River Song (spoilers_) wrote in knowhereic, @ 2017-07-06 15:18:00 |
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Entry tags: | whoniverse: canon: river song, whoniverse: canon: twelfth doctor |
Characters: River Song, Twelfth Doctor
Where/When: Twelve's TARDIS, after this and this
Rating/Warning: Low; unabashed sap as living arrangements are discussed
Status: Complete
At the Doctor's invitation and promise of champagne, River arrived at the TARDIS moments later. She did not bother to knock, but rather pulled a silver key out of her cleavage and put it in the lock. "Honey? I'm home," she called out dramatically as she entered. The words echoed off the cavernous walls of the empty console room. Dismayed, she wandered over to the monitor, and after pressing a series of buttons, saw what she was looking for. "You nostalgic idiot," she muttered under her breath, but inside her chest, her two hearts fluttered.
She made her way to the room two doors past the Butterfly Room, on the left, the room that contained a replica of the home they had shared on Darillium. She hesitated outside the door. Despite his request for her company, the Doctor had been a little tetchy lately. His blatant jealous had surprised her. And while she had brushed it off playfully (as always), she had been hurt by his insinuation that her flirtation with others was anything but innocuous. She was not used to being cooped up quite like this, and with the Doctor busy with his own troubles, she had only been looking for a little entertainment. But perhaps she had been a little too aloof with the Doctor. It still felt strange to see him again, and a part of her worried that he might just disappear like Donna had done. She did not know if she had another goodbye in her.
She took a deep breath and knocked three times.
The door swung open after the last knock, automatically; the Doctor was nowhere to be seen, but in his place were candles. Several, flickering rose scented votive candles inside faceted crystal cup holders, placed in a line across the floor leading inside, creating a trail meant for her follow in the dark. The trail led her through their house to the back, ending at the terrace, where the TARDIS simulated Darillium's expansive, rocky landscape, perfectly recreating the view. The sky was several shades of red and gold as the simulated sun set low in the horizon.
A circular table was set, dinner for two - plates, glasses, silverware, and a bottle of champagne was cooling in a bucket of ice. There was even a vase with flowers. The Doctor waited for River, not at the table, but with his back casually leaning against the wall, near the door so that she might've not noticed him there as she stepped out upon the terrace. He wanted to observe her without her knowing, to hopefully get an honest reaction.
After a few moments, he called attention to himself by casually asking, "So. Too much? Am I trying too hard?"
River was caught off guard by the romantic setting. She knew better than most how very capable the Doctor was of grand, sweeping gestures of the heart. She had been the lucky recipient many times. But nothing quite to this extent. He had very clearly made an effort to pull out all the stops, and she found herself quite moved. She pushed back the tears that were threatening to break free down her cheeks and followed the Doctor's trail to the terrace.
She did not see him at first, but was instead greeted with the beautiful Darillium sunset and the smell of fresh-cut flowers. She reached out to touch the tablecloth, feeling the bumps of the lace beneath her fingers as she walked by. She plucked a flower from the vase and walked over to the edge of the terrace. Looking out towards the simulated towers, she held the flower up to her nose and took a deep breath, enjoying the sweet scent of the petals.
River smiled at the sound of his voice, and spun around to face him. "Never," she beamed at him, her face and hair alit with the red and gold glow of the setting sun. She approached him slowly. "If it's worth doing, it's worth overdoing." She reached out to run her hand down from his shoulder to his elbow, then leaned up to press her lips against his. She hoped that answered his question.
Even though the Doctor always found it difficult to say the words, he loved River Song; she meant the universe to him, and he considered himself fortunate that their timelines crossed. He didn't realize how anxious he was about River's reaction until he watched it from his secret place, and saw that she approved. Honestly, he wasn't as good at the whole romance thing as he pretended to be... not as awkward as his previous regeneration, but in River's company, he eventually learned a thing or two. She had made him a better person, in so many ways, especially during the 24 years they spent together, and to be given another opportunity to be with her in Knowhere was something he was incredibly grateful for.
The light reflecting her features made River even more beautiful, and the Doctor's adoration of her showed in his eyes and soft smile. He bent down to meet her kiss. When they parted, his mouth was twisted into a smirk as he put on a show of false confidence. "The story of my life," he joked, then took her hand. "Are you ready for that champagne?"
He escorted her to the table, and like a gentleman, he took River to her seat and then began working at opening the bottle. "We really need to do this sort of thing more often. Why aren't you living here, in my TARDIS?"
It was no secret that River was in love with the Doctor. Their names were inextricably linked in databases across the Universe: first, as his murderer, but then as his "consort." River found that she both loved and hated that word. Vainly, she enjoyed the monarchical implications that it carried, but the word also had a kind of cold, clinical detachment to it that seemed to reflect the way River had always seen their relationship. Prior to Darillium—prior to meeting this particular Doctor—she had never been quite sure just who she was to him. Their meetings were passionate and breathtaking, and surely unique among his previous companions, but whether that amounted to love on his end, she was never quite sure. She felt appreciated, trusted, adored even, but never quite beloved. It did not help that they never met in the right order; that one meeting, he would pull her to him for a stirring kiss, and the next, he would, suspiciously, keep her at arm's length.
But this Doctor was different. Under his gaze and in his arms, she felt love, from the very moment she realized it was him on the starship Harmony And Redemption. There had been no mistaking the look in his eyes as he greeted here with a bittersweet Hello, Sweetie. It was one of the reasons his eyes were her favorite part about this new body. They had given her everything she had been needing with one look.
She took his hand gladly and let him lead them to the table. "Mmm, very," she replied, pressing her freshly kissed lips together.
She watched him closely from her seat as he fiddled with the champagne bottle. "You will hear no complaints from me, Doctor. I could get very used to this." She looked around again at the beautiful arrangement of terrace. "That," River replied with emphasis, "is a very good question. Is there room for me here? I don't want to disrupt the Good Ol' Boys Club." She knew very well there was infinite space in the ship. But she also knew that it was also housing several other tenants. As much as her answer was an emphatic yes, she was also cautious not to intrude on whatever might be going on with the other occupants.
After a minute of struggling with the conventional method, the Doctor grimaced and finally set the bottle of champagne down so he could use his sonic screwdriver to remove the cork. Should've done that first, but he'd been trying to be cool, or something. He began to pour when he froze, curiously at River's question.
"Room for you?" It was an absurd question. Not only was there physically enough space in the TARDIS to comfortably house everybody in Knowhere and then some, but, "You're my wife. Everything I have is yours. Is there room for you? You don't even need to ask. I was waiting for you to move in... hoping, actually. I... saved our house here for... us." More specifically, in memory of her, because he didn't think he'd ever see her again, and a little distress crept into his voice at the end, despite himself.
River smiled as she watched him sonic the bottle. Of course there was a cork setting. It was one of the first things she had tried with the sonic he had gifted her.
"You know me, I've no problem at all stealing the TARDIS from right under your nose. But cohabitation is another thing. Or at least it used to be, though I can't just now recall why." She had caught the emotion in his voice, and it sent a shiver down her spine. She tried to mask her own emotion as she rambled, but failed. "But all this," she motioned to their home and the simulated environment, "is all a bit impossible to say no to." She looked at him lovingly and reached across the table to place her hand on his. "As are you."
Sometimes Knowhere seemed like just another stop on the bizarre journey of her life, and she could almost forget that this was simply borrowed time. But the reality of her situation had hit her as she walked through that door moments ago and saw their life on Darillium, his long goodbye to her. It would be the most foolish thing she'd ever done to not to grab hold of this extra time with both hands.
"Alright, let's have the champagne before you make me cry and ruin my makeup."
Taking her hand in his, the Doctor lifted it up to his lips and kissed. His other companions might be astonished that he could be so romantic, and as far as he was concerned, River was to blame. He released her hand so he could finish pouring his glass and sit down opposite her. "You don't have to live here, if it's too much? We can set up another, simpler room, if you'd rather have that? Leave this one for special occasions? I've been keeping this place locked up to keep it private ever since I got here, nobody else has been inside here, or even knows what's inside. You and I are the only ones able to unlock the door."
He lifted his glass of champagne for a toast. "To us?"
River put her hand up to her flushed cheek after the Doctor released it, hoping to hide her blush. She knew she wouldn't hear the end of it if he knew how much she enjoyed his romantic efforts. Give him a little encouragement, and the man thinks he's Don Juan. But truthfully, she probably loved him best that way, all gloating and confidence.
"When have you ever known me to prefer anything simpler? Though, I do love the idea of a secret, bio-locked rendezvous. It's all very alluring. Let's preserve the particularity of this place and save it for special occasions. I promise not to come up with too many of those," she said with a wide, indecent smile.
She lifted her glass in turn and clinked it gently against his. "To us," she replied, before taking a hearty drink of the sparkling wine and relishing the feeling of the fizz tickling her nose and throat.