Work Text:
Write something for these gays lmao, lol what
"Aww, poor Giuliano," Sarah says, "he looks so wistful," and that decides his mind.
For the past few days after dealing with the Helix energy, he had been thinking about it.
Giuliano has such an inquisitive mind, such thirst for knowledge, and to the Doctor, it reminds him of, well himself really.
"What would you think, if he were to travel with us?"
"Oh come off it," Sarah says disbelieving.
He understands that.
He hasn't offered anyone else a chance to travel since Harry.
"I'm serious, Sarah," he says beaming.
Sarah beams back.
"Well, go on then, ask him," she says.
And that's what he does.
*
Giuliano looks at the departing Doctor and Sarah, and wonders at the strange blue contraption they stand besides.
That is to be their means of travel?
The Doctor is a strange man, he thinks.
But Doctor is no longer standing there, he is coming back towards him.
"Come along, Giuliano, I want to show you something."
Giuliano, curious as always, follows.
Follows the Doctor to Sarah, and the strange blue box.
Sarah opens the door and enters.
"Well, come on in," she says smiling.
Bemused, Giuliano follows.
And then stops.
He was certain it was just a small box, fit for two people to stand in, just a second ago.
He steps back.
His eyes are not deceiving him.
It still looks like the small box he had just seen.
He steps forward again.
How is this possible?
The interior of the box is enormous.
And strange looking.
Very strange.
He is a man of science, he does not believe in superstitious nonsense, but he trusts his eyes, and he has trusted the Doctor.
And he had seen things already, that just a few weeks ago, he would've balked at.
This is no different, he reasons.
Belatedly he realizes that his mouth has been hanging open for a while.
He shuts it, in embarrassment.
Sarah stands by the walls that have round alcoves, smiling.
"Welcome to the TARDIS, Giuliano."
He does not know what to say.
She looks at him and asks.
"So, what do you think?"
"Intus maius est."
It is the first thought that comes to his mind.
"Ita est."
Doctor says from behind him.
"You must have questions," Doctor beams at him.
Giuliano does.
So many.
He does not know which to ask.
"This is a spaceship," Sarah takes pity on him, "it travels the stars."
Giuliano stares, it sounds preposterous.
Nevertheless.
"You are right, Giuliano," she continues, "the world really is a sphere."
And that.
That grounds him.
This is something he has believed.
"It is?" he asks delighted.
Sarah nods.
"We don't just travel the stars," Doctor says, "but time as well."
And well, Giuliano is not grounded anymore.
"If you so wish, you can travel with us."
And now Giuliano needs Marco to ground him.
"Whenever you tire of traveling, you can come back here, just at the moment you left."
It all sounds so ridiculous, but Giuliano realizes that he is considering Doctor's words.
Still.
"Can Marco, come with?"
Because Giuliano needs Marco.
Sarah gives him a knowing look, he doesn't understand.
And Marco needs care for his injuries, if this impossiblity exists in this box, surely within it must be something that can make Marco feel better.
"Of course he can," Doctor says.
And so stepping out to the world that makes more sense, Giuliano goes back to the person that understands him the most.
*
Marco paces the room, quietly.
He is not agitated.
Giuliano is fine.
He has just gone to see off the strange Doctor and Sarah.
Giuliano is fine.
Marco paces the room.
There is so much to do still.
His bandages have soaked through again.
Marco is fine.
Giuliano is fine.
The door to the room opens and Marco lets out a relieved breath.
"Sire," he says.
"Come with me, Marco," Giuliano says.
And Marco follows Giuliano as he always would.
*
"Are you feeling well, Marko?" Giuliano asks as they step outside the castle.
After weeks of treatment by the court physician.
There's a hint of worry still in his words.
And Marco's heart beats faster.
"I am well, sire," he says.
Giuliano as always does not believe him.
And Marco does not mind, if it means that Giuliano will look his way again.
*
They ride their horses, alone this time.
Giuliano had asked his guards to stay.
They wouldn't have followed that order, had Giuliano not had Marco with him.
Marco will protect him.
Always will.
On the way, Giuliano tells him about what Doctor had asked him.
He knows he should protest, he wants to say that this is unlike him, that he just became a Duke.
But something stays his tongue.
Perhaps, it is the look on the face of Giuliano.
So earnest.
Eager.
Curious.
And then Marko thinks, this is so very like Giuliano after all.
*
Marco sits inside a blue box, wide eyed.
TARDIS, Sarah had called it.
This is impossible.
But he has seen much that is, these past weeks.
He looks to Giuliano, who is looking a little lost, but so hopeful still.
Marco's heart beats faster.
And he understands why Giuliano asked for him to be here.
He squeezes his hand.
"Doctor, do you have something in here that can heal Marco's injuries?" Giuliano asks.
"Oh, of course," Doctor says, and he and Sarah leads them further inside the impossibility.
And he realizes maybe he doesn't understand after all.
*
Doctor lays Marco down some contraption, saying it will heal him soon enough.
What he means, he does not know.
But Giuliano trusts him, and Marco trusts Giuliano.
Besides Doctor has helped them plenty by now.
He nods.
Giuliano carefully removes his bandages.
The physician or a servant at least should be doing this, Marco wants to protest, but his throat has gone dry.
He cannot say a word.
"Your heart is beating awfully fast, Marco."
Giuliano says in worry.
His heart decides to beat faster still.
*
Sarah looks over at Giuliano hovering over Marco's healing pod.
She has become good friends with them in the past few weeks.
They are quite charming.
She is so glad to have human company again on the TARDIS.
New friends to go on mad adventures with.
Doctor is great.
Her best friend really.
But he is so wierd.
She was not expecting Doctor to offer this ridiculous chance to someone again.
After Harry.
But Sarah is still so glad to have human company again here.
Even if these two only have eyes for each other.
She suppresses a smile.
"He will be fine," she says.
Giuliano gives a long look to the sleeping Marco, and then looks over.
He looks so hopeful, she offers him a smile and gets a tentative one back in return.
"I know he will."
~