makemeasong | Open post/meme overflow 💫

I don't think there's a way to be any more ready than I already am.

[ She holds out her hand for the bug and when she takes it, she wraps her hands around it and then takes the first sip, wrinkling her nose. ] Still potent.

[ Taking another sip, she leans against his shoulder. ]

I love you, you know. [ Her vision is already starting to get blurry and she forces herself to take another sip. ] I'd run away with you again. Always, forever.

[He takes his own mug but doesn't necessarily drink any of it, keeping his gaze steadily on her as she sips from hers. He's always been the type to jump feet first into situations regardless of their risks. But this comes with more risk than he's perhaps used to. There's more on the line now.]

Always, forever.

[He's there to help lie her down onto the bed and to take the mug from her when he sees her starting to lose consciousness. And when her eyes finally flutter close and her chest stills he sits there devoutly, clutching onto her hand willing this to work.]

[ At first, nothing happens. She's still and lifeless - as dead as she's supposed to be. Her skin even cools as she transitions from human to Time Lord. It takes a long twenty minutes for her chest to rise as she gasps loudly and regeneration energy escapes her lips in a whisp of golden air.

Then it bursts out of her almost violently, bright in the room, fading slowly.

She has stubbornly kept her face, but the rest goes as normal and she wakes up with a start. Her body is on defense because regeneration is only triggered by death, and she flails, eyes wide. ]

[Twenty minutes feels so much longer to him as he sits and waits there and a part of him wonders when he should get worried. But then it begins.

The regeneration process has never been a pleasant one to watch or experience, but he can't deny it's fascinating. It's the equivalent of a star dying and being reborn in and of itself. It's magic.

Even as the golden energy shoots from her body, he refuses to let go, gripping firmly onto her hand even as he squints his eyes shut in response to the flare of light. When it's done, he feels his two hearts beating rapidly in his chest.]

Clara, it's okay. I'm right here. I'm here. You're here.

[ She makes a startled noise in the back of her throat until her eyes finally focus on him and she slowly relaxes back onto the pillow. ]

I'm alive?

[ Her voice is hoarse and she's speaking in Gallifryen, but she's very much alive with 2 heartbeats and all. ]

[He immediately encircles her to bring her close to him. The sound of not one, but two heartbeats falling in time with her own can't help but bring tears to his eyes.]

You're alive. It worked.

[ Clinging to him tightly, her face buries itself against his neck as she doesn't just have tears in her eyes: she fully cries, holding onto him like she just found rescue in an ocean.

Clara winces sharply as her tears taper, more energy escaping from her mouth. ]

Hurts. Most definitely sucks as bad as I remember.

[He can't help but let out his own watery laugh at that as he continues to cling onto her, refusing to let go.]

That's just how you know you're alive. [He pulls back to get a better look at her face.] And you kept your face.

We both know I'm a control freak.

[ Clara presses her forehead to his and sniffles, dragging his hands to her chest so he can feel her hearts before covering his hands with her own. ]

I'm exhausted. Stay with me?

[ She'll likely be out for a long time, but for a while at least, she wants to do her healing in his arms. ]

Even through a regeneration. Talk about a defining characteristic.

[He teases her before nodding and cradling her in his arms and close to his chest much like how they had been several hours earlier.]

I'm not going anywhere. Well, unless you send me away for at beck and call; I wouldn't be surprised if you suddenly developed some kind of odd food craving.

Don't worry, your time's coming and it'll probably be really weird. Weirder than pregnancy cravings.

[ She's only regenerated one other time and that was after escaping the Time War, when her face changed to begin with. There was no beck and call then - now that they know she isn't going to die, there's so much more to talk about. ]

Hopefully I remember other languages when I wake up. [ Since her brain seems to only work in Gallifrey right now. ]

[ It's like a switch is flipped off; as soon as she mumbles out an endearment for him she falls asleep. Except this time she's breathing, chest rising and falling under his touch, both hearts firmly beating. She sleeps for nearly sixteen hours before finally showing signs of waking. ]

[ Rolling onto her back, she presses her hands to her face and rubs then fumbles out of bed, calling out for him. ]

Right, legs. Legs....working? They work. [ She's wobbly until she finally gets it. Face is the same, everything else is new, and she holds out an arm, flopping it around. ] Heavier than usual. Are my hips wider?

God help us all when you do.

[He stays there until she drifts back to sleep, waiting until her breath evens out and her heart beats slow. He brushes back some hair before carefully extracting himself out of the bed, gathering the mugs and heading back downstairs.

The wandering part of him is tempted to explore the area, but he doesn't venture further than the garden taking note of the plants that have taken root there since they had last been there. The last thing the Doctor wanted was for Clara to wake up and not see him there. Regeneration was disorienting process at the best of times and he didn't necessarily fancy a run around the planet looking for his wife - although actually, the thought was rather funny for him to be on the receiving end of.

Instead he spends the rest of his time pouring through the books in the living room, reading for just the sake of reading. He's stirred mid-sentence from her call and he takes the stairs several at a time to run to the bedroom in time to see her like a bit of a new fawn.]

Your hips were always like that, you're probably just seeing them for the first time. How are the lungs? Kidneys? Liver?

[ Taking a deep breath, she holds it as she pokes and prods at her stomach before exhaling. ]

All good, except the left kidney is two millimeters smaller than the right and...

[ With both hands she cups her chest then frowns. ] Smaller. You'll have to decide if you're still happy with taste and everything else you like.

[ Running to the mirror she sticks out her tongue to look at it before spinning around to look at him. ]

Curry. Curry and pickles, please. [ There's the weird cravings. ]

The taste of what? You? I'll be happy no matter how you taste or where you kidneys are placed.

[It's a small nod to her earlier comment about her loving his face no matter what he looked like.]

Curry and pickles? [He raises a brow, an amused light in his eyes.] Can't be any worse than fish fingers and custard. But whatever the missus wants.

Running her finger over her teeth she hums. First, tell me if I kiss the same.

[ Before giving him much of a chance to reply, Clara pulls his face into her hands to kiss him thoroughly, giving it her best go before pulling back with a flourish, grinning at him. ]

Well?

[Before he knows it her lips are on his again, and he can't help but chuckle after a brief sound of muffled surprise. There's no other course of action but to oblige her and kiss her right back.]

Still the same. And you still taste like magic. [He runs his tongue briefly over his lips.] With maybe a hint more citrus.

[ Clara smiles serenely at him before tugging at his hand. ] Feed me, please.

[ She decides to keep his sweatshirt on, pantsless, because why bother when it hangs down on her because he's so much taller? ]

Brownies! Brownies, too.

[He smiles lovingly down at her before leading her by the hand down the stairs.]

Do you want me to start on the curry and pickles first? I do only have 2 hands you know.

I'll help you. Maybe. Do I know how to make any of that?

[ She can't remember. ] Wait, do I like pickles? We'll find out.

Edited 2022-08-16 22:59 (UTC)

You might hate cooking and baking now but we'll never know until we try.

[They reach the kitchen and he grabs her apron for her, placing it over her neck and tying it for her before getting his own.

Somehow, magically, there are things in the pantry for curry and brownies and there are a jar of pickles in the fridge.]

Did you want to try the pickles on their own first?

Good idea. [ She smiles when he puts the apron over her head and she presses a kiss to his cheek before letting him go to get the pickles. ]

[ She begins poking through cabinets and pulls out a few ingredients before making another declaration. ] Wine. We need wine. And music. Oh, is this a date?

[ Clara grins at him. ] It's been a long time since we did that.

Is that a demand instead of a request I'm hearing? [He's asking it teasingly but goes to the wine fridge, extracting a bottle. As soon as he reads the label he recognizes it from a winery they had visited in 1800's Italy.]

We could make it a date, even if you are a little underdressed. Are you going to be able to hold out before the food is even done?

[He's found the rest of the curry ingredients and starts chopping and pulling out various pots and pans.]

Hold out for what? The after part of the date which is my favorite? Or the wine?

[ She's being cheeky, but, well, have to break in the new body sometime. ]

I could go put on fancy dress for you. Or, I think I remember there are lacy things in a drawer upstairs.

[ She gets out the pickles but she's still too weak to get the jar open when she tries and wordlessly offers it to her husband for help. ]

The food, you insatiable, one track minded woman.

[He says it laughing though as he dumps the first lot of vegetables into the stock pot just in time to see the offered pickle jar. He's able to open it no problem and hands it back to her. The mention of lacy things bring a light pink to his cheeks but he takes the silly side as he always does.]

If you have lacy things there are probably ridiculous things up there too.

Do you know how much time we have to make up for? Gonna give your hearts a workout later.

[ She grins saucily at him, then takes a bite of a pickle and wrinkle her nose, shaking her head and managing to swallow, but she keeps shaking her head, offended. ]

No. No to these, get them out.

[ She's so mad at the pickles. ] All the silly stuff upstairs is yours, dear.

[ Clara is really getting back into being his wife, knowing she can tease and be close and it's fine because he's hers. Instead of helping, she hops up on the counter beside him, all long legs under his sweatshirt. ]

Remember that multicolored scarf you had? Silly.

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject