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Chapter 10

The Doctor hated parties, at least most of the time. Back in the 80s and 90s, he had attended some of the label events with River, but he hadn't actually been to one of those in almost 20 years. It seemed a mystery to him that Missy was so eager to make him attend one all of a sudden, but he hoped that if he just looked grumpy enough, she would let him off the hook. For now, he was stuck here.

Clutching the bottle of beer in one hand, the Doctor made his way through the crowd and for some reason, he thought that his feet felt especially heavy. It took him a while, but eventually, he figured out that it because the soles of his shoes kept sticking to the floor where people before him had spilt their drinks. Even though the location seemed quite elegant, the crowd and the music surely weren't. He really hated parties.

There wasn't a single person here that he knew or at least he hadn't spotted them yet. Missy had to be somewhere. She wouldn't leave him on his own, would she?

"Wow, you look cheerful!"

The Doctor spun around when he heard someone yell at him over the music and he instantly recognized Clara Oswald. Somehow, she seemed taller than she had the other day and the Doctor let his gaze wander to her feet and noticed the insanely high heels that made him wonder how she could even walk. Tonight, she wore a red dress that seemed short even on her tiny figure and he wasn't entirely sure if her cleavage that was merely covered by lace could still be considered decent. Clara's large eyes were framed by a layer of dark makeup and it made him think that she would have been prettier without it, but as it was, she looked like the rock star she was and he couldn't even think of an insult to throw back at her right now.

"Wanna go somewhere quieter and talk about the album?" Clara asked him.

The Doctor simply shrugged. Somewhere quieter was definitely where he wanted to be right now because the music was beginning to make his head hurt. He watched as Clara turned around and started leading the way and the Doctor chuckled when he realized that she was unsteady on the heels that reminded him of stilts.

"Shouldn't you have worn a pair of shoes you can actually walk in?" he teased her.

"What?!" Clara shouted over the music. It was too loud to even insult someone.

The Doctor repeated his sentence, almost yelling into her ear as he did and finally, Clara heard him. At least that was what he assumed, judging by the angry look on her face.

"I mean, you're small, but is that such a bad thing that you would risk breaking your legs?"

"At least I didn't come here in my pyjamas," she spat and turned towards the bar.

He waited while she ordered a cocktail that was so brightly coloured that it looked borderline toxic and together, they made their way into the back.

As soon as the door closed behind him, the Doctor took his first deep breath ever since he had stepped into the label-owned club. The music was still audible, but in here, it had been reduced to an annoying thrumming in the background. At least it was quiet enough to talk. As the Doctor looked around, he realized that this area looked just as elegant as the rest of the club, but instead of a dance floor, there was a bar and several sets of chairs and tables, about half of them occupied. He figured that this was where people came to make deals or just to have a quick chat.

Clara took a spot in a remote corner and set her drink down in front of her. The Doctor followed her example and for a long moment, neither of them even said a word. The more time passed, the more the Doctor became aware of the way people were looking at them and he took a nervous sip from his beer just to cover up the awkwardness of the situation. But then he noticed that they weren't looking at him at all, but at the young woman in his company. Clara seemed to draw in everyone's gaze in her revealing, red dress and the fact that he didn't like her, didn't make him blind or stupid. She was an incredibly attractive woman and the Doctor knew what was going through the minds of the men around them and for some reason, it bugged him a little. Clara was here with him and they had their album to talk about.

The album. Even though he knew that it would probably turn into a successful one, the Doctor still couldn't quite believe that it was happening. They didn't get along. Clara was so much younger, so much more successful than him. And she had a lot more talent. Back at the studio, when she had started to sing, the Doctor had felt like a failure next to her. If anyone was going to buy the album, it would be because of Clara, not because of him.

"So, uhm," he hesitated. "We should probably get together and, uhm, write some songs. Or at least talk about the direction we wanna take."

"Yep," she agreed and sipped her cocktail through the straw.

The Doctor looked at her in the dim light of the bar as she pursed her lips to drink. Somehow, she looked so tiny next to him, so fragile that he almost forgot how she attacked him every time they spoke and the fact that they hated each other didn't mean that he couldn't appreciate how pretty she was. Somehow, it brought a smile to his face.

"What are you smiling at?" she asked him and for once, there was no hostility in her voice.

The Doctor laughed. "What? I'm not allowed to smile now?"

Her features turned into a broad grin. "I feel like we've had this argument before. We're going in circles."

"Look at that, three conversations and we've already run out of insults."

"I could always insult the size of your dick," Clara suggested with a shrug.

"Careful," the Doctor chuckled. "You don't want anyone to think we're flirting."

His remark made her laugh, but Clara didn't reply. Instead, she discarded the straw and took a proper sip out of her glass. It reminded the Doctor that his beer was growing warm in his hand and he finished the bottle in one go. As if he had felt it, a waiter appeared next to them to pick up their empty glasses. A refill arrived within the next minute.

"So, uhm-"

"Please don't defend the size of your dick," Clara interrupted him.

The Doctor frowned at her in reply, but when Clara started to laugh, he realized that she had made another joke. He had fallen for it.

"You seem quite obsessed with that topic," he remarked. "One could almost think you're in a dry spell. Are you scaring all the men away with your attitude?"

An expression crossed over her face, one that he couldn't quite understand. It was almost as if she had suddenly remembered something, but quickly brushed the thought aside. Then, a smile spread across her lips.

"Look around you," she told him. "Do you really think I'm scaring them away?"

The Doctor glanced around the room and confirmed that the men were still watching her. Even though Clara ignored their looks, she was still aware of them. She looked gorgeous tonight and she knew it. Her looks almost made him forget why he hated her.

"No," he replied eventually and then granted her a smile as well. "And yet you're sitting here with me."

She chuckled. "You're not anything special, Doctor," Clara told him, laughing. "You're just like any other man in this room. If anything, you're more annoying."

"Then why are we still talking?" he half barked at her and instantly felt the urge to slap his hand across his mouth. For some reason, he didn't want to leave. He wanted them both to stay right here. Oh God, a part of him even enjoyed their bickering.

Maybe. . . maybe they were flirting after all?

The possibility suddenly sent both his mind and his heart racing. Clara Oswald was sitting right in front of him, giving him a strange smile that he hadn't seen on her face before the Doctor wasn't sure what to think. He didn't like her, but that didn't mean he couldn't desire her because he did. Right now, her short dress, her ruffled hair, that look she was giving him, the way she straightened her shoulders to give him a better look at her cleavage, it made him desire her. He thought about it, about wrapping his arms around his small waist, about pressing her against a wall with his own body, about kissing her until she ran out of breath and the idea made his cock twitch in his pants. But he was torn out of his thoughts when Clara spoke again.

"Good question. Why are we still talking?" she asked with a smile before she reached for her drink and finished it before she abruptly rose from her seat.

Before the Doctor knew what was happening, Clara reached for his arm and pulled him into a standing position. He could do nothing but follow while she led the way out of the bar and he hoped that she didn't notice how his hands were trembling in excitement.