who_contest | Painting Indigo ("Indigo" Challenge Entry)

Title: Painting Indigo
Author: Gallifrey_Immigrant
Characters: Yaz, Thirteenth Doctor
Rating: G
Genre: General
Word Count: 488
Notes: Written for the Indigo" challenge at

who_contest.
Spoilers/Warnings: None.

It’s the early morning on a planet where the fish never stop singing, and yet the Doctor isn’t smiling. Yaz only noticed because Graham nudged her and pointed it out, which showed just how dazzling the planet the “fam”’s been taken to is—Yaz never takes her eyes off the Doctor, except that right now the sky is transforming into a million shades of red, creating a light show on the indigo grass underneath their feet. Ryan’s busy filming it with his fun, joking about putting it on a vlog. Yaz makes the obligated snarky comment back, but her eyes notice the Doctor wandering off.

She followed the Doctor, who walked into what looked like a random restaurant. From outside, She watched the Doctor order, and then chew down on a burger. For several seconds, the Doctor gazed out a window, and then scronch up her face.

Yaz blinked, and the Doctor was now looking at her, beckoning her over. “Yaz, I had to try these burgers out. Ate here years ago, back in my vegan phase. Never tasted right. Maybe I just needed new taste buds.”

“You’re missing the light show,” said Yaz.

“So are you,” said the Doctor. Her eyes return to the burger. She stares at the food, as if divining something. “When I came here, in five days, there’s an invasion I stopped. This store gets demolished. I saved the planet, but not the store.”

Then the Doctor’s green eyes moved to Yaz’s. “I’m trying to decide if I should interfere. I can’t quite stop an invasion I already stopped, but I can affect the edges. That’s why I came here, to decide. But you came here, so for snooping, you get to help me decide...unless you don’t want to, in which case do’t.”

The Doctor started over-talking in her nervous way, and Yaz quickly said “Yeah, let’s help. That’s what we do, right?”

“Yeah. But...these days, it’s harder for me to know when to break the rules, and when not to. Changing time’s like painting—one splash of paint might ruin the canvas. And, ever since I got this face, I’ve been itching to get creative with my artwork.. That’s why I’m so careful now. Too careful. I might shatter all of time trying to save a puppy. Or a Yaz. I like both.”

“Why would you need to save me?” asked Yaz. “As long as I’m with you, I’m safe, right?”

For a split second, the Doctor looked almost offended, but the expression passed, and she nodded, though she whispered something under her breath. Then, the Doctor said, still serious, “Yes, Yaz. By the way, these burgers are delicious. Come on Yaz, let’s see the lights! Afterwards, we have a store to save.”

"Doctor, what destroyed the store? Originally?” asked Yaz.

The Doctor leaned over, and whispered “I did. When I was younger, anything could end up collateral damage.”