Changmin shook himself out of his reverie, the gulls above his heading cawing out as they searched for an easy meal. “Dude, you okay?” one of the guys on the yacht said, slightly swaying.

He nodded, trying to feign a smile. “Yeah, just spacing out, I guess.”

“Have another one!” the guy roared, tossing him another bottle of imported beer from the big cooler on the deck.

Not wanting to completely blow him off, Changmin kept it and thanked him. As soon as his friend turned away, he looked back out at the calm blue water, his mind in overdrive. He hadn’t thought about the strange man from his childhood days since…well, his childhood days. Why had the memory come back now, of all times? It meant nothing. He had just been a quirky stranger that had sat on the beach in such strange clothes…

He’d been a handsome man, but of course Changmin’s five year old brain had not let the thought penetrate his mind. All he remembered was that the man had said he had no name and he was late for something.

Forget about it, Min. Have some fun for once…

It was a warm August afternoon, and the guys in his fraternity were celebrating the last few weeks of summer before they were due back on campus in the fall. Changmin’s father had happily allowed them all access to his private yacht, the Seabolt.

The sun combined with the alcohol had Changmin stopping on his second beer, afraid he would get too dehydrated. The others, however…

“Hey buddy!” Kyuhyun and Minho stumbled over to him, both clutching the infamous red solo cups of party time. Kyuhyun shoved his shoulder. “Tell your dad that it was so wicked of him to lend us his boat! We were just saying that we should all go for a dip soon!”

Changmin looked them up and down. “Um, wouldn’t it be better if we all went for some nice water in the cabin below? How about a nap and then we take a dive?” he hastily amended when their smiles disappeared. “That way we can swim for a while and not have to worry about drowning from lack of water in our systems?”

Minho laughed loudly and thumped him on the back. “That’s why you’re top of the class, Min! Always thinking and !” They cackled the entire way down into the cabin. On the way down, Changmin stopped outside the door, watching three of the guys trying to open up some long unidentifiable box that had ended up on the stern deck. They didn’t seem to be having any sort of luck moving it, so he shrugged and moved down the stairs.

“Heads up!” Kyuhyun tossed a towel at his friend. “Go get your widdle swim trunks on and meet us topside in thirty minutes, Min~”

“Shut up.”

“Awww, did I rub a raw nerve there, Minnie-Winnie?” He exchanged a guffaw with Minho before heading into the large galley for some water.

Knowing they would take long, Changmin chose to sit in the little nook that offered a pressure-resistant view of the ocean. Since the galley sat below deck, he had a pretty view of the water just below the surface. He laughed in surprise when a pod of dolphins swam by, one lingering to stop and stare at Changmin through the window.

“Friendly creatures, aren’t they?” someone beside him said in a cheerful voice.

“Yeah, they’re fun to…swim…” It hit him belatedly that he didn’t recognize the voice. Frowning, he turned his head and came face-to-face with the one haunting his daydreams. Small face. Narrow cheekbones. A pointed chin. Golden brown hair falling over one eye. His mouth dropped open, and his eyes widened. Unconsciously, he lifted a finger and jabbed it towards him. “You!”

“Hello!” The stranger held out a hand, shaking Changmin’s finger. “Don’t believe we’ve ever met, which is fine but not greeting you while we are within close proximity and we make eye contact, well that is just rude.” He continued to smile brightly as Changmin gave him a not-so-subtle onceover.

The man was not as tall as he remembered, but then again fifteen years had passed since then. He noticed that he wore nearly the exact same outfit as before: a grey and silver checkered waistcoat that fit snugly on his lean chest. A white dress shirt lay beneath it, with onyx cuff links at his wrists. Over his arm was no doubt a black evening coat. Complete with slacks that clung to his legs and shined shoes, he looked more ready to have dinner with the Queen of England than go boating with a bunch of drunk college boys.

How did he get on here?! He’s not in the fraternity!

“I could call the coast guard right now,” Changmin said in a low voice. “My father is well-known, and they’d arrest you on the spot.”

This didn’t seem to faze the man one bit. He perched himself on the edge of the table, arms folded and eyes staring down at Changmin with amusement. “I don’t think they’ll make it here in time. I hadn’t been trying to land on your boat, you see. I could have sworn I set the coordinates to…”

Landed on the boat? What?!

“…and then water seeped in through the cr…”

Who is this kook?! If I could just slip into the main cabin…all our bags are there…and so is my phone…

“…but then it made that weird buzzing sound and I had to make an emergency landing!” The man sighed, still smiling, as if his story was a fond thing to discuss. “Well, I’m here now. But only for a bit. Letting the TARDIS dry off since I’ve no intentions to go anywhere with a wet control panel…heaters should be on right now and—”

“Who are you?” Changmin interrupted, ready to bolt to his room if he had to.

“That’s the thing. Up to you what you call me. But I am, well…you know, the Doctor.”

“Yunho the doctor? So Dr. Yunho.”

“No! The Doctor!”

“But you just said you were Yunho the Doc—”

“I MEAN YOU…KNOW…THE DOCTOR.” He slapped a hand to his forehead. “The Doctor, just the Doctor! That is what you may call me.”

Changmin’s head felt ready to explode. “The Doctor?”

“Yes, just the Doctor.”

“Doctor who?”

The man smiled. “You got it, lad. Now then!” Without warning, he lifted Changmin to his feet, brushing imaginary dust off his shoulders. “You seem like a sturdy kind of guy. Exactly what I was looking for in a companion. Tall, tanned, as handsome as I am…” He grinned. “Grab your things and let’s be on our way.” He twirled around and headed up the stairs, humming.

Changmin stared after him, his brain blank but his feet moving forward. How or why, he did not know, but for some reason, instinct compelled him to follow the strange man.

Little did he know of the adventures that awaited him inside the mad man’s box.

"RUN!"

"YOU KEEP TELLING ME THAT, WHAT DO YOU THINK I'M DOING?!"

"NOT RUNNING FAST ENOUGH, OBVIOUSLY!"

Changmin skidded to a halt and slammed his back into the brick wall, yanking the Doctor with him at the last possible second. As they hid in shadow, the armed guards with two pairs of arms each rushed past them, shouting commands down the line so that the others would know which way to turn once they caught up.

"That was a delightfully close call," the Doctor chirped, wiping sweat off his brow. "And coming from me, who has had many close calls...well...it's saying something. Now then! Why don't you and I--"

"You!" Changmin grabbed the man's collar and hoisted him a few inches into the air, trembling with anger. "I told you that coming here was a bad idea! I told you we should skip the ball and just spend a night on the town! But no, you said it'd be okay, that we would fit in so naturally, no one would notice! I told you, and you didn't listen, and you never listen, you insist you know better than I do, all because you've been around the universe for ages, and while that may be the case, sometimes you really should just...just...LISTEN to me!"

"Calm down, Changmin," the Doctor choked, flailing. "And let me down, so I can get us out of this mess!"

He relaxed his grip, allowing him to slide back down onto the pavement. "I knew we should have just stayed with the Caraway twins. They were charming company," Changmin murmured under his breath, glaring out at the alley as the Doctor fumbled around in his coat pockets for--

"AHA! My handy-dandy..." He whipped out a funny-looking contraption, much more like a cross between a fountain pen, a wand, and a lightsaber than its actual sonic namesake. "...sonic screwdriver! Oh, how I've been dying to say that!"

"You use the phrase 'handy-dandy' for nearly everything, Doctor."

Ignoring the jibe, the Doctor made another noise of triumph and started to examine everything within five feet of them, checking the screwdriver now and then for results. "Readings are all good. I do forget that this does not scan wood, which is a bit of a letdown, but I think I've made good of things so far this trip! Luckily, the police force of unnamed men are as blind as they are stupid, which is a good thing for us, seeing as how silly of a hiding spot this is to begin with, so once I figure out where exactly we are, we can be on our way, hopefully all in one piece!"

He said all this so cheerfully, one could hardly doubt him.

Meanwhile, Changmin fumed a couple feet away, wondering whether it was worth the risk and injury to find his own way back to the TARDIS. The armed guards had followed them from the palace to the waterfront, and the TARDIS was definitely parked somewhere close to the river. If he left now, he might make it, but he might not.

He threw the plan out immediately, of course--for though he was an eccentric character, the Doctor always pulled them out of deadly situations. It was not always an easy feat, but Changmin trusted him completely.

And, if he was correct in thinking so, that trust had budded into something else, too.

But he didn't want to bother the Doctor with his feelings. He had too much to worry about. The Silence, rogue weeping angels, flying the TARDIS and not crashing it, staying so young and fresh, what he would eat for dinner, not getting them killed every five seconds--

"You're thinking rather loudly today, aren't you?" the Doctor scoffed, still staring at the screwdriver.

"What?" Changmin asked, startled.

"Loudest thinker of my companions yet. You've definitely earned that title. Loudest Thinker. Perhaps there's even an award for it."

"I'm not thinking."

"But you're doing something."

"I'm not doing anything!"

"That's preposterous. You're doing nothing. If you are doing nothing, you're doing something, so therefore you are doing something, and I'm certain what you are doing is thinking, and you are thinking about what I said three days ago, while on Nebular Circle 9 with all the adorable Viixan people surrounding us and wondering what to do with us and if we were edible at all, and what I said three days ago was that I do not get involved in romantic entanglements with my companions because it is, for lack of a better phrase, a rather bad idea!"

How he could say that all in one go and not take a single second breath was beyond Changmin. Then all the words registered with him and he flushed. "I'm not--that is--what you said--has nothing--that wasn't even--"

The Doctor's eyes softened and he wore a sad smile. "I am sorry, Shim Changmin. I am so, so sorry. But I am very clever. And I pick up on things very quickly. I cannot give you what you want. I have ruined too many lives." He reached out and squeezed Changmin's shoulder. "But I can give you my loyalty and my friendship. You are a good man. You will make someone very happy one day."

Loud, booted footsteps echoed in the alley again. "WE'VE GOT THEM MEN! I SMELL THAT DAMN COLOGNE!"

Both Changmin and the Doctor stared at Changmin's shirt, which the Doctor had sprayed with something strong that morning in the hopes that people the fabulous ball they had invited themselves to would smell him and believe him to be a socialite of great status.

Unfortunately, that had not been the case.

Rolling his eyes, the Doctor grabbed a fistful of the guilty shirt and dragged Changmin back onto the streets, still certain that they would be fine, they would be absolutely fine, nothing was going to happen to them, absolutely nothing would happen to them.

"Absolutely nothi--"

"YES, I GOT THAT, NOW LET'S MOVE."

"Changmin! Changmin, wake up! Why are you on the top bunk? Why not just sleep on the bottom? Do you have a fear of being too close to the ground? I'm certain I could fix that up right away. Oh, Changmin, do wake up!"

Groggy and about to punch whoever dared disturb his sleep, Changmin lifted his head, mumbling. "Wuzzit...?"

"I promised you a fun-filled day after that death-defying stunt we pulled in the 13th century--I mean, who would have thought that Mr. Khan was capable of such feats, bravo to that man in my opinion--but today will be a very non-descriptive, non-time travel sort of day that we could still make the best out of, and I--okay, well that's not entirely true, I did do a little time-travel, but nothing so spectacular far from your century, we've actually just gone back a few months and a few countries down the way from your own--but get up, get up!"

Still unsure if he would kill the Doctor or not, Changmin rose to a sitting position, rubbing his eyes sleepily and yawning. "But it's like...the crack of dawn..." He managed to open his eyes wide enough to peek out the window by his bed that he had begged the Doctor for a while ago. "Sweet baby dill pickles on a sandwich, it is the crack of dawn." He turned his murderous glare to his time-traveling companion, who stood there beaming obliviously. "Would you like me to kill you now or later? I'm sure I can pencil it in between a long four hour nap and a trip to Crazyville."

"Don't be ridiculous, there's no such thing as Crazyville." The Doctor reached for his hand and hauled him up, shoving him towards the closet. "Pick something meant for summer days, please. Can't have you traipsing about in pajamas, now. Go, go! Hurry! Oh, don't give me that look, and get dressed! We have a good day ahead of us!" He smiled and backed out of the room, humming to himself.

"...Doctor."

"Yes?"

"I'm Korean. I don't...celebrate this holiday."

"No, I should hope not, unless your citizenship has been a complete lie."

"So why did you bring me to America...on this particular day?"

"Isn't that obvious?" The Doctor stared patiently at him, as if the answer was truly obvious, indeed. When his human companion merely gaped, he sighed and took him by the arm, steering him towards the big crowds of people that had already gathered by the lakeside, barbecuing and throwing Frisbees around. "What do these delightful people do later on in the evening, Changmin?"

"...oh!" Changmin smacked his hand against his forehead. "I was...the other day...when those lizard people--"

"You're tactless beyond imagination, how in the universe have you survived like this?"

"--were having a celebration for their new king...and I complained to you...you actually remember me complaining?" He had trouble hiding his incredulity. "I mean, that's really nice of you, Doctor, but there's nowhere we have to be? No one we have to save?"

The Doctor shook his head. "Not today. I promised you a fun day, and I am ready to deliver it. Now let's go be Americans for a day!" he yelled loudly, enough for people to look around at him in amusement; his English accent paired with his Asian looks did make him that much more of a spectacle. Changmin covered his eyes and groaned. Only the Doctor could make a normal Independence Day celebration even whackier.

No, he took that back. The Doctor wasn't the only one, but he was certainly the whackiest.

"Come along, Shim! Come along!"

They played booth games. They ate sinfully delicious barbecue and snacks all day long. They helped a fisherman land his catch. They tossed a Frisbee back and forth like the other families until it flew far into the lake and Changmin stood mortified while the Doctor waded in to get it (fully clothed, holding his sonic screwdriver out to keep it from being wet). They reminisced about some of the more fun adventures they had been on, and the Doctor told him more about the companions that had come before Changmin. They rode a few of the carny-rides set up on the boardwalk and came off dizzy and stumbling.

True to the Doctor's word, it was...fun.

And if Changmin didn't know any better, he'd say it was a...a...

"Fireworks! Come on, come on!" Surprisingly enough, he was the one dragging the Doctor down to the edge of the lake, giddy with excitement. He kept hold of the raggedy man's hand as they waited for the explosions in the sky to start. "God, this has been just...an extraordinary day! And yeah, that's saying something, considering the places I've been to with you! Really though..."

The Doctor stared down at their joined hands with confusion as Changmin went on and on about their day. He flexed his fingers, noting how oddly fitting it was to have Changmin's hand clasped around his own. They molded together almost perfectly. He studied the callouses on the palms of his companion's hand, wondering how they had gotten there. Through hard labor somewhere, or had they come from the places he had taken his Changmin to see?

"My Changmin," he mouthed, a bit puzzled by the thought.

The Doctor had always been amused by the way humans exchanged affections for each other--hugs, kisses, hand-holding, the smiles and looks between them. Along the way, he'd picked up their customs and done them when he felt like he should, or when he was in high emotions, but this was different. He had hugged his companions before, but this hand-holding business was very new to him.

Suddenly, Changmin's fingers tightened around his, and he heard his companion gasp loudly. "Yes!"

A blue and green pinwheel hit the sky, crackling above their heads. More followed, pinwheels and bursts of different colors exploding everywhere. Patterns were created, and some even resembled familiar shapes, like hearts and stars. For fifteen minutes it went on, the occasional big boomer making them jump in surprise.

People all around them laughed and shouted for more, even when they knew the finale drew near. Kids screamed their delight, pulling on their parents every time a particular loud explosion occurred.

But what drew Changmin's attention near the end was the sudden intense pressure on his wrist. "What? Do you want to go already? But these fireworks are..." He trailed off, his mouth going dry.

The Doctor was pulling him closer, and his eyes were filled with the most sincere tenderness he had ever seen.

"...cool," Changmin breathed right before their lips met.

They made it back to the TARDIS after midnight, silent but with their fingers still entwined. A few stragglers stumbled behind them for their cars, but no one really paid much attention to the pair.

Things felt unusual, though. Changmin was often quiet, but the Doctor was rarely so, always having something to say about everything. He kept his head bowed, eyes trained on the ground, flicking up to Changmin's and exchanging a tiny grin before looking back down.

None of it bothered Changmin in the slightest. He was still flying.

His room and the bunk beds came into view much too soon. Reluctantly, he let go of the Doctor's hand and stretched, yawning. "Well, you were right. Today was definitely fun-filled, and I enjoyed myself." He grinned, but the Doctor didn't meet his eyes, staring at a point somewhere over his shoulder. "You really need to consider getting me a king-sized bed. I like to spread out. This bunk bed business is...well...not to say I don't like them..."

"Changmin," the Doctor interrupted. Changmin stared. "Are you...happy here?"

He laughed warily. "Where's this coming from?"

"Answer me."

"I...yeah. Yeah, I'm really happy here with you." It was the honest truth.

"With me," the Doctor echoed, sounding dazed. He fell silent for a moment, and Changmin couldn't think of anything to say. Finally, he nodded and turned to leave his companion, but stopped at the last minute, his hand on the doorway. "I am...also happy with you here." His shoulders stiffened, and when he spoke again, he sounded like a confession was being ripped out of him. "It makes me very happy to be able to give you what you wanted."

"Good. Means we aren't going to fight much," Changmin chuckled.

"Yes. Good night, Shim," the Doctor whispered, still not facing him. He shut the door behind him quietly.

Changmin fell to the bed, the dopiest grin on his face. "Good night. Good day. Good kisser. All's good."

"Changmin! Changmin, you lazy bum, wake up!"

I swear...if he's waking me up at dawn again, I'm going to kill him...despite last night...

"I think the sun finally got to him. Should we call for someone?"

"I don't know! They'll think we've killed him!"

"Maybe we did!"

"Oh, shut up, both of you are morons. Look, his eyelids are fluttering. Hey. Shim Changmin. Wake up or I'm going to pour ice water on you."

...what?

Groggy and filled with dread, Changmin opened his eyes, though in reality he wanted to keep them closed and go back to sleep and not wake up every again, because he knew those voices. He knew them well.

And he had not heard them for a year.

Minho and Kyuhyun hovered over him, both looking down at him with concern. More of his friends stood in the background, anxious and pale. "It's about damn time," Kyuhyun chided him, crossing his arms. "We found you passed out on the deck a few hours ago, and Minho swears you were below, taking a nap."

"I was..." A strange sort of buzzing started in his head. "But I was..."

"Anyway, dude you totally missed it!" Minho punched him in the arm playfully. "We were snorkeling for a while, dude! You should have seen all the fish we saw--"

"Doctor."

"What?"

Kyuhyun raised an eyebrow. "He said the word doctor. You want someone to take a look at you?"

"No, I...where's...?" But he knew. Somehow he knew.

He didn't say goodbye.

"Minho, go get him some water, and I'll call the mainland and have them ready with something for his head. Look at the way he's holding it and shaking it. The sun did get to you, didn't it, buddy? And the rest of you clowns, get back topside, and make sure our slightly drunk captain does not ram us into anything..." Changmin heard their footsteps recede, but the buzzing in his mind did not stop.

He didn't said goodbye. He knew what he was going to do, so he...spent the day doing something he thought I wanted. He thought I wanted a date with him, and he gave it to me. Just like he said.

But I just wanted him.

"Raggedy man," he said in a loud, clear voice, "I wanted you. You stupid, stupid fool, I just wanted you." His voice wavered and broke, and he blinked back his tears of frustration. "You tricked me...YOU TRICKED--"

"Oh, really now, Shim, I leave you here for all of five minutes and you're angry at me. I've nearly gotten you killed a thousand times over, and the only time you're angry with me is because I dropped you off here for a bit while I went and did something important that I couldn't involve you in because you would have certainly been bored out of your mind."

Between blinks, he stood there, dressed in a tweed suit splashed with some sort of liquid. When he saw Changmin staring at him, he thought he was staring at the stain and frowned, picking at it. "Yes, I know, and I just got this suit, too! But try telling that to Her Majesty when the entire population is upset and wanting her blood. No, she insisted we have tea, even though Paris was about to burn. Can you believe that?"

Changmin could not speak, only gape at him.

"Close your mouth, you look like a fish out of water. Now get up and get dressed in your best, Shim, we're dilly-dallying and there is a revolution under way and we have things to see and do!" He his heel and strode out the door, huffing. He accidentally blew past Minho, who stared after him in amazement.

Instead of throwing himself at him, instead of flinging his arms around his neck and kissing him until he couldn't breathe, instead of rolling over and continuing to be angry, instead of explaining to his friend how this strange man came to be on their boat, Changmin could only yell: "My best suit's still in your closet!"

He heard him shout down the galley, "Why don't you ever think these things through? Blast! We'll just have to make a pit stop and apologize to the barricade once we get there. Oh, come along, Shim!"