Title: Lessons Learned

Author: Froxyn

Show: Doctor Who

Pairing: Rose/Ten

Rating: FRAO

Timeline: Between Tooth and Claw and School Reunion.

Synopsis: Rose and the Doctor are learning more things about the new him.

Author’s Note: This is a follow up to Same but Different, occurring three linear weeks after. Thank you to fairygothmum for the beta!

Rose smiled as she watched the Doctor fumble with a walnut that he’d pulled from the bag that Jackie had given them on their last trip to London. “The left side of your face has more freckles.”

“What?” He asked, furrowing his brow at the nut and reaching into his pocket.

“You have freckles. The new new you, I mean.” Rolling her eyes as he pulled his sonic screwdriver from his pocket, she reached over and snatched the walnut from his hand.

“Oi! That’s...” He trailed off as she pressed the nut between the heels of her palms, arching an eyebrow when he heard the gentle crack of the shell. “I have a setting for that.”

“Of course you do.” Rose chuckled, carefully peeling the shell away and offering him the nut. “But, why use it if you don’t have to?”

He popped the walnut into his mouth, giving her a curious look as he chewed. “What do you mean?”

“You use the screwdriver more than the old you did.” As his eyes narrowed slightly, she quickly continued. “Not that that’s a bad thing. It’s just...one of the different things about you. Remember? We’re supposed to be learning about the new you? And this is part of the new you...kinda like the freckles.”

He swallowed the walnut and allowed the corner of his mouth to twitch into a crooked smile. “What’s this about freckles?”

“You have them.” Rose answered, picking up another walnut and cracking it open. “And you have more on the left side of your face than the right.”

“Is that a problem?” He asked, leaning forward and resting his elbows on the table.

“Nope. It’s just you. Kinda like how your left ear is a bit – ”

“Hey!” The Doctor interrupted her with a glare that didn’t really convey any annoyance. “We were supposed to be learning about me, not pointing out all the things that are wrong with me.”

Rose laughed and reached over to run her fingers along the cartilage of his left ear that was a bit more curved than the right. “Didn’t say it was wrong, Doctor. In fact, I think it’s so very you.”

“So very me?” He sighed, leaning into her touch as he gazed into her eyes.

“Yeah.” She nodded, covering his ear with her hand as she stroked his sideburn with her thumb. “Unique...that’s you.”

“Rose...”

She dropped her hand and smiled as she blushed lightly. “You’re right-handed...”

His eyes darted to her lips before he exhaled slowly and sat back in his chair. “I was right-handed before.”

“Yeah, but you’re like...really right-handed this time.”

He grinned and reached up with his left hand to loosen his tie. She laughed at the fastidious manner in which he performed the task...as if he was proving to her that he was more than capable of using his left hand as well as his right.

“Idiot...”

“Well, that’s nothing new either, is it?” He leaned forward once again, propping his hand against his chin as he looked at her. “What other differences have you noticed?”

“You mean other than the differences in appearance, yeah?”

He nodded slowly, chin still in the palm of his hand. “Yeah... ‘cause this isn’t about cosmetics.”

She paused for just a moment, glancing at his fingers as they tapped absently against his cheek. “You seem to enjoy life more. That’s one of the biggest things I’ve noticed.”

His fingers stopped their tapping. “You think I didn’t enjoy life before?”

“No...I mean, yeah...you did. It’s just...you laugh more. And when you laugh, it shows in your eyes. You show your emotions in your eyes. Even when you’re trying to hide them, I can still see that you’re not okay when you say you are when you’re really not. It was harder when your eyes were blue. They’re...warmer now.”

“Maybe that has to do with you.” He replied softly.

She shook her head and offered him a gentle smile. “No...it’s you. What’s a change that you’ve noticed?”

The tapping of his fingers resumed. “Well...I see things differently now. It’s like I connect more than I used to. Maybe ‘connect’ is the wrong word to use. More like...I feel things at a deeper level. People’s emotions affect me more. It bothers me now when Jackie looks sad when you say goodbye at the end of a visit. Because...I can feel how much she loves you and..misses you. You know...when you’re gone. Maybe I’m more emotional.”

Rose merely stared at him for a few seconds and then sighed. “Maybe you are. If you are, I think it’s a good thing and...I think ‘connect’ is the right word.”

The corners of his eyes crinkled as he grinned at her and she felt her heart skip a beat. Running her hand through her hair, she offered her next observation.

“Bananas and marmalade. You hate pears, but you love bananas. And you eat an obscene amount of marmalade on toast...where you used to just have butter.”

“I used to like bananas.” He offered quietly, fighting the urge to reach over and comb his fingers through her hair.

“Yeah, but now you love them.” She licked her suddenly dry lips and exhaled a slow breath. “Your turn again.”

“I like words. I like the way they feel...especially words that I’m saying for the first time with this mouth. And then I find it a bit disconcerting when I use a word that I used to use...and it doesn’t feel right anymore. But, then there’s the fun of finding a word to use to replace it. Like...using ‘brilliant’ instead of ‘fantastic’.”

“Sometimes I miss ‘fantastic’...but, it doesn’t sound right when you say it.” Rose admitted, but not in a tone that made him think that she was sad over the fact.

His eyes sparkled as he reached over to cover her hand with his. “It’s the teeth. Teeth are different...makes things feel weird sometimes.”

“Hands are different too.” She stated, lowering her eyes to their hands. “But...they don’t feel weird.”

“No?” He asked as he ran his fingertips along the back of her hand.

She turned her hand under his, pressing their palms together. “No...they fit. See?”

He nodded, but said nothing. She bit her lip, obviously contemplating a thought. And then she stood up, moving to the chair next to his...turning her hand under his as she did. When she sat back down, she laced their fingers together and took a deep breath.

“They fit better like this...even though your fingers are longer.”

“I like the new me, Rose.” He stated as he gently squeezed her fingers and turned his head to look at her. “I like the man I am now...and I’m the man I am now because of you.”

“What?” She whispered in a surprised tone.

He gave her a shy smile and leaned over to press a tender kiss to her forehead. “I should go check on things...we’ve been in this orbit for a while now. She’ll get bored...”

And then he carefully pulled his hand from hers, gliding his lips along her cheek before pushing his chair back and standing up. She offered him an understanding smile as she gave him a nod.

“Can’t have a bored TARDIS. There’s no telling what she’d do...”

He chuckled as he scratched the back of his head. “Throw us into the Asterian Galaxy just to liven things up...she’s done it before.”

Rose’s eyes widened slightly as she stood up. “What’s the Asterian Galaxy?”

“Ever been on a rollercoaster?”

Before she could answer, he reached out and threaded his fingers through her hair as he captured her lips in a warm kiss.

It was then that she was sure that this session of ‘Who exactly is this Doctor?’ had concluded. Their sessions, of which this had been the fifth in the past three weeks, always ended the same...with a kiss that was meant to soothe their underlying concerns of what they were uncovering about him.

As usual, what was meant to soothe had the opposite effect on both of them...especially when her tongue would slip between his lips. And that happened more often than not.

Also as usual, he pulled away before all control was lost...even though the desire shone clearly in his dark eyes. She could feel the tremble in his thumb as he gently stroked her bottom lip while he resumed his nearly forgotten explanation of the Asterian Galaxy.

That was something else that was new. She had never felt the old him tremble.

She’d be sure to bring that up in the next session. Right now, she was more than happy to let him take her hand and lead her out of this room...leaving walnuts spread out over the table. She laughed as he briskly walked down the hall that led to the console room, eyes shining with barely concealed excitement as he rambled on about a galaxy that few dared to enter.

Few...with the exception of the TARDIS. When she was bored.

* * *

The Doctor smiled as he glanced at the monitor. He’d landed thirty minutes earlier, hoping that Rose would enjoy the adventure he’d planned for them. Not that it was as exciting as their last one...after all, how can you top a werewolf? But, still...he thought that maybe a hike through the Frozen Fire Forest would be...fun. Especially if they came across the tribe of beings that protected the forest from danger.

He couldn’t wait to tell her about it. But, he would. He’d wait...until she woke up. He’d sent her off to bed a few hours before.

Rose had tried to deny that she was sleepy. Even as she had yawned and even when she hadn’t been able to tell him what he’d just said to her, she had denied it. He had laughed and pulled her out of the jumpseat, playfully nudging her towards the hallway with a promise for something new and exciting in the morning.

After briefly considering arguing with him, she had decided that maybe he was right. And with a hug and a kiss, she had whispered ‘goodnight’ and taken herself to her room.

Though he had tried to make the landing as smooth as possible, he was still only one Time Lord flying a ship made for six pilots. But, the fact that she hadn’t wandered back into the console room told him that she was still asleep.

He scratched the back of his head and didn’t bother hiding his yawn. There was no one to see it anyway. Reaching over, he turned the monitor off before running his fingertips along the coral control panel.

“G’night, sweetheart.” He whispered, grinning as he leaned over to flip a lever when the TARDIS hummed. “As if I’d forget the perception filter. Keep us safe, yeah?”

The lights dimmed in the room, the green lights in the rotor casting a glow that would seem eerie to most people. But, for the Doctor...the light was warm and comforting as his ship bid him goodnight.

He unbuttoned his jacket as he stepped into the hallway and loosened his tie as he started the walk to the bedrooms. He was never sure how long it would take him to get to his bedroom...the TARDIS had a tendency to move it now and then, just for laughs.

A cheeky girl, his ship. No wonder she seemed to approve of Rose more than she had any of his previous companions.

The Doctor chuckled to himself, thinking that the two of them would be more than a match for him if they ever decided to team up against him. And then his chuckle ended abruptly as a thought flashed in his head.

They had teamed up together once before.

And the end result of that union was him.

He paused in the hallway, jaw clenching and releasing as that thought continued at breakneck speed.

He had sent Rose home to London...to save her life. He had sent her in the TARDIS, sure that he’d never see either one of them again. And he had basically told her...to just let the TARDIS die.

Neither of them had listened to him.

Rose had done everything she could to gain control of the TARDIS. But, she wouldn’t have been able to succeed if the TARDIS hadn’t trusted Rose. The TARDIS had looked into Rose...had seen Rose’s reasons for coming back for him.

The ship knew that Rose was sacrificing herself to save the Doctor...and the ship also knew that the Doctor would sacrifice himself to save Rose. And knowing that they’d both live, thanks to the regeneration capabilities of Time Lords, the TARDIS had allowed Rose to look into her heart.

They had teamed together.

To save him.

The Doctor swallowed hard and wondered why that particular thought hadn’t formed in his mind before. And then he wondered if Rose felt guilt...if looking at him, the new new him, made her feel guilty.

Because if it did...that was something that they were going to have to talk about.

He glanced at the door he had stopped in front of, not really surprised to find that it was the door to Rose’s room. He briefly considered going in and waking her up to talk. He even wrapped his fingers around the doorknob to do just that.

And then...he shook his head and dropped his hand from the knob.

Rose needed her sleep. He needed a shower...and then he needed to follow that with sleep, as well. Rose had laughed at him one time, wondering how two hours worth of sleep could do him any good at all. But, he was a Time Lord...and two hours was all that he required.

And so, he’d let Rose sleep...he’d sleep...and he’d ask her about his latest concern in the morning. And then he’d take her through the Frozen Fire Forest.

With a heavy sigh, he raked his fingers through his hair and made his way to the nearest shower...noticing that the TARDIS had moved his room just two doors down. Much better than the half-mile she had moved it once before.

He gave a soft laugh and stepped into the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

* * *

The Doctor felt refreshed and ready for sleep as he walked into his room, one towel around his waist as his vigorously rubbed his hair with another. He glanced at his bed and stopped suddenly, arching his eyebrow as he lowered the towel from his head.

“What are you doing up?”

Rose shrugged a shoulder, eyes trained on a loose thread on the cuff of the robe she was wearing. “Couldn’t sleep...couldn’t find you. Figured you’d...” She paused as she looked up, eyes widening at his appearance. “Oh...uh...”

“What?” He furrowed his brow and then glanced down. “Oh! Um...shower...sorry, I’ll just – ”

“You have freckles on your chest.” She interrupted, a smile playing at her lips.

“Guess I’m just a freckly kinda guy, huh?” He replied, smiling back as he crossed the room...tossing the towel he’d used on his hair into a hamper. “Are you okay? I mean...you normally don’t have trouble sleeping.”

“Yeah, I guess I was just thinking too much.” She watched him as he rifled through a yellow box on top of his dresser. “What are you doing?”

“Socks...” He looked over at her and grinned as he pulled a pair of blue socks out of the box.

“Why don’t you keep them in the dresser?”

He stared at her...as if the answer should be perfectly obvious. “Because I keep them in the yellow box.”

Rose rolled her eyes. “Yeah, but...why?”

“Because that’s where they go. Yellow box, socks. See? It rhymes and everything.”

She snorted and glanced purposely at the blue box on the other side of the dresser. “And ‘blue box, socks’ doesn’t rhyme?”

“Well...yeah, it does, but...the blue one is for screws. Which rhymes as well...blue box, screw box.”

“You have a box of screws...in your room...on your dresser?”

“Yep, in a blue box.” The Doctor smiled, tossing the pair of socks onto the bed before opening his closet door. “What were you thinking too much about?”

“What? Oh...” She narrowed her eyes when he pulled out a clean suit. “You’re getting dressed?”

“Yeah...after I wake up. I just like to have my clothes ready. Are you going to keep asking me questions or are you actually going to answer mine?” He replied, closing the closet door and hanging the suit on the doorknob.

She watched as he grabbed a pair of pajama pants from the second dresser drawer. She stopped herself from commenting on the fact that the dresser was good enough for his jim-jams.

“Your eyes.”

He ran his hand through his still-damp hair and wiped the moisture from his hand onto the towel around his waist. “My eyes?”

Rose nodded, her gaze following the movement of his hand against the thick green towel. “When I think of you...the first thing I see are your eyes. Brown, not blue.”

“Yeah?” He asked with a shy smile.

She returned his smile as she met his eyes, pushing herself off the bed and walking over to him. “Yeah. It’s you I see, Doctor.”

He looked down as she gently pulled the pajama pants from his hand. “Well...that’s – ”

“You.” She reiterated, dropping the pants to the floor as she looked up at him. “The new new you. Brown, not blue.”

“Oh...” He whispered, letting her words play around in his head for a minute. His eyes widened when he finally grasped her meaning. “Oh!”

Rose chuckled and placed her palm on his chest, directly between his hearts. “Have you caught up now?”

He swallowed thickly and gave her a slight nod. “I believe so...”

She rubbed her fingertips against his skin as she bit her bottom lip. “I need you to be sure, Doctor.”

“Well...” He started, fighting the urge to close his eyes.

“I need you to know that it’s you I see. It’s you I think about. It’s you I...want.” She said softly, leaning forward to place a soft kiss next to her thumb. “Tall, freckly, sonic screwdriver addicted, rude not ginger, pear hating you.”

“Rose...” He whispered, licking his suddenly dry lips as she took a step back. His mouth dropped open as she untied the belt on her robe, exposing her body to him as the material parted. “Blimey...”

She smiled nervously as his gaze roamed over her body, pausing on her breasts as he stepped forward. “Blimey?”

“Good blimey.” He murmured, reaching out to trace the lapel of the robe with his fingers. “You’re...oh, you’re beautiful, Rose.”

“So are you.” Her fingers found his chest again as she glanced down, the thick green towel unable to hide his body’s reaction to her. She pressed another kiss to his chest as her hand slid down his stomach. “Can I see you?”

He gasped as her fingers lightly circled his navel. “Oh, yes...”

She slipped the fingers of her right hand under the towel, grasping the end that he’d tucked in to hold it around his waist. Lifting her eyes to his, she grinned and licked her lips.

“Anything I should be aware of?”

“What?” He asked breathlessly, gently pushing the robe off her left shoulder.

“You know...alien parts or anything?” She asked playfully.

“Oh...” He swallowed and averted his eyes from hers. “I...forgot...”

“Doctor?” She asked, suddenly wondering exactly how alien his parts were.

Hearing the concern in her voice, he shook his head and laughed. “Sorry...I just couldn’t resist. It’s as humanoid as the rest of me...”

She gave him a scowl and stepped back. “That wasn’t funny...”

His laughter ebbed. “Really, I’m sorry, Rose...”

“Do you really think that that would make me feel any different about you?” She asked, shrugging the robe off and letting it drop to the floor.

“I...” His eyes drifted over her curves before returning to her eyes. “What?”

“I’d want you no matter how alien certain parts of you are.” She gestured towards the towel and licked her lips. “Gonna take that off?”

He nodded slowly, fingers pulling at the towel for a second before stopping and staring at her. “We...don’t have to do this, Rose. Not right now, I mean. We can...we can wait, if you want...”

Rose chuckled and climbed onto the bed. “I think this is the first time in ages that I’ve actually thought of you as an alien...”

He exhaled a shaky breath as she stretched out, resting her head on his pillow as she bent her right leg. “What do you mean?”

“There’s a woman...a naked woman...in your bed...” She stated, her voice deepening slightly as she ran her fingers over her stomach...allowing them to come to a rest just below her left breast. “And you’re standing there...in a towel...telling me that we don’t have to do this.”

“Just being polite...nothing alien about that.” His eyes focused on her hand, silently hoping it would continue on its journey and touch her breast. “God, don’t stop, Rose...”

Or...maybe not so silently hoping.

She grinned and stroked the underside of her breast with just the tips of her fingers. “Maybe I want you to touch it instead of me.”

“You do?” He asked, smiling as she gave an exasperated groan.

It was then that she really realized that he knew exactly what he was doing to her...and that she hadn’t been as in control as she thought she had been.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake, Doctor...would you just...stop teasing!”

His eyes sparkled as he sat down on the edge of the bed, lifting his hand to her thigh. “ ‘For fuck’s sake’? Have I ever mentioned how much I actually love hearing that word come out of your mouth?”

“No...you usually tell me to watch my language...” She whispered, covering his hand with hers and moving it further up her thigh.

“Ever wonder why?” His eyes darkened slightly when she moved his hand to her inner thigh.

“Because your new ears are prudish?” She asked teasingly, edging his fingers closer to her goal.

“Prudish?” He shook his head as he pulled his hand away, stifling his chuckle when Rose groaned in disappointment. “Oh, there’s nothing prudish about me, Rose Tyler.”

“Then why?” She asked on a frustrated sigh.

The Doctor smiled and shifted on the bed, leaning over her...close enough that she could feel the slight rise in temperature around her, but not touching her. His breath was warm when he spoke and she could almost taste the mint that she was sure was from the toothpaste he used.

“Because when I hear you say ‘fuck’, that’s exactly what I want to do. And the other day...when you walked into a strut while you were reading a magazine?” He paused until she gave him a slight nod. “I nearly sent the TARDIS through the wall of the vortex because I heard you say ‘fuck me’. And it took everything in me not to push you against that strut and do just that.”

Her eyes widened as she squirmed beneath him. “So...not a pocket of vortex turbulence then?”

“Nope. Just me fumbling around while trying to control my hormones.” He whispered, balancing his weight on his left hand as he brushed the hair back from her face with his right. “I...really don’t feel like controlling them right now, Rose.”

“Do you still love me?”

He furrowed his brow at her softly spoken question. “I’ve never stopped...have I done something to make you think – ”

“No...” She interrupted, sliding her hand to the towel and pulling it free. “It’s just...I love you so much. This you...more than I loved the old you, I think.”

A slow smile appeared on his face, his understanding of her words perfectly clear. “This me loves you more than the old me did...well...the old me loved you, but...maybe it’s ‘different’ and not ‘more’. This me loves you in a different way...well, by different I mean that I’m actually willing to admit that I love you. That I need to love you...that I want you. The old me couldn’t...or wouldn’t...admit how much – ”

“I thought the old you talked a lot. This you proves me wrong on a daily basis.” Rose chuckled softly, interrupting his ramble that she had a feeling would go on for hours if she’d let it. “And as much as I love hearing you talk, there’re other things I’d really rather be doing...”

“Like...” He started, gasping when he felt her warm hand curl around his erection. “Oh...well, yeah...that could be, um...”

“Doctor?” Rose whispered, stroking him once before moving her hand to his hip and smiling as he mumbled a ‘yeah?’. “Aren’t there other things you’d rather be doing?”

He nodded numbly, finally covering her mouth with his as he shifted and slipped his left leg between her thighs.

* * *

Rose wasn’t sure how long he had been kissing her before she felt his hand gently squeeze her left breast. It could’ve been hours or it could’ve been just a few minutes. Odds were that it had only been a few minutes, but time had a way of getting away from her when his tongue was stroking hers.

She moaned into his mouth and then gave a soft sigh of protest when he ended the kiss...his lips still close enough to her skin that she could feel him smile. At some point during the kiss, he had moved until he was resting between her thighs...after which, she had curled her right leg around his left, her heel pressed against the back of his thigh. Her fingers moved along his spine at a maddeningly slow pace as she returned his smile.

“Is this really going to happen?” She whispered softly.

He nodded, his smile growing as he knelt between her legs and reached behind him...carefully uncurling her leg from around his. She started to question him, but then gasped instead when he lifted her foot to his lips.

He placed a soft kiss to the pad of her big toe, his eyes locked with hers. “Unless you change your mind, yeah...” He traced her instep with the tip of his tongue before pressing a warm, open-mouthed kiss on the heel. “Are you changing your mind?”

She shook her head, watching him through passion-glazed eyes as his lips continued to move over her foot. Mickey had started to suck her toes one time...such a long time ago now...but, it had done nothing to turn her on. Now, watching the Doctor...her Doctor...wrap his lips around her second toe...

“Oh, God...” She whimpered, fingers clutching the duvet beneath her.

“I want to taste you, Rose.” He whispered, lust dripping from his words. “I want to know how each part of you tastes...”

“Huh?” She choked out between gasps as he flattened his tongue against her heel and dragged it along her sole back to her toes.

He nipped at her big toe before covering the prominent protrusion on her inner ankle, swirling his tongue over the skin covering her ankle bone. His eyes sparkled as she groaned again and he pulled his mouth away from her skin.

“I have every intention of running my tongue all over your body...are you okay with that?”

Words filtered through her mind. Words that included teasing him about his seemingly compulsive need to taste things...a pot of blood, a door coated with mistletoe-infused varnish - just to name a couple. But those words never made it to her lips. Instead, she curled her fingers tighter into the duvet and licked her kiss-swollen lips as she nodded frantically.

“Oh...God, yeah...”

He smiled brightly, his thumb rubbing small circles against the middle of her sole. “As you know...I’m a curious kind of guy. It’s in my nature...a Time Lord’s nature...to want to learn. And while I appreciate a good book as much as my previous incarnation...I’m more of a hands-on kind of guy. Or...” He licked his lips, grinning as the movement drew her eyes to his mouth. “...a tongue-on kind of guy, as it were.”

“Doctor...”

“Fuck, I want you, Rose.” He whispered thickly, tightening his fingers around her foot as her eyes widened. “You like hearing me say it too.”

“Yeah...” She swallowed hard and glanced at his cock, thick and hard...and not at all alien-looking. “Wanna touch you...”

He placed a sucking kiss on the inside of her calf as he looked down at her left leg...bent at the knee and trembling slightly. “You want to touch me...while I’m tasting you?”

She nodded silently, inhaling sharply as he lowered his right hand to her left knee. He shifted closer to her...fingers gripping her knee as he swallowed. He watched as her hand moved towards his erection, gently lowering her right leg as he exhaled a shaky breath.

“Rose...” He breathed as her fingers wrapped around him, his eyes darting to hers.

She watched his eyes darken and glaze as she bent her right leg to mirror her left. She thought she’d never seen anything so arousing as him kneeling between her legs, eyes dark and full of desire for her, his hands on her knees...she wondered if that was the only thing actually holding him up at the moment.

“What happened to the tasting?” She whispered as she smiled up at him, rubbing her thumb over the head of his cock.

A small smile played at his lips. “Just deciding what to taste next...”

“Hard decision?” She grinned, giving his cock a firm stroke.

He hissed, eyes closing briefly as he thrust forward...her knees brushing against his hips. “Yes...”

She glanced at his hands and quickly lowered her legs, throwing him off balance. His eyes snapped open as he fell forward, slamming his hands against the mattress either side of her waist to keep from falling on top of her.

“What the hell?” He gasped, furrowing his brow as she laughed softly. “Rose?”

Reaching up with her free hand, she wrapped her hand around the back of his neck and pulled him down. “Just helping you make your decision...”

When she tilted her head to the side, he understood. She was sure she heard him murmur a curse as his mouth latched onto her neck. She wasn’t sure what he’d said, but the tone in which he’d said it was enough to make her want to wrap her legs around him and beg him to fuck her.

So, she did.

And the result was a hard suck at the junction of her neck and shoulder, a scrape of his teeth against her skin, a buck of his hips against her hand...followed closely by a loud groan from her lips, a rake of her nails against the back of his neck, and a hungry plea for more.

He felt her shift her hips, move her hand to guide his cock into position. In an effort to stop her, to prolong their tasting and touching phase, he rolled onto his back and pulled her with him.

It didn’t take him long to realize his error. It took her even less time to push herself up, one hand on his chest as she sank onto his erection.

For a moment, there was silence...wide eyes, pounding hearts. And then he slid his trembling hands up her thighs and thought about scolding her for her impatience. But, then she sighed and whispered a soft ‘sorry’.

The light scold that was on his tongue gave way to a worry that she wasn’t ready for this...that everything had moved too fast...that she had made a mistake. Before he could say anything, she offered him a smile and continued with her soft whisper.

“Can we finish the tasting and touching thing later?”

He merely stared at her for a second before moving his hands back to the bed and pushing himself up. And then he returned her smile, leaning into her and capturing her lips in a tender kiss as she draped her arms over his shoulders.

He kissed her slowly, exploring her mouth with his tongue as she started to rock her hips against him as much as she could in their current position...which wasn’t all that much. In fact, it was just enough to turn her on even more, but offer little relief.

Tearing her mouth from his, she took a deep breath and ran her fingers through his incredibly mussed and still damp hair. “You need to lay back down...”

“I do?” He mumbled, brushing his lips across her chin as he started to move with her.

“Yeah...” She groaned softly, tilting her head back.

He placed a line of kisses down the front of her throat, pausing to flick his tongue around the hollow.

“Why?” He whispered against her skin before continuing his kisses along her collarbone.

“Doctor, I...need...” She gasped, hands gripping his shoulders as she tried to increase her pace.

When she gave a slightly frustrated groan, he understood. “You need more...”

“Don’t you?” She asked, meeting his eyes as she traced his lips with her thumb.

“Yeah...” He whispered, suddenly realizing that he did need more. “Oh, yes...Rose...”

With a hand on his chest, she gently pushed him back down. As he fell back against the bed, his hands moved to her hips. He swallowed hard as he stared up at her...her hair partly covering her eyes, her skin pink with arousal and damp with sweat, her nipples hard and begging to be touched.

His left hand moved from her hip, gliding up over her ribcage until it brushed the side of her breast. He gazed into her eyes as his hand covered her firm flesh, palm pressing against her nipple and causing her to groan in pleasure.

“Take what you need, Rose...” He whispered, his right hand gripping her hip tightly. “Take what you need from me.”

Her brow furrowed even as her back arched, pressing her breast harder against his hand. “But...you...”

He spread his hand just enough to allow her nipple to slip between his index and middle fingers. Squeezing the swollen nub as he thrust his hips up against her, he grinned.

“Trust me...I’ll take what I need as well...”

“I love you.” She whispered, returning his grin when she felt him twitch inside of her.

“Love you...” He replied, giving her breast one more squeeze before returning his hand back to her hip. “Rose...I love you...”

She covered his right hand with her left, wrapping her fingers around his wrist, and began to move. He fought to keep his eyes open...wanting to watch her and wondering just how long he’d be able to before his eyes would close of their own volition.

When her nails dug into his wrist and she moaned his name, his eyes closed. And then he realized that the sense of feel was heightened when the sense of sight was impaired.

With that discovery, he suddenly understood an ad he’d seen in a random magazine on a random planet for a hotel boasting that their rooms were one hundred percent devoid of light.

If he could ever remember which planet it was on, maybe they’d make a return trip in the very near future.

“Are you really thinking right now?”

He opened his eyes to find her staring at him as she continued moving against him...albeit at a slower pace. “Um...sort of...”

“Sort of?” She asked, furrowing her brow at him.

He easily recognized annoyance in her tone and shook his head quickly when he felt her slow down even more. “God, Rose...don’t fucking stop now...”

He tightened his hold on her hips and pulled her down hard against him before lifting her slightly and repeating the motion. He bit back his groan and stared into her eyes as he hurriedly offered some semblance of an explanation.

“There’s a hotel...on a planet, somewhere...rooms without light. No light at all...complete darkness...and...oh, fuck, Rose...fuck...”

His explanation may have been choppy and incomplete, but she understood the gist of it. He had been thinking...but, he hadn’t been thinking about anything other than sex with her. Sex with her in a completely black room...unable to see anything, only feeling one another...anticipating their touches, their kisses. Hearing their moans and groans and dirty words whispered in one another’s ear as they thrust their bodies together...

The Doctor’s eyes widened as Rose threw her head back and screamed his name. Screamed as her inner walls convulsed around his cock and he thought he’d never heard anything as beautiful or...arousing.

He caught her as she fell forward, cradling her against his chest as he rolled their bodies until she was underneath him. He peppered her face and neck with warm kisses as he slipped his left arm behind her right knee.

“Close, Rose...so fucking close...” He murmured, slamming his hips against her and relishing the sounds of her whimpers and moans as he pushed her towards another orgasm.

“Doctor...God!” She cried, her hands slipping through the sheen of sweat covering his back.

He hissed as she finally found purchase, her nails digging into his shoulder blades as she panted heavily against his neck. He felt a bead of sweat roll down the side of his face and groaned when he then felt her tongue capture it.

He felt her hard nipples brush against his chest as she held him tighter against her, tasted the sweet saltiness of her skin as he kissed her throat, heard her murmur his name like a mantra as he pushed her closer to the edge. He lifted his head just in time to watch her come apart beneath him, trembling as he felt her fluids gush over him...and around him...once more.

“Rose...” He groaned, lowering his mouth to her ear.

She shivered as his warm breath ghosted over her skin. “Doctor...please...”

“I’ve...fantasized about this...so many times. Being inside of you...feeling you come...hearing you call my name...” He swallowed back another groan as she scratched her nails down his back. “Those fantasies...are nothing, Rose. They’re nothing...not compared to this...fuck, I...oh, fuck...Rose...”

He moaned into her ear as he came, his body trembling violently as he emptied himself deep within her. He buried his face in the crook of her neck, panting heavily as his hearts pounded in his chest. He felt her hand move to the back of his head, her fingers combing through his sweat-soaked hair as she pressed lazy kisses wherever her lips could reach.

“Blimey...” He muttered on a heavy breath.

She chuckled...a chuckle that couldn’t hide her exhaustion. He carefully moved to her side, both of them gasping as his softening cock slipped from her.

“Blimey just about...covers it...” She grinned at him as he brushed her damp hair back from her face. “You going to sleep now?”

“What?” He asked, furrowing his brow in confusion.

“That’s what guys do, yeah? Amazing sex...come hard...go to sleep within five minutes...”

The Doctor chuckled and rolled onto his back, pulling her with him so that her head was pillowed on his chest. “I’m a Time Lord, Rose...I’ll be awake for at least ten...”

Rose snorted a laugh and lifted her head to look into his eyes. She gave a contented sigh as she traced indistinct patterns against his chest with her fingertip.

“It was, you know? Amazing. Shouldn’t surprise me, I mean...you’re amazing. So sex with you should be amazing too. You know?”

His smile faded slightly. “Was it more? For you, I mean? Because...Rose, I’m in love with you. I’ve been in love with you for – ”

“Shut up...” She interrupted with a tender smile, leaning up over him to kiss his lips. “Of course it was more... ‘cause I’m in love with you too, you daft alien.”

“Stupid ape...” He murmured, sliding his fingers along her spine.

Her smile turned into a grin, causing him to arch an eyebrow at her in a silent question. She licked her lips and draped her leg over his.

“Learned something else about you...”

“Oh?” He paused as she nodded. “What?”

“You saying ‘fuck’ is a major turn-on...”

“Turn about, fair play, and all...” He replied with a bright smile.

“I love you.” She whispered, gazing into his dark eyes.

“I love you too.” His eyes sparkled as he gave her a wink. “But, I won’t share a pear with you...”

They shared a laugh that lasted for what felt like hours, but could’ve been just a few minutes. It was hard to tell...time seemed to pass differently when they were together. Even more so now, it seemed.

Their laughter died down as Rose yawned. The Doctor smiled and gently stroked her cheek with his thumb.

“Go to sleep, Rose...”

“You won’t be here when I wake up.” She whispered before sighing. “But...that’ll be because you only sleep two hours and not because you don’t want to stay in bed with me...right?”

His smile grew as his hand moved to the back of her neck. “I’ll be here when you wake up...because you should never wake up alone. Well, that and maybe I do want to stay in bed with you...for as long as we can...”

Her eyes sparkled as she lowered her head, resting her chin against his chest. “So...this wasn’t just a one-time thing then?”

“Well...” He coughed lightly and shifted nervously underneath her.

She chuckled and moved her hand down to his stomach, rubbing small circles against his skin. “I didn’t mean right now, Doctor...I meant...we will do this again, yeah?”

“Oh!” He gave a sigh of relief and covered her hand with his, threading their fingers together. “Yeah, we will. Many times, I hope...starting as soon as you wake up...”

“Good.” She grinned and moved just enough to place a sleepy kiss on his lips. “Gives me something to look forward to...”

“Me too.” He whispered as she lowered her head again, using his chest as a pillow.

He wrapped his free arm around her, closing his eyes as he silently hoped that she didn’t sleep for her normal nine hours.

* * *

The following morning, they decided to ignore the phone when it rang. Neither of them were in much of a position to talk anyway. That’s what voicemail was for...taking messages when you’re too busy to answer the phone.

It was nearly three hours later when Rose finally got around to checking the message. She met the Doctor’s expectant eyes as she flipped the phone shut and tossed it back onto the bedside table.

“Strange things happening at the local high school back home. Mickey reckons it could be the work of aliens. There’s a teaching position open...how are you with Physics?”

“Physics...I like Physics.” The Doctor grinned brightly.

The hike through the Frozen Fire Forest could wait.

~ End

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