#you could say that Mostima ideas weren't coming together :P

[johannstutt413]

(inspired by this imagine from arknights-imagines; been trying to come up with something for Doctor x Mostima, this was how we got there)

The Doctor sighed as his stomach growled for the third time in the hour. He’d had to come in early to start on the workload for the day, and while he was almost finished for the day as a result, he’d only managed to stuff a microwave burrito and a boiling-hot cup of coffee down his gullet before arriving, and he hadn’t taken lunch at all. Mostima had come in earlier with a new stapler - his old one jammed to the point of being useless the other day - but he’d hoped she come around again. Oh well; no use in getting his hopes up-

“Hey, Doctor. I’m back.” She had that smile as always, that impossible-to-hate but impossible-to-interpret smirk which was a better poker face than a stone wall. As soon as he saw her, his stomach growled, and Mostima cocked her head. “You’ve eaten today, right?”

“Not since breakfast - been running on empty for a couple hours now. Good news is, I’m almost - there we go, finally! - done for the day, too.”

Mostima nodded. “In that case, I wouldn’t mind taking you out for dinner, if you don’t have any other plans.”

“That sounds a hell of a lot better than the cafeteria right now.” He stood up, leaning on his desk while he grabbed his staff. “I’m so glad you got me a walking stick right now.”

“I’m still shocked no one else noticed your limp. Any preference tonight? Lungmen? Victorian? There’s a Far Eastern place that has a special around this time of day.”

The Doctor shook his head. “Anything sounds good right now, espe-” He cut himself off before he said, “especially with you.”

It wasn’t a secret how he felt about her; hell, it wasn’t a secret that more than a few of the Operators on base felt that way about her, or that Mostima had no interest whatsoever in anything beyond crashing for a night or two at one of their dorms between journeys. She was a traveler with a lipstick-stained passport, and outside of her constant aura of exotic amiability, you couldn’t get anything out of her if she didn’t want you to have it. So far? She and the Doctor were on good terms, nothing more, and that probably wouldn’t be changing any time soon.

Unless, of course, this was more than just a pity gesture. Mostima had a heart, the Doctor knew that much - the stick was a sign of that, at least - but he wasn’t going to kid himself into thinking she had any real interest in him.

“Hey, Doctor?” While he was thinking all of this, they’d left the office and were walking around the compound. The halls were already packed with Operators done with work. “Don’t lose me, now.”

“I won’t-” As he said that, her hand wrapped around his wrist. It was far warmer than he’d expected, and...softer. It was a good thing his visor and hood were still up to block the late afternoon sun, otherwise she might notice how bright his face had gotten.

Mostima led him down a series of tightening corridors until, finally, they were in front of a nondescript little cafe. “It might not look like it, Doctor, but this is by far the best Lungmen buffet you’ll find without going into Lungmen itself.”

“Really?” His wrist had shaken loose of her hand sometime during the walk, and now they were simply holding hands. Well, ‘simply’ - their fingers were interlocked, and when the Doctor looked in her eyes for the first time since they were in the office, she smiled back at him more brightly than he was used to. “W-well, I could eat a horse right now, so a buffet sounds perfect.”

“Glad to hear it. I wonder if they added those dumplings I suggested...” Mostima squeezed his hand as she pushed open the door, and they walked inside together.

After finding himself awed by the decor and the variety of options despite the restaurant’s small size, a waitress brought them to a table with a couple glasses of water and plates. “Miss Mostima, would you like to start with a plate of curry dumplings this evening?”

“You added them to the menu after all?” She nodded. “Yes, please.”

“And for the gentleman- Ah, Doctor! I’m sorry, I didn’t recognize the jacket in this light.”

He blushed, his hood and other face coverings discarded for the time being. “No, it’s perfectly alright. Um...Mostima’s dish sounds good. Another plate of dumplings, please.”

“Two orders of dumplings on the way.” She winked at him. “Thank you for your business this evening.”

“She really likes you. I thought you hadn’t been here before?” Mostima’s eyes were locked on him, one hand wrapped around her glass and the other dancing on her plate.

The Doctor blushed even harder. “I haven’t been here before as a customer, but I’ve helped with deliveries here before.”

“They had you doing deliveries?” She shook her head. “The girls at Penguin would love to hear that, I’m sure.”

“Oh, they did - I was working with them at the time. Anything interesting happen today?”

Mostima thought for a moment. “Let’s see...”

They talked while they waited for their food. Normally, their conversations were standard faire - pleasantries and talking about their days, nothing particular. That was how talking with Mostima was; nothing more revealing than a few of her more interesting stories, nothing more probing than questions to keep the conversation going. Not that it wasn’t enjoyable, but every now and again, the Doctor could tell when she was holding back. Tonight, though? It was like peeling back the curtain; they started with the usual, but slowly they shifted topics to romance, and since the Doctor had lost most of his memories, Mostima was the only one with any real stories to discuss. Lord, did she have stories.

“Your dumplings, fresh from the chef’s pot.” The waitress arrived at their table in the middle of a story about Exusiai that had the Doctor in stitches. “Enjoying yourselves so far?”

“Quite well. Would you mind getting one of the bottles of sake we brought in that one day? I’ve been meaning to try it since I read the label.”

She nodded. “Certainly. Anything else?”

“Nope.” He smiled at her. “We’ll let you know when you come back if something comes up.”

“Of course. I’ll get that bottle for you.”

As their waitress walked off, Mostima smiled the same smile from earlier. “You’re quite the charmer when you want to be, aren’t you, Doctor?”

“Hmm?” He shook his head. “I’m just being polite.”

Casually referencing your shared history and smiling like that? I don’t know about that.” She cut into her first dumpling, steam rolling out of it with a satisfying hiss.

“These smell wonderful,” the Doctor noted, cutting into his as well.

“Changing the subject so quickly?” Mostima chuckled. “I might be worried I struck a nerve if I didn’t know you better.”

He glanced up as he took his first bite, savoring his first food in nine hours with a primal satisfied groan. “They taste even better somehow. You really know your stuff, Mostima.”

“Well, you know me, Doctor. Well-informed and well-traveled.” Her eyes dulled a little as he remained enraptured by the dumplings in front of him even as he tore through them like paper.

“I’ve always wanted to travel,” he continued, one cheek full of dumpling. “Ever since I woke up in that cot in Ursus, I’ve been dying to know what Terra’s really like, but all I get are the piecemeal stories from my employees. That’s never the same thing as going there in person, as I’m sure you know.”

She shrugged. “Most of the time.”

“To look through those eyes of yours and see the wonders you’ve seen...That’d be a real adventure, no doubt.”

“They’ve seen a lot,” she agreed. “Beauty and horror, highs and lows, comedy and tragedy.”

The Doctor sighed. “I wish I could go with you on one of your deliveries. Even if it wasn’t all that long, just feeling the road under my feet with you in the seat next to me...” He trailed off before he hit that point too hard.

“You’d rely on me to teach you how to travel? I bet Penguin could do that.” Mostima’s smile flatlined. “Exu certainly could. She’s a much more lively companion than me, after all, and you know how I feel about you relying on me.”

“I relied on you to take me to dinner this evening, to pick the restaurant, to decide what to eat. Mostima, this whole day, I’ve been relying on your help, your experience, your wisdom.” His first course finished, his attention had refocused on the top at hand.

She blinked. “I hadn’t thought of it that way. I show people restaurants all the time.”

“That might make it less special for you,” the Doctor muttered, just loud enough for her to hear it, “but that doesn’t change anything for me. I’ll take whatever I can get.”

“Whatever you can get...”

When the waitress returned, they were both staring at their plates. She set the bottle and a pair of cups at the table and glanced between them. “Is everything alright?”

“Oh, we’re fine,” he replied, somewhat apologetic. “Thank you for the sake. Mostima, I’m going to get a bowl of ramen; do you want anything?”

“Huh? Oh, um...chicken with spicy cream sauce, please.”

He nodded, flashing her a thumbs up. “I’ll be right back.”

“Has he really always felt this way?” Mostima muttered to herself. “No, that would be ridiculous. He’s never said anything before.”

“Miss Mostima, if I may? The Doctor likes for people to be happy,” their waitress noted.

She looked up at her with a blank stare. “I know that.”

“Maybe he thought you’d be happier if you didn’t know?” She shrugged. “The way he looked at you at the door seemed pretty clear to me.”

“But I...Thank you, Clarisse. You more than earned your tip tonight.”

Clarisse smiled. “Always happy to help, Miss Mostima. Let me know if you need anything.”

“Of course.” Mostima poured herself a cup full of sake. “I’ll let you know...”

“Alright, one bowl of creamy chicken for you, and one pork and soy for me...Everything alright?” The Doctor came back with their second course in high spirits, which almost instantly sunk as he saw her troubled expression.

She sighed, looking up at him. “I’ve been a real idiot lately, Doctor.”

“What makes you say that?” He jabbed his chopsticks at a cutlet of pork, halfway spearing it on one of them. “I can’t think of a single dumb thing you’ve ever said to me.”

“I can...You know, when I was with Exu, I never once thought about how she must have felt about my coming and going - business was business, and pleasure was pleasure. If I wanted her, I knew where to find, but the other way around was ridiculous to worry about. Right now, though, I wonder...Doctor, do you miss me when I leave?”

He nodded, not looking up from his bowl. “Every time.”

“If I stayed around more,” she continued, “would that make you happier?”

“Only if you can be happy staying in one place for longer.”

Mostima bit her lip. “And if I wanted to stay with you?”

“If that’s what you want.” The Doctor looked up at her. “My door’s always open.”

“I’m wondering if it should be...Remember when I said it didn’t matter what our relationship was like, because I don’t really need love or a family?”

He nodded. “Clear as you are now.”

“Forget all of that.” Mostima’s eyes burned into his soul as a shimmering sapphire fell from her eye into her ramen. “I do need love, Doctor...Yours.”

“All you had to do was ask, Mostima.” He rested his free hand on the table, and she took it, palms pressed together and fingers interlocking. Surely, the night couldn’t get better than this moment.

They held their hands like that as they finished their second course; once they finished, they switched hands so the Doctor could try the sake he’d requested, and after each having two small glasses, they agreed to buy the rest of the bottle and share it between them after their next few nights together. Their waitress returned with their bill, and after taking one glance at them she knew they’d want dessert - specifically, the restaurant’s specialty, another Mostima suggestion. Another hour or so went by, the Doctor continuing to compliment her on her taste and, well, everything else that came to mind while she basked in the warmth like a lizard on a rock. Once they were finished, and her ego was large enough to make her completely flight-capable, the Doctor paid for their meal, Mostima paid the tip, and they left the restaurant.

“So...your place?” She asked as they walked back towards the dorms.

“I mean, you don’t exactly have one, right?” He blinked. “Wait, you must have somewhere you keep your stuff.”

Mostima shrugged. “In my truck.”

“That makes sense...does it have a bed?”

“It does, actually.” She cocked her head. “Are you asking to spend the night with me in my truck?”

The Doctor shrugged back. “Can I see your truck, at least? If you don’t want me to spend the night in it, that’s fine-”

“No, it’s not that, it’s just...funny, I guess. I’ve never thought of my truck being something exotic.”

“When you’re a shut-in like me, it certainly is.” He chuckled. “Almost as exotic as you.”

Mostima raised an eyebrow. “Almost? You haven’t even seen it yet.”

“If it, I dunno, doubles as a sauna and can drive itself, then maybe, but that’s only because you and it have gone a lot of places together.”

“Actually, this is my third one in two years.”

The Doctor’s other hand arced in front of him, his stick hovering at his side. “Well, there you go. Hey, which direction is the garage from here, anyway?”

“Don’t worry, I’m taking us there.” She squeezed his hand. “Are you always this lively?”

“Nope. I’m just really happy right now.”

Mostima giggled. “All because of little old me?”

“All because of you.” His head drifted onto her shoulder. “I can’t remember the last time I felt like this.”

“Neither can I...Well, here we are. What do you think?”

The Doctor looked it up and down. “For some reason, when you said truck, I didn’t expect it to be a full semi.”

“I’ve driven smaller ones, but they’re much easier to lose.” She clicked a button on her key fob, and the back of her trailer collapsed into a ramp up. “Took awhile to find one that did that.”

“Wow...It’s kind of a mess, isn’t it?”

Mostima blushed. “I wasn’t expecting to host.”

“I kind of like it more because of that, though.” He slipped his hand out of hers to wrap it around her waist. “Reminds you this is someone’s home.”

“Well, it was, at least.” They walked up the ramp, which closed behind them, and sat on the edge of her bed.

The Doctor couldn’t quite parse it in his current state. “Why’s that?”

“Because home is where the heart is, Doctor.” Mostima put a hand against his chest and gently pushed him down. “Which means my home is wherever you are.”