/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

[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. ]

[timeslastsoldier]

[Now came the pinch point, he thought, as her lips send gooseflesh rising on the back of his neck, her breath seeping hot into his ear. Now he would either run or go forward into the unknown waters where he definitely should venture into and would most likely regret.

He should run. It would be better to run. Safer to run. Once going down this road there would be no coming back from it. But when he dropped his head to look into her eyes he forgot most of what he had been going to say or do and all the warning signs seemed far away and something he could take care of at a later time.]

Right... Everything it is. [he murmured, brushing his nose against hers, tempting, teasing almost, but which of them, he couldn't say.] Where do you want to start?

[bringslife]

[ their dance hasn't ended; if anything the music has changed with their mood and rose finds them swaying to the side with the dips and beats of the tones. she's only vaguely aware of it, more an intuitive movement now, her body reacting to the way the doctor guides her than any conscious thought on her part, as he teases her back.

her breath catches and her heart skips in her chest again, as she feels his nose tease her. does he know just how much of a temptation he is? how hard it is for her not to ask him for this, to be held and touched and teased with light strokes at all times when they're alone? it's there, on the tip of her tongue, to ask for what she's wanted most for months, but she hesitates, her mouth inches from his.

a moment later: ] Kiss me, Doctor.

[timeslastsoldier]

[it was a terrible idea and he should absolutely not do it. He should break this apart now and go back to the far less troublesome relationship. It was the music that was making him reconsider, it was the heat, it was the alcohol which was obviously spiked with something to be effecting him this way singing through his blood.

Probably he should worry more about that.

But right now his hand moved from her back to cup her jaw, thumb tracing over her lower lip. He watched her expression for a moment then dipped down and gently, so very gently, pressed his lips against hers light and open mouthed]

[bringslife]

[ granted, 'everything' didn't include kisses. she's been kissed before, but she's never been kissed by him, not like this. not where she's sure that music and time have stopped completely so that she can savor the way his mouth feels against hers and that incredible tenderness leaves her feeling both breathless and weightless and aching for more. more of everything.

rose doesn't pull away, instead choosing to open her mouth under his even more, tasting him this way. there's the sherry, of course, but so much more. she brings her hand up from his shoulder, fingertips memorizing the shape of his face, the curve of his jaw, as she tightens her hold on the other one.

she loves him. if he's paying any attention at all, he'll feel it radiating from her, and she's forgotten they're meant to be dancing. she's lost in the way he's kissed her instead. ]

[timeslastsoldier]

[he takes a breath in through his nose at the touch and instinctively takes her wrist. It is too much. It will be too much. The world is spinning and they need to stop before it goes too far. But somehow he can't. Somehow he is caught in this joy ride.

Instead his hand trailed down her wrist, over her arm, moving to rest his fingertips against her neck where he could feel her fluttering pulse. Heat singed through him and they would both catch fire if he didn't pull back but he leaned in instead, tasting her in turn, though keeping some distance between their bodies, not much but enough]

[bringslife]

[ more than fluttering, her pulse is positively racing. she can hear it in her ears, the way her blood is moving through her body, causing heat to rise. the low edge of the dress over the rise of her breasts gives the perfect view of that pink blush, even as the kiss deepens. she can't stop touching him, her fingers tracing the same path over his neck as his do over hers.

she thinks she might never get tired of touching him. of being addicted to him. if this is the journey, she never wants to reach a destination.

there's a pause in the music and she breaks the kiss to blink up at him with wide eyes, caught up in the sensation of being kissed so thoroughly, she's sure she's forgotten her name. a shaky breath comes and she's afraid the spell is broken, even as her eyes take him in. there's too much space between them, she decides, and closes it, brushing her lips against the place her fingers had been touching a moment earlier. ]

[timeslastsoldier]

[he shivers without meaning to at the touch at his neck. Her fingers are somehow cool and hot at once. When she pulls away he takes a breath like it's his first. Like he's been under water for hours. It's a bad idea to open his eyes as he can see now the flush on her cheeks, gracing her neck, the tops of her breasts.

A thousand ideas whisper through his mind but he fights them back, only to have others replace them as she presses against him, small and lithe and unexpected, and while he adjusts his stance slightly there are some things she might notice. Her too soft lips against his neck and the hot brush of breath startle some sense into him and he takes her by the arms to put some space between them, to put some air]

Rose...

[and then the lights go out and the music dies in an eerie drone.]

That's unusual.

[and then they come back a moment later, dim and flickering. A pleasant voice over a loudspeaker says:

Please report to your assigned sleeping pods. For afternoon guests, one will be assigned to you. Do not resist. Thank you.]

Looks like something's happening. [he grins] Fantastic.

[except instead of stopping the feeling racing through him, the adrenaline only seems to heighten it and when he takes Rose's hand on instinct, a heated shock goes through him that's difficult to ignore completely]

[bringslife]

[ she feels the rejection in the way he says her name, doing her best to steady her breathing before she has to accept it verbally, already nodding her head in agreement with whatever he's going to say.

this is wrong. this isn't us. this isn't how it goes. we can't. we shouldn't--. on and on, she can hear the excuses before he makes them, even as he holds her arms. then the lights go out and she automatically looks in the direction of where the crowd should be. it gives her a distraction from the immense disappointment taking over and, when they (sort of) come back, she looks back at him, confused. ]

Happening? [ it's true, he's always played a little fast and loose with the word 'fantastic', but she doesn't pull back when he takes her hand. ] What they mean by sleeping pods?

[timeslastsoldier]

No idea. [well some idea but that was a few faces ago and a discussion he didn't want to have and he couldn't remember if the renovation had happened yet or not.]

Let's find out. [they could resist later. He waits cheerfully as they are rounded up by some robot customer service agents who, in a friendly way, guided them down a series of translucent halls. Being customer service agents in an enlightened time they were also equipped with hidden tasers, but as he didn't plan on any resistance right off the bat, he didn't mind.

He found himself drawing her hand to his lips more than once, kissing her knuckles, the side of her thumb, the back of her wrist. Every time he did it he had to firmly tell himself to knock it off, but every time the urge came back like an addiction and he found himself indulging in it again.

He was hyper aware of her beside him, every step, every displacement of air and shift in movement and expression. The more he thought of a sleeping pod the less sure he was that it was a good idea to be put in one with her, in close quarters, with nothing but the heat of her skin and very little to stop things that shouldn't happen from happening.


But he also didn't want to risk her getting tazed.

And he also had a little niggling thought, a half memory about something he should be more aware of and would never be satisfied until that question was answered. Risk and reward, as someone wise had said]

I don't know about you but this is shaping up brilliantly.

[he found himself saying that against the smooth skin of her palm and dropped their still joined hands again. It definitely was going to go pear shaped if he didn't control himself]