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Rory gives the patient a kind smile as he takes off the sphygmomanometer (more commonly known as a blood pressure monitor) from his arm. He's been in a good mood all day, Amy said yes to coffee and he's been breezing through his patients.
"Well Mr. Reynolds, everything seems to be fine." Rory informs, placing the monitor off to the side. Mr. Oliver Reynolds pulls his coat back over his arms and does up the buttons, standing up straight with a tight smile.
"Thank you Rory, you're ever so kind to an old man as myself," Mr. Reynolds says patting Rory on the shoulder politely. Rory lets out a little huff of a laugh, "It's no problem sir, if you will follow me out to the reception desk we can get you all set to go." Mr. Reynolds thanks him again and follows Rory out into the larger open room.
A lovely friend of his sits at the desk signing out an old lady and she looks up at him with a friendly smile, "Rory, you got more work for me?" She asks playfully, finishing off her patient and sending her on her way. Rory grins and hands her a file of paper as Mr. Reynolds walks up to the desk. "I live to make your life harder," He jokes, earning a laugh from the girl who shoos him away after taking the file.
He walks away and into the bathroom to check his phone.
One Message Notification.
He hums cheerfully and opens the notification, seeing it's from Amy.
"Hey, sorry, gonna have to take a rain-check on that coffee!" His heart sinks. Of course this would happen. Way to put a damper on his good mood. He wipes a tired hand over his mouth and scratches his neck softly as he thinks up a suitable reply.
"No problem, I gotta go talk to you later." It was a plain and boring response but it was good enough. He rubs the side of his face as his good mood seemingly disappears. He grabs out a red pen from his shirt pocket and pulls his long sleeve up; he draws a little red sun on the inside of his left forearm, and smiles down at it softly.
He could get through today.
The Doctor feels a tickling sensation on his left forearm and he hikes up his suit's sleeve. He sees the little sun and half smiles. He dares not to answer back any of his soulmate's questions, no matter how persistent they are. But he doesn't mind the drawings, so he grabs a blue pen from the console and draws a little moon besides the sun, smiling down at the drawings.
There's no other writing or drawings from his so called soulmate so he pulls his sleeve back down and starts up the TARDIS. "To new adventures," He mumbles as the whole room starts to rumble and shake.
Rory clocks out of his shift at 5pm and goes home to change into some casual wear. He puts on jeans and a loose-fitting tee with his white flats. He picks up his phone and wallet off of the counter and walks to the front door before stopping himself, he looks at the small welcome table and sees a blue pen sitting atop some papers. He shakes his head and turns back into the house to find his handy red pen that he keeps on his person.
You see, he'd made it a rule with himself at a young age that he'd only write in red so that they could always know who drew/wrote what, and he feels like he'd be breaking something if he used a different colour now.
He finds the pen and presses it to the outer side of his forearms, pausing to think about what he's doing.
Should he really do this? He supposes that the person who receives this isn't going to come hunt him down and murder him, seeing as they're soulmates and all.. To hell with it, not like they'll respond to him anyways.
Coffee?
Wow real original Rory.
He doesn't know why he bothers anymore. It's been about ten years since he first got his soulmate to respond to him. He was nine and he'd drawn in little scrawny handwriting "are you okay?" and was pleased to find that they responded with a, "I'm very well thank you." In some of the neatest handwriting he'd ever seen. Whoever this kid was, was very good at writing.
Unfortunately, he hadn't been able to coax anything else of out them for years. But that never stopped him trying; his favourite red pen nearly dry after only a few days..
What's your name? I'm Rory Williams.
Okay so maybe you're busy or asleep, that's fine.
I hope you're okay!
I'm gonna be a nurse when I'm older so I can help people get better!
What do you want to do when you're older?
Day after day, week after week, year after year, he asked questions, never expecting any response. He finally got one when he was thirteen.
Is everything okay on your end?
It was just a little joke, they hadn't responded for four years of him hassling them and he didn't expect any reply. But there it was, for all to see in a dark blue ballpoint pen.
Yes, how about yours?
He stopped in his tracks when he saw it, writing along his skin by an invisible hand. He clutched tightly to his pen and wrote out an answer as fast as possible, in fear that this person might not ever respond to him again.
Wonderful now that you're here :)
Yes okay that was a bit cringey and a tad bit stalkerish but what's done is done and Rory sat still, awaiting a response.
Silly Rory, I'm always here.
He felt something fluttering in his stomach (they remembered my name!) and he giggled as he wrote back a reply.
I guess that's true. What do I call you?
He wasn't like other people who had found their soulmates during school, or in their neighbouring city.. He hadn't even gotten their name! All those years and he never had a name to put instead of just "soulmate".
You can call me the Doctor.
The Doctor?
Yes.
Doctor Who?
No response. How very him. Avoiding questions..
Rory snaps himself out of his memories and sighs, looking down and sees no answer. He lifts the pen and continues writing.
Well, if you change your mind, I'll be at the coffee shop on the corner of James Ave and Flint Rd at 5:45pm tonight.
..that's Leadworth, England.
....on the 5th of February 2008.
He cringes at his own writing. Man he really was desperate.
He pockets the red pen and pulls a jumper on over his arms so he doesn't have to see how desperate he looks. With a sigh, he pockets his remaining items and picks up his keys, making his way out the door.
The disappointment stayed, no matter how old he got. He'd never even met this person and he was already infatuated by their mysteriousness. He shakes his head clear of this "Doctor" and locks the front door behind him, walking towards his car with his heart resting heavy in his chest.
The Doctor slumps down onto his springy chair beside the console, just having got back from saving some Valvorvians from a neighbouring (and attacking) planet. Saving people was exhausting, and was only really half fun doing it on his own.
He sighs and rubs his cheek tiredly, he could go for some tea right about now.. And as if on cue, his arm starts to itch. A small smile lightls up his tired face and he pulls his suit up to look.
Coffee?
He chuckles softly, Rory never stopped trying did he? This kid might just be the death of him. He shakes his head, knowing full well that nothing good will come if he meets them. He'll only bring this kid pain, even if he might show him the stars.. the whole countless galaxies..
He can't. He just can't. Either he, or Rory will end up hurt or worse... He shakes his head rid of that train of thought. No good will come of them meeting me, He decides.
But.. the itching on his arm states otherwise.
Well, if you change your mind, I'll be at the coffee shop on the corner of James Ave and Flint Rd at 5:45pm tonight.
That's really nothing to go on so he can't go, even if he wanted to. Which he doesn't because it's a bad idea-
..that's Leadworth, England.
Bad. Bad idea. Don't even think about it-
....on the 5th of February 2008.
Oh he's so going.
He pulls a lever down and starts flipping switches and clicking buttons as the TARDIS starts to move, he inputs his destination for five minutes early and makes sure to park a decent ways away.
The Doctor laughs as he's thrown around the room, a new found energy and excitement bubbling up inside of him.
"Rory Williams," He half laughs. "Here I come."
Rory parks his car across the street from the little corner shop and he sits there, looking at the clock anxiously. It's 5:41pm currently and he knows that he can go in now, but he needs a good few minutes to collect/brace himself. He's bracing for the disappointment that's going to come with not meeting him.
And he needs to collect himself because he's a sweating ball of anxiety as he sits and watches the clock count down.
He takes in deep breaths to calm down and looks up at the clock to see he's got one minute until he said he'd be in there. He nods and looks himself in the visor mirror, running his tongue over his top teeth swiftly. "Okay, you're fine. Completely fine, don't stress Rory, not like he's going to be in there anyway." He says pointing his keys dejectedly.
He opens the car door and swings his legs out, locking the vehicle, and looks both ways before quickly crossing over to the corner street he loves so much.
The bell dings above the door upon his enter and he's hit with a wave of warmth, like this small homey corner coffee shop has just taken all his worries away.
He walks up to the counter and purchases his usual coffee with milk and no sugar before taking a seat at one of the booths as he waits. He pulls out his phone and scrolls through some boring news feed, taking a quick look around the shop for any indications that the Doctor is here. Nothing. With a sigh, he lets his head fall against his chest and he keeps scrolling.
The Doctor sits at his window seat and glances up at the door as he sees a scrawny, but not unpleasant looking, tall man enter. The Doctor looks down at his phone that is synced with Earth time and sees that it's 5:45pm on the dot. So that could be Rory, his mind supplies helpfully but he doesn't want to do or say anything without knowing 100%.
This scrawny guy walks past him without a second glance and takes a seat at one of the booths along the opposing wall. He can still see the guy in his peripheral vision. The Doctor looks down at his cup and decides to wait it out.
A few minutes pass by when one of the girls working at the counter calls out, "Rory, your coffee is done!" The scrawny man's head shoots up from his chest and he quickly goes to gather his drink before taking a seat once more. His left hand wrapped around his cup and facing the Doctor's direction.
A smile plays on the Doctors lips and he pulls out his blue pen, writing out in neat letters,
Found you.
"Rory" pulls his left hand back to scratch it and sees the blue ink on his skin, his eyes going from calm and bored, to wild and excited. A grin lights up his face and he looks up and around the shop, his eyes connecting with the Doctor's.
The Doctor smiles politely and stands from his chair, taking his tea with him as he walks over and takes a seat across from Rory.
"Rory Williams," The Doctor says, an amused smirk on his face at his soulmate's look.
"Doctor.." Rory breathes unbelieving. The Doctor nods once and holds his hand out on the table which Rory readily grabs and clutches.
"I.. I didn't think.." Rory is having a hard time producing words. "That you'd come."
The Doctor bites his lip and nods apologetically. "Yes well, I thought it best for me to stay out of your life, nothing good comes to those around me." He explains vaguely. "But.. When you openly invited me to this place, well.. I couldn't just not come."
Rory smiles brightly and squeezes the Doctor's hand softly. "Thank you," He says earnestly. "Honestly I never thought I'd meet you. I've had ten years to think about what I'd say.. b-but now that you're actually here I.. I don't know what to say." He breaks off into a soft laugh and the Doctor chuckles as well.
The Doctor takes a sip of his tea and checks his phone for the time, he has to leave now or else he's not sure what he's going to do.
"Ah, would you look at the time." He says putting his cup down. "I really should be going now, but it was lovely to meet you-" He stands abruptly and lets go of Rory's hand, pocketing his phone. "Rory, really lovely. Goodbye," He quickly leaves the shop, ignoring the shouts of protest behind him.
A hand grabs his arm and halts his movements. He looks back and sees Rory breathing heavily, an angry look on his face, masking the hurt behind it.
"Y-You can't just do that!" Rory shouts not letting the man go. "You can't just ignore me for ten years, then show up out of the blue before running off again!" The Doctor can hear the hurt lacing Rory's tone and it hurts him to hear. He looks down at the floor, wanting to leave, but not wanting to be alone again.
"This is why I didn't say anything your whole life Rory," The Doctor says softly, meeting Rory's hurt gaze. "Because I knew that I'd hurt you if I got to close. I.. I see that didn't work out how I planned."
Rory scoffs.
"No obviously not." He says frustratedly, letting go of his arm reluctantly.
The Doctor's eyes soften and he holds Rory's hands in his own, making the other man meet his eyes. "Where I go, it's not safe. And I can't always guarantee your safety," The Doctor says gently. Rory shrugs.
"I can't always guarantee my safety here either Doctor," He says pointedly, making the Doctor laugh.
"Well then, I suppose you can come." The Doctor says with a nonchalant tone but its all to mask the panic he feels inside.
no no no bad doctor, you can't bring him along! You're going to fall in too deep and then you're going to have to leave him so he'll be safe- or he'll die and you'll be heartbroken all over again this is the worst idea you've possibly ever had!
But... The smile on Rory's face, and the soaring in his heart tells him that this is quite possibly the best decision he's ever made.
"Come along then Williams!" The Doctor shouts behind him as he runs off towards wherever he parked the TARDIS. Rory runs along behind him and up until they get to the blue box. The Doctor turns to face him and he slowly opens the door behind him. "Now, behold-" He opens the door and steps inside. "My TARDIS!"
Rory blinks and looks around.
"It's bigger on the inside," He points out, awe in his voice as he looks around with wide eyes.
The Doctor's smile gets bigger and he laughs loudly. "That it is Williams! The door if you please," Rory closes the door with a click and walks up towards where the Doctor is standing beside the console.
"So.. what is this place?" Rory asks in wonder, letting his hand trail over the console briefly as he stands beside the Doctor.
"This is the TARDIS, stands for 'Time And Relative Dimension In Space'," Then he lowers his voice to a giddy whisper. "It's a time machine!"
Rory laughs airily and looks around once more, taking it all in. "Right, so what are you then? A time traveller?" He asks not unkindly. The Doctor nods.
"Yes, well I'm technically a Time Lord."
Rory smirks, "The term 'Time Traveller' too good for you?"
A confused expression crosses the Doctor's face before understanding. "Oh! No, I meant my race. I'm a Time Lord, just as you're a Human." He explains, bouncing on his heals.
"But.. you look human."
"You look Time Lord." He counters, making Rory snicker. "We came first, so you look like us, technically."
"Right," Rory nods. "So.. how old are you?"
"Nine hundred and Seven," The Doctor's eyes dart quickly to Rory's lips and back up to his eyes. "And you?"
Rory licks his lips and leans in slightly. "Legal."
"Oh good," The Doctor whispers before capturing him in a soft kiss, cupping the back of Rory's neck gently.
Oh yeah, best idea he's ever had for sure.