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“Okay- where too!” The Doctor asked, running around the console flipping some switches and buttons to make sure she kept the Tardis stable for a moment.
“It's close to the holidays so- maybe go see the lights in New York?” Graham commented.
She scrunched her face unconsciously “umm”
It took the doctor a moment to realize what she did, turning to see the Fam was now looking at her.
“What’s wrong with New York, is there an alien Invasion?” Yaz asked.
“When isn’t there- No just… I always seem to have bad luck when it comes to earth holidays-“
“What do you mean?” Ryan asked, coming up to the controls. So she wasn’t standing alone.
“Remember last year with the Daleks and then before that, well lets just say I was a cat who kept losing my lives”
“Do you want to just skip them then?” Yaz asked, “You can spend them quietly with us?” She turned back so she could see the doctor's reaction.
“Oh, that does sound nice. But I can still never skip them no matter how many times I die close to the holidays, or big events happen-“ The doctor winced even at her own words and cut herself off “you know what, Yaz you say where to go, we can see another planet if you like.”
Yaz got up from where she was sitting by one of the crystals and came over to the console with them. But then she stopped.
“Why do you feel like you can’t skip them”
The doctor looked down, hands playing with one of the switches on the controls before she looked back up “It’s because one of my first trips to earth was during your holidays… so I can never seem to miss them- they just remind me of it.” She gives a smile hoping it came out sweet.
“What was your first trip like?” Graham asked from his spot on the steps.
“Yeah I want to know about a young time traveling doctor,” Ryan added peeking from the other side of the console.
The doctor let her shoulders fall only a tiny bit, until she spotted Yaz’s look and then she gave her a smile of her own.
She knows what they were thinking, they want her to share something. She wants to share something.
This story wasn’t too bad she thought, and she could always change a little bit, it wasn’t like they could check her facts.
“Okay, baby doctor story” She started going over to their spot by the steps as they cheered.
“Are you sure about this?” Koschei asked, still in the snowbanks.
“Yes! I read it in a book from this planet, now come on, it's fun” Theta called to him, running back over, he started to slide on the ice, causing theta to fall right into him with a soft thud.
“Perfectly fine.” He added quickly .
Koschei gave him a skeptical look, but Theta grabbed his hand, and they got up and walked with him onto the ice.
They had sneaked aways in the middle of the night. Theta originally had sneaked over to spend the night, but after an hour of just lying there, neither one could sleep. So then theta had gotten the crazy idea to take a Tardis out for a spin.
Who, although Temperamental the first time they stole her for a night, had calmed down now and seemed to enjoy their little adventures, especially when they told her to take them anywhere she would like.
When they landed this time around, she nonetheless sang from how proud she was.
And when they stepped out, they were met with a blanket of white and cold over the landscape.
They stared in amazement and confusion before theta broke off and went on rambling about how it was snow, and how cool it was.
It never snowed on Gallifrey so to see it, blew their minds a bit.
Theta ran out into it and at first Koschei had to laugh at him, as he watched Theta’s excitement turn to hatred when he touched the cold substance, feeling the full effect on his bare feet.
Well, that was before Theta pulled Koschei in with him.
It took them a bit to find the right clothes that the Tardis hid from them at first, before they were ready to head out.
But It also wasn't long before everything went sideways.
They were laughing at each other, playing in the snow. When Theta slipped on the ice and fell.
Koschei walked over slow at first thinking theta was joking when he didn’t get up, but then he caught sight of red, and rushed over to his best friend
“Theta…Theta!” He called.
Theta just groaned, a bit out of it.
Koschei lifted his head trying to find where the blood was coming from, but Theta’s hair got in the way, and soon his own hands were covered in sticky blood, making the task almost impossible.
His hearts spread up, not knowing what to do, he looked for the Tardis but, in his panic, he couldn’t tell which tree was the fake. He berated himself as there wasn’t much he could do anyways by himself even in a Tardis.
“Help!” He called. It came out in a bit of a whisper at first.
He looked up again trying to figure out what to do. They were still stuck on the ice. Koschei, now a bit scared to move Theta even a little.
“Help! My friend-“ He tried again.
He just hugged theta tight.
“We hear you!” A voice called out.
Koschei looked up, there was a red and blue dot off in the distance growing bigger as they came over a hill.
“We messed up…He got hurt!” He called out to them. When he saw two figures come into view.
“It will be okay, luv-” one told him, a woman in a thick coat. Came over to theta’s other side, she took a quick look at his head seeing the blood, before taking off her own scarf to have something to hold tight against the cut.
“We had never seen snow before, he got excited.” He said a little sob almost coming out, worried for his friend getting worse.
“It will be okay” The other person, this one an older man, the owner of the red that turned out to be his scarf.
“Graham, dear can you-“ She didn’t have to finish for the man to come over and help pick up Theta.
“Wait where-” Koschei, panic etching his voice now.
“It will be okay; we are bringing him inside where it’s warm, we can patch him up there. Our house is just over that little hill.” The woman pointed just over the snow to a house he had just now noticed, as they started towards it.
Koschei only nodded, not knowing what to say as he followed.
Soon they stumbled inside, he barely had the mind to take off his shoes and coat.
He watched as they lay Theta on their couch, going to find a first aid kit. They left Koschei there holding the scarf to his friend’s head. He sank to the floor with his other hand coming up to hold Theta’s.
They only had a few classes of telepathy so far, but he could still pick up a tiny bit of activity,
When Grace, he learned. Came back, He scooted over just a bit still holding Theta’s hand as she started on his head.
“Don’t give him aspirin, that could kill him.” Koschei said a bit randomly making sure she knows.
No worries, we will see how he is and if he has a headache or is hurting after he wakes, before giving him anything. Is he allergic to anything else?
“Allergic- yes deathly” Koschei stammered a bit.
He watched as Grace with careful hands wiped the blood from theta’s head and cleaned the cut and put a bandage on before wrapping his head to make sure it held.
“-So he’s fine, he will be okay, no regeneration,”
Grace gave him a look; it was at that moment that he remembered that they were humans. And looked anywhere but at Grace
Graham came in with some steaming cups. asking how it was going when he set a tray down on the little coffee table by them, taking a seat in the armchair by the couch
Koschei looked over at the tray picking up one of the mugs to be polite, stealing a glance into said mug to see foggy brown.
“Hot chocolate” The man said “don’t know what tea you two like, but it seems like every kid likes hot chocolate”
Koschei blew on the liquid, seeing the steam before slowly taking a little sip.
He learned fast that it was hot but delicious. He took a big gulp until his mouth told him to stop, feeling it burn his insides.
Grace and Graham gave him a little laugh as they sat in the chairs across from them. Koschei still on the floor to get close to his friend.
“I haven’t seen you two before, are you from around here?”
Koschei’s head snapped up, taking his eyes off his mug looking back over to theta before breathing “we’re best friends, And no… we live- a bit away-”
“He will be okay” Graham reassured, leaning forward to pat his head.
The random contact while his channels were open, almost made him flinch. it took him by surprise at least but the quick feeling of reassurance and the true feelings of wanting to help, gave him a tiny bit of comfort.
Kos-
Koschei prepped up, sitting up on his knees before realizing he heard that whisper through the connection in their minds, not out loud.
He wanted to say something to theta, so he knew he was there, but he felt a bit awkward in front of the humans. So instead, he opted to squeeze theta’s hand again, he smiled when he felt a little squeeze back, watching theta open his eyes just a bit.
“Stop being dramatic and open your eyes- they said you are okay”
“Me dram- I heard you… theta’s this and theta that” Theta ended his words with a laugh.
“I was not,” Koschei almost gasped.
Theta laughed again and that caused him to grin at his friend.
Theta slowly sat up, his free hand moving to feel his head and at the touch of the bandage his eyes snapped open fully, probably also realizing he wasn’t cold anymore.
Theta opened his mouth but before he could say anything stupid about humans, Koschei quicky stuffed the fourth mug into Theta’s hands, almost spilling the hot liquid on to his friend “here try this he made really good hot chocolate.”
Grace and Graham chuckled again at the face theta made at what they didn’t know was his first time trying hot chocolate. Watching as his eyes grew wide and it seemed as if he was trying to drink it in one go.
Koschei watched Theta down the mug, also noting too out of the corner of his eye, Grace giving Graham a look before nodding to the kitchen.
“We’ll let you two rest, it’s late so we can take you home in the morning if you need.”
Koschei just nodded fast, and squeezed Theta’s hand, a sign to just copy him so the humans will let them be.
He waited for the two humans to leave before looking back up to Theta.
“I don’t think we should come back here especially during their ‘winter’ You seem too clumsy for the ice”
“What no! I loved it. I know you loved it too- well before I fell. Come on kos- warm house, snow, whatever this was again.”
“Hot chocolate-“ Koschei corrected “And we can have fires back on Gallifrey.
“Magnus almost burning the academy down doesn’t count, and there is no snow” Theta challenged “come on Kos” He patted the couch he was on pulling his legs closer to himself so koschei could sit.
“I like the snow; it feels more magical than anything back home. And you can’t keep me from coming back to my favorite planet.”
Koschei didn’t look at him as he knew if he did then he would see Theta’s eyes, and he wouldn’t win.
There was a squeeze on his hand, and Koschei let go as if his hands were on fire. He forgot they were touching and was most likely accidentally sending him some of his feelings.
“Come on kos, it wouldn’t be dangerous if you come with me- it seems if I have you, I will always have someone to save me.” Theta leaned forward on to Koschei’s shoulder
“You do seem to get into a lot of trouble”
“It’s my specialty” Theta almost sang.
“Wait, no theta you could have almost died if I wasn’t there”
“What no”
But they both stopped, sitting there in silence.
Koschei looked down to his hands in his lap. He breathed, now having a moment so he could think.
He made his fingertips glow before calmly reaching up to theta’s head.
“Kos-“ Theta whispered as if what he was doing was scandalous and tried to block his hand.
Koschei just reached a hand over. fingers going into his hair and brushing his thumb over where Theta’s injury was.
“Kos you just waste-“Theta tried but was cut off.
“Shh, What I just did was a tiny bit, you would have done the same- And if my dad saw”
Theta stopped him by giving him a little peck on his cheek before leaning his head back on to Koschei's shoulder.
“Your next body will be shorter if you use all your regeneration energy on me.”
“That’s a myth- and if not then I will be short.”
“If I use my energy on you too, then we will be short together.”
Koschei gave him a little laugh and leaned his head onto Theta’s.
There was another little comforting silence, both of them closing their eyes “We can wait here a bit- until it’s fully dark and then we can sneak out and back to the Tardis, they wouldn’t suspect a thing.” He whispered into Theta’s minds so the humans would have no chance in hearing them.
“Good plan” He whispered back.
They rested there for a moment or so, they thought, as soon they ended up falling asleep on that old couch, and eventually they woke in a panic, the beginning of light entering from the curtains, and themselves covered in more blankets.
But for them they had a tiny bit of luck as the rest of the house was still asleep and the sun was only just breaking the horizon. So as quietly as they could they went out the back door.
When they reached the bottom of the hill, they broke out into giggles, as if they had escaped from the hardest security and not just a house of random humans.
They raced back to the Tardis after that. Theta almost being the winner in their little race too if only he knew which tree was actually the Tardis.
The memory gave her a bittersweet feeling in her chest, longing to go back to that day. She couldn’t really remember it all that well. Just remembering opening the door and seeing snow for the first time. Their carefree laughs they shared, that soon turned to cries for help, Koschei right next to her, his hand in hers, the faces of the people who helped them were a bit fuzzy. But she could remember that hot chocolate very well.
“Wait a minute-“
She looked up breaking out of her haze of the past to see Graham looking a bit puzzled.
“Yes Graham?”
”You came to earth when you were much younger?”
“Yes we stole-“ She laughed at herself and rubbed the floor of the Tardis “This Tardis actually-and came to earth for fun”
“Do you remember the people who helped you?” He then asked.
“Umm I was the one who hit their head. But they gave us hot chocolate, it was in a frog mug I think… I remember that bit- as I saw frogs in this book before going, and I thought they were so cool! And they had like a hundred knitted blankets”
“Doc- I think that was us.”
Now it was her turn to look confused.
“Me and Grace, we were the ones who helped you back then- wow that was only a few years for us but for you-“
Ryan chuckled next to Graham and elbowed him a bit “and you were the one who said we didn’t get aliens, but you already met some.”
The doctor smiled at them as the others laughed.
“We always wondered what happened to you two. The blankets were there, but by the time any of us got up, it snowed again so there were no footprints. We almost believed we made you two up. But after that, Grace made us check out in the back whenever that pond was frozen again to make sure you two weren’t there cracking your heads open.”
“Aww I’m touched” She commented, a hand going up to the place in between her hearts.
“The friend you were with-“ Yaz started.
“Roommates, best friends at the time, we lost touch-“She tailed off a little hoping that was enough after already sharing a story from her past.
“To bad, you two were so cute sleeping on the couch”
“Spill the beans grandpa,” Ryan added.
“You were the blonde one, right?” Graham checked but started before she could answer.
“When we checked before bed, you were spread out on that couch, totally different from the way we put you there, arms spread out too, all over your friend” Graham tried to mimic the odd position, his attempt making them giggle. “And I am pretty sure you were drooling.”
The doctor fakes a gasp of offense “I was not, I was perfectly leaning there sleeping” she jokily show them by leaning on to Yaz’s shoulder and closing her eyes
They just laughed again.
“Your friend wasn’t any better. They were there just leaning on top of you, head lolled to the side- that's why we had to put so many blankets over you, we had to lay only parts over each. So, you didn’t accidentally suffocate or something. Even tried to stuff some behind your heads as well, but you both just grabbed ahold like you were sleepy monkeys-“
“We didn’t-” She cut jokily in not believing what she was hearing.
“All true, why would I lie”
“You're trying to make me look bad,” She teased.
“Why, when the truth is funnier” They were cut off by the other two giggling.
“We then just kind of pushed you up a bit and you held onto each other, it seemed to work and then it was also easier to lay the blankets over you two.”
The doctor just rested her head in her hands as the fam laughed.
“Don’t be embarrassed it was cute” Graham offered “-Wait a moment, I think Grace took a picture.”
Her head popped up “You didn’t!”
All their heads turned to Graham as he pulled out his phone and scrolled through it for a bit.
“Oh, yep there you two are.” The doctor almost groaned in her spot, dying of embarrassment as the Fam awed and laughed a bit at the picture, commenting that they were indeed cute.
She peaked through her fingers and grabbed for the phone to see the picture for a brief second. It was dark, the lighting matched the late night, but true to word there they were, draped over each other.
“Right!” She cut in closing the phone and handing it back to Graham
“Graham, can you make hot chocolate, now that I know I have the man who makes the best, I need another mug.”
“Umm doc-“Ryan cut in “it may just have been it was your first mug his really-”
“Shhh- Ryan, I need to show you my skills” He did his version of jumping up and hurrying to the kitchen before they could change their minds
The rest followed close behind, the doctor quickly trying to think of something else to talk about so they wouldn't end up teasing her about her story.
Okay she was a bit nostalgic coming back here. But she couldn’t help it with just finding out where they first actually landed.
She dropped Yaz off with promises she would visit the next day, before taking Ryan and Graham home. They had offered for her to stay so she didn’t forget and so she wasn’t alone, and she agreed.
At last she waited until after they had gone to bed.
That is why it only makes sense that she went out to look.
She stepped outside the cold only biting a bit. She wasn’t smart enough to grab another jacket, but she was smart enough to tie her boots a bit tighter.
She still smiled at the snow even after all these years and places she seen, snow on earth was just so different to her.
She kept looking down, kicking up the snow at her feet as she walked, looking up to the stars ever so often, well that was until she looked to the tree line and saw something a little off.
One of the trees was slightly bigger than the others in this area, from this distance she could see, it even seemed like a different type of tree.
It was obviously a fake, but it was also a very convincing fake.
She gave it a little smile as she walked closer. she was unsure what to say, even a bit unsure what she should do, not knowing how he would react.
As really there was only one person who it could be.
So instead, she just waved at it knowing he must be watching her now. And then without hesitating she turned to see if the pond was frozen just like it had that night.
She took a tiny step onto it before she walked right out into the middle.
Walking far enough to where she was getting to the other side when she heard the sound of a door quietly opening.
She didn’t even look back at him, only stopping to wait.
She listened as she heard him step out and cursed the snow and cold.
She grinned and finished turning when she heard the light crunch of his shoes on the ice. she looked and saw him, holding his coat tightly around himself nose deep in a scarf slowly making his way over to her. That was until he noticed she was looking at him, he straightened up, relaxing his shoulder and quickening his steps to her
“Nostalgic, are we?”
“Your one to talk-“
“Well as it turned out, this is one of my companions’ houses.” she smiled wide “Graham was one of the people that came. That’s his house” she pointed just over the hill looking in that direction as well.
She only fully looked at him once he stopped a few centimeters before her.
He was smirking.
“Is my gift this year a knife in my back?” She smiled right at him.
“If you want it to be”
“Who would want that, - I have no idea,” she joked.
He took another step forward, almost being nose to nose now.
“Asleep?” He asked.
“Just us” She added in a whisper for him, looking up to his brown eyes.
“Now can I get my gift- “ he whispered back
”So greedy” she started but he cut her off as he went in to give her a quick kiss on her cheek
Not long after he breaks away, she gives him a similar quick kiss on his lips.
“Oh, I didn’t know we were exchanging gifts,” He joked.
She gives him a laugh and throws her arms over his shoulders in the same moment he reached to wrap his arms around her
But of course, as things go and neither of them being used to ice, their footing slipped and they fell backwards, the doctor landing on top of the master, their fall sending out a loud thud.
“You, okay?” she asked slowly, pushing herself up a bit to look at him.
He groaned, keeping his eyes shut, she could tell he was trying hard not to send her a snappy remark.
So instead of saying anything else, she just ran a hand through his hair, fingers quickly looking for blood.
She pulled her hand back for a moment to see better in the moonlight, once she felt something wet. checking to see if it was just water on the ice, the reason behind their fall or his blood.
In the light she saw the sticky substance on her fingers.
She moved her hand in front of his face so he could see
He groaned again making to get up but she stopped him a hand on his cheek “I got it-“
Still showing him her other hand, she let him see the tips of her fingers start to glow, light up her smile and the little space in between them as she did so.
“Doctor-“
“It’s just pay back,” She lightly said as her fingers now glowing, went to the spot he was injured, and just like how he did it when they were young, her fingers went into his hair, her thumb brushing over his cut.
She looked back to his eyes when she was done, and she kissed the tip of his nose before he could say anything.
The look on his face caused her to laugh seeing the slight confusion at the act, the look must have been similar to hers when Missy had done it to her.
He then laughed too and let go of her for split second before grabbing the ends of his coat to wrap around her
She yelped at the icy cold water that still got through to her.
Her yelps turned to laughs at the situation they had found themselves in.
They took a breath collecting themselves.
“Hot chocolate?” She asked.
He just smiled and made to get up, it was a challenge at first but soon they got it, they brushed the snow off, and he started for his Tardis.
The doctor just watched him go until he realized she wasn’t following and looked back at her, and that was when she tried to sprint back to the house.
He quickly went off after her with them both sliding on the ice, her calling out ‘to be careful’ and him calling back ‘when are you ever careful’.
It ended with him trying to grab her again and they both ended up face first in the snowbanks.
They wasted no time in getting up and did their best to run back to the door as they shivered from the cold.
Soon with coats discarded and frog mugs half empty, they sat on the couch with maybe even more blankets now then the last time they were there.
They soon fell asleep just like before, not resisting it as they could hopefully sneak out again when the sun started to rise, and them both going, but to separate Tardis this time.
But for now, they tried to not think of the morning, or the possibility that one of her companions could come down and see them cuddling.
She got a bit closer to him, deciding she wouldn’t tell him just yet about the first picture until she needed something to hold over his head.
She opened her eyes just a bit and gave his cheek another kiss, who knows the next time she would be this close to him.
She watched drowsily as he smiled in his sleep, pulling her closer, his lips going to her head before he fell asleep. She just smiled to herself and rested her head back onto his shoulder.