Yowzah Oneshot Collection (1)

33(G)4

Turkish Delight on a Moonlit Night
areyoumarriedriver
Chapter 4
Chapter Text
The Doctor didn’t sleep long – he never did really, but when he woke an hour and a half later, he felt surprisingly refreshed. He also found himself torn between awkward embarrassment and utter contentment upon realizing that he was pressed against River Song rather intimately. His arm was still draped over her waist and her head was tucked under his chin, errant curls tickling his skin and clinging to his stubble. Her leg had shifted over his at some point during the night, and her hand, still wrapped in that bowtie, was tucked between them while her other arm had snaked around his waist.

He didn’t move, and he told himself it was because he didn’t want to wake her, but he knew it was a lie. He simply didn’t want to move. The hand at her waist lifted and he found himself stroking her hair gently, pulling the curls apart and tugging them straight only to let go and watch them bounce back into perfect spirals, as if by magic. “It’s not magic.” She muttered into his neck and he froze. He hadn’t realized she was awake.

“I’m sorry, did I wake you?” He whispered softly and she pulled her head back and blinked up at him.  He reached over her, turning on the small lamp that was situated on a tiny table wedged between the head of the two beds, and she squeezed her eyes shut at the light. “Sorry.”

She opened them slowly, blinking to adjust as she shook her head. “It’s alright, sweetie. I feel like I’ve slept for years.”

She looked... he glanced down at her face and her colour, observing her carefully. She looked a million times better. “How are you feeling? You look so much better, River.”

“I feel...” She struggled as if she were searching for the correct words, or perhaps still assessing her own state of being. Her bowtie wrapped hand shifted and she pressed it against her chest, smiling gently. “I feel much better, thank you. Is it almost time for your patrol?”

He frowned down at her in confusion. “How do you even know about – you were asleep.” He pointed out and she simply shrugged and winked up at him. She clearly wasn’t going to respond to his statement and he sighed. “Yes, about twenty minutes from now. Last one – then I need to head back to the TARDIS-”

“We need to head back to the TARDIS you mean.” She corrected him with an arched brow and he looked down at her intently.

“Are you sure you’re well enough? I would rather you were with me, but if you’re not one hundred percent, I can’t risk you. It. Risk it.” He corrected himself in a rush and her face softened.

“I’m not stupid, Doctor. I know I could have died yesterday – I’ll be careful. But you need me so no, I probably won’t let you leave without me, one hundred percent or not.” Her tone was gentle but iron clad. He knew there would be no arguing with her. His chest tightened and he drew a deep breath in an attempt to loosen the constriction present there.

“You could have died yesterday. You should have. And while that brings up several very good questions, I know you won’t answer a single one, so I’ll not bother asking.” His hand moved back into her hair, his fingers combing through the mass of curls as he looked at her seriously. “Please don’t do that again. You have to be careful, River.”

“Oh, sweetie...” She sighed the words out and he pulled his hand from her hair, placing it between them and tugging on the end of his bowtie. She glanced down and flushed. “I honestly meant to move back before you returned. I was just – I needed –” She frowned and avoided his gaze and he let her, taking the moment to carefully unwrap his bowtie from her hand until he could stroke his fingers against the skin of her palm, lightly.

“You can take whatever you need, River. I don’t mind.” She looked up at that, startled. The air around them seemed to grow thick and heavy with expectation and the pale grey of her eyes shifted and warmed into greener tones. She was so very beautiful, even this close – so close to him he could see the fine lines around her eyes, signs of age she wore so very well. He found himself wondering – hoping that she’d spent at least half her life with him. At least. And even then it seemed like not enough at all. She licked her lips and he realized suddenly just how close their faces were to one another as he watched her tongue dart out quickly. A low heat burst to life within him, making him feel solid and expectant as he stared at her mouth.