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"Doctor! Doctor!" Clara shouted over the loud music and sounds of chatter, trying to spot him through the sea of bodies around her.
They were spending the day in a place Clara had privately dubbed Planet of the Parades. He brought her to New New Orleans, where it was perpetually Mardis Gras. The locals wore bright costumes and masks and tossed strings of beads at the crowd below while jazz music played from speakers on each float. There were also drunk people walking around offering more beads to anyone willing to flash them. They were both surprised when the Doctor was propositioned first, and Clara had to stifle her laughter behind her hand when he blushed and flapped his hands awkwardly. He regained his composure and marched away, cheeks still bright red, pulling Clara along before she could be made the same offer.
At first the Doctor had been attentive to Clara, keeping her close to his side and a firm grip on her hand as he steered them through the mass of people and vendors, positive that if he let her go it would take them hours to find each other again. Until Clara needed the restroom and told him point blank that she could handle that on her own, thank you very much. She came out of the ladies' room expecting him to be waiting for her nearby, but he was gone. Okay, no problem, he probably just needed the gents' while they were right there. But after fifteen minutes of waiting, Clara got the sinking feeling that he wandered off and ditched her. Now she was showing strangers a photo of the Doctor on her phone, asking if anyone had seen him- all said no- and calling out for him.
"I'm going to kill him when I get my hands on him," Clara decided. "Or maybe get him one of those backpacks with the leash they make for children."
Was he doing this intentionally? Clara didn't recall saying anything particularly offensive to him, but he could be surprisingly sensitive sometimes. No, it had to have been an accident. Surely he saw something intriguing and wandered off, curiosity making him forget that she was no longer next to him. Any minute now he would figure it out and start searching for her. Clara spotted a food vendor with a relatively short wait time and lined up, resolved to make him come to her and enjoy a snack while she passed the time. Good thing she declined his offer to hold her purse or she wouldn't have any money. She paid for her order and smiled gratefully at the alien handing her a plate of fried dough topped with powered sugar and a drink. Clara balanced them carefully and dug into her purse for her phone as she made her way to a bench and sat down. Checking first for missed calls- there were none- she dialed the number for the TARDIS phone and waited.
One ring, two, three. Clara took a large bite and continued to count as she chewed. Six rings, seven. She bit her lip and looked around. After fifteen rings, Clara let out a huff and hung up. So much for the theory that maybe he was waiting for her at home. A brief flash of worry as she considered something she hadn't in her irritation- maybe he didn't willingly abandon her. Maybe someone or something overpowered him and dragged him off. Clara reached into her bag again, this time for the sonic screwdriver and psychic paper the Doctor had presented her with when she rejoined him on the TARDIS after Christmas, twins of his own.
"Just in case," he had gruffly told her, firmly pushing them into her hands. He had turned away from her as he did so to hide the mixture of pride and pleasure in his expression at being able to give them to her. "Don't make me regret it!" he had added when she flung her arms around him and kissed his cheek, leaving a bright red imprint of her lips behind. Hours later, he was horrified to see the mark, and probably twice as embarrassed as he would have been if it wasn't Strax that pointed it out. The Doctor insisted it was his vigorous scrubbing, and definitely not a blush, making his cheeks red as Vastra and Jenny teased him mercilessly.
Now in the present, Clara flicked through the settings on her sonic and prepared to board a parade float and commandeer the PA system. Her plan was to call for the Doctor; if he didn't respond, she would know he was in trouble, and she would do whatever she needed to do to get him back. It was a rubbish plan, and she knew it was rubbish, but it was the Doctor's sort of rubbish plan, so it had to work.
Clara edged her way to the front of the crowd and looked again for his fluffy grey curls or the tell-tale swish of red lining. Seeing neither, she made a run for the closest float and started to climb the side of it. She took a moment to appreciate no security or police had tried to stop her, and then she felt a pair of hands clamp down on her wrists.
'This might have been a bad idea,' Clara conceded as she was easily lifted the rest of the way up and set on the platform. She glanced around and noted the aliens on the float had mostly stopped throwing beads, but they were smiling warmly at her. Clara tried to give a friendly smile back, but it came out more as a grimace. They looked to the figure still holding one of Clara's wrists, and he used his other arm to make some sort of gesture that must have meant it was fine for her to be there. They adjusted their masks and resumed throwing beads, brightly colored dresses swaying with their movements.
Clara turned her attention to the figure in front of her. "Listen, I need to borrow your PA system," she said loudly over the music. "I came here with someone, and we got separated, and why are you still holding onto me?"
A very familiar flash of teeth was the only response at first. Clara took in the blue eyes she could just make out and the wild silver hair framing the purple, green, and gold mask. "Seriously, is this where you've been the whole time? I've been worried about you!" Clara smacked his arm lightly. "You ass!"
"Language," the Doctor chided as he rubbed his arm. "And what was that for?" He pushed his mask to rest on top of his head so Clara could see his face.
"Seriously? You ditched me over an hour ago when I went to the ladies'!"
The Doctor scoffed. "I didn't 'ditch' you, Clara, " he said, making air quotes with his fingers before crossing his arms over his chest. "I just walked off without telling you where I was going."
Clara stared at him in amazement. "That's the very definition of ditching someone!"
"It's not like I wanted you to have to look for me. I saw one of my previous selves and wanted to keep from being seen."
She blinked. That was certainly not the reason she expected him to have left her behind. "Which other you is here?" Clara scanned the crowd wondering if she would recognize him before she saw the scathing look he was giving her. "Not that it matters," she added hoping to appease him.
The Doctor pursed his lips, and Clara wondered if he would refuse to answer. "Sixth incarnation." He picked up the container of beads he must have abandoned earlier when he hoisted her onto the float and held up a necklace. "Eyes on the beads." He threw the necklace into the crowd and winced when it hit a younger man with curly blonde hair. "I just hit myself in the face. That left a mark."
Clara looked between the two Doctors for a moment before she burst out laughing. "You're insane. And that coat is dreadful. You even stand out here!" She grabbed a necklace from his container and threw it into the crowd. "Hang on- how did you end up on this float?"
He gave her a small smile. "I needed a place to hide. This seemed as good as any." The Doctor shrugged. "I thought it might make finding you again easier, but your height works against you. Lucky you decided to try commandeering this float to find me instead of one of the dozens of others. Spectators are actually encouraged to join the parade, which is why no one tried to stop us."
"Why are they encouraged?"
The Doctor raised an eyebrow. "Clara, think of it like a shift change at a job. Someone new gets on the float and someone else gets off. Question: how many times can you hear When The Saints Come Marching In before you go insane?"
"Not many. Point taken." They continued tossing necklaces at the people below them before Clara spoke again. "So is this all you did then? Hide and join a parade?"
He nodded. "Pretty good view up here, so I took in the sights while I looked for you. You?"
"Lucky. I didn't get to see anything good. Just asked strangers if they had seen you and had a snack." Clara pouted a bit.
The Doctor was dumbfounded. "What do you mean you didn't see anything good today? This place is full of amazing sights! Everywhere you turn there's something to see." Now he was the one pouting.
Clara tried to backpedal. "That's not what I meant. I just meant that my focus was on trying to find you again." There was her mouth, saying things on its own again. Oh god, please let him understand that she didn't mean that she didn't like New New Orleans; she just wished they'd seen what he saw together. "Doctor-"
He wasn't listening. "I can't believe you don't think you saw anything good today. You had fried dough. You watched a parade and caught some beads. At least I hope that's what these are from," he said, lightly tracing his hands over the necklaces she was wearing, and Clara was quick to confirm that she did not flash anyone for them. "We both scaled a float. What more do you want, Clara?" He pushed the bowl into her hands and walked to the other side of the float to speak with the locals. The Doctor spoke in a low voice and gestured back to her once or twice, and when their huddle broke, the Doctor was holding a microphone.
The music on their float cut off, and all eyes turned to the platform. The Doctor cleared his throat before addressing the crowd. "We're going to shake things up a bit now. This next song is dedicated to a young woman who doesn't think she's seen anything good today. Clara Oswald, this one's for you."
The familiar chords of a rock song sounded, and Clara groaned. She always knew instituting a TARDIS movie night would come back to bite her in the ass, but when she pitched him the idea it had seemed like the best way to instigate makeout sessions on the couch. Clara wasn't sure whether to duck down and hide from embarrassment, pretend she had no idea what the Doctor was talking about, or just jump off the float. There were enough people down there; they would probably cushion her fall. All options were cut off when she felt the Doctor take her hand and pull her around to face him.
"Well shake it up baby now!"
At least he was sort of smiling. That had mean things were going to be okay, right? The Doctor pulled Clara against his side to dance with him- really it was more of an awkward side to side sway- and continued to belt out the words to Twist and Shout as everyone else on the float bounced and danced around them. The crowd below yelled excitedly and easily moved to the music, singing along. Clara looped her arms around the Doctor's neck and moved in front of him to make dancing a little easier, smiling when his free hand rested on her hip. Their dancing wasn't particularly good or graceful, but it made them both laugh, and having fun was the whole reason they came here in the first place.
The song ended, and the Doctor leaned in closer so Clara could hear him over all the cheers. "Still think you haven't seen anything good today, Clara?" He placed a lingering kiss on her lips, surprising her with the public display, then gave her a shy smile.
She grinned back at him. "Well, seeing you hit the other you in the face was pretty good," Clara teased. "But watching you sing was even better. Maybe you can give an encore performance in the TARDIS later?" she asked hopefully.
He laughed and nodded. "Sure. How about When The Saints Go Marching In?" he asked with a devilish smile before lifting his arms up to defend himself against Clara's playful assault.