#10!AUxRose

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So This is Love

Day 15 of 2019′s 31 Days of Ficmas Thanks to @doctorroseprompts for the prompt list! Prompt: love Rating: M (nsfw) Pairing: 10xRose (AU) Summary: A Cosier With You fic. A year after taking their relationship from mutual pining to madly in love, Rose and James discuss next steps. Based on this: https://www.tumblr.com/memeuplift/728565011847544832 2019 31 Days of Ficmas masterlist Cosier With You Masterlist AO3

“So, is this our first or second Christmas together?" Rose asked from her spot on the couch, curled beneath a soft throw with a mug of cocoa, relaxing after hanging most of the ornaments on his tree and enjoying the Winter Wonderland they’d transformed his flat into.

Stretching to put the star on top of the tree, James shot her a look.  “When’s our anniversary?”

“Good question.”  She licked her lips, focusing on the sliver of skin revealed as his shirt rode up.  “I mean, Christmas Eve, I guess.  First date, said I love you, shagged.  Pretty much hit all the benchmarks on day one, right?”

“Fair.”  He stepped back from the tree towards her as he studied it, hands on his hips.  “What d’you think, is it good?”

She took a snap of him with her mobile, enchanted with the way the lights of the tree framed him before focusing on his question.  “Yeah, good from here.”

“Good.”  He threw himself onto the couch next to her, laughing when she yelped.  “As for the anniversary question… we could say the twentieth, as that’s when I actually asked you out.  Gives it a little breathing room from the holiday.”  Stealing a sip of her cocoa, he waggled his eyebrows.

“It’s only December 3rd, so we’ve got some time to decide,” Rose shrugged, smiling and wiping away a bit of whipped cream that stuck to his lip.  With the fire crackling merrily, and most of the light coming from it and the tree, it was a properly cozy and romantic setting.  “Maybe the twentieth is a good idea – we’d never be able to celebrate day-of if we said Christmas Eve.”

They met in the middle for a sweet kiss, and she liked how he tasted of peppermint and chocolate.

“Just let me know what you prefer,” he murmured when they separated.  “So I can plan accordingly.  For now, though, how’s takeaway sound?”

“Perfect.  Your turn to pay, though.”

James made a face but acquiesced, passing over his mobile with doordash already open.  “Pizza or curry?”

“Mhmm… pizza,” she quickly found their favorite place, ordering their usual.  “I like that we can just say ‘pizza’ and we already know exactly what to order and from where.”

“Me too- oh, can you add on extra cheesy bread?”

Grinning Rose just turned the screen to face him, showing she’d already done just that.  “Get out of my head.”

He laughed, digging his fingers into her side and making her squeal.  “C’mere.”

She fell into him, still holding the mobile.  “Hang on, let me make sure you got the confirmation – I’m still annoyed about last time, that it didn’t go through.  Nothing worse than waiting on food that’s not coming.”  They looked at the screen together as she navigated to his email, clicking somewhat blindly on the first message with a subject of Order Confirmation.

And then froze when instead of the expected receipt, a generic graphic of a diamond ring turning came up under a banner reading Congratulations, your order has shipped!

Holy shit.  That’s an engagement ring.

James had gone very still next to her; she wasn’t sure he was even breathing, and in a split-second decision, she backed out to his inbox and found the right email.

“Looks like forty minutes until delivery,” she commented, tone deliberately light.  “We should try to straighten up before that – it looks like a Christmas bomb went off in here.”

“Okay.”

She pressed her lips to his cheek, lingering a moment too long to be a peck, before getting to work.

They managed to get the unused lights back into the storage bins before catching each other’s eye, and a shared smile quickly grew into giggles until she was leaning against him.

“Why are we laughing?” he asked, chuckling all the while, and she started dumping the extra decorations on top of the lights.

“I don’t know.”

She looked up to find him smiling widely.  “But you do know.”

Rose beamed back at him, tears pricking at her eyes as they just looked at each other with soft smiles.

The doorbell interrupted their moony eyes, James breaking for the door while Rose set the table, and they were soon seated quietly side by side, pressed together from ankle to hip with the food arrayed in front of them.

“So…” Rose focused on separating her slice from the rest of the pizza, carefully pulling apart the stubborn bits of cheese.  “Is it here?”

He went still for a moment, before wiping his mouth.  “Yep.”

“Is it hidden?”  She looked over at him, nibbling on the end of the slice, heart thumping as he nodded, holding her gaze.  “Can we play hot or cold with it?”

“Absolutely fucking not,” he said firmly, making her laugh.  “Do- should- I mean… is this something we need to… have a conversation about?”

Rose gave an overexaggerated shrug.  “I mean, I haven’t run screaming…” she teased, nudging him with her elbow.  “Well, where should my expectations be?  Is this part of the anniversary conversation?”

He shifted in his chair, an uncomfortable expression on his face, making her heart fall slightly.  “Uh, to be perfectly honest, I don’t know if we’re there yet.”

Her brow furrowed, back straightening as she put the pizza down.  “You bought the ring, have it hidden as we speak, but you don’t know if we’re there yet?”  It took effort to keep her tone even.  “I mean, I don’t necessarily disagree, but… you bought the ring.”

“Rose-” James pushed back from the table a bit, turning to face her and taking her hand.  “That’s where this is going.  For me, at least, it has from the beginning.  I want to be ready for when we’re ready, but… we don’t even live together yet.  And… I was gonna ask you at Christmas, but to be honest, that’s all I was going to ask you.  To move in with me.  Or I move in with you.  Or we move in together in a brand-new place, if that’s what you want.”  He exhaled.  “To me, we’re still laying the foundation.  But I’ve got designs clear up to the sky.”

“Me too,” she said softly, caressing his face with her free hand, memorizing it in this moment.  “I want everything with you, and this last year has only confirmed that.  I want to savor these steps, and when you ask me, I’m going to say yes.  You know that, don’t you?”

He nodded, leaning in for a kiss but hesitating at the last moment.  “When I ask you to move in, or-”

“Both.”  Sliding her hand around his neck she pulled him close, and they kissed softly, broken by shared giggles.

When they finally pulled apart and returned to their now-cold pizza, Rose grinned at him.  “I think it’s so cool that it’s here.  It’s literally in the flat with us and I have no idea where.  Does feel a little unfair that I don’t get to wear it, though,” she stuck out her bottom lip in an exaggerated pout.  “Don’t you want me to try it on at least, make sure it fits?”

“Who says you haven’t?” he challenged, taking a long sip of his wine.  “You sleep like the dead, and it’s been here for a few weeks.  Can you be sure it hasn’t been on your finger, yet?”

The idea was thrilling, and her cheeks were starting to hurt from smiling so much.  “You got any proof?”

He just shrugged, eyes mischievous.  “You know, when you first found that email I was so mad that the surprise is ruined, but thinking about it, this could be a lot of fun.  You’ll never know if it’s the moment or not.  Every time I take your hand, or stop to tie my shoe, or tell you I love you… just for a second, you won’t know if it’s the moment or not.  I think I’m going to enjoy this.”

“So you want to spend the holidays waging psychological warfare on me?” she asked, amused.  “Nice.”

“Warfare?  No.  The occasional skirmish… maybe,” he teased.  “And since you already know I’m not going to ask for real yet, it would be more accurate to say it was against our families, wouldn’t you?”

Rose’s eyebrows shot up.  “Are you planning on fake-proposing to me in front of either of our families?  I don’t think that’s going to end well for you.  Your Mum and Donna are still extremely salty that you lied to them about us, and God help you if you toy with my mum like that, because I certainly won’t.”

She loved many things about his face, but the expression he wore now (stumped befuddlement) only came when she outfoxed him and was a particular favorite of hers.  It was also extremely kissable, so she gave into the urge, leaning forward to nip at his pouting bottom lip, smiling against his mouth when he kissed back.

As the food cooled on the plates the heat between them grew until she was in his lap, the desire for food replaced by a need for a different kind of sustenance until he stood carefully, her legs wrapping around him as he carried her to bed.

Flopping back onto the mattress she watched with interest as he pulled his shirt off, before glancing around the room.  “Is it in here?”

“Is what here?”  James started on his belt, before pausing.  “I told you, we’re not doing hot and cold, or anything similar.  And if I’m honest – playing cat and mouse about this is not going to encourage me to give it to you faster.  Possibly the opposite.”

Her offense at the implication only lasted a moment.  “I’m only teasing,” Rose said softly, coming up on her knees to meet him at the end of the bed.  “I’m excited and anxious, but there’s no pressure.  I won’t go digging, I promise.”

His eyes narrowed as they held each other’s gaze.  “Promise?”

“Cross my heart.  In fact, if there’s anywhere I should stay away from, you could tell me.”

Her innocent look didn’t fool him; he just rolled his eyes and reached for the hem of her dress, tugging it up.  “Note to self, rent a safety deposit box in the morning.”

“No, no,” she protested once the dress was over her head, resting her hands on his chest.  “I triple promise that I won’t go looking.  But if you get to pretend you’re going to propose, I get to pretend I’m gonna dig through your drawers at every possible opportunity.  ‘S only fair.”

“I can live with that,” he agreed with a shrug.  “Really, you’d only be ruining it for yourself, after all.  But if you want to dig through drawers, I have a place you can start,” he guided her hands towards the zip of his jeans.

“Funny man,” she murmured, leaning up to kiss him as she freed him from the heavy fabric, pushing the jeans and his boxers down over his hips.

They didn’t need words after that.

-

Limbs deliciously heavy Rose relaxed into the mattress, pleasure still humming through her veins as James panted into her neck.

“Yes.”

“Hmm?”  She trailed her fingernails along his spine, delighting in the way he shivered against her at the touch.

He raised his head to meet her gaze, eyes still heavy-lidded.  “Yes, it’s in this room.”

A giddy smile spread across her face, and they giggled together for a moment before she stopped abruptly.

“Just, do me one favor.”

“Name it.”  He dipped his head to press kisses along her collar bone and top of her breasts.

“Oi.”  She guided his chin up so their eyes met again.  “I don’t need a fancy proposal.  I don’t need the Eiffel Tower at midnight, or something overly orchestrated.  I just want it to be you, and me, and genuine.  My only requirement is – if we took a picture of us three seconds after you ask and I say yes, I want to be able to show that picture to people.”

James’ brow furrowed.  “Huh?”

“I mean, don’t ask me in bed.  Or when we’re in pajamas and look a mess.  Or immediately before, during, or after sex.  It doesn’t have to picture perfect, but when people ask how’d he pop the question, I want to be able to tell the story without blushing.  I don’t care if it’s… I dunno, out on a walk, or some great romantic jaunt that you’ve planned.  I just care that you’re ready to ask, and that we’re fully dressed.”

He pushed himself upright and she followed so they were sitting almost nose to nose, James back on his haunches between her legs.  “I’m not sure how to feel about your standards being so low,” he said dryly.  “Look, I can’t promise the question won’t slip out occasionally- I’m actually really proud of myself that it hasn’t yet- but I can promise that when I give you the ring, it will be under respectable circumstances.”

“You can ask me as many times as you like,” she grinned, cupping his cheek with her palm.  “Under any circumstances.  How about this – when it’s the real one, you take a knee.  If you ask and you’re not on one knee, I’ll know not to expect a ring – this way there’s no misunderstandings about whether it’s it or not.”

“I can do that.”  His eyes were shining, and he pushed her hair back behind her ears before moving back over her, forcing her onto her back again.  One hand bracing himself he slid the other down her side to her knee, guiding it up to wrap around her hip.  “Rose?”

“Yeah?”  She didn’t dare close her eyes but savored his touch until he looked up at her again.

“Will you marry me?”

They went still, the words hanging in the air as tears pricked at her eyes.  “Yes.”

“Yeah?”

“Of course.”  They met in a bruising kiss, joyous laughter forcing them apart.

“God, that felt good to say,” he sighed, beaming down at her.  “I’ve been holding that in for… a while.”

She matched his grin, running her hands over his shoulders and arms.  “It was good to hear, and better to answer.  I’m looking forward to the real thing.”

“Me too.”

They shared another lingering kiss, instinct taking over as their bodies began to move, wiping away all thoughts in Rose’s head but one.

I love this man, and can’t wait to marry him.