Fic: the trouble with resonating snow
Title: the trouble with resonating snow
Author: Mary (stillxmyxheart)
Beta: Lindsay (nylana)
Rating: G
Genre: Fluff, Romance
Word Count: 1,875
Characters: Rose/Nine
Disclaimer: Anything you recognize? Ain't mine.
Summary: Rose decides the Doctor needs a break from the TARDIS.
A/N: Written for jessalrynn for the Secret Santa fic exchange at then_theres_us
A warning note rang out and the Doctor glanced up, his fingers tightening around the sonic screwdriver.
"Hush," he said firmly, peering at the screwdriver and adjusting the settings before poking it once more through the tangle of wires in front of him.
A moment later a louder bell sounded, followed by a loud electrical crackle, a sharp zap, and a loud exclamation from the Doctor.
He snatched his hand from the bundle of wires, fingers still clutched around the sonic screwdriver, and stared at the burn that ran across the back of his hand. He scowled at it before throwing a reproachful look upward.
"This is what I get for letting you drive," he muttered, pushing to his feet, "a ship that talks back."
He pulled himself from beneath the console and wandered towards the kitchen in search of a banana, still staring at the burn on his hand.
A thorough search of the cabinets, drawers, and refrigerator left him with one very disheartening thought: they were out of bananas.
"Rose!" he called, staring disconsolately into the refrigerator once more, pushing aside a takeout box of chips, knowing the bananas weren't hiding behind it, but one could never be too careful.
He called for his companion again and she stepped into the kitchen, a book in one hand and a small frown on her face.
"Yes, Doctor?" she said, and then before he could reply continued, "Did you fix the ship?"
He turned towards her with a frown, holding up his hand. "No. She burned me."
The corner of Rose's mouth curled up. "S'what you get for poking around in her skirts without permission."
"I shouldn't have to ask permission, she's my bloody ship."
"Yes, but she's got feelings," Rose pointed out.
The Doctor grunted and she grinned.
"So what are you shouting about in here, then?"
"I can't find the bananas," the Doctor replied, turning his gaze back to the refrigerator in the dim hope that some had magically appeared.
"Well, they wouldn't be in there," Rose said, rolling her eyes as she looked at him. "If they're not on the counter, then we're out."
"How can we be out of bananas?" the Doctor exclaimed, pushing the door to the refrigerator shut with a loud snap.
"Well, that's what happens when you eat them all."
The Doctor fixed her with a glare and she grinned again.
"I wasn't just going to eat it," the Doctor explained and Rose raised her eyebrows.
"Oh?"
"The peel - the potassium's good for - for burns," he said, avoiding her gaze.
"I see," Rose murmured, her grin widening as she leaned against the door frame, idly scratching her leg with her foot. "Where are we? Why don't we just go get some more?"
"There aren't any in this part of the galaxy, and the ship's still not flyable," the Doctor replied sullenly.
Rose contemplated him for a moment.
"Wasn't it snowing when we landed?" she said, and then an uneasy look flitted across her face. "It is proper snow, right? Not ash or - or like those weird stinging flowers I thought was snow?"
She rubbed her fingers together unconsciously and the tiniest flicker of a smile crossed the Doctor's face.
"It's proper snow."
Rose's grin returned and she drummed her fingers on the door frame before pushing off and walking from the room.
The Doctor frowned as he watched her go, wondering, not for the first time in their long history together, what she had in mind.
He was staring once again at the burn on his hand, which was already healing, though the state of his pride was still in question, when she returned, bundled up in a coat, scarf, mittens, and boots.
"C'mon then," she said when he didn't move.
"Where to, exactly?" he asked, eyeing her warily.
"You need to take a break from the ship, and there's snow outside."
When he still didn't move, Rose stepped over to him, raising her hands to the lapels of his jacket and staring up at him, her brown eyes keen on his blue ones.
"Or maybe you just haven't spent any time with me all day, and it would be nice to go outside and have some fun."
The Doctor was unable to argue with this point, especially when Rose moved one hand to the front of his jumper and tugged him down, capturing his lips with hers.
She raised an eyebrow at him when she pulled away and he nodded.
"S'pose you're right about needing a break," he murmured, though his mind was admittedly drifting towards the decidedly warmer locale of her bed and not the icy temperatures outside.
"So c'mon," she said again, her hand sliding down his arm to catch his fingers in her own.
He allowed her to pull him from the kitchen, casting a dirty look up at the console as they passed by it (he could almost swear the lights dimmed as they walked by, as though she were glaring right back at him), and they pushed open the doors, stepping out into a white landscape.
"She'll probably lock us out," the Doctor muttered.
"She won't lock us out," Rose said reassuringly, rubbing a soothing hand along the bright blue wood and receiving an appreciative hum in return. "She just needs some time alone."
"So what're we doing out here?" the Doctor asked, glancing up at the two suns high in the sky.
"I challenge you," Rose said with the air of someone about to reveal something terribly exciting, "to a snowman building contest."
The Doctor stared at her, nonplussed. "A snowman building contest?"
"Have you got something else in mind?"
"Well, no, I s'pose not," the Doctor replied, frowning lightly. "And who, exactly, is judging this contest?"
"We are," Rose replied, glancing up at him as she kneeled down. "I think we can trust ourselves to be fair and impartial." She grinned. "Right?"
He raised an eyebrow at her and her grin widened, tongue poking between her teeth. She was already molding the base of her snowman, piling snow on and packing it down, her bright pink mittens contrastingly vibrantly with the white powder.
The Doctor turned away from her, staring pensively at the ground before kneeling down and beginning to form his own snowman.
A short while passed and eventually he had his three segments together, in what he thought were perfectly proportioned spheres. Rose's snowman was looking a bit squashy and fat around the middle, though he had to admit it had a certain charm.
He turned his attention back to his own snowman, contemplating what to do with the face.
There was the sound of snow crunching and he glanced up to see Rose making her way towards one of the trees nearby. He'd done a scan for hostile life forms when they landed and the trees hadn't registered dangerous, though his gaze lingered on her, watching as she ran her hands along the trunk before eventually deciding it was safe.
He pulled the sonic screwdriver from his pocket and considered it a moment. Perhaps he could meld the crystals of ice together to form facial features.
He fiddled with the controls a moment before turning the screwdriver on his snowman and a gentle buzzing filled the air.
There was once again the crunch of snowy footsteps and the Doctor glanced up to see Rose walking back, bits of bark clutched in her mittened hands.
"What're you doing?" she asked, frowning as she stopped and stared at him.
"Resonating snow."
"You can't resonate snow, Doctor," Rose said, biting her lip in what seemed like an effort to keep from laughing.
"And why not?"
"Because," she said, pointing. "You're melting your snowman."
He looked sharply back at his creation and to his great horror saw that his snowman was, indeed, melting.
"No, no, no, no, no," he muttered, fumbling with the controls and accidentally setting them too high. As he watched, the speed of his snowman's demise increased and before he could think of what to do to save it, the whole thing dissolved into a lumpy puddle of water and ice.
He stared open-mouthed at the ground, silently cursing the loss of what surely would've been a fantastic display of snow architecture.
A moment later Rose was beside him, an amused smile on her face, though he knew she wasn't making fun of him.
"C'mon, you can help me finish mine," she said, taking his hand and turning him around.
She shuffled through the bits of bark in her hands, her brow creased gently and her lips pursed as she considered each one.
Finally she smiled and took two from her pile, setting the rest on the ground. He watched as she stuck them on either side of the top part of her snowman, so that they resembled something akin to ears.
He raised an eyebrow as he looked at her and she grinned, reaching into her pocket.
"Here, these are the eyes," she said, dropping two large, blue buttons into his hand. "I'll be right back."
He watched her hurry to the TARDIS and slip inside, and then turned his attention to the snowman once more. He positioned the buttons, narrowing his eyes until he was sure they were perfectly placed, and looked up when the TARDIS door creaked open and Rose reemerged.
She stepped between him and the snowman, fiddling with the face before stepping back, a broad grin curving her lips. A carrot stuck out of the packed snow, in just the right way to suggest a nose, though a rather long, and somewhat alarmingly orange, nose.
"What do you think?" she asked, tongue once again poking between her teeth as she looked up at him. There was a certain gleam in her eye and something clicked.
"Is that supposed to be me, then?" he asked, feigning indignance.
"What gave it away?" she asked. "Was it the ears?"
"Oi, you," he said, reaching for her and pulling her to him.
She giggled and he couldn't help smiling as he looked down at her.
"The resemblance is striking, I have to admit," he conceded and she giggled again.
"I'm sorry your snowman melted," she said softly after a moment.
He shrugged. "Can't resonate snow, I guess."
Her smile widened. "I would've won anyway."
"Oh, would you have done?" he asked, eyebrows raised.
She nodded, raising her hands to his chest and appearing intent on the ribbed pattern of his jumper. After a minute she raised her eyes to his face, smiling again.
"I always win."
"You don't always win, what about that time with the toaster -"
He got out no more when Rose brought her hand to the back of his neck and pulled him down to kiss her, her body rising to press against his. His arms tightened around her and he held her to him, his thoughts once again drifting to the warmth of her sheets and wondering just how long it would take to remove the many layers she appeared to be wearing at the present time.
"All right, fine," he murmured against her mouth when she pulled back slightly. "You win."
She grinned and touched her lips to his again. "Always."
Author: Mary (stillxmyxheart)
Beta: Lindsay (nylana)
Rating: G
Genre: Fluff, Romance
Word Count: 1,875
Characters: Rose/Nine
Disclaimer: Anything you recognize? Ain't mine.
Summary: Rose decides the Doctor needs a break from the TARDIS.
A/N: Written for jessalrynn for the Secret Santa fic exchange at then_theres_us
A warning note rang out and the Doctor glanced up, his fingers tightening around the sonic screwdriver.
"Hush," he said firmly, peering at the screwdriver and adjusting the settings before poking it once more through the tangle of wires in front of him.
A moment later a louder bell sounded, followed by a loud electrical crackle, a sharp zap, and a loud exclamation from the Doctor.
He snatched his hand from the bundle of wires, fingers still clutched around the sonic screwdriver, and stared at the burn that ran across the back of his hand. He scowled at it before throwing a reproachful look upward.
"This is what I get for letting you drive," he muttered, pushing to his feet, "a ship that talks back."
He pulled himself from beneath the console and wandered towards the kitchen in search of a banana, still staring at the burn on his hand.
A thorough search of the cabinets, drawers, and refrigerator left him with one very disheartening thought: they were out of bananas.
"Rose!" he called, staring disconsolately into the refrigerator once more, pushing aside a takeout box of chips, knowing the bananas weren't hiding behind it, but one could never be too careful.
He called for his companion again and she stepped into the kitchen, a book in one hand and a small frown on her face.
"Yes, Doctor?" she said, and then before he could reply continued, "Did you fix the ship?"
He turned towards her with a frown, holding up his hand. "No. She burned me."
The corner of Rose's mouth curled up. "S'what you get for poking around in her skirts without permission."
"I shouldn't have to ask permission, she's my bloody ship."
"Yes, but she's got feelings," Rose pointed out.
The Doctor grunted and she grinned.
"So what are you shouting about in here, then?"
"I can't find the bananas," the Doctor replied, turning his gaze back to the refrigerator in the dim hope that some had magically appeared.
"Well, they wouldn't be in there," Rose said, rolling her eyes as she looked at him. "If they're not on the counter, then we're out."
"How can we be out of bananas?" the Doctor exclaimed, pushing the door to the refrigerator shut with a loud snap.
"Well, that's what happens when you eat them all."
The Doctor fixed her with a glare and she grinned again.
"I wasn't just going to eat it," the Doctor explained and Rose raised her eyebrows.
"Oh?"
"The peel - the potassium's good for - for burns," he said, avoiding her gaze.
"I see," Rose murmured, her grin widening as she leaned against the door frame, idly scratching her leg with her foot. "Where are we? Why don't we just go get some more?"
"There aren't any in this part of the galaxy, and the ship's still not flyable," the Doctor replied sullenly.
Rose contemplated him for a moment.
"Wasn't it snowing when we landed?" she said, and then an uneasy look flitted across her face. "It is proper snow, right? Not ash or - or like those weird stinging flowers I thought was snow?"
She rubbed her fingers together unconsciously and the tiniest flicker of a smile crossed the Doctor's face.
"It's proper snow."
Rose's grin returned and she drummed her fingers on the door frame before pushing off and walking from the room.
The Doctor frowned as he watched her go, wondering, not for the first time in their long history together, what she had in mind.
He was staring once again at the burn on his hand, which was already healing, though the state of his pride was still in question, when she returned, bundled up in a coat, scarf, mittens, and boots.
"C'mon then," she said when he didn't move.
"Where to, exactly?" he asked, eyeing her warily.
"You need to take a break from the ship, and there's snow outside."
When he still didn't move, Rose stepped over to him, raising her hands to the lapels of his jacket and staring up at him, her brown eyes keen on his blue ones.
"Or maybe you just haven't spent any time with me all day, and it would be nice to go outside and have some fun."
The Doctor was unable to argue with this point, especially when Rose moved one hand to the front of his jumper and tugged him down, capturing his lips with hers.
She raised an eyebrow at him when she pulled away and he nodded.
"S'pose you're right about needing a break," he murmured, though his mind was admittedly drifting towards the decidedly warmer locale of her bed and not the icy temperatures outside.
"So c'mon," she said again, her hand sliding down his arm to catch his fingers in her own.
He allowed her to pull him from the kitchen, casting a dirty look up at the console as they passed by it (he could almost swear the lights dimmed as they walked by, as though she were glaring right back at him), and they pushed open the doors, stepping out into a white landscape.
"She'll probably lock us out," the Doctor muttered.
"She won't lock us out," Rose said reassuringly, rubbing a soothing hand along the bright blue wood and receiving an appreciative hum in return. "She just needs some time alone."
"So what're we doing out here?" the Doctor asked, glancing up at the two suns high in the sky.
"I challenge you," Rose said with the air of someone about to reveal something terribly exciting, "to a snowman building contest."
The Doctor stared at her, nonplussed. "A snowman building contest?"
"Have you got something else in mind?"
"Well, no, I s'pose not," the Doctor replied, frowning lightly. "And who, exactly, is judging this contest?"
"We are," Rose replied, glancing up at him as she kneeled down. "I think we can trust ourselves to be fair and impartial." She grinned. "Right?"
He raised an eyebrow at her and her grin widened, tongue poking between her teeth. She was already molding the base of her snowman, piling snow on and packing it down, her bright pink mittens contrastingly vibrantly with the white powder.
The Doctor turned away from her, staring pensively at the ground before kneeling down and beginning to form his own snowman.
A short while passed and eventually he had his three segments together, in what he thought were perfectly proportioned spheres. Rose's snowman was looking a bit squashy and fat around the middle, though he had to admit it had a certain charm.
He turned his attention back to his own snowman, contemplating what to do with the face.
There was the sound of snow crunching and he glanced up to see Rose making her way towards one of the trees nearby. He'd done a scan for hostile life forms when they landed and the trees hadn't registered dangerous, though his gaze lingered on her, watching as she ran her hands along the trunk before eventually deciding it was safe.
He pulled the sonic screwdriver from his pocket and considered it a moment. Perhaps he could meld the crystals of ice together to form facial features.
He fiddled with the controls a moment before turning the screwdriver on his snowman and a gentle buzzing filled the air.
There was once again the crunch of snowy footsteps and the Doctor glanced up to see Rose walking back, bits of bark clutched in her mittened hands.
"What're you doing?" she asked, frowning as she stopped and stared at him.
"Resonating snow."
"You can't resonate snow, Doctor," Rose said, biting her lip in what seemed like an effort to keep from laughing.
"And why not?"
"Because," she said, pointing. "You're melting your snowman."
He looked sharply back at his creation and to his great horror saw that his snowman was, indeed, melting.
"No, no, no, no, no," he muttered, fumbling with the controls and accidentally setting them too high. As he watched, the speed of his snowman's demise increased and before he could think of what to do to save it, the whole thing dissolved into a lumpy puddle of water and ice.
He stared open-mouthed at the ground, silently cursing the loss of what surely would've been a fantastic display of snow architecture.
A moment later Rose was beside him, an amused smile on her face, though he knew she wasn't making fun of him.
"C'mon, you can help me finish mine," she said, taking his hand and turning him around.
She shuffled through the bits of bark in her hands, her brow creased gently and her lips pursed as she considered each one.
Finally she smiled and took two from her pile, setting the rest on the ground. He watched as she stuck them on either side of the top part of her snowman, so that they resembled something akin to ears.
He raised an eyebrow as he looked at her and she grinned, reaching into her pocket.
"Here, these are the eyes," she said, dropping two large, blue buttons into his hand. "I'll be right back."
He watched her hurry to the TARDIS and slip inside, and then turned his attention to the snowman once more. He positioned the buttons, narrowing his eyes until he was sure they were perfectly placed, and looked up when the TARDIS door creaked open and Rose reemerged.
She stepped between him and the snowman, fiddling with the face before stepping back, a broad grin curving her lips. A carrot stuck out of the packed snow, in just the right way to suggest a nose, though a rather long, and somewhat alarmingly orange, nose.
"What do you think?" she asked, tongue once again poking between her teeth as she looked up at him. There was a certain gleam in her eye and something clicked.
"Is that supposed to be me, then?" he asked, feigning indignance.
"What gave it away?" she asked. "Was it the ears?"
"Oi, you," he said, reaching for her and pulling her to him.
She giggled and he couldn't help smiling as he looked down at her.
"The resemblance is striking, I have to admit," he conceded and she giggled again.
"I'm sorry your snowman melted," she said softly after a moment.
He shrugged. "Can't resonate snow, I guess."
Her smile widened. "I would've won anyway."
"Oh, would you have done?" he asked, eyebrows raised.
She nodded, raising her hands to his chest and appearing intent on the ribbed pattern of his jumper. After a minute she raised her eyes to his face, smiling again.
"I always win."
"You don't always win, what about that time with the toaster -"
He got out no more when Rose brought her hand to the back of his neck and pulled him down to kiss her, her body rising to press against his. His arms tightened around her and he held her to him, his thoughts once again drifting to the warmth of her sheets and wondering just how long it would take to remove the many layers she appeared to be wearing at the present time.
"All right, fine," he murmured against her mouth when she pulled back slightly. "You win."
She grinned and touched her lips to his again. "Always."