The Strip Club
Fitz shoved his frozen hands into his jean pockets harshly; regretting that he hadn't taken the time to wrap up more before heading out into the frigid temperature. His breath turned to wisps of smoke as he strolled along the water-side under a pitch black night. The sky was cloudy blocking out any light from the moon and the stars so in between street lamps Fitz sight had to adjust to the near darkness.
He breathed in deeply and revelled in the familiar smells of Earth, ignoring the way his lungs ached from inhaling the frozen air. The Doctor had said that this was Cardiff in the early 21st Century but with the Doctor's track record he wouldn't take the information to heart. The Time Lord had muttered something about stopping off in Cardiff for a few hours to recharge from a rift or whatever, Fitz ignored the ramblings and took no notice. When he realised they were going to be stationary on Earth for hours he immediately informed the Doctor he was off out for a drink, and strolled out of the TARDIS doors as the Doctor continued to rush round the console in a frenzy.
Fitz loved living in the TARDIS and traveling with the Doctor. It was often a crazy, ridiculous experience fraught with danger but it was a once in a lifetime trip and Fitz could hardly believe everything he had seen. The universe really was an amazing place. That didn't stop him from feeling cooped up sometimes, it was only natural when the Doctor and Fitz lived together and usually ended up on top of one another inside that box; which was in itself ridiculous considering the size of the inner-dimensions but it still happened.
Fitz loved the Doctor he really did, he had learnt so much from him and the guy was truly a genius. He could also be a really annoying dick sometimes, and he could also be surprisingly childish for a man who was centuries old. Sometimes they needed some time apart so Fitz jumped at the chance to have some alone time even if it were just for a few hours, and without the Doctor he probably wouldn't run into any kind of trouble or danger. The Doctor seemed to have a knack for that, it was ludicrous really.
He would have left the TARDIS even if they had landed on an alien world, but Fitz was especially glad when he found out that they had landed on earth. Fitz was looking forward to mingling with his own people; the Doctor could be so alien sometimes, well he supposed he was. It was nice to be amongst fellow earthlings every now and again. With the Doctor out of the way there was rarely fighting, or being captured and thrown in prison, or becoming a part of rebellion. Fitz chuckled as he thought about all the crazy stuff he had been part of. He craved a normal night and a stiff drink.
With that over-riding thought in mind Fitz found the first seedy bar he could sniff out; he was delighted to discover the venue doubled as a strip club. Fitz was almost certain that his mouth was hanging open as he made his way to the bar and took in his surroundings. He resisted the urge to drool and really tried to pop his eyes back in his sockets. He hadn't seen human women for such a long time and this place was packed with them, they were scantily dressed as well which was a huge bonus.
Fitz grinned widely as he spotted a young women alone at the bar that was just his type, long dark hair, slender figure, beautiful eyes. Fitz sauntered up to the bar casually, his heart racing. He'd been out of the game for a long time, especially with women on earth in this time period.
He ordered a bottle of beer and a shot of whiskey for courage. He downed the rough liquor in the shot glass and grimaced as it burned the sides of his throat; it wasn't the nicest flavour he'd had but it was cheap and had the desired effect. He downed another shot without thinking and Fitz finally felt brave enough to sidle up to the lonely women.
"What's a girl like you doing in a place like this?" He winced as his brain supplied him with a god-awful pick up line.
Miraculously she just chuckled and turned to him with a warm smile. He was shocked that she hadn't told him to sod off; he thought it would have been written all over his face what he wanted from her. He was pretty sure his hand's were trembling with nerves so he gripped his beer bottle tighter to hide the anxious reaction.
"Waiting for the right man." She eventually replied after giving Fitz a discerning once over.
He suddenly felt very self-conscious and realised his clothes were probably completely wrong for the time period, this was what he would have worn in his own time. He must have stuck out like a sore thumb here.
"I like your jacket. Is it vintage?" She suddenly asked causing Fitz to burst out laughing despite himself.
"You could say that." His confident grin had returned as she admired his clothes, it turned out his old gear was actually having a positive effect. He used the silence to study what she was wearing or what little she was wearing.
She was probably employed by this place, hence her sustained interest in him. Fitz wasn't picky and would take any female attention he could get right now, he'd been cooped up with the Doctor far too long.
"Can I buy you a drink?" He decided to continue with the bold approach as it seemed to be working.
She smiled politely. "Sure."
They engaged in casual chit-chat for several drinks and Fitz found his tongue become looser with each round, but his confidence grew though so it was a worthwhile trade in his mind.
"So, what's your story?" She suddenly asked him and he realised this was the first question she had asked that didn't seem to be superficial; as if she was genuinely interested.
He grinned cheekily and tossed the question over in his mind. Hell he didn't even know what his story was these days, it seemed to keep getting re-written. "Would you believe me if I told you that I'm a spaceman who travels through time and space?" His warm grin could have melted butter but it was clear his new companion wasn't falling for his charm.
She grew more distant again, and became detached. Fitz realised she probably thought he was playing a nasty joke on her. "I've heard that before."
Fitz felt like he had been slapped and almost stumbled back off his stool. Was that really a pick-up line in this day and age? He had actually been honest but he supposed had never expected his answer to be taken seriously, otherwise he wouldn't have said it.
Before he could start to repair the damage he had caused a hand suddenly landed on his shoulder heavily. "Fitz! There you are…"
Oh god no…
Fitz swivelled on his stool to glare at the fool who was ruining any chance he had left of getting off with the girl. The Doctor had a stupid grin plastered to his face and was gripping Fitz in an over-bearing hug.
"It's really loud in here." The Doctor shouted far louder than necessary causing Fitz to wince.
Fitz didn't think it could get any worse but then the universe seemingly had it in for him. "Who's your friend?"
The young woman's attention had peaked and for god's sake she was looking at the Doctor just as every female did, ravaging him with her eyes. Fitz hated standing next to the alien in situations like this; the Doctor's effortless good looks and charm had all eyes on him and Fitz was completely ignored. The thing that was even more annoying was the fact that the Doctor seemed completely oblivious to his charm. For someone so clever he was very dim when it came to the opposite sex.
"I'm the Doctor." Fitz held his head in his hands as the Doctor grabbed the young girl's hand and began vigorously shaking it. This couldn't get any more embarrassing could it?
The Doctor as it happened had just the thing for it. He looked the young woman up and down and was suddenly shifting his coat off. "You must be cold! Why didn't you offer this young woman your jacket Fitz?"
The Doctor swept his jacket round the girl's shoulders, covering up the majority of her bare skin.
"Shame on me." Fitz muttered miserably and drowned his sorrows with the last of his beer.
The Doctor glanced round the place and frowned. "Why would anyone make this place so cold and then let young woman walk around with barely any clothes on?"
Fitz actually groaned aloud at the statement. Surely the Doctor couldn't be this dense? Then again he was usually oblivious when people were hitting on him, and the women might as well have held up a sign saying 'I want to bang you'.
"Doctor you can't be serious." Fitz muttered bitterly unable to keep the irritation out of his tone.
The Doctor glanced at his companion innocently. "It's a serious health concern Fitz, I'm surprised you didn't want to help."
The young woman who Fitz had spent the better part of an hour seducing was backing away slowly, shrugging off the Doctor's coat and looking like a deer trapped in the headlights. Fitz didn't blame her the Doctor was definitely a weird guy. "I'm going to leave you two to it. Bye Fitz."
Fitz looked despairingly after her already knowing that it was too late, the situation was too far gone to be salvageable. "No, wait!" Great now he looked like a desperate idiot.
The Doctor shouted one last thing her way which only made the girl quicken her pace. "Go for the silver car."
She looked back with a seriously confused expression on her face then scurried off into one of the backrooms. Fitz banged his head against the bar several times and wished this was all some ridiculous nightmare. His night had been going so well then the Doctor had turned up and acted like a bumbling fool, like a bloody alien.
The Doctor collected his discarded coat and grabbed Fitz's shoulder hauling him up from the bar stool. Fitz had drunk a little more than he remembered as his legs wobbled for a few seconds. The Doctor smirked at his friend's loss of balance making Fitz even more angry. He could have been making out with her right now if the Doctor hadn't gotten in the way.
"What did you do that for?" He shouted with more heat than he had intended.
The Doctor steered Fitz outside ignoring the heated tone entirely. "We need to leave."
Fitz forced himself to calm down; the Doctor hadn't acted maliciously he was just being an ignorant idiot. Maybe if he made it clear to his friend what he'd just done he would take more pity on him and stop pushing him along so bloody fast. "You do know what you just interrupted right?"
The Doctor dropped the stupid act immediately. "Oh I know." His bumbling facade completely disappeared, and he seemed colder all of a sudden.
Fitz was confused as hell, a minute ago they were in a strip club and the Doctor had been as oblivious as a child. "Wait, wait. You just acted like you had no idea what was going on in there. What that place was."
"Hmm." The Doctor agreed and shoved his hands in his pockets as the pair strolled along the wharf.
Fitz felt his temper flare again. The Doctor had known exactly what he was doing all along. "So why did you sabotage me? I can take care of myself Doctor."
The pair had just about reached the TARDIS. The Doctor stopped outside and fished for his key quietly. He suddenly looked directly at his companion and smirked. "I was saving Cheryl from you Fitz."
"Cheryl?" Had the Doctor truly lost it, what the hell did he mean by that?
The Doctor opened the doors. "The fact that you didn't even bother to learn her name tells you why I interrupted you." The Time Lord wandered through the TARDIS doors and whistled happily.
Fitz stared dumbly after his travelling companion. His brain was struggling to comprehend what exactly had just happened; one minute his night had been going so well and the next it was completely in the toilet. What the hell had just happened, the Doctor had just cock-blocked him.
That's something I thought I would never say.
"Get in Fitz, or I'll leave you behind." The Doctor's voice floated through the open TARDIS door.
Fitz could tell by his friend's tone that he meant business, he didn't put it past the interfering so and so to actually leave him behind. Fitz quickly scampered into the TARDIS and tried to remain calm. He was so going to get the Doctor back for this.