DRUMS
fandom: Doctor Who/The World Ends With You (parental)
title: Drums
author: bookworm12890
word count: 1,149
rating: PG
The apartment was quiet- Sanae was downstairs in the cafe as always, even if it was empty, and the Doctor was watching Joshua. Not that the boy needed much watching- he was incredibly self-reliant, and could amuse himself for quite a while. Right now he was doodling (not very well) on a piece of paper that was covered on the other side with tied tick-tack-toe matches, the Doctor sitting nearby and checking over his sonic screwdriver.
It was sudden, when it happened-Joshua gave a yelp, dropping his pencil and gripping the sides of his head, shaking violently. Sometimes he’d get headaches when a more powerful or strong willed spirit tried to possess him, so this wasn’t unheard of, but they weren’t anywhere near a graveyard.
The Doctor was by his side in an instant, scooping the small boy into his arms. “Joshua, look at me,” he said, trying to get him to focus. Joshua slowly turned his head, eyes shut tight at first but he slowly forced them open, staring up at the Doctor with an expression that had likely never crossed his face before. Absolute terror.
He put his forehead against the boy’s, staring straight into his eyes. “Joshua. Listen to me, ok? Just focus on me and what I’m saying. You’re going to be alright. Just force them out. Show them who’s the boss of... you. Yes.”
“Trying,” Joshua muttered, shaking harder now and pressing his hands over his ears, trying to block out something, voice growing in volume as if he couldn’t hear himself, “I can’t. I can’t!”
“Joshua.” The Doctor was panicking now, pulling one of Joshua’s hands off of his ears when he wasn’t heard. “Joshua! Why are you covering your ears?”
Joshua pulled his hand back, covering his ears again and shutting his eyes, small tears leaking out. “It’s so loud...” he whispered.
“Joshua! Joshua!” The Doctor shook him, holding him closer when the boy looked up in fear. “What’s loud? What is it?”
Joshua bit his lip, visibly fighting it and struggling to get the word out. “Drums.”
The Doctor’s eyes widened, shaking Joshua again to try and keep his focus on the real world. “You have to push him out, Joshua. Listen to me, just focus on getting him out, you do not want-”
“Don’t want what, Doctor?” Joshua had stopped shaking, looking up at him with a smile that didn’t quite fit on his face.
The man winced. “That’s not a good sign...”
“What, you didn’t miss your old friend?” The Master in Joshua’s body moved away, looking down at himself, “Though, can’t say I blame you. I’m not sure I’ve never been this short before. I guess I have. Back in ‘the good old days.’ Time flies! Literally.” He grinned again in a way that did not make the Doctor comfortable.
“What do you want?” he asked, cutting to the point, “He’s nine. No one is going to listen to a nine year old trying to take over the world.” Well, in theory. He wouldn’t have been but so surprised if Joshua managed it, but no one needed to know that.
“Who says that’s what I want?” the Master asked, strolling around innocently, pushing his hair behind his ear in a very Joshua gesture, but it was obvious who was still in control, “Maybe I just wanted to pay the last of us a visit.”
“What do you want?”
He grinned again, tapping his head. “Just leaving you a present, Doctor. You remember our friends and their drums, don’t you? I wonder... they’re so loud, they’ll probably leave an echo.”
The Doctor only stared, too stunned to move as the Master waved, leaving Joshua far faster than it had taken to possess him. The child fell to the ground, the Doctor catching him and cradling him in his lap as he awoke, immediately pressing his hands back to his head.
“He’s gone,” Joshua whispered shakily, “He’s gone, he’s not even in the room any more, why aren’t the drums gone?!”
He winced, hugging Joshua and pressing his face to the top of Joshua’s head. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. It’s an echo, I don’t know how long it’ll last...” But seeing as how long they’d been in the Master’s head, it could very well be for the rest of Joshua’s life.
The boy was crying now, unhinged and rightfully so by the experience, unable to put up his customary front. “I have to get them to leave, it’s so loud it HURTS and I don’t know if I can...” He sucked in a breath, then started talking again, loud and fast and he’d never done this before, ever, wouldn’t be doing it now except he was trying to drown out the sound of the drums in his head. The Doctor rocked him back and forth, clutching him protectively and only able to repeat how sorry he was.
Suddenly, Joshua jerked upright, hands off his ears and the Doctor was very worried for a moment before he spoke. “I have to get rid of them. I have to. How? Can you do something?”
The Doctor shook his head. “I can’t. You might be able to, though... you’re psychic. You can push the memories back, that should take the echo away. Everything after you were drawing, ok?”
Joshua sniffed, rubbing his eyes and still unsteady. “What if I forget what I’m doing while I’m doing it?”
“I’ll remind you,” he said, putting a hand on his head, “Alright?”
Joshua nodded slowly, curled against the Doctor’s chest and shutting his eyes tight. The Doctor held onto him protectively, still whispering, “I’m so sorry” to him as the small boy erased his own memories from his mind. He sucked in a breath when they were finally gone, expression clearing and falling asleep from exhaustion right where he was.
The Doctor didn’t let him go. He stayed right where he was, only moving to grab his sonic just in case the Master decided to try it twice. When Joshua stirred over an hour later, he frowned at the man’s chest, and then back at his picture.
“Did I fall asleep?” he asked, looking confused.
“Yes,” the Doctor said, rather lamely, “I, uh. Moved you.”
“Oh.” Joshua looked back at him, rubbing at a spot on his shirt. “Your clothes are wet.”
“Yea. I. Spilled something. On me.”
Joshua rolled his eyes, crawling off of his lap and going back to his picture. The Doctor stayed still, watching him, and still apologizing over and over again in his mind.
title: Drums
author: bookworm12890
word count: 1,149
rating: PG
The apartment was quiet- Sanae was downstairs in the cafe as always, even if it was empty, and the Doctor was watching Joshua. Not that the boy needed much watching- he was incredibly self-reliant, and could amuse himself for quite a while. Right now he was doodling (not very well) on a piece of paper that was covered on the other side with tied tick-tack-toe matches, the Doctor sitting nearby and checking over his sonic screwdriver.
It was sudden, when it happened-Joshua gave a yelp, dropping his pencil and gripping the sides of his head, shaking violently. Sometimes he’d get headaches when a more powerful or strong willed spirit tried to possess him, so this wasn’t unheard of, but they weren’t anywhere near a graveyard.
The Doctor was by his side in an instant, scooping the small boy into his arms. “Joshua, look at me,” he said, trying to get him to focus. Joshua slowly turned his head, eyes shut tight at first but he slowly forced them open, staring up at the Doctor with an expression that had likely never crossed his face before. Absolute terror.
He put his forehead against the boy’s, staring straight into his eyes. “Joshua. Listen to me, ok? Just focus on me and what I’m saying. You’re going to be alright. Just force them out. Show them who’s the boss of... you. Yes.”
“Trying,” Joshua muttered, shaking harder now and pressing his hands over his ears, trying to block out something, voice growing in volume as if he couldn’t hear himself, “I can’t. I can’t!”
“Joshua.” The Doctor was panicking now, pulling one of Joshua’s hands off of his ears when he wasn’t heard. “Joshua! Why are you covering your ears?”
Joshua pulled his hand back, covering his ears again and shutting his eyes, small tears leaking out. “It’s so loud...” he whispered.
“Joshua! Joshua!” The Doctor shook him, holding him closer when the boy looked up in fear. “What’s loud? What is it?”
Joshua bit his lip, visibly fighting it and struggling to get the word out. “Drums.”
The Doctor’s eyes widened, shaking Joshua again to try and keep his focus on the real world. “You have to push him out, Joshua. Listen to me, just focus on getting him out, you do not want-”
“Don’t want what, Doctor?” Joshua had stopped shaking, looking up at him with a smile that didn’t quite fit on his face.
The man winced. “That’s not a good sign...”
“What, you didn’t miss your old friend?” The Master in Joshua’s body moved away, looking down at himself, “Though, can’t say I blame you. I’m not sure I’ve never been this short before. I guess I have. Back in ‘the good old days.’ Time flies! Literally.” He grinned again in a way that did not make the Doctor comfortable.
“What do you want?” he asked, cutting to the point, “He’s nine. No one is going to listen to a nine year old trying to take over the world.” Well, in theory. He wouldn’t have been but so surprised if Joshua managed it, but no one needed to know that.
“Who says that’s what I want?” the Master asked, strolling around innocently, pushing his hair behind his ear in a very Joshua gesture, but it was obvious who was still in control, “Maybe I just wanted to pay the last of us a visit.”
“What do you want?”
He grinned again, tapping his head. “Just leaving you a present, Doctor. You remember our friends and their drums, don’t you? I wonder... they’re so loud, they’ll probably leave an echo.”
The Doctor only stared, too stunned to move as the Master waved, leaving Joshua far faster than it had taken to possess him. The child fell to the ground, the Doctor catching him and cradling him in his lap as he awoke, immediately pressing his hands back to his head.
“He’s gone,” Joshua whispered shakily, “He’s gone, he’s not even in the room any more, why aren’t the drums gone?!”
He winced, hugging Joshua and pressing his face to the top of Joshua’s head. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. It’s an echo, I don’t know how long it’ll last...” But seeing as how long they’d been in the Master’s head, it could very well be for the rest of Joshua’s life.
The boy was crying now, unhinged and rightfully so by the experience, unable to put up his customary front. “I have to get them to leave, it’s so loud it HURTS and I don’t know if I can...” He sucked in a breath, then started talking again, loud and fast and he’d never done this before, ever, wouldn’t be doing it now except he was trying to drown out the sound of the drums in his head. The Doctor rocked him back and forth, clutching him protectively and only able to repeat how sorry he was.
Suddenly, Joshua jerked upright, hands off his ears and the Doctor was very worried for a moment before he spoke. “I have to get rid of them. I have to. How? Can you do something?”
The Doctor shook his head. “I can’t. You might be able to, though... you’re psychic. You can push the memories back, that should take the echo away. Everything after you were drawing, ok?”
Joshua sniffed, rubbing his eyes and still unsteady. “What if I forget what I’m doing while I’m doing it?”
“I’ll remind you,” he said, putting a hand on his head, “Alright?”
Joshua nodded slowly, curled against the Doctor’s chest and shutting his eyes tight. The Doctor held onto him protectively, still whispering, “I’m so sorry” to him as the small boy erased his own memories from his mind. He sucked in a breath when they were finally gone, expression clearing and falling asleep from exhaustion right where he was.
The Doctor didn’t let him go. He stayed right where he was, only moving to grab his sonic just in case the Master decided to try it twice. When Joshua stirred over an hour later, he frowned at the man’s chest, and then back at his picture.
“Did I fall asleep?” he asked, looking confused.
“Yes,” the Doctor said, rather lamely, “I, uh. Moved you.”
“Oh.” Joshua looked back at him, rubbing at a spot on his shirt. “Your clothes are wet.”
“Yea. I. Spilled something. On me.”
Joshua rolled his eyes, crawling off of his lap and going back to his picture. The Doctor stayed still, watching him, and still apologizing over and over again in his mind.