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The taffeta was stiff between their swaying bodies, the soft notes of a love song they'd picked months ago playing in the background. She ran her fingers through the silk of hair at the nape of his neck and smiled up at her new husband.
"How do I look," he asked, pulling her tighter to him. She laughed, leaning to kiss him quickly. Nothing more than a peck, especially in front of these cameras.
It was for show, for everyone but them. They'd been married months ago, after a mission had left them bruised, bloodied, and desperate for each other. He wasn't even supposed to be there, but-
Rose shook her head slightly, closing her eyes to lean against his chest. She pulled him tighter, burying herself into his chest, where one heart beat under her touch.
"I'm here," he murmured, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "We'll be okay."
They danced the anxiety away, their sways sweeping aside fears of losing each other. They had done that enough along their journey. The Doctor’s hand rested at her back, her hair tickling his fingertips, encouraging him to play with the curled ends. The music ended, the crowd erupting in polite applause for the newlyweds. Rose guided him away by intertwining her hand in his, the DJ starting a line dance to flood the now-empty dance floor.
Conversations with strangers were always Rose’s strength, and never his. Since the metacrisis, he’d found himself more blunt than the brown pinstriped man he used to be. But now, in a black tuxedo, standing beside the love of his life, he was his own man.
Gunshots rang out, but laughter shrouded any chance of an emergency. The Doctor’s eyes glanced around quickly, noting everyone singing along on the dance floor. The beat continued, feeling like it was his heartbeat ringing aloud for everyone to hear. Rose showed no concern.
He was back on the floor, cold concrete seeping through his clothes and blood seeping through his fingers as he clutched his abdomen. He blinked, and suddenly was back at the wedding. Another blink, and he was in the ambulance, staring up at Rose’s face. He couldn’t tell her again, words staining his tongue like the metallic liquid that coated it. Another blink, and the wedding again.
It was at this point that his ears started to ring, heat crept along his neck, and anxiety settled into his jaw that Rose smiled graciously to the people they were talking to and quickly whisked them away to an empty room in the venue. With a quick close of the door, a flick of the lock, and the outside world was silenced.
His ears kept ringing.
"Doctor," she murmured, guiding him across the room.
This must've been the Bridal suite, he absently noted as Rose swept the makeup and hair products off the couch and onto the floor. Gentle hands pushed him into the cushions of the sofa, and he watched as she sat down beside him.
He felt like he was watching his body, his breaths coming in gasping inhales. Rose was here. She knew. She knew. She was here.
"We're here," she murmured into his side, her hand anchoring him in reality. "It's just you and me right now. We're both safe."
Safe. They were safe.
Maybe, if he repeated it enough, it would become true.