attackbrows | {ximilia}

[Is he...sending her to bed?

She's almost so confused by his steering her back toward the saloon that she isn't sure what to do or say at first.]

Why do I need to go to bed? I'm not even tired.

[Still, she's walking right along with him as he leads the way. That doesn't stop her from glancing up at him like he's grown a second head. Sometimes he takes his duty of care a little too far. Like by giving her a bedtime.]

About that, Clara.

[There goes that face again. That face he makes when he has to break something to Clara that he knows might get a smack from her.]

I wasn’t going to mention it to you but your eyes are starting to sink into your face crevice. Figured you and someone else would have a kip before landing here but now we’re reaching catastrophic black hole levels of facial implosion.

[She gasps in offense, digging her heels in.]

What do you mean, you figured me and someone else? What are you trying to say, Doctor?

[He is now wading into dangerous territory, with her bristling and deciding if she wants to give him a smack for being an ass. She knows he doesn't typically mean anything by his insulting her physical appearance, but she's peeved by his insisting she go to bed like she's some sort of child that needs to be told what's best for her.]

Who else was I supposed to say?! You know I don’t sleep. I thought you’d form yourself some sort of sleep club with the other human types aboard. Read a little Dostoevsky before calling it in.

[Honestly, he cannot find fault in what he said. Everyone likes sleeping. Who wouldn’t grin at the suggestion of falling asleep for a few hours?]

I’m just saying that you get some sleep before we do anything else. Not perform the macarena in front of a stadium Cybermen!

[She stares up at him in near disbelief, but believes what he's saying. He doesn't usually intend on offending her. And she's a little wound tight and easily offended right now.]

I had someone I could've shared a bed with. But I don't anymore.

[Which is about all she's going to reveal about her recent romantic entanglement. Thankfully, she doesn't necessarily make it sound like one.]

When I'm tired, I'll sleep. Okay?

[Her tone's light by the end, careful not to seek an argument. She just wants to appease him and let him know that she's heard him and she'll consider resting. ]

[The Doctor stops mid-step and rests a hand on top of his right hip.]

And what if I told you I want to go to bed?

[A beat for him to explain.]

I’m due for my sleep cycle. If I don’t tuck in for a cat nap then I’ll start to see spots. Or worse— [He raises his eyebrows.] I might start singing a jaunty tune out of delusion.

So you want to go back with me and have a cuddle?

[He'll have to forgive her for sounding a bit skeptical. But hey, if he's due for sleep, she'll gladly take him back to the saloon and pull him right into bed. So she relents and lets him lead the way on back, trying to hold back a smile.]

Well, I’m not very much of a cuddler, but—

[And then he stops to take inventory. He is doing that thing again where his mouth is doing more harm than good.

So he sighs and relents.]

Yes. I very much want a bedtime cuddle if that’s alright with you.

[She glances up at him with a smirk.]

Think it'll be just fine, Doctor.

[Fast forward about twenty minutes later, and they're laying curled up in bed. She's spooning him, her arm curled around his waist. And yes, she's smiling contently as she nuzzles in close against his back.]

We should do this more often. How often do you need sleep, exactly?

[There are only a few people within the Doctor’s inner circle who have ever had a proper cuddle with him: his companions and River Song (and maybe Jack Harkness if the time agent knew how to behave himself). It is all a very different story when inhabiting this body. Never the same skin hunger he feels back in his previous regenerations. But he finds this body to be particularly special, it only responds to the affection of his loved ones. Especially that of Clara Oswald.

Her arm is wrapped around his waist snugly enough for him to sink in. Part of him worries whether she has a faceful of curly white hair in her way. But this is more of a perfect opportunity to allow for his human companion, for once, to act like a proper human.]

About every month or seven.

[He adjusts himself on this old cot for a bed, making sure Clara has enough blanket slack all the while.]

Depends on how much we exert ourselves. Sometimes it can be because of overheating. [He shrugs.] Sometimes it can be due to a big lunch.

Oh, is that all?

[She teases, laughing softly. This is nice, she could definitely get used to this. But then again, she supposes if it was a frequent thing, it would become ordinary eventually.]

Remind me to feed you and drag you out into the sun more often.

[There's a pause as the mention of the sun makes her think of another adventure they had. It feels so long ago now.]

Do you remember the desert planet you took me to once? We were chained to a post and I had left the vibro cutters in my other jacket pocket.

[She's able to laugh about the memory now, though at the time it had seemed so intense.]

I thought we were gonna starve to death. But you told me the sand piranhas would get us long before that ever happened.

[Her giggles bubble forth into something warm and fond and filled with love. This is exactly what she needs to start off the mission. A night of cuddling and quiet conversation before falling asleep.]

{ximilia} - ic inbox

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