I did. [Clara takes a sip of her tea, and smiles at him over the rim, warm and earnest.] Thank you.
[She had even dreamed, for the first time since Trap Street. Mainly of her family, of her parents' little house and the park across the street, of her mum's voice and her dad's wisdom and her gran's soft smile. One day, those memories will be too far away to recall even in sleep.]
I think that's the first time I've ever seen you asleep in a bed.
[ Mmno. Not quite correct, Teach. You didn't see him til later. ]
Yes, quite possibly.
[ Water under the bridge, anyroad. He hadn't been woken with blood curdling screams so he concludes Clara didn't mind his somnic mishap, yet pride is pride and part of him still hates the vulnerability that puts on display, even if the other parts are fine if it's Clara. He gruffly clears his throat and shimmies over to Clara, sitting on the edge. ]
I'm not like to make it a habit, don't worry. Your incredibly long yet strangely compelling sleeping hours will remain yours alone.
[ He may have accidentally signed himself up to put her to sleep every night. Hm. ]
[ Awake less than five minutes and Clara is set on challenging several long-standing assumptions largely to do with her personal spaces and the Doctor's welcome in any number of them. No stars to tempt her with. Just a familiar face after a lonely time, and the Doctor's lucky to have that. Beyond that, he knows the feeling quite intimately.
He's two thousand bloody years old, he shouldn't be struggling to read the room. ]
One wonders why you got a sofa at all [ he teases, grinning just a beat too long before blustering on. ] I hadn't intended to be swept off in Morpheus's arms, and I'll - I'll endeavor to give you a touch more forewarning in the future. I wouldn't want to upset any other options.
[ Unless he has a bowtie or otherwise flatters the Doctor terribly with the choice, all right. ]
[ Sounds boring? Sitting down. He could sit down on the floor or as he is now sitting on the bed. Waste of good workspace - though she has the space to waste, so fair enough.
He has the decency to look a bit cowed, looking down, then quietly back up and across her face and funny nose. ]
[ Ooh smiling, that's good start - much improved from the evening previous. Best keep that trend going even if he can't take her to the stars for the time being; he's up to snuff on constellations as viewed from the eastern end of the United States, so there's that shiny penny in his pocket. ]
We could do that together. [ He indicates with an index finger, drawing a line between two point. ] Sitting. On the couch, I mean.
[And here it is, after however-many-hours they've been reunited, the straw that finally breaks her. Clara has to cover her mouth to minimize the full-bodied laugh - no touch of reservation or pretext - that escapes at his comment.]
That very much does not mean what you think it means.
[ You've only emboldened him, Clara. Turn away now and run! ]
Really?
[ He may have been wrong but it sure feels like a victory, following up her pseudo-clarification with a few moments of silent thought and then a lighthearted shrug. ]
Well I didn't know where I was going to get a rhinoceros anyway.
I taught teenagers, I know all of their little code words.
[She's laughing, though, because of course she is. She loves this ridiculous man so much it hurts, and she's missed him like a piece of her own heart.]
I didn't ask. Seems like an oversight now that I look back on it.
[ It's more a honking huge billboard underscoring his lack of understanding. Befuddlement gives way to a more typical Doctor-y brashness of spirit, his mouth an over fond slash upward as he presents an upturned palm and wiggles his fingers. His Lady's chariot may not await in this dimension but damned if he isn't going to find adventure wherever it hides. And with company. ]
I believe I just liked the idea of doing whatever it was with you.
[ but mooooom he does want to know!!!! :< Telling him he can't know a thing is like telling a kid they can't open a Christmas present and the subtle wiggling beack and forth on the bed is definitely the Doctor containing that. ]
[ Honestly the prospect of doing something with his hands is cheering enough, even as he grumps along after her like an old hound. Loyal to the end, that's him. ]
I believe that's the premise of a film I once glimpsed in passing. Though I can't imagine how conducive the plumber's lack of clothing was to accomplishing his task. [ Beat. ] Or the client's.
[ No TARDIS, no internet, and what? Is he going to do?? Better start making peace with the notion of staying still. Loudly and repeatedly on the way down to see about the plumbing. ]
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[She had even dreamed, for the first time since Trap Street. Mainly of her family, of her parents' little house and the park across the street, of her mum's voice and her dad's wisdom and her gran's soft smile. One day, those memories will be too far away to recall even in sleep.]
I think that's the first time I've ever seen you asleep in a bed.
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Yes, quite possibly.
[ Water under the bridge, anyroad. He hadn't been woken with blood curdling screams so he concludes Clara didn't mind his somnic mishap, yet pride is pride and part of him still hates the vulnerability that puts on display, even if the other parts are fine if it's Clara. He gruffly clears his throat and shimmies over to Clara, sitting on the edge. ]
I'm not like to make it a habit, don't worry. Your incredibly long yet strangely compelling sleeping hours will remain yours alone.
[ He may have accidentally signed himself up to put her to sleep every night. Hm. ]
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You weren't intruding. I didn't mind the company, not after all this time alone.
[If he's going to drop from exhaustion anywhere, she'd certainly rather it be with her than on the Murder Couch.]
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He's two thousand bloody years old, he shouldn't be struggling to read the room. ]
One wonders why you got a sofa at all [ he teases, grinning just a beat too long before blustering on. ] I hadn't intended to be swept off in Morpheus's arms, and I'll - I'll endeavor to give you a touch more forewarning in the future. I wouldn't want to upset any other options.
[ Unless he has a bowtie or otherwise flatters the Doctor terribly with the choice, all right. ]
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[Said with a bit of a “duh” inflection, only far more proper. Clara is nothing if not polite.]
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He has the decency to look a bit cowed, looking down, then quietly back up and across her face and funny nose. ]
You're not alone anymore.
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[A quiet smile, but earnest, eyes locked with his. He's been here for less than a day, and already she's not sure how she stood it without him.]
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We could do that together. [ He indicates with an index finger, drawing a line between two point. ] Sitting. On the couch, I mean.
[ Then, a conspiratorial lean in, hush-hush. ]
"Netflix and chill."
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That very much does not mean what you think it means.
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Really?
[ He may have been wrong but it sure feels like a victory, following up her pseudo-clarification with a few moments of silent thought and then a lighthearted shrug. ]
Well I didn't know where I was going to get a rhinoceros anyway.
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[She's laughing, though, because of course she is. She loves this ridiculous man so much it hurts, and she's missed him like a piece of her own heart.]
What's the rhino for?
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I didn't ask. Seems like an oversight now that I look back on it.
[ It's more a honking huge billboard underscoring his lack of understanding. Befuddlement gives way to a more typical Doctor-y brashness of spirit, his mouth an over fond slash upward as he presents an upturned palm and wiggles his fingers. His Lady's chariot may not await in this dimension but damned if he isn't going to find adventure wherever it hides. And with company. ]
I believe I just liked the idea of doing whatever it was with you.
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Okay, now I'm definitely not telling you what it means.
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Well if it's that objectionable.
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Let's just leave it at, "You really don't want to know".
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Do you have to enjoy it so much though.
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[She stands up, mug in hands, and gestures towards the doorway.]
Come on, get up. There's a leak in the basement that needs fixing.
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[ Honestly the prospect of doing something with his hands is cheering enough, even as he grumps along after her like an old hound. Loyal to the end, that's him. ]
I believe that's the premise of a film I once glimpsed in passing. Though I can't imagine how conducive the plumber's lack of clothing was to accomplishing his task. [ Beat. ] Or the client's.
[ ... ]
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[Not that they have it here, anyway.]
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[ No TARDIS, no internet, and what? Is he going to do?? Better start making peace with the notion of staying still. Loudly and repeatedly on the way down to see about the plumbing. ]