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Yaz held her hand to her forehead, trying to contain her frustration.
“I trusted you, Doctor. You told me you had the perfect gift idea and now we’re already late to Ryan’s party and …”
The Doctor opened her mouth to interrupt but Yaz stopped her short with a glare.
“And don’t you dare tell me it’s okay, we have a time machine. The last time you swore we could pop back an hour to be on time, we were four hours late and my parents thought I’d been killed on the job.”
Yaz finally paused, the guilt drawn across the Doctor’s face making her regret her words. She shook her head.
“Sorry Doctor, I shouldn’t have brought that up. But when you said you had the perfect gift idea, I thought you were going to get some kind of video game or a drone camera or something. Not a puppy.”
“I was planning on a video camera from the 22nd century, but I was a bit nervous he’d misplace it in this century and cause some timey wimey problems,” the Doctor said waving her free hand. “But sometimes the universe has better ideas, Yaz. When I got back to the TARDIS after tea at your place, this sweet girl was in a box in front of the door. She told me she’d been left there for hours by a man who yelled a lot.”
“She told you?”
The Doctor couldn’t help thinking that Yaz looked cute with her eyebrows raised in disbelief.
“Yup,” she grinned. “Did I never tell you I can speak dog?”
Yaz shook her head. She didn’t have time to investigate that tale at the moment.
“Do you really think a puppy is a good gift for Ryan? How’s he going to take care of her? Would she travel in the TARDIS?”
The stress that had Yaz so wound up evaporated in an instant as she watched the Doctor laugh, scronching her face up as the puppy in question began to lick her nose. She was all fluffy black fur on top with tan across her belly, chin and toes as though she’d been lying in the mud. Two flecks of tan at the peak of her eyebrows somehow lended her big brown eyes an air of intense sincerity. Yaz could certainly understand how she’d won the Doctor’s heart, but she wasn’t convinced that a dog was an appropriate birthday gift.
“I suppose we’ll have to let Ryan decide. If he’s not up for it...” the Doctor paused, set the pup down on the floor, and waited while she scampered off to sniff another corner of the control room. “If he’s not up for it, we’ll find her another home or take her to the shelter. I just thought Ryan might like to have someone to look after. Traveling in the TARDIS would be too much of a risk for her, but maybe he could find a sitter when we’re away. Or...”
Her thoughts were cut off by a loud beeping alarm the Doctor didn’t recognize. She flapped around the control panel in confusion for a moment before Yaz drew her attention.
“Doctor!” she shouted, pointing to the corner where the puppy was squatting leaving a growing puddle on the TARDIS floor. Yaz couldn’t stop herself from doubling over in laughter as the Time Lord ran across the control room, carrying the puppy out the door with a string of apologies to both the TARDIS and the pup. “This is all my fault, shoulda been paying attention!”
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Ryan groaned and pulled the pillow off his head. He’d hoped that the barking would stop if he just ignored it, but if he let her go on much longer he’d get told off by the neighbors. It wasn’t like her to bark at this hour and as he began to wake up properly Ryan became aware that perhaps this should be cause for concern. He looked around in the dark for something to take with him as he went to investigate, finally picking up a large book from his bedside table.
“What is it, girl?” he asked as his dog stopped barking and began scratching at the back door. As Ryan began to turn the lock, a familiar wooshing sound filled the air and a smile stretched across his face. He put the book down as his dog began to spin in circles at his feet.
He peered through the blinds to make sure the TARDIS had finished landing before he opened the door. A moment later the blue door opened and the Doctor had just enough time to set one foot outside before 15 kilos of fluff barrelled into her.
It had been four years since the Doctor had found her in front of that very same door. Ryan had fallen in love with her instantly. He’d downloaded a dog training book to his phone before he’d even finished opening his other birthday gifts and he named her Pting after she stole Graham's burger.
At first, he’d tried to continue their usual routine. The Doctor would drop them all in Sheffield, leaving Graham to garden while Yaz and Ryan went to work and then when they had a weekend off the four of them would run away, exploring the universe together. When the adventures had thoroughly drained them, the Doctor would bring them back to Sheffield in time to get a good night’s sleep before their next shift.
One of his mates would look after Pting for the weekend and he knew she was in good hands, but slowly he found that it became increasingly difficult to leave. His adventures with the Doctor were incredible, but he’d started to enjoy his routine at home. He’d say hi to the same neighbors on every morning walk and look forward to heading to the park with Pting after work. He passed his NVQ and actually had a job he enjoyed. After a few months, he’d finally found the courage to tell the Doctor, explaining that he’d began travelling to escape from his past. But now he felt ready to build a future for himself.
“Not that I’m not glad to see you guys, but when you said you’d come around at three, I just assumed you meant the afternoon,” Ryan said with a yawn.
“Sorry,” the Doctor apologized from where she was sitting on the ground with Pting in her lap. “Faulty wiring.” Behind her, the TARDIS let out an indignant string of beeps until Yaz stepped out and closed the door.
She stepped over the Doctor to wrap Ryan in a hug. “Happy birthday, mate,” she said squeezing him tight. She looked over at the Doctor scratching Pting's beard and whispering to her conspiratorially.
"We definitely meant to arrive at three pm, but sometimes you just have to trust the Doctor. She and the universe might just have a better idea.”
“Pting says she’s never been to the park at 3am!” the Doctor shouted.
“No!” Ryan and Yaz replied in unison.
“Well,” Yaz smiled. “Not always.”