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It was freezing. Absolutely freezing, and there was no way you were going to walk the odd mile or two back to the TARDIS (wherever the Doctor had parked it, anyway). You told the Doctor this quite sternly as she peered out through the frosted windows of the inn. For the past several minutes, she had been assessing the level of snow falling to the ground. It had started an hour ago, with a trickle that was easy to walk through and, set against the backdrop of the town you had been exploring all day, was quite beautiful. But now the wind was howling, aggressively pushing the snow in all different directions. It was heavy, clearly, as it fell quickly to the ground and seemed to pile up even faster. Despite the Doctor's murmurs about it letting up soon, you knew that the two of you were well and truly stuck in the storm.
The inn was, at the very least, warmer than it was outdoors. It seemed as though the establishment was equally unprepared for such a storm. Staff were rushing about, carrying blankets and wood up the stairs towards the guest rooms. The bottom floor, which operated as a tavern, was mostly empty save for a few grumbling guests and a housekeeper tending to a fireplace across the room.
"Looks cozy enough. Shouldn't we just stay here for the night?" Seeing the Doctor’s frown, you assured her: “The TARDIS will be fine”
"Yeah, I suppose you're right," The timelord agreed. She closed the curtains, shutting out the view of the storm.
You both made your way to the tavern bar, which seemed to double as the front desk for visitors. The housekeeper at the fire perked up and quickly made her way over, her shoulders tense.
"Hello, what can I do for you?"
"We'd like a room please!"
The woman seemed to deflate a little as she looked back at a board with multiple hooks, clearly meant to hold room keys. There was only one left.
"Well... we don't really have any vacancies, I'm afraid. We have one room left but..."
"We'll take it!" the Doctor said happily. The woman chuckled.
"Well, the thing is, it hasn't been reset since the last visitors, and I don't know if we have many blankets, or wood for your fire"
"We'll take it still," You insisted. If the rooms were upstairs, there was still a chance that the heat from the bottom level would rise up. Or, with how tired you were, you'd fall asleep so quickly you wouldn't even notice the cold for long. The housekeeper nodded and grabbed the key from its hook.
"Follow me, please"
You pulled your jacket, which was far too light for the unexpected temperature drop, tighter to your chest as the three of you walked up the stairs. The wood cracked underneath your feet, dim lamps along the walls doing little to help illuminate the steps.
Upstairs, faint light glowed from underneath the doors to each occupied room, making it easy to tell which was yours. It was at the farthest point of the hall, a ribbon tied around the handle of the large oak door. The housekeeper removed it and stuck it into her pocket, pushing the door open.
You shivered as you walked into the room. Next to no heat had been brought in due to the door being shut. There was no fire going in the fireplace either and, to your disappointment, no wood set alongside it to start a new one. Being at the end of the building, there was no buffer between the two of the rooms walls and the biting cold outside. The windows were frosted far more than those downstairs, and you could hear them rattling along with the wind.
"It's lovely!" the Doctor said. The housekeeper looked at her warily.
"I might be able to find a blanket or two, but I believe we've already given all of the wood we have for now to the other guests"
As you went to assess the bed for the blankets it already had (and finding none) you paused. The bed. Singular. It wasn't all that surprising, after all it was the only room in the inn left and beggars couldn't be choosers. But it certainly wasn't a large bed, and…
"We'll manage with whatever you have, thank you" We'll manage, the Doctor said. We'll manage, in the room with the singular (and quite small) bed... at least you'd each get your own blanket. Hopefully. You gave the housekeeper a smile as she bowed out of the room, trying to be polite. Why were you so stressed, anyway? It was just one night, and having to share a bed was far from the worst thing that you could imagine happening on a trip with the Doctor.
"You alright?" The time lord asked. You jumped a little, and she laughed. "You don't have to be nervous. The inn isn't haunted, I checked"
The housekeeper returned, this time with a frown and only a small bundle in her hands.
"I'm really sorry, the other girls have been giving out our blankets to the other guests... I'm afraid we only have one. But it is quite warm!"
The material in her hands was thin where it lay piled on top of two pillows, casting doubt on her claims. But you weren't going to argue. Clearly, the housekeeper was doing her best, and it was getting quite late. She hurried over to the bed and began making it for you. The Doctor moved to the window to check on the snow's progress and you glanced over her shoulder. The storm had seemingly gotten worse, the intense white flakes blocking out the sight of town. For a moment you considered what the TARDIS might look like when you could eventually leave. Would it be buried in the snow? Would you have to shovel it out, or would it eventually realize you were out for the night and relocate somewhere more accessible?
You double checked for any wood around the room, just in case you and the housekeeper had somehow missed a large pile in the corner. Unsurprisingly, you hadn’t. It was quite a nice room, save for the lack of warmth. Without much light, you had to squint to take in the books and pictures along the wall. The housekeeper shut the door behind her and you turned back towards the bed. The Doctor gestured towards it.
"You can go ahead! I've got..." with her other hand, she was digging into her coat pocket. "Things I can work on."
You blinked, and then nodded and climbed underneath the blanket. The bed was hard underneath you, its material clearly doing little to keep the heat in. Perhaps the Doctor could have the bed and you could sleep on the floor; both were likely equal in discomfort. The Doctor sat on the floor as you pulled the blanket to your chest. It was indeed quite thin and you could only hope that it would do the bare minimum of keeping your body heat close to you.
You shut your eyes, taking a deep breath. The faster you fell asleep, the faster you would forget all about the freezing cold room, and the faster you would make it back to the TARDIS. That warm, wonderful space-time machine. With its comforting orange lights, the temperature that always seemed to be perfect, its beeps and hummings that reminded you how alive it was. There was always a fire lit in the library, where you often found yourself accidentally falling asleep. Maybe you could imagine yourself there, curled up on the couch. The firelight would dance behind your eyelids, keeping you in that liminal space between consciousness and sleep, just aware enough to marvel about how cozy you were.
Your eyes opened to the cold, dark room. The vivid recollections of a far warmer and pleasant environment weren’t helping you adjust to your current reality. It was impossible to hug the blanket any closer to you, as you had already curled into a ball around it, tucking it underneath you where you could. Despite your feeble attempts, your skin still prickled as the cold seeped through it and into your bones.
At the foot of the bed, the Doctor appeared to be tinkering with something. Along with the whispering under her breath, there was a small symphony of clicks and whirrs.
"Not sleepy?" She asked.
"It's freezing .” The words came out in a cross between a hiss and a whimper, and the Doctor gave you an apologetic look. Standing from the floor, she began to shrug off her coat.
"No, no," you insisted quickly. Making the moves to sit up and stop her, the blanket fell from your shoulders and you winced as the little heat you'd managed to trap escaped. You groaned. "You need that. You must be freezing too."
"It's not that bad, actually," She said with a shrug. "I've got some fancy tricks of my own. Sure, the coat has a heating mechanism, but it's been broken for some time. Anyway, since it's been broken I've just been making sure to store my body heat!"
"... You can do that?" You asked.
"Yes!"
" Like a seal? " The question had come out before you could think to ask a much better question, like 'how?'
The Doctor laughed. "I'm not supposed to do it too much, mind you, typically my body heat would be much lower than yours. But it can fluctuate if needed. So I'll be alright, you take the coat."
She shrugged it off of her shoulders, exposing her dark red sweater, still adored with her signature rainbow stripes. You could just see the colors faintly in the dark. Memory filled well supported by your gazes throughout the day. And most other days.
"But how long can it last?" We'll be here all night... maybe we should just go back downstairs."
"You need to get some sleep”
"But what about you?"
"I can keep busy!" She revealed the small gadget she had been working on. Its surface was littered with wires and buttons, none of which made the object's purpose obvious. You frowned and eased back down on the mattress, pulling the blanket back over you.
As you reached to spread her coat on top of it, your hand brushed the Doctors. You tensed and quickly shoved your hand back underneath the blanket. It was surely a small gasp, and not a yelp, that escaped you. At least, that was what you were really hoping.
The time lord gathered the top of her coat into her hands and spread the garment out so that it covered most of your body. It added some warmth. But it wasn’t as noticeable as the small warmth that had passed between skin, where the two of you had touched so briefly.
"There," the Doctor said softly. "Hopefully that helps." Her voice was quieter, small clouds appearing in the air. Her breath left a ghostly trail as she exhaled deeply and returned to her spot on the floor.
In her absence, you certainly felt warmer. But it wasn't throughout your body, where you now had two shields protecting you from the lower temperature. It was in your face, your ears, your neck. It pooled in the same small spot of your hand where you had felt some of the body heat she had been storing underneath rough skin. Within hands that you had held before, hands that you had watched move and tinker and grasp time and time again. The warmth was in your chest, where your heart beat faster.
The bed creaked in protest as you hurriedly flopped over onto your side. It was just your body trying to warm what parts of it remained uncovered, you reassured yourself. And maybe it was trying to get used to the overwhelming scent of oil and wind and fire the timelord's coat was bathed in. Yes, that was it. Just an adjustment of the senses, a vessel working overtime to keep you going and getting overwhelmed with new input. This theory was supported by the questions and thoughts that raced through your mind. Was it just her coat that was so warm, that it smelled as it did? Or was it her, too? If she wasn't on the floor, messing about with her project, if instead she was in the be-
"I have an idea" The Doctor said suddenly. You jumped again, and she looked. For a moment you could swear that, before they met yours, her eyes moved across her long coat where it lay on top of you.
"Yeah?" you whispered. She set her gadget aside.
"We still have about 8 hours until morning, and who knows how long until this snow stops. I can preserve heat for a while, but it'll fade over time. And I don't need it as much as you do."
"What do you mean?"
The Doctor was quiet for a moment. "If you're still quite cold, well... only if you're absolutely comfortable, we could..."
You clutched the blanket a little bit tighter, holding your breath. Your question seemed unnecessary. It was clear what she was suggesting. But there was a need to confirm it, prove that you weren’t filling in too many blanks with your longing.
"Well, if I'm under the blanket then my body heat might help keep you warm" Taking a deep breath, you tried to collect yourself so that your voice would remain even.
“I suppose that makes sense,” Her idea was only logical. Just logical, surely.
The Doctor moved towards you and you scooted over as much as you could, shivering as you lifted the other side of the blanket for her. She climbed underneath it, the bed dipping under her weight. With the bed being so small, the new incline pushed you toward her nonetheless. It leveled out as the Doctor laid down. Your body tensed as the Doctor reached over you to smooth down the coat and blanket. Near your shoulders she tucked the fabric underneath you as much as she could.
"Is this alright?" You stared up at her. She was leaning right above you, her face and chest close to your own. When she spoke, the small puffs of air met your cheeks, which were now blazing hot. To your dismay, her hand moved from your shoulder to rest against your forehead, then your cheek, where it stayed. "Oh good, you're feeling warmer already!"
Your lips remained parted, but unmoving. There was no breath to push any words past them, as it had all caught in your chest. The Doctor remained there for a moment, then eased underneath the coverings. You swallowed and let out a shaky breath. It was certainly an improvement from before. T he entire left side of your body was pressed against hers, pulling some of her warmth into you. Your right side was still colder, and you grabbed your left arm in an attempt to level out the heat. Hopefully the moonlight didn't reach far enough to let the Doctor see your face. It took advantage of the new warmth you had been given and burned through it. The timelord was quiet, but you could hear her slow breathing. What about yours? Could she hear how quick it was, trailing just behind the beating of your heart?
It wasn't the first time the two of you had been close. Hugs here and there, pushing through tight quarters of some alleyway or spaceship maintenance tunnel. But this was different. If you moved just slightly you would be in her arms completely. You didn't trust yourself not to shift in the middle of the night. There wasn't anywhere else for your body to move but onto the floor.
With how warm your left side was, your right ached for the same level of care. How bad would it be, really, to give it what it needed?
"C'mere," the Doctor murmured. She reached for your right side again, this time underneath the covers, and gently pulled at you. You followed her lead and, with ease, turned so that you were on your side and resting against her. Bracing yourself for more contact, your body instead melted into her warmth. Involuntarily, you sighed with relief.
The Doctor's arm remained stretched over you, and she shifted her leg so that it tangled with yours near your ankles. You inched even closer, letting your right arm move over her side so that your front could press against hers.
"Better?" She asked. You didn't dare look up to speak to her. If you did, you were sure your faces would be millimeters away. Surely then she would feel how quickly your breath moved. Embarrassed, you realized she would already be able to feel the movement of your shoulders. You faked a shudder, trying to command your body to seem more bothered by the temperature change than its proximity to the Doctors.
"Much better, thank you."
"Get some sleep, alright?" You nodded against her chest, where her own hearts were beating in a quick rhythm. Her chin rested against the crown of your head, firmly tucking you into her.
You shut out the dark, cold room surrounding you and focused all of your senses on the timelord. The smell of her coat combined with the light scent of sandalwood across the skin of her chest and throat. Her breath sounded calm, contrasting her heartbeats. Her sweater was a wool texture that tickled your skin slightly. It was eased by the softer fabric of the blanket.
The vivid images of the TARDIS were much easier to imagine when you lay in her pilot's arms. But you had no need for imagining now. This was real, vivid, all around and against you. You were just fine where you were, anchored to the timelord until the sun returned to the sky.