Chapter Text
“I can’t believe you’ve never been here before!”
The Doctor, pulling back a level on his TARDIS console, grinned. “There’s many places I’ve not been, Ruby. The universe is endless, infinitely-”
“-large and unexplored, I know I know,” she finished, placing her head on her arms, which were resting on one of the barriers that framed the walkways in the ship. “But really. A dancing plague which drove people to literal death-by-exhaustion, and you never thought ‘Oh, this seems a bit strange, this one. Maybe I should check it out.’ No?”
“I,” the Doctor replied, bouncing back from the console as it started to whirr, “had never even heard of it until you mentioned it.”
“Oh, it was on Horrible Histories! I miss that show.”
“You should see what they go on to do next. You thought Ghosts was good? Just you wait. Prime 21st Century British TV, Ruby, nothing beats it!”
Ruby laughed, and held tight as the TARDIS prepared itself to land. It juddered, shifting about for a minute, before it came to a halt, wheezing out a groan.
“When was the last time you changed her oil?” Ruby asked, and got such an offended look in response that she clamped her mouth closed.
“Strasbourg,” the Doctor declared, walking to throw the TARDIS doors open. “1518. L’épidémie dansante.”
Walking out of the doorway, he stopped to take in the smell. Medieval France had just reached its end, and the way had been paved for the beginning of the Renaissance. And what a renaissance France had.
“Doctor?” Ruby interrupted his thoughts. “Is the TARDIS meant to be flashing at you?”
The Doctor turned, staring at the blue light on his ship's roof. He frowned, and then it clicked.
“Well. A dancing plague? He's got the moves, he's got the excitement… but France?” The Doctor shrugged, and decided you couldn’t win them all. “ Some might say it's romantic.”
“What are you talking about?”
The doctor grinned at Ruby. “He’s trying to get my attention.”
“Who?” Ruby asked, her brows furrowed.
The Doctor winked, and started forward. His boots came up to his mid-thighs, and still seemed dangerously small for the amount of mud on the track they had landed on. The TARDIS wardrobe had opted for a simple cloth tunic, belted, with red leggings underneath. Ruby, on the other hand, had a long blue dress on, held together with white ribbon in a criss-cross pattern. Her hat was tied neatly around her neck, but not covering her hair, hanging loose at the back. She looked at the mud in palpable fear.
“How did women keep their dresses clean?” she asked, hiking her dress up and taking a step forward. She grimaced.
“They didn’t. Don’t worry, it’ll get better when we get to the village. We just landed a little off-course.”
The doctor held out a hand and Ruby took it.
By the time they made it to the city, the sun was getting lower in the sky - not yet evening, but a midday breeze blew past them. At the sight of a cobbled street, Ruby threw her arm around the Doctor, leaning her body weight on him. He tried to act nonchalant like the action didn’t make him glow with pride in his best friend.
“Cor, Doctor, my thighs are kill-ing me,” Ruby said. “You reckon there’s a good pint going round here?”
“Absolutely,” the Doctor replied. “But I thought you wanted to see the dancing?”
“Bah, the dancing goes on for days, apparently. My legs hurt too much to dance right now.”
The Doctor stopped to think for a second. If the TARDIS was right, and Rogue was hanging about somewhere near, he’d undoubtedly bump into him somewhere near the dances. That was their thing, after all. How many times did something need to happen for it to swing from coincidence to ‘a thing’? He wasn’t sure, but they’d certainly passed that point, even if they’d only found each other twice across the universe. So far , he let himself think with a grin.
“A tavern it is - mind, they may not think much of a lady walking into one.”
Ruby raised a brow at the Doctor. “Good job I’m no lady then.”
The tavern was, as the Doctor had expected, full of men. They stopped to stare, eyes all on Ruby until the Doctor put a protective arm out by her. They slowly turned back to their own drinks, chatter resuming.
Drinks in hand, the pair made their way over to a barrel in the corner, a bench by its side. Ruby took a sip of her ale and pulled a face.
“Hm. Bitter. Not like ours is.”
“Made from their own blend of local herbs, I’d imagine,” the Doctor said, taking a sip of his and trying not to wince. “Not the best I’ve tried.”
He put his drink down on the barrel. Ruby turned her gleeful eyes to him. “So, Doctor,” she said, drawing out the ‘oh’. “You figured anything out yet? Planning your next move?”
The Doctor snapped his head over to look at Ruby. “What do you mean? Figured what out?”
Ruby reeled back. “Woah, chill out. I’m talking about the dancing. I thought you might’ve, I don’t know. Scanned the area, or something? That’s what you do, right?”
The Doctor blinked, then relaxed. “Sorry Ruby, of course. I - no, I haven’t yet. I should probably do that, yeah.”
“What’s up with you?” Ruby asked, frown creasing. “What are you not telling me?”
“Nothing!” the Doctor protested, holding his arms up.
“Doctor…”
“I promise, nothing is going on,” the Doctor lied. Ruby fixed him with a stare that was so Carla, so Jackie Tyler even, that his defences crumbled. “Look, okay. I’m just a bit distracted, that’s all.”
“By what?” Ruby asked, eyes narrowing. “By who?”
The Doctor made a groaning noise and gave in. “By Rogue, okay? The TARDIS light was a signal, it pops up when he’s in the vicinity.”
Ruby’s grin was so wide that the Doctor was fearful for a moment. “That’s so… romantic !”
“No-” the Doctor said, warningly pointing a finger at Ruby.
“It is, though - travelling across time and space, searching for your handsome man - wait, you said earlier he was trying to get your attention?”
The Doctor fixed Ruby a look. She ignored it.
“Oh, the dancing plague. That’s your thing, isn’t it? Dances?”
He tried to keep his expression a glare, but couldn’t help the twitch at the corner of his mouth.
“The Bridgerton ball, the famous space station club - he knows how to woo, Doctor,” Ruby teased, reaching out a hand to hit his shoulder. But then her expression froze. “Wait. You don’t think he’s the cause of this plague?”
Having not considered this, the Doctor had to take a moment to think. “He better not be - people have died, Ruby.”
“Bit of a turn-off.”
“Bit of a turn-off,” the Doctor agreed, picking up his drink. “Come on, drink up. I've got us a room for the night, but you'll need your energy tomorrow.”
The Doctor pretended he couldn't hear the mutter “oh, ‘cause I'm the one needing energy tomorrow” and tipped the tankard back, taking the last dregs of his drink.
***
The next morning was full of sun, despite the bed being the least comfortable thing the Doctor had slept on in a long while.
“Just need a stretch and we’ll be right as rain for dancing,” Ruby called from across the room, gleefully pulling her shoes on.
The Doctor, on the other hand, shot her an unimpressed look, twisting his back almost 180 degrees until it popped with a loud crack.
“Ooh, that’s what two millennia of time travel will do to a guy. You sound worse than these floorboards.”
“Ha ha,” he replied, deadpan. “This is why I prefer to just skip the sleeping part.”
“Gotta freshen yourself up for the day,” Ruby said, batting her eyelids suggestively. “I need my dance partner in top form.”
The Doctor let himself grin, holding out his arm for Ruby to put hers through. “M’lady, the day awaits. And such a fine one it will be!”
He was rewarded with a loud laugh and directed them towards the outside world of sixteenth-century France.
The day was indeed fine, with the sun poking out from behind a glorious sky of clouds, and the shade providing ample space to cool off. There was a breeze in the air, wafting scents their way and carrying the sound of laughter and faint music across the town.
“We must be close,” Ruby turned around to say, having skipped ahead. “Can’t you feel it?”
“Feel what?”
She grinned, racing back to the Doctor to grab his hand, pulling him forward into a twirl. “The urge to dance!”
Laughter and joy, dragging the Doctor through the streets or Strasbourg - Ruby really was the best friend that the Doctor hadn’t known he needed. He let himself be led, turning the corner to see a wide square of hubbub. People were everywhere - dancing, singing, bartering at stalls for food and trinkets - and it was perfect.
“Madam!” a man said from their left. He was dressed in dark colours, with a plum jacket and a triangular cloth hat on his head. He held out a palm to Ruby, a wide grin on his face. “May I?”
Ruby turned to the Doctor, who raised his eyebrow back at her. “Well? Go on, have your fun.”
She let out a quick noise of excitement, kissing the Doctor’s cheek before she took the man’s hand, calling a quick “I’ll be back!” before she whirled away into the crowd. The Doctor laughed. He pulled out his sonic, eager to get a scan of the area. He had the oddest feeling of recognition, like a version of him had been here before, both centuries and parsecs away from this world. He shrugged it off. Likely just a timeline shiver - they weren’t all too rare given how much of the universe he had seen.
Bleep! His sonic vibrated in his hand, and he flipped its screen back. Alien, that was for sure. One instance, permeating from there. Perhaps something had landed, a spaceship bringing alien life to the city? Couldn’t be very many of them if so, as the sonic wasn’t picking out any particular signs of life. Other than his, Ruby’s, and one other that seemed to be following Ruby’s signal towards him…
“Ta-da!” Ruby said, throwing her arms in the air. “Look who I found!”
“Doctor!” a very familiar voice said, and the Doctor looked up to see Rogue.
“Are those mountain boots?”
Rogue laughed, and Ruby looked down at his feet. “I learnt my lesson a long time ago that fashion doesn’t trump comfort. But what, I don’t even get a hello?”
The Doctor answered with a hug, comforted by the familiar scent and feel of Rogue’s body against his. “Course I do, always a hello for you.”
Rogue tutted. “Flirt.”
“Shamelessly!” the Doctor replied, holding a hand up.
They pulled back and Rogue brushed his shirt down, something the Doctor noted must be a habit. “I thought you might be interested in this one.”
“Not me - Ruby had the idea for this trip.”
Rogue turned to Ruby, bending to pick up her hand. “Then I thank you,” he said, kissing her hand, “for bringing this handsome man to my side.”
“Dunno who you're calling handsome, but you're welcome.”
Rogue reached up and pretended to wipe his eyes, looking back at the Doctor. “Oh, my mistake.”
“Could you two stop ganging up on me, please?” the Doctor asked, despite the smile that was growing on his face. “Ruby, notice anything in the crowd?”
Ruby filled the Doctor in on what she’d found out - everyone was dancing, but people seemed unable to stop. She pointed out her own feet, which were tapping along.
“And that’s with the low psychic filter the TARDIS gives us,” the Doctor mused, thinking. “What’s different about you, Rogue?”
“Oh honey, wouldn’t you like to know?” He winked. “My tech’s better than yours.”
“Not true,” the Doctor shot back. “I just didn’t know I needed to bring out the big guns.”
“Boys, you can argue about the size of your weapons later,” Ruby cut in, breaking the tension. She pointed into the distance, above the row of houses, where the sky was turning purple from a billowing cloud of smoke. “What’s that?”
The three of them looked at each other, and then they were running.
“Oi, oi, oi - what do you think you’re doing?” the Doctor yelled. A man, clad in dark robes, was standing at the back of the street, camouflaged by the smoke around him and the roaring fire.
“Oh, evils of the highest horrors, leave us be! By the name of Christ, begone, begone a thousand times-”
“Oh joy,” Rogue said, coming to a stop beside the Doctor and Ruby. “Religion.”
“Take it you’re not a fan?” Ruby asked.
“Not at all,” Rogue replied, and the Doctor made a mental note of the fact. He shrugged his shoulders, pulling the top of his shirt up to cover his mouth and nose.
“Here goes nothing,” he said, racing forward even as Ruby and Rogue shouted his name.
“Foul creatures of the Devil, leave-”
“Oi!” the Doctor interrupted, shoving the man away from the flames. “What the hell are you doing? This ain’t a Christmas pudding.”
The man stared blankly at the Doctor, before he held up his hands to his neck. “Oh, forgive me Lord, save me from the forces of sin.”
“Jesus…” the Doctor groaned, grabbing the man’s arm to drag him out of the smoke. The scent, slightly sweet yet leaving an acrid taste in the back of his mouth, was beginning to get to his head. He looked at the burning object, which was beginning to smoulder itself out. It was grey, dark yet slightly sparkling, as if it were reflecting light in all different directions. The Doctor shook his head, pulling the man out of the smoke to rejoin the others, as his throat began to seize.
Fresh air was a welcome relief. He stood bent over, hands on legs as he tried to regain his ability to breathe, and saw Rogue come up towards him, fear in his eyes.
“Doc, are you alright?” he asked, holding the man’s shoulders. The Doctor nodded, taking large gulps of air into his lungs as he held Rogue’s arms for support.
“Don’t let the man… escape…” he got out, and Ruby and Rogue both twisted to see the religious man turn on his heels. They chased off, running to catch up as the Doctor stayed put. Having got his breath back, he reached again into his pocket and scanned the area, pointing it towards the object spewing smoke.
As his two friends dragged the shouting man back, the Doctor sighed. “It’s always the same with you lot. There’s something special, something out of this world, that falls from the sky and appears in your home, and the first thing you want to do is destroy it.”
“What is it?” Ruby asked.
“It’s just a bit of space junk, only Reverend Idiot here’s been chipping away at it.”
“It’s the spawn of the devil,” the man moaned, holding his hands up to shield himself from it. “It started to leak smoke… and everyone started dancing.”
“It’s a kids' toy,” Rogue realised, looking mournful. “It’s a harmless kids' toy, meant to teach them how to dance.”
The Doctor felt something dash through him, a sudden appreciation of the way Rogue was talking about the item. “You’re right. It made its way to Earth and started to leak out into the city. Only now, it’s been set on fire, so the whole city will soon be drowning in it.”
“What do we do, Doctor? It’s going to kill all those people if they can’t stop dancing!” Ruby said fearfully.
The Doctor put a small smirk on his face and nodded at the man, who was now whimpering in fear. “Bringer of good, we are here on a mission from the Devil himself.”
“Doctor?” Rogue hissed, but Ruby shushed him.
“Wh-what?” the man stuttered, his face turning white.
The Doctor stood to full height, his face turning to stone. “The Devil has ordered us to poison this city with a curse to cause sinful joy. We will cause such chaos that you humans will have no choice but to enslave yourself to us and our dance.”
The man, now looking like a pile of jelly, screamed. “I have to - I must - the people of this city -”
“Run, and try to save them.”
The man stumbled, tripping over his heels in his haste to get away from them.
“...That was quite sexy, actually,” Rogue said, breaking the silence. He stared at the Doctor with a glint in his eye.
“Shall I leave you two alone, then?” Ruby interjected.
“ Please ,” Rogue replied without taking his eyes off the Doctor.
The Doctor chose to ignore him. “That should be him sorted. He’ll take the village people to a shrine, make them pray for absolution.”
“Huh,” Rogue said. “I do like humans and their silly little rituals.”
“I thought you were a human?” Ruby asked.
“Oh, I am. But third gen, not directly from Earth.”
“Where were you born?” she asked.
Rogue turned to grin at her. “Now, that would be telling.”
The Doctor coughed. “So. To the TARDIS?”
Ruby smiled, nodding her head in agreement. “Back to the TARDIS.”
As she started to walk off, the Doctor turned to Rogue. He stood scuffing his shoes, not looking up. “Still not gonna take me up on my offer?”
“Aw, but I’m having so much fun playing our little game, trying to get your attention,” Rogue replied. “Besides, I’ve still got the day job.”
“I’ll walk you back to your ship,” the Doctor said, resigned.
“How kind,” Rogue replied, holding out a hand in offering.
They walked towards the TARDIS, seeing Ruby to the door. She shot the Doctor a knowing look as he told her he’d be back in a moment.
Above them, the sun was beginning to set in the sky, casting an orange glow across the town and giving them long shadows to follow. Their hands were still linked, and the Doctor didn’t dare let go. They walked in silence, despite knowing they were going to have to part ways soon. There was nothing they needed to say.
As they approached Rogue’s ship, the latter having de-cloaked it as they got near, the Doctor pulled up. “So this’ll be how it goes, then?” he asked, facing Rogue. “Fleeting meetings, leaving with a parting kiss?”
“I wasn’t lying when I said I liked what I do, Doctor. Besides, there’s a thrill in a chase.”
The Doctor laughed. “Why bounty hunting? Why alone? Don’t you have a family to go back to?”
Rogue’s smile turned bittersweet. “Family’s the reason I’m out here. I’m the youngest of four, though my parents wanted another. My baby sister only lived a few days, she died of heart complications at birth.”
“I’m sorry,” the Doctor said truthfully. “Is that why you’re out here? Getting as far from them as you can?”
“No, it’s not like that,” Rogue said, letting out a chuckle. “They loved me - my grandma more than any. She was always talking about me like she knew I’d see the stars one day, always telling me I had a long future ahead of me. Seems she was right.”
From Rogue’s expression, he surmised that his grandma wasn’t in the picture anymore. “So here you are.”
“So here I am.” Rogue turned to the Doctor, putting a palm on his cheek. “This was fun.”
“I’ll miss you,” the Doctor couldn’t help but say.
Rogue leant in, pressing a soft kiss to the Doctor’s lips. It didn’t last long, but felt more important than any they’d shared before. This was just for them, for the promise of a next time and a future.
“In that case, you better start looking for me.”
With a beaming smile, Rogue stepped out towards the entrance to his ship, leaving the Doctor to watch on as they parted once again.