A Match Made in Heaven | Doctor X OMC | Doctor Who

The Lodger

He was sure he'd never had a more restful night than the one he'd just had, curled up in his nest with his mate. The feeling of the Doctor's twin hearts beating out an all too familiar pattern against his chest just about reduced him to a pile of goo. Neither man had slept, their species needing far less sleep than humans did, but that didn't take away from the relaxation of being tucked away in their nest.

The Doctor had seemed more calm too, and Haylen had had to fight off the urge to puff out his chest like a proud peacock for being able to get the perpetually manic alien to relax. It had been much easier when the other man had started running his hands through the feathers that he could reach. The problem he'd had then had been different. He was going to have to talk to the man about that if he planned to make it a habit, he thought as a shiver rolled down his spine from just the memory.

'So, it's a moon?' Amy asked for the third time, bringing Haylen back to the present with a start. It was like having a bucket of ice-water dumped on him, he thought with a shiver of an entirely different nature.

'If I can get her to land,' the Doctor replied, annoyance mixed with concern swirling through their bond toward him.

Haylen watched the man slam his hand down on a large button, and barely had enough time to brace himself before they were all thrown to the ground. The Tardis shook, rattling around through the vortex in a clearly unhealthy way. He was sure that he was picking up no small amount of frustration from her as the Doctor tried to force her to land. She obviously didn't want to, he thought, narrowing his eyes in confusion.

'Give us a hand, Anhellev,' the Doctor said. Haylen looked down to where his mate was sprawled on the floor beside him, and blinked. He reached out a hand and hauled the man up, not moved in the least by the alien's weight. The Doctor might weigh more than he looked like he should, but ever since the Angel puberty he'd been a lot stronger.

He looked up into the other man's eyes once he was upright again, and accidentally got caught in the myriad of the endless universe that seemed to exist within. From this close, it was impossible not to be struck by his sheer presence, not when he was unconsciously leaning down to Haylen, his bright smile fading into something much softer and sweeter.

His heart leapt up into his throat, and he leaned up to meet the Doctor without thinking about it. The negligible height difference should've meant that neither had far to go to reach the other, but to Haylen it felt like they were suspended in an endless moment as he waited for that first contact. He was sure that if he stopped to think about it, his automatic response would be to freak out and push the other man away.

That was why he wasn't thinking about it.

He could feel the Doctor's breath ghosting over his face, and he knew that the mounting anticipation he was feeling was feeding off of the Doctor's, both men being egged on by the feedback loop that their bond created. The knowledge didn't take away from the moment though.

'Ahem!' Amy cleared her throat loudly, shattering the moment, and both men jerked away from each other. Haylen wasn't game to look either of them in the eye after that, but he knew that his cheeks had to be a brilliant red thanks to the way they were burning. His heart was pounding in his chest, and he wasn't sure if it was from the almost kiss itself, or from a panic attack that hadn't quite caught up to him yet.

'Er, right!' the Doctor said, clearing his own throat nervously, 'Yes, so, we've landed.'

'Mhmm,' Amy hummed, and Haylen could feel her eyes boring into his back without even turning. He was sure she was giving an identical look to the Doctor, but that didn't make him feel any better.

'Better just... check we're in the right spot,' the Doctor said awkwardly, reaching up to fix his bow-tie. Haylen started as the man took his hand, pulling him along behind him as he bounded over to the doors. He hadn't been expecting the other man to be brave (or stupid) enough to touch him in front of Amy again for a while, be he wasn't complaining.