Title: Rough Edges
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Tenth Doctor/Brendan Block
Fandom: Doctor Who/Secret Smile
Rating: PG
Table: 50ficlets
Prompt: 44, Rough
Disclaimer: This is entirely a product of my own imagination, and I make no profit from it. I do not own the Tenth Doctor or Brendan Block, unfortunately. Please do not sue.

***

The Doctor smiled to himself as he watched Brendan move around the kitchen of the Tardis, putting away the dishes he'd just washed. Seeing his lover do little mundane things like this always soothed him, for some odd reason.

Why was that? Maybe because he himself was used to doing those things, and doing them alone. It had been quite a long time since he'd had a proper companion, before the advent of Brendan in his life. He hadn't realized how much he'd missed having the company.

But then, Brendan was more than a companion. He had been from the moment he'd set foot in the Tardis. He'd been a lover since the first moment he'd been here.

The attraction that flowed between them was something neither of them could deny. And it had only grown stronger over the weeks that Brendan had been with him, especially now that there were no veils to hide behind, no secrets separating them.

It had been hard for Brendan to reveal the more unsavoury parts of his past, and the Doctor admired him for having that strength. He knew all too well how easy it was to be intimidated into silence by things he'd rather not have made public knowledge.

There were still some rough edges to his boyfriend, he thought, watching the other man pull open a cabinet and set a few plates inside. But those edges could be smoothed down, buffed out. Brendan was a diamond waiting to be polished.

If he was honest with himself, he liked those rough edges. They made Brendan stand out, made him something special that set him apart from anyone else.

Of course, just the fact that he was Brendan singled him out. He was like no one else the Doctor had ever met; he was mysterious in so many ways, even now that the Time Lord knew most of what was hidden in his past.

That mystery might have worried him before, but now, he understood why Brendan tried to keep that cloak around himself. He'd been persecuted on Earth because of his past, and he was trying to make a fresh start here, where it wouldn't all follow him.

He was going to give his lover the chance to do just that. They weren't in some place where people could come after Brendan with accusations and hatred; there was no need for him to have to feel as though he had to hide any longer.

Maybe he should help Brendan with the dishes. After all, he didn't want his boyfriend to feel that he was doing all of the work around here.

Getting up, he moved over to the sink, picking up the silverware and opening the drawer to put it in. He wasn't startled to feel Brendan's strong arms sliding around his waist from behind; in fact, he was grateful for the warm embrace.

The Doctor leaned back into Brendan's arms as he finished distributing the silverware into its proper place in the drawer, closing his head and turning his head to the side. He loved being close to Brendan like this; he felt warm and secure in those arms.

Brendan held him close, the slight stubble on his chin scratching against the Doctor's smooth cheek as the Time Lord turned his face to his lover's. That was another part of the roughness he loved about Brendan, he thought with an inward smile.

There was something incredibly sexy about feeling that razor stubble scratching against his skin, reminding him that it was a strong, virile man who was holding him.

That was a feeling that he hadn't had with any other lover -- not even Jack. It didn't make him feel small and vulnerable, as it might have done to some men. Rather, it made him feel as though he was with a partner, a man who would stand by his side as an equal.

Maybe some would find that odd, but to the Doctor, it felt right. That was what he should expect, since he wasn't like most other men, he told himself, pushing back the thought that maybe he was being too emotional, putting too much of himself in Brendan's hands.

But again, that was a part of who he was. He hadn't often let his emotions out in the past; now that he had someone he felt comfortable doing that with, they were coming to the forefront with a vengeance, and he wasn't going to hold them back.

Something about Brendan's rough edges brought out the vulnerable side of him, he mused, though he wasn't going to question why. Not at the moment, anyway.

He had to admit, he enjoyed being protected. He was usually the one who had to protect the universe, so it was nice to be able to lie back in someone's arms and let them make him feel safe and secure. It made a nice change.

Besides, Brendan was the protective type -- and it was lovely to have someone who felt that way about him. It made him stronger in the long run, too; it gave him a place to rest and relax, to gather his own strength for whatever battles might lay ahead of him.

Those rough edges were sexy; they definitely appealed to him in a myriad of ways. He smiled and turned his face to Brendan's as the other man's arms tightened around his waist, giving himself up to the pleasure of that embrace and surrendering his lips to Brendan's kiss.

***