tt rough winds do shake the

Posted originally on the Archive of Our Own at http://archiveofourown.org/works/2610314. Rating: Archive Warning: Category: Fandom: Relationship: Character: Stats:

General Audiences No Archive Warnings Apply F/M Doctor Who RPF Catherine Tate/David Tennant Catherine Tate, David Tennant Published: 2014-11-13 Words: 1023

(rough winds do shake) the darling buds of may by noblydonedonnanoble Summary

David works to cheer Catherine up after a failed audition. Just a bb!Tatennant drabble

David is in the kitchen preparing dinner when he hears the front door open, and promptly slam back shut. He’s already prepared to call out a greeting to his girlfriend, prepared to ask her how the audition went. Then she lets out a frustrated groan. Maybe he won’t ask about the audition, then. A few moments later, he feels Catherine winding her arms around his waist and pressing her forehead against his back. He waits for her to say something, but she doesn’t, so he decides to get the ball rolling. “Hey Cath,” he says, his voice soft. She sighs, noncommittal, and just hugs him a little bit tighter. David doesn’t even hesitate before turning around and pulling her into a tight embrace, whispering, “I’m sorry.” He longs to tell her that she’ll find better luck with the next one, that this is just a dry spell… and a dozen other things he’s said before. But last time he did that, it led to a huge row and they were steering clear of one another for days. It took nearly a week for her to confess that she'd become so angry because comments like that just made her feel worse. “Just hold me and tell me you’re sorry,” Catherine had told him. And so that’s what he does. He holds her and he doesn't think she cries, but it's difficult

to tell for sure because she's always been quiet about shedding tears. Finally, she loosens her iron grip and stands up on her toes to kiss him, her mouth lingering on his but not in a way that suggests she wants to deepen the kiss—she just wants the moment to last. "Thank you, love." "Yeah." He glances at the stove, where their pasta still looks to be cooking while the sauce simmers. "You up for dinner?" Catherine shakes her head, not meeting his gaze. Instead, she stares past him, out the window and at the street below. "I'm honestly not that hungry." "Okay, we can eat later." He turns off the gas. "Want to watch the telly?" She shrugs. That would be a no, then. "Or," David smiles as a far better idea occurs to him. "We could pick out a new book to start reading." The two of them while away many of their evenings reading together, taking turns each time in reading portions aloud. It's a practice that quite often raises both of their spirits when they've had bad days. It takes her a moment to consider the offer, but then she manages to give him a small smile and she nods. "Yeah, we can do that." So they head to the bedroom, where they glance over their bookshelves together. Catherine picks one out, something newer that David's never heard of but she hands it over and he takes it quite willingly. They settle down on the bed together, Catherine resting with her head against David’s chest as he opens to the first page and begins to read. It takes him only a few pages to notice that she’s staring off into the distance, and seems to have tuned him out completely. Curious, he stops reading altogether. She doesn’t notice. He nudges her softly with his foot, and she jumps, looking up and meeting his gaze guiltily. “Sorry,” she murmurs. “You don’t have to apologize,” he’s quick to assure her. “You have every reason to be upset. I’d just… I wish I could help you get your mind off it. We could go on holiday.” Catherine closes her eyes and snuggles closer to him. “We haven’t got the money for a holiday, David.” “I’m not saying a big one! We’ve been saving; I’m sure we have enough to do something small.” “No, no, I’d rather wait. Then we’ll be able to stay somewhere posh.” “What else would cheer you up, then? What if we got a cat, would that help?” David pauses before adding, “Please say no.” She giggles for a moment, because the fact that he even mentioned a pet as a possibility is an indication of just how much he’d like to cheer her up. But she quickly grows somber again. “No, we don’t need to get a cat.” “Okay.” The relief is evident in his voice. “What should I do, then? Shall I…”

“Shall you what?” He smirks as he begins to run his fingers through her hair. “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?” Catherine swats at him but she can’t hide her smile. “You’re daft.” “Thou art more lovely and more temperate,” he continues, pulling the words out of the air with ease. “Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, and summer’s lease hath all too short a date.” “You’re trying too hard,” she informs him, in an attempt to distract from the blush that’s creeping across her features. But David certainly notices and his hand shifts from her hair to caress her cheek as he proceeds: “Sometimes too hot the eye of heaven shines—” She sheepishly buries her face in his chest to avoid his scrutiny, but he continues, pleased by the reaction he’s eliciting. “And often is his gold complexion dimmed; and every fair from fair sometimes declines, by chance or nature’s changing course untrimmed… what is it that comes next, Catherine?” She doesn’t respond. He grins, and his voice becomes gentle and tender. “But thy eternal summer shall not fade, nor lose possession of that fare thou ow’st, nor shall—” His words are cut off as she kisses him. “You make it very hard to sulk when you pull out Shakespeare,” Catherine chides as she pulls away. “I see no problem with that.” David blinks at her for some seconds, waiting for some cue, and finally she acquiesces. “You want to finish the sonnet, don’t you?” “If I said no, would you believe me?” “No.” A pause. “Nor shall Death brag thou wander’st in his shade…” This time, Catherine lets him finish before pressing another smiling kiss to his lips. And her eyes are still sad, but this is the best David will be able to do for now.

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