Fic: Close Encounters (M7/Doctor Who) Teen
Title: Close Encounters
Claim: Vin Tanner (Magnificent 7)
Fandoms: Magnificent 7/Doctor Who
Prompt: 038 - Touch
Set after Legacy and Discovery.
Warnings: Possible slash? (Do aliens count?) Alien sexuality? Telepathic groping? If I compared it to an episode of Torchwood it would be very tame.
Vin’s first encounter with an alien wasn’t exactly what he expected. He was tracking a bounty through the backstreets of an unsavory neighborhood when he was faced with an iridescent alien. It hovered just above the ground and bathed the area around it in a soft glow. Vin could make out an almost humanoid body, but beyond that it was utterly alien; right down to the shimmering wing-like appendages sprouting from its back.
“Please,” it begged, though Vin could see no evidence of speech, “help me!”
Vin could already hear the rapid tattoo of feet pounding on gravel. The alien stared at him with wide, fearful eyes and Vin had no reason to trust it but he nodded.
“What do you need?” he asked.
“Open your mind,” it said quickly as it drew near. Vin had only a moment of doubt before the alien pressed its hands to his chest and pushed. Vin stumbled back a step, mostly out of reflex, because the alien had disappeared and another consciousness was swimming around his head. For a gut-wrenching moment he lost himself to fear and pain and longing that wasn’t his own. He rebelled instinctively against the intrusion and the pain increased, flashing white-hot through his mind. He reigned in the instinct as best he could since the alien hadn’t even made to defend itself. It had to be one of the strangest things he had ever felt; skimming the thoughts of an alien.
A man with a gun rounded the corner and Vin tensed, his own caution warring with the alien’s panic. He made an aborted move to flee, then held his ground. The man paused, dark eyes glinting with cruelty. Any doubts Vin had with whether or not to trust the alien disappeared. Even if it hadn’t been trustworthy, there was no way he was leaving it to this man’s mercy.
“Where did it go?” the man demanded. Vin pointed vaguely down the street. The man’s eyes narrowed but he moved on. As soon as he was out of sight, Vin ran. There was no way he was going to risk the man coming back to find him again. He didn’t stop until he was sitting in the cab of his modified truck.
“You okay?” he asked quietly. He probably didn’t need to vocalize, but it helped him to keep them separate.
“I am fine,” the alien told him. “Thank you.”
“Should I take you somewhere?”
“My people will come for me.”
There was a sense of belonging attached to that thought so complete that Vin had to shy away from it. The fleeting sense Vin got of the people the alien came from was majestic - a peaceful civilization whose art and culture thrived, where the occasional lawbreaker was an extreme aberration.
“You can stick with me until then,” Vin offered. Second-hand gratitude swept through him. Vin turned the key in the ignition and made his careful way home. It was too easy to be distracted by the alien’s interest in mundane things. “You got something I can call you?”
The alien was silent a moment and Vin could almost sense it rifling through his memories. He reigned in his desire to push the alien out again, but something of his distaste must have bled through because the alien distanced itself again.
“Ford,” the alien said, tone amused. Vin tried to work out where it got the name from, but nothing came immediately to mind, and he had more important things to worry about.
“Alright then, Ford,” Vin said, pulling up outside his apartment block. “I’ve got somewhere we can hide out until your people come for you.”
Vin used the fire escape instead of going through the building. It was faster and avoided people who might try to draw him into conversation. It was bad enough talking to himself, but trying to have a conversation with two people, when one of them wasn’t aware of the other, would just be too awkward.
Once they were up on the roof and away from prying eyes, Ford detached from him, even if it was a little reluctantly. Almost immediately, Vin missed the feeling of knowing the stars, seeing the universe, but most especially of being a small part of a much greater whole. He leant against the exterior wall of the stairwell and slid to the ground. The alien folded itself awkwardly to sit next to him.
“Where do you come from?” Vin asked, staring up at the sky. The alien pointed to a faint star and Vin got a sense of several planets and diverse species living harmoniously.
“Arcateen V,” he told Vin. He took Vin’s hand in his and the contact once again strengthened the telepathic connection. Vin saw vast cities that were all light and nature; buildings and paths wove around trees, the glass-like material of the walls glittered in the sunlight, and many, many iridescent beings moved along the paths.
“Why?” Vin asked. He meant any number of things, but mostly he had to know how Ford could leave that.
“To learn.”
“Tell me.”
“I wished to know why Earth is so beloved of the Lord Doctor and the immortal Captain. Their legend stretches through time and space, alternately heroes and demons, together and alone, but it is always to Earth that they return. It draws them in time and time again despite the ingratitude and ignorance of its people.”
Two figures were clear in Ford’s mind. One changed continuously; features, clothing, height. The other remained unchanged, forever. Both stood alone, despite standing side by side. The right side of Vin’s chest ached and he pressed a hand to it. For a moment he almost thought he felt a double beat. Ford peered at him and Vin glanced away, uncomfortably with how clearly Ford saw him.
“I think I understand better now,” Ford continued. Vin saw himself through the alien’s eyes; so young and selfless and brave. He looked away. It was difficult to match that image with how he saw himself. Ford looked up suddenly and, briefly, Vin felt part of something again - the entire race that never entirely left Ford. Ford turned to look at him again and he leaned closer.
The feather-light touch of iridescent fingertips brushed his cheeks and stroked along his jaw. Ford’s mind pressed against his and somehow it was more intimate than before. The points at which Ford’s skin touched his burned with desire and affection.
“I will see you again,” Ford said. His tone had as much question as statement. Curiosity warred with embarrassment and there was the brush of Ford’s mind against his again. He blushed when he realized it was probably the telepathic equivalent of a kiss. His blush darkened when he realized exactly how close they’d been earlier. Amusement flittered along the edge of his awareness.
Still not quite able to meet Ford’s eyes, Vin concentrated on a spot a fair distance from the city where he sometimes camped out. Ford’s head bobbed in an oddly human gesture and he leaned forward to press his lips to Vin’s. It was lighter than he was used to, colder, but it was contact he hadn’t allowed himself in a long time. He leaned into Ford and for a moment their thoughts twisted into each other until it was difficult to tell who thought or felt what. Ford stood gracefully and stepped away.
“It has been a pleasure.”
“Yeah,” Vin said and watched as Ford faded from sight.
Claim: Vin Tanner (Magnificent 7)
Fandoms: Magnificent 7/Doctor Who
Prompt: 038 - Touch
Set after Legacy and Discovery.
Warnings: Possible slash? (Do aliens count?) Alien sexuality? Telepathic groping? If I compared it to an episode of Torchwood it would be very tame.
Vin’s first encounter with an alien wasn’t exactly what he expected. He was tracking a bounty through the backstreets of an unsavory neighborhood when he was faced with an iridescent alien. It hovered just above the ground and bathed the area around it in a soft glow. Vin could make out an almost humanoid body, but beyond that it was utterly alien; right down to the shimmering wing-like appendages sprouting from its back.
“Please,” it begged, though Vin could see no evidence of speech, “help me!”
Vin could already hear the rapid tattoo of feet pounding on gravel. The alien stared at him with wide, fearful eyes and Vin had no reason to trust it but he nodded.
“What do you need?” he asked.
“Open your mind,” it said quickly as it drew near. Vin had only a moment of doubt before the alien pressed its hands to his chest and pushed. Vin stumbled back a step, mostly out of reflex, because the alien had disappeared and another consciousness was swimming around his head. For a gut-wrenching moment he lost himself to fear and pain and longing that wasn’t his own. He rebelled instinctively against the intrusion and the pain increased, flashing white-hot through his mind. He reigned in the instinct as best he could since the alien hadn’t even made to defend itself. It had to be one of the strangest things he had ever felt; skimming the thoughts of an alien.
A man with a gun rounded the corner and Vin tensed, his own caution warring with the alien’s panic. He made an aborted move to flee, then held his ground. The man paused, dark eyes glinting with cruelty. Any doubts Vin had with whether or not to trust the alien disappeared. Even if it hadn’t been trustworthy, there was no way he was leaving it to this man’s mercy.
“Where did it go?” the man demanded. Vin pointed vaguely down the street. The man’s eyes narrowed but he moved on. As soon as he was out of sight, Vin ran. There was no way he was going to risk the man coming back to find him again. He didn’t stop until he was sitting in the cab of his modified truck.
“You okay?” he asked quietly. He probably didn’t need to vocalize, but it helped him to keep them separate.
“I am fine,” the alien told him. “Thank you.”
“Should I take you somewhere?”
“My people will come for me.”
There was a sense of belonging attached to that thought so complete that Vin had to shy away from it. The fleeting sense Vin got of the people the alien came from was majestic - a peaceful civilization whose art and culture thrived, where the occasional lawbreaker was an extreme aberration.
“You can stick with me until then,” Vin offered. Second-hand gratitude swept through him. Vin turned the key in the ignition and made his careful way home. It was too easy to be distracted by the alien’s interest in mundane things. “You got something I can call you?”
The alien was silent a moment and Vin could almost sense it rifling through his memories. He reigned in his desire to push the alien out again, but something of his distaste must have bled through because the alien distanced itself again.
“Ford,” the alien said, tone amused. Vin tried to work out where it got the name from, but nothing came immediately to mind, and he had more important things to worry about.
“Alright then, Ford,” Vin said, pulling up outside his apartment block. “I’ve got somewhere we can hide out until your people come for you.”
Vin used the fire escape instead of going through the building. It was faster and avoided people who might try to draw him into conversation. It was bad enough talking to himself, but trying to have a conversation with two people, when one of them wasn’t aware of the other, would just be too awkward.
Once they were up on the roof and away from prying eyes, Ford detached from him, even if it was a little reluctantly. Almost immediately, Vin missed the feeling of knowing the stars, seeing the universe, but most especially of being a small part of a much greater whole. He leant against the exterior wall of the stairwell and slid to the ground. The alien folded itself awkwardly to sit next to him.
“Where do you come from?” Vin asked, staring up at the sky. The alien pointed to a faint star and Vin got a sense of several planets and diverse species living harmoniously.
“Arcateen V,” he told Vin. He took Vin’s hand in his and the contact once again strengthened the telepathic connection. Vin saw vast cities that were all light and nature; buildings and paths wove around trees, the glass-like material of the walls glittered in the sunlight, and many, many iridescent beings moved along the paths.
“Why?” Vin asked. He meant any number of things, but mostly he had to know how Ford could leave that.
“To learn.”
“Tell me.”
“I wished to know why Earth is so beloved of the Lord Doctor and the immortal Captain. Their legend stretches through time and space, alternately heroes and demons, together and alone, but it is always to Earth that they return. It draws them in time and time again despite the ingratitude and ignorance of its people.”
Two figures were clear in Ford’s mind. One changed continuously; features, clothing, height. The other remained unchanged, forever. Both stood alone, despite standing side by side. The right side of Vin’s chest ached and he pressed a hand to it. For a moment he almost thought he felt a double beat. Ford peered at him and Vin glanced away, uncomfortably with how clearly Ford saw him.
“I think I understand better now,” Ford continued. Vin saw himself through the alien’s eyes; so young and selfless and brave. He looked away. It was difficult to match that image with how he saw himself. Ford looked up suddenly and, briefly, Vin felt part of something again - the entire race that never entirely left Ford. Ford turned to look at him again and he leaned closer.
The feather-light touch of iridescent fingertips brushed his cheeks and stroked along his jaw. Ford’s mind pressed against his and somehow it was more intimate than before. The points at which Ford’s skin touched his burned with desire and affection.
“I will see you again,” Ford said. His tone had as much question as statement. Curiosity warred with embarrassment and there was the brush of Ford’s mind against his again. He blushed when he realized it was probably the telepathic equivalent of a kiss. His blush darkened when he realized exactly how close they’d been earlier. Amusement flittered along the edge of his awareness.
Still not quite able to meet Ford’s eyes, Vin concentrated on a spot a fair distance from the city where he sometimes camped out. Ford’s head bobbed in an oddly human gesture and he leaned forward to press his lips to Vin’s. It was lighter than he was used to, colder, but it was contact he hadn’t allowed himself in a long time. He leaned into Ford and for a moment their thoughts twisted into each other until it was difficult to tell who thought or felt what. Ford stood gracefully and stepped away.
“It has been a pleasure.”
“Yeah,” Vin said and watched as Ford faded from sight.