Work Text:
"I'm back - I got it!" The Doctor shuffles into the vault, laden with bags of Mexican food.
"Oh my dear Doctor, you spoil me." She smiles, making no effort to help him with the meal and not looking up from her book. She's sitting sideways in her armchair, her small, arched boots propped up on one arm and her wild, messy curls flowing over the other.
"The queue was just awful." He complains as he sets out the plates on the coffee table. "Full of smelly humans. I can't avoid them, it's horrible."
"You have a time machine." She says simply, keeping her expression nonplussed while trying her best not to chuckle.
"Oh.. right... yes." He falters, mentally chastising himself. He can almost feel Missy rolling her eyes.
Missy has already arranged him a chair on the opposite side of the coffee table. The Doctor hands her the meal and sits heavily. For a few moments they eat in contented silence, simply enjoying the company.
"Good day?" The Doctor asks, raising an eyebrow. Missy nods, her elegant façade fading for a moment as she practically inhales her plate of tacos.
"I had an interesting time today anyway. A couple of rouge Chumblies stormed the local playground."
Missy snorts.
"It isn't funny! They can be very dangerous!" The Doctor says indignantly. "Bill and I were trying to stop them in their tracks, but then someone called the council on us! The council! They thought it was some kind of stunt and that we were performing without a license."
Missy laughs as she imagines The Doctor and Bill attempting to apprehend a group of three foot tall mushroom robots while being chased by council employees in fluorescent jackets around a children's playground. It takes her five minutes before she can look The Doctor in the eye again.
"I'm glad you find it so funny." The Doctor says bitterly, pushing away his half-finished meal and crossing his arms.
"Well, it's better than being in here anyway. I'd rather be out chasing Chumblies than sat inside reading Oscar Wilde for the billionth time. It gets tiring after a while. Too philosophical." She sighs wistfully, gazing at the fake windows of the vault. Raindrops are skittering down the glass and the gentle patter echoes in the empty expanse of the vault.
"Why is it always raining in here?"
"It's automatically set to match the weather outside, we've had quite a few storms recently." The Doctor says. "Do you want me to change it?"
"No. No, I like it. The noise helps me sleep, stops the nightmares." She tells him. She looks down at her now empty plate almost shamefully and The Doctor can see the flash of pain in her eyes. He knows she still hates admitting weakness. He clears the plates and stacks them in the middle of the table. Her fingers, now unoccupied, immediately begin to fiddle with her shirtsleeves, deep red nails clawing at the pure white cotton.
"They get better, I promise." He says, smiling comfortingly. He desperately wants to reach out and touch her, but he knows she'd flinch back at any sign of pity.
"You know," she begins, changing the subject, "I haven't felt the real rain for seventy years."
"Considering you're in England, I think that's quite an achievement." He laughs. His joke is his way of telling her that he couldn't possibly let her out. She laughs back, telling him that she knows.
---------------------------
"Look, I know I've blindfolded you before but we both know that if you blindfold me it's going to go very wrong." Missy tells The Doctor firmly, standing with her arms crossed. Her foot is tapping on the ground in frustration.
"You'll love it. I promise." The Doctor says, reaching out to her with a rare full smile.
"Fine. But do remember, I bite." She tells him with a seductive edge to her voice and suddenly she's all red lipstick and nervous energy and it's quite disconcerting. The Doctor gulps, not daring to tear his eyes away from her blood red lips. She gnashes her teeth and he almost jumps.
She doesn't resist as he slips the blindfold around her face and fastens it behind her head. His fingers brush her skin softly and it's all she can do to not shiver.
"Come with me." He whispers close to her ear and she almost melts into him.
They walk on together, hand in hand for the first time in centuries. Missy can't help but think that this is why she's always loved being with The Doctor. She sees beauty and wonder wherever she goes when he's guiding her; ever since the days of the Academy when they would run through the red fields with no destination. He was always a great step into the unknown and she adored it.
The ground changes under Missy's feet and she knows they've left the vault. Her hearts pound in her ears and she's filled with a sudden dizzying surge of freedom. She could run now. Rip the blindfold away and make a break for the stars.
She stays.
The Doctor guides her over a step, she hears a creak and suddenly the whole room is humming. Missy smiles at the comforting sounds of the TARDIS surrounding her and the white noise provides a welcome distraction from her own heartbeats pounding in her ears in an achingly familiar pattern of four. She sighs happily as the TARDIS groans and wheezes into flight. The Doctor always did leave the breaks on. For a moment, she yearns to see the familiar warm light of the console room and run her fingers over the buttons on the console. Her hands ache to be at the helm of the machine once more, but the clanks and groans slowly fade and The Doctor's hand is in hers again.
He leads her into the unknown, and the fresh air whips at her face. She smiles broadly and sincerely, relishing the feel of the wind across her cheeks. There's a smell too, lingering in the air. It's familiar, but it takes her a while to place it.
Petrichor.
The smell of dust after rain. She stops.
Rain.
The Doctor watches as she realises what he's giving her. A beaming smile blooms on her face and suddenly she's the prettiest he's ever seen her. The hand enclosed in his squeezes tightly with childlike excitement and anticipation. He feels gratitude rolling from her in waves, from her mind to his. The thoughts are light blue and smell like fresh hydrangeas.
He moves round to her back and removes her blindfold. They're standing in a clearing in the trees in the local park. Only a few people walk about on the other side of the pond, taking no notice of the strange couple and the large blue box that have appeared. Missy blinks as the real sunlight hits her eyes again. The Doctor studies her carefully, and her face is the picture of wonder. She looks at the rainclouds above, her mouth slightly open in awe and her sharp blue eyes softened.
A gentle raindrop hits her skin and she flinches back as if it had burnt her. Her unfamiliarity with the outside world almost breaks The Doctor's hearts as he watches. He did this to her. She's forgotten everything she knew about the outside world to the point where even a raindrop is scarily unfamiliar.
She soon becomes accustomed to the feeling of the rain on her skin as the heavens open. Before long, the gentle patter becomes a downpour and she is squealing. She jumps joyfully in the grass like a newborn lamb seeing the world for the first time. The Doctor stands to the side and lets her have her moment. She's shouting and laughing at the sky, spinning in circles on the muddy bank of the duckpond. Her petticoats spin out as she dances, flinging out water droplets at all angles. She watches them as they fly out, admiring the shimmering rainbows they create as they fall.
"Dance with me!" She shouts to her friend over the sound of the torrential shower. The Doctor takes her hand and she spins him this way and that. He's laughing too now, relishing the opportunity to be with his friend again, united and happy.
It's only when they finally let go of each other that Missy realises that some of the water streaking down her cheeks is her own tears of joy. She laughs at the clouds again, letting her tears mingle with the rain. She feels The Doctor's gentle hand on her shoulder and he pulls her round into a hug. Their clothes are sodden and the wet fabric sticks as they press together. Missy's coat is heavy yet she feels light on her feet and warm in her best friend's arms. He presses his slick forehead to hers and cups her face in his hands so he can watch her eyes as they smile and smile and smile.