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who_contestTitle: All the Strange, Strange Creatures
World Count: 500
Rating: G
Genre: Character Study/Friendship
Characters: The Thirteenth Doctor, Ryan Sinclair, Graham O'Brien, Yasmin Khan
Summary: After a rescue mission goes awry, the Doctor's companions rally round. Character spoilers for series 11.
In theory, the plan had been straightforward. A smash-and-grab job, really - or sonic-and-grab, if you were being difficult about it, which certain people (Graham O'Brien) seemed to insist on.
That was two days ago. The Doctor wasn't forthcoming on the subject of what had happened in the interval, but she was putting most of her weight on one leg, and she had winced when Yaz pulled her into a hug.
Nestling in the pockets of her coat were four lizardlike creatures, each about the length of Ryan's thumb. When he tried to pick one up it sank its teeth into the soft bed of his hand and clung there, claws paddling at the air.
"Careful," said the Doctor, unhooking it. "This fella-"
"-bites, yeah. I got that." A pinprick of blood had welled up from each puncture mark. Ryan watched them dull and darken, keeping the Doctor in the corner of one eye. "Seriously, though, you alright?"
There was a pause before she answered him. She had placed the lizard on her shoulder and was tickling it, deftly parrying each attempt to snap at her fingertips.
"I was too late going in," she said. "Great big facility, cages floor to ceiling. These are all that's left."
"What do you mean, all that's left?" Ryan asked. "What about the owners, the scientists?"
Yaz shot him a warning look. "Leave it, yeah? She's knackered."
"No, it's okay." The Doctor exhaled. "They'd taken off. Scarpered. Wiped the whole system, so no-one could see what they'd been doing. Tried to burn the rest."
"Bastards," said Graham, with sudden, uncharacteristic viciousness. "Sorry, Doc."
A tiny smile. "Succinctly put, Graham."
They walked on for a time in silence, moving with greater care now that the night was drawing in. The stars here burnt dark red, giving the sky a bloody, sunset hue. It had seemed beautiful, two days ago. Now it made Ryan long for Sheffield's street lamps, or the glow of the TARDIS console room. With the entire Universe to choose from, there were days when one craved the familiar - felt its absence like an ache.
The Doctor had started to fall behind. One arm was braced around Graham's shoulder; the other hung loose at her side, making an occasional dart, like a nervous tic, towards her pockets. They kept going a little way in this awkward, limping fashion, before Yaz turned to block their path. "Right then, you," she said. "Coat off. Surrender the biting things. We can look after 'em from here."
The Doctor obeyed without even a murmur, and that spoke volumes in itself.
Ryan ended up with the same animal that had objected to his presence earlier. Its underbelly was still warm from the sun. Heavier than he'd expected: the eyes bright with a wary intelligence, and unmistakably alien.
"Hi," he said, and found that he was smiling. Little victories, would have been Nan's way of putting it. On days like these, you welcomed them.
Together, they set out for home.
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Date: 2019-10-13 02:57 am (UTC)*HUGS*
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