This human AU is an alternate version of chapter 5, where Donna was ill on Christmas and John took care of her. In this one, it's John who is sick and Donna who is taking care of him. I wrote both of them at the same time and decided to post the other one, but then I thought why not share both?
John sat down on the sofa with a sigh. His sinus headache was getting worse by the minute despite the tablets he'd taken, and his nose felt so raw from being blown that he was sure it was bright red. He cast a forlorn glance at the unlit Christmas tree in the corner. He was supposed to be at his best friend, Donna's house right now, enjoying a freshly cooked Christmas meal with her and her family. Instead, he was here all alone, shivering and aching, barely able to keep his body upright. It really wasn't fair, but he was too exhausted to care. He closed his eyes and slumped over. Soon, he fell into a fitful half-sleep.
When the doorbell rang and woke him, he groaned. Who was it now? Getting to his feet was harder than it should have been, and his legs felt shaky as he crossed the room. He pulled open the door with a resigned sigh and came face to face with Donna Noble. She was wearing a Christmas jumper and had a bag tucked under one arm. He did his best to smile at her. "What are you doing here?" he asked. She was supposed to be celebrating with her family.
"Oh, John, you look awful," she said, as she stepped inside. "Just awful."
"Thanks," he sarcastically remarked.
She pressed her hand to his forehead and cheeks. Her skin felt felt blessedly warm against his. "You're burning up, you poor thing. Go sit down."
"M'fine," he murmured. He was too cold to be burning up.
"No you're not." She took him by the arm and shepherded him back to the sofa, settling him amongst the pillows. "You sounded terrible on the phone, so I wanted to come over and check on you. Mum didn't much appreciate me leaving the table early, but I knew you needed looking after. Looks like I was right."
"I can take care of myself." He didn't mean to sound so grouchy, but she was supposed to be with her family, not stuck with him. He didn't want to mess up her plans. Besides, he was an adult and fully capable of caring for himself.
"When is the last time you ate?" Donna demanded.
His usually sharp mind felt dull as he tried to think back. "Um…" He remembered eating a banana at some point. But when? "Yesterday, I think," he guessed. He had no appetite when he was sick, so it didn't really matter.
"Right." Donna shook her head. "You stay right there. I'll be back."
John watched her through bleary eyes as she marched into his kitchen. She returned a minute later with a tall glass of iced water and pressed it into his hands.
"Drink that please."
She left him alone on the sofa only to disappear again. He sipped at the water and was surprised to find that he was thirsty. He drank down the whole glass and sighed at the relief it brought to his parched throat. But Donna was still gone, so he stood to go look for her.
He found her in the kitchen, waiting for the microwave to stop. "What are you doing?" he asked.
"I told you to stay in there," she said, shaking her head. "Anyway, I'm warming you up some of your Christmas dinner. I brought some of our turkey and some sides, and a piece of cake. It'll do you good to eat."
"I'm not hungry," he said, softly. "You don't have to do that."
"Oh, John." Donna left her work to approach him. She wrapped her hand around his upper arm and gently led him to the kitchen table. "I want to do this for you. Now sit down and relax. You leave the rest to me."
He did as she said, slumping over to rest his head on his arms. He must have fallen asleep again, because the next thing he knew, Donna was stroking his back and there was a steaming plate of food in front of him.
"There he is," Donna teased as he squinted up at her. "Your dinner is ready."
He forced himself to sit up and inspect the dish. He had to admit that it looked pretty tasty, and if he took a deep enough breath, he could almost get a hint of the smell. Suddenly, his stomach growled, and he pressed a hand to his middle.
Donna laughed. "I think someone's hungrier than he wants to admit. Go on now, it's good."
John took a small bite of turkey and was surprised at the flavors that burst through despite his stuffy nose. "It is good," he agreed.
After he had polished off that plate and half of a second, Donna took him by the hand and led him towards his bedroom. "Where are we going?" he asked.
"You need to change into some pyjamas. You can't be comfortable in that suit."
John looked down at his pinstripes. He was feeling a bit constricted, but he just wanted to go back to sleep. "I'm fine," he insisted.
Donna squeezed his hand. "I know you are, but you're changing anyway."
When they entered his bedroom, she let go of his hand so that she could dig through his drawers. She pulled out his favorite pyjamas with the stars on them and sat them on his bed. "Now, do you think you can manage a quick shower? I wasn't going to say anything, but you're smelling a bit ripe."
John grumbled under his breath. His weighed a tonne, but he didn't want her to be put off by his smell. He had only been trying to gain her affections for the better part of a year now. So he agreed to a shower.
He had to admit that the hot water felt good to his sore skin, and the steam helped clear his stuffy nose. Even his headache had lessened by the time he stepped out and put on his pyjamas.
"Thanks, Donna," he said when he found her sitting on his bed. He even managed a proper smile at her. "I feel loads better now."
"You're welcome. Now come here and lie down." She patted the bed beside her.
"Don't you need to get back to your family?" he asked, even as he sat beside her and reached for her hand. "I don't want you to miss Christmas."
"Oh, I had more than my fill of Christmas cheer with my family, believe me. I wanted to bring some to you." She smiled at him and gave his hand a squeeze. "I was actually planning on staying the night here to keep an eye on you, if that's all right with you. I brought along a change of clothes."
His heart skipped a beat. "Of course, yes, that's fine with me," he readily agreed, grinning. "Best Christmas gift I've ever received."
Donna chuckled. "I'm glad to hear that. Now lie down and get comfortable. I'm going to go get changed."
John just barely managed to keep his eyes open after he lied down and she left the room. He wanted to wish her a happy Christmas and thank her for caring about him and making him feel loved, but all he could do was murmur incoherently when she wrapped her arms around him in a hug and whispered something that he couldn't quite make out. He drifted off surrounded by her warmth and steeped in her comfort.
Just a heads up: Tomorrow will bring the final chapter of this series. It's going to be one more story sat in the ficverse from chapters 22 and 23 because several people asked for more.