Artificial Doctor

Come Little Children || Open

Come Little Children || Open

Come Little Children || Open

Come Little Children || Open

Come Little Children || Open

“Then I will say it as much as you want me to and if you want me to leave while you eat then I will. Or if you wish to eat later then I could either go to my TARDIS or the kitchen to make you something.” River stated calmly as he shifted up onto his knees so he could better see his husband.

“I am yours so decide what you wish me to do.” He said as he lightly rested his hand on top of his husband’s. “I would be content with you simply petting my hair while you ate if that helps you make a decision.”

He closed his eyes again, steeling his resolve before speaking.

Come Little Children || Open

River settled on the floor with his back against the couch, part of him was hoping his husband would start playing with his hair again. It was something he had always loved and he thought that he might be able to find some relief in this situation if it happened.

“I am not going to yell at you. I can not tell if you are still trying to play mind games or if you were honestly taking my wishes into account when you took me to the kitchen. I am mildly annoyed at the other servants since they clearly do not understand how different from them I am yet.” He said with a sigh. “The only thing I am even considering getting after you for are you eating habits but I thought it would work better to try making food you like first as a way to entice you into eating, which was why I asked about it.”

He huffed a laugh then. “I am not leaving. Nothing you have done has scared me off. I still want to be yours. You have not done anything wrong unless you count not giving me as much attention as I would like. That is partially my fault however. I would much rather be used by you than doing a servant’s busywork.” He said as he tilted his head back over the edge of the couch to better see his husband. “I am yours and I meant it. What you did to me earlier… While we were doing it I felt nothing but relief. I was only somewhat annoyed with you because of how quickly it ended. If there was a way for me to stay in that mindset all the time I would accept it in a heartbeat.”

He closed his eyes as his hands clearly trembled as he set his tea down and took some deep breaths to calm himself.

“You’re the first and only one to surrender themselves to me like this,” he almost whispered, “and every time you make it clear to me... it has an effect on me. I can’t help it. You say it and... well, you know. And it’s worse now than before because... I... I know now that you not just mean it, but you... enjoy it. Truly want it. And it makes it even more difficult to focus on my dinner.”

Come Little Children || Open

“In my defense sir I did not know it was your tray until after I had volunteered to deliver it since no one else wanted to.” River replied dryly as he entered. He hadn’t been intending to disobey, this was just how it turned out.

He looked around the room and couldn’t help the small smile that curved his lips at the sight of the work table. The room wasn’t the style he expected but he thought it suited this version of his husband.

“I see you still like to tinker. Let me know if you need any parts. I am sure I either have them in the TARDIS or could go get them for you.” He commented as he brought the tray over and set it within ease reach.

“Is there anything you would like me to cook for you? I was thinking of making some of your old favorite but I was unsure if your tastes had changed.” He said with a hint of a smile before sighing.

“I would much rather stay here with you but if you wish me to leave and return later then I will.” He said calmly, waiting for a reply from his husband. If told to leave he would nod and return to the kitchen. If allowed to stay then he would sit on the floor in front of his husband to wait until his husband had a use for him.

He kept using the book as a shield, a way to avoid conversations he really didn’t want to have as it was clear to him that River was trying to start up some sort of conversation. With a sigh, he supposed that it couldn’t be helped and put the book down in favor of making himself a cup of tea.

“Go ahead,” he said, “make yourself comfortable. You’re here anyways.”

Once he made his cup the way he always had it, he took a sip before letting out a sigh.

Come Little Children || Open

River frowned when he was informed that it was his husband’s tray. It seemed he would have to talk to his husband about that. Or perhaps he could make some old favorites that might entice his husband to eat more.

“I am aware. I came here of my own will with full knowledge of what awaited me.” He stated calmly even though he was getting rather annoyed with all their unneeded advice. If he had actually been one of them he likely would have appreciated it but as it was it just served to make him more tired.

“I do not scare that easily. I know what awaits me and I am looking forward to it.” He replied, hoping it would put an end to all the unwanted advice. In case it didn’t he picked up the tray and swiftly took his leave, following the directions he had been given.

Once at the right door he knocked politely before calling out. “I have your tray sir and the other servants think I am insane.” There was a trace of amusement in his words and he was rather hoping his husband would find just as much amusement from the situation.

“I told you to come here after dinner,” he called back, clearly annoyed before saying, “fine. You may enter.”

The room on the other side of the door looked like a fancy bedroom that had a few doors leading out from it. Not even the massive four poster bed took up even a quarter of the bedroom. There was even what amounted to be a workbench of sorts along a wall along with a smattering of tools laying about it. The room looked lived in, but lacked any sort of reflective surface and appeared to have been designed by a fan of the gothic aesthetic with plush velvet furniture facing a fireplace that was on one of the exterior walls and a coffee table between the furniture. The color palette was almost exclusively grayscale and reds.

He was lounging upon the chaise lounge facing the fireplace wearing what appears to be merely a fluffy bathrobe and nothing much else. His hair was clearly damp. He didn’t remove his attention to the book he was clearly savoring.

Come Little Children || Open

River was in fact listening and he did notice the difference in clothing. He assumed it was because of the relationship he had with his husband. He could understand why the humans were so worried about themselves and him to an extent but he wasn’t.

“I prefer having his attention. That was why I came here.” He stated simply when they expressed sympathy for him.

When they mentioned his husband being injured, he frowned. He had a pretty good idea about the cause of the injuries given he had seen all the scars in addition to his husband’s claws. He said nothing however and didn’t comment on how the servants seemed to like it when his husband was hurt.

“Who is the tray for?” River asked with a sigh as he walked over to it. The sooner it was handled the sooner he could get to his husband. When he found out it was for his husband he would question the amount of food on it.

There was a hush that fell upon the kitchen as all eyes seemed to be on River.

“The master, of course.”

“You don’t have to put up with him more than you need to, River.”

“Are you sure you want to deal with him?”

“You do know that he has a tendency to take whatever he wants from us, right?”

At River’s assistance, one of the servants gave her the directions to where the master of the manor usually took his dinner, which was a room which took up an entire wing of the second floor.

“Don’t forget to knock and inform him that you have his dinner and when he tells you to enter, you enter.”

“And keep your head down. He likes it when we act docile. It keeps us from disappearing into the basement.”

“But don’t act too docile. He likes some fight in us. But not too much or he’ll punish you.”

Come Little Children || Open

River resisted the urge to give his husband a look. He wasn’t sure if this was actually an acknowledgement of his wishes or if it was another mind game. He could accept the former but the latter only served to annoy him since he thought they had moved past such things already.

“Yes sir.” He replied with a sigh, showing little to know emotion. He then stepped into the kitchen to find out where he could help. Once he was assigned a task he would carry it out to perfection since he was just as skilled at cooking as in his last life.

He wouldn’t say much to the other servants but he was still polite and courteous to them. If he thought it would be well received he would even offer advice on improving the meal or someone’s technique. If not then he would do his work and not mention it until it was time for the meal to be served. He planned to eat little and go to his husband’s room as soon as he could.

River would quickly find that the servants were mostly friendly and definitely curious and had a penchant for chatting over their chores, seeming to socialize as much as they worked. 

“I’ve never seen the master show one of us around,” one of the servants said.

“We usually only see him when he wants something,” another explained.

“And he never cares how we treat each other, so he clearly likes you.”

“I wouldn’t wish that fate on even my worst enemy. I’m so sorry, hun.”

Many of the servants had clear limps or bruises, their clothing torn and patched up, definitely not as nice as River’s outfit.

“It’s never a good thing when you catch his attention.”

“Especially if he’s in one of his moods.”

“Unless it’s the mood that has him disappearing for days on end and then shows up like he’s lost a fight with some sort of wild animal, but I’ve never seen him lose a fight to anyone or anything before.”

“Those are the best days.”

“Definitely.”

If River was paying attention, he’d notice a modest tray being prepared with almost child-sized serving sizes of food along with a pot of tea, a saucer and teacup, and all the necessary tea accutrements.

“The tray’s ready!” one of the servants called out, “One, two three, not it!”

Come Little Children || Open

At hearing that River’s curiosity had been sated, he led the way back up to the main floor, knowing that it wasn’t long until dinner was ready. So, he decided that it would be best to take River to the kitchens, remembering how much River had enjoyed cooking in the past. Besides, he didn’t want to deal with River learning just how little he usually ate. 

“And this is the kitchens,” he announced, revealing a bustling kitchen full of women cooking over wood burning stoves and ovens before calling out, “this is River, the newest servant. I expect you to treat him well and show him the ropes. I will take my dinner at the usual location.”

Come Little Children || Open

“I would prefer to be busy or in use as much as possible sir.” River stated with sigh, hoping to get through to his husband that the games weren’t needed. At least not any sort of mind games. If he was left on his own he would likely either seek out his husband in the hopes of getting relief or so to his TARDIS.

Still, even with his current mindset, he paid attention to the layout of the manor. He took note of the important places and where he would likely be able to find his husband.

When they reached the stair to the basement a bit of amusement quirked his lips. “Yes sir. Honestly I was expecting you to drag me down there as soon as I arrived.” He answered honestly, showing no fear despite what his limited telepathy was picking up. He didn’t care what was done to the others here. He was just as selfish as his husband. He only cared about finding out what he needed to do to get what he wanted from his husband.

Come Little Children || Open

He gave River a nod with a frown, not liking River’s reaction, but he was willing to understand that River was still adjusting.

“When you aren’t occupied, you are able to go wherever you want except for the attic. My library happens to be one of the rooms I tend to be found in when I’m not in the aforementioned attic,” he explained as he strode towards the double doors before walking out and down a corridor to his parlor.

“This is my parlor, another of the locations I tend to frequent, depending on my mood,” he explained before continuing until he reached the massive foyer, crossing it to go down the opposite corridor which started to look less and less clean.

As he approached the door at the end of the corridor, he could hear the sounds of abject misery coming from the other side of the door. Opening the door revealed a dingy looking set of stairs down as he gave River a glance.