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"Doctor! Doctor, are you alright?!"
Peri knelt by his side, concern obvious in her eyes.
Six sat up, clearly still woozy from the fall.
"Ah... yes, Peri, I'm just fine."
She abruptly put her cheek to his chest.
Six jumped in surprise and yelled, "W-What are you doing?!"
"Checking your heartra- Oh my god, your heartbeat is rapid! And it's slowly getting faster! Come on, we have to make sure you're okay!"
To flustered and unsure of himself to argue, he let her take his hand and lead him to the center of the TARDIS.
With a flick of a switch, an x-ray machine lowered.
She sat him in front of it and looked.
She froze and for a moment Six wondered if she had actually found something wrong.
Then he remembered.
He quickly jumped up and deactivated the machine.
"Well, no problems, I'm absolutely fine, as I said."
"I'm sorry."
"Yes, well you- what? Why are you apologizing?"
"For what I said. About you not being human... I didn't..."
"Well, you weren't wrong. I'm not human. There are many things about me that aren't human. You've seen just one of them."
"It's incredible."
"Incredible? What could you mean by that?"
"It's fascinating... May I?"
She held out her hand just above his chest.
"I... suppose?"
She pressed her hand gently on his chest. He couldn't help but blush at the way she looked at him in genuine wonder and touched him so tenderly.
"Doctor? May I explore more of you?"
"Peri, I'm not sure if-"
"Not like that, silly. Nothing below the waist and above the thighs, okay?"
"Yes, well, that's fine then."
She smiled and sat him down on his bed. Tenderly grasping his tacky-looking shirt, she looked at him hopefully.
"May I?"
"Certainly."
He helped her remove the shirt, and immediately became flustered once more as her eyes eagerly explored his now-revealed torso.
"I know I'm not perfect, but-"
"Beautiful."
"I-I beg your pardon?"
Peri brushed her fingertips over his collarbone, making him shiver.
"You look so handsome like this..."
Six couldn't help but smirk through his blush.
"Like I was telling you when I first saw myself? What can I say, I'm an improvement."
"Yet you don't feel perfect?"
"Well, no. I would be, if not for the excess insulation."
Peri immediately placed her palm on his belly.
"You mean this?"
"... yes."
"It's adorable! Please don't feel insecure over something so cute!"
She pressed a tender kiss over his midsection.
Six couldn't help but flinch at the foreign sensation.
Peri noticed this, and her brow furrowed in confusion and concern.
"Are you okay? Did it hurt?"
"No. I believe it transmitted a faulty neuro-response."
"'Faulty'? What do you mean?"
"It made me want to laugh. It's odd."
Peri smiled in childish glee.
"I can't believe it!"
"What?"
"You're ticklish!"
Immediately, Six tensed. He knew what the word meant, but he had never felt any sensation like this before.
"P-Preposterous! I can't be-"
His claim ended in a rather undignified squeal, as Peri dug her fingers into his belly.
"Tickle, tickle, doctor!"
For some odd reason, hearing her say those words in such a teasing tone just made the sensations more intense.
After spending some time tickling and teasing him, he put his shirt back on and Peri decided to sit next to him, leaning against his shoulder.
There was a comfortable silence for a while, until Six frowned.
Peri looked at him, worried.
"What's wrong?"
"Do you miss me? The past me, I mean?"
Peri sat up, clearly concerned as to where this line of thought was going.
"Well, yes, but you're still you. Why do you ask?"
He shrugged.
"No reason... just curious."
"Come on, I know you enough to know that's not the real reason. What's really bothering you?"
"You said... I was sweet. Past tense. You kept complimenting my past self, and constantly reprimanding me... I don't know. It's stupid. It's like I'm jealous of myself."
"It was wrong of me to say that when I barely knew the new you. But... I've known you for a while now... and it's true you're really mean sometimes, and can be a little smug. But I know you have a real soft spot under all that cockiness. I've seen it. I've felt it. When you hugged me, I could feel how caring you really were, and I felt warm and safe in your arms. I love the new you."
"... I'll never understand Earthlings..."
Peri hugged him, chuckling a bit.
"Compassion, doctor, remember?"
He smiled and hugged her in return.
"Indeed."