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Rose had no idea what had possessed her to put it on. Maybe it was Jimmy Stone having left her that had finally pushed her over the edge, or perhaps it was because she had spent the week with her mother; which had driven her mad. The point was that here she, Rose Tyler, stood in the middle of her kitchen… wearing a ‘sexy’ Snow White halloween costume, vacuuming and singing ‘When Will My Life Begin’ from the ‘Tangled’ soundtrack at the top of her lungs.
Rose twirled around her kitchen, less than eloquently, having dropped the hoover as the music took her. She ran to the corner where she kept the mop and span it around; as if she weren't dancing around her kitchen with a mop, but rather in a great hall, at a magnificent masquerade ball with Prince Charming.
“An’ keeps wonderin’, an’ wonderin’, an’ wonderin’, an’ wonderin’ when will my life begin?!” She belted.
There was a quick, harsh knock at the door. Rose hiccuped as she staggered into the hallway and stared at her front door.
“‘S’there?” she slurred at the mystery knocker.
“2B. Could you please keep it down?”
Rose tried to run for the door, but feeling dizzy decided to stumble instead. She placed her hands on the walls for assistance. Once at the door, she flung it open.
The man on the other side of the now-open door looked shocked, clearly not expecting the noisy culprate to confront him… or maybe it was the dress… on second thought it was most probably the Snow White dress that had caught him off guard. Rose cleared her throat.
“Hello,” the man said, furrowing his brow at Rose. He was clearly very confused, bless.
“2B?” Rose asked before another hiccup escaped her.
“Yep!” He popped the ‘p’, with what Rose found to be annoying enthusiasm.
“2B,” Rose declared with a loud projecting voice, which her GCSE drama teacher would have been proud of. “Or not 2B?!” Rose took a bow and nearly fell over, brushing her head against the unknown neighbor's crotch, before he grabbed her and held her up right.
“Listen, 2B.” Rose said sternly as she straightened up and poked him harshly in the chest. “If I‘m ‘credibly drunk an’ feel like throwin’ on Disney princess cos’ume, while doin’ chores an’ sin’in’ then I will! I don't care if it’s… what time’s it?”
“4am.”
“Wow… really? Blimmin’ ‘eck, that is late. Anyway! I don't care if it's 4 am, or if I’ve been at it for hours. Now, I’d really ‘ppreciate it if you didn't knock on door an’ tell us to keeps down, ‘cause t’is been a very hard week for me! An’ I's been told that I has the voice of angel, FYI. So, don't even act like you weren't lovin’ my rendition of Cher’s ‘Believe’, ‘cause I know I fuckin’ rocked it.”
The pair stood in the doorway of Rose’s flat for what felt like a millennium to Rose, in her drunken state, but was only actually a minute or two; as her previously-annoyed-now-amused-and-slightly-intrigued neighbour pondered over the rant she had just given him.
“You’ve had a hard week?” The wild-haired brunette asked.
“Yesss,” Rose hissed through gritted teeth, exasperatedly.
“Well, I’m very sorry to hear that… carry on.” He gave her a bright smile, his eyes crinkling as he did so.
“Really?”
“Will it make you happy?” he asked.
“Yeah.”
“Then the noise doesn't bother me. Night.” The man began to turn away before stopping and saying one last thing. “Your ‘Believe’ was good, by the way, although personally I preferred ‘She Will Be Loved’. I’m John by the way, but people usually call me the Doctor.”
“Rose, Rose Tyler.”
“Well, good night Rose,” John, AKA the Doctor said. “Oh, and I hope the coming week is a bit kinder to you. If not I believe my niece has a Queen Elsa dress, should you want to borrow it.” John shot her a cheeky wink.
“Thanks, night Joh-” Rose stopped herself so that she could call the man by his obviously preferred - but quite frankly ridiculous - name. “Doctor."
It was only after ‘the Doctor’ had left that Rose realised just how attractive he really was. Of course she had seen it when she initially opened the door to him. Yet, now she was alone, and so very drunk, she wished she had asked the kind and handsome man to come inside. Rose went back to the kitchen to dance with the mop again. It was when she accidently called the mop Doctor that she decided to down her glass of wine, then knock on the door of flat 2B.
Rose stumbled into the hallway and knocked on John’s door. It took a few minutes but eventually it opened and the Doctor stood before her, tousled hair and clad only in jogging bottoms. He looked significantly more disheveled than before, clearly (though not to Rose) having just been roused from sleep. Rose found it strange how someone could make scruffy look quite so sexy. He grumbled something unintelligible before clearing his throat and starting again.
“Rose, what’re you doin’ here?” He asked sleepily and then relinquished a yawn.
“Wonders if ya wanted cuppa tea?” She answered, in a slurred manner, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
Hopefully one day she’d be able to have an actual clear and coherent conversation with John.
“It’s five in the morning,” he stated blankly. “So no, ta.”
“Right, s’you busy in mornin’?”
“It is the morning and yes, I have to go to uni in three hours.”
“Bit old aren't ya?” The Doctor’s jaw clenched. Had Rose been sober she would have regretted calling him old; yet she was drunk, so she didn’t.
“I'm a lecturer, not a student.”
“S’right.”
Rose just stood there on the clearly irritated man’s doorstep.
“Night, Rose.” the Doctor said, hoping she’d take the hint.
“Yeah, s’night.” Rose turned on her heel and the Doctor shut his door, hoping to finally catch some sleep.
::
Two and half hours later the Doctor opened his door, surprised by what was waiting for him. Rose. He was just getting ready to leave for work, and here his neighbour was laying down, snoring… still dressed as Snow White. It was at this moment the Doctor knew he was going to have a long day ahead.
“Rose? Hello, Rose.” He knelt down at her side and tried prodding her lightly with his fingers.
She finally woke from her slumber. It wasn't exactly being brought back by true love's kiss, but close enough. She blinked at him and smiled dopily, clearly still a little bit tipsy.
“Rose, what are you doing?” he asked.
John caught himself absentmindedly stroking her hair, so he quickly removed his hands, crossing them across his chest.
“I locked m’self out, didn’t wanna bother you no more though. Sorry,” tears began to slip down the girl’s cheeks and John’s heart went out to her. “I know I’m a nuisance. Jimmy always said, s’why he left me. Said I was too keen.”
John stood and helped Rose to her feet.
“Come on love, that’s it. Up you get, sweetheart. Here we go,” he encouraged her.
She wrapped her arms around his middle and buried her head into his chest. He pulled her back slightly to look at her face as he gently stroked a stray piece of hair out of her eyes.
“I have to go to work, but why don't you sleep it off in my flat until we can get the locksmiths round, yeah?”
She nodded sleepily as he guided her inside.
Rose snuggled into the Doctor’s sheets and hummed in content. John dashed in and out of the room. He put a bucket by the side of the bed, in case she needed to be sick, he also placed a glass of water and some ibuprofens on the bedside table, along with some chocolate.
“Here, you are,” he said as he finally sat on the foot of the bed. “I take it you like disney?” he asked.
“Yeah.”
“Want me to put on ‘The Lion King’ for you?”
“Yes, please.”
“Okay.”
“You’re really sweet… and a little bit pretty.” The Doctor blushed ever so slightly before Rose continued. “Wanna watch with me, and cuddle?”
“I can’t, I have to go to work,” he explained to her in a voice that one might use talking to a small, upset child.
“‘Kay.”
“Will you be alright, here on your own?”
“Yeah,” Rose yawned widely.
John stood and placed the DVD in the player before he handed Rose the controllers for the TV that hung on the wall opposite the bed. She smiled sweetly as her eyes fluttered shut, yet again.
“Night Rose,” he whispered.
John stroked Rose’s hair and even contemplated placing a delicate kiss on her forehead before thinking better of it and leaving for work, fifteen minutes late.
John wasn’t working to his usual standards. All could do was think about the beautiful young woman taking up residence in his bed, and how badly he wished to join her there - in the most innocent of ways. After two hours of wanting nothing more than to head home, he made his decision. John marched over to the main reception area and asked the woman at the desk to send an email to his students; informing them that his classes were cancelled for the rest of the day. He lied and said he wasn’t feeling well and needed to get home for some rest, but he was certain he would feel fine by tomorrow.
It only took half the time for John to get home, avoiding rush hour traffic. He practically ran up the stairs and burst through the door, kicking his shoes off, uncoordinatedly, before opening his bedroom door to see wisps of blonde hair fanned out on his pillow. His heart stuttered and his breath caught. This is absolutely ridiculous, he thought to himself, I barely know the woman. Yet this didn’t make his feelings any less real. There they were in the pit of his stomach, bubbling away.
John climbed onto his bed, making sure to stay on top of the covers, with Rose securely tucked underneath them, so as not to cross any boundaries that she may want to set. As he wriggled around in an attempt to find comfort Rose began to stir.
“Mornin’,” she breathed out, sleepily.
“Morning,” John replied, brightly. “So… wanna watch ‘Snow White’?” he waggled his eyebrows at her her, causing her to laugh.
Half way through the film John heard Rose’s stomach growl. Despite her best efforts to convince him otherwise, he went out to buy everything needed for a full english breakfast. The smell of bacon, sausages and egg filled the air.
“Perfect hangover cure!” John proclaimed.
They both sat at his little table in the kitchen, eating their food, sipping coffee and getting to know each other a little better. Soon Rose used the Doctor’s phone to call a locksmiths. He knew he wouldn't have long left with her until she left him to go home.
There was a knock at John’s door and when he answered it he wasn't surprised - yet was very disappointed - to see the locksmith standing there.
“I’ll be with you in a minute,” Rose called to the man from over John’s shoulder.
John turned to face his very own Snow White, boyish grin in tow.
“Well,” Rose said. “Thanks, for everything. Oh, and I’m really sorry.” She gave him a grin, with just a hint of tongue poking out from the side. His insides turned to mush.
“Oh, it’s no problem really. Any time!”
Rose smiled again and tried to walk through the foyer, leaving their little fairytale behind. He caught her by the elbow just before she scampered off for good. It wasn't as if he’d never see her again, it’s just that he craved to see her soon and had to make certain he would.
“Uh, Rose… do you think maybe I could take you on a date sometime, perhaps?”
He released her arm to awkwardly scratch at the back of his neck.
“Okay, sure. Are you free this weekend?”
“Yeah, is it okay to pick you up on Saturday, 7 o’clock?”
“Yeah, sounds good.”
Rose left John standing in his flat alone. As she finally entered her own home she slumped against her door, giddy with joy. Little did she know John was doing the exact same thing in the next flat over.
::
Rose had just finished applying her makeup. She wanted to look absolutely perfect for her date with John. She looked at her phone and saw the time. Just as it turned 7pm, on the dot, there was a knock at the door. Rose almost ran to answer it before reminding herself that to do so would make her look like a nutter. She pulled the door open and raised her eyebrows in question. In front of her stood John… holding a little girl’s Queen Elsa costume.
“In case you had another bad week,” he clarifies.
“Oh, ha-ha. Very funny,” Rose said sarcastically, playfully slapping him on the arm.
She gave him a tongue-touched-smile and could see the blush creep across his features.
“Yes, well... Shall we go then?” he asked.
“As long as you have me home by midnight,” she joked.
As the clock struck midnight the pair burst into Rose’s flat, hands in hair, tongues in mouths. They cuddled up in her bed that night. This time however, it was a lot less innocent. It wasn’t exactly a life-saving kiss from Prince Charming, but that didn't mean it wasn't true love.