Title: Insecure
Fandom: Doctor Who
Characters: Amy Pond, Rory Williams, Eleventh Doctor
Pairing: F/M, Amy/Rory
Rating: PG
Summary: Rory deals with his insecurity about Amy possibly loving the Eleventh Doctor more than him.
Genre: Angst, Romance
Warnings: Pond-era spoilers
Word Count: 1,007
It was always the same. The Doctor ran around and spouted words they could barely understand. Amy laughed at his antics and let the wrinkles by her eyes show how much she cared for the Doctor. Rory tried to bring calm and rationality into the situation, and watched Amy. It was all he could ever seem to do.
“Come on doofus, we have an alien to catch!” Amy grabbed a hold of his hand. One would think that meant something. They had been together for years. But she didn’t look at him the same way she looked at the Doctor. She also grabbed the hand of the Doctor and unsurprisingly, they ran.
Rory, who hadn’t been following the conversation, was utterly confused.
“Where are we going?”
“Haven’t you been listening? I said we have to catch the Cathmarasus before it can undo the lining of the stars with the Sardonium the rebels stole from the Larynth with my wiggly tube!” The Doctor explained, his arms waving around.
“Yeah, I still don’t know where we’re going.” Rory pointed out.
“On an adventure!” The Doctor grinned and Amy laughed.
Rory could imagine Amy travelling the universe with the Doctor for the rest of her life. It was harder and harder to imagine her back on Earth.
“Ah!” Rory muttered as something stung him. He withdrew his hand from Amy’s but kept running rubbing his wrist furiously.
~~~~
They caught the alien just in time and the Doctor parked the Tardis. He was being very hush-hush as to where their next destination was. Usually he liked to give them a long history of the planet within ten seconds. Rory rarely caught any of it, it was like dealing with a hyperactive child.
He wasn’t stupid. He saw the appeal. As much as Rory tried to deny it the Doctor had the looks as well as the never-ending adventure. All Rory had was…a nursing degree, working in a small town. He couldn’t even dare competing with the time-traveller.
The Doctor ran and Amy followed. That’s how it was. And Rory…he ran after Amy. She ran after the waiting universe, he ran after his universe, his Amy who could never be his. But how long could he run for? It tore at his heart. Could he run forever? Because he knew she would; after her beloved raggedy man. He couldn’t even bring it in himself to dislike him. He was a good man, albeit…intense. Rory was a man who stayed in one spot and was comfortable in silence. Amy was more like the Doctor. She didn’t always belong. The Scottish girl with her lingering accent living in England. Maybe that’s why Rory loved her. He ran after her under the guise of protecting her. But he wasn’t naive enough to think that he was useful there. The Doctor was far better at that. He may bring danger, but he also brought out of danger. Rory…wanted to protect her but he knew he couldn’t compete with the Doctor.
“So Doctor, where is it this time?”
“Home.” He said.
Amy looked at him strangely.
“But we’re traveling.”
“I know. And don’t think this is the end.”
Rory could hear some sadness in the man’s voice but he couldn’t quite figure out why.
“Doctor. No secrets.”
“Oh Amelia. Amelia, Amelia, Amelia. The girl who waited. And Rory. The man who waited. We will travel again.” The Doctor said but there wasn’t enough conviction.
“Doctor, why?”
“I will be back. That is if you will want me. But I must make right something I should have done some time ago. And when it is right we will travel again.”
“I don’t understand.” Amy said.
“You will.” The Doctor smiled and opened the door of the Tardis. It’s nighttime and the owl was hooting outside of Amy’s house.
“You are serious.” Amy said.
Amy and Rory walked out. Rory wasn’t sure if he should be thanking the Doctor for letting him have his beloved Amy back, or yell at him for making the girl mad.
Amy stomped out and into the house. Rory just stood there looking at her go inside and then looked at the Doctor.
“Doctor?” He asked. There were about a hundred questions within that one question.
“Oh Rory the Roman. I am only fixing something. And when we meet again you won’t look at me the way you do.” He said and Rory frowned.
“I don’t mean to look at you in any way.” Feeling guilty.
The Doctor smiled and walked back into the blue box and flew away.
“Can you believe he just dumped us here?”
“He will be back.” Rory tried to calm her down.
“That’s what he says.” Rory could tell she was freaking out.
“Amy. I believe he will be back. Now sleep?”
Amy smiled.
“Sleep.”
~~~~
Rory woke up when he felt someone touching his hand.
“Shhh…” Amy put her finger to her lip. She had a backpack on her back. A sinking feeling went through Rory.
“You’re running.” He said matter-of-factly. “The universe awaits. The Doctor awaits.”
He tried to say it calmly but couldn’t help some jealousy run through.
She smiled and brought her right wrist to his.
“No. You are my light, my lantern, my candle in the darkness. You are my universe. And you await.” She said and he looked down at their glowing wrists as they stuck together.
The writing was finally visible and legible.
Blinking in the dark he read the words on his: ‘Do you think it’s strange?’ and then read hers: ‘Umm…hi.’
They laughed. Those were the first words they said to each other when they were little children. He had been nervous around new people and Amy was curious about the world.
He looked outside and saw the Doctor leaning against the Tardis with a knowing smile.
Perhaps, he thought, the words on our wrists don’t hold a candle to the call of the waiting universe.
Perhaps, he wondered, perhaps the Doctor had known all along.