bakerstreet | insomnia

insomnia

the i n s o m n i a meme

It happens to everyone - sometimes, you have nights where you just can't fall asleep, no matter what you do. It could be for a number of reasons, or no reason at all. And this is what's happened now: you've been laying in bed for what feels like hours, just tossing and turning, and nothing seems to help. So what's left to do? Get out of bed and go wake someone else up, of course. If you're not getting any sleep, then why should they?

i n s t r u c t i o n s

• Post with your character (note the name and fandom in the subject).
• Other people reply to you by generating a number from 1 to 10.
• Have fun!

o p t i o n s

01 • FEAR. Maybe you're hearing strange, indeterminable noises; maybe there's a severe storm happening outside; maybe you watched a scary movie before bed? Whatever the reason, you're terrified and it's keeping you awake. You just want to wake someone else up so they can protect you from the monster in your closet.
02 • HUNGER. Your stomach is growling and it just won't stop. Or perhaps your throat is so dry you could cough up a tumbleweed? Well, you've gone to the kitchen to remedy this and hey, that was a pan that just dropped on the floor. It was loud enough to wake the dead! Oops.
03 • PAIN. Your body is completely worn out, be it from exercise, battle, sickness, or what have you. Either way you're in enough pain to keep you from sleeping, so maybe someone else has a home remedy or something, or can at least help you take your mind off of it.
04 • SOLITUDE. For some reason, your bed just feels so empty at the moment. You're feeling terribly lonely and really just want someone to keep you company for a while. Maybe it'd be easier to fall asleep if you're with them...
05 • DISCOMFORT. Your room is an oven. Either that or a freezer. Or maybe this bed is just really uncomfortable? Who knows why you can't get to sleep, it feels like it could be anything. Why even bother trying? Maybe someone else can preoccupy you until you feel tired enough to ignore your discomfort.
06 • PENSIVE. Something's on your mind, and no matter how hard you try to focus elsewhere, it's just not going to work. Your body may be tired, but your mind is incredibly busy and it's virtually impossible to get to sleep. Surely, talking it out with someone else will help?
07 • SADNESS. Something terrible has happened that day, perhaps; or you could just be severely depressed. Either way you're trying your hardest not to cry yourself to sleep, and it's not working at all. Better find a way to get it out of your system somehow; you need a shoulder to cry on.
08 • ANGER. You are just... fuming. Who knows why - that annoying dog is barking again, or maybe the people next door are getting busy and keeping you awake. Whatever the reason for your ire is, you'd better put an end to it so you can get some damn rest already! Go wake up a friend so you can complain to them.
09 • RESTLESS. You're far too energetic to sleep right now. Maybe you're just trying to do so out of necessity - you have to be up early tomorrow! But you just don't think you'll be able to fall asleep for a while now, so why waste the time trying to sleep when you could be doing something else? Namely bothering someone else - you're totally jealous because they're getting more sleep than you.
10 • WILDCARD. Choose one of the options above, or make up your own scenario.

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Martha's never been scared by her mum, but that's the whole 'good kid' thing again. She's willing to bet Leo's been scared a time or two. (Tish has never really cared about being punished.) Martha's been chastened, but never particularly scared.

"I don't want him with my bridesmaids," she points out. "Or groomsmen." Or her relatives; he's got that one right. "Bit of a moot point now, though, I reckon." Martha sighs, settling back into the pillows. Even she has moments of feeling sorry for herself.

"...Well, yes, but it's still ah..."

He hadn't meant to make her--sad? Upset? Feeling something not entirely great, sure.

"It's good to keep in mind. For the future. Because Jack's still Jack." And Martha's still Martha, and he assumes one days she'll be happy with someone.

"Next time I'll elope, and only invite you and Jack."

Assuming she finds someone who can accept all of her and her past. It's daft to feel sorry for herself; she's still young, and there are plenty of fish in the hypothetical sea. And she doesn't have to get married, anyway - she'd like to, but it's not really a necessity. She's perfectly capable of leading a happy and fulfilling life on her own, even if her mum keeps pestering her about grandchildren for the next couple decades.

"Though I'll probably have to count on you to keep Jack from inviting himself along on the honeymoon," she adds wryly.

"We'd make the best witnesses."

No, Martha, they'd make the worst witnesses. Never invite them. Save yourself.

"I'm sure I could convince him to follow me back to the TARDIS and you'd be free. Although, then you might have to save me from him, eventually. An eternal pass-Jack-off, which in the end, really, it might just be best to take him on your hypothetical honeymoon, anyway. I'm sure he could hook you up with all sorts of discounts just by flirting with every single person you meet."

"Uh-huh." She gives him a slightly dubious look. "I bet you would."

"He'd hook up with my husband," Martha points out acerbically. "I can do without the discounts, you're stuck with the hot potato." If Jack were here, he'd argue for the benefits of a threesome on one's honeymoon, which, really, is why it's a good thing he isn't.

(Actually, if Jack were here, he would be arguing for the benefits of a threesome right now. This is why Martha's allowed in the Doctor's bedroom and Jack isn't.)

"Well, if anything Jack is at least an equal opportunist. He'd hook up with you, too." He's not helping, is he? "Or try, anyway. Just saying." Still not helping.

He swallows.

"You know, the TARDIS is back to some of her usual self."

Not that it seems like he's entirely willing to move at the moment.

"I'm not sure that's the point of a honeymoon." Martha wrinkles her nose. "Something about spending time with the person you actually married and not just...your friend who's tagging along in hopes of copious amounts of sex." Though it's infinitesimally better than the Doctor crashing her honeymoon with aliens.

Maybe.

"Good to hear. Maybe we'll be able to get going soon."

Although she doesn't seem inclined to move, either. It's so damn comfortable.

"Let's just avoid getting Jack's opinion when we get lunch. Or dinner. Maybe brunch?" Whatever time of day the TARDIS actually wants to land in. He's not going to believe that he can get her to do anything particular. She was hurt. She's allowed to be fussy.

"Yeah. Soon."

So soon. So very soon. Yup.

"Do you really think I'd be stupid enough to ask that?"

Please don't answer that question. Also ignore the fact that she's scooting just a little bit closer now.

"That's practically like inviting him to come aboard and shag both of us. Or try to shag both of us."

Which she is definitely not thinking about right now. Super definitely not thinking about at all.

He tries so hard to not answer her question, and avoiding her comments in general, and her getting slower, that he says the entirely wrong thing:

"Good for us that the TARDIS won't let him aboard for long, then."

Errr.

It's a little like taming a wild animal; as soon as he really notices her getting closer, she stops and stays where she is. She probably shouldn't be doing anything at all, but the easy physical intimacy they'd had earlier was so nice.

"I think he'd regard that as a challenge." Martha rolls her eyes.

He'll eventually notice, and by then it'll be too late, in a matter of speaking.

"He is not seducing my ship to get on board," he says firmly. "No. Just... no. It's not happening and I don't care how much he think it might work; it's not going to."

He's linefacing right now, just so you know.

"That's not what I meant!" Martha does a little Doctor-esque flail of her own. Although she could definitely picture Jack doing just that, she's not sure how you would seduce the TARDIS. If anyone could, though, it's Captain Jack Harkness.

"I meant-"

...there is no non-awkward way to say what she had in mind, and it's probably just best to give up right here and now.

"...never mind," she finishes lamely.

"No, now I'm awfully curious," he admits. It seemed like a reasonable conclusion that she'd mean he'd try to seduce his ship. It could probably work, too, which is the sad part. Maybe she meant seduce him. Eugh. That's probably what she meant, yeah. "Never mind," he agrees.

He tries to move one of his arms, and realizes that he can't and blinks. When'd she get so close? Now what is he supposed to do??

How did that happen? Martha is clearly entirely innocent in this, judging by the innocent look on her face. She judges there's about a fifty percent chance that he'll panic and bolt, so she feigns nonchalance by nestling back down into the pillow. Or possibly the pillow and part of his shoulder, which isn't quite as comfortable as the pillow, but still feels kind of nice.

"We should figure out somewhere to go after Cardiff," she muses idly. "Somewhere less Welsh."

He wants to bolt, but his panic is all internalized because he also wants to stay put, so if he just keeps following her vein of conversation, maybe his panic will subside. (He's not that optimistic, but he'll take what he can get.)

"Got any whims? Earth, other planets? Terrestrial, aquatic? Particular part of time?" He shrugs, jostling her slightly. "Could always randomize things."

"I do like the randomiser," she agrees. "Well. I usually like the randomiser. Still kind of miffed about the time it dumped us on that planet with giant worms. I don't mind most things, honestly, but some creatures are just too creepy."

And she'd ended up stumbling into a hole and getting covered in giant worm goo. The Doctor had made fun of her until she'd tugged him down into the hole with her.

"I didn't think it was so bad."

Says the guy who likes new creatures, even if they're trying (and nearly succeed) in killing him. Things he's never encountered before are always his favorite.

"Ruined that suit though, as much as the TARDIS tried. Did you know that goo got into her systems after? Reason she was making weird sounds for nearly a week." He's pretty sure he lied about it at the time. Or ignored that it was even a thing. He honestly doesn't remember.

"You told me that it was because of a leak in the dishwasher and that the soap had got into her chronothrusters!" Or something like that; she doesn't remember precisely what part he'd said. Looking back on it, it's obvious he'd just made something up.

"Also, giant worms. Super super gross." Says the woman who roots around in alien carcasses for a living.

"Did I?" he asks innocently. "Oh, now that I think about it, there was a problem with the dishwasher around then, too."

No there wasn't he's definitely making that up, still.

"I'm sure they thought you were 'super super gross' too," he argues. "Strange string bean humanoids, showing up on their planet, weird limbs on them."

She hits him lightly with her free arm. "Liar."

"Yeah, well, I dunno about you, but I don't ooze," Martha points out. "Which makes me much less gross." Besides, she's not really sure the worms were sentient.

What he wants to say is that humans do ooze, women especially, but he's 100% sure that it'll get him knocked out of his own bed, and he really doesn't want to hit the floor.

"Yes, you are much less gross than giant space worms."

There. That'll keep him in bed, he thinks.

Forget being knocked out of bed, he'd be punched if he said that. Either that or Martha would die from embarrassment, and he'd regenerate from embarrassment, and the whole thing would just be completely awkward and someone would have to figure out how to wipe their memories so they could act like it never happened in the first place.

"That didn't even sound convincing," she teases him. "I'm not sure you believe it." Besides, 'you are much less gross than giant space worms' is probably the least flattering thing that's ever been said about her, and while Martha doesn't have the Doctor's ego, she does possess a certain amount of self-esteem. Plus she would rather have her ego stroked.

Edited 2016-06-29 03:59 (UTC)

It might be unflattering but it is actually honest.

"I'd not be sharing a bed with a giant space worm," he replies. He thinks that should be considered a compliment, at least for his standards.

"Because it wouldn't fit in your bed," she points out reasonably. "And because it would get ooze everywhere."

If you even make any comments about women and ooze, Doctor, you will end up with a broken nose.

"Also," she adds, "the giant space worm wouldn't pet your hair because it hasn't got any hands." Apparently hands are just about all she's good for.

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