theatrical_muse #180 Starting over
If you could completely start your life over from scratch, what would you do differently the second time around (if anything)? Why?
((based on this rp))
"I've traveled to all sorts of places, done things you couldn't even imagine, but you two... Street corner. Two in the morning. Getting a taxi home. I've never had a life like that."--The Doctor, “Father’s Day”
On the second day of his attempt to have a normal Human life-slash-vacation, he wound up at a bar in the middle of the night. Peter Petrelli was showing him a good regular time one can have in the Big Apple. The nightlife just so happened to be part of one of those good times. Certainly he could understand now why it was called the city that never sleeps.
He’d had his doubts at first. Drinking wasn’t very interesting, as it was something one could do on all sorts of planets, he could hold his liquor better than most, and really, was it the smartest of ideas to go so late? Peter had assured him, the place was safe, always full of good people, not at all shady, and even though Nathan didn’t like him going, all he planned on doing the next day was sleep in and be a little lazy. Which the Doctor was fine with.
Somehow time had gotten away from the both of them (a rarity for the Doctor, to be sure), and a few hours later, they were standing on the street corner trying to hail a taxi.
“Oh, come on!” yelled Peter at a cab that whizzed by without slowing down--the third one. He was a bit tipsy but insisted he was all right.
Humans. Never quite knowing when enough got to be too much.
“Jesus, what time is it? They can’t all be so full of people that they can’t stop for us!”
“Bit past two.”
“What?”
“The time. Bit past two. In the morning.”
“Oh.”
“We can always walk; I remember the way back to the apartment.”
“No, we’re going to wait here for one of these damn taxis to stop!” Peter managed a small smile, tucking his bangs behind his ears only to have them fall in his face again. “Besides, you can’t leave New York without experiencing a taxi. That’s like, the one thing you’ve gotta do.”
“I’m sure it’s the toast of the town, yeah, best thing to ever do in the city, ‘cause who’d want to go see a Broadway show when you can ride in a taxi?” the Doctor couldn’t help but reply with sarcasm and a hearty grin.
“Because it’s normal. You said nothing special, do what’s normal. Interesting ordinary things.”
The Doctor laughed. He couldn’t help himself. “That’s right! I did, didn’t I!”
Peter wasn’t sure what the laughing was quite about, but it was infectious, and found himself joining in. “You did. So that’s what I’m doing. Got to be a good host for you.”
“And you’re doing a fantastic job of it.”
“Good vacation so far?”
“Brilliant.”
“Good--oh, oh, hey, taxi! Taxi!”
“D’you need to yell so loud?”
“Maybe the other ones just didn’t hear us. Look, it’s pulling over!”
“Think you might’ve had a bit too much alcohol.”
“And you’re not even drunk at all!”
“I liked the jukebox.”
Peter laughed again as the taxi slowed to a stop and they clambered in awkwardly.
“Where you headed?” grunted the cabbie.
If the Doctor could grin any wider, he would’ve. “Anywhere!” Which made Peter laugh even harder.
It didn’t amuse the cabbie, who just rolled his eyes. “Alrighty, but it’ll cost ya quite a pretty penny, bub.”
“I should’ve asked Nathan if I could borrow his credit cards,” snickered Peter. “Just start driving, I’ll tell you where to turn.”
“What would your brother think of that, wondering why he’s got charges in Egypt or Brazil? I don’t think he’d be too happy about bailing you out.”
“Good point. We should use your TARDIS.”
“We should get plane tickets.”
“And experience the thrill of stripping in front of security guards to make sure you’re not hiding a bomb up your ass.”
That thought sent them both into peals of insane laughter. “Okay, okay,” said the Doctor, “train, then. Train tickets. Cross the country. It’d be historical! Transcontinental railroad and all.”
“Not to mention boring. We’ve already got the subway; that’s as much train riding as I can handle.”
“There are those record-breaking fast ones in Japan and Spain and wherever.”
“Is it Japan or Spain?”
“We could hop on a boat and find out!”
“Go on a cruise!” Peter seemed to enjoy entertaining the idea. “Through the Panama Canal! See the turtles at the Galapagos.”
“Tortoises.”
“Are you sure it’s not turtles?”
“I’m sure it’s not turtles.”
“Okay, go see the tortoises at--can’t we see those at the zoo?”
“I suppose we could. What about the cruise to Japan?”
Peter leaned back in his seat, contemplating. “...Okay, how about this idea; we just take a taxi home and sleep all day.”
The Doctor ruffled his hair playfully. “Atta boy, what did you think we were really gonna do?”
Peter’s attempt to fix his hair only made it more of a mess. “I don’t even know anymore.”
They stared out their respective windows for a few seconds before the Doctor calmly pointed out, “We missed a left.”
“What?”
“A few blocks back, we missed a left.”
“No, we didn’t, isn’t it this one?”
“You don’t remember the way back to your own place?”
“I do! Aw shit, you’re right.”
“I normally am.”
The cabbie glanced back at them. “You want me to turn around?”
“No, no, just take a left here, and we’ll pay more attention.”
“We will?”
Peter elbowed him. “Yes, we will! I don’t want to end up with us driving into the ocean.”
“That’d be an interesting one to explain to your brother. ‘Sorry I almost drowned last night, Nathan, but I forgot where I was going in the cab and it accidentally dove into the Atlantic!’”
“I was being sarcastic!”
“So was I!”
They shared another grin and barely contained laughs, and after a time, they even forgot what was funny, but whatever it was, it was hilarious, so much so that they’d missed the next turn, too.
“You two knuckleheads lost or something?”
The Doctor shrugged at the cabbie. “Just go ‘round the block.”
“To where? And don’t give me that anywhere crap again.”
“Sounds like someone could use a drink.”
Peter piped up. “Just keep going until we tell you to let us off.” He glanced at the Doctor. “We’ll just see what there is to see. Home can wait a while.”
“Exactly! We’re going to see a bit of New York at night, and then we’ll tell you exactly where to go--or I will, seeing as this bloke here probably can’t tell right from left anymore.”
“Hey! You’re the one distracting me.”
“We can pay whatever it is.”
“Oh we can, can we?”
“Won’t be that long. It is just ‘round the block, anyway.”
“Crazy fuckin’ kids...” mumbled the cabbie.
They wound up getting off a few streets away from the building instead of right in front of it as intended. “See, what’d I say about walking? We could’ve just walked the whole way.”
“But you had to take a cab just once.”
“I thought we were gonna have a case of double homicide on our hands.”
“I’m sure he could use the cash.” Peter yawned. “Not the most normal of nights.”
“More normal than most.”
“Nothing’s ever normal with you, is it?”
“Probably not.”
But without becoming Human and living the life day in and day out, it was probably the closest the Doctor could get. He never had lived and never would live a life anywhere close to that. He couldn’t. But it was the best thing he could’ve hoped for, right now, to just spend a few precious days in the slow path, a little slice of heaven, a little slice of a new life, even if it was just out of reach.
((based on this rp))
"I've traveled to all sorts of places, done things you couldn't even imagine, but you two... Street corner. Two in the morning. Getting a taxi home. I've never had a life like that."--The Doctor, “Father’s Day”
On the second day of his attempt to have a normal Human life-slash-vacation, he wound up at a bar in the middle of the night. Peter Petrelli was showing him a good regular time one can have in the Big Apple. The nightlife just so happened to be part of one of those good times. Certainly he could understand now why it was called the city that never sleeps.
He’d had his doubts at first. Drinking wasn’t very interesting, as it was something one could do on all sorts of planets, he could hold his liquor better than most, and really, was it the smartest of ideas to go so late? Peter had assured him, the place was safe, always full of good people, not at all shady, and even though Nathan didn’t like him going, all he planned on doing the next day was sleep in and be a little lazy. Which the Doctor was fine with.
Somehow time had gotten away from the both of them (a rarity for the Doctor, to be sure), and a few hours later, they were standing on the street corner trying to hail a taxi.
“Oh, come on!” yelled Peter at a cab that whizzed by without slowing down--the third one. He was a bit tipsy but insisted he was all right.
Humans. Never quite knowing when enough got to be too much.
“Jesus, what time is it? They can’t all be so full of people that they can’t stop for us!”
“Bit past two.”
“What?”
“The time. Bit past two. In the morning.”
“Oh.”
“We can always walk; I remember the way back to the apartment.”
“No, we’re going to wait here for one of these damn taxis to stop!” Peter managed a small smile, tucking his bangs behind his ears only to have them fall in his face again. “Besides, you can’t leave New York without experiencing a taxi. That’s like, the one thing you’ve gotta do.”
“I’m sure it’s the toast of the town, yeah, best thing to ever do in the city, ‘cause who’d want to go see a Broadway show when you can ride in a taxi?” the Doctor couldn’t help but reply with sarcasm and a hearty grin.
“Because it’s normal. You said nothing special, do what’s normal. Interesting ordinary things.”
The Doctor laughed. He couldn’t help himself. “That’s right! I did, didn’t I!”
Peter wasn’t sure what the laughing was quite about, but it was infectious, and found himself joining in. “You did. So that’s what I’m doing. Got to be a good host for you.”
“And you’re doing a fantastic job of it.”
“Good vacation so far?”
“Brilliant.”
“Good--oh, oh, hey, taxi! Taxi!”
“D’you need to yell so loud?”
“Maybe the other ones just didn’t hear us. Look, it’s pulling over!”
“Think you might’ve had a bit too much alcohol.”
“And you’re not even drunk at all!”
“I liked the jukebox.”
Peter laughed again as the taxi slowed to a stop and they clambered in awkwardly.
“Where you headed?” grunted the cabbie.
If the Doctor could grin any wider, he would’ve. “Anywhere!” Which made Peter laugh even harder.
It didn’t amuse the cabbie, who just rolled his eyes. “Alrighty, but it’ll cost ya quite a pretty penny, bub.”
“I should’ve asked Nathan if I could borrow his credit cards,” snickered Peter. “Just start driving, I’ll tell you where to turn.”
“What would your brother think of that, wondering why he’s got charges in Egypt or Brazil? I don’t think he’d be too happy about bailing you out.”
“Good point. We should use your TARDIS.”
“We should get plane tickets.”
“And experience the thrill of stripping in front of security guards to make sure you’re not hiding a bomb up your ass.”
That thought sent them both into peals of insane laughter. “Okay, okay,” said the Doctor, “train, then. Train tickets. Cross the country. It’d be historical! Transcontinental railroad and all.”
“Not to mention boring. We’ve already got the subway; that’s as much train riding as I can handle.”
“There are those record-breaking fast ones in Japan and Spain and wherever.”
“Is it Japan or Spain?”
“We could hop on a boat and find out!”
“Go on a cruise!” Peter seemed to enjoy entertaining the idea. “Through the Panama Canal! See the turtles at the Galapagos.”
“Tortoises.”
“Are you sure it’s not turtles?”
“I’m sure it’s not turtles.”
“Okay, go see the tortoises at--can’t we see those at the zoo?”
“I suppose we could. What about the cruise to Japan?”
Peter leaned back in his seat, contemplating. “...Okay, how about this idea; we just take a taxi home and sleep all day.”
The Doctor ruffled his hair playfully. “Atta boy, what did you think we were really gonna do?”
Peter’s attempt to fix his hair only made it more of a mess. “I don’t even know anymore.”
They stared out their respective windows for a few seconds before the Doctor calmly pointed out, “We missed a left.”
“What?”
“A few blocks back, we missed a left.”
“No, we didn’t, isn’t it this one?”
“You don’t remember the way back to your own place?”
“I do! Aw shit, you’re right.”
“I normally am.”
The cabbie glanced back at them. “You want me to turn around?”
“No, no, just take a left here, and we’ll pay more attention.”
“We will?”
Peter elbowed him. “Yes, we will! I don’t want to end up with us driving into the ocean.”
“That’d be an interesting one to explain to your brother. ‘Sorry I almost drowned last night, Nathan, but I forgot where I was going in the cab and it accidentally dove into the Atlantic!’”
“I was being sarcastic!”
“So was I!”
They shared another grin and barely contained laughs, and after a time, they even forgot what was funny, but whatever it was, it was hilarious, so much so that they’d missed the next turn, too.
“You two knuckleheads lost or something?”
The Doctor shrugged at the cabbie. “Just go ‘round the block.”
“To where? And don’t give me that anywhere crap again.”
“Sounds like someone could use a drink.”
Peter piped up. “Just keep going until we tell you to let us off.” He glanced at the Doctor. “We’ll just see what there is to see. Home can wait a while.”
“Exactly! We’re going to see a bit of New York at night, and then we’ll tell you exactly where to go--or I will, seeing as this bloke here probably can’t tell right from left anymore.”
“Hey! You’re the one distracting me.”
“We can pay whatever it is.”
“Oh we can, can we?”
“Won’t be that long. It is just ‘round the block, anyway.”
“Crazy fuckin’ kids...” mumbled the cabbie.
They wound up getting off a few streets away from the building instead of right in front of it as intended. “See, what’d I say about walking? We could’ve just walked the whole way.”
“But you had to take a cab just once.”
“I thought we were gonna have a case of double homicide on our hands.”
“I’m sure he could use the cash.” Peter yawned. “Not the most normal of nights.”
“More normal than most.”
“Nothing’s ever normal with you, is it?”
“Probably not.”
But without becoming Human and living the life day in and day out, it was probably the closest the Doctor could get. He never had lived and never would live a life anywhere close to that. He couldn’t. But it was the best thing he could’ve hoped for, right now, to just spend a few precious days in the slow path, a little slice of heaven, a little slice of a new life, even if it was just out of reach.