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It was after their adventure with the cat nuns that Rose came across a brand new room on the TARDIS. She was plagued with sleeping problems after being possessed by Cassandra. She felt headachy and restless, absolutely exhausted but unable to sleep. So she set out for a wander, looking for the Doctor. In her sleep deprived, foggy brained state she'd gotten turned around.
A blue door materialized in front of Rose. She had gotten used to the oddities of life in the TARDIS so it didn't faze her. The door was partially open, and curiosity got the better of Rose, so she opened it and peeked in.
It wasn't as spacious as some of the rooms she'd explored. The library, for example was cavernous. This room was about the size of his small workshop.
This appeared to be a workshop of another sort. There was a large lighted mirror, of which she was slightly jealous. All around the mirror were shelves full of bottles and tubs of.....
Rose burst out laughing. It was hair product. Bottles and jars of hair product. The Doctor was fond of bulk purchases, apparently. She had a mental picture of him with a loaded trolley in some off world hair supply super store and went into silent laughter until her side hurt.
She regained her composure slowly. When she had gotten a grip, she started investigating. The Doctor was fond of a particular pomade and hair gel produced on an alien planet whose name she could not decipher.
So that was the Doctor's secret, then. Well, one of them, at any rate. So he didn't have superior Time Lordy hair that just happened like that. He had to work for it.
Which meant he had no reason to criticize how long it took her to do her hair. Rose stored that little fact away for future use.
Another thought occurred to her. Even with all that product his hair it was so soft and touchable and when she had her fingers stroking through the strands it had felt.....The memory faded as if it was something she'd dreamed.
Wait, what?
Why would she even know how...?
Oh. The bitchy trampoline. No matter how much sympathy she had felt for Cassandra in the end, she was still jealous. Cassandra had used Rose's hands and lips and while Rose had been aware, and had vague memories of how it felt, Cassandra had definitely gotten the better end of the deal. Rose had also been in quite a bit of pain mentally at the time and couldn't concentrate. Rose found that her sympathy for Cassandra was decreasing as she tried to remember how it felt.
And I likely won't know, Rose thought. As demonstrative as the Doctor was, he definitely had boundaries. Hair touching seemed to be on the other side of the fence of what was allowed.
She sighed.
"Rose?! What..why are you in here?"
She whirled around. There was the Doctor, looking shocked that his secret was revealed.
"Oh. Hi. Sorry...the door was open," she hastened to explain.
"How did you even find it?" the Doctor asked. "Normally the TARDIS hides..." He paused and appeared to listen. "Oh, have a laugh," he muttered at the wall. "She has a sense of humor today." He tugged nervously at his ear, clearly embarrassed.
"Sorry if I invaded your privacy," Rose apologized. "If it makes you feel any better, Doctor, it's refreshing to see that you're as high maintenance as I am. It's a wonder we ever get out of the TARDIS."
His left eyebrow arched. "I'm high maintenance?"
Rose grinned, tongue poking out. She shrugged. "This is a lot of product."
He snorted. "I don't use it all at once." He cracked a smile. "And you're definitely higher maintenance. What with the eyeliner and the mascara...." He gestured vaguely at his eye area. "And that general situation..."
Rose chuckled. "Situation, is it?"
He grinned fondly and commented, "It's lovely situation."
"Well, you have really great hair." Rose snickered at his smug smile. "Wish I..." she began, clamming up abruptly when she realized she was about to drop a secret of her own.
"What?" the Doctor inquired. He never missed anything.
Rose took a steadying breath and went all in. "Wish I could properly remember how it felt. My memory is kind of..vague."
"I am so, so sorry that ever happened to you. Psychografts are illegal for a reason." He pulled her into a hug.
"Did it hurt for you?"
"Not as much as it did for you."
"It's okay," Rose reassured him. "At least I got to..." Damn, she thought, here I go again!
The Doctor gave her a soft smile. Rose's breath caught. He looked more open than she could ever remember. His hands slid from her waist to capture her own hands. "I wouldn't be adverse...if you wanted..." He started to tug her right hand toward his hair.
The Doctor was being shy? And he actually wanted...? Blimey, it was a day for revelations, Rose thought.
Then her fingers were stroking soft strands and she really wasn't thinking about much of anything at all. She sighed and closed her eyes, committing the moment to memory.
The Doctor answered her sigh with one of his own.
"S' very nice," Rose commented softly.
"It feels brilliant," he agreed. "I might not let you stop. We'll run through time and space with your fingers in my hair."
Rose smiled. "That would become awkward."
"I suppose. I like your fingers though. They're kinder than Cassandra's."
Rose gazed at him. His eyes were huge and dark with what she hoped was longing. "They're the same fingers."
He shook his head. "I can tell a difference." The Doctor paused. It seemed as if he was gathering his own courage. "I wonder... I wonder if anything else would be different. Erm...better, you know."
"I reckon you should find out."
The Doctor nodded as he angled his head and leaned in. Rose's heart was about to burst and her only conscious thought was "Finally," as he caught her lower lip between his. Her own brain finally caught up and her lips were just as gently insistent. They were lost in the moment, lips brushing and tongue tips tasting. She opened her mouth to his and she felt the moan in his chest as her tongue brushed his. Her hands tugged his hair lightly, making him gasp. It was bliss, as that final barrier was shattered.
Gradually the kiss ebbed away, except for one small press of lips, then another. They stood close, foreheads pressed together, unwilling to separate.
Rose began to chuckle then. "That wasn't the reaction I was hoping for," the Doctor quipped.
"Bit absurd, snoggin' in your beauty parlor," Rose smirked.
"Oi, I'll thank you not to call it that." They both laughed quietly. "I've discovered a garden, two rooms down and to the left past the spare parts room. Would you join me in a walk?"
"I'd love to. Will we continue with the previous activities?"
"That's why we're going to the garden. There's apple grass there now." The Doctor looked pleased.
Rose's eyebrows shot up. "We could have experienced apple grass without the cat nun interference?"
The Doctor pulled his ear absently. "Welllll.... I only just discovered it. It'll be much nicer this time. I think perhaps our TARDIS was making up for our recent experience." He paused, listening. Even Rose could detect a change in the time ship's hum.
"She's laughing at you," Rose snickered. The Doctor appeared surprised and pleased that Rose could recognize that.
"Wouldn't be the first time. He extended his hand to her and she clasped it. "To the garden?"
"Absolutely." They walked hand in hand to the corridor. "So...I was curious about the product. Where's it come from? It doesn't look Earth-made.
"Oh, it isn't. It's from Cosmotoglia IV. There's a hair supply superstore there. Picked it all up when you were visiting with your mum last."
"Mum would love it there," Rose said with a grin. "Maybe we should take her." She couldn't make it through the sentence with a straight face.
"Rose, I only just got the courage up for the snogging. Don't push it." They locked eyes, laughing. He leaned in for a quick kiss. "Your lips are kinder too," he murmured. "Forget that one Cassandra forced you into. I already have."
The Doctor squeezed her hand and showed her the way to the garden, where they discovered that apple grass was the perfect location for some downtime.