Work Text:
Things were weird now.
Good weird, though.
After their confessional talk on the beach, an understanding seemed to have settled between The Doctor and Yaz. Of course, Yaz was disappointed that The Doctor wouldn’t take things to the next level (what even is the next level with her?) but she was also hopeful. Within the space of a day, The Doctor had flirted with her on a pirate boat, to telling her they couldn’t be together, to then changing her argument to saying she might, if she could. Yaz was beyond confused but waited patiently. Because things between them were changing rapidly.
The Doctor used to keep her distance. There would be the occasional hug, but they were far and few between. But since their revelations, The Doctor wouldn’t leave her alone. Its as if she finally felt she had permission to touch Yaz, after years of being touch starved by her own volition. Dan would raise his eyebrows questioningly but would smile at them softly. Yaz hadn’t had the chance to fill him in, and now that he’d gone to try and work things out with Di, she felt oddly lonely without him around. She knew he was coming back, but he was her companion. She needed him.
And without him, there was this new, thick feel to the air that Yaz couldn’t quite put her finger on. She was busy looking through the binoculars on the console, so she hadn’t noticed The Doctor coming up next to her. A gentle hand grazed her shoulder, causing Yaz to jolt out of her task in surprise. She hadn’t expected her friend(?) to sneak up on her, let alone touch her. Yaz tore her gaze away from the binoculars and looked up at The Doctor, who was grinning sheepishly.
‘Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you there.’ The hand was still there. Yaz tried so hard to keep her breathing at a normal rate.
‘S’alright. You okay?’ Yaz asked, wondering why her friend was touching her so gently. The hand moved down the shoulder, and slid down her arm. It stilled at her elbow, as if waiting to make a choice.
‘Never better. You okay?’ The Doctor whispered, almost scared of herself. Yaz nodded, swallowing nervously. The Doctor drew herself ridiculously close to Yaz, eyes darkening in the dim light of the console room.
‘What are you doing?’ Yaz asked softly, gesturing to The Doctor’s hand on her arm. Alarm dawned on The Doctor’s face, and began to retreat.
‘No, nothing, I just… I don’t know…’ She began to turn back to the console, hand leaving Yaz’s arm. In panic, Yaz reached back out, grabbing The Doctor’s hand in hers. The Doctor’s eyes widened at this development, but she stayed still. She glanced back up at Yaz.
‘You can… you can hold my hand. If you want.’ Yaz paused, awkwardly. ‘I mean, you don’t have to ask permission. I was just… surprised. Good surprised.’ She grinned as The Doctor stared down at their joined hands, before closing her own fingers around Yaz’s, locking them together. Yaz didn’t dare say a word.
The Doctor squeezed in response, understanding. She glanced back up at Yaz, eyes shining in the lights of the console room. Damn, she was beautiful. That thought suddenly hurt Yaz more than it should. The Doctor’s eyes flickered over her face, registering the change. She frowned.
‘What is it, Yaz?’ She asked so softly.
‘Nothing, I… I’m fine.’
‘No, you’re not.’
‘I just… no, doesn’t matter.’ Yaz dropped her hand from The Doctor’s grasp, knowing this conversation couldn’t go any further. The Doctor must have instinctively known that now was not the time to push, so she let her hand fall by her side. She looked sadly at Yaz for a moment, but rather than dwelling on it, she put on her best smile and dashed around the console.
‘In that case, I think its time for a new adventure. What do you say, it’s your turn to pick!’ She dazzled at Yaz, and Yaz couldn’t help but smile a little at The Doctor’s infectious energy. ‘I know this great hike up a mountain on Mars…’
‘Hey, you said it was my turn!’ Yaz countered, relieved to feel their normal banter returning. The Doctor shrugged.
‘Just throwing out suggestions!’ She exclaimed, really putting effort into her normal energy. Yaz knew they were both off, but she indulged. If it was the only way for them to be normal, then so be it.
‘Fine, I’m thinking…’ Right now, Yaz knew exactly what she needed. ‘I want to go to a bar.’ She looked at The Doctor, expecting some pushback. ‘Like, I want to get dressed up. Properly. And have some drinks. Just relaxing, y’know?’ She paused. ‘With my best mate.’ She looked pointedly at The Doctor, as if challenging her to argue with her. But to her surprise, The Doctor was on board.
‘Sounds fun! Ooh, I know a really good bar on the island of…’ The Doctor paused, realising she’d interrupted Yaz. However, this time, Yaz was happy for her to do so.
‘That sounds good, Doctor. As long as I can get dressed up and have a few cocktails, then I’m good.’ Yaz finally grinned. ‘Ooh, I’ve got this outfit I’ve been saving for a while… and since I haven’t been able to wear proper mascara for 4 years…’ Yaz seemed to be talking to herself, deciding what to wear while The Doctor piloted the TARDIS to their destination. The Doctor was more than happy to oblige her companion’s request. It was the least she could do.
‘Right then, best get ready, Yaz!’ She paused, looking down at herself. ‘This isn’t very ‘bar worthy’ is it?’ The Doctor asked seriously, suddenly realised she had no concept of night wear for women.
‘I mean, if you’re comfortable in it, Doctor, then go for it…’ Yaz chimed in politely. The Doctor looked at her with a lopsided smile, and Yaz felt her heart skip a beat.
‘Don’t be polite, Yaz. I know it’s not.’ She paused, suddenly nervous. ‘Would you help me? I’ve not got much experience in this area and I don’t want to let you down…’
Yaz’s smile faltered, eyes widening.
‘Of course I’ll help you, silly! If its too much, we don’t have to go to a bar at all, I was just being…’
‘No, of course we’re going to a bar. It’ll be fun!’
…
‘Ugh, no. Not that. Definitely not that. Yaz, why is this so hard?’
The Doctor and Yaz had been going through the TARDIS wardrobe looking for something to wear, but The Doctor wasn’t having any luck. Everything just didn’t feel right.
‘I just don’t know about a skirt. I mean, I could, but I dunno. Just doesn’t feel very ‘me,’ she tried to explain. After centuries of presenting as a man, this was new territory, even after spending decades in this body.
‘Doctor, you can literally wear what you’re wearing now and you’d still look…’ Yaz paused, realising she was bordering onto flirting. The Doctor looked up at her from the wardrobe floor, confused.
‘What?’ She asked.
‘Great, you’d look great.’ Yaz gave. She’d meant to say ‘hot’ but had severely restrained herself. The Doctor smiled at her.
‘Thanks! But I just want to look different. But not too different. Wait, what are you wearing?’
‘A dress…’ Yaz started. She wanted to keep it a surprise, but she had been saving this dress for a while. She glanced at the rack, before saying ‘hold on, what about this?’ Yaz pulled out a burgundy, velvet two-piece suit from the rack. It was a small, so would fit The Doctor, no problem. The Doctor stood up, taking the clothing from Yaz’s waiting hands. She looked down at it, smiling, before glancing back up at Yaz.
‘It’s perfect.’
…
Yaz had asked about doing The Doctor’s make up, but she’d been surprisingly coy about it, so Yaz let it go. Besides, she had to get herself ready. It had been a long time since she had been able to get dolled up, and it was something Yaz really enjoyed doing.
Letting her dark hair roll over her shoulders, Yaz applied the last of her lipstick before taking in her reflection. Her lips matched her deep red dress, and for the first time in years, Yaz felt feminine. She’d loved them, but having spent the last few years sharing a room with Dan and Jericho (how her heart ached for him) she had missed dressing for fun, not practicality.
She stood up from her dressing table, grabbed her small clutch bag and made her way back to the console room. She’d even opted for heels (a slight regret given she was out of practice), as she really wanted to make an impact. Things were complicated with The Doctor, but at least by wearing something like this, it gave Yaz confidence.
She approached the console room, and could hear The Doctor bustling around. Taking a deep breath, Yaz entered the room and began to descend the stairs.
‘Ah Yaz, there you are! Ready to go…’ The Doctor turned around, having been fiddling with the controls on the dashboard. She caught sight of Yaz, her jaw dropping. Yaz stepped down carefully, missing the stunned look on her friend’s face.
‘All set,’ she responded, coming to the bottom of the steps. She finally looked up and caught her friend’s gaze. Mistaking the Doctor’s look for a negative one, Yaz glanced down in panic. ‘Oh god, does it look that bad?’
The Doctor shook her head, laughing a little. ‘Not bad at all,’ she murmured, reaching a hand out to guide Yaz towards the controls. Yaz let herself be led, relishing in the feeling of the Doctor’s hand on her shoulder. Never got old.
Once by the controls, Yaz could finally acknowledge the Doctor’s outfit. ‘Looking sharp, Doctor!’ She remarked, smiling at her friend. The Doctor preened, doing a small spin for her doting audience.
‘Why thank you, I always aim to please.’ She spun back to the console and prepared them for take off.
…
Yaz had to admit, she was impressed with The Doctor’s choice. Sure, her friend took her to amazing places all the time, but to normal places like bars? Not so much.
Currently, they were overlooking a mountain range on a planet Yaz couldn’t pronounce, but right now that didn’t matter. The rooftop bar clung to the side of the mountain, as the sun began to descend across the valley. The Doctor had seemingly managed to bag them the best seats in the house, given that they had the best view of the landscape beneath them.
‘I still don’t know how you got these seats, Doctor. The waiter said there was at least a two year wait…’
‘Well, I was able to pull some strings… besides a magician never reveals her secrets.’ The Doctor winked at her, causing Yaz to laugh into her champagne flute.
‘Okay Houdini, you don’t have to tell me…’ she saw The Doctor draw in a breath, knowing exactly what she was about to do. ‘And yes, you’ve told me about your drunken nights with Houdini.’
Yaz took another sip from her glass as The Doctor looked at her in surprise. ‘Have I?’
‘Yes, when you went for a swim in chains, remember?’ Yaz commented, suddenly remembering the fear she’d felt when she’d seen her friend go under. She shuddered, trying to shake the memory away. Not tonight. No need for negativity tonight.
‘Oh yeah, it were proper cold. Still, good skill to have. I’ll have to show you how to get out of chains sometime.’ Yaz blushed. Had the Doctor really said that… ignore it Yaz, ignore it.
‘So, were you and Houdini…’
The Doctor looked at her quizzically, head cocked slightly.
‘Were we what?’
Yaz hated that this was the question that had slipped out, but she really wanted to know.
‘Were you and Houdini… a thing?’
The Doctor stared at her as if she had two heads.
‘What?!’ She exclaimed, a red tinge making its way up her neck. ‘No, of course not. What makes you say that?’
‘Well, you said about drunken nights, and then the chains thing, and I dunno, it kinda sounded…’
‘No, no, absolutely not! It was purely a professional arrangement…’ Yaz almost burst out laughing, finding the Doctor being embarrassed highly amusing. It so rarely happened, Yaz knew she had to savour these moments.
‘Doctor, look, if you did have a thing with Houdini, its nothing to be ashamed of. We all have our dirty little secrets…’
‘But he’s a bloke!’
‘So?’
‘I…’ The Doctor looked away from Yaz for a second, the pink tinge creeping up from around her neck to her cheeks. ‘I’m not really into men.’ Yaz’s gleeful smile faded a little, pulling back from the teasing as they approached something more serious.
‘So, not The Master…’
‘Nope.’
‘Keats?’
‘No.’
‘Graham?’
‘You are joking?!’
‘Not even Byron?’
The Doctor looked at her as if she’d gone mad.
‘Out of all those blokes, Byron would be my last choice.’ Yaz laughed, remembering how letchy the famous writer had been towards her friend.
‘Yeah, that’s fair enough.’
They glanced at one another, before both taking a sip of champagne. Thinking that was the end of the conversation, Yaz was about to pull out another subject, when the Doctor continued.
‘It’s not that I’ve ever not been attracted to men, its just… I dunno, there’s just something about the feminine energy of the universe.’ Oh okay, they were doing this. Yaz nodded, not quite sure what to respond with. Having only recently come to terms with her feelings for The Doctor, Yaz was still grappling with her newfound realisation about her own sexuality.
She could feel The Doctor looking at her, but she couldn’t look her in the eye. This was moving towards something painful, and Yaz wanted to avoid that.
‘What about you? Bit of Byron fan, or more of a Ada Lovelace girl?’ That was The Doctor’s go-to? Yaz felt her heart tighten, her stomach almost falling out from under her.
‘Ada Lovelace?’ She questioned.
‘Yeah, you know Ada? From that time with the Master…’
‘Yes, I remember who Ada is.’ Yaz said, more clipped than she intended. The Doctor sat back in surprise, not anticipating Yaz’s reaction.
‘What’s wrong with Ada?’ The Doctor asked, not realising what she’d done wrong.
‘Nothing, she was absolutely fine.’
The Doctor tried reading Yaz’s face but was at a complete loss. She’d been smiling not a minute ago, and now she was stoney-faced, and, well, a bit mardy. ‘Yaz?’
Yaz turned her attention back to her friend, clearly realising that she was bringing the ambience down. She fixed a smile to her face, but it didn’t reach her eyes.
‘In truth, Doctor… I… don’t know how to respond.’ Because all my feelings for women are based on you, you dumb alien, Yaz wanted to scream.
‘That’s okay, labels are fluid. By the time the 23rd century hits, labels lose more definition…’
Instead of replying, Yaz sighed. She looked out at the view to distract herself, wanting this conversation to end.
‘It really is beautiful here, isn’t it?’ Yaz commented. The Doctor looked at her softly for a moment, sighed, and then picked up her glass to have another sip. Surprised by the lack of response, Yaz turned her head back to her friend. ‘Doctor?’
Yaz had rarely seen The Doctor drink, but right now she was almost intent on necking back her champagne. The Doctor set the glass down on the table, reached for the bottle and poured herself another glass. She offered some to Yaz, but she was still on her first so declined.
‘Doctor?’
‘Hm?’ She finally acknowledged, taking another big sip.
‘Are you alright?’
Another swig. ‘Never better.’
‘Then why are you downing the champagne? Thought we were attempting to be fancy tonight,’ Yaz joked, trying to soften the concern in her voice.
The Doctor looked her square in the eyes, and Yaz suddenly felt alarm rise up from within her. The Doctor had that look; a flicker of the oncoming storm.
‘I wasn’t into Ada, if that’s what you’re worried about.’ The Doctor said bluntly, glass still in hand. Yaz nearly spat out her drink.
‘What?’
‘Ada Lovelace. Beautiful brain. Wonderful person. But I wasn’t into her. Not like that.’
‘I never said…’
‘I was just using her as an example of influential people we admire. I didn’t mean to imply that I fancied her…’
‘Not even a little bit?’
The Doctor hesitated, but not for the reason Yaz was thinking.
‘Yaz, the way I feel about people is different from humans. A lot of my… admirations… come from a place of intelligence. Time lords aren’t typically hardwired into physical and emotional attraction. But sometimes…’
‘So, you did fancy her?’
‘No, I had an intellectual admiration of her. It’s different from when I feel romantic attraction to someone…’ The Doctor paused, looking at Yaz nervously. This conversation was veering dangerously towards disaster, but now Yaz was onto something she couldn’t help herself.
‘And when you feel romantic attraction?’ She countered, almost pushing the Doctor to tell her. They were teetering dangerously on the precipice now. The Doctor’s mouth fell open, speechless.
‘I…I… it’s complicated.’
‘I know it is. But why is it?’
‘I thought I explained why.’
‘Hmm, not really. I’m still struggling to understand.’
What the hell was in this champagne? Yaz needed to come here more often!
‘Yaz, I’m… unsettled. Temporary. No one should have to put up with that.’
‘What if they want to?’
They obviously weren’t talking about Ada anymore. The Doctor’s expression softened, wanting to stand down from the fight.
‘Yaz, please. I can’t…’
‘I know.’ Yaz picked up her glass again, downed the rest of the champagne and slammed it down. She moved to stand up, completely surprising The Doctor.
‘Yaz, where are you going?’
‘I’m going to get another drink, do you want anything?
‘Its table service…’
Yaz heard her, but chose to ignore her friend calling her name. She just needed a minute, away from all the intensity to bring herself back to neutrality. She wished Dan was here right now, as he’d know exactly the right thing to say. Wiping away a quick tear, Yaz made her way to the bar. She needed to do something to distract herself, so why not have another drink.
Yaz stood against the bar, waiting to get the attention of the bartender. She was so engrossed in her task, that she didn’t even see the strange man coming up behind her. She flinched when a hand appeared in her peripheral vision, snapping fingers together to get the staff’s attention. Yaz turned to look at the man, irritated instantly by his lack of manners. He was tall, wearing a gaudy suit that only the super obnoxious could get away with. Yaz felt repulsed, especially by the way he was leaning into her, to gain the attention of the staff.
‘You there, bring us your best bottle of wine. Red.’ He paused, glancing down at Yaz, hungrily. Yaz glanced around him, checking to see if he had a partner or friends he was with. However, she knew instinctively that he was alone, and on the prowl.
Yaz leaned away from the leery man, and moved a few centimetres down the bar. She was conscious of offending him, with the danger it could inflict, so she moved deliberately slowly, hoping he wouldn’t notice. He did.
However, instead of being offended, he took it as a challenge. If anything, it made him lean into her more, as the bartender handed over the bottle of wine to him.
‘Well, aren’t you a pretty young thing!’ He leaned into her ear, forcing Yaz to nudge him out the way. If he came any closer, she would shove him. Politeness be damned.
‘Alright mate, that’s enough.’ Yaz warned, whispering to not draw attention to them. She hoped he would take the hint, but he did not falter.
‘Oh come on, I’ve bought you a drink! Come share a bottle with me, and maybe more…’
‘With respect, you’re not really my type.’
‘Don’t be frigid, you look like you could use some loosening up…’
‘I swear, sir, if you don’t step away from me, I will…’
‘What, what will you do to me?’ He smirked, goading Yaz into a fight response. Yaz felt tears prick in the corners of her eyes, but she was determined to not let this brute see her weep. She had too much pride for that.
‘So, what’s a pretty young thing like you doing here, alone?’ He asked, biting off the top of the bottle with his teeth. He took a deep swig, before focusing back on Yaz.
‘I’m not alone, I’m here with my… friend.’
He didn’t like that, a small sneer making its way to his face.
‘Where is he, then?’
‘She,’ Yaz uttered, wishing she hadn’t responded. She looked towards the door, hoping The Doctor would come and find her. She wasn’t there, so she turned back to face the brute. The sneer fell off his face, replaced with a smile.
‘Oh, so you are alone, unattached… perfect…’
‘Not unattached, I came with her. Together.’ Technically it was correct. His grin faltered again.
‘So, you’re…’ he didn’t need to finish his sentence for Yaz to know what he meant. It was safer to just walk away. Instead of answering him, she decided the best course of action was to disengage. Ignoring him, she turned away from the bar, about to head back to The Doctor. Bad move.
The drunk didn’t like that. His ego provoked, he took another swig, before throwing the bottle at Yaz. Hitting her square in the back of her head, the impact of the bottle sent her falling forwards, shards of glass falling all around her. The wind was knocked from her lungs as she went down, the red wine dripping all over her.
‘You don’t get to walk away from me, you bitch!’ The man hurtled towards her, fists out and shoes heading for her. Yaz saw it all in slow motion but was still too shocked (and in pain) to move. Instead, she curled in on herself, to protect herself from the blows.
The blows never came.
She could hear shouting and a scuffle happening around her. She raised her head to catch what was happening, and what she saw brought her vision back into focus.
There was her saviour, fending off the brute.
‘You don’t touch her, do you understand?!’ Her saviour, The Doctor. It was always going to be her.
Yaz missed what had happened, but seeing The Doctor standing over the leery predator, gave Yaz the gist. He was now cowering on the floor, shards of glass and wine surrounding him, as he clutched his nose. She could make out blood, and her focus began to wane again.
She closed her eyes, her awareness coming back to the sharp pains in her body. Her head screamed from the impact, but she was more concerned about the shards of glass taking the blood from her body.
‘Doctor,’ she tried to get out, but her voice was winded.
Within seconds, The Doctor was by her side, whispering words of comfort.
‘It’s going to be alright Yaz, I’m gonna fix you up, good as new.’ Yaz opened her eyes, this time her friend’s face swimming into focus.
‘Doctor, I’m scared.’ Yaz hated admitting that, especially to The Doctor. But right now, all she wanted was for her friend to hold her. Sensing Yaz’s vulnerability, The Doctor knelt down even further, gently teasing the hair out of Yaz’s eyes. She gently shushed her friend, then took her hand in hers.
‘I’m here, it’s okay.’ The Doctor gave Yaz’s body a once over, frowned, and started to bark orders to the bar staff to help them.
…
Yaz wasn’t totally aware of what happened next, as she had kept slipping in and out of consciousness. Eventually, the flashing lights, hurried shouts, flickers of blonde hair and hazel eyes stopped flashing past her eyes. Instead, white walls came slowly into focus. Blinking slowly, Yaz came back into the world. Her eyes scanned the white walls around her, feeling a sense of familiarity, even though she’d never been here before. Overcome with dizziness, she quickly closed her eyes again, groaning at the aches beginning to make their presence known.
From beside her, she heard a chair screech and someone rush to her side. She tried to open her eyes, more slowly this time. Someone grabbed her hand, breathing quickly above her.
The Doctor came swimming into focus, all blonde, and hazel, and burgundy.
‘Yaz!’ The Doctor cried, clutching Yaz’s hand in both of hers. Yaz tried to speak, but couldn’t make her mouth work. ‘You’re back!’ The Doctor exclaimed, hardly able to believe her luck. Yaz’s eyes flitted around the room in alarm, before refocusing back on her friend. ‘You’re in the med-bay, Yaz. On the TARDIS. You’re safe now.’
The Doctor seemed so relieved, her hands crushing Yaz’s in hers. Yaz’s eyes flitted back to The Doctor’s face, finally registering her friend’s face was marred with dry blood. The Doctor caught her alarm. ‘Sorry, haven’t had time to wash. You gave me quite the scare there.’
The Doctor looked at her expectantly, waiting for a response. Yaz tried again, but her mouth wasn’t working. Her lungs felt closed off, like her words were trapped. She tried again, focusing hard on making her lips move, drawing in breath to speak, but all that resulted in was a groan.
Had the bottle left her paralysed? She searched The Doctor’s face for reassurance, but instead she saw alarm. That wasn’t good.
The Doctor examined her, pulled out the sonic and took some readings. She scanned all up and down the bed, before concluding her results. Her eyes met Yaz’s pleading ones, and she blew out a sigh of relief.
‘You’re going to be okay, Yaz. The med-bay is just putting you back together still. You’ll regain your speech, you’re just recovering.’ Yaz blinked rapidly, tears making an appearance. Tears of relief. The Doctor put the sonic away, before reaching out to Yaz’s face, wiping away the tears. ‘Shh, it’s alright.’ Yaz closed her eyes at the contact.
The Doctor brought her chair back to Yaz’s side, before taking her hand in hers. She had really sat vigil, Yaz thought. The Doctor looked down at her, so many expressions flashing across her ancient eyes.
‘Yaz, I am so sorry.’ Yaz furrowed her eyebrows in confusion and was reassured that she could move them. The Doctor read her confusion and elaborated. ‘I should have come after you straight away. Shouldn’t have let you go off alone.’ She paused, clearly angry at herself. ‘All you wanted was a nice night off, and I couldn’t even give you that without you getting hurt.’ Yaz couldn’t tell if she meant emotionally or physically.
In response, Yaz tried moving her hand. With even more relief, she found that feeling had returned to her fingers. She squeezed The Doctor’s hand, an attempt at reassurance. The Doctor looked down at their joined hands, then back at Yaz’s scarred face.
‘Good work, Yaz, that’s it. Slow and steady,’ she encouraged. Yaz squeezed again, harder this time. ‘Woah, I do need to use my hand later, Yaz.’ The Doctor joked, causing Yaz’s eyebrows to rise in amusement. Her range of movement was getting better already.
The Doctor’s face drew slightly closer, causing Yaz’s heart to rapidly increase. The beeping of the heart monitor sped up, causing The Doctor look at it in alarm. Yaz groaned internally, embarrassed. Just for once, did her feelings have to be so obvious. As soon as The Doctor had drawn away from her, her heart rate returned to normal. The Doctor examined it, looked back at Yaz, then back at the machine. She stood up, moving to examine Yaz’s facial scars. Her face drew closer, and, again, the machine went berserk. Yaz let out a moan, rolling her eyes at the machine. The Doctor watched her, a dawning realisation appearing on her face.
‘Oh,’ was all she said. Yaz kept her eyes closed, absolutely dying of embarrassment. She heard the chair next to her creak, as The Doctor took her seat.
‘Pllleassse,’ Yaz managed to finally croak out. Her lips began to regain feeling, she just needed to find the words. Her eyes opened, to find The Doctor looking at her with such hope in her eyes. Yaz’s heart swelled at the sight of it.
‘That’s it, Yaz. What are you trying to say?’ Her hands were back on Yaz’s, encouraging her recovery.
‘Please… please don’t…’
The Doctor held on to every word, fierce determination on her face.
‘Don’t what, Yaz?’ She asked with baited breath.
‘Don’t tell Dan…’ Yaz began, words coming a little easier. The Doctor furrowed her brows, not understanding.
‘I’ve got to tell him about this, Yaz. Although he is going to kill me…’
‘Don’t tell him about… the…beep…beep.’ Yaz turned her head towards the heart monitor, still trying to remember the right words. The Doctor turned to look at it with her, trying to piece together the sentence.
‘I don’t understand, Yaz,’ she spoke honestly, looking back at Yaz in confusion. Yaz huffed with effort, coughing a bit, before finally finding her words.
‘About the heart machine. He’ll… never let me live it down.’ The Doctor looked between her friend, the heart monitor, then realisation dawned on her face. She smiled down at her companion, a small blush coming to her face.
‘Scouts honour,’ she uttered. Yaz was finally able to let out a small laugh, as she regained her health. She didn’t know how the TARDIS did it, but she knew she was on accelerated recovery plan. The Doctor laughed with her, a tear making its way down her face. Now she’d saved Yaz, and solved the crisis, the comedown was going to hit hard. Yaz saw the tears fall, and felt her eyes well up in response.
‘Doctor, what’s wrong?’
‘If I hadn’t got to you in time, I can’t even imagine the state you’d be in. It hurts to think about that… losing you.’
‘I’m right here, you haven’t lost me, Doctor.’
‘I know. Yaz, but one day…’ Yaz knew there was so much pain behind those eyes, and so much more The Doctor wanted to apologise for. She could almost feel the speech The Doctor was about to give, so Yaz cut across her before she could even start.
‘Let’s worry about that later, yeah? You’ve got me, now. However you want me. Whatever you can give, I’ll take. You know that, right?’ The Doctor blinked, looking away from her injured companion. She nodded, clearly trying to find the right words. She swallowed hard, before looking back at Yaz. She allowed her thumb to trace along Yaz’s hands.
‘One day at a time.’ The Doctor responded, eyes locked onto Yaz’s. Yaz nodded in response, not quite understanding. The Doctor read the question from Yaz’s expression. ‘I want this, with you. So badly.’ She squeezed her friend’s hand. ‘Can we take it one day at a time?’
Yaz felt her heart explode in her chest. She grinned, watery tracks making her face shine in the white light. ‘Of course we can, Doctor. I’d love that.’
The Doctor finally let herself grin, her guard dropped. She leant forward, the heart monitor going wild as she tucked Yaz’s hair behind her ear. Yaz rolled her eyes, groaning again in embarrassment, causing The Doctor to smile wickedly.
‘Sorry, couldn’t resist.’
‘You can make it up to me.’ Yaz whispered, suddenly very conscious at how real this all was.
‘How?’ The Doctor asked playfully, if a little nervously.
‘When I’m fully healed, you’re taking me out. Proper first date.’ She said boldly, searching The Doctor’s face for any hint of rejection. To her very pleasant surprise, The Doctor leaned down, pressing a gentle kiss to Yaz’s hand.
‘That’s a fair deal, Yasmin Khan.’