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"Doctor! You know I have stage fright!" Rose panicked as she looked through the backstage of the production.
They were just supposed to be an audience of the "Greatest Show of Them All" as Rose had just watched that movie from the not-so distant future called "The Greatest Showman". She re-watched it plenty of times due to the songs but the Doctor boasted he'd seen a show better than that.
Unfortunately, once they reached the show, the psychic paper apparently thought otherwise so now here they were, thought of as part of the act. The duo tried to deny it but the stage manager was too busy handling the other performers that they just completely got ignored.
The Doctor explained it was probably the manager panicking on which performance is which that he just assumed they were part of the act too.
"It's fine, Rose, we can do it. New kind of adventure, this. We can just--well, maybe we can sing one of those songs from the movie you just watched?" He said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck as Rose gaped at him.
"Do you even know the songs? And which song could we possibly--?" She cut off once she realized exactly the song they'll be singing. Rose loved all the songs from the movie that she immediately got it all memorized, most especially that oh-so appropriate song.
"You got an idea?" The Doctor asked and Rose tentatively looked at him, scared about what the Doctor might think.
"Well," she trailed off and bit her lip.
**
"Are you sure you know how to play the piano?" Rose asked once they heard it was their turn next. She gave the Doctor her phone so he could memorize the song since apparently he has eidetic memories due to his "superior biology", and even memorized the notes of the song so he could play it on the grand piano the production had provided.
"'Course I do!" He huffed indignantly, fixing his tie as Rose played with her hoop earring. She continued to fidget until she heard their names being called next.
They walked to the stage and saw that the curtain was let down so the audience wouldn't see the people performing next. The Doctor sat at the middle of the piano as Rose sat on his right, her face the first thing the audience will see from the auditorium.
Rose could hear the murmuring of the crowd from behind the drapes that got her fiddling the hem of her top, there being no mic to hide behind due to the stage being the amplifier itself.
The crowd went silent once the curtain parted and the lights pointed directly at the two, the audience surrounded in darkness. Rose blinked at the sudden brightness and looked back at the Doctor who just gave her a reassuring smile. He looked back down at the piano, playing the first few notes.
She looked back at the Doctor when his lyrics started but noticing his panic, stood up and walked to the front. One of them needs to be calm and she knows they could only lean on each other.
"You know I want you," this was supposed to be the male part but heck it! This was exactly how she felt anyways. "It's not a secret I try to hide." She added and looked back at him sadly.
"I know you want me. So don't keep saying our hands are tied," as she then looked at the crowd.
"You claim it's not in the cards but fate is pulling you miles away and out of reach from me."
"But you're here in my heart so who can stop me if I decide that you're my destiny?" She sang and looked at the Doctor seeing him look back at her with such intense eyes.
"What if we rewrite the stars? Say you were made to be mine. Nothing could keep us apart, you'd be the one I was meant to find," and she soon realized she was pouring her whole heart and soul into this. It wasn't supposed to go this way, a silent confession for her undying .. feelings for him. But sod it! If the Doctor ran, she's just gonna pretend like she got carried away. But since she's right here, right now, she's going to.
"It's up to you and it's up to me, no one can say what we get to be. So why don't we rewrite the stars? Maybe the world could be ours. Tonight," she added and gave the Doctor a pleading look but he gazed away, looking back at the crowd that made Rose's heart break and hope she had just stayed sitting instead of standing up. But maybe the distance is better, she might not be able to take it if he looked away while they're so close to each other.
"You think it's easy? You think I don't wanna run to you?" And Rose huffed in a bitter laugh at how appropriate this song just is. Except the Doctor would be running from her, not to her.
"But there are mountains and there are doors that we can't walk through." He had such sad eyes that Rose wanted to look away, feeling her heart clench, but couldn't, as if it's seeing a car accident in slow motion.
"I know you're wondering why because we're able to be just you and me within these walls," and they can, within the walls of the TARDIS, or as long as they wouldn't go too far on their flirting. She choked a sob, finally turning her back from both the audience and him to wipe an escaping tear.
"But when we go outside you're gonna wake up and see that it was hopeless after all," she was doing her best not to look at the Doctor's face, scared of seeing his reaction, of facing all these emotions surfacing between them.
"No one can rewrite the stars." "The universe had never been that kind to me, Rose."
"How can you say you'll be mine? Everything keeps us apart and I'm not the one you were meant to find." "You wither and you die. Imagine watching that happen to someone that you--"
"It's not up to you. It's not up to me, when everyone tells us what we can be. How can we rewrite the stars? Say that the world can be ours. Tonight," and with this Rose finally decided to look back at the Doctor, they have to sell this play after all.
But her breath hitched upon seeing his intense dark gaze lock on her -- as if he had been trying to catch her eyes all this time -- jaw clenched, whole posture tense as they sang the duet. "All I want is to fly with you. All I want is to fall with you. So just give me all of you."
"It feels impossible." He sang, gaze pleading her to understand.
"It's not impossible," she said with tears falling from her eyes, shaking her head.
"Is it impossible?" And here she was surprised when the Doctor left the piano and there was still music playing in the background, him striding towards her.
"Say that it's possible~" they sang and Rose was surprised when the Doctor grabbed her waist, pulling her flush against him.
"How do we rewrite the stars? Say you were made to be mine? Nothing can keep us apart 'cause you are the one I was meant to find." They only held each other's eyes as they sang, the whole world seemingly forgotten, drowning in each other's eyes.
"It's up to you and it's up to me. No one can say what we get to be. Why don't we rewrite the stars? Changing the world to be ours," she was practically begging the Doctor, not averting her eyes from him and challenging him to back down.
But of course, the song is still not finished as he slowly let go. "You know I want you, it's not a secret I try to hide. But I can't have you, we're bound to break and my hands are tied." He finished and walked straight to the backstage, not even caring while Rose slowly slid down, breaking down crying on the stage while her hearing slowly left the moment and finally heard the uproar of the audience loving their "act".