Yowzah Oneshot Collection (1)

62(M)

licked its tongue into the corners of the evening

After he declares that they need to get 'down there' he looks at her and immediately sets to scanning the area surrounding the rock that covers the entrance to the underhenge. River watches him idly, pulling various tools out of her belt, lights and grav locks. She's fairly certain if they reverse the polarity they can somehow turn those into less locks and more... pushers.

"River," his voice is a gasp and she glances up to see him hunched by the back of the rock, "could you come here a moment?" River shoots Amy a shrug and a smile, tossing her the mobile lights before she walks around the large rock and crouches down by the Doctor. Of course she knows what he wants.

His hand is flat against the surface of the rock, his sonic scanning the symbols burned into the rock there. "Yes sweetie?" She kneels beside him in the damp grass and he glares at her, jabbing his sonic at the symbols.

"What is that?" he hisses in a low voice and she leans past him to observe the small graffiti, her chest brushing against the arm he has braced against the stone.

"I believe that's Gallifreyan, honey." She keeps her own voice lowered, turning her head to murmur in his ear and a flush crawls up the back of his neck in the rapidly darkening evening.

"Thank you, River, it is my language I am perfectly aware that it is Gallifreyan."

"Then why are you asking me what it is?" She tilts her head and looks at him in confusion and he rolls his eyes, sighing.

"You can read it."

"Of course I can, sweetie." She nods calmly and the flush is now spreading across his cheeks, bless. She bites her lip to keep from smirking, looking instead at the spot where his hand was pressing into the ancient stone.

She remembers the feel of it well.

"Why would you write that?!" he splutters, looking at her for explanation. She arches a brow and shakes her head.

"I didn't."

"Of course you did."

"But I didn't."

"It has your name on it, River."

"Yes, but I didn't write it, Doctor." He huffs in frustration and glares at the words, as if they could have changed in the five seconds he's been arguing foolishly with her.

"It must've been. It says 'River Song was here' though your conjugation of was is terrible, it reads more like 'came'." He is whispering even lower now, his face right by hers as he hisses the words out. She stares at him, barely managing to keep her laughter in, and good lord, she loves this man, she thinks. She loves that he wrote that there, ages ago for her, and ages hence for him. She loves that he did it simply to give her this gift of levity in the middle of an adventure that is proving to be difficult for her. Her first time seeing him since their last kiss. His first. She says none of this to him though, because he's got no clue really. "Well if you didn't write it," he scoffs, clearly not believing that one bit, "who did?"

"Spoilers." He chokes on air at her response, staring from her to the words, laser burned into the ancient stone.

"Spoilers?"

"Yeah, spoilers. Sweetie, we really don't exactly have the time to waste arguing about this, I've got a plan to get down to the underhenge." She stands without waiting for his reply, moving over to the grav locks, lying where she'd left them. She does glance back though, just in time to see his gaze on the words, repeating the phrase over and over again until his eyes open wide and he gapes at the stone in front of him, his eyes lifting to look at the fairly flat surface of the rock. He is just leaning in closer, sniffing lightly when she speaks, "Sweetie?"