/psl nine

[bringslife]

[regarding this meme]

---

[there's something about dressing up when they end up places and this time, rose has chosen another dress that flatters. it's a boat neck to highlight her slim lines, bright red, and has a hem that shows off her legs. there are shoes that match, as well a lipstick that goes with, and with her hair on top of her head, she's done as he asked: dress for dinner.

he'd given her precious other hints, just that their location would glitter, so she'd wanted to match. now she steps into the console room of the tardis and into his field of vision with a hesitant smile, performing a slow turn before turning just a bit bashful.

she remembers the last time she'd dressed up for him and the way he'd reacted. she's carried that look in his eyes with her ever since.]

It's okay?

Comments

[bringslife]

Mates. Yeah.

[she's not completely able to disguise the way it hurts a little on the inside when he says it because he's not wrong. they're mates and she knows better, but it's in moments like this - when things are light and she's feeling touched and beautiful and wearing a necklace he's loaned her - that she feels like they're just a little bit more than mates. wants to believe that they are.

then he reminds her they're not and she has to do a mental shake to let it settle in. mates.]

Looks like if it rains, he might overflow.

[a mild observation as her heart mends itself back together.]

[timeslastsoldier]

[he sees it a little bit but it's better this way so he doesn't feel too terrible. After all between Mickey and Adam, Rose seems to have a tendency to pick people that are terrible for her and he doesn't want to be one of them.

Her words make him laugh unexpectedly and he turns it into a cough when several of the fish turn to glare at them. He powers them on over a bridge that connects two of the ring satellites. The bridge is set up so that transparent panels on the floor make the universe seem like a river that runs under it. Stars are shining in their billions as well as the gauzy red and pink of a nebulae much further away than it seemed.]

Anyway, I wanted to show you this place, not because of the sights, but because of the food. If you thought you had plum pudding before? This will make your tongue do the salsa. I had some here with-- [no, he's not going to go down that road] It was fantastic.

[across the bridge and onto the other colony, going through the airlock and the restaurant opens up in front of them, well the face of it anyway. Le Méchant Loup is spelled out in red glittery cursive that pulses with an inner light and the restaurant beyond is decorated to the nines, tens and quite probably elevens.

Even from here it's obvious that aside from tables there is a dance floor and a chandelier filled with thousands of crystals. .

'Ding Dong Merrily on High' Is playing happily from thef the restaurant and swirling in the air.

As they approach the restaurant, Rose might also feel the disc she took warm slightly, though nothing that can't be dismissed by saying it's body heat.

The maiter'd is obviously a colony native and peers at him down the length of his long long nose.]

I assume you have the reservations

Yup, sure do.

[he flashes the psychic paper]

Sir Doctor and Wife

Er...

This way, please

[the matier'd starts trotting off at a brisk pace and the Doctor follows, hoping beyond hope that Rose didn't hear that part]

[bringslife]

[and wife?

unfortunately for the doctor, rose does hear it. it's what startles her from her awe of the visions around her. if the doctor thinks she was dressed to match the wonders of the universe before, it's nothing compared to witnessing her view what he's brought her to see now as they cross the bridges across the skies. with her hold on him, she's in now danger of falling, but she's very close to not paying attention to what's happening in front of her.

until the maitre'd says and wife and rose's gaze is pulled forward first, then up at the doctor. she's not going to contradict the man in front of them, but she knows the psychic paper shows what the holder wants the viewer to see, so how--]

It's gorgeous.

[she breathes it, caught up once more as they move briskly to keep up.]

You've been here before with who?

[suddenly she's his wife but he's been here with someone else? she's not jealous, despite how it might sound. and it does sound slightly like jealousy.]

[timeslastsoldier]

[It was a slip of the psyche. He's over 900 years old, these things happen sometimes. He notes the tone and is annoyed and worried by it. He knows she would be jealous if she knew. And maybe he should have her be jealous. That it would be better before she finds out. But he's with her now and until she finds out maybe just now is all that matters. She doesn't need to know about all that happened Before and all that will happen After. ]

Does it matter? [he won't indulge it either] They're not here now.

[he absently puts a hand on the small of her back as they ascend a short staircase. The table is well situated, overloking the dance floor and the orchestra with glittering instruments. He is even a gentleman and pulls her chair out for her to sit]

Now get anything you like. Anything at all. I have a tab here that's probably still good. [a grin] But if not we may have to make a dash for it.

[bringslife]

[the answer puts her in her place, even if she's a little disgruntled about it. yes, she knows he's nine hundred years old, so of course there are people before her, but still.

she eases into her chair and tosses a smile up at him before furrowing her brow.]

Didn't wear shoes for running, Doctor. [he'd told her to dress up. she's dressed up. do they take necklaces in trade? but she lifts the menu and lets her eyes run over the different offerings, most of which she's totally unfamiliar with. she doesn't want to accidentally order the fish-head people they'd seen.

first, though, drinks.] You'd said something about the sherry?

[timeslastsoldier]

You'll manage. [he rested his cheek against the heel of his hand, watching her.] You always do. [and then, fondly] Rose Tyler... What am I going to do with you?

[other than feel too much and act like a fool.

He was glad she changed the subject]

Right. I can't remember if it's a good idea or a bad one. Odds are fifty-fifty. [a grin] Want to risk it?

[bringslife]

Dinner and Christmas?

[she so rarely sees him look at her like that that it takes her a moment to process it and, when she does, she feels herself pink up just a little. but the challenge... oh, that's met with a twinkle in her eye and a sly grin.]

With you? Always.

[it's so true. when he's there, she's ready to risk it all.]

[timeslastsoldier]

You're on. [two sherries ordered then and whatever it was that Rose wanted to start with. The Doctor is not of a mind to eat, but then he rarely is]

Dinner and Christmas? [he huffs a breath] This is just a pitstop. I'm speaking time and space and everything in it, the great unknown at your fingertips. [and beautiful ones at that.]

I could take you to see Elvis if you like. In any incarnation. Except when he turned into an arachnid. That wasn't fun for anyone. Or maybe Bach in his heyday. Or the library of Alexandria... Old or New, or the slice of it that ended up on Pluto for some reason. [is he lying? probably. But then again, probably not]

[bringslife]

All of it. Anywhere with you. [she's grinning at him now, caught up in what he's said.] You're never getting rid of me, I told you that.

[the sherries are delivered and she lifts the glass, admiring the sparkling liquid in it - is that some form of glitter? - and then watches him carefully.]

The libraries, Pluto, Elvis without the spiders... [she tips the rim of her glass toward him in a toast.] Here's to risk and reward.

[timeslastsoldier]

Oh, everything ends. Us. This. You. Me. Even the universe is only finite. A single point of time on the edge of an abyss. When it's gone, only darkness is left.

[he realizes he's getting too bleak and smiles]

But for now. Sherry. To risk and reward. [he clinks the glass against hers and downs it. Before the rush of liquid hits his throat he does spot something odd, a cluster of Hanalii merchants in the wrong color cloak for Henalii merchants to have. It pings something in him that he can't quite put a finger on. But then warmth is flooding his system and it hardly matters. The aftertaste is deep and almost musky but in a pleasant way.]

Not bad for alcohol.

[bringslife]

[she goes from enthralled to offended in half a heartbeat.]

Doctor..

[by then he's realized his own mistake in going bleak and she tips her own glass back, marveling at the taste she gathers from the liquid. it's not quite like the sherry she's had in the past, and she takes another look at it in the glass before setting the rest of it down on the table, impressed.]

It's good. [her tongue comes out to trace the edges of her lips, sampling the drops left there.] Sometimes, I think you like to be picky.

[she's back to teasing him with a soft smile.]

[timeslastsoldier]

I have more tastebuds than you do, and more receptors. I can afford to be picky. Not that it works on me.

[he reaches out without thinking and brushes his thumb over a sample she missed, touching the corner of her mouth and lingering without meaning to. He pulls his hand back and takes a breath]

Not sure if much is happening. Might need to try another.

[bringslife]

[he takes a breath and she holds hers, the intimacy of his touch startling her and sending her heart pounding rapidly in her chest. her lips part as he pulls back and she finally manages to take a breath, something soft and light as she tries to keep up with what he's saying.]

Might.

[it's a quiet agreement, her eyes still on his face, before she blinks and nods, another brilliant smile taking over.] Risk and reward.

[carefully, she brings her own (beautiful) fingertips up to brush at her lips, even as she looks for the server to bring another round.]

[timeslastsoldier]

[That smile is both risk and reward. He barely registers that there is another round being asked for.]

Did you ever have your palm read?

[it's a non-sequitur and completely transparent, he's sure, but there's something alluring about her hands and he wants to feel the heat of them even in the semi-platonic way. Maybe it's due to the heat that seems to rise from his collar along his neck and burn at the back of his ears.

Surely this one thing wouldn't be too much.

He holds out his hand for her to take. An offer. A suggestion. A hope]

[bringslife]

Never.

[ rose has, she's certain, long passed 'semi-platonic', but she's also certain he's never noticed. not until now.

watching as he watches her, she's utterly caught up in the moment as he makes his offer. suggestion. so, without taking her eyes off his, she lowers her her hand so the back of hers fits into his palm and her smile softens. they've always fit this way - hands together - and the tip of her tongue touches her lips as her her mind attempts to catch up. ]

You gonna try?

[timeslastsoldier]

Try? [he scoffed] I was taught and trained by Cassandra, you know. Not that anyone ever believed me.

Now...let's see... [her hand is much smaller in his, and softer, he can see and knows intimately. He's held it so often and thought how soft they were, how untried and full of potential]

Your love line... [he traced a fingertip gently against the smooth dip at the crease of her hand and clicked his tongue] Lots going on here. Rickey. Adam. Seems you have a type. But you're also well loved by...most who know you.[he moved his fingers into the bowl of her palm, tracing the faint lines there, or perhaps making them up as he went along]

And you've got a fantastic future ahead. One that you couldn't even imagine.

[he imagined himself bringing her palm to his lips, and then her wrist, the soft part of crook of her elbow, the soft part of her neck. He did none of those things and tried, unsuccessfully, to banish them]

[bringslife]

'Course you were.

[ it sounds skeptical, but she suspects he's telling her the truth and her chest tightens as his fingers trace lines over the sensitive skin of her palm. like him, her mind wanders to what might happen if his lips follow and she feels herself warm, the blush heating up her cheeks to a pink that's complimented by the red of her dress.

as distracted by his touch as she is, she doesn't correct him on mickey and she's nearly forgotten adam completely, but he talks about her future and her words are quiet but full of meaning. ]

But I can. My future's with you.

[timeslastsoldier]

[he smiles and does raise her hand to his lips then, pressing a brief kiss on the backs of her fingers in what he meant to be a rough friendly way, but he probably shouldn't let them linger there for long]

You've got so much more to look forward to than me. This is just a journey, not the destination.

[bringslife]

[ it shouldn't sting, shouldn't make her heart ache, but it does. she feels it, the way her body reacts to the rejection, like he's about to leave her there or even take her home as soon as it's over and she tries to hide the slip of her smile, even as she knows she fails.

the drinks arrive then, and she uses it as an excuse to pull her hand back, directing that smile up at their server, graciously thanking him with that and words to match. it's entirely possible that her suddenly shattered heart is responsible for drinking the next glass almost as quickly as the first and she feels it as acutely. it's hard for her to find words to follow what he's said and so she focuses on the world around them. ]

All it's missing is a bit of cheerful music.

[timeslastsoldier]

[he pretends not to notice, as if he couldn't trace every nuance of her expression even if he wasn't a Time Lord. But he smiles, letting her go, taking his own drink and knocking it back the same as her, as more important things await.

Why is there something in that that is slightly familiar?

What is it?

He decides to think about it later]

As you wish.

[a gesture with the sonic and cheerful music begins to play, though there is something almost sultry about the cheerfulness, less bubbly and more... a little something else]

Care to dance, Rose Tyler?

[bringslife]

[ if there's one person in all the universe who's good at knowing her every emotion, it's the doctor. that he attempts to fix it by finding music makes her look back at him with a semi-adoring smile; he's a huge dork and she loves him all the more for it.

it's the offer of dancing that causes her eyebrows to raise. ]

Dancing. You? Here. [ she's not going to turn it down, not even close. ] Yeah, I'd love to.

[timeslastsoldier]

Call it the magic of Christmas. [and the more he watched her, the more he felt he had to be close to her, but carefully. It could never be what it was, it always had to be somewhat what it wasn't.

In any case he stands and holds out his hand for hers.]

[bringslife]

[ it's the dress, the necklace, the atmosphere, the alcohol - definitely something in that - and it's most definitely him. all of them combined has her taking his hand and standing. she's addicted to the way he says her name and the way his hand feels in hers, so it's very easy for her to put herself back into his personal space and wait for what seems inevitable. he says it's a journey, but she's fully prepared to let that journey last forever. ]

'S good music.

[ she hears an undertone of something sultry in what is undoubtedly something festive and, standing inches from him, she sways just a little. music or booze, it doesn't matter. ]

[timeslastsoldier]

[as usual he had gotten himself knowingly into trouble while underestimating that trouble and having no clear idea how to get out of it again. She was so close. He could feel the heat of her skin against him, under the hand splayed at the small of her back, her hand in his, hers on his shoulder. Her breath tangled against his neck and her scent alone was intoxicating, from the soft place on her neck, from the stirring of her hair.

He felt more alive than he had in decades and that kind of life that carried prickling electricity through his body and the certain kind of fire through his veins that he felt in the midst of terrible danger and...other things equally dangerous]

Beautiful.

[he only half registered what she said as he moved with her in an easy dance.]

Not the most complicated dance in the world. There are some that takes years to learn and decades to master. [of course he knew all of them and could make up what he didn't know if Rose asked. There wasn't much he wouldn't be tempted to do if she asked. He found himself tracing a line against the small of her back with his thumb and couldn't quite get himself to stop]

Maybe I could show you sometime... if you wanted.

[bringslife]

[ he smells like graphite and diesel and... and lime and she's addicted to it, especially now that she's close enough to inhale deeply, nose tracing a line along the back of his jaw. if her lips brush against the tender skin just below his ear, it's almost certainly an accident - she'll swear it if he asks - even as she gives a quiet hum of an answer. ]

Mmm. You should. [ her inhale is quiet, but it he'll feel it as she fills her chest against his, her words soft against his earlobe. ] Show me everything.

[ worlds upon worlds, dances, so much more. she's lost in him like this; the closeness, the heat of their drinks (or maybe their closeness), and that trace of a line through her dress is just enough to heat her even more. ]