Chapter Text
Ryan and Graham were sitting on the step next to the console enjoying some family banter, when the Doctor strode in holding Seb the Shork. The blonde looked smitten as she had her chin resting upon the shark, smiling.
“Oh hey, Doc. Didn't think you'd ever get up” Graham commented, observing the Doctor’s unusual behaviour.
The Doctor’s smile dropped slightly, as if she'd been caught. She wasn't expecting the boys to be out here just yet. Obviously her and Yaz had stayed in bed a lot longer than she thought. “Ryan! Graham! Sorry! Didn't mean to disturb whatever you were talking about. Carry on”
“Not disturbing anything. You're just usually the first one to be up and about. That's if you sleep at all. You okay?”
The Doctor panicked and looked flustered. “Me? I’m fine. Why wouldn't I be fine? I'm completely fine”
The boys looked at each other knowingly as the Doctor walked towards the console. They knew letting them have a few hours together yesterday was a good idea. Placing the shark down beside the console, the Time Lord started fiddling with the controls and observing what was on the displays. She was slightly embarrassed and had gone bright red. Not that the boys could see what her face was doing as she was stood so far round the console. They could definitely tell they had caught her off guard though as she was trying her best to avoid eye contact and further conversation on the matter.
Yaz then walked in and the Doctors head snapped up, admiring all the beauty in this wonderful human she could now call her girlfriend. She had now changed from her pyjamas into regular clothes but her hair was damp and very curly from her recent shower. The Doctor really liked seeing Yaz’s hair like that. She wasn't sure why Yaz put so much effort into straightening it as it looked beautiful as it was and it really suited her. Yaz’s eyes caught her own and they were left grinning at each other, completely forgetting about the world around them. Forgetting about Ryan and Graham completely. Not realising at all that the boys were now staring at both of them, smiling at this sweet exchange that now confirmed what they first thought when the Doctor walked in.
Ryan leaned his head forward. “So you two finally admitted it then?”
They both snapped out of their loving daze at the sudden voice. “What?” They both asked.
“You two. You're together now right?”
“Umm” Yaz wasn't sure what to say. She was right. Of course they knew. She was just hoping to keep it to herself for a little longer.
The Doctor stepped out from behind the console. “How did you know?” She had her hands on her hips as she said this.
“It was pretty obvious, Doc” Graham pointed out.
“The chemistry between the both of you is hardly subtle”
“Oh.” Her hands dropped from her hips as she looked back at the console, embarrassed. “I didn't think it was that obvious” Yaz came to her side then and took her hand in her own, helping her with her embarrassment. Holding hands was comforting. The Doctor smiled as a way of letting her know she was thankful for her being there and then she composed herself again. “So the TARDIS is ready to go again when you are. How about another trip to Ikea? We never did get that purple sofa”
“That sounds like a great idea, Doctor” Yaz replied.
“You know we can just hop on the bus to Ikea? Cardiff has one” Graham was confused.
“Why would we spend time and money getting the bus when we can go straight there for free? Thought you’d learn that by now”
“Does it have to be purple?” Yaz asked. They’d been walking around Ikea’s showroom looking at sofas for half an hour but none of them matched what the Doctor was after.
The Doctor was getting increasingly frustrated. “Of course it has to be purple, Yaz.”
“Look, I know that’s what you wanted but it seems like Ikea doesn’t do a purple one so why not go for a different colour?” Yaz suggested, a glimmer of hope in her voice. She hated to see the Doctor let down. “What about a blue one instead? It’d match the TARDIS.”
The Doctor didn’t look convinced by Yaz’s suggestion but she couldn’t help but be thankful for her girlfriend trying to make her feel better. “Somewhere must sell a purple sofa, surely!”
“We can definitely try other places. We’ll find you one, don’t worry. Come on, let’s go find the boys”
Yaz took the Doctor’s arm in her own and dragged her round the rest of the showroom, stopping quite a few times because Yaz got excited by all the different showcases. Every display would spark ideas of what she wanted in her own home when she moved out of her parent’s one day. This in turn transitioned into a lighthearted conversation on what the pair would have if they lived together. They discussed what kind of house they would have, what styles & themes they’d go for and what furniture they’d choose.
The Doctor thought about having a place on Earth at some point in her lifetimes on more than one occasion but she’d never considered it a realistic possibility. The thought of leaving the TARDIS would be a challenge for her as she’s gone through so much having that as her home. Her home and her best friend. Anything different would be tough to get used to. She worried she’d be home sick. Yaz would be there to comfort her of course and she’d get used to it eventually but she wasn’t sure if she could ever be one to settle. Or maybe she could. Maybe she could give it a go one day. For Yaz. Her beautiful Yaz. She could always keep the TARDIS in the garden or something so she could go back to it when she wanted.
They were nearing the children’s department when they could finally spot Ryan and Graham. They looked slightly bored as they were aimlessly wandering around. Graham would occasionally do something stupid to make Ryan laugh and then they’d carry on as before.
The couple picked up the pace a little to catch up with the boys ahead of them. “My boys!” The Doctor exclaimed. “Nice to see you haven’t gotten lost. Wouldn’t want that. Not in Ikea. You’d be wondering for hours.”
“It feels like we already have” Graham said. He’d just about gotten used to running around after the Doctor all day on her crazy adventures but wandering aimlessly around shops wasn’t his cup of tea. However, he’d be more than willing to sit for hours with a cuppa. “Did you get a sofa?”
The Doctor’s face fell. “No. But we’re going to try all the shops until we find one”
Yaz frowned slightly at that but giggled. “Hey, I never said we were going to try all the shops.” She entwined their hands together and leaned in slightly towards her partner. “Just a few”
The Doctor smiled at how cute Yaz was being. “All of them until we find the purple sofa” She was determined to get her way.
Graham looked at these two in awe, remembering when he had that with Grace. “You two are sweet”
“Hey, this is pretty neat” They turned round to see Ryan by the plush animals. A mountain of various ones behind him. He was holding a tiger.
“I thought you didn’t like plushies” The Doctor accused. “You always mock mine”
“Can a guy not change his mind?” Ryan joked. “I mean plush animals aren’t really my thing however, have you seen how sick this tiger is?!”
Graham shook his head in disbelief. If Ryan got this tiger, that means he’d be travelling with three people who all own a plush animal. He wasn’t sure if he was travelling with adults or children. That being said, he was happy the Doctor and Yaz had something which brought joy to their lives. Maybe Ryan would really appreciate this tiger too. “I’ll buy it for you”
“Oh, it’s okay. I can pay for it, it’s cool” Ryan replied. He wasn’t used to Graham buying him things, especially not kids toys.
“Honestly, I don’t mind. You’re my grandson and if you’d like the tiger, I’ll buy you the tiger”
Ryan smiled. “Aw thank you, Grandad!” He patted him on the back and squeezed his shoulder as a way of expressing his gratitude.
“You’re welcome, son. So where we going next? DFS?” Ryan and Yaz both scoffed at Graham’s suggestion. “What’s wrong with DFS?”
“They’ve always got a sale on but they’re always still expensive” Yaz reasoned.
Ryan agreed. “Yeah, it’s weird that their sale never ends. They make such a big thing about it too. Dunelm?”
“What’s that?” The Doctor asked.
Yaz explained to her what sort of shop Dunelm was and how she was also pretty sure they sold furniture too. Everyone agreed it would be worth a shot so they headed there shortly after paying. The Doctor insisted on getting more of the food from the market before leaving as they had brought a packet of ginger biscuits last time and she had become slightly obsessed over them. Yaz, Graham and Ryan would often see her with multiple biscuits in her hands wandering around the TARDIS.
The Doctor was in awe walking around Dunelm as there were so many things she wanted to buy, many things she didn’t have a clue what they were but she liked them regardless. Yaz followed her around, smiling at her every move and comment.
When they had reached the sofa department, the Doctor stopped in her tracks suddenly. “That’s it! That’s the one!” She almost bounced up and down in excitement.
Her friends looked where she was looking before they spotted it too. It was a two seater sofa but large enough that all four of them could sit on it if they wanted to. And it was purple. That was what she wanted. Yaz could breathe easy knowing her wish had been fulfilled. The look on her girlfriend’s face in Ikea when they couldn’t find one was heartbreaking. “It’s beautiful” Yaz stated. “Hundred percent sure on that one?”
“Definitely! Without a doubt, that’s the one!” The Doctor sat down on it to prove a point.
“Well if you’re certain that’s the one you want then I’ll buy it for you. It’d be nice to have somewhere to sit in the console room” Yaz laughed.
The Doctor couldn’t contain her joy and jumped up to wrap Yaz in a huge hug. “Ah thank you, Yaz!! You’re so kind to me!” Yaz grinned. She wasn’t sure how the Doctor had planned to pay for it anyway as she never carried money on her. She occasionally found the odd coin lying around the TARDIS that belonged to some distant planet or British money that was no longer in circulation but she never had money on her.
Whilst Yaz paid, the Doctor moved the TARDIS round the corner of the store. They all helped carry the sofa over to it in a bid to make it appear like they were actually putting the sofa into a car or truck. They had to time it right though when there were less people in the car park as they would definitely get weird looks. They all couldn’t help but laugh together about what they were doing. With the perception filter on the TARDIS as well, they dread to think what people thought they were doing. But they found it hilarious and had to stop a few times to contain themselves incase they drop the sofa.
Finally, they had made it inside the TARDIS and the sofa was placed at a reasonable distance away from the console. Yaz and the Doctor immediately sat down and the boys decided to go play some games. Ryan would end up in the games room quite a lot and Graham joined him quite often, taking more of an interest and wanting to bond with his grandson.
“Thank you for everything, Yaz” The Doctor leaned her head on her shoulder and Yaz wrapped her arm around her partner. It warmed Yaz’s heart to hear how much the Doctor appreciated her being around. The truth is, she would do anything for this alien. She couldn’t help herself. It was natural instinct to protect her. Yaz understood that the Doctor didn’t need much protecting as she was so used to doing that by herself. If anyone needed protecting really, it would be Yaz. She felt compelled to be there at any need she could though.
“You’re welcome, Doctor. I’m just glad you’re happy”
Yaz could feel herself getting sleepy so she laid down and pulled the Doctor down with her, who was happy to be cuddled. She enjoyed Yaz’s warm embrace. Yaz quickly fell asleep and the Doctor lifted her head up to kiss her girlfriend on the cheek. The Doctor then settled down again with her head resting on Yaz’s chest, listening to the soothing sound of her heartbeat. Slowly but surely, the Doctor too fell into a content and loving sleep.