SENSORY OVERLOAD
SENSORY OVERLOAD, Ten/Rose, PG
“‘m fine, Doctor,” Rose coughed, blinking rapidly. She didn’t look fine. She was pale, flushed in the face and sweating. She kept nodding off, which was worrying as well. Normally, she was good at keeping awake, even when she was tired. No, with that cough and that flush to her face, the Doctor knew what was wrong, 1,844 words
“‘m fine, Doctor,” Rose coughed, blinking rapidly. She didn’t look fine. She was pale, flushed in the face and sweating. She kept nodding off, which was worrying as well. Normally, she was good at keeping awake, even when she was tired. No, with that cough and that flush to her face, the Doctor knew what was wrong.
“You’re sick, Rose.” He answered, giving her a pointed look. They were in the console room. They had just gotten back from one of their frequent adventures; the locals had thought Rose was one of their long-dead Queens come back to life. Everything had gone fine until they decided that she needed to be sent back to the after-life. It was then that he had intervened. They had made it back to the TARDIS just in time.
Now, The Doctor was standing by the console and Rose was curled up on the bench. She shook her head at him, sending her hair flying in every direction.
“‘m fine, just a bit tired.” She smiled, but her eyelids drooped and she had to shake herself a bit to wake up. The Doctor frowned.
“You’re sick, and I’m sending you to bed.” The Doctor pushed off the console with his hands, and moved to stand in front of Rose. He stood there, hands in his pockets, watching her. She whined non-words and tried to push him away. The Doctor dodged her hands and slid his own underneath her and lifted her up off the bench. She continued to whine, but he ignored her.
By the time The Doctor had reached her room, Rose was fast asleep in his arms. He was careful when he laid her down on her bed, pulling the covers up close under her chin. Yanking his sonic out, The Doctor waved it once or twice over her body. The familiar buzz seemed a thousand times louder than it usually was. He winced. He didn’t want to wake her up.
The Doctor didn’t have to worry too much; she seemed to be deep asleep. He inspected his screwdriver; his frown becoming deeper and deeper. His suspicions were right. She was sick. She should have been a bit more bleh than blah, given that there was slight inflammation of the lymph nodes and an aggravation to the sinus membrane. Probably a result of stopping by on Ratican Sul without actually waiting, strictly speaking, for the full boarding process.
On the bright side, The Doctor knew exactly how to treat it. It was going to be time consuming.
She was snoring quite loudly, which only made him chuckle. The ends of her hair were over her mouth, moving in and out with her breath. But despite all that, she looked quite peaceful while she slept.
The Doctor sonicked her one more time, smiled at her sleeping form, and then left her to sleep. He had to gather some things for his Rose. He hummed as he made his way back towards the console room.
“You know where to go.” The Doctor murmured to the air, as he yanked and tugged on levers, rang bells and pushed buttons. The TARDIS whirred, and took off.
--------------
Rose woke with a jolt. It felt as if someone had yanked her awake, slapping her on the face or punching her in the stomach. It wasn’t a kind awakening. She shook herself slightly, suddenly remembering that she didn’t feel so great. It all came rushing back to her. Her head felt heavier than normal, and it felt like she was breathing water. She looked down and poked at her abdomen. It felt like bronchitis, but who knew what alien disease she might have contracted.
Slowly and surely, Rose let her legs hang over the side of the bed, and raised herself to an upright position. The room spun. She slammed her eyes shut, willing the room to still. Moments passed, and she pulled herself to her feet, waiting for her equilibrium to return. Once it did, she opened her eyes once more and made her way - albeit very slowly - to find where the Doctor was.
The hallways seemed shorter, but Rose chalked that up to the TARDIS knowing she didn’t feel very well. The ship used their psychic link often, most of the time to help Rose navigate her insides. Rose appreciated it.
The console room seemed to be empty. She didn’t enter it all the way - her balance wasn’t doing so great. With a hand against the wall to steady herself, Rose peered into the room. “Doctor?” Her voice sounded muffled to her ears. She used her free hand to rub at one. She tried again. “Doctor? Doctor, I think you were right. I don’t feel well at all.”
He didn’t answer. She sighed. This was just like him to disappear when she felt awful. She really didn’t feel up to organizing a search party. Rose felt more like collapsing where she was and going back to sleep. But she had started something, and she’d be damned if she didn’t finish it. She turned, slowly, and almost collided head-long into the Doctor himself.
“Rose!” He exclaimed, reaching for his sonic immediately. She almost screamed. How on earth did he walk up behind her so quietly? He held his screwdriver at arm’s length and waved it up and down her body. She watched the movement. He flipped it out and read it, and his mouth fell open. “Ah. We better hurry.”
She stared at him, but she felt like her eyes weren’t really focusing all too well. She blinked, but that only made it worse. What was going on? The Doctor nodded. Why was he nodding?
“Eyes going blurry? That happens, I’m afraid. But don’t worry, don’t worry.” He reached for her hand, such a familiar and welcome gesture. Tucking his sonic away, the Doctor put his other hand on the small of her back and guided her through the halls of the TARDIS.
Rose relaxed, trusting the man beside her completely. He hadn’t led her astray so far. She had no idea where they were going; her vision had deteriorated to blobs of color. It was mildly worrying, but once again, Rose trusted the Doctor to put things right. He didn’t seem worried, so she tried her hardest to be relaxed.
The Doctor steered her into a doorway, and fumbled for a moment with the doorknob.
“Doctor?” Rose asked, barely understandable now.
“Shh, Rose.” He whispered, closer than she expected. His breath brushed against her skin. A shiver ran down her spine. He moved his hand up her back, hoping to comfort her. She relaxed into his side. “In here you’ll feel better. Just wait a bit.” All she could see was the orange-red of the TARDIS hallways.
She heard a click, and was gently maneuvered out of the way of the door.
It was as if every sense she had exploded at once.
The room was blurry, of course, but all she could see were splotches of every color known to man, and some that weren’t. Even when she couldn’t clearly see what it was, she knew that it was one of the most beautiful things she had ever seen. And the sounds. It sounded like a river running, like birds chirping, like the most delicate music ever made. The sounds ran together, as if they were all apart of a singular song. The air around her felt warm, but not overpoweringly so. It felt like an embrace - she felt extraordinarily safe in here. Like nothing could ever go wrong.
“What...where are we?” She asked, trying to reach out to feel what surrounded her. She tried to step forward, but the Doctor eased her into what she assumed was a chair. “What is this? What’d you do?”
“We’re in the TARDIS.” The Doctor answered, a smile in his voice. “We never left.” He added, and she could tell without looking at him that he was looking at her that way that only he ever had. With love. With absolute love. Rose smiled, trying to figure out where he was by the sound of his voice. “You’ve got a conglomeration of the Ratican Flu and the common cold. The common cold probably won’t be healed by this, but the only way to knock the Ratican Flu away is by a Sensory Room.”
She raised her eyebrows at him. He laughed.
The Doctor raised his arms, presenting the room to her. “That’s what this is. I gathered all the flowers, the TARDIS did the music and the air. It’s hit every sense you’ve got. Sight, sound, touch.” He knocked them off of his fingers as he listed them.
Rose narrowed her eyes. “You’ve forgotten one.”
He gave her a look. “No, I haven’t.”
“You forgot taste.” She blinked and was surprised to find that her sight was becoming much clearer. She could see definite outlines of things now, not just blobs of color. Rose turned to face The Doctor. He was grinning at her, holding a tray of chocolate-frosted chocolate cupcakes in front of him. She raised her eyebrows, her mouth watering almost immediately.
“I didn’t forget taste, Rose Tyler.” He grinned at her, his smile taking up most of his face. He was proud of himself, that was easy to see. Rose noticed her hearing wasn’t quite so muffled.
“Those are my favorite.” She stated, reaching out for one. A smile graced her face. Her sight was almost back to normal. This room really was a sensory overload. It was almost too much. “How’d you know?”
“I know everything.” He teased, taking a step closer so she could take a cupcake. She took one and wasted no time unwrapping it and sticking half of it in her mouth. Frosting was smeared across her lips, but she licked it off leaving just remnants of brown.
The Doctor watched her for a moment, seemingly unable to look away from her lips. Then she turned her eyes at him, and he blinked, pulling himself out of his trance. Rose held out a cupcake towards him.
“Oh no, I don’t need one...” He murmured, shaking his head.
She furrowed her brows, and in one fluid movement, smooshed the cupcake into his face. Frosting and cake covered the lower half of his face.
He spluttered, trying to move away, but she had him by the tie.
“Rose!”
“You might not need one, but I do.” She murmured softly, standing up and closing the space between them. Her equilibrium seemed to be back in full force. Her sight - clear as day. The Doctor looked around, seemingly for an escape. She had him by the tie, still, and she didn’t appear to be letting go anytime soon. She grinned, almost predatorily at him.
The Doctor let out a small whimper. “This isn’t -”
Rose ignored him and pressed her lips to his. She licked off the frosting.
She pulled away, and the Doctor stared down at her. Rose licked her lips like a satisfied cat.
“That was....quite good, wasn’t it?”
“Stop talking so I can have another.”
“‘m fine, Doctor,” Rose coughed, blinking rapidly. She didn’t look fine. She was pale, flushed in the face and sweating. She kept nodding off, which was worrying as well. Normally, she was good at keeping awake, even when she was tired. No, with that cough and that flush to her face, the Doctor knew what was wrong, 1,844 words
“‘m fine, Doctor,” Rose coughed, blinking rapidly. She didn’t look fine. She was pale, flushed in the face and sweating. She kept nodding off, which was worrying as well. Normally, she was good at keeping awake, even when she was tired. No, with that cough and that flush to her face, the Doctor knew what was wrong.
“You’re sick, Rose.” He answered, giving her a pointed look. They were in the console room. They had just gotten back from one of their frequent adventures; the locals had thought Rose was one of their long-dead Queens come back to life. Everything had gone fine until they decided that she needed to be sent back to the after-life. It was then that he had intervened. They had made it back to the TARDIS just in time.
Now, The Doctor was standing by the console and Rose was curled up on the bench. She shook her head at him, sending her hair flying in every direction.
“‘m fine, just a bit tired.” She smiled, but her eyelids drooped and she had to shake herself a bit to wake up. The Doctor frowned.
“You’re sick, and I’m sending you to bed.” The Doctor pushed off the console with his hands, and moved to stand in front of Rose. He stood there, hands in his pockets, watching her. She whined non-words and tried to push him away. The Doctor dodged her hands and slid his own underneath her and lifted her up off the bench. She continued to whine, but he ignored her.
By the time The Doctor had reached her room, Rose was fast asleep in his arms. He was careful when he laid her down on her bed, pulling the covers up close under her chin. Yanking his sonic out, The Doctor waved it once or twice over her body. The familiar buzz seemed a thousand times louder than it usually was. He winced. He didn’t want to wake her up.
The Doctor didn’t have to worry too much; she seemed to be deep asleep. He inspected his screwdriver; his frown becoming deeper and deeper. His suspicions were right. She was sick. She should have been a bit more bleh than blah, given that there was slight inflammation of the lymph nodes and an aggravation to the sinus membrane. Probably a result of stopping by on Ratican Sul without actually waiting, strictly speaking, for the full boarding process.
On the bright side, The Doctor knew exactly how to treat it. It was going to be time consuming.
She was snoring quite loudly, which only made him chuckle. The ends of her hair were over her mouth, moving in and out with her breath. But despite all that, she looked quite peaceful while she slept.
The Doctor sonicked her one more time, smiled at her sleeping form, and then left her to sleep. He had to gather some things for his Rose. He hummed as he made his way back towards the console room.
“You know where to go.” The Doctor murmured to the air, as he yanked and tugged on levers, rang bells and pushed buttons. The TARDIS whirred, and took off.
--------------
Rose woke with a jolt. It felt as if someone had yanked her awake, slapping her on the face or punching her in the stomach. It wasn’t a kind awakening. She shook herself slightly, suddenly remembering that she didn’t feel so great. It all came rushing back to her. Her head felt heavier than normal, and it felt like she was breathing water. She looked down and poked at her abdomen. It felt like bronchitis, but who knew what alien disease she might have contracted.
Slowly and surely, Rose let her legs hang over the side of the bed, and raised herself to an upright position. The room spun. She slammed her eyes shut, willing the room to still. Moments passed, and she pulled herself to her feet, waiting for her equilibrium to return. Once it did, she opened her eyes once more and made her way - albeit very slowly - to find where the Doctor was.
The hallways seemed shorter, but Rose chalked that up to the TARDIS knowing she didn’t feel very well. The ship used their psychic link often, most of the time to help Rose navigate her insides. Rose appreciated it.
The console room seemed to be empty. She didn’t enter it all the way - her balance wasn’t doing so great. With a hand against the wall to steady herself, Rose peered into the room. “Doctor?” Her voice sounded muffled to her ears. She used her free hand to rub at one. She tried again. “Doctor? Doctor, I think you were right. I don’t feel well at all.”
He didn’t answer. She sighed. This was just like him to disappear when she felt awful. She really didn’t feel up to organizing a search party. Rose felt more like collapsing where she was and going back to sleep. But she had started something, and she’d be damned if she didn’t finish it. She turned, slowly, and almost collided head-long into the Doctor himself.
“Rose!” He exclaimed, reaching for his sonic immediately. She almost screamed. How on earth did he walk up behind her so quietly? He held his screwdriver at arm’s length and waved it up and down her body. She watched the movement. He flipped it out and read it, and his mouth fell open. “Ah. We better hurry.”
She stared at him, but she felt like her eyes weren’t really focusing all too well. She blinked, but that only made it worse. What was going on? The Doctor nodded. Why was he nodding?
“Eyes going blurry? That happens, I’m afraid. But don’t worry, don’t worry.” He reached for her hand, such a familiar and welcome gesture. Tucking his sonic away, the Doctor put his other hand on the small of her back and guided her through the halls of the TARDIS.
Rose relaxed, trusting the man beside her completely. He hadn’t led her astray so far. She had no idea where they were going; her vision had deteriorated to blobs of color. It was mildly worrying, but once again, Rose trusted the Doctor to put things right. He didn’t seem worried, so she tried her hardest to be relaxed.
The Doctor steered her into a doorway, and fumbled for a moment with the doorknob.
“Doctor?” Rose asked, barely understandable now.
“Shh, Rose.” He whispered, closer than she expected. His breath brushed against her skin. A shiver ran down her spine. He moved his hand up her back, hoping to comfort her. She relaxed into his side. “In here you’ll feel better. Just wait a bit.” All she could see was the orange-red of the TARDIS hallways.
She heard a click, and was gently maneuvered out of the way of the door.
It was as if every sense she had exploded at once.
The room was blurry, of course, but all she could see were splotches of every color known to man, and some that weren’t. Even when she couldn’t clearly see what it was, she knew that it was one of the most beautiful things she had ever seen. And the sounds. It sounded like a river running, like birds chirping, like the most delicate music ever made. The sounds ran together, as if they were all apart of a singular song. The air around her felt warm, but not overpoweringly so. It felt like an embrace - she felt extraordinarily safe in here. Like nothing could ever go wrong.
“What...where are we?” She asked, trying to reach out to feel what surrounded her. She tried to step forward, but the Doctor eased her into what she assumed was a chair. “What is this? What’d you do?”
“We’re in the TARDIS.” The Doctor answered, a smile in his voice. “We never left.” He added, and she could tell without looking at him that he was looking at her that way that only he ever had. With love. With absolute love. Rose smiled, trying to figure out where he was by the sound of his voice. “You’ve got a conglomeration of the Ratican Flu and the common cold. The common cold probably won’t be healed by this, but the only way to knock the Ratican Flu away is by a Sensory Room.”
She raised her eyebrows at him. He laughed.
The Doctor raised his arms, presenting the room to her. “That’s what this is. I gathered all the flowers, the TARDIS did the music and the air. It’s hit every sense you’ve got. Sight, sound, touch.” He knocked them off of his fingers as he listed them.
Rose narrowed her eyes. “You’ve forgotten one.”
He gave her a look. “No, I haven’t.”
“You forgot taste.” She blinked and was surprised to find that her sight was becoming much clearer. She could see definite outlines of things now, not just blobs of color. Rose turned to face The Doctor. He was grinning at her, holding a tray of chocolate-frosted chocolate cupcakes in front of him. She raised her eyebrows, her mouth watering almost immediately.
“I didn’t forget taste, Rose Tyler.” He grinned at her, his smile taking up most of his face. He was proud of himself, that was easy to see. Rose noticed her hearing wasn’t quite so muffled.
“Those are my favorite.” She stated, reaching out for one. A smile graced her face. Her sight was almost back to normal. This room really was a sensory overload. It was almost too much. “How’d you know?”
“I know everything.” He teased, taking a step closer so she could take a cupcake. She took one and wasted no time unwrapping it and sticking half of it in her mouth. Frosting was smeared across her lips, but she licked it off leaving just remnants of brown.
The Doctor watched her for a moment, seemingly unable to look away from her lips. Then she turned her eyes at him, and he blinked, pulling himself out of his trance. Rose held out a cupcake towards him.
“Oh no, I don’t need one...” He murmured, shaking his head.
She furrowed her brows, and in one fluid movement, smooshed the cupcake into his face. Frosting and cake covered the lower half of his face.
He spluttered, trying to move away, but she had him by the tie.
“Rose!”
“You might not need one, but I do.” She murmured softly, standing up and closing the space between them. Her equilibrium seemed to be back in full force. Her sight - clear as day. The Doctor looked around, seemingly for an escape. She had him by the tie, still, and she didn’t appear to be letting go anytime soon. She grinned, almost predatorily at him.
The Doctor let out a small whimper. “This isn’t -”
Rose ignored him and pressed her lips to his. She licked off the frosting.
She pulled away, and the Doctor stared down at her. Rose licked her lips like a satisfied cat.
“That was....quite good, wasn’t it?”
“Stop talking so I can have another.”