clashildr one shots

Daylight Robbery

     Light played in front of Ashildr's eyelids. She eased then open with disdain; it felt like a job of work, so mightily were the thralls of sleep clinging to her.
     Until her eyes found a rather shirtless Clara at the foot of the bed - suddenly, closing her eyes seemed like the harder option.
     Clara looked around and caught Ashildr's gaze. "Morning, you!" She pulled a t-shirt over her head - disapointingly - before making her way around to the side of the bed and kissed Ashildr gently good morning. "I'm gonna go make some breakfast. Try and be up and dressed - I have a plan for today."
     "Ominous."
     Clara winked.
     "Hey, hey, before you go, could I ask a favour? Lay on me with your whole weight."
     Clara studied Ashildr briefly before outwardly shrugging and clambering on top of her wife. Ashildr groaned a little and laughed, but otherwise enjoyed the experience; it had been a while since someone had crushed her like this. She missed the feeling.
     "Can you breathe down there?"
     "Not really."
     "Do you want me to move?"
     Ashildr locked her arms around Clara's back. "No."
     Neither made any attempt to move for a moment, both just enjoying the contact, before Clara rolled off.
     "C'mon," she said. "I've got something for you. Come on in to the dining area."
     "If it's not breakfast, I'm divorcing you." Ashildr pulled a hoodie off of the floor before even thinking about thrusting herself into the morning chill of the bedroom.
     Eventually, she made it to the dining area, where Clara stood leaning against a display case. It was almost as tall as she was, rectangular, with drawers sat beneath a glass sheet covering a sword rack. It was a deep mahogany, engraved with runes around the edges; the handles were tiny, intricate wolves' heads of polished silver, glinting ever so slightly in the red light of the morning sun cast through the windows behind.
     "I thought, maybe, you could keep your Ulfbert in here," Clara said, tapping the top with stray fingers.
     Ashildr forgot to reply. She simply stared.
     "This is so cool!"
     Clara smiled.
     The door to the diner thudded open. Both Clara and Ashildr jumped slightly and turned about to watch as the 'customer' came in.
     "Let me guess," they said, in a voice both instantly recognised, "you're not open for business today."
     It was Clara. Ashildr blinked. Looked behind her to her Clara. Looked in front of her to another Clara.
     Oh, this can't be good.
     From across the room, the new Clara locked eyes with Ashildr and her entire demeanour changed. Her shoulders slumped, face slipped into that sad smile, and her eyes widened. She seemed so incredibly sad.
     Without any sort of warning whatsoever, the future Clara took meaningful strides across the linoleum towards Ashildr. Once within reach, she stretched out both arms and took a gentle hold on her shoulders. Clara then moved one soft hand to Ashildr's cheek and, surprisingly, kissed her.
     This wasn't like their normal kisses. This wasn't casual, general affections, but such a concoction of so many emotions she couldn't quite tell which way was up. There was the solidity of it all - the way Clara held Ashildr to her, the way she made no move to pull away - on top of the release of it all. It felt like Clara hadn't done this in a very long time. And, underneath it all, was the sadness; staining the affections was the aching feeling like this would be the last time.
     Eventually, Ashildr had to push Clara away with her fist - not only was she hyper aware of the other Clara stood less than three feet away but she also needed to breathe.
     "You always do forget I need air," Ashildr laughed. She was sure this woman was her Clara - nobody else had ever kissed her like that in all her years. When she looked into her eyes, she saw much more than she bargained for; instead of the usual playful sparkle, they were dull and held more pain than she had ever seen. It was like she held all the sorrow of every sentient being in vats of misery right inside her head. Ashildr felt her fingers linger in this Clara's palm.
     Present Clara stepped forward. "Am I missing something?"
     The other Clara seemed to not hear her until a moment later, so fixated was she on Ashildr ahead of her. Finaly, a beat too late, she cleared her throat and looked toward Present Clara.
     "I'm you. From your future."
     "How far in my future?"    
     Future Clara spread her hands. She glanced at Ashildr again. "I'm really not... Sure. Sorry. Uh, right. I'm so sorry to burst in on you guys like this."
     Ashildr twisted her fingers around Future Clara's hand and squeezed gently; whichever way you looked at it, this woman was still her wife, and was still in pain. She was happy to help.
     Present Clara was far less lenient.
     "I'm sure that I'll understand when I come to do it," she said. "A word?"
     Future Clara hesitated at the idea of leaving Ashildr's direct company. However, when Clara jerked her head towards the console room, she followed; Ashildr supposed that non-verbal communication is easier when it's between you and yourself.
     Her presence was unwanted in the silence that followed their departure.

--
 
     It was probably around an hour later that the Claras eventually emerged.
     Whatever had turned Future Clara's eyes into the empty pits of despair, it was contagious. Present Clara's eyes had darkened over the hour, too. Both Claras headed directly towards Ashildr as she perched on her barstool; Future Clara came right up beside her and buried her hand in her hair. Present Clara stood awkwardly out of the way. Ashildr contemplated the hand that rested at the nape of her neck. It was by no means unfamiliar, alien, or, in fact, unwanted; it simply sat where it felt as it always had. Future Clara gazed steadily down at her.
     "I should be off," Future Clara muttered, almost as if she didn't want to be heard; her dead eyes still had not left Ashildr.
     Present Clara clasped her hands behind her back. "Yeah. It's best." She avoided her own eyes.
     Future Clara sighed, almost as if she understood her avoidance of herself. What had she done?
     Ashildr stood from the stool. Future Clara's hand migrated to her cheek; Ashildr felt herself lean into it slightly. She saw as the Claras exchanged a glance before Future Clara leant in and kissed her again.
     This interaction was different. It was slower, kinder, and more tinged with the longing of loss that terrified them both. Without another word, Future Clara left through the diner doors. She didn't even look back.
     In the whirlwind peace that followed, Clara swept Ashildr into her arms. "Ash, I'm worried."
     "Technically, I didn't kiss anyone else-"
     "No, Ashildr, I am... Worried."
     Clara's stark tone and firm hold on Ashildr made the meaning of her words sink in.
     "That Clara hadn't seen you in so long. Maybe hundreds of years. Everything I fear is right there in her eyes. Please." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "We cannot let that happen to us."
     "You know that I will be with you to my dying breath, right? You understand that naught can pull me from you?"
     Ashildr heard the terror that soaked Clara's voice. "What if it's not our choice?"
     The dread followed them from that moment on.

A/N - i'm also on ao3 now (@doctor_funkinstein)! this book plus any other works will be going up on there, too, so if you wanna check that out please feel free