,217
He’s sitting in the little room Rose set aside for him in her flat so he can tinker whenever he wants. So he doesn’t feel useless or bored or whatever she believes he’s feeling since his arrival in this universe. Except all he really feels is a bit heartbroken because Rose has barely touched him since the beach. She can hardly keep eye contact with him for very long. And she has not invited him to sleep with her just so they can sleep in the same room and make it so he’ll no longer feel like she’s still a universe away.
He sits in the room and stares at the tools. He has no desire to make anything or tinker with appliances like he used to just to annoy Jackie and amuse Rose. He only wants Rose to say something to him so he knows if he should leave or if he should take some kind of initiative like he did once upon time.
The Doctor doesn’t know what to do and he does the only thing he can. He gives Rose space and if she wants him, she can find him.
He’s so lost in his own thoughts that he doesn’t hear the door to the room close or the soft footsteps of the one person he wants to see.
“I’m sorry.”
The Doctor nearly falls out of his seat and tries to turn his fumble into a smooth transition of standing.
“Rose. Hello.”
“Hello,” she returns with a shy and soft voice he’s never heard her use before. Sure, she’s stuttered a few times, but she’s never been shy about her thoughts.
He watches her fiddle with the button on the almost transparent sweater she’s wearing. He can see the outline of her bra underneath and stares a moment because his brain has short-circuited due to certain hormones that he can’t control as easily as he once had.
“Doctor?”
His eyes meet hers and he rubs a hand on the back of his neck as he gives her a sheepish expression.
“Why are you sorry?” The Doctor inquires. “You’ve done nothing wrong.”
“I’ve been avoiding you,” Rose points out. “I just let go of your hand and expected everything to just fall into place. It can’t though because I’ve not been letting it. I haven’t been honest.”
“I can’t be upset that you tore holes in the universe,” the Doctor replies, believing this is what she’s referring to. “You helped to save two universes and then you kissed me. It was brilliant.”
Rose smiles, but it quickly disappears and the button fiddling returns.
“That’s not it, Doctor.”
“Is it that you work for Torchwood? Or that you carry a gun? Because I’m not going to judge. You’ve done what you could while you’ve been here and I’m sure you’re not someone who shoots first and asks questions later.”
“Doctor, just shut up for a minute,” Rose nearly shouts.
His posture slumps a bit as he still unsure of how to react to this new Rose. This Rose who is in charge and carries a weight on her shoulders that he never wished on her.
“I’m sorry,” he murmurs.
“Don’t be sorry,” Rose replies. “Just…” She stops and looks down at the floor. “I’m not the same. I don’t think I’ll ever be the same.”
“Well, I’m not exactly the person I once was either,” he responds. “One heart. Just a TARDIS seed in my pocket. And this constant need to sleep. Though the one thing that never changed is what I feel for you, Rose. I wasn’t lying when I whispered those words in your ear.”
The look she gives him is frightening and he takes a small step back.
“I know and this is why it’s been so hard to come clean.”
The Doctor tries to think of everything that she could possibly tell him that would give him pause and make him reconsider this life. There’s really nothing she could say. He’s done it all and then some. He destroyed his own race. He’s killed people and aliens because he felt he was in the right. He has decided over and over again not to change events in history despite desperate pleas for help because apparently it’s up to him to preserve the timeline of the universe. Anything Rose could tell him won’t matter because he’s done far worse in his nine hundred years of life. And he loves her. You forgive the people you love.
“I was afraid of your reaction,” Rose continues softly.
The button she’d been fiddling with comes undo with shaky fingers and the sweater she’s wearing slides off her shoulders then falls to the floor around her feet. The Doctor swallows almost audibly as he finds himself captivated a moment by her breasts that are still clad in the bra. His focus finally moves and he begins to register the scars and bruises adorning Rose’s torso. He remembers that she used to come back to the TARDIS with a few scrapes after an adventure and he’d quickly patch her up.
Except he hadn’t been here. And she didn’t have access to the medical lab like the TARDIS had. He suspects she probably wasn’t the best patient and was quite eager to get back to whatever she was in the middle of.
“I didn’t want you to look at me and be disgusted. I wanted everything to be perfect and it’s not.”
“Rose, it’s fine,” he says. “Everything is fine.”
He moves towards her cautiously then he’s standing in front of her. His hands cup her face and she looks up with the wide, trusting eyes he’s missed so much.
“You’re still beautiful. Inside and out,” the Doctor whispers. “Those only mean you’re not afraid of backing down to get what you want. To finish whatever you set your mind on. You crossed universes to come find me and I love you for that. I’ll continue to love you. I’m sorry you thought you had to hide these from me. I’m also sorry I can’t erase them.”
His right hand gently caressed a mostly healed scar at her waist, but he never broke eye contact.
“You are the strongest person I know, Rose, but even the strongest person needs someone to lean on every once in a while. It took me a long time to learn that. It’s something we both need to live by now. You can lean on me and I can lean on you.”
“Starting now?” Rose asks.
“Starting now,” the Doctor agrees. “Perhaps we could kiss on our new arrangement.”
Rose smiles and the Doctor once again feels right in this new universe with Rose Tyler as she kisses him.
Perhaps tomorrow he’ll come back to this room to tinker or destroy an appliance, but right now he’s leaving with Rose Tyler to do whatever the gleam in her eye might mean.