"Settle down with me
Cover me up
Cover me in
Lie down with me
And hold me in your arms"
Rose Tyler watched the bag of popcorn slowly spin around in the microwave before pulling it out and ripping the top open. A few stray pieces never made it to the bowl, however, as they found their way to Rose's mouth instead. "Doctor!" she called out between chews. "Popcorn's ready. You gonna come pick a movie?" She walked out into the entertainment room and plopped herself down on the couch, nibbling on a fist full of popcorn as she did.
The Doctor arrived a few moments moments later and was greeted by the mouthwatering scent of melted butter and salt. He reached into the bowl and popped a piece into his mouth before making his way over to the DVD cabinet. "Well, Miss Tyler, what shall we watch today?" He tapped his fingers on his chin as his eyes scanned the selections.
"Anything but the Lion King." Rose laughed. "You've picked that one the past two times." The Doctor turned around and frowned at her.
"Oi! I thought you liked the Lion King."
"I do, but there's only so much 'I killed Mufasa' a girl can take." Rose laughed and dipped her hand into the popcorn bowl again. The Doctor nodded his head towards her action.
"You keep doing that, there's not gonna be any popcorn left for the movie." Rose tossed a piece at him.
"Quiet, you. Just pick something." She grinned at him teasingly. The Doctor rolled his eyes and continued to browse. Finally, after reading the backs of several boxes, he picked one and popped it in.
"What'd ya pick then?" Rose asked as she budged over to give the Doctor some room on the couch.
"Oh you'll see." The Doctor sat down and absently threw his arm across the back of the sofa. Rose's natural reaction was to rest her head against it.
"Let me guess, is it a Disney film?"
"Yup." The Doctor replied, popping the 'P'. Rose rolled her eyes and smiled.
"You're such a child." She teased. The Doctor jerked his arm up to make her head bounce.
"Miss Tyler, I'll have you know that I am in fact over 900 years old. You, on the other hand, are only twenty. That would indeed make you the child here." He stuck his tongue out, only proving Rose's point. A laugh rang out from her as she shook her head.
"At least I know how to pick films adults would enjoy." Rose stared at the television as the opening credits began. She laughed again as the image of two soldier playing cards came into focus. "Alice In Wonderland? Now you're a girl too."
"Hey!" The Doctor looked at Rose, offended. "I am in no way a girl!" He nodded towards the T.V. "This is about a girl that gets to go on an adventure in a new world. That doesn't sound girly to me. It sounds exciting." He gave a pointed nod and scooped up a hand full of popcorn, shoving it in his mouth.
"Yeah, yeah, if you say so." Rose grinned as she settled into her spot on the couch. They both sat in comfortable silence as the movie began to take off.
Rose tried to keep her focus on the movie, really she did, but her eyes kept drifting over to the alien seated to the left of her. He was sitting so close, and all she could think about was reaching over and touching him. She'd held his hand plenty of times, surely he wouldn't mind if she did it through a movie... Her thoughts were interrupted when the Time Lord in question spoke.
"Everything alright?" He asked, eyeing her and reaching in to finish off the last of the popcorn bowl. Rose figured he must have realized that her attention was elsewhere.
"Yeah, I'm good." She smiled and bent over to sit the now empty bowl on the coffee table. "I'm just a bit tired, I suppose." The Doctor watched her as she settled back into the couch again.
"You could.. I mean if you want to, you can lay on me." He pulled at his ear nervously. "I mean, if you're comfortable there, it's fine. I just thought I'd offer." Rose couldn't hide the smile that crossed her lips. She had just been nervous to reach out and touch his hand, and now here he was offering to be her pillow.
"That sounds pretty comfy." Rose's tongue poked between her teeth as she smiled. The Doctor grinned in return and nodded towards his lap. Rose shifted until her legs were propped over the arm rest and her head was resting in the Doctor's lap. She let out a contented sigh as she settled in.
"Comfortable?" the Doctor asked, lightly running his fingers through her hair.
"Very." Rose closed her eyes and focused on the feeling of his fingers scratching softly against her scalp. This was absolutely perfect.
The Doctor looked down at his pink and yellow girl and smiled. She looked so peaceful and relaxed laying on him. He wished he had had the guts to suggest this to her on all their other many movie nights. He'd always been a coward, however, and it had taken months to build up his nerve.
The rest of the movie went by in a blur, and the Doctor listened as Rose's breathing gradually became slower and softer. He knew she was on the brink of being fully asleep. "Rose?" He said her name softly as he trailed a finger over her cheek bone. She turned her head a little to the side, acknowledging that she had heard him.
"Hmm?" Was the only semi-verbal response he received. He gave a lopsided smile and stroked her hair again.
"You're falling asleep, love." Rose slowly opened one eye then the other.
"No I'm not." she mumbled. The Doctor laughed lightly.
"I can most certainly guarantee that you are." He placed a hand behind her head and lifted gently. "Come on, sit up." Rose sluggishly did as she was told and sat up the best she could. She immediately laid her head on the back of the couch and let her eyes drift shut again. "Oh no you don't." The Doctor said as he bent down and picked her up gently. "Let's get you to bed, Miss Tyler."
He walked down the corridor at a steady pace, careful not to bump Rose around too much. When he reached her bedroom, he kicked her door open and stepped inside. Her blankets were already pulled down so he gently laid her on the bed and pulled them up over her. He bent down to press a kiss to her forehead before turning and walking towards the door.
"Stay with me?" He heard Rose's sleepy voice ask from behind him. He turned to see her tired eyes staring at him through her dimly lit bedroom. He took a couple steps towards her bed.
"You're sleepy, Rose. Why don't you get some rest?" He scratched the back of his neck as she pulled herself up a bit to get a better look at him.
"Please don't leave." Rose wasn't sure where this boldness was coming from. It was probably induced by her exhaustion, but she didn't really care at the moment. "I don't want you to go." The Doctor grinned at her sheepishly and closed the distance between him and the bed. He toed of his trainers and shrugged out of his suit jacket.
"Scoot over a bit." he said as he lifted up the edge of the covers. Rose quickly did as she was told and the Doctor slid into bed beside her.
Rose smiled as the Doctor rolled onto his side to face her. "Hello." she whispered. The Doctor smirked.
"Hello." He met Rose's eyes with his and held her gaze. This was one of those moments where her eyes didn't shout out 'Rose Tyler, defender of the earth'. They simply just held a tired vulnerability and innocence that the Doctor could get lost in. He reached out to brush a few strands of hair away from her face and Rose closed her eyes at his touch.
"Mmm. I like when you do that." Rose murmured.
"Do what?" the Doctor asked knowingly.
"Touch me." Rose's eyes opened and she grinned at herself. "My hair, I mean. You knew what I meant." She closed her eyes again. The Doctor let out a small laugh through his nose as he rolled over onto his back.
"Yeah, I know." He looked over at Rose and lightly tapped her on her shoulder. "Hey, come here." He pulled her gently until her head was laying comfortably across his chest. Rose snuggled into him and curled a hand up under her chin.
"Goodnight, Doctor."
"Goodnight, Rose." He softly began running his fingers through her hair once again, relaxing her until she fully drifted off to sleep.