Questions & Answers
'Are you two seeing each other?'
The question didn't surprise the Doctor much, but by the faint blush of Yaz's cheeks and scrunched up face she concluded she should.
The Doctor looked at Yaz, unable to read her expression. 'I don't think so.'
A brief pause interrupted her words, realising it was wrong to assume they weren't. After all, The Doctor had been in romantic relationships before, sometimes without even realising.
'Are we?'
The question and the implied proposition, she could see, made enough impact for her to see shock and embarrassment flit over Yaz's face.
In that moment, The Doctor wondered what it would be like to be with her. At over a hundred thoughts a second, she imagined running fingers through Yaz's dark, soft hair, drinking tea with her bundled up beside her, kissing her lips softly and fervently.
'We're friends.' Yaz said quickly, breaking The Doctor resolutely from her reverie. She could hear the adamance in Yaz's tone and without hiding her surprising disappointment, muttered 'hmmm.' She could feel her mouth hang open slightly and soon shut it, not wanting to make Yaz or her mum uncomfortable. Yet, the answer Yaz gave did admittedly dishearten her. Nevertheless, she pushed the thoughts from her mind, resuming back to the task on hand.
The Doctor swiftly eyed Yaz whilst turning away, identifying almost a look of timidness in her eyes.
'I owe the Doctor my life. Quite a few times over.'
Although she couldn't see her face, the Doctor knew her sincerity was real through her voice. The fact that Yaz already admitted she had saved her made the corners of her mouth lift slightly into a soft smile. The Doctor thought back to when she had first met her on the train, instantly demanding that they were friends. Ultimately, the Doctor decided that that action was probably a little too eager to be just an act of platonic friendliness.
'What's that even supposed to mean?' Yaz's mum quipped, and the Doctor knew that Yaz was regretting revealing anything to her mother.
'Please can we not have this conversation now, and not in front of him.' Yaz interjected, and the Doctor remained silent due to the strain in Yaz's voice. There was no way to tell if it was because she secretly liked or was repulsed at the idea, but The Doctor quickly abandoned any more interesting, rhetorical questions she pondered for herself. As the conversation turned to the hotel owner the Doctor had completely forgotten about in the heat of things, the feelings of intensity slipped from her body and she began to think about all of the huge spiders weaving their human-sized webs. The Doctor suddenly imagined Yaz in those cocoons, lifelessly swinging. The thought repulsed her so much a shiver ran its way down her spine, and again resolved to find out immediately the source of the mystery.
The next time she looked at Yaz, it was an awkward glance as she slipped through the door which made her suddenly reach for her arm. Stopping her from following the others, her hand rested on Yaz's arm for a second before she withdrew it. Yaz seemed almost startled at the gesture, but once The Doctor gave her a comforting smile, relaxed.
'Are you alright?' The Doctor asked encouragingly.
Yaz scrunched her face up a little, smiling back before she could stop herself. The Doctor was beginning to revel in her smiles more.
'Yeah,' she said, 'I've never minded spiders that much, even though these ones are massive and-'
'No, not the spiders,' the Doctor shook her head, wracking her brain to think of what to say. She hadn't been this flustered in a while, 'your mum. I didn't know if the questions offended you or-'
'Offended me?' Yaz interrupted, almost laughing at the quasi-serious look on the Doctor's face, 'I live in the 21st century and I don't judge.'
The Doctor nodded, not quite being able to meet her warm brown eyes. 'Well...that's good.'
'I mean, you weren't offended, right?'
'Me? Oh no, no, no, no, no. Not at all.' The Doctor nervously tucked her hair behind her ear, aware that she had just repeated her words, 'just thought maybe your mum had made you upset.'
'That couldn't have made me upset. Maybe just a little embarrassed, I mean-'
Her words broke off when she looked the Doctor straight in the eye. The Doctor shifted her eyes to the floor and banished the images of her kissing Yaz from her mind.
'Well, anyway,' The Doctor continued, remembering that there was definitely no time to waste chatting, 'I think we should better find out what's been going on with the spiders in this city.'
Yaz smiled. 'Yeah, I think so too.'
Unashamedly brave and even without thinking, The Doctor caught her hand and they ran together down the hallway, letting go just before Yaz's mum could see and enhance her suspicions. The Doctor glimpsed Yaz gently rubbing the spot her hands had held hers and smirked lightly. Maybe the images in her mind weren't out of the question entirely.