Who: Rose Tyler and Shadow Moon What: Shadow gets a surprise visit! When: Thursday afternoon Where: Combat Therapy grounds Warnings: some pure fluff Status: Complete
Rose was pretty proud of her boyfriend. She was also pretty proud to call him her boyfriend, though she didn't tend to do so often. That was a talk they hadn't really had and she didn't want to go assuming things. At least not out loud. To herself, though… Well, she was exclusive. There wasn't anyone else she'd be making out with anytime soon, thanks. She wouldn't assume the same for him, though. Not yet, anyway.
But that didn't mean she couldn't work to earn that spot in his life. Her workaholic had been spending almost all of his time overseeing the construction on his pet project and while yeah, she was insanely proud of him, he needed to take care of himself, too. So she stopped by Hinkles to grab a couple of burgers, a large order of fries, and two shakes, before making her way out to the construction site. The construction site that was starting to look less construction and more actual building and grounds.
Yeah. Definitely proud.
Finding him wasn't too tough and she offered a bright smile when she did. "You. You need a break. Don't try and argue with me, you know you do."
Shadow spent almost every waking minute at the job site. Things were going so well he was having a hard time taking time away from it. It was his pet project after all. His target was early August and he was pretty sure they'd be making that goal.
Fingers crossed, anyway.
His face lit up, though, when he saw Rose approaching. They hadn't really talked about things, but he also felt terribly grade school just asking her to be his girlfriend. It felt less adult than it probably should have. That wasn't to say he didn't want that - he did. He just wasn't entirely sure how to bring it up.
"What? No. I mean no I won't argue." He set the clipboard he was reading down on the table, "I see a bag of Hinkles. You want to go eat in private?"
"You do indeed see a bag of Hinkles. You're so hot when you're smart," she teased. She wouldn't lie, there was something adorable about the way his face changed seeing her. And, frankly, it made her feel really good, too.
"We can eat wherever you want. You've got a breakroom planned for this place yet?" Obviously he was going to have a set of employees, right? That would be necessary, she supposed. "Unless you've got better ideas. Construction grounds aren't exactly the place for a romantic picnic."
Shadow’s grin was playful, “I do in fact have a break room, a house and, and for the first time in my life, an office.” he nodded sagely, as if this was very important news. He offered his arm before he led them off towards one of the mostly finished buildings, the inside was being painted and furnished.
He led her up to the second floor and opened the door to his actual office - it had one wall of windows overlooking the forest around them and the other was overlooking the other building. It was sparse, minimalist, not unlike the man himself. Hints of a personality were starting to emerge in the space though as he was adding touches of his heritage. For now, though, it had a desk, a couch, and a coffee table. Which is where he led them.
“This better?”
She beamed at him, taking pleasure in how proud he seemed to be. Of course she'd been out to the site a couple of times to pester him into taking breaks, but things had progressed a great deal since the last visit. It had come so far.
"Look at you, all fancy. You're going to give me the grand tour when it's all done, right?" He deserved a grand opening, too, and ideas were already starting to float around in her head. Something laid back but still special.
His office was gorgeous. Sparse, could use a plant and a painting or two, but definitely beautiful. "Look at this view! Oh my god, you're going to be working and just find me hanging out asleep on your couch, it's beautiful!" She placed the restaurant bag on the coffee table, al but forgotten by her as she looked out the window looking towards the forest.
Shadow ran his hand over the back of his neck. “Fancy. I don’t know about that. Appreciative of nature, yes. But fancy? Nah. Practical. I needed a place to work.” he laughed a little, then smiled again. “Of course I will. I look forward to it being ready to show off fully.” he was proud of the whole place.
“Well, that’s alright, I won’t mind.” he watched her look out the windows with a small smile, “Though I am not entirely sure that couch is comfortable, it’s mostly for show. You might want to pick out one that’s good for that if you want to take naps in my office.” he grinned at her, really not minding the idea.
"I can call your gorgeous office with the gorgeous view fancy if I want to, thank you very much." She finally turned back to him, a smirk on her face. "And I was almost entirely teasing. If I'm going to sneak over here for naps, I'm just going to break into that house you mentioned."
Not that she actually knew much about breaking in anywhere, honestly. Not in her skill sets. But she did know a man with a sonic screwdriver, after all!
"If you want, I can perk on the edge of your desk in a pencil skirt? Would that work better?" Now she was definitely teasing him. She grabbed the shakes from the coffee table and handed him his. "Shall I call you Mr. Moon in the process?" Huh. Was he going to have a secretary? Rose actually hadn't considered that until that moment and all those Lifetime movies she'd binged before starting work with Kate flipped through her head.
"You'd have to know where the house is, first, Rose. You haven't even seen it. What is this is better?" He asked, returning her teasing with his own. This was nice, he found he liked this. It was much different than it had been with Laura.
He rolled his eyes, "No need for that, I'm pretty sure that trope went out of style in the seventies. Maybe? Though if you insist I won't stop you." Shadow laughed, "Mr. Moon sounds so formal. I'm pretty sure I couldn't handle that. I'm just Shadow." He smiled at her, then sat down on the couch. Which, for the record, was comfy.
He didn't intend to have a secretary, he wasn't running a fortune five hundred or anything. He didn't really want one.
"Are you doubting my detective skills, gorgeous?" Rose could give as well as she could take. "I'm no Sherlock here, but I've been known to find my way into and out of impossible places!" Besides, how many acres could there possibly be? One good adventure in exploration and she was bound to find it.
Sitting beside him on the rather comfortable couch - that liar! - she hooked an ankle through his casually. "So you're not including your new house in the tour? Wait, you're not showing me your new house, period?" She gave a rather impressive little pout at even the idea. "I get it. That's where you're hiding all the other women in your life."
But ugh, what if that was closer to the truth than she wanted to think?
Shadow gave her a funny little smile, “I am in fact. I think the reward will be whatever you find in the house if you can find it.” she was on the receiving end of one of his winks. He was comfortable as she hooked his ankle with hers and he smiled.
“I think you just said you’d find it on your own and I think I want to see this happen. Though if you don’t find it in a fair amount of time, I’ll show it to you myself.” he licked his lips slowly before laughing.
“If you call my cat the other woman, then yes.” then he grew serious and looked at her, “There are no other women, Rose, just you.”
Ugh, he would take her up on that, wouldn't he? He was so lucky he was pretty. "I'm going to come home with lyme disease and deer bites, I just know it." That didn't mean she wasn't going to do it. Rose Tyler so rarely backed down from a challenge.
"For the record, you weren't going to show me anyway and I'm still hurt about it!" She protested, but her pout gave way to a smile.
A smile which softened a bit at his next words. He could have kept up the joking tone but he hadn't. He was using that serious voice and if she wasn't already crazy about him she would be now. "I don't know. That's a very pretty kitty I'm competing with."
“You are not going to get lyme or bitten by deer - why would you get bitten by deer anyway?” he stopped to ask because that was just silly sounding. “I was too, just not until it was fully ready and I was moved in.”he pointed out a bit, with a smile curling his lips.
Shadow didn’t joke about things that really seemed to matter. He’d sensed she was feeling perhaps a little insecure or unsure and he didn’t want to add fuel to that fire. It wasn’t necessary.
“Well, she is cute. And cuddly. Hard to really compete. Though to be fair, I’m also competing with a lovely handsome kitty.” he pointed out.
"Because there's at least a sixty percent chance I'm going to die petting something I shouldn't!" Rose protested, laughing despite herself. "I figure if I see a deer out there, I'm going for it."
Grinning, she thought brightly of SJ's sister. "That's it! I'll just walk through the woods calling her and she'll meow for me and then I'll find the house." Now they were just being ridiculous. But honestly, she kind of liked it. There was too much serious in her life, even know. Having the Doctor around was both a blessing and a curse that way.
"My boy is handsome, I'll give you that. Great hair, too. And gorgeous eyes. Not quite so cuddly, though, and you know? Sometimes a girl just needs to be cuddled." She widened big hazel eyes at him, a playful smirk on her face. She was trying here. Somewhat pathetically, she knew.
“Okay, but hear me out, did you think about not trying to pet things that could kill you?” he asked, brows both arched upwards, “Though, I mean, I am pretty sure a deer won’t kill you bites, so… there’s that.” he grinned at her.
“She might actually do that. The little traitor.” he grinned at her and shrugged a bit. He liked the level of relaxed they were, ridiculous or not, it was fun to be this relaxed. He hadn’t been this relaxed in a long, long time.
“I can fix that, though, I’m more cuddly then she is.” he grinned at her and gestured for her to come over to where he was.
She took the invitation, sliding closer so she was all but curled into him. Yeah, this couch could definitely stay. Her head rested on his shoulder as she considered his words. "You are pretty cuddly, it's true. But he's fluffier. It's a tough battle, Shadow, I don't know."
"And I did consider not petting things I shouldn't but where would be the fun in that?" Lazily, she ran a fingertip along his forearm. His rather perfectly muscled forearm, if she did say so herself. "There's a planet where they have these giant reindeer type things. They're not evil or meat eaters or anything, but they could step on you. And if you think I didn't pet one, well…" She shrugged in spite of herself, grinning. "I also fed it crackers. Maybe that helped it not step on me?"
He folded her into his arms and got comfy. "He is fluffier, that's true, and a fact I do not envy." He laughed softly as he rested his head on top of hers. "I won't be offended if you cuddle him more often."
"I dunno, I like you alive though. I would be very upset if something ate my girlfriend." He kissed the top of her head and smiled, "that sounds horrifying and fascinating in the same go. And yes you are probably right, feeding it probably helped."
Now this? This was nice. This she could get used to. Sexy, flirtatious Shadow was her normal still, but this cuddly and affectionate version was definitely appealing. "I think I'm perfectly capable of cuddling the both of you plenty, thank you."
Her face turned up to look at him when he said he would be upset...if something ate his girlfriend. Well. She supposed that answered that question. And, admittedly, she liked it a lot. "Well, fine then. I solemnly swear that I will only pet things after I'm almost entirely certain they won't eat me. Wouldn't want an upset boyfriend or anything, would I?" And for his efforts at being so open, she leaned up, stealing a kiss.
"Both of us at the same time. It is possible." He laughed softly as he snuggled with her, he enjoyed the downtime and it was a great way to relax. "I'm happy to cuddle with you any time."
He leaned down to kiss her softly, "Thank you. I'm glad you'll keep to things that probably won't kill you. That will keep me from worrying too much."
"All three of you at the same time, frankly. We can't leave out the little miss, can we?" It was an odd little family she was building here in Madison. But then, Rose was known for picking up strays and turning them into her family. This was hardly a far cry from that.
"I don't promise you won't have cause to worry," she admitted. "The Doctor once dubbed me 'jeopardy friendly', after all." So she liked to explore and learn things. Alone. Despite dangerous situations. Oops? "But I'll do my best. Just for you."
She kissed him one more time before sitting up. "Now eat your lunch before it gets cold. If I know you, you won't be looking at dinner till well after dark tonight." After all, the whole reason she had come was to make sure he took care of himself. Even if snuggling might just be its own level of self care.
"I wouldn't expect anything less from you to be honest. I like you being curious. I like your personality. I just ask you to just be careful " he smiled warmly at her before she got to her feet.
He sighed, she was right, he would forget to eat. He didn't want her to go but he got up to grab burgers and settle in to eat. He was lucky to have someone who kept an eye on him.