Fic: "Appreciated But Not Required" (1/1) (Ten/Donna, Doctor Who)
Title: "Appreciated But Not Required" (1/1)
Author: ageless_aislynn
Fandom/characters: Doctor Who, Ten/Donna
Summary: Written for the Weekly Drabble Challenge #39 at doctor_donna. The prompt word was "wish."
Rating: PG-13
Length: 1,196
Spoilers: None at all. Just some lightweight, silly fluffiness that completely ignores "Journey's End" and "The End of Time." ;)
Disclaimer: Not mine or you can bet there would've been happy endings for everybody!
A/N: Dedicated to alicat713, to whom I owed an extremely long overdue thank you fic for her bid on me during the April 2009 *blush* Support Stacie Auction. Hope you enjoy, hon! Consider my music choice for this entry to be my suggestion for the unnamed song mentioned in the story. ;) There is also now "Workout", a short little sequel, if you should be interested. ;)
"This is… indecent!" Donna spluttered, staring up at the stage set with a cheery, bright red stripper pole. "Of all of the degrading, sexist-"
"Honestly, Donna, it's all in good fun," the Doctor interrupted. "If you want to be granted permission to see the Twenty and One Wonders of the Casmazicans, then they ask that one member of your party provides some entertainment for the locals in lieu of payment. Really, it's not anything as seedy as you make it sound."
She looked around at the crowd of tall, turquoise-skinned humanoids so thin they practically made the Doctor look stout, all beaming expectantly at them with large, shiny onyx eyes.
"And look," he went on, pointing to a neatly printed sign near the doorway that led into the Chamber of Wonders, "there's a 'no nudity' clause specified right there."
"I can read, you know," she snapped back. "And it says 'nudity appreciated but not required,' which is hardly the same thing!"
He bumped her shoulder with his. "Oh, come on now, what's the harm in taking a few twirls around the ol' pole all in the name of fun?"
She gave him a flat-footed look that made him take a tiny step back.
"Of course," he went on, "you know I'd never ask you to do something you were uncomfortable with. We can take the Three and A Half Minor Wonders tour instead. I believe they accept some sort of cranberry muffin for that."
He started patting down his coat as if he had a cranberry muffin stashed somewhere in one of his many pockets. Donna snorted softly. Knowing him, he probably did!
But… She turned a calculating eye on the stage and its pole. Ah now, it might be fun, come to that. Is it really any worse than that time Nerys got me up singing drunken karaoke? Besides, what are the chances I'll even see any of these people ever again? And it's supposed to be great exercise!
"Hold on, spaceman," she said as he turned towards the exit. "Where do I sign up?"
He grinned and pointed the way.
She took a deep breath and walked determinedly through the crowd. In a few minutes, she returned, smiling broadly.
"Guess what?" she said. "It turns out that the Casmazicans are quite the equal opportunity species when it comes to entertainment."
"Friends," one of the natives announced grandly. "We are to be honored this evening!"
The turquoise beings stamped their feet in excited applause.
"Come forward, Doctor, and share your gift of dance with us!" the Casmazican concluded and the feet-stamping went into overdrive.
"What? What?" the Doctor said, trying to apply the brakes as Donna steered him towards the small set of stairs leading up to the stage. "Now, hold on!"
"Oh, come on," she returned in a mocking tone. "It's all in good fun, remember? Just a few twirls around the ol' stripper pole to entertain the crowd, no harm in that, right?"
"But, Donna!" he said as she propelled him up onto the stage.
The crowd made encouraging noises as a beat-heavy song started up. The Doctor sighed then gave a few experimental twitchy shakes of his shoulders.
Donna wolf-whistled. He raised an eyebrow then, to her surprise, he launched himself at the pole and spun expertly around it several times, the tails of his long coat flapping and fluttering.
Oh, how I wish I had my camera! she thought, a bit slack-jawed in astonishment. She wasn't even sure if she wanted the pictures for blackmail or just for commemorative purposes.
He lithely landed then began peeling off his coat, first one shoulder, then the other, while gyrating his skinny hips to the beat. The Casmazicans roared in approval so deafening she momentarily couldn't even hear the music.
The coat came off in one smooth motion and he took another one-handed swing around the pole, the garment held out in the other like a banner.
Donna finally found her voice again and couldn't resist shouting, "Remember, 'not required but appreciated!'"
She laughed as he impishly tossed the coat over her head then scrambled to get free of it so she could see what was making everyone around her whoop and holler.
"Blimey," she said in a heart-felt murmur, watching as he inverted himself, Converse-clad ankles locking high around the pole as he did another acrobatic twirl. "Who knew he was that limber?"
By the time he came bounding off the stage, his jacket unbuttoned, tie-loosened, and hair even more thoroughly ruffled than usual, with a grin so wide it seemed to fill up the entire room, she had a completely new appreciation for her skinny Martian boy. And she felt perilously like she needed to fan herself.
He really can be quite attractive, can't he? she thought rather breathlessly, then mentally gave herself a slap at his smug look as he registered her reaction. Ah, bloody…! Now there'll be no living with him if he thinks I think he's a bit of all right!
"You have your own stripper pole tucked away in some part of the TARDIS, don't you?" she said confidently. "Whenever we come back from saving a world from ruthless dictators or radioactive bean sprouts or whatever it was that day and I go to the library for some relaxing downtime, you head off to your secret stripper pole room and practice your moves, don't you?"
"What--? Of course not!" he protested hotly. "Donna, honestly, the things that go through your mind!"
"Where is it?" she pursued doggedly. "Down that long hall that you never want me to go down? Or is it that one door covered in black velvet that's always locked by your laboratory? It is, isn't it? I should've known, what else would be behind a door covered in black velvet!"
"I have no idea what you're talking about," he said primly, straightening his tie.
His coat was bundled carelessly in her arms. He tsked at her and took it back, shaking the wrinkles out of it and putting it on again as they were ushered through the doorway to begin their tour.
"So," he leaned down to murmur in her ear. "If that whole 'not required' disclaimer wouldn't have been there… Should I've gone through with it?"
She glanced at him, never in a million years expecting that question. He wasn't just asking, he was asking. He had his gaze locked firmly ahead of them where something that looked like a large purple turnip sat on a crystal pedestal, lit by a spotlight.
The corner of her mouth twitched. "Oh, absolutely," she said in a soft but enthusiastic tone.
"Really?" he purred, pleased.
"Of course. I just can't wait to see all of these Twenty and One Wonders, especially if they're as fascinating as this first one!"
And she strode ahead of him, leaving him spluttering in her wake as she bit her lip, trying to keep down a smile. When they returned to the TARDIS, instead of retreating to the library like usual, she intended to knock on that black velvet-covered door. Somehow, she had the feeling he would answer this time.
Author: ageless_aislynn
Fandom/characters: Doctor Who, Ten/Donna
Summary: Written for the Weekly Drabble Challenge #39 at doctor_donna. The prompt word was "wish."
Rating: PG-13
Length: 1,196
Spoilers: None at all. Just some lightweight, silly fluffiness that completely ignores "Journey's End" and "The End of Time." ;)
Disclaimer: Not mine or you can bet there would've been happy endings for everybody!
A/N: Dedicated to alicat713, to whom I owed an extremely long overdue thank you fic for her bid on me during the April 2009 *blush* Support Stacie Auction. Hope you enjoy, hon! Consider my music choice for this entry to be my suggestion for the unnamed song mentioned in the story. ;) There is also now "Workout", a short little sequel, if you should be interested. ;)
"This is… indecent!" Donna spluttered, staring up at the stage set with a cheery, bright red stripper pole. "Of all of the degrading, sexist-"
"Honestly, Donna, it's all in good fun," the Doctor interrupted. "If you want to be granted permission to see the Twenty and One Wonders of the Casmazicans, then they ask that one member of your party provides some entertainment for the locals in lieu of payment. Really, it's not anything as seedy as you make it sound."
She looked around at the crowd of tall, turquoise-skinned humanoids so thin they practically made the Doctor look stout, all beaming expectantly at them with large, shiny onyx eyes.
"And look," he went on, pointing to a neatly printed sign near the doorway that led into the Chamber of Wonders, "there's a 'no nudity' clause specified right there."
"I can read, you know," she snapped back. "And it says 'nudity appreciated but not required,' which is hardly the same thing!"
He bumped her shoulder with his. "Oh, come on now, what's the harm in taking a few twirls around the ol' pole all in the name of fun?"
She gave him a flat-footed look that made him take a tiny step back.
"Of course," he went on, "you know I'd never ask you to do something you were uncomfortable with. We can take the Three and A Half Minor Wonders tour instead. I believe they accept some sort of cranberry muffin for that."
He started patting down his coat as if he had a cranberry muffin stashed somewhere in one of his many pockets. Donna snorted softly. Knowing him, he probably did!
But… She turned a calculating eye on the stage and its pole. Ah now, it might be fun, come to that. Is it really any worse than that time Nerys got me up singing drunken karaoke? Besides, what are the chances I'll even see any of these people ever again? And it's supposed to be great exercise!
"Hold on, spaceman," she said as he turned towards the exit. "Where do I sign up?"
He grinned and pointed the way.
She took a deep breath and walked determinedly through the crowd. In a few minutes, she returned, smiling broadly.
"Guess what?" she said. "It turns out that the Casmazicans are quite the equal opportunity species when it comes to entertainment."
"Friends," one of the natives announced grandly. "We are to be honored this evening!"
The turquoise beings stamped their feet in excited applause.
"Come forward, Doctor, and share your gift of dance with us!" the Casmazican concluded and the feet-stamping went into overdrive.
"What? What?" the Doctor said, trying to apply the brakes as Donna steered him towards the small set of stairs leading up to the stage. "Now, hold on!"
"Oh, come on," she returned in a mocking tone. "It's all in good fun, remember? Just a few twirls around the ol' stripper pole to entertain the crowd, no harm in that, right?"
"But, Donna!" he said as she propelled him up onto the stage.
The crowd made encouraging noises as a beat-heavy song started up. The Doctor sighed then gave a few experimental twitchy shakes of his shoulders.
Donna wolf-whistled. He raised an eyebrow then, to her surprise, he launched himself at the pole and spun expertly around it several times, the tails of his long coat flapping and fluttering.
Oh, how I wish I had my camera! she thought, a bit slack-jawed in astonishment. She wasn't even sure if she wanted the pictures for blackmail or just for commemorative purposes.
He lithely landed then began peeling off his coat, first one shoulder, then the other, while gyrating his skinny hips to the beat. The Casmazicans roared in approval so deafening she momentarily couldn't even hear the music.
The coat came off in one smooth motion and he took another one-handed swing around the pole, the garment held out in the other like a banner.
Donna finally found her voice again and couldn't resist shouting, "Remember, 'not required but appreciated!'"
She laughed as he impishly tossed the coat over her head then scrambled to get free of it so she could see what was making everyone around her whoop and holler.
"Blimey," she said in a heart-felt murmur, watching as he inverted himself, Converse-clad ankles locking high around the pole as he did another acrobatic twirl. "Who knew he was that limber?"
By the time he came bounding off the stage, his jacket unbuttoned, tie-loosened, and hair even more thoroughly ruffled than usual, with a grin so wide it seemed to fill up the entire room, she had a completely new appreciation for her skinny Martian boy. And she felt perilously like she needed to fan herself.
He really can be quite attractive, can't he? she thought rather breathlessly, then mentally gave herself a slap at his smug look as he registered her reaction. Ah, bloody…! Now there'll be no living with him if he thinks I think he's a bit of all right!
"You have your own stripper pole tucked away in some part of the TARDIS, don't you?" she said confidently. "Whenever we come back from saving a world from ruthless dictators or radioactive bean sprouts or whatever it was that day and I go to the library for some relaxing downtime, you head off to your secret stripper pole room and practice your moves, don't you?"
"What--? Of course not!" he protested hotly. "Donna, honestly, the things that go through your mind!"
"Where is it?" she pursued doggedly. "Down that long hall that you never want me to go down? Or is it that one door covered in black velvet that's always locked by your laboratory? It is, isn't it? I should've known, what else would be behind a door covered in black velvet!"
"I have no idea what you're talking about," he said primly, straightening his tie.
His coat was bundled carelessly in her arms. He tsked at her and took it back, shaking the wrinkles out of it and putting it on again as they were ushered through the doorway to begin their tour.
"So," he leaned down to murmur in her ear. "If that whole 'not required' disclaimer wouldn't have been there… Should I've gone through with it?"
She glanced at him, never in a million years expecting that question. He wasn't just asking, he was asking. He had his gaze locked firmly ahead of them where something that looked like a large purple turnip sat on a crystal pedestal, lit by a spotlight.
The corner of her mouth twitched. "Oh, absolutely," she said in a soft but enthusiastic tone.
"Really?" he purred, pleased.
"Of course. I just can't wait to see all of these Twenty and One Wonders, especially if they're as fascinating as this first one!"
And she strode ahead of him, leaving him spluttering in her wake as she bit her lip, trying to keep down a smile. When they returned to the TARDIS, instead of retreating to the library like usual, she intended to knock on that black velvet-covered door. Somehow, she had the feeling he would answer this time.