Changing Colour (A Dr. Who fanfiction)

Chapter 4: Periwinkle

 “Wh... why not?”

“That is your suit!”

“I always wear my suit.”

“You even have your coat on!” Rose looks absolutely indignant. “We are on a summer planet, the most relaxing planet in the whole universe, it looks like paradise and you are wearing all your clothes!?”

Her voice went up a notch at the word ‘all’ and the Doctor winces. “N... not good?”

Rose sighs and shakes her head in desperation. “Off!”

“What?”

Tired of his incomprehension, Rose takes matters in her own hands. She walks around the Doctor and brings her hands up to his collar. She sees him hold his breath as her fingers lightly touch his neck and then she starts pulling at his coat.

“Arms wider.”

He obeys without questioning her and she draws the brown sleeves away from his arms. Bringing the coat inside the TARDIS, she takes a minute to think about her next move. What exactly does she want him to wear?

A perky smile crosses her face when she thinks about the previous afternoon in the swimming pool - that would do very nicely. She takes a sprint to the wardrobe, fetches the trunks and races back.

Panting a little, she bursts out laughing when she sees him still standing in the exact same spot she left him a few minutes ago.

Suddenly a little nervous she throws the trunks on top of the picnic basket. “I just figured... you know, for when... maybe later?”

The Doctor nods and swallows as Rose takes a few steps closer, still breathing a little heavy.

“The tie!”

“The tie?”

“Has to go.”

“Right.”

He is not moving however and Rose is beginning to suspect he likes this game. Well, she's happy to play along if he is, quite happy actually.

Her hands rise again, and they tremble a little, only a little, when she reaches his chin, a small twitch at the corner of his mouth catches her eye and she bites her lip as she takes hold of the tie.

It takes some fumbling, but she manages not to strangle him. It's not her fault, she hasn't had many opportunities to practice unwrapping ties... maybe he could teach her how to knot one properly.

There, it's off. Unceremoniously she dumps it back in the TARDIS.

“Oi, careful, that's my favourite!”

Rose giggles at his exclamation, she breathes in deeply and with her lips pressed together she gets to work unbuttoning the top two buttons. Or maybe three? When she begins at the third, the Doctor takes hold of her hands.

“How many...” He clears his throat and says again, a pitch lower this time: “How many were you planning to unbutton?”

“Just one more, almost ready.”

He has a T-shirt beneath the blue shirt and Rose feels a little disappointed.

“Okay, now all that's left are your sleeves and then we're ready to go, okay?”

The Doctor smiles, not his manic grin, not even the overenthusiastic one. Just a smile; it reaches his eyes, forms wrinkles above his cheeks, and Rose feels her heart skip a beat.

They stare, neither one moving; they simply share the warm air swirling around them as electricity fills the space between them, until the Doctor swallows, raises his arm and holds it, wrist up, for Rose to wrap up. She nods once, looks down and the magic moment is over.