Imaginary Worlds

Right. Why did he have a feeling this woułd just hurt the kid more? "No, you can't." he informed softly. He wouldn't tell Marnal that the man refused anything to do with them when his own son couldn't be bothered.

He didn't need Marnal anymore upset. "It's fine, Marnal. By the time I got out to the valley anyway the voting would be done. There's no point. We can just have a day in." the Doctor assured.

Oh great, now he had no way to make things right. He gripped his bag and dropped his head with a small sigh, he didn't want to go there but anything that makes his dad happy is a good thing.

"I'm sorry I didn't go right away I'll go next time, promise," he offered but he really didn't think that'd fix it.

Damn. "Listen. There won't be a next time. Your grandfather...He's hard to deal with." the Doctor murmured. Right.

"He wants nothing to do with me and, as a result, you suffer for it. I don't mean for you to." the Doctor explained softly.

Oh yes, that was definitely the right thing to tell him. Now not only did his dad have to cancel his plans but he didn't get to see his family any more because Marnal didn't want to go?

He nodded slowly and headed back to the stairs. That definitely didn't go as he had planned.

The Doctor stood and grabbed Marnal, carrying the lad tothe couch so that he could set the kid down. "Oi. I said it wasn't your fault." he reminded firmly.

And it wasn't. Marnal couldn't help that the man was an ass. Nor could the Doctor.

"But you're really mad at me now," Marnal complained as he dropped his bag on the floor, he thought that was what this was anyway, his father hadn't exactly spoken to him.

"I just didn't want to be with him," Marnal mumbled stubbornly and of course he didn't, the man was indeed a total ass.

"I know and I'm not mad. I'm just under a bit of stress. I promise that it's okay. I've just been trying to let you have some space." the Doctor assured.

Nothing more. He didn't want Marnal to be upset because of all of this. Hence why the lad was given some time alone.

"I'm sorry," Marnal offered as he bit his lower lip, he didn't know why his dad had guessed but judging from what he'd heard when he listened on the stairway to Mr Saxon and his dad, he had a funny feeling.

"I don't mean to annoy you," Marnal offered because that really had to be what this was.

"You're fine. I promise. Just...Im not sleeping very well right now and it's causing a few problems." the Doctor murmured softly.

And that was putting it lightly. Even for a Timelord, this was starting to become ridiculous. The Doctor couldn't keep at it.

Marnal frowned before looked down at his shoes. He didn't know how to fix that, he just knew that his dad was ill and he'd upset him and there was no way to make it right.

"Iros hit me cause I was too stupid to ride a bike," Marnal offered, just to see if that would work, sharing information like the Doctor wanted him to do earlier.

Wait. Iros had actually hit the kid. That was enough to bother him all over again. In a different way this time.

"Was that the only time he hit you?" the Doctor asked softly. What? He needed to know. Because that changed a few things.

"Only two more times," Marnal mumbled, they were most those sharp telling off hits that stung a little more than they should. Like when he reached for the cookies on the shelf.

And once when he bothered him when he knocked the door. "My fault, I was being awkward."

Was that what he sounded like when he was a kid? Seriously! It wasn't right. It really wasn't.

Worst still was that he had missed it. "Marnal. It wasn't your fault. If anything, it was my fault for letting it happen." the Doctor asserted.

"He said it was my fault, I got in the way. Like I did with you," Marnal complained as he gave his dad a small confused look because he didn't seem to understand.

"I'm sorry I make you tired," Marnal offered with an earnest expression.

"You don't get in the way. Nor are you at fault for my lack of sleep. I've been having bad dreams again." he murmured dismissively.

The Doctor didn't want to talk about this. At all. It was just one of those things he'd rather forget.

"Can I help?" Marnal asked with a small childish look of determination because if he could cheer his dad up then everything would just be better, right? It'd be all good again.

"I can get you a night light or sleep beside you?" Marnal asked because those were the things he did when he got creeped out.

"I'll be fine. Promise. If I don't sleep by this time next week, then I'll go talk to somebody again." he assured.

It was easy enough to get some sort of sleep aid. People generally darted to worry when two weeks went with no sleep. At least he wasn't hallucinating this time.

"I wish I could make you feel better," Marnal lamented before rubbing at his eyes, he was tired himself and pretty hungry, he just wanted to turn in really at this point.

"Can I have something to eat?" he asked tentatively, not sure if it was the right thing to ask or not.

"I'll make you a sandwich." the Doctor assured as he headed into the kitchen to do just that. Why not?

"Here. And sorry that this weekend is so bad." he murmured softly.

"I'm sorry I upset you and you missed all your plans, I just... I don't like him," Koschei mumbled as he followed the Doctor into the kitchen, he really didn't like him that much.

"I don't think he likes me much anyway," which is why not seeing him was hardly a big loss.

"He believed that he could get you to act less like me. He didn't realize that it wasn't possible." the Doctor admitted as he say the sandwich down.

He even included a side of chips. Why not? Marnal hadn't been eating. The lad needed it.

"I want to be like you, don't want to be like him. I want to be like you cause you're clever and nice," Marnal informed him but mostly he was aiming to just grow up happy.

He might never have friends or a normal life but it would be nice to be a bit like his dad one day.

"I'd rather you not be like him either. So. Would you mind Mr. Saxon coming about for a little while today?" the Doctor asked softly.

He might as well check. Especially as he was hoping to avoid any issues that night.

"Sure, that's okay... can we still spend time together tomorrow?" he wasn't sure if that whole thing was entirely off the table or not but he did want to be with his dad.

"I don't mind not seeing the puppies, I just want to us to play together," and by that he basically just meant being included in whatever it was the Doctor was doing that day.

"We can do something together. But I need for you to be good so that we can." the Doctor murmured softly.

Not much else that he had to say there. He wouldn't promise something unconditionally. Marnal needed to behave.