19: Smallest

Clara came to a stop just inside the TARDIS doors, panting for breath, as she and the Doctor narrowly avoided getting blasted with whatever those green aliens had been firing at them. She had a stitch in her side and her legs felt like noodles, but her smile still lit up the room, plastered across her face. The Doctor seemed a little less impressed, hurrying to the Console and getting them out of there as fast as he could. When they were a safe distance away, on course for a totally normal and safe Earth afternoon, he finally relaxed his tense shoulders. Clara was practically dancing, holding onto the railing and letting it carry most of her weight as she spun toward him. "Where are we headed now?"

He looked her over, noting her dishevelled hair and ripped shirt sleeve. "Earth."

She clicked her tongue, disappointment weakening the smile. "Aw, come on, I'm fine! I'm ready for another adventure!"

The Doctor turned a dial on the controls and the ship landed with its usual groan. "You're yawning."

Clara covered her mouth as she did just that. "Did you do that on purpose?"

The Doctor turned back to her, face full of innocence. "What?"

"You mentioned yawning so I yawned. That doesn't mean I'm tired."

The Doctor bit his bottom lip. "I didn't make the rules. You did. One trip and then a break for work and food and...whatever else humans do."

Clara suddenly felt her perspective shift down an inch or two. "Doctor…"

He eyed her curiously. "Yes?"

Clara looked down at herself and raised her eyebrows. "I think I'm shrinking!"

He waved her off, rolling her eyes. "Honestly, Clara, are you trying to avoid something at home? PE giving you trouble?"

Clara threw him a glare. "Doctor, I'm serious. Look at me."

"Yeah, looking."

She gestured to herself, shaking her head. "I'm smaller than I usually am."

He came to stand just in front of her. "You're always small."

Clara rolled her eyes. She could've hit him sometimes. "Maybe you're just a bloody giant."

The Doctor put his hands up in surrender. "Alright, I'll scan you and prove that you're fine."

Clara waited with her arms crossed as he whirred the Sonic over her. As he read the results, his eyebrows furrowed, and then he let out a short, odd laugh.

"What? What is it?"

He tilted his head reading the results on his device carefully. "Well, you'll be glad to know you were right."

Clara's eyes widened. "What happened? Am I going to keep getting smaller?"

The Doctor gave his screwdriver a lopsided grin. "Well, let's hope not. You don't have very far to go."

Clara whacked him on the arm as hard as she could. His mouth fell open. "Clara!"

"Can you help me?"

The Doctor shut his eyes, nodding his head. "Of course I can help you."

Clara felt herself shrink down another inch. Her eyes widened even more. "Doctor!"

He scanned her once more and turned back to the Console, pulling various instruments out of its panels and chucking them across the floor haphazardly. Clara watched him with anxiety, feeling herself shrink yet further. "Doctor, it's going faster now."

The Doctor couldn't suppress the laugh that escaped him. Her voice sounded helium-infused. Clara's face reddened in both embarrassment and anger. She kept silent for the rest of his search for...whatever it was he was after.

"Got it!"

The Doctor stood and spun to face her again, his teeth setting in a grimace as he looked over her shrunken form. She hardly reached his waist. "At least your clothes are shrinking at the same rate. Makes it easy to identify the problem."

He whipped out a small silver box with a red blinking button on top and aimed it toward her. "This might feel a bit weird; like when you've sat on your foot too long."

Clara shut her eyes as the red light's beam panned over her. It tickled and made her feel like she had to sneeze, but she remained absolutely still for fear of messing it up.

"Alright?"

She opened her eyes and saw the Doctor's shoulder at eye level. Back to normal.

"Fine, I think."

The Doctor hit his device with the palm of his hand. "Works in a trick. Glad it did, too. You might've gotten confused with your students."

Clara smiled softly and walked up to him with a sweet look in her eye. He returned the smile, but instantly noted Clara's now-clenched fist.

Clara hit his arm in the same spot as before, even harder.

"Oi!"

"That's for laughing at me."

The Doctor was bent over slightly, holding onto his arm in pain. His mouth had fallen open in silent shock. As Clara moved toward him again, he jerked back, but she simply put her arms around him in a hug. He slowly relaxed, straightening and letting his arms fall to his sides.

"And this is for saving me."

She let go of him and strolled to the door, but turned back with the eye of a teacher. The Doctor was stood rubbing his arm.

"I'm going to take a nap and then you, mister, are taking me to Mars for cocktails."

He nodded. "Course, boss."

She smiled kindly. "And then we can go wherever you want."

He returned the smile. "I've got a whole day planned on the plains of The Divine Galaxies."

"I can't wait."

She closed the door as she left, and the Doctor smiled at the thought of seeing her in another hour. Before that, though, he had some things to do on the moon, so he took off and dashed around the Console, half steering and half negotiating with the TARDIS to get where he wanted to go.