"Come on, Twelve. You have to come out of there sooner or later."
Four was sitting on the floor and leaning against a door. On the other side of the door came the particularly loud guitar riff to Don't Fear the Reaper clearly played on an electric guitar through an amp.
"Any luck?" Sarah asked.
"No luck yet." Four admitted.
"He hasn't come out of there in two days." Ten said. "He won't let any of us in either."
"I have no idea where he's going to the toilet." Eleven said.
Four reached behind him and knocked the door. "I have Jelly Babies."
"He's not going to open it." Eleven said.
"I don't think he can even hear over his guitar." Ten said.
"Has anyone tried texting him?" Sarah asked.
"Everyone." Ten replied.
"And he's seen them all." Eleven added.
"So have you got any clever ideas to get him out?" Ten asked.
Four pulled himself up on his feet. "Um. I might. I might."
"Good because I'm going out." Ten said.
"Going out? Out where?" Four asked.
"Nowhere." Ten shrugged. "Shopping. Tesco's. Get some groceries and stuff."
"A-and I've got to meet... someone." Eleven said.
Ten quirked an eyebrow. "River?"
"... yes."
"So where's Thirteen now then?" Four asked.
"Your brother's still locked up in his room then?" Ryan asked.
He, Yaz and Thirteen were walking down the street-well, Thirteen wasn't exactly walking, but Ryan and Yaz were. Thirteen was wheeling herself, lagging behind them with her eyes half open.
"Yeah. Haven't slept since Thursday night." Thirteen answered. "He just keeps playing guitar solos over and over again."
"Really?" Yaz asked. "Like what?"
"Smoke on the Water. Highway to Hell. Back in Black. Don't Fear the Reaper. Layla." Thirteen listed. "It's driving our neighbours crazy and they're sending all kinds of warnings under the door and in our pigeonhole. But nobody can get him out of there. Four's back there trying, but I think there's only so much he'll be able to do."
Ryan frowned. "Four?"
"My older brother." Thirteen said. "Fourth born."
"And his name's Four?" Yaz asked.
"Mine's Thirteen." She pointed out.
"So... what?" Yaz shrugged. "You have younger siblings called Fourteen and Fifteen?"
"Course." Thirteen said.
"Mate, that is weird." Ryan said.
Thirteen shrugged.
"Do you think Twelve's ever going to come out of his room?" Yaz asked, changing the subject back.
"He's gonna have to at some point." Thirteen said. "He'll need to eat and drink and go to work and we still have no idea what he's been using as a toilet."
"Probably his bin." Ryan said.
Yaz crinkled her nose in disgust. "Ugh. Ryan that's gross."
"Eh, he's probably right, actually." Thirteen admitted.
"No. Stop. Right now."
"I just hope Four can get him out. Otherwise we're gonna hafta call in the big guns." Thirteen said.
"And that is...?" Ryan questioned.
"One." Thirteen said.
"One what?" Yaz asked.
"Our oldest brother." Thirteen said. "One."
"That shouldn't surprise me, but it does." Yaz said.
"You have an older sister." Thirteen pointed out.
"Yeah, but she's got a normal name."
"All names are normal, Yaz." Thirteen said. "They're all just a bunch of letters strung together to make a word and it doesn't matter if that name's Yasmin or Ryan or Thirteen, that word becomes someone's identity." She turned at the zebra crossing and looked both ways before crossing the road, knowing that any cars would slow down and stop for her anyway.
"So your name's literally just Thirteen Doctor?" Ryan asked.
"Come on, Ryan, we've been over this; of course it is." Thirteen paused for only a brief moment. "Well, not really, but yes."
"And you have twelve older brothers." Yaz said.
"Thirteen."
"Yeah, we know you're Thirteen, but-"
"No, I have thirteen older brothers." Thirteen clarified.
"Thirteen older brothers and your name's Thirteen? Why's that then?"
"It just is." Thirteen said.
"Mate, I don't know how I'd live if I had thirteen older siblings." Ryan said.
"You say that all the time." Thirteen hummed. "I have younger siblings too. But they probably wouldn't be able to help Twelve."
"What about you?" Yaz asked.
"Nah." Thirteen said. "'S why I'm staying out of it. Leaving it to my much older brothers."
"Twelve," Sarah knocked on the door once the guitar sounds had stopped, "come and see who's out here for you. It's K9!"
Arobotic dog with a metallic blue paint job and K-9 embossed on the side in white letters moved over to Sarah. The robot had an LED eyepiece, rotating ears resembling satellite dishes and a tartan collar as if to match Four's colourful scarf.
Master sent me here. K9 said in his metallic voice. Master is worried about you.
No answer. Then came the sounds, not of an electric guitar but a much quieter acoustic guitar playing Fire and Rain.
Sarah sighed loudly. Not even K9 had able to get through to Twelve. And Twelve loved K9. She and Four had been banking on K9 so now it was back to the drawing board.
K9 looked up at Sarah. Mistress?
"I'm fine, K9." Sarah insisted. "Well, maybe a little frustrated."
"So let me get this straight. Twelve went on a date with Missy. The waitress was rude and treated him poorly, talking to his girlfriend over him. So he flipped and went back to his flat and he hasn't come out of his room since."
"Yep, that's right, Graham." Thirteen said. "Exactly right."
"I feel like I'm missing something though."
"Well, besides Thirteen, Ten and Eleven, nobody else in their family knows that Twelve is seeing Missy." Yaz said.
Graham nodded. "Ah. That'll do it.
"So what do you think?" Ryan asked.
"I think that they'll find out at some point. People tend to find out about things like this." Graham said.
"Of course they do." Thirteen, resting her elbows on the table, popped a fry in her mouth.
Thirteen, Yaz, Ryan and Graham were sitting in a McDonalds at an accessible table. Thirteen's eyelids were heavy and she was clearly tired.
"Have you been sleeping at all?" Graham asked.
"Not since uh, Thursday night." Thirteen replied with a yawn.
"Thursday night?!" Graham was taken aback. "It's Sunday now."
"He keeps playing the guitar. Loudly. It's keeping us and the neighbours up." Thirteen said. "Neighbours hate it, actually. Feel like murdering him myself, nobody pays attention to disabled on disabled crime anyway."
"You can stay with me and Ryan if you want." Graham offered.
"Yeah, I wouldn't mind. It's just helping out a friend." Ryan said.
Thirteen yawned. "I'd love that. Get a decent night's sleep. Until Four and Sarah get it under control."
"Great." Graham said. "You can stay on the sofa. Until Twelve starts being more co-operative."
"But what about, uh, Ten and Eleven?" Yaz asked.
"Ten's gone out I think. Eleven's got a date." Thirteen said. "They've got other friends they can stay with."
"It's just sad that your brother's driven you out of your flat." Ryan said.
"He's working through some things." Thirteen said. "It's not his fault."
Eleven was sitting on a swing in the park with River sitting on the swing next to him. Eleven was simply sitting with his head in his hands, while River was swinging gently.
"You look tired, Sweetie."
"I am tired." Eleven said. "Bloody Twelve keeping me up for past two days and not allowing me into my own bedroom. I haven't changed my clothes in two days either. Had to go out and buy new underpants from Asda."
"Oh charming." River muttered.
"He keeps playing his guitar." Eleven said.
"I know, I can hear it." River said. "I only live next door. But can't you stop it?"
"No, he has the bedroom locked." Eleven explained. "I think he's having some kind of nervous breakdown."
"He's got work tomorrow though, hasn't he?" River asked.
"No, there's a summer recess until September third." Eleven explained.
"With Brexit coming up?"
"Yes. Well... it's Boris Johnson. I'm quite certain he wants to go over that Brexit cliff edge and drag us all down with him."
"Still. September third to Halloween isn't that long a time."
"Fifty-six days. Nobody'd get anything done in that time-even if they wanted to."
"So..." River raised an eyebrow. "What happens now?"
"Twelve thinks there'll be a general election." Eleven said.
"And you?" River asked.
"I hope there'll be a general election." Eleven raised his head and grabbed the chains on the swing. "Twelve can be so terrifying sometimes."
"How so?"
"The way he just... stares at you when he's angry. He just locks onto your eyes and stares. Deep down into your soul."
"But he's blind." River pointed out.
"That's what makes it so terrifying." Eleven said. "He stares at you, not through you. And the way he grits his teeth. That accent of his doesn't help either. Nor do those fierce eyebrows. And he's not even the scariest of all my brothers-no, that particular honour goes to Seven."
"It's hardly surprising that Missy Masters is besotted with him." River said.
"She's more sadistic than angry." Eleven said.
"None of the other Masters know about their relationship, do they?"
"No. And it's only me, Ten and Thirteen of all our siblings who know."
"Oh I hope you've told them all about our relationship, Sweetie."
"I'm just worried how my older brothers will react to Twelve and Missy's relationship."
"I'll just have to send a note." River said. "From the diary of River Song-"
"Don't even joke about that, River-"
River stood up. "Dear Twelve D. Doctor and Melissa Masters, I wish to congratulate you on your relationship and potential nuptials-"
Eleven leaped to his feet. "No, River, it'll cause a riot-"
"Relax, Sweetie, I'm only teasing."
"Don't joke about something like that-if Three ever found out he'd have Twelve's head on a plate personally." Eleven said. "Missy's oldest brother Delgado was Three's classmate-and bully-through primary and secondary. And you know Harry hates Ten."
"So it's not just how your family would react, but how the Masters would react too." River said.
"I think the Masters would kill Twelve and then Missy." Eleven said. "I don't know how Missy's getting away with it to be completely honest."
"She's a Masters." River shrugged. "If she's anything like Harry then she's getting away with it by pure manipulation."
"I'm going to get into that room, Sarah Jane Smith, just watch me." Four said.
"I believe you, I believe you." Sarah said. "It's just you haven't done so well so far."
"Ah but this time, I'm using force."
"Not a robotic dog?"
"Are you telling me there's something wrong with my dog?" Four asked.
"Our dog, Four." Sarah corrected.
"Yes, yes." Four nodded. "Our dog." He took the long multicoloured scarf from around his neck and handed it to Sarah.
"What are you doing?" Sarah asked.
"Oh. Something." Four said, taking a silver pen like object out of his pocket. He pointed the red head at the door and it started buzzing.
Sarah covered her ears and glowered at Four, who then kicked the door open.
Twelve turned around. He had an acoustic guitar strapped across his front. "Four-how did you-?"
"Two invented this sonic device. It opens locks." Four explained quickly. "You have to stop playing guitar. You have to talk to us."
"I don't have to do anything." Twelve said. "I'm almost twenty."
"Twelve."
"Why don't you go and take your girlfriend and your robot with you?"
"Twelve..."
"Because you're ten years older then me. You should know better than to break into-into locked rooms. I'm doing just fine-"
"Dougan!"
A silence fell over everyone.
Twelve removed his guitar and pulled it over his head. His face pulled into a scowl and his eyes narrowed at who he hoped was Four, though it might have been Sarah Jane-they both had long brown hair and they were both really very blurry and blacked out in places so it was hard to tell.
"Don't you ever call me that... again." He hissed.
"I had to get your attention somehow." Four argued.
"Don't call me that-never fuckin' call me that!" Twelve shouted. "My name is Twelve! It's fuckin' Twelve!"
"Twelve, please don't swear." Sarah said calmly.
"... even she gets it." Twelve said.
"What's this really about, Twelve?" Four asked. "Is it about what happened in Pizza Hut on Friday?"
"It wasn't Pizza Hut, it was Frankie and Benny's." Twelve muttered.
"Frankie and Benny's." Four said with a nod.
"Listen, Twelve. You know me. You can talk to me. And if you want to talk without Four here-"
"I don't want to talk because there's no problem."
"You're upset." Four said. "I know you are. I know when something's bothering you."
"There's nothing bothering me." Twelve insisted.
"Twelve..." Sarah said gently. "You forget that we're not blind. We can see your face right now. You've been so used to not hiding your face this past weekend that-"
"Your guard's down." Four finished.
"Yes." Sarah nodded. "Please. Talk to us."
A/N: Hello! Forgot to crosspost from AO3 so enjoy a barrage of chapters, I suppose.
Tesco is a supermarket where people get their groceries. It's generally cheaper than Morrisons but more expensive than Asda.
Zebra crossings are those stripes in the road. Pedestrians have right of way, especially when there's Belisha Beacons.
K9 will be popping in and out because I like him. He's Four's and Sarah Jane Smith's robotic dog. That Four built.
Nervous breakdown isn't referred to as than, it's referred to as a 'mental health crisis' and it's generally something you should see your GP over if not go to the ER over. Yeah, there's psychiatrists in the ER. Why wouldn't there be?
The Summer 2019 recess in Parliament does go on until September third and there's is talks of a general election and Boris will most definitely take us off the cliff edge and cause a recession worldwide so if you're reading this from whatever country, Hello! You're also going to be screwed over by Brexit.
Twelve's angry staring. Comes from The Thick Of It.
Missy is short for Melissa. If she's human, it couldn't very well be short for The Mistress.
Four has to be wearing that scarf. He has to.
Sonic device? Sonic Screwdriver. Two invented it because the Second Doctor was the first to be seen using one.
And Twelve's real name is... Dougan. Not Twelve, which is just a nickname.
