It was a relatively quiet afternoon on Denmark Street. There were a few shoppers around, though it was far from peak activity. As such, no one noticed the large blue police box materialising outside one of the many music shops on the street, obscuring a window full of retro guitars.
The TARDIS' door opened and Clara Oswald stepped out, a guitar amplifier bearing the logo of Magpie Electricals in one hand and a battered white Panama hat in the other. She set the amplifier down beside the TARDIS and turned to look back through the open doors, her arms folded.
"Come on then," she said. "Out you come, we haven't got all day."
"I'm not doing this, Clara." The Doctor's voice came through the door, the man himself remaining in the control room.
"Yes, you are. You lost the bet, remember?" said Clara. "There's no backing out, we shook on it."
"Doesn't matter," said the Doctor. "I refuse to humiliate myself in this way."
"Oh come on," said Clara. "Your honour's at stake here Doctor. Wouldn't want people to think you're not as good as your word, would we?"
The Doctor's head appeared in the TARDIS' doorway.
"Clara, I'm pretty sure that this is defined as cruel and unusual punishment," he said.
"First of all, it's not punishment," said Clara. "And second, if you don't want to do this, you can always take the forfeit instead."
"What's the forfeit?" asked the Doctor.
"You have to spend three days in Sherwood Forest with Robin Hood," said Clara.
"Not under any circumstances," said the Doctor.
"Well, you're just going to come out of there and do as we agreed, as we shook on, aren't you?"
"I won't."
"Fine," said Clara, making to go back into the TARDIS. "Robin Hood it is then."
"No! No, wait!" the Doctor exclaimed, before sighing. Then he stepped out of the TARDIS and into Denmark Street.
Clara giggled as the Doctor blinked in the bright sunshine, before looking down at the travesty of a coat he was wearing. The patchwork-rainbow nightmare preferred by his sixth incarnation had been unearthed by Clara the night before, procured from one of the many storage rooms that littered the TARDIS' corridors. It was still as vibrant as the day his predecessor had pulled it from the TARDIS' wardrobe, to the Doctor's discomfort. He cursed himself for not throwing the damned thing into a supernova the very minute he'd regenerated. The strap of his guitar hung around his neck, and he was trying to use the musical instrument to cover up as much of the coat as he could.
"There, that's not so bad, is it?" said Clara, struggling to contain her laughter.
"I'm in hell," said the Doctor. "How anyone can think of this as an acceptable piece of clothing is far beyond my range of understanding."
"You used to think of it as the height of fashion," Clara giggled.
"When I was younger!" the Doctor protested. "I was naive, foolish and severely lacking in taste."
"How times change," said Clara, reaching down and placing the hat worn by the Doctor's seventh self upside down by the amplifier. She switched the amp on, before straightening up again.
"I'm going to get coffee," she said, holding out her hand. "TARDIS key."
"What?" said the Doctor, his face becoming panicked.
"TARDIS key," said Clara. "I don't want you dodging the bet and hopping back inside. Besides, the last time one of us went for coffee, someone took the TARDIS and didn't reappear for two weeks."
"At least you're asking nicely this time," the Doctor grumbled as he placed the TARDIS key into Clara's palm. "What now?"
"Start playing," said Clara, pointing down at the Panama hat. "If you make enough, you can buy us lunch."
Clara rounded the corner of Denmark Street, two coffees in hand and stopped dead. A small crowd had surrounded the TARDIS, and Clara could see a few phones out to video. The air was filled with the sound of an electric guitar solo - Queen's 'Brighton Rock' if she wasn't mistaken.
The Doctor had a huge grin on his face as his fingers raced up and down the fretboard of his guitar, the sonic sunglasses perched on his nose. The little crowd was loving every minute of this strange man, with his loud coat and even louder guitar.
The Doctor powered through the last few notes of his solo, ending on a lingering power chord. This was rewarded with a loud cheer and a round of applause from the crowd, swiftly followed by the clinking of coins as they landed in the Panama at the Doctor's feet.
"Thank you, thank you!" he called, as the crowd began to disperse. "I'll be here all week - not really, I'm only saying that."
"You seem to be enjoying yourself," said Clara. The Doctor's head whipped around - he seemed surprised to see her.
"Err, no I'm not," he stammered. "Just putting it on - you know, for the crowd."
"Yeah right," Clara grinned handing him his coffee. She looked down at the Panama - there was a substantial amount of coinage lying inside.
"Looks like you've done pretty well for yourself," said Clara as she crouched down and lifted the hat, giving it a little shake.
"Is it over? Can I take this thing off yet?" asked the Doctor, a glimmer of hope crossing his face.
"Nope," said Clara with a shake of her head. "Lunch first."
"You drive a hard bargain, Miss Oswald," said the Doctor, frowning. Clara opened the TARDIS door and stepped aside to allow him to place the guitar and amplifier inside.
"Come on, there's a cafe just down the street," said Clara. "I think two sandwiches are just about within our budget."
"Let's make it quick," said the Doctor. "I can't take much more of this coat."
"I think it suits you," said Clara with a sly grin. The Doctor scowled at her.
"Don't push your luck," he said as he closed the TARDIS' door again.
"Come on Joseph," said Clara, nodding up the street.
"I hate you."
"No, you don't."
"You're probably right."
A/N: Just a quick little oneshot I whipped up during a bout of insomnia. Hope you enjoyed. :-)
