Thread with duodecimal

[parallels]

[She can't take her eyes off him.

The chips have long been forgotten; now cold and soggy on the plate. And the ones in her stomach are churning unpleasantly.

He is the Doctor. He really truly is. And yet, he's like a stranger. She's on a date with a man who's an old friend and also a stranger and she has to get to know his ins and outs, likes and dislikes, bad habits. All that.

It's a bit of a thrill. And yet terrifying.

Her heart still beats out of time when she looks at him. But why? Is it residual feelings left over from his last face? Or something else entirely? She's never been particularly in touch with these sorts of feelings. Too messy. Too risky to let walls down.

Her eyes flit again to his face and his sharp eyes.

It's really not an ideal meal.]

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[duodecimal]

When you have a time machine, not quite. [ That's a small joke, even if it doesn't sound like it. There's always those fixed points and there's always the risks of paradoxes ripping the universe open because if you change one simple thing it always ripples across time no matter how insignificant it might be. ] Don't say I didn't warn you when you can't sleep and are calling me to go on an adventure so they you can be tired enough to sleep.

[ He means it to sound like an admonishment, a warning that he won't be taking her on trips if she makes bad decisions. Instead it just sounds a little fond and perhaps a bit— exasperated. He won't fight her on it because she's a grown woman and well, he's pretty certain that saying no to her is going to be nigh impossible for him. His knee twitches just slightly, not like it's about to move, but just enough that it seems like it noticed Clara paying that much attention to it.

He eyes her for a moment. ] Harsh, but accurate. It was an incorrect assumption on my part. Nearly the definition of the word. [ It feels like he's saying something wrong and faintly in the back of his head it registers that Clara shaking her head is something he doesn't want but he doesn't take back what he says. What he says is correct, in its own way— in his head at the very least. Maybe that's his problem even after all these years there's some things that he'll trip over no matter what. He needs her, he knows what he said and he knows more than even himself how much he needs her to stay with him. He can't— lose her. ]

You'll tell me when you're tired. [ For a brief moment, the Doctor manages a straight face after saying that before he ends up chuckling lowly. ] Of course you will. And if you fall asleep midway through, it was something else at work.

[ He pauses. ] Come on then, another adventure awaits. And I believe it doesn't call for us to bring along food. Probably.

[parallels]

Oh? Are you informing me of loopholes now? Have I moved up a rank? [She's teasing back. She's not going to let him joke around without any sort of banter. That would just be the most terrible of missed opportunities.] And don't worry about my sleep schedule. Even if you do. I thought last time you came to my flat at midnight and started prodding at me for adventure, your concern was that I sleep too much.. My how a different face can change your tune.

[Even she can sense the failed admonishment and decides to go in for another poke. Though at the same time, it's so refreshing. His last face cared about her but he was always so... concerned. If she so much as sneezed, he would be all over her poking and checking in. Just to be taken on her word was nice.

But then as the conversation turns into the uglier parts of their relationship, she bites her lip. It's starting to get bloody and chapped from the moisture.] It's. Alright. [It isn't. But she's good at pushing until things are.] We've got to move on. We've broken up. Or... come to terms. It's not like mistakes can't be fixed, yeah?

[And then she laughs, somewhere between relief and bitterness

I won't fall asleep. And I'll make you turn the TARDIS around to take me to bed once I'm tired.

throws feelings at you from two directions and also very late oops

[duodecimal]

You might have. I don't think I'll answer that just yet though. [ So in essence, yes, but he's going to make her work for that answer. Despite the fact that he's willing to be more open with her— he's got to have some things that aren't laid out there. ] I know how much you require. Sleeping too much precedes a whole lists of diseases— it's a fair concern. Even if I trust you not to be stupid enough to get sick enough for that to happen.

[ That's a true statement, surprisingly. There's some humans that he knows are dumb enough to have just that problem, but Clara isn't one of them. Oh, maybe she'd push herself a bit too much, but she knows her limits. Besides, he might get snot all over him if he poked her and checked in on her when she sneezed. Knowing his luck he'd manage to create a new superbug that gets even him sick.

He doesn't quite mean to look at her lips, they're just there after all, but when she bites her lip he sees how they look and— he wants to tell her to fix them somehow. Wants to tell her to stop licking them so much but he doesn't. She knows better anyway. ] That's what— Some can't but I don't think this one is one of them. Now some of my others— less certain but— [ I don't think you'd let me not fix this one. ] They can be fixed.

[ Even though he can hear how the laugh sounds a bit off, it still makes him grin a bit. ] I'm holding you to that, Clara. You fall asleep and I won't let you forget it until— well let's just say you'll be hearing it for a very long time.

Now, are you ready to go?