Work Text:
Her face may have changed, but she’s still the same Doctor. Still got people falling in love with her left right and centre. Jack sees it in Yaz from the moment she pushes her. Later she’ll accuse him of reading a lot into a shove, but that really is all it takes. A shove, and seeing her face as she does.
It’s not just anger - no, it’s relief, as well. It’s always relief, first. That she’s still alive, that she’s back. That it wasn’t their fault she left. And then, as the wave of relief peaks, they remember she’s a time traveller, and there’s no reason they had to be in the dark like this for so long. All the sadness they’ve felt over it, it all crashes in, and there’s only two options when they’re at that point. Tears, or anger.
(Sometimes, for some people, the joy of seeing her overcomes all that immediately. That’s who Jack wants to be. But he won’t pretend he’s unfamiliar with Yaz’s reaction.)
It’s in the others, as well, but Ryan and Graham don’t seem quite so overwhelmed by their hurt. It’s easy to see why, as they all start speaking at once. The Doctor has a type, to her companions. Not all of them, sure, but Jack has met enough of them to see the trend. It’s not their fault they fall in love with her, not really - how can they help themselves? Not when The Doctor shows up out of the blue, rescues them from the drudgery and boredom of daily life, and shows them everything else that’s out there. A broken heart is a small price to pay, Jack thinks, but then, maybe it’s a price that time has lessened for him.
The heartbreak is still fresh in Yaz - ten months isn’t enough to heal, not when it’s The Doctor. They’d expected her back, too - that always makes it worse. Jack doesn’t think ten months is all that long, when it comes to waiting for The Doctor, but he’ll admit his perspective is biased on that one. He’s well-practised by now at piecing his heart back together, at leaving a Doctor-shaped space for her to fall right back into whenever they cross paths. It’s a work in progress for sure, and he suspects it always will be - especially when she keeps changing her bloody shape.
Yaz hasn’t got that far yet, clearly. He watches as the temporary splints she’d stitched her heart with shatter. It’s always interesting, from a cold, clinical point of view, to watch how people react after that. Yaz chooses anger. Good. The angry ones always turn out okay, eventually.
She’s smart, too, her suggestions and instincts good, and Jack is glad when she volunteers to come with him. It’s an extra back to watch, true, but he reckons he can get a good heart-to-heart in before the pace picks up.
He knows the Doctor hates to think about the trail of broken hearts she’s left behind, and that means she won’t have told Yaz about any of the others. Hell, he doubts even he knows about all of them. So, he’ll have to keep quiet on the ‘personal experience’ that isn’t quite so personal to him. Well. It’s too late not to mention Rose. Mentioning the parallel universe might have been cruel, but it’s an easy way to size up these new friends of the Doctor. He does miss Rose, too. Rose was great. And also, it’s the subtlest hint he can think of to tip the Doctor out of her obliviousness at Yaz’s feelings. One day he’s going to work out how much of that obliviousness is feigned.
But not tonight. Tonight is for helping Yaz. She seems calm, now, upbeat and talkative, but he knows that amount of repression never ends well. There’s more to it, than just love, he thinks, too. He’s wracking his brain about the 21st century as they walk, trying to work out where they are. He suspects it has something to do with the new face. He can’t help but remember all the men who’ve chosen to roughhouse with him, when really that wasn’t the contact they wanted at all. The ones who believe all they’ve been told about what they are and aren’t allowed.
If the daleks are involved here, he doubts he’ll have time to get to that part of the conversation. So, prioritising: he doesn’t like to brag, but he’s pretty much an expert at being left by The Doctor.
He expects Yaz to fight it, when he brings it up, but she doesn’t. He’s glad; it’s so much easier when they want to talk about it. Everything he says feels trite, generic platitudes that could be used for so many occasions. But she looks him in the eye, and he thinks she sees him there. Sees him, all the pain he’s locked away, all the many many things he’s had to forgive The Doctor. Yaz listens, and she sees, and then — she sasses him, and he’s outraged.
Outraged, and absolutely delighted. Yaz is going to be fine. The Doctor is in safe hands with her too, clearly. Yaz will be good for her, especially for helping with whatever’s going on with her right now. Sometimes she needs someone to pull her out of her head, and Yaz won’t hold back on that.
She holds her own with the daleks, too, and Jack likes her more and more. Then, of course, everything goes to hell, and he’s a bit too preoccupied to further smooth The Doctor’s emotional wake. He does catch a glimpse of the walls of the Other Tardis when The Doctor beams herself in, and he winces, knowing without having to be told what it all means. But Yaz stays steady, unapologetic, and he watches them banter, already moving back to their old dynamics.
It doesn’t take much thought to decide to stick around in this time period for a while. Yaz and The Doctor are going to ignite, and when they do, they’re going to burn bright. He can’t wait to see how this one goes down.