DW Fic: Relative Humanity (1/10)
Title: Relative Humanity
Author: irishlullaby / RamblingRose
Rated: R
Warnings: Will contain adult content in later chapter
Summary: (Nine/Rose) The Doctor takes on a human form to hide from the Family of Blood… He thinks he’s a writer and Rose is his assistant.
He held onto her hand tightly as they raced down the streets of London. Her dark eyes were full of fears. His two hearts beat out a rapid samba because he was just as scared as she. The ship wasn't too far off. They could make it before those who pursued them caught up.
"Run, run, run," he said rapidly, although it went without saying. If the aggressors caught him, they'd consume him and terrorize the universe throughout space and time. And Rose...
Rose.
They would consume her just to torment him. They would probably make him watch helplessly while they did so. Or worse, they would make her one of them and she would be the one to pull ever ounce of his existence from his body.
They rounded a corner and before them was the blue police box. They were close. So close.
They dashed in and slammed the doors closed behind them. He raced to the controls and quickly descended into the vortex.
Othering Other.
They were following them through the vortex!
Rose was laying heavily against the doors, panting. She looked at him, fear still in her dark eyes. "Are we safe, then?" she asked breathlessly.
He took a deep breath as he watched her. She was wanting to hear the lie he wanted to tell. He rubbed his hands over his close-shorn hair then released the breath. "We will be. I just have to do something first," he replied and dropped to the floor to pull open on of the storage panels.
#
Doctor John Smith opened his eyes as he heard the door to his flat close. He could hear Rose murmuring from somewhere near the kitchen, scolding the mess he had left the night before. She never complained to his face, of course, because she wanted to keep her job. But he could hear her tossing his tumbler and empty boxes of sweets where they belonged while likening herself to his mother.
"My mum didn't complain when she cleaned up after me," he called.
Silence.
A soft knock sounded at his door and Rose peeped in cautiously. John sat up, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand, making sure his duvet covered his lower half. Rose's dark eyes widened and her face flushed. "I... I brought breakfast," she said, averting her eyes from his bare chest.
Admittedly, John knew he wasn't much to look at but the sight of him without a shirt still seemed to make his lovely assistant blush and turn into a shy girl. "Let me get some trousers on and I'll be right out," he muttered. This made Rose blush even more, yelp, and hurry away from the door.
John chuckled under his breath as he fished his pyjamas from the floor and pulled them on. One would think after being his assistant for so long she'd be used to the fact he slept naked. He had gone through several assistants over the years but Rose was, by far, one of the more interesting ones.
With a yawn, John padded out of his room in just his pyjama trousers. Rose was busily setting out the breakfast she had brought on the table. Without looking at him she hurried into the little kitchen and prepared his coffee. He eyed the foam packages wearily. "How far did this travel?" he asked, frowning deeply.
Rose set a cup of coffee down in front of him. "Just down the block, from Jack's. A grand total of five minutes away," Rose said, putting a fist on her hip and glaring at him. "I got your favourite. The Yankee Doodle Dandy breakfast." She pointed to one of the packages and he yanked it over to himself and tucked in.
After a moment he realized Rose was just sitting across from him, just staring at him. John slowed his chewing, suddenly feeling uncomfortably self-conscious. This sort of thing happened entirely too often. He'd be doing some sort of mundane task and Rose would be watching him as if it was one of the most perplexing things known to mankind.
She shook her head to clear it and tucked in to her own breakfast plate. "So, any ideas today?" she asked, keeping her attention on her fork prodding into her eggs.
John beamed proudly. "Actually yes," he boasted. "I had this dream, the other night... you were in it." Rose choked on her eggs and he realized, perhaps, he should illuminate her role in his dream. "You were trapped in a shop basement and were being chased by these... shop dummies that had come to life. And I rescued you. I think it could be my next big seller."
Rose leaned forward and rested her chin on her fist, grinning at him. "Oh, really? Do you go up in the basement, guns blazing?"
"No." John bounced happily in his seat and shifted into the seat closest to Rose. "See... you were trapped near these doors and right as the dummies were getting ready to kill ya, I opened the doors, grabbed your hand--" He wrapped his fingers around hers and squeezed gently. His heart started beating rapidly.
Rose took in a sharp breath. "Yeah?" she asked shakily. "And then?" John smiled broadly, not caring that his smile was quite possibly the most absurd thing known to humanity. But, it made Rose's grin return and she leaned closer to him. Her voice lowered when she spoke again. "I bet you told me to run. And then we started running... and never stopped."
John felt his face warm and cast his gaze downward as he released her hand. "Actually, I dunno... But that's a good idea. Mind if I use it?"
Rose pulled away from him and refocused on her breakfast. "No... 'course I don't mind. As long as I get a honourable mention or somethin'." She gave him a quick smile. "You're so full of it, you know. You're much too clever to use your dreams as a book plot. I take it you'll be at your little--" she wriggled her fingers "--typewriter most of the day?"
Somehow he felt like she was making fun of him. He got that feeling almost every time he got an idea for a new book and told her about it, despite the fact she knew he was a writer when he hired her. He didn't want to tell her of all the other ideas he'd been having... the way the main character in his books seemed to be wanting to fall for his new shop girl-turn-space travelling companion. And he doubted she would want to know she was the love interest for a character based on himself, so he felt it was best to keep most of the book to himself until after it was published.
Wasn't like she would be reading it at any rate.
His Rose may be many things but a reader wasn't one of them. Unless it was one of those silly rags that were on about celebrities. But sometimes he still held out and hoped for the best, that she would come around and might possibly be interested in an old bloke such as himself. In the meantime he had his day dreams and the dreams he had at night alone in his bed.
Rose finished up and stood. She gathered the empty cartons and carried them off to the trash. John watched the sway of her hips as she went along her normal morning duties.
Right. He was the boss, she was the assistant.
Sort of made sense why she was his character's companion. Just as his previous assistants had made their way into his books, Rose was making her way into them now. It had been almost ten years since he'd published anything... and his last attempt hadn't exactly been widely accepted. He had been mocked and told he had ruined the franchise started by his father with one book.
This latest series was meant to redeem him in the eyes of the public. Stories of the mad man in his little blue box that was bigger on the inside. Rose didn’t even have a clue about the history of his writing and thought he was just one of those eccentric sorts that got famous from one book and was trying to regain public interest.
At least Rose seemed interested in his ideas. Not to mention she was willingly putting up with him when he knew he didn't pay her nearly enough for everything she did for him. Speaking of which...
"Rose..."
Rose turned. "Yes, Doctor... Smith?"
"I'm going to be busy most of the day," John said. "Could you make sure to sneak nibbles onto my desk at the appropriate times and something to drink?"
"Of course. It's what you pay me for, isn't it?" Rose scoffed, grinning cutely. And it was the cheeky one where her tongue perched at the corner of her mouth. John was determined that one day, just maybe, he would give in to the urge to show her what he thought of that little, pink tongue when it teased him and taunted him.
John managed a smile back at her. "Yeah, it is." He stood and made his way over to his desk and type writer, tucked in the corner of his lounge, over looking the very exciting Eccles Road. He stretched and cracked his knuckles.
"Aren't you going to get a a shower first?" Rose asked from the kitchen. "You usually say that helps your neurons start flowing so you can concentrate."
John stopped in the middle of his stretch and glared at Rose, who was bent over arranging magazines on the coffee table. "Anything else, Mother?"
"Yeah, you need to get clothes on so I can concentrate," Rose muttered.
John blinked in surprise. "Pardon?"
"Nothing," Rose replied quickly. "I'm going to pop down to the shops to get some of your favourites. Anything in particular you're craving?"
"Rose..." John said absent-mindedly then shook his head to clear it. "Wine. Rose wine. And get the good one. I only take the best."
Rose looked at him and a small smile quirked at the corner of her mouth, as though she were remembering another time she had said something to that extent. "You..." she said, pointing at him playfully. "Take a shower and get writing. I'll be back. I expect to read an entire twenty page chapter before I leave this evening." She picked his wallet up off the coffee table and took out a credit card. "And stay out of trouble while I'm gone."
John shook his head and chuckled. "What sort of trouble could I get into. You're confusing me with the Doctor from my books."
Rose's smile disappeared. "Come again?"
John waved his hands in a shooing manner. "Of you go. No more distractions from you missy. You've got errands to do for me."
And with that, Rose quickly made her exit.
Author: irishlullaby / RamblingRose
Rated: R
Warnings: Will contain adult content in later chapter
Summary: (Nine/Rose) The Doctor takes on a human form to hide from the Family of Blood… He thinks he’s a writer and Rose is his assistant.
He held onto her hand tightly as they raced down the streets of London. Her dark eyes were full of fears. His two hearts beat out a rapid samba because he was just as scared as she. The ship wasn't too far off. They could make it before those who pursued them caught up.
"Run, run, run," he said rapidly, although it went without saying. If the aggressors caught him, they'd consume him and terrorize the universe throughout space and time. And Rose...
Rose.
They would consume her just to torment him. They would probably make him watch helplessly while they did so. Or worse, they would make her one of them and she would be the one to pull ever ounce of his existence from his body.
They rounded a corner and before them was the blue police box. They were close. So close.
They dashed in and slammed the doors closed behind them. He raced to the controls and quickly descended into the vortex.
Othering Other.
They were following them through the vortex!
Rose was laying heavily against the doors, panting. She looked at him, fear still in her dark eyes. "Are we safe, then?" she asked breathlessly.
He took a deep breath as he watched her. She was wanting to hear the lie he wanted to tell. He rubbed his hands over his close-shorn hair then released the breath. "We will be. I just have to do something first," he replied and dropped to the floor to pull open on of the storage panels.
#
Doctor John Smith opened his eyes as he heard the door to his flat close. He could hear Rose murmuring from somewhere near the kitchen, scolding the mess he had left the night before. She never complained to his face, of course, because she wanted to keep her job. But he could hear her tossing his tumbler and empty boxes of sweets where they belonged while likening herself to his mother.
"My mum didn't complain when she cleaned up after me," he called.
Silence.
A soft knock sounded at his door and Rose peeped in cautiously. John sat up, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand, making sure his duvet covered his lower half. Rose's dark eyes widened and her face flushed. "I... I brought breakfast," she said, averting her eyes from his bare chest.
Admittedly, John knew he wasn't much to look at but the sight of him without a shirt still seemed to make his lovely assistant blush and turn into a shy girl. "Let me get some trousers on and I'll be right out," he muttered. This made Rose blush even more, yelp, and hurry away from the door.
John chuckled under his breath as he fished his pyjamas from the floor and pulled them on. One would think after being his assistant for so long she'd be used to the fact he slept naked. He had gone through several assistants over the years but Rose was, by far, one of the more interesting ones.
With a yawn, John padded out of his room in just his pyjama trousers. Rose was busily setting out the breakfast she had brought on the table. Without looking at him she hurried into the little kitchen and prepared his coffee. He eyed the foam packages wearily. "How far did this travel?" he asked, frowning deeply.
Rose set a cup of coffee down in front of him. "Just down the block, from Jack's. A grand total of five minutes away," Rose said, putting a fist on her hip and glaring at him. "I got your favourite. The Yankee Doodle Dandy breakfast." She pointed to one of the packages and he yanked it over to himself and tucked in.
After a moment he realized Rose was just sitting across from him, just staring at him. John slowed his chewing, suddenly feeling uncomfortably self-conscious. This sort of thing happened entirely too often. He'd be doing some sort of mundane task and Rose would be watching him as if it was one of the most perplexing things known to mankind.
She shook her head to clear it and tucked in to her own breakfast plate. "So, any ideas today?" she asked, keeping her attention on her fork prodding into her eggs.
John beamed proudly. "Actually yes," he boasted. "I had this dream, the other night... you were in it." Rose choked on her eggs and he realized, perhaps, he should illuminate her role in his dream. "You were trapped in a shop basement and were being chased by these... shop dummies that had come to life. And I rescued you. I think it could be my next big seller."
Rose leaned forward and rested her chin on her fist, grinning at him. "Oh, really? Do you go up in the basement, guns blazing?"
"No." John bounced happily in his seat and shifted into the seat closest to Rose. "See... you were trapped near these doors and right as the dummies were getting ready to kill ya, I opened the doors, grabbed your hand--" He wrapped his fingers around hers and squeezed gently. His heart started beating rapidly.
Rose took in a sharp breath. "Yeah?" she asked shakily. "And then?" John smiled broadly, not caring that his smile was quite possibly the most absurd thing known to humanity. But, it made Rose's grin return and she leaned closer to him. Her voice lowered when she spoke again. "I bet you told me to run. And then we started running... and never stopped."
John felt his face warm and cast his gaze downward as he released her hand. "Actually, I dunno... But that's a good idea. Mind if I use it?"
Rose pulled away from him and refocused on her breakfast. "No... 'course I don't mind. As long as I get a honourable mention or somethin'." She gave him a quick smile. "You're so full of it, you know. You're much too clever to use your dreams as a book plot. I take it you'll be at your little--" she wriggled her fingers "--typewriter most of the day?"
Somehow he felt like she was making fun of him. He got that feeling almost every time he got an idea for a new book and told her about it, despite the fact she knew he was a writer when he hired her. He didn't want to tell her of all the other ideas he'd been having... the way the main character in his books seemed to be wanting to fall for his new shop girl-turn-space travelling companion. And he doubted she would want to know she was the love interest for a character based on himself, so he felt it was best to keep most of the book to himself until after it was published.
Wasn't like she would be reading it at any rate.
His Rose may be many things but a reader wasn't one of them. Unless it was one of those silly rags that were on about celebrities. But sometimes he still held out and hoped for the best, that she would come around and might possibly be interested in an old bloke such as himself. In the meantime he had his day dreams and the dreams he had at night alone in his bed.
Rose finished up and stood. She gathered the empty cartons and carried them off to the trash. John watched the sway of her hips as she went along her normal morning duties.
Right. He was the boss, she was the assistant.
Sort of made sense why she was his character's companion. Just as his previous assistants had made their way into his books, Rose was making her way into them now. It had been almost ten years since he'd published anything... and his last attempt hadn't exactly been widely accepted. He had been mocked and told he had ruined the franchise started by his father with one book.
This latest series was meant to redeem him in the eyes of the public. Stories of the mad man in his little blue box that was bigger on the inside. Rose didn’t even have a clue about the history of his writing and thought he was just one of those eccentric sorts that got famous from one book and was trying to regain public interest.
At least Rose seemed interested in his ideas. Not to mention she was willingly putting up with him when he knew he didn't pay her nearly enough for everything she did for him. Speaking of which...
"Rose..."
Rose turned. "Yes, Doctor... Smith?"
"I'm going to be busy most of the day," John said. "Could you make sure to sneak nibbles onto my desk at the appropriate times and something to drink?"
"Of course. It's what you pay me for, isn't it?" Rose scoffed, grinning cutely. And it was the cheeky one where her tongue perched at the corner of her mouth. John was determined that one day, just maybe, he would give in to the urge to show her what he thought of that little, pink tongue when it teased him and taunted him.
John managed a smile back at her. "Yeah, it is." He stood and made his way over to his desk and type writer, tucked in the corner of his lounge, over looking the very exciting Eccles Road. He stretched and cracked his knuckles.
"Aren't you going to get a a shower first?" Rose asked from the kitchen. "You usually say that helps your neurons start flowing so you can concentrate."
John stopped in the middle of his stretch and glared at Rose, who was bent over arranging magazines on the coffee table. "Anything else, Mother?"
"Yeah, you need to get clothes on so I can concentrate," Rose muttered.
John blinked in surprise. "Pardon?"
"Nothing," Rose replied quickly. "I'm going to pop down to the shops to get some of your favourites. Anything in particular you're craving?"
"Rose..." John said absent-mindedly then shook his head to clear it. "Wine. Rose wine. And get the good one. I only take the best."
Rose looked at him and a small smile quirked at the corner of her mouth, as though she were remembering another time she had said something to that extent. "You..." she said, pointing at him playfully. "Take a shower and get writing. I'll be back. I expect to read an entire twenty page chapter before I leave this evening." She picked his wallet up off the coffee table and took out a credit card. "And stay out of trouble while I'm gone."
John shook his head and chuckled. "What sort of trouble could I get into. You're confusing me with the Doctor from my books."
Rose's smile disappeared. "Come again?"
John waved his hands in a shooing manner. "Of you go. No more distractions from you missy. You've got errands to do for me."
And with that, Rose quickly made her exit.