2: Lesson
"How could you forget how to tie a bowtie?"
Clara was stood in front of the central column of the TARDIS, arms crossed, eyebrows scrunched in confusion. The Doctor was gliding around the Console, doing everything in his power to keep from meeting her eyes. It was embarrassing enough prancing about with his first button undone and his signature accessory dangling loosely around his neck.
"I didn't forget, it was deleted from my memory. Remember the giant octo-man I saved you from?"
"You said his ink couldn't affect Timelords."
The Doctor flew to the opposite end of the Console and pulled a lever, grabbing onto the panel as the ship lurched. "Rule one."
When the TARDIS next stabilized Clara sauntered over to where the Doctor was punching in coordinates. "So, you lied to me, got ink all over yourself your clothes, forgot how to dress yourself, and now you want me to help?"
The Doctor's eyes veered left as he awkwardly chew his lip. "Basically."
They finally met eyes, and Clara smiled. "Just another day, then?"
The Doctor returned the grin, if a bit bashfully.
"Alright, Time Boy, let's see how good of a learner you are."
The Doctor, sat in the flight chair, tilted his head at the teacher towering over him. "Is this how all of your lessons start?"
Clara ignored his comment and untied the bow from his neck. It was knotted in at least two separate spots, but eventually she pulled it off of him in one quick swipe.
"Okay, button your shirt and lift up your collar. I'm assuming you remember how to do that."
The Doctor rolled his eyes as he followed her orders, hardly resisting the urge to shoot back a witty quip of his own. When he was done, he sighed and leaned back. Clara took this as a signal and wrapped the fabric around his collar, adjusting the two sides obsessively until they were just how she wanted them to be. It was like she wanted to draw this out; make him sit still for as long as she could. Leave it to a teacher to spawn a pop quiz on 'attention span'.
"So one side should look longer than the other at first. Then you fold the long side over the short side like this."
The Doctor peered down over his chin to watch her maneuver the fabric.
"Then you bring the long end up through the circle you just made and make the shorter end look like a bow, see?"
He nodded his head softly so as not to disturb her work, but remained silent. The truth was, he was more intently focused on this than he was on most things at any given time. Maybe she really was an excellent teacher.
"Now put the long end over the bow and, this is the tricky part so pay attention."
The Doctor stared without blinking as Clara slowly folded the fabric around, putting it through loops and things until finally it resembled a classic tie. She muttered as she went, quietly explaining what she was doing and little tips on how to do it best. He heard every word, ingraining it in his memory.
"And now you just have to tighten it. So hold both ends-"
She suddenly took hold of his hands and lifted them up to his loose tie, placing his fingers gently around the fabric. "-and pull on both to make it tighter."
He did as he was told and felt it tighten against his throat. Clara gave him an approving smile. "Perfect. Do you think you could do it on your own now?"
He nodded, then blinked out of the focused daze he had been placed in. "Yes, yes I think so. Thank you, Clara."
Her grin widened. "My pleasure."
The Doctor got to his feet and inspected his reflection in the glass of the Time Rotor. Unconsciously, he tightened his bowtie just a fraction more. Clara watched him for a moment, leaned with folded hands on the panels of the Console, but lifted her eyes to the spinning panels near the ceiling of the ship. Various black-lined circles swirled around each other, seeming pulsing as the TARDIS seemed to breath in and out.
The Doctor had turned back to the controls, pressing this and twisting that, but as he noticed Clara's mysterious gaze, he stopped his foolish dance around the Console and watched her with a questioning eye. "Something on your mind?"
Clara dropped her gaze and straightened herself off the Console. "Do you think...you could teach me something?"
"Depends what it is. I'm an excellent omelette cooker, but I know nothing about taking care of chinchillas, so you're on your own there."
Clara chuckled, but hesitated a moment before replying, "Can you teach me some of your language?"
The Doctor froze for a second after her words, shifting from foot to foot. "You mean...Gallifreyan?"
Clara glanced at the Console, regretting having asked. "If that's okay. If it's not, that's fine."
The Doctor's lips formed a few words without any utterance before he simply smiled. "Circular Gallifreyan? Like what's written up there?"
She nodded. He clapped his hands together. "Where would you like to start?"
She let out a breath of relief she hadn't known she'd been holding and grinned back at his puppy-dog expression.
"If you put this line here and add a circle there-"
The Doctor and Clara sat on the floor of the TARDIS, white sheets of paper covered in circles and lines and numerous designs littered around them. He finished the small circle he was working on, and then picked up the paper and handed it to her. "That's your name. Clara Oswald."
She examined the two circles, both woven with clockwork-like letters in the forms of circles and gears and dots and lines. Never had she felt more connected to the Doctor's old planet, nor the man himself even. It was a rare glimpse into his history. He was always so mysterious and so hesitant to speak about his beloved planet, but here she was learning the nuances and intricacies of its language and culture. It was sad, and it was beautiful; just like the Doctor always made it out to be. Just like the Doctor always seemed to be.
"Now, in the city sometimes the letters had more curlicues and posh bits; they like to think they're more dignified or something like that. That's the Time Lords for you."
Clara eyed him curiously. "So you're not from the city? You're a country boy?"
The Doctor smiled faintly. "It's a bit more complicated than that, but yes, I suppose."
"No wonder you're always looking for trouble."
"I don't look for trouble. Trouble finds me."
Clara lowered the paper and peered over it smugly. "And that's what every country boy says when they don't want to admit city slickers are right."
The Doctor shook his head as Clara got to her feet. "That...doesn't even make sense."
Clara looked around the messy floor. "We'll be organizing this for the rest of the day."
The Doctor stood beside her, eyes gliding over his ancient language lovingly, but with a touch of bittersweet. Anger and sadness danced in the flecks of joy and care.
Clara noticed all of this. He held his stare on the papers even as she watched his pupils inflate and shrink back down again, nostrils flaring and breathing slowing. She placed a comforting hand on his cheek, turning his face slowly towards her own a foot below him. "Guess we both had something to teach each other."
He took her hand in her own and kissed her knuckles lightly. Their eyes danced around each other's for a moment, and then he went swiftly back to the Console with a goofy grin on his face. She couldn't help but return the smile as he held a red lever and gave her wide, adventurous eyes. "Ready to learn some more lessons?"
"Oh yeah."
They both grabbed onto the Console for dear life, laughing like maniacs, as the ship took off into the Time Vortex.