"Yes. I'm really here. I'm back." The Doctor crouched slightly until he was eye level with a considerably short Clara Oswald. "Now get inside the TARDIS."
The grip she had on his arm was unlike anything he'd ever seen from her. Unlike any handhold they'd ever shared, unlike any hug, and not because it was strong for such a strong young woman. It was like she was clinging to him. Getting her true feel of what she wasn't quite sure was an actual reality. He could see it in her eyes that she hadn't yet come to terms with whether or not he was real, and it was apparent that she was no longer aware of anything else happening around her.
She gave his arm yet another confirming squeeze before finally breaking her gaze away from his, lowering her hand back to her side and pushing past him. Within moments she was safe inside the TARDIS, in quite a state, still trying to come to terms with what was happening.
There it was. The console. Clara lightly brushed her fingertips across every button, every lever, and drummed lightly against the edge. She tilted her head back and watched the stilled time rotor, reminiscing on all those times she'd admired its mesmerizing up-and-down movement.
Of course, the first thought that popped into her head was that this was all just a dream. She'd had countless dreams, at this point. When she spent her days missing Danny and wondering if she'd ever see her best friend again, those things occupying her mind unsurprisingly managed to work their way into her sleeping subconscious.
But this time it was different. She didn't feel like she was floating across the ground beneath her feet. She didn't feel disoriented and confused about her surroundings. The Doctor's strong arm beneath her palm had been more real than any of the time's she unconsciously held his hand.
This was all real.
It was just moments after that before the sound of the TARDIS doors opening caused her to spin around with glassy eyes.
There he was, just as real as he'd been moments before. His hands were in his pockets, eyes fixed on the floor below, as if he was hesitant to meet her gaze. When he did, he almost regretted it. "Well, what do you have to look like that for?" He forced a frown, gesturing to her face. It was more difficult than he though it would be to keep his usual indignant nature. "How long's it been, anyway?"
"Six months." Her voice crackled and she had to clear her throat to prevent it.
"Well, that's not too bad, is it?" He asked with a shrug, running a hand through his short grey curls as he looked away.
Clara just blinked, unfazed in any way by the remark. "Is this a dream?"
"Well, that depends."
"On what?"
"Whether or not its a dream."
She managed a slight laugh at that, but it didn't last long. "Prove it. Prove to me that you're really here."
There were many things he could do in that moment. Give her a hug and let her actually feel that it was him, say something about the two of them that she would know only could come from his mouth, or maybe, both of the above.
He smiled sadly. He had a funny way of doing that, really. It wasn't as difficult or unnatural as he'd thought. He finally understood how Clara felt so often when she was with him.
"You have to trust me, Clara." He said simply, raising his arms slightly in an inviting gesture but lowering them again when the action didn't quite fit him. He laughed in an encouraging sort of way when she began to slowly make her way in her towards his direction. "I'm real."
Clara's lips finally hitched into a believing smile as she almost stumbled forward, suddenly craving the mutual touch.
"Just one more step." He extending his hand outward to catch hers as soon as it was in range, using the leverage to speed up her journey and pull her right to him.
Her arms wrapped around his neck and she pressed herself as close to him as she could. Feeling the deepest relief and warmth when one of his arms wrapped around her waist and his other hand rested against the back of her head.
"God, I've missed you." She whispered, trying to cover up the hitching in her breaths with a lighthearted chuckle.
The Doctor didn't respond, just allowed himself to cherish the rare moment before it was time to return to his usual self. He eventually pulled back slightly, lips stretched in his classic grin. The hand still on her shoulder moved downward ever so slightly, pressing lightly against her chest. "Your heart's racing." He laughed out.
"What do you expect?" She asked, eyes shining. "It has been six months since that fairly rubbish hug of ours."
"Oi, at least I didn't have the turtle hands." He protested, waving his hands on either side of him like he had during their first hug in his current body. "I'd say I've improved a good bit."
"I dunno." Clara shrugged. "Could be a bit better."
"Oh, shut it." He brushed his fingers against her cheek before his hands fell back into his trouser pockets. "I think I'm hugged out for the day."
She nodded, lips pressed together in a firm, slightly hitched upward line. "Fair enough."
"Now." The Doctor pushed past her and headed straight for the console, already manning the controls. "I need you for a thing."