In Her Eyes (A Whouffle Fanfiction)

Chapter 13- Weapon of Mass Distraction

The moment the TARDIS doors shut Clara pulled away from the Doctor, distancing herself from him deliberately.The tears fell thick and fast from her eyes and she wiped them away angrily with her hands, hating herself for showing weakness in front of him. She would not lose control. If there was one thing on her life that Clara needed, it was control, and she clung on to it by her fingertips, loathe to let it go. 

The Doctor rounded the console cautiously, wringing his hands. "Clara?" he questioned softly.

She didn't answer, turning her back to him and stalking off to her room. The Doctor huffed in frustration and followed, keeping ten steps behind her at all times as she walked down the console room steps and into the maze-like corridors of the TARDIS interior. 

"Will you leave me alone?" Clara snapped at him, increasing her pace. It was impossible to lose the Doctor in the TARDIS; he knew every nook and cranny of the infinite spaceship like the back of his hand. A trait that, on any other day, would have Clara impressed but right now she needed some space from the well-meaning Time Lord so she could figure out what to do next.

"Well, actually, no. You need to calm down." The Doctor said beseechingly behind her, long legs easily adapting to keep up with her shorter ones' new pace. He didn't understand. One minute Clara had been fiercely defending him from her Father, and the next she was rejecting him.  

"I need to calm down? I need to calm down?" Clara returned shrilly.

"Um, yes?" He said it like a question, afraid what her answer would be. Clara snorted and sped up again, legs working so fast they seemed a blur. Seeing no other option the Doctor lengthened his stride, overtaking her and clamping his hands down on her shoulders, halting her headlong rush and holding her in place. Clara stared down at the floor, body ram rod straight, cheeks glistening with tears. 

"Doctor, let me go." She whispered, so quietly that a normal human could have mistaken it as a breath of wind. 

"No, Clara, look at me." He removed a hand hesitantly from her shoulder, and, when she made no move to escape, rested it under her chin instead. He wasn't forcing her to look up- just giving her encouragement to. And, sure enough, Clara did, lifting her head just enough to peep at him through the curtain of hair that had fallen across her face. The Doctor brushed it aside, tucking the various strands behind her ears. He studied her forlorn expression like a scientist until he came up with his theory, hoping that he had found the crux of the issue.

"You have to talk to your Dad." 

She ducked around him and resumed her march through the TARDIS. "No. Not yet." 

This time the Doctor walked alongside her, noting how resolute the set of her shoulders were and the cold mask on her face. The tears were erased, the only hint of their previous existence faint tracks down her cheeks. He could see at first glance that pushing her into it was not going to help at all so instead he filed the topic away in a corner of his brain, marking it for later. Neither of them were in the right mood to tackle what had just occurred, at least not in a civil way, so the Doctor went back to what he did best. 

Distract her. 

The Doctor tentatively reached down between them and brushed Clara's hand. Her fingers twitched against his slightly and in response he threaded his fingers through hers, savouring the sensation of their palms touching, her pulse beating steadily where their fingers met. The Doctor swung their hands fractionally as they walked, the action making Clara smile despite her face being turned away. 

"I know what you need," the Doctor announced, suddenly stopping in the middle of the hallway. He tugged on her hand and she twirled towards him, keeping their hands linked. "Adventure."