Rating: K+
Summary: "Gran told her sister about you from Christmas, and now she's insisting you come to her birthday party. It's her 85th, so she's really excited, and…"
"You don't want to let her down?" He answered for her.
"Exactly. So Doctor, will you be my boyfriend again?"
Notes: I'm back! Tell me what you guys think :)
"Doctor, I have a huge favour to ask you."
"Alright, hit me."
Clara sighed. "Okay, I need you to be my boyfriend again."
"You seem to have taken a liking to asking me over the phone, eh?" He chuckled and leaned against the TARDIS. "Is this how you ask everyone to be your significant other?"
"No! I just… Gran told her sister about you from Christmas, and now she's insisting you come to her birthday party. It's her 85th, so she's really excited, and…"
"You don't want to let her down?" He answered for her.
"Exactly. So Doctor, will you be my boyfriend again?"
The Doctor chuckled. "Alright, alright. I'll do it."
Clara squealed happily. "Thank you, I owe you big."
"Nonsense. One problem, it's been months since Christmas, I don't think our regular Doctor and Clara Oswald will be… convincing enough."
She sighed and nodded. "You're right. We may need to practice being an actual couple so she won't question us. Do you want to come over, we can maybe watch a few rom-coms, figure out how to be a couple?"
"S-sure! When's the party?"
"Saturday, so we don't have much time."
"Saturday. Alright, I'm on my way over now."
Clara hung up the phone and ran to her living room where the TARDIS was materializing.
"Alright, operation Clara's boyfriend, let's do this!" The Doctor took a seat on the couch beside her.
"Okay, let's start with where we met."
"I fixed your wifi. Next."
Clara rolled her eyes. "First date? I doubt anyone would buy alien festival."
"No, but we could say lunch in the market?"
"That works."
Clara and the Doctor spent the next hour sorting out their story, their high points and low points to the fake relationship.
"Alright, so… should we be the physical type?"
"What do you mean?" The Doctor's eyes narrowed and his brows furrowed. "Like, the hand-holdy thing? I can do that." He offered a smile and took her hand.
"Yes, but my family knows me Doctor, I've always been a little bit… daring. They'll question me if I don't even try to kiss you."
His hearts fluttered. "You're gonna kiss me in front of your family?"
"Maybe, probably, I bet my grandmother will ask."
The Doctor nodded. "Alright, so… should we practice?"
"Slow down there cowboy, why don't we start small. You've got the hand holding down, why don't we try something different. When we're walking or standing, try putting your hand on the small of my back." She stood, and he followed.
"Like this?" The Doctor asked her, careful not to go too low.
"Good. I had a boyfriend once who used to grab my butt all the time, drove my father crazy. Actually…" She gave him a mischievous look and dragged his hand down her bottom making his face turn an unattractive shade of red. "Do that every once and a while."
"O-okay." He squeaked out before sitting back down.
"Now what about…" she kissed his cheek lightly as she sat beside him, "that."
"Stolen kisses."
"It has to look like we've done this a million times before."
"O-okay, perhaps I'll glance at a manual—"
Clara brushed his chin with her hand. "Babe, you need a shave."
"Babe?"
"Does that sound odd? What about sweetheart, love, honey?"
"Um…" Suddenly he was feeling pleasantly warm. He'd never imagined what Clara's affection would feel like, but it was nice, unexpectedly nice. "Babe is okay, I guess."
"What's wrong?" She asked, her brow furrowing.
"Nothing, no, nothing's wrong Clara." He didn't want to tell her it all felt too real. Sitting there with his arm around her, snuggled into his chest was the best thing he'd felt all day. "I've read the boyfriend manual before you know."
"Boyfriend manual? That's an actual thing? Did it teach you anything interesting?"
"Well, it taught me a few things." He said, eager to show her what he knew. The Doctor placed his hand on her waist and faced her, pressing gentle kisses to her neck. "Like this."
Clara smiled, endeared that he understood what they would have to do to convince her family that they'd been together for quite some time. His lips were soft on her neck, leaving little trails of heat in their path, and she was pleased, but his soft kisses soon developed into something more. His mouth opened, and her face felt hot as his tongue and teeth grazed her skin. He sucked on the spot roughly making her heart pound and her eyes close. Clara tilted her head, giving him more room to roam, and threaded her fingers through his soft hair.
"D-Doctor…" She moaned, letting her feelings take over. Clara whimpered as his hand on her waist roamed higher. Finally, she'd had enough. She couldn't take this teasing, and she pulled him from her neck so she could kiss him properly.
It was a messy kiss, too heated too quickly, but neither of them seemed to mind. She felt like a teenager again, making out on the couch with her crush, her heart pounding sporadically behind her ribs and her chest fluttering. Clara pulled away before the heated kiss went any further; as hard as it was, she knew it would only get harder if they kept at it.
"Wow… that manual doesn't lie." The Doctor joked breathlessly with his signature smile.
"Maybe we should stay away from kissing like that in front of my dad, unless you want to lose an eye."
"Noted." He said, giving her a light peck on the lips. "And how about that, is that okay?"
Clara giggled and kissed him again. "That's always okay."
The two began their slow, sensual kisses again, getting wrapped up in each other's arms. The manual was forgotten, their 'practice' was forgotten, the only thing that existed in that moment was each other.
It was incredible how wrapped up in the Doctor Clara was.
"So, you think we're okay for the party? Will your grandmother be happy?" The Doctor asked, pulling away and tucking a piece of her hair behind her ear.
Clara's smile fell a little, her bliss shattering. The party, she'd completely forgot about it for a moment.
"Yeah, yeah I think she'll be pleased." She pulled away from him, casting her eyes downward, not wanting him to see the hurt in her eyes. Clara should have known this would happen, he didn't feel that way about her.
"Good." The Doctor smiled and cupped her cheek, kissing her again, but Clara pulled away quickly. "Hey, what's wrong?"
"Nothing." She answered too quickly.
The Doctor frowned and cocked his head to the side. "You're upset. Did I do something wrong?"
"No, no, you did nothing wrong."
"Then why… are you okay?"
She nodded, but then shook her head. "The whole kissing thing…" she hesitated, trying to word it properly, "you seem, well we seem oddly comfortable with it."
The Doctor frowned. "Yes, I am comfortable with it, kissing you is nice." He was clearly confused.
"See Doctor… that's the problem. It's nice… too nice."
"Do you want me to be rubbish at it? Because I can—"
Clara cut him off. "No, I don't think you understand."
"Then help me Clara, because unless I was reading the signs wrong, we were having a moment."
She giggled. "I was kissing you, you dolt. How could you have been reading the signs wrong?"
"I dunno, I thought maybe it was all just… acting." The Doctor shrugged awkwardly, his face heating up.
"Well I must be a damn good actor then. Were… were you feeling anything when we were kissing?"
"…Warm? And my hearts were a bit fluttery."
Clara sighed, her heart pounding as she closed her eyes. "Doctor, I'm going to say this once. If you so choose, I'll never say it again, or… or…" She couldn't even think of an alternative, she didn't think there could even be one. "Doctor, I love you."
His hearts sped up. "Is this for the party?"
Against her better judgment, Clara shook her head. "It's real."
The Doctor smiled and kissed her lips lightly, sending her into a slight bout of shock. "I—I think I love you too."
"Wait… really?"
"Yes, why do you think I've been reading the boyfriend manual?"
Clara was ecstatic. She rushed into his arms, pushing him down on the couch and planting kisses all over his stupid chin.
"Happy birthday Gran! You remember John?"
"Yes, of course dear." Clara's gran got up and hugged them both. "Clara dear, what's that on your hand?"
Clara smiled and squeezed the Doctor's hand, nuzzling into his neck. "Well… he popped the question, and I said yes!"