River Song Secret Santa, part 2
Happy New Year, @thesongandthesunset! I did mention this was coming, itâs just a little ficlet but I hope you enjoy our lovebirds being cute together. I posted this on AO3 but figured itâs not too long so the full thing is here too :)
Pairing:Â Thirteen x River
Genre: Fluff
Rating:Â G
Words:Â 1112
Summary:Â The Doctor finally finds River at a New Yearâs party after looking for her all night. It is Riverâs first time seeing the Doctorâs brand new body, and on top of that, itâs the Doctorâs first time seeing River since Darillium. The Doctor thought she would never get to feel her wife close to her again, but fate might have a different idea.
âSo. New year, new me. What do you think?â The Doctor stands before River, open and anticipatory, making space for herself amid the throng of rowdy party guests. Her wifeâs eyes scan over her new form with an intensity that is usually reserved for guns and particularly fascinating artifacts. The Doctor feels studied, examined, but welcomes it with a certain fervor. She wants River to look at her and see her, like she didnât for so long the last time.
This time, for some reason, River knows who she is almost immediately. The scrutiny fades into recognition, and the Doctor lets out a sigh of relief as River smiles. âHello, sweetie,â River says, her voice low and sultry as she steps closer. She reaches out to touch a sample of the Doctorâs new hair, which, despite its sporadic tangles, still manages to be quite soft. âWell, I canât say this is all completely unexpected, but it is a very welcome change.â
As Riverâs hands explore the Doctorâs new bodyâtracing her jawline with tender touch, trailing down to the dip above her collarboneâthe Doctor attempts to determine where River is in her timeline. Judging from the shape of her face and the way she wears her hair, the Doctor concludes she is on the later side of middle days: she hasnât yet met the Doctorâs previous self, but has spent a good deal of time with the one before that. So River knows her quite well at this point, but she doesnât know everything. Specifically, she doesnât know about the amazing twenty-four years they spent together on Darillium, which means the Doctor will have to speak carefully.
Yes, she will definitely have to concentrate hard to avoid misspeaking, because the truth is, River is constantly on her mind. At the time, the Doctor had thought their moments on Darillium would be the last theyâd ever spend together. So sheâd treasured each one even more deeply, making sure sheâd never, ever forget them. Sheâs afraid that if the memories fall too far back in her mind, they will slip away entirely. Rationally, she knows River Song is not one to be forgotten easily, but even so, that fear is the undercurrent of the nights the Doctor spends awake, reminiscing about their domestic bliss. Each minute of remembering is a minute less of forgetting.
Maybe River, through the Doctorâs recollections, could be just as real as she was for all those years. Right now the Doctor canât help feeling that sheâs actually willed her back to life.
Riverâs hands have come to rest on the Doctorâs waist, pushing the trench coat out of the way so she could burrow inside. Her thumbs softly stroke up and down the fabric of the Doctorâs shirt. âWhat is it, Doctor?â she asks. Her eyebrows knit together fractions of a centimeter, searching the Doctorâs face for a hint as to what sheâs feeling.
The Doctor places her hands on Riverâs shoulders and gives them a small rub. They begin to sway absentmindedly to the music thatâs playing a few rooms over. Outside, the sky is still light, and she loves the way it glints golden in Riverâs eyes. The Doctor finds herself scanning the room for a clock, out of habit. Itâs seventeen minutes into the new year, but then she realizes that their time together now is boundless. She doesnât feel the weight of a twenty-four-year clock pressing down on her; instead, she feels light and free.
âYou remember the feeling of regeneration, donât you?â the Doctor asks. River nods. âDid you ever notice that things felt⊠I donât know, different somehow?â
River considers this. âI guess, maybeâwait, are you trying to tell me that I donât feel the same to you anymore? Because if thatâs what you mean, Doctor, then I can assure youââ
âNo, no, thatâs not what I mean, not quite.â The Doctor gives Riverâs shoulders another rub just to make sure she knows what sheâs trying to say. âYou, River, you feel the same. I think you always will. Itâs not the way you feel thatâs different, itâs just⊠the way I feel you has changed.â
River leans her forehead against the Doctorâs. They both realize that it feels even more natural than it had in the past, now that theyâre nearly the same height. âI think I might know what you mean. Tell me more.â
âItâs like⊠the nerve endings have all rearranged themselves, or something. That would make sense, wouldnât it? New body, new sensory mechanisms. It means that every time we change, we take in the universe a whole different way. The way a bird sounds in the distance, or the way cold air hits your lungs when you breathe in. Itâs all new.â
âAnd is it sad or happy?â
âOh, Iâd say a bit of both, just like everything else. Right now itâs mostly happy, since I get to be with you, and I thoughtâwell, best not say that. Spoilers.â The Doctor bites her tongue. Sheâd been so close to slipping. âThe point is, whether Iâm new or old, I couldnât care either way, not if you donât.â
âYes,â River breathes. âI think I do know what you mean.â She pulls back, and the Doctor laments the loss of Riverâs warm breath against her cheek. âYou know, I think Iâve just had a brilliant idea.â
Her tone of voice piques the Doctorâs interest. âAnd what might that idea be?â she wonders aloud.
âWhat do you say toâŠrelearning how to feel me?â she suggests. The sparkle in her eye is positively sinful.
âOh, River Song, you bad, bad girl. Right now, I want nothing more.â The Doctor isnât sure if those words sound quite right coming off her tongue, but she supposes sheâll have to try things out.
âI figured youâd say that.â River leans in for a quick peck on the lips that sends electricity coursing through the Doctorâs body, and leaves her wanting more, more, more.
Before River can pull her off into another side room, suddenly everything clicks into place. Itâs just past midnight, the dawn of the new year, but here on the South Pole of wherever they are, the sun doesnât set in January. Darillium might have been their last night together, but this? This isnât a night at all. This is something else altogether.
River tugs the Doctorâs hand, and the sunlight frames her mane of curls, giving her a glowing aura. Oh, that beautiful woman. The Doctor willingly allows herself to get pulled along, andâwhat is that feeling on her face?
Oh. Itâs a smile. Thatâs a feeling sheâll have to get used to again, and fast.
