Cake Kisses
Title: Cake Kisses
Author: Tess/
teashadephoenix
Rating: Rated E for everyone
Word Count: 1166
Pairing: Ten/Donna
Spoilers: AU Series 5 (Sounds Like Destiny ficverse)
Summary: The Doctor has a birthday-- and Donna is going to make sure he celebrates it.
Disclaimer: The canon stuff belongs to the Beeb and I'm borrowing it to play with. Everything else I made up for my entertainment.
Author's Note: This is shamelessly fluffy (it's called Cake Kisses, ffs. When have I ever been so sugary?) and it is my contribution to the 50th celebrations. Obviously, with my usual Ten/Donna spin. Happy 50th, Doctor <3
The moist scent of banana seemed to emanate from every corridor. Tongue between his teeth, his spectacles nearly hanging off the end of his long nose, the Doctor paused in his tinkering to register the delectable aroma.
It was a number of things at once, all lumped together and wafting in to the console room like an unuttered invitation. He took a big sniff.
"Banana," he mused. "Vanilla, walnuts, buttermilk... Cake!"
Levering himself out of the crawlspace in the floor, he made his way towards the kitchen. The smell only got stronger and richer as he approached, accompanied by the toasted warmth of a hot oven. He peered round the corner to see Donna stirring something in a large bowl, her hair pinned back by a thick barrette, sleeves rolled up to her elbows.
"You're baking," he noted, an easy smile on his face. She lifted her face to his, eyes glittering with happiness.
"Special occasion," she told him. She gestured with a nod of her head, and he ambled over to her side. "Here, try this."
With one long finger she scooped up some of the creamy white frosting and offered it to him. He popped her finger in his mouth.
"Mhmmm." His eyes closed in pleasure, the first tingles of a sugar rush flooding through him. "Cream cheese frosting. That's good!" He leaned over, hand darting out for another taste. Donna swatted at his knuckles.
"Not a chance, skinny. You'll eat all of it straight off. I made it to go on the cake." He pouted slightly, and Donna rolled her eyes. "You can lick the bowl when I'm finished."
Cheered up, he hopped up onto the counter and took one of the remaining bananas that sat in a heap of discarded peels, tore it open and started to munch. "So what's the occasion?"
"Like you don't know."
He swallowed, the banana going down hard as he thought quickly. Uh-oh. Had he forgotten something important again? Donna's birthday was not for another six months. Their anniversary was next month. Maybe her grandfather's? He watched her warily, knowing he was about to get a slap.
"I'm sorry," he said slowly. "What-- What day is it?"
She leaned back from him incredulously, her eyebrows flying up into her hairline. "Seriously?"
"I know, I'm sorry! I really can't think of anything. Whatever it is though, tell me and I promise I will make it up to you. Ah, uh-- Uhm..." He snapped his fingers. "Kallimenthia Six! They have that never-ending beach you've always wanted to go to, with the White Waters of Aether, and the rainbow sand. I'll take you there." He waved a hand dramatically. "We can stay long as you like. Won't complain a bit."
"Okay," said Donna. Her mouth was quirked into a tiny smile. "I'm holding you to that."
The concession was a bit quick for her; usually she was angrier at him, and for longer. Oh, blimey, it must be a big one this time. His eyes darted round the room, his brain racing. "And... And... We can stay at your mum's. A week! I won't wander off or get into trouble, promise."
Ordinarily there would be a moment, usually around here, when she explained to him exactly what he'd done wrong and started nursing her wounded feelings. But instead, she burst into peals of blithe laughter. He stared at her, slightly bewildered, as she waved one hand at him, trying to talk. Before she could say anything she was laughing again, holding herself up against his knee.
It was a good few moments before she finally took a deep breath and leaned against the counter between his knees, her arms sliding around his waist. "Oh my god. Let me stop you before you start promising me the moon as well."
"Do you want it? I can probably do that. If not, I'll think of something," he joked, finally realising she wasn't angry with him at all. It sent her into another lapse of giggles.
After another moment she lifted her head. Her face was pink with happiness. "It's your birthday, you doofus."
His eyebrows narrowed in befuddlement. "Donna, I don't have a birthday."
"Oi, let's not get into the technicalities of Time Lord culture. On Earth it's your birthday."
"I wasn't born on Earth, and Gallifrey had a wildly different calendar. You could literally pick any day off the Gregorian calendar and say it could be my birthday but we wouldn't know."
"Well, I do."
He blinked at her, shaking his head imperceptibly with an unspoken question: all right, how then? Donna shrugged her shoulders.
"I worked it out. You don't have to be a mastermind to figure it out, just a bit of longhand maths. I know what day you were born on Gallifrey, I just had to work out what day it was on Earth."
"Yeah, but... The thing is..." he babbled. "It's just that..."
"What, didn't you ever try to work it out in our calendar?"
He shrugged. "No, it's just... I never... saw much to celebrate, that's all."
She squawked in dismay, swatting at his lapels. "Oh, don't start!"
"What? I'm being serious. I'm over nine-hundred years old, Donna; you kind of stop caring after a while."
"Well, you might! I'm not the sort to stop caring, I'm going to be celebrating my birthday when I'm a wrinkly old thing. And I want you to celebrate yours."
He gazed down at her, incandescent happiness rising on his face. Then he wrapped his arms around her, humming softly. "Okay, so... today's my birthday."
"Yes, it is."
"What is today?"
Donna pulled away from him, shooting him a look. "When I said I wanted you to celebrate, it wasn't an invitation to brandish your ego like an emergency flare."
"No I mean, really, what day is it?"
She rolled her eyes. "The twenty-third of November."
He grinned, wordlessly delighted. He looked like a little boy, as he so often did when he was happy, and it made Donna smile. "The twenty-third of November. I'm an autumn baby!" He gave a little growl. "Ohhh, lots of things happened on this day! Uhm..." His face twisted into a grimace. "Not... all of them good. I mean, Life magazine was published for the first time, and the sixth Empress of New Venus came to power, and... Actually, I think that's it." He pouted. "Blimey, that's disappointing."
"Well, that's why I made cake," she said, completely nonplussed. "Should be done in a few more minutes, but before that, there's something I need to say."
"What's that?"
With a little smile, she pressed herself up on the tips of her toes, her hands gliding up to cradle his face, and kissed him. It was soft and slow, and he smiled lazily into it, warmed by comfortable happiness. As Donna pulled away, lingering close enough to feel his breath on her cheeks, she looked into the face of the man she loved.
"Happy birthday, Doctor."
end
Crossposted to teashadephoenix @ dreamwidth.org
Author: Tess/
teashadephoenix
Rating: Rated E for everyone
Word Count: 1166
Pairing: Ten/Donna
Spoilers: AU Series 5 (Sounds Like Destiny ficverse)
Summary: The Doctor has a birthday-- and Donna is going to make sure he celebrates it.
Disclaimer: The canon stuff belongs to the Beeb and I'm borrowing it to play with. Everything else I made up for my entertainment.
Author's Note: This is shamelessly fluffy (it's called Cake Kisses, ffs. When have I ever been so sugary?) and it is my contribution to the 50th celebrations. Obviously, with my usual Ten/Donna spin. Happy 50th, Doctor <3
The moist scent of banana seemed to emanate from every corridor. Tongue between his teeth, his spectacles nearly hanging off the end of his long nose, the Doctor paused in his tinkering to register the delectable aroma.
It was a number of things at once, all lumped together and wafting in to the console room like an unuttered invitation. He took a big sniff.
"Banana," he mused. "Vanilla, walnuts, buttermilk... Cake!"
Levering himself out of the crawlspace in the floor, he made his way towards the kitchen. The smell only got stronger and richer as he approached, accompanied by the toasted warmth of a hot oven. He peered round the corner to see Donna stirring something in a large bowl, her hair pinned back by a thick barrette, sleeves rolled up to her elbows.
"You're baking," he noted, an easy smile on his face. She lifted her face to his, eyes glittering with happiness.
"Special occasion," she told him. She gestured with a nod of her head, and he ambled over to her side. "Here, try this."
With one long finger she scooped up some of the creamy white frosting and offered it to him. He popped her finger in his mouth.
"Mhmmm." His eyes closed in pleasure, the first tingles of a sugar rush flooding through him. "Cream cheese frosting. That's good!" He leaned over, hand darting out for another taste. Donna swatted at his knuckles.
"Not a chance, skinny. You'll eat all of it straight off. I made it to go on the cake." He pouted slightly, and Donna rolled her eyes. "You can lick the bowl when I'm finished."
Cheered up, he hopped up onto the counter and took one of the remaining bananas that sat in a heap of discarded peels, tore it open and started to munch. "So what's the occasion?"
"Like you don't know."
He swallowed, the banana going down hard as he thought quickly. Uh-oh. Had he forgotten something important again? Donna's birthday was not for another six months. Their anniversary was next month. Maybe her grandfather's? He watched her warily, knowing he was about to get a slap.
"I'm sorry," he said slowly. "What-- What day is it?"
She leaned back from him incredulously, her eyebrows flying up into her hairline. "Seriously?"
"I know, I'm sorry! I really can't think of anything. Whatever it is though, tell me and I promise I will make it up to you. Ah, uh-- Uhm..." He snapped his fingers. "Kallimenthia Six! They have that never-ending beach you've always wanted to go to, with the White Waters of Aether, and the rainbow sand. I'll take you there." He waved a hand dramatically. "We can stay long as you like. Won't complain a bit."
"Okay," said Donna. Her mouth was quirked into a tiny smile. "I'm holding you to that."
The concession was a bit quick for her; usually she was angrier at him, and for longer. Oh, blimey, it must be a big one this time. His eyes darted round the room, his brain racing. "And... And... We can stay at your mum's. A week! I won't wander off or get into trouble, promise."
Ordinarily there would be a moment, usually around here, when she explained to him exactly what he'd done wrong and started nursing her wounded feelings. But instead, she burst into peals of blithe laughter. He stared at her, slightly bewildered, as she waved one hand at him, trying to talk. Before she could say anything she was laughing again, holding herself up against his knee.
It was a good few moments before she finally took a deep breath and leaned against the counter between his knees, her arms sliding around his waist. "Oh my god. Let me stop you before you start promising me the moon as well."
"Do you want it? I can probably do that. If not, I'll think of something," he joked, finally realising she wasn't angry with him at all. It sent her into another lapse of giggles.
After another moment she lifted her head. Her face was pink with happiness. "It's your birthday, you doofus."
His eyebrows narrowed in befuddlement. "Donna, I don't have a birthday."
"Oi, let's not get into the technicalities of Time Lord culture. On Earth it's your birthday."
"I wasn't born on Earth, and Gallifrey had a wildly different calendar. You could literally pick any day off the Gregorian calendar and say it could be my birthday but we wouldn't know."
"Well, I do."
He blinked at her, shaking his head imperceptibly with an unspoken question: all right, how then? Donna shrugged her shoulders.
"I worked it out. You don't have to be a mastermind to figure it out, just a bit of longhand maths. I know what day you were born on Gallifrey, I just had to work out what day it was on Earth."
"Yeah, but... The thing is..." he babbled. "It's just that..."
"What, didn't you ever try to work it out in our calendar?"
He shrugged. "No, it's just... I never... saw much to celebrate, that's all."
She squawked in dismay, swatting at his lapels. "Oh, don't start!"
"What? I'm being serious. I'm over nine-hundred years old, Donna; you kind of stop caring after a while."
"Well, you might! I'm not the sort to stop caring, I'm going to be celebrating my birthday when I'm a wrinkly old thing. And I want you to celebrate yours."
He gazed down at her, incandescent happiness rising on his face. Then he wrapped his arms around her, humming softly. "Okay, so... today's my birthday."
"Yes, it is."
"What is today?"
Donna pulled away from him, shooting him a look. "When I said I wanted you to celebrate, it wasn't an invitation to brandish your ego like an emergency flare."
"No I mean, really, what day is it?"
She rolled her eyes. "The twenty-third of November."
He grinned, wordlessly delighted. He looked like a little boy, as he so often did when he was happy, and it made Donna smile. "The twenty-third of November. I'm an autumn baby!" He gave a little growl. "Ohhh, lots of things happened on this day! Uhm..." His face twisted into a grimace. "Not... all of them good. I mean, Life magazine was published for the first time, and the sixth Empress of New Venus came to power, and... Actually, I think that's it." He pouted. "Blimey, that's disappointing."
"Well, that's why I made cake," she said, completely nonplussed. "Should be done in a few more minutes, but before that, there's something I need to say."
"What's that?"
With a little smile, she pressed herself up on the tips of her toes, her hands gliding up to cradle his face, and kissed him. It was soft and slow, and he smiled lazily into it, warmed by comfortable happiness. As Donna pulled away, lingering close enough to feel his breath on her cheeks, she looked into the face of the man she loved.
"Happy birthday, Doctor."
end
Crossposted to teashadephoenix @ dreamwidth.org