Fic post: "Homeward Bound"

[tree_and_leaf]

Saw an interesting meme somewhere the other day: using the shuffle on your mp3 player, you get four random songs and write drabbles to go with them. I've done the first one, anyway, though it's inspired by the title, rather than the song. (Homeward Bound, by Simon and Garfunkel, and probably the best song ever inspired by a wet evening on a platform at Wigan station).

Mickey-centric, with spoilers for "Journey's End" (is there anyone out there who cares about it who can still be spoiled?).

Homeward Bound


Mickey didn’t regret any of it. Going to what he had somehow never stopped thinking of as the other Earth had been right then, but now it was time to go home. Funny how things turned out – he was saddest about leaving Jackie.

He wondered if Rose thought that he couldn’t stand seeing her with the sort-of-Doctor, and realised he didn’t actually care any more. He hoped things would work out for her, though. But his sort-of-gran was dead. No responsibilities left.

Jake had thought he wanted him to stay, but he didn’t, he’d wanted him to be Ricky. He’d tried it half-heartedly, once, when he was drunk and lonely, but it didn’t convince either of them, and the next day they both pretended they couldn’t remember what had happened. But Jake knew, all right – Mickey could see it. It couldn’t be easy seeing someone who looked and sounded and sometimes even acted like your dead lover, but who wasn’t.

He really did hope things would work out for Rose, and for – him, too. But he couldn’t help them, any more than he could help Jake.

Time to go home. He squared his shoulders, and stepped out.



***

The other songs were "Nothing Ever Happens" by Del Amitri, which is currently saying 'Donna' to me, "The Rocky Road to Dublin" by the Chieftains, which says nothing at all at present but ought to be fun, and "Without You" by Nilson, which is far too emo to appeal right now, especially after the others, but I suppose one ought to play fair with random generators.

Comments

tree_and _leaf_ in PG rating shocker!

[nineveh-uk.livejournal.com]

This strikes me as a very plausible explanation of Mickey's reasoning (and of course both Rose and Ten would put it down to romantic jealousy!).

Re: tree_and _leaf_ in PG rating shocker!

[tree_and_leaf]

(and of course both Rose and Ten would put it down to romantic jealousy!).

They really brought out the worst in each other, those two (and I can't help feeling that Rose is almost last person who should have been left in charge of the humanised Doctor. (Possibly they should have sent him to Cambridge to hold Liz Shaw's test-tubes for her? But that probably wouldn't have been a very good idea, though it might have done him good).

[rivrea.livejournal.com]

This is a wonderful explanation for Mickey's decision to go back to "his" universe in JE. I shall regard it as canon now (even though it makes me quite sad for his poor gran and for poor Jake, too).

[tree_and_leaf]

Thank you!

I really like Mickey, much more than Rose - which is ironic, given that at the start of S1, I was pleased when she went off without him. *is ashamed*

[parrot-knight.livejournal.com]

In story terms, Mickey seems to have learned wiser lessons than Rose from his becoming part of the Doctor's world; he's become self-reliant in a way that seems to have eluded Rose.

[angevin2.livejournal.com]

Oh, I like that! It makes a lot of sense. :)

Also this is a neat meme.

[tree_and_leaf]

Glad you enjoyed! And the meme's a lot of fun, though I can't remember where I saw it.