(no subject)
Missing Stardust, TenII/Rose, PG
Rose could only watch this man talking about shoes. Whenever she had imagined being reunited with him she definitely didn’t think he’d be talking about shopping. Or have one heart, but her brain was still trying to catch up on the fact he was here., 1,274
The messy bed mocked her. It told her she was foolish for believing that it was possible for him to change. For him to stay in one place. It let her know that two years of her life had been wasted on an impossible dream. It said she should live the rest of her life alone and heartbroken.
Rose sat down on the bed and pulled the pillow into her lap. She took a quick sniff and felt tears prick her eyes as she found she could still smell him. Well, really a mixture of the him, now in the other universe, and this new him. That scent she once decided was what stardust had to smell like, a bit of cologne she couldn’t identify, hair gel, sweat and everything else that made up his particular odor. It was on this pillow, on this bed and would linger in the room until she cleaned.
“Doctor,” she whispered and clutched the pillow tightly.
Then a door closed with a bit of a slam in another part of her flat. She vaguely registered it as the front door and desperately hoped it wasn’t her mother. Rose didn’t need Jackie Tyler on top of this.
“There you are. Thought you’d still be in bed. You were rather dead to the world when I looked in earlier.”
Rose’s eyes widened as she stared at the Doctor in his blue suit, that definitely needed a washing, standing in the doorway of this room. The room she had sent him to the night before. He was peeling a banana and watching her with interest.
“You’re here,” Rose said.
“Well, I’m back. Woke up about two hours ago feeling quite peckish. Apparently it’s a necessity to eat now. Used to eat just to be polite or because I was rundown. Or when you had chips. You still eat chips, yeah?”
She nodded.
“Good. You’ll have to buy some then. After you get me some clothes. I know enough about humans to appreciate the fact you lot change clothes daily. I’ll definitely need some suits. And another pair of shoes. Different colors though. I could get the color spectrum. Do you think they make Chucks in indigo? I’d ask for purple, but indigo is more interesting.”
Rose could only watch this man talking about shoes. Whenever she had imagined being reunited with him she definitely didn’t think he’d be talking about shopping. Or have one heart, but her brain was still trying to catch up on the fact he was here.
“And I bought breakfast. Well, technically you bought breakfast. I borrowed a bit of money. Didn’t exactly have any in my pockets. I had a yo-yo, a half-eaten bag of Jelly Babies, a Sonic Screwdriver, my brainy specs and a rubber duck. I’ve no idea where the rubber duck came from, but I put him in the tub. Frankly, though, Rose Tyler, I’m disappointed you didn’t have any bananas. A tin of Spam, but no bananas or much of anything else. I can see why you’re so thin now.”
She frowned uncertain if that was a compliment or an insult.
“Not that you aren’t still beautiful. Quite probably the most gorgeous creature I’ve ever seen in my life and I’ve seen many, many things. You’ve just lost a few curves. I’ll miss them, but I’m sure you still feel very soft in all the right places. And I should really stop talking because that look you’re giving me is a definitely not one you’ve given me before. So, tell me what’s on your mind on this wonderful morning, Rose Tyler?”
“You’re here,” Rose responded.
“Yes. Only left for a moment.” He furrowed his brow. “Should I have left a note?”
“You didn’t leave.”
“As I said, just went out for a spot of breakfast.” He tucked his banana peel into his pants pocket then walked over to Rose. He placed a hand on her forehead. “You’re not sick, are you? I’d hate for the second day of the rest of our lives together to be marred by illness, but if you’re not feeling well then it’s my duty to make sure you get back to perfect health. I did promise your mum a number of years ago to take care of you. In sickness and in health, I suppose.”
He squatted down and peered into her eyes. She felt her breath catch at his gaze. His hands went to the sides of her neck.
“Well, your throat doesn’t seem to be swollen and your temperature appears to be normal. Did you eat or drink anything you shouldn’t have in your universe jumping?”
“Doctor.”
“Yes, Rose?”
“Stop it.”
“Oh.” He removed his hands and straightened. The Doctor stood still for only a second before his right hand started to rub the back of his neck. “Rose?”
“Yes?”
“Are you feeling…?”
“I thought you were gone!” Rose interrupted as she jumped to her feet still clutching the pillow. “The bed was empty and all I could think was that you’d either gone or I dreamt it all. Then you come in talking about rubber ducks and shoes and how I’ve gotten thinner. And it’s almost too much. I’m now worried when you'll start thinking the novelty of it all has warn off and actually not return.”
“That won’t happen,” the Doctor told her firmly.
“How do I know that?” Rose asked. “You’ve left me so many times that I’m barely sure which way is up anymore.”
“Rose, this is it,” the Doctor stated. He gestured between them. “This right here is it. The only way I’m leaving is if you tell me to. I’m sorry if I managed to make you doubt me this morning, but for the rest of our lives I’m going to make sure you never feel like that again.” He took her by the shoulders, gently squeezing them and giving her a soft look. “I’m always going to be here. I’m going to love you, embarrass you in front of people you may or may not know and annoy your mum. I’m going to make sure you buy jam and bananas. I’ll complain about shopping. You are not getting rid of me, Rose Tyler, without a fight.”
She gave him a watery smile.
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
He kissed her forehead before pulling her into his chest.
“I do have a question though,” he murmured into her hair.
“What?”
“Why are you holding my pillow? Is it some human custom I’m not aware of?”
“I was just…” Rose mulled over the words in her head. “I was just enjoying the stardust.”
“Ah. I see.”
Rose grinned into his shirt.
“Actually, I don’t,” he continued after a moment. “Will you explain it to me?”
“Some day,” Rose told him. “Today is the second day of the rest of our lives and I’d rather play with your rubber ducky.”
He looked down at Rose curiously who was smiling up at him.
“Was that a euphemism or do you really want to play with the duck?”
“Both,” Rose answered.
The Doctor’s grin was bright.
“Oh, that’s brilliant, Rose Tyler. Just brilliant. An excellent way to spend the day.”
“I thought so too.”
“But we do need jam,” the Doctor said.
Rose sighed and buried her face back into his chest.
Rose could only watch this man talking about shoes. Whenever she had imagined being reunited with him she definitely didn’t think he’d be talking about shopping. Or have one heart, but her brain was still trying to catch up on the fact he was here., 1,274
The messy bed mocked her. It told her she was foolish for believing that it was possible for him to change. For him to stay in one place. It let her know that two years of her life had been wasted on an impossible dream. It said she should live the rest of her life alone and heartbroken.
Rose sat down on the bed and pulled the pillow into her lap. She took a quick sniff and felt tears prick her eyes as she found she could still smell him. Well, really a mixture of the him, now in the other universe, and this new him. That scent she once decided was what stardust had to smell like, a bit of cologne she couldn’t identify, hair gel, sweat and everything else that made up his particular odor. It was on this pillow, on this bed and would linger in the room until she cleaned.
“Doctor,” she whispered and clutched the pillow tightly.
Then a door closed with a bit of a slam in another part of her flat. She vaguely registered it as the front door and desperately hoped it wasn’t her mother. Rose didn’t need Jackie Tyler on top of this.
“There you are. Thought you’d still be in bed. You were rather dead to the world when I looked in earlier.”
Rose’s eyes widened as she stared at the Doctor in his blue suit, that definitely needed a washing, standing in the doorway of this room. The room she had sent him to the night before. He was peeling a banana and watching her with interest.
“You’re here,” Rose said.
“Well, I’m back. Woke up about two hours ago feeling quite peckish. Apparently it’s a necessity to eat now. Used to eat just to be polite or because I was rundown. Or when you had chips. You still eat chips, yeah?”
She nodded.
“Good. You’ll have to buy some then. After you get me some clothes. I know enough about humans to appreciate the fact you lot change clothes daily. I’ll definitely need some suits. And another pair of shoes. Different colors though. I could get the color spectrum. Do you think they make Chucks in indigo? I’d ask for purple, but indigo is more interesting.”
Rose could only watch this man talking about shoes. Whenever she had imagined being reunited with him she definitely didn’t think he’d be talking about shopping. Or have one heart, but her brain was still trying to catch up on the fact he was here.
“And I bought breakfast. Well, technically you bought breakfast. I borrowed a bit of money. Didn’t exactly have any in my pockets. I had a yo-yo, a half-eaten bag of Jelly Babies, a Sonic Screwdriver, my brainy specs and a rubber duck. I’ve no idea where the rubber duck came from, but I put him in the tub. Frankly, though, Rose Tyler, I’m disappointed you didn’t have any bananas. A tin of Spam, but no bananas or much of anything else. I can see why you’re so thin now.”
She frowned uncertain if that was a compliment or an insult.
“Not that you aren’t still beautiful. Quite probably the most gorgeous creature I’ve ever seen in my life and I’ve seen many, many things. You’ve just lost a few curves. I’ll miss them, but I’m sure you still feel very soft in all the right places. And I should really stop talking because that look you’re giving me is a definitely not one you’ve given me before. So, tell me what’s on your mind on this wonderful morning, Rose Tyler?”
“You’re here,” Rose responded.
“Yes. Only left for a moment.” He furrowed his brow. “Should I have left a note?”
“You didn’t leave.”
“As I said, just went out for a spot of breakfast.” He tucked his banana peel into his pants pocket then walked over to Rose. He placed a hand on her forehead. “You’re not sick, are you? I’d hate for the second day of the rest of our lives together to be marred by illness, but if you’re not feeling well then it’s my duty to make sure you get back to perfect health. I did promise your mum a number of years ago to take care of you. In sickness and in health, I suppose.”
He squatted down and peered into her eyes. She felt her breath catch at his gaze. His hands went to the sides of her neck.
“Well, your throat doesn’t seem to be swollen and your temperature appears to be normal. Did you eat or drink anything you shouldn’t have in your universe jumping?”
“Doctor.”
“Yes, Rose?”
“Stop it.”
“Oh.” He removed his hands and straightened. The Doctor stood still for only a second before his right hand started to rub the back of his neck. “Rose?”
“Yes?”
“Are you feeling…?”
“I thought you were gone!” Rose interrupted as she jumped to her feet still clutching the pillow. “The bed was empty and all I could think was that you’d either gone or I dreamt it all. Then you come in talking about rubber ducks and shoes and how I’ve gotten thinner. And it’s almost too much. I’m now worried when you'll start thinking the novelty of it all has warn off and actually not return.”
“That won’t happen,” the Doctor told her firmly.
“How do I know that?” Rose asked. “You’ve left me so many times that I’m barely sure which way is up anymore.”
“Rose, this is it,” the Doctor stated. He gestured between them. “This right here is it. The only way I’m leaving is if you tell me to. I’m sorry if I managed to make you doubt me this morning, but for the rest of our lives I’m going to make sure you never feel like that again.” He took her by the shoulders, gently squeezing them and giving her a soft look. “I’m always going to be here. I’m going to love you, embarrass you in front of people you may or may not know and annoy your mum. I’m going to make sure you buy jam and bananas. I’ll complain about shopping. You are not getting rid of me, Rose Tyler, without a fight.”
She gave him a watery smile.
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
He kissed her forehead before pulling her into his chest.
“I do have a question though,” he murmured into her hair.
“What?”
“Why are you holding my pillow? Is it some human custom I’m not aware of?”
“I was just…” Rose mulled over the words in her head. “I was just enjoying the stardust.”
“Ah. I see.”
Rose grinned into his shirt.
“Actually, I don’t,” he continued after a moment. “Will you explain it to me?”
“Some day,” Rose told him. “Today is the second day of the rest of our lives and I’d rather play with your rubber ducky.”
He looked down at Rose curiously who was smiling up at him.
“Was that a euphemism or do you really want to play with the duck?”
“Both,” Rose answered.
The Doctor’s grin was bright.
“Oh, that’s brilliant, Rose Tyler. Just brilliant. An excellent way to spend the day.”
“I thought so too.”
“But we do need jam,” the Doctor said.
Rose sighed and buried her face back into his chest.