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Amy was so excited. The Doctor had promised to take them to a kind of special concert, regaling them with the concept that when the singers and players performed, it wouldn’t just affect their ears, but ALL their senses, making a concert a sort of full-body experience. The Doctor had gone on and on about how the concert was really an all-encompassing experience and that it would be unlike anything they’d ever tried before, making Amy thrilled to attend, and even Rory had been on board with the idea, looking curious for the new sensations.
The two humans clung tightly to the rails of the TARDIS as the Doctor haphazardly flew them to their destination, shouting gleefully about how he hadn’t been to one of these concerts in millennia and he was curious about how they had progressed. When they finally touched down [or more accurately, had bumped down with a bone-jolting thud], the Doctor bolted for the door, grinning ear to ear, his bowtie slightly crooked from the rough landing, but he didn’t seem to care as he got to the door and opened it, peeking his head out. As Amy and Rory came up to him, he drew his head back, smiling hugely. “We made it right on time! Come on!” He grabbed Amy’s hand with his right and Rory’s with his left, all but dragging them out of the TARDIS.
They had landed in what Amy could only describe as a theater lobby. The TARDIS was neatly tucked in a corner of the room, in a marked area, almost like a parking spot! As the Doctor released their hands and dashed off, Amy continued to look around, smiling a little. The room was very large, like a football pitch, but was decorated with fancy velvet and crystal structures and wood-paneled walls and along the long sides were more slots, more ‘parking spaces’ and she could see more bizarre ships and things that vaguely resembled ships. Milling around the room among the tables and chairs were dozens of aliens, ranging from creatures looking like humans without ears or with different colored skin, to some things that Amy could only describe as walking stalks of celeries! The air was full of clicks and growls and high-pitched warbling and low rumbles, all of which quickly converted to be understandable to the humans and they realized that everyone as also talking about the concert excitedly despite all the oddities like extra heads and odd body compositions.
“Places like this remind me to appreciate how normal the Doctor looks.” Rory whispered in Amy’s ear, making her giggle. He smiled at her and put his arm around her and just… held her for a moment. As she sort of cuddled against him, Rory sighed, easing his chin on top of her head and watched the chaos around them, glad for the quiet moment. They had been running about like mad things for the past two weeks, so the idea of a nice normal thing like a concert [even if it was an alien concert] had seemed a WONDERFUL change of pace to him. He smiled as he tilted his head and gave Amy a kiss on the forehead, glad as she turned to him and pulled his head down for a proper kiss, making a small noise as he drew her in tighter.
“Oh, Ponds, really? In public?”
They broke the kiss, Rory playfully glaring at the Doctor while Amy just laughed. The Doctor had an amused expression on his face, smiling crookedly, but he was holding three odd things. Rory peered at them, asking, “What are…?”
The Doctor held the objects out with a flourish. “Got our tickets!” The ‘tickets’ in question appeared to be pieces of glass that were about 3 by 5 inches and about half an inch thick, but as Rory took one, he found it was heavy like glass, warm to the touch, and slightly soft, like very firm jello. He held it curiously, peering closer. It was swirled with green, blue and yellow and he couldn’t see any characters on it, or at least, none he could read. He looked at the Doctor curiously as the man went on with a smile, “Turns out I knew the grandfather of the ticket-seller, and he agreed to give me some for old, old times’ sake!”
Amy laughed, saying, “Well, thank you, Doctor!” she started looking around, “Where do we go now?”
The Doctor pointed to an archway on the far end of the room, saying, “Through there. Come on! We came in time for terrific seating! I’ll get the best seat in the house!” He then dashed off, looking excited.
The Ponds both paused a second, confused at the Doctor’s wording, but then shrugged it off and followed behind the excited Doctor.
The archway in question was larger than it had appeared, a huge doorway about 10 feet tall and 8 feet wide, but as Amy glanced behind them at some of the stranger aliens, it made sense. They wanted to make sure it was large enough for everyone! The archway seemed to be made of a clear glass or crystal, but underneath it, on the floor, was a large blue ring that had a shiny texture to it, kind of like ceramic. The Doctor came to the doorway and the four attendants and to the best of her ability, Amy described them as beings made of pieces of obsidian with a vaguely humanoid shape, looking black and glassy. As the large and hulking 8 foot creatures moved, there was the faint sound of glass clicking against glass. The Doctor approached the doorway and one of the creatures held up its hand, which honestly was more like a larger chunk of obsidian on an arm with smaller chunks to serve as fingers. “Ticket, please.”
The Doctor smiled hugely as he came forwards fearlessly to stand in the blue circle under the archway, and handed over his ticket, asking happily, “How’s your old pa doing, Jennifer?”
The creature didn’t really have a face, but Amy could have sworn that it smiled as it answered, “Much better. We got the crack all mended up and his head is regrowing nicely.”
Grinning, the Doctor nodded, saying, “Wonderful! Good to hear. I was sorry to hear about the meteor strike.”
The creature, which was apparently called Jennifer, took the ticket and handed it to the other, who placed it into a slot in the archway, like one of those hotel keycards. The whole archway flashed a bright yellow for a moment, making the Doctor impossible to see, but then turned into a pale green and faded away, showing the Doctor brushing himself off, smiling happily. He walked through the archway and then turned as Jennifer pointed to Amy and Rory, “Are these two with you?”
The Doctor nodded. “Yes, they are my internals.”
Rory frowned, puzzled at the word, and his confusion only grew as Jennifer commented, “I trust your knowledge of your own limits, but be careful not to injure them or yourself, Doctor.”
The Doctor only laughed and nodded, saying, “I promise.”, making Rory glance at Amy, who was also frowning in confusion. What was going on here?
As they were ushered forwards, Rory was now slightly reluctant, feeling that they had missed something very important, and Amy voiced his concern, saying, “Doctor, what’s going on? I thought we were going to the concert! What’s all this about ‘internals’?” They were gently ushered to stand on the blue circle and Rory had a feeling something very odd was about to happen.
As Jennifer took their tickets with a delicacy that surprised Rory, Amy looked at the Doctor who was smiling reassuringly, saying to them, “Oh, it’s a very special concert, you see. The sound waves that the diva and instruments produce are actually VERY potent and to some species are deadly, able to rip them apart at a molecular level. In particular, humans are VERY sensitive to this kind of sound wave.” He was smiling cheerfully as he spoke, leaving Amy flabbergasted.
“Yeah, okay, NO. That’s me out.” Rory stated and tried to retreat from the archway, pulling Amy with him, but the tickets had been inserted into the slots and the archway was starting to glow a bright yellow and with a thrill of panic, Rory found that he couldn’t move. It was like his feet had been glued to the blue circle on the floor! He struggled to move and felt Amy squirming as well, equally trapped. “Doctor?!” he shouted, confused. There was a rushing noise in his ears, like a strong wind and he could barely see now thanks to the bright light, squinting to keep an eye on the Doctor.
But the bowtie-wearing man was all smiles as he explained calmly, “No, it’s okay! It was discovered about twenty centuries ago that any fragile species could still listen to and enjoy the music as long as they were protected by a being that isn’t harmed by the sound waves!”
“Pro-Protect-ted?” Amy stammered, clutching to Rory, feeling dizzy now and like she would topple at any moment.
As the light grew so bright they had to shut their eyes, they faintly heard the Doctor say over the loud rushing, “I’ll take care of you both, I swear!”
Rory blinked in confusion as he came back to consciousness, his head pounding like he had been bashing it against a wall. He was sitting on the floor and he touched his head, moaning. Fortunately, the pain was lifting, but it was still weird! He glanced over and saw Amy nearby, also struggling to sit up. Reaching for her, Rory crawled over and helped her up, leaning her back against him as he brushed the hair from her face. “You okay?” he asked quietly.
She nodded, grumbling, “Yes, but I’m gonna kick his skinny arse for not warning us.”
Rory chuckled. “You get first crack at that, but I want my turn after.”
“PONDS!”
The two humans jumped about a mile at the loud, echoing sound and they turned towards it, finally starting to look around them and Rory started to feel his heart beat terribly fast.
They were still in the archway, in that blue circle, but things were VERY wrong now. The archway was no long about 10 feet tall. Now it towered over them at what Rory could only guess was over 100 feet, like a skyscraper! They were still on that blue circle but now instead of being only 8 feet wide, it stretched out into the distance and Rory wasn’t able to get a proper read on how large it was.
Suddenly, Rory felt Amy cling to him and he instantly held her close, looking around to see what had frightened her. He gaped as he saw a huge shoe.
Gulping hard, he slowly followed the shoe to the leg to the thigh to the hip to the chest to the neck… all the way up to the smiling face of the Doctor. The man was a giant now! Easily over 70 feet in height! As the huge man began to kneel near to them, Rory felt his heart flutter weakly in his chest, shaking and trembling as he felt his mind instantly panicking at this huge creature.
Amy wasn’t much better, staring up at the huge man a little worriedly. She wasn’t scared of him injuring them, knowing he would never do that, but she was fighting hard with her natural instincts and her panic, clinging to Rory and all but trying to disappear in his arms.
The Doctor got to his knees and smiled down at them both saying with a wide smile that showed a few too many of his teeth for Amy’s liking, “There, you see? Perfect reduction! You both look wonderful!”
Amy felt a small spark of her usual attitude come back, snapping, “Wonderful? WONDERFUL?! We’re tiny!”
The Doctor was nodding. “Yep you are. And perfectly-sized, too! I was worried you’d both be too large together, but this will work out just fine! I’ll be a little stretched, but--”
Amy felt Rory shift behind her, calling out and interrupting, “Doctor, what the hell is going on?!”
The man tilted his head, making that face of his where he was surprised that the little humans hadn’t figured out something horrendously obvious already, saying gently, “I told you already. The sound waves would kill you unless you’re protected by someone who isn’t affected.” He waved at their tiny forms, making Rory flinch as he saw the huge hand moving so quickly. “At that size, I can protect you both and we can all enjoy ourselves!”
Amy scowled, gently easing out of Rory’s arms as she snapped, “Protect us? How does this protect us?! Couldn’t you have just given us some earplugs or something?” The Doctor laughed and Rory felt his innards go watery at seeing the man’s teeth.
Chuckling, the Doctor explained, “It’s not that easy! The sound waves wouldn’t affect JUST your ears, Amelia Pond. They affect every cell in your body, so you need to be entirely protected from them.”
Rory suddenly had a terrible, terrible thought, thinking back on the strange words the Doctor had used earlier, and asked weakly, “D-Doctor… How… How do you plan to protect us at this size?”
The Doctor tilted his head and smiled. “Oh that’s easy! I’m going to eat you both!” He patted at his middle matter-of-factly, grinning.
The Doctor frowned as the two humans suddenly got up and started to run away from him, stumbling and shaky. He watched them go, asking, “What did I say?!”
As they didn’t answer, the Doctor sighed and getting up, he took two steps, caught up with them and reaching down, gently scruffed them both, plucking them from the ground. As he held the squirming, squalling things, he frowned in worry and looked up, asking quickly but politely, “Where’re the fitting rooms?” As Jennifer gestured for him, the Doctor hurriedly carried the two little humans through into one of the small rooms lining the corridor beyond the archway, easily moving aside the cloth door, meant to give privacy for this next step of the process. The room was circular, about 8 feet in diameter and was bare with no table or chair, but instead had a soft, cushioned floor. Sitting, the Doctor paused as he looked at the two humans, seeing that they had changed dramatically.
Rory was kicking and screaming at him, his little cries too soft to truly hear, but he looked outright murderous, trying to hit and kick at the fingers holding the back of his coat.
Amy on the other hand, had gone quiet, hugging herself. Her eyes were squeezed shut as she tucked up her legs and the Doctor felt her shaking.
Confused and distressed by these changes, the Doctor gently placed the two humans down on the cushioned floor together, saying softly, “Hey… Hey, Ponds, it’s okay!”
Once he was free of the fingers, Rory glared at him before he crawled over to Amy, hugging her close and turning his body to put his back to the Doctor, hiding Amy from him, speaking to her softly and quietly. Amy was clutching at Rory tightly, burying her face in his chest.
The Doctor watched this for a moment, confused. Why were they acting like this? He had thought they were excited for the concert! He reached out, touching lightly at Rory’s back as he asked, “Amy? Rory, what did I say?” He could only assume that something he had said had unnerved them, but what?! He felt Rory flinch from his touch and he frowned as he withdrew his hand, a sinking feeling in his hearts. What had he done wrong?
Amy’s eyes suddenly appeared over Rory’s shoulder, looking up at him. The Doctor started to smile, but then paused as Amy said quietly, “Doctor, how could you?”
He blinked. “How could I what?” he questioned.
Amy scowled suddenly, shouting at him as Rory also turned to glare at him accusingly. “After everything we’ve been through?!” She looked furious. “Was this all a game to you? Nothing but a long wind-up?”
Now VERY confused, the Doctor blinked. “What are you going on about?!”
Rory finally took over, holding Amy tightly as he shook, but shouted, “After all the trouble and mess you put us through, you just planned to eat us all along?!”
Shaking his head, the Doctor tried explaining gently, like to a child, “Nooo, the eating is for the concert! I told you this!”
Amy shook her head vehemently as Rory laughed out sharply. “Oh sure, you told us beforehand that you’d eat us. Of COURSE we were prepared for the news of our deaths!”
The light bulb suddenly went off.
The Doctor’s eyes widened as he leaned back. “Oh. OH!” He leaned forwards again, seeing the humans flinch and cower, but spoke gently, “Oh Ponds… I’m sorry.” They looked up at him questioningly. Smiling but this time careful to hide his teeth behind his lips, the Doctor spoke gently, “I thought you understood.” He offered his hand to them, palm up, saying, “I’ll explain, I promise. Climb on?”
Rory shivered as the huge hand approached them. Now with something to compare himself to, Rory saw that they were about 5 inches or so. Well, Amy was 5 and a half and he was closer to 6, but still. He looked at the hand and then up at the Doctor’s face, still unsure about this, but the Doctor spoke again, pleading with his large brown eyes, “Trust me…”
After a few seconds, Amy broke away from the hug first and gingerly crawled into the Doctor’s warm palm, sitting there quietly, her legs hanging off the side of the hand. Rory gulped, but then followed his wife, sitting next to her on the huge palm, holding her hand tightly as he held her close with the other arm.
The Doctor smiled at them both and lifted his hand. Both humans jerked a bit at this, especially as they felt their legs dangling, but the Doctor was careful as he lifted them up to his face, smiling gently still.
Trembling as he looked up at the giant Doctor’s face, seeing themselves reflected in the brown eyes, Rory finally snapped out, “O-Okay… We’re in your hand… Now explain.” He shivered, but then forced himself to say the next few words. “How does your eating us keep us safe?”
The Doctor nodded and then started to explain saying gently, “I told you already about the sound waves. Well, the sound waves will affect your bodies terribly. Would melt you both like butter.” He patted his chest. “My body, however, can handle the sound. So what’s going to happen is that I plan to eat you both and then the waves won’t be able to directly reach you. You’ll still get the benefits from them, but you won’t die from them!”
Amy shivered a bit, speaking up, “But, Doctor… You’re forgetting basic anatomy… We’ll die from YOU.” She hugged herself tightly. “Humans are digestible, remember?” It hurt her to say this, to imagine that the Doctor planned such a fate for them, but she had to at least get things clear before something happened.
The Doctor blinked suddenly, saying, “Oh my god, I’m so slow!” While Rory muttered a rude agreement, the Doctor smiled hugely. “You’re both safe from that!” He gestured to the cloth door, to where they had come from, saying, “That blue circle? It’s a molecular condenser!” He smiled. “You’re literally too dense for me to digest right now. Your molecules are too tightly connected for my body to break them apart and as a bonus, it also provides you with an imperceptible, constantly renewing air shield for 24 hours.” The two humans sat quietly in the Doctor’s palm, holding each other nervously as the Doctor finished with a huge smile. “You’ll both be perfectly safe!” He patted his belly, making Amy shiver, adding, “And if anything, you get the best seat in the house!” He smiled again. “It’s amazingly soft and cozy and maybe a little cool, but I’m sure you’ll both be fine!”
After a few seconds, Rory spoke up again, saying, “So… Let me get this straight. You brought us across time and space to a concert that will kill us, and the only way to avoid being killed is not only getting shrunk to a fraction of our normal size, but being shrunk and then letting you eat us both, and we will listen to the concert from in your stomach?!”
Smiling again, the Doctor nodded. “Exactly! Isn’t that simple?”
Amy looked at Rory nervously, feeling ill, and she saw that Rory apparently felt the same, his face tight and set in a way that made it clear he was fighting not being sick. After a time of silence as the humans pondered all this information, the Doctor spoke, his voice softer now as he said, “I promise I won’t hurt you.” He gave them a small, meek look. “You didn’t think I actually planned to harm you… did you?” he added softly.
Rory winced guiltily and Amy spoke up, saying, “W-Well, n-no, but…” She then managed a shaky chuckle. “You have to remember… You’re alien, so this might be normal procedure for you, but we humans aren’t used to being eaten. It usually ends REALLY poorly for us.” She smiled weakly. “You recall the space whale?”
The Doctor smiled, saying, “I understand. I forget I need to be clear with you sometimes.” He reached his other hand forwards and VERY gently patted Amy’s head and then Rory’s, saying with an air of fondness, “You nervous little creatures… So new to this universe.” The little humans didn’t flinch from his touch this time, though it was clear they were still nervous. He smiled as he progressed to gently rubbing their heads, chuckling as they tried to hit his finger away, but not out of fear, just out of playful irritation. He spoke gently, saying, “You’ll find that there is so much that you don’t understand, but you’ll keep trying nonetheless.”
As the humans managed weak smiles now, the Doctor withdrew his hand and started to mess with his bowtie, saying, “So… The concert is going to start soon. Shall we get on with things?” He frowned as the frightened stares immediately returned to their faces and he was dismayed. “Oh, I thought we had made some good progress! Don’t tell me you’re backing out!”
The Doctor looked at the two humans questioningly, now feeling a slight inkling of nervousness. Were they going to turn down his offer?
Finally, they turned and spoke quietly with each other for a moment before Amy turned to the Doctor saying, “How… How will this go?” She gestured vaguely to the Doctor’s chest, saying shakily, “W-We… You just…”
The Doctor smiled as he stopped fiddling with his bowtie, saying, “It will be very simple. I’ll take you one at a time. It’ll be a smooth, slippery, squishy slide and before you know it…” He placed a hand over his flat middle. “You arrive in a soft little chamber that cannot harm you.” He grinned. “Then you just relax while I do all the work!”
“And when do we get released?” Rory asked suddenly.
“Anytime you want, as long as we’re not in the concert.” the Doctor replied and used his free hand to dig in the pocket, saying, “Oh, and I picked these up for you.” He brought out their tickets, which were a different color now, swirled purple and blue. He waved them, saying, “See, all you need to do to get back to normal is to touch these and tell it you want to be normal. As long as you’re in a place that’s large enough for it, the card will unshrink you and the air field will be canceled.” He tucked the cards delicately into his inner jacket pocket, adding idly, “But… if you wanted to stay longer…”
“Longer?!” Rory gaped in horror.
“…the technology will keep you shrunk and safe as long as you please.” the Doctor continued despite Rory’s outburst. Winking, he then added, “And don’t tell anyone, but I know how to make your air shields last indefinitely.” He leaned back, touching his belly while saying with a smile. “Essentially, you could stay inside for a month and you’d both be perfectly safe for every single second of it.”
He smiled expectantly at the humans, who were both looking a bit nervous about this, but at least now they weren’t panicking like before. The Doctor then raised his hand and started working it at his bowtie again, finding it a little tricky with one hand.
“What’re you…?”
At Rory’s little question, the Doctor gave him a look. “Well, you’re quite large, you know. I can get you both down, but the bowtie would restrict things!” As he got the bowtie to lie loosely around his neck and opened up the little buttons of his shirt, he saw the humans looking at his neck, the nervous expressions back in full force.
The Doctor paused at this, but then lowered his hand and brought them closer to his face, by his eyes, saying gently, “Ponds… I brought you here as a gift. Since we’ve been running about like crazy for a while, I thought you’d enjoy a nice, ordinary and quiet concert.” He gestured around them. “But if this is too weird, too scary, too… alien for you…” He paused to smile. “…I understand.” He brought out their tickets again. “If you really don’t want to go through with this… I’ll put you right. No complaints, no fuss, no guilt trip. We’ll go back to the TARDIS and move on. Simple as that.”
He smiled, awaiting their answer.
Amy shivered as she looked at Rory, who was looking at her as well. Softly, Amy said, “I… I don’t know… Rory?”
The man was silent a moment before stating, “I feel ready to puke and soil myself all at once…”
Blinking, Amy glared at him. “Thanks for that update.”
“…but I think we should do this.” he finished quietly.
Amy stared at him, asking in shock, “Wait, YOUWHAT?”
“I’m… I’m curious.” Rory admitted with a slight blush.
She stared at him. “You’re not serious.” she said in a deadpan tone.
Rory laughed weakly. “Amy, I am a nurse. I have seen people’s innards before.”
“But not from THAT kind of angle!” she protested.
“No…” Rory agreed, adding quietly, “Which interests me… a little.” He then smiled weakly as she continued to stare at him, saying, “And I’m pretty sure no one’s done this before… which is a little exciting…”
Amy was starting to smile now, saying as she hit his chest, “You weirdo.”
Rory blushed darkly now, stammering out, “N-No, you’re right, we--”
“Shut up.” Amy commanded and grabbing his head, brought him in for a hard kiss, muffling and then silencing his protests as he held her close.
The kiss lasted a few seconds before they broke apart, Rory resting his forehead against Amy’s as he asked with a chuckle, “That’s a yes then?”
“As long as you go first, stupid.” she retorted, kissing the tip of his nose.
Rory smiled shyly at Amy before he nodded carefully, saying, “Okay… but if he’s lying and we get digested… Firstly, I blame you, and secondly, let’s agree to haunt him together.”
“Firstly, I’ll blame you because this is your idea, and secondly, I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Amy replied quickly.
Chuckling, Rory tipped his head to kiss her again, feeling nervous about this, but still wanting to try. After the kiss ended, he sighed, but then turned to the Doctor, who was watching them curiously. Gulping hard, Rory shuffled forwards slightly, saying, “O-Okay… I… I think I’m ready to try this.”
As he saw the Doctor’s face light up, Rory had to quickly reassure himself that the Doctor was only so happy because the humans trusted him so much, not that he was happy to have such a good meal all but walking into his mouth. He shivered as the Doctor tucked the tickets back into his jacket and then reached for him, gently grabbing him under his arms and around the chest, lifting him off the hand and away from Amy. Rory then watched as Amy was moved to the Doctor’s side and then carefully tucked into the outer pocket. He almost protested this, but thankfully Amy was quick to orient herself and stand up, poking out of the pocket and smiling up at him encouragingly.
Swallowing as his mouth felt so dry, Rory looked up to see the Doctor staring at him with that smile again and he held up his hands a little weakly, saying, “N-Now, Doctor… Just… Just promise me something? Please?”
The Doctor blinked, but nodded. “What?”
Shaking, Rory then said, “Be… Be gentle with us… With Amy…”
The Doctor smiled at him, and this time the smile was a lot kinder than before, not as eager and predatory. The Doctor held Rory gently, using his now free second hand to gently cup Rory’s dangling legs, saying as he brought the small limbs close to his mouth, “I promise.”
Nodding shakily, Rory watched as his shoes were now mere inches from the Doctor’s lips, stammering, “G-Good… bec-because you’ll h-have me to an-answer to if you d-don’t…”
The Doctor chuckled softly, murmuring, “Yes, sir…” and then opened his mouth a little bit, easing the tiny shoes inside.
Rory was shaking as he watched this, feeling the change of temperature immediately. He was a little surprised to note that the temperature wasn’t as hot as he had thought it would be, but he was soon distracted as he felt his shoes press into something so very soft and squishy… and damp. He moved a foot curiously, feeling it slip and squish into the soft tongue and he trembled a little, clutching to the fingers holding him, finding them to be a reassuring presence. As the Doctor eased him in further, Rory automatically tried to stop himself, his feet skidding and slipping on the slick muscle, unable to get any traction at all. He made a quiet little noise of nervousness as he was eased in further and he felt his knees bump into the Doctor’s upper teeth when he tried to move them. Frightened of these teeth, he tried to make himself go still, clinging to the fingers, but he couldn’t help it and his feet kept skittering around as he fought to resist at the same time he tried to let this happen.
He made an undignified noise as he felt something slimy and wet and faintly warm suddenly press at the back of his knees and thighs, making him jump. He quickly realized it was the Doctor’s tongue and he shivered as his weight was rested on it, feeling the muscle yield under him alarmingly. It was almost TOO soft! As he felt the tongue shift and move under his body, Rory shivered, unsure about his decision now. Was this REALLY such a good idea?
Suddenly, Rory felt the Doctor’s hand moving and he looked down to see that the man had opened up wider, giving Rory an all-too good look at the inside of his mouth. Idly, Rory was surprised to see that it looked exactly like a human’s. He could see all the proper teeth, noting in surprise that the Doctor still had all four of his wisdom teeth, a normal color of flesh and he could even see the throat looked normal… something he both appreciated and dreaded. He was glad that things at least looked familiar and weren’t too weird, but… then again, he knew what would happen to him when he slid through that dark, fleshy opening in the back of the Doctor’s mouth.
As he was slipped in further, Rory squirmed as the tongue worked its way up to support his bum and hips, essentially putting him halfway into the mouth. Rory clung to the fingers tightly, panting hard. His legs were forced to be pretty straight thanks to the angle and groove of the tongue and the width of the mouth and he could see his shoes were just barely entering the Doctor’s throat. He squirmed a bit, feeling the tongue supporting him easily despite how easily he slipped around. His trousers were sopping wet now thanks to the saliva and he gulped hard, staring down at his body in near horror. As his feet were by the throat, he could now compare them to the Doctor’s throat and for a moment, he was worried he was too wide. There was no way his shoulders were going to fit through there! Was there?
Rory jerked as he felt the fingers holding him push him forwards a bit, his feet sliding through the opening of the throat to touch at the back wall of flesh. Rory’s gaze shot up to the Doctor’s, shaking badly, but he was surprised to see that the Doctor was actually looking at him, slightly cross-eyed from the angle, but still looking at him. Feeling slightly better that the Doctor was still checking up on him, Rory shivered as he shut his eyes and this time didn’t resist as the Doctor started to tip his head back. Rory felt himself sliding from sheer gravity alone, his feet twitching and squirming a little as they were eased into a tighter tunnel of flesh, now barely able to move. Rory felt the tongue slide up to be holding his back as well now and he knew that things were getting close. Soon, he wouldn’t be able to escape and he really would have to trust the Doctor completely… Could he do that?
As he felt the touch of something damp against the back of his head, Rory’s eyes snapped open and he realized suddenly how far he was in the Doctor’s mouth; his legs up to the knees were in the throat, his feet now gently squished together, and his body in the Doctor’s mouth up to the neck. Looking up, Rory shuddered as he saw the upper row of teeth hovering right over his neck and he found himself trembling as he realized how easy it would be for the Doctor to kill him right now. A simple clip of the teeth and Rory would die instantly.
But he shook his head, shutting his eyes tightly. The Doctor would never do something like that! Never!
As the fingers suddenly started to leave him, Rory’s eyes opened again, desperate for the fingers, desperate to not feel alone. He whined quietly as they drew away from him and he was suddenly left alone, almost completely tucked into the giant Doctor’s mouth. Shaking, Rory drew his arms in to his chest, hugging himself as he felt the tongue shift under him, holding him gently.
With a wet, slick noise, the tongue withdrew into the mouth, pulling Rory with it and the man had a moment of panic as he felt his legs pushed further into the mouth, the throat now up to his thighs and holding his legs tightly together.
Now he truly was trapped.
Rory lay there a moment, hardly realizing that the Doctor still had his mouth open, only able to comprehend what was in his immediate vicinity. From the mid-thighs down, his legs were tightly squeezed in a soft tunnel, angled down and away from him, like on a steep slope. His body was now entirely in the Doctor’s mouth, resting on the thick, slippery but soft tongue. He looked up meekly, seeing the rows of teeth encircling him and fencing him in and he trembled again. The mouth was barely wide enough to fit him and he was terrified to move lest he cut himself on one of the man’s teeth, which from this size looked almost unnaturally sharp to him.
The man lay there, panting and gasping for air, feeling light-headed and woozy from this whole scenario, unsure of what to do.
Suddenly, it dawned on him that the light was dimming. Looking ‘upwards’, Rory realized the mouth was closing and before he could form a solid protest, he heard the seemingly deafening ‘click’ as the teeth touched and the mouth closed, sealing him inside the Doctor. He lay there, trembling as he moaned softly, trying again and again to reassure himself that everything was all right.
As he felt the slippery muscle move under him again, Rory jerked, but then exhaled in surprise as he felt himself lifted up and squeezed between the tongue and the rubbery, tough hard palate. Rory squirmed at first, confused and frightened at this new tightness, but slowly… he started to relax a little bit. Was… the Doctor trying to reassure him? To help him feel better? It certainly seemed like it! Squeezed like this between the tongue and palate, Rory no longer had to worry about the teeth and he couldn’t see anything, which spared him the sight of his body halfway in the Doctor’s throat.
After a few moments of this, Rory noticed that the tongue was starting to move. Instantly worried that he was about to be swallowed, Rory was confused as the tongue just… shifted against him in place, surprisingly gentle. What the…? Rory squirmed a little bit, feeling his body slide around far too easily on the slimy flesh, and was surprised as he felt the tongue shift again. Curious, Rory repeated his movement, and he managed the faintest of smiles as he felt the tongue move again. The Doctor WAS trying to reassure him! Rory squirmed again, trying to get his arms free and with a supreme effort, he managed to get his hands up to tuck against his chest, pressed against the palate. He gave the palate a light shove and giggled shakily as he felt another conscious movement under his back.
As he continued this, he started to realize what the Doctor was trying to say; Rory wasn’t a meal. The Doctor was showing that he knew Rory was alive and himself and was interacting with him. Yes, the Doctor planned to swallow him, but it was clearly not for a meal. The Doctor really WAS just trying to keep him and Amy safe, though Rory had to admit it was one of the weirdest ways he had ever seen!
After a few moments of this little ‘talk’, Rory paused as he felt the tongue move under him again, but slightly differently. He could feel that the area by his head was lifting up higher than the one by his hips and legs. He started to shake as he realized what was coming and he started to breathe hard, working hard not to panic again.
He wasn’t a meal… He WASN’T a meal… He would be fine…
Rory repeated the words over and over as he felt the tongue press him more firmly than before, now not ‘talking’ but working to keep him still and straight. Rory shook as he felt his body squeezed tightly and so sopping wet. It would just take one little muscular wave to get things started, he knew, and he was desperately hoping he was ready for that.
As nothing happened for a few seconds, Rory dared to open an eye a crack, wondering what was going on. Why hadn’t anything happened? He outright yelped as he felt the tongue flex under him again, but as it happened again and then things went still, Rory realized what the Doctor was doing now: he was checking if Rory was ready.
The little man trembled, inwardly cursing the Doctor. He had hoped the Doctor would just swallow and take the decision out of Rory’s hands, but nope. Rory was the one who had to tell the Doctor to proceed. A part of Rory felt flattered that the Doctor was giving him such consideration, but the other part cursed him, as it meant Rory had to agree to be eaten, and not just that, had to directly begin the process himself!
After a few seconds, Rory gulped hard, steeling himself. He had agreed with Amy to do this. He had wanted this. He could do this… He knew the signal the Doctor would need and again, he was faced with the question: did he trust the Doctor?
Shutting his eyes tightly, Rory exhaled, long and slow, his body relaxing in the Doctor’s mouth, letting the tongue support him fully, letting his legs be still in the tight throat and letting his arms get squished to him as he just… went limp.
The swallow came with a carnal swiftness Rory hadn’t anticipated.
One second he had been relatively comfortable being held in the Doctor’s mouth, the next everything had gone tight and firm, all the flesh tightening around him. Rory let out a squeal of surprise as he felt gravity change, the angle of the mouth growing steeper and steeper. He trembled as he felt this, praying silently that he had made the right choice as he felt the tongue shift meaningfully under him.
With a rolling wave of muscle and a loud, echoing swallow, Rory yelped as he was crammed backwards towards the throat, his legs and hips forced down the slimy tunnel as the rest of him was squeezed in, slipping down past the soft palate and then tightly smothered in a stretchy, slippery tube.
Rory squirmed blindly in confusion as he was squeezed tightly, feeling that he was being sucked downwards at the same time he was being squeezed downwards. The sensation was very disorienting and he whined in confusion and fear, unable to really make much noise now thanks to how tightly he was being squeezed. He could feel the muscular waves easily forcing him down and down and he shivered at how terribly efficient and easy it all was. The Doctor was having NO trouble with his tiny form.
Rory shivered as he felt a tightness roll up his body, confusing him. No way… He was nowhere NEAR the stomach! Then what…? As he suddenly became aware of a loud thumping noise, he realized with a shiver that he had been drawn into the Doctor’s chest and he was listening to the man’s hearts. They beat loudly around him, each beat thudding into his skull. The four-beat pulse was quick and rapid, but yet… somehow it was oddly soothing. The little man squirmed as he was squeezed down further and further, feeling the heartbeats pounding into his body, disorienting him. Distantly, he could hear breathing, like listening to air rushing through a cave, but he felt dizzy and disoriented, unable to focus and think of more than one thing at a time.
As he slid down past the hearts, things got a little easier for him as he was able to focus. Again, he realized what was going on and he trembled, really, really hoping that in this one particular case, Rule #1 wasn’t true.
When he felt the pressure beginning to roll over his feet, Rory squirmed, a little confused, unsure of what was happening, having lost his sense of position. Where…? As the pressure moved up his feet to his ankles, Rory suddenly realized that his feet could move. His eyes shot open wide as he realized what was going on and he found himself fighting, struggling and panting out half-formed shouts as he tried to escape, trying to claw his way back up the slippery tunnel, even though he knew how pointless it was. In a matter of seconds, Rory felt the tightness roll up from his ankles to his knees to his thighs, stuck slightly on his hips. Gasping, the man kicked and squirmed, feeling his shoes hitting into squishy walls as he struggled, whining quietly, “D-Doctor…?” He looked up in horror as there was another echoing, wet gulp and a second later, another wave of muscle came and crushed him downwards, cramming him into the open and soft chamber with a noisy gurgle.
Rory lay there quietly for a moment, struggling to process what had just happened. He was on his back in a chamber just barely large enough to allow him to lie out flat, but he could feel it was curved under him, forcing his legs to tuck up and yet it actually quite pleasant. Like a hammock almost! The flesh was so soft and yielding, making him feel like he was lying on either the most amazing waterbed in the universe, or maybe even a cloud. The stomach didn’t seem very wide, though, as Rory could see the ceiling was mere inches from his face and he shut his eyes to avoid a feeling of claustrophobia. After a time to calm down, he opened his eyes again, starting to move around a little as he began to explore his surroundings.
Now that his eyes were adjusting to the darkness, Rory could see that all the walls were equally soft looking, wrinkled and creased, allowing for the flesh to stretch without harm to the Doctor. The temperature was also surprising. It wasn’t nearly as hot as Rory had thought it would be. It was even slightly cool, which made it very comfortable for him as his own body heat warmed up the small area…
Panting, Rory looked around again, slowly starting to calm down. He could see that the walls were damp and oozing but he gulped hard and reached upwards, stroking one of the walls. His hand sank into the soft flesh, getting coated with the gooey slime, which felt like greasy liquid-soap. As he withdrew his hand and rubbed the slime between his fingers he realized that he felt nothing… No itching or burning or anything!
For a long time, Rory lay there, trembling quietly in the belly of the Doctor, just letting his mind process the odd situation. Had… Had this really happened? Was he really here? In a time-traveling alien’s stomach, but somehow alive and unharmed? As there was a noisy gurgle and the chamber flexed and churned around him, Rory nodded to himself, affirming that it was true. He shook as he looked up, wondering what was going to happen next.
“Rory?”
The voice echoed around him, rumbling deeply, like thunder, and for a moment, Rory didn’t even gather the meaning of the words. But once they filtered through, he looked up meekly, calling up, “D… Doctor?”
He jumped as he felt an odd pressure against his left side, a pressure that moved up and down and he realized with a quiet horror that he was feeling the Doctor’s hand rubbing at him. “How are you?” came the quiet question.
Rory started to giggle. The question was so simple, but at the same time it seemed just so absurd. He had just been eaten! Swallowed whole and alive! He was in a stomach! How was he feeling?! “I’m… I’m fine!” he burst out with a shaky laugh, feeling weak but feeling okay at the same time.
He felt the pressure thump into his side a few times and knew he was being patted. “Good boy.” the Doctor said, sounding like he was smiling. “Okay, you just relax. Amy’s on her way.”
“Amy?” Rory’s eyes got huge. He scrambled for the wall, shouting, “WAIT! Doctor, wait!” As he felt the pressure return and this time stay, he gulped and then asked, “I… Can I talk to her first?”
As there was silence, Rory was terrified for a moment he would be refused, but then he smiled as the Doctor said, “All right, but do try and keep it short. The concert starts soon.” Chuckling weakly, Rory felt the pressure leave and he was again alone in the soft, squishy chamber, hearing the thundering heartbeats and the rushing of the breathing above him.
“Rory?!”
Rory jumped as he heard the words so close to him and he lunged for the wall as best he could in the small, confined space, pawing at the squishy, slippery flesh as he shouted “Amy!”
He felt a pressure from outside, but a much smaller one and he quickly realized he could distinguish one particular spot and he pushed at it as he heard Amy ask hurriedly, “Oh god, are you okay?”
Panting hard, Rory pressed against the small pressure, knowing he was indirectly touching his wife’s hand, breathing out, “I’m… I’m all right… I think…” He paused as he felt another pressure and he put his second hand up and then pushed his head against the slippery flesh, feeling a third pressure against his forehead and he smiled faintly. “Amy?”
“Yes, it’s me…” she answered gently.
Rory sighed quietly. “Amy…” He didn’t feel so alone any more, knowing his wife was near to him, touching his hands and touching foreheads with him, at least indirectly.
They held this little pose for a while before Amy asked with a playful tone, “You ready for me, stupid?”
Chuckling weakly, Rory agreed. “Yes… I would love some company right now…”
“Okay. You hold tight. I’m on my way…” Rory whimpered softly as the pressure vanished, leaving him alone, but he withdrew, lying down in the soft flesh again, now managing a faint smile.
Maybe this wouldn’t be too bad after all?
The Doctor had to admit he was charmed as he saw the two little humans interacting despite him being in the way. Seeing Amy rest her hands and head on his belly and feeling Rory return the gesture from inside was very cute and the Doctor smiled, letting this happen. Yes, the concert began soon, but they had time to do these small reassurances.
When Amy spoke quietly and then withdrew, the Doctor smiled at her and offered his hand. As she crawled in, he felt again how very light she was. Rory had been slightly heavier, but still so very light. He brought her up to his face, asking with a smile, “You ready, Amelia Pond?”
The tiny woman in his hand nodded, replying, “Yes, but… Doctor? Can… Can you just do it quickly?”
The Doctor paused at this request, asking, “Just…?” He then mimed tipping his head back quickly before looking at her questioningly.
As he felt her shiver, Amy was nodding, saying, “Yeah. That.”
Cradling her gently in his hand, he shrugged and nodded, saying, “Okay, if you’re sure.”
“I am. Thank you.”
The Doctor looked down at the tiny human who was smiling at him and trusting him so explicitly and he felt his hearts warm up. “You’re welcome.” he answered quietly.
Bringing his hand up, the Doctor paused, but then moved to gently grab Amy, holding her the same way as Rory, around the chest and holding her legs with his other hand. With Rory, he had been able to take the time to help the little man relax and accept this, making it easier for him, but Amy wanted it quick… After a few seconds pondering how best to do this, the Doctor got an idea.
Changing his grip, he moved and pinched the back of Amy’s jacket, dangling her in the air like this. She didn’t say anything, just waiting quietly, her legs slightly tucked up in residual nervousness. Smiling gently at her, the Doctor then tipped his head back and lifting her up, held her right over his face. This would be the quickest way to do it… He looked up as saw that Amy was staring down at him, looking concerned, but he wasn’t surprised. Rory had done the same. He kept forgetting how fragile these humans were. They were frightened of everything! Not that that was a bad thing though. It made them be very careful!
Giving her a smile, the Doctor then took in a slow breath, seeing that Amy was using it as a countdown. The instant he started to open his mouth, she had shut her eyes, hugging herself tightly. The Doctor lowered her in swiftly, keeping his throat relaxed as her feet and legs squeezed inside easily. She was thinner than Rory was, and in no time, the Doctor was able to release her and shut his mouth, enveloping her in darkness.
For a moment, as he waited for Amy to catch her breath, the Doctor mused on the sensations, smiling faintly. Rory was lying quietly inside, just large enough to give the Doctor a nicely full belly. The man was quite heavy and had been rough to get down with his shoulders, but it had certainly been worth it, especially as he had spilled into the Doctor’s empty belly, stretching it out delightfully. Reaching a hand, the Doctor brushed his fingers against his shirt, feeling the warm body tucked away underneath, smiling. Humans were quite warm to him and Rory did feel very hot, but as the man was relaxing, his body temperature was dropping a few degrees, becoming more comfortable for the Doctor to handle. As he brushed at his belly, he smiled, musing that it was really quite a special feeling to feel that Rory wasn’t panicking and was just… being quiet and relaxed. And as he felt Amy’s shaking slowly cease, the Doctor felt the sensation get even stronger. They were both frightened, but still trusted him so much, with their very being.
However, he knew he had to be quick and after a few moments for Amy to calm down, the Doctor jerked his head back as he gulped strongly, shivering a little as he felt the warm little body get drawn into his throat so very easily, pushed and pulled downwards by efficient and powerful muscles and before he knew it, his mouth was empty as he felt a warm little bulge moving down his neck. He managed to touch at his neck and felt the small body moving slightly under his skin. He gulped again, giving a shiver as the small body slipped into his chest, once again giving him the odd sensation that his hearts and lungs were being shifted and moved aside to allow passage. Idly, he was glad he had loosened his bowtie in advance, as he was sure it would have made things uncomfortably tight.
He couldn’t help a small chuckle as Rory suddenly started to move a bit more now, shifting in place and squirming around. Clearly, he knew that Amy was on the way! The Doctor allowed himself a smile at the oddly nice sensations, gulping again to help Amy go down faster. After a few seconds, he felt that pressure on top of his belly. With a guilty smile, he placed his hand on his stomach and swallowed firmly.
With a soft little wet gurgle, the Doctor sighed heavily as the pressure eased as Amy was crammed into his belly, causing his stomach to round out against his hand with the presence of the two humans. He had figured that would happen. One human this size was a nice meal, but two WAS a bit much for his slim form… But as he felt his stomach stretch but felt no pain from it, he felt sure he could handle it. But how were they doing? He could feel they were both squirming and moving a lot and he had to admit it felt… well, delicious! He licked his lips as he waited for them to settle, noting that he could taste their residual flavor, an odd flavor he could only describe as a mix of meaty and salty and musky, but not too terrible at all!
After a few moments, the Doctor let out a soft little moan of delight as the humans seemed to find the perfect pose, settled together in a big, heavy lump. His stomach growled in irritation around this large, indigestible hunk of living bone and meat, but the Doctor ignored it as he touched lightly at his belly, feeling the bulge under his shirt, grinning as he asked, “And how are we doing now, Ponds? Better?”
When Amy had come in, it had been a little awkward as they had tried to get sorted and settled, but soon they had managed to get Rory lying on his back and Amy lay on top of him, her head resting on his upper chest. This position worked very well and after a long hug, glad to see each other again, they looked at each other… and started to laugh. Their position was so outlandish and insane and crazy and disgusting and weird and gross that it was suddenly the funniest thing in the world to them!
When their laughter petered out, Rory sighed as he gave Amy another kiss, tilting her head up. She was happy to comply and held his face gently, both of them feeling the slime around them, but ignoring it. After separating, Amy settled to rest on top of her husband, turning to lay her ear on his chest, hearing his breathing and heartbeats, feeling his arms gently holding her to him as they just lay there quietly for a few moments, just… settling.
Rory used a hand to idly rub at Amy’s back as she stared out around them, seeing the soft, squishy walls, feeling the ceiling of the stomach pressing down on her. As she lay there, she found herself thinking back to the space whale, how soft the tongue had felt and she smiled, realizing that the Doctor’s belly felt infinitely softer. Not to mention much cleaner in comparison! Yes, things were slimy and slippery, but not nearly as much as she had been expecting. She squirmed a little, feeling that together, they stretched the Doctor’s belly quite a bit, but it wasn’t uncomfortably tight. They were just very close indeed. As they heard the Doctor speak to them, they just smiled, Rory calling up, “Much better now…” and making Amy giggle as he kissed the top of her head.
Amy blinked as she felt a gentle pressure against their sides and she smiled, realizing the Doctor was checking up on them. His rubs were careful and gentle and his voice was cheerful as he spoke, “Okay, good! I’m going to stand up and go find ‘our’ seats, so be ready for that!”
The two looked at each other, Rory murmuring, “Ready HOW?”
Amy and Rory then went still as they felt things shifting around them, like being in a lift. They felt their stomachs drop as they felt themselves rise, but soon the rising motion stopped and they felt nothing happen for a time. They lay there a little nervously, wondering what was going on, blind and deaf to the outside world, only able to hear the Doctor.
The Doctor gave a soft sigh of content as he stood up, stretching a bit. He looked down at himself, blushing slightly. The bulge was pretty visible now, pushing out at his button-down shirt and he touched at it again, still finding it amazing that under his shirt and flesh, little Amelia and Rory Pond were tucked away, safe and relaxed. He grinned as he straightened his jacket and then used the mirror in the room to button his shirt and redo his bowtie, smiling a little to himself and he felt it sort of symbolized how he was sealing them inside his body. Not forever, of course. He would let them out after the concert, if they asked. He wouldn’t dream of keeping someone there if they wanted out and it was possible to let them out!
But if they wanted to stay… Well, he certainly didn’t have any protests against that!
As he got himself cleaned up, the Doctor grinned as he combed his hair with his fingers before he left the room, grinning as he felt the weight of the humans tugging at his belly as he walked. It was an oddly pleasant sensation and he grinned as he followed the hallway, nodding at various beings that he recognized, noting with a smile that he wasn’t the only one with a tummy bulge. Getting into the theater, he smiled as he found he had been given one of the best box seats and he made a mental note to thank the ticket-seller.
Looking around the small balcony, he noticed several different kinds of chairs, meant to accommodate several different species and he smirked as he chose a soft chair. To all intents and purposes, it looked like a pink bean-bag chair from Earth, but as the Doctor sank into the soft, slightly warm material, he knew it was SOOO much better.
Leaning back like this, he could feel the weight of the humans resting deliciously on his spine and innards, making his nerves tingle a little whenever they moved or shifted around. He rested his hand on his belly again, kneading at them gently, smiling as he felt them hesitantly and then more confidently respond in turn, pushing at his hand and at the walls around them. He was careful to be aware of their motions though, but was glad to feel that none of their motions were panicked or frightened or tense. They were a little confused still, but not frightened, which was the most important thing.
As he kept kneading, the Doctor grinned as they started to move around more energetically, focusing on certain areas of his belly and he faintly heard muffled laughter and he chucked as he realized they were trying to tickle him! He changed to a few fingertips, prodding at them specifically, chuckling as he heard quiet laughter, commenting softly, “Oh, don’t even try playing that game, Amelia! I’ll win!”
Amy was crying with laughter as the Doctor somehow expertly continued to tickle her and Rory was laughing too hard to be of much help. The humans squirmed and thrashed, trying to find room to escape or move in the tight fleshy confines, but after a while, the Doctor let them be, his chuckles rumbling around them as Rory and Amy panted hard, giggling from time to time.
When they had calmed down, Amy murmured finally, “How are you, Mr. Pond?”
Rory chuckled, replying, “Doing good. And you, Mrs. Pond?”
“Mm, good.” Amy cuddled to Rory’s chest again, sighing as she felt him nuzzle the top of her head.
After a time of quiet, Rory murmured, “It’s weird this, isn’t it?”
“But it’s not… too terrible.” Amy added, surprised at her own admission.
“No, not really.” Rory agreed. “Slimy and gross and… ICK…” he chuckled. “But not too terrible.”
Amy smiled. “Rory?”
“Hmm?” He tilted his head to look at her and she looked up and as she opened her mouth, he spoke as well, both of them saying “Love you.” at the same time. Smiling, they came together for another kiss, cuddling close and just… feeling so oddly safe and at peace. They felt like for once, they were safe. No aliens were coming to destroy the planet, they weren’t in danger, they weren’t running for their lives… They were in a private room, getting ready to listen to a concert!
They both blinked as they felt the rubs against them again, the Doctor saying excitedly, “Oh, the concert’s going to start soon! They are going to do a sound-test first. Tell me how you feel.”
Giving Amy a look, Rory shrugged as he relaxed, trying to hear above the noises of the Doctor’s body and therefore he was suddenly shocked as he heard a soft sudden tune that sounded like it was from a woodwind instrument clear as a bell, cutting through the flesh and gurgles and heartbeats and breathing. He gasped in shock, the sound making him somehow feel that he was a strong breeze, his breath sucked from his body in a way that wasn’t scary, but instead was exhilarating!
As he panted in shock, and felt Amy squirm in surprise, another sound came, this time perhaps from a pipe-organ? This sound cut through to his bones, making him feel heavy and warm, like he could melt into a puddle of goo and be perfectly happy with it.
One more test came, and this one was a small band, with a singer singing something Rory couldn’t understand, an instrument that sounded like a combination of an oboe and a tuba, and a stringed instrument like a giant cello. It made the man squirm in confusion, his mind overblown as it suddenly seemed to him that he was on a beach, in the warm sunshine and hearing the ocean nearby, the sand soft under his body.
The Doctor chuckled as he felt the humans thrash in surprise at the effect of the sound waves on their little brains and he chuckled fondly as after the test ended and the concert started to properly get set up, he could feel them panting hard, confused by what had just happened. He rested his hand overtop them again, rubbing gently as he murmured, “Breathe… Just relax…”
“The… The hell… was that?” Amy gasped out finally.
“The sound-test of the concert.” the Doctor said, chuckling as Rory and Amy were so weak and disoriented. He kneaded at them gently, chuckling as his belly growled again, saying, “I’ll let you know when it properly starts, so you can prepare yourselves.”
Rory gasped in huge lungfuls of air, feeling winded, gasping out, “I… I’m going to melt…”
The Doctor laughed, saying, “Well, it’s a good thing you’re in a water-tight chamber then, isn’t it?” He paused as he felt them gasping and he questioned gently, “Do you still want us to stay?”
The emphatic “YES!” he got from both of them at once made the Doctor smile happily and he relaxed in his chair, kneading at them as he said gently, “Good… You enjoy yourselves then…” He smiled, adding, “The curtain’s going up…”
The concert lasted for several hours and the Doctor enjoyed every second of it. It had gotten even better from when he had last visited and he had let himself get lost in the wonderful music and singing, his mind drifting as he felt his body floating at times, swimming at others, turned into mere wind, viewing all the universe at once, focusing everything on a single grain of sand, traveling through black holes, eating cotton candy [candy floss], discovering deep ocean secrets, playing with friends and a multitude of other wonderful experiences.
However, about halfway through, an intermission began, giving everyone about half an hour break. The Doctor stretched in his bean-bag chair, sighing happily. The intermission was to allow rest for the performers, but also to give any of the fragile species a chance to gather their heads a bit. As the lights in the theater brightened slowly to avoid shocking anyone, the Doctor smiled as he rubbed lightly at his belly, calling gently, “Amy? Rory? You still alive?” For a few moments, he didn’t get much of an answer, just little quiet mumbles and murmurs, but he didn’t worry. He could feel them breathing and felt their weak little movements and he chuckled, rubbing at them gently. He had known this would happen. This concert was often quite overwhelming!
As he got an idea, the Doctor carefully sat up, saying as he felt some slightly more collected movements, “You two just relax. It’s intermission, so I’m just getting a little palate cleanser.”
Rory blinked blearily, hardly understanding what the Doctor was saying. He felt all weak and shaky, but in an oddly good way! The way you felt weak after a good exercise period. He squirmed slightly in place and felt Amy move as well, also coming back to her senses now that the music had stopped. She rubbed her head a bit, questioning quietly, “Nnmm… wha’s ‘appenin’?”
As he rubbed at her back, Rory fought to form words, answering slowly, “Doctor’s… getting a… a thing…” Amy made a noncommittal noise at this and relaxed on top of him again, letting out a heavy sigh. Rory did the same a moment later, just relaxing and letting his mind drift.
The concert had been amazing so far. With every single new note or lyric, he had felt like his body was moving from place to place, either peaceful beaches or forest, to places that were exhilaratingly frightening, like edges of black holes, or the rim of a super volcano. Yet despite everything, he felt safe and well-looked after, and the mix of sensations was just so confusing but wonderful, making his body feel like it was having a serious work-out of some kind.
As they suddenly became aware of an odd sound, Amy looked upwards, asking quietly, “What’s he…?” Rory frowned as well, curious, but then suddenly both humans shouted in surprise as a warm liquid suddenly invaded their little space, dousing them utterly.
This snapped them back to their near-complete senses immediately and both of them began to writhe and thrash, Amy shouting up peevishly, “Doctor! What was that for?!”
As they felt pressure against their sides, they knew that the Doctor was rubbing at them again, saying, “I told you; palate-cleanser. Well, technically, it’s not a ‘palate’-cleanser, per say, as it affects your nervous and auditory systems more than--”
“Doctor!” Rory gave as good a kick as he could manage in the small space, glaring upwards. “Why?!”
The Doctor grumbled a little as he felt the tiny kick, rubbing ruefully at the spot with a fingertip, commenting, “You know, kicking doesn’t solve all your problems, Rory.”
There was another little kick as the man shouted up, “It does right now! Now what is this stuff?” There was a moment when both humans went still, clearly taking a closer look at the liquid that had joined them.
The Doctor smiled, saying simply, “It’s a palate-cleanser, like I said. It kind of refreshes your brain so you’re not entirely overwhelmed. Gives your little nervous systems a good break before the second half of the concert, which is much more intense.”
Amy blinked as she reached out a hand towards the liquid that had joined them, curious. The Doctor hadn’t drunk very much fortunately and while Rory was forced to lie in it, it wasn’t that deep, maybe only a few inches or so. Amy had also been coated as it had come in and the humans were now realizing that this wasn’t normal liquid. It felt thick, almost like a smoothie, but it was nice and warm to the touch. It also had a very pleasant scent to it, kind of like honey dew or some other kind of melon. They couldn’t tell the color of the liquid thanks to the darkness around them, but somehow Amy would have guessed that--
“Why does it… FEEL blue?” Rory questioned, also dipping a hand into the warm liquid, wriggling his fingers in it curiously, noting its odd, thick texture.
Staring at him in surprise, Amy nodded. “I don’t know, but it does!”
As they played with the liquid again, they started to notice that their skin was… tingling.
Instantly panicking slightly, Rory grabbed Amy tightly while she shouted up, “Doctor?! DOCTOR!”
“Hmm?” came the relaxed reply.
“Doctor, it’s tingling!” Amy shouted up nervously.
“Which ISN’T good thing!” Rory added, recalling Amy’s earlier words about the Doctor not realizing certain fragile aspects of humanity.
The Doctor seemed to scoff. “Of course it’s a good thing!” he replied to them briskly. “That’s the fun bit!” There came another pat against their sides. “Now, will you calm down and enjoy this?” He then paused, as if realizing and then added quietly, “I promise it’s safe. It’s just doing that whole nerve-cleansing I mentioned before. It just happens to affect all your nerves, including touch. Everything’s fine.”
The two humans settled quietly after hearing this, waiting to see if the Doctor was telling the truth, but as the tingling eased over time and their heads cleared up fully now, they both smiled, realizing that things WERE all right…
…and then they both let out shouts of indignant surprise as they were showered again.
As he finished his complimentary drink, the Doctor couldn’t help a mischievous smile as he felt the humans writhing again, shouting at him crossly for not warning them, making his stomach clench and squeeze them, prompting even more shouts and squirms. It did feel amazing to feel them moving like that inside, the sensation so bizarre, but so wonderful!
But after a while, the Doctor knew he had to tone things down and he returned the empty cup to the staff before he starting heading back to his seat, saying with a chuckle, “Okay, okay, no, I’m done now, I promise.” He gingerly settled back down in his chair, smiling guiltily again as he felt Amy and Rory squirm to get comfortable again with the new angle, still grumbling at him a bit but not overly upset anymore.
As he relaxed in the chair, rubbing lightly at his belly, he smiled as Amy and Rory slowly settled back down, going quiet, but quiet little murmurs showed that they were talking together. The Doctor sighed heavily, grinning as he let his eyes close, just enjoying the moment.
Shifting in place, Amy reached a hand behind her head and grabbing a handful of hair, squeezed it while muttering, “Ugh, I need a shower after this is all done.”
“No arguments there.” Rory replied, lifting a hand to wipe his face, frowning as this did practically nothing to actually clear any of the slime. He shook his hand and relaxed again, just… going still. The stomach had become a bit more active around them, but oddly enough, he found it kind of nice. The muscular waves had a nice massage-like effect on him, running down his back in a soothing rhythm. In addition, the liquid was slowly draining away, making it a little easier to cope with the tight confines, but at the same time, the tingling wasn’t that terrible at all.
Reaching up, he wrapped his arms around Amy and hugged her tightly, tucking her head under his chin as he held this hug for a moment before relaxing. She tilted her head up. “And what was that for?”
He smiled. “Just felt like it.” Amy chuckled and shifted to give him a kiss before relaxing on his chest again.
They had a good ten minutes of this companionable, contented silence and it was actually more relaxing than both wanted to admit. They could hear the sounds of the Doctor all around them, but oddly enough… it wasn’t too terrible. The breathing was a calm, steady rushing noise that gave the rough, distant illusion of listening to wind blowing through trees. The heartbeats were loud and steady, the rhythm a little surprising at first, but now that they were more relaxed, the four-beat pulse was rather pleasant, reminding them that they weren’t alone. They had the Doctor looking out for them. Even when they would hear a gurgle or groan from deeper in the Doctor’s digestive track, they ignored the slightly unsettling noises, focusing on the good parts.
As they relaxed, Rory looked up as the Doctor spoke to them, saying, “Oh, the intermission is ending! Part two is about to start! You two ready for this?”
The Doctor sounded SO excited, like a child eager to share his favorite toy with a friend, and the two humans laughed, Amy responding, “Yes, Doctor, we’re ready.” She looked to Rory, asking quietly, “ARE we ready?” recalling how utterly helpless the first act had left them.
Rory smiled and nodded, cuddling her close. “Yeah, I think so.”
As the first distant strains of music came to them, the humans sighed heavily, relaxing and surrendering to the odd music.
The Doctor hugely enjoyed the latter half of the concert, really enjoying the new pieces and singers and performers, and everything had just gone perfectly! So many sensations! He felt like he had visited icy cold beaches, blistering hot arctic tundra, the windy and cloudy upper reaches of gas giants and even the highly pressurized diamond core of far away planets.
When the last strain of music faded away, the entire theater was filled with quiet, but thrilled applause. Everyone was just too stunned to be louder or more energetic, and this was the highest praise the band could ask for, taking their bows happily before they curtains fell and everyone began to slowly leave the theater.
Sighing happily, the Doctor grinned, glad they had come, but he smiled, glancing down at himself.
Despite all his enjoyment, he was careful of his passengers, his hand having never strayed far from his belly during the last bit of the concert. He could feel that the humans had truly gotten some serious enjoyment from the concert and the Doctor could only wonder what was going through their heads. At some songs, they had been dead still and barely breathing, but in others, they had squirmed like they were trying to burrow out of him, and in yet others, he had felt them cuddling tightly into a heavy lump, trembling.
Idly, the Doctor found himself rather curious about what Amy and Rory had thought of the concert, since they had obviously never been to one like this! He kneaded at his belly gently, saying, “Amy? Rory, how are you two doing?” He wasn’t surprised to get no answer, and just kept kneading, eventually getting a sleepy ‘mmrrph’ noise out of Rory. He smiled, saying again, “How are you doing?”
Rory blinked blearily, so confused. The Doctor had been right. The second half on the concert HAD been much more intense! He felt like he had just seen everything in creation, but had seen nothing at all. He felt so exhausted, like he could sleep for a year. It didn’t help that the chamber they were in was slightly cool, which meant their raised body temperatures made it absolutely perfect for sleeping and he had to fight to keep his eyes open. He squirmed weakly, feeling Amy lying on him limply, moaning softly. As the Doctor spoke, Rory couldn’t make words, his brain too muddled to piece sounds together like that, and he could only managed a grunt of a noise.
The Doctor chuckled, asking with a playfully childish tone, “Do you two need a lil nap?”
Nodding weakly, Rory cuddled Amy close, who made a soft little ‘mmm’ noise.
As he heard the Doctor laugh softly, he sighed as he felt the warm, friendly, safe rubs against him as the giant Doctor said softly, “Sleep then, Ponds. I’ll take it from here.”
Hardly able to understand the words, Rory only made a little ‘mmmff’ noise and soon passed out, Amy already sound asleep on top of him.
The Doctor smiled as he got up carefully from his chair and as he stretched a little, he touched at his belly again, feeling the heavy weight of the two sleeping humans. He blushed again, feeling how limp they were. They were sleeping. They had actually gone to SLEEP in his belly. By their own choice! He stroked at the bulge visible through his shirt, smiling fondly as he felt his hearts warm and thud heavily in his chest. With a chuckle, he noted to himself that he would have to ask for their thoughts on the concert later.
Making his way out of the theater, he stopped off at the ticket counter to thank the being for the wonderful experience and then made his way to his TARDIS, smiling as he saw that everyone else leaving the concert had similar expressions of relaxation and contentedness. As he unlocked the TARDIS and climbed in, he grinned as he bypassed the center console and went right to his bedroom. He had no urge to leave right now, knowing that the concert hall was a safe place, with violence being forbidden, and it was encouraged that visitors to the concert remain for a rest afterwards, to avoid any accidents. Either way, practically nothing could hurt the TARDIS, so the Doctor felt safe with staying parked here for a while to rest.
As he got into his room, the Doctor smiled as he carefully crawled to lie on his bed, feeling too warm to bother with the covers right now. As he relaxed on the familiar sheets, he smiled as he felt Rory and Amy were still limp inside, but he felt them breathing.
Resting his hand on them gently, the Doctor sighed heavily as he started to let himself drift off to sleep, musing with a faint smile that maybe Rory and Amy would be interested in next year’s concert?
He smirked to himself as he finally drifted off, his hand still resting on his belly, indirectly on top of Rory and Amy, who slept calmly and happily.
END