Doctor Who One Shots

Jealousy (Pt 1) 12th

   Y/n trudged across the muddy campus towards the Doctor's office, spirits low. The Doctor was extra grumpy these days, but she didn't have much else to do in this ruddy school. They'd traveled together, once, before the trouble with Missy. She missed the days in which they would jump planet to planet, saving lives and laughing together. He was a cross old man, but Y/n could always bring a smile to his face.

   Until Missy. Now, the Doctor was stuck here, and Y/n was stuck with him. He became crosser and crosser the longer he was cooped up in the little university office he'd chosen, and Nardole wasn't much for company, as much as Y/n liked him.

  "Hey there, beautiful." Someone said from beneath a nearby tree. "Why so blue?" A handsome man leaned against the trunk, flashing his teeth in a charming smile.

  "If you can be cheerful in this weather, you're an idiot." Y/n gestured to the drizzle and mud around them.

  The man shrugged and offered her a grin. "Who's to say?" He held out a hand. "Captain Jack Harkness. My ship's sensors picked up quite a bit of vortex energy on you. Are you a friend of the Doctor's?"

  Y/n took his hand, and she couldn't help but smile. "Y/n, I'm his companion. He's mentioned you once or twice."

  "Just once or twice? I deserve a whole novel!" Jack laughed, and Y/n chuckled. "Where is he? The Doctor? Torchwood needs his help."

  Y/n frowned. "He's not done much world saving these days. He's been cooped up here guarding another Timelord friend for ages. Poor guy's not even allowed a quick trip to the Medusa Cascade." She shook her head sorrowfully, but Jack gave her a soft smile.

"Well, how are you at saving the world?" Y/n looked up, a little shocked. Jack offered her his other hand, on the wrist of which was a Vortex Manipulator. "The help of the Doctor's companion is always welcome." She felt a rush of excitement, something she hadn't felt for a while, not since her last trip with the Doctor. Y/n figured she should probably stop by and tell him where she was going, so he wouldn't worry. But at the same time, she got lost in Jack's dazzling eyes, which were much older than she expected. Making a decision, Y/n took his hand.

*time skip*

Y/n laughed and Jack grinned at his own joke. The vortex manipulator gave a final crackle before they were solidly back in Y/n's time. Or at least, the time she was currently occupying along with the Doctor. Her knees buckled from the force of time travel, and Jack quickly caught her, steadying her in his strong arms.

"Thanks." Y/n tried to push down the flush in her cheeks as she shakily stood on her own. Jack winked and reached for his wrist again. "Wait," Y/n protested, "Don't you want to see the Doctor before you go?"

Jack shook his head. "I'm not sure he'll want to see me. Tell him hello for me, though." He typed in his new coordinates and hesitated above the final button. "I hope to see you again, Y/n." Jack flashed a charming smile and disappeared with a crackle of vortex energy. Y/n made it to the Doctor's office, mood lighter than before. Helping to save Torchwood had been the adrenaline rush she'd been missing for so long, and it left her smiling even after Jack was gone.

"Why are you smiling like that?" Y/n blinked, not having realized the Doctor's presence.

"I- -" Y/n fumbled for an excuse. 'I'm not sure he'll want to see me' Jack had said. Had something happened between the two of them?

The Doctor didn't allow her a moment to finish. "And where have you been? It's been days!" Y/n frowned. Stupid cheap time travel. The Doctor drew his sunglasses from his pocket and pushed them up his nose in one swift movement, a sonic titter sounding. "Vortex energy? That looks like rubbish time travel residue." The Doctor pulled off his shades and fixed Y/n with a suspicious glare. "Have you been using a vortex manipulator?"

Y/n's lips quirked back into a half smile. He was good. "I was with Jack." She admitted, "We saved the world together." Y/n had hoped the time lord might be proud of her, but instead he frowned deeply.

"And you didn't tell me?" He demanded, "You went off on your own with some charming stranger just because he had time travel, came back at the wrong time, and didn't even send word?"

"Careful, Doctor." Y/n snapped, "you might start to convince me you actually care."

Anger flickered in the Doctor's expression, and he grit his teeth. "I'll start caring when you start using common sense."

  "Jack isn't a stranger!" She protested, "he's one of your friends! I've heard all about him!"

  "Was." The Doctor corrected, "we're not friends as of current." Y/n considered this. Jack was the kind of guy that would get along with many of the Doctors old regenerations, but perhaps not this one. Even so, just because he was a grumpy old scot didn't mean he was allowed to stop being friends with someone as amazing as Jack.

  "Well that's your problem." Y/n said without missing a beat, "Jack is wonderful. And I consider him one of my friends, even if he's not yours." She turned and pushed through the TARDIS doors, finding her room and plopping down on the floor.   Y/n hadn't been on an adventure in so long. She'd missed the rush, the fear, the excitement. Jack was like the Doctor, but flirty and kind, though his eyes betrayed many years not expected on a face so young. She'd met the Doctor when he was younger, and it was that same flutter of nerves, looking into the pained irises one so old, yet so young.

  Y/n realized she didn't care whether or not the Doctor wanted her to be around Jack. What did he know? Jack was what Y/n had been missing for the long time she'd been trapped in university hell with the Doctor. He just didn't understand.