Title: Magnet and Steel
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Tenth Doctor/Spencer Reid
Fandom: Doctor Who/Criminal Minds
Rating: PG-13
Table: 4
Prompt: 39, Attraction
Author's Note: Continuation of Fit In.
Disclaimer: This is entirely a product of my own imagination, and I make no profit from it. I do not own the Tenth Doctor or Spencer Reid, unfortunately. Please do not sue.

***


The Doctor leaned back in his chair by the console of the Tardis, propping his feet up and crossing his arms behind his head. He had no idea where Spencer was; he presumed that the young man was still in their bedroom, or perhaps in the shower.

Not that he was keeping tabs on Spencer in any way, the Doctor told himself hastily, feeling a bit ashamed at the thought. Spencer had the freedom to do as he pleased; the Time Lord trusted him not to get into anything that would cause problems.

Now that his young companion had fully recovered from the effects of the drugs he'd been using, the Doctor was sure that he wouldn't be going back to that sort of life. After all, Spencer hadn't wanted to use drugs, anyway.

He scowled at the thought of what Spencer must have gone through; he hadn't wanted to reach into the other man's mind to see just what had happened, but he was sure that he would in the future. And he wasn't looking forward to what he would see.

Spencer had told him enough of that experience to make the Doctor's hearts ache for him. No one deserved to be treated like that, and he hoped that he'd be able to make the memories fade. He was certainly going to try his best.

He'd never been as attracted to anyone at first sight as he'd been to Spencer -- not even Jack, when they'd first met. There hadn't been that immediate spark jumping between them, almost setting the very air around them crackling with anticipation.

There had been an undeniable instant attraction that drew him to Spencer, something that he hadn't wanted to shy away from. Usually, he was on his guard when meeting new people, but Spencer had seemed so open and ingenuous that he'd let those barriers drop.

And he hadn't regretted it, not for a moment. He and Spencer had only become closer since the younger man had been with him on the Tardis, and fortunately, their relationship seemed to be progressing nicely.

Though they hadn't become mroe physical yet, the Doctor thought with a frown. Why was that? He and Spencer were attracted to each other, and it was obvious that the two of them were physically healthy -- so why hadn't they consummated their relationship?

The Doctor sighed, reluctantly admitting his own reasons for not being more assertive. He was afraid that Spencer would change his mind, that the other man would want to return to his job and his life on Earth. He didn't want to get his hearts involved.

But that was inevitable, wasn't it? He sighed again, closing his eyes and swallowing hard. He might as well admit the truth -- he was falling in love with Spencer Reid. Even though he didn't want ot say the words aloud, the emotions were there.

He hadn't wanted to fall in love. He'd only wanted to help this young man, to get him over the process of detoxing from the drugs and show him something of the universe. If the relationship had turned physical, then he certainly hadn't expected it to last for long.

As the last few days had gone by and he'd felt himself drawn ever more strongly to Spencer, that attitude had changed. He'd been reluctant to let them get closer in a more physical way because he'd been too afraid of what would happen later on.

Spencer would inevitably leave him. He had no doubt of that. This man had a job that he enjoyed -- a job that saved lives. He had friends who he cared about, a life that he would want to return to. A life that couldn't include an alien.

No matter how much they cared about each other, their end was inevitable. The Doctor raised a hand to his eyes, certain that he would find wetness on his cheeks from tears. But he wasn't crying; there was only a heaviness in his hearts.

He'd been drawn to Spencer as a magnet was drawn to steel. And that attraction wasn't going to just die away. The longer that Spencer was here with him, the more he would feel, until it was going to be nearly impossible to watch his young companion walk away.

If he gave in to his emotions -- as well as his physical needs -- and let himself become more involved with Spencer than he already was, it would be even harder to see their relationship come to an end. That was something he wasn't prepared to deal with.

But was it better to hold himself back, to never have the man that he desperately wanted just because it was inevitable that they couldn't stay together? Or should he listen to the old saying "Better to have loved and lost"? Which one would be easier in the long run?

The Doctor's eyes flew open when he felt soft lips brush across his cheek; he sat bolt upright in his chair, making Spencer lean back to avoid having the Doctor's head crash into his own. The young man laughed soflty, shaking his head in admonishment.

"Hey, careful there," he cautioned the Doctor, still standing behind the chair and letting his hands rest on the Time Lord's shoulders. "I don't think either one of us needs to get a concussion. I doubt either of us would be able to fix that."

"Where did you appear from?" the Doctor asked, his voice soft and husky. He'd been thinking about Spencer, and .... the young man had appeared, as though out of a dream. Was that because he'd somehow been drawn here by the Doctor's thoughts?

No, that was impossible, he told himself sternly. Their connection wasn't that strong, even though his hearts reached out to this young man in a way they'd never reached for anyone before. Spencer couldn't read his mind -- or his hearts.

"I was in the shower," Spencer answered, shaking his head so that droplets of water flew from his wet hair. The Doctor yelped slightly and ducked out of the way of the spray, laughing as he did so. His hearts suddenly felt much lighter in Spencer's presence.

"Besides, I felt like I had to come in here," Spencer said, his voice softer and a bit hesitant now. "It was weird -- I felt that I was being drawn in here, like something was leading me to this room. Maybe it's because you're here."

"Or because I was thinking about you," the Doctor murmured, wondering if he'd been wrong and if Spencer could somehow sense his emotions. He hadn't thought this young man possessed the gift of being empathic -- but stranger things had happened.

"It was like there was some magnet pulling me in here," Spencer continued, his words coming out slowly, as if he was feeling his way through what he was saying. "I don't know how to describe it. I hadn't planned on coming in here -- I just did."

The Doctor's eyes opened wider at the realization that Spencer had just put his thoughts into words; were they more connected than he'd at first thought? It seemed that Spencer had an uncanny ability to voice what he was thinking and feeling.

"I was just thinking that we're a bit like magnet and steel," he murmured, a blush suffusing his pale skin. What would Spencer think of that pronouncement? Would he think it odd that their thoughts seemed to be converging along the same path?

Now it was Spencer's turn to blink and look surprised. "Wow," he said, his voice sounding a little shaken. "We even think the same things sometimes. It's like we're on the same wavelength. But I shouldn't be surprised at that."

"You shouldn't?" The Doctor couldn't keep the curiosity -- or the surprise -- out of his own voice. "Why not?" He almost held his breath as he waited for Spencer's answer, wondering just what the young man would give as his reasoning for those words.

"No," Spencer answered, his hands tightening on the Time Lord's shoulders as he bent to brush his lips across the other man's hair. "I should've known from the first minute I met you that we had this kind of connection."

"I felt it too," the Doctor whispered, his breath catching in his throat. Could Spencer possibly be saying what he hoped to hear? Was this young man saying that he felt a deeper connection too -- and maybe that he wanted to explore that feeling?

"Then I think we should see just how deep that connection goes," Spencer whispered, his breath hot against the Doctor's skin. The Time Lord's eyes fluttered closed as the younger man's lips caressed his cheek, then moved down to his throat.

"Yes, I think we definitely should," the Doctor murmured, getting to his feet and turning to Spencer. His knees felt weak, his hearts thundering in his chest. This was what he'd been waiting for; it was hard to believe that it was actually happening.

Within seconds, the two of them were in each other's arms, their lips meeting and clinging. A rush of sensation enveloped the Time Lord, stronger than anything he'd ever felt. No one else had ever had this effect on him, not in the entirety of his long life.

More than ever, he felt as though the two of them were magnet and steel, the attraction between them too strong to resist. And as he melted into Spencer's embrace, he didn't have a doubt in his mind that his young companion felt exactly the same.

***

Next story in series - Heights of Passion.