Work Text:
The air was fuming, ferociously biting and clawing at the Sheffield trees, the little leaves fluttering away, fearing for their lives. No animal was in sight, humans were covered head to toe that they looked like neon blurs in a candlelight haze of the Yorkshire night. Luckily Yaz was sat in her car, outside the block of flats, her fingers drumming against the wheel like that melodic tune everyone used to do ten or so years ago, Yaz smiled nostalgically- 9 year old her always said it sounded like heartbeats, two heartbeats singing, which would only set off 6 year old Sonya, wailing like a kicked down puppy starving for food. Yaz shivered. If only Sonya had gotten better at bloody singing.
There was no reason to leave her perfectly air-conditioned vehicle, popcorn was in the door pocket, along with the custard creams the Doctor stashed whenever her and Yaz would just watch the stars. ‘Never underestimate watching the stars through a screen Yaz, it makes them shine brighter don’t ya think?’.
Yaz would just nod affectionately, grinning in awe, only to realise later that the stars were like the neon blurs on the pavements in the rain, and the they never shone brighter inside, it was just the Doctors way to stay in the warmth side by side together and alone.
It became a frequent occurrence. Everytime the fam went back home- which was weekly. Yaz- check. Doctor- sometimes check. Biscuits- always a check it never had to be checked. Tea- check unless they experimented every so often with things like ice tea, hot chocolate, milkshake, smoothies, more milkshakes, less of the coffee, to the point where tea just was never tried again as the every so often became every week, and the sugar took over. Even with the sugar the Doctor was calm like a rising tide, somehow buzzing in the TARDIS until the boys left and they left to walk Yaz home (‘can never trust autons Yaz and you’re right next to the shops’), and for some reason the TARDIS doors would slam shut for a reason that would always make the Doctor blush and mumble and very very speechless. And so began the cooling wave of the Doctor. Out one set of doors and into another just gazing at the stars with the perfectly warm air conditioning.
But today it was raining, and the Doctor was definitely not a check. Yaz drummed harder on the wheel to the point her hands were beginning to ache. Ok maybe she shouldn’t have told the Doctor that she was bottling things up because then the Doc would be right here, next to her and only her and nobody else.
But who could blame her? Three weeks Yaz and the fam thought she was dead for. By the second week, the empty stares out the window, her shrunken bones and aching heart became too unbearable for the Khans so Yaz told them that she had died. The Doctor had died, and the Doctor had been dead for three weeks.
Only to appear on the third week with a twig in her hair, breathing heavily with that trademark sheepish grin. The Doctor didn’t say much even if she answered every question the fam fired at her. Yaz wished she hadn’t because she wanted to argue with the Doctor, she wanted to find out her soul, dig at her until she cracked but by asking a few questions for half an hour it was on the Doctors terms and she was able to keep her reserve, keep her real questions and it had driven Yaz mad.
The boys were relieved the Doc was safe, so was Yaz but her heart was heavy thinking the Doctor died and now she was petrified it would happen all over again. Ands its not like Yaz could just go ‘oh hey Doctor? You’re not going to die again are you? Because after learning the fact that the Doctor couldn’t really die unless the same situation happened again (and well galifrey is a touchy subject lets be honest) Yaz just didn’t have it in her to confront the whole three week you died and my family mourned you and had a service in your name kinda thing.
Yaz decided to run for it. The wind was howling, like its bare essence was burning and throbbing under the moonlit gaze. She had waited 47 minutes for the Doctor, and she knew she wasn’t coming. ‘Best let her be hey love?’ Graham had said after it happened. Rya had given her the ‘we’re going to talk about this’ look and that’s all they could do because the Doctor was always the definition of impossible, Yaz’s impossible. And everyone knew that.
So Yaz ran. She sprinted to the block of flats faster than her police training, the wind barely slicing her skin. Yaz huffed and pressed the lift, preparing herself for the Khan household. Yaz- check, disheveled hair- check, keys- check.
Yet when Yaz entered the flat she could hear laughter, and that was strange for the Khan family. She had left the surprised face in the car it seemed because she came into the main room and she froze like she was a deer in a very big headlight. The Doctor was sat around the table eating curry with her family. Yaz had to double check as the whole family was silent, expectant as Najia and Hakim glanced back and forth from Yaz and the Doctor who were glaring at each other.
Yaz breathed out slightly, gaining her composure. One more time: Doctor eating curry. Doctor eating normal human food in a normal setting with normal people.
Forget the normal bit.
But the Doctor was here, and damn if only Yaz had two hearts because they would be singing.
“Heya Yaz, we saved you some curry love.” Hakim said, he motioned his daughter next to him which she gingerly sat down not taking her eyes off the Doctors guilt face.
“Why is the Doctor here?”
Sure Yaz knew it was unfair to talk about the Doctor like she was a guest, instead of asking her, but heck Yaz was feeling angsty today- she was jetlagged, and had to deal with a how many old alien that couldn’t sit still for two minutes and Yaz was exhausted of trying to keep her cool. The Doctor left her, and she wasn’t ready to forget, even if it was the only way to save the universe or something.
“I found her outside the flats in the wind, pacing up and down. Lovers tiff was it?” Sonya jeered and quickly yelped when a leg collided into her shin.
“Why were you outside?” Yaz asked, and she really looked at the Doctor and then realised that’s why she was acting guilty. The Doctor had been deciding whether or not she should have come inside the car with her.
“I didn’t know if I should have come over or not, not after earlier.” The Doctor sighed and only then did Yaz realise how reserved she was, she had barely touched her curry, her hands tucked under the table, her coat slumped over the chair. Since when did the Doctor not wear her coat?
“Well you’re always welcome here Doctor.” Najia said, a empathizing on the welcome as she shot Yaz a stern look.
“Why didn’t you wait inside the TARDIS?”
“I wanted you to see me, so you knew I wasn’t hiding.”
Yaz couldn’t help but grin which Sonya rolled her eyes at gaining a nudge from Najia. Hiding. That’s all Yaz needed to hear- hear that word leave the Doctors lips and never come back, well unless they were amidst and alien invasion but she was certain it wasn’t going to happen right then on a Sheffield night. The wind was too fearless. “I couldn’t see you.”
The Doctor grimaced and screwed up her face in thought. “Yeah I figured that afterwards, I was standing on the other side of the TARDIS by accident.”
“Doctor?” Sonya interjected innocently and Yaz held her breathe in: anything Sonya said was going to be horrendous, especially when it was aimed towards the most oblivious alien in the galaxy.
“If you want me to fix your phone so it gets free Netflix then you’ll have to wait im upgrading your dads car.”
“Hakim!”
“What? Russel’s been going on about his new BMW, what’s the point of sitting in silence if our daughters alien girlfriend can upgrade the car for free and add some sci-fi tec to it.”
Najia and Hakim were pulled out of their discussion as Yaz began spluttering, the Doctor leaped out of her chair to Yaz’s aid, kneeling beside her as she patted Yaz on the back soothingly, using her other hand to scan her with the sonic. “Looks like you’ll live, just food went down the wrong way.”
“Gulf.” Yaz coughed out and everyone frowned, apart from Sonya who was videoing it. This was so going on youtube.
“You wanna play gulf? I don’t think it’s the right time Yaz.” The Doctor muttered and Yaz shook her head.
“Gfuend.”
“fend?”
Yaz did another shake of her head.
“Fend? Oh friend? Ryan! You want Ryan?”
“N-n- girlfriend.”
“You want me to get your girlfriend?” The Doctor squeaked panic stricken, still rubbing circles on Yaz’s back. Najia and Hakim sat back in their seats smugly.
“No, what you mean girlfriend.” Yaz huskily said, glaring at her parents.
“That was a mistake love.” Hakim reassured, but Yaz wasn’t buying it.
“So wasn’t.”
“Well you two are rather close.” Najia pointed out, and she nodded over to the Doctor who was still half hugging her soothingly, checking her over with the sonic yet again which made all the heat rise to Yaz’s cheeks as her spine went cold because suddenly she shivered.
Parents one- Yaz’s gay denial zero.
Fuck.
“What do you say Doctor?” Sonya asked, still recording and the Doctor looked over to the younger sister, waving in the camera. Everyone eyerolled, typical Doctor.
“Oh right, well, hey kids, eat your sprouts, don’t use c-4, dangerous bomb that is and oh sea cucumbers are amazing!”
“No about Yaz, Yaz is she always this weird?” Sonya turned off the camera and slid her phone into her pocket. She’d just have to wait to get some incriminating evidence elsewhere.
“You want some water Yaz?” The Doctor gently asked, ignoring Sonya as her face hardened, Yaz nodded shyly, unable to read the aliens expression. There was no sense of oblivious to it, not innocence, her eyes were like sunsets collapsing slowly, age filled the air and the Doctor stood up morosely.
The Doctor wasn’t stupid, she may act like a clown here and there, especially 41st century versions. But stupid? No. Especially not when it came to her feelings for Yaz. But the Doctor wasn’t ready to declare them, because Yaz was human, fragile, and she didn’t do relationships, she didn’t do humans- she didn’t do death.
And the death of one Yasmin Khan would be the death of her forever, no lives, not immortality would have make her alive again.
Yet here she was, in the kitchen grabbing a cup and filling it up with stale water, for that very Yasmin Khan, her hearts hammering away, singing like a swirling rapture nestling into the pools of her stomach.
“Ignore Sonya, she can be a right handful at times, but I don’t need to tell you that.” Najia walked over to the sink next to the Doctor with the emptied plates. The Doctor had been to the Khans house so many times that it became a routine after dinner the Doctor would dry and Najia washed. The Doctor slid the cup to one side as she grabbed a tea towel- she knew deep down Yaz didn’t need the water, the Doctor just needed an excuse.
“I remember when I was pregnant with Yaz, had an awful chest infection 6 months pregnant. I stressed Hakim out so much I don’t think he slept for two weeks.”
The Doctor smiled, sliding the plates into the cupboards. She loved the Khan family stories, and she knew that Najia had been waiting to tell this one for a while. So she let the women carry on talking.
“Even if I turned over in the night he was awake in a flash, I craved figs when I had Yaz, must be the iron and he always put some by my bedside table in case I woke up hungry.”
“I love you humans, always thoughtful and compassionate.”
“So are you Doctor.”
The Doctor gulped and her rhythmic pace with Najia slowed down until she looked up at the women she was working with and the human wasn’t washup anymore, her arms were crossed, knowingly, maternal, her eyes filled with fire- love? Understanding.
“I’m not that great.” The Doctor shrugged, fiddling with the ends of the cloth.
“You are to Yaz though. To me, Hakim, my mother, even Sonya. I never thought id have said this but Doctor we wouldn’t survive without you.”
The Doctor let out a breath of air she hadn’t known she was holding in, and the oxygen burnt, singing her lungs whilst her heart burnt into flames. Not only did the Doctor have her fam, she also had her ily. Thousands of years waiting for one and now she had a family, and all because of Yasmin Khan.
“What I’m saying Doctor is that I know you love our Yaz, and you don’t have to be afraid.”
“I’ll always be afraid, Yaz makes me petrified.”
“That’s love for you.”
“I’ve been married before, it was timey wimey alien complicated, and our timelines didn’t cross but we had 24 years together and now I feel guilty.” The Doctor didn’t realise she said it until they scurried out of her mouth and suddenly she was relieved, her hearts were smoldering and Najia was already beside her, her hand on the Doctors shoulders.
“You have two hearts Doctor, I’m sure you can have two people that own them.”
“I don’t think I do anymore.”
“Well if you can only love one person at a time then let down Yaz gently, we still love you.” The Doctor smiled morosely and walked back into the sitting room leaving Najia alone wishing she was outside in the cold as the Doctor and Yaz went to her room for what would seem a long time in a while.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yaz wasn’t too sure on why the Doctor had taken her hand and dragged her over to her room without a single word, but then again Yaz was sure used to it.
The Doctor slammed the door shit and rested her forehead against it as Yaz stood awkwardly in her room.
“Doctor what’s wrong?”
But Yaz didn’t have time to react because the hint of lentils and cardimen had struck her lips, and she realised it was the Doctors own lips melting into hers, their breaths hitching as they kissed out of sync, yet so perfectly like they were waltzing through the clouds. Maybe they were waltzing in the clouds, somewhere in space, just her and the Doctor kissing and kissing and kissing-
The Doctor pulled back panting and Yaz could feel her lips swelling, her stomach churning for more. Yep definitely not a dream. Yaz was going to say something but the Doctor was frowning and suddenly Yaz was frowning, everything around her seemed sullen, even mr snuffles the bear was frowning on the corner of her pillow.
“Doctor what’s wrong?”
“I was meant to do the talking first before the kissing wasn’t I?”
Yaz laughed and pulled the Doctor in closer, and they kissed as the moon glistened in the sky where the wind was dying, puffing out its final breaths. They kissed like their lips had melded together, like there was only ten seconds to spare, like one was human and the other was alien and it was totally a twilight story before Bella had gotten bitten but then again this love story was way better than twilight.
“I love you Yaz.” The Doctor whispered it, caressing Yaz’s face like it was the crater of the moon as they lay face to face on the bed. They were tangled together like spaghetti, intertwined and unchanging, their bodies raw and naked under the sheets, fighting off the heavy slumber of sleep that was getting heavier and heavier as the seconds passed.
“I love you too.”
“More than any alien and human combined.”
Yaz didn’t have time to say anything back because for the first time in three years the Doctor had fallen asleep, and two minutes later so was she.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The next day Najia and Hakim were peeling the potatoes for the mash, Yaz had left with the Doctor perkier- much perkier than either should’ve been for a not-break up but break up, and were off to see a market place on the seventh galaxy. Sonya too had been upbeat, and she was never happy when it came to lectures. Yet, they didn’t press either of their daughters for the details for they had some vague idea.
All they had to wait was for Sonya to have a bad day at university and she would be reveling in the latest gossip at home to make her happy. So now the couple were waiting for Sonya’s arrival, and on cue Hakim glanced at the watch.
“In the count of three. One two-“
“Mum, Dad guess what I got this morning.” Sonya shouted and Najia playfully rolled her eyes and Hakim tried not to laugh.
“What is it love?”
“Mum come and have a look.”
There were no words left, except relief. Pure bloody relief. Sonya held out her phone showing a picture of the Doctor and Yaz curled up in each other’s arms.
“Anything interesting over there?”
Najia smiled. “Hakim remind me to get extra potatoes for next week, the Doctors coming over.”