A/N: So first of all, sorry this update took longer than expected. This fic has become a lot harder to write suddenly because since the last chapter was posted I have come out to my own parents as queer and non-binary… and very surprisingly they weren't okay with it. They're pretty chill so I always thought it would be okay, but apparently not? So yeah, this now feels a lot more personal, and writing about how Yaz's parents are reacting to it all has me thinking about my own family. Also in this chapter, we have Sonya, who as I was writing this I imagined as my brother and how I wished he was about it all (he is of the opinion of he doesn't care, so not exactly supportive, but not the reaction our parents had (my mum cried a lot)) My bro and I aren't exactly close and I feel I really used our relationship in this chapter!
Anyway, sorry for the kinda heavy note, I just thought you should know where I was at and why there might be bigger gaps between the chapters than I had originally planned.
Yaz stayed in her room for the rest of the day, her mother hadn't said a word to her as she dragged her back to the flat, which Yaz couldn't help but feel grateful for. She had tried to tell her that nothing was going on with the Doctor, but Yaz knew she didn't believe her, not after the way they were when Najia had walked in, with the Doctor leaning against her leg, their attention locked on each other, how the Doctors voice had dropped from her usual excited babble to a softer tone, and her extravagant gestures that normally accompanied her stories had gone and instead had one hand resting lightly on Yaz's other leg, and the other was propping her up as she leaned also against the desk, bringing their torsos closer. Yaz could imagine how it hardly looked platonic and innocent to her homophobic mother.
Yaz collapsed defeated onto her bed, her cheeks still damp from crying. She pulled one of her pillows to her and curled her body around it; closing her eyes, she retreated to the memories of being in the shop with the Doctor, sat on the sofas with a cup of tea whilst listening to the Doctor's ideas and tales, the proud grin she'd get from her when Yaz connected the facts of the story before the big reveal. There had been the quieter times as well, where they had chosen books off the shelves and sat together just enjoying each other's company, occasionally reading out bits they found interesting. And of course, Yaz couldn't help but let her mind keep wandering back to earlier that day, the weight of the Doctor leaning on her, the sensation of her hand resting on her leg, the fresh smell of plants mixed with old books. These thoughts drowned out the startling experiences of the day and drifted through Yaz's mind as she dozed off, drained from crying.
She wasn't sure what time it was when she was abruptly woken by her door crashing open and slamming into the wall as her father stormed in. He had gotten home and had Najia tell him what had happened, and he was furious.
"HOW DARE YOU BEHAVE LIKE THIS, AFTER EVERYTHING WE HAVE DONE FOR YOU OVER THE YEARS, WE ASK ONLY FOR YOU TO NOT HUMILIATE US WITH THIS DISGUSTING NONSENSE, AND THEN IT TURNS OUT THAT YOU'VE BEEN SNEAKING AROUND BEHIND OUR BACKS FOR WEEKS?" Hakim bellowed as Yaz sat speechless, trying not to let on how shaken she was. She couldn't remember a time throughout her childhood when he had been this angry with her, or Sonya. Sure he had gotten angry about things but never this much pure rage before.
"This sort of thing is unacceptable." He had dropped his voice to a normal volume, and whilst his anger seemed to have been used up in that one burst, his tone was still hard, not at all the sweet, funny father she knew. "We'll be keeping hold of your phone for now, and I'll drop you off at work and pick you up after your shift, and remember that I know several of the officers on the force that I'll ask to keep an eye on you, so no sneaking off to meet with this woman. I just hope that after your date with Amir you'll see that all of this is a mistake and we can all move on from it… if not then we'll have to discuss other options." Throughout this conversation, Hakim had stayed stood in the door, almost unsure how to act around his daughter anymore. He waited for a few moments to see if Yaz would respond but her mind was reeling from it all, what did they mean by 'other options'? After an awkward few moments of silence, Hakim pulled the door shut, mumbling something about dinner, and then Yaz was alone again.
Unable to leave her room and face her parents once more, and still too mentally exhausted to read or focus on any kind of TV show, Yaz dug out her old iPod that had all the top hits of the early 2010s, and curled up once more, trying to escape back into the memories. Her parents didn't call her for dinner that night, instead, Najia brought a plate in and wordlessly left it on the dresser; Yaz ate whilst watching some rubbish on Netflix before deciding on taking a shower to try and relax.
After 15 minutes under the hot water, Yaz found she felt a little better if not only for being clean. After changing into her pyjamas, she returned to her room, surprised to find Sonya sat on her bed waiting for her. The two hadn't been close since they were little, both always competing for their parent's attention and approval whilst becoming very different people.
"Look, Sonya, if mum and dad have sent you here to talk to me, or if you're just here to gloat about being the favourite child then I'm really not in the mood." Yaz sighed, the tiredness seeping into her voice as she tossed her clothes in the laundry basket.
"Keep your voice down would ya," Sonya hissed in a hushed voice, "mum and dad would kill me if they knew I was talking to you, come sit over here." She gestured next to her on the bed and Yaz obeyed, confused at the sudden secrecy. "Look, I know things have been rough for you recently, I know you didn't expect this kind of reaction from mum and dad, but I want you to know that I don't care if you like girls, you're still my sister. I mean, I have to admit, when you first told mum and dad and they freaked, I was kinda glad. I mean I could finally be the favourite for once! But… when they didn't come around, I did feel sorta guilty for that. And with what's happening now, I'm really sorry Yaz, and I want you to know I support you." Sonya hadn't made much eye contact during her little speech, occasionally glancing up. After a few seconds of silence from Yaz, she looked up to see her older sisters' eyes glistening with tears and a small smile on her face. Before she had the chance to say anything else Yaz had pulled her into a tight hug.
"Thank you" Yaz whispered into her sister's ear as she kept her locked in an embrace. "It means so much to hear you say that." She felt Sonya's arms wrap around her and hug her back. They stayed like that for several minutes; in the past 15 minutes the rift that had grown between them over the years seemed to disappear and Yaz felt closer to her sister than ever before. Finally, they parted and with a sympathetic smile, Sonya stood up and moved towards the door before stopping as she remembered something.
"Almost forgot! Your weird blonde girlfriend ambushed me on my way back from Muhammed's and asked me to give you this." She tossed something on the bed next to Yaz, whose face lit up as she realised it was a flip phone, "She told me what had happened and seemed really worried about you." Yaz grinned at her sister, they both knew the trouble that Sonya would get in if their parents found out she had given Yaz a phone, Yaz had never loved her sister more than at that moment.
"Thanks, Sonya!" Yaz said still grinning, not even bothering to correct the girlfriend part. Sonya gave her another smile before opening the door, pausing just for a second,
"Gotta say, ya girlfriend is pretty cute, at least you've got good taste!" she said with her head stuck around the door, closing it with a grin before Yaz had a chance to respond.
Yaz smiled at the closed door for a few moments before grabbing the phone and flipping it open and powered it up. It beeped and alerted her that there was a new text message which she opened immediately.
Yaz, I hope you get this, I'm so sorry about all of this, and I understand if you need me out of your life, but please tell me if you're safe x
The Doctor had already added herself to the phone's contacts and Yaz typed a response as quickly as she could, which took about five minutes as it was a flip phone with a keypad and it had been a while since she'd used one!
I'm safe, my dad yelled at me and I'm basically on lockdown, but my sister and I talked properly for the first time in ages which was so good! And don't you dare leave my life, I don't care what my parents do, I need you x
She pressed send and moments later got a response,
Thank god, I've been so worried, your mum was so angry earlier, and I felt so helpless, I'm sorry :(
Also, I'm glad cuz I don't want you gone from my life either x
Yaz got halfway through typing a reply before giving up with it and dialling the Doctor's number instead after grabbing some headphones and plugging them in. It was barely through the first ring before the Doctor answered.
"Yaz! Hi!" she sounded so happy that Yaz couldn't help but smile, as she curled up under her duvet with just her bedside lamp on,
"Hey," she spoke quietly into the headphone mic, knowing her parents would be asleep by now so she should be safe. "How are you?"
"Oh you know me, I'm always doing alright, better now that I get to talk to you." Her voice was soft again like it had been in the shop in those minutes before her mum had come crashing in and ruining it all.
"What have you been doing? Still in the shop?" Yaz asked, just wanting to hear the Doctor's voice, the headphones gave the illusion of proximity, Yaz could almost imagine that the Doctor was here with her.
"Just finished doing the evening watering rounds, so having a cup of tea before bed. Tomorrow shouldn't be too bad, got a few pickups but I've done all the prep, just been trying to keep busy, waiting to hear from you." Yaz smiled, she felt guilty that she liked that the Doctor worried about her, "what about you?" Yaz described what had happened since being home, from her mum's steely silence and her dad's yelling to Sonya's support after her shower.
"and now I get to talk to you so life doesn't seem so bad right now…" she trailed off and heard the Doctor chuckle lightly, "but I can't talk too much in case my parents hear, so um… I was wondering if maybe you could just tell me one of your stories?" Yaz asked tentatively before suddenly feeling flustered and trying to backtrack "I mean, you don't have to, it was just an idea but if you're tired or whatever then you can just say no." as she spoke she could hear that Doctor chuckling again and Yaz relaxed.
"Of course I'll tell you a story, let me think…" there was a momentary pause, "oh! Have I ever told you about the real reason that we don't have blimps and zeppelins as a common mode of transport?"
As the Doctor chatted away Yaz closed her eyes and imagined being sat in the tearoom with the Doctor, with her words creating a safe bubble around her she was able to almost forget the day's events. As the Doctor's story came to an end Yaz felt her eyelids drooping, suddenly realising how tired she actually was. The Doctor obviously heard her yawning over the phone,
"Looks like it's time to call it a night," her voice had switched from the animated tone she had been using for the story, to the softer one that sent a small shiver down Yaz's spine. Yaz tried to respond but she was cut off halfway through by a bigger yawn causing the Doctor to laugh down the phone. "Night Yaz, sleep well and text me tomorrow, yeah?"
"I will, I promise, and thanks again for this… night" And with that, the call ended leaving Yaz alone in her room, but after hiding the phone in her underwear drawer and turning off the lamp, Yaz curled back up in her bed with the scenes that the Doctor had described, her voice drifting through her head as she fell asleep.