[People would be so much easier if they had mathematical equations like that. Also probably a lot more boring. He would have just kept throwing happy numbers at her if that were the case. Alas.

She said she was going to do it but it still feels weird when she starts crying in earnest as soon as he has her in his arms. It seems like that ought to have been the other way around, even if he doesn't care about her getting his jacket all wet. But, more important, she's here and letting him hold her and he's here and he's not going to let go or ever leave her anywhere. He kisses the top of her head since she's got her face in his chest, and after a couple minutes not knowing what else to do, quietly says:] I know it's not okay, but I'm not leaving. Promise. That I can do. I won't ever leave you somewhere. I l-... I'll figure out other ways, but 'The Doctor and Rose' isn't changing again anytime soon.

[Infinitely more boring.

It's more of a fighting so hard not to fall apart and that being the straw that breaks the camel's back so to speak. Kissing the top of her head and promising not to leave both help. And really she's only crying that hard for a little while. He is here and she's here. That doesn't make it okay but it does mean that the crying isn't nearly as desperate. It's on the tip of her tongue to make him promise again but that's just repetitive for the sake of repetition so instead she nods, takes a deep breath and attempts to be less of a mess. She looks up at him, a very weak smile on her face.] Okay. The Doctor proper, yeah? Not human you.

[Sorry, some repetition is just necessary at the moment and there's still more of that checking his words, looking for loopholes and escape hatches. Rose is very aware, the Doctor lies or at least twists the truth. She wants it all untwisted for her or at least she wants to know the twists.]

[Really, he'll say just about whatever it takes to assure her that he really, honestly, can't leave her again. He doesn't have it within him to be able to, and he's learned to be selfish enough to not bother with the rest of the universe when he doesn't feel like it. The weak smile gives him a bit of hope, and he quirks one side of his mouth into a slight smile.] Yeah, me. This one, not the... knock-off? [Secretly both versions of him think they are probably better for whatever reasons they want or something. But he's the original anyway.]

[Silly Doctor, telling her that at some point might help. She wouldn't think selfish!Doctor was a bad thing in this case.

Oh there's plenty of reason for hope. She's Rose and he's the Doctor. She won't stay angry at him forever. She won't stay distrustful. It just takes a little time and some work.]

Nothin' wrong with the knock-off. [Yes she's going to be protective of metacrisis!Doctor even though she doesn't want to spend her life with him and even though he's not--in her opinion--her Doctor. She'll defend Eleven, Eight and all the other regenerations as well. Nine and Ten are just closer to her heart. Basically, Rose has a no being too hard on yourself rule when it comes to the Doctor in general] Just not the one I want to spend forever with. I promised you that. Not him.

[He wouldn't be anything like the 'original' if he didn't think he was better.]

[That would be far too direct. He's got to try and imply it fifty different directions before he realises he ought to just be Occam's Razoring it. In a manner of speaking.

Her defense of the version she just so protested having been left with initially provokes mild confusion, though that's fleeting and altogether he really should have expected it from her.]

Wouldn't want to break a promise. [It's a somewhat flippant choice of words, but there's a solemnity behind them, given that he's just made a promise to her as well.]

[Well at least she'll have fifty different instances that imply it. Repetition, as mentioned, is kind of reassuring.

Sorry for the confusion, but yes it should have been expected. Rose loves the Doctor, regardless of what he looks like at the moment. The degrees and types of love just change depending on which one of him he is.]

Again.

[Yeah she's not letting him get out of this that easily, but it's not anything she's really doing consciously. She just came from the breaking of that forever promise. And yeah, she's taking his agreement with and occasional confirming of forever as a promise. She does like this more concrete one though.

She turns a bit, moving one arm from around his waist and raking it through her hair, pushing it off her face then she wipes at her face with the back of her wrist. With the other hand she clings to the lapel of his jacket. It's sort of a compromise, keeping her distance--even though she's still practically leaning against him--and staying in contact with him at the same time. She realizes, belatedly what she just did with the 'again' and winces just a bit.]

Sorry.

[Well, ow. She's well within her rights saying it, but he still works on suppressing a flinch. Nothing was ever intentionally to hurt anyone; even if it caused a bit of it in the moment, hopefully in the long run it wouldn't have been as bad. And to a certain extent there was definitely the thinking it wasn't a decision he was going to have to explain or atone for later. What a silly idea.

He lets his arms loosen more and fall to her hips when she pulls away a bit more to turn, but is decidedly reluctant to let go altogether, which makes her own compromise with the contact much more reassuring. She's been angry with him before for various things, but this was on a different level entirely, and he's still not sure about the steps afterward.]

No, no, it's - you're right. Sorry.

[If she were watching him closer she'd see the suppressed flinch but as it is she's focusing more on their hands, his on her hips and hers wrapped up in his jacket. At his words, she looks up to him. It's on the tip of her tongue to counteract his apology, instinct almost but she bites it back.

After a moment of watching his face, her gaze drops back down to their hands. It takes her another moment speak. When she does, her voice is quiet.]

I get it, y'know. Why you thought it'd be a good idea to leave me with him. Sounds good in theory. Best of both worlds, yeah? He can grow old with me, won't be runnin' round with an old lady that looks old enough to be his mum. Spares me and you both that and you're gonna have to lose me eventually anyway.

He does love me and maybe one day I'd be happy with him, but...I'd rather take my chances with you. Guess m'selfish.

[He takes a while himself to reply back to that, just sort of looking off into the distance while staring down at the ground, then coming back to the moment and very carefully back up to not-her-face. Look anywhere but her face. Mostly down.]

It... Seemed like it would make you happy, Rose. Getting the best of the pair. Something you could 'fix' and someone to run about with in whatever version of Torchwood you lot have got bustling about over there.

[Another, shorter pause. Then more quiet speaking. Intimate, even.] Next time I'll just ask you, Rose.

[They're both doing a lot of not looking at each other's faces. Although Rose is keeping track of the not looking at her face he's doing in her peripheral vision.]

I just wanted to fix you. Otherwise, I woulda stuck with Mickey.[Yeah she knows metacrisis!Doctor is still sort of him. It's just a whole...thing and she does get it. She really does. That doesn't mean she likes it. His next comment brings another sort of smile. The quiet, intimate tone of his voice makes her look up at him and sort of turn into him.]

Always the best sorta thing to do, Doctor.

[He makes it so hard to maintain anger at him but really, anger isn't the problem. That fizzles out. It's more of an issue of hurt and mistrust and doubting him in a way that she never has before.]

Well it would have been a lot more work but I don't think Mickey's entirely beyond saving... [Cautiously playful. He knows there's no chance any of this is taken care of but he's still grasping for a bit of levity.

He does properly look down at her when she turns back toward him.] Learning that, yeah. [Anger would almost be easier for him to deal with, I think. The loss of faith and trust will take so much longer to fix.]

[The attempt at levity makes her laugh a bit, just a short chuckle. She reaches up and tucks her hair behind one ear.] Think I've bailed him out of the worst of it. Someone else can take over.

[She holds his gaze for a moment and then nods.] 'Least you're still willin' to learn. [That's the second chance she's giving him right there.]

[He smiles a little bit more. That's conversation almost approaching normal if it weren't quite for how aware he feels about every word being said.]

I like learning. Love learning. Always like learning. [Well it's more than he's usually willing to give, which he is a personality trait of hers he is rapidly appreciating.]

[That does make it tense. If it helps any, she feels the same sort of pressure. The eagerness, the willing to give more than usual makes her catch her breath. She considers for the moment that he might be serious about trying to fix things. That makes her heart beat faster and her breath come shorter. It's a wonderful thing that he's serious but there was some amount of doubt. he's never had to try with her before. She didn't know for sure if he would. She licks her lips, tries to tamp down her nerves. She's very grateful that their skin isn't touching, very aware and very careful not to brush her bare skin against his. She did catch on quickly to the whole touch thing, Doctor. She just didn't realize she'd be using knowledge of it to hide feelings from him.]

Ought to make a good student then.

[He's totally serious about trying to fix it, if only because now there seems like there's even more to lose than before if it isn't fixed. Not only is there more to the relationship, in a way, but there's not really any amount of running he can do within the City to try and distract himself from having screwed things up in this particular instance. When you've got the entirety of the universe, it's just a tiny bit easier to hide. I think if she's actively trying not to communicate emotion then it wouldn't do a whole lot even if they did touch; mostly it comes through clearly only if it's something she wants him to know, but that's likely not something he's explained or it's debatable. Either way.]

Slight role-reversal there. If I'm as good a student as you it shouldn't be too difficult. [Yes, he's probably going to be somewhat complimenty for a little while. One of the fifty ways of implying things.]

[Oooh good point. She doesn't understand the emotions transfer thing as well as she thought she did. She believes it's more just emotions about him than anything. In any case, she's very carefully not touching bare skin.

The compliment does make her smile a bit. Regardless of the fact she knows it's meant to make her smile or not. It's still him giving her a compliment. It's not the beaming, brilliant smile previous compliments might have brought.]

M'pretty sure you'll do all right. [Not brilliant, not fantastic. Just all right at the moment.]

[It's vaguely clear that he's really wanting things to be more normal but he's not about to push anything considering he's only just started on a second chance. At least she allowed for some measure of success. He nods a little bit and then appears vaguely at a loss for what to do next.]

What were you doing before?

[She gets that and she is trying. She just needs a little bit of time.]

I was goin' to take a bubble bath. Have a glass of wine. [It's on the tip of her tongue to ask him to sit in the bathroom with her while she takes a bubble bath, once she's already in the bath with sufficient bubbles. She'd like to keep him in her sight. At the same time, she's not entirely sure if that's remotely okay yet. Or if it was okay before this. She wouldn't turn him down if he suggested it though.]

Oh. Bubbles and wine is... good. [He nods a little bit, as though this statement requires some sort of immediate enforcement. There's a little pause before the next statement, since as mentioned neither one really wants to part company, but she's... having a bath. Which is kind of difficult to work with.] D'you want company? [No. Wait.] I mean, not-, once you're already... I can bring you the glass. Of wine. And talk. Or not. [That did not work like he wanted it to.] I'd just like to keep talking. But we can do it after.

[There's a moment where things are awkward and normal. She flushes slightly red and then nods.] Wouldn't mind company once I'm in the tub.

[It's not even that she necessarily wants to take a bath. it's more...well he asked what she was going to do before and that's what it was. And it would give them both something to do without having to make any sort of decision about who sits where and is she going to sit in his lap the way she has been doing so much lately. She doesn't know that she'd object to the sitting in his lap but she doesn't know if it'd be awkward either and yes.]

Sort of relaxin'.

[Said belatedly because internal rambles are distracting.]

...Really? I mean. Brilliant! That's not quite what I meant either but it was a convoluted question to begin with so I suppose the reaction to the response shouldn't be any less so. [It's amazing how many situations fulfill the correct requirements for a potential rambling. His are alllll external for now. Decent chance he'll be on slight overshare mode for a while, since it was not-talking-to-Rose that got him in trouble in the first place.]

Which kind did you want? Do we have more than one bottle?

There's nearly a full bottle of red in the icebox. Think there's some white in the cupboard if you'd rather have white. If you wanted a glass too.

[Over sharing is brilliant. It's one thing she won't mind because so often she has to use her own judgement and glean things from the little he does say or his body language. Usually she's good at it. Right now she's probably doubting herself a good bit. She bites her bottom lip and looks to the bath.]

I'll just--[She gestures toward the room.] If I disappear again, wait for me, yeah?

[Because of course she'll come back. Even in this situation and she wouldn't stop until she got back.]

Red's fine. Like red. Not a big fan of white unless it's Turian. Turian white wine is brilliant. Although, there is-- [He cuts himself off because if he starts talking about kinds of wine he will stand there talking about kinds of wine and not actually go get any wine.] Red one from the icebox it is.

[I'm pretty sure he thinks that means she wants him to wait for her to be situated properly with bubbles and such before he comes in, because he doesn't know that she literally just disappeared and came back. So, he nods his 'understanding', and then is going to ask her what she meant by it once they're both sitting with wine in the bathroom.]

[He goes ahead and pours the two glasses of wine and holds them carefully as he sort of takes his time dallying over to the bathroom. Giving her time to get bubbles and such all situated. When he doesn't hear movement on the other side of the door anymore, he knocks.] You... bubbled?