Chapter Text
"JOHN!" John Noble is shaken awake by the shrill voice of his sister, Donna. "Come on, we're here!"
Ah. They were back at Uni then. Which meant Donna would be mad at him. They had come to an arrangement in which, as they both needed to be in Gallifrey, they would each drive halfway there from their house in Scotland. And if he was shaken awake, that meant he missed his driving responsibilities.
"I'm awake! I'm awake, Donna!" He scrambled out of the car and threw the boot open. Maybe he could make up for it by carrying Donna's bag to her flat.
"Oi, spaceman! You'd better be carrying my bag, yeah?" Donna stalked around the car, glaring at him in the way only her and their mum could.
"Yeah, yeah, sure." John sighed, and lugged the bags onto the pavement. What had she got in there? Who knew makeup, scarves and high heels weighed so much. At least that's what he guessed was in there. Who knew with girls, right? They were confusing, even for an Astrophysics student.
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Once he'd finally got Donna's bags into her little flat, he began the process of hauling his (much lighter) belongings to the dorm building. He hated the fact that he had to share a staircase with people, but the university mandated that the students live in Uni-owned housing. And for a second-year student like John, that meant the dorms. Oh, and sharing with some obnoxious first-years.
"And... Block 4, Flat 2. Here we are." John fumbled in his pocket for his battered key card. He was clumsy, alright? Frankly, it was a miracle he hadn't lost it. Or maybe he had, and Donna, one of the secretarial staff had slipped him a new one. There were two meanings to his 'affectionate' nickname after all.
"Oi, watch it mate" He looked up and into the face of a blonde-haired girl, who he'd just walked into. Brill. Enter the John who is absolutely brilliant with girls. He stutters, finding the right words. "Oh, I'm terribly sorry. I wasn't looking where I was going." He smiles awkwardly, grabbing his key card and mobile form the floor.
"It's fine. You new, kid?" She asks, obviously not noticing his key card, or the harrowed look in his eyes, which Donna assured him signified that he was a socially able second year. Which, now he thought about it, she had probably been joking about. Socially able? John?
"Oh, No. I'm a second year. Uhm, John- John Noble. Nice to meet you?" He squeaks, avoiding the scary student's eyes. She eyes him weirdly as he skirts around to his room. And now he'd blown it. "I'm Rose. Rose Tyler." He smiles and runs to the safety of his room.
"John. What's gotten you so worked up already, Spaceman?" Ah, Donna. Terse and to the point as always. "It was a girl, wasn't it?"
How Donna knew this stuff was beyond him.
"Yes, It was. Honestly, how you guess this stuff is beyond me, Earthgirl." John sighed, fiddling with a pencil.
"You sound all cute and flustered, whenever you meet a girl you like, John. It's not exactly rocket science!" John could hear her snicker over the phone.
"C'mon Donna, I don't do 'rocket science' I'm an astrophysicist." He moaned, laying down his notebook
"Whatever. Same difference. Got to go. Oh, and by the way, you are volunteering at the fresher's fair." John could swear he could hear her smirk over the phone. Ugh.