Hello everyone! Here's a little thing I wrote based on a prompt from Whouffaldi-that-is-all on tumblr. I hope you enjoy!
"I think this is all just a misunderstanding. We just wanted a drink is all. We didn't know it was Bring Your Own Beverage night."
The Doctor smiled lightly at the rope-holding guard towering in front of him, but it didn't seem to do any good. If anything, the guard came at him faster, his boots clanking against the metal floor of the spaceship in time with the Timelord's racing hearts. When the Doctor's back met the wall, he glanced warily at Bill, who was facing a guard of her own. She didn't look nearly as frightened as he felt. Ever so brave, Bill was. Too bad courage couldn't call the TARDIS or get these tough-guy security guards out of the way.
The guard spun the Doctor round and pulled his wrists behind his back with such force that the Doctor hissed in pain. Then he was dragged toward one of the two metal poles standing on a platform in the center of the room. His head clunked against the metal as the guard roughly tied the rope around his wrists. The Doctor struggled against his bindings, but could hardly move his fingers, let alone undo the skilled knotwork. The guard chuckled darkly at him, then backed away to assist his buddy in tying Bill up to the other pole. The Doctor turned as far as he could toward his companion. "I'll get us out of this, Bill," he said, "I swear."
His guard came back and leaned close to his face, breathing out a smell of onions and sour cream. "The prisoner will be silent as he awaits execution."
Bill let out a gasp. "Execution? Doctor, what's he talking about?"
The Doctor shook his head slightly, eyebrows furrowing. He thought this was a typical 'tie-up-the-prisoners' gag, not anything fatal. An idea suddenly popped into his head. The spaceship had been parked partially over a lake. If this room was where he thought it was, then-
"Drop the platform, and let these prisoners taste the water they so desperately asked for."
The Doctor felt a weight drop into his chest, rendering him almost incapable of speech. The platform lurched beneath their feet, and Bill called out his name suddenly. He could hear her struggling against her own ropes. "Doctor, what do we do?"
He turned up to the guards, who were now at least five meters above them and smirking. "Let my friend go. It was my mistake; I should pay for it; not her."
His guard leered over the aperture from which the platform was slowly descending. "And you shall pay; severely."
The Doctor felt something come over his shoes and looked down to find water rising up his boots, soaking into his socks and trousers. He turned toward Bill, and in the corner of his eye could see that she, too, was watching the oncoming water with growing horror.
"I'll get us out of this, Bill. I promise."
"You better think of something quickly."
The water reached the bottom edge of his jacket now. The Doctor's mind worked furiously, calculating, working out possible exits and makeshift tools. But Bill's frantic splashing and his own pounding chest made it difficult to focus on anything. Instinct sent him into a panic, even after all of these years of peril. What he wouldn't give to be facing a Dalek or Cyberman right now. He knew how to beat those. Mother nature was a whole other beast.
The water gently touched his neck, just above the line of his collar, and he was thrown once again off of his train of thought. Bill was already breathing a big breath in as she went under the surface. But he couldn't think. Why couldn't he think today?!
The Doctor tilted his head as far up as he could and took a deep breath, then felt his face go under the water. He shut his eyes tightly against the panic and the confusion and the fear. Slowly, he found himself drifting into his little 'mind palace', standing at the TARDIS Console. The lights were dim and he could still hear water rushing around, but finally he could think clearly.
'How do I normally get out of scrapes? Wit? Too late for that. Lying? Again, too late. Sonic Screwdriver? There we go! Do I have it with me?'
The Doctor came out of his mind palace just enough to feel the metal device sitting in the crook of his inside jacket pocket. 'How do I get it out and grab it without losing it? Make a stupid attempt and hope I don't fail? Sounds risky.'
The Doctor was thrown back into his conscious mind just as he felt his lungs go into 'respiratory bypass' mode. Risky would have to do.
The Doctor shut his eyes for a second and opened them with newfound energy. In his head, he counted to three, and then went for it.
He leaned his body back and then lunged forward, watching the Sonic as it glided into the water. Everything happened in slow motion after that.
The Sonic began falling through the water as the Doctor put all of his weight on his tied up hands, lifting his legs up into the water. His screwdriver was still falling toward the bottom of the lake, and he did rapid mathematics in his head as it made its descent. Then, just as it reached his knees, he brought his legs up and caught the device in between his boots, flicking it up toward himself and turning it on the proper setting. The whirr that came into his ears sounded like a symphony.
The ropes slacked and the Doctor was finally free. He grabbed the Sonic in his hand and turned instantly toward Bill. She had even less air than his depleting respiratory bypass did. He had to work quickly.
The Doctor swam across the platform and grabbed onto the metal pole above Bill's head, then leaned down and mentally apologized for what he was about to do.
He leaned down and breathed air into her mouth, all that he had in his backup reserves. As he undid her ropes with the Sonic, he again mentally apologized to her before giving her more of the much needed air. At this point, darkness was creeping to the edges of his vision, and Bill's eyes were slowly opening. The Doctor nodded to her and gave a thumb's up to point at the surface, oh so far away, before they grabbed onto each other's hands and started upward, kicking furiously.
The Doctor's energy quickly started leaving him. Air from respiratory bypass systems wasn't supposed to be given to other beings, and he had literally no air to sustain himself. He knew now what it felt like to be a human underwater; it was horrible. Why did they choose to go swimming? On Gallifrey it was much different. On Gallifrey...on Gallifrey…
The darkness that had been seeping into the edges of his vision suddenly took over as his eyes shut. The last thing he saw was Bill, eyes wide, peering down at him. He felt her grab him around his back and then knew no more.
Bill dragged her friend the remaining two meters to the surface and heaved in a deep breath, lifting the Doctor up above the water as high as she could. Her wide, frantic eyes looked around and the weight in her chest finally lightened. The spaceship was flying away, up into the atmosphere, and the shoreline was close by; maybe a twenty second swim.
Bill's joy dissipated, though, as she looked over at her tutor's face, barely staying above the surface of the water. His breathing came unevenly, interspersed with fits of coughing and noises as if he was choking. His head lolled sickeningly, eyes open only in slits, and Bill wondered if he were awake or not. Softly, she rested a palm on his cheek.
"Doctor? Just hold on for a bit. We're near the shore. Hold onto me."
Bill was rewarded with the Doctor's arms loosely grabbing onto her shoulders. She let out a breath of relief. He was awake, then, and at least partially responsive. Still, there was the task of getting them both to shore and, hopefully, the TARDIS. Bill found her determination and nodded her head fervently.
"Okay, you ready?"
Another coughing fit shuddered through the Doctor's chest, and Bill took that as a 'yes'. Her legs pedaled her across the surface, one arm aiding in propelling her forward and one cradling the Doctor beside her. Her mind was so far out in space it was a miracle she was heading toward shore at all. All of her conscious thoughts were on her friend and the terrible day out they were having. A part of her was also terrified at the prospect of talking to Nardole after all of this was over. Maybe she'd take the blame this time. The Doctor had done enough for her, yet again. Gave his last breath for her, the wonderful idiot. A smile came to Bill's face as tears blurred her vision.
The shore was approaching fast and suddenly a rocky surface appeared beneath her feet.
Bill almost started crying anew out of joy. But just as she made to stand, the Doctor's arms fell limply off of her, and as she turned to help him the rest of the way onto the shore, she found him lying in the shallow water, eyes rolling back.
His breathing was uneven and ragged in between fits that made his entire body convulse. He did nothing to prevent the water from licking his face and hair, washing over his pale features as if they were unmoving rocks on a coastline.
Bill felt a pit in her stomach and dragged the Doctor quickly out of the reach of the stupid, hateful water. If she never swam again, it would be too soon.
"Doctor, Doctor, it's alright. Look at me."
Bill rested a hand on his chest and looked into his bleary eyes as he gasped for breath, struggling to find air. She turned him carefully onto his side and took one of his hands in her own. Finally, he seemed to better control himself, and breathed in deeply, coughing dryly and clearly. Bill squeezed his hand and softly cooed, "There you go; just breathe. We're safe now."
The Doctor's eyes, still sickeningly unfocused, widened as he turned up to Bill, finally seeming to register her presence. "Bill," he said, his voice hoarse.
"Shh." She caressed his cheek again. "I'm here. Don't talk; you need to rest."
But this was the Doctor, so he shakily leaned himself on his elbow. "Bill, are you...okay?"
His breathing was quickly becoming ragged again, and Bill all but forced him to lie down, holding his shoulder with a firm grip. "I'm fine. I'm fine, just rest for a moment. What'll Nardole say if I bring you back unwell?"
The Doctor shut his eyes and coughed again. A crooked smile twitched his lip. "He'd be even more cross than usual."
"Exactly. So, Time Lord, take some time for yourself."
His eyes opened again slightly, and he ground out, "Did you just come up with that yourself?"
Bill smiled, the first time in what felt like years but could've only been a few hours. "You're not supposed to be speaking right now. You gave me all of the air and almost got yourself killed, remember?"
Bill sobered at that, looking down at her friend's soaked jacket splayed out beneath him. "Thanks for that, by the way."
The Doctor met her eyes but didn't say anything, at last listening to her orders. Bill took his hand in her own and sank down beside him, letting herself sit in a more comfortable position now that she knew her friend wasn't in danger. Gently, she played with his hair and watched over him, taking note of every breath that seemed to hitch.
Slowly, the Doctor gained some strength, and opened his eyes again. They were bright as they peered up into Bill's. She smiled, satisfied that he was going to be alright.
"How do you feel?"
"Like we really need to stop having to save each other. It's exhausting."
Bill nodded, feeling her arms and legs ache just at the thought. "Agreed."
He sat up, Bill wrapping an arm around his back 'just in case'. He looked into the forest beside them, then turned to Bill. "Back to the TARDIS?"
"Back to the TARDIS."