The two of them had sat in the small restaurant for well over three hours.
It was with great reluctance that Missy had finally admitted that she enjoyed the chips, the Doctor had been so eager for her to like them that she was sorely tempted to say she hadn't, just to spite him.
Eventually Missy had begun to get bored, and she had decided to amuse herself by making scathing observations about the people around them, remarks that seemed to be hitting the nail on the head every time.
To prove that she was right, she would slip inside their heads, gleefully projecting evidence into the Doctor's head to support what she was saying, who was torn on whether to stop her or let her continue. She wasn't doing any real harm or being wicked directly to anyone's face, but encouraging her also didn't seem like a good idea.
As the observations she was making became increasingly cruel, he quickly decided it was time to go, standing up and nodding towards the door, "Shall we?"
Sighing, Missy followed his lead, knowing full well that he would have been content to have sat there for several more hours had she not been speaking.
Being so close to the university, it didn't take them long to make their way back to the office. And when they got back, they found Nardole waiting for them, idly tapping a pen against the desk as he read a book.
"Kill anyone?" He asked immediately, expression and tone perfectly neutral as he looked up at Missy.
"Only a dozen or so." She answered, equally as casual.
Looking between them as they grinned at each other, the Doctor was just confused, "When did this happen?" He asked, waving his hand between them, "You hate each other."
Nardole made a face, "Absolutely loathe her."
"I want to put his eyes on cocktail sticks." Missy cackled, skipping threateningly close to where Nardole was sitting.
Eyes narrowing at Nardole, the Doctor shook his head slowly. Despite Missy's track record, he hadn't even flinched when she brushed past him, leading the Doctor to believe that Nardole had known full well that it was an empty threat.
"You can't be friends." The Doctor blurted out before he could stop himself.
"And why not?" Missy smirked, sitting on the edge of his desk and crossing her legs.
Shaking his head, as he tried to come up with anything that didn't sound childish or petty, eventually he settled on saying, "You've tried to kill him, he helped keep you prisoner for eighty years."
Laughing, Missy leaned forwards and patted his arm comfortingly, "Theta, I promise I will always love you most. There's no need to be jealous."
"I'm not jealous." He said a little too quickly.
Chuckling, Nardole just gave him a knowing look before holding out a piece of paper, "Kate Stewart called while you were out, she wants you to swing by so she can ask you for advice on something they've dug up."
"Did she say when she wants us?" The Doctor asked, glad for the change of subject, still not sure how he felt in the face of Missy and Nardole getting along.
Nardole nodded, "Tomorrow morning is when she recommended. She said it wasn't too urgent, no ones in danger of dying so it can wait until tomorrow."
Missy had crossed her arms and was swinging her feet lightly, "Do I have to go?" She asked when the Doctor looked at her curiously.
Sighing patiently, the Doctor nodded, "I know it sets you would rather not, but it's important. They'll never believe that you've changed unless they see it for themselves."
Muttering under her breath agitatedly, Missy jumped off the table and headed for the Tardis, "I'm going to my room, come and get me when you're leaving, if you insist on dragging me out so pointlessly."
They watched her go, concerned with how quickly her mood had suddenly shifted from happy and calm to uncomfortable and restless.
"She really hates U.N.I.T." Nardole said in surprise, having not realised before just how much of an aversion she had to the organisation.
"They have a past." The Doctor remarked wryly, before shaking his head, "Missy doesn't like being in situations she feels she has no control over. That's why there was always another scheme, another hidden twist she was waiting to spring on me. Because once she loses control she begins to panic and after that she spirals out very quickly."
"No wonder what happened with Me shook her up so badly." Nardole winced sympathetically.
The Doctor nodded, "We haven't spoken about it, but I think in Missy's head she knows that getting into a fight with U.N.I.T. would be a lose-lose situation for her. She either gets killed or captured by them, or wins and loses the friendship we're rebuilding. That's why she hates being there, because there is twice the pressure to remain calm, which makes it twice as difficult for her."
Nardole nodded in understanding, "You could always let her stay on the Tardis."
"In the long run that will cause more harm than good." The Doctor told him softly, "Hiding from what scares her won't help, confronting it head on though? That just might."
