Chapter 3

So perhaps cheating at tazik hadn't been the best idea. But that was how one was supposed to play the game…except you weren't supposed to get caught cheating. It was said that a master tazik player was just a better cheater than the other players. Obviously, he wasn't a master player yet.

The Doctor frowned slightly, wiggling a bit to try and find a more comfortable position. After spending the day at a nearby nature preserve, he had thought a round of tazik would be the perfect way to end. Unfortunately, the players had been better than expected, and they had done the natural thing once they caught him cheating - got upset. He had managed to get himself and Rory out of the room before weapons could be drawn, but weren't able to completely shake the group chasing after them. In desperation, he had jammed them both into a storage closet and shut the door. Between the shelves piled with bedding and the containers of supplies and other unidentifiable stuff, there was barely enough room for them. So there they stood, pressed close together and waiting for the danger to pass.

"Remember to be very quiet and calm." The Doctor muttered into Rory's ear. "The Ixi have excellent hearing, and can literally smell fear."

"I'll try…" his companion murmured back, sounding less than confident. Deciding to take his own advice, the Time Lord took several deep breaths to slow his breathing, feeling his back press again the shelves ever time he inhaled. Bad place to hide, but there had been nowhere else to go. He felt himself relax after a minute, but Rory was stiff. His breathing was still fast, and there was tension evident in his body.

Not hearing anything nearby, he whispered, "Rory, relax…" Getting a rather frustrated sigh in response, he quickly tried to think of a solution. Talking him down was far too risky, so there was really only one thing left to do. Raising his hands slowly, he placed them on the young man's shoulders. After a slight hesitation, he began to rub gently.

"What…?"

"Shhh!" There was no time to explain what he was doing, Rory would just have to trust him. They way they were standing and the near-darkness prevented him from seeing his companion's face, but he suspected there was an expression of puzzlement on it. Closing his eyes to focus his concentration, the Doctor thought back to what he had been taught. It had been far too many years since the lessons, but he could still recall the voice of his teacher.

'Lernesian massage therapy is designed to help the recipient relax, no matter what the situation. First, rub gently to stimulate a general feeling of relaxation, then locate the pressure points and employ those to better help the recipient feel at ease.'

He had never really mastered the use of pressure points, but he knew where a few of them were on humans in case he needed to use that skill. Breathing slowly, he rubbed Rory's shoulders for a few minutes, slowly applying more pressure and widening the area his hands covered. It appeared to be working - the young man wasn't as nearly as tense as before, and his breathing had almost returned to normal. His companion shifted as his hands moved slowly down his back, but it didn't appear to be out of discomfort. And really, this was rather nice. The Time Lord had been careful to not get to close to anyone else since Donna, but he could sense his resolve weakening. The feeling of their chests being pressed together, the faint tickle of breath on his ear and neck…it was beginning to get to him. But he couldn't give in. There was Amy to consider, after all.

Slightly shaken by his thoughts, the Doctor continued to massage Rory's shoulders and upper back, always keeping one ear on what was happening in the hallway beyond the closet.

Well, this was unexpected. He hadn't expected a game of cards to result in them hiding in a closet, pressed far too close together for comfort and involved in a massage session. At least, Rory assumed that was what the Doctor was doing. He had been startled when the man had suddenly began to rub his shoulders, but he quickly realized that perhaps it was just a way to get him to calm down. Not….not something else.

Feeling himself start to blush, the young man was thankful the Doctor wasn't able to see his face. And besides, he was married. Newly married. There was every indication that the man he was currently pressed up against was happy with the marriage of his two friends. The Doctor had no reason to…try anything. Ignoring the tiny voice in the back of his head that whispered that maybe he wanted something else, Rory focused on the movement of hands over his shoulders and let himself relax.

Eventually, the hands slid away. "I think it's clear now." The Doctor whispered. Nodding silently and shoving the lingering sense of regret away, Rory pulled back as far as he could to give the other man room to move. Although it was only a few inches at best, it allowed the Doctor to ease open the door and peer cautiously out. "Right, they're gone." he said in a louder tone.

The next few minutes were spent extracting themselves from the closet and sneaking through the hotel back to their rooms. The bizarre situation had left Rory a bit rattled, but he composed himself enough to keep his voice steady while relating the incident to Amy later that night.

"What's tazik?" she asked curiously.

"It's like poker, but different." he explained, using the same phrase the Doctor had told him earlier. "I didn't get a good sense of the rules from what I saw, but it seemed interesting."

"I see. Barely gone two days and you already found trouble." she replied with a chuckle.

Smiling himself despite the fact that she couldn't see it, he answered, "Hey, it was the Doctor's idea. He's the one who got the other players upset and caused them to chase us."

"Somehow I'm not surprised by that. But you got away ok, yeah?"

"Perfectly fine. Not a scratch on either of us." No need to tell her about what had happened while jammed into a closet together. It would just raise awkward questions which he didn't want to answer right now. Sinking further into the row of pillows that lined the head of his bed, Rory launched into what he had seen while at the nature preserve.