FIC: come to me with remedies [3/6]

[luciazephyr]

Title: come to me with remedies [3/6]
Doctor Who EDA, Obversefic, Fitz/Doctor, Anji. NC-17. A year's time in a blue house in a tiny English town. The ups and downs of the lives of a not-so-perpetual slacker, a daydream believer, and a terribly sensible trader.

previous chapter

Ten minutes later, they were bundled up in the neighbor's car, Fitz screeching out of the driveway with Anji in the passenger's seat, a black designer purse on her lap. She was blurrily blinking at the world outside the window, like she wasn't sure how she got there.

"So... what's happened?"

"Brummie hospitals are run by idiots is what happened," Fitz snapped. "And I'm likely going to try to strangle them."

"Is that why I'm here? To stop you?"

"No, you're meant to help."

"Fitz!" Anji grabbed his arm. "What. Happened."

"They lost him, okay? They got it in their heads his medication would interfere with their tests, so they took him off it. All well and good, they know he has episodes, it's on his chart."

"So what then?"

"They let him leave the hospital for dinner." Fitz punched the steering wheel in a fit of anger. "They took him off his meds and then didn't think, oh, hey, perhaps we should keep him in the hospital until we're done."

Anji sagged back against her seat, comprehension dawning in her eyes. "He didn't show back up." Fitz nodded. "Wow. That is phenomenally stupid of them." She bit her lip and tentatively slipped her hand into his, running her thumb over his knuckles. "It's going to be all right."

"The Doctor's alone in one of the biggest cities in England out of his head and has been all night. Want to revise that statement, Anji?"

She squeezed his hand tighter. "It's going to be all right." Fitz chanced a look at her from the corner of his eye. She looked just as shaken up as he felt. He took a deep breath and nodded.



They stormed into the cardiology wing of the hospital shoulder to shoulder, looking ready to set fire to the place at the slightest provocation. Fitz imagined himself some vengeful MI9 agent, ready to unleash hell using all his knowledge gained working as a spy. M would revoke his license to kill, but sacrifices had to be made for love. Or something.

His own cheesiness distracted him, giving Anji the opportunity to step up to the cardiologist and snap at him, "You are so unbelievably lucky we haven't already got you for malpractice. You waited how many hours to call after you let a man with a history of mental issues walk out of your hospital? How many people do you have out looking for him? Have you reported this to the police?" The man blanched and looked baffled by the sudden onslaught from this woman who'd marched into his office. "I have a lot of friends in London, one who works for the Times. Stop staring and start talking!"

If Fitz had a ring, he'd get down on one knee and propose to her. The Doctor would just have to learn to live with it. While Anji drilled the lower-case doctor, he drifted over and chatted with Nurse Michaels, letting him fill Fitz in on what they'd missed.

It wasn't anything unusual. Hospital food wasn't the sort of thing the Doctor would willingly eat, so he signed himself out and mentioned heading out for some Mediterranean. With some convincing, he managed to get Michaels to draw him a quick map on the back of a blank patient chart to some of the places that fit the bill. Information gathering finished, he wandered over to where Anji was severely watching Dr. Hudson as he spoke to the police on the phone.

"You really know a guy at the Times?" Fitz asked.

"The Sun, actually, but still." Anji looked at the paper in Fitz's hands. "You have a lead?"

"Yeah. Yeah, have a few ideas of my own and the nurse helped me out too."

"Then what're you still doing here?" She pointed to the door. "Get out there and find him. I'll hold down the fort here."

"Are you sure? I mean... I'm a little afraid to leave you alone with these guys..."

"Fitz." She pushed him lightly away. "Go, now. You're wasting time. I'll call if he shows up here, so keep your phone on."

"Okay. Okay." He didn't bother with any more inane statements and left, walking fast.




He outright skipped the first two restaurants on the list he'd been given, pegging them as the dives they were. If the Doctor was keen on getting a good meal, he'd pick a place that didn't look like it got its hummus premade from a grocer. The next locale had been closed at the time of the Doctor's evening stroll, so Fitz stopped at restaurant number four. Heironymus' was a bit of a hole in the wall type of place, but the moment Fitz walked in, he was enticed by the smell of olive oil and thyme. If only he had a few hours to kill...

Fitz's instincts were very good. The proprietor of the place remembered the strange man who'd dined there the night before, who had worn a very distinctive if unseasonal velvet jacket. He'd apparently asked to watch the establishment's chef cook for a few minutes, hoping to hone his own culinary skills and master baklava.

Fitz left with a free gyro and the advice to check out some of the parks in town, as the Doctor had mentioned desperately wanting to do some stargazing. "At least he's making friends instead of enemies," Anji had remarked when he called her with the update.

"Befriending everyone in this city won't help him if he managed to get on one guy's wrong side," Fitz pointed out.

At Cannon Hill, some bird lady-- a old woman feeding birds, mind, not the other kind of bird that Fitz was so partial to-- recognized the little wallet photo Fitz had taken to flashing around. "He was around late last night," she said. "Poor thing seemed confused."

Fitz's heart sank. The Doctor roaming around the massive park at night with its statues and long shadows, the thought of it hardly made him optimistic. "Did he say anything, mention anything? Even odd things, those would help me find him."

The woman clicked her tongue a few times, tossing out more breadcrumbs. "He was quite the talker, going on about the stars being out of position. Orion's belt was crooked, he said. Needed to fix it before the poor man's skirt fell down."

"That's helpful. No, really, it is." Fitz was already dialing Anji on his mobile. "He say anything else?"

"He walked around in that fountain for a bit," she said, pointing to the marble fixture. "Then he said his shoes fit horribly and kicked them off."

Fitz's felt the start of a smile steal over his face. "That's definitely him."

"You can tell him his shoes would fit better if he didn't walk around in dirty fountain water. Ruined all that nice suede."

"I'll tell him. Thanks," Fitz jogged off, heading back to the car. "Anji? Hey, I need you to look up something for me. I have a hunch on where he's gone."




Anji took a few moments to find what he was looking for on her laptop, but when she called back, she gave him a location and relayed some directions to him before wishing him good luck.

Fitz pulled up to the planetarium and turned off the car, staring up at the domed building, drumming his hands on the steering wheel. He was fairly certain he had the right idea, and Anji confirmed for him this was the only planetarium that wasn't open to the public. It did look abandoned at the moment, which suited Fitz fine. The less people around, the better.

He got out of the car and went over to the main doors of the building. Unlocked, and he could see the alarm system blinking a friendly, non-threatening blue. Cleaning crews or security would be around. He let himself in anyway and set off towards the theatre, following the signs and walking like he owned the place. It was amazing what a purposeful stride did for you when you were in places you ought not to be. The sole guard he passed didn't try to stop him, just waving when Fitz gave him a curt, businesslike nod. Fake it until you make it was practically Fitz's life philosophy.

Eventually he reached the double doors with a gaudy star printed above them. He lingered on the outside for just a second, putting off the moment when he could be proven wrong about how well he knew the Doctor. Either he was right or he was wrong. Or maybe if he didn't look in the doors, he'd be both at once? Wasn't that how the Schroedinger's cat thing worked?

Fitz shook his head and pushed the doors open in one smooth motion, walking into the auditorium. It was dark, but not because no one was inside. The lights were down, as though there was an audience watching a show. The ceiling above him was shining with light, stars, planets, and constellations sketched out. It was like stargazing back home, but with all the lines inked in, displaying Gemini, Canis Major, Taurus, and between them, Orion.

There was a click and all the dotted lines disappeared. Fitz watched raptly as a few were drawn back in and a few new ones were created. Some swirled, some stretched from one side of the sky to the other. One was drawn in, then quickly marked out. "No, no, no, no, only in winter, only in winter," Fitz heard faintly from the podium in the center of the room. Now that he cared to look, he saw the Doctor hunched over it, tapping a stylus against the side.

Fitz smiled, relief washing over him. Putting his hands in his back pockets, he sauntered over, trying to move slowly so not to startle. "Doctor."

"Busy," the Doctor said back, drawing on the screen in front of him some more. "It's so difficult to re-triangulate these stars from Earth. The angle is completely different."

"Doctor," Fitz called again, coming to a stop behind him.

"Busy, Turlough. I'll be with you in a moment."

"Try again, Doctor."

That got him to stop and turn around. The man looked exhausted, eyes a little red and face pale, emphasized by the strange lighting of the room. The lower legs of his trousers were stained and he was, in fact, shoeless. Fitz wondered where his socks went.

"Fitz," the Doctor said quietly, almost asking, as though he were unsure himself.

"The one and only." Fitz stepped up to him and gently took the stylus out of his hand. "Are you all right? What're you doing?"

"I..." The Doctor looked up, mesmerized by the simulated cosmos. "I'm not exactly sure. It was important though." He covered his mouth, brow furrowing as he thought very hard. "Something about the stars seemed off. Then I thought I was just looking at them from the wrong place." His head snapped up, a flicker of lucidness alight in his eyes. "Oh, I must have worried you terribly, Fitz."

Fitz nodded. "Little bit."

"I'm so sorry. I just wanted to fix the constellations. But then I got here and I couldn't find where they went wrong." He turned back to the podium, looking forlornly at the display. "It's so very frustrating."

"Do you remember why you're here?"

"Stranded. Misplaced my TARDIS. Or someone's taken it. Always a possibility. Time machines are quite the commodity."

"Do you remember your appointment? At the hospital?" The Doctor tilted his head, gazing at Fitz. Fitz met his stare evenly, hardly blinking. Out of his pocket, he pulled out the pills he'd pocketed, clenching his fist around them, their glossy surface a small comfort. Whether he could lead the Doctor back to reality or not, he had the back-up ready.

"You... came looking for me." The Doctor sounded awed, which Fitz found odd. It wasn't like he hadn't always gone to find him. "You found me."

"Yeah. It's kind of what I do, right?"

"I thought you were angry with me." The Doctor leaned in, grabbing Fitz's shirt in both hands. "You say things that don't make any sense." Fitz barely swallowed his laugh. If only the Doctor knew how ironic that was. His humor faded as his friend leaned his face against Fitz, moving so slow, like he was waiting to be pushed away.

Fitz pocketed the pills again and wrapped his arms around the Doctor, tucking the man's head under his chin. "I'm not angry at you. I can't think of anything you could do to change that either, Doc."

"You said you loved me," the Doctor whispered against the hollow of Fitz's throat.

Yeah." Fitz closed his eyes. "I said that."

"Even though I can't figure out what's wrong with the stars?"

"Yeah."

The Doctor sighed and pushed harder against Fitz, sliding his arms around his waist, his fingers hooking onto the loops of his jeans. "Thank you, Fitz." He hummed happily for a moment. "Can we go home now?"

Fitz kissed his forehead, leaving his lips brushing the cool skin of the Doctor's forehead as he whispered back, "Absolutely."




Anji drove the way back, leaving Fitz to tend to the Doctor. As the Doctor fell asleep almost immediately after they got him into the car though, Fitz's tending started and ended with him sitting awkwardly sideways in his seat and watching his landlord snore softly. Nevertheless, he took to it with single-minded determination.

"That was an adventure," Anji said about halfway home, finished with the long silences.

"Yes, it was. Oh," Fitz looked over and her and clapped a hand on your shoulder. "You were fantastic, by the way, with Hudson and all."

"You don't think I was too harsh on them?"

The thought hadn't crossed Fitz's mind, but at the time, Fitz was a little preoccupied with pretending he wasn't soul-shatteringly worried for the Doctor's safety, so. "They'll survive. But seriously... you were brilliant."

Anji grinned a little, pleased. "Thank you, Fitz."

"So I was wondering, if I asked you properly and got a nice ring, would you marry me?"

Her smile didn't falter at all. "Nope."

"Not even if I said it's been my dream since I was a tiny Fitz to get married?"

"I'm not under any circumstances helping you with the fact you haven't had a date in ages."

"This is not about me needing a shag and I'm offended-- offended-- you would think so little of me."

"Then marry the Doctor if you're so eager."

Fitz snorted. "Yeah, that'd go down like a lead balloon. Everyone in town would probably accuse me of taking advantage of him and call me a gold digger."

"I notice you're not protesting the marrying a guy part."

"Shut up."

"I'm proud of you, Fitz. Obviously you're a much more open-minded person than I assumed from your whole 'I should be living in the Sixties' mentality."

Fitz rolled his eyes and went back to watching the Doctor sleep. "I don't want to marry you anymore."




The Doctor was essentially on probation for the next week. Fitz shadowed him whenever he left the house, making up excuse after excuse to keep the man in his sight. It wasn't that he really thought the Doctor was going to go out of his head again, or that he even would have in Birmingham if he had stayed on his meds, but it was something he had to do. This went on until Anji said over dinner to him, "You're the wife, you know." The Doctor had blinked and asked what she was referring to. Fitz gave her a look that could boil water and bit his tongue for the rest of the meal.

He voluntarily did some laundry after that, if only to avoid Anji's smugly amused look and the Doctor's inquiring glances between the two of them. That, and it wouldn't get done if he didn't eventually break down and do it. "God, I really am the wife," Fitz grumbled to himself, punching the start button before climbing onto the machine. He sat cross-legged with a fag between his fingers and a book open on his lap. The machine wobbled something awful, often banging against the wall if he didn't perch on top. He could just take a day to drag the thing away from the wall but he probably never would. Just like he would never put a bulb in the entryway's light fixture and he'd never attempt to fix the loose pole in the stairway's railing. He was a big believer in liking things and people for their strengths and loving them for their flaws. It was the angst-ridden artist in him.

He was quite absorbed in his book and didn't notice the Doctor's arrival until there was a tap on his shoulder. The sound of the washer drowning out his steps didn't help. Fitz looked up and before he could say anything, the Doctor tapped his finger against Fitz's mouth. "Open."

Fitz frowned, but after seeing the Doctor was hiding something behind his back, complied. His reward as some sort of pastry thing, sweet enough to hurt his teeth but utterly delicious. His eyes widened and he chewed thoughtfully. "Wha's tha'?"

"Baklava. Have I got it right finally?"

Fitz nodded, swallowing. "Will you give me more if I say yes? Because really, I'm not sure what baklava is, so I'd be guessing."

The Doctor smiled and set a plate down on the folding table, feeding Fitz another piece. "That's good enough for me. What're you reading?" Fitz held up his book, too busy munching the honeyed treat to reply. "T.S. Eliot? Really?"

"You and Anji, you have to stop thinking I don't read good stuff." He cleared his throat and read aloud, "Between the idea and the reality, between the motion and the act falls the Shadow."

"That's Shakespearean, you know," The Doctor replied. "Julius Caesar, I think."

"You're probably right. You remember his plays really well." Which Fitz found suspicious as he'd never actually seen the Doctor actively reading. He just knew.

"Knowing I loved my books, he furnished me from mine own library with volumes that I prize above my own dukedom."

Fitz shut his book and replied, "We are such stuff that dreams are made of, and our little life is rounded with sleep."

"Oh, very good, Fitz! You know The Tempest?" The Doctor's smile could replace the sun, it was so bright.

"That's the only line I know. I'm not a big fan. Never could understand the iambic thing and what was so special about it." Fitz tried for nonchalant, but getting that sort of reaction out of the Doctor was making him flush slightly.

"Did you know the line is actually we are such stuff as dreams are made on, but everyone gets it wrong because of that one film?"

To Fitz's amusement, the Doctor's tone implied this was some great crime he could hardly stand. He did get worked up over the oddest things. "The Maltese Falcon, I saw that one. Didn't get it, to be honest. It seemed to be one of those I was supposed to learn some deep lesson from, but I just thought the whole thing was a good movie."

"To borrow another line from the Bard, it was essentially much ado about nothing." The Doctor pushed the last piece of baklava against Fitz's mouth, his fingers staying pressed faintly against his lips after he accepted the offering. It gave Fitz a sense of deja vu. The Doctor did tend to ply him with sweet things. Then, appearing to pick up their thread of recitations, "I do believe I understand, and it is proof that ignorance is not bliss, if ignorance would mean I didn't know your mind and the depths within. I hardly deserve you, but forgive my selfishness, as I do not care."

Fitz frowned. "I don't know that one. What's it from?"

"It's not from anything." The Doctor stepped closer, bracing his hands on the washer and kissed Fitz soundly. There was no moment of warm-up, no pause before he tilted his head and he tasted like honey, cloying sweetness that was almost overpowering. That more than anything was why Fitz's hand wound up clutching his coat, pulling him closer, not that there was much space left between them. He needed to never stop doing this. It'd been way too long since the last time. Even a minute would be too long though, he thought, seeing if he could lick the honey taste out of the Doctor's mouth.

Fitz let his cigarette fall down somewhere and used the free hand to push himself to the edge of his perch, uncrossing his legs. The Doctor stood between them and broke the kiss to pant against Fitz's cheek. "My apologies. Got carried away."

"Get carried away more often," Fitz murmured and put his hands on the Doctor's back, fingers splayed wide, pulling them flush. "All the time would be perfect for me." He kissed his nose, his cheek, and point where the Doctor's chin met his neck. He felt the Doctor shiver and sigh happily, and Fitz was always receptive to positive reinforcement. He scraped his teeth against soft skin and followed it up by kissing every bit of his neck he could reach. Cold hands inched under his shirt, a nice counterpoint to the Doctor's warm breath by his ear. There was a reason they weren't supposed to be doing this here, but Fitz was having a difficult time remembering.

Sudden as a lightning strike, the Doctor pulled back and looked over his shoulder. Without a word, he picked up the empty plate and walked off, moving about as quickly as he could without actually running.

Just as he slipped out the door, Anji walked in. "Fitz, have you washed my...." She stopped dead in her tracks. Slowly, she looked him up and down, then looked back to where the Doctor had retreated to in the next room. "You know what? Nevermind. It can wait." Her head was held high as she fled, but her face was red.

Fitz slouched deeply, arms hanging off his knees, catching his breath. He felt like he'd just been caught in the middle of a storm. It was not a horrible feeling, he thought, a grin forming on his face.





In a village where everyone knew everyone else, it wasn't really feasible to be a celebrity. Fitz sometimes came pretty close though. He enjoyed a certain reputation with the half of the population, the ones who frequented the one and only tavern they had. The proprietor, Molly, had miraculously not thrown him out on his drunk arse the first time he played there. Now they had an arrangement. People hung around the pub later when there was something other than the jukebox playing its dated tunes. Fitz had a large wheelhouse and Molly bribed him with free drinks and a few pounds, so long as he didn't get too morose. He'd explained to her that the most beautiful songs were the sad ones, but she'd countered that there was only one thing worse than a rude drunk and that was a weepy one.

Thus, Fitz kept it upbeat until midnight, then indulged himself once he was throughly buzzed. The worst Molly would do is stop refilling his glass, after all. He even collected some tips, often saving them up for the end of the month to either pad his rent payment or to treat himself to a new album or book. It was a good system and got him out of the house. He hated feeling like a homebody, in with such a warm, friendly home.

Tonight, Molly kept his glass full and he returned the favor with her own favorites, long since memorized. They lead him into the evening, along with a few regulars requests. Anyone who put something in the tip jar got a song, even if it was insipid pop bollocks he had to tame and bend to his own style.

Molly suddenly took his glass away and placed a martini in its place.

"Not to seem ungrateful, Mols..."

"A gift from the corner table," Molly explained, patting his shoulder and walking away. Fitz stood up and discreetly looked over all the bowed heads. Anji's sensibly cut jet black hair was easily visible. Next to her...

Fitz got up and weaved over to their table. Upon reaching Anji and the Doctor, he wordlessly snatched his trilby off the Doctor's head. "You cannot wear a bonnet one moment then put on one of my hats."

The Doctor pouted at him. "Well, first off, hello, Fitz. Secondly, I only wear the bonnet for gardening. Thirdly, you have so many hats, I didn't think you'd mind."

"It's true," Anji added. "I bet you could wear a different hat every day for a month if you liked."

"I look good in hats," Fitz said defensively. "And anyway, you have how many pairs of the same black strappy heels? Don't throw stones, Anj."

"They aren't the same, you just don't know anything about shoes."

The Doctor shook his head, smiling ruefully. "Now, really, you two. The way you fight, one would think you didn't like each other."

"I can't stand her," Fitz said with absolutely no sincerity. "What're you two doing here at this hour?"

"The Doctor said it was going to rain tonight and didn't want you to walk home in it. So we're here with the car." She waved him off. "Go on, then. You brag about your gigs all the time. Get on with it, Fitz Fortune."

Fitz spun the trilby in his fingers and flipped it with practiced showmanship onto his head. He tipped the brim to them. "Ta."

He made his way back to his barstool, picking up his guitar and setting it back on his lap. The room that seemed so large a moment ago was condescend down to just the corner table and his housemates' eyes on him. He couldn't play to the crowd anymore. not knowing who was there, giving him their full attention.

He strummed out something jaunty and flirtatious, testing the sound in a few different notes before settling on Am and kicking off a song.

"Paris, my paramore, I'm sorry for this letter
London town, girl next door, you'll find someone better
Tokyo, our nights were endless and you were a peach
Rio, senora, I'll miss our walks on the beach
But I'm afraid I've found my better half..."

He didn't want to lose his thread, but Fitz chanced a look up at this friends. Anji had a perplexed but intrigued look on her face, like she'd just noticed something brand new about him. The Doctor hand his elbows on the table and his chin resting on his fists, giving Fitz his total rapt attention. Fitz gave him a wolfish grin and shut his eyes, sliding into C for the bridge.

"She's the fifth impossible thing before lunch
Walking her streets, I'm walking on water
Her figure has the curves, canals, and arch
There's no lady in the world quite like her..."

He held out the note for a long, paralyzing moment, letting it reverberate and hum before smashing into E and going on.

"Venice is turning me upside down
Hook, line, sinker, I'm going to drown
But I don't mind, amante
Let the water pour in because
Venezia, I don't mind..."

When he'd finished, there was a small but jubilant burst of applause from the Doctor, making the other patrons of the pub glare at him for breaking the reverie that settled over them. Anji hastily grabbed his hands, earning another pout for herself, but he was just as content to hold her hand as he was to clap. Fitz chuckled to himself and stood again, slinging his guitar onto his back and picking up his martini to go join them. Molly gave him an approving nod as he passed her and shut off the light that has illuminated his seat. He was off the clock, as it were.

"Oh, Fitz, Fitz, Fitz," the Doctor gushed. "That's why you asked me what the Italian word for 'lover' was?"

"That was months ago. You remember that?"

"When someone asks me about the romance languages, I don't easily forget. But nevermind that," he waved his hands, one dragging Anji's along in his short flail. She grabbed her drink and moved it out of the way before it could be knocked over. "That was lovely! Very pretty, though your voice made it seem rather sad, but that's just your normal register and cadence at work. Melancholic, I believe is the word I'm looking for."

He tipped his hat to the Doctor, hoping the shadow from the brim would also hide the way his face went pink, pleased but somewhat modest. "Yeah, well... needs work. That's the first time I've played 'Upside-Down in Venice' for anyone."

"I know I'm not the musician here, but professing your love for someone then going on about how they'll drown you... not very romantic, is it?" Anji asked.

"Sometimes love isn't very romantic," Fitz said quietly. There was a long silence after that. He still had an audience, their gazes heavy like a physical weight on him. He shook his head and took a sip of his drink. Above, he could hear the starts of a rainstorm beating on the roof, but there at the table in the pub, he was high and dry. For the moment, anyway.



There was no better sleep than the one that came after playing his guitar for a few hours and enjoying a steady flow of alcohol, knowing you'd make it home all right. There were few things more comforting than having responsibility lifted off your shoulders for a while, and Fitz had been responsible for a long time without reprieve. It was hard to remember when he was younger and didn't care about anyone, just running around London after hours and looking for the next high he didn't have to pay for.

Now he was settled down with the house and the garden and the steady job. He did less dancing in the dark to loud music and more sitting on the porch, watching the leaves turn from green to brilliant reds and yellows.

The temperature was slowly dropping and Fitz was finally getting into the habit of laying under the covers and not just irritably kicking them off. It was a much appreciated break after the months of summer humidity. His slumber was getting deeper as the season changed.

He'd have been dead to the world for a good solid ten hours if all that nice warmth wasn't ruined by something freezing cold slipping in next to him on the bed. Not even awake, Fitz yelped and recoiled. His bed wasn't very big though and he ended up falling half out of the bed, shoulder hitting the ground as his legs, tangled in the blankets, remained on the mattress.

It was very quiet for a moment as his brain slowly caught up with what had happened. Eventually, Fitz groaned and said, "You can help me back up now."

"I'm really very sorry, Fitz," the Doctor said sheepishly, his head appearing over the side of the bed. "I didn't think you would startle that badly."

Fitz rolled his eyes and waved a hand at him until the Doctor grabbed his arm and hauled him back up. They ended up crushed together on the bed, Fitz's half on top of the Doctor. "S'okay. What time is it?"

"Late. Or, I suppose, early. You should be sleeping." The Doctor wiggled until he could push Fitz down on his side, guiding him into what he approximated to be a restful position before petting Fitz's hair soothingly.

Fitz laughed quietly to himself, snatching up the Doctor's hand to stop it, as nice as the feeling of his fingers through Fitz's messy hair was. The Doctor immediately twined their fingers together, like he was desperate for that little bit of tactility. "Are you okay?"

"Me? Yes, yes, I'm fine. Don't be silly."

"Bad dreams?" Fitz asked, because he knew better than to believe him.

"No. Actually I... couldn't sleep a wink." It felt like a non-sequitur when the Doctor kissed him then, but maybe in the Doctor's mind it wasn't.

"Mm, hm," Fitz mumbled, taken aback. He pulled back and looked the Doctor in the eye. "Mrs. Robinson, I think you're trying to seduce me." It was the most obvious joke ever, but he needed something. He figured he could be forgiven since he was still mostly asleep.

"Trying being the operative word," the Doctor said mildly. "Not having much luck. How you earned such a reputation is beyond me."

"Just have that look. And my buckets of raw sex appeal help." Fitz yawned and laid back on the bed, staring at the ceiling. "You seducing someone, that's a laugh."

"Is it?" His voice was very soft, breath ghosting over Fitz's skin. "I admit I don't have your experience in these matters, but..." His lips pressed against the corner of Fitz's mouth, somewhat chaste but very deliberate. The lingering touches went on, against the apple of his cheek, the curve of his jaw, and the vulnerable skin under his chin. "Need a shave," the Doctor mumbled.

Fitz's eyes closed peaceably, though his drowsiness was being pushed aside by the purposeful touches the Doctor was pressing into him. "Wasn't expecting you to jump me tonight."

"I did no jumping, that was all you, my dear," The Doctor pointed out. His words were too steady for a man who was climbing atop his tenant, straddling him, and arching down to pepper Fitz's neck and shoulders with kisses. "Fitz."

"Yeah?"

"Are you going to push me away again?" Fitz opened his eyes to meet the Doctor's. "Because if so, I'd... prefer you did it now. Your moments of chivalry are very sweet, but are also very frustrating."

He frustrated the Doctor. Fitz smiled a little at the thought. Turnabout was fair play, he thought. But maybe not this time. He'd been afraid of hurting the man before, accidentally using his urgent fear of Fitz leaving against him. There wasn't any fear in the blue of his eyes now, just hope and a shade of playfulness. And something much more intense that Fitz wouldn't dare put a name on right now. He'd deal with that later. For now, it was fine to put his arms around the Doctor, his hands slung low on his back.

"Wasn't planning on it," Fitz whispered before sitting up. The Doctor's hands seized Fitz's shoulders, like he was expecting to fall backward. Fitz slid his hands up, pads of his fingers pressing in just so, holding him up. "Got you," he said a bit uselessly. The Doctor nodded his understanding and curled his hands around Fitz's neck, dragging him in and kissing him soundly. All the practice had evidentially payed off. Fitz clearly remembered that first press of their mouth in the kitchen, innocent and timid. This was lightyears away from that. Still vaguely innocent though, and the Doctor was the only person in the world who could seem innocent when doing that trick of running your tongue over someone's lips to get them to open up to you, but there you were.

Fitz's hands worked up and down the Doctor's back, an impromptu massage that elicited a stream of blissfully happy noises from deep in the man's throat. Fitz's thumbs framed the line of his spine and the Doctor leaned back hard against them, groaning loud enough Fitz was worried Anji would hear. "Hey..."

"Sorry. Never had someone do that. I didn't expect it to feel that good," he replied breathlessly.

"Backrubs as foreplay. Duly noted." Fitz was spurred on by the Doctor's reactions, their proximity making it impossible to not read his movements, the way he telegraphed everything he wanted. He wanted a lot and Fitz was feeling unconventionally generous. He let the Doctor kiss him for a moment before nudging him off. The Doctor's confusion lasted only until Fitz rubbed his stubbled cheek against the Doctor's throat, making him shiver, and following it up by wetly mouthing his way down his neck, giving special consideration to the hollow of The Doctor's throat and the taut skin over his collarbone. The Doctor, enthusiastic as he was, seemed at a loss of what to do, left gasping, trying to keep quiet, and carding Fitz's hair with his fingers.

Fitz found a splattering of light freckles over the Doctor's shoulder and took his time tracing each one with the tip of his tongue. Engrossed in his very vital task, he scarcely noticed how tense the Doctor was becoming, eyes screwed shut and body wound up tight on Fitz's lap. "What is it?"

"Nothing. Don't stop doing that, please."

"You look like you're about to pull something. Relax." He ran his hand soothingly up and down the Doctor's back.

"Trying not to move."

Fitz laughed. "Why? Restraint's not exactly the name of the game here, Doctor." Deviously wanting to prove his point, he lavished some consideration on the Doctor's chest, as low as he could reach without separating them.

"It's just..." He let out a full-body shudder, distracted for the moment. "It's not what I imagined."

That halted Fitz completely, made him sit up and really look at the Doctor. "What's not?" The Doctor shrugged and tried to kiss Fitz, but Fitz put a hand on his shoulder. "No. Talk. Explain. Elucidate. Whatever. What'd I do wrong?"

"Wrong? Nothing you're doing is wrong. It feels like you're tying me in knots and untying me all at once." He tipped his head back, looking away, obviously embarrassed. "I'm just not sure what I'm supposed to do."

Oh, Fitz's brain supplied at long last, hey. Virgin. He hadn't even thought about that and he felt like a arse for not doing so. He should have been able to suss that out, really.

Fitz very slowly kissed the long, now-exposed line of his neck. He felt the Doctor's Adam's apple bob as he swallowed thickly. "Okay. How about this..." He let go of the Doctor, lay back, propped up on his elbows. "Do whatever you like. That's the way it works. So long as something feels good, you're on the right path."

"That seems very simple." The Doctor stared at Fitz, gaze sharp, almost examining. He tentatively put one hand on Fitz's chest, waiting a long moment before sliding his hand down, palm against Fitz's skin.

"Well, er... Sex isn't really that complicated. Trust me."

"I do. Explicitly." The Doctor leaned forward, holding himself up on one arm as he continued to just touch, lingering around his bellybutton. Brow furrowed, he glanced up at Fitz's face for approval before shifting. He held himself up on both arms and dipped down to imitate what Fitz had done before, mouthing along his chest. His tongue pressed against the point just under Fitz's ribs and Fitz choked back a groan and tried to not watch. Looking down at the Doctor as he did that was unbearable. When cold fingers slipped under the top of his boxers, Fitz had to look though. "Can I?"

"Yeah. Definitely, yeah." With a little coordinated effort, they got Fitz naked. He promptly snatched his boxers out of the Doctor's hands-- he looked like he was going to neatly fold them or something-- and tossed them across the room. The Doctor shook his head but didn't remark on it, instead moving around again until he was back atop Fitz and comfortable.

"Now you seem tense," the Doctor murmured absentmindedly, more focused on trailing his fingers along Fitz's chest than any conversation.

"Oh, I'm not. Well. Okay, maybe a little. Haven't done this with a bloke without being a bit out of my head first is all." He added hastily, "Not that I wanna be out of my head for this."

"I would hope not." Fitz jumped when the Doctor ran his nails over the curve of Fitz's hip, feeling how closely his reactions were being watched. He felt like a puzzle of some kind that the Doctor was trying to learn the knack to solving.

Heh. Fitz was doing anything to keep looking at the Doctor's face despite the fact the man had crawled naked into bed with him. Someone might have been nervous, but Fitz couldn't say for certain which of them it was. He'd seen the Doctor in varying stages of undress, but never like this. He was all at once perfect and yet almost delicate. He'd always struck Fitz as somewhat frail, needing to be protected. He'd fancied him for longer than he'd admit, but now he was afraid of one mistake, one accidental hurt that would ruin anything. Perhaps it'd be easier if the Doctor was just another bloke and not someone who trusted him explicitly.

He was being an idiot about it, Fitz decided. The Doctor was the one willingly wandering out of his comfort zone, albeit while seeming pretty sanguine about it all at the moment. Fitz needed to make sure this was good to show him it was worth it. Fitzgerald Kreiner, responsible adult. It was his solemn duty to shake loose that casual aloofness and give the Doctor the shag of his life.

"What's so funny? Are you ticklish?"

"No. Come here." Fitz guided the Doctor down onto the bed, carefully pushing him onto his back and effectively reserving their positions. The Doctor's hands wrapped tightly around his wrists, and Fitz remembered the last time they did this, he'd left the Doctor just this way. That was where the similarities ended, as Fitz kissed the Doctor then, hard and fast, not bothering to tease. He slid one of his hands down the Doctor's chest, this time not stopping at his hips, and the Doctor gasped against his mouth at the sudden boldness. Fitz broke the kiss, leaning on his other arm above the Doctor, and whispered roughly, "Good?" The Doctor was doing that tensing thing again and Fitz pressed their foreheads together. "Don't do that. Talk to me. Whatever you want, tell me."

The Doctor laughed shallowly, the sound cutting off into a sharp inhale when Fitz's hand wrapped loosely around him. "Can't."

"Won't," Fitz challenged, licking his way to the Doctor's ear and blew softly into it, making the Doctor shake. "You don't need to be eloquent or anything. I'm not looking for that." His voice deepened, coarse like sandpaper.

"Oh, Fitz..." The Doctor turned his head, pressing their cheeks together. "You are terribly unfa-- ugh." He covered his mouth with one hand, eyes squeezing shut, back arching as Fitz-- yeah, a bit unfairly-- started to stroke his cock in earnest. The Doctor moved constantly, legs stretching out then bending again, dragging the sheets with them, his hands tight on Fitz's shoulders, likely to leave marks. "Fitz... Fitz, Fitz, Fitz." His name was muffled but undoubtedly being chanted like a curse and a praise all at once.

Fitz kissed his cheek tenderly, a stark contrast to the wicked sliding grip of his hand. "D'you want more?"

"I... aha, I don't know if I can take it." He met Fitz's eyes and his pupils were completely blown. "Feel like I may burst."

"That's the idea," Fitz said but lightened his grip. The Doctor took a long breath, easing back from the edge Fitz had him moving quickly towards. His hips twitched with every motion of Fitz's hand though, unabashedly caught up in the pleasure. "I'm going to try something else now, okay?" The Doctor nodded and watched Fitz crawl up the bed and lean over his bedside table, rattling through the drawers for a moment. The paraphernalia he needed didn't get as much use as it used to though and he hastily shoved stuff around the drawer, searching.

This wasn't made easier by the Doctor getting a little more aggressive and putting observational experience to work. He curled around Fitz's chest and ran one cool finger down Fitz's cock, making him startle. The Doctor clicked his tongue, as if chiding him for almost falling out of the bed again, and kept on, touch maddeningly light. "Problem, Fitz?" He was shooting for nonchalance, but missed it, an octave too high.

Fitz finally tossed the tube he was looking for onto the pillow and half-threw himself at the Doctor, pushing him down and pinning him with a lax grip. "Should've known you'd be a bastard in bed." He kissed him, tasting the fading hint of mint, slow and languid. It was sloppy, more of Fitz's attention elsewhere as he urged the Doctor into a better position. "Lucky you're sort of gorgeous like this."

"Am I?" The Doctor smiled warmly at the compliment.

"Don't let it go to your head," Fitz said, unconvincing to his own ears. Before the Doctor could seize the opportunity to tease, Fitz wrapped his hand around him again and rubbed his thumb over the head. The Doctor's words died in his throat as he groaned, head thrown back against the pillow. Fitz could see in the moonlight the flush of his skin and were Fitz had left a few marks on his shoulders and neck. Gorgeous was the word. He kept rocking his thumb in that circular motion, listening to the Doctor's incoherent mumblings and excited gasps. Once his supine body was as relaxed as Fitz could get him, Fitz pressed one slick finger inside him.

Cold, cold but tight enough that he could feel that dual pulse. Fitz bit his lip, suddenly ridiculously turned on by that fast heartsbeat. Coupled with the Doctor's loud whimpers-- fuck. If his hands weren't otherwise occupied... Fitz shook his head, gathering himself before nudging another finger inside. The Doctor's face was pulled taut, almost like in pain, but his thready, nonsensical speech made it clear he was really quite okay with the circumstances.

Fitz wanted very badly to replace his fingers with something a bit more substantial. But that seemed self-serving and not the sort of thing you did on a guy's first time. Literally his first time, too, not just his first time with another guy. No, Fitz was going to do the right thing. Well, if the Doctor just flat out asked, then he wouldn't say no, sure--

"Fitz, oh my..." The Doctor panted. "Please, please, please."

Fitz propelled himself up and back to the ajar drawer, grabbing a condom before resettling between the Doctor's legs. "Okay, okay, yes, definitely. I mean, if you're sure?"

"Yes, yes, I'm sure, just hurry up please." Then he babbled in something Fitz very distantly recognized as either French or Italian, a mixture of Fitz's name and florid vowels and crisp consonants. Weird, but sexy. Fitz fumbled with the condom wrapper for a moment, but triumphed over it and got the damn thing rolled over him. Then it was just a matter of moving that extra few centimeters closer and pushing in.

Oh, a cold shower would never work on him again.

He went as slowly as he could, trying to be patient, but it was hard with the Doctor's impatience. He kept rocking his hips and Fitz had to grab them and hold them still so he didn't come immediately. His breaths were ragged, each inhale a gasp of air into his lungs, each exhale ripped out of him. Even the autumn chill and the fact the covers had long since been knocked off the bed couldn't keep the heat from flooding Fitz's veins. He didn't realize he'd shut his eyes until the Doctor's palms pressed over his cheeks, urging him to open up, close enough he thought the could see the reflection of his own grey in the Doctor's blue.

Once he managed to calm down, he pulled back and thrust once back in. The Doctor's eyes unfocused, eyebrows drawing together. He didn't seem clear on what he was feeling right away, but on the next thrust, he cried out. Fitz ineptly tried to cover his mouth, worried about the volume, but the Doctor ruined the effect by taking Fitz's thumb into his mouth and there was suction and wetness and Fitz may have yelled pretty loud himself there.

Fitz felt himself getting close, his rhythm getting a little disjointed. Sometime shallow, sometimes deep, but fast, uneven.

He could hear his heart beating in his ears and could feel the Doctor's beating around him. Three beats in a fast tempo that drowned out everything else.

His orgasm came out of nowhere and slammed into him. He buried deep inside with one overbalanced push. He would have fallen on his face if the Doctor hadn't been holding him up. For a brilliant second, he was drowning in it, a wave smashing over him.

The metaphorical tide receded and he lay limp on top of the Doctor, half-lidded eyes watching the man as he smiled kindly. Like that was it, they were finished.

Fitz pulled himself up, planting one elbow on one side of the Doctor's head and staring down at him. Without a word, his other hand pulled at the Doctor's cock. What he lacked in subtlety, he made up for in technique, constantly changing his grip and pressure, but always moving at a steady, speed. The Doctor's smile slipped, a surprised stuttering gasp taking its place. Fitz didn't blink, watching like a hawk as the Doctor went to pieces in his hand. He couldn't say anything, just moaning and making soft keening noises, until he went completely silent, eyes shut, back bending. He came like a shot, body locking for one perfect moment as Fitz let him ride through it, hand lightly caressing until he became too sensitive to it.

With a tired flump, he ended up back on the pillows, Fitz lazing against his chest. It wasn't the most comfortable position with his arm squashed between them, but Fitz couldn't make himself move. Not just yet.

Boneless, he was easily nudged off and onto his side by the Doctor. "Nngh." Fitz said. The Doctor laughed and curled up next to him, tangling their arms and legs together until their skin was touching in more places than it was not. Fitz knew they really needed to get up and clean up. A shared shower would be fun, he mused idly.

But Fitz was, despite all of Anji's teasing, male, and after getting laid he got sleepy and crashed. The Doctor wrapping around him and nuzzling his face did not help matters. He couldn't work up the willpower to fight off the wave of exhaustion that replaced the frantic rush he'd been in before. In his defense, he had been in a sound sleep when the Doctor had woken him up.

"Going back to sleep?" He kissed Fitz's closed eyelids faintly.

"Mmhm."

"Do you mind if I stay here for the night?"

"Nn-hm."

"Thank you. For everything, really, not just letting me stay."

"Mmhm."

"Fitz?"

"Mm."

"Do you think we could go to Venice?"

"Mm."

And Fitz, unknowing what horrors he had just unleashed, fell asleep.

next chapter

Comments

[silver-sandals.livejournal.com]

I think this fic needs a soundtrack.

I hope you don't mind me commenting on each individual chapter, it's just as soon as I get to the end I'm so full of squee I just have to tell you how much I love it all over again.

My headcanonObverse!Eight isn't a virgin, but you managed to convince me very nicely of yours :)

I was so terribly disappointed when I realized that Upside-Down in Venice is not a real song and I'll never hear Fitz Kreiner singing it.

[lucia-tanaka.livejournal.com]

It does on my Zune, actually. :laughs: And I may have to break down and make a Eight/Fitz mix since I have one I use for writing anyway.

I don't mind at all! I like seeing what you notice and smiling knowingly to myself, knowing what bits you'll read next.

The virgin thing was actually Lullabee's thing and she made a very good case for it. With the fact the Ob!Doc is so frail and was homeschooled and could talk pretty much right after being born and being crazy and being, uh, kinda totally gay-- she convinced me, so I went with that.

'Upside-Down in Venice' is mentioned as part of Fitz's concert in Earthworld. I just.... gave it lyrics. :B

[silver-sandals.livejournal.com]

It's very nice to read, this fic, while listening to the Pretenders or the Beatles or whatever Fitz is playing at the time.

Obverse!Eight is odd because I too am totally convinced he is completely and utterly gay, but... he has this endless parade of women from his past! It's one of those things, like how I'm never quite sure how old he is supposed to be, that I guess is just the magic of a human!Doctor.

Speaking of which- sort of- I was a bit worried about London, because I thought it might ruin the magical realism of the Obverse, but you pulled it off brilliantly. Splashing around in a fountain without shoes!

[lucia-tanaka.livejournal.com]

I spent a stupid amount of time going, "okay, Fitz now lives in modern times, what would he like and what would he hate and what would he claim to hate but own seven albums of". Because I am a music whore, so I have to project that onto Fitz.

Well, with character sexuality, it's always going to be a YMMV thing. But Eight always pings me as bisexual (had a thing with Shakespeare and Karl, did we, Eight?) while the Ob!Doc really totally shattered my gaydar. Lullabee and I joked about his first words being "I am NEVER going near one of those things AGAIN" after being born. Because we are childish and crass.

Really, I just concur with TVT's Ambiguously Gay entry:

The Doctor in the Doctor Who Expanded Universe novel The Blue Angel. (From here on in, it may be important to note it's in an Alternate Universe where he's a slightly abnormal human.) He's something of a Supreme Chef, and certainly a very dedicated cook (he panics about having overcooked the potatoes). He redecorates his house to relieve stress and listens to Bette Davis soundtracks. And Freud might find the fact that he's a Mommas Boy to be rather significant. His Heterosexual Life Partner, finding him outside in the snow fussing over the garden, puts his arm around his waist to lead him inside. Most interestingly, in the parts taking place in the normal continuity, he's referred to as a "fussy old confirmed bachelor", which is basically a euphemistic way of saying Camp Gay. The Other Wiki says this was a bit controversial.

[/tangential tl;dr'ing]

You mean Birmingham? Heh. That was fun to write, pouring over maps and trying to figure out what could set him off. 83

[silver-sandals.livejournal.com]

Oh, oh darn, why did I think it was London. *headdesk*

I don't think Time Lords have orientations? Although I guess maybe different regenerations have different aesthetic preferences, but I figure Gallifreyan society is so repressed they have so much else to worry about...

Yeah, the music thing really adds a lot to the fic, so, thanks for thinking of that!

[silver-sandals.livejournal.com]

And I forgot to continue my train of thought, which is, I see all canon Doctors as bi, but you're very very right about Obverse Eight.

...now I'm getting a strong desire to write about the Doctor's platonic adventures with Romy...

[lucia-tanaka.livejournal.com]

Romy may show up much much much later, but you'll see why once you finish the fic. :shuts up before she spoils:

[lucia-tanaka.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure they do either, but "different aesthetic preferences", that sounds good, yeah. :nods: I agree with this sentiment totally.

Oh, I'm glad you like that. I just considered the music thing a bonus. 8D

[lullabee-lj.livejournal.com]

Which is to say, you concur with me? *wrote that*

Apparently, some of that is actually from the screenplay version. >:\ Stupid script version, making me confused. And Screenplay!Obverse!Doctor is written as very obviously gay -- his mum pretty much implies to him, "Why can't you just not be gay?" and it's strongly implied that she wants him to find a girl, but he can't. In the novel, it seems more that she's just reasonably concerned that her rather unworldly grown son has no love life.

[kradie.livejournal.com]

The whole planetarium bit was brilliant, and I liked the way the people they spoke to around town described the Doctor. Also, I found the sex scene very well written. (I liked the realistic mention of a condom as well - it's so often that kind of thing doesn't show up in fic.)

[luciazephyr]

Anytime a condom isn'tmentioned in a First Time, it really bothers me. I can excuse it in Established Relationships because I'll assume both parties have been tested and are clean, but otherwise? 8\

I'm glad you're enjoying the fic! 8D