Title: Towards the Stars
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Tenth Doctor/Michael Cutter
Fandom: Doctor Who/Law & Order
Rating: PG-13
Table: 100_tales
Prompt: 7, Stars
Warning: ongoing story, past non-con
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 Michael Cutter, unfortunately. Please do not sue.

***

Michael was late getting home tonight, the Doctor reflected, a slight frown creasing his brow as he looked up at the clock on the wall. He hadn't been late since -- the Time Lord wrenched his mind away from the last time that his lover had been late getting in.

He didn't want to recall that time; Michael had been through so much, too much for one man to be forced to deal with. And because of what had happened, he'd have to leave a job that he'd worked hard at and that he'd loved. It didn't seem fair.

Life wasn't fair, was it? The Time Lord sighed, resting his forehead against the sliding glass door that led onto the balcony of Mike's apartment. That was something he'd learned a long time ago. Life had no guarantees, not for anyone, on this planet or any other.

But he couldn't look at life with a jaundiced eye; it had given him this man who he'd fallen in love with, this man who he wanted to surrender himself to, hearts and soul. Life had been good to him in some ways, and Michael was the proof of that.

The Doctor took a deep breath, pushing the disturbing thoughts of everything that had taken place on that night only a few weeks ago out of his mind. He couldn't feel apprehensive every time that Mike wasn't home exactly when he'd thought he would be.

His boyfriend had been getting the last of his things from his office; he had probably stayed to spend a bit of time with his friends, since he wouldn't be seeing much of them from now on. They'd all already seemed to back away from him a bit, which was something Mike had expected.

Expected, but hardly fair to Michael, the Doctor thought, another frown settling onto his features. It wasn't as though he'd done something terrible that had caused him to lose his job; and if it had been up to his boss, he would still be there.

But even Mike's boss hadn't been able to hold back the tide of public opinion once the media had made it known what had happened -- and that Michael was in a relationship with a man. In fact, it was getting harder and harder for the Doctor to avoid that media.

They'd tried to shove cameras and microphones in his face a few times when he hadn't expected them, and he'd been hard-pressed to find ways to slip past them. He and Michael needed to leave Earth as soon as they could; he had to get away from the constant scrutiny.

Mike had agreed to come out into the universe with him, but he'd seemed very reluctant about it. The Doctor didn't want him to have doubts in his mind; if Michael didn't want to be there, it would feel as if he'd somehow kidnapped his lover and forced him to come along.

What else could he do but simply ask Michael and hope that his answer would be yes? Nothing, really. He couldn't make his boyfriend do something that he didn't want to, though he was going to try his best to talk Mike into it.

He'd love being out there, once he got used to the idea. Mike was a man who couldn't be contained in one rigid little box all of his life; he was a rebel at heart, and even if the thought of adventuring in the stars didn't appeal to him right away, the Doctor was sure that it would grow on him.

Just within the past few days, he'd asked more questions about what it was like, and he'd seemed as though he was reconciled to the idea of being there. He seemed more worried about his apartment and all of his personal effects than anything else.

That in itself made the Doctor worry a bit. It was as if Michael had already pushed his friends away, told himself that he would have to make a completely clean break with them and had resigned himself to not seeing them again.

The Doctor didn't want his lover to think like that. He'd learned through the course of his long life that having friends was always a good thing -- and he didn't want Michael to rely on him as being the only person in his life. That would be a lonely way for him to live.

When they were out there in the galaxy, though, he would be the person closest to Mike -- they would depend on each other completely. He'd lived like that for most of his life, but other than Jack, he'd never had a companion who was also his lover.

He sighed again, closing his eyes and crossing his arms over his chest. It would be up to Michael, in the end. The Doctor would accept whatever he chose to do -- even if he decided that he wanted to stay here on Earth rather than come away with him.

His eyes flew open when he heard Mike's key in the door, a feeling of relief surging through him. He'd probably stayed at the office to talk to the people there before he left for the last time, the Doctor told himself, feeling his spirits rise now that his boyfriend was home.

The Time Lord didn't turn around when the door closed, or when he heard Mike shrug out of his coat and drop his keys on the table. Only seconds later, he felt the other man's arms slide around his waist, drawing him back against the warmth of his lover's body.

"Is there any reason you're standing here by the window?" Mike asked him, his voice very soft, an undertone of worry in his words. "I know I'm a little late -- I stayed for a while to talk to Jack, to tell him that I'm not going to be around in New York for the foreseeable future."

"You won't?" The Time Lord felt his hearts skip a few beats; did this mean that Michael had made up his mind? Was he going to hear the words that he'd been waiting for over the last few days, the words that he'd been hoping against hope he would hear?

"I'm going to be out there -- with you." Mike raised a hand to point out of the window, pointing towards the velvety indigo sky and the myriad of stars that dotted it with pinpricks of silvery light. "Out there in the stars, seeing things I'd never dreamed existed."

He could feel a lump pushing up into his throat, the tears threatening behind his eyes. This was indeed what he'd wanted to hear; he didn't know what had made Michael finally make this decision, but having his boyfriend with him when he went back to the Tardis was everything he'd ever wanted.

"You won't regret it, love," he whispered, turning in Michael's arms to slip his own thin arms around his lover's waist. "It's a wonderful adventure -- it's like nothing you've ever experienced before. I have so much to show you, so many places for you to see."

"Hey, you don't have to sell me on it." Michael raised his hands, laughing softly and shaking his head. "I made the decision already, John. I'll admit that I'm a little worried about what could happen to my place, but I can put all my belongings in storage."

The Doctor nodded, knowing that having a home on Earth if they didn't come back to it for a long time could end up being a liability for Mike. "It's something we can work out later," he said softly, hoping that he was right about that.

But it wasn't something he wanted to think about now. Michael was coming with him; they were going out into the stars together, and he would be able to share his life with Mike in every way. This was going to bring them closer than they'd ever been.

He turned back toward the window, waving a hand at the velvety dark sky outside the window, the sky that was decorated with sparkling stars. "Whenever you're ready to go, we'll be out there in those stars," he whispered, a smile curving his lips. "The sooner the better."

"You really want to be back out there, don't you?" Michael asked, his voice soft. His arms tightened around the Doctor's waist, his breath soft and warm on the back of the Time Lord's neck. "It's where you belong. And I feel like I belong out there with you."

"You do," the Doctor told him, raising a hand to draw an image on the frosted glass. A small heart, with the initials M.C. and J.S. in the middle. It was a silly, childish thing to do, he knew, but it was the best way he could think of to express what he was feeling.

"I know where you belong right now," Mike whispered in his ear, those strong arms turning him around, away from the vista of the stars and the heart he'd just drawn. "In my arms, in my bed, for the rest of the night. And for however long we want to stay there."

The Doctor didn't argue; he let his arms slide around Michael's waist again, leaning into his lover's embrace. Any other thought besides his desire for Mike was swept away when their lips met, and he scarcely realized it when the two of them began to move slowly towards the bedroom.

***