AN: Hey guys! Yes, I realise I should really be doing The TARDIS' Chat room, but it's Valentine's Day! I just HAD to post this one today! I'm going to try and get this all uploaded within the coming week (approx. 1 chapter a day). Then I will continue work on my other stuff! Promise x


Alone

The 5 times Douglas Richardson wanted to be alone on Valentine's Day, and the 1 time he was.


-5

Valentine's Day had come around again. Douglas was fifteen years old, in his last year of O-levels. It was a Saturday. Good. No chance of humiliation or mockery at school for not having a girlfriend yet. He wasn't the only one, by any means, but it still depressed him to watch his friends give chocolates, or anonymous messages to the girls they liked. Douglas didn't even like anyone…

Okay, that was a lie, but he could hardly give chocolates to his closest friend who was dating a most popular girl in school… Douglas had known for about a year now that he was bisexual, but he'd never seen that coming.

Douglas curled further into his warm bed, pulling the sheets over his head, which he buried deeper into his pillow. It wasn't cold. In fact, it was sunny and mild outside. But Douglas didn't want to face this day at all. For all his confidence and swagger, this was the one day Douglas just wanted to curl up and blink out of existence.

Unfortunately, his parents had very different ideas…

He heard the curtains open and cringed. No… please, no. He could already feel the sun streaming onto his cocoon and he groaned.

"Come on, Dougie!" came his mother's shrill voice. On any other day, Douglas would find that voice smooth and loving… But to his ears now, which had grown accustomed to the silent darkness his cocoon provided, it was unwelcome. Too cheerful, too bright and far too loud.

The covers were thrown mercilessly from his body, with a flourish and he groaned again, a loud, whiny noise, as he groped the empty air, searching for the sheets with his eyes tightly shut against the garish light of the sun. "Dougie" – god, he hated that nickname – "get up!"

"Unng…" Douglas groaned. "'ut ti' if it?" he mumbled into his pillow. His mother still understood him though.

"It's nearly noon! Up! We have something for you!" she chirped. Douglas groaned again, but was cut up as he was pulled by the arm and sent crashing to the floor with a loud thud.

"Mum!" he growled, but she just smiled down at him and left the room. "God, I hate you sometimes…" Douglas muttered venomously. He pushed himself up slowly and sat for a moment, letting his bod slowly wake up. He wasn't a morning person… Okay, he wasn't a 'getting up' person, it was barely morning now. He stood with a heavy sigh, opened his wardrobe and grabbed the first top and jeans he saw, pulling them on roughly as he left the room.

He trudged down the stairs, his eyes still half-closed; they'd got rather used to being shut. He rubbed his eyes in an attempt to get rid of the strange crystals that he knew only one name for – sleep. Such an inviting word to describe the painful consequence of a more comforting action.

"Ah! Douglas! About time you got up!" his Father's voice boomed. Douglas scowled at him, but he just grinned… It was annoying. His mother bounded over. She always had too much energy; it made Douglas cringe. She pushed an envelope and a small red bag into his hands. Both were absolutely covered in gaudy pink hearts and Douglas' mouth fell open in horror at the sight of such hideous wrapping. He looked up slowly to meet the excited eyes of his mother. She was beaming.

"Open them, sweet-heart!" she cried.

"Mum. Don't you think I'm a bit old for my valentine's gifts to be from my parents…?" Douglas muttered. Her smile did not falter.

"Oh, silly boy! That's when you're sixteen, or if you have a girlfriend! And since you have ticker neither box, we get to do this one last time!" she exclaimed gleefully. Douglas smiled nervously, though it was perhaps more of a grimace, and uttered a tired chuckle. Oh god… he thought as he opened the card. Oh GOD.

It was small and white, with a small bear drawn on (obviously his mother's handy-work). In its paw, the bear held a heart-shaped balloon. The bear was looking up the balloon sadly and Douglas had to use all his will-power to refrain from punching his mother in the face as he read the message above it: "Sorry you're still single!"

She means well… he thought, taking a steadying breath. She means well…He opened the card. He didn't know how they'd managed it, but it was even worse on the inside… The left page was completely covered in red and pink hearts, with one large red one in the middle. And on the right hand page was written the message: "WE STILL LOVE YOU DOUGIE! Love From Mum and Dad." Signed with five kisses and even more hearts.

"I-" his voice was shaking from the strain of keeping his anger under control. "-thanks." He finally managed to say. His parents smiled at him.

"Open your present, son." His father said. Douglas sighed inwardly as he pulled open the small bag. Inside was a small collection of toy vehicles. Each was red. There were two cars, a van, a truck, a boat and a plane. The plane and boat were admittedly white with red stripes but Douglas could see the theme. He sighed, a small but genuine smile gracing his features as he looked at the small Lockheed Mcdonnel.

"Thanks." He said earnestly, but he still had to force himself to reciprocate when his mother pulled him into a tight hug. Human contact wasn't on his list of "things I want to do today".

"Want something to eat, son?" his Dad asked. Eating isn't on that list either… he thought to himself.

"Uh, no thanks Dad. I think I'll just go back to bed now…" he replied.

"Okay." His Mother said with yet another smile. At least she seemed to understand that he was in no mood to spend a day with his parents.

He forced one final smile before he turned and returned the way he came, hurrying into his room and slumping back onto his bed. He curled up in the covers.

He just wanted to be alone…


Poor Douglas... In fairness, he's not been through much shit yet XD Reviews are always appreciated x