River wrapped both her hands around the steaming mug of tea and turned away from her kitchen counter. She jumped a little, finding her husband standing a hair's width behind her, spilling hot tea over her hands and swearing as she did so.
"Don't do that!" she said, her voice horse and thick with cold. He grinned.
"What?" she croaked.
"Say something!" he grinned.
"Sweetie, what are you on about?" she groaned. He continued to grin at her, bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet.
"You sound adorable!" he chirped. She scowled at him and he laughed, following her into the cosy little living room. She flopped down onto the sofa, spilling hot tea over her hands again and groaned dejectedly, looking down into the now almost empty mug.
"I fail to see what you are finding so adorable," she grumbled thickly.
"You sound really cute!" he chimed.
"This," she said, pointing to her red nose, "is not cute. I, am not cute. I am ill. And gross. And tired. And I blame you." He stopped bouncing and smiled apologetically at her.
"Rain Gods?"
"Yes. Bloody Rain Gods." She drained what little tea remained in the mug and looked into it miserably for a moment before scowling back up at her husband. He smiled softly at her.
"I have just the thing," he said. "I'll be right back." River rolled her eyes as she watched her husband run into the TARDIS, which was sitting in the corner of her living room, and flopped back into the sofa, sniffing.
The Doctor re-emerged with a large fluffy blanket slung over one arm, and a mug of gently steaming white hot chocolate in the other hand. He sat down next to his wife and encased her in the blanket, wrapping his long arms around her and handing her the warm mug. He planted a soft kiss on her forehead as she took a sip of the hot chocolate, and then sighed contentedly as creamy warm sweetness slid down her throat.
"I'm sorry," he said, kissing her again.
"For what?" she said.
"Making you ill." She smiled.
"As long as you are willing to play nurse."
When she had finished the hot chocolate the Doctor set the mug down on the little coffee table in front of them and River nestled her head into his chest, her eyes growing heavy.
"Better?" he asked.
"Not really," she mumbled thickly. "But this is nice." The Doctor chuckled as he watched her eyes droop and begin to fall shut, the beating of his two hearts, and the humming of the TARDIS lulling her towards sleep. She did look adorable, with her red nose, her slightly parted pink lips. He listened to her breathing, slightly heavy, slightly forced, and brushed the curls from her face, planting a very soft kiss on her lips. She grumbled incoherently as he prised her from sleep.
"Time for bed I think," he whispered. She nodded, not opening her eyes. He pulled her up and smiled to himself as her head flopped against his chest and he scooped her up into his arms.
When he had settled her in their bed, cocooned in the blankets, he wrapped his long arms around her and watched, a little smile tugging at the corner of his mouth as she slept, listening to her laboured breathing, her lips parted, desperately fighting the urge to kiss her. Even ill, she was beautiful to him, always, and forever, completely beautiful.
