WARNING: Spoilers for Listen (8x04)
Author's Note: So I had this idea since July when I watched the leaked version of the episodes and now I was finally able to write and post an unedited drabble (because I'm too lazy to edit) without having to worry about spoiling the episode before it aired :D Hope you guys like it!
He sees her talking with someone when he steps out of the Tardis. He's an older man, late 40s by the looks of it, with the air of an academic. Probably a coworker. How boring. Social interaction. Not me.
But before he turns to head back into the Tardis he notices something different about Clara. Her smile. He's never seen her smile that way before. Curiosity gets the better of him, wanting to know who's the man who can make her smile with such a mixture of shyness, embarrassment, and adoration.
"Who was he?" He asks once she's in hearing distance. She chances a quick glance behind her before shrugging.
"No one."
"Then why are you smiling like that?"
"Like what?" He scowls.
"Nothing it's just - it's embarrassing okay? I would appreciate it if you'd let it go."
He stuffs his hands in his pockets, the red lining of his coat flashing brightly like a warning, his stance a clear indication that no I'm not going to let it go, just answer the question already.
She sighs and her fingers start nervously drumming against the the sides of the coffee cup she's holding closer to herself than she'd normally would. The noise quickly begins to irritate him, but she finally speaks up before he can express his annoyance and says, "He used to be one of my English teachers in primary school."
"Mmm, and?"
"And?"
"That doesn't answer my second question."
She looks out at the school, onto the spot where she had been talking with the man. Her lips press into a thin line as she tries to suppress the same smile the Doctor had seen earlier.
"He… I kind of use to have a massive crush on him back when I was little. Being in his class was actually what started my interest in becoming a school teacher myself."
"You had a crush on one of your teachers?"
"What?" She matches his hard stare with one of amusement. "Never had any crushes when you were a kid?"
"No." He says firmly and with a hint of mockery. She nods before bringing the cup up to her lips for a quick sip, and starts walking away from him and towards the Tardis. For a second he fears that maybe he was too inconsiderate and had upset her. But suddenly his ears catch a sound, a giggle, and he can't stop his hand from instinctively wrapping around the little toy soldier he found on his window sill all those hundreds of years ago as two words tumble out in a shy whisper:
"Just you."