#ialwayscomewhenyoucall
- nine x rose
- ~1k
“Doctor!” Jackie’s voice rings through the apartment. “Get your tall self over here, I can’t get this mistletoe hung.”
The Doctor makes a harumphing noise. “I disapprove of mistletoe on general principles,” he mutters.
“I don’t bloody care if you approve or not, just get over here and help me hang it up!”
“Don’t argue with Mum,” Rose says, pushing him gently towards Jackie. “She gets all worked up over her Christmas parties. The faster you help the faster it’s done and we can just relax. Drink eggnog, eat biscuits–”
“Hide in the corner,” he mutters, but he ruins his sulk with a wink.
- tentoo x rose
- ~1.2k
New tools, he thinks. Some of these aren’t quite right. Calibrated wrong, or don’t fit my hands right. Just a hair off. I can do better.
His mind is off, running in ten different directions. His body may be slightly human now–he can actually feel himself aging, a horrifying experience he tries to ignore as much as possible–but his mind is all Time Lord. He can still do all the complex calculations he needs for whatever new thing he’s currently working on in his head, all while reciting A Christmas Carol and trying to figure out what to give Rose for her next birthday.
It’s late. Two fifty three am. He’s still got a perfect sense of time, too. Only it’s less comforting now. For one thing, he doesn’t like to think about time passing, because now time is finite. For another, he knows he should be asleep, or at least in bed with Rose. Holding her. Listening to her breath, to the beating of her heart.
Her single heart, now so like his own.
All the Pins Inside Your Fretted Head
The Doctor–
he’s all energy and
blinding smiles,
tongue twisters,
a frenzied dance.
But Rose–
she can see
beyond the bright,
can see his
frayed edges,
the bits
time
has worn
to almost
nothing.
When he’s not looking
she weaves
him
back
together,
strengthens
his seams
with bits of
herself.
Love is strong–
almost as strong
as a hand
to hold.__
author’s note:
_listened to The Rockrose and the Thistle by The Amazing Devil on repeat while I wrote this, and it shows. That’s where the title comes from, too. And so it’s for @pherryt …‘cause she’s the one who
made me listen to thempointed me towards them in the first place.__
ten x rose
tentoo x rose
Rose and the Doctor practically fell into the TARDIS, slamming the door behind them. When asked what she wanted to see Rose had said, “Whales! Maybe in Alaska? I’ve always wanted to visit Alaska,” and the TARDIS had obliged, taking them to a cliff on the Alaskan coast with a spectacular view of a large pod of humpback whales. Unfortunately there was also a rather brisk wind in their faces, and it even started to snow at one point, so by the time the whales were gone they felt more than half frozen.
The TARDIS, however, was warm and inviting, and by the time they’d caught their breath they noticed a light flickering down the corridor. “I think she means for us to follow,” the Doctor said, pulling Rose to her feet.
“Oof,” Rose groaned. “The whales were brilliant, but I could have done without the snow. I think I’m going to need a week to thaw.”
“Nonsense,” said the Doctor, pausing a moment to kiss the tip of her very cold nose. “I never tire of seeing you with snowflakes sparkling in your hair. Pure magic.”
Feeling a bit grumpy from the cold, Rose grumbled, “Try to find some warmer magic next time, if you please.”
The TARDIS, it seemed, knew what Rose wanted before she asked. They followed the flickering lights and occasional chirps to a room Rose had never seen before. Maybe it hadn’t been there before. Maybe the TARDIS had just redecorated it for the occasion.
“Oh!” Rose gasped.
It wasn’t at all cold; in fact, there was a roaring fire in the fireplace on the far end of the room. But to her eyes it looked as though it should be cold…because it looked as though it had been built of ice and snow. The walls, floor, and ceiling looked to be hard packed snow, accented by pillars of carved ice. There were blankets and pillows piled in front of the fireplace–which looked, impossibly, like it too was carved out of ice–and next to what was clearly meant to be their sitting area there was a small ice table with two mugs filled with something steaming, probably hot cocoa, since Rose thought she could see marshmallows. There was even a large bed, also of snow, although it had a plush mattress and heavy blankets atop the snowy foundation.
Her crankiness forgotten, Rose wandered around the room, examining the walls and the furniture, running her hands over the intricate carvings. “Doctor, it really is ice and snow! It’s cold under my fingers, but the air is warm. Why isn’t anything melting?”
“Perhaps the TARDIS is giving you some ‘warmer magic,’” he suggested with a grin. He snaked an arm around her waist, pulled her close, and said in a low voice, “Let’s go sit by the fire. I might have some magic to warm you up as well.” He winked.
“Doctor!” she said, laughing. Her cheeks, already pink from the sudden heat in the room, flushed even brighter.
He pulled her to the pile of blankets, where they curled up together in front of the crackling fire.
“I never tire of seeing you like this, either,” the Doctor said, gently running his fingers through her hair.
“Like what?” Rose asked, puzzled.
The Doctor smiled. “With me.”
for@doctorroseprompts 31 Days of Ficmas || Day 20: Rosy Cheeks
