Ayyyy thank you guys so much for reviewing, I didn't think people would even read it let alone like it! :D
Just to clear up some things, the Clara is this story is the real Clara, not an echo, I think I mentioned that she travelled with the Eleventh Doctor at the start of the first chapter :P It's just that someone reviewed mentioning what might happen when she died saving him, but this is the actual Clara Oswald so she won't :P Well, not unless I do some Moffat-Like plot twist or something but naa, that'd be too sad :) I'm not that evil ;;)
Anyway, I hope you like this chapter! Not as angsty this time, bit more fluffly :) I didn't originally plan to make this into a romance between the two but then I got this idea and just had to run with it :P Enjoy anyway and review if you want, constructive criticism is always welcome!
"Androgubbles?!" Clara yelped, rushing through the opening as the Doctor slammed the metal door behind them firmly.
"Androgums, Clara, oh do listen, will you?" The Doctor replied haughtily, running a hand through his soft blond curls in annoyance and beginning to pace the room.
"Right," Clara panted, struggling to regain her breath. "Barcelona, Doctor! You promised me Barcelona! I wanted to see the dogs with no noses, not be chased around by some cannibalistic humanoids!"
"Got a bit side tracked," The Doctor mumbled, scanning the room for an escape route. "Bit of an unfortunate shame we ran into the Androgums, I know I'm attractive but good enough to eat? Not my cup of tea at all."
"What happened to the saying, "too good to eat"?" Clara grumbled at the Time Lord's self absorbed remark. She still missed the Eleventh version of the Doctor sometimes, the eccentric chinboy, he wasn't as mad as this one was and didn't have half as much of a short fuse, but this Doctor was special. This was her Doctor, she had decided, though the first time she had referred to him as that he'd gotten annoyed. "Yours? It's not as if you bought me, I'd be far too expensive for you to purchase."She had refused to be put off though, and he'd eventually accepted her name for him. She hadn't forgotten the times he'd called her "My Clara," either.
She smiled at the memory, despite the dire situation they were currently in. She wrapped her arms tighter around her as a slight chill ran through her bones. The temperature was dropping rapidly.
"Doctor, it's getting awfully cold," She ground out through chattering teeth, eyeing his bright rainbow coat appreciatively.
"Oh, the lack of oxygen will kill us before the cold does," The Doctor stated almost nonchalantly then paused, noting Clara's stricken expression at his words with realisation. "Ah."
"I'd rather not die here, Doctor!" Clara shivered, staring around the room for some sort of hidden exit. To her dismay, it seemed the only way out of dying of asphyxiation was to leave the way they had come in and be eaten by the waiting Androgums outside the door. "Why are they trying to kill us?!"
"Oh it's not the Androgums, they prefer to cook and prepare their food themselves. It's the vessel we're in now. This ship is dying and it's last resort to defense is to get rid of us by killing us, very clever, advanced technology-"
"Doctor, talk later, plan now!" Clara gasped, finding it harder to breath.
"Oh, right," The Doctor shrugged off his coat quickly, draping it around her shoulders. Clara managed a grateful smile, unwilling to use up too much of her remaining breath by talking.
The Doctor began to feel along the wall, letting out a joyous exclamation as he found a hand hold and tugged. A fragment of metal plating came away, revealing a short lever.
"Hold on, Clara," He panted as he pushed the lever up and down as rapidly as he could, the lack of oxygen and introduction of another toxic gas beginning to take effect on him. "Just don't breathe too much, but remember to breath."
Clara snorted at his words of advice. Her lungs ached with exertion but she adamantly crawled over to him, gasping for breath as her airwaves closed up. She struggled not to panic, knowing that would only worsen her situation. Her lightheadedness was beginning to fog her vision and soon the Doctor was merely a multicoloured blur. She tried to call out to him, but blackness quickly took over.
She awoke slowly, her body feeling leaden, unable and unwilling to open her heavy eyelids. A numb, dull pain was settling into her head, but she was almost too tired to take much notice of it. She gradually became aware of gentle hands stroking her face and hair softly, her brain momentarily unable to comprehend who it must be. It suddenly clicked that the familiar touch must be the Doctor, who else would it be? She wanted to pretend to be asleep for a while longer, just so he would keep caressing her face gently as she knew he would most likely stop when he knew she was awake.
"Feeling better?"
His smooth voice sounded from behind her, his warm breath tickling her ear and causing her heart to flutter at his close proximity. She smiled, despite herself, of course the Doctor would notice that she was awake. She hoped he couldn't also notice the way he affected her, the way her heart rate accelerated when he was near, like it did now. She had tried so hard to deny her feelings for this Doctor for fear of getting hurt when he didn't feel the same way, but she was finding it increasingly difficult.
She let out a soft sigh and opened her eyes, disappointment washing over her as his hands left her face just like she had presumed they would once he was aware that she was awake. She blinked, realsing that she was slumped in a chair in the Tardis console room and sat up straighter, wincing at the sudden throbbing pain in her head.
"Not bad, considering I was just asphyxiated," She groaned, holding a hand to her head and squeezing her eyes shut. "Not my idea of fun by the way."
"I'll mark that for future reference," The amused smile was evident in the Doctor's voice.
"Why- Why does my head hurt so much?" Clara murmured, her voice coming out as a soft whimper despite her efforts to make it strong. She felt tears prick her eyes, not expecting the pain to be so intense.
"You collapsed due to lack of oxygen and began to inhale a gas that's toxic to humans, you're lucky you escaped with just a headache," The Doctor chided her lightly. Clara let out a small involuntary moan as the pain increased slightly.
"Here," The Doctor took her hands from her face and set them in her lap gently. He touched her temple softly where the headache was strongest and pressed lightly.
"Ow!"
"Just checking," He grinned at Clara's astonished glare. "Trust me, it would be worse if you couldn't feel the pain there now, could mean that the gas had affected your nervous system more directly. Not to worry, you're clearly fine."
"Could've done it more gently," Clara muttered but gave a small smile all the same. She sighed. "Still hurts though."
The Doctor knelt in front of her and touched her face again, this time more gently. Clara closed her eyes as he stroked her face softly, drawing soothing circles on her skin where the pain was worst. She let out a soft sigh, enjoying the feel of his hands on her skin.
He kissed her forehead gently as the pain began to ebb away slowly, or maybe it was just that Clara was so starstruck she didn't notice the headache anymore. His soft lips moved to her cheek, kissing her there softly a few times. Clara's heart rate accelerated, the pain in her head now long forgotten. The Doctor trailed small kisses across to her other cheek gently as Clara trembled slightly in anticipation.
He kissed the soft skin just beside her mouth, hands still stroking her hair softly. Before Clara realised what she was doing, she turned her head slightly so that his lips were now directly in front of hers, so close they were almost touching. Clara froze, unknowing as to how he would take her unexpectedly brazen move. She had surprised even herself.
The Doctor hesitated, his lips hovering above hers. Clara was sure he could hear her heart beating now, if he didn't make a move soon it would burst out of her chest. The Doctor slowly closed the space between them, his lips brushing hers gently, hesitantly. Clara reached up to place her hands around his neck gently as the Doctor moved closer, bringing their lips together more firmly and moving his against hers slowly. The kiss was gentle and sincere and Clara couldn't remember ever feeling so complete, so happy. Half of her was almost afraid that this was a dream.
She felt the Doctor smile against her lips before he pulled back to look at her, his perfect blue eyes searching hers. Clara managed a soft smile at the man she loved, her headache gone and forgotten.
"Better?" The Doctor smirked, his blue eyes twinkling with mirth.
"Better."
Ayyy hope you liked that one :) If you want, I'll write more :) If you have time, review to let me know what you think, it'd make me smile :)