Love on a Train
by ijustwanttoreadfanfics [Reviews - 1]
- All Ages
- None
- Alternate Universe, Character Study, Fluff, Romance
Like always, the search for a seat was present. People littered the train coming home from work. She supposed that it really shouldn't frustrate her as much. But when a sack of medical books were slung over her shoulder, that caused her imbalance on most days, she wished someone would just get it.
It was fine. Maybe a 20-minute ride wasn't meant to be unbearable anyway.
She clung to the rail. She would just hop onto the next available seat when someone got off. Martha was halfway through the second verse of a song she heard on the telly earlier (in her head) when he walked on.
Normally, she told herself that distractions were exactly their given name. No matter what the circumstances were- she was to remind herself that silly notions of having a crush were to be diminished immediately. She had her studies to think about and just because this man was all sorts of pretty didn't mean she had an excuse. She had worked incredibly hard getting into medical school so she could become a proper doctor. But yet...
His name was Dr. John Smith. Taught at her university for student teaching. She never had any of his classes but oh, had she seen him wandering the halls. Couldn't really miss him. He was all sorts of gorgeous. Tall, lanky (but firmly fit), and a full head of brown luscious locks that stood up like he'd been messing with a bunch of haircare gels. The glasses that adorned his face were all but sinful. A real geek chic lad. Those pinstripe suits, of course, did nothing to help her eyes roaming all over. Practically a crime. She felt her face flush just from the thought.
The Doctor made his way over to the next railing. She could spot him a few feet away. It was a constant struggle. He took the same train every morning as her but she had never seen him this late at night. The explanation was that neither did she. She would never have known he was out this late. It was only because her classes this semester were running later than her previous ones. She groaned when she had first gotten her schedule but the idea might not be so bad anymore.
Distractions.
The rest of the ride was quiet.
When a new stop came about, a few people rushed towards the doors. Nothing unusual except for this pretty blonde girl, possibly early twenties, had dropped her bag. It wasn't really out of the ordinary for people to drop things and watch them get trampled. What was odd about it was how quickly the Doctor had reacted it. Even though he was a good three feet away, he beelined to the bag and scooped it up before the girl could even bend her knees to retrieve it.
The girl in spotlight, stood there shocked before taking the bag from his outstretched hand. He was still panting from the fast-paced movement. She smiled at him, her tongue curing around her teeth. “Ta,” she said. The Doctor stood there, eyes wide, before nodding and watching her leave.
Strange.
&&
Christmas is drawing nearer which means one step closer to the end of the semester. The snow is relentless, though. Clearly does not care for Martha's health since she catches a cold. It is a real nasty one that leaves her aching and sniffing all over her books. She catches the earlier train today since her roommate is insisting on being difficult regarding her study time. Perhaps the library or hounding her professors will do quite well if she threatens to expose them to the common cold.
The Doctor had roamed the halls most of the day. He still didn't notice Martha since he was always preparing for a lab of some sort or possibly in his own little world. She really wanted to say hi to him but the sight of him in specs stopped her from the knowledge of embarrassing herself. It was too much. She missed him this morning and all.
She thinks she might try to go home before dark today but things don't always work out as planned. She ends up catching the same train. The Doctor is standing in close proximity alongside her on the platform. His long tan coat almost reaches his ankles for how absurd it is. His hands are in his suit pockets and he's doing a sort of bouncing of his heels. The clock isn't moving much faster but that doesn't stop him from looking at it every 10 seconds. Martha figures maybe he's late for a meeting or just wants to relax at home.
Maybe she'll say hello.
She goes to open her mouth but the train skirts to a stop and he's bounding inside like there's a fire. He really is strange.
She follows behind, lagging her books in their sack. The weight of it is really starting to drag her down. When she finally manages to maneuver her way across to find a seat, there are none. But the Doctor is standing, holding onto the straps attached to the poles up high. He's scanning the area, looking something or someone.
After a few minutes, he gives up and pouts his lower lip out in dejection. As if the world had just told him his dog had died or that science is irrelevant.
The ride passes in silence while she pores over her notes. If her professor wasn't such a great educator, she would have thought this all mumbo jumbo. The ride stops, and a nagging feeling tells her to look up.
The blonde woman from yesterday walks on. Martha still figures she's about a few years younger than her from the way she carries herself and the fact that her eyes shine brightly through. She doesn't know what time this normally comes on but from the way the Doctor's face lights up, tell her that she is late. The woman in sight holds onto the straps and ducks her head, a blush spreading across her cheeks.
She sneezes really loud, and the girl asks if she's alright, that she has tissues in her bag and possibly some medicine. She takes the tissue from her kind hand and blows her brain out. She hates that she appears weak.
The girl smiles warmly at her before looking ahead towards the area where the Doctor is swaying, his eyes averted as if trying to distract himself.
Odd.
&&
It takes Martha a couple of more rides to figure out that the Doctor and this woman have both had an interaction beforehand. They don't bump into each other each time but that doesn't stop her from observing them in their natural beings.
She learns that this girl works in retail, from what she can see of the worn trainers on her feet and the glossy name tag that sits on her shirt. Sometimes when she sits near her (if she ever gets a seat), Martha tries to read her name tag in hopes of discovering who she is. She always just gets as far as to see the big 'R' before the woman is turning or leaving the seat. Her eyes are the color of toffee and sometimes have bags under them. When Martha was working as an undergraduate, she remembers the retail days and how customers or bosses never understand. The sense of empathy washes over her for the girl.
The thing she notices a lot is how she will always give up her seat to anyone nearby if they need it (sadly Martha is never near her enough to be given a seat). The Doctor notices this because even though he isn't standing next to her, his eyes gloss over with awe from the few feet he is adjacent to her. She still doesn't realize what exactly is going on but doesn't stop the wave of something that is not quite jealousy and not quite pity.
The R girl always has a coy smile for him, though. Must be a game they created all by themselves since they are the most oblivious to anyone around them. They smile at each other when they think the other isn't looking or just stare. She would think it's rude if it wasn't for that they both do it.
It's okay. She didn't need this distraction anyway. This crush of hers will leave eventually. Pining over someone who clearly was besotted with someone else was not becoming.
Martha is just about to turn back to her textbook that has been dangling from her left hand for a good half hour. Honestly finding a bloody seat on the train is so difficult. Of course, no one wants to give it up so she can study without wobbling. Typical. Surely she can survive the rest of the semester.
She just finishes reading about the cardiovascular system when she glances up from a tap on her shoulder.
Her shoulder turns along with her headl she can see a man behind her. “Yes?”
The man gestures to his seat behind him as if motioning 'sit' to her. She blinks for a few seconds considering no one really does this for her. “Go ahead, got to be comfy to become a doctor, right?”
“How did you-”
The man blushes but replaces his bashfulness with a smirk. “Read over your shoulder. Cardiovascular system is something only medical students look at. So why don't you sit down before someone comes along and steals your seat?”
She plants herself down immediately.
The man turns back to standing and that is the end of that.
Hmm.
&&
By the end of the week, the routine of theirs had changed.
This man had come on and really knocked the poor R girl over. Didn't even apologize for his misconduct. Martha was about to let him have it but the Doctor had stepped in instead. “Maybe you should apologize for being so rude and knocking her down.”
She had never really seen him angry before. At university, he was always happy and bubbly. This, this was something new altogether.
The man scoffed and rolled his eyes while bringing his briefcase closer to his person. The Doctor was not done, though. She could see the fire in his eyes and for a moment, Martha was scared. “Apologize now.” He muttered the words through clenched teeth.
The girl's eyes were wide, and she grabbed onto the Doctor's forearm. “Hey, hey. It's okay. Don't worry about him. I'm alright.”
The Doctor's body immediately started unclenching. It was like a whole new him was washed away to be replaced with the one she knew. He turned and stared at the girl. They continued on like that- the man having moved somewhere else at this point- and finally she held her hand out to him. “I appreciate you sticking up for me. I'm Rose, Rose Tyler.” She beamed a wide, toothy smile at him.
“Doctor John Smith.” His smile could light up the world, Martha thought.
They talked the rest of the train ride until Martha got off. She stopped herself from going further into the fact that she shouldn't care.
Upsetting.
&&
The few weeks that passed were all a blur. She missed a couple of train rides due to exams coming up in the evening. It was all for the best anyway. The less of a distraction that could follow her around. She didn't exactly want to be the one having to observe the toothy smiles of her fellow train companions. Nope, not at all.
It didn't help that the Doctor practically bounced off the walls. He was almost a tad bit happier?
Martha tried not to seethe.
She had started to like taking the train a little later, though. At least then she could catch a seat without being squished like a sardine can. On the days she took her normal timing, she would stand, but occasionally the man that offered his seat to her would gesture to his seat. It was almost like he was saving the spot just for her. Asked her medical questions that she was happy she knew after the endless amount of studying. He was kind of cute when she thought about it.
Martha tried not to delve into the thought too much.
&&
The last day her exams was finally here. She had been waiting for the excitement of the Christmas spirit to come and now she can indulge in it. There seemed to be a little skip in her step as she trekked across the stairwell. Snow was still covering her knit hat, and the books that were strapped to her back were not as heavy.
As she made her way downstairs towards the platform, she noticed something off.
There was mistletoe hanging from the awning of one of the light fixtures. She had never seen that before and made a scrunched face about it. Who would do something like that?
The Doctor, she noticed, was standing under it. He seemed unmindful about it. His bounced on his toes. No doubt waiting the train to hurry up so he could see Rose.
However, Rose walked right past her before she even knew it.
Martha shook her head in disbelief. She didn't take this stop. Hers was usually before she even got on. From the way the Doctor gave himself whiplash, she knew he was just as surprised to see her as she came up next to him. That didn't stop the grin from peaking all over his stupid face. Rose's wasn't much better.
They hugged a tight sort of squeeze before letting go, a blush gracing both their features.
Martha couldn't hear their hushed tones but stared all the same. The train was slowing down to a stop. Just a few more seconds before she could get on.
“Hey, look up!” a teenage girl passing by had shouted at the pair.
Rose's eyes glanced up first and then the Doctor's. The Doctor had started to stammer and scratch at his really, gorgeous hair. He was trying to get out of it just for the sake of embarrassment. Rose, however, had other plans.
She grabbed his suit labels and pulled him towards her until their lips crashed as one.
The Doctor, who had been flaring his hands around, eventually rested them on her hips and pulled her closer.
Martha watched in amazement. The couple really got into it too. So much into it that they missed the doors opening and closing and the rush of people trying to swarm past them.
She got on the train still in a daze from the whole situation. By the time she found an area to sit, there was nowhere.
The cute man was waiting for her, though. He stood up and let her have his seat. While she got situated, she asked him “Why do you always give up your seat for me? I know you said because I'm a student but you still have no reason to be this kind.”
He smiled down at her. “Maybe I think you're cute.”
She could feel her face warm. “Oh?”
“Yeah,” he said with as much confidence as one could get.
“Interesting reasoning. I don't even know your name.”
“It's Mickey Smith. And yours, pretty lady?”
She laughed. “Martha Jones.”
He let go of one strap to reach into his pocket for something. Whatever he was searching for, he must have found, because a mobile magically appeared. He started typing something into it before handing it to her. “I think it's time I got your number. For medical purposes.”
The sly grin he gave her told her it was for anything but. She satiated his bold request by punching in her digits. She felt lighter than she had in days and since it was the end of her studies until the next semester, maybe she could let herself be happy. “Here you go.” She handed it back to his eager palm.
Mickey smiled brightly and nodded. “How about we go for a cup of coffee? Medical students need coffee, right?”
“What? Now?”
“No time is better.”
“But I have some much shopping to do for Christmas and...” And what? She could always order online. She wasn't that eager to get home to the family anyway. Maybe this would be good to her- going on a date with the man that gives up his seat for her.
She shook her head, mind made up. “Never mind. Let's do it.”
“I get off at the next stop. Is that okay with you?”
She nodded, feeling a million times more optimistic than usual. “Yes.”
Mickey beamed at her.
Yeah. This was a nice feeling.
Happy.