Work Text:
"Oh." Eleven would've ignored him and explained it away as an old man musing, but Twelve's disgusted tone pulls his attention away from the control panel.
"Forgot I used to do that." He continues, eyes trained on something behind him. Eleven takes a moment to snicker at the grim expression on his face. He already looks his age; that severe frown isn't doing him any wonders. Eleven glances over to check the cause for himself. It's Ten, dragging his tongue over a portion of the ship and treating it as if it were a lollipop and not the unappetizing metal slate that it is, before pointing his screwdriver at it.
That habit hasn't been particularly beat out of this version of him but he's come to learn that he does it less than he used to. Helpful as it was in determining the molecular composition of something, it's uncomfortable seeing it on full display. Oh Rassilon. He must be going native. But he understands Twelve's revulsion. He can't believe he used to do that in front of people willy-nilly!
"And he's the one Jack knows---I'm surprised he didn't have a field day over it." Eleven comments.
"Not much licking to be done."
"Thankfully."
Ten, sensing their eyes on him, meets their gaze head on. He raises an eyebrow and cocks his head to the side in a telling manner.
"What?" Ten asks.
Twelve scowls at him. Or, well, makes it even more obvious. "Must you insist on putting everything in your mouth?"
"What?" Ten repeats dimly. No wonder no one took him seriously in that body. He slots right into the 'dumb but pretty' stereotype looking like that. At least it paid off sometimes. An earlier thought of his resurfaces, giving him a pause. Eleven pats his pockets in search of the candy he knows he carries around with him, pulling it out when he knows he's found it. Banana-flavored. Perfect, and unsurprising.
He tosses it at Ten, who catches the lollipop without any effort. His confusion seems to grow by the second. "What's this for?" He verbalizes.
"A treat. You don't have to keep it."
He stares at it blanky, then shrugs his shoulders and unwraps it. Popping it into his mouth, Eleven catches him smile just before he turns around and focuses on what he was initially doing. Reverse psychology at its finest. Now, to get his mind off the fact that he's basically treating himself like a toddler. Fortunately, there are two versions of him around. The world is sure to give him a helpful distraction soon enough.