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Keeping it Under Wraps (13th Doctor x f!Reader)

Synopsis: When you're cast in the role of the Doctor's wife, hiding your feelings suddenly become a whole lot harder

Words: 10.2k

Warnings: teeth rotting fluff

The lobby of the hotel was light and airy, huge windows letting in the bright sunlight, sparkling off mirrors and crystals. A floral scent lingered in the air, and the soft bubbling of a fountain helped to give the place a calming feeling. Marble flooring and high ceilings had your head spinning. You had never been somewhere so fancy, and it was taking your breath away.

You reached out, snagging the Doctor’s coat sleeve. She was looking down at the sonic screwdriver, brow wrinkled. The TARDIS had picked up an odd reading during your supposed day off and she’d immediately set off to find the source.

Posing as guests of the resort had sounded almost relaxing, if not for the certain danger you were sure you’d find yourself in sooner or later. You hoped there would be time for a swim at least.

She turned, flashing you that smile that always made your head fuzzy. You couldn’t help yourself when she smiled like that, agreeing to all kinds of things you knew you shouldn’t. There wasn’t much you wouldn’t do for her, if only she’d smile at you like that.

“Come on,” she said.

She grabbed your hand, tugging you along as she approached the front desk. The woman standing behind the counter looked up, giving you both a bright smile. You returned it, doing your best not to look nervous. You knew the Doctor could get you in anywhere, but every time you still felt the flutter of your heart in your throat.

“Good afternoon,” the receptionist said, “how can I help you today?”

“Hiya, we have a reservation. Should be under the Doctor,” she said. Out of sight you saw the flash of the sonic, pointing up at the computer from under the counter.

“Of course. I’ll just need to see some ID,” she said.

The Doctor thrust her hand into the pocket of her coat, rummaging for longer than most would have found necessary. Pulling the familiar psychic paper from the depths of her pocket, she flashed it at the receptionist, smiling proudly. She tapped on the computer, turning back with a smile.

“Wonderful, looks like your suite should be ready. Killone will show you up,” she said, “we hope you enjoy your stay.”

A tall man with green skin bounded over. He took the bag from your hand, lifting it with ease, and took the keys from the receptionist. Leading you over to the bank of elevators, he gave the two of you an appraising look, eyebrows shooting up. The Doctor wasn’t looking at you but gazing around, eyes flitting over other guests. You thrust your hands into your pockets to keep from fidgeting, not sure what the look he was giving the two of you meant. You didn’t want to think about the possibility that he was about to expose you for lying. You didn’t need this adventure over before it had even begun.

The elevator ride was long, taking you almost to the top of the building. The Doctor was looking at every single button. You could almost see her mind working, wondering what she was thinking.

The doors opened, leading into a long corridor. The carpet was plush and there were few doors. Killone led you to the one right at the end of the hall. He tapped the key card against the reader and pushed the door open.

Your breath caught in your throat. A large bank of windows looked down onto the pool, a balcony outside with loungers and a dining table. A fireplace was set into the wall, flames already flickering despite the warm air outside. The sofa was large enough to be a bed and faced a screen on the wall.

Following Killone further in you saw a huge bed dominating the bedroom, white sheets and comforter obscured under what looked like rose petals in the shape of a heart. A bottle of some kind of alcohol in an ice bucket was cooling to the side, two champagne flutes waiting. You couldn’t tear your eyes away from the heart on the bed, a sinking feeling in your gut telling you something you didn’t want to hear. Killone placed the bag down at the end of the bed and turned to look at you, smiling.

“I shall give you your privacy now,” he said.

The Doctor was inspecting the bottle of alcohol, nose scrunched up as she read the label. She’d rolled her sleeves up and you had to do your best not to stare at her forearms. The Doctor with rolled up sleeves was a very specific form of torture you’d yet to figure out how to deal with. Your face heated up when you noticed Killone watching you.

“Thank you,” you said.

“And congratulations,” he said, “we are so glad you chose us for this special occasion.”

He left without another word, but it was enough to have the Doctor’s head snapping up. The door closed with a quiet snick, leaving the two of you there. Her eyebrows had drawn together and it looked at if she was trying to solve a problem.

“Why would he offer us congratulations?” she wondered out loud, “we’re just staying in their hotel. Nothing special about that.”

“I think they’ve put us in the honeymoon suite,” you said, gesturing to the heart shape on the bed. You couldn’t even look at her as you did. You were sure your cheeks were hot enough to fry an egg on. The universe had to be playing some kind of cosmic joke on you. There was no way this would happen otherwise.

“Now why would they do that?” she said.

She put the bottle back and walked over, bending close to inspect the flower petals. The sinking in your gut had been right. Killone giving you privacy, calling it a special occasion, it was all painting a picture that was not going to be possible to ignore. You were watching your cover story grow more complicated before your very eyes.

“Doctor,” you said, doing your best not to show her you were panicking, “they think we’re newlyweds.”

She turned to you, eyebrows shooting up, and there was a faint blush high on her cheeks. You looked down at your feet, finally allowing your fingers to twist together. Pretending to be a newlywed with the Doctor, it had to be some sick joke. You weren’t going to survive it. Your heart would be destroyed by the time you left. You wanted to ask to call the whole thing off now.

But then she’d ask why and you’d have to tell her exactly how you felt. You couldn’t imagine anything more mortifying than admitting your huge crush on her. You knew there was no way she could return your feelings. Someone as amazing as the Doctor didn’t feel that way about people like you.

No, you’d just have to grit your teeth and bare it.

“Right, well, shouldn’t be too hard,” the Doctor said, “we’re good pretenders. Easy peasy. Nothing weird about it. Might even be better. People love talking to newlyweds, don’t they? I always talk to newlyweds.”

You looked up from your feet. She was looking back at the bed, hands on her hips, but her face was turned away from you. It was hard to get a read on her when you couldn’t see her face. It was like she wore every emotion in her eyes and you’d been learning to read them since you’d met her. You wish you knew what she was thinking.

“So you’re okay with that?” you asked, doing your best to keep your own worry under wraps.

“Course,” she said, whirling around, large smile on her face, “why wouldn’t I be? We’re going to have fun, right?”

“Yeah, so much fun,” you said, “like a proper vacation.”

“I promised you a good time,” she said.

You smiled at her, hoping you were being normal. She grinned back and your heart fluttered. You loved being on the receiving end of her smiles. No one had ever made you feel as special as the Doctor had, and every smile made you feel like you were important to her. So much joy in such a small person practically bursting out in your direction. It warmed you the entire way through.

“I’m going to scan the room, see if there’s anything in the walls,” she said.

Her coat brushed against the skin of your arm as she strode into the living room, holding her sonic out in front of her. You stared at the back of her head, blonde hair ruffled as she ran her fingers through it. You pressed your lips together, having to force yourself to stop watching her.

This trip was going to kill you.

“I’m going to go… uh, shower,” you said, needing a moment alone where she couldn’t interrupt.

You shut the door to the bathroom, flicking the lock. Resting your head against the cool surface, you let out a long breath, trying to keep your cool. you could do this, you could keep your heart under control. You could.

You turned, ready to have a shower, a cold shower. Taking up your entire field of vision was a massive bath, more of a hot tub. Your mouth turned dry and for a moment all you could see was an image of the Doctor in that bath, waiting for you to join her.

Groaning, you buried your head in your hands. You had to get a handle on yourself. You couldn’t fall to pieces now, all because of a silly crush, when there was clearly something more important going on.

Emerging from the bathroom a while later you found the Doctor sitting on that insane sofa, elbows resting against her thighs as she watched the screen. She flipped to another channel. You sat beside her, not so close that you could feel her body heat, but close enough for her to notice you were there.

“Anything good on?” you asked.

“They only show internal channels here,” she said, without looking away from the screen, “bit weird. People usually don’t go on vacation without a bit of telly. It’s all advertising for stuff you can do here. Thirty seven restaurants. Seems a bit excessive if you ask me but no one ever does. Got a gift shop, though. Love a good gift shop.”

“Did the sonic find anything?” you asked.

“Not a thing. Which is quite frustrating. Whatever is going on is well hidden, which suggests they’re a bit professional. Hate professionals messing with things. Makes it so much harder,” she said, wrinkling her nose, looking disgruntled. Your heart did a little flip. That cold shower was not doing the wonders you’d been praying it would.

“Speaking of restaurants, we’re booked in at one tonight,” she said, “complimentary with the suite apparently. Quite swish, that.”

“Good thing I packed my fancy clothes then,” you said.

Her eyes flashed over to you, tongue sliding along her bottom lip. You felt your cheeks heat up, breath stuttering in your chest. Her head titled to the side, eyes sweeping over you, before abruptly turning away. You swallowed past the lump in your throat.

“Do you want to go investigating?” you asked, needed to stop being alone with her for a moment. Being in a room set up for romance alone with the Doctor was becoming unbearable and it had barely been an hour.

“Brilliant idea. You’re always so brilliant.”

She jumped up from the sofa, already half way to the door. All you could do was follow behind her like a lost puppy. You snatched up the keys on your way out, knowing the Doctor would forget them.

You kept yourself pressed against the back wall of the elevator on the way down. You were finding it hard to trust yourself around her right now, something shifting in you with the change in plan. As the doors began to side open, she spun around, grabbing your hand, fingers laced together. Her face was so close to yours, breath ghosting over your skin. You froze, staring at her, unable to look away. Her lips turned up in a smile.

“Come on, wife, let’s go exploring.”

Hand tugging you out of the lift, you almost tripped over your own feet. Your head was spinning, trying to catch up with everything that had happened. Five seconds and she’d destroyed any sanity you had left.

She waved to the receptionist as you passed. You flushed under the surprised look she gave the two of you. You ducked your head, not wanting to meet her eye. You could only imagine what she was thinking.

The sunlight hit you as you stepped outside. The pool was large, beautiful blue water sparkling, with deckchairs littered around the edge. You could see people swimming, floating on their backs, drinks in hand. A bar was on the side, the bartender shaking up a cocktail. You tilted your head back, soaking up the sun.

“It’s so beautiful,” you said, for a moment forgetting the Doctor’s hand in yours.

“Yeah, beautiful.” Her hand squeezed yours. You looked at her, finding her head already turned towards you. Those eyes were so big you could fall into them. Your heart was loud in your ears. She tugged on your hand until you stepped towards her, just slightly. Something in her eyes shifted and she tilted her head towards you, as if about to tell you a secret.

“Hi.”

You jumped, your heart now thudding for very different reasons. You turned, finding a smiling woman standing there, big grin on her face, sun visor throwing shade over her. You did your best to smile.

“Hello,” you said, trying to bring yourself back to reality.

“Y’all must be new here, I haven’t seen you round before,” she said, sounding like she could have been from Texas.

“Just arrived today actually,” you replied, surprised at how quiet the Doctor was staying. She was usually the first to jump in to conversation with new people. You didn’t think it was a good sign she was staying quiet now.

“What brings you here?” she asked, looking over your shoulder.

“We’ve just gotten married,” you said, the lie sour on your tongue, “heard this was the best place in the galaxy for a honeymoon.”

“You heard right,” she said with a laugh, “Deter and I came here for ours. Of course it wasn’t as big back then, but it’s perfect for our 25th anniversary.”

The Doctor tightened her grip on your hand until it was almost painful. You shot her a look, trying to ask her what was wrong. She was staring at the woman, seemingly ignoring you completely.

“You must join us in the sky lounge tonight,” she said, “there is no better view for the firework display.”

“I’m afraid we have dinner reservations,” you said.

“And of course you’ll be wanting your privacy, I’m sure,” she said with another laugh, “Deter and I certainly were when we were in your shoes.”

You had to get your flush under control or you’d be spending your entire time there with a hot face. You were going to be fielding similar comments as long as people thought you were newlyweds. You dragged your eyes back to the Doctor.

“Come on, love,” she murmured, finally looking at you too.

You gave her a soft smile, letting her tug you away from the woman before she could ask you anymore questions. She tucked some hair behind her ear, cuff winking in the sunlight. Her hand was still in yours but no longer hanging on with all her might. For a moment, just a short moment, you allowed yourself to believe this was real.

Moving past the pool you followed a trail out into a garden, shaded by trees, and full of flowers. Bees buzzed in the air. The Doctor paused in front of a flower bush, letting your hand go to pull the sonic from the depths of her pockets. Turning in a slow circle, she scanned the world around you, continuing to look more and more disgruntled with the readings.

“Nothing,” she said, almost pouting.

“Be a bit weird to have some evil hide out in the garden, wouldn’t it?” you said, “it’s usually more basements in our line of work.”

“If you start assuming where evil hide outs will be then you start missing things and then they can sneak up on you. I hate when things sneak up on me,” she said, “it always leads to trouble.”

“Does anything ever not lead to trouble with you?” you asked, flashing her a smile when she snapped back to you.

“Hey, watch it,” she said, pointing the sonic at you, “I can do no trouble. I’m ace at not getting into trouble.”

“Uh huh, and were you just waiting to show me that or…?”

You weren’t expecting her to lunge at you, hands outstretched. Her fingers found your sides, merciless in their tickling. You were laughing, tears streaming from your eyes and you pushed uselessly at her shoulders. You could hear her laughing too, not letting up.

Slowly, tortuously slowly, she began to stop, hands resting on your waist. Breathing hard you stared at her. She was staring back, the smile on her face bright. You hadn’t realised how close she was before, doing everything you could to push her away from you, but now it was as if you were wrapped in her. If you moved just a touch you could kiss her. Your eyes slipped down to her lips.

You stepped away from her, looking away. Your gaze settled on the flowers, bright blue and beautiful. Leaning forward, you plucked one from the bush. You held it out to the Doctor.

“For my beautiful wife,” you said softly, hoping she’d missed your moment of weakness.

“Beautiful?” she asked, reaching for it. Your fingers brushed together as she took hold of the stem.

“Well, I wouldn’t have married you if I didn’t think you were.” You winked at her.

You didn’t let her take the flower, knocking her hand away to tuck it behind her ear. She smiled, dazzling, more beautiful than the stars. You breath caught and you had to turn away before you did something stupid like actually kiss her. You only had yourself to blame. Flirting would only get you into trouble at this point.

You spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the grounds. Her hand was warm in yours, and you loved the way she pointed at things, excited to share them with you. You found yourself watching her more than the surrounds. No matter how many amazing places she took you, she would always be your favourite view.

Back in the room, your bag had been unpacked and there was fruit laid out on a platter. The Doctor stood over it, picking at it. You looked away when she popped her finger in her mouth, sucking the left over sugary juice from her skin. You pressed your lips together, turning to look out the window, down onto the garden you’d just been walking through.

“I’m going to go get ready for dinner,” you said, fleeing back into the bathroom.

Another cold shower and another chance to remind your heart that none of it was real. You were friends, you were just friends, and that was great. If she did anything else, then she was oblivious to the effect it had on you. You refused to read too much into it. You couldn’t read too much into it, or else you’d get seriously hurt.

You slipped your dress on. Reaching around, you struggled to zip yourself up. Sighing, you turned to look in the mirror. Your fingers scrabbled but you couldn’t bend yourself into the right shape.

“Hey, Doc,” you called, stepping out of the bathroom.

The Doctor had changed in your absence. Leaning forward, she was looking in the mirror as she adjusted her bowtie. You paused on the threshold, eyes skimming over her. A suit. You hated every single time she wore a suit. She looked so good in it, it made you a stuttering mess. It left no room for thoughts in your head beyond how good she looked.

She caught sight of you in the mirror. Head snapping around, she looked at you with wide eyes, a slow smile spreading over her face. You shook your head, trying to gather your thoughts again.

“Could you zip me up?” you asked.

“Course I can,” she said, bounding over.

You turned, presenting your back to her. Gentle hands pushed your hair over your shoulder, lingering on the side of your neck. Your pulse jumped at her touch and your breath caught in your throat. The zip began to rise, knuckles softly grazing against your skin. You turned your head, just slightly, wanting to catch a glimpse of her.

She was closer than you were expecting, breath ghosting over your cheek. Her eyes had lost their twinkle, down to a soft smoulder, fingertips brushing over your skin. You caught your bottom lip between teeth, scared of making some kind of noise that would ruin the moment. Her eyes dropped down to your lips. You watched her throat bob.

She stepped back from you, hands falling to her sides. You blinked, taking in a deep breath, turning back to the room proper.

“Perfect,” she said, her voice so quiet, little more than a breath.

“Thank you.”

“Right, well, dinner,” she said, bouncing away from you. She looked in the mirror again, tugging on the tie one last time before turning towards you, “the reviews say it will be good, although I think they wrote their own review. Might not be that good. I hope it is. Did you try the fruit out there? Great fruit. Fruit is fabulous, isn’t it? We should have more fruit on the TARDIS.”

“Doctor?” you said, interrupting before she could continue rambling.

“Hmm?”

She turned away from the mirror, looking at you then immediately away again. You ignored the light flush on her cheeks.

“Let’s go to dinner.”

She was silent the entire way to the restaurant. You weren’t sure what to think about that, used to her chatter always in your ear. It was making you nervous, scared you’d overstepped a line. Maybe you shouldn’t have asked her to zip up your dress. Usually Yaz was your go to for help of that kind, but alone with the Doctor you’d had no other options. You didn’t want her feeling uncomfortable with you.

“This place is really nice,” you said, unable to stop yourself when you stepped into the restaurant.

“Only the best for my wife,” she said, and just like that your heart was beating double time and you felt yourself melt. With a hand resting on the small of your back she led you over to your table. She held out the chair for you and for just a moment you forgot this wasn’t real. You wanted it to be real so badly it was like a physical ache in your chest.

“So, what do you think?” you asked, glancing over the menu.

“I think you look beautiful tonight.”

Your cheeks heated up and when your eyes met hers it was like you turned molten. She was looking at you like the universe was being born within you. It was intoxicating but it was making your mouth grow dry.

She turned, looking up at the waiter to place her order. You followed suit, glad for the excuse to stop looking at her. You played with your knife, pushing it out of place then straightening it again. This night was already making you feel insane.

The food look amazing and luckily whatever seemed had made the Doctor shut up had worn off. She kept chattering on as she ate, not giving you a chance to interject. It was nice, being able to listen to her again, back to normal. Her voice always helped to calm your nerves.

“And a complimentary dessert to celebrate your new union,” the waiter said, placing what looked like a slice of red velvet cake between the two of you. There was a heart drawn in chocolate syrup on the plate and two spoons. Your cheeks heated up but the surprised grin on the Doctor’s face had you smiling too. Her joy was always so infectious.

What you didn’t expect was for her to hold out her spoon, cake heaped on it, extended over the table. You froze, staring down at it.

“Come on,” she said, “open up.”

You wrapped your lips around it, sliding the dessert from the spoon. It was soft and sweet and you hummed. There was a flush high on her cheekbones as she pulled the silver metal from your mouth. She scooped up her own bite of cake, shoving it into her mouth. A bit of icing clung to the corner of her mouth and you had to fight against the urge to lean over and swipe it away. Her tongue darted out, catching it. You had to swallow past a lump in your throat, turning your attention to the slice of cake. It was hard to focus after that.

Her hand was on the small of your back again, guiding you back into the lift. It was driving you mad, having her touching you in ways she hadn’t before. It wasn’t anything but chaste but it was making you feel like you had butterflies in your stomach.

“Right well, I’ll take the sofa and you can sleep in the bed. You humans need more sleep than I do anyway and the bed looks comfy. I’m sure the sofa is too. Been meaning to get a sofa, a nice purple sofa. I could sit on it. Imagine me sitting on a sofa,” she said, turning to you once you’d closed the door.

“I don’t have to imagine it. You were doing it earlier. You looked good,” you said without much thought. Your brain catching up with your mouth, your eyes widened and you had to fight the impulse to clap a hand over your mouth. She smiled at you, as bright as the sunrise.

“So you’ll take the bed and I’ll take the sofa and tomorrow we’ll go talk to some people,” she said.

“Or you could just sleep in the bed as well.” You really had to start thinking before you opened your mouth. Her eyebrows shot up and there was a pleased look on her face.

“Really?” Her voice held such hope you couldn’t say no now.

“Well it is massive so there’s easily enough room. Plus they might think it’s weird if housekeeping comes in and sees we didn’t share the bed. Newlyweds and all,” you said, not able to look at her.

“If you’re sure.” You weren’t used to her sounding anything less than sure with you.

“Of course.”

You watched her kick off her boots, the same boots she’d been wearing the entire time you’d known her, and shrug out of her jacket. As she turned back to you, you realised that you were frozen, just staring at her, watching every movement. She tucked her hair behind her ear, her cuff flashing at you.

Rather than ask her to help unzip you, you chose to struggle, contorting yourself into weird shapes to reach the zipper. You left the dress hanging in the bathroom, wearing an old t-shirt and pair of shorts. The Doctor was sitting on the edge of the bed, staring off into space.

“Which side do you want?” you asked.

She jumped, eyes snapping up to you. You gave her a soft smile, wondering what was going through her mind. You were used to her being distracted but not within her own head. It threw you off your equilibrium, the way almost everything had on this trip.

“Left?” She scrunched her nose at you, “I always trust left. Brilliant side is left.”

“Sure, sounds good,” you said, sitting down on the right side of the bed.

You slid under the covers, sheets cool against your skin. You sat, waiting for her to join you. She hadn’t gotten undressed, still in her trousers and shirts, and looked a little unsure as she climbed in beside you. The bed was huge, easily putting space between your two bodies.

You lay down, head on the pillow, hands crossed over your stomach, staring up at the ceiling. You felt her shift, glad for the space. It kept the awkwardness from the air. Or so you told yourself.

“Thank you for bringing me here,” you said, “it’s been lovely so far.”

“You’re welcome,” she replied, her voice quiet.

The lights dimmed. The atmosphere became charged. You froze, breath catching in your chest, any relaxation disappearing. You became so aware of her and all that space shrunk until it felt as if she was only a millimetre from you. Something crackled between you, making your fingers tingle. You could feel her in the darkness.

She shifted, the quilt tugging on you. She sighed. You clenched your fists, holding as still as you could. You tried to slow your breathing but it was hard when her warmth was so close to you. Squeezing your eyes shut, flashes of the day ran through your mind. Her tongue catching the icing on her lips, fingers grazing along your spine as she raised your zipper, your hand in hers. You could feel the ghost of her touch.

You turned your head in the dark, searching for her. Blonde hair spread out on the pillow almost shone through the dark. Chest rising and falling, she was staring back at you. Your tongue darted out, wetting your lips. She caught her bottom lip between her teeth, eyes darting down to yours. Heat spread through your body.

“Still okay?” she asked.

“Of course,” you replied.

But still, neither of you looked away. You couldn’t catch your breath. She reached over, tugging one of your hands between you, threading her fingers through yours. With her other hand she brushed some of your hair away from your face, fingertips lingering on your jaw. You lent into her touch, unable to stop yourself.

“You should get some sleep,” she said, “humans need plenty of sleep.”

“Yeah,” you agreed, words lost under her touch.

“Sweet dreams, love.”

“You too.”

You closed your eyes as her fingers retracted from your face. Her hand still in yours, you slipped into sleep at some point, not noticing when thoughts became dreams.

Waking up, you were enclosed in warmth. You sighed, snuggling back into it, hoping to catch a few more hours of sleep. You were warm and sleepy and you had nothing you needed to do that day.

Arms tightened around your waist and a soft breath puffed over the nape of your neck. You hummed, burying against the body behind you. The familiar scent of electricity and stardust surrounded you, helping to lull you back into a doze.

Soft fingers brushed against the bare skin of your stomach where your shirt had ridden up in your sleep. A nose buried into your hair and legs tangled with yours. You’d never felt so safe, so comfortable in your entire life. All you wanted was to stay there forever.

That was, until you realised who was holding you.

You stiffened. A familiar voice grumbled something unintelligible, arms tightening around you. You had no idea what to do, plan after plan running through your brain to get out of the situation. A supple body pressed against your back and a soft groan reverberated in your ears.

“Is it morning already?” the Doctor asked. Her voice was still rough from sleep, almost slurring on her words. Your heart missed a beat.

“Yup.”

“Suppose we should get up and investigate then.” You could almost feel the brush of her lips on your skin as she spoke.

“Yup.”

You sat up, her arms falling from your body. Glancing down at her, she kept her eyes closed, hair adorably ruffled, nose scrunching up. Her hands snagged on your shirt again, holding you in place as she eventually blinked those eyes open. First thing in the morning Doctor should be illegal. Your heart was beating so hard in your chest you were worried it would crack your ribcage wide open, spreading your feelings out in front of her on full display.

“Did you get enough sleep?” Her eyes did that thing they did whenever you knew she was worried about your wellbeing, widening then scrunching together. You nodded and she let you go.

You swung your legs over the side of the bed, not able to look at her. You were finding it difficult to concentrate when she looked like that, all rumpled and soft. Keeping your back to her, you stood.

“Should we check out the pool today?” you asked, “you promised me swimming.”

“Sun and surf,” she said, “well no, not surf, but the closest thing they have to surf. Might even be salt water. Still can’t surf on it, not without trying really hard and they try to stop you in places like this so no surf. But swimming. And sun. Can’t forget the sun. You like sun right?”

“Yeah, Doc, I like sun.”

Only, you thought maybe you’d made a mistake once you got down to the pool. You sat down on a deck chair, tugging your shirt off over your head. The Doctor, on the chair next to yours, snapped her head around to you, eyes widening. You lay back, doing your best not to cross your arms over your chest or cover yourself up, aiming to appear normal. Her eyes dragged over your body, drinking in your exposed skin. Her eyes flitted away once she noticed you watching her, scanning over the people already in the pool. Late morning and there were plenty of people about.

“We should go swimming more often,” you heard her mutter under her breath. You weren’t sure what she was thinking, but you knew it was a thought not directed at you.

“Right, drinks, we should have drinks. People have drinks at the pool. Drinks.” She stood up and turned on her heels, striding off to the bar. You watched her go, eyes sweeping over her coatless form. You loved that coat, but there was something intimate about seeing her out of it. It reminded you of late nights and soft voices.

“Well aren’t y’all the cutest couple.”

The woman from yesterday had taken the Doctor’s deckchair without you noticing. You smiled at her politely, not sure what to say to that.

“I didn’t get a chance to introduce myself yesterday,” she said, “I’m Eria, and over there is Deter.”

She pointed at a portly man doing a breaststroke through the crystal clear water. He waved at her when he noticed her looking at her. She waved back.

“How long have you known your wife?” she asked.

“It feels like forever,” you replied, not having to lie about that.

“You’re very lucky, you know. She looks at you like you invented sliced bread,” Eria said.

“Maybe I did,” you replied without much thought.

You were watching the Doctor at the bar, talking to another one of the guests. She was gesturing wildly, the liquid in her glass threatening to spill over the sides. So much for bringing you a drink too. And yet your heart felt like it was growing too big to fit in your chest.

“More importantly, you look at her like the sun and moon rise with her,” Eria said. You felt your cheeks heat as you looked back at the woman in the deckchair beside you. She was giving you an indulgent smile, clearly enjoying flustering you.

“They might,” you replied, turning your eyes back to her. She was looking back at you, a soft smile on her face. Your heart did a somersault and your breath caught in your throat. You couldn’t look at her when she smiled at you like that.

Eria chuckled, giving you a knowing look. Your flush deepened.

“Don’t worry, it’s nice to see such a sweet young couple so in love,” she said, “it gives us oldies some hope.”

“Sometimes I worry I love her more than she loves me,” you said, not able to stop it from slipping from your lips.

“You have nothing to worry about. I’ve never seen a couple more besotted with one another than you two,” she said, “other than me and Deter.”

You looked back over at the Doctor. She was finally making her way over to you, both hands full with some kind of fruity concoction. She sat down at your knee, passing you one of the chilled glasses. Your fingers brushed together and you had to suppress a shiver.

“Hiya,” she said to Eria, before attempting to catch the straw in her drink.

You felt mesmerised by the sight of her tongue chasing the bright blue straw around the glass. Her lips wrapping around it and the sound of her sucking had you looking away, fingers fiddling with your own straw. If you looked at her again you felt you might combust.

“I was just saying to your wife here that it’s so nice to see a young couple so in love.”

The Doctor sputtered, coughing up her drink. You banged her on the back, leaning forward to reach. Her cheeks were red and she was staring at the woman with wide eyed horror.

Placing a hand on her cheek, you turned her face until she was looking at you, hoping to make it look as if you were worried, while shielding her reaction from Eria. While your heart sunk, you lent closer.

“You okay?” you asked.

“Brilliant. Tip top. Never better. In perfect condition. Absolutely spiffing.” She went silent when her eyes met yours and the flush on her cheeks deepened. You took the drink from her hand, putting it down on the concrete ground.

“Perhaps we should practice breathing before you have any more of that,” you said.

Her smile sent butterflies ricocheting through your chest. You looked away, not able to handle the whiplash. Her hand on your knee drew your attention back to her. You offered her a smile, hoping she couldn’t see the conflict within you.

“All good?” she asked, voice soft and kind and caring, the exact voice that was always your undoing when it came to her.

“Perfect,” you replied.

She tucked a strand of your hair behind your ear, leaning closer to you. You sighed, skin almost sparking from her proximity. There was a crease between her eyebrows as they drew together, eyes darting over your face. You smiled, placing your hand on the small of her back as you lent towards her.

“Promise,” you said.

Her touch slipped to your shoulder, fingers brushing over bare skin. Your gasp was entirely too audible, especially for how close she was. She tilted her head as her fingers did it again, nails dragging along your skin. You shivered, wanting to press close to her, wanting those fingers on every inch of your skin.

“I really must insist you join us for the fireworks tonight,” Eria said, breaking into your bubble.

You lent away from the Doctor, your face feeling on fire. A matching blush seemed to be rising in her cheeks as she turned her head away, looking out over the water. Her hand fell from your shoulder and yours slipped from her back. Suddenly it felt as if there were miles of space between you.

“I’m sure that would be lovely,” you said, voice strained.

“Wonderful,” she said, standing, “we’ll be in the sky lounge from about eight. Don’t be late.”

The Doctor reclaimed her deckchair. You fiddled with the straw in your drink, not able to look at her anymore. The silence felt heavy and all you wanted was for it to disappear. The Doctor’s chatter would have been a comfort but it appeared as if she was lost in thought.

“There’s something about her I don’t like,” she eventually said, “too friendly. It’s fishy. Not at all what I would say is innocent behaviour.”

“I don’t think being friendly is suspicious behaviour,” you said.

“Why was she so insistent on us watching the fireworks with her? And why does she keep interrupting us? Two days we’ve been here and she’s found us both times. No, there’s something weird going on here,” she said.

“Well, did you sonic her?” you asked, not willing to be drawn into a conspiracy with her.

“No.” She crossed her arms and pouted like a child,

“So we’re going to go check out the fireworks, right?” you asked.

“Yes.” She was still pouting.

“Do you want the rest of your drink?” Sometimes it really did feel like babysitting with her.

“No, I’m going to go exploring,” she said, standing up.

“Do you want me to come?” You weren’t sure you should leave her on her own. She seemed to be in a mood, and Yaz always said she shouldn’t be left alone when she’s in a mood.

“No, you stay here and be all…” Her eyes swept over you. You watched her throat bob before she turned on her heels and marched away without another word.

“Alright then,” you said to yourself, “guess I’m on relaxation duty.”

You didn’t see her again for the rest of the day. Once you grew tired of the pool you headed back to your room, ordering some food to pick at as you waited on her. She’d been right about the tv, only internal channels available. You couldn’t focus on them, feeling jittery without knowing where the Doctor was.

As the hours passed, you ordered more food to the room, feeling the need to keep up appearances. Eventually, as it became clear the Doctor wasn’t coming back, you went to go get changed into something appropriate for the sky lounge. Shimmying into a pair of tight jeans you began to look through the shirts you’d brought. You had no clue what was right for fireworks.

“You’ll never guess what I found.”

You shrieked, whirling around, clutching a shirt to your chest. The Doctor froze mid-bound, her eyes widening and cheeks flushing. Her mouth fell open, gaze sweeping over you. You felt yourself grow warm, not able to move while she was still looking at you.

Her mouth snapped shut and she whirled around, clapping a hand over her eyes. You squeaked, pulling on the shirt in your hands.

“What’d you find?” you asked, trying to keep your voice steady.

“There’s some interesting readings coming from the sky lounge,” she said, “I knew there was something going on up there. Too friendly.”

“If you want to say I told you so, you can,” you said.

“I never say I told you so. Well, almost never. Practically never. Only when it’s really necessary.” You couldn’t help but smile at her chatter, the familiarity rushing over you, replacing all the anxiety that had been climbing in you all afternoon.

“Come on,” you said, pulling her hand from her face and dragging her back towards the door, “let’s go investigate.”

Her hand tightened around yours, holding on the entire way up to the sky lounge. Stepping out, your breath caught in your chest. The windows looked out onto a beautiful night sky, showing off the grounds you’d wandered through the day before. Sometimes it was hard to believe places as beautiful as this actually existed.

You heard your name called. Turning, you found Eria waving at you, the man she’d pointed out as Deter at her side. The Doctor’s fingers tightened around yours. You lent towards her.

“Play nice,” you whispered.

She scrunched her nose at you but didn’t argue which you took as a win. Tugging on her hand, you led her over to your new friends who may or may not be evil. The Doctor’s arm wrapped around your waist, holding you close to her, almost protectively. You hated how much you liked it.

“I’m so glad y’all made it,” Eria said, “wasn’t I just saying how much I hoped they make it?”

“Yes, dear,” Deter said.

“We couldn’t miss the fireworks another night,” you said.

“I really like fireworks,” the Doctor said.

“We thought you might. You seem like the kind of people who would enjoy fireworks,” Eria said.

“Where’s the best spot to watch them?” the Doctor asked, her arm tightening around you.

“We know just the place,” Eria replied.

She led you around the sky lounge to right in front of the windows. The Doctor positioned you so you were standing in front of her, arms around your waist, chin resting on your shoulder. Your blood was thrumming in your veins and your heart was beating hard. You threaded your fingers through her’s, both keeping her in place and anchoring yourself to the moment.

“This is perfect,” she said, her breath ghosting over your pulse point. You shivered, and you knew she could feel it from how still she went. You lent back against her, feeling her defrost.

“Didn’t I tell you they were such sweet lovebirds?” Eria said.

“Yes, dear,” Deter said.

You could practically feel the Doctor thinking, the gears almost audible in her brain. You turned your head, nose brushing against her temple. Her arms tightened around you before relaxing again. She turned her head towards you, eyes practically smouldering. The rest of the world began to fade away.

Eria called your name, placing a hand on your shoulder. Reluctantly, you turned towards her. She had that knowing smile on her face, the one that had you feeling embarrassed all over.

“Careful dears, or you’ll miss them,” she said.

“Don’t want to miss the fireworks,” the Doctor said.

“No, never,” you replied.

You felt her chuckle reverberate through her chest more than you heard it. You had to stop yourself from turning to look at her again. That would be a dangerous game for you. Your heart wouldn’t be able to take it.

“Look,” she whispered in your ear. You couldn’t suppress the shiver that went down your spine again. She had to be playing with you. There was no way she didn’t know the effect she was having on you.

She pointed out the window. You followed her finger, waiting a moment before colour exploded against the dark sky. You gasped, your hands tightening around her. You could almost feel her smiling beside you, her excitement palpable. You couldn’t be sure if it was because of the fireworks or because of what she thought might happen with the fireworks.

She pressed closer, her body flush against yours. That familiar scent of stardust was surrounding you, invading your senses. She was all you could focus on. The fireworks were little more than blurs in your vision, your whole attention focused on her. Nothing else mattered.

You turned your head, wanting to watch her watch the fireworks. Her eyes were already on you, looking at you with more wonder than when she looked upon the universe. You weren’t sure what to do with that look directed at you.

“I’m glad we came here,” she murmured.

“Me too,” you replied, unable to feel anything other than grateful for this moment.

“I’m glad it was you I was with here,” she continued.

“Who else would it have been?”

She shook her head and you could have sworn there was more space between you before. Her face was so close and her eyes were so big and you could feel her breath on your skin. You felt yourself begin to lean towards her, wondering if you were still awake. This would be a cruel dream.

And then the entire room shuddered. If not for the Doctor’s arms around your waist, you would have fallen. She held on tight, head snapping around to look for the source of the disturbance. You clutched at her shoulders, righting yourself, head still swimming from what had been about to happen.

A pop of colour in your peripheral vision brought your attention back to the firework display. It felt as if a lifetime had already occurred since the beginning of the show and yet it was still going on.

“Don’t mind us, you lovebirds,” Eria said, “nothing wrong with a bit of PDA on your honeymoon.”

You blinked, looking over at her. Deter had his back to you, seemingly looking out over the skyline but something felt wrong. It was beginning to feel like everything you were looking at wasn’t real. Just a tinge of uncanny valley to the whole thing. You shivered, pressing back against the Doctor.

“Didn’t you notice that?” you asked her.

“Notice what, dear?”

“The ground moved.” You couldn’t understand what was happening.

“I felt that way on my honeymoon too,” she said with a far off look on her face, “every time he kissed me I could feel the Earth spinning.”

“The Earth?” You shook your head. Nothing was making sense.

“I’m sure a kiss from your wife will make it all better,” she said, “it always did for Deter.”

“Why do you keep trying to make us kiss?” the Doctor interjected before you could respond, “and why did you want us to come watch the fireworks so badly? And why were you so friendly to us? You don’t even know us. Unless you do. Do you know us?”

“How would we know you?” she asked, that smile still perfectly in place.

“You know my name,” you said, something clicking in your brain, “I never told you my name.”

“Good catch,” the Doctor said to you. Her arms were still around you and her body was pressing against your back, and it was making the whole situation so much harder to get your head around.

Eria’s smile turned brittle, fragile, as if it was about to snap. Deter slowly turned towards you, blank faced, almost robotic in his movements. You flinched back, the Doctor steadying you. She slipped around you, gently pushing you behind her. You always got a little thrill whenever she protected you.

“See, it’s been niggling at the back of my brain all day. Quite annoying. I did a scan up here earlier and I’ve been trying to figure out what the readings meant. But I think I’ve finally gotten there. Because the thing is, this place doesn’t really exist. I mean the hotel exists, certainly, but it’s not a hotel, not a real one. It’s something more. But only in this room. Am I right?”

“I’m sure I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Eria replied, that grin beginning to stretch her face further.

“At first I thought it was something to do with the fireworks, that they were going to do something, but they were just an excuse to get us up here. So what’s going on up here? You may as well tell us, we’re already here,” she said.

“We just want to make your honeymoon special,” she said, “just like ours was.”

“Is it something about us kissing? Is that?” she demanded.

“We only want you to have a special honeymoon,” she said.

“What happens when we kiss?” she asked.

And it was all becoming too much for you. The Doctor talking about kissing you, the ghost of her arms around your body, her protective stance. Your knees were turning to jelly. You didn’t even care what the conversation was about anymore.

“You’ll be happy,” Eria replied.

“Something began to happen when we were going to.”

The Doctor spun around, holding her sonic up. She scanned over the room, over you, and over herself. Looking down at the readout, her eyes widened. Her tongue darted out, wetting her lip before her gaze met yours. You tilted your head, asking her what was wrong. Instead of answering she whirled back towards Eria.

“You’re trying to harness love?” Your cheeks heated at her words.

“You’ll be happy,” Eria said, “there’s no harm in it.”

“You’re stealing love from people,” she said, sounding outraged, “without permission. What I want to know is what are you using it for. There is no more powerful energy in the universe than love.”

The smile over her face broke, the expression like broken glass. You flinched back, able to feel the way it cut through your skin and your defences. Without thinking, you reached out, clutching at the Doctor’s coat, stepping closer to her. You could feel how tense she was, hard as a rock under your touch.

“We need it more than you,” Eria said, not bothering to keep the friendliness in her voice, “you can survive without it.”

“Have you been doing this for 25 years?” you asked.

“Good question,” the Doctor said.

“It is of no significance,” Eria replied.

“We already have a problem with you trying to do this with us, but if you’ve been doing this for 25 years already, we’re going to have a big problem,” she said, “what are you using it for?”

“To feed.”

Her smile stretched too wide, far more teeth showing than should be in any person’s mouth. Her skin began to tear along the corners of her smile, darkness creeping out. The Doctor pushed you back a step, flinging her arms out to keep Eria from getting closer to you.

Something grasped the back of your shirt, tugging you away from the Doctor. You cried out, trying to see what had a hold of you. Another blank face was staring at you. You tried to pull out of their hands, a whimper falling from your lips. The Doctor grasped the wrists, yanking the hands off you.

“No one has the right to steal love,” the Doctor said, “not without permission, and not under my watch.”

In a familiar gesture, she pointed her sonic at the bar. Sparks flew and the ground shook beneath your feet. She grabbed your hand, running from the room as the roof began to cave in. An angered cry followed your retreating bodies. Crashes followed you from the room.

Your feet clattered against the stairs as she dragged you down, down, out into the lobby. The entire building was shuddering around you and siren was starting up, loud and insistent in your ears. She tried saying something to you, but you couldn’t hear her over the noise. You shook your head.

Stumbling out of the front doors, you coughed. Dust and smoke were beginning to coat your lungs and all you wanted was to get a deep breath of clean air to clear it. The Doctor wasn’t relenting, pulling you along as she sprinted. There was a pain blossoming along your ribs and you were gasping for air.

With a hand between your shoulder blades, she shoved you through the TARDIS doors. You caught yourself on one of the pillars, bending over as you tried to suck air into your lungs. She brushed past you, rushing over the console. She mumbled under her breath, staring at the screen.

“Did you,” you gasped out, “just collapse a building on her?”

“The technology was completely embedded within the entire building,” she said, “to disable it I had to destroy the entire thing. They knew that.”

“How did they know who we were?” you asked.

“I don’t know,” she replied.

The sound of the TARDIS taking off filled the silence. You slumped against the pillar, your breathing beginning to even out again. Your mind was still reeling from the last twenty minutes, and all the implications of it. You wouldn’t be able to keep your mouth shut about it.

“Sorry about your luggage,” she said once she was no longer piloting.

“What?” You had no idea what she was talking about.

“Your luggage was still in the hotel,” she said, “I’m sorry about losing it.”

“It’s just stuff,” you said, “I can get more.”

“Oh. Good.”

She lent back against the console, crossing her arms over her chest. She wasn’t saying anything, and you weren’t saying anything, and somehow that was making the entire thing worse.

“Doctor?” you said, not able to handle the silence.

“Yes?”

“What would have happened if we kissed back there?”

The question had been burning through you. If the machine was there to steal love, then surely you would have been the only one effected. You were the only one with any love to give.

“You heard what Eria was saying. It would have stolen the love right out of us, collected it somewhere for them to feast on later,” she replied.

“Yes but, wouldn’t we both have to be in love for that to work?”

“That was the implication,” she said, taking a hesitant step towards you.

“So they would have known something was wrong when nothing happened after we kissed,” you said.

“Would nothing have happened?”

She was standing right in front of you, looking at you with those eyes, so big and wide. Her mouth wasn’t smiling the way you always like it to, and her hands were thrust deep in her pockets. You swept your gaze over her, mouth growing dry, not sure what she was implying.

“Well, if we both had to be in love…” you trailed off, not sure how to say what you wanted to say.

“Aren’t we?” Her voice had turned all soft and melty. She looked up at you from under her lashes and you couldn’t help the way your heart thundered.

“I didn’t think you… I thought… Are we?” You couldn’t collect your thoughts.

“I am,” she said.

“You are what?” You needed to hear her say it.

“I am in love with you,” she said as if it was the simplest thing in the universe.

Her hands landed on the pillar behind you, either side of your waist. Her body brushed against yours and despite the dust and grime on her skin, she’d never looked more beautiful to you. Your hands landed on her shoulders, not sure if you were going to pull her against you or stop her from getting any closer.

“I thought you knew,” she said, “I really didn’t think I was hiding it well.”

“You were hiding it very well,” you said faintly.

“Do you mind if I kiss you now?”

All you could do was shake your head.

The first press of her lips was soft, as if she was testing the waters. You made a soft whimpering sound, fingers clutching at her shoulders harder. Her body pushed against yours until you were pinned to the wall behind your back. Her tongue swept into your mouth and you thrust your fingers into her hair, wanting her closer.

Her hands finally grasped your waist, fingers on bare skin sending electricity over your skin. You moaned into her mouth and her grip tightened, as if trying to hold herself back. You sunk your teeth into her bottom lip and she groaned, pressing against you until one of her legs was inserted between yours. You hummed, tugging on her hair.

Lips trailing down your neck, leaving sloppy kisses in their wake. Teeth nipped at your pulse point, tongue soothing over it. Your head fell back, giving her more access as your eyes slipped closed. Her hands were everywhere, all over your skin and she was muttering into the curve of your neck between kisses.

You tugged her back to you, kissing her with a wild abandon you hadn’t known was in you. You wanted her as breathless as you were, as desperate as you were, as smitten as you were. She kissed you deeper, longer, as if the only thing keeping her alive was your kisses. You were more than happy to provide.

With a small whimper she drew back. Kiss stung lips spread into a wide grin and she was looking at you like you were the most wondrous thing in the universe. You wanted to pull her back into another kiss, but you were desperately gasping for breath, the heat of her skin melded to yours. She was so close and yet you wanted her closer, ever closer.

“I didn’t realise you knew,” you said.

“I didn’t,” she replied, “not really. Not until a bit earlier tonight. I mean I hoped, but I didn’t know for sure. I kept trying to figure it out. I think you were better at hiding it. Another thing you’re brilliant at. You’re so brilliant.”

You laughed, leaning back against the pillar and letting your head fall back. She was watching you now with a surprised look on her face but still shining out from underneath was the glee, that joy that seemed to be sparking from every cell in her body. You wanted to hold her for the rest of forever.

“I thought I was being so obvious,” you said, “this whole weekend has been hell trying to hide it.”

“Why were you trying to hide it?” she asked.

“Why were you?” you shot back.

“Good point.”

You tugged her forward, kissing her again, this time slowly, taking your time with it. And you did have time, plenty of it.

And really, that’s all you needed.