His Name (11th Doctor x Reader x TARDIS)

Even traveling with the Doctor, you needed your alone time. Of course, you were never really alone. You figured that out sooner than most of his companions.

For reasons that neither you nor the Doctor understood, TARDIS was particularly fond of you. She seemed to like you more than most of his companions, and she would occasionally interact with you when you had wondered off to explore her endless hallways. She showed you things that, in their own way, were every bit as fascinating as the adventures you shared with the Doctor.

Today was one of those rare lazy days in the TARDIS. The Doctor was still a bit burnt out from your recent run-in with some Cybermen, during which he had come uncomfortably close to losing you. He had decided to take a much needed break and sleep, something he very rarely did.

You had slept for several hours (the concepts of day and night were basically lost inside the TARDIS) and had taken a shower to refresh yourself. You felt energized, but in a lazy, comfortable way. You decided that today would be a good day to explore and see what new secrets the TARDIS would show you.

You walked down the hallways at a leisurely pace, running your hand along the cool metal of the wall. You simply wandered along, knowing that you would eventually end up where TARDIS wanted you.

Finally, you ended up at a door. You closed your hand around the doorknob with a fluttering sense of excitement, opening it up to reveal what looked like a storage area. You moved among the dimly lit shelves, occasionally picking up an artifact and examining it. There were stone carvings that looked thousands of years old, metal contraptions from the distant future, and a few beautiful pieces engraved with what you had come to recognize as Gallifreyan writing. You ran your fingers over the eloquent circle shapes, reminding yourself to get either the Doctor or the TARDIS to teach you how to recognize some of the words.

You picked up a T-shirt with a Union Jack on it; the shirt smelled like smoke and gunpowder, and also, faintly, of a woman's perfume. There was a doctor's coat with a name tag still clipped to it -- "Martha Jones". There was a dress that was obviously made in the 21st century, yet it reminded you of what flappers would wear in the 1920s, strongly scented of a perfume very different from the one on the Union Jack T-shirt. A Roman centurion helmet, set on the shelf next to a paper mâché model of the TARDIS and a few wrinkled napkins from a wedding. Somehow you knew that these were keepsakes from his past companions, little things that helped the Doctor remember the people he'd lost.

You left the storage room with its bittersweet memories, trailing down the hallways as your mind wandered through your thoughts. You would occasionally reach out to affectionately pat the wall, smiling softly.

The next door you found yourself opening lead to the most majestic library you had ever seen, eliciting a gasp from you. You could spend your whole life in this room and you wouldn't be able to read even half of the books it held.

You trailed through the shelves, running your hands over the worn covers. You recognized some of the titles as classics of English literature, but others seemed to be written in alien languages. You wandered among the shelves, gazing at the texts and wondering which you should open first.

Towards the back of the room, you saw a single, large book sitting on a pedestal. As you approached it, you were able to make out the title: "The History of The Time War." You approached it in quiet awe. In the many months you had travelled with the Doctor, he had mentioned the Time War only a handful of times. You knew that his entire race died, and that he felt responsible. But he had never really given you many details.

You carefully touch the cover, the TARDIS letting out a hum of approval. Whatever was in this book, she wanted you to read it. You opened the book and slowly began to read.

You froze when you read it. Instantly, you realized that you had read the Doctor's name. You weren't sure exactly why, but Time Lord names seemed to he especially private and intimate. You knew that there was only one situation where the Doctor could tell someone his name. You slowly closed the book, feeling like you'd read something you weren't supposed to.

You left the library in a bit of a hurry, walking down the halls a bit quicker than before. You wandered until you found one of your favorite places in the TARDIS. You called it the tree room, although you knew that wasn't really what it was. But it looked like a tree, with a metal truck and metallic vines, each with a glowing orb hanging from it. You sat down against the trunk of the tree to think.

That was where you were when the Doctor found you. It wasn't uncommon for him to wake up and find you gone, wandered off somewhere in the TARDIS. He spent about an hour looking for you before he finally found you, curled up against the "tree," your face washed in the glow of the circuits. He knelt down next to you, noting that you were asleep. He sat down on the ground next to you, smiling as you instinctively moved towards him.

He allowed you to snuggle up to his side, wrapping his arm around you. Your eyes slowly blinked open, still clouded with sleep as you looked up at him. "Doctor..."

"Hello, (Y/N)." He smiled down at you, his smile faltering as he saw concern flash across your eyes.

"Doctor... The TARDIS showed me the library. There was a book..." You gazed at him apprehensively. "It had your name in it. I'm so sorry."

He drew in a breath, holding you closer in an effort to reassure you. "It's okay, (Y/N). I don't mind if you know... Just keep it our secret, okay?"

You nodded, smiling shyly. Your stomach fluttered at the thought of him trusting you with such intimate knowledge. "I won't tell a soul."

He kissed your forehead. "Good."

You smiled as your eyes once again fluttered shut, curling up in the Doctor's arms. As you were drifting back into sleep, he heard the TARDIS hum cheerfully. He grinned, realizing what she had been up to.

"Thank you." He whispered.