Title: Out of the Rain
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Tenth Doctor/Ross Jenkins
Fandom: Doctor Who
Rating: PG-13
Table: 4, 50ficlets
Prompt: 40, Rain
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 Ross Jenkins, just borrowing them for a while. Please do not sue.

***

"Doctor, I think it's going to rain," Ross told the Time Lord, looking up at the sky and raising a hand to his eyes. The sun was shining brightly, but he could see clouds scudding across the sky, clouds that he was sure were a presage to a downpour.

"We won't walk too far from the building, so that we can run back here if it starts raining," the Doctor suggested, holding out a hand to his young lover. "Come on, Ross! We're on a pleasure planet. And part of the pleasure is being able to walk around these beautiful gardens."

Ross couldn't help but smile at his lover's words; the Doctor looked so eager to do something as simple as walking in a garden that he didn't have the heart to protest. And the Time Lord was right; they would be close enough to run back inside if it began to rain.

Still, he'd never liked being caught in the rain. Ever since one of his first training exercises with UNIT, when he'd made what would have been a fatal mistake in a real combat situation, he'd disliked rain and the way that it could play tricks on his perceptions.

But he couldn't let that keep him from walking in the garden with the Doctor. The place was beautiful; that garden was meant for lovers, a place that the two of them could lose themselves in and leave the rest of the world behind for however long they chose.

If only it didn't rain, he reminded himself as he linked his arm through the Time Lord's and stepped out onto the path. At the moment, the threat of rain didn't seem imminent; maybe it didn't being to rain on this planet as quickly as it could on Earth.

There was no reason for him to think that this perfect day could be rained on, Ross told himself, refusing to look up at the sky again. But he had to admit that he didn't want to stray too far into the garden; he didn't know if there was any place there to get out of the rain.

Was there a gazebo? If there was, he hadn't seen one anywhere near the path they'd come down. He looked around for somewhere that they might be able to run into if a storm came up and took them by surprise, but he could see nothing of the sort anywhere near.

Did it really matter? He was here on a pleasure planet, in an incredibly beautiful garden, with the man he loved at his side. The two of them could walk along this path, go deeper into the foliage, get lost in the greenery .... Oh, he could think of plenty of things to do here.

He could lay the Doctor down on the carpet of emerald grass .... slowly strip his clothes off and make love to him here, under the green canopy, with the sun shining high overhead and the wind rushing over their skin like a soft, warm caress.

Even as the thought began to grow in his mind, a low rumble of thunder sounded in his ears -- and a moment later, a streak of lightning split the sky. Ross gasped as rain began to patter down around them, softly at first, then with more ferocity.

The Doctor looked over at him, dark eyes wide with surprise. "You were right!" he exclaimed, grasping Ross' hand and turning back towards the hotel. "We haven't gone far, so we should be able to make it back inside before we get completely soaked."

The two of them ran back along the path the way they had come, through the pouring rain that had them soaked before they'd moved more than a few feet. They were both breathless by the time they made it back to the front door, taking shelter under the awning.

Ross looked ruefully at the Doctor, opening his mouth to make a trite remark about the weather, but letting out a peal of laughter instead. "We must both look like fools, running to get out of the rain," he gasped, his laughter bubbling up until he could no longer keep it back.

What did it matter if they'd managed to get themselves soaked to the skin? It was only water; it wasn't going to do them any harm. And now, they could go back to their room and spend some private time together. And he had definite ideas on what he wanted to do.

Leaning close to the Doctor, Ross whispered into his lover's ear, his voice husky with desire. "What do you say that we go back to our room and take a long hot shower? We're already soaked anyway -- and I can think of several ways to enjoy ourselves in the shower."

The Doctor looked over at him, running a hand through his wet hair. Ross couldn't help thinking that the Time Lord looked incredibly desirable soaking wet -- and that he would look even better when the two of them were naked under the shower spray.

"Lead the way," the Doctor told him, his dark eyes sparkling as he took his young lover's hand and pushed open the glass door. "Our shower awaits." The two men nearly sprinted across the lobby floor to the elevators, both of them impatient to get back to their suite and lock the door behind them.

***