Work Text:
After Sarah has to hurry the Doctor outside before he starts going into sensory overload, Harry and Susan are left in the museum’s gift shop. Still holding the book the Doctor gave him as he hurried out of the busy, noisy building, Harry goes over to where his daughter is stood, studying a selection of bouncy, light-up rubber balls.
“Watch this, Dad,” she says, and she bounces a ball off of the floor. Instantly, the ball begins to flash bright green, so bright it would probably hurt the Doctor’s eyes. Susan grins. “Isn’t it cool?”
“It’s very nice, old thing,” Harry says. “You can get it if you want, but I wouldn’t bounce it around your Par.”
Susan obviously understands, nodding her head. “That’s all right. Can I get these as well?”
She holds out the things she had tucked under her arm. Harry sees a notebook, a yoyo (the Doctor isn’t the only one who loves yoyos in their house) and a book about space (travelling in the TARDIS has given Susan a fascination about the universe).
“Of course you can,” he says, and Susan grins.
Harry takes the items and pays for them at the till. The cashier makes small talk as they scan and bag the things, whilst their colleague flies a drone around the shop. As they walk out of the shop, Harry holds the paper bag out to Susan.
“Do you want anything now?”
Harry expects her to pick the yoyo or the ball, but Susan takes the book and opens it.
“Um, Susan... how are you going to read that and walk?” Harry asks, a bit confused.
But Susan just smiles like he has asked a very silly question. And her voice has an almost patronising tone as she says, “Haven’t you heard of multitasking?”
Harry sighs and ruffles her hair, wondering how, in that moment, she managed to remind him of both the Doctor and Sarah.
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As they head through the museum towards the exit, Susan proves she actually can’t multitask as well as she implied. She walks just in front of Harry, the big book open in her arms, reading and looking at the beautiful photographs of the solar system. But because she’s so focused on the book, Susan has lost her sense of direction.
She regularly veers off course, and Harry has to steer her by her shoulders to stop her walking straight into walls. When they enter the museum’s busy entrance hallway, Susan accidentally bumps into a woman. Unlike the woman, Susan barely seems to notice.
“Sorry,” Harry says, smiling awkwardly.
This happens at least six times before they leave the building. Each time, Harry apologises on Susan’s behalf, before hurrying after his daughter before she bumps into someone else. Even outside, she walks into three more people before they finally meet up with Sarah and the Doctor.
They find them sat on a bench, the Doctor stimming frantically with one of his many stim toys as he rocks back and forth. Sarah is sat beside him, helping him rock with her arms wrapped around him.
“Hi, you two,” Sarah says, and the Doctor smiles weakly.
“Hello,” Harry says, and he nudges Susan.
Their daughter finally looks up from her book, and looks a bit surprised to be outside.
Are you all right? The Doctor signs, obviously struggling with speech at the moment.
“Yeah, we’re fine, aren’t we, Dad?” Susan says.
And Harry has to turn away so Susan won’t notice his sudden laughter.