Title: Summer Rain
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Tenth Doctor/Peter Carlisle
Fandom: Doctor Who/Blackpool
Rating: PG-13
Table: doctorwho_100
Prompt: 63, Summer
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 Peter Carlisle. Please do not sue.

***

Peter glanced up at the sky as he and the Doctor strolled through one of the parks in London, frowning a bit. Those clouds looked ominous; he was sure that it was going to rain, and the Tardis was several blocks away. They'd have to make a run for it if rain started.

But would that really matter? he thought, looking at the man next to him. He knew that the Doctor didn't particularly care for getting soaked in the rain, but there was something romantic about the idea of walking through the park in a rain shower.

Of course, walking through a downpour wouldn't be nearly such a romantic thought, Peter told himself with a wry smile. He himself wasn't keen on the idea of being wringing wet, though at least the weather was warm and he wouldn't be reduced to a popsicle.

"What are you thinking?" the Doctor asked him, moving closer and slipping an arm around Peter's waist. The other man smiled, returning the gesture and pulling the Doctor closer against him as they walked along one of the paths through the park.

"I was thinking that it might not be a good idea for us to stay here much longer, if we don't want to get caught in the rain," Peter told him, looking up at the sky again. The clouds were scudding across the sky, looking more threatening than before.

The Doctor shrugged, his words surprising Peter. "If we get caught in the rain, then we'll get a bit wet, that's all," he murmured, squinting up at the darkening clouds. "It definitely looks like it's going to rain, so I don't think I should complain about the inevitable."

Peter couldn't help laughing, shaking an admonitory finger at the Time Lord. "That's not your usual reaction to rain! You're like a cat. You hate getting wet when you're fully dressed. I really don't blame you, though; I don't like having wet fabric sticking to my skin either."

"There is one good thing about getting soaked to the skin," the Doctor said, winking at his lover. "I can always ask you to help me get out of my wet clothes. Having you undress me is a lot more fun than doing it myself."

"That's one of my favorite ways to spend my time -- undressing you," Peter murmured, stopping in his tracks and turning to the Time Lord. To hell with what anyone else might think, he told himself, pulling the Doctor into his arms and running a hand down the other man's back.

As he did so, the first few drops of rain spattered their faces; Peter looked up again, narrowing his eyes. It seemed that they were going to get caught in the rain no matter what, so he might as well enjoy this time with the Doctor and ignore the rain.

From somewhere in the park, Peter could hear soft music playing; he wasn't sure of the song title, but it had a slow, sinuous rhythm, one that made him want to waltz the Doctor around the expanse of verdant green grass that lay on either side of the path.

He released his hold on the Doctor, backing away a few steps and holding out his arms to the Time Lord as he stepped onto the grass. "Dance with me," he said softly, the words meant just for the other man. He cocked his head towards the music, wondering if the Doctor heard it.

The Time Lord ran a hand through his hair, pushing back the damp strands from his face. He looked up at the sky again, then shrugged and stepped towards Peter, moving into his arms. Peter couldn't keep from smiling as he slid an arm around his lover's waist.

"There's something romantic about dancing in the summer rain, isn't there?" he said softly, brushing his lips against the Doctor's cheek. The other man turned his head slightly so that their lips met, the kiss growing in intensity after a few seconds.

Peter twined his fingers through the Doctor's, keeping one arm firmly around the other man's waist as he leaned forward, dipping the other man halfway to the ground. The Doctor's eyes widened for a moment before he relaxed and laughed up into Peter's face.

"There certainly is," he answered as Peter straightened them back up again. "I think we're the only couple who's decided to do it, though. There aren't even any spectators. A shame, isn't it? Maybe we could have taught them a thing or two."

Peter looked around, surprised that there was no one else around. The Doctor was right; the park was deserted, as though everyone who'd been there had fled to shelter once the rain had started. They were the only two people there, at least in the area they were in.

"Oh well, that just means that we have more of the park to ourselves!" he laughed, whirling the Doctor around in a circle. He tightened his arm around the other man's waist, loving the way that the Time Lord seemed to fit perfectly into the circle of his arm.

His movement stopped abruptly when he let his gaze rest on the Doctor; the Time Lord was looking at him with an expression that he could only describe as adoring. No one had ever looked at him in that way before, not even people who'd sworn they loved him.

Seeing the Doctor look at him like that meant more to him than if it had come from anyone else he'd ever known. This man had lived for centuries; he'd known and loved many people in his life, and yet he looked at Peter with such love in that intense gaze that it took his breath away.

How many times in his life had he wanted someone to look at him that way? He'd wanted Natalie to have that look in her eyes for him, but she never had. Neither had any of the other lovers he'd had in his life. He'd never inspired that look in any human.

But now the Doctor was looking at him with the light of love shining in those beautiful eyes, a light that Peter couldn't look away from. If he'd ever needed proof that his decision to be with this man had been the right one, he certainly had it now.

Peter leaned forward to press his lips against the Doctor's cheek, then his mouth. Their impromptu dance slowed to a near-standstill, the two of them merely swaying in each other's arms, still in rhythm with the soft music wafting through the air.

"I love you," Peter whispered against the Doctor's lips, his voice almost trembling with the force of his love for the man in his arms. How was it possible for him to feel so strongly about anyone, he who had sworn to keep his heart protected after the last time it had been broken?

That was the past, Peter told himself, looking into the fathomless depths of the Time Lord's dark eyes. The moment he'd met this man, any ideas he'd had about keeping his heart under wraps had become history. The Doctor had gone straight to his heart, in every possible way.

He might not have known it at the time, but this man was meant to be his. Even though they had been born centuries apart, on different planets in different galaxies, they were meant to be. That feeling only grew stronger as time went by.

"I love you, too," the Doctor murmured, his thin arms sliding around Peter's waist and pulling him close. "You've changed my life in so many ways, Peter -- all for the better. You've given me companionship in a way that I thought I would never have again."

"Not just companionship," Peter whispered, raising a hand to stroke back a few strands of wet hair from the Doctor's forehead. "You have much more than that from me, Doctor. You have my heart and soul, in every possible way that I can give them to you. Forever."

"You've had my hearts from the first time I looked into your eyes," the Doctor told him, his breath warm on Peter's skin. Their lips were so close they were almost touching, so close that he only had to lean forward the tiniest bit to kiss the man he loved again.

When their lips met again, Peter could feel a spark coming to life within his heart. The soft, warm summer rain falling around them only fanned that spark higher, he thought, resting his forehead against the Doctor's and basking in the glow that was threatening to consume them both.

***