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You couldn’t sleep.
You twisted and turned in bed and squeezed your eyes shut, but it was hopeless. Sleep wasn’t impossible on the Tardis. In fact, sometimes the bumpiness and strange humming of its mechanics lulled you, but when your insomnia hit, it just became another roadblock.
You sighed, pushing the blankets off and sitting up. You couldn’t see the point in wasting another hour staring at the ceiling and counting forty more sheep.
You yawned and made your way out of the room, blinking at the bright lights of the hallway as you wandered towards the main area.
You wiped the non-existent sleep out of your eyes and leaned over the railing. You looked around for the Doctor and quickly spotted him hunched over the control panel.
His sharp brows were drawn close together as he poured over some kind of device. The space around him was littered with papers, wires, and mechanical junk that you didn’t know the name of.
He grunted and muttered quietly to himself as he pointed his sonic screwdriver at the thing, huffing when it made a strange noise. He tossed it to the side, grumbling.
He put his face in his hands, sighing heavily, “Why do I bother? It’s no use.”
You walked over to him and gently touched his shoulder, causing him to flinch and spin around to face you.
You gasped as he frantically pointed the sonic screwdriver at your head, sighing again once he realized it was you. The fight drained out of him and he leaned against the console.
“How many times have I told you not to do that??”
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.”
He ran his hands through his silvery hair, “What are you even doing up? It’s well past midnight for you.”
“I couldn’t sleep…” you said, rubbing your eyes again as you looked at the mess around him. You poked at a pile of rubbish with your foot. “What is all this?”
He stood up and gently grabbed your shoulder, guiding you out of the room and back to the hallway.
“Nothing that concerns you, now go back to bed.”
“I can’t, Doctor,” you said, breaking out of his hold, “Besides, there’s no point in trying when it gets this bad.”
“...’This bad?’”
You sighed, wrapping your arms around yourself as you turned to him. You hadn’t told him about your sleep issues before, but it didn’t really matter. The Doctor always had a way of noticing things that others missed, including your bouts of yawning and your “secret” hobby of roaming around the Tardis after you said you’d go to sleep.
He’d never asked about any of it, but he would always corral you back to your room anyway, always making sure you were back in bed before leaving you alone again.
This time, though, you weren’t having it.
“My insomnia. If I go back like this, I’ll just end up lying in the dark for hours doing nothing.”
The Doctor nodded and smiled to himself, no doubt feeling confident now that his theory about your sleep problems had been confirmed.
He gave your shoulder a squeeze, “Insomnia, right. Suppose it can’t be helped then, though I’m not sure I can entertain you right now, I’m busy.”
“With what? Seemed to me like you could use a break, too,” you said, hopping over to the console and peeking at what he was working on.
You caught a glimpse of the device and the mess of notes and schematics all around it. Most of it looked like gibberish and scribbles, but one page had a diagram of a crystal in the center of it, surrounded by a collection of frantic notes and equations.
You moved to get a closer look just as the Doctor rushed in and blocked your view.
“Hey, I was looking at that!”
He gathered the papers and the device in a hurried mess, “I told you, I’m a bit busy. An important project--the flexicore of this thing needs to be tuned with its heat vortex, terribly boring.”
“You just made that up, didn’t you?”
“Was hoping you’d be too tired to notice,” he mumbled, dumping the mess into some random corner of the Tardis, “It doesn’t concern you, that’s all.”
You sighed, crossing your arms over your chest. Usually you’d protest or keep prodding for more information, but this time you couldn’t be bothered. It was the fourth night without proper sleep and the last thing you needed was to listen to the Doctor’s absurd explanations and excuses.
“Fine, but it looked like it was stressing you out--”
“Well it isn’t anymore, and anyway, we have to deal with your little sleep problem.”
“We? And it’s not a ‘little’ problem, Doctor, it’s a disorder. It can’t be helped that easily.”
“There’s no harm in trying,” he said, rushing back to the Tardis console and pressing a bunch of buttons in quick succession.
“What are you doing?” you asked.
He leaned away from the controls, looking at you with a surprisingly gentle and patient smile. He paused before speaking in that soft tone he used sometimes, like he was relaying a careful but important message.
“It’s gotten worse lately, hasn’t it? Your insomnia?”
You frowned, “How…”
“I wanna help, in whatever way I can. I’m The Doctor, after all--”
“Yeah but you’re not a doctor, so what could you really do?”
“Keep you company, for starters. That’s what you came here for in the first place, right?” he said, watching you intently and smiling when recognition crossed your face, “Come on, I've got something brilliant to show you."
He went back to pressing buttons and flipping switches, the Tardis rumbling and beeping.
You stood at his side and held onto the edge of the control panel as the engine shuddered and hummed, taking off into the time vortex.
You gathered your bearings while it flew, turning back to the Doctor.
"It's not New New York, is it? Those cat nurses are clever but I doubt they can cure insomnia that easily."
"No, not New New York--someplace calmer, less crowded, more quiet. Although--” his eyebrows knit together and he blinked, “Consulting the Sisters of Plenitude might be a good idea, too.”
“Ugh, please, no, Doctor.”
“Oh don’t worry, I’m not changing our course on a whim,” he said, rolling his eyes and walking away from the console.
“Shouldn’t you focus on flying this thing?” you asked. You’d long since become accustomed to the machine, but it didn’t make the occasional “turbulence” any easier to deal with.
He waved his hand dismissively as he went down the stairs, muttering something about “autopilot” as you overheard him digging through the Tardis compartments.
You gathered your bearings and followed after him.
“Doctor, what--”
“Shhh, here,” he said, rushing over and shoving a small milk carton into your hands.
You turned it over. A plastic straw was attached to its side, the front painted with a large image of a yellow-spotted cow chewing on a banana.
You looked at him for an explanation, but all he did was nod and smile proudly, as if he’d just brought you the perfect cure.
He pointed at the carton, “Banana milk. Warm.”
“...Where did you even get this?” you asked, shaking your head as the Tardis translated the Nutrition Facts in real time.
He frowned, “Korea, obviously. You’re welcome, by the way.”
“How is it already warm?”
The Tardis landed a moment later with a familiar wheezing groan, shuddering gently as it came to a full stop.
The Doctor waved his hands dismissively, “Just be grateful that it is. Now come on, I’ve got more than just that to show you.”
“Wait, but I’m in my pajamas--”
“Oh nobody cares about that, and it’s not like it’s that different from what you usually wear.”
“Hey!”
The Doctor sighed, turning to you with a gentle expression. He touched your shoulder.
“Don’t worry about your clothes, all right? There won’t be anyone around to see you, I promise.”
“Ugh, fine, but if I get cold out there, you owe me your coat!” you said, following after him as he made his way to the doors.
You held onto the banana milk as you both stepped outside, your breath catching in your throat as you took in the scene around you.
A vibrant, warm sunrise bloomed in front of you, but not an Earthly one.
The sun was pastel pink and huge, taking up a massive portion of the sky as it seemed to rise out of the planet’s ocean. Its light warmed your skin and casted everything in a kaleidoscope of colors, from orange, to yellow, to a violet-like color, as if playing on a loop.
“What do you think?” asked the Doctor, a smile in his voice, “It’s not too bright out here, is it?”
“No no, not at all! It’s…well, it’s beautiful,” you said, still holding onto the milk carton as the Doctor led you down the hill towards a tree nearby.
You settled underneath it, your eyes never leaving the horizon as you watched this strange planet’s sun put on its daily display.
“I thought you might like it, all those colors. Something to look at that isn’t a plain, dark room.”
You smiled at him, the light framing his face in a way that made each line and crease more dramatic and distinct, like a living painting. Even his silvery curls looked metallic, reflecting the colors off of each looping strand and shining like a polished coin. You never wanted to forget it, your eyes tracing and memorizing every single detail.
At least, until he turned to you and caught your gaze, a gentle smirk sneaking onto his face. You looked away, staring down at the milk carton while your cheeks burned.
“It’s a nice change of scenery, that’s for sure,” you muttered, sighing softly, “Thank you.”
He stayed quiet, though you could feel his gaze lingering on you.
A beat of silence passed between the two of you as you slowly looked back towards the sunrise, once again watching the light play across the landscape with a small smile.
A gentle breeze blew past you, causing a shiver to go through your body. You curled into yourself, the cold breeze a sharp contrast to the warmth of the sun.
The Doctor glanced at you.
He tapped the milk carton in your hands, “Drink it. Should help.”
You rolled your eyes, but began opening the milk and its matching straw anyway.
“What would really help is your coat, but fine,” you said, reluctantly taking a sip of the milk, your eyes widening a little at the taste.
Despite the chill, the milk was still nice and warm, smooth and silky in texture. A hint of vanilla lingered in the background, but it balanced well with the sweet and mellow banana flavor that dominated the drink. You hummed in delight.
You went to speak, turning to the Doctor just as he pulled off his coat and gently draped it over your shoulders, pulling it snugly around your frame.
He smiled softly, “A deal’s a deal, right?”
You nodded, the words sticking to your throat as you gingerly took another sip of banana milk. Your chest flooded with warmth, but you told yourself that it was thanks to the drink and not the velvet-lined jacket wrapped around you that smelled way too much of the Doctor.
You looked back to the sunrise and sighed, a yawn finally forcing its way out of your mouth.
You sat in silence and admired the scene together, the breeze passing through the leaves and the distant crashing of waves being the only sounds between you.
The Doctor leaned against the tree and cleared his throat, breaking the silence as he started rambling about the planet you were on and why its sun was so special.
“It’s a mystery, or it was before I showed up, but it’s actually quite simple--do you see the way the infrared light reflects off the surface of the water?” he asked, pointing out towards the ocean, “That moves through the atmosphere and creates a mixture--”
You leaned your head against his shoulder, blinking slowly as his deep, gravelly voice washed over you like a balm. In the back of your mind, you wondered if he was making things up again, but you couldn’t have cared less.
You scooted closer, leaning into him more as your eyelids drooped, your grip on the milk carton loosening.
“Are you listening? This is fascinating stuff, you know!” he said with a grin in his voice.
You nodded, yawning, “I’m listening, I’m listening, keep going.”
You closed your eyes, pulling his coat tighter around you.
You heard him scoff, imagining him rolling his eyes and shaking his head at you, but when he spoke, the grin still colored his voice.
“Sure, why not. Right, where was I? Ah, the ocean is composed of small particles of glass.”
You smiled to yourself as you listened to him, not catching any of the words but enjoying it anyway. His voice, like the hums and aches of the Tardis, slowly lulled you to sleep.
You hardly noticed it when he finally stopped, distantly registering his sigh and the shuffling of his body.
You felt his arm wrap around you and pull you closer. He leaned his head against yours, and though he’d deny it the second you woke up, you could’ve sworn his lips touched your forehead.
“Sleep well, my dear.”