Sleepless - 12th Doctor
Pairing: 12th Doctor x Reader
Warnings: language
Summary: If you like the cheesy “only one bed” trope, you're in the right place.
Author’s Note: Currently ignoring my other responsibilities to write this for absolutely no reason because nobody wanted it but you’re getting it anyway :) -Kelsie
Word Count: 1631
The TARDIS was asleep. The usual humming of the engines were silent, the only noise was coming from your shuffling socks on the metal floor. It was pitch black but you navigated the winding hallways of the huge spaceship by using the flashlight on your cell phone.
Sleep couldn’t quite take you as it’s prisoner yet as you were kept awake by the thoughts of your last mission with The Doctor. It seemed like every other one to him, but not to you. It left a yucky taste in your mouth and un unsettling feeling in your stomach. With the amount of adventures you’ve been on with The Doctor you’d think that you’d be used to this by now, but you weren’t. You’ve seen people die before but this time was different. You naively let your mind wander afterward. What would your family think if something happened to you on one of these adventures? You knew damn well that The Doctor wouldn’t tell them shit unless you specifically asked him to. He probably wouldn’t deliver the news very kindly either.
Your intrusive thoughts had drove you out of bed with frustration and led you wandering through the sleeping TARDIS. You could only assume that The Doctor was also asleep, but you couldn’t quite picture it. The Doctor? Taking time for himself? Even for just a few hours? Completely unrealistic.
The silence surrounding you implied he was under sleep’s control though, so you continued wandering without worry. You stepped cautiously onto the metal steps of the dark bridge and shone your flashlight around the large room. It was eerie at night. It felt almost like it was dead instead of asleep.
You made your way past the console and to the wooden doors to the outside world. The Doctor claimed that he had let the TARDIS choose where to sleep that night but you swore you saw him peek at the monitor and press a few buttons before retreating for bed.
Throwing open the front doors of the TARDIS confirmed your suspicions. Either the TARDIS had a very similar taste in location as The Doctor, or he chose it himself.
The TARDIS was drifting slowly through empty space. You turned your phone flashlight off and sat at the edge of the doors, letting your legs dangle off into space. You saw no galaxies, no planets, no scary blackholes, just stars. The Doctor loves stars.
You laughed quietly to yourself as you analyzed the surrounding stars. Maybe he wasn’t crazy for liking stars so much. Without the colorful distractions of surrounding galaxies, they shone brighter.
Your heart pulled in your chest as you thought of The Doctor. How nice would it be to fall asleep with him. You probably wouldn't have to be worried about intrusive thoughts if your mind was focused on other things. His arms... his hands… You blushed to yourself, shaking out the thoughts before letting your mind wander further.
Suddenly feeling rather sleepy, you stood up and closed the wooden doors before retreating back to your bedroom.
When the TARDIS was awake she would often swap around the rooms, helping you access which ones you needed. She was sleeping now, and you had to find your room yourself. You traced your footsteps back down the winding hallway perfectly and made it back quickly. The only problem was, your door had been swapped. Or, that’s what appeared to have happened. In fact, it now had the same door as The Doctor’s bedroom. You spun on your heel quickly trying to figure out if you had gone back to the right way. You had, but the location of your room seemed to have been swapped with The Doctor’s.
The TARDIS must’ve done it in her sleep…
You ran quickly down the hallway figuring where The Doctor’s room used to be must be where your room is now. Once you got there, you realized that was not the case. The Doctor’s bedroom door was there, just like it had been before.
You began to grow frustrated, you just wanted to sleep. You angrily started to wander the hallways, attempting to search for your room but The Doctor’s just kept popping up. This wasn’t a coincidence. The TARDIS was doing it on purpose.
“Knock it off!” You whispered angrily at the ‘sleeping’ ship.
After a few more minutes of wandering you gave up with a frustrated “humf!” and sat against the wall across from The Doctor’s door.
Maybe you’d just sleep there. It seemed like you didn’t have much of a choice in the matter.
Your frustration must’ve been louder than you thought. The door across from you swung open revealing a very much awake Doctor.
“What are you doing?” He asked, eyeing your seat on the metal floor.
“The TARDIS hid my bedroom,” You mumbled, crossing your arms angrily.
The Doctor sighed and mumbled something under his breath, probably to the naughty ship.
“You can sleep in my bed tonight,” He said, stepping out of his room and ushering you in.
You stood up cautiously and let him push you into the dark bedroom.
“Doctor, I can’t do that,” You said, spinning around to face him, “Where will you sleep?”
“I don’t need sleep,” He smiled at you and pat your arm reassuringly, “Goodnight,”
The door closed quickly and you slowly walked over to the large bed against the back wall. This was forbidden territory. The Doctor was feared among millions and worshiped among millions more. And there you were, invited to sleep in his bed.
A ‘thump’ came from outside the door and was quickly followed by some angry whispering. You opened the door to find The Doctor kicking at the wall of the TARDIS out of frustration.
“Doctor?” You inquired, raising an eyebrow, “Everything okay?”
“No,” He sighed, running a hand over his tired features, “The TARDIS won’t let me leave,”
Your heart soared in your chest when you realized what she was doing. The beating in your chest increased. This was the perfect chance! Shoot your shot!
“Maybe...” You mumbled as you rubbed your sweaty palms on your pants, “we could both sleep in here,”
The Doctor stared at you with his usual intense glare and you immediately regretted saying anything. He spoke before you could take it back.
“I suppose it’s our only option,” He said, avoiding eye contact as he slipped past you into the bedroom.
“As long as you’re comfortable,” You said, quickly rushing to his side.
“Of course,” He said (all too quickly), “Will you be?”
Your breath hitched in your throat as you looked up at him, “More than,”
A smile reached the edge of his mouth then he quickly spun around and climbed into the bed. You cautiously followed, slipping into the other side. You made sure to keep as much distance between the two of you as possible. An awkward tension settled in the air.
“Doctor…” You cringed as your voice filled the empty silence, “If I died, what would you tell my family?”
He glanced over at you with a confused expression.
“Maybe I should rephrase that,” You giggled, “When I die, tell my family the truth,”
“Why would I do that?”
“They deserve to know,”
“I won’t let you die,” He said, his voice far lower than before.
“Promise?” You joked, reaching over and poking his arm playfully.
His hand grabbed your wrist, turning it over and exposing your empty palm. Your heart felt like it had stopped. Had you overstepped your boundaries?
“I promise you,” He said, making direct eye contact with you, “I won’t let you die,”
“I feel as if that’s a promise you make most people,” You whispered, letting him rub your open palm with his thumb, “A promise you can’t keep,”
His thumb stopped and he looked back up at you again.
“I try my best,”
You could tell that you had hit a sensitive nerve and you quickly pull your hand away.
“I know you do,” You said, scooching closer to him, “Promise me you’ll try your best, then,”
He watched you for a moment in the dark before glancing down.
“I promise you I’ll try my best,”
It was you who grabbed his hand now, entangling your fingers with his. Something you had done before, but this time it felt different.
“I can’t let you die,” He said suddenly, looking back up at you, “I love you,”
“I love you too, silly,” You laughed awkwardly but his expression faltered.
“No,” His voice got low again and he pulled his hand away, “No, no, no, no,”
“No what?”
His hand ran tiredly over his face again as he shook his head. He sighed deeply.
“I love you,”
Your mouth dropped open in to a small “o” and you looked away from his piercing gaze. You stayed silent, not knowing what to say. You felt the same, obviously, but you were too caught off guard to think correctly.
“If I overstepped my boundaries-” He started.
You quickly cut in, “I love you too.”
It was his turn to be surprised. The two of you sat in silence awkwardly now only a few inches apart.
“Is it like this with all your companions?” You mumbled, needing to know the answer.
“No,” He said quickly, “I don’t normally… let myself,”
“Let yourself what?”
He glanced up at you as you both started to lean closer.
“Fall in love,” He said quietly.
You brought your hand up quickly to cup his face, pulling it down to meet yours in a soft kiss. It was quick, but long-awaited.
“Was that alright then?” You blushed, second-guessing yourself.
“That was more than alright,” He laughed before kissing you again, “I suppose we can’t be mad at the TARDIS anymore,”
“I suppose,”