Chapter Text
Was it a skirt? It couldn’t be, it was far too short…how could she be comfortable in this?
The Doctor was trying to write formulas on his blackboard but his mind was quite literally on other matters.
Clara was sitting in a chair in front of the console, spinning around, idly looking through one of his many books. She was humming contently, looking so very much at home here, that a strange feeling arose in his chest at the sight of her. Her and her shorts. For they were shorts, he now realized, when he stole another glance down from the gallery.
The chalk in his fingers slipped, covering his sleeve in white powder.
This wouldn’t do. He already had to wipe away his calculations twice in order to proceed with his work. He felt claustrophobic, in need of a distraction. Not that she was distracting him. He was the Doctor, a Time Lord, he didn’t let himself be distracted by a school teacher in a skirt….shorts…whatever.
Frustrated, he pressed the chalk harder against the blackboard then intended and it crumbled underneath his grip. Clara, thankfully, didn’t notice this.
„Take a punt!“, he said suddenly, throwing the chalk into a corner. He felt her eyes on him, as he pretended to focus on his calculations.
„Right.“
It sounded disbelieving and he wasn’t surprised. He didn’t usually ask where she wanted to go. Not that they’ve had that many adventures together since he got his new body but still. May be he should ask more often…that would probably be the polite thing to do. He was still figuring these things out.
„Really. Your choice. Wherever. Whenever. Anywhere in time and space.“
It was eerily quiet for a moment and then he heard her speak and almost did a double take because this was a new one for the books. Clara Oswald sounded shy.
„Well, there is something…someone, I’ve always wanted to meet. But I know what you’ll say.“
She did? How could she? He didn’t even know what he would be about to say most of the time.
„Try me.“
Clara had stopped spinning and was now slowly walking toward the stairs to the upper gallery. He could hear her approaching.
„You’ll say he’s made up, that there’s no such thing…“
He? Who on earth could she be talking about? He had to admit, he was curious now who she so desperately wanted to meet.
„Go on.“
„It’s…it’s Robin Hood.“
Surely, this was a joke.
„Robin Hood?“ he said, leaning against the railing, looking down to her.
„Yeah!“, she said, almost bouncing up and down in excitement, and seconds later she had sprinted up the staircase and was next to him.
„I love that story. Always loved it. Ever since I was little.“ Her eyes were so big, looking at him from underneath her fringe.
„Robin Hood.“, he repeated while she settled next to him. „The heroic outlaw who robs from the rich and gives to the poor.“
Clara was actually giggling now, her eyes sparkling brightly as she nodded. She looked like a girl on christmas morning, so happy that he didn’t know how to cope with it. Naturally, the Doctor had a talent for situations like these.
„He’s made up. There’s no such thing.“
She sighed heavily, almost throwing her arms up in frustration.
„You see!“
„Old fashioned heroes only exist in old fashioned books, Clara.“
She didn’t miss a beat. „What about you?“
What about me, what do I have to do with this…
„Me?“
She had that look, that look he found quite hard to match, where she was so earnest and open that it would cut right through him. He turned his back toward her, listening to her talk instead.
„Yeah, you. You stop bad things happening. Every minute of every day. That sounds pretty heroic to me.“
His breath got caught in his throat. Is that how she sees me? A hero? He knew he wasn’t that, never that. He tried to focus on the spoon in his hand, absentmindedly licking the rest of his yoghurt.
„Just passing the time. Hey, what about Mars?“
„What?“
He wasn’t a hero, hero’s didn’t exist outside of fairy tales, he didn’t want her to find out the hard way. Let her keep the illusion for a while longer.
Flipping the blackboard over to reveal a vast drawing of a honeycomb structure, he said: „The Ice Warrior Hives!“
„You said it was my choice.“ Oh no, she was pouting. He didn’t know how to handle the pouting. Unfair advantage.
„Or the Tumescent Arrows of the Half-Light! Those girls can hold their drink!“
He wondered if Clara could hold her drink. May be they should find out at some point.
„Doctor!“ She was smirking now, smirking was even worse then pouting. Damn her face!
„…and fracture fifteen different levels of reality simultaneously. I think I’ve got a Polaroid somewhere.“
He was trying to distract her, putting away his spoon and rummaging through his pockets for the picture but Clara wouldn’t be derailed.
„Doctor! My choice!“ And that was all she had to say really. He stopped at the bottom of the stairs and turned back to look at Clara.
„Robin Hood, show me.“
She must have seen the look of defeat on his face already, because there was a new smile forming, a smile that did dangerous things to him (that he wasn’t ready to admit yet), and she also had the audacity to gracefully bounce down the stairs.
„Very well.“
She was next to him, watching him carefully as he typed in the coordinates.
„Earth. England. Sherwood Forrest.“ He meant to sound derogatory but when he eyed her from the side, she was biting her lip and he quite abruptly lost his train of thought.
„…1190AD….ish…“
She was bouncing back and forth on her heels, radiating excitement and giddiness. He didn’t like it when people where giddy around him. Well, usually. With Clara, he didn’t seem to mind so much. It almost made him feel bad that she would soon loose that smile, when she would inevitable find out, that her old fashioned hero didn’t exist. The Doctor flicked the switch and Clara stared upward in wonder.
„But you’ll only be disappointed…“
Oh, how wrong he would be about that.
———————————
The dress, oh yes, she finally, finally got to wear the dress!!! Clara checked her hair one more time in the mirror, smiling at herself. Even if he was right, even if Robin Hood didn’t exist, why couldn’t they just enjoy a day strolling through Sherwood Forrest and play pretend. Surely, that wouldn’t hurt anyone. And if she was dressed for it, well then, even better. She wondered if he would like the dress she’d picked, wondered, if he would like the way she’d styled her hair. And then Clara shook her head, feeling foolish. He had never noticed these things before and it had never bothered her, why on earth was she wondering about it now? Pushing such thoughts from her mind, she walked outside, closing the Tardis door behind her. It was a beautiful day and she could actually hear the birds chirping, the sound of a small stream nearby.
„Ok, it might be a little bit much…“, she said, walking down towards him. „But what do you reckon, Doctor?“
He didn’t seem to reckon anything in that moment, staring at her, completely gobsmacked. Well, that could be interpreted in a number of ways. But then Claras gaze travelled to the other side of the stream, to a young man, a man who looked remarkably like….no….could that….could that actually….
The man stared at her and she heard him say something but Claras ears only seemed to receive a weird ringing sound. In shock, she tapped the Doctors shoulder repeatedly. „Is that…“
„No!“ A very distinct no but Clara chose to ignore it.
„Oh my god. Oh my god, it is, isn’t it?!“ She felt the adrenaline rush through her body, tears of joy shooting to her eyes. It was real, he was real! And the Doctor had found him for her!
„You found him, you actually found Robin Hood!“
„That is not Robin Hood!“
Spoilsport! Of course it was, there was no denying it.
„Well then who, Sir, is about to relieve you of your magic box?“
Clara watches as Robin draws a sword and holds it right toward the Doctor in a clear challenge.
„Nobody Sir, not in this universe or the next!“
„Well then, draw your sword and prove your words.“
Uh, this would be good. Clara took a few steps to the side, while the Doctor walked toward the log Robin was standing on.
„I don’t have a sword. I don’t need a sword. Because I am the Doctor and this is my spoon!“
And she actually had to stop herself from laughing out loud when he took a spoon out of his inner coat pocket, with great drama and gusto.
And then, it was on, they were actually dueling, on a log bridge, over a stream, with a sword and a spoon, in sherwood forrest. God, sometimes Clara loved her life.
And the Doctor was brilliant. He was calm, cool and in complete control of the situation. Clara found herself mesmerized by his movements. He was so agile, so quick.
„You’re…amazing.“ Oh dear, she hadn’t meant to say that out loud. It had just sort of escaped her lips.
„I’ve had some experience….Richard the Lionheart (Clang!) .….Cyrano de Bergerac (Clang!)…....Errol Flynn…..(Clang!)….he had the most enormous (Clang!) …ego!“
„Takes one to know one.“, she says and in a brilliant turn, he faces her and actually winks. Clara blushes.
A small series of neat moves later and suddenly, Robin falls headlong into the water.
„Doctor!“ Clara shrieks, running over to him. He polishes the spoon triumphantly on his elbow and pops it back into his coat pocket.
„Like I said, my box…and my maiden.“
„What?“
„Nothing.“ Clara looks at him intently but get’s distracted by the fact that Robin still hasn’t come back to the surface.
„Doctor?“ There’s no sign of him in the stream, no air bubbles, nothing. Now the Doctor peers over the log bridge too.
All at once, he yelps and falls, face first, into the stream. Clara jumps in surprise until she hears Robins hearty laugh behind her and watches him pull himself up on the log next to her. She can’t help but join him, his laughter being quite infectious. It doesn’t help that the Doctor looks like a drowned magician. His always so well put together exterior is quite ruffled and she finds, she rather likes this disheveled look on him.
The expression on his face makes her laugh even more, he seems furious. But Clara can’t help herself. She’s in Sherwood Forrest, Robin Hood standing next to her and the Doctor just fell into a stream after dueling with a spoon. She felt, (and he would of course contradict her on this later), that she had every right to have a smile on her face.