A/N: Just saw the Series 9 *official* trailer. WOW. Just...just go watch it. Any attempts I make at describing it would not do it justice. But the following story (if I can even call it that) is based off a HUGE shippy thing that happens in it...(becuz OMG! FEELS!) Therefore, it could be counted as a potential SPOILER. You have now been warned. Or just watch the trailer and then come back and read this. Go on. I'll wait...but for those who have already seen it, feel free to read on.
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THE DOCTOR DOES HUGGING NOW
Finally, FINALLY, Clara gets the TARDIS to land where she wants it to, at the coordinates of the Doctor's last known location and stumbles out its doors, gripping the wooden sides tightly for support and almost tripping over her own feet in the heavy orange space suit from pure exhaustion. To say that she's "had a rough day" would be putting it lightly...more like an unparalleled disaster.
She's so tired in fact, that she nearly doesn't take in her new surroundings at all—a quaint viking village on a treeless meadow—nor the ecstatic Time Lord that comes running up to her at breakneck speed she probably wouldn't think this version capable of. But run to her he does...
And she has just enough time to glance at him briefly with a confused look before he does something he has never, EVER done before (not this version anyway)...
He. Hugs. Her.
The Doctor—who doesn't do "hugging"-has now literally swept her (space suit and all) off her feet and suddenly his arms are wrapped so tight around her she can hardly breathe and then there's the spinning...she can hardly believe it. It's completely unexpected and her emotions are thrown for a loop. Can this be the real Doctor? She thinks to herself, worriedly, for all of 30 seconds...and then, she just... Doesn't. Care. Anymore. Because it feels wonderful. She wraps her arms equally as tight around his neck and just surrenders to it, curling around him like a child and burying her head near his neck...and closing her eyes and allowing the sensation of him holding her like this for the first time wash over them both with giddy abandon.
The point of it all is that he's there. Her best friend in the universe is there and he's hugging her like he will never let go again...and...is he..? Is that him...? ...laughing? Yes...yes it is. He's laughing joyfully and Clara thinks it might just be her favorite sound in the world now.
And when he puts her down finally back on terra firma, he's smiling wider than she's ever seen and his cool blue eyes are positively sparkling with warmth and relief...and...utter adoration...and...it's enough to make her swoon slightly...but the grip he has on her shoulders keeps her from doing exactly that.
She grips his shoulders too, but pulls back to look up at him properly. "Doctor...?" she asks him, eyebrow raised, utterly bewildered and dazed to see him acting so...so...so unlike him.
"Clara Oswald...I have missed you very much." He says, still grinning, mirroring the words she spoke to him fondly at Christmas. And he says these words openly...so earnestly...that she can't deny how much she loves hearing them...or what it means coming from him. And yet...she's still unsure.
"Uh...Doctor...that was a hug. A real hug. From you. Oh my God. You. Hugged. *Me*. Of your own free will. Am I...am I dreaming this? Is that really you, Doctor? I mean, is this a thing that you do now? The hugging?"
He chuckles, nodding, but blushing slightly...clearing his throat and looking anywhere but at her, he replies: "Yes, I'm really here...and um...yeah, I suppose it was...er...don't expect it to happen again, though. Strictly a one-time time thing, 'o course. Musn't read...too much...into it...no...soooo...anyway, you're here! With the TARDIS! Excellent work, Clara. Though, I will say you took your time getting' here...been waiting for ya for..." he looks at his watch, "...oooooohhh, say...around 20 years, give or take a few..."
'Definitely him then'. And she smiles up at him at last, rolling her eyes and shaking her head. 'Typical Doctor. Hasn't seen me for 20 years and even after he hugs me he can still find a way to criticize me for something.'
They split apart and that's when Clara finally gets a good long look at their surroundings.
"Doctor...where are we? And...um...is that your diary on the ground?"
"Ah. Yes. That. I was wonderin when you'd notice. It's a viking village. And yes, it is my diary. Must have slipped. But come oooon! I have so much to tell you. Loads has happened while you were off messing about in my ship. Come and meet the locals!" He beckoned, hands gesturing impatiently.
"They're...vikings? Real vikings? Like Odin & Thor type vikings?"
"Oh yes...a bunch of viking warrior pudding brains...big tough brutes...and not a single braincell to be had among them...well, except for that one fellow...and no, we're not meeting Odin or Thor today. Although I did try to lift Thor's hammer once...boy, was he surprised when I was able to lift it...River was impressed as well. But they've got their hands full at the moment so a trip to Asgard will have to wait. Anyway, I will admit that, in all likelihood, these particular villagers might try to slaughter us with axes in our sleep at a moment's notice if we so much as look at them wrong...but that's not even the best bit...just wait until you hear about what's been happening here, the reason I came...it's truly amazing..."
Upon hearing this, her face fell somewhat, as if suddenly remembering how tired & dirty she really was. "But...Doctor! I...I could really use a break, actually...I mean...look at me..." she motions to the rest of her body.
But he was already three strides in front of her and called over his back, "No time, Clara. Must keep moving forward. Lots to see, mysteries to solve, vikings to interrogate..."
"So...business as usual, then." Shaking her head, grumbling to herself, she sighed audibly, but eventually, trudged on after him...because that's what she does. What she will always do. Follow him anywhere...anywhen...to the ends of the universe and beyond. Or, in this case...into a viking village, of all places...still, a mystery is still a mystery, one she couldn't wait to solve with him by her side.
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A/N: So yeah...I have no clue what's going to happen in the episode itself up to the point of the hug, all I know from the trailer and from various other photos is that they obviously were separated for awhile and the Doctor got stuck alone in a Viking village while Clara did scary spacey stuff...and he's really, really happy to see her again...happy enough to go against his own "no-hugging" rule. And to see it as actual canon...well, this makes me a very, very happy fangirl indeed. And I hope it does for you, too. Okay. Time to go watch the trailer for the billionth time.