Yowzah Oneshot Collection (2)

133(G)

                 let me cater to you

melodypond_thewomanwhomarriedme

He made his way through the university halls as quietly as possible. Lessons were still going on, after all, and it wouldn’t do to get kicked out before he could carry out his little plan. After that, he didn’t care if they told him he could never come within ten kilometres of this place.

The university was unnecessarily sizable for such a small colony, he thought in annoyance as he passed yet another empty lecture hall. He’d been sneaking around the corridors for a good half hour, and if he didn’t find River’s bloody classroom soon, he wouldn’t be able to slip into her class before it ended.

For the last two years, they’d been living in the sort of matrimonial bliss they never allowed themselves to experience before, too afraid of the implications of staying together too long. Too afraid that, if they tried sporadic bouts of domesticity they wouldn’t ever be able to leave each other - which, given their tangled timelines, would surely be a problem.

But now, with the promise of twenty-four years, the pull of having adventures and the thrill of running into danger had faded. To their surprise (and utter delight), both of them enjoyed doing nothing all day, every day - just laying in bed and whispering soft admissions of love to each other. The Doctor had had a millenium of pent-up love that he’d surpressed in her absence, and now that he had her, for longer than he’d even thought was possible, there was absolutely no chance of him not conveying how much she meant to him.

He had thought they were both content with this lifestyle until she told him, out of the blue one day while he was preparing breakfast, that she was going back to teaching.

“What? Why?” He spun around immediately, abandoning the pancake mix he’d been working on.

“I feel... I don’t know, restless, I guess.” She shrugged. “Teaching makes me happy and I don’t - ”

”Are you saying that you’re not - that the past two years you’ve been - ”

Realising what she said and how she said it, registering the way his eyes widened in horror and the way his voice was laced with such uncertainty and an undertone of sadness, she shook her head frantically, reaching up a hand to cup his face in comfort.

”God, no, darling.” She whispered, stroking his cheek and managing a warm smile. “You’ve been terrific, honey, truly. You make me so happy.”

”Good.” He whispered back. It was all he could manage because the thought of that River wasn’t satisfied or happy with the way things were filled him with so much dread he couldn’t handle anything else. If she felt like she was being forced into spending twenty-four years with him then he’d rather not have it at all.

He circled his arms around her waist, pulling her closer. It was all he could do to remind himself that she was happy with him.

”You have things to do,” she explained, willingly entering his embrace and tucking her head under his chin. “You’ve got projects and works and - well, me.” She pulled her hand away from his face to pull him closer, holding him tightly to her. “I don’t have anything else to do in this house. If I don’t find something I feel like I’ll start going crazy and reorganise the Tardis.”

He stayed quiet for a while, contemplating. If she worked, even part-time, it would mean hours and hours lost when they could be spending time together. It wasn’t ideal. On the other hand, her working would mean he’d have more time to work on said ‘project’. Which was saving River from the Library.

“You can - I don’t know, find other ways to make me happy?” he suggested, rubbing his hands over her back.

”Don’t I already?” she asked, pulling back to meet his eyes.