"You can't walk on that ankle, let me carry you. Please?"
"I'm fine, Doctor, it's just a sprain. I'll manage."
"I don't know Fitz, it sounded nasty when you fell. Might be broken."
"Anji's right, come on, you don't want to make it worse, do you?"
Fitz glared half-heartedly at the alien. They were in the middle of a crowded Victorian street; passers by stepping around the little group sprawled in the road. He was leaning against a wall, ignoring the wintery slush seeping in through his trousers and clutching his leg, just above the painful ankle in question. The Doctor was crouched just in front of him, hands hovering worriedly above his leg and eyes wide and guilty looking. As well he might Fitz thought grumpily, if it hadn't been for him, they wouldn't be having this discussion at all.
"Please Fitz; I can fix it up quickly when we get back to the TARDIS."
"Doctor, the TARDIS is on the other side of Manchester!"
"Well then." Anji cut in, leaning down towards him, "Perhaps you should stop arguing so much and let the Doctor carry you."
"I'm not a…a…a bride! Or a child! I don't need hauling around the town! Can't we just get a cab or something?"
"No money." Anji reminded him, flicking her eyes to the Doctor, who had sworn he had some appropriate currency for the period, no he didn't need to check, it was in his pocket, now let's go and explore!
"It's not like I haven't carried you before." The Doctor pointed out.
"Yes, but I was usually unconscious those times."
"Does that make a difference?"
"Yes!"
"Really? How?"
"Because…well…because I couldn't walk if I'm unconscious could I? And people could see that. What on earth will people think if you're just lugging me through the streets with nothing obvious to show I can't walk?"
"Really Fitz!" Anji said in exasperation. "The macho image is not that important. I would like to get home before dark, thank you very much and with an ankle like that you've probably got a top speed of two metres an hour under your own steam!" When Fitz still looked mutinous she added. "If you prefer being unconscious I will happily oblige!"
"Come on Fitz, just to the TARDIS?" Fitz threw his hands up.
"Fine! Fine! Carry me then. But please note Doctor, this is entirely your fault."
"I know, I'm sorry. Really very sorry."
"I mean, what was so interesting you didn't notice the omnibus bearing down on you?" Fitz asked as the Doctor slid an arm under his knees and around his back. The Time Lord looked sheepish.
"I was just thinking, trying to remember if I'd been here before. It's very familiar."
"Well we've definitely been to earth before." Fitz replied wryly as the Doctor lifted him up. And how did he do that anyway? Fitz was a head taller than him, and he might be skinny but he wasn't exactly a lightweight but the Doctor lifted him as though he weighed no more than a bag of flour. He automatically flung an arm around the Doctor's neck as he straightened up. "And we've definitely visited this time period before too."
"Not Manchester though." Anji said thoughtfully as they began walking. "Not to my memory anyway."
"It just seemed so familiar!" The Doctor explained, deftly avoiding bashing Fitz's feet into the wall. "I was trying to work out if I had been here or it just looks similar enough to London. I really didn't notice the bus!"
"Not until Fitz barrelled into you at any rate."
"No. Not until then." The Doctor looked at his friend. "Thank you for that Fitz, I am sorry you got hurt pushing me out the way of the bus."
"It's fine Doctor. Just…don't do it again? Please?"
"I have no intentions of getting run over any time soon, I promise!"
They continued through the streets towards the TARDIS, ignoring the odd looks from the surrounding people. Fitz was holding himself as still as possible, even though his ankle really did hurt, and throbbed with every step the Doctor took. Anji was walking ahead, her fantastic memory leading them straight back to the market street where the TARDIS had materialised this morning.
The Doctor shifted Fitz's weight carefully as he stepped around a gaggle of old ladies who glared at him and his friend. He could feel how tense Fitz was in his arms and wished he'd relax. Silly human preoccupations with how they appeared to others. No matter how long he spent with them, he'd never fully understand their insistence that needing help was a weakness. He could feel Fitz heartbeat through his battered leather jacket, and the warmth of his human body. His arm was still around the Doctor's neck, holding his body closer to the alien.
They were about half way to the TARDIS now, the Doctor hadn't realised how far from it they'd come. It had been a good day today, just exploring and people watching, no aliens, no arrest, no danger. Until he'd stopped smack bang in the middle of the road. And as usual it had been Fitz who was hurt because of him. He stifled a sigh, aware that with their bodies so close, Fitz would notice. Why, wherever he went, whatever he did, the people he cared about got hurt? And yet they stuck by him, even after all this time, after everything he'd put him through, even after he'd lost his memory, his past…no matter what, Fitz had stayed glued to his side. The Doctor didn't know what he could possibly have done to deserve this loyalty, this utter devotion. Fitz deserved better than what he could give him, and yet at the same time he prayed desperately that Fitz would stay with him always, he couldn't bear it if the scruffy rangy human from the nineteen sixties left him. He tightened his grip on his friend without noticing, missing the confused glance Fitz shot him.
Anji padded on ahead of what she would vehemently deny ever thinking of as 'her boys'. It wasn't that late but the short winter days meant the darkness would be coming in early and she wanted to be back at the TARDIS before then. She ignored the overt stares at her with the ease of depressingly long practise and strode ahead confidently. The Doctor was keeping up with her easily, despite his burden and she found herself wondering just how strong he was. He didn't display it often but she knew he was far stronger than the average human. Carrying Fitz's weight didn't seem to faze him in the least.
Even after all their adventures and death defying escapades she had felt her heart leap into her throat when she and Fitz had noticed the bus bearing down on an unsuspecting Doctor. Fitz had moved like lightning, lunging forward and slamming into the Doctor, flinging them both out of the way of the vehicle, however, his awkward landing against the cobbles of the road had twisted, or fractured, or maybe broken his ankle in the process. The idiot. But he seemed to be alright, and the Doctor said he could fix him up instantly when they got to the TARDIS. Speaking of, it should be just down here.
Ah, the TARDIS at last. Fitz tried not to let his relief show too clearly on his face. But he would be very very grateful to be able to walk again. It wasn't that he thought the Doctor would mind having to help him or anything, it just…well…he didn't like being a burden on him. That was all. The Doctor waited patiently, still holding him easily as Anji fished out her key and opened the door. It was rather odd, being this close to the Doctor when they weren't both dramatically injured or in mortal peril. He could feel the Doctor's muscles in his arms, taunt and hard as he supported his weight, and smell the faintly grassy, sunshine smell that seemed to permeate the alien. The Doctor's jacket was soft and warm against him and his long hair tickled Fitz cheek whenever the Doctor turned his head.
They stepped into the TARDIS, all three of them unconsciously relaxing at the familiar hum of the battered blue police box. Anji smiled in relief to be back and headed off for a soak and a good book. Today had been good, despite the ankle incident. The Doctor continued down the labyrinthine corridors of the TARDIS to the infirmary. He set Fitz down gently on the starched linen and bounced over to one of the many cabinets nearby, pulling out an odd bandage that looked more like a green tinfoil than anything.
"Here, from the planet Klingtonast, I think. It should heal the bones within thirty seconds." Fitz looked at it warily.
"Are you sure? Where did you get it from?"
"I found it in the TARDIS this morning, alongside a medical textbook from the thirty second earth century." The Doctor frowned thoughtfully. "Sometimes I do wonder just how much she knows…"
"Oh. Right." Fitz kept quiet as the Doctor eased off his shoe and sock and wrapped the tinfoil bandage thing around the swollen ankle. The moment it was in place it began to vibrate very slightly and change colour to a dark orange. Exactly twenty seconds later it went entirely limp and slid off his foot. He rotated the ankle cautiously, grinning openly as realised the pain and throbbing had entirely vanished. He jumped to his feet, testing how much weight he could put on it.
"Completely healed! That's amazing Doctor!"
"Wonderful!" The Doctor beamed, looking utterly delighted in that manner only he could pull off, as though everything he'd been hoping for had come true. Fitz smiled back and sat back down to put his shoe back on.
"There are some improvements to the future then, despite the lack of cigarettes."
"Most people would say the lack of tobacco smoke is an improvement." The Doctor replied in fond exasperation. His expression changed though as Fitz stood up again, the guilty look coming back into his eyes. He bit his lip and looked at the floor.
"Doctor?"
"I really am sorry Fitz," The Doctor said earnestly, "I didn't mean you to get hurt, particularly for no reason."
"No reason? That bus would have flattened you like a bug Doctor. That's plenty reason."
"I'm still sorry." Fitz sighed as the Doctor looked at him with those enormous sad eyes, did the Time Lord even realise how much like a kicked puppy he looked at that moment?
"You're forgiven of course. Just…don't do it again? Please?"
Instead of answering the Doctor grabbed Fitz in a fierce hug, burying his face in the taller man's shoulder. Fitz looped his arms around his friend's back and ran a hand through the long and rather wild hair. The Doctor gave a shuddering sigh and hung on even tighter.
"Fitz Fitz Fitz Fitz…I don't know what I'd do without you." He said honestly, the words muffled through the hug. Fitz snorted lightly.
"Me either Doctor, don't know where I'd be without you."
"I'm sorry."
"You're forgiven."