It's a slow day in the TARDIS, which is not the norm by any means.
The Doctor isn't feeling any inspiration after visiting a planet in the Third Realm that reminded him of his home - Gallifrey.
His home planet has always been a sore subject for the Timelord. A wound that never truly healed despite his people not being fully gone. Some days it seems to affect him more than others. And today is clearly one of those days.
Clara hates seeing him like this. The Doctor is her role model, her inspiration, her best friend. She is desperate to find a way to cheer him up again into his usual self. If she doesn't, Clara also fears she may die of boredom.
"What's your favorite color?" She asks brightly, it's the first question that popped into her head. "Uh Glaviote I suppose, though it's so hard to choose." The Doctor responds absently, not looking up from where he's fiddling with a tangle of wires dangling beneath the main control console.
He's not actually doing anything important, just merely appearing busy. And after years of traveling with the Timelord, Clara, of course, sees right through this. Though at the moment, she is too taken aback by the foreign color to bother calling him out for it. "Glavi-what?" She asks in genuine bewilderment.
"Glaviote, I forgot the color doesn't exist to human eyes. It was an important color at my home. The color of our planet's core, our most vibrant flowers, and it's the color of every child's eyes when they are first born. It's truly beautiful." The Doctor gives a small smile as he finally looks at her, but Clara notices that it never quite reaches his eyes.
His eyes are darkened, sad, lonely. The same eyes that were once … Glaviote … some hundreds of years ago.
"And here I was gonna say purple." Clara mumbles sheepishly. Hoping to lighten the mood with her joke, but the Doctor appears just as distant and lonely as he was prior.
Clara purses her lips; she needs a way to make him smile.
He feels nostalgic; so maybe if she could make him feel at home here with her, then Doctor wouldn't feel so upset and alone? Worth a try at least. Anything is better than dying from boredom, unable to help her best friend.
The Doctor's home isn't there as he remembers it, but he still has a home here on Earth and in the TARDIS - With her.
Suddenly, she remembers something from her childhood that her mom used to do to her. No matter how upset or hurt or sad she was, it always brightened her mood and made her smile. No telling if it will work on an alien, but she'll never know unless she tries.
"Doctor, are you ticklish?" Clara asks hesitantly, unsure if he'll even be familiar with the concept of tickling. Though at a thousand years old, she reckons he has to have at least heard of it.
This directs his attention immediately, breaking him out of his deep thoughts. The Doctor seems surprised, and slightly nervous, by her odd question. Assuring Clara that he most certainly is familiar with the concept.
"I am absolutely not ticklish, Clara. Why would you ask such a thing?" The Doctor stammers unconvincingly after a few moments of gazing at her like a deer in the headlights. The brunette woman grins in response as she inches closer to him. The Timelord inches away just as fast, matching her steadily increasing pace.
"Because I'm curious, and I don't think you're telling the truth. Mind if I test your statement?" Clara asks slyly as she begins stalking around the center console, keeping the Doctor in her wicked sights.
"Yes. Yes, as a matter of fact I do mind. If you'll excuse me." The Doctor responds, attempting to briskly walk past her to the staircase so he can disappear who knows where. But Clara rushes forward and quickly begins squeezing his sides mercilessly before he makes it to the bottom banister.
Within a few moments of the attack, his legs give in and he collapses onto the floor in hysterical laughter. As it turns out, the Doctor is incredibly ticklish.
"CLAHAHAHARA STOHOHOHOP THIHIHIS! PLEAHAHAHASE!" He cries out as he scrambles backwards in a futile attempt to escape her fingers. But Clara follows his every move, laughing right along with him as she does. Curious now to try out new weak spots on her friend.
The Doctor lays on the floor just in front of the staircase, hopelessly squirming away from Clara where she kneels on the floor beside him. She holds nothing back as she claws at his ribs and squeezes down his sides and hips. Greatly enjoying the vibrant reactions she is able to pull from her friend without having to try.
Clearly it's been a very long time since anyone has done this too him.
The Doctor; over a thousand year old, and an unbelievably powerful member of a species whose intellect is superior to all of the universe ... And yet he's taken down within 3 seconds of tickling. It is a beautiful sight for humanity indeed.
"But you're smiling Doctor!" Clara responds gleefully, not inclined to stop any time soon. She watches while his face blushes red as she scribbles her fingers up and down his sides.
Noticing a particularly strong reaction near his underarms, she targets her attack to his upper ribs, and greatly enjoys the reaction it draws out. Pleading laughter bellowing outward uncontrollably.
Clara eases her hands easily around his torso as he helplessly attempts to swat at her while simultaneously trying to protect his sensitive spots - Which Clara has quickly learned are everywhere. So it's truthfully a futile effort, but that won't stop him from trying.
However, under his fighting and pleading is something else. Something … happy. The Doctor is happy?
"I ASSURE YOHOU THERE ARE OHOTHER WAYS TO MAHAKE ME SMILE!" The Doctor forces through his laughter, eyes slight damp from tears of mirth. "Really? Like what?" Clara asks innocently, clawing at the spot on his upper ribs that gave her a particularly endearing reaction.
The Timelord isn't able to conjure any excuse to mind, let alone force it over his now frantic laughter. "ST-STAHAHAP! I-I CAHANT!" He's barley able to get a semi-coherent word out as Clara doubles down on that dreadful spot on the other side of his ribs.
"That's not an answer." She responds cheekily as she repositions herself atop of his hips to keep him still. Quickly making the adjustment before she resumes madly scribbling her fingers just below the center of his rib cage on either side. Quickly sending the already-panicked alien into utter hysterics.
"WAHAIT! NAHAT THEHERE!" The Timelord screams, snorts strewn into his larger now. Although, despite his begging words, Clara notices the Doctor makes no clear move to stop her. Instead it almost seems like he's feeding into it, fighting more so out of reflex than anything else. The sight causes her own smile to deepen.
Perhaps she doesn't have to be exploring galaxies and fighting aliens to have a good time.. perhaps all she needs is the company of one specific alien. Clara doesn't entertain the thought for long however, far too preoccupied with other matters; but it does give her a new sense of peace and belonging.
"Well I rather like right there. So I'm going to stay there." The snarky human replies, knowing her words can be just effective as her fingers at forcing her friend to smile. Just as she expected, his eyes flash in amusement before fading back into his laughter.
She continues to tickle him for another few minutes as he halfheartedly 'fights' her. Clara once again can easily tell that the Doctor enjoying himself despite how helplessly ticklish turned out to be.
His eyes are bright and his laughter is genuine. The Doctor's attempts to push her away are weak and effortless; just a show.
He needs this.
But after his face starts to turn red, it becomes apparent to Clara that both of his hearts are beating very fast and need a break.
Clara also notices that despite the Doctor looking exhausted, he also looks rather disappointed that their game seems to be over. She makes an internal promise to do this kind of thing more often. After all, she now knows it will be a great source of entertainment to her ...
"You dwindle-bug!" The Doctor gasps out, still pretending to be upset. Clara plays along, knowing his pride is quite fragile. "Yes, I'm a dwindle-bug. Whatever that means." She chuckles in response, dismounting the Timelord's hips to allow him to stand. He does so on wobbly legs, still eyeing Clara warily as he regains his footing.
She puts her hands up to display truce and his posture immediately improves, though the flash of disappointment in his eyes is certainly not her imagination either.
"It means, it means you're ... I don't know I made it up." He mumbles, brushing imaginary dust off his dress shirt before shooting Clara a half-hearted glare. All she returns is a cheeky smile. It doesn't take long for the Doctors upset façade to crack, and he is soon grinning back at her with a slight shake of his head.
"You know, for a dangerous, trained, experienced warrior of the galaxy; you're kinda adorable Doctor." Clara says, relishing at the sight of the Doctor's face blooming red at her words. He quickly turns his eyes away. "That's besides the point, we have an unexplored volcanic planet to see." He counters, changing the subject as he walks back to the control panel.
It may be an excuse to avoid her question, but Clara can also tell that the spring in his step has returned. And the Doctor truly did seem ready to continue traveling across time and space with her.
Clara doesn't complain in regards to his avoidance, her Doctor is back. His smile is in full swing and his once-Glaviote eyes are shining once more.
They need each other, neither able to fully function without the other. They both know it, but neither feel the need to say it. Perhaps they're too scared to admit it - Perhaps they're too uncertain of what it could become.
Or maybe they're just too content to bother mentioning it.
"Oh, and I am very much looking forward to exploring your ticklish spots as well, Clara. Don't think that I'm not aware how common this weakness is in humans." The Doctor adds on with a wink in her blushing direction as he inserts the coordinates of whatever dangerous location he's taking her next. He smiles in response to her blushing face proving his point as the TARDIS begins to hum its usual tune.
Laugher will surly be flooding the console room more often. But Clara is perfectly fine with this. "I suppose that's only fair." She responds with a shrug, returning his smile after a moment.
And with that, they resume their aimless journey across the universe - Together and content.