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Tweak says, "...Then you mean it."

Rose Tyler Will Defend the Earth (plusone) wrote in labyrinth_rpg,
@ 2009-04-21 00:51:00

Entry tags:

complete, day seven, jack harkness, rose tyler

Who: Rose Tyler and Jack Harkness
What: Gossiping like girlfriends do
When: Day 7
Where: Smack in the middle of the amusement park, why not
Rating: Jack's mouth=PG-13
Status: Complete

Rose liked to consider herself a relatively strong woman. She'd been raised by a single mum, fallen on hard times and gotten herself out of them, and then there was her time with the Doctor. Traveling the universe through time and space, and stepping in wherever and however she could. Then there was the traveling through the multiverse. She could've gone all weak and soft after being left on the other side of that wall in Torchwood Towers, but she'd picked up the pieces and began to pull herself together. And before long, she was working to save the world all over again, this time on her own.

But the one thing she couldn't be strong and protect was her heart. And the one man who had it and refused to do anything about that was the Doctor. She'd cared about Mickey. She'd fancied herself in love with Jimmy. There'd been schoolgirl flings and a couple of wild rides along the way. But none of them was met with the intensity her feelings for the Doctor had reached. And, as they'd had their only chance at goodbye on a windy beach in Norway, she'd cried her heart out and told him she loved him. And she would've sworn he was about to say the same when the image faded, the gap between the dimensions closed, and he was gone to her for good. And reliving that via journal was not how she wanted to spend her time in this place. If he wouldn't fess up, he could at least let her live in that merry world where she could pretend she'd never said it. Hell, she'd found four different dimensions in which she hadn't said it, so maybe she could picture them, instead. Right?

Ordinarily, this would be the point where she used to lean on Shareen, or she chatted with her mum over a cup of tea. But neither of them were there and she was pretty sure she couldn't get her mobile to pick up her Mum's phone signal. What she needed instead was a friend. One who understood her. And the one tinkering around in the TARDIS was clearly not the one to help her just then.

When she exited to find an adventure park all around her, her eyes lit up for a brief moment. Should she run back in and tell him? No, she decided. Let him figure it out on his own. Clearly, she'd spelled too much out for him lately. She wound her way through the crowd, picking up a huge bag of popcorn and a draft. It was nothing like the ales back home, but it would do. It and the man in the navy coat sitting off to the side at one of the tables, looking alone. That was a first. Instead of asking to join him, Rose merely plopped down at the bench opposite him and put the popcorn in the middle of the table. "You!" she declared, trying not to smile. "Explain why your gender fails. Is it the future thing? Or hormone related?"

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ex_notethest397
2009-04-21 12:44 am UTC (link)

A bloody amusement park. It didn't get much worse (or better) than this, depending on one's perspective. There was a hint of trepidation in his expression as he watched the people wandering around the amusement park. At least it seemed to be an amusement park and not anything like the travelling shows he'd been a part of at the turn of the century. Still, he was watching for any sign of the night travellers, even if there had been no sound of organ music and it was the middle of the day.

Jack dug into his plate of baked beans, pretending to ignore Rose as she sauntered up and plopped herself down across from him. He took a handfull of popcorn, and tossed it back, wiping his hands on his trousers before returning to his meal.

"Oh, me? You're talking to me?" Jack asked after a long pause, enough to make her sit there and stew for a few minutes. "Because I didn't think our gender had any problems. Maybe it's your gender that has the issues and we males have been staying quiet for so long and now can no longer hide our perfection in the face of your imperfection?"

And that was going to earn him a kick, he was just sure of it.

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plusone
2009-04-21 09:14 am UTC (link)

"You know, my Mum always said wiping your hands on your trousers was a nasty little habit," Rose told him, and then gave him the slight kick in his shin under the table that he darn well deserved. That was her punishment for going to a male with girl-style problems.

Well. Okay, insulting his entire gender was probably not helpful, either.

"Git," she muttered, then glanced at his plate. "Baked beans? Seriously? How can you eat those things? Feels so... Yank." Though he did have an American accent. But ever since reading about the Boston Tea Party in school and then learning how big a thing 'Boston baked beans' were, she couldn't touch them. Rose threw back a long drink from the mug in her hands before looking at him imploringly. "Furthermore, it's a well-known fact that men are all mad. Though you at least get bonus points for not being completely stupid."

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ex_notethest397
2009-04-21 11:36 pm UTC (link)

Jack gestured around the table that was utterly devoid of anything resembling paper or napkins. "I'd have wiped them on a napkin had you brought any. As there are none and I didn't think you'd appreciate me leaning over and using your shirt as a napkin, I used the path of least resistance."

No, insulting his entire gender wasn't helpful in the slightest, not when she was looking at him for help and advice.

Jack shrugged and, as if to say he could easily eat them, shoved a rather large spoonful into his mouth. He chewed, swallowed, and then grinned. "I am the American volunteer y'know," Jack pointed out. "It seems fitting that I should like 'em, doesn't it?"

Lifting an eyebrow, Jack just let Rose blather on. He'd learned over the years best to let women just talk. THe other eyebrow lifted as Jack let his elbows rest on the table. "Are you at all done yet?"

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plusone
2009-04-21 11:59 pm UTC (link)

"Wouldn't be the first time you'd threatened to wipe your hands on my shirt," Rose teased, relaxing a bit. Just because she'd been in a rubbish mood when she'd woken up that morning, didn't mean she got to take it out on Jack. That didn't stop her from wrinkling her nose as he shoved a huge wad of the stuff into his mouth. Future space traveler or not, men were men.

Sighing, she shrugged. Was she done? No. But she ought to be. She'd been a right fool to think Jack would be able to help. Not because of his gender, but because she didn't want to put him in the middle. She used to hate when blokes would do that to her, though she had done it to a few in her time. And she didn't exactly like that feeling, either. "I guess so? I don't know. How's your day been, love, who've you shacked up with so far?" Because it was Jack, the odds were in his favour.

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ex_notethest397
2009-04-22 12:13 am UTC (link)

"Nor will it be the last," Jack shot back with a grin. After tossing back another handfull of popcorn, he made the international sign for 'grabbie-hands' in her direction, buttery hands and all. Jack grinned seeing the expression on her face both at the hands and after eating a large spoonfull of baked beans. Really, it was so easy to get women (particularly Rose) riled up. And when it was easy, why not exploit it.

There was that abrupt shift in tone and feeling that gave Jack momentary pause. At some point her ranting hadn't been ranting for the sake of ranting and there had been something going on. Well, apparently he misread that one, hadn't he? "No, you're not. So the more important question is what has, or rather who has brought on the sudden mood?" Jack grinned, clicking his tongue against the roof of his mouth. "A man doesn't kiss and tell."

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plusone
2009-04-22 12:27 am UTC (link)

Rose backed away from his grabbing, giving a playful squeal and reaching out to stop them by lacing her own through them. "You behave, Captain, or I'm going to have to get all sonic on you. Well, go borrow some sonic. Or a banana." She grinned, thinking back to their first meeting and the Doctor's revelation that he'd been the reason Jack's needed weapon factory had closed down in favour of a banana crop.

But she didn't want to spill herself anymore. Instead, she smiled up at him and sighed. "A man doesn't, but come on, this is you. You're not just some man, you're a Time Agent." She made an effort to make it sound as important as it was, as if that would get him to blab everything and anything he'd ever done. Had to be worth a try, after all!

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ex_notethest397
2009-04-22 12:43 am UTC (link)

It felt like the first time in days that Jack genuinely laughed, chuckling as she tried to move out of the way of his questing hands. He would, however, settle for her hands in his own, greasy though they may be. "First of all, I always behave. Second of all, I said it once before and I'll say it again: who the hell looks at a screwdriver and thinks 'oh, this could be a little more sonic'." He made a face and finished the last of his beans, pushing the plate towards her.

Jack just looked at Rose for a moment, then decided to let the topic drop for now. He had ways of getting information from people when he needed. This would be no different, he just had to handle things a bit more delicately.

"Trying to butter me up?" Jack asked, smiling in spite of himself. Because, really, the day Jack Harkness admitted that he couldn't get a man into bed with him was the day he fell over dead and didn't rise again. "Oh, a few here and there. The trousers from the ball the other night have been quite the hit. I'll model them if you'd like."

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plusone
2009-04-22 09:18 am UTC (link)

"You never behave!" Rose protested, giggles escaping. It was insane how good this felt. She should be miserable, right? Held captive on a planet she'd never even seen before? But she wasn't. She was the opposite of miserable. In fact, in some ways, Rose thought she might be the happiest she'd ever been. "And it's like he said, you've been bored before, right? Who takes up latch-hook rugs? Me! He goes all sonic on a screwdriver. And hey, that thing's gotten me out of more tight patches than I can say."

She'd needed this. A refresher, per se. A chance to put the day behind her and breathe. Breathing was good. Very important, so she heard. She picked at a piece of popcorn, tearing it into tiny shreds before popping the lot in her mouth.

"Don't need you to model them, loser, I saw you in them. Attracting quite a scene, weren't you?" Rose's eyes lit up a bit as she flashed him that toothy grin of hers. "Surprised we haven't heard of the riot to get to your room, come to think of it. You know how it is, all locked away in the TARDIS. Never hear any of the good gossip." Fishing for a story? Her? Well...yes, actually. She briefly wondered why the Doctor hadn't yanked Jack in there, as well, but forced the thought away. It was likely because of how different Jack was now. It had nothing to do with wanting to be alone in the big blue box with her. Not a thing.

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ex_notethest397
2009-04-27 07:52 am UTC (link)

Jack pretended to look afronted, hurt by her insinuation that he was always a bad boy. Apparently not behaving encompassed the idea that it was a bad idea to, when faced with an good-looking species, find a way into its bed. Perish the thought, as far as Jack was concerned. Still, it sounded fantastic to hear Rose laugh, even if it was at his expense. "I think," he said, picking up a piece of popcorn and throwing it in her direction, "that you have a poor idea of what constitutes behaving. Because I always behave." A brief pause. "Except when asked not to." Chuckling, Jack shook his head. "Yes, I've been bored before. And, like the Doctor, it's never a good idea to let either of us face boredom."

He watched Rose for a moment, knowing full well that there was something she wasn't telling him. True, they may not have spent a lot of time together before that whole thing, but that didn't matter. Travel with someone and you learn all sorts of things about them, like when they were holding something close to the chest.

Jack may have been hiding something too, but he was simply better at not showing things. Rose was an open book.

"Locked away in the TARDIS?" Jack asked, leaning forward. "He gives you the comfy accommodations and I'm stuck back here in third class." Yes, Jack would be having a discussion with the Doctor on that regard. He was always bragging about how big the inside was, so it would have room for two more, wouldn't it? "Well, I'll be speaking to him on that account." Tilting his head, Jack looked at Rose. "All right Miss Subtle as a Train Wreck, what gossip are you fishing to hear?"

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