Work Text:
The rain hammered down on the busy streets of London, a rather precarious Blue Box hidden away near the entrance to an ally way. The most unlikely couple stood before it, the rain washing over them like that of a waterfall. The young woman's head was bowed, a shaking hand covering her lips, her eyes closed, her other hand clutching her arm.
“Look at me Clara.”
She didn't dare look, her heart thudding painfully against her ribs, the tears she had been concealing, sliding down her wet cheeks, her long hair sticking to her neck and clinging to her clothes. She couldn't bear to look at him, it would break her heart to know what he was going to say. Her travelling companion. Her friend. She thought it would even have been safe to say the man she loved, but she wasn't quite sure any more. She sniffed, her hand never leaving her mouth. She wanted to trap the awful noises that were threatening to leave her lips.
“Please...”
It came to her as more of a plea. An echo on the wind that whipped around them. It was cold, the rain seeping through her material over coat, chilling her skin underneath. She knew he was close. It was almost like she could feel him by presence alone. She swallowed, her shoulders shaking briefly, the hand over her mouth now covering her closed eyes. This feeling. This... undeniable feeling of loss. It happened all to often. Her mother died when she was young. Her father became irritable and tired... and then she met him. The Doctor. A man who changed her life. A man who she saved because without realising... she had loved him.
“Clara I-”
“Please don't go.” she said quietly, her arms now wrapped around her tightly. She'd never felt so pathetic. When she was younger she had always been one never to cry over men. But he wasn't just a man... any man. He was different. She was never afraid of different. She quite enjoyed it. She embraced it and encouraged difference.
“I'm sorry Clara. I'm so sorry please believe me that this was never my intention.”
She frowned up at him, her eyes squinting from the rain, her tears mixing with the drops sliding down her face. His face was set, his eyes glassy and red and his lips pressed in a thin line. She raised her hand, feeling it tremble as she pressed into his chest. She could feel him flinch, his chest muscles tightening beneath her palm. She could feel the heavy heart beats, she could feel his pain and see his loss. Why?
“Did I do something wrong Doctor?”
His hand reached out, cupping her cheek softly, his thumb rubbing over her wet skin. His head tilted just slightly with a tired smile. He looked broken, just like her. She found herself leaning into his hand, hers resting over his. She closed her eyes, her breaths coming out in shudders as she listened to his voice through the pattering on the path below their feet.
“No... you could never do that. I'm doing this for you... I don't think I could bear to lose you.”
He slipped his hand away from hers and looked away. He couldn't bear to lose her through some awful tragedy of his doing. It was best to leave her where she would be safe. Where she could fall in love with someone young. Someone who could give her what she wanted and what she needed. He sighed, his hand sliding through his wet hair, he willed himself to look at her, because... after all this could be the last time... it would be the last time he would see her, because that is how it was to be. How he thought it should be. He closed the gap between them, for once in his new body initiating the contact between them, because he'd miss her.
He wrapped his arms around her small frame, feeling her lean against him heavily, her arms wrapping around him. He could feel her fingers curl, grabbing at his coat. He held her tighter, burying his face in her wet hair. He cared too much for her, but something with in him had started to neglect that and something with in his head told him that he didn't much care any more.
She pulled back, still feeling his hands on the small of her back. Her hands were now rested on his chest, the rain and the wind all but a distant memory.
“I don't want you to go... not unless you take me with you.”
“I'm sorry Clara. I want you to be safe and when you're with me I can't ever guarantee that. I wish I could but-”
“Then let me do one thing... please just one?”
His eyebrows drew together, confusion evident on his face. She smiled slightly, her mind reeling and her heart thumping tirelessly in her chest as she moved her hands over his shoulders and slowly into his hair. She pushed onto her toes, reaching to touch her lips softly against his. He tensed under her touch, his eyes closing for a brief moment, feeling his hearts hammer against his ribs as he began to respond. Her fingers tangled in his soaked grey hair, as she broke the kiss. She could feel his breath on her lips yet she never moved. Her eyes opened, watching as his blinked open.
“Don't forget about me...”
“I don't think I ever could... Clara Oswald.”
~fin~