Interrupted

[preserved_ginger]

Title: Interrupted
Rating: 12
Beta: glory_jean
Character(s): Ten, Rose
Pairing: Ten/Rose
Spoilers: None
Notes: Yes, this is AU post-Journey’s End Ten/Rose. No, I don’t care about canon.
Summary: She’s laughing. At him.

As he kicks away his trousers, Rose steps back from him, her hands falling to her sides.

She’s stopping. Why is she stopping? Is it something I—

“Long johns?”

Oh.

She’s laughing. At him. He frowns at her, not particularly appreciative of this particular expression of hilarity, and when she doesn’t stop pointing at him and laughing, his face darkens and he starts scowling. He’s feeling particularly vulnerable, standing here in his underwear – it’s not as if he’s done this all that often, after all – and he can’t help thinking that something’s wrong. This is not how he’d expected things to go while he was hastily being undressed by the woman he’s in love with, that much is certain.

“Oi!”

Some of his indignation makes it through into his tone, and he has to admit that Rose tries her level best to stop laughing.

“I know, I know. But long johns?”

And she’s off again. It’s too much.

“Well how else do you think I manage to stay warm in all weathers wearing the same thing every time?” he asks, reasonably enough under the circumstances.

She giggles.

“I’m a Time Lord, Rose,” he snaps, annoyed now, “not some kind of super-hero.”

Gathering up as much dignity as his half-undressed state can muster, he begins to pick up his clothes – trousers, jacket, tie, and a crumpled shirt that now boasts a distressing lack of buttons – intent on getting out of there as quickly as possible. Being laughed at is doing nothing for his libido.

The laughter stops, abruptly.

“Doctor?”

He ignores her, focussing entirely on finding the last of his clothes – how on earth did his Chucks get all the way over there? – although his body is screaming at him to stop being so uptight and go to her.

“Doctor?”

She tries again, this time in a much more subdued tone of voice, and his treacherous hearts leap at the sound of her. He sighs.

I can’t stop myself reacting to her even when I don’t want to. How did I end up like this?

“Yes, Rose?”

“I’m sorry,” she says, her voice suddenly very small and childlike, and for a moment he recalls just how very young she still is. He sighs again, drops the small bundle of clothing he’s accumulated and turns to her, holding out his arms. She rushes into them and he holds her to him, relishing in the feel of her body so close to his. It’s been so long.

He leans down and kisses her then, accepting her apology with a deep and passionate kiss that should leave her in no doubt about how he feels for her. She reciprocates the kiss and before long they are back where they’d been a few moments before, frantically trying to see who can get the other undressed in the fastest amount of time.

Oh, I’ve missed this. Missed her.