Doctor Who // Fancy A Game of Tennis?
Title: Fancy A Game of Tennis?
Author: Sarah
Rating: PG
Words: 1283
Characters: Ten, Donna
Summary: When the Doctor suggests a game of tennis, it's not exactly what Donna imagined.
Notes: Written for _starrystarry who requested Ten & Donna and tennis match.
Disclaimer: I don't own it.
Donna sat bored on the steps of the TARDIS as it spun through space. They were going somewhere far this time, and the Doctor said it might take a few hours longer than their usual travel. She sighed loudly, cluing the Doctor in about her boredom.
“Fancy a game of tennis?” the Doctor asked.
Donna looked up. “You’ve got a tennis court in this thing?”
“Well,” the Doctor began, but Donna cut him off.
“Just give me a moment to get changed.” And she was up and off down the hall towards her room.
“Wait,” he called after her, but she had already disappeared. “Ah, well. I guess I’ll just leave a note.”
***
When Donna returned to the control room, the Doctor wasn’t there, but a scrap of paper with his barely legible scrawl (the handwriting of a real doctor) was left on his chair.
Down the hall, make a right, third door on the right.
Donna turned around, her white tennis skirt spinning with her. Her racket bounced against her knee as she walked down the hall and adjusted the sweatband around her forehead.
When she entered the room the directions led her to, Donna was shocked at the lack of tennis court.
“What is this?” she asked, obviously confused.
“Tennis,” the Doctor replied with a smile.
“But that’s a telly,” Donna pointed to the television attached to the wall. A small white box was on the floor in front of the television connected to it by wires.
The Doctor was sitting in an arm chair, two white remotes in his hands, waving the remotes. “Tennis!”
“That,” Donna used her racket to point at the remotes, “is not tennis. It’s a video game.”
But the Doctor just smiled as he turned the system on. He took the tennis racket from Donna’s hand and replaced it with a remote. “It’s Wii Tennis. Very popular.”
Donna rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. “Fine,” she agreed. Growing up, she had been horrible at video games, suffering torment from most of her male cousins. They always cleared all the dots with that stupid yellow ball. The stupid ghosts always got her.
The Doctor was currently on the “create a Mii” screen. “Think that looks like me?” he asked grinning.
“Mm, no,” she took the remote from his hand. She dragged the toggle bar on the body shape screen all the way over so that the Doctor’s character was not only very tall, but thing enough to almost see through. “There we go.”
“I am not that skinny,” he protested.
“Really?” Donna looked at him. “Maybe if you’d eat some chips once in awhile…”
The Doctor ignored her, moving on to select the color of his shirt.
“Brown? Why brown? You’re wearing blue today.”
“I know, but I’ve heard the brown suit looks better,” he replied. “Brings out my eyes.”
Donna didn’t reply. She just waited to make her own Mii.
“Here you are,” the Doctor handed Donna his remote so that she could make herself.
She set to work, adjusting the hair and eye colors and styles.
“Ooo, Doctor,” she paused on a short bob cut. “I’ve been thinking of getting a trim. Would that look good? Maybe if I kept my fringe like this?”
The Doctor screwed up his face in confusion, obviously having no clue about hair. “Uhh,” he scratched his head, messing up his own hair, “I think your hair looks pretty now. Is that the right answer?”
Donna smiled, adjusting her ponytail slightly. “Yes, that’s a good answer.” She settled on a hairstyle similar to how it looked yesterday and pale blue as her shirt color.
“Donna,” the Doctor mocked, “you’re not wearing blue.”
“The other colors clash with my hair, Mr. It-Brings-Out-My-Eyes.”
The Doctor pouted. “I wish I was ginger. Maybe next time…”
“What?”
“Nothing.”
After the Miis were created, the Doctor took his remote back and began to select the game.
“Best of three?” she asked. “How many times do you need to beat me?”
“You might be good,” he replied. “It’s just like real tennis except… interactive.”
The Doctor went over a few of the basics: A to serve, swing your arm to hit the ball, whichever Mii is closest will hit it. “Got it?”
“I think so,” she replied, taking a few practice swings as if she was warming up for a real tennis match.
“You’re on the right now,” the Doctor said, preparing to serve. He flicked the ball across the net. It bounced once in front of Donna’s second player, but she swung her remote too late and the ball sailed past her.
“Fifteen-love,” the game announced.
“Damn,” Donna said.
The Doctor served again and Donna missed the ball once more. The pattern continued until Donna lost the game.
“Your serve.”
“What do I do?”
“Hit A and swing.”
Donna followed the Doctor’s instructions, flicking her wrist to knock the ball across the net. When she hit it, the ball sailed across the court quickly, smoking as it sailed past the Doctor’s flailing character.
“How did you do that?”
“Do what?”
“Make it go fast.”
“I dunno,” she shrugged. “It just kind of happened.”
“Show me how you flicked your wrist like that.”
“I told you,” she said, “I don’t know what I did.” She went to serve again with what must have been the same motion because the smoking ball sailed past the Doctor once again.
Before they knew it, two games were over - 1-1 each.
The Doctor wasn’t able to hit the ball like Donna on his first serve, but she actually managed to return the ball across the court. They exchanged the ball a few times until the Doctor hit it out of bounds, giving Donna 15 points. On the next hit, the Doctor unknowingly mimicked Donna’s quick serve.
“I did it!” he exclaimed.
“How?” Donna asked, still unsure even though she herself had discovered the move. Her inquiry distracted her and she missed the ball, evening their score.
He couldn’t hit the ball quickly again, but he served it well. Donna hit it back. They continued returning, hitting it back and forth ten times before the Doctor missed it. The score was 30-15. She knew she was close to finally winning a video game, something she had never done before.
The Doctor served again, and Donna had somehow figured out the quick flick of the wrist to send the ball smoking across the court again. The Doctor swung, hitting it back but just barely. As Donna sent the ball sailing back, she noticed the Doctor’s heavy breathing and the sweat building on his forehead. Maybe this win would be easier than she thought.
Using his tiredness to her advantage, Donna hit the ball lightly, just between his two players so that by the time he went to hit it, the ball had already taken a second bounce securing Donna’s first ever video game victory.
“Well done,” the Doctor congratulated, collapsing back into the armchair.
Donna stood in front of the telly, watching her Mii cheer as the Doctor’s sulked. “Thank you.”
“We’ll have to play again another time,” he said, hitting a few buttons sending the system back to the main screen, displaying all of the other sports games on the menu.
Donna looked at the options on the menu, her face lighting up. Glancing over at the still panting Doctor, she said, “I have a better idea.”
“And what’s that?”
“Next time, we should give boxing a go.” She took a stance, throwing a few practice punches with the remote.
The Doctor ran a hand through his messy hair, his eyes wide. “Oh boy,” was all he could say.
Author: Sarah
Rating: PG
Words: 1283
Characters: Ten, Donna
Summary: When the Doctor suggests a game of tennis, it's not exactly what Donna imagined.
Notes: Written for _starrystarry who requested Ten & Donna and tennis match.
Disclaimer: I don't own it.
Donna sat bored on the steps of the TARDIS as it spun through space. They were going somewhere far this time, and the Doctor said it might take a few hours longer than their usual travel. She sighed loudly, cluing the Doctor in about her boredom.
“Fancy a game of tennis?” the Doctor asked.
Donna looked up. “You’ve got a tennis court in this thing?”
“Well,” the Doctor began, but Donna cut him off.
“Just give me a moment to get changed.” And she was up and off down the hall towards her room.
“Wait,” he called after her, but she had already disappeared. “Ah, well. I guess I’ll just leave a note.”
***
When Donna returned to the control room, the Doctor wasn’t there, but a scrap of paper with his barely legible scrawl (the handwriting of a real doctor) was left on his chair.
Down the hall, make a right, third door on the right.
Donna turned around, her white tennis skirt spinning with her. Her racket bounced against her knee as she walked down the hall and adjusted the sweatband around her forehead.
When she entered the room the directions led her to, Donna was shocked at the lack of tennis court.
“What is this?” she asked, obviously confused.
“Tennis,” the Doctor replied with a smile.
“But that’s a telly,” Donna pointed to the television attached to the wall. A small white box was on the floor in front of the television connected to it by wires.
The Doctor was sitting in an arm chair, two white remotes in his hands, waving the remotes. “Tennis!”
“That,” Donna used her racket to point at the remotes, “is not tennis. It’s a video game.”
But the Doctor just smiled as he turned the system on. He took the tennis racket from Donna’s hand and replaced it with a remote. “It’s Wii Tennis. Very popular.”
Donna rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. “Fine,” she agreed. Growing up, she had been horrible at video games, suffering torment from most of her male cousins. They always cleared all the dots with that stupid yellow ball. The stupid ghosts always got her.
The Doctor was currently on the “create a Mii” screen. “Think that looks like me?” he asked grinning.
“Mm, no,” she took the remote from his hand. She dragged the toggle bar on the body shape screen all the way over so that the Doctor’s character was not only very tall, but thing enough to almost see through. “There we go.”
“I am not that skinny,” he protested.
“Really?” Donna looked at him. “Maybe if you’d eat some chips once in awhile…”
The Doctor ignored her, moving on to select the color of his shirt.
“Brown? Why brown? You’re wearing blue today.”
“I know, but I’ve heard the brown suit looks better,” he replied. “Brings out my eyes.”
Donna didn’t reply. She just waited to make her own Mii.
“Here you are,” the Doctor handed Donna his remote so that she could make herself.
She set to work, adjusting the hair and eye colors and styles.
“Ooo, Doctor,” she paused on a short bob cut. “I’ve been thinking of getting a trim. Would that look good? Maybe if I kept my fringe like this?”
The Doctor screwed up his face in confusion, obviously having no clue about hair. “Uhh,” he scratched his head, messing up his own hair, “I think your hair looks pretty now. Is that the right answer?”
Donna smiled, adjusting her ponytail slightly. “Yes, that’s a good answer.” She settled on a hairstyle similar to how it looked yesterday and pale blue as her shirt color.
“Donna,” the Doctor mocked, “you’re not wearing blue.”
“The other colors clash with my hair, Mr. It-Brings-Out-My-Eyes.”
The Doctor pouted. “I wish I was ginger. Maybe next time…”
“What?”
“Nothing.”
After the Miis were created, the Doctor took his remote back and began to select the game.
“Best of three?” she asked. “How many times do you need to beat me?”
“You might be good,” he replied. “It’s just like real tennis except… interactive.”
The Doctor went over a few of the basics: A to serve, swing your arm to hit the ball, whichever Mii is closest will hit it. “Got it?”
“I think so,” she replied, taking a few practice swings as if she was warming up for a real tennis match.
“You’re on the right now,” the Doctor said, preparing to serve. He flicked the ball across the net. It bounced once in front of Donna’s second player, but she swung her remote too late and the ball sailed past her.
“Fifteen-love,” the game announced.
“Damn,” Donna said.
The Doctor served again and Donna missed the ball once more. The pattern continued until Donna lost the game.
“Your serve.”
“What do I do?”
“Hit A and swing.”
Donna followed the Doctor’s instructions, flicking her wrist to knock the ball across the net. When she hit it, the ball sailed across the court quickly, smoking as it sailed past the Doctor’s flailing character.
“How did you do that?”
“Do what?”
“Make it go fast.”
“I dunno,” she shrugged. “It just kind of happened.”
“Show me how you flicked your wrist like that.”
“I told you,” she said, “I don’t know what I did.” She went to serve again with what must have been the same motion because the smoking ball sailed past the Doctor once again.
Before they knew it, two games were over - 1-1 each.
The Doctor wasn’t able to hit the ball like Donna on his first serve, but she actually managed to return the ball across the court. They exchanged the ball a few times until the Doctor hit it out of bounds, giving Donna 15 points. On the next hit, the Doctor unknowingly mimicked Donna’s quick serve.
“I did it!” he exclaimed.
“How?” Donna asked, still unsure even though she herself had discovered the move. Her inquiry distracted her and she missed the ball, evening their score.
He couldn’t hit the ball quickly again, but he served it well. Donna hit it back. They continued returning, hitting it back and forth ten times before the Doctor missed it. The score was 30-15. She knew she was close to finally winning a video game, something she had never done before.
The Doctor served again, and Donna had somehow figured out the quick flick of the wrist to send the ball smoking across the court again. The Doctor swung, hitting it back but just barely. As Donna sent the ball sailing back, she noticed the Doctor’s heavy breathing and the sweat building on his forehead. Maybe this win would be easier than she thought.
Using his tiredness to her advantage, Donna hit the ball lightly, just between his two players so that by the time he went to hit it, the ball had already taken a second bounce securing Donna’s first ever video game victory.
“Well done,” the Doctor congratulated, collapsing back into the armchair.
Donna stood in front of the telly, watching her Mii cheer as the Doctor’s sulked. “Thank you.”
“We’ll have to play again another time,” he said, hitting a few buttons sending the system back to the main screen, displaying all of the other sports games on the menu.
Donna looked at the options on the menu, her face lighting up. Glancing over at the still panting Doctor, she said, “I have a better idea.”
“And what’s that?”
“Next time, we should give boxing a go.” She took a stance, throwing a few practice punches with the remote.
The Doctor ran a hand through his messy hair, his eyes wide. “Oh boy,” was all he could say.