Nydric, FiveTegan story set sometime between The Visitation and Earthshock.
This was supposed to be the sequel to another story, with the first incident described here being the closing scene of that, but I never got round to writing it. Hopefully I will soon.
Disclaimer: -is not connected officially to Doctor Who in any capacity-
Nyssa and Adric had been acting rather strangely of late.
Last week, Tegan was sure she'd interrupted something. She'd come into the console room to find them standing very close together (almost nose to nose, in fact), if only for a moment, before they'd realised she was there, and sprung apart.
She'd asked them what they were doing, and they'd said, guiltily, after a long pause, that they'd been talking about draughts. It had sounded very much like an excuse.
Tegan was suspicious, but she hadn't said anything to the Doctor until the second time their whispered conversation in some corner of the Tardis had stopped the moment she approached.
"I think there's something going on," she'd said. "Between Nyssa and Adric."
"Oh?" he'd said, without looking away from the circuit he was repairing. "What kind of something?"
She'd glared at him, but he probably hadn't noticed. "You know what I mean." she'd said.
"I do?" he'd said, still not looking up.
"Oh, stop it." she'd said.
He'd leaned further under the Tardis console. "Tegan," he'd said, voice muffled. "If you are suggesting some kind of romantic involvement, I find it extremely unlikely."
"Why?" she'd said. "It makes sense to me."
After all, they seemed to be the same age (though she wasn't sure. She'd never asked, and neither of them was human, so for all she knew they were much older or younger than they looked). They got on very well. And they both understood that the Doctor was and would always be the most important person in their lives (if they were anything like her, anyway, as much as she hated to admit it). She didn't think any of them could have a relationship with someone who didn't understand that.
"I think I would have noticed, Tegan." he'd said. "I really think I would have noticed. I'm an observant person." he'd said it like it was a fact, and emerged from underneath the console. "Are you sure it's not just your imagination?"
She almost kicked him then, and if it wasn't for the fact that he'd already busied himself with fitting newly repaired bits of Tardis back into their proper places, she definitely would have told him that she didn't think he was an expert on teenage behaviour, nor did he know everything about relationships.
As it was, she'd said nothing at all, and he'd misinterpreted her silence.
"I thought so," he'd said, then fitted the last bit of circuitry back into place, stood up, and strode away.
Two days later, she'd seen Nyssa's hand slip into Adric's behind the Doctor's back during some crisis or another, seen his fingers twist around hers, and had been about to shout out, despite the situation (look, Doctor, I told you, Doctor...), when he'd turned around, and their hands had reluctantly moved apart.
She'd mentioned it later, and he'd all but accused her of making it up, then gone away and left her gaping.
A few days later, they'd gone looking for Nyssa and Adric together, and found them both sitting on a bench in the cloisters. She was holding his hand. He was kissing her gently, hesitantly.
The Doctor and Tegan had just stood in the doorway for a moment, neither of them wanting to end that moment of tentative perfection.
"I told you." she'd said softly.
"Yes." he'd said. "Yes, it seems you were right." Then he'd turned and walked away. She'd run after him.
"I'm a little jealous, to be honest." she'd said as soon as they were out of earshot.
"Oh?" he'd said.
"Yes." she'd said. "It's been a long time..." she'd trailed off, unsure how to phrase it.
They'd reached a junction, and paused there.
"What about you, Doctor?" she'd said. "When did you last have someone special?"
(She'd wondered later exactly what she'd meant by asking that.)
He'd looked truly stunned by her question.
(She'd told herself that she'd just asked to see how he'd react, and she hadn't had any other motivation at all.)
"Well," he'd said. "Well, there was..."
(After all, she wasn't really interested in his answer. Or not that interested.)
He'd swallowed. "I... there was..."
(Why would she be?)
There'd be a long pause. He'd starred into space, then seemed to come to his senses, and turned to look at her. "You know, Tegan, I really don't think that's any of your business."
(Of course it wasn't. She knew that.)
He'd walked away, and she'd followed, both amused and slightly, strangely disappointed by his reaction.
(Later she'd told herself that she'd been a little curious, and she'd hoped to learn a little more about him. That was all.)
She'd never told Nyssa what they'd seen that day. She'd wanted to, especially after Adric died, wanted to turn on Nyssa and ask her why she was being so unfeeling when they'd been so close, but she hadn't been able to bring herself to say it.
(Because it wouldn't have been fair, she realised later. Of course Nyssa cared.)
But she'd decided that she'd miss the Doctor once she was home.
But not a lot.
He was just a friend, after all.
(He was just the most important person in her life right now.)
He wasn't anyone special.
Well?