𝔏𝔬𝔫𝔡𝔬𝔫, 𝔈𝔫𝔤𝔩𝔞𝔫𝔡, 𝔈𝔞𝔯𝔱𝔥
𝔄𝔭𝔯𝔦𝔩 2005
Home looked the same way it always did, and that was scary. It was still an average looking flat in a concrete block not far from the centre of London. It was still surrounded by five flights of stairs, making it a horrific fire hazard. The door was still slightly skewed off its hinges, almost ready to fall, but it was home, and it was his.
After everything he had been through in the past day, it seemed like everything should have been different in the same way it might in a movie. It wasn't raining, or storming at all. For some reason, EJ thought it was going to change, but it didn't.
The world had just kept turning, completely ignorant to all he had been through. Every event, every word, it would all be forgotten, especially the man who had saved him. Even if the rest was lost to time, EJ would make sure he always remembered the Doctor. His first ever alien.
Fumbling around his pockets, he searched for his keys, all of the key rings kept getting in the way, and found it a more troubling task than he would ever care to admit. Though it was only at the bottom of his jean pockets, the ring loops seemed to catch on everything, including his Nokia and the gum packets. And then, he had to search for the right key, as there were many to try, including a few old ones.
The second silver key he pushed into the lock worked, only after jiggling it around a few times, and even then the door stuck. Inside, he could hear the tv playing, and vague muttering, but nothing that could become coherent enough for him to understand. He didn't even know who would be there... or if they cared where he had been.
There was always the hope that someone would miss him when he was gone. So, when he opened the door, he was slightly relieved to find exactly what he hoped on the other side. It was his family.
Ty was the first and only person he saw as he stepped through the door, sat on the deep red sofa. His hands were clamped together, as he stared ahead, lifeless in the way a porcelain doll might be. Whilst concerned with the coverage the news decided to show, he could hardly watch it. His breath was baited.
The kitchen had only a smart partition from the living room. When he peered through, EJ could see an attractive redhead sat round the table. He was holding onto Elliott, he was curled up onto his like a koala, almost completely asleep. It was unlikely to ever see Angel without Elliott, especially when they were home. They were joint at the hip. He was attempting a crossword puzzle, but had given up on it soon before.
Soren and Taylor were arm in arm, facing the ceiling, lying on their backs. Whenever Angel called out an question to receive answers, they were ridiculous. The two of them always had been, but thankfully, they were entertaining enough to occupy their minds. It was their specialty, especially when they needed a distraction.
EJ almost laughed. Their kindness, and their stupidness, was enough to make him want to cry, and burst into a fit of joy at the same time.
The door shut behind him, the lock clicking louder than he had expected, and their heads all turned to focus. He grinned, brightly, not expecting to feel so overwhelmed with emotion so quickly. There was a sense of relief flooding through the flat, but he knew that there was probably something more to it. They were glad of him, and his return, but they didn't have anything to say.
"I've just saved the bloody world and no one's going to give me a hug?" He scoffed, mockingly, dropping his skateboard to the floor as his bleach blonde friend embraced him.
Ty sobbed heavily, the relief hitting him harder than the others. "We thought you'd died." He hit his shoulder. "You didn't say anything you blummin' idiot! I thought I'd lost you."
"Nah." EJ sighed as he held her, pushing her arm lightly. "Can't get rid of me that easy."
"Do you ever stop joking?" He rested his head upon his chest, and sighed, hearing his heart beat steadily.
He laughed. "Why would I do that?"
"You're a twat." Ty responded, his tattooed arms tightening even further around his body. EJ was proud to say he had competed the majority of them himself, and they were mighty fine. "The biggest twat ever."
"I just went skating." He shrugged. "Don't attack me, Jesus."
"I'll let you say hi to everyone else, then." Ty reluctantly pulled himself away. "I'm sure they've got a lot to say."
"Nah." Soren called up from the floor with a cheesy thumbs up. "We're good down here."
"You're awful." EJ shook his head, chuckling to himself. As he walked past, he nudged the Norwegian's ribs with his foot.
"Ah!" He groaned. "I'm hurt!"
"Don't hurt him." Taylor pouted, taking a protective stance over the blonde as he wrapped his arms around him. "He's feeble."
"Faen deg, din geit." Soren grumbled, taking pride in the fact that no one else properly understood what he was saying- other than the swearing.
"The others are in the kitchen." Ty told him. "They've really missed you."
"Thanks." EJ smiled. "Is Elliott out?"
"Completely." He snorted. "After about half an our. Angie's gotta have dead legs by now."
"Angie!"
EJ bounded around the small partition in the wall, to see the boy he considered his bestest friend. They'd known each other years, and he honestly didn't know what he would do without Angel.
"Shh." The redhead threatened, quietly. "El's had a long day."
"He's had a long day?" EJ snorted. "Christ on a penny farthing. You wanna hear about the day I've had."
Ty followed them into the kitchen and sat on the opposite chair to Angel. He picked up the puzzle book, and groaned when he couldn't work out what the first acrostic was.
"You're weird." He grumbled. "6-across: medical profession, or at the top of their field."
EJ shook his head and scoffed. "Are you kidding?"
"What?"
"Do you not know it?" He almost laughed. "That's easy."
"He's shit at crosswords." Angel replied, finding it hard to grab his glass as his arms were mostly immobilised. "He's shit at most things."
"That's assault." Ty accused.
In disbelief at his two friends, and their childishness, EJ replied. "Doctor."
"Why're you saying that?"
"It's your fucking answer you eejit." The Thompson boy joked, pushing himself to sit on the table. "Doctor."
"Oh." Ty took the pen, and scribbled onto the page. "Thanks, mate. Knew you'd be worth having back."
"Is that all I'm worth to you? A bloody crossword?"
"And a cheap fag every now and again."
"Bastard." EJ mumbled under his breath, hitting Ty's head with the back of his hand on his way past.
"Piss off." He retaliated. "You love me."
"Sure I do."
"EJ?" He heard Taylor call from the living room, so he sat down with them, and huddled into his side.
It wasn't a secret that he really had missed them whilst locked away in that Cabinet Room with complete strangers. They were possibly the most trying hours of his life so far, and the option of communication being forced away from him was ridiculous. His heart ached thinking of it, but that didn't matter so much, as he was there now.
"Soren made hot chocolate." He wrapped an arm around his shoulders. It wasn't usual for him. Maybe it was slightly uncomfortable. "You must be cold."
"I'm fine, Taylor." He smiled, leaning back, enjoying actually being able to sit down and relax for once. "Really."
"Have this." Angel crept up from behind and wrapped a soft cream blanket around his shoulders, hoping it might make him more comfortable. "You look... ill."
"Wow." EJ groaned, looking back up at the redhead. "You guys really gave me a vote of confidence, huh."
Ty ruffled his hair, keeping half an eye on his friends red eyes. "You're just an idiot."
Angel wrapped his arms around the blonde's neck from behind, and rested his head on EJ's. "We missed you, E."
"Missed you too, Angie."
He raised a brow, skeptically. "You gonna tell me what happened?" The blonde shook his head. "Maybe another time?"
"Sure."
Maybe for a moment or two, EJ felt guilty about not saying anything to his friends, but then he thought about it a bit more, and realised it was possibly the best option he had. Not many people would be willing to listen to a story about aliens, and then consider the teller sane. The Thompson boy didn't need any more negativity in his life. He'd only just escaped the last bunch.
After feeling all of the warmth and comfort of his home for a short while, EJ soon began to feel sad. It was a simple word to describe such a huge problem that he couldn't reveal. But he was sad, and that was the real issue.
He hadn't really said thank you to the Doctor, or a proper goodbye. The words had come out of his mouth, but they were so swift that it was no less than half hearted. It wasn't something he was proud of, and he regretted the thought that he wanted to do it all again.
EJ wanted to battle unknown monsters, and use his brain in ways he never had before. The rush of adrenaline that hit his brain made him feel more alive than in any other prior experience he could remember. He wanted to live, as if he had never lived another day, and that it might be his last.
It didn't seem like so much to ask, but he would have no idea where to look.
The TV seemed to be getting louder as the hours ticked by, and around midday, EJ was bored. Elliott had woken up by then, but had abandoned them for work, as had the others. It was just him, alone.
It was easy to leave, then, with no one actively trying to stop him. He just left the flat, like that, with no though to the later consequences. This felt like something he had to do. Something for him, and no one else.
Unfortunately, it was a pointless walk. He hadn't dressed right for the occasion, wearing tartan pyjama bottoms, what was essentially a wife-beater, though they had renamed it in his home to the 'wife-lover', and a black zip hoodie. He looked ridiculous, but it didn't matter. Not when he heard it.
It was this transient sound, like wind was curling and the very fabric of reality was tearing apart, because there were no other words that could describe it. Magic, perhaps; alien, of course. EJ couldn't describe exactly what drew him to follow the noise, but there was no way he could ignore it. There was something alluring about it, like a sirens call to those who sought it.
Like his very own pot of gold, after following the noise, he found the blue box from the hospital. The Tardis, the Doctor had said. His spaceship. A real spaceship. EJ still couldn't get over it.
He let his fingers drag against the wood for a moment, pouncing back when the door opened, taking him completely by surprise.
"Doctor!" He exclaimed, eyes wide.
Nodding his as if he knew before, he replied. "EJ."
"Why're you here?" It was an odd question, perhaps, as the last place he had seen it was a back alley, and a nearby field probably wasn't too much of a stretch. "Weren't you and Rose supposed to be going somewhere hip and cool now?"
"That's it." Said the man, raising his gaze. "We were wondering-"
His eyebrows raised, clearly taken aback. "We?"
"Yeah." The Doctor agreed, mockingly. "Rose does actually like you, you know."
"Really? That's a result an' a half."
"You're telling me." The man chuckled, leaning against the doorway.
"Yeah." EJ snorted, partially because of his disbelief. "I am."
"Anyway," The Doctor called back for his attention, though he had never lost it. "We're going to this, uh, plasma storm, all the way across in the Horsehead Nebula, and I was thinking..."
"Dangerous, that." The boy smirked, earning a short laugh.
"Cheeky." He remarked before continuing. "Do you want to come with me... with us?"
"Horsehead Nebula? What kind of name is that?" EJ scoffed, half expecting the place to be made up completely, "Right charmer, you are."
"Honestly." The Doctor explained, fluidly. "We fly right into it, nothing like it ever again." When the blonde boy said nothing in reply, he prompted, impatiently. "So?"
"So..." EJ drawled, expectantly. "Are you gonna let me in or what?"
He let out a great 'ha' before looking to the Thompson boy, almost skeptically. "You're coming then?"
"Like I'm gonna miss it. Just..." He paused, and looked around for a moment, a lump in his throat.
"What?"
The words came, almost pained. He wasn't embarrassed, only guilty. "I don't want to leave them."
"It's a time machine." The Doctor deadpanned, waiting for the boy to figure it out on his own. "Can have you back in thirty seconds if you really want, in time for chips."
"I know." EJ paused, like he was mulling it all over, but he wouldn't let on if he really was. And then, with no warning, he bounced back to life. "Come on, then! What're you doing? Horsehead Nebula. Let's go."
"Alright then."
The Doctor pushed himself away from the door, and allowed EJ to enter Tardis. And though he had been there once before, it felt magical still. He had a feeling he would never get used to it... and he didn't want to.
This was the sort of thing that people dreamed of, and now, it was his too. EJ was going travelling... and he had no idea where he was going to end up next.
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Disclaimer!!!
I do not own Doctor Who, it's characters and original storylines. The only things I do own are my own characters, my addition to the series and my own storylines. Any similarities to real life are purely coincidental.