Better Together (Ten X Rose)

No Regrets

Rose Tyler opened her eyes, yawning softly as she cuddled into the warm figure beside her. At first, she didn't know who it was. She thought she was back at home, in her own bed, with Mickey next to her. Well, more likely just a pillow. Still. What - or who - ever she was cuddled with felt more like a person. That's when it hit her.

Rose was naked. In bed. With the Doctor. Who just so happened to also be naked. Now, she remembered what they had done the night before.

Trying not to wake him up, she attempted to sit up. His arms were wrapped around her, holding her close against his chest. That prevented her from going very far. As she tugged gently at his arms, she didn’t notice his chocolate brown eyes fluttering open. “Rose?” he mumbled, only half awake. She froze, looking up at him like a deer in the headlights.

The Doctor blinked, his head clearing quickly from the clutches of sleep. He gave Rose a soft smile, moving one hand to caress her cheek. She instinctively leaned into his touch, the startled look disappearing. “Good morning.” He said to her, his smile growing. She couldn’t help but smile at the happy look in his eyes.

“Morning.” Her gaze flickered away from his eyes to the wall nearby. “Doctor, about last night…” she bit her lip, unsure of how to proceed. Her cheeks were already slightly pink at the thought of bringing it up.

He grinned crookedly, making him look like a child in a candy shop. “It was… I-I liked it.” He stuttered, blushing deeply. Rose couldn’t help but melt at the sight. Nevertheless, she couldn’t shake the feeling that what they had done was wrong.

“Doctor, it… it wasn’t… we shouldn’t have done that.” She said quietly, looking back at his eyes. She watched as his grin faded, replaced with a slight frown. His whole expression dropped, his warm and chocolaty eyes showing just a hint of sadness.

He quickly covered it up with a neutral expression, hiding his emotions from his companion. Clearing his throat, he released her, removing his hand from her cheek. “…Yes. I-I suppose you’re right. I’ll just, er… get dressed.” The Doctor got out of his bed, leaving Rose sitting there with the covers hiding her body. Without looking back at her, he began dressing.

Rose, on the other hand, couldn’t take her eyes off of him. She tried to commit his features to memory while she had the chance, a deep red blush across her cheeks. Once he was fully dressed in his brown suit, he straightened his tie and ran a hand through his messier-than-usual hair. He looked past Rose’s head as he put her clothes on the bed by her. “Go ahead and put your clothes on… I’ll be in the kitchen.” He then turned away, and walked a bit quickly out of his room.

The Doctor closed the door behind him, the soft click sounding through the nearly silent hall. The only other sound was the quiet humming of the TARDIS. As he walked to the kitchen, he scolded himself. How could he have let this happen? Oh, yeah. That’s right. He was in love with her. Guilt flooded him now, reason returning. Rose was right; they shouldn’t have done that. It was wrong; yet, he had enjoyed it. She seemed to have enjoyed it as well at the time. She had been moaning his name and begging for more. That was good, wasn’t it? He wasn’t entirely sure; it had been quite a long time since the Doctor had been… intimate with someone. Although, when he had woken up, she didn’t seem very happy. He knew she was regretting it. To be honest, he wasn’t. That only added to his guilt.

Back in the Doctor’s room, Rose was already wallowing in guilt. She had gotten up and dressed herself as soon as he had closed the door. Now, she sat on the edge of the bed with her head in her hands. What was she to do? She had caused all of this. The guilt she felt was for multiple reasons; one, she knew it was wrong that they had been intimate. Two, when she told him that they shouldn’t have done it, the look on his face tore her apart. Three, she knew that this whole situation would only cause him more pain and trouble. That’s all she did, was cause trouble.

‘Well, we’ll have to confront one another sooner or later. Might as well get it over with.’ Rose thought to herself. She stood, and with a sigh, left the bedroom. As hard as she tried, she couldn't stop the deep blush from rising once again on her cheeks as she headed for the kitchen. When she arrived, she was a shy mess. The Doctor stood leaning back against the counter, and the second she appeared his gaze focused on her.

The Doctor couldn't help but look Rose over; she was both beautiful and adorable at the same time. Her cheeks were flushed red, and her lovely blonde hair fell perfectly around them. The ends of her hair brushed against her shoulders, which were hunched slightly in her shyness. She had dressed in the pink t-shirt and blue jeans from the day before. Understandable, considering they had been on his floor. He himself wore the suit from the previous day.

Without realizing it, a few minutes had passed while the Doctor was staring at Rose. She had noticed by now, her gaze fixed with his. "...Doctor? Did you hear me?" he blinked, snapping out of his daze. She had been talking. A blush came to his cheeks as he focused on her words, the dark shade matching hers.s

 "Sorry... what was that?" the Doctor sheepishly tugged at his ear. 

"...I said I don't want things to be awkward just because we made a mistake." Rose mumbled, she herself getting distracted by his adorable childishness. She once again felt guilt as his face fell. 

"Ah.... right. Mistake." he mumbled, looking down. "So... I suppose it's best to pretend it never happened...?" Rose nodded, a bit relieved that he said it first. She didn't like the disappointed look she knew she would've seen in his eyes had she said it.

"Yes. That sounds good to me." Rose gave the Doctor a smile, which he returned half-heartedly. He knew he wouldn't be able to forget about it; it had constantly been in the back of his mind all morning, no matter how troubled his thoughts. 

The Doctor and Rose Tyler had made love, and he had enjoyed it.

~

A few days had passed; Rose no longer felt any hint of lingering awkwardness over the situation. She seemed to have forgotten about it.

The Doctor, on the other hand, couldn't push it out of his mind. Constantly, his eyes would flicker to Rose, and that night would flash through his memories. Every touch, every kiss. Every little detail was seared into his mind. He wanted nothing more than to talk it out with his companion, but he didn't want to upset her. Instead, he kept it to himself, moping about like a kicked puppy.

Rose, of course, noticed right away that the Doctor was acting strange. He hadn't gotten excited over anything since before the 'event', and she was starting to miss his rambling. Finally, about a week after the whole thing began, she decided enough was enough. 

"Doctor." he stood at the counter in the TARDIS' kitchen, pouting down at the cup of tea in his hands. He looked up at the sound of her voice, his lower lip stuck out slightly.

"What?" he mumbled, taking a sip of tea. Her arms were crossed as she watched him.

"Why have you been moping about all week? S'not like you." she questioned, eyes not leaving him. He avoided her gaze as he finally spoke his mind.

"Because.... I don't regret what we did." his voice remained quiet, his eyes on his cup. "I... I enjoyed it." Rose could see the faint blush come across his cheeks. She felt her own face heat up. She stood there, mouth slightly open in surprise. After a few moments of silence, he looked up at her. His eyes were guarded, not giving off any emotion. "...I'm sorry."

Rose shook her head, trying to find something to say. "Doctor, I... you don't regret it?" her voice was quiet, surprised. He shook his head. "I thought... I thought you would." 

Sitting down his tea, the Doctor reached across the space between them and pulled her into his arms. "I don't regret it, Rose. I loved it. I... I love you." Rose stiffened in surprise, her forehead resting against his neck. She was floored by the confession. He loved her.

As she peeked up at him, she felt his lips press against the top of her head. A soft kiss, full of love. The memories returned, of the night she secretly enjoyed. 

"Doctor?"

"Yeah?"

"I don't regret it. I love you too."

~~

A/N: SIFHasdflihesrofihsdfojashdlkfjohawoeijhrweobnrwherjwj 

ACCOMPLISHMENT! More than 1500 words in this one! :D