Title: The Best of Times
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Tenth Doctor/Brendan Block
Fandom: Doctor Who/Secret Smile
Rating: PG-13
Table: 100_tales
Prompt: 30, New Year
Warning: 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 Brendan Block, unfortunately. Please do not sue.

***

"Merry Christmas, love," the Doctor said softly, moving behind Brendan as the other man stood at the door of the Tardis, looking out at the snowy vista in front of them. "I wanted to give you a white Christmas, so it's a good thing that the Tardis can take us anywhere."

"You know, Christmas has never been very special to me," Brendan murmured, not taking his eyes from the snow-covered mountains that rose in the distance to meet the blue expanse of the sky above them. "Even when I was a child, I didn't look at it as being a time of wonder."

"I'm sorry, sweetheart," the Doctor whispered, his voice soft and husky with sympathy. His arms tightened around Brendan's waist, hugging him close. "Every child should know the wonder of Christmas. I'm sorry that you were deprived of that."

"My parents never wanted me to believe in such 'silly' things," Brendan said with a sigh. "My sister didn't, either. She was a sour adult by the time she was ten -- and she made sure that she sucked all the fantasy and wonder out of my life, as well as her own."

"It's a good thing that I've never met her, because if I did, I'd have some choice words for her that I doubt she would appreciate," the Doctor said through clenched teeth. "I hope that I'll be able to make your holidays from now on better, sweetheart."

"Just being with you makes every day of my life wonderful," Brendan murmured, placing his hand over the Time Lord's as they rested on his waist. "It might sound like a line, but I swear it's true. I don't need anything more in my life than to be here with you."

"It doesn't sound like a line at all -- especially if it's true," the Doctor told him, a smile curving his lips. "Even though I do think that we both need more than just being together, love. Food, shelter, clothing -- all of the basics, at least."

Brendan had to laugh at the teasing note in the Doctor's voice, nodding and agreeing with his lover. "I'm not going to argue with that," he said, turning away from the vista in front of them. "But that's all I ever had from my family -- and even from others, most of the time."

"Ah, but they weren't the person you intend to spend your life with -- or the person who loves you," the Doctor told him, reluctantly loosening his hold on the other man's waist and backing up a few steps. "I'm prepared to give you much more than they ever were."

"You don't have to give me anything but yourself," Brendan said softly, turning to face the Time Lord and sliding his arms around that slender waist. "Well, yourself and your hearts. I've given you my heart, so I'd like to have the same in exchange."

"You've had that from the beginning," the Doctor murmured, resting his forehead against Brendan's shoulder. "It may sound a little crazy, but I believe that a part of me fell in love with you at first sight -- even before we knew anything about each other."

"I felt the same way, even though I struggled against it at first," Brendan admitted, pulling the Doctor closer against the warmth of his body. "I didn't want to admit that I could fall so hard for another man -- and I was just getting out of a very bad relationship."

The Doctor wrinkled his nose in distaste, shaking his head. "From what you've told me about that girl, she was nothing more than a slut," he said, his tone indignant. "She wasn't nearly good enough for you, love. I'm glad you got out of it after just one night."

"So am I," Brendan told him, his tone dry. "I would probably have ended up being miserable if I'd stayed with her. She was only looking to get herself off, to be crude about it. She wasn't capable of deep feelings for anyone. I was lucky to get away from her."

"You certainly were," the Doctor said with feeling, hugging Brendan close. "But she's been out of the picture for a long time now, love. You don't have to see her or think of her ever again. All you have to think of is us -- and our future together."

"A lot has happened in the time we've been together, hasn't it?" Brendan murmured, a smile on his lips. "It doesn't seem that we've been together for as long as we have -- and yet the time has seemed to fly by. I guess the old saying about time flying when you're having fun is true."

"It hasn't always been fun, I know," the Doctor said with a sigh. "But I hope that it's been time that you consider well spent, love. After all, we have been together through it all -- whether it's been good or bad, it's all been shared."

"No, there have been bad times as well as good ones," Brendan mused, his tone growing thoughtful. "But you're right, Doctor. All those times have been shared -- and I've never really had that before, either, even when I've been involved with someone in the past."

"You've been with the wrong people, Brendan," the Doctor said, a slight frown marring his brow. "Even if the person you're with isn't 'the one,' you should still feel that sense of togetherness, of sharing your lives. If you don't, then you should never have been with them."

"Part of that was my fault, you know," Brendan said with a shrug. "I could never let anyone get too close to me before. I suppose that it was always hard for me to trust people, even when I thought that I cared for them. So all of the blame can't be cast on them."

"Yes, but even if you have a hard time trusting people, you should feel that you're sharing at least a part of your life, of yourself, with them," the Doctor protested, shaking his head. "If no one ever gave you that feeling before, then they were all wrong for you."

"I think that everyone I was with before I found you was wrong for me," Brendan said softly, his gaze fixed on the Doctor's face. "But even though we've had our share of bad times, I'd rather go through them with you than nothing but good times with anyone else."

"Even the bad times with you are better than being with anyone else," the Doctor told him, raising a hand to stroke his lover's cheek. "And we have many more times ahead of us in the future, Brendan. Both good and bad, I'm sure -- but I'm hoping for more of the good."

"So am I, Doctor," Brendan said, his voice soft and husky. "I'm just hoping that you and I will have a long and happy future together -- and you know, it takes both good and bad times to make a life. It's not possible to be completely happy all the time."

"Maybe most people don't think it's possible," the Time Lord said, his voice catching in his throat. "But that's what I want to try my best to give you, Brendan -- more happiness than you've ever had, for the rest of our lives together."

"We'll have years ahead of us for you to do that," Brendan murmured, his own voice very soft as he spoke the words. "And I want all of those years to be as happy as they can be. I'll try my best to make you happy too, Doctor. I only hope that I can."

"You make me happy just by being with me, sweetheart," the Doctor said, leaning forward to brush his lips gently across Brendan's mouth. "And we're going into a new year -- a new time for us to make each other happy. I can't help but wonder what it's going to bring us."

"The last year brought me you," Brendan told him, his tone reminiscent. "And even though it's also brought some things I'd prefer to forget, I don't think I'd change them. They're all part of my time with you, and that makes them mean something to me."

"Those might not have been the best of times -- but we shared them, and we made it through," the Doctor said softly, raising a hand to cup Brendan's cheek as he gazed into his lover's eyes. "The coming year -- and all the years ahead -- will be just as adventurous, love. I can promise you that."

"I'm sure that all of our years together will end up being the best of times -- for both of us," Brendan told him before he captured the Time Lord's lips with his own. The best of times for them was any time they were together -- from the first moment they'd met, until the future came to an end.

***