It'd been about 6 months since Tristan Farnon, former Darrowby vet and younger brother to Siegfried Farnon, had been asked to join the TARDIS crew and he could, in all honesty, say that he'd never felt more at home anywhere in England, than he did in this strange spaceship. Despite the fantastical world he found himself in, where running for his life and encountering aliens happened on an almost daily basis, he had finally found a place where he could be himself and no one ever judged him. He also had two wonderful friends, who were perhaps even better than James had been.
Firstly there was the Doctor, in whom he'd found a kindred spirit and had almost the same relationship as he had with Siegfried, except without the constant nagging and shouting. And then there was Peri, wonderful Peri, who was impossibly kind, brave and loving and who was currently sharing an embrace with him on the very comfortable screening room sofa.
Wrapping his arms tighter around her, he smiled, nuzzling her soft brown hair, causing her to look up at him, smiling sleepily as she had been on the verge of dropping off. He laughed quietly at her adorableness. "Comfortable are you?"
"Hmm, oh very. Why? Don't you like it?" she asked, moving closer to him, burying her face in his faded jumper.
He pulled her close and kissed her forehead. "Of course I like it my dear Peri. Why on Earth would I object to having such a lovely young lady pressed close to me? Most men could only dream of being so lucky!"
"Very romantic Tris," Peri replied sarcastically, used to his flirting. She made sure he could see her rolling her eyes and lightly hit his shoulder.
Tris gasped dramatically, clutching his shoulder as if in terrible pain and looked over to her sadly. She giggled, feeling more awake, and rolled her eyes again before bending down to press a soft kiss to his terrible wound, mumbling. "Better now?"
"Mmmm, much," he sighed contentedly before a wicked glint came into his blue eyes. "But you know, I'm going to have to get you back for that. I mean such a terrible injury deserves vengeance!"
Peri looked at him apprehensively and tried to push herself out of his arms, raising a warning hand towards him, knowing exactly what he was planning. "Tris, no…No…Don't you dare."
Her words fell on deaf ears as Tristan pounced, easily pinning her to the sofa, tickling her mercilessly.
Loud peals of laughter rang around the silent TARDIS, mixed with shouts of 'Tristan' as the two of them continued their tickle fight, after a while the young vet joined in Peri's laughter, as she was trying pathetically to fend off his attacks, which merely caused the pair to roll off the sofa and onto the carpeted floor.
At that moment, the door opened and the Doctor appeared in the doorway, having come to investigate the laughter. He looked down at the giggling humans, locked in a tickle fight, a small smile playing on the edge of his lips as he watched them.
Unable to resist, the Doctor called out. "Having fun you two?"
The effect was instantaneous, Tris paused mid attack and Peri succeeded in pushing him off of her, giggling at his indignant surprise, managing to say breathlessly "S-sorry Tris."
She looked up at the Doctor, pushing her hair out of her face, blushing heavily. "Hi Doctor."
"Yes, hello Doctor," Tris chimed in, fed up of pretending to be hurt and switching to ginning boyishly instead, making Peri roll her eyes and the Doctor shake his head.
"Don't start Tristan," the Doctor said in a long suffering voice, which was belied by the smile on his face, as he made his way to the now abandoned sofa.
"Start?" Tris asked innocently. "I'm sure I don't know what you mean Doctor and it's terribly unfair of you to accuse me of doing something you know."
"I'm sure," the Time Lord replied drily, despite the grin on his face.
Peri, falling into the familiar routine, stood up and placed her hands on her hips, glowering at the two of them. "Come on you two, knock it off."
Then she reached out a hand to the other human, who kissed the back of it before taking it gratefully and pulling himself up. From the couch the Doctor too reached out and grabbed Peri's free hand, gently pulling his two humans to him, Peri landing on his knees and Tristan on the sofa next to them.
The blond Time Lord then extended an arm slowly and draped it over the vet's shoulders, not wanting to make him too uncomfortable. He needn't have worried though because Tris's eyes flashed up to meet his, and he grinned, before snuggling his head into the crook of the Doctor's neck, still holding Peri's hand, stroking the back of it and occasionally lifting it to press a soft kiss to her skin.
The young American meanwhile, was snuggling his chest, her other hand clutching at the Doctor's as if afraid he'd leave or disappear. He squeezed her hand reassuringly and she smiled, leaning up to kiss him on the cheek.
The Doctor simply smiled his hearts lighter than they had been in a long time as he pressed a kiss to both humans' foreheads, feeling content as he felt the waves of love flowing over him.