rec: Strain by golden orange

[ms-prue.livejournal.com]

Story: Strain
Author: golden orange
Rating: Teen
Word Count: 1312
Author's Summary: "Peri is infected with the dreaded alien sex pollen. This makes things between her and the Doctor uncomfortable. Alright, MORE uncomfortable."
Characters/Pairings: Sixth Doctor/Peri
Warnings: None

Recced because: What was it about Six and Peri? The poor girl could never do anything right by him, especially when she actually was right. But when the bickering's good, it's like some kind of proto-Jerry Springer situation - utterly addictive. You can't leave, let alone look away; you must see this argument through to the end. Someone pass me the popcorn! Let's take bets on who'll throw the first chair!

This fic captures Six and Peri exquisitely - they're at the top of their already very fine bickering form, and placed in a trope-tastic situation from which thousands of characters before them haven't managed to escape the inevitable. And yet... Well, I don't want to ruin the surprise - go read it for yourself!

Excerpt:

“This is all your fault,” Peri Brown snapped waspishly. A close observer would note that she appeared remarkably fidgety, and appeared to be crossing and uncrossing her legs with remarkable frequency. She seemed to have some difficulty in remaining settled in her seat. She was brushing at the skin of her arm, as if she had an itch, but the same close observer would see that her hand appeared to be stroking her skin rather than scratching it.

The Doctor spun around from the TARDIS console in a flurry of brightly coloured coat tails and moral outrage. “My fault?!” he repeated incredulously. “And who was it, I wonder, who warned you to stay away from those flower beds in the first place? It’s not my fault that you allowed your otherwise laudable botanical curiosity to overrule your good senses and reject my as-it-turns-out remarkably sound advice!”

“Yeah, you warned me -- right before you pushed me into them!”