Yowzah Oneshot Collection (1)

37(G)3

Chapter 3: a good Melody
Summary:
Prompt: River and Twelve, dancing in the Christmas Special

Chapter Text
a good Melody

He likes music a startling amount this go round - playing especially but any sort of good melody can make his hearts lift with a quiet contentment no matter the situation. Such as right now - the orchestra is playing an uplifting, swelling sort of piece he doesn't recognise and his fingers drum against the table, keeping time as River lifts a drink menu and covertly observes the room.

An entire star liner full of villains - she has plenty to keep an eye on. Especially now that she knows who he is - any number of the occupants of the room would have five or six good reasons to kill him on any given day, let alone Christmas. They're waiting for their contact to meet them - dressed to the nines, why not make a date of it? Opportunity knocks and all that. He starts humming under his breath and River sighs next to him.

“Sweetie,” she mutters at him in what he supposes is exasperation but he can tell by the way she looks at him – eyes all big and soft, the corner of her mouth twitching reluctantly – she can’t stay mad. Any more than he could today – she’s here and it is an unexpected miracle. A gift. A present the universe gave to him and he feels like a greedy toddler, unwilling to put his new gift down for anything.

“What? It’s a bloody good song, River! I should get the sheet music, maybe I can learn it-”

“Knowing you, you probably wrote it and gave it to them so you’d hear it the first time, you meddlesome old fool.” She can’t even sound remotely strict about it really, and he grins at her. It’s probably true anyway – that last riff sounds familiar, like he’s heard it somewhere before.

“In that case, we have to go get it.”

“You’re just going to what? Ask the conductor to borrow his sheet music then?” She arches a brow at him, tilting her head and causing the curls piled on top of her head to bounce gently.

“Course not, that’s ridiculous. They’d never give it to me. Lucky for me I happen to have a very talented wife,” he cajoles her, lifting his hand from the table and holding it out, palm up. “Care to dance, dear?”

“Can you actually dance this go round?” She laughs in delight and takes his hand regardless of his response and his hearts thrill at her willingness to learn by trial and error.

“I’ve no fucking idea, actually. I think I have done – but not like this.” He stands and pulls her to her feet smoothly – one up on old Bowtie, he thinks with a grin. Nary a stumble as he leads her to the dance floor and pulls her flush against him, his arm winding around her waist as he tucks their intertwined hands in to his chest. They sway gently – nothing spectacular in their footwork but it feels like bliss. His wife in his arms, her head tucked in to his shoulder and her curls tickling his chin as they manoeuvre across the tiled floor with ease. They are quiet for a moment – but for his humming as they move in sync across the floor, closer and closer to the musicians.

“Not bad, my love,” she smiles as she lifts her head, chin to his shoulder so she can peek up at him and he grins down at her proudly. “Promise me one thing,” she adds impulsively and he nods before she’s even said what it is. He’d promise her fucking anything really – the universe and everything in it if she’d only ask. “Play it for me later? Alone?”

“If you’d like, dear,” he agrees with ease and she nods, paying little attention to the crowd around them as they spin toward the conductor. She steps out of sync then, “bumping” in to him and apologising profusely while avoiding getting entangled in his six arms. The Doctor keeps an eye on every fucking one of those hands, lest they wander places they shouldn’t, but soon enough she is back in his arms with a grin as the music falters and a new song starts. “Too easy, then, hmm?” He leans down to speak in to her ear as he pulls her closer and she shivers, tilting her head away from his lips until his mouth hovers just over her exposed throat.

He doesn’t move, just stares down at her, his breathing growing heavier as they sway in to the middle of the floor, people scattering around them. Good – fuck off, the lot of them. He’d like nothing more than to have her alone, right this very minute. “Well, a girl does like a bit of a challenge, sweetie,” she demurs, her eyes darting around the room as she realizes that everyone is giving them quite a wide berth.

“Excellent. Because in case you haven’t noticed, someone is about to attempt to murder me. Again. More up to your level then, wife?” Her eyes widen and she lifts her head, looking around as their bodies slide to a stop. He knows the instant she feels the hum of the frequency bombs beneath their feet and he grins in response as he steps away from her, her hand still in his, still over his hearts.

“Honestly,” she is speaking with far too wide a grin to even pretend she isn’t thrilled with his latest assassination attempt. “I can’t take you anywhere.”

“Yes well clearly they haven’t heard – the only one I let get away with this sort of thing is you.” They are both grinning brightly at that as she blows him a kiss. The floor rumbles beneath their feet and he grips her hand tighter as the tiles slide away from beneath their feet. Just as the floor opens beneath them, a gaping hole, he swears he hears her mutter ‘amateurs’, but then all he can hear is her laughter as the bottom drops out from under them. A little theft, a little death threat – he clutches her hand in his and grins alongside her.

Like he said – date night.