He touches because he needs to, strokes their faces, cradles their heads, grip their hands in his and never let's go.
He needs to know their skin is warm, needs to feel their pulses jump beneath it in a steady rhythm.
He needs to know that they're alive, and real, and that they'll stay that way, his beacons of warmth.
He kisses their precious, fragile human skin with reverence because heneeds it, their foreheads, their lips.
He needs their reactions, the sighs and the laughs and even the smacks that leave red marks on his cheeks.
He needs it like oxygen or water, to stay alive, to stay anchored to the universe and life, because otherwise he'll be set adrift without any hope of rescue.
He needs them more than anything else, because they save him.
…
One thing I love about the 11th Doctor is just how much he touches his companions. He's always so tender and affectionate, and I think everyone wished they had that level of intimacy with someone. However, for the Doctor, I think touching has more to do with needing other people than anything else.
fyi this was posted on tumblr months and months ago, just thought i'd put it here as well