Chapter Text
It had been a week TARDIS time since the Doctor had picked the team back up in Sheffield. She had programed in the coordinates to a planet called Kolmao, and the ship had just landed. “Here we are then,” The Doctor said, flinging open the TARDIS doors. “…not Kolmao.” Outside was noticeably not the tropical planet she was expecting.
“Where are we then, Doctor?” Ryan asked, peering around the Time Lord, the rest of the team doing the same.
“Cardiff. Late 1800’s, I’d say.” She replied, tasting the air. “Not a problem,” The Doctor ran back to the console, hitting a few buttons and pulling the leaver to take flight again. The TARDIS made a clunking sound, but otherwise nothing happened. The Doctor scrunched her face, trying again. This time the lights around the console room faded, leaving only a dim glow. The TARDIS gave a final hum, before falling silent.
“Is it a problem now, Doc?” Graham asked.
“She’s on a recharging cycle. Won’t take us anywhere until she’s all powered back up. She’s parked us right on top of a rift in space-time, and the TARDIS can use the energy leaking from it for fuel. Should be ready to go again by tomorrow.” The Doctor explained. “Well, no use sitting around in here while we wait. Let’s go explore a bit.” She skipped back to the doors and led the team out into the cool, damp afternoon. Yaz was the last one out, closing the door behind her and hearing the lock click.
~~~
“Lucky we got the last two rooms, innit?” Graham stated as the Doctor handed him and Ryan their room key. The four of them were having to stay the night in an inn, as the TARDIS had decided not to let them back inside until morning. The boys disappeared up the stairs to the second level to find their room.
The door swung open, long shadows cast from the hallway into the dark room. The sun had set already, the sole source of light the gas lamp in the hall. The Doctor walked over to a night stand next to the bed, holding her sonic to it and igniting the wick.
“One bed.” Yaz commented as a soft, warm light flooded the room. She sat herself on the corner of the bed, looking over to where the Doctor was still standing.
“You take it. I don’t need as much sleep as you humans, I’ll be fine.”
“Come on now Doctor, what are you going to do all night? There’s room for both of us, we can share.” Yaz offered.
Their eyes met, hazel and brown. The Doctor gave an affectionate smile before conceding. Yaz’s pulse quickened. Sleeping with the Doctor. She pushed the thoughts down, grateful that the dimness of the room hid her reddening face. It wasn’t like that, she told herself.
Yaz made to take her shoes off, and the Doctor followed suit, throwing her coat and braces over a chair in the corner and kicking off her boots. Yaz climbed into bed, scooting to one side to make room for the other woman. The Doctor crawled under the blankets next to her, propping her head up on one hand to look at Yaz.
“Goodnight, Doctor.”
“Sweet dreams, Yasmin Khan.” The older woman rolled over to extinguish the candle, and laid her head down, tucking the edge of the blanket under her chin.
Yaz turned so her back was to the Doctor, listening as the Time Lord’s breathing slowed and evened out, knowing that she had fallen asleep. Her body was tense, being this close in this situation to the woman, the person, the alien she had begun to fall for.
The Doctor probably doesn’t date, she told herself, certainly not humans, and certainly not me. But then Yaz’s mind flicked back to several months before, when they were with Najia in the hotel with the spiders, when her mum had asked if they were seeing each other. Yaz had been taken aback by the question at the time, but now, something about the Doctor’s response stuck out to her. Are we? The question echoed through her brain, and she shifted slightly. Are we?
Yaz was startled by a warm, gentle hand on the back of her shoulder. “Hey,” The Doctor’s voice came at nearly a whisper. Yaz had been so caught up in her own mind that she hadn’t noticed the Doctor wake up. “What’s bothering you?” Yaz wondered how the other woman could tell, but it seemed like she always knew when something was wrong. The Doctor’s thumb absentmindedly stroked the back of her neck, easing some of the tension.
Yaz turned to face the Doctor, the spot her hand had been now cold at the loss. Yaz blushed when she realized how close together their faces were, and was grateful for the dark. She could just make out a concerned look in the Doctor’s eyes. “Nothing, just- got a lot on my mind.” She knew she couldn’t tell the Doctor what she was feeling. She couldn’t risk their friendship, couldn’t risk the team.
The Doctor seemed unconvinced. “Do you want to talk about it? Is there anything I can do?”
She’s too good to me. Yaz felt a wave of affection for the alien, but she turned her face away, unable to look the Doctor in the eyes.
The Doctor sat up, crossing her legs and leaning over her in the dark. “Come on, talk to me Yaz. Maybe I can at least help get your mind off of whatever’s bothering you.” A hand brushed Yaz’s arm, the touch warm and lingering. Yaz sighed and sat up too, her back against the headboard of the bed.
“I’m not sure you can.” She admitted. But how could the Doctor know that she was what was keeping Yaz up at night? The pair locked eyes, half of each of their faces illuminated by moonlight filtering through the window. The look in the Doctor’s eyes was so soft, so full of warmth, that Yaz wanted to kiss her right then. But she resisted, just barely.
“Why’s that then? What’s on your mind?” The Doctor asked again gently.
“You.” The word slipped out of Yaz’s mouth before she could stop herself, and although they had already been whispering, it was somewhere quieter than that, just audible. Her eyes widened at the realization of what she had just said, and she watched as the other woman’s expression changed first to confusion, then quickly to realization, then to, what was that? Why was she grinning like that?
Yaz’s cheeks burned, she was hardly able to sit still, and it felt like she had a rock in her stomach. She broke eye contact, dropping her gaze down, only to see the Doctor’s hand being raised to her face, caressing her jaw and guiding her eyes back to meet the other woman’s. She could have sworn the Doctor’s eyes darted momentarily to her lips.
Suddenly, as if driven by some unseen force, Yaz closed the gap between them. Her hands came to either side of the Doctor’s face, and their lips came together. She felt the Doctor’s hands on her ribs. Yaz’s eyes had just drifted shut when the Doctor pulled away. Now she was the one averting her eyes.
Yaz felt her stomach drop. Had she horribly misread the signals? She scrambled backwards, drawing back into herself. “Oh my God, I’m so sorry-” The Doctor took her by the wrist, silencing her.
“No, it’s not that. You did nothing wrong, Yaz.” The older woman quickly tried to reassure her. A sad look had fallen over her face. “It’s just- when you started traveling with me, remember, I told you it would be dangerous. I can’t always protect you, and this kind of thing always seems to make it more dangerous.”
Yaz reached out again, fingers wrapping around fingers. She held their hands together in their laps. “I knew the risks when I signed on. Spending time with you, it’s worth it. I want this, if you do.” The corners of the Doctor’s mouth turned upward in a small smile.
The two came back together again, more slowly this time. Yaz reveled at the feel of soft lips against her own, wrapping her arms around the Doctor’s neck. The Time Lord’s hands had found their way to her hips, pulling her closer.
~~~
Yaz woke to find the Doctor curled up in her arms, their bodies pressed close together. She had a hand draped over the blond woman’s stomach, the other in that blond hair. She felt a smile creep over her face, and she pressed her forehead into the back of the Doctor’s neck. She felt the Doctor waking up, taking her hand and pressing a kiss onto the back of it. It was late morning. This was the best Yaz had slept in weeks.
Suddenly, the noise that had woken them sounded again: a light knocking on the door. Both women sat upright, and Ryan’s voice sounded from the hall. “What could they be doin’ in there?”