For Bex via the Drabble Game Challenge (JohnAmelia, "Who the hell decides to go on an adventure at three in the morning?") and the Collect Items Competition (Feather from a Forgotten Owl: Write about a pairing in which one person dies in canon)
Amelia tries not to scream when she finds Dawlish on her doorstep in the middle of the night. With a groan, she checks the clock over the fireplace. Quarter till three in the morning. This only makes her want to strangle him. "Do you know what time it is?" she snaps.
John offers her his most charming smile. Amelia hates him for it. All it takes is that subtle quirk of his lips, and she can't be mad at him anymore. "Nearly three in the morning, Milly," he says sweetly, stepping into her sitting room without being invited. "Why? Has your clock broken? Lucky I'm here to help you with your time telling needs."
Amelia sighs, fighting a smile as John jumps onto her couch, propping his feet up on the coffee table. "What are you doing here, John?"
"You could at least act happy to see me," he teases. "I couldn't sleep, so I thought I'd come over, have an adventure."
"Who the hell decides to have an adventure at three in the morning?"
He jumps to his feet. With a grin, He gestures around her home. "Come on. You, me. Bottle of wine. Sound like a good enough adventure to you?" he asks.
She rolls her eyes. Most days, she'd be able to make an excuse. Unfortunately, his sleeplessness has fallen on a night where neither of them have to worry about work in the morning.
Amelia smiles. She should have realized John wouldn't be easy to get rid of. He spent more than a decade trying to get a date from her. He isn't going to just give up and walk away.
She knows that she should mind that. Somehow, he tenacity has become endearing, just a silly quirk.
"Most people find a hobby when they have insomnia," she teases. "I bake."
"You're my hobby, Milly."
"Amelia," she mutters, pulling at her wand and giving it a wave. "Accio wine."
John summons the glasses and pours them a drink before clinking his glass against hers. "To many, many sleepless nights spent in your company," he says.
"And to just as many restful nights spent together in my bed," she agrees.
The way his jaw drops is funny to her. He's spent so much time flirting shamelessly. It's nice to know she can leave him gobsmacked simply by being forward. He clears his throat before taking a deep drink of wine. "Yes, well. If that's what you want," he says before taking another drink. "Absolutely."
With a roll of her eyes, Amelia drains the last of the wine in her glass. "Not tonight, Romeo," she teases. "It'll take a few sleepless adventures."
"I can do that. I don't mind at all."
She smiles, thinking of the many times he appeared in her office, asking her on date after date. She's all too familiar with his stubbornness. "Somehow, I knew wouldn't mind," she says gently.
And though she's tired and yearns to crawl up in her bed, Amelia is grateful for John and the laughter his company brings.