Whatever I feel for you
You only seem to care about you
Is there any chance you could see me too?
'Cause I love you
Is there anything I could do
Just to get some attention from you
In the waves I've lost every trace of you
Oh where are you?
~ 'I Love You', by Woodkid
(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)
A young girl, dressed in a long red hood worn over a flowing white ribboned dress, carries a basket of Hearts. She walks down the city street, bustling with business and people, stopping every now and then to a person. "Excuse me, sir, but would you like to buy a Heart?"
The man smiles down at her, shaking his head. "No, thank you though. Mine is in working order."
She continues on, calling out to those willing to listen, "New Hearts for sale! I have quite a few beauties to offer."
The girl stops by a lady, wandering alone. "Excuse me, m'am, but would you like to buy a Heart?
The lady smiles, brushing caramel strands of hair away from her face. She leans down to the girl, "What's your name, young lady?"
"Rose. Rose Tyler." The girl pulls down her hood, revealing golden hair and stunning doe amber eyes that gaze thoughtfully up. The woman beams at Rose, extending a hand to her. "And I'm Clara Oswald." They shake hands.
"So, Ms. Oswald, would you like to buy a Heart?" Rose lifts up her basket, showing off the various Hearts, glowing red faintly, pulsing with love. Clara shakes her head, straightening up. "I'm sorry, but I already have one and I'd like to keep it. However, do you know how to repair one? I'm afraid mine is broken."
Rose shakes her head. "I'm sorry, I can't repair Hearts. But, there is a Heartsmith down a few streets. He knows how to." She points down the street, and past the crowd of people. Clara can see the sign, a brass sign with engraved letters,
HEARTSMITH
"Heartsmith, huh?" Clara turns back to Rose, smiling down upon the young girl. "Thank you very much, Rose Tyler."
"You're very welcome, Ms. Oswald. And I wish you luck." With that, Rose walks away, returning back to her business. Clara starts to journey down the street, barely paying attention to the other merchandise on sale beside her. People stroll past, laughter and smiles and words spilling from their mouths. She loves it. Daily life, where everyone is happy and pays no mind to troubles, except of a broken Heart and the incapacity of love.
Clara reaches the street, craning her neck to steal a glance at the sign above, making sure it's the right store. The last time she had wandered into the wrong place, she had ended up buying an unnecessary amount of baking supplies. Still, even with all of that, the only thing she ever bothered to bake were souffles, along with the occasional cake with her father's pleading. He didn't like having their house filled with numerous souffles and souffle attempts.
Clara pushes the door open, revealing a small shop illuminated in the soft glow of a single light hanging above. Tables and shelves are cluttered with work tools and, by the back, photographs of numerous Hearts, repaired from damage and overuse, hung by small pieces of tape. A door is closed, tucked away in a corner. A man sits, his back turned away, by the photographs. Clara can see the edges of pages of a book. She's about to walk back out, not wanting to interrupt him, when a voice speaks. "Come in, come in. You're not being a bother."
The man turns around, grinning at her. Goggles cover his eyes, tinted red, and his hair is unbelievably messy, in an adorable way, Clara admits. He has a prominent jawline, and black soot covers his white collared shirt and grey vest. (Soot from what, she guesses must be from a chimney, or fire)
The man shuts the book, closing it with a soft thump, and strides over to Clara. He extends a hand, and she glances down at it to see a black leather glove.
"Oh, sorry. Uh...Here." The man pulls of his pair of gloves, tossing them onto the nearest counter. They slip off and fall to the floor.
Clara takes his hand, warm and calloused, shaking it once before letting go. "Hello, I'm Clara Oswald."
"I'm the Heartsmith, or if you would like, the Doctor. How may I help you Ms. Oswald?"
Clara reaches over into her pocket, her palms cupping over each other. She lifts the top hand, revealing her Heart, broken into halves, just connected by the tiniest piece at the bottom. The glow is soft, dying, and the Doctor puts his own palms under hers to hold it as well. In the dim light, her blush is barely noticeable. "Can you fix it?"
He drops his palms from hers, lifting up his goggles, revealing emerald blue eyes speckled with golden flecks. The goggles push back the hair on his forehead, forcing it to stick up, curving down slightly at the top like a wave. Clara surpresses a giggle at the sight, instead focusing on his worried expression.
The Doctor bites his lower lip, and this time, he takes the Heart from her. "Well, it's very damaged."
"So...You can't repair it?" Clara gazes up at him, a whole foot taller than she is. The Doctor smiles at her, then down at the Heart in his hands. "I can, although it will take a while..."
"Oh...That may be a problem..."
"Planning on getting married?" The Doctor jokes, turning around to set the Heart down somewhere safe.
"Actually, yes. It's an arranged marriage. With my best friend." Clara answers. The Doctor stiffens, head tilting downwards. "Oh. Well then, congratulations are in order." He turns back around, grinning again. "And to whom will you be marrying? Maybe I know them."
Clara shifts, the topic uncomfortable to talk about. However, she answers him. "Danny Pink. It's uh...It was an arranged marriage proposed by our mothers during our childhood. And as the marriage grows closer, I find that I am incapable of properly loving Danny in the way that he deserves."
The Doctor clasps his hands together, rocking back and forth on his heels. "That's okay, Ms. Oswald, I'll repair your Heart for you. I'll get started right away, and just pop on in whenever is convenient for you."
"Oh, thank you, Doctor!" Clara leans up, standing on her tiptoes, and throws her arms around his neck. For a moment, he is frozen, unsure of what to do. Then his arms come around her back, returning the embrace.
"Uh...No problem, Ms. Oswald."
Clara lets go, beaming up at him. "Please, Doctor. Call me Clara."
He smiles back at her, watching as Clara Oswald retreats out the door, leaving him with her Heart.
The Doctor walks over to the table where he had put her Heart. It floats just off of the table surface by itself, and he stares at it, wondering how he should start to repair such a broken fragile thing.
(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)
Clara paces around her bedroom, knawing on her lower lip. Her father watches, sitting comfortable on her bed, decorated in printed red and grey flower blossoms. "Clara, I told you, you don't need to worry about it. I know about the Heartsmith, and I know he can fix it. I even told you, you do not need to go through with the wedding anymore. Not since your mother..." He trails off. Clara already knows how that sentence was going to end. Ever since mum died.
"I know, Dad, but...What about Danny? I could never hurt him like that."
"Clara, do you even love him?"
"I do. Of course I do. But, my Heart is...You know. And it's an arranged marriage. Arranged, Dad." Clara says. She throws herself down on the bed, by her father. She blows hair out of her face, groaning in frustration. Her father, despite the serious situation, chuckles at his daughter.
"I remember the first time I met your mother. At that time, she was the Heartsmith's daughter, and I was just the boy who went around selling Hearts." Clara is briefly reminded of Rose, wandering the streets for a sale. "I was supposed to marry another person, but I was given a choice on whether or not to go through with it. Do you know why I got a choice?"
Clara pulls herself up, criss crossing her legs. "Why?"
"Because I had to take my Heart to get repaired. Now, do you know the concept of the Hearts?"
Clara stares confused at her father, wondering where exactly he's going with this story. She answers, "When you're young, you have the power to give away as much love as you want to. But if you give away too much, your Heart is broken, overused."
Her fathers cuts her off. "And when you fall in love with the right person, your Heart no longer breaks no matter how much love you give away."
"Dad, not to be mean, but, where are you going with this? It's kind of all over the place."
He smiles. "What I mean is, if you really do love Danny as much as you say, you're Heart wouldn't need to be repaired. You've known each other since childhood. I think you might have just confused friend love, with real love."
She blinks. Once. Twice. "What's real love like?"
Her father smiles, and his eyes seem to look past her, looking far into the distance. "I think, if you're able to describe love, then it isn't love. It's like. It's like trying to describe colours, or how water tastes."
"So...You don't think I'm properly in love with Danny?"
Her father stands up, taking a deep breath. "Let your Heart decide. But, you might want to let Danny have some input or something. If you find you do love him as you say, see if he feels the same way."
"Okay, but my point is, it's an arranged marriage. I'm supposed to go through with it. What happened with yours?"
"The girl who I was supposed to marry agreed with me that she would rather stay friends. Our parents listened to us, and didn't force us. We stayed friends. I started spending more time with your mother, and eventually, I married her." He smiles fondly at the memory. "I guess what I'm saying is, you don't have to go through with this with Danny, not unless it's actually, properly, love. No one can force you to change your Heart."
With that, he leaves her alone.
Clara falls back onto her bed, the springs creaking, her body sinking further into the fluffy comforter. If anything, her father only helped to further clutter her thoughts with questions and what ifs.
(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)
The next day, she's restless. Clara's barely able to contain herself as she rushes out of the door, a pale blue box tucked under her arm.
It's early noon. The sky is overcast with endless waves of grey and white clouds, patches of blue sky peeking out for a few minutes before they hide again. Filtered sunlight bursts past the clouds, and Clara has the urge to just find a place to sit and gaze at the sky.
"Maybe later." She mutters under her breath. Her pace quickens, eager to get to the Heartsmith's before the streets are overrun with people. It isn't yet, but most likely because it's a Wednesday, and the children are sitting behind desks at school, rather than pulling their parents out to explore and shop.
She reaches the shop in no time, and Clara rests her palm against the wooden door, trying to calm herself down from her quick power walk from her home half a mile away. After, when her breathing has returned to normal, Clara opens the door.
She's greeted with basically the same sight as yesterday, except for the Doctor only a few feet away, hunched over in concentration. She can see a strong, pulsing glow hidden by his body, and she wonders how he did it.
Clara stands there, one foot in the door, unsure of whether or not to bug him, when the Doctor speaks, giving her a start. She's slightly annoyed to see he doesn't even turn to look at her. "You know, you don't always have to wait for me to tell you to come in, Ms. Oswald. Just come in, no need to fret."
Clara walks over to him, letting the door shut by itself.
He's sitting, working on her Heart. It glows brighter than before, far brighter, but cracks are left scarring it, preventing it from being whole. His goggles cover his eyes, and a mustache, drawn from black soot, sits above his mouth. She smiles at the sight of it.
"Doctor, did you draw a mustache on your face?"
"Yes I did. I wanted to know how Iooked with one." He sets down the tool in his hand, straightening up and looking at Clara. "Like it?"
"Make it darker, and draw on some eyebrows, then you got it." The Doctor laughs, and Clara chuckles, setting down the box by him.
He looks at it, then at her, then at it again. "What's that?"
"A...A gift. I wanted to say thank you."
"I haven't done anything yet."
"You're trying. And that's more than enough." Clara slides the box closer to him, resting her body against the table as he opens the top. A grin appears on his face, and he takes off his goggles in one fluid motion.
"Oh, you didn't have to, Clara." He flips the lid fully open, revealing a strawberry cake decorated with white frosting on the edge. Thank You is written in cursive on the top, along with a small smiley face at the end. "Oh my...Clara, I can't accept this."
"Yes you can. You just did."
"No, this is too much."
"Doctor, no it isn't. Please take it. Take a break from working." Clara says. The Doctor looks up at her, a small pout on his face.
"Hold on." He hops up from his seat and strides to the back, opening the door. He disappears into the other room, and Clara plops herself down into his seat, peering at the tools around, and her Heart. She can definitely see a major improvement in it.
The Doctor comes back in, two plates and two forks in his grip. Behind him, he drags an extra chair, practically limping while trying not to trip. Clara bounds over to him, taking the plates and forks from his hands.
"Thanks." He says breathless, hoisting the chair up. He moves past her, and she follows after him.
The Doctor sets the chair down across from where he originally sat, leaning over to clear the tabletop. He gently sets her Heart a little off to the side, cupping it between his palms, holding it before he lets it go.
Clara sets down the plates, one for him, one for her, and places the forks on them. The Doctor sits down in his seat, Clara opposite him. "There."
"So, you did all this just to go on a date with me?" Clara teases. She laughs as she watches a scarlet blush spread like wildfire from his neck up to his cheeks, and it's then that she notices something else. "You're wearing a bowtie today."
"Yes, well. Bowties are cool." The Doctor straightens it. "And, for the record, you were the one who brought me a cake. So...Ha!" He sticks his tongue out at her, and Clara laughs. "My stars, you're such a child!"
"My stars? Never heard that before." The Doctor says with a smile. He takes the cake, sliding it halfway to her.
"The Doctor, never heard that before." She puts her elbows on the table, leaning forward. "Doctor who?"
He smirks, and walks to the other room for a second. From the other room, she can hear metal clinking. Above it, he calls, "No, just the Doctor." He appears a moment later, a cake cutter in his hand. "Actually, can you say that again?"
"What?"
"Say that again."
"Doctor who?" Clara watches as he sits down, a smile on his face.
"You know, I never realized how much I like hearing that said out loud. Thank you." The Doctor slices into the cake, cutting it into eight pieces. He picks one up, setting it down on her plate. "Here you go, Ms. Pink."
She sighs, but the sound isn't loud enough for him to hear. "Not yet. I'm still Oswald."
The Doctor takes a slice, then moves the cake box out of the way so he can see her without any obstruction. "How many days?"
"Sorry?"
"Uh...How many more days until the wedding?"
Eleven days. That's how many more. It's just on the tip of her tongue, but something completely different comes out. "Three weeks."
"Blimey, that's a while. Don't worry, I'll hopefully fix your Heart by then." They both glance at it, off to the side, glowing. At the bottom, more of it has been pieced together, but by the time it gets to the top, the sides diverge.
"So. Tell me about this, Danny Pink. How's it going between you two?" The Doctor takes a bite of the cake, and after, he lets out a moan. "Oh, wow, this is amazing, Clara!"
She blushes, but doesn't say anything, staring down at her own piece. Her fork pokes at the top layer of frosting, the tongs drawing swirls in the smooth sweetness. After a moment, Clara looks back up at the Doctor, and bursts into laughter.
He's literally scarfed down his slice, bits of frosting covering the area around his mouth with, pink and white. His soot moustache has (sadly) disappeared, and he's using his tongue to try and lick away the frosting. The Doctor is failing, instead succeeding in looking like a dog trying to lick it's nose.
He stops when she starts laughing, staring at her utterly confused with his tongue still out. "What?" He asks.
Clara covers her mouth to try and surpress the laughter, but it worsens when he pouts. "Clara, are you okay? To be honest, this is terrifying me."
When she finally calms down, the frosting on his face has started to slip, and he's back to using his tongue to try and lick it away. This time, Clara speaks, controlling her laughter, "Use your hands, Doctor."
He pauses, tongue out. His hands come up from his lap to his eyes, and he blinks.
"Did you seriously forget you had hands?"
"Well, it made you smile. You looked like you needed it." The Doctor says. He makes no move to get rid of his frosting beard.
"Or you forgot you had hands. You looked like such a small lost puppy. It was cute."
"Clara, are you flirting with me?" He asks, a smug expression plastered across his face. Clara scoffs , pushing her plate, her slice not yet eaten, away. "You were flirting with me. I'll have you know, I'm engaged."
The Doctor smiles at her, a tight smile that Clara doesn't seem to completely notice. "Yup."
She takes a bite, and has to admit, the cake isn't as bad as she thought it would be.
"Tell me about yourself, Clara."
"I thought you weren't flirting."
"I'm not, I just want to know."
"How about this: I tell you something, and you tell me something, okay?"
"Okay."
Clara pauses, mulling over what to say. "I like baking souffles. But I can never actually make them. They're usually too beautiful to live."
The Doctor chuckles, and takes a bite. "I've always wanted to see the universe."
"The universe?" Clara pauses, worrying lining her face.
The Doctor turns his gaze downwards, scraping up bits of frosting. "The stars and planets as well." He looks up. "They're pretty cool."
Clara smiles. "I love the stars." And then the smile disappears, turning to a tight white line. "You know no one is supposed to go outside the walls, right? If you do you..."
"Lose your Heart. Or anything else, depending on where you live." The Doctor finishes, sighing. "I don't understand why we have to stay stuck in the walls, though. The people who live outside them are lucky. They have freedom."
"They don't have anything." Clara says, driving her fork into her slice, mutilating it. Then, after a moment of silence between them, "I still like the stars, though."
The Doctor grins at her, and his frosting beard slips down lower. "I like fishfingers and custard."
Clara gags on the bite of cake in her mouth, and it takes a moment for her to calm down. "Fishfingers and custard together? That sounds revolting!"
"No, it's delicious! You should try it!"
She shakes her head, cringing in disgust. He laughs, and she sighs, tapping her fork as she thinks. "I've never had my Heart broken before."
"I have. Tons of times. I've been told it's a flaw of mine." The Doctor says, taking another bite. Clara scoffs. "What? A flaw that you give away a lot of love? I find it amazing, but I'm sorry."
"Why are you sorry?"
"It must be terrible, constantly repairing your own Heart. I still think it's amazing, though." Clara replies, resting her head on her hand. The Doctor chuckles softly, looking down at his cake. "Never thought of it like that."
"Danny's my best friend." Clara continues, biting her lip.
"Just your best friend?" The Doctor asks. Clara nods, willing her eyes to look up at him. When she does, he flashes her a smile through his frosting beard.
Clara stands up after a moment of silent gazing between them, her chair sliding away from the table. "I should... Probably go. I didn't tell my Dad I was going out, and I'm supposed to meet Danny later."
The Doctor stands up as well, straightening his bowtie. "Oh, yeah, yeah, of course. Of course. Uh...Thank you, for the cake. I mean it."
Clara walks over to him, and without warning, throws her arms around his neck, hugging him. This time, his reaction is immediate, arms wrapping around her. When she pulls away, she doesn't let her arms around his neck go. "The frosting looks like a beard."
"Really? Is it good?"
"It makes you look like you have hair everywhere on your face but your eyebrows." Clara comments. She lets go of him, reaching a finger up. Clara drags it through one side of the frosting, collecting it on the tip of her finger. Then, she draws it across his practically nonexistent eyebrows. "There you go. Pink eyebrows and a pink beard."
The Doctor smiles, and Clara lets him go, starting to walk away.
She pulls the door open, about to step out, when he speaks again. "John."
Clara turns her attention to him again. "Huh?"
The Doctor shifts his weight to one side, tucking his hands behind his back. "My name is John Smith. I prefer the Doctor though. It was a promise I made when I was younger. A promise to myself and the universe."
Clara smiles, and it isn't a goofy smile, or one from stifled laughter. It's sweet and sincere. Loving. "Nice to meet you, John Smith. I'll be seeing you tomorrow." With that, she shuts the door.
He chuckles softly, turning his attention back to her Heart. He cups it using one hand, watching it pulse against his skin. With that, he gets back to repairing it, forgetting about his frosting beard as it slips low onto his neck.
(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)
Danny is sitting with her on the grass, back to back. Clara is resting her head on his shoulder, gazing up at the clouds. He's tearing up patches of grass, creating a pile by them. "Eleven days."
"I know."
"What are we going to do?"
Clara sighs, closing her eyes as she tries to imagine it. "Well, we get married. And...No, that's basically all."
She can feel Danny smile, his movements stopping. "We'll have to kiss."
"I've never done that."
"Neither have I."
Danny resumes tearing grass patches out of the ground, and Clara opens her eyes again to the clouds. "Danny?"
"Yes, Clara?"
"In what way do you love me?"
"The way I love you." Clara can feel Danny relax even more against her, and his weight pushes her down. Clara falls forward with a laugh, and Danny stretches, triumphant. "Danny!" Clara laughs, pushing him off and rolling away. He sighs, stretching his arms out as far as they go.
"No, but I'm being serious. In...What way?" Clara looks over at him, now piling grass on his chest.
"Like a best friend. You are my best friend."
"Oh."
They sit in a comfortable silence, Danny making a tower of green grass on his chest, Clara gazing at the blanket of clouds.
"Clara?" Danny says. He sits up, and the grass pieces fall off.
"Yes, Danny?"
"Your father told me." Clara freezes, holding her breath as she waits for him to say more. He does. "He told me about your trip to the Heartsmith, and then he told me a story about his arranged marriage and how he met your mother. I was a bit confused, but, now I understand." Danny turns to look at her, eyes soft and kind. "We don't have to get married."
"Danny, it's an arranged marri-"
"No." Danny cuts her off, and he scoots closer to her, placing a hand over hers. "You're forcing yourself into doing something you don't want to do."
"No, I do Danny-"
"No." He cuts her off again, and he squeezes her hand. Clara's eyes purposely avoid his. "You're only doing it because you miss your mother. You're only doing this because she arranged it. She wanted you to be happy, and since we were best friends and very close during that time, she thought we would be perfect together, grow to love each other. But times change, as do people. I want you to be happy with the person you actually, properly love. I don't want you to be bound forever with your best friend, if it isn't real love."
Tears are falling down her face when Danny finishes talking. She shakes her head, and Danny wraps his arms around her, bringing her close for a hug. Her tears dampen his shirt, and Clara tries to wipe them away, embarassed.
"Hey hey hey. It's okay."
Clara pulls away to look up at him, wiping away any trace of her tears before speaking. "Thank you, Danny."
"No problem." He smiles, lips pressed tight, and Clara leans against him, closing her eyes.
"Danny?"
"Yeah?"
"Have you been? You know, to the Heartsmith's?"
"No. I don't give away a lot of love. To be honest, I would be surprised if I ever had to. You, I understand. You're always so caring and loving to everyone. Even children."
"You're kind." Clara pulls away to see his face, knitting her eyebrows together in confusion. "You always think you're this cold person, but you aren't. And you know no one is ever like that."
"People in the military are. They have to be. They can't afford to be soft."
"Yes, well. Violence solves nothing. We don't even have wars, maybe little fights and just a few threats with other places. Nothing serious."
"Clara, they're protecting us."
"Yeah, from what? It's not like a neighbouring town or kingdom is just going to wake up one day and decide they want our land. We're at peace."
"Still, they're keeping us safe."
Clara sighs, laying back down on the grass. "I guess."
"Clara?"
"Yeah Danny?"
"Why do you have frosting in your hair?"
(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)
It's the next day. The Doctor skims his eyes across the words, barely registering them in his mind. He's just waiting for that sound, that wonderful sound, of the shop door opening and shutting, Clara Oswald's timid footsteps following after. She promised to come back, and he's waiting.
He doesn't have to wait long for the sound, and when it happens, the Doctor spins around so quick he ends up falling off his chair. "Clara!"
He pops up, expecting her to giggle at him. It takes a moment for him to realize that it wasn't Clara who came in, but a man. "Oh, sorry, thought you were someone else. How may I help you, sir?"
The man steps forward, extending a hand. The Doctor takes off his gloves, shaking the man's hand, remembering the first time with Clara. "Yes, uh, are you the Heartsmith?"
"Is that what the sign outside says?"
"Uh...Yes?"
"Well, is that an answer or are you unsure?"
"Yes." The man answers more firmly, nodding once as well.
"Good, then. Sometimes I walk into the wrong store and it takes a while for me to notice it. Yes. I am the Heartsmith, how may I assist you today?"
"Uh... Hello, I am Clara Oswald's father, David, and I've come to pick her Heart up for her. At the moment, she's currently with her ex-fiance talking to his parents, so I-"
"Wait," The Doctor cuts him off, pressing a finger to his lips, "Ex fiance? Uh, sorry, explain?"
Clara's father gently pushes the Doctor's hand away from his lips so he can speak properly. "She's decided to not go through with the wedding, and he has agreed with her to just stay friends, and as of now, they're explaining it to his parents. Just, may I pick up her Heart, it's alright if it isn't repaired yet-"
"Actually." The Doctor intervenes again, covering the other man's whole mouth with his hand, "It's done."
Dave's eyebrows knit together in disbelief, his hand pulling the Doctor's off his mouth. "What do you mean it's done? She informed me it was badly damaged, it would've taken weeks! It has only been three days!"
"It could be possible that she has fallen in love." The Doctor turns away, walking over to the back.
"But, she's only been hanging out with Danny for the past few days. With brief talks with me, and a few visits with you, from what she's told me. And it can't be Danny, because it would've been during their childhood and she wouldn't need to come to you and-" A look of realization dawns upon David's face, and he falls silent. His eyes follow the Doctor, who comes back to him, palms cupped over each other. He lifts a hand, revealing her Heart.
"It's brighter than it ever was." David comments softly. He takes it from the Doctor, cradling it gently. "And no cracks, no scars."
"Yes. I believe the wedding might still be on-"
"Have you ever fallen in love, Heartsmith?" David asks suddenly, watching the Doctor carefully.
"No."
"Have you ever had to repair your own Heart?"
"Tons of times, yes."
"How often, usually?"
"Once every two days. I've been told it's a flaw of mine- I give away love too easily."
"When was the last time you repaired your Heart?"
"Three days."
"When did you first meet Clara?"
"Three days ago."
"Do you know how long it takes for a Heart to repair itself after their person falls in love?"
"Of course I do, it's part of the curriculum in elementary to know about the Hearts. Just around three to five days."
Dave arches his eyebrows, waiting for the Doctor to finally get it. Instead, he gets a blank face. He sighs. "Do you still not get what I'm saying?"
The Doctor shakes his head, pursing his lips.
Dave sighs again, placing a hand on the Doctor's shoulder. "Take a seat, son."
(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)
The next day, Clara practically runs out of her house, another box, this one purple, tucked under her arm. "Bye Dad!"
The streets are starting to fill up quickly for a Saturday, especially for the early morning. Children tug on their parents shirts, pointing to the stalls and tables displaying toys and rare sweets imported from far away.
Clara runs as fast as she can through the crowds, dodging people, calling out apologies whenever she narrowly misses knocking someone over. It isn't too long before she's able to see the Heartsmith's shop, able to see every detail of the rough wooden door and the eroded walls.
She stands at the door, palm pressed against it, taking deep breaths, trying to calm herself down. Clara peeks inside the box, making sure she didn't end up ruining it. Surprisingly, it's still okay.
Clara opens the door slowly, the sunlight from behind her spilling forth into the room. In the sunbeams, she can see dust particles, dancing and twirling, up and down.
"John?" She calls out. No one answers, and she steps farther in, shutting the door. The dancing dust disappears, and Clara calls out again. "Doctor?"
He appears, coming out of the door from the other room. He smiles at her. "Oh, hi, sorry. I didn't think you would still keep coming."
"Why wouldn't I?"
"Well, because you have your Heart back again. You don't need me." The Doctor flips on the light, and the room brightens up. Clara takes a moment to blink, blinded, before she speaks again. "I wanted to say thank you. My father told me you fixed it quickly. And it's wonderful. It looks better than before." Clara walks over to him, holding out the purple box. "Way brighter than before."
The Doctor glances down at the box, and shakes his head. He pushes it away. "No, it's okay Clara."
"Take it."
"No."
"Yes."
"No."
"Doctor..."
He gazes at her, eyebrows knitted together in a look she can't quite dissect. "Why do you do this?"
She looks up, confused, biting her lip. "Do...what?"
"Why do you come to me? Why do you bring me food? Why do you do...anything, for me? I'm no one important in your life."
"You're an idiot, John." Clara sets the box down on the nearest table, then pulls him into a hug, standing on her tiptoes just so she could reach him. He hesitates, then hugs her back, his head falling into the crook of her neck. When he speaks, his breath tickles her neck, sending shivers racing down her spine. "Your father told me."
She pulls away then, hoping her father didn't tell the Doctor everything. "What did he say?"
"He just told me that you and Danny weren't getting married anymore." He lies, turning his gaze to the purple box, hoping she doesn't know the truth. He points to the box. "What's this?"
"Look."
He glances at her, then opens the box. Clara smiles as she watches his face turns into one of pure childish joy.
"Clara!" He giggles- literally, giggles- and pulls out a small bowl of custard. He pops off the lid, dips a finger in, and licks it. "Oh my stars, this is amazing! Did you make this?"
Clara nods, biting back the urge to tease him about using her phrase, as he reaches in again. "Are these fish fingers!?"
"Well, no. They're coconut. My father wouldn't let me take the fish fingers. Wanted them as a snack later. However, I did try eating fish fingers and custard together." Clara moves to stand by him. "Surprisingly okay. My father thinks I'm odd now. Keeping me out of the kitchen, thinks I'm going crazy."
He chuckles, dipping the coconut sticks into the custard, swirling it around before taking a bite. "Clara Oswald, I have no idea how I can thank you for this."
"You fixed my Heart, it's the least I could do." Clara says, wrapping her arms around her waist. The Doctor nods his head to the box. "Take some."
"No, it's yours."
"And yours." He says. He drags a finger into the custard, then drags it across her upper lip. "And now, you have a mustache."
Clara laughs, swatting his hand away. She dips a finger in the custard, steps closer to him, and drags it all over his face. "There."
He takes another bite, chewing. "You didn't answer my question."
"You didn't answer mine."
"Oh?"
"What did my father say?"
"I did answer that."
Clara scoffs, looking up at him. "No. I know you lied."
The Doctor finishes chewing, then clears his throat, closing the box as he finishes chewing. "How'd you know?"
Clara grins up at him. "My father told me. Also, you're a terrible liar."
His eyes fall to the floor, and he leans against the wall, crossing his arms. "Then you already know."
"If you believe I already know, then you say it aloud."
"Why can't you?"
"For all I know, you're lying."
"Well, maybe you are."
"Maybe I am. But that doesn't mean you can't tell me." Clara wraps her arms around her waist again, watching him. The Doctor looks up, and it's a rare moment, she realizes, in which he isn't smiling. His expression is sombre, almost lost. She feels a pang of guilt, and is about to apologize when he speaks, clearing his throat. "I-" He laughs, but it's fake, nervous. "I don't know what to say."
"You don't have to say anything. I'm sorry I bugged you."
"No, no. No." The Doctor forces his eyes to meet hers, and he takes a deep breath. When he speaks, it comes out in one breath, so quick she has to take a moment to run it through her mind and realize what he says. "I didn't really repair your heart it repaired itself and according to your father it's because you possibly fell in love but it wasn't Danny because you knew him since childhood and if it was him you wouldn't have needed to come to me so he thinks you fell for me but I think it's silly because you could do so much better than me and then he pointed out to me that I fell for you because I haven't had to repair my Heart and now since he pointed it out I can't stop thinking about it and you and your father said you never realize you're in love until you're drowning in it and I'm sorry." He turns away, banging his head against the wall, groaning. Clara can hear him mutter, "I'm an idiot."
Clara stares at him, watching as the Doctor starts to bang his head against the wall, muttering to himself.
"Hey hey, hey!" Clara rushes over to him, pulling him away from the wall. "What are you doing?!"
"Trying to hide from the universe..."
"What? Why? And how would giving yourself a concussion hide you?"
The Doctor doesn't answer, gazing at her with a pained expression. They stare at each other for a moment, silence choking them. Then Clara wraps her arms around his neck, standing on her tiptoes. He wraps his arms around her back, thinking she's about to hug him.
To say he's surprised when Clara kisses him is an understatement. It's quick, and, for both of them, the most perfect moment of all time.
She pulls away before he can respond back. Clara looks at him with a smile, taking in the image of her custard mustache just above his upper lip, his dilated pupils, the visible scarlet blush blooming like perfect blossoms on his cheeks. He giggles, and she presses another kiss on his cheek before dropping back down on her heels.
"What was that for?" The Doctor asks, his voice a few octaves higher. She grins up at him, crossing her arms. "You're such an adorable idiot, you know that?"
"I'm so confused." He says, his voice still high. He falls against the wall in a daze, and Clara giggles at him. "My father did tell me about my Heart and his theory with you. He then proceeded to tell me he approved of you, but he was a bit worried you suffered a concussion from falling off of a chair, didn't understand that part."
The Doctor finally regains his composure, pushing off of the wall to stand in front of her. "So...You...?"
"Love you?" She asks. Clara gazes up at the Doctor, unsure of what the words might do to him, if the kiss made him ditzy.
"I love you too, Clara Oswald." He breathes, pressing a quick peck on her forehead. She giggles, and he grins. "See? You giggled too, you can't tease me."
"Yes I can. And I will for as long as I'm with you."
"Eternity okay?" The Doctor asks, beaming smugly. Clara arches an eyebrow. "That was quick, Doctor."
"You're the one who kissed me." He laughs, wrapping his arms around her and holding her close to his chest, his arms warm and loving around her. They stay like that for a few moments, until Clara pulls away, much to the Doctor's reluctance.
"So... What now." He asks. He wipes her custard mustache off with a swipe of his finger, eating it.
"I've always wanted to travel the world." Clara admits in a soft whisper.
He freezes, thinking about it. Getting out of the walls, losing their Hearts, possibly never seeing family or friends ever again... "Stay by my side forever, we can go anywhere in the universe, Clara Oswald."
"Deal."
(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)
Danny stands by the door, watching Clara's father pace fervently around the lounge room. "But you can't leave!"
"Mr Oswald, I-"
"Why?" Dave Oswald comes up to Danny, staring him in the eyes. "Why would you leave, now?"
"I just... I just want to."
Realization dawns across David's face, and he places a hand on Danny's shoulder. "It's Clara, isn't it?"
Danny licks his lips, then, after a moment's hesitation, nods once. "She never could love me the way I love her. Besides, she has her Heartsmith-"
Dave intervenes, knitting his eyebrows together. "She told you about him?"
Danny takes a deep breath, blinking as he forces himself to stay strong. "When she talks about him, she's so more...Happy. Her face lights up brighter than I've ever seen it in all our time together, and she gets a far away look in her eyes, like she's in a dream. Has she told you the story about the frosting and strawberry cake?"
Dave shakes his head. "But you stopped the arranged marriage, why-"
"Because she couldn't reciprocate my love. There was love, but it was different. She saw me as a friend, I saw her as the love of my life. I wasn't going to bound her to me forever, if she couldn't be truly happy." A pause. "She may be my soulmate, but I... I will never be hers."
"So, where are you going?"
"I'm going to join the military."
"But...Why? There, they don't allow soft Hearts, or kindness, or love. You have to be strong there, just so you won't sympathize the enemy."
"I know, Mr Oswald. I know."
Danny turns, hand on the doorknob. He opens it, and the fresh night air rushes at them, capturing them in it's cold embrace. "One more thing, Mr Oswald."
"Yes Danny?"
"Don't tell her where I am unless she asks. She'll be disappointed in me, and by then, I hope to be very far away. Please don't tell her anything else."
"I promise, Danny. I'll miss you." David pulls Danny into a hug, one which Danny does not return. "I'll miss you too, Mr Oswald."
"Danny, for me. Stay safe."
"Yes, sir." Danny nods, and walks out. After a moment of watching Danny depart, David shuts the door, locking it with a gentle click. He takes a moment to think about what just happened and fully process why.
Seconds after, Clara comes bounding down the stairs, joy in her step, a smile on her lips. "Dad? Who was that?"
"No one, Clara. No one."
(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)
A/N- Okay, so, officially my longest one shot ever. (If a lot of people like this, I could do a sequel to this. To be honest, I really want to do something with different kingdoms...Kingdom of Hearts, Kingdom of Music, and Kingdom of Time, maybe? Someone stop me, I'm getting more ideas) Hopefully, it made sense. I was thinking about doing this for Sherlock (John and Sherlock would be the pairing, because I love the two little dorks)
Sorry for the Pinkwald/Oswink/Whatever the ship name is for Danny and Clara, and the RiverxEleven shippers. I love DannyxClara and RiverxEleven, but I also adore Whouffle for a reason...
Anyway, I hope this made sense, I literally wrote this on a whim after I started thinking about fairytale stories. (Please note, I may start writing a bunch of fairytale AU's for Doctor Who. Possibly Sherlock as well...)
Thank you for reading! :)
(And sorry that I started ranting in the author's note, I tend to do that a lot.)