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"You should sleep, Doctor." Romana commented, watching as The Doctor tripped and almost fell as he tried to make his way from the blue switch on panel 1 to the green button on panel 3. Though she'd never admit it, she worried about him. She'd never forgive herself if she let him get hurt just because she hadn't forced him to sleep .
"Nonsense! You know as well as I that our kind don't sleep, Romana!" The Doctor scoffed, finally succeeding in his mission to get to the green button on panel 3. He immediately pushed it, adding just a little too much force as he was quite frustrated with how hard it had been for him to reach it. "We don't sleep, because sleep is for the weak."
"Time Lords are not weak." Romana said softly, walking a few steps forward so that she was standing next to The Doctor, staring up into his distinct face and giving him her best glare. "But we do sleep. And right now, you need to do that!" Seeing the hurt on his face as she glared at him, she soon caved in. Standing on her toes and stretching her neck as much as she could, she reached up to place a soft kiss on The Doctor's lips. She loved her silly renegade Time Lord, even if he sometimes was a little too stubborn for his own good.
"Will you sleep with me, then?" The Doctor asked, bending down to plant yet another kiss upon the Time Lady's lips. He hated to make Romana worry, but he was just not used to having someone around who knew what actually constituted as taking care of yourself for a Time Lord. Normally, he could dismiss his assistants worries by claiming that Time Lords had different needs, but with Romana that did not work. He had to get used to taking care of himself somewhat instead.
"If you wish, Thete." Romana smiled, a little smug as she called him by his childhood nickname. She knew The Doctor was trying, for her sake, to take better care of himself, but it hardly seemed to help.
The Doctor gasped."Romanadvoratnalundar! Where did you find out about my old nickname?" He gave her a stern glare, commanding her to answer his question.
"I read it in a book. Either way, it is time to sleep now." Smiling softly, she took his hand, slowly guiding him down the corridors to her own bedroom. Though she was too polite to tell The Doctor, she thought his bedroom was horrendous, and if they were to share a bed it would be hers.
The Doctor, on the other hand, said nothing. He was absolutely content to let Romana lead them, keeping up the charade that he did not know how much she despised his bedroom. He had thought of redecorating it for her specifically, but did not know how to design it in a way that would be satisfactory to the both of them.
As they finally reached Romana's bedroom door, The Doctor could feel a sudden wave of fatigued sweeping over him. Suddenly, the whole world seemed to drift out of focus, and The Doctor stumbled, hitting the doorframe and sending shooting pain up his arm. He could feel Romana grabbing onto his other arm, fruitlessly trying to keep him from completely collapsing.
“You daft old idiot! I told you needed to sleep!" She commented snappishly, finally managing to dispose of his uncooperative body on top of the covers of her kingsized bed. Almost immediately, The Doctor fell asleep, only his scarf, hat and shoes - all of which had fallen of and landed upon the floor as she lead him to the bed - the only things missing from his normal attire. Within minutes, the closed eyes and lifeless body was accompanied by loud, obnoxious snoring.
Sighing fondly, Romana removed her own shoes, coat and pants, leaving her in nothing more than her slightly oversized shirt as she curled up next to The Doctor. She'd wrapped a plaid quilt around her body, unwilling to disturb her sleeping lover by crawling under the covers but not wanting to freeze.
Life with The Doctor was not easy, and sometimes Romana wished she'd have returned to Gallifrey after the whole business with the Black Guardian. But then, the same night she would crawl into her bed, meeting The Doctor there. The Doctor's big, strong body would be surrounding her smaller stature as they slept together, even in his unconscious state keen to protect, and he she would know why she stayed.
Because The Doctor offered something else, a way of life and a way of thinking that other Time Lords didn't have. The Doctor was charming and mysterious and absolutely infuriating and Romana loved him for it. She loved the way he felt everything and the way he made her feel everything, too .
It was just something she couldn’t have on Gallifrey, and it made her want to stay.
She moved closer to The Doctor, curling up next to him and resting her head on his chest, making him a promise that neither he nor she would probably remember in the morning but would stay true to either way.
They'd always stick together, always be there for one another. Two rogue Time Lords, forever loving one and another, even as they slept.
