only one can take you from this place

[pactum.livejournal.com]

Characters: Emil [d2] (pactum) and the Tenth Doctor [d6] (bit_impossible).
Location: The Ballroom on the Astral Plane.
Time: Before Marta and Emil leave Meltokio, a couple of days after he finds the first clue left by his amnesiac self.
Summary: Ten and Emil have a heart to heart.
Warnings: Dramaz with, as always, a dash of psycho. Poor kid. Also spoilers for the latter half of the game, since Emil in this deviation is a HUGE WALKING SPOILER. Yeah.

Emil felt a bit apprehensive as he sat there in the ballroom, waiting. They'd been playing tag for a little while now as Ten and Emil kept missing each other on the Plane. But it was the message that counted, right? Emil admired the Doctor greatly even if this wasn't the one he'd originally bonded with. But he was scared, too. Some weird things had been bothering him. And then there was something the Ninth Doctor said, and that blue-haired kid said something too, and... now Emil was torn between pursuing the leads he had or chasing the only goal that mattered. He wondered if the Doctor knew. He'd always looked after him, in any incarnation, and for that he was incredibly grateful— but guilty, as well.

He didn't want to know. The last time he'd looked into this, it ended up the death of at least one innocent person, and he'd hurt many others. His partners, creatures he'd tamed in the name of Ratatosk, were slaughtered in his defense. Emil's fingers trembled as he stared at the note before him.

Nothing made sense anymore.

He shoved the paper back into his scarf and pulled his knees to his chest. The boy sat alone in the golden pool of light the chandelier cast upon the ballroom, closed his eyes, and tried to imagine a happier time. But as he reached into the darkness for a memory of his parents, he could only draw out the same one.

"Mom..."

His grip in the fabric of his pants tightened until his knuckles turned white like bone.

Comments

awww it's okay! I WILL WAIT A MONTH. i love your ten so much ♥♥♥

[pactum.livejournal.com]

Ten never did finish that sentence. It left Emil confused as to what that meant. He added it to his ever-growing, seething mud pit of doubt. No longer just a shadow at his bedside, he felt Doubt, wearing the garb of Death, hovering over his shoulder. His gaze when locked on the Doctor was at once terrified and completely hopeful. He wanted to believe that there was something better. That there was some big mistake. That maybe, just maybe, he wasn't screwed up after all.

"Okay," the boy managed. A flicker of courage crossed his torn expression. He reached out and took the stethoscope, fidgeted with the ear-things once he realized it wasn't a necklace. "S'cold," he murmured, slipping the metal part under his tunic a little ways.

"My heartbeat...?" It was such a simple reminder. Maybe even a childish one. Emil felt foolish as he realized what it meant, and a protest rose to his lips. "Doctor, I..."

♥♥ Thank you ;_;

[bit_impossible]

"So long as you can hear that, for as long as it continues to beat nice and strong, you'll always be you. It's the same for those two friends of mine. Something bad happened to them, and they struggled to feel the same again, but they're doing well."

He reached out, gently putting a hand on Emil's shoulder, a faint smile on his lips. "And you will be too. Everything always works out in the end somehow. It just takes time."

xB ♥

[pactum.livejournal.com]

Emil's eyes fluttered, but he nodded and took the stethoscope off. "Thank you," he murmured. "For everything. You're right... It'll work out." He had a terrible feeling that time was actually about to run out, but what could he do? He had to trust the Doctor, and he had to trust in himself...

"You don't mind watching me and making sure? I thought you would've gotten sick of this mess by now," Emil said with the lightest bit of humor. At least he didn't flinch.

[bit_impossible]

He shook his head, holding his hand out for the stethoscope. "You don't need to thank me. Not yet. I help anyone who needs me--and even then, those who say they don't need the help. I want to help you figure this out. I'll watch for as long as it takes." A pause, then he added, "Or do a little bit more than watch if I need to."

Meaning that like always, he was more than prepared to interfere.

[pactum.livejournal.com]

Emil handed the stethoscope over carefully. He took a deep breath. The fact that the Doctor would spend all this time on him to try and fix him just... it was intimidating, and flattering, and it moved him deeply. Behind those big green eyes was a spark of determination that once lit would remain for a while yet.

"I'll figure it out," he said firmly. "With you and Marta and everyone else supporting me, I know I can do it. I know it."

Though he said that, there would always be some element of doubt lingering in the back of his mind. He ignored it. He might not be able to fight under his own power, but he was gonna try, damn it.