13 Novella 2

Finally

Yaz leans collectedly against one of the crystals, watching her friend work; lying on her back, one knee raised up, blonde head invisible to Yaz as she fiddles with the underside of the console, earning what Yaz interprets to be impatient whirres from the TARDIS.

It was late Friday afternoon and it was just the two of them. Yaz wasn't quite ready to leave for bed yet though, not if it gave her more time to simply watch The Doctor- something she had come to do a lot these days.

Watch as her friend gestured ecstatically when she was excited, or spoke at ridiculous speeds, understanding enlightening her hazel eyes, or brooded with slumped shoulders when something beyond the reach of her fam was bothering her.

On these occasions Yaz yearned to reach out and comfort her friend, but still didn't quite dare.

Though Yaz wasn't quite ready to admit it, 'friend' was a very loose term as to how she regarded the Doctor. Given her own way, and a touch of courage, maybe one day there could be more, another word in front of the 'friend' part...

A sharp intake of breathe brings Yaz, blushing furiously, out of her reverie, The Doctor cursing slightly and the TARDIS groaning louder than ever.

"Alright alright! I give up, fix yourself, if you fail, I'll just sell you for scraps"

The Doctor rolls out from under the console, a smudge of oil on her nose, blonde bob slightly lifted from the heat.

She sits up and adjusts her lilac coat around her slender shoulders, flashing her teeth at Yaz who responds enthusiastically.

Behind her The TARDIS makes a new sound, slightly quieter, a couple of sly sounding notes that to Yaz's great amusement send a crimson blush across the Doctor's own cheeks.

"That's none of your business" she hisses, and Yaz detects a note of embarrassment in the blonde's usually confident voice.

"What did she say?" Asks Yaz, curious as to what could constitute such a rare reaction from the Time Lord.

The Doctor mumbles something unintelligible then gets slightly flustered to her feet.

She doesn't stay there long, The TARDIS lurching alarmingly to the side, sending the Doctor crashing to the ground and Yaz, blushing so hard she can feel the heat emanating from her face, into the Doctor herself.

The alien giggles at the bemused expression on the human's face before, cued by a violent growl from the depths of the machine, she grabs Yaz's arm as they once again fly to the end of the console, both colliding painfully with the metal rim and ending in a ball where the Doctor had been lying earlier trying to fix it.

Yaz, shielded form the worst of the collision by The Doctor due to the protective cage her arms had formed around the young woman, was remarkably unhurt.

The Doctor however groans as they scramble into a sitting position, their backs against the console clutching her head, one arm still holding Yaz tightly.

No doubt The TARDIS had planned for only the Gallifreyan to get hurt, but she wasn't taking any chances.

Yaz pulls away slightly, breathing heavily to take in The Doctor's form, curled up in slight pain. Strange, how strong the empathy Yaz feels for the alien.

"Yeah alright you're in control" says the Doctor rubbing her head gingerly. Yaz barely has time to marvel at the complex language The Doctor and TARDIS share when the former mutters "doesn't mean you're right though".

That does it.

The pair are sent sliding across the deck again, ending once again in a heap with The Doctor lying on top of Yaz. Both freeze. The TARDIS lets out what can only be described as a low chuckle.

Both women blush some more but neither move.

Yaz feels unbearably warm looking up into those hazel eyes she had loved from the first glance.

Those very hazel look down into the chocolate brown shade directly below, warmth spreading and connecting them securely as though by some invisible bond.

Yaz continues to stare, having never been this close to her love before. She notes the blonde hair, mussed from all the tumbling, framing her face as it falls toward Yaz from this angle on top, the delicate pink of her lips pulled back as of right now in surprise, the gentle curve of her chin, then her jaw and finally back to the eyes.

The eyes that hold such a heavy past and such an uncertain future.

She savoured these, so still, clearly searching Yaz's expression herself, no doubt wondering what was happening and why. The thought brought on a fresh round of blush. Yaz hadn't moved yet.

The Doctor however was thinking nothing of the sort. She was looking at the human as though she had never seen her before. Low pigtails fanning out framing her face, intense brown eyes searching her own, her lips slightly parted as she continued to stare.

She scronches her face and blushes awkwardly.

In one movement Yaz sits up as The Doctor rolls off to the side. Neither break the gaze just yet, unsure they had both felt it.

Then, by some subconscious decision, she leans towards the girl and their lips lock, The Doctor sitting and Yaz kneeling in.

In the distant background the women hear a triumphant groan from the omniscient machine, and they both smile into the kiss.

Yaz didn't need to ask what had made the Doctor blush earlier. The TARDIS has known what her master wanted most, and had merely nudged them in the right direction, for which they were both grateful.