(A/N: I had an idea for a Role Swap AU where Peri was the Doctor and Six was the companion, and I further got inspired by this post . ?view=362125&posted=1#cmt362125 from 3 or so years ago so from that Six is Dalsilbradium Brown, Dali for short. To put it short and sweet, it's an AU where the Doctors are swapped with their most well known companion. Also my own little take with the AU is that Mindwarp still never happened lol)
All was quiet on the Tardis front, or peacefully quiet that is compared to the last adventure they all had. It took a bit out of them, it had been one of those high stakes situations where every decision counted. They all agreed a two day rest was needed so the Doctor, a young woman who looked to be around college aged with chin length brown hair, put the Tardis on cruise control within the Vortex.
They had all been locked in a cell on a medieval type planet the night a cataclysmic storm occurred. Apparently, carrots were forbidden for commoners on the planet and the king and queen had been offended that someone not a member of the royal family/noble class had one in their possession It was immediate grounds for execution. Course it spawned an argument between her two curly-haired companions, one blond and American, and the other, ginger and British.
"Did you ever stop to think that maybe you should have asked the Doctor first!" The blond shouted, bombastic as he could as he glared at the shorter long haired woman. Said Doctor currently tried to pick the lock.
"I didn't think I need to, besides I only did it to try and be polite."
The blond kept up his pace around the small dark cell and stopped to look at her once again, "And it was your politeness and naive worldview that got us into this mess, Mel!"
"Excuse me for trying to offer something everyone could benefit from."
"Everyone? Everyone?! Everyone?! Not everyone is a human like us so therefore not everyone has the same biological needs as humans." His blond curls bounced with every movement.
Mel felt put off a bit that Dali's tone was in such a way to make her feel like an idiot, "I know that Dali!"
"I have to say you don't seem to fully get it then!" Dali put up his arms in a dramatic fashion in a show of exasperation. Mel just rolled her eyes, it didn't hurt for anyone to be on a diet if you asked her. You'll live longer and be healthier as a result. Besides she liked to think she wasn't pushy at all. Some people were just stubborn, like Dali for instance, and needed a gentle push.
The Doctor sharply turned around to face Dali and Mel, "Could you guys please argue later, I'm trying to concentrate." She felt like it might be hypocritical to get pissed about any arguments at all in general cause she and Dali had been known to bicker here and there like an old married couple (the fact they were dating could very well bring that into reality). Hell, she might've well had practice for her verbal bouts with Dali in her last incarnation. Although to be fair in hindsight, the arguments between her fifth self and Geoff Jovanka were over less ridiculous things. Plus Geoff didn't seem to take to the prospect of heated debates with such eagerness to prove his intelligence as much as Dali did.
"Sorry my dear, I will cease to argue until we are inside of the Tardis." The multicolor clothed companion declared as he lowered his voice down to normal volume. He had grasped the labels of his coat before he put his hands down. Silently Mel agreed and sat back down on the bench and looked out the window. She felt alarmed when she saw dark clouds, dark storm clouds.
"Doctor you might want to hurry up." Mel stated and the Doctor turned around to look out the window, shit this wasn't good. It looked like the start of the heavy rain/flood this planet was so well known for. It was a good thing in a way cause that meant the guards and everyone would run for high ground for cover. Thus they can easily slip to the Tardis and get out.
Luckily the Doctor got the lock opened a few seconds later and the three made it out to the Tardis with no problem other than the rain had started to pour just as they made it in.
Now it's currently several hours later, or at least that what it felt like. Time didn't work the same way inside the Tardis as it did outside. All three were in the kitchen at the table with pizza on their plates. They all had collectively decided it was pizza day, whatever day it was, "I'm still kinda surprised the King and Queen of that planet took me seriously as they did in the beginning. I mean look at me, I look so young I could be a student at the same university you went to when we met." She commented as she looked at Dali then at both of them.
"Well to be fair my dear there is a good amount who don't take me seriously at first either." Dali smiled sweetly.
The Doctor smiled and couldn't help but rib him a bit, "No wondering why on that." She giggled.
"My coat is inherently not that bad. It's a shame most people can't just look past their knee-jerk impressions of me when they first gaze upon it. I long for a day where no one will truly not give a care about what appearance other people decide to put forth in public. Sadly that may never truly be a universal reality, or at least a planetary wide one on Earth." Dali finished with a bite of his pizza. Said coat was draped on the back of his chair. The Doctor soon excused herself for a moment to check on the Tardis after they experienced a sudden mild turbulence.
"Sorry, I'll be back." The Doctor apologetically said before she turned to leave. She really didn't want to worry about any problems for the time being.
"Take your time Doctor." Dali called out over his shoulder before he turned back around to face Mel, "Well ample time to bring up what we were on about earlier don't you think?"
Mel looked at him confused for a second before it dawned on her, "Why? I think you made your point already. I should've checked with the Doctor about the carrot juice offer." She conceded the point and had accepted her mistake. It was a fair point she thought.
"No, well yes, but that is not the point that I am trying to make. My point lies behind the reasons that lead you to subconsciously assume that any humanoid in the universe adheres to the same standard as humans when it comes to metabolism and diet."
Mel stopped mid chew to look at him, she had a blank look in her eyes that told Dali to continue on with a detailed explanation, "Now to be clear I know you don't go around forcing your health regiments on other people and shoving your views left and right where it surely isn't needed but, and I'm only saying this as a dear friend of yours, you tend to be a little pushy when it comes to people you know."
Mel swallowed as she felt taken aback but genuinely confused, "Pushy? I'm only just concerned for you and the Doctor's health as a friend, I never thought I ever was pushy."
"You had just never realized it. For example, do you remember that time roughly a month ago when you decided to rope us into spending an afternoon dancing to one of those exercise videos you have?"
Mel was silent for a few seconds then nodded. Dali continued, "And then you insisted on all of us drinking a glass of carrot juice afterwards."
"It's full of good vitamins and nutrients." Mel calmly protested.
"For me perhaps since we are of the same species but you don't know if that'll have the same benefits on a Gallifreyan. Or any other humanoid alien for that matter."
"And you do?" Mel lightly retorted with sarcasm, "You know as much about their biology as I do." Which of course meant zilch.
Dali conceded, "That is very true. I merely am only a student, an aspiring doctor if you will, of Earth biology. I simply can't claim to be an expert otherwise. But I understand enough to not project human biological standards onto other beings that just simply take on an outward appearance of a human."
Mel opened her mouth to make her counterpoint, but closed it as she changed her mind. Instead, she just asked, "What do you know?"
"Well, I only know they have two hearts, lowered body temperature, longer lifespan and they can regenerate. Beyond that I am clueless." They are very great in bed was the other fact that he deemed inappropriate for the conversation. Although he knew Mel wasn't a prude by any means, it was just the simple principle of conversation etiquette.
Mel's mind had to do a double take on the last part, "Regenerate?"
"Oh yes. That's how Time Lords are able to gain a new body whenever they are gravely injured enough. At least that's how I understand it. it's limited and there'll eventually come an end as per what my dear girlfriend told me before. I've actually seen her regenerate from her fifth incarnation to her present sixth form as she succumbed to the Spectrox poison we both were affiliated with. She gave the only antidote to me." He confessed with a twinge of sadness. He didn't really want to go off topic and dwell on that, especially since it felt more irrelevant to the overall topic at hand
"Wow." Mel said astonished mixed with sympathy as there was a moment of silence between the two companions, "But that doesn't tell me if they really don't benefit from healthy foods as much as we do." She said softly, but casually.
Dali nodded then put on a big smile as though someone finally understood what should've been real basic knowledge such as addition or subtraction, "But that is exactly my point as well! You don't know if anything we eat to keep our bodies fit and healthy have the same effects on aliens that happened to look like us. While me and the Doctor know you are doing this out of the goodness of your heart, you do come off as a bit of a fanatic who don't realize when to back off when someone does not wish to partake in a more rigorous activity to lose their portly figure to a slimmer more fit look that you think any humanoid can achieve in much the same way a human would." He helpfully supplied in a calm manner. Mel just looked at him rendered speechless, she looked back on her memories. Maybe she did inadvertently came off as a bit too obnoxious.
Great. While she was grateful to have a friend that didn't sugarcoat things and wasn't afraid to call out anyone like that in an honest, no edge fashion, it didn't make her feel any less bad. She knew between the two it was Dali who would be more stubborn to her health suggestions. The Doctor, on the other hand, didn't seem to be bothered too much, maybe she went along to either make Dali feel less alone or to humor her. Most likely the former.
"Now I kinda want to ask." She admitted.
Dali smiled satisfactorily that what he said had sunk in, "That would be a start yes." He managed to get out just as a familiar voice rang out from down the hall for help. He and Mel quickly got up and ran out of the room to find a stool that laid aside on the floor underneath a Time Lord that hung on the edge of a high up round opened panel. Her legs dangled underneath her.
"I got you my dear Doctor." Dali announced as he moved underneath her legs and lifted her up with her legs on his shoulders.
She felt relieved, "Thanks. The Tardis started acting up here and I just about finish it. The flight stabilizers should work better and we hopefully won't feel any more rough turbulence."
"That would be indeed good." Dali concurred and it didn't take too long before he spoke up again before Mel had a chance to bring it up, "Me and Mel were having a much needed discussion in the kitchen."
"He thinks I've been a tad pushy with the health stuff." Mel added succinctly.
"I say a bit more than a tad Melanie." Dali corrected and that earned him a small look his way from the redhead, "I was simply pointing out in her folly in thinking that dietary needs by human standards are the same for every other humanoids being out there. It was that projection and her stubbornness to only base it on what works for humans that led her into the mess we escaped from."
"Hey quit it, you're making it sound worse than it actually is!" Mel protested just as the Doctor finished with her work, she was let off down to the ground with the help of her boyfriend before she replied.
The Doctor agreed on that part, "He is and you're fine really," Dali did a double take and decided to refrain from a rebuke on that accusation. His statement was not riddled with exaggeration as she so implied, "But he does have a point. I don't need to worry about side effects from eating too many sweets as much as you guys do." She didn't need to look at Dali to know he smiled in vindication that he was right, "We have a higher metabolism, but that being said we still need to watch our weight...it just…" Why did she always felt a little awkward with explanations like these? She didn't want to confuse anyone too much.
"Takes longer to show I reckon?" Dali helpfully guessed as he looked down at the shorter woman.
"Yeah, exactly. But I appreciate those dance exercise sessions. They are pretty fun to do." She said with a smile as she faced Mel before she leaned in to whisper in a voice not too soft that Dali couldn't here, "To tell you the truth I think Dali benefits from some of those times." The Doctor playfully ribbed with a good natured tease. Of course Dali looked affronted by the remark.
Too bad he couldn't really pronounce the Doctor's real name cause it would've felt more right to use it. He just settled for only a huff of indignation, "And just what is that suppose to mean?!"
"Oh just having a bit of fun, you know that." The Doctor smiled innocently as they all started to head back into the kitchen to finish off their dinner.