Playing Doctor (Doctor Who: River and 12)

[matilda3948]

This is part of a trade I'm doing with PropertyofCora who shares my new-found love of River and the 12th Doctor. Basically overflowing with spoilers for the Christmas special "The Husbands of River Song." Hope you enjoy

***

“I hate you,” she said between tears.

“No you don’t.”

She cozied up against him and smiled as he wrapped an arm around her waist, listening to the music drift across the plain and up to the balcony. River was still trying to get her emotions under control and the Doctor reached up and brushed a tear off her face.

“Shh. There now. No more of that,” he said quietly. She rested her hand on his chest feeling the reassuring beat of his hearts. River swore she could have stayed like that forever and she was surprised the Doctor hadn’t made a move to pull away from her—standing still wasn’t exactly his favorite thing. The only thing that was less 100% perfect in that moment was the mounting uncomfortable tingling sensation spreading through her sinuses. The tickling feeling was spreading down the outside edge of her nose. In fact, if she didn’t know any better, River swore she was about to

ahhKTCHH!

She managed to half-stifle the outburst, bringing her wrist up to her nose at the last second.

“What was that?” the Doctor asked leaning back a little so he could see her. She sniffed and rubbed the tip of her nose with her index finger, the itch still fluttering around leaving her unsure if she was going to stop at a single sneeze.

“Sorry. It was ahh…a sneeze.”

“Why did you do that?” he asked.

“Well, I suppose because my nose itches.” She barely managed to finish her sentence before nearly doubling over with a harsh, ticklish sneeze.

ahh Ahh…ahhIHHTSCHHeew! hhKtschhheew!

“Bless you.” He got a handkerchief out of his pocket and handed it to her. River pressed it to her nose and then to the corner of each eye.

“Thank you, sweetie. So sorry about that,” she said, somewhat embarrassed at her outburst. He narrowed his eyes slightly and looked her over. She smiled and squeezed his shoulder. “I’m fine. Now didn’t you say something about dinner? I’m famished.” River felt her heart do a little flip-flop when he smiled at her—there was a warmth and intensity in this face she found somewhat irresistible and she was looking forward to having an entire Darillium night to figure out all the ways to get him to smile.

“Are you thinking naughty thoughts, wife?” he asked quietly, holding her chair out for her.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, husband.”

“Hmm. I’m sure you don’t.” He sat down across from her and their first course was immediately served. River tried to focus on the meal, the Doctor, and the beautiful surroundings, but she was increasingly distracted by whatever was bothering her nose…and her eyes…and her throat. Realizing this was likely an allergic reaction to something, she glanced around the room taking a quick inventory. There were no less than fifteen different types of flowers adorning the walls and dripping from the ceiling, each one a likely suspect. Of course, it was possible that there was something else in the atmosphere of the planet that she was sensitive to—always a risk when going to a new place in the a different galaxy.

“Am I boring you?”

“What?” she asked, her eyes snapping back to the Doctor. She blushed slightly when she realized he must have been talking to her while she was trying to figure out what was bothering her. “Of course you’re not boring me. I just got distracted taking in how beautiful this room is.” The Doctor looked around as though noticing it for the first time.

“I like to think I’m more interesting that some plants dangling from the ceiling,” he said.

“Of course you are. You were saying?”

“The original race of xylacks that inhabited Darillium…”

River’s mind wandered again as he continued to talk. A terrible tickle was circling around the inside edge of her nose, increasing with each breath she took. Despite doing her best to fight off the sneeze she knew it was a struggle she would ultimately lose. She took her linen napkin off her lap and held it at the ready.

Ahh—hah…ahhKTSHHew! AhhTSCHHeew!

“Bless you.”

She nodded but couldn’t open her eyes, her nose still plagued by whatever allergen had set her off.

Ahh…ahh AHHtsshheew! T’SHHeew!

She sniffled and rubbed her nose in the napkin, convinced that she was done for the moment. When she looked up she saw the Doctor studying her like she was an intriguing new species of he’d just discovered.

“Are you alright?” he asked.

“Fine. Just a tickle. I’m sorry I interrupted your story about the…what was it again?”

“Xylacks. No matter. What’s wrong with you?”

“Nothing. I—”

The whir of his sonic screwdriver cute off her reassurance as the Doctor stood up and scanned her from head to toe.

“Well?” she asked.

“That’s a nice dress,” he mumbled. She laughed.

“You don’t know what a nice dress is.”

“Think I’m learning,” he said, looking at the readout from his sonic. “You’re allergic,” he said simply.

“Thought as much.”

“Any idea what’s causing it?”

“You tell me. You’re the Doctor,” she said. There it was—that little smirk. She liked that one. He scanned the room and frowned.

“Can’t tell. Too many possibilities in close proximity.”

“Don’t worry about it,” she said. “I’m fine. Don’t let it distract from our dinner.” She barely got enough warning to cover her mouth and nose this time, the sneezes becoming more violent the longer she sat there.

ahhKTCHH! heh AhhTSSHHeew! KTSHHHeew! Ahh…ahh ahhSTSHHHeew!

“But your nose keeps objecting, loudly I might add, to being here. We could—”

“You can play Doctor later,” she said with a wink. “Right now, let’s enjoy our meal.

TBC...

[Klingon]

this is good!

[Kaze Wo Hiku]

Hnnnngggg I adored 12 and River in the Christmas special so this is wondeful!

[TheCakeIsAlive]

This is so exciting Oh, the possibilities....

When I saw you were writing River/12, I was very happy. Then I found out you were writing Allergic River and now I am seriously considering declarations of love.

“That’s a nice dress,” he mumbled. She laughed.

“You don’t know what a nice dress is.”

“Think I’m learning,” he said, looking at the readout from his sonic. “You’re allergic,” he said simply.

“Thought as much.”

“Any idea what’s causing it?”

“You tell me. You’re the Doctor,” she said. There it was—that little smirk. She liked that one. He scanned the room and frowned.

“Can’t tell. Too many possibilities in close proximity.”

So very... them... I loved their back and forth in the episode, and you captured it brilliantly here. Oh, and that goofy smile, I could swoon.

[PropertyofCora]

Ahhh! This is my favorite thing ever, thank you so much! It's even better than I dreamed. I love how River is just determined to ignore her nose and get on with their dinner while the Doctor is like a kid in a candy store trying to figure it all out. And the way you wrote River's sneezing is exactly how I envision her sounding in my mind. I'm so excited for part 2, as well as to start posting yours tomorrow!

[Timberlane]

Ooooo the banter is spot on. Very good job!

[matilda3948]

“That’s a nice dress,” he mumbled. She laughed.

“You don’t know what a nice dress is.”

“Think I’m learning,” he said, looking at the readout from his sonic. “You’re allergic,” he said simply.

“Thought as much.”

“Any idea what’s causing it?”

“You tell me. You’re the Doctor,” she said. There it was—that little smirk. She liked that one. He scanned the room and frowned.

“Can’t tell. Too many possibilities in close proximity.”

So very... them... I loved their back and forth in the episode, and you captured it brilliantly here. Oh, and that goofy smile, I could swoon.

YAY! I'm glad you like the back and forth. I wrote (and rewrote and rewrote) to try and get it right.

Ahhh! This is my favorite thing ever, thank you so much! It's even better than I dreamed. I love how River is just determined to ignore her nose and get on with their dinner while the Doctor is like a kid in a candy store trying to figure it all out. And the way you wrote River's sneezing is exactly how I envision her sounding in my mind. I'm so excited for part 2, as well as to start posting yours tomorrow!

SO GLAD you liked it! I'll story trade with you anytime my fellow Whovian

Ooooo the banter is spot on. Very good job!

Thank you! Banter is the spice of life

Absolutely no idea where I'm going to go with the second part but when I figure it out, y'all with be the first to know

[cally]

The banter is very spot on! I could actually see this happening as a coda to that episode tbh!